Now, enter the Mayuri hate!

Come What May
Ties That Break

It's been months since the sudden switch in captains and- Ikkaku had to admit –the change was dramatic. The 12th division members started getting more than a little neurotic, some with unexplained rashes and cuts, other began to outright jump at shadows and imaginary noises.

That didn't do his confidence any good when he received a summons from the new captain out of the blue like this.

A part of him thought he should've brought someone along as backup. Even though the only person he really hung around with now was Yumichika and he didn't need the fruit thinking he needed someone to hold his hand. Fuck that.

Tightening his grip around the summons (not to keep from shaking- he wasn't shaking!), Ikkaku gave a cursory knock on the door. The little shinigami that showed him the way hunched in on… himself? Herself? He couldn't tell, not with their hair coming out in clumps and sunken in cheeks and sickly green pallor. Ikkaku gritted his teeth. He'd have to make sure the 4th division knew about this.

"Kurotsuchi-taichou." He called out loudly. "It's Madarame Ikkaku, 8th seat, 11th division. You summoned me here."

"Don't stand out there like you're brain dead!" A thin voice snapped through the door. "Come in!"

A muscle in Ikkaku's cheek twitched. "Okay…" he muttered to himself. "This is gonna be interesting."

He slid back the door cautiously, afraid of any jars of acid or poison darts flying at him unannounced. The office, once bright and friendly and strewn with paperwork was suddenly dark and foreboding. And still strewn with paperwork, among other oddities, and something in there giving off an acidic scent. Behind the large desk was Kurotsuchi-taichou. Standing beside him was Nemu.

Kurotsuchi glared at him. "Sit!" He snapped.

The tone made Ikkaku's muscles tense. Adding that to the fact that there were no chairs before the desk and there was no way in hell he was kneeling to THAT GUY, he folded his arms across his chest. "I'll stand."

The captain snorted. "Incorrigible and belligerent. Of course." A tick was already starting to develop in Ikkaku's cheek, but he kept himself in check. "I've summoned you here for a very serious matter. One that I advise you to leave alone from this moment on."

It was a deliberate pause and Ikkaku played along. "And what is that, Captain?"

"The apparent courting of my daughter."

A chair sounded pretty good at the moment, actually. The shock of the accusation nearly sent Ikkaku to the floor. "Co-" he spluttered, "co-co-co-COURT?" Every inch of skin flushed more than he thought possible. "Wh-di-I…. What gave you THAT idea!" Ikkaku finally cried.

Kurotsuchi might have raised an eyebrow, it was hard to tell with that weird look of his. "Ho?" He drawled. Behind him, Nemu's head bowed slightly. "Then how would you describe the relationship you have with Nemu?"

"We're friends!" He snapped, still off kilter from the 'courting' comment.

"You're very familiar for 'friends', boy."

"Friends're supposed to be familiar."

"Hn. But you're forgetting something very important, here." Kurotsuchi said, the long nail on his right middle finger made a hollow tap on the desk. "She's from a very different world than you are. How can you be friends with something like that between you?"

Ikkaku's eyes narrowed. "What're you talkin' about?"

The half-moon grin spread. "Ho? She never told you?"

And uncomfortable shiver raced up Ikkaku's spine, his head started to feel thick. "Told me what?" His temper was wearing thin. But Kurotsuchi was laughing at him and he snapped louder, "TOLD ME WHAT?"

"Why, she not a real person, after all." The captain said, his face full of malicious teeth. At the shock writ painfully across Ikkaku's face, Nemu lowered her head further, as if trying to hide inside herself.

"I'm not so much her father," Kurotsuchi continued, enjoying the moment, "as I am her creator. I shaped her into life using soul fragments, using my own cells as a base. It's because of me that she exists and she exists solely for my command. The fact that you call her 'friend' and think of her as a being is amusing and far, far removed from the truth!" He said, laughing again. "How absurd! Nemu! Having a FRIEND! Who could ever care for her?"

Nemu's hand tightened against her thighs and there was suddenly something stuck in her throat and stinging her eyes.

"Shut up."

Nemu's head snapped up and Kurotsuchi sneered. "What was that?" He growled.

