Chapter 67: To Rescue The Princess

Night fell, but the uneasy feeling in the air didn't lessen even then. A chill was starting to take to the air, as Autumn reached its end and Winter slowly approached, bringing with it the looming threat of Aizen and his war.

"You're awfully quiet," Rose considered as he and Kirara walked back from the teahouse they had spent the afternoon in. "Is it the hangover, or something else?" he asked, and Kirara gave him a tired look.

"I'm not that hungover," she defended, as if she hadn't woken up feeling like ants were crawling in her head. They had gotten far too drunk the night before, determined to take their minds off the impending reunion with Sosuke Aizen. Despite his words, Rose wasn't faring much better than her, as his sleepy eyes had dark lines under them.

"Of course not," Rose gave a smile that made it clear that he didn't believe her.

"I'm just thinking," Kirara shrugged, choosing to move past it. "Time's almost up. If things go the way they are…will you be okay?" she asked, looking up at the much taller man who walked beside her. At the confusion in his face, she elaborated. "I saw everyone a while back, but the rest of you haven't seen the Gotei 13 in a hundred years," she pointed out. Rose smiled, and patted her head.

"Of course I'll be alright, my dear," he said, and Kirara swatted him away as her hair fell into her face. "Anyone I truly care about has been with me this whole time," he said, and didn't miss the soft smile on her face as she tried to hide it.

"You're such a sap," she elbowed him. Rose arched a delicate eyebrow at her, looking mildly offended by her teasing words.

"I do not believe you have any right to say that to anyone, with how you behave when you and Shinji forget that we're around," he retorted, and Kirara's face lit up in a blush.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," she grumbled, embarrassed as Rose smiled victoriously. Kirara then sighed, and ran her hand down her face. "I don't think I'm ever going to feel ready," she said. Rose patted her head again.

"I don't believe any of us will," he told her. She nodded, before slowing in her steps and looking around. "Kirara?" Rose called her name softly as he noticed, before four figures emerged from around the corner. They all stopped abruptly, eyes going wide.

"Kirara!" Hibiki gasped at the sight of the woman. It had been so long, she was beginning to think that she would never see Kirara again.

"What are you…" Kirara trailed off, looking around. She felt Ichigo's presence not too far from them; headed straight for Kisuke's place.

"Where have you been? You haven't been back to school since that day you jumped out the window!" Keigo exclaimed. Kirara gave a guilty grin, and Rose turned an amused look on her. He wasn't even slightly surprised that she'd made a dramatic exit.

"Friends of yours, Kirara?" he asked her as he looked at the four. He could sense the small traces of Reiatsu from them, and his purple eyes lingered on Hibiki for a moment longer. Hers was a little stronger, and almost seemed to rise and fall in tiny increments, almost as if she was suppressing it.

"Yep," Kirara grinned up at him. "And I'm guessing you're following Ichigo?" she guessed. Instantly their looks turned guilty, and none of them answered her, which was an answer enough. She then turned back to Rose. "Mind going on ahead? I shouldn't take too long," Kirara told him. Rose watched her suspiciously, before shrugging.

"Of course. But be careful, my dear," he told her.

"I'm always careful," Kirara's reply was the same as ever, and Rose glanced back as he walked off.

"I beg to differ," he said, making her grin widen. Kirara then turned back to the four, who were watching her curiously.

"Are you going to tell us to stay out of it too?" Tatsuki's words were harsh and challenging, surprising Kirara. When she took a good look at the young woman, she saw the red that lined her eyes. There was frustration and worry in her eyes, masked by anger.

"Why would I do that?" Kirara asked her, tilting her head a little.

"Orihime's missing," Tatsuki's words were sharp and filled with barely contained anger. Kirara lost her cheerful smile instantly, her eyes going wide. "I haven't been able to feel her presence, and Ichigo knows something about it, I'm sure of it," she said, and took a step towards her. "Please, Kirara, do you know anything about it?" she pleaded, and Kirara felt a small pang of pain in her chest at the emotion behind Tatsuki's question.

"I…I'm sorry, I had no idea," Kirara shook her head, and rested a hand on her hip. "How long has she been gone?" she asked.

"Her presence completely vanished yesterday," Tatsuki told her, and saw Kirara's eyebrows furrow. "You know something!" she accused.

"I think I might," Kirara admitted.

"It has something to do with the darkness in town, doesn't it?" Hibiki's question surprised them all. They turned to her quickly, and she squirmed under their combined gaze. "I felt it again, the other day, just like a month ago," she admitted.

