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Chapter 4: The Bad News
Natsuki hurried to make her way through the barracks of the 5th Division, to the Captain's office. She'd barely slept, and to her frustration, the Captain had sent her on a mission for several days, so she'd not been able to speak with Aizen after he visited Kirara in the Squad 6 barracks.
She turned a corner, and immediately walked into someone, knocking them over.
"Oh, sorry!" both apologised, and Natsuki looked down to the fallen Lieutenant of Squad 5. "Natsuki! I'm sorry!" Still young and nervous, Lieutenant Hinamori apologised again.
"It was my fault, sorry Momo," Natsuki did the same, and offered her hand. Momo smiled weakly and took it gratefully, letting herself be pulled up.
"What brings you here?" Momo asked her curiously as they both gathered the fallen papers around them. It wasn't a common sight to see Natsuki anywhere except her own barracks, apart from Squad 4 more often than not, not to mention the bar.
"I'm here to see Captain Aizen," Natsuki explained, rubbing the back of her head. "I might have gotten a little tunnel vision in my haste," she grinned, making Momo laugh.
"It's fine. Is this about...that prisoner in Squad 6's barracks?" Momo asked curiously, and Natsuki nodded. "I'll let you speak with the Captain then. It was nice seeing you Natsuki," Momo smiled kindly at her, and Natsuki bowed respectfully to her before stepping aside to let her pass. Once Momo disappeared off, Natsuki continued walking towards the Captain's office, picking up her pace again.
"Come in," the voice called before she had a chance to knock, and Natsuki paused in mild surprise. Then she realised that she'd probably not been very quiet in her approach. She slid the door open as her cheeks coloured red, and Aizen smiled at her from his desk. "I've been wondering when you'd come to see me," he commented, and gestured for her to enter.
"Captain, how did it go?" Natsuki asked as she approached his desk. "Did she tell you anything about what happened?" she asked him hopefully, watching him carefully. Aizen's smile faded and he sighed softly.
"I'm sorry Natsuki, but I'm afraid I was just as unsuccessful as you were," he admitted, and Natsuki's shoulders sagged.
"She wouldn't talk to you?" her voice was quieter, sounding almost defeated. Aizen nodded, offering an apologetic smile.
"Much like with you, she simply avoided the topic," he explained to her. Natsuki sighed, her head dropping forwards.
'Natsuki...maybe you should give up. I don't think you're going to find out before her judgement,' the Spirit of her Zanpakuto suggested carefully.
"Thank you for trying, Captain Aizen," Natsuki bowed respectfully to him, and turned to leave.
"I don't know if you've heard yet," she stopped at the door, glancing around. Aizen was sitting back in his seat, his smile gone as he looked concerned. "But the verdict and judgement have been decided for Kirara," Natsuki turned around completely, wordlessly. "For the crime of breaking the forbidden law and passing her powers on to a human, Kirara Yamada is to be confined on death row, and in twenty five days from today, she is to be executed," cold spread through Natsuki. Her breathing uneven, she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She simply nodded, and walked on, fighting the tears that burned at her eyes.
"People are going to talk if we keep hanging out like this," Kirara waggled her eyebrows at Ichigo, who angled his head to glare at her as they walked through town together.
"Then quit following me, delinquent," he hissed. All it did, to his frustration, was serve to widen her smirk as she looked up at him.
"Aw Ichigo, I thought you liked hanging out with me," she pouted, before looking ahead. Ichigo scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Sure, just as much as I like Keigo jumping at me and screaming all the time," he muttered. Kirara laughed, not looking the least bit offended.
"He does do that a lot," she agreed. Hearing a car screech behind them, they stopped, glancing around to see a car speed off, leaving behind a girl with long orange hair.
"Hey!" Ichigo called as they jogged over.
"Ah! Ichigo!" she gasped. "Kirara!" she realised that her other classmate was beside him.
"Orihime! Did you just get hit?" Ichigo asked the girl kneeling on the ground, a hand to her leg. A bag of groceries had spilled out on to the ground beside her.
"Um...probably..." she frowned, looking away.
"Probably?" Kirara raised an eyebrow as she walked over. "Are you alright?" she asked, and Orihime jumped to her feet.
