Lieutenant's Mayhem

by Mystic Blade

Ruka Kyōraku was happy as the third seat of the seventh squad but once Komamura transfers her as a lieutenant for ninth squad, she finds out it's not all it's cracked up to be when madness and mayhem follow her path. Still, there's a division to rebuild to return the old splendor of the Gotei 13 and shake the foundations of Soul Society itself. (AU, a decade after the Winter War).

38. The Nemu Project

Music Inspiration: Martin Phipps- "Better for Everyone"

---

The Nemu Project

---

Ruka had taken the next day to drop by the SRDI with her temporary access to mingle with the senior research team. She had brought back trinkets for her scientific cohort and with Mayuri stuck in the dark bowels of his office, it was the perfect time to visit.

By visit, she meant popping out from the nearest air vent.

Rin had been enjoying his morning pastry at his desk when the vent above his head burst open and a black blob spilled out. The grinding metal was loud enough on his ears and he didn't need to see what fell to scream in horror. He knew his captain kept odd creatures stored somewhere but he figured the containment units were strong to keep them out of the vent system.

Akon had been reading weekly reports while Nemu catalogued new experiments. Both scientists flinched when Rin's shrill scream echoed through the room and the third seat sighed, standing up with the hope that nothing had eaten his colleague. Or at least, anything important to him. In any case, he tapped the wall beside him where he stored a tranquilizer gun for emergency situations. It was one thing to be injured but another to face the captain without recapturing a specimen. Nemu was powerful on her own and required no assistance, heading straight into the room without hesitation.

They expected to find a battered Rin but instead, the room revealed a quivering one in his chair while Ruka peered down at him with an uncanny smile. The shinigami was dressed in her new uniform while she held a knapsack in her arms. Akon sighed under his breath to seeing his subordinate practically wet his pants from Ruka's presence. Giggling to herself, she patted the top of his head with a friendly tap and declared, "Ha, I get that a lot."

Akon and Nemu shared a confused glance as they wondered how she managed to get inside yet again. She had a temporary key card but it required a permanent employee to accompany her into the SRDI. Akon realized that it was a false alarm and placed his weapon on the nearest counter. His old mentor was eccentric but she was harmless against those she liked. Her focus left poor Rin as she hopped off his desk and the young man released a huge sigh of relief, relaxing in his chair like a tired sloth.

"Morning, gang!" Ruka piped up cheerfully as she held up her knapsack to boast, "I brought gifts, mostly from the Northeast tenth division."

"Did . . . how did you get in the air vent?" Nemu asked with curiosity in her tone to the odd entrance. How had she even manage it with the fat bag almost her size? She knew her father kept strict surveillance in every hallway and room, but she didn't think about the vents. Frankly, she figured he'd laced them with poisonous gas waiting to be unleashed at detecting movement.

Ruka pouted in thought to her plans of the day and shrugged lightly to answer, "I don't keep track of half the things I do."

"Does Captain Kurotsuchi know you're here?" Akon asked with a small sigh to her uncanny ability to enter the SRDI without notice. This was only through temporary access so he couldn't begin to imagine what she'd do with a full access badge. It humored him more than annoyed him, curious to the inner workings of her mind.

Before Ruka could fib a reply, an annoyed voice cut through their chatter, "No, he doesn't!"

The brunette refrained from glaring at the man in question as he interrupted their little reunion. She didn't flinch against the angry scowl on his painted face and crossed her arms to appear a little more intimidating. He wasn't in the mood to host his old researcher and matched her pose, golden eyes narrowing as he demanded, "Why are you here without an official request?"

She didn't shy away from her objective and peered down at her bag again to point out, "I bring gifts?"

"That's not a reason" he shot back acidly to shoo her out of his division. He wasn't comfortable having individuals not under his command running around the SRDI. Not knowing about it made it worse. Although she had been a part of it, he knew her loyalties lay in her own division and others. She cared more of uplifting society than developing new defense and weaponry, not to mention body modification.

She pretended to ignore his scowl and turned away from him to place her bag on Rin's desk. The poor researcher had finally calmed down and was back to sipping his tea to calm his nerves. Ruka began to open her bag, ignoring the ominous reiatsu leaking from the captain, and declared snippily, "Too bad, I'll drop them off and then I'll be on my way."

She removed a square container small enough to fit in her palm and turned around to smile at Rin. The researched blinked with delight to the bright pink ball floating inside the container. What was it and how was it possible? Ruka caught his enthusiasm and explained giddily, "Rin, since you like sweets, I bring you the sweetest gum ball known to shinigami kind! Now, it's held inside this preservation jar to-"

When she briefly glanced back at the container, her eyes widened to finding it empty and Ruka yelped, "Where the hell's the candy?"

Rin had a hand over his mouth to hide the crime and shrugged innocently, muffling out, "Dunno."

Ruka muttered a half-hearted 'mm-hmm' before handing the empty box to the researcher. Well, at least he enjoyed the candy before she could finish telling him about it. That was the important part.

Removing a glass spray bottle from her fat knapsack, she pointed to a clear bright neon green fluid stored inside. Akon didn't feel confident at all when she smiled at him and his eyes were focused solely on the unnaturally bright liquid. Was that plutonium in there? Tapping the glass, she explained with pep, "This is a newly developed stain remover. I figure you guys will need it from time to time."

Unlocking the safety of the bottle, she grabbed the end of his lab coat to spray the green fluid onto a small gray stain and grinned excitedly, "You spray it like so and-"

Akon agreed immediately that the spray worked marvelously as the circular stain disappeared. Maybe he'd been wrong about the ominously appearing fluid? Even Ruka was impressed to its efficiency. Unfortunately, it worked too well when the fluid began dissolving the stain and the fabric of his coat. A larger acidic burnt mess was left behind as Ruka stared at the coat in disbelief and he sighed, "It's eating my coat."

Clicking the safety back on, she chucked the bottle halfway across the room to be rid of it and growled, "Damn, Doherty said he fixed it!"

"I like his train of thought" Mayuri remarked with interest to the acidic liquid and walked over to pick up the discarded bottle. Ruka stood upright with a small glare aimed at him for the wisecrack. Her aim wasn't to bring toys of destruction! The captain handed the bottle to Nemu for safekeeping and ordered her to analyze the contents to study it.

"Moving forward" Ruka spoke firmly with a louder tone to pull away attention from his evil planning. Honestly, could anything not be an experiment for him? At least no malicious experiments? Peering into her bag, she groaned at realizing his gift was on top of Nemu's and grumbled under her breath. She was never a lucky gal and reluctantly met the man's uninterested gaze to dryly state, "This is not a gift, it was sent from Captain Östberg as more of a defense theory."

She removed a small wooden case about a feet in length before opening the top of the box. Inside, there was a miniature replica of their Seireitei with the surrounding Rukongai. The time spent on the detail must have taken weeks and Ruka wondered why they were sending such a pretty gift to Mayuri of all people. Was it somehow a secret surveillance box to deceive him? There was a small card laying over the wooden Rukongai buildings and she picked it up to read it, murmuring with surprise, "Apparently, this solves pesky Ryoka problems."

Showing the card to Mayuri, the captain read it within seconds and curiosity flared to seeing this prototype. Ruka pressed a round red button on the left side of the box to activate the experiment, backing away immediately. If it was a trap or it failed, she wanted to be nowhere near it. She motioned for Mayuri to use one of his writing tools to hover over the city to activate the experiment. The scientist huffed in annoyance before withdrawing a pencil to jab the exterior of the Seireitei walls. Within seconds, a metal object flew up from within the Gotei to crush the pencil onto the ground. What the heck, a fly swatter?

The design was a ridiculous replica of that pest crusher and it didn't escape Ruka's attention that a small portion of Rukongai had been flattened. How would that help relations between their people? Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed with dismay, "Seireitei Defender, my ass. Let's just ignore the Rukongai village below that was just crushed."

"Oh, I don't mind that part" Mayuri dismissed with an eager grin because defending the Seireitei would give him brownie points. At the same time, the body parts left over from the dead Rukongai would grant him experiment fodder. His grin only widened at seeing Ruka's disapproving frown and he closed the box, informing his second, "Nemu, monitor Lieutenant Doherty for possible transfer."

"Figures" she grumbled irritably to his endless pursuit of scientific supremacy. Ages ago, they ran on the same mindset for science and now, they were negatively charged ions. Mayuri's disturbing grin only grew wider to her quiet complaints and to rile her further, stood beside her so she could get a clear view of it. Jerk.

The other three scientists simply glanced at each other when the ninth lieutenant hissed like a furious swan. Mayuri's mind took a few seconds to grasp what she was doing but by then, she was trying to headbutt him. He shoved her aside by the shoulder with distaste but before she could continue her war path, Akon decided to sacrifice himself by standing in between the two scientists. He was accustomed to his captain's brusque manner but Ruka had always protected him during her years at the SRDI so he was inclined to defend her. Ruka hissed one last time before walking around Akon to grab the knapsack, handing it to Nemu. The lieutenant's green eyes were surprised to the weight in the bag and Ruka piped up excitedly, "Last but not least, Nemu. I brought you a whole new wardrobe!"

