Title: This Time Around (Working Title - still unsure)

Author: silrayn silverwolf

Genre: Romance, Humor

Series: Tokyo Babylon, X1999, Yu Yu Hakusho (See Series Notes at the Bottom for all the series involved -- if you don't know anything about one or two of them, I don't guarantee accuracy though)

Rating: PG13, it may increase with time

Disclaimers: Clamp owns Tokyo Babylon & X1999. Somebody else owns Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghostfighter).

Pairings: Subaru x Seishirou (LOL, I know I'm insane.), Yoko Kurama x Kuronue (a thousand pardons to Kurama x Hiei fans, don't eat me! I seem to be on a Kuronue binge lately.) I'm tempted to make a shojo ai couple, Hokuto x Shizuru anyone? (Gets brained by Kakyou for the suggestion), Other canon pairings may make appearances

Spoilers: Some Tokyo Babylon & X1999 manga, Yu Yu Hakusho anime and OAV Movie

Teaser: What if Yoko the Silver Fox stole the body of the baby that was to be Sumeragi Subaru instead of Minamino Shuuichi? Seishirou Sakurazuka better watch out…his little Subaru-kun has fangs, not to mention a sexy pair of furry ears and a cute fluffy tail… The vicious streak the size of a small continent doesn't hurt either.

* see glossary for unfamiliar terms

: x : - thought conversation

This Time Around
TOKYO BABYLON - X/1999 - YU YU HAKUSHO
CROSSOVER FANFICTION

Prologue

Nine years ago…

I will make it right, 'neesan… You'll have your life again… My only regret is that I won't be there to see you. Go on with your life, 'neesan find happiness…

Subaru's green eyes sparkled with feverish glow as he put down his burden, the hollow body that had been his sister. His long black hair glistened with sweat. Hokuto-chan looked so young and so fragile. If he ignored the white bandages that trailed off into her arms. Ignored the hospital gown she wore instead of one of her fanciful creations. Ignored that a healthy human can't lie so still on the hard cement roof where he had lain her. He could almost pretend that she was just sleeping.

It's not fair, damned it… She was so full of life, why did she have to go out and confront him? Why did she have to go out and try to sacrifice herself for me? She doesn't even truly know me…damned it!

Subaru had been just a little late to prevent the confrontation between Hokuto and Seishirou. He had barely in time to prevent Seishirou from finishing the kill and giving Hokuto's soul to the Tree. Since then, Hokuto had managed to cling to just this side of life by dint of the youki Subaru had forced into her.

My only regret in this life is that I had been so complacent and so gullible as to let such an obvious scoundrel fool me into believing… I've been blinded by the seeming kindness of all humans… Humans were not all good, as demons weren't all bad… They are softer and more inclined towards kindness but…they have their moments of cruelty as well.

Subaru looked at his twin one more time. He stooped down to push the long ear tails away for the face that was so like his own and sighed. Then he stepped back and drew the Mirror of Utter Dark from its hiding place in his clothing. It was a plain thing surrounded by gold gilt. It struck him that it was such an ordinary looking mirror, well, ordinary except for the darkness that pooled within its depths. He gathered all his courage and looked into the black reflective surface. Far away, he heard the crash of a door opening.

"Kurama--!" It seemed far, far away.

Yuusuke, I'm sorry… My life for Hokuto's happiness… My life for the one who gave me the most unshadowed happiness I've ever known…

Everything faded into the darkness of the mirror.

***

The sky spun into view.

I'm…I'm alive… How is it possible?

Concerned dark blue eyes looked peered at Subaru through a disheveled fringe of sweat-soaked hair. Slowly, since the world was still unsteady around him, he sat up.

"Kurama, you idiot, how do you think your sister would feel when she sees that you sacrificed yourself for her? She'd be sad that's what!" Yuusuke ranted. His green uniform was wrinkled and he looked like he had been through the wringer.

He must have come soon after his fight with Gouki…

"I'm…I'm okay, really…and my sister?" Subaru stuttered.

