New update note 5/11/2017: Read the note at the bottom of the story for important information on future updates and awesome news!
Story
Kagome was sitting on top of her grave, her knees tucked to her chest as her chin rested on her kneecaps. A dull look was in her eyes as she stared blankly ahead, trying to either let her mind go completely blank, or think about something positive to keep the darkness at bay.
She couldn't move from this spot, for it was the only safety she had away from the darkness and despair. The loneliness was still eating away at her slowly, but for now, she didn't feel the taste of hunger. If she could cry, she would be sitting in her own tears at this point…
The solitude was driving her insane, and if she tried to leave to be with her friends—She was afraid that the darkness would return, and she would end up killing her own friends. The fear froze her so that she didn't even dare make a single move, not even to twitch her fingers.
But try as she might, the threat of the emptiness was still there, creeping it way up, slowly consuming her—
She heard soft footfalls, and she glanced over towards the sound. She saw someone approaching in the distance and her heart sank. Oh no. She hated it when someone came to see her. Every time they came to the grave, the whispers of darkness would become stronger, and she had to fight it off, while making sure not to move from her spot, for fear of killing them. It was the worst when Shippo or Inuyasha visited…
As the sound became louder, and the figure in the distance closed in, her eyes widened in pure shock, finally able to see who it was. "Lord Sesshomaru…?" The words slipped from her ghostly pale lips as she continued to stare at him in surprise.
He approached her grave in silence, and then stood directly in front of her, looking down at her—Well not at her, at her grave, really. She just happened to be sitting on it. His appearance and powerful aura drove away the darkness, and she sighed in relief, able to get some peace, even for a moment.
She gave a small huff in disbelieve. "I never would have guessed in a million years I would see you here." She looked down at the ground with a sigh. She knew she was just talking to the air, but she spoke anyway, pretending that she was talking to him actually gave her comfort, in a pitiful sort of way.
As she sat there, staring at him, she took in his form, standing there in all of his glory. He stood in front of her grave with his usual cold expression of nothingness. He wore his usual battle armor, and his demonic aura floated around him, enhancing his beauty.
"This Sesshomaru has come here to pay his respects…"
She stared into his amber irises, and she could swear he was staring directly into her own blue ones. But she quickly denied it, there was no way he could see her. "I appreciate the company." Her and Sesshomaru weren't friends, but they were no longer enemies either. He trained her how to fight, for the final battle—She almost snorted. Look at what good that did her. "Thank you." She smiled up at him. "I was getting lonely."
Sesshomaru just continued to stand before her grave, staring at it. He was like all the others who came to see her. They would all just look at her grave, deep in thought, while she just talked with herself.
"Do you get lonely sometimes?" She started rocking back and forth. "Probably not." She shook her head. "You have Rin and Jaken to talk to." As she was rocking, Kagome noticed that the demon lords eyes were moving strangely. They would go up, then down, almost as if he was keeping eye contact with her—She shook her head and laughed at the mere thought of it. There was no way—Could it? Nah. She waved away the idea, but then the thought of hope filled her. Maybe?
To prove it, she stood up, making sure to keep her eyes trained on his ember orbs—Her eyes widened as she slowly stood up, and when she did, his orbs slowly followed her movements as he continued to stare into her blue irises.
She stood before him with her mouth wide open in shock. "You can see me!?" She waved her hand in front of his face, yet he just stood there unfazed-.
"Remove your hand from my presence, least I remove it for you with my blade."
His words caused her to release a gasp of surprise and she took a step back. "You can see me!" She gave a small jump for joy, a bright smile on her face.
"Why are you here, Miko?" He asked. "You don't belong here." His words stabbed her like cold steel piercing her chest. "Hurry and pass on to the next world."
"I-I can't." She looked down sadly. "I don't know how."
"You are useless, even as a spirit."
"Gee." She huffed in disappointment. "Thanks."
There was several moments of silence, and Sesshomaru looked as if he was thinking about something- "Come with me." He commanded, and turned, walking away from her grave.
Her throat became dry as she watched his back, and she reached out, as if to catch him. "W-wait!" She finally called out to him once she was able to find her voice.
He did not head to her plea, and kept walking. She looked down at the ground, her feet at the edge of the dirt that was her grave, and then she glanced back up. She reached up, clinching the chain hanging from her chest in worry. She knew if she left, the darkness would surround her again-She felt her chest ache as his body began to become smaller and smaller in the distance.
But Sesshomaru has been the only one able to see her—To talk to her…
She took a deep breath, gathering her courage—She stepped forward—She paused and looked around, expecting something to happen, but when the voice was not present in her mind, relief washed over her and a bright smile appeared on her face as she jogged to catch up to the demon lord.
She will never forget the day Sesshomaru appeared, and freed her of her loneliness…
Kagome trip down memory lane was put on hold when Jushiro spoke up. "Over here." He took a turn to the left, and she followed close behind him.
They were not far from his estate, walking towards the center of Seireitei, the alarm still pounding through the air. Ryoka had just invaded Soul Society, which Kagome learned a few minutes ago what the word Ryoka meant: An enemy of soul society. Technically she was a Ryoka after she snuck into Seireitei, but who cares about that small detail? That was so long ago—There's new Ryoka running around now… No one bothers to remember her anymore, which is why she stopped wearing her Shinigami disguise, even though she was running around in the open.
She has learned a lot here, now that she thought about it. Just the other day she learned that those masked creatures that kept attacking her and Sesshomaru are called hollows-
Jushiro suddenly stopped in his tracks, and she paused—"Stay behind me, Kagome." He got in front of her protectively, and placed his hand onto his sword's hilt in warning.
"What's wrong—" Her eyes widened when a pulse hit her hard like a punch in the gut. Her heartbeat tripled, and she felt her chest constrict as her mouth became dry. It couldn't be…
She reached out, and placed her hand onto Jushiro's arm. He glanced at her over his shoulder, the movement was just slight enough so that she could see past him—Her eyes instantly began to water, blurring her vision. Before she knew it, her feet were moving on their own, as his name whispered from her lips.
"Sesshomaru." She closed the distance in an instant, wrapping her arms around his neck as tears were falling from her eyes.
The demon lord stood there for a moment, allowing her to hug him. His expression softened, and he raised his hand, placing it onto her back and returning the embrace. "Kagome…"
That was Sesshomaru? Ukitake couldn't help but question it, as his hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his blade. The man that Kagome loved so dearly beyond words, who she wished more than anything to go back home and be reunited with was… him?
Ukitake took in the man's appearance: Long white hair, similar to his own, yet longer in length. Golden iris, pointed ears, and several markings on his face and hands. He wore a white kimono with crimson designs around it, and battle armor with spikes across his left shoulder. On his adjacent shoulder hung a large boa, and resting upon his left hip were two swords. The man looked beautiful yet deadly at the same time.
This man, was far from what Ukitake pictured him as being. He wasn't sure why, but something seemed off about him. He wasn't a soul, but he didn't look like a normal human either. Who was this man?
"Look at you." Kagome smiled up at him as she placed her hand onto his armor. "You got your old gear back on and everything."
"One does not go into battle without wearing the proper attire." He pulled away from her. "Come." He turned. "We shall go home." Kagome didn't even hesitate, and followed him without question.
Ukitake wished to call out to her, but he found himself unable to voice his objection. She was free to do as she wished, and if she wanted to leave him and be with that man back in the mortal realm, he couldn't stop her- She paused and looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with him. His heart skipped a beat just for an instant, the reaction causing him slight pain. Even if it hurt to let her go…
Kagome looked back up at her companion. "Wait a minute…" She suddenly disappeared—
"Ompfh!" Ukitake gave a small grunt when something slammed into him. He took a step back to steady himself and he shifted from the sudden off-balance. "K-Kagome?" He blinked down at her in surprise, as she had her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing him tightly.
"Thanks for everything Jushiro. I'll miss you."
Hearing her words, he felt his heart ache, and he wrapped his arms around her. "Kagome I—" He paused when he felt her lips upon his throat, instantly stopping his voice from forming words. "Nnh-!." He flinched when he felt her suckling the sensitive skin on his neck. He released a shaky breath, taken off guard from her sudden attack, and he couldn't control himself when a moan fell from his trembling lips.
It wasn't until she pulled her lips away from his marked flesh, that he slowly opened his glazed-over eyes, unsure of when he closed them. "To remember me by." She whispered against his assaulted neck, making him shiver from the her hot breath brushing across his now tender skin.
She vanished from his hold, and he blinked down at his empty arms, before glancing up, seeing her standing next to Sesshomaru once more. She nodded towards the Ryoka, and he nodded back—In a blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving Ukitake standing alone.
"…" Reaching up, he placed his hand to his neck. He gently touched the bruised skin with his finger tip, his eyes downcast. "Kagome." He could still feel her soft lips kissing his skin, and a splash of pink colored his usually pale cheeks.
"Thanks for everything Jushiro. I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
"What are we going to do now?" Ichigo was standing in the chief's hut, his arms crossed over his chest with a look of annoyance on his face. "And where is Sesshomaru?" That dog vanished the moment they crash landed into Soul Society.
He reached up and placed his hand onto his neck, his scar burning with pain. He was close by though, his scar was acting up again.
"Remember Kurosaki, Lord Sesshomaru had his own reason for being here." Uryu adjusted his glasses with a sigh. "If I'm not mistaken, that is technically your fault."
"Shut up." The orange haired male growled at him.
"We should forget about him for now and think about our next plan." Yoruichi purred from his low position on the ground. "How are we going to get into Seireitei—" The cat paused, his ears twitching and he looked over towards the doorway. The other two men in the room glanced at the cat, before they too looked over at the door.
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "You—"
The substitute Shinigami's words were cut off, his head now lodged in the top of the hut's ceiling, his body dangling from the neck down limply. Kagome was standing in the spot where he once stood, her leg placed vertically in the air, with her hands still in her pockets and a look of hatred in her eyes.
Everyone else stood there, shocked, while the dust was still settling from hole Kagome just made in the roof with Ichigo's watermelon sized noggin. After a few moments, she slowly lowered her leg—Ichigo wiggled, placing his hands onto the roof as he tried to pull his head free, his legs kicking and squirming. Kagome stepped away, so she wouldn't be kicked from his thrashing. There was a loud grunt, followed by a gasp when he finally freed himself from the ceiling and landed onto the floor.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and glared towards her. "What the hell-" Another foot came flying towards his face in a deadly roundhouse kick. He had no time to react, and the powerful blow sent him flying across the room and out of the open doorway.
Sesshomaru watched as a black blur zoomed pass him as he stood by the doorway, before it slammed into the stone wall that made of the barrier for Seireitei. The blur was soon followed by another, and when Ichigo's back slammed into the stone, Kagome's knee connected into the male's abdomen. The attack sent a ripple of power, going through his body and impacted the stone behind him, creating a huge creator, spreading outwards from his body like a web. A gush of blood expelled from the man's lips, the strong blow doing internal damage. She placed her hand onto his shoulder grasping a fist full of his robe, about to attack him again, but she paused when she saw the dullness in his brown orbs and she huffed in disappointment.
"Already?" She took a step back, and with her hand still holding a strong grasp of his robe, she pulling his deadweight body from the wall. She carelessly tossed him away from her with a growl. "Unconscious…" His unmoving body landed with a sickening thud. "I thought you would have trained him better than that." Two hits wasn't even a warm up to what she dreamed of doing to him—
"He is too weak, and my time was limited." Sesshomaru glanced from Ichigo's fallen form then back up to her. "Or would you rather have waited several more years before I retrieved you?"
"Would have been worth the wait if he lasted long enough to take my punishment for him." She took a deep breath and sighed. "But I guess this will be enough for now." She walked forward, making sure to step onto the man's fallen body as she walked back over to the hut.
"You must be Higurashi." A boy about the same age as the stupid one on the ground walked out of the hut, an amused smirk on his face when he saw the boy unconscious, before he adjusted his glasses. "Nice to finally meet you."
"You a friend of his?" She motioned behind her, to the lump lying on the ground.
He just huffed. "I'm a Quincy." He stated as if that was the answer to everything. He must have seen her questionable look, for he sighed. "Shinigami and Quincy are enemies." He took his glasses off and began wiping them with a small cloth he kept with him. "Right now I have decided to join forces with him and we are neutral with one another."
