Linake lifted her head as her and Kenpachi stepped out from his captain's quarters, both of them feeling better about the early morning admissions and tender emotions shared between them. Kenpachi gazed down at the woman, her skin still held a slight golden hue from her ability to pull from the sun. Kenpachi's brow furrowed as he too looked up at the sky, the sun had just begun to rise, painting the sky a deep pink.
"I'm getting stronger in more ways than one, it would seem." Linake whispered.
"What do you mean?" Kenpachi asked.
"I normally can't pull this energy until the sun is full in the sky, noon has always been the strongest time." Linake explained.
"What about the others?" Kenpachi asked, wondering if her other elemental abilities had also increased in strength.
Linake shrugged her shoulders before she replied.
"I haven't been using them during practice…" She replied.
"Why not?" Kenpachi asked.
Linake turned her head to meet his gaze and smiled softly.
"It's not Squad 11's way." She answered.
Kenpachi snorted.
"That went out the window the minute you became a seated officer. As long as you give it your all and stay one on one, its squad 11's way." Kenpachi countered.
"Death before dishonor, right?" Linake smiled.
Kenpachi grinned down at her as he shook his head.
"There you go with those words of yours…" He added.
Linake sighed.
"Wish I could take the credit for them, but their far from mine." Linake countered as she stepped forward and walked down the small wooden staircase to the dirt pathway.
Kenpachi followed her close behind and lifted his hand griping her by the bicep to get her attention. Linake glanced up at him, her brow raised in silent question. Kenpachi leaned his tall frame down, stealing another kiss from her before they went their separate ways for the day. Linake kissed back and heard the sounds of footsteps as the men began to venture out from the barracks, getting ready to gather for the mornings training session.
Kenpachi always started the day out with a run, he didn't allow anyone to use flash step or any form of power other then what their muscles could accomplish, it built up their stamina; and helped with controlling their breathing in strenuous situations.
Kenpachi pulled back as he heard his men start to whistle like excited morons; something they always did when they saw him give his woman affection. It had bothered Kenpachi at first, but after a while he had started to think of it as his men's way of encouraging his relationship with Linake; so he'd started letting them get away with it.
Linake smiled up at him before she turned away and began to walk in the direction of the registry office. Kenpachi watched her for a minute, he wanted to yell out to her to be careful, but, he held it back; not wanting his men to see that side of him. Kenpachi turned away when he saw her make it half way down the pathway, the stack of paperwork safely tucked under her arm—Be careful, Wife.
The early morning sun broke through the horizon as Linake made her way down the dirt path in front of the squad 7 barracks. If she had to guess she had been walking for an hour already, deciding that since she couldn't run with her squad, she would make herself actually walk the whole way to her destination.
Linake paused for a minute allowing herself another look up at the sky, her confusion still fresh in her mind about what had happened earlier; if her body was adjusting, becoming stronger with planetary pulls then her other abilities may very well be getting stronger as well. Linake reached her hand down, placing it over the onyx hilt of her zanpakuto.
"You're not going to talk to me today, either, are you?" Linake asked aloud, wondering what was keeping her from being able to communicate. She was nothing like her soon to be husband, she had no blocks that she knew of—so what's the deal? Why can't I hear anything?
"Good morning, Linake!" A friendly male voice called out to her making her turn her head towards the barracks to her left.
Linake smiled.
"Good morning, Captain Iba." Linake called back as she walked forward, meeting the man half way on the pathway.
"You must be on your way to the registry office, I heard the news, congratulations to you and Captain Zaraki." Iba continued.
"Yes. Thank you, that's very kind of you." Linake smiled.
Linake knew that captain Iba had once been a member of Kenpachi's squad many years before, but had transferred out to become the previous squad 7 captain's lieutenant. Linake had not been able to meet captain Komamura but she had seen what looked like giant wolf walking around with Iba on occasion.
"So, the two of you are having a ceremony, I hear. I'm more than a little surprised you were able to convince Captain Zaraki to have one." Iba stated.
Linake laughed softly at his statement.
"Surprised about the ceremony or the fact he's getting married at all?" Linake countered.
Iba allowed himself a half-laugh.
"Yeah, I guess you have a point. Anyway, the registry office doesn't open for another half hour or so, I figured I would let you know." Iba explained.
