Sorry for taking so long to update, I hope you all had a lovely christmas! And happy new year to you all!

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Chapter 45: An Important Decision

The Warehouse was heavy from the silence that fell after Shinji's words. Everyone was waiting for Kirara's reaction. At first, she didn't react in any way, as if she hadn't heard him announce that they could return to the Soul Society. Finally, she moved to fold her arms, leaning her weight on one leg.

"Huh…" she murmured.

"What?! That's all you can say?!" Hiyori snapped. "What's with that blank look? Didn't you hear what he said?" she yelled at Kirara, who watched her without reacting. She was furious, more than Kirara had seen in a while. Not that she blamed her at all.

"Hiyori please, calm down," Rose pleaded with the furious blonde.

"How can you keep calm about this?" Lisa demanded. "They treated us like shit, now they want us back?" she snapped.

"It's easy for you guys, your old Divisions are still open! What about us?" Love asked them. The fighting picked back up, and Kirara watched them, her stomach squirming in discomfort. This news could finally break them apart.

"Goddammit…" she turned and walked off. Shinji glanced after her as the others didn't notice, too busy arguing or trying to calm the others.

"There is such a thing as working your way up you know!" Kensei rolled his eyes irritably.

"Who cares about that?!" Hiyori yelled. "They turned their backs on us! Why should we trust what they have to say?" she asked, shaking in anger. "I'm never going back there, not to that scum!" Lisa and Love voiced their agreement. Even Hachi seemed inclined to agree with her.

"I'm out of action for three damn weeks and you all go to hell. You're all idiots," Kirara's voice cut through the shouting, and they looked around as she slammed two bottles down on one of the crates.

"What are you-"

"Stop fighting like damn children and just drink," Kirara rolled her eyes. "We all knew that there would be some repercussion for showing our faces in that battle," she took a seat as everyone slowly took a glass that Rose fetched. "It's just not one we expected. So, get the hell over it and decide if you want to accept the old man's offer. It's not that hard to figure out," she told them.

After a few tense minutes, everyone finally seemed to relax, talking quietly about it instead of yelling. Kirara sighed again, and slumped into Shinji's side. "I'm tired," she whined. He tilted his head to lean it against hers.

"What else is new?" he asked, and grunted when her elbow collided with his stomach. "At least they've stopped yelling," Shinji muttered. Kirara hummed in response.

Her eyes, though heavy, kept focus on the Vizards, who were talking about the offer that had been made. Hiyori still looked adamant that it was a terrible idea, scowling as Lisa spoke somewhat more calmly than before. Hachi was nodding at what Lisa was saying, seeming to be swayed by her opinions. Mashiro was pestering Kensei about it as he refused to let her drink – probably for the best – and spoke to Rose and Love.

"Hey Kirara, what do you think?" Lisa asked, glancing over. She rolled her eyes as she found her fast asleep, breathing softly as she used Shinji's shoulder as her pillow. "I see she finds it riveting," the glasses wearing Vizard commented.

"She hasn't been sleeping well, and us shouting will not have helped," Rose spoke softly, watching worriedly as Shinji moved, lifting Kirara into his arms.

"We need to make a decision by the end of the week," Shinji told them, his back to the group, before walking off and leaving them to decide for themselves.

Sprawled across the sofa, Kirara tried reading as the others sparred below. Their injuries, which had been a lot less severe, were healing up to the point where they were able to get back to training. Kirara was nowhere near that stage, much to her frustration, so was banned from the training grounds until she was able to at least walk without it hurting.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Kirara set the book down beside her, feeling the clashing Reiatsu belonging to Lisa and Love. They were going easy, not wanting to reopen their wounds, but Kirara couldn't help but feel jealous. She couldn't wait to be able to go back to training.

But then again, by the time she was healed, things would be radically different. They only had a few days left to decide if they were going to go or not, and from the sounds of it, they were going to split up.

