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Zanpakuto Tales	By : shadoesong Category: Bleach > General Views: 1542 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters, nor do I profit from this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 13

Rin, Daisuke, and Akuma landed on the wet ground while Ichigo attacked Muramasa. Rin made a face at the wetness that was already beginning to soak her socks. She then glanced around, searching for Byakuya. The only ones there were the Ryoka humans and Rukia, as well as Muramasa and his freed master. Rin narrowed her eyes when she saw Koga floating before them, his eyes closed.

Obviously the years spent in the seal had done a number on him. His body was old and thin, with the skin hanging loosely from his bones. His black hair, once shiny, was dull and unhealthy. Torn hakama covered his lower half, and a ragged red scarf was crossed in an X across his chest. Clearly, he had once been a very attractive man. Now, he was just a monster.

Byakuya... You followed Muramasa in order to stop him from freeing Koga, right? If that is so, then where are you now? Rin thought, slightly concerned that her husband had been discovered and eliminated before he could carry out his plan. Ichigo spoke to Rukia, breaking Rin out of her thoughts.

"Rukia, sorry I'm late."

"Idiot." She smiled.

"How did you escape from Ryuujin Jakka?" Muramasa questioned, clearly baffled and annoyed by the teen's intervention.

"Doesn't matter," Ichigo growled. "I'm not going to let you pull this off!"

"Dumbass, he already did!" Rin yelled from behind.

"She is right, you're a tad too late," the zanpakuto spirit purred. He turned to gaze at his decrepit master, smiling. Blue lightning bolts radiated outward from the seemingly dead man. Muramasa began laughing. "At long last! My dream has come true!" He spoke with barely contained excitement. Rin gasped, her eyes filled with horror and disgust when Koga's green eyes opened.

"Damn... That's just wrong on so many levels..." She hissed. On either side of her, she could hear Daisuke and Akuma murmuring in agreement.

Rukia and Ichigo lunged at the shinigami and his zanpakuto, only to be blown back by a large explosion. It was caused by the power Koga was emitting. Rin's eyes widened. It was strong enough to even be pressing on her and Daisuke's shoulders, even if only a little. It was a surprise that his reiatsu was so strong after being sealed away for so many centuries.

"Have you awakened, Koga?" Muramasa asked, his eyes wide with glee at seeing his master again after so long. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!" He walked forward, his arms spread in a welcoming gesture. "Now, let's make your dreams come true!"

"Mura...masa!" Koga's voice was deep, but rough from lack of use. Everyone's eyes widened when the revived shinigami slammed his broken sword into his zanpakuto's gut. Muramasa was shocked as well.

"W-why?" He managed, his voice strained. He fell to his knees, gazing up at his master as he waited for an answer. When he didn't, Muramasa spoke again.

"Koga?"

"What the hell? Nobles should know their manners. Even I know that, if someone frees you from a centuries old burial seal, you say thank you. You don't screw them over with a sword in their gut!" Rin snarled in disbelief. She had stepped forward threateningly, gripping the hilts of her swords.

"You did not come, even though I called for you when I was about to get sealed away," Koga finally answered Muramasa's pleas.

"You... called for me?" The zanpakuto asked. He clearly had no idea about what the man was talking about.

"You refused to lend me your power," Koga continued as if the sword spirit had not spoke at all. Muramasa gazed at his hands, eyes wide with horror.

"You were calling for me? I never heard you, I swear." His eyes narrowed and his gaze returned to his master. "I waited for you to call me for so long. I've always wanted to help you with all my body and soul no matter how dire the situation, whenever you called for me..." He fell forward onto his hands. "But I went so long without ever hearing your voice. Eventually, I found out that you had been sealed away. That's why I've been working to release the seal for so long." He reached for his master in vain. "So very long..." But Koga wasn't convinced.

"What's the point if you're not there when I need you?" He rasped angrily. He grabbed his sword and pulled it free roughly before kicking the zanpakuto to the side. "As your shinigami, I'm the one that created your powers! You're supposed to do everything I tell you to." Akuma made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat.

"That's not true! We have our own wills! We aren't your goddamned tools!"

