Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the name Kurosaki Masaki, both are owned by Tite Kubo. I merely own my OC under the name of Mai.
Feedback: Reviews feed my muse, which means I can write faster. Please review. No flames though. Thank you to all reviewers for making this my second fic ever to reach over a 100 reviews and for making the last chapter the most reviewed ever in my writing endeavors with 14 reviews. A heartfelt thanks to you guys and to everyone who reads my fic (I hope to hear from you guys eventually).
Thank you Draven NightHawk for steering me into what I wanted to write for this chapter.
AN: Sorry, for the delay in getting this chapter out, life got in the way. This chapter will elaborate on the transmigration cycle. Kubo has never bothered to truly explain it. It seems some fans/writers tend to assume it works as it normally would with people dying and entering the Soul Society with no recollection of their past and looking as they did when they died. Yuichi Shibata, the soul that was in the parakeet Sado saved, remembers Sado when he's in the Soul Society. It might be an error on Kubo's part or it's simply because it's possible for spirits to retain their memories as a Plus (not their human lives) prior to the konsō. Another explanation could be that souls temporarily remember their past. Again, Kubo did not explicitly explain this.
Later on in the series, when Rukia and Orihime are training to prepare for the Winter War, Ukitake comments to Hisagi that Orihime could possibly be a Shinigami when it's her time to enter the Soul Society. This statement seems to imply that people can retain their youth when they die of old age. I suppose this is what has inspired the idea that if a person is spiritually endowed as a human then they can retain their youth in the afterlife even if they die at an old age (I have no idea if people had already thought of it before that manga chapter, but it could be possible. People are very creative). At any rate, that idea has certainly become fanon by now and this is just my take on the transmigration cycle.
Twisting Sode no Shirayuki to the side, Rukia managed to swipe away Tsubaki, preventing the fairy from nicking the right sleeve of her Shihakushō further. Already she had a tear below and above the spot where Orihime's attack had just grazed her arm and tears on both legs of her hakama.
Brows contracting, Rukia's violet gaze caught sight of the next incoming attack, and she leapt avoiding it, but Tsubaki spun around, following her, and she was forced to turn and brush the fairy aside once more as though batting away an incoming glowing fly.
Rukia landed on the ground, mentally urging herself to focus. Her carelessness had prevented her from reacting quickly enough to deflect the auburn haired girl's earlier attacks. She could have done so had her mind been completely tuned to her opponent.
For the past half an hour, she had been urging Orihime to draw upon her desire to get stronger, so that she could use her Koten Zanshun attack effectively. The healer had seemed to be having trouble getting her act together—she had continued to be unusually quiet on their way to their training spot— but now she was the one struggling to keep her mind on training.
Thoughts of everything that had occurred kept resurfacing in her mind, thwarting her best attempts to remain alert. She couldn't help it, no matter how hard she tried to put up a shield against them, they barreled through.
Knowing what her future held in store for her was one thing, but having her future daughter remain here in the past was even more unexpected and unfortunate. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young woman's plight, however, she was confident Urahara Kisuke would succeed where Kurotsuchi-taichō hadn't. Of course, that would have to wait until later.
What unnerved her though she knew it was nothing compared to Masaki's situation was the prospect of talking to Ichigo. Dread filled her at the thought. It was clear he didn't want to be near her at the moment, but they couldn't avoid each other forever. After Kusajishi-fukutaichō had fled the cafeteria with Masaki in tow and Ichigo had gotten over his shock about the fact that everyone knew about Masaki, he had quickly said he needed to rest, reverted back to avoiding her gaze, and left.
When she left the cafeteria with the others, she had been surprised to see Ichigo playing Shunpo tag with the fukutaichō and Masaki. She doubted he had been a willing participant; the Eleventh Division fukutaichō must have had something to do with it just like she basically kidnapped Masaki and forced her to play with her. The brief moments she had watched them play, Ichigo never even bothered to look in her direction or the others.
She understood he was embarrassed. She was too. She didn't like the idea that everyone knew either, but it was too late, the knowledge was out there.
She had no idea what to say to him. What was there to say? Apparently, they had a future together despite how hard it was for him to believe Masaki could actually be his future daughter—No, she knew his anger hadn't been because of that. Barely over an hour had passed since he found out he had been wrong about Masaki; he was obviously still processing the truth since he hadn't let her news affect his training. She was glad he had been able to concentrate; regaining control of his Hollow was important after all.
