Chapter 40: Unexpected News

"Save…save Rukia!"

"I will," Ichigo's quiet response to Renji seemed to be enough for the Lieutenant, whose strength finally wavered and he collapsed face down on the ground. There was a loud clatter after, as Ichigo's own strength ran out, and he dropped his Zanpakuto.

"Ichigo!" Ganju shouted as he fell forwards, only to be caught by Kirara.

"We need to get moving," Kirara glanced over her shoulder, and both Hanataro and Haruki felt it shortly after. The approaching presence of multiple Shinigami. "Back down into the tunnels, we need to take care of Ichigo," she hoisted him up easily so she was carrying him over her shoulder. He was a dead weight, but she'd carried worse. "Grab his Zanpakuto," she called as she headed for the passageway back to the tunnels.

"But…" Haruki hesitated, standing over Renji as Ganju grabbed Zangetsu from Hanataro, who was struggling with the weight of the massive blade that was bigger than him.

"Stay if you want. You're a Shinigami after all," Kirara's dismissive words made Haruki's stomach churn.

"Dammit," he whirled around and followed them back down below, disappearing before the Shinigami could find them. He climbed down the ladder after closing the cover overhead, and followed as they found a side room to set Ichigo's unconscious body down.

"Do any of you have any medical supplies?" Ganju asked as he saw how badly injured Ichigo was. He couldn't believe he'd been able to not only keep fighting, but defeat Renji.

"Don't need them," Haruki said as Hanataro lit one of the lights nearby to give them better visibility. "Squad 4 are the medical squad, remember? It's because our skills are primarily in Kaido," he explained, kneeling beside Ichigo to study his injuries closely.

"They suck when it comes to real combat, to balance it out," Kirara said, arms folded as she leaned against the wall. "Well, most of the time," she added, and saw the small, pleased smile flash across Haruki's face. "How's he looking?" Kirara asked.

"Very bad," Hanataro admitted as Ichigo remained unconscious, his breathing laboured. Blood had soaked his Shihakusho, which was torn in several places. "He took direct hits from a Lieutenant's Zanpakuto…it's to be expected," he pointed out.

"Honestly, I'm shocked he's still alive. He should have died out there from the hits he took," Haruki admitted.

"Trust me when I say this kid is too stubborn to die," Kirara managed a faint smile. Ichigo's condition was dire. It was going to take a lot of work.

"We can handle it. We'll heal him in one night," Haruki's confident words made Ganju peer at him suspiciously. Hanataro had already removed the bag on his shoulder and was starting to gather the supplies he needed. When Haruki then drew the Zanpakuto resting by his side, Ganju's eyes widened.

"What the hell are you doing?!" his yell carried for a good distance down the tunnels. Even Kirara looked wary, ready to stop Haruki if he did anything crazy. Haruki smiled faintly.

"You've never seen my Zanpakuto in action, have you?" he asked Kirara, and they felt his power starting to rise. "Don't worry. I'm Squad 4 for a reason," he said as he closed his eyes and pointed his Zanpakuto down at the ground. "Glow, Shizukesa!" he spoke the release command, and a burst of green light began to eminate from the Zanpakuto. The blade split into four, splitting from the handle. Haruki pointed what was remaining in his hand at Ichigo, and the four blades impaled the ground around Ichigo. The green light then spread, completely engulfing the unconscious young man in a translucent green light.

"Whoa…" Ganju could only stare at the gentle light that carried enough power to rustle Ichigo's robes.

"Some kind of healing field?" Kirara guessed as she dared to take a step closer. Haruki nodded, as he kept his focus on the field that now surrounded Ichigo.

"Shizukesa is only strong enough to fully heal minor injuries, but it can stabilise critical wounds and slowly repair damage while I do the main healing," he explained as he knelt with Hanataro, sharing supplies with him.

"Don't worry," Hanataro smiled up at the pair. "We can do this, you'll see," his confidence surprised Kirara. Seeing him at work, he was a far cry from his usual timid self. He almost reminded her of Seinosuke, minus the sadistic pleasure he took in forcing his patients to stay alive.

"You're the best of us, Hana," Kirara murmured, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

While Hanataro and Haruki worked, there wasn't much for either Kirara or Ganju to do. Kirara had considered offering her help, but the two seemed to work well with each other, and there didn't seem much point in wasting her own energy to speed things up a little. Plus, her Kaido wasn't as impressive as theirs - she just knew enough to tend to minor wounds.

