6-2 A Zanpakuto's Idea?!

I must say, this is most unusual. I wasn't expecting a visit from any of you.

Um... Well, as you can see, our Zanpakuto are still manifested and we were hoping that you could tell us why.

Well, of course they are.

Huh?

After all the trouble, I was able to reverse their brainwashing, but I never said I was returning them to their normal state.

Now, please stop bothering me with all your simple questions. I barely have time to get things done as it is.

Nemu, it's time to get back to work.

Yes. As you wish, master.

Wait a minute, Captain Kurotsuchi.

What is it now? I told you I was busy, didn't I?

Yes, I'm sure you are, but can you help us with one more thing?

This Zanpakuto has me concerned.

Ah, fascinating.

This is an instance of a Zanpakuto going out of control after Muramasa manifested it.

It isn't hard to understand. You know that Muramasa's abilities affected not only captains, but also regular squad members, right?

And in those cases, once their Zanpakuto were released, some of them found that they had suddenly lost control over these weapons, and as a result, they died.

This Zanpakuto is one of the many that lost control after the unfortunate loss of its master.

I was unaware of this.

Usually, when a Zanpakuto's owner dies, the Zanpakuto disappears as well. We can only assume something abnormal happened here.

At that point, truthfully, the weapons are no longer Zanpakuto, Soul Reapers, or even Hollows. The most accurate description is that they are mutants.

That gives me an idea. I should have thought of this before. I shall call them Sword Beasts.

More importantly, why did that sword suddenly lose its manifested appearance?

We don't know yet. But we do know it no longer possesses Spiritual Pressure.

Now, from what I've been told, one of them escaped, right? If you're somehow able to recapture it, I can run experiments and possibly find an answer to your question.

Zanpakuto that have lost their owners and are now out of control... This sounds particularly dangerous.

Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you. Captain, we need to assign the next Seireitei guard duties.

Yes, of course.

Rukia, for now, I'm going to leave you in charge of handling this case. I'm going to leave Senbonzakura with you. He is at your disposal.

Are you sure about that?

Absolutely.

I know exactly how we can proceed. We will lure the fiend out of hiding by destroying one of the barracks and getting the attention of the entire Seireitei.

We're trying to rebuild around here! Causing more destruction won't help.

Alright, then. I have a better idea. How about we freeze the entire town with the fiend inside it?

Completely out of the question!

These drastic solutions are the best you can come up with?! Think of the trouble you'll cause if we do what you suggest!

You're saying it's a problem?

All I'm hearing is, "We can't do this. We can't do that." It's not very helpful. What in the world can we do?

Suggest something less destructive!

I know just the thing, but you have to promise to keep an open mind.

Everyone, thank you for all your hard work! Raise your glass!

Impressive. You really know how to make the booze disappear.

We've had a bit of practice. But, wow! I never thought the day would come when we'd actually be ordered to throw a party! Gosh, I'm so happy!

Me too! This is amazing! It's awesome, really!

............

What is the meaning of this? Rukia?

Um, this thing? Well, you see, it's... It's a party, sir!

Thanks, I figured that out. I received an order yesterday to let you use this area.

But nobody mentioned that you were going to throw a big party. Is this necessary?

The party is meant to lure the out-of-control Zanpakuto that escaped, sir. We believe it likes parties.

What?

The last time anyone saw the fiend, it crashed a garden party held by the Kuchiki Clan. So we're throwing another.

That is your justification?

Well, it seemed appropriate at the time, sir.

Well, I don't see the fiend showing up.

That's very odd.

"Very odd?" Really? You think this is odd?

Under the circumstances, I wonder if we didn't party hard enough.

We partied more than enough, believe me! I hope this whole fiasco wasn't just an excuse for you to have some fun.

Now that you mention fun, have either of you seen Senbonzakura anywhere?

I believe you'll find him on his back out in the courtyard.

Rukia, are you ready to wrap this party up?

Captain Hitsugaya, I'm terribly sorry for any trouble we caused.

Don't worry about it.

Ever since the Muramasa incident, my squad's been under a lot of pressure. They did need some time to unwind. This will certainly give them a breather.

Oh, there you are, Captain! How 'bout a little drinky-poo?!

No chance! And you've had enough for one night!

What? What's a little winky-drinky between friends? It's not like anyone's asking you to dance on the table, although that sounds good too, now that I think about it.

Rukia, you'll need to take care of this mess.

Yes. Understood, sir.

I'm very sorry about this. It sounded like a good plan, but it didn't work out quite the way I thought it would.

Don't blame yourself. The only thing that matters is you did the best you could under the circumstances. We were just unlucky this time around.