Chapter 15: Gonryomaru
A clear pool shimmered, the water rippling as the fish beneath it swam. The setting sun lit upon it, giving it a dark purplish color. The sand surrounding it lifted in the wind, swirling around the large rocks nestled along the shoreline. Once the wind had calmed down, and the sand fell back to the ground, the pool began moving again. There would be the occasional splash as a large fish slapped its tail on the surface, or a screech from a hawk as it swooped down from the mountains to capture its dinner. The hawk did, after all, have a large selection of aquatic creatures to choose from, such as fish, frogs, turtles, or even the occasional crab or lobster.
Underneath the water, however, one particular sea animal swam about. The herring's tail moved side-to-side as it zoomed around, careless and free, no troubles at all. Its scales gave out a radiant gleam as the sun's rays touched them, letting the fish glow briefly until it zipped into the shadows. It continued this game, swimming in and out of the sun's reach, until a tasty tidbit of something fell in the lake. It bobbed up and down, a flurry of bubbles following it, until it finally floated at the top, limp and wet. Naturally curious, although more along the lines of hunger, the fish went up to it, inspecting it closely. Finally deeming the strange thing fit to eat, it happily chomped down, and almost instantly found a long pike thrust through its body.
The man lifted his weapon and studied the fish as it thrashed about, looking to see if it was big enough to eat. Deciding that it was, he let out a small electric jolt that quickly killed the herring, and then tossed it into the pile of fish that he had gathered earlier that day. He peered back into the water, wondering if he should catch one more or if he had enough to eat. He thought for a few moments, and then shrugged off the idea, turning back to his soon-to-be dinner. After swiftly counting how many fish he had, he settled down beside them and took off the box he carried on his back. The box served more as a luggage, the thing he used to store all his objects and such. Now, he dug through it, and then finally found what he'd been looking for. With a grunt of satisfaction, he pulled out a small silk bag, and turned it over, emptying out its contents on the ground. Out of the pouch, a piece of flint and a striking stone fell out, and the man was quick to use them. He struck them together, and sparks flew out, setting fire to the wood and grass he'd prepared only minutes before.
Once his fire was going strong, Gonryomaru packed up his tools into the bag, and then tossed it back into his box. He went through his pack once again, and fished out three long skewers. He looked upon them with a pleased expression, and then stuck each one in a fish before placing them by the fire to allow them to cook. When the last skewer was finally in place, Gonryomaru leaned back, arms wrapped around his knees as he rocked back and forth. After a few moments, he stopped, his hands fingering his treasured pike as it rested beside him. The pike was his weapon, and pretty much his only hope of survival in his world. He needed it to catch fish that swam in the lake, and to drive off the bears and mountains lions that prowled the mountains. Of course, Gonryomaru did question on how his pussy of a wielder could ever have something so wild as an inner world. Chojiro Sasakibe only did as the western people did, ever since that ridiculous experience with the men and the tea.
Gonryomaru could laugh at his wielder. He recalled when Sasakibe was young, and had been more outgoing and, believe or not, the class clown. But then he became the vice-captain under the Captain-Commander, and became all stiff and… not fun. Another fact that could be pointed out was that Sasakibe practically never fought, and thus Gonryomaru was never released. That was something he didn't very much appreciate. And then, when that orange-haired ryoka had attacked, Gonryomaru had finally been allowed to come out. But, apparently, Sasakibe had been too out of practice and let a human teenager defeat him. That was just too funny.
A faint burning smell caught his attention, and Gonryomaru immediately snapped back to reality. Remembering his fish, he snatched back the skewers and blew on them frantically. Once they were finally cooled down, he sniffed them once and took a small bite. He ate quickly, discarding the bones and placing back the skewer once he was finished. He had just begun his second fish when he realized something was off in his world. During his mealtimes, he could usually hear the soft growling of a panther or a wolf as it circled his camp, eager for a small treat. Sometimes Gonryomaru even spotted a bear. And birds always flew above his head, waiting for him to go to sleep or leave so that they could light down and eat the leftovers. But now, there was no whoosh in the air that signaled that any sort of flying creature was in the sky, and no quiet snarl of a predator. Something had scared everything away, and it was probably going to go for Gonryomaru next.
Gonryomaru wondered if he should leave his dinner and flee, or stay and see if the something was actually a fellow traveler. Deciding to bet on the latter, he took another bite of his fish and waited.
"Greetings," A low voice sounded.
Saying that it didn't startle Gonryomaru would be a lie. He jumped a little, hand instinctively reaching out to his weapon, but then he relaxed. The voice had come from a man, who was now revealing himself in the light of the fire. He was fairly tall, with marking around his eyes and messy black hair. He wore an odd-looking coat with a fur collar, and the flames really brought out his pale skin. Gonryomaru debated on whether to 'judge a book by its cover', and then decided against it.
