Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.
Chapter 48: Whispers of the Zanpakuto
(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")
(Weiss' Mindscape)
Weiss did not know a lot about the science behind dreams, but she was pretty sure that this isn't supposed to happen. She had returned to Ruby's apartment and entered her gigai to rest her mind properly. In just a minute, Weiss was in a deep sleep only to suddenly jolt up like she was hit with a shot of adrenaline. Instead of the comfort of a futon with her pajamas, Weiss found herself standing... somewhere... and wearing her battle skirt.
Weiss didn't what it was but she could only name it as a garden and crystal paradise. She stood in an open area of grass but not too far from her was lush tropical trees and plants. In the distance were grand mountains with a few enormous trees just as large, dwarfing even Beacon tower. She could see waterfalls crashing down the mountains, feeding the rivers that were running alongside the field. Over the mountains were thunderclouds that constantly flashed lightning with a few bolts striking down.
Somehow enhancing this natural beauty were the crystals that dotted the ground and even grew on the bark of trees. They came in colors of blue, red, yellow, white, and a black. Some ranged from clumps that fit in her hand to giant formations that she could see on the barks of the mountain trees. Each one had a different feel to them at a glance. Red felt like the furnace of a forge; black, a feeling of a pressure; yellow, the static of electricity; white, the tickle of the wind; and blue, a cold more bitter than Atlas. Despite the bizarre appearance of the crystals, it all felt so natural here, and realizing that just made it all the more beautiful.
Weiss felt the wind behind her suddenly grow in strength to a powerful gust that she had to cover her eyes when she looked behind. A shadow loomed over the whole field from the light of the sun. The wind was roaring in her ears at this point, but she could hear the sounds of wings flapping of a giant creature. At that realization, her body went stiff in fright. If this was a monster, she was without a weapon to defend herself. There was a crash as something landed right in front of her, and Weiss stumbled for a moment from the ground shaking.
Despite how defenseless she was, Weiss steeled her nerves and uncovered her eyes to what lying before her. She was prepared for any sort of challenge that would face her, but never did Weiss imagine this. The absolute pinnacle that could only be described as divine majesty given physical form rolling off waves of raw power.
For what could represent the meaning of power more than a dragon? Not a Grimm dragon like the one from Beacon, but an actual life form that stood at the top of legends and nature. Yet, if Weiss would ever encounter another dragon she doubted any would match the one standing right in front of her. It towered over her for over ten meters and was as long as thirty meters. Its massive body was covered in thick black scales as dark as night with just a lighter tone on the underbelly. Great black wings folded on its back and Weiss had no doubt their full wingspan would cover the field itself. Along the back and tail was a spiny fin holding a subtle dark glow to it. The head was shaped like a crocodile, and red eyes held a primal dominance that took all of Weiss' willpower to not shake under it. But the most eye catching of all with this apex being was its crest-horns mostly ebony black and adorned with gems of yellow, white, red, and blue. A dark gem surrounded by crimson smaller ones was adorned just between its eyes.
For what felt like hours, Weiss stood in place ready to leap into action. The dragon made no move, merely locking its gaze upon Weiss as assessing her worth. More minutes passed as the two stared at each other until the dragon lurched his head up, and the tense atmosphere was gone. The surprises did not stop there for Weiss when the dragon started to speak, his voice deep and dark like the growl of the earth.
"You show no fear." The dragon spoke. "That is good. I expect nothing less from my partner."
Weiss' eyes widened. "Does that mean you are my zanpakuto?"
"Indeed." The dragon nodded his head. "Hmm, you have quite the will of strength you have. To run from your pathetic excuse of a father and brother, make peace with your hate, and yearn to make a name for yourself. I doubt even the strongest of winters would be able to stop you. I am impressed."
"How do you know all about that?" Weiss asked.
"It is simple." Explained the dragon, leaning his head so they were at eye level. "I am you. Every zanpakuto is a reflection of the wielder's soul, predestined as they await their partner. I know more than you could yourself. Only in rare circumstances do zanpakuto choose a different wielder than the original."
