The Darkness In Our Hearts (TDiOH Bk1)

Chapter 13: Kera, you aren't what you expect

Pounding footsteps.

Panting, I'm panting. I saw light at the end of the alley, but it kept wobbling.

Why? I didn't know.

My arms and legs were heavy and my chest hurt.

I didn't dare glance over my shoulder; he was still chasing me.

"Kera," I heard him moan and it sent shivers down my spine.

"Please no!"

"Kera. Kera. Kera!" The voice got louder and louder, until suddenly it was right on top of me!

"Argh!" I sat up screaming and Yachiru went flying backwards, doing a tumble before standing to face me.

"Are you alright? You were thrashing in bed."

Panting, I tried to remember why I felt so scared, but the dream was already fading. "It was nothing."

"So Kera, can I do your hair?" Yachiru asked in a sing- song voice, totally out of the blue.

"Why?" I threw her a suspicious glance.

"Because I want to! The squad has never had a girl before and I can't do anyone else's hair because they are always busy."

"And you think I'm not? I have to monitor more soul reapers today," I replied, standing to get dressed out of my pyjamas.

"Kenny's given you the day off!" she yelled at me as I went behind the screen to dress.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, positive!"

"If I don't say yes, will you keep pestering me?"

"Yes. I will," she said and when I peeked around the edges of the screen, I saw the pink spiritual pressure rising around her.

I really didn't want to find out what her way of pestering was so I surrendered, letting her attack my hair. Before long, she had brushed all my hair several times over and re-plaited it until she believed it was perfect. I, on the other hand, was biting my hand and my head was on fire.

She wasn't exactly gentle.

"What are you doing?"

I hadn't noticed the captain enter and Yachiru stopped flicking my hair like it was a pair of reins on a horse.

"Hey Kenny!"

"Kera, you're supposed to be monitoring the new soul reapers." He glared down at me.

"Yachiru, I thought you said you cleared it with Kenpachi," I said, trying to turn and face her but she forced my head back round.

"I might have lied," she giggled.

I scowled, crossing my arms. "I'm sorry Captain. I had been told by my Lieutenant," putting a lot of emphasis on that word, "that I had the day off."

"And you believed her. Idiot," he mumbled.

"Did you really just call me an idiot?" I shouted at him, trying to rise but Yachiru yanked me back down. "Yachiru, let me go! I need to teach him a lesson."

"You're going to teach me a lesson?" he raised an eyebrow at this and smirked.

"I taught you one last time, didn't I?" I said, grinning at him. 

"You taught me you can be beaten," he chuckled.

"Why you-" He cut me off when he grabbed the top of my head and began to pat it, as if he was rubbing a dog's head affectionately.