Chapter XII: Prove Your Worth
They arrived not a minute late at the appointed meeting with the captains lined up at opposite sides of the room; their lieutenants right beside them. To her right and to her left were Renji and Byakuya either to keep a close eye on her or simply because Byakuya was taking responsibility over the issue of her sword. All eyes glanced over at her, some with suspicion, others sympathetic while there were those that held a neutral expression, there were some she easily caught sight of that made her feel a little reassured even if it was a little and that was Rukia looking over the shoulder of Ukitake to stare at her with concern as well as Rangiku who looked at her with the same expression, right next to Toshiro whose face was completely strict, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes. Despite how small it was, it was something. She wanted to take in all that was present, but the slight sound of wood against wood made her focus on the man that was in front of her; Genryusei Yamamoto. She felt small in his presence, but she could see that he meant no harm and thus commenced with the meeting.
"Inoue Orihime... I trust you are aware of the law that deals with those that share their power with a human?" He asked with an even tone. She looked at the blade and nodded her head, thinking that he was refering to her. "Of course, however, you are not in such a position. Your zanpakutou is not originally your own, he is a complete stranger to you when compared with your unique hairpins. He is not even meant to be." Uncertain as to where this was going, she looked down again before raising her head to speak.
"Um, with all due respect, Yamamoto-san, I do not see Muramasa-san in that way. He trusted me...he became my friend; someone I could trust as well as all my friends if not more." Her grip tightened as she gradually became bold enough to stand up on his behalf. The man before her sighed softly before lifting his own sword, allowing the facade of a wooden cane to reveal it's true face, raising it so as to show her.
"I understand how you may feel, Inoue-san, but you must see that simply trusting in each other is not enough. It goes beyond that and is shown through their understanding of how each know the other in both mind and soul, that involves growing in strength and wisdom. You claim to understand him, but how much do you really know of him?" He placed the sword back down with his palms over it in the same way as before. "Tell me, how do you plan to work with a zanpakutou that is beyond your capabilities?"
For this she had no answer. Muramasa was at a level compatible for a captain, but she had no experience with handling a sword let alone one that had potentially lethal abilities. Plus, she was still trying to refine her skills with her Shun Shun Rikka and she had no clue as to how well the two would work together.
"Furthermore, that specific blade has caused enough damage as it is. Buildings of Seireitei are still being fixed due to the battles involving the rebellion and the sword beasts of several dead squad members. You are not fit to hold the power that rests inside your zanpakutou, it is still property of the Kuchikis therefore, it will be Byakuya that reclaim ownership and deal with it the way it should be dealt with." With a forceful bang of his sword hitting the floor of wood, he motioned for either Renji or Byakuya to take the sword from her.
Orihime glanced over to the captain of the sixth squad warily, bringing the sword that was by her hip to her chest as if to fend them off. Instead of him taking it from her though, he stepped forward to speak with the old man.
"If I may, Head Captain, I would first like to test out Inoue's abilities of engaging combat with the sword." He requested softly, ignoring the confused whispers coming from a few people. Most of which belonging to the lieutenants, including Renji.
"Captain, are you serious?" He questioned irritably, but was met with a fierce glare that would not tolerate interference. Rukia and Rangiku looked on in concern, they knew Orihime was not a fighter by nature and the thought of seeing her hurt did not go well with them. Some, however, were actually interested to see the spectacle of her fighting with a zanpakutou.
"Yeah, let's see if princess can handle it! If she's good, she might make a great sparring partner." Kenpachi remarked with a sinister gaze making Yachiru agree instantly while sitting on his broad shoulder.
Yamamoto took a moment to think carefully about the request Byakuya was making. With Orihime as Muramasa's new master he has some restrictions to his powers, but he was still far beyond her in terms of strength. It was unbalanced and could be a liability to lower ranked members since he would have a source of power that is the bond between them. However, there was no doubt that no matter what would happen, in a room full of captains it was unlikely that the zanpakutou would try anything. "Fine, I will allow it, but if I see that he is not to be trusted I will have him executed immediately." With that said, the two moved at a distance to start off as though it were normal training.
