Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or YYH.

Author's Notes: I never thought I'd go back to writing this crossover again, but here I am. :P My dissatisfaction with the recent Naruto developments had somehow (though I'm not quite sure how) led me back to writing Inuyasha/YYH crossovers. :) Though, I wonder if anyone still reads these kinds of stories…

State of Paralysis

8/4/08 – 8/5/08

"…the Shikon no Tama…"

A small, pink jewel – no bigger than a pond pebble – flashed across the wide screen. Immediately, a chorus of whispers arose. Many found it hard to believe that the famed Shikon Jewel would appear so…plain and nondescript.

"…a powerful artifact thought to be lost…"

More scenes flashed across the screen. They were pictures of demons, warlords, and humans. It was a time before the world had been split between humans and demons – a time before the Ningenkai and the Makai had been formed.

"…its signature recently resurfaced…"

The scene changed to a more modern view – one of modern-day Japan. Quickly, the scene zoomed in and locked on the busy streets of Tokyo, where hundreds of humans were bustling back and forth trying to reach their next destination.

"…possibly bringing a new era of chaos and terror."

The lights turned back on, bringing the attention back to Koenma – the child ruler of Reikai. Slipping from his chair and moving to the front of his desk, he turned a serious look on the assembled team of Spirits Detectives. In a grave tone that contrasted sharply with his usual, cheerful voice, he softly intoned, "The Shikon Jewel must be recovered at all costs. The power it holds is unimaginable, and I fear that it will be used for evil if it falls into the wrong hands." Folding his arms behind his back, he continued, "The traces that we are picking up from the jewel are faint, but we were able to pinpoint it's location to Tokyo, Japan.

"If possible," he stopped, eyeing the Spirit Team wearily, "I want the Shikon no Tama retrieved in secret. That," he emphasized, "Means I want it done without causing a scene." He stopped again, sucking rapidly on his pacifier in deep thought. "However," he reluctantly added, "If that plan is not feasible, you may try to take the jewel by force. But remember, only use force as a last resort!"

"Yes sir!"

"Here are seven radars, one for each of you." Koenma continued as George – his personal ogre assistant – passed a compass-like device to each team member. "The radar will begin to beep louder and faster the closer you get to the Shikon no Tama. As soon as you find the jewel, report immediately back to me, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Dismissed!" he finished, watching as the seven Spirit Detectives shuffled out of his office. As soon as the last Spirit Detective left, leaving only the ogre, Koenma slipped back into his chair and groaned in misery.

"Koenma sir, what's wrong?" George asked, shooting his master a confused look.

"Do you have any idea what Father will do to me if I lose the Shikon no Tama?" Koenma demanded through clenched teeth, glaring at his blue-skinned assistant as if he was the cause of all his problems. "He'd spank me so hard I'll never be able to sit again! And knowing those bumblingidiots," he said, referring to the Spirit Detectives that had just left his office, "Even though I told them to take the Shikon without causing a scene, they'll use force anyway! Which, I'm guessing," he groused, "Will cause even more trouble in the future!"

George gulped as he cowered away from the angry demi-god. "Then," he slowly ventured, "Why don't you send Yusuke and his team instead?"

"Are you stupid or just plain dumb?" Koenma screamed, bonking George upside the head with his fist. "The Dark Tournament is beginning tomorrow (which reminds me, I better get going too). If I send Yusuke and company now, Team Urameshi will have to forfeit the tournament, which would spell death for all of us!"

"I'm sorry, Koenma sir!" George cried, clutching his head. With recent events, he had completely forgotten the Dark Tournament! "Should I go pack out bags and get ready to depart for Hanging Neck Island?"

"Well, what do you think?" Koenma shouted.

"R-Right away, sir!" George cried as he scampered out of the room. As soon as he exited the office, he fell against the wall and sighed. For everyone's sake, he prayed that the Shikon no Tama would be safely retrieved and locked away.

Otherwise, he shuddered to think what King Enma would do to all of them…

"It's here."

Their radars were beating wildly, alerting them to the ominous presence of the Shikon no Tama. However, no matter where they searched or looked, there were no signs of the famed jewel.

"If this thing doesn't shut up, I'm going to smash it pieces!" hissed one of them, glaring at the device in his hand. The radar had been beeping nonstop since they had left Koenma's office seven hours ago, and many of them were beginning to believe they had been given a faulty device.

"Why don't we just ask the damn old man who runs the stupid shrine?" another demanded, peering down at the old priest who was sweeping the shrine steps. "The radar is beeping the loudest here." They had been searching nonstop for hours and he was tired and hungry, and he just wanted the whole thing done!