"Yup! It just hit me a little," the orange haired school girl smiled brightly, rapping her knuckles against her head. "I'm revived, totally revived!" she insisted.
"Revived, revived...what about the car?" Ichigo asked.
"It left," Orihime smiled.
"You..."
"I'm sorry..." she apologised, seeing Ichigo's frustration.
"Oh don't listen to that grouch Orihime," Kirara patted her shoulder before passing her. "He's just worried," Ichigo's face flushed.
"You shut up!" he snapped at her, and Kirara turned to smirk at him before lifting the fallen food.
"I'm glad you're alright Orihime," Kirara smiled. "Oh, and it seems your food is too," she added, and Orihime gasped as if only remembering it.
"My dinner!" she turned, and took the bag from Kirara. Seeing the contents, Kirara swallowed nervously. She didn't want to know just what the strange girl was making.
"Oh, there's one more-" Kirara stopped as she lifted a fallen orange. "Orihime...your leg," she straightened up slowly.
"Huh?" Orihime looked down as if seeing the large bruise for the first time. "Did it just appear when the car hit me?" she wondered.
"It looks terrible. It must hurt," Ichigo commented.
"A little," Orihime admitted as Kirara kept her eyes on it. A shiver ran down her spine, and she looked around suspiciously. "I'm okay!" she insisted. "But I should get home and started on dinner!" Orihime decided with a bright smile.
"Sure..." Kirara murmured.
"Want me to walk you back?" Ichigo offered, and she jolted a little at the offer.
"That's okay! Really! Bye!" Orihime waved and headed off quickly. Ichigo and Kirara watched her for a moment, before Kirara smirked.
"How sweet of you. How come you never offer to walk me home?" she asked. Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned away.
"Oh shut up. Why don't you go home by yourself already? You can take care of yourself," he growled as he walked ahead.
"Hey Ichigo," he growled when she caught up, but paused when he saw her serious expression. "About Orihime. Has...anything happened to her in the past?" Kirara's question made him frown.
"I dunno, I don't really know her too well, only that she's best friends with Tatsuki," Ichigo shrugged. "Except..." he paused, making Kirara arch an eyebrow.
"Except?" she pressed.
"Her brother, he passed away at our clinic about three years ago," Kirara frowned, her eyes ahead of them as they walked. "I only found out recently that it was her," he shrugged.
"Hmm..." Kirara hummed to herself.
"Why are you asking?" Ichigo asked.
"Curiosity," Kirara shrugged.
"I don't know why I bother asking you anything," Ichigo grumbled, rolling his eyes. Kirara grinned as she walked ahead.
"I'm going home. Laters," she waved a hand over her shoulder, and he frowned.
"Just where do you live, Kirara? Does a...whatever the hell you are have a house?" Ichigo asked. Kirara laughed.
"I thought you were wondering why you bothered asking me anything?" she asked, and glanced around. "Do you want to see?" she winked at him. Ichigo's face flushed red.
"Oh go to hell Kirara," he growled.
"Aw Ichigo," Kirara pouted. "One day you'll admit you like me," she turned and kept walking as he barked out a laugh.
"Like that'll ever happen!" he snapped.
Lying on her back with her hands behind her head, Kirara watched the ceiling silently. It had been three hours since Captain Kuchiki had given her the news.
In twenty-five days, she would be executed.
"Less than a month...they aren't beating around the bush," she chuckled wryly, letting out a wide yawn. "Well, I knew it would happen eventually. At least I have something to look forward to now," Kirara murmured, closing her eyes. "Wonder how they'll put down a monster like me..." she yawned again.
"Oi, when you're done talking to yourself!" she frowned, but didn't move as Renji's voice cut through her quiet.
"Yeah yeah, I ain't moving," Kirara waved her hand, sounding bored. "Hey kid," she greeted Hanataro, who jolted, clutching his broom close.
"H-hi!" he greeted back, and she gave a small chuckle before Renji let him in and disappeared off. By now, he wasn't particularly worried that she'd hurt him. Especially if she was telling the truth about her relation to the young Shinigami. He glanced around before he left, watching as Hanataro began cleaning. He looked almost happy, though he still was unaware of who she was. Shaking his head, Renji left.
