GASP! Notes before the actual chapter!
One thing I would like to explain, since a few people have commented on it is my writing style. Before I ever actually started writing, I was a live, text-based RPer (T1 Story, Turn Based for anyone familiar with that, very similar to MUXs), and I RPed for -years-. Very often, my friends and I would be competitive with our posts, basically doing what we could to make our post longer than the previous one. This would almost always require a -ton- of "throwing the shit" - we'd add so much description that almost everything could be perfectly visualized (sight, scent, smell, etc) even if it really didn't have -anything- to do with what our characters were doing (birds chirping, scent of rain, so on and so forth). It seriously turned into such a pissing contest...
Anyway, I have been trying fairly hard to tone down on this in my writing because I know to most people it probably seems either annoying, or even obnoxious, but, I know to a degree it still comes through very heavily. Also, because we'd very often save transcripts of the sessions, I sometimes have a tendency to follow those - switching PoVs constantly between characters. Another thing I'm trying not to do.
I'd also like to note to everyone actually up to this chapter and reading everything beforehand that I'm going for a chapter a day. It's what I've been doing from the start, and it's what I hope to keep doing until I get that dreaded disease known as writer's block.
(P.S. - above notes inspired by EdgeOfTheBlade because for some reason I didn't get an email about his review, and I'm too lazy to go into his profile to send him a message. So naughty of me.)
To Magnapede - I have not yet gotten that far into the story, even in those chapters that I have already written but not yet posted. It will probably be quite a while until Keiko and Kenpachi have their rematch, so I'm not going to reveal anything right now.
Keiko had been too weak to move, and Kenpachi had been to frantic to be alone, combine the two, and he literally threw her over his shoulder and brought her back to her Squad. Sometime along the way, she had passed out. Barging into the 9th Squad house, Kenpachi quickly looked around to see that the Squad was all asleep. Had he not been as disheveled as he was, he would have taken the time to smirk and make some comment about how the Squad was full of pussies, going to bed so early. But he didn't, because at that moment, he was quite glad no one saw him carry a passed out Keiko into her office. With little effort, he shrugged her off his shoulder and onto the couch.
Sake. He needed sake. Maybe Keiko did too, but fuck that, -he- needed to get alcohol in his system. That being the foremost thing in his mind, Kenpachi promptly started checking her desk for alcohol.
"What the -hell- are you doing here?"
Standing up, Kenpachi looked towards the entrance of Keiko's office to see her lieutenant standing there. "Looking for sake. What's it look like I'm doing?" Just his luck. Everyone else had been asleep, why not 69-face? With that, Kenpachi ignored him and bent back over the desk to look for sake.
"And what the fuck did you do to her?"
Sighing in annoyance, Kenpachi rolled his eye before looking over to the couch where 69 was knelt on the floor next to the passed out Keiko. "-I- didn't do anything. Ask the stubborn ass woman yourself when she wakes up," he snorted. Apparently, some time during his search for sake, his heartbeat had returned to normal and his body had calmed down. Good. He didn't need to hear shit from 69 about looking as though he, Kenpachi, were scared shit-less.
"Bottom drawer on the left," 69-face muttered, his hand resting on Keiko's forehead. He stared at Kenpachi when he found the bottle and started to drink from it. "At least save some for her."
Kenpachi lowered the bottle from his lips, belched, then wiped his lips off on the back of his sleeve. "Calm yer ass," he retorted, shoving the cork in the bottle before chucking it at the lieutenant.
69 rolled his own eyes after catching the bottle and uncorking it. Promptly ignoring Kenpachi, he moved the bottle until it was under Keiko's nose and waited.
"I.. am way too nauseous for sake... get that shit outta' my face..." Keiko grunted.
So, she was finally awake. Immediately, Kenpachi had a thousand questions to ask her, first and foremost about her zanpakuto. But, there was 69. Kenpachi would -not- ask Keiko such questions when someone else was around. From the concerned look on the lieutenant's face, Kenpachi knew 69 wasn't going to be leaving Keiko alone for a while. His questions would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, Kenpachi needed to get drunk and pass out.
