The Last Bell
"Damnit!" The large man dropped his hands back in his lap, sweat beading on his brow. He gulped in deep breaths, his great chest heaving with the effort. The seated figure reached up and wiped his brow with his free hand, the other clutched the damned object of his frustration.
"Why? It's always the last one. Why can't I put this last bell in?", bellowed Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Eleventh Company. The colossus of a man stared at himself in the mirror. It had taken him about two hours to get himself in this state. His hair was spiked in his usual fashion, and his trademark eye patch has fastened in place, the little creature feeding hungrily on his spiritual energy non-stop. It was neither of these things that was bothering him. It was the last step that did it, every time: the bells.
They were part of Kenpachi's process, every morning. Part of the few things he required before starting his day. Who knew what tough opponents he would face today? He was about to leave his quarters without his bells, the first thing that made his battles fun. Yet, everyday, the process was the same. All the bells were easily attached to his hair spikes, except the last one, on the very top of his head, just out of his reach.
Zaraki looked down at the small object in his handle, the bell twinkling from the movement. How could something so insignificant beat him? Was he not the one who had survived the bloodiest battles, beaten his way to the top by pure grit and power alone? This was not over. With a growl, Kenpachi lifted it up again. "One more time!"
The enraged Captain gripped the bell tightly, using his other hand to try and fasten it to his hair. His arms stretched and reached, the muscles in his arms rippling and straining. He could feel the hair of that last spike in his fingers, feel as it narrowed the further he reached. Kenpachi gritted his teeth, sweat being to sting his uncovered eye. He was so close, and yet. . .
He dropped his arms once more, defeated. He was frustrated and tired, the last of his nerve fried. Kenpachi gripped the bell tightly, his hand beginning to shake. With a roar, he flung the blasted trinket away, his arm striking the mirror in the process, knocking it to the ground, the glass shattering on impact.
"Damnit! What is wrong with me?", he fumed to no one in particular. He clutched his head in his massive hands, his anger getting the best of him. "Why can't I do this? Am I not strong enough?"
A small sound behind him was all that alerted him to her presence. The sound of that same bell in her hands. Kenpachi turned to the inquisitive face of his Lieutenant, Yachiru. She held the bell in her tiny hand, cradling it, protecting it.
"Kenny? Why did you throw this? Don't you like your bells?", she asked her Captain, as she approached him.
A sigh escaped as Kenpachi turned around again, not wanting to face her. "Please leave me, Yachiru. It's not your concern." He stared down into his lap, not sure where else to look.
A giggle answered him. Was she laughing at him now? Why not? Nothing else made sense. "Kenny, if it concerns you, it concerns me. We're together in this, right?" Yachiru stepped closer, her usual smile now plain on her face again. "Cueball and Peacock sent me in to make sure you were okay."
Cueball? Peacock? Oh, right. Madarame and Ayasegawa. They must be outside, waiting to laugh at their fool of a Captain. "Send them away, Yachiru. I'm not fit to see them."
Again, he wasn't even aware she had moved until it was too late. Kenpachi felt the slight pull as Yachiru gripped his hair and tied that last bell onto the spike. His mouth dropped in surprise. What? Why? How could she? He spun in place, getting ready to tell her off, when Yachiru did something he never expected. She tossed her small arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"Are you fit to see them now, Kenny?" He voice was muffled, her face buried in his shoulder. Kenpachi hesitated, his mind muddled with what had just happened. Gently, he picked up the small girl and placed her a few feet away. Her face was somewhere between confused and sad.
"No, Yachiru. That's not the problem. You're a smart girl, so you know that's not why I can't face them." Kenpachi spoke slowly, making sure his point was getting to her. Yachiru was wise for someone her size, but her mind was still that of a child, so some things slipped past her.
Yachiru stuck out her lower lip, pouting. "I know that. You're sad because you can't put that silly bell in yourself, right? Right?" Her big, round eyes met his, and he knew that he had been caught.
Kenpachi looked down, no longer able to look at her. "Yeah, you got me. That bell is the problem. Every morning, I go to put it on, and every time, I can't reach. You usually put it in for me, but that's not right. I'm tough, I'm strong. Heck, I've killed many men, just to get where I am today. And yet that bell continues to elude me!" His voice was rising, almost at a yell.
"I mean, what do I have to do? Why can't I do this? My strength should be more than enough. But no! I can't do it! My men probably think I'm a joke! Ikkaku and Yumichika are probably out there laughing at me RIGHT NOW! I've been in here for two hours and I still couldn't do it! Why? Why? WHY?" With each "Why?", Kenpachi slammed a fist in the ground, creating small cracks in the floor.
Yachiru said nothing through all this, but stood over her Captain, her one and only friend, and waited. She knew him, better than anyone, knew that this would stop soon. Once she was sure it was over, she placed a calm hand on his shoulder.
"Kenny, no one thinks that of you. Baldy and Sparkles are genuinely worried about you. They think you're sick." She crouched down, leaning her head down next to Kenpachi's. His breath was coming out ragged and uneven. "You are strong, Kenny. The strongest and toughest guy ever. But sometimes, even you need help." A quiet giggle passed her lips. "And that's why I'm here. To make sure you stay the strongest and toughest guy there is, and make sure no one ever doubts you. Okay?"
Kenpachi's breathing slowly began to even out, his fist uncurling as he lifted his head. He looked at his companion, the girl he had raised from such a small thing, the one, who now more than ever, seemed to be more mature than himself. The corners of his mouth lifted, his lips parting to reveal his teeth, a grin fully realized.
"You're right. What am I doing? I am strong! No one can beat me, not even this bell!" He pointed at the object, it's daunting power now gone. Standing to his feet, Kenpachi grabbed his Captain's haori, slinging it over his shoulders, and placed his zanpaku-to at his side, where it belonged.
"Come on, Yachiru! Let's go whipped those boys into shape! I've been in here for two hours, and that's two hours too much for them to be sitting around." Kenpachi turned, offering his shoulder.
Yachiru laughed, the action lighting up her whole face. "Right, Kenny!" She jumped on his shoulder, her "special seat" and together, they walked out into the new day.