Fastforward about 1 hour. Kenpachi has gathered all of the recruits, including Nokana. After some light sparring, he decides to seat only three...

Rainbow Eyes

Chapter 4: Safety's not in Numbers, it's in Strength.

Theme Song: New Divide - Linkin Park

Kenpachi looked about at the newbies and glared. So far, the only ones he saw fit to seat were the three he'd knwn before. Nokana, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. A slight smirk crossed his face at the memory of how he'd met the other two, just before he'd been fully accepted into the Seireitei.

"You'd better leave. Ken-chan's in a good mood." Yachiru looked up at bald man who had rushed into the alley. "You'd get beaten up for sure." The idiot smiled at her.

"He'll beat me up because he's in a good mood? That makes no sense."

"You're pretty dense, aren't you?" She looked up at him and pointed to the picture she had been drawing with chalk on the ground. It showed Kenpachi attacking the bald one with a smile on his face. "Ken-chan dosen't hold back when he's in a good mood because he's having too much fun." The man raised his sword to unsheath it.

"You little-"

"Leave her alone." Kenpachi growled as he rose and let the blanket fall from his huge form. His reiatsu flared out and shredded it. The man stood before him in shock. "Not gonna run?" Baldy jumped back and grinned.

"Sorry, buddy! I'm in a good mood too!" A crowd began to gather, among them a man who could have been a woman, if he'd had boobs.

"Ikkaku." He called to his bald friend.

"No helping, Yumichika." Ikkaku drew his blade.

"I know." Not five minutes later and the two started to fight, Kenpachi easily overwhelming him and winning the fight. But he didn't kill him. No, he injured him and disarmed him, but the man wouldn't be able to fight now. So Kenpachi left him.

"W-wait!" He called to them as he crawled on the ground. "Wait, Damnit!" Kenpachi turned to him.

"You can still move?"

"Damnit! What the hell are you thinking? Kill me damnit!" Kenpachi glared down at him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"The hell are you begging for death for? Don't accept defeat and beg to die! Accept it when you're dead!" The man only looked up at him. "The only reason you're not dead is because you're lucky! Now don't just accept defeat and beg to die! Fight to survive and kill the one who couldn't kill you! It's not like I held back. So live. Get stronger. Come and try to kill me again." He dropped the man and made to leave.

"W-Wait!" The man called again. "Wait! Your name... Tell me your name!" Kenpachi turned to him.

"My name is Kenpachi Zaraki." With that he left.

Not three hours since Kenpachi had become captain Ikkaku and Yumichika had shown up at the squad headquarters. Ikkaku claimed to have gotten stronger, which he had. And Yumichika proved that he could actually fight. They were definitely a pair.

"Alright... I'm going to seat three of you..." He glanced over. "Yes, Yumichika?"

"If I don't get 3rd seat can I be 5th? I don't like the number 4, it's so ugly." Kenpachi glared at him. The man didn't even flinch.

"Yumichika... I've already put you at 5th so shut up." The narcissist man began to prance about happily. "Ikkaku, You're going to be third."

"Che. I knew it. Wait, then who's the other one?" Kenpachi smirked.

"Good question. Yumichika, where is Nokana?" Everyone instantly grew quiet. Ikkaku frowned.

"Our 4th seat is a woman? What are you thinking? She's a woman, and women are weak! She should have never gotten into this squad in the first place." Kenpachi's blade was to his throat instantly.

"There are two reasons she's here. One: She's a very good friend of mine and I get along just fine with her. Second: She's the strongest damn woman I've ever met, next to Yachiru. So I'd think twice before you speak if I were you. She'd skin you alive." Just then, the rainbow eyed girl entered the room. They all could tell by Yumichika's sqeal of delight.

"Oh! What a beautiful woman! And such eyes! Ikkaku I agree with captain's decision! She's definitely beautiful enough to beat me!" Kenpachi glared at him as he placed a kiss on Nokana's hand politely. "I'm Yumichika Asegawa! It's nice to finally see such a lovely creature in this pit of barbarians!" Nokana looked at him and burst out laughing.

"Why thank you, Asegawa-san. But trust me, I'm not just for looks." She walked up to Kenpachi and was soon followed by Yachiru.

"Ken-chan! I found Rain-chan!" The pink haired girl jumped onto his shoulder.

"I see that. Nokana, you're going to be my 4th seat." She nodded and sat next to him.

