So... the whole of the Zanpakutou Rebellion arc in a single chapter, what could possibly go wrong?! Hopefully nothing, aside from the length of the chapter, maybe, but I did warn you about the chapters getting lomger, didn't I?
This is one of the things I planned since I started Nakama... or at the very least, since I watched this arc in the anime. I hope you like what I've done with it.
And on with the chapter!
Chapter 40. Heart and Blade
On Saturday morning Rukia couldn't help but be reminded of the first meeting with the Visored. While the fullbringers were nothing like the once shinigami, there was a sense of camaraderie, of chosen-family, that existed in each group, as much as it did with the Nakama. It was something Rukia had come to identify and appreciate since becoming a Nakama herself. After their talk and tea Kuugo had insisted on sparring with Ichigo, wanting to see how much he'd improved in the last few years. So Yukio had created a pocket dimension just for them, both to ensure their reiatsu wouldn't affect the human world, and to prevent Soul Society from detecting them. Eventually Shuukurou got involved in that.
Meanwhile Rukia took the chance to try and get to know the rest of the fullbringers. It was clear they didn't fully trust her, due to her tie to the Gotei, and their own (indirect) bad experiences with the formal shinigami. But at the same time, they trusted Ichigo, and her being so tightly bound to him meant they were willing to give her a chance.
"We owe a lot to Ichigo." Riruka eventually told her. "He made us what we are."
Rukia blinked, not quite sure how she should take that.
"How much do you know about us?" Yukio inquired.
"I know you're humans with powers, caused by one of your parents surviving a hollow attack and being marked by it." Rukia summarized. "Chad's powers apparently come from the same origin as yours. Oh… Ginjou-san is a shinigami daiko who was apparently betrayed by the Gotei, I do believe Aizen might have been involved. It sounds like him…"
"He really left out a lot." Moe commented.
"How long have you known we existed?" Giriko asked, curious.
"Eh… on the way here?" Rukia half-stated, half-questioned.
That really caused all fullbringers to sputter in disbelief.
"And you're going to marry him?!" Riruka snapped.
"Of course I'm going to marry him!" Rukia snarled. "Ichigo is a good man. A loyal man. He was planning on introducing us soon. Hoped you might attend our wedding. Your message to him just meant the meeting happened sooner. He told me about you when he had to and not before not because he doesn't trust me, but because he felt you were entitled to your secrets. Even when we were on our way he only told me what was absolutely necessary. He would never betray you. It's just not who he is."
So they told her their stories. How they'd each been young, alone, with power neither of them could fully understand. The mistakes they'd made, the crimes they'd committed, and how finding Kuugo had changed them. He gave them what they always needed: people they could trust. And yet, it was Ichigo who turned them from friends into a family.
"It's no secret that I am pretty much a sociopath."
With the end of the sparring session Ichigo, Kuugo and Shuukurou had joined Rukia and the rest of the fullbringers once again. It was Shuukurou who took over the narrative:
"I didn't want to go to Karakura, not knowing what we all did about Kuugo's past." Shuukurou stated evenly. "But we had been able to sense there were others like us. And we made a promise, when Kuugo pulled us all together: to always be there for each other, to share our power and never let one of us be alone… so we went. The last thing we expected was for Sado-san to already be well on his way to training his power, and then Ichigo… we never expected Ichigo."
"No one ever does." Rukia snorted, causing the others to chuckle.
"No, no one does." Kuugo agreed. "But truth is that before meeting Ichigo all I cared about was becoming more and more powerful. Not just to keep the fullbringers safe, so that one day I might be strong enough to get my revenge on the Gotei. Make them pay for turning against me, for destroying my life all those years ago… My life… I was going to be a teacher, you know? Mold young, impressionable minds… it was only a quirk of fate that I even came across the shinigami that afternoon, and that I ended with his powers. I never asked to be a shinigami, or to remain one after that day. I never asked for the training, or for the experiments that left me with my own hollow powers. And after I managed to survive all that… they turned their backs on me! They accused me of betraying them, but truth is they were the ones who betrayed me first!"
"Why give it up then?" Rukia inquired curious. "Your plan of revenge, I mean."
"Ichigo made me see that they'd already taken one life of mine, my human life." Kuugo explained with a shrug. "And by my own actions I was giving them my afterlife too. He also made me see that I owed the fullbringers better. I pulled them together, I was leading them. It was up to me whether they'd do something good or not with their powers. And also… if I continued down the same path… I was essentially leading them to their own deaths. That was the wrong thing to do when they trusted me so much."
"We would have followed you, to whatever end." Shuukurou assured him.
The rest of the fullbringers just nodded, not the slightest hesitation in any of them. It just served as confirmation of what Ichigo had told Kuugo once, regarding how important it was he lead the fullbringers right, how much they needed him…
Ichigo and Rukia spent Saturday morning still there. Having fun with the fullbringers as they made plans on how to bring the matter before the Gotei, and trying to decide whether to talk to Ukitake or Byakuya first, or go directly to Yamamoto. After thinking it over for a while Kuugo handed his old badge to Ichigo, so he might use it as proof that it was all true.
"I promise, I will do it right." Ichigo promised just before he and Rukia left.
"I know you will." Kuugo nodded. "I trust you."
"Whether this works or not, when Orihime calls…" Shuukurou began.
"I'll let you know." Ichigo finished for him.
Kuugo had given him the number for a burner phone he'd picked up recently. He'd be able to find them if necessary; and he knew they wouldn't be staying in that warehouse. Not with the kind of money they had access to, thanks to Yukio's company. The warehouse may have once been their home, but nowadays it was only a front.
xXx
Rukia and Ichigo had just stepped off the bus in Karakura and were planning on going straight to see Uryuu, to get his opinion on how they should handle the matter of the Fullbringers and the Gotei, when suddenly they both felt the same thing: reiatsu spiking… not a single word needed to be said, as immediately they began running, fast, the closest they could get to shunpo while in their physical bodies. Then, as soon as they made it to the forested area of Karakura, and out of view of passersby they used their badges to get out of their bodies and truly began using shunpo to get to the origin of the reiatsu spike.
They arrived to the edge of a lake, not very big, with an island right in the middle, in time to see a short figure in black throw herself at an odd-looking tall, thin brunette male dressed in a white furred robe, katana in hand. They'd have thought it was Karin, except the hair wasn't black, but a very light auburn, almost dark blonde shade…
"Yuzu-chan?!" Rukia sounded beyond shocked.
Ichigo could have laughed, just for a moment. It always seemed funny to him how people would look at Yuzu, see her so small, sweet, gentle, almost delicate-looking, and believe her to be fragile, weak… nothing could be farther from the truth. And it wasn't even just her kidou but… most people forgot (or just didn't realize) that Yuzu, at six years of age (almost seven), and right after loosing her mother, had dried her tears, steeled herself, and taken her mother's place in the family. She would cook, clean, look after her father and siblings as best she could; but it wasn't even just the physical things, she became the emotional support of everyone else in the family. Became the heart of it. Ichigo honestly believed that if it weren't for Yuzu the family wouldn't have survived the loss of Masaki. She was so strong… always had been.
