The only bleach I own is in the laundry room. Originally written for Yachiru's birthday. Theme : Animus Liber by Krypteria. Much thanks to Vivienne Granger, who proofread this for me. Any errors are my fault, not hers. Takes place post Winter War.
Hachi glanced out the window, checking the time. Soifon-taicho would probably be coming by soon. He found that he enjoyed the company of the younger shinigami: especially that of Soifon, Iba-kun and Isane, his god-daughter. All of them had grown into fine shinigami, as had Ise-chan and Kira-kun. Kuchiki-kun, on the other hand, had changed for the worse.
"Soifon, I'm fucking begging ya," a man's voice said. "Take back the nomination. I don't want ta be a captain."
Soifon replied, "It wasn't just me, Madarame. We now have to have at least five captains nominate a candidate. And even Zaraki-taicho agreed that the responsibility would be good for you."
"Give Fifth back to Hirako! It was his damn division first!"
The two stepped into Hachi's man looked familiar, but Hachi couldn't place him. Bald as an egg, tattoos in the corners of the eyes, and wide brown eyes. Soifon seemed to be the same as ever- her braids swung aggressively, but she had her lips clenched tightly, as if in pain. Her stump must still be hurting her, Hachi decided.
"Fuck me sideways," the man said, staring at him.
"Madarame, that's disgusting," Soifon said.
"Excuse me, have we met?" Hachi asked, a little shocked. Was that an invitation or an exclamation?
"Probably not. I'm Ikkaku Madarame of the Zaraki Division- er, Eleventh. I didn't mean that, I was just kinda surprised. You don't have a daughter, do ya?"
"No," Hachi said. He'd finally managed to place him. Ikkaku Madarame, first year academy student, and Urahara's apprentice. Somehow, Hachi wasn't surprised that he'd ended up in Eleventh Division. In the academy, Ikkaku had a reputation for being stubborn and combative. He'd been younger and hairier then, which explained why Hachi hadn't recognized him.
Ikkaku, for his part was thoroughly confused. There was no way that this bulky guy could be..but he had to be. Somehow, he'd always assumed that Yachiru got her hair from her mother.
"You're sure about that?"
"Positive. I only had a son."
Ikkaku frowned. "You got any brothers or sisters knockin' around in the Rukon?"
"No."
"I'll be back. I gotta talk with Zaraki-taicho."
How strange, Hachi thought.
He asked Isane for a photo of the Eleventh Division, and found his eye immediately drawn to the lieutenant. No wonder Ikkaku'd been so surprised. He'd known that Kusa had died, and that his daughter had vanished… but he'd long ago given up any hope that she'd survived.
But why had she ended up with the Kenpachi, of all people? Why would he have taken the child and killed the parents? Or had he just found her on his journey through the Rukon? Why had he kept her?
00
"Zaraki-taicho, you been to Fourth yet?"Ikkaku asked.
"I was just there yesterday," Kenpachi replied, shuffling the paperwork. Bill, bill, notice of release from Fourth, application for leave.. he pulled that one out and stamped it. Makizue deserved it. Notice of release, notice of release, bill, request for transfer, request for records of service.. He flicked a bell irritably. Would it kill Yamamoto to lay off the paperwork?
"Yeah? Funny thing, one of the Vizards looks a lot like Yachiru. His name's Hachigen Ushoda, and he was the lieutenant of the Kido Forces."
"Really?" Kenpachi said. Ikkaku translated it as 'stop talking now and I might let you live.'
"It's probably just a coincidence. Renji fought a pink-haired Espada, after all, and no one's saying the brat's a hollow."
Ikkaku set a new speed record as he fled the office. Kenpachi glared at his retreating back. Yachiru was with Rangiku, so he had a bit of time to think before she returned. He fumbled in his desk and dragged out the Box. He slotted the pieces on the lid into place, and reached for a locket that was buried among the other mementos. He popped the lid of the locket open and regarded the portrait inside.
It was an old-fashioned photograph in black and white. He knew the young woman with the high cheekbones had had brown hair with a bit of a red tinge to it and red eyes. The man with the small handlebar mustache and the round face had had pink hair and grey eyes. The baby wrapped in the blanket had grown into a pretty girl with her father's hair and her mother's eyes.
He'd trimmed a lock apiece from the man and the woman, closed their eyes, and buried them with his own hands. He hadn't known who they were, just that they were Yachi's parents.
Shit, why did having a brat make everything so complicated?
00
There was a stunned silence as the photographs were passed around. Hiyori'd been moved to intensive care, and Unohana was only allowing visitors on a limited basis, so the Vizards were hanging around until she recovered. Hachi wondered what she'd have to say about this. She'd rush off and challenge the Kenpachi to a duel, he thought.
"What the hell is she doing with Eleventh?" Shinji asked. Rose had informed him about the situation and driven the point home that as the leader, Shinji needed to Do Something.
Like what? March to Eleventh and demand they turn over the lieutenant? Yeah, that'd go over well. Getting involved in this mess would be more dangerous to his health than tap-dancing through a mine-field.
"According to Iba-kun, she's the current Kenpachi's adopted daughter, Yachiru Kusajishi," Love said. "She's been with him since she was a baby. Iba told me that he doesn't know what happened to her parents."
"A Kenpachi as a parent," Shinji muttered. "Just when I thought I'd seen and heard everything."
"I know, I know," Mashiro chirped. "Hachi went and knocked Zaraki-sama up. Stupid Hachi, leaving them on their own."
Kensei hit her on the head. Lisa wondered if she should explain it, but decided not to. If Mashiro couldn't understand basic biology, even the most detailed diagram wouldn't help.
"Ow!" the greenhaired Vizard howled.
Love sighed. He'd support Hachi, of course, but he didn't want to get involved.
