"Wounds." Chapter One.
Story: Wounds
Chapter: One: Making Rounds (1/?)
Character(s)/Pairing: Zaraki/Unohana
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 960
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: Wow. Finally!
Wounds
One: Making Rounds
“Come on, Ken-chan! Come on!”
“I’m coming, Yachiru, don’t try and drag me.”
Unohana sighed and walked over to her door. She slid it open and smiled at the eleventh division’s captain and lieutenant. “Zaraki-taichou. Kusajishi-fukutaichou. I see you’ve come to hold me to our agreement.”
Zaraki grunted. “Damn right - she hasn’t shut up about her candy since you promised it to her.” He took an intimidating step forward and glared. “And you better have it or else - “
“Excuse me, Zaraki-taichou,” she said evenly, “but I do not go back on my word.” She smiled, covering up her irritation with the rough man. “I did promise, and I certainly don’t intend to break it.” She leaned down a little, giving Yachiru a warm smile. “Here,” she said, holding out her hand. “I hope you enjoy.”
Greedily, Yachiru snatched up the three pieces. “Ahh thanks, Braid-Lady.” She swallowed, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. “But where’s the rest? There was a whole bag! I thought you said there was a whole bag.”
“You’ll get it, Yachiru-chan, don’t worry. But since Zaraki-taichou needs me to watch you while I give you the treat, I thought I’d spread it out.”
“But I want it all!” Yachiru whined, climbing on top of Zaraki’s shoulder. “Come on, Braid-Lady, please?”
Unohana smiled. “I’m going to be very busy all day. If you’re as wild as everyone claims once you’ve had so much sugar, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle you.”
“No, don’t listen to Pachinko ball and Feather-Brows! I’m good!”
Zaraki snorted. “Yachiru, don’t lie.”
The little girl pouted.
“Well,” Unohana said, “if you’d like to come with me while I run a few errands, then maybe I could be persuaded to give it all to you now.”
Yachiru nodded happily, grinning widely. “Yeah, we’ll go! Right, Ken-chan?”
“Me? Why the hell do you need me with you?”
“You trust me with your lieutenant, then, Zaraki-taichou?” Unohana asked curiously.
“If anything happened to her, I’d have to take her here, anyway.”
Unohana graced him with a warm smile. “Yes. I’m glad you see that.” She turned to Yachiru. “Zaraki-taichou may come if he wishes, but he has to behave, as well. Now here you are.” She pulled a small bag out of her robes and handed it to the eager girl. “Enjoy.”
Yachiru didn’t even have time to mutter a “thank you” as she started shoveling the whole bag into her mouth.
“Slow down,” Zaraki instructed crossly. “If you choke, you’re going to be sorry.”
Unohana merely smiled.
Yachiru kept eating, heedless of Zaraki’s warning, as the three headed out of the fourth division. Unohana noted with some distaste how the very sight of the eleventh division captain was enough to make many of her subordinates all but fling themselves out of the room. The fourth was without doubt the smallest child on the playground and the eleventh took no small pleasure in torturing its members as much as they could. It came as no surprise then that their leader would be terrifying. Unohana had thought of trying to talk to Zaraki-taichou, but it seemed unlikely that the brutish captain would be willing to listen to anything she had to say.
“So,” Zaraki said, looking around him with a frown, “where the hell are we going anyway?”
“To see captain Ukitake-taichou,” she answered evenly. “I told him I’d deliver another dose of his medicine today.”
“Medicine?” Zaraki sneered. “That guy’s always sick.”
“Naturally,” Unohana told him, pushing down her irritation with him. “Ukitake-taichou has a chronic condition that requires a continuous course of treatment.”
“Puh.” If she’d looked over at him, she’d be willing to bet he’d rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid,” he said. “Why bother if you’re just goin’ to be sick all the time?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate him,” Unohana told Zaraki, her tone light but weighted. “I’d wager he’s stronger than you.”
