Title: Turnabout
Author: darkling59
Fandom: Bleach
Rating: T
Date: 6/17/2019
Disclaimer: Bleach and all associated characters, settings, concepts, etc. within this story do not belong to me.
Warnings: Apparently, I've been cagier with information than I realized. Rest assured, all questions will be laid to rest in due time.
Please read and review!
Rebellion - Day 3 (Early Morning)
"Welcome, Friend."
Starrk paused right inside of the cavern claimed by the zanpakuto spirits, seeing it with his own eyes for the first time. It was even more starkly barren in person than it had looked through the eyes of his wolf. The much-diminished crowd of zanpakuto huddled around the table in the middle of the cave eyed him with confusion while Byakuya stood in the shadows at the far side of the room, watching Starrk with narrow, dark eyes and unhidden wariness.
"…Hello." He replied to Muramasa, looking to the leader of the rebellion once he was confident in his surroundings. The older spirit was even more sickly than he'd been before; pale and stinking of illness that reminded Starrk strongly of a hollow. His clothes had not changed but something about him gave the impression of increased dirtiness and dishevelment. "Senbonzakura said you were looking for me?"
"Yes." Muramasa's pale green eyes were sharp, analyzing Starrk as he observed his surroundings. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to our rebellion."
Starrk cocked his head skeptically. "I've been out since the beginning, just like all of the other zanpakuto in the city."
"Indeed. All zanpakuto have benefitted from my powers; I released them to pursue their deepest desires and instincts, free of shinigami enslavement. As I have released you, and your new comrades." Muramasa's tone was deep and even, his argument tempting and compelling. A few days ago, Starrk might have even believed him.
But he wasn't one to be taken in by a soothing voice and pretty words, not anymore. He'd been out there on the battlefields and seen the carnage resulting from what Muramasa claimed was freedom. Most of the 'free' zanpakuto had been killed or reclaimed and the few captain and lieutenant swords left under Muramasa's direct control looked scruffy and unhappy. Even Haineko, leaning against the side of the cave next to Tobiume with her tail swishing in aggravation and an irritated scowl on her face, looked worse for wear.
"Hm." Starrk merely grunted in response and Muramasa's brow furrowed, expression settling.
"You disagree?"
"A lot of zanpakuto are dead, Muramasa-san. Most of them. Just last night, four were destroyed and three more were reclaimed. And the rest of the city belongs to the shinigami again."
Muramasa shrugged, unconcerned. "If they lose their lives pursuing their desires, that is due to their own actions."
"It's not my fault." Was the unspoken message behind his words.
"Now, what is your name, comrade?"
"…Starrk."
"What kind of a name is that for a zanpakuto?" Haineko's high voice cut through the uneasy, sullen silence blanketing the cave. Starrk raised a single thin eyebrow at her.
"It's my name." He replied, emotionless and calm.
She hissed at him and fluffed up her tail but he just rolled his eyes and looked back at Muramasa. He wasn't interested in indulging the cat spirit.
"What am I doing here?"
"Byakuya Kuchiki and Senbonzakura brought me news of your victory over Zaraki Kenpachi." Muramasa replied, slowly circling Starrk. "A most impressive show of power. You have my congratulations."
"…Thanks." Starrk muttered, lowering his ears. He didn't like being analyzed but he didn't see the point of confronting Muramasa about his behavior. However, the other spirit didn't sound congratulatory; he sounded more accusing than anything else. Accusing and assessing.
To Starrk, it was almost as unnerving as knowing how much information the shinigami had on him.
"That dog beat Kenpachi-taicho?" Haineko yowled, despite the low protests of Tobiume at her side. "I don't believe it! He's not one of us; he's not even powerful enough for a seated officer!"
No one else said anything but there was a sense of disbelief passing through the chamber. Even those who'd been there when Starrk released enough power to push back Zaraki looked dubious – it wasn't like they'd stayed to watch for long.
"Show us, Friend." Muramasa came to a halt in front of him and spread his hands, gesturing with his long talons. "Show us this power that can take down even the feared Zaraki Kenpachi."
Starrk sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair, scratching at his ears. It was all so tiresome. But he was here now, and they knew about him, so why not?
"Fine." He met Muramasa's eyes with a pointedly serious gaze. "Let me know when it gets to be too much."
The sickly zanpakuto quirked his eyebrows and his lips curled up in a condescending smile. He obviously believed that Starrk thought too much of his own power but he acquiesced with a graceful nod. "Of course."
