Chapter 77: 1,000 Yr. BWArc: Agreement
Byakuya's POV
Stepping into Captain Nimaiya's inner sanctum is like stepping into a different world entirely. The small shack that it appeared to be on the outside hid what the place truly was on the inside: a large pit that was too deep to properly see what awaited below and too easy to fall into if you weren't careful with where you stepped.
Off to the side, somehow, was a large waterfall that fell into the pit, and since I barely heard the water crashing down, it likely went very far.
Yes, a nasty drop indeed.
"Over here Captain Kuchiki!"
I had been looking at the waterfall for so long that hearing the other captain speak almost made me jump. Turning my head, I see him standing a few feet away, pointing to a small sitting area that was just off to the side of the pit. It was designed in the tradition more favored in the western part of the Human World, and while he took the large recliner, his assistant and I were left with the couch.
"You are right. I do find the sudden use of bankai too reckless for my liking. As the one behind the zanpakuto, I can't help but feel a certain way when I hear about them getting used in situations that are not ideal, let alone a bankai getting used too quickly in a fight . . . I'll admit it. It's a pet peeve of mine," He says, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"On the other hand, I can understand the need to protect your fellow shinigami. As a captain, you must do what's right by your subordinates, even if the strategy you pull has far reaching consequences in the end . . ." He adds, seemingly resigned to it all. ". . . You can never second guess yourself. If you do, you've already lost."
"That's . . . a fair thing to say," I admit, my words eliciting a small snort from the other man.
"Well, isn't that a diplomatic answer," He muses, smirking my way. "You nobles always seem to speak in such a . . . detached way. As if you don't care about things, even when you do. Like seriously, does every noble family down in the Seireitei speak that way still?"
"Not every clan. . . The Fukudomes have grown out of it earlier than most." I admit, having the prior experience to say my words for certain. Truth be told, Minata's family were never hesitant to show actual emotion in their words, which made for quite the interesting commentary whenever they made their presence known at any event they were invited to or hosted.
"I'm sure you're used to it though. . . After all, aren't you dating one of them? The heiress, yes?"
"That would be correct," I admit, never expecting our conversation to start going off tangent like this. "How do you know this?"
"Captain Shutara mentioned it while we were traveling back up to the dimension. Apparently, when she arrived at the Fourth Division to retrieve you and the others, she found your girl at your bedside," He explains, smirking.
"She was at my bedside. . ." I think to myself, now realizing that this was the first time I was giving Mina any thought since I woke up.
Hell, I gave Zaraki more thought than her.
"She was at my bedside, and I couldn't feel a trace of her. . ." I whisper to myself, having no recollection of feeling any reiatsu in my unconscious state.
"How could you? You were on the verge of death for crying out loud," He reminds me. "Kirinji gave me a rundown of your injuries, and they were ghastly, even for me. . . You were beaten so badly that you lost your entire stomach Captain Kuchiki, along with other injuries that I think it's best to not remind you of. You did just eat after all."
"You do make a fair point," I say, my apparently brand-new stomach already starting to churn. "It's just. . ."
"Your injured, unconscious state was not the lasting image you wanted to leave your lady love with before being brought up to the Royal Dimension."
It was Hiuchigashima that asked the question, in rather frank terms, beating the captain to the punch. He didn't seem too put out with being cut off, looking amused as he snuck a look at the redhead before turning back to me.
"No, not in the slightest. . ."
"Fair enough, but hey! I'm sure whatever worries that she may have about your health will be put right at ease once you see each other again."
"Well, as long as she's still alive when you return that is. . ."
"Mera!" Captain Nimaiya was quick to say, making his displeasure known before I even had a chance to react. Hiuchigashima holds her hands up to show she means no harm before pushing herself out of her seat and running over to the top of the waterfall.
"What is she doing?" I couldn't help but ask, my eyes widening as she suddenly throws herself into the water.
"Heading down to the forge of course! The waterfall happens to be the main way to get down there. . ."
