A/N: I'm sorry it took so long with this one, barely had any time to work on it...actually I hardly had any time to work with my fics; close to nothing. Well then enough of my talk, please continue. ^w^

Chapter X: Reprieve

She watched as his smile actually reached the darkness in his eyes, clearing through the thick haze of the lost. There was nothing then, no words, not a sound was heard as he silently, slowly leaned over to bury his face against her neck, his hand that was clutching at the sword's hilt went loose as he slumped against her body. She felt no weight, could not even take notice of the blade piercing through her flesh; all that she could feel on her neck was his slow breathing and the faint brush of his hair and then he fell deeper into the soft darkness. Familiar and relieving for one such as him. She noticed his relaxed posture as he faded, nothing was held in a tense guard, she felt his eyes flutter to a close in what resembled real sleep. When all sight of his form disappeared, her eyes stayed glued to the spot where his body once was, ignoring the faint calls of the man behind her. It wasn't until she heard the loud clatter of metal falling upon the floor that she snapped her mind back in reality.

A dizzy spell warped her senses and she fell, catching herself on her hands as she took mouthfuls of air, practically feeling her lungs inhale to regain the breath she was deprived far beyond any normal limit. Her body felt heavy, her head ringing while a cold sweat formed at her head and neck, chilling and creating goosebumps. A weak cough escaped her, but despite the sudden discomfort a smile shyly fell back on her expression even as the darkness of fatigue reigned over her and she fell with a small thud right beside the weapon.

"Orihime!"

Urahara immediately came to her side, pulling her onto her back to examine her closely for any lasting damage, but there was nothing to indicate any cause for alarm, at least on the outside. The shopkeeper let out a heavy sigh as he sat back on his legs and wiped a hand down his face in both relief and slight worry. His eyes wandered towards the clean zanpakuto beside her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Is she okay?" A female's voice asked from behind. He would have jumped from surprise at never even taking notice of the girl's presence, but now was no time for getting side tracked. He simply nodded his head in a 'yes' not even bothering to turn towards the young woman who now sat beside him to take a look at the condition of the girl.

"Should we have let that happen? She didn't come out as a shinigami."

"It's most likely the hollows inside Muramasa. From what I've heard of the report, he had several of them inside his body to sustain himself. Enough to even summon them against his enemies which could have kept him from completely joining her soul." He sighed, picking up his hat and fanning himself before placing it back on. "Getting rid of the hollows may not be so difficult, but I'm not so sure how Orihime's fairies will take to thier new uh, friend."

Yoruichi only laughed at his statement, her eyes becoming soft but still firm and serious. "So what will we do with this gigai?" She asked with a gesture pointing at the gigai of Muramasa accompanied with a questioning gaze.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. Just leave it here, I suppose. Who knows, they might want to keep it." He allowed himself the short pleasure of a laugh before lifting the girl onto the couch and placing the sword into its sheath.

"You choose this..." The voice of the beast questioned in nothing more than a whisper as the beasts around them roared in rage and lashed out in a desperate attempt to consume his soul, but it was futile, little by little the darkness began to dissipate. The path to the world of the endless sand was gone, there was no hope for them to become more than the mad monsters that they were. The silhouette of what would have been a newly born Vasto Lorde simply stood over the light that was created anew by the flying beings hovering above the unconscious zanpakutou.

"How disappointing... You could have become more, you could have had your freedom from all the pain. Away from all the lies." Red eyes narrowed at the sight of the man lying on the ground with eyes closed in peaceful rest, unaware of the presence of the shadowed beings nor the ones that flew above him. His expression was soft, unhindered by the painful memories of the past or the wound that had pierced his heart, bleeding thick with hate. The regression has started and it would only be a matter of time before the soul with so much light would destroy them into oblivion.

"Instead you chose a mere human. She'll toss you away just as the owner before her did." He stated, the distortion of his voice quiet and soft. The roars became dim and the writhing slowed into subtle movements. Eyes of yellow remained concentrated on him with indifference. The fairies remained close to him, as if to protect him from that who was shrouded in shadows, but though their barrier held strong against the minor ones, it was feeble under his strength. Carefully, slowly, the shadow pushed through the blinding sheild and entered their protective circle. He could see the slight increase of panic come over the smaller beings, but their deaths would mean nothing to him who was the exact manifestation of the ugly emotions of hate evolving into a deep grudge; the stain of scarlet that would never be removed so long as the original lived.

