Updating a bit early as I'm away to London for Kupocon!

Hope you like it!

Chapter 4: The Investigation Begins

The next day rolled around, and as soon as Kirara was awake, she was throwing her covers off and swapping her shirt and shorts for her uniform. She tied her long hair, which was still slightly damp, back up, and parts of it fell from her hands, resting over her shoulders in waves while her fringe fell into her face. With a puff of breath, she knocked it out of her eyes, before heading out with an onigiri that she'd made the previous night.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Yamada," Kirara was greeted as she walked along the wooden walkway towards the main hall. With a discreet movement of her hand to ensure that there wasn't any rice clinging to her mouth, Kirara then smiled at the two Shinigami sweeping the training field.

"Good morning," she greeted them, and they bowed respectfully to her. Her smile grew, before she disappeared into the hall.

The main hall was massive; designed to Yoruichi's specifications when she'd become Captain. At the far end, Yoruichi sat with a drink in her seat, with members of the Onmitsukido lined up facing each other in two lines on either side of her.

"Good morning, Kirara," Yoruichi greeted, cheerful as she looked up at her Lieutenant.

"Morning, Captain," Kirara greeted with a yawn, taking a seat by her side.

"Have fun on your outing yesterday?" Yoruichi asked as she took another drink, not taking her eyes off Kirara. The shorter of the two gave a sigh, and slumped onto her side.

"It was...interesting," she yawned again, resting her head in her hand. Nearby, the only one to react was Soi Fon, who narrowed her dark grey eyes in irritation. She'd never really learned how to mask her emotions. Yoruichi, however, knew Kirara much better, and her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"What kind of interesting?" she asked, her tone casual, but Kirara knew it was far from a passing question.

"The kind of interesting that leads to a load of paperwork from me," Kirara answered, and saw her Captain's brow lift very slightly. Kirara then yawned again. "Out of curiosity, which Squads have jurisdiction in Districts 60-80 in East Rukongai?" she asked. Despite her own nonchalant tone, Yoruichi knew there was something important in her question. She hummed, twirling her straw before returning it to her glass. The ice clinked loudly in the quiet room as she considered the question.

"Well...Squad 10 handle some of East Rukon…" she said slowly, which made Kirara's brow furrow. She had known Yoruichi long enough to know when she was building up to something. She didn't think Squad 2 dealt with any part of East Rukon, and she hoped that she was right. Of all the Squads, the Second was the one that she really didn't want to have to deal with. "But...Districts 71 to 80 is handled by Squad 5," Yoruichi's answer made her stomach sink.

Well, it seemed there was one Squad that she didn't want to be involved more than her own. Kirara sighed, cursing her luck.

"Okay!" Kirara got back to her feet, trying to sound upbeat as she smoothed down her skirt. "I better get to work and have my team prepare," she decided. Yoruichi arched a delicate eyebrow.

"Oh? I was under the impression that you were handling this," she said, giving a cat-like smirk as Kirara turned a scowl on her.

"I don't have a choice, huh?" she asked with a heavy sigh, already knowing the answer.

"You are the best suited for the job," Yoruichi took a drink as Kirara didn't move at first. She closed her eyes, knowing that pleading would do nothing but give her Captain satisfaction. "I trust your judgement," Yoruichi smiled innocently at her, and Kirara opened her eyes to glare at her again.

"Just so you know, you really are a demon," with that declaration, Kirara stalked off.

"Don't forget to deliver your reports this morning too!" Yoruichi called after her. The only response she got in return was a small wave over Kirara's shoulder. With a chuckle, the Captain shifted in her chair and took another drink, laughing to herself.

As soon as she stepped out of the hall and was sure she was out of earshot of her Captain, Kirara let loose a string of curses that she had been holding in. Reacting severely in front of Yoruichi only encouraged the playful noble.

"Wow, someone's upset this morning," there was a laugh behind Kirara, and she turned a glare on the messy haired 3rd seat of her Squad. His sharp eyes had dark circles underneath, and his pale blond hair fell into them, casting a shadow over his face. He smiled back, unfazed by her expression.

"It's been a few days since you've emerged from your pit, Kisuke," Kirara greeted, her voice milder now than it had been during her swearing fit moments before.

"I don't think anyone could sleep through that tantrum," Kisuke's response made Kirara blush.

"Yeah, well, you're going to have work soon too," she warned him. The 3rd seat tilted his head, looking curious. "I'll talk to you about it later. I have paperwork to drop over at the Ninth," Kirara shrugged, letting out a sigh as she started to walk off. Kisuke chuckled, always entertained by Kirara and her antics.

