Bleach Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Life ❯ Preparation ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Mild Language

Preparation

 

Kagome sighed, her head spinning from all of the tactics. The Captains had all met Kagome through the first day she and her friends were there.

And now, it was the fourth day there, and she'd done nothing but discuss Naraku's past plots and traps, with her friends helping. She'd met all of the Captains and Lieutenants at this point, except for Soi Fon's Lieutenant and Captain Kuchiki, who seemed to be pointedly avoiding her.

Zaraki's Lieutenant was probably the most amusing. She'd chased Shippo around for hours, and now they seemed to be great friends. On the other hand, Renji Abarai was almost like a Shinigami version of Inuyasha, though she got along with him much better than she ever would with the hanyo, ever again. Of course, it could be because he'd introduced himself asking if she was as strong as Ichigo.

And of course, there was Captain Komamura. He was surprised when she was completely immune to his apparently shocking appearance, and he seemed to be a very nice person. Though, Kagome found herself wondering about the entire `all youkai are extinct' shtick, with his somewhat kitsune-like appearance.

Captain Unohana seemed to be the scariest of all them, though, in Kagome's appearance. She seemed nice and almost shy, but the way her aura felt, and the way other Shinigami seemed to be afraid of her… well, that spoke volumes.

At least there were occasional breaks, though. And Kagome used them for every bit they were worth. She'd become considerably better after training the past days with both Zaraki, who seemed to be trying to kill her, and Ichigo, who obviously wasn't holding back either. Which, for training, was good… unless she ended up exhausting herself to death.

Finally, one of the long-awaited breaks came, and Kagome walked to her room, wondering if her friends had wandered off to explore again.

She opened the door, not hearing the panting or gasping, as she was thoroughly lost in her own head. That came to an end when she saw the monk and taijiya. Naked. And obviously enjoying it.

With a face redder than a tomato could ever be, she retreated and bolted.

“Oof!”

She fell backward, having slammed hard into a fleshy wall. She looked up after her self-assessment to find a surprised-looking Uryuu dusting himself off.

“Careful there,” he said, smirking as he offered her a hand.

As her hand slipped into his, she once again noticed it; her heart sped up every time she made contact with the Quincy. And, for the life of her, she didn't understand why.

“Th… Thanks,” she muttered, finally getting her feet beneath her.

“Well, it works out, anyways. I was actually looking for you. I wanted to know if you wanted to go out to the woods and get some practice. I don't think you'll be able to get close enough to hit with a blade with all of the people we're probably going to be fighting.”

“Know what? You're right. Shall we go?” Kagome asked, a bright smile covering her face.

With a nod, they took off. The Soul Society blurred around them as they moved, faster than a lot of people could follow. Except, of course, Rangiku, who Kagome became aware of as they moved into the trees.

Finally, they reached a fairly secluded spot and Uryuu brought his bow into existence. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he blushed.

“Oh, wait. You didn't bring a bow-”

“It's fine,” Kagome said, releasing her Shikai. “Uh… you might wanna stand back a little.”

With a confused frown, the Quincy backtracked, and Kagome connected her blades.

“Bankai!”

And then, the bow was formed, and Uryuu was staring in wonder.

“Well now, I've never seen a Shinigami use a bow before,” he said, smirking.

“Maybe so, but I'm not a normal Shinigami,” she said, unable to bite back a girlish giggle.

“Well, that's certainly true… Shall we get started?”

And they got started, alright. The practice quickly became a competition, with the shots getting more difficult and the targets getting smaller and further away as time went. Finally, after several hours, the two collapsed against a tree, panting in exhaustion.

“You're… pretty good,” Uryuu panted.

“And you're… not so bad yourself,” Kagome replied, their eyes locking.

And then, they broke out into laughter, like children. Which was ridiculous, as they were both nineteen; a fact that had secretly thrilled Kagome when she found out.

“I can't believe it,” Kagome finally said as their laughter subsided. “I've never had so much fun shooting a bow!”

“Me either,” Uryuu said, smiling.

“Then again, I usually only used a bow to save my life… and got insulted because I wasn't too great at it for a few years before I took a lot of time to practice.”

“Oh? Who insulted you?”

“An idiot,” Kagome said, her mood darkening quickly.

“Well, that much is obvious,” Uryuu scoffed, making Kagome's heart skip a beat.

She knew this feeling. It had been a long time, but she'd felt it before. And the thought terrified the miko.

Luckily, the moment ended as Rangiku finally made her presence known. She appeared in the clearing, a small, mischievous smirk on her face.

“There you guys are! We've been looking all over for you. The meeting's about to resume. You two should get going!”

With a unanimous sigh, the two rose and, helping each other due to their collective exhaustion, they made their way back to the meeting. Luckily, they found that the questions as to their whereabouts could be answered with `training,' almost unanimously…

 

Several more days of discussion followed the pair's shoot-out. In that time, Kagome had become very skilled with the blade.

Kagome sighed, her mind blanking.

“Tactics, stories, break, training, repeat,” she mentally groaned.

Unfortunately, today was not like the others. It was in the middle of their discussions that the man appeared.

