Ayumi awoke with a jolt as she came to, a sense of restlessness overtaking her as she looked around the lab space-Where am I? Ayumi inhaled a deep breath and willed herself to calm down as she heard the sound of Mayuri's fingers swiftly moving across his keyboard from across the room. Once Ayumi was able to regain her bearings, she slowly turned over and dropped her legs over the side of the medical bed, she'd laid on in order to take a nap a couple hours ago.
The Squad 12 division had worked well into the night, and at around four in the morning, the group had agreed to take a short break in order to rest, but it seemed that Mayuri had not counted himself in regards to the decision. Ayumi felt the cool concrete floor beneath her bare feet as she stood from the bed. She winced as she felt the stiffness in the back of her hip. It was nothing major, more like an annoying bruise someone would get when falling down too hard.
Ayumi turned her head and peeked at the clock on the wall, it was almost nine in the morning and she could see the soft rays of sunlight coming in through the high windows in the room, but the overhead lights were still off. Mayuri had been working in the dark the whole time, because she had been asleep not far from him.
"Mayuri?" Ayumi called out to him as she slowly approached him.
He was leaning forward in his chair, his slim shoulders and back looked tense as his fingers flew across the keys. Ayumi sighed, realizing he was caught in the moment and he hadn't heard her call out to him- Has he even slept at all since he came back from Hueco Mundo?
Ayumi knew she was taking a gamble, not really knowing how his reaction would be, but, she walked up behind him placing both her hands over his shoulders and squeezed lightly. She felt his body react to the sensation instantly as his shoulders lifted from the unexpected touch, his hands came to a stand still hovering above the keyboard.
"I tried calling you, but you didn't answer." Ayumi spoke softly as she ran her hands over his tensed muscles tentatively. At any moment she was half-expecting him to shrug her away and snap at her, but to her amazement, he didn't, instead, he allowed himself to lean back in the chair.
"What is it?" He asked, the sound of his voice giving away his fatigue.
"Have you slept at all?" Ayumi asked.
Mayuri sighed.
"I will sleep when I have the time, right now, I need to concentrate on the task in front of me." He countered.
Ayumi frowned at his comeback. While she understood that he was taking the situation personally, especially after the head captain had come back to check up on their progress, it almost seemed that he was trying to prove to everyone that he was capable of contributing. Again, Ayumi felt a sense of dread as the thought of him resenting her returned.
"Did you manage to get enough rest?" Mayuri asked her.
Ayumi's frown only deepened at his question.
"I did. You should think about getting some too." She pressed.
Mayuri snorted.
"Quit fussing over me, woman, I know the limits of my abilities, this is not the first time I have gone without rest for an extended period of time." Mayuri replied.
"Have you at least eaten something since you've come home?" Ayumi asked him.
"Ayumi, are you merrily concerned for me or are you trying to agitate me?" He snapped.
Ayumi pulled her hands away from his shoulders, deciding to let him be, since the man was too stubborn to listen to her anyway. She didn't want to agitate him further, she just wanted him to take care of himself in the process of trying to heal others.
"Just concerned…" Ayumi replied softly before turning away from him, intending to get back to work herself.
Mayuri twisted around in his chair and looked over at her, she was still walking stiffly and the sight of her still in discomfort only darkened his mood even further. The woman was trying his patience, he wasn't used to having interruptions when conducting his research and even though he could not place the reason, her insisting that he pause and take a break was like having sandpaper rubbed against his nerve endings, he was almost finished with calculating the formula, why would he stop now?
"Ayumi!" Mayuri called her name.
He watched as she paused mid-step and winced a little as she turned to face him.
"Yes?" She answered him softly.
When her gaze met his, his chest tightened from the apparent sadness that lingered in the woman's gaze—Damn these emotions! Why couldn't he simply ignore this and concentrate on his task? Why was it that no matter how hard he tried to ignore the changes, his actions ended up being the opposite? What was it that Zaraki had told him?
"You'll know when you start doing things to make them happy."
Mayuri sighed heavily, feeling completely exasperated.
"Allow me to finish this last part of the formula, then, you may accompany me to get something to eat." Mayuri caved, meeting the woman half way.
