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Chapter 29: Faces From The Past
Things didn't get any quieter over the next week for anyone. Kirara had remained in school, making sure Ichigo was okay, much to his frustration. After initially snapping at her that she didn't have to keep tabs on him, the orange-haired boy had taken to completely ignoring Kirara, not that she minded. Orihime attempted to approach her once about the topic, and Kirara had given her a warning that she wouldn't tell her anything. She hadn't tried again. While she would still talk with her occasionally, she was still wary, which made Tatsuki worried.
The only one who seemed to remain oblivious was Keigo, who was delighted when Kirara spent more time with him and Mizuiro. His black haired friend was still asking Kirara questions, but she continued to evade answering them, to his irritation.
"I tell you, it's true! At the convenience store, if you try mixing two parts ginger ale and one part yogurt drink, it tastes just like hair tonic!" Keigo declared as he, Kirara and Mizuiro walked through the corridor during lunch. "I kid you not! I think I drank a gallon of it! Man, what a headache!" he laughed, putting a hand to his face.
"That sounds disgusting. And a little uh...unhealthy," Kirara commented, raising an eyebrow at him.
"It sounds like something only you would say, Mr. Asano. You're lucky it didn't poison you," Mizuiro didn't look up from his phone.
"Hey! You don't even sound like you care!" Keigo whined, turning aghast at their reactions. "What if I'd gone into some tonic induced coma and never recovered?!" he demanded, but neither Kirara nor Mizuiro were listening as they heard yelling. "Guys I'm serious! Do you think I should get my stomach pumped?" he asked tearfully.
"Who knows?" Kirara shrugged.
"Forget about that. There's something going on in our classroom," Mizurio commented, finally closing his phone over. People screamed, before bursting the door open and running off.
"You're right...never fear, you can count on Keigo to go in and assess the situation!" Keigo declared, running off with a laugh.
"Idiot," Kirara sighed.
"You're right about that," Mizuiro agreed, going back to his phone as Keigo yanked open the door to the class and yelled in. He suddenly squealed, taking a step back.
"Who are you? Well? Speak up! Shaggy little worm!" Kirara frowned as a man snarled back at the terrified boy. "Start talking or I'll slice you up into sausage and feed you to the dogs for breakfast!" he yelled, only for an elbow to slam into his gut. In the surprise, he let go of Keigo, who was pushed backwards. The boy then crashed to the ground with a cry of terror.
"Back the hell off, or I'll-" Kirara stopped, staring up at the man with a shaved head and red marks by his eyes.
"I didn't need your damn help!" the fallen man spat at Kirara's feet, pushing himself to his feet. He swayed, unsteady, as he looked down at the much shorter young woman with a glare.
"I'm very aware of that," Kirara's voice was flat as she surveyed the bald man. "I think you'll find those men scattered of their own accord the moment they realised who I am," she told him, and his eyes travelled to her Lieutenant's badge. His eyes widened in shock. "Your wounds are superficial. I imagine you'll survive to get into another fight shortly after I leave," she straightened up, and turned away.
"Why?" he spat, making her stop and look over her shoulder with a bored expression.
"Because unfair fights don't do it for me. You shouldn't rely on outnumbering an opponent who outmatches you," Kirara looked away. "If you have to resort to something like that, you shouldn't bother fighting at all," he stared at her as she walked away. She paused fro a moment, her eyes wide as she saw a fallen Zanpakuto on the ground. The man staggered over, snatching it up and shooting her a suspicious glare before limping off.
"Hey...wait a second..." the man glared down at her.
"What's the matter Ikkaku?" a red haired woman behind him peered over his shoulder. "What stopped your little temper tantrum?" she asked, and looked down at Kirara. "Oh, has her cuteness caught you off guard?" she grinned.
'Kirara, you need to leave, now,' Kokoro no Kage warned, but Kirara was stunned at the face she recognised from her past. It was only a brief encounter, but Kirara had always been good with faces.
"Shut up Rangiku," Ikkaku hissed. "I know this girl," he told her. Kirara's heart pounded against her chest as she raised an eyebrow.
"I have no idea who you are, but I'm the one who just elbowed you in the gut, creep," she folded her arms at him. "So back off and leave us alone," Kirara warned him.
"Ohh, I like this girl," Rangiku, whose shirt was hung open very low, giggled. Kirara raised an eye, wondering if she'd purposely worn a shirt two sizes too small.
"Ikkaku, how could you possibly know the girl? You've never been here before," another man stepped up beside the bald one. His hair was short and black, and he had strange red and yellow feathers attached to one eye.
