Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach, Inuyasha or any of the characters in this story.
The product of AdultSwim showing these shows back to back.
On The Walk Home
Kagome looked herself over in the mirror for the 50th time that morning. She had been in high school for about 3 months now and was still waging a heavy internal debate over whether she preferred this uniform or her old one.
The new one was much more mature than her old sailor uniform. But it was also gray, and boring. And the skirt was a little longer than what she had grown fondly accustomed to. It stained a little easier than the old one because of the color also. 'Another point on the cons list' Kagome shook her head and turned to the last of her judges.
"Inuyasha, what do you think about this new uniform?" she asked with her best innocent voice. She knew she wasn't going to get this answer just like that.
"What? Oh it's just as stupid as the other one." Before she could interject he gave his explanation; he knew where this was headed. "It's not fireproof, it's doesn't deflect blades, it's not waterproof. I mean really, Kagome, what's the point?"
"I'm not going to school in fire or water or blades! One track mind, I swear!" She huffed and pulled out her trump card. "Kouga and Miroku said they liked the old one better, but Sango and Shippo said they liked this one better."
"Keh, like I give a shit what … Hey when did you see Kouga?" That got his attention.
"Last week you were there, that's not the point. Whos side are you on? The old uniform or the new uniform. It's a tie and you're the breaker bud."
"I like the new one" Inuyahsa muttered.
"Huh, I'm sorry I didn't hear that?"
"THIS ONE! DAMN!"
"Why??"
"Because the skirt is longer." He grudgingly admitted. The day she came through the well with this one on he was in love. The skirt was longer, praise the Kami! Although he had to admit he missed that extra bit of leg form time to time.
"WHAT??? Oh so I see! I am so undesirable that you can't stand to see a little leg?!?! IS THAT IT!!?!" Now she was fuming; that jerk!
"NO NO NO that's now what I meant." He threw his hands in the air as a sign of defeat. "I meant since its longer the monk isn't as grabby and the wolf hasn't been trying to kick up wind when he runs away so that he can see your ass."
"What?"
"That's why he does that, and why he always looks back, you didn't know?"
Inuyasha watched on as the vain in her forehead god all big and angry looking.
"I'm going to school. Don't forget to meet me after with my bow so we can get it fixed. AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT KOUGA AND THE SKIRT FLIPPING LATER!!!" Kagome yelled as she grabbed her bag and ran out of the house so she wouldn't be late.
School was its normal game of catch up, dishing out excuses, and lying to her only friend here, Yuka. By the time the final bell rang Kagome was more than happy to leave.
But Yuka had other ideas.
"Kagome wait! They posted the class scores today. Lets go check it out." Yuka didn't wait for the answer and dragged Kagome to where the paper of doom was taped to the door.
'Just look at the bottom Kagome, we all know that's where you are. And why do they post this anyway other than to make kids hate themselves?' Kagome growled to herself.
Everyone was crowded around the postings. There were some boys who seemed upset that their friend was in the top 50, lucky bastard.
Kagome found her name, right there, at the bottom. The bottom 50 to be exact. Actually, if she was honest with herself, more like the bottom 25. She hung her head in defeat.
"Geeze Kagome it's not that bad. And they have pills now I saw it on TV that can help with the outbreaks. I mean it doesn't cure it, but it can help with the out breaks, then you can come to school more. Maybe." Yuka was doing her best to make her friend feel better. Kagome knew that she was just trying to help.
Wait.
"What outbreaks?"
Yuka leaned in real close, glanced around to make sure no one was looking OR listening. "The herpes, your grandpa said that's why you weren't in school last week."
Kagome caught her face in her hands and stifled the scream. She was so not coming to school for another month; Inuyasha was going to be happy. With that thought she left Yuka to meet her trusty Hanyou friend, who didn't think she had herpes, and get on with her day.
Inuyasha was waiting outside of the school, looking conspicuous as ever in his fire rat clothing with a sword, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. Kagome sighed, her life was too weird.
"You didn't need to bring the arrows."
"Your welcome! And hello to you to."
"Yah sorry, bad day." Kagome hung her head and slumped her shoulders.
"Too emotional, what did you do fail a test or somethin'?"
"Yah something like that." She looked up at him looking at her, he was concerned, he could be sweet sometimes.
"Where are we going anyway?" He wanted to change subjects he hated when she got like this.
"Oh yah, yanno my bow string keeps snapping?" He nodded; it was rather annoying; the last time it broke it was at a really bad moment. "Anyway the guy my grandpa buys all those stupid demon hands and stuff from said he might be able to do something about the bow. Plus he's the one buying the ofuda Miroku has been making."
