A/N: Hello, and welcome to my first Bleach crossover! (It's not my first Inuyasha crossover, so I can't say that, LOL) In terms of Inuyasha: the story sticks (mostly) with the canon of the original/first anime, but I'm ignoring The Final Act entirely (which will be obvious). In terms of Bleach: mostly canon (anime) up to a point, but Aizen has been defeated and Ichigo has retained his Soul Reaper powers. I think that all makes some sense, but if I've confused anyone, please let me know – I'm happy to clear up any questions! I really hope you all enjoy this story, and thank you for giving it a chance! As usual, please forgive minor errors and OOCness, but I promise I'll try very hard to keep them true to themselves!

Full Summary: Slight AU (for obvious reasons). Naraku has learned of the unique abilities of Orihime Inoue and concocts a plan to take those abilities for his own in order to finally complete the Shikon Jewel. But when Orihime goes missing in the middle of the night, Ichigo and their friends immediately begin searching for a way to get her back – which begins with following her back through time. Orihime is stranded without any idea of what is going on, or if she will ever see her friends again. And even if Ichigo and the others are able to find her, there's still the threat of Naraku that must be dealt with, if Orihime is ever to be safe again.

Pairings: Main: IchiHime. Other: RenRuki, InuKag, and MirSan

Disclaimer: I own nothing of significance, let alone Bleach or Inuyasha.

Where They Belong

Prologue: Disappearance

Ichigo bolted upright, a thin bead of sweat dripping off of his chin as he dragged in a ragged breath. He didn't have to look over at the clock on his desktop to know it was late; the nearly-full moon shining in through the gap in his curtains told him all he needed to know about the hour. As he shifted, lifting one hand to wipe away the sweat, his comforter pooled in his lap and his mind wandered. What…what woke me up?

Taking another deep breath, he let his eyes close as he tried to solve the new mystery. Rukia would be harping at me if it were a hollow, he reasoned, noting the silence from his closet. In fact, I don't sense anything wrong… His thoughts trailed off and his eyes snapped back open as he realized that he wasn't entirely right. There definitely wasn't a hollow, but something was wrong.

Try as he might, he couldn't sense her. Anywhere.

"Orihime!" Ichigo cried as fear gripped his heart tightly. He threw the covers off as he half-dove for his Combat Pass, and he paid no attention as his closet door slid open even as he slammed the badge to his chest.

"Ichigo, what's going on?" Rukia demanded, rubbing her eyes with one hand as she watched his body fall awkwardly to the floor.

Turning to his window, Ichigo swiftly unlatched it and slid it open as he replied, "Something's wrong with Orihime!"

"What?" Rukia repeated slowly even as Ichigo, not waiting for her, leapt out of his bedroom. After a moment her brain kicked in and Rukia propelled herself from her makeshift room, never breaking stride as she popped her Chappy soul-candy into her mouth. "Stay here!" she commanded before quickly following Ichigo out the window.

He was running at top speed across the rooftops and phone lines when Rukia caught up to him, hoping against hope that – for whatever reason – Orihime was just practicing concealing her spiritual pressure. Please, he pleaded silently, just be alright.

"What, exactly, do you expect to find at her apartment?" Rukia asked as she fell into stride behind him.

"How the hell should I know?" Ichigo snapped, leaping onto another roof. Her building was in view now, and from what he could see, no lights were on inside. "I just know that I can't feel her anywhere, and this is the best place to start looking."

Rukia stayed silent as they neared Orihime's apartment. She knew, better than most, how devastated Ichigo would be if something had happened to their friend, and nothing she could say – especially before they even knew what was wrong – would help the situation.

Together they alighted on Orihime's roof, and Ichigo immediately flash-stepped to her bedroom window, tensing for a moment when he saw that it was open half-way. His hand was wrapped around Zangetsu's hilt before he realized that he recognized the spiritual pressure coming from inside; but it was not Orihime's, and the tension in his gut did not ease as he moved into the apartment.

"Yoruichi," he called as his feet touched down. The room was dark and empty. Orihime's bed was unmade, the comforter bunched over and kicked down as though she had simply kicked it off of her as she got up.

Rukia landed silently behind him as he moved, barely pausing, toward the hallway.

