Blending in
"Hey little girl! What'd you think you're doing here? This is the eleventh division, not the fourth!" said Ikkaku.
"Can it o Great Bald One. I'm not from the 4th division."
"What did you just call me?! And if your not from the fourth, then which one do you belong to?"
"I called you bald. You know, for the third seat of the eleventh division, you're not very bright. Or is it that you can't read?" she grinned.
"What's going on here Baldy?" asked Yachiru in a sing-song voice.
"Hello Assistant Captain. I just caught this girl trying to sneak into the wrong division," said Ikkaku.
"You're the one who's got it wrong, O Great Bald One! I'm not in the wrong barracks," snorted Kari.
"Her uniform says she's from this division," said Yumichika.
"Looks like the vain fool figured it out faster than the bald one."
"I like her already. She has spunk," said Zaraki.
"Zaraki-taicho," said Kari acknowledging him.
"What's your name?" asked Zaraki.
"Kari sir."
"Well, Kari, welcome to the eleventh division. Let's see how long you can handle us!" laughed Zaraki.
A few days later…
Ichigo and the others had broken through the barrier thanks to Kukaku's cannon ball. She had her hands full with all the orders she was getting from the others. Finally she had had enough!
"Look, if you nut jobs want to use me as a maid, then why don't you get a girlfriend!" said Kari…finally going mental on them all.
"She didn't last very long," said Zaraki.
"No…it's just the orders these morons keep giving me are ridiculous! What do they think I am, their maid?!" said Kari frustrated.
"Are the boys giving you grief, Candy girl?" asked Yachiru. (She had already given Kari a name since the older girl gave her free candy.)
"They're more annoying than most, Yachiru-chan! Hey, would I get into trouble if I taught these idiots some manners?" asked Kari with an evil glint.
"So long as you don't kill them, sure," laughed Zaraki.
"The fourth division's gonna have their hands busy tonight!" said Kari with a maniacal laugh.
(If you're wondering what actually caused her to go off, I'll tell ya now!)
Kari's first days as an Eleventh Division member…
"Well, well! Lookie here boys! Seems this chick's in the wrong division!" laughed one of the eleventh division.
"No I'm not, moron. I belong to this division as much as you pin heads!" snorted Kari.
"Girls with low spirit energy don't belong here…they belong with that weak bunch of idiots in the fourth division!"
"There are different kinds of strength…but I guess you muscle-bound idiots wouldn't know about that!"
"Ouch…she's good!" said Ikkaku impressed.
"How about this then? If you can beat ten of us in a fight then you'll prove your worth (for the second division!)"
"Do I look like some meek twit who can't protect herself? You're on…except I'd rather take 40 of you morons!" snorted Kari.
"Bring it, little girlie!" laughed the others.
-----
Five minutes later…
"What the…? How did you defeat fifty of our best fighters! You said you'd deal with forty!" asked Yumichika.
"These idiots tried to use an unsightly tactic to win back their pride and lost," replied Kari; one of the defeated Soul Reapers attempted to sneak up from behind, her only reaction was to hit him in the face and knock him out…again.
"Like that one?" asked Yumichika amused.
"They attempted to have their little friends gang up on me when I was fighting another. It's a good thing I sensed their reitsu!"
"So they tried a dirty and dishonorable trick which backfired?" asked Ikkaku.
"That's about it in a nutshell."
"I guess we were wrong about you. You really are worthy of the Eleventh division! Think you can handle beating me?" asked Ikkaku, ready for a fight.
"Sure…but neither of us uses our Zanpaku-to. I know you have that medicine in the hilt."
"Fair enough. Fists only. I'll start it off!" said Ikkaku as he charged.
Yumichika was highly impressed by Kari's fluid movement as she dodged Ikkaku. She ducked and dodged several times; though her hits actually made it to her target. In his opinion, Yumichika thought her moves were both elegant and graceful…even when she attacked! When the fight was over, Ikkaku was on the ground with her on his back, pinning him down.
"Say it," said Kari with a grin.
"All right, all right! I admit defeat…" grumbled Ikkaku. She got off of him and even helped him up.
"That was the most beautiful display of moves I've ever seen! How'd you do it?" asked Yumichika.
"Easy…I just danced to a beat inside my head. So in truth, I was never actually fighting…though the end result is the same," admitted Kari with a laugh.