"You got together to come get me?" Why would he care about her?
The boy shook his head as he placed his glasses back on. "We have ulterior motives for coming to Soul Society."
'Ulterior motives' Is just a fancy way of saying: "We have a problem and we need your help with it." Great, that means she will have to wait a while before she can go home…
"You two—" A small growl came from the cat by her feet and Kagome sighed. "You three are the only ones who came with Sesshomaru?"
"We had others who wanted to come but—" The male with glasses who introduced himself earlier to her as Uryu, spoke up as he glanced at the demon lord. "The others did not past Lord Sesshomaru's test." Test? That sounds like him. "He said that they were too weak to come and would just slow him down."
If Sesshomaru said it, then it was more than likely true. Then again, not many can keep up with the demon lord of the west. "So Carrot-top wants to save Rukia?"
"You know her?" This surprised the boy a little.
"I have met her a few times in her cell."
Her comment immediately caught his interest. "You know where she is?"
"She is in Seireitei, in the central—whatever it's called. It's in the center of the whole place, and it looks like a giant mountain, you can't miss it."
The cat decided in that moment to speak. "That only leaves us the options on how to actually get into Seireitei. Kagome, Lord Sesshomaru, how did you—"
"Well, I'll leave the breaking and entering stuff up to you guys, I have somewhere I need to be." She waved to them over her shoulder as she began walking out of the room. "Come and get me when you guys are done playing Hero and decide to go home."
"W-wait!" The cat called out to her, but she ignored him.
Sesshomaru soon followed behind her. "If you die, don't expect me to revive you."
And with those last words of encouragement, Kagome and Sesshomaru left the two and a half man team to defend for themselves and save Rukia's life on their own.
Kagome looked down at the large giant lying before her. A small frown was on her face as she inspected the gaping wound on his arm. Who did this? She glanced at Sesshomaru, but he kept his back to the sight. So it wasn't him—Was it Carrot-top? Kagome shook her head, denying the idea.
She has never spoken much to the stupid boy, but she knew he wasn't bad. Feeling pity for the weak giant, she reached out and paced her hand onto his arm. She closed her eyes, and began feeding him her healing powers.
Within minutes, the wound was healed, but it would take several hours before the sleeping giant would awake.
Kagome was walking through the dirt streets of Rukongai. They were not very far away from Seireitei, so the buildings and people were civilized, compared to the higher numbered districts. She read about many of soul society's laws and regulations, mostly skimming through it and what didn't interest her she skipped.
She glanced over at the regal lord walking beside her. "I'm surprised he is still alive."
"He would have been no use to me dead." The lord told her. "I didn't know where he took you, and after he told me… I was about to kill him, but he spoke that he knew of a way into this world, so I spared him."
"Only to put him through your training to come here?" She laughed. "That is not being merciful." She knew just how brutish and murderous that demon could be with his training from firsthand experience. "You were torturing him."
"Torturer is below me." He stated. Well, he is more of the 'kill you without question' type.
"But tossing someone into a group of demons, defenseless and untrained isn't?" She rolled her eyes at his logic.
"You were unarmed, not defenseless." He corrected her. "And you survived the attack, did you not?"
"My powers exploded!" She turned to him with a growl. "I turned everything to ash."
"See?" The corner of his lips turned upwards ever so slightly in amusement. "Not defenseless."
She sighed. She could only guess what that boy had to go through. Well, at least there were no more demons on Earth anymore for the boy to be mauled by—She paused and glanced at the man walking beside her. Other than this one, anyway.
Her eyes softened a little towards the demon. "Did you miss me?"
"Miss your constant pestering and nagging in my ears day-in and day-out?" Sesshomaru retorted. "No." She huffed in objection. She did not pester him… Not every day anyway— She paused when she felt his clawed hand resting onto her head in reassurance. She looked up at him questionably. "I would have opened the gates of hell if that is what it took to have you back."
She felt her body become lighter with his kind words, and she reached up, removing his hand from her head. She placed his open palm to her lips, laying a soft kiss upon it with a smile. "I missed you too." She could feel the tears start to fall, happy that they were together again.
"But you are a nuisance sometimes." He just thought he would point out that he wasn't lying to her earlier.
She rolled her eyes at him, yet her heart was still beating loudly, spreading warmth throughout her body and making her feel happy. She felt her senses spike and she turned to the hut that caught her attention.
"This is it." She reached out and knocked on the wall, next to the doorway.
There were several moments of silence, before Kagome heard a small reply. "Hold on, I'll be right there." A smile appeared on her face at the familiar voice, and her smile grew when the flap over the door was pushed away with a delicate hand. "Can I help—!" The woman's eyes widened in sheer surprise and she placed her hands over her mouth in a gasp, the cloth which was being held back, thanks to her shocked reaction, fell back into place and Kagome laughed a little.
"Who is it?" A male voice spoke up, than she heard more footsteps, before the flap was once again moved. "What could possibly have you so spooked, my dear-?" He turned his head and they made eye contact. The man instantly stilled, his violet orbs widening in disbelief.
Her smile grew, almost touching her eyes as they danced in amusement. "Hello, Miroku."
"L-Lady Kagome!" He then looked over towards her companion and he bowed his head in respect. "Lord Sesshomaru." He moved aside and motioned for them to enter. "Please, come in."
"You haven't aged a day since you died." Kagome was smiling as she took a sip of her tea, staring at her old friends sitting across from her on the floor. She glanced over at Sesshomaru, who was sitting alone in the corner watching with mild interest.
Miroku smiled towards her and reached out, touching his wife's hand. "Aging is slowed greatly when you are already dead." His smile gave away the crow's feet around his eyes, and his once black hair now resembled salt and pepper in contrast. Sango on the other hand held her beauty more gracefully, only a few strands of grey placed along her long hair gave any indication of her age.
They were near their high 40's when they died. Not as old as Kaede, but they lived rather long, compared to everyone else in that violent time period. Not only that, but from what she read, they were lucky to have found each other once they were sent to soul society. She paused for a moment and glanced at them—
"I am happy to see that you were sent to this realm, instead of killed by a hollow." Knowing that they just passed on, eased her mind.
"Yes, the Shinigami who helped us was nice enough to let us stay together." Sango looked over at Miroku and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
Kagome glanced over at the pot that was boiling over the open fire and she hummed. "Why haven't you signed in to become a Shinigami?"
"Our fighting days are behind us now. You should already know this Lady Kagome: The bloodshed died along with Naraku." Miroku sighed. "Though I do admit every now and then I wouldn't mind a little surprise in our routine." He shook his head. "But we are happy here."
Sango placed her other hand on top of their joined hold, and a small smile appeared on her face as her expression softened. "The only thing that would make it perfect, would be if we could meet our kids again." Miroku's eyes turned darker in sadness and he nodded.
Kagome looked down at her cup and sighed, wishing to help them, but she knew it was beyond her powers. She didn't know the special aura her kids made—When she was a ghost, she was unable to sense things and her powers were greatly diluted. Do to this, she wasn't familiar with their energy and she wouldn't be able to track them, like she did with Miroku and Sango, who she knew before she became a spirit.
"I didn't know that demons could be sent to soul society." Sango glanced over at Sesshomaru.
Kagome raised her hand and hummed. "Sesshomaru is very much alive." She told them, which caused them to blink in surprise.
Miroku was looking over towards Sesshomaru as well. "So the Ryoka that appeared this morning was-?"
The raven haired Miko laughed in amusement. "He does like to make flashy entrances."
"Only when they are needed."
Kagome snorted at the Demon lord's comment. Which is all of the time- "Could you tell me about the Shinigami who sent you here?" She decided to change the subject back to her friends.
The retired Monk and Demon slayer then began explain to her about the Shinigami, and what he looked like. They didn't get his name, but they were happy that they got his help in passing on to the next world.
The rest of the night went by in a blur of past adventures and lost conversations she was unable to have while they were separated. She missed them greatly, but Kagome couldn't help that being in their presence brought back yearnings to see her other long lost companions, who she knew she would never see again.
Inuyasha, Shippo... Do you like it there in the demon world?
"You kiddies might think that wall's the only thing guarding the Court of Pure Souls, but you're wrong." Kukaku said. "That wall is made from a mineral called Bloodthirst Stone that's rare even in Soul Society." She began to explain as she placed a small pebble onto the ground. She pounded her fist into the ground, but when the dust settled, there was a gaping hole surrounding the stone, but the ground beneath of the rock was untouched, resembling a reverse doughnut. "As you can see, it completely blocks spirit power. So opening a hole in the wall with spirit power is impossible."
Ichigo paused, his eyebrows angling together when he looked upon the stone. He thought back to a specific time last night, when a certain raven haired, rage-filled woman attacked him without cause or warning. He placed his hand onto his aching stomach, still feeling her knee pressed against it. When he woke up, the damage done to the wall was immense…
Who or what was that woman?
He looked back over at Kukaku who was discussing how they were going to penetrate the barrier surrounding Seireitei. Barrier? Ichigo could feel his inside's flip when he thought about it. How did Kagome and Sesshomaru both get past the shield? Reaching up he touched the scar that wrapped around his neck like a noose.
Who are they really?
Kagome was smiling to herself as she walked down the streets beside the quiet demon lord. "That was nice." She hummed, glancing towards the sun razing above the horizon. "We should head back to the humans now. They probably already have Rukia and are headed back home."
As Kagome continued walking, she paused, noticing a certain white haired demon no longer keeping step beside her. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes locking onto his motionless form that stood several steps behind her. She raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a silent question of 'what's wrong?'
Yet the demon just turned on his heels and started walking in the opposite direction. She was about to call to him when he spoke up. "I have something I need to take care of before we depart." She took a step towards him, going to join him—"Alone." His cold tone caused her to pause.
She stared at his retreating back, before a look of understanding appeared on her face and she nodded. "Come find me when you are done." She turned away, a sad look on her face. "Tell her I said 'hey'." With that, she vanished, going on ahead without him.
Kagome stood on top of one of the roofs of one of the tall buildings inside of Seireitei. A frown was on her face when she didn't sense any of the males (or cat) within the 'holy' area of soul society. Where were they at? They should have gotten Rukia at this point. She was able to penetrate the weak defenses and outsmart the guards within an hour of her awakening into this world—Not only that, but Sesshomaru did so even quicker than she did.
"Don't tell me they haven't even gotten over the fence yet?" She huffed, placing her hands onto her hips— She could hear the pounding of the alarm blaring in the background, and she paused, feeling a large amount of power shooting towards her. "Where is it coming from?" She looked around, trying to find the source of the radiating power, only to freeze in her search—"Above?" She glanced up, and her eyes widened when she saw a huge blue comet heading right for the city.
It suddenly stopped, the ball hitting a powerful barrier, sending off several sparks and lightning in all directions on impact. A barrier? She didn't remember— In that moment a small flashback decided to remind her of the pressure surrounding her when she first jumped over the wall and into Seireitei.
So that was a barrier after all… Well, barriers always have been pretty much useless against her. But how did Sesshomaru get past it- ? Her blue orbs grew in size when suddenly the blue comet burst, sending out several smaller yellow comets in all directions.
One of which was headed right for her. Oh great, just her luck—"Oomph!" She gave a grunt when something heavy slammed into her, sending her down onto the ground—the force then sent her body through the roof of the building, and out the other side, before she hit the stone ground with a powerful crash.
Kagome laid there on her back, her head spinning from the surprise attack. Something heavy weighed upon her chest, and she gave a groan in discomfort—wait a minute, that wasn't her…
She felt the weight upon her body shift. "I'm alive…?" The tone was a mix between surprise and relief.
Slowly she opened her eyes, and when she did, she was looking upon a pair of similar colored orbs staring back at her. What-? Once her vision cleared a little, she recognized the boy that was currently hovering above her body.
"Uryu, the Quincy." Her voice held no emotion as she looked upon his surprise face.
"Higurashi?" He blinked down at her. "Are you a-alright?" He seemed genuinely concerned for her, yet their closeness made him uncomfortable. "You broke my fall—" He froze when she reached out and touched his chest, the other hand stroking his cheek, wiping away a smear of dirt placed upon it.