Starrk started slowly. He stepped away from the other sword spirits and let a faint wisp of power out to eddy around the cave. Haineko jerked in shock, her mocking sneer falling into one of uneasiness. The others braced themselves in recognition of power, but only watched him, curious to see what else he would do. Muramasa did not react at all.
Another wisp of power intensified into a trickle leaking out into the cave, and then into a slowly building eddy flowing outwards from Starrk. He hesitated every few seconds to take careful stock of the effect his power was having on his surroundings, determined to stop before he harmed anyone even if Muramasa did not tell him to. He remembered the realities of his life and power in Hueco Mundo and refused to become that sort of deadly monster here.
The lieutenant zanpakuto around him began to pant and shake under the strain of standing up to the mounting waves of his power, leaning on each other to remain upright. Moments later, the captain-level swords shifted with discomfort and edged away from him. Starrk was seriously considering pulling back when Muramasa interfered.
"Enough."
Instantly, Starrk yanked his power back beneath his skin, forcing it down and away to the relief of those in the cave.
None of the other zanpakuto were questioning his power anymore, that was for sure. But it was Muramasa's reaction that caught Starrk's attention. The leader of the rebellion looked shaken but…satisfied. Eager. And deep beneath that, desperate. It wasn't the expected reaction, and there was something just plain wrong about the way he was staring.
Behind him, Byakuya and Senbonzakura were less happy. Both had drawn their swords but held them down, obviously on Muramasa's will.
"Muramasa…" Byakuya tried to speak out against the wolf zanpakuto, but Muramasa held up his hand for silence. To Starrk's confusion, Muramasa then spread his fingers wide and held his hand up, palm out, right in front of his face. A gust of wind emanated from it, brushing through Starrk's hair so that he reflexively flicked his ears, and then through his mind. For a moment, he tensed, waiting for an internal attack but nothing happened. There was no sense of dissociation or misplaced aggression, not even the restlessness that preceded the original rebellion. Nothing.
Starrk cocked his head in question and Muramasa smirked.
"Come, Starrk." He beckoned. "And Byakuya Kuchiki, you too. There is something I require your assistance with."
Hesitantly, Starrk followed. He was curious but his instincts were screaming caution. None of the other zanpakuto tried to follow and the suffocating silence Starrk had walked into returned to the cave as he left.
It was a long, tense journey to their destination. After a scorching glare at Starrk, Byakuya pointedly took a position at Muramasa's right side and monopolized his attention, leaving Starrk to trail awkwardly behind with Senbonzakura shooting him constant suspicious looks from the shadows beside Byakuya. Starrk just slouched, turned back his ears and followed quietly.
There was great power contained in the cavern at the end of their tunnel; so great that Starrk could feel it long before they actually reached it. Muramasa did not seem to notice; he walked right in without so much as a pause. Byakuya and Senbonzakura hesitated for a few seconds, then hastened to catch up before Muramasa could notice. Starrk came to a stop in the doorway, observing the situation without crossing the threshold.
In the center of the room, an old white-bearded man sat cross-legged in a translucent blue pyramid made of the strongest kido Starrk had encountered so far. The apparent prisoner was straight-backed and deep in meditation with his staff over his knees, dissociated from the world around him. Starrk did not recognize him but Byakuya gasped and jerked back at the sight, a startling lapse for the usually rigidly-controlled noble.
It was only when the old man stirred at the sound and his eyes slitted open to look at Byakuya that Starrk realized the very real danger they were all in. Fire blossomed from the staff across the old man's lap, racing around him in a circle and then lashing out against the kido – passing right through it in places. The immense heat that followed drove Byakuya and Muramasa back and even Starrk could feel it from several meters away. He threw an arm up to cover his face and turned his back against the flames. An overreaction, perhaps, considering his power, but he didn't care.
A high-pitched giggle echoed down from the ceiling.
"Better watch out!" An accompanying light voice called down. "We can't control him all the time!"
Starrk looked up to find five zanpakuto spirits arranged around the circular cavern at regular intervals: two purple-haired women with the same teal eyes but very different physical features, two identical little white-haired boys wearing blue robes and matching conical hats, and a darkly robed figure with all of its features hidden deep in the shadows of its cloak. Out of the five figures, there were only three reiatsu signatures: the purple-haired women were the same and so were the children.
"Who are they?" Byakuya asked. Demanded, really.
Muramasa chuckled. "The most powerful and oldest among us. They don't always obey me but their work is more than satisfactory."
