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Chapter 40: The Enemy Of Their Enemy

Heavy, stunned silence had fallen over the fake town at the arrival of the unexpected guests. Those who had only joined the Gotei 13 in the last 100 years stared, baffled at the faces they'd never seen before, and those who had been there long enough were even more shocked to see the group of Captains and Lieutenants who, up until recently, had been believed to be dead.

Natsuki could hardly think as she stared at the familiar faces that she had never expected to see again. She knew they were alive – not only had Aizen confirmed it, but both Ikakku and Yumichika had briefly met Kirara, who had easily escaped them – but it was another thing entirely, to see them alive and well.

Of course, they'd changed in appearance drastically, and were wearing clothes that could only come from the World of the Living, which made it all the more surreal to see them.

"No way…" she whispered.

"Surprised to see us?" Shinji was spinning his flat cap on his finger with a smirk. "You shouldn't be. Each of us was highly motivated to make it here for the main event, Sosuke," Aizen's smile had returned, and he looked to each of the group, mildly amused at their reappearance.

"Natsuki…do you know who these people are?" Captain Komamura's voice was quiet as he spoke to her.

"I…" Natsuki started, but stopped, not trusting herself to speak as her voice quivered. She just nodded instead.

"It's been a long time since we've seen these people," Shinji commented as everyone around the battlefield still stared at them, alarmed. A stunned silence had fallen over everyone, as those who knew them stared in disbelief, while those who didn't were confused as to who the new arrivals were. "Is there anyone within the Gotei 13 you guys wanna say hello to? Now's your chance," he told them.

"Come on!" Hiyori scoffed. Kirara rolled her eyes.

"Here we go..." she muttered.

"Shut your mouth Hiyori, I wasn't speaking to you!" Shinji snapped back at her.

"Gimme a break! Why am I supposed to assume you weren't speaking to me?! You were talking to everyone in the group, and that includes me!" Hiyori yelled back at him.

"Would the pair of you shut up?" Kirara rolled her eyes.

"How about you shut up Kirara!" Hiyori snapped at her. Kirara looked away to take a look at those who were watching them, not acknowledging Hiyori, who growled in anger. One hand was by Kirara's side while the other rested on her hip, and she tilted her head. She spotted the child-captain with pure white hair nearby, looking worn out but alarmed as he caught her eye. He remembered her from their brief encounter. Her eyes then moved to Soi Fon, who was stunned to see them. Her dark eyes focused on Kirara, stunned to see the former Lieutenant again after so long. Kirara had to admit, she hadn't expected the hot-headed young girl who idolised Yoruichi to become a Captain. She couldn't help but smirk, and despite her shock, Soi Fon bristled and her eyes narrowed in a glare. Even after a century, she still disliked Kirara. The others all declined speaking with the Shinigami, until Lisa suddenly disappeared, using Shunpo to move quickly.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going Lisa?" Hiyori demanded.

"Well, now that the ice is broken, I guess I'll have a chat with the Head Captain," Shinji then disappeared as well.

"Hold on! I thought we were together on this!" Hiyori yelled, but was ignored. Kirara continued to look around, and stopped as she spotted Natsuki staring at them. She hesitated, glancing away quickly, before Rose touched her arm. She looked at him in surprise, and he offered a faint smile. Kirara nodded, and flickered out of sight too. "Hey! Kirara!" she ignored Hiyori's yell, and landed lightly on the ground.

"Um…" she looked at Natsuki, whose appearance had changed a great deal. Her once long blonde hair was cut short, and she looked like she'd been in a tough battle already. A long cut across her cheek had stopped bleeding, with the blood drying into her skin. "Hey," she raised a hand in an awkward greeting.

"Kirara?" Natsuki stared at her.

"That's me," Kirara gave a small chuckle. "I know it's been a while Natsuki, but really, you'd forget me?" she teased, tilting her head slightly and smiling. "I'm hurt," she spoke softly, and tears stung at her best friend's eyes. Before she knew it, Natsuki was slamming into her, and Kirara barely managed to stay standing.

"You are alive!" Natsuki laughed, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah…" Kirara murmured, still feeling awkward. "Hey, I thought you were the one who didn't believe I was dead," she accused, letting Natsuki go.

"Well yeah, but there's a difference between not believing it, and seeing you again," Natsuki rested her hands on her hips.

"You also got feathers and baldy after me. I hope you're happy," Kirara complained, folding her arms.

"Feathers? Baldy?" Natsuki blinked, confused, before realising who she meant. She burst out laughing. "Yumi and Ikka, of course. Kirara…" she cleared her throat, composing herself. "What happened? Where have you been?" she asked. Kirara's expression hardened, and she looked away.

