Notes: 1. I do not claim license over Bleach properties, the following is a fair use fiction developed for entertainment and not for remuneration. 2. In the narrative I tried to call the characters by their surnames, but couldn't bring myself to do it to Yachiru. The characters call each other however they want, honorifics, diminutives and all. I included a couple of Japanese terms, though by and large I prefer stories that skip them. But sometimes...you just can't help it. 3. This is my first post here. Of course I hope it's good, but I'm largely testing the publishing tool. If someone can tell me if I messed something up - or else how to get this story in one of the relevant communities, I'd really appreciate it.
Thank you for reading!
The Captains wended their way from the meeting room to the front gates of Squad 1 barracks. Captain Shunsui Kyoraku stretched luxuriantly with a grandiose yawn. "Man, finally free! I thought I might forget who I was and why I was there with Old Man Yama goin' on forever like that."
At his side Captain Jushiro Ukitake feigned a scandalized look though he was used to his friend's lack of respect. "Really, Shunsui, you don't have to be—" here he had to pause to cough delicately into a handkerchief. "I'm alright," he responded to Kyoraku's look of concern. "I think I'll retire for the day."
Ahead of them a handful of lieutenants awaited their Captains just outside the gates. Kyoraku lit up upon sighting a pair of glasses on a young female face. "Nanao-chan! I see you couldn't wait until I was free as well! Well never fear, your beloved Captain is once again at your side."
Lt Nanao Ise made a face like a prune. She held off the advancing Captain with a straight, locked arm. "Captain, I told you to finish the requisition papers before the meeting and you said you would. All I would have to do is turn them in while you were in your meeting and the rest of the day would be free."
Kyoraku pouted. "Ah, but Nanao-chan, why rush? They're not due until tomorrow! And today is supposed to be a day off."
"They're due tomorrow morning! I would have to get up at dawn! Captain, this could be done already and we'd have the day off!"
"Ah, if Nanao-chan has simply stated she wanted to spend her day off with me then I would have stopped at nothing to comply with her wishes!"
Predictably, Ise sputtered for a moment, forced down her rage, turned on her heel and began stomping back to Squad 8 barracks. Kyoraku watched her exit with a half grin. Beside him Ukitake shook his head. "I swear, you did that on purpose. Now the poor thing won't get to have a day off but spend it with you. Maybe you enjoy the nagging?"
"Ah, Ukitake, you must understand a young man's fancy should never be reined in!"
Eyes closed, a cool and composed Captain Byakuya Kuchiki swept past them. He may or may not have sniffed at the foolish scene. The day was open before him and how he would spend it was his own business.
The old friends picked up the pace out the gates and onward to their respective barracks. Behind them Captain Saijin Komamura and Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya were deep in conversation about the clarifications and delineations passed out at the meeting. Their concerns were the sort that only the meticulous and dedicated would stop to consider. In point of fact, Hitsugaya was preparing an end run around his lieutenant who seemed to live to undermine rules, and he had decided to enlist the help of Squad 7. Outside the gate Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba waited for his Captain. Beside him were Lts Izuru Kira, Shuuhei Hisagi and Momo Hinamori, waiting to collect pertinent information for their still-captain-less squads.
They made a curious sextet, but swiftly stepped out of the way of the tiny but insistent presence of Squad 2 Captain Soi-fon. Not a one of them dared to risk her ire. She barely dipped her head in acknowledgement before pressing off one foot and Flashing away.
Last to exit were Captains Retsu Unohana and Kenpachi Zaraki, Squad 12 Captain Maryuri Kurotsuchi having been retained by the Head Captain for a closed discussion. They walked beside each other quietly, aware but not interacting. Zaraki had barely set foot outside the gate before a pink-topped blur of skin, cloth and too-long katana zoomed at him, up his side and settled on his shoulder.
"Hiiiiiii, Ken-chan! What are we gonna do today? Pachinko-head was being boring and Feather-face said I was interrupting his beauty rest. So what'r… Oh hi, Big Braid." Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi was rarely slowed, let alone dismayed by anything she encountered in life. At most she had to take a moment to decide between being curious and completely elated, as she did now. "Are you and Ken-chan gonna—"
"Hey brat, you hungry?" Regardless of the answer Zaraki was already turning in the direction of the commercial district. Unohana had barely paused a moment to ready a greeting for miniature lieutenant before turning in the same direction.
"Yeah, let's eat!"
"Good morning, Lt Kusajishi. I am happy to see you are as healthy as always." Unohana directed her calm smile to the lively child atop the enormous Captain.
"Ken-chan says it's 'cuz I eat all the sugar I can find! He says I'll rot my teeth out but I'm pretty sure they'll grow back, seeee?" Yachiru leaned forward toward Unohana, a finger pulling her mouth wide to expose a gap in her teeth. There was a faint sight of white peeking through the gumline as an adult tooth threatened to erupt.
With a soft laugh Unohana acknowledged her logic. "But it's possible in this instance that the both of you are right."