Linake sighed heavily as her shoulders slumped; she guessed it was a good thing that she hadn't used flash step to make the trip shorter, she would have been waiting forever for someone to show up.
"You're more than welcome to wait here if you want." Iba offered.
Linake paused, wondering if she should hang around for a while, it would only take her another twenty minutes to reach the registry office and then she would be stuck twiddling her thumbs until they opened; it hadn't even donned on her that they wouldn't be open already.
"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll head over there anyway, by the time I get there, I'll only have about ten minutes to wait." Linake replied.
"Alright then, hey, are you two going to be handing out invitations or is this going to be more private?" Iba asked.
Linake paused as she thought about the answer; she and Kenpachi hadn't even talked about who was going to be invited—would Kenpachi care if other squads witnessed their marriage?
"I…I'm really not sure." Linake admitted, feeling a bit sheepish.
Iba chuckled as he shook his head.
"Well, if you do decide to invite other squads, I'd be honored to show my support by attending." Iba replied.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to discuss it with Kenpachi and make sure we send an invitation if we decide to." Linake smiled.
Iba smiled softly as he nodded.
"I won't keep you any longer; have a nice afternoon, Mrs. Zaraki." Iba stated before turning to walk away back to his squad.
Linake felt her stomach flip as her face flushed; hearing herself being referred to as "Mrs. Zaraki" for the first time sent a rush of overwhelming happiness coursing through her; Linake felt foolish as she realized she had lost her opportunity to wish the squad 7 captain a good afternoon as well as she watched him walk inside the barracks—I was too busy standing here grinning like an idiot!
Linake turned her attention back to the pathway in front of her, sure that captain Iba had noticed her reaction to his comment and wouldn't take offense for her lack of manners; she was after all entering a whole new territory filled with many emotions—In a matter of days I will be Linake Zaraki; the wife of the most fearsome soul reaper in the soul society.
Kenpachi turned his gaze back to the pathway for what seemed like the hundredth time, his woman hadn't made it back yet and his men were half way through sparing already. Kenpachi didn't know what to make of the restless feeling and deep down he didn't like it; it seemed liked worrying about the woman was going to be an ongoing emotion when it came to Linake, something he hadn't been prepared for.
"I can take over if you want to go after her, Captain." Ikkaku spoke up, appearing next to his captain in the open doorway.
Kenpachi turned his head and looked down at his Lieutenant.
"She wanted to go alone, so I'm letting her." Kenpachi countered even though deep down he wanted to go look for her.
Ikkaku nodded before he continued.
"I really am happy for you, Captain. Just wanted you to know that…" Ikkaku stated, keeping his eyes focused forward.
Kenpachi half grinned as he snorted.
It wasn't like Ikkaku to stand there talking about his emotions, but Kenpachi guessed they'd all been acting a bit differently now that Linake was a part of their lives. Kenpachi watched his subordinate turn and walk away without another word. Ikkaku would be happy enough knowing that Kenpachi heard him out, even if he didn't say anything back. Kenpachi wasn't the type of man to stand there sharing his feelings with his men, hell, it was hard enough opening up to his woman.
Kenpachi sighed, feeling a sense of relief when he spotted Linake walking down the dirt pathway towards him with Amaya in tow—so that's what took her so long…
Linake smiled as she and Amaya made their way back towards the squad 11 barracks; talking about the upcoming trip to the human world. Amaya had caught up with Linake on her way back from the registry office, by the time she'd reached the place it had only taken about five minutes for the two associates to show up and unlock the doors. The same blonde young man from the previous day seemed to recognize who she was and hadn't wasted any time ushering her inside the building and accepting the paperwork from her.
Linake had found it a bit humorous the way the blonde had nervously looked at her and told her that the certificate for her and Kenpachi 's marriage would be top priority and he would have it personally delivered once it was finished—Linake figured she would be married by tomorrow afternoon.
"Linake?" Amaya called out to her.
"What? Sorry…"
Amaya laughed at her fiend as she rolled her eyes.
"This blonde guy you keep thinking about must have been a sight, your making me wish I would have been there to see the look on his face." Amaya chuckled.
"Oh and by the way, I don't care if Kenpachi doesn't want other squads present, I will be there regardless!" Amaya continued her brain invasion.