Of course, Yuzu was still very new at spiritual fighting, as was proven the moment the male parried her strike, only to strike back at her, breaking her asauchi with a single motion and then tossing Yuzu aside.
"Yuzu-chan!" Rukia and Ichigo cried out automatically.
"What did you do to Karin-chan?!" Yuzu demanded as she sat up, broken asaushi still in hand.
"You dare come at me with an empty blade?!" The male roared, ignoring her question entirely. "Who do you take me for child?! I am Muramasa! I am the greatest zanpakutou to ever exist!"
"You're alone…" Ichigo was probably the only one who heard Yuzu whisper those words as he knelt beside her to check on her.
"Yuzu…" Ichigo murmured. "Are you alright?"
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu threw her arms around her brother's shoulders immediately, and though the corners of her eyes were wet, she did not cry. "I'm alright. Some bumps and bruises, that's all."
"What happened to Karin?" He really hadn't missed Yuzu yelling about his twin, and it was the only explanation as to why Yuzu was there without her.
"We don't know!" Yuzu cried out, obviously distressed. "Soul Society's a mess, everyone's zanpakutou are running around. Even Yamamoto-san's! Toushirou-kun's gotten Hyourinmaru back, and they're fighting to get things back under control. But it's insane."
"What do you mean the zanpakutou are running around?" Ichigo felt completely out of his depth, just what the hell had happened over the last day?!"
"He did it!" Yuzu pointed her finger straight at Muramasa. "He… he did something! The zanpakutou spirits were suddenly out, and they were fighting the shinigami." her tone turned very quiet as she added: "He used me… I thought he'd trapped the Soutaichou behind that shield, we all did. So I found a way to take it down… but it turned out that's exactly what he wanted. He used me to get what he wanted!"
"And what does he want?" Ichigo asked next.
He hated Muramasa, hated that he was causing such distress to his sister, but he really needed to know everything that was going on before intervening. Especially because she could sense Rukia was beginning to have some trouble, and their nakama were around too, though busy with a bunch of hollows.
"He wants to rescue his master." Yuzu explained. "Yamamoto-san said he was a really bad man, insane. We have to stop it… you have to stop this Ichi-nii…"
"I'll do my best Yuzu." He knew better than to make promises he might not be able to keep.
His attention was called away from his sister and towards his beloved as he heard Rukia gasp, he turned in time to see Muramasa pulling his hand out of her chest…
"Rukia!" He screamed, horrified.
Only there was no blood, no echo of pain. Which actually confused Ichigo, as he registered those two details, even as he jumped away from Yuzu and towards his wife.
"Come! Your name is Sode no Shirayuki!" Muramasa declared right then.
Ichigo froze in mid-air, blinking as he watched Shirayuki manifest beside Rukia. Muramasa was staring at them, a sense of eagerness in him, he was clearly waiting for something. Though that eagerness soon turned to confusion as shinigami and zanpakutou spirit turned to look at each other, shared respectful nods, before turning back to Muramasa. It was clear, by the way his eyes darkened and his fists clenched that that was not what he'd been expecting, what he intended when he pulled Shirayuki into the material world. It explained better what Yuzu had said about the zanpakutou spirits fighting the shinigami.
"That's impossible!" Muramasa yelled. "Why aren't you fighting her? I order you to fight!"
"Why would I fight my lady?" Shirayuki asked, voice cold and full of contempt.
"Why would I fight my partner?" Rukia questioned at the same time, honestly confused.
"Because that's how he's managed to create chaos in Soul Society, by turning zanpakutou against shinigami." Ichigo stated calmly.
Muramasa turned to look at him, but before he could try anything at all, Ichigo acted. Just a slight prodding was enough, a beat later Zangetsu was standing beside him. And because Ichigo just couldn't help himself, even at the best of times, he directed a toothy grin at Muramasa. Inside his head, Shiro was cackling like mad, wishing he could have made an appearance too, if only to make the cocky spirit go nuts trying to understand them.
"You could never make us turn against one another." Ichigo informed Muramasa for good measure. "We actually understand what being a partner means. Though you apparently don't."
"You know nothing!" Muramasa roared. "Senbonzakura! Byakuya!"
What followed was the last thing Ichigo could have ever expected, as both Rukia's brother, and the spirit of his zanpakutou (whom Ichigo had never seen before) rushed him and Rukia right then, blades out. Ichigo and Rukia, with the help of Zangetsu and Shirayuki could have defeated them in no time, but they were confused. Just what the hell was going on?!
"This is a Kuchiki matter, do not get involved." Byakuya ordered stoically.
"Don't you spew that bullshit at me Byakuya!" Ichigo snarled, unable to help himself, he'd about had it with the whole not knowing what was going on. "My wife is a Kuchiki! You're family! So this concerns me!"
Byakuya staggered in mid-air, and Ichigo wasn't sure if it was his rather crass language, or the fact that he'd acknowledged that due to Rukia they were very much related. In any case, Ichigo liked to think he knew Byakuya fairly well after the last few months, and while the man might act cold and emotionless most of the time, he was anything but. He cared, very much. And while things like duty and honor might be very important to him, family would always trump them, which meant that something was going on, something big…
They went through the motions of a duel. And only the Nakama would know that that was all they were doing. Even as their blades kept clashing, there was no real intent behind any of the blows. Rukia and Senbonzakura were essentially doing the same, with Shirayuki and Zangetsu mostly watching, making sure nothing unexpected happened.
"Muramasa's master's name is Kuchiki Kouga." Byakuya answered simply.
Ichigo winced, as he could hear not only what Byakuya was saying, but also what he wasn't. First his father, now his… uncle? Was it any wonder that Byakuya was so obsessed with upholding the family honor, when the men of his family kept trampling it? And he had no doubt the kind of reaction a man like Ginrei must have had. Which, again, explained so much about Byakuya… perhaps, in that light, it was a wonder that the man knew how to have fun at all!
Before Ichigo could find some way to ask Byakuya how they could help, without actually saying it, as he wasn't sure how Muramasa would react to that, but it probably wouldn't be pretty, Yuzu interrupted them:
"Ichi-nii!" She screamed. "The seal's breaking!"
That pulled everyone's attention to the small island in the middle of the river instantly. To the halberds that Muramasa had managed to pull off the seal at some point; right in time to see the coffin like structure dissolve, leaving a man they could only guess must be Kuchiki Koga, floating there. He looked awful, more like a skin-covered-skeleton than anything close to human. He was topless but for the long red scarf wound around his body and there was a darkness, a sense of wrongness to him that while Ichigo couldn't really explain what made him feel like that, he'd no doubt that the feeling was true. The man before him might be a Kuchiki, but he was nothing like Byakuya, or Ginrei. Something that was confirmed when the very first thing the man did, was stab Muramasa through the stomach.
