Everyone said they were the most unlikely couple in the Seireitei and for once, Kenpachi agreed with the masses.
The first time he met her, she had been facing him, her short light brown hair pinned up with a yellow barrette. Her stance had been untrained but unwavering as she faced him, zanpakto in hand, standing in front of her brother's almost unconscious body. The fact that the zanpakto wasn't hers amused him. She had grabbed it from some random person in the crowd who had been watching the 'sparring match'.
He was amused by the little sparrow and decided that he wouldn't kill her for interrupting his fight. He flared his reiatsu, deciding to use it to push her out of the way. To his surprise, she faltered for a moment and then braced herself and didn't move. Many people in the surrounding crowd collapsed under the pressure. He was intrigued but tried hard not to show it.
"Che, I'll let the little girl protect you this time, Ichigo." He muttered before lowering his sword and walking away. Only Yachiru heard the note of respect in his voice and it made her look a little closer at Ichigo's sister, who had dropped her borrowed sword and was healing her brother.
She shrugged and moved to follow him. She herself had been slightly impressed because it wasn't every day that an Academy student had the guts to face down Ken-chan.
Kenpachi forgot about the young woman, though he did hear rumors about her even if he didn't know who she was. It seemed that the Fourth division had finally gotten a member that had a backbone because after offending this person several of his men were injured quite severely. He paid the rumors no mind until he had been injured by a Hollow.
He had turned to watch Yachiru do a spectacular finish on the Hollow she had been fighting ("Watch this, Ken-chan") when his own opponent had slashed his arm. He had killed it but Yachiru had demanded that he be seen at the Fourth division.
Since Unohana was out, her lieutenant assigned the fourth seat to heal him. Yuzu Kurosaki was much the same as he had first met her, shy and demure. Yet despite that (and the fact that she was part of the pussy Fourth division), he couldn't help remember the way she had faced him so fearlessly. She had walked into the room and given him a sweet smile that showed she was genuinely happy to see him. She wasn't scared at all.
It shocked him because no one but Yachiru had ever smiled at him like that. There was always an edge of fear or dislike in their smiles that was completely missing in hers.
"Captain Zaraki, it's nice to see you… well if you weren't hurt, I mean." She amended. He had been so surprised that he hadn't even given her a hard time before he was healed. She had finished and was talking about sewing his haori because it sewing was one of her favorite things to do when he got up and left without a word.
He was very confused because he had actually been listening to the young woman babble. She intrigued him though with her lack of fear and he found himself going to her every time he was injured. His sudden willingness to be healed had caught the notice of several people.
Yachiru thought it was wonderful that Ken-chan had a new friend and she was careful to stay away so that he could become better friends with her. She knew that he needed someone close to him in a way that she could never be. She thought Yuzu was the perfect person.
Ichigo, on the other hand, thought it less than wonderful that Kenpachi was stalking his sister. He never confronted Kenpachi, probably fearing the inevitable challenge to battle but Kenpachi did hear rumors that he had ordered Yuzu not to have anything to do with him again. Kenpachi didn't know what she said but the rumors were that he had come out of her small office extremely red faced and agitated and had not said anything more to her about the subject.
He continued to go to Yuzu for any injury, great and small and had grown very fond of the young woman. She never feared him, even when he raised his voice or after she saw him in battle. She was always polite and patient with a ready smile. He got to know her better when she rambled on during his visits, though he rarely said much.
The moment Kenpachi realized he was in love with the gentle young woman happened about six months after his first visit to Yuzu at the Fourth division. He had been injured. Nothing serious, just a slash across the chest but a viable excuse to visit the young woman without being obvious.
Unohana had been the one to appear in the room and he didn't want to make his interest obvious by asking where Yuzu was. He didn't realize that most of the Seireitei already knew that he liked her. As Unohana healed him, one of her division members burst in, too frantic to be scared of her patient. One of the division's training expeditions had been attacked by a mass of Hollows, hundreds. It was the expedition that Yuzu had been leading. Unohana asked where they were and the moment the man uttered the words, Kenpachi was gone.
When he arrived at the scene, most of the Hollows had been dispatched. He killed the few that were left and turned to search for the young woman he had come to care for. She was battling the last Hollow and killed it with such ferocity that Kenpachi was impressed. When she saw there were no more to fight, she collapsed. He rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
She looked up with him with relief and something else in her eyes that scared the hell out of him before she burst into tears. He froze for a moment. One of the first rules Yachiru had learned was not to cry. Tears were useless and he really didn't know how to handle a crying baby, child or woman. He mentally sighed and held her close to his chest.
