Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Bleach nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Tite Kubo, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

AN: Sorry for the long absence. I was supposed to get married and was very busy planning, but things came up and we had to cancel everything a month and a half away from the date. The decision to cancel everything happened literally minutes before invitations were sent out. We were AT the post office with a huge bag of invitations and just left. It was pretty devastating. But now that I've gotten through most of the depression and bitterness, I'm ready to get back to writing :] Also, I know that a while back I said that there would be no new material until all my stories were updated, but I really want to work on this right now. I'm a big fat liar. Enjoy.

Death Is Only The Beginning

Chapter Eleven

Kagome walked the halls of the Eighth Division's office building with her first report folder in hand. It had been a slightly awkward two days since her return from the living world. She was still embarrassed about crying and causing a fuss the day of her return, but there wasn't much that she could do about it now. Reaching her captain's office, she popped her head through the doorway and wasn't surprised to see the lone figure of Lieutenant Ise working on paperwork. "Roof?" She questioned the older woman.

"Roof," Nanao confirmed with an exasperated sigh.

"I'll see if I can talk him down," Kagome offered and headed for the stairs at the lieutenant's hum that plainly held no hope.

Squinting at the bright sunlight that greeted her on the high roof, Kagome blinked a few times to adjust her vision before carefully crossing the roof to the lounging captain. She cleared her throat when she came to a stop and waited for her commanding officer to acknowledge her presence.

"Ah, Kagome," Shunsui drawled as he tipped his hat back to glance at the young woman. "Is that your mission report? I've been looking forward to going over that; let's see it," he ordered with an extended hand.

Suddenly nervous, Kagome asked, "You're going to read it now?"

"Why not?" He asked. "This is your first report, and you're right here. I'll be able to let you know if there's anything you'll need to work on for next time."

Taking a seat next to the large man, Kagome handed over her report before falling back with a soft groan to lay with one arm over her eyes. Shunsui chuckled as he sat up and began skimming the report. "Now, now…it's not that bad. It looks pretty good for your first time." When Kagome didn't respond, Shunsui marked his page with a finger, closed the folder, and looked down at the sulking woman. "This isn't about the report, is it?" He watched Kagome shake her head without removing her arm from her face and smirked at her behavior. "Are you feeling any better since our talk the other day?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders but otherwise remained silent.

"Have you been back to talk to Juu? I told you that he's a good listener," Shunsui continued.

There was a short pause before Kagome shook her head slightly.

"Why not?"

Peeking out from beneath her arm, she mumbled softly, "I don't know." Upon receiving a knowing look from her captain, Kagome uncovered her face with a frustrated sigh and amended her answer. "It's just…I wish I had friends to talk to about this kind of stuff. I always had someone when I was alive—Sango, Mama, Kaede, even Miroku—but here…I'm just starting to realize how much I miss my friends from when I was alive."

Shunsui was slightly taken aback as he asked, "Do you not think of us your friends?"

"Please don't take it the wrong way, but as great as everyone in the squads that I've met is, you're all high-ranking officers—captains, lieutenants, seated at least—and who am I? I'm an unseated nobody. I'm working to go up in the ranks, but I know that I'll be plain Kagome for a while." Leaning forward to rest her crossed arms and chin on her knees, Kagome looked at the Court's skyline as she continued, "And things are worse at the academy. It's like everyone is scared of me…"

Gently laying a large hand atop Kagome's raven hair, Shunsui spoke, "You aren't a nobody, Kagome. Trust me. Most captains have trouble remembering all the names of their own unseated officers, but everyone knows who you are. You'll be an officer eventually, just give it time. And I don't know about the other academy students, but you have many friends within the squads. We know that you're in a tough position right now, but we're all here for you."

Kagome turned her head to study her captain's face. Smiling softly, she apologized, "I'm sorry. I've just been thinking about my past life a lot these last few days and I guess it has me a little confused and lonely…and maybe a little sad."

"That's okay," Shunsui reassured. "But remember that you have plenty of people to talk to if you ever need it."