Mayuri knew he wouldn't be able to sleep even if he tried, not with being so close to an answer, but, sustenance would in fact give him a boost of energy, and it had been quite some time since he'd last eaten. He found himself watching the woman's face as she pondered his compromise and when her eyes lit up and a soft smile spread across her lips, Mayuri understood just what the squad 11 captain had been talking about—but is this in fact…love…or is it madness?
Uryu Ishida glanced down at his wrist watch one more time before allowing himself to knock on the front door of the Kurosaki home. It was a little after eight in the morning, and he wasn't sure if he would be imposing, but, it was the only lead he had on Ikkaku's whereabouts. Uryu lowered his arm as he heard heavy footsteps and the door opened.
"Hey, Uryu!" Ichigo greeted him.
"Ichigo." He nodded.
"Sorry if I am intruding but I'm looking for Ikkaku, last I heard he was on his way to see you." Uryu explained.
Ichigo smiled softy before stepping aside, gesturing for his comrade to enter the house.
"Ikkaku's inside, we're having breakfast before I open the clinic for the day." Ichigo replied.
"I see. Sorry about that, I should have come later." Uryu replied.
"Don't sweat it, it's not a problem." Ichigo answered as Uryu slipped his shoes off, leaving them at the entrance and then followed Ichigo down the hallway.
"Good Moring, Uryu!" Orihime called out to him from her seat at the dining room table.
"Good Morning, Orihime." Uryu replied.
"Take a seat, are you hungry?" Ichigo asked.
Uryu shook his head.
"No thanks, I ate before I left the house." He replied.
"How is Kazui doing?" Uryu asked before taking a seat across from Ikkaku.
"He's doing fine, he left for school about an hour ago." Orihime smiled.
"That's good. I can't believe he's already in school." Uryu replied with a slight lift of his lips.
"You find out anything useful?" Ikkaku asked as he sat his chopsticks down into his bowl of rice and eggs.
Uryu sighed.
"I made some calls. At first it didn't sound like the woman I was speaking to wanted to be very forthcoming. She was more interested in why I was asking in the first place." Uryu stated.
Ikkaku nodded.
"So you hit a wall?" He asked.
"Not entirely, once I told her that I was being on the safe side after hearing of the possibility of an outbreak in another country, she seemed satisfied enough. She assured me that nothing new had been reported within the last six months. The only thing on record was a case of Ebola about two months ago in another country, and that was taken care of pretty quickly." Uryu explained.
Ikkaku nodded, not even knowing what the hell Ebola was, if it wasn't something that would affect his mission, he didn't really give a damn.
"All things considered, I think it's safe to say that whatever this virus is that's attacking the soul society has yet to make its way across. You seem to be in good health, so, I'm not worried about you personally, but, it would be safest to report back to the soul society and tell them not to allow any soul reapers to come into the human world." Uryu continued.
Ikkaku leaned forward in his chair, grabbing at his chopsticks.
"You won't have to worry about that, the head captain already issued a cease and desist, everyone is confined to their barracks." Ikkaku stated before shoveling another bite of rice and eggs into his mouth.
"I see. I'm glad that he's taking the situation seriously at least." Uryu replied.
Ikkaku chuckled as he reached out for his cup of tea on the table and took a sip.
"He wasn't at first, but, when Captain Kotetsu and Hanataro came down with it, I think it hit him pretty hard." Ikkaku admitted.
Uryu's brow furrowed at the new information.
"I thought you said it was students from the academy?" Uryu countered.
Ikkaku nodded.
"It was, but it spread throughout the medical unit." Ikkaku answered.
Uryu leaned forward in his chair and pulled out three vials from his pants pocket.
"I would normally never risk this, but, you said healing Kido wasn't working right? Maybe something from our world will help, this is the strongest anti parasitic, antibiotic combination that we have at the hospital. I don't know what Kurotsuchi is working on, or what he's found out since you've been here, but, take it anyway." Uryu explained as he pushed the three vials across the table top to the soul reaper.
"What about your inventory at the hospital Uryu?" Ichigo asked.
"I'll just label it as a miscount, and file a claim later today. Like I said, I normally wouldn't risk this, but, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't help in some way." Uryu countered.
