A man sat alone under a sakura tree deep in thought. He had woken up that morning restless in mind but not in body. A first for this man. Normally he wakes up and heads out to find Ichigo to challenging him to a fight, but not today. With a curs Kenpachi rammed his fist into the ground next to him creating a small creator.
'What the hell is wrong with me?' Something was very different today. Frustrated at having trouble understanding his own mood he ran his fingers thru his hair only to realize that he had not put his hair up into his customary spikes today. 'Shit!' With that thought he got up and started pacing, only to sit back down not even a minuet later
Quietly Yachiru left the spot where she had been watching Kenpachi. 'Ichi will know what to do.' After searching for a while she finally spotted the bright orange hair of the Taichou of the ninth division Kurosaki Ichigo. "Ichi-san, Ichi-san." Ichigo stiffened and almost ran at the dreaded sound of the Fukutaichou of the eleventh division's voice, but stopped and looked at her when he realized she did not sound like her usual happy-go-lucky self. Instantly he was concerned when he seen her serious face, and his concern rose even more when he looked into her eyes to see something that he had never seen before. Yachiru was very worried.
"What is wrong Yachiru?" he asked the diminutive fukutaichou as she thru her arms around his chest and buried her face in his cloths. Instinctively he put his arms around her so she mould not fall.
"Ken-san is not acting right." was Yachiru's muffled reply. "He won't talk or fight." Ichigo turned to his fukutaichou Shuuhei with a look of utter shock on his face. The same look that was on Shuuhei's face as well.
"I thought it was strange that Zaraki Taichou had not challenged you yet today Kurosaki Taichou." Shuuhei said quietly.
"Tell Rukia what is going on and that I have gone to find out what is wrong." if he had been less worried, he would have found the look of fear on Shuuhei's face comical. After all it meant that Ichigo was going to be late to lunch, and pore Shuuhei had seen her kick Ichigo around for it. So Ichigo could understand why he did not won't to tell her that her husband would be late, but the circumstances will save them from her wrath… At least he thought it would.
Kenpachi was shocked when Ichigo appeared before him carrying an upset Yachiru and looking angry himself. "What the hell is wrong with you Kenpachi?" he said as he kicked him in the face knocking Kenpachi back a few yards. To Ichigo's surprise the other merely sat up and looked away not saying a word. 'Holly Shit!' after a moment an idea came to Ichigo and he used kidou to bind Kenpachi.
"Unbind me now Ichigo." Ichigo just shook his head and turned to walk away. "I don't know what is wrong" mumbled Kenpachi as he stared intently at the ground in front of him. Ichigo turned back and sad down in front of the older man. "Pleas unbind me." the polite tone thru Ichigo off and he stared at Kenpachi for a moment before releasing him. As the quietly sat there Yachiru crawled into Kenpachi's lap. Silently Kenpachi stroked the little girls hair comforting her. Non of them noticed the hell butterfly approach and jumped when a meeting for the Taichou was announced.
"Yachiru go and wait for us with Rukia. When we are done we will eat lunch and talk. And hopefully we will figure out what is going on." With out a word Yachiru hugged Kenpachi then sped off in the direction of Ichigo's home while the other two sped off to the hall where the meetings for the Taichou where held.
Yamamoto watched as the Taichou slowly filtered into the room. To him it felt like he was watching his own children walk into the room, After all he has watched them all grow as Shinigami. Thou he was surprised when Kurosaki and Zaraki walked in together and did not look as thou they had been fighting. 'That s strange. One could always feel Zaraki's desire to fight Kurosaki, and Kurosaki's annoyance with that desire when they where in the same room together. But today is different. Today it seems Zaraki is troubled over something , and Kurosaki seemed worried about Zaraki. Most peculiar.' Yammamoto what not the only one to see this. All of the Taichou could see this and where speculating as to what could be going on, but they could do that later. Every one had arrive and it was now time to make his announcement.
