A/N: The last chapter of this story. It became quite longer than I had expected... :) Tried to stuff too many things in one chapter. Sorry. :) There's no much action in this chapter. More just talking and feelings. Well, I try to get some more action to my next story...

The theme of this chapter (in other words which song I listened this time while writing this...): Meredith Brooks - I'm a bitch. That's very catchy song... :)

Okay, so after this story I will take a little pause before publishing my third long story. There might come some shorter one-shot stories before it, but I won't promise anything. Thank you for all the reviews, really! Thank you so much! :) It's so nice to hear my stories aren't completely full of crap, even it sometimes feels like it...

See ya later again!

Chapter six - One Thousand Sheep

Ikkaku woke up when he felt malicious spiritual energy. It filled the whole room. If it would be Kenpachi's spiritual energy Ikkaku would probably just pretend dead... But this was someone else's spiritual energy.

Ikkaku snapped his eyes open and sat up. He stared at captain Unohana, who had just walked inside the room. She smiled and laughed happily. But... that spiritual energy surely came from her...

Ikkaku had this sudden urge to want to jump out of the window. He even looked at one - and saw it open. The bed next to him was empty. Chessboard had also disappeared.

Ikkaku gulped and looked at Unohana.

"Good morning, Ikkaku", Unohana smiled. "You don't happen to know where captain Zaraki might be?"

"Um..." Ikkaku looked at the open window again. "Um..."

"Well, it looks like it I have one home visit today. How lovely."

Ikkaku had an idea Kenpachi would end up back to hospital soon. He really was so stubborn.

...

"Yachiru", Ichigo scratched his head, "where your toothbrush is? Don't say you accidentally dropped it to the toilet and also accidentally tried to flush it down, like yesterday?"

"No, Ichi", Yachiru smiled widely. "I already brush my teeth and put it back to my bag."

"Oh?" Ichigo looked at Yachiru. They were once again in the bathroom. She woke up exactly at the same time when Ichigo and followed him to the bathroom. At first Ichigo had thought she was just trying to be annoying. She did not want to leave even when Ichigo had to his needs, in other words, pee.

Soon Ichigo had realized she did not care. Well, Ichigo had thought when he had used to Yachiru's presence, she had lived with Kenpachi. And what Ichigo knew about that crazy idiot he was not exactly the shyest man in the world...

"You still have to brush your teeth tonight, you know."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No. You see, Ichi, my bag is magical: once you put something in you can't get it out."

Ichigo sighed. He took small paper from his pocket, opened it and read it. He had found it yesterday evening while looking Yachiru's second pyjama. She had managed to ruin the first one. The girl had then told Kenpachi had packed two pyjamas in her bag. Ichigo had been looking it while Yachiru was in the bath with Yuzu and Karin: Ichigo had heard their wild giggling.

He had found five pyjamas. Kenpachi obviously knew Yachiru... He had also found one letter. It had his name on it. Kenpachi's hand writing. Ichigo had opened it, curiously, and had almost smiled when he had seen what it was.

"Directions for emergencies!

Rules:

1. She tries to get rid off her toothbrush: don't let her brush her teeth by herself!

2. Don't let her drink juice after 7 pm.

3. She wants to hear fairytale before going to sleep: any story with sheep is good.

4. If she wants candy give her only LITTLE, not whole bag or anything!

For emergencies:

1. If she doesn't want to brush her teeth say: tooth fairy.

2. If she doesn't want to sleep told her to count to one thousand.

3. If she wants to play tag (in other words, she's running away) tell her hide and seek is better game.

4. Don't let her go behind your back: she will jump on your shoulders. She doesn't know how heavy she can be.

Good luck. Zaraki."

So this was now emergency number one. Ichigo coughed: he did not know what would happen, but he looked at Yachiru and said simply: "Tooth fairy."

It worked. Yachiru paled little bit. She sprinted out, Ichigo stared after her for a moment, but she soon came back. She had her toothbrush in her hand. She opened the tap and started brush her teeth immediately. Ichigo did not know what that meant but did not want to complain. He smiled and took his own toothbrush.

...

Kenpachi did not hear when someone knocked politely on the front door. There was also a doorbell at there but Yachiru had broken it down many years ago. Kenpachi did not hear this way too politely knock because his was under Yachiru's bed. Cleaning.