Rose inspected the photo. "Doesn't her face look familiar?"
He thought of his vice-captain, bent over a sketchpad, frowning thoughtfully. Swap out the hair, and that was her as a child. It was hard to believe that he'd never see his little cousin again.
"I thought so too," Lisa agreed. "She looks like Tomomi Saskakibe, not Hikifune-san."
"Kusajishi-jo is Tomomi's and Kusagen's daughter. She was born a long time after we were exiled," Hachi said.
"I wonder if Kusa and Tomomi were friends with Zaraki-taicho. God knows, I'd be his friend," Lisa said thoughtfully.
Kensei muttered, "Quit perving on the newbies."
Lisa ignored him.
"So what are you going to do?" Kensei asked Hachi. "Just leave her there, with that man? Eightieth District is a hell-hole. There are cannibals there!"
"Before we get sidetracked," Love interrupted, "I ought to point out that as far as Kusajishi's concerned, Zaraki's her father. Be careful what you say in front of her- hell, be careful what you say in front of any of Eleventh's shinigami. They're all very loyal to Zaraki, even the ones who transferred to other divisions. 'Sides, I heard that he and Tousen didn't get along, so he's got some redeeming features."
"If he's able to inspire such loyalty, there must be a reason for it," Hachi said. "Please allow me to handle this. I'm sure he and I can come to an understanding."
00
Kenpachi spent a lot of time thinking while he corralled the paperwork. The simple truth was that he had to be fair to Yachiru and Ushoda. Ushoda would want to see if Yachiru was his kin, and Yachiru'd be sneaking over to Fourth the minute someone blabbed. And then she'd feel guilty about it and sulk for a week. He'd be damned if he'd let this drag on like it had with Saskakibe.
He found a blank piece of paper, wrote on it, and affixed his seal to it. Yeah, he could've used a butterfly, but there was something to be said for the personal touch. A few minutes later, a nervous rookie was dispatched to Fourth with the letter.
He sent a butterfly to Yachiru and Rangiku. The kitchen needed restocking, so he'd kill some time by prowling the market. Rangiku might be a lousy cook, but she was the queen of bargain hunting.
00
Hachi read the letter again as he walked through the halls. He eventually arrived at the room he sought, and knocked on the doorframe.
"Ukitake-taicho, may I come in?"
"Certainly," Ukitake said. "I see you're back to your bad old habits, Ushoda."
Ukitake looked almost the same as he had a century ago, but his hair hung loose now. This century hadn't been good to him; he looked a little older now.
"Politeness is never a bad habit," Hachi said mildly.
"I agree, but you were always so formal. Did you drop in just for the pleasure of my company?"
"I wish I could say that. I have always thought that you were a sound judge of character, so I came to ask your advice. What is your opinion of Zaraki-taicho?"
"Does this have anything to do with Yachiru-chan?"
"Yes. He invited me to dinner- his third seat seems to believe his ward and I may be related. I think Zaraki-taicho wants to see me to see if he can confirm it."
"And to introduce you to Yachiru-chan, no doubt," Ukitake said. "He's been here nearly fifty years, and I can still barely predict Zaraki-kun's reactions to anything. He reminds me of Shin, sometimes."
"How does he treat Yachiru-chan?"
Ukitake chuckled, coughed and cleared his throat.
"Most people in Seireitei would tell you she's spoiled rotten, and I have to agree. Yachiru-chan looks up to Zaraki-kun, and he's never been anything but kind to her."
"Thank you, Ukitake-taicho," Hachi said. "You've been very helpful."
000
Saskakibe was waiting in Hachi's room when he got back. Hachi wasn't surprised at all.
"The Oomedas sent you a kimono," the vice-captain said, gesturing at a wrapped parcel. He seemed uneasy; Hachi'd never seen the normally calm vice-captain so worked up. Today, he was frowning and even his trimmed silver hair and mustache seemed to be fraying from nerves.
"How did Tomomi and Kusa wind up in Kusajishi?" Hachi asked. He wasn't willing to spare Saskakibe's feelings. After all, he and Yamamoto hadn't contested Central 46's harsh sentence. Only First and Second Division were on speaking terms with Chamber 46. Even the Kuchikis had no influence over them. Saskakibe and Yamamoto had known that the Vizards were to be put to death, and they'd done nothing.
"Tomomi never believed that Urahara was responsible for the Vizard's condition. She tried to kill Kurotsuchi on the day of his captain's exam. It was exile or the Maggot's Nest, and I persuaded Yamamoto to exile her. Kusa chose to follow her. When they had a child, they decided to travel to a higher district and raise her there. Unfortunately, they were killed before they could carry that plan out."
"How did you explain it to Zaraki-taicho?"
"I didn't. Unohana told him that I had a grand daughter who had disappeared in the Rukon. I tried to keep him under that impression, but he figured it out quite quickly. I erased her parent's records when I realized Yachiru was still alive. I thought someone might use the information to harm her."
"Who knew, besides Unohana?"
"Ukitake, Kyoraku and Yamamoto all knew her parents. Soifon was the only one of the younger captains who I took into my confidence."
"And you let her stay with Zaraki?"
"What else could I have done? Kidnapped her? She'd never leave his side willingly."
"Why did he take her in?"
"A whim, I suppose. I did ask, but he couldn't explain it."
"We will have to discuss this later," Hachi said firmly. "I don't want to be late."
A/N: There's gotta be a reason that Yachiru and Hachi both have pink hair. I've been wondering about it since Hachi first appeared, and this sort of sprang up from my personal theory. I know it's kind of long, but I hoped it was worth it.
Edit: 4/12. I decided to split this into two chapters. Stay tuned for the conclusion.
Reviews welcomed.