The Truth About Candy - Mad Duck
Kira gulped before entering his office.
Being made Captain of the 3rd division was one thing, an honour of honours after everything that had happened.
Having a complete unknown take over as vice-captain was quiet another.
Especially one that made you feel ill at ease.
Even Momo and Hisagi, who had been made Captains of their respective divisions didn't have this problem.
Kenna, his vice-captain looked up.
She was pretty. Tall and slender with bobbed Ginger hair that curled at the ends. Peeking out of her head was a pair of ginger striped cat ears that twitched every now and then.
Even her movements were graceful and catlike.
A tail….She even had a ginger tail!
In the beginning, Kira had been the most envied man in the Gotie.
She was cute in a cosplay way but then she'd always go and ruin it with…
"Wow. You honour me with your presence at last. Did you finally decide there was nothing better to do then your paperwork?" her wine-red eyes narrowed
…Then she's ruin the illusion of cute cosplaying Vice-captain by opening her stupid mouth.
Kenna was training when Yaichiru appeared from nowhere.
"I wanna story Cat ears!" The young mascot of the 11th division demanded
Kenna glanced at the younger girl.
"Do you always get what you want?" she asked icily
"No." The youngster replied "Sometimes I get candy."
"Pathetic." Kenna finished her last swing
"Hey its not. I like candy."
Kenna remained silent until she reached the youngster "Don't you think it's time you grew up Yachiru."
Kenna ruffled the girls' hair tenderly "Stories people tell you can be misleading. You should be careful what you listen too."
"What do you mean? I like Zaraki's stories."
"Of course you do." Kenna replied before walking away.
They were avoiding her. Each and everyone. She could feel their eyes on her back when she walked by but otherwise…
"Hey kitty! Why don't you purr for me!" some unknown shinigami yelled out.
There was laughter.
Then it died just as suddenly.
She turned to find a red-haired vice-captain, Arabai wasn't it, had twisted the culprits arm and forced him to the floor.
"Vice-captains are meant to be addressed with respect ya know." Arabai pushed the guy deeper into the floor.
"Ok. I get it."
"You get what?" more dirt rubbing
"I get it SIR."
Arabi looked up at her, though he offered no apologies for the men's behaviour.
In truth he didn't like her either.
And her truth she didn't care either way.
Kenna had already left.
"I heard about the incident and I apologize." Captain Yamamoto told Kenna "Those involved will be severely punished."
"Why." Kenna looked at him with no hint of emotion "I came here to fulfil my duties, not be their friend or make subordinates like me."
"Showing lack of respect to a Vice-captain…"
"…to someone they truly despise." She corrected "They were lashing out. Nothing more. Little Tomcats trying to fend off something that scares them."
The first captain frowned
"Kenna." He began but was interrupted by a piercing scream that cut through the Goties once peaceful evening air.
Kenna began hissing, her ears immediately fell flat before she shot off to the direction of the sound.
Zaraki was doing his best to restrain the tearful and howling Yachiru. But even for the strongest man in the Gotie, there was only so much he could do against the person he cared for without hurting her!
Yachiru charged at him, her fingers extended like talons and her face murderous.
Kenna intervened in time to smack the girl with enough force to send her flying to the other side of the room.
"How dare…" Zaraki's fury rose. This woman dared come in and smack his daughter around.
"Get out Zaraki." Kenna cut him off, eyeing Yachiru who had landed on her feet and snarling. A hand touching the red mark on her face.
"Yachiru!" Zaraki grabbed Kenna's hand. She wouldn't hurt his little girl again. He wouldn't let him.
Kenna hissed at him in warning.
Then Yachiru charged at them again. This time Kenna gave her a sound kick, sending her flying out the room and into the 11th division courtyard.
There was more screaming.
Someone called for Kenna to hurry outside.
She glared at Zaraki before pulling free of his grip.
"Go paw someone else." She told him irritably before running outside, followed just as quickly by him.
Only Captain Yamatoto stopped him.
"This isn't your fight Zaraki." The first told the 11th captain.
