Love for the Lost and Broken
Hi Ya!
The fifth chapter has landed…well technically this is the second flashback chapter I'm doing. Anyways this flashback it probably going to be the last one that involves what happened two years ago with Muramasa and Masutātorikkusutā. Probably, I may write another if needed but either way it won't be the last Flashback chapter all together; the rest will just be about other things.
"…"-Speaking '…'-Thoughts (…)-Extra Info *- Other Random Stuff
And like I said before you don't have to read the flashbacks chapters if you really don't want to. However I wish up would; it would make me happy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline, my OC, and my OC's Zanpakuto and its abilities. Tite Kubo has the rights to everything else.
Second Flashback Starts Now!
Two Years Ago: Three Weeks after fight in Menos Forest (Masutātorikkusutā's POV)
"This is annoying…" I thought to myself as I sat at the kitchen table chewing on a bite of my lunch.
"It is no one's fault but your own Masutā."
"Be quiet; damn koumori*." I hissed quietly as Kyōfu tried to put his two cents in. I tried not to sound like an ass but I didn't want to hear what I already knew.
"Well, someone's mad…" Kyōfu stated lowly.
I wasn't mad, I was just bothered. Three weeks ago I had brought a 'new housemate' back from Hueco Mundo. I had done it out of the pure kindness of my heart but the guy was being a real pain. The guy wouldn't even talk… I was starting to think that he was a mute or something; honestly! I had tried to get him to talk but he refused not matter want.
"Out of 'the kindness of your heart' oh gods have mercy!" Kyōfu shouted in disbelief.
Looking up I saw that my partner had materialized and now sat on the kitchen table right in front of me.
"You are so full of shit Masutā." Kyōfu accused as he glared at me, his orange colored eyes gleaming in the light.
"Perhaps…" I answered simply.
"Absolutely…" Kyōfu corrected as he continued to glare at me and tap his claws against the table top.
I listened to the sharp clicking of my partners' claws against the granite before speaking. "Maybe I am full of shit; but so what?"
"Because; it causes you to do stupid things like take care of the ones that attack you." A voice from the doorway cut in.
'Ugh… great, their ganging up on me over this one.' I thought as my other housemate entered the room.
Shiba Kaien; he was a young man with shaggy, raven black hair and sea-green eyes. He had been living with me for going on eight years and was one of my closest friends. Being an exile from Soul Society, it was rare to meet another Soul Reaper that didn't want to cut me up on the spot. So it was cool to have another Soul Reaper around since all of my other friends were humans. But sometimes (like right now for example) the guy could get on my nerves. He had sided with Kyōfu on the current situation from the beginning and it was slowly driving me crazy.
After I had defeated the guy that had attacked me Kaien showed up in the Menos Forest. He had sensed the increase in my reiatsu and had come to my aid. I had wrapped the whole fight up by the time he got there but as soon as he saw my injury he started freaking out about how I was going to bleed to death and that I should kill my attacker like a sane person or some shit. I told him to zip it and was able to convince him to help me get the unconscious man back to the world of the living.
And to add insult to injury (literally), Kaien had been right about the slashes on my face; they were a lot worse than I had originally thought (since I couldn't see them and tell for sure). I was going to heal them with kidō but I had lost so much blood that I didn't have the energy left and Kaien was no help because he was freaking out so much. I had to go to the hospital and get the deep cuts sewn up. That hurt worse than the injury itself in my opinion; that damn doctor and her man hands*1. I had a total of seventy-five stiches in my face (fifteen per slash) and a bandage that covered my whole cheek over that. I had to change the bandage every day and the stiches had to stay in for a whole five weeks (just two more weeks to go, thank the god's). Next time I must be more careful.
Of course I was a man with a bad stubborn streak and I hated the fact that they were questioning my decision to save the man from the Menos Forest. Still no matter would much I didn't like to admit it, those two had a valid point. But then again, I had already resolved to deal with it no matter how much of a hassle it was going to be.
"I swear if you two start in on me I'll kick your asses to Soul Society and back." I warned darkly before they could even open their mouths to say something else.
"H-hey no need for that."Kaien stammered as he waved his hands back and forth in defeat; he knew I would make good on that threat.
"He's just pissed because he knows we're right." Kyōfu stated blankly.
"Right or wrong I'll still beat you both."
"Whatever…" Kyofu stated not afraid of his masters' treat in the least.
I was quickly getting bored of this. I rose from my seat and headed for the door but not before throwing the rest of my lunch in the trash; the interruption had caused my appetite to leave me. As I headed through the doorway Kaien shouted at me.
"Hey! Where the heck are you going?" Kaien demanded.
"Where do you think!" I shouted back, I didn't really give him an answer but he already knew the answer so he had no need to ask.
I exited through the sliding door and walked across the porch and into the gardens. It was the middle of spring and the gardens were full of blooming flowers. The gardens were almost like a maze that stretched around the entire length of my estate; it was lovely but so extensive that it was also easy to get lost if you didn't already know where to go. The paths were crooked and the flowers all around could easily confuse someone that didn't have a good sense about them. But I had walked this paths many times and I knew where I was going.
Still I walked slowly as to enjoy the beauty of the muscari's, spirea's, tulip's, daffodil's, wood anemone's, and lilac's, that blanketed my path like an endless, carpet of bright colors. I had never been particularly fond of flowers at all but… these flowers; she would have liked them a lot. My friend from back when I was a young man in the Soul Society. Akaihana Pasu*2... She was my closest friend for as long as I can remember; even when no one else would stand by my side she stayed. But… she was killed, cut down in battle. She would have wanted to go out like that though; like the Soul Reaper that she was. The flowers in the gardens here were a tribute to her in a way; she loved to plant things. Other than training that had been her favorite things to do; she was an expert at growing plants and trees of all shapes and sizes. Yes; she would have liked this place very much.
I exited the gardens on the west side of the mansion and followed the redwood porch around to the side house that was attached to the main building. I had been walking this same path to the same destination for three weeks now; ever since I had been taking care of the strange man I had rescued in the Menos Forests. Three or four times a day I walked out here; trying to get him to explain himself to me or at the very least get his name. That plan had been a flop from the beginning; the man either couldn't or wouldn't speak. But I had never been one to give up so easily so every day I continued to try. Still after three weeks I was ready to forget my endeavor altogether. Stepping up to the door of my charge I knocked three times; no response came but I expected as much. I waited a moment before sliding the door open, stepping into the room, and turning back to slid the door shut again.
As always the blue eyed man was sitting on the floor in the far left corner of the room. His left leg was stretched out straight and his right leg was bent at the knee. His knee was positioned so that he could lay his right arm over it; his left arm was crossed over his right allowing both his hands to dangle freely. He had been staring out the window before I had come in but had turned his head towards the door when he heard me knock. It was the same as always; even though he refused to speak he never failed to look in my direction every time I entered the room. His face never held any emotion when he looked at me but I could still read what he was feeling. I could see the emotions in his eyes; his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor terribly. I could tell that he was wary of me, if not outright fearful. I had no clue why but his lack of speech wasn't helping me figure it out at all.
"Afternoon…" "…"
"How are you feeling? I suspect that your injury has quit hurting?" "…"
'Ugh… like pulling chicken teeth.*3' I thought in defeat.
I had tried everything to get him to talk but nothing worked. Still, it was good that the injury he had sustained to his side was no longer bothering him. I had healed the stab wound with kidō but I could tell that he had been in pain early last week. But he didn't seem to be in any pain now so I didn't worry about it and instead continued to try and get him to talk.
