Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep
Title: Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Fandom: Bleach
Rating: PG
Characters: Kenpachi/Unohana, with appearances by Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika
Warnings: None
Spoiler: None, though it’s set after the end of the Winter War.
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. They all belong to Tite Kubo. If they belonged to me…well, things would be quite a bit different.
Author's Notes: For an_ardent_rain, who had the prompt “Zaraki/Unohana, dressing wounds.” First time writing Kenpachi, so…be kind if I don’t get his characterization quite right?
---
It was very rare that Unohana got mad, Kenpachi realized as she pulled the bandage too tight. She was also scolding him for being stupid. He had never thought he'd hear her raise her voice, or see an angry look cross her face. But they were alone, and when they were alone she showed a different side of herself.
He had probably gone too far this time. Yachiru had wandered off while they were outside the safety of the walls, and two Hollows had surprised him as he went looking for his adopted daughter. He'd taken care of them quick enough when an Arrancar showed up. How an Arrancar had been stupid enough to come that close to Soul Society he never knew, but the woman had put up a fight. A good one, too. She was tougher than the other Arrancar he'd fought, the one with the eyepatch.
As she sliced at him he belatedly thought about how all the Arrancar were supposed to have been wiped out with Aizen's defeat, with the exception of the little girl and her friends who stayed with 8th squad and Grimmjow, who was under his own watch. He knew this might mean trouble, but the woman was putting up a good fight, and he was enjoying himself too much to care about the fact that he was fighting her in the first place.
In fact, she was so good that he'd almost literally lost his head before he started fighting properly. He'd won, of course, and by that point Yachiru had found him and dragged his unconcious body back, heading straight to Unohana. She told the little girl to go find Ikkaku and Yumichika and to stay with them while she took care of Kenpachi.
"Why did you fight her on your own?"
It took him a moment to realize that the scolding had stopped, and the bandages weren't too tight anymore. The fit of anger had passed, and now she simply checked him over, her hand lingering lightly on his bare skin sometimes.
"I had to," he said, attempting to shrug and then wincing in pain. "Couldn't let her get here, ya know?"
She looked at him, and then sighed, leaning over and kissing his forehead gently. "I know you love to fight, Zaraki, but don't die on me."
He tried to reach up to touch her face but found his arms didn't want to cooperate. Instead, he moved his fingers slightly, as a sign she should grab his hand. She did, her grasp firm.
"I promise I won't get killed," he said quietly.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," she whispered. "If what you say is true, there's another threat that we all must face. There's more Arrancar out there, and they're getting bolder."
"I won't die," he said firmly.
She looked at him, and then smiled slightly. "You can't make that promise. Promise me...promise me you will try and win every fight you're in. Promise me that."
He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "I can promise that, yeah."
"I will hold you to that promise," she said, letting go of his hand as the chatter of a little girl and the grumbling of two men grew louder. No one knew about their relationship, and Unohana had said maybe that was for the best. He didn't care who knew, really, but he stayed quiet for her, because that was what she wanted. He would do anything for her, except promise not to fight. He couldn't promise her that, and it pained her, he knew that.
"I'll check your wounds later," she said, raising her voice slightly as she moved away from him, just in time for the door to open and Yachiru to bounce in. She gave his squad members a stern look. "He needs to rest, so please let him rest soon. Yachiru may stay with him, if he wants."
"S'okay," he said. "She can stay."
"Very well, then. Please get some rest, Captain Kenpachi." And with that she left, leaving him alone with his visitors.
Kenpachi watched her go, and then looked at Ikkaku and Yumichicka. "Keep an eye on everyone. Don't know how long I'm going to be here."
Ikkaku nodded. "Captain Unohana keeps looking after you, you'll be out of here in no time," he said after a moment. "Unless you want more time alone with her, and then you can fake being hurt."
Kenpachi raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw you sneaking out of Captain Mom's room," Yachiru said with a big grin. "Early in the morning, too."
Kenpachi groaned. "Don't breathe a word, any of you, or I'll make you regret it."
"Won't tell a soul," Yumichicka said. "I don't want her angry at me."
"Me either," Ikkaku said.
"How'd you two find out, anyway?"
"I got Baldy and Pretty Boy to help me follow you one night," Yachiru said. "I like her."
"You do?" he asked.
Yachiru nodded. "She makes you happy like fighting makes you happy."
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, she does." He shut his eyes. "Maybe I should get some sleep now."
Yachiru bounced into the bed next to him and curled up. "Night, Ken-chan," she said.
"We'll keep an eye on things," Ikkaku said. "See ya." The two men left, and Kenpachi began to go to sleep. She may not want everyone to know, he mused, but at least three people whose opinions mattered liked her. That was good. As he drifted into sleep, he thought about her, and his promise, and vowed to himself that he would never break it
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Fandom: Bleach
Rating: PG
Characters: Kenpachi/Unohana, with appearances by Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika
Warnings: None
Spoiler: None, though it’s set after the end of the Winter War.
