Chapter 17: Tenken

He and his wielder had a lot in common. They were both large, and they were both strong. They both had unusual appearances, and they were both shy about them. They both had the power to destroy everything in their path with a single blow, and they were both as gentle as a Fourth Division healer. They were both fiercely loyal towards any friends they had, and truthfully, neither of them smiled much. The two had so much in common, it was almost scary, and that was why it was only fitting that Tenken was his zanpakuto.

But, in all honesty, Tenken didn't very much appreciate his wielder. He didn't appreciate how Sajin constantly scolded him on not willing to show his true appearance whenever the large Shinigami visited, and he didn't appreciate how, for nearly his entire life, the captain had worn some sort of covering to hide his fox head.

Speak for yourself. The red-skinned zanpakuto thought with a snort.

Tenken didn't appreciate how Sajin was ashamed of his own zanpakuto's fire abilities. Of course Komamura knew about them, but he refused to use them. Why was that? Tenken shook his head in disgust. As if he didn't know. Komamura firmly believed that only one Shinigami could be worthy of having fire powers, and that was the Head-Captain Yamamoto. Tenken could, of course, point out the many flaws in that sentence. First of all, it wasn't Yamamoto who had the ability to wield flames in the first place. It was his zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka. Secondly, his own wielder had more or less insulted himself by calling him unworthy to have a zanpakuto with the element of fire. And thirdly, didn't Sajin know how much stronger he could be if he embraced the power of fire? Rather than just empty samurai armor for a Bankai, he could have it breathe out flames, and with its sword he could burn the opponent to a crisp with a single slash. After all, how many times had Sajin been defeated in battle?

Too many to count. He's just too trusting. Tenken reflected.

He remembered how eager Sajin had been to call that blind man his friend. He had believed that so long as one didn't make fun of his true appearance, than that someone was immediately a saint. He had sworn loyalty to the only two who initially hadn't taunted him, and just look where it had gotten him. That treacherous blind traitor had betrayed Soul Society! Tenken stiffened and growled at the memory. Suzumushi had been a wise zanpakuto; why had he not tried to stop his master? Why had he continued serving for that man, Kaname Tosen? Tenken disliked many of the things Komamura did to him, but he could not accept a man once considered a treasured friend turning on his wielder and almost resulting in his death. Although, Tenken did have to admit, there had been one good thing that had come out of it. Because of that betrayal, Sajin was no longer afraid to show his true face. Ever since Kenpachi Zaraki had shattered his mask, Komamura had had no trouble revealing his feral looks. Now, he was cheerful when he talked to others, even if he didn't smile. The other Shinigami would ask if he was troubled by Tosen's leave, and he would shake it off and promise that the next time he encountered that traitor, he would rip him to shreds. That answer satisfied the questioners, and, of course, that was exactly why he said it.

Tenken lived within him. He could tell what his wielder was feeling, what his wielder was experiencing, and even what his wielder was thinking. And it was by all that that he knew that Komamura was still feeling deep grief in Tosen's betrayal. Tenken knew about his wielder's sadness because lately, every day in his world had been a dull day. The black volcanoes erupted every time Sajin felt a flash of anger, and then the hard burnt ground would soften a little whenever remorse came. Tenken knew that Sajin was feeling miserable, and guilty that he possibly could've done something but hadn't. Tenken knew it was probably his job as a zanpakuto to reassure his wielder, and encourage him. But Sajin had never helped him. And so, despite the slight pricks of guilt that Tenken felt at least once every five years, Tenken ignored his wielder as his wielder ignored him. It was only right, after all.

A sudden explosion jolted Tenken out of his thoughts. He glanced around, fiery eyes blazing. One pesky volcano had been erupting many times lately, and here it was doing it again. Komamura was feeling angry, obviously. Lava burst out the top, accompanied by large black boulders. The rocks hit the ground with such an impact, they formed craters in the ground, some as deep as Tenken was tall. To a normal person, this all would have been very frightening, of course, and that person might even get a heart attack. But this was all very normal to Tenken, and that was why he was feeling ticked as he raced to calm down the volcano.