"Akuma... Don't attack..." Rin ordered, holding out her arm when the spirit stepped forward. "We don't know his strengths. It would be foolish." Akuma hissed with frustration, but said nothing.

"Weren't we comrades?" Muramasa didn't even bother picking himself up off the ground as he spoke.

"Comrades? You're nothing more than a sword." Koga raised his weapon for the killing blow. "You're just a tool! So, don't get cocky, tool!" Everyone's eyes widened with shock when Byakuya appeared, blocking the attack. Rin's whole face lit up and she smiled broadly.

"I can not accept the fact that you called your own sword a tool and attacked it," the man said, his eyes narrowed with disgust. "You do not deserve the title of 'shinigami'." They separated and leapt away to put distance between each other. Rin appeared beside her husband. She snarled.

"Next time, tell me what you're doing!"

"Rin... Why are you here? Akuma had informed me of your injuries. She had stated that you were barely able to stand." He cast a sidelong glance at her as he spoke.

"You're crazy if you think a couple of katana through my stomach will take me out of this fight. I was healed, obviously," she said, drawing one of her swords. She intended to fight Koga with him.

"That silver windflower scarf..." When Koga spoke, both of them looked up, their attention shifting. "And those kenseikan... You're from the Kuchiki family, aren't you?"

"What does it matter to you?" Rin snarled, stepping in front of Byakuya before he could answer for himself. He placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to push her aside since she was blocking his line of attack.

"And who is this woman?" Koga inquired in a harsh tone, his green eyes narrowing. "Why is it you let her protect you? Are you too weak to fight for yourself?" He asked tauntingly.

"I'm Asaje Rin. I'm sure you know of my family," she retorted, shrugging away Byakuya's hand exasperatedly.

"Indeed. A bunch of dogs, your lot," the man hissed loathingly. "It seems the two of you are close. Don't tell me the head of the Kuchiki clan would stoop so low as to marry someone of the Asaje clan!"

"What was that? Get your skinny old carcass over here and say that again, bastard!" Rin yelled, outraged by his discrimination. Byakuya stopped her from lunging by grabbing the back of her robes.

"Rin, this is not the time for your foolishness! He is merely taunting you. You should know this!" He admonished his wife beneath his breath. His grey eyes were trained on Koga the whole time.

"I am Kuchiki Byakuya, the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan," he said to the man.

"Don't answer to that bastard!" The woman whispered harshly.

"The 28th head? I see. A great deal of time has passed since I was imprisoned. So, has Ginrei kicked the bucket yet?" He asked, grinning.

"I do not want to hear his name pass your lips again," Byakuya said warningly. "You have no right to speak it after you soiled the Kuchiki house's honour."

"Is that so..." Koga growled, the grin quickly replaced by a scowl.

"Captain Asaje, Nii-sama, what's going on?" Rukia questioned.

"Stupid, are you blind and deaf? Obviously, Byakuya isn't a traitor and he was trying to kill this son of a bitch the whole time," Rin said, her eyes closing. "Now, shut up and watch."

"You will be staying out of this fight, as well, Rin," Byakuya informed her. Her eyes snapped open.

"What?"

"Senbonzakura, keep her out of this," the noble ordered. Rin was caught completely off guard when Senbonzakura appeared behind her and grabbed her. She struggled, but he disappeared, bringing her over to Ichigo and Rukia.

"Let me go, you fucking bastard! I wanna fight! The Kuchiki clan is not the only one that was insulted by that skeleton! You heard him talking about the Asaje clan! I demand revenge!"

"Then I shall take it for you. You will merely watch, as this is my fight," Byakuya told her.

"Fuck you!" Rin yelled childishly.

"Senbonzakura, weren't you under Muramasa's spell?" Ichigo asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes," he replied, still fighting to keep Rin in his arms and out of the battle. "I fell under Muramasa's spell once, but... Byakuya escaped death by breaking into the sewer system beneath Sereitei. He was able to bring me to my senses, after fighting me toe to toe.

"I told him about Muramasa's voice telling me to free my mind and obey my instincts. Asaje-sama heard his whispers as well when she used the Sword Sense. Byakuya was told about the zanpakuto, Muramasa, and his master, Kuchiki Koga, by his grandfather, Ginrei. That is how he had known what was happening to me.

