A/N: Just a few to thank for reviews: Dragon and Sword Master, King Draconias, and Assault Godzilla. And thank you to anyone who put this or its author on their lists.

Disclaimer: I do own the Inuyasha and Bleach characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al, and Tite Kubo et al, respectively.

Secrets Abound

Chappy to the Rescue

And here I thought I'd have to worry about those two, Kirara thought, catching a glimpse of Keigo and Mizuiro out of the corner of her eye. She watched Ichigo's panic for a moment before turning to Ishida.

"Shall I?" the dark-haired boy asked, already sensing that she wanted him to do something.

"Please," she said and turned to catch Keigo before he walked into someone.

"Kurosaki," the Quincy called, amusement in his voice. This would be good for teasing later.

"What? The one person who has no clue about this country is lost in it. If I don't find her before Byakuya calls, I'm fish food."

"Since you cannot locate Kuchiki-san's spiritual energy, you still have two choices."

"And what, pray tell, are those?" Ichigo snarked.

"Spirit ribbons, which I don't advise seeing as we're trying to remain inconspicuous or…"

"Or?"

"You can call her," Tatsuki said dryly. "And why would her brother call?"

"Oh." Most of his friends were looking at him in amusement and he began to blush profusely. "Lately Byakuya's had this eerie sense of when she's not where she's supposed to be." He was digging his phone out of his pocket to call Rukia when it began to ring, and he stared at the caller ID for a moment in dread.

Byakuya Kuchiki…

"You call her," he whispered to Orihime and answered the cell reluctantly.

"Kurosaki," the older man began, and he barely refrained from gulping. "Where is my sister?"

"Tending to something personal," he hedged, hoping that was the case. "I can't very well follow her to the ladies' room, can I?" The statement was true in and of itself but Ichigo highly doubted that's where she was.

"I see; indeed, it would be beyond inappropriate for you to do so. It also explains why she is not answering. Very well, when she returns, please have her call me. There is something I wish to discuss with her."

"Yeah, sure. Anything else I should know?"

"Ah, yes. Yoruichi Shihoin and Captain Soi Fon have been deployed."

"Great, thanks. Talk to you later," he said and hung up on the man just as Byakuya was doing the same. Looking at Orihime, he pleaded with her with his eyes.

"She's in the toy store."

"The toy store?" he asked incredulously.

"Ah, yes. F.A.O. Schwarz. It's the most iconic toy store in the world," Kirara said. "I believe we passed it right before you lost her. And if memory serves, there was a giant bunny rabbit in the window display. I've heard Kuchiki-san's partial to those." Great, her obsession with the damned thing was so big, Kirara-san had heard about it.

Ichigo's brows lowered into one of his most intense frowns and he spun on his heel to return to the store they'd passed. His friends could hear him muttering about an intense desire to decapitate Chappy and decided keeping a safe distance would be prudent. When he swung into the store, they stayed outside, knowing it was best if they didn't interfere.

A tall, orange haired teen stomping through a toy store was enough to make even seasoned New Yorkers get out of his way and no one had the guts to ask him if they could be of any help. The sales associates quickly realized that he was looking for someone and went back to doing their jobs. People often got distracted when going by the iconic store, so it wasn't a surprise.

Ichigo found Rukia in front of one of the largest displays of rabbits that he'd ever had the misfortune to see. "Rukia…" he began, his tone indicating that he was far from pleased.

"Ichigo, you will not believe what I've found."

"Stuffed bunnies, you found stuffed bunnies. And nearly gave me a heart attack. What part of 'don't leave my side' didn't you understand?" He tried taking deep breaths to calm himself but after ten gave up the effort. It wasn't going to work.

"You're such a worrywart," she teased, a sudden edge in her voice putting him on alert. Yanking him down to her level, she made it look like she was giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I found Akira Watanabe. We're also being followed. I thought so when we were in Macy's but now, I'm sure of it."

