Love for the Lost and Broken

Author Note: Uh…Hey, what's up people. So this is my first time trying fan fiction and I'm kinda learning as I go. If anyone sees something wrong with the way I upload my story or want to comment or whatever then feel free to comment and review. Wish me luck! Thankies!

Now the disclaimer! This is a Bleach Fan Fic, I own nothing but the story concept and my OC- Masutātorikkusutā (It means 'The Master Trickster', I think that is correct but don't swear me to it.) All rights to everything else go to Tite Kubo.

Summary: (Warning if you only read the Manga you will be confused cause this is based on a filler arc not in the Manga, The Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc). My story skips to sometime after the Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc and the defeat of Aizen in the Winter War Arc, I don't really know how much time passes between the both of them but two years sounds like a good number. (If anyone else knows feel free to inform me.) So two years ago everyone in Soul Society believed that the Zanpakuto spirit Muramasa had been defeated in battle and had disappeared for all eternity. Well, not really. Two years after his 'death' have him living in the great U.S of A's out in California under the care of one Masutātorikkusutā, a rich musician with a strikingly cheerful disposition. Even two years after his old masters betrayal, Muramasa still feels the sting of Kouga's blade piercing his gut. Muramasa's heart is still broken and he thinks that nothing can be done for him. But that all changes when Masutātorikkusutā takes a trip out to Japan to meet an old friend and drags Muramasa along for the ride. Muramasa has no idea who this 'friend' of Masutātorikkusutā's is but he will soon find out, and… he will experience feelings and emotions he was never felt before and maybe even find the love his heart needs to heal. (Sorry… long, ass, sucky summary :/)

Genre: Romance, Humor and a bit of Hurt/Comfort and Angst.

Rating: T (For a little language and make-out scene(s).)

Pairing(s): Muramasa and ?

"…"-Speaking '…'-Thoughts (Flash Backs or Extra Info) *-This words or statements well have explanations at the end of each chapter.

(Here we go…)

Chapter1: The Past Breaks the Present

Muramasa's Dream:

His eyes were still closed, like they had been for a while now. He had been asleep for about three hours after all, not that he was aware of just how long he had been asleep at all. But something was different from how it had been just a few moments ago. He felt more, awake somehow. But he was certain that he was still asleep (or he was awake and just didn't want open his eyes). He tried to convince himself of this fact and work on going back to sleep but he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was like he was in a different place for some reason. The air felt heavier and more menacing than before, something told him to ignore this feeling all together but he couldn't. Slowly he opened his eyes; the bright, Caribbean sea-blue color of his iris' meeting nothing but pitch darkness. At first he thought it was just his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness in his room. However, he quickly changed his mind as he continued to blink his eyes to help them adjust but failed to succeed in his endeavor.

'What the hell?' he thought hazily. Finally out of sheer annoyance he sluggishly reached his arm up to his face and rubbed his eyes with the back on his hand. Opening his eyes again he immediately noticed what was wrong. He was no longer in his bed or even in his room; he was standing in a dark, barren space that seemed to expand on forever. The space around him was dark but not completely black; it had several lighter shade of color although muted and undefined mixed into the darkness. The different tones of muted colors all seemed to run together and swirl around each other. It was like looking at an image that was obscured by water moving around it, vaguely reminding him of his own illusion technique. 'What…What is going on?' Was the only thing he could think as he turned his head in all directions trying to determine where exactly he was. "Was I…sleepwalking?" he spoke to himself; his deep, velvety voice resounding off the unseen walls of the strange place he now stood in. "I should hope not, that would be very disconcerting." Snapping his head in the direction of the voice that had answered him he saw immediately who it was.

"M-Masutātorikkusutā?" "Ha-ha! The one and only." "What are you doing here?" At this question Masutātorikkusutā blinked slowly and turned his head from side to side as though he was just now taking in his surroundings. "Hmm…Good question…" If Masutātorikkusutā had answered anyone else in this manner they would have either sweat dropped or bust a blood vessel in the back of their skull somewhere. Fortunately for Masutātorikkusutā's current companion he had been around the former for long enough to know that it was quite pointless to over-react to Masutātorikkusutā's slightly, often purposefully dimwitted nature.