Smiling, Kagome nodded and was quiet for a moment before she said, "I told Lieutenant Ise that I would try to talk you into coming back to the office, you know." When her captain's face fell, she laughed lightly and added, "You wouldn't want to make me look bad, would you?"

Hanging his head, Shunsui answered, "I suppose not." He got up slowly before turning to Kagome and extending a hand to help her up. "But you're coming back with me. I still want to go over your report with you."

Kagome and Shunsui walked the halls of the division together after coming down from the roof. There was silence between them as Shunsui read over his subordinate's report, humming every now and then, until he stopped all together and grabbed Kagome's shoulder to bring her to a halt as well. "Were you planning on telling anyone about this?" He questioned as he pointed to a few lines on the page he had been reading.

Skimming the page to see what he was talking about, Kagome's eyes widened. Suddenly embarrassed, she rubbed the back of her neck as she defended, "I was, but I guess I forgot with everything else that happened when I came back."

"So you were able to release your Shikai?" He questioned further. When Kagome nodded in answer, Shunsui's smile broadened. "I think we'll skip going to the office for now. Right now, there are more important things to take care of." Kagome barely had time to sputter the beginnings of an argument before she was dragged away by the much larger man.

As they walked, Shunsui continued to question the young shinigami about her recently learned technique. "Does your zanpakutou's form change?"

Shaking her head, Kagome answered, "Not really; it does start to glow, though."

Shunsui hummed as he processed the information and pressed for more. "Tell me about the abilities you've been able to develop with it so far."

"There's not much to tell, and this is all in the report," Kagome pointed out.

"Yes," Shunsui answered, "but I want to hear it from you."

Sighing as she was dragged through the streets of the Court, Kagome answered, "Well, with Inuyasha's help, we found out that it lets me manipulate water; I think it has something to do with gravity, like the moon." Kagome stumbled slightly as they abruptly changed direction. "Where are we going?" She finally shouted as she became more flustered.

"I was taking you to a practice field, but I'm taking you to a different one now," Shunsui answered. "Keep going. What else?"

"All I really know is that during the day I have to be near a body of water. At night, water just appears…I think it's pulled from the air." Thinking more about her training with Inuyasha, Kagome added, "When Inuyasha and I were sparring, I managed to hit him a few times with Tsukiko when she was unsealed. He said that it got harder for him to move—like his limbs were heavier—so I don't know for sure, but I think if I hit something with the unsealed blade, the gravity increases around whatever I hit."

"Anything else?" Shunsui asked. "You said it lets you manipulate water; how?"

"For the most part, the water moves however I direct Tsukiko; I move her to the left, the water flows to the left. I'm honestly still trying to figure all of this out, myself. At night, I can direct small amounts of water with my hands, though," Kagome explained. "Are you going to tell me exactly where we're going?"

Giving in, Shunsui answered, "I'm taking you to Ugendo's training grounds. There's plenty of water for you there."

"Ugendo?" Kagome asked confused.

"Juushirou's estate in Division Thirteen," Shunsui supplied.

Kagome dug her heels into the ground a little more. "Do we have to?" She asked. "There isn't anywhere else?"

Shunsui could feel nervousness rolling off of Kagome in waves. Stopping for a moment, he turned to face his subordinate. "Why are you avoiding Juu?" He asked plainly. Since her return, Kagome had been hesitant to visit the thirteenth division, and he was curious as to the reason.

Gaping at the question for a moment, Kagome's mouth opened and closed several times before she finally spoke in a small voice, "I don't know."

Shunsui studied the blush creeping across Kagome's face and the edges of her ears before pulling her to the far side of the street they were on. "I don't think I've ever asked you, but what do you think of Captain Ukitake?" He questioned gently.

Kagome's blush deepened and her eyes widened slightly as she quietly said, "He's very nice and polite. He's easy to be around."

Thinking over her words, Shunsui hummed to himself before pushing a little more. "That's what everyone seems to think. But I'd also like to know how you feel about him."

Small butterflies began dancing in Kagome's stomach and she had to shake her head to dispel the effect it had on her. "I'm not sure…why does it matter?" She asked.

