Chapter 38: From the Shadows

"I'm Hanataro," he introduced himself. "Hanataro Yamada."

The moment the surname left the mouth of the young Shinigami who was kneeling in front of them, Ichigo turned to Kirara. She hadn't looked away from him, anguish in her gaze as she stared at her youngest brother. Of everyone within the Seireitei she had wanted to avoid, her baby brother was the top of the list.

Hanataro had been even smaller, the last time she'd seen him. They'd just spent a month together as Kirara recovered from injuries sustained during one of her missions within the Onmitsukido, and it had been the day before she'd vanished for a hundred years. Now he had grown up - not by much, but Kirara wasn't very tall either - and was not just a Shinigami, but judging from the bag on his back, a member of Squad 4.

"Kirara, what the hell is going on?" Ichigo repeated his previous question, not understanding what was going on. The two bore a striking resemblance, and he shared her surname. His questions about someone who up until a few days ago he'd believed was a regular classmate were mounting up, and it was starting to annoy him.

Kirara closed her eyes when he repeated his question, desperately trying to reign in her emotions. She couldn't afford to let herself spiral, not if she wanted to stay in control of the darkness that lurked deep within her, waiting for the slightest moment of weakness.

"Okay," she finally spoke, and shifted to sit properly. "It's exactly what you're thinking, Ichigo. He's my brother," Kirara told him softly. Instantly all three of them began to bombard her with questions, and she raised a hand. With it, she called on the authority that she hadn't possessed in a long time, but it still seemed to work as they fell silent in a beat.

Kirara knew that this was the moment she had to come clean to Ichigo. There was too much at stake, and if he doubted her at a crucial moment, it could mean the end for any of them. And Kirara refused to let that happen. "Okay," she said again. "Hanataro is my brother, and a hundred years ago, I was a Shinigami," her words had an immediate effect on both Ichigo and Ganju. Ichigo stared with genuine shock, while Ganju's face twisted up.

"I knew you-"

"You don't know shit, so shut up and listen," Kirara cut him off sharply. Hanataro jumped at the voice, and Ganju fell silent. "I was the Lieutenant for Squad 2, which yes, means I was also part of the Onmitsukido," she added when she saw the recognition in Ganju's face. "I'm not going to bore you with the details about what happened. We were betrayed, and I was forced to escape the Soul Society or be killed," her voice was dark, and none of them dared to ask what she meant.

Ichigo was oddly silent as he stared at her. He knew that Kirara had power lurking under the surface, and he'd seen how fast and how strong she'd been when she'd launched the third Squad 11 Shinigami away from him, but for her to be at Lieutenant level was mind-blowing to him.

"So…now what are you?" Ganju's voice was uncertain, as if he was afraid she was going to snap at him again.

"I told you already, that's none of your business," Kirara said firmly, but the heated anger from a moment ago was gone. "Just know that I've spent the last hundred years avoiding the attention of the Gotei 13. As for you, kid. I need you to forget you ever saw me," she addressed Hanataro, who inhaled sharply.

"What? Why?" he stumbled over the words in sheer confusion.

"Because knowing I'm alive risks people killing you," Kirara warned him, and Hanataro could only stare at her. "Once we leave, you go too and continue your duties," there was no room in her voice for argument, before she turned back to Ichigo and Ganju. "Did you idiots find out anything?" she asked. They scowled at once again being called idiots.

"The bald guy I fought says that Rukia's in the White Tower," Ichigo's words made Hanataro react, but none of them noticed.

"Yeah, seems about right. The Senzaikyu is where they bring prisoners they're exectuing," Kirara nodded. "The problem now is figuring out which road to take there. This place is going to be crawling with Shinigami. Especially the Squad 11 dumbasses once they find out that we took out their 3rd, 4th and 5th Seats," she considered aloud, before pausing. "You did beat them, right?" Kirara looked at Ganju in particular, who as covered in blood and stank like hell.

"Of course!" both puffed up their chests in pride. Kirara rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I doubt they'd remodelled this place since I was last here, so I know how to get there. The problem is figuring out where the hell the Shinigami will be located. Unseated officers won't be a problem, but Lieutenants, and more specifically Captains are going to be a threat to all of us," Kirara scratched her chin as she thought about it.

"Excuse me…" Hanataro spoke up nervously, and her eyes darted to him. It seemed he hadn't lost that nervous attitude even now, and it made the smallest of smiles tug at the corner of her mouth.

