This is my first attempt at an IY fic, and I made it a crossover with
YYH to boot. ^^ Well, it does work and you'll see why if ya give it a
chance. ^^
Title: Power Play
Author: Stormy
Feedback: Yes please! dingostorm @ hotmail.com (remove courtesy
spaces)
Archive: My site: http//stormyfics.homestead.com/fanfics.html
Additional archiving: Morgan already knows she has my permission.
Anyone else, please ask me first.
Pairings:
Obvious: Inuyasha/Kagome, Yuusuke/Keiko, Hiei/Kurama
Hints of/Mention of: Miroku/Sango, Kuwabara/Yukina, Koenma/Botan
Notes: This is my first attempt at an Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho
crossover.
- Inuyasha: I tried to keep the timeline up until episode 48; from
there it branches off.
- YYH: Takes place after the series, the team is still together.
Some things to know:
The fic uses a lot of references from the shows, but you can get the
idea of both in the fic. I tried to include enough background to make
it understandable without it being over-powering. If you have the
second YYH movie, you might want to watch it again to get the
references – I used Yakumo and the power sphere as the basis for this
fic. Again, that's only a suggestion - I think I made it clear enough
to be understood without additional research.
Rating: PG-13 for now. Rating is subject to change with future
chapters.
Warnings: shonen ai alert with Hiei and Kurama, mild language,
mention of wandering hands courtesy of our favourite priest Miroku!
Warnings subject to change with future chapters.
I think that's everything! If you have any questions, please feel
free to email me. And even if you don't have any questions, email me
anyway – I love feedback. ^^ Also, this was beta'd by the wonderful
Mina Lightstar who generously agreed to read this for me, even though
she had no prior knowledge of Inuyasha. **Hugs Mina** Any mistakes
found from this point on are mine alone.
IY/YYH X-over
Long ago and far away, Japan was a place of beauty, with
rolling hills, lush with vegetation, and pockets of villages
scattered throughout the countryside. Depicted in scrolls and tales
of old, it was a time when anything was possible, a time believed to
have magic and mystery beyond anything one could ever imagine.
Feudal Japan also had its dangers that accompanied the
fanciful dreams, however, for not all magical and spiritual energy
was good. The ancient times were believed to be filled with dangerous
and evil demons, cruel creatures known as youkai that ran rampant,
killing and feasting on human flesh. During that time, a mystical
object appeared on the mortal realm. Believed to be a gift of power
from the gods, it was taken back to a small village, where it resided
in a warded shrine, being served by its priestess, or miko. The miko
was chosen in every generation to guard the object with their lives,
using its power for good, to purify it against those who would
corrupt its power and use it for their own personal gain. They called
it, the Shikon no Tama, and to be chosen as its Guardian was
considered to be the highest honour a young girl could receive.
Until one day, the Shikon no Tama was stolen by a half-
demon. The Shikon's miko was gravely wounded but still managed to
seal away whom she thought was the thief using an arrow, enchanted
with her magic. The Shikon no Tama was then burned with the body of
the miko, who died as a result of her injuries.
Hundreds of years later, the priestess was
reincarnated and she traveled back in time through an ancient well.
Her incarnation brought forth the Shikon no Tama from her body back
to the mortal realm. She freed the demon thief and then, during a
battle with a crow youkai, shattered the Shikon no Tama across the
land in thousands of pieces. Thus, the reincarnated Miko, Kagome,
began her travels across the land with the half-youkai thief Inuyasha
to reclaim the scattered shards. They faced many obstacles, many
demons in their path, and made friends for life who joined them on
their quest to recapture the missing pieces of the legendary orb of
power.
Still, no one really knew much of the orb's mysterious
past, or of what true power lay within it. No one knew – nay, no one
could ever possibly know that granting a heart's desire was the least
of its power. The orb was a symbol of power for the gods and
goddesses of the heavens above, though very few could ever hope to
handle it without corruption. Its destruction by the foreign girl of
the future, woke a sleeping beast that had been thought to be
eradicated from existence.
It was when the Shikon no Tama was nearly complete
once more, that our story takes place.
===============================================================
Blackness surrounded and suffocated him. Floating endlessly
on an empty sea of air and yet not air, the limbo tugged at him,
trying to make him one of their own. His own will and power were too
strong however, and the blackness could not drag him down into
oblivion. Oh no. He was far too strong for that.
He could feel It calling to him. The power he had once
had so briefly in his possession after so many years of separation,
once again called out to him.
It was horrifying, almost nauseatingly pure, but that
couldn't stop him, not forever. What was once corrupt could be so
again. It was injured, not whole, and he snarled at the idea of
someone destroying something that rightfully belonged to him.
Experimentally, he sent a mental bolt of power to It, trying to
establish the link he once had. Instead, he found a barricade and he
seethed with impotent fury. Someone else had created a link with the
power! The power that should have been his - HAD been his for so long!
Deep in the blackness of space, something cracked.
Anger rage, embarrassment, humiliation, the urge for revenge – all of
these emotions swelled up, coalescing into a beam of black light,
crackling with violet streaks of lightning that cut through the
limbo. It had been so long…he could feel the power and the need to
own it once again was more then the limbo could stand.
It was once said fallen gods were those that, for one
reason or another, had lost favour among their kind, and the
punishment was banishment to the farthest reaches of space, into a
timeless void from which they could never escape. It was the harshest
punishment that could ever be bestowed upon an entity, a last resort
that meant the end of an immortal being, since Death could not take
an immortal life.
The void sucked away the personality, the life-fire,
the vigor, the hate, the love, and the light of the fallen one,
turning them into an empty husk. But sometimes there was a fallen
one whose hatred and need for revenge, could keep the darkness from
absorbing it completely. When this happened, if the fallen one could
somehow latch onto their lost power, it was possible for it to breach
the void.
This was a nearly impossible feat, since a god's
powers were usually purified and dispersed among the other gods. But
if a god's power was tangible, and still existed, the connection
could, in theory, be made.
The theory was about to be tested.
The black light streamed out, unfettered, piercing the
darkness of the void like it were made of rice paper and scattering
it enough to allow the breach to be seen. One clawed hand reached
out, and the black light spread out even further. A hoarse scream
echoed across the vastness, soundless in the cold vacuum of space,
yet sent a tremble across the galaxy. Pale lips parted and a guttural
voice, unused to speech after so long, struggled to speak.
"P-power…S-sphere……"
===============================================================
It came as no surprise to Koenma that it was raining
outside when the news arrived in the form of a heavy stack of papers,
unceremoniously dropped on to his massive desk by his servant. Dark,
heavy clouds and thundering rain were often the prelude to ominous
tidings. He let the curtain fall back into place from where he had
been holding it back, not wanting to view the dismal weather any
longer, and sat down at his desk. George stood silently before him.
"You're sure, then."
"Yes, my lord." George raised tired eyes to his
master. Exhaustion had turned his normally blue countenance to a
dusky gray. It had been a rough few days. "It has been confirmed. It
has reappeared. And yes, he is after it."
"I see." Koenma lowered his own eyes to his desktop.
Other papers were piled up to one side, in a stack almost taller then
he was. They were the papers of the dead, requiring his stamp of
approval before they could go on to their just rewards. He could
spend a month in his office, doing nothing but putting stamp to paper
and still end up with more then he could ever do. It was his job, his
calling in life.
At this moment, doing his job was the furthest thing
from his mind. He lifted his head with a sigh, resolutely setting his
shoulders back. George watched him carefully, and cleared his throat.
"My Lord. Shall I call Botan?"
