Chapter 37: Violent Reunions
Expelled from the Reishukaku with enough force to throw her away from everyone else. Kirara tumbled through the air for a moment before she managed to right herself. She moved with the force propelling her straight towards the ground, landing lightly enough to push forwards without real damage. She bit back the curse as pain jolted up her legs, but shook it out as she slowly straightened up and looked around.
The pain faded quickly, but anxiety took its place as she stared at her familiar surroundings. The white walls sectioning off each Squad area; the plain dark blue pathways. Even the way the winds blew and Reiatsu flowed steadily through the air.
She was back in the Seireitei.
"Shit," Kirara cursed as she looked around, hearing footsteps headed straight for her.
"I saw one of the lights come down here!" one Shinigami shouted, but as he turned the corner, he stopped. "Dammit. We were too late!" he cursed, seeing nobody around.
Kirara was already on the move, darting across the Seireitei in the direction she'd seen one of the other lights heading in, ready to beat the hell out of both Ganju and Ichigo for their stupidity. If they hadn't started arguing in the Cannonball, they wouldn't have all been scattered across the Seireitei. This had not been the plan.
Not daring to stop, Kirara quickly picked up on the Reiatsu belonging to Ichigo and Ganju, hearing their squabbling even now. She rolled her eyes, before picking up on another presence approaching too. An icy grip closed over her heart, and she forced herself into the shadows not too far from where Ichigo and Ganju had landed.
"You've a lot of nerve kicking the guy who saved your life!" Ganju roared, having been kicked over in the pit of sand he'd created to cushion their fall. He turned, grabbing Ichigo by the scruff.
"Who said that? I only said we were saved-" Ichigo stopped yelling back as he felt the presence behind him.
"Yahoo! What luck!" they whirled around to see three Shinigami standing on one of the slated walls behind where they had landed. The one who spoke was bald with red marking by his eyes, and a vicious, excited smirk on his face. The other man with him jaw-length black hair had colourful feathers attached to his right eyelashes, and while he had a more reserved look on his face, there was still danger in his eyes.
"Luck? There's only two of them," the third was a young woman whose blonde hair was cut short. Her face was covered in bruises that looked fresh, and her brown eyes were narrowed. "How boring," she grumbled, arms folded as she looked down.
"Boring?" the bald one demanded. "You're crazy," as Ichigo slowly turned, the two men leapt down from the roof. "This is lucky! Some Ryoka landing right by us, it's lucky!" he started to dance, and the woman couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, but how are we going to decide who fights who?" she asked, and Ichigo shuddered when her brown eyes fixed on him. Her bored look turned to something much more menacing. "Because he looks real fun," there was danger in her voice that told him she wanted to tear him apart.
Then a blurred figure materialised in front of the woman, and she cried out as she was flung backwards hard by a powerful kick. She smashed backwards through several walls, before falling quiet.
"Natsuki!" Yumichika shouted, forgetting his calm demeanour for a second. Ikkaku had stopped his dancing, both staring at the woman who now stood on the wall over them. Kirara looked at them with a cold, disinterested expression on her face, but something in her eyes was blazing.
"Kirara!" Ichigo shouted, and she turned to him and Ganju.
"You two idiots, be careful. Don't let your guards down," she warned them, and Ichigo let out a quiet breath. This was a far cry from the Kirara he'd seen in class, cheerful and playful towards her classmates. This was someone far more dangerous. "Come find me when you're done," Kirara then looked at the two Shinigami who were staring at her. "They shouldn't be much of a problem," with that, she vanished.
"Bitch-" Ikkaku growled, but Yumichika grabbed his arm.
"I believe that leaves you with him," he reminded the 3rd Seat of Ichigo's presence, and they turned back to the two still in their sandy pit.
Natsuki hadn't even seen the attack coming. It was fast, and powerful, and for a few moments she blacked out after. When she came to, she found that she was a good distance away from Ikkaku, Yumichika, and the two Ryoka they'd stumbled across. Then her ribs protested, and she coughed violently as she managed to clamber from the rubble where she lay.
"What the hell was that?" she wheezed, baffled. "One of the other Ryoka made it over here that fast? That's-" Natsuki stopped when she realised that she wasn't alone. She drew her sword in reflex, but the minute she turned to her attacker, she forgot how to breathe.
It had been a hundred years since she'd set eyes on Kirara Yamada, but she would never forget her best friend.
