Bleach/Harry Potter: Crystal Vision

Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter. The only character from this story that I own is Tetsu.

Well, the big move went off without a hitch, and we are now completely moved in. Unfortunately, the holidays were quite hectic on my end, resulting in the massive delay. I sincerely apologize for not getting this chapter out in a more prompt manner. To make up for that, this chapter is a bit longer, which also slowed things down a bit. Seriously, Long Chapter is Long.

Also, I realized shortly after the last chapter was posted that Hagrid wasn't back at Hogwarts in time to do his normal schtick with the first-years. D'oh. Let's just say that in this continuity, he got back much earlier. Don't worry, Grawp is still hiding in the forest.

Chapter 4

Tetsu awoke to the sound of light snoring. Blinking, he sat up and shook the cobwebs from his head. Unable at first to locate the source of the noise, it took him a moment to realize that it was still dark. The young shinigami groaned inwardly. Kuchiki-taichou had been very clear that he didn't need to wake up before dawn while they were on this mission. Old habits, however, die hard. Tetsu looked across the room at the snoring boy (Ian Hanley, was it?) with envy. The slim thirteen-year-old was splayed out on his stomach, his arms in legs going in different directions. The boy's short, wavy blonde hair was flattened on one side in a classic case of "bed head." In the pre-dawn light, Tetsu could make out a thin stream of saliva coming from his open mouth. Clearly, Ian was a boy who never had any difficulty sleeping.

Tetsu stared at his own pillow with mixed emotions. As tempting as it was to follow Ian's example, Tetsu knew that he could never be so carefree about sleep. Sleep meant dreams, and Tetsu's dreams never ended well. How many times would he have to relive that night?

Shaking those dark thoughts from his mind, Tetsu shuffled out of bed. After dressing quickly and making his bed, the boy found that dawn still had yet to arrive. Deciding that it probably wouldn't be proper for him to start making the other boys' beds while they were still sleeping, he turned his attention to his trunk. With all of the excitement from the previous night's sorting, he had not had a chance to properly unpack.

First he removed his civilian clothes from the trunk, setting them aside to be repacked later. While his gigai had come with a simple outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, Rukia had insisted that he'd need more than one change of clothes. After a quick trip to the human world, she had returned with a large duffle bag filled with shirts, shorts and pants. "Think of them as gifts from a friend," she had said. Though the initials "K.I." on the tags marked them as hand-me-downs, Tetsu was grateful just the same; the clothes had a lived-in quality that he enjoyed.

Next came his textbooks. He did a quick count to make sure that he was not missing anything. Thankfully, all his books were accounted for, and his Monster Book of Monsters was securely muzzled—three times. The leathery book glared up at him and growled softly, but Tetsu was quick to cover it with his copy of Elementary Kidou. The last book was his brand new Dragons of the World. He took a moment to admire the cover with its moving photograph. How exactly were wizards able to do that? Placing the book on his bed, the boy continued unpacking.

After retrieving his cauldron and other potions supplies, Tetsu came to the most important objects in the trunk. In the center of the trunk was his father's tea set, wrapped tightly in tissue paper. He took out each piece as gently as one might lift a newborn. Unwrapping the teapot and four cups from the tissue, Tetsu could see why his father had always told him to be careful with this particular set; each white porcelain piece was emblazoned with the emblems of the 6th and 4th Divisions. Along the edges the 4th Division's bellflower and the 6th Division's camellia alternated in a beautiful pattern. Out of all their wedding presents, this had been his parents' favorite.

Setting the tea set on his bed, the boy turned to the pair of picture frames staring up at him from within the trunk. Picking up the first picture, he held it gingerly in his hands and smiled. The photograph in the frame was an older picture, showing a very young Tetsu being held by his mother and father. Though he could not remember exactly when the picture was taken, he must have only been around fifty years old at the time—barely a kindergartener by Soul Society standards. Looking back, Tetsu had to giggle at his wide, toothy smile, complete with missing baby teeth.

Tetsu's father was on the left, holding his son aloft with one arm. The resemblance between the two was uncanny: both had the same wavy brown hair, and Tetsu had clearly taken his wide grin from his father. Yet Keiji did have some differences from his son. For one, he was more solidly built, standing six feet tall with broad shoulders that were accentuated by the rolled-up sleeves of his shinigami robes. His jaw was also squarer than Tetsu's, framed by a smattering of light stubble. The biggest difference, however, was the eyes. While Keiji's eyes were a bright green, Tetu's light blue eyes were more like his mother's.

