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Chapter 20: No More Secrets

Opening her eyes slowly, Kirara felt sick as she looked at her surroundings. Her Inner World was covered in fog that blocked almost everything out.

"This is...what is happening?" she breathed as she looked around. "This is why you never want me here anymore, isn't it?" Kirara turned to the Spirit, whose glowing eyes didn't look as bright as they once had.

'Something is wrong Kirara, and ...time that has passed, the...believe that this will not end ..' he told her brokenly. The woman looked around sadly at the sight. She just couldn't understand why it was so barren and foggy.

"I need to figure out what is happening. What this is doing to me...to us," Kirara ran a hand through her hair, which was lying loose. "But even Hachi can't figure it out," she sighed.

'...bound to be...who can...' Kokoro no Kage's words were becoming even more broken, and Kirara struggled to hear him. Within the Inner World, she could usually hear a little better, but as the fog grew, even that was becoming next to impossible. With a sigh, Kirara closed her eyes, and felt something brush against the back of her neck.

Kirara woke with a start, her eyes flying open as she struggled not to react. After a moment, her heart-rate slowed as she realised what was going on, and she sighed, rolling over to frown at Shinji as he slept.

"Four days of this crap...how does he keep sneaking in without me realising?" she wondered as she yawned. "Hey, at least let me sleep if you're going to do this," she poked his cheek, and he stirred.

"Too early..." he mumbled, and Kirara yelped as his arms wrapped around her suddenly and pulled her close. She sighed, shaking her head. Managing to roll over again in his grasp, she reached for her alarm clock to check the time, and her eyes widened.

"Oh come on!" she groaned, pulling out of Shinji's grip, she leapt out of bed. "You turned off my alarm clock? Idiot!" Kirara tossed it at him, and was rewarded by a cry of pain.

"What is with the abuse so early?" he groaned, sitting up with a hand to his face.

"It's not early! It's lunch time!" Kirara shouted as she rushed around her room, swapping her shorts for her skirt as she hunted for her shirt. She finally found it discarded in the corner, and as she pulled it on, she saw her Zanpakuto resting against the wall. "Hey...Hirako..." she spoke softly as she walked over and lifted it.

"You don't have to call me that you know," Shinji commented, slumped back down amongst the pillows. With a frown, Kirara looked down at the sword in her hands. "What is it?" he asked after a moment.

"Hachi can't figure out why my hair is turning white. Just that there's something there that he can't figure out," Kirara's voice was soft. "I..." she sighed. "No more secrets, right?" she asked, more to herself.

"You've been hiding something else. About what's been happening to you," Shinji was sitting up again, staring at her back. He'd had the suspicion for some time, but Kirara had been openly hostile over the smallest things. If he'd straight up asked her, she wouldn't have told him.

"It's my Zanpakuto. I haven't been able to hear him clearly for a long time," Kirara admitted, and tears stung at her eyes, much to her frustration. Openly admitting it made it real. "I have no idea what is going on with him, or what it means. Even Hachi wasn't able to figure it out," she shook her head.

"You think it's to do with what Shirobara's Zanpakuto does," Shinji was standing beside her before she realised it.

"It has to be. It's the only thing that makes sense," Kirara looked up at him, confused. "But I don't actually know what it's doing to him. Neither does he," her grip tightened a little.

"Well...I wouldn't know," Shinji admitted, but looked thoughtful. "There's only one person I can think of that might be able to figure it out," he said, and Kirara's brow furrowed.

"You think he'd know?" she wondered.

"At this point, I don't think it'd hurt to ask," Shinji told her, before smirking very slightly. "But are you going to ditch class for it, or are you going to be a good girl for once?" he asked. Kirara bristled, falling for his teasing as easily as always.

"Don't be an ass," she grumbled, swatting at him.

"Oh?" he caught her by the front of her shirt. She went red as he pulled her closer. "Is that the first choice then?" Shinji leaned very close, but didn't close the gap. Kirara scowled back, wanting nothing more than to refuse him and do the opposite. But his close proximity made it very hard for her to focus on that, and he knew it. Shinji loved it, all he would need to do would be to get close, and he had Kirara questioning her resolve. If only he'd known that before.

