Chapter 11: Normalcy

To Kirara's relief, the Captain's Ceremony didn't last for long after declaring Kisuke the Captain of Squad 12. The moment they had been dismissed, Kirara had been out the door and in search for some shade.

'So Kisuke really is the Captain of Squad 12 now,' she thought to herself as she lay in the grass under the shade of a tree, eyes closed. 'I teased him about it, but…I never really put much thought into it. I wonder how much hell Hiyori is going to put him through,' she wondered to herself, yawning widely as she got comfortable with the intention of napping for the rest of the morning.

The haze of sleep that threatened to claim Kirara, however, was chased away by the sound of grass rustling nearby. She gave a wide yawn.

"It's rare that you seek me out, little brother," Kirara didn't move from her comfortable spot on the ground, and didn't open her eyes. She heard the irritated huff in response. "Come to chide me for causing a scene in front of all the Captains?" she asked, amusement lacing her words.

"Even if I were, I feel that would only encourage you to do it again," Seinosuke rolled his eyes, remaining standing. "Much like it did with those scraps of fabric that you call a uniform," there was distaste in both his voice and gaze. Kirara just laughed, still not opening her eyes. She knew better than to let his words affect her.

"If you're not here to chide me on besmirching the Yamada name once again, then how can I help you, little brother?" Kirara asked, making a point of stretching. Seinosuke rolled his eyes.

"I had thought that you may be sharp enough to notice," he sighed, shaking his head. "Drink has dulled your senses far too much," Seinosuke's words were chiding, and Kirara gave a suffering sigh. Finally she opened her eyes, and sat up as she looked at her brother.

While he was younger, Seinosuke had long since surpassed her in terms of height, but he still had that lean look that all three siblings shared. His black hair was falling into his face, and his blue eyes were cold yet sharp as he watched her.

"You think so little of me," Kirara said, but spared him the wounded tone that he would have known wasn't true. "It breaks my heart," she drawled, and he resisted rolling his eyes again.

"You truly are annoying," Seinosuke told her in response, and the corners of Kirara's mouth twitched up in a smirk.

"We have that in common," she told him, and he didn't argue. "Of course I sense it. Everyone who isn't an idiot senses it," Kirara said, running her hand through her hair. "This peace we have right now, it's just an illusion. And all these changes…" Seinosuke gave a pleased hum, as if her words had surpassed his expectations. "Not that I don't delight in a visit from my charming brother, but why come to me about it?" Kirara asked him.

"This…former Third Seat of yours," there was a hint of distaste in Seinosuke's voice. Not that Kirara was surprised. He was a healer. A sadistic bastard, but a healer all the same. Keeping people alive was all he enjoyed doing. So what his elder sister did - what the Onmitsukido stood for, it was the complete opposite. It had been something they had fought about in the past, and had been the final straw in their already poor relationship. "Will he be good for Squad 12? Or will he turn it into another den of-"

"Enough, Seinosuke," Kirara cut him off, and her tone was warning enough that he didn't continue, though his cold eyes glittered. Both knew exactly what he was about to say, and Seinosuke knew what uttering that word would do. He and Kirara barely acknowledged one another as anything more than colleagues - it was only their shared surname and similar features that gave their relation away. To cross that line would be to irrevocably sever what little was still there.

"Apologies, my dear sister," instead, Seinosuke moved in a sweeping bow that had her rolling her eyes. "But my question stands. Will Kisuke Urahara make a good Captain in these tumultuous times?" he asked, meeting her gaze once more. Without speaking, Kirara stood and idly brushed off her uniform.

"Yes. Kisuke is a good man. I trust Captain Shihoin's judgement, and I trust my own. Hiyori might have a hard time accepting it at first, but he is the best choice for them," Kirara finally answered firmly as she held his gaze.

