Chapter 47: The Betrayal You Cannot See

"I can't let you do that," Kirara knew Satoru's voice well enough to know it was him emerging from the trees nearby. She hadn't sensed him until he'd spoken to reveal himself, but just hearing his voice was enough to dredge up memories of the past.

He had been someone she had trusted immensely, and for him to find her after other members of the Onmitsukido had gone after her had made Kirara's already frayed nerves completely fall apart. She had been trying to prepare herself to go after Aizen, when Satoru had appeared, and for a terrifying moment she had prepared herself to fight to the death with the man.

It had broken her heart. She cared for Satoru like an older brother. He had been the one who looked out for her in the Onmitsukido when she'd joined, and was the only person she could ever bring herself to rely on as she rose through the ranks. Hell, they'd saved each other countless times.

"No…" Kirara breathed, her mind a whirlwind as she tried to think of ways to stop Satoru without harming him. Then he'd smiled, but it wasn't the warm, kind smile she remembered from all those years ago. It was bland, as if just there for show. Something about it felt off.

"It's good to see you again, Kirara," he'd said, but even his words felt wrong. "But I'm afraid Captain Aizen does not want you interfering," Satoru's calm declaration made Kirara feel like her heart had stopped. "So, I'm here to stop you," he told her.

"Wh…" Kirara couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. It took everything she had to stay standing as Natsuki looked at her, and back at Satoru as she processed his words.

"Since when do the Onmitsukido follow his orders?" Natsuki demanded, incredulous. Satoru just looked at her with that bland smile, as if she didn't interest him in the slightest. The entire revelation was mind-blowing. Captain Aizen had been magnanimous and kind to everyone, never acting as if he was above everyone even when he'd become Captain. In the days after the disappearance of Kirara and the others, he'd even comforted her, telling her that it would get better.

"You're working with Aizen?" Kirara's words were barely above a whisper, but the heartbreak in them was like a roar to Natsuki. Not only did Kirara know the man blocking their path, but he had been someone she cared about. "But…why?" she demanded, desperately wishing that it wasn't true.

"Captain Aizen," Satoru's eyes had narrowed very slightly at Kirara's informality. The most emotion he'd shown so far. "Saved me a very long time ago. He showed me that despite this path I'm on, I can do greater things. Help him do greater things," he said firmly.

"You sound brainwashed," Natsuki growled. Again, he shot her a disinterested glance.

"I can't believe this," Kirara's hands were shaking, and she clenched them into tight fists as she stared at the man. "You've been helping him? How…" Kirara paused, and something in her gaze turned deadly. "How long?" the broken, breathless words were replaced by a firm voice filled with anger. Satoru met her gaze for a moment, before it wavered.

"I had no quarrel with you, Kirara. I never-"

"I asked you how long?!" Kirara's scream made Natsuki jump. Satoru steeled himself before he spoke.

"I was working with him back then, yes," Kirara felt that burning fury in her chest turn cold, but it burned just as strongly. She forced herself to stay still, to stop herself from launching herself at him. "I helped Captain Aizen by impersonating him. I didn't fully understand it myself, but everyone believed me to be him. Even you," Natsuki didn't know what he was talking about, but she could feel the anger radiating off Kirara. It made her already strange Reiatsu darker, leaking off her like a haze.

"The day I came back, when I went to Squad 5 to drop off paperwork. That was you, wasn't it?" Kirara realised. That day was burned into her memories, as if it had only been yesterday. Satoru nodded.

"I hadn't expected you to be back already. I'd hoped your injury would keep you on leave for even just a day longer," his words were mournful, as if he truly meant it. Kirara's eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you talking about?" the deadly calm was back in her voice. Satoru's gaze never left hers.

"I knew what Captain Aizen was planning, and I know you, Kirara. I had to stop you before you could get involved," he said. "I was the one who armed that dissenter and led his followers to you, in hopes that you would be injured. Of course, that wasn't enough to take you down, and somehow you were in good spirits even after killing him," Kirara didn't so much as flinch. "When that wasn't enough, I purposefully altered the findings of the investigation and cloaked that woman, paying her to make sure she injured you enough to put you on leave," Natsuki's hands flew to her mouth as things started to make sense to her. The corner of Satoru's mouth tugged up in a sad smile. "Surely you found it strange that so much of that mission went awry?" he asked simply.