"I said," Ikkaku enunciated sharply, "shut. Up." He snarled at the captain, words grinding out through clenched teeth. "Do you think that changes anything? Do you think just 'cause Nemu didn't get here the same way I did that it matters? Yumi was born here, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a fruity pansy-ass know-it-all. I don't know how you made her, I don't even know what the hell any of us are made of and I don't fucking care. Nemu is Nemu, and nothing you say'll change how I feel about her."

Nemu's eyes were wide, unbelievably touched by this, her cheeks growing warm. So focused on the passion of Ikkaku's words, she let out an inadvertent cry when Kurotsuchi got to his feet and punched her across the face.

Ikkaku jumped forward, ramming a knee against the desk. "WHAT THE FUCK'RE YOU DOIN'?"

Kurotsuchi snarled, jerked backward by the hand that snatched his wrist. The bones scraped together under Ikkaku's powerful grip and he glared murderously at the BOY that dared to lay hands on him.

"I suggest you let me go before something unpleasant happens to you." Kurotsuchi spat. "I do to Nemu what I feel."

"I don't fuckin' think so." Ikkaku growled, tightening his hold. "I ain't lettin' you lay another fuckin' hand on her."

"Ha!" Kurotsuchi barked. "You think you have some sort of power over me? A nobody? Who can you protect when you won't even be able to walk out of this office on your own?"

"What the hell're you talkin' about?" Words started jumbling up in Ikkaku's head and he couldn't get his breathing back under control. He almost didn't notice it, Mayuri's right hand blurring and Ikkaku felt something burn across his arm.

It took him a moment to realize his arm was suddenly covered in blood, the wound felt like it was on fire. "FUCK!" Ikkaku stumbled back, pressing the arm to his stomach, dizzy from pain.

"Do you like it?" Kurotsuchi asked with a broad smile. He leaned down to wipe the blood off the one long nail on Nemu's uniform. "I keep this one coated in the same poison that lace both my and Nemu's veins." He cackled quietly. "There isn't much, but that just means you'll suffer longer."

He was having trouble keeping his footing. "That's," he panted, "that's not just poison."

"How observant. That smell you've been subjected to is a very low dose of gaseous etorphine. It was very hard finding a proper dose for you- after all, I didn't want to kill you." Kurotsuchi sneered. "Not yet. Though if you don't leave this room and get treated, you'll eventually die of it. It doesn't take much etorphine to kill even a giant Hollow, it'll make short work of you."

Ikkaku's head was swimming and something was speaking to him from somewhere he couldn't see.

"Ikkaku," the voice grumbled out, "get out of there."

It sounded kind of like Hozukimaru. But that was strange, he wasn't in the inner world. Could he still talk to him? "No." Ikkaku said, swaying dangerously.

"Your heart rate is up," Hozukimaru said, "you're only spreading both the gas and the poison faster. Get out."

"No." Ikkaku repeated. "Not without Nemu."

"Feh!" Kurotsuchi idly kicked at the girl again. Neither seemed affected by the gas. "I should just take the chance and kill you. So annoying."

"Shut. Up." He panted. "I won't…" he blinked, trying to remember his words, "won't let you hurt her."

"IKKAKU!" Hozukimaru was screaming in his head and made his ears ring. "GET OUT!"

He took a weak step forward, trying to reach for Nemu, but his strength gave out. Ikkaku sprawled on the floor, each shuddering breath a painful labor.

"Kekeke! How pitiful you are, boy." Kurtosuchi rolled him on his back with a foot. "Wanting to save someone when you can't save yourself. What's the use? You're useless. You're a nobody. You're not even worth the effort to kill."

He managed to gasp out a 'fuck you' when his vision began to blur and darken.

But the captain was turning away. "Well, Nemu. Let's see your great friendship, shall we? Will you save your precious 'friend' and disobey the one who created you? Or will you betray him and gain my favor?" He leaned back over Ikkaku as his eyes began to lull back in his head. "Come, come, Nemu!" He sang. "You're running out of time!"

Ikkaku never found out her decision.

"What a fool you are."

Ikkaku looked around, shocked. "Wh-What the?" He was back among the impossible lake of poles. Hozukimaru was by his side, propping him up with a giant hand around his arm.

