Chapter 64: Implications

A rumbling crash could be heard - and felt - across the underground training area, and for once it wasn't Ichigo who was briefly buried under the rocks of the large, shattered rock formation. Instead, Kensei managed to force himself out before the rocks could settle, wincing a little.

"You alright?" Kirara's call came from above as Kensei emerged, dust and dirt clinging to him. His ribs protested at the movement, but he ignored that pain as it mixed with the strange burn on his arm.

"Don't be worrying about me now, Kirara," he replied, finally lifting his gaze to the woman in the air above him. The shadows of her Shunko swirled steadily in an improvement to when she had first shown him the ability. Now they moved around her legs too, looking like living shadows that swirled, rising and falling around her, and when they made contact with his skin, it burned cold.

"So tough," Kirara drawled, teasing as always. Kensei's eyes narrowed, but for once he didn't rise to her bait. Instead he launched himself up, moving with enough power that it broke up the ground under his feet, and he threw a punch at Kirara. For a moment, it looked and felt like he had made contact with her stomach, before the illusion vanished and Kirara's kick in response caught his lower back.

Kensei bit back his curse at the pain that erupted where she had landed a blow, fighting the creeping cold that came with the shadows that Kirara wielded. He didn't know exactly how or what she was doing, but it was getting more effective the more they trained.

Growling under his breath, the man whirled around and caught Kirara's next kick. Her eyes widened just a fraction in surprise, and he gave a feral smirk in response.

"Seems all this training is paying off for both of us," he told her, which made Kirara's grin return even as he held her at his mercy. Kensei was getting faster the more they sparred, which was a little worrying for the woman whose speed was the main reason she could hold her own against him. But at the same time, it made her look forward to the future.

"Seems so," she said softly, and Kensei's eyes went wide as the shadows moved from her leg and crawled across his hand, forcing him to let go as coldness seeped in. He quickly shook out his hand as Kirara leapt back, looking pleased with herself. "The more I fight against you, the more I can control these shadows. Comes in handy if I'm caught," Kirara told him with that pleased grin.

"Brat," Kensei fired back, but it was half-hearted. Even he couldn't completely hide how impressed he was with her unusual abilities that she'd first learned from Yoruichi. Kirara had explained that despite Yoruichi knowing Shunko and undoubtedly being a lot more knowledgeable about it, their personalities and overall power gave them different elements - Yoruichi manipulated lightning while Kirara controlled shadows. Because of this, it was unlikely that her former Captain could help much in honing Shunko. Kirara had to make it her own.

For a moment, Kensei was tempted to resume their fight. It never sat right with him when Kirara managed to best him. But instead, he checked his watch, and dropped his stance. "We're done for today," he decided, dropping back down to the ground.

"Thanks again, Kensei," Kirara landed nearby as the shadows vanished from around her, and she shook out her arms as the cold sensation faded. She still wasn't entirely used to how it felt, and it always left her tingling.

"Whatever. Don't be late for dinner," Kensei shrugged, walking away. Kirara rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head as she lifted her hoody and pulled it back on over her shirt.

Kirara was worn out from her training, which had progressed at a steady rate. A month had passed since Ichigo had started training with the Vizards, and time seemed to fly for Kirara as she bounced between helping to train Ichigo on his reactions, and working on her own training.

She could at least maintain her Shunko for a short while without it taking up her entire focus, and she'd managed to manipulate the shadows so they covered her legs now too. And since it was Kensei she was training with, she was slowly getting used to taking heavy hits and keep going.

"Done with your mysterious training already?" Shinji spoke softly, his focus on Ichigo. As usual, Hiyori was throwing the young man around.

"Kensei's on dinner duty this week, remember?" Kirara answered as she took a seat beside him. Her body protested the movements, but she ignored it. "How's Ichigo doing?" she asked. As if on cue, he went flying past with a yell. Hiyori followed, snarling as she did.

"Great," Shinji's answer was dripping with sarcasm, and Kirara giggled.

"We'll do more Shikai practice after dinner, yeah?" she asked as she looked up at Shinji. He looked as bored as ever, but his eyes were sharp as he watched Ichigo.

Their own training had continued over the course of the month as well, with Kirara determined to get the hang of his Shikai while expanding on her own capabilities. She still hadn't won against him, but she refused to give up.

