Mayuri groggily woke up. Was he still at Kyoraku's?
He glanced over and saw Kyoraku holding Isane in an embrace.
Yep.
He remembered the first five drinks. No idea how many after.
His body struggled to get up and an awful headache flooded pain through his body.
Where was Nemu?
She was rebooting in a corner with a potion in her hand.
It was something for hangovers Ukitake had asked for.
He went over, knocked back the liquid, and checked the clock.
Three in the morning? Shiori!
He grabbed his things, his haori somehow on the fan, and went back to the Institute.
When he opened the door and saw she wasn't in her chair, he sighed.
Of course she wouldn't have waited so long.
He went over and twisted his special plush chair. Nestled in, Shiori was sleeping in an uncomfortable position.
She...she stayed?
He could see she was shivering lightly.
Without a single clue on what to do, his body responded.
His arms gently picked her up and moved her to the sofa in the corner. His feet knocked over the papers he had on them and laid her down.
When he searched for a pillow for her, he couldn't find one.
Instead, he sat down on the couch and laid her head on his lap. His haori was quickly drapped over her.
Her hand clutched part of it and snuggled into its warmth.
What was happening? Why was he doing this?
His hand reached to stroke her hair but he hesitated.
Don't. You'll wake her up.
Then he considered how it may let her know he had returned.
He reached again and stopped.
You've kept her awake. Let her rest.
She lightly stirred and sounded scared.
His hand carressed her silken locks.
"C-Captain?"
Shiori twisted her head and looked up. A small gasp escaped her mouth and she got on the floor. She kneeled on the ground and bowed.
"I'm sorry, Captain! I didn't mean to fall asleep! I-I was waiting and I noticed how your chair looked so comfortable! Please, don't be mad!"
He stared questionably at her.
"It wasn't entirely your fault. I didn't realize how long I was gone."
She looked up at him.
"It could never be your fault, Captain. I would have waited as long as you wanted me to."
Mayuri couldn't help but notice the way she was bowing in front of him.
It was the way a bride would welcome home her husband.
He shook the thought away.
"Why are you calling me 'Captain' now?"
"Excuse me?"
"You would refer to me as 'Lord' and now you changed."
She blushed.
"I was thinking it over as you left. It didn't occur to me that I was refering to you that way. I thought you may not like me calling you that."
"Too many simply call me Captain. I...order you to continue calling me 'my Lord.' "
She smiled.
"Yes, my Lord!"
The edges of his mouth twitched when he saw her happy reaction.
She noticed the haori on her shoulders. Her face turned bright red.
"Your haori!"
It was amusing how she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to take it off because it may insult him but also felt she wasn't worthy enough to wear it.
He stood up and held out his hand.
"Don't panic. You were cold and merely wanted to make sure one of my personal favorites didn't freeze."
With a shaky grip, she took his hand and he helped her up.
"Why are you always so flustered?"
She looked away.
"Forgive me, my Lord. I'm just...afraid."
His heart sunk a little.
See? She wanted to be in this Squad. Not be with you.
"I've always admired your work and was afraid to insult you by accident or make you upset with me."
He took in a deep breath.
"Just make sure the next time I leave, you don't wait so long."
She laughed.
"My Lord, I would wait no matter what if I would be allowed to stay in your chairs. They're wonderful."
The flow of blood to Mayuri's face increased and he didn't understand why.
He waved his hand, as if shooing away the idea.
"Only you and no eating on them."
She giggled and moved to sit in his seat by the computer.
"Sleep on the couch, Shiori. You barely looked relaxed."
Mayuri saw the startled expression on her face.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, my Lord. Its just...you never said my name before."
"I need to know names in this line of work!" he said sitting in the chair she was about to sit in. "There, now you have to sleep on the couch."
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Nemu was worried when she woke up from rebooting and saw Captain Kurotsuchi wasn't there. She quickly left the house and rushed into the Research building.
Several members were outside the Captain's office with confused looks.
"Why is she here already?"
"Did he make her come early?"
