Chapter 21: Emergency

Haruki was true to his word, and a week later Kirara was cleared for active duty again. She hadn't wasted any time in returning, saying goodbye to Hanataro before donning her uniform and returning to work. Kirara stopped by her Lieutenant's quarters, which she had been neglecting for the month she had been off.

A fine layer of dust coated quite a lot of the place, making her grimace. It was a modest place - Kirara wasn't particularly interested in decorating the place or making it more homely, but she did at least try to keep the place clean for the rare occasion that she was there for longer than a few hours.

However, Kirara didn't waste any time in starting to clean now. Instead, she set down the small stack of books that she had borrowed from Lisa, and made her way back to her office to find out just how much work she had to deal with.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant!" a few of the officers within her division called out as they spotted her. Kirara smiled and waved to them, continuing on her way towards her office.

'I didn't think my absence would be noticed so much,' Kirara mused as she looked up at the afternoon sky. It had taken most of the morning to get cleared to return to work, leaving Kirara with a few hours of sunlight to start assessing how much damage control was needed from her absence.

'Despite your attitude, it would once again appear that people are more fond of you than you believed,' Kokoro no Kage whispered in the back of her mind. Kirara blushed at the idea, finding it just as embarrassing as ever. It was a happy feeling, but she hadn't quite thought about it until recently.

'I guess so,' she agreed, and the spirit fell silent as Kirara pushed open the door to her office. While the familiar sight of what was basically a second home to the woman, she couldn't help but grimace at the mess on her desk.

"Great…" she muttered, lifting one of the files to scan through it. To her relief, a lot of the paperwork seemed to have been handled by Satoru, leaving her with less than she had expected. At least she didn't have to focus on the mission that had gone badly at every turn, and could just move forwards.

Scooping up the stack of paperwork, Kirara instead left her office to make her way towards the main hall, where she knew that Yoruichi was already sitting, doing her own work. The Captain didn't look up as Kirara entered, but she knew that Yoruichi was well aware of her presence.

"Welcome back, Kirara," Yoruichi greeted once Kirara was close enough. "And already getting started on your work. I knew I made the right choice with my Lieutenant," she looked up with a grin. For a moment, Yoruichi's eyes flicked up, before darting back down to meet Kirara's eyes. The Lieutenant met her grin with a tired look of her own.

"Like I had a choice. You've been sneaking things into my pile again, haven't you?" Kirara accused her. Yoruichi's face lit up with an innocent expression that was exactly like Kirara's: completely unbelievable.

"I would never do such a thing. I'm offended that you would think such a thing!" she exclaimed, and Kirara gave a sceptical hum in response.

"Of course not. I guess all that time off has made it hard to tell," she played along with it, knowing she'd never get the real answer from her Captain. Yoruichi grinned.

"All that time off. You must have been bored to death," she commented. Kirara chuckled.

"You know me well, Captain," she said quietly. "Though the books Lisa lent me were a great way to pass the time," she said, and Yoruichi's grin widened.

"Certainly so," she nodded, having tried one at Kirara's recommendation when Yoruichi had visited and found her reading one intently. "Lieutenant Yadomaru has excellent taste," Yoruichi said, making Kirara giggle in agreement.

Those giggles, however, quickly faded as she looked at the file in front of her. A frown crossed Kirara's face, and she quickly flipped through the papers, scanning what was in front of her.

A small group of Patrol Corps members had been sent as an advance scouting party into the Rukongai to investigate the missing Souls - the rumour that Haruki had told Kirara about only a week prior. And when Kirara looked through more, she saw that they hadn't checked in yet.

"Who sent out this party?" Kirara lifted her gaze to meet Yoruichi's. The noble woman had lost her own laugh, schooling her features into a disinterested, bored air instead to make it hard to read.

"Whoever was covering your work while you were off. It was necessary to have them scout ahead before Kensei and Lieutenant Kuna joined the investigation," Yoruichi shrugged, leaning back in her chair. Kirara pushed her hair from her face. That meant Satoru. She had to check in with him, then.

She already needed to talk to Satoru about their last mission and the missing intel. It wasn't like them to miss something as vital as an extra person, and it didn't seem like the sort of information that Kuroro would miss either.