'They're all growing sharper, but Hibiki sensing Arrancar Reiatsu to that extent…' Kirara watched her carefully for a moment, before nodding.

"It does. Come on. You want answers, then let's follow Ichigo," Kirara turned on her heel and started walking, leading them towards where she felt Ichigo's presence.

"Isn't it dangerous?" Hibiki asked softly as they followed. She thought of the man who Kirara had been with, who'd warned her to be careful. Of Tatsuki's words about Ichigo wearing a black kimono. Of the darkness she'd felt. She had seen Kirara's reaction to her words; she knew more about the feeling than she had let on.

"Oh, absolutely," Kirara confirmed with a nod. "But I don't think I could stop you regardless. If I stick with you, I can at least make sure you don't end up in over your heads," she told them.

"Why are you helping us?" Mizuiro asked, suspicion laced in his words. "Who are you, Kirara?" he asked her. She grinned at the question.

"That's a very long story. Maybe I'll tell it to you sometime, but right now we should keep quiet. Ichigo's dense, but even he'll hear us coming if we keep talking," Kirara warned. They all fell quiet, and soon reached Kisuke's shop. The owner was standing outside, waiting for Ichigo as he emerged from the shadows.

Hibiki's heart leapt into her throat as she saw their classmate wearing his Shinigami garb. The sword on his back was massive, and something about his form was off, as if his body wasn't there. She recognised the description from what she had been told, and for a moment she was tempted to leave.

'Shinigami are dangerous, but Ichigo…he's our classmate,' Hibiki considered, and looked at Kirara. She was leaning against the wall, waiting patiently for them to make a decision on what they were doing. 'And Kirara trusts him. Maybe he's okay,' she thought to herself, steeling herself to stay where she was.

"That was Ichigo…wasn't it?" Keigo whispered as Ichigo disappeared inside with Kisuke.

"Yeah…" Mizuiro confirmed, sure of it.

"What is he doing here?" Keigo wondered, looking at the small shop. It seemed completely ordinary, even with the door left open a crack for light to pour out and illuminate the grounds.

"That's what we came here to find out, didn't we?" Mizuiro pointed out as he glanced up at the now nervous young man.

"Well, that's true, but…"

"Losing your nerve?" Kirara asked, amusement in her words. She was trying not to think about the last time she had been in the grounds; when she'd returned from the Soul Society beaten both physically and emotionally. "What are you going to do now?" she asked, letting them dictate the pace.

"Well?" Mizuiro looked up at Keigo, who blanched.

"'Well'?" he repeated, baffled. "You're the one who brought this up! We even followed him all the way here," Keigo repeated, making Kirara grin.

"What should we do, Arisawa?" Mizuiro turned to Tatsuki, who had been silent since they had spotted Ichigo. She looked away, uncertain.

"What should we do?" Keigo instantly started playing up, wailing at her. "What will we do? What should we do at a time like this?" he continued to prod at her as the uncertain look started to fade and annoyance took over. Keigo then yelped as she punched him, knocking him to the ground.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki snarled at him, finally more like herself. Kirara grinned, and Hibiki hid a small smile as Keigo whimpered on the ground. "We're going in, of course," she declared, and was surprised when Keigo laughed suddenly.

"You're finally acting more like yourself, Arisawa," he told her, making her blush.

"Shut up," she repeated, irritated.

"Not bad," Kirara chuckled as she walked over and pulled Keigo to his feet. Hibiki and Mizuiro joined them, looking as determined as Tatsuki had a moment ago.

"Let's go," Mizuiro spoke quietly. They crept to the door, with Kirara leading the way, and she pushed it open to reveal that nobody was inside.

"There's nobody here," Hibiki whispered as they looked around. Kirara nodded, her eyes scanning everything as they walked through.

'She's right. They're all below. Including…'

"Oh," Kirara spoke aloud without meaning to, surprised by what she felt from the underground area.

Uryu had his powers back.

The other three looked at her as she giggled quietly. Before they could ask what she was laughing at, she walked ahead and pushed open the next door, which too had been left slightly open.

"Whoa!" Keigo gasped as he caught up to her and saw what she was looking at. A trapdoor, lying open.

"A secret entrance?" Hibiki breathed.

"I'll go first. Means I can catch any of you if you fall," Kirara walked over to the ladder. "But uh…try not to fall. We're trying to be discreet," she reminded them.

"None of this is bothering you at all," Mizuiro accused her, eyes narrowed at her. Kirara smiled sweetly at him, and something about it felt oddly devious to him, as if he couldn't trust it.