He hated cleaning, yes, but he had nothing else to do. And because he had managed at last finish cleaning all the party mess he thought it would be wise to clean the whole house now when he had started. Yachiru would come back tomorrow and with her around cleaning would be impossible...

He could not understand how much candy bags that brat had managed to smuggle there. She had hid them between bed and framework. They could not be seen if you just merely looked under the bed. That kid was smarter than Kenpachi had thought... He cursed when he pulled the last candy bag out there and sat up. There was already one small mountain of candy next to him.

"I think I have to lecture her little bit..." Kenpachi whispered.

"Oh, captain Zaraki", gently voice behind Kenpachi's back make him twitch, "I think you are too old to eat all those candies."

"Unohana!" Kenpachi jolted up. "When you came?"

"You didn't open when I knocked so I decided to come in myself", Unohana smiled like an angel. She had her medic bag with her. Kenpachi wanted to run away, but could not.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't hear that, you see..." Kenpachi pointed candies with his finger. "I... was... cleaning and..."

Unohana smiled. Kenpachi shivered.

"You left without permission, captain Zaraki", Unohana said. "That was not very nice."

"Yeah..." Kenpachi tried to smile. "But... yeah, uh... I'm not sick. Ikkaku is."

"Because of you."

"I tried to help!" Kenpachi snapped and took the vial from his pocket. "Look! I didn't know they are old, okay?"

Unohana frowned and took the vial in her hand. Kenpachi sighed.

"Where did you get these?"

"I don't remember, someone sold them to me years ago..."

"Well, these are old", Unohana looked funny for a moment: like she would laugh at any moment. "And these are painkillers for bovine."

Kenpachi stared. Unohana laughed.

"Oh..." Kenpachi blushed little bit. "That explains it..."

...

"Ichi."

"Yeah...?" Ichigo panted heavily: he had been running after Yachiru for a good while before remembering the emergency rule number three.

"I was thinking one thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you like Ken-chan?"

"What?"

"Do you like him?"

"Um... You mean, if I think his my friend?"

Yachiru nodded. She smiled.

"Well, um, I don't know... Yeah, maybe. Why you're asking that?"

"I was just worried about Ken-chan", Yachiru waved her legs: they were sitting on a bench: Ichigo had had to rest for a while after five block running competition. "He must be lonely without me..."

"What do you mean? He had plenty of friends."

"Well, not exactly..."

"What?"

"Well, Ken-chan once told me he hasn't anything against friends... but people tend to run away when they see him. It's quite sad. Baldie and Pretty boy were his first friends after me."

"How about other captains then?"

"Well, I think Braided hair lady is fine, but Ken-chan is always blushing when she comes too near and can't speak anything good... I wonder why...?"

Ichigo had an idea why and smiled, but did not say anything.

"Captain Always Sick - "

"Ukitake?"

"- is also nice and so is Drunk Ladies Man -"

"Shunsui?"

"- but beside them there's not really no-one who would speak to Ken-chan."

Ichigo looked at Yachiru. She looked quite sad. Ichigo smiled.

"Well, it sounds to me, he has few good friends", Ichigo said. "That's better than bunch of lousy friends, right?"

Yachiru looked at Ichigo. She looked serious for a moment before smiling: "Yeah! You're right, Ichi! Ken-chan is happy!"

"You two really are something special..." Ichigo sighed. "I never thought you would be worrying about him."

"Why? Because Ken-chan is so big and strong? Well, do you know what, Ichi? He has feelings too. People don't seem to realize that and are sometimes very mean to him... That's why someone has to protect him!"

Ichigo smiled: "Yeah, you're right."

Ichigo and Yachiru sat on that bench for a good while, just talking. Ichigo noticed that this little girl was actually way smarter than he had realized.

...

"Unohana... Captain", Kenpachi quickly added.

"What it is, captain Zaraki?" Unohana still smiled: her smiling muscles seemed to be stronger than Kenpachi had ever realized...

"Uh, well, firstly thank for helping me cleaning", Kenpachi looked at his home: it had never been this clean before. Unohana had found dust and dirt in places which Kenpachi had never realized, for example, in bathroom sink. He had never realized it could also go dirty...

"You're welcome", Unohana smiled. "Thank you for coffee. It was really tasteful."

"Just spit it: it tastes like crap... I know I always make it too strong..."

Unohana just laughed but Kenpachi did not know why, so he just lowered his gaze.

"Um... I was wondering how's Ikkaku...? I mean, when he can go home and... such."