Mayuri yanked the bag from her hands and stuffed his hand inside to sneer at the new clothes, "Useless. Worthless. You have a uniform, Nemu, that should be enough."

Nemu said nothing as her new gift was seized and taken away before she could enjoy it. She hadn't even glanced at the contents. After enduring years of psychological trauma, this wasn't new to her. If anything, Ruka depicted more outrage on her face than Nemu when he shoved the bag into her hands to order bluntly, "Take them back."

"What?! She needs new clothes to wear off-work" Ruka argued heatedly and gave the bag back to Nemu. The solemn lieutenant wasn't sure what to do with it as Mayuri and Ruka argued, looking to Akon for input. The tall man simply shrugged and left it in her corner since it was her property. Ruka wagged a finger at the captain to challenge him and pointed out fiercely, "Every woman needs a wardrobe and Nemu will have it! She's a beautiful young lady that should express herself."

Turning to the befuddled Nemu, Ruka flashed an innocent smile but her tone was different story when she ordered, "Run along, lieutenant, I'll deal with your money-pinching father."

Nemu stared at both warily before disappearing back to her office, both to escape the two and to peruse her new gift. She'd never received anything for herself that wasn't related to her shinigami rank and for the first time, felt joy at having something to call her own. She'd have to create a secret place to store it to avoid her father's detection. Akon took this as his time to leave, especially when he heard Nemu's door shut and lock, and grabbed Rin to save the young man from the firestorm that was about to happen. He'd been old enough to remember the strong partnership between Ruka and Mayuri but also present to endure the last days of their fractured volatile relationship.

Ruka ignored the quick exit of the scientists as she leaned against the counter, shaking her head to tease, "If you're jealous I got her a stylish sense, I can take you shopping and replace those atrocious-"

"I'm not in the mood, Kyōraku" he snapped irritably to her useless jokes and turned around to head back to his private laboratory. Ruka followed behind him with quiet diligence, blending her footsteps with his as she kept an amused smile on her face. Mayuri fought the urge to roll his eyes at her childish behavior but he growled when realizing she hadn't stopped trailing him, "Woman, I swear-"

"You always swear and yet, I still live" she chuckled cheekily and peeked at the four tables inside the private lab they entered. The squeaky white color and the strong smell of sanitizer caused her to wince but this was Mayuri. Everything had to be sterilized. A half-hearted laugh left her as she attempted to draw his attention back, "You know what you should make? A reiatsu restoration serum. You already have the physical regeneration serum, why not add in another to complete the package?"

He gave her a sidelong glance to her random but perceptively bright ideas and asked bluntly, "Where do you get these ideas, Kyōraku?

"They come and go, you have to think of what you don't have and want" she replied casually to her thought process and hopped to sit on top of an empty table. Mayuri frowned at having to clean and sanitize that later from her carelessness. Kicking her legs idly, she leaned forward to smile at him, "Come now, don't tell me the great Kurotsuchi can't create it? I believe the best in you if no one does."

"You always have and it causes disaster" he snorted to her never-ending support that led nowhere for them. Their promises were both broken and the only stable relationship he'd had spiraled out of control. Still, he wrote her idea down on a piece of paper in his notebook. The back of his mind prodded him that she could be helpful to improve his institute but he subdued that stupid idea. After all, she had been his subordinate and lover . . . up until she ran away. That was the hardest selling point for inducting her to the SRDI again.

"I need to speak to you on another matter" she sighed and scratched her head, wondering how to bring it out into the open. Nanao had stirred too many 'what if' questions in her mind before her trip and she wasn't the type to shy away.

"No, you will not rejoin my institute" he rejected bluntly to get that out of the way and she punched his arm. The scientist shoved her away with force but had to admit she had a good hit, not to mention reach. He had no time for guessing games and hissed with warning, "Kyōraku. . ."

Her lips thinned with displeasure, wondering how long he'd been waiting to tell her that. Crossing her arms, she huffed in her spot and demanded, "Why not?"

"You're not division 12" he pointed out coldly because he never accepted anyone outside his division. If you were a pursuant of science, his squad was the rightful one. Who would learn theory in divisions like eleventh or third? There was a reason divisions were specialized to flourish natural talents of the shinigami.

"But I want to research!" she shot back with offense to being barred and slammed a fist down on the counter. She'd been part of the SRDI before, why couldn't she return? Had she left that horrible of an impression?

"Apply to my division and we'll talk" he rebuffed because he wasn't budging on his rule just for her. She had multiple talent but she decided to waste those gifts in other units, squandering them. Wasting time abroad had yielded her no gain as a scientist and he pitied her efforts. If she were in his division, she would be capable of running it while he focused on his division but that dream had been ruined a century ago. Ignoring her pleas to rejoin the SRDI, he finalized, "I do not accept outsiders."

"Forget it" she sighed as she kept losing the battle continuously against him. Beating a dead horse wouldn't do her any good and she spoke up firmly, "I came for something else."

"I will not sleep with you either" he declared frankly, crossing his arms to show her he wasn't interested. If she even attempted to use her femininity to sway him, she was out of luck. From the other side of the building, they heard glass shatter on the floor and he rolled his eyes to his nosy subordinates. Was his private life that interesting?

She balked to that out of the blue refusal, not that she'd accept, and yelled with embarrassment, "Why the hell did that pop into your mind?!"

He shrugged nonchalantly because he wasn't shy about anything, answering coolly, "Unresolved business?"

"No!" she exclaimed to the revolting thought of reuniting with him now. If she'd returned to see the young man she'd fallen for, possibly. The man before her was drastically changed, believing in a science far darker than hers, and had become the opposite of attraction for her. There was respect for his eccentric intellect and power but not anything past that. She felt no physical attraction to him neither and snapped hastily with a grimace, "A hundred times no!"

"The simple no sufficed" Mayuri snorted because she wasn't the spry spring chicken she claimed to be. In his youth, her passion for science fueled his but it diverged within a few years when she refused to use test subjects. Now, she appeared more like an average shinigami in her new attire rather than a scientist. Very unappealing to say the least.

"Does Nemu have any of my heredity running through her?" Ruka asked sharply and popped out a picture of said lieutenant. It had gotten crinkled at the corners from her sleeve storage but she'd gone for dramatic effect rather than aesthetics.

He raised a nonexistent eyebrow to ponder how she got a photo of Nemu eating a salad and she dismissed it, "I have my pink-haired sources."

She jabbed her finger at the photo and explained the situation that had surfaced, "Nanao has been bugging me that she could have reishi traits that are mine. There's absolutely no way you stored any genetic material from me and used it when you created her, right? Right?"

He hesitated to answer her, activating her paranoia alarms, and she pressed tightly, "Mayuri, I will kick your kidney into renal failure if you-"

"She may have a few, ahem, tweaked traits from you" he evaded to drop the matter and turned around but she grasped his arm to glare at him. Hopping off the table, he backed away to prevent being headbutted or worse. She was a short woman but he never doubted that she had the ferocity of a honey badger when angered. Wrenching himself free from her weak grasp, he informed coldly, "She is my child, other strands of modified reishi used to create her has no outcome on her origins. Skin color, allergies, height- it makes no difference. She is my creation."

"To hell with that if she has little pieces of me flowing through her!" she yelled angrily and smacked his arm again with greater force. She expected to have children naturally, not have her genetic material stolen and used without her consent. Everyone pretended to ignore the melancholic lieutenant but her curiosity was getting the better of her. Filled with anger to the possibility of being an unwilling part of his project, she demanded, "Why would you do that? More importantly, how?"

"Physical characteristic samples were needed from the female gender to create her and your face popped up during the procedure" he answered simply because he wanted Nemu to have advantages over regular shinigami. Her physical attractiveness tended to render men docile and her body modifications made her physically stronger than most. Her intellect was meant to match his as his protégé or he'd go back to the drawing board and render her as failure.

Ruka felt like slamming his face into the floor for his idle tone because it was a breach of privacy. She would have never consented to such a thing and if she had, she certainly wouldn't have let him raise her so cruelly. She grit her teeth when he added in nonchalantly with a wave of his hand, "Also, you were quite loyal while in my division. Besides, you weren't the only sample in her pool of data. As for how-"

"This I gotta hear" she snapped dryly and her eyes narrowed to his insane projects.

The scientist coughed awkwardly to admitting his sneaky methods and said, "You failed in throwing out your drinking cups and um. . .well, you didn't complain when I bit you that one time-"

"You bit me to get my blood sample?!" she yelled with outrage to their old makeout sessions and hurled the nearest beaker at his head. The glass shattered in a shower of glass behind him and she picked up another one as she shouted angrily, "Any other experiments you performed while we made out?"

