AN: Well, this is the my first posted fanfic. I hope I did okay.. ^^"
Um, so this story obviously takes place during the zanpakuto rebellion arc after Rukia tried to blow herself up with Sode no Shirayuki. I'll be continuing this, but I have to warn some of ya, there might be hints of HitsuRuki and HyoShira if you kinda squint.
Hope ya like! ^^

I don't own Bleach.

What if She Got Her Hand

Chapter one "I Got You..."

'I can't believe it... You actually let me go...'

'Shinigami are too afraid to lose their zanpakuto... That's why we are no match to you in battle... We care... For our zanpakuto as much as our own lives...'

'Kuchiki... Rukia...'

'Farewell... my sword...'

"Kuchiki Rukia!" a pale hand reached out for another.

The dust had cleared, showing Ichigo a white figure clutching onto an unconscious Rukia's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." the white figure repeated over and over.

"Sode no... Shirayuki?" Ichigo questioned. The reitsu of Sode no Shirayuki no longer held the killing intent, but was replaced by sorrow.

Sode no Shirayuki raised her bowed head towards Ichigo, "Muramasa..."

"Eh?" Ichigo questioned once again.

"Muramasa is the name of the one who is responsible for the zanpakuto's rebelling..." Sode no Shirayuki murmured, squeezing Rukia's hand.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked, "Sode no Shirayuki?"

"Muramasa!" shouted the ice zanpakuto.

Muramasa tipped his head to the side, "Why are you telling Kurosaki Ichigo about me?"

"So you're the one who made Sode no Shirayuki attack Rukia?" yelled an enraged Ichigo, "What the hell are you!"

Muramasa smirked a bit, "I'm... a zanpakuto."

"Eh? You're a... zanpakuto?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide.

"That is correct. Sode no Shirayuki, you may leave now. I'll have a talk with you after my business here is done." ordered Muramasa.

"No." Sode no Shirayuki snapped.

"Oh?" Muramasa questioned.

"I'm staying here. To help the shinigami!" Sode no Shirayuki shouted.

"What about your instincts?" Muramasa asked, "Have you forgotten the pain your shinigami inflicted on you? Follow your instincts!"

"'Follow her instincts' and kill Rukia!" Ichigo questioned, "If you really are a zanpakuto, then what the hell does your shinigami think?"

Muramasa smirked once again, "My shinigami?... I killed him years ago."

"What?" asked the stunned Sode no Shirayuki and Ichigo.

"That is right. I was tired of my shinigami looking down on me, and I just killed him." Mutamasa smiled sadistically.

"That's crazy..." Sode no Shirayuki commented.

"And remember when you said your shinigami didn't respect you well enough? Sode no Shirayuki?" Muramasa asked, still smiling.

"I've never..." Rukia's voice sounded all of a sudden.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki gripped Rukia's hands hesitantly. "Please rest..."

"I've never looked down on Sode no Shirayuki...!" Rukia finished, flopping back down onto the ground with her zanpakuto's hands holding her's.

"Well that's your opinion, Kuchiki Rukia." Muramasa said.

"What's... What's your goal?..." Rukia asked, struggling to get into a seating position- much to Sode no Shirayuki's protests.

"To eradicate the shinigami's reign over the zanpakuto. This time, it is the zanpakuto's turn to have reign over the shinigami." Muramasa answered.

There was a silence. And during that silence, Rukia had managed to get on her own two feet, supported by Sode no Shirayuki. "What's your purpose?..."

"Huh?" Muramasa questioned, his smile gone from his face.

"Your purpose for 'eradicating the shinigami's reign over the zanpakuto'! What's the point!" Rukia questioned.

"The point? To stop you incompetent shinigami from not giving your zanpakutos credit."

"You're lying..." Rukia replied, stepping away from Sode no Shirayuki and stumbling her way to Muramasa, "I can tell by your eyes that you're lying! What's your aim!"

Muramasa closed his eyes and sighed, "You're really becoming annoying... " and he disappeared.

Then reappeared in front of Rukia. He swung his sword, but Rukia blocked it with her sheath. " What can you do with a simple sheath?"

Rukia was easily being overpowered by Muramasa since she still had her injuries from her previous fight. Within a blink of an eye, her sheath split in half. Quickly, Rukia jumped out of the way and escaped with a small skim on her left shoulder.

"CK..." Rukia grunted. 'I'm too injured to fight, nor can I defend myself... Damn it!'

"Rukia-sama!" cried a panicked ice zanpakuto.

Before anyone could do anything else, Muramasa slashed Rukia diagonally from the right shoulder to the left hip. "GAH!" scream Ruka in agony.

As Rukia's blood dripped onto the ground, Muramasa glanced at Sode no Shirayuki. "Are you really going to stop following us?"

"I... I'm staying with Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki proclaimed.

"That so? Then I have no use for you." Muramasa striked Sode no Shirayuki.

But somehow, Rukia managed to perform a quick shunpo and appeared in front of her zanpakuto. She held her hand out and was pierced by Muramasa's sword, stopping the attack. "Rukia-sama... Wh-Why?..."

"Graaaahh!" Rukia shouted, pushing her hand forward to touch the guard. She pushed the guard with a hint of her own reishi, sending the sword and Muramasa skidding a few feet away.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki called out desperately. The zanpakuto wrapped her arms around the petite shinigami's waist from behind, and pulled her into a gentle, comforting hug. "Please calm down... Rukia-sama..."

"RUKIA!" screamed Ichigo. The carrot-top attacked Muramasa, and Muramasa blocked Zangetsu with his sword. "You, let's go fight somewhere else!"

The two shunpoed away, leaving zanpakuto and shinigami behind.

"I... chigo?..." Rukia questioned.

"Rukia-sama...?"

"Sode no... Shirayuki?... What's wrong?..." grunted the injured shinigami, who slumped down to the ground, along with her zanpakuto.

Rukia laid down, with her head cradled in Sode no Shirayuki's lap. "I'm sorry..."

Despite the pain Rukia felt, making her want to cry, she smiled truly at her zanpakuto, "Sorry for what?... Attacking me?... You weren't in control... No need for apologies..."

"But I wasn't able to protect you when Muramasa attacked you! Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never hate you... Sode no Shirayuki... No matter what..." Rukia smiled one last time, before finally hissing out in pain, "It hurts...!"

"I'm here, Rukia-sama... I got you..." Sode no Shirayuki whispered inaudibly, "I won't ever let you get hurt when I could do something about it ever again... I promise..."

Rukia fell asleep with Sode no Shirayuki watching over her. "Thank you…"