Chapter 39: Whatever It Takes

Hanataro's plea for Ichigo to save Rukia took them all by surprise, Haruki included. They all stared at the young Shinigami, who, despite his obvious fear, didn't look away from Ichigo after making his request.

"But…why?" Haruki was the one to break the silence. He couldn't understand why he would risk everything to rescue a criminal from a noble family.

"Before Rukia was placed in the Senzaikyu Shishinro, she was held in Squad 6's barracks," Hanataro started as he found a small nook for them to sit and take a break. "I was assigned to cleaning duty for that area. To be honest, I was scared of her at first," he admitted, a wry smile crossing his face. "After all, she is a noble. But…" Hanataro trailed off.

"But…?" Ganju pressed as Kirara stayed standing, leaning against the wall as she listened.

"Rukia scolded me on my first day. Her voice was much kinder than what I had expected. I was quite relieved," Hanataro continued as he thought about his first encounter with the woman. "Ever since that day, my daily cleaning duty at the barracks gradually has become something to look forward to. And little by little, Rukia started telling me all kinds of things," he told them.

Kirara's fingers dug into her arms as she listened to her brother talk about Rukia. He sounded so fond of the woman who Kirara had distrusted the moment she'd laid eyes on her. While she had no doubt there was more to Rukia, the simple facts of her being a Shinigami and a Kuchiki made it impossible for Kirara to even want to go near her. In that moment, Kirara once again couldn't stop the striking feeling of being completely alone.

"I don't know how to put it…but she's an unusual Shinigami," Ganju spoke up, and Kirara glanced at him.

"Yeah, she is unusual," Ichigo's voice was unusually restrained. He got to his feet abruptly, making the three still sitting jump. "That's why we're here to rescue her," with that, he stalked off.

"Wait a second!" Ganju hurried after him.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hanataro worried as he followed them.

"And your reasoning?" Kirara looked at Haruki as he spoke, getting to his feet at a slower rate and dusting himself off. He then looked at her, his smile from before gone. Some of that uncertainty that Kirara remembered lingered in his eyes. "Why did you come back?" he asked her.

For a long moment, Kirara just looked at him, something in her gaze that made him unsure of what was going on in her mind. Haruki wondered if he'd pushed his luck in asking that question.

"I was asked," she finally said, and started to walk.

"That's it?" Haruki followed her, baffled by the short answer.

"Yup," Kirara's response was short as she didn't look at him. Haruki's eyes narrowed.

"What happened to the rest of them? The Shinigami who vanished with you?" he asked her. Kirara's expression didn't waver.

"No idea," she lied. "I split off and headed to the World of the Living. They could be dead for all I know," her words were harsh, and made Haruki slow as he stared after her.

"Kirara…" he murmured.

"I will leave you behind," she warned without looking back. "You're the one tagging along at the risk of your own life. I'm happy to leave you down here," Kirara said, and Haruki gulped, jogging after her.

Finally Hanataro stopped the group at a ladder after a few hours of traversing the labyrinthine underground tunnels. Ichigo hadn't spoken another word after hearing Hanataro talk about Rukia, and the others didn't try to coax any conversation out of him.

"I'll check first," he said, knowing that it wouldn't be out of place for a Squad 4 member to emerge from the tunnels. He climbed the ladder with ease, well used to it by now, and Kirara couldn't help but wonder if Seinosuke had ever willingly descended into the tunnels.

"Especially after Seinosuke left," Hanataro's words rang in her head, and Kirara had to push them out. She had slipped in the moment and asked, but she couldn't make it seem like she cared. It would only make it harder when she had to leave him again.

"I don't know how anyone could learn their way around this place," Ganju admitted as they waited at the bottom of the ladder.

"It's a necessity for us," Haruki said softly, and when they looked at him, they saw his embarrassed, awkward smile. Kirara's eyes narrowed just a little. So he wasn't entirely different to how he'd been before. "We're the ones who clean it, so we can't afford to get lost," he shrugged.

"Really feeling bad for these Squad 4 guys now," Ganju muttered. Kirara didn't speak. She'd never really thought about it before. She knew that Squad 4 often bore the brunt of cleaning around the Seireitei, even in other barracks, but it didn't seem to sink in until now.

