Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Yoruichi sat facing Kuukaku: the Kenpachi had left, ostensibly to check on his young ward. Yoruichi waited until his footsteps down the hall had faded out of earshot before opening her mouth to speak, but Kuukaku cut her off.
"No."
"What?" A sly grin had materialized on Yoruichi's face, belying her innocent question.
"You know. And the answer is no, I haven't. He hasn't; I haven't; we haven't. And it's not likely. Stop grinning like that; you look like that fool Urahara."
"Still, don't you wish it would happen between you two?" Yoruichi quirked a purple eyebrow at Kuukaku, who ignored her.
"When can you be ready with a team to observe them?"
Yoruichi snorted. "A team? Please, Kuukaku: you've involved me personally, and I know most of Sereitei by sight, though you wouldn't think it. I think that I will be enough: I can go incognito. The kid'll love me."
"Don't you have work to be doing? Reports, paperwork, training?" Kuukaku took a drag on her pipe. "You know, all those things that keep you so busy whenever I ask you to help me with a fireworks display?"
"Nah," Yoruichi said nonchalantly. "I can pass them off on to my Vice; she'll do a good job with them. I don't anticipate that there will be much waiting time: as soon as the Kenpachi brings the kid out into the open, they'll attack; they'll think he'll still be weakened. Plus his reiatsu's pretty much haywire," the woman added, almost to herself.
"It is rather strong," Kuukaku commented. "I'd say it's almost captain-level. It could be if he was able to contain it, that is."
Yoruichi gave Kuukaku a sharp look. "Silly bitch; it's far above captain level. Or had you forgotten your prize Shiba reiatsu dampeners? The moment he steps off of this property, it'll shine like a small sun: I can tell he's not very good at reining it in."
Kuukaku scowled; she had forgotten about the reiatsu dampeners she kept buried around the property, but she didn't mention that to Yoruichi. They were Shiba clan heirlooms, and she had lived in the same place for so long that she hadn't bothered to think about where they were. They cut the reiatsu of any person on the property in half; a safety precaution which was a holdover from days long past, when the Shibas entertained even their enemies in their halls. Kuukaku had grown used to their effect: she was so good at mastering her own reiatsu as it was that she hardly felt a difference. If the Kenpachi had noticed, he hadn't said anything: Yoruichi was right; he only had the most minimal control over his own spiritual energy.
Yoruichi, who had been watching Kuukaku's face, leaned forward. "Maybe before he goes, you should teach him a couple things about leashing that energy."
Kuukaku grunted noncommitally. "That depends on how much time we have before they leave. I don't wanna send them out there until the girl is over her fever. You wouldn't be able to bring anything for her from Sereitei? I was never much good at healing."
"I can see what Unohana has," Yoruichi said, and stood up. "I'm going to go back now, and hand things over to Soi Fon for the moment. I'll stop by Fourth Division for you, and be back within the hour." She gave Kuukaku a sparkling grin. "Won't it be nice? We can have a sleep-over and everything! It'll be just like old times."
With a wink, she was gone, leaving Kuukaku to grumble at an empty room.
"Here."
Zaraki caught the sphere in both hands, surprised, and looked up to see Kuukaku striding towards him across the grass. She sat down beside him: they were at the base of the giant chimney again. Yoruichi, true to her word, had returned with healing magic from Unohana; that had been yesterday. Kuukaku didn't know the potency of the fever-antidote, but figured she might as well try and teach the Kenpachi a couple of things with however much time they had left.
"I knew you'd be out here," she remarked, balancing her weight on her left arm and wiggling to get herself comfortable. "Know why?"
"No, why?" Zaraki asked, splitting his attention between her and the orb that he held in his hands. It seemed to be made out of a clear, hard substance like glass, but did not have any of the fragility that a glass object should hold.
"Because you're noisy," Kuukaku said, settling into a cross-legged sitting position. "Not physically, but in terms of your reiatsu. That's how, out of all of Rukongai, your assailants were able to pick you out."
"So what?" he said, returning his gaze to the sphere.
"So maybe you should think about learning how to put a dampener on your spiritual energy," Kuukaku said. "You can hide your presence, or even focus it to use it as a weapon -"
"Like your magic crap?" Zaraki gave her a withering look. "I don't need that."
Kuukaku's temper flared. "Have it your way, cocky bastard. But I nearly beat you using kidou, and I'm just one, one-armed woman. What're you gonna do when whoever it is that wants Yachiru sends out kidou experts? 'Cause he will, believe me."
The Kenpachi didn't reply, just continued to stare at the sphere, turning it around in his hands. Kuukaku waited for a few moments, and then spoke up.
"Imagine there's a hole in it, and stuff as much of your reiatsu in there as you can. It'll help you focus it."
He looked at her, and it was a question. Kuukaku reached over and plucked the orb from Zaraki's hands, holding it up in front of her. "Like this," she said, and was suddenly encased in a sphere of soft, glowing blue; she hovered several inches off the base of the cannon. Then, just as suddenly, it disappeared, and Kuukaku deposited the orb back in Zaraki's lap.
"Try it," she said, sitting back, and she would have folded her arms challengingly had she two to fold.
Zaraki concentrated. There was a hum and, without warning, Kuukaku's ears popped: it was as if a pressure vaccuum had opened up. Before her eyes, a sphere of energy formed around Zaraki, growing more and more intense with every passing moment. His eyes were shut in concentration; he seemed oblivious of the fact that he was floating just off the ground. A whine, which had been barely imperceptible before, crescendoed, until Kuukaku didn't think her ears could take anymore: it ground in her temples and made her teeth ache.
"Kuuuuuukakuuuuuuu!"
The orb splintered: Zaraki fell a few centimetres with a thump as shards flew everwhere. Yoruichi halted a few feet away, looking astonished; Kuukaku lowered her hand from where she had flung it to protect her face from the shards. There was one embedded in her forearm: she used her teeth to wrench it out.
"Good job," she said calmly to Zaraki, spitting the bloody shard to the grass. "You're learning. Now try to do that without the orb. Make a space and fill it with your reiatsu: it'll concentrate it and make it harder for others to detect you. Only try not to blow things up this time."
Yoruichi walked a few steps forward, mindful of the glass. "Kuukaku, the kid's awake. She's asking for Zaraki: she looks pretty chipper."
"Already?" Kuukaku was a little surprised.
"She ain't weak," Zaraki spoke up, of his own volition, surprising Kuukaku further. "We can probably leave this afternoon."
A/N: I'm beginning to look forward to writing action scenes. Zaraki, you're corrupting me! ;.;