Chapter 57: His Only Option

An uneasiness had settled on Hibiki when she'd watched Kirara flee with a confident smirk on her face. She'd leapt out the window, pursued by three people Hibiki had never seen before, yet they wore the same uniform as her. Thoughts of that had already made it hard for her to try and sleep that night, but then she'd felt something strange scattered across town that made it downright impossible.

Whatever had happened, it had been bad, and that scared Hibiki into hiding where she was, praying that she would be left alone. Mercifully, the dark feeling had vanished, but she hadn't managed to get any sleep even after that.

So now she sat in class, her eyes heavy while exhaustion made her sluggish, and class had only just started.

"My, my…so many are absent today," Hibiki lifted her tired eyes to survey the class, and was surprised to see several empty seats. "Ishida, Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Sado and Yamada," Ms. Ochi noted as she looked around the classroom. "Not these guys again. What are they up to lately?" she complained.

'Kuchiki only came back yesterday…and somehow we'd forgotten about her until now,' Hibiki rubbed her eyes and stifled her yawn. 'And Kirara…' she looked over at Kirara's empty seat. Some of her things were still there; some of them had considered bringing her things to her after she'd run off, before realising that none of them knew where she lived, and she wasn't answering her phone.

Hibiki looked over at Orihime, who was in much better shape than she had been the previous day. In fact, it didn't look like there was a scratch on her. It made Hibiki's eyebrows furrow, before she saw the sad look on her face.

"Well, I'm sure Kurosaki and the others won't do anything wrong. I'll let them go," Ms. Ochi's confident dismissal had most of the class complaining as Keigo leapt up.

"What do you mean by that?!" he demanded as others shouted at the unfair treatment. Hibiki slid down in her seat, her stomach churning.

'What the hell is going on?' she wondered.

Hibiki wasn't the only one who was exhausted. Haruki wasn't even sure why he had to actually attend school, especially since Ichigo hadn't shown up. Not that he really blamed him after the disaster of the night.

Several Arrancar had shown up, causing trouble all around town. Obeying Captain Hitsugaya's commands, Haruki had stayed on the sidelines and instead provided medical support - the reason he had been tasked with going to Karakura Town with the others.

Haruki leaned against the wall of the school building, having gone outside for air at lunchtime. He looked up at the sky, thinking not only of how much trouble the Gillian-level Arrancar had given them, but of Kirara.

"Why were you here?" he murmured, not understanding why she had been there.

"Kirara?" Orihime had repeated the name in surprise when Hitsugaya had asked her about her. "What about her?" she asked, not understanding why they were asking about her.

"It's safe to say that you know she isn't a regular student, since she accompanied you to the Soul Society," Hitsugaya started, and Orihime nodded. "What do you know of her?" he asked. The girl had given a sad smile, looking away.

"Not much really, to be honest," she admitted, and Haruki wasn't too surprised. Kirara had always played her cards close to her chest. Even after spending days together trying to save Rukia, he didn't know anything. "She joined our class months ago, but we didn't know she was different until she joined us to save Rukia," Orihime explained. "She never told us anything about who she is," she said, her smile still sad.

Haruki couldn't help but empathise with Orihime. It had been hard for him to accept that she wasn't the same as she had been a hundred years ago. He knew there were more important things at stake, and this wasn't the reason why they were even in the World of the Living, but Kirara had saved his life. He just wanted to be able to repay her.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up quickly, and paused as he saw the girl who had been with Kirara the previous day. She looked just as started to see him, staring with large green eyes at him. Then she seemed to steel herself, standing taller.

"What did you do to her?" she demanded, but her words quivered a little. Haruki almost smiled, sensing a similarity to himself. She was quiet and nervous, but was willing to stand up to him, even despite the scars on his face that had deterred others.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, still leaning against the wall.

"I'm talking about Kirara. What did you do to her?" the girl demanded, still scared but refusing to back down. She looked exhausted, and Haruki wondered if she had sensed the chaos of the previous night.

"I didn't do anything to her," Haruki answered, and his twisted smile took some of the fight from her. "That would mean I caught her, and that's never going to happen," he looked up at the sky again. "But she won't come back. At least, not until we're gone," Haruki told her.

"Who are you? What do you want from Kirara?" she took a step towards him, but stopped when he looked at her again. Haruki studied her a bit more carefully, sensing more than just a timid personality behind her nerves.

"I could ask you the same," Haruki said softly, before smiling and pushing off the wall.

"She's my friend," the girl bit, and for a moment Haruki could have sworn he felt her Reiatsu grow stronger.

