Chapter 81: 1,000 Yr. BWArc: Coming to Terms

Byakuya's POV

"Senbonzakura, I never realized how much of a pain in the ass you can be!"

It was the first thing I could think to say after regaining my breath, trying to not wince at the throbbing pain in my side, and ignoring the amusement I could feel from the spirit sitting a couple feet away from me.

"Hey! I'm a part of you, remember?" Comes the quick and expected retort. "I'm such a pain in the ass because you're a pain in the ass!"

"I am not a pain in the ass," I say, scowling as I feel his amusement increase.

"Yes, you are! You were a pain in the ass as a child because you allowed your emotions to rule you . . . Now you're a pain in the ass as an adult because you don't show your emotions enough!"

"Well, aren't you succinct with your explanation . . ." I say, letting the sarcasm flow as I finally turned to look at him, only to grimace when I saw him lying on his back with his arms folded behind his head, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"As your zanpakuto spirit, I have a personal responsibility to be blunt with you when the time calls for it. . . Right now just happened to be one of those times," he tells me, completely unapologetic behind his cloth mask. "And I meant what I said. You are a pain in the ass, but you are an improving pain in the ass."

"Improving how?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Honestly, I did not have a good answer for that, and he knew it, just as well as I did. "If it helps, you are not entirely at fault for how emotionally constipated you became over the years, and neither is your grandfather, if you were curious."

"I could never blame Grandfather for that," I say, taking a deep breath. "Now that I think about it, he was always the one to tell me that it was okay to show some emotion from time to time. . . I just never took his advice to heart."

"No, you didn't . . . Truthfully, it's the elders and the tutors that were assigned to you that I truly blame and resent," he says, sitting up. "It seemed that every day, at every waking moment, they wouldn't hesitate to remind you about the various responsibilities expected of you . . . That you had to behave a certain way, train a certain way, become this idealized figure for the sake of your future success . . . As if they didn't trust you to become that way without their proper guidance."

"And there goes that bitterness I felt from you since these sparring sessions started. . ."

"Can you blame me? I've spent decades watching you grow into this manufactured being that others wanted you to be! With no regard to your own feelings, might I add," he says, looking angered. "And yes, you've successfully reached that level, but it felt like you had to lose a part of yourself to get to that point!"

"You're . . . You're not wrong to say that Senbonzakura," I concede, looking out at the still pond before us. "The more I progressed in my training, the more I suppressed the parts of me that others didn't see as ideal for the person that people wanted me to be."

"You suppressed them to the point that you hid them all behind a mask of your own making, but it was never foolproof, and over time, it started crumbling . . . The people you love and care about made sure of that."

Again, he had me there. I could never become truly emotionless, though at times, it felt like I was becoming just that.

Mother always wanted me to enjoy my childhood and Father and Grandfather always wanted me to find a balance between being a shinigami, an heir, and a young being that was still trying to find his own voice.

But then my parents passed away, and I let that attempt at balance fall by the wayside. I dived head first into my training and preparation, leaving the boy behind to become a man capable of leading clan members and shinigami alike.

Hisana's entry into my life was the first time in a long time that I wasn't so heavily focused on my duties. It was the first time that I allowed the walls I had built up for so long to weaken, only to rebuild and fortify them further once she passed away five years into our marriage.

Her death seemed to be the lock needed to seal away all the emotions that I allowed to show in those happy, yet bittersweet years, and not even the success of finding Rukia a year later could break me out of the shell I buried myself in.

"Well, it didn't help that Rukia ended up looking so similar to her sister."

"Listening into my thoughts again I see?" I ask, looking over to see the sheepish look in his eyes.

"As a part of you, I technically hear them by default, and you were thinking so loudly that I couldn't really ignore them now could I?"

"Probably not, but you could have at least tried," I admit, turning my gaze back to the pond. "But you're not wrong either . . . I was so taken aback when I first saw her that it was a miracle my face remained so still."

"I was honestly impressed that you held your composure in that moment," Senbonzakura tells me as he slowly gets back to his feet. "And then you doubled down, locking yourself into your unemotional shell for the next fifty years."

"I was neglectful in my duties as an older brother. . . Instead of being there for her, I was too hands off to the point that my idea of protecting her was making sure she simply remained unseated in her division to better keep her out of trouble, instead of letting her grow into her own person," I say, not willing to call out my zanpakuto for the bitterness I could hear in his tone again. "And of course, my worst offense was coming this close to killing her for the sake of following the damn law, when in truth I would have been playing into Aizen's vile hands."

"If it wasn't for Kurosaki and his friends, we wouldn't have known the truth about Aizen until it was too late, you would have been down a sister, and Hisana's ghost would curse you for all eternity for handling the situation the way you may have."

"Well, that's a blunt way of putting it."

"Again, am I wrong?"

"Should I even answer that?"

"Not really, but it would be a thrill for me if I actually heard you say it."

"I'm not giving you the verbal satisfaction Senbonzakura."

"Fine, suit yourself," I couldn't help but shake my head at how childish he sounded. "But you know I'm right, and that's what matters to me."

"I see your ego is showing," I say as I too get up from my seat. "I don't know who gets smugger when they're proven right: you or Mina?!"

"I think it depends on the situation . . . And speaking of Mina, I'm sure she'll be absolutely thrilled to find out that you're more willing to be a bit . . . looser with your fighting technique now."