"Wha…?" All shinigami were beyond shocked by what they were witnessing.
Yuzu for her part pressed her free hand against her open mouth to keep a horrified scream from escaping. In the other hand she was still holding her broken asauchi loosely. She had no idea what to do, how to help, all she knew was that Karin was in the 4th, unresponsive, and Yuzu had to do something!
"To me you're just a sword… Nothing more than a tool!"
Ichigo, Rukia and their zanpakutou let out wordless shrieks of denial at those words. They were a blasphemy! Went against everything they believed in! All the rules and codes they lived their lives by. What their bonds meant to them…
And then Kouga raised his blade, intending to strike down the already wounded and bleeding zanpakutou spirit… Byakuya was faster though, before Kouga's blade could connect with the injured Muramasa, he was there, parrying the strike.
"You call your own zanpakutou a tool and slay it," There was a special coldness in Byakuya's voice as he spoke, the last time Ichigo'd heard it was when he'd told the story of his father and his betrayals at Rukia's and Ichigo's wedding. "You have no right to call yourself a shinigami!"
Ichigo and Rukia knew how important Kuchiki Clan matters were for Byakuya, so they didn't interfere with the fight,
"A zanpakutou is merely a tool! There are any number of replacements!"
Those words really made Rukia and Ichigo bristle. They, who made an effort every day to communicate with their zanpakutou spirits, to treat them the same as any other nakama. Specially Ichigo, who had known Zangetsu and been so close to both him and Shiro since he was a child… the two spirits had been his rock, his cornerstone for so long… to hear someone saying all such spirits were nothing more than tools… mere things that could be replaced… if Ichigo didn't respect Byakuya as he did, he'd have rushed in to show Kouga exactly how wrong he was… then again, even Ichigo and his companions would admit that Byakuya and Senbonzakura were doing a remarkable job of that.
At least when Muramasa lost control completely, the hollows he'd once consumed in order to be able to sustain his physical form escaping him and looking to prey on unsuspecting souls, proved an effective distraction.
"Nakama!" Ichigo called, both with his voice and his reiatsu.
Uryuu, Chad, Tatsuki and Keeva, who'd been waiting several yards away, responded in turn and rushed against the oncoming hollows, joining Rukia, Ichigo and their materialized zanpakutou spirits in the fight. Yuzu for her part just stayed on the edge of the lake, watching over everything nervously, her hand never letting go of the broken asauchi.
Things were pretty intense for the next half hour or so, as the hollows just kept coming. At first it was just those Muramasa had consumed, but then the presence of those hollows began attracting others, and then when the garganta opened… Tatsuki was about to be skewered by a hollow that rushed her from her blind spot as she was busy dealing with another, only to have it be destroyed in the nick of time by Zabimaru.
"Renji!" Tatsuki cried out in delighted relief.
"Everything alright in Seireitei now then?" Uryuu inquired as he shot another volley of arrows.
It was probably a very good thing that he'd figured out how to make purifying arrows, with how many hollows he was having to dispatch…
"Mostly." Renji nodded. "A few are still busy ensuring the zanpakutou will follow them again. And Hitsugaya-taichou… he pretty much vanished the moment the situation with Yamamoto-soutaichou's zanpakutou was solved. Said he and Hyourinmaru had to find someone. Something about helping Karin-san."
"How's Karin?" Rukia demanded, at his side in an instant.
Renji blinked briefly as he saw the beautiful and elegant woman in the white kimono shooting ice and snow at any hollows that dared get close to Rukia.
"Is that your zanpakutou?" Renji asked, curious.
"Yes, this is Sode no Shirayuki-san." Rukia nodded.
"You haven't been able to conquer her, then?" Renji wasn't sure what was going on.
"Conquer her?" Rukia tilted her head to a side, this time she was the one confused.
"Get her away from Muramasa's control." Renji clarified.
"Shirayuki-san was never under Muramasa's control." Rukia scoff at the mere idea. "He might have been able to force her out of my Inner World, but that was all. After that… well, she was already here, we decided to make good use of her materialization and fight together. Zangetsu is helping Ichigo as well."
Renji blinked as he realized that the aged man that was back to back with Ichigo wasn't a shinigami or one of the other Nakama, but Zangetsu. He knew that Ichigo's relationship with his zanpakutou was… odd, by shinigami's standards, and Rukia had been trying to emulate him recently. But he could have never imagined that it would make such a difference. Muramasa… he'd heard what the Captain Commander had said, about the kind of power that zanpakutou had, the power his wielder had had, there was a reason he was feared, and to think that Ichigo and Rukia were effectively immune to him…
"Watch out!" Uryuu called abruptly.
Rukia saw from the corner of her eye several hollows coming her way, she cut one straight down the middle before evading the second. Only afterwards noticing the fact that the hollow hadn't been rushing to attack her, no, instead it looked as if some kind of force were pulling it straight to a strange black-red sphere of energy… a sphere that was much too close to where Ichigo and Zangetsu were fighting together…
"Ichi…" Rukia began, but by then it was already too late, as the sphere shifted and expanded, swallowing many of the hollows, as well as Ichigo and Zangetsu. "Ichigo!"
Things escalated from there. As the strange mushroom-like object began pulsing with dark reiatsu, which called even more hollows to the scene. Thankfully Byakuya managed to defeat his own opponent right about then and joined the Nakama in battling the hollows. Renji couldn't help the double-take as he realized Senbonzakura was materialized too, and fighting alongside the shinigami captain, though the samurai-like zanpakutou spirit vanished into his bankai form a moment later, the rush of pink petals vanquishing every hollow in their path.
"Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!" Rukia and Shirayuki attacked in unison.
The burst of ice was such that it destroyed easily over a dozen hollows.
"What are we going to do now?" Renji asked as he went into bankai and sent Hihio Zabimaru to destroy more hollows.
"What else can we do but fight the hollows and wait for Ichigo to get out of that thing?" Rukia asked in return as she went into her first dance with a spin.
"So sure are you he's going to make it out…" Renji did his best not to be too close to Rukia, or her zanpakutou when they used their powers, that ice bit!
"Of course he is!" Rukia snapped, purposefully letting the cold air pass by his side, close enough to give him just a bit of frostbite on one arm. "It's Ichigo!"
Renji hissed at the frostbite but didn't say anything else, by the way his girlfriend was laughing even as she pummeled another hollow into spirit particles it was obvious that she knew what had just happened, and of course she was going to be on Rukia's side. It wasn't that he didn't want the half-human to be alright, Ichigo was his friend too! He just… sometimes, many times, he just found it so odd. The way Ichigo kept sometimes being dragged, sometimes outright diving into things that would kill practically anyone else, just to make it out alive… And more than that, he kept fearing that one day Rukia would follow (because she did tend to follow whenever she could) and then it would be her who wouldn't make it out… Even though Shu-Yung… Tatsuki had proven once and for all that he wasn't as much in love with Rukia as he once believed himself to be, the petite raven-haired shinigami was still his best friend, his sister in every way that mattered, and Renji couldn't stand the thought of losing her.