Arriving at her office, the dark-haired woman was still grumbling to herself. Of all the Squads, the Fifth was the one place Kirara avoided like the plague.

"Where did I leave that thing?" she asked aloud, moving files across her desk to find the one that needed to be sent off. As usual, her desk was a mess; covered in whatever work Kirara had been avoiding. There was a loud clatter as a book she'd been reading tipped off the edge, hitting the ground and was quickly forgotten about. "Ah! Finally!" she exclaimed as she finally pulled the file out from under a stack of notes sent to her from the Detention Unit. "Maybe I should sort this stuff," Kirara considered as she surveyed the mess that had been made even worse by her hunting.

Dismissing that thought quickly, Kirara turned and left her office with the file under her arm. Once she stepped out of the gates, she turned in the direction of the Squad 9 barracks, before pausing. She deliberated internally for just a moment, looking in one direction, before glancing in another. "Dammit," she finally cursed to herself, turning and walking in the other direction, grimacing and looking reluctant the entire time. "I swear, the Soul King themself is doing this to torment me," she complained as she reached the Squad 5 barracks.

Kirara glanced around, checking to make sure that nobody was nearby to notice her. After all, she stood out normally, and even more so around that area of the Seireitei. While she recognised most of the Squad members going about their day, she knew them the least. Taking a deep breath, Kirara peeked through the gates.

It was quiet, with only a few unseated Shinigami going about their day. They chatted idly as they maintained the well-kept look of the place, with two sweeping the grounds as one dashed around cleaning the walkways. Kirara sighed as she found them looking bored at best, but none of them looked angry or rebellious. Of course, she knew it wasn't going to be so easy.

"Good morning, Lieutenant!" the two sweeping straightened suddenly, and Kirara cursed. Without waiting, she turned and used Shunpo to rush off, cursing her luck.

"This sucks," Kirara complained aloud when she slowed her pace, trying to seem casual as she made her way towards her next destination. "Should have just gotten Satoru to look into this instead. I have enough work to do, but no way the Captain is gonna let me stick this on someone else now," she continued her quiet complaint to herself.

'You would think that you would set aside these ridiculous feelings for something this serious,' Kirara's head lifted at the low voice that whispered in the back of her mind. Her brow then furrowed.

'I know how to do my job,' she replied internally, and a childish part of her hoped that it sounded cold. 'I'll get it done,' she thought confidently. All she received in response was a deep hum that was disapproving, before the Spirit fell silent once again.

It didn't take too long to reach the Squad 9 barracks, where she needed to drop in her report. Kirara was muttering to herself as she reached the gates, slipping between them and heading towards Mashiro's office.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Yamada," she was quickly pulled from her rapid thoughts by a cheerful, polite voice. Looking up, Kirara blinked a few times at the much taller man, whose 6th Squad badge was tied firmly to his arm. "I apologise, you seemed deep in thought," Sojun Kuchiki smiled at Kirara, who blushed.

"G-good morning, Lieutenant Kuchiki," Kirara bowed to the high-ranking noble. "Sorry, just...thinking," she apologised to him, and he raised a hand to soothe her.

"It's quite okay. It's not often I see you so focused, but I thought perhaps it wise to warn you in advance…" Lieutenant Kuchiki trailed off, his smile turning slightly exasperated as he turned his head slightly. Kirara tilted her head, confused, before the sounds reached her.

"Kensei, you dummy!" Mashiro's wail echoed, and the few members of Squad 9 who had been walking between the buildings sighed, well used to it by now.

"Ah…" Kirara couldn't help but laugh. "I see they still get along as well as ever," she considered as she heard Kensei roaring back at his childish Lieutenant. "Did they even notice you going in there?" Kirara asked with a giggle, looking back at Sojun. He was quiet for just a second, before shaking his head.

"Try not to antagonise Captain Muguruma too much," he requested, and had to resist a laugh when Kirara looked offended.

"I would never antagonise a Captain. I'm offended that you would think so little of me," she said with mock outrage, but couldn't stop the grin that was tugging her mouth up. When Sojun didn't reply; simply raising a well-groomed eyebrow, Kirara gave in and shrugged. "Okay, okay, I'll behave," she told him. "Well, as much as I can," she added, and Sojun gave a little sigh.

"I suppose that is as much as I can expect. I should return to Squad 6. Until next time," he smiled, and Kirara bowed to him again.