The latter took this moment of silence to take in Masutātorikkusutā's apprence. Said person was a tall man, standing at a towering 6'4 a complete four inches taller than his counterpart. He wore faded denim jeans that looked like they had been attacked by several very unhappy dogs. His feet were bare, only part of them visible under the edge of his pant legs. His upper half sported a black t-shirt with the words 'Don't look at me like u jealous, Fool!' stamped in a bright red color. The t-shirt was about three sizes too big for the man's frame like most of the shirts he wore (which was hard to do since he was quite well built.) Over the shirt was an obnoxiously bright red jacket, Masutātorikkusutā's hands were currently stuffed deep into the pockets of the jacket. His thick, midnight black hair was being held back with a hair tie and his signature snow white bandana was tied around his neck. His 'lucky' quarter necklace rested just below his bandana right next to the great white shark tooth necklace that he never went anywhere without. He called the quarter lucky because he never lost a coin toss with it, (the reason for that was the fact that the quarter was a double-sided heads coin.) Of course no one but himself and the ones who paid close enough attention to it ever noticed. The shark tooth was 'supposedly' pulled out of Masutātorikkusutā's left lung during a life or death surgery after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Florida while surfing. Masutātorikkusutā's companion wasn't really sure if that was the truth or just a bullshit lie that was made up to mess with him. He could never be sure with Masutātorikkusutā, one minute he would lie like a dog, the next he was Mr. Innocent-Never-Told –A–Lie- In –His-Whole –Life. But something was bothering the blue eyed man, why had he taken such concern about the other man's appearance? It was Masutātorikkusutā, nothing ever changed about him; so why… It was then that he realized something; the man across from him was surround by a glowing light. It was reminiscent of the glow a divine spirit might emit whenever it chooses to appear before a mortal being.

The earlier feeling of malice had returned and seemed to increase ten-fold, it made a feeling of dread settle in the blue eyed man's gut. Snapping out of his thoughts he spoke again to his oddly glowing counterpart. "So, any clue as to where we are exactly?" He spoke, trying to distract himself from the feeling of dread in his body. "…" "Masutātorikkusutā…?" Said man didn't answer; he simply stared ahead Caribbean sea-blue clashing with deep, blazing violet. Masutātorikkusutā are you alright?" "…" Still nothing, just a cold stare.

Masutātorikkusutāwas a difficult person to figure out. Even after two years of being around him the other man knew there were still many things about him that were unknown to even the people he would consider close friends. But one thing that even a total stranger would know about Masutātorikkusutā was that he was never, ever mad at anyone. The man had a cheerful disposition that made most people believe he was taking enough drugs to be permanently high; because there was no other way that someone could be so happy and anti-malevolent almost all of the time. But Masutātorikkusutā didn't do drugs at all, he was just that happy. Some thought it was some form of act that he pulled on people for his own enjoyment but that was also not the case.

However, looking at him now you would think that he was a completely different person. His violet eyes burned with rage and malice, he looked as though he wanted to kill anything that moved at that particular moment. His counterpart was beginning to become frightened as the feeling of malice and hate in the empty space increased to the point to where it was a crushing weight. The pressure was so great that it caused the ground to shake and Masutātorikkusutā's companion was almost forced to his knees. "M- Masutātorikkusutā, what's wrong with you?" "…" "Damn-it Masutā, yamaro*!The next moment was a blur of movement and surprise, Masutātorikkusutā shot out his arm at lighting fast speed; so fast the man across from him had no time to even think about reacting to it. In an instant Masutātorikkusutā grabbed the smaller man by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He did it effortlessly as though the other man weighed nothing at all; he was actually able to lift his victim close to a foot and half above the ground. The smaller man was never someone to be afraid of anything but at this point he was completely terrified.