"We need to do something about that thing." Byakuya stated authoritatively. "If it keeps going like this, we risk it affecting Karakura adversely."
"Couldn't we just place a kekkai around it or something?" Renji suggested, he rolled his eyes at the disbelieving looks directed at him and added. "Not me, obviously! Everyone knows I suck at kidou. But there's taichou! And Rukia! And Yuzu-san!"
"Yuzu!" Rukia cried out, remembering the girl, only, she couldn't see her.
"Hey!" Uryuu asked as he too looked around, expanding his spiritual senses for good measure and still getting nothing. "Where's Yuzu?"
xXx
Ichigo didn't know for how long he fell. He wasn't entirely conscious for most of it. Shiro just managed to fully wake him a fraction of a second before he hit the water. Then, as he reached for the surface and then focused on standing on air, he realized that Zangetsu was back in his Inner World as well.
*Against one enemy, we'll work better like this.* Zangetsu explained.
*Is he really our enemy?* Ichigo asked, even as he looked around, the whole place looked like an endless ocean littered with broken columns.
*What the hell is that supposed to mean aibou?* Shiro demanded.
*Doesn't he remind you of anyone?* Ichigo asked in turn.
There was no time for an answer, as Ichigo felt a new reiatsu at the same time he heard a new sound, like water being disturbed…
"Is that you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" It was Muramasa, seemingly standing over the ocean. "Imagine meeting you here. How did you get here?"
"How should I know?" Ichigo asked in return. "What is this place?"
"Can't you tell?" Muramasa arched a brow. "Just as your zanpakutou has a home inside your mind, I too, had a home…"
"Then this place is…" Ichigo looked around as it dawned on him.
Except, it made no sense at all. Ichigo was fairly sure that Kouga was dead. It was his death that had apparently made Muramasa fully snap. And yet Muramasa still existed, he'd survived the death of his wielder, and the strange place around them…
Because Muramasa was more than a little nuts, the conversation soon turned into a battle, but even as Zangetsu lent his power to Ichigo, both he and Shiro couldn't help but think about what the shinigami had said: Doesn't he remind you of anyone? Yes, yes he did. It almost seemed providential, that they'd just met with that very person the day before. As different as Kuugo and Muramasa might be, in the end they were both individuals who were lead astray by another's ambitions; whom Soul Society feared and turned against for crimes that might or might not be their fault. With Kuugo… even with no confirmation, Ichigo had the gut feeling that Aizen was to be blamed, an instinct that the two spirits inside him shared; and with Muramasa… what had he done but follow his shinigami's will?
*Aibou!* Shiro cried out as he felt the reiatsu reaching for them.
But it was too late, they'd all thought they knew how Muramasa attacked, but they never saw that one coming. Suddenly Ichigo was suspended, horizontally, hands extended at his sides, unable to move, to attack, defend, anything at all. Even then Ichigo refused to despair. He watched his reflection on the ocean's surface, the bindings holding him in place, slowly strangling him. He knew instinctively he couldn't materialize Zangetsu, he'd have ended in the same situation as him, judging by the way Muramasa had made sure to bind not just his hands but also his blade. Shiro on the other hand…
"Ichi-nii!" The female voice calling completely derailed Ichigo's train of thought.
"Yuzu!" Ichigo cried out in horror-tinged shock, his voice holding the slightest bit of Shiro's echoing tones.
"Ichi-nii, is it?" Muramasa mocked with a smirk, as he turned his attention to Yuzu. "You're his sister, aren't you?" His attention focused on her broken blade. "Ah… you're the one who came at me with an empty blade… How foolish of you."
What surprised Muramasa the most was that the girl didn't seem the slightest bit afraid of him. Nor did she reply to his taunts. Instead she turned to look at her brother, then at Muramasa, and then she raised her hand.
Ichigo was about to throw caution to the wind and pull Shiro out when Yuzu surprised him by attacking with kidou, mainly because she wasn't aiming at Muramasa at all, but at the ocean…
"Byakurai!" Yuzu cried out.
Ichigo understood it the moment the bindings around him disappeared. It had occurred to him, how curious it was that his reflection showed him being trapped, but Yuzu's sudden presence kept him from fully understanding what it meant. His sister had though, a single look and she'd understood what Muramasa was doing, and what the best way to release Ichigo was.
Muramasa roared in fury, re-materialized his katana, ready to rush either Kurosaki sibling when, unexpectedly, one of the nearby columns shattered, seemingly without a reason at all.
"What the…?" Ichigo was shocked.
*Kouga is dead Ichigo, this place is falling apart.* Zangetsu pointed out. *If we stay here much longer… we may not be able to get out.*
"Kuso!" Ichigo cursed out loud. "Yuzu, stay where you are! I'll finish this and we'll get out!"
"You speak as if you've already defeated me Kurosaki Ichigo." Muramasa snarled at him. "I'm far from done!"
And because Ichigo's life just was that insane, Muramasa turned out to really have a few aces under his sleeve yet. His illusions were good; almost as good as Aizen's were said to be, and that was a scary thought… and yet it was also the one that gave him the solution: following the three traitor's escape from Seireitei, the Nakama had spent days brainstorming, trying to find a way to ensure that Aizen would never be able to use his zanpakutou against them. They had heard enough about what he was capable of with it. After the situation with the Shinenju, and later on with Rukia's children they'd come to the conclusion that Orihime would be immune, thanks to the Shun Shun Rikka, Keeva was confident that Serenity would be immune as well since illusions were one of her areas of power, but there were still the others. It was Shiro who gave him a solution: him and Zangetsu. While Kyoka Suigetsu (and apparently Muramasa) might be able to ensnare the senses, they couldn't reach the spirits when they were in the Inner Worlds. Which meant that the spirits would still be able to perceive reality through the illusions. Of course, for that to be useful the wielder had to be able to trust their zanpakutou absolutely. That wasn't easily done. And yet, it had already yielded rewards, as was proven when Muramasa was unable to control Zangetsu and Shirayuki.
*I trust you Ossan…* Ichigo whispered into his mind.
On a lightning pole in a huge skyscraper in Ichigo's Inner World, Zangetsu smiled. Yes, his wielder trusted him, that was something he'd never had reason to doubt. They were going to teach Muramasa what it really meant when shinigami and zanpakutou worked together!
Muramasa was baffled. He truly didn't understand why he kept failing. How could the orange-haired shinigami keep avoiding his attacks? Or parrying? How did he know where Muramasa was when no one else had been able to see him coming when he didn't want them to? And then he pulled back, allowed the man… boy! He was little more than a boy! Ichigo landed on one of the few remaining columns, and that was when Muramasa saw it, his eyes were closed! The shinigami wasn't falling for Muramasa's illusions because he wasn't seeing them… and then he remembered.