"Even if he was a lower rank than you?" Seinosuke's question hung in the air. Kirara's brow furrowed just slightly. "Are you truly content with someone in a lower Seat than yours surpassing you?" he challenged. Kirara drew herself to full height, although she still barely reached his chin.

"You are just as aware as everyone else that I couldn't care less about that. Kisuke was the better fit for the job. I have no interest in being a Captain, and I'm not so arrogant to believe that I would be good as a Captain," Kirara told him firmly, irritation in her chest as she stared her brother down. She then smirked. "I may be hungover as hell, but I know a loaded question when I see one. Feeling a little overlooked?" for a moment, Kirara swore that she saw something flicker in those cold eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by his usual bland smile.

"It was as delightful as ever to see you," he said, already turning to walk away. "Consider stopping by to see Hanataro. He is your brother too, you know," with that, Seinosuke vanished, and Kirara rolled her eyes.

"Prick," she muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath, and sat down again in the grass. "At least he cares for Hana," she muttered, flinging herself back and using her arms as a cushion. She'd take that over any familiar care towards her.

Letting out another deep breath, Kirara let her body relax, and her eyes shut as she let herself drift off into some much needed sleep.

Hiyori's fury and refusal to accept Kisuke as her Captain could practically be felt all throughout the Seireitei. For once, Kirara slept through the night, and when she walked into the main hall the next morning, she felt far more refreshed than she had in days.

"Feeling better?" Yoruichi, never missing a thing, greeted her with a grin. Kirara took a seat by her side as usual, dropping a small stack of papers onto the table.

"For now, but I doubt I will after I get through all this," she gestured, and Yoruichi grinned and leaned back in her seat.

"So no time for checkers?" she asked, and Kirara stuck out her tongue in response.

"Not if you want me to get these missions assigned, not to mention finishing the paperwork for the collaboration between the Patrol Corps and Detention Unit over the last few days," Kirara pointed out. Yoruichi grinned, and instead turned her attention back to the members of the Executive Militia that were kneeling in two lines down the hall in front of her.

As she assigned some members scouting duty and had others handling Hakuda training, Kirara worked on getting the assignments done for both the Patrol Corps and the rest of the Squad, occasionally glancing at the two other files that were carefully set to her left. One was on the strange Hollow she'd encountered, and the other on the dissenters she had been looking into. The second was one that she still had yet to determine whether it was going to be her issue, or handled by whoever replaced Kisuke, but while neither were deemed high priority, she kept them close just in case.

As she expected, her refreshed state didn't last for long as the summer heat began to creep in, and the humidity clung to her as she set aside an assignment for the World of the Living.

"Captain Shihoin," a member of the Militia Corps who had not been in attendance suddenly appeared, kneeling in front of Yoruichi. Kirara glanced up at the sudden interruption. "Captain Urahara is here," he announced. She hummed, seeming surprised.

"Kisuke's here?" Yoruichi swirled the mixer in her drink.

"Yes. He said he already had your permission, Lady Yoruichi," the man said, his head bowed. Yoruichi frowned, looking around the room with a puzzled expression.

"What was it now?" she wondered, and glanced to Kirara. The Lieutenant got to her feet, happy to be moving and getting a break from her work. Without a word, she vanished from the room, leaving Yoruichi to dismiss the concerns of both the messenger and Soi Fon at Kisuke's sudden arrival.

Kirara arrived at the large doors to the Squad 2 barracks, and nodded to the man who was standing waiting for an answer on if he should open the doors to allow their visitors access. While the gateway to their barracks was nothing in comparison to Squad 1, it was still impressive, or daunting enough.

"Hey! It opened!" Kisuke smiled as the doors swung open a moment later. "Ah, Kirara!" he then spotted the woman who stepped out to greet them with a smile.

"Morning, Captain Urahara," Kirara bowed with a grin, delighting in the awkward look from the man who was still adjusting to the transition. "And Lieutenant Sarugaki," she smiled at the short blonde, who glared back.

