The last thing Souta expected to see when his mother called him over to Kagome's room to help get his sister in bed was another man sleeping in it. A man that was most definitely not Inuyasha, either.

He stood frozen, dumbfounded and unable to process the sight before him. One part of him wanted to scream out in panic and pull his sister away from the bed, where the stranger lay peacefully sleeping. The other part told him to just turn around and pretend he saw nothing. Whatever Kagome was doing with another guy in her room surely wasn't any of his business.

His mother snapped him out of his stupor. "Are you okay, dear? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said.

Oh how close she was.

He blushed, stupidly pointing at the bed Kagome was half-draped over. "Th–there's a man! In her bed!" he squeaked out.

Brows furrowed in confusion, his mother looked to the bed, eyes narrowed. If she hadn't already noticed the man before, he expected her to freak out like him now that she saw. Kagome had a man in her bed. It was one thing if it was Inuyasha, since the dog demon came and went whenever, and had little regard for leaving Kagome alone. But this was someone else. Someone he'd never seen before.

Yet she didn't. Instead, her worry was placed on him. "Oh, honey… Did you not sleep well? I know school's out right now, but you shouldn't be staying up late at night. You know that's bad for you."

He gaped.

"If you're that tired, then no need to worry. I'll ask Jii-chan to help me instead. You can go back to your room and rest, and I'll wake you up in a few hours to eat," she continued.

"But mo~om–!" he whined, "There really is a guy in her bed, I'm not lying! Can't you see?"

She couldn't, though.

It was then that he realized with dismay that only he could see him. Which meant the man was a supernatural being. His mother was never spiritually aware, neither was his grandfather for that matter. Souta didn't really understand why, just that Kagome and Inuyasha mentioned a while back that he was the only one in the family aside from his sister who had some sense in the supernatural. At the time, he'd considered it cool and begged to be taught magic and fighting like them. Now, as his mother stared with confusion and concern for his well-being, he wondered if maybe it wasn't as great as he first thought.

"Mom, I swear! You gotta believe me, there really is someone there. I don't know who, but he's there on the bed. Probably one of those youkai you can't see," he pleaded.

She took another look. For a moment there, he feared she still wouldn't believe him. However, as she cocked her head to one side in thought, he could see her straining to make out the man. His mother hummed thoughtfully, walking over to Kagome and reaching out to the bed. He slowly walked after, nervous to not make too much noise.

"How strange…" she muttered, patting down the bed where Kagome's head rested.

This didn't really seem like a good idea to just touch the guy so casually, considering they knew nothing about him and couldn't guarantee he wouldn't attack if woken up. Kagome was passed out and couldn't help, either. Thankfully though, the man didn't stir, despite his mother's actions.

"I don't see anything but it feels like I'm touching something, even though my mind is telling me there's nothing there. There's also a dent in the mattress," she finally said. "What are you seeing, Souta?"

He sighed in relief. Good, his mother finally believed him. Souta looked back at the man, taking in his features. "He's really pale with black hair and some sort of… broken helmet over the left side of his head? Oh, cool! It has a horn sticking out of it!"

His mother cleared her throat, earning her a sheepish laugh.

"There's also some green streaks down his face that look sorta like tears. I've never seen a youkai like him before – definitely not like Inuyasha," he said. The man was covered with a blanket, but Souta could see a bit of skin peeking out. The discarded white jacket on the floor confirmed his suspicion that the man was at least partially undressed. He saw no pants, so wisely assumed he at least had them on as the alternative was embarrassing to think about. "I think he's injured. Kagome was probably taking care of him."

While he couldn't see most of his body outside of his head, Souta noticed the first aid kit by Kagome's feet. That would explain why the man was in her bed, at least.

What to do though?

If the guy was injured, the logical route would be getting a doctor. However, if even his mother couldn't see him, how would doctors be able to? For that matter, how did one even go about treating a demon? That's not something they could explain away easily, even if they could see him. Kagome was the only demon expert in the family – hell, likely in most of Japan at this point. If anyone could handle this, it was her.

Should they just leave it alone?

His mother broke the silence, as if reading his thoughts. "I think it's best to just leave it," she said decidedly.

"Are… are you sure?"