Instead, while Ganju watched with barely contained impatience, Kirara sat down nearby and closed her eyes in meditation. It was something she had started a long time ago, and often only utilised it with deep, steady breaths, but when she got the chance she would fully meditate to keep her mind focused. If Kirara was to make it out of the Seireitei, she was going to need to use the rest of her arsenal, she had no doubt of that. So she needed to be ready.

When she heard Ichigo grunt awake, her eyes opened and she looked over to where he lay, his eyes open. A green mist of light surrounded him, and it was oddly warm and comforting.

"Oh, you're awake, Ichigo," Hanataro looked relived at that as he tightened the bandages around Ichigo's stomach.

"That's a good sign," Haruki looked cheerful on his other side as he checked that the wound on his shoulder was healed enough to be covered.

"Hanataro…Haruki…" Ichigo felt heavy as he stared up at them. "I…"

"Please don't move," Hanataro's voice was surprisingly firm. He kept working as Ichigo frowned. "Your wounds haven't closed yet," he warned him.

"Wounds? Oh…right. I fought Renji…" Ichigo remembered, and it all came flooding back to him. Renji's desperate, broken plea to save Rukia. At that, he forced himself to sit up and gasped at the pain.

"Ichigo!"

"Hey!" the two healers protested.

"Thanks. I'll be fine now," Ichigo told them as he braced himself to get back to his feet.

"What are you saying? You can't get up!" Hanataro pleaded with him, panicking.

"You'll completely undo what we've just done. You need to stay still so we can get you back to your full strength," Haruki told him. His air of confidence from before was gone, and he seemed the flustered young man that Kirara remembered from before.

"Chad and the others don't know where Rukia is. I have to go, or else…" ignoring them, Ichigo got to his feet anyway. The green light around where he'd been lying began to flicker dangerously, and Haruki's eyes widened.

"Lie back down, now," Kirara's voice was dangerous as she stood in front of Ichigo. He gasped for breath as everything hurt more than ever, but he couldn't back down. Not when Rukia was in danger. "You're way too hurt to do anything. If you can even make it back to the surface, the greenest newbie could cut you down with how you are right now," she said coldly, and Ichigo glared at her.

"I'm not going to wait around to be healed while Rukia is in that damn tower!" he shouted, towering over her. Kirara didn't even blink.

"If you don't wait, then you'll never rescue her from the tower. So lie down, before I make you," she warned coldly.

"What are you going to do? Make a stupid-" before Ichigo could retort, Kirara had a hand in his face. He blinked, unsure of what was going on.

"I warned you," she called on a Kido spell's power, and Ichigo grunted before falling backwards. Haruki and Hanataro yelped as Ichigo collapsed between them, and the green light stabilised, continuing to focus on him.

"You couldn't have given us some warning?" Haruki complained as they checked over him to make sure that Ichigo hadn't reopened his wounds from either forcing himself to get up or from Kirara knocking him out. "If he's hurt because of that…"

"Would you have preferred Ganju's method of getting him to lie down?" Kirara asked, glancing over her shoulder to where Ganju was peering in at them. She knew he'd been waiting outside to stop Ichigo from going anywhere. Haruki huffed, but didn't say anything. Kirara turned away to go back to the wall and resume her meditation, when Hanataro spoke.

"Kirara…?" she glanced at him, and her entire body went cold when she saw what was in his hands. "Do you know what this is about?" Hanataro asked her. In the time it took him to blink, Kirara had snatched it away from him and moved to the door where Ganju still stood. "It was in his robes, I-"

"It's nothing," she said flatly, stopping him. Kirara stared at the Mask in her hand, which was painfully like a Hollow's Mask with three red stripes on the top left. A massive crack was split almost down the middle, almost as if it had taken a strike from Renji's Zanpakuto.

"It looks like a Hollow Mask," Haruki commented, and Kirara's grip on it tightened.

"It's nothing!" her voice was loud and sharp enough to make them both jump. Ganju frowned, not understanding. "I'll take care of it," with that, she stalked out of the room and down the tunnel, staring at the Mask the whole time. "You kept him from dying, didn't you?" she whispered to the Mask as she walked.

