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Chapter 72: 1,000 Yr. BWArc: A 'Royal' Arrival

Minata's POV

Taking hold of the handle, I slide the door open, keeping my nerves steady as I take in the unconscious being lying in bed a few feet away from where I stood. I step in, slide the door close behind me, and slowly make my way to his side, the sounds of my beating heart and the machines keeping my love alive my only company within these four walls.

"You're practically mummified . . ." I whispered as I slid into the lone chair at his bedside, and I wasn't wrong. Every visible part of him was covered in bandages, save for his left eye, nose, mouth, and his hair. Various wires and tubes were connected to his body, with most of them converging in his torso. ". . . What did they put you through Byakuya?"

"According to his chart, quite a lot!"

I did not sense the new presence until I heard the voice, my head snapping around to see a young-looking woman stepping into the room. She looked like she could fit right in with the social circles of high nobility with her pale skin and long black hair, her impassive face scanning through a chart board that most likely held Byakuya's medical record.

"Most people would be dead already after experiencing the wounds that Captain Kuchiki is facing right now, and yet here he is, still clinging to life," She continues, a little bit of disbelief apparent in her tone. "Then again, he is a Kuchiki, and Kuchikis tend to have a penchant for being stubborn."

She was dressed in a standard shihakushō, with the addition of a white haori and a white robe covering both. The woman was a striking figure, but I didn't know what made her more unique: the gold, ornate, crescent moon shaped ornament pinned to her head, or the six skeletal arms that appeared to be coming out from her back, also in a matching shade of gold.

"Hmm, shihakusho, white haori, and yet I do not recall ever seeing you before," I whisper as she continues to look over the file, even using one of the arms to flip over a page. ". . . You're a member of the Royal Guard, yes?"

"Ah, so there are people left in the Seireitei that can use deductive reasoning to find their answers after all," She muses, lifting her eyes from the paper to finally look at me. "My name is Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weave Guard, Fourth Officer of the Zero Division, and Divine General of the North. And you?"

"Minata Fukudome, Lieutenant of the 1st Division," I say, moving to stand, but she stops me with a palm raised.

"Fukudome? Ah yes, the head piece and pendant should have clued me in," She says as she steps forward. "After all, if it weren't for your clan, I likely wouldn't be in the position I'm in today."

"My family helped you in your advancement to the guard?"

"They were the ones that authorized the commission I used to develop the first set of shihakushō, the product that led me to my recognition," She says, pride lacing her tone. "I don't mean to be boastful, but I was always known for being a great weaver, and my skills brought me great acclaim from the nobility and regular shinigami alike."

"Oh yes; some of my elders like to recant the story of the humble weaver that clothed an army over tea," I say, recalling the memories of the tea ceremonies from my childhood. "It's one of their favorites."

There were two types of tea ceremonies in our society, the formal chaji and the informal chakai. Every noble family has thrown their fair share of either, but some preferred one over the other. The Kuchikis and Tsunayashiros were known for their chaji ceremonies, though the latter have become quite closed off ever since Lord Tokinada's 'trial'. The Shihōins, Shibas (back when they were still considered a Great Noble Family), and my own clan preferred the more informal chakais, and it has led to quite the discussions and storytelling over the years.

"I would guess that it is . . . Despite my proven success, the other four families thought that my idea didn't have enough merit. Most of them thought that the previous uniforms worked just fine and that there was no need to change them. If I remember correctly, the head of the Tsunayashiro Clan at the time was a lot more . . . disparaging than his cohorts."

"What did Lord Tsunayashiro say?"

"Something along the lines of 'Why should we waste our money on a product that people will simply die in?'" Came her response, her tone growing bitter with each word. "I know that the Tsunayashiros tend to be quite callous with their words, and yes, there is some truth to them, however, his words left me especially embittered . . . It served for quite the motivation for creating the end product."

"The Tsunayashiros tend to be quite callous in general, especially in regard to anything shinigami related, simply because they're not as immersed in it like the rest of us," I say, shaking my head. "Of the current Great Clans, they have the smallest presence within the Gotei 13 and the other connected organizations, and it's been like this for centuries."

"And they're supposed to be the most powerful of the group," She mumbles as she walks over to the other side of Byakuya's bed. "I would love to see them prove such power on the battlefield, but then again, it may hurt their noble sensibilities if they even made the effort."

