Doing Whatever It Takes
Title: Doing Whatever It Takes
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Byakuya/Yachiru and Ikkaku/Yachiru with appearances by Rukia, Yumichika and Kenpachi
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set far in the future, so no direct spoilers.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Summary: She had just wanted him to notice her. She hadn't expected it to go this far, though.
Authors Notes: For kanjo_girl’s prompt “Yachiru & Ikkau - all grown up.” I had started writing this fic the day I originally got the prompt but, alas, when I had to reformat my computer this was the one story that didn't survive. I like this version better, though.
---
“Ken-chan! Baldy! Weirdo!” Yachiru's voice rang out through the training grounds that the 11th Division used. She had grown into a very lovely young woman in all the years that had passed. She was tall, curvaceous, and wore her hair long and pulled back into a ponytail high upon her head. She looked nearly eighteen though she was far older than that now.
Ikkaku's eye twitched at the sound of his hated nickname. “I wish she'd stop calling me that,” he grumbled.
Yumichicka nodded over to the doorway. “Looks like we have another visit from the 6th Division captain.”
Ikkaku's eye twitched more. He didn't like the way Yachiru looked at him, or hung on his arm, or any of that. The sight of Byakuya Kuchiki was enough to piss him off these days. Hell, the sound of his name could do that. And that was a shame, because Rukia Kuchiki was a pretty cool young woman. This was why he always referred to her as Rukia and not Kuchiki-san, he had told her a few weeks ago. She had smiled and said that was fine. She was really different from her brother, that was for sure. Didn't act like she had a stick up her ass.
“Whaddya want?” Kenpachi asked, lowering the sword he was holding in preparation to train some new recruits.
“Bya-kun asked me to marry him!”
There was dead silence in the training area. It almost seemed as though the wind stopped and the birds had died. Everyone looked first at the couple, then Kenpachi. He shrugged, and said “Whatever makes you happy, Yachiru. Go ahead.”
“Wait a second!” Now everyone turned to Ikkaku, who had thrown his hands up in the air. “He's not a fit husband for her! She needs someone who's a real fighter. I don't think he's man enough.”
“You could always challenge him,” Kenpachi said thoughtfully.
“Fine!” He walked up to Byakuya. “I challenge you to one on one combat. No holds barred, bankai against bankai.”
Byakuya slowly nodded. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Ikkaku said. “Tomorrow, at noon.”
Byakuya nodded again toward Ikkaku, then turned to Yachiru. “We have many things to discuss.”:
“Right, Bya-kun!” She said. “Bye guys!” And with that she grabbed his arm and dragged them away, leaving Ikkaku fuming. They made it about fifty feet away, far from the ears of anyone in her division, before she stopped and dropped the smile. “I'm sorry, Byakuya. I didn't think he'd do that,” she said quietly.
He shrugged, just the tiniest inclination of his shoulders, but she knew it when she saw it. “It is of no matter. I can easily beat him.”
“I don't want you to beat him,” Yachiru said, shaking her head. “I don't even want you to fight him! He may have an impressive bankai but yours will tear him to shreds!”
“Then you can nurse him back to health,” he pointed out. “Your plan all along has been to get him to notice you and express these feelings you believe he has for you. Challenging me to a fight should be sign enough.”
She wavered slightly, then shook her head. “No. You need to lose tomorrow, Byakuya.”
“It would besmirch the Kuchiki name if I were to purposefully lose,” he said.
She glared at him. “You owe me. You agreed to help me out with this. We do it my way.”
He looked at her, and then sighed. “Perhaps we can enlist some help to see if the fight can be avoided all together,” he said.
“Who?” she asked.
“Rukia. She is friendly with Ikkaku. She may be able to convince him to just admit these feelings and avoid the fight altogether.”
“But she doesn't know about our agreement,” she said, looking at him. He said nothing, but looked just a tiny bit guilty. “Right?”
“She saw us talking in the manor, making plans,” he said with a sigh. “I had to tell her the truth.”
She sighed. “Fine. Let's go see if she can help us out.”