Fujita Nanako also bore a striking resemblance to her son. Her features were soft, and her straight black hair reached down to her shoulders. On her left side she wore a pink hairpin in the shape of a bellflower that matched the pattern on the strap of her 4th Division medicinal pack. Her smile, while more reserved than Keiji's wide grin, was nevertheless warm and inviting. Combined with her bright blue eyes, it gave the impression of a woman who was infinitely happy with her life.

His own smile mirroring his mother's, Tetsu turned to the other photograph. This one was much more recent, taken shortly after Tetsu's one-hundredth birthday. It was only Tetsu and his father in this picture. The two of them were standing outside the Lavender Sunset, the sign of his father's teashop displayed prominently in the background. His father had traded in his shinigami robes for attire more suitable for running a teashop. Though he still looked quite fit, it was clear that he had aged between the two photos; if one looked closely, there were hints of gray forming in Keiji's hair. Father and son had adopted amusing poses for this "silly picture:" Tetsu was flexing his arms like a bodybuilder, while his father was hunched over like a monkey while simultaneously giving his son "bunny ears."

Tetsu had to stifle his laughter so as not to awaken his fellow students. That picture had always been one of his favorites for the way that it captured just how playful his father could be at times. He could almost imagine how his mother would have laughed at their antics.

Tetsu frowned. It suddenly occurred to him that he could only almost remember the way she would have laughed. He wracked his brain, but could not for the life of him recall. His heart sank as the realization struck him: he had forgotten the sound of his mother's voice.

He sat there for a moment, his mind racing. How could he have forgotten? True, he had been very young when his mother had passed, but he should still remember, shouldn't he? What kind of son was he to let something as important as his mother's voice slip from his mind? He could still remember his father's voice, so why not hers? Did that mean that he didn't love her as much as his father? Was she so unimportant that he had cast aside all of the lullabies and stories from when he was younger? Was he that heartless? Or was he just stupid for forgetting something so crucial?

Out of the corner of his eye, Tetsu noticed a narrow shaft of light coming from under the curtains next to his bed. The sun must have risen. The dawn's light revealed that the curtain was wrinkled and dusty. That wouldn't do. Taking a piece of cloth from his trunk, the boy quickly dusted and straightened the curtains. But even neat curtains couldn't hide a dirty window. Intent on cleaning the glass, he opened the curtains—and came face to face with Kuchiki-taichou.

With a yelp of surprise, Tetsu fell flat on his rear. Seeing that his captain was still there standing on thin air, the boy picked himself up sheepishly and opened the window. It took Tetsu a moment to register that Byakuya was dressed in his shinigami uniform; he must have left his gigai in his quarters. "Yes, sir?" he asked quietly.

"I have a task for you," Byakuya replied evenly, seemingly ignoring his subordinate's embarrassing reaction. "When you next see Rukia, inform her that the communications devices we brought with us to contact Soul Society are malfunctioning. The magic of this place seems to be creating some kind of interference."

"Oh," Tetsu nodded. "I will, sir." The boy hesitated slightly before speaking again. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, um, why didn't you tell her yourself? The girls' dormitory is nearby." Byakuya frowned, and Tetsu swallowed nervously.

"It would be beneath a Captain of the Gotei 13 to intrude upon the girls' sleeping quarters." With that, he turned to leave.

"W-wait!" Tetsu blurted, a move he instantly regretted. Byakuya stopped and turned back slowly, his icy glare threatening to pierce the boy's very soul. Tetsu stood there for a moment, trying repeatedly to speak but unable to form the words. After brushing his bangs in front of his eyes, he finally managed to speak. "I-I just had a question for you, sir?" Byakuya said nothing, but continued to stare at him. "Y-you knew my parents, right, sir?"

The 6th Division captain raised a brow. "Your father served in my Division, yes. I never met your mother."

"Oh," Tetsu replied, crestfallen. "Never mind, then."

Byakuya turned to completely face him. The older shinigami's glare had softened somewhat. Now it seemed as if the Captain were appraising him, sizing him up. He looked at the boy for several minutes, but did not speak. Tetsu could only guess at what the man might be thinking. "Relay my message to Rukia," he said, turning his back on Tetsu once again.