"Well, I lost to you fair and square. How 'bout we go eat together?" asked Ikkaku.
"Sure!"
At the mess hall…
"So tell me, do you two know the difference about strength?" asked Kari.
"What difference?" asked Ikkaku.
"There are different types of strength. First is 'brute strength', as in your muscle power. Then there's 'mental strength', where you manipulate your opponent through mind games until they break from the strain. There's also one that most people don't even notice or even like."
"What's that?" asked Yumichika.
"Pride. You guys may think that having your pride is a good thing, but it can actually hurt you in terms of power. Think about it…how many of your comrades have ever benefited from their pride?"
"Not many," admitted Ikkaku.
"Pride gets in the way all the time. And there's something you guys don't seem to realize when it comes to the fourth division," said Kari.
"What's that?" asked Ikkaku.
"They rarely let their pride get the better of them. And it seems to me that most of you don't appreciate what they give up for power. The fourth division puts up with the whining, the complaining, and the veiled insults while still doing their job. They don't allow their pride to get in the way of cleaning up either," Kari pointed out.
"Huh…I never thought of it that way. But they're still weak," said Ikkaku.
"You measure people by their brute strength. Not by who they are. Hell, I even helped out a fourth division member before I finally found the barracks!" admitted Kari.
"You helped a fourth division member?!" said Ikkaku in disbelief.
"Think of it this way then…if you guys were nicer to them, then you wouldn't have to take all that awful tasting medicine when you're injured! How many times have you ever gotten a medicine that doesn't leave a nasty aftertaste?" asked Kari.
"Never…all I got was some foul liquid that left a horrid taste in my mouth," said Ikkaku irritably.
"Did you ever consider that they might actually give you a better tasting medicine if you were a little nicer to them? It's called karma."
"What's karma?" asked Yumichika.
"Karma…or to put it simply: what goes around, comes around. In other words, cut the fourth division some slack and they'll be a lot nicer to you when you're sick or injured," said Kari.
"It seems you're the only person who actually wants to be nice to the fourth division," said Yumichika.
"So you guys don't believe me when I say the fourth division isn't weak."
"Nope…anyone who does menial chores is obviously a wimp," said Ikkaku.
"You two are hopeless…" sighed Kari. They finished dinner and Kari took all three of their plates up.
"Geez…can't they even stack plates properly?!" she grumbled. She straightened the stack, making it easier for the fourth division to pick up. She ignored the snickers from the other members.
-----
An hour later, the mess hall cleared out…except Kari stayed behind. She picked up all the loose plates and dishes from the floor and put them on one table; four of the fourth division members walked in.
"Wha…? I thought they said the mess hall was empty!"
"It was, but I figured I'd cut you guys some slack and picked up all the plates for ya," grinned Kari.
"But aren't you with the 11th?" asked another member.
"Yeah…but it seems I'm the only one who doesn't think you guys are weak," admitted Kari.
"What's your name?" asked the third member.
"Kari. Don't be surprised if I stay behind tomorrow too!" she laughed as she left.
"What a strange girl…"
-----
"Hey new girl! Why'd ya stay behind in the mess hall?" asked Yachiru.
"Hey Yachiru-chan! So you saw me leave the mess hall late, huh?" she grinned.
"Yup…Ken-chan wanted to know what happened to the newbie!"
"Well in that case…" said Kari as she pulled something out from beneath her robe.
"What's that?" asked Yachiru.
"Hard candy. Want some? I made it myself," said Kari.
"You bet!" said Yachiru happily. She tried Kari's homemade hard candy and looked mildly surprised.
"Wow! This is really tasty!" said Yachiru.
"Thanks…my specialty has always been sweets!" laughed Kari.
"So why were you in the hall? I thought only the guys from the 4th came in this late!"
"I figured I'd give them a break and picked up the loose plates for them. After all the whining they get from us, I figured they could use a hand," said Kari.
"You're weird, Candy girl!" laughed Yachiru.
"Want a lift to the barracks Yachiru-chan?" asked Kari.
"Yay!" said Yachiru as she climbed on her back.
"Oh, and Yachiru-chan? If you ever want someone to play with or make fun of the pin heads, you can always come to me," said Kari
"I like you, Candy girl! You're a lot more fun to play with than the others!" laughed Yachiru as they entered the barracks.