Inuyasha nodded, it sounded like a fair plan.
"Here we are." Kagome led the way into the little shop. "Hi Urahara."
"Ah, welcome Kagome, who's your friend?" The odd man in the white and black hat greeted.
An hour later, with a newly repaired and perfectly functioning bow, Kagome and Inuyasha made their way home. They were making their way through Tokyo on foot because Inuyasha hated the bus, and they were used to walking everywhere.
Kagome was deep in her explanation of why she needed to read books written by dead foreigners when she felt it. It was a tingle, like a demon, but somehow different. It was malevolent in nature; that was for sure.
She stopped dead in her track and tried to feel where it was coming from.
"What is it?" Inuyasha asked
"Do you smell anything? A demon?" she didn't think it was a demon, but she had to check it out. Her first thought was that her biggest fear of Naraku coming through the well had come true. "The park over there." She said more to herself than anyone else.
She ran to the park Inuyasha hot on her tail. She found it in the middle of an empty field. It was huge and looked like a squid, but had a white face. She was pretty sure it had to be a demon now.
"Inuyasha what is that?"
"What is what?" he looked around confused.
Kagome gaped in shock, if he didn't see it…
"AH, you there, you will be a great meal, your soul is huge. I will be full for weeks!" The thing spoke.
Kagome looked around, yah, it talked. And she and Inuyasha were the only ones around.
"Uh, you're going to eat my soul?" Kagome grabbed her bow.
"Kagome who are you talking to? What are you talking about?" Inuyahsa shook her shoulder trying to break her out of what ever daze she was in. She could be a little weird from time to time.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, yes I am going to devour your soul girl. Enough talking; come here!"
The thing shot out a tentacle and grabbed Kagome, binding her arms to her side and forcing her to drop her bow and scream. Lucily for her the thing picked her up off of the ground so Inuyasha could see that she wasn't just crazy.
"What the hell?!?!" the Hanyou said unsheathing Tessaiga.
"There Inuyasha! Cut right in front of me!"
He cut the tentacle clean, sending the thing back screaming in pain, but nowhere near dead.
Ichigo sighed for the thousandth time that day. His friends were idiots. So what if he was in the top 50 again. All that meant was that he was smarter than them; which if you asked him, was plainly obvious.
After an hour of listening to them ranting the beeping of Rukia's soul pager was more then welcome. He was having a shitty day, and killing something was only going to make it better.
"Ichigo-" Rukia started
"Come one lets to, Kon," He cut her off and grabbed the lion from her hands. "Cough it up." And in minutes the three of them were off.
They found the hallow in a park halfway across town. The scene they were greated them made them all pause. A man with white hair, wearing a red get-up that looked like it came from ancient times, (not that Ichigo had room to judge in his current outfit, but it came with the job) and a really big sword was blindly fighting the hollow. A girl stood not too far away.
"It's right in front of you!" The girl screamed.
"She can see it!" Rukia vocally observed.
"Kon, Rukia, get the girl a safe distance." Ichigo charged into the fight just as the hollow wrapped Inuyasha in a tentacle.
Kon managed to grab Kagome who was rather reluctant to leave the fight. "Come on, don't fight me, I'm trying to save you here!"
"Let me go! Inuyashaaaaaa!" Kagome kicked and screamed trying to get to her bow.
"SHUT UP! Do you have any idea what that thing is? It's trying to kill you!" Rukia tried to talk some sense into the girl.
"YAH I KNOW! And if you don't let me get my bow it will eat you too!" Kagome yelled back.
"Not likely" Rukia smirked
Kagome grabbed an arrow out of her quiver which was luckily still attached to her back. It was a good thing Inuyasha brought the arrows after all. She said a quick chant over the arrow and anchored a barrier around her Rukia and Kon.
"What the-" Rukia and Kon said in unison.
"You two stay in here this barrier should hold for another few minutes, I just need to get my bow."
Rukia grabbed her before she could leave the barrier, "What do you think your doing?"
"Killing that demon, thing" Kagome said matter-of-factly.
"Demon? What the hell are you talking about!?" Kon finally got a good look at her, "Hey same school." He gestured to their uniforms.
"Yah, hey your in 3rd period science with me!"
"Excuse me!" Rukia interrupted the little reunion, "You, aren't going to do anything, and that's not a demon it's a hollow, and he is going to kill it don't worry." She pointed over to Ichigo, who by now was in the same situation was Inuyasha. "Uh, hopefully." Rukia added.
Kagome took the moment of distraction to run from the barrier and retrieve her bow which wasn't far off. She notched an arrow and took aim for the tentacle holding the guy in black. He had a big sword and could see the thing, maybe he could help.
