Chapter 46: Back

A loud crash echoed through the Squad 11 barracks, and Ikkaku, Renji and Rukia all visibly winced at the sound.

"Oops," Natsuki murmured, stepping back from Yumichika as he stood, rubbing his head. There was a small crack in the ground where Natsuki had planted him moments ago.

"You're going to regret that…" Yumichika muttered, opening his eyes to glare at her. He then lunged to throw a punch, and with a startled squeak, Natsuki leapt into the air. She scrambled to dodge Yumichika's next attack as he followed her up, determined to catch her.

"It's good to see Natsuki has recovered from her injuries," Rukia commented as she watched the two with wide violet eyes. "Perhaps a little too well," she muttered. In the air above, the two were still fighting.

"You're probably right there," Ikkaku said as Yumichika managed to force Natsuki back to the ground.

"Definitely right," Renji agreed as Natsuki was forced down onto one knee, where she was forced to yield. "Alright, I'm up," Renji grinned walking over as Yumichika let Natsuki go, and she rubbed her wrist with a pout.

"I knew you had an ulterior motive for coming here," Rukia rolled her eyes as she watched the two men begin to spar.

"You thought he wasn't going to join in when he came here?" Natsuki laughed as she stood beside the petite woman.

"I'd hoped…I have errands to run," Rukia grumbled. Natsuki's smile widened.

"How's Captain Ukitake doing?" she asked her.

"He's almost completely recovered," Rukia answered, a look of relief glimmering in her eyes.

"Good," Natsuki felt relieved as well. After the Captain had been badly injured in the Winter War – along with others – there was wonder about his recovery, since he was already quite a sickly man.

Natsuki's eyes were on Yumichika and Renji as they sparred in the middle of Squad 11's open training grounds. Almost a month had passed since the Winter War, and she was completely recovered. A scar still lingered down her collarbone and chest where Aizen had struck her down, thin and deep and a reminder of her own weakness. She kept thinking about Kirara, wondering if she'd survived the battle or not. She wondered if she'd ever see her again, and doubted it. If she'd lived, she'd be long gone.

Natsuki sighed, wishing she'd been able to talk to Kirara more. She still had what felt like a million questions for her. About what happened the night that they'd disappeared. Kirara's brief explanation had only brought up more questions.

'Oh don't start this again,' the young voice belonging to her Zanpakuto Spirit complained.

'I can't help it,' Natsuki defended weakly. 'Just how was she able to call on that Mask? She said she was part Hollow or something, and that Aizen had done it to her, but how? And how was she able to maintain control wearing it? Ichigo had one too, when he came to the Soul Society…is he like them? And her Bankai, it was incredible, just how did it work?'

'Please stop, you're going to make me dizzy,' Tsuki no Usagi whined. Natsuki bit her lip to hide her smile.

'Sorry…but I just wonder. Did she have her Bankai before leaving, or is a recent thing? Why wouldn't she have told me about it? And her and Hirako, there's clearly something-'

'Natsuki! Stop, I beg you!' the Spirit pleaded. She was spared another wave of questions when knuckles rapped on Natsuki's head.

"Ow," she whined, rubbing her head.

"You're zoning out again," Yumichika commented, leaning on the wall beside her as Ikkaku and Renji sparred. "You're going to miss it," Natsuki pouted, still rubbing her head as she looked up at the two men fighting, throwing powerful attacks that the other would block or counter. "You've been doing that a lot lately," the dark haired Shinigami commented as Ikkaku took a punch to the gut.

"My mind is still on what happened in that fake town," she admitted.

"The fake Karakura Town?" Rukia asked her curiously. "Why?" she asked.

"Yeah Natsuki, why are you thinking about that?" another voice asked. "It's over, move on," Natsuki sighed.

"I wish I could, but I-" Natsuki stopped abruptly, her eyes widening. Yumichika and Rukia had reacted as well, looking around quickly.

"But what?" Natsuki looked up onto the roof of the Squad 11 barracks. Kirara was lying on the roof with her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky. "Dwelling in the past isn't exactly good for you," she commented.

"What..." Natsuki was stunned as even Ikkaku and Renji stopped to look.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia, the first to find her voice, demanded as Kirara pushed herself into a sitting position.

"That's an excellent question, really. What are any of us doing here really?" she wondered. Rukia turned to Natsuki.

"Is she always this annoying?" she demanded.

"From the few unfortunate encounters I've had with her, yes," Yumichika muttered.

"That's hurtful, Feathers, here I was coming to say hi and you're just rude," Kirara shrugged, not sounding insulted in the least.

"Kirara!" Natsuki leapt up in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, still shocked to see her best friend alive and back in the Soul Society. She was still wearing clothes from the World of the Living, and her hoody had slipped slightly to reveal bandages still under it, and a burn mark on her shoulder.