She couldn't help but wonder though what he thought of their future now that he accepted who Masaki was and had seen it with his own eyes. She was curious about what he had seen when Masaki's Zanpakutō Resonated. She knew, of course, it must have been a fight between Masaki and the future Ichigo but still it was a glimpse into the future….
She wasn't sure how she felt about it. The shock she had initially felt had worn off and talking to Masaki had stirred in her curiosity about what her life was like, but she couldn't really put a word on how she felt knowing she would marry Ichigo someday.
Ichigo was her nakama. The first true nakama she had ever since she'd lost touch with Renji, lost Kaien-dono…. She'd never imagined she'd ever give her powers to a Human let alone be his nakama, especially not when he appeared to be an annoying, brash orange haired brat. She now knew there was more to him than that, but still she had never let the thought cross her mind that their comradeship would ever be more.
How could she? He was a Human. Her focus had been on completing her Shinigami duties even if it was through Ichigo; she always knew her time was limited in the Material World. She had felt bad burdening with him those responsibilities but she knew it had to be done until she recovered her powers, or at least that's what she had hoped.
Leaving him drenched in blood on the street the night she was taken by her brother and Renji, she had hoped and prayed that he would survive, but she had never expected to ever see him again. Her soul had been consumed by guilt, knowing she had been the cause of his suffering, his death.
Relief had flooded through her upon discovering he had survived, although she had been annoyed he had put his life in danger once again for her. She couldn't believe he would obtain Shinigami powers of his own and risk his life for hers, and yet he did and for that she would always be indebted to him. When he left the Soul Society, she figured she'd never see him unless she was ever assigned to Karakura again or until he died.
She didn't think he would be dragged into this war and that they would discover that a future together awaited them years from now. She had never considered what her future would be like after this war was over. All this time, her focus had been on rescuing Inoue and staying alive. She supposed the only future she had ever thought of was going back to the life she had always lived before she had met Ichigo: a lonely, endless path stretching out before her with no real direction. No, maybe it wouldn't have been that lonely since Renji has reappeared in her life again. She also imagined that perhaps somewhere down the line the Kuchiki elders would want her married.
Like she had told Inoue, she had never considered the idea of marriage. She had never been interested in any men nor had they ever been interested in her. Not that that mattered. She knew when she became a noble that love wouldn't play a role in her marriage, it would be done for the interests of the clan. Obviously, her marriage wouldn't be like that. Ichigo was not of noble stock. He would marry her because he wanted to, because he cared, no loved her.
She felt an odd sensation in her stomach at the thought as she prepared to fire a Kidō spell at Orihime. No one had ever loved her. Sure, there was Renji, whom she always felt had treated her like a sister and had probably loved her as such just as she had always loved him as a brother, but that was the only limited love that had ever been directed upon her. It wasn't the same as being loved by a man.
With Ichigo it appeared she would know what love was and what it felt like to have a family. She would truly have a future, not just her Shinigami duties or an arranged marriage. It was unnerving yet reassuring to know this.
The idea of an arranged marriage had never appealed to her, but nonetheless she felt weird knowing she would wed Ichigo because she would reciprocate his feelings. Moreover, regardless of how she would feel for him, how was it that she would manage to get married to him? It was definitely not a union Nii-sama or the clan would approve of.
Masaki had assured her everything worked out for them and that Nii-sama eventually approved, but if Nii-sama's current reaction was anything to go by, he would probably be very displeased at first. The clan members would also view their union with disdain. The Kuchiki Clan had never liked her admittance into their family. To them she had always been a filthy Rukongai commoner. No matter how hard she tried to fit in, they could hardly contain the disgust in their eyes and faces when she was within their presence. She knew the single reason they tolerated her existence was because of Nii-sama.
Marrying Ichigo would only enrage them, or perhaps, make them happy that she would leave the clan out of her own volition. She knew very well that the Kuchiki Clan's rule when it came to marriage was that everyone married into the great noble house, but it seemed that she would marry out of the clan and take on Ichigo's last name. Masaki had called herself Kurosaki Masaki. Nii-sama seemed to guess as much, which is why he had told her yesterday that Ichigo would take on the Kuchiki name when they married. Apparently, he was determined for her to remain in the Kuchiki Clan despite knowing she would marry Ichigo.
