Chapter 54: The Divide

There was a surreal feeling in the air for Kirara the next morning when she walked into class. For the most part, everything seemed the same. Everyone chattered away as they took it easy before the teacher showed up.

Ichigo was already there and in his seat when Kirara walked in, and though his eyes narrowed when he noticed her, he didn't say anything. Kirara didn't say anything either, ignoring him as instead she waved to Hibiki.

"Morning," she smiled, taking a seat on Hibiki's desk. "Have you started on your maths homework yet? I've been trying and failing on the first question," Kirara complained, her legs swinging idly.

"I hate maths," Hibiki's complaint was her only answer, making Kirara chuckle. The brunette was sitting on her chair, looking up at Kirara, and she didn't miss how her eyes moved to Ichigo. The young man had barely spoken that morning, even when Keigo had greeted him loudly.

'What's with them? Ichigo's grumpier than usual, and Kirara seems…distracted,' Hibiki considered, always the observant one. It came with the territory of being quiet. Something about their behaviour made Hibiki nervous, and she fought the impulse to reach for the goggles attached to the strap of her bag.

"Guess I'm on my own with it then," Kirara said, turning back to Hibiki just as quickly.

"You could always ask Orihime. She's really smart," she pointed out, and Kirara hummed.

"True," she agreed, remembering just how high Orihime had scored on their tests before the summer break. "Where is she?" Kirara asked, not seeing the friendly girl around the room. Hibiki shrugged, before the door opened and Orihime rushed in.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" she greeted loudly as she spotted the young man at his desk. Kirara almost laughed, but couldn't help but notice that she was a little brighter than usual in her greeting.

'Probably sensed all that stuff last night. Ichigo, you idiot. Now you're just worrying your friends,' Kirara sighed.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Ichigo hadn't even turned around yet when Shinji's voice carried across the room, sounding as bright as Orihime's. Kirara resisted rolling her eyes. Hibiki watched, startled by how bright and friendly he was. She couldn't help but think of how Kirara had been when she first joined the class - closed off and quiet, keeping to herself.

"Oh, good morning," Orihime greeted Shinji, a little surprised by both his appearance and loud greeting. "Uh, Hirako, right?" she remembered.

"Ah, you remembered my name! Good morning, Orihime!" she yelped in alarm when he hugged her suddenly. Kirara's face instantly slipped into a blank face as she resisted the urge to beat him senseless, all while Keigo screeched.

"Hold on a second!" his yell carried across the room.

"What is it? How noisy," Shinji growled, turning to glower at him. "Who are you?" he demanded, and Keigo let out a choked noise.

"Who am I?" he repeated, trying to hide his intimidation. "What's with that 'I've been here longer than you' sort of attitude?!" Keigo yelled at him, offended. "I-I've been here way, way longer!" he defended.

"You already look pretty hurt," Mizuiro commented with a faint smile.

"Anyway, let her go! Inoue doesn't like it!" Keigo ignored him and raised his voice even louder. Hibiki looked from Keigo, to the new student, who looked bored by Keigo's tantrum. She then looked up at Kirara, who was normally the one to comment on Keigo's raised voice, and found her watching with a bored look. However, there was something burning in her eyes, and Hibiki thought back to that moment when Ichigo had been acting strangely.

The second that he moved in to kiss her hand, there was a blur and suddenly he was gone. It took everyone in the class, Hibiki included, a second to catch up to where Kirara had slammed Ichigo against the wall hard enough that the thud was audible to everyone.

Holding Ichigo against the wall, Kirara suddenly seemed far taller than Ichigo, despite being a full head shorter than him. Power felt like it radiated her. Power and fury. And it made Hibiki hold her breath without realising it.

Whatever Kirara said to Ichigo was too quiet for the rest of the class to hear, and none of them dared move to try and listen. But whatever it was had a flicker of fear flash across his face.

"Are you an idiot?" Shinji rolled his eyes, putting a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "If she didn't like it, she would have screamed or hit me. She hasn't done anything! That means she doesn't mind," he said as Orihime blinked rapidly, looking unsure of how to react to the strangeness going on.

"What's with that arrogant attitude?" Keigo whimpered, deflating as his shouting was once again brushed off. "You're the one who's doing something bad. Isn't that right? I'm not wrong, am I?" he demanded, before a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Yeah. You're not wrong at all," Chizuru's voice came from behind Keigo. He flinched when her grip on his shoulder tightened to bruising proportions, and Hibiki winced at her being there to witness what had happened. "Leave him to me, Keigo!" she declared with fury in her face.