However, Yoruichi continued to talk, distracting her from those thoughts. "And since I know that you're eager to help out plenty to recover from that boring time off…" Yoruichi spoke up before Kirara could dismiss herself.

"Wha-" before she could ask what Yoruichi meant, several files landed on the table that Kirara was using for her work.

"Drop these over to Shinji, would you?" Yoruichi had a wide smile on her face; she'd delighted in sending Kirara there from the moment she'd realised that the two had stopped fighting, and now it seemed that she had saved up her work until Kirara was back to send her over.

"You-" Kirara stopped herself from growling at the woman, struggling to stop herself from reacting at the very notion of visiting the Captain.

"Why the reluctance?" Yoruichi tilted her head with that same unbelievable innocent look on her face. "I thought you'd enjoy getting out and about for a while," she said. Kirara snatched the files up quickly and got to her feet.

"I'm fine with it," Kirara lied as she turned away from her. "It just seems that once again, you're saving your work for me to do instead," she accused, already walking away. Yoruichi's eyes glittered as she watched her.

"I'm just helping you have some fun, Kirara! Can't be cooped up here on your first day back," she called. Kirara just waved an idle hand over her shoulder, not responding. Yoruichi chuckled, resting her cheek to her fist as her elbow balanced on the arm of her chair. "Now that is very interesting…Kirara, you're a really bad liar," the purple-haired Captain mused to herself.

It wouldn't have taken Kirara too long to reach Squad 5 if she had used Shunpo, but she decided to prolong the trip and walk there. She wasn't out of practice, having trained as much as she could without straining her side, but Kirara's stomach was churning the entire time.

Shinji hadn't visited her again while she was with Squad 4, but Kirara hadn't needed him to. Not after hearing his whispered words and getting the note that she'd kept since then. Kirara had plenty of time to mull over what he'd said, and her heart was pounding painfully at the idea of seeing him again. She didn't even know if she was going to let on that she'd been awake the whole time, but wondering how he'd react to finding that out was something that appealed to her.

By the time she reached Squad 5's barracks, night had fallen over the Seireitei. As some started leaving for the night, Kirara made her way towards where Shinji's office was as she fought to make it look as if she wasn't about to throw up.

"Ah, Lieutenant Yamada," Kirara jumped as she saw Aizen passing by. He smiled down at her. "Welcome back. I had wondered when you'd be back to work," he said as Kirara walked over to him.

"Thanks," Kirara smiled at him, finding herself relaxing a little bit. "Only back today, but you know Captain Shihoin. Loves to have me out and about," she chuckled, shifting the papers in her hands.

"I see," Aizen nodded. "I can take those if you-"

"No, it's okay," Kirara moved faster than him as he reached out to take them. She darted around him with a nervous laugh. "I've already brought them this far. May as well finish the job. But thanks," she said with a smile that was just too bright.

"That's okay. Have a good night, Lieutenant Yamada," Aizen smiled warmly at her despite it, and moved off as Kirara took a deep breath. She almost laughed as he did. She'd had an out, and she'd refused it instantly.

"I'm hopeless," she murmured, continuing to walk through Squad 5.

"Lieutenant Yamada!" the familiar squeal made Kirara stifle a wince. She turned to smile at Ami Watanabe; one of her former students who had idolised her in the years she'd studied Hakuda and Shunpo. "I'm so glad to see you're okay," Ami beamed at her as she rushed over. The Shinigami was even shorter than Kirara, with her brown hair cut to just above her shoulders.

"Thanks, me too," Kirara chuckled. "How are you getting on here? Squad 5 treating you okay?" she asked, and Ami's green eyes gleamed over Kirara taking an interest in her.

"It's been great! I'm going on a mission to the World of the Living soon. I can't wait!" she exclaimed, excited to have been chosen for such a thing. "I've never been before. I'm going to try all the desserts I can," Ami declared, and Kirara grinned.

"Careful not to let the Captain hear you. He'll have you out searching for that music he loves instead," she warned, and Ami gasped.

"You're right! Then I'd have no time to try everything," she gulped.

"Oi, Watanabe! You're supposed to be helping us here!" one of the other Shinigami shouted over, waving a broom in the air that Ami had abandoned the moment she saw Kirara.

"Oops," she gulped. "See you around, Lieutenant," Ami bowed.