"If you're my zanpakuto," Weiss said, bringing all of her bravery into her tone, "then what is your name?"
Weiss wanted to shiver so badly when the dragon smiled in response. If by smiling meant revealing rows of teeth all ready to shred through flesh like paper. The dragon gave a brief chuckle as though her sudden question amused him.
"As you command, Weiss Schnee." The dragon replied. "My name is A...a..on."
Weiss was confused by the name. She could only hear bits and pieces of the letters, but the rest was just an incoherent whisper. The dragon also took note of this as he raised a scaly brown.
"Hmm, how curious." The dragon mused. "You must be nearly there if you can hear that much of my name, but you are not ready as of yet. It has been amusing meeting you, Weiss Schnee. Until we meet again."
"W-Wait!" Shouted Weiss, running towards the dragon as it suddenly went up into the air. "I still need to-"
But Weiss could not finish her sentence before the beautiful paradise that is her mindscape blinked out as she retreated from her subconscious.
(Blake's Mindscape)
Blake had gone to bed faster than a kitten after a meal of warm milk. Just as suddenly, adrenaline rushed through her body and she had no choice but to bolt upright. Instead of waking up in Ruby's apartment in her pajamas, Blake found herself in an entirely different world, specifically in some sort of massive palace if the huge walls and pillars with silver carvings were anything to go by. The cat Faunus looked over a railing only to find out she was on a balcony way looking over an endless expanse of clouds with mountains in the distance.
'A palace on a mountain so high?' Blake wondered incredulously.
Then there was the very material that made up the palace itself. Everything was made of the smoothest of ebony, glass-like marble and darker than any moonless night. Speaking of, the sky above Blake showed a moon, not like the shattered moon of Remnant or the full moon of Earth. This moon was much closer to the world to the point it encompassed a quarter of the sky, and it shined down a dim amber light. Not only that but the stars that dotted the sky were a beautiful mix of pale white, shining gold, and blue diamond.
Shaking her head, Blake decided to explore more of this palace. Ruby did bea- er, teach RWBY on the concept of mindscapes and how each is unique to the person. If this was indeed her mind made physical form, there was no harm in exploring it herself. It isn't like her own mind would kill itself.
As Blake walked the ebony palace on top the mountain, she was in complete awe at the beauty of it. There was no bump nor chip in any of the architecture. Nor was there a stain to dirty the black beauty of the marble. Only the brightest of light could hope to make a reflection off the black surface, otherwise the light seemed to be absorbed into ebony marble.
The more the cat Faunus walked, the more she was confused on the time frame of this dimension. Where she now stood was at the start of a flight of stairs leading two seven meter tall doors. What made Blake confused was that the palace, that she knew she appeared on the other side of, but what should have felt like an hour of walking felt like minutes. Perhaps it was something to do being this was technically her mind, and all of it that made this world was hers, including the laws of reality.
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Blake ascended up the steps to her supposed destination. She took her time to yet again admire the beauty of the palace from what she could see. The roofs were similar to those in Menegarie, or the Edo period buildings of Earth. The tiles were of course ebony with the edges colored a golden amber. Blake pulled her eyes away from the scenery once she reached the doors. Taking a breath, she pushed her hands onto the iron doors with all her strength to move them.
Blake widened her eyes when the doors pushed inward with little to no resistance. Due to using too much force in her push, Blake lost her balance and tripped to the ground. That was how she discovered she did not have her Aura in her mindscape and ended with a sore nose. It was just something minor, but the fact she made such a mistake made her thankful no one was here to see it.
The giggling from the other side of the room said otherwise. Blake's cat ears stood up straight in alarm of someone else here with her. Her amber eyes locked onto the other side of the hall, which was lined with black pillars holding torches ignited in white flames. At the very end was a throne where sat a woman. A very, very beautiful woman that was so out of this world that Blake knew only her imagination could create it.
