Bleach: Heart of a Hero

by Blackdrag-rose

Rebellion: Real World Problems

After breaking the satyr Toju out of the ice that Sode no Shirayuki had formed around it, to keep it from doing anything else to her, Rukia, and Haineko, Zangetsu made sure that the Toju was safely escorted back to the Twelfth Division's barracks and delivered into the waiting hands of Captain Mayuri. When he did that, however, he reminded the Captain that he was only allowed to run his tests and no experiments that would destroy the Toju, since they were going to save as many of them as they could, and Mayuri growled before following the satyr into the barracks. It was clear that he wasn't too happy about the newest foe being claimed by Sombra, and transformed into new Arrancar, but at the same time he also knew that it was best to keep the King of Hueco Mundo happy, considering that his power could overcome anything that was thrown at him, by any of the Captains, and that a fight with him would destroy more of the Seireitei in the process. As such Zangetsu waited for Muramasa to arrive, where the two of them stared at the Shinigami that were watching them as they patiently stood there, because only two people could free the Toju from their current state and one of them were Muramasa, which was why Sombra was leaving this task to him.

After an hour or two Mayuri walked out of the testing area and declared that he had more information, though based on his face the information merely confirmed what he had told Muramasa and the others earlier, but at the same time the duo got the sense that he wasn't telling them anything. Despite that, however, he moved out of the way and let them take possession of the Toju, where they headed outside and headed to a more appropriate area of the Seireitei, as neither of them wanted to do what they were planning in front of the Twelfth Division's barracks. When they arrived at the area in question Muramasa had Zangetsu undo the Toju's bindings before holding his hand out and focusing his mind, where he delved into the being's inner world and sought out the core of his spirit, just like he had done when he was convincing the Zanpakuto to join his rebellion and when he had freed the previous Toju from his current state. A few minutes passed by before the wind surged and wrapped around the being, where he opened his eyes and smiled as he and Zangetsu stared at the more humanoid being that was no longer a satyr, rather he was a newly born Arrancar and seemed to have calmed down at long last.

Once that was done they headed back to their residence and let the new Arrancar join the others, especially the being that he had been with earlier, and Sombra informed them of what they, as a unit, were doing, before telling the duo that their first order would be to fix everything that they broke during Byakuya's flower viewing event and the Tenth Division's relaxing party, causing them to bow their heads and acknowledge their orders.

"It's nice to see that we can do something for these guys." Haineko commented, though as she observed the two new Arrancar, who were getting used to not being in a fit of rage over losing their partners and were remembering what it was like to serve someone, Zangetsu stopped beside her and faced the duo as well, before she sighed, "Kazeshini must have killed a few hundred Shinigami during the time that he was under Muramasa's control... not that he seems to care, since he's eager to kill Hisagi and whoever gets in his way."

"We don't have the exact number of dead Shinigami, but I have the feeling there's more than a few Toju running around the Seireitei and the surrounding area." Zangetsu replied, though he understood why Haineko said what she had said, because she didn't have the best relationship with her former partner and she wanted to make sure that anyone who was without a partner found their way to them, to serve the one that saved her, before he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, "But there is a good thing about what we're doing, we'll save as many of them as we can and make sure they have a better life when we get back to Hueco Mundo."

"Speaking of which, it seems that some of the Toju might have escaped to the World of the Living." Sombra spoke up, causing Haineko and Zangetsu to glance at him for a moment, while at the same time the rest of the more senior Arrancar faced him as well, before the actions caused the two new Arrancar to do so as well, "Nel, I want you to take our new friends here back to the World of the Living and head back to Hueco Mundo, though while your there I want you to inform the others that there will be more allies coming in the next couple of days, and tell Szayelaporro that we might need to create some smaller housing areas to house everyone. Once that's done, and they're situated, you can come back and help Harribel and Grimmjow in their search for the Toju that are running around the Seireitei, since they'll be helping Muramasa by containing them until he can help them understand that there are other options out there. Haineko, I want both you and Zangetsu to use a Senkaimon and head to the World of the Living, to search for some of the Toju that have fled to that realm and try to convince them that there's a better life for them than just being in their current state, or at least stall them until they can be contained."

Haineko's ears perked up at the mention of her and Zangetsu being sent to the World of the Living, as she had never been to that world, since she had been contained in Matsumoto's inner world for the longest time without being able to do anything, and while she would rather be heading there on vacation or something she was fine with the orders she had been given, since she'd be heading there with Zangetsu. At the very least it would allow them to get away from Matsumoto and do something else, especially since she didn't want to be in the same area as her, and while Haineko knew that Zangetsu didn't want to be near Ichigo he was eager to do Sombra's will, meaning that both of them were eager to leave when the morning arrived. The other Arrancar seemed happy with their orders, even if a one or two of them wouldn't be doing anything for the near future, meaning that all of them were waiting for the morning to arrive so they could start following Sombra's orders and bring glory to their growing empire. The two new Arrancar seemed confused as to what was happening, since this was entirely new to them and they weren't used to the calm feeling that they were now experiencing, but at the very least they were willing to wait and see what was going to happen next.

