Chapter 33: Unplanned Return
The throbbing headache was a telltale sign that she had drunk too much once again, and not for the first time, Natsuki Hamasaki swore that she would never drink again as she lay on the wooden flooring in front of the offices of the Squad 11 barracks.
"If you were just going to lie there, you should have just stayed in bed," the chiding voice came above her, and Natsuki managed to barely open her eyes to peer up at the man standing over her. His hands were on his hips, but his face was shadowed as he blocked the sunlight from hitting her.
"If you could stand right there for the rest of the day, that would be amazing," Natsuki closed her eyes once again, and heard a delicate, irritated huff from the man. "Or better yet, get rid of that damn sun," she threw her arm over her face to shield herself from the sunlight when he purposefully moved so it hit her.
"You're hopeless when you're like this, Natsuki," the man chided, looking down at her. Her blonde hair, cut to just above her chin, was a mess as it stood on end, and her normally sun-kissed features were pale from the hangover, yet somehow her uniform was as neat as ever.
"Oh, go fight someone, would you? I don't need you yelling at me when it feels like ants have invaded my brain," Natsuki swatted with her free hand, as if she expected to hit him.
"You'd need to have a brain for them to want to invade," the comment usually would have made her pout, but Natsuki was too hungover for playful antics. She just wanted to sleep.
The bell ringing in the distance, however, forced her to wake up just as she drifted off. With a moan, Natsuki lifted her arm and managed to sit up, trying to smooth down her unruly hair as her bloodshot brown eyes looked around for the source.
"Irregularities detected along the Western Perimeter," the voice was enhanced to carry across the Seireitei. Security alert in Areas 3 through 8! Repeat, irregularities detected along the Western Perimeter. Security alert in Areas 3 through 8," it warned, calling out for Shinigami to investigate.
"Irregularities?" the man standing beside Natsuki repeated, sounding only a little curious as Natsuki rubbed her eyes.
"We don't handle that sector, do we?" she asked with a yawn.
"Surely the former Lieutenant should know the answer to that," the exasperated words made Natsuki grin, and lie back down. "Go sleep somewhere else!"
"Too late, comfortable here," she said, yawning widely as she started to drift off once more.
Kirara had barely broken a sweat as she ran with Orihime, Uryu, Chad and Ichigo through the tunnel that would lead to the Soul Society. Her stomach hadn't stopped churning the entire time, but she ignored it and forced herself to power ahead, knowing that there was no turning back now.
"What's happening?!" Uryu shouted as he looked behind him. The walls of the tunnel had started closing in behind them the moment they had entered, forcing them to keep going. "The wall is catching up to us! The place we just ran through is collapsing!" he warned.
"Don't look back!" Kirara shouted, not daring to turn around and look.
"If you have time to look back, you have time to run!" Yoruichi added in as she continued to run on four legs, keeping ahead of them with ease. "It's all over if the Restrictive Current swallows you up," she warned them.
"Heads up!" Kirara yelled, noticing the liquid-like walls starting to flow faster in an attempt to catch them. She grabbed Orihime's hand as the girl cried out, and pulled her along faster.
The yell behind them made them look around just in time to see Uryu being pulled backwards.
"Ishida!" Ichigo shouted as he whirled around. "The fool! It's that crazy get-up he has on," he growled, grabbing his Zanpakuto. The moment his hand went around it, Kirara stopped him.
"Don't," she warned as Orihime breathed heavily.
"Do not use your Zanpakuto," Yoruichi warned from just up ahead. Her golden eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the tunnel. "The Current entangles the spiritual body. If you use your Zanpakuto, you will get caught too," she explained, and Ichigo hesitated with a growl.
"Useless…" Kirara growled as she let go of Orihime's hand and went to help. Before she could, Chad got there first. There was a loud tearing sound as Chad ripped the Quincy free, leaving behind some of the fabric.
"Thank-ah!" Uryu gave a startled yell as Chad suddenly hauled him over his shoulder and started to run again.
"Let's go," Chad said, and the group began to run again.
"Put me down! I can run on my own!" Uryu protested, embarrassed by Chad's actions. He wasn't helpless, and he'd just spent the last week training to prove just that. His eyes widened as the Restrictive Current continued to close in on them, and he saw something deep within. "Wait a second. Something's…something's coming our way," he warned.
"Shit," Kirara cursed once again as she glanced over her shoulder and saw the golden light spilling out.
"Wh…what is that?" Uryu yelled as a massive being emerged from the Current to chase after them.