-
“Don't get me wrong, I would love to have you as a sister-in-law, but I'm glad this is not a real relationship,” Rukia said as the three of them settled in at a table in the Kuchiki manor. Rukia was pouring tea, showing the poise and grace Byakuya had always known she had. It had become more prominent since she had started a relationship with Renji, he noted, and this helped take some of the over-protectiveness away.
His sister had matured into an elegant young woman. Though she had not grown much taller, she did not seem like a teenager anymore. The marks of battle upon her soul were great, and that instilled maturity beyond her years. Yes, she could still be short-tempered, and she preferred to be barefoot most of the time, but she was now a woman Byakuya was immensely proud of, not a teenager.
“Well, I don't want them to fight tomorrow,” Yachiru said, taking a cookie that was sitting on the plate in front of her. Some things never changed, Byakuya noted, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. Yachiru still liked her sweets, though now they were in moderation.
“Nii-sama never told me how this arrangement started,” Rukia said, settling back and picking up her cup of tea.
“I found some stuff of your sisters that she'd hidden when I was getting a new room built. I gave them to Byakuya,” she said with a shrug. “He said he owed me. I waited a few years, but six months ago I called in the debt. Nothing I did got Ikkaku to notice me, so I felt I had to take desperate measures.”
“In the last six months, when we have been alone together, I have seen that she receives instruction on how to behave like a proper lady,” Byakuya said before taking a sip of his tea.
“It's boring, but he says it's important, so I do it,” she said with a shrug, taking a bite of her cookie. “It is kinda cool, though, so...well, I doubt I'll ever use it, but it's good to know, anyway.”
“What items of Hisana-san's did you find?” Rukia asked Yachiru.
“Wedding stuff, journals, things she had kept from when you guys were young, I think,” she said. “I didn't look through it too much. I really thought it was his mother or grandmother's stuff.”
“When she had died I realized quite a few things of hers were missing,” Byakuya said. “I believed m father had gotten rid of them. My elders did not approve of our marriage.”
“Ah, I see,” Rukia said with a nod. “Well, that is certainly a very large debt to repay. But to go to such lengths...”
“This is where I want you to come in, though. You and Renji hang out with some of the guys from my division, right?” Yachiru asked.
“Yes, but not as often.”
“Go out tonight. Talk to Ikkaku. I don't think you'll have to say much to get him to talk about it. Then get him really drunk.”
Byakuya raised an eyebrow. “You're suggesting my sister go to a...bar? And get Madarame drunk?”
“I can't think of any other way to get him to call off the fight tomorrow!” Yachiru said.
“I may have a better idea,” Rukia said. “Do you trust me?”
Yachiru nodded. “I trust you.”
“Then let's enjoy our tea as we go over my idea,” she said.
-
“Madarame-san!” Rukia said, running to catch up with him.
He turned around and grinned slightly. “Ah, it's you, Rukia. You heard the news?”
“I did. And I think Nii-sama is making a big mistake.”
An eyebrow shot up. “Really?”
“She's too young for him, too hot-blooded. I mean, only a few years ago she was a disaster area for anyone near her. I believe she will have a negative influence on my Nii-sama”
“Then I'll fight him tomorrow and prove he's not man enough,” he said. “Solves both our problems.”
“Please don't hurt Nii-sama, she said, grabbing his arm. “He is so important to me, and I believe you could easily beat him. There has to be some other way.”
“Fighting's what I'm good at.”
She paused. “I know why I do not want this marriage to happen, but why do you object so much?”
“He's not right for her. She needs someone more manly, more alive and not so much like a glacier.”
“She confided in me she had been interested in a man like that but he never returned her affections. That is why she turned to Nii-sama”
“Yeah?” Ikkaku asked, surprised. “Who?”
“You,” Rukia said. “I believe that she would readily return any affections you would show her.”
He stared at her open-mouthed. “You mean she likes me? Likes me?”
Rukia nodded. “But I don't think she wants this fight to happen either. It does her no good to have two men she cares about injured.” Rukia bowed slightly. “Please consider my request carefully.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said in a tone of voice that showed other things were on his mind. She walked away, smiling brightly, satisfied she had done her job and done it well.