Half an hour later… and still not a word. Ugh… I swear I was better off trying to walk up a wall*4. I gave up on trying to get the other man to speak and just settled for sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the room. He had given me a weird look when I had sat down but otherwise he didn't look at me at all. His gaze was fixed on the world that lay beyond the glass of the window he was sitting next to. Having nothing to do since his lips were still sealed I pulled my I-pod out of my jeans pocket, shoved the left earbug in, and started scrolling for a good song. I let the right earbug dangling so I could still hear him in case he should choose to speak.
'Oh, this one…' I thought as I pushed the play button.
What do you see in the dark…?
When the demons come for you?
If only you could have seen…
How fucked up my life used to be.
Then everything starts to change…
Supposedly healing my pain.
I never thought I'd feel this way,
I never thought that I'd see a day;
I'd run away from anything or anywhere or anyone.
It's all these demons haunting me…
It's all these little things trapped inside of me;
Releasing me from all my sin.
It's taken me all of my anger,
And taken me all of my hate;
To learn how my life came together…
Releasing the demons again.
And now I look through my mind's eye…
And see where my past needs to rest.
It's always disturbed by these voices…
That echo inside of my head.
Another way that I can hide,
Another reason to crawl inside and get away;
From everything and everywhere and everyone.
NO!
It's all these demons haunting me…
It's all these little things trapped inside of me;
Releasing me from all my sin.
It's taken me all of my anger,
And taken me all of my hate;
To learn how my life came together.
Releasing the demons...again, again, again.
Facin' the days as I grow into my own,
Loving and hating's the same.
And three-fold I told you,
It comes back with laughter;
Over and over again…
It's coming back.
It's taken me all of my anger,
And taken me all of my hate;
To learn how my life came together…
Releasing the demons again.
Releasing (Releasing…) releasing the demons again.
Releasing the demons again.
Releasing the demons again.
(Normal POV)
Masutātorikkusutā was enjoying his music, completely unaffected by the look that his nameless counterpart was sending him. Muramasa was now eying the other man with great confusion; he had no clue what he was doing but it was loud enough to hear from across the room. The captive man wondered what the black haired man was listening to and tried to make out the words but it was useless. He couldn't understand any of it; just like when the strange man spoke to him, none of the words made sense. Muramasa was really bothered by the man that came to see him several times every day. By the spiritual pressure he was giving off it was clear that he was a Soul Reaper. However, the strange man never had a zanpakuto with him or any weapon for that matter. And there was the fact that the supposed Soul Reaper spoke a language that he was unable to understand. To the best of his knowledge he was somewhere in the soul Society and the man across from him was the guard that was to make sure he didn't try and escape. Unfortunately there were some holes in that theory as well. If he were imprisoned in Soul Society then there would have been more than one guard assigned to watch him and they would be stationed there twenty-four/seven. That combined with the fact that the head captain hadn't sentenced him to death already made the imprisoned man wonder if he was really in Soul Society at all. Muramasa was starting to lean more towards no, besides; there's no way Soul Society would let someone who had caused so much trouble and destruction stay in a 'jail cell' that was in the middle of a flower garden. Still; the man that was coming to try and speak with him day after day was very unnerving. The why he watched everything around him; like he knew what person planned to do and what they were thinking about.
So many things didn't make sense to the blue eyed man; Muramasa remembered everything up until the point of his death; and then nothing. But he was certain that he was alive at the moment. He knew that, but what had happened between when he 'died' and when he awoke in this room three weeks ago was a blank. He really wanted to get away from this place but unfortunately even if he could get out of the area he didn't think he would get very far.
"Masutā!"
The loud shout from outside the door caused Muramasa to nearly jump up off the floor in surprise. If the other man heard it he didn't make it obvious.
"Masutā!"
This time Masutātorikkusutā looked up from the device in his hand and turned his head towards the sliding door. He glared at the door in an almost spiteful way. A sigh escaped his lips as Masutātorikkusutā muttered something under his breath; Muramasa couldn't understand it but whatever he was saying it sounded like he was annoyed.
"Masutā!"
The voice shouted for the third time, louder than the last two times. Finally Masutātorikkusutā scowled in defeat as he got to his feet. He grunted in annoyance as he threw open the sliding door.
"Anata wa nani o shitai!" Masutātorikkusutā shouted back as the slid the door closed again.
'Well…I understood that.' Muramasa thought in confusion; up until then he hadn't got a word the over man had said.
Before he could stop himself Muramasa crept closer to the door, hoping to hear the strange man and whoever he was speaking with say something else that he could make out. The two people on the other side of the door had moved away a bit but they were talking loudly so Muramasa could still hear them quite well. Ok… the two were almost shouting at one another really; but they weren't shouting anything else that he could understand so it didn't matter how loud they were being. The conversation continued for several minutes and neither person said anything else that Muramasa was able to understand. Just as he was about to return to his spot on the floor the person that was talking to his guardian shouted loudly.
"Baka, anata no kuso no kokoro o ushinatte shimatta!"*
Muramasa winced slightly at the volume of the shout as the voice of his capture responded. The response was a wave of deep, rolling laughter. Muramasa found it odd that the man was laughing at something that was insulting but he figured that the guy was probably nuts anyways. Muramasa made a move to back away from the door but before he could the door slid open. And true to the bad luck he was having Muramasa was leaning against the door as it was opening.
Muramasa fell forward but was able to catch himself before he hit the floor. That was when he realized that he was only about a foot away from his capture. Muramasa was very uncomfortable; he wanted so badly to move away but he was frozen in shock and fear. He was so shocked that he didn't notice that the other man has leaning closer.
"Oi!"
The sudden sound caused Muramasa to jerk his head up; and once he realized how close the other man was he jumped back slightly. Masutātorikkusutā had been leaning forward when he spoke but now that Muramasa had moved further away he stood up fully. Muramasa's eyes widened as the other man stood at his full height; he had known that the man was tall but he hadn't realized he was that tall. Muramasa was six feet tall but his counterpart was at least four inches taller; combine his height with his broad shoulders and the man looked like a tank just waiting to crush something. Muramasa had been intimidated by the man's presence from the start but now he was downright afraid. If the man decided to attack him Muramasa knew that he would be done for. Still; if the man had wanted to get rid of him then why was he alive at all?
"Tryin' so sneak off are we? Or… were you trying to eavesdrop on me?" Masutātorikkusutā asked more to himself since the other man wouldn't answer.
(Masutātorikkusutā's POV)
'I swear… I'm taking a vacation. Somewhere far, far away from California if at all possible.' I thought darkly as I ended my conversation with my equally livid partner.
Kyōfu had tracked me down just so he could yell in my ear. Well actually he had come to tell me one of my agents had called to yell in my ear; not something I wanted to hear. I told him to tell the guy I was busy but Kyōfu said the guy wouldn't have any of that 'sorry old excuse'. I wasn't going to talk to the guy cause I knew which agent it was and he was what I liked to call 'the biggest prick from here to China'. I tried to get Kyōfu to tell him to call later; Kyōfu wasn't really happy with me dumping the problem on him so he demanded to know how to get rid of the guy.
"It's simple…"
"Is that so…"
"Yeah, tell him Masutā has a message for him."
"And what message would that be?"
"Tell him I said to stick it!"
"Baka, anata no kuso no kokoro o ushinatte shimatta!"*
I had to laugh; even if he had just cussed at me his expression was hilarious. Kyōfu left quickly still damning me through the various levels of hell, (probably a few that didn't even exist). After he left I had planned to do the same until I realized that I was missing something. My shark tooth necklace; when I was listening to my music I had removed the necklace and fiddled with it. To shave off the boredom really; but dumbass me must have dropped it when I stood up. With a sigh I opened the sliding door only to have my strange new houseguest almost fall into me. He seemed to freeze once he realized I was there but I was already annoyed so I spoke in an effort to get the man's attention. He actually jumped back a bit in surprise. I had been leaning forward up until now so I stood to my full height before walking into the room leaving the door open this time. The mute man had backed away even further and was staring at me with wide eyes. I took a moment to stare back; he was frightened of me. I could read it in his eyes; I asked him if he had been listening to my conversation or if he had planned on escaping; no answer. He could just leave if he really wanted to; the door didn't lock and I didn't place a barrier around the exit either; still he probably doesn't know where he is.