"Next time," Hozukimaru said, courteously blowing smoke away from the shinigami, "listen when I say run."

"Yeah right!" He struggled to find his balance on the poles. "When he's over there beatin' up on Nemu?"

The demon growled. "And getting yourself killed for nothing is better? She has someone watching out for her, she was in no real danger. I, however, can't look after you the same way."

That made Ikkaku pissed. "And I'm supposed to be fine with that and just leave her there? Lemme go! Stupid fucker, the hell do you know?"

"I know," Hozukimaru tightened his grip and pulled Ikkaku to him, face to face, "that you're no where near the level you need to be to even consider being able to survive an encounter with him. So when I say you run, RUN."

"I don't run from anything."

"If you care about Nemu as much as you think you do, if you want to help her and save her as much as you claim to, then you need to get stronger. You don't gain strength when you're killed." His voice had the tone of a dormant volcano. Hidden but still a threat. Ikkaku felt himself wanting that same power for his own.

Sensing the submission, Hozukimaru let him go and Ikkaku stood tall on the pole on his own. His jaw set, translating his anger and frustration to a single-minded determination. "What do I have to do?"

Hozukimaru blew out another stream of smoke. "First," he said, "we train."

First thing he was conscious of was someone wiping a wet-nap against his head. A worried face soon came into view.

"Ah, you're awake." The voice was as gentle as the face. "Thank goodness."

He saw that face before. Kotetsu- he recalled. Kotetsu's older sister, the vice-captain. Saw her during graduation. Ikkaku thought sluggishly. That must mean he was in the 4th division.

"Nrg." He said, trying to get up on his elbows.

"Oh no." Kotetsu said, hands soft on his shoulders but still able to hold him down. "You've been unconscious for two weeks, now. You need to rest up."

"I…" he blinked. "Two weeks?"

"Yes. We were worried about you, especially that first week when your fever wouldn't go down." She finished dabbing at Ikkaku's head. "We've managed to clean out most of the poison from your system, but a part of it is attaching to some of your blood vessels. We're currently working on an antidote so until then, you may occasionally relapse into another fever. But," she reassured, "it won't be anything nearly as dangerous." Kotetsu smiled kindly. "The captain refused to let us give up on you."

Ikkaku's brow furrowed, mind clearing bit by bit. "Unohana-taichou?"

Kotetsu looked surprised. "Well, Unohana-taichou would never give up on anyone. I meant Zaraki-taichou. When he heard about what happened, he raised such a fuss until our captain calmed him down. I can't imagine relations between the 11th and 12th division will be friendly from now on, though."

"Ah." Ikkaku bit his lip, thought for a moment, then asked almost quietly. "Who was it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Who was it that brought me in?"

Kotetsu thought for a moment. "Hmm. I believe it was Kusajishi-fukutaichou. She said that Kurotsuchi-taichou put strange things in you. It took a while, but Unohana-taichou managed to isolate the problems, even though we had to put watchers on you for three days to make sure your heart didn't slow to a stop."

Ikkaku frowned at the ceiling, the information leaving a bad taste in his throat. "Kusajishi-fukutaichou…" The corner of his lip twitched over clenched teeth. "Of course. I'm such an idiot."

Kotetsu blinked, surprised. "Eh?"

His arms came up, bracing the heels of his hands against his eyes. Ikkaku's lips pulled back in a bitter smile and his body shook. "Idiot." He whispered to himself. "Fucking idiot…"

Kotetsu slid out of the room as quietly as possible.

Half the day went by before Zaraki slammed open the door.

"Yo, baldy." He drawled. "Finally decided to get off yer lazy ass, huh?"

Ikkaku was sitting up, leaning against the wall. His eyes were flat and burning a hole into the wall opposite him.

"Pfft!" Zaraki towered over him. "Hope that teaches ya a lesson. Can't trust Kurotsuchi. Shoulda known better than to meet up with him. You're lucky Yachiru saw you goin' into the 12th and followed ya in." But he gave a crooked sort of grin. "But you got balls, I'll give ya that, baldy.

"Yer just some low-seat." Zaraki continued after the silence stretched. "He's a captain. Even if he is a pain in the ass, you ain't even close to his level."

Ikkaku's fists were trembling.