"Well, that's enlightening. . ."
"Thank you! As for Mera, leaving like that is what she tends to do when she knows that she said something uncalled for and knows it's best to get out of the way before her mouth gets her into any more trouble," He explains, heaving a sigh. "She's harsh, but she means well . . ."
"Her words were . . . uncalled for, I agree, but I am willing to admit that her words are not completely impossible," I say, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. "Who knows how long we have before the Quincies attack again."
"Which means we don't have any more time to waste. . ." He says, a hint of finality in his tone. "Captain Kuchiki, I'm more than willing to reforge Senbonzakura, but you have to answer this one final question for me first."
"Okay, what is your question?"
"What was it like?" He asks, his tone dead serious, his gaze completely leveled with mine.
"What was what like?" I ask, not fully comprehending his words.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asks, smirking ruefully. "What was it like to have your bankai ripped away from you?"
"It. . . It was. . ." I say, trailing off as the memory comes back, revealing itself in perfect clarity. ". . . It was as if all my hard work was for nothing."
". . . As a shinigami, you work to achieve complete synergy between yourself and your zanpakuto. Your blade is your primary partner in the field of battle. The longer you work with it, the stronger the bond, the stronger your power, the stronger your soul."
"But of course, as you and your zanpakuto get stronger, your zanpakuto gets more willful, more independent, despite it being a part of your own soul," Captain Nimaiya is quick to say, looking up over his glasses. ". . . They start to fight back."
". . . But only to see if we're ready for the next stage of our potential. Not every shinigami is going to achieve their bankai. Those that do show the fortitude, determination, and strength of character needed to wield such power," I say, recalling the hours upon hours of training and reflection I put myself through before I finally achieved Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. "And yet, the result of all that effort - all the training, meditation, and fighting - gets ripped away in mere seconds at the hands of the enemy."
"It's unlike anything else I've ever experienced. One minute, I felt the surge of familiar energy that I always felt when I called forth Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, and then in the very next moment. . . nothing. It was as if I had not called him forth to begin with."
"So, you still had your shikai then?"
"Yes, but it was no use against my bankai," I admit, remembering my futile attempt at such, "It was like I was fighting with a hollow shell. Senbonzakura was with me, but it was like I was fighting with only half of myself. I couldn't hear his voice, his presence itself was faint . . . And in the face of fighting against my own power, I was thrashed, plain and simple. A part of my own soul was separated from me!"
"And that part of your soul is what you must get back . . ." He advises as he slowly gets up from his seat. "I may have created the zanpakuto, but bankais are purely a business between the zanpakuto and its owner. I will reforge Senbonzakura, and you'll be able to use your shikai in battle, but if you want your bankai back, you'll have to face the man who almost killed you to get it."
"I figured as much," I concede. I already accepted the fact that I would have to face As Nodt again before this war was over. . . Does not mean I have to like it though. "I will not let Senbonzakura Kageyoshi languish in the hands of the Quincies any more than he already has. . ."
"Good to hear that your conviction still remains strong," He says as he gestures for me to stand. "Follow me Captain Kuchiki! You have an asauchi to pick."
T ~ P ~ O ~ S ~ L
Minata's POV
"Figured I'd find you here communing with our ancestors. . ."
"I thought some reflection among those of the past would do me some good," I admit, looking up from the photos of my parents to see Akira standing just off to the side behind me, looking around at all the pictures that surrounded us here in the tomb.
The Fukudome family tomb was where the last remains of the deceased clan members came to rest once the bodies were cremated. A small amount of each member's ashes was stored here, but while the earliest members were also remembered with sketches of what they looked like, the more recently deceased were memorialized with framed photos of their portraits.
My parents are some of the earliest members of the latter group, and it was their photos that I had been bowing my head to for the past twenty minutes now, praying in their memory.
"Seeking answers among the dead?" She asks, stepping forward until she was right next to me.