"Please, call me Kagome." She purred. "After all, we seem to be past strangers at this point…" She reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck. His cheeks took on a cute shade of rose, and she hummed.
"Y-you're not injured?" He decided to remove her hands from around his neck, and she pouted. He sat up, to allow her to get up as well, yet he didn't realize the position he put himself in was now straddling her hips as he sat upon his heels. He was too busy looking around and seeing the large creator they were currently in. "That was a hard fall…"
A sly smirk appeared on her face. "Yes." She began pushing herself up from the ground. "But I have survived worse—" She winced, placing her hand onto her left shoulder.
"You are hurt." He was above her do to his higher position, looking down upon her with worry behind his rimmed glasses.
She sat before him, turning her head away while still holding her shoulder. "I'm fine."
"Now is not the time to be brave." He suddenly pulled out a small first aid kit from thin air, and he placed it beside him on the ground, opening it up. "Let me wrap it up." He pulled out a strip of gauze, looking back over at her seriously. "You broke my fall, and probably saved my life. It's my fault you got hurt." He reached out and removed her hand from her sounder. "Let me see."
"If you insist…" She reached up and unbuttoned several notches on her dress shirt, and when she was satisfied, which was about halfway, she pulled the cloth down, exposing her shoulder and also her full chest for him to see. Instantly his face became red as a cherry, and she tried not to laugh. "What's wrong?" She lowered her hand, placing it onto his thigh, and he jumped at the contact.
She was enjoying every minute of the boy's innocent reactions to her harassment. Almost like Renji—She could do this all day… She was fighting the urge to 'accidently' wiggle her hips against him, just to see his face turn red as a tomato, but she didn't want to push the boy too far too quickly.
"N-nothing." He reached out and touched her shoulder, but then paused, his eyebrows angling together. "You're not hurt."
She frowned at his words, and placed her hand over his, moving it so that it was placed between her bosom. "It hurts here…" She looked up at him with innocent eyes. "Can you fix it?"
He sighed. "I'm sorry." He moved his hand away from her chest. "I can't heal that type of pain."
She moved her other hand further up his thigh. "I'm sure if you tried you could."
"No." He placed his hand over hers, stopping her advancement, a serious look on his face. "I can't."
Her face became dead-panned and she huffed. "Are you gay?"
"I'm not gay!" He practically shouted towards her, his voice becoming high-pitched in irritation.
Kagome smirked, deciding not to hold back her intensions anymore. She placed her hands onto his thighs, to hold him in place, and with a simple rhythm motion, grinded her hips against him.
He gave a loud scream in surprise, his face becoming as red as a tomato, just like she imagined, before he completely vanished from on top of her. Kagome saw him leaning on the wall of a building, a few feet away, his hand placed onto his chest as he was taking shaky breaths, sweat covering his face. He looked as if he was having a heart attack.
'Not gay'…Right….
"You sure this is the way!?" Kagome couldn't help but smirk at the shouted question. She glanced over her shoulder, and walking several feet behind her was the white-clad Quincy, keeping as much distance from her as he could.
"Should you be shouting like that? It will give us away." He looked as if he was about to say something, but then she vanished, causing him to pause—Her face appeared dangerously close to his, and he jumped back with a small yelp of surprise, his glasses almost falling off the bridge of his nose. "I won't bite."
He sighed in irritation, and fixed his glasses back onto their rightful place on his nose. "Please don't do that." He dusted off the imaginary dirt on his cloak.
"Walk closer to me, and I promise I won't attack you... for now."
He gave her a questionable glance at her vague sentence, but he obliged and began walking beside her as they continued down the street. "Are you sure that we are headed in the right direction?" From where they were walking on the ground, the high placed walls of the maze made it difficult to see the central tower.
"I have been here for long enough to know my way around, Bashful."
"Bashful?" He repeated the nickname that she decided to give him.
"Yes, but it's rather cute." She gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.
He gave a nervous cough, and adjusted his glasses once more. "I would like it if you would stop calling me cute."
"Your other friends who wished to come, what were their names?"
The question caught the Quincy off guard, but he answered her. "Chad and Inoue."
"They were too weak to pass Sesshomaru's test?"
"I have no use for weaklings." he cold voice echoed in his mind. "Weaklings slow me down, and I have no sympathy for deadweight."
"They couldn't beat him." He sighed.
"If you can land a single hit upon me, I will deem you worthy—" His words were cut short when a blue light flew by him, and a few seconds later, blood started to drip from the thin cut placed upon the demon's cheek.
"That means I pass, right?" Uryu stood there, his bow still drawn as he looked at the demon with a hardened look in his eyes.
An amused smirk appeared on his lips as the wound began to close before their eyes.
Ichigo and him were the only ones who could land a single blow to the powerful lord…
She reached over and placed her hand onto his arm, which stopped him from his thoughts. "Over here." She pulled him off to the side, placing his back against the wall, and pressed her body onto his.
"What are you—" Kagome placed her finger onto his lips, pausing his question.
She had her lips close to his, her finger the only thing blocking their contact. "Shhh." Her hand, which was placed onto his chest, could feel his rapidly beating heart against her palm, and she gave him a sly smile when she spotted the blotch of color staining his cheeks.
"If this is another trick to seduce me you—" She rubbed her leg against his inner thigh, and he began to stammer. He placed his hands onto her shoulders, his blush now spreading to his ears. "S-stop it—" He pushed her away—
She gave an irritated groan, before she placed her hands on either side of his face, which caused him to freeze—His eyes widened when he felt her lips slam into his in a forceful kiss, his mind and body immobilized. His hands, which were placed onto her shoulders, slipped off in shock, falling to his side in defeat.
"This way!" A shout was heard down the hallway, snapping the boy from his daze.
He turned his head to the side, and breaking the kiss, just as several black blurs ran past their hiding spot in the shadows. She gently placed her hand onto his cheek, turning his head back, and focusing his attention towards her.
"You—"
She had her lips close to his once again with a pleased grin on her face. "I thought I told you to be quiet?"
His replied in a hushed shout, so as not to be heard. "You didn't have to kiss me to keep me quiet!" His blush was now going down along his neck, his entire face almost red in color.
"But it wouldn't have been half as fun." She teased, wrapping her arms around his neck with a purr. "Do you want to do it again?" She hummed. "You taste like peppermint." She pressed her body closer to his, and she felt him groan against her lips at the contact. "I like it."
She leaned forward, barely touching her lips against his, testing his reaction and calling him to her. When he didn't do anything, neither to push her away, nor to return the gesture, she pressed her lips against his for a second time, with a little more feeling and warmth. She felt his head tilt downward just a little, and that was all she needed, and she entangled his hair within her fingers as her kiss escalated.
His heart was thrashing against his chest so much, she could feel it beating against her own chest which was pushed onto his from their bodies pressing together so firmly. His breathing had become erratic, his baffled orbs behind his glasses were showing signs of his struggle, yet slowly he closed them, unable to resist.
She could feel her head becoming dizzy as a wave of his energy flowed into her body, intoxicating her. It felt like nothing she has ever sense before—Cool to the touch, making her body shiver as she sucked out his strange power from the contact unconsciously.
She snapped out of her daze, when he pulled away from her, and the next thing she knew her body felt weightless as the world was moving in a blur. When the motion stopped, she looked around as he held her securely within his arms, holding her against his chest. He bent down, placing her onto the ground softly on her butt, and watched as he leaned over the edge of the rooftop, looking down below.
She glanced down at what he was looking at, and spotted a brute of a man run by where they were just standing, a small child with pink hair placed onto his shoulders. His looked rather strong, and now that the drunkenness from the exchange in energy was gone, she could sense his power looming and radiating off of him in waves.
She got to her feet, and dusted off her rump. "Thank you."
When her voice called to him, he snapped out of his seriousness, and his cheeks became flushed with blood. "You are lucky I sensed him in time." He reached up and adjusted his glasses, but she could tell his was shaken up. "Do you kiss everyone you meet?"
"Only the ones I find cute." She smirked when she saw his face turned several shades darker and he coughed. He stood up as well, his back to her as he tried to stabilize himself. "I usually ask for permission, but you already gave it to me."
"I did no such thing." He seemed appalled by it as he dusted his outfit off.
"You kissed me back." She teased. If that wasn't permission, she didn't know what was. She walked a few feet away from him and looking around. Hearing him stammer, unable to respond, she smirked. "Does it upset you that much? Then…" She turned back to him, and closed her eyes, placing her hand over her heart. "I promise from this moment on, I will not kiss you unless I ask for your permission first."
"Good…" He seemed rather satisfied by this and turned around to her—"!" She opened her eyes, only to watch him stare at her, his orbs wide in horror. What—
She blinked, finding herself once again held within his arms, a few feet away from where she was standing. She looked over, seeing dust flying around and a creator where she once stood. A large Shinigami with a big blade stood before them.
"You have quite some skill to escape from the rage." The large man began to speak. He then started talking about something with regret and counting to ten. Yet Kagome wasn't paying any attention to that, for her foucs was on the man who had her securely in his arms.
"One…"
Kagome looked up at Uryu, seeing at his face had changed into something more serious, as he stared at the enemy, while still holding her tightly against his chest protectively.
"…Two."
"You saved me?" She pointed out the obvious, yet she wasn't quite sure why he did so. She thought he was mad at her for kissing him.
"Yes." He said in a stern tone.
"Four."
As she looked upon his face, she felt her heart thump against her chest, as his hair turned white and long, and his outfit was no longer white, but red, yet the same intensive look was still in his amber orbs. She shook the memory away, yet her eyes stayed glued to him.
"Seven."
He looked rather handsome in that moment and she felt her cheeks become flushed with desire. "Can I kiss you?"
She saw his serious expression slip as his eyebrows angled together, a small tick of annoyance placed on the side of his head. "No."
She gave a small pout of disappointment at his answer.
"Ten!" The man finally finished counting, and Uryu placed her back down onto her feet.
"He's coming, be careful." After a few words which were more like a buzz of annoyance in Kagome's ears, the man ran at them. His large blade came down between them, and we were forced to jump away, separating. "Come, Shinigami! I will fight you." Uryu taunted him.
Yet the brute used a dirty trick, and grabbed a handful of sand, made from turning the stone he just hit into dust, tossing it at the Quincy. The boy flinched, taking off guard, and his footing slipped when he landed, tumbling off of the roof.
Oh no, Bashful!
She had a look of concern for the male, but sighed when she leaned over and saw that he was hanging on the edge, grasping the last shingle. "You are not the one who decides who I will fight." The man huffed, before turning back towards her.
Is this man serious? She stood before him, placing her hands into her pockets in irritation as she glared at the large brute. He really wanted to fight her? This man—
He charged her, and she easily dodged out of the way, his attack once again hitting the ground and creating a huge dust cloud.
"Kagome! Run away!" Hearing the boy call her by her first name, caused her to pause, a blush running across her nose. A shadow loomed over her and she snapped back into foucs, side stepping out of the way of his second attack.
At that point Kagome was becoming impatient with the Shinigami. She stood there, staring at the man with a calm expression on her face, her hands still placed inside of her pockets. This death god chose to fight her instead of Uryu for a reason—He picked the girl, the weaker of the two targets to attack first…
Not only was that a bad judgment call, it was an honorless and disgraceful move.
As she watched the man stand before her, his sword raised high in the air to send his final blow, her eyes held distain as she looked upon him. She raised her leg, tapping the top of her boot against the ground, removing the dirt from her foot. That choice will be his downfall…
But just as the attack came down upon her, she paused when a blue light few past in a blur. She blinked when she saw the blood oozing from a wound on the Shinigami's hand, before she glanced over, seeing Uryu standing a good distance away, yet what surprised her the most was the weapon he held in his hand.
A bow? That was something she hasn't seen in a long time…
"Oh, this is unusual." The Shinigami spoke up as he looked upon Uryu. "Might you be a Quincy?"
