Chapter 60: Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc: Dinner

Byakuya's POV

"Senbonzakura, are you there? I hope you're not trying to ignore me . . .

I received no answer as I waited by the entrance of the small dining room, a reliable go-to for private dinners with Minata. Since it was located in a part of the manor that wasn't frequented by the rest of my family, notably the elders, it offered a sense of privacy that allowed us more leeway in our behavior.

I will never admit that last bit out loud though. My elders would have a field day just by the sheer implication of what I could have possibly meant.

"I see you're quite in deep thought. Penny for your thoughts?"

Turning my head, the tension on my face slowly fades as Minata approaches me from down the dimly-lit hallway. She was dressed in a light-blue yukata, and her hair was free from the headpiece she always wore as a symbol of her clan, allowing the raven-black curls to freely frame her face. She always greeted me with some form of a smile, but no smile was donning her face as she stared at my bandaged right arm.

"Hmm, Mizukiri did say that Senbonzakura hurt you today. I didn't expect it to be of this degree though. . . The battle must have been interesting."

"The battle itself wasn't what I expected, and Senbonzakura should not be feeling guilty about what happened to my arm," I say, irritated by my spirit's antics. The sliding of the shoji brings our attention to the two family servants exiting the room. With quick bows to the both of us, they take their leave, quietly disappearing down the hall.

"Shall we continue this conversation inside?"

"By all means," I say as I gesture to the open doorway. Sliding the door behind me once I entered after her, I turn to see Mina already seated around the small table preparing the tea, a serene look crossing her face as she kept her eyes on kettle. "What kind is it this time?"

"Matcha; I know it's not your favorite, but you'll just have to make do for tonight." she tells me with a smirk as I sit down across from her. I refrain from answering back as she pours out our cups, and after one long sip of tea, Mina was ready to continue our conversation. "Okay, tell me. What happened during your mission in the Human World?"

"The Fullbringers were tougher than I expected, or at least, the one I faced was. I don't know about the others, but I do remember Captain Zaraki killed his opponent in one strike," I explain as I look into my cup. "I faced one of the leaders actually; a man named Tsukishima. He had the ability to insert himself into the past of anything he cut with his sword."

"Anything? Even non-living things?"

"Yes; I was unaware of his ability until he cut me. . . It was so seamless. One minute all my memories were normal, and then, he was there. He was in every memory, as if he was a longtime friend I've known for years, and not some intruder who had no reason to be there."

"I'm guessing there's more to his power than simply slipping himself into your past hmm?"

"Not only did he slip into my memories, but he came out of it with all the knowledge he could ever have on me. My moves, skills, techniques . . . He knew Senbonzakura inside and out, absolutely everything."

"So he knew about the Hurtless Area, and once he knew that, he realized that the best way to face you was to come in and fight you at close range rather than long," she concludes, not needing another word from me to make her assessment. I couldn't help the smirk I had on my face, knowing full well that she was right. Minata was always quick to figure out a life story from little information, a useful skill she developed during her time in the Second Division. "So, this Tsukishima person knows your skills, he knows your moves, which means he knows everything he could know on how you fight."

"That's correct."

"And considering how 'practiced' you are when it comes to battle, he could have easily predicted every move you would have made. He knew what you would do before you could even make the move yourself," she says, a grin I didn't like now sliding into place. It was part of a smug expression that she pulled a lot when we were little, usually when something worked in her favor instead of mine. ". . . Which led you to the one probable decision you could have made in order to properly fight him: you had to improvise."

"She is enjoying this way too much right now." I couldn't help but think as she continued to portion out our meals. Mina and I may come from similar backgrounds, but our philosophies when it comes to battle couldn't be any more opposite.

I was always of the belief that to be a great fighter, you had to be well-practiced, executing your moves perfectly and to great effect with simple strikes and counters. Minata always thought that strategy made one too predictable, and so opted to follow a more improvisational approach to her fighting. My style has always worked well for me, as well as for the numerous Kuchikis that came before me, and I never had a reason to change how I fought.

After what happened to me earlier, maybe I do.

"It appears improvising your moves helped you win. If it hadn't, you wouldn't be here talking to me right now, now would you?" she teases as she passed over my plate. "How exactly did you beat the Fullbring anyway?"

"Well, once the Fullbring started coming in closer, I was forced to use my hand to make Senbonzakura go faster to counter him. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to move my hand out of the way, and that was when Senbonzakura cut me. However, I managed to grab hold of some of my zanpakuto's shards, held it in my grip until my opponent walked closer to my position, and then shot them right through his chest. That's how I defeated him."

"I see, so it was entirely by accident then, and yet Senbonzakura still feels guilty about it . . ." her hair moves from side-to-side, following the movement of her head as she keenly looked at her food. "On one hand, I want to say that your zanpakuto is a little too melodramatic sometimes, but I can understand why he is feeling this way."

"He never liked self-inflicted wounds, and this is very much a self-inflicted one," I say as I looked down at my bandaged arm. "But it will heal in time. What happened today was a learning experience, one that I will keep with me for the rest of my life."

"Are you going to start improvising more in your fights then?" I simply stare at Mina's smirking face before tucking into my food. ". . . Why am I not surprised?"

I smirked, knowing that my non-answer would bother her, just as I predicted. Silence was our friend during dinner, not stifling that it made things awkward between us, but comfortable enough that we could enjoy each other's presence without needing to say anything else.

"So, how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" I ask, looking up from my empty plate.

"How does it feel to be cut by Senbonzakura?" Minata asks, her face teasing as she slowly moved over to my position. I watched her move, taking in every movement of her body as she neared. I knew from the look in her eyes that she was taking her sweet time with it, letting me drink her in as she came closer, like a little, raven-haired minx.

I was not going to let her have her way that easy.

"Someone's feeling a little frisky tonight," she teases after I had pulled her onto my lap. It was a scandalous position for us, especially since we're not married, but at the moment, I do not care. "Did I take too long for your taste Lord Kuchiki? If so, I must apologize then."

"You could say th-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence once Minata had her lips on mine. Regardless of how many times we've kissed before, the feel, the intoxication, of her lips on mine will never tire to me. It was easy t get lost in it, but the familiar sensation of her arms around my neck was enough to bring me back into focus, my good hand finding its way into her hair as the other wrapped around her waist.

I was just about to push things a little further when even I felt the incoming presence of two figures. Opening my eyes in time to catch Mina's shunpo, she reappears back in her seat, looking innocent as ever as a knock could be heard.

"Come in!" I order, the shoji doors sliding open to reveal the two servants from earlier.

"My lord, I hope tonight's dinner was to yours' and Lady Fukudome's liking?" the lady, Shiori, asks as the man, Tamasu, started picking up the plates.

"It was excellent, actually," I say as Minata quietly gets up from her seat. "Please give my regards to Hashimoto."

"Will do milord." I hear her say, not really paying her any mind as I followed Minata out the room.

"You know, we could have almost been caught, again." I mumble once we were finally out of hearing distance.

"We could have, but knowing you, you wouldn't really care, now would you?"

Hmm, she does have me there.

Please review!

A/N: Up next the final arc: The Thousand-Year Blood War.

Let's admit it, we wish this one was written out better in canon. Anyway, I believe we all remember what happened in canon, especially what happens with Byakuya. Don't worry, things will not be entirely the same. I will be following canon for the most part, but there will be changes. Hopefully, good changes! XD