"When something actually bothers me, then we might need to worry," she told him, and disappeared down the ladder. Tatsuki followed immediately after her, not waiting around.

"This is a lot…" Hibiki mumbled as she walked over to the ladder. Wearing a skirt, she chose to go before the two young men.

"You okay?" Keigo asked, seeing her face getting paler.

"You don't have to go down," Mizuiro offered, but Hibiki shook her head.

"No. I want answers too. Orihime is my friend. Kirara is my friend. I want to know what's going on," she said, determined, and both grinned.

"Then go right ahead," Keigo gestured to the ladder. Hibiki almost rolled her eyes as she walked over and started climbing down.

The moment she cleared the floor and began to descend, Hibiki's stomach dropped and she almost froze to the rung she was on. It was a massive drop; no wonder Kirara had warned them in advance.

'What am I getting myself into?' Hibiki wondered, having to take deep breaths to calm down and not lock herself into place. Slowly but surely she began to descend, refusing to look down as she told herself that it was only a few more steps. 'Not far to go…not far to go…' the words were practically a mantra as she kept a steady pace towards the ground, her heart racing frantically.

Then a steady pair of hands caught her, and Hibiki looked around quickly to find herself at the bottom. Kirara grinned, and helped her off the ladder. Hibiki was grateful, finding her legs shaky and not fully reliable. She wasn't the only one, as Keigo practically crumpled the moment his feet hit solid ground.

"What is this place?" Mizuiro breathed as he finally dared to look around once he reached the bottom. The underground area was massive, seeming endless, and it was wild to think that it was hidden underneath such an inconspicuous little shop.

"An underground training area," Kirara said simply, but that just left them with more questions. However, Tatsuki refused to get sidetracked.

"Now what?" she asked, keeping her voice down as she looked around.

"Now we listen," Kirara led them towards where the felt the presences gathered, and they stayed out of sight to listen. Hibiki peeked out from behind the rock they were hiding behind, seeing not just Ichigo standing in a large clearing.

"Chad and Ishida too?" Keigo hissed as they saw the two standing on either side of Ichigo. Kirara folded her arms as she stayed out of sight, choosing to listen instead. Kisuke was high above, on a wooden beam that was jutting out from one of the massive rocks, and Tessai, Ururu and Jinta were keeping a small distance.

'What the hell is Kisuke up to now? This is far different than his Senkaimon to the Soul Society,' Kirara wondered, not understanding what he was doing.

"Now then," Kisuke's voice carried from above, audible even to the spies. "I shall open the path to Hueco Mundo!" his words made Kirara's breath catch and her eyes widened. "Everyone else, stand back a little! It's dangerous!" he ordered as Kirara had to fight the impulse to emerge from her hiding place.

"Kirara? What's wrong?" Hibiki noticed the shock on her face.

"Uh…do we need to worry?" Keigo asked, remembering Kirara's words from only a few minutes ago.

"Here we go…" Kisuke's words were far too calm.

"Why would he send them there?" Kirara breathed, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end as power filled the base. The other four peeked out as a strange wind picked up, blowing around, and saw the massive tear in space open.

"This hole that the Arrancars come and go through is called a Garganta. Inside, there is no path, just Reishi currents swirling around," Kisuke explained as Ichigo, Uryu and Chad looked up at the swirling darkness within the hole. "Move through it by making footing out of Reishi. Reach Hueco Mundo by moving towards the darkness," he instructed.

"Alright," Ichigo nodded. "Urahara…can you give my family a good excuse?" he requested as Kisuke looked down at him. "I don't want them to worry about me," Ichigo said, knowing that he'd already put them through a lot of worry after disappearing for a month and returning in the state that he had.

"Understood. And your friends?" Kisuke's question made Keigo and Mizuiro exchange looks.

"I'll apologise to them when I get back," they were surprised by the guilty response Ichigo gave. They watched as Ichigo, Chad and Uryu leapt up into the Garganta, and it closed behind them. Instantly the power that had filled the room faded, and the winds died down.

For a long moment, there was quiet. Then Kisuke gave a quiet laugh.

"So that's it. Why don't you five come out now?" his question made them jump, and Keigo slipped and fell out from where they were hiding. Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Hibiki peeked out as well. "I said five, Kirara. Come on out," Kisuke chuckled without looking around.

"I must be losing my touch," Kirara chuckled as she emerged completely, not looking guilty in the slightest.

"Um…when did you notice us?" Keigo asked nervously. He wasn't quite sure what to do, now that they had been caught. He kept looking at Kirara, but despite the grin on her face, she was pale.