"Ch-Chizuru," Keigo whimpered.

"See, Orihime is a nice girl who can't say no, even when she's being treated poorly," Chizuru snarled as she shoved Keigo out of the way. "So any fool clinging onto her without realising that, doesn't deserve to live in this world!" she declared.

"Um…it's a bit strange to be saying this to an ally, but by that logic, you should be the first one to die," Keigo pointed out nervously, afraid she'd turn her wrath on him. Hibiki had to agree with him, but she kept quiet, afraid to draw attention to herself.

"I am the hand of Justice! Death to swine! Special attack, Chizuru Genocide!" she screamed.

"You don't have to kill him…" Keigo whimpered. Hibiki swallowed nervously, wondering just what was going to happen. Their teacher wasn't due for several more minutes, meaning they were free to continue this chaos.

The loud scraping of a chair earned their attention. Everyone watched, falling deathly silent as Ichigo wordlessly walked over and grabbed Shinji by the shirt, dragging him without a fight towards the door.

"Come here for a second, Hirako," his voice was low and controlled as everyone stared. The door closed behind them, and Chizuru adjusted her glasses as she calmed down from her murderous rampage.

"Hey, what's gotten into Ichigo?" she wondered. "I don't remember him being the hot-blooded type," Chizuru spoke almost nervously.

"That was…weird," Hibiki breathed, just as surprised that Ichigo had dragged him off. She looked up again as Kirara jumped off her table and landed without a sound.

"You alright?" she addressed Orihime, who tore her eyes away from the door. She gave a small smile.

"Yes, I'm fine," she confirmed, but her smile faded as she saw the strange look on Kirara's face. "Kirara?" Orihime called her name lightly. Kirara patted her shoulder, and turned, walking away from her as everyone turned their stares on her.

"Excuse me a minute," she said, opening the door to step out before closing it behind her.

"Whoa, Kirara too?" Keigo whimpered as they stared in confusion, not understanding what was going on. Orihime and Chad exchanged looks, while even Uryu watched for a moment, before he turned away, staying out of it.

"Kirara…" Hibiki breathed, wondering just what was going on.

Kirara walked through the corridors, following the direction that Ichigo had dragged Shinji in. Irritation bubbled under the surface, and she kept the blank look on her face even as her fists remained clenched at her sides.

"Hey, that hurts!" she heard Shinji complain, and hid in the shadows to listen. "What are you so mad about? It's not as if Orihime is your girlfriend. Of course, there's no way that someone like you could get anywhere with a beauty like her," Shinji taunted as Ichigo held him against the railings furiously.

"That's not it!" he dismissed the idea entirely, glaring at him. "But yeah, you do owe her an apology. So apologise to her later!" Ichigo ordered him furiously.

"Like I just said, there's no reason for you to tell me that," Shinji rolled his eyes, bored by his shouts.

"Hirako, why are you still coming to this school?" Ichigo demanded.

"Don't be unreasonable. It's a student's duty to go to school," the simple answer angered Ichigo even more.

"You and Kirara with that same bullshit excuse!" Ichigo snapped, and Kirara tilted her head. She almost smiled at the fact that she'd given the same answer only the day before. "You come to our school to recruit me! You've got no reason to be here anymore!" he shouted.

"And why's that?" Shinji sighed, eyes narrowed. His sudden change, becoming more serious, made Ichigo's eyes widen. His anger faded a little, and he fell silent. "Did you really think that I'd give up so easily? I'm persistent. I'll hang around you until you say yes," he warned. Ichigo didn't speak. "It's too late. Once you become a Vizard, you can't go back. Whatever you may think, you're already on our side, Ichigo."

Ichigo didn't reply, not even to deny his words. His anger vanished, but something like fear lingered behind as he tried to argue, but couldn't muster any words. "Orihime, the big guy, four-eyes. You think of them all as your friends, don't you? Wrong. They're only your friends for now," Shinji's cold words made Kirara's fists clench so hard that her nails bit into her skin.

'Keep calm. Keep calm,' she repeated the words in her mind, forcing herself to keep breathing steadily.

"If you continue to be a Shinigami like this, sooner or later, you'll be consumed by your Inner Hollow and go insane. If that happens, you're finished. Your power will destroy everything. Your friends, your future, everything will be crushed. You've already realised that, haven't you? Your Inner Hollow has become so large that you can't handle it anymore."