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. They all belong to Tite Kubo. If they belonged to me…well, things would be quite a bit different.
Author's Notes: For an_ardent_rain, who had the prompt “Zaraki/Unohana, dressing wounds.” First time writing Kenpachi, so…be kind if I don’t get his characterization quite right?
---
It was very rare that Unohana got mad, Kenpachi realized as she pulled the bandage too tight. She was also scolding him for being stupid. He had never thought he'd hear her raise her voice, or see an angry look cross her face. But they were alone, and when they were alone she showed a different side of herself.
He had probably gone too far this time. Yachiru had wandered off while they were outside the safety of the walls, and two Hollows had surprised him as he went looking for his adopted daughter. He'd taken care of them quick enough when an Arrancar showed up. How an Arrancar had been stupid enough to come that close to Soul Society he never knew, but the woman had put up a fight. A good one, too. She was tougher than the other Arrancar he'd fought, the one with the eyepatch.
As she sliced at him he belatedly thought about how all the Arrancar were supposed to have been wiped out with Aizen's defeat, with the exception of the little girl and her friends who stayed with 8th squad and Grimmjow, who was under his own watch. He knew this might mean trouble, but the woman was putting up a good fight, and he was enjoying himself too much to care about the fact that he was fighting her in the first place.
In fact, she was so good that he'd almost literally lost his head before he started fighting properly. He'd won, of course, and by that point Yachiru had found him and dragged his unconcious body back, heading straight to Unohana. She told the little girl to go find Ikkaku and Yumichika and to stay with them while she took care of Kenpachi.
"Why did you fight her on your own?"
It took him a moment to realize that the scolding had stopped, and the bandages weren't too tight anymore. The fit of anger had passed, and now she simply checked him over, her hand lingering lightly on his bare skin sometimes.
"I had to," he said, attempting to shrug and then wincing in pain. "Couldn't let her get here, ya know?"
She looked at him, and then sighed, leaning over and kissing his forehead gently. "I know you love to fight, Zaraki, but don't die on me."
He tried to reach up to touch her face but found his arms didn't want to cooperate. Instead, he moved his fingers slightly, as a sign she should grab his hand. She did, her grasp firm.
"I promise I won't get killed," he said quietly.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," she whispered. "If what you say is true, there's another threat that we all must face. There's more Arrancar out there, and they're getting bolder."
"I won't die," he said firmly.
She looked at him, and then smiled slightly. "You can't make that promise. Promise me...promise me you will try and win every fight you're in. Promise me that."
He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "I can promise that, yeah."
"I will hold you to that promise," she said, letting go of his hand as the chatter of a little girl and the grumbling of two men grew louder. No one knew about their relationship, and Unohana had said maybe that was for the best. He didn't care who knew, really, but he stayed quiet for her, because that was what she wanted. He would do anything for her, except promise not to fight. He couldn't promise her that, and it pained her, he knew that.
"I'll check your wounds later," she said, raising her voice slightly as she moved away from him, just in time for the door to open and Yachiru to bounce in. She gave his squad members a stern look. "He needs to rest, so please let him rest soon. Yachiru may stay with him, if he wants."
"S'okay," he said. "She can stay."
"Very well, then. Please get some rest, Captain Kenpachi." And with that she left, leaving him alone with his visitors.
Kenpachi watched her go, and then looked at Ikkaku and Yumichicka. "Keep an eye on everyone. Don't know how long I'm going to be here."
Ikkaku nodded. "Captain Unohana keeps looking after you, you'll be out of here in no time," he said after a moment. "Unless you want more time alone with her, and then you can fake being hurt."
Kenpachi raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw you sneaking out of Captain Mom's room," Yachiru said with a big grin. "Early in the morning, too."
Kenpachi groaned. "Don't breathe a word, any of you, or I'll make you regret it."
"Won't tell a soul," Yumichicka said. "I don't want her angry at me."
"Me either," Ikkaku said.
"How'd you two find out, anyway?"
"I got Baldy and Pretty Boy to help me follow you one night," Yachiru said. "I like her."
"You do?" he asked.
Yachiru nodded. "She makes you happy like fighting makes you happy."
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, she does." He shut his eyes. "Maybe I should get some sleep now."
Yachiru bounced into the bed next to him and curled up. "Night, Ken-chan," she said.
"We'll keep an eye on things," Ikkaku said. "See ya." The two men left, and Kenpachi began to go to sleep. She may not want everyone to know, he mused, but at least three people whose opinions mattered liked her. That was good. As he drifted into sleep, he thought about her, and his promise, and vowed to himself that he would never break it