(A/N: This is my first ever crossover story, not to mention Bleach, so I'm hoping this turns out as well as Betrayal, my Koga and Kagome story did. Just as an fyi, I'm not a hundred percent sure if Renji is going to be the love interest. I'm still toying with the idea of using Ichigo. I am open to suggestions! Just leave me a PM or a review with your pick and I'll start a tally. Happy reading!)

~Kana ~

Chapter 2

Kagome woke to a soft knock on her bedroom door. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She went to look at her night stand to check the time on her alarm clock to find it wasn't there and that she wasn't in her bedroom. She was in the pale blue room at her father's house. That alone was enough to chase away the remnants of sleep.

She bolted out of bed and made sure she looked halfway decent before opening the bedroom door a sliver. Instead of her father like she expected, Uryuu stood there in jeans and a nice button up t-shirt.

"Ohayo." She greeted.

"Ohayo." He gave her a faint smile. "When you're ready, I was going to take you into town to pick up your school uniforms and possibly hit a few shops to get you anything else you might need since you didn't bring a lot with you."

She nodded. "Sure, just let me get dressed." She shut the door in his face and walked over to her still packed yellow bag. The place didn't feel like home yet so she kept all her stuff in the bag in case she felt the need to make a hasty retreat. Not that the heaviness of the bag would allow her to do that, but it was the thought that counted.

She pulled on her jeans from yesterday and pulled on a light pink sweater despite the warming temperatures. It was the first shirt she found and she really didn't feel like digging in her bag deeper for something cooler. She closed the bag after running her brush through her thick locks.

She half expected Uryuu to escort her to a car, but no, they walked the streets of Karakura town. The city was different from Tokyo. It moved at a slower pace, not caught up in the rush of the big city. Karakura wasn't a small city, but it neither was it as large as Tokyo.

It didn't take them too long to get to the high school. It looked much like the middle school she went to in Tokyo. Uryuu walked her through the halls towards the office. Kagome walked up to the counter where a woman was busy entering data into her computer, getting ready for the new school year to start.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. I'm Higurashi Kagome and I start on Monday. I was told I could pick up my uniforms this morning." She said politely, giving the woman her best smile.

She looked up from her monitor and returned the smile. "It's good to meet you Higurashi." She rose from her rolling chair and walked over to a large box. She pulled out a bag and handed them to Kagome. "These are your uniforms. You are allowed to add a little flair to your uniform, just keep it within the dress code please." She pulled out a small booklet. "This is the student handbook. You will find all the rules and regulations inside. If you have any questions please, feel free to stop by and ask questions. We are more than eager to help." The woman talked so fast it was hard to understand. Kagome thought maybe she had one too many energy drinks before coming to work this morning.

Kagome bowed at the waist. "Thank you very much."

They left the over-happy secretary to her business and walked through the business side of town .Uryuu led her into a clothing store and told her find a couple of outfits. She gave him a funny look, but he pushed off towards the woman's department. She shrugged it off and began skimming through the racks of clothes. She'd worn nothing other than her school uniform for so long she didn't know what was in season and what was a no go.

She pulled a light blue tank top off the rack and inspected it. Not liking the price tag, she put it away. She didn't have much in the way of money and spending half her cash on a small piece of fabric went against her shopping religion.

"Why did you put that back?" Uryuu asked as he came up behind Kagome.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Did you see the price?"

He shrugged. "Price isn't' an issue." He flashed Kagome a credit card with Ryuken's name. "It's on him."

A devious smirk found its way on Kagome's face. She grabbed the blue tank top and three other tops she had been eye-balling. She found a pair of jeans, a skirt and a pair of shorts along with matching shoes for each.

If Daddy dearest was paying, Kagome had an idea. "Uryuu?" He looked up from the clothing rack. "Is there an archery range around here, or a place I can by a good bow and a quiver of arrows?"

He raised a brow, surprised by her question. "Yeah, there's one three blocks down, why?"

Because I want something to remember my time in the Sengoku period. That and Inuyasha would scold me if I let my aim go bad. It was shaky at best, but to not practice would make it worse. She smiled at her brother. "Because my old one broke and I'm in dire need of a new one. It's hard to practice without one."

"You any good?"

She shrugged. She was ok. Kikyo was far better a shot than she could ever be. "I'm ok."

He pulled a tight fitting top that had a lot of lace and a large white cross across the black fabric. "I think you should get this one too. It would compliment your figure."

She took it from him and inspected it. It was a bit tight for her tastes, but it would hug her curves and show off her breasts. She glanced at her brother and had a strange thought. Was he gay? Of course, she was unable to keep her mouth shut and actually asked that out loud. The moment she realized she did so, she clamped her hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide.

He sighed. "Why is it that everybody thinks that?"

"You mean you're not?"

"No."