"Oi, you listenin'?" Zaraki casually slapped the side of Ikkaku's head.

"...no right."

"Hm?"

"He's got no right." His face was dark with fury and the memory of humiliation. "I don't care what the hell she is, he's got no right treating anyone like that! Especially if he claims them as his kid!"

Zaraki propped up his head on a fist, grinning between his knuckles. "Oh? You sound pretty pissed. Whatcha gonna do?"

"Crush him."

"Ha! Like I said, you barely got a seat. How you gonna crush him?"

When he turned to look at his captain, Zaraki hadn't seen determination that intense since he was in the Rukongai.

"I'm gonna be captain."

"Captain, huh? How?"

"I'll fight." Ikkaku snarled down at his fist, clenching and unclenching. "Vice-captain doesn't matter. Captain of another division doesn't matter. I'm gonna be captain of the 11th. I'll fight every one ahead of me. I'll become the strongest."

Zaraki's smirk glinted like jagged glass. "You pissed at me, sayin' yer gonna beat me to my face?"

Ikkaku gave a dark grin of his own. "It's 'cause I respect you. I know you're not gonna give up your position without a fight and I can't take the title of strongest if you're still alive. That's why I'm lettin' you know that I'm gonna get stronger and I'm gonna be the one that surpasses you."

Zaraki laughed roughly again, pounding Ikkaku's shoulder till he could barely sit upright.

"Get some rest, yer delusional!" Shoving himself to his feet, Zaraki said over his shoulder, "Don't let me catch ya bedridden again, Ikkaku. It's a fuckin' indignity."

Ikkaku's grin widened. If that wasn't a blessing, he didn't know what was.

"Kurotsuchi."

Scowling at the lack of title, Kurotsuchi turned. "Ah, Zaraki. Just the person I wanted to see."

"Oh?" He crossed his arms and grinned. "Same here."

"I know your division knows nothing about conduct and manners," he hissed, "but keep them away from my daughter and my division."

Zaraki leaned in close and scowled. "I don't fuckin' care what you do with your division members, but you touch any of my people again and no amount of your weird ass surgery is gonna make you walk again, got it?"

Kurotsuchi snarled. "Keep them on a leash and I may consider it."

"Nah, see," Zaraki's uncovered eye widened as the hall around darkened under his subconscious flexing of power, "if they've got the guts, they can do what the hell they want. And 'cause I don't like you, I'm all for it."

Determined not to flinch, Kurotsuchi growled. "I would watch myself if I were you."

"Don't make promises, Kurotsuchi. That only makes me want to beat your spineless ass even more."

The week passed by, mainly filled with Ikkaku whining about boredom and causing trouble for any luckless 4th division member assigned to him at the time. By the time an antidote was found and administered, Unohana had to put him under her own personal care to avoid any further mishaps. Such as swiping and breaking a broom to practice spear moves, swindling other patients in some back-alley dice games and bribing orderlies into bringing him alcohol.

During the last check up, Unohana said, "Madarame-kun, it seems that you're ready to go on full duty again."

"Yes!" Ikkaku whooped, jumping to his feet. "Finally!"

She placed a hand on his arm and smiled brightly. "Do be more careful, Madarame-kun. This incident is going under investigation, so you may want to be a little more wary of your actions."

He gave her an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"Kurotsuchi-taichou is claiming that he wasn't aware of the etrophine spill. He and his daughter, after all, were both unaffected. He's also claiming that you had attacked both Nemu and himself before you were incapacitated."

Ikkaku's jaw dropped. "That… He… THAT BASTARD!"

Unohana hid her smile at the subconscious spirit leak common in most 11th division members. It was far stronger than the last time she felt it. "Madarame-kun." She said, placing a hand against his elbow. "Those two weeks you were unconscious…"

"Huh? What about it?"

Her smile widened. "You spent it wisely, I hope."

For a moment, Ikkaku didn't seem to follow. But then his eyes lit up and he grinned. "Hell yeah!" He told her broadly.

"Good." She patted his arm motherly. "Be sure to take care of yourself, Madarame-kun."

"Yes, ma'am!" And the first thing Ikkaku did when he returned to his division was find the 3rd seat, challenge him in the quad in front of everyone and wiped the goddamm floor with him.