"Oh, I let him go already", Unohana said. "I believe he is at your Division's barrack right now."

"Oh, okay", Kenpachi nodded. "That's good. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes. He's completely healed."

"That's nice."

"Are you really that worried about him, captain Zaraki?"

"Well, he's been through a lot... I mean, I'm his captain and I'm almost killed him several times by accident during these years."

"He respects you very much, captain Zaraki", Unohana still smiled.

"Yeah, because he's an idiot. I once told him he's lucky because he's alive and something. I don't really remember that so clearly myself but he's always babbling about it...." Kenpachi sighed. "I don't really understand why he has this idea of me being some kind of super hero..."

Unohana did not say anything for a while Kenpachi carefully looked at her. She smiled at him gently. Kenpachi felt how he blushed - again Okay, he had been red all this time while sitting here, sipping coffee. He hated this feeling. He wasn't that shy, why he had to blush now?

He was Zaraki Kenpachi, not some... some... Some, uh, wait, um... Momo Hinamori! Yeah! That weak little girl who always cried! Yeah, that's a good comparison.

Kenpachi grinned happily without realizing it. Unohana looked at him and shook her head little bit, smiling. Unohana did not really understand why everyone was so scared of Kenpachi Zaraki...

...

Ichigo dried his arm. He had had to dig Yachiru's toothbrush from the toilet once again. It had gone quite deep this time and Ichigo had had to use all his flexibility to get it out. Rukia had been sure his elbow had gone out of its place...

Yachiru had been packed all his things and was already ready to go back home. Ichigo and Rukia had to dress quickly because Yachiru was so impatient.

"Hurry up!" she told them. "Ken-chan's surely waiting for us already!"

"We're coming, Yachiru, don't worry..."

"Bye, Ichigo's little sisters!" Yachiru waved her hand to Karin and Yuzu. Yuzu smiled and waved back, Karin looked quite angry because Yachiru did not remember her name. Isshin was crying and also waved.

"You have very nice family, Ichi", Yachiru said out loud when they we're heading back to Seireitei.

"Glad you liked them", Ichigo smiled. He had hoped Yachiru would have spent more time with her sisters but obviously she had used to be more with adults. She had hanged around with Yachiru and Rukia almost all the time. And with Kon, also. Ichigo grinned when he remembered how scared that stuffed mod soul still was: he still thought Ichigo would give him to Kenpachi as a Christmas present...

...

"Yumichika! If you're not coming then I will leave you here!"

"Wait, captain! Just a moment!"

"What in the hell you're even doing?" Kenpachi growled at the bathroom door. "You've been in there for one fucking hour!"

"Well, I have to be beautiful when Yachiru comes back."

Kenpachi blinked. He looked at Ikkaku, who was standing behind him. Ikkaku made some waving movements close his eyes, like he would be painting or something. When Ikkaku then made really feminine pose Kenpachi realized what he meant. He turned his head slowly back at the bathroom door.

"Yumichika", he said with very low voice. "Are you putting make up on?"

There was very long silence.

"Yumichika?"

"Uh... um..." Yumichika sounded quite scared: he obviously knew what was going to happen. "O... only... a little... bit..."

After that everyone wondered what had happened to the bathroom door. It looked like someone had crushed it. There also were these mysteries make ups in the bathroom. They looked like they've been abandoned...

"Please, captain!" Yumichika cried when Kenpachi wiped his face furiously. "I have to be beautiful even the rest of you are so ugly!"

"You're fucking man!" Kenpachi roared. "Men don't use make up!"

"But there's also a feminine side in all of us! You have to accept it, captain!"

"I don't want to accept it and I want you to forget that kind of shit!" Kenpachi took the wipe away. There still was some make up on Yumichika's now really red face. "Why that shit don't come off?"

"It's water proof."

"Shit! Ikkaku! Acid!"

"D - don't you think we should go to the gates already...?" Ikkaku tried to make Kenpachi to think something else. "They will be there at 12 and it's already half past 11..."

Kenpachi looked at the clock. Ikkaku was right. He looked at Yumichika. He smiled at him. Kenpachi cursed.

"Fine", he murmured.

...

Ichigo carried Yachiru's luggage when they came trough the gates. Yachiru looked around. She looked little worried when no one was there.

"Odd", she murmured. "Ken-chan can't have forgotten that I came back today..."

"Maybe he's just little late", Ichigo shrugged. "I mean, he has terrible sense of direction after all."

