Sacred Tree.

Tree of Ages.

All grand names for a tree that sat so innocently within the shrine grounds of Kagome's home, blanketing every inch of the space with its tranquility.

Ulquiorra stared into its branches, where the leaves danced together with the soft calming breeze passing through. Over to the gift shop was the old human man Kagome referred to as "Grandpa", talking to some couple of humans. Aside from them, Ulquiorra felt the girl's mother inside the house moving around. Kagome had gone out somewhere earlier, leaving him with her family. It still astounded him that she felt so secure in leaving her family in his presence, considering his nature. Or perhaps she was in too much of a hurry to notice he was still on the grounds, as she'd been rushing down the long flight of stairs to wherever she needed to go.

He looked to his hand, where his energy bubbled at the surface. He'd made to release more of his energy, yet his body protested at the idea. In this space of peace and calmness, the tree appeared to disprove of any attempts at even a hint of conflict or pressure.

How interesting.

On top of that, he felt his spiritual energy slowly recovering. He'd yet to properly rest or eat since waking up in the World of the Living, but the tree seemed to respond to his lack of energy by slowly encouraging recovery with a small supply of its own.

He wondered briefly what would happen if Aizen had come to learn of this place.

To learn of the strange human girl, as well.

He reasoned that, like Orihime, she may have been taken to Hueco Mundo for study or some other purpose. Or he would have been ordered to kill her.

Aizen was always especially cautious, even of those on his own side.

Then what of the Shinigami, he wondered. Surely they would not have overlooked such a place as this or a person such as Kagome. She may not appear to be much of anything at first glance, but the lack of a presence was suspicious in and of itself. What little she slipped from her body hinted at something to be wary of.

Sometimes, he wondered whether she was simply playing the fool to fly under the radar of others.

And yet, she appears as clueless as any other ordinary human, he mused.

He brought his gaze back to the tree. There was another thing he'd noticed during the past few days. It appeared that, while within the grounds of the shrine and Kagome's home, the inhabitants seemed almost nonexistent to the outside world. Likewise, while inside this space, his senses were muted to the outside.

It was almost as if it existed in a space separate from the rest of this world. Like a barrier that kept all external forces from infiltrating, while keeping its inhabitants safe from dangers.

Now, what would happen should conflict arise? He was tempted to try.

"My, my. What do we have here?"

Ulquiorra tensed, recognizing the voice to belong to one Urahara Kisuke. His hand shot to the hilt of his sword and he turned, ready to defend, yet Kisuke only smiled and whipped open a paper fan to hide his mouth.

"Now, now. No need to be so on edge. I merely came here to investigate a little matter, not to fight. Although..." he paused and Ulquiorra could have sworn he saw something twinkle in his eyes. "I was told Ichigo killed you in Hueco Mundo. Mind explaining how and why a dead man is hanging around these parts?"

Ulquiorra scoffed. "I see no reason to explain myself to you. Have you come to kill me yourself?"

Kisuke laughed, waving his fan dismissively. "I told you, didn't I? I just wanna talk. No need to go at each other's throats just yet."

They both knew in a full on fight, Ulquiorra would not reign supreme. He clicked his tongue and released the grip of his sword, slipping his hand back into the pocket of his pants. Unlike others around him, whether it be humans or fellow Arrancars, he did not see a point to struggle against a hopeless situation. If Urahara Kisuke wanted him dead, then that would simply be the outcome.

He would accept it.

He didn't have to like it, though.

"Why have you really come here?" he asked.

Kisuke hummed and walked closer to him, stopping only a few feet away to stare at the tree in front of them. "I caught wind of some strange Hollow alerts appearing in and out of Soul Society's radar, and the Shinigami on duty unable to find the cause of it. By chance, I stumbled onto this shrine while taking a look. Quite the fascinating place I've discovered, too. Don't you agree?"

He didn't respond.

"I doubt you're here on some order from Aizen and yet… I can't think of another reason why you would be here," Kisuke said.

"How can you be so certain?"

He hummed again, amusement dripping from his lips. "Yes now, how can I be certain, indeed… You tell me."

Ulquiorra was not amused.