Shunsui sighed as he readjusted his hat and spoke, "Everyone likes Juushirou and many people respect him, but because of his illness he isn't close to very many people. He's been my best friend since we were in the academy together. I want him to be happy, and I think you make him happy."

Kagome was stunned momentarily. "What?" She asked to make sure she had heard him correctly.

"And I think you like him, too," Shunsui elaborated. "So that's why I asked: how do you feel about Captain Ukitake?"

She wasn't sure where the sudden surge of anger came from—possibly from having all of her other emotions completely frazzled to the point of exhaustion—but Kagome suddenly decided that she'd had enough. Standing up a little straighter and lifting her chin, she said, "I'm not sure how I feel about him. Something happened in the living world—something personal that is not in the report—and I'm really confused! I think I might feel something for Captain Ukitake, but I'm not sure what it is right now. But honestly, Captain, while I understand that you're concerned for your friend and I mean no disrespect, I don't think that my romantic feelings are any of your business."

Watching as Kagome quickly walked away from him—towards Division Thirteen he noticed—Shunsui suddenly felt like an ass. After the years spent around Nanao, he should have learned to keep his mouth shut on certain topics by now. When he caught up with the petite woman who was currently angry at him, he noticed just how tense her back and shoulders were. 'I must have really hit a nerve,' he sullenly thought to himself.

"Why exactly are we going Ugendo's practice grounds?" Kagome asked in a flat voice as they approached their destination.

"I would like to see what you're capable of. This sort of advancement may just promote you to a seated position," Shunsui explained gently. He didn't want to risk saying anything else to increase Kagome's ire. While he certainly wasn't afraid of the small woman, he didn't want her to be angry with him, and he felt bad about upsetting her.

Kagome only nodded her head once as they continued to walk in tense silence. Entering the Division Thirteen grounds only made her tense up even more, and things didn't get any better as they approached the walkway to Captain Ukitake's pavilion. Shunsui laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as he stopped her and spoke, "You can go over by the pond's bank if you want. I'll go let Juu know that we're here and why."

With his offer that allowed her to save a little face, Kagome's frustration with her captain waned a little, but was far from gone. "Thanks," she said before walking away.

Shunsui ran a hand over his face as he knocked on Juushirou's door. When there wasn't an answer, he slid the door open to peek inside but was startled when a voice called his name from behind him.

"What are you doing?" Juushirou asked as he approached with a small bag in hand.

"You didn't answer the door so I wanted to make sure that everything was okay," answered the larger man as he stepped aside so that the fairer man could enter his home.

Juushirou hummed in understanding as he walked towards his kitchen. "I'm just returning from the Fourth Division. I needed a refill on my medicine." Looking out his window as his hands went through the motions of mixing some of the bitter medicine with tea and honey, he asked, "Is that Kagome by the pond?"

"Yeah," Shunsui groaned as he removed his hat to run a hand through his hair.

"She looks angry," Juushirou observed. He walked over to his friend and the two men stepped outside to walk towards the water's edge.

Sighing, Shunsui said, "Yeah, that would be my fault."

"What did you do?" Juushirou asked as he sipped his tea and made a face despite the added sweetness of the honey.

There was a slight pause before Shunsui said, "I may have told her that you were interested in her and asked how she felt about you."

Being the last thing that he'd been expecting to hear, Juushirou spit out the tea he'd just sipped and began coughing in his surprise. Righting himself and pulling out a handkerchief he kept in his robes to dab at his mouth, the white-haired man turned to look at his oldest friend in utter disbelief. "Why in the world would you do that?" He all but shouted at the taller man.

"She's been acting weird," Shunsui defended as he held his hands in front of himself. "I thought that might have something to do with it. I wasn't completely wrong, but I wasn't really right either. I messed up."

Glancing over towards the young woman aggressively going through her kendo stances, Juushirou asked, "Well since you asked, what did she say?"

"Well," Shunsui drawled, "something happened on her mission that she wouldn't tell me about. She said that she's confused right now, but that she thinks there might be something there." He smiled when he saw his friend blink in surprise. Giving the other man a quick wink, he continued, "But I brought her out here because I wanted to see her Shikai for myself."

