AN: I FINALLY wrote something for my OTP! VICTORY! =D

Some random facts that may or may not be good to know when you start reading this fic:

The year is 2094.

Kisuke is about 39 years old.

I'd describe the anatomy of the mod souls as identical to those of humans, with the exception of a computer brain and an electrical spine + nervous system.

And if Mayuri seems a little out of character because he's not constantly dissecting people and/or bathing in his subordinates blood, it's because he doesn't have the resources to dissect people, or any subordinates at all for that matter.

This is a rewrite of a fanfiction I wrote and posted one week ago (in case any of you stalking the UraMayu ship, like me, recognizes it).
This one turned out a lot better!

Just saying.

Also, if you haven't heard Space Oddity, either the original by David Bowie or the amazing cover by actual space marine Chris Hadfield, you really should go do that like… now.

I promise you – it will be important.

Warnings: Swearing, some cheesiness, desperate attempt at writing science fiction, masturbation and angst, SOO MUUUUCH AAAAAANGST!

…also, yes Octy, the scientist obsessed with plankton is you. You should be about 99 years old in this fic, if I've counted correctly?

Don't let Mayuri-sama get to you; I'm sure that you're a quite awesome old crazy cat lady, trying to spoon-feed everyone plankton soup! ^.^

Heart rate - steady.

Blood pressure - normal.

Reflexes – responding.

He makes another check in his notes, looks them over, gnaws at his bottom lip for a while and then smiles, softly.

Pupils…

Hearing Hikifune's obnoxious voice nag at him inside his head, he's reminded to put on a pair of safety gloves before diving in and opening the body's eyelids.

It's an empty vessel of course, nothing more than an artificial corpse, lifeless and stale, Kisuke knows that, but every time he sees that flash of vibrant, electric gold crack through dark skin and even darker eyelashes, he can't help but feel that there's intelligence there, deep down somewhere, that there's a presence.

He feels it now as well as he splits the eyelids, ever so gently, the weight of those predatory eyes as a physical pressure against him; he feels it when he picks up the flashlight, when he directs it towards them, when he sees the pupils shrink in response.

Kisuke smiles again, turns away from the body, puts everything in its proper place and makes another check in his notes, trying and failing to shake the eerie feeling off of him.

Pupils – receptive.

~Ten~

According to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, the secret to life was electricity.

Now this was true enough, at least when dealing with androids, even though he never did anything as drastic as to open up the roof and redirect lightning into his experiment.

No, with today's technology and Kisuke's own, clever design, all he had to do was open up the small hatch on the back of its neck and push the on-button.

Still, Kisuke found himself slightly at a miss of the thunder, the big, roaring machines and the dramatic music as 3.5O took its first, shuddering, conscious breath and opened its eyes to the world, shining with gold and confusion.

Slowly, it looks around the room, and when its eyes finally meet its creator's Kisuke's heart skips a beat.

"Hello. I am Kisuke Urahara, your maker. Welcome to the world, 3.5O-san."

~Ground Control~

"How are we feeling today, 3.5O-san?"

He puts the stethoscope to its chest, and smiles when he notices the small goose bumps that erupt around the area of the cold nozzle.

Heart rate – normal.

"Based on the constant checkups you and your crew of morons keep making me go through; how do you think I'm feeling, Kisuke?"

"As happy as a clam!" He grins and puts the stethoscope away, replaces it with the sphygmomanometer that's laying just beside it. Wrapping it around the mod soul's arm, he marvels over the perfection of its skin and the tiny blue strands of hair that covers it; the way that the muscle's tenses when he tightens it, the way blood rushes and flows so perfectly (120 over 80); the fact that he actually created all of this, this living, breathing, moving entity.

It makes him slightly empty headed; it always does, his two other creations, Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan, have this reaction on him as well whenever he takes the time to examine them.
Akon says it's because he's mushy.

Hiyori says it's because he's a dumb ass.

Hikifune tells him not to let it get to his head, a lot of people make androids these days, it's not like they're actual people – beware of the God Complex.

Blood pressure – perfect.

Kisuke looks up at 3.5O, gives it another silly smile that makes it roll its eyes and look away. He removes the gears, makes some notes in his notepad and then spins around, quick as a viper, to grab the android in the side.

With an indignant shout, the mod soul jerks up and slaps him, hard, across the side of his face almost immediately.

"WHAT was that?!" It screams, making Kisuke giggle through the manly tears of pain rolling down his cheeks.

"Just testing your reflexes, 3.5O-san! They were perfect, absolutely perfect, as usual!"

"You imbecile! Do that again and I swear I'll rip your fingernails off the next time I find you napping in the common room!"

Kisuke is too busy laughing his ass off to respond.

Really, he thinks, it's difficult not to get a little egocentric when everything you create becomes so aggravatingly perfect.

~Nine~

"Why did you have to make him so ugly?"

"Jinta-kun!" Tessai roars and grabs the boy's ear in a vice grip. "That's no way to speak to your new brother!"

"No, no, no, that's alright, Tessai-san." Kisuke chuckles and takes another bite of his onigiri. They are sitting around the dinner table at home, the entire family gathered together for the first time after many weeks of testing, experimentation and fine polishing on the new 3.5O model down in the mod soul corporation's lab.

"There's a very logical explanation as to why 3.5O-san looks a little… different, than the rest of us. Actually, it was a stroke of genius from my side, if I may say so!" He can feel everyone's eyes on him, including 3.5O's, but he won't let it bother him. He hasn't programmed it to feel conscious about its looks, after all. "You see, everyone else will, almost definitely, have created attractive models; pretty girls and handsome young men – and that's where they'll fall flat on their faces, because who wants to see sexy people shipped off into space and left to die, right?"

…

"I think 3.5O-san needs a name." Ururu finally speaks up, shyly, breaking the tense silence.

"That seems kind of pointless though, doesn't it…?" Jinta replies, mouth stuffed with food. "…considering that we're just gonna kill him any-OFF!"

"A name sounds like a wonderful idea, Ururu-chan." Tessai smiles (ignoring the way the read head is rubbing the back of his head where he'd been smacked while glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand dying suns), making the little android girl blush happily and pick at her food with the chopstick.

"But what should we name it?" Kisuke wonders, making everyone lapse back into silence once again.

"How about Antoine Laurent Lavoisier; after the famous chemist?" – Tessai.

"I vote Frankenstein!" – Jinta.

"I-I think Lancelot would be nice…" – Ururu.

"I always thought Ben was a cool name." – Kisuke.

"James Clerk Maxwell?"

"FRANKENSTEIN!"

"Romeo…?"

"Ken?"

"Werner Heisenberg! Definitely Werner Heisenberg!"

"Frankenstein! Frankenstein! Frankenstein!"

"I like Freddy Krueger too…"

"Maybe Chen? Or Len? Fen? Pen? I'm sure that those are names, in China at least…"

"Frankenstein! Frankenstein!"

"Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster…" everyone stops. Turns. Sees the 3.5O model sitting there, a toothpick between its teeth and a bored expression on its face, plate clean from food and practically sparkling in the light. Suddenly, Kisuke realizes that this is the first time it's spoken when not specifically told to do so. "…if you'd actually read the book, or at least watched one of those inadequate movie remakes, you would have known that."

There is a moment of tense, apprehensive silence, and then Jinta speaks up again.

"Then… what's the name of the monster?"

3.5O rolls its eyes, and Kisuke marvels at how expressive it is, he doesn't remember adding sass to its personality programming…?

"The monster doesn't have a name. That's the whole point, you little imbecile. Frankenstein refused to name it, thereby refusing its humanity; he shunned it and sent it away to deal with the world on its own, and the world made a monster out of it because it was different, because it was special."

The android looks down onto its plate and looks like it wishes that it still had some food there, just to have something to occupy itself with.

"…even a young, uneducated fool like yourself should know that, darling brother…" it mutters, barely audible.

The silence that follows is thick and heavy, and Kisuke finds himself tapping his fingers against his own leg, a nervous habit of his. Suddenly, he feels horribly guilty.

"3.5O-san…" he stutters, nervously, making everyone turns towards him except for the mod soul in question, that just lets its eyes flicker towards him for a second before going back to its plate. "…what would you like to be called?"

…

"Mayuri."

Kisuke lets out a breath he wasn't aware that he was holding.
"Mayuri would be… acceptable."

He smiles.

3.5O – or Mayuri now, notices (of course it does) and looks like it thinks that if it just stares hard enough down into the plate, no one will notice the blush on its cheeks.

~To major Tom~

"What are you DOING?"

Mayuri is sitting on its bed, stitching a bleeding wound up on its stomach with a ridiculously large sewing needle and a thin white thread, looking at Kisuke with its big yellow eyes like he's the biggest moron it's ever seen.

There's blood everywhere; drenching the bed sheets, rinsing down on the floor, coagulating in pools around the carpet and staining the edges of the white curtains.

Beside the android on a pillow is a pile of something red, meaty and sticky. One of the things looks suspiciously much like a cut-out kidney.

"Adjustments." Mayuri replies, finally.

Kisuke just stares at it.

Finally, he manages to find his voice.

"What...? what do you mean adjustments?! There's blood EVERYWHERE!"

"My internal organs were malfunctioning. They were weak, fragile. Now; I've fixed them."

Something shiny on the floor catches Kisuke's eyes.

"Is that a BUTCHERS KNIFE?!"

"Tessai gave it to me."

"T-Tessai? Mayuri-kun you can't just do stuff like this!"

"Why not?"

"Because we'll never get these stains out of the carpet! Who's going to wash this?! Couldn't you at least have done this in the bathroom?!"

~Eight~

One day, Kisuke comes home and finds Mayuri staring at itself in the living room mirror.

Curious and knowing that the two of them are alone in the house, he closes the door behind him gently enough for the android not to hear him and then sneaks up behind one of the couches. He takes off his hat and stretches himself high up enough to see, but not high enough to be seen.

That's when he notices the framed photograph in Mayuri's hand.

It's his favorite, the one they took on her wedding day, when her hair was down and she was dressed not in the traditional white dress or flowery kimono but a suit, she smiled through the entire day and her eyes were glistening warm and soft like honey or molten gold or the sun in autumn.

It's his favorite because he can't seem to ever get tired of looking at it; it's his favorite because it breaks him every time.

And now Mayuri, his very own Frankenstein Monster, is holding it in its hands, and all Kisuke wants to do is to run up and tear it from it, tell it never to touch it again, it'll ruin it, taint it, don't even look at it! – but he doesn't, he's frozen in place, he's indecisive, if he startles it, it might drop the picture, if he doesn't do anything it might smash it out of pure spite – who knows what's going through that strange mind of its?

"It's alright, Kisuke…" it suddenly says, making a chock of fear and surprise bolt through him at having been caught peeping. "…I won't hurt her. I won't hurt you." Slowly, it turns around and gives him a horrifying, full toothed smile that makes Kisuke wonder if maybe, just maybe, he might have gotten over his head this time? "At least not like this."

~Seven, Six~

They're sitting side by side in the mod soul corporation's common room, Mayuri with a cord plugged into the power outlet, recharging its batteries.

It doesn't really need it, it's only been a couple of months since its creation and it still has enough power to last it for the next ten years if required, but Kisuke wants it to be on top notch today, he wants it to impress.

He also wants it to look as good as possible, despite his previous statement of how its questionable looks would serve to their advantage, which is why he's currently combing its hair, fighting a desperate battle against Mayuri's shaggy blue locks.

"Are you ready, Mayuri-kun?" He asks it, nervousness making his voice tremble.

"I was created for this." It responds mechanically, even as Kisuke struggles with straightening out a particularly nasty tangle of hair, threatening to pull it out by the roots.

"This is the chance, the chance of a lifetime to… we're going to be famous, Mayuri-kun. Everyone will know who you are. They'll probably start selling action figures with your face soon after this is over…!"

"Even though you made me ugly?"

He stops.

Contemplates the questions.

Pulls some more on its hair.

"Your looks serves a purpose."

"No one wants to see an attractive person be shipped off into space to die, right?"

"Did I say that? I don't remember saying-"

"You gave me photographic memory. I remember everything."

"Oh yeah… damn."

They spend some more time in silence.

When it looks like the hair is finally smooth, Kisuke smiles and leans away from the mod soul to admire his work.

When he notices how Mayuri is looking at him though, as if it's expecting him to say something, as if it wants him to say something, he sobers up and gets serious.

Half because of pure curiosity, half because of worry, he finally asks it:

"You're not… upset… about your face, are you?"

It turns to him completely now, golden eyes big and wide and chocked, making Kisuke's heart do a sudden double take and some color rise up his cheeks.

What a silly question, of course it's not upset, it's an android, an android that he created, it's not like it's a real person, don't let it get to you, don't let it get to your head (!).
"My looks are irrelevant…" Mayuri finally answers, and Kisuke is surprised to find that sting there in his heart, a sting of disappointment because if his mod soul had cared about its looks it would have cared what other people thought of him, and that would have made him more human. Then again, he's more relieved than disappointed, so the sting disappears quickly. "…I was not created to look good. As long as I serve my purpose, I will be… satisfied."

Kisuke tries, and fails, not to hear the sadness in Mayuri's voice, the acceptance.

They fall back into silence; it stretches between them for what feels like hours, miles, years, oceans, lifetimes and light-years, until, finally, Akon arrives to tell them that it's time, the car is there to pick them up, hurry.

Mayuri rises, plugs himself out and leaves without a word; and from that moment on Kisuke never thinks of him as an it again.

It makes everything so much more complicated.

~Commencing Countdown~

He won.

Of course he won – he was the perfect candidate; intelligent, creative, and those secret blueprints of the ship that Kisuke had made Hiyori hack herself into and download to Mayuri's memory base wasn't exactly a disadvantage either.

They held a big ceremony in his honor, sending the images out on live TV, Kisuke got to hold a speech, and the scientist was proud to say that Mayuri behaved perfectly; not even threatening anyone once!

