Hey Ya'll, The other day, my friend put the song 'In the Land of Twilight, Under the Moon' on my ipod for me… and like I had it on repeat because I like the song, and well… this story is based off two things, mainly the dream I had while listening to the song* and the new bleach arc, with the Zanpakutou materialization and all that.
*The part that is based off the dream, I'm going to mark the section, but while you read it, I recommend listening to the song during that portion.
The song is from .Hack, I do believe… Correct me if I'm wrong. But anyway, it's like… pretty and stuff.
As always, thank you to my beta, Saint Sky, because she is an awesome person.
Anyway… here we go!
In the heat of battle, once can never be too cautious. A warrior must be alert and ready to attack or defend. They must have swift reflexes and most importantly, they must expect the unexpected, be prepared for anything…because at any given moment…something can go wrong.
An ancient proverb that is the first and most basic lesson taught at the Shinigami academy. It is something that has been ingrained in the heads of all young Shinigami-to be in training; reason being that when they reach a mature age as a respected shinigami, it is second nature to them, just like breathing.
Expect the unexpected.
If this is something that a warrior is taught and reminded of so much, the why did the materialization of the zanpakutou bring such a shock and chaos to the Soul Society?
The reason is because the Shinigami so focused on their preparations for the war against Aizen they were too distracted to listen to the cries of their zanpakutou. After all, a zanpakutou is simply part of their wielder. Nothing as such had ever happened before. Why would such an unheard of even happen now of all times?
It is because of Muramasaand his evil scheme. The shinigami had no clue just exactly was about to hit them…full force with no attempts to stop it.
Kin… Kin… Kin…
Rukia pondered this as the blade of her katana clashed with the pure white of Sode no Shirayuki. Her zanpakutou, her beautiful zanpakutou, was trying to kill her.
"Please! Sode no Shirayuki! Stop this!" Rukia begged, silently praying that her zanpakutou would see the light, so to speak.
"You no longer control me. I dance to my own whim now." Came the harsh reply.
"Please don't do this!"
"I'll do as I please." Shirayuki snapped.
Rukia's blade was slipping. She knew that she couldn't hold Shirayuki back much longer. Quickly, just seconds before the pure white blade sliced her face, she jumped back out of range of a direct cut.
"I am free of your control. You have no right to stop me. I am not a part of you anymore." Shirayuki said as Rukia landed.
"Fine, but why are you hurting innocent people?" Rukia asked, staring her zanpakutou down.
"I am simply doing as I please." Shirayuki continued the stare down. "And I will not look lightly on anyone who interferes."
Rukia sighed and closed her eyes. "To be honest, I don't want to fight you but–"
She was cut off as Shirayuki disappeared from where she had stood and came straight at her, a whip of ice forming in her right hand.
Rukia barely dodged in time. The icy whip hit the ground and formed a block of ice shaped in an arc where Rukia had previously stood.
In mid air Rukia drew her sword. "Mae, Sode no Shirayuki!"
Landing, she examined her sword. Nothing had happened. She held it in front of her. "It won't even go into its shikai form?" she asked.
A few feet away, Shirayuki stood watching her, "Of course it won't." she said as if it should have been obvious. "After all, I no longer reside in that katana."
Rukia gasped and took a small step back as Shirayuki continued. "Up until now, you've had free reign over my powers as a zanpakutou. It was something that I permitted. But I also had no choice."
"You didn't have a choice?" Rukia cut in.
A white ribbon flashed in her vision. Rukia gasped as Shirayuki materialized the shikai form of the zanpakutou.
"But things are different now." Shirayuki replied, pointing the white blade at Rukia. "I am free to use my powers as I please. Until now, I'm sure you've considered my power to be your own. But you were mistaken. In reality, you're powerless to fight on your own. You are nothing without me."
"I've never thought of it as my own –"
"Some no Mai, Tsukishiro." Shirayuki cut Rukia off with the beautiful attack of the icy circle that destroys anything within it. As the ground beneath her began to glow, Rukia jumped out of the way as the tower of ice appeared.
"Impossible." Rukia gasped. She was truly stunned. She had never seen her zanpakutou with such a hateful look in her eyes. "Tsukishiro's ice tower –"
"It is supposed to reach up into the heavens within the area drawn out by your sword." Shirayuki said with her eyes closed. She cast Rukia a glance as she landed on a roof of a building. "Right?"