"Muramasa..." Orihime called nervously all too aware of the stares as well as her opponet. Without a sound, he appeared beside her, hands tucked away in his pockets looking straight at Byakuya as if analyzing him. His sudden appearance brought out a murmur that filled the room, but did nothing to deter the two captains who kept their eyes sharp, watching him closely despite some of the uneasiness coming from the others.
"I want you to bring them out." Her whisper did not go unnoticed, but it did confuse them seeing as Muramasa's manipulation would not work twice on those who knew his voice.
Wordlessly, he brought out one hand and pointed it to Byakuya who instinctively readied himself for an attack but all he felt was a slight breeze of wind. He pulled his hand back, his fingers curling as though pulling something that could not be seen by their eyes with him. A distortion of space settled beside the partially confused captain as Senbonzakura stepped away from the entrance made from his inner world. He said nothing as he stood there, waiting for any sign of battle. Again, the illusion zanpakutou repeated the movement towards the others and began to bring out all the zanpakutou that were present in the rebellion.
"Well, this is certainly unexpected." Zabimaru commented, smiling a feral grin while the reptallian boy frowned in disapproval, both appearing behind Renji. "Whatever, he's still a jerk in my book, although I have to say, never expected to come back like this again."
"What in the world?" He gaped at them, dread welling up deep inside him at the sight of the two that smiled victoriously at him.
"What is going on here, Orihime?" Rukia questioned, glancing all around her to see a few of the Captain and lieutenant's zanpakutou walk out of the small distortion of space created by Muramasa. With a startled gasp, she turned to face the woman in white who smiled softly at her. "Sode no Shirayuki..."
"Muramasa has invited us all to witness this friendly battle." She said happily.
"Friendly? How is this friendly? This fight will possibly determine his fate!"
"That may be so, but I suppose he wants to show that he and Inoue-san mean business."
Next to Ukitake she could hear the giggling of two children. "It's a game of chance." One of them said while holding the other's hand. "Yeah, one that's not in Muramasa's favor." The other boy laughed while clapping their hands together.
"Enough you two. That's not very nice of you to say." He reprimanded them, making the two stop their laughing with a pout.
"The boys have a point." All five of them turned to look at the busty woman with the eye-patch standiong at the right side of Shunsui who could only smile sheepishly at them. "Just look at him. I have to wonder, does he even remember how it feels to work with one's master?" She scoffed, the quiet young girl simply stared at what was in front of her ignoring the conversation with a bored look.
"Come now Katen, there's no need to be so harsh to him. He seems to be really fond of the girl, I'm sure he means no harm to any of us." Shunsui tried to calm, but it was clear that some of the zanpakuou were not going to warm up to him any time soon. Her glare was still fixed upon Muramasa while Sogyo no Kotowari giggled mischeivously at her words; completely ignoring the frowns of their masters.
"What is the meaning of this, Muramasa?" Byakuya calmly asked, straightening his posture to glare at the two before him.
"I am merely acting upon my master's wishes." He answered knowing all too well of the unfriendly stares of some of the zanpakutou that now made the whole room slightly cramped. Some had refused to come out for one reason or another like Minazuki, Ashisogi Jizou, Tenken, Ryujin Jakka and Kenpachi and Yachiru's zanpakutou. He had an idea as to why they didn't want to come out, but right now that didn't matter. Right now he had to focus on this fight.
He held his sword in a tight grip, his expression turning cold as he watched the pair closely. "Then what is the purpose of summoning them, Inoue? To have an all out fight with our zanpakutou here is ridiculous, there will be too many casualties." Orihime winced inwardly at his words. It was true that she did plan on trying to use everything, but she had no clue as to how she would use her blade, she didn't know what she should do, however, there was another purpose for their presence.
"Uh, well... That's..."
"There is no harm in having the zanpakutou witness a sparring match is there, Byakuya?" Muramasa countered having sensed Orihime's slight embarassment at having been seen so easily. "Is it really fair to have someone so unaccustomed to this style of fighting be alone?"
"Yeah, besides it's sure to be quite a sight to see our Hime-chan fight with a sword. Ne, Tsubaki?" There standing on Muramasa's shoulder was Shun'o. All around him there were her six fairies hovering above him offering a smile in hopes of assuring Orihime that everything would be all right.
