Well here is the latest chapter, finally. I'll be honest; I hated writing this chapter, which is probably why it too so long to write. I ended up rewriting it twice before sending it to my beta reader who luckily gave me some great advice before I posted this.
I have to thank my beta reader, Whitecloud for fixing up this chapter and getting it back to me to post for this weekend.
Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm going to see Alice in Wonderland! That has nothing to do with the story, I'm just so excited about it XD
Anyway, on with the chapter!
"Hey kid wake up!" Kenshin heard someone shout from under his blanket. Kenshin recognized the voice as Ikkaku and groaned audibly.
"It's early!" he whined. "Tell Captain Zaraki I'll fight him, just later!" Kenshin was still very exhausted from his day with Yachiru. He wasn't sore like the day before, but he just wanted to rest. Apparently, Ikkaku did not care.
"Don't whine! Real men don't whine!" he shouted and pulled the covers off of Kenshin. "Captain Zaraki told me to come get you, so let's go!" he shouted once more and pulled off the bed by the back of his collar.
He released Kenshin, so he could run on is own two feet down the hall. They met up with Yumichika who handed Kenshin some bread and told him to eat it quickly.
"Why would he want to fight me when I'm tired?" Kenshin asked, rubbing his eyes as he ran.
"He doesn't want to fight you; he wants you to come with us on a mission!" Ikkaku said, getting a little annoyed.
"A mission? What kind of mission?" His interests had been piqued now.
"Hollows have been spotted in the Thirty-Seventh District of East Rukon, big ones," he said, a little too happily for Kenshin's tastes. "The mission's simple: we go and kill them."
"Is it just our squad?"
"Squad Ten will be helping us clean up after we've killed most of them," Yumichika stated.
Kenshin's eyes widened a bit. Rangiku was in Squad Ten. Did that mean she would be out there as well? If they could send him out, then they could easily send Rangiku out to fight as well right? If that was true then he needed to be there to fulfill the promise he made to her during their first year at the academy. He would not let his sister get hurt ever again.
"When do we leave?" he asked, now very alert and determined. Ikkaku seemed to notice this.
"That's much better. We'll be leaving in a few minutes so hurry and up and eat and meet up with us in the courtyard" he said and took off at a sprint. Yumichika had stayed with Kenshin until he finished eating his bread and eyed Kenshin with curiosity.
"Hmmm…"
"What is it?" Kenshin asked staring back.
"I just find it strange how you seem so eager to join us. Care to tell me why?"
"My sister is in Squad Ten," Kenshin answered simply.
"Oh!" Yumichika understood immediately. Kenshin's desire to take part in the mission was personal. The two said nothing and hurried to the courtyard.
The two arrived at the courtyard and joined the rest of the squad. Ikkaku had dragged him to the front to stand with him and Yumichika. Captain Zaraki arrived shortly after the squad had assembled with Yachiru comfortably sitting on his shoulder
"Alright boys, we've got some Hollows to kill in the Rukon district," Kenpachi addressed his men. "Squad Ten will be showing up to help us clean up, but hopefully we can get them all before that happens; I don't want them spoiling our fun," he said with a grin.
Kenshin didn't really see the fun in this and was not all too concerned about finding it. He wanted to end this before Squad Ten would arrive as well, but only to keep Rangiku out of harms way. He broke out of his thoughts when he noticed a giant shadow cast over him. He looked up to see the hulking mass of his captain standing before him.
"I hope you're ready for this kid," he said.
"Not entirely captain, I've never killed a hollow," Kenshin admitted. Kenpachi scoffed.
"Don't worry about it, with your skills you should be fine," he said casually. "Besides, Ikkaku and Yumichika will be watching out for you, just don't be a burden for them. Understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"Alright, let's go," Kenpachi shouted and led his men out of the barracks.
The squad rushed out of the Seireitei as quickly as possible. At the speed they were running, it took them less than an hour to get through the first thirty-six districts of the Rukon. Kenshin worried that they might not have been moving fast enough. He didn't know if Squad Ten was already on the way or if they left before them. He really hoped it wasn't the latter.
He found himself wondering how the battle would play out. He learned how to function with a team at the academy, but he learned on his first day that Squad Eleven didn't seem to care for effective planning and prided itself on one-on-one fights.
