Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Just Minori, Lana and some OOC ness. O and the story.

Byakuya was a man of his word when he said he wouldn't object to whatever decision was made from drawing the slits. It was just a bathroom nothing more. It's not like he would have to share a room, a bed, or anything else with Minori. Plus it was only suitable that the two eldest would have the best rooms and bathrooms.

As fate would have it the house was still a mess because the maid that Minori sent to clean didn't do such a good job. At least it was mid afternoon so they would have a decent amount of time to fix up the house and get dinner started. The house did have food and other staples such as pillows, sheets, pots and pans. Minori assigned each person a job. Renji ended up having to clean all of the bathrooms; Rukia took over the two bedrooms, while Lana had another two bedrooms. Minori was a bit apprehensive assigning Byakuya work.

"Um Byakuya Sama. Everyone is helping clean the house. I'm sorry that my maid didn't do such a good job but it would be nice if you could um…help us clean it a bit. It would make it easier on us. I completely understand if this is something that you wish not to do. Seeing as you are a noble and well not really suited for cleaning," she said.

"Hn. I will be in my room," Byakuya replied.

He looked at Minori who had pulled her hair back and started cleaning the kitchen. Byakuya wondered how a girl of such high upbringing could know how to clean a kitchen. He also wondered how their family had acquired such a manor in the living world. It was interesting how he never thought of getting one when his sister spent so much time with that Kurosaki kid. At least he didn't have to worry about his sister and that boy in a relationship; he had some faith in Renji.

He would have loved to help well not really love but tried to help but he didn't know how to clean. He never spent his time analyzing his servants or reading up on cleaning. But being the stubborn perfectionist he was he decided to help out. He did not want people thinking that he was an ingrate towards the two girls who let him and his sister stay at their house.

Byakuya went into his room and grabbed some dusting clothes and started using them on the hard surfaces. He had enough sense to know that they were to remove dust. He had opened the windows while dusting so he could have fresh air in his room. Once he finished dusting he looked over to the bed and realized that it had no sheets on it. He opened the pack that was placed on the bed and took out a fitted sheet, a loose sheet, and two pillow covers. He found the pillow covers were easy to place where as he was having difficulty deciding which of the sheets to put on first. So he did what he could. He started placing the loose sheet first then let the stretchy part of the fitted sheet sit comfortably on the loose sheet hugging the mattress. Clearly this is not working, thought Byakuya.

He heard a stifled chuckle at the door of his room. Minori stood there with her hands over her mouth trying not to break down in laughter at the sight of seeing the Byakuya having such a hard time with bed sheets.

She came up to him and softly took his hands off the sheets. She then took off the sheets, replacing the fitted on the bottom with the loose sheet on top. After fixing the sheets she set off to place the comforter properly on the bed followed by the pillows. She then walked into the closet and came out with at least ten other pillows. There were of the decorative type, matching with the color of the walls, a light brownish red. After setting the bed, she looked over at Byakuya and smiled.

"That was such a cute sight. Seeing you flustered over sheets was something I would have never imagined," she said. Byakuya just watched her leave but while she headed out the door, she heard a soft thank you in what was the man's voice.

Minori headed back to the kitchen after she checked up on Byakuya. She grabbed a chair so she could stand tall enough to clean the shelves on top. As she was scrubbing the top, Byakuya came in to help clean the living room. Well to actually dust the living room. It seems that he grew an attachment to dusting and wanted to dust any surface he could. (You know sometimes dusting can get addicting lol) The kitchen was open on two sides, with one side leading into the living room while the other led into the dining room. Minori put in some more elbow grease into cleaning the top shelves, when the chair started wobbling. She focused some more on keeping balanced but when she reached back up one of the legs on the chair broke. Minori, not having enough time to support herself, braced for impact with the floor. But it didn't come. She landed in a soft embrace from Byakuya who still clutched his dusting clothes. Apparently playing tag with Yoruichi as a kid helped his speed a lot. He walked her over to the living room and placed her on the couch which he had set up properly. Then he continued to clean up, seemingly forgetting how he just saved her from colliding with the floor. He wasn't being arrogant he was just being himself, not one to take charity nor one to give charity.

"She had helped me in the bedroom and I had helped her now," thought Byakuya.

Little did the two of them know that someone had purposely loosened the leg of the chair? Rukia had borrowed the chair to clean her assigned two rooms and was coming to return the chair when Lana caught hold of her. They both had planned something similar to this. Lana had told her to loosen the leg of the chair so her sister could use it to climb to the top. She also went to tell Byakuya Sama if he could help clean the living room. That way he could be close by when Minori fell.

The two girls giggled at the success of their plan. It seemed that the head of the Kuchiki clan was very quick indeed and helped out Minori just before she hit the ground. But being the stoic person he was he didn't say anything about it. The two girls were hoping that Minori would say something or else they would have to interrupt.