"Let's see if you can actually build up some killing instinct for once!" Tsubaki roared while pulling at a strand of her hair in a not so very gentle manner.
"Ow, ow, ow! Ok Tsubaki, please let go!" She whined, tears stinging at the corners of her him back a bit, Muramasa moved him away with a soft expression coming over his face.
"We'll watch from the sidelines, woman. So give 'em hell!" She didn't really know how to respond to his comment, but nonetheless promised them as well as herself that she would try her best. At Byakuya's side, Senbonzakura took that moment to move away and stand silently beside Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki.
"If you are ready, you may have the first move."
Orihime readied herself, trying to see how the others held their own swords, mainly Ichigo, but it was so foriegn to her, she wasn't even sure the grip she had on the hilt was correct. Calling out and simply saying specific words was far more simple compared to actually getting up close and personal to the enemy. Cold sweat began to form in the back of her neck. The sudden silence only adding to her nervousness making her shaky and unable to concentrate. Her shoulders and posture were stiff, but despite her discomfort she tried to think of a way to strike.
A smooth hand slid over her own, a gasp escaped her lips as Muramasa came up from behind her and moved her hands in the correct manner. His head leaning slightly on her own, his lips whispering soothingly in her ears. "Calm yourself, relax and focus on your opponent. Clear your mind of other things, I'll help you." She glanced his way nervously, but quickly moved her eyes to stay locked on to Byakuya, following his instructions. He said not a thing and patiently awaited her move. "Find a target and try to predict your opponents movements as best you can, once an opening has been made, strike." He moved away, a sword coming up in his own hand just in case he would be needed to defend her from any stray attacks that would be too much for her to handle. No objection came from Yamamoto and with that taken as a silent approval, Orihime dashed forward, swinging down to slash at his shoulder.
With a shove, Byakuya pushed her away, observing her silently as he recalled the force of her blade meeting with his own. His eyes narrowed, but he said not a word as he raised his sword on the offensive. With each swing of their blade, the two exchanged blows; for Orihime it was learning the basic handling of her weapon, how to watch for openings and having fast reflexes for defense. For Byakuya, he was watching and observing her gradual confidence that came with each strike that met his blade. He had to commend her for her efforts as well as for her determination to win despite the novelty of her moves; all too aware of this he fought without much restraint, resulting in numerous places where there was a light cut that most definately stinged, but he moved with the gracefulness that was noted in members of the Kuchiki, they were smooth and swift so as not to cause a great deal of damage, yet at the same time not going all that easy for the girl either. Though her efforts were for good intention, he could hear the sound of her blade as it clashed with his own. It was hollow, almost lifeless, but there was a faint trace of reiatsu flowing through it like the blood in a living being's veins. The sound, it was dull and without promise of becoming more. A terrible cry.
The two jumped away from each other, Orihime panting at the strain of moving with untrained muscles and enduring hits that she was unable to block. She winced at her aching limbs, her limbs becoming heavy at moving too fast almost constantly. She fell back on her right leg, her left held up revealing a particular hit that she had not felt during the fight. It was not a flesh wound, but a simple bruise that covered half her calf of her leg. Muramasa was by her in a instant, glaring at the small cuts and her leg for the inflicted injuries, but his eyes were also filled with concern. He slipped a hand to grasp her own and the other around her waist, helping her back onto her feet. Her face was lowered, her gaze distant and sad at the fact that she was unable to land one single hit.
"I can see that your wish to be Muramasa's master is pure. However," He put away his weapon, signaling the end of the match and soundlessly came up to her with a hard expression. "your sword lacks power made up from both the master and the zanpakutou's heart. That which truly makes the two become one."
"It is what allows you to gain more knowlege of your sword and develope your strength into achieving shikai and then bankai. If either of you do not have complete trust in the other, it will create a large gap between the two of you." He glanced at both of them, but he was not so concerned over Orihime as he was to Muramasa.