With their orders in mind, and midnight coming ever closer, Haineko and the other Arrancar decided to take a few hours and get some rest before they separated, all while Sombra kept an eye on the building by closing his eyes and meditating as the night passed by them.

---

When morning arrived Haineko and Zangetsu were the first ones to move out, heading for the Senkaimon so they could head to the World of the Living, and the moment they reached their location the Shinigami nodded their heads as they moved out of the way, allowing the duo to slip into the space between realms. The two of them moved fast, making sure to keep away from the walls around them, while two of the Jigokucho followed after them to make sure that they remained safe on their journey to the World of the Living, an indication that the Shinigami trusted them and wanted to make sure that Sombra's followers remained safe. With both the speed that they were traveling, and the fact that they were making sure not to stop because of the walls and the dangerous cleaner that could come out of nowhere if neither of them were careful, they were able to reach the other side of the passage and jumped out into the air above Karakura Town, where Haineko found that they were near a shrine that Zangetsu told her contained a passage to Hueco Mundo, the same one that would be in use when Nel and the newest Arrancar came through the passage.

Once the Jigokucho were gone the two of them jumped into the air and felt the reiatsu in the area around them, even though there was one target they were going to head over to, because both of them knew that if they stayed in the area near Ichigo they would have a good chance of finding the Toju that had come to this world... and in no time they found the person in question walking down a street with one of his friends, Keigo according to Zangetsu, and they stopped when they felt the reiatsu of their target.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Keigo asked, though at the same time he grinned as he looked at his friend, who was staring at the sky as he felt the reiatsu that was in the air around him, to the best of his ability anyway, before Ichigo shifted his gaze and glared at his friend for a moment, "Did you sense something that cannot be seen?"

"I see... maybe I did!" Ichigo replied, but even as he said it he was just joking around, since he had told his friends about his duties as a Shinigami, to make up for the fact that he had been a jerk to them when he was heading into Hueco Mundo earlier, even if they didn't believe him part of the time.

Keigo freaked out and started crying as Ichigo messed with him, claiming that he had no idea what Ichigo was talking about, the fact that he couldn't see or sense whatever Ichigo was talking about, and then claimed that his friend was making no sense as he ran off into the distance.

"Your friends are weird." Haineko commented, causing Ichigo to turn around as he noticed that she and Zangetsu were standing nearby, indicating that he must not have noticed that they were there until she had said something, before she waved at him for a moment, "What's up Ichigo?"

"What in the world do you two want?" Ichigo asked, because while he could handle Haineko's presence, since she was someone he hadn't spent any time with and barely knew, he really didn't want to be in the same area that Zangetsu was in, especially since his former partner hated him, "You heading back to Hueco Mundo?"

"Nope. We're doing Lord Sombra's will." Zangetsu replied, though as he said that both he and Haineko moved into the air a little, where he grinned at Ichigo as they turned in the direction of the reiatsu that they had felt earlier, "If you follow us you might learn a thing or two about what we're doing in the World of the Living, and why Lord Sombra stayed in Soul Society for the time being."

Haineko and Zangetsu flashed into the air and followed the reiatsu that they had felt moments after arriving in this world, heading to an area that Haineko learned was a construction area, one that happened to have some ruined cables in the air above them. It was an interesting area, as everything around her indicated that the Humans of Karakura Town were building a new building and that they were concerned about the ruined cables, including the wrecked containers that rested in front of them, but at the same time that wasn't what they were interested in. It didn't take them long to survey the area until they found a man, who was wearing a pink robe around the upper part of his body and was carrying a spear, weakly wandering down one of the streets, meaning that he must have been injured in some manner. That made sense to Haineko, because if the man was the Toju in question his injuries had to be the product of him being hurt when he was separated from his Shinigami partner, either by his partner, who he killed, or by one of the other Shinigami that had been trying to take him out. The man stopped for a moment as a trash truck drove by him, to which the duo used that as their chance to flash down into the area in front of him, revealing that they were standing in his way when the truck finally left the area, surprising the man in the process... and, at the same time, Ichigo dropped down behind them in his Shinigami form, indicating that he was worried about what the duo had said earlier.

Zangetsu didn't want anything to do with Ichigo, given their history, but at the same time their Lord had given them an order and he intended to do his best in regards to what they had been told, which was why he was more focused on the being in front of them and not on the person who was standing behind him and Haineko.

"There you are." Zangetsu commented, though at the same time he raised his right hand and gripped the handle of his blade, because if this guy was like the other Toju they had encountered he knew that he was going to attack them and they would need to raise their defenses, something that Haineko agreed with as she did the same thing.

"H... Have you come for me?" the man asked, though while his voice seemed a little weak his stance indicated that if he sensed danger, like the two of them were doing since they were gripping their weapons, he might attack them before even attempting to talk with them, which seemed to be what he was going to do.