"Ginrei-sama had told Byakuya that if Kuchiki Koga's seal should ever be broken, it is the duty of the head of the Kuchiki clan to kill him. Byakuya swore to his grandfather that he would stop him if that were to ever happen.

"Byakuya visited the library in hopes of finding out more about Koga. But, there were not any records of him. He figured that the information had been hidden from the public."

"Bullshit. I found information on him!" Rin snapped, stopping her struggles long enough to speak.

"He had inserted that information knowing that you would look into this matter. You are fortunate he did, or you would be in the dark about this," Senbonzakura told her.

"I can't believe that shinigami, Koga, used to be part of the Kuchiki family," Rukia said, her eyes wide.

"But you didn't have to keep it a secret from us!" Ichigo snapped. He was still upset with Byakuya and his zanpakuto.

"It was all so we could find where Koga had been sealed away!" The spirit insisted. "Simply killing Muramasa would have been meaningless. We needed to kill Koga!

"So I pretended that I was still being brainwashed. But I was still having a hard time figuring out where Koga had been sealed. Byakuya had to stay near Muramasa, regardless of how his friends, of how Asaje-sama, would take it."

"In my opinion, I think I took it pretty well," Rin muttered. She had stopped fighting against his grasp by then. Seeing no need to keep holding her, Senbonzakura allowed her to drop to the ground. She cried out in surprise, quickly jumping to her feet. "Ew! The ground's all wet, you stupid bastard! Don't just drop me!"

"I do not see why Byakuya enjoys your company. You are an infuriating woman," the spirit growled.

"Before you start fighting, I still have questions," Ichigo said, holding up a hand. "Why did you go through all that?"

"Because it's his duty as the head of the Kuchiki clan," the spirit said simply.

No longer interested in their chatter, Rin turned away in a huff and stuck her sword in the ground, using it to lean on as she watched the fight. She was still intent on revenge, but she wouldn't get anywhere if she tried intervening now. She would go when all hell broke loose, so no one noticed her absence.

"You will do no such thing!" The woman whipped around when she heard the voice. It was Futago. She pulled her sword out of the ground and held it in front of her defensively.

"And where the hell have you been?"

"Such a thing does not matter now. I refuse to allow you to join in this battle," the spirit said, coming to a stop in front of her.

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter!" She growled. "And why the hell are you so bent on keeping me out? You're under Muramasa's control, you should be following your goddamn instincts!"

"My instincts tell me to protect you," he rasped, his expression solemn.

"Then you're not doing a very good job. Either that, or you didn't realize that Akuma nearly killed me!" She stopped when he cupped her cheek gently. His eyes were coloured a sad blue.

"Rina... I knew you would not die by her blade. My goal was to have you injured enough so that you would be removed from the fight. I know that, if you try and fight that man, he will kill you. I can handle having you injured, I know you will recover, but one can not recover from death.

"Please, Rina, stay out of the fighting." He carefully wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Do not fight against Kuchiki Koga. I do not want you to die." She placed a hand on his chest, pushing him away slightly. His eyes widened with hurt and rejection. She merely shook her head. Her expression was hard.

"No, Futago. You may want to protect me, but the answer isn't preventing me from fighting. I'll always fight, but I won't die. I'm aware that, if I die, a lot of people are going to suffer. So, the simplest answer is to live. But locking me up and stopping me from protecting my loved ones isn't considered living, in my mind. Get it through your thick skull, nothing you can do short of killing me yourself will keep me from joining that fight. And since your aim is to keep me alive, you're SOL."

"Rina..." Futago began. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he grabbed the front of her robes and leapt into the air as Muramasa lost control of his reiatsu. Daisuke appeared beside them, forcing himself between Rin and Futago. The latter glared, but didn't make a fuss he knew he didn't deserve the man's trust after 'betraying' them and following Muramasa.

Below, heavy black reiatsu was spreading across the island. In the centre was Muramasa, who was crying out from pain. Everyone's eyes widened when Menos Grande came from the black reiatsu. Their voices rose in chorus with Muramasa's, growing louder as more appeared.

