Chapter 74: 1,000 Yr. BWArc: Elders

Byakuya's POV

"Byakuya, are you going to be silent with me forever?"

It was the first words my father spoke to me in hours. After our earlier standoff, I had walked off to another part of my Inner World to be alone with my thoughts and recover from the most emotional conversation that I have experienced in years. . .

. . . Not since my father's own death did I have such an emotionally visceral reaction.

"I am not angry with you Father, well, not anymore," I admit, listening as his footsteps slowly crept up behind me. "I can understand the reasoning behind why you spoke to me the way that you did earlier . . . That does not mean I have to like it."

"Ah, that's fair. . . After seeing the impossible image of your long dead father seemingly alive and well for the first time in decades, the first thing you don't expect for him to do is spit derision at you for your recent failings," I hear him say as I feel his presence right beside me. "This was not the family reunion you were hoping for. . ."

"This was the family reunion that I never expected to have," I say in return. "How is this even possible?"

"Strange things tend to happen when you're on the verge of death," He tells me as he steps forward. "I could be an actual spirit trying to welcome you to the afterlife, or I could be a complete figment of your imagination meant to comfort you as your body continues to heal from its severely injured state."

"That second option does make a lot of sense. . ."

"The second? And not the first?"

"Too much time has passed since you died Father. Your actual self has likely reincarnated into a new being in the Human World by now," I say as he looks at me with a bemused expression. "Besides, if you were his actual spirit welcoming me to the afterlife, you would have done a better job at convincing me to go than disparage me and the effort I made when I was still awake."

"Hmm, I can't argue against that," He concedes as he looks around at our surroundings. ". . . Can you sense him?"

"I have not. After all, I was too distracted by your presence to attempt it." I admit as I stretch out my senses to see if I can feel any trace of my zanpakuto. Our connection was usually a strong one, but the battles with the Quincies have pushed it to its very limits, and Senbonzakura has suffered in his own way.

He was always a constant, steady presence since the first day I learned his name, but now, I barely feel anything at all. Instead of the flood of reiatsu that I always had to fight to control and manage, all I feel is a trickle.

A drop where it used to be an ocean.

"So, can you?"

"It's not that easy . . . I can feel him, but it is unlikely that you'll get to physically see him at this point in time."

"A shame. . . I never did get to see what your zanpakuto looked like when I was still alive," He reminds me, his tone somber as he looked at me. "Still, at least you can sense him. Consider that another sign that you're still alive."

"Consider it noted," I say as a cold wind rustled the dead limbs of the trees. "At the very least, I wish we had met in a better setting."

"I'm sure your Inner World is quite beautiful at its peak . . . However, I think it's time that we moved our conversation to somewhere a little more tranquil, wouldn't you agree?"

"And where would you suggest we go?"

"Well, we are in your mindscape," He is quick to say, almost looking pleased that he got to deliver such a reminder. "I bet you can think of something."

Ignoring the slight patronizing I could hear in his tone, I close my eyes, imagining a more pleasant atmosphere that could replace the one we were in now. When I eventually opened them back, we were standing in a familiar room. It wasn't lost on my father, who could only look on in silence as I took a seat on one of the available pillows.

"Your mother's sitting room. . . Hmm, I could always find you here in the afternoons once your lessons were over," He says, taking a seat on the pillow across from me. "Half the time you were excitedly telling her what new thing you learned from your teachers."

"And the other half?"

"How many times were you in a foul mood because Minata proved to be more adept at the lesson than you again?"

I couldn't help it.

I scowled, plain and simple.

"Now don't look like that! We both know that you didn't accept your supposed failures gracefully when you were a child," He boasts, smirking as he did. "You always strove to be the best, but sometimes I worried that the clan was putting too much on your young shoulders. . . Then again, me and my recurring illnesses didn't help matters either."

"Your care for the clan was well known, but your health was your main priority, and you should never feel bad about focusing on that . . . Once I was at an age to utterly understand your situation, I didn't mind all the obligations placed on me," I admitted as I clasped my hands on my lap. "If that meant one less thing to burden you, then so be it."

"Self-sacrifice. . . Now that is something that you definitely inherited from your mother," He says, his tone wistful. "You inherited most of your appearance from me, but much of your personality is a mixture of me and your mother's. Your practicality, your high sense of honor, your knack for falling in love with someone that keeps you on your toes."

"Mother never did make things easy on you, not even when you were really sick . . . Hmm, I don't think having a passive wife was ever in the cards for me."

"I never could picture a wife like that for you either. . . Someone that would always be willing to challenge and delivers a bit of uncertainty to your day. Someone that pushes you to be better; now that's who I always pictured you with."

"A challenge that pushes me to be better?" I muse as Hisana and Minata's smiling faces appear in my thoughts. "You may be right on that one."

"And speaking of challenges, how is your relationship Minata?" He asks, already looking amused. "The transition from chasing and pranking each other as kids to actually kissing each other as adults must be quite the tale."

"It's a bit of a long story though." I admit, not really keen on the idea of telling the man about my current relationship's history.

"We have time!"