So Quincy was another term for priestess? No wait… that can't be right. He's a male so that would mean he was a priest. She paused. But his powers were not the same as hers… When she kissed him, his energy was different. It had spiritual essence, but it wasn't like hers. He couldn't purify things with his energy, and that means his power wasn't the same… so a Quincy was something different…
The whole time she was thinking to herself, the Shinigami was running his mouth, and she didn't realize that she let her guard drop until the tension in the air changed. She glanced up just in time to see the large man turn towards her, desperation in his eyes as he reached his hand out to capture her-
Suddenly she was looking upon Uryu's back, as he stood before her protectively with his bow held up towards the man. "If you can't beat me, you'll at least kill Kagome. Is that what you thought?" His usually cool blue eyes had a deadly glare in them as he looked upon the man. "Or was she to be your hostage?"
"H-how did you…?" The man seemed to be both confused and utterly terrified that he was able to cross the distance less than a split second, stopping him.
"I do not like tormenting the weak." As he said this, he placed his hand onto his glove. "But I do not mind unmasking cowards." Uryu then pulled back, doing so created a bright blue beam of light where an arrow would have been present. "From the moment you appeared, you were after Kagome, not me, weren't you?" His tone held a hint of anger as he spoke. "A heinous act like attacking a woman by surprise isn't something just anyone can do. If a man had any real pride, he could never do it." He stated, showing that he was a man of honor, and looked down upon such acts. "It's a coward's way of fighting—" Uryu paused when a hand was placed upon his gloved hand. "Kagome-?"
"He wished to fight me, did he not, Bashful?" She smiled towards the boy, happy that he cared for her but—"Then let him fight me." Her eyes held a hit of darkness in them as her smile turned into a smirk. "Or do you actually think that I am weak?"
"Ugh-!" Uryu groaned when a powerful spirit pressure suddenly came down upon him, taking his breath away and making his body feel extremely heavy. His eyes grew in surprise when she suddenly vanished, his blue orbs quickly glanced up, above the enemy, and he watched as she slowly floated down, like a feather, and her feet landed onto the man's head-
As if a two ton weight was suddenly dropped on him, the man crumbled onto the ground in a blur of speed, the impact creating a creator. Now that he was gone from beneath her, Kagome continued to fall, and when she landed, this time her boots touched his back— The creator easily quadrupled in size, as if a huge truck fell upon him, and the man couldn't even scream in pain, for it was so server, he was rendered unconscious immediately.
Uryu looked upon the scene in horror, unable to move. He watched as she bent down and placed her hand onto his back. A small glow appeared below her palm, and he witnessed an orb, no bigger than a golf ball start to wiggle and float out of the man's mouth. She smirked at the orb, before she reached out and grasped the object between her pointer and thumb, as if one would a potato chip. When she touched it, the orb began to tremble in her grasp, as if it was afraid, and she slowly lifted it up to her face—
Uryu's eyes grew in disbelief, unsure of what he was seeing, but his stomach started to churn when he saw her opening her mouth widely, before plopping the glowing creature into it. She then swallowed; easily seeing the large lump of white light through her neck, as it slowly went down her throat, before it went to her stomach, no longer visible.
The Quincy wasn't exactly sure what he just witnessed but—He placed his hand over his mouth, feeling nauseous. Kagome glanced over at him, licking her lips in satisfaction with a dark look in her eyes. His body began to tremble in fear subconsciously—
She walked towards him, but then suddenly an arrow was placed between her eyes, his expression serious as he looked at her. "What did you just do to him?"
"I ate a part of his soul." She confessed. His grip on his bow tightened, and she could hear his glove groaning in protest. "I removed and devoured the part of him that was his zanpakuto. "She told him, but when she saw he still didn't back down, she sighed. "He is still alive, but when he wakes up, he will no longer be a Shinigami." She reached out, placing her hand onto his gloved one, and slowly lowered it so that it was no longer pointed at her. "So please, don't look at me like I'm a savage." She could feel a twinge of pain in her chest, when she looked into his blue orbs and seeing the look they were giving back at her. His whole body and expression spoke of one thing: Monster.
With a sigh, he bow vanished, and his tense body deflated in acceptance. "You better start explaining."
She smiled at him, happy, and she reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Can I kiss you now?" She teased.
"No!"
The demon lord of the west was walking down the street, as if everything was normal, ignoring the stares he was getting as he did so. He continued on his stroll, trusting his nose and senses, for they have never been wrong before.
When he was finally at his destination, he paused, seeing his target sitting among a field of flowers, enjoying their beauty. She always did love flowers. He walked up to her, and his shadow loomed over her form. She paused and turned around—Her brown orbs widened in surprise.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru?" The flowers that were in her wrinkled hands fell from her grasp in shock.
His expression softened ever so slightly at the sight. After she died, he never would have imagined he would see her again…
"Hello, Rin."
"So you are a Miko?" Uryu asked as they walked down the street, towards their distention. That doesn't make sense. "Mikos can't steal souls."
"No, but I can." She stated with a small smile. "My incarnation was a soul stealer, and when she passed, for the second time, her reaming soul that kept her moving returned to my body, and along with it came with her powers to manipulate souls." She must have seen the confusion on his face for she laughed. "It's a long story."
"Well." He shrugged. "We have time." He glanced up, seeing that the tower was still pretty far away.
She nodded, agreeing. "If you want to listen, I don't mind explaining." She then began to tell her story of how she was kidnapped, and her soul was stolen by an evil witch, who goal was to bring a dead priestess back to life.
Unbeknown to the duo, there was movement behind the wall—or one should describe it as the wall itself moved.
The wall they just passed revealed its golden irises and Cheshire cat grin from ear to ear. Slowly the form of a man stepped out of his disguise placed onto the wall, the flakes of paint peeling off of him like dirt.
"A Miko, uh?" His smile grew, if possible, and he released a pleased laugh. "Interesting."
Kagome stood in front of Ukitake's estate building, a soft expression on her face. She didn't know she would be returning here so soon.
"This is not the tower." She could hear the tension and distrust in his tone. "Why are we here?"
Rearing her hand back, gave his shoulders a heavy smack of confidence, causing him to stumble slightly from the force, his glasses falling loose and barely hanging from the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, Bashful, this isn't a trap." She smiled at him. "There is a reason I brought you here..." She began walking forward, and through the open gateway. When she noticed he was not following her she looked over her shoulder questionably at him. "You coming or not?"
After a little hesitation, he sighed and reached up fixing his glasses. "How many times do I have to tell you that my name isn't 'Bashful'?" He grumbled beneath his breath, but followed her into the large estate.
"Where is it?" Kagome mumbled under her breath as she was looking inside of the closet. "It has to be here somewhere." She tossed several articles of clothing over her shoulder, joining the other useless items scattered across the floor.
Uryu was standing just a few feet away, dodging the object that was flying at him carelessly. "What—" He dodged again. "What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for—Ah-ha!" She called out in victory as pushed out a large chest, which easily came up to her waist in height. "This!"
Uryu stepped aside as she shoved it all the way till it was in the middle of the floor, the center piece of the mess she created. She grinned, opening up the huge chest, the lid flipping and landing on the other side with a thud. She wasted no time in digging inside of the old but big chest.
The Quincy's cheeks became flushed with color as he watched the small woman lean over the side, trying to reach into the bottom of the chest, but by doing so she was giving him nice view of her rear-end.
He watched her rump wiggle side to side, before he leg was lifted, her other foot on its tippy toes. Uryu shook his head and turned his gaze from the sight. She has to be doing that on purpose…
"Here you go." Hearing her voice, he turned his head, only to pause when something black was held up to his face.
He reached out and grabbed the cloth, before he examined it. "Shinigami uniform?" He looked up at her questionably.
"A disguise." She told him. "I have been wearing one since I've been here." She confessed. "It would be better to blend in, so we can slip past the guards and rescue Rukia." She had a good point. "They are the same as us, only our outfits make us stand out. " She was looking at him up and down. "Especially yours." He looked down at his Quincy uniform and sighed. Even she was making fun of his gear—"That cool outfit of yours makes us easy targets."
His eyes widened a little at her comment. "C-cool?" His cheeks took on a small shade of red. She did just call his outfit cool, right? He wasn't hearing things? No one thinks his Quincy gear is cool—Except for him.
"Yes, cool." She giggled a little at him in amusement. "Now hurry and take off your clothes."
He nodded his head, and reached up, removing his mantle—Wait a minute. He paused. "I should go into another room—" His words were cut short when he looked up, and he could feel the rush of blood invading his cheeks.
Kagome stood before him, her shirt already unbuttoned and opened, raveling her black lacy underwear beneath. He watched as she lowered her hand, and unzipped her pants. Placing her hands onto either side of her waist, she wiggled her hips side to side as her pants started to slide off of her smooth legs.
"H-hold it!" He shouted at her.
She paused, her pants down to her knees, as she was bent over. She blinked at him innocently. "What?"
Unable to turn away from the sight, he placed his hands over his eyes, the only way to stop himself from gapping at the undressed woman like a hormone induced teenager. "W-what are you doing?" Even though he technically was one…
"Getting changed?" As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Not in front of me!" He tried to calm himself, but he could still feel the heat radiating off of his cheeks.
"Aww." He could hear the laughter in her tone. "Are you being bashful again?" She was making fun of him. "What?" He froze when he felt a touch placed onto his hands. "Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
When he noticed she was lowering his hands, he clamped his eyes shut tightly so he wouldn't see. "I—" He paused when he felt the glasses on his nose shift. "What are you doing…?" His glasses suddenly were taken away from him and he had to fight himself from opening his eyes and taking them back.
"I'm helping you." The playful tone in her voice caused him to swallow the lump in his throat.
Helping him? "H-helping with what?" He knew the answer, but he couldn't stop the question from coming out.
Yet the only answer he received was a giggle from her, making him tense. Her hand touched his chest, and he jumped, which caused her to laugh at him.
"You know…" He heard one of the buttons on his outfit give off a small pop—"I like your glasses." Another pop fell into his ears, and he could feel his blood start to gather back into his cheeks. "They make you look very attractive." Another snap, and he could feel the small breeze of air touching his skin from the opening in his shirt. "But I bet your eyes look stunning with them off." Another pop caused him to jump at the sound, his body becoming numb and goosebumps dotting along his exposed skin. "Won't you open your eyes and let me see?"
Why is she doing these things to him? He couldn't help but ask, as his mind was spinning out of control—He felt her hand go across his bare chest and he released a ragged breath. He reached out, capturing her hands within his, stopping her movements. He felt a little better now that he trapped her hands, but once he felt her hot breath on his neck, he almost melted onto the floor, his legs turning into noodles.
"Can I kiss you?" The words whispered against his ear seductively, and he had to swallow hard, his mouth suddenly becoming dry.
"No." Yet his voice sounded unsure, and he almost cursed inside of his mind at his show of weakness.
"How about this:" Things that start with that sentence never end well—"If you are really uncomfortable about it, how about we both turn around, and undress that way?" She offered.
"Why can't we have separate rooms?" He was proud of his brain in that moment, able to still function in that situation.
He felt her hot breath across his lips, and he froze. "Because you're cute, and I think it's adorable when you blush like this." Her comment caused more heat to rise in his cheeks and he sighed. "If you don't agree, I'm going to continue helping you instead…" She gave him no real options- He felt the fabric of her lacey bra press against his bare chest, and his mind went blank.
He felt as if he was backed into a corner. What other choice did he have? "Alright." He nodded his head, and released her hands.
Once he was fully turned around, he opened his eyes. He paused—"My glasses." He placed his open palm on his shoulder.
"Spoilsport." She huffed, but he smiled when he felt his glasses being placed into his grasp. He wasted no time in returning them to their rightful place onto his nose. He looked down at himself, and blushed, seeing that his outfit was already unbuttoned to his waist. "For a bow user, you have very tone abs." He could hear her playfulness from behind him and he sighed, yet he could still feel the blush on his face, wondering when if it will ever leave.
He reached up and began tugging off his uniform, but he paused. He glanced over his shoulder, to make sure she wasn't watching him, and when he saw her back was to him, he felt relieved, continuing his undressing.
"Are you really a Miko?" He tried to keep up a conversation as he undressed, to help keep his mind off the fact that he was in a room with a woman, and both of them were taking their clothes off.
His question caused an amused laugh to echo in the room. He paused, enjoying the sounds just a little bit. "My actions not 'holy' enough for you?"
"Well, they are supposed to bepure souls." She has been anything but pure since she has been with him. That woman probably as the most wandering hands and impure thoughts he has ever seen. "Not only that, but the last known Mikos died out over 500 years ago."