Linake sighed as she shook her head.
"Your abilities can be a pain in the ass sometimes, you know that?" Linake countered.
Amaya shrugged her shoulder at her.
"You still love me, so it's okay." Amaya smiled.
"In all seriousness though, you're worrying too much." Amaya continued.
"What has he been thinking?" Linake asked.
Amaya shook her head.
"It's not my place to tell you, Linake." Amaya answered, knowing her friend was most likely going to cuss her out in her mind and Linake didn't fail, calling her some inventive names that only Amaya was privy to.
"Oh, that last one was interesting, Linake!" Amaya grinned.
Linake huffed as she turned down the dirt pathway with a scowl on her face; what good was it having a best friend who could read minds if she was going to be honest and respectful? Linake wanted to know!
"If you want to know so badly, why don't you stop being such a chicken and ask him yourself!" Amaya countered.
"You have it so easy, Amaya, you can read Sosuke's every thought, you don't have to guess anything, and you don't have to wonder…" Linake sighed.
"Neither do you." Amaya countered.
Linake scoffed at her friend as she rolled her eyes.
"You know as well as I do that Kenpachi will tell you how he feels, if you really want answers to questions then you need to ask him, he is about to be your husband after all." Amaya stated.
Linake frowned.
Amaya was right; she was being a chicken, so many things she had wanted to ask over the past six months but never allowed herself to ask. A lot of them had already been talked about earlier that morning and now that Linake was about to be his wife, she felt a little bit more comfortable asking some of the ones that still remained, the biggest one being; would Kenpachi want a family one day?
Amaya paused on the pathway as her and Linake turned the corner in front of the squad 11 barracks. Linake stilled and looked over at the younger woman, her brow rising in question.
"I think I'll head back to my own squad now, you should have another talk, seems like you didn't lay everything out on the table this morning." Amaya stated.
Linake sighed; remembering that Amaya heard everything that she thought about; the earlier conversation had been rather personal, but, Linake didn't blame Amaya for her power; sometimes she had no other option but to hear; especially if high emotions were connected to the thought process.
"Sorry, I'm really not trying to but in…" Amaya continued, her facial features showing her sincerity and a bit of sadness. Amaya had confided in her many times, the hindrance her abilities had on her, always hearing everything around her, knowing everyone's personal thoughts, sometimes Amaya thought of them as nothing more than a burden.
Linake smiled softly as she reached her hand up, placing it on Amaya's shoulder.
"I understand, Amaya, I know you're not doing it intentionally." Linake replied, feeling it was important to support her friend, rather than make her feel unwelcome; she had enough backlash when it came to her being involved with Sosuke Aizen.
"Took you long enough, Woman." Kenpachi stated, causing Linake to turn her head.
Linake hadn't even realized he'd walked over to them, and by the look on his face, he seemed a little agitated with her.
"The registry office wasn't open when I arrived, I had to wait, and then I ran into Amaya on the way back, so, we took our time…" Linake explained.
"I'm going to take off, I'll see you later." Amaya stated before pulling Linake into a hug.
"He was worried about you…" Amaya whispered into Linake's ear before she pulled back and smiled softly.
Linake's lips parted as she took in her friends warning; Amaya found herself playing mediator a lot when around other people, it seemed sometimes pride could get in the way and allow for misunderstandings. Amaya pulled back and smiled up at Kenpachi before turning and heading back down the pathway.
"She didn't have to run off…" Kenpachi stated, seeming to see a pattern when it came to the other woman, Amaya never stayed around him for very long.
Linake turned her attention back to him and smiled as she shrugged.
"Amaya's just trying to give us privacy." Linake replied.
Kenpachi nodded as understanding filled him. The woman could hear every thought he had, and most days his mind was filled with erotic thoughts of her best friend—something he wasn't about to apologize for either.
"You have any problems?" Kenpachi asked.
Linake smiled fully, knowing he was referring to the registry office.
"No, they let me in and assured me we were top priority, we'll probably have it by tomorrow." Linake replied.
Kenpachi smirked as he reached out for her hand and began to pull her back towards the barracks.
"Are the men almost finished sparing?" Linake asked, feeling a bit out of place.
