Zanpakuto de-mystified! Or not

Come What May
One Step Beyond

After everything was done- all scores tallied, paperwork filled out, division assignments and checking out of the Academy, there was one last and final thing that had to be done before they were official part of the Soul Society:

Receiving their Zanpakuto.

Because it was considered a very intimate and personal process, each graduate would be sent for one at a time and guided by an overseer to their new partner.

Nemu sat patiently before the overseer as he explained the process to her.

"Do you understand, Kurotsuchi?" He asked kindly.

"I do."

"Then, please," he indicated with a sweep of his hand, "call out with your power until you are answered."

Calming herself to a meditative state, Nemu reached out tentatively. She didn't know how long she sat there, but in this small room, locked away deep in the heart of the academy, undisturbed from the rest of the bustle of the school day, she felt an odd sensation. As if she could feel things that weren't previously there. It wasn't like how a person felt. It was just as distinctive, each one feeling different from the rest but these were more powerful, more sublime. As if her mind were passing through a forest of colored silks.

She was searching for something now, she could feel it. A silent beckoning that carried her further into the forest. The call was so seductive and warm that Nemu began to get frustrated when she couldn't reach it. The more she became frustrated, the less she could feel it and began to panic.

Where are you? She called out desperately in her mind. Please! Where are you?

It called out again and Nemu chased after it, wanting only to be near that feeling again.

"Wait!" She cried. "Wait for me, I- I want to find you!"

"You needn't worry. I am here."

Nemu crashed through the forest, the words making her fly through her mind and she stumbled forward. The ground sifted around her feet and she nearly fell over. Shocked at the sudden transition, she looked around. The forest of silk was gone and instead she stood along a fog strewn beach. A mountain loomed somewhere in the distance and the waves simultaneously crashed and lapped against the pebbled ground. A small archipelago of boulders broke the surface and, on the tallest one, perched as if the world was its to own, was a crane.

It regarded her coolly, neck gracefully arched as its white body shimmered under the gray light and sea spray. Nemu, surprised at its powerful, enchanting presence and its sheer beauty, collapsed to her knees with a soft gasp. It bowed its head and regarded her with eyes far more intelligent than she had ever seen.

"Nemu." It said in a voice as androgynously soothing as it was wise.

"Yes." She breathed, not daring to move before it.

"Do not be afraid." With a delicate flick of its wings, it fluttered to a closer boulder. "I shall not hurt you."

She trembled in fear and, for the first time, excitement. "Who… are you?"

Its eyes half closed with amusement. "I am your partner. Do you disapprove?"

"You're… magnificent."

The crane threw back its glorious red head and trilled out a laugh. "Thank you." It told her. "I am glad to hear that."

Before she had realized it, Nemu's hand had been half outstretched, wanting to run her fingers down the soft, slick feathers. She pulled it away abruptly.

The crane tilted its head slightly, fluttering onto the beach itself. "You may touch me. I do not mind."

"I…"

At her silence, the crane walked around, strutting silently against the sand and Nemu was surprised when gentle, warm feathers brushed against her cheek.

"Do not be afraid." It said, a wing stretched out against her. "Do not think you are not worthy. For it you were not, I would not have called to you."

"I am sorry. I don't know what to do, I've never been told…"

"Some things will not always be laid out for you. Some things must be figured out on your own. But you need not worry, little Nemu." It voice was so incredibly warm and soothing Nemu didn't want to ever leave its presence. "For I will always be with you and I shall always protect you."

Braver, but still hesitant, Nemu petted the feathers against its breast. The crane cooed in approval. "May I have your name?"

"My name?" The crane's wing enveloped her. "You know my name. You just merely have to say it."

Ikkaku wasn't sitting in the waiting room when he was supposed to go in. Instead he was pacing up and down, bouncing on his toes or, when his nerves got to be too much, did some exercises. He was in the middle of sparing an imaginary foe when the doors unlocked and slid back.

Kurotsuchi stepped out, clutching a sword tightly to her chest and blissfully happy smile on her face.

"Oi, Kurotsuchi." He said, curious at her expression. "You, uh, got you sword, right? What's it like?"

Holding the sword even tighter she said, "It's wonderful." And hurried off to show her father.

Ikkaku watched her go, confused.

"Madarame Ikkaku?" The overseer asked.

He pivoted on a heel. "Yeah, that's me."

"Come in." He led the way toward a cushion in the middle of the floor. "Have a seat."

