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Chapter 13: Festival

Breathing in and out slowly, Kirara raised her arms and lowered them as she practised using her Zanpakuto. After over a month of bedrest, she finally felt well enough to start training again. She'd spoken briefly with Captain Unohana, who had instructed her that it was alright, as long as it was in small doses.

'You are improving a great deal, Kirara. But I still sense a growing unease,' Kokoro no Kage spoke up softly as Kirara moved her Zanpakuto in a diagonal slash.

"Me too. But if I'm honest..." Kirara trailed off softly as she lowered the blade to point to the grass.

'You are unsure if this unease comes from the effects of Reikonsatsu, or from something else,' Kokoro no Kage finished for her.

"Yeah..." Kirara nodded in confirmation. "Something just feels wrong, you know?" she asked, and the Spirit hummed in response. Kirara sighed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe this is all that Reikonsatsu does," she touched her hair, where the white was continuing to grow. Kokoro no Kage didn't answer, and Kirara resumed her stances, moving her Zanpakuto slowly as she practised the angle of her swings.

Sweat ran down the side of her face, tickling her jaw before dripping off, and she took controlled breaths as she focused on her footwork, moving around the small area she used for training. Her torso was beginning to protest, but she ignored it, focusing on moving.

"Kirara!" she looked around as Natsuki rushed into view, waving at her. "What are you still doing here? You should be getting ready for tonight!" the blonde scolded.

"Oh, sorry, I lost track of time," Kirara apologised as the other Lieutenant reached her.

"Look at you, all sweaty!" Natsuki exclaimed, and grabbed her hand. "Come on, you're coming with me, you're having a bath, and then we are getting ready for the festival!" she instructed.

"Natsuki, I don't listen to my mother when she talks to me like that, why should I listen to you?" Kirara raised an eyebrow as she was dragged away from the training grounds.

"Because I said so!" Natsuki shouted back at her. Kirara gave an aggravated sigh, but didn't pull away. When Shinji and Aizen walked around the corner, the two stopped at the sight. "Good afternoon, Captain Hirako, Lieutenant Aizen. No time for you two to start fighting now!" Natsuki called cheerfully, pulling Kirara even harder.

"Ow! Hey, that hurts you know!" Kirara complained.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have been training so hard!" Natsuki shouted at her. Kirara rolled her eyes, and glanced around, meeting Shinji's gaze as the blond watched, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Captain?" Aizen tilted his head.

"Let's go Sosuke," Shinji turned and walked in the opposite direction. Aizen blinked, glancing at him, and then over at Kirara, before following his Captain away. "Hey, so you better be wearing something formal tonight for the festival, y'hear?" he told Aizen, who sighed.

"Captain, is this another attempt to get me to dress up while nobody else will?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? Everyone's going to be dressed up tonight," Shinji rolled his eyes. Aizen just sighed again.

"Wow...that is so long..." Natsuki breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at the long scar down Kirara's front. "It's even crazier than the one on your back," she commented. "Why don't you talk about what happened?" she asked curiously.

"Must you ogle me while I'm getting ready? Friends don't ogle friends," Kirara groaned as she left her hair down to dry.

"I'm not ogling you," Natsuki pouted. "I'm asking you about your past. You never really talk about your time in the academy, that's the only time that I didn't get to see you," she complained.

"Look, in my first year, some of my classmates thought it would be smart to go to the forest by the Academy. A Hollow attacked, I defended them, I got hurt. That's the extent of the story," Kirara told her with a heavy sigh. Natsuki didn't speak, surprised by Kirara's story. She had a feeling there was more to it, but that was the most she'd gotten from Kirara ever, and she wasn't going to push it.

"Hey, so, you're gonna have a new brother or sister soon, right?" Kirara cried out when Natsuki suddenly fell on her, wrapping her arms around her.

"Get off me!" Kirara struggled, but couldn't help but laugh. "People are really going to talk you know!" she warned, but Natsuki just giggled, tightening her grip. "Yes, I'm going to have a new little brother or sister," Kirara nodded with a chuckle. "With our family, they're totally stuffed," she mused as Natsuki finally let her go and grabbed her yukata.

"Oh they really are," Natsuki giggled as she opened it and began to put it on. "Don't worry, I'll help keep an eye on them. Make sure they get some semblance of normalcy," she smirked.

"I'd be insulted, but considering everything that's happened within the last while, I can't not accept it," Kirara sighed as she lifted her own outfit. "But then again, you are far from normal yourself," Kirara pointed out as she looked over to Natsuki, who grinned.

"More normal than you," she countered.

"Yes well, that's not difficult," Kirara rolled her eyes, tying the front of her kimono. "Maybe I should get a kosode with sleeves when I get back," she mused as she looked down at her attire.

"You look so cute," Natsuki told her with a smile. "Now just for your hair," she grabbed a brush, and forced Kirara to sit down again. Despite her protests, Kirara found herself sitting in front of Natsuki as the taller Lieutenant brushed her hair. "It'll be nice to have something normal tonight. After what happened..." she trailed off, and Kirara turned, grabbing her wrist.