"Wake up..." A murmur, the silent sound of pain was etched deep within the warped soul, a quiet yearning found in every being that was like him; the pain of missing that which was important. "She will die if you refuse to do so; I'll do it myself with great pleasure." His words were tuanting, angering the colorful personalities of Orihime's ShunShun Rikka, yet it did nothing to faze him in the least. His words had meaning mixed with that of sinister eagerness and a yearning to escape the confines of restriction, his claws itched to rip her to shreds, to end the remaining obstacle, to be free of the constant fear of rejection, pain, longing, and the hauntings of the past that used to be called happiness. Once he did that then the original will break, shatter and become what his instincts tried to become in the battle against the shinigami who was also another form of hollow. Crimson eyes cried bleeding tears, slipping over the darkness in a deep contrast of black and red, the power within him was decreasing rapidly, the fear that was suffocated under the pressure of raw strength and coursing energy surfaced accompanied with the undeniable river of pure rage. One by one, the beasts became dust, slipping away in the invisible wind and it was soon to be this monster's turn as well. "You're a fool. A pathetic dog to these emotions that will kill you in the end..."

Light colored eyes silently opened at his voice, his expression never changing, caught in a grip of pure happiness and it was soon obvious to the last remaining individual shadow that his words had no more meaning to him.

The threat was no lie, he could have easily devoured his soul in his unconscious state and destroy everything, destroy her from the inside, but even he knew that he could not do that; his existence in this form was as good as over. It was a fact that he easily accepted and silently he was content that way.

Muramasa rose into a sitting position feeling slightly light headed. Instantly upon seeing the manifestation of his never ending grudge his eyes steeled and his face scrunched into silent anger at being in his presence, but as he took a closer look the beast's eyes were closed, but still his voice spoke without the use of moving lips.

"Once your sight becomes clouded thick with illusions once more I will take over, I will end the uselessness of the bonds between zanpakutou and shinigami. Until then, I will wait within the bars of slumber; no form of light or power can rid this darkness that has been with you for so long; to kill me is to kill yourself. You will do well to remember this; your negative emotions cannot be erased."

And then just like the rest before him, his body was decomposed into small particles until there was nothing. The light that had held him in safety expanded, bringing forth the large sea with pillars set in place where some leaned over or stood erect as giant stepping stones. The words his other self spoke were the truth that has followed him persistently throughout the prolonging days and nights of the passing years, promising to destroy everything around him, devour every source of power and suffocate him till there was nothing left to overcome and everytime Muramasa was pressured to act fast and take hold of his mentality and his purpose, or what was left of that purpose to restrain the unstable power in him, using the lesser hollows and the Menos to quiet the constant chatter of death at his heels. Now though, there was no need to act in such a way, he could feel the hole that was driven into his heart begin to heal and wash away the ugliness of the bloodstained path he used to walk on. He scanned his surroundings, taking in all that could only be called his home and await the sound of that voice of which he loved.

Just as soon as that thought crossed his mind he was reminded of what had occurred prior to his awakening. The stabbing and the kiss; panic swelled within him. He shot up to stand, but as soon as his feet were up he stumbled upon nothing and almost fell over the edge of the pillar.

"Hey, hey! What's your hurry?" Three seperate pairs of arms grasped at his collar, pulling him back where he fell back in a sitting position. The dizzyness turned into a deafening ring, bouncing back and forth in his head and distorting his vision a bit. Confused at the new soft voice that sounded nothing like his master, he turned to see the hovering fairies smiling down at him, with the one clad in black and red being the only exception.

"What-"

"We've heard about you, but I never thought that our dear Hime-chan would get a new power in association with you." The one with his blond hair held up in a ponytail said as he descended at level with Muramasa's eyes to get a good look at him. "Although, your world did give us quite a scare, poor Tsubaki fell in the water." He chuckled knowing this would irritate his comrade greatly.