"I'm telling you, Yumichika, I know this girl. I met her in the Soul Society," Ikkaku insisted. "I can't remember where..." he muttered.
'How was I so stupid? There's...five damn Shinigami here...and Rukia's back too,' Kirara thought to herself, struggling to keep her face impassive as she felt the multiple Reiatsu. 'I need to just leave, before he catches on as to who I was,' Kirara glanced to the others.
"I don't know what you weirdos are doing in our classroom, but it would be great if you could leave and stop bullying my classmates," she told them, looking back at Ikkaku.
"You shouldn't rely on outnumbering an opponent who outmatches you," Ikkaku suddenly said. "If you have to resort to something like that, you shouldn't bother fighting at all," he repeated what Kirara had told him long ago, and gave a small smirk. "That's why I recognise you. You're a Shinigami, a Lieutenant," he accused, making the others in the room stiffen.
"Are you insane, Ikkaku?" Rangiku scoffed. "She hasn't got an ounce of Reiatsu," she pointed out. "And I've never seen her before, so how could she be a Lieutenant?" she demanded.
"Ikakku, you need to calm down," a white haired boy who was about the same height as Hiyori, and looked like a child, spoke up with authority that led Kirara to believe he was in charge. "You shouldn't throw accusations like that around. Other than the Shinigami here on patrol, there are no others in town," he said.
"She is a Shinigami, I've met her before! Before I joined the Gotei 13!" Ikkaku turned around.
"Okay...so you're crazy as well as angry," Kirara scratched at her neck, looking bored. "Can you please leave?" she requested.
"Ikkaku's right," the other four Shinigami looked to the one who hadn't spoken. Dumping Ichigo's motionless body – that explained why Kirara could feel his presence near a Hollow – the tall man with long red hair tied back in a ponytail stepped forwards. He had a white bandana wrapped around his forehead, partially concealing long black tattoos. His appearance had changed radically, but Kirara still recognised him.
"Let me go!" Kirara 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.
"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.
'Really?! He's here too?' Kirara groaned inwardly, but arched an eyebrow.
"Okay, so you're all crazy. Awesome," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Come on Keigo, let's go," Kirara called over her shoulder, going to turn away.
"Hold on," the red haired man caught her arm, and she stopped.
"I'd recommend you let go of me," his eyes widened as she turned a dark glare on him. "Otherwise, you might not get that hand back," Kirara growled at him. She despised Shinigami as much as the others for turning their backs on them when they needed help the most. While she hid it a great deal better, there were times when it slipped through.
"Renji, what is going on?" the white haired boy-Shinigami demanded impatiently.
"When I was a kid, I met her at a festival for the Head Captain's birthday," Renji explained, but let Kirara go. "She said she was a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13," he told the boy, who frowned. His teal eyes went to Kirara, who frowned back, doing her best to look confused.
"Oh come on. She could have been killed ages ago and reincarnated as this girl," Rangiku shrugged.
"Then why has she got the same scar right here?" Renji gestured to his chest, and Kirara's eyes went wide as she realised he was gesturing to the scar on her torso, that was peeking up from under her shirt.
"Pervert!" Kirara yelled, and Renji's eyes widened.
"What?! No, I'm not!" he yelled back at her.
"Then why are you looking down my shirt?!" Kirara demanded, her hands to her chest. The blushing was real as Renji went just as red, if not moreso.
"Enough," The white haired boy approached Kirara, who stood a great deal smaller than her. "What is your name?" he asked.
"Uh, aren't you a little young to be in high school?" Kirara asked, unable to resist a comment that would have had Hiyori in a fit of anger. The other Shinigami exchanged horrified looks. His eye twiched, and Kirara could tell he hadn't appreciated it either, but held it together a great deal better.
"Captain, don't tell me you believe them?" Rangiku scoffed.
'Captain? Really? This kid?' Kirara thought to herself, watching him in amusement. It would explain his air of authority.
"It is a little ridiculous," Yumichika agreed, sounding bored by the entire thing. Behind Kirara, Keigo finally got to his feet.
"Kirara...what's going on?" he asked her quietly. "Do you know these people?" he asked, looking up nervously as his eyes lingered on Ikkaku. However, they didn't notice him as they all froze.
"Kirara?" Yumichika repeated, pushing past Renji to look down at her.
"Wait, you can't mean..." Rangiku frowned.
"Ikkaku, you said she was a Lieutenant, right?" Yumichika glanced around to his friend.