"Good," she was surprised by his answer. "For what it's worth, we're not here for her. She won't show her face around us again, and we won't go after her. There are more important things going on, and I think you can tell," there was a sharpness to Haruki's hazel eyes that stopped her from speaking. "So please be careful. Both of Kirara and everything else," with that, he walked past her.

"Be careful of Kirara?" Hibiki repeated as she watched the stranger walking away. He didn't reply, but gave a light wave over his shoulder that reminded her far too much of Kirara. "What the heck…" she murmured, putting a hand to her chest as her heart continued to race.

Once again, she was left with more questions than answers, yet she couldn't help but feel reassured that Kirara was okay. Rubbing her eyes, Hibiki turned as she reluctantly made her way back to class.

"Hey, Hirako," Kirara's soft call made the man open his eyes and look up. She'd been reading the book she'd taken from the Soul Society, and he had joined for a while before succumbing to the lull of sleep as his music played from the old player across the room. "Look at this," she passed him the book, and Shinji hummed as he read it.

"She married a healer, huh?" he said as he scanned the inky writing on the pages.

"Seems his influence was stronger than hers," Kirara considered, her hand drifting to run through his hair. From what little she did remember, her father had been a talented healer as well, working in the Rukon. "Both of my brothers are much more talented in Kaido than I am," she added, thinking of the two. 'I never did get an answer on where Seinosuke went. Damn,' she realised.

"Wonder if you'd have ended up there if Yoruichi didn't get her claws into you first," Shinji looked up at her. Kirara scoffed, and he grinned.

"If I wanted to embarrass myself and stay unseated forever, yeah," she told him, still fussing with his hair. When Shinji hummed again, Kirara tilted her head. He flicked through a few pages, before turning back. "What is it?" Kirara asked, wondering what he'd noticed. It was part of the reason she'd asked him to look through it with her - he was a lot sharper than she was.

"Princess, I think you might be the first girl in that bizarre lineage of yours," Shinji considered, handing the book back to her as she frowned. Kirara flicked through the book quickly, but not before hitting him lightly on the forehead with it for the nickname.

"Huh…" Kirara murmured as she realised he was right. There was a vague, mostly blank family tree, and it noted a few names, all male with varying surnames as time went on. "I guess I am special," she grinned, and Shinji reached up to flick her nose.

"I could have told you that, Princess," he said, and flinched when she hit him with the book again. She didn't bother scolding him past that, as she instead set it down beside her and continued running her hand through his hair. "If you keep that up, I'm gonna fall asleep," Shinji warned, his eyes already closed and his voice soft.

"Again," Kirara supplied, but she didn't stop. Despite what she'd just read about her ancestor, she couldn't help but feel relaxed, surrounded by his presence as he let his Reiatsu flow more openly than usual. While it was a weight, it was a comforting weight, and if she wasn't careful, she would fall asleep too.

Finally, Kirara reluctantly stopped what she was doing, and laughed a little at the sound of discontent Shinji gave. He sat up, still grumbling, and Kirara laughed again. "You're so demanding," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek before getting up and stretching lightly.

"Can you blame me?" as Kirara fixed the soft blue flannel shirt she wore, Shinji came up behind her and pulled her into him to lean down and kiss her neck. A shiver instantly rushed through her. For a moment, she let him tease her, before she managed to get the air into her lungs and pulled away quickly.

"Don't start. You know he's on his way," Kirara warned, opening the door before Shinji could stop her.

"Can sense that idiot a mile away, it's so annoying," he complained, following her out. However, before Kirara had even made it a few steps, he caught her and pulled her into him again. "Later, though," he hissed a promise in her ear and made Kirara jolt.

"You're such a prick," she pushed him away, flustered by his teasing. Shinji just grinned, enjoying messing with her. Kirara rushed off quickly to escape, and he continued at a leisurely pace, smirking the whole time.

Approaching the warehouse slowly, Ichigo took a look around. It was massive in comparison to the other buildings around, looking like it should have been condemned and knocked down years ago. Yet here it still stood, and even he could sense the power inside. There was a sort of Shinigami feel to the multiple presences within, along with something else - something that made the darkness inside of him respond in kind.

So despite the other part of him warring against the idea, he continued to walk forwards, stepping into the shadowed building. As he crossed the threshold, the metal door began to descend, creaking loudly before hitting the ground loudly and plunging Ichigo into semi-darkness.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust, and he slowly lifted his gaze to the remnants of the higher floors that had crumbled and collapsed.

