Look how quickly I updated...I'm so proud of myself! XD

Just a quick note before we start...from here on in I can't guarentee that everything I'm writing about is factually accurate. I have an acceptable knowledge of the law on police detention (Thank you Law A-Level!) but the rest is what makes sense to me and what little I can garner from asking people and the internet. Corrections would of course be most welcome, I always like to make things as correct as possible, I'm just saying this so people don't get offended or send me a list with everything I did wrong. ^_^

"Hello, this is sergeant Soi Fon. I'm letting you know that your son, Ikkaku is at the police station."

For a moment Kenpachi doubted that he had heard right, surely the woman on the other hand of the phone hadn't just said that Ikkaku had been arrested and taken to a police station? That just wasn't possible...not even Ikkaku could be that stupid, could he?

Apparently unaware of Kenpachi's disbelief the woman continued; "He was picked up in the middle of a fight at about four o'clock this afternoon-"

"Picked up?" Kenpachi grabbed at the lifeline like a man drowning, "So he's not under arrest?"

"Oh yes, he has been arrested" She really didn't sound pleased to have been interrupted. "Legally I'm obliged to inform you of his arrest, and to request your presence at the station as soon as possible." There was a long silence. "Mr Zaraki? Are you still there?"

Kenpachi shook himself mentally. "Yeah, sorry. I'll come down straight away."

Yumichika flinched at Kenpachi's expression when he came back upstairs, "W-what happened?"

"Ikkaku's been arrested." Kenpachi was having a hard time controlling his voice. "Don't look at me like that, you knew what he was doing."

"I-"

"I don't care. Just get your sorry butt out of here and into the car, we've gotta go to the station." He knew that Yumichika was sick, but there was nothing he could do about it, he could hardly leave him in the house alone in the current situation. He was also a little bit too angry to care, perhaps it might teach the boy a lesson, a tiny, vindictive part of him whispered as he watched Yumichika scamper out of the room.

"What's happening?" A small voice at his knee asked.

"We gotta go out and get Ikkaku." He told Yachiru, picking her up.

She smiled happily as she clung to his shirt. "You found him?"

"Something like that."

The three of them were met at the police station by a small, severe looking woman who introduced herself as Soi Fon and led them into a a well furnished waiting room where they found Ikkaku, split lip and pad over his eyebrow, sitting rigidly in a chair. Kenpachi never would have thought he would see the day the sullen teenager would look relieved to see him, but he did; he didn't even seem to mind Yachiru's shrieks of 'Cue-ball!' when she spotted him.

"He was involved in a fight with students from another school near here. When officers tried to break it up he attacked one of them too." Soi Fon said, sounding distasteful "Considering his age and the seriousness of the offence we won't be prosecuting. However this is his second time for something like this, so he will get a warning. I've already spoken to a member of the Youth Offending Team, who will be getting in touch with you at some point in the future."

Kenpachi glanced over to Ikkaku, who was being fussed over by Yumichika. His second time for fighting? That was new. "I see. Thank you."

"Also," Soi Fon smiled thinly, "I'm afraid I'll be needing to inform social services of his."

Kenpachi's heart sank. "Of course." He could just imagine what might happen if someone like Tousen got his grubby little hands on this titbit of information, and he could not foresee it ending well. After that Ikkaku was allowed to leave the station however, and all of them made their way out with some relief.

The journey home was silent. Neither Yumichika nor Ikkaku seemed to want to talk and Kenpachi was still too angry to be able to say anything sensible. It was only when they were finally through the door that He turned to Ikkaku. "Why? A reprimand previously and then you go and do something like this...do you really wanna ruin yourself that badly? And don't think that you're gonna be able to sneak away Yumichika, you're in just as much trouble as him." He warned as he saw the dark haired teenager surreptitiously trying to leave up the stairs.

Ikkaku looked defiant. "They called me a coward! They said that the only thing I was good for was talking big and strutting around. I couldn't just let them get away with saying that." He stared at the ground miserably, "I don't expect you to get it-"

"I do." When Ikkaku looked up in shock Kenpachi shrugged, "They insulted you, they challenged your 'manhood' and I guess for a kid your age that's important, but by letting it get to you you let them win, understand? Sometimes you have to stop and think, instead of flying in fists first. You haven't lost until you admit that they've beat you."

"I...I don't understand."

Kenpachi sighed. "You will one day."

"You're not mad?"

Kenpachi narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I'm mad, mad as anything, and disappointed, I thought we were past this, but what's done is done, no point in crying over spilt milk. And what about this policeman you took a swing at as well?"

Ikkaku fidgeted uncomfortably. "It was a mistake, he grabbed me...I didn't mean to..."

