Chapter 4: Back To Work

Kirara felt considerably better as she made her way through the district of the Seireitei that was designated to the lesser noble families, a few days later. Humming to herself, Kirara was aware that those out during the hot midday sun were watching her with raised eyebrows. Not because of her Shinigami status, but because she was once again barefoot.

"This weather is something else," she mused as she stopped in some shade to take a break for the sun that beat down overhead, slowly cooking her in her black robes. "Kinda wish I had an ice-based Zanpakuto right now to help me cool down," she smirked.

'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,' Kokoro no Kage replied testily. Kirara's smirk grew. She loved when he got irritated, which usually happened when she commented on his abilities. 'Your abilities are those that best suit you, Kirara,' he told her.

"I know, I know," Kirara chuckled as she began to walk again, aiming for the exit that would take her to her desired location; the Rukongai. "I'm just teasing you old man," she grinned, and heard him hum in irritation.

'Perhaps next time you deem an opponent worthy enough for you to unseal me, I will not perform how you want me to,' he commented.

"Oh, are you threatening me, old man?" Kirara laughed aloud, glancing to her Zanpakuto, which stuck out over her shoulder.

'Be it a threat or a cautionary warning, take it whichever way you like,' Kokoro no Kage commented. Kirara giggled at his nonchalance. While they bickered frequently, Kirara did love her Zanpakuto, and his attitude always amused her.

She snapped back to attention when several children ran past, laughing and playing happily. Kirara smiled softly as she stopped, watching them. It had been a long time since she had been that carefree. She missed it. When one of the boys tripped and fell in front of her, Kirara blinked, ad crouched in front of him. His friends froze, staring at her as if they'd only just noticed her.

"Are you hurt?" Kirara asked gently as the boy pushed himself up slowly. He had short blonde hair, and wore white and blue robes made finely enough for Kirara to know he was a noble, at least of a lesser family.

"No, I'm fine, I-" he stopped speaking as he looked up, and his eyes grew wide in alarm. "You're a Shinigami!" he realised after a moment of shock. He looked amazed while his friends still looked scared. Kirara gave a small laugh of amusement and nodded in confirmation, before helping the young boy to stand. When he straightened up, he stood at the same height as Kirara when she was crouched, putting them at eye-level.

"I am," she nodded, still smiling. "Does that scare you?" Kirara asked with a tilt of her head. Many feared the Shinigami, even those in the Seireitei. She glanced to the boy's friends, who watched, frightened as their friend stood in front of her.

"Of course not!" the boy shook his head furiously. He seemed worried that she would think so. Kirara's smile widened in her amusement. "I think it's great! I want to be a Shinigami too!" he admitted, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Oh? That's great!" Kirara laughed, though not unkindly. She reached out with her power, and immediately detected the presence of Reiatsu from the boy; untrained and carelessly spilling from him, just like most before they entered the Academy and learned to control their power. Kirara had to admit, she was impressed with the level of raw power she could sense. It was impressive, even though he was young.

When her attention moved from the boy to his friends, they stiffened, ready to run at a moment's notice. The only reason they hadn't already, was because their friend didn't seem scared in the slightest. Kirara searched for the presence of Reiatsu from them, but detected next to nothing from them. "Just do me a favour, if you do join the Gotei 13?" the boy blinked, his smile falling. "Don't join Squad 5. They're awful," she told him in a stage whisper. In a corner of her mind, she heard Kokoro no Kage hum again. He began to laugh loudly at her words, delighted that she was talking to him like an equal.

"Sure," he giggled. "What Squad are you in?" Kirara chuckled, liking his curiosity. A lot of the children in the Seireitei were either terrified by Shinigami, or very wary. She always liked talking to the children who liked the idea of becoming Shinigami, even if it was a dangerous job. It was nice to see where the future of the Gotei 13 lay.

"I'm in the 2nd Division," at her admittance, the boy's eyes grew wide, not that Kirara blamed him. Squad 2 was directly associated with the Onmitsukido since Yoruichi had merged the two, and many took one look at her Lieutenant's badge and took off. Many hated or feared the Onmitsukido, and now as such, feared Squad 2. The moment she mentioned it, the other kids stepped back, growing even more wary. Kirara had to admit, she was amazed that they hadn't run off yet. "But, don't forget. It doesn't matter which Squad you join. All of them are worth your loyalty. Except Squad 5," she added with a wink, and his laughter returned.

"So how come you're not wearing anything on your feet?" he asked curiously. Kirara looked down, as if she had forgotten that she was once again barefoot. She heard Kokoro no Kage hum; his trademark unimpressed noise to show his disapproval. And Kirara's refusal to wear shoes most of the time was one thing that had always annoyed him.

"It makes it easier to keep quiet," Kirara explained, before her grin widened. "Though it's mainly to annoy the Captains and my Zanpakuto. He's a little stuffy," she winked. The boy giggled in delight.