"That's a broad question" he muttered under his breath and she threw the beaker at his feet this time. She was just about ready to release her shikai on him when he patted her head to throw off her anger with perplexity. Instead, he faced an angry Kyōraku that had placed aside their happy face as her blue eyes narrowed dangerously. He could feel the constrained spiritual pressure radiating from her as she failed to calm down and he warned, "No, Ruka. If you want a complete list of my experiments-"

"You bet your ass I do, starting with my first day in the institute!" she snapped with outrage and pinched his nose without warning. The captain slapped her hands away as he rubbed his abused nose. Her attacks didn't stop when she smacked the top of his head and he pulled a syringe from his sleeve to inject its blue fluid into her neck before she could stop him.

"There, that should- why aren't you unconscious?!" he screeched with mortification at the short female as she defied his serum results and she kicked his left kneecap. The sedative he'd pumped through that injection should have taken effect and knocked out a Menos Grande! As he recoiled from her strong kick, she pulled out the syringe dangling from the side of her neck and stabbed it right back into his neck.

That crazy little swan!, he screamed mentally to her daring defiance as she failed to become sleepy. Not to mention, jabbing him with his own needle!

Mayuri ripped out the syringe to fling it across the floor with disgust. Now he had to run multiple blood tests on himself and start preventative antibiotics so that would be a fun afternoon. Who knew what random germs she carried!

She held up her right hand to show him her silver rings and smirked, "They have tiny needles to inject my bloodstream against any detected foreign substances. You're not the only scientist with gadgets and fancy antidotes in the Seireitei, buddy."

They're painful when active but efficient, she thought to the small needles that dug deep enough to pierce her bloodstream. They pumped heavy immune boosters and antitoxins to give her enough time to reach medical treatment.

He glared at her while his mind picked at what useful gadgets she held in her possession. He'd expected the foreign Gotei to teach her nothing and have her potential dwindled. Had she really managed to create projects on her own without assistance? She'd been training under him a century ago! Even Akon had yet to be considered a master scientist by him. Her blue eyes were livid as she yelled, "Why would you use my genes to create a child? That's a pervasive breach of my trust! I want to strangle you!"

"You were my most loyal, not to mention my partner, so it seemed fitting" he pointed out sharply and she glanced away with a light blush on her cheeks. Great, he had to bring up their past at the worst moment. She didn't want to remember that right now! Shrugging noncommittally, he added in coldly, "They were the only admirable traits worth passing on."

"Hey!"

He rolled his eyes to her stubborn nature and pointed to the open doorway to emphasize, "I have actual work to do so if you don't mind leaving. . ."

"Don't you go passive-aggressive on me!" she yelled irately to being ignored and yanked the back of his captain's coat. He struggled in her grip like a fish as he attempted to slap her hand away and she growled, "I'm not done using you as a chew toy to vent on your crazy creations."

"Crazy has many terms" he stated matter-of-factly to its use and finally yanked his jacket from her grip. He was done with the Nemu topic completely because she'd been his creation decades ago while she'd been stuck in seventh doing nothing. His projects were none of her concern and he glared at her to order, "Our conversation is over, go home."

Listen to him, don't pick a fight, her zanpakutō warned to keep his wielder alive but Ruka was defiant to leave. He wouldn't steer her into danger and advised carefully, Remember what Nanao warned you about. Being the knight in shining armor doesn't work when the person doesn't want rescuing. Don't feel obligated to help because you believe in them time after time. They'll only pull you further into a pit of chaos that will swallow you completely.

"You always ignore me" she muttered sullenly and he turned around to object. Hadn't he given her enough attention back then? With the way she complained, one would think he locked her in a room with no sunlight. He treated her better than his subordinates and test subjects- wait, maybe not the latter. Ruka narrowed her eyes at him with accusation before claiming, "It's true, why do you think I left? Because I wanted a life change and jump over the fields of Switzerland with a stupid grin on my face?"

"I never cast you aside, Ruka" he told her firmly and she hugged herself to calm her jittery hands. She hated getting angry but she couldn't avoid it with the scientist. They had unfinished business the moment she ran out on their relationship and no matter how much she tried to end it with closure, he rebuffed acknowledging it.

"You actually believe that?" she asked bitterly as he stuck to being the innocent party and shook her head. She'd tried many times to see the situation from both sides but he refused to speak about it. Now, she had to accept the possibility of a being carrying her traits which hadn't even crossed her mind when it came to him. Pointing to his lab coat, she hissed defensively, "My mind says otherwise and that crazy getup you've used over the decades is proof of it. I was stupid for staying here as long as I did."

He didn't even bother in making a facial expression at her, simply uttering with a flat uninterested tone, "Are you done with your pathetic life revelations?"

"Ass" she muttered under her breath and clenched her fists to stop herself from doing something stupid.

"You came here to find out about Nemu and you received your answer" he stated coldly to end the conversation and began to scribble into his notebook. She grit her teeth to being ignored but reminded herself that this was his behavior nowadays. Without sparing a glance at her, he finished grimly, "She is my creation and is loyal to me alone. You have no claim on her and only share physical characteristics based on my tweaking. She is nothing to you."

"If you touch Nemu again, I will kick your ass" she threatened with a stern glare to show she meant business. He rolled his eyes because he could simply poison her with his zanpakutō and do away with her. She was a thorn on his side but her connection to science and nobility made it harder to make her disappear. Ugh, it's so much easier to do that with Rukongai subordinates.

He reared back when she suddenly grabbed a random empty beaker to throw it over his head. Her action earned his attention quickly and she chastised his behavior, "I've heard how you treated her and it's atrocious! I knew you didn't like children but no one deserves to be treated like a dirty dishrag. If she carries a drop of my family genes, I will consider her mine."

He would kill anybody that threatened to remove his experiments, snapping tightly, "No-"

Ruka released an exasperated growl to his lack of empathy and exclaimed with a wavering tone, "If she has a single shred of me, you've also tarnished my name. My family name! You've turned far worse than I thought you would."

Illegitimate children could ruin one's reputation, especially in the higher tiers of the social hierarchy. Despite it being an artificial modification of a sentient organism, Ruka wasn't comfortable with her physical imprint being used. What if Nemu's blood did carry a microscopic marker of Kyōraku blood? It would be traced back to Mayuri if it fell into the hands of the gossip mill and their old tryst would be out in public within hours.

Kurotsuchi wasn't having any of her guilty honor talk change his mind, aiming to keep Nemu away from her, and snapped coldly, "She is my creation and you have no right-"

"Don't interrupt me!" she yelled furiously and hurled another nearby beaker at his head without hesitation. He was ready for this one and dodged it easily by simply sidestepping, scowling at her recklessness. That wasn't a character trait of hers and he assumed he'd pissed her off enough that she cast aside her reservations. Her brow furrowed with disappointment as she screamed upsettingly, "I wanted to marry you and have little kid scientists- fast forward to now and we're ruined beyond repair and you have a daughter who's monotone! I should just listen to Nanao and lock myself in the detention brig for coming here."

In her youth, she had expected a naïve happy ending where she and Kurotsuchi could've run the twelfth division together. He had agreed to a certain point where it was only them, no children or other attachments. This meant abandoning her ties to the Kyōraku family and staying by his side only, something she hesitated to consider. His patience ran thin with people while hers was a deep well, leading the two to clash in their final days. He wasn't willing to offer what she desired and she cut her losses before ruining her integrity.

"Ruka, stop exaggerating over nothing" Kurotsuchi scolded sharply because he wouldn't entertain her hysterics. He had closed the chapter on Ruka over a century ago because his goal was to achieve scientific breakthroughs that nobody else could conceive, not raise a snot-nosed family. That would be his legacy. He abhorred children and knowing Ruka's family background, offspring would be expected. She would never cut ties with them which made it impossible for them to be together and he desired her more for her mind than anything else.

"Nothing!? Nemu's nothing? I'm nothing. . .fine!" she shouted with frustration to his lack of compassion for any living being and breathed deeply to calm herself. The conversation was leading nowhere and it only served to aggravate her emotions, opening old wounds she'd sealed ages ago. She was nothing but an afterthought now and backing away towards the nearest exit, sighed with exasperation, "I shouldn't have come here!"

Was he the only one with emotional control in Soul Society? Shaking his head to her dramatics, he snapped, "Ruka-"

Cutting him off once more, she raised her hands to end the matter and steadied her voice to neutrality, "If you need me for Gotei business, send a Hell butterfly. We're done here, Captain Kurotsuchi."

She left without another word, leaving him in silence as he clenched his fists to her disregard. So, cat and mouse was her game? Fine. They would cross paths now that she was lieutenant of the ninth division, it was unavoidable. Her family practically stretched from seventh division to thirteenth and he was in the center of it all! No one would know or ever believe the sarcastic woman had been entangled with him before, not that it was their business. Their romantic ties were over but they kept clashing with their scientific ideals. Eventually, one would have to win and he would die before admitting defeat.