He tried desperately but in vain to force his captor to release him. But he could do nothing to relinquish the other man's iron grip on his neck. At this point it was already hard to breathe, but then the iron grip began to increase in pressure dramatically. With the increased pressure the blue eyed man could do nothing but struggle and gasp for air. "M-Masutā, anata wa nani o yatte iru*" the poor man was able to croak out painfully under the pressure against his throat. "Masutā, who the hell is Masutā?" came the emotionless, baritone voice of the man with hatful violet eyes; his voice sounded as though he was speaking from the inside of a barrel or at the bottom of a well. "Masutā, naze*?" that was all the other man was able to say, the pressure on his throat rapidly cutting off the air supply to his lungs. "My name is notMasutā, fool!" came the furious response at he put even more pressure on the other man's neck, so much so that the helpless man vaguely thought that his neck would snap.

"I can't believe you don't recognize me, after you abandoned me; twice no less." "Nani*?""What don't tell me you don't even remember me, Muramasa!" 'That voice…' said man thought in confusion, suddenly Masutātorikkusutā's appearance began to change. His midnight black hair turned into a softer purple color, mixed with a deep, purplish red. His eyes changed from their deep purple color to bright yellow which then faded into a deep evergreen shade. 'No it can't be!' That was all Muramasa could think about. 'No, not him!' Muramasa's deep confusion quickly turned into utter horror at the true appearance of the man holding him up above the ground. "What's the matter Muramasa; you don't seem real happy to see me." Muramasa didn't answer; all he could do was stare at the man who had once been his master. The same man that had attacked and tried to kill him over two years ago; a man who was supposed to be dead.

"K-Kouga…?" The name was so foreign and so familiar at the same time; a name that made Muramasa's insides burn and ache with despair and pain. Kouga glared at the zanpakuto above him before his lips formed into a sick, demented smile dripping with malice and intent to do harm. "So, you do remember me? Good, it will make my revenge on you all the sweeter." He stated in a matter-o-fact, cocky way.

Suddenly the empty plane around them began to quake with renewed fervor. The white glow that had surrounded the Masutātorikkusutā look alike from the start suddenly warped and swayed. The bright white color of the light changing to a dark purple and growing into a burning flame. The ground continued to shake until a violet cracking sound began to echo across the empty wasteland. The cracking came from the ground as it split open forming an enormous black abyss that seemed to go on forever, perhaps even reaching to hell itself.

"Now…" stated Kouga; his voice changing as his appearance had done moments ago, becoming higher and more filled with madness. "I will teach you to never defy your master again!" Swinging to the side Kouga dangled the helpless zanpakuto spirit above the newly formed fissure. "N-No, please…don't." Muramasa begged over and over, trying one last time to free himself but to no avail. Kouga threw back his head in a maniacal laugh, "Your betrayal will not go unpunished! You worthless tool! You will pay!" With that Kouga released his hold on Muramasa's neck and laughed hysterical as he watched the zanpakuto spirit fall into the abyss until he disappeared into the crushing darkness.

Muramasa knew he was falling, of course he knew that. But that was about the only thing he knew clearly at this point. He didn't know how far he had fallen or how far he had to fall to hit the bottom of the abyss (if it even had a bottom.) He didn't know how fast he was falling either, but he could fell his dark brown hair whipping around his face so he assumed he was falling at a fairly fast rate. The falling was not the thing that was bothering him however; it was the darkness. The inside of the fissure was so dark. Even the flat plane above the abyss he was falling through had enough light to see. But falling through the air he could see nothing but blackness, it was so dark that he couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or not. It was unnerving in the greatest sense of the word. He had already tried to turn over in the air for he knew that if he stayed in the same position he was in that if he ever did hit the bottom of this god-forsaken hole he would land flat on his back. He didn't much like this thought; since he knew he was falling quickly and from high up he was sure landing on his back would kill him. But much to his dismay and further alarm he couldn't move (that or it was so dark he just couldn't tell if he was turning over or not.) He tried again and again to make his body move but all his muscles seemed to have totally numbed.

