Title :: A Day in the Forest
Setting :: Bleach
Series :: Raising Yachiru
Characters :: Yachiru, Kenpachi and a special guest appearance ;)
Words :: 1740
Related Stories :: Teething Pains, Learning New Tricks, First Words, Winter Days, Hide and Seek.

The screams in the distance had a different quality than the ones Kenpachi and Yachiru were used to, drawing the former's attention instantly and the latter's curiosity as well, albeit few moments later. Both of them remained motionless, Yachiru paused in the middle of a downward swing of her fist aimed at Kenpachi's shoulder, Kenpachi fisting a hand and pressing it to his thigh to fight the reflex to block her. It was getting easier to do that, these days.

A particularly piercing scream echoed through the forest to them, a gust of wind accompanying it in a mournful dirge. Bits of dead leaves and bark were picked up from the ground, still hard and cold from the lingering winter chill, and before he knew what he was doing, Kenpachi had taken a step forward, and then another. Yachiru's hand rested down softly on his shoulder, and tiny fingers curled into cloth, acquiring a solid grip.

Acknowledgement. Agreement.

Without a word, Kenpachi leaned forward slightly and then burst into motion, swift and intent as he raced along towards the sounds of battle and death.

~*~

The woman dodged, desperately, still standing between the creature trying to kill her and her fallen comrades, refusing to leave them behind to be slaughtered like helpless infants. Low, delighted laughter surrounded them all, the thing reaching out for her once more, slowly and carelessly, leaving scarlet welts trailing behind in the air to fall to the ground wetly with each sudden sharp flick of its claws as it played with her.

Moments before, she would have said it was overconfident, and that it had so spelled its doom in attacking a full force of death gods in so casual a way. Now, she knew better. Unless a miracle happened, Unohana Retsu was going to die. And then the ones who had been meant to protect her on this journey, whose only chance for life she was in so many ways now, would die as well.

With a low sob she raised her head, eyes narrowing in determination and glared at the creature though a veil of red dripping steadily across her features.

"You will not pass." She repeated the words softly, the same she'd been saying over and over again since the last member of her protective detail had fallen, a look of pain and shock etched on his features before unconsciousness had claimed him. Tilting her head back, eyes blazing with defiance, Unohana braced herself for the next attack, which might spell either more pain... or her death. "I will not allow it."

A peal of laughter rang through the forest once more, jagged and insane and so beautiful Unohana thought her heart might break, the hollow weaving through the clearing to try and gain a path around her to the others. She moved, flowing like water over the ground, refusing it access.

"You think you even have a say, little death god? You think even you might be able to stop me?" It reached out once more, laughter stilled, a sudden terrible hunger gleaming in its eyes. "I was planning on keeping the best for last, but I suppose I can always feast on you first..."

Unohana tightened her grip on her sword, wishing desperately that her other hand had not been shattered in the thing's initial attack, suspecting it had known very well what it was doing then – knowing what it had been doing in bringing each of her caretakers near unto death, stretching out the sole healer's abilities to the maximum in keeping all those nearby clinging to life while unable to defend any of them or even herself. Somehow, she thought, it had known exactly what to do. Somehow, they had been betrayed.

The hand between them, sudden and solid, holding a sharp edged claw was something neither hollow or death god had expected. Blood dripped from the man's hand, though it was far too little, showing a wound far too shallow for the claw's ability to rend through flesh and bone, an analytical part of Unohana's mind thought, even as the rest of her suddenly stopped thinking in the wash of darkly happy reiatsu washing over the clearing.

"Che. And what the fuck are you, ya ugly bastard?" The man, holding the hollow's claw with such deceptive ease carelessly moved to the side, bumping Unohana several feet away with the tiniest of shrugs. "Outta the way, woman. This looks like a good fight." The hollow tugged back with a snarl of anger and then paused once more in stunned surprise as the man refused to let go, grinning widely and just as hungrily as it had been towards the woman but moments ago. Unohana stared up in shock from where she'd landed, sprawled on the ground. She could feel the still present, if weak, lives of her companions. And then another, smaller but fiercely bright energy suddenly registered, lost within the miasma of murderous delight radiating from the newest arrival. A small shape detached itself from the man's back and hopped towards her, humming cheerfully while scrambling on all fours in her direction, a spark of clean and pure light tumbling out of roiling chaos.

