So I was going to update before I went on holiday but didn't get the chance. Now my sleep pattern is ruined and I'm eating jelly at midnight so I figured now was the perfect time to update!

Thanks to IrishPrincess1987, pinkdoughnuts and Suzume Amai, for your reviews!

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Chapter 26: Things Get Worse

Sunlight streamed through a crack in the curtains that hadn't been completely closed, landing directly on Shinji's face as he rolled over. Slowly opening his eyes, the blond Vizard scrunched up his face at the stinging light, and rolled over, narrowly avoiding bumping heads with Kirara. She was still fast asleep, completely relaxed as she slept with her mouth slightly open and her hair falling over her eyes. Propping himself up slightly to watch her, Shinji tilted his head slightly.

It was still strange, seeing her so relaxed. Normally, even when she was sleeping around the warehouse – or by the riverbed, Shinji had found – she still had a slightly guarded expression, as if still on alert. Even when he had first started to sneak into her room – partly to annoy her – she'd had the expression. But now, she was completely asleep and at peace.

Unable to stop himself, Shinji lifted a hand and brushed her hair from her face, making her brow furrow. But instead of waking up, she burrowed her face into the pillow, and moved closer to him. He bit back a chuckle at her actions, not wanting to wake her. He looked at her hair, which was already starting to lose the white that had almost completely covered it.

Shinji wasn't quite sure when exactly he'd fallen for his ridiculous Princess, but it had been long ago. He had been intrigued by her by in the Academy, before the stupidity of himself and others in their class had almost gotten Kirara killed when she had stepped in to save their lives. Then her anger had rid any thoughts of being around her, and the two couldn't help but wind each other up in negative ways.

Then it seemed to change all of a sudden, he wasn't quite sure when or how, but he did remember coming across Kirara's fight with Kenjiro the first time.

Satoru's warning that Kirara was fighting one of the deserters who had almost killed him, was almost missed by those back at camp. With the large amount of Hollows around, they were a little distracted.

"Captain!" Shinji looked around quickly at the frantic tone of a man he'd never met before. He looked panicked, covered in blood. "The leader of the deserters has shown himself, and Lieutenant Yamada is fighting him at the moment!" Satoru reported, breathing heavily.

"So? She can handle an idiot herself," Shinji shrugged, trying not to look bothered in the slightest.

"Sir, with all due respect, this man is dangerous," Satoru looked terrified. "He could cause real harm to the Lieutenant," he warned, and Shinji's frown deepened.

"Fine. Warn Yoruichi," he told the man, who nodded. After a quick bow, Satoru ran off to try and gain the attention of Yoruichi, who was commanding her Division to take out the Hollows, while also fighting the deserters who remained behind. Shinji shook his head slightly, looking around.

"Sosuke, stay here," he ordered his Lieutenant, who turned quickly in time to see Shinji run off into the forest.

Trying to feel Kirara's Reiatsu signature, Shinji listened for any signs of fighting as well. Finally he caught hold of her whereabouts, and frowned slightly. Her signature kept disappearing and reappearing in different areas, but always moving towards one particular point. His frown grew when he realised that her Reiatsu, which had always been almost like a refreshing, bubbly feeling, was stormy, and weakening. She was injured. "That damn idiot," he muttered, using Shunpo to move faster.

Coming across a large clearing amidst the trees, Shinji found Kirara standing opposite a red-haired man, both of them covered in blood. But while the man's wounds were only bad enough to slow him down, Kirara had a large gaping wound down her front, and her bare arms and legs were covered in blood.

"I'm not going to explain it to you, if you're not intelligent enough to catch on," Kirara was saying to the furious looking man, but her breathing was laboured. Her shaky legs finally gave in, and she crashed to the ground, dropping her Zanpakuto. Her Reiatsu seemed to return to her, and she groaned. "Dammit...I won't...I won't lose...to you..." she pushed herself up, but was too weak to get any further.

"Too late!" Kenjiro rushed at her. Knowing that there was no way Kirara could defend herself, Shinji moved before he could even think. His fist slammed into Kenjiro's face, and with a powerful kick, he sent the man flying.

"Just what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, Princess?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to survey the young woman. All he could see was blood, and it made his heart pound painfully against his chest. The sight made him sick to his stomach. "You weren't about to give up, were you?" he asked, swallowing. Kirara stared up with her wide, pale blue eyes, before frowning.