"What Byakuya says is indeed true, Inoue-san. Your sword is not entirely at your level in regards to trust." Yamamoto approached her as he spoke, the tip of the sheath clacking against the wooden floor. "You claim to know and understand Muramasa to the point of accepting him as your own." Muramasa glared at the men, his jaw clenching with bottled up fear. "Unfortunately, the bond you have falls short. Unbalanced are you together that I fear that you may be subject to influence by his unstable power that he wields deep inside." He turned to face Muramasa who could only stand and stare angrily at him. "In the past you may have trusted Kouga with all your mind and power, but in the end it was he who failed to recognize your efforts. Now with a new master it is different. You don't have full trust in her. Your blade; I could hear it's mournful cry from where I stood."
The room fell silent, waiting for him to reply, but he couldn't. Not with their accusing stares and her worried face, looking at him as if his very soul was laid bare before her. All the retched things exposed for her to fear and be disgusted with, the darkness that was still very much alive within him, the evil that made him be what was thought to be impossible. Her eyes looked past all the others; a hand so gentle fell on his shoulder and Muramasa couldn't help but flinch at the gesture.
"Muramasa?" Her voice was soft, comforting and terribly confused, but it only made him all the more anxious and uncomfortable. Afraid that the gentleness would twist into betrayal and hate.
It should have been obvious. If the feline woman could see it, then it was just a matter of time, a matter of seconds before the rest of the shinigami would see that he held back, away from her promise. But it was for her own good, it was so he could protect her from what would only hurt her. His eyes narrowed at the others; Katen Kyokotsu, Sogyo no Kotowari, Zabimaru, all of them. They saw it, could see just through his eyes that he was not normal. So unlike them at all, a mystery that would be killed. Yes, he smiled a small pathetic attempt of hiding. He would be executed and they will only know that he was unable to run away from his fate, the inevitable death that was supposed to come at the end of the battle between him and Kurosaki. He remained silent, staring at the ground as if it was the cause for all the hate in the world, refusing to speak and it was only going to bring about the negative.
"Please hand the blade back to it's rightful owner, Inoue Orihime. Allow them to sever the last ties that bind them to disgrace."
Orihime frowned and took a quick step back from the men, a blush of red coming over her face in an effort to contain her anger. "No, not until I have a perfectly good reason to!" She said, her grip on the blade did not lessen, she did not aim at them nor did she put it away either. "If Muramasa is holding something back, then it has to mean something." She turned to look at him, his expression soft and guilty, the will to hide dissipating at an alarming rate that he did not even bother to think of an alternative. Under her gaze he couldn't say a lie. She deserved to be spoken to honestly, everyone else did not matter, if it all comes to rejection from her then there will be nothing else that would matter to him at all. Not those around him and not his life. Broken was he in the beginning and broken he will be in the end.
"Muramasa...you can tell me." She said with a small smile. His body became tense, her hand came again to touch his cheek in a gentle caress. "Is there something that I lack?" He closed his eyes, refusing to meet her gaze that would hurt him. Slowly, he shook his head, confusing her.
"It is nothing that you lack, you are perfectly fine and could easily become a strong shinigami in both power and heart. However, in becoming a shinigami you would separate from your body and appear in the black robes, but I did not give you all that would allow you to do so. Right now you are no more than a host to sustain me." He gently removed Orihime's hand and turned away from them, his head held low..
"Inside me, the hollows have accumulated so much that it has morphed me into a vasto lorde if not an arrancar. He is now a separate being, much like Kurosaki who has a hollow deep inside him as well. He can't be taken out, had I become one with you he would be a part of your soul."
Orihime's eyes widened just a fraction at the explanation. She would be just like Ichigo, the threat of becoming hollow ever present should she become weak in containing it, but it was constantly inside of Muramasa; dormant.
"All the more reason to extinguish the threat entirely. Kurosaki Ichigo has proven that he can handle the powers he hold, but when a power that exceeds it's host is too much only pain will come out of it."
"Now hold on a minute, old man Yama. It's true that she may not be as powerful as Kurosaki, but that's no reason to take him away from her. Sure, there's a possibility that the hollow may come back, but if she were to recieve proper training from a captain she could avoid a nasty encounter." Shunsui stepped forward, his hat raised to show his face. From behind, Katen looked at him with a glare, uneasy with having her master defend a former enemy that was by all accounts guilty and worthy of a punishment equal to Kouga's.