"It's the Cleaner! It appears once every seven days!" Yoruichi explained.
"And of course that's today," Kirara groaned, once again grabbing Orihime's hand to pull her along faster.
"Just run! It's incredibly fast," Yoruichi's warning was unnecessary as they all noticed just how speedy the massive thing was. Up ahead, they could see the light of the exit.
"It's no good," Uryu groaned as he could only watch the Cleaner grow closer and closer to them. "We can't outrun it!" he yelled as the bright golden light fixated on them.
"Just because you aren't using your legs, doesn't mean you should run your mouth instead!" Kirara yelled, before Orihime suddenly pulled out of her grasp. "Wha-"
"Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily!" Orihime's hairpin began to glow. "Santenkesshun! I reject!" she shouted as she held up her hands.
"Orihime, no!" Kirara lunged for her, but it was too late. A shield of orange light began to form, and the Cleaner crashed straight into it.
The resulting explosion lifted the entire group off their feet, and they all yelled as the wave carried them out of the exit before they crashed straight into the ground below. Orihime sat up, finding her vision was obscured by the dust cloud that surrounded them.
"Is everyone alright?" she asked, looking around. Chad had managed to land perfectly, but Ichigo was on his back with his legs over his head, and Uryu was face down on the ground. Even Yoruichi had failed to give a good landing. "Wow! Ichigo, the way you land is so artistic!" Orihime exclaimed as she saw the Shinigami lying there.
"Shut up…" he groaned. Nearby, Uryu produced a spare cloak, replacing it with the one that had been torn up.
"That was certainly one way to make an entrance," Kirara said as she climbed back to her feet and dusted herself off.
"I'm so glad, nobody seems to be hurt," Orihime gave a sigh of relief.
"What's there to be glad about?!" Yoruichi headbutted the girl, who gave a cry of pain and shied away. "Were you not listening to me? We're lucky the Restrictive Current made contact with just the shield area. If it had been the Shunshunrikka themselves, you'd be dead now!" she scolded her as Orihime lowered her head, looking guilty.
"Good to see you haven't lost your touch as a teacher," Kirara drawled as she patted Orihime on the head and helped her up.
"Don't be so hard on her," Ichigo glared at the black cat. "As it turned out, thanks to Inoue, we got through without a scratch," he dismissed it, and Yoruichi turned her glare on him.
"You do not understand how serious this is," she growled at him. Kirara just sighed, patting Orihime's head again.
The dust finally began to clear, allowing them a clear view of their surroundings. The buildings were modest and decently built, but compared to Karakura Town, they seemed ancient.
"Is this the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked, looking around carefully, but there was no sign of anyone else around.
"That's right. This place is known as the Rukon District, the Drifting Spirit Town," Yoruichi said as Kirara took in a deep breath. "This is where souls first live upon coming to the Soul Society," she explained as she looked around too.
"It's also on the perimeter of the Seireitei. That's where the Shinigami live," Kirara added. "It has more freedom and has a much larger population than the Seireitei, but it's also the poorest area within the Soul Society," she said as everything in her body pleaded for her to leave.
"You know a lot about this place for someone who isn't a Shinigami," Uryu accused her, and Kirara turned a sweet but cold smile on him.
"Ask me again what I am, and you'll wish you brought a third spare cape," she warned him. He glared at her, before fixing his glasses and turning away.
"There's nobody around," he commented, noting just how deserted the place seemed to be for somewhere that was supposed to have the largest population within the Soul Society. Kirara's eyes narrowed, knowing that what Uryu said wasn't true. Without Reiatsu, she couldn't sense them like she could Shinigami, but Kirara could still feel the eyes on them.
"What's that?" she turned at Ichigo's question, and saw him looking in the other direction. Straight at the Seireitei. "It looks so different on that side," he commented.
"Oh, that…" Yoruichi frowned. "That's-"
"I got it! That's where the Shinigami live, right?" Ichigo started walking straight towards it as seeing his goal pushed him forwards.
"You fool! Don't get too close!" Yoruichi warned. "You'll die!" her shout made Ichigo look back, just in time for Kirara to tangle a fist in his robes and yank him backwards. Just as she did, a massive white wall slammed down from above, and would have crushed Ichigo if he hadn't moved.
"Oh boy," Kirara breathed as she watched the wall fall into place all around the Seireitei. Ichigo coughed, choking on the dust that had kicked up.
