Bleach: Heart of a Hero

by Blackdrag-rose

Rebellion: Back to Soul Society

It didn't take Sombra and Yoruichi long to get back to Urahara's shop, who was a little surprised to see that Rukia was with them and that she was wounded, but he welcomed them in immediately and sent word for Orihime to join them, since her power would be able to mend Rukia's wounds. At the same time Ichigo called in both Uryu and Chad as well, since they deserved to know what was going on at the moment, because Rukia was their friend as much as she was his friend, and just in case the World of the Living was attacked they needed to be ready for anything. Of course Sora, who lived in this world and watched over Orihime, while helping her train to the best of his ability, came along as well, though the only reason that Sombra hadn't commanded him to live in Hueco Mundo was because he wanted the younger Arrancar to live his life the way he wanted, and he knew that once Orihime crossed over to Soul Society, and left the World of the Living behind, he'd come join him and the others. Orihime and Sora were the first to arrive at Urahara's shop, allowing Orihime to get to work on healing Rukia's wounds and making sure that she was ready for the return trip to Soul Society, as they all knew that she wasn't about to stay here while the other Shinigami were in need of assistance.

When Uryu and Chad arrived the group gathered in the room that Urahara generally had guests stay in while they told him about their woes and problems, though once Ichigo returned to his Human state he told both his friends and Urahara about what he, Sombra, and Yoruichi discovered earlier.

"You're sure that this mysterious lady's name is Sode no Shirayuki?" Uryu asked, as he had been thinking about Rukia's Zanpakuto the entire time, because based on what happened in Hueco Mundo, where Zangetsu split himself from Ichigo, he had come to the conclusion that either Zangetsu's actions had more effects than what they were aware of or someone else was behind this latest event.

"Sombra was sure that her name was the same as Rukia's Zanpakuto, and the lady even confirmed it in her own manner by saying that he caught on quick." Ichigo replied, though he still couldn't believe what he had seen, that the spirit of his friend's Zanpakuto had abandoned her and attacked her in such a way, even to chase her to the World of the Living and stop when she found him and Sombra standing there, "But still, for the spirit of her own Zanpakuto to materialize and attempt to kill her, that's... that's... it's just insane to think about."

"Well, regardless of how insane this all sounds, I've taken the liberty of contacting Soul Society." Urahara said, to which he gestured to the sphere that was sitting nearby, the same one that Sombra had used the moment they came to his shop and contacted Hueco Mundo, "We should be able to reach Captain Ukitake, or whoever is near the sphere, and get an idea on how the Seireitei fared after the attack, because if one Zanpakuto is doing this than I have the feeling that more might have done the same thing and attacked their former partners at the same time as Sode no Shirayuki."

"Urahara-san," Tessei spoke up, though at the same time he opened one of the screens and showed himself to the group that had assembled in the area that they were in, but the look on his face told them that something had happened while they were talking, "Rukia has regained consciousness... and the Arrancar have arrived as well."

Sombra got up from where he was standing and walked into the hallway that would allow him to reach the front of the shop, as he knew that two of the Arrancar he had called for would be willing to come and assist them, both for their own reasons, though he was curious to see if anyone else had come with them. When he reached the front of the shop he found both Zangetsu and Grimmjow standing nearby, clearly waiting for an invitation to enter the building, and Nel was there as well, though he raised an eyebrow when he found Harribel standing against the side of the nearby fence, staring at the Arrancar that she had come with. It didn't take a genius to know why Harribel was here, because he had asked for three of his followers to come, while only expecting two to show up, but it seemed that Nel coming here had caused Harribel to come as well, meaning that she was still focused on trying to determine whether he was going to follow what the previous Dios Hueco did or not... even though he had the feeling that he knew exactly which side of the decision she wanted him to be on.

"Lord Sombra, we came as quickly as we could." Grimmjow said, though once he said that the others moved over to him and they stood at attention, something that they might not be used to but were willing to adapt to since he was the King of Hueco Mundo.

"At ease. There's something you should be aware of before we head inside," Sombra replied, noticing that all four of them seemed interested in what was going on and relaxed a little, since they weren't in enemy territory and could relax until he gave them their mission, "An hour or two ago, while Yoruichi and I were trying to relax by walking near the river, a Senkaimon opened and Rukia, wounded from a prior battle, emerged from it, where Ichigo, who came because of some strange reiatsu, caught her and asked her what was going on. After that a second Senkaimon opened and a woman, who I have identified as Sode no Shirayuki, emerged from it and promptly attacked Ichigo, all to get at Rukia and end whatever battle she had been in earlier, before retreating to Soul Society after I announced who she was."

"Sode no Shirayuki... as in the spirit of her Zanpakuto?" Zangetsu asked, though at the same time he understood why he had been called here, because if the enemy were the spirits of the Shinigamis' Zanpakuto than it made sense to call in someone who was like them, especially since he ditched Ichigo the moment he was able to.

"That's correct." Sombra said, though he was glad that they all understood what he meant, because once Zangetsu said his statement the other three Arrancar understood the situation as well, "We know for sure that one Zanpakuto spirit has abandoned their partner, since Rukia was attacked, but we were getting ready to see just how many of them have done the same thing and what the situation of Soul Society is. What we're going to do is get the whole story from Rukia, see what sort of damage the Seireitei has suffered, and then render assistance to the Shinigami as necessary, especially since they might not be able to defeat their former partners without some form of aid, all while figuring out why this happened now, so soon after Aizen's defeat. Are you ready to see what happened?"

"Of course, my Lord." the four Arrancar said, speaking almost at the same time, while also bowing their heads a little, though this showed Sombra that they had managed to put their differences aside and work as a unit, which was good for what they were about to do.

"Though I do have a question." Zangetsu added, causing the other three to look at him for a moment, as they were curious as to what he had to ask, especially since they were here to stop the Zanpakuto and save Soul Society, "If the Old Man abandons Ichigo, like Sode no Shirayuki did to Rukia, is it okay if I'm the one that engages him and put him in his well deserved place?"

