4. Wrong Thing to Say to Kenpachi

Summary: Kurotsuchi Mayuri hides his face behind a mask. That mask also hides who he really is. One day, someone discovers who he really is, and they both find a new friend.

Pairing/s: None.

Warnings: People out of character, Mayuri, Kenpachi, Nemu and Akon the most noticeable… I hope. Mentions of blood and gore. Spoilers for the previous twelfth captains. Maybe some more, dunno.

Disclaimers: I don't own Bleach.

-

Mayuri searched for the small box he was quite certain he had picked up before he left the 12th division, patting on all the pockets he could find. He was currently walking in one of the hall of Kenpachi's division, heading for the dining hall where he knew Kenpachi was and hopefully not too many people. They still had not figured out who he was, so it was a nice change just having them look at him with curiosity and not disgust.

"Kenpachi-taichou, is it true that Kurotsuchi-taichou is abusing his own daughter?"

Mayuri stopped dead in his tracks, eye widening.

"Where the hell didja hear that shit?" came Kenpachi's voice.

"But captain, it's not shit," he heard one man say maliciously, "it's true. Everyone knows it."

Mayuri felt his hands shake ever the slightest as he slowly lowered them to his sides. He had heard it being said in the past but that was before he had lowered his shields. It was before he was friend with Kenpachi. It was before, when he could just turn away from the voices and retreat to his laboratory.

Now though… it hurt. He never knew it would hurt like it did now, but it really hurt.

"It's shit, that's all it is," the giant said.

"Captain, he hits her in public! It must be abuse! And he's always saying she's nothing but a worm to him, and he wears that freaky mask! Maybe he's so ugly he can't show his face?"

He heard laughter, and had enough. He turned around and ran.

-

Kenpachi fought his way through when he heard the running of feet and rounded the corner. His eyes widened as he saw a blue-haired man vanish around another corner. Mayuri.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

The man turned around, very slowly, and they all backed away after seeing the look he gave. His hand tightened around the hilt of his zanpaktou and they froze where they stood at the murderous look they received from their captain.

"I'll deal with you later," he growled, and they all freaked out when they felt his reiatsu spike up. "When I come back and I hear you've said one more bad word about Kurotsuchi Mayuri, I'll kill ya all myself."

The next moment he set off after the scientist, leaving the men shaking in the corridor.

-

Mayuri sank down on the ground, his back against a tree and wondered just what he was doing. He had never allowed himself to be affected in that way and here he was, in the middle of nowhere with tears down his cheeks.

Great… he was sobbing like a baby. Mayuri snorted at the stupidity of the scene and wiped the tears away. He felt hollow inside. He was weak to let those comments get in under his skin. He should just shrug them off…

However, he could not just shrug them off this time. This time Kenpachi had heard them first hand. He did not know why it mattered so much what Kenpachi thought about him, but the fact the giant had heard it at all made Mayuri want to kill those men.

He leaned against the tree, looking up at the sky and wondering if the earth could swallow him up if he asked nicely.

-

"Mayuri!"

Kenpachi felt like a big idiot, running around in a forest and looking for the scientist but for the moment he did not care. He left Yachiru without telling where he went, ensuring a chaotic day at the division. Good; they deserved her punches and kicks. Maybe not Ikkaku and Yumichika, but they were at least good at dodging her.

He saw a shock of blue and moved towards the spot. The spot became hair, sitting messily on top of the insomniac and paranoid scientist's head, yellow eyes widened once Mayuri caught sight of him.

"Man, you run fast for bein' so small," the giant said and fell down in a kinda sitting position next to the blue-haired man. "I had to run real' fast to catch up with ya!"

"… Sorry."

"Nah, the only ones that gotta say sorry are those idiots back at my division," Kenpachi said. "Which they will, some way."

"Don't," Mayuri said. "It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? Stop lyin'. Or maybe you're not lyin' but it matters for me. You're a friend to me, and they insulted you in front of me. I won't forgive that so easily."

"They didn't know…"

"Then I guess it's time they will know."

Mayuri looked over at the giant captain and he looked back at the blue-haired one. The scientist fingered on the box he had found in one of his pockets not too long ago and got it out.

"What's that?" Kenpachi asked.

"… A gift."

"Oh. To who?"

"You." And he stretched it out so the eleventh captain could take it. Kenpachi did, held it in his big hand and said:

"For me? What is it?"