"Have fun in the World of the Living," Kirara waved, and Ami ran off to continue her work. Laughing quietly to herself, Kirara continued on her way and finally reached Shinji's office, where the door had been left cracked open.

Shinji was nowhere to be seen, but his music was playing inside. He had to be nearby, then, Kirara determined. So she pushed the door open and stepped inside. After setting the reports from Yoruichi down on the table, Kirara lifted the square piece of cardboard that was lying nearby and read the back of it, fascinated by the music that was playing.

"Snooping around a Captain's office?" she jumped, letting out a quiet squeak as she whirled around and took a step back from Shinji. She stared up at him with big eyes, embarrassed that he'd managed to sneak up on her. "I'd report you to Yoruichi, but I think that would just backfire on me," he commented, grinning with delight that he'd made her jump. Then his eyes darted up to focus on Kirara's hair, widening ever so slightly.

Kirara's hair, normally held up in a ponytail by a small black hairtie, was now supported by a blue ribbon, tied up in a way that the ends pointed up, almost like rabbit ears.

"Do you have to sneak around like that?" Kirara complained, drawing his attention back to her. Instantly he snorted.

"Princess, I think of the two of us, I should be the one complaining about that," Shinji said, and Kirara went red. Moving without thinking, she reached out and slapped him with the vinyl cover still in her hands.

"Stop calling me that," she complained. The delight in Shinji's gaze only grew.

"Good to see you're in better humour than the last time you left a medical bay," he commented, and Kirara's blush grew violently as it managed to reach her ears.

"Good to see you learned and actually visited," she shot back. "If only one time," Kirara shrugged, managing to look bored even with her red face.

"You complain so much. Are you ever happy, Princess?" Shinji asked her, not taking offence to her words.

"I'm happy when I'm annoying you," Kirara fired back. It took a second for her to process just how she'd said that. Her eyes went wide as Shinji's grin vanished, hearing it the same way that she had.

A silence weighed down on the pair, and Kirara opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to speak. Then Shinji took a step towards her, and Kirara took a step back instinctively, but he just followed her until Kirara found her back pressing against the wall.

"Then you must be happy all the time," Shinji finally broke the silence, staring down at her with only a small gap still between them. "Because you drive me crazy," he hissed. Kirara found herself grinning at the words, and a similar smile spread across his face.

"The same goes for you, idiot," Kirara's own words were quiet; barely audible over the music still playing beside them, but they ignored it. Shinji chuckled, and a thrill ran down Kirara's spine as his slender fingers tucked under her chin and tilted her head up more towards him. He leaned in, and Kirara's eyes fluttered closed.

Kirara swore she only just felt the slightest breath against her face, before frantic drumming echoed through the entirety of the Seireitei. Their eyes shot open, and Shinji pulled back to turn quickly. In all their time as part of the Gotei 13, neither had heard the sound before, but they knew exactly what it was.

The emergency signal.

"What the hell?" Shinji hissed, pulling away from Kirara to move to the door and slide it open again. Kirara followed, the heat of their moment forgotten as both wondered what the hell was going on.

"Emergency assembly, emergency assembly!" the voice carried, earning the attention of everyone who was still working. "All Squad Captains, assemble at Squad 1 barracks! All Squad Captains, assemble at Squad 1 barracks! Squad 9 is on high alert! Reiatsu readings for Squad 9 Captain Kensei Muguruma, and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna have vanished," the warning made Kirara grow cold.

"The vanishing souls…" Kirara's whisper made Shinji look down at the Lieutenant who was standing beside him. She'd drawn close, almost seeming scared.

"You heard about it?" he asked, and Kirara nodded.

"Some of my men were sent out as an advance party. They hadn't checked in," Kirara cursed herself. She had meant to track down Satoru and find out what was going on.

"All Captains must convene for an emergency meeting! Repeat, emergency assembly! Attention all Squad Captains. Assemble immediately at the Squad 1 barracks," the announcement ordered, and Shinji let out a quiet breath.

"You better get back to your division and make sure things are running there," he told her, but before Shinji fully turned away, he stopped and angled back. Kirara gave a disgruntled noise as his hand landed on her head, ruffling her hair. "It looks cute on you," he said, tugging lightly at the ribbon.