"Shut up. We're in the middle of strategising. Don't butt in," Ichigo growled at him and turned back to continue trying to work out a plan.

"Rukia…are you talking about Rukia Kuchiki?" Hanataro's soft words made Ichigo whirl around in an instant. "Just as I thought…it's her, isn't it? The younger sister of Captain Kuchiki of Squad 6, currently held in maximum security in the Senzaikyu," Hanataro looked away as the three stared at him. "I…I know the secret way into that tower," he told them. Kirara's eyes narrowed.

"Shit," she muttered. So much for sending him away.

"Natsuki…Natsuki!" the voice that was distantly calling her name started to grow louder, and Natsuki groaned as she started to regain consciousness. With it came a headache so painful that the moment she sat up, she almost blacked out again. "Took you long enough," Yumichika frowned as he crouched beside her.

"What are you doing here? What about that guy you were fighting?" she frowned at him. He had small burns, cuts and bruises where his skin was visible, but other than he seemed perfectly fine.

"He ran away. A complete coward," Yumichika rolled his eyes, but Natsuki had a suspicion that he wasn't telling the entire story. Especially if he had changed before finding her. "What happened with your opponent?" he asked her.

"What about Ikka?" Natsuki asked quickly, needing a moment before she addressed her own fight. Yumichika's expression turned grim.

"He was defeated," Natsuki's eyes widened.

"If those guys are stronger than you, then you really have no hope here," Kirara's warning hadn't been a taunt. It had been the honest truth. That the Ryoka were strong enough to take down Ikkaku was almost a scary thought to Natsuki.

"I knew her," she blurted out, and Yumichika's eyebrow twitched up at her confession. "The one who attacked me. She was…she was my best friend a hundred years ago," Natsuki's eyes filled with tears. "I thought she was dead, but instead…she hates me. She hates all Shinigami, and I…"

"Lost terribly," Yumichika's words were blunt, and she looked up in surprise as the tears rolled down her face. "Really. What sort of member of Squad 11 falls apart crying after losing to their best friend? Surely you should be eagerly preparing for a second round, no?" he challenged her as she stared silently. "Because if you're the sort of woman who sits and cries because they had a little tiff with their friend, then, well," he straightened up and looked away. "You're not Squad 11 material after all," Yumichika told her.

"Asshole…" Natsuki muttered, wiping her tears away quickly. She knew he was right. She had to get stronger, and beat Kirara. "At least help me up, if you're going to lecture me," she complained, and saw a faint smile on his face before he held out a hand to pull her back up. "Thanks, Yumi," Natsuki said as she got back up. He flicked her forehead, making her flinch.

"Stop calling me that," he told her, already turning and walking away. Natsuki grinned despite her head pounding from a likely concussion, and she started to jog after him.

"So this Ryoka that Ikka fought, he was strong?" Natsuki asked as she caught up to him, her eyes sparkling with excitement as they always did when a powerful opponent reared their head. Yumichika nodded. "The Captain is going to have fun with that," she commented, looking ahead.

"Yes, I believe he will," Yumichika nodded, smiling faintly at the thought.

Cracking the door of the storage building open, Hanataro peeked out and nervously scanned the road on either side. Nobody was there, having moved on in their attempts to find the Ryoka. With a sigh of relief, he pulled the door open properly and straightened up.

"The coast is clear," he called to the three still in the shadows. "Come on, it's not too far to the entrance," Hanataro stepped out, shielding his eyes briefly from the sunlight. Ichigo and Ganju emerged after him, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the bright light after sitting in the dim storage building for so long.

"Guess they all moved on," Ganju spoke as he looked around for any sign of the Shinigami who had been chasing after them relentlessly.

"Squad 11 get bored easily. If they can't find what they're looking for, they'll move on and find someone else to fight," Kirara said as she walked out, flicking her hair back over her shoulder. Now that they were in the light, Ichigo and Ganju saw the bruises and cuts she had - she hadn't escaped her own fight unscathed. "Maybe even each other," there was distaste in her voice as Hanataro started to lead them down the path.

"Sounds like you aren't a fan," Ichigo commented, and Kirara shrugged.

"I was never a big fan of their mentality. Fighting for the sake of fighting is…not something I ever understood," she admitted.

"Natsuki always said that if she hadn't been in that Squad, you'd never have anything to do with them," Hanataro said, and Kirara slowed in her steps. Ichigo and Ganju turned to look at her, seeing the pain in her expression before she masked it.