"It's a long story. One we've come here to finish," her voice was soft, but filled with something cold that made Natsuki shiver. Her expression, her attitude, they were wrong. Kirara didn't look at her, but her gaze travelled past her, and her eyes widened. "Hey…" she frowned, walking past Natsuki.

"Hey!" the blonde protested, following her, but Kirara walked over to the barrier and looked down at the Lieutenant who was staring at her.

"Huh…" Kirara tilted her head and crouched in front of him. "Izuru?" she asked, making him jolt.

"You…know who I am?" he asked slowly. Kirara grinned at the blond Lieutenant.

"Of course I do. I don't forget faces. You've grown a lot since I last saw you," she smiled at him. She couldn't help but marvel at how much the little boy she had met long ago had grown. While it had been a brief conversation she'd had with him, she'd found herself recommending him for the academy, impressed with him.

"Izuru, you know Kirara?" Natsuki asked, surprised.

"She's the one who recommended me for the academy. I met her when I was a kid…" the Lieutenant spoke softly, not looking away from Kirara.

"So you became a Lieutenant huh? For which…" she trailed off when she saw the insignia for Squad 3 on his badge. Her stomach twisted, and her smile dropped. "Oh…I'm sorry Izuru," she sighed, straightening up. "Those three have caused so much harm…they have to be stopped," Kirara murmured, more to herself.

'She's changed...' Natsuki thought to herself, before frowning. She suddenly shot at Kirara, whose squeal echoed through the quiet streets.

"Wh-what the hell Natsuki?" Kirara yanked away from her, going bright red as she put her arms around her chest. Natsuki started laughing again as Kirara glared at her. Izuru's eyes were wide, going as red as Kirara in his shock.

"I couldn't help myself, you're all on show now!" she taunted as Kirara went even redder, pulling in her arms tighter.

"You're such a creep," Natsuki just laughed even harder.

"Hey, Yamada!" she stopped, and both looked up at Shinji's call. "Are you gonna just talk all day?" he asked. Kirara bit her lip, sighing.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming," Kirara rolled her eyes, and leapt into the air again. She reappeared beside Shinji, her arms folded as she looked irritated.

"A friend of yours?" Captain Komamura asked as he moved to stand beside her. Natsuki didn't speak, watching as Shinji tilted his head and seemed to whisper something to Kirara. Her blue eyes widened, and a blush spread across her face, before she punched him.

"Ow! Hey! That was-stop!" Shinji yelled as Kirara grabbed his hair and pulled. The two began to fight as the others sighed in exasperation, and Natsuki started to laugh again.

'I was wrong. She hasn't changed at all,' she thought to herself, wiping away the tears that formed, running down her face.

"Hey!" Love's fists pounded both Shinji and Kirara over the head, and they cried out, releasing each other and jerking away from the larger Vizard. "Knock it off, idiots," he scolded him.

"Honestly, you just can't stop yourselves," Rose smiled in amusement as Kirara rubbed her head.

"He didn't have to hit so hard," Kirara complained, before sticking out her tongue at Shinji. He responded equally as maturely; piercing flashing in the sunlight. Love rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as Rose shot him an amused look. Their light hearted attitude stopped, however, as the blond Arrancar began to howl loudly. "Urgh, what is that kid doing?" Kirara frowned, wincing as the yells echoed through the otherwise silent town. The giant purple creature behind him began to quake as Reiatsu slammed into everyone, before opening up. What seemed like black liquid spilled out, revealing a massive group of Gillians.

"There's tons of them!" Izuru gasped.

"Are all of those things Gillians?!" Soi Fon growled.

"How can we take on so many?" Natsuki stared, horrified.

"Let's go," Shinji spoke in a low voice, tossing his hat into the air. The Vizards all reacted immediately, calling on their Hollow Masks. Feeling the burst of power that flooded her body, Kirara smirked and shot forwards. Without going for her Zanpakuto, Kirara flipped in midair, smashing her foot straight into a Gillian's Mask. It shattered from the blow, and fell backward into another. The Gillians around her roared, but were far too slow. She leapt up and pushed forwards, wiping out another two easily. Then lifting her Zanpakuto, Kirara stabbed it through another as navy light gathered by her fist. The Cero wiped out the Gillian, as well as another behind it.

"This is a little too easy," Kirara complained as she flipped backwards, pushing higher into the sky. Her warped voice was quiet, and bordering on bored as she heard the thudding of another Gillian moving behind her. Spinning in the air, Kirara shot at it, passing by it. Stopping and not looking back, she heard it roar in pain as the delayed pain reached it, and it disappeared as its sliced up Mask crumbled.

'Do not get cocky, Kirara. This is but the opening scene,' Kokoro no Kage warned her.