"Hey, don't dwell on it Natsuki," she told her friend gently. "I'm fine, and I'm not about to keel over dead anytime soon. I don't die so easily, y'know?" Kirara smiled. Natsuki sniffed, and turned her back around quickly.

"You better not," she said sternly, tying Kirara's hair up with the ribbon she'd bought her. "There! Finished!" she smiled.

"You sure I don't look like a child?" Kirara asked hesitantly as she stood.

"Of course not!" Natsuki scoffed as she tied her own hair up into pigtails that draped down her back. While her hair was nowhere near as long as Kirara's – the downside to her time in Squad 11 – it was still quite long. "Ready to have fun tonight?" she asked.

"You bet!" Kirara cheered.

"How much takoyaki are you going to put away?" Kirara asked as she tossed several small sweets into her mouth, laughing at her best friend.

"As much as I can!" Natsuki grinned back at her, and stuffed another into her mouth.

"Good lord. Just don't go overboard, okay?" Kirara laughed. "Make sure you have enough for sake tonight. I've been looking forward to drinking for weeks," she told Natsuki, who nodded, her mouth full.

The festival was in full swing by the time they had arrived. Filled with both nobles and commoners, as well as Shinigami from the Gotei 13, it was buzzing with laughter and fun. Everyone had dressed up as well, making Kirara feel a little better about her outfit. While she liked it, she had been worried that they'd be overdressed.

"Lieutenant Yamada, Lieutenant Hamasaki," they looked around and smiled as Ukitake and Kyoraku approached. "Ladies, looking as beautiful as ever," Kyoraku smiled at them.

"And you two are looking as handsome as ever," Kirara winked.

"Oh Kirara, your flattery is unnecessary, but always appreciated," Kyoraku told her dramatically as he put a hand to his chest. "I'm glad to see that your time off hasn't affected your ability to cheer me up," the Captain told her.

"God, there's two of them," Natsuki grumbled, and was jabbed in the side by Kirara's sharp elbow.

"I think Captain Kyoraku has already been on the sake," Kirara smirked.

"How could you tell?" Ukitake grinned.

"He's always on the sake," they looked around as Lisa approached, her hair tied back neatly as she was dressed up as well.

"Lisa..." Kyoraku whined.

"Well, she's not wrong," Kirara grinned, making Natsuki giggle.

"Is there any word on when you'll be back on duty?" Ukitake asked Kirara asked Lisa scolded Kyoraku for going off without her.

"Not a clue. It's up to Captain Unohana," Kirara sighed. "Hopefully next week, but I can see her putting it off for a while longer," she twirled some of her hair around her finger.

"Don't worry," Ukitake smiled reassuringly at her. "You'll be back in action before you know it," he told her. Kirara smiled back at him.

"Thanks, Captain Ukitake. Now we better go, before Natsuki sees fit to start eating my food as well," Kirara told him, seeing Natsuki finishing her food out of the corner of her eye.

"I imagine I'll see you again tonight. Have fun," Ukitake told her.

"You too," Kirara called as she and Natsuki left to find more food.

"Oh, he's so perfect," Natsuki sighed dreamily as she looked over her shoulder to where Ukitake was speaking to a young man that they recognised as a Shiba.

"Too perfect," Kirara chuckled. "Now stop that, you're not here to mope about Captain Ukitake," Kirara teased her, and Natsuki pouted. "I'll buy you some yakisoba," she offered, and Natsuki instantly perked up, bouncing with excitement at the thought of more festival food. As they walked towards the food stalls, and the smell of fried food hit them like a wall, Kirara's hand suddenly shot down to her side. "Hey, I'll meet you over there, I just gotta take care of something, okay?" she looked to Natsuki, who frowned.

"Uh, okay. Sure," she nodded, and headed off as Kirara made a beeline for the outskirts of the festival.

"Let me go!" she hauled a young boy with bright red hair tied back into the air. For a moment, the red hair reminded her of Kenjiro, but when she got a good look at the boy who was squirming in her grasp, she knew he definitely wasn't related to the Shirobara family. His kimono, grey and threadbare, was made from a scratchy material Kirara knew was only worn by those in the Rukon. He was definitely not related to the noble family.

"Care to explain why you're trying to pickpocket a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13?" she asked, making his eyes widen as she held him in the air by the wrist, keeping him off his feet.

"I didn't do anything! Let me go!" he yelled.

"Kid, if you don't stop, then someone's going to notice. And then I'm going to have to explain what happened, and neither of us want that, do we?" Kirara raised her eyebrow, and the boy reluctantly stopped, glaring at her. "Oh, that's a good look kid, but unfortunately it doesn't work on me," she chuckled.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest me? Beat me up? Shinigami don't bother with pickpockets y'know," the boy huffed, and Kirara set him down gently.

"They do if it's a Shinigami you're trying to steal from," Kirara pointed out. "But, luckily for you, I'm on a leave of absence until I recover from my injuries," the boy's eyes widened when he noticed the still red scar protruding from the top of her kimono. "Here," he frowned when she suddenly dropped a small bag into his hand.

"What?" he frowned.

"I can sense your Reiatsu. You're hungry, so eat," Kirara rolled her eyes, looking bored.