Kisuke laughed once more. "You seem to be behind the times, my dear Espada friend. Aizen's invasion of Karakura Town ended in failure and pretty much everyone from his army he brought with him have fallen. It's been nearly a week since then. He's now currently locked up in Soul Society's highest guarded prison, with no hope of release for at least the next dozen centuries. So yes, I don't believe you're here on Aizen's orders."

So that's what happened. Ulquiorra had already suspected as much upon seeing Urahara Kisuke here, as well as the lack of any changes in the Human World despite the fated battle that should have taken place already. Still, it was another thing to hear it from him.

That also meant that Hueco Mundo was likely in some sort of disarray with their leader gone. Aizen had after all taken Espadas one through three, as well as their many Fraccions. Yammy had remained, though his lack of brain cells made order near impossible under him.

As far as the other Espada ranked under him went… Well, he didn't have hope they all survived after his death.

Err… Disappearance.

What Arrancars remained were likely fighting for the now vacant spot as "King" of Las Noches and the rest of Hueco Mundo.

If he went back, he no doubt would find the world in disarray.

"By all logic, I should have died during my fight with Kurosaki Ichigo. I myself am unsure of why I still remain alive and in this world," Ulquiorra admitted.

"Is that so…"

Ulquiorra had no reason to lie.

"What do you plan to do now?"

He had no idea and he was honest with him. There was no reason to lie to the blonde, and he neither had a purpose in life. It stopped holding any meaning the moment Ichigo had so mercilessly murdered him. What used to keep him going through the days was his usefulness to Aizen and the orders he received.

Now, all that ceased to remain.

He had nothing.

"Then how about working for me?" Kisuke offered.

He neither liked nor disliked that idea. What he wanted, he didn't know. What was there for him, anyway. Still, he rolled the idea in his mind. Regardless of whether he accepted or not, he knew there would be little choice in his overall outcome. Either die, or live as a tool until death.

Accepting the other only meant extending his life temporarily.

"Think it over," Kisuke said. He turned, walking off with a wave over his shoulder. "Although, try not to take too long. Soul Society's suspicions have already been poked. It's only a matter of time before they discover you."

He knew that.

Ulquiorra was just testing for time.

He supposed there was still a third option he didn't play around with much. He could go back to Hueco Mundo. There, he would be out of reach of Soul Society, unless they decided to go after him. Which, in his most humble of opinions, was a dumb decision on their part. He had no hard feelings towards them. If they feared he'd seek revenge for Aizen, then it was wasted. Ulquiorra cared little for his former master.

Once he was sure Kisuke had left the area, Ulquiorra took off to check on Kagome. Until it came time where he could no longer hold off on making the decision, he would continue to observe her.

She, for now, kept him entertained.

What Ulquiorra was expecting upon finally locating Kagome, he wasn't sure. It definitely wasn't for her to be getting joked out by a mere human while the crowd around yelled at them. He considered just leaving things as is, but when he realized she was at risk of losing consciousness, he decided to intervene.

He didn't need to, though. For she kicked him in the groin.

Ulquiorra Sonido'd behind Kagome, catching her shoulders before she could hit the crowd. What a strange situation this whole thing was, truly.

Even more strange, was the sudden release of her energy.

He stared, fascinated, as it crawled over his form. His body greedily ate up the energy, his low reserves slowly replenishing. There was a mild sting, yet no outright rejection like that first time he'd lunged at her. He looked to the plus, who was also bathed in that faint glow of her energy. To his surprise, it seemed the living humans were able to see her, Kagome's energy acting like a projection to display her to the audience.

Kagome herself didn't seem to notice, too distracted from recovering from the choke session. Her energy fluctuated rapidly, going from highs that reached past his base form to lows that bordered on nonexistent. A head with spiky orange hair flashed in his mind and he was reminded of his first meeting with Ichigo, where he'd written him off as trash.

If she were anything like him, he would be in for quite the storm.

As expected, her spike in energy attracted a Hollow. Low-level, he noted. She was quick to shield the people around her, though her concentration broke easily. Pathetically. He stepped in to crush the Cero in his palm. It would take only a single Cero or slash of his sword to dispose of this trash.

Kagome pushed past him and released another burst of her energy, instantly burning him to ash.

