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Chapter 24: Encounter

Tying her hair up and ensuring that the ribbon was tied properly, Kirara stretched, and fought back a yawn. She was one of the only ones awake that early, the other being Kensei, who was usually up first to train. The others were generally a little more lazy, with Mashiro being the last to rise. Kirara wouldn't normally have been awake so early either, but after several months in school, her sleeping pattern had changed and so she was awake much earlier.

After stretching, Kirara jogged out of the warehouse. The sun was only just beginning to rise as she jogged away from her home and through town. Her breath came out evenly as she barely pushed herself.

Summer break had finally started, giving Kirara a lot more time in the day that she didn't know what to do with. For now, she'd decided to focus more on her Hakuda, as she wasn't entirely sure how much longer she'd even have her Shikai, and wanted to make sure she wasn't helpless.

At the thought, Kirara's pace quickened, and she ran alongside the river. The peace was welcome, and relaxing as Kirara found herself enjoying her morning run.

"Hey Kirara!" she glanced around as Tatsuki caught up to her, grinning. "I didn't expect to see you out here," she commented as they jogged alongside each other.

"Well, I was up early and needed something to do," Kirara explained. "How's your arm?" she asked.

"Starting to feel better at last, but I couldn't wait any longer to start running again," Tatsuki admitted. Her arm, which had been broken in the finals of the Martial Arts Championship that she had been taking part in, was wrapped up in a cast and kept close to her chest.

"I don't blame you, I'd be bored senseless not being able to use my arm," Kirara nodded.

"I have been bored senseless," Tatsuki confirmed, and Kirara grinned. "You know, it is a surprise to see you out here so early," the short haired girl commented. "Since I usually see you sleeping through the day," she pointed out. Kirara's grin widened, unapologetic.

"That's because school is dull. And besides, if I need to, I can just sleep when I get back," she said, making Tatsuki smile in amusement.

"Even so, I didn't think you were the active type," Tatsuki said bluntly, making Kirara laugh.

"I don't seem like a lot of things really," she said. 'Like how I'm really a Spirit far older than any of these humans. Or that I'm harbouring a vicious, bloodthirsty monster within that's as much a part of me as anything else,' she thought, her smile turning slightly wry. 'Or that I've spilt more blood as myself, than as a Hollow...' she shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts of the past.

Tatsuki glanced at her as Kirara seemed to fall into thought about what she had said. She had to admit, she was odd. Her hair was more white than black, seeming to become more white as time progressed, which Tatsuki figured was her way of annoying the teachers. Plus there was the fact that she wore shoes as little as possible, such as at that point, while she was running barefoot. She always seemed to be holding back, and now that Orihime was keeping something hidden, she couldn't help but notice that similarity. And when Kirara wasn't acting goofy, she seemed to act far more mature than the 15 year old that she claimed to be. Tatsuki couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her than she was letting on.

Then there was the matter of her scars. During P.E, Kirara always managed to change without anyone looking, save for one time when Tatsuki caught a glimpse. Two scars ran down her back, crossing at one point. One was much thicker than the other, and slightly jagged, while the other was long and thin, while seeming just as deep. She'd never asked about them, figuring that if Kirara hid them, that she wasn't up for talking about them.

All in all, Kirara completely baffled her, and she felt like something was being hidden from her when Kirara was around. That being said, she did like the girl, who she did regard as a friend, even though she hadn't known her that long. "Hey, you wanna get food after?" Kirara invited as they jogged across the bridge. Tatsuki snapped out of her thoughts, and grinned.

"Sure, I'm starving," she nodded.

"We haven't been here in a while," Kirara commented as they sat waiting on their food. The two sat a the counter of a small ramen joint that they had occasionally visited during the school term, usually with Orihime.

"I guess we've been busy," Tatsuki shrugged. "And I haven't seen you around much," she added, glancing to Kirara.

"Yeah, we've both been pretty busy," Kirara agreed. While Tatsuki had been busy with her martial arts tournament, Kirara had been training herself, leaving little time for anything else. Her stomach growled loudly as their bowls were set down in front of them, and she glanced to the girl sitting beside her. Tatsuki was already tucking in, eating one-handed. "You're very good at that," she said, watching curiously.

"I have to be," Tatsuki shrugged between mouthfuls.

"Fair point," Kirara said. "How long do you have to wear that thing?" she asked, curious. She'd never seen such a thing before. Normally broken bones were an easy fix, at least when kidos were involved. She was grateful for Hachi's ability. If it wasn't for him, the Vizards would have been in a lot worse condition over the years. There had been frequent occasions of them getting carried away with sparring.

