Chapter 1: Curiosity

Okay, I take no credit for the idea of this fic, just the fact I'm writing it. Okibimaru just randomly started lambasting me about getting up a few fics, and I had writer's block, so he gave me some ideas which he came up with but didn't want to use, and therefore the credit for the original idea goes to him. If you think I stole the idea, then I don't think he has a problem with backing me up on that one if you want proof.

There's a possibility of Yachiru x Hitsugaya later on, but the T rating is for language. Please don't ask for citrus, 'cause there might be some mild flirting, but it won't go all the way to a lemon. That's just not right with Yachiru in it, at least in my opinion it isn't…

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. All I own of this is the description of the crazy machine used by the Kurotsuchis. Okibimaru owns the original idea for said machine.

OOO

Chapter 1: Curiosity

"Hey! Yachiru! Damnit, WHERE did she GO!?!"

That little brat better be back by nightfall – that scientist bastard and his blankgirl daughter will probably be out, and I'll be DAMNED if I don't find her before they might!

Funny. Although he never openly seemed to care, Zaraki Kenpachi always had that extra shred of patience towards his young Fukutaichou; Yachiru, and despite surface appearances he did care for her.

But then, that was only natural, right?

Ever since she was an even littler brat, he'd always taken care of her as of the day he met her. She wasn't afraid of him, even then, and hell, he had to admit she'd probably seen a lot worse than most would care to know from that part of Rukongai, but for a kid to treat a bloodbath as a playground? For any kid, Zaraki hadn't heard anything like it, and there he was seeing it, keeping it in his memory. It was a memory they both shared. And a memory they would always remember: the day the nameless warrior met someone he both couldn't kill, and actually felt sympathy for.

That day changed both of their lives. They both found names and, most importantly, a lifelong friend.

And here he was, with half the fucking Division split up to look for her at sunset. Damned little ditz…

All I know is that little pink-haired nuisance had better not be in 4th Division with Unohana-taichou and Kotetsu-fukutaichou again. I'll never live the last time down… I had to drag that lil' brat all the way to bed, and after she'd been given CANDY of all things! CANDY!!!

Then he heard a noise off in the distance.

BOOM!!!

There she is.

The source of the explosion was indeed Yachiru. Zaraki couldn't sense Reiatsu; he'd never been good at that, nor anything else that required him to pay attention (aside from battle, of course), because it was usually on his 'DON'T FUCKING DO UNLESS YOU NEED TO' list. His bells were ringing hard just to be heard and fucking TELL him that was her handiwork, for Christ's sake. She was, it seemed, "acting under that damn candy addiction again", as Zaraki often said. It seemed that someone particularly stupid had just refused her some candy they were carrying.

He headed towards that place at high speed: it was directly in the middle of a 12th squad-patrolled area, and Zaraki knew that that mad scientist and his daughter would get there quickly: of that he knew no doubts at all. They were, after all, one of the most extreme squads insofar as taking measures against intrusions by Aizen and his cohorts, along with the 10th, 2nd and 1st divisions. 11th division was also on the lookout, but only so Kenpachi could be the first taichou to dirty his hands with blood. It was the most lax of all of the divisions with regards to the 'Aizen incident' security-wise. Not that this mattered anyways, as 11th Division wasn't careful with anything except Yachiru or Kenpachi and their tempers, so there wouldn't really be anything worth stealing there anyway…

Yachiru in fact wasn't driven by candy, but by curiosity. Her desire to know what the latest playthings of the older Shinigami were led her to sneak in often.

Not that she'd had to blast the door (and half the wall it was in along with it,) clean open every time…

She was just looking around; absent-mindedly as usual, just looking at the various types of things that 'face paint-taichou' usually makes in his spare time. She came across a few things of interest, including a weird looking hat with prongs on the inside, an absolutely HUGE dummy hollow that took up an entire garbage pit (it was obviously a failure), and a strange-looking machine with an absolute shitload of tubes and wiring, and a large door on the side. It had been left open, and the monitor inside was flashing on and off. There was still a little power left, it seemed. Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked in.

Big mistake, that.

CLANG!!!

Yachiru turned and looked in wonder at the door which seemingly closed itself. Yachiru didn't notice that the Kurotsuchis were on the other side, looking at a set of external controls on the outside of the machine. Mayuri gave Nemu some orders, and Nemu flicked some switches and turned some dials. The old machine responded in a grainy yet polite voice:

"Target set. Beginning process."

This was unusual for any creation of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's, but he was still dead proud of it. He wouldn't have to ask for a test subject, it seemed, as he had a perfect candidate inside right now. He really didn't like his neighbours in the 11th Division, and this little pain in the ass was definitely no exception.

The Machine roared into life, and Yachiru noted a readout on the monitor inside:

'110 years.'

The chamber started to fill with a steam-like gas. Yachiru felt strange, and had just a few seconds to think light-headedly before she passed out completely.

OOO

What did you think? Please let me know in a review, then Okibimaru might begin to regret giving me the idea, or he might say 'keep writing'. I hope it's the latter, 'cause I REALLY want to finish this one!

Happy reviewing!

blazeflare01