Fortunately Zangetsu was the quickest of them all, as the moment the man shifted his stance and charged at them he undid the cloth around his blade and swung it, parrying the attack that was coming his way as both Haineko and Ichigo moved out of the way to attack from another direction. As that happened they noticed that the man's upper right arm was cut, confirming their suspicions that he was wounded from a prior fight, before Zangetsu knocked the Toju backwards and raised his blade once more, with a grin on his face, as this guy seemed to have some skill with his spear. At the same time Haineko held her hand out and stopped Ichigo from interfering, as both Zangetsu and the Toju charged right at each other and swung their weapons at their foe, where Zangetsu found that his foe's blade couldn't even cut through his Hierro, but that didn't stop the Toju from trying to hurt him, where he restrained himself from cutting the guy down immediately, as doing that would kill him entirely, the opposite of what they were after. Ichigo frowned as the two of them fought each other, as he was surprised that Zangetsu was holding back in a fight for once, though even then he parried the attacks that were coming at him and used his own attacks to force his foe to move around the area they were in.

After a few minutes Zangetsu moved to the side and grabbed onto the handle of the spear, allowing the blade to pass by where he was standing as he held the edge of his own blade against the side of the Toju's neck, surprising him the moment he noticed what was going on.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, because he had been studying the man's attire, what he could see under the robe as he followed the man's movements during the fight, and he was confused as to what the man was supposed to be, "It doesn't seem like you're a Shinigami or a Hollow..."

"He's a Zanpakuto that lost his master." Haineko explained, causing Ichigo to turn towards her for a moment, as he wasn't expecting something like that to be said, while at the same time she and Zangetsu kept their eyes on the poor being that was in front of them, "We'll explain everything to you later, but right now we have to keep him contained until we can convince him that there's another path he can take, or rather another master for him to serve, or Muramasa arrives to help him see what's happening around him."

The mere mention of a 'master' caused the man to freak out, his following words confirming that he was seeking the Shinigami that had been his partner and he flashed into the air to get away from them, so he could continue the search that he was on, but as Hitsugaya appeared in the air above them the Toju flashed out of the area and disappeared before any of them could stop him.

"Interesting, his speed is as good as his power." Zangetsu commented, though at the same time he stretched his arm for a moment, as it had been some time since he fought someone that made him interested in them, before he sheathed his blade once more as he stared into the air above them, "Captain Hitsugaya, what are you doing here?"

"I was ordered to come here and inform Ichigo of the current situation, and maybe assist you two in finding the Toju that you were hunting." Hitsugaya replied, though at the same time Ichigo looked like he was confused, which made sense considering that this was all new to him, before he sighed and beckoned for them to follow him, "Come on, we're heading to Urahara's place so I can inform you as to what's going on since you left Soul Society, and what Sombra has planned for the new beings that we've discovered."

The first thing they did was return to where Ichigo had left his body, since Keigo wasn't there anymore, before he was back in his body and followed him towards the area that Urahara's shop was in, who welcomed them with open arms and set the table for them, placing some cups of tea down when it was ready. Once everyone was ready Hitsugaya explained the situation to Ichigo, Urahara, and Tessai, revealing that the rebellion hadn't ended with the 'defeat' of Muramasa and him joining Sombra's side, as it appeared that Kazeshini's actions of killing many of the lower level Shinigami had created a new predicament, the rise of the Toju, the Zanpakuto that no longer had masters. Ichigo was surprised by that, since he had been convinced that the rebellion was over and that Soul Society could recover from what had happened, but he remained silent as Hitsugaya explained that Sombra was gathering the Toju and converting them into Arrancar, giving them both their sanity back and the master that they craved, hence why Haineko and Zangetsu were here. Ichigo didn't need to be told that Sombra suspected that some of them must have wandered into the World of the Living, since they had found one earlier, but at the same time he was shocked that he was going to be dragged into this as well, which was just another part of his job as the Substitute Shinigami of Karakura Town.

As Ichigo confirmed that he'd help them to the best of his ability, because it would help Sombra in whatever he was planning with the Toju, a noise was heard on the other side of the door, which opened a few moments later and revealed a shocking surprise, as Matsumoto appeared in the doorway with a small grin on her face.

"Matsumoto..." Haineko said, as she couldn't believe that her former partner had come to the World of the Living as well, because she had been eager to get out of Soul Society and separate herself from the Shinigami that was currently standing in front of them, though at the same time Matsumoto glanced at her for a moment.

"I thought you were drunk." Hitsugaya stated, because after the party that Rukia and the others had thrown earlier, and how drunk some of the Shinigami had been when it was over, he had been sure that Matsumoto would have been out of commission for some time, though at the same time he glared at his Lieutenant, "What are you even doing here?"

"Oh, I came to hang out with Orihime." Matsumoto replied, to which she reached into the little pack that she was carrying on her back and withdrew a notepad that had a number of ideas that she had planned out for the next time she came to the World of the Living, especially now that she had some time to relax, "You know, go shopping, maybe have some lunch at one of the malls, take some pictures, and maybe go to one of those dances that I've heard so much about the last few times I've been here."

