A/N: Okay, this chapter is soooooo late. Hehe, sorry? There are only about two more chapters left now, so I hope ya like them!

- B

Disclaimer: Zzzzzzzzz . . . say wha?

W-H-I-T-E-F-I-R-E

Trial: Part Two

I couldn't help myself. I stood up completely out of turn and ran to Hisaki, skidding to a halt onto my knees as I reached him. I wished that I could hug him, but the ties on my wrists prevented me from it. I didn't need to, though, since he did it for me. From the fringed edges of my vision, I could see Byakuya speaking quietly to the Head Captain, who nodded every now and then while staring intently at the floor. I paid them no attention, instead putting my hands on my brother's frail shoulders.

"You're alright?" I asked him anxiously, the way a concerned mother would. Hisaki's expression was as calm and abnormally mature as ever as he gave me a serene nod. However, I was not satisfied without hearing his voice.

"You didn't get into any trouble while I was gone?" I pressed, looking him straight in the eyes. I knew very well that Hisaki never got into trouble, or was smart enough not to get caught, anyway. I just wanted to hear him say something.

"Mrs. Hotaru said to tell you that she wants her perfume back, but I told her you were on extended hiatus," He shrugged, a small, crooked smile appearing on his lips. I grinned back. He could've told me that old Mrs. Hotaru planned to hunt me down and beat me over the head with a frying pan and I wouldn't have cared.

"Great-"

"Hisaki Akari," the Head Captain's voice rumbled from the front of the room. I looked up defensively. Yammamoto was motioning my brother forward with one hand, and, though I knew it was not, the action still felt like a threat. Byakuya nodded slowly, looking at me in particular as he did so. I walked in front of Hisaki as we approached the intimidating old man, not taking my eyes off of him as he watched my brother with genuine interest.

"Child," he said, "You will follow Captain Fon to be questioned in private" Hisaki nodded cooperatively, but I stepped forward.

"No," I told him with finality, not about to have any of it. "If Hisaki is going anywhere with her," I sneered, "Then I'm coming with him." My tone offered absolutely no room for debate. It was my way, or no way. For a moment, nobody spoke, and I was concerned that the Head Captain might just summon a bolt of lightning so that he could strike me down right then and there, but he replied in an unexpectedly calm tone.

"Very well," he said grudgingly, "However, you may not speak while he tells his story, nor tell him any of yours." I nodded. That was fair enough. Hisaki's story would match up to mine either way, so I had no reason to say anything. Byakuya seemed to have considerably less faith in my ability to keep my mouth shut. He grabbed my arm as we started to leave for questioning.

"Please, don't do anything stupid, Akari," he said under his breath, which, by the way, was right at my ear. I rolled my eyes at him. Me? Stupid? Come gave me a distrustful glance before finally letting go of my arm. I frowned, but walked after Hisaki and Soifon, quickly catching up with them.

We were led silently down a short labyrinth of white, sterile hallways to a huge office room that I expected was the Head Captain's. I flopped down in one of the almost-too-small chairs that sat in front of the main desk, a purposely bored expression on my face. Hisaki copied me, though with considerably more grace. Soifon insisted on standing up, probably convinced that it made her seem more in control that she actually was. It didn't. She turned toward my brother, pretending I wasn't even there.

"Hisaki Akari," she said in a cold tone. "Explain in your own words what happened." I braided a messy lock of my onyx hair, pretending not to listen.

"We saw a group of shinigami being attacked by a hollow-"

"Who is "we"?" I heard Soifon unnecessarily interject. I frowned disapprovingly, but kept my eyes on my curls and my mouth closed.

"Me and Kandace," he answered promptly. I saw Soifon nod in my peripheral vision.

"Continue," she instructed.

"We saw them being attacked," he said calmly as ever, "and they were passed out-"

"Because of the hollow?" Soifon cut in. I fought the urge to snort. No, why would they possibly be unconscious due to a giant, soul-eating monster, I thought, mentally rolling my eyes. Hisaki nodded, much more patient with the girl than I was.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Kandace had me make sure that the Rukongai inhabitants stayed out of the way while she fought off the hollow-"

"Kandace is not a shinigami," Soifon shot at him. "How could she possibly have fought off a hollow that a pair of trained shinigami could not?" Hisaki turned to me, his dark eyes unsure. I nodded for him to continue. It wasn't as if Naien was some secret or anything. I could channel my spiritual energy through a metal spoon if I wanted to. A dagger was just considerably more useful.

"She guides her spiritual energy through her dagger," Hisaki explained, turning back to Captain Fon. She nodded, looking a bit put off that I was able to handle something that her precious shinigami could not.

"And then?" she pressed.

"Kandace killed the hollow," he continued, looking her right in the eyes; something that most would have been to afraid to do. "Then her and I pulled the shinigami out of the street." Captain Fon gave him a skeptical look.

"Why would your sister have you do that if she hates shinigami so much?" she inquired, watching me as I prodded at some weird instrument on the Head Captain's desk, seemingly uninterested in their conversation at all.

"Kandace may be a thief . . . and a liar," I listened more intently as Hisaki went all "mature adult" on the stealth force captain. "But she's not a bad person."

For a short moment, Soifon was silent. She stared at my brother intently, as if trying to detect a nonexistent lie in his words. When it appeared she could find only truth in what he had said, she nodded.

"Your questioning is over," she informed us in a formal tone, though she seemed to have lost some of her former coldness. "We will return to the meeting hall, now."Hisaki and I stood up and followed her back to the grand hall, where everyone seemed to be waiting expectantly for our return. The Head Captain stood up as we entered, once again motioning us forward.

"Captain Kuckiki has informed me that the hollow you encountered possessed the ability to cause amnesia," he informed me. I turned toward Byakuya, mouthing the word 'really?' He nodded serenely. So that was why nobody remembered anything. I sighed. That was just my luck, I guess.

"The boy's story matched up with his sister's," Soifon informed the Head Captain grudgingly, not sounding at all pleased about it. Yammamoto wasn't exactly jumping for joy either, but he seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that I wasn't a blood-thirsty lunatic.

"I suppose," he admitted reluctantly, "That considering the recent turn of events and evidence, and due to the fact that I put my full trust in what Captain Kuchiki says," I crossed my fingers, biting hard into my lower lip.

"You are free to return to your home."

W-H-I-T-E-F-I-R-E

A/N: Read&Review!