Well here it is finally! I know its been absolutely ages (All my document manager uploads have deleted themselves its been so long!) and its doubly bad since I'm one of those people who hates it if there are long gaps between uploads, but I've had so much coursework and just work generallly that I havent even had time to think about this, let alone write anything! Rest assured though, I shall take advantage of this lull before the storm of exams and do my best to get some chapters up.

I've only ever written Tousen once, and that was in a rather different manner from this, so I would appreciate any comments to help me keep him in character, as well as anything you want to comment on generally! XD

The ticking of the single clock in the kitchen seemed too loud for the rather small room, reverberating through the oppressive silence which pervaded the still house. Kenpachi glanced at the clock, as he had been doing for what felt like the whole afternoon. Beside him, in the floor, Yachiru sat and played with Bo-Bo quietly, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

At 3:50 the door clicked and footsteps sounded in the call, along with the sound of bags being dropped carelessly on the floor, and coats rustling as they are removed and hung up. He had to hand it to them, they had excellent timing, he would have been none the wiser under different circumstances.

He had planned it all out, he'd had enough time. He had been going to say something witty and scathing, something that would let them know he really wasn't pleased yet wasn't quite the explosion of anger that he was commonly known for, but by the time they had made their leisurely way into the kitchen his anger had got the better of him.

"Where the hell have you been all day?!"

Someone who didn't know them wouldn't have noticed the slight guilty flinch before Ikkaku schooled his expression into a masterfully blank poker-face. "At school?"

Kenpachi ground his teeth, trying to keep his temper in check; Yachiru had already retreated to her room, no doubt sensing the impending storm, but that didn't mean she couldn't hear. "Very clever, smart ass, except the school phoned this morning to tell me you hadn't come in."

"Maybe we just didn't get marked in." Ikkaku remained cool and Kenpachi had to mentally applaud his tenacity even when all hope was lost.

"Oh, I thought that too, I thought, they wouldn't lie to me, not on the first day I let them walk to school alone, but they told me they had checked your classes and you really, really weren't in." Ikkaku seemed to have no reply to that, and Yumichika suddenly found his shoes very interesting, so Kenpachi pressed the advantage. "How can you expect me to trust you if the moment I give you some freedom you disappear? How do you think this makes me look? Retsu's coming today to check up on us; what was I supposed to say if you hadn't come in?"

Yumichika shifted uncomfortably, but Ikkaku folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Typical." He glared at the unspoken question on Kenpachi's face. "You don't care about us, you care about how we make you look! At least the others pretended."

As Ikkaku spoke Yumichika frowned slightly and touched his companion's shoulder, "Ikkaku..."

"You keep out of this, Yumichika!" The boy snapped, rounding on the surprised boy. "Don't say that everything I'm saying isn't true."

The suddenness of the accusation shocked Kenpachi, as well as the viciousness with which Ikkaku had turned on Yumichika. "Don't take this out on Yumichika" he warned, "At least he has the good sense to know when he's wrong. You think that if I had thing's I'd rather do with my time than sit around worrying about you I'd be here shouting? You don't seem to get that if I look like I can't look after you I'm gonna have custody of you and Yumichika removed, Yachiru too probably. Are you so selfish you want to ruin everything for Yumichika and Yachiru was well as yourself?" He ignored the 'keep me out of this' expression that Yumichika shot at him and focused entirely on the bristling boy in front of him.

"Its going to happen eventually anyway. Perhaps the sooner the better, then we might find someone who will treat us like adults."

As their voices had got louder Yachiru had ventured downstairs to investigate, hiding behind Yumichika, who formed a barrier between her and the increasingly furious argument. "How can I treat you like adults if you wont act like adults?" To Kenpachi's alarm Yachiru had begun to sniffle slightly. "You say you want freedom, to be treated like adults, but when I do that you take advantage of me. Make up your mind what you want!"

Ikkaku bristled even further, looking like he wanted to hit someone, but at the same time almost tearful. "This is a piece of crap! Why the hell does it matter what we do? What gives you the right to act like you care?"

The wording of the question, as well as the expression the teenager wore as he demanded an answer, threw Kenpachi entirely, so that for a moment he just stood with his mouth open. 'The right to act like?' Did they really think it was just a game for him. "You idiot-" he began, but was interrupted by a feeble toll from their ailing doorbell. Was it four already? He levelled his best glare at the two boys. "If you think this is the end of this," he warned, "You've got another thing coming." Now that the core of Ikkaku's problem seemed to have come to the surface, he couldn't leave it be, but likewise, another painful cough from the direction of the door told him he couldn't leave Unohana standing on the doorstep while he solved the boy's issues.