He didn't have much time to dwell on it, because they soon crossed the border into the thirty-seventh district. The Hollows were where Ikkaku has said they would be when he briefed Kenshin further on the mission on their way there. More than a dozen Hollows were wreaking havoc on the plains where the farmers grew crops near the residential area, chasing after the people that had been out in the open when they arrived. They were big, just as Ikkaku said; most of them were five times Kenshin's size.
Kenshin suddenly felt very unsure of himself, a stark contrast to his fellow squad members who seem to be growing excited by the second.
"Alright, you all know the drill!" Kenpachi shouted. "Kill them all and don't get in my way!" He said no more and charged into battle with Yachiru giggling on his shoulder.
"Let's go kid!" Ikkaku shouted and took off.
"Try and keep up," Yumichika added before following Ikkaku. Kenshin ran after them, knowing he would be safer.
They came upon a group of three Hollows, with Ikkaku taking the lead. The Third Seat wasted no time and drawing his weapon and striking the first Hollow, managing to remove its arm.
"You see that kid? It's easy!" Ikkaku shouted before resuming his onslaught. Kenshin nodded and drew his zanpakutō. Now was the time to prove his worth to his squad.
"Take the smallest one. Aim for the mask," Yumichika instructed and the engaged one of the other Hollows.
Kenshin faced the smallest one, though it still towered over him. It seemed to notice him and was already charging at him with a bloodlust roar. Kenshin steeled himself and remembered his training.
The Hollow was thirty yards away…
'Wait for it…' he thought.
Twenty yards away…
'Wait for it…'
Ten yards…
'Just a little more…'
The Hollow was soon on him, reared its giant fist back and swung it at Kenshin.
'Now!'
Kenshin leapt to the side before the Hollow could crush his body. He quickly swung his zanpakutō down and sliced the Hollow's arm. The Hollow quickly pulled it back in pained recoiled, leaving Kenshin with an opening. He ran straight towards the Hollow and sliced at its leg as he ran under it, causing the Hollow to drop to his knee. Kenshin faced the Hollow's back and quickly jumped onto the its back before it could get back up and drove his zanpakutō into the Hollows flesh to keep him from falling off. The Hollow roared more in anger than pain and began thrashing about trying to reach for Kenshin. Kenshin was able to keep himself from being thrown off and used his zanpakutō as a stepping stone to wrap his arm around the Hollow's neck. This seemed to agitate the Hollow further and roared once more and tried to pry Kenshin off of its neck. Kenshin pulled his weapon out of the Hollow and quickly thrust the blade into Hollow's palm before it managed to grab him. The Hollow roared for a third time, clutching its bleeding hand. Kenshin twirled his zanpakutō so that the blade faced inward, and swung it into the Hollows gaping mouth. The Hollow ceased moving as the blade penetrated the back of its throat and let out a gurgle before Kenshin pulled the blade upwards. Warm blood splashed against his face as it spurted out of the Hollow's mask. He jumped off of the Hollow before it faded into oblivion as it fell to the ground.
Kenshin's heart was pounding. It wasn't from fear like before. This was adrenaline that he was feeling. He actually got a thrill out of slaying a Hollow. He placed his hand to his face and when he pulled it back, he saw the blood from the Hollow drip down his palm and forearm. He felt a strange satisfaction at seeing the blood of his kill flow down his hand. He snapped back to reality as another Hollow ran towards him. Kenshin managed to side-step its attack and did his best to keep out of its line of sight while he looked for an opening
"Looks like you're enjoying yourself," Ikkaku shouted with a smirk as he fought another Hollow
"Yeah…" Kenshin said with a distant expression. "I could get used to this," he shouted back, a hint of a smile forming on his lips. He returned his attention to the Hollow and engaged it with a widening grin.
During the next hour, a majority of the Hollows had been slain and only a few remained. As the number of Hollows dwindled, so did Kenshin's fear of battle. With each Hollow he slew, he felt a surge of excitement pulse through him. This development wasn't lost on Kenpachi, who watched Kenshin in between each of his killings. Kenpachi was satisfied with Kenshin's work. He could see a love for fighting growing in the newest member of his squad and it pleased him. It would only make their fight all the more interesting. Soon all of the Hollows had been dispatched and the Eleventh Squad regrouped in the middle of the battlefield.
