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Chapter 14: Back To Work
Smiling as she lifted her Lieutenant's badge, Kirara studied it in the light before wrapping it around her bare arm. It had been a little over two months since she had been injured in battle, and she had finally been cleared to return. Her new uniform had arrived while she was at her parent's house visiting for a few days, and needless to say, she was very excited.
"It's crooked," she looked around as her mother walked in, her stomach rounded and swollen from pregnancy. She smiled fondly at her daughter, who was small in stature like her, only more toned from years of training.
"Is it?" Kirara blinked, looking down at her arm. Chuckling, Kotoba walked over and fixed it, making sure it was straight. "Thanks mum," she smiled back, and Kotoba rested a hand on her cheek for a moment before stepping back to survey her daughter.
"I'll never get used to this sight," Kotoba admitted with a small chuckle as her hands rested on her stomach. "Are you sure you're okay to go back?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"If I take any more time off, I may go crazy from boredom," Kirara told her with a shake of her head. "I'm even missing paperwork at this point, honestly. And I'll have a lot of work piling up since I've been away," she sighed at the thought of the work she would have to do when she got back. She knew for a fact that Yoruichi would have done the bare minimum. How they weren't known as the Slacker Squad was beyond her.
"Well, there is no point trying to convince you to stay a little longer," Kotoba sighed, but was smiling regardless. "Kirara, you know I'm proud of you, right?" she reached out, touching Kirara's arm.
"Even though I'm part of the Onmitsukido?" Kirara was surprised by her mother's words.
"That has never mattered to me," Kotoba told her. "You're a fearsome warrior and you fight to protect everyone, how could I not be proud of you?" she asked gently. Kirara's brow furrowed as she stared at her mother, whose soft expressions and usually dreamy expression put her at a contrast with Kirara.
"Why are you telling me this?" Kirara asked curiously.
"I almost lost you two months ago, and I was none the wiser until Seinosuke told me. I could have lost you without you knowing how I feel," Kotoba told her. Kirara stared, her blue eyes wide as her mother's outburst. "You are my daughter and I love you, and regardless of what happens, I will love you," she told her, and Kirara remained silent for a moment, before hugging her.
"Thanks mum. I love you too," Kirara whispered with a smile, and Kotoba blinked away tears as she hugged her daughter tightly. "But I better go, I need to get settled back in. Plus I promised Captain Otoribashi that I'd visit him for tea when I was back," Kirara released her mother, who nodded.
"Captain Otoribashi?" Kotoba smiled. "Is there something..."
"Oh god no," Kirara groaned. "Please don't start that, I beg you," she pleaded, making her mother laugh.
"I'm joking dear. Though I do wonder if there will be anyone who catches your eye," Kotoba sighed wistfully, and Kirara rolled her eyes.
"And on that note, I'm going. Love you," she hugged her quickly and hurried out before Kotoba could see her blushing.
"Oh...maybe there is someone..." Kotoba smiled knowingly as she watched her daughter leave, calling out another goodbye before using Shunpo to get back to the Seireitei.
Kirara stood in the doorway to her office, stiff and staring at her desk as she was unable to comprehend the sight in front of her.
"Did...did...Captain!" Kirara turned on her heel and stormed to the main chamber, where Yoruichi was sitting playing checkers with Soi Fon.
"Oh? Kirara, welcome back!" Yoruichi smiled at her as she moved a piece, allowing Soi Fon to take it with her own. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow at the earliest," she commented, taking two of Soi Fon's black pieces with hers.
"Captain Shihoin...why is there a mountain of paperwork taller than me on my desk?" Kirara demanded in a strained voice, shaking with barely suppressed anger.
"Well..." Yoruichi leaned over and took a biscuit from the bowl beside her. "You have been off for two months, it started to build up," she shrugged.
"Don't give me that crap!" Kirara yelled back at her furiously. "Half of that is yours and you know it! I'm not doing your paperwork on top of my own!" she exclaimed.