"I will, sir," the boy replied, his eyes on the floor.

"And Tetsunosuke?"

"Yes?"

"That book on dragons may prove useful. See to it that you leave it in my office when you are finished with your research." Bewildered, Tetsu looked up just in time to see his captain vanish with a flash step.

XXXXX

Tetsu had the Gryffindor Common Room all to himself and found the room just as stifling in its emptiness as it had been when fully packed. The night before there had been so many students in the small room that the boy had scarcely had space to move. Every step led to contact with someone just dying to meet the new transfer student. The tall redheaded twins had been the worst: they had wasted no time in clapping him on the back and offering free samples from their box of merchandise. Had it not been for Rukia's intervention, he doubted that he would ever have gotten away from them.

While the pressing crowd had been bad enough, the empty silence was just as bad. Now free of students the room suddenly felt vast and lonely. The chairs and sofas, while quite comfortable, were clearly designed for older students. Everything from the furniture to the raging fireplace served as a reminder of just how small and alone he was here. It seemed like everything in the castle wanted to drive that point home. The dorms above him were filled with children, all of them with friends and families to go home to. He had nothing.

"Stop it," he whispered. "Don't think like that." He sat in silence for a moment, as if waiting for someone to echo that point. No one did. The boy sighed and hugged his knees close to his chest. He looked around the room, searching for anything that might be out of place. Nothing was. For the first time in a very long time, there was nothing he could do to straighten up or clean. There were no early morning files to deliver. There was nothing to do. There was no one to talk to. It was just him. Alone. Very, very alone.

Tetsu could feel his heart racing in his chest. His breathing was rapid and shallow as he curled into a tight ball in his seat. In the oppressive silence he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the girls' dormitory. The boy leapt from his seat and turned to the stairway. "Rukia!" he called out, his voice cracking with emotion.

But it was not Rukia in the stairway. Instead, a very startled-looking Hermione stared back at him, a hand on her chest. "Holy—you scared me!" After a moment, the girl smiled and gave a nervous laugh. "You certainly gave me a fright."

"I'm sorry," the boy replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. He bowed deeply, letting his wavy bangs fall in front of his eyes. "Please forgive me."

"Don't worry about it," she reassured him. "No harm done, right, Tetsunosuke?" She said the name carefully, as if analyzing each syllable to make sure that it was correct. The boy gave her a quick smile, letting her know that she had gotten it right on the first try. She returned the smile warmly, and the boy felt a slight reddening in his cheeks. "We had an exchange student from Japan when I was in primary school, so our class learned a little Japanese" she explained, taking a seat on one of the massive couches. "We only learned some of the basics, and I'm afraid that I'm terribly rusty."

"It's fine, really." She smiled again, apparently relieved. As they sat, her expression became more serious.

"Is everything alright, Tetsunosuke?" she asked. The boy shifted in his seat.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Is there something bothering you?"

"It's nothing," he reassured her. "I just had a little trouble sleeping." Hermione said nothing for a moment, and Tetsu was convinced that she didn't believe him. However, she did not pursue the point, instead choosing to rise from her seat.

"Well, we should get going down to the Great Hall. They'll be serving breakfast soon, and we don't want to be late," she said, offering him a hand. Blushing once again, Tetsu accepted her hand and followed Hermione towards the Great Hall.

XXXXX

Tetsu and Hermione were not in the Great Hall long before other students began to arrive. At first they came in a trickle, as a few early-risers entered one or two at a time. Then came larger groups who had awoken at a more decent hour. The last and largest group was made up of students who had decided to sleep in as late as possible before the school year proper began. Many were bewildered-looking first-years, led into the hall by an annoyed Ron. Harry and Rukia were with him, both of them quite amused by his predicament.

"Bloody Hell," the redhead cursed as he took a seat next to Hermione. "This is got to be the thickest batch of first-years ever. There must have been ten of them that got lost on the way here."