Walking over to the couch, Kenpachi grabbed the sake bottle from 69 before strolling towards the exit. "You've got a nurse, so I'm gonna' go get piss ass drunk," he called over his shoulder before disappearing back to his own Squad.
"Did he just take all my sake?" Keiko muttered, finally opening her eyes to look up at Shuuhei.
"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. "You alright? What'd he do to you?"
"I've been better," she replied, slowly sitting up. "And he actually didn't do anything. It was all me."
Shuuhei stared at her as though waiting for her to go on.
A weak smile came to her lips. "Sorry. Can't really explain anything. He'd kill you and then me if I opened my mouth."
"So I guess you can't explain where you've been going and what you've been doing every night for the past few months?"
Keiko shook her head. "It's... touchy..." she replied slowly, trying to find a suitable word.
"I think I have a right to know, as your lieutenant, what the hell's going on that would require Kenpachi having to carry you here passed out on more than one occasion."
He was getting angry, and Keiko actually felt bad. But she had, in a way, promised Kenpachi she wouldn't open her mouth about this to anyone. She was not going to betray his trust, even if he didn't fully trust her yet. "I can't," she replied quietly, shaking her head.
"Keiko..." he started, getting off the floor to sit on the couch beside her. "Not only are you my Captain, but you're a friend, a -good- friend. I understand you may not want to tell me what's going on, but even if it's something as private as your sex life, I would hope--"
"WOAH! Woah, woah, woah!" Keiko yelled, hopping off the couch, her hands raised defensively. "You think... You..." Eyes bulging in disbelief, she quickly moved back over to him and dropped her voice to a whisper for fear she might have woken up some of the Squad. "You think I'm sleeping with Kenpachi?!"
"Well, he's brought you back here twice..."
"EW! I mean, literally, EW! I have -not- been sleeping with him!" she hissed. "Oh, god, ick.. ick, ick, ick.." she shuddered and began rubbing her hands on her Captain's jacket, as though trying to get rid of something disgusting. "Ughh! I can't believe you would -think- that!"
"You disappear every night when almost everyone's asleep, and then, twice, he brings you back here passed out. What else was I supposed to think?" he asked, watching her with an eyebrow raised.
"I've been trying to teach him how to use his bankai, not -sleeping- with him-aah shit.." she quickly clapped her hands over her mouth.
"Hah!" he yelled, standing up and pointing at her.
For a few moments, Keiko stared at her lieutenant, watching the look of triumph on his face. Wait a second... Eyes narrowing, Keiko let her hands drop to her sides. "You conniving little.." she growled as realization dawned on her. So, he had planned that. He never really thought she had been sleeping with Kenpachi. The little smart ass had played her emotions in just the right way so that she'd spill the truth. Keiko was not happy. She quickly closed the distance between them and began smacking him repeatedly.
He only laughed, trying to bring his arms up to block some of the hits. "I'm sorry!" he continued to laugh. "But you should have seen your face!"
"I hate you right now." She stopped smacking him and moved her hands to rest on her hips. "And I swear to -god-, if you tell -any-one about this, I will make your life a living -hell-."
"I promise, I won't say a thing," he chuckled.
"And how am I supposed to trust you -now-?" she growled, reaching out to hit him again.
He dodged it this time and slipped behind her, his hands snaking out to snag her wrists and bring her arms up into the air where they wouldn't be able to hit him. "Have I ever lied to you?"
"No, but you -have- been deceitful," she muttered, sharply yanking on her arms to make him let go.
Shuuhei laughed again and let go. "I promise I will keep my mouth shut." He quickly stepped around her, avoiding another smack.
"Get out!" she growled, kicking out at him as he continued to laugh and quickly left her office.