Yoruichi greeted them in Orihime's living room, her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her face. "Ichigo, Rukia," she acknowledged quietly.

"What the hell's going on? Where's Orihime?" Ichigo demanded, not in the mood to beat around the proverbial bush.

An almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips, and Yoruichi finally lifted her golden gaze to meet Ichigo's concerned brown one. "I'm not entirely sure what happened," she began, "all I know is that there was a flux in the spiritual pressure in this area several minutes ago. By the time I got here, Orihime was already gone. I'm afraid we'll have to talk to Kisuke for better answers."

"What do you mean when you say there was a flux in the spiritual pressure?" Rukia asked.

"It was strange," Yoruichi admitted, shrugging faintly and letting her arms fall to her sides. "It felt sort of like a ripple, and it was centered on this location, which is why I came directly here."

Violet eyes widening, Rukia said, "So then, you're saying that…Orihime has just…vanished?"

"It appears that way, yes," Yoruichi stated, nodding once as she watched for Ichigo's reaction.

"That's impossible," Ichigo growled, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as his anger began to take hold of him. "If she's been taken somewhere, there should be some sort of trace, dammit! People – humans – don't just vanish!"

"Ichigo-" Rukia began, reaching out as if to rest her hand on his arm, but coming up short when he cut her off angrily.

"No!" Ichigo snapped, spinning around as if to leave. "She's out there somewhere and I'm going to find her."

As he took a step toward the hall, Yoruichi called out to him. "And where will you look? Will you scour Karakura Town? Will you cross into Soul Society and search each of the 80 districts of the Rukongai? Will you check every dead-end and hidden passageway in the Seireitei? Will you break into Hueco Mundo again and lose yourself tearing through the desert around Las Noches?"

Her voice softened marginally as Ichigo stilled, though he didn't turn around, and she said, "Think, Ichigo. We have no leads; no trail to follow. Blindly searching would only be a waste of time and energy. We need to go back to Kisuke's and take a moment to figure this out."

They watched as Ichigo dragged in a deep breath and, shoulders slumped slightly, he finally replied, "Alright. Let's go."

Kisuke Urahara frowned thoughtfully as he mulled over what Yoruichi and Ichigo had told him. After only a moment, he spoke, his voice soft and serious. "From what you've said, and from what I felt of that ripple, I'd say it's safe to say that Orihime has been transported through time itself."

"What?" Ichigo breathed, his brown eyes going wide at the simple declaration.

"But how is that possible?" Rukia questioned, her own shock evident in her voice.

"There is a type of kido that allows for a level of time-manipulation," Kisuke explained calmly. "But what I sensed earlier tonight seems to be of a much higher level than that, though the energy is quite similar. The concept is hardly unfamiliar to me."

"I don't care about the damned concept," Ichigo snapped, slamming his palm down onto the table in frustration. "Do you know where, or when, Orihime was taken to?"

Spreading his fan across his face, Kisuke replied, "Don't be silly, of course not! It wasn't my spell, after all!" Before the volatile Substitute Soul Reaper could launch himself across the table, Kisuke snapped the fan shut and lowered his head, his voice quiet again as he added, "But I should be able to piggy-back off of the energy trail that was left behind, and send you after her."

Settling back into his position across from Urahara, Ichigo scowled darkly and said, "Then do it."

Lifting his head enough to meet Ichigo's solid gaze, Kisuke said, "You need to realize that I may not be able to bring you back. Once you get to the other side, you'll need to find another way home."

"Fine," Ichigo replied without hesitation. "That's a risk I'll have to take; I'm not abandoning Orihime."

"Very well, then," Kisuke said. "I'll begin immediately, and I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready."

"Where are you going?" Rukia asked as she followed Ichigo out of Urahara's shop barely a minute later.

"I promised my old man that I'd give him a heads-up if I ever had to leave again," Ichigo replied. "So I'm gonna go keep my word, and then I'll be back."

"Alright," Rukia accepted with a nod. "I'll go get Uryuu and Chad, and see if they're up for another rescue mission."

Ichigo paused, glancing back over his shoulder at his friend. "You know it's gonna be dangerous; none of you have to come. There's no guarantee we'll find a way back."

Rukia scowled at him and curled her fist threateningly. "You idiot! I thought we'd covered this back in Hueco Mundo! Of course we'll come with you! Besides, Orihime's my friend, too; just because I'm not hopelessly in love with her doesn't mean I'm letting you hog all the glory."