Still, Kisuke feels like he should be happier than he is, sitting up there on the podium with his mod soul and some of the world's most influential people; scientist, world leaders and celebrities alike.

They'd won the competition.

His mod soul, that he'd spent years designing and building, wasting blood, sweat and tears upon, (almost) all by himself, had been selected worthy, out of hundreds of other androids; to represent mankind on a trip that may very well revolutionize not only the world of astronomy, but the very laws of physics themselves.

He's even beaten his role model, tutor and boss, Hikifune, and her mod soul KON. Never to mention that the amount of prize money are… impressive, to say the least.

And yet, he can't seem to tune out the people around him and what they're saying; cruel things like that the only reason they won was because of 3.5O's horrible personality and his strange looks, things that rings too true in Kisuke's mind and hurts, even though the aforementioned traits were a chosen strategy of his.

It hurts because he knows that if he can hear them, with his substandard human hearing, then Mayuri definitely can as well, and he notices the way that the android keeps clenching and unclenching the tablecloth into tight fists.

~Five~

They'd been forced, not decided, to walk home.

They'd been forced to walk because Tessai, the only one with a driver's license, had gotten lucky with some pretty Nobel Prize winner lady, they'd been forced because even though they could consider themselves rich now, Kisuke had forgotten his wallet at home, and they'd been forced because Ururu had been far too tired to hotwire any car, never to mention drive it.

Kisuke thought it obvious that he'd made Hiyori add this to her programming, his one regret was that he hadn't been able to make her do the same to the other two.

Now, the little android girl is fast asleep on Mayuri's back.

After much argument (and some shameless misuse of Kisuke's famous puppy eyes technique), the mod soul had finally agreed to give her a piggy back ride through their trek through the city, and carry all of Kisuke's things!

Jinta is walking ahead of them, using his built in GPS to guide the way.

The sight of them all makes Kisuke smirk.

God bless androids.

"So…" Jinta suddenly says, breaking the comfortable silence. "…that sucked!"

It didn't take long to understand what he meant.

Kisuke smiles.

"What ever do you mean, Jinta-kun my dear?"

"Tonight was boring! Just a bunch of science dudes, talking about stupid shit, and dress codes and way too much cutlery that had to be used in the right order – why the hell didn't everyone just use chopsticks?! We're in Japan! – and not even a single food fight! When I agreed to go to this party I thought it was gonna be a party! A real party with music and snacks and dancing! This was just… depressing. Rich people are depressing."

Even though he can't see his face, Kisuke knows from the sound of his voice alone that the boy is pouting.

He chuckles.

"We're rich now, you know…?"

"Yeah!" The boy starts pumping his fist in excitement. "But we're going to use the money for cool stuff like… Like a big house and a swimming pool and a great white shark!"

"I doubt that they'd sell a great white to a little snot like you." Mayuri cuts in, sly as usual.

"I'm ten years older than you!"

"You don't exactly look the part."

"Shut up!"

"Calm down, calm down!" Kisuke laughs. "You'll wake up Ururu!"

Jinta spins around to show Mayuri his tongue, then quickly turns back around again.

Mayuri shows his to the boy's back.
After some more minutes of silence, Kisuke decides to speak again.
"Still, I do agree with you, Jinta. Tonight was a lot duller than I'd expected."

"And the people dumber." Mayuri agrees. "Did you hear that fool Brock's theory on the potential uses of marine plankton to help with the global food crisis? Ridiculous!"

The next two hours passes quickly and are spent laughing and shit talking the other party guests, Tessai's stupid, surprisingly effective pickup lines and the excessive use of the word "sama".

In the end, Kisuke ends up having a better time than he's had in what feels like years.

~Engines on~

"I'm not human, Kisuke…" Mayuri states, making his heart clench uncomfortably in his chest. There's a trail of black paint rinsing down the androids cheek, like tears, and he looks so small sitting there, in front of the mirror, clutching the makeup to his chest like he's afraid that Kisuke will take it from him, that for a moment it's hard not to remember that he's only a child really, only a couple of months old and new to the world. "…I'm special. It's only… only fitting that I look the part. At the moment I'm just ugly. When I finish this… when I finish this, my appearance will be as it should have been from the start. Alien. Special."

Kisuke wants to disagree.
Wants to tell him that, to him, Mayuri already is special, that he's thought of him as nothing but perfect from the start; beautiful not despite of his deficiencies, but because of them – but he stays silent.

Can't seem to find the words.

Can't seem to grasp the realization that he finds his creation attractive, nor remember when he stopped thinking of him as a machine, and started thinking of him as a human being.

The thought almost makes him laugh out loud; a broken, twisted sound.

Instead, he crosses the room and sits down in front of Mayuri, grabs a cloth from the shelf and wipes the makeup off of his face, gently.

The android lets him without complaints, even though Kisuke can feel the silent desperation bubbling inside of him, just beneath the surface.

Then, he takes the makeup, almost shivers when their hands touch (when did this start? Why did he have such an effect on him?), dips the brush in some of the white paint and touches it to Mayuri's cheek.

When the android feels the soft brush against his skin, he opens his eyes to look at Kisuke, chocked; and this time the human does shiver, rocked to the core by the intensity of Mayuri's golden, electric gaze.

"I'll accent your eyes with black…" He whispers, barely louder than a breath. "…I'll make them see what I see."

~Four~

It's getting late.

At home, Tessai is no doubt preparing the table for dinner. Just the thought of it makes Kisuke's stomach growl, and yet he can't seem to get himself to leave, even though his shift ended hours ago.

The reason is standing before him, leaned in over the open abdomen of an unoperational mod soul on a cold table, in an uncomfortably warm and dark room; just like every other night for the past three weeks.

"Mayuri-kun…" Kisuke asks, almost shyly. The mod soul doesn't reply. He knows that he can hear him, though. "…aren't you coming home tonight? You need to rest."

"I'm busy." He grumbles.

Kisuke forces himself to smile.

"Are you sure? I happen to have heard, from a very reliable source, that Tessai's making yakiniki tonight! Wouldn't you like that?"

"Go home, Kisuke."

"You need to eat."

"I'll just grab something in the kitchens here, later…"

"You need to sleep, too."

"Ridiculous! I have enough energy reserves to last me another decade, if anyone should know that it should be you, Kisuke! And if I, against all odds, begin to feel low on power, I'll just plug myself into the power outlet and the problem will be solved!"

"You'll overheat!"

Finally, the android looks up at him, eyes filled with irritation and a streak of blood coming from the body rinsing down his cheek.

"Go home, Kisuke! I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Apparently you can't!"

"I can and you know it! You created me!"

"Yes. Yes I did, and do you know how long that took me? Eight years! You'll be leaving in nine months, Mayuri-kun! You don't have the time to-"

"I'm not you."

Kisuke falters.

"I don't require sleep, or regular feeding, or company. I can do this. I'll prove it to you. By the time I leave, she will be finished."

A sudden rush of jealousy courses through him.

"Why is she-?!" He stops himself. Feels the blood rush to his face. Frowns and starts over. "Why is this so important to you? Why are you even doing this?"