"It's true," Kirara said, a little surprised that Natsuki had known that. "You spend a lot of time with her?" she asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

"She checks in now and again. Especially after Seinosuke left," Hanataro smiled. Kirara's eyebrow quirked.

"He left?" she repeated. "Where did he go?" she asked. Hanataro looked around, before his eyes widened. Ichigo and Ganju also gasped, finding their movements too slow to try and stop the man behind Kirara who was bringing his leg down in an axe kick aimed straight at her head.

A shockwave kicked out, threatening to blow Hanataro away as he cried out, and both Ichigo and Ganju raised their arms to shield themselves from the force, which rumbled right through them.

"How many times do I have to tell you…" they lifted their heads quickly and stared at Kirara, who had a hand over her head, having caught the kick easily. "Flashy shit gets you killed. I didn't teach you Hakuda and Shunpo for you to be this sloppy," Kirara then yanked down, and her attacker wasn't able to stop her before she had spun and slammed a kick of her own against his side.

The crash of his body impacting against a nearby wall rumbled for a small distance, and the three standing with Kirara stared with mild alarm. Kirara straightened up, a smirk on her face as she looked at the man who was coughing, trying to catch his breath.

"It really is you," Haruki couldn't help but laugh between coughs. He lifted his head, a grin on his face as Kirara studied him. His blue hair once hiding his face had been brushed back, and he had two scars on his face - one by his right eye, and one on the right corner of his lip.

"I'd say the same for you, but I don't remember teaching anyone that pathetic," Kirara kept her smirk on her face, and was pleasantly surprised when he laughed again. He'd changed since she'd last seen him, and it was good to see. Haruki climbed to his feet, small pieces of the wall falling from his uniform.

"So, you're the Ryoka," he said as he glanced at Ichigo and Ganju, before settling his eyes on Hanataro. "You okay?" he called to the boy, who nodded. Ichigo and Ganju were surprised by his kindness to the boy, having seen how Squad 11 had treated him before. Clearly he wasn't with them.

"Y-yes! I…" Hanataro trailed off as he realised what he was doing. He was helping the Ryoka, and Haruki was right there.

"Oi, Kirara. We need to get moving," Ichigo growled impatiently, looking around. "More of them could show up at any time," he pointed out. Kirara waved him off.

"I'm well aware," she agreed. "Sorry, Haruki," Kirara was then beside Hanataro, grabbing him by the scruff and hauling him off his feet. He squealed in alarm, and Haruki lost his smile. "We're taking the kid with us. Try and stop us, and you know exactly how that'll go," she warned with a pleasant smile that screamed danger. He knew the look well; he'd seen it plenty of times when training and it always ended up with him getting his ass handed to him.

However, he just smiled, chuckling to himself, and Kirara arched an eyebrow. She hadn't let Hanataro go as he looked confused.

"I'm no idiot, Kirara. You're not using him as a hostage. I know you well enough to know that you'd never do anything like that," Haruki said simply, and her pleasant smile was replaced by an indifferent one.

"It's been a hundred years. I've changed," she told him, and Haruki studied her for a moment. He couldn't deny that. Just by looking at her, he could tell that she wasn't the same person he'd known back then. It wasn't just her strange Reiatsu.

"I won't deny that, but I don't think you've changed enough to hurt the brother I remember you teaching Kaido to," he said, and was rewarded by her eyes narrowing. Hanataro had lost his scared look, and was staring at Kirara as he remembered it too. "I also know that you wouldn't drag him into this whole mess. So the only logical conclusion I can come to is he is the one stubbornly tagging along," Haruki folded his arms. "So I'm coming too, to make sure he stays safe," he decided.

"No way!" Kirara shook her head firmly, finally setting Hanataro down. "This is too much of a risk, and if you're caught…" she didn't even want Hanataro involved, but he knew the best way to the Senzaikyu.

"Too bad," Haruki replied cheerfully. "It's either that, or I kick up enough of a fuss that I bring in half the Gotei 13," he offered. Ichigo turned to Kirara with a scowl on his face that told her that he wanted to fight Haruki himself. While Kirara had no doubt that he would win through pure strength, Haruki was trained by her in ways that would delay them for too long.

"I liked you better when you were too timid to stand up to me," Kirara told him. Haruki grinned.

"I think you prefer me now," he told her, and Kirara rolled her eyes as she turned away.

