FLOWERS FOR SISTERby rukia
Kuukaku bent forward to get a closer look, "Who the hell are you?"
"Ha...hana..." Hanataro's eyes darted elsewhere. He couldn't look Kuukaku in the eyes since she was so intimidating, but he certainly couldn't keep his gaze focused straight ahead due to the rather generous formation of her... em, upper chest... which was right at eye-level with him. He gulped and concentrated his attention on a smudge of dirt on the far wall as he stuttered, "H-hanataro, ma'am."
"Hmm," Kuukaku took a long look at the scrawny boy before flicking her gaze up to Ganju. "You brought a Shinigami home," she concluded, quirking an eyebrow at him. "I thought you hated Shinigami, little brother."
"Yes, honorable Sister," Ganju stood ram-rod straight, well aware that one wrong answer could bring him a world of pain (depending on his sister's mood, which he couldn't decipher at the moment - so he wasn't taking any chances). "B-but while infiltrating Seireitei he helped us on m-many occasions, and so he's not really welcome back to his former team... you see."
"So you brought him home with you?" Kuukaku strode over to her brother. "That's another mouth for us to feed, you know. I don’t run a boarding house here, little brother – I’m not that good a person. If he were to stay, he’d have to work himself to the bone."
Ganju protested, "But Sister – "
"Ma’am," Hanataro spoke up. "I’m willing to work very hard! I’m good at following orders."
Kuukaku chuckled, "If you were so good at following orders, kid, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place." She pierced him with her sharp gaze and asked, "Do you know even the first thing about working with fireworks?"
"N-no, ma’am, but I’m a fast learner!" Hanataro quickly amended, "I also know how to heal –"
"Yeah, Sister!" Ganju piped up. "He’s really good at that –"
"Shut up! I wasn’t talking to you," Kuukaku slammed her fist down on Ganju’s thick skull, effectively knocking him to the floor. "Who said I need a healer around in the first place? We’ve gotten by fine with what we have!"
She turned back to Hanataro, "Alright, kid, I’m gonna ask you just one question and if you don’t answer honestly," Kuukaku jerked her thumb at her little brother writhing in pain, "you’ll have to suffer the consequences."
"Yess’m!" Hanataro squeaked in terror.
"Good," Kuukaku paced around the short Shinigami thoughtfully. "It’s quite possible that I won’t be satisfied with your answer and just throw you out of my house," she leaned forward, fist planted firmly on her hip. "Once I do that, what will you do?"
Hanataro tried to think it over, but the thoughts that ran through his mind felt as if they were swimming through a vat of maple syrup.
"Answer me!" Kuukaku snapped.
"Walk!" Hanataro yelped purely out of surprise and fear.
Ganju slowly got to his feet, trading a bemused look with his sister. He was genuinely worried that Hanataro would get his head kicked in for sounding spineless.
"Walk?" Kuukaku repeated scathingly. "Meaning?"
The truth was that Hanataro didn’t understand his answer either, but by then his brain had shut down from nervous stress and his heart was speaking for him instead, "If I can’t stay here and I can’t go back, then I would just... walk. I would keep walking until, well, something happens... ma’am. Something always happens, eventually. Life is like that." Hanataro blushed, feeling foolish.
Kuukaku looked down at him for a long moment, as if sizing him up with a critical eye. Then, she raised her one good arm and brought it down on his head.
Hanataro flinched, expecting a blinding blow to knock him clear across the room. A tense moment passed, but he was shocked to discover that there was no pain. Instead, Kuukaku was...
Kuukaku was ruffling his hair... like a puppy.
"Alright, kid!" She smirked, "You don’t look like much, but you’ve definitely got enough guts to give me an honest answer!"
Kuukaku called down the hall, "Hey, Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Get a banquet ready to welcome the newest addition to our little family! We gotta fatten him up properly if he’s gonna start working here!" She whacked a hand against Hanataro’s back in camaraderie, nearly knocking him off his feet, "We gotta get some muscles on those skinny bones of yours, Hana-chan!"
"Ah... eheh..." Hanataro smiled weakly and began to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.