---

"Here's the paperwork for this week, lieutenant" Shūhei informed her casually before handing her a thick packet. It was heavy enough to rival a hardcover textbook and her eyes widened slightly to the paperwork that piled up in their absence. They had only been gone for a few days! Still. . .

"All right, a fat one" she grinned eagerly to the plump stack and held it up over her head. It's when she couldn't lift it that she had to worry. Shūhei was taken aback to her enthusiasm because most lieutenants caved to defeat on their responsibilities. All except Rangiku who managed to stuff her paperwork under the couch until housekeeping found the dusty balls of paper. Ruka cackled mischievously to her work of the night and proclaimed proudly, "All hail the mighty paper filing lieutenant."

Her captain paused for a moment to her mini declaration and remarked slowly with curiosity, "You and Nanao have an odd fascination for paperwork."

"Guess it's the nerdy part of me" she admitted nonchalantly with a shrug because she was accustomed to writing papers and journals. If it wasn't writing on paper, she was typing away elsewhere. In afterthought to her daily life, she tapped her chin and recanted quickly, "No, wait, that's the science part. . . or is it bookworm part?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out" he replied to let her carry on and begin her assignment before she went off tangent. She could start a simple question and snowball it into a huge conversation topic so it was best to end it before it started.

Ruka caught the hint as her blue eyes darted to the open door and she informed, "All right, I'll be shut away in my barrack for the next three hours."

"You're not heading to Lieutenant Ise's to share the misery?" he asked with light surprise that the two weren't spending the evening together. If his lieutenant wasn't scurrying to seventh, she'd be hunkered down in the eight division. He knew this because her Hell butterfly, who know had a mini garden to herself outside the office, knew where to find her whenever he needed her presence.

Her pearly smile turned upside down into a frown as she crossed her arms to sniff with injustice, "No, Nanao put me on a time-out for a week after an altercation."

"I don't think Lieutenants can do that" he pointed out because he'd been the only one of out of his cohort, apart from Momo, to intensely read the lieutenant's rule book. Renji had set his on fire accidentally during Kido practice and Izuru decided to use it to balance one of his dining table legs. Being the newest rookie on the block, Ruka had highlighted the hell out of hers and slapped sticky notes all over. Shūhei didn't hesitate to remind her that she was no longer a third seat, "You both share the same rank."

She shrugged nonchalantly because life was better that way and admitted, "I don't know, we bend the rules or at least, I let her bend them so she doesn't crack my skull with her fat book."

"What happened?" he asked as curiosity bit him because Ruka was never one to live a boring lifestyle. If anything, it was intensified by an explosion or two. Her head only got in the way of Nanao's book when she embarrassed either the Gotei or her. He couldn't help but bring up the main victim of her strikes and pointed out, "I'm used to hearing her smack your uncle."

"Well. . ." she trailed off uncertainly as she revealed why she'd been smacked repeatedly.

(Flashback)

Ruka held onto a blue hardcover book that she'd found lying around in one of Nanao's desk drawers. It wasn't meant to be found intentionally but she'd been searching for a pencil after losing all three of hers that very same day. She had grinned with devious glee to the rare find and she'd begun to read aloud from the book to earn Nanao's attention. The eight lieutenant had paled and her blue eyes had widened at hearing the words. She didn't waste time in trying to wrestle the book away from the shorter woman but Ruka was a stout pony that easily deflected her swats. Nanao cursed her flexibility as Ruka read aloud and played keep away, "His lips quivered . . ."

Holding the book higher in the air, she pushed Nanao back with a jerk of her hips and continued reading loudly, "Against Akira's touch as he. . .wait, is this a gay fantasy porn book?"

"No, stop reading it!" Nanao screeched with extreme humiliation, especially at seeing Ruka's sly smirk to discovering her little secret. The brunette's grin rose up to her eyes to the risqué habit of her quite conservative friend. She would expect this from Matsumoto and Shihoin, maybe even herself, but not Nanao!

"He touched. . ." Ruka continued cheerfully while Nanao's cheeks burned red to the possibility of anybody overhearing this outside. Her friend was small but she had a voice that could command crowds when she wielded it. She would never live this down if it left the room. She swatted Ruka's back before attempting to grab her from the waist and the short brunette objected fiercely, "Stop, I can't read this aloud for humorous purposes when you're trying to take the book away! He-"

Nanao managed to extend her arm far enough to beat Ruka's fast footing and yanked the book back. Clutching it to her chest, she heaved a huge sigh of relief to having her property back. Ruka turned around swiftly to stomp her left foot comically before exclaiming, "What the hell?!"

"It's not what you think!" she protested vehemently to keep her secrets behind locked doors as they should be. Tucking the book behind her back, she backed away from Ruka as she slowly approached her. She couldn't believe she was retreating from her of all people as she became a lamb to her wolf.

Ruka wasn't convinced in the slightest because the romantic cover was enough to tell her otherwise. She wouldn't chastise Nanao's kinks and simply encouraged them by teasing, "Hun, I've seen enough action between my zanpakutō and Kuchiki's to know what this is. What else could it possibly be?"

Nanao took this chance to remove the possibility of letting the book fall into enemy hands. Before Ruka could take another step, the eight lieutenant summoned a kido into her hands to effectively burn the book into ashes. She gave one quick stomp to any remaining embers on the floor and bailed from the room immediately. Ruka waved her fists in the air to her retreat and hollered with insult, "C'mon, you're better than this! You could've let me borrow it!"

(End Flashback)

Shūhei had nothing to say to that and saw no mischievous glint in her eyes as she returned a flat stare. Ruka had never been one to bluff with him and he stated dryly, "You're serious."

"Quite" she verified as she stifled a laugh in her throat, clearing it to keep calm. Otherwise, she'd burst into hysterics and let a few other things slip. Bowing politely, she smiled warmly at her superior to dismiss herself, "See you at 0600, cap."

---

Ruka glared daggers at her file folders as she straightened the completed paperwork neatly and growled heatedly, "Sometimes, I just want to shove his painted face into a wood chipper."

"Ruka" Nanao warned calmly because she'd heard similar insults over the year.

"I'm allowed to fantasize!" the brunette exclaimed indignantly to her right to rant freely and shook her fists in the air. Why was Nanao always against her imaginary revenge plots? She pouted to draw some sympathy points, earning no response from Nanao, and demanded sarcastically, "Isn't it better that I dream of that than kinky sex?"

"Ruka!"

Nanao's voice echoed through the room to silence Ruka's bold remarks, leading the brunette to blow a raspberry. The two women had met up in Nanao's barrack for a quick cup of tea but Ruka had quickly turned to snacking in her friend's fridge until the other lieutenant smacked her away. Nanao would've liked to do the same with her friend but she was afraid of accidentally grabbing a stored experiment that could either make her sick or transform her. Her embarrassing accident with a sunblock lotion that turned her skin purple was more than enough to keep her away from Ruka's belongings.

"Don't be a prude" Ruka groaned miserably to her propriety but admired her iron will against her shenanigans. Sitting on the floor, her sock covered feet nudged Nanao's playfully as the other lieutenant sat at her private desk. Ruka preferred the cold floor as it grounded her flighty nature and laid down on her back when Nanao failed to join her footsie game. Glancing at the wooden ceiling, she admitted softly, "Besides, the old me was fascinated by his intellect before he went crazy with careless experimentation. Among other things."

(111 years ago)

Ruka stepped into his office in the institute, the sky already darkening behind her, and scratched her arms as she pushed her kimono's sleeves back. Mayuri simply offered her a quick glance as he finished writing his reports for Captain Urahara. Unlike his pain in the ass captain, his subordinate was obediently peppy and he preferred to keep it that way.

"I hate this fancy fabric, I don't know how Byakuya stands it" she hissed and removed one of the decorative hair pins in her hair to scratch her backside. There was no hesitation or embarrassment as she did that in front of him, chucking her noble look out the window. She sighed with immense relief and groaned with delight, "Oh man, that's been bugging me since dessert."

"I'll assume you didn't have a good dinner" he commented quietly as he finished one page and began scribbling on another. His notes were heavily detailed to avoid missing the tiniest of elements in case an experiment required a restart. Ruka shrugged half-heartedly because she enjoyed her family's company but not the socializing with strangers part. He always seemed to share her time with her friends, family, and other colleagues which left him annoyed at times. Why had he decided to date a likable girl? They were different as night and day, yet she chose him. Was there something wrong with her logic or was he somehow appealing to the opposite gender? He didn't know which was more disturbing.

She threw her arms around his neck, not caring that he was in the middle of his work, and kissed his painted black lips to murmur, "I missed you, Mayuri. It was dreadful with all this polite talk and no way to escape the droning of adults. Even uncle Shunsui fell asleep. If I wanted excitement, I could've watched a mixture bubble up rather than that."

