Blues and blacks swirled around Dante in a stream of not-light as he floated, gravity having abandoned him to this strange place. It was almost peaceful, this endless freefall, some sort of foreign energy that was neither demon nor like the pink marble surrounding him. He didn't know what it was, except that it was very old. The marble itself was practically humming away in his pocket, and he noticed that the colours seemed to pulse in time with it. Weird, but he'd seen weirder. Compared to what he usually went through this was a walk in the park, since he'd yet to have anything try to tear his face off.

The ride ended before he had time to worry about where it was taking him. He landed on his hands and knees, and a quick check revealed that he was unharmed with all his weapons still on him. "The hell?" he muttered, half-expecting some slobbering demon to come leaping out at him whilst he was still a little dazed, but nothing happened. Damn, the trip had been downright pleasant once he'd gotten over the sensation of falling without actually falling. What the hell was wrong with this universe?

A glance around revealed that he was at the bottom of a drywell, though since he could see a clear blue sky through the opening above it definitely wasn't the one he'd been dragged into. "Down the rabbit hole, huh. Okay, I'll bite." The vines were a new addition too, but he ignored them in favour of one powerful bound to get him out of the well, landing in a crouch on the wall encasing the well. He was surrounded by thick vegetation, the vibrant greens and colourful flowers a heavy contrast to the industrial Tokyo. It smelled incredibly different too; fresh and clean like nowhere he'd been before, no heavy pollution or even a hint of burning fossil fuels. He couldn't have swapped universes again, could he?

No, those mountains in the distance looked pretty familiar – well, as familiar as chunks of rock can be – and he could see a huge tree not too far away that he recognised from the Higur-something Shrine. So he was in the same place, just not the same…time, maybe? It made sense, what with the whole can-breathe-deeply-without-wanting-to-cough-up-a-lung and the familiar landmarks. So, time-travelling wells then. Not the mode of transport he'd have personally chosen, but it was certainly original. Now, should he jump back down the well and (hopefully) be taken back to civilisation, or should he wander around a potentially-dangerous area he knew nothing about?

"Let's check out the huge-ass tree," Dante decided, setting off towards it. He hadn't noticed it before, but there was something off about the tree. It was kinda like with the well and the marble; that non-human or demon energy that still seemed sentient in some way. Hell, maybe this sort of thing was normal in this universe, and he'd just stumbled upon a load of them in quick succession.

When he walked into the small clearing surrounding the tree, the sight before him wasn't quite what he'd been expecting. Pinned to the already old tree was a boy, an arrow piercing his chest and holding him to the tree. Usually this wouldn't have gotten much more than an acknowledging glance, but when the boy in question had triangular, dog-like ears poking up through long sliver hair on the top of his head, well, that was enough to get at least a raised eyebrow.

"Hey kid, you alive up there?" Since he didn't get a response Dante moved further into the clearing, hopping up onto the thick, twisting roots that rose through the soil and bound the boy to the tree further. The old-traditional Japanese clothing supported his time travel theory, and he couldn't be more than a few centuries back judging by the style (rather, the fact that there was a style, and not just a few scraps of fur). The kid didn't seem to be dead, since there was none of that decomposing – however slowly – smell that corpses got pretty quickly, and his skin was still a healthy colour. It was more like he was in some sort of coma, and since he was clearly non-human Dante wasn't gonna doubt the boy - he couldn't have been much older than the girl he' saved from centipede-lady, all teenager-y and whatever - could survive being shot with an arrow. He was speaking from experience, after all. How many times had he been pinned to stuff by his own sword?

The arrow itself was pretty weird too. It looked old as hell, fletching faded and patchy whilst the wood wasn't looking too good either, but when he flicked it rather than snapping like a steel one would've the arrow remained stubbornly intact. For a second it glowed that pale pink he was grudgingly getting used to, corresponding with a flash from his pocket, before flickering away. He was about to give it an experimental tug when a group of humans crashed through the tree-line behind him.

"No! You must not free Inuyasha!" Someone shouted desperately. There was a twang of bowstrings and several arrows flew towards the hybrid, but each missed him and pierced the tree instead in what he guessed was meant to be a warning. He didn't flinch, even as one scraped his cheek in its flight. The thin cut was sealed over barely a few second later, not enough time for any blood to congeal.