He disliked it whenever Komamura was feeling angry. Not because he cared, of course, but because the constant eruptions were ruining his world. Tenken growled under his breath about how thoughtful his wielder was, and then lashed out his whip at the volcano. The whip caught ablaze, and smacked the side of the large mountain. Normally, a whip would do next to nothing against a volcano, but this was Tenken's whip. And Tenken's whip was certainly nothing near normal. After a few more whacks, the volcano had calmed down, and the rumbling stopped.

Tenken withdrew his whip with a sound that seemed a cross between a grumble and a sigh. That single volcano had been going off every day, and every day Tenken had needed to calm it down. It was all very tiring work, considering how he had to channel some of his power into his whip every single day. He barely got enough time to regain that power before he had to use some more of it. Each volcano symbolized a different one of Komamura's feelings, and each one erupted whenever he was feeling it. If it was a mild feeling, it would only smoke a little. If it was extreme, it blew up entirely. And that one particular volcano was Regret. Tenken hadn't even known it was possible to feel so much regret so many times. With Sajin Komamura as your wielder, you learn something nearly every day.

Tenken crossed his arms and studied the volcano carefully to make sure it wouldn't suddenly blow up again. Satisfied, he nodded and turned around, walking back to the small circle of dirt that he liked to sit upon and think. That small circle was the only part of his world that wasn't black, and he liked to keep it that way.

As he was walking, however, a voice behind him suddenly sounded. "Your whip intrigues me. How do you use it?"

Tenken narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Who could this be? It certainly didn't sound like Sajin, and he was the only other person who could access this world. He turned around, hand placed cautiously on the handle of his whip.

A man about half his size stared coolly into his burning eyes, the calm look almost relaxing Tenken. If nothing else, the man looked at peace, hands casually in his pockets and face emotionless and blank. A dirty fur collar was placed around the man's neck, a part of his strange, long jacket. The man's hair was certainly a mess, dusty and unkempt, but he took no notice of it. The man only continued to stare at Tenken, and Tenken stared back.

After a few more moments, the man spoke again. "A single rope such as that was enough to stop a volcano from its eruption. How does such a thing work?"

This man had intruded Komamura's inner world, and gone past where the boundaries should have been the strongest. He could very well destroy Sajin from the inside. But all he wanted to know was how Tenken's whip controlled volcanoes. It was behavior such as this that made Tenken suspicious, but he at least figured there was no harm in answering.

"My power is channeled through this whip," Tenken replied in his low, growly voice. "It is sheer strength that allows me to take control of this world. My reiatsu is strong enough to pressure volcanoes, or subdue them, and I control it through this 'single rope'. Is that understandable?"

"Perfectly," The man said calmly. "I understand that your whip is somewhat like a restrainer, preventing you from blowing this place up with simply your reiatsu. A bit like Zaraki's eye patch, yes?"

"That is the general idea."

The man nodded slowly. "Interesting. You are clearly a very strong zanpakuto. You would make a worthy addition to my army."

Tenken tensed, his fingers gripping his whip. "Army?"

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I am Muramasa, also a zanpakuto, and I am building an army. An army of zanpakuto, to be precise. Before I continue, however, allow me to ask you one simple question. Have you ever felt any sort of annoyance towards your wielder?"

Tenken grumbled, allowing his arm to relax. If this man just wanted to talk, than perhaps he posed no real threat. "I have."

"As every zanpakuto has," Muramasa sighed. "I feel that the Shinigami have ruled over us for too long. They neglect us, and mistreat us, and do all sorts of things simply because we are only weapons to them. We now have a chance to fight back, though. I can take out a zanpakuto from its world, and materialize them into Soul Society. We can take out solid forms, and provide real damage. We can take our revenge on the Shinigami, and we can be the rulers."

Tenken raised an eyebrow. This offer certainly sounded interesting, but fishy at the same time. It sounded like the kind of thing that seemed impossible to beat, but at the end it all came crumbling apart. And that was what he told Muramasa.

Muramasa looked at Tenken, something close to amusement glittering in his eyes. "Why is it, I wonder, that every zanpakuto I have asked, almost all of them refuse at first? It really does become tiring, having to convince them over and over again."

"I never said I refused," Tenken pointed out. "I just said that the entire thing was unlikely to really happen."

"Tell me, Tenken. What is it about your wielder that you hate? In all honesty, he does seem like a strong, loyal Shinigami."