"I don't think so," Yoruichi shook her head, looking innocent. "I've been keeping on top of my work. Kirara, if it's too much for you, I can always get someone in to help you?" she offered, and Kirara glared back at her as Yoruichi smirked at her.
"You're the worst," she declared, turning on her heel and stomping off. Yoruichi laughed as she disappeared, focusing on her game with Soi Fon again.
"It's good to have her back. It was getting far too quiet around here," she smirked. Soi Fon sighed. She'd enjoyed the quiet that the two months without Kirara around had provided.
Kirara groaned as she stepped back into her office and glared at the large piles of paperwork that had filled her desk.
'I thought you missed paperwork,' Kokoro no Kage asked mockingly.
"That koi pond is still available you know," Kirara warned him in a half-hearted growl, walking over to her desk. "Well, I suppose I better get started," she slumped into her seat, and lifted a file on the top, reading over it. "What?" she frowned. "Missing people in the Rukongai? Who's been sending my guys out there?" she wondered in a mutter, reading over the mysterious case.
'Missing people? Odd, why would that come to the Patrol Corps,' Kokoro no Kage voiced his curiosity as Kirara scanned the papers quickly, ensuring to read everything to catch up.
"Seems I've missed a lot while away. Residents in the Rukon have just upped and vanished...leaving behind clothes," Kirara read some parts aloud. "A group of ten in the Patrol Corps have been sent out as an advance party to the area to investigate for Squad 9," Kirara breathed. "Why are my men being used without my permission? There's so much paperwork when that crap happens," Kirara whined, running a hand through her hair. Kokoro no Kage hummed in response, and Kirara grabbed the papers that had been underneath the file to begin working on them.
'Kirara, do you detect something different?' Kokoro no Kage asked as Kirara walked though her Inner World.
"Something different? What do you mean?" she asked curiously. She glanced over to the Spirit, who was lurking behind a tree as always.
'Look down,' he said softly. Kirara's eyes widened in alarm. At her feet, the tiniest level of fog now coated the grass.
"Fog? What is this?" she asked aloud, crouching to survey it.
'I do not know,' Kokoro no Kage admitted. 'I have never seen this happen. It is a brand new development, one that had only recently come to pass,' he explained. Kirara frowned, looking up at him.
"Do you think that Shirobara's Zanpakuto had something to do with this?" she asked, her hand going up to her hair to grab a lock of it. The white was becoming more obvious as time progressed, and Unohana had yet to find the reason for it. She had been hesitant to clear Kirara for active duty at first because of it, but when she found that it didn't seem to be affecting her physically other than with her hair, Unohana had decided to let her return to work.
'It seems like the most logical explanation at this point. Very little else has come to pass that could affect the state of your Inner World,' Kokoro no Kage nodded. Kirara reached out and put her hand on one of the trees. It was cool to the touch, as always, but even they seemed a little off. 'Be on your guard moreso than usual, Kirara. I fear this is only the beginning,' he warned her.
"You're telling me. This fog..." Kirara looked down at her feet again. "It's eerie. Like it carries a hidden purpose," she mused. After a moment, she frowned, looking around at the Spirit. "Did you say something?" she asked curiously. Kokoro no Kage hummed.
'I said, I believe that it does,' he repeated. Kirara frowned, wondering how she'd missed his words the first time. It wasn't as if she had been deep in focus. 'This place represents your Inner Self. Your aspirations and dreams are represented by the trees,' Kirara looked up at the trees that towered over them. 'Your true emotions are represented by the stars in the sky. The shine brightest at your highest points, and dim at your lowest,' Kokoro no Kage continued as Kirara looked up at the stars about the shone brightly.
"The fog means something bad. I know it," Kirara whispered, leaning against the tree beside her.
'I do not believe it can mean anything good, that is for certain,' she glanced to her right as the cloaked, shadowy figure emerged from behind another tree. 'But, again, for the time being, all we can do...'
