Death Is Only The Beginning

Chapter 8: A New Look

Kagome stood in front of the enormous gateway to the living world. Her stomach twisted as her palms began to sweat causing her to tighten her grip on the bag she’d packed for the trip. She ran the rules she’d been given over and over in her head. Rule One: Normal humans shouldn’t be aware of the supernatural/spiritual beings around them…that meant she wasn’t allowed to talk to family and friends that she’d left behind. Rule Two: Keep a low profile…that pretty much meant she couldn’t do anything fun. And Rule Three: Dispose of all Hollows within the area and help lingering souls to move on…that one she could live with. But with two out of three working against her, Kagome could feel a small pout crease her features.

She turned with a start when a hand clapped down on her shoulder and saw her Captain smiling down at her. “Don’t be so serious, Kagome. It may not sound like much fun at first, but you’ll meet plenty of interesting people. Just be sure to keep up with Ichigo and he’ll show you what to do. I’ll keep the gate open until you get to the other side, just follow the butterfly and you’ll get there safely.”

Kagome’s eyes widened a fraction. “It’s not dangerous in there, is it??” The dark abyss beyond the gate made chills run down her spine.

Shunsui was quiet for a moment before he said, “Of course!…relatively speaking. Just be sure to keep up with the butterfly, okay?” When he saw her small nod he smiled and gave her a light push as he said, “Then get going! We’ll keep Aya safe and she’ll be waiting to see you when you get back.”

Kagome took a stumbling step before straightening and walking into the dark tunnel despite the nervous feeling it still gave her. She was sure to stay close to the fluttering little butterfly as she walked and took in her surroundings. Something about this place set all of her senses on edge and she could sense an unprejudiced danger lurking in the shadows all around her. There was supposed to be something in here that would ‘clean out’ anything in the tunnel, but she wasn’t sure where something that large would be when it wasn’t doing anything. She took a quick glance behind her and could still see the open gate of Soul Society, but now it was just a small point of light. Turning around when a light appeared in front of her, Kagome saw a new door opening. She had to squint her eyes as the morning sun assaulted her vision, but as she stepped through the door and her sight adjusted she could see that the door had put her on a deserted road before anyone making their way to school or work had left their house yet.

“Now I just have to find that Urahara Shop…” Kagome said to herself as she looked around for any sign of which way to go. But when her eyes landed on a large, open lot with a small building towards the back she smiled brightly and said, “Bingo! That was easy enough.” And with that she looked both ways down the street, a habit she’d formed when she was little at the insistence of her mother, and crossed the asphalt to get to the dirt lot. She walked up to the front door and knocked a few times before waiting for an answer.

After a few minutes she was about to knock again when she heard a cry and saw two children run around the corner of the building, a red-headed boy chasing a dark haired little girl who looked like she would cry at any moment. They blew past her and around the next corner before the boy ran back around to look at her before saying, “You must be the new one. Doors unlocked, go on in. Manager should be towards the back.” And then he was gone again.

Kagome blinked a few times before slowly sliding the door open and stepping into the store. The front room was dark indicating that the ‘store’ wasn’t open yet, but she heard noises from the back and took tentative steps not wanting to surprise or offend anyone for just walking in. When she made it to the back room she saw that there weren’t any people present, but what looked to be a hatch-door in the floor was open. She set her things down slowly before walking over to look down the hole only to see an incredibly long ladder. “Weird…” she said to herself.

“Not really.” A smooth voice said from behind her.

Kagome screamed at the sudden appearance and whirled around to look up at a shadowed face framed by blond hair. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!” She chastised as she placed a hand over her heart, willing it to slow down. “Are you Urahara Kisuke??” She asked when her nerves had settled some.

“The one and only,” he responded with a bow. “And you must be the lovely Higurashi Kagome. I must admit that I had fun working on your faux body.” He said with a boyish yet charming grin.

“Faux body??” She questioned. Her Captain hadn’t said anything about this.

“Yes, since you’ll be here for some time it will make things easier. You’ll be staying with either me or Ichigo or one of his friends, and it would be best if they didn’t look like they were crazy and talking to themselves when you’re around. Shunsui sent me a picture so that your body would look like you, but then I ran into a problem. Most of your family and friends are still alive since you haven’t been dead all that long, and we can’t have them recognizing you if they happen to see you. So this was actually my first attempt at creating a body that didn’t look exactly like the spirit inhabiting it. It should still work, but I’m eager to find out so come on!” He said as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to another room. “Just relax and slip into the body from the back.” He explained.