XxXxX
"Heh…look at that newbie sucking up to the assistant captain," snorted one of the eleventh.
"She must be trying to get a seat position! Why else would she let the assistant captain ride on her back all the way from the mess hall?" said another. After Yachiru went back to Zaraki, Kari vanished from their sight.
"I heard that comment you fools made about me earlier. I'm not trying to get a seat position…I just happen to like being nice to others. You better not make any more comments or you'll both be sent into the fourth division for having all of your bones snapped in two," said Kari coldly.
"How'd you sneak behind us so fast?!"
"I have my ways…"
XxXxX
Day two…
Once again, Kari helped out the fourth division by picking up all the plates and putting them on one table. She did this twice that day, and as a result the others treated her as a cleaning lady. She quickly grew tired of their petty insults, but she ignored them…until they started doing something that really pissed her off.
While she was putting up the plates, one of the fools had the gall to slap her behind. She immediately turned and gave the offending Soul Reaper a cold-hearted death glare. She noticed the snickers and quickly became angry. She left the mess hall and immediately went to Zaraki.
"Zaraki-taicho, would I get into trouble for teaching those idiots some manners?" she asked.
"So long as you don't kill them," said Zaraki amused.
"I was hoping you'd say that…" smirked Kari. She went straight back to the mess hall and finished stacking the dishes properly. Then another one of the fools tried to duplicate what had happened earlier…the result?
"OWWW!!!" said the offending Soul Reaper as she bent his hand backward until his wrist snapped.
"Anyone who wants to have their hands broken can try that if they dare. I don't recommend it," said Kari coolly and darkly.
"Looks like the little girlie doesn't like getting slapped," laughed one of the others.
"Nor do I appreciate the idiotic comments you lot seem to enjoy shooting in my direction. I gave you fools a chance…if I catch you making fun of me or trying that little stunt from earlier there will be NO mercy."
"Ohh…we're soooo scared!" laughed the others. She went to where Ikkaku and Yumichika were and sat down.
-----
"They are so dead if they try that again," she said annoyed.
"Why didn't you do that earlier? And where did you go anyway?"
"I just went to ask the captain if it was all right to teach the bastards a lesson."
"And…?"
"He said as long as I don't kill them."
"This is going to be amusing," said Ikkaku with a laugh.
-----
"Hello again, Kari-san!" said Hanatoro. (He was one of the fourth division members sent to pick up the dishes this time.)
"Hey Hana-chan! I hope that knuckleheaded fool I sent to your division earlier isn't giving you guys too much trouble," she laughed.
"Hanatoro, you know this weird girl?!" asked another.
"You could say that… I tripped one day and she helped me up even though she's from the eleventh."
"Hey, somebody in that muscle-bound division should give you guys a break. You do the things no one else wants to and yet they can't get it through their thick heads that you're not weak," said Kari with a shrug.
"Thanks for picking up the plates for us, Kari-san," said Hanatoro.
"No prob…they would have bugged me all day if I didn't pick them up. I better get going. See ya Hana-chan!"
"Bye, Kari-san," said Hanatoro.
XxXxX
"Look who returns. Helping out the wimps from the fourth again, girlie?" snickered the others.
"They're not wimps. And yes, I helped them out. So what?"
"Maybe you should get transferred to their lame division. You're too soft for ours!"
"Wanna bet? I told you imbeciles before that the next time you make fun of me there'd be no mercy."
"Hey Candy girl! Those boys givin' you trouble again?" asked Yachiru.
"Yup. Wanna watch me wipe the floor with them?"
"Yay!"
"Candy girl? I knew you were sucking up to the assistant captain!" laughed the others.
"You are soooo dead creep!" snarled Kari as she snuck up from behind and kicked him hard.
"Heh…is that the best you can do, girlie?"
"My name isn't girlie, its Kari! And just because you can't sense my reitsu doesn't mean I don't have any!" she smirked.
"What the…?! Where'd this pressure come from?!"
"I've been holding my Spirit Energy back this whole time, fool. And the reason why I wasn't sent to the fourth is because I'm too violent," said Kari dryly. She then began her assault. In less than a minute the Soul Reaper was unconscious on the ground with both legs and arms severely broken. She smirked and looked at Yachiru.
"Hey Yachiru-chan, how 'bout after the guys from the 4th pick this moron up we go play?"
"You bet!" said Yachiru happily.