"I have gathered you all hear to make an announcement. … I have decided to retire." He was greatly amused at the looks of shock that they all directed at him. "My replacement will be arriving in a week from the Royal Guard and will go over all of her new duties and meet with each of you That will be all." And with that he left the room in stunned silence. The Taichou stood there for ten minutes before any of them started moving.
Rukia was sitting in the garden watching Yachiru pace back and forth waiting for Ichigo and Zaraki to arrive. "Come hear Yachiru." she said when she grew tired of watching the constant agitated movement. Slowly the girl walked over to Rukia and sat down beside her. Gently Rukia put her arms around Yachiru, who leaned into her gladly accepting the comfort that was being offered.
When Shuuhei had showed up and told her what was going on she was angry with Ichigo. Why in the world would he go and see some one who always wonted to fight him with the intensity that the eleventh division Taichou did. A man Ichigo thought was insane. But then Yachiru showed up and she had her answer. Even now the eleventh division Fukutaichou was so upset that she trembled slightly. He was doing what he could for some one who was hurting inside seeing the Taichou acting the way he was. Ichigo was doing it for the little girl in her arms.
On there way to lunch neither Ichigo or Kenpachi said anything. And once they arrived at Ichigo's home Kenpachi was instantly glomped by Yachiru, and hit in the head with a rock. Ichigo snickered and kissed the top of the assailant's head.
"Now, now Rukia. You know getting angry is not good for the baby." Confused Kenpachi looked at Ichigo then took a good look at Rukia.
'When did she gain so much weight…' then it donned on him 'She's pregnant… when the hell did that happen?'
'Your lunches are growing cold." Rukia said while flaring at him. "She wonted to wait for you so she has not eaten yet ether." She turned and looked at Ichigo with a smile "I will wait in the garden for you to finish." and with that left to go sit in the cool shade.
"Well then lets eat." Ichigo said with a grin. "And while we are eating you can describe how you feel. And we can see if we can figure this all out."
'Worth a try I guess." Kenpachi replied blandly. Truly he hoped they did figure this out. The fact that this situation was upsetting Yachiru did not set well with him. "It feels like I'm craving something but I don't know what."
"Hmmmm…" Ichigo pondered for a moment. "Could it be a specific food.?"
"No that's not it." thru lunch both Ichigo and Yachiru could suggest one thing or another that Kenpachi might crave, and Kenpachi would say no to each one of there suggestions. Suddenly Byakuya was there whispering something to Kenpachi that maid him blush. "Ummm, oh… you may…yaugh " Kenpachi picked up Yachiru and took off, leaving behind a confused Ichigo and a chuckling Byakuya.
'What did you say to him?" Byakuya told him
A confused Rukia walked into the room to find Ichigo and surprisingly enough , Byakuya laughing so hard that they could hardly make a sound, let alone breath. "What in the world?"
In the days after Yamamoto's announcement of his retirement Zaraki Kenpachi appeared to have returned to his old self that is unless Kuchiki Byakuya was near. For some reason Kuchiki Taichou would ask Zaraki Taichou if he had found what he was looking for, then Zaraki would go stiff and blush, tell Kuchiki it was non of his business and leave as fast as he could. And to the shock of every one even more Kuchiki would actually smile, and a few swear they even herd him snicker once.
"What in the hell is going on?" a chocked Abari Renji asked as he witnessed this vary sight the day before the new Sou-Taichou was suppose to arrive. He had been visiting Rukia when Zaraki showed up looking for Ichigo when Byakuya's voice came from behind him. "Kuchiki Taichou, sense when do you smile?… Or laugh?"
"Nii-sama! Leave Kenpachi alone!" an indignant Rukia said thru clenched teeth as she shocked both men and grabbed Byakuya by the ear. "Enough is enough. He is having a heard enough time with this with out you doing that to him." Renji stood in shock as Rukia dragged her brother out o the room by his ear. He was still looking at the door they had left by when Yachiru came storming in looking for Byakuya., or in her words Baka-chan. Renji just pointed at the door and watched as the other Fukutaichou left in search of his Taichou.
"Has hell frozen over?" h asked the empty room.