The arrow flew straight and true. In a comet of pink light, the tentacle disintegrated freeing Ichigo. The next arrow freed an annoyed Inuyasha.
Rukia watched the girl's arrows light up and cut through the tentacles like butter. The man in red look disoriented, he couldn't see the hollow. But that girl, she had a lot of spiritual power.
"Aim for the crack in the mask!" Rukia yelled to Kagome.
Kagome notched her third arrow and took aim, but before she could fire Ichigo used the distraction she caused to finish the hollow off.
Kagome lowered her bow and joined everyone else present in a sigh of relief.
Ichigo sheathed his sword and was ready to go back to his body when he noticed all attention was turned to the man in red. Who's sword was aimed at him.
Inuyasha was still postured to fight, and he was ready to charge.
"Inuyasha stop he helped!" Kagome ran to him. "Hey are you two twins?" She gestured to Kon/Ichigo's body.
"No, can this guy even see me?" He asked to Kagome as he unsheathed his sword. Rukia and Kon joined him and stood by his side.
"Kagome, get back." Inuyasha swung.
Ichigo barely managed to block and swung back. Inuyasha used jumped into the air avoiding the hit.
"Wholy shit! That guy just jumped like 30 fuckin' feet!" Kon said slack jawed.
"Hey, how come your friend can see him, but he couldn't see the hollow?" Rukia questioned Kagome as Inuyasha and Ichigo avoided another set of blows.
"Inuyasha! Can you see him?? He helped us!"
"I can see his energy, I can see the windscar!" He raised Tessaiga and got ready to cut the spot that he saw.
"NOOO! SIT BOY!"
CRASH
"Fuck"
Ichigo got ready to strike but Rukia stilled him. "Ichigo, can you see his energy, it's like…"
"A violent storm." Kagome finished the sentence.
Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the ear and pulled him, ignoring his protests, back into his body and Kon was replaced into the loin.
"This is not time for male posturing Ichigo."
Kagome was shocked, less than most would have been, as the Ichigo in black melded with the Ichigo from school. "Uh, Kagome, 3rd period science." She extended a hand to Ichigo and Rukia.
"I'm Rukia, and this is Ichigo, I don't think you and I have any classes together." Rukia was a little put out by Kagome's lack of shock. Most people would have lost it if they had seen what Kagome just saw.
"All right does anyone want to explain to me just what the fuck is going on here?!" Inuyasha crawled to his feet after the subjugation spell let up. Unfortunately his hat was lost in the fray.
Rukia and Ichigo blinked a few times in unison, the ears were still there. They both rubbed their eyes in unison, the ears were still there. They both cocked their heads to the side in unison, that guy had ears on the top of his head.
"What the hell are you staring at?!" Inuyasha huffed, and then realized he lost the hat. Kagome always told him that if people in her time saw his ears they would freak. Shit, she was going to be mad.
Tweak, Tweak.
Rukia was first out of the stupor and managed to sneak up on Inuyasha while he was thinking of a good cover.
"Wow, they are real." Inuyasha was too stunned to move or protest and she looked down to his mouth, retched it open, and examined his fangs. "and fangs." She grabbed his hand and tapped his claw. "and claws." She took a step back from the too-stunned-to-move hanyou and rubbed her chin.
"Ok, I gives, what are you come kind of werewolf?" Ichigo broke the tense silence.
Inuyasha gave the other guy his best glare. "Do I look like some kind of fucking wolf!" He turned his glare from him to the girl who had just given him a physical; "And what are you, you don't smell human?"
"Huh? Uh…" Rukia stumbled. He could smell her? Her gigai didn't smell human?
"I got this," Kagome finally interrupted. She would have spoken sooner but she was too busy not laughing at Inuyasha being called a wolf. "This is Inuyasha, he's half dog demon. That shouldn't be too weird since you guys just killed that demon thing. "
"Whoa! Let me get this straight-" Kagome looked down in confusion to find a stuffed lion standing under her looking up… her skirt.
"HEY!" she stepped on the creepy little lions head. "This isn't a peep show you hentai doll, thing!"
"Ok, everyone just calm down. We have a lot of talking to do here." Runkia, always the voice of reason, interjected.
"A demon huh," She rubbed her chin deep in thought. "I haven't ever seen a demon, I've heard stories about them, they make the worst hollows."
A thought suddenly occurred to Ichigo; "If your half dog demon, what's the other half?"
"Human, idiot." Gods how stupid can you be! Inuyasha just shook his head. Idiots.
"His mom is a human his dad was a demon." Kagome answered sensing his annoyance.