"Is wait," Kirara finished with a heavy sigh. "I suppose you're right. So far, there's been no harmful effects. I just hope we figure it out before it's too late," Kirara looked back up at the sky.
The frantic drumming of the emergency signal jolted Kirara from her Inner World, and her sleep, and she sat up at her desk. The pile of paperwork was finally starting to go down enough for Kirara to be able to see over the top, and she blinked, rubbing at her eyes. "What is going on?" she wondered, standing and going over to the open window. Night had fallen, and the banging continued.
"Attention! Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!" a voice echoed through the Seireitei, earning everyone's attention as Kirara looked out. "All Squad Captains assemble at Squad 1 barracks! There is an emergency involving Squad 9! The Reiatsu readings for Squad 9 Captain Kensei Muguruma, and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, have vanished,' the announcement echoed, and Kirara went cold.
"Vanished?" she whispered. "No...they were..." Kirara turned and rushed over to her desk, shuffling through everything to find the first file she had read through.
"An emergency meeting of all Squad Captains will soon commence! Repeat, emergency assembly! Attention all Squad Captains, assemble immediately at the Squad 1 barracks!" the announcement continued, making Kirara look over to the window. Still holding the file, she rushed out of her office, and almost ran into Yoruichi.
"Oh, you're still here?" Yoruichi blinked at her, mildly surprised as she pulled on her Haori.
"There's a lot of paperwork to be done," Kirara replied flatly. "What's going on?" she asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out," Yoruichi told her, looking down at the file in her hand. "What's that?" she asked.
"It's the file about the group from the Patrol Corps being sent out as an advance party for Squad 9, and about disappearing souls," Kirara explained, making Yoruichi frown slightly.
"I see. Stay here Kirara, this is a meeting only for Captains this time," she instructed.
"But-"
"Stay here," Yoruichi repeated, and left without another word.
"So more people are going missing, and she expects me to continue my paperwork?" Kirara muttered, her fists clenching in anger. "Not a chance!" she hissed. She ran out as well, ensuring to keep her Reiatsu suppressed as she ran towards the Squad 1 barracks.
"I see you have the same idea as me," she was joined by Lisa, and grinned.
"I've been out for two months, I need to do something that isn't paperwork," she shrugged. Lisa nodded back, and they sneaked into the Squad 1 barracks, reaching the main chamber where most of the Captains were already waiting.
"We have an urgent situation," Yamamoto announced as he stood at the head. "We received a rather disturbing report from Squad 9, who have arrived at the scene at the Rukon district," he told them. Kirara and Lisa peered inside.
"Kisuke's missing...must have fallen asleep at work again," Kirara muttered.
"Though no sign of the Captains from 10 and 11," Lisa pointed out.
"No surprise there," Kirara whispered.
"They stated that the Reiatsu of both Squad 9 Captain Kensei Muguruma, and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, last seen in the field, have vanished completely," Yamamoto continued. "What is unknown, is how," he explained. "At this point, we must view this unsettling news as the worst case scenario. Until yesterday, we were classifying similar cases in the Rukon district as unusual occurrences, but now this has escalated into a personal affront to the Gotei 13, and must be resolved," Yamamoto slammed his staff down.
"Then Captain Muguruma and Mashiro have..." Kirara looked down at the file in her hand.
"Since this is a dire situation, I will now select six of you. And you will be dispatched post haste to the scene," Yamamoto instructed. Urahara finally decided to show, breathing heavily after having run from Squad 12 straight there. "You are late, Captain Urahara!" Yamamoto stated irritably.
"Let me, Sir," he requested. "Please sir, let me go there!" Urahara pleaded, and everyone looked at him. Even Ginrei broke his indifference to stare at his fellow Captain.
"No," Yamamoto said firmly.
"I have to go! My second in command is already heading there! I should-"
"Kisuke!" Yoruichi spoke loudly, interrupting Urahara's frantic words.
"Kisuke..." Kirara breathed. She'd never heard him speak in such a way.
