Chapter 12: A Mission

Even with a lingering, uneasy feeling in the air around the Seireitei, time passed quickly enough as nothing consequential happened for a few short months after Kisuke's promotion to Captain.

The heavy, humid heat of summer gave way to the cooler months, until winter set in and brought a chill in the air with it.

"Are you certain you're warm enough, Kirara?" Rose was watching with concern as Kirara sat on the sofa in his office, holding a mug of steaming tea between her hands. Even now, when a light layer of frost had settled outside, Kirara wore her usual uniform.

"I'm fine, really," she insisted with a smile. She didn't blame him for his concern - a few always worried about her when the colder weather set in, and considering it looked like it was going to snow any day now, most were wrapped up in scarves and gloves and extra layers.

Kirara liked the sharp bite of the cold, however. While she loved summer, the stifling heat often lured her to sleep, making it harder to get anything done. Yoruichi had commented on more than one occasion that Kirara saved all of her productivity until the winter months with how much more she would get done.

"Alright…" Rose didn't look completely convinced. "Well, there's plenty of tea," he indicated to the fresh pot steaming on the table.

"And I'm grateful for it," Kirara chuckled. It trailed off as she looked down at the tea in her hands. "These last few months have flown by, don't you think?" she asked thoughtfully.

"They have. It's been very quiet of late," Rose didn't up from where he was retuning his guitar as he answered her. Kirara hummed her agreement. Nothing seemed to have happened lately - she had finally given in and handed over the file of information she'd gathered on some dissenting Shinigami to the Detention Unit.

"Means that Spring will be here in no-time," Kirara's grumble made Rose look up. It was obvious from how she slouched in her seat that she wasn't happy about it.

"Is something wrong with Spring?" he asked when she didn't elaborate. Kirara blinked, as if she didn't realise that she'd spoken aloud.

"Yoruichi signed me up to teach a Hakuda class at the Academy in the Spring," she explained. "The last guest instructor retired a while back and I got stuck with it," Kirara grumbled, taking a sip of her tea. She winced as it burned her tongue, but it warmed her insides all the same.

"I must admit, the idea of you training would-be Shinigami is…hard to picture," Rose's chuckle managed to draw a quiet laugh out of her. Kirara sat up properly, setting her cup on the table.

"I completely agree," she agreed. Kirara's laughter faded at the heavy sigh, and both looked up to see Shinji standing in the doorway. A portion of his face was hidden by a long woollen scarf that was a mismatch of clashing colours, and he had a glower set on her.

"Why am I not surprised that you're still dressing like that, Princess?" she twitched at the nickname, glad that she'd set the cup down. A cold air crept in through the now open door, making her shiver before she could stop herself.

"I didn't realise that my dress-code was your business," she said coolly, and looked at the tacky scarf he wore. She didn't say anything, but simply smirked and turned away, knowing that it would annoy me more.

"Sorry, Shinji. I forgot that I'd arranged for you to collect those records now," Rose apologised as he gently set his guitar on the desk and stood. "I imagine I can't tempt you with a cup of tea?" he offered, and Shinji snorted.

"I'll pass. Can't think of anythi-" he stopped, and all three looked at the small, black butterfly that flew idly into the room. Shinji and Rose both waited for it to go to one of them, but instead it made a beeline for Kirara, who reached up with a careful hand. The Hell Butterfly landed on the tip of her finger, relaying a message that only Kirara could hear.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Kirara was on her feet, eyes wide as she rushed to the door.

"I have to go. Thanks for the tea, Rose!" she called over her shoulder. Rose didn't get a chance to speak as Kirara pushed past Shinji - not forcefully, but rather she slipped under his arm and out the door, vanishing the second her foot touched the wooden decking. The two Captains exchanged looks, wondering just what that was about, before both shrugged.

"Are you sure that you don't want that tea?" Rose offered with a smile.

The cold air nipped at Kirara's cheeks as she used Shunpo to move quickly through the Seireitei and out to the Rukon.