"That's why you were hiding your spiritual pressure," he whispered back. "Okay, look, stay here and keep an eye on her. I'm going to get the others. And call your brother back right now. He thinks you didn't answer him because you were in the bathroom."

"He must be responding to my request. I have the perfect view of the priestess from here."

"Quite a coincidence that it happens to be right next to Chappy's cousins."

"Isn't it?" she smirked, letting him know it wasn't any such thing. She continued her perusal of the display while returning her brother's call. He answered almost immediately, giving her the impression that he'd been waiting for her.

"Rukia, I have deposited the funds you requested. It was an error on my part not to have done so before. You shouldn't have to rely on the Taishos or their allies for anything now."

"Thank you, Nii-sama. I actually happened to have spotted something that I'd like to purchase as a souvenir and didn't have quite enough. Your generosity will now make it possible."

"Are you making progress?" he asked, and she knew it wasn't just out of concern.

"On several fronts, actually, Nii-sama. My original goal has been almost accomplished, and I have also been able to use some of what I learned while going to school with Ichigo. Despite its difficulty, I have been able to communicate quite well in English."

"As expected of a Kuchiki. Shihoin and Soi Fon are nearby should you require further assistance."

"Thank you, Nii-sama." She bid him goodbye and looked up in time to meet curious green eyes.

"You're Japanese."

"Yes," Rukia replied. Slight elation filled her that she wouldn't have to contrive a way to bump into Akira. The girl had approached her on her own. "Good afternoon, my name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Akira Watanabe. I miss speaking with someone from home. Would you mind if I…?"

"Of course not. Perhaps you can help me. Does this one look like it's as big as the one in the window display?" Rukia gestured to the stuffed bunny in front of her, its size certainly rivalling it.

"It's a little smaller, I'd say," Akira said after a moment. She darted a look behind her and flinched by something or someone she saw. "Is that man in the green coat starting at me?" she whispered, a touch of fear in her voice.

Rukia paused in her deliberation and glanced over the taller woman's hunched form. "Definitely. Has he been following you?" she asked, the concern in her voice genuine.

"Ever since I left my apartment. I hadn't intended to go out again today, but my friend suddenly made up with her boyfriend, so I thought I'd come here and grab something for her birthday. She likes stuffed animals too."

"And that guy's been following you ever since."

"Yes."

Smiling in a way that would have made Ichigo shiver, Rukia took Akira's hand gently. "Follow my lead. I have some friends who are outside waiting for me. I'll buy that big Chappy. Then we'll just slip out the front to where the others are. I've felt like I've been followed for most of the day too. I just spoke to a friend of mine about it and he's going to tell our chaperone. If you're with us, you should be safe."

"Are you sure?" Akira gazed into hardened violet eyes and felt that there was more to the young woman in front of her than she first thought.

"I am," Rukia said and headed for the check out counter. They stood in line for several minutes, Rukia trying to pinpoint where their tails were. Due to the increase in traffic, they'd been forced to the back of the line, which was fine with her. The more distance they could put between them, the better.

Everyone at the counter stared at her in stunned disbelief when she asked to buy the big bunny. After making sure she was serious, a clerk began the transaction. When offered delivery, Rukia wisely took it, knowing that there was no way they could hide if she was carrying that around. Ichigo met them outside, his hand easily slipping around hers. "Is that guy still staring at you?"

"Yeah, and Watanabe-san has the same problem but with a different guy. I thought Japan had the corner on dirty old men."

"No such luck," Kirara said and studied the woman Sesshoumaru wanted protected at all costs. "Come, we'll see you to your home. If you still feel unsafe by the time we get there, you should call the police."

Instead of thanking her or asking who she was, Akira stared at her with wide eyes. "You're a…"

"I'm a…?" Kirara asked, as if she didn't know.

"Youkai…" the college student whispered.

"So, you are strong enough to see passed the disguise. I wondered. I shall explain later."

"My grandfather told me youkai were evil."