"Hmm, possibly. . ." I say, trying to imagine Tsunayashiros fighting against hollows, only to come up empty. Collectively, you really couldn't consider them a martial family like the rest of us. "Anyway, I would love to continue this conversation, but I'm sure you didn't come here just for the sake of critiquing those that wouldn't give your idea a chance."

"You're right, I'm not supposed to be here for chitchat, though I must admit, it has been pleasant so far," She says, taking out a small round orb from within her haori. "But first, I must apologize to you, Lieutenant Fukudome. I've intruded on your visit with your . . . suitor, I'm guessing?"

"You would be correct," I say, looking down at my injured beau. "What gave it away?"

"You're an officer of the 1st Division, and Captain Kuchiki leads the Sixth, so co-workers technically wouldn't have fit in this instance," She tells me as she juggles the orb around her skeletal hands. "So, I figured you two must either be in a courtship, very good friends since childhood, or very good friends that eventually became each other's suitors as time went on."

"Truthfully, it's the third option," I admit, not seeing any fault with her logic as I watched the orb. "What do you plan to do with that?"

"Oh, this little thing?" She teases as she lets the orb go, allowing it to float in the air with no assistance. "This orb, along with the few others in my possession, shall be making travel much easier for the injured."

"The injured?" I ask as the orb starts to glow, growing until it was large enough to fit an adult male with ease. "You're bringing shinigami to the Royal Dimension?"

"Specifically, Captain Kuchiki, Lieutenant Abarai, Lieutenant Kuchiki, and Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki," She explains as she gets to work, opening the orb before moving to disengage Byakuya from the wires. "I'm sure you're a bit wary of me taking Captain Kuchiki off the machines that are practically keeping him alive, yes?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," I say, currently in the midst of an internal battle, trying to decide whether I should assist her, or get a medic in here for their opinion on the matter. ". . . Your orb is capable of keeping him alive for the journey?"

"Once he is inside the orb, he will be submerged in a mixture infused with healing reiatsu that will help his body during the return trip, but it is only a temporary fix. He will need a long soak in Kirinji's healing pools if he's truly going to survive his wounds," She tells me as she unhooks the wires from his right side. "If you truly care about seeing him fully healed, you will assist me in unhooking him then, yes?"

She added the yes to make her order sound less harsh, but it was an order all the same. Not really needing the additional prompting, I help her by unhooking all the wires from Byakuya's right side. Once he was completely free of the machines, Captain Senjumaru used her skeletal arms to lift him from the bed and place him into the orb, securing him in place before sealing the orb shut.

"If only you could see yourself now, Byakuya. . ." I whisper as the healing water starts to pour out from various spigots within the vessel.

"It's not really a position that's truly reflective of his station, but for the sake of his overall health, he just has to deal with it, which shouldn't be too hard for him since he's unconscious after all," says Senjumaru as she moves to the door, the orb following after her immediately. "You wouldn't happen to know where Lieutenants Kuchiki and Abarai are located do you?"

"Allow me to show you the way. . ."

It only took us a few seconds to move from Byakuya's room to the room that contained Rukia and Renji. Rukia and Akira were chatting when Captain Senjumaru and I walked in, both of them falling quiet as soon as they realized that we were in the room.

"Mina-san, what's going on?" I hear Rukia croak, too weak to properly position herself to see what was going on. "I thought you went to visit my brother."

"I did, but it was cut short, for good reason," I say as the Royal Guard member steps forward. "Lieutenant Kuchiki, Third Seat Fukudome, allow me to introduce you to Captain Senjumaru Shutara of the Royal Guard. She's here to take Byakuya, Renji, Ichigo, and you Rukia to the Royal Dimension with herself and the rest of the guard."

"Huh, that would explain why Captain Kuchiki is floating around in that orb like a shinigami snow globe," My cousin mumbles as the captain takes out two more orbs from within her haori. "I'm guessing whatever he's floating in is keeping him alive?"

"You would be correct," Senjumaru announces as the orbs grow until they are large enough to properly hold people, her eyes sliding to see Rukia's unsure ones. "You look suspicious, Lieutenant Kuchiki. Here's my advice: don't."