-
At noon the next day most of the Gotei 13 had gathered at the 11th Division training grounds. There were people crammed everywhere. Ikkaku and Yumichika were on one side, while Yachiru, Rukia and Byakuya were on the other. Kenpachi stood in the middle. “Are all of ya ready?” he asked.
Byakuya nodded. “I am.”
Ikkaku looked at Byakuya, then Kenpachi, then Yachiru, and back at Byakuya. “You care about her?” he asked.
“I do,” Byakuya said with a nod.
“But do you love her?” he asked.
“In my own way, yes,” Byakuya said.
“I don't think you do. And I don't think fighting's gonna prove it.” He pointed at Yachiru. “You like me, right?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Well, who do you like more, me or him?” he asked.
Yachiru looked at Byakuya, who nodded slightly. With a smile, she turned to Ikkaku. “You. Duh.”
Ikkaku grinned. “You sure put on a big enough show to get my attention.” He tilted his head slightly. “Why don't you and I go somewhere and talk?”
“Okay!” She said. She gave Byakuya a quick kiss on the cheek, a quick thanks, then bounded over to Ikkaku and dragged him away.
The gathered crowd groaned, and people started to make noise. Kenpachi looked around, disappointed. “Damn. I wanted a fight today.” Then he stopped, looked at Byakuya, and grinned. “What if I challenge ya?” he asked Byakuya.
Byakuya nodded slowly. “I would have no problem tearing you to shreds,” he said.
“Nii-sama!” Rukia hissed. “I thought the whole thing was for you not to fight today!”
“Some fights are more important than others,” he said, not looking at her.
She looked at her brother, then Kenpachi, who was grinning like a mad man. Then she sighed. “When you are injured, send someone to let me know so I can tend to your wounds.”
“You have no faith in me?” Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Captain Kenpachi cheats,” she said. “Enjoy yourself, Nii-sama” And with that she turned and left the training grounds, walking away as the sounds of swords clashing started. For a man that seemed so aloof and cool and calm, sometimes her brother did some very stupid things...
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Byakuya/Yachiru and Ikkaku/Yachiru with appearances by Rukia, Yumichika and Kenpachi
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set far in the future, so no direct spoilers.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Summary: She had just wanted him to notice her. She hadn't expected it to go this far, though.
Authors Notes: For kanjo_girl’s prompt “Yachiru & Ikkau - all grown up.” I had started writing this fic the day I originally got the prompt but, alas, when I had to reformat my computer this was the one story that didn't survive. I like this version better, though.
---
“Ken-chan! Baldy! Weirdo!” Yachiru's voice rang out through the training grounds that the 11th Division used. She had grown into a very lovely young woman in all the years that had passed. She was tall, curvaceous, and wore her hair long and pulled back into a ponytail high upon her head. She looked nearly eighteen though she was far older than that now.
Ikkaku's eye twitched at the sound of his hated nickname. “I wish she'd stop calling me that,” he grumbled.
Yumichicka nodded over to the doorway. “Looks like we have another visit from the 6th Division captain.”
Ikkaku's eye twitched more. He didn't like the way Yachiru looked at him, or hung on his arm, or any of that. The sight of Byakuya Kuchiki was enough to piss him off these days. Hell, the sound of his name could do that. And that was a shame, because Rukia Kuchiki was a pretty cool young woman. This was why he always referred to her as Rukia and not Kuchiki-san, he had told her a few weeks ago. She had smiled and said that was fine. She was really different from her brother, that was for sure. Didn't act like she had a stick up her ass.
“Whaddya want?” Kenpachi asked, lowering the sword he was holding in preparation to train some new recruits.
“Bya-kun asked me to marry him!”
There was dead silence in the training area. It almost seemed as though the wind stopped and the birds had died. Everyone looked first at the couple, then Kenpachi. He shrugged, and said “Whatever makes you happy, Yachiru. Go ahead.”
“Wait a second!” Now everyone turned to Ikkaku, who had thrown his hands up in the air. “He's not a fit husband for her! She needs someone who's a real fighter. I don't think he's man enough.”