"I will have to agree with him, sir. It is quite clear that Muramasa means no harm to her and has even placed her in high regards than his own life to keep her safe. I would highly recommend careful consideration on the subject. After all, Kurosaki went to great lengths inflitrating Soul Society when Miss Kuchiki was to be executed, I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same for Muramasa." Unohana laughed lightly, her smile ever present and her gaze gentle.
"You forget, this is a matter that concerns only the Kuchiki household. It is from them that this sword has come from and it is the Kuchiki that will handle this situation." Without waiting for a response from the others, Yamamoto turned back to the three that were in front of him. "Do you have anything to say about this, Byakuya?"
"What do the zanpakutou think of this? It is not only us that Muramasa has affected, it is them as well. It would only be fair for them to have a say in this issue." He turned towards Senbonzakura, waiting for an answer, but he in turn turned towards the others. It was Zabimaru who spoke up first.
"Keep in mind, Muramasa turned all of us against our masters, we may have different opinions on one another, but when it comes down to it, we only have the same goal. If it were up to us we wouldn't have anything to do with him." She placed her arms across her chest with the boy doing the same. Both having the same disapproving glare.
"I'll have to agree with the woman."
"As shall I." Both Houzukimaru and Ruri'iro raised their hands, one with a giant scowl on his face and the other with a simple frown.
"Though Muramasa was the whole cause of the rebellion, I do think it would be fine to give him a second chance at starting over. From what I've heard from Rukia-sama, Inoue-san has a kind heart and I can see that the bond they have is something special." She smiled knowingly.
"Maybe the snowy lady is right?"
"But she could be wrong too. He did play a game out of all of us!"
"Yeah he did. Maybe if he could prove to us he's not bad, then..." The two boys trailed their gaze over to Katen Kyokotsu who looked irritated at the crowd before her and simply waved her hand, dismissing them entirely.
"Well if you ask me, I don't buy it." Suzumebachi placed her hands on her hips with a glare aimed at the small group. "Who's to say he won't just do it again? No way, I don't trust him."
"True, but unlike a certain man, I think Muramasa should have another chance with a new master. If you think about it, his intentions were towards loyalty, what do you think Haineko?" Tobiume glanced over at the pink feline who flicked her tail from side to side, contemplating on her answer with a sly grin.
"Hmm, well it certainly is interesting to see him with a girl like her. He could learn to respect women's feelings later on. Hell, I bet he'll be wrapped around her little finger." She giggled emphasizing her words with a wave of a pinkie. "What say you, Hyourinmaru?"
"While this whole problem stemmed from his path to finding his master, he is still at fault. If he is truly serious in this matter of righting the wrong, I suppose giving him a chance would not be of much consequence. In the end it will only benefit us as well as our masters in whatever decision is made."
"Heh, I don't care either way what happens to him! This is just a waste of time."
"Well in my opinion, I don't think you should have a say in this if all you think of is battling to the death... babysitter." Hisagi scoffed, giving a shove to Kazeshini's back who only glared at him.
"Whatever, cream puff."
"While there are some who are in objection to this and those that are in his favor, this is a matter that is in your hands as head of the household." Byakuya merely nodded and turned his attention back to the two in front of him.
"If you would please hand over your sword, I would like to have one more battle before I make my decision. This battle will not be like before, if I am to make an accurate choice I will have to test your strength with Muramasa. This means that your union as a shinigami and zanpakutou must be official, however, if I see that Muramasa's power is beyond your capabilities, then I will finish what Kurosaki was unable to do."
-X-X-X-
A/N: This. Chapter. Killed. Me. I don't exactly like how it came out, but because I lost a portion of it I was unable to get it the way I had it. A bit ooc I think for a few characters, but I'll change it later if I can. Btw, I'm not sure if I got Yumichika's zanpakutou's name right, so if I didn't I would appreciate it if someone corrects me. Might have been a little boring, but there's nothing I can do about that, but I might have a little fun with the next chapter. Only one or two left, so might as well enjoy it while I can. :3