Now Zaraki knew who had called Kenna.
Meanwhile a crowd had gathered, all prepared to face whatever monster had entered their domain and all surprised to find the 11th acting like a possessed monster.
They kept their distance far from her as she snarled and screamed tried to swipe them.
All except Kenna who was deliberately moving towards Yachiru.
And grabbing her by her hair.
The scream was ear piercing, a little girl in pain, and a father's heart breaking as Yamototo kept him there.
Kenna knelt down to the girls' teary eye level, expertly avoiding the clawed swipes the younger vice-captain was trying to make at her face.
"How long have you been hurting?" she asked still griping the childs' hair.
"Since you been attacking her you stupid witch!" all the men were in arms. How dare this woman, this nobody, this….thing attack their vice-captain!
"Three months." Came a response from the crowd. Unohana stepped forward. "I've been treating her for headaches for the last three months.
"Three…" Kenna sat cross-legged and pulled Yachiru into her lap. Next she began rubbing the girls scalp with the tips of her fingers.
Yachiru's face seemed less painful. Suddenly Kenna's fingers trailed down Yachiru's spine.
"Your butt must hurt too. That's why you're so fidgety all the time."
"Fidgety? She's not fidgety. Not more than usual." Came the reply from Zaraki
"Not so you'd notice." Kenna replied, continuing stroking Yachiru's head then down her back.
Yachiru was calming down to whimpering in Kenna's arms.
"Your mouth's sensitive too. You should have had more calcium in your diet instead of all that sweet junk. Hopefully you haven't rotted your teeth."
Yachiru sniffed "Wha…wha…happening to me Cat ears."
Kenna was silent for a moment.
"Your growing up Yachiru. You're getting your own set of cat ears."
"WhaaaaT!"
"Your heads sensitive because they're growing in, right….here." Kenna rubbed the two miniature peaks "Your tail and canines are coming out too. Its gonna take a few more months and pain killers don't work."
"Bu…but it hurts!"
Kenna withdrew a piece of bark from her pocket and handed it to Yachiru.
"Chew this, it will help your teething. Everything else..." Kenna continued her hand movements from before "Stroking is the only thing that will help. It interacts with our pleasure senses so it'll make the pain seem less worse."
Yachiru sniffed. "I want Ken-chan."
Finally, Captain Yamototo allowed Zaraki to move. Zaraki went to his daughter.
Kenna handed Yachiru over to him.
"Just keep stroking.' Kenna told him.
He obeyed, feeling slightly silly since Yachiru wasn't a pet.
But it was making her so happy.
Kenna stood up and prepared to leave.
"How did this happen to her." Zaraki asked "Did she get sick?"
"Maybe some kind of cat flu." Someone from the crowd muttered angrily.
"Yachiru and Kenna are Nekomancers."
Hitsugaya stated as he headed over towards them.
"Necromancer? Arn't they people that try to learn about the future by talking to the dead." Renji inquired
"Neko-mancer, not Necromancers. A cat-human hybrid race that live in the mountains. They're also a dying species" Hitsugaya informed them
"Wow your smart shorty. At least someone can tell the difference between us." Kenna replied unimpressed.
"So the chances of two being here are very very slim." Yumichika frowned
"Very."
"Then how did this happen." Madrame Ikkaku looked at her. They were all looking at her.
She looked away.
"She needed me. That was all."
"She's your sister." It was a shot in the dark from Kira and it hit.
Kenna's eyes widened for a moment.
"That can't be, everyone was dead when I found Yachiru." Zaraki frowned
"That's because….she didn't belong to them." Kenna straightened "I didn't abandon her if that's what you're implying. The night she disappeared I didn't even know about it till it was too late. I wasn't even in the village when it happened. I was supposed to be given as a mate to one of our leaders sons despite my feelings on the subject, when he tried to take me," she smiled viciously "I took his tail and earned the name of being a savage and unmanageable. They threw me out because of it and I didn't even know about her till the night I snuck back in for her birthday. I always left her something because our parents couldn't be bothered. That's when I learned she was gone. They claimed she had wandered out of the borders and died like many of the youngsters of our race do when they don't stick to home but when I tried tracking her I discovered the bloodshed scene. And I saw you taking her."