Right. Because she liked him despite his faults and they both enjoyed criticizing worthless things. Happy to be with him, she sat in his lap and curled up against him as he paused his work. He traced his finger over her rosy cheek, wiping off a shimmer of blush, and let a chuckle pass his lips to comment dryly, "Those people are who you'll spend your life listening to. You look flawless with all those cosmetics on- I hate it. Why perfect something that shouldn't be perfect to begin with?"

"Hey" she objected swiftly and flicked one of the metal coverings over his missing ear. He hissed lightly to the bothersome sensation and watched her pout in protest as she stated matter-of-factly, "You wear paint every day! Most boyfriends would call their ladies pretty-"

"You don't need filthy gunk over your face, it's superficial" he muttered distastefully to her immaculate appearance and wiped her face with the white sleeves of his uniform. It barely dented the layer of makeup as a mixture of ivory and pink stained his fabric. She smiled faintly at his strange compliment and scratched her itchy arms again but he grabbed them to scold her, "Don't ruin your skin with that awful fabric. Go change into one of the extra uniforms and return so we can work on an experiment."

Her face broke into a happy grin to the suggestion as she sighed with delight, "That's the best thing I've heard all night!"

She traced her index finger over his chin and leaned forward to ask sneakily, "Does that mean I can clean that pasty makeup off you? We can remove our makeup together!"

"Hmm, no" he denied and captured her lips with his, pulling her closer by the neckline of her kimono.

(End)

"So, there's no lingering attraction whatsoever?" Nanao snorted with skepticism to Ruka's old flame since she kept returning to the SRDI. No matter how many people warned her, she refused to listen. She couldn't help but think her friend remained with subconscious feelings for him.

Ruka's face cringed automatically to that possibility and searching her heart, she didn't feel a flicker of affection for him. There was respect as a scientist but not for what they shared. He had given her young heart brief happiness before tumbling her world upside down. Only one person had provided her stable joy for a short time and unfortunately, it wasn't Mayuri. Shaking her head, she was quick to retort, "Fuck no, part of me wondered about it when we reunited months ago but. . .he's not the same man. We could talk all night about theories and experiment in the lab together. He wasn't rude with me but time changed that. . . or maybe it was hidden and I failed to see it."

Rubbing her tired eyes, she yawned lazily before adding in, "I see him as a potential colleague, but he keeps shoving me out of the SRDI."

"Do you think he still cares for you?" Nanao asked hesitantly as curiosity bit her, wondering if the man was capable of it. Everyone was pretty much terrified of him but Ruka had cast that reservation aside and dated the man. He showed little regard for life unless it meant results which led many to wonder what went on in his mind.

"That thought went out the window the moment he hit me" Ruka replied coldly with the main reason she left the twelfth division entirely. He changed after Urahara's leave as he was left unrestrained and Ruka could do nothing to stop his advancements with experimentation. She refused to justify physical violence with passion whenever she refused his orders and bitterly said, "I refuse to let anyone lay a hand on me and consider that love."

"That's exactly why I don't want you near him!" she pointed out firmly to stop her interactions with that division entirely. Her friend was smart enough to create her own work elsewhere and she'd rather have Ruka take the long path to that goal instead of the detour. She nudged Ruka's left side with her foot, causing the brunette to whine in rebuttal, and lectured, "This is me, your best friend, telling you to leave that past behind. You have the potential to make your own research-"

Ruka furrowed her brow in protest as she turned her head towards her and interjected, "I need the SRDI! Without that, I would have to leave this Gotei and apply elsewhere."

"There has to be another way" Nanao reasoned to have her find alternate options rather than butt heads with Mayuri. Ruka could be stubborn sometimes so she had to try harder to open her eyes. Prodding her side once more with her foot, Ruka rolled away from the offending appendage as Nanao warned, "If your family finds out about your history with him-"

"They won't" she scoffed with a short laugh because she'd hidden it rather well. If they did, nothing came of it so there was no shame. Sitting back up at a distance from her, she raised her arms to stretch her spine and mumbled sleepily, "It's over a century ago so relevancy isn't an issue if they hear it."

Nanao was quick to point out the number one source of public shame and downfall, "The tabloids."

"Bah! They'd sooner pin me with someone else rather than him" Ruka snorted with disdain to the exaggerated gossips because they blew everything out of proportion. There was one noble family in the papers every week so it was bound to be her turn eventually. The only people whose opinions mattered were her family's and they had yet to summon her to explain away something. Laughing to the dramatic articles, her blue eyes glimmered brightly as she admitted gleefully, "I don't know how but Byakuya's lusty fan club managed to get camera footage of that outing we did a while back. They even drew a radioactive hazard sign on me. Me! The most innocent of all!"

"Sure, you are" Nanao laughed softly because her ridiculous expression was contagious. She'd rather have her spend time with the noble than the crazy scientist any day. Rubbing her temples, she subsided her laughter and sighed softly, "Just let that part of your past die- the Mayuri part."

"You were right, he used my characteristics to create Nemu" she whispered sullenly to having her likeness used to create a sentient organism- a person! How was she supposed to react to that? How could any rational person respond? She wasn't someone who could detach herself and feel no remorse after hearing that revelation. Ruka hung her head in defeat as she tapped the floorboards with her fingers to admit softly, "I can't help but feel responsible for that- for her."

"That is his burden, not yours" Nanao stated evenly because Ruka hadn't asked or known about his secret experiments. She was not guilty of anything, except choosing to care for a man who valued his lab more than the living. Stepping away from her desk, she kneeled beside her friend's slumped form to comfort, "You didn't ask for an artificially created baby."

She felt betrayed for having their failed past in front of her face all along, taunted by what could never be. If she'd chosen to stay and he'd been a better man, would Nemu have been the culmination of their union? She would never know. Instead, he'd created someone who obeyed him without question and would follow through with his experiments. Nanao rubbed her back as Ruka's peppy façade faltered and soothed gently, "You did nothing wrong."

"Does that mean I have to backpay child support?" Ruka asked awkwardly as the humor defense rose to protect her inner conflict. She appreciated the support from Nanao but endless questions kept surfacing to mind. The other woman groaned to hearing her higher pitch voice as the brunette declared, "Technically, she's an adult but with the way he behaves, she deserves an allowance!"

"Your family will question where those funds are going" she pointed out flatly to get any crazy ideas out of her head. If she started wiring money, questions would bubble in her lake of forgotten memories and people would fish those secrets out.

"Not if it's my shinigami pay" she quipped back because she set up donation funds for those who wanted to contribute a few kan. It's how she managed to rope Byakuya into helping Rukongai without using his smooth highborn hands.

"You're only going to make things worse!" Nanao dissuaded sharply and ruffled the top of her hair into a ball of fluff. Resembling a poodle, Ruka pouted to having her ideas shot down and ran her fingers through her hair to smooth down her wavy locks. Her friend prodded her left side, causing her to whine in protest, and ordered, "Don't interfere in their lives."

"Nanao, I could be a test tube mom!" she declared hysterically to that horrible notion and slumped down onto the floor again like a lazy cat. She wasn't ready to be a mother and expected her firstborn to be a baby, not a grown adult! What kind of soap opera life was she living through?

"Stop overthinking it!" Nanao hushed swiftly to put her brain on pause for once and flicked the center of her forehead. Ruka grumbled under her breath and another flick to the head caused her to whine in defeat. Good, otherwise, she'd bring out her fat book. Offering a sympathetic smile, she advised with a softer one, "It was fine before you found out and it'll be fine after. Let it be or you'll make it worse, like picking at a scab."

"Eh, fine" she agreed reluctantly because she wouldn't get anywhere else with Nanao. Sitting up, she picked up her files to return to her office to drop them off for the night. She managed to finish the heavy set of paperwork and hoped her captain managed to tame his lot as well. Since she was heading back, she could also pick up a few items to help her with some stress relief.

Nanao scrutinized her abrupt leave as she narrowed her eyes and questioned, "Where are you going? It better not be back to Kurotsuchi!"

"To draw" she answered honestly with a bright smile, clutching her files close to her chest. When talking failed, drawing, painting, and hearing music was a close second for her to vent. Waving a hand in dismissal, she stood up quickly to head to the closed door and piped up, "I'll be fine, I'm going to Kuchiki's."

"You can't run to him every time you hit a roadblock with me" the lieutenant muttered because he was more lenient with her hijinks lately. They could both lecture her but Nanao subdued her destructive tendencies while Ruka managed to provoke subtle traces from him. It was of no surprise to see her by his side when she didn't buy into her ploys.

"Sure, I can" she giggled impishly because he'd yet to turn her away since returning. They had finally managed to fall into a great place in their friendship and nobody's gardens had been wrecked yet. Her lips widened into a mischievous grin and she laughed sneakily to reveal, "Plus, he's great at terrifying people away from me."