Koenma drummed his fingers on the desktop. His
casualness would have made any passer-by think he had not heard the
oni's words, but George knew better. He waited patiently, knowing
Koenma would speak when he had finished formulating his thoughts on
the subject. This was no light matter.
Calling in Yuusuke and the Reikei Tantei would make his
decision to involve them irreversible, and there was a good chance
they could lose their lives. Despite his penchant for throwing the
Tantei to the proverbial wolves in an effort to track down evil
youkai, the young dark lord cared for the team he had assembled. His
decision could not be made lightly.
"How could this happen?" Koenma muttered to himself. "I
thought we were rid of the damn thing. And what has happened in the
past should not be affecting us now. Yet it is, and it is my
responsibility to fix it." He scowled briefly. "Damn time portals.
Had that damn thing never existed, we would not be in danger."
His hands stilled on the desktop and he looked up at his
faithful servant. Despite the fuukuman in his mouth and his tiny
stature, his eyes were ancient, and his small hands shook slightly as
he splayed his fingers against the polished oak of his desk. George
waited.
"Summon Botan," he said finally, hating the words as each
left his mouth but knowing he had no other recourse.
"My Lord." George bowed and turned to leave. Koenma's eyes
snapped up as the oni passed through the heavy metal-worked door
leading to his office. He resisted the urge he felt to call the oni
back and tell him to cancel his request, knowing that he had to do
what had to be done. It was part of his job, a legacy passed down to
him from his father, and while he didn't like certain aspects of the
job, it was still his, and his by right to do.
A dull thud resounded as the door swung shut but, Koenma was
already back at the window, pushing the drapes aside with one hand.
Again, he studied the rain, fat cold droplets of water splattering
against the window as thought trying to get to him, and he raised one
hand, tracing the water as it trailed down the glass. The future was
never set in stone, he knew, but the sense of unease sweeping over
him made him edgy. Something wasn't right, and probably would never
be so again.
"Maaa, Inuyasha!" Kagome sighed irritably, wiping her brow
with on hand. "It's so hot and humid here - surely we can take a
small break, ne?"
"Weak humans," the half-demon muttered. At he front of their
small group, picking out the trail for those not endowed with his
senses, he glanced back with a scowl. " Fine. If we must make this
journey longer then it has to be..."
"Oh hush." Kagome grinned at the grumpy demon. " You have to
be thirsty yourself - a short break will do us all good. And it's
not like that demoness we're chasing is that far ahead right? She
won't get away."
Inuyasha shrugged and folded his arms, looking away. It was
hot out, he allowed with some reluctance. Still, he had no intention
of saying that out loud.
Miroku, their young priest of a companion, clapped his hands
together briskly and then reached for one of the bottles of water
that Kagome handed out. She had brought them from her own time, and
felt they were more sanitary then the calfskins and
other...interesting containers they used. Beside him, the demon-
huntress Sango shrugged out of the shoulder harness of her
Hiroikotsu, nodding in thanks as a bottle was passed to her.
Kagome giggled as the kitsune kit Shippo suddenly attached
himself to her arm from the back of her bike rack.
"Thank you, Kagome!"
"You're welcome, Shippo-chan," she smiled fondly at the
kit. "I knew you'd be thirsty too!" She ruffled the fluffy hair on
his head, lightly scratching his ears until the little kit was nearly
purring with pleasure.
Inuyasha sniffed at the obvious affection Kagome bestowed
upon the bothersome little imp. Not that he cared, of course. Not
him at all--
"Here!"
Inuyasha squawked and nearly fell off his precarious perch on
a rotting old tree stump at her sudden appearance. She held out a
water bottle to him with a smile. He accepted it and twisted the top
off with his claws.
"Thanks," he mumbled in a low voice, before taking a drink.
Kagome's smile grew even larger.
"You're welcome, Inuyasha," she replied, before turning to go
back to where the group was sprawled out across the grass.
Inuyasha watched her go with hooded eyes. She was acting more
friendly to him, at last. He sighed - it had been several weeks since
he had last seen Kikyo. Her reanimated body, born of clay thanks to
an old youkai's magic, and brought to life by separating of Kagome's
soul and putting Kikyo's back into the clay, now sworn for revenge on
Inuyasha for a crime he didn't commit. He had loved Kikyo, all those
years ago. Both of them cold and hard, he jaded by life, she by her
duties as a miko - an evil and powerful youkai named Naraku had
caused them to believe the other had betrayed them, and their fragile
trust and love was shattered. Still, Inuyasha felt responsible for
Kikyo, alive in a time not her own, and it was only mere weeks ago
that Kagome had caught him embracing Kiyo, determined to protect her
like he couldn't all those years ago.
It had caused undue stress on their team. Since Kagome had
freed him from his imprisonment on the God-tree, he had come to think
of her not as the reincarnation of Kikyo, but as Kagome, solely
herself and unlike no other. She treated him with kindness even when
he repaid her with cruel words. Her unwavering belief in him and his
ability, and her solid trust that he would never harm her amazed him.
Inuyasha fingered the hilt of his sword - that she had given him his
father's weapon, a sword forged from his father's fang and concealed
in Inuyasha's eye, had been an act of trust that he could scarcely
believe. It had been a turning point in their barely-civil
relationship, the start of what Inuyasha pinpointed as the beginning
of his fledgling feelings for yet another mortal woman.
He had fought it, of course. To give in to his heart and
entrust its care with a human was something he never thought he could
do again. His human mother had died, leaving him alone. Kikyo had
believed him a traitor and sealed him away, choosing to die, rather
then use the Shikon no Tama to save herself and perhaps discover the
truth. If there was one thing Inuyasha had learned in his hard life,
it was that betrayal was only a matter of time.
Somehow though, Kagome had broken past his barriers with
hardly any effort. She didn't expect anything more from him then what
he was willing to give. He...cared for her.
Inuyasha took another sip of water and watched the group
through slit eyes, feigning sleep. Kagome was under his protection -
the very thought of anything happening to her sent panic throughout
him. She knew this, and he knew deep inside, that she knew he cared
for her.
Which was why he didn't blame her for being wary of him, even
after they had come to a kind of understanding during the first few
days after witnessing him in Kikyo's embrace. How could he explain
that he still loved Kikyo, that a part of him always would - but that
he now lo..lo...cared for her, too?
"Life is confusing," he muttered. He had to protect Kikyo -
he owed her that much - but he wanted Kagome. His mind was
screaming "TWO-TIMER! TWO-TIMER!" and he winced, knowing it was
true. "Damn."
===============================================================
Kagome relaxed for a minute, enjoying the sunshine on her
face. The cold water had refreshed her, and from the looks on
everyone's faces, they felt the same way. Shippo scampered up to her,
holding his empty water bottle.
"Kagome! There's a river nearby with fresh cold water. I'm
gonna go refill mine - want me to bring yours?"
"Thank you, Shippo-chan!" Kagome smiled. She glanced back at
the rest of her group. " I'll come with you. Miroku? Sango?"
Miroku tossed his empty bottle at her and made as if to
stand. "I shall accompany you, Kagome-sama--"
"You will do nothing of the kind," Sango said with a mild
glare. "Come on Kagome."
"No trust, no trust whatsoever," Miroku complained good-
naturedly. He ducked the automatic swat Sango aimed at his head as
she passed him. "And me being a priest. How sad."
"Whatever," Inuyasha smirked. "A corrupt priest at that."
"I take great offence at that remark," the young monk
exclaimed. "I am the veritable pentagon of virtue."
