Chapter 47: Gotei 13 Invading Arc: The Addition

Byakuya's POV

"Captain Kuchiki, may I have a quick word with you?"

I had just exited the First Division barracks when I heard the Captain Commander's voice call out to me from somewhere to my left. Lo and behold, the elder shinigami was standing a mere ten feet away with Lieutenant Sasakibe standing at his side, as if they were waiting for me to appear before them.

"Yes Captain Commander," I say with a small nod of my head. "Is there something wrong that I should be aware of?"

"After much thinking and contemplation, I have decided to add one more person to the security detail assigned to Kurotsuchi's team," he tells me in that gravelly voice of his. His eyes were looking especially stern, as if he was expecting that I would screw up somehow during the mission . . . preposterous. "My subordinate, Third Seat Fukudome, will be joining you and the others for this mission."

'Minata's coming along?' I think to myself, the sudden news slightly catching me off guard. However, I do not visibly show it. "May I ask why you have decided to add your Third Seat to this mission?"

"Third Seat Fukudome is a capable shinigami; one that I can trust to keep an eye on things and make sure everything is going smoothly," he explains, his words making me feel slighted just a tad. It was as if he was expecting me to fail . . . again, preposterous. "Besides, there has been evidence of dislike between yourself and Captain Zaraki in the past. Your mission to Hueco Mundo is a prime example of this. . . I do not want egos getting in the way during a mission as important as this one. To simply put it, Third Seat Fukudome will be my eyes and ears for this mission. You best remember that."

'I feel so insulted right now. . . He is going to have my own girlfriend act as an overseer, a babysitter, to the rest of us. Just because Zaraki and I do not get along.'

If I was still my hotheaded younger self, my temper would have gotten the better of me and I would have probably done something absolutely idiotic in front of the Captain Commander, his lieutenant, and anyone else who was standing out here in this courtyard with the the three of us without any consideration as to how it would reflect on my clan.

Thankfully, I have grown and matured to a point that my temper does not overtake me anymore, and not a moment too soon.

"I understand completely Captain Commander." I stoically say, hiding my annoyance with the idea flawlessly. 'But I still feel a little insulted.'

"Good . . . I will have Third Seat Fukudome join you out here momentarily, once I've informed her of the situation."

He takes his leave, disappearing into the building with his lieutenant right behind him. I quickly take a look around the courtyard, just to see if anyone had witnessed my interaction with the Captain Commander, but amazingly, there was no one else around.

"Do not worry. The shinigami of the First Division are not a nosy kind of group. When we see a situation that requires some form of privacy, we respect it, no matter how tempting the situation appears."

"That kind of thinking shows the maturity level of your division Mina." I say in mild approval as I watch her emerge from the building from the corner of my eye.

"Thank you, but besides that . . . Do you really think anyone would want to try to spy on the Captain Commander and his fiery wrath?" she asks with an amused smirk. "Or yours?"

"Hmm, I see your point. Where is Mizukiri?"

"She recently left to visit Suzemebachi over at Second Division. She'll meet up with us over at the Senkaimon."

With that in mind, we shunpo toward the main Senkaimon gate, moving along the rooftops until we reached the tower, the gate located right at the very top. The gate was already open when we finally arrived, with a couple members of the Kido Corps lined up on either side of it regulating the doorway. Abarai and Captain Hitsugaya were standing feet away from the open door, along with all of our zanpakuto spirits and the Jigokuchō.

"Captain Kuchiki," the shorter captain addresses me with a cool gaze before turning his eyes on the woman to my left. "Third Seat Fukudome, did the Captain Commander send you here with a message for us?"

"Captain Commander Yamamoto has added me to the security detail." Minata answers him in one breath, keeping her statement short and simple.

"Why?" Hitsugaya ends up drawing out the word, not bothering to hide his suspicion at the sudden change.

"Just to keep an eye on things." she tells him as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Is this because of what happened between Captain Kuchiki and Captain Zaraki back in Hueco Mundo?"

We all stare at my subordinate, his sudden entrance into the line of conversation bringing all the attention on him. Apparently, it was something that he did not expect, because he started to shuffle uncomfortably where he stood.

"Explain Abarai."

"Well, it's pretty well known that you don't like Captain Zaraki. Pretty much anyone with a working brain knows that you two don't think the best of each other at times, or at all," Chimpette's blunt statement stops the redhead from speaking for himself, earning her a look of irritation for her trouble. "You two really went at it for a bit in Hueco Mundo. I actually felt kinda bad for the Espada that came in between you two."

"Is that why the Captain Commander is sending Fukudome along for this mission? Huh, I always thought it was because of how Kuchiki and Zaraki, along with Kyoraku, 'disrespected' their haoris after the Winter War was finally over," the disbelief could be read all across the white-haired captain's face. "I could hear his yelling from my office that day loud and clear . . . That man really cares about the respect of the haori."

'You're telling me' I almost say the words out loud, but I hold my tongue. "I suggest we make our leave before the Captain Commander realizes we are still here."

"I'll go first." Hitsugaya doesn't bother to wait for the rest of us to respond, leaping right into the opening with his zanpakuto following right behind him. I enter next, leaving Abarai and Minata to follow behind us.

"I have entered the Dangai plenty of times in the past, but this is the first time this passageway doesn't feel right to me," Mizukiri's voice pierces the silence, echoing throughout the dark cavern. "There's just something unnatural about it."

"Regardless of how unnatural it is, we still have a job to do. We need to meet up with Kurotsuchi and Zaraki at the rendezvous point," I say as I turn to my lieutenant. "Abarai, have you managed to contact Kurotsuchi's team yet?"

"Whatever is affecting the Dangai is having an impact on the Denreishinki, but I did manage to get a message through," he says this as he waves his device in the air, as if he was threatening to throw it into the wall. "I should be getting a message back from them, but with the Denreshinki acting up, I wouldn't count on receiving it in a timely manner."

"That's not good to hear. It makes you wonder what exactly we may be dealing with here in the Dangai. It hasn't been the same since the Kototsu was destroyed months ago."

"Unfortunately, we do not know enough of the situation to draw a proper conclusion Captain Hitsugaya. This is why Kurotsuchi was sent out here to begin with. We are merely the security detail, and the more we waste time here, the longer we delay our mission," I say, sneaking a quick look at Minata before anyone can notice. "And that is not something that the Captain Commander will appreciate upon hearing about this."

"Good point . . . Let's move."

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