Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or its characters; that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Nor do I own Bleach or its characters; that right belongs to

Tite Kubo.

She opened her eyes, only to blink them a few times. All around her was a mix of White and Black. Neither bleeding into the other as she floated. It had Kagome feeling nervous, on edge, and wanting to scream aloud. What the heck was happening? She just made her wish on the damned jewel. She wished it out of existence.

"That is exactly the problem, Shikon no Miko."

Jerking her head around, she found her body spun in response, reminding Kagome that she was floating. And as she turned a perfect 360 degrees, she didn't see a single thing. But she knew she heard a voice. One that had her head felt as if it would burst.

"Calm yourself, child of man."

Narrowing blue eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, huffing. This was not amusing. And it was only furthering to confuse and incense her. If this was some type of practical joke by the universe, well, it could shove it. She just wanted a happy ending. Did she not do enough to get at least to spend a few months at the very least with her friends?

"You did. But that is not the problem. Your wish was."

Growling low in her throat, she was sure she would have shocked Sesshomaru. Just how was her wish the problem? She wished that it didn't exist anymore. It was neither a truly selfish wish or selfless... it more or less was in that gray area between, right?

"No. Your wish was truly selfless... But you wished the jewel away; hence you are here in the ether."

This had her groaning. Still not getting what this voice was saying. In fact, she was finding it rather rude that whoever the voice belonged to didn't show themselves to her. Hadn't they ever heard of basic manners? And what did they mean by the ether? Was she dead? No, that couldn't be, right?

"Yes, you are right; I am being rude. Forgive me, Shikon no Miko. And you are. You wished it to be so."

This had her jaw-dropping open as what the voice said hit like a mack truck, at 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon. Her wish... the jewel... that only she could keep pure. It was a bit hard for her to wrap her head around, but this meant that she was... there was just no possible way that was true.

"Oh, it is very true. You were never Kikyo's reincarnation. You were Midoriko's. And you know full well that the jewel held her soul. But because it contained Mugatshui, it couldn't ever fully be reborn... until you child."

This had her stomach bottoming out as the white and black parted and revealed a towering figure who was in an open robe with a bald head and a rather protruding stomach. She was not ignorant. Kagome knew who she was before and quickly shifted herself, so she was bowing at the waist before Buddha himself.

"Now, now, you don't have to do that. You bore a heavy burden, child of man. You can still have your chance at a life you want. Though, you will always be the jewel," Buddha said, his gaze reflecting nothing but patience.

Kagome went still at what he was offering, but she knew that there had to be a catch somewhere. So, she stayed silent and dared to give the God before her a long, hard, expectant look. She knew he was scanning her thoughts. Had been, as she had not spoken aloud as of yet.

"hahaha... you are very amusing. And have learned to be shrewd," Buddha laughed. "You are right; there is a catch. You will not be human. You will be a spirit. And will go to a place that is called Rukongai. From there, what you choose in choices will dictate your life."

Once more, Kagome narrowed her eyes as she looked at the God before her. This was not a bad situation, compared to what he could be doing to her life. But Buddha was mostly benevolent. She was always striving for peace and balance. A thing Kagome had to maintain at all times due to what, not who she was. Just that she felt awkward about being unprotected, Kagome knew she was a magnet for trouble.

"Oh ho ho ho... You little child of man, you are hilarious," Buddha laughed at her. "You will not be without the ability to protect yourself. In fact, I intended for you to keep all your memories of your previous life, as well as all those powers. Because it will grant you access to a door to further expand them, I said you will be a spirit, Kagome. And you won't be a priestess, but the opportunity to further yourself will come quickly, should you take it."

Again she felt there was something he wasn't telling her. But she let it slide as she nodded her head. The moment she did, the world bled gray, and Buddha vanished. Pain washed through her person, drawing a pain-filled gasp from her as she landed hard. The sound of people around filtering in as she lay where she had fallen. Feeling the curious gazes wash over her person. It was par for the course; she was a plaything for the gods.

TBC!