Sombra knew that Zangetsu hated the Old Man that had caused Ichigo to turn away from him, to accept the wrong being as his Zanpakuto spirit and eventually made Zangetsu hate both him and his supposed partner at the same time, yet at the same time he also knew that this might actually be the only chance for him to get his revenge and maybe even force Ichigo to see the truth. In the end Sombra nodded his head, indicating that if such a thing happened he could be the one to engage the Old Man, which put a smile on Zangetsu's face as he thanked him for the chance to fight the being that he hated far more than Ichigo. Once that was taken care of, and the other Arrancar were ready to go, Sombra lead them into the shop and walked over to the room that Rukia was laying in, surprising the group by the fact that four Arrancar had come to assist them, but Rukia smiled, as she knew that they needed all the help they could get. As Grimmjow, Harribel, and Nel stood around the room, to prepare themselves for the tale that Rukia was going to tell them, Zangetsu glared at Ichigo, who met his eyes for a moment, before sighing and stood beside the area that Sombra was sitting in, his actions indicating that he still hated Ichigo and that there might not be anything Ichigo could do to weaken that anger.

Once they were all ready Rukia recounted what happened, about the strangeness of what she observed during her brother's training session with Renji, the sudden stop of Captain Hitsuguya's session with Hyorinmaru, Matsumoto's mistreatment of Haineko, and what the Lieutenants had said to each other before she headed back to her own Division's offices for the evening. When she got to the emergency meeting, however, she knew that all of them were interested in what happened next, especially since it appeared that only those with named Zanpakuto had been summoned to the hill that she had nearly been executed on. She then described the arrival of the Lieutenant for the First Division, who had collapsed due to heart problems, before revealing the being behind everything that happened after that point, a man who called himself Muramasa and claimed that the age of the Shinigami was over, though as she mentioned all the claims that he made Sombra seemed to focus on one aspect, that he spoke like he was a Zanpakuto as well, freeing his fellow spirits to incite a war with the Shinigami... and even then she could tell that Sombra found something about that entire thought to be odd and out of place, but he kept his mouth shut as she continued talking, where she revealed all the descriptions of the spirits that she had seen.

It was then that she revealed that Muramasa claimed that three Zanpakuto, Katen Kyokotsu, Sogyo no Kotowari, and Mizazuki had used their reiatsu to seal Captain-Commander Yamamoto away, because Ryujin Jakka decided not to join the other rebellious Zanpakuto, something that struck Sombra as odd when she said it, but he still kept quiet and let her finish her story on what happened.

What happened next was sheer chaos, because at first the Shinigami tried to fight against their Zanpakuto, but with two wounded soliders weighing them down as easy targets, and the fact that it was hard to fight so many powerful individuals without their own powers, the Captains, Lieutenants, and seated members were forced to withdraw. It was a good choice on their part, as Ashisogi Jizo used it's Bankai from, a creature that Uryu described as a 'monster baby of nightmares' from his first experience with the thing, and prepared to spray poison on them, only for Zabimaru to use it's Bankai as well and fire it's energy blast from it's mouth at the same time. From that point forward was when everything fell apart, allowing them to come to the chaotic part of Rukia's tale, as the Shinigami split to make the rebellious Zanpakuto do the same thing, and even though the Captains and Lieutenants were the ones their former partners wanted to kill, for their own reasons, some of the spirits still attacked the other Shinigami as well, causing damage all over the Seireitei in the process. Rukia admitted that she and Renji were heading back to the Thierteenth Division's offices to use the sphere that Sombra had given Soul Society, as Yamamoto trusted Ukitake to keep it safe for whenever they needed to use it, but in the end they were intercepted by two spirits, who she guessed were Gonryomaru and Kazeshini, and were saved by the timely arrival of Byakuya, who eventually engaged Senzonzakura in battle... before disappearing in a cloud of petals, as his reiatsu vanished after that moment, even though she and Renji continued running as per her brother's instructions.

Of course she and Renji were then ambushed by Sode no Shirayuki, forcing them to be separated from that point forward, and Rukia even admitted she had no idea how she was able to find a place where she could open the Senkaimon back to the World of the Living, before coming to what everyone knew by that point in time.

"A Zanpakuto rebellion," Zangetsu commented, being the first one to speak after Rukia finished talking, though at the same time many heads nodded their agreement to what he had said, as Sombra and the other Arrancar had been thinking the same thing, before a grin appeared on his face, "how interesting. It's obvious who Lord Sombra will be going after, once we get to Soul Society... provided Muramasa doesn't run away like a coward when the other Zanpakuto tell him whose come to play."

"Still, the Zanpakuto are defying their partners and attacking them," Urahara added, as that was the meat of the topic that they were discussing, the fact that something was causing the Zanpakuto to manifest themselves in new forms and attack their partners, "I've never heard of such a thing happening. This is worrisome, especially since a Zanpakuto's true form resides within their Shinigami partner, and even their Arrancar partner, in Sombra's case."

"I've been nearing to ask this for a while now, but never found the best chance to ask." Uryu said, showing that he had been thinking about what he had learned before, when Zangetsu abandoned Ichigo, and was added the new information to what he had already figured out, "What's a Zanpakuto's true form?"

"We have a mind and a body that controls our powers." Zangetsu stated, to which Urahara nodded his head for a few seconds, indicating that he was correct, but at the same time he looked at Uryu and ignored Ichigo, who was going to miss everything he said anyway, "Shinigami are supposed to become more powerful by communicating with us, which should evolve into both of us learning what sort of Shikai form they'll share, and by intensive training and the will to eventually dominate us they unlock their Bankai. Remember, that large blade that Ichigo carries in his base state was my base form, when I was still trapped inside him, and my power was too great to be sealed inside an ordinary katana like most of the other Zanpakuto... and I don't think I need to remind you of what my blade looks like in my Bankai state."

"So Zanpakuto have a blade form and a manifested form." Chad stated, which made sense to him, even though he had no idea what sort of specifics went into a Zanpakuto and the bond it had with a Shinigami, something that Sombra, Rukia, and Urahara understood.