"Ron, it's their first day," Hermione reminded him. "We weren't any different." Ron didn't say anything, choosing instead to begin eating. Rukia rolled her eyes as she took a seat next to Tetsu, mumbling something about Ron reminding her of Matsumoto-fukutaichou. Tetsu looked at her, then at Ron, then back to Rukia, puzzled. Aside from the color of their hair, he couldn't see any resemblance between the two. Then again, she could have meant their personalities, but Tetsu was hardly in a position to make that judgment. After all, he had only spoken to the 10th Division's Lieutenant once, and it had only been long enough to deliver a report. She had looked down at him, smiled that mischievous smile, taken the report and thanked him. The woman had even bent over to pat him on the head, putting her ample…endowments squarely in his face.

"Tetsu!" The boy started as Rukia snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. Many of the nearby Gryffindors snickered at his red-faced confusion. "Welcome back," Rukia continued, dropping an envelope in his lap. "Professor McGonagall just handed out our schedules."

His face still beet-red in embarrassment at being caught daydreaming—not to mention the content of that dream—Tetsu opened the envelope carefully and examined his schedule. He would start the day with Potions, followed by Charms. After lunch he had Transfiguration and Herbology. The next day would start with Kidou, which had been labeled "Eastern Magic," followed by Defense Agains the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. The rest of the week saw his schedule alternate double periods of his various classes. All in all, the plan seemed less demanding than the Shinigami Academy, and Tetsu couldn't wait to learn about these brand new subjects.

"What does your schedule look like, Senpai?" The two took a moment to compare. Oddly, they both had Kidou first thing on Tuesdays.

"Maybe Nii-sama made a mistake?" Rukia offered. As absurd as it was to think that Kuchiki-taichou was capable of making mistakes, there didn't seem to be any other explanation. The boy looked over at the staff table, where Kuchiki-taichou was pointedly avoiding looking at the pink woman from the Ministry, despite the latter's dogged attempts at conversation. "Oh!" Tetsu exclaimed. "Kuchiki-taichou wanted me to tell you something," he whispered to Rukia in Japanese.

"Really? When did you talk to him?"

"Just this morning. He was outside my window."

"If he had a message for me, why didn't he just tell me himself?" she asked, confused. Tetsu could only shrug in reply. The boy was about to continue when he noticed Hermione out of the corner of his eye. The girl was sitting quietly next to Potter, nodding at his conversation. Every now and then, she would pause and say something to herself silently. Right now it looked like she was mouthing the word "senpai." Then it hit him: she had learned some Japanese in the past, and she was probably taking the opportunity to brush up on words and phrases she'd heard. But did that mean that she could follow their conversation? Was it safe to continue without risking their cover?

Before Tetsu had time to dwell on those questions, he heard a commotion coming from above. Looking up, the boy was astonished to see dozens of owls fly into the Great Hall from an open window. The birds, ranging in size from tiny Screech Owls to large Snowy and Great Horned Owls, flew around the room dropping envelopes, scrolls and the occasional newspaper to students and teachers. One owl--a very exhausted-looking Barn Owl--landed in front of Rukia. Panting, the creature presented its left leg, which bore a red envelope.

"Rukia, you got a Howler?" Hermione asked, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"It's the first day," Ron added, equally dumbfounded. "What could she have possibly done on the first day?" Rukia exchanged confused looks with the two of them.

"You'd better open it," Harry said solemnly. "The longer you wait, the worse it'll get."

With a gulp, Rukia took the parcel from the beleagured owl. The bird took of in an instant, clearly not wanting to be present when Rukia opened the envelope. The older shinigami steeled herself, then broke the envelope's seal. As soon as she did, the envelope sprang to life, hovering in the air in front of her. With a mouth formed by the tab, it spoke in the booming voice of an adolescent boy:

"Hey, Rukia!" it yelled in informal Japanese. "It's me, Ichigo! So how's your mission going? You said that you were going undercover at a school, right? Is it any less useless than ours? Everyone here is pretty pissed that we're not going to see you for a while. You will be back for break, though, right? Orihime says that if you don't she'll be real sad. So will everyone else, even if they won't admit it. Anyway, write back when you can! Your friend, Ichigo." The letter paused, then continued: "PS: I was going to write you a post card, but 'Hat-and-Clogs' said that this red envelope would be better. Seems a little too fancy for me, don't you think?"

