Bleach Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Life ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

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

Warnings: Mild Language, and slight ecchi

Epilogue

 

One year later…

 

Kagome ran into the hut, smirking as her friends ran around their hut after their children, who were developing unbelievably fast; already crawling fast enough to stress the newlyweds. They'd given birth to two beautiful, twin girls.

According to her math, based on when Sango had given birth, they'd been conceived that same day she had found them in her room in Soul Society and ran right into Uryuu.

Finally, they got their hands on the children, and Kagome giggled at the children's mischievous grins.

“Lady Kagome! What brings you here?” Miroku asked, cradling the baby.

“Well, I got some interesting news. A lot, actually. You'll never guess what's happened in the last few days!”

“What?” Sango asked, sitting down next to her husband.

“Looks like Sesshomaru's not going to be coming back here.”

“Oh?” Miroku asked, suddenly interested.

“Yeah. He'll be staying in the Soul Society from now on.”

“Why is that? I thought they still didn't trust him.”

“Well, they don't… But we actually found out something unbelievable!”

“What?” Miroku asked, amused by the miko's excitement.

“It turns out that the Shinigami may have been mistaken. It would seem that the youkai may not be extinct in my time.”

The news brought a gasp from both of her friends.

“How so?”

“Well, I got curious a while ago about how the Hollow could possibly exist if youkai were extinct. Luckily, my curiosity got some other people thinking. Captains Ukitake and Kurotsuchi, as well as Urahara all helped me. We did some really extensive research, and went all the way back to the very beginning of the Soul Society.”

“And?” Sango asked, practically bouncing with curiosity.

“Well, it turns out that the youkai didn't all just inexplicably die. A major event happened, and they seemed to vanish.”

“What event? Something that will happen soon?” Miroku asked.

“No. It's already happened. A year ago. The youkai all vanished, and the Soul Society formed, on the exact same day I made my wish on the Shikon.”

The news shocked the two, but Kagome wasn't done.

“We all have come up with a theory. I may have inadvertently created the Soul Society. It seems that the same time the youkai vanished, the human population increased nearly tenfold. We think it's possible that, somehow, I made it possible for demons to become humans. Or, at least, to exist with them. Urahara thinks that the ones who assimilated with the humans were peaceful, and the others became vengeful spirits, which then became the Hollow.”

“That's… incredible!” Sango gasped.

“So, this revelation made their opinions of Sesshomaru higher?” Miroku asked.

“Well, sort of. They still dislike him. But he's not staying with the Gotei 13. You remember that large town outside, Rukongai?”

The two nodded, and Kagome smiled.

“Well, one day, Rin got away from us while he was visiting me. He followed her into the Rukongai, and you'll never guess who he met.”

“An old friend, I presume,” Miroku said.

“Kagura.”

Both parents gasped in surprise, and Kagome giggled.

“Yep. So, now he and Rin are living with her. It's only been a month, but he's so very different. I saw him the today, and Yachiru was with me.”

“Shippo's… friend?” Miroku asked, his pause confusing the miko.

“That would be the one. She has a habit of giving people nicknames, and she'd never really met Sesshomaru. I was amazed. He only growled at her when she called him fluffy,” Kagome said, now laughing.

“Fluffy?” Sango asked in disbelief.

“Yep! I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing.”

“What's brought on such a drastic change?” Miroku asked between his own laughs.

“My guess? Kagura. She's so… happy. It's infectious. I actually didn't know where she was until recently, or I would've visited her sooner. But she's the exact opposite than when she was alive.”

“I'm glad,” Sango said, smiling.

“So, you have more news?” Miroku asked, remembering how she'd phrased what she'd said.

“I do! But, uh… the rest is actually girl-talk…”

“Ah, I see…”

Miroku took that cue and took the other child, taking them for a walk.

“What is it, Kagome?” Sango asked, noticing Kagome's sudden apprehension.

“Well, I haven't been able to visit for a while, and a lot's happened… Uryuu and I started dating, officially,” she said, avoiding eye contact as bright red crept over her features.

“Really? How'd that happen?”

“Well, we were at Orihime and Ichigo's wedding a week ago and… I kinda got drunk… a little…”

“Really? Well, that's unexpected. What happened?” Sango asked, moving next to the obviously embarrassed miko.

