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The knock on the front door caught Kenpachi entirely by surprise, it was mid morning, too early for most pamphleteers or salesmen, but a little late for the postman, who he wasn't expecting anything from anyway. Even though it was still a good couple of hours until midday, it was already very warm, and it promised to be a beautiful, although probably uncomfortably hot day. From the panicked cries sounding from the garden he could tell that Yumichika was making the most of the cool of the morning to water the flowers, and that Yachiru was trying to help, and the last he had seen of Ikkaku was a slumped figure wandering into the front room, so realistically he was the only one remaining to answer the door.

With no small amount of pride he clumped down the newly painted hall. The three children, commanded by a frighteningly efficient Yumichika, had redecorated it a few days previously and Kenpachi had been secretly amazed at the improvement it made to the place. He had never known that a lick of paint could work such wonders, but the hall looked bigger and brighter with its lighter walls, not to mention more welcoming.

As another knock sounded with a patient insistence Kenpachi clumped louder, growling under his breath. When he reached the door he yanked it open and was about to level his best glare at whoever had had the audacity to interrupt his formerly peaceful morning when he saw who it was standing on his doorstep with a serene smile.

"Good morning." She said sweetly, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she saw his expression. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Slightly taken aback Kenpachi muttered "Ah, no." Before stepping to the side to allow the woman in.

"I did call yesterday, but no one answered, so I just left a message."

Ah yes. The answer phone. The day before Yachiru had decided to find out how it worked, which involved pulling all the cables out of the phone and tearing the reams of tape from the rather old fashioned message recorder. By the time he had discovered her it was too far gone to save and it had to be consigned to the bin.

Unohana smiled. "Its not a very reliable method of getting in touch, perhaps I should have tried calling some more"

Unwilling to point out that the reason no one answered it was probably because Yachiru had already gotten her curious little hands on it, Kenpachi nodded and lead her to the kitchen, where it appeared that Ikkaku had finally decided that he was hungry enough for breakfast. When he saw them his face instantly became a mask of suspicion, which deepened even further when Unohana greeted him, saying that she had come to talk to Kenpachi. "What about?" he asked eventually.

Kenpachi frowned at the boy. "What d'you think we're gonna talk about, how nice the weather is?"

A small chuckle escaped the woman's lips as Ikkaku bristled and Kenpachi looked unconcerned. Taking pity on the teenager she said. "Just about how you and Yumichika are getting along. Its my job to make sure you are happy."

At her words Ikkaku's scowl relented a little and he continued with his breakfast, muttering between mouthfuls. Kenpachi turned to her. "Tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you." As Kenpachi made tea Yachiru ran in, a fistful of flowers clenched in her small hand, pursued by Yumichika.

"Look Look!" She cried. "I picked some flowers!" Hiding behind Kenpachi to protect herself from the angry teenager she stuck her tongue out. "Cant get me, Featherbrow! Ken-chan likes the flowers!"

Unsure whether to laugh or intervene Unohana instead looked to the large man quizzically. "Featherbrow?"

In answer Kenpachi grabbed the slim teen and spun him around, effectively answering her question and stopping the fight. He was now proudly sporting an eyebrow piercing with what, she had to admit, looked remarkably like feathers on either end of the bar. It was probably a look only he could pull off, and he did. "It suits you." she told him with a kind smile, watching as his chest puffed out in pride at her complement.

While Yumichika had been distracted Kenpachi had managed to get the slightly strangled flowers from Yachiru and was searching for a vase. He stopped as one was thrust at him and looked up to see Ikkaku, who was looking thoroughly uncomfortable as first Unohana, and then Yumichika also stopped at watch.

Looking at the floor and shifting from foot to foot Ikkaku thrust the vase forward again. "You were looking for this weren't you?" He demanded.

"Thanks." With a nod Kenpachi took it, filling it and placing it carefully in the centre of the table. As he did so Yachiru turned to Yumichika beside her, his anger at the theft of his flowers momentarily forgotten. "See, even Cue-ball liked my flowers."

With a happy squeal Yachiru fled the room as the dark haired boy asked "Your flowers?" dangerously and as Ikkaku growled "Cue-ball?" in almost prefect harmony with him.

"Well, Yachiru seems to have lost none of her energy" Unohana commented lightly as Kenpachi finally finished making tea. As he set down her mug she turned to the two boys. "Would you mind leaving us for a while, we need to talk."

As they left Yumichika closed the door quietly behind him and grabbed Ikkaku by the collar, shushing him as he began to protest and pointing to the door, his eyes bright. After a moments hesitation Ikkaku nodded and followed the smaller boy to crouch silently and listen to the conversation within.

Inside, Kenpachi sat uncomfortably, still not quite at ease with the softly spoken woman, and waited for her to begin. After a sip of her tea, she did. "It's not long until the new school year begins." She smiled wryly. "I would prepare yourself for the beginning of a long ordeal. Neither particularly likes school and they are notorious for truancy. They are lucky that their head teacher is an...understanding man, else they would have been expelled long ago."

"I'll make sure they go, even if it involves dragging them there physically" Kenpachi assured her. "Yachiru oughta enjoy that" He added with the faintest of smiles.