Kuukaku bent forward to get a closer look, "Who the hell are you?"
"Ha...hana..." Hanataro's eyes darted elsewhere. He couldn't look Kuukaku in the eyes since she was so intimidating, but he certainly couldn't keep his gaze focused straight ahead due to the rather generous formation of her... em, upper chest... which was right at eye-level with him. He gulped and concentrated his attention on a smudge of dirt on the far wall as he stuttered, "H-hanataro, ma'am."
"Hmm," Kuukaku took a long look at the scrawny boy before flicking her gaze up to Ganju. "You brought a Shinigami home," she concluded, quirking an eyebrow at him. "I thought you hated Shinigami, little brother."
"Yes, honorable Sister," Ganju stood ram-rod straight, well aware that one wrong answer could bring him a world of pain (depending on his sister's mood, which he couldn't decipher at the moment - so he wasn't taking any chances). "B-but while infiltrating Seireitei he helped us on m-many occasions, and so he's not really welcome back to his former team... you see."
"So you brought him home with you?" Kuukaku strode over to her brother. "That's another mouth for us to feed, you know. I don’t run a boarding house here, little brother – I’m not that good a person. If he were to stay, he’d have to work himself to the bone."
Ganju protested, "But Sister – "
"Ma’am," Hanataro spoke up. "I’m willing to work very hard! I’m good at following orders."
Kuukaku chuckled, "If you were so good at following orders, kid, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place." She pierced him with her sharp gaze and asked, "Do you know even the first thing about working with fireworks?"
"N-no, ma’am, but I’m a fast learner!" Hanataro quickly amended, "I also know how to heal –"
"Yeah, Sister!" Ganju piped up. "He’s really good at that –"
"Shut up! I wasn’t talking to you," Kuukaku slammed her fist down on Ganju’s thick skull, effectively knocking him to the floor. "Who said I need a healer around in the first place? We’ve gotten by fine with what we have!"
She turned back to Hanataro, "Alright, kid, I’m gonna ask you just one question and if you don’t answer honestly," Kuukaku jerked her thumb at her little brother writhing in pain, "you’ll have to suffer the consequences."
"Yess’m!" Hanataro squeaked in terror.
"Good," Kuukaku paced around the short Shinigami thoughtfully. "It’s quite possible that I won’t be satisfied with your answer and just throw you out of my house," she leaned forward, fist planted firmly on her hip. "Once I do that, what will you do?"
Hanataro tried to think it over, but the thoughts that ran through his mind felt as if they were swimming through a vat of maple syrup.
"Answer me!" Kuukaku snapped.
"Walk!" Hanataro yelped purely out of surprise and fear.
Ganju slowly got to his feet, trading a bemused look with his sister. He was genuinely worried that Hanataro would get his head kicked in for sounding spineless.
"Walk?" Kuukaku repeated scathingly. "Meaning?"
The truth was that Hanataro didn’t understand his answer either, but by then his brain had shut down from nervous stress and his heart was speaking for him instead, "If I can’t stay here and I can’t go back, then I would just... walk. I would keep walking until, well, something happens... ma’am. Something always happens, eventually. Life is like that." Hanataro blushed, feeling foolish.
Kuukaku looked down at him for a long moment, as if sizing him up with a critical eye. Then, she raised her one good arm and brought it down on his head.
Hanataro flinched, expecting a blinding blow to knock him clear across the room. A tense moment passed, but he was shocked to discover that there was no pain. Instead, Kuukaku was...
Kuukaku was ruffling his hair... like a puppy.
"Alright, kid!" She smirked, "You don’t look like much, but you’ve definitely got enough guts to give me an honest answer!"
Kuukaku called down the hall, "Hey, Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Get a banquet ready to welcome the newest addition to our little family! We gotta fatten him up properly if he’s gonna start working here!" She whacked a hand against Hanataro’s back in camaraderie, nearly knocking him off his feet, "We gotta get some muscles on those skinny bones of yours, Hana-chan!"
"Ah... eheh..." Hanataro smiled weakly and began to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.