"Great question. When did I notice you? Kirara?" Kisuke finally looked over his shoulder at her.

"Oh please," Kirara crossed her arms over her chest. "You've been aware since before we even set foot on the shop grounds," she pointed out.

"Kirara!" Hibiki gasped, stunned that she'd known the whole time and not said anything.

"Why else would he leave both the front door and the entrance to the training area open?" Kirara glanced over at them, her eyes glittering. "Kisuke is crazy, but he's not sloppy," she told them with a shrug.

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not," Kisuke chuckled at her words. Kirara just smiled. Hibiki looked up at the man, and back at Kirara as she suddenly felt entirely in over her head. Her hand twitched towards her bag, wanting to go for her goggles and get out of there, but she didn't dare. "My, my. As usual, Ichigo is naive, thinking he's successfully cut ties just by being a little cold. A little like someone else I know," he mused.

"Oh, shut it," Kirara rolled her eyes. He laughed again, and she sighed. "Kisuke, what the hell is going on here? Why did you send them to Hueco Mundo, of all places?" Kirara asked the question burning in her mind.

"Careful Kirara, you're sounding like you care about them," Kisuke warned lightly. Kirara's eyes narrowed.

"You and I both know the truth by now," she said, and the four students watching stared at her. Kisuke sighed, and stepped off the beam he was on. All but Kirara gasped, but he lightly descended as if floating down to land in front of Kirara.

"Who…who are you?" Hibiki found her voice, looking once again from one to the other. "Both of you. Who are you?" she repeated.

"I'm just a humble shop-keep," Kisuke smiled pleasantly at her, but his eyes were sharp and bright even in the shadows of his hat. Hibiki shivered, feeling as if she was under close scrutiny by the man, and it unnerved her too much to press it.

"And you?" Mizuiro was the one to address Kirara. She paused, and smiled innocently at him.

"A high-school student," she replied, earning an exasperated look.

"You haven't been back to school in over a month, I'm pretty sure you can't call yourself that anymore," he argued. Instead of saying anything more to him, Kirara turned back to Kisuke and her innocent smile turned to a serious look.

"Kisuke. Why did Ichigo and the others go to Hueco Mundo?" she asked again. Kisuke finally looked away from Hibiki, who suddenly found it a lot easier to breathe. "It's something to do with the Arrancar that attacked the other day, isn't it?" Kirara guessed.

"The Arrancar attack the other day was for a purpose, and not to outright destroy," Kisuke told her. Kirara folded her arms again and tilted her head.

"That much we figured when the blue-haired one's fight was interrupted. It was some kind of diversion," she said. Hibiki's eyebrows furrowed.

"'We'?" she heard Mizuiro quietly repeat the same word that had caught her attention.

"So what was this mission?" Kirara asked, either not hearing, or ignoring them as she focused on Kisuke. His expression remained grim.

"They were ordered to capture Orihime Inoue and bring her to Hueco Mundo," he said softly. Kirara's already pale skin took on a sickly pallor.

"What do you mean?" Tatsuki launched forwards before they could stop her, and Kisuke allowed her to grab him roughly. She glared up at him, desperation and fear making her shake. "Start talking in ways we can all understand! Tell me, what happened to Orihime?!" she yelled at him.

"Tatsuki…" Kirara carefully reached out and put a hand on her arm. Tatsuki sucked in a breath, and released Kisuke, but was glaring up at him still. Tears lingered in her eyes, and Kirara felt her chest grow tight at her expression. She looked at Kisuke, who was looking at the ground. His expression reminded Kirara of when she'd returned from the Soul Society after losing the Hogyoku, and it made it harder to breathe. So she steeled herself, and stood firm. "We need to tell them," she told him.

"I agree," Kisuke nodded, knowing that Kirara was right. There was just too much to keep from the four now.

Hibiki's head was swimming by the time Kisuke had finished telling them everything about Ichigo and the others. She and the others were sitting on one of the rocks, trying to process the amount of ridiculous information he had shared.

She looked over at Kirara, who had left the majority of the explanation up to Kisuke with the occasional addition when she felt like it.

"So…Shinigami are spirits who fight monsters and help ghosts pass on, and Ichigo is a substitute of one?" Keigo managed to sum up what he'd understood. Kisuke nodded.

'Such a simple thing…why was I told to avoid them? Why was I told to fear them above everything?' Hibiki wondered. 'Is this man a Shinigami too? And just who is Kirara? She made it clear she doesn't like Shinigami back in school…' her mind was a jumble of confusion, and it only frustrated her more.