"The dumb baldy showed you his Shikai?" Hiyori's voice was stunned when Kirara had mentioned it to her while they drank one night not long after they had started Shikai practice. The others had gone off to bed, leaving the two to chat, and Kirara had mentioned their training.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, not understanding why Hiyori looked so shocked. Her usual scowl was gone as she started. "I figured you knew what it was already," Kirara said, crushing her now empty beer can before opening another. She knew other than herself, Hiyori was closest to Shinji, even if they fought almost as much as Kirara and he used to.

"Well, yeah, I know what it does," Hiyori shrugged as she took a swig of her own, grimacing at the taste. She still wasn't a big fan of Japanese beer. "But he's never shown me it. Never showed anyone, far as I can tell," Kirara's eyebrows rose at Hiyori's words, and she wasn't quite sure how to respond. Not to Hiyori, and not to the strange feeling in her chest.

"If you're so determined to lose again so soon," he replied, and Kirara bit back a curse as he poked the bruise on her cheek without looking away from Ichigo. "If you keep watching me, Princess, you're gonna embarrass me," Shinji told her, not missing the blush that filled Kirara's face. He then grunted when her elbow dug into his side.

"Stop calling me that," Kirara warned in a huff.

"Brat."

"Prick."

The two fired at each other quietly, before a smile returned to Kirara's face, despite her trying to fight it. She chose to stay quiet, shuffling closer to press against his side as she pulled her knees against her chest and watched Ichigo trying to stand up to Hiyori. She still hadn't quite addressed what the short blonde woman had told her.

Choosing to push the thought from her mind, Kirara instead tried to focus on Ichigo. In the month he had been with them, the other Shinigami had remained around town. Kirara had even felt Hanataro's presence, but forced herself to stay away, for both their sakes. She had pushed it when she'd approached Haruki, she refused to risk going near the Shinigami again.

On top of that risk, Kirara didn't want to hurt her brother even further by showing up and vanishing once again, like she had done in the Soul Society. She wondered about how he'd reacted, and how he would react if he saw her again.

The pressure to her right pulled her from her thoughts as Shinji leaned against her just a little more, pressing into her side. Kirara blinked rapidly, looking up.

"You're thinking too loud again," he told her.

"Just because I think more than you, doesn't mean I'm thinking loudly," Kirara rolled her eyes, and was rewarded by the twitch of his eyebrow.

"You're real bratty today," Shinji finally turned to look at her. "I don't think I like you hanging out with Kensei," he told her, sounding more serious than he was. However, it just brought a smirk to Kirara's face in a beat.

"Jealous?" she teased, and instantly he shoved her away. Kirara started to laugh; it might have been a few weeks since she had found out that he had once thought she and Rose were a couple, but she was still tormenting him for it. "Aw, don't worry," Kirara continued as she recovered and leaned into him again. Her head rested on his shoulder. "You're the one I care about," her words were soft, barely heard. Shinji sniffed, but leaned his head against hers.

"You're still gonna have to make up for all those comments, you know," he muttered, making her giggle.

"You could have gotten me to stop weeks ago. You know I honour our challenges," Kirara pointed out, her hand finding his.

"I'm happy with the prize I pick, Princess," Shinji retorted. She almost rolled her eyes in response - why he always picked the same thing, she had no idea. She didn't mind, though.

As Ichigo continued his training nearby, Kirara pulled the book from her hoodie pocket and flicked through it to where she had last left off. It seemed small, but it was dense, and Kirara had reread over certain parts several times until she understood at least some of it.

Kirara's eyebrows furrowed as she read, finding the handwriting that was scrawled on the paper familiar. 'Captain Saito's berserker trait does not appear to have been inherited by any of her descendants. Perhaps because their talents lean more towards healing than killing. All but one, but she seems wholly unaware of her lineage. Perhaps it was by intent that the Saito name was buried and only this book remains with the whole story,' Kirara found herself with even more questions.

"Berserker trait…" she spoke aloud. Humming, Shinji tore his attention away from Ichigo and looked at the book. Instantly he went still. "'She seems wholly unaware of her lineage'...is this talking about me?" Kirara wondered, more to herself than anything.

"Pretty sure, Princess," the anger in Shinji's voice was mostly stifled, but enough slipped out that Kirara noticed and lifted her head. His gaze was on the page she had just read, and suddenly Kirara realised why she found the writing so familiar.