(Normal POV)
Muramasa had every intention of returning to the far corner of the room; he quickly realized how bad he had screwed up. He shouldn't have tried to listen in and now it may end up costing him. Before he could think of a way to defuse the situation the taller man had used shunpo and had appeared in front of him. The taller man's face was set in a blank expression but his eyes looked almost menacing. Muramasa went to take another step back but realized he couldn't move; like some unknown force had frozen him into place. Muramasa could do nothing but stare into the eyes of the man in front of him. Those eyes; deep pools of violet with flecks of indigo blue at the outside edge of the irises. And in the center of the eyes around the pupil; a deep, molten red. The red contrasted sharply with the large amount of purple and flowed out from around the pupil almost like a dark colored blood.
The taller man's gaze was so oppressive that Muramasa felt like he was choking; to make matters worse the pressure was steadily increasing the longer caribbean-blue clashed with smothering purple and burning red.
'H-how is he… doing this. He isn't even flaring his reiatsu…' Muramasa thought.
It was true; the taller man's reiatsu had remained as level as it had been from the start. Was it possible? Was the force Muramasa was feeling coming solely from the gaze the taller man had cast upon him? It was horrifying in a way; that someone could hold so much power in a single gesture. Muramasa gritted his teeth as the weight on his shoulders grew even heavier; it was quickly becoming too much for him to handle since he had not yet regained his full strength. However; Muramasa was unsure if he could deal with such an intense pressure even at his full power. The weight on his shoulders had extended to his chest and at this point it was almost impossible for Muramasa to breathe.
Masutātorikkusutā had been staring at the other man for a moment or so trying to decide if he should be pissed that the guy was eavesdropping or not. In truth he didn't really care what the guy was doing at first but then he had starting acting weird. He froze like he couldn't move and was now staring back at Masutātorikkusutā in fear. Masutātorikkusutā didn't get it; he hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction (as of yet…). Confused Masutātorikkusutā slow cocked his head to the left before cocking it back straight and repeating the process in the other direction. As he did this the man in front of him tensed and seemed to be having trouble breathing. Masutātorikkusutā was completely unaware of the effect his gaze was having on the shorter man; Muramasa felt as though his soul itself was being pulled into the violet orbs of his counterpart. The man's irises were staring into Muramasa's soul; he could feel it as the pressure seemed to intensify once again.
Masutātorikkusutā was getting ready to shout at the man again for behaving to oddly for no reason but before he could open his mouth a bolt of what felt like electricity surged through him. The zap went straight to his head as images passed before his eyes. Masutātorikkusutā had experienced the current sensation before; his odd 'abilities' could sometimes be a pain in the ass. Though most of the time he could choose whose memories or personalities he could look at sometimes he wasn't able to control what he learned or saw when he looked into a person's eyes. This was one of those times; the images flashed before him, quick but vivid and clear. So many memories and emotions flowed through his system; memories and feelings that were not his own. Memories of blood, injury, loss, and betrayal; they were bad but not as bad as the emotions that flowed through Masutātorikkusutā's brain. Emotions were always dangerous for Masutātorikkusutā; being empathic the emotions that he sensed were amplified to the extremes. The emotions he was getting from the man in front of him were heavy and Masutātorikkusutā thought that he would be able to cut through them with his zanpakuto if he had it with him. Anger was one of the emotions, anger at one person mainly but also self-anger. Pain; whether it counted as an emotion or not it was strong; both physical and emotional pain…pain steaming from the betrayal. Several other emotions but there was one that stood out over the rest…despair. Despair; it had dominated the world of the man Masutātorikkusutā had been taking care of. It had been dominant for a long time; eating and clawing away at the poor man. Muramasa's despair had been made worse be all the hollows that Masutātorikkusutā had driven out of him; and it had tried to destroy him.
The strange electric sensation was quickly becoming painful as the emotions of the tortured soul flowed through Masutātorikkusutā's head. He had to break the connection; Masutātorikkusutā did just that and in an instant the connection broke like a metal chain that had been stretched to its strength limit. Bad, very bad. As the link broke a pain erupted in Masutātorikkusutā's head, right behind his eyes. Slamming his eyes shut Masutātorikkusutā automatically brought his left hand up to his face and used his palm to put pressure directly on his eye. As Masutātorikkusutā tried to relief the pain behind his eyes Muramasa gasped as the restricting weight evaporated and he was able to breathe again. Masutātorikkusutā backed away closer to the door while Muramasa collapsed against the opposite wall. Muramasa slid to the floor breathing rapidly from the lack of air.
"Imaimashī…*" Masutātorikkusutā muttered under his breath as his head continued to throb painfully.
Masutātorikkusutā felt like his eyes had been stabbed with two hypodermic needles. His vision became blurry and he wanted to rip his eyes out to relief the pressure that was being placed on them. Masutātorikkusutā opened and closed his eyes over and over trying to regain his ability to see; his vision slowly returned but everything looked red. Masutātorikkusutā continued to rub his eyes but the red tint didn't go away. Giving up Masutātorikkusutā glanced at Muramasa once more before exiting the room and staggering down the porch like a drunk.
Masutātorikkusutā managed to find his way back to his own room still staggering and cursing under his breath. He wasn't sure what had happened but it hadn't been very enjoyable. Masutātorikkusutā quickly walked to his bathroom mirror to get a better look at his eyes. They appeared to be fine but the aching still persisted; his vision remained reddened and he could find no explanation for it. The strange redness of his vision, like his eyes were bleeding… still the mirror didn't lie. There was no blood in his eyes at all.
Masutātorikkusutā decided to rest, trying to give the pain in his eyes time to subside. For about an hour Masutātorikkusutā laid on his bed; his legs hanging over the side as he stared at the black ceiling. His room was big like most of the rooms in his mansion and all the walls and the ceiling were painted mid-night black. Even the floor was covered in soft, black carpet. His room was as Kaien called it 'a gothic style nightmare'; in truth nothing about the room was gothic at all…it was just really dark. Either way the dark was good for simply resting like he was now; still he was quickly getting bored. Getting to his feet Masutātorikkusutā walked to his bookshelf and pulled out a book before walking into his study/office. The study was attached to his sleeping quarters and was even bigger since this was where he spent most of his time. Walking to one of the walls he grabbed his zanpakuto from its hanging place and tied it around his back. He quickly exited his study, descended the stairs, and headed outside.
He continued to walk out through the gardens and into the redwood forest that surrounded his estate. Kaien saw him leaving from where he stood on one of the balconies and quickly stopped him.
"Hey, Masutātorikkusutā where you going?" Kaien shouted from above.
"Nowhere…" Masutātorikkusutā answered quickly.
"You have to be going somewhere..."
"…Just to walk; I like to walk*5."Masutātorikkusutā responded slowly after a moment.
"Reading that book again are you?"
"Yes Kaien…"
"Try not to fall and break something while you're tromping through those hills." Kaien teased.
"See you later Kaien…" Masutātorikkusutā responded tonelessly.
"When you coming back!" Kaien hollered as his friend disappeared into the tree line.
"Never!"
"Not funny man!"