She turned to him, putting on a cheery smile. "Well, if this is a demon, then it's better to let Kagome deal with it. After all, she knows what she's doing. We'd probably just make things worse."

Well, she wasn't exactly wrong. None of them knew how to deal with demons. The rare times one did show up, it was always Kagome and Inuyasha taking care of them. They'd just make the situation worse if they tried to help without knowing what they were doing. Still, was this really okay? He kinda wanted to involve himself now that he knew a demon was in the house. Inuyasha wasn't here either to protect them. After all, it's not every day that he found himself in the presence of another demon. How cool would it be to deal with one himself?

"Souta," his mom continued, as if reading his thoughts. "Can you be a dear and get the futon? If we can't move Kagome to the bed, then we can lay out the futon for her. It's not good for her to be sleeping like that."

He wanted to protest, but the look his mom gave him said otherwise. He sighed, knowing he was defeated. Now that his mom knew the situation, she wouldn't let him get involved unless Kagome said he could. It was always like that. He ran out the room and came back a moment later with the futon, laying it out on the floor beside the bed. With his mom's help, the two laid her on it, careful not to disturb her. He was about to leave, when his mother stopped him.

"One more thing, dear. Can you keep an eye on that man for a moment? I'd like to change Kagome out of her clothes and I don't wanna do it if he's awake," she asked.

He nodded.

Souta moved to the side of the bed, acting as a block between his mother and sister and the strange man. He may be young, but he'd respect his sister's privacy. If the man woke up, he'd immediately act as a wall to his sight. As his mother set to work changing her, he spotted Kagome's bow propped against the night stand.

As well as a sword.

The intense urge to touch it was hard to resist. In fact, he didn't bother to. He quietly grabbed it and pulled it in front of him, careful not to let his mom see. Kagome didn't do swords, so this was obviously the man's. The handle was mint-colored, so was the sheath. He slowly lifted the sword up until the blade was visible, glinting in the light. Unlike Inuyasha's sword at base, this one was sharp and clean. If he took it out, would it stay that way?

I wonder if it transforms like Inuyasha's, he thought.

Souta had only held Tessaiga once in his hands, the blade chipped and rusty. Yet when Inuyasha wielded it, it became huge – like a giant sharp fang. He didn't understand the process behind it, but he figured it was due to being a demon blade. He wondered if this sword could also shoot out wind blades or large diamond chunks like Tessaiga. Or maybe it had some other cool abilities li–

"Souta…"

The boy squeaked, jumping in fright. The sword flew and he scrambled to catch it, barely managing to keep it from smacking down on the sleeping man. "I–I wasn't doing anything!"

"What do you have in your hands?" came his mother's clipped question.

"N–nothing!" he defended.

The boy hastily propped the sword back on the nightstand and scampered away, failing at acting nonchalant. The look his mother gave him said she wasn't convinced.

With Kagome now changed and settled in the futon, the pair left the room. Souta vowed to pester his sister about the man later once she was back up. There was no way he was passing up the opportunity of meeting another cool demon.

Kagome awoke with a groan, her whole body aching in pain. It took her a moment to notice she was in a futon on the floor. When had that happened? She sat up, resisting the urge to groan again as her back in particular protested. There was a pause, in which she struggled to recall how she got on the floor, and then she bolted up when the events finally hit her. Her first concern was the demon man she passed out on. Kagome hissed, her feet buckling under her, demanding she sit back down.

Right, yes. She stupidly ran around outside without shoes. Her feet definitely made sure she remembered that. Painfully so.

Kagome got to her knees and shuffled to the bed, relieved to see the bat man still sound asleep under the covers. Her desk chair had been moved to the foot of her bed, so she rolled it back by his head and sat down. Her hand rested on his chest, the covers pulled back enough that the hole glared once more at her. Really now, the stupid thing was so stubborn. Why it wouldn't close was beyond her, but at least the guy was alive and breathing. It definitely wasn't normal, that was for sure.

"You look a little better now… I think," she muttered.

He was still incredibly pale and she was now mostly sure that was just his natural pigmentation, rather than the calling from death's door. His breathing was nice and steady, too. Aside from the fluctuations in his energy every now and then, he seemed to be recovering quite well. She decided against another healing session.

Now then, what to do from here?