With a swing of her sword another circle appeared under Rukia, who jumped out of the way at the last minute. Only to find Shirayuki had appeared behind her.
"WAIT! SODE NO SHIRAYUKI!" Rukia screamed as an arctic blast sent her flying to the ground while Shirayuki landed elegantly on her feet.
Rukia crawled to her knees, breathing heavily. "Are you saying I can't do anything without you?" she asked, making a fist and rising to her feet, wobbling a bit at first. "Oh he who has ten-thousand wings and is crowned with the name of man. With truth and moderation, lightly scratch you nails against the wall of a dream that knows no sin. Hadou no Sanyuu-san, Soukatsui!"
Blue-fire shot out of Rukia's hands and flew at Shirayuki. A wall of blue fire crashed down on the beautiful white haired, blue eyed woman standing about three feet in front of her. The flames enveloped Shirayuki and stirred up a cloud of dust. As the dust began to clear, the area was glowing with an unnatural light. The flames began to clear and revealed… a pillar of ice protecting Shirayuki.
Rukia gasped, taken completely off guard. After all, fire is supposed to melt ice, right?
The ice shattered revealing an unharmed Shirayuki, who was wearing a smug grin.
"Sode no Shirayuki… you… you… the blue fire…how??" Rukia stammered.
"Are you surprised?" Shirayuki asked, sounding as if she were choking back laughter. "You clearly underestimate me." With a shrug, she continued, "It can't be helped. I'll just have to correct your way of thinking."
"B-B-But! Fire MELTS ice!!" Rukia blurted out before she could stop and think about who exactly she was talking to.
"And yet, you continue to underestimate me."
Shirayuki disappeared once more and came at Rukia from behind. At the last second, Rukia turned and blocked. The blade of the sword ringing from the impact, Rukia slid backwards; Shirayuki took to the air and sent spears of ice down at Rukia, who promptly dodged them.
As Rukia raced along the wall of the building, she gazed up at her zanpakutou.
'My Katana. My beautiful Katana. She's so beautiful..'
Rukia dodged more spears.
'She's truly worthy of being called the most beautiful sword in the Soul Society… So why is she looking at me as if she hates me? I am her and she is me. Have I hurt her by keeping all of her power to myself? Is she right? Have I neglected her?' Rukia wondered. Shirayuki and moved again. Rukia skidded to a halt and began searching around for her zanpakutou.
"Whenever you reflect the distant past… you leave yourself wide open for a direct attack." Shirayuki called. Directing her attack at Ichigo.
'When did he get here?' Rukia wondered. "Stay back Ichigo. This is my fight. Stay out of it."
Ichigo blinked. "But Rukia."
"Sode no Shirayuki is my Zanpakutou, therefore, my responsibility. Stay out. I can take care of myself." Rukia said, getting between Shirayuki and Ichigo.
"If you must hate someone. Hate me." Rukia said, staring Shirayuki in the eyes.
"I do. I absolutely loathe you. But… in order to truly make you suffer… I must take out what you care about most. Your friends, your family, even your pride as a shinigami. All you need to do is watch."
Rukia closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, then released the air she took in. "I see. That's what I'd expect from my zanpakutou. You know exactly how to make me suffer. If I have offended you in any way, I'm truly sorry. You're correct; just what gives us shinigami the right to just order you about? You have thoughts and feelings just as we have." Rukia said. "I was proud to own such a beautiful zanpakutou."
"You don't own me."
"That's right, you're free. I hereby set you free."
Shirayuki was confused. "Huh?"
"So… please overcome your hatred." Rukia said, slowly raising her arms up in front of her. "I'm grateful for the time we had together."
"You're just going to live without me?"
"Yes, Even if I lose everything and I have to crawl across the earth… Even if I have to go back to Rukongai…" She took a few steps forward and began to slowly walk towards the beautiful spirit in front of her. Her mind began racing to her earliest memories with Sode no Shirayuki as, the incantation of kidou gracing over her lips "Masked with blood and flesh, under all creation, he has been crowned in the name of man…"
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
Rukia barely heard Shirayuki as she continued. "Through the gap of the thunder carriage's wheels, have this light break into six pieces."
Shirayuki slowly began to panic. "What? Aren't you afraid of losing me?"
"Carve twin lotuses in the wall of blue fire! Wait within the fiery abyss in the distant heavens."