"Uh, it's okay!" Hanataro's voice called down to them. "You can come up," he kept his voice down as he pushed the cover up so he could climb out. "This exit is the closest to the Tower," he told them as Ganju instantly scrambled up the ladder and took a deep breath.

"Wow! It seems like a long time since I've breathed fresh air," he groaned as Ichigo followed him up. Kirara climbed up next and took in a deep breath to fill her lungs with fresh air. She couldn't help but agree with Ganju with that, not liking how long they had been underground for. She looked around, finding that the place was entirely covered in fog and obscuring their vision.

"Look there, that's the Senzaikyu," Hanataro pointed. Ichigo quickly turned in that direction to squint through the fog.

"We're definitely closer to it, but look at that," Ganju breathed, able to see it over the top of the fog. It was still far from where they were, but they had at least traversed through a good lot of the Seireitei without being detected.

"There's still a tough rough ahead," Kirara warned quietly. She had a feeling anyone who found them now would be a lot stronger than who they'd come across already. Her eyes then narrowed as she felt a flicker of a familiar presence around, obscured by the fog around them. "Be on your guard," she told the group.

"The fog's clearing up," Ichigo noticed as the fog seemed to get progressively lighter around them, and finally they were able to see their surroundings a bit clearer. "Let's go," he told the other four. They started walking towards the massive flight of stairs that led to where the Senzaikyu was accessible, before Kirara felt that presence grow stronger. She still couldn't see them, but she could feel them.

"Ichigo," she called, still keeping her voice low. He slowed, glancing to her as she reached his side. "Someone's here," Kirara warned, and he frowned. "Right ahead," she said, and Ichigo squinted through the fog that was still clearing around them.

"Is something the matter?" Ganju asked from behind them, and Kirara shushed him. He scowled, but fell quiet. Ichigo kept his gaze fixed ahead as the fog finally cleared enough for them to make out a fight on the stairs, and his eyes widened as he found he recognised the man.

"It's been a while. Do you remember me?" the man lifted a pair of sunglasses to rest them on his head. Lined tattoos covered his forehead, travelling from his eyebrows and around his face.

"I would have liked to forget it, but there's a heap of payback I owe you, Renji Abarai!" Ichigo snarled back at him. Kirara's eyes narrowed. She didn't know the man, but Ichigo's recognition and the strange familiarity of his Reiatsu told her who he was - the Lieutenant who had gone to the World of the Living to bring Rukia back.

"Not him…" Haruki hissed as he took a step back, reaching for Hanataro to shield him.

"That's a surprise. You remembered my name too," Renji began to descend from the steps where he'd been waiting. He then gave a feral smile. "That's pretty good," he praised.

"Why, thank you," Ichigo's words were filled with enough sarcasm that any other time, Kirara would have been impressed. Instead she watched the man, sensing his power.

"Wh-who is this guy?" Ganju hissed, feeling the man's strength as well. "His Reiatsu is a completely different level than those earlier guys," he breathed.

"T-that…that person is Renji Abarai!" Hanataro was shaking in fear at the sight of the Lieutenant. "The Lieutenant of Squad 6!" he spoke as Haruki pushed him behind him.

"Lieutenant?!" Ganju repeated in horror.

"I'm truly surprised," Renji spoke as he continued to advance on them. "I thought you'd be dead after Captain Kuchiki's attack," his words had Ichigo walking forwards to meet him.

"Wait a minute, Ichigo!" Ganju shouted after him.

"Let him go," Kirara told him, and he looked at her sharply. "He needs to do this," she said, not moving to interfere.

"I don't know how you managed to survive. You're something else, alright," Renji said, before drawing his Zanpakuto. "But this is as far as you go! As I've told you before, I will kill the one who stole Rukia's powers!" Renji declared. Ichigo silently went for his own Zanpakuto. "As long as you're alive, Rukia can't get her powers back!" he yelled, breaking into a run.

"How can you say that after taking her back just to kill her?!" Ichigo finally broke his quiet to shout at him, starting to run as well. "I'm coming through!" he yelled.

"Try it if you can!" Renji challenged him. Their swords clashed loudly, and the two gave loud, angry yells as they began to fight.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Hanataro asked as he peered out from behind Haruki at the vicious fighting that was taking place nearby.