It wasn't too far from where she and the 7th Seat of Squad 2 had encountered the strange Hollow that lured others to it with its unusual Reiryoku. Snow was already falling there, sticking to the ground and trees, and it made it easy for Kirara to track.

"Tanaka!" she shouted the name of the dark-haired Shinigami who was there. It was the only warning she gave as she launched herself in, and the man managed to disengage from the Hollow he was fighting before she delivered a powerful kick to the monster that sent it flying.

"Lieutenant…" he was breathing heavily as Kirara landed beside him. A thick layer of snow had covered the ground and trees nearby, coating the scene in white that was stained with the thick ichor that Hollows bled.

"How many?" she asked as she ignored the shiver of cold that went up her feet. Kirara was winded from moving so quickly in the bitter weather, but wasn't about to show weakness now.

"There were two, I dispatched one, but this one is left. The bastard is fast," Tanaka warned her, clutching his Zanpakuto tightly in his hand. Kirara nodded.

"Good work. I've got this guy. Make sure the residents are safe," she instructed as the Hollow got back up and roared loudly. Kirara drew her Zanpakuto, the metal of her blade shimmering in the white of the snow and pale light from above.

As Tanaka raced away to make sure that nobody was hurt nearby, Kirara kept her full focus on the Hollow. She let the cold nip at her, keeping her alert as the Hollow got back up and roared at her furiously. It was loud, echoing for miles and rumbling through her chest, but Kirara didn't even blink.

The moment its maw closed, Kirara launched herself at it, raising her sword to cut it down. When it moved almost as quickly as she did in response, Kirara's eyes widened and she tried to twist her body with it, but her sword missed its mask and only nicked its shoulder. The Hollow snarled in pain, but it stayed standing.

Kirara landed nearby uneasily, whipping around to keep her eyes on the monster. "Shit. It is fast," she muttered, and moved quickly as it launched at her, flailing a gangly arm to try and catch her. Mercifully, Kirara was still faster. "No sword then," Kirara decided, returning Kokoro no Kage to its sheath over her shoulder, and braced herself. The Hollow got close, and she ducked underneath. It tried to move with her as she had done before, but while it was fast, it had no control over its traction and sailed right overhead.

Leaving it completely open to Kirara's powerful kick that launched it high into the air at a rapid speed. She followed, kicking the Hollow hard again. Ichor burst from its leathery body where Kirara struck, and when it splattered her, she couldn't help but flinch at the hot, thick liquid that stung her cold body.

Without wings, the Hollow was helpless as Kirara kicked it once more, this time with a downward trajectory with such force that it broke through the tree it hit. For a moment, it lay still as Kirara followed it down, but she saw it twitch just in time. "Shit!" the curse barely left her mouth before she used Shunpo to practically throw herself to the right, avoiding the Hollow as it lunged at her.

Despite its injured body, the Hollow kept fighting with speeds that Kirara would have previously thought impossible for a Hollow at its level. It was by no means a Menos, yet its speed rivalled that of an Adjuchas.

Forced to dodge again, Kirara cursed under her breath as she found herself reacting to its furious movements instead. "What the hell is this thing?" she wondered aloud as she dodged again, and the Hollow crashed through a tree with a sickening crunching sound. Stunned, it was left open to Kirara cutting through its leg with her Zanpakuto as she spotted the opening.

Kirara's mind was racing as she fought off the monster with speeds that most wouldn't have been able to keep up with. She was glad that she'd gotten there when she had - Tanaka would have been in a lot more trouble if she hadn't. Refusing to think about it, she pushed herself forwards and cut through its other leg when it roared in pain, and collapsed in the snow.

The Hollow didn't go down easily even then. It thrashed and tried to get up, even when missing two legs, and Kirara was breathing heavily by the time she was able to stab it through its mask. The Hollow flailed even then, before finally going still as it lit up blue and vanished in bright lights.

Only then, once a quiet only possible because of the thick snow around her fell, Kirara sank to the ground and caught her breath. The blood was clinging to her, and while it was once hot enough to sting her cold skin, it was cooling quickly and only amplifying the cold air. Convinced that another wasn't about to appear out of nowhere, Kirara managed to push herself to her feet, and once again sheathed her blade.