Muramasa didn't know what to do; new fear gripped his chest like a huge python that refused to loosen its hold even an inch. He fear distracted he so much that he failed to sense the fact that he would soon collide with the bottom of the great abyss. SMACK! The sound of his body connecting with the hard, unforgiving ground was so loud it could have been heard at least three dimensions away if not more. His bright eyes widened considerably as the impact forced all of the air out of his lungs. He would have made a nose to express the pain he was feeling at that moment but without air it was useless. It felt as though someone had cut him open and tore his lungs completely out of his chest. He tried to breathe in but the pain in his back and ribs prevented him from doing so. The deep, throbbing pain in his back took this moment to shot through the rest of his body like lightening. It shot down his spine then worked its way back up. Then it shot through the back of his neck and into the base of his skull. It felt as though his head had been mercilessly assaulted over and over again with a sledgehammer; the pain erupted as bright splashes of color invaded his vision. "Ugh…" Muramasa slammed his eyes shut to try and block out the searing pain running rampant throughout his whole body. It did little to help as his head began to spin and his mind grew fuzzy.

In that moment his body decided it desperately needed air and in a matter of seconds his withered lungs were filled with oxygen. Unfortunately the burning pain in his spine and ribcage had not yet subsided; once again his body was thrown into a crippling wave of pain. The renewed throbbing in his chest and spine combined with the sharp pain in his lungs from the sudden rush of air was enough to send his already distorted mind reeling once again. The rapid intake of air was too much for his lungs and he began to cough violently. The movement of his body caused by the coughing made stabs of pain run up and down his spine. He had to turn over to try and regain his breathing but to do so would only cause more pain. Giving in to the fit of coughs Muramasa rolled over and managed to support his weight enough to remain on his hands and knees. The pain caused by moving so much had sent more white hot pain into every cell in his body; but it was tolerable as long as he could stop coughing. The coughing reminded him of the times were the power of the Hollows he had once been forced to absorb so long ago had caused him to grow ill and cough constantly.

After a few moments the coughing spasm ended and Muramasa was able to think straight once again. Slowly he began to stand up. After getting to his feet completely his head pounded sharply causing his world to spin and almost forced him down to his knees for the second time. Shaking his head he was able to remain standing and brought his hand up to rub the side of his still pounding skull. "Fuck…" He whispered softly to himself; Muramasa rarely cursed out loud and the word indeed sounded alien coming from his mouth (he had half a mind to blame any cursing on Masutātorikkusutā for the man practically had a dictionary that was solely dedicated to curse words.) Blinking slowly a few times he finally voiced a thought that had been in his head since he had regained the ability to think properly. "I should be dead after that fall…" Muramasa knew at this point that he had to be dreaming, (at least he hoped to the gods he was,) but he did recall being told that if you were falling to your death in a dream that you should wake up before you hit the bottom. He also remembered being informed that if you died in a dream you died for real. Muramasa was almost certain he was not dead and that he was still asleep (dream logic made absolutely no sense to him what so ever.) 'That is the last time I listen to what Masutātorikkusutā says.' he thought bitterly.

Snapping out of his rambling thoughts Muramasa began to once again try and figure out where he was. He realized that he was standing on a small grassy island in the middle of a lake and that the lake was surrounded by a lush, green forest. Horror struck him as he quickly realized just where he was; Karakura Town… in the spot where his master had been sealed away! Whipping around Muramasa saw that he was standing directly in front of the enormous tree that had hidden the sealed coffin Kouga had been trapped inside of. As he prepared to move away from the seal his body suddenly froze; just as before Muramasa tried to move and failed to succeed. His whole body grew numb and he could no longer feel anything; slowly he raised his arm towards the seal and spread out his fingers. Alarmed Muramasa tried to stop but his body was moving of its own accord. He could hear the words of the incantation he had used when he had first released Kouga resound off the inside of his head. As though he had spoken them aloud the seal broke to reveal the floating coffin that began to crackle with static and reiatsu. The chains and locks wrapped around the coffin popped off and fell to the ground as the coffin burst into multiple pieces and disintegrated. A bright flash occurred that momentarily blinded Muramasa; when the flash had dissipated and he could see again he nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw that he was standing less than a foot away from his old master. Before he could try and move away again the disgruntled shinigami thrust his arm forward jamming the broken sword in his hand straight into Muramasa'a abdomen just as he had done two years before. As the familiar pain of both the injury and the betrayal ran through his body Muramasa realized what was happening. 'This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare…' the thought brought sense to everything. He was having a nightmare that was forcing him to relive the consequences of trying to free his old master. 'Not again…'