Shinji kept going, even as Ichigo lost his angry look and stared at him in fear, both because of the lingering threat, and because Shinji knew exactly what was going on. "Come with me, Ichigo. I'll teach you how to maintain your sanity," he offered.

Without replying, Ichigo let him go and stepped away with uneven breaths. As Shinji straightened up, watching him closely, Ichigo turned and ran off. "Stubborn kid," he muttered, fixing his shirt. Shinji then looked up as Kirara emerged from the shadows. "Eavesdropping, were you?" he asked. The amused look that had crossed his face vanished when Kirara grabbed him by the scruff and shoved him back.

"Touch Orihime again and you'll regret it," Kirara warned him, unable to contain her anger as it spilled over. Shinji stared at her for a long moment, surprised by her actions. "I mean it, Hirako. You're here for Ichigo. Leave the others alone," she said, not letting him go.

"Is this that protective instinct you're still trying to ignore?" Shinji asked suddenly, and Kirara's eyes widened at the question. She still hadn't been able to open the book she'd gotten from Yamamoto. "Or…" Shinji grinned, putting his hand on hers. He pried her grip free of his shirt, and tugged her closer. "Are you jealous, Princess?" he breathed. Instantly a blush spread across her face.

"I ain't jealous, and don't call me that," she snapped, but her heart was pounding as he refused to let her go. The anger was fading, and Kirara now couldn't tell which was the right answer - if she was trying to protect Orihime, or if it was because she didn't like him flirting with someone as pretty as her.

"You're cute," Shinji's grin only widened at her response, and to Kirara's frustration, his teasing made her go even redder.

"Hirako, I mean it!" she growled, and he flicked her nose. Kirara flinched away, only to be pulled back in again.

"You know I'd never hurt them, Yamada. And there's no reason to be jealous either," Shinji stopped teasing, leaning down towards her, but Kirara drew back.

"I'm not jealous," she repeated, but her anger had faded. She knew he wouldn't do anything to the others in the class, but she refused to accept the alternative. Instead, she managed a feral smile. "There's no way you could get anywhere with a beauty like her," she repeated what he'd told Ichigo, and his eyebrows lifted. The look gave Kirara an almost victorious feeling.

"Then how'd I get you?" he asked seriously, and instantly the blush returned to Kirara's face as she found herself at a loss for words. Finally, Shinji released her and pressed a kiss to her cheek before walking by, a smirk on his face as he found himself the victor.

"Jerk," Kirara managed to mutter behind him. "You know this isn't going to sway Ichigo, right?" her softer question came next as she stayed where she was.

"He has no choice," Shinji said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Sooner or later he'll realise that we're his only option. Like I told him, I'm persistent. He'll join us eventually," he shrugged, walking off as Kirara folded her arms.

"I hope you're right," she murmured, before a shiver ran down her spine. Instantly Kirara turned, scanning her surroundings with sharp eyes, and she spotted Tatsuki running off in an attempt not to be seen. "Oh, that's not good," Kirara muttered under her breath.

There was an awkward air over the class for the entire duration of the day, to the point where even their teachers noticed. Ichigo didn't speak much to anyone else for the rest of the day, even when Orihime and Chad tried to approach him, and Kirara had noticed Tatsuki looking at her, Ichigo and Shinji in confused concern.

Finally the bell rang, and Kirara was on her feet and ready to get out before the tense atmosphere threatened to completely overwhelm her. As she lifted her bag and reached up to rub her left shoulder, a careful touch at her elbow made her look up at Shinji. He held her gaze for just a moment before walking past.

"I don't like that look, Yamada," he said softly as she followed him, ignoring the looks and whispers from the rest of the class who noticed their quiet interactions. Ichigo purposefully ignored them both, thinking about what Shinji had told him.

"What look?" Kirara asked, not understanding.

"That look," he angled back long enough to squash her nose with his finger. Kirara made an annoyed sound and moved away, rubbing her nose. "It's the same look you have when you challenge Kensei to spar with you," Shinji said, and she looked up in surprise.

"I have a look when I do that?" she asked, falling into step beside him. "Huh, I never realised," Kirara admitted. He shot her an exasperated look, and she smiled back. "What's the problem? I like fighting Kensei," Kirara told him with a shrug.

"That's exactly the problem," Shinji muttered, looking ahead as they left the school and started making their way home. Kirara's smile grew, and she brushed her hand against his.