"Of course not," she muttered, looking away quickly.

"You'll regret crossing paths with me, Commander," Kenjiro snarled as he got to his feet, grabbing his Zanpakuto. Shinji got ready to fight, but instead, Kenjiro turned and ran.

"Stop!" Kirara was able to get to her feet, but that seemed to be the last of her energy, and her legs gave way. Turning, Shinji reacted instinctively and caught her. She was tiny, even smaller than he'd realised, and his hands were quickly coated in warm, sticky blood. "Don't let him escape! I'll be fine, I-"

"You're bleeding to death, idiot, so take it easy," Shinji snapped, furious with her. How could she have gotten herself so injured fighting with such an idiot who hadn't even seen Shinji's attack coming? He moved her backwards, and helped her sit against the trunk of a tree as she whimpered in pain.

"But...he'll get away," Kirara was continuing to argue. Shinji had to give her credit, she was truly stubborn. She definitely gave him a run for his money."Why are you helping me instead of catching him?" she demanded, her voice weak.

"That's not my job. Yoruichi asked me to come along and help with keeping you idiots safe, remember?" Shinji crouched beside her, trying not to focus on the blood on his hands. It brought back memories of the night in the forest, not unlike this one.

"Thanks...I owe you one," Kirara relented.

"I'd say we're about even now," Shinji told her softly, and watched as she started to laugh while tears welled up in her eyes.

"Seems so," she giggled. "Yet I'm still the one covered in blood," she mused, and Shinji tilted his head slightly to watch her. It had been a long time since they had conversed without either one angry with the other for no reason.

"Well...not entirely," Shinji looked down at his hands, and Kirara glanced at him, her gaze turning guilty as she saw it too.

"Oh...sorry," she said, and Shinji looked at her, surprised by her apology. He'd never once heard her apologise, especially not to him. He couldn't resist in teasing her.

"I think that's gotta be the first time those words have ever left your mouth, Princess," he couldn't help but say. Her guilty look was replaced by her usual scowl that she seemed to reserve only for him.

"Oh, I have lost way too much blood for you to-" Shinji wasn't quite sure what made him do it, but as Kirara tried to snap at him, he leaned in and locked his lips against hers. She stiffened, not reacting, and Shinji cursed himself. Of course she wouldn't reciprocate. She'd hated him for a long time; she'd never have considered what he'd been thinking for the last few years. He pulled away, but didn't look away as she stared at him, not willing to back down. His heart thudded against his ribs, determined to escape, before he saw Kirara's hand twitch. She reached up, and for a split second Shinji was certain she was going to strike him. Instead, she grabbed the front of his kosode and pulled him back so his mouth crashed against hers. Unable to hold back, Shinji kissed her back, his hand on her face as it grew more fierce.

Snapping from his thoughts of the past, Shinji sighed lightly. Seeing Kirara covered in that much blood, it made his stomach clench tightly. Brushing her hair from her face again, he couldn't help but lean in and kiss her softly. Kirara gave a soft moan, and her hand shot out, cupping the back of his neck as she pulled him onto her. Her other hand caught in his hair, and as he let his own hands trail down, her phone rang.

"You better not-" Shinji hissed, but Kirara let go of him to grab the phone beside her. Glancing at the caller id, she then glanced at Shinji's irritated expression, and smirked, answering.

"Hey Tatsuki, what's up?" she answered, still sleepy.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Tatsuki sounded apologetic.

"Nah you didn't," Kirara told her, reaching up to the Vizard still hovering over her with a very irritated look on his face. She trailed her fingers across his cheek, before flicking his nose and making him flinch.

"Oh good. I was wondering if you wanted to come out with a couple of us in a bit? We're gonna get the last of our assignments done before the new term, and maybe get some ice cream. Orihime's been talking non-stop about the ice cream," Tatsuki chuckled, clearly with her best friend who Kirara could hear chattering away in the background, who had returned a few days ago from the Soul Society.

"Oh, you've sold me on the ice cream," Kirara grinned, before squeaking as Shinji suddenly smirked and leaned down to kiss her neck, right by her exposed collarbone.

"Uh, you okay?" Tatsuki asked slowly, hearing the noise as Kirara bit back a whimper. Using her free hand, she tried to push him off, only for Shinji to grab it and pin it over her head.