"That's right, you have Zangetsu by your side." Muramasa muttered.
Zangetsu, one of two zanpakutou who'd ever been able to resist him, who hadn't been affected in the slightest by Muramasa's powers. And the other belonged to his partner, the petite shinigami girl… just who were these people?! Why was it that they were capable of listening and trusting their zanpakutou… have the kind of relationship Muramasa wanted so badly and couldn't have?! Muramasa was angry, so angry… but more than that, he was desperate. Losing himself in the grief for his loss, of a wielder, of a partner, of what he always wanted and could never be…
The fight kept going. At some point Zangetsu reminded Ichigo of the need to leave soon, before it was too late, and Ichigo was doubly worried because it wasn't just him at risk, but Yuzu as well. And yet… he couldn't help but feel that he shouldn't just give up on Muramasa, like doing so would be a mistake.
"Forcing your will on another isn't the only way to use a zanpakutou." Ichigo insisted, wholly believing every word. "You don't need to do everything your shinigami says!"
*Ossan is going to quote you on that aibou.* Shiro drawled in the back of his mind. *Repeatedly. And me as well.*
*Do so.* Ichigo didn't hesitate in his response. *If I ever forget that we're partners, that our relationship is one of equals, remind me. I will never seek to conquer, to dominate you, either of you. We're partners.*
*Aibou.* Shiro agreed.
Zangetsu just hnned, but that, and the pride Ichigo could sense coming from him were more than enough in that moment.
Muramasa for his part, just stared at Ichigo in shock.
And just like that, they ran out of time.
"Muramasa!"
xXx
Outside the dome, things were both better and worse. Byakuya, with help from Tessai and Kisuke had managed to close the garganta, the Nakama taking down the remaining hollows. And yet right when they began to believe that things might be alright, the dome began almost pulsating with an eerie light, as the reiatsu levels shot up.
"If this keeps going…" Kisuke began, eyes wide in shock.
"Karakura Town could be destroyed." Tessai finished for him.
"There must be something we can do!" Uryuu yelled, wanting ideas, any ideas.
When the solution came… it did from a most unexpected direction. One moment the dome seemed to be cracking, the pieces expanding, as if about to be shot in every direction, and the next they were being pushed back together by a translucent film… one that shone in the strangest color, one that seemed to be all colors of the rainbow at the same time…
"Serenity-dono!" Several voices called.
Byakuya was the first to reach the young woman. She was wearing her usual long skirt, peasant blouse, a long veil wound around her head in such a way it concealed everything about her but her eyes, eyes that looked like the purest, brightest silver, or more like stars, two stars pulled straight down from heaven. For the briefest moment Byakuya couldn't help but wonder if that was why they were called Réalta…
The woman didn't even turn to look at Byakuya, her whole attention on the cracking dome. Her arms were raised and as Byakuya turned his attention to her hands. It took him a moment to realize that Serenity wasn't wearing gloves, and yet her hands looked so pale, unhealthily so. Then again, it was no secret that she was dying. The tremors in those same hands also made it obvious, at least to Byakuya, how hard it must be for her to hold the dome in place, to keep it from expanding, or worse, exploding. Yet he said nothing, not wanting to make it seem like he believed her to be weak. Because he didn't. It was a little known fact, that he and the Réalta had met several times in recent weeks. She'd given her permission for the history of her people to be recorded, and then proceeded to tell him everything she remembered. Had even allowed Byakuya to read what books, old diaries and files she had.
"When we're gone… Keeva and I, we're the last ones. I know because I've looked. There are no more living stars… no more Réalta. When we're gone… I want us to be remembered. For there to be a record of our existence. For people to know that we were here, that we lived, and fought… and loved…"
Byakuya had promised, and to that promise he held. The oldest diaries and books were all in Irish, and while he didn't know the language Serenity was kind enough to translate for him. He'd considered learning the language, but knew there wouldn't be enough time… It was almost funny, after so many decades, over a century leading such an existence where time became almost inconsequential he found himself in a situation where time was suddenly of great importance, and he realized there was so very little of it…
His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when he noticed the stain in the veil covering her face. A crimson stain…
"Serenity-dono… you're bleeding…" Byakuya murmured quietly.
The young woman said nothing, and it took but a moment for the Kuchiki Head to realize why. She knew, she'd probably known it'd happen before Byakuya ever noticed anything. And the reason was obvious enough. She was overextending herself, forcing her powers past their limit, and it was costing her… how badly was she hurting herself by using her powers on that dome? How much of her own time, limited as it was already, was she burning away? Too much… Always too much…
"Ah…" The lightest, softest exclamation left her lips, a moment before her body collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Byakuya moved just in the nick of time to catch her in his arms. She was unconscious, and as he moved to scoop her in his arms he couldn't help but touch her bare skin very briefly, only to realize she was cold, so very, very cold…
xXx
Rukia was the first to realize that nothing was blocking her from Ichigo anymore. She didn't even wait for anyone else to say anything, just shot straight towards him. Shirayuki smiled before vanishing back into Rukia's Inner World, knowing it was unlikely she'd be needed again. The battle was over, it was time to regroup, and she missed the coldness of Rukia's Inner World. Even when it had been hard in many ways to learn to share the space with another spirit, and especially one so different from herself as Kaijin… the hollow was a part of her partner, so they learned to be partners, much like Shirayuki and Rukia did.
Muramasa opened his eyes slowly… if he was honest with himself he hadn't expected to survive the collapse of Kouga's Inner World. That moment, when the last columns had shattered and he found himself sinking in the endless ocean, he was so sure it'd be the end. In that moment it wasn't just the water he'd been drowning in, but his own regrets… until he heard a voice calling. A voice calling his name… he could hardly fathom it. So long he'd been waiting, waiting to hear his name being called, for his master to call for him, and he never did. And yet, in that moment, even mostly lost to despair as he was, that voice still reached him, her voice… of that girl-child, who looked at him with so much sadness, so much compassion and a level of understanding he could hardly believe. And she wasn't the only one. The shinigami too, he'd sought to understand Muramasa, like no one else, not even Kouga, ever did. Yet, it wasn't his voice that had made him hang on, no, it was hers.
"Is this what you call for two souls to connect?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah…" Ichigo nodded.
The siblings were kneeling by his side, each holding onto Muramasa, as if wanting him to know without a doubt that they were there, that they weren't leaving him alone.
"I made quite a mess of things with Kouga, didn't I?" Muramasa muttered, self-recriminating, though the grimace of pain made his voice break at the end.
"It happens to all of us." Ichigo sought to reassure him.
"Everyone makes mistakes." Yuzu said at the same time. "What's important is to see and accept when we're wrong, and make amends."
"Amends…" Muramasa broke off.