"Presents are not meant to be known before-hand," Mayuri said with a smile. "Open it."

The giant looked at the smaller man but he was not looking back. With a shrug, Kenpachi opened the box.

"Bells?"

"They are better than the ones you're wearing," Mayuri said, indicating to the bells in Kenpachi's spiky hair. "I thought you might need new ones."

Kenpachi looked at the smaller man who was now very interested in his own feet.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," the giant said. "Thanks… I've never really gotten a gift before."

"You haven't?" Mayuri said and looked at him.

"Nah. One or two from Yachiru when she got somethin' weird she didn't like," Kenpachi said with a grin. "She'd make Unohana wrap it up an' all that shit."

"But you have received gifts."

"You haven't?"

"Not… gifts," Mayuri said. "Merely things for my laboratory, and that were given reluctantly to me."

"Who gave it to ya?"

"Urahara Kisuke… back when he was a captain," Mayuri said and fingered on the sleeve of his uniform. "He wasn't reluctant in the way that he didn't like me, but he wanted me to spend time outside the laboratory from time to time. Giving me things belonging in one, and I would not leave it for days. That's the only reason why he was reluctant. But others… they didn't want to give me anything. They didn't know who I was. I never intended to let anyone know who I was."

"Am," Kenpachi corrected.

"… am. Yes, that's right. I'm sorry."

"Stop sayin' your sorry. Doesn't fit you. How 'bout we go and make sure my people will know they messed with the wrong set of friends, ey?"

-

"Think captain was kidding, Madarame-san?"

"About what?" Ikkaku asked.

"About killing us if we said anything bad about Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

"Did you say anything before he left?" the man asked as Yumichika stopped to hear as well. They knew about their captain's friendship with the scientist and it was a bit of a bad sign if they had.

"We… kinda did," one of them said. "Just asking if he thought it was true that he abused his daughter, stuff like that."

"Well, don't say it anymore," Ikkaku said. "Kurotsuchi-san is a captain too, you don't walk around and speak shit about other captains."

"But Madarame-san…"

"Whatcha sayin'?"

They all turned around and was met by Kenpachi's crazy grin.

"You talked 'bout Mayuri, right? What didja say?"

"Nothing at all, captain!"

"You want me to have Yachiru play with ya, or what?"

"Not at all, captain!" one said. "We were just told by Madarame-san to be respectful to all captains."

"Somethin' like that," Ikkaku said. "But before you asked if the captain was kiddin' about Kurotsuchi-taichou and all."

The group of Shinigamis looked at Ikkaku who merely grinned. He then looked behind Kenpachi and said:

"Hello, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

The group whipped around and saw the scientist. Mayuri moved aside some of his hair from his eyes, nodded shortly to Ikkaku and gently shook Yachiru from his leg.

"Go and play with them instead," he told the girl and pointed at the group of Shinigamis. They recognized his voice and grew pale.

"Yachiru, don't bug us until later," Kenpachi said. "So Mayuri, wanna help me replace the bells?"

"Since you can't do it on your own," Mayuri said dryly and followed the giant.

"Che, shut up."

"Don't want to."

Ikkaku grinned at the group of Shinigamis and said:

"There you have it. Stop saying the wrong things to the captain from now on, okay?"

They nodded furiously.

"Alright, Yachiru, want some help playin' with these people?" the bald man asked.

"Yay!" she shouted and struck her fist in the air. "You too, feather-boy!"

"For the last time, my name is Yumichika," the man groaned but moved to follow.

Mayuri heard screams as he had just finished taking away all the bells and said:

"So Yachiru is the thing to threaten your people with when they misbehave?"

"She's the ultimate weapon," Kenpachi said with a shrug. "Ikkaku and Yumichika hang on when they can, 'cuz that means they don't get hit by her… not too hard anyway. Whatcha doing? Come on, put the new ones on!"

"It's not like you need them at this very moment," Mayuri muttered but moved to start putting them back.

"Ya never know, it might come someone in here accidently!"

"You're not going to kill one of your own men."

"Not even one of 'em?"

"None."

"Fuck."

End


Well, the inspiration for this one vanished and didn't come back for a long time. Here it is though.

Fifth one-shot: Cooking from hell. This is the reason why one shouldn't let Mayuri into a kitchen.

Don't expect it too soon, but it will come! Rather short and often than trying to make the chapters long and let them lie in the dust for nearly three months.

Until later,

Ja,

Tiro