Title: Miko and Shinigami Love
Rating: T
DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. Two respected mangaka! I do not own the characters in any way nor the story plot. Only the idea of this fanfiction!
MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: And we have arrived to chapter 40! All my stories have never been this far and if you did not know...this story has been going on for six years...wow. Like even I cannot believe that. But this story could not survive without the support and love from all the readers and reviewers so the real work is from you all!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Now this chapter...I struggled with it. Like a lot. Like headaches for some reason. But anyways, don't hate me for it! I tried my best! Hope you all enjoy!
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Chaos-Guard, Guest, Nixie the Bloody Pixie, Anime hotty lover 18, anissa, Infinities Lover, Speedykitten1643, pink01, NarutoxHonoka, and Fairy Flame Key!
Thank you all!
Chapter 40: Shattered Entrance
"What did you say?"
"As you heard," green eyes gleamed with the moon's reflective light as it connected to the purple orbs that were beginning to fill with rage.
The leader of the Band of Seven gripped the hilt of sword tighter under his palm. The news devastated him and he could feel nothing but the anger swelling out. His purple eyes closed as he spoke: "Are you sure it was them?"
"Do we really need to repeat ourselves?" glared the sixth Espada as he leaned against a nearby boulder.
Bankotsu stood from his spot and swung his blade over his shoulder. Opening his sight, the glare tightened: "So Inuyasha and his little group killed my brothers?" The grip continued to tighten with hate. "Where are they?"
Grimmjow could not help but smirk at the view before him. The poor bastard had believed their lies. The Shinigami nor the miko's group had even been around the Band of Seven and he easily ate up the lie. But death was death. There was no turning back.
"They will be heading to Mount Hakurei soon," answered Ulquiorra. "I suggest you begin your plan of ambush."
"Leave the hanyou to me," Bankotsu began to walk forward and stopped in his tracks as he heard a familiar chuckle out in the fog.
"He is all yours," red demon eyes glowed in the distance. The shadow slowly inched closer to the two Espadas and leader. Zenaku rested his hand on his hip, smirking at the last followers of the war: "But leave Kurosaki Ichigo to me."
Grimmjow growled under his breath: "That bastard is mine to kill."
With a low sigh, the fourth Espada closed its eyes: "Grimmjow, you know the plan. There is no need to repeat it."
"They should be arriving here tomorrow," Zenaku's head turned to view out into the woods as fog began to pile up even more to hide the peak of Mount Hakurei. He could not help but feel his blood boiling at the events that would be played out the next day. The best part – the other side had no idea what was coming. The excitement of having the one thing Ichigo mostly cared about thrilled him to no ends.
"We should get going," spoke Ulquiorra. He began to walk past the group and down the stairs that led to the inside of the mountain.
"Grimmjow, do not hurt her," Zenaku looked ahead, catching the sixth's Espada's attention as he walked past him. His red eyes glided to the corner to meet with the aqua colored orbs. "We need the miko in one piece."
"You don't have to tell me twice," scoffed Grimmjow as he disappeared into the mountain's entrance.
Zenaku's eyes landed back to the Band of Seven's leader. With a hidden smirk he gave a slight nod to the male. "Make sure that hanyou does not interfere with our plans."
"I assure you he won't. His death day is tomorrow – no mistake about it," Bankotsu deeply stabbed his blade into the ground.
"Does fog even exist this late in the morning?" grunted Rangiku was she walked into what seemed like an eternal passage. "I know fog is possible at dawn, but I was sure that the sun was fully high in the sky before we neared Mount Hakurei."
"This fog is thick," commented Sango while trying to move the said fog away from her sight, but nothing seemed to clear ahead. "I have never seen anything like this before."
"This is definitely out of the ordinary," added Miroku as he looked around his surroundings. His eyes landed to see the familiar red haori and long black hair from the two demons. "Do you two smell anything up ahead?"
Inuyasha scoffed: "Nothing. Naraku definitely is here, but he is hiding his scent all too well now."
"Perhaps it is the doing of the fog," Hisagi continued to seek signs of anything around.