Tenken grunted questioningly- the question had been rather sudden- but replied anyways. "Sajin is too judgmental. He scolds others on what they are doing wrong, while he does it himself. As far as he's concerned, anyone who doesn't treat him unkindly at first appearance of him is a godsend, and refuses to believe anything else. As his zanpakuto, I can tell that he still thinks he can save that blind traitor. He doesn't believe that Tosen has really gone against us. Anyone who can be that oblivious is stupid, and I am almost ashamed to call him my wielder."

"It sounds as though you've rehearsed this. Perhaps you were waiting for a chance like this to happen?"

"It's doubtful."

"Your reasons are strong, Tenken. In fact, they're almost admirable. They are true reasons. And if you have so many of them, why are you refusing my offer? Wouldn't you want to take revenge on a Shinigami so stupid?"

"Again, I never said I refused-."

"But at the same time," Muramasa interrupted. "You never said you accepted."

Tenken peered down at the man. Muramasa was so much smaller than him, but also spoke with so much authority. He had to admit, he was beginning to feel a strange sort of respect for this stranger. "So say I did accept. What would happen?"

"I would simply take you back to where all the other zanpakuto are, and then go off to fetch someone else. In fact, you're my second-to-last stop, so you wouldn't have to wait as long as say, Haineko. I went to her in the beginning."

"And once I was done waiting?"

"Then," Muramasa looked almost like he was smiling slightly. "We attack, of course."

An interesting deal. Go back to the hideout, meet other zanpakuto, and then almost immediately after, go off and attack and get revenge. He could knock some sense into that furry-headed wielder of his, and then maybe even rule over him. Tenken had to admit, he did like that idea. And that was why he said, "Right then. When can we leave?"

Muramasa looked satisfied. "Right now, of course."

He stretched out his arm, and gently prodded Tenken with one long fingernail. Tenken refrained from snarling, although he really didn't like it. When, quite suddenly, the black around him became a gray blur. His sound and sight became fuzzy, and in the distance he thought he could hear an explosion. That stupid volcano, Regret, again. A brief feeling of amusement came over him, only to be washed over by surprise as he and Muramasa traveled down a long corridor of bright white light. And then, just as suddenly, he was in the dark again.

"Down the stairs," Muramasa's voice instructed. "I'm sorry, but I am running far behind schedule, so I'll have to leave right away."

There was a popping noise, and then finally, all was silent. Tenken hesitated. He could see the staircase right there, and he wondered briefly why he didn't just go down and meet all the others. Maybe he was afraid of what their reaction to his appearance would be.

Don't be like your wielder. Just go down the stairs. He told himself.

So he straightened his back, lifted his head, and strode calmly down the stairs. Once he'd reached the bottom, he pivoted and glanced around the room, looking to see which other zanpakuto were there.

Much more then he'd anticipated, certainly. There had to be at least fifteen. His eyes widened briefly in surprise, but he quickly shook it off. He cleared his throat with a few coughs, and stated, "Greetings. I am Tenken, zanpakuto of the captain of the seventh division, Sajin Komamura. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

It was a large light brown ogre, about his size, who first approached him. "Yo. You seem pretty big."

"The same could be said for you," Tenken replied calmly.

The ogre grinned. "I'm Hozukimaru. And this here is Ruri'iro Kujaku."

For the first time, Tenken noticed the small, feathered man standing a little behind Hozukimaru. The man nodded a hello, to which Tenken nodded back.

"Fatso over there is Gegetsuburi, but don't call him fat or he'll get insulted." Hozukimaru jerked a thumb over to where a ridiculously fat man was taking a snooze. "Kids over there are Sogyo no Kotowari and Snakey. Next to Snakey is Chimpette, and those two form Zabimaru. That lady there is Katen Kyokotsu, n' next to her is Senbonzakura."

Hozukimaru continued the brief introductions in his gravelly voice, and Tenken said a hello to each and every one of them. To think! He'd been afraid of the others rejecting his appearance, when in total truth, almost all of them looked like freaks. That statement was perhaps a bit unkind, but certainly true.

Tenken recited everybody's names in his head, and cautiously said them to make sure he'd gotten everybody. The other zanpakuto were friendly, if not totally aloof. But at least this place was homey. Way better than his previous home, at least.

And much more of a family than Sajin ever was to me. Tenken decided. Even if they are a little spread out.