"Have you forgotten that I'm not alive?" Her words caused him to pause. That's right—She isn't human. That completely slipped his mind.
He shook his head, denying it. "But that would mean you're—"
She is over 500 years old? He couldn't help but question it. She survived that long as a ghost without getting eaten by a hollow, or better yet, turn into one? How was the possible? Not only that but she didn't look that old; in fact, she looked the same age as him—He was certain no other 500 year old woman had that kind of body…
His face became flushed with blood as his mind easily turned the wrong way as her exposed body suddenly appeared in his mind.
"I have been with Sesshomaru for half a millennium." Her voice interrupted his naughty thoughts and he sighed in relief. "Until your friend sent me here."
"He isn't my friend." He believed it was worth pointing out to her for a second time that he and Kurosaki were not buddies.
The last of his outfit fell off of his body, and he stood in the room in just his boxers. He looked down at himself, suddenly feeling exposed, and he cupped his hands over his valuables. He felt eyes upon him, and his body froze, uncomfortable. He glanced over his shoulder, knowing that she was staring at him. Yet he was surprised when she wasn't, and it was just his imagination-
His eyes widened when he saw her bare back, easily seen since she was now stripped down to just her underwear as well. Placed upon her flesh were scars, and not just one, but many, slashed across her back in a gruesome display of torture. Some were thin, but others were long and painful gashes, all of which have long since been healed over.
Before he knew it, he found himself reaching out, and he placed a cautious touch upon her back—
"!" She immediately jumped in surprise, inhaling a large gasp of air. She turned around to face him, her eyes wide with horror as her hand was placed onto her chest, as if to still her rapidly beating heart. "W-what are you doing?"
"Who did that to you?" His expression was serious as he looked down at her. She looked away from his intense gaze, not wanting to answer him. He has seen those wounds before—"It was Sesshomaru." He stated more than questioned.
"RAH!" Ichigo screamed out in pain and blood gushed out from his back.
"How many times must I tell you? Your back is your greatest blind spot, human." As the demon spoke, Ichigo turned to face him while still holding his sword in his shaking grasp.
Uryu's eyes widened in horror when he looked upon his back, which was covered in fresh gashes and wounds slashed across every inch of his flesh. The demon was only attacking his unguarded back, and all that was left of that side of his shirt was almost nothing, the edges soaked in his oozing blood.
The Quincy winced when he heard Ichigo give another cry of pain, and he turned his head away, unable continue watching the slaughter.
"Before I died, he is the one who trained me how to fight." She reached up and touched her shoulder, a pained look in her eyes. "He was ruthless, and he never was the type to hold back for anyone."
"How could you still care for him when he did such a cruel thing to you?" His anger was shaper then what he meant it to be, but he showed just how upset this made him.
"You don't understand." She shook her head and looked up at him. "Because of his training, I was able to save everyone and…" She reached up, grasping the jewel that hung below her collarbone. "He was the only friend I had after I died." She told him, as her eyes softened as she thought about the past. "If it wasn't for him, I probably would have disappeared long ago in my loneliness. I owe him more than words can describe."
Uryu sighed, his anger deflating at seeing her sad expression. "He really means that much to you?"
"Hmm?" She blinked at him for a moment, before a sly smirk appeared on her face. "Are you jealous?"
"J-jealous?" The word fell from his lips in surprise. It wasn't until he felt her hands onto his chest that his face became blood red as he looked down at her half-naked body. Oh-no!
"You broke the rules, Bashful." She purred, leaning closer to him. "You just couldn't keep your hands off of me after all."
He backed away, his body turning cold in fear. "Why are you even doing this?!" He couldn't help but ask. "You are 500 years older than me!"
"What?" She paused, looking at him with a hurt filled gaze. "You don't like older women?"
His face became flushed once more as he tried to not let his mind wander to dirty things—He felt her nails go down his chest, and he shuddered— But she was making it difficult for him.
He pulled away from her, finding his courage to fight back. He took several steps back to distance himself from her, but she moved forward. He took another step back, and she moved one more step towards him. He moved back and—He wobbled off balance when his legs hit something. He glanced behind him and his eyes widened when he saw a bed- He glanced at her and his breath caught in his throat when she was directly in front of him, a smirk on her face.
She raised her hand, placing it onto his chest, and gave him a small push—His eyes widened, but it was too late, and the next thing he knew his back hit the mattress with a thud. He quickly sat up, but he only got as far as putting weight upon his elbows, before he felt her looming over him.
She was straddling him, her legs on either side of his waist, as she was leaned over his fallen from, a smile on her face. He opened his mouth to speak up in objection, but he was frozen when she wiggled her hips and a shock was sent up his body and all that came out of his mouth was a groan.
He glanced back towards her questionably, his body turning to mush beneath her. She reached out, and removed his glasses once again; causing everything around him to become blurry other than her face, because it was so close to his own.
"I knew it." She was staring directly into his eyes and his cheeks turned crimson. "Your eyes are lovely." She felt her run her fingers through his hair, and he couldn't help but close his eyes in relaxation. He leaned his head back subconsciously, as she hovered over him. Her lips were just a breath away from touching his. "Can I…" He could barely hear her voice over top of his own heart beating into his ears. "Kiss you…?"
Slowly he opened his eyes, their blue color now glazed over. "Y…" The word slipped out uncontrollably, but then he paused. "No." It changed to the right answer, and he sighed in relief.
A small pout appeared on her face, and he gave a grunt in pain when she pushed him harshly onto the bed. "Idiot."
He stared at the ceiling in confusion for a moment, before he sat up—"Umph!" He gave another surprise muffle when something smacked into his face, turning his vision black.
"Hurry up and put your disguise on, we have to go."
He pulled the black cloth from on his face and he looked down at the Shinigami uniform with a sigh. He glanced at her angry form as it huffed around the room, gathering her own outfit and putting it on.
Was it something he said…?
After his visit to see his old ward, Rin, Sesshomaru was within the capital area once more, looking for Kagome. Like before he jumped over the wall, and entered easily enough, but once he was inside, he was having a hard time picking up the Miko's energy.
She must have lowered her aura. That was good idea when one was in enemy territory and wished to avoid detection, but it was bad when someone was searching for you…
But if he can't sense her out, he had other means.
"She is in Seireitei, in the central—whatever it's called. It's in the center of the whole place, and it looks like a giant mountain, you can't miss it."
Sesshomaru glanced up, seeing the structure straight head. All he had to do was walk this large courtyard and pass under that gatehouse on the other side.
"Halt!" Sesshomaru walked forward, but as he did so, he heard a small buzzing sound in the back of his mind. He paid no heed to it and continued. "I am 8th Squad 3rd officer, Enjouji Tatsufusa!" Sesshomaru could hear the humming become more of a nuisance, for the more he walked, the louder it became. As if he was getting closer to it…"You will be stopped here Ryoka—" The man's words were frozen just as Sesshomaru passed him, as if he wasn't even there. The Shinigami's eyes became dull, and he fell over unconscious.
No longer hearing the buzzing sound, Sesshomaru continued on his way—An elephant is incapable of seeing an ant placed upon his path…
"Whew, nice work." This time, Sesshomaru heard a clear voice and he paused. "That is some power you have, my subordinate fainted just being close to you…"
A pink petal floated down in front of his face, and Sesshomaru glanced up- The single petal was soon accompanied by many more, as they all gracefully fell down around the area. Along with the flowers there was a man, drifting in the wind like one of the petals, and he landed in front of him without a sound other than the fluttering of his pink kimono that was resting upon his shoulders like a cape.
"8th Squad Captain, Kyouraku Shunsui." The man introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you." Not particularly what his enemies normally say to him…
Then again in the past he wouldn't give them time to speak before he ripped their heads from their bodies. 500 years has given him a little more patience, to say the least…
"8th Squad Captain…" Was that supposed to mean something to him?
"Yup, how d' you do?" The man laughed a little, but then paused when the flower petals increased in numbers and he glanced up, taking his eyes off of the enemy. Not a very wise move. This man must be an imbecile. "Hey! Nanao-chan!" He called up to the woman who was standing on the balcony placed onto the gatehouse. "That's enough flower petals." Yet the flowers did not cease, in fact they probably increased in amount. "Huh? I guess she didn't hear me…" He mumbled to himself. "Hey, Nanao-chan!" He began waving his hand up at her to catch her attention. "Hey! That's enough petals, I said." Yet the woman paid him no attention. "Cute, cute Nanao-Chwan~" He called up to her sweetly. "Lovely, lovely Nanao-Chwa-Ugh." He grunted when all of the petals in the bowl were dumped on him. He popped his head out from the pile of flowers, only to have the straw bowl hit him on the head, knocking his hat off.
Definitely an imbecile…
"I have no time for games." Sesshomaru spoke to him as he stared at the odd man.
The man sighed, placing his hat back onto his head. "Man, everyone is so cold today…" He stood up, dusting off the pedals from his robes. "I'm sorry but I do not wish to fight, but I cannot let you pass—"
Sesshomaru took a step forward, appearing behind the man as he spoke, causing the man's orbs to widen in surprise. "If you do not have the power to stop me, then your words are worthless." With that said he continued walking, already done with this strange man.
"My, oh my." The captains shocked expression returned back to its normal relaxed mood, yet he looked impressed. He then vanished, only to reappear once more in his way. "You are pretty fast. I wasn't expecting that."
Sesshomaru paused, looking at the man with his usual stoic expression. "You are in my way. Move." This time, he was not going to pass him, he was going to make this man get out of his way.
"I'm sorry. I told you that I can't let you pass."
"I do no repeat myself." He told him. He was lucky that he gave him any sort of warning, but now this man was trying his patience.
The man shrugging. "Why can't you just turn back around and go home—" The pink man pulled out his blades just in time to block his clawed hand that was aiming to rip apart his face. "This has become rather serious…" His expression changed, better fitting the mood of battle.
The captain pushed him off, and back into the court yard. When he landed, Sesshomaru called upon his whip, sending it towards the man. He blocked with his blades, but the attack sent him flying and he hit the wall with a crash, dust and derby flying everywhere.
Sesshomaru looked upon the wreckage for a moment, before he continued on his way towards the gatehouse—He pulled back, the duel blades barely missing his face, yet the sharp edge nicked a few strands of his hair.
"It seems that you wish to die..." He called forth his whip once more. "Then I shall grant your wish."
"They are really soft, aren't they?" She smiled, rubbing the soft fabric of the Shinigami uniform against her cheek.
Uryu looked at his own outfit and hummed in approval. "I must admit, this wasn't such a bad idea—"
"Hey! You two!" A shout came from the side and they paused, looking over. "Who are you? What squad are you from?" The man walked over to them, a suspicious look on his face.
Uryu was taken off guard, and he wasn't sure how to reply, but then a soft hand placed onto his arm caused him to pause. Kagome? She stepped forward, causing the Quincy in disguise to look at her.
"We are from the 13th squad." She replied. "Don't tell me you plan to question us about it, 11th Squad member?" Uryu blinked at her, taken back by how knowledgeable she was. He almost shook his head at his own thoughts. Of course she was, she has been her for a long enough time to learn a few things about Soul Society.
"Actually I am." His words were slurred a little as he walked up to her. "We're are your zanpakutos?" He asked. "Do to the Ryoka we were given orders to carry them at all times now."
"We were giving Captain Ukitake a message." She pointed above her, to the board placed above the gatehouse they were currently still beneath. The sign said 'Ukitake' on it. "Or do you really think we need the aid of our Zanpakutos for that?" She huffed. "Besides, there is no safer place for a 13th member then at Ukitake's estate."
The man looked as if he was about to say something, but then he groaned when a club landed onto his skull, and he fell onto the floor with a thud, unconscious. Uryu stared at the man in confusion before he looked at the four men smiling towards at them. All of them, he noticed, were very good looking.
"Was he causing you trouble?" The men were now surrounding Kagome, one of them holding her hand gently within his as he stared at her with concerned eyes.
"Not really, but thank you." Kagome had a blush on her face, obviously enjoy the attention the males were giving her.
"It's no trouble at all for a lovely lady such as yourself." The men were fawning over her, and she was eating it up.