Ikkaku kneeled on the cushion. "So, what do I do?"

"You need to calm yourself and focus your power. This room is an amplifier that allows you to connect with the spirits that reside in the Zanpakuto. Call for one and the one that answers will be your sword." The overseer took his own seat and cleared his throat. "Your Zanpakuto is your partner. They lend you their strength and their power and they are the ones you will depend on with your life and that you must care for as if they were a part of you."

Ikkaku snorted. "You talk like they're alive."

A cryptic smile was his answer. "They are very much alive, Madarame-kun. You shall soon see."

"All right then. Where is this sword?" He asked, slapping his thighs, fidgety.

"You need to be in a meditative state. Reach out with you will and when you are answered, you will be brought into your inner world."

Ikkaku blinked. "My what?"

For the first time that day (despite how many times he had to repeat this process), the overseer's annoyance broke surface. "Your inner world? It's where most meetings with your Zanpakuto happens. Didn't you pay attention in class?"

"Pfft. Not particularly."

Biting back a comment the overseer continued. "The inner world is the place where you meet with the embodiment of your Zanpakuto. All inner worlds are crafted for each individual Zanpakuto and their partner. Some don't even adhere to the laws of physics or-"

"Yeah, yeah, can we get on with this?" Ikkaku cut in. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could get to his division.

The overseer sighed. "Of course, go ahead."

Giving a noisy, aggressive inhale, the graduate held it for a few seconds before slowly blowing out the breath. His body sagged, automatically relaxing from months of practice. The room was suddenly filled with the presence of countless beings. But before Ikkaku could give a couple of them an experimental nudge, the force of one of them shot through his mind, dragging him to it without his consent and barely a chance for struggle.

By the time he managed to fight back, the presence released him and the first thing Ikkaku realized was the pole that was digging into his abdomen. The second thing was that this uncomfortable pole was also the only thing holding him up. Latching onto the thing with all available appendages, Ikkaku scuttled on top, balancing somewhat awkwardly on the balls of his feet.

"Hahaha! Nice reflexes, kid."

Ikkaku whirled- well, attempted to, nearly fell over, righted himself again and glared over his shoulder. Then nearly fell off the pole entirely.

"Wh-wh-wh-what the hell are you?" He cried, hugging onto the pole again.

The being in question took a cultured drag from his long pipe, one leg crossed over a bent knee, standing on another pole as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I?" He asked, words gruff through double rows of sharp, crooked teeth and thin black lips. "I am the one that brought you here."

"Here?" Ikkaku looked around. The landscape (if it could be called that) was dotted with bamboo poles of varying heights. Below them was nothing but sky. Above them was the rippling of a lake, complete with the underside of lily pads and bamboo poles- as if he were looking up from under the lake.

"That," Ikkaku told the, er, thing, plainly, "is highly disturbing."

"Don't be so rude." He took another drag. "I live here."

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm your partner. The overseer did explain this, didn't he?"

"I wouldn't know." Ikkaku grumbled, gaining back his wobbly stance atop the pole again. Now, though, he had a clearer view of his addresser.

He- undoubtedly male from the voice, speech patterns and appearance –was a demon taken from the pages of some old folktale. His face was a lumpy red mess with bulbous yellow eyes, long, thin eyebrows, jutting lower fangs, a pair of horns and wild hair. His hands were gnarled and thick fingered, the long nail on his right pinky clicked rhythmically against the pipe. Draped over his shoulders was a shinigami haori, though his pants were gray and tattered, huge clawed feet bare.

"I've been watching over you during your training." The demon said conversationally. "You're really something."

"Thanks." Ikkaku said distractedly, trying not to fall over.

"I think you and I would make a good team."

"Oh?"

"Raw strength. That's what we both like, right? You just need to think a little less linearly. And that," the demon tapped his broad forehead, "is what I'm here for."

"You?"

"You're still young and hotheaded. I'm much older, wiser and less inclined to chase people around for a fight."

Finally finding a balance, Ikkaku looked around again. "This place is seriously fucked up."

"I also tend to listen to people better."

"No disrespect or nothin', but what's the point of this?"

"The point?" The demon repeated. "Well, I guess the point is this." He stood, putting the pipe in a jagged opening between a couple teeth. "Brute strength can only take you so far- with one exception. Unless you're Zaraki Kenpachi, you're going to need me in order to gain strength. So you can gain abilities you didn't think you had in you."

Ikkaku didn't look convinced. "Yeah? Like what?"