"All of the Hollows have been taken care of Captain," Ikkaku stated.
"Good. How'd the kid do, Ikkaku?"
"Better than expected, captain."
"Perfect," Kenpachi said with a grin. "Fighting you is going to be alotta fun kid." Kenshin only grinned and nodded his head. After a day of killing Hollows, he didn't feel so nervous about fighting his captain anymore.
"Way to go, Kenny-Two!" Yachiru shouted, jumping from Kenpachi's shoulder and onto Kenshin's face. The squad burst into laughter as Kenshin ran around in circles trying to pry Yachiru off of his face and shouting obscenities while she giggled happily.
They were about to depart back to the Seireitei, when officers from Squad Ten finally arrived. Kenshin spotted Rangiku amongst the officers. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no harm would come to her.
"So, which one is your sister?" Yumichika asked curiously.
"That one," he informed, pointing at Rangiku. Yumichika gasped with what Kenshin wagered was admiration.
"She's beautiful!"
"Why does she wear her uniform like that?" Ikkaku inquired as he eyed her. Kenshin recognized it as the same look Ikkaku gave him the first day they met. He was sizing her up to see if she would provide a challenge.
"My sister is… unique," Kenshin said, choosing his words carefully. He left the two to meet with Rangiku.
"You're late," he said to her with a smirk.
"All of the Hollows are gone?" she said with a whine. "And to think I had to get out of bed early for this." Kenshin grimaced in annoyance.
"You're a Soul Reaper now; do you think you could be a little more professional?"
"Do you think you could be a little bit taller?" she asked with a smirk, earning a growl from Kenshin.
"Why are you still making fun of my height?!" he demanded.
"Because it's still funny to see how you react," she said with a laugh.
Kenshin turned when he sensed two familiar spiritual pressures and saw Ikkaku and Yumichika making their way towards him and Rangiku.
"So, you're the kid's sister?" Ikkaku asked casually.
"Don't be rude Kenshin, introduce us!" Yumichika chided.
"Alright! Rangiku this Ikkaku Madarame, the squad Third Seat and Yumichika Ayesagawa, the squad Fifth Seat."
"Whatcha doin' Kenny-Two?" came the voice of all too familiar pink child that just jumped onto his shoulders, much to his annoyance.
"Rangiku, you remember Yachiru," he grumbled.
"Hi Big Boobies!" Yachiru greeted cheerfully. Ikkaku let out a snicker and Rangiku blushed at her new nickname.
"How could I forget Yachiru?" Rangiku asked sarcastically. "Has my brother been doing well in your squad?" she asked the two seated officers.
"The kid's a natural Hollow slayer," Ikkaku commented, giving Kenshin a hearty pat on the back.
"He certainly seems to add an air of civility to the squad," Yumichika stated.
"Kenny-Two is fun!" Yachiru added.
Rangiku smiled. She was glad to see that her brother was doing well in the Eleventh Division. For a moment, she found a reason not to worry about him.
"Well I'm glad to hear all that," she said cheerfully. "He was terrible with almost everything in the academy except for fighting and flower arrangement. It's nice to know he's good at something."
"RANGIKU!" Kenshin shouted in embarrassment.
"Flower arrangement?" Ikkaku queried, looking at Kenshin with a scrutinizing stare.
"It's not how it sounds!" Kenshin said defensively.
"I think that's rather adorable, Kenshin," Yumichika said.
Kenshin slammed his palm into his face and groaned while his sister shared every embarrassing detail of his years in the academy. He looked away so no one could see his red tinted cheeks.
For an instant he thought he saw the ground behind Rangiku shift a bit. He looked again, and saw that the ground was definitely moving. The shaking soil revealed the outline of what looked like a spider. When he saw the outline flicker, for a split second, he saw the white of a Hollow mask. He also saw the faint outline of tail that ended in a sharp point. He wasted no time in acting and threw Yachiru off of his shoulders and ran toward Rangiku.
"LOOK OUT!" he shouted and pushed his sister out of the way just seconds before the stinger made contact with her, leaving him to take her place.
The tail punctured his right shoulder and passed through his back. He howled in pain as it tore through his flesh and when the Hollow pulled its tail out.