Jumping on the topic change, Juushirou asked, "She's already achieved Shikai?"

"According the report she turned in earlier," he said as he waved said report in the air. "She was fighting a large Hollow and her zanpakutou spoke to her mid-fight. Its name is Tsukiko, apparently."

The men saw Kagome glance their way, but she quickly turned away when she saw the white-haired captain. 'I can't believe that he would just ask me something like that,' Kagome silently griped to herself. 'What ever happened to boundaries?' Setting her sights and frustrations on a nearby tree, she murmured, "Rise, Tsukiko." Watching as the blade gave off a faint glow, she churned the water in the nearby pond for a moment before repeating her actions by the river and taking off the top portion of her target. She knew that the two captains were watching, but she really didn't want to speak to either of them right now; one for anger and the other for mortification. Using the only other trick she currently had in her bag for daylight hours, Kagome kept one hand on Tsukiko's hilt while pressing the flat of the blade against the palm of the other hand. Using the flat sword as a guide, she raised a wall of water out of the pond that would act as a churning, moving shield. The wall froze over into a thick wall of ice before Kagome released the technique and the wall melted into the pond once more.

Sealing her zanpakutou and sheathing it, Kagome walked up the small incline to the two captains and bowed respectfully. While they were all usually on friendly terms, she didn't feel like being informal with them at the moment. "That's all that I'm able to do during the day right now. May I request to spend the rest of the day volunteering in the Fourth Division?"

Shunsui nodded as he said, "Sure." He watched Kagome walk away and spoke to his friend, "I think I might need help fixing this."

"Nanao-chan," Shunsui whined when he finally made his way back into their office.

Without even looking up from her filing, Nanao acknowledged, "It's nice to see that you finally decided to show up."

"Nanao-chan," the captain whined again ignoring his lieutenant's statement, "I need your help."

Nanao took her glasses off to rub the bridge of her nose before replacing the frames and looking at her captain. "What happened this time?"

"I made Kagome angry and now she doesn't want to be around me. She asked to go work with Retsu for the rest of the day," Shunsui pouted as he took a seat at his desk.

"And what exactly did you do to make her angry?" Nanao asked. Kagome usually had plenty of patience when dealing with their flirtatious man-child of a captain. She was truly curious as to what he could have done to upset the girl.

He knew that she was going to scold him, but Shunsui needed his lieutenant's help. She was good at thinking of ways around problems, and she was a woman. He was hoping that she would be able to better understand Kagome's mindset than him. "I said something I shouldn't have…" He admitted.

Narrowing her violet eyes at the man across from her, she tentatively asked, "What did you say?"

"Well," he paused to think about what he was going to say. "I had been questioning her about her Shikai—maybe a little too pushy now that I think about it—" He said before being interrupted.

"What? When did she achieve Shikai?" Nanao blurted.

"Sometime while she was in the living world. I'll let you read the report later," he explained before continuing. "Anyway, I was trying to get her to talk about it, but she was being so quiet. She hasn't quite been herself since the day that she got back. I thought that I knew what was wrong, but I wasn't completely right. I asked her about it, and I guess I offended her."

Nanao knew that her captain was well-meaning, but he often didn't realize what he was saying until he was hit with the repercussions. Sighing, she asked, "What did you say to offend her?"

"When she got back and we left our meeting with Old Man Yama, I took her to see Juushirou so that she could talk about some things that she'd been holding in. I think she was a little embarrassed by the time everything was said and done. Like I said, she hasn't been acting like herself since then. And I…well…" He hesitated before quickly saying, "I thought it had to do with how she felt about Juu."

Yet again, Nanao was surprised by the direction the conversation was taking. "What are you talking about? How does she feel about Captain Ukitake?"

"That's where things went to hell," Shunsui groaned. "I thought that she had feelings for him and that was why she was embarrassed after we left his place the other day. I was going to reassure her that he felt the same way! But it turns out that something happened in the living world and now she's confused and doesn't know how she feels." Seeing the expectant look that his lieutenant was giving him, he defended, "Don't bother asking me about that part. She won't tell me, and she didn't put it in the report."