What Masutātorikkusutā was doing wasn't entirely unusual; in fact at least once a week he would roam the hills of the red wood forests for hours. Sometimes he would travels a number of miles away from his home and not return until the sun was setting. However he had never decided to go on one of his adventures in such a spontaneous fashion before. He figured that he needed to clear his head and just staring at the ceiling wasn't going to cut it this time. The pain in his eyes had almost disappeared and the world had returned to its normal color palette but the images had not left his mind. The memories had come from the man that Masutātorikkusutā was watching over; that was something he was certain of. Still; it wasn't where the memories came from that was bothering him; it was what the memories depicted. Masutātorikkusutā was quickly giving himself a headache and since he had had enough pain in his head for one day he forced what he had learned completely by mistake to the back of his mind.
"Masutā… are you alright?"Kyōfu asked with concern from inside his masters' mind.
"I am fine Kyōfu…" His wielder answered almost absentmindedly.
Kyōfu could tell that his master was lying but the zanpakuto spirit didn't press the issue. Masutātorikkusutā eventually arrived at one of his favorite spots; a wide, rushing river overlooked by a steep, craggy rock face. Hopping onto the rocks like a nimble mountain goat Masutātorikkusutā came to the spot he had been looking for. A flat ledge of rock that jetted out from the rock face over the river. The top of the ledge was just big enough for Masutātorikkusutā to sit down cross-legged, which he did. Masutātorikkusutā had been in the human world for longer than he cared to remember and one of the things he did most was travel; he had traveled all over the world and seen many things. That was why he loved living in the red wood forest; they were so extensive and full of so many beautiful sites that it was unbelievable. Kaien had once asked him why he went into the woods for hours at a time when he had already been through the whole forest before. Masutātorikkusutā had laughed before saying 'It is impossible to see everything this world has to offer; but I will continue to explore so I can see everything I can before I finally do kick the bucket.'
However; Masutātorikkusutā wasn't really focused all that much on the world around him as he removed his zanpakuto from his back and placed it on the ledge in front of him. He closed his eyes' and concentrated and it wasn't long before he had left the human world and entered the world of his own mind.
Masutātorikkusutā's inner world:
Masutātorikkusutā opened his eyes slowly only to be meet with darkness; he wasn't worried though, his eyes would adjust soon. And even though he couldn't see yet he knew where he was and where he was heading so he could walk through the darkness with ease. He walked through the black until it grew lighter; he was coming to a more open area. The area was the main room of his inner world. His inner world was basically a cave; it corresponded with the fact that his zanpakuto took the form of a bat. (Masutātorikkusutā had even called this part of his mind 'The Bat Cave' much to his partners' displeasure.) The main part of the cave was an open space with numerous tunnels and passages attached to it that lead to places that only Masutātorikkusutā and Kyōfu knew about. Like the rest of the labyrinth-like cave the space was dark but the ceiling had many places where rock was missing which allowed light to flow in. It gave the cave a hazy, soft light. Both the ceiling and floor were littered with icicle stalagmites'; every once in a while you could hear the sound of water droplets falling from the stalagmites' onto the stone floor. The space was beautiful in its own way; the prefect home for the spirit of Masutātorikkusutā's zanpakuto. Speak of the devil there he was, hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Masutātorikkusutā crossed the room as Kyōfu opened his orange orbs and flew down from his resting place to land on the floor.
"So… are you going to lie to me again?" Kyofu hissed.
"When did I lie?"
"Just a moment ago… you said you were fine, but you're not." Kyofu retored again.
"You're crazy…"
"Do not lie to me; I am your zanpakuto… I know if you lie." Kyofu stated.
"If you know that I lied then you also know what I lied about."
"Sort of… may I ask what your 'charge' did to you?" Kyofu questioned in worry.
"It was my fault; my abilities decided to act up."
"I've told you not to stare at a person; that's why it happens!" Kyofu scolded his master.
"Hai, Hai*…"
Masutātorikkusutā ended the conversation as he moved to the spot he sat whenever he entered his inner world; he always sat by the edge of a natural spring that would seep up through the rocks. The spring was really large enough to be an underground lake but Masutātorikkusutā didn't really care what it was called; he just liked that it was there. Of course it wasn't just a lake; Masutātorikkusutā had given it the name Memori no mizu *; and it was where the memories were seen.
Both his memories and the memories of others; all were stored and reflected in the calm waters of the lake. Calling the memories forth and playing them back was an easy thing to do but Masutātorikkusutā had seen enough memories in one day already. Instead Masutātorikkusutā pulled out the book that he had brought with him and cracked it open to the first page. His favorite book…The Green Mile. The book had been published in 1996 and after sixteen years he still had the same first edition copy he started with. Most people thought that Masutātorikkusutā was all brawn and no brain but in fact one of the things he loved to do was read. Anything he found interesting he read and remembered. And with the number of times he had read The Green Mile he could pretty much quote the whole thing word for word. He was reading it once again and the best place to read (in his opinion) was the quiet of his own mind.
"Again with that book?" Kyōfu questioned as he made his way to his masters' side and sat down just to him.
"Yeah…" Masutātorikkusutā answered already engrossed in the book.
"…"
"…"
"I've looked into the water's; I saw the same thing you did."the bat spirit informed its master.
Masutātorikkusutā slowly lowered his book before speaking, "What would you have me do?"
"…Find out what they mean." Kyofu answered quickly.
"They bother you too; don't they?"
"…Yes…" Kyofu confirmed.
"Be that as it may; it is not my place to dig into other people lives."
"So… you're going to let the whole thing go?" Kyofu demanded.
"If he sees fit to, he'll tell us what the memories mean."
"And if he doesn't… you're okay with that?" Koyfu questioned.
"Yes…yes I am…"
"Hmm…"
"You're beginning to care Kyōfu; I'm surprised. I thought you said he was the enemy?"
"He is not our enemy; and… what happened to him… is unforgivable."
"…Indeed…"
Masutātorikkusutā didn't speak anymore; his nose was firmly buried in his book and it wasn't coming back out anytime soon. Kyōfu didn't speak anymore either; he knew it was useless to try and talk to his partner when he was reading his favorite book. Kyōfu yawned before laying down a few feet away from his master to take a nap (had to do something with his spare time, didn't he?).
Hours passed; Kyōfu napped as Masutātorikkusutā read like a book worm*6. In an instant Masutātorikkusutā snapped his head up and closed his book; he was only halfway through with it but he felt that it was time to get back home. Standing quickly Masutātorikkusutā tried to walk quietly as to not disturb his partner who was still asleep.
"Where are you going?"Kyōfu asked still groggy from sleep (Masutātorikkusutā may have been quiet but his partner had bat ear after all).
"Home… go back to sleep Kyōfu."
Kyōfu complied since he was still too sleepy to get up; with another yawn he settled back down to continue his nap.
Back in the Human World
Masutātorikkusutā's violet eyes opened slowly; he stared out at the river below him before slowly getting to his feet. He returned his zanpakuto to its spot on his back before he carefully descended the rocky outcrop and headed back to his mansion. The walk back didn't take nearly as long as the walk there (Masutātorikkusutā was very glad for that since he was in need of a nap of his own). Entering the back of the gardens Masutātorikkusutā waved his way through the carpeting of flowers; he wanted to get to his room unseen by Kaien. If Kaien saw him he would bombard him with random, senseless questions about his adventure through the woods like he always did. Masutātorikkusutā often wondered why the annoying man didn't venture into the woods to see for himself what was in the woods but Masutātorikkusutā never bothered to voice his question. Luckily Masutātorikkusutā was a very stealthy person despite his tall, broad physique. He hadn't been considered one of the main founders of the Stealth Force for nothing after all. He may have never been an actual member but his skills of infiltration and concealment were second to none; (how else would he have been able to stay out of Soul Society's radar for so long)?
