Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
One More Mess
"Yachiru!"
The child appeared instantly, a plush toy in her hands as she stood in the door. On one side of her head, the bright pink hair appeared to be in a knot and matted, presumably from sleep. But as Kenpachi tried to brush the mess away, his fingers ended up getting caught in a wad of gum the same shade as her bob. He grimaced, scraping the leftovers from his hand into the trash.
He lifted her onto his lap, staring at her suspiciously. Were he to ask where she'd gotten the gum, she would give him one of three answers: The first, that Yumichika had given it to her for being a good girl. Second, that she'd scraped it off the floor. Third, she had no idea. Now, none of those answers would have any merit, as the Fifth Seat believed bubble gum to be rather vile, as it reminded him of cows chewing cud; Kenpachi had forbidden her to eat gum off the floor under penalty of no candy for a month; and she always knew where things came from. Especially when he didn't.
"What's this, and where did ya get it?" he asked, pulling a ball of gum from her hair. "Ya better tell the truth, brat."
Yachiru looked at him with big eyes, shrugging her shoulders.
"Did someone give it to ya?"
She shook her head.
"Did ya eat it off the floor again?"
Again, no.
She was never this quiet, always having something to say, even if it made no sense to anyone else. At ten-thirty in the morning, Yachiru was usually sneaking into bathrooms all across the Seireitei to talk to people. Well, one bathroom in particular, and the idea always made Kenpachi shudder. He'd forbidden her to go anywhere near the Twelfth, but when she'd come home to tell him the story of her bathroom escapade, he'd had no choice but to laugh himself into dry-heaves.
"'Chiru." His tone was serious and rough, more so than it usually was when he spoke to her. "Start talking."
At that moment, the girl opened her mouth, revealing a massive wad of colored bubble gum. Peering inside, Kenpachi spotted about seven different colors, probably from a large number of flavored gumballs. It was funny that her mouth had been sealed shut by her favorite candy, but it also explained why her hair was stuck together.
He picked her up, starting down the hall to the bathroom where he plopped her in the tub and ran the hot water. She squirmed, making a face as her nightclothes were removed and thrown aside, the shower head raining water down upon her.
"Quit yer bitchin'," he growled, throwing shampoo in her hair. "It's yer own damn fault this is happenin', so don't cop an attitude with me, brat."
"Mmph alamff lssh!"
Kenpachi rolled his eyes as she opened her mouth, spraying her with hot water. It took a moment but, before he knew it, there was a massive wad of gum floating in the bathtub, about the size of his fist. He grabbed it and, with a disgusted face, tossed it into the trash can.
"Look, Kenny!" Yachiru chirped, showing him her teeth. "My mouth's all clean!"
"Then ya can tell me where the hell ya got all that damned gum."
She froze, the ends of her hair dripping back into the tub, still covered in gum. "I dunno, Kenny. I waked up, and it was in my mouth."
"Bullshit," he said, lifting her little but out of the water. "Start talkin', kiddo, or ya ain't gettin' any more snacks till Christmas."
Her lip quivered a bit, tiny hands on his shoulder as he wrapped her in a towel, fingers still trying to peel the moist material from her locks. "I took it," she said suddenly, hanging her head. "I'm sorry."
Now, he knew that nobody in the Court Guards gave a damn about bubble gum, which only left one alternative: She'd walked into the store and grabbed a massive bag of it.
"Where'd ya get it?"
"Byakushi's house," she said quickly, looking rather down. "He had a biiiig box of it sittin' on the porch when I went to show him my go-cart, and I got it when he wasn't lookin'. But it's okay, right? Byakushi likes me, and always gives me candy when I go play with him, so I thought I'd, uh..." Yachiru paused, finger in her mouth. "...collect early or somethin'."
She'd stolen an entire box of candy. Kenpachi sighed, grabbing one of the combs that Yumichika had likely dropped on the floor. It would be useful in removing the rest of the mess from her hair.
"How the hell'd ya get gum in yer hair?"
Yachiru grinned. "I was playin' a game with Rin," she said, referencing her favorite stuffed bear. "We were tryin' to see who could put more gum in their mouth before fallin' asleep, and I won. When I waked up, I had gum in my hair."
That would certainly explain it. She'd fallen asleep with a wad of gum in her teeth, and it had likely ended up on her sheets, as well.
"Well, shit." It was one more mess he'd have to clean up.