"Stop fussing. We have other things to worry about," she scolded, and he took her hand to link his fingers with hers.

"I can worry about multiple things at once. I'm very talented," Shinji replied, deadpan as Kirara rolled her eyes. Despite the action, she hid a small smile, finding herself bashful again. While she had gotten used to showing affection towards him, Kirara still found herself getting shy at times. "I like that look much better," he said, not missing it.

"Oh, shut up," she mumbled, and heard Shinji's quiet chuckle. Despite it, she smiled faintly, and he squeezed her hand. When he yawned widely, Kirara looked up with a grin. "Tired, Hirako?" she teased.

"I'm starting to get why you sleep through most of class," Shinji complained, and yawned again.

"Finally. Now if you could just share that with everyone else," she grinned. "I was planning a nap after we get back too, before training," Kirara added, and Shinji groaned as he remembered they had Mask training to deal with in the evening. "Oh, don't forget your homework too," she said cheerfully, seeing his expression.

"You're enjoying this far too much for someone who has to deal with the same thing," Shinji grumbled, letting go of her hand to shove her lightly. Kirara laughed. "And what the hell is a post-break test? How stupid," he continued to complain. "Why do I have to go to Ichigo's school to recruit him? I still don't get that part," Shinji pointed out.

"School is the easiest way to get to him, and for the most part stops him from making a scene," Kirara shrugged. "Well, it stops Ichigo, anyway. You seemed perfectly happy being an idiot this morning," she said, and earned another irritated look.

"Why do I put up with you?" he asked, and Kirara smiled at him.

"Because I'm cute," she said simply. Shinji huffed, but didn't deny it. "I told you, he's stubborn. It's gonna take some time to-" before Kirara could finish talking, Shinji gave a yell as a foot slammed into his back and sent him flying face-first into the wall ahead of them. Falling silent, Kirara turned slowly to the person responsible.

"That hurts…hey, who did that?!" Shinji yelled as he pushed himself up and looked around. "You-" he stopped at the sight of Hiyori standing beside Kirara with her usual scowl. "H-Hiyori…" Shinji swallowed, recognising the look on her face. It never turned out well for him. Wordlessly, Hiyori kicked up a foot so her sandal came off, and she caught it.

"What's taking you so long, you spineless worm?!" there was a loud thud as she caught him across the face with it. Kirara sighed, closing her eyes as Hiyori began to shriek at the two.

"Here we go. I thought she might at least wait until we got back," Kirara murmured as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall, watching. "This better not take too long. I need sleep," she complained to herself.

"Just talk to him and bring him to us!" Hiyori yelled as she continued to slap Shinji around.

"I told him but he wouldn't listen!" Shinji told her as Kirara shook her head. When a shiver ran through her, her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Hiyori?" she called over as Hiyori screeched at Shinji.

"Stay out of it, Kirara!" she snapped back. Kirara rolled her eyes. "You've probably been distracting the idiot the whole time," she accused. Offended, Kirara straightened up and narrowed her eyes at Hiyori.

"Watch it, Hiyori. I'm not a distraction," she warned, not liking being blamed for something that she'd known would take longer than a day to achieve. "Maybe if you weren't so damn impatient and would listen, then these two wouldn't have managed to sneak up on you!" Kirara gestured behind her, to where Orihime and Chad had arrived.

"Kirara?" the orange-haired girl was watching her with uncertainty in her gaze. She'd had a lot of questions for her all day, and finding her now watching as a strange, short girl screamed at Shinji, Orihime had even more questions.

"Hey, Orihime," Kirara offered a tired smile in response.

"Orihime…" Shinji stood up, surprised to see the two standing there. Hiyori had turned to them, her brown eyes narrowed.

"Shinji," when Hiyori spoke his name quietly, he turned and leaned closer as she beckoned him. In the time he took to blink, Hiyori had smashed her forehead against his. "Why is someone following you, baldy?!" she screamed. Kirara sighed.

"Yeah, it's always like this," she said to Orihime and Chad, leaning against the wall again. Orihime stared at her for a moment, before steeling herself and turning to Shinji. She took a few steps towards him as he nursed his aching head.

"Even if we asked Ichigo, he'd probably say that it was nothing. So I came to ask you in person. Hirako…" Orihime took a deep breath. "Who are you? What do you want with Ichigo?" she asked, her voice soft but strong.