Haineko frowned for a moment, as that was generally what she and Matsumoto did when they had fun in the inner world she had been trapped in for a long time, before leaning back against the wall behind her, because she realized that she wasn't even invited to what her former partner had planned. It would have been an interesting way for them to try and rebuild the bond that had been shattered over the years of neglect, something that she wasn't going to stop trying to strive for, but she didn't shed a single tear over it, since it was within her former partner's attitude to see her as trash and not care about her at all. Just thinking about that caused her tail to twitch in annoyance, something that Zangetsu and Matsumoto noticed when it happened, before she growled as she pulled herself from the wall, walked by her former partner, and headed outside the building, as just being in the same room as Matsumoto was ruining her mood and she didn't want to be angry while she was trying to make Sombra happy.

"Was it something that I said?" Matsumoto asked, as she knew that Haineko was angry at her, for the years of neglect that she had put the spirit through, but since it was clear that they had been separated from each other she didn't see much of a reason to try and fix their broken bond.

"Yeah, you could say that." Zangetsu remarked, though while he wasn't surprised that Matsumoto was just as bad as Ichigo was, in terms of communicating with their former Zanpakuto spirit, at least Ichigo was trying to mend the broken bond to the best of his abilities, while Matsumoto seemed convinced that stomping on it was the correct course of action for her to take, "You know, it's interesting to see that, despite all the pain and misery that you put Haineko through over the years, she still wants to believe that the old you, the one she knew all those years ago, is still there and that you'll see just how much pain she's been hiding from everyone. Just being near you depresses her, makes her remember all the bad memories of when you turned your back on her, and hearing that you, someone who she considered to be her best friend despite everything you put her through, are chasing a new friend to hang out with is annoying her more than she's willing to admit or even show. Even now, when she's separated herself from you, she's still in pain and your constant insistence that she's not worth it, by words or actions, makes her remember the past... so if you want to put this behind you, and never have it come back, you should at least try to make amends to her."

Matsumoto stared at Zangetsu for a moment, as she remembered the sudden shock when she learned that her fit of anger all those years ago had nearly killed her partner when she broke her physical form, before realizing something about the situation, that Ichigo was starting to make amends with Zangetsu, even if it was slow progress, meaning that she might as well try as well... before she nodded her head in understanding and headed in the direction that Haineko had gone in, only to stop when she came to the front area of the shop and found where Haineko was standing.

"What do you want?" Haineko inquired, as she felt her former partner coming her way and really didn't want to talk to her at all, but at the same time she knew that her mood was going to sour even further than it already was, though she tried to ignore Matsumoto to the best of her ability.

"Zangetsu chewed me out for what I said," Matsumoto stated, where she noticed that Haineko wasn't too surprised by what she had said, as if she knew that Zangetsu would have done that the moment she walked out of the room, and at this point she couldn't blame the spirit for thinking the way she was thinking, "He's annoyed that I turned my back on you and that the first thing I did was announce that I was thinking of spending time with someone else, rather than even taking a few seconds to try and fix the bond between us. There is something that I didn't tell the others, and that's the fact that Orihime doesn't even know I'm coming, so she's not actually planning on spending the afternoon doing what I said... and, despite thinking I know what your answer will be, I still have to ask the question. Haineko, do you want to come with me and spend a few hours just hanging out with Orihime, instead of spending your time hunting for the lone Toju that Zangetsu can find on his own?"

Haineko was honestly surprised that Matsumoto was even considering asking her if she wanted to do anything with her and Orihime, especially since her former partner hated her more than anything in the world, but at the same time she could see that, despite being chewed out by Zangetsu, she was actually offering to take her on her proposed adventure with one of Ichigo's friends. She knew what was going on, Zangetsu was trying his hardest to convince Matsumoto to change her lazy and annoying attitude, to maybe get her to see that she had been hurting her over the years, to which she sighed and nodded her head, deciding that she might as well make an attempt to enjoy herself. The moment she did that, however, Matsumoto smiled and pulled her back inside the shop, where they stopped by Urahara and her former partner informed him that they needed two gigai for what she had said earlier, surprising some of the others by the fact that she had changed her mind so suddenly, and the fact that Haineko was willing to even give her a change, considering their past and what happened. Zangetsu, of course, was the only one that wasn't surprised by what had happened, since that was what he had been trying to do when he spoke to Matsumoto a few moments ago, but before long Urahara came back out and delivered the pair of gigai to them, along with a pill that would allow Haineko to separate her soul from the device, even though he wasn't sure if an Arrancar could use a gigai at all.