"Huh. Guess the old man didn't tell you guys," Kirara pushed herself up, and Natsuki noticed the slow, careful movements that she made in standing.

"Kirara?" they looked around as another figure flickered into view, and everyone below started, cautious over the newcomer that only Natsuki and Rukia recognised.

"Hey Rose," Kirara turned and walked over to him with a smile.

"Who's that guy?" Renji muttered to Rukia.

"I'm not too sure, but I remember seeing him when they helped Ichigo," Rukia whispered back.

"You know Shinji said not to wander off, right?" Rose asked as he ignored them.

"Which part of that sentence is wrong to you?" Kirara smirked back at him. Rose gave a small sigh, but was smiling in exasperation.

"Fair point. Come on, we need to get back. The Head Captain is calling a meeting," Kirara groaned.

"I hate meetings, they're so boring..." she complained, and glanced to the still very confused Shinigami. "Later," she grinned, following Rose away.

"So uh...what the hell is going on?" Ikkaku asked, irritated.

"I have no idea," Natsuki sighed.

"I really thought the Head Captain would never stop talking," Kirara groaned as she tossed her hoody aside. "That took so damn long," she complained.

"Do you really expect anything less?" Shinji called in to her.

"Probably not. I'm still questioning why the hell he's let Soi Fon and Mayuri Kurotsuchi become Captains..." Kirara muttered. "Though I will absolutely forever savour Soi Fon's expression when she found out we were getting reinstated," she snickered.

"She have a problem with you?" Kirara pulled on the sleeveless kosode over her bandaged torso. "She was glaring pretty damn hard, and you were doing that smug smirk thing you do when you're annoying people," she arched her eyebrow.

"I never did that to you," she reminded him.

"That's because you were too busy shouting at me," Kirara couldn't argue that.

"She didn't agree with me being her precious Lady Yoruichi's Lieutenant. Or Kisuke being her 3rd seat. She thought I was lazy, childish, drank too much-"

"I'll let you know when she was wrong about something," Shinji called in as Kirara tied her obi as tightly as she could, keeping her skirt up.

"Asshat!" Kirara called back at him. "Oh, and she felt I was 'disrespectful' for how I spoke to other Captains," she remembered as she lifted the Lieutenant's badge and began to tie it around her arm.

"I agree."

"Shinji I'm going to hit you," she warned irritably, leaning against the table and folding her arms.

"See? Disrespectful," he walked in, tugging the white fabric of the Haori over his uniform. Kirara arched an eyebrow. "Well?" Shinji approached her, and Kirara tilted her head.

"Eh..." she shrugged. "I dunno...I think I preferred your other clothes," Kirara determined.

"Oh yeah?" he frowned, and Kirara smirked slightly.

"Yeah," she confirmed with a nod. "This makes it far harder to check you out when you're not looking," the bold comment made Shinji jerk backwards in alarm, and red coloured his face. Kirara bit her lip to hide her laughter.

"I see...well I suppose I have the same complaint," Shinji's gaze went down to the uniform she wore.

"Oh yeah?" Kirara couldn't stop the giggle as he walked over and leaned into her; his hands covering hers on the table.

"Yeah," Shinji grinned back, leaning in and kissing her softly.

"Hey, Shinji…" Kirara murmured as she pulled back, opening her eyes. Pinned against the table, she couldn't move as he held onto her hands.

"Huh?" he leaned in again, tilting his head to kiss her jaw. She shivered, and let out a soft sigh.

"The old man, does he know about us?" she asked as she struggled to keep focused on her question. Shinji straightened up, but still didn't release her.

"I doubt it…why?" his voice was still quiet as his thumbs traced circles on her hands.

"Well, surely there's some kind of rule about Captains and their Lieutenants," Kirara raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed. She was probably right. He shook his head at the idea.

"Who cares?" he asked, and before Kirara could speak, he kissed her again. She huffed, and pulled her hands free to move them up around his neck to pull him closer. His hands then trailed up her bare arms, making her shiver again.

A banging at the door made them pause, and Shinji sighed, but as Kirara went to break the kiss, he pulled her closer, choosing to ignore it. The banging echoed louder this time, followed by a voice.

"Oi, answer already!" Kensei's voice echoed in.

"Nobody's home!" Shinji pulled away long enough to shout back, before turning back as Kirara pushed back up.

"Oh, that's great!" Kensei growled. "If Nobody would be so kind as to stop Shinji and Kirara from whatever depraved act they're at, that'd be amazing!" he shouted.

"Maybe later!" Kirara called.

"Um, perhaps you should open up? Kensei looks close to breaking down the door," Rose's concerned voice reached the pair, who sighed again.

"Fine…" Shinji muttered, letting go of Kirara. As he turned to let the others in, he found himself being yanked back as she reached up and kissed him again. "Kirara…" he groaned. "If we don't stop now, Kensei will break in and find us in a much worse position," he warned her.