Mayuri leans back down, and Kisuke wants to run up and shake him, slap him, force him to look at him even as he wonders over how it's even possible to feel so devastatingly lonely when you're in the same room as someone you care about.

"Why did you make me?" Mayuri finally answers, sullenly. "Why did you make Jinta, or Ururu? Not to win some silly competition, or for company, or have us cook your food, clean your house or wash your laundry. You made us because you could. That is all. And now I'm making her… I'm making her because I can too."

"They miss you!" Kisuke stutters, and winces slightly at how desperate he sounds. "Tessai, and the kids. They keep asking me… asking me when you're coming back home?"

Mayuri doesn't respond, as a matter of fact, he barely reacts at all.

After a long, long time, Kisuke sighs, swallows his pride, and whispers:
"I miss you too."

The mod soul freezes, and the sight of it makes his heart skip a beat.

After a couple of minutes of tense silence that makes Kisuke's heart beat loudly in his chest and hope building steadily, doubtfully, through his mind; the android finally lets out a long, heartbreaking sigh, looks up at his creator and answers:
"Go home, Kisuke."

~Three, Two~

Kisuke watches Mayuri do the last; finishing touches on his mod soul's facial design on one of the corporations many holographic computers.

He watches him shape her lips using one of his fingers with infinite care and meticulous perfectionism; making them small but not too small, plump but not ridiculously so; and feels a sting of jealousy stir in the pit of his stomach, despite the fact that he's seen this all before. For almost six months now Kisuke has witnessed far too many gentle caresses, tender looks and fond detail work pass from the android to the stale corpse, for him to even dare try to count them; and it's ridiculous, really, how insanely jealous it makes him feel when he should be taking notes, this is an interesting psychological phenomenon, they could be making history with this stuff!

Today should be no different jealousy-wise, but really, it is, because today he's got news and a plan, and it makes the sight of the pretty holographic lady a little more bearable.

"They're holding a ball in your honor."

Mayuri only grunts.

Annoyed at the lack of interest, Kisuke takes a step towards him and presses on, stubbornly.
"One week before the ship launch. They'll be expecting you there."

"Obviously."

He smiles.

"They'll be expecting you to dance."

"That's ridiculous; I don't know how to dance."

"I could teach you."

Finally, the android stops and turns around from his work for what might just be the first time in days, an annoyed frown on his face.

The sight of it is enough to make Kisuke's heart double in speed and the forced grin on his face threaten to falter.

"Can't you just add it to my programming?"

"I suppose I could do that, but that wouldn't be even half as much fun, now would it?"

"I don't have time for this…" Mayuri begins to turn around again, but before he's had the chance to Kisuke's up and running towards him, taking one of his hands in his and spinning him away from the computer forcibly.

"Come on, Mayuri-kun…" he smiles, even though his pulse is now dangerously high and the android is giving him one of the worst death glares he's ever seen. "…it will be quick, I promise! Just a few steps; we can even stay in here! Then you can get back to your little project, and I'll leave you alone!"

"Kisuke…!" Mayuri warns, making the other stick his bottom lip out and give him the most adorable puppy face ever (he knows, he's been practicing)! Desperate time calls for desperate measures.

The android looks at him, and slowly, slowly the frown disappears and turns into an amused, involuntary smile. The sight of it makes Kisuke's heart do a double take and his mind a victory dance.

"Fine." (The scientist has to keep himself from squealing.) "But only this once! And if you ever try to pull a stunt like that on me again I'll cut your eyes out and give them to Hiyori as tennis balls!"

"YEY!"

"Don't make a scene."

They end up dancing every Friday.

~Check ignition~

They're standing in the hallway of the house, close and intimate, when Mayuri introduces his creation to them for the first time.

The moment Kisuke sees them together something in him breaks, and hot, raw anger fills him; makes him want to scream and break things (how dare he bring her here, to his home, after seven months of sitting cooped up in the laboratories?! How dare he even create her in the first place; weren't they enough of a family for him?! Wasn't he enough for him?), makes him want to hide his head and cry – but he doesn't.

Instead, he follows the rest of the inhabitants of the house up to them like a zombie, listens to them marvel over how pretty she is, how impressive he is, this must be some kind of a world record, isn't it (?); glares at the hand he's got snaked around her waist.

"Calm down everyone, and I will give you a proper introduction." Mayuri dictates smugly, and the pride in his voice makes Kisuke feel sick inside.

"This, girl, is Tessai Tsukabishi." The man bows his head politely.

"This is Jinta, another mod soul. Think of him as your… oh, I don't know… your uncle, I suppose?" The boy grins.

"This is Ururu, also a mod soul, and your aunt." The girl blushes.

"And this is Kisuke Urahara, my maker." He blinks, and forces himself to look away from Mayuri's hand to meet the girl's emerald green eyes. "Don't believe a word this man tells you, he's not to be trusted!"

"Mayuri-chan, you wound me!" He forces himself to joke, and puts a hand over his heart.

The android frowns, but before he's had the chance to respond, the girl pulls away from him and bows, deep.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She says, voice soft and warm. "My model number is 1.115O, but, if it pleases you, you may call me Nemu. Nemu Kurotsuchi."

"Kurotsuchi?" Kisuke wonders and turns to Mayuri. "You gave her a last name as well?"

"Actually…" the android looks away, and the blush on his cheeks makes Kisuke's heart beat painfully hard. "…I gave us a last name. I am now Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

Shell chocked, Kisuke stares at him, the implications spinning through his head and making him feel confused, hurt, and, above all, afraid.
"You…" he finally manages to stutter, struggling to get the words out of his head and into the air, struggling with his fear of the answer. "…you made her your wife?!"

Immediately, both androids blushes and stares at him, looking just as terrified as he feels.

"My wife?!" Mayuri screeches. "No, you imbecile! This is my daughter! What kind of pervert do you think I am?"

They stare at each other some more, flashing gold against murky grey, and then Kisuke starts to giggle. It's an empty, broken sound, more like sobbing than anything, but then the giggle turns to laughter; and then, then he drops to the floor, and he's laughing so much he can't breathe, he can't even think, he's just so relieved and so happy, how could he have been so stupid, he'll have to deal with the stomach ache later, everyone's looking at him like he's some kind of madman but that's alright, it's alright, they'll be alright.

~And may Gods love~

One night, Kisuke wakes up to find Mayuri sitting on the edge of his bed.

It's raining heavily outside and a sudden flash of lightning illuminates the android's painted features, making him look like some strange demon from hell, but Kisuke isn't half as scared, or even surprised, as he probably should have been.

Instead he's concerned, because Mayuri's looking very deep in thought and kind of glum, and though that's not exactly unusual, they're in a very odd situation as a whole.

So, after blinking some of the sleep from his eyes, Kisuke reaches out and turns the light on, blinding himself for a couple of seconds before can see again, and he turns towards the android, that still hasn't moved or talked or even blinked since the human woke up.

When looking him over, the scientist notices that he's holding the picture of her in his hands, staring down at it with blank, empty eyes.