"Appreciate it, Ishida. I'll make sure Captain Kurotsuchi gets it." Ikkaku replied.
Uryu nodded.
"It's most likely a long shot, but I thought about it and from what you described, it's the only thing I can think of that might have a chance, if it doesn't work, at least we tried, right?"
Ikkaku leaned back in his chair again, meeting the Quincy's gaze.
"Right!" the soul reaper answered.
Mayuri pondered his situation as he found himself once again alone with Ayumi in his private eating area. Thoughts of the first meal the two had shared together returned to the surface of his memory. Now that he knew what it was like to be intimate with the woman, he couldn't help but think about the night they had shared together and it left him frustrated—this has to be madness, I can't get her out of my mind!
Ayumi looked up at him, her soft green eyes seeming to notice that he hadn't touched his breakfast yet.
"Are you not hungry?" Ayumi asked.
Mayuri grumbled as he picked up his chopsticks from his tray.
The feeling of being out of control didn't sit well with him at all. A man like him lived his life structured to a degree that he timed out every moment of his day, down to what projects he would work on, to when he would sleep, depending on the outcome of the project. It seemed that now his days would be filled with more spontaneity involving the woman who sat across from him.
While the idea of sneaking off to have his way with Ayumi whenever he saw fit did have its appeal, he couldn't understand the pull she had on him. Mayuri snorted out loud at his internal thought pattern- here he was once again bombarded by foreign emotions he couldn't comprehend, when his mind should be on the vaccine he needed to create.
It wouldn't be this dire under different circumstances, why, if the virus had not shown up, he could have envisioned himself enjoying this change of structure, even making it a bit of a game, to see just how long he could last without pulling the woman into his arms—Maybe I should just quit while I am ahead and admit it…I may not understand it, but I think I've fallen in love…
"I…I can step out, if that would be better for you?" Ayumi asked, her voice soft, her eyes unsure.
Mayuri blinked, realizing that he had most likely been staring her down the whole time he'd had his inner monologue.
"No! That won't be necessary, I am just a little preoccupied at the moment." Mayuri replied before forcing himself to concentrate on his meal.
"Are you going to start mixing the vaccine when we return?" Ayumi asked, hoping that maybe if she talked about work he would relax a little, the man was like fire one minute, and then seemed cold as ice the next, and she had a feeling it was because of her—I have him tied up in knots, and he doesn't even have the first clue as to how to untie himself.
Mayuri finished the bite of eggs he had forced himself to take before he replied.
"Yes, I will be, the faster I get this done, the faster we will see results and then we can all put this whole mess behind us." Mayuri sighed.
"What about Hueco Mundo? Are you going to go back?" Ayumi inquired.
Mayuri paused as he thought about her question.
"That female Espada is supposed to come and collect whatever I can give them tomorrow, I don't see any reason as to why I would have to go personally." Mayuri explained.
"Female?" Ayumi replied.
Mayuri's brow lifted at Ayumi's tone and noticed the way her own brow seemed to show agitation at the mention of a female—is she jealous?
"Yes, there was a female who came upon us, she seemed to be the voice of reason, stopped Zaraki and I from tearing that blue eyed animal apart." Mayuri admitted with a grin.
Ayumi averted her gaze and shifted in her seat.
"I see." She replied as she picked up her cup and took a sip of black tea.
"What is this that I see, Ayumi? Are you showing jealously over me?" Mayuri challenged her, interested in what her answer would be.
Ayumi leaned back in her seat and lifted her head, her Caledon gaze narrowed at him in one of the most exciting ways he had yet to witness. Why, if looks could kill, he may very well be fatally wounded.
"Do I have a reason to be?" Ayumi retorted, making Mayuri grin wider as his heart began to race a little, his body responding to her involuntarily.
"It is not the Espada's kiss I am wearing above my heart now, is it?" Mayuri countered.
"No…" Ayumi replied.
Mayuri continued to search Ayumi's eyes as she stared back at him, he had no doubt about it, she was being territorial over him and Mayuri had to admit, he quite liked the feeling.
