Senna and Mirokumaru

Old Man Zangetsu still thought like a parent.

Everything he did was for Ichigo's good, at least in his own mind. That belief had not changed.

Outside, he raised his blade.

"Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu."

Ichigo could not use his own Bankai while Old Man Zangetsu stood outside him, yet he did not feel weaker. White Ichigo's power filled the missing space, and in some ways, the pressure running through him felt even stronger than before.

Old Man Zangetsu looked at him.

"One attack."

Ichigo understood.

His reiatsu was still increasing. If Old Man Zangetsu returned too late, he might no longer be able to suppress White as he had before. The balance between Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollow power was beginning to form a true triangle.

Neither of them explained that to Ichigo.

Black reiatsu gathered around Tensa Zangetsu.

Blue-white light gathered around Ichigo's blade, shaping itself into a crescent that carried the outline of a Hollow mask.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The two attacks collided.

For an instant, they seemed perfectly matched.

Then Old Man Zangetsu lowered his blade.

Tensa Zangetsu dissolved, and his body turned back toward Ichigo's inner world.

White's voice followed him.

"You know you cannot suppress me the way you used to."

Old Man Zangetsu answered quietly.

"Everything I do is for Ichigo. If I can no longer suppress you, then I will accept that."

When Old Man Zangetsu returned, Ichigo's reiatsu poured across Seireitei.

At Squad Four, Rukia opened her eyes.

Shunsui and Ukitake felt the pressure and both looked up.

In Soul Society, few reiatsu signatures could make them react like that. Yamamoto's was one. Chojiro's hidden strength was another. Unohana's full depth was something they rarely wanted to measure.

Ichigo had just forced his way into that conversation.

Muramasa stared at him.

"How can you still attack a Zanpakuto?"

Ichigo lifted Zangetsu.

"Because I trust him. Zangetsu is my power. No matter how he acts, he stands with me when it matters."

The words shook Muramasa more than the attack had.

His body flickered. His lower half turned faintly transparent, and his reiatsu became chaotic.

"Is that why you are so strong?" Muramasa murmured. "Because you trust every part of your power?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"Your condition is bad."

Muramasa said nothing more. His body broke apart into green particles and vanished.

Old Man Zangetsu's voice returned inside Ichigo.

"Muramasa amplifies the resentment and instincts of Zanpakuto. Any dissatisfaction can become a chain he pulls. Most Zanpakuto will fall under his influence if he touches that weakness."

"And you?"

"I apologize, Ichigo. I wanted to know what place my power holds in your heart."

That was only half true.

Ichigo had never awakened the power Old Man Zangetsu truly represented. Now the balance between the three powers had shifted, but Ichigo still did not know what had happened.

...

Elsewhere in Seireitei, the other Zanpakuto were seeking their masters.

Shuhei Hisagi had become the acting leader of Squad Nine in the absence of a captain. That responsibility did not help him when Kazeshini came for him.

Two Squad Nine officers had just reported that the rebellious Zanpakuto were difficult to track. Hisagi ordered them to keep searching anyway. No matter the cost, they could not allow the spirits to keep tearing through Seireitei unchecked.

As lieutenant, Hisagi carried the weight of the division. With no captain present, he was effectively the one holding Squad Nine together.

The black, skeletal Zanpakuto spirit swept through the area like a killing wind. Two Squad Nine members fell before Hisagi could stop it.

Hisagi gritted his teeth and raised his sealed blade.

"Kazeshini..."

The spirit laughed.

"You always hated my shape, didn't you? Then let me show you what that shape is for."

...

Renji found Zabimaru and did not recognize them at first.

One was a woman with baboon traits. The other was a snake-like boy.

"Who are you two?"

The woman crossed her arms.

"You really are stupid."

The snake boy grinned.

"And weak."

Renji's eye twitched.

"Do not tell me..."

"We are Zabimaru," they said together.

Renji stared at them, then at his sealed sword.

"You have got to be kidding me."

The two spirits gave him no sympathy.

"You are too weak to use us properly," the woman said.

"So we are leaving," the snake boy added.

Renji drew his blade.

"Like hell you are."

...

Senna met Mirokumaru beneath a sky filled with drifting autumn leaves.

The manifested spirit looked like a shrine maiden holding a staff. Maple leaves circled around her as wind gathered at her feet.

Senna smiled in relief.

"Mirokumaru."

The spirit's expression was cold.

"Who are you?"

Senna stopped.

"What?"

"My master was not named Senna."

The words cut deeper than Senna expected.

She remembered what she was. A being formed from the memories of countless Blanks. Not a normal Soul Reaper. Not the original owner of Mirokumaru.

Perhaps Mirokumaru truly did not belong to her.

Her life with Ichigo, Rukia, and the others had been so warm that she had slowly stopped thinking about that old truth. She had begun to live as Senna, not as a vessel for memories.

Mirokumaru's words dragged the truth back into the open.

"If you are not my master," Mirokumaru said, "then die."

Wind blades tore forward.

Senna barely avoided them.

"I do not want to fight you."

"You stole my power and used it as if it were yours."

Senna's grip tightened.

"I am sorry. Maybe I did not understand you enough. But I am not going to die here."

She looked up, eyes clear.

"I have a life now. I have people I love. I will not let you take that from me."

Mirokumaru attacked again.

Senna dodged through the wind and raised one hand.

"Hado Number 4: Byakurai."

The pale lightning forced Mirokumaru to shift back.

"Kido," Mirokumaru said. "Is that also not yours?"

"I practiced that myself."

The answer made Mirokumaru's expression change slightly.

Senna did not understand which part had struck a nerve. To her, Kido was simple proof. Knowledge alone did not make a spell hers. Practice did.

Senna lifted her staff.

"Call forth the Twilight, Mirokumaru."

Wind and leaves wrapped around the staff, forming armor-like currents along its rings. The technique was not part of the old memories inside her. It had come from sparring with Rukia and thinking about how to use Mirokumaru differently.

Senna stood within the storm.

"This is my technique."

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