"I did not you babbling idot!" He shouted in anger, dashing to try and land a hit on the other who simply moved slightly to a avoid a viscious head grip.

"Anyway, I believe we should introduce ourselves a bit more properly; my name is Shun'o. It's quite a pleasure to meet you Muramasa-san. Over there throwing a tantrum is Tsubaki, Hime-chan's only other means of offense." Tsubaki only huffed in annoyance and anger. "Quite a hot-head as well..." He added in a low voice.

"Moving on, those three right there are Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily. They make up the shield for use of protection, or to carry a person to safety. And nect to them is Ayame, she works with me to heal the wounded."

Muramasa stared at them, remembering what Orihime had done to him before he released Kouga from his imprisonment, the healing light to ease his sickness and the barrier she used to protect her friends; these were the one of whom she called upon, but he has never seen how well she is with Tsubaki's aid which interested him greatly.

"Humph, so the little girl actually got a sword..."

"Aww, don't worry Tsubaki, I'm sure she still loves you." Lily sang while trying to stifle a laugh.

"Shut up! That's not what I meant!"

"Sure..." The two flew around with Tsubaki trying to attack the other who merely laughed at him while the others watched in amusement.

It was Shun'o who brought his attention back with a small tap of his head. "It seems the hollows you've absorbed have cleared out somehow, so you should feel a little better now. You had Hime-chan worried sick..."

Eyes suddenly grew wide with renewed panic, he had momentarily forgotten the whole reason why he had tried to stand. "I must see to it she is well." He muttered, angry with himself for not keeping his eyes open and losing complete control over his power. He was supposed to keep everything under right lock, secureed and away from all that was dear to him; Orihime. Instead he endangered her with his carelessness and may have added more unnecessary troubles for the both of them. Without so much as another word to the fairies who silently watched him with questioning eyes, he took a step over the edge of the pillar to fade back into the physical world in order to see if all was well with her.

The room was dark, the usual whisper of the nightly wind quiet, the moon that was now high above the sky was muffled by the passing of the clouds. Shadows of objects around the room hid mostly everything in his path, but he has memorized her home well to know what would be in his way and what would not. How much time had passed since he last was awake? The temperature was cold despite the lack of wind, his eyes shot everywhere, trying to find where she could have gone. His sword lay against a wall by the couch covered and untouched and finally he saw that the dark mass over the couch was in fact Orihime who had a black blanket draped over her body almost completely over her. With quiet soft steps, Muramasa approached her his eyes softening and a sigh escaping him in relief at hearing the sound of her breathing as she slept. He didn't wish to disturb her rest and decided to turn away towards the door and perhaps take another walk around the lonely streets like he had before, but as he went to the door he found the sight of the plush toy doll of him in his form with the sword held tight in its grasp. There was muck still slathered over half its face as well as all over its clothing.

He grabbed it and stared at it. The button eyes reflecting what little light that seeped in through the window, giving it a sort of content shine. He smirked, this must have been the way he looked in all the shinigamis and their zanpakutou's eyes; a pathetic weapon, unstable and weak. Though this was what they saw, there were some that understood him, understood his actions and forgave him.

She had lifted his heavy heart that was just as broken and tattered as his blade, pieces falling through weary cracks of the mask he wore and the shield he had over it. In vain he had tried to scrape away some of the dried dirt away from the face of the doll seeing that the stain resembled the part of him that was blind, but it was of no use leaving him to mull over the fact. Quietly, bitterly, he walked back to kneel in front of the slumbering girl and placed the plain doll just above the blanket, making sure to clear off as much dirt as he could so as not to allow any particles to fall into her lungs.

He wanted to check if he had left a mark over her chest, but doing so would seem quite indecent and he was not one to invade her privacy; he had done that enough. Right now, he was confused and relieved all at the same time. He wanted to know, needed to know that she was alright, that there was nothing hurting just as something was hurting him and that was almost constant. The words of the hollow echoed throughout his mind and it was making him anxious and uncertain, but there was nothing he could do at the moment except stare. A sigh escaped and there was a whisper of a faint breath of wind flowing through a partially open window ruffling through his hair and the fur lining his collar. Copmforting; a silent caress of assurance easing the troubled look upon his face making him lean forward till his head was against her own. Another sigh, but it was not his; it belonged to the girl sleeping contently on the couch, snuggling further against him and bringing the covers closer.