With those in hand she and Matsumoto left the shop, just after Zangetsu wished them a good time while he made sure to find the Toju that they were looking for, and while Haineko planned on trying to enjoy herself she was still one of Lord Sombra's followers and wanted to make him proud, so if the Toju came near her she was going to stop having fun and capture him before he escaped again. It didn't take them long to reach the area that Orihime lived in, where the local Arrancar, Sora Inoue as Matsumoto revealed to her, and Orihime was surprised when the two of them showed up on the other side of her door, but she smiled and welcomed the two of them into the building.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, this is quite a surprise." Orihime commented, though at the same time she glanced at the person behind the Shinigami and discovered that she was an Arrancar, based on the reiatsu that she was feeling right now, who smiled and waved at her a little, "Oh, hello, I don't believe we've met before."

"I'm Haineko, one of Lord Sombra's followers," Haineko said, to which she raised her hand and returned the wave that had been sent her way, before the door closed behind her and she nudged her former partner in the side, to which she gestured toward Orihime for a moment, "Matsumoto has something she wants to ask you."

"Really?" Orihime asked, to which she faced the Shinigami for a moment, who seemed to be focused on something else, or someone else, at the moment, before her actions caused Matsumoto to turn towards her once more, "So, what did you want to ask me about?"

"I was curious if you wanted to hang out today." Matsumoto replied, where she pulled out the list that she had pulled out earlier and held it out towards the Human, who looked at the list that she had been offered and actually smiled for a moment, as it appeared that she liked what she saw, "Though we'll need to borrow some clothes from you, since these gigai don't come with clothing and I, um, sort of forgot to get some before coming here."

Orihime seemed surprised by that fact, but at the same time she nodded and beckoned them into the room that the Shinigami had built their communication device in, which they had pulled out shortly after Aizen's defeat, and while Haineko stood outside the door Orihime placed a spare school uniform inside the room before closing the door. A few minutes later Matsumoto opened the door and Haineko noticed that she looked completely Human, just like when one of them used one of the gigai's in general, and that she was dressed as a teenager that attended the local high school that Ichigo went to, even though she had the front of it open a little to expose her chest. Once that was done it was Haineko's turn to head into the room and slipped into the gigai, where she was shocked to find that she could actually use it, before putting on the attire that had been offered to her, finding that she looked like a teenage schoolgirl with some interesting hair, but at the same time her tail was gone, something that she would miss while she was in this state. At the same time she found that the gigai also hid her Hollow hole and her mask fragment, giving her the appearance of a normal Human, something that she found herself staring at for a few moments as she looked at the mirror that was in the room.

While Orihime declared that the both of them looked cute, where Haineko finally pulled herself back from the mirror and turned towards her, Matsumoto declared that they weren't done yet and pulled the front of Haineko's neck area down a little and exposed her chest a little, causing her to sigh as Matsumoto pulled back from her.

"Say, Matsumoto, I've been wondering something since you guys showed up." Orihime spoke up, causing Matsumoto to turn towards her as Haineko adjusted her shirt to show less of her chest, since she wanted to be different from her former partner, "How were the Zanpakuto able to return to their original states?"

"Well, when a Shinigami calls out the name of their Zanpakuto, during training or real combat, it allows the pair to synchronize and fight together." Matsumoto explained, recalling what she had been told when she was learning all of this for the first time, while at the same time Haineko resisted the urge to sigh, since now wasn't the time for something like that to get in the way, "Captain Mayuri tested out a number of different methods to return the Zanpakuto to their original forms, all by making use of that connection between the pair, though he claims that the keywords to what he said were synchronization and interference, before saying we wouldn't understand everything he said. He revealed that all of the Zanpakuto that Muramasa had brought under his control for his rebellion, or at least the majority of them, were unstable in those two regards and that all he had to do to break the brainwashing was stabilize those two points, thus restoring them to their original mindsets. From what he could tell Muramasa destabilized the existence of all our Zanpakuto by using their anxieties against them, like how Kazeshini hates how peaceful Hisagi is or how Gegetsuburi blames his fat appearance on Omaeda's own body and lifestyle, and restoring those points allowed them to return to how they had been before he came along... though not without some consequences."

"Consequences?" Orihime asked, as she was curious as to what could have happened that both Sombra and the large number of Shinigami couldn't prevent from happening, while also noticing that Haineko decided that she had spent too long staring at her reflection and walked out of the room, like the conversation wasn't something that she even wanted to listen to or be included in.

"You know how Haineko introduced herself as an Arrancar, right?" Matsumoto inquired, causing Orihime to nod her head, as that had been the first thing Haineko had done the moment they came to this building and met her, in person, for the first time, "Well, before the rebellion she was a Zanpakuto spirit, mine to be exact, and it turns out that the reason she joined Muramasa and the other spirits was because I was such a horrible partner, so much so that she undid the bond between our souls and separated herself, becoming an Arrancar like Zangetsu did. I won't lie to you, Orihime, it seems that I was possibly the worst partner any Zanpakuto could have asked for, seeing how my own partner decided to abandon me and apparently hates me more than anything in the world, and the only reason she's here is because her boyfriend told me that rebuilding our bond had to start with me trying to make it up to her."