"Oh my." She reached up, placing her hands onto one of the boy's faces with a pleased look. "You all are so handsome…" She then touched each and every one of the male's chest, purring. "I think I might just faint."
Uryu could feel a small tick of annoyance appearing above his brow as he watched the exchange. He had it in his mind to just turn and walk away from her…
The captain of the 12th Squad was smiling behind the corner. He gave off a maniacal laugh as he raised his hand, a detonator button held within. "Too easy…" He then pressed the button and…
Nothing…
He paused and looked down at the device, pressing it again—Yet he was met with nothing once more. Damn thing— Must be broken! With a growl he threw the useless device away.
"Why don't we take you to our squad building, were we can have a little more fun, hmm?" One of the men suggested heavily and she laughed, blushing.
"You guys are so forward." She playfully smacked him on the chest. "But I like it…" The men then started to escort her away, towards the 12th squad building.
Seeing this, the captain's sour mood once again became bright. "Not what I planned, but it will do…"
But he paused when he saw that even though the woman was being led away, the boy was still standing in the middle of the street.
"I know you are there." The boy didn't speak until the girl was out of sight. "Come out." Uryu turned, to face the enemy who was hiding in the shadows, but he wasn't expecting the odd man that walked out, nor the girl who accompanied him. "What do you want with Kagome?"
"Why, to use her as a research subject of course." He had a pleased look on his face, and his body began to tremble with joy, just thinking about it. "A Miko! I have only read about them, and they haven't been seen for over half a millennium! I never would have thought in a hundred years I would be able to dissect one—"
His words were cut short when a blue light shot past him. When he no longer saw the boy standing there, he looked behind him, spotting the boy with his bow drawn, another arrow already set to fire.
"You will never hurt her, if I have anything to do with it."
"Oh, a Quincy?" The man seemed impressed. "A rare-breed." He hummed. "But I have already finished my research on them, I have no interest in you—"
His words were cut off once again by another arrow, he dodged out of the way, but another hit was aimed for his head. Uryu watched as the dust flew around the area from his safe spot on top of the shingles on the wall.
"Not bad." Hearing the crazed man's voice, caused Uryu's eyes to widen slightly and he glanced over, seeing the man a few steps away from him. "The previous move and the one just now… Flying Curtain Legs, no?" Uryu had his bow pointed towards him once more, his eyes narrowing at him. "I didn't expect someone as young as you to have that ability. Good for you."
"Who are you?" He shouted. "What kind of spell did you put on Kagome? Where have those men taken her?!"
"Spell?" This word seemed to amuse the man and he laughed. "You seem to have been mistaken, I have placed no spell on her." He told him. "It seems that she just enjoyed the other men's company over your own…" His words hit Uryu hard, a pain stabbing him in the gut, but he didn't visibly show it. "How sad, your girlfriend left you for better looking companions."
"I knew it." She was staring directly into his eyes and his cheeks turned crimson. "Your eyes are lovely."
A growl escaped the usually calm man's lips. "Shut up!" He pulled back the arrow farther, but paused when the girl that was with him suddenly jumped in his way. "Wha-?!" She latched onto him, and they both began tumbling to the ground— His eyes widened when he saw the man jump towards them and before he knew it, both him and the girl was screaming in pain when he felt the familiar sting of a blade slicing through his flesh.
Uryu was so stunned at what just happened, that once his body finally hit the hard stone of the street below, all he could do was stare at the girl in disbelief, as he slowly pushed himself off of the ground, and into a sitting position as the pain was too much for him to handle.
He attacked, even with his ward in the way? What kind of man was he?
"Stupid girl." The man punched her in the face, sending her to the ground after she just stood back up. "I thought I taught you to never let go, even if your arm was severed?"
"M-My deepest apologizes." She spoke from her lowly position on the ground.
That bastard… He really sacrificed his own subordinate just to kill him!
He watched as he helplessly began kicking and beating the woman once she complained about the sword piercing her lungs and she might not be able to function without help. Uryu growled and lifted his arm to attack the man, pushing back the thought of how much it would hurt—His eyes widened when his arm wouldn't obey his command—
"So you finally noticed?" The man laughed. "You can't move, can you?" He held up his oddly shaped blade. "It's my Zanpakutos ability."
"Paralyzing poison?"
"Don't be ridiculous." The man started walking towards him with a grin on his face. "It's nothing so commonplace." He told him, and bent down. "Out of the innumerable signals sent from your brain, it selects only the signals that say 'move the limbs' and severs their pathways." He explained. "It's not paralysis." He then began to demonstrate by stabbing his blade into his wounded arm, and Uryu screamed out in pain from the deep cut that pierced his limb. "See?" He laughed at his reaction as he pulled the blade out of his arm, blood gushing from the wound. "Not the slightest bit of pain is lost."
Uryu could feel his vision becoming blurry and he held back the pain as best he could, but it was rather difficult. He paused, when he looked up, seeing Kagome standing before him, a concerned look was on her face.
"And now I'm hallucinating." Yet the soft touch of her hand against his check meant—
"I'm sorry it took so long, Uryu." Her concern changed to guilt, when she looked at the wound on his arm. "Did he do this to you?"
"Run, Kagome." He was able to voice to her. "This guy is strong."
"My, my." He huffed. "Those men were useless after all, if they couldn't keep you locked up until I was finished here." He shrugged. "I'm more surprised with the fact that after you escaped, you came back here."
"Well, I had to come back." She turned around, and stood in front of the make-up wearing freak. "After all, I wanted to return these back to their owner." She raised her hand, and inside of her palm were four marble sized orange glowing balls.
"Those are-!" His eyes grew in size when he saw them.
"Oh, so their yours?" Her voice had a sweet tone to it, as she smiled at him, her palm glowing pink with power. "Then you should have them back-!" She shoved her palm into his chest, a ripple of power radiating off her hand as it made contact with him, before she casually removed it, the marbles no longer in her hand.
"Ugh-!" He reached up to his chest, yet he felt nothing. "What did you—" Yet his words were halted when Kagome raised her other hand, inside of it was a familiar device that he threw away not too long ago. "That-!"
A sweet sugary smile was placed onto the Miko's face and she waved to him goodbye. "Boom~"
"Aizen." Ukitake spoke the late Captain's name as a sad look appeared on his face.
"It must have been the Ryoka!" The comment caused several other members of the council to agree, but Ukitake was left standing there, deep in thought, knowing deep down that couldn't be true.
Kagome, she wouldn't have done such a thing but that man—The image of the white haired male who took her away—His aura and eyes, they were both filled a killing intent, his hands stained with the blood from the countless number of people he has killed.
Could he have done it…?
He wished that it were false, but he couldn't overlook the coincidence of it all either-
Ukitake froze in mid-step, his eyes going wide with concern when he saw a large blast placed very close to his estate. His pace quickened as he ran home as fast as he could. What was that?
Kagome looked down at the unconscious Quincy, a sad look in her blue orbs. He was shirtless for the moment, his upper body covered in fresh bandages. He was out of danger, but she couldn't help but feel the guilt hitting her hard for the fact that the boy got hurt, and it was mostly her fault.
"You all are so handsome…" She then touched each and every one of the male's chest, purring. "I think I might just faint."
She thought back to the moment she nullified the bombs within those men. She could sense there was something off about them, but turning them into walking bombs? That man was evil— She wanted to help remove them, but she had to do so without it causing a scene so she lead them away.
Kagome sighed, pulling her hand out of the unconscious man's chest, and held within was the last bomb.
It would have been against her code if she let those men die, when she knew she could have saved them.
"I'm sorry you got hurt." She reached out, and brushed away his hair from his face with a sad look in her eyes. "Not only that, but I let him get away…"
It was faint, but she could still feel the man's energy slither away after the blast. Yet she couldn't go after him, Uryu was hurt and she couldn't let him die. So she tossed his passed out body over her shoulder, and brought him here: To her private room in the Ukitake estate. She cleaned his wounds and bandaged him up, but she didn't want to leave him like this…
"I'm sorry." She leaned over his sleeping form. "You will probably be mad at me…" She leaned down and placed a kiss upon his lips. She could feel her power transferring over to his injured body, and she didn't pull away until she could no longer feel her powers draining into his body to heal him.
She looked down at his still sleeping face and smiled. She glanced over at his hand, seeing the glove on him. It was radiating a strong power, and she reached out. Placing her hands over his gloved one, she placed her powers into it and—It turned to dust in her palm, and she smiled, pleased that she didn't accidently purify Uryu's hand instead.
"Now." She stood up, her mind set. "To go get Rukia so we can all go home." She started walking to the door, but then she paused and glanced at the boy resting in her bed. "I'll get you home soon, so just rest while I'm gone…"
You are late Sesshomaru… Where are you?
Shunsui was at a standstill with the powerful Ryoka. They matched attack for attack, and blow for blow. He has not called upon his bankai yet, but he also noticed that the enemy had a few tricks he was not using either. He has yet to even pull out any of his swords, all he has been using was his whip and claws.
They stood eye to eye, his blades crossed in front of him, as he blocked another hit from his claws, aiming for his heart. They broke apart, each male sliding a little from the force when they landed several feet away from each other.
"I have had enough." The Ryoka spoke, his whip vanishing from his hand. "I shall end this."
His words caused Shunsui to tense up, and he readied himself for a powerful attack about to come his way— Shunsui eyes widened in shock when he felt the bite of a cold blade pressed against his throat. He was fast—Much faster than what he was before.
His eyes glanced down, and followed the blade till it landed on the marked wrists of the Ryoka, but then Shunsui paused when he saw a small hand placed on top of the Ryoka's hand—The one thing that stopped him from dealing the final blow and probably saved his life.
"Sorry to interrupt but…" The girl sighed towards the Ryoka. "Now is not the time to be playing around, Sesshomaru."
Playing around? The words continued to echo inside of the captain's mind, even after he felt the sharp blade of the sword removed from his throat. Was he really just playing with him? Impossible…
The captain watched as the girl continued to talk to the male. "I know where they have her." The girl turned and started walking away. "It's not very far from here. Come on." The girl suddenly vanished, the 8th captain unable to keep up with her movements.
"Do not command this Sesshomaru." The male spoke up, before he too disappeared from in front of him without a trace.
They are fast…
"Whew." Shunsui took a deep breath and sighed, placing his swords back into their rightful spots, resting on his hip. Reaching up, he placed his hand onto his neck, still feeling the strange power mixed with the cold blade of the sword pressed against his flesh. "That was a close one…"
If that girl hadn't stopped him…
He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. "Nanao-Chan~" He waved his hand back and forth in the air while calling to his lieutenant. "Can you make me some tea, Nanao-Chan~?"
Yet he pouted when he heard her irritated shouts towards him. Looks like she was angry with him again…
When Ukitake arrived at his estate, his orbs were wide with surprise when he saw the chaos. There were craters, debris, and burn rubble everywhere you looked. He watched as several of his staff was scurrying around, trying to help. One of which he saw, was carrying a girl who looked to be injured. He recognized her as the girl who always accompanied Captain Kurotsuchi…
He reached out, and grabbing hold of one of his staff members to catch their attention. "What happened?"
"L-Lord Ukitake." The woman bowed. "While you were away sir, there was battle in front of the estate gatehouse."
"Who was battling?"
"Captain of the 12th squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and a boy."
"A Ryoka?" He asked, and the girl nodded.
"But Lady Kagome—"
"Kagome!" Her name slipped from his lips in surprise, unable to believe his ears. "Kagome was here?"
The girl nodded again. "But there was an explosion right where Lady Kagome was standing." Her words caused a large lump to appear in his throat, and he swallowed hard. She was caught in the attack? Was she alright? The girl then pointed to the side. "I saw her go back into the estate, but I lost sight of her."
That direction was—"Thank you." He bowed his head to the woman in thanks, before headed where the girl pointed to.
If his hunch was correct, which he believed it was, she was heading for the private room that he gave her…
Kagome was walking with Sesshomaru, down the wooden balcony, going towards their target without much trouble from the Shinigami.