"Naturally, my Benihime is the same way as the rest of the Zanpakuto." Urahara added, reminding some of them that he had been a Shinigami before coming to the World of the Living, something that Sombra and the other Arrancar hadn't forgotten, and Sombra was happy to see that Ichigo knew that as well.

"How's everyone else doing?" Ichigo asked, referring to the Gotei 13 that had been protecting the Seireitei and the rest of Soul Society, as he was sure that Rukia had to know something about the Captains and other Shinigami that she had left behind, before coming to this world.

"Don't worry, we're doing just fine, despite what happened last night." a voice said, to which Ukitake's face appeared in the communication sphere that was sitting nearby, before he pulled back a little to show them that he and Captain Shunsui were standing in a room with Captain Unohana, "At the moment the Seireitei is in shambles, all thanks to our Zanpakuto rebelling against us and attacking a good majority of the buildings, so we're currently using the Fourth Division's barracks as our headquarters for the time being. We've got relief officers working around the clock, tending to the countless wounded that are scattered throughout the Seireitei, though while we're doing that Captain Soi Fon and all of the Covert Ops are out searching for the hidden Zanpakuto, as they disappeared during their assault and we haven't seen them since. Captain Mayuri, on the other hand, is holed up in his lab, researching this latest phenomenon in the hopes of discovering what happened to our Zanpakuto and if there's a way to return things to how they had been before Muramasa showed himself."

"It seems like you guys have strengthened the security of the Fourth Division's aid station," Sombra commented, as he could hear more Shinigami in the background, working to either improve the defenses or tend to the injured, but all this told him was that they were in need of assistance before the Zanpakuto attacked again, "but with Muramasa running around there's no telling when he'll strike again, or how many of the other spirits he'll use in his attacks, meaning that we'll want to head to Soul Society sooner, rather than later."

"Speaking of spirits, how are your Zanpakuto doing?" Ukitake asked, causing Sombra to glance up for a moment while Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, as neither of them had been expecting that question, "We're curious if this is an isolated event, as in it only happened in Soul Society, or if whatever caused the Zanpakuto to abandon us was able to reach the World of the Living as well, and potentially even Hueco Mundo."

"Both Shokyo and Rey have been the same since I learned how to wield them." Sombra replied, though that would have been cause for alarm, if whatever had affected the rest of the Zanpakuto had been able to influence both of his blades, as they contained his individual powers and losing them could make him weaker than his current level, which was why he was glad that nothing was wrong with them.

"I haven't noticed anything wrong with Zangetsu either." Ichigo added, though at the same time he glanced over at his former inner Hollow and noticed that he was mad at him again, an emotion that he seemed to be stuck at, before focusing on the communication sphere again.

"That's good. It seems like Muramasa's power can't reach the World of the Living." Shunsui commented, to which he seemed to think about something, be it the situation they were in or the fact that Ichigo and Sombra weren't effected by this strange event, before he faced the sphere on his side of the link, "Lord Sombra, when should we be expecting you and your reinforcements?"

"We'll be leaving soon." Sombra replied, where he found that his announcement wasn't a surprise to Yoruichi or Urahara, since they knew him better than anyone else, but at the same time he focused on the sphere, as there was one thing he wanted to know before they even considered leaving the shop, "Rukia said that she last saw her brother being attacked by Senbonzakura, before she and Renji were attacked by Sode no Shirayuki. Do you have any news on what might have happened to Captain Byakuya?"

"Not right now, but we're still looking." Ukitake said, though Sombra understood what he didn't say, as right now he and the other Shinigami that had their Zanpakuto spirits taken from them were focusing on what they could do in this situation and if they could recover their partners before something happened, "We'll see you, and your soldiers, whenever you arrive in Soul Society."

That was immediately followed by the communication being cut, indicating that there wasn't much more for them to learn before they went through a Senkaimon and headed to Soul Society, but even as Ichigo told Rukia that her brother was okay, as he knew that Byakuya wouldn't die that easily, Sombra had to wonder what Muramasa's true goal was. If Muramasa was a Zanpakuto spirit, and Rukia's description of him seemed to validate that thought, then that made him wonder what happened to his partner, because all Zanpakuto supposedly died when their respective Shinigami died, which meant that Muramasa's partner had to be alive, somewhere in one of the four realms of existence. While he considered this possibility, however, Rukia insisted that they leave immediately, as she was able to travel in her condition, but Sombra cancelled her decision and told her to rest some more, because despite her desire to leave he knew that her body was only healed enough for her to walk, while fighting was an entirely different thing at the moment. He knew that if she got into a fight she'd risk her entire life, and while he knew that she might see it as a sign of weakness he preferred to make sure that his friends were fine before they marched into Soul Society, though at the same time he was sure that the Captains could wait another couple of hours for their arrival.

At the same time he knew that his fellow Arrancar didn't like to be kept waiting, especially since he called them here for a specific task, but they continued to surprise him by stating that they'd wait until he was sure that Rukia could move without falling, even if he didn't want her to fight just yet. That, of course, meant that Ichigo and Zangetsu had to stare at each other while they waited for Rukia to recover, even with Orihime's assistance, but for the most part they remained silent and said nothing to their former partner, even if ichigo had no idea who his former inner Hollow actually was. While they waited Uryu, Chad, and Sora made sure that Karakura Town was safe, not that it mattered since all the other Hollows knew he was here and would go elsewhere in their hunt for food, or just go back home until they were sure that Sombra had done somewhere else. The wait also gave Sombra time to think about the rebellion that was taking place, or more accurately the parts of it that made little sense or the parts that he felt he needed to think about, but for the most part he knew that without all the information it would be impossible for him to put everything together on his own, even though he'd have to actually ask Muramasa what his true goals were if he wanted to figure everything out.