Her stomach growled at that moment and she blushed, apologizing despite no one there to hear it. The clock on her nightstand told her it was just past noon, meaning she missed both breakfast and lunch. No wonder she was so hungry. She'd used up a ton of energy last night healing him, too.

"Mama must've changed me and bandaged my feet."

With the concern for him eased, Kagome was now realizing she was not in the same pajamas as last night. The fact her mother was in the room while she was asleep wasn't a happy one, but at least nothing happened while she was passed out. Kagome leaned down and picked up the man's discarded jacket and folded it, setting it beside her clock on the nightstand. The area around the zipper was torn and a small part of her thought to just throw the whole thing away, but then it wasn't hers to do with as she pleased. She made a note to herself to get him a change of clothes after she got some food in her stomach.

"G'morning Mama," Kagome greeted.

"Good morning, dear. I'm glad to see you up. Give me one moment and I'll get you and your guest some food," her mother greeted.

Kagome carefully made her way to the kitchen table, lamely covering the limping as she pulled a chair out and sat down. Her mother finished rinsing the last dish in the sink and moved to the cabinets, pulling out some bowls and plates, as well as a tray to set them on. She would have helped her mother, but her feet were already in disagreement with her on walking on them. Her mother would scold her anyway.

"You're not freaked out?" Kagome asked.

Her mother laughed. "Should I be? It's not the first time a youkai has popped up out of nowhere. Inuyasha certainly spooked us the first time he came barging into the house demanding you go back to the past with him. So long as he's not hurting anyone, I'm not too concerned. I trust you not to do anything indecent in the house, either."

She had a point.

Wait…

Kagome blushed, spluttering. "Mama!"

That earned her another laugh.

"I know I shouldn't pry since this is youkai business, but Souta said he seemed injured. Is he gonna be okay?" her mother asked after a moment.

Kagome shrugged helplessly, not sure herself. She assumed yes, but he was weird with that hole in his sternum. "He's a lot better than when I found him last night, but I'm not completely sure. I think he'll be fine, though. He's just resting right now."

"That's good, at least." The woman turned to her daughter, another matter on her mind and a stern look on her face. "You know, Kagome. Next time you find some injured man outside, you can ask your Jii-chan and I for help. We may not be able to do much for him personally, but we can at least help you carry him inside so you don't injure yourself."

She was referring to Kagome's feet.

Kagome had the sense to be embarrassed. "Yeah, but if I did that, then Jii-can would try to 'exorcise' him before anything else." When her mother gave her another look, she sighed and conceded. "Okay, okay. Sorry, mama. I won't do it again."

If there was a next time.

Kagome declined her mother's offer to help carry the tray of food upstairs, telling herself to just grin and bare it as her feet protested. Inuyasha wasn't here to play hero anymore, and she would not risk her family's safety.

When faced with death, he knew not what to expect. It was said that flashbacks of one's life would come before nothingness, yet there were no images of his life crossing his mind. Perhaps his life was simply too void of meaning to allow him such a luxury. Instead, he welcomed the vast dark emptiness with open arms, unafraid. For the embodiment of nothingness felt nothing, including fear. Whether it be hell or the complete erasure of his soul, he was ready.

And yet….

Ulquiorra's eyes fluttered open, the darkness making way to color and light. Somewhere beyond his vision, he caught the sounds of nature and people. His mind whirled, his head throbbed. A hand popped into his field of vision and it took him a moment to realize it was his hand. He rested it over his eyes, willing the colors to seize existing.

He was alive.

Why?

Ulquiorra very clearly remembered being killed by one Kurosaki Ichigo after their final battle atop Las Noches, his body turning to dust after the complete annihilation of his internal organs. Those could not regenerate, even with his incredible regeneration. He was sure he died, his body becoming one with the sands of Hueco Mundo. Anything beyond that was outside his comprehension.

Against logic and reason.

This simply could not be real, so then it must be a dream.

But then… if he were dreaming, did that not prove that he was still alive?

The image of Orihime popped into his mind, her hand stretched out to grasp his. He recalled the pity in her eyes, despite all he'd put her through. If there was anyone who could have prevented his death, it was her. So then, had she used her strange reality-rejecting powers to save him? No, that couldn't be it. He understood now she held an overflowing amount of compassion in her heart, more than he could ever fathom. However, even she had a limit to how much she would spare, which he'd certainly crossed the line on more than one occasion. Even had she really come to care for him after everything that transpired, she surely wasn't so foolish as to heal him.