"He got his hands on this first, huh?" suddenly, Kirara felt the desire to set the book on fire.

The jerk pulled Kirara from a rare dreamless sleep, and her eyes slowly opened to the darkness of night for her to slowly adjust. For a moment, she didn't move as she heard the frustrated sigh beside her, as Shinji sat up and ran a hand down his face. It was a rare sight, and Kirara felt her chest hurt as she pushed herself up and pulled him into her arms.

"Sorry for waking you," he muttered quietly, only for Kirara to shush him.

"Why do you get to apologise and not me? That's double standards, you dummy," she scolded him gently. Shinji huffed, and twisted in her grip to nuzzle into her neck.

"Calling me that is gonna hurt my feelings," he said, somehow curling around her smaller form. Rolling her eyes, Kirara pushed him down, keeping her arms around him as he kept his face hidden. It was rare to see him so vulnerable, but she refused to let him hide it.

"Shinji," she addressed him softly, her hand running through his hair.

"I'm fine, just…" Shinji didn't lift his head. "I just need a minute," he muttered, taking a breath as he tried to force the contents of his nightmare from his mind. With their roles reversed, Kirara's chest hurt again and she tightened her grip on him.

"I'm here," she whispered, and heard his next breath turn ragged.

"Always five steps ahead," Shinji murmured, pulling Kirara from her thoughts. She shut the book with a snap, twisting to angle herself towards the man. She caught his shirt to pull him down into a kiss. It was short but heated, and when Kirara pulled away, Shinji blinked several times before a faint grin returned to his face. "If I knew that's all it took to get you to kiss me like that, I'd have avoided you less," he teased.

This time, Kirara shoved him.

"Not funny," she said, but Shinji just leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Kirara huffed, and looked at the book lying on the ground beside her. "It mentioned a berserker trait. I think that's what happens to me when I get hurt, or when others are in danger," she murmured, trying not to think about the comment about her being more talented at killing than healing. She didn't need that in her head right now.

"So it's not something you should be actively trying to achieve," Shinji said, making her tilt her head. "I ain't going to sit around and let you get yourself beat up, Princess," he warned, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"If you're not careful, the others really are going to get sick of us," she whispered, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Let them," he smirked at her. Their moment was interrupted when Ichigo went sailing past them once again with a yell, and Shinji sighed as Kirara giggled.

"Wake up, you bastard!" Hiyori's yells could, as usual, be heard across the area. "How many times do you think you died just now? Let me guess, you think that Shinigami get to keep dying, don't you?" she goaded as Ichigo glared up at her from where he lay amongst the rubble. "Well they don't, baldy!" she shouted.

"It's always fun listening to what creative insults Hiyori comes up with in the moment," Kirara commented. Shinji glanced at her.

"Yeah, because they're never aimed at you," he said. Kirara snorted.

"Of course they are. You should hear what she comes up with when we spar. Some of my favourite insults have come from when I'm dodging her attacks," she smirked.

The metallic clanking of a ladle against a frying pan managed to somehow be heard over the din of Hiyori's yells. Everyone looked over to see Kensei standing with the frying pan in the air, wearing an apron.

"Food's ready! Get your asses over here!" he yelled. "Last one has to wash the dishes!" he warned.

"Finally," Kirara got to her feet as her stomach growled. "I'm starving," she complained.

"You're always starving," Shinji retorted as he got up too, ruffling her hair before leaping past her. She gave a shout and followed, not wanting to be the last one there.

Scrubbing the pans like he had a vendetta against them, Ichigo purposefully tried to ignore the group sitting around him. They were all relaxing, letting their dinner go down before training resumed for the evening.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he tried to scrape away a particularly stubborn spot, remaining entirely aware of someone's attention focused solely on him. Finally, he wasn't able to take it anymore, and he lifted his angry gaze to lock onto Kirara's. She was sitting nearby, watching him with a feline smirk that Ichigo knew well enough by now. She was in the mood to torment, and it seemed he was her target.

"Stop it," he growled, which was the wrong thing to do. Kirara's smirk widened.

"Stop what?" she asked, tilting her head. Her innocent attitude only annoyed Ichigo more, and he went back to scrubbing the pan.

"Stop staring at me," he growled.