Kenpachi understood, he knew the feeling of losing yourself in the fight, until you almost didn't know when to stop and you struck out at a friend by accident, but that was in a real fight, the sort where losing meant pain or even death; not the sort of scrum that kids got into over a little wounded pride. Exactly how had Ikkaku gotten into the sort of mindset where fighting was second nature? He would have liked to ask about the teen's previous brush with the law, but somehow he knew that it was an issue best left for later. Instead he simply regarded them, watching them squirm under his gaze; there was little point in being angry now, he could punish the two boys all he liked, and make no mistake he would, but somehow he knew that they would have to learn their lesson themselves, and that just withdrawing privileges or yelling at them wouldn't really work.

"You OK?" He asked eventually, taking in the boy's bruised and cut mouth and the cotton pad over his eye.

Ikkaku wiped his lip defiantly, "'s nothing, I've had worse."

"Good," Kenpachi grinned wickedly, "because I want you to appreciate every moment of what I have planned for the two of you. What? You think that because I'm not yelling you're off the hook? Neither of you are going out except for school, and you're back to being picked up and dropped off at the gate. Not to mention I have a backlog of absolutely lovely jobs for you."

Their expressions were very gratifying, they almost made up for everything that they had put him through today. Kenpachi began to think that perhaps after this they could all go back to normal, it was entirely likely that nothing would come of Ikkaku's little trip into police custody, after all, it had happened once before. Kenpachi allowed himself a small smile as he ushered the boys towards their first job.

And then everything fell apart.

It began the next day after he had picked the children up from school. He answered a knock on the door to discover Tousen standing there with Soi Fon at his side, and a piece of paper in his hand. Pieces of paper were never good in Kenpachi's experience.

"Mr Zaraki. Following the events yesterday it has been decided that there is a significant risk to the children in your custody's safety, and emergency measures have been put into place to remove them from your custody until the matter can be taken to court." Tousen didn't beat about the bush in the slightest. "All the details are here, you will of course be able to represent yourself at the hearing. Now, if you don't mind calling the children? If they are here of course." If it were anyone else Kenpachi might have thought that he was making a cruel joke, but Tousen had a sort of terrifying sincerity about him. He really believed that what he was doing was right.

Which is exactly why he didn't doubt for a moment that this wasn't happening, it was only vestigial optimism that made him turn to Soi Fon and ask, "Can he do this?"

She nodded, "If they have reason to suspect that they are being seriously abused or neglected."

"Heh," he snorted, "You wasted no time in taking advantage of this."

Tousen looked at him quizzically. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Now, the children, please."

Kenpachi knew he shouldn't, really, but what did he have to lose now? "Oh don't give me that crap. I saw you when you came over, snooping around and sneering at everything, you were hardly open minded then, and the kids told me all about you and your attitudes..."

Soi Fon stepped forward warningly, "Mr Zaraki, If you're going to-"

"Oh don't get yerself all in a twist" He dismissed her, stepping aside to let them in. As they went into the front room he called Ikkaku and Yumichika, unable to look at the confusion on their faces.

"What's happening?" Ikkaku was the first to speak as he glared at Tousen, "Why's he here?"

Kenpachi found it surprisingly hard to speak, there was an unexpected lump in his throat as he looked at the boys' expectant faces. "They...They're here to collect you. They decided you're not safe with me."

"Not safe? What do you mean not safe?"

"Do you mean they're going to take us away again?" Yumichika added.

Tousen answered the boys' questions. "That is correct, you will be coming with us until we can find an appropriate foster family-"

Then everyone started to talk at once. Assertions of Kenpachi's innocence mixed with defiant claims that they were not moving an inch ran over the top of Tousen's level voice, drowning him out. After a moment Yachiru's shrill voice was added to the mixture as she came to see what was going on. Soi Fon actually looked rather amused by the situation, although it was anything but funny.

Finally Kenpachi decided that enough was enough. "Quiet!" Even Tousen stopped talking, Kenpachi found that his voice always seemed to have that effect when he raised it. He turned to the boys. "If what he's doing is legal then there's nothing I can do about it. I'll not sit quietly by though, I can appeal this right, so I will."

Tousen stepped in, "They will need to collect some clothes and suchlike, If you would be so kind to do the same for Yachiru-"

"Yachiru?" Now it was Kenpachi's turn to talk over the Social Worker, who between the lot of them was being cut off every other sentence. "Yachiru too?"

"Yes, the emergency measures apply to all of your children" Tousen said, turning away, "Say your goodbyes, Mr Zaraki, This may be the last time you see them."

Kenpachi knew he would never forget the moment that the three children walked out of his door accompanied by Tousen and Soi Fon. Perhaps it was the expressions of betrayal and hurt on the faces of Ikkaku and Yumichika as they glanced back at him, or the neighbours who were leaning out of their windows to see what all the commotion was about and why the police were visiting his house which made it such an awful experience. Most of all though it was the way Yachiru writhed and screamed in Tousen's arms as she tried to get back to him which really bought the whole rotten mess crashing home.

He had failed. They had come so, so far, but in the end, he had lost the battle.

Reviews (and corrections) are, as always, most welcome, nay, needed! I love hearing what you all have to say. ^_^