The Mask, of course, stayed silent. Kirara cursed. "It's different from us, but it's still a Hollow Mask…I hope he has enough time. I'm going to have to have a little chat with Ichigo once this is all over," she muttered as she slowed to a stop. She stared at it for a moment longer, before crushing it in her hand. It vanished into wisps of black Reishi, and dissipated into the air. "Yeah, that's going to be fun," she muttered sarcastically.

When Ichigo came to once again, he found it much easier to sit up than last time, and nobody was trying to stop him. His body was still heavy, and his head was pounding.

"Ah, you're awake again," Haruki spoke as he and Hanataro turned to him.

"What the hell did she do to me?" Ichigo growled, a hand to his head as it throbbed. Haruki chuckled.

"It was a Kido to knock you out. Harmless, but can leave you with a bit of a headache," he answered. Ichigo cursed again.

"No kidding," Ichigo grumbled.

"It was the best way to stop you," Hanataro smiled faintly. "Otherwise you would have opened your wounds again," he pointed out. Ichigo sighed, letting his shoulders droop.

"I know…I gotta cool my head, right?" he muttered, feeling guilty for causing them trouble.

"It's better if you lie down for a bit longer," Hanataro suggested. "No-one will come after you here, so rest assured," he said, but Ichigo just scowled.

"I wonder what happened to him…Renji," he spoke up, still thinking of the man's desperate plea.

"With injuries like that, he'd be sent to emergency relief," Haruki answered him as he watched Ichigo's own injuries warily. "There are plenty more healers out there to help. We're just the 4th and 7th Seats," he explained.

"You're a 7th Seat?" they jumped when Kirara walked back in. She looked tired, and ignored Ichigo as she addressed her brother. She then gave a faint smile. "Impressive," she said, taking a seat on the ground nearby. "You going to do what they say, Ichigo?" Kirara asked, and he turned a scowl on her.

"Of course," he growled. "You don't have to pull that shit again," with a grumble, Ichigo lay back down, letting the two continue what they were doing. Kirara almost smirked to herself, but it died before it even fully appeared on her face. The Mask they had found with Ichigo was worrying, and she hoped they wouldn't see it again.

After getting a small rest while Hanataro and Haruki continued to look after Ichigo, Kirara found herself too restless to stay underground. After taking directions on the closest exit and promising she'd be back, Kirara emerged from the underground to give her lungs some fresh air.

Kirara perched herself up in a tree nearby, high enough that the leaves obscured her from anyone who might pass by. The sun had already risen, but she could feel an unease in the air that didn't just feel like her own.

"Something feels…wrong," she murmured to herself, closing her eyes and focusing. There was no sign of Yoruichi's presence, but that wasn't a shocking thing. The former Captain was talented in keeping herself hidden until the last second. Chad wasn't too hard to find in comparison, and neither were Orihime and Uryu, and Kirara found herself able to relax a little. All three seemed okay. Still scattered around the Seireitei, but unharmed from what she could tell.

Going to move from the tree, Kirara then paused as a thought came to her. "Nobody has even passed by this place," she peered out from the leaves towards the sky. It was well past dawn. Even with Ryoka running around, there should have been Shinigami out and about for the day. But the area felt almost…empty.

Making a note of where she was and where she could find the tunnel back to the others, Kirara closed her eyes and held out her hand. "Bakudo #26…Kyokkō," instantly the light began to warp around Kirara until she vanished from sight. As soon as it was secure around her, Kirara began to move, headed straight for the closest collection of Reiatsu that she could sense.

A strong ability in Kido had practically been a requirement to join the Onmitsukido, and Kirara had an average ability at best back then, yet Yoruichi had recruited her all the same. So she'd worked hard to improve herself, making sure that she wasn't holding anyone back. She wasn't insanely powerful like Yoruichi, but she had enough skill now to get by, even if she rarely had to use Kido.

It was yet another ability she rarely showed off in front of people. With her job in the Onmitsukido, the less people knew of her skills the better. Her Shunpo and Hakuda were one thing - people could know about that, but it was rare they could stand up to it. But if people didn't know her capabilities with Kido and Kaido, it meant they were unprepared if she had to play those cards.

Her Zanjutsu was still her weak spot, however.

"This is crazy," one Shinigami was shaking his head as Kirara landed lightly on a wall nearby and crouched down low. With her Kyokkō in place, none of them were aware of her presence, so they continued to talk as normal. "First the Ryoka, now this?" he looked like he was going to be sick.