Coming upon the koi pond in the center of the gardens Masutātorikkusutā quickly planned which way was the best to go and was about to make his move when something caught his eye. Or rather someone, his charge was out of his room; siting on the ground on the other side of the koi pond. Masutātorikkusutā had been in mid-stride when he had noticed the other man and was so shocked at seeing him outside that he wasn't paying any attention to where his foot was going. His right foot came down too close to the edge of the pond and the wet grass instantly caused his foot to slip.
"Arrghh!" 'SPLASH!'
Earlier:
Muramasa was annoyed; after the earlier confrontation with the black haired man he had almost passed out from lack of oxygen and had gotten sick to his stomach. He had sat still on the floor for ten minutes just trying to regain his breath and make sure he didn't puke. After the nausea had passed Muramasa had laid down on the bed that had been provided to him and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know how long his eyes here glued to the ceiling or even why he was staring at it but he did it anyways. He wasn't really looking at the ceiling to much though; his mind was racing with thoughts of the strange look the man guarding him had directed his way. He tried to forget it but it was impossible to get the man's intense stare out of his mind. Getting annoyed with himself Muramasa had gotten up from the bed; he didn't know what he planned to do (since there wasn't really anything in the room to do) but in his mind anything was better than lying around. Upon getting to his feet Muramasa had noticed something on the floor at the other end of the room. He quickly walked towards it and picked it up, bringing it close to his face to get a good look at it. The object dangled from his claw-like nails as he realized what it was. It was a necklace, a brown rope material with what appeared to be a large tooth attached to it. Muramasa had no idea where such a large, sharp tooth had come from but he had seen his guard with it around his neck almost always. Figuring that the guard would return at some point Muramasa had slipped the necklace into his pocket and planned to return the necklace to its owner when he returned. However, as he had turned to walk back to his bed Muramasa noticed something that he couldn't believe that he had overlooked. The sliding door that was always completely shut had been left slightly ajar; allowing a thin ray of sunlight to shine across the floor. The door had been left open…
'When he staggered out; he must have not closed it all the way.' Muramasa thought as he stared at the gap between the wall and door.
Muramasa realized that he could escape if he wanted to, still; he didn't have the faintest idea of where he was. Ignoring the half of his mind that was telling him to stay put Muramasa slid the door open using just the tips of his fingers. The door opened slowly; Muramasa didn't what anyone to hear him after all. Exiting the room and shutting the door as slowly as he had opened it Muramasa looked around, trying to decide which way he should go. Left, right, or straight ahead… choices, choices. Muramasa had opted to head straight, out into the gardens; at least he would round a corner on the porch and run smack into someone.
Several hours of walking had been both exhausting and fruitless at finding his guard. Muramasa was really unhappy as he sat down at the edge of a koi pond that he was sure he had passed about five different times. He had ventured into the large gardens without realizing just how huge they really were. Thus he had gotten himself into the current situation; lost in a sea of flower blooms. He was really wishing that he had stayed put instead of wandering around completely unaware of where he was or where he was going. If anyone were to walk by the pond at that moment they would have been meet with a sight that looked quite comical. Muramasa sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms folded across his chest. He was glaring evilly at several of the koi fish in the water in front of him almost as though they themselves were the cause of his current predicament. From a distance it could be said that he almost seemed to be pouting. Muramasa was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that someone was coming closer; of course that person didn't notice Muramasa either since they were trying to sneak back to their room undetected. That didn't work to well though; for when that sneaking man noticed Muramasa out and about he failed to notice where his foot was going.
"Arrghh!" 'SPLASH!'
Current Time:
Muramasa didn't know what was going on; one minute he was looked into the calm waters of the koi pond. The next moment someone across the pond the sound of someone crying out followed be a loud splash was heard. The splash was violent; it sent multiple ripples across the once calm water; it disturbed all the koi which swam for cover. Muramasa did jump up this time; the sudden commotion had scared the heck out of him. Just as he had started to wonder what the hell had happened Masutātorikkusutā broke the surface of the water and scrambled out of the pond all in one swift movement. (Oh wait, he was out? Cover your ears ;p)
"Motherfucking son of a bitch!" Masutātorikkusutā roared at the top of his lungs.
And that was just the start; more colorful words and phrases poured out of Masutātorikkusutā's mouth as he stood on the bank. He was making more of a fit than any cat ever would*7. His clothes were dripping with water and he was soaked to the bone; his hair stuck to his face as he continued to curse while trying to move the wet, black strands out of his eyes. Unfortunately in this instance Masutātorikkusutā knew that he was the only one to blame; so much for sneaking around. Masutātorikkusutā shut his eyes and counted backwards from ten to keep himself from blowing the koi pond to smithereens; what had he done to deserve this anyways.
Laughing… a deep chuckle coming from the right of him. Someone was laughing at Masutātorikkusutā's misfortune; a hushed chuckle… as though the person didn't what to be heard. Turning his head Masutātorikkusutā realized that his charge was laughing at him; the man refused to speak but he was laughing! Masutātorikkusutā really needed a nap at this point, but first he was going to beat the crap out of something; or someone. Using shunpo to get to the other side of the pond Masutātorikkusutā glared at the man who had the gall to laugh at him. The man jumped slightly when Masutātorikkusutā appeared but was still unable to stop snickering. Muramasa couldn't help it; the guy that had been scaring the hell out of him had fell into the water and was acting like he was going to die because of it. It was funny and even though Muramasa almost never laughed he just had to at this scene. He had even covered his mouth with his hand trying to quiet himself but it hadn't done much to help since the taller man was now in front of him giving a look that said he was going to kill him if he didn't shut up in that moment.
"What are you laughing at?" Masutātorikkusutā hissed as he crossed his arms.
Muramasa quickly stopped laughing at seeing how mad the taller man looked. The only sound now came from the water dripping from Masutātorikkusutā's clothes onto the grass. Muramasa didn't understand what he had said but he figured the man was asking something along the lines of what he was doing or why has he there. It was just a guess but it was probably accurate (just like Muramasa's assumption that the man had been cursing his head off when he first jumped out of the pond). Normally Muramasa wouldn't say anything in response. But between how ridiculous the taller man looked and his own odd behavior Muramasa had an apparent lapse in focus.
"Mochiron anata ni…" Muramasa answered before he even realized he had spoken.
Dead silence followed those words; the first words he had spoken to his guard. The drenched man looked like he had been whacked over the head; Muramasa had the momentary thought that the man had been so shocked that he had finally spoken that it had caused him to go blank. Muramasa noticed that the taller man's eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets and that his skin was really pale. Just what was in that pond water?
"Fuck me!"
Masutātorikkusutā shouted as he threw his arms up and shook his head. Muramasa was surprised by the sudden outburst and backed away just in case the taller man finally snapped and tried to kill him. Actually, now that Muramasa thought about it; the other guy would probably catch up with him if he tried to run; lucky him. Masutātorikkusutā chuckled to himself as he grinned like a fool. Now it made sense; of course the over man never answered, because he didn't speak English. This was the reason for his shouting; he felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. Calming down Masutātorikkusutā returned his attention to the man across from him.
"Watashi ga anata ni itta nani demo, watashi no kenri o rikai shite inai?"
"Anata ga tadashīdesu…"
"Sugureta... Dakara, Sōrusosaeti karadesu. Watashi wa migida?"
"Ichido watashi ga sōrusosaeti karadatta."
"Ichido ni? Kyōmibukai…"
There was a moment of silence between the two as Masutātorikkusutā turned his attention to the other side of the koi pond. He wasn't really looking at anything; he was simply contemplating something. Muramasa was getting nervous; the other man could speak the same language as him after all. Still; Muramasa wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. What now?