"KENSHIN!" Rangiku shouted. She eyed the now visible Hollow that had Kenshin's blood dripping from its blade-like tail with a fiery anger in her eyes.
She leapt in front of Kenshin and deflected the blow of the Hollow's second attack. The Hollow scurried away once it realized that its presence had been discovered and it was no longer able to hide his spiritual pressure.
"You're not getting away!" Rangiku shouted angrily and then she pointed her zanpakutō at the retreating Hollow.
"Growl, Haineko!" she shouted.
The blade of her zanpakutō turned to dust, leaving only the hilt left. The dust seemed to sparkle in the afternoon sunlight as it flew towards the Hollow. The dust gathered around the Hollow and made it's way into the Hollows mouth and eyes. It stopped running and began writhing and howling in pain until it stopped moving completely. The dust floated out of the Hollow's body as it faded away.
Kenshin was awestruck at what he had just witnessed. His sister had actually released her zanpakutō. He wondered when she had learned its name. She would have told him if she had learned it when they met the day before so how did she do what she just did?
Rangiku seemed to be shocked by the event as well. Moments ago, she had no knowledge of her zanpakutō' spirit, but when she saw Kenshin, her little brother, sacrifice himself for her, she swore she heard someone whisper the name "Haineko" and then she just knew what she had to do. Suddenly, she remembered Kenshin and rushed toward her brother's side. Ikkaku and Yumichika had gathered around him to inspect the wound.
"Are you alright?" she asked, though it seemed like a stupid thing to ask; her brother was bleeding profusely and there was a gaping hole in his shoulder.
"It's pretty bad," Ikkaku stated, ripping off what was left of the top half of Kenshin's shihakushō to cover the wound in Kenshin's shoulder.
"He needs to be brought to the Fourth Division immediately," Yumichika said as he swung Kenshin's good arm over his shoulders and helped him to stand. He and Rangiku helped Kenshin away from the battlefield and to the Seireitei as fast as they could.
Retsu Unohana was peacefully sipping her tea on the veranda outside her private quarters, enjoying the fresh air. She turned her head when she felt the spiritual pressure of her lieutenant and saw Isane running towards her, a look of urgency etched onto her face.
"What is it, Lieutenant Kotetsu," she asked calmly.
"A member of Squad Eleven was just brought in, captain. His condition is critical!"
Worry quickly filled Unohana and in seconds, she was making her way towards her division hospital at a very quick pace. Having members of Squad Eleven in her division was an uncommon thing, given the reckless nature of every recruit in the squad, but they weren't what concerned her. She just hoped that the person who was lying in her hospital wasn't who she thought it was.
'Kenshin… please don't let it be Kenshin' she pleaded silently.
When she walked into the infirmary, her fear was realized. Kenshin was lying in one of the beds, blood flowing from the makeshift bandage on his shoulder, into the sheets, and dripping onto the floor. His skin was pale and beads of sweat were dripping from his brow. She recognized the two that stood beside his bed as his elder sister, Rangiku Matsumoto, and the Fifth Seat of Squad Eleven, Yumichika Ayesagawa. Rangiku was clutching onto Kenshin's hand for dear life, tears sliding down her cheeks. Unohana gently pulled her away from him.
"Please help him," Rangiku begged.
"I will," the Fourth Division captain said. Rangiku could see that she meant those words and stepped back to let her work.
Unohana removed the bloodied piece of his shihakushō to inspect the wound with Isane close by to aid in the procedure. The wound was much worse than she had imagined.
"What did this?" she asked, still looking over the wound.
"It was a spider Hollow," Yumichika answered. "It had a power that allowed it to conceal itself along with its spiritual pressure. It pierced him with a stinger."
"I was the one it wanted!" Rangiku cried out hysterically. "Why did he push me out of the way?!"
"For the same reason he did so six years ago," Unohana said gently. "He loves you, Miss Matsumoto, and would willingly throw himself in harms way for you."
This didn't ease Rangiku's stress, it only made it worse. Her brother was in the once again being treated for serious wounds because she couldn't take care of herself.
"Do not blame yourself, Miss Matsumoto," Unohana said in an attempt to quell her distress.
Rangiku hung her head, but nodded. Feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to help her brother.
