Chapter 61: 1,000 Yr Blood War Arc: Suspicions

Minata's POV

"I think it is time we called it a match Mina. We have done enough for today."

"Are you sure about that Byakuya? You're not breathing that heavily, well, not by much if I have to be specific," I tease as I watch him with a grin on my face that would have likely made Yoruichi proud. It was my favorite day of the week, Wednesday . . .

. . . Or as I liked to call it, Hand-to-Hand Spar day.

It had become a bit of a tradition between the two of us, starting a couple of months after Byakuya officially started to 'court' me. Every Wednesday, at the crack of dawn, we would meet in one of the manor's secluded training rooms and work for the next two hours on our hand-to-hand combat. When we first started, it was obvious to me that despite his blade being his primary weapon these days, Byakuya was still highly proficient in using his fists.

Despite this, there was an obvious difference in our skills. While Byakuya had become more reliant on Senbonzakura and kido over the years, I still maintained a healthy balance of zanjutsu and hakuda, with kido being my dependable third option in battle. It was due to my tendency to use hakuda in battle more that gave me the advantage in our earlier bouts, but Byakuya has been steadily closing the gap ever since.

That didn't mean I was slacking in my skills however. Byakuya's improvements have led me to make improvements of my own, and so far, it's been paying dividends. At this point, most of our spars ended as ties, but on occasion, one of us would solidly get the upper hand over the other.

Today, judging by how much the clan leader was trying to get his breathing in check as he knelt on the ground, it was definitely my lucky day.

"I'm sure Mina," he mumbles as he finally gets his breathing in check. "I believe we have spent enough time sparring today. We need to get ready for work."

"It really wouldn't be that much of an issue if you just call in to say you were taking a personal day." I tease as I walk over to the water and towels waiting for us nearby. It appears my joke fell on deaf ears, because Byakuya was staring at me as if he thought I'd gone mad.

If only his elders hadn't drilled into his head his stalwart sense of duty. He likely would have been more welcoming to the idea of taking a day off. I would appreciate it if he would take more of the initiative himself instead of just relying on the mandatory personal days to make him stay home, but alas, we can't always get what we want.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't make jokes like that Mina," I hear him mumble as I feel him approach. "Even if I know you meant well in your sentiment."

"All I am saying is that it's healthy to take some time off for yourself every once in a while," I say as I hand him a towel. "You work from morning to night in your office before coming back here to handle clan business. . . It's amazing how you remember to eat and sleep in that span."

"It does take a lot of focus to maintain that kind of balance." I hear him muse as I sense him right behind me. His attempt at being funny was poor, but a smile did manage to appear when his arms came around my waist and his lips were brushing my shoulder.

His affectionate side was virtually non-existent in the public eye, but privately, it appeared when it suited the situation, mainly with the people he truly cared about, like his grandfather, Rukia, and me. His relationship with his adopted sister has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few months, enough that he's managed to appear friendlier towards her - in his quiet, stoic noble kind of way - and she views him more like a protective brother instead of the revered clan leader everyone sees him as.

Even his relationship with Renji has improved. It wasn't a relationship between the disgruntled subordinate and his icy boss, more like respectful co-workers with a bit of unhidden rivalry thrown into the mix.

"As much as I want this little moment to continue, we need to get ready for work."

"Oh, now you care about me going to work now?" he teases as he starts traveling up, his lips leaving a trail of kisses along my skin as he moves toward my neck.

"Well, it's just that you tend to get a little irritable when you're late for something and I want to spare your soldiers from experiencing your wrath." I tease as he slowly turns me around so that we were now face to face.

"That was not funny." he grumbles, his face completely back to being a stoic mask, but his eyes were telling me a different story.

"I know, but you can't beat a girl for trying right?" I ask as I peck his cheek before shunpoing away.

