Summary- Five hundred years ago the Western Land was closed off to all demons who hunt humans opened only once every hundred years in a tournament more deadly than any before. Yusuke and pals are enlisted to join but need a fifth member, a young woman who knows more than any of them about the tournament and the ancient demons of the past. But can one cold-hearted fire demon break through the shell of a miko who has lost it all? Can their love and their pasts be enough to save the world once and for all?
Firstly let me state that I do not own inuyasha nor yuyu hakusho nor any of its characters or ideas. This fan fiction does not follow these individual series completely as it takes place before the end of both series. Secondly I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. Your opinion matters.
Chapter 1- The end of one life, the start of another
Once, three years ago, a young girl named Kagome tumbled down a well very much like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. On the other side instead of finding wonderland she found herself five hundred years in the past, in the feudal era where demons and monsters roamed free. While traveling back and forth between past and present, on a mission to make whole the jewel she had inadvertently shattered, she made many many friends. Sango, the demon exterminator, Miroku, the perverted monk, little Shippo, a fox demon, and Inuyasha, a half-breed dog demon and her very first love. That girl had been innocent and kind, a good person despite it all. The woman that now stood at the well was not so sure she was still Kagome anymore.
One year ago, when they had realized that not all of them would survive the fight with the evil demon Naraku (or, in fact, that any of them would survive at all) Kagome had pushed forth to find help at any quarter. It was her determination, and her strong heart, that helped Inuyasha convince the dead miko Kykio to join their side (while allowing Inuyasha to continue on with his first and true love, leaving her own heart broken and aching). It was she who had convinced Kouga and his mate Ayame to aid them in the final battle, it was she who finally found a way to remove Kohakus Shikon shard without killing the boy, and it was Kagome Higurashi who went down on her knees before the western lord Sesshomaru and begged him for help in a battle that neither could win alone. Impressed with her, and secretly eager to befriend the brother he so completely hated and loved, he had trained her. Between Sesshomaru and Kykio Kagome had become a true weapon against any demon, forever loyal to the Lord Sesshomaru as he was to her. They had become good friends and Inuyasha had regained a brother and a sparring partner. While that last battle drew ever closer Sango and Miroku were married, too afraid that one of them would die in the last battle to want to delay any longer, Inuyasha and Kykio joined them at the altar and the dead priestess seemed happy for the first time. Sesshomaru took Rin as his blood daughter in an ancient ceremony that would ensure that, however brief her mortal life may be, she would always be Sesshomaru's precious daughter. Kagome and Shippo did the same and, now, he was her son for all of time. Kilala watched it all with a smile on her small cat-like face.
When at last the day of the battle came Kagome was sure that they would never have won if they had not all been so sure that they were about to die. It was a ghastly prediction and, in truth, they all did die. In the first wave Kohaku, Miroku and Kykio lay dead. After an hour more of fighting Sesshomaru had lost a leg, Inuyasha lay unconscious, and her little Shippo had been ripped to shreds. All that had remained were Kagome, Sango and the wolf tribe. It was anger that had fueled her and despair. As far as Kagome was concerned there was nothing left to lose, that mindset and Naraku's belief that he need only be wary of her arrows, won the battle. He hadn't expected her to walk straight up to him, had not anticipated the flurry of swords and knives that descended on him, each charged with the miko's purifying powers. His shock, his anger, prevented him from reaching out and grasping his half of the falling jewel before it managed to land at Kagome's feet. Within moments she had picked it up and united the two halves. When Naraku again tried to reach for her the jewel glowed dangerously and Kagomes own powers spread out of her in a protective bubble finally sending Naraku to ash and dust.
Tears falling Kagome made her wish upon the jewel, a simple selfless wish: That those within the jewel and all those whose lives had been touched by the jewel would know peace and happiness at last. In a brilliant flash of gold and pink and blue and silver the Shiko no tama, the jewel of four souls, rose from her hands and into the sky glowing with the intensity of a small sun. All around her miracles were occurring, around the world those who thought that they would drown in sorrow and pain found themselves smiling and laughing again, basking in newfound hope and joy as if they had just touched a part of an adventure too miraculous to imagine. Sesshomarus arm and leg regenerated instantly and, though he did not know it yet, his little Rin had sprouted a mane of silver hair, her eyes became golden, her skin pale, and purple markings appeared on her face. She was now his daughter in every way and the next heir to the Western lands. Miroku, Kykio, Sango, Shippo all those innocents that had died in the three years since the jewel was shattered returned to life, the picture of health. The only true exception was Kykio who returned not as a human but as a full blooded dog demon, a perfect mate for the equally full-blooded Inuyasha two demons that would hold their humanity as close to their heart as the young girl who had saved them. Miroku's wind tunnel had disappeared though he didn't seem to care at the moment, too busy holding Sango as she cried in his arms. In her minds eye, or perhaps in her hearts, she saw the spirits of Midoriko and the demon she had been fighting stop and turn to look at her. Their eyes bored into her, thanking her and apologizing to her at the same time before they turned back to each other and embraced. With this embrace the jewel did not become powerless, the spirits did not go free, instead the jewels power seemed to double. Before she could react the jewel hurled itself into Kagome lodging itself inside her very soul. Melting and melding until soul and jewel were one and the same. This was the part were she remained confused, where she wondered if she was still Kagome anymore. Once the jewel had entered her body she felt herself change. She became longer, sleeker, her hair grew longer reaching her knees and now held streaks of gold and silver through it, her eyes became a mesmerizing swirl of blues and pinks that very very slowly settled back into their normal blue (apparently only changing back to those swirls when she used her powers), her ears became sharper almost like a demons as did her nails. On her forehead a single drop of pink was encased in a phoenix fire of blues and golds, two smaller silver drops rested on each side. The sign of the eternal guardian of the Shiko no tama. Beside her little Shippo also began to change, his eyes swirling green and blue and gold, his fiery red hair streaked with silver, and on his forehead the same markings minus the phoenix fire around the red drop. Watching her son change was the last coherent thought before she passed out.