"You bastard," Natsuki snarled. She wanted to beat the man within an inch of his life, and maybe more. But Kirara stood stock still, letting the man tell her everything, so Natsuki forced herself to stay still too.

"Perhaps, but it was to keep Kirara safe in the long run. I truly cared for you, Kirara. You were like a little sister, and I had to keep you safe," Satoru didn't sound apologetic in the slightest.

"Kuroro blamed himself for that mess. I almost died that day, and…" Kirara trailed off, touching the scar on the back of her hand. Both Satoru and Natsuki watched, not understanding as she brushed the scar with the tips of her fingers, before starting to laugh. There was no humour in it, only pain, as Kirara laughed and laughed.

"Kirara, I truly regret that you were involved in that night-" Satoru stopped when Kirara's laughter ended abruptly.

"You regret that I was involved?" there was no emotion in her words as she repeated them. Natsuki watched carefully. The Reiatsu was getting stronger. "Do you know what Aizen did to me that night? What he did to Kensei and Mashiro, to Hiyori?" Natsuki felt dread settle deep into her bones as Kirara took a step towards Satoru. "What he did to Hachi, Lisa and Love? To Rose? To Shinji?" Kirara's voice grew louder with each name she gave. She took another step towards him, and Satoru swallowed.

"I wasn't there, but I heard what happened," he said quietly, and Natsuki heard it this time. The fear in his voice. Whatever had happened, it scared him. She could only watch, still completely ignorant to whatever it was.

"Good," Kirara's response surprised them both. "I had hoped I'd get away without having to use this, but you're blocking my path to that psychopath, and I came back here for a damn reason. So congratulations, you get to witness first-hand what Aizen did to us," she said, and true panic bloomed in Satoru's eyes. "Natsuki," the blonde quirked her head as Kirara addressed her softly. "I'm sorry. Please, don't hate me."

Before Natsuki could ask what she meant, Kirara slowly raised her hand up over her face, and the dark Reiatsu around her began to come off her in waves. It gave Natsuki goosebumps, as a chill seemed to settle around the area. It reminded her of that strange Reiatsu she'd felt from the young man who'd been fighting Byakuya.

White fragments began to form where Kirara's fingers curled down, and slowly she dragged her hand down as the white assembled, slowly but surely covering Kirara's face. As it did, Natsuki felt bile rise up in her throat.

"That's…" she breathed, unable to stop staring at Kirara and the Mask she wore over her face. It was shaped like a fox's face with thick black lines around the eyes, and large ears, but there was no mistaking what it truly was, and what that strange darkness mixed with Kirara's Reiatsu was.

It was a Hollow.

Natsuki took a step back, and her legs failed her. She crashed to the ground, still staring in horror at Kirara. Golden eyes stared out from behind the Mask, fixed on Satoru. He'd gone deathly pale.

"This is what your precious Aizen did to me," when Kirara spoke, it came out as a warbling, warped voice that sent shivers down Natsuki's spine. She'd never felt fear like it, and for the first time, her fight or flight instincts had her telling her to run.

"What…what are you?" Satoru breathed, and Kirara lifted her head slightly higher.

"I'm a Vizard," she answered simply. "And you're going to regret betraying me," Kirara flickered out of sight, faster than before, and appeared behind Satoru almost immediately. He couldn't even turn in time before she'd kicked him hard, and he flew forwards to smash straight through a tree.

"Shit…" Satoru choked as he rolled over. He hadn't prepared for this. He hadn't expected Kirara to be so quick to fight him - he'd believed she'd fall apart and give him time to take her down long enough for Aizen to do whatever it was that he was doing.

"Correct answer," Kirara was in front of him again, grabbing him and hauling him to his feet. "You were my brother, Satoru. And you betrayed me for a maniac who toys with peoples lives," she threw him backwards, and Satoru hit a tree again. This time he stayed on his feet, and spat out a curse.

"I tried to protect you, Kirara!" he shouted, drawing his Zanpakuto. "I didn't want you mixed up in any of this. I wanted you safe!" Satoru launched at her and swung his Zanpakuto, forcing Kirara to dodge. "Captain Aizen isn't the villain, he's going to make the world better for everyone," he insisted.

"He isn't the villain?" Kirara repeated. "Look at me! He turned me into a monster just for his own sick experiments! How can you believe that he's not evil?" she demanded.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Satoru laughed quietly to himself. "Captain Aizen had hoped that you'd be more understanding, considering everything. I should have believed him after that night when he said you were hopeless. That your blood was too tainted by weakness now," Kirara had slowed, not understanding what he meant.