"This is Ichigo's fight. Stepping in would only hurt his pride," Kirara said as she stepped away to lean against the wall.

"Spoken like a true Shinigami," Haruki commented, and was surprised at the level of anger in the glare that Kirara shot him. She then turned away from him.

"Right now the best we can do is keep watch for anyone else drawn in by their Reiatsu," she said as she folded her arms, fighting her anger. "If anyone else comes, you two need to go," Kirara added, and Hanataro instantly began to splutter. "This is not worth your life. If they find out you're helping us, be it by showing us how to get to the Senzaikyu, or by just tagging along, you're assisting Ryoka and that is a crime. You'll end up just like Kuchiki," Kirara told them roughly. Hanataro dropped his gaze to the ground as Haruki stared at Kirara hard.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked before he could stop himself. A bitter smile crossed her face.

"Shinigami happened to me," Kirara said, refusing to elaborate as she instead focused on Ichigo and Renji. The two were shouting furiously at one another as they fought.

Kirara watched Renji, who had unsealed his Zanpakuto and continued to fight with relentless anger. She could see it in his face and hear it in his words. He had a personal connection to the whole thing, and blaming Ichigo for allegedly 'stealing' Rukia's Shinigami powers was just the surface level of the resentment.

"No insignia," she noted that he'd removed it. "Interesting. Seems there's more brewing under the surface of this place than it looks," Kirara muttered to herself, and closed her eyes as she kept herself alert for any other Reiatsu that got close to them. As she did, her mind began to wander.

The air in the Vizard's base of operations had never been so tense as it was now. All of them, even Mashiro, looked uncharacteristically shaken at what Shinji had just told them. Kirara had perched herself nearby on a large piece of concrete that had once been part of the upper floor.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Hiyori spat, but even she was thrown.

"Are you sure that it has to be this way?" Rose had fixed his gaze on Kirara, who was just staring at the ground as it still sunk in for her as well. "You have to go?" he asked.

"Alone?" Love pressed when Kirara just gave a nod in response.

"If any more of us go, then it'll make it far more obvious and put a lot more attention on us," Kirara said, saying what she'd told Shinji when Kisuke had initially asked for her help. "It might have been a long time ago now, but I still know how to stay in the shadows and keep out of sight. I have the best chance of not being caught," it wasn't meant to be an insult to any of them, and they knew it. Kirara had years of training that they had never needed.

"And if you do get caught?" Kensei asked. Kirara knew not to be offended. It was a fair question.

"Then it looks like I split off from the rest of you and have no idea where you are or if you're still alive," Kirara answered him simply.

"This is bullshit!" Hiyori shouted, leaping to her feet. "Why should you have to go back there? Why should you have to help a Shinigami?! After everything they did!" she yelled. Kirara lowered her head, hating that it was causing them so much pain.

"Hiyori!" Shinji's raised voice stopped her dead, and she looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like their usual arguments, and despite her anger, she couldn't bring herself to beat him senseless for raising his voice at her. "You know why she has to help," Shinji managed to lower his voice, but his own frustration was obvious. Kirara didn't look at him, hugging her knees closer to her chest.

"It's a desperate situation. All Kisuke can do is send a group of kids to do what he can't. We owe him," she pointed out. Hiyori's frustration grew at the smile Kirara gave her. She really was terrible at hiding her feelings.

"What happens if someone you know sees you?" Mashiro's question made the tense air grow. She hadn't meant Aizen or his lackies - just people that Kirara had known back then. Kirara's faint, sad smile vanished and was replaced with a grim expression instead.

"I'll take care of them," Kirara's voice was cold and quiet, and for just a moment all of them saw that other side of her, one that hadn't had to surface in a hundred years. One that she desperately hated.

The Soul of a Killer. That's what Sosuke Aizen had said. Those words had haunted Kirara for a century, and she'd hoped that she'd be able to prove him wrong.

Kirara hopped down from her perch, and stretched as she seemed to return to normal. "It'll take Kisuke 10 days to open his Senkaimon. I have until then to get ready. Then it's back to the Soul Society I go," her words were mockingly cheerful as she walked away.