"W-WAIT!" Shirayuki yelled as she caused a rotating ball of ice to swirl around her.
Rukia kept walking towards the swirling and twisting frosty sphere. She entered it. The wind picked up.
Ichigo's robes and hair was ruffled by the harsh arctic wind.
"Hadou no Rokujyuu Ichi, Rukujyoukourou!" Rukia cried out loudly.
Rods of light pierced through the sphere and stuck through Rukia and Shirayuki. Shirayuki stared gaping at Rukia.
"I-I can't let you take away what I am supposed to protect." She said as she looked up at Shirayuki with sad eyes.
'I am about to lose everything…'
"What are you doing?"
'Let it all go… Anger, hatred, sadness…You aren't me…You aren't a part of me…'
"Don't!"
'And I'll let you go…You were a part of me, Sode no Shirayuki…Your beauty…The power you gave me as a shinigami…The times we spent together in the past…'
Images of Kaien flashed into Rukia's mind. The day she had first released her shikai… Kaien's cheers for her. Holding up the pure white zanpakutou. She had been so happy…
'I give it all up… I forced both of us to bear a heavy burden…'
"STOP IT."
A blue orb began to glow in Rukia's hands.
Shirayuki screamed "STOP IT!"
Rukia looked up at the taller woman with white hair and blue eyes… the one that she was trapped against thanks to the kido… Rukia's eyes watered with mixed emotions. "Sode no Shirayuki, I set you free."
The air around the females began to glow.
"HADOU NO NANAJYUUSAN: SOREN SOKATSUI!!" Rukia cried as she released the kido. The blue orb grew in size and soon both she and Shirayuki were engulfed in the blue fire. Fire and Ice encircled them with the light rods holding them in place. The conflict of elements caused an explosion. Each getting thrown in the opposite direction of the other.
"RUKIA!!" Ichigo screamed.
Shirayuki was stunned. She was unsure of how to feel. 'I can't believe it… You actually let me go…'
'Shinigami are too afraid to lose you…so we are no match for you in a fight. We care… We care for our zanpakutou as much as our own lives…'
'Kuchiki… Rukia…'
'Farewell… my fallen sword'
Shirayuki reached for Rukia's hand. "KUCHIKI RUKIA!!"
Another hand stopped hers. "Do you plan on dying like this, Sode no Shirayuki?"
The icy woman froze… The smoke of the explosion rose up into the air…
Shirayuki watched helplessly as Rukia fell to the ground. "You're a disgrace, be gone." Muramasa said to her. Having no choice but to obey… Shirayuki disappeared… as Rukia hit the ground causing a cloud of dust to rise up into the air.
As the dust cleared, Rukia slowly crawled from the rubble and collapsed where she stood… Barely hearing the sounds of voices… belonging to Ichigo Muramasa, and Shirayuki. She heard the order for Shirayuki to leave… and Ichigo and Muramasa disappear off to fight before she was consumed by darkness.
Rukia opened her eyes to dim lighting in the Division Four Medical Area. She slowly sat up resting her elbows on her knees. Her head was pounding. She felt as if it would split in two. The events slowly falling into place. She had used kidou on Sode no Shirayuki; Muramasa had appeared. Rukia vaguely remembered seeing Ichigo go after him before she collapsed. She began to gently rub her temples, willing the stubborn headache to fade.
'Sode no Shirayuki is gone,' she thought, making a failed attempt to turn over to her side. She couldn't; the pain was too great… too much… metaphorically, and physically.
"You shouldn't be moving like that when you are recovering." Unohana said as she entered the room, causing Rukia to jump. She relaxed as the medical captain began to examine her. As she worked, Unohana began to inform Rukia of what Mayuri-taicho had been planning, about using the shinigami's bodies to do research on the current events.
Rukia, weary from exhaustion, nodded and 'mhm'ed to the information, falling asleep before Unohana had finished. Unohana smiled briefly, and motherly. "Yes, sleep and recuperate, you'll feel better in the morning." She whispered as she turned off the light and shut the door.
The Shinigami scattered throughout the Seireitei, each desperate to find their zanpakutou. The Zanpakutou, on the other hand, were quite busy having their 'fun' by wreaking havoc on the Seireitei.