"My blood?" she asked, and Satoru leapt at her again. This time his Zanpakuto clashed against Natsuki's, which had returned to its sealed form when she'd pulled it free of the tree.

"I'm pretty sure we've heard enough of your bullshit by now," Natsuki told him as she shoved him backwards. He was surprised by how strong she was, and stumbled away from her. "And you," Natsuki turned to Kirara. "Idiot!" Kirara grunted when Natsuki's fist sunk into her stomach. She barely managed to stay on her feet. "We're going to have some serious words after this is over," she warned. "You tell me not to hate you. You're a damn idiot," Natsuki scoffed, turning back to Satoru. "Let's take this creep down and go stop Aizen already," she declared.

Kirara was silent for a moment, a hand to her stomach where Natsuki had punched her. She hadn't expected Natsuki to jump in and help, let alone shout at her. Knowing that she couldn't dwell on it, Kirara blinked back her tears.

"Right," she agreed. She was working on limited time. Her Mask wasn't infinite - she only had a little time left to take Satoru down.

"Damn you both," Satoru growled. "I won't let you pass!" he shouted, blocking Natsuki's strike before twisting to kick Kirara away. However, as he caught Kirara, Natsuki punched him hard across the face. Blood spurted from his nose, but he stayed standing. He retaliated with a punch of his own, and the fight continued two-on-one as Satoru held his ground as best he could.

His scream carried for some distance when Natsuki and Kirara landed a blow to his arm at the same time, snapping it with a loud, sickening sound. "I won't…let…Captain Aizen down," Satoru breathed heavily as his broken arm hung limply at his side, and he backed away from them.

"Probably not," Kirara nodded. "Because he won't be expecting you to stop us," Satoru frowned at her. "He'll expect you to slow us down, but Sosuke isn't crazy enough to think that you can actually stop us. And he definitely doesn't think you can sway us to his side with your crazy bullshit. But you've slowed us down, giving him time, so in a way, you've already succeeded," as Kirara spoke, Natsuki got behind him and cut down his back, making Satoru's eyes widen as his mouth opened in a silent cry of pain.

The man fell to his knees, his arm and back on fire from the pain that pulsed through him. It was over, and he knew it.

"Then I guess congratulations are in order. You did as Aizen wanted, but you still lost," Natsuki said as they stood over him. Satoru stared up at them, focused on the Mask that Kirara wore and the eerie golden eyes that held his gaze, before he smiled.

"No, I didn't," he said softly, and in a flash he'd drawn a knife from his sleeve and slashed his own throat.

"No!" Kirara screamed, her Mask vanishing as she fell to her knees beside him and put her hands over the bloody gash. She tried to put pressure on it as her hands lit up with Kaido in her desperate attempt to heal him as Natsuki stared. She hadn't expected him to take his own life. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he would do so, all in the name of Aizen.

Kirara didn't take her hands off Satoru, even as the blood ran past her fingers and he offered her a warm, kind smile, before his eyes closed and his chest stilled. "No…Satoru no!" she screamed, the tears rolling down her face and splashing down as she sobbed, unable to stop. Even though he'd betrayed her, even though he had chosen Aizen over everyone, it still hurt. It was like someone had stabbed her through the chest, and she couldn't make the tears stop.

The arms that wrapped around her only made her cry harder. Despite everything, Kirara clung to Natsuki like a lifeline, her sobs filled with her heartbreak that she hadn't been able to save the man who had been her brother in another life. "I'm sorry," Kirara cried. Natsuki didn't say anything, thinking it was aimed at Satoru. "Natsuki, I'm sorry…for everything," she jolted at the apology.

"What?" she relaxed her grip on Kirara, who lifted her head. Her eyes were red, and the tears hadn't stopped.

"I was never mad at you, I just told myself that I had to be," she admitted as she cried. "It was the only way I could survive being back here before I leave again. I had to blame you all, or it would just make things harder," Kirara confessed, unable to bear it any longer. She couldn't die, or let Natsuki die with her friend thinking that she hated her. "If I hadn't kept you at arms length, it would have made it so much harder to leave you, and I can't stay here. Not when they want me dead for what I am," Natsuki felt tears burn at her eyes, and she pulled Kirara into another tight hug.