Thankfully their hopes were fulfilled, but only a bit.

"Thank you Byakuya sama. It seems that you are always here to catch me when I fall-from either a chair or second story. I feel like a burden that which always lands in your safety. If it's not too much trouble could you perhaps teach me how to move that quickly?" That was all that was said.

Minori finished cleaning the kitchen and started on dinner. Then she left to set the dining room. As she returned she noticed that the living room was spotless and that all the decorations such as pillows and candles were in place.

"Hm it seems that Byakuya has god taste in décor," thought Minori.

XxX

Back in Soul Society, a short old man with a beard that graced the floor stood with his staff while talking to the elders of the Kuchiki clan.

"Was it a good idea to send Byakuya out into the real world when he has to find a wife sometime soon?" asked one of the elders whose eyes were slit like.

"This mission might take them a while. We only have 10 months for him to choose a wife or else he will have to be wed to one of our choice," said another elder.

"Yamamoto-taicho you know our predicament. We need someone to carry out the Kuchiki clan. If Byakuya does not return safely then how shall our clan survive?" asked one of the youngest elders.

"I hope you are not challenging my authority over my captains. I do know what I am doing. There is no reason for you to worry. There was a reason as to why I sent Kuchiki taicho along with the Hinamashi girls. Even if you were to look into one of the noble families for a suitable match you would have surely picked one of them. I assure you that I have everything in control," said the bearded old man, Yamamoto taicho.

As the elders looked reluctant Yamamoto summoned a screen and started showing a series of events. From the Spring Ball to the current household situations. It seems that the two of them were getting along quite well.

XxX

As the day went along the house became sparkling. Dinner was quick but sufficient. Sleep was much needed but the Hinamashi sisters had other responsibilities.

They needed to get used to their gigais. So the girls went upstairs to the secret roof top training room. It was a subdivision such as the one in Urahara's basement. Except that this one had gardens as well as training fields. It was gift to Minori from the King one her one year anniversary with Kinomoto.

They practiced movement in their gigais not by sparring against each other but by doing dances. Ballet, jazz and other gymnastic influenced dance. This way their body could stretch and be flexible. It had been nearly two hours since they first started and now they were perfectly comfortable with their bodies.

Minori headed to her room to sleep but next door Byakuya lay awake on his bed. He had chronic insomnia. Ever since Hisana died he was not able to sleep properly, most nights he would spend in his Chinese Bellflower garden but tonight he was unable to be there. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make to follow orders. He decided to get up and take a shower. He wasn't in the mode for a bath, plus he didn't like how the tub was close to Minori's room. As he walked into the bathroom, he noticed that the tub was already filled with flowers and bubbles in it. He remembered how Minori told him she liked to keep it filled because it reminded her of lakes and ponds with the flowers floating in them. Byakuya stepped out of his clothes and turned on the shower, letting the warm water cover his muscled body. The shower was very silent and the door kept any noises from coming in or going out. Because it was a noble's bathroom it had two sinks, a shower, and a separate tub, along with a modern toilet. Further than that there was also a small vanity area with male's wardrobe and a female's wardrobe. The towels were embroidered with gold, this time each with either an M or B for Minori and Byakuya.

As Byakuya was drenching in the shower he thought about the recent events in his life. How he had that meeting with the elders, the Spring ball, his sister's boyfriend news, this recent mission, and Minori. Somehow everything he thought about had her involved. For some reason when he was thinking about the deadline he was given to find a wife, and all the potential wives Minori's face blinded his vision. He shook his head to get rid of that image and rinsed off the soap from his body. As he opened the door to the shower stall he grabbed a towel and heard the draining of water from the tub.

Stepping fully out of the shower he turned to the tub, only to see a dripping wet Minori covered in a towel. Thankfully the mirrored wall on the opposite end of the tub and shower was covered in steam and Minori had her head down while trying to wrap a towel around her long brown hair. Byakuya stood still drowning in the image of a wet Minori.

"Are you sure you want to stay here while she's looking like this? You would be called a pervert and that might reach the elders. Are you willing to risk your title to look at this site?" said Senbonzakura snapping Byakuya back into reality.

He shunpoed his way out of there before Minori turned her head up from tying her hair in a towel. Of course she didn't catch him but saw that his clothes were still hanging in the bathroom. As she got dressed in a light night gown, she couldn't help but think whether the clothes were there before or not.

XxX

A/N:

Thanks for the reviews and help!

Thanks Bloody-Ribbon for giving me the idea of a bathroom scene.

Rukia death Kuchiki: I will have a person trying to pull them apart, but it won't be Rukia. Although I would have taken that idea but I already wrote before that she likes them as a couple. I have someone else planned to take that spot. I think this person will be more interesting. She'll be coming in a few chapters…

Sakura Fuyu: thanks for the information. Yay for my parents not finding out!

R&R...I don't know if I'll be able to write again this week. Too many events.