"I guess it is," she mumbled, and with his smirk growing, he closed the tiny gap between them.

Chewing her thumbnail, Kirara stood awkwardly in front of the small shop that was hidden away from view from most. She took a step towards the doors, before hesitating again and sighing.

"This was a mistake..." she decided, turning to walk away.

"Yo, what do you want?" she stopped, looking around in surprise. A young boy with bright red hair was glaring at her, his arms folded.

"Uh, nothing," Kirara shook her head. "It's nothing," she told him, but as she made to walk away, the boy turned his head.

"Yo boss! There's some weird old lady here to see you, and she's not wearing shoes!" he yelled. Kirara spun around, her blue eyes narrowing in a glare at him.

"Hey, who are you calling old, you little brat?" Kirara snapped at him.

"Now now Jinta, what have I told you about being respectful to customers?" a familiar voice spoke up, and they both looked around. "Well well, I didn't expect to see you, Kirara," the man who walked from the shop, whose face was mostly shadowed by a green and white hat.

"Nice hat Kisuke," Kirara snickered as he stepped out into the sun.

"So what brings you out to my humble little shop?" Urahara asked with a faint smile. Kirara's smirk faded, and she sighed, pulling her Zanpakuto off her back.

"Something's wrong with Kokoro no Kage. Nobody else can figure out what's going on," she admitted, holding the sword in her hands. Urahara immediately invited her in, and led her through the back into a small room.

"What do you mean, something's wrong?" he asked as they sat down.

"I can't hear him clearly. Like he's transmitting, and it's being interrupted," Kirara told him as she handed over her Zanpakuto. Her fingers twitched as she did so. She didn't like anyone else holding her sword. It made her nervous. "I think it might be connected to my hair turning white. I think it's something that Shirobara's Zanpakuto did to me when it cut me," she explained.

"Huh..." Urahara studied the sword curiously as he unsheathed the blade. His eyes then moved up to look at Kirara. "Do you mind standing up for a moment?" he requested. Frowning, Kirara did as requested. Urahara set down the sword, and stood up too, stepping towards her. "Since your Zanpakuto is part of your soul, there may be something that will explain in you. Now, if you'll just strip off your-" Urahara didn't finish his next request, as Kirara's foot met his face.

"Once a pervert, always a pervert Kisuke," Kirara growled as she pressed her foot down on his chest, folding her arms over her chest.

"Kirara, I am hurt that you would assume that I am requesting for you to take off your clothes without meaning," Urahara groaned up at her, looking hurt. Kirara just arched an eyebrow. "It's easier to study your Reiatsu and your connection with your Zanpakuto that way," he explained, and the pressure grew on his chest. "I'm telling the truth!" he insisted, but was smiling as he did so.

"I know," Kirara suddenly let him up. "I just didn't like how you phrased it," she pulled off her green jacket and unbuttoned the blue shirt she was wearing under it. Having changed before going to meet him, she was left in just her shorts and bra, while holding the open shirt around her.

"Always so uptight. No wonder you were nicknamed a Princess," Urahara smiled at her as he got up.

"Kisuke, I've never been afraid to punch you, remember that," Kirara growled at him. Chuckling, he stood behind her, his hands starting to glow green.

"This is strange," he murmured after a moment, moving around her. Reluctantly Kirara lowered her shirt, aware that her face was turning red as he continued to scan her. "And you said that you can't hear your Zanpakuto?" Urahara asked.

"His sentences are broken, some words I can hear, some I can't. And my...my Inner World..." Kirara hesitated, and his eyes flickered up to hers. The Inner World varied person to person, and was an incredibly private thing. "It's filling with fog. Kokoro no Kage, he said that it's speeding up," Kirara murmured.

"I see..." Urahara's voice was serious as he straightened up. "I think I know what it is. Kirara..." he paused for a moment, and for a moment, Kirara saw the apology in his eyes. "Your connection with your Zanpakuto, with that part of your soul...it's hard to detect," he explained. Kirara remained silent, her heart hammering against her chest. "Harder than usual. What I believe is happening, is that Shirobara's Zanpakuto severed your connection, but not completely. That left it to unravel by itself, like a thread from your clothes being pulled loose," Kirara took a step back as if he'd struck her, realising what he was saying. "Kirara, you're losing your connection with Kokoro no Kage. Soon, it will completely fade, and your Zanpakuto will disappear forever."