"Hello!" He called out cheerfully. He picked up the third fish and held it out. "It's nice to see another face that doesn't belong to an animal. Do you want this? You look pretty hungry. Don't worry about it, I've still got two more just waiting to be cooked."
The man stared at him for a few moments, but Gonryomaru didn't waver. He just kept the smile on his face, and didn't drop the fish. Finally, the man took the fish and sat down, muttering a thank you.
"No problem," Gonryomaru leaned back and ate another bite. "So what's your name, stranger? I'm Gonryomaru."
"Yes, I know." The man replied before delicately nibbling his fish. He licked his lips, as if savoring the flavor, and then took a small bite. Once he'd swallowed, he said, "My name is Muramasa, and I have come with an offer."
Gonryomaru finished off his portion and wiped his mouth with his arm. He grabbed another fish, deciding he was still hungry, and skewered it and placed it by the fire. "An offer? Well, that certainly sounds interesting. What kind of offer?"
"An offer I am hoping you will take," Muramasa replied. "As of late, I have noticed that the Shinigami have been less and less respectful of their zanpakuto. They no longer say a thanks once they've won a fight, nor do they even talk to them. They are beginning to see us zanpakuto as nothing more than simple weapons, and are forgetting that we are also living beings. I am a very tolerant man, but I cannot take their disrespect any longer. I have been going around to all the zanpakuto, and asking if they will join my army. So far, every single one has agreed, and I must say that I have collected about fourteen of the strongest zanpakuto, all belonging to people of either captain or vice-captain rank. And you, Gonryomaru, are the zanpakuto of the First Division vice-captain. Surely you must be extraordinarily powerful, and thus you would make an excellent warrior."
Gonryomaru contemplated his words for a moment, and then smiled grimly as he took the cooked fish away from the fire. "Extraordinarily powerful? Sorry, but I think you're mistaken. I haven't been released for so long, I don't think I can even remember what my command is. Your offer certainly sounds interesting, but I don't think I have a place in your army."
"Every zanpakuto has a place with me," Muramasa argued. "I have taken in all kinds. I have taken the painfully annoying Haineko, and the terribly proud Kazeshini, and even that obnoxious bird Ruri'iro Kujaku. I've taken the lazy ogre Hozukimaru, and the irritating twins Sogyo no Kotowari, and dreadfully moody Katen Kyokotsu. If I can deal with all of them, I can certainly deal with you." He broke off, realizing that his words might have sounded harsher then he'd intended. He let out a deep sigh, and continued, "My deepest apologies. That didn't come out quite the way I hoped it would. But Gonryomaru, you harness the power of electricity, do you not? That would be more than helpful when we attack the Shinigami."
"Attack the Shinigami?" Gonryomaru echoed almost immediately after. "Hold on, when did you say anything about that?"
"It's the only way I see fit to get revenge. They have mistreated and misused us for too long. The only way we can get back at them is to attack and take over. Soon, very soon, we, the zanpakuto, shall be the rulers. The Shinigami's time will end, but ours will have just begun."
Gonryomaru rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a bit blown away. Maybe this stranger wasn't as harmless as he'd originally thought. "You've really got big ideas for one as young as you, you know that?"
Muramasa looked slightly annoyed at that comment. "Yes, I have been told that multiple times before. And, with all due respect, I can hardly consider myself young-."
"Look, I'm as old as Sasakibe, and that means old. You, being a zanpakuto, should obviously know that we don't age visibly. So in my eyes, you're young and that's that."
"… Very well, I will admit that I am younger than you." Muramasa's voice had an edge to it, a sign that his patience was wearing thin. "But what about my offer? You must have some sort of grudge against your wielder, correct? After all, you said so yourself, you are almost never released."
He did have a point. For one thing, if Gonryomaru joined, Sasakibe would never know, mainly because he never used his own zanpakuto. Plus, Gonryomaru could get back at his wielder and show that western-loving man what his partner was really capable of. Tempting for sure, but also a very big step.
Muramasa was clearly expecting an answer. "Here."
It took Gonryomaru a moment to understand what he was talking about, but then he noticed the stick in Muramasa's hand, and he realized that the man had finished the fish. He took it back with a nod and tossed it back into his box. Gonryomaru glanced down at his half-eaten fish, shrugged, and threw it a little ways off for some passing by wolf or something to eat.
"Well?" Muramasa prompted. "Will you join, or not?"
Gonryomaru hesitated, even while he was unconsciously packing his things back into his box. He closed the box and slipped it onto his back before he realized his body had pretty much decided for him. Well, if he was honest with himself, he did want to take revenge on his wielder. Sasakibe didn't even know Gonryomaru had the power of electricity. Blowing out a long, deep breath, Gonryomaru stood up, grabbing his pike as he did so. "So where are we headed?"
