I Am War[Koga, Sensoya][Mura]

Koga had grown tired of trying to wrap his mind around how his weapon worked. It had bothered him for some time, certainly, but he never questioned it out of sheer stubbornness that he could somehow use it to his advantage. After his embarrassing defeat against that unhinged feline, his stance had changed singlehandedly. He had to run away. Koga Habaki had to run from a fucking fight. He never did that. He thrived on combat, and cut his teeth in Kenpachi Zaraki's Eleventh.

Running away was never an option for him, and yet, that's exactly what happened. No matter how many conversations he had, it still bothered him. The lingering image of defeat. At any rate, he was prepared to address it. Assuming the Jinzen stance, zanpakuto laid across his lap, he allowed his mind to slowly unwind and be at ease. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Inhale. Exhale. And, then. Nothingness.

A blank canvas filled his mind until he found himself inside his inner world. A dark and dreary slum filled with roughshod huts everywhere his gaze went. It was not unlike what he experienced when he was younger. A familiar place. He knew the risks that came with entering this place and challenging his spirit, but he didn't care. He would die or come out on the other side with an improved clarity of his Zanpakuto.

"Alright, where are you, Sensouya?"

Habaki Koga ran from a fight. That was what would happen when a game suddenly turned too serious – imagine playing tag, only to watch your friend get tackled to the ground and lose a teeth or two. You’d be frightened, run away, for the game had turned into something dreadful. Koga treated battle like a game. The 11th treated battle like a game, a privilege. And the 4th treated it like a gift that only the true Shinigamis could perform expertly.

But Sensōya (戦争屋, Warmonger) knew better. Battle was why he existed. War was why he was born. And Koga, his other half, was performing this sadly – obviously, a Zanpakutō like Sensouya would grimace at the sight. Koga showed signs of cowardice, hesitation, and ineptitude…

And it was partly Sensouya’s fault. After all, why pin all the blame on Koga alone? The Spirit knew better… and perhaps, Koga just wasn’t the most creative type of guy around? One thing was set in stone from his time on Koga’s side – no matter his opinion of the kid, that was his partner. And he’d never have another. So… let’s work with this.

…

Sensouya was just chilling. In a cross-legged position on the straw carpet inside a well-kept interior of a nearby apartment. One could mistake him for an insurgence leader with the amount of smoke and blades he had hanging up and leaning on the wall around the room – but none of them was the real Zanpakutō. Taking another puff of his pipe, the Zanpakutō Spirit scuffed at Koga’s voice in the nearby street. Seriously, this boy.

“Where do you think I am?” Sensouya spoke out, making sure his voice vibrated from the apartment window down to the street where Koga was, “Stop asking dumb questions and get up here, already.” Still easy to temper, this Spirit.

"Tch."

God, this bastard was annoying. No matter how many times he heard his voice in his head, he couldn't stand the guy. Still, he was his zanpakuto spirit. A reflection of himself somehow. And he knew damn well he could stand himself. Jumping through the apartment window, he motioned forward to occupy a seat across from his spirit. Immediately, he frowned as he slammed his hand against the ground. A display of frustration that had been building up for ages came to the forefront all at once.

"What the fuck was that!? I performed like shit out there! I've been performin' like shit ever since you revealed your name to me and everything else! I'm no expert on this shit. I'm a dumbass, but that can't be the only thing we're capable of? What do you take me for? A fuckin' joke?"

Oh, how fuckin’ humorous. The kid was throwing a tantrum in front of him now – he might’ve performed poorly, but let’s be honest. Given the true nature of the sorry excuse for a Shikai that Sensouya gave him… Koga couldn’t have performed better at this level. So if you thought about it, Sensouya was actually quite impressed that his other half was still alive and breathing…

… when he brought a toy to a death battle. Sensouya even felt like just leaving him in the mist a little bit longer, but the Zanpakutō knew of the events in the outside world. Did Zanpakutō usually care? Only time would tell… but this kid wasn’t going to stop flaying his strange sword-gun-hammer-thing around any time soon, so let us put a brake on that.

“If you really are a dumbass, then stay off the battlefield… that place is reserved for those who know how it feels-“ Sensouya replied rather nonchalantly, “-to slash your own soul to shards, grab a handful of them, and shove them down your enemy’s throat. Does that sound like a joke to you, former 11th‘s Habaki Koga?” Perhaps a first to Koga’s ears, or something he’d felt deep inside all along… the ‘philosophy’ of the prior Division that he was in. They enjoyed combat more than anyone else, and one would think that Sensouya would thrive there, but look at the two now. Was Koga lying to himself? Deluding himself with grandeurs of the past? If he continued listening to his Spirit, he might find the answer.