Linake had gotten used to acting like a full-fledged member of squad 11; not given any form of special treatment. On a good day Ikkaku and Yumichika both made it a point not to baby her, coming at her like they would anyone else; the only one that held back for her was Kenpachi and with good reason. Linake still wasn't strong enough to go head to head with Kenpachi, even with her elemental powers.
"Yeah…They've been at it for almost two hours…" Kenpachi answered.
"Sorry, I guess I lost track of time." Linake offered.
"Nothing to be sorry for, you had something else to do." Kenpachi countered as he walked back inside the training room. Linake followed him closely, his hand squeezed hers seeming to understand what was on her mind as many of the men turned and smiled at her.
Linake groaned, seeing the looks on the men's faces confirmed that her days of simply being the 4th seat of squad 11 were about to be over; now she would be known as "the captain's wife."
"Might as well get used to the changes woman…" Kenpachi stated as he searched her features.
Linake's shoulders slumped showing her lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming special treatment—a simple title meant a lot in the soul society, going from 4th seat to captain's wife seemed to be a big deal even to the roughnecks that made up her squad—I swear if they start calling me "Lady" I'm kicking shins!
"What if I don't want these changes?" Linake asked.
"It might be better this way, from what you told me earlier you haven't been giving this your all. If using your powers in front of the men is what's holding you back, you won't have to worry about that anymore." Kenpachi explained.
Linake lifted her head as she frowned and looked up at Kenpachi's profile.
"Are you taking my position away from me?" Linake asked.
Kenpachi turned and looked down at her, seeing the emotion that swam in the woman's deep blue eyes.
"No. You'll still be 4th seat, and you can still come along on the runs in the mornings, but from now on you'll be training with me, one on one." Kenpachi stated.
"What brought this on? Why can't I keep training like I have been?" Linake countered, her voice rising a little too high for Kenpachi's liking.
"Lower your voice, Woman." Kenpachi ordered.
Linake scowled, not liking his command, but as the captain of the squad she knew why he didn't want her making a scene in front of his men.
"I made this decision for one reason. Your words kept coming back to me; what you said about being scared, I think that's why you won't use the elements during training." Kenpachi smirked.
Linake averted her gaze not wanting to admit anything to him; admitting she was scared of her power to a man like Kenpachi was laughable. Linake wasn't scared to protect herself if she had to, she had enough resolve to fight for her life, but when it came to her abilities, she felt out of place using them, she wanted to build her strength by fighting one on one psychically, she wanted to be more like Kenpachi.
"That's what I thought…" Kenpachi stated before dropping her hand and walking forward to address the room. The men had been sparing for two hours straight.
"Time's up!" Kenpachi called out to the room.
The sixty or so paired up men all paused, turning their gazes to their fearless leader and one by one they all nodded and made their way back to the wall to hang up the wooden swords they had been using for mock combat.
Kenpachi stood at the head of the room with his arms crossed as he watched his men walk passed him, most of them stealing a look behind him at Linake. Kenpachi wasn't stupid, the woman had given herself away in more ways than one this morning; Linake was still stuck in that helpless fearful mindset.
Kenpachi turned and faced her then, seeing the defeated expression on her face made him frown.
"What is it, woman, spit it out so I don't have to keep guessing." Kenpachi demanded.
"It's not that I'm scared to fight with my powers, Kenpachi. I have enough resolve to defend myself; I wouldn't have a problem fighting a hollow or something like that." Linake stated.
"Well I'd fucking hope not…" Kenpachi snorted.
Linake sighed as she rolled her eyes at him.
"I have a lot to learn about what's happening to me, I said I didn't use my abilities while practicing with the men; I didn't say I stopped using them completely." Linake admitted.
"If you're not using it during training, when are you practicing then?" Kenpachi asked as he walked over to her.
"I've been practicing while I stargaze every once in a while." Linake answered.
Kenpachi shook his head at her.
"Once in a while, you ever stop and think that maybe your fear is what's keeping you from hearing your Zanpakuto?" Kenpachi countered.
Linake's jaw fell as she met his gaze, telling him the answer; she hadn't thought about it at all from the looks of her. Linake lifted her hand, placing it on the hilt of her blade, her expression thoughtful as she turned away from him and walked over to the wooden bench to sit down.