"But Koenma-sama specified that he wanted this mission completed in secrecy." the youngest member protested, fearing the consequences of his senior's actions. "Plus, even on normal missions, we never show ourselves to humans!"

"But we're not on a normal mission." he argued. "And Koenma-sama said that we should retrieve the Shikon at all costs. What's wrong with asking if the old man has seen the Shikon no Tama?"

"How would a human even know what the Shikon is?" he retorted.

"That's enough!" the team leader cut in, silencing the entire team. "We'll search for a bit longer. If nothing turns up, we'll –" he stopped, holding up a hand to silence his teammates (who had startled into chaos at his abrupt stop) when he suddenly heard the old man mention something that piqued his interest.

"Ah, come here, come here!" the old man beckoned, waving towards a pair of young girls who were visiting the shrine with their parents. "May I interest you in the Shikon no Tama?" he asked, pulling out a small jewel attached to a tag. "This is a very powerful relic…"

"It's the Shikon!" one of the Spirit Detectives cried.

"I knew it!" echoed another.

"Wait –" cried the team leader. However, before he could even finish, three of his teammates had already knocked out the visitors and apprehended the old man. "Don't be rash…" he quietly finished, sighing heavily. Sometimes, he clenched his teeth; he really wanted to strangle them!

Shaking his head, he motioned for the other three to stay as he went to greet the old priest. However, as he neared them, he was surprised to find his teammates and the old man locked in a heated argument.

"Unhand me, you fiends! Demons! Curs! Blasted –"

"Shut up, old man!"

"I'm a fully trained priest, you devil! If you don't unhand me this instant, I will purify you and –"

"Look, just hand over the Shikon no Tama and we'll leave."

"I will never give the Shikon to demons!"

"You were going to sell it anyway! What difference does it make? And, we're not demons!" The Spirit Detective was at the end of his wit…and his patience. Deciding that it was pointless to waste time arguing with an aged human (who was clearly delusional), he forgone trying to ask nicely and directly seized the Shikon. Pushing the old man aside when he tried to grab it back, he belatedly realized that the priest (despite his curses and screams that would have put any self-respecting demon to shame) was only human…

"Grandpa!" screamed a young girl who had just exited the shrine. Screaming, she rushed to the old priest's side and immediately began to fall into hysterics.

"I-I…" the Spirit Detective stuttered. H-He hadn't meant to do that!

"Saino! What in the world do you think you were doing? Or were you thinking at all? How could you have killed a human!" shouted the team captain. "Even if it's for the Shikon no Tama, your actions are detestable and unforgivable! Do you honestly think Koenma-sama will be pleased?"

"I-I didn't know…"

"Y-You," the girl cried, tears streaming down her pale face as she clutched her grandpa's bleeding head. "You killed my grandpa! Give him back! Give him back!" she screamed, glaring at the Spirit Detectives with loathing and hatred.

"We didn't mean to harm your grandfather." the female member of their team tried to soothe. "We can bring your grandfather to Koenma-sama. He can…" she trailed off when she realized, much to her chagrin, that her attempts to soothe the girl had the opposite effect.

The girl, upon seeing the rest of the Spirit Detectives approach, had immediately scrambled back in fear. Though she had wanted to stay with her grandpa, fear kept her at bay. Despite the woman's soothing tone, she couldn't help but wonder if they going to kill her too.

"Saino, take the priest." the captain ordered, glaring at his teammate (who was oddly subdued for once). "We'll take this situation to Koenma. However, you will be the one to explain the situation."

For once, he didn't argue and simply nodded his head. Easily picking the man off the ground, he stopped in mid-motion when he saw the girl looking at him with a mixture of fear and loathing. Deciding not to make the situation worse, he quickly took the body and left.

"Meiya, get the girl. We'll bring her with us." the captain hurriedly continued, trying to clear the scene before more people arrived at the shrine and saw the 'accident'. Belatedly, he realized that he should have phrased his words a little better because the girl, upon hearing his words, immediately turned tail and ran.

Instinctively, they instantly gave chase, scaring the girl into tripping down the hundreds of flights of shrine steps. Horrified, the six remaining Spirit Detectives quickly hurried forwards, trying to catch the girl before she fell and killed herself. "Damn," they cursed, tripping over each other to save her.

However, just as the captain thought he had caught her (preventing her pummel towards death), she suddenly disappeared in a burst of blue light that caused all of them to recoil back in shock. Once the light receded, they were equally stumped and horrified to find that she was gone.

"Curses!" one of them hissed.

What in the world were they supposed to tell Koenma?