After everyone had awoken, they immediately set out to Mount Hakurei. They could not waste time any longer knowing that Naraku and Aizen were nearing the end in completing the Shikon no Tama. But they could feel the tension from each person rising along with the worry partnering with the slight fear inside them.
They did not know what was coming ahead nor could they guess the enemy's plan, but they were certain with one fact. The only fact and information Zenaku had given them freely with confidence. Hitsugaya's eyes landed on the young miko. He narrowed his focus onto her person, watching as she continued to look around for an entrance to the cave.
He knew that having the miko was a benefit, but also having her on the enemy side could be a danger to them. If Kagome were to be taken once again, he was certain Aizen and Naraku would keep the leash on her tightly and closely. His eyes landed onto Ichigo. The true problem was the emotions and actions that the boy would make if the miko was taken from his grasp – again.
Hitsugaya had no doubt that the plan Aizen and Naraku had was to make the two fight and fight to the death. That is what he wanted and the Shinigami captain was certain that the two were going to get just that.
"There is a barrier up ahead."
All ears picked Kikyo's voice and caught their attention. The older miko's eyes glued onto the depths of the fog.
"I sense the barrier further into the mountain," she continued.
"What kind of barrier is it, Kikyo-sama?" questioned Miroku.
"A barrier that only allows humans inside."
"What!?" exclaimed Inuyasha. "That bastard Naraku created a barrier to keep us out!?"
"It doesn't seem like he wants to keep us out," Hitsugaya looked ahead, guessing where the point of the mountain laid.
Ichigo's eyes tightened: "…he wants his prey to come in."
Kagome took a small glance at Ichigo. She knew he was going to be on guard and tensed throughout the whole day and possibly until the end of the conflict. She remembered placing the last of her owning shard inside him; in case his demon blood went on a rampage or to assist him in defeating the enemies that would come ahead.
"So? What should we do?" asked Rangiku, breaking through the silent tension.
"You heard the old miko," Ikkaku sat on a boulder. "Only humans can pass through."
"Does that not include us?" she asked again, pointing to herself.
"We are dead, dense woman!" exclaimed Ikkaku. "We are Shinigami! Not humans!"
Hitsugaya looked towards the only humans in the group. "That leaves them."
"No way!" exclaimed Inuyasha as he came to stand in front of Kagome. "There is absolutely no way I am letting Kagome in! That is exactly what they want! Don't be stupid!"
"You are the baka here," glared Ikkaku.
"Want to repeat that baldy?" Inuyasha met up with Ikkaku's forehead against his own.
"I will gladly repeat it, baka!" he argued back.
"That is enough!" Rangiku separated the two as she stepped in between and her hands pushed them away from each other. "As much as I love to see you two be the bakas, we have no time to be fighting each other!"
"She is right, Inuyasha," added Sango, tightening her hold on her weapon.
The younger miko returned her sights to the deep fog up ahead. She knew that something was waiting there and she had the feeling that it was a trap, but they could not just stand there and wait for something to happen. They had to take action…even if meant making sacrifices.
"I will go," Kagome took a step forward and was immediately stopped by Ichigo's firm grip on her wrist. Turning her head over her shoulder, she could feel his intense glare directly stabbing into her own eyes.
"You are not going alone, Kagome."
"We don't have much of a choice," she answered back.
Miroku shifted his golden staff, walking towards the black haired demon. His smile caught Ichigo's attention, seeing the demon slayer also appearing behind the monk.
"She will not be going alone, Kurosaki-san. I assure you that we will protect her with our lives," Miroku gave him an assuring nod.
Kagome's attention was brought out to see Kikyo standing in front of her. Blinking in confusion, Kagome noticed the older miko staring at her seriously. "Kikyo?"
"There is something creating this barrier. Go and find it," Kikyo turned to face her reincarnation. "All you have to do is take it out of its protective place and destroy it. With that item gone, we will be allowed entrance into the mountain."
"Are you not coming with us?" Kagome was confused. Surely the older miko could pass through.
Kikyo closed her eyes before answering: "I will stay behind to let the others know when it is safe to step ahead. Once you find the thing creating the barrier, we will come forth."
"What…exactly am I looking for?" questioned Kagome.