She could only imagine the arguments that had ensued or rather will ensue over that. She couldn't imagine Ichigo wanting to become a Kuchiki or trying to behave like one either. Would he even bother to court her properly? He knew nothing of nobility etiquette. Maybe, she would teach him. Lack of proper courting would surely bother Nii-sama just as much as the fact that she would be leaving the clan.
She found it amazing that he would still talk to her after accepting her marriage to someone born out of nobility. Rules were important to him and associating himself with her would definitely be considered improper. The mere fact that a Kuchiki would yet again marry a so-called commoner would be looked down upon. He had always acted aloof towards her, but she had to admit his behavior towards her has changed ever since he saved her from Ichimaru Gin and revealed to her the real reason he had adopted her into his clan. If he would still talk to her even then and accept Masaki as his niece, did that mean their relationship would improve further? Would he really see her as his imouto-san?
"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime cried out, as her shield negated the raven-haired Shinigami's attack and the force of the blast threw her back leaving her disoriented enough for Tsubaki to follow through and cut her shoulder.
Rukia fell to the ground, clutching her right shoulder with her free hand while her other hand grasped her katana.
"Kuchiki-san!" the healer said, rushing towards her friend's side.
Rukia glanced away from her injury to stare into the healer's worried gaze, as she settled herself into a kneeling position beside her.
"I-It's okay, Inoue," she said, looking down at her hand, which was covered with traces of blood from where her fingers had touched her wound. "You did well in blocking my attack and using your Koten Zanshun attack."
Noticing a guilty glint in Orihime's eyes, Rukia smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about it, let's just continue training."
She made a move to stand up, but Orihime stopped her. "Are you sure, you don't want me to heal your wounds, Kuchiki-san?"
Rukia shook her head. "No, it's okay. That can wait until we're finished."
She quickly bounded to her feet. While she knew her thoughts were affecting her concentration, there was no denying that Inoue's attacks had definitely improved in the last ten minutes. She could detect there was a renewed sense of sharpness in her attacks at times. The cut in her shoulder had definitely been deeper than that of any others inflicted by Tsubaki. Inoue's aim had been true.
She began to walk away from Orihime to put some distance between them. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she prepared her fighting stance. Watching Orihime climb to her feet and stand across from her, Rukia couldn't help but detect that maybe the healer still seemed bothered by the damage she had done. She knew Inoue was determined to improve her fighting skills and that she was aware of the risks involved, but her caring nature still affected her. She couldn't help but always remind Inoue that it was okay for her to injure her.
"Is something the matter, Inoue?" Rukia asked. "You know, that was a really good attack. You shouldn't feel guilty about it."
"Arigatō, Kuchiki-san. I-I know. It's part of training, right?" Orihime smiled brightly, earning a nod from Rukia.
She glanced at the petite girl for a moment, wishing she could tell her what bothered her, but instead she called upon her powers in order to continue their training. It wasn't the fact that she had hurt her friend that bothered her—she had hurt her before in their other training sessions—it was the intent behind her attack. Rukia had been telling her to find her resolve, to concentrate on fighting for what mattered most to her, to treat her as an enemy so that she could do her best attacking offensively.
When they had begun their training, she couldn't really focus and had kept wondering how was it her friend could maintain her focus while knowing her future daughter was here. Surely, she had to be thinking about it; her own mind had continued to be plagued by thoughts of the news. She had to admit there were times she felt Kuchiki-san's mind wasn't truly on their training, because she felt she could have done better in deflecting her attacks. However, as she pondered this and watched Kuchiki-san try to stay as focused as possible on their training, she found herself doing her best to shut out her thoughts or at least managing to use some of them to fuel her attacks. That is where her guilt laid.
Striving to find her resolve to use Tsubaki had caused her to inadvertently focus on her feelings of jealousy for Kuchiki-san. While they seemed to allow her to wield Tsubaki with more attacking intent, she hated the idea of relying on those emotions. She was trying her best to come to grip with her emotions, but it was difficult even if she was busying herself with training.
"Inoue, are you sure you're okay? That attack was half-hearted compared to the last one," Rukia said, watching as Tsubaki returned to her mistress.
"She's right you know," the impish fairy said, annoyed.
"I'm okay, Kuchiki-san. I'll try harder," she promised. "Gomen nasai, Tsubaki-kun."