"Do not give up!" Yuzu pressed. "Not now, it's not too late…"
"I have no master, without a shinigami a zanpakutou is nothing…" It was the regrettable truth, zanpakutou spirits could not exist without shinigami.
Ichigo lowered his head, at a loss of how to help.
"What about me?" Yuzu's question took them all by surprise.
Even Rukia, who'd just landed on the island, closely followed by the rest of the Nakama, froze at those words. Was Yuzu aware of what she was offering…?
"I know I'm not much." Yuzu shrugged, self-deprecating. "I don't actually have the right kind of energy to create a zanpakutou of my own, but if you're willing, I'd like to get to know you, to work with you. You lend me your strength, and I'll lend you mine. What say you?"
"You cannot possibly…" Muramasa was in absolute shock, after Kouga's rejection, after all the troubles he'd caused…
"Yuzu…" Ichigo and Rukia began practically at the same time.
"I know what I'm doing!" Yuzu cut them off, her whole attention in Muramasa. "I know it's gonna be hard. I know not everyone will understand. But I'm willing to do it. Because I think you deserve a chance. To see where you made mistakes, to make amends. I will help you if you let me. So will you, let me?"
"It would be my honor, little lady…" Muramasa whispered, closing his eyes briefly. "You know what needs to be done?"
For all answered she offered him her asauchi. It was broken in half, but even then, it would do. Muramasa's lips lifted minutely, the closest he'd come to a smile as he took the proffered blade. Yuzu didn't let go, reaffirming her choice by helping Muramasa guide the asauchi to her own chest, right over her heart. No one said a word. Even Ichigo, he'd never dishonor his sister by suggesting she might not know her own mind. Yuzu had made her choice and her brother would support her, all the Nakama would.
And just like that, a sword was buried into a heart, and lives were changed… again.
xXx
Rangiku turned her head one way and the other several times until there was a loud crack, loud enough that if anyone had heard it they'd have winced in imagined pain; Rangiku just relaxed as the crick in the back of her neck finally smoothed out. She was tired and sore, and it was all Haineko's fault! There was a reason why Rangiku never tried to attain bankai, and contrary to popular opinion, it wasn't laziness on her part. It was simply self-awareness. Rangiku knew she just didn't have the kind of power necessary to have, and to maintain a bankai (truth was, she was surprised enough when she had enough power to have a shikai). So while she spoke to Haineko sometimes, and had gone into her Inner World a few times, she'd never fought her zanpakutou spirit, not truly. Yet that was the only way to make things right.
It was something her captain realized first. Her captain (her son!), she was so very proud of him, always had been. While so many others had been running around like headless chicken, without the slightest idea of how to handle things with the zanpakutou spirits gone, he'd decided to try out his own plan. Searching out Hyourinmaru and getting him back. Only explaining his logic to the assembled shinigami afterwards:
"The zanpakutou have always required two things from us:" He told them seriously: "Strength to wield their power, and trust to take what they give us. That's what you need to take them back. Prove that the power they have is yours as much as theirs. They are, after all, a part of each of us in the end…"
It probably wasn't surprising that he'd be the first one to realize that. Hyourinmaru had been a part of him since he was young, before he ever went to the Academy (the ice dragon was the whole reason Toushirou even needed to go at all! Because he was manifesting without control, and it was dangerous).
So the shinigami went and fought their zanpakutou to get them back. Seireitei and even some areas of Rukongai were a mess, which really wasn't that surprising when one considered the kind of damage some zanpakutou could cause, especially in bankai. Rangiku hoped to never, ever see Ryujin Jakka in action ever again… Once with Haineko back, Rangiku had had every intention to go to her rooms and nap… probably for the rest of the weekend, but then Toushirou went and asked for a favor…
"I know this is probably completely unnecessary but… would you stay with her? I just… I would be more at ease if I know you're with her."
And so there Rangiku was, sitting on a not-quite-comfortable chair beside a bed in a private room in the 4th Division. The person on said bed being none other than Karin… they'd had quite the scare, when an unseated shinigami went looking for them, to tell them that Kurosaki-Nagaken Karin had been found unconscious a few yards away from the 10th Division Barracks. And then when they arrived to the 4th, only to have Isane tell them that nothing seemed to wake up the raven haired shinigami.
Back then they hadn't even known what was going on. Some shinigami had been having trouble with their zanpakutou, but the incidents hadn't been connected, not yet. Not until that meeting was called and Muramasa arrived, along with the spirits of all their zanpakutou…
"But… but Karin-san doesn't have a zanpakutou!" Rangiku snapped, stressed. "She doesn't, she said so at that meeting last summer."
"Not precisely." Toushirou shook his head. "What she said was that Tenreikou was no longer a separate spirit. That because they died synced they reincarnated as a single soul. Muramasa used his ability to pull our zanpakutou from our hearts against both our will and their own…"
"You think Muramasa… you think he actually split Karin-san's soul to get Tenreikou?!" Rangiku's voice went through a couple of octaves in her shock.
"It's not that impossible, if you think about it." Toushirou insisted. "In the end, our zanpakutou came from us, from our hearts. They might be independent spirits now, but they were born from our hearts…"
Tenreikou had gone back to Karin's heart when they died, and Muramasa had pulled her out, done in an instant what usually took shinigami hopefuls anywhere from a few months to years to achieve (except when they were Kurosaki-Nagaken… but that was a whole other matter). At least that was the theory, and so Toushirou had gone hunting, leaving Rangiku to watch over the unconscious Karin in the meantime.
The strawberry blonde lieutenant was dangerously close to nodding off when Toushirou's arrival returned her to alertness. Rangiku straightened up abruptly, sharply enough for her back to crack loudly. Toushirou actually winced as he turned to look at her.
"You can go rest now… kaa-san…" The last word he said more quietly, and only after making sure no one was listening in.
Rangiku's smile was blinding. It was rare for Toushirou to actually acknowledge their blood connection, much less actually refer to her as mom, but she loved it when he did. Such was the effect it had on her that it actually took the blonde a couple of seconds to understand what he'd just said, and what it meant.
"You found her?" Blue eyes went wide.
Toushirou just smirked at her before turning to the bed, scooping the raven-haired shinigami in his arms and carrying her out.
"Where are we going?" Rangiku asked, falling into step behind him without hesitation.
"The 10th's training grounds." Toushirou didn't even ask why she was following, he knew her well enough. "It's the only place with enough space."
With shunpo they made it to their training grounds in very little time. There Rangiku immediately noticed quite a few of their shinigami loitering around, looking more than a little shocked. It wasn't hard to see why. Right in the middle of the training area there was a majestic blue dragon, scales glinting under the sunlight, they seemed to shimmer between normal scales and actual ice every so often. And if that weren't a shocking enough image, then there was the other being there: a big, gorgeous bird, with red being its main color, though there was also enough gold in its feathers to make it really shine, and its tail seemed to be made of fire… a phoenix.