"I... I had no idea things between you two were this bad." Orihime said, as she had heard that the bond between a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto was built on communication and working like a team, or submission as the Shinigami called that step, before she thought about something else Matsumoto had mentioned, "Wait, did you say that Haineko found herself a boyfriend?"

"Actually, significant other is more correct in this situation." Matsumoto replied, because based on what little Haineko had said during the party the previous day, before they drank their sake and enjoyed themselves, she knew that her former partner was definitely in love, "Anyway, Haineko's in love with Zangetsu, the former spirit of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, and they may or may not have done something with each other the night Muramasa's rebellion was over, but Haineko gave me no details, so it's hard to see if she was telling the truth or if she was just messing with me. With the exception of Zangetsu and Muramasa, who both left their partners, Haineko is the only other Zanpakuto that has abandoned their partner thanks to the circumstances that forced the decision to be made, a decision that I am ultimately responsible for, since I made her choose this path. I am hopeful that this venture, even if I originally didn't plan on including Haineko, will take her mind off the past and maybe get her to forgive me a little for what I did to her, because losing her felt like a piece of my soul had been carved from my body... and now that she's free, making her own choices, I've come to realize that I must have been horrible to her over the years, which is why she resents me so much. Hopefully she sees that I'm not as horrible as she thinks I am, otherwise whatever is left of our relationship is going to become nothing more than dust and disappear forever."

Despite her words Orihime could tell that Matsumoto was having a hard time believing that she was truly the one that was at fault for this happening, that she believed that Haineko should be feeling horrible about their separation and the fact that she caused her partner so much headache over the years, due to poor communication. It seemed like she was trying to patch things up with Haineko, that much appeared to be true, but Orihime wasn't sure if it was because Zangetsu had asked her to, or if she was trying to get her former partner to admit that she was wrong to abandon her like she had done, though she decided to stop talking about it. Clearly, despite covering it up pretty well, Orihime could tell that the separation had hurt Matsumoto in more ways than one, no doubt just like Haineko had been hurt in the past, but it wasn't her place to get between them, rather she made it her mission to try and get the two of them to forget about what they had been through and pulled Matsumoto out into the room that Haineko was in, before taking them outside her house a few seconds later. Once that was done she locked the door and started walking down the street with the pair walking behind her, as she remembered Matsumoto's list of what she felt like doing and had a few places in mind that matched up with what she had seen, meaning that she might just succeed in what they were doing.

For the next two hours the three of them wandered down the streets, stopping ever now and then to have their pictures taken in one of the booths that were along the street, occasionally entering a shop that had an item that one of them might be interested in, or pausing by a place that had food, since they were a tad bit hungry. Orihime learned that Matsumoto was more interested in shopping than anything else, since she was the one that found new things that she was interested in and either bought it or walked out with a sigh, meaning that they were sold out and would be that way for at least a week. Haineko, on the other hand, did enjoy herself a little, cracking a smile every now and then, but it was easy to tell that something was distracting her, and Orihime didn't have to look very hard to find Zangetsu watching them from the rooftops above them, all while keeping track of whatever they were looking for. She was on a mission, that much was obvious, and while she was having some fun it was clear that Haineko was trying to make Sombra happy, to prove that she wasn't whatever she happened to think of herself, though despite the desire to find out what was making them act this way Orihime decided that she really didn't want to know their terrible past, especially if the two of them were hurt in some manner because of what happened.

Another thing she learned while they were walking was that Arrancar didn't need to eat or drink anything to survive, like Humans and Shinigami did, rather the only reason they bothered to do that was either because of the habits they developed or because they wanted to try something new. Orihime remembered all the times she had seen Sombra at one of their parties, as he usually either ate nothing and let everyone else have something to eat, or he just drank his tea and had some fun with his friends, but it did reveal that Arrancar weren't quite like Humans, despite their humanoid bodies and how they acted. Despite that piece of information Haineko ate whatever was offered to her, since she didn't want to be rude and waste money in the process, but at the same time she kept her eyes on what Zangetsu was doing and noticed that the sky was darkening, meaning that rain was coming and that their time with Orihime was drawing to a close. Of course she also noticed that Sora was following them, keeping an eye on his sister despite the fact that Zangetsu was near her, but that just meant Orihime would be safe if they got attacked by the Toju they had seen earlier, or by one of the other ones that were hiding themselves at the moment.

"Wow, you really know your way around Karakura Town, Orihime. I never would have guessed that there would be a photo booth over here." Matsumoto said, as she was paying more attention to what they were doing and was ignoring the fact that, since her Captain was in this world, that she should be keeping an eye out for the Toju that Haineko and Zangetsu were searching for, "The World of the Living changes so much between my visits... it's a wonder that I don't get lost whenever I come here, for either missions or for my own fun."