"That'd be his own fault really," Kirara smirked, but released him all the same, leaning against the table again as he disappeared. He returned with Rose, Kensei and Mashiro, all of whom were in Shinigami robes as well. Mashiro had the Squad 9 Lieutenant's badge wrapped around her arm, like Kirara's fifth division badge. "Oh hey Kensei, I didn't realise you were outside," Kirara smiled pleasantly at him.

"Shut it Kirara," he growled at her. "Just wait until you're clear to fight again, you're going to regret pissing me off," Kensei threatened. Kirara's smile only grew.

"Looking forward to it," she sang, and winced as Shinji bumped his fist against her head.

"Stop baiting him you idiot," he sighed.

"But it's fun!" Kirara whined, sticking her tongue out at Kensei. Mashiro giggled.

"Stupid Kensei, you're always so mad," she poked him. Kensei swatted at her.

"Don't you get involved!" he snapped.

"Have any of you been to the barracks yet?" Rose quickly changed the subject, shooting Kensei another concerned look.

"Not yet," Kensei shook his head, deflating from his anger.

"We don't officially start for a few days," Kirara shrugged. "I was going to take a look around today," she added.

"Unohana wants you to check in with her today," Shinji remembered. "Make sure you're okay to be running around," he said as she groaned, letting her head fall back.

"The last time I did that, she had me off duty for like, 2 months," she complained irritably.

"That may have been because you almost bled to death when Shirobara tried to dissect you?" Shinji raised an eyebrow at her. Kirara went red.

"Two months was an unnecessary amount of time…" she muttered.

Natsuki rushed through the Seireitei as fast as she could, searching everywhere for her friend. Even more questions whirled around her head at the reappearance of Kirara in the Soul Society.

'Don't start again Natsuki, you'll make me dizzy again!' Tsuki no Usagi complained.

"But none of it makes any sense!" Natsuki complained, turning a corner. She skidded to a stop when she spotted Kirara leaving the Squad 4 barracks. She turned and bowed politely to Lieutenant Kotetsu, who smiled and bowed back before turning and returning as Kirara put a hand to her side. "Kirara!" she looked around at Natsuki, who rushed up to her. "Are you okay? What are you doing back? You're back in the Gotei 13? How-"

"Natsuki," Kirara raised her hands with a laugh. "You're going to make me dizzy," she warned.

"Sorry," Natsuki blushed, looking down.

"The old man gave us a full pardon, and offered to reinstate us," Kirara explained with a smile, and Natsuki looked up sharply, her jaw falling open. "Of course, not all of us agreed to it, but me, Rose, Shinji, Kensei and Mashiro came back," Kirara reached out and closed Natsuki's mouth with a finger.

"But…what you said before…about not being a Shinigami and all that…" Natsuki shook her head.

"That was me being dramatic. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed at what happened, and I don't think I'll ever get over it. I don't think any of us will," Kirara admitted. "But Unohana saved my life, and the ones who decided on the death sentence were manipulated by Sosuke. I have to move on," she shrugged. Natsuki blinked multiple times at her, before suddenly throwing her arms around her. "Hey, be careful, I'm still delicate," Kirara complained, but was laughing at the same time.

"I can't believe you're back," Natsuki released her, smiling widely.

"Yeah well, the World of the Living was getting boring," Kirara replied with a grin.

"And you're a Lieutenant again!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"You really have to relax," Kirara chuckled.

"For Squad 5?" Natsuki asked as she saw the insignia on it. She then grinned. "I wouldn't have thought that would be allowed, you know, with you and Hirako-"

"And that's when I leave," Kirara turned away, feeling her face burning. Natsuki caught her arm with a laugh, stopping her from walking off.

"You have to admit, it's kinda funny. Though, I knew it was going to happen," Kirara turned and raised an eyebrow at the grinning woman. "You were acting all weird after you got hurt fighting Shirobara. Both of you. So, I kinda figured it was inevitable," Kirara's blushing grew worse, and she sighed.

"Well...better than everyone else saying it before," she muttered.

"Oh I knew before, but that just made it super obvious," Natsuki's giggle earned a glare. Her gaze then went past Kirara, and she smiled wider. "Hana! Over here!" she called, and Kirara glanced around. Her eyes widened as she saw the nervous boy who Yumichika had been escorting in the World of the Living. He glanced around at them, and his eyes grew wide.

"Na-Natsuki!" he stammered, and the blonde pulled Kirara over.

"Hey kid. Been a while," Kirara waved a hand, finding herself incredibly awkward as she faced the boy who was definitely her younger brother.

"Y...yeah," he swallowed, staring up at her with wide eyes. Kirara then sighed, scratching at her head.