"Fine. Only until I find a way to get rid of him," she gestured to Hanataro, who blinked rapidly as she turned to him. "Lead the way," Kirara said, and he nodded.

"R-right," he nodded, quickly starting to move to lead them along.

Haruki watched Kirara as they started walking, well aware that her focus was fully on him. If he tried anything stupid, she'd crush him in a heartbeat. Her attitude towards him seemed the same on the outside, but he could feel how cold it was under the surface.

Something had changed, and whatever warmth she'd had for him before was replaced by something aloof as she refused to let him truly get close again. Even the way she treated Hanataro was off.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Ichigo muttered to Kirara as they followed. He shot Haruki a wary glance, unsure of what to make of him.

"Oh, absolutely not," Kirara said simply, and he glared at her. "But we don't have much choice. I want him with us as much as you do, but if we're to get to the Senzaikyu and rescue Rukia, then we can't afford to stand around chatting," she shrugged. "Don't worry, Ichigo. If there's a problem, I'll handle it," Kirara told him confidently. He didn't reply, but he glanced at Haruki and thought about how easily she'd stopped his attack.

"Right," he agreed, turning his gaze forwards. They were finally in the Seireitei, and they had a way straight to Rukia. He would save her.

Kirara had to admit, she was impressed with Hanataro's thinking.

Her brother had led them down into the underground water tunnels that spanned across the entire Seireitei. They were dimly light, casting an orange glow over everything, and there was an eerie silence broken only by the sounds of water flowing gently, and their footsteps.

"Huh. I would have never thought of using the sewer system," Ganju admitted as they followed Hanataro and Haruki through the tunnels.

"Yeah, this sewer system runs underground throughout the Seireitei," Hanataro told them. "So we can go anywhere without running obstacles," he explained.

"Don't the others know about this entrance?" Ganju asked, looking around as if he expected other Shinigami to leap out of the shadows. "We pulled up an ordinary looking tile…" he thought back to the entrance, which they would have completely missed if Hanataro and Haruki hadn't stopped them.

"Yes, everyone knows about it, but I doubt they'll catch up with us down here," Hanataro told them as he kept walking.

"Why's that?" Ichigo asked, a little suspicious.

"The only people who use this place and learn to navigate it are Squad 4," Haruki was the one to answer. Kirara's snort echoed in the large stone tunnel.

"Because Squad 4 are the ones who have to clean it," she said simply. Hanataro gave a sheepish laugh as Haruki shrugged, well used to it by now. "Doesn't look like things have changed much. You lot are still given the menial chores," Kirara commented.

"It's how it goes here. It gives us the advantage of learning secret ways to get around the Seireitei," Haruki answered as Hanataro just continued his embarrassed laugh.

"If that's what you have to tell yourself, I'm especially glad I never ended up in Squad 4," Kirara stretched.

"Damn, I kind of feel sorry for them," Ganju admitted. He then paused. "Wait, you're in Squad 4 too?" he asked, and Haruki glanced over his shoulder when he realised the man was addressing him.

"Of course," he nodded, and realised he hadn't introduced himself. "I'm Haruki Maeda, fourth Seat of Squad 4," he told them. Kirara hummed as both Ichigo and Ganju looked torn between being impressed at his rank, and shocked that he was in Squad 4 after hearing from Squad 11 just how pathetic they were.

"Finally got made a seated officer huh? It's about time," Kirara said, and Haruki grinned.

"I'm pretty sure having you as my teacher hindered my progression," he told her honestly, and Kirara smirked back at him.

"I have a question," Ichigo spoke up, looking at the pair leading the way. "Hanataro. Why are you doing all this for us?" he asked. The boy slowed to a stop. "Both of you," Ichigo looked at Haruki, whose grin vanished. "We're your enemies. Just because we want to go to the white tower-"

"Oi, Ichigo," Ganju hissed.

"No, I have to second his question," Kirara spoke up from behind them. Her arms were folded as she peered around the two taller than her to watch Haruki and Hanataro.

"Why are you guiding us without question?" Ichigo asked the question that had been burning in his mind from the moment Hanataro had offered to show them the way.

"I know a lot about you. From listening to Rukia. Ichigo Kurosaki," his quiet words made all three gasp quietly. Hanataro slowly looked around, his eyes full of worry. "Please…save Rukia!" his plea carried through the stone tunnels, as they stared at him in surprise.