"Tch," was the fairy's response.
"Okay, Inoue. You've been doing well so far, so keep it up."
"Not really, but I'll keep doing what I can," Orihime said.
"Yes, you have," Rukia said firmly. "You might have had trouble at the beginning of training, but these last couple of attacks have definitely held attacking intent. You need to keep attacking that way, okay, Inoue? Keep focusing on that feeling."
Orihime stared at Rukia surprised.
"What is it, Inoue?"
"Uh, n-nothing. I'll keep doing that," she nodded. Seeing that Rukia was going to question her further, Orihime quickly changed the subject. "Do you think Kurosaki-kun is finally talking to Masaki-chan? He seemed to be having trouble being around her, but maybe now that he's playing with her and the others, he'll feel better about talking to her. I mean he didn't even get a chance to talk to her because Yachiru-chan came, but maybe he now is."
Rukia froze. She had been relieved that the healer had been relatively quiet on the way here because frankly she had no desire to discuss Masaki or Ichigo. Even when the girl had tried to talk, she had made sure to direct the conversation about their training. Now, it looked, as though, she couldn't avoid the conversation.
"I-I don't know," she stammered. "I mean he should talk to her. He needs to apologize to her," she said more confidently, remembering Ichigo's behavior and words.
She didn't care what Masaki had said, the idiot needed to apologize properly to her… He needed to make up for what he had said to her… She hoped he had mustered the courage to do that while they were playing. No, perhaps, afterwards because he probably wouldn't have bothered to talk to her in front of everyone. It didn't matter when he did it, but he had to do it.
"I think Kurosaki-kun already apologized when they were on the roof top. I'm sure he felt guilty when he realized she really was his daughter from the future."
"He did apologize," Rukia confirmed, "but he still needs to do more than that. He shouldn't have acted that way letting his emotions get the best of him. He was being stupid. As if Aizen would bother doing a trick like that."
"I-I think Kurosaki-kun will try to make up for what he did. It's just the kind of person he is."
"He better," Rukia muttered.
There was a pause before Orihime hesitantly asked, "Kuchiki-san, what do you think about Masaki-chan?"
Rukia stared at her. "I-I don't know. She' s…smart and creative. She managed to makes us believe her stories."
"She's also very pretty," Orihime added.
"She is," Rukia agreed softly.
"She got that all from you along with her eyes," the healer commented quietly, prompting twin spots of pink to appear on Rukia's cheeks. "She obviously got Kurosaki-kun's hair color and his skin color. I-It's amazing, isn't it?" Orihime asked, the slightest tremor in her voice. "People always wonder what their future and kids will look like, but now you and Kurosaki-kun don't have to."
Rukia could feel her blush darken slightly and her hand tighten around her katana's hilt in discomfort. She didn't like the way this conversation as heading.
"W-Well, we know now, but it doesn't really matter anyway," Rukia said.
Wrinkling her brow, Orihime stared at her perplexed. "W-Why, wouldn't it matter, Kuchiki-san? Masaki-chan is your future daughter and Kurosaki-kun will be your h-husband."
"I-I didn't mean it like that, Inoue. Of course, it does matter. What I meant was that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things because Masaki won't be born until years from now. Ichigo and I won't…We won't be t-t-together until he lives out his life. He'll eventually forget her—"
"But, Kuchiki-san, how can you say that? How can Kurosaki-kun wait until he lives out his life to be with you? He'll be old by the time he enters the Soul Society," Orihime said, looking shocked.
"Not necessarily. A soul is supposed to be the true reflection of a person's heart. Regardless of the body's current stage in death, a soul can undergo a process of metamorphosis projecting an image that best reflects who that person is. In some people, their soul merely changes to their youthful form while others take on an older form. There have been cases where souls have become something else entirely although this is rare. I had never seen anyone fitting that description until I saw Komamura-taichō. The few times I've seen him he had always hid his face and body. It's only recently after Aizen's treason was uncovered that he's shown his true self," Rukia explained. "Generally, most Souls do resemble their living bodies at the point of death, but I think in the case of Ichigo it won't be like that. For a Human, he has an incredible amount of Reiryoku. It will play a role in maintaining his youth even in his death as an old man. I think the best reflection of his soul would be one that demonstrates his strength."
Orihime was quiet as she absorbed the information.