"Yeah...yeah I'm-" she stopped as he continued, lightly nipping at the skin. "I'm fine," Kirara said quickly. "I mean the homework part doesn't sound great, but I'll be there," she told Tatsuki, glaring at Shinji as he lifted his head to smirk at her widely, before leaning back down to continue assaulting her neck.

"Cool, we're meeting at noon by the school, is that okay with you?" Tatsuki asked, completely unaware of what was happening on the other side of her phone call.

"Yeah that's...that's okay with me, I'll see...see you then!" Kirara managed to say, and after a quick goodbye, hung up. "You asshole," she hissed, shoving Shinji off as she breathed heavily.

"I told you not to answer," Shinji told her, remorseless.

"That spot though?" Kirara grumbled, going red as she put a hand to the very sensitive spot.

"Couldn't resist," Shinji shrugged, before he suddenly pushed her back down and pinned her. Still breathing heavily, Kirara went red as he grinned down at her.

"You're the worst," she told him.

"Careful of my feelings, you're gonna hurt them again," he chuckled. Kirara sighed, rolling her eyes, before getting a hand free to pull him down into a kiss.

"Hi Kirara!" Orihime waved as she spotted Kirara jogging towards the small group that were waiting at the school gates.

"Sorry I'm late," Kirara apologised as she reached them. "I got uh, held up," she smiled weakly, rubbing her neck and praying that Shinji hadn't left any marks. She was going to kill him later.

"It's fine, we only just got here too," Tatsuki told her with a grin. "Come on, let's go find a place to start working," she told the group, who began walking.

"So how was your trip?" Kirara asked Orihime as she walked beside the red-head, her hands behind her back.

"It was really fun!" Orihime smiled brightly. Kirara resisted arching a brow at the idea of breaking into the Soul Society to rescue someone being fun. She had to admit, she was surprised that all of them had returned in one piece, and wondered just how it had gone. "I met a bunch of people. Oh! And one had the same surname as you!" she told Kirara, who stumbled.

"O-oh? Really?" Kirara smiled, trying to keep calm. "What was their name? Maybe we're related," she said in a joking manner, but her heart was pounding against her chest.

"Hmm...it was kinda strange," Orihime thought for a moment. "Oh! Hanataro," she remembered, and Kirara frowned, the name completely lost on her.

"Never heard of them. Guess not," Kirara just shrugged and smiled again, but couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't mentioned Seinosuke.

'Perhaps she did not meet him. The Soul Society is a large place,' Kokoro no Kage suggested. Kirara's smile grew slightly, still unused to being able to hear him clearly again.

'You're probably right,' she agreed, and began talking about the different food that Orihime had tried while away.

"Honestly, it's summer break, we're meant to relax and have fun," Kirara complained as they all walked away from the small ice cream shop they had visited. "They gave us way too much work," she grumbled.

"I hear that," Tatsuki agreed. "But at least we're all done with it now," she pointed out.

"Yep! So we can spend the rest of the summer having fun!" Orihime chirped brightly.

"Orihime! Let's spend every day together!" Chizuru leapt over to try and hug Orihime, only for Tatsuki to turn and kick her away, glaring. Orihime just gave a nervous laugh as Kirara rolled her eyes, smiling in amusement.

"We don't have that much time left, only a week," Ryo shrugged as she finished her ice cream.

"Where did the summer go? I didn't do half the things I wanted to do," Mahana complained.

"Oh! Let's go to the park!" Michiru suggested with a smile. "I haven't been in ages, and it's such a nice day," she told them when the group glanced at her.

"The park? Why there?" Tatsuki asked. Kirara glanced to the small, timid girl, and noticed her cheeks going red.

"Oh, there's a guy there, isn't there?" she smirked, and Michiru squeaked, her eyes going wide as she went even redder. Kirara laughed at her reaction.

"N-n-no, there's not!" Michiru insisted.

"Then why are you blushing so much?" Ryo asked her. The small girl just blushed more.

"Well, it's not like I have anything else planned. The park sounds nice to me," Kirara decided, stretching.

"You just want to find somewhere to take a nap," Tatsuki accused. Kirara just winked at her.