"You mean paragon," Kagome threw back over her shoulder as
she and Sango disappeared around the corner. "And I wouldn't say
that."
"Wounded to the quick." Miroku grinned at Inuyasha. "A fiery
one, she is. If I didn't know you'd slice me to shreds, I'd still be
asking her to bear my child."
"You STILL ask her to bear your child!" snarled Inuyasha. "
Her and Sango! Why they don't just knock you over a mountain or
something, I'll never understand."
"Because no matter what, of the two of us, I still have the
better manners," Miroku shrugged. "And ladies like to be made to feel
special."
"Che."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, another fact that
marvelled Inuyasha whenever he thought about it. After the death of
his mother when he had been very small, he had been alone for a very
long time. The village near where he had grown up had shunned him,
afraid of his demon heritage even though his mother had been a
respected member of their community. He had fled the place of his
birth, fending for himself and growing up to believe that the only
person he could count on was himself. When Kagome had awakened him
from what was supposed to be his eternal slumber, he had entered a
new life, eventually surrounding himself with a group of people he
grudgingly admitted he would defend with his very life.
Beside him, Miroku sat up suddenly, his staff suddenly
gripped by bloodless fingers. With one hand shading his eyes, he
scanned the horizon. Inuyasha leaped to his feet, automatically
trusting the priest's senses. Pervert and corrupt he may be, Miroku
knew enough not to fool around when there was possible danger around.
"What's up, Priest?" Inuyasha growled, sniffing the air. "I
don't smell anything nearby."
"I'm not sure," Miroku said slowly, eyes still roving the
distant skyline. "I just felt a stirring in my blood, a foreshadowing
of some kind."
Inuyasha sniffed as he let his guard relax slowly. "Let me
tell you, the only time you have a stirring in your blood is when you
see the latest batch of village girls."
Miroku scowled. "Hey!"
Before they could begin arguing in earnest, a cry came from
the direction Kagome and Sango had headed. Inuyasha was off like a
shot, bounding up the short hill and flying over the rock that
blocked his view of the river.
Miroku was hot on his heels, staff in one hand and rosary in
the other, prepared to release the fury of his Air Void attack if it
turned out to be dangerous. The cry had been Sango's after all, and
it took a lot to make the demon huntress afraid.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted out as he tore down the other side
of the hill to the river. He could see the two girls near the water,
and the smaller form of Shippo perched beside them. Sango crouched on
the ground, holding Kagome's limp body in her arms, and Inuyasha felt
his heart nearly stop. Sliding the last few feet across damp grass,
he skidded to a halt and dropped down beside the warrior.
"What happened?" he snarled. " You were only gone a minute!"
He lifted anxious eyes off Kagome's still features and stared at
Sango. "Who did this?"
"No one did," Sango replied, worriedly. "We were refilling
the bottles when Kagome suddenly froze. I was going to ask her what
was wrong when she collapsed."
Inuyasha growled and reached out with one hand. He could hear
Kagome's heart beating strongly in her chest, could hear the faint
whistle of air going in and out of her lungs – he could even see the
rising of her chest with each breath. Still, he couldn't help himself
and he checked her pulse carefully, only to pull back with relief,
pausing briefly to brush a stray lock of midnight from her face.
"She seems to be okay," commented Miroku, appearing next to
them. "Lay her down and I'll check her out."
"Watch the hands, priest," Inuyasha muttered half-heartedly,
more out of habit then anything else. Shippo remained perched on the
rocks lining the riverside, his young eyes wide with fear.
"Is Kagome okay?" he asked, staring at the still form of the
one who had been most like a mother to him. Inuyasha looked at him,
saw the fear, and took pity on the young kit.
"Of course she's going to be okay, baka! You're a fox – can
you not smell the life in her? Hear her blood pulse through her
veins? Jeez."
"I sense a vague mystic aura," Miroku said after a minute, as
he sat back from his examination. "But whatever it was, is long since
gone."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as he thought of something. "This
happened almost the same time you said you sensed something, Miroku.
Do you think it has something to do with it?"
"The possibility is great," admitted the priest as he stood
up. "But I don't think Kagome's in any danger right now. She seems to
be sleeping. I'll just get her settled for the night—"
Sango smacked away the wandering hands of the priest. "Behave
yourself!"
Inuyasha flattened his ears, baring his fangs at the priest
as he gathered Kagome into his arms. Shippo jumped from his seat onto
the dog-demon's shoulder, the latter sighed and accepted the kit's
presence without a fuss. Miroku held up his hands and smiled
winningly at the half-demon.
"Sorry, force of habit you realize."
"Grrr………"
===============================================================
"What did you lose this time, runt?" Yuusuke sighed, bracing
his forearms on the familiar wooden desk and eyeing the young lord
with a weary frown. It never failed. As soon as the words "summer
vacation" left his mouth after class that day, he had automatically
flinched, cursed, and then started a mental countdown. Sure enough,
along came Botan, swooping down on her magical oar, shrieking his
name at the top of her godly little lungs. Yuusuke sighed again in
irritation. He just couldn't catch a break. And Keiko was probably
going to kill him for taking off without waiting for her. Again.
Koenma looked at him and Yuusuke slowly straightened at the
serious look on the young god's face. Normally, when Koenma needed
them to do something, the godling was rushing around like a chicken
with its head cut off, flapping his arms like little wings. Usually,
he barked out orders at the top of his lungs, practically pushing the
Reikai team out the door in his haste to return whatever was stolen
before his father got back. He did NOT stare at the team with such a
serious expression.
Across the large room, the second member of the team,
Kuwabara, eyed Koenma suspiciously. "What's wrong now?" The orange-
haired boy traded worried looks with Yuusuke, apparently thinking the
same thing.
Koenma drummed his fingers on the desktop, watching the two
of them, giving his options a last minute evaluation. Once he
involved them, they were in for the duration. While it was their job
to do his bidding, they had already faced this particular problem
once before. They had succeeded, but only after nearly being
destroyed.
Yuusuke was running out of patience; he had never been a big
fan of the silent treatment. "Koenma, just tell us! It can't be worse
then anything you've already thrown at us, can it?"
Koenma sent him a level stare. "Oh, yes it can." He looked
away for a moment. "I did not want to bring you into this, you
realize."
"Afraid we can't handle it?" Kuwabara blinked in
astonishment. After nearly two years as a Tantei member, he'd figured
the last thing Koenma thought of them was incompetent. "Spill it,
shorty."
It was a true sign of Koenma's worry that he didn't even
attempt to reprimand Kuwabara for his lack of proper respect. The
young lord watched his two charges standing before him, already eager
to set out on a task they knew nothing about. He had truly chosen
wisely when he'd created his team.
"It involves the Power Sphere."
Yuusuke froze at Koenma's words, memories welling up in his
mind. The power sphere. The same orb of power that had nearly killed
Botan when she tried to hide it within herself. The orb that had
corrupted the spiritual energy of the earth. He swallowed hard. That
same power sphere had taken all of his energy and endurance to hold
on to, and had required his teammates' sacrifice of power to assist
him.
Of all the challenges he had ever engaged in on Koenma's
behalf, the battle over the power sphere remained the chief concern
of his nightmares. The feeling of himself slipping away… And then
there was Yakumo.
He shuddered. Yakumo had been his greatest challenge. Even
now, after Yakumo's apparent destruction, he could still see that
demonic grinning face right in his; the murderous look in his eyes as
he tried to destroy Yuusuke and his friends.
Yuusuke looked at Koenma, his face now a blank mask, devoid
of any emotion. "What about the Power Sphere?" he asked flatly.
