Don't Tame Your Demons: Kenpachi Zaraki x Mika *New*

Part Eight

I was sitting in my room with a good book and a decent bottle of sake, propped up against a pile of pillows I'd managed to acquire.

Books hadn't been readily available in the village I'd lived in, though my mother had insisted I learn to read. Once I'd entered the academy I'd silently apologized for how difficult I'd made it for her. With books on everything from legends to sword fighting, I'd found myself fascinated by them. The Seireitei held even more and I felt more comfortable with them than with the stupid drinking games going on around me.

The door to my room slid open with a bang and I glared up at the intruder. I vaguely recognized him, he'd been a couple years ahead of me in the academy. I remembered his name, Reo. It didn't suit him. Supposedly he spelled it with the character for 'wise'. I couldn't think of anything less appropriate.

"What the hell?" I snarled at him.

The moron walked in, clumsily sliding the door closed behind him. Definitely drunk. He leaned back against the frame, slightly slurring.

"Mika, yeah?"

Deep breaths, don't go for the sword I told myself.

"Mika, heard you got in just 'cause Zaraki liked your body."

My eyes narrowed. "That's funny because I still haven't figured out how a useless fuck like you got in."

The insult rolled off him, he swaggered forward. "Come on now, I don't blame him, you're hot as shit. I could do somethin' for you, too."

I smiled and rose, letting my kimono slip just a bit so the swell of my breasts peeked out. The idiot's eyes went straight to my chest.

"Could you now?" I asked, honey almost dripping from my lips as I took a couple steps towards him.

"Yeah, see.."

Whatever the hell he was going to say got cut off as the heel of my hand connected perfectly with his jaw. The expression on his stupid face didn't even change. Just one second the lights were on and the next nobody was home. He hit the floor hard.

Alright, now what? I did not need this to become a regular thing, if any of his buddies thought it'd be a laugh to try it themselves. Zaraki wasn't going to step in on my behalf and I sure as hell wasn't going to go crying to him, I'd rather be eaten by a hollow. On the other hand, he also wasn't going to care that I'd just knocked a fellow squad member out cold. Not like Reo could cry to him either.

The idiot was already starting to come around. Fuck it. I'd just dump him in the hall and hope he'd be humiliated enough to keep his mouth shut.

I grabbed his ankle, dragged him to the door, slid it open, then dumped him in the hall. As I'd feared, a group of his buddies had been egging him on and they stared at me as I threw him out.

I fluttered my eyes in a wild imitation of a vapid, air-headed village girl. Even drunk as they were, they couldn't miss the mockery there.

"Your poor friend doesn't seem to be able to hold his sake," I called out then turned back and slammed the door.

I grabbed Kurai Yoru and flopped back down to my book and my sake. If the men were stupid enough to open my door again then I'd be obliged to see them out.

I heard them laughing and pulling a cursing Reo away. Good. Scuffles with fists or wooden swords weren't unusual in the Gotei 13 but, outnumbered, I would have been obliged to use my Zanpakto if they'd been dumb enough to push the joke any further and that would have made for serious trouble I could do without. If Reo wanted to make an issue out of it next time we were sparring let him. Zaraki was right, I loved a good fight, the dirty the better.