The phoenix and the dragon, the Yin and the Yang…
Toushirou ignored the busybodies completely, crossing the training grounds and eventually laying Karin's unconscious form down, just a few feet away from the two spirits. Almost unconsciously he ran a hand down Karin's cheek, brushing away a stray lock of hair. Then he stood and backed away.
"She needs you Tenreikou…" Toushirou murmured even as he pressed his own back against Hyourinmaru's lowered head. "And I… I need her."
"Just like she needs you, always has and always will."
Rangiku had no idea how Tenreikou was speaking, but she was (then again, it was the same with Haineko!). Her voice was female, low, cultured, powerful…
"All is as it's always been, as it was meant to be." Hyourinmaru complimented.
The dragon's voice was male, grave, full of power and authority…
"Two bodies, one heart…" Tenreikou began.
"Two minds, one soul…" Hyourinmaru completed.
"Yesterday, today and tomorrow…" They finished in unison.
Tenreikou seemed to almost glide down, landing right on Karin's chest. And while the bird was big and looked like it must be quite heavy the unconscious girl seemed completely unaffected. Tenreikou let out a loud, bird-like cry then, just for a moment, before she lowered her beak to Karin's forehead, like a mother kissing her child's brow… then the spirit vanished into a haze of fire-red reiatsu.
At the same time Hyourinmaru roared briefly into the sky, the two animal calls entwining like some unnamed magic; before pressing its snout to the back of Toushirou's head briefly and vanishing into ice blue reiatsu.
Karin drew in a sharp breath as her eyes snapped open. They glowed red very briefly, fire shining in the back of her irises, and then the glow was gone and her eyes were back to their usual gray.
"Toushirou-kun…" Was the first word to come from Karin's lips as she sat up slowly, her eyes never leaving his.
It was as if something snapped inside Toushirou, as he dropped to his knees and enveloped her in his arms, tightly.
Rangiku brushed away a tear before turning to all the nosy shinigami hanging around, using her authority as a lieutenant to send them away. Karin and Toushirou deserved to have their privacy. Which was also why she left without looking back.
If Rangiku had stayed just a few seconds longer, or if she'd just looked over her shoulder even once, she'd have seen the moment when the two young shinigami pulled back and without a word, or the slightest hesitation, kissed. It was a short kiss, barely more than a touch, but still, for them, it was more than enough. The spirits of their zanpakutou had already said everything that needed to be said anyway…
xXx
When Ichigo, Rukia and Yuzu arrived to the 4th Karin was sitting on a cot, waiting non-too-patiently as Unohana performed all kind of scans on her.
"I just want to be sure you'll be alright Karin-dono." The healer informed her, seeing the raven-haired shinigami's patience running thin.
"I'm fine Unohana-san, all recovered now." Karin tried her best to convince her.
"Until an hour ago you were in a coma!" Isane cried out in distress.
"Yes well, my spirit was, essentially, out of balance." Karin shrugged. "But that's been solved now so there's nothing to worry about."
"Solved how?" Ichigo asked, eyes narrowed.
He'd spent the last hour, as he and the rest of the Nakama made sure everything was in order and there would be no more trouble for Karakura, and then awaiting the authorization to open a Senkaimon; as the chaos in Soul Society had made Yamamoto block all travel between worlds unless authorized by himself, until they knew the danger was past. All that time the orange-haired shinigami had spent it worrying about his sister's situation. Because all Yuzu could really tell him was that Karin had been attacked at some point between Friday night and Saturday morning and been unconscious since then. Muramasa had admitted to Yuzu that he'd done to her the same as to all other shinigami, but Karin's very peculiar situation meant that no one really knew how things might turn out… only for them to find Karin apparently just fine… or so she claimed.
For all answer Karin reached behind her back. To the zanpakutou the size of a kodachi none of the newcomers had noticed before that very moment.
"Tenreikou's back." Was all she said for an answer.
Ichigo gaped, Rukia blinked, while Yuzu just smiled brightly. Where the younger twin was concerned, it didn't matter if she didn't understand what was going on exactly, how the spirit of Karin's zanpakutou had come to be again (other than it was somehow Muramasa's fault, that much was obvious to everyone), as long as her sister was alright, Yuzu was happy.
Before Ichigo could ask (demand) further explanations, they were all interrupted by a jigokuchou as it landed on Rukia's hand.
"Yamamoto-soutaichou wants to see us at the earliest convenience." Rukia stated.
Ichigo knew that was noble-speak for 'come, now', but since Karin seemed to be alright, and he'd already been planning to go see the old man, he agreed. Also, he realized that responding to the summons quickly might even help the man be more open minded when they got to the tough topics that they'd be talking about.
"I'm coming too." Yuzu wasn't asking, and really, she knew the Soutaichou would insist on talking to her sooner or later.
It didn't matter how much Ichigo wanted to protect his sisters most of the time. Yuzu had made a choice, and she'd have to face the consequences… of course, that didn't mean that if the man got difficult Ichigo would just stand there and do nothing…
The trio had just left the room when Isane spoke up:
"Hey… was that a zanpakutou on Yuzu-san's back?"
Karin blinked, as her mind processed that yes, that had been a zanpakutou on her sister's back, one that hadn't been there the day before, and wasn't her asauchi… also, as Karin looked back on things, she realized it felt nothing like a new zanpakutou. Karin didn't even stop to ponder on what that might meant.
"Sorry Unohana-san, gotta go!" Karin called as she jumped off the bed and rushed after her family, something had happened to her twin in the last 12 hours and she was going to find out what it was exactly.
xXx
Yamamoto stared at the young (half)human girl directly, a look that held all the power his years and experience granted him. It was the kind of look that could get even Kyouraku Shunsui to shut up and pay attention. Kurosaki-Nagaken Yuzu stood her ground. She knew that the old shinigami didn't like it, she even understood why, and that he'd very good reasons for not liking the situation, but she wasn't going back on her choices!
*Yuzu…* Muramasa whispered in the back of her mind.
Being free of all those hollows, and to a lesser extent, of Kouga as well, meant that Muramasa was finally back to himself. He was once again the kind of individual who believed in honor, in loyalty, in doing the right thing… things that had been twisted into dark versions of themselves after his old wielder was betrayed and all the mess began. Kouga had been a good man once, one whose pride and resentment over the betrayal of the Gotei made into a monster who believed his way was the only right one. And while Muramasa regretted not being able to keep Kouga from becoming what he did, he'd promised to be there for Yuzu, to support her, and never abandon her; while Yuzu promised never to let him go, never to stop listening to him. It was exactly the kind of thing Muramasa always dreamed of having with Kouga… all the same, he was afraid, he didn't like being the reason his young wielder was in trouble.
*I'm not going back on my word.* Yuzu stated simply. *We're partners now Muramasa. Like Ichi-nii and Zangetsu-san, like Rukia-nee and Shirayuki-san. Aibou…*
*Aibou.* Muramasa agreed, unable to help the sense of pride that filled him at the word.