Later he came to wish that he had chosen not to answer the door, but had ignored the stuttering call of the doorbell; not because of the issues he had within the house, but because of the issues caused by the individual outside the house. Kenpachi was more than a little taken aback when it wasn't Unohana that looked up at him from the doorstep, but a dark skinned man in sunglasses which seemed entirely out of place in the still wintry climate. "What is it?" He couldn't hide the impatience in his voice; he really didn't need some cold caller trying to sell him insurance or double glazing right this minute.

The man didn't smile. "I'm Kaname Tousen, from social services. Retsu is unable to see you today, so I will be observing you in her place."

"Oh...well...pleased to meet you." Kenpachi offered his hand, which the man took, although Kenpachi was certain that it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Is everything alright? I heard raised voices."

How long had the guy been there? Kenpachi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oh, well, you know, teenagers, they like to yell. I know I must seem old to them, but I'm not that old." He joked feebly.

"I see." It was clear he didn't, and that somehow made things even worse. "May I come in?"

Kenpachi stepped aside and Tousen entered, looking around himself. There was an air of constant judgement about the man which did nothing to lessen the tension or embarrassment of the visit. "The kids just got back from school, so the hall's a bit of a mess." He laughed nervously. "Any earlier and they wouldn't have been in."

"They are attending school?" Tousen didn't look at him as he spoke, instead studing the only picture in the hall, a photograph of a Kendo match in progress.

"Oh yeah, I've been making sure of that." Kenpachi didn't feel the need to add 'up until today'.

Tousen continued down the hall. "Oh really?" The statement gave away absolutely nothing about what he was thinking. "How many bedrooms does this house have?"

"Three. The boys have their own room, Yachiru sleeps with me."

For the first time Tousen looked at him. "With you?"

Realising his mistake, Kenpachi hurriedly back-pedalled. "I mean in my room, not with me! I tried giving her her own room, but she didn't like it, couldn't sleep." This really wasn't going well. "She has her own little bed...which she sleeps in..."

Again that non committal and infuriatingly obtuse phrase. "I see."

When they got to the kitchen Kenpachi clapped his hands together, businesslike. "Come on you lot, ain't you got work to do?" Ignoring the questioning stares from the two boys he shooed them from the room, closing the door firmly at their backs and hoping that they didn't decide to eavesdrop like last time. "Tea?"

"No, thank you." Tousen sat at the table. "I understand that Retsu has taken an...especial...interest in this case, so rest assured I shall do my best to report back to her faithfully." He said the word especial as if it were a dirty word, making it absolutely clear he could see no reason for and did not approve of her interest.

"Retsu has always been very helpful." Kenpachi agreed, "I hope nothing is wrong with her."

Tousen shook his head. "The flu as I understand it. Now, as I've never been here before, perhaps you wouldn't mind showing me around?"

Having no choice in the matter Kenpachi agreed, and the man examined the house carefully, asking the occasional question, and giving absolutely no opinion at all, except occasionally his lip would curl slightly, such as when Kenpachi explained that Ikkaku was taking Kendo lessons, or when he had a look in their bedrooms, and especially in the bathroom, which still hadn't recovered from the toothpaste fight Yachiru had staged that morning. Finally though, they had come full circle and Tousen was back in the kitchen. "So yeah, Its not the grandest of places, but its home."

For the first time Tousen smiled fully; Kenpachi couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. "It certainly is. Well, I think that concludes things. I shall certainly have a lot to inform Retsu of when she gets back."

"Yeah." It was odd, usually Unohana had a talk with the kids before she left, but he didn't seem to have any inclination to, indeed, he had barely inquired after them, but then everyone does things differently, and from what he had been told, Tousen had little time for the actual children under his charge.

As the man departed Kenpachi was left with the definite feeling that he had been in some sort of test, and the chances were that he had failed it, but before he could ruminate too deeply on the matter he was pounced on by Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"What did he want?"

"Why was he here?"

"What did he say to you?"

Kenpachi held up his hands against the flurry of questions being thrown at him. "Nothing...nothing! It was just a visit, Retsu's ill. Anyway..." He looked at Ikkaku. "I thought you didn't care what happened to you, so why are you so worried?"

Ikkaku looked sullen. "Yeah, well..."

When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming Kenpachi finished for him. "We don't always mean what we say when we're mad?"

The boy nodded, his jaw tight. "Yeah. I'm sorry...for being out of order."

"And for lying to you." Yumichika added quickly, ignoring the potent glare sent his way for his apparent lack of solidarity on the matter.

Kenpachi grinned, for all their defiance and passive aggression they were still just kids, and kids make mistakes. "No hard feelings." He held out his hand to Ikkaku, who took it gingerly.

"Yeah, no hard feelings."