"Good day, Lieutenant Kuchiki," she said as he left. Despite her somewhat casual behaviour with him, she was still far more polite to him than most others at her rank. Even Kirara wasn't crazy enough to disrespect one of the 5 Great Noble Families, no matter their ranking.

As Sojun left, Kirara continued on her way to Mashiro's office to drop off her report. The arguing showed no signs of stopping, growing louder, making her smile a little more. Finally she reached the office, and cleared her throat with a loud knock.

"Kirara!" as soon as she slid the door open, a green and black blur tackled Kirara off her feet. She cried out in alarm, unable to keep herself standing, and quickly found herself on the ground with Mashiro's arms tightly around her. "Kensei's being mean again!" the 9th Squad Lieutenant wailed into her chest.

"Oh shut up and stop dragging people into this!" Kensei shouted, scowling at her with his face red from anger. "Let her go already, idiot!" he stormed over and grabbed Mashiro by the scruff of her shirt and yanked, but Mashiro held tight, pulling Kirara with her.

"Hey, careful!" Kirara protested as she felt her kosode loosen. "You trying to take my clothes off or what?" she complained. Immediately Kensei released his grasp on Mashiro, and his face turned, if possible, even redder.

"You're as big a pain as she is!" he shouted at Kirara, who resisted a smirk. So much for 'behaving' for Sojun. Kensei was easy to wind up, especially when Mashiro was making such a fuss, so Kirara could never resist joining in. "What are you even doing here, Yamada?" Kensei snapped, shaking with barely repressed anger.

"Delivering a report," Kirara replied simply, enjoying how much she could annoy him. She glanced at the papers that had scattered across the floor when she'd been knocked to the ground. "It didn't quite make it, but…" she shrugged as best she could as Kensei growled low. "Mashiro? Can you please let me go? I'm sure the Captain will behave if I can get my report fixed," Kirara soothed the still wailing Lieutenant. Finally Mashiro stopped, relaxing her grasp just enough to let Kirara breathe freely.

"Why you…" Kensei hissed, glaring at Kirara as Mashiro finally let go. The two got to their feet, and Mashiro stuck her tongue out at Kensei.

"Fighting again? I swear, you'd hear the pair of you on the other side of the Soul Society," Kirara teased as she started lifting the papers and organising them.

"Like you can talk!" Kensei snapped, still glaring. Kirara smirked, her head down. So easy to bait. "Can't go five minutes without hearing you and Hirako shouting loud enough for half the Soul Society to hear," he pointed out. Kirara's smirk didn't fade, but her eyebrows twitched as a hum of irritation shot through her.

"Huh…" Kirara straightened up, shuffling the papers back into the right order. Kensei eyed her warily, waiting for her next comment. "You know, Mashiro," Kirara started, turning to the green-haired woman with an innocent smile. She handed over the papers as Mashiro tilted her head. "I think Captain Muguruma owes you sweets, for being so mean," she smiled innocently, but her words were anything but.

"You-!" Kensei choked, jerking backwards as Mashiro's eyes widened with glee. Kirara winked at the Captain, before turning and walking away. She only made it a few paces before Mashiro began pestering him. "Yamada!" Kensei shouted after her, and Kirara laughed quietly. It didn't take too long for him to snap at Mashiro, and their fighting started back up again. Kirara grinned to herself as she walked off, listening to their fighting with small satisfaction.

Sitting cross-legged with a book in hand, Kirara bit into the sandwich she'd taken for her lunch. Occasionally she'd rest it on her leg to turn the page of her book; one that she'd gotten from the World of the Living. It was a cheesy novel, but Kirara had found a guilty pleasure in them, and had done so since her first visit to the World of the Living.

Once she'd finished her food, Kirara gave a quiet sigh, and closed her book. She set it down, thinking deeply before something stirred in the back of her mind.

'I sense that tired resolve of yours, Kirara,' she closed her eyes when the voice spoke, and when she opened them again, she was on her feet and the bright blue sky had been replaced by the dark of the night, with stars sparkling without clouds to hide them. "You know that you cannot avoid your role, even for your petty feud?" Kirara turned to one of the trees that surrounded her. The cloaked figure watched her from behind it; his golden eyes glowing eerily in the dark.

"Must you always be so smug?" Kirara asked after shaking her head, a little exasperated.

"If I am, it is only because there's a part of you that's smug," he replied, and Kirara's eyebrows rose.