"You what?" shrieked Koenma, jumping over his desk. "Wait, let me get this straight: You killed an old man, scared a five-year-old girl into jumping down hundreds of flights of stairs, and then made her disappear from the face of this planet…for this?" he screamed, holding up the Shikon they had taken from the old priest.

"…"

"This is just a stupid rock!" Koenma screamed.

"Technically," George cut in, hoping to smooth over the situation. "It's a magical jewel with very impressive powers!"

"I know that, idiot!" Koenma shouted back. "But this isn't even the real Shikon no Tama! I meant it literally when I said that this was just a stupid piece of rock! Now look and see what you've done! You killed a human over a rock! A rock! What do you want me to say to Father? Oh, he's going to kill me! And it's all your fault!" he finished, pointing an accusing fingers at the assembled members.

The Spirit Detectives winced.

"Oh…" he moaned, pacing rapidly back and forth. Just what in the world was he supposed to do? He knew it! He just knew those bumbling idiots were going to mess up! But he hadn't imagined that they would have done something like this!

"Koenma-sama…" Meiya began, trying to turn the young spirit ruler's attention back to the missing girl. It was their fault that she had disappeared, and she wanted to at least ascertain that she was somewhere safe.

"George!" Koenma hollered, ignoring Meiya.

"Yes sir!" he promptly answered.

"Call Botan and let her know that I'll have to postpone my trip Hanging Neck Island. Also," he added before the ogre ran out of the room, "Remind her to call me when everyone arrives safely on the island!"

"Yes, Koenma-sir! Right away, sir!" answered George, tripping over himself in his haste to get out of the room. He had a suspicion that things were going to get messy in there, and he didn't want to be around to witness it.

Once the ogre had left, Koenma gravely continued. "I can offer the old priest the same trial that I offered Yusuke. Whether he takes it or not is his choice. As for the girl, I have no clue where she is. According to the records, her name is Kagome Higurashi – the descendent of a long line of mikos and priests. Her mother and father died when she was only two, leaving her in the care of her grandfather."

If possible, the Spirit Detectives felt even worse. Silently, they wondered if the young spirit ruler was telling them these things on purpose. Sadly, they wouldn't put it pass him to make their lives miserable simply because they had made him miserable.

"The girl herself isn't what concerns me." Koenma continued, causing the Spirit Detectives' eyebrows to shoot up. "I don't mean that I don't care!" he hissed, pouting at an imaginary point on the wall. "I just think…I fear that the Shikon no Tama may have been behind her sudden disappearance."

"What do you mean, Koenma-sama?" Meiya asked, voicing her companions' thoughts. For the first time since they had returned from their mission, they realized that their mistake may have cost them more than one human life.

"It means –" Koenma abruptly stopped when the office door suddenly slammed open. "What is the meaning of this, ogre?" he demanded when he spotted George. "Can't you see that I'm in the middle of an important discussion? Are you stupid? Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"K-Koenma-sir!" cried George, ignoring the young ruler's berates. "Botan isn't answering my call!"

"So?" Koenma asked. "Maybe she forgot to turn it on."

"N-No!" he protested, wheezing for breath. "I thought it was strange that Botan wasn't answering, so I investigated further and found that everyone has been paralyzed! No one's moving! Not even the ship that Yusuke and the others are on! Even the waters are still!"

"What?" Koenma hissed, his eyes growing large. "Move aside!" he ordered as he turned on the screen and zoomed in on Yusuke and company. To his horror, he found that the situation was exactly like what George had described. Nothing was moving. No one was breathing. Everything was frozen in place – even Hiei, who was suspended in mid-air by an unseen force. Even the waters had stopped flowing.

"What could have done this?" one of the detectives whispered.

"Everyone and everything in Ningenkai has been frozen." Koenma whispered, not quite believing what he was seeing. Every place he checked, it was the same. Planes were suspended in mid-air – unmoving and unchanging. People were stopped in mid-motion – held in place by an invisible force.

"It's a good thing we were detained, right Koenma-sir?" George asked, trying to stay optimistic. "If we had gone, we would have bee frozen too, right?"

"Hm," Koenma absently agreed, narrowing his eyes in thought as a few pieces of the mystery finally fell into place. "Quick," he suddenly shouted, startling everyone out of their thoughts and into confused action, "Contact Gwen, the bounty hunter we had stationed in Makai!"

"Do you think the same thing is happening there?"

"I don't know." Koenma answered, furrowing his brow. "But I have a feeling that…"

"Koenma-sama!" shouted George. "The sources are indicating that Gwen is gone! Like…as if he had never existed!"