"Did you think that we'd tell you if you just asked?" Hiyori spoke before Shinji could. Orihime couldn't stop herself from glancing at Kirara. She hadn't moved from where she was leaning her shoulder against the wall, but there was a wariness to her gaze, fixed on Hiyori.

For a moment, nobody spoke. Kirara kept her casual air about her, but she was ready to move in a beat. Then Hiyori spoke, not looking away from Orihime. "Hiyori Sarugaki," her words surprised the two.

"Huh?" Orihime blinked rapidly. Hiyori rolled her eyes.

"Don't 'huh' me! That's my name!" she told them, pointing to herself. Kirara just sighed wearily. "Now tell me yours," Hiyori demanded. Her bossy attitude threw the two humans so much that they responded slowly.

"Orihime Inoue…"

"Yasutora Sado," Chad rumbled quietly; the first words he had uttered since they had arrived.

"A 'Princess' and a 'Tiger', huh?" Hiyori mused, watching them with sharp, dangerous eyes. "Those are fancy names!" she exclaimed suddenly. "We're a 'Monkey', 'Flat' and 'Sparkling'! I guess Kirara's is kinda fancy, but I'm so jealous!" she exclaimed, oddly cheerful.

"Leave me out of it," Kirara groaned. She always felt her name was somewhat ridiculous, and she didn't want Hiyori talking about it.

"Don't make such forced comparisons, stupid," Shinji muttered behind Hiyori. Her odd grin vanished. Shinji's scream of pain echoed, and Kirara sighed heavily.

"And she's got big breasts and smooth hair!" Hiyori continued as Chad and Orihime stared nervously. Shinji had a hand to his face as blood dripped from his nose. "She's really annoying," she complained.

"You're just jealous…" Shinji said quietly, and Kirara let out another exhausted breath. "Plus, you're only holding those things against Orihime," he commented. Once again, his scream rang out, and this time the blood poured freely from his nose as he struggled to stay upright.

"Whatever…" Hiyori sighed. She turned back to the two. "Anyway, I have nothing to tell you. Neither do these two idiots," she said, and reached for the Zanpakuto on her back. "You're going to die here," her declaration made both Shinji and Kirara jolt. In a flash, Kirara was behind Hiyori, her hand clamped down on Hiyori's wrist.

"Don't even think about it," she warned in a low, cold voice. Hiyori winced at how tightly Kirara was holding onto her, and when she looked around, she saw the cold fury in her eyes.

"Kirara?! You'd defend these humans?!" she snarled.

"Damn right I will!" Kirara growled, holding steady even as Hiyori fought to break free. Her heart was racing, and she had no desire to fight Hiyori, but she refused to let her hurt Orihime and Chad. She was ready to defend them if necessary.

"Kirara, enough," Shinji's low voice made her blink, and some of the fury faded from her gaze. She released Hiyori, but before the short blonde could do anything, Shinji had grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, sprinting off. Hiyori shrieked insults at Kirara and thrashed in his grip, but Shinji just kept running.

"Wait!" Orihime started to run after them.

"Don't, Orihime!" Chad called after her, his voice raised just enough to make her stop and look around in surprise.

"But…"

"The big guy is right," Kirara spoke as she walked over and stood beside Chad. Her heart was still thudding painfully as she managed to calm down from the protective instinct that had just kicked in. "You'd never catch him. And if somehow you managed to track him down, we wouldn't be able to stop Hiyori from killing you," she said honestly.

"Kirara, what's going on?" Orihime stared at the woman who had accompanied them to the Soul Society. "Who…who are you?" she asked uncertainly. Kirara gave her a hard stare.

"I can't tell you that. For all our sakes," she replied, forcing herself to keep her tone neutral. "If Ichigo hasn't told you what's going on, then I won't tell you. He has a right to his privacy, even if he's being a massive idiot," Kirara shrugged, giving another weary sigh. She rolled her left shoulder, rubbing it idly.

"But Kirara-"

"Orihime," Chad stopped her with a shake of his head. He watched Kirara carefully, able to sense the same level of danger from her that he could feel from the other two. She just shrugged, and started walking in the direction that Shinji had run off in.

"For what it's worth, I do consider you my friends. But them?" Kirara glanced over her shoulder. "They're my family. I won't go against them again," her warning was clear, and with that, she vanished, leaving the two alone.

It's awesome to see that people are enjoying this! I hope that it continues!

Let me know what you think!

Please review!