"I'm surprised you knew where we were, Ichigo," Shinji's voice called down to him. Ichigo took note of how many were around - on the lowest of the floors was a blonde girl in a red tracksuit watching him with an unimpressed look, and a well-built man with silver hair and a myriad of piercings.

On the highest floor stood a man in a green tracksuit with his hair shaped into a star and sunglasses hiding his face, along with a young woman with lime-green hair and a white and orange bodysuit, but it was the massive man between them with pink hair and a pale green suit that earned his attention most of all.

The middle floor was where the only two people he recognised were. Along with a woman in a sailor fuku that seemed too small for her, and the man with curly blonde hair, stood Shinji with his hands shoved in his pockets as he smirked down, and Kirara, who was sitting on the edge with her legs swinging idly.

Kirara had a look of indifference on her face, giving nothing away about his arrival, and Ichigo only briefly looked at her before turning back to Shinji. "That face looks like you've finally decided to become one of us," Shinji called down to him when Ichigo didn't say anything. "You're so bad at detecting Reiatsu that I'm surprised you found this place," he taunted.

Ichigo just held his gaze steadily with his trademark scowl on his face. Kirara would have almost been impressed at Ichigo walking in so confidently when he knew what they were, if she couldn't see the fear behind his scowl. Not fear of them; fear of himself and what was happening.

Shinji kept talking when Ichigo didn't say anything. "Well, I figured you'd come, so I released a whole lot of Reiatsu to make it easier for you to find us," he explained. He'd seen first-hand how terrible Ichigo was at detecting anything; it had taken him far too long to notice Grand Fisher, and even longer to sense the additional presence. "Say, Ichigo, your coming here means that you've decided to join us, right?" Shinji asked him. The young man hadn't moved from where he stood, but at the question, his fear vanished and his scowl deepened.

"Nope!" the declaration surprised Shinji, and Kirara's look of indifference broke as her mouth tugged up into a pleased grin. "Me, join you? Don't kid yourself!" Ichigo shouted. The others watched silently, taking stock of the young man in front of them for the first time. They'd heard plenty about him, but for all of them other than Kensei and Love, they hadn't even seen him before. "I'm just here to take advantage of you," he said firmly. Kirara leaned forwards as her grin widened.

"What?" Shinji murmured as he watched the confident smile on Ichigo's face grow.

"I won't join you guys, but I want you to show me how to suppress the Hollow inside me!" Ichigo declared firmly.

"You sure take us lightly," Shinji spoke with less taunting now. Ichigo didn't miss how pleased Kirara was with his answer, as if she'd hoped that he would come out with something like it, but he didn't acknowledge her. "As if I'd teach you, idiot!" Shinji scoffed, and Ichigo's hand twitched.

"I'll get it outta you," the young man vowed.

"How?" all amusement lost, Shinji watched as Ichigo's body language shifted.

"By force!" the orange-haired teen declared as he kept that confident smile on his face. Again, his hand twitched, inching towards the badge swinging from his belt.

"Don't make me laugh," Shinji dismissed the threat, and Ichigo grabbed the Combat Pass to press it to his chest. They watched as his Soul separated from his body, clad in his black Shinigami robes with a massive Zanpakuto on his back that was entirely wrapped in white bandages. He then launched himself straight towards Shinji, who rolled his eyes and moved to meet him.

However, the moment that Shinji started to move, his felt a hand gently but forcefully push him back, before Kirara materialised in front of Ichigo. The young man's eyes widened, and his surprise left him unable to defend from her kick. It caught him in the ribs, causing pain to blossom through his chest.

There was a loud crash as Ichigo slammed into the rubble on the ground floor, and he coughed violently as Kirara landed lightly in front of him.

"Kir…Kirara…" Ichigo growled, glaring up at her. Kirara didn't reply to him, turning just a little.

"I've got this," she said, looking up. Shinji watched her for a moment, before shrugging.

"Do what you want," he told her.

"You're such a pushover when it comes to Kirara," Lisa rolled her eyes, and earned a glare. Kirara ignored her and turned back to Ichigo, who was still coughing as he tried to get back to his feet.

"What's the matter, Ichigo?" she asked, tilting her head at his sluggish movements. "A second ago you were all fire. What happened to getting the answer by force?" Kirara challenged him. The pleased smile she'd had moments before was gone, replaced by a calm, indifferent look that only annoyed him.

"Shut up," Ichigo snapped, finally back on his feet.