A smile. A blush. The silent murmur of a name.

There was no need to have so much fear left in him, her presence, safe and warm, enveloped him with the sense of true happiness making all that was wrong melt away. He brought his hand to rest on the side of her head, feeling her warmth radiate onto his cold hand, but his touch did not seem to make her flinch even within the subconsciousness of sleep. Moments passed until he found it to be unfit for her to sleep on a couch rather than her own bed. Though he was reluctant to move from his place, she alaways came first than anything else; it was always that way, but that sometimes made her upset. Positive that she would not wake, he carefully slipped his arms beneath her body easily bringing her up against him with the covers still over her; he was surprised movement did not disturb her. Slipping through the darkness, he entered her room and placed her softly onto the bed, kneeling down again to watch her.

"Mura...masa..."

His eyes lit with light curiosity at the sound of his name flowing through her lips accompanied with a pleased smile. He had to wonder where his place was in her dreams and what could have possibly caused them. He wished to know what was taking place in her dream, but he found that knowing such a thing was not very important. He would much rather focus on the reality of things such as the present. He leaned over again till his face was just at the side of her head near her ear and whispered the words he longed for her to hear.

"I love you, Orihime..."

Three simple word that would either echo through her mind to awakening or fade within the events of her dream. Such words were not to be fooled with, a lesson he has learned in the past. Love was strong according to the ones who expressed it; another drive to dictate the individual's actions, to feel a desire for that whom their love is directed towards and it was no different for one such as him. There was desire hidden among his stare, but he would never continue forward on his own; such was for the two and that includes her as well. However, that was not important at the moment. His only concern was her comfort and safety in which he granted, placing his lips softly on her own. The kiss was short and sweet and he was terribly tempted to venture further, but it would most likely wake her, just for his pleasure. He was not one to take advantage of her where she was vulnerable, she had already given him enough.

The discomfort of looming darkness was gone, there would be no hindrance of anything trying to take hold of his power or his mind. He could silently watch over her as she slept without anymore pain. The voices of the tormented, the disatisfaction of complaining zanpakutous, and the shouts of wrong assumptions were gone away from his mind, the only voice he would always long to hear is that of Orihime's. A voice he would eagerly respond to, for there was no way a soul like her could ever become corrupted by the influence of those around her.

"It looks like Captain Kuchiki's claim was incorrect."

"That may be, but Captain... Is it really necessary to inform the head Captain? He isn't doing anything wrong..."

"Regardless of such facts, Matsumoto, they have committed a crime. If he has a shinigami again that could put everyone in danger again. His powers are a threat." The young captain seethed at the memory of having his own partner turn against him.

"But Captain, he's with Orihime! She wouldn't hurt a fly and besides she hasn't even shown any signs of being a shinigami!" Rangiku yelled, thrusting her hand towards the direction of the two as if to emphasize her point.

"Enough. That may be true, but there is no denying a bond between a zanpakutou and its master, there is certainly a connection between those two but it has yet to fully achieve its potential. Now come on, we must report back." Without giving her a chance to reply he opened the path and entered with a black butterfly following close behind, another such butterfly waited with his lieutenant who looked down at the two with worried eyes.

"What's wrong with you, old lady? He's the one who turned everyone against their masters, you shouldn't feel anything towards him!"

Though her zanpakutou spoke the truth that the actions Muramasa has made were unjust, she could not help that sinking feeling of of dread at having to possibly tear him away from her friend who obviously cared deeply for him to become his new master. Only a sigh escaped her as she prepared herself for what was to come soon and turned away to follow her captain.

-X-X-X-

A/N: Tried to make it longer, didn't succeed. *sigh* However I promise I'll make the next longer, I don't know might be the last chap, might not. We'll just have to see, anyway hope this was to your liking~