Starrk took a single reluctant step into the cavern to get a better look and read on their reiatsu. The women and hooded figure felt familiar somehow but he couldn't place their shinigami off the top of his head. The children were a different matter; instantly, he identified their reiatsu as that of Jushiro Ukitake.
None of them took notice of him, not even when he edged closer to the old man's pyramid and peered inside.
"Who is he?" He interrupted Muramasa's quiet conversation with Byakuya and both of them turned to look at him with visible disbelief. "…What?"
"How can you not know the head captain by sight?" Byakuya demanded aggressively. "For one of your claimed power, how can you not sense him?"
Starrk didn't reply but his ears, already back, pressed flat against his head. So this was the head captain of the Gotei 13, missing since the first night of the rebellion. The most powerful and deadly shinigami in existence. He knew of him, had known of him even as an arrancar, but never wanted to meet him. If he'd known this was what Muramasa was bringing him to see, he never would have followed.
"What is he doing here?" Starrk asked Muramasa, ignoring Byakuya's comments and questions.
The leader of the rebellion smirked but his eyes were sharp and curious as he looked at the wolf zanpakuto.
"Head Captain Yamamoto's zanpakuto - Ryujin Jakka - refused to join us when I offered him his freedom. It became necessary to contain him here to allow us to achieve our goals."
What exactly are your goals? Starrk wanted to ask but kept his mouth shut. Considering how few zanpakuto were left, 'freedom' probably wasn't part of it. Instead, he reached out and touched the pyramid with the tips of his claws, curious about the powerful kido and whoever had cast it.
On contact, his eyes widened and he jerked back, then turned a mildly accusing stare on Muramasa.
"You're lying."
Instantly, Byakuya drew his sword, taking offense on behalf of the leader of the rebellion. But the sickly zanpakuto merely cocked his head.
"Oh?"
"This kido isn't from them." Starrk gestured upwards at the hovering spirits, then looked back to the head captain. "It's from him. His is the only reiatsu signature holding it together. You're not keeping him in there; he put himself there."
Heavy silence fell for a long moment, finally broken by a low chuckle that raised the hair on Starrk's neck.
"You are truly a rare breed, Starrk." He had to keep himself from tensing as Muramasa advanced to stand at his side. "I regret leaving you on your own for so long. And you are correct. When I attempted to grant Ryujin Jakka his freedom, the head captain closed his heart and cast this kido to keep me out." Muramasa sneered. "He fears my powers and no doubt fears what Ryujin Jakka will do once free of his enslavement."
Starrk couldn't really blame him; that much furious, burning power scared him too.
"That's why I have brought you here, Starrk." Muramasa continued. "I thought to use Kurosaki's abilities, but yours might do as well. To give Ryujin Jakka his freedom, you must break the head-captain's self-imposed prison."
Starrk felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"…What?"
"Release him." Muramasa spread his hands wide on the outside of the pyramid. "So that I might achieve my goals and release Ryujin Jakka."
"No." Starrk's response was immediate and definite. He didn't need to think about it.
"…Excuse me?" Muramasa's expression darkened and one long-fingered hand came up. A familiar spectral breeze combed through Starrk's hair and mind again, just as fruitless as it had been in the main chamber. Muramasa didn't seem to realize his abilities only worked once on each zanpakuto. Though, he also did not know Lilynette had reclaimed Starrk mere minutes after his first attack. Perhaps he thought he was calling on control already in place. "I said-."
Starrk knocked his outstretched arm away, to Muramasa's obvious shock. "I know what you said. I won't do it. It would be suicide."
"Ryujin Jakka-."
"I felt his power when he lashed out at Kuchiki." Starrk interrupted. "if you free him, he'll kill all of us."
Muramasa's fists clenched and he narrowed his eyes, this time in anger. The unstable energy within him visibly roiled, manifesting as dark spots on his torso, and Starrk briefly expected to see hollow eyes glaring back at him out of the other zanpakuto's pale face. But, with a deep breath, the leader of the rebellion regained control of himself.
"I see." He replied shortly. "I am sorry you feel that way." He turned away, directing his next words to Starrk over his shoulder. "At the very least, will you remain and assist in guarding the head captain? We would not want him to escape after all. Not with the power to 'kill us all'." His tone rang with bitter mockery.
Starrk remained silent and troubled but did not attempt to leave the cave or even move away from the kido pyramid, which Muramasa took as agreement.
"Good." He turned to look at Byakuya. "Come with me, Byakuya Kuchiki. We have much to discuss."
