悲しみの飢えた影

Ravenous Shadows of Sorrow

A tragedy need not have blood and death; it's enough that it all be filled with that majestic sadness that is the pleasure of tragedy.

Jean Racine

After much effort, they managed to get Ryuujin Jakka to submit and return to Head Captain Yamamoto. They began heading to the world of the living, but Toshiro suggested that Michiko and Hana no Tenshi stay back with the others because they seemed weaker. Michiko agreed to stay back, but Hana didn't. She didn't know why she cared, but she was very concerned about Murumasa. She knew that little by little he was slipping into a dark abyss of despair, just like she had.

"We better go find the others." Michiko said, beginning to move down the trail.

"We have to follow them." Hana protested.

"Why?" Michiko asked in a scolding tone. Being not fond of that manner, she shrank back a little.

"It's dangerous if they go alone." she responded with little confidence.

"Really?" Michiko questioned, looking very unpleased. "Fine, let's go."

"Go… go where?"

"To the world of the living. That is where you wanted to go right?"

"Uh… yeah."

###

They followed Ichigo's spiritual pressure. It was easy since his was intense like a relentless fire. They continued tailing them into a dense and lush forest. The skies were dull and gray with clouds and fog. Michiko had never been to this high spiritual place titled Karakura Town, nor ever stepped foot onto the living world's soil. So this is how this place feels. She thought to herself as she inhaled, feeling the reiatsu flowing about like the ebbs of an ocean. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and choking, she felt amazed at the feeling of the reiatsu everywhere. Suddenly, she felt the energy spike sky high. There were suddenly flocks of hell butterflies fluttering rapidly their way. Some of them were fond of her, since she tended to them during her time as a third seat that didn't have much to do.

"Hey, hey what's the matter?" she asked. They circled about her head and frantically informed her that Murumasa was about to free his master Koga Kuchiki from his incarceration.

"We have to hurry and stop him before he breaks that seal." Michiko said. The hell butterflies fluttered, guiding the two towards the others.

###

Meanwhile, Rukia, Uryu, Chad and Orihime were busy dealing with the hollows Murumasa summoned and Byakyua's Senbonzakura. However, Chad was injured during the fight so Orihime had to tend to him, leaving Rukia and Uryu to deal with the rest of their adversaries. Rukia aimed for Murumasa, who was chanting an incantation. When the incantation was complete, the image of the tree he was near shattered like glass.

"The tree was… just a barrier?" Rukia uttered under her breath. When it faded completely the view of a strange looking coffin was visible. It was strapped with many chains and piercing it were many bronze blades.

"Hado number 33. Sōkatsui!" she casted, firing a blazing blue fireball. Murumasa easily slashed it into thin air with his katana. She moved swiftly, ready to cast another Hado until she was caught by the wrist by him. Uryu turned around and was about to shoot down Murumasa with his arrows but Senbonzakura had interfered and ambushed him with a rush of cherry blossoms. Rukia continued struggling to break free from his grasp.

"What's inside that thing; what are you planning on doing with it?" she questioned him as she continued to squirm about.

"My master is entombed inside that coffin; the most powerful soul reaper ever, who even tried to seize control of the Soul Society, Koga lies within." He expounded proudly.

"What?"

"My only wish is to revive master Koga; everything I've done is for this moment." His words then ceased and his eyes abruptly turned a glowing fiery blue. Thin sparkling chains of electricity crackled around the heavily locked pall. The locks began cracking, the knives shattering and the heavy chains crumbling apart. The entire coffin began glowing a blazing fire hue and falling apart. Debris came scattering far and the spears that pierced it earlier impaled the ground. Murumasa stood there, waiting hopefully in awe. The wind kicked up puffs of dirt clouds. When they evanesced his master Koga Kuchiki was there, his dull blue reiatsu radiating around him.

Michiko and Hana continued sprinting behind the hell butterflies when they felt the immense spike in spiritual pressure.

"What was that?" Hana asked.

"Murumasa's breaking the seal!" one of the butterflies exclaimed. Hana no Tenshi and Michiko flash stepped and picked up their pace. They swiftly arrived at the source of the reiatsu.

"Murumasa no!" Hana screamed out.

"You're too late Hana no Tenshi." He sneered. He then returned to his master, who was suspended in the air. "Greetings Master." he welcomed with ease. Out of nowhere Ichigo came rushing down from the sky, sword in hand. Murumasa saw him in time and raised his blade, blocking his ambush. Ichigo landed back on the ground.

"Sorry I'm late Rukia." He apologized. She beamed a smile at him.

"It's about time." She joshed.

"How did you get pass Ryuujin Jakka's barrier?" Murumasa questioned.

"Who knows?" Ichigo retorted. "But now that I'm here I'm going to put a stop to whatever it is you're doing."

"Are you; because that's too bad. You're too late." he said, returning to view his master reviving gradually. Murumasa cackled madly. "You see, the wish that I have had for an eternity has been granted."

Finally Koga's eyes open suddenly; his recuperation was complete.

"Dammit, he was able to revive him." Ichigo cursed under his breath.

"Let's move Ichigo!" Rukia called as she leapt into the air, Ichigo following. They were abruptly halted when Koga's reiatsu bursted and grew wildly like a wild fire.

"You've awaken… finally!" Murumasa said with happiness.

"Muru-masa." Koga said hoarsely under his breath.

"Koga, I've been waiting for this moment for so long. Together we can complete the task we began before all those years ago."

"Muru-masa." Koga repeated huskily in a whisper. With no warning at all Koga's katana pierced his former Zanpakutō. Murumasa froze up when he felt the blade impale him. There was a moment utter silence.

"W-why… Koga?" he asked, bewildered and trembling. He fell to his knees. "Tell me Koga.. Why… why did you do this to me?" silence fell on them once again.

"You never answered me when I called." He responded harshly. His eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Koga continued. "When I was on the verge of being sealed away I called to you."

"But I-I never, heard that call." Murumasa protested weakly.

"I called over and over but you never came to my aid."

"How could it be, I didn't hear you? Koga… Your voice did not reach me, not even one time. And there I was waiting so patiently to receive your call. If I had even heard on word I would've come to you at any time I would've assisted you with all the power within me; that was how I felt. But for so long I never heard your voice. Eventually of course I had discovered that you had been sealed away. You have to believe me Koga. From that time to this every day, I've tried to break that seal." He thought unstably aloud. He reached out towards his master begging.

"If you had been there in the first place I would have never been sealed away!" he shouted angrily, yanking out his blade roughly from Murumasa's body. He was then kicked to the ground, his blood spilling.

"As a soul reaper and your master I gave birth to your power. All you ever needed to do in your life after that was simply obey me."

"But Koga, weren't we one spirit?" he asked hoarsely.

"One spirit? To me you've always been nothing more than a sword." He raised his blade. "Simply a tool of mine. And a tool shouldn't be so conceited!" he brought down his sword. Murumasa shut his eyes.