Kenpachi followed her and sat down next to her lifting his left hand and placing it on her thigh as he watched the remaining members of his squad leave the room. Kenpachi had planned on sparing with her once everyone cleared the room, but he could see the timing wasn't right for it; her emotions were still a little raw from this morning and if he pushed her too hard, his woman might break.
"Captain, would you like me to dismiss the men for the day?" Ikkaku asked as he filled the doorway to the room. Yumichika pushed his way passed Ikkaku re-entering the room, a large smile plastered on his face as he made a b-line straight for Linake.
Kenpachi turned his head and gave his Lieutenant a curt nod, normally after sparing he would take it upon himself to dismiss the men after they'd lined up outside, sometimes he would go over what he observed, letting his men know what they needed to improve on, but his mind had been preoccupied today.
Kenpachi turned his attention back to Linake, but frowned when he saw his 3rd seat leaning down with his arms wrapped around her.
"I cannot even begin to explain how happy I am for you!" Yumichika gushed as he squeezed Linake even tighter.
Linake laughed as she hugged Yumichika back.
"Thank you." Linake replied.
"Have you thought about what you're going to wear for the ceremony? I would love to help you pick something out." Yumichika continued, completely ignoring the fact his captain was glaring at him.
"Actually, I'm picking something out in the human world." Linake answered.
"Oh? You're not wearing something traditional then, interesting…" Yumichika replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I've been given permission to pick something from my world; I'll be wearing a dress." Linake answered.
Yumichika smiled fully at the mention of a dress; Linake really wasn't the glamorous type; while she was beautiful, she never bothered with putting on makeup, or showing off skin, she was rather practical for a human woman.
"And what are you wearing, Captain?" Yumichika asked, his gaze zeroing in on Kenpachi.
Kenpachi's brow rose as he caught the gleam in Yumichika's eyes.
"Same thing I'm wearing now…" Kenpachi countered.
Yumichika scoffed.
"That won't do at all, Captain! Linake is going to look quite beautiful; you should do your best to match her!" Yumichika scolded him.
Linake laughed as she saw Kenpachi tilt his head at his subordinate; she should have known this wedding was going to bring out this side of Yumichika; he would most likely take over and play "wedding coordinator" for her and Kenpachi.
"What he's in now will be more then okay, Yumichika. Besides, the bride is usually the star of the day anyway." Linake countered, trying to help Kenpachi.
Yumichika sighed as he brought his hand up and tapped his index finger against his chin.
"What color are you wearing?" Yumichika asked her.
Linake paused.
"I…I'm not sure, I don't really know what will be available." Linake answered.
Yumichika frowned, allowing his hand to fall from his face.
"I guess I'll have to work with something neutral, although, you would look nice in red, Captain." Yumichika continued ignoring Linake's earlier comment.
Yumichika had been waiting for this to happen over the past few months, and now that he had the opportunity, he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers, everything would be beautiful, naturally; he would make sure of it!
"Tch, you can't take a hint can you?" Kenpachi countered.
"Oh, come on. Dressing up a little for Linake won't kill you, Captain." Yumichika retorted with a wave of his hand.
Linake turned her head and bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing as the two men stared each other down; Linake could see that Yumichika had made up his mind already, and Linake had a sneaking suspicion Kenpachi wouldn't be wearing his haori during the ceremony.
"Would you like to see the captain dressed up a little, Linake? If it's something you honestly don't care about then I'll drop the subject." Yumichika asked, setting Linake up with a loaded question—I'd love to see him dressed up, but he wouldn't be comfortable…
Kenpachi turned his head and caught Linake's expression, her brow was furrowed and she'd raised her left hand and started chewing on her thumbnail, something she did when she felt nervous.
"Alright Yumichika, you've made your point, I'll do it." Kenpachi caved.
Linake and Yumichika both smiled, Linake's one of surprise and Yumichika's more along the lines of triumph.
"Are you sure?" Linake asked.
Kenpachi met her gaze before he answered her.
"I'll go naked if ya want, Woman." Kenpachi grinned.
Linake allowed herself to laugh at Kenpachi's show of unexpected humor; something that was always nice to see.
Yumichika nodded before turning away from the couple, feeling rather accomplished with himself; he had a few shops to go look around in, to see if someone might be able to tailor something suitable for his captain.