"Oh I haven't been to the park all summer!" Orihime smiled. "Let's go there!" she turned to Tatsuki, who sighed.

"Alright," she agreed. Chizuru immediately agreed as well, determined to be with Orihime as much as possible. They headed towards the park, still talking amongst themselves.

"So what's this mystery guy like?" Kirara asked Michiru, who looked up at her, a little nervous. All of them, minus Tatsuki and Orihime, had been a little wary of Kirara, but after their homework session, most had relaxed around her, except for the small, brown haired girl.

"He's..." Michiru blushed again. "He has a really nice smile, and plays the guitar. His music is so nice, it makes me feel at peace," she told them.

"A musician huh? Didn't think you'd be into that," Mahana commented, grinning. "So is he our age? Older? What's he look like?" she bombarded the girl with questions.

"Don't overload her," the tallest, Ryo, scolded her with a roll of her eyes. "We'll see him when we see him," she said, flipping her black hair over her shoulder.

"I think it's cute," Kirara said. "Maybe we can get them together," she winked.

"What!? No! I-I-"

"I'm kidding," Kirara laughed at Michiru's alarmed reaction. "Go at your own pace," she winked at the girl. She just blushed even more, staring at the ground.

'Like yourself?' Kokoro no Kage asked, and Kirara's smile fell slightly.

'I may regret being happy to hear you again, old man,' she told him, unimpressed with his words as she blushed.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked her curiously, seeing her reaction. "Your face is kinda red, you're not getting too warm are you?" she asked, and Kirara smiled at the girl.

"I'm fine, thanks Orihime," she told her.

"That's my Orihime, always so considerate of others!" Chizuru hugged her from behind, only to be knocked away by Tatsuki again.

"She'll never learn," Tatsuki muttered. They finally reached the park, and heard a beautiful melody playing as soon as they walked in. Kirara's smile dropped, her brow furrowing.

"I know that melody," she murmured.

"He's here!" Michiru smiled brightly, leading the way to a more secluded part of the park, surrounded by trees as the music grew louder. When a familiar figure finally came into view, Kirara couldn't stop her snort of laughter.

"Rose?" she giggled, making the group look at her quickly.

"You know him?" Michiru stared at her with wide eyes, looking back around at the tall man, whose blonde hair was blowing in the wind as he strummed notes on his guitar, his eyes closed as he smiled.

"An older guy huh? Go Michiru," Mahana smirked, making the girl go red again.

"Excuse me for a second," Kirara walked past them, and over to Rose as Michiru squeaked in alarm. "Fancy meeting you here," Rose opened his eyes and looked up in surprise at Kirara.

"Oh, you've found my secret place," he smiled softly up at her.

"Why are you here?" Kirara asked him curiously.

"Oh, the Warehouse gets so stuffy sometimes," Rose complained. "And it's so difficult to compose the next melody when Hiyori is beating Shinji with her sandal again," he sighed. Kirara put a hand to her face.

"What did the dumbass do this time?" she asked with a groan. Rose gave an amused smile.

"Called her an idiot one too many times," he shrugged, looking back down at his guitar as he continued to play. "He may have made a couple of insinuations about yourself and him while talking with Lisa..." Kirara stiffened, her face going very warm as Rose chuckled. "And when Hiyori didn't quite understand, she got a little upset," he explained.

"I'll kill him," she muttered.

"If Hiyori hasn't already beaten you to it," Rose hummed. "So what brings you here, my dear?" he asked. "I thought you were out with some girls from school finishing up the summer homework you've been neglecting," he continued to play.

"We finished up pretty quick, and decided to go for a walk. It seems you have an admirer," Kirara's smirk returned, and Rose looked up in surprise at her, his purple eyes widening slightly. "She insisted we come hear your music. She said you have a nice smile," Kirara smirked at him.

"At least someone appreciates my music," Rose sniffed, and Kirara put her hands on her hips. "Other than you of course," he corrected himself.

"That's better. I better go. I'll see you back at the warehouse," she smiled, and walked away.

"Oh, Kirara!" Rose called after her, and she glanced around to see a slightly worried look on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others about this place," she smiled, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're as kind as always my dear," he told her as she walked off.

"Kiss-ass," she called.

"Callous!" he retorted, making her laugh as she reached the other girls.