“Hey!” Yachiru chirped indignantly. “Nobody’s stronger than Ken-chan! Right?”
Zaraki smiled fondly and ruffled the girl’s hair. “I don’t know, Yachiru. An’ I guess we’ll never find out because the bastard won’t fight me…”
Unohana sighed. “Zaraki-taichou, you actually want to fight the other captains?”
“Hell yes, I do! There aren’t enough hollow attacks and none of my division members want to fight me all out. They’re only good for training.”
“Perhaps you should curb this fighting impulse, then. Fighting other captains will only breed discord in Seireitei.”
Zaraki snorted in laugher. “And I care because?”
She sighed again. “It would seem that you don’t care at all.”
They continued walking, the two captains quiet. Yachiru, on the other hand, was chattering away - mostly talking to Zaraki, but occasionally she would address Unohana. The sugar she’d eaten was beginning to kick in and she was running circles around them, jumping from Zaraki’s shoulder to nearby rooftops to the ground and back again. Despite the incessant chatter, Unohana found the hyperactive young lieutenant rather endearing - at moments annoying, yes, but overall she was rather adorable.
When they arrived to see captain Ukitake, he was - to say the least - surprised. “Hello,” he said, looking from Unohana to Zaraki with a frown. “Um… it’s nice to see you, Unohana. And you as well, Zaraki-taichou. I’m sure.”
Zaraki wasn’t interested in pleasantries. “Okay, you gave him the medicine. Can me and Yachiru go?”
“I was never keeping you,” Unohana explained calmly. “If you recall, I volunteered to watch Yachiru.”
She bowed politely. “Have a good afternoon, Ukitake-taichou. Please let me know if you need anything.”
She took her leave of the thirteenth division captain, Yachiru still trailing behind. “Okay, kid,” Zaraki snapped. “We’re leaving.”
“Bye, Braid-Lady!” Yachiru said with a wave, climbing up to her usual perch.
Unohana smiled. “Goodbye.”
~~~
Previous
Chapter: One: Making Rounds (1/?)
Character(s)/Pairing: Zaraki/Unohana
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 960
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: Wow. Finally!
Wounds
One: Making Rounds
“Come on, Ken-chan! Come on!”
“I’m coming, Yachiru, don’t try and drag me.”
Unohana sighed and walked over to her door. She slid it open and smiled at the eleventh division’s captain and lieutenant. “Zaraki-taichou. Kusajishi-fukutaichou. I see you’ve come to hold me to our agreement.”
Zaraki grunted. “Damn right - she hasn’t shut up about her candy since you promised it to her.” He took an intimidating step forward and glared. “And you better have it or else - “
“Excuse me, Zaraki-taichou,” she said evenly, “but I do not go back on my word.” She smiled, covering up her irritation with the rough man. “I did promise, and I certainly don’t intend to break it.” She leaned down a little, giving Yachiru a warm smile. “Here,” she said, holding out her hand. “I hope you enjoy.”
Greedily, Yachiru snatched up the three pieces. “Ahh thanks, Braid-Lady.” She swallowed, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. “But where’s the rest? There was a whole bag! I thought you said there was a whole bag.”
“You’ll get it, Yachiru-chan, don’t worry. But since Zaraki-taichou needs me to watch you while I give you the treat, I thought I’d spread it out.”
“But I want it all!” Yachiru whined, climbing on top of Zaraki’s shoulder. “Come on, Braid-Lady, please?”
Unohana smiled. “I’m going to be very busy all day. If you’re as wild as everyone claims once you’ve had so much sugar, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle you.”
“No, don’t listen to Pachinko ball and Feather-Brows! I’m good!”
Zaraki snorted. “Yachiru, don’t lie.”
The little girl pouted.
“Well,” Unohana said, “if you’d like to come with me while I run a few errands, then maybe I could be persuaded to give it all to you now.”