"Watashitoisshoni aruku…" Masutātorikkusutā spoke suddenly breaking Muramasa from his thoughts.
Masutātorikkusutā had already started walking away while Muramasa stayed rooted in his spot. He was unsure if he could really trust the over man; after wandering around for hours Muramasa didn't think that he was in Soul Society but he didn't know anything about the other man's connections with the Seretei. While he was debating the situation he was in Muramasa happened to look up towards the taller man. Said man had stopped walking and had turned half-way around to look at him. Masutātorikkusutā didn't speak but his eyes held a look of question in them; suddenly those eyes didn't look nearly as intimidating as they had earlier. Giving in Muramasa followed behind Masutātorikkusutā as he moved through the gardens and into the mansion in an almost sneaky manner. Muramasa thought of asking the man why he was being so wary in his own house but figured he didn't really want the answer. Following his guide through the endless hallways Muramasa wondered what was going to happen and hoped that if he was going to be killed that it was quick. But he figured that he was in better hands than that of Soul Society (it least he hoped so). The two walked up four sets of stairs and down a long hallway till they reached the end; at the end of the hallway was a set of double doors. Large wooden doors that had been stained red; they looked way to ornate in Muramasa's opinion but he said nothing as Masutātorikkusutā moved to open them. Muramasa was certain that the doors were heavy and didn't know how the man planned to open them by himself; however Masutātorikkusutā placed one hand on the crack between the two doors and pushed them open with ease (Muramasa made a mental note not to piss the other guy off because he probably had enough strength to snap his neck if the thought came to mind).
Muramasa entered the room and was immediately stunned by its interior. The room was huge, the ceiling was at least fifteen feet tall and every wall was covered in shelves of books. All the furniture was a dark oak color aside from the large desk at the far end of the room. The desk was a deep red color and was covered with books, papers, writing utensils, and other things that weren't completely recognizable. Not really messy; more cluttered. Muramasa wasn't sure what purpose the room severed but he was enjoying the architecture; and the paintings. Three paintings on the back wall; Muramasa had no idea who painted them or what they were but they were still nice to look at. A creaking sound was heard and Muramasa turned his head in time to see Masutātorikkusutā's retreating back as he entered a door in the room that Muramasa hadn't noticed before. Muramasa wondered where the man was going but didn't think about it long as he returned his attention to the room and its artwork.*8
Several minutes passed before the door creaking was heard again; Muramasa turned to see Masutātorikkusutā re-enter the room. He had changed into some dry clothes and had a towel slung over his head as he tried to dry his hair. When he was satisfied that his hair was dry enough Masutātorikkusutā allowed the towel to hang around his neck as he walked to his desk and placed his zanpakuto on a small pile of folders and paper. Muramasa took notice of the sword but quickly redirected his attention to Masutātorikkusutā who had thrown something to him. Catching it easily Muramasa realized the object was a pill of some sorts; a small, yellow pill. Muramasa looked at the other man questionably before the man spoke.
"Sore o taberu…Sore wa watashitachi ga otagai o rikai suru no ni yakudachimasu."
"Migi, watashi wa anata ga watashi ni doku o keikaku shite inai koto ka o shitte imasu ka?"
"Anata ga shinai... Shikashi, watashi wa shinaidarou."
Muramasa gave in and popped the pill into his mouth, crunched it up, and swallowed it. After a few minutes he didn't feel strange but he was still worried that he would keel over dead at any moment.
"Can you understand me?"
Muramasa realized that he could indeed understand the taller man; and also knew how to respond.
"Yes… I can understand you."
"Good…"
Silence; again with the silence.
"Questions…"
"Huh?"
"Questions… I'm sure you have some."
"…Yeah; a few."
Muramasa fired off question after question to the black haired man; all of which he answered honestly. He figured out that after his 'death' he had ended up in the menos forest of Hueco Mundo and that Masutātorikkusutā had saved him. He was in the world of the living in some place called California which was across the ocean from Japan which was where most hollow activity was based. However there was also a large hollow problem in the United States which was one of the reasons Masutātorikkusutā lived there. And no; the black haired man was not connected to Soul Society and didn't even know anything about what had been going on there. But he was a soul Reaper, a very high level one too; he had once been the captain of the tenth division long ago. In fact he was the first captain of the tenth division.
"So the tenth got a new captain?"
"Yes…"
"Hmmm… Well, I left the Seretei about five hundred years ago; so I suppose they had to find another skilled soul*9 to take my place."
"A captain doesn't just leave his squad." Muramasa remarked quietly.
"Do you insult me?" Masutātorikkusutā questioned with ice in his voice.
"No…you couldn't have simply left."
"He didn't leave till after he did something stupid!"A voice shouted from somewhere else in the room.
Turning towards the sound Muramasa didn't see anyone but the voice had come from the direction of the desk.
"Now, now… no need to get upset."
"Ha! It's your fault anyways for risking your whole live for me." The voice snapped again.
"What I did was a personal vendetta; of course I would do something like that for my partner."
"You are reckless; you act without any thought of the consequences." The voice retorted
Muramasa recognized the voice as the person who had been talking to the man he now knew as Masutātorikkusutā outside of his room earlier. A hissing sound was heard as the sword glowed red and a tornado of wind and reaitsu erupted from it. As the wind dissipated Muramasa finally saw the individual who had been speaking; a really large bat. Said bat sat on the desk in a hunched over manner; the creatures wings flexed slightly as the animal glared at Masutātorikkusutā with bright orange eyes.
"This is my zanpakuto… Kyōfu no sakebi." Masutātorikkusutā stated as the gestured lazily in the bats' direction.
"H-how… how has your zanpakuto materialized?" Muramasa asked stunned.
"It is a strange thing indeed; a zanpakuto being able to take on a physical form." Masutātorikkusutā stated as his partner jumped from the desk and glided over to rest on his masters' shoulders.
"A zanpakuto is an extension of the masters' soul…"
"But… the zanpakuto and master are in fact separate beings." Kyofu continued.
The relationship between the two is based on communication and trust; above all else…"
"A communication that varies from shinigami to shinigami." Again kyofu finished the sentence.
"In our case; the level of trust me and Kyōfu have is so strong that he is able to take on this form."
"Not many masters and swords have such a close connection; that is why most zanpakuto can't materialize at their own will." Kyofu spoke once more.
"In fact; I believe that Kyōfu is the only Zanpakuto that can." Masutātorikkusutā stated as he reached his arm back to scratch Kyōfu's ears; an act which the bat rather enjoyed.
"You look surprised…" Masutātorikkusutā pointed out blankly.
Muramasa had been quite surprised by the information but quickly responded. "I am; I didn't think that any Zanpakuto spirit's had such an ability."
"Yes you did…" The bat spirit spoke up from his master's shoulder.
"Kyōfu is right; in fact… you are well aware of such an ability."
'How did they how that?' Muramasa thought in slight panic before the taller man continued.
"I have gauged your spiritual pressure; you are neither a Soul Reaper nor a Hollow. No; your spiritual pressure is more unique."
"You have a spiritual pressure pattern of a Zanpakuto… am I right?" Kyofu asked.
"You are correct…" Muramasa admitted in defeat.
"Then tell me this; if you are a Zanpakuto then where is your wielder?"
The question sent shivers down Muramasa's spine but he answered with the truth. "My master is dead…" The statement sounded so off coming from his mouth; but it was the truth.
"Impossible… a Zanpakuto cannot exist without a wielder." Kyofu insisted.
"And yet I am right here, standing before you." Muramasa retorted with a slight edge in his voice.
"He is right; his master is dead…"
"And just how do you know that?" Muramasa inquired.