"It's been a long time…" Ichigo looked up at the voice that rumbled. "Since someone tried to pass through the Seireimon without a permit," the dust cleared, and Ichigo found himself staring up at a giant being wearing similar robes to his own, but with a metal plating over one arm. "You're my first guest in a long time. Welcome, kid," he sneered down at Ichigo.
"Shit…Jidanbo?" Kirara breathed. She'd moved away from Ichigo the moment that the giant had arrived, and had moved behind one of the buildings. She couldn't risk being seen by someone who recognised her so soon. Not until she was inside. For them to know now would bring hell down on them while they were unprepared.
And would alert Sosuke Aizen far earlier than she ever wanted him to know.
Kirara couldn't help but curse their luck. She knew the massive Shinigami well enough - he'd been the one tasked with guarding the Hakuto Gate for 300 years. "Now that Ichigo's gone and set off the wall, we need to work out a plan," she said, before hearing Yoruichi give a yell.
"Hey! Chad, Orihime!" Kirara looked out, and groaned when she saw the two running to help Ichigo out. Before they could get close, however, Jidanbo smashed his Zanpakuto against the ground to carve it up, blocking their path and cutting them off from Ichigo.
"Idiots," Kirara shook her head. "They're going to have to learn that here, it's one-on-one or nothing," she muttered, leaving them to it as she waited with her arms folded. There was a loud rumble as Jidanbo finally started to fight Ichigo, and Kirara shook her head. "Remind me why you let these kids do this?" she asked, glancing to the cat who was now sitting beside her.
"You know exactly why, Kirara," Yoruichi sighed. "Besides. Kisuke had estimated that Ichigo would regain his powers in ten days. Ichigo got his powers back in five," Kirara's eyes widened at that.
"It's not like Kisuke's estimations to be so off," she said, straightening up. "Five days…and I'm guessing I know exactly how he spent the extra five days," Kirara laughed quietly. Yoruichi nodded.
"He spent every second of it training with Kisuke," she said, and Kirara whistled lightly.
"I'm surprised the poor boy is still standing. Kisuke's as ruthless as you are," she told the cat, who sniffed.
"You complain so often about me being a monstrous teacher, but you turned out pretty well, didn't you?" she asked. Kirara snorted, pushing her hair from her face.
"Can you repeat that to everyone else? They could stand to hear it," she said. Yoruichi chuckled, as both remained entirely aware of Ichigo dominating in his fight against the massive Jidanbo. Their Reiatsu clashed again and again, as Jidanbo stopped going easy on the boy. "I think Jidanbo is having fun," Kirara said as the ground rumbled continuously from his strikes.
When Jidando's Zanpakuto cleaved through the rocks that had blocked their path, the three humans still standing too close cried out in alarm. "Honestly," Kirara rolled her eyes as she appeared suddenly beside Uryu, who was struggling to get clear of the rubble raining down on them. She grabbed his arm and dragged him along with her Shunpo to a safe place, making him yelp.
"You-" before Uryu could speak, Kirara had vanished. A moment later, she reappeared with Orihime, who breathed a sigh of relief to be in a safe spot. Again, before she could thank Kirara, the woman disappeared.
"Wh-what?" Jidanbo was breathless from his barrage of attacks, and horror was written clearly across his face. The rest of the rocks crumbled to reveal Ichigo standing safely, having once again blocked his strike.
"Why?! Why are you…still standing?!" Jidanbo cried out, unable to believe that Ichigo had escaped unscathed from his full power.
"Not bad," Kirara commented, arms folded as she once again leaned against the wall.
"Not yet, not yet!" Jidanbo backed away from Ichigo when the boy raised his Zanpakuto to started fighting. "I'm not…finished yet!" he fished out a second Zanpakuto from inside of his kosode, and began to build up his power. His muscles grew, causing the brace on his arm to shatter and fall all around Ichigo. "Try this! My final lethal attack!" as he swung down, Ichigo retaliated, smashing through both axes in one powerful swing.
"What the hell is this kid?" Kirara wondered as she watched Jidanbo fall backwards. The giant stared, stunned, before leaping back to his feet. To their surprise, he started to laugh.
"Man, that was close!" he admitted with a chuckle. "I slipped and fell on my butt," Jidanbo laughed, preparing to launch another attack, before he realised that his axes were destroyed.
"Jidanbo's axes were destroyed in one blow," Yoruichi commented as she jumped up onto a perch to watch.