"So that's your name, huh?" Inuyasha, predictably, didn't answer. Dante swore those ears of his twitched a little, though it could've been his imagination. Whatever. Time to deal with the natives.

The group was small, only about a dozen men ranging from barely adults to middle-aged, all holding some sort of weapon – mostly farming scythes with a few bows scattered amongst them, some clubs and one rusty old sword. Leading the pack was an old woman, wearing those baggy red pants and long-sleeved white shirt. Some sort of priestess uniform, right? She clutched a drawn bow and narrowed her remaining eye at him, the other socket covered by an eyepatch. All in all, not a very threatening image.

"What can I do for ya, Captain?" Dante asked cheerfully, "I'm a bit busy to go plundering, but try later and I'll see what I can do." Several of the men lowered their weapons slightly in confusion, a general expression of 'What the…' spreading through them. Looked like he'd found a downside to this time travel business; no one got his jokes.

The old woman frowned at him. "I know not what manner of youkai you are, but I beg that you do not free Inuyasha, for it will spell the end of us all."

"You're kidding, right?" he said, glancing over at the teenager. "You think pretty boy over there can take me?" Then the first part of her statement registered. Youkai? That was a Japanese demon, right? Why did she think he was one of them- he looked down at his leather coat and clothing, white hair brushing the corners of his vision. Right. Compared to the villager's plain colours – both clothing and hair – he stood out like a sore thumb.

"Heed my warning," the old lady began, stringing her bow with another arrow, "or I will be forced to stop you myself."

Dante spread his arms wide, mockingly presenting his chest as a clear target. "Give it your best shot, old woman."

The priestess glared and her arrow was engulfed in a faint glow before she set it loose. To his eyes the arc it made was painfully slow – he was used to dodging bullets, after all – but he remained where he was. The arrow sunk into the centre of his chest, but the impact wasn't enough to even make him sway. The triumphant look on the villagers' faces quickly faded when the pink light sputtered out after a few moments, tingling unpleasantly but otherwise having no effect. Dante grinned especially wide at them as horror and confusion rose in the humans, none more so than the old woman. They hadn't honestly expected something like that to do any serious damage, even with that weird energy, had they?

"Now that I've proven you don't stand a chance, think we can be civil?" Dante pulled out the arrow and dropped it to the ground, relieved when the black leather covering his torso began to fix the small hole. He could only go through so many torn and destroyed clothes before he started getting all his stuff made in self-repairing material. It was expensive as hell, but cheaper than having to buy a whole new outfit after every job. Demons just had no respect for the aesthetics.

"Very well," the old woman agreed, watching him cautiously. "As long as you swear on your heritage that you will not harm any of the people who live in the village, I will take you there and answer any question you have."

Dante gave her a dazzling smile in return. "I won't harm a hair on their heads. Scout's honour." He wasn't big on admitting he needed the help, but this way-

The marble pulsed in his pocket, and he brought it out with an irritated frown. What was up with that thing? It seemed to give the centipede demon some sort of power boost, then it dragged him down a well, and now it wouldn't quit with the light show. He could usually figure out new weapons and stuff within seconds of getting them, but this thing was a complete mystery.

"No, that can't be…" He turned his attention to the old priestess, who looked like she was about to have a heart attack, eyes riveted to the marble. "The Shikon no Tama!"

"Is that what this thing is called?" 'Tama' meant jewel, right? It didn't really look much like a jewel, but he wasn't gonna argue with the expert. Or, if not an expert, she at least knew more than he did.

There was another pulse of energy, harmonising with a flash of power behind him. Turning around curiously, he was met with angry gold eyes. "The Shikon no Tama…is mine!" Inuyasha snarled, looking remarkably lively for a guy who'd been in a coma just a few seconds a go.

"No need to be so cranky, pretty boy," Dante admonished, then looked over his shoulder at the stunned villagers. "Just for the record, I didn't touch the arrow. Blame it on the gay disco ball over here," he added, holding up the jewel, which glowed happily in his palm. "Smug little bastard, ain't ya." The fancy marble didn't seem bothered by his glare, even if it was half-hearted at best. At least the jewel made things interesting.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha was straining against his wooden bonds, but the seal had sapped his usual strength from him. There was no way he was gonna get the jewel, pinned to the tree like this. If it weren't for that fucking arrow! He couldn't get it out himself, but it didn't exactly look brand new; maybe its power had faded over how long he'd been stuck here? If he could get a strong enough demon to yank it out, they'd probably be able to survive the spiritual power, or at least long enough to free Inuyasha. But where was he gonna find a strong demon that would be willing to help him in the first place?