Even that was a kindness unworthy of him.

The thought brought a pang to his chest, too alien for him to understand it. So he discarded it.

Ulquiorra sat up, noting the white blanket that fell from his chest to his lap. His jacket wasn't on his person, neither was his sword. He paused, waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass, then slipped his legs from under the blanket to touch down on the wooden floor. Wherever this was, it definitely wasn't Hueco Mundo. The room was small, with pink and white the most dominating colors in the space.

A girl's room?

He spotted his Zanpakutou resting on the nightstand, along with a bow and quiver of arrows unfamiliar to him. Ulquiorra grabbed his sword and got up, only to feel his pants fall to the ground.

His sash had come undone.

No…

Someone had unfastened it. Simply left it loosely wrapped around his waist. Gravity took it down to the ground along with his pants. He stared at them, baffled. Why? Bending down, he pulled his pants back up, along with his sash, and secured them back around his waist. Next, was his sword. It only took him a moment to spot his jacket, which rested on the nightstand neatly folded.

He was alive, despite dying. Who had brought him back from the dead?

For that matter, why would anyone do so?

His musings were cut short at the sound of a doorknob turning. A woman walked in, carrying a tray with bowls. She was fairly short, likely about half a foot shorter than him, with long wavy black hair and fair skin. Her short sleeved yellow patterned blue shirt and pants weren't a uniform he was familiar with, so likely not any kind of warrior – unless it was simply casual wear. Still, he was immediately on guard and springing into action, his hand aimed at her neck. Whatever the situation was, he would be neither prisoner nor friend. If she didn't provide answers, then she would die.

To his utter shock, sparks ignited upon contact with her skin. His instincts screamed at him to pull away, his legs forcing distance between her. He stood still, waiting for her attack. Yet it never came. She was frozen in place, eyes wide and the tray of food now haphazardly sprawled out in front of her feet. Whatever she'd done, Ulquiorra quickly understood as instinctual. He contemplated attacking once more, then forewent that idea.

The girl may not have consciously meant to defend, but he could see the lightest coating of her energy over her body. He wouldn't get out of it completely unscathed, he could tell.

How irritating.

Although, perhaps not completely unfortunate.

Her attention momentarily shifted as a voice called from somewhere outside the room. It was only for a small fraction of a minute, though that alone told him she was inexperienced if she could be so easily distracted in front of an enemy. Obviously, she was human. He couldn't feel her spiritual pressure and deduced she likely wasn't all too strong. The way she carried herself didn't scream fighter, though he did notice the bandage covering a part of her upper right arm. That didn't really tell much, though. Was she a nurse, then? He wasn't the most familiar with humans and all their roles.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

"I'm Kagome. Higurashi Kagome," she introduced.

It was an unfamiliar name.

Which meant someone unimportant, if Lord Aizen hadn't informed him of her.

"And you?"

He didn't respond.

Ulquiorra looked to his hand, still lightly sizzling from her energy. His regeneration kicked in, yet the burn didn't instantaneously heal. How puzzling. He noticed her closing the door behind her with her heel, but didn't pay it much heed. Whatever her power was, it slowed his regeneration. He was confused as to how it got past his hierro, even. Without a full demonstration, he could only guess at what it was. All he understood was that it left him burned, yet it hadn't felt fire-related. An odd power, indeed.

He looked around the room once more, taking in the various furniture and items. Outside the open window, he spotted the clear blue skies and foliage. His pesquisa informed him there was little reishi in the air and just as much sparsity in the number of spiritually aware beings in the area. Not Soul Society.

"This is the Gense."

How did he get here?

"So, are you gonna tell me who you are any time soon or do I have to annoy the answer out of you?" she questioned.

He barely bothered to spare her a flick of a look out of the corner of his eyes. She obviously was not getting the hint.

"Can you at least tell me your name? Or would you prefer I just call you 'Mr. Demon'?"

He couldn't care less.