"Lieutenant Yamada!" Tanaka called, relieved to see her as she walked towards where he was standing with a few civilians of the area. Most of them dispersed as she arrived, either because of her ranking, or because of the blood that had turned her into an unsightly horror, but she didn't care. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for the lithe woman.

"I'm fine. The Hollow is taken care of. Nice work handling the other," she told him, and he nodded.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he bowed his head to her. "But I'm afraid there's bad news," he said, and Kirara cocked her head. "Those Hollows aren't the only ones that have been terrorising this place," Kirara didn't realise that it was possible to grow even colder until he'd uttered those words.

"I'm afraid it's true. A nest of them have taken to hiding in the mountains, possibly hiding in this weather," one of the men who had remained behind spoke up, looking grim. "It happens occasionally, but this nest…there's something different about them," he warned them.

"That one we took out a few months ago was probably one of them," Tanaka voiced what Kirara had also realised. She cursed.

"Thanks for the information," she bowed to the man, whose eyes widened at the polite deference from the Shinigami. "I'll have this looked into. We'll keep Shinigami stationed here as well to keep you safe from any that come down from the mountain in the meantime," Kirara said. The man stared at her for a moment.

"Thank you," he managed to find his words, bowing to her as a few others murmured to one another. If Kirara heard what they were saying, she gave no reaction. Instead, she offered a small smile. Her mind was already focusing on what she knew was going to be a pain in the ass of a mission.

And she had no doubt that Yoruichi would put her in charge of it.

The tale was a little hard to believe, and Kirara wasn't surprised that Yoruichi asked her to repeat it, interrupting every few seconds to ask more questions.

"You weren't holding back?" the Captain asked as she looked her over. Sitting on her knees in front of Yoruichi, Kirara was uninjured, but there were pink patches on her skin where the blood had burned enough to leave visible marks. "Perhaps the cold slowed you down? You aren't exactly dressed for the weather," Yoruichi considered aloud, but she knew herself that the weather wasn't enough to slow Kirara down, not that much.

"I'm a little offended, Captain," Kirara said, almost sounding exasperated as she crossed her arms over her chest. She then smirked. "My uniform has never impacted by ability to perform," she said, and Yoruichi's eyes gleamed.

"But you were holding back?" she pressed, choosing not to acknowledge the innuendo past that. Kirara shrugged.

"A little. It wasn't strong, so I didn't see the need to go all out. But it was fast. Unnaturally so," she insisted, knowing that her confession that she hadn't gone all out against it risked painting her in a bad light.

"And there are more of them?" Yoruichi asked. Kirara nodded, the smirk fading as her expression turned grim again. "Interesting. I wonder just what is going on with these Hollows. Luring people and other Hollows with its Reiatsu is one thing, speed is another," she murmured.

"7th Seat Tanaka said that the Hollow he dispatched before my arrival had neither of those abilities. But…" Kirara hedged, biting her lip. "He mentioned that its Reiatsu was…patchy," she said. Yoruichi's eyebrow rose.

"I see," she hummed quietly. "Okay. I'll alert the Captain Commander to have something decided. We can't risk it getting any worse," Yoruichi straightened up in her seat, and raised a hand. One of the Omitsukido appeared beside her to offer a pen and paper. "We'll send a scouting party out first," she decided.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Kirara said, not missing the glance Yoruichi directed at one of the men who was kneeling nearby. He vanished in a flash of Shunpo, no doubt to prepare a party to scout ahead.

She then held out the piece of paper, and a messenger appeared to take it straight to the Head Captain. "Do you think we'll be tasked with this mission?" Yoruichi's golden eyes returned to Kirara as she asked the question on her mind, and a grim smile spread across the Captain's face.

