Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
A Bell Did Ring
There was very little in the world that she hated, but he just happened to be one of those things.
Polite and gentle as she was, it was bothersome to her that his antics seemed to escalate when she so much as looked at him. Whether it was hatred or simple rivalry on his end, she had no idea. Nor did she have any desire to. But her practice as a healer wouldn't allow her to stand idly by as comrades, even those as harsh as he, were wounded. For quite some time, she hadn't been particularly fond of Captain Zaraki, either. He, too, had been rude, insolent, and vulgar in response to soft words spoken during the gathering of the captains. But he, she believed, was beyond all hope. A harsh upbringing, and a life in the darkest depths of the Rukongai were to thank for that.
Despite her silent disapproval, she had done her duty as requested by the commander, and had reported to his division, set on fulfilling her errand so as to leave as soon as possible. But there had been yet another downside to this visit; one that she could not have anticipated.
She wouldn't deny that she'd been mildly intrigued by his behavior. As a doctor, it was habit for her to find out what was causing people such distress, wounds or otherwise. At first, she had chalked his behavior up to simple stubbornness, or perhaps frustration with no known vent. She had assumed that his reaction to her visit would be the same as always: Dismissed with a harsh word and a curt wave of his hand. He treated her very much like a subordinate, and Retsu didn't appreciate that in the slightest.
It wasn't so much pride as it was teaching him a much-needed lesson. A lesson that should have been forced into his head during childhood.
In the beginning, he'd been fascinating, what with being the only one to have garnered his release from the Nest. He had seemed to be exceptional, remaining quiet under Kisuke Urahara's watch, diligently throwing himself into his work. After the banishment of his captain, whom she assumed he'd never cared for, the promotion to the seat of power appeared to have gone to his head. Like so many others she'd come into contact with, he was one who reveled in his ability and believed himself capable of anything and everything. A haughty attitude if she'd ever seen one.
Despite all this, she felt like the positive end of a magnet: Impossibly drawn to the negative, and powerless to stop it. But she, what with every action having been calculated, had simply chosen to give in to the pull. A test, she'd decided, to see if her theory would hold up. Returning to her quarters, mission failed and soaking wet, was all that had been needed to dash said theory to dust. She had believed his reaction would be typical, bitter and unwilling to be used as a subject. But the very fact that he'd given in to the test, albeit unknowingly, was reason enough for her to believe that she wasn't the only one with ideas.