The days flew by as Kirara trained almost relentlessly from sunup to well past sundown. Most of the time they had to remind her to eat and take breaks, all of them surprised by how much work she was putting into her training. She'd always been a slacker when it came to training, never taking sparring seriously.

Now she'd even managed to beat Kensei in a one-on-one. He was still refusing to accept it, demanding a rematch, but Kirara just told him to wait until she got back. That only made him madder.

"Shit…" Kirara muttered as she sat on the edge of her bed and put her hand to her ribs. Love had hit true with his strike, and she'd lied through her teeth, claiming she was fine and pushing herself through the pain to keep fighting. After all, if she got into a real fight once she was in the Soul Society, she wasn't going to be able to take a break if she got hurt.

"I knew you were hurt," Shinji's voice made her look up, midway through healing herself with her Kaido when he walked in and shut the door behind him.

"You could knock, you know," she replied. Shinji didn't bother to acknowledge that comment as he knelt in front of her and put a hand over hers. He gently pried away her hand and put his own where she was injured, healing her instead.

"If you keep this up, you're going to be too exhausted to even make it to the Soul Society," he warned her without looking up. Kirara watched him without speaking, letting him take over to save her a bit of strength before she inevitably passed out for the night. Part of her wanted to argue.

"It's all I can do to keep my mind off it," instead, she spoke the truth. "If I don't keep focused on what I'm doing, then…" Kirara trailed off, frustrated. She hated that she was so scared of returning there alone.

"You're coming back," Shinji's words were so sure, that Kirara found herself believing him for a second. "You're coming back, or I'm going to burn that whole damn place down and bring you back myself," he finally lifted his head to meet her stunned gaze.

"Shinji…" she breathed, not sure how to respond as her heart pounded against her chest. "What if I'm not strong enough?" Kirara whispered the fear out loud.

"You are strong enough. You're definitely stubborn enough," a grin spread across his face as he saw a small pout on her face at the comment. "Use your stupid speed, use your Zanpakuto, use your Mask. Do whatever it takes to come home. To come back to me," he then rose up to kiss her, and Kirara took a shuddering breath before pulling him close.

"Shinji…I haven't showered, I stink," she managed to say between kisses, but even as she did, her hands tangled in his short hair.

"Don't care," he hissed back as he pushed her back on the bed, silencing any further protests she might have had.

The sun was starting to set, and yet Ichigo and Renji's battle continued without stop. Unfortunately, it hadn't gone in Ichigo's favour. He was bleeding profusely and struggling to keep up with Renji, but he hadn't stopped. He continued to fight against the Lieutenant, even as the odds continued to stack up against him.

"This is wrong," Haruki growled, hating standing on the sidelines while they waited for one to finish off the other. "We shouldn't just sit here and let Ichigo die," he said, turning to Ganju and Hanataro. Ganju looked as if he agreed with him, but Hanataro couldn't help but look up at his sister, who hadn't moved from where she was leaning against the wall.

"No," she told them, her voice giving no room for argument. She opened her eyes, and focused them on Haruki as he scowled at her. "This is Ichigo's fight. He has to understand what he's fighting for. What he's risking not just his life, but the lives of all of us, for," Kirara said. "He's not going to die," there was so much confidence in Kirara's voice that it surprised them.

"I hope you're right," Ganju muttered as he turned away. Kirara didn't respond as she held Haruki's gaze, watching as he struggled to try and understand what was going on in her mind. Then he too gave up and turned away, missing Kirara's bitter smile.

'I said I would take care of anyone who saw me. But I can't do it. I can't hurt Haruki. I won't hurt Hanataro,' she thought as she looked at the young Shinigami from the corner of her eye. He had also reluctantly turned back to the fight still raging. 'So why was I able to fight Natsuki without hesitation? If I can blame her, I should be able to blame Haruki as well. So why…' Kirara looked up at Ichigo as an explosion rocked the area. 'I did it to protect Ichigo,' she remembered, thinking about how much she hated Natsuki's look. Her eagerness to rip Ichigo to shreds. She knew he could hold his own against her, but still…something had triggered in her mind and she'd been more than ready to take Natsuki out, even if it meant revealing herself.