Kirara pulled her legs in slowly, resting her chin on her knees as she hugged her legs. It had been one hundred years of them on their own, and now things were changing. They were splitting up, possibly for good.

'It is not as if you will never see them again, Kirara. You are family, regardless of where you are,' Kokoro no Kage reminded her gently. Kirara closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, she was standing in the dark forest of her Inner World.

"I know, but it'll take getting used to," Kirara shrugged, idly scratching at her shoulder as she glanced to the glowing eyes in the darkness. "It was only ever the 9 of us," she mused.

'That may be, but you didn't spend very long deciding,' the Spirit's chuckle echoed through the trees, and Kirara blushed.

"Funny, old man," she rolled her eyes, but knew he was right. It hadn't taken her long to decide on what she was going to do at all. "A lot has happened in the last century. I never expected it to go this way when we first left the Soul Society," she mused aloud.

'You can never predict what will happen in the future; you merely prepare for the possibilities,' Kokoro no Kage told her. 'Although, the Head Captain offering a full pardon and reinstatement is not a possibility I would have imagined,' he admitted. Kirara hummed in agreement.

"You and me both. But it definitely made things interesting again. I was wondering just what was going to happen," she admitted. "I'm glad that it went this way…even if we are going to split up, it's better than what could have happened," Kirara touched one of the large trees in front of her.

'Indeed. Things could have been far worse,' the cloaked Spirit agreed, disappearing behind a tree. 'We were lucky, for once,' he spoke as he appeared from behind another tree. Kirara laughed quietly.

"For once is right," she agreed. "Especially since if the old man had decided to do away with us, we'd have been screwed," she murmured, swallowing nervously at the thought.

'It did not go down that path, so let us not think about it,' Kokoro no Kage said, sounding just as unnerved by the thought.

"The end of the week, huh?" Kirara spoke softly again, her hand still to the tree. It was warm to touch and a strange pulsing like a heartbeat could be felt through the wood. "Three days..." she swallowed, and the pulse quickened.

'Nervous, Kirara?' Kokoro no Kage questioned gently.

"Yes," Kirara admitted without hesitation.

'Good,' she glanced around to the Spirit, surprised by his response. 'I would be concerned if you were not,' he explained. Kirara laughed, looking back at the tree with a smile.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed. "Do you think I'm making the right choice?" she asked, her voice uncertain. The cloaked Spirit with glowing eyes hummed.

'Why are you asking me? I am a part of you. Believe in your convictions, Kirara,' Kokoro no Kage told her, disappearing behind a tree.

Kirara blinked, returning to reality. She leaned back, yawning widely. She still wasn't sleeping very well, which was leaving her constantly even more tired than usual. Rubbing her eyes, Kirara sighed, wishing that the bad dreams would disappear already. She hadn't mentioned them to anyone, but she had a suspicion that they already knew.

"How annoying," she muttered, letting her head fall back against the rigid back of the sofa.

"Not a chance Rose," she opened her eyes when she heard Shinji's voice. It was adamant, and a little irritated.

"Now you're just being selfish, Shinji," Rose's complaint echoed up to Kirara as they walked up the stairs from the training grounds. "You can't keep her to yourself, you know," he said with a pout.

"You already have one who is perfectly fine, you know," Shinji rolled his eyes. "There's no way you're having her too," he told the taller man, whose pout grew. "And quit that, there ain't anything cute about a grown ass man pulling a face like that," Shinji added as his irritation grew.

"What are you two old ladies bickering about?" they stopped, looking up quickly to see Kirara standing on the higher level, peering down at them.

"Tell him not to be selfish, Kirara," Rose complained.

"Hah! Like he'd listen," Kirara grinned back at him. Shinji rolled his eyes as Rose pouted again.

"I suppose you're right. He'll never let anyone have you," Kirara's grin fell as she tilted her head, confused. Her cheeks warmed at his comment, but not as much as Shinji's.

"Oh shut up already Rose," he snapped, and Rose smiled slightly, amused by the reaction. Shinji then jumped up, landing with his hands stuffed in his pockets beside Kirara. "Don't listen to anything that idiot says," Shinji told her.