"I know that," Kirara rolled her eyes. "But those Shinigami got so freaked by it...so stupid," she muttered. She then stepped to the side, avoiding the black liquid spat at her. As she turned to the Gillian that had attacked her, Rose shot past, cutting through it. "Hey! That one was totally mine!" Kirara complained, resting her hands on her hips. Rose turned to her, his expression hidden by his bird-like Mask.

"Then perhaps you should have been faster in destroying it," he commented, jumping over.

"Hey!" Kirara protested, and with a warped chuckle, he patted her head, and leapt on, cutting through another. "Mean..." she grumbled, looking around. The others were making short work of the rest of the Gillians. "Where's..." she noticed that one was missing, and spotted him standing in front of Aizen, his Mask gone. "That dumbass!" Kirara grumbled, using Shunpo to leap through the air.

Shinji swung his sword at Aizen, ready to initiate a fight with him, only for another blade to seemingly materialise in front of him, swinging at his head. He grunted, before he felt someone grab the back of his collar and yank him backwards, both pushing several feet back. "Idiot!" Kirara frowned as she stood beside Shinji, letting go of him as he crouched low, his head lowered.

"Thanks..." he murmured, quiet enough for only her to hear. Kirara just scoffed in response, arms folded as she jerked her head away.

"Looks like I missed..." she glanced over to Tosen as she allowed her own Mask to disappear.

"What are you talking about? You obviously hit me," Shinji lifted his head to reveal blood running down his face. His hair had been cut uneven, lining up with the cut above his left eyebrow.

"Yes, but I was trying to slice off everything above your left eye. Since your head is still intact, I don't consider that a hit," Tosen pointed his Zanpakuto at them.

"Head still intact...yeah right," Kirara muttered under her breath.

"Listen to how confident you are, Kaname," Shinji commented, shooting Kirara a glare to show he had heard.

"From your reaction, it must really bother you, knowing that I am the one who is going to kill you," he vowed. Kirara rolled her eyes, wondering how she was called cocky when he was far worse. As he rushed at them, another, much larger, figure intercepted, smashing a gloved fist into Tosen's Zanpakuto and knocking him off course. "Komamura..." Tosen muttered, leaping back.

"Allow me to assist you, Masked Visitors," Komamura spoke without looking around.

"I dunno pal, are you sure you wanna get involved with a couple of outcasts like us?" Shinji raised an eyebrow at him.

"He looks even shadier than us Shinji, so I guess it's not that big a deal," Kirara commented, touching a finger to her face as she tilted her head.

"Oh yeah, you're right about that," he agreed with a nod. "No wonder he's up for joining us," Kirara hummed in agreement, and Komamura tried not to react, but his fox ears twitched. Not missing it, Kirara smirked.

"Amusing, but I saw the way you and your friends confronted those Menos without hesitation," Komamura's voice was flat as he kept his eyes on Tosen. "That action alone was enough. You've convinced me that you're on our side," Kirara rolled her eyes as Shinji looked irritated at his words. "Despite your attitudes, I have decided to fight with you. There's no point objecting. My mind is made up," he announced.

"Our attitudes? He's the one with the attitude," Kirara huffed, folding her arms.

"Talk about pushy...I don't know what to say to this guy to shut him up," Shinji grumbled.

"He does look super fluffy though..." Kirara mused, and Shinji shot her an incredulous look, his eyebrow going up. Kirara just shrugged in response, looking innocent. Shinji rolled his eyes.

Below, Natsuki gave a small laugh, shaking her head.

"Of course Captain Komamura would have to tell everyone how he feels on the matter," she sighed, before feeling a pulse of Reiatsu. Her eyes widened and she looked around to see Rafael burst from the rubble. With a loud laugh, he rushed straight for her.

His eyes darted to the side when Kirara suddenly appeared beside him, expressionless. She kicked out, and Rafael slammed into a building. Above, Lisa and Hiyori intercepted the 3rd Espada, Harribel, as she went to attack Hitsugaya. As her Mask disappeared, Hiyori shot the boy-Captain a glare.

"Let me make one thing clear. We really don't want to help you Shinigami out," she snapped at him. "But at the moment, we don't have much choice. That's how it is," she explained.

"Here's some friendly advice," Soi Fon and Omaeda looked around as Hachi approached them. "Strangers don't always need a good reason, to team up with each other in battle," he told them. "Sometimes it's just how these situations work out," he shrugged.

"Remember; the enemy of your enemy, is likely to be your ally. Reason enough to join forces," Lisa explained.

"We may not be allies with Shinigami, but..." Kirara gave a small smirk as Natsuki stared at her. Too many questions were running through her head. "We are Ichigo's. We all share a common goal, it just makes more sense to work together to achieve it," she said.

"And just who are you?" Rafael asked with a sneer when he got back to his feet. Clouds had gathered around the wound in his stomach, sparking dangerously.