"Then why didn't you just come get her." Zaraki demanded.
"Because of all the people that had ever come into our lives, you were the first that really seemed to care. Of all 11 offspring I am the only one besides her to survive. And she only survived because of you. We live by the rule of survival of the fittest. And her,"
Kenna's face softest "I didn't wish her to die, she nearly did the night of her birth but she pulled through. And she was very special to me. But I couldn't take her with me and I didn't trust her with parents who saw her as weak."
"Whai…."Came a tiny voice "Whai couldn't you take me?"
Yachiru, who everyone had assumed had finally fallen asleep had infact been listening the whole time.
"Because you could have been killed Yari. The tomcat whose tail I took started tracking me down vowing to kill me to avenge his honour. You may not remember but in our home Men may not loose ever to a woman. A man is the higher one. A man may do what he wants, even take what he wants simply because he is a man. In the end I felt it was safer for you to leave with Zaraki until you needed me. And now was that time." Kenna smiled and stroked Yachirus head "I love you my sister. Don't doubt that. But I didn't come to take you away. Your place is here, with this family. With this man that loves you better than any father will. Don't try and dig up the past. It will do more harm than good."
"Cat-ears…Ken…chan" Yachiru drifted off.
Kenna sat with her cup in her hand, waiting for Zaraki to finish tucking in Yachiru.
Finally he joined her.
"How is she?" Kenna asked
"Sound asleep. An' much better than before."
"I'm glad." Kenna took a sip of her milk. "I meant what I said. She belongs with you."
Zaraki snorted
"Just…give her more calcium."
"Whatever."
Kenna smiled
"I remember you." Zaraki stared at his sake. "I remember there was something in the trees and when I checked it was gone. I only got a glimpse of you that night."
"Oh man! I thought I got away in time." Embarrassed she covered her face "I always was useless at hiding."
He grinned then changed the subject
"Is that Tom still chasing you."
Kenna shook her head. "No, we had a fight where only one of us walked out. He left some bad scares on me but luckily Captain Yamototo let me heal and train in peace when I first came so I'm pretty much okay."
"Was that when you first became a Vice-captain."
"No, I was hiding out under him for about three years but he kept me in a special place away from everyone so I could get over everything. He called me out when he made me a vice because he noticed Yiru acting up." She sipped her milk again "Not that I planned on staying. I was just came to keep an eye on Yiru's changing and then leave. I have no place here or in her life."
"Don't walk away from something you haven't tried yet."
"I don't want to confuse her Zaraki. As it is she's already got too much to handle."
"She's a tough kid. I nearly walked away once. I'm glad I didn't." He told her seriously "I'm just warning you from making the mistake I nearly made."
Kenna's shoulders slumped.
A few months later Yachiru was showing off her little pink ears to everyone she came across and figuring out how to use her little tail to cause even more mayhem. It was great to tip things over and claim it was an accident when you meant it on purpose.
She absolutely LOVED her extra appendages!
And what she loved even more was that now she had a sister! A big sister!
Kenna was already coming over for dinner sometimes. Zaraki said it was so they could catch up but Yachiru knew he was enjoying having Kenna around as well.
And then they'd both tuck her in when she'd go to bed….
They were gonna get married.
Even if it killed half the Gotie for Yachiru to get the two together Zaraki and Kenna were gonna get married, the little vice-captain decided.
And they'd all be a big happy fighting family that everyone was afraid of.
And they'd both tuck her in every night.
In a different part of the Gotie two very different people sneezed. Someone was thinking about them again. Probably a certain little pink haired vice-captain, although…
Although reluctant to admit it, a fleeting thought went through their minds that perhaps someone else was thinking of them. The other person perhaps?
A fleeting thought quickly pushed aside.
There was work to be done, people to shout at, not fantasies to dream.
-End