"So," Nanao began slowly. "You annoyed her and then made her feel more awkward and embarrassed than she already was." Standing up, she went to stand in the doorway before she stopped to address Shunsui again. "I'll see if I can smooth things over. But in the future, leave matchmaking to professionals."

Kagome was making rounds with Hanatarou when Isane flagged them down in the hall. "Kagome," she called with a wave.

"Hello, Lieutenant Kotetsu," Kagome greeted as she and Hanatarou bowed. Though she was usually very timid, Kagome liked the silver-haired lieutenant, and she took the older woman's medical advice to heart when it was offered. "Did you need something?"

"I actually need you to come with me," Isane said with a soft smile. "Captain Unohana has given you the rest of the evening off."

"Oh, that's okay," Kagome said with a small wave and smile. "I actually wouldn't mind working a long shift tonight."

Isane was about to explain the situation, but stopped when another voice joined the conversation. "I requested for you to be let go early, Kagome," Nanao said as she approached with Captain Unohana by her side.

Captain Unohana explained, "It has come to our attention that Captain Kyouraku may have said something to upset you earlier today, and some of the members of the Shinigami Women's Association have decided to take you out for some girl time." As Kagome's face erupted in a bright blush, Unohana continued, "You don't have to go, of course, but I think it would be a good opportunity to get to know your sisters-in-arms better."

"What about Aya?" Kagome asked. "I can't just go out without having someone to watch her."

"Don't worry about that," Unohana smiled. "I would be happy to pick her up and watch after her for you. She's with Captain Komamura this afternoon, right?"

Nodding, Kagome was finding it difficult—and not for the first time—to say no to the motherly captain, and before she knew it she had agreed to a night out.

"Why are you insisting on going out for dinner? I could have just cooked something," Juushirou argued as he and Shunsui left Division Thirteen in search of dinner.

"Because the only sake you keep is for cooking, and after today I would really like a drink…or five," Shunsui answered. He hadn't seen Nanao since she had left their office, and he had no idea how she planned to solve the upset that he had caused Kagome.

Rolling his eyes at his friend's pouting, Juushirou said, "Knock it off. You said Nanao is working on it. I'm sure she'll be able to talk Kagome into forgiving you." After a small pause, he added, "Though I'm not sure that she'll ever willingly be around me again—not that I can blame her after what you said."

"It sounds like we could both use a drink tonight," Shunsui said.

"You know that I'm not supposed to drink," Juushirou said more out of reflex than anything.

"When was your last attack?" The brunette captain asked.

Pausing to think for a moment, Juushirou answered, "About two weeks ago."

"How do you feel now?" Shunsui prodded.

"Well enough," the fair man said.

"Then one drink isn't likely to kill you tonight," Shunsui concluded.

The white-haired captain was about to respond when a chorus of feminine laughter caught the attention of the two friends. Looking up, they saw a group consisting of Nanao, Kagome, Isane, and Matsumoto exiting the court to enter the streets of the Rukongai.

"Where do you suppose they're going?" Juushirou asked.

"Members of the Women's Association are taking Kagome—who was very upset earlier—into the Rukongai after their shifts are over. It's a little obvious, isn't it?" Shunsui asked. "They're taking Kagome drinking, and they're going to talk about everything that happened until she feels better."

A memory surfaced in Juushirou's mind as he said, "But Kagome doesn't drink."

"All the more reason to follow them," Shunsui said as he grabbed his friends arm and dragged him into the Rukongai.

"No, Shunsui," Juushirou protested as he pulled the larger man to a stop. "They obviously don't want anyone—namely us—around while they have their talk."

Leveling the slender man with a knowing look, Shunsui said, "You can't honestly tell me that you aren't curious about what they might say."

"No, I can't," Juushirou admitted. "But that doesn't mean that we can just follow them."

"Yes, it does. Besides, it's not like they'll know we're there," Shunsui argued.

Shocked for a moment, Juushirou reprimanded, "Spying, Shunsui, really?"