"It's still technically a work in progress, but yes, she will be thrilled."

"Especially since she's been encouraging you to try new things in your fighting style for a long time now, even before you two became a couple in fact," He cuts in. "She's probably been your biggest champion for it, though she probably would have liked for you to have chosen this change of tactic during much better circumstances."

"Now isn't that the truth," I say as I allow my mind the momentary reprieve of thinking about her beautiful face, her sneaky wit, her comforting presence. . . "I miss her."

"You don't just miss her. You want to see her . . . propose to her . . . marry her . . . Fu-OUCH!" He yells, grimacing after I solidly slapped him upside his head. "WHY'D YOU SLAP ME?!"

"You were about to curse," I say, my eyes narrowing slightly. "I abhor cursing."

"No, you don't! You said ass multiple times just a few minutes ago!"

"I didn't want you to voice such vulgar thoughts out loud." I say, quickly finding a second reason to use in my defense.

"Even when they've crossed your mind numerous times?" He childishly bites back. "For kami's sake, you've been courting, dating. . . You and Mina have been a couple for over two years now! I don't think she would hold it against you if you occasionally think about her in the bedroom, let alone naked."

"Must you be so blunt about it?!" I asked, irritated, and a little embarrassed, to even be having this conversation right now.

"YES!" He practically yells. "And please, don't act embarrassed. It's not like you've never had sex before. . . Remember, Mina's the virgin in the relationship. Not you!"

"Thank you for the reminder," I growl out, my patience with the audacity of my zanpakuto wearing thin. At this point, I was angry on both myself and Mina's behalf. "For your . . . considerate words, I believe another round of sparring is in order."

"Is this supposed to be a reward, or a punishment?" He asks, the two of us readying our blades almost in tandem.

"I'll let you be the judge of that," I say as another presence hits my senses, this one from coming outside my body. "Dammit. . . Looks like we'll have to put this on hold for now."

"We do need a break . . . And just when things were about to get good."

"Something tells me that whatever this is, it's not going to be good," I say, closing my eyes, only to reopen them again to find Captain Hyosube talking to Captain Shutara by the dojo's entrance.

Judging from how quickly the two were speaking, I think my assumption was right.

"Captain Hyosube, Captain Shutara," I say once I was close enough for them to hear me. "Is everything alright?"

"Captain Kuchiki, how far do you think that you've come in your training?"

"My training. . ." I say as Captain Shutara glances at me, though Hyosube, the one that actually voiced the question, kept his head turned in the other direction. "I would say that it has progressed well, though my training wouldn't be described as the typical sort."

"No, it was not the traditional katas and sword positions that you're used to, but that was the point," he says, turning around to show his stoic face. "You have improved greatly since you arrived young man, but now it's time for you to go . . . Things have gotten serious down in the Seireitei."

"The Quincies have already come back," I say, my thoughts turning grim as the memory of that fear-inducing Quincy crossed my mind.

"They are," Captain Shutara confirms, her face equally solemn. "And they have already shaped the Seireitei's natural environment into their own personal playground."

Minata's POV

"This is not the Seireitei I woke up to this morning," I say, having just watched the Soul Society shift from its natural feudal landscape to a cold and icy kingdom that was intimidating, yet, slightly awe-inspiring. "The entire landscape has changed right before our eyes."

"It happened so quickly, as if they were already here and just waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves," I hear Nanao say, and I turn my head to see the calculating look on her face. "Like a demon hiding in the shadows just waiting to appear in the light."

"I always knew you had a bit of a poetic side Nanao-chan," Kyoraku compliments, standing in between us as he keeps his gaze forward. ". . . I expected them to attack quickly, but never did I expect them to do it in a way that would leave us with such a distinct disadvantage."

"Yeah, they're definitely not wasting any time," I say as another presence hits my senses. "One of them is already in this room."

"Well that didn't take long. . ." The Captain Commander muses as we all turn our heads, Nanao turning more swiftly than the rest of us.

The man was standing across the room, wearing the typical garments that the militant brand of his kind were becoming infamous for. However, the various details strewn across it, especially the ones along his upper torso, was a clear indicator that he wasn't a simple scout or messenger.

If I had to make a guess, he was probably one of the Quincy leader's closest advisors.

"I must say, I'm impressed," Kyoraku admits as he tucked his hands into his sleeves. "I thought it would take you longer to find me."

"If you thought it would have taken longer for us to find where you were positioned, then I must apologize for us not meeting such expectations," He calmly replied before turning his sights on me. "I've heard that the Fukudome Clan are talented sensors, among other things, but I didn't expect you to pick up on my presence so quickly."

"Well, Lieutenant Fukudome has always had a knack for picking up on things that others don't," Kyoraku says, being complimentary without being sarcastic. ". . . At this point, it would be foolish of me to think of this as a cordial visit. So, what are you here for? Here to deliver a message from your superior, I presume Mr. . ."

"Haschwalth, Jugram Haschwalth, adviser to his majesty Yhwach," He explains, finally introducing himself. ". . . And yes, I have come bearing a message."

"Let me guess: You and your people are here for the destruction of all shinigami?" I ask, my eyes narrowing slightly.

"Not destruction, milady . . . Complete eradication."

A/N: Please review!