We meet up again at breakfast, arriving one after the other to the dining room to see Rukia already there waiting for us. She had been spending more of her time at her division's barracks these days - becoming a lieutenant can do that to a person - but she had spent the night at her brother's subtle insistence, and it looked like it did some good. She had looked very worn out the last time I saw her, but now she seemed completely refreshed.

Rukia and I did most of the talking, with Byakuya offering his occasional two cents when we managed to bring him in to the fold. When it was time for us to separate, Rukia bid us goodbye at the manor gate, smirking with a knowing look directed at her brother before shunpoing away.

It seemed a bit too conspiratorial to be normal.

"That look in her eyes . . . What was that all about?" I ask as I turned to the man standing next to me. "Are you two planning something that I'm not aware of?"

"Not in the slightest," he utters as he raised an eyebrow, as if he was confused about the action as much as I was. There was something about the action that still held my suspicions, but one quick peck to my cheek from my beloved managed to push those thoughts off to the side . . . for now, at least. "I will see you for lunch . . ."

"Of course. Your grandfather is joining us after all, and I wouldn't miss him teasing you about your childhood for the world."

"He teases you just the same." he mumbles, threatening to pout like he did when we were kids.

"True, but I handle it better than you do, and that's a fact."

Byakuya's POV

"Senbonzakura, do I handle my grandfather's teasing worse that Minata?"

Yes . . . I thought it was obvious by now.

With Abarai out on patrol, I had the office to myself, so I was free to scowl at my zanpakuto for his commentary. He may currently be in my Inner World, so he wasn't on the full receiving end of it, but that didn't stop me from making my displeasure known either way.

I was only teasing with you master, and yet again, you proved Mina right with your reaction.

"Senbonzakura, whose side are you on?"

Yours of course, unless you're blatantly wrong about something. That's when I agree with the other person. I watch as the samurai manifests before me, and even though he always wears his mask, I have a feeling there is a smile hiding underneath it. "Anyway, I believe you dodged a bullet earlier. Mina was able to catch the exchange between you and your sister with such ease it was almost scary."

"I know. My sister made it a little too obvious for my liking . . . I would have to warn Rukia to not be so blatant next time. It only takes a suspicious glance to start getting the wheels in Minata's head turning."

"Agreed . . . I can talk to Mizukiri later to see if Mina has suspected anything amiss. That could help clear things up."

"Didn't you hear Mina earlier? The fact that she asked if Rukia and I were planning something is already an indication that she suspects something," I tell him as I make my way through my paperwork. "If I am going to pull this off as I intended, I can't have Minata feeling a trace suspicious of my actions."

"So, you're going to hold off on the plan until you're certain she has no idea what's about to happen?"

Before I can even answer him, a Hell's butterfly flies in through the window, its speed instantly putting me on guard. Usually the little messengers flit their way around at their own pace as they travel. Seeing one fly faster than I originally thought possible was an immediate red flag.

The news it delivered only confirmed my suspicions.

"This is Third Seat Fukudome of the 1st Division. All captains and lieutenants are to report to the 1st Division Barracks for an emergency captains' meeting! I repeat! All captains and lieutenants are to report to the 1st Division Barracks for an emergency captains' meeting!"

"Wait a minute! That's strange . . . Isn't it usually Lieutenant Sasakibe's job to announce the messages that come from the 1st Division?" I hear Senbonzakura ask as I grab my blade from where I placed him before walking out the room. "Why did Mina do it this time around?"

I don't say anything as I shunpo out of the building, landing on the roof of the building across the street. I can't help but feel my eyes widen when I see the large plume of smoke coming from where one of the Sereitei gates were located, the huge dark cloud marring the bright blue sky as I start to hear more Shinigami emerging from their barracks to see what was going on.

"CAPTAIN!" I hear my lieutenant call out before shunpoing toward the 1st Division, leaving him to fall in line behind me. "What the hell happened out there?!"

"I do not know Abarai, but we will find out."

A/N: And so, the final arc begins. Thanks for reading and please review!