"I don't need-"

"My what? My pity? You were going to steal from me regardless, better I give it to you willingly kid," Kirara rolled her eyes again as he gaped up at her. "Just be careful out here. This place is crawling from the higher ups of the Gotei 13," she warned, and the boy stared at her for another few moments before turning and sprinting off.

"Well well," Kirara jumped, and whirled around as Shinji approached. "Who'd have thought you had a soft spot for kids?" he asked as Kirara folded her arms, keeping her expression flat.

"Why does everyone say that?" she complained irritably.

"Well, considering you're a Corps Commander for the Onmitsukido, it's a little surprising," Shinji pointed out.

"Yeah yeah, we're all killers, whatever," Kirara grumbled.

"I never said that. How are you feeling?" Shinji asked as he stood in front of her.

"A lot better. Thanks," Kirara mumbled, trying to resist looking away. His expression gave nothing away, and Kirara was trying to do the same, inwardly cursing that her heart began to race just by looking at him.

"What's this? The Princess is mumbling?" Shinji teased, and she frowned. "You have to admit, it's not a usual thing for you," he commented, and yelped as Kirara suddenly grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged.

"You don't have to call me Princess every chance you get, you know," she scowled at him.

"And you don't have to get so uptight," he glowered back at her. "So stop pulling," he grabbed her hand and pulled it out of his hair. "Look, about what happened before..." Shinji's voice was low, and Kirara pulled her hand free of his.

"I already know what you're going to say Hirako, so don't bother," Kirara told him quietly. He frowned at her. "It shouldn't have happened, so just forget about it. After all, we do nothing but fight, right?" she turned and began to walk away, until his fingers wrapped around her wrist and yanked her back around.

"Don't put words in my damn mouth," he hissed as she looked around in surprise, and he kissed her hard. Taken by surprise, Kirara took a step back, before responding just as fiercely, her hands on his chest. Her heart hammered painfully against her ribcage, before she finally let go and pushed him back.

"No," both breathed heavily as Kirara spoke, staring at him with an expression similar to a deer caught in headlights. "Don't do this. Please, don't. It's too cruel," she took a step back, but Shinji caught her hand, stopping her "After everything..." she breathed.

"It makes sense. Who else would put up with our shit?" he smirked down at her.

"Don't. I can't...I..." Kirara trailed off, her hand on his chest, trying to stop him from getting any closer.

"You're awfully scared," Shinji smirked, but didn't move any closer to her. Kirara bristled, her uncertain look changing to an irritated one that was much more familiar to the blond.

"Shut up," Kirara scowled, aware that she was going red. "I'm not scared," she told him stubbornly.

"Then what?" Shinji challenged, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

"I..." Kirara hesitated again, and her eyes travelled down to her hands. Letting out an irritated growl, her splayed hands clenched into fists, grasping the fine material under them as she yanked him closer. "I want to know what this is," she hissed against his mouth.

"Then I guess you ain't as smart as you think," Shinji muttered back. As their fierce kiss resumed, Shinji's hands trailed up into her hair, and Kirara felt it fall down around her.

"Hey!" Kirara pulled away in protest, making him snicker when she tugged her hair as it fell in her face.

"You look cuter with it down," he told her, and Kirara stiffened, her face going even redder.

"You..." she started, before looking around.

"There you are!" Mashiro tackled Kirara, almost knocking her off her feet. "Natsuki's been looking for you!" Mashiro beamed at her. Kirara stared at her, baffled as she struggled to think.

"What? But I-"

"Come on!" Mashiro pulled her away, ignoring Kirara's protests. When the dark haired Lieutenant glanced around, Shinji smirked, holding up her ribbon. She glared back at him, unable to get away from the green haired young woman.

"Nice job Mashiro, you found her," Natsuki smiled as she spotted the two approaching her. "I thought you were only going to be a minute! I'm going to collapse from starvation," the Squad 11 Lieutenant whined at her. "And what happened to your hair?" she asked, realising that it was down for once.

"There was an incident, I ran into some bother," Kirara sighed. "Now come on, I'll buy you that yakisoba," she told Natsuki, who cheered.

"Also, you owe Mashiro some as well, for finding you," the blonde told her. Kirara groaned.

"I'm not madeof money you know!" she complained, but led the way to the stand as even her stomach was growling loudly.

"So where's your ribbon?" Natsuki asked, her mouth full of food as Mashiro inhaled hers beside her. Kirara, who was eating hers just as quickly, looked up.

"I put it away, I couldn't get it to tie properly," she lied, her heart hammering against her chest. Natsuki gave her a weird look, before shrugging.

"Alright. Your hair does look cute down too," Kirara felt her cheeks start to burn at the comment, and she quickly returned to her food. Natsuki giggled, before jumping up from the bench they were on. "Come on! Let's go find Lisa, I think it's time for sake!" she decided.

"Can I at least finish my food first?" Kirara asked, and with a huff, Natsuki sat back down and waited. Kirara grinned as she finished off her food as the unease in her mind and the wonder about what might be happening to her was gone from her mind for a few hours.

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