A/N: I didn't think this one would get so many reviews: "Tem," Bleached-Whale, Nocturna Mae, "moonlight archer," KitElizaKing, Rabe Addler, Rukia's Reflection, Dark Inu Fan, "Gill," AnimeFreakAmanda, and Mocha Turtle. And thank you to everyone who put this or its author on their lists. Here's hoping that this continues to be enjoyable.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha and Bleach characters, mangas, animes, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al and Tite Kubo et al, respectively.
Secrets Abound
Let's Introduce Ourselves
The "Substitute Group" gazed at the miko and white haired stranger in trepidation as they led them into a dark well house. Once the door was slid shut, the two faced the teens with serious faces. "Perhaps we should start by introducing ourselves," the dark haired woman said, picking up an old bow that sat next to a dry well.
"Keh," her counterpart commented.
"That'd be nice," Ichigo growled, earning a threatening one in return from the man in the red kimono.
"Watch your tongue, pup. No one speaks to my wife like that."
"Inuyasha," Kagome gently rebuked. "I'll start, as we seem to be overrun by possessive and stubborn males. My name is Kagome Higurashi Taisho. I am known in my world as the Miko no Shikon. This is my husband Inuyasha Taisho. Inuyasha, as you've realized has an energy signature that is distinctly different from us humans."
"He isn't human," Ishida pointed out.
Kagome smiled softly, grasping Inuyasha's hand tightly. "He's half human," she corrected.
"Like Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked, confused. "He's technically half Shinigami."
"No, not like your friend. Inuyasha is half dog demon. His father was the Lord of the Western Lands, centuries ago. The Inutaisho was a demon of great strength that fell in love with a human. Inuyasha was the result. His older brother, Sesshoumaru rules over every demon here in Japan."
Chad's brows furrowed, confusion entering gently brown eyes. "Centuries? Then Taisho-san is…"
"Roughly seven hundred years old."
"That's impossible!" Rukia protested. "Mortals can't live for centuries."
"Keh, who said I was mortal? You should know, Shinigami. You've been sending messages to your superiors ever since you got here." Inuyasha watched the shock come over the short girl's face. "Demons are real. According to reports that were sent to Sesshoumaru, one of them even became a Shinigami. Apparently death can turn demonic energy into spiritual energy."
"A demon Shinigami…?" Ichigo trailed off. "That fox guy captain."
"It makes sense," Ishida said. "Komamura-san is distinctly different from everyone else. Plus, if Hollow energy can work with Shinigami energy without cancelling each other out, it's not so farfetched. Energy never disappears; it just changes into other forms of energy. Oh, and he's an anamorphic wolf, Kurosaki, not a fox." The Vizard shrugged, not seeing the importance of being corrected. They had bigger things to worry about.
"I don't understand," Rukia questioned. "Komamura-taicho has spoken of his father before. If he had died and then gone to the Soul Society, would he not have forgotten?"
"Demons have long memories but anything's possible. We've come to learn that," Kagome said, interrupting the teens' discussion. "Now that we've introduced ourselves, perhaps you should do the same."
"Why bother, you already seem to know," Ichigo grouched.
"Of course, Kurosaki. Did you think that we'd ignore a fifteen year old who poured out reiki like water from a faucet? We felt your first transformation all the way here." Maybe introducing themselves was a bit redundant.
"He never could control it," Ishida muttered, earning a jab from Orihime for being impolite. Tatsuki snickered under her breath, earning a small smirk from Inuyasha.
"Power houses usually have one or two things that are beyond their control," Kagome said humorously. "Anyway, we kept a close eye on what was going on all throughout the war. Thankfully, there was no need to step in and help. I wish to commend you and your friends for succeeding."
"Aizen's not dead, just locked away." Ichigo's eyes became dark with memories. "I couldn't kill him."
"All things in due time." The priestess smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure that eventually someone will come up with a way to reverse his immortality."
"Since you seem to know all about us, shouldn't you tell us about you guys?" Tatsuki placed her hands on her hips, taking a battle stance her friends knew well. Keigo and Mizuiro who'd been silent the whole time, shifted uneasily. Their memories of the war were vague but enough that they knew to be wary.