"I'm sorry for acting like I did before. I've kinda been a little...removed from society, the last 100 years," she apologised as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"It's okay," she looked down quickly, surprised when he smiled. "You saved our lives against that Gillian, I knew you were good," Hanataro smiled brightly at her.

"You're...adorable," Kirara told him, and his smile faded.

"Wh-what? N-n-no, I'm not-" Kirara laughed and pulled him into a hug, spinning in circles.

"You're so cute!" he cried out in alarm as Natsuki laughed, shaking her head at Kirara's antics. It had been a long time, but it was just the same as ever. "I suppose I should properly say hi," Kirara grinned as she let the dizzy 7th seat go. He swayed, barely managing to stay on his feet. "I'm Kirara Yamada, Lieutenant of Squad 5," she smiled, and he stared at her with wide eyes, before smiling back.

"I'm Hanataro Yamada, 7th Seat of Squad 4," he introduced himself, and Kirara ruffled his hair.

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue in the blue sky.

"This isn't a sight I thought I'd see again," Shinji commented as he watched the sky from the roof of the quarters that he had been assigned. It wasn't far from his old quarters, and part of him was glad that he had been assigned somewhere new.

"Same here," Kirara replied. Her fingers ran through his hair as he rested his head on her lap, the pair of them enjoying the peaceful evening. "But we can't really get used to this, now can we?" she smiled softly; fingers still moving. "Got a lot to do in a few days," she told him. "Meeting the Squad and finding out just how much we have to fix...oh, and we have to go see Lieutenant Hinamori if she's awake as well," she remembered. Shinji rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh.

"Why do you have to ruin it?" he grumbled, scowling. Kirara gave a soft laugh.

"Because I'm your Lieutenant, remember?" she looked down at him. "It's my job to be your killjoy," she said, and continued running her fingers through his hair.

"You succeed admirably," he muttered, and Kirara poked his cheek.

"Don't be mean," she scolded in a soft voice. "And quit your complaining, you're ruining the view," she scolded.

"You're the one who mentioned work," Shinji yawned widely. Kirara just let out a small laugh, not replying as she just looked back up to the sky. A gentle breeze caught them, tugging lightly at their robes and pushing Kirara's hair from her face. "We do have a lot to do..." he agreed after a moment. Kirara gave a small chuckle.

"Yep," she agreed quietly. Neither wanted to say it, but both knew that the 5th Division, much like the 3rd and 9th, was going to need a lot of work to get back on its feet. While it seemed Izuru and Shuuhei had tried their best to manage what they could, they were still without a Captain, and it was far too much work for one person. And Squad 5's Lieutenant had been a mess since Aizen's betrayal. "We're going to need to be careful when we talk to Hinamori," Kirara broke the silence.

"Oh yeah?" Shinji's voice was quiet, as if he were drifting off. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Well for one thing, we're not exactly the most polite of people," Kirara grinned.

"Speak for yourself," Shinji yawned, and she just rolled her eyes.

"Natsuki told me, the girl idolised Sosuke," Kirara went quiet, her eyes sad at the idea. "She snapped when he faked his own death, and it took a long time for her to accept that he betrayed the Gotei 13. She might still be under that mind frame, so we need to be careful when we talk to her, okay?" she looked down at Shinji, who didn't take his eyes off the sunset.

"Probably why Sosuke picked her as his Lieutenant. Easy to manipulate her," he murmured. "Plus, her devotion probably fed the bastard's ego," he added, and Kirara hummed in agreement. "It'll be fine," Shinji added, his voice quiet and determined, making Kirara's smile return.

"You're right," she agreed.

Shinji gave her a sideways glance, watching as she smiled contentedly, her fingers continuing to curl around his hair and occasionally run down his face as she didn't pay attention. He loved that expression. She wore it rarely, always on some kind of alert. He'd never seen her with such an expression when anyone else was around, and that made him love it more.

When she finally realised he was watching her instead, Kirara glanced down, curious. She then smiled as he grinned up at her.

"What?" she asked, playing with his bangs, her finger ghosting over the thin scar that was just about hidden by his hair. Her hands shielded his eyes from the fading sunlight as he watched her.

"I love you, my Princess," he told her. Kirara laughed.

"And I love you, my idiot," she replied, flipping his hair playfully.

So I want to give a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed, and most importantly took the time to read my story! Honestly, I didn't expect to have gained as many who have enjoyed it as I have, it really means a lot. I can't believe it's finally come to an end, and thank you all, if you stuck it out from the beginning, or if you just started to read it! You're all absolutely amazing and you all help me to continue writing!

I do have a sequel in the works at the moment, but right now I plan on returning to some of my forgotten stories and giving them a little bit of focus - including the AU of this story: Threads of Fate. But I will be posting Beyond the Battle soon enough. I just want to complete some other stories first before I go on any further with a new story!

As usual, I hope you have enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!

Please review!