"You will know," Kikyo gave her a slight nod before walking past her. Kagome's sight glued on ahead, unsure how she was going to tackle the plan or the problem itself.
"Kagome-chan, are you ready?"
The called miko looked beside her, bringing a smile on her lips to see her demon slayer friend. At least she was not going alone. She gave them a nod in response and watched as Miroku went on ahead and Sango followed after leaving Kirara to Rangiku.
Rukia crossed her arms, watching them disappear into the fog: "No doubt that they are waiting there."
"Really, such cowards to place a barrier," scoffed Renji.
Ichigo's eyes continued to keep an eye on the miko who had yet to follow her two human companions. He sighed behind his bandages: "Kagome."
Kagome looked behind her, giving him notice she was listening.
"Be careful…"
With a gentle smile, she nodded to his request and followed behind her friends. Ichigo's eyes narrowed down in worry as the miko's person slowly drifted inside the fog until she could not been seen. His fist tightened knowing that the war started now.
"What is the news you bring us, Kurotsuchi-taichou?" Shunsui raised his straw hat an inch over his eyes, smiling upon seeing the Shinigami scientist walking towards the first squad captain.
"Be patient," smirked Mayuri. "Patience is a virtue."
"And patience can bring chaos if you choose to hold valuable information," glared Soi Fon. "Now spill it. We do not have time to lose."
Mayuri's smirk widen as he felt the impatience of everyone around run through the room. "With this, we no longer have to wait for Aizen to cross to Hueco Mundo."
"What do you mean?" glared Yamamoto.
"I have created a way to their current location," Mayuri snapped his fingers, bringing forth his lieutenant, Nemu, inside along with a computer screen of his own. "It will require a huge amount of spiritual energy for the world they are in to accept us."
"How much exactly?" Ukitake raised an eyebrow. "As captains going into a battle against Aizen, we cannot afford to lose our reiatsu."
Mayuri could not help but release the chuckle hiding in his throat. He pointed towards the screen and showed the Gotei 13 captains of his discovery and invention. "I have studied particles to what this Shikon no Tama held. I made some research pertaining to the mysterious jewel that is said to have existed hundreds of years ago, but thanks to the former scientist from the Soul Society, he was able to confirm that it did indeed exist and it still does today."
"The famous…Shikon no Tama is in existence?" Ukitake's eyes widened. "That is…impossible! Only a miko is said to be a guardian of that powerful jewel!"
"There is one alive," smirked Mayuri, switching the screen over to a taken screenshot of Kagome talking to Ichigo the day they met. "I had been keeping an eye on our little 'Substitute Shinigami' and it seems that faith brought the two together. Now isn't that sweet?" he enlarged the size towards the miko. "This girl is the current guardian of the Shikon no Tama but it seems that she is not currently in possession of the jewel."
"But what does this have to do with us going into Aizen's current location?" glared Soi Fon as she crossed her arms.
Mayuri let the screen change to a different chart: "With the help of our reiatsu, I am able to connect with the Shikon no Tama's souls and teleport ourselves to their current location."
"How exactly?" eyed Komamura. "We need a passage way to this world."
"The well," smirked Mayuri. "The well is our gate to the world they reside in. Using the 'replica' particles I made to match the Shikon no Tama, I am able to open the well's passage, but for that, reiatsu is needed."
Yamamoto and the rest remained silent, watching the screen change to the well's location inside the wooden shrine. Gripping the arm rest under his hand, the older captain narrowed his eyes, knowing that time was running out.
"How soon can you put this plan into action?"
A small snicker was released from the Shinigami scientist: "As soon as everyone gives me a bit of their reiatsu."
"Sango-chan? Miroku?" Kagome continued to look around her. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, she had completely lost sight of her friends. One minute they were in front of her and the next, they had completely merged with the fog. She was panicking in the inside, but she could not let that get to her. Her hands extended to move the fog away from her sight, but it just seemed the farther she went, the thicker it was becoming.
She looked to her right. Nothing.
Turned her eyes to the left. Empty.
"Sango-chan!? Miroku!?" she called out once more and heard silence. A heavy sigh passed her cold lips: "Where are they?" she continued to walk through the mountain's rough ground. The incline began to tire her feet, unsure how high the mountain was. She was certain Naraku would have created a path inside for his lair. The question was- "where is it?"
