Perfect Imperfection (Mayuri Kurotsuchi)

Mayuri. . . The big, raging Phoenix

I stared at her body, crouched down and grabbed her hand." Pulse is faint. Color is a little red and skin is turning hot – about 37 Celsius." I frowned and let go of her hand. "Well this turned ou-."

BANG! I blinked, confused as to what had happened. I looked around at all the flames that were engulfing the opening. I rubbed the back of my head realizing that I had been knocked back against a nearby tree. I looked around for Dalia's body but saw it nowhere. "RAHWWWOO!" A loud bird crowed almost splitting my golden ear resonators in half.

I looked up and saw what looked to be a large 8 foot long phoenix flying away overhead. Fire blazed around and on it as it continued to crow over and over – almost angry. Then I quickly put it together from the time before when Kisuke had rushed to stop our fight. The red tint of her skin and the fire in her eyes, this – this majestic phoenix ability had been the result of her father's experiments on her. That fact that her bankai had changed all those years ago was because of that final experiment and this would be the last result. I was glad I had eavesdropped outside of the door when they had talked. I had new found respect for Kai, but I felt... somewhat bad for tricking her into becoming my experiment - she would surely be mad.

"But what if she can't control it?" I mumbled to myself as I jumped to the top of a tree and watched as she seemed to rampage. We were a decent distance away from the Seireitei, but I could tell she was making her way there. "Is this what Kisuke was trying to keep from happening?"

"RAHWWOOOOO!" She cried, as if in pain and angry about it; she spat fire out in the direction of the First district, but it fell short into the trees of the forest.

"Ah crap, she really can't control it." I muttered and began to rush toward her as the Southern Red Hollow Gate of the Seireitei came down in front of her. "She's going to get herself killed and I don't want that."

I paused and wondered what I had just said. Why... wouldn't I want that? It would keep her from destroying my experiments. She wouldn't be able to hang around the labs. I wouldn't have to fight or save her. But she wouldn't be able to help me either. I looked down at my arm, the one I had made with her recommendations; it was far stronger than the ones from before. But that didn't explain why I didn't want her killed.

Without much effort, she sped through the gate breaking it into little pieces." Ah shit, I'll worry about that later. I have to save her first." I began to Shunpo in a hurry.

"Dalia!" I arrived on the scene and saw Byakuya trying to catch the attention of the phoenix Dalia. He obviously knew the truth, unlike the others who were lurking close behind but were scared as she continued to throw flames on the buildings. "Dalia, please! It's Byakuya! You have to calm down! You have to relax!"

Dalia wasn't listening to him as she continued to rampage, but even in her rampage I saw no one getting hurt – it saddened me that she was at least that much aware to not cause deaths; I really needed some new test subjects." Tch, you're pretty useless for a soon-to-be head of your clan." I commented as I walked up beside him. "Dalia isn't even turning her head in your direction."

Byakuya looked shocked." Y-you know it's her?"

"Of course I do. I know an obnoxious little girl when I see one." I began to walk passed him. "Let me show you how it's done kid."

I jumped and shuno-po'd in front of her face and forced her to look at me with her phoenix reddish-blue eyes." Dalia! Stop rampaging everywhere or I'll be forced to use you as an experiment again."

The anger in her eyes were replaced with fear as she shook off my hand and turned to fly the other way. She attempted to smack me with her tail but I grabbed it.

"Dalia! Stop trying to run from me and listen!" She turned her phoenix head toward me.

"Raaowwh." She quietly relented, stopping her fire breathing and waiting for me to speak.

"I have a new project... and I need someone to help with the research. It's on an altered cherry blossom tree that could stay bloomed year round." I found myself gulping, "And I want you to be the one to help me with it. You're the only one competent enough. So will you help me or not?"

She seemed to think about it. She whipped herself around, forcing me to let go of her tail." Raowh." I took that as a yes.

FWWUSH! A body collided with me as a blinding light flashed. I clasped the body out of shock and as my vision cleared I saw that I had caught Dalia. Her cheeks were red, her skin was hot and she was hardly breathing; her sword was nowhere to be found. I landed on the top of a roof, holding her bridal style.

"Geez, for someone so small you sure are heavy." I whispered quietly as if not to wake her.

"Dali-... of course it's you Mayuri." I looked up and saw Kisuke pink cheeked and eyes blazing.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Every time Dalia is hurt you're with her."

"Whose fault is it really? Weren't you the one who left her alone? She ended up in a predicament where she could have been killed or did you choose to ignore the spike in her spiritual pressure?"

Kisuke began to chew on the inside of his lip." I assumed she was still having fun at the festival."

"Right, she witnessed something that she shouldn't have and got chased through the forest. Some kind of brother you are, "Captain"." I snickered.

He walked up to me and snatched Dalia for my arms." Look Mayuri, I'm a kind man but I'm warning you, stay away from Dalia or I'll send you back to Maggot's Nest." Without another word he turned and left.

"Tch, who does he think he is. Dalia is my..." I paused. What was she of mine? Why was I about to claim her? What was I about to claim her as? "Bah, who knows."

I jumped down from the roof, snickered at a shocked Byakuya there and headed back to my room in the research institute.