"Sorry." She grinned. "I like the shirt. I think it'll look good with the skirt." She did like it, but the only reason she was getting it was because she felt bad for letting that little question slip.

Uryuu led her to the archery shop and Kagome searched the entire store, looking for a bow that screamed her name. At first she headed towards the short bows since that was what she used the most in the Sengoku period, but none of those called to her. Her final bow, the long bow she got from Mount Azusa, was a long bow and that bow fit her like a glove. She scanned over all the bows until she came to the one in the far back, behind the counter where she couldn't reach.

"Can I look at that one please?" Kagome asked, pointing to the one on the wall.

The man behind the counter nodded his head and pulled it down for her to inspect. She held it in her hands, running one hand down the smooth wood. Something about the bow seemed familiar to her.

"I don't think a small thing like you could handle a bow that size." The man said. He pointed over to the short bows. "Those over there take less strength."

Kagome gripped the bow in her hands tightly and glared at the rude man. "I can handle a long bow just as well as any man, if not better."

"I don't think you understand the strength you need to pull back on a long bow."

Her eyes narrowed, sparkling dangerously. "Why don't you shut that yap of yours and ring this bow up. I want it and three quivers of arrows."

"Miss, I don't…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Uryuu slammed his hand on the glass counter. "Why don't you do what the lady says? You don't get paid to tell her what she can and cannot handle. You get paid to ring up her order and to wish her a wonderful day."

"Yes sir." He took the bow from Kagome and walked over to the register and rang up the order. He did just as Uryuu asked and wished her a wonderful day. Kagome gave him a fake smile and slug the bow and her arrows over her shoulder with practiced ease.

She didn't wait for Uryuu, she just started walking. That man infuriated her to no degree, telling her she couldn't handle a long bow. She knew he didn't know that she used a long bow to destroy the most vile, evil half demon in history only a few months ago, but what right did he have to tell her she couldn't wield it. What does it matter to him? She glared at the sidewalk, wishing she could just jump through her family well and go beat on a tree. She could do that now, but people here would look at her funny. Back in Edo, it was normal. She'd either do that or take it out on Inuyasha.

She found herself at a park. She sat down on a swing and kicked off with her feet. She scanned the area for her brother only to learn she managed to lose him somewhere between the shop and here. She shrugged her shoulders and continued to swing. The bow kept getting snapped on the chain of the swing so she stopped, removed the bow, placed it on the ground beside her and continued to swing.

She continued to swing until she heard a little girl scream. She jumped off the swing and turned to face the direction of the sound. She felt an evil presence and heard a guttural cry of something not human. Goosebumps erupted down her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. It wasn't a demonic presence, but it was something similar, a close cousin maybe.

The little girl ran around the corner and ran towards Kagome. Her eyes were wide with fear and she sent Kagome a frantic look. She screamed again, but this time it was for Kagome to run. Running seemed like a good idea, but she wanted to know what it was that was giving off that horrible vibe. She walked over to the base of the swing to pick up her bow and arrows just in case, but was thrown back by something slamming into her stomach.

She hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. She scrambled to her knees, looking to where her bow was. Towering over it was a large black creature with a white mask over its face. It opened its mouth and the same guttural cry hit the air again. Her eyes widened in shock. What was that thing? She didn't have time to ponder the question because it was coming after her instead of the child.

She turned and ran. She ran in a wide arc, drawing the creature away from her bow. As she completed her arc, she did a baseball slide towards her weapon. She grabbed the familiar feel of the wood and pulled an arrow from the quiver. She had the bow knocked and ready to fire by the time she hit her knees.

"Stop or I'll shot!" She warned.

The creature hesitated at the sight of the weapon in her hand, but it didn't stop it. It continued to barrel towards her, screaming all the while. Kagome, sure this creature was demonic in some way shape or form didn't feel bad about turning it into a pin cushion. She let her arrow fly, filling the shaft of the arrow with her purification powers. The arrow hit in the middle of the white mask, basking the demon in a wash of pink and purple. With a final cry, the creature exploded into a shower of purple dust.

The little girl rushed to Kagome's side and placed her tiny hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Thank you, Miss."

Kagome smiled and looked at the girl. Her smile wavered a bit when she realized the girl was translucent and had a chain hanging from its chest. She was a ghost. The girl wasn't the first ghost she'd come across.

"You're welcome." Kagome grinned.

"Kagome!"

Kagome looked across the park to see Uryuu racing towards her with a look of fear and shock written all over his face. He came to a skidding halt when he came upon the pile of pink and purple dust of purified demon or whatever it was.

He walked slower to Kagome. "Are you alright? I heard screaming."

She just smiled. "I'm fine, just got startled by a cat jumping out of the bushes."

He gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but she stuck with her story. The little girl tapped her shoulder and Kagome looked over at her.

"Can you help me find my parents?" She asked.