She froze in her steps, feeling an unknown yet dark aura coming from her right. Turning her head, she noticed a small glow coming from the ground. 'Huh?' Cautiously walking over to the unknown object, Kagome knelt down and was surprised to see it was the Shikon no Tama with only of its few shards missing. 'T-The Shikon no Tama!? What is it doing here!?' She reached to grab the jewel, but halted her movements as she noticed the dark barrier surrounding the object.
"A barrier? What is it doing there?"
Kikyo's words softly came into her memory, having a feeling that the object she was looking was this one. Kagome gulped; something was not right. She knew it was a trap for Naraku would never let the jewel out in the open. Not after all this chasing would it be this easy to get back the one thing they had been searching for. But she knew that if she left the jewel untouched, her allies wouldn't move forward.
Sighing loudly, she knelt down onto the ground and slowly inched her hand to grab the jewel. Light sparks began to fly around the black barrier as her miko-ki purified the darkness around. Furrowing her eyebrows, her whole body began to feel the huge effect of the barrier breaking with her purification over the jewel. She could hear the black sparks around Mount Hakurei beginning to fly joining with the cracking sound of the barrier.
With one last push of her hand, her fingertips were able to touch the pink jewel and no second froze as the barrier surrounding the mountain shattered along with it. Kagome's fingers quickly took in the Shikon no Tama and suddenly felt the light of day turning dark over her.
"Well-well, seems like the little mouse was caught in our trap."
The miko's eyes widened and turned around as quickly as she could only to meet with a smirk accompanied with aqua orbs.
"Stand back."
"Huh?" blinked Renji as he turned to the dead miko. "Stand back from what?"
"The barrier," she answered, her eyes narrowing to see the black barrier that was invisible to the others cracking before shattering whole. "It seems like our companions were able to break the barrier."
"Really?" whispered Rangiku.
Ikkaku twirled his wooden weapon over his head before laying it over his shoulders to rest his arms. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let us get Naraku's and Aizen's head. I am starting to get tired of their little chase game."
Inuyasha cracked his knuckles before taking a step inside the mountain's terrain: "The coward has no idea what is waiting for him." Inuyasha and Ichigo quickly froze in their spots as their ears caught the sound of a scream.
"Everything alright, Ichigo?" Rukia placed her petite hand on his shoulder and noticed the horror beginning to consume his eyes. "Ichigo? Ichigo!?"
Inuyasha's growl echoed throughout their surroundings: "Oi, Shinigami, you heard that right?"
The black haired demon glared at the open air before answering: "No doubt about it…"
"What is up with you two?" Rangiku's eyebrow rose in question, wondering why the two demons in the group had suddenly stopped walking in front of them after both making such a fuss of wanting to go inside.
"That was definitely Kagome's scream," growled Ichigo, his fist tightening beside him.
Inuyasha dashed out ahead only to jump back in reflex as a huge blade crashed in front of his desired path. Looking up, he waited for the smoke to subside. His guard quickly went up, along with everyone else's while grabbing hold of their weapons.
"You won't be going anywhere."
The growl increased in volume from the hanyou, recognizing the familiar voice. The same black braid he knew so well flew to the side with the gentle breeze and he could only glare back to return the anger.
"Bankotsu…," Inuyasha tightened his hold on his hilt.
The Band of Seven leader began to twirl his huge sword above his head from the hilt: "You will pay….for killing my brothers!"
MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: That is the end of this chapter. Do not chew my head off because it did not meet you expectations! Ha-ha, I really tried my ultimate best in writing this chapter. Next chapter will be filled of battles and bigger things! Soul Society will finally be coming in! After six years of writing this story...it is coming to an end soon!
A few notes - if you like my Dimensional Lovers story (one-shots with Kagome), there is a poll about the 10th chapter pairing! Go vote!
I have also changed my updating schedule! It is posted on my bio!
Also, thank you for reading and for the support! You really have no idea how much it means to me and I am only able to say through here but I wish I could pass you all a hug and cookie!
Please review and thank you for reading!
Ja~ne