Summary
Renji sends Kagome with a message for Squad 11's Captain. Kagome's plan to remain unnoticed goes up in smoke.
A/N: Well, for all of you wanting an update, you're in luck. Lookit what I got! And the infamous meeting between Yachiru and Kagome commences! OOCness ensues! Enjoy!
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"Take this to Squad 11?" Kagome asked, staring up at her Lieutenant in speculation.
"Simple enough, right?" Renji Abarai countered, letting loose an evil grin that made the former priestess shiver. Her superior officer could be scary when he was nursing a hangover.
"Very well, sir. I guess… I'll be back soon," she replied uncertainly, backing away slowly as the redhead turned away and dismissed her with a shooing motion.
"Good. You're dismissed, soldier." Bowing politely, Kagome left the room. After her spiritual presence faded from his senses, Renji slumped over into his desk and groaned loudly. His head hurt too damn much to want to even consider paperwork!
"Damn that Rangiku! Next time, I swear I won't listen to her!" he muttered, closing his eyes against the sunlight streaming through the window, "Just a few drinks my ass!"
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Kagome hummed quietly to herself as she turned the corner. With Miroku around, she'd begun feeling so much lighter and happier. Now, all she had to do was hopefully find Sango. She was still wondering what exactly had happened once she'd left the Feudal Era, and her old friend wasn't exactly being very forthcoming in the information department.
"I'm respecting his wishes right now, but if he doesn't tell me soon, I'll resort to drastic measures to get what I want," the former priestess murmured, grinning psychotically at the thought of tying down the wayward monk and tickling him to death.
"My, my. That is quite the scary grin for such a lovely thing to wear," an amused voice called out, startling Kagome enough that she jumped and almost dropped her scroll. Looking up, she noticed a dark-haired man leaning against the wall casually, giving her a smirk.
"Ummm…"
"Yeah. It was almost creepy enough to compete with the Lieutenant's looks when she wants candy. Right, Yumichika?" another man joined in, jumping down from the roof he was sitting on. This one was bald, and the sun glinted off his shiny head as he approached.
"O-oh! I'm… sorry?" Kagome stuttered, a little worried as the two men advanced on her. The bald one waved her off and pinned her with a look.
"So, what squad are you from?" Yumichika, she assumed, asked, looking her over again, "Surely not from ours. I would certainly remember a pretty girl like you if that were the case."
"Squad 6. I need to deliver a message to Squad 11 for the Captain from Lieutenant Abarai," the dark-haired girl replied, swallowing her nerves and standing up straight.
"From Renji, huh?" the bald guy murmured, rubbing his chin before grinning, "Well, you're in luck. We're from Squad 11. My name is Ikkaku Madarame, and this is Yumichika Ayasegawa. How about you?"
"Kagome Higurashi. Nice to meet you," she replied, bowing once again.
"It suits you," Yumichika stated, sighing quietly as he watched the clueless girl blink innocently. It was so unfair that all the gorgeous girls were so entrenched in the fact that they couldn't see it! It was like Orihime all over again.
'Except... less cleavage. At least, a little less.'
"Heeeyyy..." a childish voice suddenly interrupted the three, causing them all to look up. A little pink-haired girl in a shinigami uniform landed uncerimoniously on Ikkaku's head and poked the shiny surface, "Whatcha doin', Pachinko-head? Yun-Yun?"
"I told you to not call me that, Lieutenant!" Ikakku whined, trying to pull the drooling girl off the top of his head with no success.
"... Pa... chinko?" Kagome murmured quietly under her breath, watching as the bald man argued with the little girl that reminded her a little of Rin. The pink-haired girl giggled happily and pet his head before jumping off... and knocking the taller person down in the process. Kagome sweatdropped. Was this kid for real?
"Lieutenant Kusajishi. We were just about to show Miss Higurashi to Squad 11's barracks," Yumichika replied, completely used to the antics of his friend and the small child. "She's delivering a message to Captain Zaraki from Lieutenant Abarai." Kagome blinked in shock and stared at him first, then the tiny Lieutenant.
"... EH? You're a Lieutenant?" the priestess gasped, blue eyes wide as the girl came up to her to study her. Dark pink eyes studied her intently with a slight gleam before she smiled again and pointed up at Kagome's nose.
"Koneko-chan!" The shinigami blinked, then blushed darkly. The last time she'd been called that was by her mother when she was a little girl. Mama had always said she was as cute as a kitten, so it was ironic that this little girl had just blurted such a thing out.