Sitting right beside the river, Kirara wasn't sure how long she'd been there. Long enough for schools to be out, as she heard school kids go by. The sun was beginning to set, but she wasn't about to move. Her Zanpakuto rested in her lap, and more than once Kirara had gripped the sheathed sword tightly, as if about to throw it.

"What will happen if the connection completely disappears?" Kirara asked quietly as she pulled her jacket back on. Her expression was blank as she looked at the ground.

"It will revert to a normal sword, just as it was before you learned its name," Urahara told her, watching as she bent to lift the Zanpakuto from the small table. "You won't be able to regain his Spirit. You will need to fix it before it completely disappears," he advised her as she slung it over her shoulder, with the brown strap resting across her chest.

"Can that even be done?" she asked, but her voice was still flat, without a trace of hope.

"I believe that if you destroy the Zanpakuto responsible, it should, in theory, stop its ability from affecting you."

"Destroy Reikonsatsu..." Kirara whispered as she stared down at her reflection. "It took me years to find Shirobara the first time..." she breathed. Now, 100 years later, she had no access to the Soul Society, or anything that would help her. "I should have realised sooner. I should have caught on as soon as it happened," she muttered.

'...not hold yourself account-...for what has...here Kirara,' Kokoro no Kage told her, sounding irritated. 'Pull yourself...this...not you. These things..beyond...control. Either accept...may disappear, or...Reikonsatsu,' Kirara didn't lift her gaze from the water.

"Things went well with Kisuke, I'm guessing," she blinked when Shinji spoke from behind her. He stood behind her, his reflection partly covered by her own. Kirara sighed, finally looking up across the river. A couple of kids ran past, bouncing a ball between them.

"Reikonsatsu cut the connection between me and my Zanpakuto. It's degrading over time, and if I don't destroy the Zanpakuto that did it, he'll disappear. And even if I do destroy Reikonsatsu, there's a chance that my Zanpakuto might disappear," Kirara explained as she set her sword down beside her.

"Nothing is ever simple with you, is it?" Shinji commented as he sat down beside her. Without looking at him, Kirara punched his arm. "Are you really out here sulking?" he asked, and she scowled.

"Shut up," she muttered, before looking up in surprise as Shinji grabbed her arm and turned her to make her finally look at him. He leaned in, kissing her before she could react.

"Stop sulking. You still think you have to do thing alone," he grumbled as she stared at him. "We'll figure this out together, idiot," Shinji told her.

"Huh. Is that your lame attempt at cheering me up?" Kirara asked as she pulled away.

"Well you're being snarky again, so I'd say it's working," Shinji rolled his eyes, and before she realised, she'd let out a laugh. She then sighed, smiling slightly as she shook her head.

"You're still a dumbass," setting her Zanpakuto down beside her, she pushed in closer to kiss him again. She then pulled away, her smile turning a little sad. "Don't tell the others about this. I don't know how we'll be able to fix this one Shinji, I really don't," Kirara shook her head, and a little gasp escaped when he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.

"Who knows. I know we will though. You're stubborn enough to convince me to let you go back to that dammed school even with two Shinigami floating around, you're stubborn enough to get your sword fixed," Shinji told her as she went red. She gave a small chuckle, resting her head under his chin.

"Well..." she smirked slightly. "The uniform helped," she commented.

"Who do you think I am? Lisa?" Shinji frowned at her, offended. Kirara lifted her head to raise an eyebrow at him. He frowned back, but a guilty grin eventually won out.

"Knew it. Pervert," Kirara muttered.

"You pull a girl's shirt open once and you're the world's biggest pervert," Shinji sighed, but was still smirking. "But on the subject of honesty, it wasn't a bad view," he told her.

That earned him a punch to the gut, leaving him lying in the grass groaning as Kirara stalked off. "Worth it..." he groaned.

