Ngoc Chau does not own Bleach.

So this is the last part of Cold and Ice. I hope you guys had enjoyed this. Please read and review. Also, if you have any ideas for prompts, please leave them in the review or send them in a PM.

Prompt: Hold

Something had gone wrong, that she knew.

When they returned to the Seireitei, they had placed her in one of the healing tanks and began the reanimation process on her. It was a simple feat with the machinery that Mayuri had created and completed. Her soul was always ready to receive a new shell, but her body had been heavily damaged from that expedition into the real world.
She had remembered seeing his face through the water tank that she floated within. She liked to think that he looked relieved that she was alright, but she knew it was most likely that he wouldn't have to spend any of his time reconstructing a new gigai from scratch.

Nemu was about to return to the unconsciousness from whence she came to quicken the healing process, but then something went wrong.

The lights had turned red and something in the fluid made it feel like her lungs were shrinking and shrivelling. She could hear the muffled voice of her Captain yelling, wanting to know who it was that had been responsible for putting her into the tank and starting the process of her resurrection. She opened her mouth, a reflex of wanting to breathe. Someone, maybe her Captain, maybe one of the researchers who had their own zanpakuto ready, broke through the tank with their blade and she recalled how the world around her become darker as she emerged cold and wet from the wreck.
She could not breathe. She fell forward, her head becoming lighter like her brains were spilling out and perhaps it was.

The next thing she knew was that she was in the Sogo Kyugo Tsumesho. The room was unusually white and she appeared to be in a single room herself.

As she was about to will herself to drift back into sleep, the soft gentle voice of the Fourth division woke her.
"She will be just fine, Kurotsuchi-taicho. We have taken care of her internal injuries. Her body was repaired well before it was brought here, but we had found poison in one of her lungs."

"… the damned boy. He was supposed to take every ounce of the poison out so it wouldn't spread while she was in the tank." She instantly recognized that voice to be that of her Captain's. It was harsh and quieted. Was it meant to be heard, she wondered, by anyone else but him?

"Do not worry about the poison affecting Nemu, we were able to get it all out."

"I'm not worried about Nemu." she heard her name pronounced with a snarl. "The girl is nothing but trouble and everybody around her knows it. Did you simply throw away the rest of the poison inside her or did you save it, at least?"
To hear him talk of her like that was nothing new, but even when she wasn't in front of him and he continued speaking like that struck at one of her heartstrings which made her think that it was probably the best time now to try and sleep, to ignore.

"Due to protocol, we have disposed of and destroyed it." Unohana's voice was suddenly cold.

There was a growl from him, then his voice became smooth as silk and sharp, "No matter now," she could just imagine him waving his hand as she always did when he wanted to be nonchalant. "I still have its producer with me here at least. But it would've been efficient to already have the most of his poison for analyzing. I've just finished cleaning up after cutting him open and now I may have to do it again to get more samples."

"Here, I was thinking that you cared a little for your Lieutenant." now her voice warmed up and there was a giggle in it.

"Nemu? I've taken her apart and put her together again countless times. What do I care about a false girl like that?" his, in turn, grew harsher and colder.

"You've brought her to my division when you could've left her to die."

There was a sigh and the whoosh of something thick, "I'm starting new experiments with this unique specimen that I had just caught and it would've been too time-consuming to create another assistant when I could just make do with the old one for the time being."

"Then may I be correct in assuming that you still want to see your Lieutenant or would you rather wait until she has recovered enough to return to work? It will only take another three days or so until you will see her again."

"I want to see her now! If she looks well enough now, I'll just take her out immediately!" his voice boomed.

There was a sort of tut-ting sound. "Very well, but please allow her to sleep. She's been through a lot."

"She's mine! I created her, I'll do what I wish with her."

"Then I can only allow you to enter with myself as well."

An awkward pause. "Fine!"

They came into the room, Unohana held her hands in front of her while Mayuri followed behind with an annoyed look plastered across his face.

"Hello, Nemu. You're awake, I see." she said sweetly. From the folds of her robe, Unohana pulled out a syringe and gave a squirt of it before injecting into Nemu's arm. She winced at the slight pain. It was only something to help her sleep as it was crucial for her, over exertion was not needed for the situation, she said. Mayuri muttered something about controling what was his before turning away to look out the window momentarily. Unohana rubbed her arm and repeated outloud that it was imperative for Nemu to have as much sleep as possible. Then Nemu wasn't sure if she was addressing it to Mayuri or to Nemu herself, trying to make sure that Nemu understood well.

"I can feel my strength returning. Am I well enough to leave soon? Tomorrow, perhaps?" she asked as she could already feel the fluid traveling through her veins.

"I think that you should stay here for a bit longer, dear." she patted Nemu's arm and backed away so that Mayuri could have the chance to see his Lieutenant.

"Yes, Unohana-taicho." Nemu complied. Nemu sighed and furrowed her brows, the lights already becoming a little too much for her.
She turned to the 4th division Captain, "Please grant my request, Unohana-taicho, but I would like to ask something of my Captain privately."

"Are you sure?" Unohana looked at Nemu as though she had suddenly proclaimed that the world was ending yesterday.

"I am very much sure." she said confidently to the Captain; like every other shinigami who ever found themselves in the company of Unohana, Retsu: even watching her gave the young Nemu strength.

She bowed ever so slightly then left the room, the door remained open.

Mayuri gave a small laugh, his longest nail touching his chin. "Oh, Nemu. If I didn't think you were so stupid, I would think that you were clever in driving Unohana away." He closed the door shut, always wanting privacy and she understood it well.

"Mayuri-sama. My deepest… apologies." she mumbled as best as she could. As much as she tried to will herself to fight against the anaesthesia, she slowly found herself submitting to the sweet morphine.

He looked at her, his face indifferent, perhaps harsh, but not so much as she had expected. He took his hat off, the blue hair catching her eyes and compelling her to will her head to turn and look at it. His face was calmer like he was more tired and exhausted than at peace. He came back and slowly climbed onto the bed, the weight of his knee causing it to creak as it shifted. She distanced herself from him to the edge of the bed without falling off. His arm draped over her and curled around her.
He pulled her close to him as his head rested on the pillow with her own.
She noticed that their bodies fit accordingly to each other(despite his zanpakuto that poked her): He was not so much taller than her that he had to twist and twine to be comfortable nor was she too buxom that his form could scarcely cover her. No, her arms fit perfectly within the hold of his. His chin rested pleasantly over the top of her head. Their feet stopped at the same spot.

To her, his breathing was like the blasting of cannons. Or perhaps that was her heart drumming aloud, the rush of the blood through man-made veins.

Her fingers rose so slowly from its side and tangled with his. He made no move to push her away or reject the gesture, but returned the gesture and tangled his fingers with hers: keeping their hands close to their bodies.

Through her back, she felt the mechanical tick of his heart. With a final sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep; she secretly hoped that when she woke up, he would still be there, though she knew that was unlikely.

The moment was enough for her: to be in his arms like this, having someone concerned for her like this.

How was that? Tell me what you think?