Sode no Shirayuki -Sleeve of White Snow (edited)

This is a fanfic about a Manga/anime called 'Bleach' and one of its main characters Rukia Kuchiki.
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Rukia rested her Zanpakutou easily on her shoulder and turned to hide her face, offended by Ichigo’s belief that she couldn’t handle a measly Arrancar on her own. The movement brought Ichigo’s attention to her blade and his mouth dropped open as he looked at it properly for the first time.

“Rukia, your sword –” he faltered.

“Sode no Shirayuki.” It was Rukia’s gikon who answered his unspoken question. “It is said to be the most beautiful of all the snow and ice Zanpakutou in Soul Society. The blade, the guard, even the hilt. A Zanpakutou of the purest white.”

She narrated Rukia’s story to Ichigo as she continued to hold him down, occasionally tightening her hold when he made sarcastic comments or interrupted her, resulting in yells of pain followed by swearing and then silence as she continued her explanation.

Rukia was secretly pleased at Ichigo’s amazement, it reminded her of her own wonder when she’d first released Sode no Shirayuki and seen her true form. As her gikon talked to Ichigo her mind drifted back to her days as a member of 13th Division of the Thirteen Protection Squads.

Many Years Ago……

She stood on a field of ice with snow falling softly all around her, great curtains of it silently drifting down to the ground with a kind of solemn grace that spoke of great age and nobility. On the wind a voice whispered to her, “Rukia Kuchiki. My name is Sode no Shirayuki”

The voice startled her for a moment, she’d been expecting to hear a voice aged and full of wisdom yet the voice that came to her on the wind was as young as she herself was. She peered through the snow trying to see where the voice might be coming from but was thwarted by the falling curtains of flakes that fell thick and never-ending from the sky above.

“Of course I’m not old,” the voice sounded amused now, “I was born of you Rukia, and your soul is young and vigorous even after all the sorrow and hardship you have endured. You thought you were alone but even then I lay quiet inside you, the steady strength that you drew upon in times of need and the voice you listened to in the quiet of your heart.”

Rukia felt as if the last piece a puzzle she had been trying to complete all her life but which had always frustrated her had fallen into place.

“So that was you!” she cried, and bowed deeply to the still falling curtains of snow, “Thankyou Sode no Shirayuki, if not for you I wouldn’t be here right now–” she stopped for a moment, “But where is here?”

Sode no Shirayuki laughed, a wonderful sound that reminded Rukia of the sound of icicles clinking together as they fell from a snow laden tree bough.

“This is your inner world, Rukia, the place where I reside until you call me forth. When your heart is at peace as it is now, the curtains of snow fall gracefully and quietly but when your anger is aroused or your heart is burdened with sorrow the wind blows fiercely and the storms rage across the land.”

Rukia felt guilty now, how often had Sode no Shirayuki been forced to endure storms and wind? All too often she suspected and vowed not to make her endure such a thing alone again.

“But I’m not alone Rukia, I have you!” Sode no Shirayuki corrected her a smile in her voice, “Just as I am your strength so too do you give me power and love for you brought me into being and your will makes me strong. Call my name Rukia, and you together we will begin to walk the road towards our future!”

Rukia felt the wind subside as Sode no Shirayuki’s voice faded into the distance. She drew herself up and felt for the Zanpakutou at her side, no longer nameless. Her hand grasped the hilt and she drew the sword, holding it horizontally in front of her.

“Dance! Sode no Shirayuki!”

Rukia passed her hand down the length of her Zanpakutou and watched it transform in a cloud of snow. The steel blade turned completely white, as did the guard and hilt. From the end of the hilt a white ornament hung and attached to it was a long pure white ribbon that fluttered in the breeze. Entranced Rukia stared at it for a long moment, the empty clearing where she practiced completely silent except for the whistle of the wind and her own heartbeat. Finally Rukia extended her arm and made a few experimental swings with her newly transformed Zanpakutou. Her teachers had drummed it into her that even though she could now release the first stage of Sode no Shirayuki she must still learn to use her properly and now was as good as any time to start.

Sode no Shirayuki almost sang in her hand as her blade cut the air leaving infinitesimal ice crystals in her wake so that as she continued to swing, the air seemed to glitter where she passed. Rukia almost cried as she came to a halt, finally she was progressing, finally she had something worthy to tell Byakuya, to prove that his adoption of her was not a mistake!

As the afternoon continued she worked with Sode no Shirayuki, trying to understand her and strengthen the bond between them. A Zanpakutou was no mere sword with a few extra additions, each was a reflection of their Shinigamis’ soul and personality and had a spirit all its own. Every Zanpakutou had its own unique talents and abilities which must be learned and understood and only the Zanpakutou could teach its wielder about itself and its abilities because as every soul was different so were no two Zanpakutou alike (except for an exceedingly unusual occurrence with Hitsugaya Toushiro and Sōjirō Kusaka where they manifested the same Zanpakutou spirit resulting in twin Zanpakutou).

Rukia was determined to go as far as she and Sode no Shirayuki could go together in order to honour the time and effort her teachers and friends put in to help her suceed. Time passed and slowly she discovered Sode no Shirayuki’s secret –her dances.

Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro* created a circle of icy ground around Rukia’s target which transformed into a column upon command, freezing everything on the ground and in the sky within the boundaries of the circle.

Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren fired a wave of ice from the tip of Sode no Shirayuki’s blade which covered the enemy.

San no Mai, Shirafune could only be used if Sode no Shirayuki’s blade was broken or damaged. It reformed the blade from ice particles and cut through anything in her path, also freezing everything in Rukia’s immediate vicinity.

­With Sode no Shirakuki’s three dances mastered as well as Rukia’s own above average kido skills she was a formidable opponent in battle and a definite match for any Hollow that could appear in the real world. As such it was no surprise that her next assignment was to go to the Human World and protect the town of Karakura in Japan……..

*Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro -First Dance, White Moon
Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren - Second Dance, White Ripple
San no Mai, Shirafune -Third Dance, White Cutter