The woman wore a black kimono with red underneath wrapped by a golden obi with a set of golden beads. To Blake's embarrassment, the kimono was open at the shoulders giving the cat Faunus a view of the woman's assets that made her ears twitch in slight jealousy. Her face was nicely heart-shaped with pink lips curled in a seductive smile. It startled Blake that the woman shared the same black hair, amber eyes, and a pair of cat ears. She would be considered Blake's older sister (in more ways than one) if it weren't for the two cat tails.
"Took you long enough, nya~." The Faunus(?) chirped happily. "It is so nice to meet you, Blakey, nya~."
"Am I supposed to know you?" Blake wondered. Why would her mindscape come up with someone like this? And why was she doing that vocal tick that Blake made a habit of when she was a kid?
"Silly Blakey, nya~." The woman said, jumping from the throne and twirling through the air till she stopped right in front of Blake. "It's simple. I'm you, nya~."
Blake's automatically denied that. How would this woman be her? They were both complete opposites. Where Blake was closed off, this woman was far too forward that she was making the Faunus blush. In contrast, it would also explain why the woman bore a very strong resemblance to Blake herself. But why did she have to be like this?
The woman pouted as though hearing Blake's thoughts. "Wah, don't be so mean, nya~. I'm just your true you. The part of you that you keep repressed and away from everyone. The part of you that's free, nya~."
"I-I..." Blake stumbled on her words, unable to even look at the other Faunus directly. "Do you have any decency?"
The woman frowned. "Says you, nya~. You read those nice, juicy books in public, nya~."
It hit Blake so much that she almost fell over. "My gods, you're my perverted side, aren't you?"
"Bingo, nya~." Cheered the woman, throwing her arms into the air that made her assets bounce. "I'm all the dirty thoughts and repressed instincts given form, nya~. But don't think I hate you, nya~. After all, that smut gave birth to me."
'Maybe this is a sign I've read too much porn.' Blake admitted mentally.
"Mau, I'm not that bad, nya~." The woman whined with a pout. "I just know how to have fun, nya~."
As Blake was trying to wrap around the enigma that was her reflected self, she remembered Ruby telling her about the zanpakuto. If this was her mindscape, then the only other living thing besides herself would be her own sword spirit. This cat woman was the only one here, and as much as Blake wanted to deny it, this was definitely her zanpakuto spirit. That revelation did not paint a good picture of herself to Blake if her zanpakuto was like this.
"You're my zanpakuto, aren't you?" Blake stated.
"You got that right, Blakey." The woman chirped. "As your blade and partner, it's my duty to help you as much to my entire being. My name is Kur..."
Blake only heard the first syllable, but the rest of the name became incoherent whispers. The two-tailed cat Faunus frowned slightly, sensing that her partner did not hear her name. In the next second, her mood did a complete 180 and her smile came back to full swing.
"It's okay if you can't hear my full name yet, nya~." The woman consoled. "It happens to everyone, so don't be too down."
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." Blake muttered.
Her eyes drifted down to her zanpakuto's chest and immediately a pang of jealousy struck her heart. She herself was beautiful, but the zanpakuto was just too much. Blake mentally cursed her mind for creating a fictional manifestation that looked like her and was more endowed. Unfortunately, the zanpakuto cat lady immediately caught on to Blake's jealous stare and her smirk turned into a cheshire grin.
"Jealous are we, nya~?" Teased the zanpakuto. "Don't get too upset, nya~. After all, I am you. Who knows? Maybe connecting to me as your zanpakuto will get you a nice pair of kittens as well, nya~?"
For a moment, Blake was actually considering the possibility, especially her more hidden perverted thoughts coming into the mix. Her eyes were a bit glazed over until she shook her head to rid the lecherous thoughts. If any of her friends knew about this, Blake would never be the same. She settled herself giving a half-annoyed glare to the zanpakuto, but the cat lady only widened her grin.
"I knew I could get to you, Blakey." The zanpakuto giggled, jumping back onto her throne. "It's been nice meeting ya, Blakey, but it's time for the kitty to wake up. Make sure you come back, nya~."