"Some are, some aren't. The ones following you certainly are. We need to leave."

"Wait, did you purposely run into me?"

"Not here, no. The midget got separated from us because she loves Chappy." Ichigo used his superior strength to propel her forward. "We've been assigned to keep you safe. Some very bad people want you to create a very bad jewel."

"I thought you were high schoolers," Akira protested.

"Yes, and no," Ishida answered her.

"We apologize for the subterfuge, but it was necessary. We don't know who the person is at the head of this as yet. My people are working on it and then we'll go take care of him or her. We know it's a youkai yakuza, but the bastard's been very good at hiding." Rukia let her hold on her spiritual energy go slightly so Akira could tell she wasn't human.

"You're…"

"A Shinigami, yes. The circumstances of how my people are involved will have to be explained later."

"I knew you weren't a normal girl. Something about your eyes."

"She might not be human per se, but she's normal." Ichigo frowned. "If you don't count her Chappy obsession."

"Hey! I am not obsessed."

"Kuchiki-san, you did just buy a giant stuffed bunny." Akira couldn't hold the laugh in when the orange haired teen stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gawked at her new friend.

"You didn't."

"I did. I sent Nii-sama a message during lunch asking him to put more funds in my account. I knew that I didn't have enough for any large purchases. He kindly did so. That's why he was trying to get a hold of me earlier."

"How are we going to get that thing home?" He started walking again, a slight growl from Kirara having reached him.

"Are we not going home on a private plane when this is all over?"

"I'm going to have nightmares," he muttered. They made their way through the subway, careful about who was behind them. So far, the tails seemed to have backed off but none of them were going to take any chances.

It took them nearly an hour to get Akira back to her apartment. When they arrived, police were already there, her door having been kicked in. "What?"

"Miss Watanabe, may we have a word?" the detective on scene asked, recognizing her from the information he'd gotten from her school.

"Of course," she answered, leaving the others to wait for her at the end of the hall. When she returned, her face was ashen, and she looked ready to cry. "Kirara-san…"

"Have no fear, child. You shall be safe with us. Allow me to speak with the police and then you will gather some clothes and anything else that you can't leave. Until this is over, you won't be alone." The nekomata squeezed her arm gently and then went to play the concerned adult. Once the police were satisfied with the explanations, Akira was allowed back in long enough to gather what she needed.

"I feel violated," Akira said angrily as they were making their way back to Kirara's.

"You should," Tatsuki said. "They're trying to scare you. Make you feel unsafe in your own home. That way, you'll be nervous and maybe not as attentive of your surroundings as usual. Once you're good and scared, then they were going to kidnap you. Following you around today was probably something they came up with on the fly. Or, they decided now was the time."

"Why do they want me?" the priestess questioned. Surely if they were going to protect her, they knew why she was in danger.

"If your grandfather told you about youkai, then he must have told you about the Shikon no Tama." Kirara gazed at her with shadowed eyes.

"Never heard of it," Akira told the demon. "Is that bad?" she asked, seeing the troubled look overcome the older woman.

"Don't feel bad, we hadn't either," Keigo tried to console.

"Your grandfather did you a grave disservice. It is a long story, but it can wait until we are out of public. I do not want to get into it in front of all these people." The tone of her voice let all them know that she would not change her mind.

The group kept quiet the rest of the way home, each lost in their own thoughts. Except for Akira, they'd been told the story of that jewel and had heard about Kirara's reaction to the news that someone wanted to create a new one. There was no one who knew more about its history than her. It was likely that no one had been affected as she had either.

Unlike yesterday when they'd arrived by car, this time they trooped through the front door of the high rise, quietly returning the doorman's greeting. As another youkai who was obviously loyal to the Taisho clan, he did not try to engage in further conversation after taking one look at Kirara's face. They rode the elevator in silence, desperate for the trip to be over so that they didn't have to be in a metal box with an agitated nekomata.