"Funny, everyone says the same about you," Kirara grinned. Rose disguised his laugh as a cough, earning a glare from their leader. "What's going on?" she asked curiously.

"I thought I said not to listen," Shinji grumbled as she followed him to the exit. "You should probably be resting," he commented when he glanced at her. Kirara just arched an eyebrow, and Shinji shook his head, pushing the door open. "Come on," he groaned.

"So are you gonna tell me what's going on?" they hadn't even left the district when Kirara poked him.

"Rose and his damn big mouth," Shinji muttered, and Kirara caught his sleeve, forcing him to stop. He sighed again, not looking at her. "Have you decided?" he looked around when she didn't answer. "About what you're going to do? Go back to the Soul Society or stay in the World of the Living," Kirara blinked owlishly at him, and Shinji turned to face her completely. "You don't have that long to decide," his voice was quiet, and his expression was one that Kirara hadn't seen before. Uncertainty. After a moment, she started to laugh. "What?" Shinji scowled as she put a hand to her face.

"You're such a dumbass Hirako," she giggled. "I decided as soon as I found out," sobering, she looked up with a smile. His frown grew. "You want to go back, right?" she asked, and Shinji didn't answer. "Shinji, I just want to be with you, so if you want to go back, I will too," she went red at her words, and Shinji's scowl dropped in his surprise.

"Dammit Kirara," he groaned, reaching out and gripping her jacket. "You're such a pain..." he rested his head on her good shoulder, and she laughed.

"Well yeah, that's obvious," she said, leaning her head against his. "Does that have something to do with what you and Rose were arguing about?" Kirara asked curiously, and he lifted his head.

"You're so nosy," he complained, which only made her smile grow. "Come on, I'm supposed to be doing the dinner run," he pulled away.

"Shinji!" Kirara whined as she followed him away, and he hid a grin as he kept walking, just keeping out of reach. "Asshat! Wait for me!" she complained, moving as quickly as she could without pushing herself.

"Kisuke told me that the Lieutenant for Squad 5 is still in intensive care with Squad 12," Shinji said as he reached out and caught her hand.

"With Mayuri? Urgh...I'd rather have Kensei look after me," Kirara shuddered. "I told Kisuke it was stupid to take him out of the Maggot's Nest," she muttered. "So what has that got to do with you and Rose?" she asked, moving on quickly.

"The Head Captain wants Rose, Kensei and myself to take our old Squads back, and I can only imagine what damage Sosuke has done," Shinji spoke after shooting her a strange look for her mutterings.

"I figured he would," Kirara nodded. It made sense, considering Squads 3, 5 and 9 no longer had Captains.

"Well, I need a Lieutenant, and you need a Squad," she stopped abruptly, her hand falling from his before he looked around in amusement.

"What?" her eyes were wide in alarm. "But...what?" she repeated. "But that girl...she'll-"

"Kirara, I want you as my Lieutenant. I want someone I can trust-"

"You do realise what I was like as a Lieutenant?" Kirara demanded, completely alarmed.

"The same as you are now?" Shinji answered, earning a glare.

"Exactly!" Kirara threw her hands in the air. "How could you possibly-" her demand was interrupted when he leaned in and kissed her. "It's just-" as she pulled away to try and keep arguing, he just pulled her back in. Sighing against his mouth, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him close, before she deepened the kiss.

"So is that a yes?" Shinji asked quietly when he finally let her move back slightly. Both breathed heavily, and Kirara was blushing. She bit her lip, glancing away with a look of uncertainty that she had laughed at Shinji for having only minutes ago.

"I…" Kirara hedged, avoiding his gaze. She then sighed, and looked up with a small frown. "Fine, yes, I'll do it. But don't expect to just dump all your work on me," she poked his chest.

"Kirara…" he murmured, his grin widening. "You don't even do your own work, I'm not expecting much," she went even redder at his teasing, before finally smiling.