"Hey Kirara!" she looked up as Orihime waved to her, a group of them standing outside their classroom. Kirara smiled, waving back before a yawn escaped. She walked over, and Orihime beamed at her as Tatsuki greeted her as well.

"Where have you been? You haven't been in since the tests," the black haired girl asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, when someone pulled you away before we could go for food," Orihime nodded.

"I forgot about that...when I saw you at the riverside later..." Tatsuki frowned, remembering how upset she had been. Kirara gave a weak laugh. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Oh, just a misunderstanding," Kirara shrugged. "Just someone needing to talk," she explained, before looking to the others peering at the wall. "What's with the crowd?" she asked curiously.

"Test results are finally out," Orihime smiled. "Come on, let's take a look," she said, and the three made their way through the crowd to take a look. The three scanned the results, and Kirara let out a whistle.

"Third place? Nice one," Kirara elbowed her.

"Pretty smart for a girl Orihime," Tatsuki said as she patted Orihime's head. The red haired girl laughed weakly, blushing at the praise.

"This sucks. Orihime has both brains and boobs, it's just not fair!" Michiru complained as she saw her own score, which was much lower than Orihime's.

"If it makes you feel better, she's a terrible cook," Tatsuki muttered to the girl. Kirara agreed with that, having tried her food once and regretted it instantly.

"Orihime you're my best friend! I'm so proud of you!" Chizuru exclaimed as she hugged Orihime tightly.

"Get off her..." Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

"Oh..." Keigo got close to the scores.

"Asano, if you're looking for your school, it's probably the far end of the board," Kirara snickered.

"And proud of it!" Keigo puffed out his chest. Kirara rolled her eyes. "Just because you're a nerd, Miss. 21!" he pointed to her score. Kirara just shrugged. "At least nobody else embarrassed us by ranking in the top 50," Keigo muttered.

"You sure about that?" Kirara snickered.

"Take another look," Mizuiro leaned forwards and pointed at the name two lower than Kirara.

"Wh...what?!" Keigo screamed.

"If that's his reaction to Ichigo, I don't want to be here when he sees Chad's name," Kirara shook her head, turning away. "Congrats big guy," she nudged Chad's arm as she passed him.

"Thanks," he grunted. As Kirara walked into her classroom, she heard Keigo and Mizuiro scream in horror.

"This place is never quiet," she chuckled, dropping her bag onto her desk. As she slumped down onto her chair and opened it to pull out her things, she heard someone else walk in, accompanied by the small flicker of Reiatsu. She looked up, and walked as a tall, skinny student with black hair and glasses took his seat. Kirara watched him for a moment, curious. She'd never really noticed him before, too busy keeping an eye on Ichigo and his uncontrolled Reiatsu that spilled out everywhere.

"Why are you looking at me?" she jumped as the boy spoke in a low voice.

"Oh, sorry!" Kirara laughed weakly, going red. "You're Uryu Ishida, right?" she asked him curiously.

"That's right," his words were abrupt and made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested in talking. "And you're Kirara Yamada," he finally looked at her, his glasses flashing in the light. Kirara arched an eyebrow at him. "It's not hard to remember the name of the girl who skips class so much, yet is still scores high. Though, I will admit, there is something about you that unnerves me," Uryu admitted in a low voice.

"Um...it does?" she asked. She was forced to go still and not react as the room took a bluish hue, and white ribbons surrounded them. "Why is that?" she asked curiously, thankful that when Urahara had built them untraceable Gigais, they had also disguised their Spirit Ribbons.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure," Uryu turned away, getting to his feet. "Excuse me," he walked out without another word. The room returned to normal, and Kirara tilted her head, continuing to play along.

"Okay..." she turned back to her bag and resumed emptying it as more people started walking in. "Just what the heck was that about?" she wondered aloud, her heart hammering against her chest. Uryu suspected that there was something more to her. He was able to control Reiraku and search for her Spirit Ribbon. Her Reiatsu would have been impossible to detect, so she had no idea what had tipped him off. "Just what is he?" she wondered to herself.

"Hey! Quit sleeping there!" Kirara groaned at Kensei's irritated growl.

