Kenpatchi POV: The whole point of this was to get Hunter into the academy so we could tear soul society apart together. Okay, not just to tear it apart, we were supposed to rip it open and then rebuild it with the proper teachings back in place. Hunter's dad, Death was not impressed that most of soul society had long since abandoned his teachings. The average person was excused as they weren't offered any formal education at all, it was the captains and their underlings who would pay for the abandonment of the teachings. Problem was some of them likely knew about the old ways and ignored it, others were likely too chicken shit to stand up to Old Man Yamamoto and the rest were probably too new and didn't even know about it. Hell, I hadn't... until Hunter told me about it.
She'd get herself to a Captain or Luitenent position, all I had to do was give her a good word so she could get into the academy. First of course I had to find her. Damn it, the things we hadn't thought of. As it was I was replacing myself here and it was very weird having another set of memories floating around in my head. It had been two days and the headache had only just worn off this morning. Finally, okay breakfast then searching for Hunter...
I started by searching through the back streets where most of the other street rat types hung out. I checked out the old neighborhood where Rukia and Renji grew up as they were not the first pair to be found there and put into the academy. Nope, nothing... did I get every street? I did one more round just in case, I still came up empty handed so I moved on towards the forest areas. You know, where I grew up...
Out here it was kill or be killed. Thugs and other darker sorts stayed out here. That's where I found her, or rather she found me. I walked into a clearing only to be attacked by what I first thought was a rabid squirrel, nope it was Hunter. She dropped onto my head from a branch and started furiously pulling my hair. I ripped her off of me and threw her across the clearing, she growled and launched herself towards me. I grinned and drew my sword, she dodged my strike and scurried up the back of my shirt like some kind of wild animal. What the hell was she up to...?
Ah, fuck! Did she just bite me? That little... I pulled my shirt off and threw her again. Where did she...? Oh boy, she'd vanished... I started walking again and several paces later the rabid squirrel was back. This time she started yanking the bells out of my hair, I reached up to pull her off of me and she bit my hand. I laughed,
"Okay, okay. Fine. Let's go."
I left her there and started back towards headquarters with the rabbid squirrel nested in what used to be my hair. I was going to give her the bread roll I'd saved from breakfast but decided I really didn't want it in my hair. When I arrived the other Captains just stared at us, I ignored them and continued on, I just needed to talk to Old Man Yamamoto. I walked in and he looked up at me,
"Kenpachi? Is there something I can help you with?" he asked.
I pointed to the small bundle waded up on top of my head, "Yeah, I think we should throw this one into the academy."
"What's her name?"
"No idea." I reached up and pulled Hunter down finally, she had one of my bells in hand, "Oh, great. Now I'll need a new one." I passed her the bread roll and she tore into it with a vigor that suggested she hadn't had much to eat recently.
"Kenpatchi, not in here. Food should be taken in the dining hall." he said as he reached to take the roll from Hunter.
She growled at the encroaching hand and when it was near enough she tried to bite him, Old Man was just fast enough to retract his hand intact. I laughed again,
"See Old Man. She'll be great!"
"Hn. Fine, go get her signed up and see if you can come up with a name while you're at it."
"You got it. Come on squirrel, let's go."
She scurried back up to the top of my head, thankfully the bread roll was long since gone. I decided I'd take her to go get some food first. As we headed down the hall, I picked up on a familiar energy. We turned the corner and saw Ichigo walking in from where ever his latest assignment had taken him. He looked at me, then up at Hunter,
"Bringing in more strays?" he asked.
Hunter gasped suddenly then burst out laughing maniacally. It reminded me of something... as I looked back at Ichigo, who was suddenly pale, I realized where I'd heard that sound before. It was damn near the same as the laugh of his psychotic alter ego. I apologized and moved on just to get Hunter away from him before we had said psychotic chasing us through soul society, a fact that might just please hunter a bit too much.
"Let's get you some real food huh kid?" I said as we turned into a canteena, "Food isn't the greatest here, but it's edible and cheap." We moved over to one of the back tables away from the few patrons that were actually there.
"'Bout fucking time ya' found me ya' bastard! What the hell took you so long!" she said quietly pointing to something on the menu.
"What two days more than you can handle out there little Squirrel?" I said chuckling at the thought.
"Two days?! I was stranded in that gods forsaken forest for three fucking years! Do you have any idea how many times I almost died!" she hissed back, more than a little venom... and power in her words. She was showing hard core signs of reiatsu already. Wait three...