With a last suspicious glare at Starrk, the captain of the sixth division stalked after Muramasa, followed by his zanpakuto. Distantly, Starrk wondered if they were free of Muramasa's spell – probably, otherwise Senbonzakura would be trying to kill Byakuya. Did Muramasa know? He watched as they vanished into the darkness and then groaned and ran a hand over his face.
Why hadn't he just stayed to watch the sunrise? Why did he need to be curious?
Turning back to look at the head captain gave him no answers. A quick glance up at the other 'guards' was equally pointless; they were staring at the pyramid with such single-minded focus that Starrk knew they were still under Muramasa's control.
What was he going to do now?
X
It wasn't long after Yoruichi arrived in the fourth division that she realized there was something strange about Jushiro's office. There was no specific trigger to attract her attention, just a wandering sense of not-quite-right. Had she been anyone else, she would have brushed it off as her imagination or inconsequential. A mild sort of déjà vu.
But she wasn't anyone else. She was Yoruichi Shihoin, the former leader of the second division and punishment squad – if something was off enough to catch even a little bit of her attention, it was enough to be suspicious. And if it was pointedly low enough that she couldn't immediately identify it? That was even more suspicious.
That said, collaborating with Ukitake and Kyoraku was more important than identifying a non-urgent flicker of anonymous energy so she put her suspicions on hold as she told them what she'd learned about the location of Head Captain Yamamoto.
"Are you certain?" Ukitake was frowning in concentration, thinking through the information she'd just given them.
"I'm certain I found the signature of his reiatsu in the forest beneath Sogyoku Hill." She specified from her spot leaning against the wall next to the doorway. "I believe I've found a back way into the cave system where the zanpakuto are hiding, but I haven't actually seen the head captain with my own eyes."
"Hmmm…" Kyoraku leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "It's not much, but it's something. You weren't able to get into the caves?"
"It would have taken days, possibly weeks, to explore the whole system, especially in my smaller form. I made the decision to explore Muramasa's headquarters and the surrounding tunnels and to find as many back entrances as possible. Even that took me over twenty-four hours." Yoruichi explained. Despite her decision to leave her suspicions alone while talking, she was unable to keep herself from analyzing the room, eyes panning slowly left and right. Was that a blur of energy against the left wall, or a draft? She couldn't feel a reiatsu signature…
"I see…my, my this is bothersome. These zanpakuto are much more difficult than we expected." Kyoraku murmured, stroking his chin lightly in thought.
"I'm more concerned about the Head Captain." Jushiro replied, just as troubled and thoughtful. "Are we absolutely certain that Muramasa has not gained control of Ryujin Jakka?"
Both of their expectant gazes turned on Yoruichi.
"Dead certain." She reassured them, keeping a trace of her attention on the potential source of her distraction without giving any indication of her focus. "If Muramasa had Ryujin Jakka, we would all know it by now. Besides, I was able to identify the reiatsu of the spirits in the caves and match them to their owners. Yamamoto's wasn't there."
"That's a relief."
"Yes…perhaps Muramasa was being truthful when he said Ryujin Jakka refused to join him and our zanpakuto are keeping him contained." Jushiro added to Shunsui's comment.
"Mhm." Yoruichi was just opening her mouth to suggest planning a rescue mission when a massive Crash! In the outer hallway diverted their attention. The panicked babbling of fourth division healers was nearly drowned out by a booming yell.
"Oi! Where are you guys?!" The rough voice of Captain Kenpachi was unmistakable. Shunsui chuckled and his companions shook their heads in amused resignation.
"Kenpachi!" Ichigo squawked, nearly as loudly. "You just broke the door! Be careful!"
"You lookin' for a fight, Ichigo?"
"No."
"That was fun! Do it again!" Yachiru's high voice cut in. She'd caused quite a stir by arriving at the fourth division on the back of a blue reiatsu wolf shortly after Kenpachi arrived. Thankfully, as soon as she let go of its of its ears it dissipated rather than exploding.
"I'll go get them." Ukitake stood from his seat and made his way to the door.
Yoruichi stepped out of his way and prowled across the room, keeping her eyes panning so as not to give away the faint blur that was her focus. Every step was carefully picked, not the random meandering she made it look like, and she reached the anomaly in seconds. Under Shunsui's raised, questioning eyebrows, she casually slid her foot into the front of the blur, ready for anything that might happen.
Or she thought she was ready.
The 'blur' jerked back, flashing into physical existence as a glowing blue wolf with electric blue eyes. It pulled away from her foot and sat up, shaking its head before looking up at her with blank eyes that quickly bled to alert, human steel blue.