Another flash of light, a new scene. This time Muramasa stood several yards away from Kouga as said man raised his right arm and turned the seal state of Muramasa to the side. In an instant the former shinigami had brought his hand down and snapping the remainder of the blade in half. It was so strange; it was completely silent no noise at all. But the silence didn't stop the dull ache in Muramasa's chest from forming once again as the two pieces of the broken blade fell to the ground. Even though it was dead silent he could still hear the words that Kouga had spoken as though they had been spoken yesterday. "You are nothing more than a hindrance to me…I don't need to use a pathetic, unstable sword like you."It was as if he was watching the scene from afar and experiencing it at the same time. Feeling it, living that pain once more. More pain now, a burning pain spreading throughout his body. He knew this pain all too well; his arms involuntarily came up as he felt his own hands wrapped tight around his throat. The burning, gods it hurt… but he could do nothing against it. Muramasa opened his mouth to scream but again no sound; still his scream of pain sounded like thunder in his head. The pain was excruciating as it had been the first time, but somehow it felt even worse. The burning was like being soaked in gasoline and lit and fire; it burned at his skin and at his insides. Even his bones seemed to be burning within the wall of black and red reiatsu that raged like a tornado around him. All of his anger and despair flowed through his body just as blood flows through the veins. The burning was worse than before, much worse and Muramasa could only think of it ending. But he knew that the pain was far from over.

His body was moving again; he couldn't fell it at all but he could see it move. His left arm had come up so that his left hand was pressed against the center of his chest. His right arm extended out away from him, shaking as he reached out. Reached out to what? What had he been reaching for back then? Oh yes, of course… he had been reaching out for Kouga; calling the man's name over and over. Why? The man had stabbed him and tried to kill him; why did he still call for him. At the time Muramasa hadn't even thought about it, but now even through the pain he thought of the answer to this question. He could find no answer however, this made the dread he felt deepen greatly. What had been the point of it all? Decades, centuries of planning and work went into freeing his master; and for what? To be abandoned, rejected, and scorned for all of his efforts. Why? Why had it always been like this? Even when Kouga was imprisoned it was not him the leaders of the Seireitei had feared… it was himself they were fearful of. They were fearful that his powers would go out of control and cause mass destruction; and in the end they had been right. For true to their fears he had been consumed by the reiatsu he had absorbed from the Hollows and had transformed into an arrancar. 'Kouga was right…' Muramasa thought in defeat as the black reiatsu from the hollows began to break through at different parts of his body to allow the hollow creatures inside of him to escape. 'I… I am a worthless, broken sword; an unstable tool… nothing more.'

The pain was unbearable; at this point Muramasa would have killed himself if the pain would just stop. Finally every cell in his body screamed out in pure agony as his body was literally tore apart from the pressure of the hollows reiatsu. Then darkness… in the back of his mind Muramasa had to resist the urge to laugh like a complete mad-man. He had survived the pain for the second time, now the nightmare could finally end. Slowly Muramasa opened his eyes thinking that he would be back in his room staring up at the white ceiling; before him stood the tree that hid the seal to Kouga's coffin. It was completely intact as though what had happened a few short moments ago hadn't even occurred. His arm moved upwards by itself again with fingers spread; it was happening… all… over… again.

Five times…five times the process repeated itself; five times Muramasa was forced to relive those sickeningly painful moments. By the time the end of the fifth cycle had rolled around Muramasa felt as though his body had been burned to a crisp, the remains scrubbed with a piece of steel wool, and then finally shoved into a freezer. Translation; his whole body hurt like hell. He screamed one finally time as his body was once again ripped to shreds. However; he had been screaming so much that his voice had lost all of its former smoothness. His voice was raw and scratchy; he opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. His mouth simply remained wide open in a silent scream. Everything ached and burned, the pain caused Muramasa's whole world to spin. Then…darkness…

Slowly Muramasa opened his eyes to meet the impenetrable darkness above him. He lay on his back, the darkness wrapped around him like a thick, wool blanket. He tried to move; bad idea… even the slightest bit of movement sent pain shooting through his whole body. It felt as though every bone in his body had been broken; the pain was unbelievable. Suddenly a bout of high pitched maniacal laugher pierced the air like a katana piercing flesh. Footsteps; quick and purposeful resounded like cannon fire in the dark space. The footsteps stopped right next to Muramasa's head; he didn't want to look, but he did. His eyes widened once again in horror at the site of his former master.