Kirara didn't move, watching her with that cold look that seemed completely foreign. Even her Reiatsu felt…different. Wrong, somehow. Natsuki started to stammer. "I-impossible. This-this is a dream. Or-or the Ryoka, they did something," her grip on her Zanpakuto slackened.
The words had only just left Natsuki's mouth when Kirara's leg came down on her. Natsuki barely managed to block it in time, wincing from the pain that went through her body as the ground under her feet cracked from the force.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that you're looking for a good fight against the Ryoka, and I won't have you look at Ichigo like that," Kirara warned her as she leapt backwards. Natsuki stared at her, as for a moment she almost convinced herself that this wasn't Kirara, just someone who looked like her. Because that voice, that Reiatsu, that look she was giving her, none of it was the Kirara she remembered.
"You want to fight? Wait," Natsuki shook her head as the information overwhelmed her. "You're one of the Ryoka? Why are you breaking back in here? You're a Shinigami too, can't-"
"I was a Shinigami a hundred years ago. Now I'm not. I'm here to help Ichigo. So either fight me, or stay the hell out of our way," Kirara challenged, knowing exactly how Natsuki would respond. And right now, she wanted her to respond that way.
For the last two weeks, Kirara had been almost terrified to return to the Seireitei. Even if it was for a good reason, the idea of seeing anyone she had known back then made her sick. She resented them all for how oblivious they were. How accustomed to peace they had become, and how they turned a blind eye to what happened. And all of it was thanks to the manipulations of Sosuke Aizen.
Then she'd seen Natsuki looking at Ichigo like she couldn't wait to fight him to the death, and something had lit in Kirara's chest that hadn't burned for a century. She wanted to protect Ichigo, and even if it was Natsuki, she would fight her to defend him.
Natsuki blinked away the tears, and steeled herself as frustration allowed her anger to take control. She regripped her Zanpakuto, raising it higher up again.
"If it's a fight you want, then you chose the perfect person," Natsuki growled back at her. Even the cold look on Kirara's face was angering her. She was going to beat the answers out of her, and find out just why she was treating her like they were enemies all of a sudden.
When Kirara didn't move, Natsuki took the initiative. She lunged forwards with a yell, swinging her Zanpakuto at Kirara. Dodging, Kirara moved to kick her, and Natsuki skidded backwards as her hip sang with pain from the blow.
"Is that the best you can do?" the bored tone in Kirara's voice only pissed Natsuki off more, and she attacked again. She swung her Zanpakuto with intent to at least injure, but Kirara had always been far faster than her. Natsuki skidded backwards, breathing heavily, and saw blood dripping from a cut on Kirara's arm where she'd managed to nick her.
"You know that's not true," Natsuki hissed, rushing in again.
"You're not wearing your Lieutenant's Insignia," Kirara noticed as she once again dodged, and vanished. She then reappeared on Natsuki's other side, punching out. "And you seemed ready to give up a fight to let those two take the Ryoka. Why?" she asked as Natsuki breathed heavily.
"Oh, now you want to catch up with me?" she snapped. Kirara just shrugged.
"Call it curiosity," she breathed, and caught Natsuki in the stomach with another kick. The Shinigami staggered backwards, coughing but staying upright.
"I stepped down. I'm the 4th Seat now. Ikka's the 3rd Seat, and Yumi's the 5th, but they're both stronger than me anyway," the quiet explanation surprised Kirara long enough for Natsuki's fist to crash against her cheek. Cursing herself, Kirara staggered backwards and put a hand to her face as it throbbed in pain.
"If those guys are stronger than you, then you really have no hope here," she said, spitting out the blood already starting to fill her mouth. Natsuki's grip on her Zanpakuto tightened.
"Why?" Natsuki's voice cracked as she spoke. "Why do you want to fight me so badly?" she demanded, and Kirara tilted her head.
"The Natsuki I remember would have jumped at the chance to fight. And you seemed more than eager to fight the other Ryoka," she pointed out. Natsuki flushed, knowing that she was right. Anyone else and she would have been fighting to the death. Desperation and confusion made her pause.
"But you're Kirara. You're my best friend. I've missed you!" she shouted, and saw Kirara's fists clench. Despite that cold exterior that she was keeping up, Kirara was still a shit liar, and Natsuki finally managed to catch a glimpse of that. It wasn't all true, and that made her next breath come a little easier.