"Alright then." She blushed a bit as Kenpachi put his arm around her shoulders.

"Just fair warning to you all... Any one touches her outside of the usual combat contact, and I'll kill them." Ikkaku's face heated up in rage.

"The hell? Who'd wanna touch that whore?" Not a second had passed before he found himself knocked to the ground, flat on his back, a deep gash in his cheek, and a Zanpakuto to his throat. Nokana stood above him and looked ready to kill.

"What Kenpachi forgot to mention is that I can stand up for myself too, and if you do what you just did again, you won't live to see what comes next." She neatly seathed her blade and sat back down. Kenpachi put his arm back around her and glared at Ikkaku.

"She's not a whore, she's my woman. And I'll let her kill you if she sees fit." Yachiru jumped up from behind him.

"Baldy, you should be nice to Rain-chan! She's really nice once you get to know her, if you don't be mean to her. But make her mad and she'll kill you, or Ken-chan will." Ikkaku had to be restrained from going after the child.

"Why you little runt! How dare you call me bald!" Yumichika walked up to him and frowned.

"Ikkaku, you really shouldn't let your face go so red... It's so ugly." Ikkaku glared at him, then looked back at Nokana.

"Che, I bet the stupid woman can't even release her Zanpakuto!" Everyone grew quiet at that, and another newbie, one who would later die fighting a hollow and thus remain nameless to time, spoke up.

"M-Madarame-san..."

"What?" He snarled.

"N-Nokana-san is the first and only Shinigami to graduate the Academy in a month, with the ability to releas her Zanpakuto, which is currently the most terrifiying and destructive Zanpakuto. She graduated the top of the Advanced class, the rest of whom won't graduate untill later this year." He then stepped back as Ikkaku freed himself from the grasp of the others.

"Fine then. The girl won't mind fighting me to prove it, will she?"

"Becareful, Ikkaku." Kenpachi growled. "If she don't want to, I won't make her."

"I accept your challenge." Nokana stood and let her reiatsu blaze it's many different colors. Kenpachi never got tired of seeing her release it, ever. Ikkaku stepped back as yet another thing about Nokana was explained to him by Yumichika this tme.

"Ah, now I remember where I heard her name before! Nokana-san's reiatsu is the most beautiful display of any reiatsu, but depending on it's color, the function of it changes. Isn't that right, Captain Zaraki?" Kenpachi nodded.

"And yet her Zanpakuto's release is a very dark and frightening sight for most. The last guy who had to face her fainted in fear when she released it." Ikkaku drew his Zanpakuto and the others all stepped back.

"Che, I won't be done in by such words. Extend! Hozukimaru!" His Zanpakuto changed completely and became a bladed Sansetsukon. "Show me for yourself!"

"Fine. Cover with Darkness! Deddokage!" Her blade became black like the night and grew to be 5x it's own size. The black chain and spiked ball appeared, and the hooked barbs shot out. Indeed, it was a fearsome sight. And once her reiatsu merged with it some of the weaker men began to cower. The beautiful rainbow of her reiatsu became lined in black and shot out even more.

"So... Deddokage did you say? D... Deathshadow?" Ikkaku was shaking only a little bit. Nokana nodded.

"Yeah. Deathshadow. Deddokage is a true reaper blade, and it's barbs are tipped in poison that only I am immune to. However, I can choose to poison my enemy or not."

"Anything else I should know?" Nokana nodded.

"I know that Hozukimaru is not a spear... Did you think my eyes were useless? I can see every aspect of your Zanpakuto when you release it. Even it's Bankai form." Ikkaku's eyes widened.

"E-even if the user hasn't attained it yet?"

"Yes. Now, are you done inquireing? Or do I have to sit through more questions?" he merely stood there, unsure of what to do. That is, untill Nokana attacked first and smashed him across the face with her spike ball. Kenpachi grinned as he watched her kick Ikkaku's sorry ass. But the 3rd seat stayed on his feet and fighting.

"Nokana." She looked over to her Captain as she prepared to attack Ikkaku yet again. "That's enough for today. I think Ikkaku may need some more time to fully accept that you're a woman in my squad." She nodded and sealed her Zanpakuto again.