"You idiot," Natsuki's voice broke as she started to cry too.

"If I hadn't, then Aizen might have thought I'd tell you everything. He might have killed you," Kirara continued to admit it. "It was easy enough to make it seem like Hanataro and Haruki were coerced, and abandoning them made it look like I didn't care. It was the only way…if Aizen knew why I was here, then…"

"I'm sorry too," Natsuki hugged her tighter as she spoke. "I shouldn't have pushed it, I shouldn't have tried to make you open up to me. You've never been the sort to share private information and I shouldn't have tried to-"

"That was for a reason!" Kirara pulled out of her grasp. "Natsuki, the Patrol Corps keep their identities secret so that they can do what they do without notice," she wiped the tears from her face, but they kept coming all the same. "As the Lieutenant of Squad 2, I was visible. Keeping secrets was the only way to stop people from learning what I was capable of and countering it," she said. Natsuki stared at her, silent.

A moment later, she burst out laughing.

"Of course it was. Hell, I'm an idiot," she managed to wipe her own tears away, and got to her feet. She then offered her hand, and Kirara stared at it like it was something foreign. "We still have something we need to do," Natsuki pointed out. Determination flashed across Kirara's face, and she grabbed Natsuki's hand. "Let's get that bastard," Natsuki grinned, hauling her to her feet.

"Right," Kirara growled, taking one last look at Satoru's still body before they moved.

Blood exploded up Renji's back, and for a moment the exhausted Shinigami on his knees just stayed there, frozen as Aizen now stood behind him. Then everything caught up, and he collapsed face down in the dirt, motionless.

Ichigo, who'd returned after hearing the message, also lay nearby, his blood soaking into the hard ground after almost being cut in half by the Captain. He was conscious, but couldn't move; forced to watch Aizen advancing on Rukia. The woman could only watch from where she knelt, too weakened from her time imprisoned to do anything.

Aizen held the terrified woman by the collar around her neck, finding that she'd gone limp from his crushing Reiatsu. It only made his smile widen, and his amusement grew when Ichigo started to move, yet Aizen sheathed his sword and left him to lie there.

Ichigo's eyes then widened, when Kirara appeared behind Aizen, swinging her leg straight down towards his head. "The same trick again, Kirara?" he didn't seem to turn, but the next thing Kirara knew, she was slammed down into the ground hard enough to break through it. "It didn't work the last time, what made you think you had the element of surprise on your side this time?" he asked as Kirara coughed violently, rolling onto her side.

"Bastard…" she managed to say, glaring up at him.

"Is that all you have to say, after all this time?" Aizen smiled down at her, still holding Rukia in his grasp. "It's been a long time, Kirara. I'm surprised to see that you're still alive," he told her. Kirara scoffed, pushing herself up to lean on her arms.

"No you're not. Otherwise you wouldn't have sent Satoru to delay me," she growled. Aizen chuckled.

"No, perhaps not," he allowed. "But is still a surprise to see you after all this time. I'm truly amazed that one of you failed experiments emerged from the shadows where you've been hiding to return here. I believed you'd be too focused on your own self-preservation," Aizen admitted as he looked down at her.

"I told you before. I live to prove you wrong," she told him, reminded of the last time she'd said those words to him. When they'd been in a similar position.

"I suppose you did," Aizen allowed. "It's too bad that it's never been with anything substantial," he taunted, and Kirara's eyebrows narrowed. She pushed herself back to her feet, and Aizen watched with that same smile that had haunted her for a hundred years.

"I won't let you win this time, Aizen," Kirara drew her Zanpakuto, and a flicker of amusement flashed in his face.

"Oh?" he tilted his head just a little.

"Bounce, Tsuki no Usagi!" Natsuki's voice carried as she swung her Zanpakuto at Aizen. He didn't look at the blonde coming up behind him with her pure white claymore, swinging down at the arm that held Rukia's limp body up. In the blink of an eye, her Zanpakuto was impaled in the ground a short distance away, and Natsuki was falling backwards, her blood streaming through the air from the deep cuts across her chest and back.

I didn't plan on it taking that route, but I don't think it could have gone any differently. And now we're onto the showdown with Aizen at last!

And we finally know Kirara's Mask. This was one big change I made from the original version, as I felt a Fox style Mask suits Kirara and her personality a lot more.

Hope you liked it!

Please review!