"Holy shit..." Rin muttered beneath her breath. "He was keeping Menos inside of him. It explains his unstable pressure, though. I wonder, was he unable to maintain the form of his body? Is that why he needed them...?"

"I am not certain. He did disappear for a time whenever his coughing became bad, but never told us where," Futago replied. That's when Byakuya leapt into the air, about to dispatch the hollows himself. Rin cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled.

"Oi, Kuchiki!" He paused, glancing at her when she appeared beside him, grinning. "Leave the hollows to us while you get a head start on Koga! I'll join you after!"

"You will not." He scowled.

"I will and you'll love it. Now, before I go..." He was surprised when she grabbed the front of his robes and kissed him. She hated doing it in front of everyone, but at the moment it was nice just having him there. He obviously thought the same thing, because he returned the gesture. Both of them ignored Ichigo, who was staring at them slack jawed. Finally, she pulled away. "No time to finish, but we can do that after. Have fun!" She half-waved half-saluted to him before dashing off.

With Akuma and Futago at either side, Rin began ripping through the Menos like they were nothing. All the time, she was laughing maniacally, just like Akuma. There was a few times when her power bullets nearly hit Ichigo, who snapped at her crossly, but otherwise her attacks were true. Though, killing such low level hollows was bound to bore her. Soon enough, she was standing on an invisible platform watching the others do the killing. Suddenly, Ichigo yelled out.

"Byakuya!" Rin turned and looked at the ground, her eyes widening when she saw Koga's ice kido break down Byakuya's barrier. The whole lake below had frozen from the attack. In the place where Byakuya had been, there was only ice.

"That's it, I'm not watching anymore!" Rin yelled in annoyance. She grabbed her zanpakuto and attacked Koga from above. He was wielding one of the spears that had imprisoned him. He easily blocked her attack, grinning from his victory. His eyes widened when she spoke.

"Hado #32: Okasen!" She pushed herself away and swung her sword. A wide yellow beam of energy the width of the sword's swing was sent hurtling towards Koga. As he was engulfed in the light, Byakuya used Senbonzakura to free himself from the ice. He appeared beside Rin.

"I had told you to stay out of this," he said in a hard tone.

"Stop whining. Nothing you say is going to make me stop, so forget it," she hissed. "And look, he must have taken a good hit from the kido."

"Don't overestimate yourself, girl!" Rin sidestepped just in time to avoid Koga's lunging attack. He swung the spear in a sweeping motion, attempting to hit both Rin and Byakuya. The noble blocked the attack, giving Rin the opportunity to lash out, slicing open his back. Koga pulled his weapon free and jabbed the spear point at Byakuya. He leapt back into the air to avoid it.

Rin swung her weapons, but he blocked them. He was able to wrench one of them out of her hand when it got caught in between the second blade on the spear. Rin immediately put distance between them, shaking her hand which she suspected had been sprained from the rough nature of the attack. Using his opponents' brief lapse in attention, Koga aimed the weapon at Byakuya. The noble Captain was stopped abruptly in mid air. Shadows on the ice below showed invisible ropes connecting Byakuya and Koga. The latter grinned.

"Gotcha!" He purred. When Rin tried to lunge at him, he held out his hand.

"Shitotsu Sansen." A triangular shaped yellow light formed with 'fangs' at each corner formed and was sent at the woman. The kido hit Rin head on, pinning her to a nearby tree. The man's attention returned to Byakuya. "You can't even lift a finger anymore!" The noble was unconcerned. His sword glowed pink and he spoke.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." The pink blades effortlessly cut the invisible connections, freeing their master. They were then sent hurtling towards Koga, who gasped. Byakuya's eyes widened when he pointed the spear at Rin, beginning to charge one of his kido attacks. The blades stopped cold, swirling lazily in the air instead. Koga chuckled darkly.

"As I thought. Can't attack me now, or your wife goes bye bye." The woman gritted her teeth.