She saw Captain Kurotsuchi checking the monitors in the surveillance room and the new girl, Shiori was pushing a cart of wires and screens.
Akon approached the Captain.
"What do you need, Captain?"
He gave Akon a somewhat angry look.
"There are some old compounds that need to be fixed. Shiori!"
"Yes, my Lord."
She handed Akon a list of procedures.
"Come along, Shiori."
Akon and the other members had thier mouths open in shock. Shiori followed behind the Captain as he started explaining what they needed to test.
"It...it took five months before he remembered my name..."
"Five?! It took him nine for mine!!"
Nemu stood and stared. The Captain hadn't ordered her to do anything with his usual brashness.
----------------------
Nemu observed the pair for the next three weeks. Shiori was one of the few people Captain Mayuri let help him with his experiments.
Today, when it was around lunch time, Shiori went out to grab a box lunch and came back with several.
Nemu heard the private conversation.
"I thought you might want something to eat, my Lord. I didn't know what you liked so I grabbed one of each."
He took one of the bento boxes.
"I prefer salmon if its avaliable."
Shiori smiled.
Nemu had to check her eyes and ears.
The Captain actually said what he liked?! And now he was eating what she had given him?! He never trusted people making food for him! Even she wasn't allowed to cook for him.
What was going on?
-------------------------
"Why did you make so many?"
She laughed.
"I love cooking but sometimes I go overboard. It was an idea that if you were hungry or something, if I made an extra box or two, you would want them."
Mayuri wanted to laugh when she blushed again.
"I understand if you don't like them though! It was a ridiculous-"
"Its fine."
Shiori sighed in relief.
"I should give the extra-"
"Put them on my desk."
She looked at him.
"If I need to work late again tonight, I could have them later."
---------------------------
It was obvious something was up. Nemu didn't need a computer in her head to tell her that. The Captain was focused on Shiori nearly the entire day.
His body language suggested certain behavior.
Whenever another man, especially a high ranking officer, he would move slightly in front of Shiori.
The way his face contorted when he seemed to want to offer praise but was nervous in doing so.
He ate two of the bento boxes Shiori had brought and when she offered one to Nemu, she could sense his anger.
Technically, she didn't need food as often as others, if at all, but the way Shiori became disheartened when Nemu was about to refuse changed the Captain's mind.
He saw her face and immediately ordered Nemu to take it into a room and eat it.
Purposefully, she ate slowly and tried to observe the Captain's behavior with Shiori when they were alone at a work table.
He was inspecting an arm she had made to act like his left.
"Forgive me, my Lord. There is something wrong. When it goes out a few meters, it jams."
"You copied it very well nonetheless. How does it grip?"
She sighed sadly.
"It can grasp things but the fingers aren't as nimble as a normal person's. I'm trying, my Lord."
He gazed into her face.
"There's no reason to be so dismal. Later, you can demonstrate it."
Shiori nodded.
"Yes, my Lord."
His hand twitched for a moment before he put his hand on her arm.
"You'll find out what's wrong. You're...a brilliant researcher."
Nemu was sure she was having some type of malfunction. The Captain never spoke encouraging words.
--------------------------
At the end of the day, Nemu waited outside the building for the Captain. He was just running a quick check on Shiori's rocket arm.
When they came out of the building, Shiori looked extremely happy. Captain Kurotsuchi even had a small smile.
"Thank you so much, my Lord! I can't believe it works!"
"A simple change was all that was needed."
Nemu noticed he had the remaining bento boxes in his hands.
He looked down at Shiori.
"Are you all right to walk home from here?"
"Yes, my Lord. Thank you again."
He nodded and glared at the staring Nemu.
"Nemu, quit standing there. Let's go."
As the two started walking, Shiori bowed.
"Good night, Nemu. Good night, my Lord."
Kurotsuchi waved a hand in the air and continued walking.
Nemu turned around and nodded in response.
Shiori was smiling as she began her journey home.
The Assistant Captain couldn't understand how this girl was making such an impact on Captain Mayuri.