Koenma winced at the chilly undertone in his words, but he
had expected it. "It's…back."
Kuwabara came forward, leaning against the desk. "What do
mean it's back? I thought after we purified it, it got reabsorbed
into the spiritual energy of the earth." He avoided looking at his
partner.
"I thought so too," Koenma said quietly. " It was reabsorbed…
and then reborn." He cleared his throat. "In the past."
"In the past?" Kuwabara looked up quickly. "So it's here now
then?"
"Not exactly." Koenma sighed. " I need to give you two a
little background information." He resumed tapping his fingers
against the desk. Where to even begin? "You are aware of course of
the boundary between the Makai and the Reikai. It's the boundary that
keeps the demon world and the human world separate. The boundary is
thinner in some parts, and it is those parts that we are able to jump
back and forth."
The two boys nodded; this was old news to them.
"Some youkai, like Hiei and Kurama, are able to jump through
those weak points using their powers. It takes a certain amount of
skill and knowledge to pass through – it's the reason Yuusuke can
sometimes go through, but at the same time, you, Kuwabara, need Botan
to open up a gateway to allow you passage." He eyed the two
again. "Still with me?"
"Of course," Yuusuke shrugged. "We've only been doing it for
years."
"Well, what if I told you were not the only humans that are
able to jump through these portals? Or that some of these portals
don't lead to the Makai, but lead back in time?"
That got their attention. Yuusuke and Kuwabara's eyes
suddenly fixed on him with a fierce intensity. "Through time?"
The future God of Death nodded. "Through time."
"So there's a portal somewhere that leads to the past,"
Yuusuke murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he tried to piece
Koenma's story together. "And since you said the power sphere is in
the past, the portal you're thinking of must lead to it. Right?"
Koenma nodded. "However, the power sphere was shattered by a
magical arrow, and its shards scattered all over feudal Japan."
"It was destroyed?" Yuusuke frowned. "That easily? By an
arrow?"
"What about that thing you said about humans going through
time portals?" Kuwabara cut in abruptly. " Any humans in
particular?"
"Yes," said Koenma. He reached across his desk to a file that
had sat there during the entire exchange, unnoticed. He handed it to
Yuusuke, who raised one eyebrow – usually they were never allowed to
see any of the files on his desk. The files contained a person's
entire life history, current, previous and future. They were not
something to be trifled with. Koenma didn't say anything though, so
Yuusuke took it as a sign of permission, and flipped the cover over.
A picture of a young girl with black hair and bright blue
eyes smiled back at him.
"Kagome Higureshi," he murmured, reading the girls
name. "Cute. So she travels in time?"
"She is the present-day reincarnation of a priestess who
lived in feudal Japan," Koenma told them. "It is she who shattered
the power sphere when she traveled back in time."
"Why'd she do something like that?" Kuwabara asked, peering
over Yuusuke's shoulder.
"The orb had been reborn in her body, possibly drawn to her
by the spiritual power she possessed as a miko. The sphere's power
was detectible by youkai, and they tried to take it from her, to
absorb it and increase their own power. She destroyed a crow demon
that tried to do so, and inadvertently hit the sphere at the same
time."
"Ouch," Yuusuke winced.
"She and her friends of that era have been collecting the
shards to restore the sphere. "Koenma looked at Yuusuke. "When you
battled Yakumo, the sphere's powers were revealed to you. What do you
remember?"
"That it was an enormous source of energy," he shrugged. "Ya
know? I could feel my own power increasing – I felt that if I had
fired my rei gun the moment the sphere was in my hand, I would have
obliterated half of Tokyo."
Koenma nodded, satisfied. "That's part of it, yes. "
"What's the other part?" Kuwabara asked warily.
"The sphere has the power to grant the heart's desire."
Yuusuke gazed at him with concern as he thought about what
that might entail. After dealing with chaotic, eccentric, and/or
bloodthirsty demons for so long, he was well aware of the fact that
one's heart's desire could be anything from an eight-course meal, to
millions of dollars, to the pure heart of a virgin, to world
domination.
Kuwabara folded his arms. "But if this priestess/miko person
has the sphere, isn't that safer than normal or something? Or is she
secretly evil?"
Koenma shook his head. "Kagome isn't the one I'm worried
about." The little god then focused on Yuusuke. "Yakumo is back as
well. And he is after the Sphere."
Once again Yuusuke froze. Kuwabara groaned, slamming his hand
across his face. "Well, if that just doesn't take the cake…"
"I'm sorry, Yuusuke," Koenma said sincerely, ignoring the
orange-haired boy's moaning. "He escaped limbo shortly after the
power sphere was in he beginning stages of being put back together.
From what I can determine, he could sense the power reawakening in
the sphere. The shards themselves are powerful, but nothing like the
whole thing. The closer it comes to being out together, the more
energy is sent out to heal it, and Yakumo's link with his old power
source must have been such that he could feel it struggling." He
shook his head tiredly. "It was enough for him to latch on to."
Yuusuke took a deep breath. "Okay…okay." He looked up, trying
to regain his focus. "So, Yakumo is back. I can deal with this. Where
is he?"
Koenma winced. "Umm….that part, I don't know." The pair gaped
at him in astonishment and he grew a little defensive. "Hey, do you
know how fast this is happening? I'm doing the best I can here."
"Then I guess that means we have to go get that sphere back
before Yakumo does," Kuwabara said, cracking his knuckles. "Right?"
Yuusuke nodded.
"Actually…" Koenma let his voice trail off a bit. Yuusuke
glared at him.
"Now what?"
"You have to help Kagome and her friends put the shards back
into the complete whole. It's nearly done, but one of their enemies
has the rest of the shards. Also, you won't be able to handle it
Yuusuke. Not again."
"Huh?"
Koenma pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off
the impending headache he'd had ever since George's fateful
report. "The Sphere had been corrupt with dark energy when you used
your own to purify it. It tied a link to you, and you sent it back
into the earth's energy before it could give you your heart's
desire." He rubbed his temples; pinching wasn't working. "It created
a build up in power that wasn't released like the rest of it. In this
case, the Sphere has a link with Kagome. Only she can purify it this
time around, and let it do what it's supposed to do."
"What if she wishes for something evil?" Kuwabara asked
softly.
"I think the one piece of good news we've had all day is that
Kagome cannot be corrupted without a great deal of outside influence
of evil power," Koenma told him. "Her very touch purifies corrupt
shards. And she wants only happiness for her friends." He smiled. "It
was these kinds of wishes that made up the Sphere's true powers from
the start. It was Yakumo who changed everything and made the Sphere a
symbol for darkness."
"So then we help put the Sphere back together, let this
Kagome-chick make her wish, keep Yakumo off her back and then what?"
"Hopefully the Sphere will dissipate completely," Koenma
shrugged. "At any rate, Yakumo needs to be stopped. Permanently." He
eyed them seriously. "Understood?"
"Yeah," Yuusuke acknowledged with a grimace. `If I can.' "So
where's Kurama and Hiei? Aren't they a part of this too?"
"Hiei's in the Makai with Mukuro right now. It's part of the
deal he worked out with her to remain her heir, and still stay in the
Ningenkai with Kurama."
Yuusuke and Kuwabara grinned, as they always did, at the
mention of their teammates relationship. The very first time the
eager kitsune had tackled the moody fire demon in public had been
priceless. "So Kurama's gone to get him?"
"I've given Kurama the directions to the time portal Kagome
uses," Koenma nodded. "They will meet you there."