Once let out into her penthouse, the group was about to let out a collective sigh of relief when a loud roar of anger ripped through them. Chad, Orihime, and Ishida instinctively activated their powers while the others got behind Rukia and Ichigo, keeping Akira surrounded. Looking at the intruder, they waited for their chaperone to make the first move.

"I would not invade on my territory any more than you have, weasel," Kirara snarled, fangs bared and claws sharp.

The weasel demon, ridiculously dressed in a three-piece suit, sat in a chair on the far side of the room. He was looking at her smugly, almost as if he believed she would not attack him. "Good afternoon, Lady Kirara. His Majesty sends his greetings and requests a moment of your time."

"A simple letter would have sufficed. He did not need to risk the life of one of his minions to do so."

"He felt that after yesterday, perhaps a more personal approach was necessary." The weasel lifted one of the kittens into his lap and began petting her gently. "He does so value your continued alliance."

Ishida let an arrow go, injuring the demon and allowing time for the kitten to escape. She bolted for the safety of her mother and wound her way through the collection of humans until she was hidden. The others took her cue and did the same, wanting to be far away from someone they now deemed an enemy.

"You have worn out your welcome, Frank. Do be a good weasel and crawl back into the hole you came out of. If you do not, I will be forced to exercise my right to defend my home."

Frank held his arm from where it bled, looking at the destroyed tissue in shock. "You have some unusual visitors. His Majesty will be most displeased to learn you have brought them here without his permission."

"They are human, they have no need of his permission to travel to this country. I will say that we will visit tomorrow as we were hoping to have a word with him. Now, unless you want to become my mate's dinner, you had better be gone."

The teens watched as from behind the weasel came the figure of a big white saber-toothed cat. He was easily one and half times Kirara's size when in the same form and Rukia now knew where Noe got her coloring. Her mate's blue eyes glowed with anger and he was crouched as if ready to pounce.

A rumbling growl caused Frank to squeak, and he transformed before fleeing. For a moment no one said anything, Kirara doing her best to keep calm and her mate sitting down to welcome his brood. The kittens carried on a conversation only the cat demons understood, and the rest of the assembled company simply stood there trying to figure out whether or not they'd made an enemy out of the American youkai emperor.

Eventually the male cat demon disappeared, returning minutes later in his humanoid form. Walking to Kirara silently, he pulled her into his arms and held her while studying Ichigo and his friends. "So, you are they," he finally spoke, his Japanese slightly accented.

"Yeah, guess you've heard about us," Ichigo said, hoping the guy would introduce himself.

"Indeed. I am Callen. My family is a bit mixed in its ancestry. Please come in while I tend to Kirara. This has upset her most horribly. It is my fault for not arriving home sooner. I was detained by a large delivery downstairs."

"So that guy just got here?"

"Yes, weasels are very good at getting into places where there are few openings. I was just changing my clothes when I sensed both his arrival and yours. You are safe here, children. He won't dare come back. The only reason he did this time is because he believed the kittens to be by themselves."

"Couldn't he smell you or something?" Orihime asked. "Your youki is quite strong, surely he felt that."

"My dear mate once hit him so hard that he is now permanently without a sense of smell and I am afraid he has never been able to sense me very well. My Irish heritage coming into play, I suppose." Kirara laughed shortly, bringing a sense of relief to everyone in the room, especially her kittens.

"Callen, I am worn out. Much has happened in the last few hours."

"Then go, and rest. I will see to the children." They watched her go, jumping when she let out a hiss half way to her suite.

"Where did this atrocity come from?" Kirara demanded, dragging the large stuffed bunny Rukia had bought into the living room.

"My souvenir!" she exclaimed in delight, practically skipping across the room to take it from the disgusted nekomata.

"The delivery I just mentioned," Callen said dryly.

"Good gods woman," Ichigo groaned. "Have you lost your mind?"

"What? I needed something to take home as a keepsake."

"Your very own cat demon wasn't enough?"

