A little something inspired by Will and Kate's wedding. (Five hours live on TV? Seriously? XD)

What Is Marriage?

"I've got something to tell you…Zaraki."

He looked up instantly at that unusual tone, the side of his mouth quirking in the slightest at the sight of her, but it soon faded into a frown when he saw the look on her face.

"Or rather…I've got something to ask you."

He abandoned his blade in the corner and moved closer to her. "What's up?"

She appeared nervous and as awkward as ever, hands twisting the front of her ragged kimono, chewing on her bottom lip. Slowly, she lowered herself to the floor and settled on her knees.

Zaraki was starting to fear the worse when she fixated her eyes on him, fiercely determined, and blurted out, "Will you marry me?"

It took a moment for it to register in his brain, but when it did, he only managed to stare at her like she had six heads. She shrunk back a little, hands now on the verge of tearing the skirt of her kimono, and lowered her eyes while swallowing a huge lump that had just lodged itself in her throat.

Then he tilted his head to the side in puzzlement, rubbing the back of his neck, scrunching up his nose.

"Will I what ye?"

Yachiru gave herself a slap, leaving a faint red patch on her right cheek, and shook her head. "Please don't make me repeat it, Zaraki. It's bad enough that I'm the one who-"

"What d'ye mean? I don't get it."

And when she looked up and carefully peered at him, she realized that he really didn't know what she was talking about. She couldn't help but leave her mouth to hang for a moment or two, staring with wide, unblinking, disbelieving eyes at him. Uncomfortable at her scrutiny, he turned away to resume sharpening his sword.

"You…" she started, trying hard to let her words out, to not stammer at this revelation, "you don't know what 'marry' means?"

"Ain't got a clue," was his curt reply, a little irritated now at his own meagre knowledge.

"Really?" Yachiru went around to kneel in front of him. "Really now?"

He shot her a glare before returning to his ministrations – not like he even cared much for his sword, but not knowing something and giving Yachiru a chance to start a long-winded discussion wasn't at all on his list of priorities. Her "speeches" were usually elaborate, with one example upon another, and most of the time he would fall asleep just listening to them. That, in turn, made him feel guilty for ignoring her, and so it was better not to let her start something to which he would doze off just seconds after an effort of trying to stay focused.

But still, his hopes were in vain when she sat cross-legged before him and clapped her hands together. He didn't even have the nerve to tell her to shut up, and so, he decided to lie on his side and listen nonetheless.

"I'll tell you what marriage is, then!" She flashed him a grin, to which he replied with a strained grunt. "When two people are in love, they get married, with the other taking the first step to propose. Usually, a man would go down on one knee with a ring and ask for a woman's hand. If she says yes, then they arrange a date to have their wedding. Simple, isn't it? That's what they do in the Seireitei, but the ceremonies of the noble families are far more elaborate. We commoners stick to our own way – it's far cheaper than that of the noble families anyway. They're rich, so they can celebrate it however they want… Zaraki, are you even listening to me?"

By now he had already closed his eyes, appearing to be asleep, but in truth he was actually pondering over her words. This time, she wasn't talking about useless nonsense like what some young girl had drawn in the sand with a twig, or how fine the weather was. This time, she was talking about something he had never even heard about, and thus he took it upon himself and tuned into her talk.

He let out a loud yawn, not even bothering to cover his wide mouth.

"Yeah, so?"

It was hard, but Yachiru managed to mask her growing annoyance. She took a deep breath, then scooted back a little.

"Okay, let's try this again." She cleared her throat and, when she was ready, offered a hand. "Will you-"

"I thought I was the guy."

She pursed her lips. "You are a guy…but it's obvious that I have to make the first move, right?"

"But ye're the woman, so ye gotta wait till the man asks ye, right?"

"Right."

"So what the hell are ye doin'?" He snorted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "An' what the hell's with all this 'marriage' bullshit? Ye never talked 'bout it before."

"Well," she dropped her hand, but however hard she tried to hide her disappointment, it was painted across her face as clear as day, "it's about time for, you know, us to settle down. I mean, marriage is what makes a relationship official. It's what binds two people so that they'll lead a life together…and I thought that-"

"Ye dumbass." He gave a scoff, rolled over to lie on his back and stretched his arms above his head. "An' I thought ye were smart."

"Excuse me?" She shot a glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," he rested a forearm over his eyes, thought about it for a moment, "we've been livin' together for shit-gods-know-how-long. Ye wash my clothes, I hunt for our food, an' we always have dinner together. No matter how late it is, ye always wait up for me. When I come back from some bloody street brawl, ye'd patch me up even when ye're so goddamn sleepy an' I tell ye to jus' leave me an' go to bed, but ye won't listen. Hell, ye never listen to a single goddamn thing I say." Here, Yachiru laughed, and he allowed himself a small grin.

"But, to get to the straight damn point, remember when I killed off those bastards who tried to touch ye? When ye nearly got stabbed by some fuckhead an' I took the hit?" He opened his eyes then, and looked straight up at the thatched ceiling. "When I first held yer hand an' told ye that I ain't gonna let anyone touch ye?"

Yachiru's expression softened at that, and she nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Now he turned to face her, examine her as if that was the first time he set his eyes on her.

"Ain't that married enough?"

She blinked, puzzled, and he couldn't help but pull her down to him and wrap his arms around her so that she couldn't escape.

He rolled over and pinned her down, grinning at the way she fought with herself to maintain a serious façade but, finally, burst into laughter. She reached out to run her fingers through his hair, eyes bright and brimming with newfound joy, and he bent down to plant a chaste kiss on her dry, chapped lips.

"If you say it's enough…then it's enough," she murmured against his mouth, trailing a fingertip over the scar that ran over his left eye all the way down his cheek, and she knew then that what he had said was true – who the hell needed fancy clothes, long-winded oaths and rose bouquets anyway?

She had everything she wanted, everything she needed, right here.

A review would be nice. :)