"Ishida is a Quincy, the mortal enemy of Shinigami, and Chad and Orihime are human, but have magical powers?" Keigo continued. Kisuke nodded once again.

"Still not sure how that works," Kirara yawned. Hibiki shifted where she sat, unable to believe that she hadn't known that Chad and Orihime had powers too. Of course, they didn't seem to know that she had powers, so she supposed either all of them were blind, or they were equally good at hiding it.

"And this man, Sosuke Aizen…" Tatsuki glanced at Kirara, not missing her reaction to the man's name. She could see just how much Kirara hated him. "He was a Shinigami who defected, and is now trying to take over the world. He sent these monsters, the Arrancar, to kidnap Orihime?" her fists clenched at the idea of her best friend being taken away and held captive by such monsters.

"Forcing Ichigo and the others to go save her, while this Aizen guy goes to war with the rest of the Shinigami?" Mizuiro finished up the summary, making sure they all understood.

"That's correct," Kisuke confirmed, waving his fan idly.

"I'm surprised, Keigo grasped a lot more of that than I expected," Kirara gave a cheeky grin as he wailed indignantly at her teasing. She then sobered, and turned back to Kisuke. "And you're sure it was a good idea, letting the three go by themselves?" she asked.

"Would you have gone with them, had I asked you?" Kisuke's gaze was as bright as ever.

"You know I would have," Kirara sighed. "I went back to the Soul Society when you asked, I would go to that hell too if you asked it of me," she was honest in her words. She then ran a hand down her face. "I see why you didn't," she chuckled.

"I have faith in Ichigo and the others. And it wouldn't surprise me if a few of Ichigo's other allies made their way to Hueco Mundo the moment the Captain Commander's back was turned," Kisuke said, and Kirara couldn't help but laugh.

"No doubt. We just have to believe in them, and focus on our own battles," she admitted.

"Own battles?" Hibiki repeated. Kirara glanced to her. "You're joining in this war?" she asked, and saw the wry look on her face.

"I've been a part of this war for a long, long time," her smile was as tired as her words.

"But you're not a Shinigami," Mizuiro's words were more of a statement than a question.

"I'm not," Kirara confirmed, and despite everything, the tension eased out of Hibiki's shoulders. She was confused and conflicted about how to take all the information, especially after what she'd been told before, but she was glad that Kirara wasn't part of that.

"So that's why Ichigo was so off with us. He wanted to make it so we didn't worry about him while he was gone," Keigo realised, rubbing the back of his head.

"Idiot," Tatsuki growled.

"Seems he only made you worry more. That's about right for that…" Kirara suddenly trailed off, and she suddenly tried to fight her smile. "Uh oh," she said cheerfully.

"Oh dear…" Kisuke moved his fan to hide his smile as well.

"What's wrong?" Hibiki asked, suddenly nervous. Kirara leaned back on the rock she was perched on, and let her head fall back.

"Yes, Shinji?" she addressed the man just before he appeared. Having seemed to appear out of nowhere, the four students jumped, staring as they realised they recognised the newcomer.

"You missed training, Princess. Pretty sure Kensei is having a meltdown," he said, crouching beside her. "They made me track you down after Rose told us where you'd gone," Shinji told her, and saw the feline grin spread across her face.

"I missed training?" the question was idle. "Whoops, I guess I lost track of time," her cheerful words told them all that she had done no such thing. "He's going to be even more annoyed when he realises he lost another bet," Kirara chuckled, and Shinji snorted.

"I'd say maybe it'll teach him, but it never does," he said, making her laugh. "Yo, Kisuke," Shinji finally looked up and over at the man sitting nearby.

"Good to see you, Shinji," Kisuke greeted him with a grin of his own. "Come to collect your errant companion, I see," he said. Shinji shrugged.

"What can I say? She has a talent for sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong," he said, and winced when Kirara punched his arm. "Hey! Watch it Princess, or I might have to be annoyed that you skipped training," Shinji warned as he rubbed the spot that was definitely already bruising.

"Please. The only reason you're annoyed is because you didn't get to skip too," Kirara countered. Shinji didn't deny it.

"Yoruichi always said you two would be terrible for enabling one another's bad behaviour," Kisuke mused. The two looked over at him, mulling over his words, before looking at one another.

"Yoruichi, saying others would misbehave?" Kirara snorted.

"Bit of a hypocrite, don't you think?" Shinji agreed, both of them grinning. Kisuke just hid his entertained smile behind his fan. "So…what's with the peanut gallery?" he glanced over at the four students.

"I have like…a million questions again," Keigo whined.