Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warnings: None
A/N: For elderbrother, who requested something involving Yachiru playing with her food. Sorry about the last version of this chapter; being tired does weird things to your mind.
Lost and Found v. 2.0
Sometimes Yachiru got lost.
Although they always traveled through less than savory areas, Kenpachi was never concerned about safety. His own was a given and the brat knew how to take care of herself; he'd seen her knock off enough bandits to be sure on that point. Yachiru's tsuba might have looked like a pansy, but that didn't mean the kid was one, too. Anyone who tried to mess with her would find he suddenly had a few new orifices aerating his body. So when the runt took off running after one crap-ass thing or another, he didn't try too hard to stop her. He figured she'd find her own way back when she got bored or hungry, whichever came first. If she happened to acquire a few scratches on the way, he'd wrap them up, swat at her head, and make her eat extra meat at their next meal. No big deal.
She never did it on purpose, anyway. The moron usually just got excited enough to forget her own speed. She'd shriek out a "follow me, Ken-chan" and barrel off into the yonder without sparing a thought for anything else. He'd actually followed her the first few times, thinking she'd spotted something good like a bandit battalion that needed offing, but experience had taught him that was never the case. What the hell was so fascinating about butterflies and rabbits and goddamn squirrels he would never know. After the third time he'd pummeled after Yachiru, catching up to her hours later only to find her squeezing the bajeezus out of some puny, fur-ridden creature, he'd resolved to never follow her again. Not too far, anyway. Just enough to see that she really hadn't spotted any bandits.
He could always hope.
Generally Kenpachi would just hunker down and nap until Yachiru came wandering back, stealing a few moments of remarkable solitude. If he was feeling especially bored, he'd go bandit stalking himself to while away the time, never mind that the brat would complain when she found out. Besides, it was a productive way to pass the time.
Yachiru didn't take very long to come back, usually staying away only an hour or two before darting back into his presence. Sometimes she'd be dragging a twitching, half-dead animal along with her and would ask if she could keep it. He'd flat out refuse and she wouldn't put up much of a fight: twitching, half-dead animals didn't make for very exciting pets. Once in a while she'd be dragging a twitching, half-dead animal along with her and would ask if it would make a good dinner. He'd cook it if it would and let it go if it wouldn't; it was the only time Yachiru was allowed to play with her food. On one memorable occasion she'd returned riding atop a wolf, giggling and patting its head and calling it Puppy-chan. When she'd noticed Kenpachi, she'd leapt off the wolf's back and onto his, prattling excitedly about the ugly mutt and its supposed prowess.
"---and Puppy-chan has really sharp teeth and he makes this neat growling noise just like Ken-chan does when he's angry—"
Kenpachi had glared at the beast, taking in its sleek fur and gnarled muzzle, noting the sure set of its paws and how it didn't cringe from his stare. The wolf had stared steadily back, its hackles raised and its demeanor feral. It had begun growl and he'd felt the urge to do the same.
"—and Puppy-chan looks kinda like Ken-chan, too--"
"Scram," he'd told the beast and, with a parting snarl, it had.
"Waaaah! Ken-chan scared away Puppy-chan!" Yachiru had complained, jostling his head a bit with her discontented fidgeting.
"Dumb animal," he'd said with finality. "Don't need it hangin' around, gettin' in the way."
"Ken-chan's mean," she'd pouted, poking him with an insistent finger.
"Che," he'd spat and started walking.
He'd be damned if he'd tolerate some mangy animal shedding all over the place, mucking up his fights when its worthless ass undoubtedly got in the way. He didn't have time to look after superfluous, useless things. He found Yachiru was more than enough.
-end-