After about ten minutes of trial and error, Kagome stood examining herself in a mirror. She was the same height and build and her face was the same, but her complexion had darkened considerably. Her skin was now a sun-kissed brown, but her eyes remained their natural blue color making for an interesting contrast. Her hair fell in soft waves to just below her shoulders –something she would have to get used to– and bangs still covered her forehead. It wasn’t the radical change she’d been expecting, and she was silently breathing a sigh of relief. But even though her face hadn’t really changed she was sure that anyone she knew would brush it off a similarity at best. And that’s when a though hit her and she turned to look at Kisuke. “Um…Mr. Urahara??-”

“Just Urahara, no need for the ‘Mister.’” He corrected.

“Urahara…how close are we to Tokyo??”

“Karakura is one of the small cities on the outskirts of Tokyo,” he answered with a knowing smile. “It’s about a twenty minute train ride from here…but you’re not planning to visit any living family, RIGHT Kagome??”

Kagome huffed and slightly narrowed her eyes at the taller man. He’d known exactly what she was thinking, but didn’t seem to plan on stopping her. She still didn’t like the idea that she was still easily read after all this time though. “No…” she answered begrudgingly. “And you shouldn’t wear a hat indoors with company…it’s rude.” She said as she turned back to the mirror to adjust the clothes that had been left for her by a girl named Orihime.

~*~*~*~

About an hour later found Kagome standing at the edge of the sidewalk by the fence that lined the lot around the Urahara Shop. Apparently this Ichigo person was supposed to come by on his way to school so she could walk with him while he explained what she was supposed to do. As she waited she double checked that she had the phone-like communicator and the Soul Candy that Urahara had given her in the small bag that hung from her shoulder. She was wearing a white skirt with crossing blue lines and yellow flowers decorating it that blew lightly in the breeze and a matching light blue tank top. As she looked up she saw a boy who looked to be around her age with orange hair, dark brown eyes, and a slightly annoyed look on his face.

“You’re Kagome right?” He asked in a bored and slightly tired tone.

But she smiled up at him and answered, “That’s right, and you’re Kurosaki Ichigo.”

Apparently he wasn’t in much of a talkative or playful mood because he just rolled his eyes and said, “Thanks but I already knew my name. Come on, I’ll tell you how this works.” He began to explain their job as she fell in step with him. “While I’m in school you can pretty much do whatever you want…just don’t cause any scenes. That phone you’re carrying will start to beep if a Hollow is around and all you have to do is open it to see where it is and how close you are to it. Depending on who’s closest between the two of us will determine who gets it. Meet me outside the gates when school’s out and we’ll figure out where you’ll stay.” He said as they approached the school. Ichigo could see his friends waiting outside and waved as he neared them.

“Who’s your friend, Kurosaki?” A boy with dark hair and glasses asked. Kagome thought he was handsome, but his face was too serious in her opinion.

“This is Kagome,” he answered. “She’s from Soul Society. She’ll only be here for a week since she’s still new to all of this. Kagome,” he said as he turned to her, “this is Ishida, Orihime, and Chad.” He introduced as he pointed to each in turn.

Kagome looked up at the boy introduced as Chad and was a little awed at his height for his age considering he was almost a foot and a half taller than she was. But she smiled at him warmly and laughed as she said, “We could be cousins! Chad is an interesting name.”

He was quiet for a moment before he answered in a deep voice, “My name is Sado, but everyone says Chad sounds cooler.”

“Well Sado,” she said with emphasis on his real name, “I think it’s more polite to call somebody by their name. Do you mind if I call you Sado?” The large but quiet young man shook his head no and she smiled at him. “Great! Well I guess I’ll see you guys after school.” She said as she waved them off as the bell began to toll.

A pair of eyes watched her carefully from one of the upper windows of the building as the students began to file in while talking amongst themselves. When she disappeared behind the school wall on her way into town the eyes focused on the door instead and waited for a certain student to enter. “Kurosaki, come here.” A deep voice commanded as the teen appeared. When the young man stood before him he asked, “Who was that girl you were talking to at the gates?”

“A friend…Chad’s cousin. She’s visiting for the week.” He answered.

“Very well. Take your seat so we can begin.” The owner of the curious eyes said, not believing Ichigo’s blatant lie.

~*~*~*~

Kagome was bored as she walked around town window shopping. She was in a completely unfamiliar town where she didn’t know anyone and where it was basically pointless to make friends. This was her third day in the living world and there had yet to be a Hollow appearance. Ichigo was calling her a good luck charm and trying to convince her to stay longer. She’d been staying with Orihime and was forming a friendship with the sometimes oblivious girl. She came up with…interesting things to eat but was honest and kind and Kagome found herself at ease around her. She was also gradually making friends with the quiet Sado and found that despite his large size he was very gentle and kind and never hurt anyone unless he was protecting his friends.