With that, the letter tore itself to shreds, creating a small pile of ripped paper on the Gryffindor table. Every student in the Great Hall was staring at Rukia. Some were already laughing, but most were waiting for the transfer student's reaction. Clearly, they had not understood a word of what Ichigo had said in his letter, but they assumed that she had been scolded for something or other. For her part, Rukia just stared at the remnants of the letter, mouth agape and brow twitching.After a moment, she closed her eyes, and Tetsu found himself scooting away from her rapidly building reiatsu.

"Ichigo, you moron!" she screamed loud enough to make a girl from the Slytherin table jump. Standing now, she railed against Ichigo, gesturing wildly. As she ranted, she slipped from English into Japanese. Tetsu could only blush as she let forth some particularly choice and very un-ladylike swear words.

"Um, who's Ichigo?" Harry asked quietly.

"I think he's Rukia-senpai's boyfriend," the boy replied with a shrug. An instant later, Tetsu felt a crushing pressure on his head as Rukia whipped him around to face her. Her violet eyes were afire as she stared at him.

"Boyfriend? Ichigo is not my boyfriend! Where did you hear that?"

"F-from Abarai-san," Tetsu stuttered, his legs swinging freely as the older shinigami held him aloft by his head. "I heard him say it one day when I was dropping off papers in his office."

"Renji told you that?" The boy suddenly found himself falling as Rukia released her grip. Shaken but unharmed, he crawled back to his seat as Rukia pulled out a metal device from her pocket. "I swear I'm going to give both of those strawberry-headed idiots a piece of my mind."

"What is that thing?" Ron asked, puzzled. "Is that one of those felly-tones?"

"You mean telephone, Ronald," Hermione corrected him. "But I thought that telephones didn't work here at Hogwarts?" Sure enough, Rukia was unable to get her communicator to function.

"Stupid thing! Why won't it work?"

"I tried to tell you, senpai. None of the things we brought from back home are working." The older shinigami paused as the full weight of that revelation struck her. After a moment she frowned and flipped the device closed in a huff.

"Um, Rukia," Hermione offered nervously. "If you need to get in touch with your friends, you could always borrow an owl."

"Really? That would be great," Rukia replied in a voice as icy as her smile. Tetsu gulped. He was certainly glad that he wasn't in Ichigo or Abarai-san's shoes.

XXXXX

Tetsu knew that he was going to hate Potions as soon as he stepped into the classroom. Even calling it a classroom was being generous, as the dank dungeon was unsettling and foreboding. Lit only by torchlight and smelling of undoubtedly horrible ingredients, he could hardly imagine a more unpleasant place to teach children. The only person to seem comfortable was Professor Snape himself. Snape was a tall, gaunt man with greasy black hair that framed a face that radiated contempt.

"Welcome, class, to another year of potions," he said slowly, his voice lacking even a hint of welcome. "Under normal circumstances I would have you begin learning new potions immediately." Several of the students groaned, no doubt reliving painful memories from previous years. "However, since we are in the presence of our esteemed guest, we shall start by reviewing a potion from last term." All around him, students turned to Tetsu and smiled. Even the Slytherins nodded approvingly. The happy murmuring stopped when Snape tapped his wand to the blackboard. The board was instantly covered in a wall of complicated text that Tetsu couldn't wrap his head around.

"What?" cried the boy next to Tetsu. "Professor, that potion was on the final last year!"

"Then it should be familiar to you, Hanley," Snape replied coolly. "You have one hour. Begin." Grumbling, the students began their work. Tetsu stared at the board for a moment with a frown. He had never made a potion before, and this recipe looked exceedingly complex. How on earth was he supposed to pull this off?

"Ian," Tetsu whispered to the boy next to him. "I've never made this potion before." The blonde Irish boy nearly gasped.

"What do you mean? Didn't you learn it last year at your old school?" Tetsu shook his head.

"No, we had a different curriculum," he lied. Ian swore under his breath.

"Alright, just follow my lead then. I got an A on it last year, and I think I remember how it's made."

"So you did great on it?" Tetsu smiled. Ian raised a brow. Tetsu frowned. "Isn't an 'A' the highest grade you can get?"

"No, 'A' is for 'Acceptable.' It's kind of in the middle." Tetsu gulped.

Tetsu and Ian spent the next hour working on their potion. While nervous at first, Tetsu soon found a rhythm for himself. Potion making really wasn't all that different from cooking or mixing drinks, things at which he had become quite accomplished while working in the Lavender Sunset. Ian seemed glad to have a partner who was a quick study, and the two were soon conversing happily. Before they knew it, time was up.