"Yes," the larger man answered insistently. "Now hurry before we lose track of them!" And with another firm tug on Juushirou's arm, Shunsui dragged his friend into the Rukongai before there could be anymore arguing on the matter.

Shunsui watched carefully from the bar's entrance to see where the girls would sit, before moving back to the street where his friend waited. "It seems that we lucked out; follow me," he said before heading down a small side street. The street was narrow and dark with the only light coming from a small window in the bar's western wall. Shunsui crouched a little as he walked beneath the window and took a seat. When Juushirou looked at him dubiously, he merely smiled up at the white-haired man and patted the spot beside him in the dirt alley. With a long-suffering sigh at his friend's antics, Juushirou took the offered seat.

Seeing his friend's expectant look, Shunsui whispered, "The girls are sitting at a table right by this window." It was then that they heard Matsumoto place their first round's order, and Shunsui said, "See? We'll be able to hear everything that they say."

"I still don't agree with this," Juushirou said, though he made no move to get up and leave.

Shunsui pulled out his own bottle of sake which had been acquired from a small street vendor while they followed their female comrades and opened the container. He was surprised when Juushirou took the sake from his hands and took the first sip.

Suddenly remembering why he wasn't supposed to drink with his condition, Juushirou grimaced as the alcohol scorched its way down his already overly sensitive throat. While the initial feeling wasn't pleasant, he had the feeling that the aftereffects of the drink would make listening to the coming conversation a little easier. He was just handing the jug back to Shunsui when the beginnings of said conversation floated out the window.

"So Kagome," Matsumoto's voice drawled. "How did your mission to the living world go?"

Resigning herself to the talk they were about to have, and silently admitting that it was nice to be able to talk about the issue with other women, Kagome answered, "It went fine. But are you asking because you want to know about the mission, or what I didn't put in the mission's report?"

The blonde blinked a couple of times before laughing and reaching over to hug the younger woman. "Straight to the point," she said. "A woman after my own heart. Alright," she began again, only pausing when their first round of drinks arrived. "Nanao has already told us the basics of what happened between you and Captain Kyouraku. But, I absolutely have to know, do you really have a thing for Captain Ukitake?"

Kagome looked at the other women sitting at the table with her and saw that they all had varying looks of curiosity as to what her answer would be. What was unknown to her was that there were two other sets of ears eagerly awaiting her answer. "I don't know…maybe," she answered as she propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. "It's just that…well, a lot has happened in the last week and I'm really confused about how I feel right now."

Giving the girl a sympathetic look, Isane gently slid a cup of sake in front of Kagome as she asked, "Well what exactly has you confused? Maybe talking it out will help."

Looking down at the offered drink, Kagome hesitated for only a moment before she tossed caution to the wind and accepted. They had already brought her this far, she might as well go along and follow it through. "While I was on my mission, I ran into an old crush."

When the pause grew a little too long for her liking, Matsumoto prompted, "So what's the story there? What was he like?"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked after taking a sip of her drink.

In the alley, Shunsui and Juushirou looked at each other, each recognizing the name as the half-demon that Kagome had spoken of when she told them about her travels to the past.

"He's kind of a jerk," Kagome laughed before continuing. "And the story is complicated on its own. I was the reincarnation of his first love. He hated me at first, and I wasn't very fond of him either. But over time—I'm not really sure when it happened—I fell in love with him."

"Aww! First love," Matsumoto gushed. "Wait, doesn't reincarnation take a really long time?" She asked.

Nanao nodded as she sipped her own sake. "As I understand it, reincarnation can take centuries, but it takes at least a few decades."

Pulling a face, Matsumoto turned back to Kagome and asked, "He wasn't really old, was he? I mean I know that love can transcend age and all that, but it's kind of killing the image I had in my head."

Laughing again, Kagome shook her head and explained, "No, no, no; when we met he looked like he was about the same age as I was then."

"What do you mean "looked like"?" Isane asked curious about the phrasing.

"This is another really long story for another time," Kagome prefaced as she looked at her table mates. "But he's a half-demon so he ages much slower than normal humans."