After another hour and a half had passed Sombra had Rukia walk around a little and decided that she was in good enough condition to return to Soul Society, along with making sure that she didn't go overboard when they got there and that she would head to the Fourth Division's building if she needed assistance... though when she accepted, and went back to wearing her Shinigami attire, the group of Arrancar joined her, Sombra, Yoruichi, and Ichigo as they headed to the underground training area and opened the way to Soul Society. As they walked into the gateway that would take them to their destination Rukia knew that Muramasa's plans were done for, because Sombra was going to figure out what he was doing and then shatter his plans before they had a chance to really take off, and that brought a smile to her face as they headed towards Soul Society.

---

It didn't take long for the passageway they had been walking through to reach Soul Society, where the group walked out into a ruined part of the Seireitei and found that there weren't any Shinigami in the immediate area, but at the same time Sombra was able to figure out where everyone was gathering. Once everyone was on their side of the Senkaimon the gateway closed behind them, though once that happened Sombra told his fellow Arrancar to head to the area that the majority of the Shinigami were gathering in, the Fourth Division barracks, and told Ichigo to go with them, so Shunsui and Ukitake knew that they were there, while Yoruichi headed off to find Soi Fon so she could see what progress she made in her search for the other Zanpakuto. Rukia, on the other hand, wanted to head off to the Sixth Division's barracks and see if Renji had any news about her brother, even though they had just gotten an update not even two hours ago, but Sombra decided that while the rest of the Arrancar figured out who needed their help he'd go with Rukia, to ensure that she didn't do anything stupid since she hadn't fully recovered yet.

Once his orders had been given out the Arrancar pulled Ichigo towards their destination, since he wanted to go with Rukia and Sombra, and Sombra purposely made sure to watch them head off into the distance before they headed out to the Sixth Division's barracks, where they found a good number of Shinigami moving things around in preparations for their move to the Fourth Division's barracks, to better fortify their defenses, and Rukia headed right to the office, where they found Renji standing on the other side of the door.

"Rukia! I was worried about you!" Renji said, to which he stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, an action that was followed by him shacking her a little to be sure that she was actually there, before he stopped when he noticed who else was standing there, "Sombra, what are you doing here?"

"Ichigo and I heard that you guys had a problem on your hands and came to help." Sombra replied, though he knew that since Renji hadn't been near the sphere when the link between Soul Society and the World of the Living had occurred, where three Captains learned what was coming next, it was time to tell Renji what was happening, "I brought four Arrancar with me, to make sure that the Zanpakuto rebellion is dealt with in a timely manner, though I brought Harribel, Grimmjow, Nel, and Zangetsu to help deal with this Muramasa."

"Is Ichigo still ignoring Zangetsu?" Renji asked, because it felt odd that literally every Shinigami that had witnessed the end of the war with Aizen knew that the white Ichigo lookalike, who also had a Hollow hole and mask fragment, was the former spirit of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, something that Ichigo hadn't figured out on his own.

"Unfortunately." Sombra said, though he still had hope that this incident told Ichigo the truth of his Zanpakuto and that he had been beyond rude to the being that was supposed to be his partner, a bond that had been shattered and was likely impossible to reforge now that Zangetsu was his own being.

"Well, hopefully he figures it out soon, otherwise I'm sure that Zangetsu will snap and kill him." Renji stated, as they all knew that it was only a matter of time until the former Zanpakuto spirit snapped and attacked Ichigo with the intent to kill him, and this time he wouldn't have the power to stop Zangetsu, before he sighed and let go of Rukia, "So, what can I do for the Dios Hueco and my closest friend?"

"I was wondering if you found any trace of my brother." Rukia replied, though she was grateful that the conversation had returned to the reason why she had come here in the first place, because talking about Ichigo and Zangetsu could only get them so far in the grand scheme of things.

"I sent out a search squad some time ago, but they haven't reported anything yet." Renji answered, though at the same time he knew where Rukia's focus was going to be and glanced over to Sombra, who nodded his head, indicating that he'd be keeping track of her for the time being, "Look, there's no way that the manifestation of Senbonzakura would be able to kill Captain Byakuya that easily, so have faith that he's out there, searching for the whereabouts of the missing Zanpakuto spirits, and that he'll show himself when he's ready to come back."

"You're right," Rukia said, to which she sighed as she turned towards the hallway she and Sombra had walked through to get to this room, as there was something that she wanted to do while she tried to recover from her previous battle with her Zanpakuto spirit, "I'm going to go for a brief walk and clear my head, so I can return to our mission with more focus and not be a burden to anyone else."

Sombra raised an eyebrow to that, as he had never considered Rukia a burden and wondered why she even thought about something like that, but he said nothing as she headed into the hallway and made her way outside the Sixth Division's barracks, to which he sighed and bid farewell to Renji as he followed after Rukia. As he walked some distance behind Rukia, however, he knew that she didn't have a destination in mind, rather her focus was on what happened when Muramasa showed himself and the events that followed his arrival, such as her being attacked by Sode no Shirayuki and Byakuya engaging Senbonzakura, only to disappear and causing her current worries to be her main focus. He could sort of understand what she was going through, since he had worried about Radiant Hope before his naive nature caused him to consider that she had abandoned him, but at the same time he knew that he'd never truly have the same worry as Rukia did, since he never had a sibling that he cared for, though that didn't stop him from wanting to make sure that his friend didn't push herself past her limits, when she could fall at any moment.

His thoughts came to a stop when he noticed that Rukia had come to a stop, near a wooden gate that had ice growing around the sides of it and Shinigami frozen in place in blocks of pure ice, and on the other side of the wall they heard the screams of more people being attacked, though when they walked through the gate the duo found Sode no Shirayuki in the middle of her assault against the Shinigami that were in the area.

"Stop it!" Rukia shouted, to which she charged forward and leapt over her former partner's head and landed in front of her, though at the same time she kept her hand on the handle of her Zanpakuto as she stared at the lady that had been inside her blade, "Stop this, Sode no Shirayuki!"

"Rukia Kuchiki, I no longer follow your orders." Sode no Shirayuki stated, though this time around Sombra, who was standing nearby on one of the walls, noticed that the earlier look that he had seen in the spirit's eyes, where she had been both happy and sad, was gone and in it's place was what appeared to be a loathing gaze.

