Should Your Captain Fall
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
11th Division Taicho and 12th Kenpachi – Zaraki Kenpachi
Kuchiki Byakuya came to a halt in the corridors. He pricked up his ears straining to hear the sound a second time. There, it was definitely here, close. Quickly locating the direction the sound had come from, he pulled back a screen door to find the source of the small whimpering. Kusajishi Yachiru, the lieutenant of the 11th division and adoptive child of the dead Kenpachi.
She was curled up in a tiny ball, knees hugged as tight to her chest as she could possibly muster. There were tear marks on the floor, and the corners of her eyes showed promise of more to come. No one had been able to find her in three days, so all Shinigami, captains included, had been instructed to search for her. No one had ever known that the child was so prodigious at hiding her spiritual presence.
She looked up to see the captain of the sixth division standing over her. Her eyes brimmed with more tears and her face screwed up in an effort to be brave.
"Ku-chi-ki-tai-cho" She said through her sobbing. Byakuya had never heard her call him by his proper name and rank before. He liked it better when she would call him by one of the many silly names she had for him. He knelt down so that he could face her at her own level. He still hadn't said anything to her, he was trying to hide his own sadness and couldn't find the words that wouldn't give his emotions away.
He couldn't deny that he would miss Kenpachi. Even if you didn't like him, the guy undoubtedly made his mark on you. At the captains meetings they tended to side together, they had occasionally sparred, and the odd night out together. In fact, Byakuya had been the captain closest to him, some of the others felt kind of annoyed that not only did he not have to develop Ban Kai, he hadn't even gone through the academy before he donned the white haori of the eleventh.
The small child seemed reluctant to move, and as much as his dignity didn't like the idea of him picking up the child, and as much as he could imagine the collective indignation of the Kuchiki clan, he was going to take her home with him. He wrapped his arms around the little girl and hoisted her into the air. She, in return, clutched onto his shihakusho and sobbed into the black material.
It kind of reminded Byakuya of a time back when he was a child. It had been a wet night, and he had been just outside of the Kuchiki mansion, coming back from training at the Shihoun household. He had seen a small dog, wet from the rain, sit in the gutter. It was pining for something or other, and seemed to have nowhere better to go. He had asked his father if he could take the animal inside, to take care of it, but the stern man had strictly refused, saying it was below the family to tend to common animals. Shihoun Yoruichi had also been with him, and had agreed with his father, then turned so the elder couldn't see and gave Byakuya a wink. The next time he visited the Shihoun house they had a new dog.
He walked with the child in his arms, holding onto her to try and stop her crying. She had a right to be sad, her captain, her hero, her father was dead; but Byakuya was determined that she would stay with him until she was happy again.
A/N: Sorry for the shortness of Histugaya's death, perhaps word length has something to do with height. And for not including Kenpachi at all in a fic about his own death.
But still, we have two more fics to go. There will be Kurotsuchi kill-off next and then we have Ukitake's death after. As well as that I'm planning on some nice little bonus fics for the lot of y'all. Because you all wanted to see more of your favourite characters dead didn't you?
Warning to all Mayuri-haters, his death is going to be really kind to him, as in he'll look heroic and all.
-JeanThine