"Congratulations. You've just earned a nickname from the Lieutenant," Yumichika murmured, covering up a laugh with a delicate sounding cough.
"B-b-but... My name's Kagome!" the older looking girl stuttered, sending a pleading look at the amused man to her left. Yumichika waved it off and started to explain.
"She makes up nicknames for almost everyone, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."
"You're here to see Kenny?" Yachiru asked, elicting a nod from the former time traveler, "Then let's take you home, Koneko-chan!"
"I'm not a pet, Lieutenant!" Kagome managed to squeak out as the small girl grabbed her wrist and started dragging her in the direction of the barracks, "I'm just a messenger!"
"I think you'll like Kenny! He's so much fun! What squad are you from, Koneko-chan?"
"You know, it actually fits her," Yumichika murmured, following the two females back to their barracks. Ikkaku had to agree. The small woman was kinda like a kitten.
"... Squad 6." Yachiru stopped and stared up at the taller girl in awe.
"You're in Byakushi's squad?" Kagome almost face-palmed at her Captain's nickname. Had he ever heard her say that? It sounded so... so... so...
'Cute? What am I thinking?' Knowing that her voice just wouldn't want to work properly, she simply nodded as she was again dragged off. For a little kid, Yachiru was strong! 'Please! Someone save me!'
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"In what universe did you believe it was okay to send someone like Higurashi to deliver a message to Zaraki," Byakuya Kuchiki stated coldly, because he didn't ask, to his cowed Lieutenant, "I ordered you to deliver that message to him personally, not an underling that can barely defend herself."
"I apologize, Captain Kuchiki. I was finishing some paperwork up and thought it would be harmless to send someone to take that message over. In truth, Higurashi was the first person I bumped into," Renji answered, knowing that his superior was more than a little protective of their only female teammate in the squad. In a way, he could understand why. Kagome had the tendancy to remind him a little of Rukia, in attitude and build.
Well, he was sorely regretting the idea now. Especially considering she'd been gone for more than two hours.
'I'll have to go get her. There's no telling what Zaraki will do if he finds out that she's from my squad,' Byakuya thought, whirling away from his nervous looking Lieutenant and stalking down the Squad 6 halls. He had a subordinate to find.
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"Umm... It's nice to meet you, Captain Zaraki," Kagome muttered, bowing politely to the enormous man sitting in front of her. He was watching her very carefully, his visible eye narrowed sharply as he tracked her spiritual prescence.
"You... You're supressing your spiritual pressure," Kenpachi drawled, sitting back and observing the way the small girl suddenly flinched, "Why?" Ikakku and Yumichika both gaped at her. Yachiru merely grinned knowingly. She knew Kenny would like Koneko-chan!
"Umm... I'm just... delivering a message. It's from Lieutenant Abarai," the former priestess avoided the question, proffering the scroll to him and hoping beyond hope that he'd just take it and dismiss her. The man didn't even bother to reign in his prescence. Her energy was screaming at her to buffer him away and show him who was boss.
"From Renji, huh?" the Captain murmured, taking the scroll and setting it aside, "That means you're in Kuchiki's Squad." It wasn't a question, Kagome noted.
"Yes sir."
"You haven't answered my question," he reminded her, grinning manically as he pushed himself to his feet, "Why are you hiding your spiritual pressure?"
"I... didn't know I was?" the shinigami tried, grinning sheepishly and taking a few steps back. Screw intimidation tactics! Kenpachi Zaraki scared the piss outta her! She'd heard what he was like. Only challenging people that he thought were strong. She definitely didn't want to draw the berserker Captain's attention to her. In any way.
'Seems that plan is backfiring,' Kagome thought, swallowing delicately before bowing politely and scooting against the wall to the door. "Well... I'm... done here! I'll just head back to-!" A large hand blocked her exit and she followed the arm up to the looming form of the big Captain. "Eep!"
"Too bad, cause I'm not," Kenpachi mused, sending the former time traveler a grin that made her want to cry. He wanted answers, and she had no idea how to explain things to him! "How come you're hiding your true power?"
Ikkaku and Yumichika both sighed and shook their heads. It would be much easier on her if she'd just be honest.
"I... uhh... I-I-I'm just a new recruit!" she suddenly burst out, blue eyes wide and wild as she stared up at him helplessly, "I don't have that kind of power!"
"... Let's test that, then. Draw your sword and take your best shot," the Captain decided, stepping away from her and pulling open his haori, "Go on. Slice me open." Kagome gaped at him in utter horror and shook her head rapidly.