"What... did you say?" Rukia asked, though at the same time this only confirmed that Muramasa had done something to all of their Zanpakuto, something that may or may not be reversible, which caused her to sweat as she stared at the spirit of her blade.

"I'm free from your control." Sode no Shirayuki said, to which she continued to stare at Rukia and ignored the person that was standing nearby, despite the fact that he possessed his own Zanpakuto that Muramasa would be interested in talking to, and maybe convince her to join their cause, "I am free. You have no right to stop me."

"Fine, you're free," Rukia replied, though even as she said that he glanced at the frozen Shinigami that were around them and knew that this wasn't what her Zanpakuto should be doing, because it seemed like something Sode no Shirayuki would have been forced to do against her will, "but why are you attacking, and hurting, innocent people?"

"I am simply going as I please." Sode no Shirayuki answered, to which she looked at the closest Shinigami that was imprisoned in ice for a few seconds, recalling how she froze him quite easily, before glancing back to Rukia, "And I will not look lightly upon anyone that interferes with my desires, even if that someone is you."

"To be honest, I really don't want to fight you." Rukia said, though at the same time she tightened her grip on the handle of her Zanpakuto, because she had the feeling that this had been a terrible decision on her part, especially since she still wasn't fully healed from their previous fight, "But..."

Sode no Shirayuki didn't even give Rukia a chance to say whatever she was thinking about saying, as she flashed through the space between them and swung her right arm down towards her in a crescent fashion, allowing the ice that was gathering to strike the ground and freeze it as Rukia dodged the attack.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia called out, though as she moved through the air, and drew her Zanpakuto, she noticed that the events of the previous night had been true, as she couldn't even go into her Shikai form, causing her to frown as she landed on the ground near her former partner.

"Of course it wouldn't go into it's Shikai form," Sombra commented, causing Rukia to glance over at him for a few seconds, something that Sode no Shirayuki did as well, but she was interested in what he had to say since he was observing their battle and forming his own thoughts on what Muramasa had done to the Zanpakuto, "It appears that the separation between the two of you is deeper than I originally thought, as it appears that Sode no Shirayuki no longer resides in your katana, meaning that the spirit in front of us is in possession of all the powers and abilities that you could use with your Zanpakuto."

"He was able to figure that out almost immediately, something you and your fellow Shinigami failed to understand when Muramasa made his announcement last night." Sode no Shirayuki said, her tone revealing that she was still impressed with Sombra's skill at figuring out what was going on, but at the same time she turned her head back towards Rukia, as she was her opponent and that wouldn't change unless Sombra stepped in to aid her, "Like he said, I no longer reside within your katana. Up until now, you've had free reign over my powers as a Zanpakuto, something that your fellow Shinigami did with their Zanpakuto, and it was something I permitted... because I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"You didn't have a choice?" Rukia asked, though at the same time that didn't make sense to her, because it wasn't like she had forced her Zanpakuto to do anything against her will, as they were partners and they were supposed to work together, something that had changed with Muramasa's arrival.

"But things are different now." Sode no Shirayuki continued, ignoring Rukia's question as she brought her hands together and pulled them apart, allowing her right hand to grab the handle of her Zanpakuto, in it's Shikai form, as it materialized in front of her, which she pointed at Rukia moments later, "I am free to use my powers as I please. I'm sure that, up till now, you considered my power to be your own, but you are mistaken. In reality, you are incapable of fighting on your own! Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

Rukia's eyes widened as she realized what was coming next, as the ground beneath her feet glowed as a circle of ice formed around her, to which she jumped into the air and got out of the way as the ice tower of the First Dance formed where she had been standing moments ago, something that she stared at for a few seconds as she touched down on the roof of the nearby building.

"It's supposed to reach up into the heavens within the area that is drawn by your blade." Sode no Shirayuki spoke up, as she knew exactly what Rukia was thinking about at the moment, because it was the same thought that she must have had when she first attacked her and Renji earlier, "Isn't that right?"

The moment she asked that Sode no Shirayuki swung her right arm and another circle formed on the top of the roof that Rukia was standing on, to which she forced herself back into the air and avoided the second attack, because while she was surprised by what was going on she knew that she needed to be ready for anything. In the following seconds she flashed into the area behind Rukia and raised her left hand, where she blew some cold air onto her opponent and watched as ice formed on Rukia for a moment, but it was minor as she knocked her foe into the ground and landed nearby.

"Are you saying that I can't do anything without you?!" Rukia asked, though at the same time she huffed for a moment, because she knew that Sombra was right in his thoughts about her not being ready for a fight, even though she also knew that he was allowing her to fight because she'd tell him to stand back and let her fight her own battles, to which she forced herself to stand as she faced her Zanpakuto spirit once more, "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!"

Sombra watched as Rukia launched the blue torrent of flames at Sode no Shirayuki, which was a powerful Kido spell depending on who used it, but unfortunately as the spell struck her foe the Zanpakuto spirit used her ice breath on the incoming spell and froze it before it could touch her, forming a pillar in front of her that shattered moments later.

"Why are you so surprised that I stopped your blue fire?" Sode no Shirayuki inquired, though Sombra was impressed by the fact that she was able to stop that powerful spell as quickly as she had, though even as that thought crossed his mind he knew that she wouldn't be able to stop it if he used it, "You're clearly underestimating me... very well, I see that I must correct your way of thinking."

Sode no Shirayuki flashed through the air and appeared behind Rukia, knocking her back with a single swing of her blade, something that she followed up by moving into the air and swinging her left arm at Rukia, forming icicles that raced through the air and struck the ground where Rukia had been standing moments ago. Even as she forced Rukia to run around the area that they were in, with Sombra watching them, Sode no Shirayuki banished her blade and used both of her arms to attack Rukia with the icicles that she was using at the moment, all while staring at her target. While that was going on, however, Sombra observed that Sode no Shirayuki was a beautiful being, not one that he would mess with, and that she was the most beautiful Zanpakuto in all of Soul Society, even though he was fond of thinking the same thing of Shokyo from time to time. The sad part about it was that he was beginning to sense the hatred and loathing that was within Sode no Shirayuki's heart, emotions that she held towards Rukia and likely had been used by Muramasa to call her into this world, to use her in whatever his plans were, making him wonder if the other Zanpakuto spirits were like this and had so much hatred for their Shinigami partners in their hearts.