Suddenly, Blake found herself pulled off her feet as though gravity was turned sideways behind her. The last she saw was her zanpakuto waving at her before Blake zipped into the distance from the palace itself. Then everything went dark.
(Yang's Mindscape)
When Yang Xiao Long was supposed to wake up, it was not find herself in the middle of some sort of castle, palace, or whatever massive place she was in. The whole place had a very strong vibe of might to it. The ceilings were over five stories high in Roman-style architecture, and she was just in a single room. That room having enough size to support almost hundred people at once filled with purple couches and other luxury furniture that Weiss would be jealous of. Enormous archways on her left led to a balcony where in the sky was a blazing golden sun. Off to the side was a statue of a golden lion with white diamonds for eyes spitting out water over a fountain.
'My head is loaded.' Yang thought at the realization this was her dream into her mindscape Ruby predicted.
Yang decided to enjoy as much of this as possible and plopped herself on one of the couches. She can safely say that it was the softest couch Yang has ever used. Yes, indeed her mind definitely knew what she liked.
'Only thing to make this better would be a TV.' Yang mused.
"Get up!" Commanded a very deep voice from above her.
"Wha-" Yang got out before the couch she was sitting on was lifted up and she was unceremoniously shaken off onto the lilac carpet. "What was... that... for...you..."
Yang could only trail off as her brain was shutting off at the man that had to be sculpted from the gods stood before her. He stood at a towering 6'6" with a tan complexion over his skin. White spiky hair that went down his neck looked like mane of snow, and the irises of his eyes were a blood red with a black pupil. The man was entirely shirtless, showing off rippling muscle lined with black markings that made Yang drool a waterfall as she shamelessly ogled the man. He only wore black hakama trousers with red flame patterns and a gold sash at his waste. The most inhumane aspect about the man was that his forearms were made of some sort of chromium-like metal that bended and moved like skin.
"Eyes up." Said the man sternly.
"My mind is amazing for giving me such eye candy." Yang muttered, completely ignoring the man.
A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned down to Yang's level, which also gave a better view of the muscles of his front. She did not even perceive the man's hand closing on her forehead with a finger held back by his thumb. With a finger flick, Yang felt like a truck smashed onto her skull and was sent flying to the other side of the wall. Her perverted antics were snapped away and her battle rage blazed to life as Yang's eyes bled red.
"What the hell?!" Yang shouted, crossing the distance between them by launching off.
She threw a punch in revenge, but the man nonchalantly swerved his head away. As Yang passed unable to stop herself, his left arm snapped up to grab the blonde's right ankle. He held Yang up as easily as a piece of string while the blonde brawler was left upside down.
"Let go of me and let me punch you!" Yang exclaimed, only managing to flay her arms around.
"Too blind in your rage." The man scolded, dropping Yang on a sofa like a potato sack. "You need more discipline, more direction. There is power there, but all you do with it is lose it all in an explosion instead of aiming it like the tip of a spear. I thought your father had already taught you this."
Yang's eyes widened at the mention of Taiyang. "How do you know about my dad?"
"Take a guess." The man said. "You fell asleep and now you find yourself in your mindscape when you never could before. So what does that make me, Xiao Long?"
"... My zanpakuto spirit." Yang answered after a long silence. "I'm sorry, it's just... wow. I never expected, ya know, a 'me' to be a god of hunks."
The man could only sigh. "Guess there's nobody better to teach you than yourself, I suppose."
"Can I get the name of the handsome giant?" Yang asked sweetly.
The man's eye twitched before he answered. "If you must know, my name is Ash..."
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Yang asked, cupping her ear due to the fact she only heard the first syllable.
The man responded with furrowed brows and roughly tapped on Yang's forehead. "Maybe if you had your head out of the gutter half the time, you would hear the full name."
"Hey, it's not my fault." Yang complained, only to receive a more intensified glare from her zanpakuto. "... Okay maybe you have a point."