Just like the last time, worry rushes through Kisuke at the sight, but not because he's scared for the picture, but rather because he's never seen Mayuri look so out of it before? Maybe there'd been a malfunction in his programming? Has he run out of power? What's going on?!

"Mayuri-kun…" He sits up and touches his shoulder, making the android snap out of it and turn towards him. Relieved, he asks: "How are you feeling?"

"Who's she?"

"Who?"

"The woman." Mayuri shows him the picture, and, slowly, dread begins to fill him once more.

"You want to know… about her?"

"Yes."

…

"Why?"

The android cocks his head to the side, confused.

"You don't want to talk about her?"

"That's not it…"

"Then what is it?"

Kisuke sighs.

"You can't just… can't just barge into my room at night, waking me up to ask questions that's… its personal, Mayuri-kun! And you have to respect that!"

They stare at each other.

Then, finally, Kisuke breaks, looks away, and sighs once more.

"Her name is Yoruichi."

"Is she alive?"

His heart clenches, hard.

"No."

"When did she die?"

"About… about ten years ago, I think?"

"And who was she marrying on this picture? Was it you? Did she wear the suit and you the pink, frilly dress?" The android is smirking at him, but his eyes are serious, and the question asked makes Kisuke feel like something is trying to rip him apart from the insides.

Suddenly, everything hurts.

"No. No she… we were never anything more than friends." Through the pain, Kisuke laughs. "I mean I… I loved her. Of course I did, she was like a sister to me! Her family adopted me and Tessai when we were just kids, picking us up from the streets, and I loved the ground she walked from the moment I saw her." He smiles. "We grew up together, the three of us. I was with Yoruichi when she got into her first fistfight, with Tessai when he got his first A+, with her when she started training martial arts, with him when he learned to play the piano, with them both when we learned to read, to climb, to live; with Tessai when he learned to drive, with Yoruichi when she came out as a lesbian, with them both when we ran away." Kisuke feels himself ebb away, slowly as he talks, until it's almost like it's someone else sitting there, telling Mayuri about himself, about things he's never told anyone else, and he's just another spectator. "She met Soifon in one of the shabby hotels we lived in. They fell in love almost instantly and got married four years afterwards, once all of our lives had calmed down a little.

They wanted children, so I agreed to become a sperm donator.
We were going to take care of the child together, all four of us; Yoruichi, Soifon, Tessai and me! We were going to be happy, and we were, for a long time, when Soifon's tummy was growing and we were young, so very, very young…" through the daze, a stab of pain hits him. "…but then… then everything changed! Soifon she… she was going to have her baby, but something went wrong, she had to perform a C-section and they…" something dark passes through his mind. Anger makes his hands tremble and a trail of tears slip through his eyelids. "…they killed her. They had the resources, the personal and the money but Soifon walked in with a wife, not a husband, and they put her in the oldest delivery machine they had, with the least qualified people. They killed her, and the baby – a girl, a beautiful, beautiful baby girl, and three weeks afterwards, almost immediately after the funeral, Yoruichi killed herself.
I remember the night before, we were sitting talking, and she told me that it was alright – Soifon and the baby, they were with the stars now, they were with the stars, she only wished that… wished that she could join-!"

Suddenly, there's a weight on his chest and blue, shaggy hair in his nostrils, stopping Kisuke short in his ramblings and making him freeze.

Slowly, a pair of hands reach out and takes a tight grip on his wrists.

It takes a while before the blond realizes what just happened; that Mayuri didn't just suddenly shut off and fall into his arms by accident, but that the reason he's got the android's head pressed against his heart is because he's trying to console him, even though he doesn't seem entirely certain as to how.

This is probably his version of a hug, Kisuke thinks, and feels his lips twists upwards into a shaky smile even as tears are rinsing down his cheeks.

"Mayuri-kun…" he whispers, and buries his nose deeper into the others hair.

"Stop crying you dumbass…" Mayuri whispers back, and presses even closer to him. "…you'll ruin my electrical circuits."

Kisuke only laughs, and cries some more.

~Blastoff~

"May I have this dance?"

Mayuri looks him over, eyebrows raised critically.

"Isn't that a little unorthodox? Even if I am a mod soul, I am still male."

"Since when did we care, Mayuri my dear?" Kisuke laughs.

The android thinks it over.

Frowns.

And then takes the hand reached out towards him, allows Kisuke to pull him to his feet and lead him to the overpopulated dance floor.

They're at the ball, their ball, and there are even more people here this time than the last, more eyes to watch and judge, more cameras that direct towards them as they move through the crowd hand in hand, but, honestly, Kisuke can't find it in himself to care.

He's happy, truly happy, when he rearranges them so that his left hand is on Mayuri's waist and the android's left is on his shoulder (he hasn't told him that this is the girls position, even though the narrowing of those yellow eyes tells him that he's probably figured that out now, by watching the other couples around them).

He's happy when they dance and he realizes that all those lessons have paid off; they move so fluidly together, and Mayuri is more graceful than most of the ladies present.

He's happy even though he can hear people whisper and judge, even though they look at them either as if they're the most amusing or the most horrifying things they've ever seen, even though all of this is broadcasted live on TV and millions of people are probably staring at them through their screens, wondering, talking.

Later, when they're done, Kisuke finds Nemu and takes her on a waltz while Tessai spins Mayuri around the dance floor; then the kids join in and everyone dances together, and they're happy, happy, happy until Kisuke can't stand it anymore, and he throws up all over the prime minister wife's new, shiny dress.

~Be with you~

They're sitting together on Kisuke's bed, Mayuri wiping the last remains of vomit from his face with a wet rag while the blond can't seem to stop staring into his eyes, those beautiful, beautiful golden eyes…!

"You idiot…!" The android snaps, annoyed. "…why did you have to drink so much? You made us all look like fools!"

"I'm sorry." Kisuke mumbles, not feeling sorry at all.

"You better be…" he puts the rag away, then sighs, dejectedly. "Just so you know, I am not going to be in charge of taking care of your hangover in the morning."

"That's alright."

The mod soul sighs once again, and gives him an annoyed glare before turning to leave.

"Goodnight, Kisuke…"

"Wait!" He catches his arm, pulls him back onto the bed, embraces him from behind and buries his face in the crook of his shoulder. "I don't…" he whispers, and feels the desperation that's been building underneath his muscles all night well up within him, causing tears to prickle in the corner of his eyes and his entire body to tremble. "…I don't want you to go."

Silence spread itself between them, like lifetimes, like galaxies, and for a moment Kisuke's scared that Mayuri will pull away, that he won't have the strength to keep him still, that he'll be alone once again.

But then he speaks, and of course he knows exactly what it is that the human meant, exactly what he's thinking.

"This is why I was created. This is my purpose. Do you wish to rid me of my one reason to exist?"

"Yes." Kisuke holds on tighter "We'll give you a new purpose, you'll live with me and Tessai and Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan and Nemu-chan and we'll be happy, Mayuri-kun, I'll make you happy…"

"Everything's already prepared for the trip. If we back out now, we'll be disappointing thousands of people, will have wasted millions of their money."