"I think Ichigo is right, Yachiru", Rukia nodded. "I'm sure captain Zaraki will be here so -"

"Vice captain!"

Yachiru turned her head. Ichigo also turned his head and saw Ikkaku. He smiled and waved his hand.

"Baldie!" Yachiru sprinted. "Nice to see you again!"

Yachiru actually gave small hug to Ikkaku.

"Yeah", Ikkaku said simply. "Did you have fun out there?"

"Yeah!" Yachiru smiled and looked around. "Where's Ken-chan?"

"Coming", Ikkaku looked behind him. He had abandoned Yumichika and Kenpachi when Yumichika had told Kenpachi how good some glitter on his lips would look very beautiful. Kenpachi had tried to kill Yumichika and Yumichika had run away, screaming like a woman.

He won't ever learn, Ikkaku sighed. Maybe we all have that feminine side or whatever but I think captain's feminine side is also quite masculine one...

"Yachiru!"

Yachiru smiled and giggled. Kenpachi appeared. He panted little bit and carried unconscious Yumichika with him. Kenpachi dropped him on the ground. Ikkaku sighed.

"Ken-chan!"

Kenpachi knelt down when Yachiru ran into his arms.

"Hey, kid. Did you have fun out there?" Kenpachi asked, stroking the girl's pink hair.

"Super fun, Ken-chan! I even now what Ichigo is going to give you at Christmas!"

"Oh...?"

Ichigo sighed: he really was in a deep shit. Damn that Kon!

"And I brought you a present!"

"For me?" Kenpachi looked curious when Yachiru started to dig her huge pink bag. "How nice of you."

"Big boobies chose it!"

"Who?"

"Orihime", Ichigo sighed.

"Who?"

"That girl with red hair. You were helping her. She was even riding on your back. Remember?"

Kenpachi looked quite lost. Ikkaku coughed politely: "The disgusting-flower-pins-girl."

"Oh, her! Big boobies, huh? Well, yeah, she had quite - "

"Here!" Yachiru pulled something out from her bag. "She hoped you would like it!"

Ichigo looked at what present Kenpachi had had. He frowned but smiled then. He was sure Kenpachi would love his new present: a brand new pocket-knife.

"Thanks", Kenpachi looked at the small device curiously.

"Do you like it, do you, Ken-chan?"

"It's a rather small for a blade... But yeah, it's cool."

Kenpachi stood up. He grinned at Ichigo. Ichigo gulped and took few steps away from him.

"Did you have fun?" Kenpachi asked. By the malicious grin on his face Ichigo knew he was aware how hard kid Yachiru was.

"Super", Ichigo forced a smile on his face.

"We did have really good time together, captain Zaraki", Rukia smiled and bowed. "Thank you, vice-captain Yachiru."

Yachiru giggled. Ikkaku helped Yumichika on his feet. He had come to his senses. Ichigo frowned: Yumichika face was quite red, like something would have been rubbing his skin... Ikkaku noticed Ichigo's staring, shook his head and whispered: "Don't ask."

"By the way, Yachiru", Kenpachi knelt down again. "Guess what."

"What?" Yachiru did not smile anymore: he had seen that look on Kenpachi's face before. It always meant she had done something bad or wrong.

"I was cleaning our home yesterday and guess what? I looked under you bed."

Yachiru blushed. Her lips started to tremble and she looked down with embarrassed look on her red face. Ichigo and Rukia did not understand what Kenpachi was talking about but Ikkaku and Yumichika knew: they had seen the candy mountain.

"You're a big girl already, Yachiru", Kenpachi stroked Yachiru's hair gently when the little girl started to cry: she cried and wiped tears away with her small hands. "You know candies are not that healthy."

"I know but..." Yachiru still cried. "Braided hair lady said I shouldn't eat them and you didn't buy any... but I still like them..."

Ichigo looked at Ikkaku with a questioning look on his face. Ikkaku whispered: "Candies" and spread his arms wide open. Ichigo understood and nodded.

Yachiru was now hugging Kenpachi, still crying, tough. Kenpachi smiled: "Come on, brat, I wasn't that strict..."

"I think she's tired", Rukia also smiled.

"Yeah", Ikkaku nodded. "Captain, we're off."

"Okay", Kenpachi did not even turn his head.