“You could always challenge him,” Kenpachi said thoughtfully.
“Fine!” He walked up to Byakuya. “I challenge you to one on one combat. No holds barred, bankai against bankai.”
Byakuya slowly nodded. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Ikkaku said. “Tomorrow, at noon.”
Byakuya nodded again toward Ikkaku, then turned to Yachiru. “We have many things to discuss.”:
“Right, Bya-kun!” She said. “Bye guys!” And with that she grabbed his arm and dragged them away, leaving Ikkaku fuming. They made it about fifty feet away, far from the ears of anyone in her division, before she stopped and dropped the smile. “I'm sorry, Byakuya. I didn't think he'd do that,” she said quietly.
He shrugged, just the tiniest inclination of his shoulders, but she knew it when she saw it. “It is of no matter. I can easily beat him.”
“I don't want you to beat him,” Yachiru said, shaking her head. “I don't even want you to fight him! He may have an impressive bankai but yours will tear him to shreds!”
“Then you can nurse him back to health,” he pointed out. “Your plan all along has been to get him to notice you and express these feelings you believe he has for you. Challenging me to a fight should be sign enough.”
She wavered slightly, then shook her head. “No. You need to lose tomorrow, Byakuya.”
“It would besmirch the Kuchiki name if I were to purposefully lose,” he said.
She glared at him. “You owe me. You agreed to help me out with this. We do it my way.”
He looked at her, and then sighed. “Perhaps we can enlist some help to see if the fight can be avoided all together,” he said.
“Who?” she asked.
“Rukia. She is friendly with Ikkaku. She may be able to convince him to just admit these feelings and avoid the fight altogether.”
“But she doesn't know about our agreement,” she said, looking at him. He said nothing, but looked just a tiny bit guilty. “Right?”
“She saw us talking in the manor, making plans,” he said with a sigh. “I had to tell her the truth.”
She sighed. “Fine. Let's go see if she can help us out.”
-
“Don't get me wrong, I would love to have you as a sister-in-law, but I'm glad this is not a real relationship,” Rukia said as the three of them settled in at a table in the Kuchiki manor. Rukia was pouring tea, showing the poise and grace Byakuya had always known she had. It had become more prominent since she had started a relationship with Renji, he noted, and this helped take some of the over-protectiveness away.
His sister had matured into an elegant young woman. Though she had not grown much taller, she did not seem like a teenager anymore. The marks of battle upon her soul were great, and that instilled maturity beyond her years. Yes, she could still be short-tempered, and she preferred to be barefoot most of the time, but she was now a woman Byakuya was immensely proud of, not a teenager.
“Well, I don't want them to fight tomorrow,” Yachiru said, taking a cookie that was sitting on the plate in front of her. Some things never changed, Byakuya noted, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. Yachiru still liked her sweets, though now they were in moderation.
“Nii-sama never told me how this arrangement started,” Rukia said, settling back and picking up her cup of tea.
“I found some stuff of your sisters that she'd hidden when I was getting a new room built. I gave them to Byakuya,” she said with a shrug. “He said he owed me. I waited a few years, but six months ago I called in the debt. Nothing I did got Ikkaku to notice me, so I felt I had to take desperate measures.”
“In the last six months, when we have been alone together, I have seen that she receives instruction on how to behave like a proper lady,” Byakuya said before taking a sip of his tea.
“It's boring, but he says it's important, so I do it,” she said with a shrug, taking a bite of her cookie. “It is kinda cool, though, so...well, I doubt I'll ever use it, but it's good to know, anyway.”
“What items of Hisana-san's did you find?” Rukia asked Yachiru.
“Wedding stuff, journals, things she had kept from when you guys were young, I think,” she said. “I didn't look through it too much. I really thought it was his mother or grandmother's stuff.”
“When she had died I realized quite a few things of hers were missing,” Byakuya said. “I believed m father had gotten rid of them. My elders did not approve of our marriage.”
“Ah, I see,” Rukia said with a nod. “Well, that is certainly a very large debt to repay. But to go to such lengths...”