"Relax. I checked. She's okay, breathing normally though out cold. You do know I have to urn you in you know…" Yuusuke said, tentatively. His attitude was as brash as his voice but Subaru had to concede that his heart was in the right place.

"Aa. I will go peaceably when the time comes, but I think you have enough problems…" The words trailed into meaningful silence. After all, there was still Hiei and Gouki to contend with. The two others who had planned this caper to steal the Three Treasures of the Reikai and Hiei, at least, was not an easy mark.

The silence lay heavy on them as Subaru checked for himself that Hokuto was all right. He extended his youki to cover her with its gentle warmth and saw that everything seems to be in order. Her soul's defenses were back to the way it was before the incident with Seishirou as he confirmed with his onmyoujitsu senses.

Thank the gods, she seemed back to normal… But I don't want her worrying about me, if she wakes up and finds me gone…

"No sweat. Spend some time with your sister, I'll come for you later." Yuusuke flashed his cocky grin, answering Subaru's desperate thought as if he knew what the other was thinking about.

"Aa." Subaru replied gratefully. He had underestimated the Reikai Tantei, again. He lifted his now healthy twin up to carry her back to their apartment.

~TBC~




Author's Notes: The Ranma ½ crossover thing is definitely on hold, it doesn't want to move! So is Before the Dawn, Kitsune Ku, and the other fics that everyone's forgotten by now. Raven's Pendant is moving like lightning, expect 2 long chapters in the coming week. Yes, kill me now, this is another Yu Yu Hakusho crossover. I got the idea while working with Raven's Pendant which is a Weiß Kreuz/YYH crossover. I seem to be able to move YYH crossovers best. Though gods knows, I'm not really a YYH addict. I can't write pure YYH stuff unlike some talented people in the yyhfanfic mailing list.

Glossary:

Aa / Hai - Yes

Baka - dummy, idiot

Kitsune - fox, fox spirit

Makai - Demon World (one of the Three Worlds)

Nani - what

Ningen - human

Ningenkai - Human World (one of the Three Worlds)

Reikai - Spirit World (one of the Three Worlds)

Reiki - spirit life force

Tantei - detective

Youkai - demon

Youki - demon life force

Series Notes:

Yu Yu Hakusho - the Urameshi Reikai Tantei team are four friends who battle demons for the Reikai (Spirit World). Their leader Urameshi Yuusuke was revived from the dead and ends up with his first case to restore the three treasures of the Reikai that was stolen. He's the hot guy with the slick black hair and dark blue eyes. Kuwabara Kazuma, an orange-headed, large, loudmouth classmate, joins him. Then Kurama, redhead, green-eyed kitsune (fox spirit) thief and Hiei, Kurama's best friend, a short temperamental fire demon with puffed up hair and red eyes are assigned to his team for their parole. They become great friends and teammates while demon hunting for the Reikai. This fic replaces Minamino Shuuichi (Kurama's human identity) with Sumeragi Subaru. The prologue of this fic is set in the first mission, apologies for the inaccuracies, I haven't watched YYH for a long time.

Tokyo Babylon - twisted courtship of Sakurazuka Seishirou the Sakurazukamori Assassin and his direct opposite Sumeragi Subaru, Clan Head of Sumeragi. Seishirou had made a bet with the nine-year old Subaru that when they met again he would give the Sumeragi a year to make him feel a true feeling. When that year is up, if he hadn't felt anything for the Sumeragi, he would kill him. The assassin then marks the child as prey and lets Subaru go without the memory of the bet. Seven years later, they meet and the bet is enforced. At the end of the year, Seishirou tries to kill Subaru who is rescued by his grandmother at cost. The Sumeragi goes Within, a catatonic state, it is the sacrifice of Hokuto-chan, his twin sister, that brings him back. This is where this fic comes in.

X/1999 - Nine years after Tokyo Babylon, Shirou Kamui makes a choice and the End of the World is eminent, Seven Dragons of Heaven (Seals) and Seven Dragons of Earth (Angels) strive over the fate of Humanity. The Sakurazukamori is an Angel. The Sumeragi is a Seal. Things get very interesting…this is where the fic really starts.