The hanyou paused in his struggles and looked up at the white-haired guy who was still staring at the Shikon no Tama. There was something off about him. He didn't smell like a human, but he wasn't a youkai either. One thing Inuyasha was sure of was that the guy was powerful, and the old hag's attempt at purifying him at least showed he was resistant to spiritual power. Though Inuyasha wouldn't mind getting back at him for the 'pretty boy' comment, that could wait for later after the seal was destroyed. "Hey, think you can loosen this arrow a bit?" he asked between gritted teeth, giving his best charming smile even as he imagined tearing the other man apart.

Dante fought back a laugh at the sorta-demon's rigid request, but gave up when one of Inuyasha's eyes started twitching. He braced himself on his knees, laughs shaking his body, regaining his composure for only a moment when he caught sight of Inuyasha's enraged face, and chuckles tore through him again. "Sorry kid," he finally apologized as he straightened. "You really need to work on hiding how much you wanna throw me into a ditch, before you go askin' me to help you."

"Quit running your fucking mouth and get me the hell off this tree!" Inuyasha demanded, giving up on any niceties in the far of his anger. That arrogant bastard was laughing at him, and he couldn't do anything about it, damn it!

Dante held his hands up and widened his eyes innocently. "Hey now, no need for name-calling. You might hurt someone's feelings." When Inuyasha looked like he was winding himself up for a rant, the demon hunter poked his forehead. "Lemme finish. I never said I wouldn't free you. Shouldn't be too difficult," he muttered the last part to himself, crossing his arms and peering at the arrow. If pretty boy wanted to have a go at him that much, well, he hadn't had a proper challenge in a long time.

"You mustn't!" Huh, he'd almost forgotten about the old woman and her cohorts. She seemed too wary to get much closer, and with her recent failure in mind there was no new arrow strung on her bow. She wasn't completely senile, then. "Inuyasha is far too dangerous!"

He grinned at her. "Well now you've said that," a leather-gloved hand closed around the arrow's shaft, and sparks of pale lavender flickered around it, singing his skin. "I just have to." His own demonic energy responded to the power in the arrow, streaks of dark red erupting around his hand. The two lights battled each other but the purple was quickly overwhelmed, crushed by the thick scarlet, and the arrow exploded in a hail of sparks.

Dante was given a split seconds warning in the form of a rush of energy before Inuyasha ripped free from the roots holding him to the tree, claws outstretched and gleaming as he leapt for the red-coated man. Dante bent over backwards at the waist, tilting his head back just enough for the claws to pass harmlessly over his face, Inuyasha's momentum taking him passed in a barely controlled fall.

The hanyou quickly regained his feet though, glaring at Dante who stood with his arms crossed behind his head, cocky grin in place. "Feisty, ain't ya?"

"Shut the hell up and just die!" Inuyasha growled and charged at him, swiping his right hand. "Sankon Tessou!" he yelled, light streaming from his claws.

"Too slow!" Dante evaded the strike with a quick sidestep, catching the surprised hanyou's ankle as he flew past. Inuyasha was brought to an abrupt halt where he hung for a few moments in mid-air, before he was swung towards the trees that lined the edge of the clearing. He ploughed through three of the trees but came to a stop against the fourth, which creaked ominously beneath the force, barely managing to remain standing.

Inuyasha groaned as he pulled himself out of the trench he'd made, regretting underestimating his opponent. He'd thought he could finish the fight in one swipe of his claws, or at least cause some serious damage, but the bastard was a lot stronger than he'd thought. There was no way he was giving up though, not until the bastard's blood was painting the clearing!

The bastard in question was patiently waiting for the apparent teenager to emerge. Inuyasha seemed to be pretty sturdy, so a few trees to the face shouldn't be enough to take him out. Sure enough, the hanyou darted back towards him a couple of seconds later, bearing only superficial wounds and a few leaves in his long hair. "Hand over the Shikon no Tama, and I'll make your death quick!"

"Try it, pretty boy!" Dante was preparing to intercept the next attack when the priestess started chanting. Beads flew through the air towards Inuyasha, settling around his neck in a loose necklace. The two confused men blinked at the beads, and when nothing happened they turned to the old woman.