Kouga looked even more frightening and deranged then he had before. Evergreen eyes burned with madness as the purple haired man spoke, words laced in cruelty, "So there you are; did you enjoy your little trip down memory lane?" Muramasa said nothing, he couldn't; his screams from before had completely destroyed his voice. "No answer? How rude… even after all your betrayal you still dare to disrespect your master!" Muramasa grunted as a sharp kick was planted in his side; several more hard kicks followed the first one. "Curse you; you worthless sword! Because of you not only was I sealed away but then you go and cause my death!" Kouga continued to curse and damn his former zanpakuto as he stopped kicking him in the side and instead took to stomping on his chest with all his strength. Muramasa's eyes widened as Kouga's foot came down full force on his chest. Once, twice, three times; Crack! "Uhn…" Kouga smirked in satisfaction as he heard at least three of Muramasa'a ribs crack. Muramasa coughed harshly, warm blood spilling out of his mouth; one of his broken ribs had punctured his right lung. Blood continued to flow down Muramasa'a chin and neck; so much blood he was afraid he would choke. Kouga's grin grew wider as he finally stopped his merciless beating, "Ha! Pathetic; I can't believe I ever used a weak sword like you in battle." Kouga drew his arm back raising the broken sealed state of Muramasa over his head, "You have been in existence for far too long; die you stupid tool!" Kouga swung his arm down as Muramasa slammed his eyes shut awaiting the finally blow. The horrendous sound of metal cutting through flesh reached Muramasa's ears and he knew he was dead. Until he heard the sound of someone coughing; someone other than himself. Daring to look Muramasa opened his eyes, his gaze instantly widening as his eyes landed on Kouga. The broken blade in Kouga's hand hovered mere inches above Muramasa'a face; the demented shinigami's face held a looked of utter shock. Muramasa finally noticed the reason for his attacker's strange behavior; straight through Kouga's chest was a katana stained with bright, fresh blood. "N-Nani*?"

Kouga turned his head in an attempt to see his attacker but to no avail. "Who…Who are you!" The injured man demanded. A deep barrel-like voice responded with a chuckle, "HeHe… Who I am is of no concern to you, my friend." Kouga reached up and grabbed the blade imbedded deep in his chest in an effort to push the blade back out of his body. Sensing this the welder of the katana gripped the hilt of the weapon and twisted the sword side to side inside the wound. "Ack!" Kouga cried out in pain as the unseen attacker continued to twist the sword harshly. "I don't think so…" the voice of the mystery person spoke again. "Damn… Who are you?" Kouga demanded for the second time. "Me? Why, I'm your worst nightmare. You have attacked and brought great pain to my good friend here." The figure took that moment to nod his head in Muramasa'a direction before continuing to speak. "Now I will make you regret your foolishness." The person reached their large hand forward and wrapped it around Kouga's mouth; said man began to struggle as he was pulled back into the darkness. Before the two figures disappeared Muramasa caught a glimpse of his rescuer's face; it was Masutātorikkusutā. Blue and purple eyes locked onto each other as Masutātorikkusutā gave a cheeky grin before the darkness swallowed him and Kouga. Muramasa allowed a small smirk to form on his face as his body gave in to the pain and his world once again went black. 'Masutā…always saving someone…'

Darkness once again; the darkness was quickly getting annoying. Muramasa had passed out twice but awake or out cold the darkness was always around and it was unbearable. Muramasa briefly wondered what would have caused him to have such a horrid dream; even after two years this was the first time he had had a dream concerning Kouga. He rarely had dreams at all for that matter but to have one so specific and vivid almost never occurred. Darkness… so much darkness. A sigh passed through his lips, at least he though it did… he could neither feel nor hear it. He didn't try to move this time; he was too weak and sore to make it anywhere fast. He lay perfectly still, on his back; lost in the despair of the darkness around him. He stopped trying to make sense of anything at that point; he was still only half conscious and it made his head throb trying to think too much.