"Inoue, we should get back to training," Rukia said.
"I don't think that'll happen, Kuchiki-san," Orihime said quietly. "I don't think Kurosaki-kun would wait until he dies to be with you. He's already a substitute Shinigami and he cares about you…"
"I-Inoue, I don't think the Gotei 13 would allow him to become a true Shinigami," Rukia said, blushing once again. "He's still Human. He'll eventually need to stop acting as a substitute Shinigami and concentrate on living a normal life while he can. B-Besides, we're just nakama."
"B-But you obviously will become more," Inoue reminded her.
"I-In time yes, but I don't think we should focus on the future. It will happen when it does. For now, we have to focus on getting stronger so that we can be prepared for what lies ahead in this war, Inoue. It's not over yet."
"O-Okay, Kuchiki-san," Orihime agreed after a few moments.
Yachiru watched amazed as energy flowed from Masaki's fingers and coalesced and hardened into a large, round shape the size of a volleyball over the palm of her right hand. She was sitting beside the orange haired woman on the white tiled floor of the hospital lobby adorned with miniature crosses, back turned against the numerous chairs filling the room. They had arrived a few minutes ago and sensing the presence of the taichō in a room floors above them indicating their meeting continued, they decided to stay there.
"Here you go, Yachiru-chan," Masaki said, stretching her arm in front of the young girl, offering her the Reiryoku ball.
Yachiru smiled and grabbed it. "You're so smart, Mini Ichi. You already have good control of your Reiryoku unlike Ichi," the pink haired girl giggled. "I didn't think Ichi's baby would be able to do that."
"You know, Yachiru-chan, I might have come here through a Senkaimon but I'm actually not a baby, I'm older than that."
"I know you're way bigger than a baby, but you're Ichi's new daughter so that makes you his baby," Yachiru said, examining the ball.
Masaki stared at her. "Even if I am, it doesn't mean I wouldn't know how to control my Reiryoku. That isn't genetic, Yachiru-chan."
"What does that mean?" Yachiru asked curiously.
"It means I didn't get that from him because he's my father," Masaki explained.
"Oh," Yachiru said, understanding lighting her eyes, "but you did get his hair and you're strong too. You have your mommy's eyes though." Spinning the ball on her finger, Yachiru suddenly looked excited as an idea struck her. "Hey, Mini Ichi, you should join my division. Ken-chan and I only accept strong people. Ichi can join too now that he's moving to the Soul Society."
"That's nice of you to offer Yachiru-chan, but I'm not joining your division," Masaki said, smiling at the young girl.
"Why not? You're not really part of Doggy's division, right?" Yachiru asked. She had only half-paid attention to the Seventh Division taichō's earlier message, but she was sure the young woman before her wasn't part of his division since yesterday they had made such a big deal about her.
Masaki's smile faltered. "N-No, I'm not."
"You wouldn't wanna be part of his division anyway. It's boring and weak. The Eleventh's the best," Yachiru said proudly.
"I think everyone feels that way about their division, Yachiru-chan."
"But the Eleventh Division is the best division," the young girl assured her. "We only accept the strongest people and we specialize in fighting."
"Your division does sound strong, but I'm still not joining yours or anyone else's," Masaki informed her.
"You have to join a division. All Shinigami have one," Yachiru said, placing the ball on her lap.
"I know, but I don't belong here…" Masaki said, her eyes lowering slightly before meeting Yachiru's confused gaze.
"Huh? What are you talking about? You just feel that way because you don't know anyone. You haven't even joined a division yet. C'mon, Mini Ichi, join mine. I'm sure Ken-chan wouldn't mind."
"It's not that, Yachiru-chan, it's just I…" Masaki paused, staring at the pink haired girl. She looked uncertain for a moment, then her eyes fell on her Zanpakutō resting in its sheath beside her right thigh. "I wouldn't fit in with your division anyway. I don't have a melee-type Zanpakutō.
"Ken-chan wouldn't care what kind of Zanpakutō you have as long as you fight well," Yachiru said knowingly.
"Even so, I still wouldn't fit in with your division. I have a different philosophy when it comes to fighting."
"But Mini Ichi," Yachiru protested.
"Gomen nasai, Yachiru-chan, but I can't join your division."
Disappointment flickered across the pink haired girl's face.