"The book says that the potion should be dark blue with cold steam rising from it," Ian noted. The boys' potion was a light blue with lukewarm steam. It wasn't perfect, but it was much closer than the bright pink concoction on the table next to them. In fact, theirs was one of only three that in any way resembled the proper result. When Snape paused to examine their potion, Tetsu was sure that they would receive a compliment.

Instead, Snape stared at their work with narrowed eyes. After a moment, he moved on without a word. "It seems as though many of you have forgotten even the most basic of potion-making skills," he announced after checking all the potions. "You will all compose an essay on proper technique. Three scrolls, due next class." There was a collective groan from the class, but Snape paid it no mind. As the students collected their things, Snape spoke again. "Fujita, stay after class." Tetsu and Ian exchanged puzzled looks. Had he done something wrong?

As the rest of the class filed out of the dungeon, Tetsu approached Snape at his desk. The man said nothing at first, but stared at him with crossed arms. "You've never made a potion before in your life, have you, Fujita?"

"W-what do you mean, Professor? Did we make a mistake with our potion?"

"No more than would be expected with Hanley's aggressively average competence," Shape replied scornfully. "No, Fujita, I'm referring to your technique. The way you cut your ingredients; the way you arranged your instruments; the way you stir. Your performance today is one I would expect from a mildly gifted first-year, not a third-year." Snape's eyes bore into him so deeply that Tetsu could almost feel him in his mind. Then suddenly the sensation was gone, and for an instant Snape's face registered confusion. The lapse was brief, however, and soon he was scowling again. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for being so woefully unprepared. Now get out." Tetsu was all too happy to comply.

XXXXX

Kurotsuchi Mayuri growled in frustration. The more he poured over Urahara's notes, the more he questioned the former Captain's competence as a researcher. The man had clearly had contact with wizards, yet his observations were all generalizations. There were no figures, no charts, no dissertations on the specific mechanics of human magic. It was if Urahara had been content with merely describing what wizards did without asking how they did it. Why, there was no record of him dissecting even one test subject! Clearly, the sentimental old fool had let his concern for ethics get in the way of science. That would all change, as soon as Mayuri could apprehend some wizards on which to experiment.

Capturing a live Wizard, however, had proven to be more difficult than anticipated. The first problem was that the creatures were abnormally difficult to identify. Wizards gave off no more reiatsu than a normal human, and while their signatures were unique, the differences were subtle enough to escape easy detection. Only one with the sensitivity of a Captain could even hope to distinguish between human and wizard reiatsu, and even then only if the Captain knew what to look for. That Urahara had not catalogued those differences was another point of frustration. Mayuri had had to work out the distinction through trial and error, and even his detection was not foolproof.

Secondly, wizards had proven to be quite elusive, even once positively identified. If his targets had not evaded his agents through illusion, then they had escaped by simply vanishing. Not even those trained in shunpo had been able to track their movements. As absurd as it was to imagine, it was as if the witches and wizards had simply disappeared into thin air.

Mayuri leaned back in his chair. Perhaps he was going about this problem in the wrong way. Perhaps chasing after adult witches and wizards was a mistake; they had had a lifetime to practice their deceptive arts, reinforced by a culture that's existence relied on going unnoticed. Their children, however, would not have this wealth of experience or any formal training. If they could somehow be led away from the protection of the adults, then they would be captured easily. True, jeuvenile subjects were less than ideal—after all, their magic may not have fully developed—but they would provide an excellent look at wizard development.

The only question was where to find a suitable supply of subjects. Children in the general wizard populace would most likely be near their parents—that is, if they could be identified from among normal children. The only places with large concentrations of wizard children were the various wizarding boarding schools. In fact, he even knew the location of one of those schools. A sneer crossed his lips as he glanced at one of the lab's many computer monitors. It showed a map of Hogwarts castle, with three blue dots representing the three undercover agents. His eyes lingered on the dot labeled "Kuchiki Byakuya," but only for a moment. Kuchiki was a potential problem, but Mayuri knew that he would not be able to interfere without risking his cover. Mayuri's sneer widened, a plan already forming in his twisted mind.