"Awesome." Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. " Then I'd say it's
time to get this show on the road."
Yuusuke nodded. He gave one last look at Koenma who actually
managed to look apologetic and resolutely pushed his fears down into
the pit of his stomach to handle later.
"Let's do it."
==============================================================
TBC…
End part 1
More notes!
Okay - the spelling of Sango's weapon was taken directly off a subbed
episode so any fault with it is on the part of the subber whom I
automatically trusted to know what they were doing. (you'd think I'd
know better after the "Scurdick" fiasco in the WK subs ^_~)
I apologize for any formatting problems - I went through and tried to
fix them all manually but if any still showed up...*sighs and kicks
word processor*
If anyone has any title suggestions, I'm open to them.
YYH to boot. ^^ Well, it does work and you'll see why if ya give it a
chance. ^^
Title: Power Play
Author: Stormy
Feedback: Yes please! dingostorm @ hotmail.com (remove courtesy
spaces)
Archive: My site: http//stormyfics.homestead.com/fanfics.html
Additional archiving: Morgan already knows she has my permission.
Anyone else, please ask me first.
Pairings:
Obvious: Inuyasha/Kagome, Yuusuke/Keiko, Hiei/Kurama
Hints of/Mention of: Miroku/Sango, Kuwabara/Yukina, Koenma/Botan
Notes: This is my first attempt at an Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho
crossover.
- Inuyasha: I tried to keep the timeline up until episode 48; from
there it branches off.
- YYH: Takes place after the series, the team is still together.
Some things to know:
The fic uses a lot of references from the shows, but you can get the
idea of both in the fic. I tried to include enough background to make
it understandable without it being over-powering. If you have the
second YYH movie, you might want to watch it again to get the
references – I used Yakumo and the power sphere as the basis for this
fic. Again, that's only a suggestion - I think I made it clear enough
to be understood without additional research.
Rating: PG-13 for now. Rating is subject to change with future
chapters.
Warnings: shonen ai alert with Hiei and Kurama, mild language,
mention of wandering hands courtesy of our favourite priest Miroku!
Warnings subject to change with future chapters.
I think that's everything! If you have any questions, please feel
free to email me. And even if you don't have any questions, email me
anyway – I love feedback. ^^ Also, this was beta'd by the wonderful
Mina Lightstar who generously agreed to read this for me, even though
she had no prior knowledge of Inuyasha. **Hugs Mina** Any mistakes
found from this point on are mine alone.
IY/YYH X-over
Long ago and far away, Japan was a place of beauty, with
rolling hills, lush with vegetation, and pockets of villages
scattered throughout the countryside. Depicted in scrolls and tales
of old, it was a time when anything was possible, a time believed to
have magic and mystery beyond anything one could ever imagine.
Feudal Japan also had its dangers that accompanied the
fanciful dreams, however, for not all magical and spiritual energy
was good. The ancient times were believed to be filled with dangerous
and evil demons, cruel creatures known as youkai that ran rampant,
killing and feasting on human flesh. During that time, a mystical
object appeared on the mortal realm. Believed to be a gift of power
from the gods, it was taken back to a small village, where it resided
in a warded shrine, being served by its priestess, or miko. The miko
was chosen in every generation to guard the object with their lives,
using its power for good, to purify it against those who would
corrupt its power and use it for their own personal gain. They called
it, the Shikon no Tama, and to be chosen as its Guardian was
considered to be the highest honour a young girl could receive.
Until one day, the Shikon no Tama was stolen by a half-
demon. The Shikon's miko was gravely wounded but still managed to
seal away whom she thought was the thief using an arrow, enchanted
with her magic. The Shikon no Tama was then burned with the body of
the miko, who died as a result of her injuries.
Hundreds of years later, the priestess was
reincarnated and she traveled back in time through an ancient well.
Her incarnation brought forth the Shikon no Tama from her body back
to the mortal realm. She freed the demon thief and then, during a
battle with a crow youkai, shattered the Shikon no Tama across the
land in thousands of pieces. Thus, the reincarnated Miko, Kagome,
began her travels across the land with the half-youkai thief Inuyasha
to reclaim the scattered shards. They faced many obstacles, many
demons in their path, and made friends for life who joined them on
their quest to recapture the missing pieces of the legendary orb of
power.
Still, no one really knew much of the orb's mysterious
past, or of what true power lay within it. No one knew – nay, no one
could ever possibly know that granting a heart's desire was the least
of its power. The orb was a symbol of power for the gods and
goddesses of the heavens above, though very few could ever hope to
handle it without corruption. Its destruction by the foreign girl of
the future, woke a sleeping beast that had been thought to be
eradicated from existence.
It was when the Shikon no Tama was nearly complete
once more, that our story takes place.
===============================================================
Blackness surrounded and suffocated him. Floating endlessly
on an empty sea of air and yet not air, the limbo tugged at him,
trying to make him one of their own. His own will and power were too
strong however, and the blackness could not drag him down into
oblivion. Oh no. He was far too strong for that.
He could feel It calling to him. The power he had once
had so briefly in his possession after so many years of separation,
once again called out to him.
It was horrifying, almost nauseatingly pure, but that
couldn't stop him, not forever. What was once corrupt could be so
again. It was injured, not whole, and he snarled at the idea of
someone destroying something that rightfully belonged to him.
Experimentally, he sent a mental bolt of power to It, trying to
establish the link he once had. Instead, he found a barricade and he
seethed with impotent fury. Someone else had created a link with the
power! The power that should have been his - HAD been his for so long!
Deep in the blackness of space, something cracked.
Anger rage, embarrassment, humiliation, the urge for revenge – all of
these emotions swelled up, coalescing into a beam of black light,
crackling with violet streaks of lightning that cut through the
limbo. It had been so long…he could feel the power and the need to
own it once again was more then the limbo could stand.
It was once said fallen gods were those that, for one
reason or another, had lost favour among their kind, and the
punishment was banishment to the farthest reaches of space, into a
timeless void from which they could never escape. It was the harshest
punishment that could ever be bestowed upon an entity, a last resort
that meant the end of an immortal being, since Death could not take
an immortal life.
The void sucked away the personality, the life-fire,
the vigor, the hate, the love, and the light of the fallen one,
turning them into an empty husk. But sometimes there was a fallen
one whose hatred and need for revenge, could keep the darkness from
absorbing it completely. When this happened, if the fallen one could
somehow latch onto their lost power, it was possible for it to breach
the void.
This was a nearly impossible feat, since a god's
powers were usually purified and dispersed among the other gods. But
if a god's power was tangible, and still existed, the connection
could, in theory, be made.
The theory was about to be tested.
The black light streamed out, unfettered, piercing the
darkness of the void like it were made of rice paper and scattering
it enough to allow the breach to be seen. One clawed hand reached
out, and the black light spread out even further. A hoarse scream
echoed across the vastness, soundless in the cold vacuum of space,
yet sent a tremble across the galaxy. Pale lips parted and a guttural
voice, unused to speech after so long, struggled to speak.
"P-power…S-sphere……"
===============================================================
It came as no surprise to Koenma that it was raining
outside when the news arrived in the form of a heavy stack of papers,
unceremoniously dropped on to his massive desk by his servant. Dark,
heavy clouds and thundering rain were often the prelude to ominous
tidings. He let the curtain fall back into place from where he had
been holding it back, not wanting to view the dismal weather any
longer, and sat down at his desk. George stood silently before him.
"You're sure, then."
"Yes, my lord." George raised tired eyes to his
master. Exhaustion had turned his normally blue countenance to a
dusky gray. It had been a rough few days. "It has been confirmed. It
has reappeared. And yes, he is after it."