Yumichika and Ikkaku walked away. Yumichika said something about how much new make up cost. Ichigo frowned and Kenpachi growled little bit, but did not say anything out loud. He stood up: "Fancy some coffee?" he grinned. "I'm out of sake."

"No thanks, we will head right back", Ichigo said.

"Pity", Kenpachi shrugged. "Well, see you guys later then. Say goodbye, Yachiru."

"Bye, Ichi!" Yachiru waved wildly. "Bye, Rukia! Thank you! It was nice at the world of the living! When I come next time I take Ken-chan with me so I can show him all cool places where we were!"

Ichigo's smile turned to wince. He did not exactly like that idea of Kenpachi coming also...

Ichigo and Rukia waved at Yachiru when she was already walking away with Kenpachi. She looked behind her, noticed them and giggled happily. Ichigo sighed: Yachiru sure was nice girl but he still was happy when she was now back home.

They were just about to leave when Ichigo heard Yachiru's voice: "Hey, hey, Ken-chan! Do the kangaroo!"

"Not now, Yachiru..."

"Ken-chan, you're stupid!"

"No, I'm no -"

"Yes you are. You stole my secret candy storage and now you won't even do the kangaroo even you haven't seen me long time!"

"Yeah, but usually I do that at home, remember? When nobody can see..."

"Oh! So you are embarrassed about it! I won't speak to you ever again, you big ugly dope!"

"Oh, fuck, okay then..."

"Yay!"

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. Kenpachi and Yachiru were already quite far away. Yachiru was on Kenpachi's back, she giggled and waved her legs so she was actually kicking Kenpachi on his lower back. Kenpachi halted for a moment and Ichigo could almost swear he heard him sighing, heavily.

Then Kenpachi jumped. Like a kangaroo. His hair bells were ringing wildly as he kept on jumping and Yachiru giggled and shrieked happily.

Rukia had to put hand on his mouth so she would not laugh out loud. Ichigo shook his head and smiled: "Idiot."

...

Kenpachi stretched his arms and legs. There were several small cracks. Kenpachi sighed and closed his eyes. He had been jumping the whole way back to their home. His ears were ringing because of Yachiru's laugh... Luckily nobody had not seen them. Well, maybe Ichigo and Rukia had but they were okay. Luckily for others nobody had seen them: Kenpachi would have killed them. So what if he played with Yachiru sometimes?

Kenpachi laid on his back on his bed. He had putted Yachiru sleeping in her own bed - like always. And like always there was this small creaking noise when the bedroom door was pushed open.

Kenpachi smiled eyes closed.

"Ken-chan?" a very quiet voice said. "Are you sleeping?"

"Starting to", Kenpachi said. "Still not ready to sleep alone?"

Yachiru was quiet for a while. Kenpachi opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was holding that furry pink rabbit in her arms and was looking at the floor. She had her pink nightdress on her. It had small hearts and stars on it and words: "Cute night" on the back.

"You think I should?" Yachiru asked.

"You don't want to?"

"Well, I know you told me I'm a big girl now... Even Ichigo told me that... But my room is so big and scary when it's dark. I still don't believe there are no monsters under my bed; I can hear them when I'm all still..."

"It's your own breathing you hear, idiot", Kenpachi sighed: they had had this conversation many times before. He rose so he was sitting. He reached his arms towards Yachiru. Yachiru smiled happily and jumped on Kenpachi's arms.

Kenpachi laid on his back and Yachiru was sleeping right next to him. She used Kenpachi's arm as a pillow.

"Ken-chan?"

"No, Yachiru, it's not a hollow knocking on the door, it's my heart you hear..." Kenpachi said before even listening the question.

"Oh, okay..." Yachiru was quiet for a while. "Why you can't turn it off? It's so noisy."

"I don't know how."

"Oh..."

"Just sleep, Yachiru. Close your eyes and count slowly to one thousand, okay?"

"Okay... Ken-chan?"

"What?"

"Ichigo told me something..."

"What?"

"He told me that I remind him of himself as a kid."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And he also told I'm lucky to have you around. He said you don't protect me: we protect each other."

"Really?" Kenpachi smiled, eyes closed. "That's nice of him. But you have to sleep now, Yachiru. It's been a long day and you are still a kid. Remember why kids have to sleep so much?"

"Because our brains will grow bigger while we sleep!"

"Good girl. How many sheep?"

"Ten now."

"Okay, keep counting until there are one thousand of them."

"Aye, aye, sir."

THE END