Since that time she had spent weeks in the feudal era learning her about new powers and, more importantly, saying goodbye to her friends. So here she stood, her friends ranged behind her as she looked down at the well that would take her home to the present forever. She could never come back. The earth was damp around them and although the rain had stopped she could see no rainbow in the sky. When she turned back to them they all had tears in their eyes, except Sesshomaru who remained as stoic as ever but even he seemed sad. Sango and Miroku came to her first, hugging her and holding her and promising that their first child and every first female child in their line would be named after Kagome. Sango insisted she take Kilala to the future with her otherwise she and Miroku would worry endlessly about Kagome.
"And besides this way…we'll always be together." Sango said, eyes damp with tears.
Miroku had given her his old beads, the ones that had made sure the wind tunnel didn't consume him. Unlike the other three she had no chance of ever seeing these two friends again because they were human and they would die. However Sesshomaru, who gave her a sword made specifically for her and her new powers, had promised that for as long as he lived he would watch over the two and their bloodline so that one day in the future she could find someone who believed the old tales and learn of the fate of her two friends. Kykio and Inuyasha also embraced her promising the same and that they would make sure that peace reigned for as long as it could. They all promised that they would see her again someday in the future and it was a promise she clung to with all her might because without that hope (and Kilala and Shippo) she feared she would break. Inuyasha gave her his fire rat jacket, to keep her forever safe from flames, and Kykio gifted her with offerings of goodwill from all nearby villages, her backpack literally bulged with gold and silver and invaluable artifacts. Some she would keep many she would simply donate or sell for keeping them would only bring problems to her family, but she made sure to get the names of the donators so that she could return them to their children in the future, if any were left. Crying now, still unsure of everything and most especially about whether she was Kagome or the Shiko No Tama now, she found herself hurling into Sesshomaru's arms first. Her newest but dearest friend, the western lord and she had become close, not romantically no but he had become like a mentor or an older brother the one that she could tell anything to and who would listen without judgment. He allowed himself to hold her for a moment, for he felt the same as if the young miko was a dear younger sister the second human woman second to his daughter he had ever cared about, and then held her at arms length. The other came then, surrounded her and held her. All of them asking her the same thing.
"Why are you crying?""I'm going to miss you all soo much. What will I do without you?" The other laughed and cried at the same time, held her close and uttered reassurances but when Sesshomaru grabbed her again she whispered softly to him, "What if I lose myself?" He felt his lips twitch, suppressing a smile as he kissed her forehead, "Simply remember that no matter that you may never come to see us again, or that we may never meet again in the future in this time we are here, always, to remind you of yourself and of us. You need only close your eyes and we will be there, in your heart. You are Kagome as you have been from the first. Now, miko, be strong and return to where you belong, if it is within our power we will meet again when you need us most. Never forget that."
Kagome smiled, wiped the tears from her eyes, and turned to face the others. The smile on her face was bright and happy, the same smile she had given them every single day on their journeys together.
"Well guys I guess this is goodbye for now. C'mon Shippo, Kilala, hold on tight ok?""Yes mama. Bye everyone!" "Goodbye!" They all said together, "Farewell." Sesshomaru whispered and with that smile held in place, only because she wanted her friends to remember her that way, smiling and happy and proud, she jumped into the well and only when the lights began to flicker did she begin to sob again, both Shippo and Kilala curled in her arms and sobbing just as loudly.
The lights dimmed and Kagome could already feel the lifelessness of the well, there was no magic here and it didn't matter that the jewel was within her. The well would never again take her to the past, her friends were forever beyond her reach and if she met any of them now it would be a bridge of three hundreds years for them when only moments had passed for her. She wasn't sure how long the three of them stayed there crying she only knew that at some point her mother had come to the well, alerted by the sobbing, and eventually managed to coax the three up and into the house. The rest was darkness.