Then in an instant something happened. At first Muramasa wasn't sure what it was but as he slowly became more and more aware he was able to pinpoint what it was that had changed. He realized that it was the atmosphere around him; from the beginning the air around him had been quite cold. But now the coldness of the air seemed to slowly melt away to be replaced with an odd sensation of warmth. The atmosphere was warm and light as opposed to cold and suffocating as it had been just moments before. Muramasa was unsure of the reason for the change but in truth he didn't mind the feeling of the warmth around him. It was so close the warmth, as though he could reach out and touch it. Had he had the energy he would have but he didn't; so instead he slowly opened his eyes to try and locate the source of the newfound heat.

Caribbean blue meet glowing orange as Muramasa opened his eyes; the warm feeling around him seemed to be emanating from this strange orange shield around him. 'Wait… orange shield?' His eyes widened in shock and confusion; he recognized this orange glow… but from where? He couldn't remember where he had seen the orange light but he desperately tried to recall it because he felt as though it was a significant event. Out of the blue his thoughts were interrupted by a small, bright sounding voice."You shouldn't try to move yet." The voice sounded as though it was slightly distorted but it was still clear enough to tell it was definitely female. Turning his head towards the sound of the voice Muramasa saw a small figure kneeling over him; the figure's arms were up in front of them and their hands spread out. They seemed to be holding up the orange shield that surrounded him. The figure's face was covered in shadows so Muramasa was unable to get a good look at the person's face. Still, he felt that he should remember this situation from somewhere but his head was still to fuzzy to think clearly about it.

"W-What?" Muramasa asked in complete confusion. "Don't worry, I'm almost done." The voice spoke again, Muramasa didn't know why but he had the strangest feeling that he could trust the voice. The voice sounded so soft, sweet, and… concerned? "This power…who-who are you?" Muramasa grimaced as his throat continued to burn from all the screaming he had previously done. "Me? Oh well…I guess you could say that I'm a friend of a friend.* 'A friend of a friend? What is that supposed to mean?' Muramasa thought with slight irritation.

Again the voice had been laced with concern, why? Muramasa had no clue so he decided to find out. "Why are you helping me?" "Huh… well as I said I am a friend of a friend so of course I would help. And even if I wasn't… I couldn't just leave you here like this now could I?" Muramasa eyed the figure for a moment, trying to tell if the person was being truthful or just spitting out lies. Again he felt a sense that he should remember this conversation from somewhere but no matter how he tried to remember it would not come to him. "And besides..." "Hmm?" The figure had started to speak again but had stopped before finishing. Despite himself Muramasa was curious as to what the figure had to say; the figure continued. "And besides, you looked like you were in a lot of pain." Muramasa's eyes widened again, how had this person know that he was in pain. This was all so familiar; too familiar for his liking. It bothered him that he could not remember what events in the past reminded him of the current situation. Ok strike that, it pissed him of greatly; but it also made him fearful for a reason he could not place. The bright orange light disappeared and the figure leaned back on their knees to allow Muramasa room to get up if his wished. Slowly Muramasa sat up; he made no move to get back on his feet just sat there silently for a moment.

After a while he turned to look at the figure by his side; he still couldn't see their face but he got the impression that the person was smiling at him. "Thank-you" He said quietly his voice hoarse and raw sounding. He frowned; he sounded terrible in his mind. His momentary lapse in concentration caused him to completely miss the movement from the figure right next to him. He didn't notice the person had moved until he felt one of their small, delicate hands hovering just inches above his throat. He tried to hide his shock but he was so spaced out that he nearly jumped out of his skin. He gave the figure a look of suspicion but that didn't deter whoever it was from continuing their actions. "Sōten Kisshun, I reject." As the figure spoke another orange shield appeared, it was smaller than the first and only surrounded Muramasa's neck. Muramasa didn't like the figure being so close to him but he was unable to focus too much on that. That was because of the warmth caused by the shield just above his throat; it was sending waves of warmth through his neck and into his face and chest. He tried to ignore it but it was hard since the warmth was causing him to feel very relaxed; almost to the point of preventing him from siting up. He had no idea why but he couldn't help it (and sort of hoped the warmth wouldn't go away at all).

