It wasn't.
Yoruichi didn't wait for anyone else to respond before dashing to the courtyard where the girls were fighting.
She could already feel the change in the air and it wouldn't be long before something terrible happened. "Shit. Not now. Please not now."
Keiko was seen clawing at Yachiru who was taunting the girl by waving a rather tattered toy weasel about. In fact, Yachiru looked as if she was having the time of her life where as the toddler was screaming her head off. "GIVE HIM BACK!"
The interesting thing was that Yachiru seemed to have a heavily injured, if not missing, eye. Blood was pouring from the cut on her face. Other small cuts could be seen on her uniform. Her zanpakuto lay uselessly on the ground, out of reach as she threw the ratty toy into a tree and laughed.
Keiko on the other hand looked much worse for the wear. She was covered in bruises from head to toe and her nose looked as if it was broken. She left the tree when she realized that she couldn't climb to get it and launched herself, kunai in hand, at her enemy for the umpteenth time that day, aiming to take out the other eye just like Shi -mama and Yori -ne had taught her. Sparks trailed after the kunai after she threw it.
"Nakenashi! Yachiru!" Called Yoruichi. Yachiru was one thing, but Keiko was much too young for this. She would either die or be locked up in the maggot's nest as a hazard to everyone around her.
The kunai dissolved before it hit anything, but Yachiru jerked to the side where Keiko pounced. Yachiru was happy. It wasn't often she got to fight with someone her size without flattening or killing them outright. No matter how hard she punched Teeny wouldn't break. These really weird blue lines always appeared and they made the baby hard like a rock. Teeny was fun to fight with, if a little boring. Yes, Toothpick's girl was a definitely a baby. Only babies cried over stuffed toys and threw things at people.
But Yachiru was mad too. Teeny stuck something nasty in her eye and now she couldn't see out of it. Teeny would have to pay for that.
Amaterasu charged into the fourth division with Isane following after. "Captain Unohana!"
Then Unohana looked at Amaterasu "Miss wolf. I thought I told you not to come inside. People might be allergic to your fur."
Amaterasu barked with urgency then deferred once more to Isane "N-No captain. It's Yachiru-chan and Nakenashi-chan."
Unohana's eyes widened as she took note of the the erratic outpour or reiatsu, and the rising speed of the wind, and remembered what happened to a young thunder elemental. "Isane, take over for me." Then she ran towards the squad 2 barracks with Amaterasu following her.
A the wind had begun to blow, oddly enough it only rotated around the courtyard.
Keiko was tired now. She wanted nothing more then to take a bath and go to sleep.
She wanted to win too. If she won, then she wouldn't be a baby anymore. She'd be a big girl, like Yori -ne and Chi -ne. Then they would teach her some of the cool stuff she always saw them practicing. If she won then she could get Kamaitachi from the tree.
The roaring in her ears made it hard to think though, and she was awfully tired. Maybe Itachi would forgive her for leaving them up in the tree just for a little while.
Keiko started to pull away only something caught onto her arm. "Where are you going Teeny? The fun's just beginning."
The windspeed starts picking up.
Her nose started bleeding again from the punch. She tried to run again but she couldn't pull her arm free. "L-led go.." She stuttered. Her head was swimming.
She kicked to try and loosen the grip but it only got tighter. The second kick left her off balance and she was shoved onto the ground.
"Oh? We have a real cutie here..."
"W-who are you?"
"Your parents got into an accident and sent me to get you..."
"...Y-You don't know the password."
"Your parents are seriously hurt. They didn't have time to tell me. Come on let's go."
"N-NO. GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"Now now. Come along and be a good little girl. Bad things happen to those who are naughty."
"GET AWAY!"
*SLAP!* "I said COME ALONG you little brat"
"N-No!"
"I'll box your ear's you stupid baby!"
Something suddenly yanks her off the ground, the force of it dislocating her shoulder. It hurts to pull away, but she has to get away. "GET AWAY FROM US." She shrieks.
For a single instant time seems to stop. Something whispers from the farthest reaches of her mind. It's muted and far away.
~Use Me.~
Ita -chan?
~I can help you.~
Keiko catches herself and begins to form another kunai.
~Let me help You~
Only this time it isn't the shape of a kunai. Three blades begin to form, Arranging themselves into a circle.
~As best as I can~
Each one channeling thunder, fire, or ice. They start connecting at the center.
~I'll show them.~
She starts reach for it not knowing that what she made was not what she wanted.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screams again, this time at a person unseen. "Disappea-"
She has almost grabbed it when something lands on her shoulder. For a second she thinks it's that man from before. But that can't be right. It was warm and furry.
Someone was speaking to her.
As if she were a puppet with the strings cut, she dropped to the ground. She couldn't quite take in her surroundings but she turned to see a black cat on her shoulder.
And then there was darkness.
Yachiru grins as she sees the girl's new weapon. She crawls over and reaches for her sword. When something slams into her and separates her sword from her hand.
She hates when her fights are interrupted especially when they were getting good. Teeny could still stand and she was still kicking. Maybe she and Teeny could be like Kenny and Icchi. Kenny almost lost to Icchi and she hurt her eye.
She turns to stab at the interruption until she actually sees who knocked her over.