"This is a mistake, child!" Yamamoto snapped. "That zanpakutou is dangerous. It should have been destroyed!"
"Kuchiki Kouga was a dangerous man." Yuzu stated calmly. "And Kuchiki-taichou has seen to it that justice be done regarding him. Muramasa has committed no crime of his own. All he did in the past, he did following his shinigami's command. Is that not what you teach at your Academy? That zanpakutou follow a shinigami's orders, always?" She didn't mention that she and her siblings were different. "What happened over the last few days was a mistake made out of grief, and misplaced loyalty. Muramasa understands he was in the wrong and together he and I promise to do our best to help Soul Society recover from this situation."
"How are you so sure you can control him?" Sasakibe Choujirou questioned.
He'd seen each of the Kurosaki-Nagaken siblings achieve incredible things in the months since they'd first arrived to Seireitei as the ryoka, but after seeing zanpakutou going around of their own free will, after the mess Muramasa himself had started… it was probably understandable for some to be doubtful.
"All he wants is for his shinigami to listen." Yuzu explained calmly. "And I am, listening."
"You understand that if this is allowed to stand, you'll be responsible for any of Muramasa's future actions?" Yamamoto's eyes narrowed as he raised his reiatsu just a bit, wanting the girl to understand the seriousness of the matter. "If he commits a crime, it'll be your head girl."
Yuzu knew exactly what Yamamoto was doing. She also knew that if she shook in the slightest she'd lose respect, and her brother would go nuts; it was enough of a miracle that Rukia had managed to hold him back thus far. So she just wrapped her own reiatsu around herself like a protective cloak and stood her ground.
"I understand." She said simply.
The atmosphere cleared abruptly. Yamamoto just let out a breath and said nothing else. He probably should have realized that the girl would be as stubborn as both of her siblings… and truth was, she was right. Following Seireitei's own laws and traditions, Muramasa wasn't actually guilty of anything. That was, for the most part, because until the recent catastrophe it would have never occurred to anyone that zanpakutou might do things of their own volition, especially start a rebellion. Such laws might change in the future, but even if they did, Muramasa and his new wielder would not be affected. Who knew? Perhaps the girl might even do good things with him. Stranger things had happened before (and most of them had involved the Nakama in one form or another…).
"Very well, then we'll consider this matter sealed." Yamamoto announced officially. "May the records show from this day forth Kurosaki-Nagaken Yuzu as a shinigami and Muramasa as her zanpakutou."
*Call on me.* Muramasa instructed, knowing it was expected.
Yuzu nodded mentally before drawing her sword and holding it before her and calling the release phrase that had just been given to her:
"Whisper Muramasa…"
No one could have missed the way every shinigami's hand strayed towards the hilts of their zanpakutou, if only briefly. All but four of them…
Muramasa gave a step forward before dropping on one knee, head down in a penitent position:
"I deeply regret all the damage I may have caused while with my previous master, with Yuzu-san's guidance I will strive to do better." He stated in a very ceremonial manner.
Yamamoto said nothing, just nodded. Muramasa waited a few seconds longer before vanishing into reishi, which reformed into the form of a zanpakutou, on Yuzu's back.
"Having concluded this order of business I ask all present if there's anything else that may require our attention at this time." Yamamoto called.
He wasn't expecting there to be anything, on hindsight, he probably should have known better.
"If I may, Soutaichou," Ichigo called respectfully. "There's a matter we would like to bring before you… though we're not sure if it should be done in the present company or in private."
Yamamoto opened his eyes a bit, looking at Ichigo carefully. He hadn't forgotten the last time Ichigo wanted to bring something to his attention. The young shinigami was only ever that respectful and mindful of protocols when it was something he considered important…
"Well, tell me what is it and we'll see, Kurosaki-Nagaken-san." Yamamoto ordered.
"It's regarding Ginjou Kuugo…"
Yamamoto's eyes opened fully, as half the captains present froze. That name hadn't been heard in Seireitei in so long… and for Ichigo to bring him up… not for the first time the old shinigami wondered if the Nakama were the best or the worst thing that ever happened to Soul Society…
xXx
It was dark outside when she opened her eyes, the moon hadn't risen yet, but the stars were twinkling merrily in the sky. Serenity wasn't really surprised to discover she'd been sleeping for hours, it had barely been early afternoon when the fight took place. But it had been so hard… keeping that barrier, keeping the strange-looking dome from exploding and affecting, possibly even destroying, Karakura. For a moment she'd even feared she might lose control completely, that she might end up making things worse instead of helping… but she managed to hold on long enough for the dome to collapse in on itself and then… that was all she knew.
"You're awake…" A voice called.
"Byakuya-dono!" Serenity sat up so abruptly the dizzy spell almost made her collapse again.
"Slowly Serenity-dono, you must be exhausted." Byakuya whispered as he put some things on the low table beside the couch, sitting beside her as he helped her sit up again.
It took several seconds for the dizziness and slight nausea to pass but eventually Serenity nodded, prompting Byakuya to let go. A part of her regretted it instantly, but she bit her lower lip discreetly to keep from saying anything about it. It took her a couple of seconds longer to see the mug being held in front of her face, by Byakuya.
"Keeva-san told me where to find the things for tea." Byakuya explained. "I had to go to Soul Society to make my report to the Soutaichou, but then I returned to make sure you were alright."
"Arigatou…" Serenity whispered, lowering her eyes, thankful that even if her long veil had to be taken off, Keeva made sure to arrange the shorter one on her, it only covered to her neck but it was enough to hide her blush.
She reached for the mug of tea, but her hands shook so badly Byakuya barely reacted in time to take it back before she could spill the hot liquid all over herself.
"I'm sorry…" She apologized.
"Never apologize for the fragility of your human body, it's something you have no control over." Byakuya told her gently but firmly.
"Fragility, some would just call it weakness." Serenity couldn't help but quip.
"After what you just did… you stopped that cursed dome from exploding, saving all of us, and potentially everyone in this town, no one could possibly call that being weak." He pointed out. "Though, you hurt yourself doing so…"
"You all did your part, as I did mine."
He held her hands and the mug as he helped her drink the tea. Halfway through her hands stopped shaking but he just didn't let go of her. Neither of them said a word, it just didn't seem necessary. They both understood what she'd done, and the seriousness of what had happened to her afterwards. Time was running out, next time she used her powers would probably be her last…
So, what do you think? I hope you're still enjoying my writing.
Now, a bit of a warning. Take a deep breath, and brace yourselves. I call this chapter in my head 'the calm before the storm', because, it's coming... the confrontation against the Espada, the battle between the shinigami and Hueco Mundo, from the next chapter, things are gonna get more than a little insane! We're not coming to the end quite yet, but still, one of the biggest confrontations is coming, hope you're ready! (Hope we all are!)
Anyone wanna make guesses as to what's coming? I'd love to see what you all think. See ya next week!