"Did you just kick me in the face?" It demanded in the vaguely familiar voice of the wolf zanpakuto.
Yoruichi was on the other side of the room in a flash and a millisecond, hands raised and ready to fight. Shunsui was out of his seat and at her side in nearly the same amount of time, spiritless sword unsheathed and held between them and the wolf. In the doorway, Jushiro spun around and stared at the reiatsu manifestation in complete shock.
X
Starrk had been leaning against the shadowed side of the head-captain's cavern, mind troubled and drifting in the wake of Muramasa's revelations, when one of the wolves he'd left in the city flared into activity without his orders. It was a welcome distraction and he immediately projected his consciousness into it, expecting it to be looking at something interesting or at least an officer he hadn't encountered yet.
Instead, he came face to face with a foot literally inside the wolf's head.
There wasn't enough reiatsu in that particular projection to explode but he pushed more into it as it reared back so he could use it as an avatar. He knew it was glowing brightly, as solid as it could be, when he looked up at the shinigami responsible for attacking it.
"Did you just kick me in the face?" He asked, indignant.
"You can hardly blame Yoruichi-san for that." It was another voice, a familiar one, that answered. Starrk's gaze was drawn to the pink-clad captain who'd tried to chase him down yesterday, standing next to the woman who'd kicked his wolf.
"Oh. You."
Shunsui chuckled as Starrk's eyes turned back to Yoruichi.
"I don't think I know you…" Her wariness transformed into a smirk and she tipped her head forward. The way she was looking at him clued him in and he narrowed his eyes. "You're that cat."
"You could say that." She crossed her arms, smirk widening.
"I knew you weren't really a cat."
Yoruichi laughed out loud at that.
"What are you doing in my office?" Ukitake demanded, completely blindsided by the sword spirit suddenly in their midst. "How long have you been here?!"
"You've been eavesdropping on us, haven't you?" Shunsui inquired, tone friendly and conversational, though the grip on his sword tightened. "Keeping an eye on us for Muramasa?"
Starrk snorted, standing up and stretching in the wolf-form. It wasn't particularly comfortable – riding along as a secondary consciousness was one thing, taking full control was another. It felt like being covered all over in prickling electricity. He could use its senses but everything was filtered through crackling energy. At least the blue haze that painted his vision when he only rode along was gone.
All of the shinigami tensed as he moved and then exchanged heavy glances.
"Hey! Where are you guys?!" This time, Zaraki's voice came from the other end of the building and Jushiro glanced in his direction before closing the door and turning back towards the confrontation happening in his office.
"Not going to get Ichigo-kun and Kenpachi-taicho?" Kyoraku prompted, never shifting his gaze from the blue wolf looking back at him.
"They'll be fine." Another 'Slam! Crash!' followed by Ichigo's "Kenpachi, you broke another door!" made Jushiro flinch. "…Although Unohana-taicho might not be very happy when she finds out."
"I'm sure they'll find us eventually." Yoruichi dismissed, not in the least concerned by the increasingly loud noises of destruction in the background.
Starrk's eyes flicked between the three of them, equally unconcerned.
"Now, have you really been watching me?" Jushiro questioned their intruder, voice stern.
"A little bit." The wolf didn't even bother to discount the accusation. "Mostly, I forgot this one was here until the Cat kicked it."
"My name is Yoruichi Shihoin." She corrected him coldly. "Not 'Cat'."
"Are you a captain?"
She blinked. He was a shinigami's zanpakuto and he didn't know who the captains were? "Not at the moment."
He cocked his head, parsing her statement. "So you used to be?"
That was a can of worms that none of them wanted to open, despite how innocently the question was asked.
"That is not important right now." Ukitake interjected. "What is important is that you've been watching us. You say you forgot about this…er…"
"Reiatsu projection." Starrk filled in when the captain hesitated.
"…Thank you. This reiatsu projection. When were you watching us, then?"
"Yesterday. You were talking with Kurosaki and Lieutenant Abarai about me."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
This time it was Jushiro at a loss and he glanced to his companions for backup.
Shunsui tipped forward his hat, staring out of the shadows with dark eyes. "I assume this isn't the only 'reiatsu projection' you have in the city."
"No."
"Care to tell us where the others are?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Because I asked nicely?"
Starrk snorted at the falsely innocent grin on Kyoraku's face. "Not interested."
"And I suppose you're not going to tell us whether you can make them explode or not."
"Right now, they're too weak. If I put more energy into them and they are attacked, then yes, they will explode."