"Because…I don't imagine that you would lie. And…I have seen it."
"You have seen it?"
"I am what you would call empathic; I can pick up on things that others can't. When our eyes locked; do you remember that?"
Muramasa nodded; of course he remembered that.
"Well; when I look into someone's eyes long enough I can figure out things about them."
"Is that so?"
"You do not believe me…"
"It sounds very odd…"
"Indeed…"
"Perhaps you will need to prove it to him Masutā." Koyfu suggested.
"To prove my abilities is a near impossibility…But I do have an idea…"
"You haven't given me your name yet…" Masutātorikkusutā stated as he turned his attention from the bat on his shoulders back to his nameless guest who nodded in conformation.
"Well…what if I said that I already knew it."
"I would say you were lying." Muramasa answered not liking the taller mans' statement.
"I don't lie…" Masutātorikkusutā answered seriously.
"Fine…if you don't lie then you can tell me my name." Muramasa challenged.
The whole room grew silent as Masutātorikkusutā leaned his head back to look at the ceiling. However he closed his eyes so he couldn't see anything. He had the strangest expression, although it was difficult to see his whole face. Kyōfu took this moment to jump from his master's shoulders and glide back to the desk he had started at. Muramasa continued to stare at Masutātorikkusutā who seemed to forget that the shorter man was there all together. Muramasa had half a mind to repeat himself but didn't. These went on for a while; Masutātorikkusutā didn't even seem to care. In truth he was once again contemplating something to himself. But eventually he snapped out of his inner musings and returned his attention to the current situation. Lowering his head back down but keeping his eyes closed Masutātorikkusutā answered the challenge that had been given to him.
"Muramasa…your name is Muramasa."
Muramasa sucked in his breath at the man's answer; how could he possibly know that? Masutātorikkusutā's expression remained the same; completely unreadable. Before either of them could speak the energy in the room shifted drastically. The shifting energy pooled into the center of the room, right in the middle of the ten foot space between the two men. The energy crackled and buzzed as it began to take on a visible form. The energy formed into small, purple shards and the shards melded together at form an object. The object was thin and seemed to float horizontally in the air. The object was covered in a purple light which caused it to be obscured but Masutātorikkusutā thought that it resembled a sword.
"Great… what now?" Kyōfu muttered without receiving an answer.
Slowly Masutātorikkusutā stepped up to the glowing object; he walked around it several times just looking at it. Finally he raised he right hand and reached out to grab it. Kyōfu shouted at him to leave it alone but Masutātorikkusutā had already gripped the end of it. The object sizzled as Masutātorikkusutā closed his hand firmly around what he suspected was the hilt of a sword. The sizzling continued as the purple light dissolved away finally reviling the object fully. It was a sword, a katana to be exact.
Muramasa almost choked at the site of the katana; he recognized it. The purple and black hilt cord along with the design on the guard; there was no mistaking it. Masutātorikkusutā raised the sword closer to his face to inspect it. He watched the light reflect of the blade in different ways as the moved it into different positions. Slowly Masutātorikkusutā swung the sword to his left, testing the feel and balance of it in his hand. Kyōfu again shouted at his master in watch where he was swinging it but Masutātorikkusutā took no notice. He swung the sword back to his right before raising the blade above his head and bringing it straight down.
"This is a good sword*10…" Masutātorikkusutā stated more to himself than anyone else before he turned back to Muramasa.
He held the blade up before he spoke. "This is you… is it not?"
Muramasa nodded blankly the whole time staring at the blade. The blade that was himself; the blade that had been broken in half right before his eyes. How had it mended; Kouga was dead!
"So… your master is dead; but this blade appeared to me. What does that mean?" Masutātorikkusutā asked pointedly.
"I…I don't know." Muramasa answered his voice dry and scratchy.
Masutātorikkusutā exited the room silently and reentered it a few moments later; he had returned with a red sheath and a dark purple cloth. Wordlessly Masutātorikkusutā placed the newly appeared blade into the red sheath and tied the purple sash around the sheath before tying the sash across his chest. He then walked over to his desk and retrieved Kyōfu's sealed state and tied the red sash attached to it across his chest as well. Kyōfu's blade form going from the right shoulder across to the left side of his waist and Muramasa's blade form going from the left shoulder to the right side of his waist.
"So…that is the decision. Is it?"
"Yes… it is."
"What do you mean?" Muramasa dared to ask.
"Don't you get it? You said that your master was dead but when Masutā spoke your name your sealed stated appeared. It was appearing to the one that spoke your name; a Zanpakuto must have a master. Masutā… has accepted you as his own Zanpakuto." Kyofu blurted out.
Muramasa's eyes widened as he stared at the taller man in disbelief. Masutātorikkusutā didn't say anything but that tell-tell grin he wore whenever he was pleased with himself was viable from a mile away.
"Why would you do such a stupid thing!" Muramasa yelled.
"Why not?"
"Because! You know nothing about me or what I've done!"
"Have you done something so horrible?"
"Yes…" Muramasa began before he realized what he was doing, he was telling this man too much.
"And what is it that you have done that is so horrible?"
Muramasa didn't want to answer; but he was in too deep now. "You have left Soul Society; but you are still loyal to its cause?"
"You could say that…"
"I…I raised my hand against Soul Society; you… you should want to kill me." Muramasa croaked out, his voice cracking.
"…I already know what you have done."
"!"
"I told you; I can tell things about people. See things that they have seen. I know that went on… and that is why I am accepting you as my Zanpakuto."
"?"
"Kouga…"
That name, one word; the one word that could bring Muramasa to his knees. This man knew about Kouga; how much about his past did he know?
"If it had been in my power; I would have cut him down myself."
"Why…why do you even care?"
"Because…my Zanpakuto was the reason I left Soul Society."
"What?"
"My Zanpakuto was once the only one that could materialize itself at its own will; on top of that it was more powerful than any sword ever before seen in Soul Society. Over time such an ability made the higher-ups look at me with distain. Eventually, they accused me of breaking one of the two rules that I was sentenced to death for."
"It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create or use weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason." Kyufo stated with ease.
"Indeed…they took my Zanpakuto from me and planned to destroy it. However… I took it back, and fled from Soul Society."
"But not before you commented your second crime…" Kyōfu hissed at the memory of his master's stupidity.
"It was an unavoidable situation…"
"Bullshit! You just made it all worse; I told you to leave and not worry about me!" Kyofu hollered in anger.
"I wouldn't be worth a damn if I didn't have my partner."
Kyōfu scowled angrily at the whole thing; he hated what had happened. Hated the fact that his master had been exiled for no reason at all and had been stupid enough to make it worse on himself. If anyone from Soul Society were to find not that he was still alive he would be killed on the spot, for certain.
"What did you do?" Muramasa asked, the thought of what the other man had done to be in so much trouble was eating at his curiosity.
A grin, a mischievous grin.
"It is against the law to attack a captain. To do so is treason." The bat sated once again from memory.
"Indeed it is…"
"You attacked a captain?"
"Not just any captain…the Captain-Commander."
"You attacked Genryūsai Yamamoto?"
"Oh, is the old man still the head captain?"
"Uhh… yeah."
"Hmmm…interesting. Yes, I did attack him… after he attacked me. I was trying to escape through the senkaimon when he blocked my path. So; I unblocked it. The two scars above his right eye; that was me."
Muramasa was speechless; the man across from him was talking about injuring the Captain-Commander like it was nothing. He himself had crossed paths with the old man but had never attacked him directly. Just who was this guy really? He said he had been a captain but even someone of captain level wouldn't be able to land a blow to Yamamoto without receiving an injury of their own.
"Again you do not believe me?"
"Again, you present a situation that is difficult to believe."