"Well, you might want to stop worrying about having fun." Haineko stated, as she came to a stop and stared at a much larger building that was clearly under construction, just like the first one that they had encountered the Toju at when they first came to the World of the Living, to which Matsumoto and Orihime came to a stop as well as she pulled out the pill she had been given earlier, "It seems that the Toju's reiatsu is coming from that building, but at the same time it seems that something happened to him, because there's a hint of a Hollow's reiatsu mixed into his own, meaning that he might be even more dangerous than he previously was."

"Wait, you were searching for him the entire time?" Orihime asked, because before they reached the area that they had been shopping in she learned what Haineko and Zangetsu were doing here, in the World of the Living, but she was surprised that Haineko was doing the job that Sombra had assigned to her.

"Lord Sombra wanted us to find the Toju that came to this world and contain them," Haineko explained, though at the same time she walked in the direction of the building that the reiatsu was coming from and kept her pill at the ready, so she could separate from her gigai and assume her true form once more, "but right now it seems that fighting him will be the only way to stall him, since we need either Muramasa or Lord Sombra to get him to see the light. Orihime, I think that you and Matsumoto should move on and enjoy yourselves, because this guy is going to be strong and I don't want you to get hurt in case he targ..."

"No, we'll go there together." Matsumoto stated, as she wasn't about to let Haineko have all the fun, which was why she followed after Haineko the moment her former partner started walking away from the street that they had been following for the last few minutes.

Haineko frowned for a moment as she decided not to worry about Matsumoto, as she reached an area that was near the building and was private enough to let her swallow the pill, separating her from her gigai, which she hid in the area that they were in and flashed into the sky, heading for the reiatsu of their target, just as it started raining. It didn't take her long to get to the area that the Toju's reiatsu was coming from, or meet up with Zangetsu since he was nearby as Sora came near them with her gigai, but despite that fact she also noticed that her former partner and Orihime were running down the alley between the buildings as they looked for the Toju. It didn't take her long to find a gray skinned creature that was standing on one of the containers that were hanging in the air, with the spear that Toju had been holding onto earlier, and before anyone could do anything the creature swung it's weapon and cut through one of the chains, dropping the mass of iron beams down on where Matsumoto and Orihime were standing. Before either of them were hit Haineko flashed down and grabbed onto her former partner, pulling her away as Orihime followed after her, confirming that they shouldn't have come with her and Zangetsu, before coming to a stop, which allowed her to put Matsumoto down as she focused on their foe.

"I told you to leave this to me." Haineko snapped, as she couldn't believe that Matsumoto was so foolish to bring Orihime to an area that would get her hurt, especially since her former partner accidentally dropped her pill the moment she grabbed onto her to prevent the beams from crushing them.

As Matsumoto opened her mouth to say something, however, Haineko turned back towards their target as the Toju dropped down into area near them, where she was surprised when she discovered that the Toju wasn't a Zanpakuto spirit anymore, rather he had transformed into a Hollow. The Toju's Hollow mask had large horns on either side of his head, an elongated neck, white bone pads on his shoulders, a somewhat gaunt upper torso with a Hollow hole between his pectoral muscles, and brown fur on his forearms and legs. He also had small spikes protruding from his elbows, large white hands, a ball-shaped lower torso that is covered in brown fur and black protrusions, and skeletal feet, showing that he had either transformed on his own or he had merged with a Hollow before hand. Haineko knew, from when they found the Toju earlier that morning, that he was going to attack soon enough, which was why she pulled her Zanpakuto from it's scabbard and readied herself for what was coming next, which was a good move on her part since the Toju charged at her and tried to pin her against the wall that was behind where she set Matsumoto down. What she ended up doing was lightly slice into her foe's hand and jumped over his head the moment she was free, even as the Toju growled for a second, which allowed Haineko to flash over to a part of the alley that the others weren't in, causing the Toju to turn towards her and ready itself, indicating that it was going to come her way again.

Sure enough the Toju charged at her again, though at the same time Haineko brought her power to the surface as she parried the attack, the air vibrating as their weapons collided with each other and fought for dominance, but since the Toju was torn between two mindsets, by how jittery he was acting, it was easy for her to stand her ground and push him back whenever she wanted.

"Wh... where is he?" the Toju asked, showing that, despite his Hollow appearance, he was still looking for the person that he had been partnered with before Muramasa arrived, someone that the poor guy wasn't going to be able to find, especially since he was dead, "Where is my master?!"

"Look, I know you don't want to hear this, but you're master is gone." Haineko replied, where she found that just saying that caused her foe to press against her blade more than he had been doing so far, but at the same time she either needed to stall him or convince him of what he had to be feeling, "However, there's another path you can take, because there is someone saving the Zanpakuto that don't have someone to call their master or their partner, offering them a new life without having to worry about death or being captured by whoever they're running from. Right now you're more Hollow than Zanpakuto, but Lord Sombra has had many Hollow and Arrancar flock to his side once they realized what he was doing, and, based on what I've heard, you should be feeling the innate desire to find him and pledge yourself to the growing empire that he's established in Hueco Mundo."