"Ichigo!" Ganju roared, thinking that this was it. He was about to accuse Kirara of being wrong, and demand that she do something to help, when the smoke of the explosion faded and they found Ichigo on his knees. They stared as he managed to get to his feet, leaning on his sword.

"How is he able to keep going?" Haruki stared at the young man who stubbornly refused to fall to Renji's blade. Renji took a step towards him, determined to finish him off, only to pause as he saw the look in Ichigo's eyes.

Kirara allowed herself a small smile as she felt his power start to rise higher than it had been before. Ichigo grunted as he lifted his Zanpakuto to rest it over his shoulder.

"Ichigo…" Hanataro gulped as he, Ganju and Haruki peered out from some of the rubble created during the destructive fight.

"Is he going to continue fighting?" Ganju couldn't believe what he was seeing. By all accounts, Ichigo should have been downed long ago.

"I told you," Kirara spoke up as she pushed off the wall and walked over to them, studying Ichigo's form. "Take a look," she said, looking satisfied as the three stared at Ichigo, trying to understand what she meant.

"He seems different," Hanataro commented, unable to work out just what it was. He then shook his head. "He's completely different than before," he said more firmly this time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Renji," Ichigo spoke. Even his voice carried more power. "I've got resolve," his eyes flickered blue with power. "This time, I will get you!" he promised. His power continued to rise, creating a powerful wind as his pressure made Renji step back in uncertainty.

In that moment of hesitation, trying to understand just how Ichigo was getting stronger, Renji missed Ichigo leap into the air with a roar. He swung his Zanpakuto, which extended out towards Ichigo, but the orange-haired boy dodged it and landed before blocking with a growl.

"Such power…he's surpassed that of a Lieutenant for sure," Haruki breathed. Ichigo knocked Renji's Zabimaru aside, and raised his own blade high into the air as he charged it with power. Renji swung again blindly, only for his Zanpakuto to shatter. His eyes widened, and blood sprayed as Ichigo landed a proper blow.

"He did it!" Ganju shouted as the blow sent a kickback that threatened to lift Hanataro off his feet, had Kirara not grabbed him and held him in place. A scream made them look up in time to see Renji fly through the air, his hair streaming around him as he slammed against a large piece of rubble. For a moment, he stayed on his feet, but he was unsteady and unable to do anything.

The scream of frustration he let out was felt by all of them, and Kirara suddenly felt her chest go tight as she understood the pain behind it. The pain of being weak and helpless to protect someone.

'That's your truth, isn't it?' she wondered as Renji collapsed to his knees, and more blood splattered the ground around him. He managed to lift his head, raising his hand out before even that fell. Yet somehow he found the strength to get to his feet and stagger towards Ichigo, too injured to fight. Renji surprised them all when he reached out and grabbed Ichigo's kosode, glaring at him.

"It's your fault that Rukia was imprisoned in the Senzaikyu!" he yelled, his voice shaking from both pain and misery. "Every time I thought about it, it made my blood boil! But that wasn't it…" Renji lowered his head. "It's because I didn't stop Rukia…back then, I…I didn't tell Rukia to go to the Kuchiki family so she'd end up being a condemned criminal!" his shout made Kirara tilt her head. "I thought Rukia would find happiness! I truly believed that" Renji yelled.

'Rukia's not a true Kuchiki? She must have grown up with this guy then…he cares for her, that's why he's here. That's why he's fighting,' Kirara realised as she listened quietly to Renji's broken words.

Ichigo was just as quiet, staring at Renji in shock as he listened to his angry words that weren't aimed at Ichigo, but at himself.

"I wanted to surpass Captain Kuchiki…from that day, ever since…" Renji trailed off, unable to say it aloud. "I've pursued him. Every day I've trained like mad. But I still haven't been able to beat him, not once. He's too strong!" Renji cried. His entire body was shaking from both anger and pain. "Getting Rukia back with strength was something I couldn't do! Kurosaki," he lifted his head to stare into Ichigo's wide eyes. "I'm swallowing my shame and asking you. Save…save Rukia!" he pleaded, unable to stop his sobs.

"I will," Ichigo whispered.

Hope you liked it! I'll be away for the Easter holidays, so updates will resume after then!

Please review!