Or rather, purified it.

That was what mikos did, if he recalled correctly.

In the corner of his senses he felt the signature of a Shinigami fast approaching. With a quick warning to her, he Sonido'd out of the area. A second later, the Shinigami burst in.

Another trash, he noted.

This was not a Shinigami he was familiar with, though he reminded himself that different sections of the Living World had a different Shinigami assigned to it. Those with any hint of significance seemed to be stationed to Karakura Town, it seemed.

Kagome's energy did not calm and two more Hollows appeared. The no-name Shinigami screamed at her to control herself, stoking the fire. Insulting and threatening to dispose of her pushed her over the edge.

She hit him.

Ulquiorra hardly thought it the time to indulge in such shenanigans as the two Hollows took this chance, charging at the bickering couple. Kagome screamed for the Shinigami to do his job and he released his Zanpakuto, slashing one Hollow in the shoulder while the other backed away.

So he followed me, Ulquiorra thought, sensing a shift somewhere in the distance.

Urahara Kisuke, it appeared, was watching the show with equal interest.

Ulquiorra clicked his tongue, he did not need him taking interest in Kagome either. He was careless to think Kisuke was done with him. Now, Kagome was on his radar too. Which meant Soul Society would soon follow.

By the time the Shinigami finally disposed of the two Hollows, Kagome's energy had finally stabilized some.

The Shinigami deactivated Shikai and his arguing with Kagome resumed. Now that the threats were gone for the time-being, Ulquiorra shifted his attention to Kisuke. Should he try to fight?

No.

Ulquiorra was not so disillusioned to believe he'd win.

Rather, an attempt would likely only fuel the man's interest and further confirm Ulquiorra's involvement with the girl. Aizen was gone, he reminded himself. If push came to shove, he could always escape to Hueco Mundo with her. He doubted even someone like Urahara Kisuke would carelessly chase after him. At least with that plan, he could buy himself more time with her.

He paused.

Buy him more time?

When had Ulquiorra come to care so much about the girl. For him of all people to become attached to someone, the thought was preposterous. Yet with an ever-growing dismay, he realized he did not like the idea of her falling into anyone else's hands.

It was simple curiosity for his strange situation, he reasoned.

Yet that didn't seem quite right either.

Ulquiorra scoffed at himself. He blamed those two gingers for his sudden interest in humans, they were genuinely bad for his health.

Over the horizon, the sun began to set. Whatever business Kagome had with the plus was finally concluding, with the Shinigami's patience long been lost. Once the soul departed for Soul Society, Ulquiorra felt Kagome's energy completely seal itself back in her body. She was back to being nearly untraceable. A truly fascinating human, indeed. He decided not to dawdle in the area any longer. Now that the plus was taken care of, the Shinigami was back to hunting Hollows. Ulquiorra did not desire to entertain the trash and so he headed back to Kagome's home.

Kisuke had given him time to ponder the offer, Ulquiorra would trust he wouldn't push his buttons for now.

Author's note

Work has been kicking my butt, but I'm gonna try to keep to two chapters a week. If not, hopefully one then. I swear I'm trying, I'm just slow at writing them up. Thank you again to you wonderful human beings who read this story, and an especially big thank you for those who leave reviews. You have no idea how motivating it is for me to keep writing!

Lurking Bullfox: You are so absolutely valid. When it comes to Kagome, I'm also a huge fan of rarepairs. Honestly, so long as the plot is good, I'm up for anything. I feel like she was not done enough justice in Inuyasha, so I love seeing what others come up with for her. There's so much potential for her and I love exploring it! Hopefully, I'm able to do some justice for her. She'll just have to live with some added trauma, but ssshhh. It's for the character development, you know.

lolistarkiller: Yes, I've noticed that. Although when it comes to crossovers, it seems this site is still the place to go. It's what keeps me from completely moving on to AO3. I'm such a sucker for them and I hope writers don't completely stop in trying their hand at writing them. Kagome totally deserves all the love, as well as other characters in series that may not let them properly shine in comparison to their original.

Anyway, thanks for reading! New question for a new chapter: Besides Ulquoirra of course, is they anyone in either the Bleach series or the Inuyasha series that you wish had not died?