"I tried to, but then I just found myself looking back on old memories . . . Remembering the good old times." I admit, looking back on my parents' photos.
"I don't blame you. In these trying times, you just can't help but want to remember the good of the past," She says, her voice tired. ". . . And yet, if I remember correctly, Aunt Satsuki would tell us to not linger so long on what's already ended."
"If you linger too long in the past, you start missing out on the present. . . Byakuya told me that Hisana said something similar to him before she passed away. Great minds think alike after all I guess." I say, smiling back at their smiling faces.
My mother was known for a demure smile that bordered on mischievous, but it was my father Masahiro, who had a smile that could light up any room he stepped foot in. He was a tall, muscular man with shoulder length curly black hair - a trait I gratefully inherited - and a sharp goatee that always tickled my cheek whenever I hugged him.
Oh, I really miss his hugs right now.
"Lady Hisana was very much a smart woman. It really is a crime that some families didn't bother to recognize it." Akira is quick to say, her words making me snort. "What?"
"Oh, they recognized it alright. They just chose to ignore it because their prideful attitudes refused to accept that the head of Great House could fall in love with a woman from the lower levels of the Rukongai instead of one of their own delicate daughters," I say, my tone biting as I started to move for the exit.
"When you think about it, being delicate isn't a quality that Byakuya really seeks out in a woman, now is it?"
"No, it really isn't," I admit, smirking at such a thought. "Sure, Hisana looked the part of a fragile flower, but there was a hidden steel within her that I admired, especially when she chose to speak her mind in the face of such insults."
"And then there's you: The heiress of one of the few clans that can evenly match the Kuchikis in power and prestige, a long-time veteran of the Gotei 13," She lists off, her smile becoming mischievous. "And from what I've been hearing, the next captain of the Eighth Division. . ."
"I'm not even going to ask how you found out about that," I say, her smug expression reminding me of Kyoraku's. "And no, my possible promotion is not a done deal!"
"But it pretty much is at this point, no?" She asks as we step out of the tomb and into the fresh evening air. "You're a strong candidate for the job, and many would back you if needed."
"True, but I don't want to focus on anything like that until the war is one. The Quincies are our main priority, not a change in divisions."
"Spoken like a true future captain," She chides me as she quickly closes the tomb doors. "Okay, I'll stop with the captaincy talk, but you got to admit, it is pretty much a given at this point in time, well, unless something major happens to change things of course. . . Your parents would be proud."
"I would hope so," I say as we start the small trek back to the main building. "And speaking of future possibilities, have you ever pictured yourself as a vice captain yet?"
"When you work with someone like Oomaeda, it's hard not to feel like a pseudo-lieutenant when he's in one of his lazy moods," She mumbles. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, if my promotion does ever come to fruition, consider yourself on my short list for the lieutenant's position," I say, grinning from ear to ear at the shocked look that appeared on her face."
"Are you serious?"
"Very," I say, blunt with the delivery. "If I have to fight Soi-Fon to get you to the Eighth, then so be it."
"I'm honored that you would even consider such action, and honestly, I think my captain would welcome it. . ."
"Really?!" I ask.
"Soi-Fon has mentioned that between you and Oomaeda, you were always the better sparring partner," She tells me. "Oomaeda isn't that half bad as a fighter, but when compared to you, I can see why she says that. . ."
"Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since the two of us sparred, and I believe it's been even longer between the two of us," I say, my mind trying to recollect on the last time I sparred with my dear cousin.
"We could remedy that right now. . ." She teases, grinning from ear to ear in a way that was almost like a certain redhead. "The manor has plenty of training rooms to pick from. Care for a friendly hand-to-hand spar?"
"Hmm, why not?!" I concede. "It'll be nice to kick your ass again after all this time."
"Kick my ass? We tied last time!" She exclaims as I start jogging ahead.
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that!" I tease, leaving her shocked face behind in my dust.
If only the days ahead were as carefree as our moment right now.
A/N: Please review!