"Speak the subduing word!" The priestess addressed Dante frantically. "Any word will do! Anything to control Inuyasha!" She seemed to have decided that Dante was the lesser evil, though her attempts at aid really weren't necessary.

"Ha! You think you can subdue me?!" Claws cut through the air where his head had been a moment ago, followed through with a swipe at his stomach that Dante leapt back from. Pretty boy was faster than he'd thought; that last one managed to catch the edge of his trailing coat. He might actually be fun to fight, even if he was rough around the edges. But…

"You just had to make it a challenge, didn't ya?" Now Dante just had to 'subdue' him or whatever. He held his elbow and cupped his chin as he danced around the hanyou's strikes, trying to think of the right word. Hmm, what would suit Inuyasha, and be funny at the same time? A grin lit up his face when the perfect word came to him, one he'd head a frustrated dog-owner yelling at her pet the other day. "Osuwari!"

Like someone had turned gravity up full-blast Inuyasha slammed into the ground face-first, the rest of his body following unwillingly. Dante had a moment of surprise – he hadn't really expected it to work, and definitely not so well – before the effect wore off. Inuyasha darted upright, grabbing the necklace with an outraged cry of, "What the hell is this?!"

The old priestess apparently felt it was safe enough to wander over, though she remained noticeably closer to the demon hunter. "To struggle is useless, Inuyasha, as that rosary subdues your power."

"Wha…" Confusion quickly turned to anger, his charge directed at the priestess this time as he entirely ignored the amused Dante. "I'll kill you, old hag!"

The old woman turned to Dante. "If you could...?"

Shrugging, he complied with her unspoken request. However weird her powers were, she was still a human, and he couldn't just let her die. "Osuwari."

The beads were just as effective a second time, judging by the satisfying thud. Dante could get used to this.

. . .

The old priestess, who introduced herself as Kaede, led Dante into the village with a repeat of her promise to explain everything. The men who had come with her remained a wary few metres away, weapons clutched tightly, whilst a sullen Inuyasha trailed even further back. After a couple of attempts to attack Dante and Kaede, and the following 'osuwari's, he'd run out of steam. Dante didn't have much of a problem with him leaving if he wanted to, but pretty boy wouldn't let the Shikon no Tama out of his sight. The dog and bone analogy had never been more accurate.

The village itself was small, with only a couple of dozen houses on either side of the dirt road that ran through the village. Men and women worked in the crop fields, peering cautiously at the odd group as they walked past. Used to being stared at, Dante waved cheerily at them, sending grins to the few children who waved back. Kaede sent him an odd look for that, but she was less tense after that, and by the time they reached her hut she was asking if he wanted something to eat.

Not having eaten since – shit, yesterday morning or something? – Dante nodded eagerly. The stew she made over the fire in the middle of the one-roomed hut tasted amazing, more due to his hunger than the cook's skill, but he thanked her all the same and helped himself to seconds. Eventually Inuyasha grabbed a bowl for himself, even if he was scowling whilst he did so, and there was a moment of peace whilst the three ate.

"So, anyone gonna tell me what the hell a Shikon no Tama is?" Dante asked when they were all finished. Kaede sat across from him, on the other side of the cooking pot, whilst Inuyasha had his back to them near the entrance.

"You haven't heard of it?" Kaede looked surprised when he shook his head. "It is a very powerful object, its spiritual power allowing one to achieve all of their desires. It is sought after by many with darkness in their hearts, both human and youkai."

"Is that what Inuyasha is? A youkai?" He glanced over at the teenager, noticing that he'd stiffened at the question, but continued to pretend he hadn't heard.

"No, Inuyasha is a hanyou." At Dante's uncomprehending look, she continued, "He is half dog-demon, half human."

"Kinda like me, then," Dante murmured, more to himself than his audience. Inuyasha's ears swivelled towards him, head turning slightly before he stopped himself. "Just without the dog part."

The old priestess examined him, searching for any signs that would indicate the non-human half of Dante's heritage, but she found nothing. The white hair was odd, yes, but usually there were more obvious indicators, such as Inuyasha's ears. Since he did not volunteer any more information she decided to leave those wonderings alone. She knew that he was powerful, and she wouldn't risk angering whilst he was in her village. He may have been reasonable thus far, but she had not so naïve as to trust any with demon blood in their veins. That trust had cost her sister her life.