"Thanks for the defective goods," she spat, and Kirara had to resist a delighted laugh as Kisuke just laughed awkwardly.

"Are you here as an escort, Lieutenant Yamada?" he asked, a grin on his face as Kirara turned to him.

"Eh. It's curiosity and boredom that has me out here," Kirara shrugged. Kisuke mostly believed her, but had a suspicion that Yoruichi had sent Kirara out to make sure everything was okay. "So, are you coming in or what?" she asked.

"Of course! You just have to follow me," Kisuke told Hiyori. Instantly the Lieutenant crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.

"I don't want to," she groused.

"Now, now, don't be like that," Kisuke complained, all too aware of the delight in Kirara's eyes.

"I don't want to!" Hiyori declared. With a sigh, Kisuke reached out and grabbed her by the scruff.

"Come on, let's go," he began to drag her as Hiyori struggled in his grasp.

"I said I don't want to!" she protested, but Kisuke just dragged her as he and Kirara began to walk through the trees that lined the entrance to the barracks.

"Now now, who knows! You might end up thinking 'it's wonderful'!" Kisuke exclaimed cheerfully.

"As much fun as this is to watch…" Kirara said as she kept a healthy distance away. "You might want to let her go," she warned, seeing the fury on Hiyori's face grow. The moment Kisuke released her, Hiyori turned and punched him in the face. Kisuke crashed to the ground as Kirara shook her head.

"It really is fun to see the dynamic between Captains and their Lieutenants," she mused aloud to herself as Hiyori huffed, but didn't run off. "So, what are you doing here, Kisuke?" Kirara asked, dropping the formalities.

"Yoruichi didn't tell you?" he glanced at her as they started to walk again. A bruise was already forming on his face where Hiyori had hit him.

"She forgot," Kirara answered, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, that seems right," Kisuke nodded in understanding. "We're here to visit the Maggot's Nest," his answer had Kirara stop dead. Her smile vanished, and her hands fell to her sides.

"The Maggot's Nest?" she repeated. Hiyori frowned, wondering what was so bad about the place that it had Kirara reacting with concern. Then the concern was gone, and Kirara's cocky grin was back on her face. "I know it must be tough adjusting to Hiyori, but sending her to the Maggot's Nest? It's a bit much, even for you," she said, moving to catch up with them.

"Funny, Kirara," Kisuke shook his head. "I want to visit someone there. I believe he could have valuable insight to my plans," he said, and Kirara couldn't maintain her cocky grin.

"Him? Damn Kisuke, you really are missing a few screws, aren't you?" she demanded. She knew exactly who Kisuke was thinking about - someone he had put away years before, but hadn't quite been able to forget.

"What is going on?" Hiyori demanded, looking from Kirara to her new Captain. "Why are we in Squad 2's barracks?" she demanded, stomping after them.

"You've heard of the Onmitsukido, haven't you, Hiyori?" Kisuke looked over at her, and she scoffed.

"Of course I have, it's your old unit! Kirara's unit!" she gestured to the Lieutenant walking with them. "Stop changing the subject!" she complained.

"He's not. There's a point to his madness. Usually," Kirara amended, and Hiyori scoffed. She was yet to believe that.

"I was the leader of the third unit, the Detention Unit," he explained. His Lieutenant rolled her eyes and stuck her nose up at his words.

"You were a yard hack," she sniffed.

"No…I was a warden," Kisuke corrected her with the endless patience that Kirara had always envied.

"He was responsible for handling criminals within the Seireitei," Kirara clarified, hands behind her back. It was a gross simplification of what he did, but neither of them cared to go into too much detail. A lot of it was best left unknown to those outside of the Onmitsukido.

"A yard hack," Hiyori summed up.

"A warden," Kisuke laughed.

"Same thing," Hiyori dismissed it with a roll of her eyes. "Your job was to push a bunch of criminals around," she summed up. Kisuke stopped, and looked at Kirara. Both had unreadable expressions on their face that told Hiyori that she was very, very wrong.