“Um… Well, I got drunk, and apparently, I'm one of those people that are brutally honest when I get drunk… Someone had made a joke about how we're always so weird around each other. Uryuu took off, embarrassed. I followed, and told him that it was true. He went to argue, and I kind of lost my balance. We ended up tangled up on the grass. And then, we just sorta' started making out,” she finished, blushing madly.

“There's more,” Sango said, noticing the apprehension was still there.

“Umm… I think I might be… It's possible that I'm… We kind of… consummated the relationship the next day, and I feel like I might be-”

Sango suddenly gasped, eyes wide.

“Congratulations, Kagome!” she exclaimed happily, wrapping the miko in a tight embrace.

“Thanks, Sango,” she muttered, blushing even more fiercely.

“So, are you staying for a while this time?” Sango asked as they finally separated.

“Sadly, I can't,” Kagome sighed. “There was a big one yesterday, and Captain Unohana will probably need help with the injured.”

“I see… Well, alright then. I'm so happy that you're enjoying your choice, Kagome,” Sango said as they both rose.

“Thank you. I do love it, even if I'm always so busy.”

“Well, then, go help out,” Sango said, smiling, sensing that Kagome had other things to do today.

They hugged, and Kagome began to take her leave before she suddenly turned.

“Oh, right. I also wanted to ask if Shippo did anything bad when he was here a few days ago.”

“Bad?” Sango asked, confused.

“Yeah. He came back blushing and looking guilty. But I didn't want to jump conclusions.”

“No, I wouldn't say he did anything bad. He helped Kaede with her herbs for a while, and then he and Miroku disappeared for a while.”

Suddenly, things made more sense to the miko, and she nodded.

“Thanks. Better Miroku than me, I suppose.”

“For what?” the ex-taijiya asked, confused.

“Umm… Shippo's been spending a lot of time in the past, recently, whenever Sesshomaru and Rin were around. And he's been hanging around Yachiru a lot, lately, too…”

“Ah. Well, he was never exactly shy around girls while we traveled,” Sango said, now grasping the situation.

“Yeah,” Kagome sighed. “Well… Thank Miroku for me, okay?”

“Sure thing!”

“Next time, I'll stay for a while. Promise!” Kagome said, winking.

And then, with her and her `sister' sharing one more hug, she vanished once more…

 

Kagome entered the 4th Division barracks, the sight of the wounded shocking.

“Oh, Captain Higurashi! Thank god! We don't have nearly enough healers to go around,” a gawky-looking Shinigami gasped as soon as he noticed her.

“Gee, Hinaturo, you make it sound like I'm a miracle worker,” Kagome mused, making the Shinigami blush.

Nonetheless, Kagome moved from one injured Shinigami to the next, her hands glowing. In the time it took the whole division (save the Captain and Lieutenant, of course) to heal five patients, she had fully restored twenty.

After an hour, the injured were almost all healed, and Kagome was thoroughly exhausted. Only one patient remained.

“Oi, you ain't tired, are ya'?” a voice mocked behind her.

“Shut it, Madarame,” Kagome said, her tone light. “I could still take you.”

The man laughed, muscles tense as she brought her hand to the cut across his chest.

“I gotta' say, nobody can fix me up like you,” he mused.

“Yeah, well stop giving me reasons to,” Kagome scolded as he got up and vanished.

Suddenly, Captain Kyoraku appeared, looking at all the previously occupied beds.

“Don't tell me. You're hurt, too,” Kagome mused.

He laughed, his arm around her shoulder.

“Maybe. Want to treat me personally?”

“Only in your dreams,” Kagome said, vanishing from his hold.

“Well, you're right about that. But, actually, I was just wondering if you've seen Nanao.”

Kagome smirked, glaring playfully at him.

“Yes, I have. She was here ten minutes ago, asking if I'd seen you. You should do some actual work, and stop making her work so hard.”

At that, the Captain laughed, ruffling her hair.

“But if I do that, then it'd be preferential treatment!”

“Whatever,” Kagome groaned, though she was clearly amused.

Suddenly, the stoic-appearing woman showed up, as if on cue.

“Captain-”

“Oh! That's my cue. Bye, Kagome!”

And then, he was gone, and Nanao groaned.

“Damnit!”

Kagome patted the Lieutenant's shoulder in sympathy, which the woman seemed to appreciate.

“Do you have any open positions in your division, Kagome?” she asked, making Kagome laugh.

“Sorry, I couldn't possibly take you away from him. I can't imagine what would happen if you weren't there to do all his paperwork,” Kagome giggled.

“Ugh… I bet Lisa didn't have to deal with this,” Nanao groaned.