Silence reigned at the table for several moments before Nanao quietly asked, "He was a half-demon? How did you know?"

"Well," Kagome began, "aside from the long silver hair and gold eyes, he had little triangular dog ears on top of his head."

Matsumoto almost spit out her drink before she managed to swallow and laughed, "That sounds adorable! It's no wonder you fell in love with him."

Smiling at fond memories, Kagome corrected, "It wasn't just the way he looked that drew me in. He was loud and rude and crass; everything I thought that I would never find attractive. But we spent a lot of time together. Over time I saw that he was sensitive and lonely, and that was why he tried to push people away. And as more time went by I saw that he was loyal and strong and protective and an honorable man."

Listening to the wistful quality of Kagome's voice, Matsumoto broke the tension by saying, "Wow, Kagome, I think I'm starting to fall for the guy."

"You wouldn't be the only one," Kagome sighed. "I felt like I was always competing with Kikyou."

"Who is Kikyou?" Nanao asked.

"She was Inuyasha's first love," Kagome supplied.

Matsumoto shrugged, "Well you were her reincarnation, so at least she was out of the picture."

"Not quite," Kagome said softly. "Kikyou was brought back to life by a witch with some of her bones, gravesite soil, and a piece of my soul."

"What?" All three women shouted simultaneously. "How is that possible?" Isane asked.

Cringing at the memory, Kagome explained, "The witch took all of my soul at first, but I was able to call most of it back. I eventually got it back after her body gave out, but Kikyou was able to sustain her clay body for years with that piece of my soul and other souls that she collected from deceased women."

"How did Soul Society not know about something like that?" Nanao asked clearly disturbed at the thought.

Kagome shrugged, truly not knowing how to answer as she said, "It was over five hundred years ago."

"You're going to have to give us the rest of this story one day," Matsumoto said completely take in by what Kagome was saying.

Nodding, Kagome spoke, "Anyway, with Kikyou around, Inuyasha was always torn. He still loved her, but he knew that she was already dead. I was there and he knew how I felt, but he had promised his life to Kikyou before I ever came along. I always thought that he might have loved me, but I wasn't sure until about a week ago."

"Now we're getting somewhere," Matsumoto interrupted. "What happened a week ago?"

Kagome sighed and took a drink before she answered, "I saw Inuyasha again while I was on my mission. Apparently having five hundred years to think things over helped him figure out how he really felt."

"Did he confess to you?" Isane asked with a soft smile.

"Yeah, in a way," Kagome answered as a blush spread across her cheeks.

"In a way?" Nanao repeated.

"Well," Kagome paused, "he basically told me that he realized how stupid he had been and then he kissed me."

"A kiss from your fist love," Matsumoto sighed. "I can only imagine," she added with sad thoughts of a silver-haired child from her past.

The women were unaware that a white-haired captain was outside their window choking on his latest sip of sake while his friend rubbed his back in an effort to help the coughing subside.

Kagome hummed before saying, "That's what I thought when it was happening. It was something that I had waited for and could only hope would happen, but when he was kissing me…I don't know, it just didn't feel like I thought it would. It was nice, but I didn't really feel much; there weren't any butterflies or sparks or fireworks or whatever you want to call it." Sighing into her glass before continuing, she said, "And that's why I'm so confused. I was positive that I was in love with Inuyasha for so long. Did I just build a kiss up so much in my head that nothing could compare? Or did I not feel anything because I don't love him like I used to?"

"Well there's a simple way to test that theory," Nanao observed. With a smile she continued, "Go kiss someone else who you think you might have feelings for now."

Waving a hand to catch attention while she finished her drink, Matsumoto swallowed before saying, "While I don't know much about it, couldn't that be dangerous for Kagome? Captain Ukitake is fantastic, but what if she caught his illness?"

Isane stepped in and corrected, "Captain Ukitake isn't actually contagious. As far as we know, he's the only person in all of Soul Society that has his condition. And he's been working closely with people for centuries without incident."