"Just control yourself. You're making a scene," Yoruichi sounded irritated as she scolded him. "You were the one who made the choice to send her out there," she pointed out. "Can't you see that begging to go save her is an insult to her abilities?!" the noble demanded.
"Come on, don't just stand there. Let's get this done," Kyoraku walked over to the stunned Captain and put his hand on his shoulder. "That's it, line up," he pulled Urahara into line beside him.
"Now for my choices," Yamamoto continued as if nothing had happened. "Captain of Squad 3, Rojuro Otoribashi. Captain of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako. Captain of Squad 7, Love Aikawa. The three named will head to the Rukon district as soon as possible. Captain of Squad 2, Yoruichi Shihoin, will standby here and wait for further orders. As for the Captain of Squad 6, Ginrei Kuchiki, the Captain of Squad 8, Shunsui Kyoraku, and the Captain of Squad 13, Jushiro Ukitake, the three of you will guard the Seireitei. As for the Captain of Squad 4, Retsu Unohana, you will standby at the ready in the medical treatment room to await possible casualties," he order.
"Permission to speak, Head Captain?" Unohana asked politely. "If your main concern is treatment of the wounded, shouldn't I be dispatched to the Rukon District?" she asked.
"As long as this situation remains unclear, I will not put you, the head of medical treatment, at such risk. I have someone else in mind to send to the site instead," Yamamoto looked to the main doors. "Enter!" he ordered, and two more figures walked in. Kirara peeked in, and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe that the Captain, and the Lieutenant of the Kido Corps, were there. "I assume you heard what I said. I expect the two of you to head to the scene, immediately," Yamamoto ordered.
"Will do," Tessai Tsukabishi, the Commander of the Kido Corps, nodded.
"Understood, sir," the much larger figure that was Hachigen Ushoda, the Lieutenant, nodded.
"Hey, Old Man Yama," Kyoraku suddenly raised his hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but sending both the Kido Commander and his Lieutenant out to the front without knowing the situation doesn't sound too smart," he told Yamamoto, and despite the situation, Kirara smirked. He was one of the very few who could speak to the Head Captain in such a manner. "Wouldn't you tend to agree?" he asked.
"Well then, what would you have me do?" Yamamoto asked him.
"My Lieutenant could go instead of one of those guys," he suggested.
"You mean to summon her?" Ukitake stared at his best friend with wide eyes.
"That's right," Kyoraku nodded, and turned his head. "Hey, Lisa!" Kirara glanced to the woman beside her.
"Busted," she whispered.
"What do you want?" Lisa stood up, unashamed at being caught.
"Surprise," Kyoraku sighed, and Ukitake gaped at him. "Didn't I tell you not to eavesdrop on a Captain's meeting?" he tilted his head to ask the Lieutenant.
"I couldn't help myself! It's human nature to want to hear something that you're told you're not supposed to hear!" Lisa shrugged.
"The details?" Kyoraku asked.
"Yeah, I heard them," Lisa confirmed.
"Will you do it?"
"Of course I will," Lisa told him.
"Good. You handle it," Kyoraku told her.
"Hold up," they all frowned when Yoruichi spoke up. "Since you're there as well, Kirara," there was a moment of quiet, before Kirara stood up, smiling innocently. "I thought I told you to stay behind?" Yoruichi didn't look around.
"I've been off two months, I may have forgotten how to take orders," Kirara shrugged, leaning on the window with a cheeky smile.
"Is that so?" the faintest of smiles showed on the Captain's face. "And here I was about to send you out there too," she shrugged.
"Well, it's all coming back to me now," Kirara rapped her knuckles on her head.
"So you'll go?" Yoruichi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure thing," Kirara saluted, and the two Lieutenants ran off. "Oh yeah, first day back and things are getting exciting!" Kirara cheered as they ran through the Seireitei. "I'm going on ahead, see you there!" Kirara grinned to Lisa.
"Hey, wait up!" Lisa shouted, but Kirara disappeared as she used Shunpo to move much faster. "That idiot," Lisa rolled her eyes.
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