"I see." Koenma lowered his own eyes to his desktop.
Other papers were piled up to one side, in a stack almost taller then
he was. They were the papers of the dead, requiring his stamp of
approval before they could go on to their just rewards. He could
spend a month in his office, doing nothing but putting stamp to paper
and still end up with more then he could ever do. It was his job, his
calling in life.
At this moment, doing his job was the furthest thing
from his mind. He lifted his head with a sigh, resolutely setting his
shoulders back. George watched him carefully, and cleared his throat.
"My Lord. Shall I call Botan?"
Koenma drummed his fingers on the desktop. His
casualness would have made any passer-by think he had not heard the
oni's words, but George knew better. He waited patiently, knowing
Koenma would speak when he had finished formulating his thoughts on
the subject. This was no light matter.
Calling in Yuusuke and the Reikei Tantei would make his
decision to involve them irreversible, and there was a good chance
they could lose their lives. Despite his penchant for throwing the
Tantei to the proverbial wolves in an effort to track down evil
youkai, the young dark lord cared for the team he had assembled. His
decision could not be made lightly.
"How could this happen?" Koenma muttered to himself. "I
thought we were rid of the damn thing. And what has happened in the
past should not be affecting us now. Yet it is, and it is my
responsibility to fix it." He scowled briefly. "Damn time portals.
Had that damn thing never existed, we would not be in danger."
His hands stilled on the desktop and he looked up at his
faithful servant. Despite the fuukuman in his mouth and his tiny
stature, his eyes were ancient, and his small hands shook slightly as
he splayed his fingers against the polished oak of his desk. George
waited.
"Summon Botan," he said finally, hating the words as each
left his mouth but knowing he had no other recourse.
"My Lord." George bowed and turned to leave. Koenma's eyes
snapped up as the oni passed through the heavy metal-worked door
leading to his office. He resisted the urge he felt to call the oni
back and tell him to cancel his request, knowing that he had to do
what had to be done. It was part of his job, a legacy passed down to
him from his father, and while he didn't like certain aspects of the
job, it was still his, and his by right to do.
A dull thud resounded as the door swung shut but, Koenma was
already back at the window, pushing the drapes aside with one hand.
Again, he studied the rain, fat cold droplets of water splattering
against the window as thought trying to get to him, and he raised one
hand, tracing the water as it trailed down the glass. The future was
never set in stone, he knew, but the sense of unease sweeping over
him made him edgy. Something wasn't right, and probably would never
be so again.
"Maaa, Inuyasha!" Kagome sighed irritably, wiping her brow
with on hand. "It's so hot and humid here - surely we can take a
small break, ne?"
"Weak humans," the half-demon muttered. At he front of their
small group, picking out the trail for those not endowed with his
senses, he glanced back with a scowl. " Fine. If we must make this
journey longer then it has to be..."
"Oh hush." Kagome grinned at the grumpy demon. " You have to
be thirsty yourself - a short break will do us all good. And it's
not like that demoness we're chasing is that far ahead right? She
won't get away."
Inuyasha shrugged and folded his arms, looking away. It was
hot out, he allowed with some reluctance. Still, he had no intention
of saying that out loud.
Miroku, their young priest of a companion, clapped his hands
together briskly and then reached for one of the bottles of water
that Kagome handed out. She had brought them from her own time, and
felt they were more sanitary then the calfskins and
other...interesting containers they used. Beside him, the demon-
huntress Sango shrugged out of the shoulder harness of her
Hiroikotsu, nodding in thanks as a bottle was passed to her.
Kagome giggled as the kitsune kit Shippo suddenly attached
himself to her arm from the back of her bike rack.
"Thank you, Kagome!"
"You're welcome, Shippo-chan," she smiled fondly at the
kit. "I knew you'd be thirsty too!" She ruffled the fluffy hair on
his head, lightly scratching his ears until the little kit was nearly
purring with pleasure.
Inuyasha sniffed at the obvious affection Kagome bestowed
upon the bothersome little imp. Not that he cared, of course. Not
him at all--
"Here!"
Inuyasha squawked and nearly fell off his precarious perch on
a rotting old tree stump at her sudden appearance. She held out a
water bottle to him with a smile. He accepted it and twisted the top
off with his claws.
"Thanks," he mumbled in a low voice, before taking a drink.
Kagome's smile grew even larger.
"You're welcome, Inuyasha," she replied, before turning to go
back to where the group was sprawled out across the grass.
Inuyasha watched her go with hooded eyes. She was acting more
friendly to him, at last. He sighed - it had been several weeks since
he had last seen Kikyo. Her reanimated body, born of clay thanks to
an old youkai's magic, and brought to life by separating of Kagome's
soul and putting Kikyo's back into the clay, now sworn for revenge on
Inuyasha for a crime he didn't commit. He had loved Kikyo, all those
years ago. Both of them cold and hard, he jaded by life, she by her
duties as a miko - an evil and powerful youkai named Naraku had
caused them to believe the other had betrayed them, and their fragile
trust and love was shattered. Still, Inuyasha felt responsible for
Kikyo, alive in a time not her own, and it was only mere weeks ago
that Kagome had caught him embracing Kiyo, determined to protect her
like he couldn't all those years ago.
It had caused undue stress on their team. Since Kagome had
freed him from his imprisonment on the God-tree, he had come to think
of her not as the reincarnation of Kikyo, but as Kagome, solely
herself and unlike no other. She treated him with kindness even when
he repaid her with cruel words. Her unwavering belief in him and his
ability, and her solid trust that he would never harm her amazed him.
Inuyasha fingered the hilt of his sword - that she had given him his
father's weapon, a sword forged from his father's fang and concealed
in Inuyasha's eye, had been an act of trust that he could scarcely
believe. It had been a turning point in their barely-civil
relationship, the start of what Inuyasha pinpointed as the beginning
of his fledgling feelings for yet another mortal woman.
He had fought it, of course. To give in to his heart and
entrust its care with a human was something he never thought he could
do again. His human mother had died, leaving him alone. Kikyo had
believed him a traitor and sealed him away, choosing to die, rather
then use the Shikon no Tama to save herself and perhaps discover the
truth. If there was one thing Inuyasha had learned in his hard life,
it was that betrayal was only a matter of time.
Somehow though, Kagome had broken past his barriers with
hardly any effort. She didn't expect anything more from him then what
he was willing to give. He...cared for her.
Inuyasha took another sip of water and watched the group
through slit eyes, feigning sleep. Kagome was under his protection -
the very thought of anything happening to her sent panic throughout
him. She knew this, and he knew deep inside, that she knew he cared
for her.
Which was why he didn't blame her for being wary of him, even
after they had come to a kind of understanding during the first few
days after witnessing him in Kikyo's embrace. How could he explain
that he still loved Kikyo, that a part of him always would - but that
he now lo..lo...cared for her, too?
"Life is confusing," he muttered. He had to protect Kikyo -
he owed her that much - but he wanted Kagome. His mind was
screaming "TWO-TIMER! TWO-TIMER!" and he winced, knowing it was
true. "Damn."
===============================================================
Kagome relaxed for a minute, enjoying the sunshine on her
face. The cold water had refreshed her, and from the looks on
everyone's faces, they felt the same way. Shippo scampered up to her,
holding his empty water bottle.
"Kagome! There's a river nearby with fresh cold water. I'm
gonna go refill mine - want me to bring yours?"
"Thank you, Shippo-chan!" Kagome smiled. She glanced back at
the rest of her group. " I'll come with you. Miroku? Sango?"