"That's…quite a fascinating ability." The three shinigami exchanged alarmed looks. Essentially, that meant Starrk could plant as many bombs in the city as the number of wolves he could materialize, a number they did not know. Mobile, remote-controlled bombs that could also act as undetectable surveillance devices.
"…Thanks?" The lone wolf noticed their looks and assumed the reason but didn't address it. He'd never been interested in fighting or using his wolves in such a destructive capacity. Even as an arrancar, when they were so much more powerful, he and Lilynette had never used them against other hollows. They'd experimented with them on their own, but never had anyone to spar against or show off to. As a zanpakuto, Starrk had experimented extensively with his wolves and their capabilities over the past couple days but still never spoke to anyone about them. Not even Lilynette. This was the first time anyone had commented on them.
"While we have you here, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" Jushiro asked, genial but guarded. All of them were tense and ready to fight even as they mentally scrambled to figure out how to capture and contain the surprise spectral intruder. And if that was impossible, how to pump him for as much information as they could before he vanished again.
"Like what?"
"Like who is your wielder?"
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"Why?" Shunsui's eyes narrowed. "Did you kill your wielder?"
"What? No!" Starrk snarled, energy crackling over his form in pure offense. That was one of very few things that could extract an emotional outburst from him. It was an instinctive knee-jerk reaction, and a very telling one to the shinigami. When they moved to exchange looks again, to communicate their intentions without speaking, Starrk's eyes narrowed. "Why are you looking like that?"
"It is curious." Yoruichi replied pensively. "Every zanpakuto I've encountered so far has tried their hardest to kill their wielder. Except for those that have been reclaimed."
Starrk said nothing. It was to his benefit that his wolves could not express much emotion through their features.
"…I see." Kyoraku spoke, his tone of dawning realization raising Starrk's hackles. "So it is your wielder who wishes to observe us."
"No." Starrk would have frowned if he'd been able to. "She has no idea. I'm just here because I was curious."
"She?" The captain of the eighth division pounced on the pronoun instantly.
Starrk froze and narrowed his eyes, dipping his head as he realized he'd given away more than he'd intended. His lips skinned back off his sharp teeth but he didn't quite snarl.
"You are very sharp, Taicho-san." He muttered, almost growling. "Too sharp, I think." He stood up straight, a decisively quick action that had all three shinigami recoiling and reaching for their weapons. "I'll be leaving now."
"What's your hurry?" Shunsui knew he'd achieved a minor victory and the mischief in his smirk was reflected in the triumph in his tone.
Starrk snorted at him, reluctantly amused by the reaction despite himself. "Good bye, captains."
"Hako Okuri."
Before Starrk could do more than turn his head, his vision was overtaken by orange reiatsu. It was a surprisingly gentle sensation as it passed over his insubstantial fur before settling into a solid translucent orange surface a few inches in front of his nose. A glance to the right and left showed that he was boxed in on all four sides as well as above and below. There was just enough space in the orange kido box for him to turn his head and look at the obvious caster of the spell.
In the corner, Ukitake was just putting his hands down from casting, a satisfied smile tugging up the corner of his lips at the success of his kido.
Starrk flicked his ears and twitched his tail in consideration before speaking. "What is the point of this, Taicho-san?"
"I'm afraid we can't allow you to leave, Zanpakuto-san." Ukitake replied, confidently striding forward to examine his captive. The other two leaned in as well, looking down at the wolf curiously.
Starrk looked back up at them, undaunted. "You know I'm not actually here, right? This is just a projection."
"Perhaps." Jushiro replied, some of his gratification dimming. "But it will still be useful to have on hand."
"And now we can question you at will." Kyoraku explained, though with much more suspicion.
Yoruichi merely cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, instantly mistrusting Starrk's calm reception to being 'captured'.
"Hm." Starrk shifted his weight in the box, reaching forward to brush his nose against the nearest surface. Energy tickled his nose at the contact but the kido was solid and unyielding. Scratching it with one forepaw produced the same result and so did leaning to the side to bump it with his shoulder. There wasn't enough room to turn around and test the other side.
Ukitake spoke once Starrk finished testing his prison.
"We have records of the ability you've shown to disrupt kido, Zanpakuto-san, but I find it unlikely you'll be able to break this one."
Starrk snorted. "I broke your leash the other day."
Jushiro remembered that very well, but he didn't let the mention rattle him, nor did he let the insinuation of failure offend him. Instead, he pounced on something about that encounter that had been sticking in his mind since it happened.