Unohana's eyes crinkled again as she laughed softly. "It might just require you to do that, but could you manage them both at once?"

At her joke there was a sound from outside the door, almost like an outraged breath, or perhaps a noise of irritation and both the adults turned to look at the closed door. Silently Kenpachi stood and crept towards it, throwing it open forcefully to find Ikkaku sprawled on top of a horrified looking Yumichika, evidently having been knocked over when the door opened. Kenpachi rolled his eyes. "Scram." he told them before adding. "And if you want to do that sort of stuff, go do it elsewhere."

Even Unohana had to suppress a titter at the magnificent shade of crimson which coloured the two boys faces and the spluttering as they both scrambled to their feet and backed away, trying to keep a good distance between each other in the narrow hall.

"They really have improved under your care." Unohana told him approvingly. "If anyone had told them that while they were at the home I would be willing to put a substantial amount of money on Ikkaku trying to hit them. I can see just from the few minutes that I've been here you have earned their respect. Well done."

Surprised and a little embarrassed by the praise Kenpachi rubbed his hands. "I hadn't really noticed..."

He was rewarded by another smile. "Considering their age, and their previous behaviour I can say that my expectations have been exceeded" Her face saddened slightly. "To be honest, although I hoped, I never really thought that anyone would be willing to take them in."

"Ms U-" Kenpachi began, unsure of what to say, but he was cut off.

"Please, call me Retsu. Unohana is such a mouthful."

"Retsu" He amended. "I...I'm glad I did take them in. They're a pair of brats, but they mean well."

"They are aren't they. I hear Ikkaku is going to be getting Kendo lessons soon."

"Yeah. The man who taught me offered to show him."

Unohana put her head to one side. "Wouldn't it be easier to teach him yourself?"

"Ah...I'm a little rusty." That was partially true, but the main reason was firstly that if he started teaching Ikkaku then undoubtedly either Yachiru or Yumichika would want to join in, and he didn't want to teach all three of them, and a small part of him thought that getting beat around by someone else might teach the sullen teenager some valuable lessons.

A worrying light of understanding filled the woman's eyes as she drank the last of her tea. "Well, I hope they go well, no doubt he will enjoy himself. I'm afraid I have to go now, but thank you for the tea"

Kenpachi stood too and followed her to the door. As she was about to leave she turned and touched his arm slightly. "Tell the children I wish them well, and...keep up the good work." With a final parting smile she was gone and walking brusquely down the road. A rustle beside him drew his attention from the street and he looked down to find Yachiru by his side. "I'm glad she visits us, and not the other one."

"Other one?"

Yachiru looked up at him, unusually serious. "The other man who works with her. He isn't very nice. He always told me off."

Kenpachi patted her on the head, confused by what she had just said. "Well, we don't have him, so forget him." He told her gruffly.

With a bright grin the pink haired girl nodded and scrambled up the stairs, passing Ikkaku. When she was gone Ikkaku looked at Kenpachi with a frown. "She meant Tousen." He muttered. "He was another worker at the home. He hated anyone who he saw as depraved or having 'poor moral standards'." He looked at Kenpachi squarely, his face frank and almost vulnerable for the first time. "Unohana is nice and loves everyone, but Tousen, well, no one I knew who ever met Tousen liked him. If he was visiting we would be back at the home by now." Before Kenpachi could reply he strode off.

After a moments through Kenpachi called after him. "Ikkaku!" the boy turned, an unreadable expression on his face which made Kenpachi reconsider what he was going to say. Eventually he settled for: "Get ready for your lesson, we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Kenpachi didn't know whether Ikkaku looked pleased because he didn't try to talk to him about what he had just divulged, or because he was finally going to learn Kendo.

XXXX

Promising that he would be gone for no more than half an hour Kenpachi left Yachiru in Yumichika's charge, giving the teen a packet of sweets to share with her and the advice that she would be quiet if sat down in front of a film, which, while perhaps not a good parenting technique, was an easy way of keeping her out of trouble.

Once that was dealt with he and Ikkaku drove to the Dojo where he had arranged to meet his old teacher. When they arrived Kenpachi introduced Ikkaku to a wizened looking man who was leaning on a bamboo sword. "Ikkaku, this is Mr. Yamamoto."

For a long time Ikkaku just stared at the old man until the man, tiring of being gawked at, slapped the teen around the legs with his wooden sword. "Is that how you greet people, eh?"

Ikkaku yelped but apologised, rubbing his legs. Unfortunately he then made the mistake of asking. "How did you do that so fast?" An innocent question, but his tone clearly added 'at your age' onto the end, and he was rewarded with another slap round the legs.

"Never underestimate your opponent!"

Kenpachi grinned. Ikkaku was already learning some valuable lessons, and he wasn't even holding a sword yet.

XXXX

Back at home Yumichika was sitting with Yachiru watching a cartoon. It wasn't particularly interesting, but without Ikkaku he was bored, and he hoped that it would take his mind from his eyebrow, which had been itching irritatingly all day. With a small growl he reached up to scratch around the bar, but had to bite his lip as an excruciating pain shot though his forehead. Removing his hand he saw a sticky yellow liquid mixed with blood on his fingers and his violet eyes widened.

It was infected.

As always, hearing what you think would be wonderful. ^_^