Inuyasha suddenly sat up from his slumped position, spinning to face them angrily. "Old hag, you've been going on like that since earlier. Do you know me?!"

"You don't recognise me, do you?" Kaede began, frowning at the hanyou's honest confusion. "But that's not surprising," she sighed, steeling herself. "I am the younger sister of Kikyou, the one who sealed you. I am Kaede."

"Kaede?" Inuyasha repeated, searching the old hag's face for any resemblance to the young girl he'd seen in passing.

"It has been fifty years since then, so I have aged as well."

Fifty years? Pretty boy had been stuck to a tree for fifty years? Damn, that must've been boring. Dante couldn't imagine staying in one place with nothing but trees for company for a whole day, never mind half a century. No wonder he'd been so cranky when he'd woken up.

"You're that brat, huh. Which means…" Inuyasha scratched his head, "Kikyou is a total hag as well? Too bad, being human, isn't it?"

"Kikyou-onee-sama is dead. It was the same day that you were sealed."

Inuyasha froze, and Dante was starting to feel like he was watching some sort of soap opera. Pretty boy obviously cared about this Kikyou chick more than he was letting on, yet she was the one who'd sealed him for fifty years. Talk about drama.

"So that's what happened. Too bad for that bitch," the hanyou scoffed, going back to his reclining position facing the entrance. "That's a relief."

Kaede made to say something to Inuyasha, but changed her mind. "How did you come across the Shikon no Tama?" she asked Dante instead. "It was burnt with Kikyou-onee-sama upon her death, and there was no trace of it afterwards."

"I yanked it out of some centipede demon. She probably hadn't had it for long though, since she was so weak." Dante thought of the Higurashi girl, the one the demon had chased after. She'd had a hole in her side, but was otherwise unharmed, like the centipede had attacked but suddenly lost interest after the first blow. The girl couldn't have had the jewel, could she? If it was as powerful as Kaede was claiming, what was an ordinary human doing with it?

"Have you attempted to use it?" she questioned warily. If the strength she sensed was purely due to the jewel she'd feel a bit better, but if he had yet to use it…

"Nah, power like that always comes at a price in my experience, and I'm not prepared to pay it." Kaede breathed a sigh of relief, glad that this demon at least was not power-hungry like the majority. "'sides, where's the fun in that? I enjoy a challenge, and the magic marble would make things way too easy."

"How stupid are you?!" Inuyasha leapt to his feet, rounding on Dante with an infuriated glare. "You could do anything you wanted! Keh, if you don't want it, give it to me so I can become a full youkai!"

Kaede spoke up before Dante to form a reply. "You must not allow the Shikon no Tama to be used, for its power corrupts even the purest of wishes. As the one who found it after so long, it is your responsibility to protect it."

"You trust me to protect something like this?" Hadn't the old woman thought he was an evil demon a couple of hours ago? Now she was trusting him to protect a mysterious, wish-granting jewel? He could just throw it away if he wanted, or sell it off, or use it himself. He had plenty of wises; an unlimited supply of pizza, a harem of beautiful women, enough money to fill several swimming pools, hell, he could just wish to go home-

His eyes widened in realization. He could go home. Make a wish, click his heels and off he went, back to his own universe. The jewel was supposed to be all-powerful, right? It could do something like that, easy. He just had to make a wish, and he wouldn't be stuck in this place anymore. Back to his shop, to his friends, to his life which – as shitty as it could be at times – was still his life.

He pulled the Shikon no Tama out and looked down at it, ignoring the other two in favour of pouring all his focus – fear, grief, devastating hope – into the small object. His heart was pounding, and he'd never begged in his life before this, but he had no problem with it now. Take me home.

Nothing happened. There wasn't even a flicker in the jewel's pink surface, no hint that he'd even tried to use it. Crushing disappointment swept through him, though his blank face showed no sign of his emotional state. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Of course the fucking thing didn't work! When had things ever been so simple for him? Why should something go his way for once? They just kept taking and taking and- and now he had nothing left.

"Dante-san? Are you well?"

At Kaede's soft inquiry he took in a deep breath, relaxing his fist and placing the jewel back in his pocket. He wasn't so weak as to break down, especially not in front of anyone else. Dante would do what he always did; brush off the hit and keep going. Wasn't like he had any other choice.

"Yeah. Just peachy."