Muramasa looked pleased. "Excellent. If you would just take my hand." With that said, he outstretched his hand and waited.
Gonryomaru stared at it briefly, slightly taken aback by the unusually long fingernails, and then shook it off and grabbed the man's hand. He wondered if they were going to shake on it, to seal the deal, but suddenly the night world around him disappeared, swallowed up by a bright light. Startled, he released Muramasa's hand and backed away. "Hey, what's going on?... Why do I feel so sick?"
The urge to vomit was almost unbelievable, but to do so in front of Muramasa would certainly be rude, so Gonryomaru held back but panted heavily. When the sensation finally left, he realized that they were in a dark cave. It was a small cave, admittedly, but he did notice the staircase leading downwards.
"Go on down," Muramasa invited. "I need to go visit someone else, anyways."
"Oh, really?" Gonryomaru kept his light tone. "And who might that be?"
"I believe he goes by the name of Gegetsuburi. Have you heard of him?"
Had he heard of him? Gonryomaru almost laughed. Everyone had heard of that fat oaf who did nothing but eat all day. However, he faked a look of confusion as said, "Never heard of him." Best let Muramasa be surprised, and see what he would do.
Muramasa nodded. "Very well then. Why don't you go down, then?"
"Sure. I guess I'll see you later." Gonryomaru nodded back, and then turned and went down the stairs, not really knowing what to expect.
No, he had absolutely no idea what he was expecting to happen. But he certainly didn't expect walking in on what seemed to be 'storytime'. Gonryomaru hesitated when he saw the large circle of zanpakuto. Most looked bored, except for the really young ones, and some of them were even asleep.
"So then, the three bears walked in and say Miss Yellow sleeping on the little one's bed," A black demon was saying. "So they were all 'hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!' and then they ate her. The end."
"Yay!" Three of the younger zanpakuto cheered. From the looks of it, they were all boys, although there seemed to be a pair of twins with silver hair, and then the last one had pink hair.
A purple-haired lady sighed loudly and said, "Wow, Kazeshini. Do you think you could turn a children's fable any more violent? Already you had Hansel and Gretel get eaten by some cannibal. I don't think it's good for the kids."
"Yeah, and since when did you care, 'Katen-chan'?" The black demon, or rather, Kazeshini, countered with a taunting tone.
"Don't call me that." The woman, who might be Katen Kyokotsu, spat.
"Oh yes, that's right. You only reserve that name for Sogyo no Kotowari, there." Kazeshini gestured to the twins. Clearly, he did not enjoy being insulted.
Gonryomaru wondered if he should step in before an argument broke out, when a young girl glanced over to him, and then ever so kindly announced his presence. Every one of the zanpakuto looked over at him, and then immediately flooded over him with a flurry of names. There was "Suzumebachi" and "Sode no Shirayuki" and "Wabisuke" and "Senbonzakura" and plenty of others. He wasn't even sure if he could remember it all.
"Hi," He finally managed out. "I'm Gonryomaru."
"What's that thing on your back?" One of the twins- he was pretty sure it was the one called 'Sogy-chan'- asked.
"It's called a box." He replied.
"Wow! What's in it?" The other one sounded excited, making Gonryomaru wonder what sort of education they had had.
"Are you guys idiots? I bet he's got a bunch of stuff in it." The pink-haired boy- Gonryomaru had managed to pick up a 'Snakey' from his older companion- snapped.
"Why are you carrying around a pike?" Suzumebachi asked.
"Because where I came from, I needed it to survive."
"Really?" Suzumebachi, Sogyo no Kotowari, and Snakey all said together.
"We're having storytime," Sode no Shirayuki said. "Perhaps you would be so kind to tell us of your experiences in your world, Gonryomaru? I am sure we would all appreciate it."
"Really?" Gonryomaru said. He'd just gotten there and now he was a storyteller?
"Did you fight bears?"
"And mountain lions?"
"And wolves?"
"Did you have to hunt for your own food?"
"Did you make your own fires?"
"How did you live like that?"
Gonryomaru gazed upon all of them, realizing that they were all younger then him. Maybe that did make him the wise old storyteller. "Okay then, let's make that circle thing you were all just in. I can tell you all a bunch of things. Like how to make your own campfire, and a few tips on how to keep away the predators."
As the younger ones yelped with delight and scrambled to get back into the circle, Sode no Shirayuki smiled and said, "Excellent."
"This should be good." Kazeshini observed as he sat down.
"I bet it'll be better than any of your ridiculous stories." Ruri'iro Kujaku said.
"Shut up!"
Gonryomaru sat down as well, instantly becoming the center of attention. "Right then… where should I begin?"
Everyone was staring at him intently, bringing out an amused smile on his face. If every day was going to be like this… well, it looks like coming here was the right choice, after all.