She found herself conflicted when it came to Ichigo and Uryuu though. Ichigo was loyal and honest, but rough and solitary…he reminded her a little too much of Inuyasha and she could feel her chest tighten when he would display some of the same habits. Then Uryuu, while polite and creative, seemed to hold some kind of grudge against her simply for being there. Orihime had said once that it had to do with his heritage and her job and that he was the same way with Ichigo, but that he would warm up to her with enough time.

But for all the thoughts of the people she was beginning to call ‘friends’ she was still alone right now and it was only late morning. She still had a while to wait if she wanted companionship. She had learned her lesson about hanging around Urahara’s shop. If she was there she would either be taunted by the kids, put to work cleaning by Tessai, or be asked to ‘help’ Urahara with a random experiment or project. She had decided that for her mental and physical health it was best to steer clear during the day.

As she continued to walk aimlessly down the sidewalks she looked across the street and saw the train station. Her brow furrowed as she chewed her bottom lip in contemplation for a moment before darting into a nearby general store to buy a notepad and pen before going to the station and buying a ticket for Tokyo.

The train wasn’t crowded as she found a seat and began to write.

Dear Mama,

I promise that this isn’t a trick and that it’s really me. I miss you so much. Please don’t cry because I know you’re starting to. You can’t tell anyone about this letter. I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright and that I’m sorry…I wanted to be able to come home safely, but in the end the Jewel got one more person. But it’s out of existence now and the world is a safer place. Know that I died doing something important so that you and Souta and Gramps could live safe lives. I can’t go into detail about what I’m doing now or how I was able to get this letter to you, but I want you to know that I’m happy. I’m able to help people even in the afterlife and I have some new and…interesting friends.

I don’t have any regrets other than not being able to tell you goodbye and that I love you, so don’t be sad for me. I want you to be happy while you’re still alive because I know we’ll see each other again someday. Tell Souta and Gramps to do the same and that I love them. I miss all of you so much and think about you constantly. But I’m still fighting monsters off to help keep people safe, and I think they need me more right now. Maybe I’ll get to come see you someday…but if not then be safe, be happy, and love each other.

Love your time-traveling daughter,
Kagome

Kagome carefully tore the page with her short letter off of the notepad and folded it before placing it in her bag and turning her attention out the window for the duration of the short train ride. She reasoned with herself that since her family was already aware of the supernatural that she was technically breaking the rules…but that still didn’t mean she was going to go and tell someone what she was doing.

A few minutes later she was stepping off the train into the normal bustle of Tokyo that she was used to. She walked down the familiar sidewalks and streets until she came to the large staircase. As she ascended the concrete steps, she took her time to take in everything that she remembered about this place. She could feel an energy that she hadn’t been aware of before and attributed it to her heightened control over her spirit energy. There was nobody in the courtyard at the top of the shrine so she felt free to reacquaint herself with the grounds.

Even though she didn’t approach it, her gaze landed on the well house and she could feel the magic that had once surrounded it had faded over time with nonuse but still hung in the air like a fine mist. She paid her respects and said a prayer at the main shrine before continuing over to the God Tree. She stood just outside the ropes and looked up at the green leaves and the broken rays of sunlight that shone through them as a light breezed rustled them together with a light rustling sound. She desperately wanted to reach out and touch the smooth area where Inuyasha had once been pinned, but resisted at the thought of alerting someone who might be watching her. There was a strong and ancient power coming from the tree that she found comforting as she closed her eyes and let the breeze tousle her hair.

When the wind and the rustling leaves stopped, Kagome pushed her hair back behind her ear and smoothed the orange sundress she was wearing before taking the letter out of her bag. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching her as she slowly approached the small mailbox near the house and deposited the piece of paper silently before leaving the grounds with one last look at her previous home. It was well past lunch time now and she was getting hungry, so she decided that it was time to head back to Karakura Town.

~*~*~*~

Beneath the sands of Hueco Mundo, a dark chuckle was heard as it escalated into a full-on laugh echoing in the darkness. Thick tentacles reached out to wrap around any of the lesser beings known as Hollows and pull them into an eager and waiting body. Naraku closed his eyes with a look of ecstasy on his face at the power he could feel building and mixing within his body. When he found out that he could easily absorb these creatures he had started doing so on sight and without hesitation. But now they were starting to realize the threat he posed to their well-being and were hiding from him. ‘That’s okay…’ he thought, ‘I enjoy a good hunt.’