"I don't know. Like anything." The demon took another puff before he stepped out into the air. He walked toward Ikkaku as if on an invisible platform. Ikkaku gaped openly at him. "I've got lots of surprises in me, I'm sure." His grin was well used and slightly floppy. But his eyes held wisdom not seen in centuries and fire that stoked Ikkaku's own drive. "So, what do you say?"

Slowly Ikkaku's own grin grew. "I say you got a deal."

"Hozukimaru?" The overseer flipped through the large volume that sat before him. "Hmm…."

Ikkaku, in the mean time, wasn't paying him the slightest attention. Instead, he was testing out his new Zanpakuto, getting used to the balance and length, gauging how the shaft flexed and bent as he'd thrust.

"There's no record of the name previously being used." The overseer said. "But it had been recorded as being mentioned in the past. Asides from being one of the rare ones to take on an appearance completely different from a sword, it's also been noted as a very powerful fighter. Apparently," the overseer traced the graying words patiently, "Hozukimaru is a very flexible and very clever tactician. And the fact that you had received your Zanpakuto so quickly must mean he has great faith in your potential." The older Shinigami looked up. "You're not listening again, are you?"

"Pfft! Forget that!" Ikkaku returned energetically, weaving the spear about. "I need to find someone to fight! I GOTTA try this out!"

The overseer put a hand to his face. "Fine, just… be sure to send in the next person when you leave."

"Hell yeah!" Ikkaku raced out into the quad, mentally running through a list of names of the guys that pissed him off recently.

"What is it?" Mayuri snapped, swirling some strange concentrate he was bent over.

"I received my Zanpakuto." Nemu told him.

"Oh?" He turned and glared. "What is it?"

"Horaizannoakaiokan." She could barely keep the excited quiver from her voice as her sword flashed and transformed. Replacing the katana was a shamsir, the blade so radically curved it was like a bow. The guard flowed outward like wings, the hilt wrapped in black leather and blade shimmering so brightly it looked white.

Mayuri scowled at the thing in disgust. "That? What is something like THAT supposed to do?"

"The overseer said that it was wind based and also a protector against illness. Horaizannoakaiokan," she stroked the handle familiarly, "is very kind and- ah!"

Mayuri scowled and shoved Nemu back. "Shut up! I don't care about your stupid sword, you don't need it!" Drawing his own Zanpakuto, Nemu could feel him drawing up his spiritual power and focusing it into one slash. Nemu couldn't get a sound passed her locked throat.

When her sword shattered, something inside Nemu's heart twisted and screamed as it was torn away and kept screaming and screaming and screaming and Nemu dimly realized it was herself.

"SHUT UP!" He grabbed her by the hair, shaking and jostling her and waving his drawn sword in front of her. He screamed at her and slapped her and she couldn't even recognize what was going on. When Mayuri threw her to the floor, the whole world faded away.

Zanpakuto: Tomogachi of the Dead

Because of alltrees's Buddhist flavored afterlife discussion on the Soul Society community, I sort of thought up that the Zanpakuto all live in their own little world of sorts. Another dimension, if you will. They can interact with each other (as noted during the Zaraki fight, Zangetsu could hear Zaraki's sword screaming) and know of each other (Zabimaru commenting on wanting to fight Zangetsu again). My theory is that they look in on the Shinigami and essentially choose who is going to weild them, or will allow others to weild them (as the case of Ichigo and Tousen). I also believe that there's a list of Zanpakuto that's been used before or has been listed by other Zanpakuto (Izuru notes that Hyourinmaru is the strongest ice based Zanpakuto, while it's known that Yamamoto has the strongest fire based while Ukitake and Kyouraku have the only duel swords).

It's still unclear on if the inner worlds are a reflection of the weilder, the sword or a strange mesh of both, I decided to go the ambigious route. Also, as Nemu hasn't been shown with a Zanpakuto and that it's name was never said, I've decided to give her one and went the same route dosetsu did during the Kurosaki Clinic's Second Annual Fanworks . And, though I'm no where near as clever with names and wordplay as Kubo-sensei or countless others on this and Soul Society communities, there's still a meaning to Nemu's Zanpakuto.

Horaizannoakaiokan translates literally as Red Crown of Horaizan. Red crown crane and Horaizan is an important mountain in both Japanese and Chinese mythology. It's a sacred mountain where one can find immortality and there dwells a great and wise crane- a symbol of longevity and health.