"You're going to regret this," Kirara murmured, pushing up to kiss him again.

"I have no doubt," Shinji retorted quietly when they finally pulled apart. Kirara grinned deviously.

"So what has that all got to do with Rose?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes, continuing to walk. He pulled her along by the hand, and Kirara's grin widened.

"He was going to ask you to be his Lieutenant," Shinji's irritated tone made Kirara laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"And here you call me possessive," she teased. Shinji dropped her hand and increased his pace. Kirara just kept laughing. "Hey, don't go off in a sulk!" she giggled, hurrying after him.

"So, you're going?" Kirara looked around as Lisa approached her later that evening.

"And you're not," Kirara's was less of a question, and more of a statement.

"There's nothing for me there anymore," Lisa set down several bottles on the ground, sitting on the sofa with her. "I might go on another trip around this world, see what's changed since the last time," the taller woman commented as she lifted two bottles, handing one to Kirara.

"Well, you'll definitely earn less attention with a smaller group," Kirara told her as she twisted the bottle in her hands, pulling the bottle cap off with ease. Lisa yanked it off with her teeth, spitting the cap over the back of the sofa. It landed nearby with a soft clinking sound, and the woman tipped the bottle to her lips.

"Especially because we won't have you and Shinji at each other's throats every time you look at each other," she said after swallowing. Kirara grinned, taking a swig of beer as well.

"It made things interesting," she commented.

"It made things annoying," Lisa corrected, and Kirara had the decency to blush this time.

"Well you won't be completely unnoticeable, considering how you dress," Kirara shrugged and took another drink. "I'm going to miss you, you know," she admitted in a quieter voice.

"Of course you are," Lisa snorted. "I suppose I'll miss you too. After all, who else is going to be able to critique models with me?" she asked, the faintest of smiles tugging at her mouth. Kirara's smile returned.

"I'd say Love, but his taste sucks," she said.

"I heard that!" the deep voice of the tall Vizard echoed over. Lisa just held out her bottle, and clinked it against Kirara's. "And I heard that too!" Kirara giggled as Love spoke again.

"You're still not sleeping properly, are you?" Kirara looked at Lisa quickly as she spoke. "Nightmares?" the perceptive woman asked her. Kirara took another swig of beer.

"Yeah," she muttered in a quieter voice.

"You wanna talk about them?" Lisa offered.

"I'd rather get drunk," Kirara replied. "But thanks for the offer Lisa. I'll be fine," she insisted.

"Then we'll just keep drinking," Lisa nodded, making Kirara's smile return.

"Sounds good to me!" she laughed, and they bumped the bottles together again, letting the clink of glass hitting glass echo. As they drank, partly in silence as they contemplated what had happened over the last month, Kirara watched as Kensei walked up the stairs with Mashiro buzzing around him. She was rambling, bouncing around him as the silver haired man with a short temper struggled not to yell. Even he had mellowed out slightly around Mashiro, whose face was almost completely healed.

"Hey Kirara," Kirara looked around at Lisa again. "You really think it's a good idea to go back there?" Lisa's question made Kirara blink, before she lowered the bottle. "They're still Shinigami, and we're not," she reminded her.

"I know…" Kirara agreed. "But, whether we like it or not, if it wasn't for a Shinigami, I'd be dead right now, and you guys would be far worse off," she reminded Lisa, who kept quiet. "Without Sosuke pulling strings, I think we'll be okay," she smiled slightly.

"Just make sure you keep an eye on the idiots going," Lisa sounded bored. "You know not one of them can look after themselves," Kirara laughed at her words.

"You're right about that," she agreed.

"Well then," Lisa stood up, and Kirara tilted her head. "The New Year catalogue was released while we were away, we may as well check it out before you leave," she walked off, and Kirara's smile widened. Her worry about splitting up was quickly fading. They were a family, and even if they were split up, it wouldn't change anything.

Just one chapter left to go! Can't believe it's almost done!

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