Kagome knew her parents wouldn't be able to see the girl, but she couldn't tell her that. The poor thing probably didn't even know she was dead and Kagome didn't have to heart to tell her that. "Sure, Sweety. Where do you live?"

Uryuu took a step back and watched Kagome communicate with the child. She could clearly see that the girl was see through, but yet Kagome didn't seem to mind. He wondered if she knew she was talking to a ghost. A ghost that was liable to become the very thing that was turned to a pile of dust only yards away. He studied his sister, taking note that her spiritual pressure was higher than it had been only hours ago. Not five minutes ago he felt it skyrocket to heights far greater than his own. He was certain, without a doubt, that Kagome was the one to dispatch the hollow. The only question he had, was how she did it. Was it the bow and arrows that killed the hollow, or did she use some form of spirit particles like he did?

Kagome patted the child's head and ruffed up her hair before pulling herself to a standing position. She seemed to finally notice he was looking at her. Her face turned bright red.

"I uh…I gotta go." She turned and started to walk away.

"Kagome, where are you going?" Uryuu called out to her.

"I just remembered I had something to do. I'll be home later!" She waved and ran off, holding the hand of the little girl.

He shook his head and followed her. She probably thought he couldn't see the spirit of the girl she had been talking to. Of course he could, but he wasn't going to let her in on it. He was going to follow her and see what she planned on doing with this child. Sure, she promised she would take the girl to her parents, but they wouldn't be able to see her and think Kagome insane.

It was curious to see her wonder around town following a spirit. They talked about anything and everything the girl wanted to. They laughed and had a good time until the girl came to a stop and pointed to a small house on the street corner. It was her house.

Kagome's cheerfulness disappeared, replaced with melancholy. She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and dropped to her knees so she was at eye level with her. Uryuu managed to sneak close enough to overhear the conversation.

"Maya, I don't think it's a good idea to go in there." Kagome warned.

"Why not? I live here."

Kagome shook her head. "No honey, not anymore. Do you remember where you were before the scary monster found you in the park? Before you were alone?"

The girl shook her head with her eyes squeezed shut. It was obvious that the girl was remembering something painful. "No…"

"It's ok, you're safe. You just need to take a deep breath." Kagome was doing her best to sooth the girl. "Tell me what happened."

Maya took a deep breath and visibly calmed down. Her shoulders relaxed and her breathing evened out. "We were in the car, going to the store. Mom needed eggs so she could make Daddy his birthday cake. A horn went off and Mom hit the brakes. They squealed really loud before something hit the car. I hear metal crunching and the windows break. I know the glass should hurt me, but the car lurches and everything goes black. I woke up here at the park."

Kagome struggled to keep a straight face. She could feel tears trying to break through. She sniffled a little bit. "I'm sure your mom is just fine. She's probably inside right now."

"What about Daddy? He'll be upset if I'm not there for his birthday. I have to sing him the song and help him blow out all his candles 'cause he's too old and there's too many of them." The girl was dead serious and Kagome actually broke a tiny smile.

"I'm sure he's not mad at you honey. He'll understand." Kagome patted the girl on the head.

"How do you know?"

Kagome saw a car pull into the driveway. "Because I can see him right now and he's not angry. He looks sad, but not angry."

Maya whirled around to see the vehicle pull up. Her eyes brightened when she laid eyes on her parents. The light died the moment she saw the saddened expressions on their faces. "Why are they so sad…?"

Kagome actually chocked on her tears. The clothing they were wearing were black, mourning clothing, meaning they probably just returned from the girl's funeral. Uryuu wondered how she was going to explain this one.

"You see, Maya, when that other crash collided with your mom's car, you got hurt." The girl nodded in understanding. Kagome continued. "Well, the gods decided that you were better off in heaven."

"If I was supposed to go to heaven, why and I here all alone?"

Kagome pulled the girl into a tight embrace. "Because you were too afraid that your daddy would be mad at you." She pulled the girl out to arm's length. "He's not mad at you, Maya. He understands that the gods have other plans for you."

"But what about my friends and my family?"

"They all understand and you can make new friends where you're going and eventually your parents will find you there and you can be together again. So, this isn't goodbye, it's see you later."

The girl nodded her head. "I get it! Will I see you there someday too, Kagome?"

"Of course you will and I promise that I'll take you to the nearest park and we can swing and play on the jungle gym all day long." Kagome smiled.

"Ok!" The girl's body began to glow a soft blue and her body started to fade. "See you later, Kagome-chan!" The girl faded into nothing and Kagome finally let the tears fall.

Uryuu backed away slowly as to not attract her attention and walked back to the park in case she needed help back to the house. He had to admit, he was impressed with how she handled the whole situation. Never had he heard of a Quincy aiding a lost soul, much less putting them to rest and sending them to the Soul Society. Was she truly a Quincy, or was she something different? Only time would tell.