"The Detention Unit had another duty as Special Confinement officers," Kisuke turned to meet Hiyori's wary gaze. "To investigate, apprehend and monitor Gotei 13 members whose ideas or actions could either put other Shinigami at risk, or obstruct the Squad's duties. Kisuke's voice was grave. "Similar to the Patrol Corps, who monitor potential dissension and uprisings," Hiyori frowned, looking at Kirara. Her cocky smile was long gone, and a bored expression was on her face instead. Hiyori could practically see the walls slamming down.

"I don't get it," she growled. "Too wordy! Make it simpler!" Hiyori demanded, glaring at her Captain. Kisuke couldn't help but laugh.

"In other words, I caught and locked up dangerous elements within the Gotei 13. That facility is located here, in Squad 2's barracks. The facility is on the northwest side beyond the 54-meter-wide moat," he explained, starting to walk again.

"Hope you came prepared for a walk," Kirara gave a humourless smile to Hiyori before she followed. Hiyori watched her, before following. She wasn't an idiot - she could see how prepared Kirara was to be judged for what she did by someone who didn't fully grasp everything that she did.

"You don't have to come all the way with us, you know," Kisuke said, smiling fondly at the Lieutenant. Hiyori followed a small distance behind them as it started to dawn on her that there was far more to the Onmitsukido than just killing.

"Eh, more interesting than paperwork in this heat," Kirara shrugged. "Besides, I'm pretty sure there's probably some kind of rule about escorting members of other Squads when it comes to the Maggot's Nest," she said simply. Kisuke hummed.

Kirara snuck a glance at Hiyori as they kept walking. She still had a bored look on her face and kept her eyes forward, but there was a wariness in her gaze. Kirara couldn't help but wonder what Hiyori made of everything that Kisuke was sharing with her, before her own mind wandered back to the file that was still sitting with her paperwork. She still had to decide who it went to.

Emerging from the tree, the three slowed as they came to the massive moat, with a narrow wooden bridge as the only way to cross. On the other side were large white stone walls with the 2nd Division symbol etched into them. More trees peeked out over the wall, seeming thicker as they stopped the light from getting through.

"Whoa," for a moment, Hiyori forgot to look fed up, and stared at the defences. 'To keep people in,' she realised. That made a shiver run down her spine.

"I'll leave you here," Kirara's words made them look around. "I have no intention of seeing that creep," she decided, and Kisuke nodded, understanding her reasoning well. Hiyori raised an eyebrow, wondering just who they were visiting.

"Thanks for the escort," Kisuke said, his smile faint.

"Enjoy your visit, Hiyori," Kirara told her fellow Lieutenant gravely. When Hiyori's eyebrows rose, Kirara vanished.

'Was that truly necessary, Kirara?' Kokoro no Kage couldn't resist stirring to ask, and Kirara could have sworn she heard exasperation in the spirit's whisper.

"If it helps keep her on guard in that hellscape, then yes," Kirara said, but was unable to hide her smirk for long. "Though I did take a lot more pleasure in it than I should have," she considered. Kokoro no Kage only sighed in response.

If Yoruichi remembered the reason for Kisuke's visit only a day after his promotion, she didn't go into detail, even after Kirara mentioned him going to the Maggot's Nest. Instead, the Captain decided to go out, and insisted that Kirara accompany her - she'd taken one look at Kirara's expression when she saw her Lieutenant studying the file before insisting.

When they were met by Ginrei, Kirara smothered any protests that she may have had and dutifully followed as they made their way to the Kuchiki estate. It wasn't her first visit to the massive, intimidating estate - she'd gone several times with Yoruichi, but she would never feel anything but out of place.

It was as quiet and serene as always when they arrived at the main house, and Ginrei led the pair around to the gardens where he knew that his grandson would be training as always.