Unohana resumed her work. Using Kido, she replaced the missing bone, muscle tissue, and closed the wound. Isane handed her captain a long role of gauze and then carefully lifted Kenshin's torso up so Unohana could wrap the gauze around his shoulder and armpit. The wound was healed, but Unohana left a scar just in case Kenshin decided to keep it as a memento of his first fight, since many of the Soul Reapers in the Eleventh Division kept their battle scars as a badge of honor.
Rangiku stood by and marveled at how what was once a serious wound was now nothing more than a blemish on her brother's skin. Though, this kind of miracle work was to be expected of the captain of the Fourth Division, one of the oldest and strongest captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Captain Unohana had informed Rangiku and Yumichika that Kenshin would be fine- something she herself was very happy for – and that he simply needed some rest. She would rather have him stay over night since it was nearing dusk. Rangiku chose to stay by her brother's side until he awoke. Yumichika decided to return to the squad and come back in a few hours to see if Kenshin was alright. With the worst over, Rangiku chose to take some time to meditate on her newly acquired shikai and how she obtained it. About an hour later, Kenshin awoke.
"Where am I?"
"The Fourth Division," Rangiku informed. "How do you feel?"
"Tired, but I guess I'm alright." He slowly sat up, with aid from Rangiku, and examined his shoulder. The spot beneath the bandages was sore and it was slightly painful to move it. He was glad that the gaping hole was gone.
After tentatively rolling and moving his shoulder a bit, he decided it was time to ask Rangiku about her new power.
"Rangiku, when did you learn shikai?" She only shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't know it a few hours ago," she admitted. "After you pushed me out of the way from the Hollow's attack, I saw you lying on the ground bleeding and then I heard a voice whisper a name to me. I knew it was my zanpakutō. I was just so angry with the Hollow, I just used it without thinking."
Kenshin nodded as he listened. He was proud of his sister for achieving shikai, but he also felt just a bit jealous. His zanpakutō had looked down on him from the very beginning and seemed to have no intention of sharing its name with him. Kenshin couldn't help but feel depressed that, despite all his hard work and training, he still wasn't strong enough to protect his sister. Instead he was injured and sent to Fourth Division, while she was the one who ended up saving him.
Rangiku noticed her brother's forlorn mood and gently wrapped her arms around him, careful to mind his shoulder.
"Don't be upset, I still think you're the stronger one," she said, trying to cheer him up. Kenshin appreciated the gesture, but still took the news rather hard.
"So, how is everything?" came the voice of Captain Unohana. Seeing her was almost enough to make Kenshin forget about his distress.
"He's much better. Thank you Captain," Rangiku said, letting go of her brother to give a light bow.
"You are very welcome Miss Matsumoto," she said sweetly. "You should return to your squad now, they're probably wondering where you are."
"Oh no!" Rangiku shouted with a gasp. She was so worried about Kenshin, she had completely lost track of time.
"Do not worry," Unohana said calmly. "I sent a Hell Butterfly earlier to let your captain know where you were."
"Thank you, Captain Unohana," Rangiku said with another bow. She hugged her Kenshin once more and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying back to the Tenth Squad barracks.
"You are quite lucky to have a sister like that, Kenshin," Unohana stated, watching Rangiku leave.
"Yeah…" Kenshin answered absentmindedly.
Unohana looked at the young Soul Reaper in the hospital bed. Kenshin had been one of her favorite students at the academy and she had learned much about him. Just like when he told her about his zanpakutō's refusal to communicate with him, Unohana could tell that Kenshin was depressed about something.
"Something troubles you," she stated knowingly.
"Huh? No it's nothing, captain," he lied.
"Kenshin," she said placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember what I told you all those years ago? You can speak to me about anything."
Kenshin found it hard to not take what she said to heart. Captain Unohana had always been a source of encouragement for him and she had this incredible ability to pick him up when he was down. He didn't doubt that now would be any different.
"After the Hollow did this to me," he began "Rangiku killed it using her shikai. I'm happy that she learned how to use it and I'm grateful that she was so concerned about me, but… I feel weaker," he admitted dejectedly.
"You have no reason to feel that way, Kenshin," Unohana said kindly. "Were it not for your sacrifice, your sister could have been lying in this bed instead of you and she may not have been as lucky."