She had no words to say to that, throwing her hands up in the air as she stuttered, "I. . .Honestly, you two are-"

"Awesome?" she chirped innocently with a cheeky smile, knowing Nanao would never stand up to Byakuya. She'd tried it once during a lieutenant's budget meeting and his glower power alone silenced her. Ruka, however, was immune to it by now.

Nanao waved her away with a dreadful sigh and muttered, "Get out of here."

---

When it came to art supplies, the ninth division stocked an incredible arsenal due to their newsletter. Ruka had proudly proclaimed them as her lost people when she saw over a hundred variations of paints, pencils, pens, markers, chalk- everything! When she wasn't working on the newsletter, she worked on art projects aimed for the Seireitei. By projects, she privately meant the Chappy Club and sketching new inventions.

With the latest issue now in production, supplies weren't scarce so Ruka had shoved a bunch into a handy art satchel. Attaching an 'IOU art supplies by LT Ruka' note on the chief editor's desk (her captain), she'd scampered off silently into the darkness. In quiet solitude, she'd craft her newest artistic creation to add to her growing bundle of cute silly cartoons to fawn over. It gave her a peace of mind when she wasn't in the mood for time consuming painting since she usually gave those away to friends. Stress relief went hand in hand with her art as the time consumed on it dissipated flared emotions.

She was sorting through her stolen color pencils on the table when a masculine voice broke in, "Why are you in my home?"

Ruka didn't even offer a response as she continued sketching on her pad with her left hand. Using her right one, she fished out a laminated paper from the commando coat's inner pocket to hold it up in the air. Byakuya Kuchiki, still wearing his captain's uniform, frowned lightly at seeing his grandfather's writing on it. Again, he had to question his grandfather's logic in bestowing that to her. She could drive him to madness but as the months passed between them, he wondered if it was because Ruka was always in his corner.

"All-access pass, remember? Kurosaki was nice enough download the copy I sent and make it spiffy" she grinned impishly before waving the downsized paper card teasingly. This way, nobody could tear it and water damage was impossible. Stuffing it back into her pocket for safekeeping, she returned to drawing once more. Not the type for being impolite in another's home, she explained simply, "I was in the mood to draw since Ryo's done kicking my butt right now and work is done for the day."

"More Chappy?" he asked coolly because that's all she and his sister drew nowadays. Their club had been a hit and Rukia had somehow convinced the Chappy creators to sell her merchandise for distribution. He wouldn't be surprised if the two visited the business for a tour or worse, landed jobs there.

Shaking her head, she halted her scribbling to inform him sheepishly, "No, I created a sidekick for the Seaweed Ambassador. Um, wanna see?"

"Proper grammar, Ruka, and yes, I do" he spoke quietly as he corrected her behavior but rewarded her effort. She was shy with her art, which is why she gave it to friends only, but he'd yet to see an awful piece. Instead of receiving a defiant raspberry, she scooted to the right to allow him to peer down at her sketchbook.

Unveiling her newest masterpiece, Byakuya's brow furrowed to seeing a purple cloud-like lumpy creature with two arms that ended with four fingers. It had no legs at all as its body ended in a lumpy oval shape similar to his caricature but hers floated in midair. Its face was at the top of the body, like the Seaweed Ambassador and Chappy with a sassy smiley face expression. A golden circlet sat over its head with a four-point star in its center to offer a dainty look.

"I call her Lumpy Lavender Princess or LLP for short- she's made of cotton candy" Ruka introduced since the thought of a sidekick popped into mind randomly during a meeting. Even if he didn't like it, she'd keep her quirky creation to herself. Pointing to the color pencils, she rested her chin in her opposite hand and grinned, "I almost went with Lumpy Seaweed Princess but I don't want to steal your work."

Byakuya focused on one specific image at the bottom of the page and Ruka smiled innocently.

"Um, she has teeth" she chuckled nervously as she pointed to a scribble of her creation's sharp canine teeth ripping into a pink cupcake to protect the Seaweed Ambassador. Byakuya could only wonder what the heck dwelled in her mind sometimes. Still, her art was tasteful with its vivid colors and clear lines.

Nonetheless, he sat down to peer at her creation with mild interest while her eyes blinked comically. Why hadn't he said anything? Insecurity led her to yanking away her sketch pad quickly to hide it since she wasn't a cartoonist. Before she could tuck it away into her coat for safekeeping, he grabbed her elbow to halt her movement.

Her defiant gaze met his stoic one as she tugged her arm and he questioned simply, "Why are you hiding it?"

"Your face" she pointed out with a dejected pout to his firm expression. His serious stare went from 0 'this is droll' to 10 'I will kill you' so she had to play investigator in deciphering his little facial signs. He wasn't like her family that burst into laughter or exclaimed in protest but a whole opposite of imposed tranquility.

"My face always looks the same, Ruka" he pointed out flatly to his emotionless façade after years of endless practice. He didn't want her scurrying away because she misread him, slightly annoyed that she couldn't read him. She always did! It wasn't easy pulling away from his mask to reveal his true self but her features softened when he actually pointed at his face. His eyes were the only sign of emotion as they widened slightly in exasperation to remind her, "It's what keeps annoyances from pestering me to boredom and my aura of intimidation intact. Otherwise, I would be driven mad."

A faint smile pulled at her lips since it was a subtle attempt to joke and she chuckled, "Clever man."

Ruka was likely the only person he could ever drop his mask for but he wondered if switching it off would lead to a loss of control. He couldn't risk that either since he was meant to be neutral in his roles, except his captaincy. A smile threatened to crack on his porcelain face when Ruka poked her cheek with a wide smile. She was goading him but he wouldn't fall for it, informing her, "You've never laughed at what I've drawn and I will give you the same respect."

"I'd rather have you tell me the truth and prevent an embarrassment" she muttered with a defeated sigh and placed her book on the table. If her friend found offense with it, there was a highly likely chance Soul Society would as well.

Byakuya would never stifle her creativity because it brought her joy. Her imagination could run wild and that also led to the creation of her current projects. He pointed to his green caricature in her sketch and tried to decrease her anxiety by reasoning, "People laugh at my Seaweed Ambassador but I continue, just as you encouraged. Will you care what strangers think or what your close friends think?"

Peering down at her sketch book, she released her tight hold on it and slid it over to him. He was right because she never hesitated to support his drawing and couldn't hold herself to a different standard. Knowing he was on her side, her shoulders relaxed and she asked softly with hope, "Can. . .can they get trapped in an alternate dimension where we meet them and help them save the day?"

She caught a faint smile as he sat down beside her to glance at the materials strewn all over the table. Wait, did he want to participate? Was she dreaming? Grabbing her sketchpad, he turned the covered pages until an empty one appeared and proposed, "Would you prefer drawing or creating the story?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Kuchiki" she grinned with excitement to crafting a comic with her friend for the first time in decades. He was all about the Seaweed Ambassador while she and Rukia drew their Chappy comics. Calligraphy and painting tended to be their shared hobby but this filled her with joy. Tapping her fingers on the table with eagerness, she asked with intrigue, "Remember our first artbook, Mr. Turtle and Mr. Koi Save Kuchiki Lake?"

She grabbed her pencil to divide the paper into square sections to begin their project. When it came to drawing, she would go to town with a myriad of colors. Byakuya was a fan of drama in stories so he would design the plot of their comic. She would add the playful comedy banter to balance any seriousness, which was always with him.

As she continued to draw the skeleton of her borders, she turned to him and met his serene gaze to smile warmly, "Thank you for never turning me away."

"You're my friend" he answered her heartfelt comment because he hadn't expected it. The sudden disclosure and her focus on drawing led him to concluding someone had disappointed her. If the pain ran deeper, he was unaware. He had seen her scamper into his home numerous times to hide away from teasing or harsh criticism. Before he could stop himself, he grasped her forearm to halt her drawing and questioned firmly, "Who upset you and what is their greatest fear?"

"Kuchiki, no" she laughed softly to his protectiveness but her gaze softened with appreciation. How could she be naïve and think he wouldn't detect her worries? Still, she couldn't divulge the entire truth to him and have a fight break between captains. Despite the years, his hotheadedness flared in small but powerful actions which tickled her pink. Placing her free hand over his to relax his protective grip, she squeezed it and reassured, "I'm just here to spend time with you. It's quite calming."

He withdrew his hand to let her continue but his lips turned from a frown into a light pout. His brow furrowed slightly to having the chance of a verbal debate (or worse) removed and he confessed with veiled disillusion, "Oh. . . I'm a little disappointed."

"Byakuya!" Ruka protested to his hilarious remark as his low-tone deliverance made it even funnier. He had promised to be more open with her and this was exactly what she aimed for. Her laugh echoed through the room and she placed her free hand over her mouth to muffle it.