The Spirit Detectives immediately rounded on the ogre. "What do you mean?" they demanded. It was preposterous! "How could Gwen suddenly disappear? We don't have time for your jokes –"

"It's not a joke." Koenma cut in, slumping against his chair. "It's as I feared."

"W-What is it, Koenma-sir?" George asked, frightened. He had never Koenma like this before! Not even when he had heard the Dark Tournament challenge issued from Toguro! What could possibly have happened to cause the pale, frightened expression on Koenma's face?

After a moment, just when the Spirit Detectives were going to fall into panic, Koenma spoke. "Time has stopped in Ningenkai," he stated, staring unseeingly at a point in space. "And history is changing in Makai."

"W-We don't understand."

"George, bring me the book, History of Makai – it's a fairly accurate historical account of Makai's history. It's a book written by demons for demons. My father, King Enma, happened across this book by chance. It is a demonic book linked to Makai. If I'm right, then…"

"Here it is, Koenma-sir!"

Accepting the thick tome, he quickly flipped through the book, showing the Spirit Detectives what he had feared. The book, which had always been filled with thousands upon thousands of pages detailing the long and brutal history of Makai…was completely bare. The pages were devoid of ink and words…

"That girl – the girl you chased – had the Shikon no Tama." Koenma explained, closing the book. "I'm not sure how it happened, but something must have triggered the Shikon. If I'm right, then that girl didn't simply disappear. She traveled back in time."

"What…?"

Sighing impatiently, Koenma clarified: "That girl – Kagome's disappearance triggered a series of events. My guess is, in order to prevent a Time Paradox, the Shikon no Tama stopped time in present-day Ningenkai so that when Kagome traveled back in time, she wouldn't accidentally erase herself from history (thus, negating the events). In this case, I will also have to assume that Kagome has either traveled so far into the past that the barriers between Ningenkai and the Makai have not been formed yet, or she has traveled into Makai's past."

"Why Makai?" asked George, scratching his head.

"I don't know!" Koenma screamed, irritated at being interrupted. "But the fact that the History of Makai is blank proves that Makai's history is being rewritten. And the only one capable of changing time is Kagome and the Shikon no Tama!"

"But wouldn't changing events in Makai change events in Ningenkai?" George asked again before immediately ducking to avoid the cup that Koenma had thrown at him. "Sorry!" he squeaked.

"Weren't you listening, ogre?" Koenma shouted. "I already said that the Shikon no Tama paralyzed Ningenkai in a way so that changes made in Makai history will not be able to affect Ningenkai; so therefore, deaths caused by changes in Makai's history will not affect anyone's existence – including Kagome's existence – in Ningenkai. In effect, it means that the Shikon has completely separated Ningenkai from Makai.

"Theoretically, I'm guessing that time will resume in Ningenkai once Kagome returns. However, demons in Ningenkai will not be aware of the changes made in Makai. Which, by the way, will cause mass chaos and panic!" he shouted, ending in a shrill voice. "And, if I'm correct again, I'm guessing that the Shikon left Reikai untouched because it expects us to calm the mass panic and chaos that will descend upon us once time resumes in Ningenkai. Demons in Ningenkai will be unfamiliar with the changes made in Makai, and the demons in Makai will not understand why the demons in Ningenkai don't know about any of the new changes. In effect, we're doomed!"

George's eyes swirled with confusion as he toppled over. What in the world was Koenma explaining? His explanation, combined with a mini-rant, had successfully sent his mind into overdrive! The whole thing with time and paradoxes had turned his brain into mush!

"What should we do then?" Meiya asked, interrupting Koenma's screams of unforeseen horror. "Is there any way we can travel back in time too to stop Kagome from changing time?"

Clutching his hand, Koenma moaned and shook his head. "I don't know! I don't know!" What was he going to do? History was changing in Makai! Ningenkai was frozen in time! He could already see the chaos once time resumed and demons from Ningenkai and Makai mixed. There would be questions, confusion…things that even he, himself, wouldn't be able to explain!

"Kami save us!" he cried, barely keeping himself from bursting into tears.

They were doomed.

TBC

Author's Note: Well, I hope I didn't confused anyone too much. If you don't understand my explanation, it's okay. You can just ignore it and take my word for the rest of the events in the story. :P But if anyone must understand it, you're welcome to read and reread it until it makes sense. :) Joking!

Really, all I'm saying (for those confused) is that the Shikon split the Ningenkai and Makai in a way that events changing in Makai will not affect Ningenkai (thus, it won't erase anyone from existence). Time will, presumably, be restored once Kagome returns. However, the people in Ningenkai will not be aware of the events or changes made in Makai…and vice versa.