Yachiru nodded happily, grinning widely. “Yeah, we’ll go! Right, Ken-chan?”
“Me? Why the hell do you need me with you?”
“You trust me with your lieutenant, then, Zaraki-taichou?” Unohana asked curiously.
“If anything happened to her, I’d have to take her here, anyway.”
Unohana graced him with a warm smile. “Yes. I’m glad you see that.” She turned to Yachiru. “Zaraki-taichou may come if he wishes, but he has to behave, as well. Now here you are.” She pulled a small bag out of her robes and handed it to the eager girl. “Enjoy.”
Yachiru didn’t even have time to mutter a “thank you” as she started shoveling the whole bag into her mouth.
“Slow down,” Zaraki instructed crossly. “If you choke, you’re going to be sorry.”
Unohana merely smiled.
Yachiru kept eating, heedless of Zaraki’s warning, as the three headed out of the fourth division. Unohana noted with some distaste how the very sight of the eleventh division captain was enough to make many of her subordinates all but fling themselves out of the room. The fourth was without doubt the smallest child on the playground and the eleventh took no small pleasure in torturing its members as much as they could. It came as no surprise then that their leader would be terrifying. Unohana had thought of trying to talk to Zaraki-taichou, but it seemed unlikely that the brutish captain would be willing to listen to anything she had to say.
“So,” Zaraki said, looking around him with a frown, “where the hell are we going anyway?”
“To see captain Ukitake-taichou,” she answered evenly. “I told him I’d deliver another dose of his medicine today.”
“Medicine?” Zaraki sneered. “That guy’s always sick.”
“Naturally,” Unohana told him, pushing down her irritation with him. “Ukitake-taichou has a chronic condition that requires a continuous course of treatment.”
“Puh.” If she’d looked over at him, she’d be willing to bet he’d rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid,” he said. “Why bother if you’re just goin’ to be sick all the time?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate him,” Unohana told Zaraki, her tone light but weighted. “I’d wager he’s stronger than you.”
“Hey!” Yachiru chirped indignantly. “Nobody’s stronger than Ken-chan! Right?”
Zaraki smiled fondly and ruffled the girl’s hair. “I don’t know, Yachiru. An’ I guess we’ll never find out because the bastard won’t fight me…”
Unohana sighed. “Zaraki-taichou, you actually want to fight the other captains?”
“Hell yes, I do! There aren’t enough hollow attacks and none of my division members want to fight me all out. They’re only good for training.”
“Perhaps you should curb this fighting impulse, then. Fighting other captains will only breed discord in Seireitei.”
Zaraki snorted in laugher. “And I care because?”
She sighed again. “It would seem that you don’t care at all.”
They continued walking, the two captains quiet. Yachiru, on the other hand, was chattering away - mostly talking to Zaraki, but occasionally she would address Unohana. The sugar she’d eaten was beginning to kick in and she was running circles around them, jumping from Zaraki’s shoulder to nearby rooftops to the ground and back again. Despite the incessant chatter, Unohana found the hyperactive young lieutenant rather endearing - at moments annoying, yes, but overall she was rather adorable.
When they arrived to see captain Ukitake, he was - to say the least - surprised. “Hello,” he said, looking from Unohana to Zaraki with a frown. “Um… it’s nice to see you, Unohana. And you as well, Zaraki-taichou. I’m sure.”
Zaraki wasn’t interested in pleasantries. “Okay, you gave him the medicine. Can me and Yachiru go?”
“I was never keeping you,” Unohana explained calmly. “If you recall, I volunteered to watch Yachiru.”
She bowed politely. “Have a good afternoon, Ukitake-taichou. Please let me know if you need anything.”
She took her leave of the thirteenth division captain, Yachiru still trailing behind. “Okay, kid,” Zaraki snapped. “We’re leaving.”
“Bye, Braid-Lady!” Yachiru said with a wave, climbing up to her usual perch.
Unohana smiled. “Goodbye.”
~~~
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