"Izuru!" the two looked around quickly as a woman marched towards him. She looked embarrassed, her gaze darting between Kirara and the boy. "Are you bothering this poor lady?" she scolded as the other boys rushed over to her fearfully. "I told you to remain within the compound," the blond boy went red and lowered his head, apologising. "I'm very sorry for him," the woman turned to Kirara.

"You don't need to apologise," Kirara smiled as she straightened up. Izuru looked up at her as she smiled to his aunt, and his mouth fell open as he noticed the Lieutenant's badge tied to her bare arm. "He didn't do anything to annoy me," she said, and smiled down at Izuru, reaching out and ruffling his hair so it fell into his eyes. "But I should probably move on. I actually have work to do, and I should probably get it done before I get into trouble," she grinned. "I look forward to the day you join the Gotei 13," she told him. He smiled widely, and she started walking, glancing back to see him being scolded again for interrupting a Lieutenant's work.

'You have quite the soft spot for children,' Kokoro no Kage commented as she walked along, still smiling slightly.

"You have a problem with that, old man?" Kirara replied in a still amused tone.

'I have more of a problem with you calling me Old Man, than I do of you having a soft spot for children,' the Spirit replied shortly. 'It is just amusing, considering your station,' he commented.

"You have a weird sense of humour," Kirara muttered, and started to hum again.

Kirara received wary stares as she continued on her way, but not for the same reason as before. Here, in the 67thdistrict, the lack of shoes weren't the odd thing, but her Shinigami status. Here, she was treated with hostility and wariness by those who dwelt there.

"I really hate this place," Kirara muttered as she watched one woman out of the corner of her eye, who grabbed two children and pulled them inside, out of sight of Kirara.

"Onmitsukidoscum," one man spat at her feet, narrowly missing them. Kirara stopped, and levelled a glare at him that made his hostile look fade instantly, replaced with one of fear. Without a word, Kirara continued on to her destination; a small bar hidden out of sight.

Entering the bar, the rowdy customers quietened down, some leaving abruptly as Kirara walked over to the bar. Others continued to drink, just shooting her wary looks. Kirara just smiled back pleasantly as she took a seat on one of the stools and leaned on the bar. The barman, an older man with dark brown spiky hair lined with grey and even darker eyes, frowned as he saw her sit down.

"You are causing me some serious damage, chasing away my customers," he complained, but despite the complaints, he set down a glass in front of her. Kirara smiled brightly at him in response as he poured her a drink. He towered over her at 6'7, and was raising a dark eyebrow at her.

"It's lovely to see you too, Kuroro," Kirara told him pleasantly despite his gruff voice. "Besides, you know I also reimburse you," she pulled an envelope from her robes and dropped it onto the bar, before taking a swig of the sake he poured her.

"Yeah yeah. You're just lucky you're cute Yamada," he rolled his eyes, slipping the envelope into his shirt.

"You're such a charmer. Helps that you're not bad on the eyes either" Kirara giggled, winking at him and not looking around as someone slumped up against the bar to her side. She could smell the beer and smoke from his clothes, which made her stomach churn.

"Being a flirt won't let you come back here before a year is up," Kuroro replied, but grinned over his shoulder at the woman who showed up every now and again to collect information. He poured another drink for the man who was frowning at Kirara, and as soon as he staggered away, Kuroro turned his back on Kirara as she took another drink. "So what can I help you with today?" Kuroro asked.

"Just the usual. I've heard about a lot on unrest going on in this district. One of my guys was attacked last month when gathering intel," Kirara sighed, shaking her head as she looked down at her drink. "I need to know if you've heard anything," she requested. Kuroro's expression was equally grim as he nodded, cleaning a glass with a rag as he turned away.

"Couple of nights ago, a group of Shinigami came in, talking a lot of shit," Kuroro told her. "A lot of talk against Head Captain Yamamoto, and even more against Central 46," Kirara swore under her breath at his words. "There were about 5 of them in, got pretty hammered before I kicked them out," Kuroro told her. Kirara ran a hand through her hair, making some fall from her long ponytail. It was always a pain in the ass when it was Shinigami causing unrest, but even then, she wouldn't go easy on them. Especially not since one of her men had been hurt because of them.

"I guess it was getting too quiet around here. Deserters are a pain in my ass. You get anything from them that might help me narrow down who they are?" Kirara looked back up at Kuroro.

"Not much, but they definitely weren't seated officers. Though, one did mention that he'd recently learned the name of his Zanpakuto," Kuroro remembered. Kirara swore again. Just what she needed, someone with a Shikai causing problems for the Soul Society.

"Thanks for the help. I'll let Kisuke know. The Detention Unit will probably want to know about this," Kirara finished her glass, and set it down with a thud. "Thanks for the information Kuroro," she smiled at him. The man just rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I owe you, so it's only fair," he told her. Kirara shrugged.