"Screw them! I don't care! I won't let them have you, I won't!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Startled by the question, Kisuke takes a hard, desperate grip on Mayuri's shirt, as to make sure that he won't run away from him as he thinks. He sighs, tries to concentrate but finds that his mind is spinning, spinning, spinning (maybe Mayuri was right, maybe he shouldn't have had so much to drink?), and then the answer reveals itself, and it's so simple, so obvious that it makes him laugh out loud and choke back a sob, both at once. "Because…" he smiles, and buries his teeth in Mayuri's soft skin, making the other tense up immediately. He sucks on the spot for a while, bruising and tendering, until the android lets out a small, muted whimper that makes something in Kisuke's lower stomach stir with heat. "…because I love you, Mayuri-kun."

He put his lips to the bruise and kisses it, softly.

"You do?" Mayuri breathes.
Kisuke frowns at how doubtful he sounds.

"Yes."

He kisses him again, up his jawline, brushing against his chin and nibbling at his Adam's apple.

"Are you sure?"

One more kiss.

"Yes."

"What do you love about me?"

Kisuke stops.

Smiles, then chuckles.

He should have expected this; the android was pretty much the most egocentric person he's ever had the bad luck of meeting, never to mention the idiocy of creating.

Slowly, he releases Mayuri from his death grip and turns him around so that they're face to face.

The mod soul is blushing so furiously you can see the red through the makeup, and his eyes are downcast, directed towards his knees.

"I love…" Kisuke purrs, then takes one of the male's tightly clenched hands in his, makes him relax his grip, intertwines their fingers and reaches it up to his lips to give it a soft kiss. "…your hands…" Mayuri blushes even more. Kisuke pushes him back, making him fall on his back across the bed, and quick as a viper reaches out to grab a hold of his leg. Slowly, he hoists the edge of the dress pants up his ankle, and gives it a slow, gentle kiss. "…your legs and feet…" He crawls further up, reveling in the fact that Mayuri's finally looking at him, even though the expression is half terrified, half intrigued, and pulls the androids shirt up over his stomach to give it a kiss. "…your adorable tummy…" Mayuri scoffs, but doesn't say anything. Kisuke takes this as a victory. Leaning even further up, he positions his body so that his legs are on either side of the other male, and presses his arms down with his hands. "…I love your neck…" he gives it a small love bite. "…your nose…" a quick peck of a kiss on the tip. "…your ears…" a lick. "…your lips…" a soft, delicate kiss. "…but most of all…" he leans away from him a little, just enough to take in the other's flushed, lustful expression, the way he's biting his lower lip and his eyes are hooded; his eyes, those beautiful, beautiful eyes… "…your eyes are like lightning, like molten gold, like the stars in the sky! From the moment you opened them for the first time, I've loved them with every last fiber of my body, every single shred of my soul."
He leans down and kisses both eyelids, one after the other, satisfied with his own romantic speech (he is SO getting laid tonight!), before leaning away from the other male with a delighted smile.

When he looks at the him though, all traces of lust that's been there previously has been replaced with cold, bitter resentment.

Kisuke's smile slips.

Suddenly, his throat feels impossibly tight.

"Mayuri-kun?"

"You gave me her eyes."

He freezes.

"I don't think you even noticed it, but, believe me, everyone else did. The first time I heard the name Shihoin Yoruichi was just a couple of days after my creation. I overhead Hikifune and Akon talking in the common room about our… eerie, similarity. Then I came to your home, and I found that picture. I didn't think much of it at first, so what if my eyes were similar to someone else's? What harm could it make? But then you started looking at me. Like, really looking at me, like you were finally seeing me for the first time and you actually liked what you saw, and in the beginning it was disturbing and a little disgusting, but then I… I kind of… I wouldn't say that I came to like you, but I accepted you, and then I didn't mind it so much when your eyes got all glazed over and warm when they crossed with mine. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you where over her? Maybe what you saw was me? Even though she was beautiful and sane and actually human, while I'm just a freak!" The mod soul frowns and looks away. "I suppose I was wrong. I should have listened to my own advice, really. Never trust Urahara Kisuke."

He pushes him off, and Kisuke lets him.

Without a backwards glance, the android leaves the room, closing the door with a loud "BAM!", leaving him desperately, desperately alone.

~Ground control to major Tom~

Heart rate – steady.

Mayuri is avoiding his gaze, and Kisuke hates himself for it.

Blood pressure – normal.

He'll leave tomorrow. There's nothing he can do about it anymore.

Reflexes – responding.

The silence between them is tense and awkward.

It's hard to find the right words when the air seems so thick.

Finally, Kisuke manages to ask him to look up at him.

In the beginning, it looks like the mod soul will refuse, and that would be fine with Kisuke, really, it's nothing but what he deserves – but then he raises his chin and looks him deep into his eyes, and the loathing, the hatred Kisuke finds there is enough to make him stop in the middle of his movement and die a little on the inside.

Slowly, he regains his composure, and raises the small flashlight to the others eyes.

Pupils – receptive.

When they're finally done and Mayuri makes to leave, Kisuke stops him by gushing out, desperately: "It wasn't her! I love you, Mayuri-kun! And I don't want you to go!"

He does anyway.

~Your circuits dead~

"…the ship: a 3.2X007, also called the Geronimo model, is a small, highly mobile vessel; rigged with cameras that's recording every inch of its cramped interior at twenty-four/seven, as well as the space outside of it.

It's also acquired with a pair of double hyperspace engines that will take it from Earth to its destination, the V4641 Sagittari, 1600 lightyears away, in approximately two weeks. Also aboard the ship is its service droid, the award winning 3.5O model.
For those of you that missed the beginning of this transmission, the purpose of the robot is to keep the ship afloat until it reaches its destination, as well as measuring the psychological progress of its mind for later, human boarded travels – a highly criticized phenomenon, as the robot's been programmed to think and feel as if it is an actual person, and it's final destination is nothing but a black hole, and almost certain death.

I repeat; it's destination is that of a black hole, and almost certain death."

"Turn off the radio."

Tessai does, but the silence that follows does nothing to fill the gaping pit in Kisuke's heart.

They're one person short around the kitchen table.

~Is something wrong?~

They all handle it differently.

Tessai goes about his day as usual; getting the kids ready for school in the mornings, cooking, cleaning the house, doing laundry; everything and anything to pass the time, but whenever there's a radio or a TV broadcast about the ship and the android, he'll sit glued to the transmitter for hours, silent and brooding.

Ururu cries herself to sleep the first night, but never actually shows that she's in pain to anyone. One night she stays up with the communicator (showing the holographic, 3D image of Mayuri as he's seen through one of the cameras aboard the ship, and allowing them to talk to each other) they've been given by Hikifune until the small hours, whispering secrets and wishes and facts in a small, timid voice to him until she falls asleep.

Jinta refuses to admit missing the other android, but it's obvious by the way he's so angry all the time, even more so than usual; lashing out at Ururu at random intervals and getting into fistfights at school.

Nemu walks around the house looking like half a person; like a ghost.

She doesn't speak.

