Mayu

is a Soul that lived in a forest in Soul Society who lost her family to an attack by a Hollow.

Appearance
Mayu is a woman of youthful appearance with long, straight, brown hair and large green eyes. The top of her hair is kept in a quiff and to the left side of her head, she wears a pink flower. She also wears a simple, purple kimono over her slender body.

Personality
Mayu appears to be a bit of a romantic, having just lost her family to a Hollow, she immediately becomes smitten with the Shinigami who killed the assailant, requesting to travel with him once he finished his duties, and bringing him food everyday. Despite having just lost her parents, she becomes optimistic around Masayoshi and outwardly supports his ideals. She is able to feel sympathy for him despite his inward nature as a Hollow on the inside, although she fears his appearance.

History
Recently, the members of Mayu’s family, including her parents, became victims of a Hollow attack, leaving Mayu as the sole surviving member. Alone, she dug graves for those she lost, and would pray at the site.

Plot
Mayu is praying at the graves of her family when the same Hollow that killed them, ambushed her. Managing to evade its attack, she is chased through the forest only to trip and fall before it catches up with her. The Hollow picks her up and is about to devour her when a Shinigami stranger arrives, cutting down the Hollow and catching her in the process. Mayu thanks him for saving her life, introducing herself while brushing off his claim that he should have saved everyone else. Just then, Yachiru Kusajishi arrives, interrupting their tender moment as she hugged her old friend Mappy.

Mayu aids Yachiru in helping Masayoshi by collecting fire wood for his campsite supplies before they sit down to catch up and share stories. Masayoshi tells them the story of how he lost his wife and tells them that he plans on hunting every Hollow in existence so that nobody else has to suffer the way he and Mayu now have to suffer the loss of their loved ones. When he apologizes for having suddenly become so serious, Mayu brushes it off, enthusiastically telling him that she believes he can do it. Mayu walks Yachiru through the forest and speaks of Masayoshi in admiration, much to the young Shinigami’s confusion before she runs home. Mayu marvels at her speed before leaving for home herself.

Mayu arrives at the campsite the next day as Masayoshi wakes up from a nightmare and offers him some of the rice cakes she had baked for him much to his gratitude. Yachiru also snatches one when she arrives, again interrupting another of their moments. After Masayoshi can’t recall the fight he had with his wife, they are attacked by a Hollow, which goes for Mayu and Yachiru but is swiftly killed by Masayoshi. That night, Mayu asks him that, since she has nobody else in her life, if she can go with him on her travels, to which Masayoshi appears shocked about. Yachiru interrupts and take Mayu home before she can get a reply. On the walk home, Yachiru warns her that it is dangerous to get close to Masayoshi but does not elaborate on why this is before running home.

The next morning, regardless of the warning, Mayu once again makes food for Masayoshi but is kidnapped by a Hollow on her way to deliver it to him. Masayoshi quickly arrives and quickly dispatches of the many Hollow that try to ambush him. Yachiru arrives and gets in between Masayoshi and Mayu, ready to draw her Zanpakutō, much to their confusion. Yachiru accuses Masayoshi of being a Hollow, which he vehemently denies but when she asks him the name of his wife, he seems to have lost that memory. Yachiru then informs them both of the truth of how he is possessed by a Hollow that is gradually consuming him and how he killed his wife. The stress of this knowledge causes Masayoshi to lose some control to the Hollow, causing him to morph into a strange hybrid that scares Mayu. The Hollow from before suddenly ambushes Mayu, which Masayoshi sees and gets in the way of the attack, killing the Hollow and getting mortally wounded in the process. The Hollow inside him dissipates and Mayu holds him as he dies, shedding tears over his loss.

Etymology

 * The name Mayu means "cocoon" (繭).