"Come on then, fight me!" Kirara challenged. "Beat the answer out of me," she goaded. With a snarl, Ichigo rushed her, but Kirara used Shunpo to dart behind him. Her speed caught him off guard, and Ichigo's punch sailed through the air. "One word of advice. Use your Zanpakuto. If you don't, this won't last five minutes," she warned, and Ichigo growled. He turned sharply and swung his Zanpakuto at her, but she leapt over it and landed a few feet away.

"Damn you," Ichigo gave chase, but Kirara easily got past his defences to punch him across the face. He staggered, and she rolled her eyes.

"Why are you holding back? I saw you take out far stronger enemies in the Soul Society. This shouldn't be any trouble for you!" Kirara shouted, growing annoyed by his slow, weak movements. There was another rumble as she kicked him across the warehouse floor, causing him to hit a pillar and crack it.

Ichigo lifted his head and glared at Kirara again. Her speed was insane, reminding him a lot of Yoruichi, and she wasn't pulling her punches. He hadn't wanted to use his Zanpakuto against her for two reasons - one being that she wasn't using her own, and the other being that he still saw her as a comrade. She'd broken into the Soul Society with him to save Rukia. She might have had her own reasons for doing so, but he knew that she was putting her own life on the line to do so.

But if he wanted to beat the answer out of them, he had to stand up to her.

This time, when Kirara's foot came down in a powerful kick, he blocked it with his Zanpakuto and caused a small shockwave that blew back some debris from around them. A faint smile tugged at Kirara's mouth. "About damn time," she said. Her satisfaction only annoyed him more.

"Shut up, Kirara!" Ichigo shoved her away, and Kirara landed easily a short distance away. He held his Zanpakuto in both hands, pointed at her. "I'm going to get the answer out of you," he promised.

"Then you have to use more power," her simple response made Ichigo tense. Kirara's eyes glittered in understanding. "It's not that hard, is it? Use more power, and maybe you'll stand a chance of beating me," she offered.

"I said shut up!" Ichigo roared as he launched himself towards her once again. Kirara rolled her eyes, and before he realised it, she was directly in front of him with her hand on his chest.

"What's the problem?" she asked softly as he stared down, eyes wide. "Scared?" she then shoved with enough force that he tripped over his own feet. Ichigo crashed to the ground. "Like it or not, we're your only option. Either you start putting in some effort, even if it means letting your Inner-Hollow loose," Kirara warned.

"You're insane," Ichigo hissed at her. Again, that mocking tilt of her head that annoyed him.

"Well, yeah," Kirara said simply. "You know what the alternative is here, Ichigo. So fight like you mean it!" she shouted. Ichigo pushed himself up, wincing in pain, and gripped his Zanpakuto tighter as his heart raced. He refused to do what she said.

Kirara studied Ichigo in his hesitation. He was a shadow of the person she had seen in the Soul Society, fighting with everything he had to save Rukia. Now he was holding back to stop his Hollow from surfacing, and was still looking at her with a look that reminded her of when she had first tried to talk to him about what was happening.

Closing her eyes, Kirara lowered her head and gave a loud, tired sigh. "Fine," for just a moment, Ichigo thought that she was stopping what she was doing. "Hachi!" she called out suddenly, and he frowned.

"Yes, Kirara?" the massive man in the pale green suit called down from where he watched.

"I'm assuming you put up a barrier when we started fighting?" she asked. Ichigo's eyes flashed in surprise at her question.

"Of course," Hachi confirmed.

"Can you add another, please? Maybe a few layers, to be safe," Kirara's request was oddly polite, and Ichigo watched her as he wondered just what she was thinking.

"As you wish," Hachi agreed, but there was a weariness in his voice that told Ichigo that he knew exactly what Kirara was thinking. The woman hadn't taken her sharp eyes off him, and it wasn't the first time that Ichigo marvelled at how she and Hanataro looked so similar, yet so different at the same time.

"Thanks, Hachi," Kirara said softly as the man put his hands together and formed an even stronger barrier. "Ichigo, you know the reason why you came here today. You claim you would force us to teach you, but you won't even put in the effort to do that. You need to understand that it's not that damn easy to control your Hollow!" at her shout, Kirara's Reiatsu started to rise steadily, taking on that darker feeling.

Ichigo could only stare, his body locked into place as he watched Kirara raise her hand and rip through the air over her face, summoning a Hollow Mask that fit perfectly. The fox-styled Mask was haunting, and her eyes turned golden underneath it.

'She really is one of them,' Ichigo thought to himself, feeling sick at the sight. He'd tried to ignore the thought at first, even after she showed her alliance to Shinji, but now he had no choice but to accept what he saw in front of him.

Like him, Kirara had an Inner-Hollow. Unlike him, she knew how to not only control it, but use its power.

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