Those words dug in deep, and it took everything Kirara had to stand her ground. She couldn't flee now. It would only look worse. She had to neutralise Natsuki, and meet up with Ichigo and Ganju to take stock of the situation and figure out their next steps. It took everything she had to treat Natsuki with the disdain that she'd felt for all Shinigami for the last hundred years.
The blade impaled in the ground, with a muted sound of metal ringing out from the impact, and Natsuki rolled along the ground before coming to a stop. She breathed heavily, already finding herself worn out from fighting Kirara. If this was any other fight, any other Ryoka, she would have loved it. The feeling of pushing herself to her limits in an all out brawl. But it was Kirara, and instead of getting answers, she was getting mockery and deflections.
"Fine," Natsuki pushed herself to her feet as Kirara watched her, waiting for her to get up. "If you're not going to give me the answers I want, then I'll beat them out of you," she vowed. Kirara gave a mocking smile in response.
"Spoken like a true member of Squad 11," she said, and something about it pissed Natsuki off even more. She launched at Kirara, feinting a left punch before swinging her right.
Natsuki's fist found Kirara's ribs, and pain blossomed through her chest as she forced herself to move with the momentum, and flipped backwards to land unsteadily on her feet a small distance away. "Not bad," she allowed as Natsuki glared at her. The tears were lingering in her eyes, but she fought them as she charged at Kirara again, abandoning her Zanpakuto to use punches and kicks in her determination to beat Kirara into submission.
"Not bad?" Natsuki repeated the words with insult. "Is this just a bit of fun? Are you fighting me properly, or are you just toying with me before you kill me too? Is this how you always did it?" the minute the question came out of her mouth, Natsuki regretted it.
Kirara had always been awful at hiding her true emotions. The cold exterior had been impressive for her, but she'd lost it as her temper got the best of her. Now, she openly flinched as if Natsuki had just straight up stabbed her, and pain bloomed in her face.
"Good to see that even my so-called best friend thinks me nothing but a cold-blooded killer," her words were defeated as she stepped back.
"No, Kirara…I…" Natsuki didn't know what to say. Kirara had already been angry, but now it seemed less like she had been angry at Natsuki specifically, and more at Shinigami in general. "Please, talk to me. Tell me what happened. I can help!" she pleaded with her, not understanding why Kirara was so angry.
"You can't help," Kirara's words were flat, and in an instant she was in front of Natsuki again and kicking out. Natsuki just about blocked it, countering with her own punch. She didn't hold back, and Kirara could feel her body protesting to each painful blow that threatened to crack or break her bones.
"Take this seriously!" Natsuki roared when Kirara dodged her next attack. "You have so much talent, you're a great fighter! But you hold back!" she punched Kirara hard enough to send her skidding backwards. Kirara's arm burned from blocking the blow, which had almost broken her arm. "You're a damn coward!" Natsuki's words made Kirara's eyes widen.
"I'm a coward?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm. "This coming from the woman who was more than happy to call me a killer just a moment ago. The woman who pleaded with me not to fight and to talk instead?" Kirara's temper was boiling, ready to explode. Natsuki sneered at her.
"I wanted to talk because I thought we were friends. You clearly don't seem to think that anymore," Natsuki spat at her. "I've been putting everything into fighting you, but you're still holding back. You've never embraced your true self," she spat at Kirara, and saw nothing but utter fury enter her gaze.
"My true self?" Kirara took a step towards her, her voice shaking. "You think I wanted any of this? You think I asked to be a killer? You think I wanted to be a godsdamned monster?!" she screamed. Natsuki's fire dimmed at those words. "I just wanted to keep this place safe, and I was losing myself doing so. Then the Soul Society destroyed me, and turned its back on me. I never asked for any of this!" tears streamed down Kirara's face as Natsuki stared at her.
"What do you mean…a monster?" instantly Kirara jerked back, coming to her senses enough to realise just what she'd said.
"Damn," Kirara lowered her head, and wiped away her tears quickly. She'd said too much. The cold fury returned as she lifted her head a moment later. "I'm not here to play with you. I'm here for a reason. I'm here to help Ichigo, and I will warn you only once. Stay the hell out of my way," she warned.
"Kir-" before Natsuki could call her name again, Kirara had slammed her fist against Natsuki's temple. Her eyes instantly went dull, and she collapsed in a heap to the ground unconscious.
Kirara breathed heavily as she stood over the woman, hating herself for so easily striking someone who still saw her as their best friend. But Natsuki was a Shinigami, and if she figured out just what had changed about Kirara, then she would turn her back on her and truly try to kill her. Just like they all had.
