Chapter Eight: A New Enemy

Kommamura and the metal warrior fought back and forth, their blades clashing, again and again, sending shockwaves of spiritual pressure before the clashing of power. Hiyori watched, then looked to where the others were watching. 'So, did I miss something? Who is this Tenken guy?'

'Tenken is the name of Captain Kommamura's zanpakto, isn't it?' asked Matsumoto.

'I know that you bimbo!' snapped Hiyori 'What I want to know why he's fighting a guy who is named after his zanpakto!'

'What is the meaning of this Tenken!' said Kommamura as the battle went on.

'Is it not all too obvious?' roared the giant in turn, driving him back.

'Shouldn't we help him?' asked Hiyori.

'It wouldn't be wise to attack.' said Kyroku, chewing on a strand of wheat. 'There is a lot we don't know about this situation. Besides, I think this might be one of those battles of pride which Ukitake keeps talking about.'

'If we do nothing Captain Kommamura might die.' supplied Nanao.

'Yeah, but there is his pride to consider.' mused Kyroku.

Raising its sword, Tenken began to strike at Kommamura with a series of translucent blades that shattered the dirt. The masked Captain struggled to dodge the endless barrage of strikes and was already covered in wounds.

'Fascinating,' said Mayuri 'it appears as though the entity known as Tenken is a being derived from Sajin Kommamura's zanpakto. Hiyori prepare to take custody of the body for dissection!'

'Why is it always dissection with you?' asked Hiyori 'Couldn't we just do some blood tests? And anyway what if Tenken kills Kommamura?'

'Prepare for dissection of the body!' insisted Mayuri.

'But what if-'

'Enough!' snapped Byakuya as he drew his sword and flash stepped behind Tenken, who turned to face the noblemen. 'Scatter, Senbozakura.'

His blade began to glow and then suddenly the glow faded. Tenken spun round and struck at Byakuya with his sword, and the noblemen avoided being cut in half narrowly. As he leaped into the air his sword glowed once again and a figure emerged from it writhed in light.

The light formed into a samurai in violet armor, who drew a sword to clash against Byakuya. The two moved back and forth in the air, slashing and seeking each other's end as they moved faster and faster. Meanwhile, the soul reapers just watched, except for Tosen who rushed to Kommamura's aid.

'Well, this is getting weird.' mused Isshin 'Hey where has Unohana got to?'

'I believe she vacated Sogyoku Hill as soon as the fighting started.' mused Aizen. 'We really should take some action here.'

'I dunno,' said Isshin 'I mean there is only two of them. Well, three if you count the mastermind guy. Really seems like it would be overkill for us to go in there-'

'I've had it!' roared Kibikiri Orochi 'I'm done with you!'

The sensation was like some part of her had just been torn out. A figure emerged from Hiyori and appeared before her, looking like a pale version of her. She held a butchers cleaver and brought up one foot to kick Hiyori in the face. As Hiyori hit the ground, she saw what appeared to be a cross between a butterfly and a yellow baby appear before Kuroschutchi, as many other figures emerged from everyone on Sogyoku Hill. A red haired woman with cat ears appeared before Rangiku, leaning in close before slamming her with one hip. Two violet haired woman, one with an eye patch appeared before Kyroku. Then they were gone.

'What just happened?' asked Hiyori, yet they already knew the answer.

Their Zanpaktos were gone. Moments later the sounds of destruction could be heard far below, and the soul reapers saw their own powers being used against their city. They leaped into action without further words. Except for Hiyori who stood up.

'Oh so now it's a battle of life!' she snapped 'Jerks!' She drew her sword and departed to look for her zanpakto.

Kommamura dodged aside from yet another blow from Tenken, which shattered the ground nearby. Tosen appeared overhead the giant and sent a flurry of blades down upon the giant, which stumbled back in pain. Kommamura surged forward and struck at Tenken, driving him back with a flurry of blows, as Tosen came down from behind in a move to behead his enemy.

However, Tenken swatted Tosen away with one ethereal arm, before bringing it down to smash Kommamura into the ground. The pain of the blow was terrible and Sajin struggled back up, his mask cracked. Rising again, he charged Tenken, who brought down a giant ghostly sword to strike him.

Kommamura leaped aside from it just in time. Yet Tenken redirected it and brought it round to be blocked by Kommamura. Catching the sword on his own, Sajin was slammed into the ground hard and struggled to rise. He saw around him his mask was broken all around him. His face was exposed where anyone could see it! The shame and horror beset him, even as he tried to rise again.

Tenken was over him, flames coming from his mouth. Then the giant sheathed its blade and turned away. 'One who is afraid of his own reflection is unworthy to wield my blade.'

Then he was gone in a flash step.