'Seems that unease I felt was right. More is going on here than I realised,' Kirara thought as she listened carefully, hoping for some more information.

"I heard Lieutenant Abarai was arrested," Kirara frowned at the words. It seemed a bit cold to arrest a man who'd almost died fighting the Ryoka.

"Him too? Lieutenants Hinamori and Kira were also placed under arrest," another spoke, and Kirara almost laughed aloud. Not one, but three Lieutenants under arrest? It was insane.

"I heard Lieutenant Hinamori went ballistic. Tried to kill Captain Ichimaru," those words made Kirara go still. Hearing about the silver-haired man who had been complicit in the experiments a hundred years ago made her feel sick.

"I wonder if she picked up on the animosity between him and Captain Aizen," if hearing the name 'Captain Ichimaru' made Kirara feel sick, the name 'Captain Aizen' brought on fury so strong she was sure she would explode from it. Hearing Aizen's name was bad enough, but having the title in front of it brought out an anger so primal that Kirara had a hard time containing it.

"There was animosity?" the first Shinigami asked, and one of the others snorted.

"Of course. I've heard rumours that Captain Aizen wasn't happy with Captain Ichimaru's actions when the Ryoka showed up at the gate," Kirara arched her eyebrow at that, managing to quell her fury enough to take stock of what they were gossiping about. If people were commenting on that, then it was something that Aizen wanted them to see, and that made her very uncomfortable.

"Do you think that Captain Ichimaru could have done it?" one of the others asked. "Killed Captain Aizen this morning, I mean?" the fire of fury burning through Kirara vanished, and she felt nothing but numbness.

Aizen, dead? Impossible. Kirara's mind was a whirlwind of chaos as she tried to process what she'd just heard.

"No way. Even Captain Ichimaru isn't sadistic enough to skewer Captain Aizen to the wall with his own Zanpakuto like that. It's got to be the Ryoka," another said adamantly, convinced wholeheartedly that the invaders were the ones responsible.

Kirara had heard enough. Her blood was pounding in her ears, and she knew she had to get back to the others before Ichigo got too impatient. She darted back the way she came, mercifully remembering it easily enough, and dropped her cloaking Kido before vanishing back underground once more. Her heart hadn't stopped racing, and she was almost sick into the water that ran through the tunnels.

"Shit…what the hell is going on here?" she hissed.

Despite how exhausted and worn out he was, Haruki slept fitfully. Sleeping sitting up had never been something he was particularly good at, and sleeping underground in the sewer tunnels wasn't exactly a great place to try and improve that.

So when Ganju gave a horrified scream, his eyes instantly shot open and he prepared himself to fight whoever had found them. Instead, he found Ganju standing over Hanataro, who despite being flung away from the man, still slept deeply.

"Hanataro! What are you doing?!" Ganju screeched. "You fell asleep on my knee! How disgusting!" he then noticed the drool that stained his trousers. "My only good pair of pants is slimy with your drool! Bastard!" he roared as Hanataro continued to snore obliviously.

"Stop screaming. People might realise we're down here at the pitches you're reaching," Ganji looked at Haruki as he got to his feet, stifling his yawn.

"The kid's exhausted," both turned to Ichigo quickly. The young man looked back to normal, carrying his Zanpakuto over his shoulder. "Don't give him a hard time over drool," he scolded.

"Ichigo…are you alright now?" Ganju asked, forgetting his anger as he stared at Ichigo. It was difficult for him to believe this was the same person from the previous night.

"Yeah, thanks to Hanataro and Haruki," Ichigo glanced to Haruki, who just gave a nod in response. "Your aches and pains are gone too, right?" he then addressed Ganju. The man looked down at his arms, which had been covered in small wounds in his fight with Yumichika, and their escape from the rest of Squad 11.

"Now that you mention it…" Ganju muttered, surprised to find that he felt fine now.

"It looked like he was up treating your wounds early this morning, even though he was tired," Ichigo explained, having seen Hanataro hard at work while the others were resting up.

"I see…I guess he was helping me out before I even knew it," Ganju chuckled, impressed by Hanataro. Haruki smiled faintly.

"That's Hanataro for you. Never been able to rest until everyone has been looked after. That's part of the reason he's already a seated officer," Haruki explained.

"Where's Kirara?" Ichigo asked, noting that they were still one member of their group down. Haruki's smile vanished and he looked around. It hadn't even registered to him that she was still gone.

