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matrixrefugeeI have mixed feelings about "Bleach": I like a number of the characters, but sometimes the execution feels a bit problematic for me (pacing issues, absurdly overpowered villains :: Glares in the direction of the Bounts::, plus it's soooo loooong. 167 episodes, two movies and it's still in production. Eesh...). But I like it enough that it's inspired me to write one or two character sketches, including this one...
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A red rose and a white rose tied together with a golden silk ribbon, for Henry and Monica Swinton;
A tiny pink rosebud and a thick thorny stem without any blossoms at all for Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru
"Where She Belongs"
by "Matrix Refugee
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Bleach", it's characters, concepts or other indicia, which are the property of Tite Kubo, Masashi Kudo, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, TvTokyo, Studio Pierrot, et al.
Rating: PG (brief language)
Author's Note: This is one of those ideas that was just too damn cute not to write, though I imagine if the guy involved knew that anyone found out about it, he'd likely find a way to put them through their paces, especially if they teased him about it. But it seems I like writing incredibly scary anime guys having Pet the Dog or Pet the Morality Pet moments.
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Once they had settled in the Seireitei, Kenpachi had made sure Yachiru had her own tiny futon to sleep on, next to his own much larger one, and had strictly instructed her that this was her place to sleep. The girl, however, had grown accustomed to sleeping close to his side during their wanderings; thus, three nights out of five, he would awaken briefly to find Yachiru had slipped out of her bed to snuggle against him. Or he would find she had crawled under his arm and nestled in the crook of his elbow, as he lay with his arms folded on his broad chest, one hand on the hilt of a sheathed sai tucked beneath his body. Or to his annoyance, he would wake to find her laying with her head on his breastbone, her pink hair tickling his bare chest where the neck of his bedrobe had slipped open. Initially, he would pick her up and stick her back under her coverlet, but this did nothing to discourage her on subsequent nights.
Finally, he took a less direct approach. The next time he awakened to find Yachiru nestled on his breast, he nudged her awake. She emitted a small, soft chirp of irritation, but he felt her shift as if she awakened.
"What is it, Ken-chan? Is there something exciting going on?" she asked.
"No, but you're sleeping on my chest again. You have your own bed to sleep on: sleep there," he told her.
"But I like sleeping here with you. Then if you need me, I'm right here," she replied.
"I know that, but I want you to sleep in your own bed. Now," he ordered.
"Okay, Ken-chan," she said, a bit disappointed, and she slipped down from him; he heard the tatami rustle under her small feet as she pattered to her own futon and crept under the covers. He heard her emit a tiny yawn and then a small sound that might have been a sigh of loneliness.
That did it. He knew what people said about him, and he heard the words people used to describe him when they thought he couldn't hear them whispering: "psycho" and "maniac" were some of the milder ones, which always made him smirk to himself; anyone with unorthodox methods usually was viewed as a madman to the humdrum and he was used to this reaction, even secretly enjoying it when people regarded him askance. And though he never showed it, his soul rankled for a millisecond when he heard them call him a "bastard", for reasons he would reveal to no one. But the one word he never wanted to live up to -- without his idea of a good reason -- was "monster" and for a moment, he couldn't help thinking he'd earned that for the wrong reason, namely upsetting the one being he cared for.
He muttered a curse under his breath, then propping himself up on one elbow, he spoke up. "Yachiru?"
"Mmm? Yes, Ken-chan?" she murmured sleepily.
"Next time you crawl over here you can stay with me. Just make sure, if someone calls for me in the night, you keep an ear open for them and you go back to your own bed before they see you. Got that?"
"I got that, Ken-chan," she said. As if she had been anticipating him relenting, she got up, pattered over to him and climbed back up onto his chest, where she snuggled her head against his shoulder. "Isn't it nicer this way?"
"Yeah, I guess it is," he said, laying back down and in an almost fatherly gesture, covering her back with one of his huge, callused hands.