A black, jagged crack formed in the air, and out he stepped, youki filling the entire meeting room. And it was strong youki, on par with Naraku's old power.

The man was tall, standing at the size of a small mountain. A black duster jacket covered his rather muscular body. His face was set inside of the slender, round whiteness that would make the sides of his mask. He gave a Cheshire smile and this revealed his shark-like jaws.

His eyes rested on Orihime, and a shock went through Kagome.

“Hello, all! My name is… completely inconsequential. This,” he said, drawing his Zanpakuto, “is a declaration of war.”

Kagome drew her dagger on instinct, and the Arrancar's blade never reached Orihime's throat, due to Kagome and Ichigo's quick acting.

“Attacking a meeting of Captains? Really now,” Captain Kurotsuchi said with a devilish smirk.

“Kigen, Hebi!”

The sword exploded in an acid-green light, and the man's face became reptilian. His eyes bugged out and rounded, turning a bright, shiny amber-yellow. His skin became white scales, and two long, dangerous-looking fangs sprouted.

He moved with unbelievable speed, appearing to completely vanish. Fortunately, Kagome had already struck the man with her right blade, and she quickly acted.

Her blade flashed, and she swung backward, just as the Arrancar appeared.

He didn't stand a chance as his own shadow began to stab at him from various angles. And, while he was distracted, Ichigo utterly annihilated his body with one Hollowfication-improved strike.

As soon as the dust cleared, Kagome sighed.

“Well, I guess that means the meeting's adjourned…”

“This is unforgivable,” Yamamoto growled. “We cannot let these Arrancar get into our homes.”

“Before you get all fired up, you should think carefully,” Kagome stated, her calm tone giving the Head Captain pause.

“Naraku's a devious bastard. And from what I can guess, Aizen's not an idiot in tactics, either. And I'm guessing both would use an attack like this to rile you all up.”

“Oh? And what do you propose, Kagome?” Urahara asked, amused.

“There's two of them, but they've got a whole army behind them. If we decide to defend any one place, it'll be bad.”

“Agreed,” Yamamoto said, sitting back, calm once more.

“I'm not a tactician. That's Mister Urahara's field,” she said, giving him a pointed stare.

“You are correct, Kagome,” he said, smirking. “Here's what I think would be the smartest move. We break into three divisions. Earth, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. Captains Yamamoto, Soi Fon, and Hitsuguya will lead the charges. Sound good?” he asked, casting a questioning gaze around.

When they all nodded consent, Urahara became all business.

“Well, alright, then. Head Captain Yamamoto should go defend the earth, focusing on Karakura Town. With him, Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi should go, as well as Ichigo and Orihime. I know you don't like them, but I'm guessing the Vizards will help as long as Aizen's your opponent.”

“Why would we leave our home so undefended?” Yamamoto questioned, glaring.

“Well, that's easy! I doubt Aizen's going to show up here, and I get the feeling the other one's going to draw us to him. Sound right?” he asked, looking at Kagome's group.

“Yeah. He hates doing dirty work, so he'll wait for us to come to him,” Kagome sighed.

“Alright, then. Defending the Soul Society will be Soi Fon, along with Yoruichi and myself, and any of the remaining divisions. In Hueco Mundo, Captain Hitsuguya will lead the attack against the remaining Arrancar and this hanyo, Naraku. With him, Kagome and her group will go, as well as Uryuu. The 4th Division will be spread evenly among our groups, and-”

“I'll also help,” Orihime cut in, her face determined.

“Right,” Urahara said, smirking. “We'll attack as soon as we can. This sound good?”

Everyone nodded assent, and Kagome rose, Shippo curled in her arms.

“I'll be back soon. Some things I need to take care of, as well.”

With that, she was gone, a Senkaimon opening for her at her will. A very good trick she'd learned from Rukia…

 

Kagome came out at her front door, and quickly walked inside.

“Mama?”

“Yes, dear?” her mother's voice rang out from the kitchen.

Kagome went there, and let Shippo down.

“I have to go do something dangerous… I wanted to come and tell you, in case I don't… Anyway, I also don't want you getting involved.”

“Something dangerous?”

“Something happened, and my friends and I will hopefully be able to finally end Naraku's existence.”

“I can see how that would be dangerous,” the elder woman said, nodding.

“Yes. So, I came to say goodbye, maybe. Hopefully not, though… Shippo?”

“Yes?” he asked, snapping to attention.

“Listen, carefully, honey,” Kagome said, brushing his hair. “While I'm gone, I want you to protect my… your family. Can you do that for me, sweety?” she asked, eyes turning red with unshed tears.

“Of course! Leave it to me, momma!” he exclaimed, wrapping around her in a tight embrace.

“That's my son! Now, I have to go do one more thing, and then I have to go, until I come back, be safe, alright?” she asked, nuzzling his neck.

The kit nodded and sniffled, and Kagome reluctantly let go.

“Alright, then. I'll see you guys later!” she said, forcing away her dark mood and bringing a genuine smile to her lips.

And then, she was gone. Down the rabbit hole, for possibly the last time…

 

A/N:

Kigen- rise

Hebi- snake

Well, here's the latest! It's starting to get heavy, huh? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet! Be sure to give me your opinions, as always!