"We'll talk later, Yang Xiao Long." The man said, walking away from the room. "But tell me this, what do you fight for?"
"For my friends and family obviously." Yang answered without hesitation.
For the first time, the man smiled. "Then whatever happens to you, no matter what hardship you face, never forget those who are important to you. They will be the greatest strength you will ever have."
"Uh, thanks, I guess?" Yang replied confusingly.
Suddenly, her ears were assaulted by a loud noise of a horn coming from the outside. Her mindscape crumbled apart, leaving only darkness as Yang received consciousness.
(In the Real World)
It was a quiet early morning in Karakura, where the sun had just rose up from the west. Unfortunately, that silence was broken when WBY all exited from their mindscapes simultaneously at the loud sound of an air horn going off. WBY simultaneously woke up with a jump so high they hit the ceiling and fell to the floor with a thud. Adrenaline from the loud awakening cleared their heads from any potential headache, and they thus tried to find the perpetrator.
"Rise and shine, RWBY!" Called the ever familiar voice of the Arrancar hybrid Ruby Rose standing in the center of the room with the air horn.
"What the ****, Ruby?!" Yang swore. "I was dreaming of the most awesome hunk ever."
"Oh, no can do, Yang." Ruby said a little too sweetly. "You see, I had to wake you up all to tell you that we don't have to go to school for the next two days-"
"Okay, that's a relief." Yang said.
"-so instead we are all going to have some 'fun' training until then." Ruby concluded. "Ren, Jaune, and Nora will also be joining us as well."
All three of the freshly awakened girls paled at the implication. Ruby's training sessions were no fun at all. No, they would rather be subject to Prof. Port's 'lectures' than her style of torture. They knew no longer of the innocent Ruby Rose that got in Beacon two years early. Standing right there like a predator was pure evil, the abyss itself staring back at them with sweet smile.
"W-We're good, Rubes." Yang stuttered.
"Y-Yeah, we don't have to train, right?" Weiss said, trying to stop herself from shaking.
"No." Blake simply said, too afraid to say more.
"Ara ara, that's too bad." Ruby replied sweetly, her smile growing. "They are orders from Kisuke and Yoruichi-sensei. So there's no getting out of it."
"Look maybe we can talk this over breakfast." Yang said while backing up.
"If you want to have breakfast," Ruby said, her smile going full sadist, "you're going to have to earn~ it~. After all, nothing works best when you're in a life-and-death situation."
She emphasized her point by pulling out a whip. Yes, a full on black whip that she snapped in the air to its full length of at least fifteen feet. Alarms went off in WBY's heads, and their very instincts demanded them to run.
"Ara, you look kind of pale there." Ruby noted, slowly approaching them. "Let's try put some color back into them."
And run they did, bolting out of the room as literally their lives depended upon it. Yet Ruby proved to always cut off any manner of escape that led outside, and they would always receive a sharp strike of the whip that somehow went passed their Aura when they tried jumping out of the windows. So for the whole morning, the home of RWBY was filled with cries of pain from WBY, the sadistic laughter of Ruby Rose, and the snap of her whip.
(In Ruby's Mindscape)
Cristina could only sigh as she watched her spiritual sister torture her friends with a blush growing on the Arrancar's cheeks from actually getting off from it.
"I called it." Cristina said to herself. "The Rose family is full of sadists."
Thus ends this chapter and then moving onto the next. Pretty soon, I won't be uploading as much as I would like to due to the fact I will be in college and most of my time will be spent up. As such, I'm trying to get as many juicy chapters for all stories before then. After that, I just need you all to bear with me because I will not die, virtually of course.
Also, check out the newest story, Rose Dragon Empress, a RWBY/Highschool DxD crossover, that already has five chapters out with the sixth coming soon. Another new story to follow as well will be the The Witch Princess of Chaos, a RWBY/Warhammer crossover, as well as the Rose of Babylon far later.
I know some of you have asked this, so you have my full permission to make a reactionary story out of this.
Up next is Chapter 49.
Stay in touch. Please, please leave a review.