InuYasha Fan Fiction / Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Death Is Only The Beginning ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

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

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Death Is Only The Beginning

Chapter Two

Kagome smiled as she took a deep breath and released a happy sigh. She'd been walking along the dirt roads of the Rukongai, making her way home, as she reflected on the past year of her afterlife. It had only been little more than a year since she'd died, but she had definitely found her niche. It hadn't always been sunshine and smiles though.

When she had first arrived in Soul Society she had been devastated that she hadn't been able to see her mother and family one last time. And then there was the fact that she was completely alone in a new world with no friends, no family, no possessions of her own, and no home. But she had gotten lucky. After working odd-jobs here and there, she had heard that a small home in her district had been vacated.

She had immediately met with the headman of the district and requested the small home. Offering what little money she had, Kagome had been granted the residence. It wasn't much, but she made it home. It was a single room with a small fire pit in the center. A few baskets had been left behind along with a bedroll. But despite having made a nice home for herself, Kagome found that something was still missing. It wasn't until she took in her first child that she realized the missing piece was a family.

Her epiphany led to her taking in many more children. They were a diverse group. The oldest was a girl in her early teens while the youngest was another girl who was only about six. Of course, there were several boys as well. Some were recently deceased like herself while others had died decades prior. And their personalities ranged everywhere from rowdy to demure. There were introverts and extroverts, and Kagome loved them all.

But there was still an issue of space. Her single room home could only accommodate so many. That's why she was ecstatic when stories of her impromptu orphanage made their way to the richer districts and families came to her to adopt children into their own homes. It was hard to part with them, but Kagome new that they were going to good homes.

The longer that Kagome was in Soul Society, the more she noticed that something within her had changed. While alive, she had struggled with her holy powers and was only able to channel them into her arrows. But in Soul Society things were much different. She had energy and stamina to burn. Everything around her was essentially made up of what she learned were `spirit particles.' The power that she felt humming just under the surface of her skin came to her naturally.

She had talked to her neighbors and several others within the districts and found that some souls were just contained more spiritual energy than others. Kagome had thought back to times in the past when her soul had been extracted. She possessed an unusually large soul. And that combined with the holy powers she had possessed in life manifested as large amounts of spirit energy. She also had a sneaking suspicion that the Shikon Jewel residing within her body once more also played a part in there somewhere, but there was no way for her to prove that.

With her discovered powers, Kagome had done the only thing that she could think of; she began helping others. She had taken up the roll of resident healer and protector. As she had soon discovered after arriving in Soul Society, the masked creatures known as Hollows could also access this world. But she had also discovered that they were defeated much like demons. Smaller and weaker ones were purified with a touch. But the larger and stronger ones required a little more.

Kagome reached down and rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. It had appeared beside her as she slept one night. The next morning had seen much awe from the children. Everyone in her area of the district had told her that it was a mark of a shinigami. The sword—called a zanpakutou by the Soul Society residents—was an extension of her soul. Some had suggested that she seek enrollment with the Shinigami Academy, but Kagome always politely brushed the idea away.

During her time in Soul Society she had never seen another shinigami. They were supposed to protect the district citizens from Hollows and other threats. But since none ever came when the Hollows attacked, she had started disposing of the monsters. She had learned a thing or two after years of watching Inuyasha, Sango, and even Sesshoumaru fight with their swords. Her technique was far from perfect, but it suited her purposes.

And that was what had brought Kagome out into the rougher districts this day. The districts were large, so she was usually only able to tend to her own. But once every week she would make trips into the rougher districts to help any sick or injured and take care of any Hollows that might be around. These districts were dangerous for most, but her local status offered her a degree of protection from thieves and the more violent citizens.

As Kagome made her way home she waved at people she knew and stopped when people called out for her attention. She knew that she stuck out in the crowds. It was likely due to the fact that she was the only woman in the area who wore hakamas instead of yukatas. With as active as she was it just proved to be more practical.

Kagome rounded the last corner on her way home and saw one of the children that she cared for watching for her. When the small girl spotted her she ran forward until a man in a shinigami uniform stopped her. “Run, Kagome!” The little girl shouted. “They want to take you away!”

Kagome stiffened as her eyes landed on the blond man standing outside of her home. Quickly walking forward with her head held high, she ordered, “Let Aya go. You came for me and you'll deal with me.” As the man released the girl and stood to his full height, Kagome had to look up since he was about a half-foot taller than she was. She looked him in the eye without fear and was caught off guard by the man's stare. Clear blue eyes met hers without hesitation, but it was what she saw in his eyes that made her wonder. `His eyes are very serious. But there's so much sadness there too. What did life give him to make eyes like that?'

“I am Third Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira,” the blond man spoke with a polite bow. “I have been given orders to bring you, Kagome Higurashi, into the Court of Pure Souls for a shinigami evaluation. We are to report back immediately.”

Kagome blinked at the fair-featured man several times before a delicate brow rose and she said, “Excuse me?”

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Earlier That Morning

A series of sharp knocks was heard on a large set of doors, but they did not open until the room's occupant called out to enter. Soi Fong entered the office of Captain-Commander Yamamoto with quick, precise steps and stopped before the large desk to bow deeply. She remained as such until she was addressed to report her findings. “You have the information your team was sent to gather, Captain?” Yamamoto questioned.

“Yes, Captain-Commander,” Soi Fong spoke in her serious tones with a sharp nod. “My team investigated the decrease in the number of Hollow attacks over the past year, specifically in the Western Region. We concluded that the Hollow attacks aren't decreasing. The Hollows are being taken care of before we're alerted to their presence.”

Yamamoto hummed thoughtfully before asking, “And who has been fighting the Hollows?”

“A single female, young in appearance, named Kagome Higurashi. Our research shows that she came to Soul Society little more than one year ago,” Soi Fong answered.

“Do you have any further information to report?” Yamamoto asked feeling that there was more to be told.

“Yes, sir,” Soi Fong continued. “Not only has she been disposing of the Hollows, but she has also gained a reputation for taking in orphans of the Rukongai and healing the sick and injured. Those that know her appear to think very highly of her. That is all of the information that I have to report at the moment.”

Yamamoto considered the information that had been presented to him before weighing his options and making a decision. “Tell Lieutenant Kira that he is to travel to the Rukongai and bring Kagome Higurashi to me here. I wish to meet this girl and see what she is capable of.”

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AN: Chapter two revision! This one actually came up just a few words shorter than the original. Go figure. And I changed surprisingly little. Maybe a touch more setting and some rephrasing, but that's about it. Fun Fact: There is a difference between “Blond” and “Blonde.” One is masculine and used when referring to a man (Blond) and one is feminine and used when referring to a woman (Blonde).
Note: Once thing that I do want to address is where in the Bleach timeline this is taking place. This story was started and planned out way before the big climactic finish with Aizen. So at the time I was working under my own hopes/assumptions. And I'll be honest. I am waaaaay behind on my reading. I lost track of the manga a few chapters into the arc post-Aizen. Since I'm sticking with my original plan for this story, here's how the timeline is going to work: we can work under the assumption that Aizen is imprisoned and won't be mentioned much if at all; since there are so many officers in the squads and I likely wouldn't get around to mentioning all of them anyway, if they weren't part of the original plot then they likely won't be mentioned; so this is basically directly post-Aizen with a few modifications. Things will become clearer as we go along, I promise!