"At least a month," Tatsuki grumbled, touching the plaster cast on her healing arm. Kirara gave a hiss and a sympathetic wince at the thought. The idea of being unable to use her arm for a minimum of a month was unthinkable. "There go my summer plans," she complained. "Then again, with Orihime away for the summer, it's not like I had that much planned anymore," she added.

"Well, if you ever want to just hang out, I don't really have much planned," Kirara offered.

"Really?" Tatsuki was surprised by the offer.

"Sure," Kirara smiled. "You said it yourself. We're friends," she reminded her. She did find it funny, that she'd become attached to humans. Then again, she never had a reason to hate them.

"Has something happened lately?" Kirara's smile faded slightly at Tatsuki's question. "You seem...happier," Tatsuki told her, watching her curiously.

"I do?" Kirara blinked, confused.

"I mean..." Tatsuki paused, considerate. "Before, you seemed kinda...sad. When you thought no-one was watching," Tatsuki went a little red as she explained what she meant. "You seemed to be a little lonely. But recently, it's like you're, well, happier," she shrugged. "I noticed it after the exams," she added. Kirara stiffened, feeling her face get very warm as she realised what Tatsuki meant.

"Huh. I never realised I was obvious," after a moment, Kirara gave a small chuckle. "I guess I am..." she agreed, smiling softly as she looked down at her bowl. "Thanks, Tatsuki," she said. Tatsuki just shrugged and resumed eating, curious about her friend, who sometimes seemed like a completely different person.

After returning to the warehouse and showering, Kirara took the opportunity to relax on the sofa as most of the Vizards trained below. Flipping through a book that Orihime had lent her, Kirara occasionally heard random notes of music that Rose was playing on his violin, before scribbling, murmuring to himself.

"I've not heard that one before. New?" Kirara lowered her book and looked over to the blond as he scribbled down more notes.

"It came to me in a dream last night," Rose explained with the dreamy smile that usually accompanied his new compositions.

"It's nice," Kirara commented as she raised her book again.

"You are too kind as always, my dear," Rose told her as he raised his violin again. "It still needs lots of work," he sighed, and continued to play. Still lying down, Kirara lowered her book and closed her eyes, choosing instead to listen to the peaceful melody. She stretched, yawning widely as the music relaxed her, even in short goes, and she started to doze off. As sleep began to take hold of her, Kirara heard a whisper in her mind, and sat up suddenly, wide awake.

'Kokoro no Kage?' she kept her eyes closed and called mentally, not wanting to disturb Rose's playing.

'That...not..." the Spirit responded, sounding a little puzzled. Kirara frowned, knowing that it wasn't her Inner Hollow either. 'How...' anything Kokoro no Kage said after was missed by Kirara. It was frustrating, seeming like she was hearing him, but not listening to him. It was getting even worse.

"Kirara?" she opened her eyes as Shinji poked her cheek. "What's up with you?" he asked, leaning on the back of the sofa.

"I thought I heard a voice...it was weird," she muttered, still confused. She then shook her head and smiled. "Come on, I'm on the dinner run tonight, I could do with company," Kirara got to her feet and reached out a hand to him.

"I did it yesterday...but fine," Shinji sighed.

"No way," Love pushed Kirara away from him as he reached out to take her hand. The taller man stood between the two as Kirara blinked multiple times in surprise. "The last time you two idiots went on the dinner run together, you took almost three hours," he reminded them as Shinji shot him an irritated look.

"I warned you," Kirara hummed, smiling at Shinji from around the sunglasses-wearing Vizard. In true mature fashion, Shinji stuck his tongue out at her.

"Rose, you go," Love ignored the pair and spoke to Rose, who stopped playing with a dramatic sigh.

"If I must," he carefully set the delicate instrument down in its case and closed it over.

"What's with you barking orders?" Shinji frowned at Love.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you're useless when it comes to telling Kirara what to do," Love reminded him. "I can't help but step in," he shrugged, sounding bored. Shinji tried not to react, but felt his face grow warm as Kirara giggled and put a hand to her mouth. "And I'd prefer to eat before I get old," he added. With another laugh, Kirara darted around Love and reached up, kissing Shinji's cheek. A bad feeling gnawed at his stomach, and he caught her hand, pulling her close, which made Love groan. Kirara pulled away, touching his arm lightly.

"We won't be that long, relax," she told him, before bounding over to Rose and smiling at him as he stood and smiled fondly at her.

"Shouldn't you put on shoes?" he asked as they walked towards the exit.

"Nah," Kirara shook her head, and the two disappeared out. Shinji shot Love another irritated look before slumping down on the sofa and lifting Kirara's discarded book.