"Hi Stripey! Why did ya stop me?" She chirped. "I was having fun."
The wolf stared pointedly at the puddle of blood in the courtyard, then at Yoruichi in her cat form trying to ease Keiko out of a violent flashback.
"SHE POPPED MY EYE!" Pouted Yachiru.
Amaterasu glanced at the toy in the tree.
"Yachiru." Began Unohana as she healed the stabbed eye. If he injury had occurred in the human world it would've have been permanent. Fortunately the components were all there and so no trips to the twelfth were needed.
"Teeny Started it."
"Yachiru -chan. Nakenashi -chan is much younger then you are."
"Icchi is younger then Ken -chan." Insisted Yachiru. She wanted somthing like Ken-chan had. Someone she could constantly beat up and fight and still enjoy it.
"Kurosaki-san has been trained specifically to fight." Sighed the medic "Nor does he have to live here."
"Teeny lives with toothpick." Insisted Yachiru. "She should be strong."
"It's not the same thing."
"Is too."
Unohana merely shook her head.
While Yachiru was getting treated Yoruichi was busy trying to calm down her brat. With her cat form as Keiko was more familiar with black fur than purple hair. People passing by could've interpreted their respective positions as Yoruichi Shihoin testing out a new assasination method via enforcing certain black cat myths by sitting on their face and trying to suffocate them.
Keiko had become rather unresponsive and her reiatsu alternated between swirling around the courtyard, threatening to attack anyone in the vicinity, and curling up inside her body, separating her from those who wish to do her harm.
"It's fine. It's fine. You can relax. It's fine." Purred Yoruichi.
"Lady Yoruichi? Does this happen often." Asked Soi Fon. Yoruichi seemed to have a good deal of experience dealing with violent fits. Even back when she was still a captain, she could diffuse prisoners from the maggots nest and the eleventh.
"Lets just say that someone suppressing fear is a lot easier to deal with than someone suppressing rage." She sighed.
Eventually, the wind settled and Keiko sat up. "I'm h-hungry." She hiccuped.
"Of course you are. I'll see if I can't grab you some heavy. After what you just did you'd need it." Yoruichi twitched her tail and begun to walk when she stopped. "You didn't hear any voices did you?"
"Just Itachin." Shrugged the girl. Eyeing Yachiru warily.
Yoruichi and Unohana both widened their eyes. "Riiiiight... You aren't supposed to be hearing that yet. If he tells you something check with me first ok? Or Soi Fon?"
"Why? He's my friend and he's older then me."
This was a problem. Should Yoruichi tell her why it was dangerous for children to access their zanpakuto spirit before it developed? Or should she tell her what would happen?
Should she bore the girl? Or should she scare and possibly scar her for life?
Lying wasn't an option. If Keiko wanted to know something she would ask until someone told her or experiment until she got her answers. She was a bit like Kisuke in that sense.
She couldn't say that Keiko was too young. She hated hearing that when she herself was a child.
"Well. Itachin isn't human and he's still young even if he seems older. Some of the things he says won't be good for you. So you need to double check."
Keiko seemed to accept this line of reasoning. "Ok Yori -nee." She glanced nervously at Yachiru again. "Can I stay with you? She's mean."
"Sorry squirt. I just got a message. I have to leave. Stay with Soi Fon ok?"
Keiko nodded and quietly crawled over to the younger woman and went to sleep.
Soi Fon looked at the cat with a raised eyebrow. "Lady Yoruichi? Did you really get a message?"
"Yeah. Something is up with the Kasumioji. I've been called to check it out." 'I got word of a conspiracy in progress and a request to prepare an alibi for some people.' She continued over the network.
Soi Fon's eyes became glassy when the media of communication switched with out warning. It had been months and she still hadn't gotten used to the sensation. The tag always grew warm when a message came through but it was rather difficult to pay attention to the surroundings when there was a voice coming from inside her own head drowning out everything else.
Still. The fact that Keiko could almost call upon her zanpakuto spirit was a cause for concern. If it happened before the spirit was completely formed, there was a possibility that it would take over the child and kill them by accident, consuming it and turning into a sword fiend, or affecting their mental health.
There was a reason that Kusajishi Yachiru was NOT hailed as a prodigy after all even in the 11th division.
Author's note- I'm back! Sorry for the wait. This chapter still bugs me. I might rewrite this at some point. I don't know.
Note, i still have trouble with the fight scenes. but i figure this is how small children would fight. Screaming and tearing at each other. I am not satisfied with Keiko's flashback. Somebody please tell me if they're actually like that.
As you can see, Yachiru wants to find her own Ichigo in a sense. Someone who's strong enough for her to fight over and over again. Only no one wants to fight her because of her captain and her position. Then you have a girl who doesn't know a thing about her that can actually give her some trouble. It's like her dream come true, sort of.
The zanpakuto spirit was something I came up with since i think that yachiru was younger then toshiro when she became a lieutenant and she isn't talked about revered like he is.
Hence why people are concerned. Because nobody wants another loony Yachiru running about.
Especially Yoruichi and Soi Fon. They know what Keiko is capable of and thats the last thing they need.
Stupid writer's block.
Ideas and criticisms are welcome.