'Just where is he going with this.' All in attendance thought as Ichigo narrowed his eyes and looked up as if in deep contemplation.
"So… your mom had sex with a dog?"
"WHY YOU…" Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and flexed his claws in a very menacing manner.
"Sit"
Crash
"No, his mom had sex with a dog demon. Big difference. They don't look like dogs or anything like that." Kagome tapped her finger on her cheek, trying to find the right words to explain the situation. "Well they can, but most of the time they look pretty human. Well better than a normal human. I've never met the guy; but I have seen Inuyasha's half brother, he's a full demon, and he is way hot. I mean like godly hot." Realizing what she just said, and outloud, she slapped her hand over her runway mouth.
"KA-GO-MEEEEEE, Sesshomaru, COME ON!" By standers forgotten, Inuyasha stomped over to her with his arms crossed, giving the best glare he could muster. "Was he 'godly hot' when he was trying to MELT you!?!?! Huh?!?!"
"Uh… Oh yah so uh, what was that hollow thing. What's going on" Kagome had not forgotten the bystanders; she was thanking every god imaginable for them at the moment.
"Let's walk and talk, where were you guys headed?" Rukia hooked took Kagome by the elbow and started to lead her away.
"Not far, Sunshine Shrine."
"You are a shrine maiden? A miko?" That would explain the spiritual power and training. Although Rukia hadn't met a shrine maiden with any kind of real power in decades.
Kagome nodded and the group headed toward to shrine, Kagome and Rukia leading the way, and Inuyasha and Ichigo sparing each other the occasional death glare in the rear.
"So whats a 'hollow'?"
"Well," Rukia stopped walking long enough to pull out a pad of paper and some colored markers, making a quick but detailed drawing of how a spirit becomes a hollow.
"Wow, Rukia. That's a great drawing. I totally get it!" Kagome took the drawing and presented it for Inuyasha's inspection.
"It's not a good drawing! Those drawings are the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Don't encourage her." Ichigo huffed, earning him a swift kick in the shin.
Inuyasha snickered as Ichigo hopped around clutching his shin. "Is that a rabbit or a bear?"
"It's a bunny!" Kagome and Rukia answered in unison.
Inuyasha inspected the drawing a little bit longer. "Ok, well why couldn't I see him or that ghost thing?"
"Ichigo is a Soul Reaper, he was out of his body at the time, and not everyone can see them. But, you knew where he was… how was that?"
"Yah?" That did unnerve Ichigo a little the way he seemed to know where he was with out seeing him.
Inuyasha tapped his nose, I could smell his sword. The aura of the sword anyway."
"Ahha!" Rukia got it but Ichigo still looked confused. "I'll explain it later."
Kagome realized that they had reached the shrine steps. "Ok this is our stop, thanks for everything!"
"Wait a minute. I am sorry, but I can't allow you to remember any of this." Rukia reached into her pocket.
"NO WAY! We told you about demons and we can't erase your memory!" Kagome firmly planted her hands on her hips, there was no way she was having her mind wiped.
Inuyasha growled and bared his fangs.
Rukia took a moment to think it over, "ok your right. But you can't tell anyone ok?"
"Duh, same goes for you." Kagome retorted still a little miffed.
"And if you ever come across a hollow again, leave it to us." Ichigo just had to add his two cents.
"Agreed." Not that Inuyasha or Kagome ever wanted to deal with one of those things again. Demons were bad enough for Christ's sake.
"Kagome come on we have shit to do, Naraku isn't going to find himself." Inuyasha had enough; it was time to go.
"Naraku?" Ichigo and Rukia questioned in unison.
"Our quest." Kagome answered vaguely, she really didn't have time to answer that right now. "Well, it was nice meeting you guys, see you around!" She waved goodbye before running up the shrine stairs.
When she reached the top she realized something important, maybe it was a good thing this happened today. "Hey Ichigo! Can you take notes for me for science!?" She gave a quick bow of thanks before heading off to the well.
Ichigo and Rukia continued their walk down the street in a contemplative silence.
"So," Ichigo broke the silence. "That was totally weird."
"Yah," Rukia nodded in agreement. "We aren't as bad as them are we, I mean in a professional sort of way?"
"Not even close."
500 years ago at the Bone Eater's Well
"So, Inuyasha? Do you think they are a couple?"
"Don't know and don't care." Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eyes; he knew he wasn't getting off that easily. He had seen that look a hundred times when she would ask the same dumb questions about Miroku and Sango.
"I don't know; if they are, then they sure as hell have a dumb way of showing it."
Kagome nodded, "uh-huh!"