"True…but; injuries also do not lie."
So saying Masutātorikkusutā rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to expose his whole left arm. From the elbow up the arm was a collage of dark red scorch marks. Releasing his gripe on the shirt sleeve Masutātorikkusutā tugged on the neckline of the shirt and pulled it down several inches to show more burns running across the left side of his chest and collar-bone.
"I always seemed to underestimate the speed of which Ryūjin Jakka's flames can move."
This guy was something else. He had fought with the head captain and lived to tell about it; though not without some scars in return. And that had been five hundred years ago… just how strong was the man now?
"Anyways; like Kyōfu said… I have accepted you as my own Zanpakuto. However… the final decision should be up to you. So… what do you say?"
Muramasa's head was already spinning from all the information that had been crammed into it already. And now something unheard of had occurred. The master was asking the Zanpakuto what they wanted? The world was surly coming to an end! This man; he was so different from not only Muramasa's old master but from most of the other Zanpakuto master's that Muramasa had encountered.
"Well…"
"…Alright…"
"Ha-ha… Excellent."
Masutātorikkusutā held out his hand to Muramasa who stared at it for a moment before taking it in his own. The two shook hands with Masutātorikkusutā grinning like a fool the whole time.
Author's Note:
*-Japanese Dictionary: Koumori- Translates to bat, how insulting.
Imaimashī- Damn
Hai- Means yes or alright
Memori no mizu- Means The Waters of Memories
(The rest of the foreign words are parts of whole conversations so I'll translate them in order that they take place.)
Anata wa nani o shitai? - What do you want? (Said by Masutātorikkusutā to his Zanpakuto.)
Baka, anata no kuso no kokoro o ushinatte shimatta! (This is said twice…)- Idiot, have you lost your fucking mind! (Said by Kyōfu to his master.)
Conversation 1: Between Muramasa and Masutātorikkusutā
What are you laughing at? (Masutātorikkusutā)
Mochiron anata ni- At you of course. (Muramasa)
Watashi ga anata ni itta nanika o rikai shite inai, watashi wa migida? - You haven't understood anything I've said to you, am I right? (Masutātorikkusutā)
Anata ga tadashīdesu. -You are correct.
(Muramasa) Sugureta... Dakara, Sōrusosaeti karadesu. Watashi wa migida? - Excellent... So, you are from the Soul Society. Am I right? (Masutātorikkusutā)
Ichido watashi ga sōrusosaeti karadatta. - At one time I was from Soul Society. (Muramasa)
Ichido ni? Kyōmibukai…- At one time? Interesting… (Masutātorikkusutā)
Watashitoisshoni aruku…- Walk with me… (Masutātorikkusutā)
Conversation 2: Between Muramasa and Masutātorikkusutā
Sore o taberu... Sore wa watashitachi ga otagai o rikai suru no ni yakudachimasu. - Eat it... it will help us understand each other. (Masutātorikkusutā)
Migi, watashi wa anata ga watashi ni doku o keikaku shite inai koto ka o shitte imasu ka? - Right, and how do I know that you're not planning on poisoning me? (Muramasa)
Anata ga shinai... shikashi, watashi wa shinaidarou- You don't... but, I wouldn't do that anyways. (Masutātorikkusutā)
*1- Personal experience talking…just imagine it for yourself; you'll see what I mean.
*2- Her name would be translated as red flower path, in keeping with her love for planting things. She is important to the story in a spiritual way. She inspired Masutātorikkusutā to tell Muramasa he needs a girlfriend. Masutātorikkusutā actually loved her but she was killed before he was able to ask her how she felt about him. So in Masutātorikkusutā's mind everyone should find someone that they can be close to. Sad story really:'/
3*- This is actually a paradox, why? Because chickens don't actually have teeth! Great metaphor in my opinion.:)
4*- A very useless and impossible task I can assure you. Really; watched my little niece try it for a full half hour.
5*- Green Mile reference! If you have never watched the movie or read the book you won't get it (Sorry…). If you have watched the movie or read the book then you may get it. Masutātorikkusutā has a deep love of the book The Green Mile. That's mainly because it's one of my favorite movies/books ever! He will often quote or refer to something from the book or compare parts of it to an actual situation. (If you've never seen it then you must watch it… it's that awesome o.o)
6*- I get called that all the time! (Do I really read that much? *Shrugs*) in this case though it is funny because Masutātorikkusutā isn't the type of person you wouldn't think would have their nose stuck in a book. (I don't own The Green Mile, this right goes to Stephen King.)
7*- You understand it right? Just go to YouTube, it's some of the funniest things ever. (Don't own YouTube either; if I did I would be rich.) Cats are silly… plain and simple.
8*- You can imagine whatever artwork you like but these are my three. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh The Transfiguration by Raphael The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse A classmate of mine in art did an adaptation of Starry Night that I was so jealous of, it was awesome. My English 4 class studied the poem The Lady of Shalott at the end of the semester it stuck with me. And the Transfiguration is just cool looking. I imagine that since Masutātorikkusutā is a musician that he also was a love for other forms of art. (I don't own these pieces of art; not even a replica. :/)
9*- Masutātorikkusutā is a very respectful man; he refers to anyone who is an extremely strong fighter as a 'strong soul'. He calls people this whose name's he does not know; if he knows their name than he always uses honorifics. If the person is a captain he refers to them as such; he is not disrespectful unless they disrespect him first. The only people he doesn't address with proper honorifics are his American associates and people that he is closest friends with. (I.E- Gin, Tousen, Muramasa, Kaien, Kyōfu)
10*- Lord of the Rings reference! Besides The Green Mile the Lord of the Rings trilogy is my favorite movie(s). This was said by Aragon in the second movie. If you have never seen any of these movies then you must get them and watch them; they are epic! If you have watched them you'll get the reference. (I don't own Lord of the Rings either; that right is for J.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson and everyone else who made the movie.)
Also…the head movement that Masutātorikkusutā does before he looks into Muramasa's memories (where he goes from the left to the right slowly…) is based of Jason for Friday the 13th (don't ask, I really saw Jason do it… no lie! I don't own Jason either.) Also when Masutātorikkusutā's eyes were hurting and everything looked red I was playing off the idea that the images of Muramasa's past were so vivid that Masutātorikkusutā was actually experiencing what it would look and feel like to have his eyes bleed like Muramasa's did. I think that Muramasa and Masutātorikkusutā would be a good master and Zanpakuto pair because Muramasa can get into others' minds and Masutātorikkusutā can look into their feelings and memories. Yes; the second Zanpakuto Masutātorikkusutā had in the second chapter was Muramasa. Although something I do want to point out; Masutātorikkusutā cannotuse Muramasa's abilities like Kouga did. The reason? Kouga was the original owner and even though Masutātorikkusutā has accepted Muramasa as his own Zanpakuto Muramasa is reluctant to do the same because of what happen with Kouga. (That is key… because until their souls are in harmony Masutātorikkusutā can't use Muramasa's sealed state in battle as anything other than a normal sword.)
This chapter was long… really, really, really long. Sorry if it sucks; cause that's sort of how I feel about it. I was not happy when I wrote it. And sorry it took so long to upload it. I was moving all my stuff from my parents' house into my grandmas' house. It was weird; I mean I knew that my step-dad wanted me gone as quick as possible (bastard…) but my mom acted weird. My grandma said that she would be all upset and stuff, well… she didn't act upset when I was packing my stuff… and she wasn't spoke to me (through call or text either) since I left ( which was the two and a half weeks ago). So… yeah… I don't really know what to think about that. :/ Anyways; no need to bother you all with me troubles.
Hope you like the chapter, read and review.
Peace Out!
Virgo-24