"Three years? Christ kid no wonder you're a fucking rabid animal. But hell... you didn't die, most kids your age stick to the city where food is easier to pilfer or otherwise acquire. The few I've seen take to the forest looking to hunt end up hunted themselves instead, dead if they're lucky or some bandit's bitch. Not to mention all the other more... sinister creatures out there."
"If you mean the Ghouls or the Vampires they wouldn't dare, actually the few Vampires in there that I did meet were quite helpful if a bit skittish. If you mean the fucking hollows that have taken up there, they're not an issue any more. I learned from the forest as I always have: kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, adapt or die. But now what it's been too long for me? What do I do? It's already active and yet I don't have a sword like all the others I've seen. I know I can heal, and use the flash-step but past that... Senpai hopeless is not the word for it." she finished softly as the food was ordered, I stayed quiet while the food was cooked. She only called him that when she was worried, exited ... or trying to piss him off.
I spoke up again after the waitress dropped off our dishes and Hunter began to eat her Breaded Scallops, "Nah, we'll get you up to snuff in no time. It'll be fine Hunter, besides the academy can help you figure out most of your other abilities as for the sword, you don't get one until you get out of the academy anyways. Its part of the graduation. See? No need to panic."
She smiled at that and plowed through her food like a champion, I ate my fried fish and then we headed off towards the academy to get her registered. I walked in and the guard gave me a sideways look seeing Hunter perched on top of my head.
"Uh, Kenpachi Sir? You have a uh, child on your..."
"Yeah? And?" I asked menacingly.
"Nothing, never mind Sir. All is well."
I chuckled as I walked away from him towards the main desk. Hunter grumbled something from my hair.
"Huh?"
"Sissy!" she called back towards the door guard, who paled as I looked back at him.
I burst out laughing as we reached the desk and the receptionist looked like she was either going to run or faint.
"Captain Zaraki, are you alright Sir?" she asked.
"Yeah." I said as I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"Guard boy shit himself." Hunter mumbled wrinkling her nose in distaste.
I burst out laughing again and pulled her down off my head, "Do you want to get signed up or not?" I asked glaring at her, too amused to really seem threatening.
She folded her arms and pouted at me, "Fine."
I set her down on the desk and looked at the lady, "This is Hunter, I'm signing her up for academy training."
"You're sponsoring her Captain Zaraki?"
"Isn't that what I just said?" I asked looking at Hunter.
She nodded, "It's like they think we're dumb..."
The lady behind the desk opened the giant sign up book and grabbed a quill, she loaded it with ink and began writing, only to stop short. "Captain does she have a last name?"
"Uh... no clue?" I turned to look down and saw a devious look in her eyes...this was going to be rich.
"Shinin'Risu!" all in all her name was 'Hunter Death Ninja A Squirrel' if you wanted to be literal or loosely 'Hunter Ninja Squirrel of Death!' Yep I lost it... again. I think this is the most someone had made me laugh in a span of a day, and lived.
"There all set, you two just need to sign." she said as she handed me the quill.
"Oh this ought to be good." Squirrel snickered.
I looked up at the lady at the desk, "How 'bout a finger print lady?"
"Excuse me Sir?"
I dropped the quill on the desk, "I've never written anything a day in my life lady... and I don't intend to start now."
"Oh um. Yes there is an allowance for that but um..."
"Spit it out already." he damn near growled at her.
"It must be done with your blood Captain."
"Oh. Is that all?"
I bit into my thumb and pressed it to the paper on the spot she'd pointed out, Hunter did much the same, she looked it over for a moment, "Yep, all set. See you in three days Hunter, that's when the next rookie classes start."
"I come here?" Hunter asked.
"Yep."
"Kay, bye." Hunter said and then climbed back up onto my head, "So..."
"Uh oh." I knew where she was going with this, she was a training addict.
"We've got the next three days to get a head start."
"Seriously?"
"Awww! Come on you said you'd help!" she whined.
When I didn't answer she began chewing on my hair, "Fine, alright, but not tonight okay? Getting here was fucking exhausting. Hey, you want a bath kid?" I asked as I caught a whiff of what could only be years worth of forest filth, I remembered what it was like to get my first real hot water bath.
"Oh, hell yes."
"Alright come on I know just the place, and it'll be all ours." I chuckled as we headed into town.