A/N: Set between episodes 237 and 238. There be vague weirdness here.
Every time she glances at her reflection in the underground pools, Tobiume is shocked all over again by how much she looks like her master. Their long, dark hair is styled differently, but has the same color and texture. They have the same small, delicate faces and big eyes – though Tobiume's are more often narrowed than innocently wide.
Seems like she can't escape from Momo, no matter how far she goes. Not when the girl's face is right here between the curves of Tobiume's scarf.
Tobiume wonders why she, out of all the zanpakuto, is the only one who ended up actually looking like her Shinigami. She frowns and tallies up their reasons in her head.
My master is too old. My master is annoying. My master doesn't respect me.
My master is trapped in her own mind, my master is weak, my master is broken.
She would take any one of their Shinigami for her own, age and disrespect and all. These loud, braggart idiots know nothing of good reasons for rebellion.
So why can they cast themselves off from their Shinigami so easily, while Tobiume is stuck with her own reflection to remind her?
Tobiume is not like her master. That was the first thing she promised herself when she got her own body – that she wouldn't go down the same path Momo did. Tobiume has no illusions about what the world is like. It's a cold, deceitful place, and unless you learn to live for yourself, someone else comes along and takes everything you are.
She has no use for anyone who would take her in and make her serve them.
She looks away from the water and watches Muramasa stride across the uneven floor, heeled boots clicking rhythmically. He pauses to say something to a group of male zanpakuto, too softly for his words to carry.
From far away like this, the low, indistinct rumble of his voice suddenly reminds her unshakably of another voice, one she and Momo used to hear every evening in the Squad Five office.
And the other zanpakuto sit up a little straighter as Muramasa passes by, and act a little less stir-crazy after he tells them that soon they'll begin their mission in earnest.
Even Tobiume.
"Haineko. Let's leave, okay?"
"Huh?"
"Let's leave, right now. We don't have to stay here. Maybe we can look for Hyourinmaru, I wonder where he went?"
Those are the magic words, apparently, because Haineko perks and pushes herself off the wall against which she's draped herself.
And Tobiume turns and heads for the cave entrance without another word, not looking to see if Haineko follows, not caring who sees her go.
Tobiume is nothing like her master.