As they walked away the two Captains and four Lieutenants remained, still discussing the content of the earlier meeting. Only Hinamori stared openly, if the men noticed they kept their observations to themselves.
...
At the commercial district, an easy, ambling conversation developed over where they should find food. Zaraki favored stands where the sake was strong, Unohana volunteered a plan of buying bento to take out into the woods while Yachiru pointed out various eateries with commentary anchored around the relative quality of their sweets.
Soon they decided on bento with extra purchases of sake and sweets to be enjoyed in seclusion. They walked to the outskirts of town and kept going, the early midday sun burning off the remains of the morning haze.
Birdsong welcomed them to the forest and Yachiru tried to whistle back. They wandered about for a little bit, picking their way through deer trails and carefully looking out for openings to fox dens or rabbit holes. They said little and by silent consensus decided to stop at a clearing in the woods divided by babbling stream.
They found a tree with large roots escaping the earth that made for comfortable seating. The three unpacked their bento, murmured "itadakimasu" and began eating. Soon Zaraki unstopped a bottle of sake he had previously slung to his waistband. He pulled three cups from a pocket deep inside his shihakusho. Yachiru watched with rapt attention as he poured out a full measure for Unohana and then himself. In the third cup he splashed just a few drops and gave Yachiru a sidelong glance. It was a twist to an old game between them. She was curious about everything Zaraki did but through trial and error found not every one of his habits suited her. She would look longingly at his sake and even reach for it, but inevitably someone would move it out of her reach, usually Zaraki himself. Every once in a blue moon she would try to reach, he would pull the bottle away, then bring it back, she would reach and he would pull, then bring it back again and again until she whined. Then he would set her down a cup filled with an amount that was barely a sip. She would try to drink it and inevitably choke and cough for a bit. It would be a while before she whined for sake again.
Yachiru didn't know what this new version of the game was but she didn't want to give in right away. She twisted her mouth and carried on munching on her wedge of rice cake. Her eyes got huge as she watched Unohana and Zaraki pick up their respective cups and reach toward each other with a toast. "Hey, wait!" The girl grabbed for her cup and was moderately surprised it ended up in her grasp, even if half of its meager contents splash on her hand. She got to her feet and reached it to the two adults' cups. "Kampai!"
Yachiru stood between the Captains with a huge smile on her face and watched them sip their sake. She paid more attention to Unohana since she already knew Zaraki would tip his head back and let the whole drink flow down his gullet as fast possible. The woman gently sniffed at the sake before putting the cup to her mouth. One hand held the cup while the other kept her sleeve in place. Unohana kept her eyes closed and was so still it was nearly impossible to tell if she was actually drinking. Opposite her Zaraki finished his drink with relish.
"What's the matter? I thought you'd wanna drink."
"Oh yeah!" Yachiru brought the forgotten cup to mouth and sucked up the remaining drops. She shoved the cup at Zaraki. "Okawari!"
"Che," responded the large man. "Alright, but this is all you're gonna get." He tipped the bottle over her cup and tried to measure out another tiny mouthful but a little extra got away. Yachiru pulled the cup to her carefully so she wouldn't spill again. "You better eat your food too."
"Hai!" Yachiru returned to her seat and tried to mimic the Squad 4 Captain's elegance. Zaraki grinned at the child. She always surprised him. After one gulp, though, Yachiru barely put the cup down in time to avoid spilling in the midst of a coughing fit. With a snort Zaraki turned his attention back to lunch.
Unohana watched the scene unfold with a deepening smile. The coughing and redness on the child's cheeks told the medical specialist that she would be alright. Unohana put her faith in Zaraki that, as passionate a fighter as he was, he was no fool when it came to caring for the child. A mouthful of alcohol once or twice a year wouldn't harm her. Of course, he was delaying the inevitable. Surreptitiously, Unohana reached for the bottle and refilled Zaraki's cup. She too resumed eating.
In time Yachiru recovered, ate most of her food and, as she began to feel full, looked up at the adults passing the day, eating quietly, serving each other sake and contemplating a brook running by just a few paces away. "Is Ken-chan gonna kiss Big Braid some more?"
The effect was immediate and all-encompassing as the energy under the tree went from languid to painfully compressed at the speed of sound. Zaraki nearly choked on his own sake and Unohana sat back and held her breath to keep from moving the food in her mouth in the wrong direction. Unohana steeled herself, took a deep breath and worked her mouthful into something she could quickly swallow without hurting herself. Zaraki proceeded from choking to coughing and pounded himself on the chest, the rough skin of his face coloring to that of an overripe peach.
With a glance at Zaraki to make sure he would be ok, Unohana turned to Yachiru. There was no need to beat around the bush, of course. But it wouldn't do to assume. "If Lt Kusajushi knows that much one wonders what else she knows."