"Ah, see then, you have nothing to worry about." Mayuri smirked, enjoying the way her eyes lit up from her bout of challenge, it seemed when the right buttons were pushed Ayumi was in fact capable of showing a tremendous amount of confidence—and it would also seem, that it turns me on!
"Thanks for the hospitality." Ikkaku stated to Orihime as he stepped outside.
"Oh it was my pleasure, please tell everyone that we say hello, Oh! And tell Captain Zaraki and Linake congratulations for us, Rukia told us they are expecting again." Orihime smiled.
Ikkaku chuckled.
"I'll be sure to let them know." He replied as he accepted another of the woman's warm hugs.
Ichigo smiled as he stepped forward and the two men shook hands.
"Don't be a stranger, tell that Captain of yours it wouldn't hurt for him to get away every once in a while." Ichigo teased.
"Yeah, right. Captain Zaraki in the human world?" Ikkaku shook his head.
Ichigo laughed before his face grew somber again.
"Let us know what happens, will ya?" Ichigo stated.
"Yeah…" Ikkaku replied before turning away from the couple and heading back towards the area he'd been let out at.
The Quincy had come through for him, and for that the 11th division Lieutenant was grateful, it had cut his trip down and also gave Ikkaku a bit of relief—at least one of the worlds is safe.
Ikkaku flash stepped in the direction of the park he had noticed when arriving, unlike his captain, Ikkaku was pretty decent at remembering landmarks around him and he managed to make it back to where the Senkaimon had opened. Ikkaku pulled his blade from its sheathe and held it up mid-level in the air, turning his sword sideways, like a key unlocking an invisible lock, he commanded the doors to open.
Two giant white screened doors appeared in front of him as a black and pink hell butterfly fluttered above the soul reapers head. Ikkaku stepped forward through the Senkaimon and headed down the dark pathway, back home, back to the soul society.
Mayuri indeed felt his energy start to rise after he had managed to pull his focus forward and finish his breakfast. Now that the woman had been pacified by his having eaten, Mayuri was free to spend however many hours it would take him to synthesize his formula for the vaccine. Ayumi and Akon once again stood next to one another at the small station to his left as Rin and Nemuri continued to measure out more ingredients.
Mayuri was far from simple minded, while he knew they had all done their best to keep the virus under quarantine, the only way to make sure of its destruction would be for everyone within the soul society to be vaccinated, which unfortunately, meant that he and his squad would have to make enough for every soul within the soul society itself.
Once they established enough of the vaccine, they would have to require other squads to assist in rounding up the residence of each district to administer the vaccine in an attempt at prevention and annihilation.
Mayuri sighed at the thought, he would much rather find a better alternative than having to force souls to be vaccinated, but, when it came to the safety of the soul society and the general health and wellbeing of the worlds themselves, he wasn't beyond it. Once most of the souls had been vaccinated, it really wouldn't matter if two or three refused. It would be their own fault if they died from the virus at that point, and everyone else would have Ayumi's antibodies coursing through their bloodstream, strengthening up their own immune systems.
Mayuri questioned whether or not the woman's marrow would in fact help in stemming all infections within the vaccinated souls, he had paused for a moment when deciding how much to use, and decided that smaller more microscopic amounts should suffice. With the massive attacks and violent rampages that went on within the lower districts, Mayuri wasn't all that worried about causing a shift in the balance by making people too healthy. Very rarely did many souls perish from an illness to begin with.
Feeling content, Mayuri walked over to Nemuri's small desk and began to clear the child's things from the top, as it would seem, he would have to create a new work space since his current one was occupied by his Lieutenant and Ayumi. Once the table was cleared and wiped down, the 12th division captain began to set up his station.
Mayuri had already taken the liberty of generating the antigen that would be used to induce an immune response. Ayumi's cellular structure would work as both the antigen, the cellular structure needed for a minor weakened version of the virus to grow within, then the purification, Ayumi's antibodies would work as an immune stabilizer. There would be four reasonably easy steps to the process, Generate the Antigen; release the weakened virus sample and then isolate it, purify it, strengthen it and then administer it to the ill.
While Mayuri would have to do this process repeatedly over the next few months, his main focus was those who had already been subjected and succumbed to the virus, the three women from the academy would be his first targets, for the first trial run. He had decided to make the percentage of Ayumi's cellular structure, taken from her bone marrow, a little bit stronger than he intended in the future for those who were not ill.