"You-" before Kirara could finish speaking, Shinji vanished. "Prick," she finished, stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"The Reiatsu readings for Squad 9 Captain Kensei Muguruma, and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna have vanished," the warning echoed in Kirara's head as she started to make her way back towards Squad 2. She then paused, frowning to herself.

"Wait a second. I don't take orders from him!" Kirara realised, berating herself for how easily she'd responded to his directions. She angled her head in the direction of Squad 1, and determination urged her forwards.

"I see you have the same idea as me," the familiar voice of Lisa reached her as Kirara suppressed her Reiatsu and made her way towards where the Captain's meeting was taking place.

"They sent some of my guys out as an advance scouting party. Technically this involves me," Kirara flashed a grin at Lisa, who nodded back.

"Of course," she answered dryly. "And I'm here for support," she said, making Kirara giggle. The two crept into Squad 1's barracks, headed straight for the main chamber where Captains met for anything important.

"We have an emergency," Yamamoto had already started speaking by the time the two got close enough to hear. They hid below one of the windows, listening intently, and Kirara rose up to peek inside.

"Kisuke's missing," she realised, not seeing any sign of the Squad 12 Captain. "Probably holed up working on more of his crazy experiments," she considered under her breath. "The Captains of Squads 10 and 11 are also missing," Kirara realised, seeing that Squads 10 and 11 also went unrepresented.

"You'd think they would at least show up to an emergency meeting," Lisa murmured back as Kirara dropped down to sit in the grass and listen.

"According to the reports from Squad 9 at the scene, the Reiatsu of both Squad 9 Captain Kensei Mugumuma and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna have vanished. The cause is unknown," Yamamoto continued, his voice grim but loud, carrying with the authority that came with being the Captain Commander.

"Mashiro…and Captain Muguruma…" Kirara whispered as the cold feeling settled in her stomach. It was unthinkable that the two could be dead. That both a Captain and Lieutenant could have been killed by whatever the hell was out there. It defied belief.

"We must consider the possibility that this is a worst-case scenario. Until yesterday, this was simply an incident that occurred in the Rukon district. But the honour of the Gotei 13 is now at stake," Yamamoto declared loudly. A bang echoed through the hall as the old man slammed his cane against the wooden floor.

Kirara and Lisa exchanged looks. Despite her usual deadpan expression, even Lisa couldn't hide her full emotions on the situation.

"I shall now dispatch five people of Captain-class to the scene," Yamamoto decided, before there were heavy footsteps, and Kisuke finally arrived, out of breath and even more dishevelled than usual. "You are late, Kisuke Urahara!" the Captain Commander snapped at him.

"Let me go there, please!" Kisuke didn't acknowledge the reprimand. He'd heard the old man's words as he'd sprinted full tilt towards the main hall. Kirara could only just sit and listen, stunned. She'd never heard the man frazzled like that before. Even in bad situations, he'd been calm and collected.

"No," the denial was quiet and firm, echoing. Kisuke inhaled sharply, as if he hadn't been expecting to be refused.

"My second-in-command is headed there now!" he yelled back, not backing down. Kirara and Lisa both froze at this. Hiyori was running straight into the danger, completely oblivious.

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi's roar was the one to stop Kisuke's frantic words. He stopped instantly, turning his stare on her. "Pull yourself together! You're the one who sent her there!" Yoruichi was irritated, but lowered her words to a sharp reprimand. "Can't you see that your panic is an insult to her abilities?" Yoruichi demanded, turning an angry glare on her old friend. Kisuke didn't reply, but his breathing remained ragged.

"Now, don't just stand there," Kyoraku was the one to approach the frozen Kisuke. "Line up," he led him over to stand beside him in line.

"I will now continue," the Captain Commander continued to speak, ignoring what was going on. There were more important things to worry about. "Captain of Squad 3, Rojuro Otoribashi. Captain of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako. Captain of Squad 7, Love Aikawa. The three of you, head to the scene immediately," Yamamoto decided. The three gave wordless nods, avoiding looking at Kisuke.

"Captain of Squad 2, Yoruichi Shihoin, stand by for further orders. Captain of Squad 6, Ginrei Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 8, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Captain of Squad 13, Jushiro Ukitake, the three of you will guard the Seireitei. Captain of Squad 4, Retsu Unohana. Standby at the Medical Treatment Room to await possible casualties," the old man ordered.