"Why, Sode no Shirayuki?!" Rukia asked, though at the same time she jumped around the attacks that her former partner was sending her way, as she was trying to figure out what she was seeing in Sode no Shirayuki's eyes, something that she knew Sombra had seen already and was likely thinking about, "Why do you look down at me like you hate me? I am you and you are me! Haven't we stood and fought together all these years?! We practiced and learned our powers under the watchful eyes of Kaien, who praised our abilities and made sure that we knew how to fight against our enemies with the powers we unlocked. Have I really hurt you that badly, by keeping your power all to myself?"

"Whenever you reflect on the distance past your reiatsu weakens." Sode no Shirayuki commented, to which she flashed through the air and appeared behind Rukia, whose eyes widened in surprise as she discovered where her foe had disappeared to, as she knew what was coming next.

Sode no Shirayuki swung her right arm down towards Rukia, apparently having reformed her blade while Rukia was distracted, and Rukia replied in the sense that she was defending herself from what was coming next, creating a burst of icy energy that would freeze the area around where she was striking... though a few moments later, when Sode no Shirayuki pulled back and landed on the roof of a nearby building, she found Rukia huffing in the middle of field of ice, only she fell to her knees seconds later.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren." Sode no Shirayuki stated, to which she pointed the tip of her blade at Rukia's position and released a torrent of icy particles at the area she was targeting, causing Rukia to stare up at her with surprise on her face as her attack struck the area that she was standing in.

"Getsuga Tensho." a pair of voices declared, to which Sombra, being the only one who was able to see what happened before Sode no Shirayuki's attack hit Rukia, watched as both Ichigo and Zangetsu, with Ichigo wearing his Bankai attire and Zangetsu still in his base state, flashed into the area and swung their blades at the incoming torrent, shattering the ice before it had a chance to truly form around the area that Rukia was standing in.

"Ichigo? Zangetsu?" Rukia asked, as she was surprised to see the pair of them come to her aid, especially since Sombra was standing nearby and could have intervened if she called out to him for assistance, "What are you two doing here?! It's too dangerous for one of you to be out in the field, especially since we have no idea how Muramasa is causing the Zanpakuto to rebel against us."

"True, but I can't sit on the sidelines while my friends are being hurt." Ichigo replied, to which he glanced back at Rukia for a moment, even though part of his statement referred to Sombra, who was standing on the sidelines as he watched the battle with Sode no Shirayuki take place.

"Besides, there's a reason that Lord Sombra brought some Arrancar as reinforcements," Zangetsu added, though at the same time he stared at the spirit that was their opponent, because he was more focused on the fact that a battle would be starting soon and was less worried about what happened before they got here, "we're going to help you stop this rebellion before it gets out of hand."

"Two Ichigo Kurosaki's..." Sode no Shirayuki commented, as it was strange to consider that there could be two copies of the same person, even though it was clear that their personalities were completely different, but something tugged at the back of her mind, something that she felt was important despite the fact that she couldn't place why she suddenly felt that way, especially since she was looking at the white Ichigo.

"Hey! My name is Zangetsu!" Zangetsu snapped, as he wasn't about to have a Zanpakuto spirit call him by Ichigo's name, not after all the suffering he went through while he was trapped inside Ichigo's body, though at the same time he pointed the tip of his blade at Sode no Shirayuki, "Hey Ichigo, try to keep up with me!"

Rukia watched as Zangetsu threw his large blade through the air, all while hanging onto the cloth end of it, and the tip of the blade broke the top of the roof as Sode no Shirayuki moved out of the way, but that seemed to be what Zangetsu wanted as he flashed behind her and swung downward, the force of his attack knocking her backwards. Ichigo tried to attack from behind, though he had to bail when their foe waved a hand at him and sent out a wave of icicles, forcing Ichigo to dodge the attacks as he put some distance between the two of them, even though Sode no Shirayuki had to contend with Zangetsu's next attack moments later. Sombra sighed as the duo started fighting, as he could already tell that, of the two of them, Zangetsu was the only one that was willing to put an end to this fight in a timely manner, as his attacks were on point and forced Sode no Shirayuki towards Ichigo, who failed to take advantage of the opening and held back, often allowing the spirit they were fighting to target him in some manner, all because he was holding back his power since he didn't want to destroy Rukia's Zanpakuto. He could see why that might be a good idea, since they had no clue what might happen if one of the Zanpakuto spirits were defeated, but at the same time that didn't mean that he could waste every opening that Zangetsu was giving him, all to keep Sode no Shirayuki intact for later.

"You're soft, Ichigo Kurosaki." Sode no Shirayuki commented, though at the same time she avoided the next thrust attack that Zangetsu sent her way and danced around Ichigo's attack, as she had noticed the same thing that Sombra had been thinking about, "You're holding back because you think that I am still Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakuto. You'll regret that decision of yours soon enough. Some no mai, Tsukishiro."

This time around Ichigo reacted slower to the attack than he did in the World of the Living, whether it was because their opponent wasn't messing around or due to something else Sombra had no idea, but thankfully Ichigo seemed to notice what was happening beneath his feet and flashed out of the way. Sode no Shirayuki was anticipating that, as she moved into the air behind him and swung down at him, where Ichigo blocked the attack and noticed that the moment their blades connected ice started to form on his blade, indicating that attacking this opponent and locking blades with her wasn't the best idea in the world. Not a few seconds later he jumped backwards and smashed the ice that had been forming on his right hand, as it branched off from the blade and wrapped around his hand, before raising his left arm to defend himself as Sode no Shirayuki breathed her icy breath on him, forcing him into the ground as both Sombra and Zangetsu shook their heads, even though Zangetsu also brought his palm to his face as well. While all this was happening Sombra noticed something interesting, as the hatred and loathing that he had sensed in Sode no Shirayuki's heart was genuine, because the spirit smiled in Rukia's direction moments after sending Ichigo into the ground, indicating something that very few would recognize, and he knew what he was seeing.