"Do it, Byakuya! That blast doesn't hurt you, what makes you think it'll hurt me?" She yelled. Still, the noble hesitated. Koga drew back his spear and sent it hurtling at Byakuya. He instantly used Senbonzakura to block the weapon, shattering it in the process. Using shunpo, the noble appeared behind Koga and swung at the unarmed man.

"You are finished." He then sliced right through the man's body.

"Idiot! You didn't hit anything!" Rin suddenly screeched. "What are you doing?" Byakuya's eyes widened as the body faded. Koga, who was now out of sword's reach, was smiling at him over his shoulder.

"You're wide open, head of the Kuchiki clan," he purred, suddenly behind him. Byakuya's back arched in pain when he felt cold metal slashing diagonal between his shoulder blades.

"Byakuya!" The man stumbled forward onto the ice, trying to stay on his feet. Rin struggled, but it was in vain. Even without the incantation, the spell was strong enough to keep her pinned. She could only watch as Byakuya whipped around, swinging at nothing. Or, at least, that's what she saw. A deep slash appeared on Byakuya's right shoulder, splattering his scarf with blood. Though Byakuya had seen him in the air, much too far to do damage, Koga had been right in front of him. The noble Captain put distance between them.

"What did you do?" He growled. Obviously, Rin wasn't seeing what he was seeing. Something wasn't right.

What the hell? Rin thought. Why is he attacking nothing? What's going on? Is it illusions? Fortunately for both of them, Koga was about to tell them.

"Muramasa can control other zanpakuto. But that ability came from my own special power. I send my reiatsu into my enemy and throw off all five of their senses." Suddenly, Byakuya's eyes widened and he swung to the side, hitting nothing once more. "I have complete control over what you perceive. You can't see me correctly, even though I'm right in front of you."

"Cut the crap!" Rin yelled. "You're just some goddamn Aizen rip off, you son of a bitch!"

"I do not know who that is, but I assure you my power surpasses his," Koga remarked.

"This is an illusion?" Byakuya asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Please," he scoffed, "it's so much more." Koga flung one of the broken pieces of the spears. Byakuya swung his sword far too soon, not even coming close to hitting it. Rather, it smacked into him and fell to the ice harmlessly. "Right now, your depth perception doesn't match your reach with that sword. You can't fight anymore.

"Of course, I wouldn't have been able to use this technique if you had closed your heart before challenging me, like Ginrei and Genryuusai did. You let your guard down because I broke Muramasa."

"You are wrong."

"What?" Koga frowned.

"I challenged you without closing my heart first so that I may kill you," Byakuya explained. "If I had closed my heart, I could have sealed you away again, but I could not have killed you."

"You've got guts to say that in your situation!" Koga snarled. His eyes were wide with the wild insanity he had nurtured over many, many centuries. When Byakuya raised his sword, the blade beginning to glow pink, Koga disappeared and grabbed one of the other spears.

"Not happening!" He yelled, aiming the spear.

Rin gritted her teeth when the spear was sent flying. It hadn't been aimed at Byakuya, but she knew he probably thought it was. As expected, Byakuya dodged the spear that wasn't there, falling into the real one's path. His right arm was pinned and his weapon sent skidding across the ice. His other arm was soon pinned as well. Koga appeared to Byakuya's side, holding out the remaining spear.

"Hyoga Seiran!" He yelled, sending a wave of ice at the man. Byakuya summoned a shield, but in the wrong direction. The attack hit him head on. His whole lower body was frozen. Koga sneered at him. "You're pathetic! You're just a baby who can't do anything without his zanpakuto. It doesn't matter how skilled my enemies are! Everyone will bow to me in the end." He laughed. "Yes! This is all my power! No one can best me, even without my zanpakuto!" He held up the spear and pointed it at Rin.

"I will finish this soon. First, you will see your wife's death before experiencing the same yourself!" Byakuya's eyes widened.

"Leave her be!" He snarled, his struggles beginning anew.

Koga chuckled darkly as he walked over to Rin's tree. She twisted beneath the kido, but was unable to break it. Her eyes widened when he hovered the spear tip before her face. He drew the weapon back and lunged forward, aiming to pierce her through the chest. Rin's eyes clenched shut and she awaited her death.
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Zanpakuto Tales