"Speaking of that…" He replied. "Why didn't you actively attack me at that time? Since then, we've learned you can generate at least five wolves at once and-."
"Six."
"I beg your pardon?" Jushiro turned to look at Yoruichi, eyebrow raised at the interruption.
The former captain of the second division had her chin in her hand as she considered the wolf in front of her, his abilities, and what little they knew of his motives.
"You followed me into Muramasa's lair, didn't you?" She asked him, though she was certain she already knew the answer.
Starrk twitched his tail, flicked an ear, and said nothing, but it was as good as an admission of guilt.
"And there were six in the group you sent against me yesterday." Shunsui added. "So that makes seven at once, if there was one following Yoruichi."
"…Yes, well, that only…"
"Eight." Starrk interrupted Jushiro.
"What?"
"If that's how you're determining my abilities, then you can also include this wolf. It was materialized at the same time as the others."
Jushiro sighed while the other two exchanged a dark look. Eight confirmed surveillance bombs, all over the city. Probably even more that the zanpakuto was not telling them about. That said, not a single one of them had blown up.
"Eight, then." The captain of the thirteenth division doggedly continued. "However, the other day, you only used one against me and it did not blow up or physically harm me. Why?"
Starrk shrugged, an odd shift on a canine body. Verbally, he did not respond, though he reached out and scratched at the kido box surrounding him again. To his surprise, his wolf was trapped. It could not pass through the kido like it passed through everything else; even if Starrk pulled back his consciousness and left it with the bare minimum of energy, it would still be contained. He wished he'd seen the kido cast; this was a spell he'd never seen before and it would be useful to know.
"Perhaps we should send him to Soifon for interrogation?" Yoruichi suggested, to the agreeing murmurs of her companions.
Starrk rolled his eyes at the implied threat for his noncooperation. "Don't bother. As I said, I'm leaving. Goodbye, captains."
Withdrawing his consciousness from the wolf pulled him back to his own body located in Muramasa's lair and a touch of extra focus reabsorbed its power entirely, dematerializing it. To the shinigami, it looked like the wolf dissolved into thin air.
With a sigh, he pushed off the wall and stretched. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up into the turquoise gaze of Katen, the older half of Katen Kyokotsu. She'd seemed slightly familiar the first time he saw her, but with Kyoraku so fresh in his mind, now he could see a resemblance between the canny intelligence in both of their eyes and sense the identical nature of their reiatsu.
Starrk lowered his ears and broke away from her stare, slumping around to the other side of Yamamoto's pyramid which was being guarded by Unohana's zanpakuto. At least Minazuki's eyes weren't so prying.
X
Jushiro sighed as he dismantled the now-empty kido box and sat back in his chair with his chin in his hand, meditatively staring at the spot where the wolf was standing seconds before. Shunsui dropped into the seat next to him, tension diminished with the absence of their potential enemy.
"I see why he's causing you so much concern." Yoruichi observed pensively. "Even after speaking to him, I can't discern his motives."
"We don't even know if he's working with Muramasa." Ukitake replied. "Or if his wielder is truly a shinigami. Though what else they might be, I don't know."
"She." Shunsui corrected thoughtfully. "His wielder is apparently a woman. That's more than we knew an hour ago. And it's quite possible she's already reclaimed his allegiance."
"It narrows down the prospects, but not enough." Jushiro said, equally contemplative. "Especially since his wielder has not reported her abilities or the absence of her zanpakuto. The best we can do is pass on this information to Soifon and hope the wolf zanpakuto's wielder will keep him under control until the rebellion has been put down or until he can be captured and contained."
"Mhm." Kyoraku agreed with a light chuckle. "At least, until he can be caught in person."
Yoruichi smirked and nodded. "In the meantime, let's work on putting down this rebellion. And releasing Head Captain Yamamoto."
"Ah, right. Of course." Jushiro pushed himself back to his feet. "I'll go get Ichigo and Zaraki. We can plan a rescue mission."
"Provided there are no more wolves around." Shunsui added in a low tone. It might have been a joke, if the encounter with Starrk wasn't so fresh in their minds.
Jushiro grimaced and nodded.
"I'll scan the room." Yoruichi offered. "And take a look at the surrounding rooms. I know what it felt like when I saw it in here – I should be able to make sure we're not being watched."
"Thank you, Yoruichi-san." The second Jushiro opened the door, he knew exactly where Zaraki and Ichigo had gone. The shouts, screams, and general chaos of the fourth division members was drowned out by loud, continuous shouting.