Spitting out blood, Kommamura quickly pulled off his hiyori and wrapped it around his face to hide his gruesome features. There, now no one would see him as he was. Yet as he breathed out, ignoring his wounds, he reflected that this shame had been why his zanpakto had turned against him. How had it happened? And why?

Such questions were ones he had no time for.

'Tosen,' he said 'are you alright?'

'Yes, Kommamura.' said Tosen as he arose, bleeding and bruised. 'My wounds may be healed. Were you victorious?'

'No.' said Kommamura 'I was too weak to defeat him.'

The sound of battle came from the Seretei below them. Flames were arising on some buildings, as cries of war could be heard everywhere. The fight, it seemed, was still going strong. Sajin sighed. 'We must attend to our comrades.'

'Yes,' said Tosen.

They departed that place at once.

Sosuke Aizen had allowed Gin into his inner circle mostly out of curiosity. His ever smiling Lieutenant was notable for wanting him dead. Aizen had kept him around out of curiosity for how he would try to achieve that. Gin knew full well about his complete hypnosis and that was what was keeping him from acting.

So, when he had quite abruptly had his zanpakto stolen from him, and Kaname Tosen was unable to help him, Sosuke Aizen did something he had never done in many years. He panicked. His first priority after losing Kyoka Suigetsu was to get as far away from Gin Ichimaru as humanly possible.

In retrospect, he might have stuck with the Captains. Gin was unlikely to initiate his revenge when there were witnesses all around, and he too had lost his Zanpakto. It was at this point irrelevant. For now, he needed to calm down, come up with a plan, and get his zanpakto back.

What did he know about what was going on?

Absolutely nothing, he knew absolutely nothing. This was not acceptable. He just hoped that his zanpakto wasn't gone for good, and that he could get it back before Gin found him. This little incident had thrown all his plans into disarray, and Aizen hadn't the faintest idea how or who was responsible.

Only now did he understand the meaning behind the phrase: No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

Chaos had engulfed the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Soul reapers ran as bells rung to summon them to battle stations. The zanpaktos of the Captains and Lieutenants were running rampant, causing destruction everywhere they went. The seated officers scrambled to try and contain the creatures, to confront their enemies and defeat them.

And Kaien Shiba was sitting around here with the Captain of the Stealth force, and Captain Ginrei Kuchiki.

Captain Soi Fon turned to Ginrei Kuchiki. 'You knew this was going to happen, didn't you Kuchiki.'

'I sensed a presence I hadn't felt in years.' said Ginrei 'I suspected that it might be a trap and so I detained you here. It would not do for every one of our Captains to be present on Sogyoku Hill if I was correct. At the same time, were I to openly declare what was happening our enemy would catch on.'

'Right,' said Kaien 'but why us?'

'Captain Soi Fon I choose because her zanpakto is particularly dangerous.' said Ginrei 'Were it to fall into the wrong hands it could be used to kill a great many of our best fighters. As for you, you were the only one I could find in time. Most of the others were already gone by the time I got there.' He paused. 'Were you successful in your own venture?'

I had managed to convince the Captain of the Eleventh division to not go there.' said Kaien 'It was… easier than one might have hoped.'

'The mans laziness is legend.' scoffed Soi Fon 'He's almost as bad as my Lieutenant.'

'Where is your Lieutenant anyway?' asked Kaien.

'I sent him to Sogyoku Hill.' said Soi Fon 'With any luck the fool will get himself killed.'

'That doesn't seem like something a Captain should say.' noted Kaien.

'I have no time to coddle a man who was only appointed because he was born with higher spiritual pressure than is average.' snapped Soi Fon 'Nor do I have respect for one who scarcely passed the academy exams, even with connections. What I want to know is why you didn't tell your grandson to withdraw?'

'At the time I was acting on pure suspicions.' said Ginrei 'It was only once I had learned of Yammamoto's disappearance that I knew what was happening. By then it was too late.'

'So what now?' asked Kaien 'We can't just sit here while the Seretei is overrun.'

'Our enemy cannot be everywhere at once.' said Ginrei 'And in any case this is little more than a distraction. We should move out now and eliminate the enemy. Kaien, you will target Lieutenant level zanpakto, myself and Soi Fon will deal with the higher tier ones.'

They arose and departed in a flash.

Byakuya sped through the air, seeking Senbonzakura. The samurai sword had departed his presence some time ago, and now he was in pursuit. He did not know what had happened to turn part of his soul against him, but he intended to find out and correct the issue. Even now as he passed over the roofs above, he saw the soul reapers running too and fro seeking their new enemy.

Suddenly a red haired cat girl clad in pink fur which accentuated her rather significant curves descended with her sword drawn. Byakuya surged away from the blade and landed on the roof tops, backpedaling before a flurry of strikes, before he drew his own sword and caught it.