She barely eats.

The only times she seems to come alive are when she's speaking to Mayuri through the communicator, even though he's the one doing the talking, and the only signs that she's enjoys listening is the shimmer in her eyes and the faint twisting of her lips, barely noticeable, hardly a smile, but there none the less.

Kisuke locks himself up in his room most of the time, burying himself in work while trying not to think about how it's all his fault, how they must hate him, how he hates himself.

It's only during the dinners that they all come together, that they're a family.

In the beginning it's awkward and strained, but as the day pass they begin to talk, to joke, to laugh together again.

Despite it all, it's uplifting to know that things, with a little time, might just return to normal – that even if it feels like they're drowning in their grief; they've got each other.

~Can you hear me major Tom?~

"They miss you."

Mayuri doesn't respond, only keeps staring out the window of the ship, refusing to look at him; but Kisuke knows that he's affected, he can see the frown on his painted features.

"I miss you."

"Go to bed, Kisuke."

"I don't want to."

Its three A.M in the morning on a work night, and Kisuke is sitting in his bedroom, alone, with the communicator placed on the foot of his bed; the hologram being his only light source.

He watches Mayuri sigh, and gives him a rebellious smirk that he knows would piss him off if he'd just get off his high horse and turn to look at him.

"Why not?" The android finally asks him, sounding very, very tired.

"I don't want to miss anything."

"What's there to miss? I'm in space, even worse – I'm in hyper drive through space! There's nothing to see!"

"I see you."

There's that frown again.

"That's cheesy."

"It's true, though."

"Stop it. I'm warning you, if you keep doing this I will turn the communicator off!"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

"Because then you won't see me!" Mayuri finally snaps, and turns towards him, anger making his voice tremble.

"I do see you." Kisuke answers, calmly.

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Why on earth should I believe you?"

"Because I love you."

"You do not."

"I do."

"You love a ghost, that's all! A shadow of a woman you knew, long ago, and that didn't even love you back!"
"And you call me cheesy…" Kisuke laughs.

"It's true!"

"It's not. I don't…" he turns his face to his hands, frowns and lets out a broken laugh. "…I don't know how to prove to you that… that if you'd just stayed..." he looks up at Mayuri, that's giving him a doubtful look. He clenches his hands and hopes that the desperation he feels will carry on to him through the screen. "…if you'd stayed, I would have given you anything! And I just… It's not that I won't sleep, Mayuri-kun! It's that I can't, because every time I close my eyes I see your face, and I start thinking about what's about to happen and I really, really, really wish that I'd made Hiyori add hotwiring to your programming, because then you could take over that stupid ship and fly home to us, to me, and I both hate and love myself for creating you because you know what?! I HATE you, Mayuri-kun! But I love you too, I love you so much, I just… I can't sleep with all of these things in my head!" There's tears rolling down his cheeks again, and he feels pathetic for crying so much in the past two weeks, but he's tired, so desperately, desperatelytired, and he's lost the will to fight it anymore.
"Take off your clothes."

He freezes.

Looks up, slowly, at the hologram before him.

Frowns, unbelieving.

"What?"

"Take off your clothes, Kisuke." Mayuri repeats, annoyed but blushing madly.

…

"Why?"

"Because I…" the android stops, swallows, looks down at his hands, then looks back up again with a long, tired sigh. "…I want to see you."

Slowly, Kisuke understands, and as realization hits him a laugh (a broken, twisted thing) escapes his lips.

"Now isn't this unorthodox?"

"Since when did we care, Kisuke?"

The blond laughs again, happier this time, and wipes his wet cheeks with the back of his hand before struggling out of the pajama shirt.

"Are you just going to watch me, or…?" He wonders aloud, more to himself than anything, as he pulls the fabric over his head.

"There are cameras aboard the ship."

"Let them watch! I want to see you as well!"

"I'm not some zoo animal that will fornicate before a crowd!"

"Please?" He throws the shirt to the floor, then gives Mayuri the most adorable puppy eyes he can muster; grey eyes big and wet, hair in disarray.

The android (cold hearted bastard) seems completely unaffected.

"No." He says, vehemently, effectively putting an end to all discussion.

"Fine…" Kisuke pouts, feeling more than a little let down, and lays down on the bed to his back in order to pull the pants off of his legs. "...though you'll have to make that up to me somehow, Mayuri-kun."

"How?"

"Oh, I don't know…" He laughs and sits up again, now completely in the nude, to wink at the other male. "…though I suppose that some dirty talk from a man with such a lovely, lovely voice wouldn't be too bad?"

Mayuri doesn't respond.

He's staring, painted face ablaze with the most vibrant blush Kisuke's ever seen on anyone, wide eyed at the blond's currently limp cock. The intensity of his gaze is almost enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

Almost.

"What is it, Mayuri-kun?" He purrs, and starts to trail the outline of his inner thigh teasingly. "Haven't seen one of these before, have you?"

This pulls the android out of his reverie, makes him frown and turn towards him.

"Of course I have! You gave me one, for all the good it's ever done me!"

Kisuke only laughs.

"I could make it feel good." He teases, making Mayuri blush beet red once again.

He watches the android swallow, hard, watches the nervous twitch of his fingers and the way his golden eyes flicker to and fro Kisuke's face to his groin.

Finally, he says:

"Not from there you can't."

"What's with the doubt, Mayuri-kun? When have I ever let you down in the past?"

"Oh please…"

"When have my masculine, sexy voice ever made you feel ANYTHING but raw…" slowly, Kisuke begins to stroke the outline of his cock, and trembles as he feels the blood in his veins rush to it, filling it, making him hard, desperately hard. "…sensual…" through the small streams of enjoyment that rinses up his spine and curls his toes, he raises his head to give Mayuri a cocky smile. "…pleasure."

He grips his cock, heat sears through him, burning in his lower stomach and spreading all throughout his body, and when he lets out a cry Mayuri mewls, actually mewls in response!

Kisuke decides, then and there, that it's the most adorable sound he's ever heard.

Slowly, teasingly slowly, he begins to pump himself.

"Enjoying yourself yet, Mayuri-chan?" He purrs.

The android frowns, even though he can't seem to take his eyes off of the hand on the blond's cock.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kisuke. It's hardly attractive."

"Oh? But this is?" Biting his lip, he grabs his cock hard and squeezes it all the way from the shaft to the top, even slower than before, his head rolling back and a loud moan escaping his lips.
When he looks back up again, Mayuri's eyes are glazed over, and his left hand is clenching at the fabric at his pants tight, desperately tight.

"You look a little uncomfortable, Mayuri-chan…" Kisuke smiles, and shivers as he begins with his normal pace, his normal hold, once again. "…aren't all of those clothes awfully hot?"

"Don't even think about it, pervert."

"Fine, fine…" he chuckles. "…but you can't blame me for trying, right?"

"I always blame you." The android replies. There's no weight to the words, though.

Kisuke picks up the pace of his hand a little, bites at his bottom lip, begin to massage one of his nipples with his free hand.

