Teething Pains
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The first bell Zaraki Kenpachi ever beheld was battered and still slightly warm from the blood it had been resting in before Yachiru had picked it up, finally breaking into a smile through the tears which had seemed ever present for weeks. The moment she'd tried stuffing it in her mouth, Kenpachi had swiftly plucked it from her tiny hand, not returning it despite the woeful look the gesture had earned him. It didn't matter much if she played around while he fought, really, but somehow he suspected actually swallowing random bits of people and blood wouldn't be the absolute best thing for her, even if they were both smeared red from top to bottom at the time. Picking her up to find a river, he'd still kept the bell in his hand, noticing her interest in the sound and the way she smiled each time it tinkled gaily through the body strewn clearing.
Despite the river's freezing water, Yachiru had kept smiling through their ablutions, hair pink once more, even giggling now and then as she tried to make a grab for the bell, still and quiet on the riverbank. Considering that she hadn't done any of her usual giggling at all in well over a week, the sound was infinitely welcome, not that Kenpachi ever would have said as much out loud to anyone.
Once the both of them were clean once more, clothes drying nearby a fire and Yachiru swaddled in the only blanket they had, in a neater fashion that she'd been the first times Kenpachi had wrapped her so, he held up the bell pensively, staring at it. It was clean now, meticulously so, though he still wasn't going to give it to the baby. It would be stupid, really, the fact that she could choke on it glaringly obvious. But it made her happy, and it seemed to have stopped the mysterious crying fits that had accompanied them for far too long now. He looked to the side, studying the baby, who had determinedly freed up one arm from the layers of cloth to stuff a fist in her mouth, gumming it furiously with eyes that shone with glee at the mere sight of the metal bauble nearby, all other woes forgotten.
He wasn't sure what to do with it, but finally, he dug through the threadbare pack beside them, quickly finding what he'd been looking for. A pack of ribbons one would-be ambusher had tried to trade in exchange for his life, picked up by the baby later on and discovered hidden in a pocket of her kimono days afterwards. He'd taken it away while she slept so as to not upset her, knowing she'd forget about it in favour of the next new toy to be seen – though he had a feeling the bells would hold her interest for a long time.
It was a first, he realized. And though he had never bothered to mark such events before, this time, it wasn't about him at all. A crooked smile escaped him while he plucked one of the ribbons from the tangled pile of scraps, freeing it up patiently, bit by bit. He then picked up his sword and holding both blade and bell carefully, he carved a rough character on the metal object, a reminder of the moment. A while later, the small bell had been threaded through a bit of cloth of indeterminate color and hung from his neck, gleaming in the firelight.
Yachiru smiled up sweetly at the big shape looming over her, gurgling in delight as she reached towards the sound ringing out softly with every move Kenpachi made.
"Che. Brat."
The bell rang on late through the night, underscored by childish giggles.