“Hmm… maybe you should go ask her. I'm sure she'd give you some pointers.”

“I wish,” the Lieutenant sighed. “But, it'll still take a while for everyone to get used to having them back on our side, even if they refuse to actually come back. And, I couldn't get away even if I tried.”

“It's okay,” Kagome said, smiling sympathetically.

“Thanks, Kagome… I'd better try to catch him,” she sighed before once again vanishing.

And, as that meant nobody else was around now but exhausted 4th Division Shinigami, Kagome took her leave as well.

As she made her way to her quarters, she contemplated all that had happened. Even after a year, she couldn't believe how much had changed.

It had taken her little to no time to become great friends with most of the female Shinigami, Nanao and Rukia in particular. Even Soi Fon had finally begun warming up. It had taken far more time for her own division members to warm up to her, as their trust had taken a massive hit when Aizen betrayed them. Her giving nature, and very strong loyalty to her friends, however, eventually won them over.

She'd quickly become adept at all facets of being a Shinigami, having used any available free time for a few months to learn all the Kido she could from Hachi. And, because she often trained Zaraki's division whenever he was off somewhere, she could also be called a combat specialist. She was also considered an invaluable help to the 4th Division, with her natural talent for healing and using energy.

And, because of this, she'd become known as a sort of jack-of-all-trades for the Gotai 13.

And then, there were the Kuchikis… The same week that she'd officially become a Captain, she'd been called to the Kuchiki household. After several stressful meetings, things had begun to be better. As she'd officially proven she was on the Soul Society's side, Byakuya had decided to at least give her a chance.

But, even as they gained some semblance of a familial relationship, it was obvious Rukia was much warmer and personal than the Captain would probably ever be. Which, when Kagome thought about it, reminded her amusingly of how Sesshomaru had been in the Feudal Era.

She was suddenly brought out of her musings when she entered her room to find Yoruichi sitting on her bed, Soi Fon at her side.

“Hello, Yoruichi,” Kagome said tiredly.

“I figured you'd be healing people all day, so you wouldn't know. Something interesting came to light a little while ago.”

“Oh?” Kagome asked, plopping down unceremoniously on her bed.

“Yeah… A lot of Shinigami died to get it to us. It seems Aizen's building a new army. They're far stronger than those last Arrancar, apparently. It seems that Naraku left something behind, and he's using it to make something we've never seen before.”

That got Kagome's attention, and she was suddenly wide awake.

“What?”

“That's all we were able to find out,” Soi Fon said, not looking happy at all. “He's planning something, but we only know it's not good.”

“Well, we didn't come here to be buzzkills,” Yoruichi suddenly said, an arm going around the madly blushing Captain's waist. “It's not like we won't find a way to handle it. Just thought you should know.”

“Thanks… You know, you two should be more careful,” Kagome said, amusement lighting her eyes.

“What ever do you mean?” Yoruichi asked, feigning innocence.

“I think you know. You two should be more… I dunno… stealthy. I can't count all the times you would've been caught if it was someone other than me. I mean, with all of my roaming around at night, it would take a calculator to figure out how many times I've come by when you were either beginning or finishing your little… playtimes,” Kagome said, smirking when Soi Fon turned beet-red.

“What could you possibly be talking about?” Yoruichi asked, and Kagome groaned.

“Alright, you want me to go into detail? Well, I'm referring to all the times I've heard moaning, panting, gasping, and you screaming each others' names. How about that for detail?”

“Really?” Yoruichi laughed, much less timid than the Captain.

“Yeah... Just try to be more quiet or private, would you? Someone might figure out your secret if you don't.”

“Oh, I'd never hear the end of it from Kyoraku,” Yoruichi said with a shudder.

And then, the two rose, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh when Soi Fon jumped in surprise as Yoruichi gave her buttocks a gentle pinch.

“Fine! You're on your own,” Kagome said between giggles as they vanished.

And, hours later, she was still lying motionless, her mind working what Naraku could have possibly given Aizen before his passing. And she had to agree with Yoruichi. Whatever it was, she was positive that they'd come out of it alive…

 

A/N:

Well, there it is! The end! I think I covered everyone, but I might have missed someone somewhere. But, I don't think I did. Regardless, thank you all for reading all the way through. I would greatly value any opinions on my story and writing abilities, whether they're positive or negative. And so, I bid you adieu!

9-5-10 Update: The sequel to this story is officially up, under the title Mayakashi!