Eheh...sorry if the title is a little...odd...It was really difficult to come up with one. ^_^ That said...I hope you enjoy this!

The hulking man seemed out of place in the small, drably coloured room, his shoulders hunched uncomfortably as he sat opposite the serious looking panel, all dressed smartly, observing him carefully.

Eventually, a serene looking woman, who a few moments previously had identified herself as Unohana Retsu, spoke. "Well Mr. Zaraki, I think that's all." She offered him a smile. "Shall I go and fetch her?"

Kenpachi nodded slowly, still wondering a little what had possessed him to do this, but there was no going back now; he never retreated. It was odd though; something had tugged at when when he had seen some children playing, a whirlwind of energy and fearlessness, and he had suddenly began to desire some sort of companionship. It was probably something to do with his age, but the next day he had found himself phoning social services and asking about adoptions.

That had been almost a year ago, in that time there had been piles of killer forms, interviews, meetings with children and more interviews to test his resolve. The panel stood and left, leaving Kenpachi to shift in his clothes, ill at ease. He had wanted to look smart, but was beginning to think that dressing more casually would have been a better idea, he felt like his tie was slowly strangling him.

It was only a few moments until the worker returned, a small girl clasping her hand, her eyes taking in everything they saw until finally coming to rest on Kenpachi, large and inquisitive. She had grown a little since he had last seen her, but she still had the strange bubblegum pink hair and a face that lit up when it smiled, unafraid of anything.

Unohana looked down at her as she lead the girl towards the large man. "Yachiru, this is Zaraki Kenpachi. He's going to take you home and look after you." The woman gave the little girl a push in the other's direction to encourage her, but needn't have bothered as she scurried up to the huge man without hesitation.

When she was in front of him she smiled widely and bowed. "Very pleased to meet you!" She recited, evidently having had the importance of politeness drummed into her, before beginning to tug on Kenpachi's trouser leg. "So, so...will you play with me!?"

Unsure how to react Kenpachi patted her roughly on the head "'Course" he said gruffly before picking the little girl up as if she were as light as a feather, which she seemed to delight in, squealing and clinging to his shoulder.

Unohana smiled, a genuine smile this time, unforced. "It looks like you two will get on very well, although she is a bundle of trouble when she wants to be." She handed Kenpachi some papers. "These are details about her that you might need, her date of birth, previous care and any important notes."

The large man took them, shifting the wriggling girl slightly to glance at them. "Four" he commented, glancing briefly at her. "She's small for her age."

"It must be all the running around." The woman opened the door for the pair and followed them out. "Someone will be visiting in a couple of months to see how you're getting on."

Again Kenpachi nodded, following the suited woman through the building. Through half opened doors he could see other children, of all ages sitting or playing, but one room in particular caught his eye and he paused.

There were two children facing the door, almost in their teens by the look of it. They watched him suspiciously, especially the larger of the two, who glared at him almost accusingly, his clean shaven head a strange sight in a child so young. After a few moments the smaller of the two, slender and pretty, tugged at the other's sleeve silently, watching Kenpachi carefully but pulling his companion's attention away from the large man and the squirming girl in his arms. With a grudging huff the boy turned his attention away, almost angrily, and stalked out of sight, the smaller boy following closely.

It took a few moments to catch up to Unohana, who was waiting for him by the door, a questioning expression on her face. Kenpachi offered no explanation and wasn't pushed as they finally reached the fresh air of the outdoors, where Kenpachi thanked the worker for her time and put Yachiru down for a final wave at the drab building.

Although the two boys lingered briefly in his mind he gave them no further thought, he had his work cut out getting the excited girl into his car, feeling the observant woman's eyes on his back as he struggled with her. He was glad he was out of that place, with its muted, almost forced atmosphere and its hopeful children, and he was glad that he had managed to escape it with a child, as opposed to empty handed.

XOXOX

It wasn't until two years later that he happened to pass the place again and the first thing that caught his eye were two teenagers standing in the yard, one bristling in anger at a group of boys a little way away, the other leaning against a wall, watching carefully as the taller stormed up to the offending group.

They were instantly recognisable and the sheer serendipity of the situation stopped Kenpachi in his tracks. They didn't look too different, they had grown a little, filled out and their features had matured, but that was all. He watched as the boys readied for a fight and the shaven-headed teen leapt into the fray with a relish which made Kenpachi smile. So engrossed with the sight was he that he didn't notice the woman beside him until she spoke.

"Hello. I didn't expect to see you here." It was Unohana, obviously enjoying a day off. Her voice was soft but welcoming. She had visited several times over the two years to check on Yachiru, and they had developed something of a fellowship, her respect for him fuelled by his surprisingly apt handling of the hyperactive child.

Kenpachi grunted in greeting and returned his attention back to the brawl.

Unohana followed his gaze and nodded a little sadly. "Fighting again. One day he's going to bite off more than he can chew."

"Who are they?"

The worker seemed a little surprised at the large man's interest, knowing well by now that it was rare for him to show interest in that which didn't concern him. "Ikkaku and Yumichika. They've been here for years."

Kenpachi glanced at the smaller woman. "Why hasn't someone taken 'em."

"Well," She coughed uncomfortably. "They come as a pair for starters, and most people don't want pairs. One wont go anywhere without the other, though they've got more independent as they've grown older. Also...they have some problems."

"Problems?"

"Strong insecurity, manifested as aggression and extreme vanity. Ikkaku especially is a problem, he sees everyone as a threat and wants to fight them, probably to reinforce his worth to himself."

Kenpachi snorted at the psycho-babble his companion was spouting. It was probably true, but it didn't mean that he cared. By now the eager fighter, who he assumed to be Ikkaku, was lying on the floor, his nose bloody, resisting the attempts of the other to help him up.

Kenpachi smiled, there was something about them that he liked, especially Ikkaku. They had spirit, strong spirit. He straightened a little and sighed. "Its been getting a little lonely since Yachiru started school." He commented.

Unohana looked up at him, still holding his strained pretence of nonchalance, a small smile spreading across her face as realisation dawned. "You mean..."

Kenpachi grunted. "I think I could knock some sense into them. Especially that one." He pointed at the prone figure of Ikkaku. "Don't matter if they come as a pair, an' I don't care about their 'problems'"

Her smile widened as she listened. "That's excellent! Of course there would still be formal processes that we have to go through, and we would of course have to assess, not your suitability, but their suitability considering you already have Yachiru, but I'm almost certain that it will be approved."

Again a grunt and Kenpachi shrugged, still watching the pair as Ikkaku finally relented to Yumichika's patient coaxing and allowed himself to be tended to. Something about them was fascinating.

Unohana nodded, not needing to be told. "I'll start that as soon as I can. Perhaps tomorrow. I'll call you to let you know." She paused, looking up at the huge man. "They are problematic, but I'm sure that you will be an excellent influence on them, as you were on Yachiru. It will be good for them to get out of that place, they've spent far too long there." With those encouraging words and a serene smile she left Kenpachi to his thoughts.

Somehow, the family which started out as one had become two, a conscious decision, but now it was soon to become four. Three 'problem' children with one uncompromising parent. To many the prospect would be daunting, but Kenpachi found, to his mild alarm and secret pleasure, that he was looking forward to it and all the challenges accompanying. For too long his life had been dull, now it was time for some fun, and breaking the two teens in promised it without a doubt.

Reviews make a happy writer! ^_^ and its true! Extreme insecurity is sometimes manifested as vanity. Makes you think doesn't it?