"Hey. Say something," Ichigo called up to the giant, who had fallen completely silent. To his surprise, Jidanbo burst into tears and started to throw a tantrum over his destroyed weapons. Kirara shook her head.
"I suppose losing for the first time in 300 years is bound to come as a shock," she considered as Jidanbo got back to his feet and collected himself. Finally, he moved to start opening the gate for them. It was slow to rise, but with a yell, Jidanbo managed to fully lift the gate over his head.
"Wait, something's wrong," Kirara murmured, seeing the giant freeze. His fear was obvious even to her from a short distance away. Then she felt the presence, and chills erupted across her entire body. Instantly she moved out of sight, sinking to her knees as she struggled to breathe.
"Who is that?" Ichigo spotted the figure walking slowly towards them.
"The Captain of Squad 3…Gin Ichimaru!" the voice carried, trembling with fear as Kirara knew who he was without even seeing him. A prodigy who reached the 3rd seat of Squad 5 shortly after graduating from the Academy in one year, the once young boy was now tall with his silver hair the same as it had been before.
"Oh, this will not do," Ichimaru mused as he surveyed the situation in front of him. Blood then burst from Jidanbo's arm, and he screamed as the door came down on him. The giant fell on one knee. "A guardian of the gate isn't supposed to open the gates," he scolded with a light tone, as if he hadn't almost severed the guard's arm.
"Why the hell is he here?" Kirara managed to whisper, unable to move as Gin Ichimaru's presence alone reminded her of that night a hundred years ago. She closed her eyes as they stung with tears, and she was unable to find her breath.
Then she felt Ichigo's presence clash against Ichimaru's, and her eyes shot open. "That dumb kid," she breathed. The thought of the boy fighting Ichimaru allowed Kirara to get to her feet once again. If he could go charging into a place he knew nothing about, and fight people he knew nothing about, then she could keep going too.
"Stop it, Ichigo! We have to retreat for now!" Yoruichi shouted at him. Kirara's eyes widened as she felt Ichimaru's Reiatsu rise.
"Shoot to Kill, Shinso," Ichimaru activated his Zanpakuto, and the blade suddenly shot out, extending at a high speed to crash against Ichigo's Zanpakuto. Even then, it kept going to force Ichigo backwards, straight into Jidanbo, and both flew a short distance away.
"The gate!" Yoruichi groaned as the gate began to close.
"Bye bye!" Ichimaru bent over to wave goodbye to them, before the gate hit the ground with a dull crash.
"Ichigo!"
"Are you alright, Ichigo?" the other humans ran over to check on Ichigo, who cursed as he rubbed his head where he'd hit it.
"How's the gate?" he looked up quickly.
"Already closed," Kirara spoke as she walked over. She knelt beside him, checking him for any sign of injury. "Looks like you're fine," she determined, seeing only superficial injuries.
"Sorry…the gate closed because of me," he apologised, frustrated that he'd let the gate close.
"No. Your opponent was Gin Ichimaru. It couldn't be helped," Yoruichi spoke up as she walked over.
"Either your blade blocked Ichimaru from actually hitting you, or forcing you out was intentional," Kirara said, and Ichigo gave a growl as he got to his feet and stood up. "Not to mention, you probably saved Jidanbo's life," she added as she turned to the giant and walked over to look at the wound on his arm. She then paused, looking up as people started to emerge from their homes.
"Orihime," Ichigo turned to the girl. "Take care of him," he indicated to Jidanbo. Orihime nodded, only to stop as she saw the people staring at them. "Who are they?" Ichigo frowned.
"Residents of the Rukon," Kirara said softly.
"Why…" Orihime trailed off, looking uncertain at their sudden audience.
"They were afraid of us. Souls who come illegitimately to the Soul Society without the aid of Shinigami are called Ryoka. They're said to be the cause of all kinds of calamities," Yoruichi explained as people still watched them warily.
"They think we're enemies?" Ichigo frowned. Instantly they went on alert, ready to fight if necessary as people started to slowly approach.
"Wait a second," a gruff voice spoke up, pushing past the crowd. Instantly Kirara went still, her eyes wide as she stared at the man who had his gaze focused on her. His once blond hair was now completely grey, but his eyes were just as sharp, and a scar cut through the stubble on his face.
Kirara's heart thudded against her chest as she stared at the man from her past. It had been a hundred years, but she still knew Kuroro well.
And judging from his piercing stare, he still knew her just as well.
And we're officially into the Soul Society Arc! Wooo!