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

Warnings: None

Confrontation

"I'm going to work," Uryuu sighed. "You've got your key, right?"

Kagome gave a dazed nod, and her cousin was gone in an actual flash, his body blurring slightly before he was no longer near them.

"Well, he's even being nice to family," Urahara said, bringing Kagome's attention to the two remaining men. "So then, tell me something… Kagome, was it? Is that really the Shikon no Tama you have there?"

Instantly she went on the defensive, eyes narrowing as she took in his appearance.

"Yes, it is. Does it matter?"

"Oh, I should say so," he said, standing up. "How much has Ichigo here told you about the Shinigami?"

"Enough to grasp the concept," she said with a frown.

"Fair enough. People born as Shinigami grow up in a dimension called the Soul Society. And they pay close attention to Karakura Town ever since Aizen planned to use it for… well, let's just say that he wanted something bad to happen. And you probably just became a huge blip on their radar."

Her hand closed around the jewel, eyes narrowing and teeth grinding.

"I'm not part of that, so you don't have to worry about that," he said suddenly, grinning ear to ear. "I just like messing with new people. But seriously," he said, face becoming shadowed and a bizarre somberness entering his tone, "be careful with that thing. And if legions of people in black robes holding swords show up at Uryuu's door, get the hell out."

"You think they'd hurt her?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide in surprise.

"I think that for even half of the Shikon no Tama, and what it could mean in their fight against Aizen and the Arrancar, they wouldn't hesitate to take it from her. Whatever that might entail," he added, still staring into her eyes.

Kagome, despite how much she hated herself for it, found herself actually gulping, her heart rate rising.

"I don't give a damn if they're actual grim reapers," she finally bit out. "I will never let this jewel be used for self-gain."

"Unless you get that Quincy blood flowing fast, I don't see much that you can do about it," he said with a damnably cocky grin. "They're not demons or Hollows, so you can't purify them, little miss priestess," he added, once again pulling an almost bipolar switch to seriousness. "Then again, maybe your son can do some magic tricks to distract them, if you don't have your powers open by the time they come for you. I know the story of the Shikon no Tama, in great detail, and I'd appreciate you not treating me like an idiot."

Kagome's hands clenched, taking a step towards him and pointing an accusatory finger.

"You made something based on the Shikon no Tama. You are an idiot," she hissed. "Do you know how much of a pain just one of these things is!"

"Ah, so we're not playing games anymore," he said with a smirk. "Good. I'll let you play the Quincy boy, but I'm kind of hard to fool. And Ichigo's not as dim as he looks," he added, smirk growing.

"Hey, what was that, Urahara!" Ichigo bellowed, eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, sorry," the older man said, laughing. "But you do look a bit… thuggish, Ichigo."

"I know what I look like," he growled. "But what the hell is this thing? Some kind of model for the Hogyoku?"

"Well, yeah, pretty much. Of course, since I didn't exactly have a bunch of powerful souls on hand when I made it, it's not anywhere near as powerful. Probably not even as strong as half of it, actually. But it works much more effectively."

"Let me get this straight," Kagome said, body starting to shake with her anger. "You made a Shikon no Tama that is good for more than one wish? Is that what you're telling me? Or that the wish is stronger?"

"Well, more like it boosts the desires of the owner into physical form. Not really a wish… But according to Aizen, it's what caused Ichigo and all of his friends to get powers and become involved in the Soul Society's business."

"Who the hell is Aizen? I keep hearing that name, but I have no idea who it is," Kagome growled.

"Ah, right… Well, it doesn't really matter. Our problem, not yours. But the thing is, he's got the Hogyoku, and he's almost as smart as me. And he's using it to build an empire to take down both Shinigami and humans. You met one of his frontmen, I think."

"Zetsumei?" Kagome asked, surprised. "That's what an Espada is? Some kind of super-demon enforcer for a psychopath?" Kagome asked, this one aimed at Ichigo.

"Well, you do pick up on things quick. Yeah, that's exactly what he is," Urahara stated calmly. "And that's why you seriously need to think of running back into the past, and staying there for a long time."

"I… I can't go back there," she said, finally deciding that acting wasn't worth the energy.

"So, you're really some kind of time-traveling demon-fighter?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide in shock.

"Umm… not so much. More like a girl who happened to fall into a mystical well and got wrapped up in a situation way over my head," she said with a shrug, blushing slightly. "And I got lucky, a lot, and I have… had a lot of really great and powerful friends helping me the entire time," she added, sadness creeping up on her.

"So I've heard. So then, I'm dying to know," Urahara said, making no sign of having heard her tone, "was I right? The little guy's the kit that you traveled with, right?" he asked, staring at Shippo, who was now holding onto Kagome's leg.

"If you must know, yes, he is. His name's Shippo, and he's my son," she stated calmly, absentmindedly scratching said kit's ears.

"I see… Well, that makes you even more interesting, doesn't it, little miko girl?" he quipped, smirking. "Well, I'd better get going. I have a shop up the street from Ichigo's, if you ever want to have a chat, Kagome."

And then, he was gone, his body a large blur, and Kagome found herself frowning.

"Is he always so annoying?" she asked Ichigo.

He broke out of his introspection, a bark of laughter escaping him.

"Yeah, pretty much. You kind of have to get used to him," he laughed.

His mirth quickly vanished, and she felt a strange charge surge through her at the look he was giving her.

"So, is all of that true?"

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "Then again, if I hadn't gone through all this, I wouldn't have met Shippo," she said, bringing said kit up to her shoulder. "And thanks again, for saving my ass… I don't know how well that would've gone if you hadn't stepped in."

"It wasn't a problem. But you need to understand something. That guy, he's bad. He might not be as strong as the last ones we had to fight, but he was strong. And there are four of five Espada stronger than him. And if he'd released his Ressurecíon, it could've gotten ugly. So the next time you feel that guy, don't stick around to play."

"Thanks for the confidence," she mused. "Hopefully Uryuu's training will make me able to handle myself."

At that, he laughed, staring incredulously at her.

"You need to know something. Uryuu's vindictive as hell. You made him look bad in front of Orihime, and he's going to make you suffer for it."

Her eyes widened almost comically at that, mouth agape.

"What? I didn't know they're going out. Oh, crap! I would've tried to restrain myself, if I'd known."

"They're not. Dating, I mean. But that doesn't mean much. So watch your back," he laughed. "Well, it's been nice meeting you. I think having you around's going to make things interesting."

With another laugh, he was gone, and Kagome walked towards Uryuu's like an inmate taking the last walk…

A/N:

So, there's the newest chapter! Hope you've enjoyed the back-and-forth, because Urahara may or may not be important later on (smirks evilly). Well, as always, I hope you'll leave your opinions, be they positive or not. Especially since lengthy back-and-forth dialogue scenes are one of my writing weak points… See you next time!