Her words did make sense. Kenshin didn't doubt that the Hollow could have easily killed Rangiku if he hadn't noticed it in time. Instead of seeing his sister comforting him, he might have been here crying over her death.
"Thank you, Captain," he said with a small smile.
Unohana smiled back and did something that Kenshin had not expected: she hugged him. Kenshin was at a loss for words. He had always found Unohana's words to be comforting, but being held by her was unlike anything he had ever felt. He felt so safe and peaceful in her arms. He slowly wrapped his around her as well. Kenshin couldn't even remember why he was so upset as he sat their in the embrace of Retsu Unohana.
Captain Unohana cleared Kenshin to return to his squad barracks the next day. He chose to keep the scar so it would serve as a reminder of what would happen if he didn't act quickly when someone he cared about was in danger.
He met up with Yumichika along the way and together they headed for the Eleventh Division. Upon there arrival, Kenshin was greeted by an ever cheerful Yachiru, who begged him to play a game with her now that he was better. Ikkaku concern centered on whether or not Kenshin could still fight.
"The Fourth Division cleared you right?" he asked impatiently.
"Yes, but my arm is still sore," Kenshin answered, not really wanting to fight Ikkaku at less than one hundred percent.
"Didn't you hear me the first time?" Ikkaku asked, annoyed. "A real man ignores pain!"
"That's enough Ikkaku," came the voice of Captain Zaraki. Ikkaku grumbled but backed off.
"How's your arm?" Kenpachi asked Kenshin.
"Better, sir."
What happened next left Kenshin with little time to react. Almost faster than Kenshin could see, Kenpachi had unsheathed his zanpakutō and swung it down on Kenshin. Kenshin drew his weapon and held the blade against his captain, just half a second before Kenpachi's blade made contact with his face. The quick movement aggravated Kenshin's already sensitive arm and he winced slightly as he held his captain's zanpakutō at bay. Everyone moved away to give the two some space. Kenshin rolled away from Kenpachi and took his stance. He knew his captain wanted to fight him, but he didn't think it would be right after recovering from an injury.
Kenpachi faced Kenshin, but did not take up a battle stance. Instead, he seemed to be just staring at Kenshin.
"I don't get it," he said out loud. Kenshin raised a brow in confusion.
"What are you talking about, Captain?"
Kenpachi charged at Kenshin and swung his blade from the side. Kenshin managed to block the strike with his weapon, but the amount of strength behind it sent him flying. He successfully landed on his feet.
Kenshin winced again as he lifted his right arm to hold up his weapon. The sheer force behind that last strike amazed him. His captain had just tossed him aside like he was rag doll effortlessly. He always knew that a captain's level of power was something to be reckoned with, but even so, the brute strength of Kenpachi Zaraki astonished him.
Just like the first time, Kenpachi stared at Kenshin with a hard gaze.
"You can block my attacks easily," Kenpachi stated. "Why couldn't you do it then?"
"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked. Something wasn't right.
Kenpachi always talked about wanting to fight Kenshin, but this didn't feel like a real fight at all. Kenpachi didn't have his usual excited grin on his face and he didn't seem like he was really focused on the fight so much as he was focused on Kenshin.
"When you fought the Hollows, you fought those Hollows you struck without hesitating," Kenpachi informed. "But when that girl showed up, you didn't even bother to defend yourself."
"Girl? You mean my sister?" Kenshin asked curiously.
"Your sister?" Kenpachi asked, slightly surprised. "Oh, now I get it."
Kenpachi then sheathed his sword and walked away, leaving a very confused Kenshin.
"Captain?" he asked, lowering his stance.
"The fight's over. I don't fight weak people," Kenpachi said as he walked away without looking at Kenshin.
"Weak? What do you mean by that, Captain?" Kenshin felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He thought his work would have earned him praise. Kenpachi stopped and turned to face the neophyte Soul Reaper.
"When you fight, you fight only for yourself with all that you are and all that have," Kenpachi stated. "Fighting for anything else is just a distraction and that's what makes you weak."
Kenshin could only watch, dumbfounded as his captain walked away, back into the squad's main building.
Kenshin was dumbfounded. Yesterday Captain Zaraki couldn't wait to fight him, now it didn't even seem like he would spare Kenshin a passing glance ,all because he did what he felt was necessary to save his sister. He felt anger swell within him. He thought that after the past three days he spent demonstrating his skills, he had already proven to his captain that he was far from weak, but all his captain cared about was that he had done something his captain felt made him weak.