Pain echoed through Kirara's body from the strikes that Natsuki had managed to land. She hadn't managed to hit her too many times, but Natsuki had always been strong. Her ribs ached, and her cheek felt like it had swollen. The cut across her arm stung, but she ignored all of this as she looked down at Natsuki once more before vanishing.
Having found a quiet storage shed that was used by Squad 4 members during their cleaning duties, Kirara waited in hopes that Ganju and Ichigo would at least be able to scrape together enough braincells to find her there.
Kirara hissed in pain as she lifted her cami to find bruises scattered along her ribs, and carefully she pressed her hand to them as it began to light up with Kaido. The healing process wasn't comfortable, but the pain started to vanish as she healed her own wounds.
Even as she healed herself, Kirara couldn't stop berating herself for her actions against Natsuki. Kirara had often wondered if her resentment towards other Shinigami was very strong, especially when compared with others of the Vizards who openly voiced just how much they hated them. But the minute she'd taken a look at Natsuki wearing her Shinigami robes and looking at Ichigo like she wanted to rip him apart, she'd snapped.
Frustration boiled inside of Kirara's chest like a heavy weight, and she sank to the ground. She hated it. She hated being back in the Seireitei alone, with nobody who understood what happened. At least when she'd first Hollowfied and become a Vizard, she'd had the others. Now for the first time in a hundred years, she felt truly alone.
"What the hell am I doing here?" she wondered, hands going to her face as pain bloomed in her chest - not from any hit she'd taken, but from the pain and sorrow of being back in the place that wanted her dead. She'd given the Seireitei her life; dedicated everything to keeping it safe. And Central 46 had repaid that by issuing a death penalty for something that wasn't her fault.
But it was too late to go back, and even if she could turn back, Kirara knew she couldn't. There was too much at stake to just give up and go home now. She had a mission to follow through on, and despite hating Shinigami, she owed and respected Kisuke too much to let him down.
Hearing a commotion outside, Kirara lifted her head quickly as she braced herself. The noise grew louder, and with it she could feel Ichigo and Ganju approach. She'd barely had time to compose herself before the door crashed open, and the two practically fell inside before slamming the door shut.
"That was too close…" Ganju was gasping for breath as he lay on his front, worn out from fleeing the Squad 11 members chasing them.
"No kidding…" Ichigo was just as exhausted.
"I would recommend one thing," the two screamed as Kirara spoke up, and she gave them an exasperated look. "Checking to make sure your hiding place is actually safe," she said as they realised it was her.
"Why are you lurking in the shadows like that?!" Ganju snapped at her. Kirara hadn't moved from where she sat against the wall, tired and sore.
"I'm hiding, dipshit," she reminded him. It was then that she realised that not only had they not checked to make sure they were alone, they had company.
The short Shinigami screamed in terror as Kirara had him by the scruff in a second, hauling him to his feet. "Idiots, you brought one with you?!" she demanded, ready to toss him out and find a new hiding place.
"Ganju, what the hell?" Ichigo growled at his companion, who had been the one responsible for dragging him along.
"Couldn't help it! He was nearby, so I accidentally brought him with us!" Ganju gulped as Kirara turned a glare on him.
"Ki…Kirara?" when the boy spoke, both Ichigo and Ganju froze in surprise. Neither of them had said her name. Kirara, on the other hand, had finally taken a proper look at the Shinigami she was still holding by the scruff. He was just shorter than her, with his toes skimming the ground as she held him aloft. His terrified look was gone, and instead he was staring in disbelief at her.
Finally Ichigo and Ganju took a good look at him. At his mop of black hair, and big blue eyes. He bore a striking resemblance to the woman holding him up.
"No…" Kirara dropped him, and he landed with a yelp on the ground. She backed away, heart hammering against her chest as tears welled up in her eyes. "No. Please, not you," she kept backing away until she pressed against the wall and slid to the ground.
"Kirara, what the hell is going on?" Ichigo demanded as he got to his feet. The Shinigami hadn't dared to move either, staring at Kirara as she stared back, unable to believe that of all the people that the two had dragged along, it was him. She hadn't even thought she'd see him again.
"Who the hell is this kid?" Ganju wondered, not understanding why Kirara had shut down. Hearing the question, the boy steeled himself and pushed himself into a kneeling position instead.
"I'm Hanataro," he introduced himself. "Hanataro Yamada."
One reunion after another for Kirara, and they've only just gotten into the Seireitei.
Hope you liked it!