"I felt Carrot-top's energy level spike, then drop dangerously low several hours ago, now I can't read it." Kagome paused when she felt Sesshomaru glance in her direction questionably. "Not that I'm worried about him, it's just that with him out of the picture, and Uryu injured as well, that leaves no one else to save Rukia…"
She didn't expect much from the talking cat, so that left it all up to her and Sesshomaru—Great, she is once again the one that has to save the day, what are the odds?
The demon lord didn't speak, and instead chose to listen to what she had to inform him.
"They moved her from her cell, and into that white tower." She pointed to the white building, easily seen from any area in Seireitei. There was some kind of strange power trying to block her energy, but she could still feel her aura.
Several moments of silence passed, before the Demon finally spoke. "Rin wished for me to relay a message to you." Kagome looked over at him, curious. "She would like you to see her before you leave."
His words caused a small smile to appear on her face as her expression softened. "Of course I will…"
Captain of the 13th squad Jushiro Ukitake stood at the doorway, unable to move as his orbs were locked onto the body placed onto the bed. Her raven hair was sticking out of the covers, easily visible from the bleach white of the fabric. Her back was to him, but he could still see the bandages that covered most of her upper body that was not covered by the blankets.
He could feel the pain throbbing in his chest, seeing the extent of her injuries, and he reached up, placing his hand over it to try and sooth the pain. He then walked forward, knowing that he couldn't stand in the doorway forever.
As he now stood over the bed, the first thing he noticed was that her once lovely long locks where short, barely reaching the nape of her neck. He frowned a little. It seems that somehow her hair was cut during the battle—was it from the blast? The strands for the moment was falling across her face, blocking it from his view, but he could easily see the bandage that was wrapped down her left arm, the wounded limb placed above the covers as she slept.
A concerned look appeared on his face, and he reached out, softly taking her hand within his. "Kagome…" He whispered her name as guilt hit him hard. If only he was here to protect her, then she wouldn't have gotten hurt.
"Captain of the 12th Squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri…"
The grip on Kagome's hand tightened as he thought back to what his staff member said to him. Captain Kurotsuchi… He will make sure to give him the punishment he deserveds-… His words were put on hold when she groaned and turned, rolling onto her back.
An annoyed look was on her face as she looked at him. Ukitake just continued to stare, his eyes unblinking as confusion and surprise showed on his face.
The room was deadly silent, as they continued to just stare at one another neither one moving or saying a word until…
"You're not Kagome…" The words slipped out of his lips unconsciously.
"Thank god for that." The boy groaned, sitting up slightly and glaring at him questionably. "Who are you?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing…" If this wasn't Kagome, then where was she? Who was this boy—
"Captain of the 12th Squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and a boy."
Was this the Ryoka?
"Hey." The boy called to him, and he looked back towards him. "You can let go of my hand now…" As the boy said this, he jerked his hand out of his grasp; a light shade of red was spread across his cheeks. With his hand now free, he reached over to windowsill that was beside the bed, grabbing a pair of glasses, and placing them onto his face.
"Sorry." He gave him an apologetic smile as he held his hand up in defense towards him.
Yet the boy paid him no attention, for he was too busy touching his wounded body with a surprise look on his face.
"Captain Ukitake!" He heard the familiar shouts of his subordinates call for him in concern, and he turned towards the doorway just in time to see them rush into the room. They then fell onto the floor, kneeling before him.
"Captain Ukitake! I am so glad you are unhurt!" The girl spoke.
"I was worried for your safety—" The male added.
"I was more worried sir—"
"No you wasn't, I was more worried." They then began to argue.
Ukitake raised his hands towards his subordinates, a large sweatdrop appearing behind his head. "As you can see I'm fine..."
"Captain…?" The boy was now looking up at him cautiously.
In that moment, he wondered what he should do with this new predicament he was put under. This boy was a Ryoka, and under law should be killed on sight…
He took a deep breath and sighed as the heavy burden of responsibly started to weigh on his shoulders.
"Could you two of you do me a favor, and fetch a nice warm meal for my guest?" He motioned to the boy on the bed behind him. "He is probably hungry…" He glanced at him over his shoulder. "No?"
"Umm." The boy's hostile attitude changed to that of surprise. "Thank you?"
"Right away sir!" They were on their feet immediately, saluting him, before they rushed off in a mad dash to carry out his request.
Once they were gone, he turned his attention back towards the boy on the bed. Yet the boy was the first one to speak. "You know Kagome, don't you?"
Ukitake nodded. "Was she the one who brought you here?"
"I think so." He glanced out of the window as a fog of thought clouded his eyes. "I passed out during the explosion, and woke up here." He sighed, placing his hand onto his bandaged arm. "My wounds are gone. Not only did she save my life, but she healed me."
He expression softened towards the boy. "What is your name?"
"Uryu Ishida."
"Ishida." Ukitake walked up to the boy, so that he stood beside him, looking down at him with a serious expression. "Do you know where she is?"
"Kagome?" He sighed. "If I had to guess, she is probably going to go rescue Rukia." The boy shrugged.
"…Rukia…?"At hearing the boy's confession, he couldn't help but allow his eyes to widen at this new information. Kuchiki Rukia? His lieutenant?
Kagome was going to go rescue Rukia?
"Feeling a faint motion of spirit force towards cell four deep, I wondered what kind of powerful warrior was hiding his spirit force to slip inside…" Byakuya's voice spoke up as he stood in front of the intruder, blocking his way of escaping the narrow bridge. "But it is just a gnat."
The man was having trouble just breathing while being near his spirit pressure. How pitiful…
The man made his move, running blindly towards him. He sighed and took a step forward, appearing behind him. "Disappear." He commanded him. "My sword does not exist to crush insects like you." Without even watching, he could hear the man scream in pain from his attack as blood gushed from the wound he placed onto his arm when he passed by his defenseless form moments before.
Feeling as if he did enough damage, he stared walking towards his real target, Rukia—"Hold it." The shout of the male behind him caused him to pause.
"It seems as if you do not understand words. I told you to disappear."
"Shut yer trap!" The man was already on his feet, but his wounded arm hung limply by his side, unmoving. "There ain't a single coward who'd turn tail and run from just that!" Byakuya looked at his immobilized arm, then back up at his face. Is he being serious? Then he added: "Not among the men of the Shiba clan!"
His words caused his eyes to widen ever so slightly. Shiba!? "I see." His expression turned cold once more. "So you are of the Shiba clan?" The same as that man… "Then I apologize for going easy on you." reaching for his blade he slowly pulled it out of its sheath. "I shall not let you leave here alive." He raised his blade, placing it before him. In the background he could hear Rukia' pleading for him to spare him- "Scatter, Senbonzakura." But he ignored her.
With a simple flick of his wrist, the man was cut into shreds before Rukia's scream for him to run even reached him. Once the man fell onto the floor with a thud, unmoving, he turned back towards Rukia and the other boy.
Seeing the deadly intent in his eyes, Rukia got in front of the boy protectively, her arms spread out widely. "Please stop, Nii-sama!" She once again was begging to save her criminal friends pitiful life.
He raised his hilt in to the air, calling upon his blade, and they gathered, dancing above him in a circle. Her eyes widened with horror, before she clamped her eyes shut. Byakuya pulled his arm back and—He froze when a soft grip was placed upon his wrist.
"Looks like someone woke up a little grumpy this morning…" Hearing the familiar voice his eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder—Behind him, holding back his attack was none other than Kagome, a disappointed frown placed upon her face.
"L-Lady Kagome!?" Rukia called to her, a relieved look on her face.
"Hey, Rukia~!" Kagome waved to her hello, and by doing so she released the hold she had on his wrist.
Byakuya glanced at Rukia over his shoulder questionably. 'Lady' Kagome? "What are you doing woman?"
"I should be asking you the same thing." She huffed, placing her hands onto her hips, the disappointed expression returning onto her face. "You were about to attack your own sister!"
"I wasn't going to attack her." He sighed. Unlike someone he could mention he has control over his powers—He paused, seeing a lone figure standing several feet behind her. "Who is that?"
"Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, that's Sesshomaru." She stated as if that answered everything.
Byakuya stared passed the woman before him, his foucs on the male. That man's eyes… They were cold and filled with power. His own icy orbs narrowed at him. This man- His thoughts were put on hold with a powerful spirit force suddenly descended upon them.
"This aura." The girl beside him spoke up, looking towards the sky. He followed her line of vision and he watched as a black shadow swooped down, landing next to Rukia. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who it was. He is alive? "Carrot-top!?"
Hearing the growl coming from the girl in front of him he turned to her. "You know him." He stated more than questioned. He then remembered her reaction before, in the medical room with Renji, when he mentioned the orange-haired imposter.
"Judging by your reaction, you do too." She was ever the observant one.
As they were talking, the orange-haired Ryoka and Rukia were having a conversation of their own.
"I must apologize in advance…" He told her.
His comment caused her to pause, blinking at him. "What for?"
"In a few minutes, I am going to killing your orange-haired companion." He told her, yet she just snorted crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from him. An odd reaction when someone tells you they are going to kill their friend—
"He is not my friend." She told him.
The tension in his body he didn't even know he had, slight as it was, eased at her words. "Good." Then he will not feel as guilty when he slices the boy in half with his blade. He turned and began walking towards the boy, determination in his eyes.
Once he erases him, the chaos that is happening in Seireitei will be gone…
"You are taking it awfully easy, not attacking me, even while I talked with Rukia for so long." The boy had a smirk on his face as he too, was walking down the bridge, towards him.
"Who do you think you are speaking to?" He called to him. "Are you telling me to exploit an opening for the likes of you?" He wasn't worth it. He could defeat him easily without such tricks. "Do not speak out of your league… boy." He released a large amount of his spirit pressure. He watched as both his sister and the boy behind her fall onto their hands and knees, weakened. The boy was taken by surprise at first but he reached for his blade and pulled out his sword. "Oh? You are completely unaffected by this much spirit force. It seems you have improved quite a bit since our last meeting."
Byakuya glanced over his shoulders for an instant. Maybe he should have warned her to stay back—His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her talking to the male—Sesshomaru—just a few feet away, as if everything was normal. Does she not feel his power?
Deciding not to dwell on that, he turned his attention back to the boy in front of him. "I do not know how you once more obtained Death god powers, but you would have done better to live peacefully in the living world." He told him. "Who could have imagined you would come all this way to throw away the life you held onto."
"I don't intend to throw it away." The short sentence spoke volumes, and showed his full resolve and intensions. "I'm going to beat you and go home."
His words caused his eyebrow to twitch in irritation. "I told you not to speak out of your league, boy."
In that instant he appeared behind him—His eyes widened when his blade was halted, stopped by the boy's broader one. The boy glanced at him over his shoulder, a grin of satisfaction on his face. "I see you, Kuchiki Byakuya." He deflected his blade, the force sliding him back several feet. "How about it, Kuchiki? Surprised? I've got your movements read!" He seemed rather proud of himself.
"Don't get full of yourself because of a lucky strike, foolish one."
Yet the boy continued to egg him on. "Why don't we see if it was luck or not?" The boy charged. Using flash step, Byakuya once again appeared behind him—He raised his blade just in time to block an attack from the boy. "You are moving in slow motion compared to that monster." He words confused him greatly. Monster?
After several parries and lunges, Byakuya stepped back. "It is apparent you have improved more than I had thought." He admitted. "I have no choice. Before you become intoxicated by your own power, I shall show you…" Raising his sword up, he placed it in front of him, blade up. "A decisive power gap that you could not overcome in a millennium of struggle."
"Ichigo, run!" Rukia warned her friend, but it was too late.
His zanpakuto started to glow with power, as he called its name. "Scatter—" His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw that his blade was wrapped in a long white cloth. He followed the strip finding it connecting to—"You!" He instantly recognized her, his tone giving away his shock.
At first he believed he was looking upon a ghost… but he knew better, the woman before him was very much alive. This fact had caused a conflict within himself. On one hand he was relieved to see her alive, while the other…
"Long time no see, Little Byakuya."
His eyebrow gave a small twitch in annoyance at the old nickname. All these years, and she still calls him that? He is not a child anymore. "Shihouin Yoruichi." With a flick of his wrist, he easily cut the cloth. "I have not seen that face in a long time. I considered you long dead."
"Yoruichi, you came to help me didn't you?" The boy spoke up. "Thanks but… could you move out of the way?" His grip on his hilt tightened. "I have to take that guy down."
