His master was a fool, but he was Kotaishi's fool, and he wouldn't want anyone else as his master.
Kairo Namori had kindly fashioned a new, royal violet sheath for him out of spiritual pressure. The leopard purred in gratitude. The boy dashed from the Squad Ten barracks all the way to the Thirteenth, Kotaishi gripped firmly in his hand.
Kotaishi no Kori paced the forests anxiously, wishing the boy would just shunpo and get their quicker. His master needed him!
Eventually--through what seemed like an hour--Kairo arrived at the Thirteenth barracks. He briskly tread through the barracks to the dorms and to his room. Kotaishi felt his master's weakened spiritual energy grow closer and closer with each of the boy's steps.
Finally, he arrived and opened the doors to his room. Tsukiro was inside, laying on the futon in the bedroom, snuggled warmly underneath several blankets. He shivered slightly. Kairo stepped lightly, careful not to wake up Kotaishi's sleeping master. He gingerly placed the zanpakuto by Tsukiro's head. Instantly, Kotaishi materialized from the sword in his leopard form. He padded around his sleeping master until he stopped behind him. He leaned his head down and sniffed at his head. Tsukiro shifted, but remained asleep.
He was weak, but alive and resting, just as he should be. Satisfied, Kotaishi settled down next to his master and curled up to him, warming him with his fur. Tsukiro sighed in his sleep, as if sensing the leopard spirit's presence. Eventually, he stopped shivering and fell deeper in to the calmness of sleep.
"Fool," Kotaishi said softly. "Don't set me down so carelessly next time. Always keep me next to you and never let anyone stab you in the back, literally or figuratively."
One thing was for sure. Whether his master forgave his captain or not, Kotaishi would not hold back anything if they crossed paths again, even if his master did hold back.
Kotaishi would not let this go unpunished.
He drifted into sleep next to his master.
Kotaishi did NOT like this.
At all.
He stood in his human form atop the balcony overlooking the central garden. His arms were crossed inside the sleeves of his robes. His jewels and ornaments clinked in the slight breeze. He gazed at...
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Kotaishi lounged in the palace ballroom, head on his paws, tail swishing. Unlike his antsy, wound up, and "ready to go kick some proverbial butt" master, he was completely calm and composed, curious even. Instead of fretting over things, he was lying there in wonder of how things would play out next.
So far all of the shinigami across Soul Society had, or still has, lost their zanpakuto--Tsukiro including.
Before that, it was the issue of the runt, snow-haired captain running out on his squad and being labeled a traitor. Well, actually that was still a problem, but not nearly as much of a problem as this new development.
A seraph... How interesting. He wondered what one looked like. Was it so ugly you couldn't look at it? Or was it a beautiful creature that charmed you and drew you in for the kill? His master had found out it was a type of angel, so certainly it was the latter.
Also, amongst the chatter from the zanpakuto(specifically a certain one), things were hectic in Las Noches as well. Then again, things were always hectic there with a bunch of egotistical, power-crazed Hollows, or should he say Arrancars?
And Karakura... well... he didn't much care for the human world. To him, humans were more like mice for him to chase, catch, then release because their squeaks made him pity them.
Kotaishi rolled over onto his back and stretched, fanning out his paws, parting his toes. Master Tsukiro would be disappointed if he knew the things he were thinking to himself now.
Right now, things weren't nearly entertaining enough for him...
How boring. Yet amusing.
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Kotaishi isn't sadistic or crazy. He just doesn't know what to do with himself sometimes.
It was hours now since he had last seen his master. Now, Kotaishi was on his last straw.
"This is unacceptable!" he snarled. "Master Tsukiro should have been here by now! He would never abandon me like this!"
After destroying another portion of his palace and a few dozen trees (plus or minus some birds he had no idea were there) he came to a decision:
"If he won't come in, I'll have to go out." However his resolve was steel for only a short minute. "But... Master gets angry if I come out while he's busy..."
Now sitting on a balcony on the east side of his palace, he huffed and looked across the horizon.
Of course, Kotaishi was probably the most impatient zanpakuto (second only to Senbonzakura) and he finally jumped up and shouted, "That does it! I'm coming out and finding my master if it's the last thing I do!"
Kotaishi was surrounded by a pale blue light and faded away...
He reappeared in the most unfortunate place and position...
It was dark and smelled of ash and burned wood. Kotaishi immediately started coughing and sneezing. He squirmed and thrashed, but that only made a very soft and smelly substance fall in his face. "Yuck!" he exclaimed after another sneezing fit. "What is this?! Where am I?!!"
The space he was in was narrow and circular, feeling as if he were stuffed down a very big cylindrical tube. He tried transforming into his leopard form, only to find that made matters worse since his leopard form was bigger width wise than his human form.
"Help~!!! Somebody!!! Please help!!!!!"
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(( I feel mean for doing this to him. T^T))
Kotaishi prowled the perimeter of his palace's south courtyard. He hadn't heard from his master in a while and was getting impatient. He had already searched the forests and foothills. He didn't know why. If Master Tsukiro were here, he would feel him.
So where was he?
Kotaishi stopped and closed his eyes, searching and scanning for his master, but, hell, he didn't even know where he himself was.
The fur and skin along is snout scrunched up as he bared his ivory fangs and snarled angrily. He charged forward and his leopard pelt peeled away, transforming into his human form. His long, pale white and black-streaked hair and robes of royalty lifted and few behind him as he whipped out his sword and swung it at some nearby, snow and frost covered trees, slicing through them effortlessly with a loud roar. The shockwave from his sword send a freezing cold blast through the trunks of the trees and slammed into one side of the courtyard walls, destroying part of his palace.
He stood there, hand gripping the sword's hilt, hair and robes flapping in the wind. The jewels, chains and ornaments decorating his hair and clothes clinked, the gemstones sparkling in the dim sun. His lavender-cobalt eyes pierced the air as he glared at nothing. Another growl rose to his throat from his chest.
Banishing his sword away, he whipped around and stalked through his palace to the front doors, casting them both open. He flashed to the fountain in the middle of the front yard, jumping and landing on the head of the snow leopard statue in the center. He tilted his head up. The sky was unnaturally cloudy and dark gray, reflecting his own emotions and the obscurity in the bond between himself and his master.
"Master... Where are you? And where am I?"