"Quit sulking, she ain't gonna be that long," Love rolled his eyes, turning away. "You're hopeless," he sighed, shaking his head as he walked off and left their leader to it.

"You know Rose," Kirara started as they walked through town. "A lot of weird stuff has happened since we moved back to town," she commented, her hands behind her back. In her shorts and blue t-shirt, Kirara enjoyed the heat of the afternoon, which was beginning to fade as the sun started to set.

"It is quite unusual," Rose agreed, fixing his black blazer. "I wonder why everything has been happening in such a short space of time. This place carries a bizarre air to it," he mused. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, Kirara hummed in agreement.

"It draws you in. Maybe that's why Kisuke decided to set up shop here," she considered, before looking down and gasping as a puppy sniffed at her feet. "You are so cute!" she exclaimed, crouching to pet the animal, whose brown tail wagged in excitement. Scratching behind his ear, she giggled as he rose to rest his front paws on her knee and lick her hand. "Hey Rose...do you reckon we could get a puppy?" Kirara asked as the puppy continued to lick her.

"I have no doubt that you could get Shinji to agree, but I doubt the others would cave to your pouting so easily," Rose smiled gently at her. Kirara rolled her eyes, blushing, and watched as the puppy ran off, back to his owner as he was called.

"I don't have that much power over him you know. Remember when I didn't want to go back to school?" Kirara grumbled.

"Ah yes, that was quite funny," Rose commented, and earned a glare from his blushing friend.

"For you guys maybe..." Kirara sighed. "Hachi adopted all those stray cats around the warehouse, I just want a puppy..." she complained, but didn't look very put out about it. Rose's smile grew, and he patted her head.

"In his defence, Hachi didn't really adopt those cats, more they started to follow him around one day," Rose reminded her. "And you should be careful Kirara, you're starting to sound like a schoolgirl again," he warned. Kirara stuck out her tongue at him.

"I suppose it's for the best...I mean we're not exactly the most responsible bunch," she shrugged.

"Speak for yourself," Rose looked mildly insulted. "But we are quite the handful," he accepted. "But with such personalities, you can hardly expect us to be contained so easily. After so long together, it's only natural that we would clash occasionally," he mused.

"True," Kirara agreed. "But then again, most families are a little crazy," Kirara said with a soft smile. Rose smiled too.

"That is true, and we have quite the family," he nodded. Kirara's smile grew, and when someone walked past and bumped her shoulder, she stumbled backward slightly from the force. "Oh, sorry," she apologised, barely looking at them as they apologised as well, until she saw the shock of red hair and looked around properly. He looked around too, and Kirara's eyes went wide. "Impossible..." she whispered. Her heart began to pound hard against her chest.

"Kirara?" Rose turned, curious, his purple eyes travelling to the man standing opposite them, his head angled to survey them. His pale pink eyes were just as wide as Kirara's as he turned to face them properly. His features, once handsome, were marred by the long scar that went right down the middle of his face, curving past his nose and cutting through his left cheek. His hair was choppy and stood on end, his face covered in red stubble, and he wore a Shinigami uniform, which was wrinkled and ripped, as if he had been wearing it for some time.

"Kirara..." he murmured, before breaking into a twisted smirk that Kirara had been seeing in nightmares for 100 years. "Well well...fancy meeting you here of all places, Commander," he chuckled low. Rose's frown grew as the man addressed Kirara by her former title. The man appeared to be a Shinigami, but his dishevelled appearance didn't make that likely. "And here I'd heard that you'd died 100 years ago. I must say, I was greatly disappointed by that," he sneered. Kirara stared back, speechless. The man's pink gaze slid to Rose then. "Oh, and even more of a surprise. Captain Otoribashi. Sorry, I'd imagine it's just Otoribashi now," he corrected himself. Rose started in alarm that the stranger knew him.

"Who are you?" he asked, baffled. He looked to Kirara, and the man's twisted smirk faded, when she started to laugh. After a moment, she stopped, giving a sigh.

"Kenjiro Shirobara, I have to say, you've picked a fantastic time to show your face again," Rose's eyes widened at Kirara's words. So this was the man who had almost killed her. Kirara's expression had become blank as she watched him, not betraying emotion of any kind.

"Oh Commander," Kenjiro's smirk returned, and he drew the Zanpakuto at his side. Kirara's eyes were trained on the blade, and determination flickered in her gaze. "I've been dreaming of killing you for a hundred years, and I'll finally get my chance!" he leapt at her, swinging Reikonsatsu as he prepared to cut her down.

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