The cat girl smiled in a fashion which drew attention to her fangs. 'Your pretty good, as well as good looking.'

Byakuya shoved her back and she skidded to a halt perhaps twenty feet away. Taking up a stance he prepared for battle. At that point Senbonzakura landed just behind her. 'Heineko, step back. This is my fight.'

'Buzz off,' said Heineko 'you're the one who ran away. And I found him first.'

'He is far beyond your ability to defeat.' said Senbonzakura.

'He doesn't have shikai, and I do.' replied Heineko, raising her sword.

'…I'm unfamiliar with your shikai.' realized Senbonzakura 'What is it?'

'Growl, Heineko!' said Heineko and her blade shattered. 'My powers is to shatter my sword into thousands of tiny pieces, allowing me to attack my enemy at range.'

'So its just like mine.' said Senbonzakura in deadpan.

Byakuya sensed it coming and surged into the air to escape the ashes which came after him. Backflipping over the ashes he surged away with a flashstep, effortlessly escaping it.

'So,' said Heineko 'he can see my ashes. Not everyone is capable of detecting them as they come.'

'So its just like mine.' said Senbonzakura.

Byakuya raised one hand while moving. A beam of blue light shot through the air, and Heineko raised her ashes skyward to block the assault. Yet Byakuya appeared directly behind her, blade homing in for her heart. Senbonzakura knocked her out of the way and their swords clashed.

'Impossible!' cried Heineko 'How could he have known about my minimum safe distance! It's as though he has learned everything there is to know about my sword for years!'

'That's probably because he has.' said Senbonzakura, while engaging Byakuya in a flurry of sword blows. 'Your abilities are a watered down copy of mine!'

'Stop saying that!' said Heineko 'My powers are completely different from yours!'

Byakuya brought down a heavy strike which Senbonzakura blocked with difficulty. 'How?' asked Senbonzakura.

'…My sword uses ashes.' said Heineko weakly.

Byakuya roundhouse kicked Senbonzakura off the roof, sending him careening down to the ground. The sword adjusted his posture, landed on both feet, and surged forward to meet Byakuya's charge. They passed each other, and Byakuya came to a halt on the ground, while Senbonzakura stood at the edge of the roof.

They turned, and Byakuya suddenly felt blood on his cheek. Senbonzakura's left shoulder pad fell to pieces as the sword turned around. 'You are indeed impressive.' said Senbonzakura 'However you cannot hope to stand against my full power.' He raised his sword as though to drop it. 'Ban-'

Byakuya turned around and fired a bolt of blue energy which Senbonzakura was forced to dodge. As he did so he released his Shikai, but Byakuya surged round the pink petals and went to strike at him with his sword. The petals blocked him and pressed their assault against him, and Byakuya was forced to yield ground beneath the onslaught of blades.

Going into a full retreat, Byakuya surged towards a nearby tower in the distance, followed by Senbonzakura. Senbonzakura was Byakuya as he had been reckless and hot headed. He would not consider the consequences of his actions until it was too late.

'You won't get away!' cried the sword.

Byakuya came to a halt by the tower. Turning round Byakuya halted as Senbonzakura sent his blades towards Byakuya, who summoned a shield with kido that barred the initial wave of blades. As the pink blades swelled up to hide Senbonzakura from sight, Byakuya flash stepped away and allowed the shield to break. The blades surged forward and smashed into the side of the tower, which groaned and fell forward to land on top of Senbonzakura.

There was a terrible crash as a whole building fell apart. Byakuya silently hoped that he hadn't caught any innocent bystanders in the effect as he surged into the wreckage. Senbonzakura arose from the ruins, pulling himself away. Then Byakuya put his sword to his throat. There was dead silence.

'Senbonzakura,' said Byakuya 'have you returned to your senses?'

'Yes master.' said Senbonzakura 'A madness took me, but it has passed. Our enemy is Muramasa, the sword of he who we have foresworn to slay. Kouga Kuchiki. He got into my mind, and turned me against you.

I believe he seeks to free his master. Yet how he will do so, I cannot know.'

Byakuya sheathed his sword. 'We have much word to do Senbonzakura. Let us go.'

'As you wish, Master.'

The time for Byakuya to fulfill his oath had come sooner than expected.

Authors Note:

Okay this chapter took way longer than I had expected. Truth be told I just couldn't think of a way to go. Part of the problem with the evil Zanpakto arc is that it really has a very minimal plot. Most of it is just character interactions and action scenes that do very little to advance the story.

In this story my focus is always going to be on what is different. If I don't show something, you can generally assume its going to happen the same way as in canon. The reason I'm doing this is that Bleach's narrative is extremely cluttered and extremely long and if I'm ever going to finish this story, I'll have to streamline things a bit.