Man, this is stupid. Naruto sat on the floor of his room, backed up against the wall. Arano had set him down, placed his sword on his lap, and told him to meditate on a certain idea: "If an unbeatable sword meets an invincible opponent, what will decide the winner?"
I don't even know how to meditate! He thought grumpily. Not to mention that question is bogus. If there's an unbeatable sword and an invincible opponent, they wouldn't fight! Right? Or maybe they'd just fight forever… Hmmm…
In another room, Sasuke had also been placed against the wall on the floor. He had been told to meditate on something he had judged ridiculous, holding his sword close. As soon as Arano had left his room, Sasuke had used every whisper of his remaining strength to throw the sword as far away as he could. Currently it lay on the floor, daring him to even look at it. He stared at the wall opposite him, imagining ways of defeating an invincible opponent.
Sakura snored, her head lolling against the wall. Her sword was braced against the edge of the bed, holding her up while she dozed. In her head, bizarre dreams played themselves out:
Long walks in a forest with Sasuke, just the two of them. As they walked, happily holding hands, the forest began to crumble around them. Leaves fell from treetops and glowing rocks rained down on them as the previously bright sky grew murky. As soon as they were safe from the collapsing forest, an enormous shadow slithered before them. It made no sound, but Sakura knew it was laughing at them. And it scared her. Beyond reason, it scared her. She whipped out a kunai, but found herself instead holding a sword. Dimly she remembered it was her zanpakutou.
The shadow stretched itself up, detaching itself from the ground and gaining mass. When next she dared look, it loomed over her like a blackish-blue statue. It had no facial features; no eyes, yet she knew it was looking at her. Sasuke valiantly tried to attack the monster, but upon touching the dark substance of its flesh, could not move away.
"Sakura!" He screamed, as his arm was slowly pulled into the fabric of the shadow's skin. "Sakura!" It had taken most of him in, only his head remained above the surface. Wisps of his long hair began tugging at his head, sucking him under with them. "Sak-" His voice was drowned out as he coughed and sputtered. Slowly his entire head sank beneath the surface of the shadow's skin.
Sakura could only watch with horror, her eyes registered the fear she felt. What…is it? It's too big…it's unbeatable…invincible…
Sasuke's last yell rang in her ears as she tried to look up at the colossal shadow. Invincible.
She looked down at the blade of her sword, and thought, or rather felt, that it looked back at her.
"Heyyyy, you're not so thick after all!"
Sakura stiffened, looking around for the owner of the voice. It had come from nowhere, echoing from every direction in her ears.
"Helloooooooo… I know you can hear me!" Continued the voice in a high-pitched whine.
"Who's there?" Her eyes bolted around, looking for the voice. Even the massive shadow seemed to be curious as to what she was doing.
"C'mon. We both know you know who I am. Well… I know anyway. You just haven't been listening."
Her eyes fell on her sword and it felt so right she didn't even question the impossibility of a talking sword.
"Yeah, damn right you don't question me."
"Whoah, whoah slow down!" Sakura said, making a time-out sign with her free hand. "You can talk!?!?"
"Oooohhh…we got ourselves a quick learner here."
Veins bulged, tempers flared, but Sakura forced herself to remain calm. "That room… I knew your voice sounded familiar! You're that guy from before!"
"Correct-a-mundo!" Exclaimed the voice sarcastically, "I am your zanpakutou, so let's not forget the favor you owe me. I did make you a Shinigami after all." Though she couldn't see him, Sakura could imagine him looking high-and-mighty at that moment.
Screw that! She thought. Only favor I'm gonna do is melt you into a teaspoon!
Now, now. The voice could project into her head! That's not nice. Besides, I doubt a teaspoon will be much use against that thing. Sakura looked back at the shadow, which had taken to beating its knuckles into an open palm.
Of course, if you'd rather use a spoon…
No! Wait! Sakura pleaded, I need your help! This thing ate Sasuke-kun, but he might still be alive in there! You have to help me!
Is that so? The voice answered, dripping sarcasm. Then we must help poor little Sakura now mustn't we?
I don't believe this. I'm talking to a voice in my head, claiming to be a sword, and it's back talking me? No way!
"Look here you piece of tinfoil!" She was so mad she'd said it aloud. "If you're part of me, then you do what I say! You're like an extension of me, right? Then you have to listen to me!"