There have always been different types of drunks. Some people get happy, some angry, stupid, sad, retarded... Everyone's different. Kenpachi included. When he was drunk, it was almost impossible to tell. Sure, he got all quiet and broody, but he always seemed like his normal "leave-me-the-fuck-alone" self. It was during those times that he generally sat, drank and... thought. Contrary to popular belief, he was a fairly insightful person.
To a degree.
The moment he had returned to his Squad house, he quickly finished off Keiko's sake then raided his office and room for more. Three bottles, total, were all he could find, and at the moment, it was plenty. Plopping down on the floor in the main area of the house, a few of his Squad members still awake, he quickly started to consume the alcohol. Not something he wanted to admit, but until he was obliviously drunk, he didn't want to be alone. Images of that.. that.. -thing- kept appearing in his mind, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.
He had felt bloodlust before, he had felt anger, spite, hate, all those yummy emotions that were generally tied to a life or death battle, generally aimed at him. He liked those emotions. He could understand them, sometimes even have them himself, though that was rare. What bothered him so much at the moment was what he had felt resonating from.. he hated to say it.. from Keiko's zanpakuto. It was nothing he had ever felt before, and being unable to comprehend or, his favorite, beat it down, it gave him the creeps. It was as if the manifestation of her soul was a combination of all those negative emotions and more. If there had ever been an actual definition of "evil", he was pretty certain her zanpakuto was it.
And that was another thing that bothered him. How could that.. -thing-.. be what was in Keiko's soul? He had fought her. He knew her, not completely or explicitly, but after fighting her, he knew what she was, what she was about. Then, bam, having that -thing- shoved in his face? They were like polar opposites. It was another thing that just didn't make sense.
So, Kenpachi continued to drink until the alcohol running through his body -forced- him to sleep because it was the only thing that would clear his mind. The next day, however, was a different story. Good ol' hangovers. Luckily for Kenpachi, most everyone knew when he was in the most foul of moods, and they avoided him, Yachiru (thankfully!) included.
After taking care of the few things he did as Captain (good old Ikkaku and Yumichika took care of the bulk of the work), he went straight to the execution grounds, despite the fact that it would be hours until Keiko would show up for his lessons. That was, if she even -did- show up. Either way, the place was empty and quiet, just how he liked it when his head felt as though it had been repeatedly beat with a crowbar. Taking advantage of the alone time, he tried, repeatedly, to communicate with his zanpakuto. And for a while, the job calmed his mind and kept it away from other unpleasant memories, but every so often his mind would drift away and images of the -thing- appeared in his mind.
Just as he was about to give up for the night and return to his Squad, the sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he watched Keiko make her way towards him. Huh, stubborn woman indeed. He was surprised to see her, honestly. He had figured she'd take a night off, considering the strain yesterday had put on her. Finding it quite appropriate to tell her this, he opened his mouth, but stopped. His eye came to stare at her mouth. "What the fuck is that?"
"Wha'?" Keiko stopped and blinked, pulling a small lollipop out of her mouth. "It's a lollipop. Yachiru-chan gave it to me because she said I looked sad. These things are actually pretty good..."
Was she kidding? Was she fucking kidding? This was the woman he had fought only a few months ago? This was the woman with an evil zanpakuto? This -woman- who stood here sucking on candy was the only person who had ever, EVER fought him to the point he could feel his soul unburden itself. Unable to contain the annoyance, Kenpachi groaned and actually smacked his palm into his forehead. Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe everybody -except- him was going fucking crazy...
Eyebrow raised, Keiko popped the lollipop back into her mouth and eyed Kenpachi. "What're you so cranky for?" she asked, her speech slightly slurred from the candy knocking against her teeth and tongue as she spoke.
Slowly, Kenpachi raised his head and stared at her. "Forget it," he shook his head, downright amazed that she didn't get it. Whatever. "So, you wanna' explain what the fuck happened last night?" he changed the subject. Finally, he would have the chance to unload his abnormally overburdened mind and ask all the questions that had welled up in there over the past 24 hours.