"And why shouldn't I?" She dares to ask, her voice challenging as the captain moves over to Renji's bedside. "The assistance of the Royal Guard could have greatly helped us during the battle against the Quincies, but you only arrived after the fighting was over."

"It could have," Senjumaru agrees as she gets to work, unhooking the machines from Renji with a practiced ease. Akira looked unsettled by the process, but she stood pat, watching her work with a concerned eye. "But defending the Soul Society is not the primary objective of the Zero Division. That's the duty of the Gotei 13, which has done it plenty of times before, and certainly will do it again now."

"However, you, Lieutenant Abarai, and Captain Kuchiki are no use to the war effort if you remain here like you are now. You all need serious medical attention - attention that Captain Unohana and her subordinates will be unable to provide to you - your brother especially," She adds after finally getting Renji into his pod. "Now then, you can stay here and hope you heal fast enough before the Quincies come back for another round, or you can come with me to heal faster and train in the Royal Dimension."

"Training?"

"What? Did you think healing was the only thing we would put you through during your time with us?" Senjumaru sounds practically teasing as she finally turns her eyes to Rukia. "You are being given an opportunity that many will never get . . . I suggest you don't squander it."

"It's not like I'm being given much of a choice," Rukia concedes, and she did have a point. The Captain wasn't bothering to wait for an answer as she gently, yet efficiently, pulled the needles from her skin.

"Don't be like that Rukia. . ." I say, smirking as Senjumaru picked her up, almost holding her like she was a baby. ". . . Look on the bright side. You're going to be trained by some of the best of the best. Plus, Ichigo will be there after all."

Her face becomes a maddening red as she flusters for a proper response, only to come up empty as Senjumaru places her in her pod. It appears that the healing water has some sort of sleeping effect to it, because as soon as the water hit her face, she was out cold, her blush a sudden memory.

"Substitute Soul Reaper Kurosaki is likely already with the other captains, yes?" She asks, turning to us with an eyebrow raised.

"That's likely the case, but he doesn't have his zanpakuto with him," I explain as she turns to the door. "He brought his Zangetsu to the 12th Division to see if he could get it repaired."

"Wait! Wasn't Zangetsu in its bankai state when it broke?" Akira asks. I nod, her face slowly becoming a grimace. "Ooh, a repair job for that issue will not be easy. A zanpakuto breaking in its shikai form is one thing. A zanpakuto breaking while in bankai . . . There's practically no coming back from that."

"Usually, that's the case, however, it shall be in good hands once Captain Nimaiya gets his hands on it. He's excessive and uncouth at times, but he gets the job done," Captain Senjumaru was stoic with her words, but I could still detect the undercurrent of annoyance she felt as she talked about her fellow Captain. "Now then, I must be on my way. We can't stay here long, and, of course, the sooner your friends get the treatment they need, the better."

"Of course, Captain Shutara," I say as Akira joins my side, the two of us going down in perfect bows. "We wish you well on the journey ahead."

"And I wish the same for you both, Lieutenant Fukudome, Third Seat Fukudome," She says, smirking as a skeletal hand reached out to touch each orb. "Don't worry. They're in good hands."

In a blink of an eye, they were all gone, off to travel to the dimension that held the key for all three of them returning to full health. Though it is reassuring to know that Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia will be getting the proper care that they need, nagging questions start to needle the back of my mind.

How long will it take them to heal?

How long will it take for them to return?

Will Soul Society even be around when they do return?

Too many questions, too little time. So, I push them aside, trying to focus on the positives, which honestly, weren't many.

"Well, I better get back to my division. . . What about you cousin? Heading back as well?"

"I don't really have a choice now do I?" I ask, smirking despite myself. "There's still loads to do back at the First. Plus, I'll have to send a message to Lord Ginrei before the day is over."

"It's not a message that can wait till the end of your shift huh?" I hear her ask; her tone almost teasing as I make my way to the door.

"Akira, Lord Ginrei walked into this building and likely came out with the belief that he was about to lose his only grandson," I say, leaning against the doorframe. Thanks to the Royal Guard, Byakuya is highly likely to escape such a fate. . . Delaying such good news would only be rude at this point."

"Hmm, if you believe that, then I think you should do one better," She tells me, crossing her arms over her noticeable chest. "You should tell him in person."

"You know what," I say, feeling lighter than I have in the past 48 hours. "I think I will."

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