Callen chuckled at the pout the short Shinigami was giving her friend, the reference to his daughter deliberately ignored. "It's kind of cute," he commented, smiling at his mate when she pulled a face before leaving. The kittens followed her, needing her presence more than their future companions.'

"It makes for a nice cuddle bunny," Orihime offered. Tatsuki looked just as put off as Kirara had been and the others simply shook their heads at Rukia's new collector's item. Except Chad, the smile on his face seemed to indicate he that agreed with Rukia.

"It will, won't it?" Rukia smiled. She struggled to pick it up so that she could take it into the room she was sharing with Ichigo but after a few moments of watching her, the daiko hefted it by its ears and did it for her.

Akira, watching the whole thing couldn't help but laugh and had to wonder if Rukia had purposely acted like a kid in a candy store in order to make her feel better. The Shinigami had to be older than she appeared, so it made sense. "Is Kurosaki-kun your partner?" she asked, wondering why the young man would make a fuss at her new toy but still put it away for her.

"You could say that," Rukia told her.

"Kurosaki's actually human but his father's a Shinigami so he has a great deal of spiritual power," Ishida explained. "The specifics of how that came about are best left alone. I am a Quincy. Human but with powers that rival a Shinigami's. Unfortunately, the fact that my powers destroy souls when used against them has pitted my race against the Shinigami since the beginning."

"But you're going to change that, Ishida-kun," Orihime added. "I bet Taisho-san could help you and then you wouldn't have to feel bad when the souls of Hollows don't pass on."

Akira watched the Quincy blush a bit under the busty girl's confidence. He cleared his throat to continue, indicating the girl next to him. "Inoue-san, and Sado-kun have their own spiritual powers whose natures are still being explored. You've seen for yourself what they look like. Arisawa-san, Kojima-kun, and Asano-kun are our classmates and have spiritual awareness but have as yet to develop any actual powers. Except for myself, all this manifested because Kurosaki cannot contain his spiritual energy to a sufficient degree."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence," Ichigo grumbled as he returned to the room. "We met the Taisho clan on a field trip to their family shrine and was asked to do some investigating for them. The Taishos rule over youkai in Japan and had found out that there were traitors in the population. What we found indicated that someone wanted to create a jewel known as the Shikon no Tama. The original one had been destroyed by a priestess called Kagome five hundred years ago. I don't know all that it did or could do if another was made but you seem to be the only one powerful enough, aside from Kagome Taisho, to create another if that yakuza gets his hands on you."

"But as I said, I don't know anything about this jewel you're talking about."

"Perhaps, I should tell you the tale, then," Callen said and gestured for everyone to sit down. "This group has already heard the basics but let me start at the very beginning. Hundreds of years ago a priestess of unrivaled power traveled the land defeating evil with her trusted companion."

"Kirara-san?" Mizurio guessed.

"Yes, she was young then but very strong and very loyal to Midoriko. Eventually demons became increasingly angry at Midoriko until one day, they attacked her in a group. That battle waged for many days and as a last resort, the priestess trapped the souls of the demons along with her own inside her and pushed what became the jewel out of her body. The jewel, because of the souls trapped within, held great power and exchanged hands for centuries after that. Depending on who had it, the jewel would either be pure, or tainted.

"Fifty or so years before Kagome-chan destroyed it for good, a priestess by the name of Kikyo was given guardianship over the jewel. It was pure in her hands and she defended it well. Demons came after the jewel, hoping to become stronger, including our friend Inuyasha. As a half demon, he was reviled because of his 'tainted" blood and he wished to become a full demon. The two fell in love and were going to use the jewel to turn Inuyasha human. It was said that only a pure wish would destroy it for good."

"But that wish was tainted," Akira pointed out.