Miroku tossed his empty bottle at her and made as if to
stand. "I shall accompany you, Kagome-sama--"
"You will do nothing of the kind," Sango said with a mild
glare. "Come on Kagome."
"No trust, no trust whatsoever," Miroku complained good-
naturedly. He ducked the automatic swat Sango aimed at his head as
she passed him. "And me being a priest. How sad."
"Whatever," Inuyasha smirked. "A corrupt priest at that."
"I take great offence at that remark," the young monk
exclaimed. "I am the veritable pentagon of virtue."
"You mean paragon," Kagome threw back over her shoulder as
she and Sango disappeared around the corner. "And I wouldn't say
that."
"Wounded to the quick." Miroku grinned at Inuyasha. "A fiery
one, she is. If I didn't know you'd slice me to shreds, I'd still be
asking her to bear my child."
"You STILL ask her to bear your child!" snarled Inuyasha. "
Her and Sango! Why they don't just knock you over a mountain or
something, I'll never understand."
"Because no matter what, of the two of us, I still have the
better manners," Miroku shrugged. "And ladies like to be made to feel
special."
"Che."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, another fact that
marvelled Inuyasha whenever he thought about it. After the death of
his mother when he had been very small, he had been alone for a very
long time. The village near where he had grown up had shunned him,
afraid of his demon heritage even though his mother had been a
respected member of their community. He had fled the place of his
birth, fending for himself and growing up to believe that the only
person he could count on was himself. When Kagome had awakened him
from what was supposed to be his eternal slumber, he had entered a
new life, eventually surrounding himself with a group of people he
grudgingly admitted he would defend with his very life.
Beside him, Miroku sat up suddenly, his staff suddenly
gripped by bloodless fingers. With one hand shading his eyes, he
scanned the horizon. Inuyasha leaped to his feet, automatically
trusting the priest's senses. Pervert and corrupt he may be, Miroku
knew enough not to fool around when there was possible danger around.
"What's up, Priest?" Inuyasha growled, sniffing the air. "I
don't smell anything nearby."
"I'm not sure," Miroku said slowly, eyes still roving the
distant skyline. "I just felt a stirring in my blood, a foreshadowing
of some kind."
Inuyasha sniffed as he let his guard relax slowly. "Let me
tell you, the only time you have a stirring in your blood is when you
see the latest batch of village girls."
Miroku scowled. "Hey!"
Before they could begin arguing in earnest, a cry came from
the direction Kagome and Sango had headed. Inuyasha was off like a
shot, bounding up the short hill and flying over the rock that
blocked his view of the river.
Miroku was hot on his heels, staff in one hand and rosary in
the other, prepared to release the fury of his Air Void attack if it
turned out to be dangerous. The cry had been Sango's after all, and
it took a lot to make the demon huntress afraid.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted out as he tore down the other side
of the hill to the river. He could see the two girls near the water,
and the smaller form of Shippo perched beside them. Sango crouched on
the ground, holding Kagome's limp body in her arms, and Inuyasha felt
his heart nearly stop. Sliding the last few feet across damp grass,
he skidded to a halt and dropped down beside the warrior.
"What happened?" he snarled. " You were only gone a minute!"
He lifted anxious eyes off Kagome's still features and stared at
Sango. "Who did this?"
"No one did," Sango replied, worriedly. "We were refilling
the bottles when Kagome suddenly froze. I was going to ask her what
was wrong when she collapsed."
Inuyasha growled and reached out with one hand. He could hear
Kagome's heart beating strongly in her chest, could hear the faint
whistle of air going in and out of her lungs – he could even see the
rising of her chest with each breath. Still, he couldn't help himself
and he checked her pulse carefully, only to pull back with relief,
pausing briefly to brush a stray lock of midnight from her face.
"She seems to be okay," commented Miroku, appearing next to
them. "Lay her down and I'll check her out."
"Watch the hands, priest," Inuyasha muttered half-heartedly,
more out of habit then anything else. Shippo remained perched on the
rocks lining the riverside, his young eyes wide with fear.
"Is Kagome okay?" he asked, staring at the still form of the
one who had been most like a mother to him. Inuyasha looked at him,
saw the fear, and took pity on the young kit.
"Of course she's going to be okay, baka! You're a fox – can
you not smell the life in her? Hear her blood pulse through her
veins? Jeez."
"I sense a vague mystic aura," Miroku said after a minute, as
he sat back from his examination. "But whatever it was, is long since
gone."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as he thought of something. "This
happened almost the same time you said you sensed something, Miroku.
Do you think it has something to do with it?"
"The possibility is great," admitted the priest as he stood
up. "But I don't think Kagome's in any danger right now. She seems to
be sleeping. I'll just get her settled for the night—"
Sango smacked away the wandering hands of the priest. "Behave
yourself!"
Inuyasha flattened his ears, baring his fangs at the priest
as he gathered Kagome into his arms. Shippo jumped from his seat onto
the dog-demon's shoulder, the latter sighed and accepted the kit's
presence without a fuss. Miroku held up his hands and smiled
winningly at the half-demon.
"Sorry, force of habit you realize."
"Grrr………"
===============================================================
"What did you lose this time, runt?" Yuusuke sighed, bracing
his forearms on the familiar wooden desk and eyeing the young lord
with a weary frown. It never failed. As soon as the words "summer
vacation" left his mouth after class that day, he had automatically
flinched, cursed, and then started a mental countdown. Sure enough,
along came Botan, swooping down on her magical oar, shrieking his
name at the top of her godly little lungs. Yuusuke sighed again in
irritation. He just couldn't catch a break. And Keiko was probably
going to kill him for taking off without waiting for her. Again.
Koenma looked at him and Yuusuke slowly straightened at the
serious look on the young god's face. Normally, when Koenma needed
them to do something, the godling was rushing around like a chicken
with its head cut off, flapping his arms like little wings. Usually,
he barked out orders at the top of his lungs, practically pushing the
Reikai team out the door in his haste to return whatever was stolen
before his father got back. He did NOT stare at the team with such a
serious expression.
Across the large room, the second member of the team,
Kuwabara, eyed Koenma suspiciously. "What's wrong now?" The orange-
haired boy traded worried looks with Yuusuke, apparently thinking the
same thing.
Koenma drummed his fingers on the desktop, watching the two
of them, giving his options a last minute evaluation. Once he
involved them, they were in for the duration. While it was their job
to do his bidding, they had already faced this particular problem
once before. They had succeeded, but only after nearly being
destroyed.
Yuusuke was running out of patience; he had never been a big
fan of the silent treatment. "Koenma, just tell us! It can't be worse
then anything you've already thrown at us, can it?"
Koenma sent him a level stare. "Oh, yes it can." He looked
away for a moment. "I did not want to bring you into this, you
realize."
"Afraid we can't handle it?" Kuwabara blinked in
astonishment. After nearly two years as a Tantei member, he'd figured
the last thing Koenma thought of them was incompetent. "Spill it,
shorty."
It was a true sign of Koenma's worry that he didn't even
attempt to reprimand Kuwabara for his lack of proper respect. The
young lord watched his two charges standing before him, already eager
to set out on a task they knew nothing about. He had truly chosen
wisely when he'd created his team.
"It involves the Power Sphere."
Yuusuke froze at Koenma's words, memories welling up in his
mind. The power sphere. The same orb of power that had nearly killed
Botan when she tried to hide it within herself. The orb that had
corrupted the spiritual energy of the earth. He swallowed hard. That
same power sphere had taken all of his energy and endurance to hold
on to, and had required his teammates' sacrifice of power to assist
him.