"But just because I can't join doesn't mean I can't play with you," Masaki reminded her, giving her a smile. "C'mon, Yachiru-chan, let's play a game with that ball. It'll be fun."
Yachiru stared at her and then eventually said, "Okay, Mini Ichi."
Soul Society- Rukongai
Faint moonlight streamed in through dark, dingy drapes hanging over a small window, casting white light upon Kei's somewhat pale and fatigued face. He was laying on a futon, eyelids shut tight. Sitting on his knees across from Kei in his own futon, Hiro watched his friend worriedly. Ryo slept in the futon on the other side of Kei.
Eating hadn't returned Kei's strength. It had only brought him temporary relief before the fatigue crept onto him once more, and his throat started to dry up and coughing became more frequent. Kei had tried to dismiss his symptoms as nothing again, but eventually he developed a headache and grew more tired, so they returned to the house.
He and Ryo had tried to keep him comfortable with water and had even enlisted the help of their neighbor, a kind woman in her early forties, to try to help him with his illness. She had prepared some remedies but while it lifted his spirits temporally, Kei was still rather tired and had spent of the rest of the day in bed. Their neighbor had assured him that he would be better in time.
Hiro couldn't help but have a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had had a strange feeling ever since a week ago they had encountered a Hollow while they were swimming in the river. They had been enjoying themselves splashing and relishing the feel of the cool water until a shadow appeared over them. For a moment, they had stared frozen in horror at the creature resembling an oddly distorted dragonfly with its white mask where two dark red, bulging eyes protruded and a long, thin body and legs and glossy, gossamer wings, before Kei shouted for them to move when the creature began to descend toward the river.
Hiro had been scared, crying out along with Ryo as they swam after Kei. As the creature reached the surface, the wind brought about by the flapping of its wings sent Ryo to the opposite side of the river. He and Kei had stopped in their tracks, watching anxiously as their friend was swept to the other side and the Hollow lowered itself further to the water's edge. Ryo was crying out a couple of feet off to the side of the monster, but the Hollow didn't even look in his direction as it opened its abdomen and released what seemed like bluish, glowing particles upon the water. Hundreds of the little particles had danced around the water's surface as they slowly sunk into its shimmering depths.
Hiro had had the impression it seemed to be laying its eggs. Kei had tried to tell Ryo to move but he seemed to be transfixed by the sight of the creature, who was too immersed in its task to even glance at him. As Kei kept shouting for Ryo to move and slowly edged toward where the Hollow and his friend were, the monster finally stopped releasing the particles and directed its piercing gaze at Kei. It then began to move and Hiro began to shout for Kei to swim away, but Kei just splashed water at it. The Hollow didn't seem amused by this and had began to roar as it skimmed the river's surface, flying toward Kei. By then Ryo and Hiro, were shouting worriedly, unsure of what to do when luckily a Shinigami arrived. He had been a tall, dark haired man that had shot the creature with a Kidō spell, preventing him from attacking Kei. The man quickly shouted for Kei and Ryo to leave as he engaged the Hollow in combat and ultimately defeated him.
After that day, Hiro couldn't help but notice that Kei had gradually started to become fatigued and had even started to develop a small cough. Kei hadn't thought much about it saying it was just because his throat was dry (although there was a day his throat had hurt but he had chalked it up to not having enough water ) and had made sure to eat more and drink more whenever they could get their hands on food. He out of their group of friends was the only one who possessed Reiryoku. It was normal for him to feel hunger after all.
Hiro had tried not to think about it since it didn't seem to be a big deal, but yesterday upon seeing his friend faint, he had a feeling it wasn't just because Kei wasn't getting enough food, that he could possibly be sick. Now it was clear Kei had been wrong and he, Hiro, had been right. Watching as Kei lay in bed, Hiro didn't like that he had been right. He wished Kei would hurry up and feel better to quell his uneasiness.
Edited formatting 2/17/18
Quick Glossary
Imouto-san- younger sister
Reiryoku- spiritual power/energy
AN: For those of you wondering how my explanation applies to Komamura. Well, Komamura is supposed to be a wolf although people confuse him for a dog and he looks more like a fox (I guess Kubo was modeling him after a Red Wolf). The wolf is a fiercely loyal animal. All canines are really. I'm thinking in his past life as a human he exhibited such strong loyalty that his soul manifested itself into a physical manifestation of loyalty—the wolf.