"I meant on unleashing revenge against an offender, not your company" he corrected quickly before she misunderstood his blurt but this only caused her to grin. Well, it was much better to see her smiling than upset. He didn't want anyone bringing tears to her eyes since she was a happy entity. There wasn't malice in her heart and he wondered at times if the Soul King had designed such a pure soul (not that he'd ever tell her that). He could be cruel at times and although he justified his actions when it surfaced, it was a bitter pill to swallow. People held out their hand in friendship to him for prestige but she had sought him for true camaraderie without any strings attached. The hand that had touched her skin was shoved into his sleeve as he averted his gaze to the table, daring to ask, "Do you enjoy your time with me?"

"Always" she replied without hesitation and playfully bumped her shoulder against his. Despite their little squabbles, their friendship was a sticky bun that nobody escaped from. Her answer pleased him because he wanted her to seek him when she was free. He didn't have many people to spend time with and her company brought him peace as well as humor. Knowing he could bring happiness to others, especially her, put him at ease.

"Did you eat dinner?" he asked inquisitively because a good host offered food for their friend. Ruka was familiar with dropping by for meals but dinner had already been served and put away in the manor. Her meek stare immediately told him she hadn't eaten and he offered, "I can request-"

"Let's cook it ourselves!" she piped up excitedly because they would be working on their new project for a few hours. They could whip up something tasty while they let their art dry or for breaks.

He didn't want to burst her cooking bubble but had to admit reluctantly, "They're leftovers."

Byakuya wasn't a fan of having to reheat anything, preferring to sit down to a hot meal and leave right after. That, and he wasn't the best in a kitchen setting. Ruka, on the other hand, liked to create with her hands and she stood up to declare with a raised arm, "To the Great Kuchiki Oven!"

"It's. . .it's just an oven, Ruka" he muttered flatly to her zest for anything, even if it was plain. She batted him away with her other hand for daring to put a damper on her good mood.

---

Shinigami Extra:

Ruka wiggled her fingers to let them rest after drawing the tenth page of their comic, surprised to her speed. Then again, anything cute that drew her interest and passion made time fly by. Glancing at her partner in art, who was idly sipping tea, she grinned, "You ever wonder if we will outgrow this one day?"

"Never" he replied serenely because the Seaweed Ambassador was great for any age. If anybody dared to insult him, he held a shikai to unleash.

A sudden thought popped into mind and she laughed into her hands to share giddily, "If I ever dare to have kids or you step out into the dating pool- I said if! Don't glare at me, I'm innocent!"

She tried to appear defenseless to his glower power by enlarging her eyes, sinking her shoulders, and clasping her hands over her chest for pity. He had to grudgingly admit it was effective and averted his gaze from her, sighing with disinterest to her hypothetical question. When she figured the glare forecast was clear, she continued, "I wonder if my cartoons will be laughed at by a new generation or held as magnificent. Hmm. Would I be an awesome parent or a catastrophe?"

"I think you'll be fine if you don't emotionally scar them" Byakuya suggested flatly because she could do some outrageous things. Even as her friend, there were times he looked for a conveniently placed exit. However, she had a great capacity for love so he was certain she'd do fine in child rearing.

"At least I won't make a test tube baby" she muttered under her breath to the mind-boggling experiments of Kurotsuchi. A flicker of dormant anger erupted but she pushed it away by coloring in the eyes of the Seaweed Ambassador. Her children, if any, would be conceived naturally and out of love- not experimentation.

Did he hear right? Byakuya shifted his gaze back to her with a mildly bewildered look on his face and echoed, "A what?"

"Nothing!" she dismissed with a nervous smile to avoid sharing the topic. As much as she trusted him, divulging today's events would lead her down a winding road of revelations. Tapping the end her colored pencil against her sketch pad, she declared peppily, "If I do have them, they better have a sense of humor. It's part of the Kyōraku charm!"

Byakuya sighed dismally into his teacup, praying that if her wish came true, Soul Society would only have one descendant of hers to cause chaos.

Years later, he would be dealing with three of her offspring. . .

Ruka smiled brightly as she rolled a sticky ball of popcorn in her hand and set it down on a baking dish. With winter in full gear, she loved baking in the cozy kitchen to keep her children warm and they were happy for the time spent with their parents. She had shown them how to make the recipe for boiling caramel, having them as little helpers by molding the coated popcorn into balls. At ten years old, Koji had the best motor skills out of his siblings and expertly rolled the batter between his hands. Aya was trying her best to imitate her older brother's perfect symmetry and the six-year-old frowned at seeing her finger imprints in the popcorn. Kasumi, at age four, was more interested in picking out the popcorn from her little misshapen balls to even them out until nothing was left. Now that her molars had surfaced, she was eagerly biting into anything she could- much to Ruka's dismay.

Byakuya stood at the end of their conveyor line with amusement on his features as he watched their children. Each tackled the baking job differently as Koji became a natural dessert maker, Aya frowned to her lack of dexterity, and Kasumi filled her stomach with warm popcorn. He grabbed a small portion of the sticky popcorn to offer it to Kasumi as her silver eyes peeked over the table for more treats. With her being his smallest child, he grabbed a nearby chair to hoist her onto it for a better view. His daughter clapped happily before digging her hands into the popcorn and finally attempting to copy her sister.

"My father, your grandfather Masato, showed me this recipe when I was Aya's age" Ruka confessed fondly to the little memories that remained with her now. Her father had a sweet tooth and he was a natural in the kitchen when it came to baking. Three little faces glanced at her with undivided attention as she stood to the left by the oven and they took the center of the kitchen. Her lips widened when Aya scratched her face and frowned at having tendrils of black hair stick to them. Byakuya was quick to wipe her hands clean with a damp towel to prevent a sticky mess. Bowing playfully to her little ones, she grinned slyly, "I now pass it to you."

"But I'm little!" Aya replied swiftly to point out she couldn't handle a recipe alone and needed her parents. She emphasized her size by hopping in place, raven hair bobbing in the air, and grinned confidently, "See?"

"No more hopping or you'll get a stomachache" Byakuya advised gently as he placed his hands on her little shoulders and she pouted. Her silver-blue eyes were skeptical to the possibility as she believed herself invincible. He ruffled her hair gently to simmer her excitement without chastising her, enjoying her spunk.

Ruka had been giving the caramel a moment to cool slightly to avoid any burns with her little helpers. She knew the caramel would make them hyper if they all managed to get their hands on it so she'd do it slowly one by one. Grabbing the pot, she set it down at the end of the table and grabbed a ball from Koji's dish to drop it into an empty bowl. Their faces brightened when she stirred the batter over the ball in the dish and rolled it with spoon to avoid any burns.

The children listened to their mother's instructions obediently and the only one who she had to warn was her husband. He decided to show bad model behavior by picking at the popcorn, which Kasumi happily copied, and she had to stop their little ones from devouring the treat in the bowl. A dismayed sigh melted into laughter as she warned gently, "It's not even hardened yet!"

"Soft caramel is the best part" her husband replied simply as if he'd declared it as decree. Her amused gaze was met with confidence and he picked at the half-eaten ball to imply, "It is."

"You're making me suspicious that the kids are hiking up your sweet tolerance" she chuckled softly as she pointed her wooden spoon at him and quickly dropped it into the pot when Kasumi reached for it. Yep, her kids were taking after him. Motioning with her hand to the obliterated caramel popcorn ball, she explained carefully, "Make sure the batter covers it completely and then set it down on the baking dish to let it cool and harden. Just make sure the caramel doesn't harden in the pot but on your treats."

She stirred the pot and Aya took this chance to dump one of her balls into the empty bowl. Kasumi decided to toss one of her tiny balls for the ride to copy her sibling, amusing the couple. Their family time was cut short when one of their servants appeared at the kitchen entrance, clearing his throat before respectably requesting, "Lady Kuchiki, phone call in the study for you."

"Any chance it was a telemarketer or spam?" she asked regrettably with a slight frown and their loyal servant shook his head. Figures, she'd trained her staff too well in diverting useless calls back to other spam numbers. She didn't want to miss important calls related to her clan, research, or the Gotei, excusing herself with a fond smile, "I'll return quickly, my dear ones."

When Ruka headed out to grab the call, Byakuya took over caramel batter duty. Grabbing a clean spoon, he assumed Ruka's spot across the table and smiled serenely at his children to say, "All right, let's continue."

"But it's mother's recipe" Koji reminded worriedly because she had emphasized the family origin. He didn't want to steal anyone's thunder and not to mention, upset his mother. Besides, he remembered the warnings about his father being left alone in a kitchen. It never ended well.

"I've known the Kyōraku family since my birth so I believe I know my way around the family recipes" Byakuya emphasized firmly because his wife had shared many of her recipes with him. Lady Hiroko's recipes from healing to food had been inherited by Ruka, who happily put them to use. He had spent much of his life among her family and didn't want the impression on his children that they'd met shortly before marriage like other nobles.