However after a moment the warmth dissipated as the figure moved back to their original position. "Better…?" The unknown person asked. "What do you mean?" Muramasa asked before realizing that his voice was no longer hoarse but was once again its deep, smooth sounding timbre."Better…?" the voice asked once more. "Yes…thank-you." Muramasa wasn't sure what to say or do at this point; he hoped he was still dreaming and that he would wake up soon. 'Oh well… at least this is better than before.' He thought to himself. Laughter… light, high-pitched laughter. Turning his head Muramasa realized it was coming from the figure beside him. The person's shoulders shook up and down as they continued to laugh softly. "What is it that you find so amusing?" Muramasa asked, annoyed at the random outburst of his unknown female counterpart. The woman attempted to quiet herself but continued to giggle under her breath. "Woman, answer me." Muramasa stated flatly."Heehee, sorry I just noticed something heehee!" "What is it that you seem to have noticed?" Muramasa was getting impatient, but he was trying hard not to snap at the female across from him. She was the only way that he was going to get any answers to what was going on as far as he was concerned. So he had to stay calm to get anything out of her. The female was silent for a moment before as quick as lighting her face was mere inches away from Muramasa's. Muramasa jumped slightly, before returning his attention to the woman right next to his face. He still couldn't make out the woman's face but before he could speak or make a move to push her away she spoke in a whisper; her sweet breath causing an unwanted tickling sensation in his nose. "Your eye markings… they make you look sort of like a panda. Heehee!" Muramasa blinked, he had no idea what to say to such an off handed statement. "And... they make you look cute." And in the next moment the female figure had reached up and planted a sweet kiss…right in the center of Muramasa's forehead.

Muramasa was so stunned he couldn't even move; he just sat there with his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as the figure slowly drew away from him. "Don't worry… everything well be fine. Just try and relax…" A bright light flashed in the dark space around the two figures. The light blinded Muramasa as everything started to fade out; the darkness, the cold, and the female figure, all fading into the brightness. The last thing Muramasa heard before the light took him was the sweet voice of the unknown female who had shown him so much kindness. "You are so cute…" And then everything was gone.

Author Notes:

*-Japanese Dictionary:

Yamaro- stop it

Anata wa nani o yatte iru- what are you doing?

Naze- why?

*-The statement 'A friend of a friend'; is something that I heard a long time ago; I don't remember where I heard it but it always sounded cool to me. Sort of like 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Don't really care? (Of course you care, you wouldn't have read it if you didn't. Ha-ha!)

I bet you thought Muramasa was gonna get of kiss of the lips didn't you! Nope sorry; but don't worry that comes later.

Over 7,000 words! And I thought I could make this a one-shot? Ha! Oh well just keep writing!

Sorry rambling; but anyway… I what to say few things that may be of interest to anyone who decides to read one of my stories.

1. I HateTrolls/Flamers/ whatever else they go by. If you don't like the story that is finally; but do not rant at me if you don't…just go away. (Not trying to sound like an ass or anything but seriously.)

Note: Constructive Criticism is not trolling; I like to know if there is something I can fix or improve on but do not be an ass about it thank-you much!

2. I don't like to start something before I finish something else so I don't know if I can do like one of these awesome multi-taskers that work on four stories at once but I will always complete a story so I don't leave anyone hanging.

3. I will not have a schedule when it comes to uploading story chapters, sorry. I am a busy person so I can't make a promise as to when something is uploaded but school is almost out so I well have more time to upload stuff and work on more stories.

That's about it; go easy on me it is my first try at this but read and review if you like!

Peace Out!

Virgo-24