There was a brief moment of quiet as everyone accepted their orders. Kirara and Lisa exchanged looks, thinking about Yamamoto's orders to guard the Seireitei. While neither spoke, they were thinking the same thing; was the old man concerned that the rest of the Seireitei was next?

"Just a minute, Captain Commander," Captain Unohana requested politely. Yamamoto grunted his approval. "If your concern is treating casualties, shouldn't I head toward the scene?" she asked him.

"As long as this situation remains unclear, we cannot risk dispatching the head of the medical unit. I will send someone else to the scene. Enter," his words were followed by the creak of the large doors opening again. Hearing two sets of footsteps, Kirara couldn't fit her curiosity and peeked inside again. Instantly her eyes went wide and she dropped back down.

"It's Commander Tsukabishi, and Lieutenant Ushoda from the Kido Corps," Kirara whispered to Lisa. Her fellow Lieutenant looked impressed. It was rare to have the Kido Corps dragged into Shinigami problems.

"You know the situation. I want the two of you to head to the scene," the Captain Commander issued the two orders as well.

"Will do," Tessai Tsukabishi agreed.

"Understood," the massive figure of Hachigen Ushoda nodded.

"Hey, Old Man Yama," Kyoraku spoke up suddenly, raising his hand as he spoke. "Sorry, but I was thinking, isn't it a bad idea to send both the Kido Commander and his Lieutenant without knowing the situation?" his blunt words were awfully cheerful despite the situation. Kirara couldn't help but grin at how bold the Captain was. He was probably the only one who could get away with speaking to the Captain Commander like that.

"What do you suggest?" Captain Yamamoto asked. His words weren't annoyed or insulted, merely curious.

"I would have my Lieutenant go instead," he suggested brightly. Kirara looked at Lisa, who kept her face blank. Kirara couldn't help but envy her ability to be so deadpan.

"You're calling her in now?" Captain Ukitake asked with wide eyes.

"That's right!" Kyoraku answered cheerfully. He then angled his head to look out the window. "Hey! Lisa!" he called. Kirara grinned widely.

"He knows you well," she said. Lisa ignored her, standing up and gripping the bars of the window with an unapologetic look on her face.

"What is it?" she demanded, glaring at him as if he'd been the one to interrupt her. Kirara had to stifle her giggle.

"You see?" Kyoraku's cheerful tone was still there, but it was much more tired now. "I told you not to spy on Captain's meetings," he scolded her, trying and failing to sound stern.

"I couldn't help it!" Lisa shrugged. "It's human nature to want to see what's kept hidden," she defended herself, but it was weak. However, Kyoraku didn't press the matter.

"And the details?" he asked instead, losing the chipper tone.

"I heard," Lisa said, losing her own hostile one.

"Can I count on you?" Kyoraku asked, holding her gaze. Lisa nodded.

"Of course," she agreed, and earned the faintest of smiles.

"Good. Thank you," he said quietly. Lisa gave a thumbs up, but before she could turn to head off, Yoruichi spoke up.

"Wait a second," her eyes were closed as she spoke. "You can't mean to send out a single Lieutenant in place of the Kido Commander," Lisa's eyebrows furrowed, and Kirara winced as she knew where Yoruichi was going with this. "So you'll go with her too, won't you, Kirara?" she called. There was a quiet moment, before Kirara stood and peeked in with an innocent smile.

"Well, if that's what my Captain orders," she said with that sweet smile.

"With your speed, you can get there first and assess the situation for everyone. Take care of things," Yoruichi told her. Kirara saluted, and looked at Lisa. The two hurried off together, leaving the Captain Commander to finish up with the meeting as they started running.

"First day back and you're already getting involved," Lisa commented as they left the Squad 1 barracks, making a beeline for the Rukon district.

"Like I said. They sent in my team, I was already involved," Kirara replied with a shrug. "I'm going on ahead. Keep up if you can!" she grinned to Lisa.

"Wait, we should-" before Lisa could stop her, Kirara vanished with the use of her Shunpo.

I'm back from another trip from hell and have about another week until I have to go back there again (yay Christmas...) so thought I'd squeeze a few updates in between then.

Hope you liked it!

Please review!