"Ah, yes, I apologize for digressing. Our story starts over five hundred years ago with the creation of the Shikon no Tama. I'm sure that somewhere in your history, Kuchiki-san, you have the tale written down."
"I've read part of it, but not all. The war to decide its fate was during the Feudal Era and I'm afraid records were not kept as carefully they should have been."
"The jewel was created when a powerful priestess trapped several demonic souls and her own and pushed her soul of her being. The battle raged for centuries within the jewel. During those years the jewel changed hands, going back and forth between being pure and being corrupted. Finally, it was passed on to my incarnation Kikyo. She met Inuyasha and together they were going to put an end to the jewel. Until they were betrayed." The mention of reincarnation didn't faze any of the teens so she kept on with her tale. Between the battles and the romance, it wasn't long before every one of them was hooked on the story.
"So it's gone," Rukia whispered.
"Oh, yeah, it disintegrated into pretty pink sparks." Pride laced Inuyasha's voice as he pulled Kagome closer. "That's what really earned Kagome the title of Priestess of the Shikon Jewel. She's carried it ever since."
"Too much information!" Keigo cried. The two leading members of the inutachi exchanged puzzled glances before looking to Ichigo for information.
"Ignore him, he's an idiot."
"I see." Inuyasha shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first idiot I've met."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded, a light laugh in her voice.
"Ichigo, you're so cruel!" Fake sobs filled the old house. A fist to the face shut the sandy brown haired almost sixteen year old up and for that Inuyasha was thankful.
"Shut it, Keigo."
"Now then, Kurosaki, why don't you explain just what you are. Your spiritual power is too dark for you to be completely human or Shinigami. You almost smell like a demon." Inuyasha straightened, touching his sheathed sword lightly; making it known that it wasn't a request.
"Power wise, Kurosaki is a Vizard. He developed Hollow powers when he regained his Shinigami powers. In order to save himself, he trained to take control. Without the powers, Aizen would have won." Ishida gave out the information clinically.
"Hey! Stop giving our secrets away, Ishida!" Ichigo objected.
"It's pointless to withhold information, Kurosaki. In case you hadn't noticed, we're at a distinct disadvantage. They know more about us than we do about them. What I know about demons could fit in a thimble. I doubt our powers would be very effective on Taisho-san, all things considered."
"Power is power, kid. You're the brains of the group, aren't you?"
Kagome stayed silent, observing the collection of teenagers. The taller of the raven haired girls and the one called Keigo were listening but didn't add too much in the way of contributions to the conversation, and the teen messaging on his phone wasn't even paying attention. They emitted reiatsu but didn't have the power the other five did.
"I am the top ranked student in our year."
"Yeah, but you're a strategist. This one likes to rush into a fight, doesn't he?" Inuyasha asked, pointing to Ichigo.
"Gee, I wonder why that sounds familiar," Kagome murmured but knew he'd catch her words.
"Are you saying age doesn't mellow a reckless fool?" Rukia asked fearfully. The white haired demon seemed to be the type to jump into things without thinking. If he was nearly seven hundred years old, that didn't bode well for Ichigo's temperament down the road.
"Hey!" the two male protagonists yelped indignantly. Their combined protest only made them glower at each other.
"Depends on what you mean by 'age'" Kagome returned. Chronological age didn't always match up to mental age. The two Taisho brothers were proof enough of that.
Rukia hummed under her breath meditatively. "I don't suppose you could teach me how to train him?" she asked, looking at the tall orange haired teen at her side.
"I suppose," the priestess started. "Inuyasha learned through a painful process involving a kotodama rosary." The mention of the old "collar" made the half dog demon flinch.
"What's the matter, midget, is hitting me not enough?" Ichigo questioned.
"Don't call me 'midget'!"
The married couple watched as the two Shinigami began to argue, the smaller of the two abusing the male physically to drive her point home. Their friends merely stood to one side, equal parts amusement and exasperation in their expressions.
"You know," Inuyasha began conversationally. "This suddenly reminds me of our courtship. Should we break it up?"
"Are you kidding? The last time we saw something this interesting was when Miroku was still courting Sango." Kagome put her bow back against the well and sat on the edge to watch.
It was always funnier to witness an argument between two people in love when it wasn't them.