"Uhh.." Keiko paused, shifting the pop to the left side of her mouth. "Hrm.." Slipping her arms into the opposite pockets of her haori, she sat down on the boulder and shrugged. "A.. uhm.. Hm. Let's just say I wasn't expecting -you- to wind up in -my- mind."
"How'd you fuck -that- up?" he retorted with a snort.
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "I told you, I understand the -basics- of what I need to do; I've never -done- this before! So bitch less please.." she trailed off, apparently quite annoyed she -had- fucked up to begin with. Sighing, she went on: "I guess what I did just backfired, is all. I finally got the connection to stick, and then things sort of went in reverse."
"No shit.."
Glare.
He ignored it. "So the thing that wanted to rip my head off was your zanpakuto?"
Keiko nodded slowly, now looking down at the ground.
"And it wanted to tear me to pieces -why-?"
"Because it could?"
He stared at her.
"I don't know how to really explain it... Chiakki is nothing more than a blood thirsty demon... It cares for nothing except blood. It's the reason I have to cut myself and bleed to get it to release to shikai form. It likes my blood, so, it's basically why we have a blood pact: I bleed myself for it, it'll release it's first form. I guess because you entered my mind, which is basically it's territory, that it wanted to kill you. Fresh blood," she smiled weakly.
"Is that why you have those seal things?"
"Sort of. I'd rather not explain that, though.."
Kenpachi snorted. "So I can be tha' guinea pig for this whole process, wind up seeing shit I'd rather have never seen before, and I don't get an actual explanation? Doesn' seem fair ta' me."
"Well doesn't that just suck for -you-," she growled. "Excuse me for not wanting to go into detail about something which is nearly ten times -worse- than Chiakki. But, really, if you want to hear about it, I'll be glad to explain it in vivid details! Or better yet, I'll make another mental link between us and let you see first hand what it is my seals keep locked away! 'cuz, I tell ya', if Chiakki scares you, wait till you see my -real- problem! You'll be pissing your pants and crying like a baby afterwards!"
Sensitive subject. Kenpachi got that. "Alright, alright, calm the fuck down, woman. I won't ask about it again." Damn, was she PMSing or something? Better change the subject. "So... what do ya' have ta' do ta' get it to release its bankai?"
"Bleed a lot more," she muttered, glaring at him.
...Alright, another subject he wouldn't bother asking about again. "So... how is it... that your soul, which is.. basically the essence of you.. so different from.. you?" He had the question, but it was fairly hard to put into words.
Keiko shrugged. "It ties in with these seals, but.. Think of the Yin and the Yang. What is -me- is split in two: Keiko and Chiakki. Sitting here in front of you is one side, me, the Keiko. Obviously, you, of all people, can tell I have a little bit of Chiakki in me from the fight. Which then leads me to assume Chiakki has a little bit of me in it, but... I haven't seen that yet."
Kenpachi nodded, actually understanding what she was saying, probably because he had fought her -and- he had seen her inner world.
After a few moments of silence, Keiko was the one to first speak up: "So, you ready to start training?"
"You ready to not fuck up again?"
And promptly Keiko took her shoe off and chucked it at his face.
OMG SYMBOLISM! LOLOLOL
For those of you that might actually notice this, yes, the names and honorifics of some people's names have been changing. I.E. Keiko no longer calling Shuuhei and Yachiru by the lieutenant honorific. Is there a reason? Maybe. Maaaaybe.
And it's a little late, but I'm too lazy to go back and edit the previous chapter's notes. About Chiakki's mask - it is not inspired by Vizards or, in particular, Ichigo's Vizard mask. In actuality, when I was thinking of Chiakki's basic design, Vega from Street Fighter kept popping into my head, so, voila. And, yeah, a lot of different things from books, games, other anime/manga all give me ideas and inspiration for my writing. (Duhh.)
Very random: I've come to notice that this documents program thing in FFnet gets rid of double spacing... Not between lines, but period space, space. That really annoys me for some reason...
Actual BLEACH-verse and characters (c) to all the respective people.
Akuuno Keiko (c) me, General Junos.