Face reddening, Ichigo turned his back to her again and resisted the urge to turn the jibe back at her. After a moment, he said, "Fine, if that's what you want to do. I'll see you when I get back." Without waiting for another response, he leapt into the air and flash-stepped to the nearest roof, heading home.

Rukia watched him until he'd vanished from sight, before sighing heavily and turning in the direction of Chad's apartment. I'd better send word to Soul Society, too…just in case we really do get stuck on the other side.

They were gathered in Urahara's basement nearly two hours later, as ready as they could be without knowing what they were throwing themselves into, when the unmistakable gates to the Senkaimon appeared just off to the side.

Urahara smiled beneath his hat and looked up. "Ah, his timing couldn't be better!"

"Who's timing?" Ichigo asked, one orange eyebrow arched in confusion. "Did you call in reinforcements or something?"

"Of course not," Urahara replied flippantly, returning his attention to the task at hand as the Senkaimon doors opened.

"Good," Renji Abarai declared as he stepped through, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of his zanpakutou. "I caught you."

Ichigo and Uryuu gaped at the unexpected sight of the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division.

"R-Renji?" Rukia gasped, as surprised as the others at the sight of her long-time friend. "What are you doing here?"

Renji cocked a tattooed eyebrow at her and scowled, crossing his arms over his chest as the gates faded out of sight behind him. "What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? Isn't it obvious? I'm coming with you!"

"Why the hell would that be obvious?" Ichigo demanded, recovering from his surprise. "How did you even know we were going somewhere?"

"Rukia sent a Hell Butterfly to Captain Kuchiki and Captain Ukitake, to inform Soul Society of the situation," Renji began, directing a mocking glare at Ichigo. "So Captain Kuchiki gave me permission to accompany you."

"B-but why? This isn't really Soul Society's problem," Rukia asked, still a bit surprised at the developing situation.

Renji redirected his full attention to the woman standing directly before him, looking her squarely in the eyes as he said, "I'm not here as an additional representative of Soul Society; there was no order given to interfere, especially since the captain didn't clear it with Head Captain Yamamoto first."

He paused, half shrugging, and added, "Captain Kuchiki is responsible for the safety of his family. Coincidentally, I asked if I could join you as soon as we received your message, so he granted my request, and here I am."

"So the Soul Society will be out another lieutenant if we can't find our way back?" Rukia asked pointedly.

"Yep," Renji replied.

"And you're okay with that?" Rukia challenged, clenching her fists.

"Of course not," Renji said calmly. "I'd like to be able to go home when this is over. But I'm not going back without you; it's that simple."

Rukia came up short at his response, her fists uncurling as she stared into Renji's serious eyes.

Urahara interrupted the moment, garnering their attention again as he called out, "Okay, everyone! I'm sorry to interrupt, but I don't know how long I can keep this thing open, so if you're going to go, now would be the time."

Behind him the air seemed to be swirling, glowing a faint blue, and the energy radiating from the swirling air caused a faint breeze to ruffle their hair and clothing. The size of the swirling portal was obviously unstable, indicating the truth of Urahara's words. It was time to go.

As they gathered together, all slightly behind Ichigo, Urahara spoke again. "Remember, we have absolutely no idea where or when you're going to end up, so we have no idea what to expect on the other side. Keep your guard up if you want to survive."

"Got it," Ichigo said, stepping forward. The group moved behind him, following his lead, and Ichigo added, "Thanks."

A moment later he stepped through, his mind focused on his one and only goal: find Orihime. He could worry about finding a way home later.

Ichigo vanished first, seemingly being sucked into the swirling vortex. He was immediately followed by Rukia and Uryuu, with Renji and Chad bringing up the rear.

A heartbeat after Chad vanished from sight, the air swirled faster and then suddenly imploded, forcing Kisuke to hold onto his hat and squint to shield his eyes from the dirt flying around. Then the faint blue glow faded out, along with the breeze, and he lowered his arm. "Good luck," he said quietly as Yoruichi stepped up beside him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: And the prologue is done! Obviously…heh. Anyway, I hope it at least piqued your interest! Please review and let me know what you thought, and then go read chapter one!