Yoruichi looked away from him, glancing at the boy over her shoulder. "Take him down?" She repeated. "You? Take him down?" A look of disappointment appeared on her face. "Fool." In a blur she vanished, only to reappear in front of him. Her fist flew towards his gut, but the boy reacted instinctively, dodging out of the way. By the look on her face she was clearly surprised by his quick reaction.
"What are you doing Yoru—" Kagome suddenly appeared behind him, placing her hand onto the boy's shoulder. The moment her hand made contact with him, his eyes widened in surprise "Ugh!" He gave a groan of pain and discomfort as he instantly fell onto his knees. "Damn… woman!" Was the last thing he was able to say, before his eyes dulled and he started to fall forward. Yoruichi was there to catch him before he fell on his face. She maneuvered him so that he was tossed over her shoulder.
"…?" Byakuya watched the exchanged, unsure of what just happened.
"What are you going to do with him?" Kagome asked, a serious look on her face.
Yoruichi looked at the girl, as if debating with herself on whether or not to tell her.
"Whatever you are going to try, it is useless." Byakuya stepped forward. "You cannot escape from here." His eyes narrowed at Yoruichi.
"Oh?" This seemed to amuse her. "You've learned to talk big, haven't you, Little Byakuya?" His eyebrow gave another twitch. "Was there even one time when you beat me in tag?" She asked, a sly smile on her face.
"In that case, shall we see?" He vanished, appearing before her, but he paused when she was no longer there, and he sensed her already behind him. He turned, and when he did he slashed his blade—His eyes widened when he caught sight of bright blue iris, and he halted his attack just before it hit her, his blade pressing against the side of her throat. "Miko!?" He saw the serious look in her eyes and his surprised expression changed to his usual cold demeanor once more. "Move." He glanced behind her, seeing Yoruichi still standing there with the boy draped over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"No." Her response caused him to look back down at the small woman standing between him and the enemy.
What does she mean: 'No'? "Out of my way, Kagome." He spoke to her in a deadly tone, and pressed his blade harder against her flesh.
"Or what? You will kill me?"
His eyes narrowed at her. "Yes." He watched as her blood oozed from the cut, and the bright liquid roll down the full length of his blade.
Yet she just smirked at his threat. "Take Carrot-top and leave. I can handle him."
"But—" Yoruichi was about to object, but Kagome spoke up once more.
"Go!"
"…" Yoruichi sighed. "Thank you." In a flash she was gone.
Byakuya pulled back his blade and turned to follow—His eyes widened when he saw Kagome standing before him once more. How did she-? He glanced over his shoulder where she was moments before, questioning how she could move so swiftly.
"Do you realize what you just did?" He glared down at her.
"Why are you doing this?" The question caught him off guard and he paused. "I know you care for Rukia- Why aren't you doing anything to save her?"
"A pointless question." His grip on the hilt of his sword tightened and he looked away from her. "Even if you knew the answer it would be quite impossible for you to understand." He tried to tell her.
"So do you really want to kill her?" Yet she kept on.
"This discussion is useless-"
"I thought you were going to kill me too, but here I am." She held her arms out wide in front of her.
"Don't come near me again, or next time, I will kill you."
She was right. He did say that, didn't he? He looked down at the woman he stood before him bravely. Obviously this woman does not have any fear towards him. It seems he will have to show her he was serious—maybe then she will stay away from him… far, far away… Where she belonged.
"Then so be it." He dash forward, attacking her—He paused when she vanished before his eyes.
"So I am your opponent now… Little Byakuya." She teased, her voice brushing across his ear.
His eyebrow twitched at the nickname. He vanished, swiping at her back, but he froze when she once again disappeared. She was fast—
He felt a soft touch upon his chest. "Ugh!" His eyes grew in disbelieve when a strong pressure was placed upon him, almost bring him to his knees. What is this… power? Was this… what that boy felt? A pulse shook him, and he leaned over in pain, his lungs burning.
"When you attack, you hit to kill. You can't attack me halfheartedly, Byakuya." Her breath was once again next to his ear, echoing clearly in his mind. "That will get you killed." She removed her hand, jumped away from him, and he gave a small gasp for air as he placed his hand onto his chest.
"Very well." He slowly stood up to his full height, narrowing his eyes at her. "If you wish to die, I will not object to your desire." He placed his blade in front of him… face down. He then let go of his sword. "Bankai." He called forth his most powerful attack. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Once the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of energy enter him, and he watched as a wave of pink flew past him, towards her—His breath caught in his throat when he felt a gently touch on his cheek. He looked down, finding himself staring into dark blue. When did she-?
Irritation started to boil within him, his emotions getting carried away. His Bankai responded, and flew towards them, yet they halted once they came near the safe zone. He balled his hands into fists by his side knowing he couldn't do anything while she was this close to him—unless…
With a swipe of his hand, he called forth his petals, sending them where they wouldn't normal go, into the safe zone so they could strike the enemy—A pink light blocked the attack, and he looked in disbelief when he noticed there was a pink sphere circling around them. A barrier?
"!" His eyes widened in surprise, for it was in that moment that Byakuya realized what just happened. This girl… This was her plan all along.
She purposely agitated him into attacking her.
"I thought you were going to kill me too, but here I am." She held her arms out wide in front of her.
Then tricked him into using his Bankai.
His eyes grew in disbelieve when a strong pressure was placed upon him, almost bring him to his knees. What is this… power?
But this girl, there was no way she knew what his Bankai was. She only saw his Shikai once—Was that all it took? Or did she really see through his one weakness, his safe zone, that quickly…? Impossible! Yet as he stood there, staring into her blue pools, he knew deep down that this woman… defeated him... without even lifting a finger.
Her other hand reached up, and gently cupped his other cheek as a sad expression was on her face. "Why won't you save her, Byakuya?" Not this again.
"We have nothing further to discuss on that matter." He turned his head away and she smirked.
"Still acting tough, Little Byakuya?" She teased. "You know you have nowhere to go. You are trapped..." She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "With me."
"A nightmare." He mumbled beneath his breath and she gasped in shock at him.
"You are very mean, you know that?" Yet she looked at him with a sad expression. "I know you are strong enough to just take her away from here, why won't you."
He could feel a growl threating to rumbling in his chest. "Because it is the law." He told her. "The law states that Rukia be…" He hesitated for a moment. "That she be executed." He looked down at her. "I cannot disobey the rules."
"Why?" This seemed to confuse her. "Don't you care? Isn't her life worth breaking the rules?"
"Of course I care." He finally confessed in his fit of annoyance. "But I am one of the four royal families. If we don't obey the rules, then who will?"
"Byakuya…" She looked at him with pity in her orbs and shook her head. "What if I was the one who was going to be executed, would you still let them?" Her question caused him to pause for a moment.
"No." She sighed in relief at his words- "I would request to be your personal executioner."
"Ass!" She huffed, smacking him on the chest. He smirked at her reaction, finding it mildly amusing. "I was trying to make you feel some remorse, but I see you don't have any, you popsicle!"
Her emotions started to spike around her, and he glanced up, noticing that the barrier flickered—His eyes widened, and before his thoughts could process what he was doing, he reached out and pulled her into his arms and turned his back-.
"Ugh!" He gave a grunt in pain when a thousand needle-like blades descended upon him, shredding his back and blood instantly gushing forth from the wounds.
"Byakuya!" Her worried shout barely reached his already ringing ears.
He gave another groan, blood leaking from his mouth as he weakly fell onto his knees. Her hands were placed onto either side of his face in concern as she looked down at him, trying to keep his eyes from closing by patting his cheeks while calling his name. But his eyelids felt so heavy… He couldn't fight the urge, and he ultimately gave in, closing them as his body began to feel cold.
A glow formed on the ground around him, as his zanpakuto returned to its original blade from, and he winced, knowing what that meant. He was near death… by his own attack.
The irony of it was almost worth laughing about—He felt something touch his lips hesitantly, and warmth suddenly started to fill him. He slowly opened his eyes, and his grey orbs widened in shock when he realized what was happening. He kneeled there, unable to move until she broke the kiss, pulling her soft lips away from his.
"Sorry…I know you are mad but…" She took a few steps back, to give him space, but a look of concern was in her blue orbs. "I couldn't let you die like that, not when you did it to save me."
As he looked at the girl standing before him, he couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking—Jumping in to save her like that—and her, kissing him to save his life. God, his life has been nothing but chaotic ever since she walked past him that day…
He could feel the confusion and irritation settle in him as he slowly brought himself into a standing position. "Thank you." But still yet, he thanked her, for she did save his life, and it would be rude of him not to do so.
"Well, what do you know?" Hearing the amusement in her tone he glanced up at her questionably. "You're not a cold and heartless as you pretend to be, you softy." She smiled up at him.
He took a deep breath and sighed. Maybe he should have just let his attack kill her after all…
"It's been fun, but I have to go now." She spoke to him. "Carrot-top acted tough but I saw the blood coming out of his wounds, he probably needs some help. I can't let him die, he's my only way home." Carrot-top? Does she mean that boy? "Rukia!" She called to his sister. "Stay tight, I'll be back later with the idiot and free you!" She waved to her a smile on her face, yet Rukia just blinked at her in confusion. "I'll be seeing you around, Little Byakuya."
He watched as she walked away, and he reached out as if to catch her—she suddenly vanished and his expression turned serious. He then took a step forward, using his flash step and going to follow her-
"!" He stumbled, his breath catching in his throat when he felt something suddenly rip through his chest.
He slowly looked down, and his orbs widened when he saw a blade pierced through him, the cold steel hitting it's mark: His heart. His body felt paralyzed in horror, and he slowly reached up to grasp the blade. His hand touched fabric, and when it did, the heavy weight upon him disappeared. He stared at his chest, stunned, the blade gone.
He patted his chest, checking for a wound or pain, but there was none. It was as if it was never there. Was it a hallucination? Yet when he looked up, his eyes landed on the man standing several feet away.
"If you wish to pursue her, spirit, you will have to go through me."
"Who is that?"
"Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, that's Sesshomaru." She stated as if that answered everything.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed at him in challenge. "Then so be it."
.-..-.
Omg my book is finished! AND IT'S PUBLISHED~ WhaaaaT! A real book and everything! I can't believe it either! Its already gotten 4 out of 5 star reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads! YAY~! I've been working really hard on it for a long time, which is why I suddenly vanished from Fanfiction for a while. After I finished I went straight to working on this and got it done for you guys.
It's about a world where there are three realms, each stuck in their own perpetual season (spring, winter, summer) and everyone has control of a single element. (Fire, water, rock, plants) But the world is changing, and there are now people who are born without magic, Voidians.
Arianna (Based off of Kagome from Inuyasha, of course) Is princess of the magicless, and she finds out she is betrothed to Prince Roland (Yoko Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho) A flirtatious man who tries to woo her from the moment he sets eyes on her, but she isn't having any of it. A tragic war breaks out with the neighboring kingdom, Shani (The fire kingdom from Avatar the last airbender) Her new husband is forced to go to battle to stop the approaching army from destroying her kingdom, and he places the only man he trusts to protect her, Conrad (Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan)
If that sounds interesting to you, then please check it out!
You can't copy and paste in the story chapters but you can in my author profile~ You can go there and it's the very first link at the top of my bio~
Or just google in ' To Betray My King ' or type it on your URL It should be the very first link.
If you guys enjoyed this story, enjoy my work, then please go to the link. Check out the sample, read it, see if you like it. It would help me out greatly if you guys supported me in anyway you can. It's available on Kindle Unlimited, so you can get it for free if you have the subscription, or if you don't have it, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial on amazon.
I have a full time job, but I love writing. I spent all my extra time on this story for you guys, my readers, and I'm sorry if I wasn't able to update anything because of it. I'm going to be working on the second book, and I'll do my best to try and update all my other works too in-between my full-time job and taking care of my mom.
You guys and FanFiction mean so much to me. I've been on this site since I was 13, and this community has been nothing but wonderful and supportive through all of it.
I'm just so happy…
It's because of you that I found my love of writing. Because of you that I was able to realize my dream. Because of you, I can now hold my book in my hand and proudly call myself an author.
Thank you so much.
And here comes the tears…