"Thank goodness!" Yumichika let out a sigh and opened his eyes. "For such a beautiful woman, Nokana, your Zanpakuto is so ugly! How'd you come across-"

"Don't ask. It's just that I'm the opposite of my brother... and he uses a kidou-baised lightbulb for a Zanpakuto." She went to sit next to Kenpachi, but found herself pulled into his lap, getting nuzzled by him as he held her. She blushed lightly but made no attempt to get away.

"That's enough everyone! Go train or something. Oi! Ikkaku! Before you go you should get looked at in 4th comany's hospital." With that, he gathered up Nokana and left out the window.

Ikkaku snarled. There was no way that the Kenpachi he had known back in the rukongai would have let a woman into the 11th squad! They were supposed to be the strongest men in the whole Seireitei! He stepped into the 4th division hospital and was approached by a young-looking medic.

"A-Asegawa-san! What happened to you?"

"Training. I'm in 11th you know." The man nodded.

"Who the heck did you fight against?"

"Some girl named Nokana." The man blanched and looked about.

"N-N-Nokana Tamura! Did she release her Zanpakuto?" Ikkaku nodded, then found himself surrounded by medics. Even Captain Unohana came to examine him. "D-Did she release the poison in the tip of her blade?"

"How the hell should I know? What's wrong with you all?" Unohana shook her head.

"He has no poison in his blood. Nokana was merciful this time. However the tissue in and around his wounds is torn and degrading fast." It was Ikkaku's turn to blanch.

"D-degrading...?"

"Madarame-san... Your flesh is rotting, you're being eaten alive by the dark reiatsu of her Zanpakuto." He began to flip. Just what the hell was Nokana trying to do to him?

"What? C-can't you stop it?"

"If she's re-sealed her Zanpakuto, then no. you'll have to ask her to release it and detatch it's reiatsu from you. Untill then, I'm afraid we can't do anything." Ikkaku cursed the day he'd ever heard Nokana's name and ran to find her, praying she was still with his Captain.

Kenpachi roared with laughter when he saw Ikkaku. The man looked like he was rotting... and according to what he'd learned from Unohana, he was! While he was getting his fit under control, Nokana released her Zanpakuto's reiatsu from his body, thus allowing him to be healed,

"Nokana... how many tricks does your Zanpakuto know?" She smiled mysteriously.

"Alot... I still haven't completely discovered everything about Deddokage yet." She sat down in the middle of the field with him. He had brought her here to get some peace and quiet after she'd beaten Ikkaku. And yet in the face of all that, she told Kenpachi not to mess with the seating again just yet. "I let Deddokage rot him as a warning."

"I think he got the message." Kenpachi lay out on his back and smoothed out Nokana's hair with his hand. Her rainbow eyes met his... Hioshi's comments about her beauty did not do her justice. Not even Yumichika's constant babble of how beautiful and lovely she was really did it for her either. There was something so... angelic and peaceful about her that Kenpachi just couldn't seem to get enough of.

"Captain-"

"Nokana, damnit, you're my woman. Don't be so formal." She blushed and smiled, and soon she had another reason to blush like mad. Kenpachi pulled her into his lap and pulled her lips to his in a passionate, seering kiss. She moaned into it and put her arms around his neck. He had her pinned below him by the time his lips left hers.

"Kenpachi..."

"Have I ever told you how much you turn me on?" She blushed and looked at him in shock. "Well, I'm gonna show you... Over and over again... when you think you're ready, of course." He kissed her lips and pulled her up so that she sat in his lap again, her back against his chest.

"Kenpachi... Why did you say that?" She looked at him with curiosity.

"What? I can't tell you that you turn me on?"

"That's not it. I just... wondered why." He nuzzled her gently.

"Hell, Nokana... Everything about you turns me on. The way you fight, the way you look at everyone... the way you have that 'fuck the world' look all the time. You're the only woman I know that can fight, and I mean fight like there's no tomorrow." He kissed her neck. "And yet you're still the same sweet girl you were when I met you."

"Well... I... I never really did grow out of that."

"Don't. Don't change from this. You're perfect now."

A/N: YAY! The first arc of my story is done! I'm calling this the past-arc, just because it shows all of the past that was shown in Tite Kubo's flashbacks. I wanted it to meet up with the story as close as possible. Now I get to have fun with this story. And trust me, things aren't gonna be all happy and fluffy for long... I just wanted to have a little Kenpachi x Nokana fluffiness. I think I'm done with that for now too.