"N-N-No way! Are you nuts? You're a Captain! There's no way I could put a scratch on you! Be-besides I didn't bring my Zanpakuto with me!"
"Hmm? That's careless of you. You should always have your sword on you; after all, you never know who's going to challenge you," Kenpachi mused out loud, giving her another grin that had her knees jerking in fear.
"R-Right. Thanks for the advice, Captain," the former priestess murmured, swallowing again when his gaze traveled down her and back up.
"Next time, bring your zanpakuto, cause I'm going to fight you when I see you again." The smaller shinigami bristled a little at the almost order, but reigned her temper in. It would be a bad idea to let loose on a guy like Kenpachi. "You scared... pussycat?" Kagome wasn't sure whether to be surprised or insulted at the intentional joke.
"More than you'll ever know, Captain."
"Kenny! I think Koneko-chan should come over to play more often!" Yachiru butted in, grinning happily up at the much taller male, "I bet it would be a lot of fun!"
"Yeah. It would be fun, Yachiru," the Captain replied, taking a large step back and smirking at the visibly relieved look that flitted across the girl's face, "In fact, I have another idea that would be fun to try right now. It'll definitely make the little kitty let loose."
This time, Kagome really did visibly bristle. "My name is Kagome, Captain. And I don't appreciate what you just said."
"Kagome, eh? You don't even know what I'm talking about... Kagome. It's just a little game to teach you to have some fun." Kenpachi reached out a hand to her again-
"And what game do you believe this would entail, Zaraki."
-only to be thwarted by the girl's Captain. Kagome sucked in a breath in shock. She hadn't even felt his spirit energy approaching, much less see him Flash Step in front of her.
"Captain Kuchiki..."
"Kuchiki. You're spoiling the fun," Kenpachi growled, sneering at the noble in annoyance. And he was going to so enjoy their game.
"Well, you're 'fun' is no longer acceptable. Come, Higurashi. You've been away for far too long. I still need to speak with several other people today about lack of discipline," Byakuya intoned coldly, turning and sweeping away from the enormous Captain. Kagome stood there, dumbfounded for a second, as she watched her elegant leader start to waltz out the door.
"Byakushi! You better let Koneko-chan come over to play a little. You can't hog her for yourself!" Yachiru announced, grinning when the only reply she received was for the stoic man to glance back at her with a raised brow before striding over to the priestess again and snatching her wrist to drag her away with him.
"Come by when your Captain's not being an ass, pussycat," Kenpachi added, grinning manically when the dark-haired girl "eeped" as she was pulled out the door. "And bring your damn sword!"
A few moments later, Ikkaku sighed and walked away, bored at the fact that a fight had been circumvented.
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Kagome was a little worried. Not only was her Captain angry; she could feel his aura screaming annoyance, but his grip on her wrist was cutting off the circulation to her hand.
"Umm... Captain! You're grip... it's really tight," the former time traveler whimpered, not daring to meet his steely gaze in any way, "I can't feel my fingers."
He remained silent, the only indication that he heard her was his fingers loosening slightly as he continued to pull her down the street. She breathed a sigh of relief and twitched her digits to allow the blood to flow back in them.
"... Captain? I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble," she started again, her voice quiet and contrite as she lowered her head in apology.
"Do not blame yourself for Zaraki's habit of needling people until they attack him," Byakuya replied, letting the ball of anger in his chest uncurl and settle. She obviously knew that he was upset, but it wasn't because he had to deal with Kenpachi. It wasn't even from Renji's slacking, or the incident in general. If it had been any other recruit, he was sure he wouldn't have reacted so violently.
It was because it involved her.
'But... does this mean I have moved on from Hisana? Am I desecrating her memory by even considering another woman?' The Captain shook his head inwardly and forced himself to peel his fingers from Kagome's wrist. 'It matters not. She is my subordinate, therefore my responsibility to protect. Just like all the others.'
"But still, I worried you, and for that I apologize," Kagome argued, unknowingly hitting the nail right on the head. The Kuchiki head almost flinched but managed to control the urge. If she ever knew...
"... Very well. Apology accepted." The priestess visibly twitched at the easy acceptance and restrained the need to level an annoyed look at the nobleman. They walked in silence for a few moments, the Captain slowing his steps minutely until she was no longer behind him. When she sidled up next to him, he glanced at her and asked in confusion,
"Why Koneko-chan?"
"I-I have n-no idea, sir!" Kagome spluttered and flushed horribly, hoping beyond hope that the nickname wouldn't stick.
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A/N: This one was fun, but slightly difficult to do. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next one will hopefully be up soon!
Until then, please review!