"She said she wanted to get some fresh air. She should be back by now," he said quietly, scanning the dark tunnels for any sign of her.

"You don't think she was caught, do you?" Ganju asked, suddenly nervous. Haruki shook his head quickly.

"Not a chance," he said, fully confident. "The only way Kirara would get caught is if she intended on it," he was so fervent that the two stared at him. Haruki instantly went red. "What?" he asked, more defensively than he intended.

"You really admire her," Ichigo commented, and Haruki shrugged, blushing harder. Ganju looked suspicious.

"Are you in love with her?" instantly Haruki's eyes went wide and he spluttered. Even Ichigo looked startled at the question.

"No!" he shrieked, louder than he meant to. "She was my teacher. I'm not in love with her. I just…I've admired her for a long time," Haruki sighed heavily, lowering his head. "From the first time I met her, I knew she was incredible. I was lucky enough that she agreed to teach me Hakuda and Shunpo, but I've never been able to come close to her level. Even now, I'm nowhere near as strong as her," he looked dejected, and Ichigo shot Ganju a glare as if to blame him.

"Hey, you're pretty good," Ganju stumbled over the words. "We didn't even see you till the last second when you attacked. If you'd gone for one of us, you'd have taken us out for sure," he said quickly. Ichigo shot him another glare, but this one was more insulted than anything. Haruki laughed quietly.

"Thanks, but you don't need to make me feel better," he told him, and Ganju sighed.

"He's right," they all jumped, shrieking in alarm. Kirara was kneeling beside Hanataro, checking on her sleeping brother. "You're the self-proclaimed Number One Shinigami Hater of West Rukon, remember?" she pointed out. Haruki shot Ganju a puzzled look as he puffed up his chest in indignation.

"Where have you been?" Ichigo asked, watching her carefully. Kirara was far too tense for someone who'd gone out for fresh air.

"Checking the situation. Things are only going to get harder from now on. The Captains will have gotten word that you've taken out a Lieutenant, and considering the location, we have to be prepared that at least one of them will be in the area waiting," she warned, still battling the nausea of hearing that Aizen was allegedly dead.

"You're serious about doing this, aren't you?" Ganju watched Ichigo when the young man turned away to glare at the water. He didn't reply. "I hope your heart is set on it," he warned. Kirara watched Ichigo just as carefully, having felt the moment that Ichigo had found his resolve.

"She's waiting," Ichigo finally spoke, closing his eyes. "I didn't come here to take a tour of the sewers, after all," he said. Ganju chuckled, and it brought a determined grin to Ichigo's face.

"Good," Kirara looked down and gently shook Hanataro until his eyes opened. "Sorry kid, that's all the rest we can afford for now. Come on," she said as he blinked up at her. A tired smile spread across his face.

"Kirara, you're still here," he said sleepily. She tilted her head. "I thought you'd left me again," his eyes then closed again as he drifted off again, and for a moment Kirara let him. Pain stabbed through her heart, and made it hard to breathe for a second, before she shook him again.

"Kid, wake up. It's time to go," her voice was harder this time as she ignored the looks from the other three.

"Wh-what?" Hanataro blinked rapidly, his previous comment seemingly forgotten as he was tugged to his feet.

"Let's go," Kirara said, not giving any room for discussion.

"Come on," Ganju patted Hanataro's shoulder roughly and led him along as Hanataro yawned widely. Ichigo followed, and Haruki gave Kirara a concerned look before starting to walk.

"You weren't lucky," Haruki paused when Kirara spoke suddenly. He turned to her, his hazel eyes wide. "It wasn't luck that made me agree to teach you," he stiffened as he realised she'd heard what he'd said.

"Then…why?" he asked, not understanding. Kirara gave a wry smile, and started walking.

"Because," she started as she passed him. "You have potential, and the courage to reach out towards that goal. I admired that," Haruki stared after her as she continued to walk without looking back.

"Kirara…" he breathed, before grinning and hurrying to catch up with her. "If you're not careful, I really will fall for you," he warned her, and Kirara glanced over her shoulder and smirked.

"Sorry kid. I told you, I don't date students, former or otherwise," she told him, and Haruki laughed as he remembered her comment from her first lesson. "Besides, I'm taken," that surprised Haruki enough to make him trip over his own feet and almost fall straight into the water.

"What?!" he screamed from the ground, but silence was Kirara's only answer.

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