Chapter 29: Discussion & Speculation

Minata's POV

"Hi Fukudome-san!" calls a familiar voice ahead of me, a big grin stretched across his face as he kept waving at me.

"Oh, hello Rikichi," I say as I waved back. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been doing well," he tells me with a nod of his head. "Did you manage to catch the match between Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai? It was one heck of a bout."

"Oh, I saw it alright. It was nice to see the skills of some high ranking shinigami on display," I say as I place a hand on my hip. "I hate to cut this conversation short, but your captain is expecting me, and I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Oh sorry . . ." he tells me apologetically before moving out my way. "Um, before you leave, can I ask you something?"

"Oh, what is it?"

"Do you know where Lieutenant Abarai is? I need to speak with him about an important issue we were talking about earlier."

"Oh, he should be still out in the courtyard talking to my cousin," I say with a smirk. "If you excuse me, I'll just be on my way. Have a nice day Rikichi."

"Thank you!" I hear him call after me as I walk further into the building, reaching Byakuya's office in no time flat.

"Come in, Third Seat Fukudome." I hear Byakuya call from inside , his voice stopping me from knocking on his door. When I entered, he was standing in front of his window, his back straight and tense as he remained unmoving.

"You wanted to see me Byakuya?" I ask as I walked over to his desk.

"You observed my bout with Abarai earlier, correct?" he asks me simply as he keeps his gaze forward.

"Yes, I did," I say with a small nod of my head. "Abarai has certainly improved since the last time I've seen him fight. He still needs to be mindful of the speed of his attacks though."

"Did you happen to observe anything off about the match?"

"Well, if you're talking about the moment you hesitated and your eyes widened as you called forth your Bankai, then yes, I did" I answer as I looked back on the memory. "Other than that, your battle with Renji was normal."

"Hmm, there was a reason to the hesitation . . ." Byakuya says with a small breath as he finally turns around. "Senbonzakura was not his usual self in that moment."

"Not his usual self . . ." I say with an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean by that?"

"One of the blades struck me during the match," he tells me as we lock eyes. He raised up his hand to show a small cut on his glove, small traces of blood decorating the hole. "He made this cut right on my wrist."

"That doesn't sound like Senbonzakura at all," I say with a shake of my head. "Senbonzakura is too loyal to you. He would never hurt you on purpose; that's what the zone is for. . . Why would he cut you so out of the blue?"

"I think I may have an idea why . . ." he tells me as he takes his seat behind the desk. "Do you remember the name Muramasa?"

"Muramasa . . . Isn't that the zanpakuto with the ability to turn zanpakuto spirits against their masters?" I ask as I narrow my eyes. The look in Byakuya's eyes instantly tells me that my assumption was right. "You believe the man who holds Muramasa is behind Sennbonzakura's sudden attack on you? He shouldn't be back. Captain Commander Yamamoto and your grandfather sealed him away years ago . . ."

"They sealed the master away," Byakuya corrects me as he weaves his fingers together. "However, the zanpakuto itself was never recovered in the aftermath. It has been missing ever since that day."

"So, do you believe Muramasa is working on his own then?" I ask as I bring a hand to my chin.

"It's the most likely possibility . . ." he concludes. "If that is the case, everyone that has obtained their shikai, at least, would be in danger. Muramasa can easily make a spirit go from their master's partner to their enemy with no issues."

"There's something that I still do not get though," I say as I think my idea over. "If Muramasa was behind Senbonzakura's 'different' behavior, why did Senbonzakura seemingly return to his normal self after the match? Why would Muramasa return control back to you?"

"That's what I would like to know." says Byakuya as he narrows his eyes at no one in particular.

"Where is Senbonzakura anyway?" I ask as I finally notice that the samurai was nowhere to be found.

"He went off to spar with the other zanpakuto spirit," he answers as a Hell butterfly flies into the room through the open window. It lands on Byakuya's finger and quickly relays it's message before leaving, the Kuchiki's stoic face never changing the entire time. ". . . Captain Commander has called for an emergency meeting on Sogyoku Hill later today. All captains and lieutenants must attend."

"I must get back to my division then," I say as I let out a deep breath. "If Captain Commander Yamamoto and Lieutenant Sasakibe are attending that meeting, then I'm the next highest ranking officer left to look over the division while they're gone. . . Any last words before I go Byakuya?"

"There is one more thing I would like to say."

"And what would that be?" I ask as he gets out of his seat.

"Be careful," he tells me as he came to stand by my side. "I have the feeling something eventful will happen soon. Soul Society may fall into a state of disarray before the storm fully passes."

"If what we've been talking about is true, then we could see a war erupt between the shinigami and the zanpakuto spirits in the near future, which is not good for either side," I say with a shake of my head. "Byakuya, if that does happen, your clan will be caught in the middle of it, especially considering who Muramasa's master is."

"I know . . . Years ago, I promised my grandfather that I would uphold my duty as the head of the Kuchiki Clan, and I do plan to uphold it, by any means necessary," he tells me as his left hand took hold of my right. "Whatever I do in the near future, please do not think negatively of me. I would only be doing what I need to do."

"I understand. I don't like the idea of you doing this alone, but I do understand . . . Should I keep this conversation just between us then?" I ask with a knowing look. He didn't need to answer. His on-the-verge-of-pleading-but-not-really-pleading stare was all the answer I needed. "Hmm, you have a tough road ahead of you Byakuya Kuchiki."

"You're not undermining my abilities, are you?" he asks me, a tad suspicious about my intentions.

"No, I'm just stating a fact." I say with a smirk as I quickly leaned in to kiss his cheek before he could react. "Have a good day Captain Kuchiki."

I spy him bringing a hand to his cheek from the corner of my eye as I turn away and head for the door. Byakuya indeed has a tough road ahead of him . . . Hopefully; he won't turn everyone against him in the process.

Please review!