"Uh...care to explain who that guy is?" Tatsuki asked as they all stared at her. Michiru looked slightly jealous.

"Rose is one of my closest friends. And don't worry, it's a completely platonic friendship," Kirara grinned to Michiru. "I wouldn't recommend him though," she said as they turned and walked away as Rose's music started up again. "His head is too far in the clouds," she chuckled.

"Oh..." Michiru looked back to Rose, who glanced up as if sensing her gaze. He smiled at her, and she went bright red, looking away quickly. Seeing this, Kirara bit her lip to hide her grin.

'He's also not exactly human...and if you knew what we really are...you'd never accept us...' Kirara thought to herself.

"Kirara?" she glanced up at Orihime, who was watching her, looking worried. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Kirara smiled. Orihime watched, still worried.

"It's nothing," she shook her head quickly, and walked faster to catch up with Tatsuki. Kirara watched her curiously, and Orihime glanced around at her for a moment, before talking to Tatsuki.

"Well, we saw Michiru's mysterious boyfriend," Mahana commented.

"He's not my boyfriend!" the girl squeaked.

"Now what do we do?" she continued as if she hadn't heard Michiru.

"I say find a place to sit and enjoy the sun for a bit," Tatsuki suggested.

"Oh, we should have brought a picnic," Orihime sighed. Kirara grinned, before catching a glimpse of dark green in the corner of her eye. Looking around, she spotted Urahara waving at her from behind a tree.

"Uh, I gotta go guys, I promised I'd be home after I got done with my homework," Kirara lied. "And dinner will be soon. I'll see you guys later!" she called, already rushing off as they looked around, confused. They continued on, and Kirara leaned against a tree. "Spying on high-school girls Kisuke, I always knew you were really a pervert," she told him as he appeared with a grin.

"Well, what's your excuse for hanging around such a beautiful group?" Urahara asked.

"Homework catchup," Kirara answered flatly, folding her arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked, knowing that if he'd sought her out, it was for a reason.

"Come with me. We need to talk," her frown grew, but she followed Urahara as he walked away.

"Aizen revealed himself and escaped the Soul Society," Urahara's words had Kirara frozen. She was thankful she was already sitting, as she didn't think her legs would have been able to hold her up.

"Wha...okay," Kirara put a hand to her face. "Start from the beginning. What the hell happened?" she demanded.

"When Ichigo and his friends went to save Rukia from execution, Aizen and his companions revealed themselves, to steal what I had hidden inside of Rukia's Gigai," Kirara went cold. There would be only one thing that Aizen would be after. The thing that had saved Kirara and the other Vizards from disappearing, but had also been the thing that had turned them into the abominations they were. The Hogyoku. "They succeeded, and after causing a lot of destruction, they escaped to Hueco Mundo," Urahara explained.

"Figures they'd hide there. He has some sick thing about Hollows," Kirara muttered angrily. Her fists were clenched tightly at the idea that he had escaped.

"According to my calculations, it will take several months for the Hogyoku to fully awaken. It'll be fully awakened by the end of the year," Kirara hissed a curse again. That would be when Aizen would be back. "He'll use it to create a group of what are known as Arrancar. Hollows who have removed their Masks to gain the powers of Shinigami," Urahara continued. "I also have to warn you. When he escaped, he practically announced that you were still alive," Kirara's eyes went wide. "All but the Captains of that time were under the impression that you had died that night," his voice was low.

"Dammit...dammit...dammit," Kirara put her hands to her face. "Natsuki, she-"

"She was the one who asked him herself. She never believed you to be dead. You have quite the friend there," Urahara gave a small smile. Kirara shook her head, looking away as tears stung at her eyes.

"Had. She's a Shinigami. I'm not," she muttered.

"You lot have spent far too much time alone," Urahara sighed, waving his fan in his face. "That's not the only reason I called you here," Kirara looked at him with a frown. "It's Ichigo. When I helped him gain his own Shinigami powers before he went to the Soul Society, he wasn't fast enough to gain them without repercussions," Kirara's frown grew at his low words. "I'm afraid he Hollowfied. He's going to need help to gain control of his Inner Hollow, I fear it's only getting stronger," he explained, and Kirara stared at him.

"Well...the shit has hit the fan, hasn't it?" she sighed.

"I'm afraid so," Urahara confirmed with a small sigh of his own.

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