He reached up to feel a small piece of what felt like bone forming on his cheek under his right eye. “Soon Kagome…soon you will join me here and all of that power you have will be mine.”

~*~*~*~

Kagome found herself walking along the bank of a wide river at the edge of the city. It was evening and the sun was setting causing the water to sparkle. She’d met Ichigo and his friends after school as usual and spent time with them until she follow Orihime to her home and they ate supper and talked about different school subjects. But then Kagome had become restless and decided to take a walk to think. Ever since leaving the shrine her thoughts had been consumed with thoughts of the past. She wondered if the demons she knew were still alive today or if they were somewhere in Soul Society. She wondered if demons retained their looks and memories after they died. There were just so many questions. She had wanted to speak with her mother…wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright. But the chance that something like that would go unnoticed by Soul Society was unlikely…

And for the first time in over a year, Kagome realized that she wasn’t as content as she had once been. There was something else missing in her life. Something that had been present during her living years, but something so subtle that she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

But just then a beeping coming from her bag tore her from her thoughts and she pulled out her communicator. When she flipped it open and looked at the map displayed her eyes widened at seeing just how close the Hollow was to her location. She looked around but didn’t see anything until she heard a ripping sort of sound. Her attention was immediately drawn to a spot a few meters down the bank of the river as a Hollow seemed to appear from nowhere as it pulled itself from sort of rip in the air. Quickly pulling the Soul Candy from her bag, she swallowed one and propelled herself from her body.

‘Okay…it’s big, but Ichigo isn’t anywhere close to here so I’m on my own. I can do this, I can do this…’ she thought as she ran forward. She tried a straight forward attack hoping to catch it off guard, but when she was within a few feet of it the creature turned around to pin her with its stare through that mocking mask. She picked up her speed, hoping to get close enough to do some damage before it could block her but those attempts were quickly shot down. Once she realized that she wasn’t going to be able to harm it with her sword she back up some and concentrated before focusing her energy and shouting, “Hadou 4: White Lightning!” But her eyes widened in panic when it seemed to vanish from its previous spot, dodging the attack. But then a sudden pain across her back sent her flying forward to land on the ground and roll a few times before coming to a stop.

As she began pushing herself up she heard a sadistic laugh followed by, “Foolish girl, did you really think that because of my size I was slow or stupid?? But you’ve made an error now that could prove to be fatal. At the very least I’m sure you’ll be delicious!” And then the Hollow stood to its full height on two legs instead of hunched over like it had previously been.

Her back felt like it was on fire and could feel it getting harder to breathe as her vision began to blur. ‘No!’ She screamed in her head as she shook away the haziness from her vision. ‘I will NOT die like this. Not because of that thing…think Kagome. What can I do???’ And for the first time since the fight started she looked past her opponent and saw a black figure a few feet behind it. Looking closer, her eyes widened when she saw that it was in fact a large black wolf staring at her with bright amethyst eyes.

Time almost seemed to stand still when she heard a voice echo in her mind that was neither male nor female but almost a combination of the two overlapping say, “You need my power now, Kagome. You’re ready. Now say my name…release me and I will help you finish off your enemy.”

Bringing her attention back to her opponent, Kagome could feel her mouth moving on its own as she said the words “Rise Tsukiko.” She watched as her sword began to emit its own soft white glow. She moved it slightly and could hear the water of the river move in time. In her peripheral she could see the water moving and swirling from side to side with the movements of her sword.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, she thought, ‘Here goes nothing…’ And with a silent prayer for her idea to work, Kagome moved entirely on the instinct that the sword was pushing through her and brought her sword upward in a quick diagonal. She watched as the water from the river rose at her sword’s command and formed into a sharp, smooth sheet of ice to cut the Hollow in half before it realized the power that had been released.

Astonishment shone in her eyes as she watched the glow from the blade dim and the ice turn back to water and fall to the earth of the bank below. She felt dizzy and not quite sure how to react to what had just happened. She swayed to one side and stumbled slightly as she briefly thought she was going to faint before a deep voice from behind her snapped her mind back to a fully alert state as it said, “That’s quite an impressive feat for someone who is supposed to be dead.”

She turned around quickly to see a tall, lean figure of a man. He had dark hair pulled into a low ponytail and was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a tucked, white dress-shirt. He had light honey-colored eyes that seemed to look straight through her. There was a sense of familiarity around him, but she couldn’t quite place it until she caught the power coming from his body. She thought her eyes would pop out of her head when realization hit her. “SESSHOUMARU?!”