"You know kid," Hanataro looked up as Kirara sat up, stretching before moving to lean against the wall again. "When I said humans were odd, I wasn't kidding," she told him, and before long Hanataro was kneeling nearby, hanging off her every word.
"A stuffed toy? He really put a Gikongan in one? And it worked?" he asked, amazed.
"Yeah, I never thought it was possible," Kirara chuckled.
"What was the World of the Living like? What kind of food and drinks were there?" Hanataro asked eagerly, before realising what he was doing. "Sorry," he gulped.
"It's fine," Kirara laughed. "Though I couldn't even begin to describe what they have. There were so many different types, and so many different cultures that made food differently. I'll tell you this though," Kirara chuckled, before stretching as Hanataro listened, hanging onto every word. "While nothing could beat Japanese food, Italian did come very close," she told him. The boy's mouth watered as she told him all about the different dishes, but part of his mind went back to just why she was there. He wasn't stupid; he'd heard about her punishment as well.
"Um..." he started, before hesitating. Kirara, who was watching him now, arched an eyebrow with a patient smile. That was why he had begun to enjoy his daily chores cleaning the 6th Squad cells. She never lost patience with him, or gave any indication that his questions about the World of the Living annoyed her. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it, and had told him a great deal about the place, and a human she had become friends with. He wondered just how long she had been there. Hell, he didn't even know her name.
"What's up kid?" she asked when his pause grew.
"Um...the human you told me about. He's..." Hanataro hesitated when Kirara kept up her patient smile. "He's the one you gave your powers to, isn't he?" the Squad 4 officer asked her curiously. Kirara paused, before looking away.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. Just a kid trying to protect his family," she nodded as her brother watched her curiously. "I gave him the power to do that, and all it succeeded in doing was possibly get him killed," her smile was now wry and filled with guilt.
"I-I don't think he would blame you," she glanced around in surprise when Hanataro spoke. "If he's as amazing as you believe, he'd be grateful that you helped him save his family," he told her. Kirara blinked several times as she looked up at the boy clutching the broom, and he blushed from his outburst. "I'm sorry," he apologised, and squeaked when she suddenly ruffled his hair with a quiet laugh.
"You're probably right," she laughed, leaning her head back against the wall as she let her hand fall. "He'd definitely try to kick my ass if he caught me feeling guilty and moping about it," Kirara commented with a grin. "Thanks kid," blushing even more, Hanataro nodded, smiling very slightly at the ground. Her gratitude was odd to him, almost warm and familiar somehow.
"Hey Yamada, you done or what?" he jumped as Renji's shout echoed in.
"Y-yes sir!" Hanataro jumped up, grabbing the broom and rushing to the door as the Lieutenant unlocked it.
"See you tomorrow kid," he looked around as Kirara spoke up.
"R-right," Hanataro smiled before hurrying off. Renji watched him, before turning to arch an eyebrow at Kirara as she chuckled.
"You talk to the kid more than anyone else. And he doesn't even know who you are," the red-haired Lieutenant accused her with a frown. Kirara yawned widely, moving to lie down on her back, her hands behind her head as a cushion.
"I never got a chance before," Kirara replied quietly as Renji scowled.
"Why won't you talk to Hamasaki?" Renji asked her, but she didn't answer, her breathing quiet and steady as if she'd fallen asleep. But by this point, Renji knew better. "What about Captain Aizen? I hear he came to see you as well. Just what-"
"I'm going to ask you this as respectfully as I can, Lieutenant," Kirara interrupted him in a quiet voice. Renji's scowl grew as he fell silent to listen to what she had to say. "Please drop it. What happened before is not your business, nor is my decision to refuse to talk to Natsuki or Sosuke," she said in just as quiet and calm a voice. Renji scoffed, rolling his eyes as he folded his arms.
"You could at last show some respect and call him-"
"I said drop it, Lieutenant Abarai. Please," Kirara requested. Renji watched her for a moment, before turning away with a snort.
"Whatever. It's not my business if you want to take this to the grave," he scoffed as he walked out, leaving her alone. Kirara sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling.