A figure stood alone at the top of a building watching the chaos. Shinigami ran wild in the streets like a heard of stampeding buffalo. Disorganized, unsure, surprised, vulnerable, and chaotic. Yamamoto-soutaicho and Kuchiki-taicho were missing, and the Seireitei was on the verge of being destroyed. It was a disgrace, really if one thought about it. The Gotei Thirteen were supposed to be better than that; stronger than that, but now… it appeared as if they needed more training. If they couldn't save the Seireitei from their own zanpakutou… Just how could…how could they defeat Aizen?
'Where are you?'
The figure clinched his fists and began to grind his teeth.
"Shiro-chan?" a female's voice, more specifically, Hinamori Momo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"It's Hitsugaya-taicho, Momo," He replied, rather than greeted; his voice dry.
"Shiro-chan you're no fun – Hey! Look it's snowing!" she exclaimed.
Toushiro blinked and glanced at the tiny flurries dancing around his friend, and himself. "It's not Hyorinmaru." Toushiro replied, more to himself than to Momo.
"Not Hyorinmaru? Then who could it be?" Momo asked, shivering.
"Just think about how many ice-type zanpakutou are in the Seireitei and use the Process of Elimination." He answered, wrapping his haori around her.
"Ok… there's yours, Hyorinmaru… and Kuchiki Rukia's..." Momo said as she inhaled Toushiro's scent that lingered on the robe.
Hitsugaya, on the other hand, seemed quite comfortable in the dropping temperature. The white haired captain had his back to her.
"Ok, so it's me and Rukia Kuchiki." Toushiro replied. "I've already told you it's not Hyorinmaru…" he prompted.
"So… it must be hers… Sakura no Yuki… er… Sode… no Sakura Yuki?? Or something like that?" she asked.
Toushiro sighed, he really did like Momo as a person, and she was like family to him and all, but she could be so dense at times. "Sode no Shirayuki."
"Yeah, that." Momo said, flashing him a smile.
"You may want to go inside, Momo, it's getting colder." Toushiro said as the snow began to dance down a bit harder. The wind began to pick up, and the temperature did seem to drop a few degrees.
"But Shiro-chan – "
Momo was cut off as the ground began to shake. "What's going on?" Momo asked while Toushiro remained silent. Instead of replying, Toushiro instinctively shunpoed around and grabbed Momo, moving them safely to the next building over as an icy spear crashed into the spot they had just been standing at. The icy spears were coming from Division Four.
"Go on, Momo!" He yelled as he dodged another spear.
"Shiro-chan…" she started to protest while dodging another spear.
"GO ON MOMO!!" He yelled back in a tone that left no room for arguments.
Momo gave Toushiro one final worried glance over her shoulder before she shunpoed away. Toushiro remained in place until he was sure Momo was a safe distance away. He took a deep breath, drew his katana, and shunpoed towards the Division Four barracks…
As Momo dashed through the streets, tears streamed down her face. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why the zanpakutou rebelled. Tobiume had been there for her longer than she could remember.
Ting…Ting…Ting…
Momo stopped in her tracks and stayed there a moment before turning around. She knew who it was before looking. "Tobiume," she whispered, still crying. "Why?"
Tobiume smiled sweetly at her. "We've had some good times, but now… you must die." She said as she grabbed the ribbons the bells were attached to and jumped in the air spinning. Fire orbs of light blazed through the air as Tobiume directed her attack at Momo. Her smiled grew chillingly evil as she gathered energy for one finally attack. "Sayonara!" she said… and let the fire powered sphere fly…
As Toushiro entered the barracks of the Medical Division, a cold wind ripped through the hallway in a fierce whoosh.
Frost glittered on the door frames and the windows. Except for one door… Three doors down from where he stood. Icicles hung like piercing daggers ready to fall and kill the victim. Snow gathered in the hallway outside the door. Toushiro had taken no more than two steps and a blood-curling scream echoed around the hallway and would have shaken Toushiro Hitsugaya to the bone, if that were a possible thing to do. It certainly had startled him, to say the least.
It took him a second to gather himself and pinpoint the location of the scream. Then it clicked. The shinigami in the room three doors down from where he stood was…
…
Kuchiki Rukia.
Phew! 9 pages, that's a record first chapter for me! YAY ME!!
=D
Anyway, you know the drill… Review please?
I've already gotten the next three chapters planned out in my head so… all I have to do is type them. Um… that's all for now.
EDIT: I had to go and replace chapter one Again. Something odd happened. And it was gone. So…yeah… sorry about that.