"Oh I know a lotta stuff! But I guess I should talk about stuff about you, huh? Um…I know I don't like it when you call me that. You could call me, um, Pink Hair or…Little Girl or…Ken-chan likes to call me Brat, so that's ok too." Yachiru's smile was infectious. At the comment about being called "Brat" Zaraki coughed a bit more, though he had mostly recovered.
"Very well, would Yachiru-chan suit you?"
"Yes, I like that! Boob-lady calls me it and she's pretty nice! Ok well I know Ken-chan kissed Big Brai—" Yachiru caught the intense look on Unohana's face which wasn't threatening and yet made her reassess a few life choices, "uh, Retsu-san, at the Bon Festival when everyone else was lookin at the fireworks. And I know one time a bird sang in the middle of the night and it woke me up and I looked out the window and I saw Ken-chan meet Retsu-san and hold her tight and then I didn't see Ken-chan for two days and…" Yachiru ran out of breath and looked at the two adults staring back at her. "And…and…I was sad because I thought Ken-chan went to the hospital but Pachinko head said it was ok because Ken-chan was making whoopee and I thought that sounded dumb but then Ken-chan came back and he had little cakes for me and I forgot to ask what he was doing and…and…" the child was gasping now.
"It's ok, Yachiru-chan, you should breathe." Unohana put out a hand to steady the child though she was starting to worry more about the Captain across from her. Zaraki looked fit to be tied.
"Making whoopee?" His voice was a low growl, it sounded like two swords grinding against each other. "I'm going to kill him!"
"Captain Zaraki…" Unohana called to him softly, continuing to hold Yachiru. "Kenpachi. It turned out just as well didn't it?" She left out noting he was supposed to have explained his absence to his lieutenant and foster daughter in advance of their weekend sojourn.
Zaraki pulled his hard glare away from the distance and settled his eye back on the woman in front of him. He realized he had risen to one knee and his hand had gripped his sword hilt so tightly his knuckles popped.
Once again Yachiru's voice brought them to the matter at hand. "I guess. I guess, if Ken-chan likes Big B-uh, Retsu-san, then it's ok. And if Retsu-san likes Ken-chan too then it's really, really ok. Because then I get to like you too!"
Unohana gave a small delighted laugh and returned her hand to her lap. Zaraki sat back down with a grunt.
"Listen, kid, me and Retsu are just tryin something out. We like each other's company. Not a whole lot more to explain than that."
Yachiru gave him a sour look. "This is one of those things I'm supposed to understand when I'm older, isn't it?"
"I believe you understand the important parts already. We do like each other. It's just something that can be difficult to maintain. The personnel of the Court Guard Squads like to gossip and are occasionally crude if not cruel so Captain, that is, Kenpachi and I have decided not to speak of our activities openly. They will see for themselves as time goes on, and it is our hope that in seeing they will understand that it is a private matter."
"Che," muttered Zaraki, "and monkeys'll fly outta my—" he stopped under the weight of Unohana's dark blue eyes. "We're tellin you, brat, because you're going to be around to see it the most. 'Cause stuff like this doesn't always work and the people involved get pissy an' mad at each other sometimes."
"Ok!" Yachiru stood and peered at them, her lunch quite forgotten. She stepped over her food and moved to be in between them. Her movements were simple and not particularly fast, still she caught the adults by surprise as she took one of Unohana's hands and one of Zaraki's and joined them. "But what happens if you try it out and you like it a lot?"
Unohana and Zaraki shared a long look. Neither seemed willing to speak, though their hands moved to where they were holding on to each other. They didn't quite notice when Yachiru got bored and wandered back to the remnants of lunch to look for the mochi cakes that were to be dessert. Finally Zaraki cleared his throat. Unohana took the moment to drop her gaze; her soft, high cheekbones were stained a faint red, perhaps from the midday sun or perhaps from the sake. They slowly let go of each other's hand and busied themselves cleaning up the lunches.
Unohana took any reusable material to the stream and rinsed them off. Zaraki stood and stretched, emitting a huge growling yawn. For her part, Yachiru had polished off the mochi cakes and decided it was now time to play. Just as Unohana was turning around, dishes in hand, a small spray of water splashed her. She had only seen a blur of pink and barely had the time to turn away to keep from getting her front soaked. In the stream a barefoot Yachiru jumped and laughed as her kimono got soaked above the knees. Unohana shook her head with a small smile and joined Zaraki where he was leaning against their lunch tree.
What would happen, she wondered. But she quickly found she preferred to think of the here and now, rather than hypotheticals. She looked up at Zaraki who leisurely watched Yachiru at play before slowly inclining his head to look at her. His face looked like it was hewn from stone. A smiling stone. They took each other's hands again.
At the stream the pink haired child screamed and giggled. Yachiru delighted in scaring the little fish that came along with the current. The water tickled her legs. She loved splashing it. If she smacked it lightly but repeatedly it would spring up and leave a rainbow in the air for a few seconds. Yachiru noticed a little turtle trying to hurry away from the confusion, she screamed and called for Ken-chan to come take a look. "Oh," she said to herself and the turtle. "They're kissing again."