There was a knock at the door, then the sound of another woman on the other end. The girl immediately startled in panic and pressed her weight against it, preventing the person on the other side from coming in. Ulquiorra took the chance to leave, grabbing his folded jacket while she was too preoccupied to notice and flickered away. Patience was a virtue, yet he could only spare so much for lowly humans he had no obligation to.

The Espada took to the skies and expanded his senses further. As he suspected, this was no Karakura Town. He couldn't place the location, his dealings in the Human World limited to the few missions placed in the one town. His brows furrowed as he noticed an abnormality in his senses. The girl he'd just left didn't register on his radar. Neither did the shrine she lived in. He looked back in the direction he came from, where he could barely make out the place in the distance. He wasn't so awfully far away that it shouldn't pick up on his senses.

What was going on?

Now that he thought of it, he couldn't recall sensing her spiritual pressure even as her energy had coated her body. She simply had not oozed any, not even a fraction of it.

Strange.

For a moment, he considered going back to investigate. Under normal circumstances, her lack of spiritual pressure would be a sign of no powers. Yet she clearly had some, if she had been able to injure him, let alone see him. The only conclusion he could reach was that she suppressed her energy tightly, so much so that even his pesquisa could not pick up on it. He wasn't one to boast, as pride was not an emotion he felt too strongly, but his mastery of the technique was one of the best among the Espada. That simply should not be possible.

What a peculiar woman.

In the distance, he could feel the trademark signature of a Shinigami racing to his location. Disposing of the threat would take little out of him, even in his current state where his energy levels were low. However, he preferred not needlessly wasting time and energy on trash, so he decided to sonido away.

The air changed, the density of reishi increasing. Despite the location change, the scenery stayed largely the same. Now though, he was picking up on more above average signatures of humans. He understood immediately.

Karakura Town was not far off.

Ulquiorra paused just before hitting the town. One half of him argued not to venture further, the other half curious at the state of things. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out for, guessing at least a few hours – if not a few days. Telling time in Hueco Mundo wasn't always the easiest task, then factoring in his recovery time in the living world… No, it was difficult to accurately gauge. The one thing he could be certain of, was that the war between Lord Aizen's group and the Soul Society should have commenced already – if not concluded even.

Yet, try as he might, he could not sense any particularly strong signatures coming from Karakura Town. No lingering traces of his master or his enemies, even. It sat completely undisturbed.

Had Lord Aizen lost?

No, that couldn't be it. The man was too strong to be taken down.

Then again, Ulquiorra should have been too strong to be defeated by Ichigo, yet here he was – the loser.

The temptation to check the city out was strong, though so was the desire to put distance. Another puzzling thought. He was not an emotional being by any means; what little he did feel usually reserved for flickers of annoyance or acceptance, little emotions that quickly came and went before he could properly register them. So why did the thought of going fill him with unease? Was it because of those two humans who'd so thoroughly shaken his perception of the world and himself? It was beyond his comprehension.

He didn't like it.

He didn't not like it.

It was a new and conflicting development, one he knew not how to maneuver through.

Whatever awaited him in Karakura Town or in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra realized he cared little to find out. He had no purpose left in life, he reasoned. There was nothing to return to and nothing to care for. Whether it was Lord Aizen, the other arrancars, or the Shinigami – ultimately speaking, all would lead to his death. He'd outgrown his usefulness, there was nothing left for him anymore.

Yes, he would not go back.

Not yet.

Ulquiorra was not afraid of death. He would not carelessly chase after it, either.

A face popped to his mind, brown eyes filled with such pity, encouraging him to seek the owner. He immediately flicked it away. A part of him wanted to see the human who'd shown him her heart, yet he knew nothing would come of it. He had grasped it for but a moment, but that was enough to tell. It was not his to hold, never to belong to him.

Not a commitment he was ready to make.

With another sonido, Ulquiorra was back where he started, losing the Shinigami once more. He could see the shrine that strange human woman resided in once again. There was no meaning in his life, nothing to push him forward. However, he was not the type to seek out death. Whatever came for him next, he would accept without question. As he always did. For the time being though, he would keep an eye on her. Higurashi Kagome, she called herself. He knew not why he was alive, but perhaps the answer lay somewhere with her. For the time being at least, he would observe her.

At least until he figured out what to do from here on out.

Edited: 03/12/24 - Changed a few things around + merged ch 3 and 4