As expected, the young man was practising sword strikes dutifully with his back to them. His long black hair was tied up with a flimsy tie, and sweat ran down his face as he refused to take a break even as the sun beat down on them. Kirara had to admire him for that dedication.

"Oh impressive, very impressive," Ginrei approached his grandson. The young man continued his counted strikes. "Practicing hard, I see, Byakuya," the Captain praised as Byakuya took a break. His shoulders heaved with heavy breaths as he turned to his grandfather and wiped away the sweat that trickled down his cheek. He then smiled brightly.

"Grandfather! You have returned to the mansion, will you rest here today, instead of the barracks?" Byakuya turned and approached him. Already almost as tall as his grandfather, it was clear that Byakuya was going to reach an impressive height by the time he matured. Ginrei nodded as he took in his grandson's appearance. "I'm glad. It's been a while since I've been able to talk with you. It makes me very happy," he admitted, almost earning a smile from the stern old man.

"So what do you say, Byakuya? You've trained enough for today," he asked. "There's a guest here for you," Ginrei's words made Byakuya's smile fade, and a look of curiosity took over.

"Here for me?" he asked, before he caught sight of Kirara approaching at a slower pace. She smiled, and bowed respectfully to the future head of the Kuchiki Clan. Before Byakuya could fully react, something soft pressed against the side of his face.

Recognition flashed across his face in an instant, and the calm air vanished as he scowled angrily. He whirled quickly, swinging the wooden sword still in his hand. "You Cat Monster!" he growled as Yoruichi easily backflipped to dodge his strikes, laughing gleefully.

"Is that what I get for coming to see you, Byakuya-boy?" she asked when she righted herself and folded her arms. "And to think I came all this way to visit!" she smirked. Kirara resisted a sigh as she stopped beside Ginrei and watched. She'd learned by now not to get involved between the pair. They didn't listen to her anyway.

"Quiet," Byakuya scoffed as he glared up at her. "When did I ever say I wanted you to visit me?!" he spat furiously. Even the smug smile on her face riled him up. "As the next head of the Kuchiki Clan, I have no need for games!" he told her firmly. Yoruichi cocked her head at that.

"Oh? Is that so?" in a flash faster than Byakuya could see, Yoruichi was behind him, and his hair was falling down around his shoulders. She giggled, and he spun again with the bokken, but Yoruichi was far faster and used Shunpo to land on the wall nearby. Pinched between her fingers, she held up the red string that he'd been using to tie up his hair, laughing.

"Not again…" Kirara breathed under her breath, tired just from watching the pair.

"The Kuchiki Clan is in big trouble if its next head can't keep his hair-tie from being stolen by a girl!" Yoruichi teased as she waved it in the air.

"Stay right where you are, Yoruichi Shihoin," Byakuya warned. His eye was twitching in poorly restrained rage. "With my Shunpo-"

"Byakuya Kuchiki, I have beaten you!" he didn't even get to finish his grand declaration as Yoruichi vanished.

"I see…seems you are goading me," Byakuya growled quietly.

'Trying? She's already succeeded,' Kirara couldn't help but think as she watched his shoulders sag.

"Fine. Then you'll find out for yourself!" Byakuya then lifted his head. "My Shunpo has far surpassed yours!" with that declaration, Byakuya gave chase at such a speed that it kicked up a small wind. Ginrei sighed heavily.

"Oh, good grief," he murmured as Kirara tried to hide her laughter. "If only Byakuya could control that temper of his," Ginrei considered.

"I feel I should apologise for Captain Shihoin as well," Kirara mused. Ginrei shook his head.

"Not at all. I learned long ago that she is a force unto herself," he replied. "Nothing we can do about it now. How about some tea?" he offered, and Kirara smiled at the man.

"Sounds great," she said, bowing politely before following him to the shade as they chose to ignore Yoruichi and Byakuya's game going on nearby.

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