"What now Koenma? Can't you give us a break it's the last week of summer break, we just got this one year left and then you can annoy us all you want you stupid brat!" Yusuke was, as usual, obnoxious and annoying but the smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes told Koenma that the half-demon was actually fond of him. It was strange to have friends, especially this bunch of friends: three completely different demons, one very strange human, and a grim reaper to boot. Sighing Koenma shook his head and glared at the group in front of him.
"Shut up Yusuke and listen. As some of you may know, namely Kurama and Hiei, three hundred years ago the western half of Japan was cut off from almost all demon activity but not because these demons were put into the spirit realm. A group of demons led by the Western Lord Sesshomaru, not a man you want to mess with by the way, cut off his lands from other demons only allowing those who were peaceable towards humans to enter."
"Well that's weird."
"Indeed."
"So what we got a…a…a NICE demon?"
"No you moron. Sesshomaru was one of the most powerful of all demons as was his daughter, his brother and his brother's mate. They, along with a wolf clan, and a sect of monk/exterminators formed a barrier around their land that could only be breached once every hundred years. During that time the current leader of the lands and his subordinates would host a tournament and allow those who won rights within their land so long as they didn't hurt humans. Right?"
"Quite right Hiei. Now these demons are stronger than any you have ever faced before, so strong that the web we had in place for those demons you boys fought awhile back were absolutely useless. Now in a three months their tournament has been scheduled to begin but something's up."
"Oh yeah? What's this got to do with us short-stuff?"
"Yusuke be quite! Now we have been invited to join this tournament BUT we have a bit of a problem each team must consist of exactly five members but there are only four of you. Now I am already working on locating the fifth member of your team so I need you boys to train and train hard while keeping up your school work." He should a smirk in Yusuke's direction, "This isn't going to be easy but you need to keep yourselves secret. Demon from all around are coming for this tournament and if they get wind that you're spirit detectives you boys might not live to reach that tournament."
"Why's this such a big deal?"
"They can't be that strong! Right? Can they guys? Uh guys?"
"Yes they are that strong and it's a big deal because if my sources are correct there's a team of demons that are going to try to take over those lands and you have to stop them if they get those lands they'll get the key to the jewel of four souls."
"The what?'
"The jewel?" Kurama whispered softly, "The jewel of four souls, or the Shikon No Tama, is a small jewel said to be capable of making a demons strength immeasurable. Any demon who has the jewel would be considered nothing less than a god but that jewel disappeared hundreds and hundreds of years ago. There was rumor that it had appeared for a short time five hundred years ago but no one would speak of it. It was either rumor or a very closely guarded secret. I went searching for it myself during my more lucrative years."
"Exactly and if this Lord of the West has it and someone steals the whole world is doomed."
"So we gotta find a jewel?"
"Find it and destroy it if you can if not make sure that it stays in the hands of the Western Lords because otherwise we're in BIG TROUBLE."
Five days later
"Are you sure you're all packed up Kagome? Shippo?" Kagome laughed softly and shook her head. It didn't seem to matter that she had been gallivanting in the past for years or that she was already eighteen and had fought more demons that maybe anyone alive her mother insisted on treated her like a child. It was something she loved dearly.
"Yes mom I'm all packed and I packed for Shippo too he and Souta went to walk Kilala."
"Oh of course dear. Are you sure you don't need help with anything?"
"No mama I'm fine."
"Kagome, dear, is this really what you want? I'm glad you want to go visit your cousin, your Aunt is absolutely thrilled, but you'll be gone for a whole year in your own apartment, new school, with little Shippo to take care of and…well…I'm worried about you sweetie."
Kagome sighed and turned to her mother, smiling gently, "I know mama, I'm kinda scared. This is a big step but I just…I can't stay here. Not right now. Every time I go outside I expect to see Inuyasha coming out of the well and when he doesn't I just….It hurts too much mama."
Her mother nodded and offered her daughter a brief hug, knowing Kagome would not accept anything more. Even now, weeks after her return, the image of her daughter, changed completely, sobbing as if the whole of the world had abandoned her at the bottom of that dirt-filled well burned in her mind's eye and she knew that if that image hurt her so deeply the very knowledge that the well was so close must hurt her daughter even more. It was why she had begged and pleaded that her daughter be accepted at the prestigious high-school over five hours away and had tearfully informed her half-sister that Kagome would be living in the area and could she please look out for her dear daughter.
"Well you'll have to come visit as often as possible. Where are those boys? Your train leaves in just under an hour we have to get you to the train station. I just know your cousin Yusuke will be dying to see you."
Kagome smiled up at her mother, tears threatening to spill, "I love you Mama."