"Yeah, I saw her badge," Ikkaku nodded. "You mean to tell me that she's the same person?" he wondered aloud.
"Scar across the nose, long black and white hair, blue eyes, not too tall..." Yumichika was studying Kirara curiously. Kirara frowned, wondering just how they recognised her name. "Exactly how Natsuki described her," Kirara froze, her eyes growing wide.
"Natsuki?" she whispered, and put her hands to her mouth when she realised her slip.
"So you are her," Yumichika's eyes gleamed as he approached her.
"Just who are you exactly?" the boy Captain asked, and Kirara took a step back.
"She's Kirara Yamada, Captain," Rangiku explained. "Natsuki told us that she disappeared 100 years ago, believed to have died, but when Cap – when Aizen escaped the Soul Society, he said something about her being alive," at the mention of Aizen, Kirara's fists clenched.
"So you found me. Big deal," Kirara shrugged, finally dropping her act. "What are you going to do?" she challenged them, smirking.
"If you are who they believe you are, then we're going to take you in for questioning," the boy Shinigami told her. Kirara moved around Keigo and leaned against the wall as he stared at her, and the Shinigami prepared themselves.
"Oh, really? Because you'll have to catch me to do that," Kirara smirked. He bristled, narrowing his eyes at her. "And no stinking Shinigami can manage that," she taunted him.
"You realise there are five of us, and one of you?" Yumichika frowned, immediately disliking the arrogant girl.
"I can count, yes, feathers," Kirara turned a lazy smile on him. "Thing is, I don't plan on fighting you. You couldn't even get me to break a sweat," she taunted. She was well aware that a fight with all five would not go in her favour, unless she revealed her Mask, which she had no intention of doing in front of Shinigami.
"You really think you can escape us?" the Captain asked her.
"Think isn't the right word I'd use here," Kirara told him. "Because when you know something to be completely and totally accurate, you don't just think," Kirara then slid the window beside her open.
"Stop!" when Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika leapt at her, Kirara rolled her eyes, dodging each of their attempts to grab her. She then kicked Yumichika hard in the gut, knocking him back into Ikkaku, and grabbed Renji's arm, using his momentum against him to slam him into a wall. Keigo squealed in alarm, hitting the ground.
"Damn Gigai!" Ikkaku yelled as Kirara stood on the window.
"Shouldn't you idiots be more worried about Sosuke's impending attack?" they stopped at her words, frowning at her. "After all, the Arrancar that showed up this weekend were only the prelude. You know that, right? So why focus on me when you should be getting ready for all-out war?" she asked.
"How do you know about that?" the Captain demanded. Kirara gave a small, sad smile that reflected her genuine feelings of that moment.
"I've known about it for 100 years, Captain. Too bad you Shinigami were too blinded by your own arrogance to see the big picture," she then leapt out the window, and disappeared before they could think to follow her.
By the time she reached the warehouse, Kirara's nerves were at their limit. Her fists were clenching and unclenching as she walked quickly, tossing her shoes aside and dropping her bag as soon as she stepped inside. Everyone was downstairs, and from what she could feel, doing Mask training. Good. That was exactly what she needed. Going upstairs first, Kirara abandoned her Gigai and shed her uniform, leaving it where it fell, and grabbed shorts and a vest. After pulling them on, Kirara pulled her hair free from under the top, and stormed down the stairs.
"You're back early," Lisa commented, looking up at her.
"I thought I sensed you. What's up?" Shinji looked up as Kirara approached the group. Hachi was busy healing Rose's arm - a long rip in his jacket told Kirara that she had missed most of the fun. Not that she cared at that moment.
"Kensei," Kirara called to the silver haired Vizard, who looked up with a frown. "Let's go," she told him. Taking a good look at her expression, Kensei saw her serious tension. His brow furrowed even more, but he stood up, not about to turn down her challenge. It was when her expression was it was now, that she gave him the best fight.
"Hey Kensei, try not to kill her this time, big meanie!" Mashiro called after them.
"Shut up Mashiro!" Kensei barked back over his shoulder. The two stood facing each other, Kirara becoming expressionless as she took a deep breath. He smirked very slightly as both reached for their Zanpakuto slowly. When Kirara finally wrapped her hand around the handle, she shot at him. Surprised by the frontal attack, Kensei moved quickly to grab his much smaller Shikai and block her attack. There was a great deal of force behind it, pushing him back very slightly, to the surprise of their audience.