Sode no Shirayuki, as Rukia's former partner, knew how she could torment Rukia and shatter her will to fight back, because she had been close to Rukia's heart until Muramasa showed himself and separated them, and this was just giving her the chance to show off her power and her desire to inflict pain on Rukia.

"Does it hurt, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Sode no Shirayuki asked, though at the same time she kept an eye on Zangetsu, as she was still trying to determine why he was so important, but for the most part her attention was on Ichigo, "Your ally gave you so many openings, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to use any of them."

"Sorry, but I'd rather fight on my own than use an opening that guy creates," Ichigo stated, though as he said that he let his reiatsu flare and prepared himself as he readied another Getsuga Tensho, because he had the feeling that he was going to have one attempt at this before Sode no Shirayuki got the better of him.

"Regardless of what you do, you hesitate to strike me." Sode no Shirayuki added, speaking the one thing that Sombra, Rukia, and even Zangetsu were thinking, though as she did that her own reiatsu gathered, as she was going to freeze her current foe where he was standing and then shatter him into a thousand pieces, "Allow me to teach you that any shred of hesitation will be the cause of your downfall!"

In the moment that Sode no Shirayuki was focused on Ichigo, and seemed to be ignoring someone important, Rukia jumped into the air and tried to hit her Zanpakuto spirit in the back of the neck, as that would have finished the battle before it got any worse, but in the end Sode no Shirayuki blocked the attack, dispelling her power for a moment, and swiftly followed that up with sending Rukia down to where Ichigo was standing, where she touched the ground like nothing had happened.

"Ichigo, I know you and Zangetsu came to help, but I have to ask you to stay out of this." Rukia said, though at the same time Sombra watched as Ichigo turned off his own power and the energy he had been gathering dissipated quickly, showing that he could listen to what his friends said, "Sode no Shirayuki is my Zanpakuto, so it should fall to me to be the one to stop her rampage."

"What in the world are you doing this time?" Sode no Shirayuki inquired, because so far she knew that Rukia didn't have it in her to fight her, meaning that it would be a one sided battle until she was dead, but after everything she had been through killing Rukia wasn't something she would lose sleep over.

"Sode no Shirayuki, if you must hate someone, than hate me." Rukia replied, to which she turned her full attention to her Zanpakuto spirit as Zangetsu returned to Sombra's side, most likely to observe what happened next, but this time around she had a plan in mind and wanted to go through with it.

"I do hate you. In fact I absolutely loath you!" Sode no Shirayuki stated, though at the same time she pointed the tip of her blade at Rukia, noticing that she seemed to be preparing for something this time around, and narrowed her eyes as she continued talking, "Therefore, to truly make you suffer for everything you've done to me, I shall take away everything and everyone that you hold dear. Your family, your friends, even your pride as a Shinigami! All you need to do is sit and watch me while I work."

"That's what I expect from my Zanpakuto... you truly know how to make me suffer." Rukia said, which made sense considering that Sode no Shirayuki knew what she cared about since she had been apart of her, as her beloved partner that she was lucky to have, before she sighed and lowered her blade, "I wasn't lying when I said that you were beautiful, Sode no Shirayuki, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I was proud of you and the fact that you were my partner... but you're also right about one thing, you don't belong to me anymore. You got your wish... your free. Just to make it official, from one partner to another, I hereby set you free. So please, overcome the hatred that has consumed you, and know that I am eternally grateful for the time we spent together as partners."

"You're just going to keep living... without me?" Sode no Shirayuki inquired, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing at the moment, so much so that she descended towards the ground and touched down in the area below where she had been floating seconds ago.

"Yes." Rukia replied, though at the same time she knew that Ichigo, at the very least, seemed confused as to what she was doing, while Sombra and Zangetsu, on the other hand, had faith in her secret plan, which was why she started to slowly walk towards Sode no Shirayuki, "Even if I lose everything and have to crawl across the earth... even if I have to go back to Rukongai... Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens."

It was in that moment, after asking Rukia if she really was okay with losing both her and everything she cared about as a Shinigami, that Sode no Shirayuki realized what her former partner was doing, as it had been used against Aaroniero some time ago, and raised her blade as a sphere of icy energy formed around her, though since it had barely formed Rukia pushed through it. Not moments later Sombra heard Rukia call out 'Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro' and felt the six rods of light trap both her and her Zanpakuto spirit, stunning them in the middle of the sphere, but at the same time he made sure that both Ichigo and Zangetsu stood back, as this was no longer a fight that they had any business being a part of and indicated that it was all up to Rukia. A few seconds went by, where Sombra noticed Rukia's Zanpakuto fell out of the sphere and hit the ground nearby, meaning that she must have let go of it to speak directly to Sode no Shirayuki's heart about letting go of her anger, hatred, and sadness, before a glowing blue light appeared in the middle of the sphere, a spell that he recognized from his own Kido training. The last thing that he heard, just as the bright light grew even larger than before, was Rukia saying that she was freeing Sode no Shirayuki and followed that up with "Hado Number 73: Soren Sokatsui', which resulted in a bright, nearly blinding, explosion that engulfed both Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki... but as it turned out that was the moment that a new reiatsu appeared in the immediately area, changing the outcome of Rukia's attempt to stop her Zanpakuto spirit.

When the smoke cleared Sombra found a large hole in the ground, with Rukia resting to one side of it, and sure enough the enemy made their move, as the moment Ichigo rushed down to check on her was when a stranger appeared on the other side of the crater, with a weakened Sode no Shirayuki standing behind him... a stranger that matched Rukia's description of Muramasa, the being that was responsible for the rebellion that was currently taking place and Ichigo turned to face him as he finally felt his reiatsu.