"I can't believe my 'inner self' is so snarky," she complained under her breath, not denying the smug comment. She knew that was true. Of course, the spirit heard her comment all the same.

"I'm sure there are plenty who wouldn't be surprised in the slightest," the Spirit retorted, before vanishing behind the tree. Kirara rolled her eyes, before turning. "Be careful, Kirara. You must always be alert. Do not let anything get in the way," as she faced another tree, he peered out from behind it.

"I won't," Kirara said, confident. "Trust me, Kokoro no Kage. Nothing gets in my way," she said, determination in both her voice and face. With another hum, Kokoro no Kage vanished again, seeming satisfied.

Kirara blinked, and found herself back in reality with her book resting on her leg. A small breeze passed, ruffling her messy hair and tugging more of it loose. She brushed the loose strands from her face and stood, thinking over her Zanpakuto's words. "Always so preachy," Kirara complained, and stepped off the roof of the Squad 2 main office, vanishing in a blink.

Night fell once again, and Kirara had settled in for another long night. Even as it reached hours when most would already be asleep if not working overtime, Kirara had no plans of going far. Crouched low on one of the slanted rooftops, she kept to the shadows and with sharp eyes, she watched the Shinigami still around.

There weren't many around of course, with the most being the seated officers burning the midnight oil to get their work done. For most, it would have been eerie to see the place so quiet and empty, but Kirara utilised that quiet where she could.

"G'night!" one woman called out as she left, yawning widely, and for a moment Kirara envied her. She then shook her head, scolding herself silently for cracking, and steeled her resolve. Her blue eyes went back to the man that she'd been watching for the last hour. With a sullen expression, he was scrubbing the railings with a scowl.

Kirara tilted her head as she watched him scrub with more force than was necessary. Even as a punishment, surely cleaning the place didn't require him to stay so late, yet he showed no signs of leaving. Instead, he muttered to himself, too quiet for Kirara to hear. Either he was having a bad day, or there was something more to the man. She leaned forwards slightly, but didn't get any closer to him.

It had taken years of training and experience to ignore her stiff muscles, which Kirara managed to do and stay completely still as she watched the man who had caught her attention. Even though it was dark, she wasn't going to risk him catching sight of her.

His dark hair was neatly cut and scraped back from his face, which left his scowling features clear even in the moonlight and poor lighting around the walkway. Even as he scrubbed his way along, his expression didn't waver, and finally Kirara moved to another side to get a better view of him. As she landed on a roof nearby with barely a sound, the man suddenly tensed and looked around, forcing Kirara to retreat further into the shadows as he searched for someone possibly watching him.

'Either he's paranoid, or he's sharper than he looks,' Kirara thought to herself as the man relaxed and turned back to what he was doing. When he moved to a better lit area, Kirara leaned forwards as she focused on his right hand. The skin was marred; jagged and disfigured from some kind of injury. Just as Kuroro had described. He was the one who had egged on the other two, and judging from his sullen expression and quiet mutters to himself, Kuroro was right to bring his concerns to Kirara. Something about him set Kirara on edge.

"Still here, huh?" Kirara went rigid, feeling as if someone had poured ice cold water over her, and her target jumped.

"C-Captain Hirako!" he whirled around as Shinji walked into view, slouching with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"This crap can wait till morning. Go get some sleep," he told the man as Kirara held her breath. She had thought him long gone for the night. "You didn't look too happy anyway," Shinji shrugged, and the other Shinigami blushed, his brow furrowed.

"Yes, sir," he bowed, accepting the instructions with a quiet voice. As he turned and started walking away, his brow deepening into a much angrier scowl, Shinji turned suddenly, looking up at the rooftop of the opposite building, but found nothing there.

Running through the streets, Kirara didn't stop to release the breath that she'd been holding. Her heart raced at how close she'd come to being caught by the Captain. His senses were sharper than she cared for, and she couldn't let Shinji of all people catch her. Kirara turned the corner, deciding to just go home now that she had the face of one target, but as she did, a hand grabbed the front of her kosode.

Unable to stop the gasp of alarm, Kirara found herself being pushed backwards until her back was pressed up against the cold stone wall. She stared up at Shinji, who glared at her as his fist remained tightly clasped around her shirt.

"Mind telling me what the hell you're doing lurking around my Squad?" he hissed.

Kirara and Kensei are very fun to write together, I enjoy pretty much any scene I write between the two.

I'll update again once I'm back from London.

Let me know what you think!