"Sorry, sister. It don't work that way." The voice kept on, unperturbed.
The faintest of smiles found its way to her lips as she took the metal of the blade in one hand, the grip in the other. Ever so slowly, she applied more and more pressure to it. She could feel the voice's discomfort as she pulled harder down on both sides, a maniacal grin plastered all over her face.
The formerly razor-thin line of the blade began arcing slightly, despite the voice's pleading.
"Wait wait wait!" It said hurriedly, before this psycho snaps her own soul in half! "I'll help you! I promise! Please, just…stop…"
Sakura eased up a little, doubting already whether sword's promise could be trusted. "You promise? You'll do what I ask from now on?"
"Yes! I promise! Now LET GO!"
"Deal." Sakura gladly released the blade, holding it before her in a fighting position.
The shadow bent over Sakura, reaching for her. The expressionless face remained blank, but Sakura knew it was angry. Angry at her.
She made the first strike. Never even flinching, her sword sliced through the creature's head. Well, it should have. It went in one temple, and came out cleanly the other, without leaving so much as a scratch.
The hell? "Hey, why isn't it working!?!" She yelled at the sword. It glinted innocently.
"Know my name, for it will decide the power we hold in your hand."
"What?"
"My name! My name is Hotaru."
"What does that matter? Tell me how to beat this thing!"
"I just did." Hotaru's usually shrill voice toned down to a more normal pitch, gaining a deeply pacifying effect. "Knowing my name is an important first step. Remember, what you're holding there isn't just any sword, it's your soul. It's me. Knowing my name means you have begun to know yourself."
Sakura faced down the shadow, thinking deeply about her sword- no, Hotaru's wise words.
"You got that? You need to call my name to use my power!" He said loudly in her head, "Now! Say:…"
"Glow among the trees! Hotaru!"
The instant the words left her lips, Sakura felt drained, like she hadn't slept in days. If not for her sword glowing, she would have collapsed from exhaustion. This new light bisected the blade once, then twice, three times… Before a second had passed, she had lost track of how many times the blade had split itself. Once more it split, then the blade fell apart. The thin particles of hardened steel trickled down around one another, linking together again in a long chain of sharp edges.
Sakura stared at what had once been her sword, but now was looped around her arm… A whip, comprised of small, square-shaped pieces of her sword! She could see the glint of the razor-thin edges along every inch of it, and knew exactly how she would use them.
She looked up again at the shadow, it had been creeping toward her while she was embroiled in her thoughts. She flung the whip away from her arm, and it fell in a series of loops next to her. Now she flew into action, a blur of motion followed by a trail of fatal blades. She lanced out with the tip of her whip at the shadow's stomach, and felt a satisfying catch. She yanked the chains back and saw the long wound it had left in the shadow's body. She struck repeatedly, leaving many such injuries all over it.
While racing in circles, Sakura thought she'd never felt more alive, despite her aching limbs. The cool steel handle, still wrapped in the comfortable pink material of her sword grip, felt natural in her hand. It felt like it belonged there.
She lashed at one side of the shadow's thick neck, then leaped around the creature before the whip was yanked free. She ran the length of the sharp blades once around its neck, then braced herself behind it and pulled with all the strength she had left. The chain whip tightened around the creature's neck, biting into Sakura's arms as she doubled her grip on it.
Gritting her teeth, she gave one last enormous pull and the loops of steel cut into the creature, then through it entirely. The enormous shadowy head dissolved before it could hit the ground, and the rest of its mangled body fell lifeless on the floor. It too bled away, leaving behind an unconscious boy.
Sakura had never felt so relieved in her life. She relaxed her death grip on the whip for the first time in what felt like years, and it too sighed and thankfully shrank back into the shape of a katana. Not a second too late, Sakura plunged it into the ground, in need of something to hold her up. Her eyelids began to droop as tiredness took over.
As soon as she felt the warm embrace of sleep around her, she became aware of a peculiar feeling against her back, and the most annoying pain in her ribs. As her eyes closed on Sasuke and the sword in her hand, her eyes opened back to the peacefulness of her room in Soul Society, and the bed across from her spot on the floor. She moved her sword from where it was prodding her in the ribs, and stumbled her way over to the hard, unforgiving bed. For all she felt, it was made of clouds.