"Just be careful, okay?" she asked, and he snorted. The Zanpakuto that lay hidden under the bar by Kuroro put Kirara at ease. If there was one person nobody wanted to cross, it was the barman who had once been part of Squad 1 before retiring after an excursion to Hueco Mundo had gone badly wrong, leaving him with a leg that barely worked. Even then, he was still a fierce and powerful fighter. "Thanks for the help Kuroro. I'll see you in a year," Kirara chuckled as she got to her feet and walked out.

"And not a minute sooner!" Kuroro shouted after her. Kirara just laughed back, glancing around and winking at him before disappearing out the door. "Damn kid," Kuroro shook his head, but as he turned away to lift her glass, he was smiling.

"What's this?" Yoruichi opened one eye as a small folder was dropped in front of her. Stretching, she sat up as Kirara took a seat opposite her, looking tired. "Long day?" Yoruichi chuckled as she lifted the folder.

"I don't know why I keep going out to the farther districts. It's tiring and they hate me," Kirara fell back with a yawn.

"Then why not send someone else there?" Yoruichi asked with a smile. "Why go there in the first place?" she asked.

"One of my men, Satoru Nanase, was attacked there, remember?" Kirara rolled onto her side to look at Yoruichi. "And Kuroro only talks to me," she added. Yoruichi chuckled, nodding in agreement, before starting to read the file that Kirara had given her. Kirara closed her eyes, relaxing on the floor as she waited for the Captain to read it.

"Well well," she opened her eyes a few minutes to see Yoruichi smirking, her golden eyes gleaming as she looked up from the file. "Who knew you had a soft spot for children?" she asked teasingly. Kirara rolled her eyes.

"Why is that such a shock to everyone?" she asked irritably. Yoruichi chuckled.

"Well it seems you've gotten attached to at least this boy. A recommendation for the Academy...it's impressive," Yoruichi held up the file, and a figure flickered into view. He took the file from Yoruichi, and disappeared without a word. "I'll pass it on. You know, if he's impressed you, then he'd probably get into the Academy by himself," Yoruichi pointed out.

"Yeah well, I want to make sure he does, when he's old enough," Kirara shrugged. "You don't meet a lot of kids like that. Those from noble houses are usually..." Kirara looked to Yoruichi and smirked. "Stuck up," she finished. The Captain raised an eyebrow, but took it in good humour. "And those from the Rukongai are usually guarded, depending on the district," Kirara added.

"You're probably right," Yoruichi fell back down across her seat again, and got comfortable. "Did you get any information from Kuroro?" she asked suddenly, and Kirara looked up at her again.

"Yeah...some Shinigami were in talking about the Head Captain and Central 46. I've got people looking into it, and I've sent what information I have to Kisuke," Kirara told her. Yoruichi nodded in approval, and they both looked up as someone else approached.

"You two are almost as bad as my Captain," Natsuki giggled as she saw the two lying on the ground. With Yoruichi sprawled across her seat, and Kirara lying on her side on the floor beside her, they didn't look like the Captain and Lieutenant they were. Of course, the two were probably the least caring about sticking to the expectations of how they were to act.

"Lieutenant Hamasaki," Yoruichi greeted with a lazy smile as Kirara sat up. "What brings you here?" she asked as Natsuki bowed respectfully to her.

"I've been looking for Kirara all day," Natsuki pouted to Kirara, who shrugged.

"I've been working. I was in the Rukongai all day. Why?" she asked, and yelped as Natsuki suddenly grabbed her and yanked her to her feet.

"Come on!" she began to pull her, but Kirara struggled.

"Where?" the Lieutenant asked, baffled as Natsuki huffed impatiently.

"We're going to the hot springs, duh!" the blonde woman rolled her eyes, and gave another tug on Kirara's arm. "Now come on! I've been looking forward to this!" she whined. Kirara couldn't help but chuckle at her best friend's childish attitude.

"Alright, alright, let's go," she nodded, and Natsuki cheered.

"Hot springs, eh?" they looked around at Yoruichi, who got to her feet. She stretched loudly, before grinning. "Sounds good to me. I could do with a good soak. Soi Fon, come on," she glanced to the girl who was still kneeling. The girl in question jolted.

"What? Me? But I-"

"Oh come on," Yoruichi interrupted her with a roll of her eyes. "They won't wait forever," she told the girl, who slowly got to her feet, her face going red as she followed the three.

"Yay!" Natsuki cheered brightly. "Captain Hikifune, and Lieutenants Yadomaru and Sarugaki are coming too!" she told them with a wide smile. Kirara smiled at the idea of going to the hot springs. It had been a while, and she could do with the soak. Plus, the idea of going in a group, sounded like fun to her.