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

T ~ P ~ O ~ S ~ L

Minata's POV

Aside from a couple of maids scurrying about to finish their tasks, the manor's hallways were eerily silent as I made my way to the wing that held Lord Ginrei's quarters. Crossing into his territory, it wasn't long before I ran into the man's personal secretary, who quickly pointed me to the patriarch's personal garden before leaving for his rooms.

It was there that I found the elders, enjoying tea under the branches of a weeping willow tree; a weirdly fitting spot considering the last couple of days.

"Ah, there you are Mina!" My grandmother says as soon as she sees me approaching. ". . . How are you feeling?"

"Better; considering the circumstances," I say, greeting her with a kiss to the cheek before nodding at Ginrei, who looked at me quietly, his eyes betraying no emotion. "How are things at the Kido Corps? And what about the rest of our clan? Are they okay?"

"Fortunately, the Kido Corps do not have that many casualties to report. As for the rest of our clan, a couple of your cousins in the 9th Division perished during the onslaught. Other than them and your Uncle Miroku finally dying from his illness, everyone back home is okay, more or less."

"I see . . . and what about the rest of your family Lord Ginrei?" I ask, staring at the man who was busy mulling over his cup. "How are they faring?"

"I'm sure you already know about the status of Byakuya and Rukia, yes?" He asks, and I quietly nod, prompting him to continue. "Other than them, the rest of the clan has come out of the attack relatively unscathed . . . Did you happen to hear about any new updates on either of their conditions. Unfortunately, the Fourth have been so busy that messages and updates are few and far between."

"I do have an update, and it may brighten up your day a little," I admit, his right eyebrow going up slightly. "The Royal Guard have taken Byakuya and Rukia up to the Royal Dimension for treatment, along with Lieutenant Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ichigo Kurosaki? I don't believe he was injured as gravely as the others."

"He's not Nana," I say, weaving my fingers together on my lap. "However, his zanpakuto was greatly damaged while it was in its bankai state."

"So, he was taken along to see if it could be properly repaired," Ginrei concluded after taking a sip of his tea. "It makes sense. One of the Guard's members, Ōetsu Nimaiya, is responsible for creating the zanpakuto. If anyone can actually reforge a zanpakuto that was broken while in its bankai state, it's him."

"Still, transporting Byakuya, Rukia, and Abarai to the Royal Dimension is not really an easy endeavor, especially when you consider what must be done in order to get back there," My grandmother is quick to point out. "I wonder how they did it."

"Through large orbs filled with healing reiatsu," I say, putting that mystery to bed.

"You were there when they were being transported out of the Fourth?"

"Indeed, I was," I say, looking back on the recent memory. "My planned visit was cut short once Captain Shutara arrived and explained the situation. Cousin Akira was there as well, so she could corroborate."

"No need. . . We'll take your word for it," My grandmother concedes, her eyes widening slightly when she turned to the man sitting before us.

It wasn't hard to see why. The relief on the man's face was so blatant that it was almost comedic.

"I haven't seen you looking this relieved since you found out that you weren't going to be forced to marry Lady Yua when we were younger." My grandmother is quick to say as Ginrei quickly regains his composure. "I know Byakuya's condition was especially weighing down your heart, old friend, but with this latest update, I'm sure you must be feeling better about things."

"Your news does take a great weight off my shoulders Mina," He says after gathering his thoughts. "At the very least, I don't have to worry about telling the rest of the elders that a new clan head will have to be named. . . Still, it may be awhile before we see him again, yes?"

"Indeed; of the four that were taken, Byakuya was by far the most injured, so he'll likely take the longest to heal," I conclude, my thoughts momentarily taking me back to the image of him in his hospital bed. "But I'll take him slowly healing in the Royal Dimension over him dying of his wounds in the Fourth in a heartbeat."

"Such strong words. It's a relief to hear you say them. . ." Ginrei muses as he shares a knowing look with my grandmother. "It makes me even more confident in the decision that Byakuya was planning to make."

"Decision?" I ask. "What decision?"

"In the past few days, Byakuya has approached me and Ginrei in regard to you Mina," Grandmother announces, her lips forming into that mischievous smirk that always promised that she knew something the rest of us didn't. "Don't worry. It wasn't about anything bad. After all, I believe there has been great progress in your relationship, yes?"

"Yes, you could say that. . ." I say, not sure where she was taking this. "Why do you ask?"

"I was simply curious. . . Then again, I should warn you now. You and Byakuya will have a lot to talk about once he returns, and well, after this mess with the Quincies is over and done with," She announces as she gets up from her seat. "For now, I believe it's time for me to call it a night."

"I'll walk you out Moka," Ginrei announces as he too gets up. He nods in my direction before offering his arm out to my grandmother, who graciously accepts before moving to the exit, the two of them falling into their own little bubble as they walk off.

"Mizukiri, what do you think of my grandmother's warning?"

"I'm not too sure, but something tells me that whatever you and Byakuya have to talk about, it will only lead to good things in the end."

"Huh . . ." I think, noticing how pleased my zanpakuto sounded as she spoke. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

A/N: Please review!