"Yes," Callen agreed. "Most wishes, by their very nature, are. And the jewel, which had become somewhat sentient, loved to twist even the most benign into something vile. And while this was going on, an injured thief that Kikyo was taking care of became obsessed with her and let demons devour him so that he could become strong. He became a shapeshifter and used that to make both Kikyo and Inuyasha think that they had betrayed each other."

"In the end, Inuyasha-san got nailed to a tree for fifty years and had to wait until Kagome-san undid the spell. The jewel, which had been burned with Kikyo's body, was inside of Kagome-san. After a boat load of misadventure, the jewel was finally destroyed," Keigo finished for the nekomata. His friends looked at him in surprise. "What? I listened."

"Great misfortune as well," Callen added. "The demon the thief turned into was named Naraku. Naraku was a master manipulator and as evil as a demon can be."

"I read something about a Naraku once in my shrine's old files. The scroll was damaged, so it didn't have anything about the jewel." Akira hummed quietly. "There is a spell that has been passed down by my family for generations. It's meant to trap demons at the cost of the castor's life, but it's been forbidden for ages. It's kind of a 'last resort' type of thing. Perhaps that's what this yakuza wants from me."

"I believe you are correct."

"During our investigation, we found plans for the creation of another jewel. According to the database they keep on priestesses in our country, you are the only one with strong enough powers, aside from Kagome Taisho to recreate the Shikon no Tama," Tatsuki said. "If allowed to occur, your soul would be trapped forever within it and pitted against hundreds of demonic souls for eternity. The yakuza, who calls himself Naraku, would use the new jewel for his own ends. We can't allow that to happen."

"No," Akira agreed. "I don't particularly want to be trapped in a jewel." Turning to Rukia she raised a brow. "Why are the Shinigami involved? Don't you just pass souls on after they die?"

"That is one of our jobs. A new jewel would upset the balance of souls between this world, and mine, called the Soul Society. The reincarnation process would be disturbed, and many souls lost, perhaps forever. Already this 'Naraku' has tried to create jewels using less powerful priestesses. Until we know who they are, we cannot begin to find out whether or not their souls were destroyed in the making. Most likely they were."

"That's horrible." The group around her nodded. "I wish to help in any way I can, but I have to admit that I was not trained as an exorcist. I have control of my powers but that's about the extent of what I know how to do."

"This new Naraku likely doesn't know that. You're from an old family so he probably assumes that you know all the spells ever handed down." Ishida looked out the nearby window and frowned. "Kuchiki-san, perhaps you should request those temporary soul pills for you and Kurosaki. If tomorrow's meeting with the youkai emperor goes south, you won't want your bodies lying around."

"An excellent idea," Rukia said and dug out her phone. "Captain Soi Fon and Yoruichi-san are here in the city. Perhaps they have spares we could use. I would prefer Chappy…"

"No thanks. That crazy gikongon already tries to break me apart when she's in your body. I'd hate to see what she'd do if she was in mine." Ichigo shuddered in disgust.

Akira looked to the others, wondering what the two Shinigami were talking about. Chad, never one to talk more than he had to, took pity on her confusion. "The temporary soul animates their bodies when they need to be in soul form. Kuchiki-san's favorite goes overboard sometimes."

"I see." She didn't, not totally but she was getting the hang of the dynamics of this odd group of high schoolers. Well, mostly high schoolers. Rukia Kuchiki's status was a little confusing.

"Don't malign Chappy! Chappy saved the day today!" Rukia growled, doing a pretty good impression of Kirara-san. Callen chuckled at the sound. He watched as the violet eyed young woman stomped on Ichigo's foot and sent an elbow into his gut.

Ichigo doubled over and waited for the pain to ebb. "Any stuffed animal would have done," he countered. Fire was shooting out of her eyes and he smirked.

Akira felt herself relaxing and couldn't help but be thankful to them. Even with their arguing, they had made the situation seem less critical than it was. It felt as if she was seeing two people who were attracted to each other fighting that attraction instead of two warriors planning out how best go about the next phase of a mission.

Maybe Chappy really had come to the rescue.