Ikkaku and Yumichika were surprised at their captain's sudden change in attitude. They had been carefully observing Kenshin since he arrived, Ikkaku especially. After fighting with Kenshin and watching him slay the Hollows, Ikkaku believed that Kenshin was a very capable fighter and had shown no signs of weakness, at least none that he could see. He wanted answers, so he followed after his captain, while Yumichika went to see if Kenshin was alright.
Ikkaku caught up with his captain in the hallway leading to his office.
"What was that about Captain?" he asked, clearly confused. "I thought you couldn't wait to fight the kid."
"He's not ready," Kenpachi answered, continuing his way to his office.
"He may not be as strong as me or Yumichika, but he's definitely got talent as a fighter," Ikkaku protested.
"That's not what I meant, Ikkaku," Kenpachi answered, stopping to face his Third Seat.
"Huh?" Ikkaku was more than confused now.
"I'm not sayin' the kid's got no talent or skill; he's probably ready for a seated position now," Kenpachi admitted.
"Then why don't you want to fight him anymore?" Ikkaku asked, slightly irate. His captain was contradicting himself and wasn't providing him with a straight answer. Kenpachi stayed silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Do you remember when he saved his sister from the Hollow?" Ikkaku nodded.
"Before she showed up, he fought with a fire in his eyes. Once he saw that Hollow aim for his sister, that fire burnt out and all I saw was fear," Kenpachi explained.
"Fear?" Ikkaku queried. "He wasn't afraid. He reacted and saved his sister. He would have killed that Hollow if it hadn't taken his arm."
"No he wouldn't," Kenpachi stated. "He wasn't afraid of the Hollow, he was afraid for his sister."
Ikkaku seemed taken aback at this incisive observation, but quickly found where his captain was getting at.
"He was afraid of her dying on him and, in an instant, forgot everything he knew about fighting," Kenpachi explained. "As long as he holds his fear of losing the ones he cares about, he'll never be ready."
"I understand, captain," Ikkaku said with a bow. "How should we take care of this?"
"He'll have to figure it out on his own; he won't be strong otherwise," Kenpachi replied. "Until then make sure he keeps training."
"Yes sir," Ikkaku said before leaving.
Kenpachi walked into his office and found Yachiru sitting on his desk, playing with one of her toys.
"Hi Kenny!" she greeted ever cheerful.
"When did you get here?" he asked.
"While you were talking to Baldy, I came in through the window," she answered, pointing at the open window. Kenpachi merely shrugged and sat at his desk.
"Are you mad at Kenny-Two, Kenny?"
"No, it's nothin' like that."
"Then how come you don't wanna fight him anymore?"
"He needs to learn an important lesson first."
"Oh, okay!" Yachiru stated gleefully and resumed playing with her toys, losing interest in the topic.
Kenpachi looked out the window, ignoring his lieutenant's incredibly short attention span. Truth be told he still wanted to fight Kenshin, but as he explained to Ikkaku, Kenshin had a lot to learn before Kenpachi deemed him ready. He only hoped it wouldn't take too long; he hated waiting.
Kenshin returned to his room and sat on his bed. He couldn't believe that his captain had called his sister a distraction that made him weak. The only reason Kenshin trained and worked hard to gain strength was for her. She was why he made sure he was one of the top students in the academy.
"He's wrong," Kenshin said out loud.
Kenshin would never see his sister as a weakness. If anything, the events from the previous day would only encourage him to get stronger. He would never stop protecting his sister and would prove to his captain that wanting to protect someone wasn't a weakness.
He looked at his zanpakutō that laid beside him on the bed. He picked it up and stared at it, thinking back to how his sister spoke the name of her zanpakutō. For a moment, he himself thought about talking to it.
"… no!" he said angrily and tossed the weapon aside. "I'll show them… both of them," he said to himself.
He would prove to his captain and his zanpakutō that he was not weak, no matter what it took.
I think I'm going to try and make the next chapter the last one for the Turn Back the Pendulum arc because I want to get to the meat of this story.
Tomorrow is my birthday, so please leave a review as a present!
