Chapter 38: Divided Sides
Minata's POV
"Here they go again," I hear Mizukiri mumble as she stood to my left. We were looking on at the battlefield from our perch on top of one of the 1st Division's buildings. "Can't they settle things diplomatically instead of violence? I'm sure everything will work out if everyone just talks things over!"
"If only everyone shared your diplomatic views, but I highly doubt that everyone would go for the idea. Sure, the thought of everyone sitting around a table and talking out their issues is a nice idea, but it has its own drawbacks, just like fighting and dueling. Fighting and dueling is just considered the quicker way to resolve conflict, I suppose."
"You may be right Mina," says Mizukiri, using my pet name rather than 'master'. I guess she wasn't out of Muramasa's influence just yet. "Granted, speaking things through diplomatically is always a possibility, but there are some, like those from Division 11, that wouldn't be willing to sit down to talk."
"They are a "fight first, ask questions" later kind of division," I say with a shrug as the feel of the intense spiritual pressure begins to wane. "Can you feel that? It seems that the battle has finally come to an end."
"Shall we check out the scene for ourselves?" Kiri suggests as she gestures forward. I nod, and we quickly make our way over to the battlefield for a closer look. Yumichika, Hisagi, and Ikkaku were all here, as well as Soi-Fon, along with her division's many ninjas, all of them standing on nearby rooftops surrounding the small group that comprised of some of the spirits, Byakuya, Rukia, and Renji. Ichigo soon arrives after Mizukiri and I do, his eyes dead set on Byakuya, the nobleman's eyes showing his indifference as he looked out at the scene around him.
"HEY MIZUKIRI?"
At the sound of the obnoxious voice from below, we both turn to see Kazeshini looking at us with a maniacal grin on his face as everyone else's stares turned to us, including Byakuya's.
"What do you want Kazeshini?" she asks with an irritated scowl on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What the hell are you doing standing with her?!" he exclaims as he points his blade in my direction. "We're supposed to be destroying these shinigami fools, not standing side-by-side with them!"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in that kind of crap," she tells him indignantly, her eyes piercing as she stared the shadowy zanpakuto down. "You all are just running around causing mayhem without seeing the bigger picture here, and I'm not going to be a part of it."
"So you would betray your own race to side with the Shinigami then huh?" Hozukimaru asks with a smirk on his face. "That's fine by me. The more people that are around, the more that I have a chance to fight."
"Always taking the violent route out I suppose," Kiri says with a small sigh as she places her hands on her hips. "This is exactly the kind of stuff I avoid."
"I know you do. We've been together for a long time, remember?" I say with a smirk on my face as I notice Byakuya's staring at me from the corner of my eye. He quickly moves his gaze before anyone else notices, the miniscule hint of relief showing in his gaze before his stare went back to being cold and indifferent.
"All I know is that Mizukiri is just one less zanpakuto spirit to worry about," said Soi-Fon as she turned her attention back on the spirits below us. "But as for the rest of you: Surrender now or else!"
"Nah, I think we'll take our chances," Hozukimaru answers for the lot of them as he readies his blade. "Come at us with your best shot!"
"Hmm," Soi-Fon mumbles under her breath as she raises her hand. "So be it."
As soon as she flicked her wrist, her subordinates move, all of them raining down on the spirits as they move to meet them blade for blade. It doesn't take long for the spirits to gain the upper hand, various attacks going back and forth between the two sides as Mizukiri and I get out of the way before any of it could hit us. The small trace of a certain zanpakuto spiritual pressure instantly hits my radar, but I don't bother to turn my head. Neither does Mizukiri as she shakes hers.
"How long are you going to stand behind us Senbonzakura?" my zanpakuto asks the spirit behind us, her voice drowning in irritation. "Shouldn't you be helping the others in the fight, because I'm definitely not going to do it?!"
"I'm just glad that you haven't fallen for Muramasa's tricks like the others have," says the samurai zanpakuto, his words catching Mizukiri off guard.
"Come again?" she asks as we both turn our heads. "Are you saying you were never under Muramasa's control to begin with?"
"I was, actually," says Senbonzakura as he slightly nodded his head. "But then my master freed me from Muramasa's control."
"Hmm, should've figured. If anyone was going to break their zanpakuto spirit out of Muramasa's control, it would be Byakuya Kuchiki."
"Indeed . . ." I say as the faint presence of a familiar, but very troubling when he wants to be, presence instantly catches my attention. I turn to look at Mizukiri, her eyes telling me that she feels it too as the battling continues to go on all around us. "Senbonzakura, I suggest you return to Byakuya. A certain fight-loving captain is on his way here."
"Oh, that's never good. Thank you for the warning," he quickly tells us before departing.
"So, how long do you think it will take Mr. Tall, Scary, and Crazy to get here hmm?"
"I'd say in three, two, one," I say, just as one of the nearby buildings is engulfed in a pillar of yellow energy, the feeling of carnage and violence flowing in its wake. "Hmm, right on time."
"I wonder who he'll go after first?"
"We both know who he'll want to target first, regardless of whose side he's on." I say as I turn to face the battlefield once again. My eyes go straight to the man wearing the expensive scarf and kenseikan, knowing full well that another Byakuya vs. Kenpachi fight is looming on the horizon.
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