"Kirara Yamada. And you?" Kirara asked, her expression becoming impassive again.

" Rafael Capello, member of Barragan Louisenbairn's Fraccion," the Arrancar introduced himself, flicking his gray hair from his pale face. "Strange, you don't look like a Shinigami," he commented.

"Um...because I'm not?" Kirara tilted her head slightly.

"Okay..." Rafael folded his arms. "Then what are you?" he asked, sounding curious. Natsuki watched with wide eyes, wondering too. She'd seen the Mask that Kirara and the others had called on. She'd felt the monstrous, Hollow-like power that had filled the air when they had. They had ripped apart the Gillian like they were nothing, and Mashiro and Kensei were still doing so.

"Simple," Kirara rested a hand on her hip, her eyes gleaming. "I'm a Vizard," her explanation didn't serve its purpose, as both Rafael and Natsuki looked blank.

"A what?" Rafael snorted.

"It's quite obvious really," Kirara moved slowly, in precise movements that Rafael watched carefully. She allowed a small smirk. "It means you don't stand a chance, Rafael Capello," she flickered out of view, and reappeared behind him. Rafael spun around, throwing out a hand. Kirara used Shunpo again, dodging the blasts of lightning that flew from his hand. She threw a kick as she reappeared to his side, and he twisted towards it. Rafael was thrown to the side, and Kirara stumbled backwards as she felt a stinging sensation down her leg.

The two continued to fight as Natsuki watched, barely able to keep up with them.

"What was that Mask? How have you got Hollow powers, Kirara? It's like...that Mask Ichigo had when he was in the Soul Society..." she murmured aloud as Rafael managed to meet Kirara's next attack, making her jerk backwards. "What happened to make you hate Shinigami so much that you'd refuse to even be called one?" Natsuki wondered as she just got more questions than answers.

"That is really annoying," Kirara complained as she leapt away from Rafael again.

"It's impressive, isn't it?" Rafael smirked back at her. "My true abilities allow me to shock anyone who comes into contact with my body. And you're not so fast that I can't see you coming," he taunted.

"I said annoying," Kirara rolled her eyes. "That's all it is. An annoyance. It's doing nothing severe enough to damage me. You've shown your hand too soon, Rafael," she drew her Zanpakuto slowly, and his smirk fell. "And by doing so, you've told me your weakness. You need to touch me with your hands to shock me. So, I guess I'll have to go one step further," she pointed her Zanpakuto at him.

"You realise your Zanpakuto is made of metal, right? You'll just dull the shock, which I can increase in power," Rafael taunted her, growing irritated with her words.

"Good to know," Kirara replied. "Confuse My Enemies, Kokoro no Kage," she murmured, tossing her sword into the air. Natsuki's eyes widened in her shock as there was a burst of Reiatsu, and Kirara used Shunpo to disappear from sight.

"Her...Shikai," the spectator whispered in shock.

"What's she doing?" Natsuki blinked, as if remembering that she wasn't the only one watching. She looked to Izuru, who had returned to healing Rangiku. "Her Zanpakuto, what does it do?" he asked her curiously.

"I don't know. In all the time I knew Kirara, she never once released it in front of me," Natsuki admitted. "I wonder why

you would so easily release it now? Is it them? The others?" she asked aloud, feeling jealous. She then felt guilty for feeling jealous, knowing that she had no idea what had transpired over the years.

In the air above, Kirara manipulated her Reiatsu to confuse Rafael. However, unlike the last person she had faced in a real battle with her Shikai, he kept calm, watching out for her. However, he couldn't stop himself from reacting when her Reiatsu flew at him, and passed through him, making him shudder. It was enough of a lower in his guard for Kirara to appear behind him, slicing down his back.

Rafael cried out in pain, staggering, before turning and lashing out. Kirara disappeared again, but as she moved towards him again, Rafael spotted her, turning. Kirara jumped back as her hand sang with the pain from the shock, leaving a tingling feeling behind. She bit her lip. She needed to be more careful, or she'd lose the ability to use her arm.

"You're pretty good," Rafael smirked. "But I'm fast too, y'see?" he asked, and held out a hand. The dark, flickering clouds around his body gathered in his hand, and they pulsed, creating a crack of thunder before lightning shot from it. Kirara leapt higher into the air to avoid it. "As long as I can see you, I can fight back!" Rafael taunted her. Kirara raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked. "What if you can't see me?" Rafael frowned at her question.

"What are you talking about?" he asked slowly, watching as she raised her Zanpakuto. Kirara glanced at her sword, and over to him. She then gave a small smile, and grasped her sword in both hands. Power flooded the area, causing a small wind to pick up.

"Bankai."

And you thought I was mean with the last cliffhanger...

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