"I believe so. With the sightings being in the districts under our watch, and the information that you've gathered, it would be strange if the Head-Captain choose someone else. However…" Yoruichi trailed off as a thought crossed her mind. She leaned back in her seat as Kirara cocked her head. "He may have two Squads collaborate. With an unknown amount of Hollows in the wilds, it may be better to have us working together," she considered. Kirara hummed, seeing the logic behind her words.

"Kisuke, maybe? It sounds like something this…Research and Development stuff would be useful for," Kirara suggested. Yoruichi nodded idly, her golden eyes locked onto Kirara.

"And you're comfortable working with another Squad on this?" she asked, her eyes glittering. There was more going on in her mind, and Kirara was almost afraid to know just what it was.

"I…yes," she nodded slowly. "These Hollows have been hiding in the shadows for too long, even after we found that one months ago. I'm willing to accept anything at this point to take them out," Kirara said, thinking of that small district of people who had been enduring the Hollows for who knew how long.

"Good," a feline smile spread across Yoruichi's face. One that only meant bad news.

"Are you for real?!" Kirara's furious demand echoed through the hall. To Yoruichi's credit, she didn't so much as bat an eyelid as Kirara stalked back in a few hours later. An urgent Captain's meeting had already taken place, and Kirara had finally heard the results.

As expected, it was decided that Squad 2 would take the lead on the mission. And as Yoruichi had predicted, it had also been decided that another Squad would accompany them.

"Of all the Squads to work with. Why pick Squad 5?!" she shouted as she stood in front of Yoruichi.

"It was the Head Captain's decision. They were the best option," Yoruichi shrugged, looking over the papers she'd been working on. She barely even looked at Kirara, which only made the Lieutenant's anger grow.

"Squad 12-"

"Kisuke is busy. His squad doesn't have the time to go traipsing through the mountain in search of Hollows," Yoruichi cut her off, and finally looked up. "You said that you were willing to accept anything. Are you going back on your word now, simply because of a ridiculous feud?" Yoruichi's challenging words sent a flush of indignation through Kirara.

Despite her growing anger, Kirara remained silent. She was furious, yes, but she still maintained her common sense. She was a Lieutenant, and Yoruichi was her Captain. They had a lax relationship, especially compared to other Squads, but there was still a line that Kirara wasn't stupid enough to cross.

"You knew Captain Yamamoto was going to pick them," Kirara accused, her voice quieter.

"I had my suspicions. Our Squads can't refuse to work together over such a trivial thing. Eventually even the Captain Commander will take notice," Yoruichi said, not missing how Kirara twitched at the use of the word 'trivial'. The Captain almost smirked at that. Kirara wore her heart on her sleeve, no matter how much she tried to deny it over the years.

Kirara didn't speak, forcing herself to take deep breaths as Yoruichi didn't push her. Finally her fists relaxed, and Kirara let out a heavy sigh as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm really going to hate this," she muttered. Finally Yoruichi cracked a smile in response.

"If you loved every aspect of your job, I feel it would be a lot easier to get you to work," she said. Kirara snorted.

"Ever heard that saying from the World of the Living? About the pot calling the kettle black?" she asked. Yoruichi just looked innocent in response.

"Captain!" they both looked quickly as the man Kirara remembered seeing before appeared and bowed before the noble. Winded, his body heaved as he caught his breath, and snow still clung to his clothes.

"What happened?" Yoruichi frowned, seeing the bruises on the man's flushed face.

"Our party was ambushed by Hollows. We managed to take one or two of them down, but we were forced to retreat," he explained. "Some were wounded; they're already at the 4th Division for medical attention," the man added as Kirara turned to him fully.

"How many?" she asked as his breathing finally started to even out.

"We couldn't count them. Their Reiryoku…it was as if they were hiding their presence," he warned, and Kirara glanced over at Yoruichi. The woman had a grim look on her face - never a good sign.

"Go get yourself checked out by Squad 4," Yoruichi told him. The man nodded, and left at a slower pace as his adrenaline faded and exhaustion reared its ugly head. "Come on, Kirara," Yoruichi then stood, brushing herself off. Kirara's brow furrowed.

"Oh, I better get to beat the hell out of some Hollows for this," she muttered.

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