"That was an impressive fight." Muramasa stated, even though he had to cut in and prevent further harm from befalling Sode no Shirayuki, since she was one of his allies and there was no reason for her to fall so soon after he freed her and the other Zanpakuto, "I didn't expecting things to go this far, not in a battle between a Shinigami and their former enslaved Zanpakuto, but it has given me something to think about."

"Muramasa, we meet at last." Sombra said, to which both he and Zangetsu jumped down to the edge of the crater and stared down at the Zanpakuto that was causing trouble for the Shinigami and the rest of Soul Society, though at the same time their main foe glanced up at him for a few moments, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sombra, the Dios Hueco, meaning 'Hollow God', or the King of Hueco Mundo as I am more commonly called among the Shinigami, and this is one of my followers, Zangetsu."

"Frankly, I don't care who you two are, as I'm more interested in Ichigo Kurosaki," Muramasa replied, taking note of the fact that both of them seemed a little annoyed by his statement, before he turned his attention to the Substitute Shinigami, "after all, I allowed Rukia Kuchiki to head to the World of the Living so I could draw you here, to my world, so I could free the last enslaved Zanpakuto spirit from their 'master'... though it looks like there's one more that I can free, once I'm finished with him."

"Look who thinks he's the newest Aizen, for planning on luring Ichigo to Soul Society." Zangetsu commented, because if this foe had the intelligence of their former enemy, who was stuck in the Shadowlands for the rest of his life, he wouldn't have come to them until the time was perfect, just like Aizen did the first time Sombra came to Soul Society.

"For once I can agree with you on something," Ichgio said, as that might have been the first time he and his former inner Hollow agreed on anything, to which he turned his blade towards Muramasa and readied something, "Muramasa, it was foolish of you to reveal yourself so suddenly, because with the three of us standing here you don't stand a chance at leaving this area without your rebellion falling apart... and I'll be the first one to strike!"

"You arrogant fool!" Zangetsu snapped, though his words fell on deaf ears as Ichigo charged at Muramasa and forced him out of the area that Rukia was resting in, to which he and Sombra watched as the pair moved into one of the nearby streets that surrounded the area that they had found Sode no Shirayuki in, where Sombra let the wounded Zanpakuto go, since Muramasa was more important at the moment.

Sombra and Zangetsu moved into the air and kept their distance from Muramasa, since they wanted to observe his movements before engaging him in battle, though as they did that Sombra noticed that Nel flashed into the area as they were leaving and took Rukia to the Fourth Division's barracks so she could heal. Based on what little action they saw since the battle started Muramasa was blocking Ichigo's attacks like they were nothing, even though Ichigo was trying his hardest to hit him, and that was shortly followed by Muramasa extending his right hand and loosed a burst of wind that caused Ichigo to close his eyes for a moment. Sombra, on the other hand, watched as Ichigo opened his eyes seconds later and seemed to stumble a little as he tried to hit something that was around him, before he spun around in the air, telling Sombra that Muramara had some sort of illusion based power that also allowed him to mess with his target's reality, and that was before making Ichigo hit the floor with his head and then pinned him to the floor and knocked the blade out of his hand, indicating that he was going to do something as he floated in front of Ichigo's body and raised his empty right hand towards his chest.

"Listen to my voice. Obey your instincts and break your soul free." Muramasa said, though at the same time Sombra held Zangetsu back, as it appeared that they were going to see exactly what happened when the Zanpakuto spirit freed those that he was targeting, especially since a black reiatsu circle formed behind Ichigo, "Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate. Come! Your name is Zangetsu!"

As Muramasa said that he pierced Ichigo's chest with his hand and pulled out a black rope like substance, which also consumed Ichigo in a mass of reiatsu that poured out from the circle behind him, though when the smoke cleared a few moments later he was back in his base form and so was his blade... and some distance from him was Muramasa with a smile on his face, with the Old Man, wielding the base form of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, in front of him.

"Zangetsu, why are you...?" Ichigo started to ask, but that was when the Old Man raised his blade and rushed at where he was laying, as if he was going to force him to stand and fight him, but before he could reach his target a third big blade, with inverted colors of the one that Ichigo held, clashed against his and forced him backwards.

"Well what do you know, I got my wish anyway." Zangetsu said, to which he pulled his arm back and rested the edge of his blade across his shoulders, a position that he liked to keep it in when he was in the middle of a fight, before he stared at his opponent, "Old Man, I've got a bone to pick with you, and I'm going to enjoy this way more than I should."

Sombra crossed his arms as he stared at Zangetsu and the Old Man, as he knew that they were going to put on a fierce battle and that they were likely going to need a different spot to fight in, since too many innocent bystanders might be caught in what was coming next, but at the same time this was the best chance Ichigo had to learn the truth about his Zanpakuto and the spirit that had abandoned him... and then, once the battle was over, he'd focus on Muramasa and end this rebellion before he could finish what he had started.

Comments

[Midnight Moon]

"I'm free from your control." Sode no Shirayuki said, to which she continued to stare at Rukia and ignored the person that was standing nearby, despite the fact that he possessed his own Zanpakuto that Muramasa would be interested in talking to, and maybe convince her to join their cause, "I am free. You have no right to stop me."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[prism heart]

This will be GOOOOOD!

[Cosmic Flare]

Now the truth is coming out

[Deserter Balanc]

All hail Muramasa! The cursed blade of Muramasa Shengi!
Sorry, old japanese history stuff.

[Black--Soul]

"For once I can agree with you on something," Ichgio said, as that might have been the first time he and his former inner Hollow agreed on anything, to which he turned his blade towards Muramasa and readied something, "Muramasa, it was foolish of you to reveal yourself so suddenly, because with the three of us standing here you don't stand a chance at leaving this area without your rebellion falling apart... and I'll be the first one to strike!"

Ichigo

[Black--Soul]

Free them my ass... They are all filled with hate and a desire to murder everyone...