re-faded dream,

ZANPAKUTŌ | MOYUME ( FADED DREAM )
In her rested form, Moyume is considered an uchigatana by classification. The uchigatana, commonly referred to as a samurai sword, was the predecessor to the katana and shares the same length parameters albeit with a straighter form. While originally the size of a nodachi with a handle to reflect this fact, the blade is snapped near the end so that it fits in a normal katana's sheath. The sword itself seems simple yet regal, being all black with red and golden accents and a golden blade beneath the scabbard. Its guard is probably its most unique feature, designed to resemble a blooming lotus. Moyume's spiritual form is that of a black haired woman, whose beauty is praised as divine. She fits the description of what many call a "Yuki-Onna." Her home, Sano's spirit world, is a mountainside castle with ceaseless snowfall. In times of joy, the snow is light and Moyume's appearance is youthful. However, the more negative Sano's emotions grow, the stronger the snowfall grows and more sickly Moyume appears. Yuki-Onna are regarded in legends as the beautiful and enticing spirit of a woman that may have perished in the snow. It is said that her dark hair contrasts heavily with her white clothing and pale white skin that seem to blend in with the snowy mountain environments she seems prone to haunt. While her beauty is regarded as inhumane, it is also said that her eyes can strike terror into any soul. She is regarded as beautiful and serene, yet ruthless in killing unsuspecting mortals. Legend says that the Yuki-Onna misleads travelers who are lost in the snow and then proceeds to offer them the comfort of her embrace when they feel weak, only to drain the warmth out of them until they are dead and frozen. It is also said that, when threatened, the Yuki-Onna disperses into a cloud of snow or mist and that she hovers across the snow instead of leaving footprints. Moyume has demonstrated much of the legendary traits of the Yuki-Onna, from controlling the temperature to the ability to create illusions. As such, those who know of her abilities find her impossible to classify.

The immediate change in Moyume's rested form upon entering shikai is a transition from normal sword to what seems like an enlarged ice sculpture of the same sword and extended to the full length of the nodachi it once was. White spiritual energy crawls up Sano's arms at the same time, whitening them in the span of an irezumi style sleeve that resemble bandages laced with peonies, lotuses and sakura petals. The frozen sword completely shatters and disperses into a mist whose reiatsu seems to mend with Sano's to produce a much stronger presence than he is normally capable of exerting. This mist spreads to surround the battle field and it immediately appears to snow. Calling her an ice elemental zanpakutō would not be entirely accurate, even though this new pressure is much colder than Sano's. This is because, while she can cause things to freeze, she cannot actually produce nor manipulate neither ice nor water. In fact, the blizzard is an illusion. Even so, it is equally as inaccurate to call her an illusion type zanpakutō. Her abilities revolve around mixing her pressure with Sano's to steal the enemy's warmth while instilling fear in them, and creating the illusion of a relentless blizzard.

• Himuro ( Ice Room ); When Moyume shatters, it is actually more than an aesthetic display. The entirety of what used to be an uchigatana becomes tiny shards that spread to occupy the entire battlefield. They are what produce both the mist and the illusion of snow by glimmering. These individual pieces are so small that contact with an opponent is akin to what humans feel as droplets of snow. While this means that the shards lack offensive power, they do serve to enhance the illusion of a snowstorm by constantly cycling around the battlefield. Those who have been around Sano's exerted pressure notice this ability to be surprising colder, as Moyume's shards exert her own spiritual pressure. Moyume's reiatsu works in a different manner to Sano's, as hers actually steals the heat from those who are exposed to it. This is why those who are caught in the mist slowly begin to feel colder and colder over time. Another consequence of being within the mist is being susceptible Moyume's ability to draw out the fear in a person's heart. Wherever the mist reaches is a zone where Moyume may reveal herself to an opponent, and making direct eye contact with her will literally paralyze an individual with fear.
  

• Samui Hōyō ( Cold Embrace ); Due to the covering on Sano's arms, strikes with those particular limbs causes a bit of the spiritual energy to cling to the target and bloom into a flower mark. The marks may be "detonated" to cause superficial freezing at the area of contact only the size of the flower, but the mark will fade immediately after. Also, this detonation is not selective and will cause any and all marks present to detonate. When three marks are stacked on the same limb, the area freezes through as opposed to just the surface. When these three marks are stacked on the same location, the effect becomes much more potent, as the user may have the shards of Moyume converge on that target. Due to the shards surrounding a single point of focus, the illusions of mist and blizzard cease. Interestingly enough, the convergence of these shards is not what harms the target. As immediately as the shards converge, Moyume's spirit will manifest on the target and embrace them. In that instant, their entire existence is frozen over. Rather than being encased in a block of ice, the victim is instead frozen in the form of what seems like a sculpture of themselves. Once one has been frozen over in this fashion, their spiritual presence fades and even the slightest breeze will cause their body to turn to dust.
  

BANKAI: “I'll hold you, Moyume Kiyomi.”

The final release of Moyume is similar to the segunda etapa that some arrancar manage to achieve. In those instances, the arrancar comes to terms with an aspect about them and embraces it. In this instance, Sano embraces Moyume. Doing so allows him to become one with her, the tattoo of his shikai spreading to make his skin and clothes the same pale white as hers while making his hair and eyes darken to pitch black. Drawing attention away from Sano's transformation are the shards of Moyume's initial release. These shards expand and bloom into an insurmountable number of peonies. These flowers shatter just as Moyume's shikai, except they do not expand the area of Moyume's Reika Himuro. Instead, they convert the same area to Fuyu Kyōchi. As bankai tend to do, Moyume Kiyomi empowers the zanpakutō's abilities tenfold. However, rather than manifesting in size, this final release focuses on becoming an overwhelming power