“You and that squad of walking corpses sure played around a lot… treating war like a game. Kids that wanna play war get to play with toy swords, and that’s exactly what I gave you,” he revealed, unclothing the intention behind the potentially lacking Shikai that Koga had been using all along. A toy. Sensouya gave him a toy that Koga could run around and play warmonger with. It was quite pathetic to reflect on.

But Sensouya wanted to give him something more… but not now. Right now, the Spirit simply smirked, eager to hear Koga’s reaction to what he just said. Oh, he ought to be ready for fury to boil up on the boy’s face.

"What?"

Koga was rendered speechless after his spirit revealed his true feelings on the matter. The revelation made sense, but that wasn't exactly the shocker. For some time, he knew he was playing around for something that didn't quite feel right. And naturally, much like anything else he tackled in life, he thought it wise to force his way through with brute force.

That approach had never failed him...until he was faced with what a real war felt like. Even now, as he silently reflected on his words, he still couldn't shake the scars he experienced. That ferocious predator of an arrancar. The stranger that terrorized Hana. Even if they'd been healed, he still felt the phantom pain and the regret that accompanied it. Sensouya was correct. In the past, he truly had treated conflict like a game.

The eleventh division thrived on combat of that nature and always made a sport of it. That philosophy had never failed him, even if it felt somewhat outdated. But now, things were different. There were stakes. Lives had been lost. He nearly lost those dear to him, and he didn't even know if everyone he cared about survived. And then, the anger certainly did boil up on his face he shot back with a growl.

"Like hell, I can stay off the battlefield! I can't just sit back and let everything end like that. What are you even getting at? Some sick game or riddle? If I die, we both die. End of story. If I'm a dumbass, you're a madman. That gamble could've got me killed a few days ago, you fuckin' bastard..."

”Hmph… if we die, we’re merely another pair of souls passing on. It’s you or your enemy. The dead Shinigami never wished to die, did they? But they stretched their arms out, got this far, for one sake or another. At one point, they paid the price – and there’s always a price to pay, Koga.” War and battle was not fun. It was a duty that only those who'd put a price on their souls, who were ready to sell it, would truly understand. For noble cause or for evil, there was no room for hesitation.

Sensouya stood up on his feet, still smiling. “Don’t bullshit me. Don’t fuckin’ bullshit me. How many times have you wished to be in the shoes of the dead? You think it’s so easy to die for the sake of someone else? You think it’s natural to shield an ally from raining arrows?” Hesitation was often the most attractive choice, wasn't it? Nay, Sensouya would make sure to strip it off of Koga's skin, if even by his own hands.

Sensouya physically stopped himself at this point. No, Koga’s mind wasn’t in that state just yet. He wasn’t ready… not for that. Not for the full package. Not for the full power. It’d be wasted in his hands now… but Koga showed regret of his past views. Of course, his other half could sense that, so there was still an opportunity for improvement. One step at a time – he was dealing with a kid, after all.

“… What am I?”

Something snapped inside of Sensouya. It wasn’t particularly due to Koga’s words, but Sensouya suddenly angled his right arm, letting a most recognizable Sealed Zanpakutō slide out. He grabbed it smoothly, and it began to reshape itself – blocks of steel, copper, rust and brass began to rock around the form, grinding against each other, but Koga wouldn’t see the propulsive gun-claymore form that he was sick and too used to up until now.


Instead… a bravesword. No, a straight sword with an edge rolling and spinning with sparks – a toothed chain, a fucking chainsaw! A damn chainsaw blade, powered purely by Sensouya’s Reiatsu that poured in and spun the chain. The sword roared with intent to dig in and maul any flesh it could cut into, but it was confusing – the form held very little to no resemblance of Koga’s previous Shikai. Could he figure out what the connection was? If not…

“What. Am. I?!”

Sensouya, impatient and driven, Spartan-kicked at Koga’s chest, intent to send him flying straight out of the window he came in from. Should he land on the grim slum street below, Sensouya would land further away in front of him, tempting him to draw that toy sword and unwind his pent-up frustrations at his oldest friend.

"What the..."

Koga could hardly believe his eyes right now. It was his weapon, certainly, but it was nothing like the toy Sensouya cursed him with. It was malleable. It was so many things other than what he'd used up until now, and that only served to make him even more frustrated. What was he missing? He recognized that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he studied! He had some measure of intelligence despite his dense nature. So what was it... what was he trying to convey? Whatever he was.... whatever THAT was, he had to figure it out soon. This bandaged bastard wasn't going to settle for waxing philosophical anymore. He wanted to fight to provide his example. Of course, as soon as Koga rose to defend himself...

"What are you even--Gaugh!"