"You're as easy to bait as Kensei," Lisa's blunt response earned her a glare too. Kirara laughed, having to agree with Lisa. It was far too easy to wind up the young man.

"I see you didn't burn enough energy before dinner," Love spoke up, taking Kirara's focus off Ichigo. "How about a match?" he challenged. Kirara's eyes gleamed at his offer, but she shook her head.

"Can't. Already told Shinji I'd train with him," she said. Hiyori snorted, and Kirara shot her a warning look, still not ready to address what they had talked about before.

"So, Hiyori?" Shinji spoke up, not seeming to notice the interaction between the pair. Is Ichigo making progress in maintaining his Hollowfication?" he asked the short woman.

"Weren't you watching?" Hiyori scoffed, glancing at Ichigo. Having returned to his body after training, he went back to ignoring them, annoyed that once again he was stuck on dishes duty. "Not at all!" she exclaimed. Kirara tilted her head. "Right now, it's just a little over ten seconds. He's worthless! That baldy's not worth talking about!" her insults were loud, only making Ichigo's anger grow.

"His reaction times have improved a little bit," Kirara spoke up, having been continuing her own training with Ichigo when Hiyori wanted a break. "Not as much as I wanted, though," she added. He still hadn't even come close to catching her.

"Maybe he doesn't have any talent," Lisa suggested, watching as his temper visibly started to reach breaking point. "Give up already!" she barked.

"Shut up, pervert!" Ichigo snapped at her, holding a plate so tightly it threatened to crack. "I don't have to take that from someone who's not helping with my training!" he shouted angrily.

"I am helping you, stupid!" Lisa argued, arms folded as she looked offended. "Did you forget that I secretly lent you some of my porn?!" she asked him. Instantly Ichigo's face lit up bright red.

"Damn, Ichigo. I didn't realise that you were such a pervert," Kirara smirked. "And for Lisa to share her stash? You're blessed," she teased, and his embarrassment only grew.

"She didn't lend me anything!" Ichigo screamed at them, his voice rising in pitch. "Don't make jokes like that! They sound true!" he shouted at Lisa, who remained entirely deadpan. "And you stay out of it too!" he snapped at Kirara, who had started to laugh loudly.

"Don't be embarrassed," Love spoke up. "I borrow some once every two days," he told Ichigo, who was shaking from his barely controlled anger.

"I'm not like you," he growled.

"I read them twice a day," Lisa declared as Ichigo's face somehow grew redder.

"I know!" he yelled at her, well used to how blatant she was in reading them in front of him. Sometimes she'd even read them aloud just to see how he'd react. "I've never been like you, you perverted woman!" Ichigo shouted. Kirara's grin only widened at his words.

"I'm not perverted!" Lisa shouted, as offended by the accusation as ever. "I'm just very curious!" she defended herself.

"People call that perversity," Kensei said as he walked by, brushing his teeth. Lisa turned to him quickly.

"What? But you're interested too!" she argued. Kensei rolled his eyes at her blatant lie, and Kirara shook her head, still laughing to herself. Hearing the quiet sigh beside her, her laughter slowly faded and she looked up at Shinji, who was deep in thought. She followed his gaze, which was fixed on Ichigo, and she knew what he was thinking.

'Just over ten seconds. If his reaction times were up to scratch, that could make or break a fight. But right now, I don't think Ichigo has the power to end a fight so quickly,' Kirara thought to herself, and shook her head. She then nudged Shinji lightly, making him blink and look down at her.

"You're thinking too loud," Kirara told him with a faint smile, and saw amusement in his eyes.

"I know, it's rare," he drawled back, telling her that she had yet to make up for her comment earlier. It made her smile grow. "Come on. Let's get your loss over with, shall we?" Shinji hopped down from the rock, and smirked at her as he walked away.

"Prick," Kirara glowered at his assumed victory, taking her time to jump down and stretch before following.

"You release your Zanpakuto too, don't you?" she slowed at Hiyori's words. They were too quiet for the others to hear, and when Kirara turned to her, Hiyori was watching her with gleaming amber eyes. Instantly Kirara felt her heart start to race at the implications of what Hiyori was saying.

"Don't you have training to do with Ichigo?" Kirara asked, which only made a smirk tug Hiyori's mouth upwards.

"Good to know I can annoy you as much as you annoy everyone else, dumbass," she snorted. Kirara rolled her eyes, and walked away, trying to pretend that her heart wasn't slamming against her chest.

