With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Umi ignored the girly looking protest of the Fifth Seat as she made a break for freedom and a chance at life. Onto to run smack into the Captain she was running from. It was something like running headlong into a brick wall and she fell back with an 'oof' sound. Looking up at the two looking...well, one was practically glaring down at her. "Gomen nasai..." Umi began in a soft voice, "I...have not had the greatest of luck with being around Captains...after Kurotsuchi-Taichou attacked me...I...well...I'm sorry I ran." She looked down and realized what she'd done, apparently she'd knocked something back into alignment when she smacked into Zaraki.
Umi glanced up to Yachiru and glanced to Zaraki nervously as she picked herself up, backing away some, "H-hai, I'm staying. Zaraki-Taichou...it's...difficult to be around your spirit pressure...though. Y-you're rather frightening a-and...it's just...I'm not...I mean....if you could....possibly..." It was hard enough trying to get a thought to finish in her head let alone articulate them while the Captain was standing right there and air practically going static with the waves of reiatsu coming off of him. It felt like blades along her skin.
Umi found a bit of courage in Yachiru's pouting. Umi was a complete sucker for such an expression and she tries to smile a bit. "Yarre, Kusajishi-fukutaichou...please don't pout. I'll stay and teach you how to make sweet buns like I said I would." Umi wasn't sure if she would survive this...but it would seem that she'd be giving the lesson to the Captain as well. "I can make a mince stuffing for you, Zaraki-Taichou, if you don't like a sweet filling in a bun. That way Kusajishi-fukutaichou can make you some when you want?" Diplomacy in the form of food. It wasn't a bad attempt.
Yumichika looked at his captain, and then his lieutenant, and then the new girl. "Again with the 'peacock-head', Kusajishi-fukutaichou?" he asked in mild annoyance. What is it with Yachiru and nicknames? Well, he should be thankful, at least peacocks were pretty, unlike Ikkaku's unfortunate 'pachinko-head'.
"Ah, Captain, who is she?" he asked, pointing to the strange woman as she stumbled back from comically running into the massive man's chest. "Is she joining the Division?" If she was, then that was unacceptable, well, to him. If she joined their ranks, who knows what would happen to their Division...especially his mantle of the most beautiful member of the Eleventh (not that she would ever take that from him. She would be good competition, though). He saw her stammering as she spoke. Scratch the notion of her joining the Eleventh if she could barely take Kenpachi's reiatsu. Poor girl looked scared to death. Really, was Kenpachi's reiatsu that bad? Or maybe he had just gotten used to it.
"Relax, it's not like he's going to kill you," Yumichika said as he began to rummage through the cupboards, taking caution to prevent the scarf from slipping, "Especially if you're going to give him meat," he added in a low murmur. Now, where were those pistachios...?
Post by Gosenkugi Kenji on Feb 21, 2010 13:42:59 GMT -5
For a few long, drawn out moments, Kenpachi merely stared down at the girl with that same blank, nearly murderous expression before she was outright admitting her fear and discomfort just from being around him. It was only then that something rather odd happened. See, most people would take some kind of offense to such claims. Most people, at least. Kenpachi on the other hand...
He laughed.
His lips curled upward, his lightly pointed teeth exposed in that mad grin he was known for bearing more often than not. He was intensely powerful, so much so that most Captains couldn't even handle his blade with their bankai's. However, to see such blatant emotion from him just standing there brought him amusement. With his grin growing wider, he'd just gaze down at her for a few more moments before Yumichika's often annoying voice struck his ears. Turning that lone eye up toward him, his grin remained as he looked to the 'pretty' Shinigami.
"Tch, joining? No. But she is going to be making us some food and that's good enough for me...Ain't that right, Yachiru?" Turning his eye back down to Umi, it seemed that he had ignored most of her statement. However, he was simply acknowledging it in his own way. If he had any intention of killing her, she'd be bisected on the floor before she could even muster a single exclamation of surprise. With that, he began to walk forward. If Umi didn't start moving, she'd find herself either run over or suffocated by that Reiatsu that was unconsciously flowing from his massive figure. She might have said that she was going to show all of these things to Yachiru, but until she was actively doing it...
"Yup!" Yachiru chirped gleefully. So Umi WAS staying! She knew it! Of course, it made perfect sense! That smile began to spread across her face as she took in the information. Umi wasn't leaving, she was just taking a quick break! Yes! That made perfect sense! It wasn't Ken-chan's presence at all!
What Yumichika didn't know was that the pistachios he was searching for simply were not there. The pink-haired-demon on Kenpachi's shoulders could muster an explaination for this, if she actively remembered. What she hadn't been paying attention to was the fact that she was the one who had eaten the pistachios. Though, he might find it out if he noticed she hadn't taken care to dispose of the packaging.
And speaking of Peacock-head... "Peacock-head, help us make sweets!" Why not? Candy was amazing! Yachiru found it only just to share the joy of sweets--as long as she got to eat a vast majority of them.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Umi was quick to her feet and returned to the kitchen. Laughter...he was a demon, he was unlike anything she'd ever even heard about. Though...Yachiru was the same, just less demonic and terrifying. 'Sweet Umi...you need not fear. Listen to the waves of the sea and let that calm you. Their reiatsu is overwhelming to you, but you can surround yourself with me and be able to be at peace.' Umi heard the soft, siren sweet voice of her Zanpakuto and then smiled as she heard the soft rush of waves. Indeed, the smell of the sea seemed to fill the kitchen as Umi relaxed and had an almost serene expression on her face.