"That's true," Nanao piped in. "If Captain Kyouraku hasn't caught it yet, then I doubt that Kagome is in any danger."

Matsumoto smirked as she said, "Yes, they are awfully close, aren't they. If you ask some of the other women in the Court, there's a good reason why they're so close."

Beneath the window outside, Shunsui scooted a few inches away from his friend while Juushirou merely covered his eyes with the embarrassment that the conversation was causing. He wasn't sure that he would be able to look any of the women in the eye for quite some time.

"You know that's not what I meant, Rangiku," Nanao chastised. "Everyone knows that they eat and drink together most of the time. I've seen them share drinks, for crying out loud."

After listening to the other women go back and forth for a few minutes, Kagome jumped back in and asked, "What do you guys think of Captain Ukitake?"

The group quieted down before Matsumoto answered first. "He's a really great guy; caring, loyal, helpful, encouraging. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who has something bad to say about him!" Pausing for a moment, she shrugged before adding, "But I don't know about dating him. I think I'd be more inclined to take care of him than try other things."

Outside, Juushirou took a long drink of the burning liquid that he was sharing with his friend. Not only was he more embarrassed than he could remember being in quite some time, but he was cursing his body. It was no wonder that he hadn't been with a woman since his academy days; all the women apparently saw him as someone to mother instead of flirt with.

Looking over the younger woman, Matsumoto questioned, "Why? What do you think about him, Kagome?"

Kagome blushed at the cheeky look that Matsumoto was giving her, and the blush only deepened when she saw that the other women were also looking at her expectantly. "Like I told Captain Kyouraku, he's very nice and polite and I like being around him, but I'm just not sure how I really feel about him right now."

"Yes, you said most of that earlier," Nanao said. "But answer this question: what do you think it would be like to have a romantic relationship with him?

Kagome took several minutes to think about her answer as she drank another cup of sake, uncaring that five people were eagerly awaiting her answer. Smiling to herself, she answered, "It's a little funny; Inuyasha was everything I said I never wanted in a boyfriend, but Juushirou is how I always described my ideal guy. He's sweet and thoughtful and he really listens when I have something to say." Laughing a little, she added, "He's also very handsome, which doesn't hurt."

The other women laughed before Matsumoto pointed out, "He's a lot older than you, you know. How do you feel about that? And what about his illness? Nobody likes to think about it, but some of his attacks can be pretty bad from what I understand."

"People age a lot more slowly here," Kagome said with a slight shrug. "I was only born about twenty years ago. All of you are a lot older than me too. But Juushirou looks far from being old. Besides, didn't you say that love could transcend age? And as far as his condition goes, I really haven't thought about it that much. I'm usually around him when I'm with Captain Kyouraku, so I guess I've only seen the side of him that the captain sees. I've never seen him as having an illness."

"I notice that you're calling him Juushirou instead of Captain Ukitake now," Matsumoto pointed out. "Does that mean you're having a change of heart about him?"

Smiling as she picked up her glass again, Kagome said, "I think I am."

In the alley, Shunsui looked over to his friend and partner to see the man smiling despite the pink that still tinted his cheeks from earlier in the conversation. Nudging the small man, he tilted his head towards the main street and the two got up and began their walk back towards the Court.

"So," Shunsui began slowly. "Now are you glad that I made you follow the girls with me?"

Looking up towards the stars and moon, Juushirou smiled as he said, "I think I am."

AN: Long chapter is long. A little more than fifteen pages, actually. I tried to proof the chapter as best I could, but I'm pretty drowsy right now. The prescription I take for migraines hits me a little hard sometimes. I'm working on a piece of art for this story, but it won't be posted for a while since it's from what will literally be the last scene in the epilogue of the story. Though I'll likely be throwing up little sketches from the story here and there. I'm about to start working on the next chapter where we'll finally get a bit of fluff between this slightly awkward couple that I'm writing. I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter, and it would be great if you let me know what you think about it! Thanks for reading!

On a slightly random note, I have been listening to the song 'Try' by Pink almost nonstop since the first time I heard it. If you haven't heard it, I recommend searching it on YouTube. It's pretty awesome.