"For what, Mayuri-chan…?" He breathes, feeling pleasure rush through him like a tide, and the android's eyes burn into his skin like two pieces of burning coal. "…what do you blame me for?"

"Everything." The bluenett responds, mechanically. "I blame you for everything."

Kisuke smirks, and then Mayuri's eyes, his beautiful, golden, electric eyes, meet his and that presence, the one he felt so long ago, every time he examined the mod soul while he was still unoperational, is upon him once again. He can feel it pressing against his body (heart to beating heart), raking nails down his back, digging teeth into the crook of his neck, and pressing against his hand, making it go faster, faster, faster, clench harder, harder, harder – and he's not even sure who he wants it to be any longer, who he imagines it to be, if it's Mayuri clinging to his skin or if it's Yoruichi, maybe it's both?

Either way he knows two things for sure, and that's;
"I love you…" he sobs. "…and I miss you!"

He comes too hard, too fast.

The cum spreads out all over his hand and the sheets of the bed, he falls forward to lay on his stomach, but the aftershocks of the orgasm only lasts a minute – then it's gone, and the only traces of what just happened are laying spread out in sticky strands all over the room, as well as whirling in a confused mess of thoughts through Kisuke's mind.
Suddenly, he feels very, very tired, and desperately empty.

After some time, he looks up at the hologram again, almost shyly, through the thick bangs of his hair.

At the sight of the small smile on Mayuri's face, he feels a little better.

"Good night, Kisuke."

He smiles back.

"Good night, Mayuri-kun."

~Can you hear me major Tom?~

"Ground control to major Tom...~"

"No, Kisuke."

"…ground control to major Tom…"

"I don't want to play this game!"

"Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground control…"

"You have a horrible singing voice."

"…to major Tom. Commencing countdown, engines on, check ignition, and may Gods will be with yooouu!"

"I swear to God I will turn this communicator off!"

"This is ground control to major Tom, you've really made the graaade!" Kisuke half screams, half sings, a smile on his lips. "And the papers want to know whose shirts you weeaar! Now it's time to leave the capsule if you daaaaare!"

He looks to Mayuri, expectantly.

The android is giving him his worth death glare, but Kisuke sticks out his bottom lip and makes puppy eyes at him until it softens, and he sighs.

Slowly, the other male begins to sing.

"This is major Tom to ground control, I'm stepping through the doooooor…~"

Kisuke grins.

Mayuri sighs once again, but continues.

"…And I'm floating in a most peculiar waay. And the stars looks very different todaaaay…~"

~Can you hear me major Tom?~

"Do you ever regret it?"

Kisuke looks up from his work, turns to the communicator, and frowns.

"What?"

Mayuri frowns back.
"Creating me."

Kisuke looks down at his hands.

Contemplates the question.

Decides that honesty is the best course of action, that words are redundant; he'll understand.

"Every day."

Because he does.

He regrets creating him; regrets signing up for the competition; regrets inviting him to his home; regrets the money, the fame and the glory; regrets getting to know him, falling for him, loving him; regrets the happiness, the pain.

The android cocks his head to the side, curiously.

"Would you destroy me if you could?" He asks.

"Never."

There's no hesitation this time.

~Can you…?~

He's at work when he hears the news.

The Geronimo has reached its destination.

They're about to enter the black hole.

Pushing through the swarming mass of his coworkers (they're all there to see it; the show, the circus, the execution), Kisuke rushes to the common room, up through the crowd to stand by the holograph of his creation, his very own Frankenstein monster, his lover.

At the sight of him, the rest of the world disappears.

Everything is recorded; everything is broadcasted live.
People everywhere are in that moment coming to a complete stand still, taking a pause in their otherwise busy lives to watch the results of this scientific exploration, this show, this circus, this murder. At home, Tessai's left the water rinsing in the bathroom in his hurry to get to Nemu and the television, and in school Jinta and Ururu have paused their classes to watch the drama unfold in the large auditorium with the rest of their classmates.

Kisuke knows none of this.

All he can see, all he knows, is that Mayuri is on the screen, there's darkness all around him and he wants him to come home.

"Do you see this, Kisuke…?" His heart clenches in his chest. Mayuri turns to look out the window, towards vast cold space and burning stars and the menacing, swirling abyss of darkness that awaits him – his very purpose of existence, and his doom. As the ship approaches the black hole, statics begins to disrupt the otherwise quiet scene, turning the mod souls face into a shriveled mess at random intervals; and the already calm heaving of his chest becomes slower and slower, letting Kisuke know that time is slowing down, swallowed up by the hole itself. "…it's beautiful."

Statics cover the scene.

Silence lays itself across the room.

Kisuke clenches his hands, and tries to keep himself from screaming.

He fails.

~Here I am sitting in my tin can, far above the Moon ~

A couple of months after Mayuri's disappearance into the black abyss, Jinta finds the perfect hill. It's located in the middle of a deep forest just outside the city, covered with knee height grass, and it's perfect because there are no trees to cover the view of the stars, that shine like glowing embers in the darkness.

Here, so far from civilization, there seems to be no end to them – they stretch across the sky, millions upon millions upon millions; breathtakingly beautiful and desperately unreachable.

It's perfect.

They put up the memorial stone there; the one they made themselves and that they've covered in drawings, floral wreaths and pretty trinkets, even though they know that Mayuri would have hated it, and makes a decision to visit it, everyone together, once a month.

At their first visit, Jinta suddenly speaks up.

"I don't think he's dead."

Everyone gives a start, and turns to stare at the boy, chocked and concerned.

"Don't look at me like that! I saw this show on TV were a bunch of science dudes said that you don't actually know what happens when you enter a black hole, and then, in another show, some kids drove through one and came into this other dimension, full of dinosaurs and stuff!"

…

"Jinta-kun…" Tessai begins, carefully.

"Maybe you're right, Jinta-kun?" Kisuke interrupts, and gives the boy a goofy smile. "There are many evidences pointing towards the existence of multiple dimensions of space, different timelines and/or alternative universes! Who's to say that a black hole isn't a gateway to one of them?"

"It doesn't…" Ururu speaks up, shyly. "…doesn't feel like he's dead. Just like he's… missing? You know?"
"True enough." Tessai agrees, having caught up on what Kisuke is doing. "When Yoruichi-dono died, it felt different. In my tummy." He gives his belly a loving rub. "I'm sure that in some other universe, Mayuri made it home to us safe and sound."

"Yeah! And then we moved into a big mansion, got a swimming pool and a great white shark!" Jinta cheers.

"And Kisuke-san and Mayuri-san had a big, beautiful wedding with all of our friends and a huge cake." Ururu agrees, making Kisuke start.

"And they both wore pink, frilly dresses." Nemu finishes.

Everyone (except for Kisuke, that's still chocked about the girls knowing about his and Mayuri's relationship, and the fact that no one seems even remotely surprised about it) laughs, and then begins to make their way down the hill, towards home.

Kisuke stands unmoving for a little while, watching them go, until he turns his head towards the skies.

"You're with the stars now, Mayuri-kun…" he mumbles, before moving to follow his strange little family down the hill slope.

And life goes on.

~Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do~