Umi actually stopped and turned around to face the Captain, "Kusajishi-fukutaichou...will you help me prepare the dough for Zaraki-Taichou and Ayasegawa-san? Just like we did before with the flour and the eggs. I'll show you again, and you try to mirror." Smiling sweetly as she moved to the counter and poured out enough flour for two 'mountains'. "Now...you have to make the divet with the back of your hand...and then crack the eggs and add the sugar. Be careful not to leave any shells in." Umi demonstrated slow enough for Yachiru to clearly see. She reached over and tied Yachiru's shihakushou sleeves back before tying back her own one sleeve, since the other arm wasn't in the shihakushou at all.
She slowly began mixing the substance so Yachiru could mimic her and smiled. "When you have the ball as you like it, hand it to your Captain and then we'll start having them make little bun balls while I show you how to make sweet bean paste." The transformation of Umi was mercurial and fast. She'd been shaking like a leaf but seconds before and now looked like she hadn't known fear at any point in her life.
Hm...now where did those pistachios go? Yumichika continued to scour the cupboard until he found the small tin where he kept the snacks. As he pulled it out, he noticed that the tin was lighter than usual. Popping the top of, he peered inside and saw...
Nothing.
Shaking the tin upsidedown in a somewhat comedic fashion, the fifth-seat wondered where his pistachios had gone. Well, there really was only one explination if a food item magically disappeared. He turned and looked at Yachiru. "Fukutaichou...you haven't eaten my pistachios by chance?" That was a stupid question. Of course she did.
"Ah...I'm sorry, I can't help out," he said, backing away slowly towards the door, without noticing that Zaraki still stood near it, "Because you see, um, I have dry cleaning! Yes, I sent my clothes to the cleaners two hours ago, and I really need to pick them up. Maybe some other time, yes?" Of course there was no dry cleaning in need to be picked up. Yumichika just didn't want to help, because that meant touching the dough. And if he touched the dough, there was a possibility that it would get on his clothes.
Post by Gosenkugi Kenji on Feb 25, 2010 20:26:24 GMT -5
To say that Kenpachi was amused by this all would've been an understatement. He could practically see the change in the woman, going from outright fearful of his presence to calm and casual, as though she had been around him his entire life. It humored him, as told by that smirk that seemed to be permanently fixed upon his face. She wasn't only going about showing Yachiru those things she had before, but she was doing so as though he hadn't damn near threatened bodily harm on her. Umi was amusing one...Yes, she was.
After walking toward the door proper, he'd find his eyes shifting toward his fifth seat. It was only then that he realized that he was a bit more...colorful than usual. He seemed to be somewhat confused, his expression showing a clear surprise. It was only then that he outright said something about it.
"Eh, Yumichika..." He said as he looked at him, his scarred, hairless eyebrow raising ever so slightly as he examined the man none too far away from him. "...Why do you look like more of a fruit than usual?" It was spoken so casually, although it wasn't a comment meant to outright question his sexuality. The man was known for being rather colorful, and his current condition only made it more obvious. Looking at him, he'd tilt his head ever so slightly as he continued to observe him. Green fingernails, pink skin...Was this some kind of new trend that Yumichika was trying to get a foot up on? He simply didn't understand.
"Ne, but Peacock-head," Yachiru pouted. She had nothing to say about Umi, seeing as she was doing exactly what she had said to do. Anything to keep the child contented was all that Yachiru needed. A smile came over her face once more as Ken-chan asked his own question. Why of course Yumichika looked like a fruit. Yachiru had painted him that way.
It was such a fun deed to preform that Yachiru couldn't help but savor the moment. A smile came over her face, even as she hopped off of the Taichou's shoulders to approach Umi. She smiled widely as she began to work with the dough. Of course, there was always that everpresent temptation to simply eat the dough.
Well, who would notice, honestly, if some of the dough went missing and Yachiru was chewing a lump of something that smelled very sweet and very... very... deliecious... Well, that's exactly what happened: Yachiru shoved a small clump of dough into her mouth the very instant Umi looked even to the side for just a second.
"Me, Kem-thn, hulp be bok ma dough!" Yachiru shouted, her mouth still having a clump of dough inside of it. Her voice was incomprehensible at the moment. If anyone understood, they deserved a medal. If Peacock wasn't gonna help, Ken-chan might.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Umi smiled as she watched the goings on, all the while busy boiling the beans to be used for the requested sweet buns' paste. A glance to Yachiru who took a big bite of dough had her stifling her own sudden bubbling of giggles. "Yachiru-fukutaichou! If you eat all the dough we won't be able to make the buns. How about you share that one with everyone and I'll make another dough batch? You can only eat the one until we're finished, though." Trying to sound stern but failing miserably as she rinsed the beans and set them to boil again.
She worked on prepping another batch of the dough and listened to the soft crashing of waves echoing in her mind. Kaiyou was helping her be so close to the monstrous Captain. Allowing her to keep her promise to Yachiru.
Umi didn't say anything about Yumichika's 'condition', but she did glance over to him every once in a while while she was preparing everything. Truth be told, she could probably have this done a lot sooner if she was working on her own, but that wasn't as much fun.