"I'll do what I want, and that includes sleeping here," she rolled over and stretched across the sofa, closing her eyes again.

"I don't get how you're tired," Hiyori frowned at her. "All you have to do is sit there all day," she shrugged. Kirara gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Yeah, I wish that's all I had to do there," she sighed.

"Remember that Kirara's secretly a nerd, and actually stu-" Kirara rolled over again, and without looking, kicked her leg up and slammed her foot into Shinji's face, knocking him flying. She then sighed, sitting up. Her hair fell into her face as she stretched, and sighed.

"There's something weird about one of the guys in my class," she admitted.

"Oh? Like what?" Rose asked curiously.

"I told you that a few people have a small amount of Reiatsu, right?" Kirara glanced at him. "This guy was one of them, but I think he's suppressing it. He knows how to control Reiraku...I think he was trying to see if I was a Shinigami," she explained.

"And you didn't beat the crap out of him?" Hiyori frowned.

"Unlike you and your desire to fight everyone, no," Kirara rolled her eyes, earning a scowl from the blonde girl. "I don't know what he is, but all he thinks is that I unnerve him," she explained.

"You are a little alarming," Love grinned.

"Hilarious," Kirara rolled her eyes. "I'm just letting you know. Doubtful it's anything, but who knows," she shrugged, and stood up.

"Don't think you're sneaking off to sleep, Kirara," she stopped, looking around at Lisa. "It's your turn to get dinner," she reminded her. Kirara groaned. "Don't even think about trying to pawn it off, here," Lisa stood, her nose still in her book, and handed over the list to Kirara.

"I hate you," the girl muttered back, stuffing it into her shirt pocket.

"Shinji, you're supposed to be going too, so quit playing dead over there," Lisa barked to their leader.

"Why are you giving damn orders?" Shinji grumbled as he got to his feet, a hand on his jaw where Kirara's kick had landed.

"Just go and get food already, dumbass," Hiyori rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Kirara rolled her eyes, seeing him about to retort and cause more fighting. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Hey! Quit pulling!" he complained as she pulled him from the warehouse.

"Who'd have thought we'd manage to get those two willing to go on a food run together?" Love snorted.

"Not me!" Mashiro beamed.

"I had my doubts," Hachi admitted.

"Those dumbasses," Hiyori rolled her eyes. "Maybe it'll finally be a little quieter around here," she muttered, before noticing the looks shot her way. "What?!" she snapped.

"Well...quieter than it has been," Kensei shrugged. "Still not quiet enough for my liking," he added, shooting Hiyori and Mashiro in particular looks.

"Will you quit pulling my arm! You're weirdly fast for someone so short," Shinji complained.

"And you're awfully slow for someone so gangly," Kirara finally stopped, whirling around. "And don't call me short!" she stomped her foot, and he stared at her.

"Did you really just..." Shinji grinned in amusement. "Stomp your foot?" he finished, unable to stop his laughter.

"Shut up!" Kirara went red. "Come on, the sooner we get dinner, the sooner we can get back and I can sleep," she continued pulling, until he stopped dead, pulling her back. In her surprise, Kirara stumbled over her bare feet and fell into him.

"Oh my, falling for me are you?" Shinji teased.

"You are so lame," Kirara raised an eyebrow at him. His grin just widened, and Kirara found herself smiling back. "Don't call me short again. Just because you and the others are freakishly tall," she poked his chest.

"Have I struck a nerve?" Shinji couldn't resist continuing to tease her. She made it far to easy for him to rile her up. Even if sometimes it backfired and she kicked him across the face for calling her a nerd. Or punched him in the gut for commenting on his view.

"Just come on, dumbass, we need to get food," she grabbed his hand and started pulling him along again.

"They can wait," Shinji stopped again, pulling her in close to kiss her. She didn't resist, smiling slightly as she pushed up to kiss him back, her hands gripping his shirt.

"They're never going to let us go out for a food run together again," Kirara mumbled against his mouth, but made no attempt to pull away.

"Then we may as well make this one last," Shinji whispered back, deepening the kiss before Kirara could even think to argue.

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