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A red rose and a white rose tied together with a golden silk ribbon, for Henry and Monica Swinton;
A tiny pink rosebud and a thick thorny stem without any blossoms at all for Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru
"Where She Belongs"
by "Matrix Refugee
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Bleach", it's characters, concepts or other indicia, which are the property of Tite Kubo, Masashi Kudo, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, TvTokyo, Studio Pierrot, et al.
Rating: PG (brief language)
Author's Note: This is one of those ideas that was just too damn cute not to write, though I imagine if the guy involved knew that anyone found out about it, he'd likely find a way to put them through their paces, especially if they teased him about it. But it seems I like writing incredibly scary anime guys having Pet the Dog or Pet the Morality Pet moments.
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Once they had settled in the Seireitei, Kenpachi had made sure Yachiru had her own tiny futon to sleep on, next to his own much larger one, and had strictly instructed her that this was her place to sleep. The girl, however, had grown accustomed to sleeping close to his side during their wanderings; thus, three nights out of five, he would awaken briefly to find Yachiru had slipped out of her bed to snuggle against him. Or he would find she had crawled under his arm and nestled in the crook of his elbow, as he lay with his arms folded on his broad chest, one hand on the hilt of a sheathed sai tucked beneath his body. Or to his annoyance, he would wake to find her laying with her head on his breastbone, her pink hair tickling his bare chest where the neck of his bedrobe had slipped open. Initially, he would pick her up and stick her back under her coverlet, but this did nothing to discourage her on subsequent nights.
Finally, he took a less direct approach. The next time he awakened to find Yachiru nestled on his breast, he nudged her awake. She emitted a small, soft chirp of irritation, but he felt her shift as if she awakened.
"What is it, Ken-chan? Is there something exciting going on?" she asked.
"No, but you're sleeping on my chest again. You have your own bed to sleep on: sleep there," he told her.
"But I like sleeping here with you. Then if you need me, I'm right here," she replied.
"I know that, but I want you to sleep in your own bed. Now," he ordered.
"Okay, Ken-chan," she said, a bit disappointed, and she slipped down from him; he heard the tatami rustle under her small feet as she pattered to her own futon and crept under the covers. He heard her emit a tiny yawn and then a small sound that might have been a sigh of loneliness.
That did it. He knew what people said about him, and he heard the words people used to describe him when they thought he couldn't hear them whispering: "psycho" and "maniac" were some of the milder ones, which always made him smirk to himself; anyone with unorthodox methods usually was viewed as a madman to the humdrum and he was used to this reaction, even secretly enjoying it when people regarded him askance. And though he never showed it, his soul rankled for a millisecond when he heard them call him a "bastard", for reasons he would reveal to no one. But the one word he never wanted to live up to -- without his idea of a good reason -- was "monster" and for a moment, he couldn't help thinking he'd earned that for the wrong reason, namely upsetting the one being he cared for.
He muttered a curse under his breath, then propping himself up on one elbow, he spoke up. "Yachiru?"
"Mmm? Yes, Ken-chan?" she murmured sleepily.
"Next time you crawl over here you can stay with me. Just make sure, if someone calls for me in the night, you keep an ear open for them and you go back to your own bed before they see you. Got that?"
"I got that, Ken-chan," she said. As if she had been anticipating him relenting, she got up, pattered over to him and climbed back up onto his chest, where she snuggled her head against his shoulder. "Isn't it nicer this way?"
"Yeah, I guess it is," he said, laying back down and in an almost fatherly gesture, covering her back with one of his huge, callused hands.
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Date: 2010-02-06 12:44 am (UTC)Oh, and regarding the Bounts, they're just a filler arc and according to the general concensus of the 'net, a pretty naff one.
~Weaver
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Date: 2010-02-06 01:22 am (UTC)I've gotten up to the part where the Bounts invade the Soul Society and I had to admit to sharing Kenpachi's sentiments when he tells Yachiru he's not interested in fighting them. I wouldn't fight 'em unless someone found a way to paste the damn things and *then* I'd go into Alucard mode on them. If the Bounts had a weakness that could be exploited, that would make them interesting and more worthwhile. They're almost half-interesting if one treats them as energy vampires of some sort, but... Right now, they remind me of the boring god-moding RP-gamers I used to run across back in the days of the Matrix Online.