His children shared uncertain glances that spoke silently to their hesitance, but he assured, "It will be fine."

He decided to abort the slow process of one ball at a time and opened the top cabinets of the kitchen to find the largest mixing bowl. His marriage to Ruka had led to bonding in the kitchen as they created dishes one day out of the week to enjoy themselves. Their first month had led the servants to performing deep cleans from their messes but they'd improved and cleaned everything themselves- much to Byakuya's disbelief initially. It was a rarity to see a high noble lord whipping out cooking ware but it made his children happy.

Returning to the table, he set it down and tipped the pot to fill it completely with the warm caramel. Noticing that it was becoming thicker, he quickly grabbed more mixing bowls and dumped the rest into them. He invited the children to begin placing the popcorn balls inside but he underestimated their excitement. All three children began to drop their prepared balls into the bowls, forgetting their mother's instructions and casting everything to the wind. Byakuya flinched slightly when he watched three pairs of hands begin to overflow the bowls and a tsunami of caramel began pouring over the clean marble table. Little hands dipped into the bowls to roll them and he watched his daughters smear caramel onto their faces.

Koji noticed the stickiness on his hands and the thickening batter as it reached room temperature. Quickly, he grabbed the pot of caramel to pour more of the fresh batch to thin it and before Byakuya could yank it back, the pot landed on its side to spill the contents onto the table. Great, now he had a problem!

He grabbed the dripping pot before it rolled over the table and placed it upright again. Aiming a stern look toward his son, Koji's blue eyes turned downcast as he squeaked quickly, "I'm sorry, it slipped!"

The river of caramel had covered almost all the table and was threatening to spill over the edges to dirty the floor. Byakuya wanted to kick the nearest trashcan for the mess he'd created but he needed corrective action, not useless emotion. His wife would return at any moment and he was ashamed to say he didn't want to ruin her work in a matter of minutes.

"Daddy, what do we do? What do we do?!" Aya piped up helplessly as she stopped dipping her treats to watch the hypnotic flow of caramel. She'd never seen such a sugary flow and this was after seeing her Aunt Rukia's popular Chappy Punch Waterfall last year. Her little hands shook nervously as she looked to her father for guidance.

Byakuya wasn't proud of losing his cool facade but he trusted his children in this situation. After all, they were his and Ruka's which meant they wouldn't be dunces. That, and they had better self-control than him around sugar. Running to the cabinets again, his sticky hands pulled at the knobs to grab bowls and towels to collect the dripping caramel. He couldn't stop what happened but he could avoid making it worse. Without hesitation, he shut the cabinet doors and called out to unveil his desperate plan, "Eat it. For all our sakes, eat it before your mother returns!"

Kasumi didn't need to be told twice and slapped her hands into the goo to coat them. She licked her little fingers with glee while her father glared at his hands when the towels he was trying to place on the floors remained stuck to his palms. What blasphemy was this?! He focused on ripping off the fabric but this slip in attention allowed his children to run amok. Aya decided eating the treats would help lower the caramel excess, oblivious to her mother's previous lessons on science. Koji had decided to use his arms as a blockade on his side of the table, causing the sticky goo to cling to the gray sleeves of his attire. Kasumi was simply happy licking the caramel off the table and from her hands, giggling merrily.

Byakuya caught sight of his youngest and with one washcloth still stuck to his right hand, grabbed his daughter off the chair to place her on the floor. She was covered in caramel from her face down to her chest and he lectured firmly, "No licking tables."

Although small, she could sense her father's tension and the firm gaze in his stormy eyes sent tears forming in her silver orbs. Before he could stop her, she began sobbing uncontrollably and he shook his head for upsetting her. This was not how their baking night was supposed to go! He pulled the little brunette into his arms to squeeze her little form against his chest and soothed, "Don't cry, it wasn't your fault. Father made a mistake and he needs help correcting it."

Her cries softened into sniffles as he rubbed her back and cursed the invention of caramel when his hand kept sticking there. Aya stopped eating her treat at hearing her little sister and quickly grabbed her brother's right wrist so they could investigate. Koji was covered entirely in caramel as his sleeves dripped the sticky liquid onto the floor but Aya tugged him away from the table. The siblings were by Kasumi's side as their father settled her fears and he released his youngest, only to have Aya pull her into a tight hug. His children carried an admirable trait in loyalty as they protected each other and the raven-haired Aya assured her little sister, "Come on, we'll get you treats to make you feel better."

Kasumi shook her little head against her shoulder and declared woefully, "Daddy needs help! We have to clean."

"We'll help father" Koji assured her with a comforting smile and Kasumi nodded quietly, wiping her eyes with sticky hands. Aya held onto her little sister by the shoulders as they returned to the dripping table and grabbed a towel to help with the cleanup. Byakuya watched his children with pride as they solved their problems calmly and joined them to begin wiping the table, hoping that they could-

"What the- Byakuya!"

Ruka returned to her kitchen to find it a complete catastrophe as the batter dripped from the table to douse the floor in a caramelized puddle. Her little ones were scooping up handfuls from the center of the table while licking their fingers. Koji appeared to be the one helping the most with cleaning as he placed towels on the ends of the table while Byakuya tried to keep the floor clean. Her responsible husband, the only adult left behind, now had washcloths stuck to his hands and she approached him to pry them off.

He refused to meet her gaze out of shame and humiliation to what had transpired under his watch. Part of him expected her to beat him with the washcloth once she removed it with a sharp yank. Ruka, however, had grown immune to the damage he could leave in kitchens and merely asked calmly, "What did we learn from this?"

"Sorry, mommy-" their children piped up in unison as they rambled in apology, huddling together with their heads down.

She raised her left hand to command silence but smiled fondly at her little ones to forgive, "Not you, dear ones, I'm asking your father."

She turned towards the kitchen entrance to press the round button on the wall for their main servant since she'd eradicated the antiquated bell for a calming ringtone. Installing the wiring had been tedious in the old mansion but now, she could save the help some time in their tasks. Before, an entire brigade would appear to the bell chime but each section of the house had been assigned to a specific person. She would have the servant gather a maid to help her fix the baths for her children and instructed the three, "Now, let's have you take baths and leave the clothes on the bathroom floor."

The three siblings rushed to their dad to hug him around the waist or in Kasumi's case, around his legs. They were empathetic to their father's plight and Byakuya smiled faintly to the three pairs of eyes peering up at him with concern. He appreciated the kind nature of their young hearts and it did help his sense of defeat when Aya murmured helpfully, "You did your best, daddy."

Byakuya used the back of his hands to tap the top of their heads to avoid sticking to them and to convey his affection. Finally gathering the courage to meet Ruka's gaze, he found amused warmth rather than annoyance. Releasing a small sigh from his lips, he frowned and admitted his defeat with reluctance, "I. . . I don't think I'm safe for any kitchen, Ruka."

"I know. . . that's why our kitchen is heavily insured" she agreed with an amused smirk because their first time baking in the manor as a couple left the kitchen covered entirely in powdered sugar and chocolate. Her aunt Quinn told her the bathroom was a couple's war zone but for them, it was the kitchen. Her hands rose to cup his face with a comforting graze over his cheeks, unable to find herself angry with him, and she chuckled softly, "You can destroy it but I'll still love you."

With that said, she rose on the tips of her feet to deliver a chaste kiss to his lips. Hmm, he tasted like caramel so he must've sneaked a treat or two after she left. Their moment was cut short when Koji interrupted from below with a worried voice, "Mother, I think we're stuck to father."

"Help, mommy" Aya and Kasumi squeaked innocently to chime in and Ruka sighed to the madness her husband had created.

---

A/N: And we reach a closing chapter of sorts on the Ruka/Mayuri debacle while opening more of the Ruka/Byakuya path since she scuttles off to him for refuge. Mayuri is not a fan of kids and sees them as more bothersome than helpful- case in point, poor Nemu- while Byakuya is out of his element but he will do his best for them. Mayuri would likely throw chemistry sets at them before correcting their techniques and taking them away while Byakuya would whip out coloring books and join them. Ruka's LLP idea is knockoff creation from Adventure Time's Lumpy Space Princess who oddly reminded me of the Seaweed Ambassador so why not have them join forces. Next chapter will have more Ruka/Byakuya bonding as Ryo tries to stick them together.

Thank you to my last chapter readers and reviewers!

Bloodshot 2.0: Thank you, I hope this chapter was the same!

AnimeFrkGrl: Thank you very much, I love world building and character development. I had no idea what to categorize this story with for the main characters because there's so many that pop out in it! I might actually tweak it as the story goes because it will evolve into a romance between Byakuya and Ruka but the world around them changes as he pulls her into noble social circles and she tugs him into Rukongai/Seireitei causes. I love Kisuke more than Mayuri myself but for Ruka's character development, she has to struggle to find her footing in the science world to bring about a new side of research.