"Wish I could. But I doubt I'm that lucky. After all..." she gave a dark chuckle, putting her hand to her face and curling her fingers in. "When have I ever been that lucky?" Kirara wondered aloud.
Staring at the ceiling, her hands behind her head, Kirara thought about what Ichigo had told her about Orihime. The girl was so bright and friendly, if a little skittish, Kirara hadn't expected that she had gone through something so traumatic.
Kirara sighed, closing her eyes. Everyone harboured ghosts, some just hid them better than others.
'You know what's chasing her, don't you Kirara?' Kokoro no Kage asked softly.
'Of course. It's not hard to figure out at all,' Kirara replied mentally, hearing muffled voices nearby. She ignored them, thinking about it. 'It's a cruel thought...' she sighed heavily. Especially as Ichigo would need to be the one to handle it. Without her powers, she didn't have the strength to take down a Hollow. She was just too weak.
Her fist clenched in her annoyance. She was helpless, and that just pissed her off. She needed to be patient. It would be over soon. But patience was never her strong suit.
As she let out a wide yawn, ready to drift off, she felt a pulse, and her eyes widened.
"Dammit," she hissed, pushing herself up.
Ichigo was staring at the ceiling, not unlike Kirara had been doing, deep in thought, when his closet door suddenly slid open.
"Ichigo!" Kirara yelled, and he shot up, eyes going wide.
"What the hell Kirara? What are you doing in there?!" he demanded.
"Move!" she yelled as a black portal opened behind his head.
"What? Why, I-" the window opened behind him and someone else grabbed him by the collar, yanking him away from the clawed hand that burst from the portal and slammed into his bed. Ichigo crashed against the wall, and Kirara caught him by the head with her hand in a red glove, pulling his spirit from his body. "What the hell is-"
"Talk later, fight now!" Kirara told him, and Ichigo finally realised that a Hollow was crawling through into his room. With a growl, he grabbed his Zanpakuto and swung down. It carved through the ceiling, before cutting through the Hollow's Mask. Kirara cursed. It was too shallow. The Hollow roared in pain as it reared back, part of the Mask crumbled away. Ichigo's breath caught as his eyes went wide, hesitating enough to let the Hollow escape.
"What...how the hell..." Ichigo lowered his sword, struggling to process what had happened. Kirara ignored him, turning to the third in the room.
"And what brings you here, Hirako?" her voice was testy as she frowned up at Shinji.
"Keeping an eye, and for good reason. Your little friend here almost got himself killed," he replied, eyes narrowing at her tone.
"You think I can't look after the kid by-"
"Hey, Kirara," she stopped when she heard Ichigo's slow words. She glanced at him, folding her arms. "That Hollow...I knew him," he turned to her when she closed her eyes and sighed. "That was Orihime's brother! The one who died!" he told her. "Just what the hell are Hollows?" he demanded.
"You didn't tell him?" Shinji asked with a snort, looking bored.
"How about you shut your mouth, before I shut it for you?" Kirara growled at him.
"Hey!" Ichigo whirled around to her properly. "What the hell is going on Kirara? Who is this guy? I want some answers, dammit!" he growled at her. Shinji snorted again, cleaning his ear with his pinkie as he looked entirely disinterested.
"Good luck with that," he muttered. Kirara twitched, very close to snapping.
"You know how Spirits with strong ties will stay in the World of the Living, right?" instead, she focused on the fifteen year old. He nodded, scowling. "Well if they stay too long without moving on, their soul chains degrade, and if they completely erode..." Kirara sighed, running a hand through her hair. "They become Hollows. That's what happened to Orihime's brother," she then frowned. "But for him to last three years without changing..."
"That is pretty rare," Shinji agreed in a lower voice, less confrontational. "He'd need some serious willpower and a real good reason to not want to leave," he mused. Kirara hummed.
"I guess his sister, his only family, begging him not to leave, was enough of a reason," she agreed. "Okay Ichigo, we gotta move, now," Kirara turned to the substitute. His frown grew.
"Why? Where are we going?" he asked, confused. Kirara smirked.
"To rescue the princess," she said.
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