When Unohana, who had arrived moments later, asked him to take her home, he had agreed. It was only when he was in Seireitei did he realize that he didn't know where she lived. Instead of asking, he decided to take her to his quarters. She could have the privacy she needed there.
He held her and listened as she cried for her team members. From what he could understand, this was the first time she had lost any under her command and it was tearing her apart. He knew she would get over it because happened all the time but he felt sorry for her. He couldn't even bring himself to make any comments about the pansy fourth division members who had died.
He learned that she had stood between what was left of her team and the Hollows, killing any who had dared to approach. Later he learned she had killed over fifty Hollows. The thought of losing her suddenly scared him and he realized that he was in love with the mild young woman. The thought scared the hell out of him more than anything else had but he had never run from anything and he wouldn't start now. Besides it would be a little hard now because she had her arms wrapped around him, her head on his shoulder and was fast asleep. He held her close and waited, thinking about the turmoil his life had become.
Ichigo found them several hours later, arms wrapped around each other and both sleeping in Kenpachi's big recliner. Kenpachi had dozed off at some point and when Ichigo barged into his quarters babbling something about Yuzu being missing, he was a little groggy. That was the first time that Ichigo had ever issued a challenge to Kenpachi and the first time Kenpachi had declined. Of course, Yuzu waking up and asking Kenpachi not to leave her had something to do with it.
Ichigo had been so stunned at her request and Kenpachi's refusal that he had just left. Of course, no one believed him. There was no way that Kenpachi Zaraki would ever refuse to fight Ichigo. Several people asked if he had hit his head or ate something that tasted funny lately (for some reason Kira and Rangiku thought Ichigo had eaten some of their special brownies). Several others recommended that he see Unohana for a check up.
The next few weeks were a strain for anyone who had to deal with the Eleventh division captain. Despite his resolve to deal with his new feelings for Yuzu, he stayed as far away from her as he could. He refused to go to the fourth division for any treatment and was in such a bad temper that even Yachiru was staying away.
He didn't know what to do. He had never fallen for anyone before and couldn't believe that when he did it was for sweet, innocent Yuzu Kurosaki, the fourth seat of the Fourth Division and Ichigo Kurosaki's baby sister. It was so unlikely but it was there.
After about three weeks, he found himself in a situation that forced him to make a decision. He had been staring at his paperwork when Yachiru had come in. She climbed up on the desk and stared at him, a lollipop in her mouth. He ignored her, pretending to be reading the page in front of him.
"You should play with Ichi." She said. He looked up at her.
"Eh?"
She smiled. "You always have fun when you play with Ichi, right? Just like when you get hurt and visit Yu-chan. I don't see what's fun about getting healed though. Anyway, I think Ichi needs some fun cause Yu-chan went out on a mission again and he's worried." She told him.
He blinked at her. Then Yachiru said something that reminded him that for all her childishness, she could be quite mature.
"We should take care of the things that make us happy."
She shuffled around in his papers and pulled out a specific form. She handed it to him and then hopped off the desk, leaving the room. He stared at the form in his hand, his mind torn. He didn't like this. Normally when he wanted to do something, he just did it or when he wanted something, he just took it. That was the way things had been but it wouldn't work with Yuzu. He didn't know what to do.
As he stared at the paper in his hand, he thought of Yachiru's words. He should hunt down Ichigo because a fight would relieve the tension and hadn't she said something about Ichi needing some fun because Yuzu had gone on another mission. Suddenly there was a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach and he thought maybe he should make sure that she was alright.
He was confident in her abilities. Maybe she wasn't up to par with him, but he had seen her sparring with her brother and of course, she had killed all those Hollows on her last mission. It was her team he didn't trust. He wouldn't put it past them to run off and leave her at the first sign of trouble, stupid weak Fourth division pansies.
At least that is what he told himself as he ran to the area her team should be. When he reached them, she was battling a large Hollow alone. She killed it with a powerful blow and turned to the next. With a laugh, he jumped into the fray. One by one, he killed Hollows, scattering the pansies who got in his way. He did get distracted several times when he turned to watch her fight.
When all the Hollows were dead, he stopped, his sword on his shoulder and a wide grin on his face. He turned to her and found her staring at him with wide eyes, smiling and covered in gore. She had never looked more beautiful to him and with that thought, he made his decision. If she was going to be his weakness, then he would keep her close and keep her safe. When he wanted something, he usually took it and this was no different. He would just be a little more circumspect about it.