"What's wrong with her?" Love wondered as they felt the power of the clashing Reiatsu, which hit them like a powerful wind. Mashiro raised her arms in surprise.
"Scary," she gulped.
Kirara moved quickly to try and get close to Kensei, but with his much smaller Zanpakuto, he was able to counter each move easily. She continued to attack, however, with each move creating a loud ringing noise as their blades clashed. Finally Kensei shoved her back, and reached up. His fingers curled in as if hooking onto something invisible, and pulled down. His Mask, flat in shape with six holes, appeared and covered his face, providing him with enough strength to send Kirara flying backwards into the sky with one punch.
"Kirara is really mad," Rose commented as they watched her recover. She reached up, holding her hand at an angle slightly to the left, and pulled down across her face to summon her own Mask. She then disappeared and reappeared behind Kensei faster than most could comprehend, allowing her a shot at his back. With a powerful kick, she knocked Kensei flying, grunting in pain. She followed, and he turned in time to block her next strike. A powerful gust of wind knocked at the Vizards, this time with enough force to knock them back very slightly.
"Perhaps we should stop them before something goes wrong?" Hachi suggested, worried by the force both sides were putting into it. He was just thankful he'd put up another barrier, but was worried about how long it would last. Nobody spoke as Kensei caught Kirara and slammed her to the ground, causing a large cloud of dust to kick up around her. For a moment, he watched, waiting to see if she would get up, before she reappeared behind him and kicked him in the lower back, making him growl in pain. He spun, slashing at her, but she disappeared and reappeared above him, swinging down hard with her blade. He blocked it, shoved down by the force, before her fist slammed into his gut. He was forced over, and her foot slammed into his jaw.
"Heh, not bad," Kensei smirked as he recovered and spat out blood. "This is the kind of challenge I like you giving me," he told her. Kirara didn't respond, instead lunging at him again. However, before she could reach him, Shinji was in between them, his hand around Kirara's and stopping her swing before it could start. "What the hell Shinji?" Kensei scowled at him, his Mask disappearing.
"Enough, the pair of you. I won't have you killing each other," he said in a flat voice, looking to the silver-haired Vizard who had blood running down his face from where Kirara had nicked him with the tip of her sword. "And you, what has pissed you off?" he turned to Kirara, whose Mask disappeared.
"Six Shinigami in town," she said in a low voice.
"What?!" Kensei's demand was loud. "How the hell did we miss that?" he growled.
"A Captain, at least two Lieutenants, the Kuchiki girl, and two others," Kirara's voice was still soft.
"Tell me you didn't," Kensei frowned at her.
"I didn't sense them until it was too late," Kirara shook her head. "Five of them in my classroom," she told them softly.
"Christ," Kensei hissed.
"But what wound you up about them?" Shinji asked Kirara, still not letting go of her wrist. She was silent for a minute, looking down.
"I've met two of them before," she finally admitted. "One was a guy I helped in the Rukongai. The other was the kid I caught trying to pickpocket me at the old man's festival," Shinji's eyes widened very slightly. He remembered seeing the boy as well. "I'm sorry..." Kirara mumbled, tears stinging at her eyes in frustration.
"Hell, you said it before, they already knew we were alive," Kensei shrugged, feeling awkward when he saw her tears.
"Kensei's right, for once," Shinji pulled her into a hug. Kensei shot him a glare at the comment. "None of us felt their presence, they must be keeping themselves quiet for a reason. And it's not like they'll be able to find us here," he said softly as she clung to his shirt with her free hand.
"I almost fobbed them off, then they heard my name. Natsuki told them about me," Kirara sighed. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled.
"Only when I say so," Shinji told her, and she hit him lightly. "Alright, let's go," he called to the others, who had been watching from a distance.
"Go where?" Hiyori scowled at him.
"Out for food," Shinji rolled his eyes.
"Are you insane? With Shinigami running around town?" Kirara lifted her head to stare at him incredulously.
"Who cares? They'll be here for Ichigo and the Arrancars, not us. They aren't looking for us, and we could do with food," Shinji told the others.
"You're just saying that because it was your turn to get food," Lisa accused him. Shinji turned an irritated look on her.
"How about instead of bitching, we just go out?" he asked with a groan. "Anyone else who complains will be left behind to get their own food," he told them. That was enough to get them all moving, with Rose rushing off to find a new jacket, but not before shooting Love a glare for ruining the one he was wearing. Kirara laughed as she watched, knowing she had to ask what happened, already cheering up as she was back with her family.
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