The Toju roared for a moment, as if the notion had caught him by surprise or something, before he pulled back and tried to flee, but even as he did that Haineko chased after him, because she wasn't going to let him get away without even attempting to restrain him, and followed him into the center of the building that was under construction. From there she headed towards the roof of the building, slicing her way through the beams that were rained down upon her by the Toju, especially since she couldn't use her Cero without blowing part of the entire structure to pieces and annoying so many people in the process. It didn't take her long to find the area that the Toju was standing in, where she landed near him and went on the offensive, pushing him back towards the edge of the structure, though when they neared the end her foe jumped through the plastic protector behind them, leaving a hole where he went through, and landed on a nearby crane that Haineko landed on as well. She had to admit that this particular Toju was a challenge to contain, meaning that his speed and power were even greater than before, but at the same time that meant they had to be on the lookout for more like him, as there had to be others of his kind that had merged with Hollows or anything else.

As she readied herself to go on the offensive once more, however, the Toju opened it's mouth and fired a red Cero at her, where Zangetsu's blade struck the area in front of her and cut the attack in half, sending the fragments off into the distance before the duo was reunited.

"I was right, he'd make an excellent addition to Sombra's empire." Zangetsu said, to which Haineko nodded her head in agreement, but even as that happened a new reiatsu appeared in the area near them, one that they were quickly growing used to feeling, "And it appears that Muramasa has come to help us."

The moment Zangetsu said that a familiar shape dropped down in between them and the Toju that was standing in front of them, where Muramasa stood up and held his hand out, stopping the Hollowfied Zanpakuto in his tracks almost immediately, before he got to work. As Haineko sheathed her blade, and Zangetsu collected his, she noticed that Orihime, Sora, and Matsumoto were staring up at them, wondering what was going on, while at the same time Captain Hitsugaya and Hyorinmaru came to a stop on the part of the crane that was behind them. She knew that if Hitsugaya attacked the Toju it would be over, the poor Zanpakuto would be dead before he even knew what hit him, but at the same time she was happy to see that he and his own partner were just observing what was happening before them, since they had been busy when she became an Arrancar. The only way they knew that convincing the Toju to accept the other path was a success was when the wind kicked up and shrouded the Zanpakuto from their sight, and when that happened a few seconds later the group watched as the spirit returned to being Human-sized... and, while he seemed to be wearing his old attire now, his mask fragment was a fraction of a helmet that contained one of his horns on it.

While Zangetsu and Muramasa welcomed the new Arrancar to their group, since they would be returning to where Sombra was located soon enough, Haineko knew that she and Zangetsu had done a good job at keeping him busy until their ally had arrived and knew that Sombra would be pleased with their work.

"Good work you guys." a voice said, to which Haineko nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around and found that Sombra was standing on the edge of the crane, like he had been there the entire time, before she calmed herself and remembered that it was nearly impossible for them to find him the normal way, as all an Arrancar could do was feel what Hueco Mundo told them, before she and the other Arrancar knelt before their king, "Please, there's no need to do that right now, not when all of you did a good job saving another Zanpakuto from what could happen to them if they go too long without finding someone new to serve... so I'll take our new friend here back to Hueco Mundo and let you guys have the rest of the day off, so enjoy yourselves."

Haineko and Zangetsu smiled as Sombra beckoned to the newest addition to their forces and disappeared with him, just as suddenly as he had arrived, but at the same time at least they had proven, both to him and to Matsumoto, that they were able to follow orders and get the job done. As such the two of them decided to hit the town after all, once they got Zangetsu a gigai that was modified to not resemble Ichigo, because they were going to have some fun with the time they had been given, and maybe freak out Matsumoto by the time morning arrived once more.

Comments

[Midnight Moon]

Alright people, if there isn't one already, we should come up with a ship name for Haineko and Zangetsu. I'm not all that good at that stuff myself, but I can at least volunteer Hainetsu.

[PrismStrike]

not much to say once more. loved the exposition and even though i do not feel as though she deserves it her try to at least reconnect to Haineko was nice. Another great chapter keep up the good work

9356108
Haingetsu
Zangeko
all i was able to come up with

[The Faceless Maker]

9356232
Zangetsu

[Xarmar13]

9356232
Haigetsu or Zaneko

[Xarmar13]

Part of me is kinda thinking that Sombra may end up as team leader for the Tournament of Power given that he appears to have the most leadership ability of the displaced ponies. Unless BDR decides to allow the GoDs to compete then there would be no telling.

One thing I am wondering is where Sombra currently lies on the divinity power scale. On the scale of Super Saiyan Blue to Sunset, where only those who use godly ki can be on it, where would Sombra be?

[badninja]

9361023

That would make sense as Rainbow Dash and Applejack are going to be busy taking on the other powerhouse members of the other universes. The Topo vs Rainbow fight is going to be epic.

[Black--Soul]

Very harsh when one loses a friends very dear to one by being tricked to attack them. Than coming to ones sences after it happen and having to deal with it...