“This is where I want you to come in, though. You and Renji hang out with some of the guys from my division, right?” Yachiru asked.
“Yes, but not as often.”
“Go out tonight. Talk to Ikkaku. I don't think you'll have to say much to get him to talk about it. Then get him really drunk.”
Byakuya raised an eyebrow. “You're suggesting my sister go to a...bar? And get Madarame drunk?”
“I can't think of any other way to get him to call off the fight tomorrow!” Yachiru said.
“I may have a better idea,” Rukia said. “Do you trust me?”
Yachiru nodded. “I trust you.”
“Then let's enjoy our tea as we go over my idea,” she said.
-
“Madarame-san!” Rukia said, running to catch up with him.
He turned around and grinned slightly. “Ah, it's you, Rukia. You heard the news?”
“I did. And I think Nii-sama is making a big mistake.”
An eyebrow shot up. “Really?”
“She's too young for him, too hot-blooded. I mean, only a few years ago she was a disaster area for anyone near her. I believe she will have a negative influence on my Nii-sama”
“Then I'll fight him tomorrow and prove he's not man enough,” he said. “Solves both our problems.”
“Please don't hurt Nii-sama, she said, grabbing his arm. “He is so important to me, and I believe you could easily beat him. There has to be some other way.”
“Fighting's what I'm good at.”
She paused. “I know why I do not want this marriage to happen, but why do you object so much?”
“He's not right for her. She needs someone more manly, more alive and not so much like a glacier.”
“She confided in me she had been interested in a man like that but he never returned her affections. That is why she turned to Nii-sama”
“Yeah?” Ikkaku asked, surprised. “Who?”
“You,” Rukia said. “I believe that she would readily return any affections you would show her.”
He stared at her open-mouthed. “You mean she likes me? Likes me?”
Rukia nodded. “But I don't think she wants this fight to happen either. It does her no good to have two men she cares about injured.” Rukia bowed slightly. “Please consider my request carefully.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said in a tone of voice that showed other things were on his mind. She walked away, smiling brightly, satisfied she had done her job and done it well.
-
At noon the next day most of the Gotei 13 had gathered at the 11th Division training grounds. There were people crammed everywhere. Ikkaku and Yumichika were on one side, while Yachiru, Rukia and Byakuya were on the other. Kenpachi stood in the middle. “Are all of ya ready?” he asked.
Byakuya nodded. “I am.”
Ikkaku looked at Byakuya, then Kenpachi, then Yachiru, and back at Byakuya. “You care about her?” he asked.
“I do,” Byakuya said with a nod.
“But do you love her?” he asked.
“In my own way, yes,” Byakuya said.
“I don't think you do. And I don't think fighting's gonna prove it.” He pointed at Yachiru. “You like me, right?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Well, who do you like more, me or him?” he asked.
Yachiru looked at Byakuya, who nodded slightly. With a smile, she turned to Ikkaku. “You. Duh.”
Ikkaku grinned. “You sure put on a big enough show to get my attention.” He tilted his head slightly. “Why don't you and I go somewhere and talk?”
“Okay!” She said. She gave Byakuya a quick kiss on the cheek, a quick thanks, then bounded over to Ikkaku and dragged him away.
The gathered crowd groaned, and people started to make noise. Kenpachi looked around, disappointed. “Damn. I wanted a fight today.” Then he stopped, looked at Byakuya, and grinned. “What if I challenge ya?” he asked Byakuya.
Byakuya nodded slowly. “I would have no problem tearing you to shreds,” he said.
“Nii-sama!” Rukia hissed. “I thought the whole thing was for you not to fight today!”
“Some fights are more important than others,” he said, not looking at her.
She looked at her brother, then Kenpachi, who was grinning like a mad man. Then she sighed. “When you are injured, send someone to let me know so I can tend to your wounds.”
“You have no faith in me?” Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Captain Kenpachi cheats,” she said. “Enjoy yourself, Nii-sama” And with that she turned and left the training grounds, walking away as the sounds of swords clashing started. For a man that seemed so aloof and cool and calm, sometimes her brother did some very stupid things...