Chapter 40: A Grandfatherly Visit

Minata's POV

"Mizukiri, do you have any idea what Muramasa could have done with the Captain Commander?" I ask as I pace around my office. A strained quiet overtook the Gotei 13 after a night of battles and destruction took the land by storm. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that it's not going to last much longer.

"I've never seen Muramasa physically interact with Commander Yamamoto, but it's not too hard to figure out why he had him captured," she tells me from her perch on the open windowsill. "Yamamoto-san is one of a few select individuals who know the precise location of Muramasa's master Koga."

"Another one of those individuals being Byakuya's grandfather Ginrei," I add as I turn to her. "Muramasa could have gone after him for the location if he wanted to. It would have made more sense, well, in a twisted poetic justice kind of way. He must have had a definite reason to go after Captain Commander Yamamoto instead . . . Ryujin Jakka."

"It makes sense. If Muramasa can gain control over the most powerful fire type zanpakuto in the history of the Soul Society, then he will certainly have one powerful pawn in his arsenal. He'd be virtually untouchable." Mizukiri says as an unsettled look comes across her face.

"That is a troubling reality to deal with if that is the case," Ginrei suddenly says as he steps into my room. He was dressed in traditional robes, complete with a haori that had his clan's insignia stitched on the right side "I'm sorry for coming in unannounced Mina. I hope you do not mind my sudden visit."

"Not at all Ginrei," I say, my eyes widening slightly when he turns to close the door behind him. "Something tells me what you want to discuss is meant to stay behind closed doors."

"You are correct Mina," he tells me kindly as his eyes go straight to Mizukiri. "How were you able to escape Muramasa's hold on you Mizukiri?"

"I didn't want to follow him. I simply had no reason to," she tells him bluntly. "Muramasa used the problems that my fellow zanpakuto spirits have with their masters to bring them over to his side. Unfortunately for him, I have no real reason to go against my master, so his hold on me wasn't as strong as his hold on the others."

"Has any of the other zanpakuto managed to break free from him?"

"Only two," I say as I look out the window. "Senbonzakura has broken free, as well as Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu. I'm not surprised that Byakuya managed to do it, but I'm curious to find out how the substitute shinigami did it."

"Speaking of my grandson: Is it true that Byakuya has decided to side with Muramasa?" Ginrei asks me with an eyebrow raised. "There have been rumors going around the manor about it. The Elders are becoming increasingly unsettled by the prospect."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but unfortunately, it's true. When Byakuya realized that it was Muramasa who was behind all this sudden mayhem, I guess you can say that he decided to, well, take matters into his own hands," I say as I sit down behind my desk. "The thought of Byakuya going to the dark side is not a fun one to have, but in this case, he does have a justified reason for it."

"That is true," Ginrei says in mild agreement. "As the head of the clan, it is Byakuya's duty to complete what I couldn't all those years ago. . . How much do you know exactly Mina-san?"

"Practically everything. I heard half of the story from Byakuya, and when I grew too curious for my own good, I learned the other half from the Kuchiki Archives."

"The Kuchiki Archives are usually for Kuchiki eyes only," Ginrei warns me, his tone suspicious. "How did you manage access?"

"I may have sweet talked an elder or two," I say with a smirk on my face. "Let's just say your grandson told the story of Koga in such a way that it made me a little too curious for my own good."

"I see . . . Well then, if that's the case, then you obviously know how important this situation is," Ginrei says stoically as he approaches my desk. "If Byakuya succeeds, which he most likely will, a dark cloud that has hung over a section of the Kuchiki family history for years now will finally disappear."

"The tomes will no longer be besmirched, and I'm sure that many members of your family will be glad of that once the deed is done," I further add as I shake my head in agreement. "Ginrei, may I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything Mina. What is weighing on your mind?"

"Ginrei, do you ever regret sealing Koga away?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "Byakuya told me that Koga was a man that showed great promise, but his warped views on power lead to his downfall."

"What my grandson says is very true. Koga was someone that I believed was a great addition to the family," he says, his eyes narrowing in slight shame of how far the man had fallen. "Even though he married into the family, Koga's skill, intelligence, and dedication to his craft was matched those of some of the most prominent members of my family's history. He was a man that certainly could have gone far, in both military rank and in status. I had high hopes for him . . . However, his convoluted ideas on power and zanpakutos led to him falling into a pit of darkness that he couldn't break out of, only falling deeper and deeper into despair."

"It was because of his views that allowed you and the captain commander to seal him correct?"

"Indeed. When he called on Muramasa, his zanpakuto never answered his call. It was a strange occurrence that happened to be our good luck, you can say," he tells me solemnly as I hear footsteps approach my door. "If only Koga knew better. None of what's going on now would be happening to begin with."

"We all can't get what we want. No matter how much we try," I say as someone knocks on my door. "Enter!"

"It's me," Akira says as she pokes her head into my room. "I hope you don't mind leaving your office for a while."

"What for? Has something come up?"

"The 12the Division is reporting that there has been a large spike in spiritual pressure in one of the parks in Karakura Town. Both Muramasa and Captain Kuchiki have both been seen in that area, so a small group of us are traveling to the Human World to investigate," she tells me as Shika and Maru both poked their heads into the room. "Oh, hello Ginrei-sama."

"Hello Akira-san. It's nice to see you again. Please tell your grandmother and mother I said hello," Ginrei tells her with a small smirk on his face, but it's hard to tell due to his bushy moustache. Akira and her zanpakuto simply nods before retreating back into the hallway. "Minata, you know what you must do."

"If you mean stay out of Byakuya's way so that he can handle Koga himself, then yes, I do," I say with a reassuring smile as Mizukiri joins us by the door. "I understand that Koga is an issue that only a certain Kuchiki must resolve. I will not interfere with what is supposed to be Byakuya's responsibility."

"Thank you Minata," he says as he holds the door out for me. "I will leave you to your work now."

Once we enter the hallway, we bow to each other out of respect before Ginrei does another nod toward Akira, Shika, and Maru and makes his way down the hallway, disappearing from view once he turns the corner.

"Alright then," I say with a smirk as I turn to the others. "Let's go meet up with the others. I have a feeling we're not going to want to miss what's happening in the Human World. Not one bit."

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