Chapter 7: How Many Swords?

"Bankai...Mangekyou Kineshisu."

Hanako's zanpakuto hovered in the air for a few seconds before it swung itself into a vertical position and began to multiply. Unlike clones, all of the swords hovering around were genuine. And very dangerous.

"Oh, my," Kyouraku murmured, glancing around nervously at all the sharp points, "How many swords are there?"

Hanako shrugged. "Dunno. I've never counted." As she spoke, ten swords broke away from the main group to hover around their master. "If I had to guess though, I'd say there are at least one hundred."

"Wow. That's impressive," Kyouraku admired. Hanako didn't reply. Instead, she raised her arm and pointed in the direction of where Kyouraku stood in the sky.

"Sword Dance No. 1: Needle Rain!" A group of about twenty-five swords immediately flew towards Kyouraku, their points glinting in the sunlight. Kyouraku flash-stepped out of their way, but the swords merely changed direction and continued to chase him around.

"Hey, now, Hanako-chan! Isn't this a bit unfair?" Kyouraku cried, fleeing desperately from the horde of swords.

"It is? How?"

"Well, you have over a hundred swords while I only have two..."

"But before I used Bankai, you had two swords while I only had one." Hanako slashed the air with her hand. The swords ceased their pursuit, and Kyouraku was finally able to stop running for his life.

"My zanpakuto is a weapon whose power is determined by my mental capabilities," Hanako explained, tapping her head, "My mental strength far exceeds my physical strength, meaning that all of these swords are much more powerful than Maindorida's Shikai form. In fact, it's more powerful than an average Bankai."

"Oh? Does that mean you're the most powerful among your sisters?" Kyouraku asked.

Unexpectedly, Hanako shook her head. "Nope. We all have our strengths and weaknesses."

"I see." Kyouraku took off his pink, flowered kimono and threw it to Ukitake, who caught it with a startled gasp.

Hanako raised her right arm again and put her palm out in the direction of Kyouraku. "Sword Dance No. 2: Dragon's Fury."

All of the swords quickly flew together into a large lump, which shaped itself into the form of a Chinese dragon. It opened its mouth and let out a ear-splitting screech that made everyone clap their hands over their ears. Then, the dragon charged at Kyouraku, jaws wide open and claws held ready.

Kyouraku used Shunpo to dodge past the dragon and appeared next to Hanako. He swung one of his swords, but his blade was stopped by one of Hanako's guard swords. A second guard sword swung itself at Kyouraku's neck. Reacting quickly, the captain raised his other sword to block the attack. He saved his neck but was pushed back approximately fifty yards, right in the path of the dragon.

The beast snapped its jaws shut, apparently trapping Kyouraku in its mouth. Gasps and cries of shock rang around the stadium as the sword dragon dove into the ground, creating a giant dust cloud that was almost impossible to see through.

"Kyouraku!" Ukitake yelled.

"Relax, Captain Ukitake," Saki said calmly, "Your friend is still alive."

"But...!"

"Just chill, Ukitake-san," Amina interrupted, "Hanako almost never kills her opponents on purpose. Killing is just not her thing. Actually, fighting's not her thing either but she doesn't have a choice here."

Ukitake turned his gaze back to the field. The dust was just beginning to settle, and he could barely make out a figure crouched on the ground. A gust of wind blew past, and the dust cleared out to reveal a tattered and bleeding Kyouraku.

"See? He's alive!" Amina nudged Ukitake, "A bit torn up, but he's still breathing and standing!"

Kyouraku took a moment to regain his breath. When he had recovered, he asked, "You held back on purpose there, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Hanako admitted, "If I didn't, then you'd be almost dead."

"Well, it's very kind of you to spare my life, Hanako-chan." Kyouraku wiped some blood out of his eye, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You don't have to ask if you can ask a question, Captain Kyouraku," Hanako pointed out.

"Okay, okay," Kyouraku chuckled, "How did you gain control over such power over a century?"

"It technically wasn't a century," Hanako corrected, "But I gained control of my Bankai with Saki-chan's help."

"And who taught you, Saki-chan?" Kyouraku called to the black-haired girl.

Saki hesitated for a moment before answering, "He never told me his name, but this man had black hair, green eyes, and wore half of a white helmet on his head."

"Black hair and green eyes, huh? That sounds a lot like you, although I'm not sure about the helmet part," Kyouraku mused. "How long did he teach you?"

"Three or four years."

"Why are ya interested?" Amina questioned Kyouraku.

"I want to know who is so talented that they could make three young women into such formidable fighters," Kyouraku explained innocently.

"So you can recruit him for the upcoming war with Aizen Sousuke?" Saki guessed.

Kyouraku laughed sheepishly. "Uh, yeah."

Saki seemed to sigh. "Sorry, but he really did refuse to tell me his name."

"That's a pity," Kyouraku murmured.

The conversation was interrupted by Yamamoto when he hit the ground with his walking stick. "The battle between Kyouraku Shunsui and Kuroichi Hanako is now over. Would the two please return to their seats and allow the final match to commence?"

Hanako and Kyouraku both resealed their zanpakuto and walked back to their seats, where members of the Fourth Division attempted to heal their wounds.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to heal Captain Kyouraku's wounds myself," Hanako requested, "I'm resposible for them, so I would like to be the one to fix them."

"You can perform healing Kido, too?" Kyouraku asked as Hanako began to heal him.

"Yes," Hanako answered as she healed a cut on his shoulder, "I'm the one who usually performs the healing rituals out of the three of us."

"Why?"

"Amina-chan's terrible at Kido, and Saki-chan's way of healing takes up too much reiatsu," Hanako explained. Amina whacked her sister on the head. "Ow! Wh-What was that for?" Hanako cried, clutching her skull.

"For saying something you shouldn't have said, even if it's true," Amina grumbled, giving Hanako the evil eye as the match between Saki and Soifon began.

Does anyone know the name of the library in Seireitei? I can't remember it, and I can't seem to find it online either. Please help!