Chapter 45: Beast Swords Arc: A Passing Walk Pt. 2

Minata's POV

"We shouldn't be too far away from the festivities now," says my calligraphy loving friend as we continued to walk through one of the manor's many hallways. "It shouldn't take us long now to reach the southern gardens."

"Oh yes, the faster we get there, the quicker we can get away from your elders' prying eyes," I say as I hear the sounds of feet quickly shuffling away from somewhere behind us. We turn our heads to see two of Byakuya's older cousins quickly disappearing behind a corner, one of them mumbling something about getting caught as they went. "Your family makes it too easy to catch them in the act sometimes."

"Unfortunately, they do," he furrows his eyebrows together in slight frustration as we watched the corner they disappeared behind, just in case they planned to make another appearance. "Ever since my elders learned about the status of our relationship, they've been making their interest in it that much more obvious these days."

"Well, we can't blame them for their interest now can we?" I ask as he turns to me. "Our respective clans are two of the Four Great Noble Clans of the Soul Society. A union between any of these four clans is something that gains attention, no matter what the status of the relationship is."

"You are right, but still, it is rather annoying to be eavesdropped on," he tells me, annoyance clear in his tone. "It's a price we pay for being born into noble families."

"I guess it really can't be helped, but there is something that I am still curious about," I can't help but say as Byakuya continues to lead me forward. "Byakuya, you're the leader of the clan. Can't you just tell your elders to stop eavesdropping on us?"

"As a fellow noble Minata, you know as well as I do that there is no stopping the elders when it comes to overseeing what's happening outside and inside the clan, whether you are the clan's leader or not. Even if I gathered all of my elders in the same room and told them to stop eavesdropping on us, they will still do it anyway . . . A clan's elders, and their servants, always tend to be the biggest eavesdroppers."

"Now isn't that the truth," I mumble as we start to hear the sounds of revelry and merriment echo out from the other end of the hallway. "Still, one can only hope for some kind of privacy in a place as big as this manor."

"Privacy hmm? Minata, do you happen to sense anyone around us right now?"

"No; there's no one immediately around us," I say as I stretch out my senses to see if anyone would hit my radar. "The closest are the ones outside partying."

"Good . . . Since no one is around us right now, I have enough time to do this."

Before I even have a chance to react, Byakuya pulled me into his arms and tilted my head up for a kiss that instantly makes me weak in the knees. Our lips brush against each other rather roughly as our kiss quickly intensifies, an electric current just running right through me as I wrapped an arm around his neck. I feel his other arm wrap around my waist as he moves us toward the wall, pinning me there back first. An incoming presence makes me hesitate for just a minute, but it was enough to alarm Byakuya enough to stop before we could push things even further. He pulls away just in time to see a maid scurrying down the intersecting hallway nearby with an armful of linens, completely oblivious of our positions.

"Well, that was a close one," I manage to say as I bring a hand to my, probably now swollen, lips. "At least she didn't sense that we were over here."

"Better yet, I'm glad it was just a maid and not one of my elders," says the relieved looking captain as he pulled me off the wall. "If any of them saw what we did just now, not only would they try to reprimand us for such blatant disregard of good decorum, but they would have had a field day in whatever gossip circles they're a part of."

"Oh yes. A whole bunch of Kuchiki elders sitting around in the tea room enjoying their afternoon brews of ginseng and sakura, gossiping about the clan leader making out with his girlfriend in the hallways. I can imagine it now," I playfully say with a grin as I pull him forward. "Let's not fret on that now, shall we? There's still a party we have to get to after all."


Byakuya's POV

"It's good to know that you still remember what we're actually supposed to be doing right now."

"What? You think you kissing me just now gave me short term amnesia?" she asks with her mouth scrunched to one side in what can only be described as playful contempt.

"I don't believe the kiss gave you amnesia, but I do know for a fact that you got a little wobbly during the kiss. Did something happen to your knees just now?"

My question earned me a jab to my sternum, but I shunpo out the way before the strike could land. I reappear right where the hallway opened into the garden, and it wasn't long before Minata joined me. I resist the urge to let a small smile show on my face as Mina continues to scowl at me, still with her hand raised as if she was still planning to hit me, which she probably still was thinking about.

"Now Minata, it is not nice to strike a friend down for a simple comment." I say, slightly teasing as I see some members of the 6th Division mingling on the other side of the garden bridge.

"Well then, said friend should be careful when he makes his 'simple' comments now shouldn't he?" she asks, still with that playful scowl on her face. "And it wasn't going to be a simple strike in the first place."

"With your skills in Hakuda, of course it wouldn't. Your previous position as the 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division can attest to that."

"When you become the head of the Division's Detention Unit, being a master of Hakuda is an absolute must. The Nest of Maggots is a place not for the faint of heart, as well as anyone with a sensitive nose . . . Akira can't help but complain to me about it sometimes."

"Can you honestly blame your cousin for that? You're the closest person to her that can relate to her current experiences after all." I say as I notice that some of the other Shinigami are sending looks our way.

"I guess you are right on that one. Okay, enough talk about me. It's time to talk about you, because you are gaining a lot of attention right now."

"I beg your pardon?"

She doesn't answer my question. Instead, she moves out of the way of the incoming shinigami and walks over to the tree that Rukia, Renji, and Akira were all standing under. I could hear the whispers among the crowd, some of them wary, some angry, and some curious.

All of it's understandable though, considering what I've done recently. However, the dominant emotion that I see on most of these faces, is relief. I guess they are all glad that I did not betray the Sereitei for real. Again, I do not blame them for looking so relieved.

Whether I am known as a friend, or an enemy, I am not one to be messed with so easily.

Please review!