Like a pinball, he was kicked out of the house they occupied, slamming against a few walls until he experienced a rough landing on the ground. Reflexively, he grabbed onto the hammer Sensouya mocked him about and shot back up off the ground. Fuck it, he'd just find his answers. The time for talking was over. He wanted to unwind and let loose. Get fucking angry. Let the beast out.

"Hooooogh!"

Channeling reiryoku through the hammer, he propelled his body forward with lightning-quick speed, swinging the weapon toward Sensouya in a vertical strike.

Koga had decided to rely on that weapon again. Yeah, sure, Sensouya did call it a toy sword, a kid hammer, but the truth was… it had a very special purpose. Overwhelming. Breaking through. Helmet-splitting. Blocking Koga’s attack right now would prove futile, so…

Sensouya leaped away from the hammer. Its force spread across the street, and it would definitely cause a lot of destruction – but what was the point if it didn’t land on its intended target? What now? If this weapon wasn’t for the immediate purpose, why was it the only weapon that Koga could form? Use your head, idiot!

There was more than just one instrument of war in the world… and that was the whole ordeal. Instruments of war, powered by Reishi – that was Sensouya’s power! It wasn’t rocket science! He was the gun, and Koga was the bullet!

Sensouya landed his feet on a nearby wall and used it to launch forward, his Reishi spinning the chain blades around the sword he wielded until Reiatsu burst out a bit like whipping waves of water. The Reiatsu made the chain spin faster and faster, and Sensouya swung it diagonally towards Koga’s center, no smile in sight.

What was it about his nature that had eluded Koga for so long? What fundamental step was he missing here? What lied beyond that surface? Even if he unearthed it, would he embrace it or would he find himself disgusted at the discovery? In that building, he suddenly recalled the weapon shifting from one shape to another.

Again, it was nothing like the hammer he wielded like a barbarian, the weapon he had used to strike down his foes without any form or strategy, even if he had, at so many points in the academy, learned to refine and wield a blade with impressive form and precision. He had talent. He knew that as well as anyone. He made it here for a reason, so what gives?

When his hammer collided with the chainsaw, a fierce tidal wave of energy blossomed outward, a violent gale of spiritual pressure crushing the ground beneath them. For a moment, Koga grinned confidently, believing himself to have the advantage of sheer strength on his side, but then something suddenly went wrong. The tide shifted. Under the duress of that spinning chain blade and the geyser of reiatsu, his hammer was pushed off course, and the chain blade cut right into his midsection.

"Gaogh!"

Reflexively, he shot a foot outward to kick him back as he stumbled backward. Like a record being played repeatedly, Sensouya's words akin to an echo. Visions of his defeat and his fallen brethren assaulted his mind. He felt like he was on the precipice of discovering something, but what was it!? What was he!?

What am I!?

If one weapon failed, then surely...

Beyond a direct descent from above, akin to a meteor, that hammer wasn’t going to help Koga right now. Yet, stubbornly, he hung onto it… did he think that sheer tenacity and determination alone would change things around him? Only when he channeled those emotions through the means in his hands could he truly change – he and those around him. So fuckin’ change, already.

Change it. Don’t be afraid of change.

Sensouya was barely pushed back by the kick, instead glaring forward like a blood-curdling wolf and stepping ahead to close the distance in an instant. The chainsword was raised high, roaring and grinding metal against metal, and it swept down-

Shit changed. Everything around Koga changed, with the echoing words becoming more and more tangible. What am I? What am I? WHAT AM I?

Images flashed by his eyes. It felt like he’d died to that last hit, and that he was going to see his life flash before his corneas, but… these images weren’t familiar. He’d see two men stab each other with wooden spears. A big guy smashing a smaller man’s skull in with a club. A naked man being choked to death by a whip. A man’s maw being halved by a bashing shield. A ram crushing through a gate to a castle. Arrows raining down like hell. Swords being beaten by spears, and spears being beaten by swords. Blood flying everywhere. A jagged club-blade with obsidian shards breaking the arms of what appeared to be enemy after enemy. Each scene showed two sides – enemy versus enemy. Conflict, and all of the different means to destroy your adversaries. Suddenly, bangs could be heard – ash floating. Coal and gunpowder. Brass bullets, muskets, double-barrel shotguns. A revolver’s barrel rolling in haste. A chainsaw, and screams ensued. It was all so nightmarishly fast, one could barely make head-or-tails of it all. A missile? Non-Shinigami weapons- no, these were more human-like weapons, from the World of the Living… and more. The images faded into what looked like strange, astral weaponry wielded by multi-faced, multi-armed humanoids. All of this…

Weapons. So many weapons. Unquantifiable amounts. So unbelievably many that one would be taken aback by it all.

And the real world outside of Koga met his gaze next. He’d exited his Inner World.