Homewrecker (Elyss/Murasaki)

"Because I've fought to have everything. And nothing is going to take it from me. Do you think I'm optimistic? Honestly, I feel like I'm getting more jaded than I'd like to be. Sometimes I feel like I'm turning into Abalia."

The moment Elyss moved to grab her, Murasaki quickly moved to the side, her speed leagues above what most could match. Still, the proximity of the blade had been enough to remind her she couldn't take Elyss lightly, and it had nearly cut into her as she moved.

"But thinking positively does wonders. Maybe not expecting the best, but hoping for it. Working toward it. If you only ever prepare for the worst, you're just digging your own grave."

Another sharp breath inward, blade sheathed, at the ready. The sword arced out all at once, in a blinding flash, and Murasaki unleashed the other technique of her shikai. Not one Senmaioroshi cut toward Elyss, but 15 simultaneously, all fully intent on besting the woman. Murasaki knew that she was durable, and these weren't blows that she expected to kill her.

But, at the same time, she certainly wasn't going easy.

"You're right. It's not really my kinda thing, to go around creeping in the shadows. I'm straightforward, always have been. Just kinda disappointing, realizing what I've gotta be straightforward about these days."

Murasaki's hands remained squarely on her blade as she stepped upward to meet her opponent. This had been a challenge, after all. Murasaki may have been friendly, optimistic, but she was also a woman who took things like that very seriously. Her name, and her pride, meant a great deal to her, and she'd never treat a challenge with anything other than her most serious effort.

"Yeah, I do."

The blade in the Captain Commander's hand once more swung toward Elyss with lightning quickness, every cut moving at speeds few could track and with precision that almost none alive could hope to match. A zanpakuto such as hers was nothing short of pristine, and she used it in a way that befit its status.

"Because I know you can do better than that. Something's always bothered me about Tenmarin, but I wasn't good enough to figure it out back then. Now, though? It's not so hard to see. I think you and me aren't so different, Elyss. Something else is buried under Tenmarin, I think. And I want to see you dig it out."

Deflecting those chakrams was effortless for Murasaki, and she moved back down to the ground with her blade still at the ready, eyes keeping track of both Elyss and the newly-manifested Tenmarin. There was a clear distaste in the Captain Commander's gaze as she sized up the zanpakuto spirit, and she was still tensed, ready to strike.

"Go ahead. Answer her. But you know what I'll do if you lie to her."

Such a clear and absolute threat was a stark contrast to the typical personable cheer Murasaki always presented, but she knew how to take things plenty seriously. She just typically didn't have to, though she had to imagine she'd be doing this more often. Maybe that was just part of being Captain Commander.

Murasaki would have liked to offer Elyss her support, as a friend and as a superior, but right now there was far more to worry about. Even if she was strong, it wasn't as if Elyss was a weak opponent, and Tenmarin would have all that same strength at her disposal. Murasaki's hands remained tight on the hilt of her sword, her stance firm but ready to move at the first moment she needed.

"I've met a lot of zanpakuto in my life, and some have been pretty weird. But I knew something wasn't right with you. Wish I'd just been able to see it sooner."

She was a zanpakuto herself, and that meant she was all too willing to purify a hollow like this if she had to. But, then again, it wasn't quite that easy, was it? If this was a part of Elyss, cutting it out wasn't really much of an option, not without taking risks Murasaki wasn't willing to take.

"Elyss. You're stronger than this, aren't you? How far have you come? How much have you grown? Are you gonna let someone like this push you around?"

Murasaki made a point not to hate anyone in her life, at least not for reasons outside their control. That included Hollows, even if her very being tended to tell her on an instinctive level that they were no good. Making wide judgements was the exact sort of thing that had ruined her life, after all.

But, with all that in mind, Tenmarin was the sort of Hollow that gave Murasaki second thoughts about that outlook.

"It's still hers, isn't it? Unless you think you're going to fight her for it."

The gaze of the green-haired shinigami grew more firm, more cold, so unlike the cheery woman she typically was. She could practically hear the disapproval of her father, but she was her own woman. She cut her own path.

"If that happens, then this won't be a Captain against her Commander anymore. It'll just be a zanpakuto against a hollow. And I won't give you the same treatment I give her."

The hollow energy filling the air didn't mean much to Murasaki. After all, she wasn't someone who could hollowfy, as far as she knew. The sword she held was leveled toward the source of the corruption, and now it was just a matter of cutting it away if that's what it came down to.