Mayuri lifted his head as he heard the sound of knocking coming from the main entrance. He had just placed the small circular dishes onto the work space that were filled with the prepared antigen.
"Akon! Have someone see to the door!" Mayuri ordered.
"I'll go get it!" Ayumi offered as she stepped back from the work station.
"Ayumi, you are needed here, have Nemuri or Rin answer." Mayuri countered.
Ayumi paused and looked over at him, standing at the smallest counter space in the lab, working on the most important part, yet, he still insisted that she was needed.
"Alright then." She replied as she walked out from the back of the lab but noticed that Nemuri had seemed to take it upon herself to answer already.
"Rin? Did Nemuri go to answer the door?" Ayumi asked her friend.
Rin looked up at her, his dark eyes filling with warmth as he spoke over the piece of hard candy that was stuffed in his mouth.
"Yes, she did." He answered.
Ayumi nodded before she turned to go back to her task but paused as she witnessed the 11th Division Lieutenant enter the lab space behind Nemuri. She met the lieutenant's dark gaze and he nodded politely in her direction before he spoke.
"I need to speak with your Captain." He stated.
Ayumi smiled softly before nodding and heading to the back.
"Mayuri? Lieutenant Madarame is here to speak with you." Ayumi announced.
Mayuri let out another impatient sigh.
"I cannot leave this table, so tell him if he wishes to speak to me he can saunter back here himself!" Mayuri retorted.
Ayumi smiled as she turned to repeat his order, but the Lieutenant had already made his way to the back.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, I've just come back from the human world, I've been told by Captain Zaraki to come and tell you what I found out." Ikkaku began.
Mayuri lifted his gaze for a slight second to look at the man.
"And? What is that?" Mayuri replied, once again feeling agitated by his work being interrupted.
"I talked with Uryu Ishida, he told me that this "CDC" that Amaya and Linake talked about doesn't have any new virus's being reported. I was told it's safe to assume that this virus has not made it to the human world right now." Ikkaku explained.
Mayuri paused and allowed himself to take a breath.
"Well, there's some good news at least. Anything else?" Mayuri asked.
"One more thing, Ishida gave me these, said they are the strongest anti-parasitic, antibiotic combination that the humans have. He thought maybe since healing kido won't work, this might help." Ikkaku continued as he held out the three vials of medication.
"Oh? The austere Quincy gave you those, did he?" Mayuri replied with a slight smile.
"I don't see the harm in giving it a try, I suppose, although I am in the process of creating a vaccine." Mayuri replied.
Ikkaku paused as he lowered his hand.
"Vaccine? As in a cure?" Ikkaku asked.
Mayuri rolled his eyes as he let out a sound of frustration.
"Yes, a cure, now if you wish to treat the ill with the medication given to us by the Quincy, I will permit it, although, I am sure it will not be effective, just as the previous medications I have already administered, the choice, I will leave up to you, Lieutenant Madarame." Mayuri countered.
Ikkaku nodded as he remembered the look in Uryu's eyes as he had handed over the medication.
"I'll try anyway, it might not kill it, but, it might help give them more time while they wait for your cure." Ikkaku decided.
"Very well, tell Sosuke Aizen that you have my permission to administer another stabilizing agent and that I will arrive within a matter of fourteen hours with a trial vaccination for all six of his patients." Mayuri answered.
"Yes, Sir." Ikkaku replied as he turned and headed back for the exit. Nemuri followed in order to see him out.
Ikkaku sighed with relief at the news of a cure as he walked outside and headed for the squad 4 medical unit, he felt like he hadn't been able to get a decent breath in days, like a weight had been sitting on his chest and it had just been lifted. Ever since he'd had the virus explained to him he'd been filled with a sense of dread, an almost nagging anxiety that something bad would happen to Linake or Takeo.
Captain Zaraki wouldn't ever be the same if anything ever happened to either of them, and Ikkaku had to admit, after all these years, Linake was like his sister, Takeo his nephew, not to mention the baby Linake still had cooking…No, squad 11 would never be the same if anything ever happened to them—we're a family now!