Tripping over her own feet, Kirara cursed herself. She hadn't felt so unbalanced in a long time. If Yoruichi saw her now - well, first she'd tease her relentlessly, but after that, she would have Kirara suffering her old drills.

"You sure you don't want a break?" Shinji called, smirking from where he stood nearby. He was upside down, his Zanpakuto spinning around his hand to continue pouring out that strange purple haze that messed with Kirara's vision.

"Why, you getting tired?" she fired back stubbornly, and saw that her words only entertained him more. Refusing to give up, Kirara then launched herself forwards, disappearing as her Reiatsu swirled around Shinji. He twitched at the sensation, trying not to react to her presence encompassing him, and in that moment of distraction, Kirara collided with his chest. "Four," Kirara's breathy laugh was of disbelief. She'd never managed to get more than three points against him.

"Not bad, Princess," Shinji murmured. He'd expected her to attack from behind - or what seemed like behind in his Inverted World - so he'd been completely unguarded against her movement. He then lashed out to catch her and secure his final point, but Kirara was gone in a heartbeat. He smirked, looking around for her. With both of their Shikai's active, it was difficult to locate Kirara. His main advantage was that she hadn't managed to fully learn how to move around yet. Once she did master that, he was done for.

'Who am I kidding? I'm already done for against her,' the thought came to him before he realised it, and a faint laugh escaped him. He then moved, giving chase as he spotted Kirara moving towards him.

Right before he could catch her by the wrist, the sudden pressure that came from outside of the warehouse made both stop dead. It was dark and heavy, and not just one presence, but multiple.

"Shit," Kirara raised her gaze up automatically, and found herself looking at the ground.

"More Arrancar," Shinji returned his Zanpakuto to its sheath as it returned to normal, and Kirara closed her eyes as a small wave of disorientation threatened to knock her off balance. "Deep breaths," Shinji told her as he caught her arm to support her. She nodded, sealing her own Zanpakuto so her Reiatsu returned to normal.

"Let go of me!" Ichigo's yell made Shinji glance around, and Kirara opened her eyes. Everything had returned to normal, but the dizziness hadn't entirely faded.

"You're not ready yet!" Kensei shouted back. He and Love were restraining Ichigo, who had tried to make a break for the door the moment he'd felt the overwhelming presence of the Arrancar who had just arrived in town.

"Your friends from the Soul Society were sent here for this type of situation," Love pointed out, but Ichigo continued to struggle. "Let them handle it," he told him, easily keeping Ichigo's other arm pinned behind his back.

"I've also been training for times like this!" Ichigo turned to shout at him, refusing to back down even as pain shot through his shoulder from the strain. "What good is it if I don't go?!" he roared.

Neither Kensei nor Love responded, refusing to let him run off and get himself hurt again while other Shinigami were around to help. However, when Shinji suddenly grabbed Kensei's shirt, all three looked at him in surprise.

"Let him go," the words were a quiet order; one that neither of the former Captains argued against. The moment they relaxed their grip on Ichigo, he flung himself away and sprinted towards the steps. Love sighed, shaking his head as he watched Ichigo, hoping he didn't get himself killed.

"Hey! What are you thinking?!" Kensei shouted after him. "Shinji!" he yelled, but he didn't get a response. He turned to Kirara, the question on his face, but all she could do was shrug. An uncomfortable feeling squirmed in her stomach, and Kirara turned on her heel.

'Another attack. It's been a month since the last two attacks, and the Hogyoku doesn't even awaken until the end of December. So what exactly is Aizen planning here?' she wondered, and grabbed Shinji by the back of the shirt as she caught up to him.

"What are you planning?" she asked as he glanced over his shoulder at her. His face was unreadable, before he turned and slowly pulled out of her grasp.

"Stay here, Kirara," Shinji said, patting her head as he walked past her.

"Really?" Kirara snorted as she easily caught up to him, keeping up with his longer strides. "You remember who you're talking to, right?" her eyebrow was arched, and Shinji rolled his eyes. It was a rare occasion when Kirara obeyed what he said without question, and right now was not one of those times.

"You're a pain," he muttered, increasing his speed. "Come on then, Princess," Shinji sighed. Kirara didn't reply, but a small smile returned to her face as she followed him, ready to help where she could.