"Come with me." He told her. The pansy members of her team caught his eye and he ordered them back to Seireitei. He was surprised when a few hesitated, sending worried looks at Yuzu before fear of him brought them to their senses and they scrambled to follow orders.
"Where are we going?" he asked but he scooped her up and took off. When they reached his office, he set her down. She stared at him when a slightly confused look when he picked up a pen and paper and handed it to her.
"Sign here." He ordered gruffly. She looked down at the paper and then up at him with astonished eyes.
"Papers of Transfer?" she asked and he nodded, suddenly wondering if she felt the same about him as he did about her.
"You belong in the eleventh." He said, wondering if she understood what he meant. It was hard for him to express his feelings, especially feelings like these. The brilliant, happy smile that spread across her face and the speed of which she signed the papers assured him that she did understand.
He felt a warmth flow through him that was usually reserved for battle. He grinned as she handed him the paper and pen, then shouted for his third seat. He almost laughed when Ikkaku paled at the sight of Yuzu. She had quite the reputation for viciousness when provoked and it seemed his third seat had experienced it first hand. When he informed them (Yumichika was always with Ikkaku) of Yuzu's transfer, Ikkaku had paled even more while Yumi had declared it beautiful.
"Where should I put her?" he had asked, knowing they would read between the lines. Usually he would have done as he pleased, not caring who he offended, but unfortunately, this concerned Yumichika. Yumichika had his ways of making like hell and most of them included Yachiru. It was better not to offend him.
When Yumi finally offered the Fourth seat to Yuzu he was relieved. He also agreed to allow the men of his division to challenge her. She would still remain in the division if she lost and he wouldn't let anyone stay fourth seat for long if they did win. If he didn't do something about it, Yumichika certainly would. When Yuzu offered to heal anyone who challenged her, Kenpachi smirked. He had known she would fit in and now she had proved it. Intimidation was a specialty of the Eleventh division.
He wasn't surprised when none of his men stepped up to challenge Yuzu. They knew they would also be challenging Yumichika, Ikkaku and Kenpachi, in that order. No one would hold the fourth seat long enough to enjoy it.
After that it was time to make it official, in more ways than one. After a kiss that scorched even the experienced Kenpachi, they walked to the old man's office. Yamamoto stared at them and Kenpachi silently dared for him to say no. Finally he asked to speak to Yuzu alone. Kenpachi hid a grin as he left the room. He didn't think the old man had a chance.
And he was right. When Yuzu came out, she informed him of the conditions and knew that Yuzu herself had probably come up with them herself. He had gotten to know her very well when she healed him because she was always talking. He may be a very straightforward person but it didn't mean he didn't appreciate someone who had a devious mind. They went to inform Unohana of the change and he silently enjoyed the look of shock on her face. Unfortunately he was called away and missed the confrontation with Ichigo as well. He really wanted to know how she got him to do what she wanted because he could be able to use that to make him fight whenever he was in the mood.
As he expected, she fit right in with the Eleventh division. She didn't let anyone, even him, walk over her and she fought for what she wanted. When she suggested teaching some of the basic healing techniques to the men, he had given her a resounding denial. Of course she had argued and had some good points. Battles could last longer if you could heal. He finally gave permission but didn't tell her that he planned to use the new skills to heal his enemies so that the battle would last longer. He also didn't tell her that the others agreed to learn just so they wouldn't be reliant on her.
"Women are moody. What if she's in a bad mood and it's your turn to be healed? Then she makes it hurt like hell because she's pissed off at something." He heard one of his men say.
She made life easier for many in the division and those who said she didn't belong obviously hadn't seen her fight against some Hollow that pissed her off by injuring someone or offended her by insulting the man she loved or someone in her division. She could be fierce when the situation warranted it and the division adored her for it.
Kenpachi wasn't sure exactly how it happened but the young woman had stolen his heart. They were an unlikely couple and he would be the first to admit it but he would be damned if he would change anything. He may not have ever admitted it aloud but he loved Yuzu.
When people commented on how unlikely they were, he usually just nodded and then glared at them, daring him to insult her in some way so he had a genuine reason to challenge them.
A/n - So.... How did you like it? Let me know. I have some more ideas for drabbles with this couple and if you have any you want me to write let me know...