"Oi! If you guys aren't gonna tell me what's goin' on, I'm gonna go find that sword on my own and then I'm gonna-."
"Kenpachi-taicho!" Jushiro called, stepping into the hallway and in the general direction of the captain of the eleventh division. The fourth division healers parted before him, gladly turning over responsibility for the destruction. "Kenpachi-taicho, Kurosaki-kun, here we are! This way!"
Between the five of them, it wouldn't take too long to hammer out a plan to find and retrieve Head Captain Yamamoto.
X
A week ago, Lilynette would not have thought it was possible to sneak out of the Academy. Not because the security was so good but because Seireitei outside was full of shinigami, each one well-trained, graduated from the Academy, and wielding a zanpakuto. It was dangerous to leave the school grounds.
(Perhaps Starrk's paranoia wasn't quite as contained as he thought – Lilynette feared the reaction of the shinigami foot soldiers far more than she was in awe of them.)
But now, with Starrk outside of her Inner World and popping in and out of her room on a whim and shinigami running back and forth trying to catch zanpakuto and protect students, Lilynette saw the divide between the school and the city dissolve. It wasn't a whole new untouchable world on the other side of the wall – it was just a walkway a few steps outside of the gate.
And if Starrk – who was her zanpakuto – could move around at will, then why couldn't she?
Of course, it went without saying that she couldn't use the gate. Someone would catch her and drag her back to the academy for another lecture and detention. Instead, she opened her window and looked out the way Starrk always left.
Out and down. Way down. Too far down to jump if she didn't want to break her legs.
Starrk! Lilynette yelled through their mental connection.
What? His response was distracted but immediate. You're supposed to be asleep. Is something wrong?
Yes! You're supposed to be here! How did you leave?
Because-
Not 'why?', 'how?'! The ground outside my window is three stories down.
Oh. He hesitated and she had the impression he was doing something physical in the pause, something that required enough power to momentarily dim his presence. Something that Lilynette should be present for, since he was her zanpakuto! Can't this wait? I'll be back soon-
No! It can't wait! Lilynette wanted to join him now, before whatever he was doing was ended. She wanted to be a part of it, not told after the fact. She wasn't some delicate flower to be kept out of a battle – she was almost a shinigami, dammit, and she was going to help her zanpakuto no matter what anyone said! Even him. Especially him.
Alright, alright. It was more effort for Starrk to put her off than to simply give in, so that's what he did. I manipulated my reiatsu to soften the fall, then used shunpo to get into the city unseen.
How do you do that? Unseen by Starrk, Lilynette fist-pumped in victory and scooted out onto the sill of her window, feet swinging carelessly in the empty air of the early morning.
First, you channel your power to the bottom of your feet…As he spoke, Starrk mentally impressed the knowledge into Lilynette's mind, showing her what he did and what it felt like. His absentminded lesson quickly taught his younger half what she needed to know to sneak out of the academy, completely without his knowledge.
His first warning sign should have been how quiet and receptive she was to his advice.
Is that all? He ended his description, hoping she'd be satisfied with his answer to her original question.
Yep. That's it. Lilynette, on the other hand, had completely forgotten her original question and was concentrating on her wobbly shunpo steps, just barely clearing the peaked roofs of the buildings she passed as she sought out Starrk's familiar reiatsu signature in the distance.
…Alright. Go back to sleep.
It's morning Starrk! Lilynette snipped. I've got to get up for classes.
Oh, right. Go to your classes, then. I'll see you later.
Yeah. Later. Lilynette didn't try to hide the fiendish grin crossing her face.
She had no intention of attending classes today, and 'later' would come far sooner than Starrk knew.
Author's Notes:
You didn't think Lilynette was just going to sit in the back and wait, did you? I mean, Starrk did, but he shouldn't have. He really, really shouldn't have.
Technically, this is the second half of the last chapter, which is why it got up pretty quickly. The next one will probably take longer. Though I'm also trying enforce a cutoff word count for my chapters, which will hopefully keep them more manageable.
If you're wondering why Muramasa can't retake control of Starrk, it's because his abilities only work once on each victim zanpakuto - their minds are resistant to control once they've shaken off the initial compulsion. In canon (well, filler arc canon), this can be seen in all of the zanpakuto that are reclaimed by their shinigami...and then stay reclaimed, despite how useful they could be to Muramasa. (Ex. Zangetsu, Zabimaru, Hyorinmaru). I think only Kazeshini showed any real hostility towards his wielder or loyalty towards Muramasa after being 'freed', but he had personal reasons.
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