"Ken-chan! Play good!"

Scrambling up in Unohana's lap, Yachiru reached up to pat the woman's cheek, just like the kimono woman had liked so much. "Is okay!" She peered up at the stunned, bleeding woman, the red lines of blood on her face now smeared to the side like a child's finger painting from Yachiru's feather light touches. "Is okay." Nodding reassuringly one last time, Yachiru turned around to watch the fight, curled up in the woman's lap instead of the ground, which was far more pleasant really, no matter how you looked at it.

~*~

Claws twitching, the hollow yanked its limb back forcefully, dislodging it from the arrogant man's hand. To even think that it could begin to match it, in strength or speed, was ludicrous. It's game had been interrupted, it's fun utterly spoiled – something the idiot death god had already started to encroach upon now entirely ruined by some idiot wandered who wasn't even a death god, nor even held a zanpakuto. And the man thought this would be a fight?

Fury bubbling in its mind, the hollow brought forth several more limbs, each claw tipped and weaving back and forth. With a hungry hiss, it stepped back, seeking more room for its death dance. It was angry. It was hungry. And its game had been spoiled, the promised fun snatched away.

And someone was going to pay.

~*~

The thing's speed surprised Kenpachi, though he didn't let that show – he didn't even move at the first attack, head cocked to the side slightly – intent and thoughtful. Analyzing. Blood trickled down his face and with that realization that his sight had been halved also sank in, the thing's eerily beautiful laughter ringing in Kenpachi's ears. A light tinkling sound underscored the laughter and Kenpachi looked down, not caring in the least about keeping eye contact on his opponent. He'd never subscribed to the school of thought that said one should never look away in a fight. No one had yet earned that much regard from him.

Shards of metal surrounded him and Kenpachi realized his sword had been sliced to bits during that attack. Several jagged lines of red scored his body. Warm wetness tickled down his face.

"Stupid little man. Interfering fool. I'll just have to feast on your soul first!" Kenpachi stared at the thing with his good eye, lip curling back. If it thought affecting his eyesight would help it, if it thought taking away his sword would make a difference, it had a lesson coming to it.

"And after I eat your soul, I'll eat the little girl's," the hollow purred contently, one claw changing focus, whirling through the air to point at Yachiru, beaming at it from the lap of a deathly pale woman.

In between one breath and the next, the hollow wondered what had gone wrong, even as bare hands plunged into its body, reaching for its heart, pure murder enveloping it in unrelenting waves of reiatsu.

How?

~*~

Clutching the pink haired little girl in a death grip, Unohana stared at the scene in the now quiet clearing, trembling like a leaf, ears deafened still by the death screams of the hollow. The child squirmed a bit and muttered, but Unohana didn't hear her, nor did she let go. And as the man rose to his feet and walked towards them, leaving behind a red smear on the ground if what used to be a hollow, she still didn't move. By the time he reached them both, her trembling had stopped and through the new streaks of blood coating both her and the girl, she stared at the expression on his face as he reached down, one fingertip lightly pressing itself to the girl's upturned nose. Giggles rose through the clearing and the little girl clapped her hands, cheering at the man.

He toppled over afterwards, spent from his berserker rage, though this did not seem to concern the girl overmuch. She simply scooted over to stand by him, patting his hair gently, seemingly content to wait for him to wake up. Unohana extended her senses once more, raw from the sudden and painful death of the hollow, and checked on the death gods behind her. On the edge, wounded and unconscious. But alive. She moved forward towards the man on the ground in front of her, scrambling on all fours, a sudden and fierce need blossoming inside of her.

She would heal her companions. She would clean herself and the little girl up. But first, she would save the man's eye, though the cut would likely scar over. And she would make sure that he would always be able to look at the pink haired girl with so much love and gentleness. With both his eyes.

Always.

~*~

Several years later, when Zaraki Kenpachi received the reiatsu eating eyepatch from the 12th Division, captain Unohana Retsu was seen giving him a most unusually exasperated look before gliding off. The 11th division captain trailed in her wake for half a day, while his vice-captain perched on his shoulder and merrily poked at the eyepatch every now and then, demanding an explanation in his usual, blunt tones.

She never gave him one.

Current Mood: okay