Of all the challenges he had ever engaged in on Koenma's
behalf, the battle over the power sphere remained the chief concern
of his nightmares. The feeling of himself slipping away… And then
there was Yakumo.
He shuddered. Yakumo had been his greatest challenge. Even
now, after Yakumo's apparent destruction, he could still see that
demonic grinning face right in his; the murderous look in his eyes as
he tried to destroy Yuusuke and his friends.
Yuusuke looked at Koenma, his face now a blank mask, devoid
of any emotion. "What about the Power Sphere?" he asked flatly.
Koenma winced at the chilly undertone in his words, but he
had expected it. "It's…back."
Kuwabara came forward, leaning against the desk. "What do
mean it's back? I thought after we purified it, it got reabsorbed
into the spiritual energy of the earth." He avoided looking at his
partner.
"I thought so too," Koenma said quietly. " It was reabsorbed…
and then reborn." He cleared his throat. "In the past."
"In the past?" Kuwabara looked up quickly. "So it's here now
then?"
"Not exactly." Koenma sighed. " I need to give you two a
little background information." He resumed tapping his fingers
against the desk. Where to even begin? "You are aware of course of
the boundary between the Makai and the Reikai. It's the boundary that
keeps the demon world and the human world separate. The boundary is
thinner in some parts, and it is those parts that we are able to jump
back and forth."
The two boys nodded; this was old news to them.
"Some youkai, like Hiei and Kurama, are able to jump through
those weak points using their powers. It takes a certain amount of
skill and knowledge to pass through – it's the reason Yuusuke can
sometimes go through, but at the same time, you, Kuwabara, need Botan
to open up a gateway to allow you passage." He eyed the two
again. "Still with me?"
"Of course," Yuusuke shrugged. "We've only been doing it for
years."
"Well, what if I told you were not the only humans that are
able to jump through these portals? Or that some of these portals
don't lead to the Makai, but lead back in time?"
That got their attention. Yuusuke and Kuwabara's eyes
suddenly fixed on him with a fierce intensity. "Through time?"
The future God of Death nodded. "Through time."
"So there's a portal somewhere that leads to the past,"
Yuusuke murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he tried to piece
Koenma's story together. "And since you said the power sphere is in
the past, the portal you're thinking of must lead to it. Right?"
Koenma nodded. "However, the power sphere was shattered by a
magical arrow, and its shards scattered all over feudal Japan."
"It was destroyed?" Yuusuke frowned. "That easily? By an
arrow?"
"What about that thing you said about humans going through
time portals?" Kuwabara cut in abruptly. " Any humans in
particular?"
"Yes," said Koenma. He reached across his desk to a file that
had sat there during the entire exchange, unnoticed. He handed it to
Yuusuke, who raised one eyebrow – usually they were never allowed to
see any of the files on his desk. The files contained a person's
entire life history, current, previous and future. They were not
something to be trifled with. Koenma didn't say anything though, so
Yuusuke took it as a sign of permission, and flipped the cover over.
A picture of a young girl with black hair and bright blue
eyes smiled back at him.
"Kagome Higureshi," he murmured, reading the girls
name. "Cute. So she travels in time?"
"She is the present-day reincarnation of a priestess who
lived in feudal Japan," Koenma told them. "It is she who shattered
the power sphere when she traveled back in time."
"Why'd she do something like that?" Kuwabara asked, peering
over Yuusuke's shoulder.
"The orb had been reborn in her body, possibly drawn to her
by the spiritual power she possessed as a miko. The sphere's power
was detectible by youkai, and they tried to take it from her, to
absorb it and increase their own power. She destroyed a crow demon
that tried to do so, and inadvertently hit the sphere at the same
time."
"Ouch," Yuusuke winced.
"She and her friends of that era have been collecting the
shards to restore the sphere. "Koenma looked at Yuusuke. "When you
battled Yakumo, the sphere's powers were revealed to you. What do you
remember?"
"That it was an enormous source of energy," he shrugged. "Ya
know? I could feel my own power increasing – I felt that if I had
fired my rei gun the moment the sphere was in my hand, I would have
obliterated half of Tokyo."
Koenma nodded, satisfied. "That's part of it, yes. "
"What's the other part?" Kuwabara asked warily.
"The sphere has the power to grant the heart's desire."
Yuusuke gazed at him with concern as he thought about what
that might entail. After dealing with chaotic, eccentric, and/or
bloodthirsty demons for so long, he was well aware of the fact that
one's heart's desire could be anything from an eight-course meal, to
millions of dollars, to the pure heart of a virgin, to world
domination.
Kuwabara folded his arms. "But if this priestess/miko person
has the sphere, isn't that safer than normal or something? Or is she
secretly evil?"
Koenma shook his head. "Kagome isn't the one I'm worried
about." The little god then focused on Yuusuke. "Yakumo is back as
well. And he is after the Sphere."
Once again Yuusuke froze. Kuwabara groaned, slamming his hand
across his face. "Well, if that just doesn't take the cake…"
"I'm sorry, Yuusuke," Koenma said sincerely, ignoring the
orange-haired boy's moaning. "He escaped limbo shortly after the
power sphere was in he beginning stages of being put back together.
From what I can determine, he could sense the power reawakening in
the sphere. The shards themselves are powerful, but nothing like the
whole thing. The closer it comes to being out together, the more
energy is sent out to heal it, and Yakumo's link with his old power
source must have been such that he could feel it struggling." He
shook his head tiredly. "It was enough for him to latch on to."
Yuusuke took a deep breath. "Okay…okay." He looked up, trying
to regain his focus. "So, Yakumo is back. I can deal with this. Where
is he?"
Koenma winced. "Umm….that part, I don't know." The pair gaped
at him in astonishment and he grew a little defensive. "Hey, do you
know how fast this is happening? I'm doing the best I can here."
"Then I guess that means we have to go get that sphere back
before Yakumo does," Kuwabara said, cracking his knuckles. "Right?"
Yuusuke nodded.
"Actually…" Koenma let his voice trail off a bit. Yuusuke
glared at him.
"Now what?"
"You have to help Kagome and her friends put the shards back
into the complete whole. It's nearly done, but one of their enemies
has the rest of the shards. Also, you won't be able to handle it
Yuusuke. Not again."
"Huh?"
Koenma pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off
the impending headache he'd had ever since George's fateful
report. "The Sphere had been corrupt with dark energy when you used
your own to purify it. It tied a link to you, and you sent it back
into the earth's energy before it could give you your heart's
desire." He rubbed his temples; pinching wasn't working. "It created
a build up in power that wasn't released like the rest of it. In this
case, the Sphere has a link with Kagome. Only she can purify it this
time around, and let it do what it's supposed to do."
"What if she wishes for something evil?" Kuwabara asked
softly.
"I think the one piece of good news we've had all day is that
Kagome cannot be corrupted without a great deal of outside influence
of evil power," Koenma told him. "Her very touch purifies corrupt
shards. And she wants only happiness for her friends." He smiled. "It
was these kinds of wishes that made up the Sphere's true powers from
the start. It was Yakumo who changed everything and made the Sphere a
symbol for darkness."
"So then we help put the Sphere back together, let this
Kagome-chick make her wish, keep Yakumo off her back and then what?"
"Hopefully the Sphere will dissipate completely," Koenma
shrugged. "At any rate, Yakumo needs to be stopped. Permanently." He
eyed them seriously. "Understood?"
"Yeah," Yuusuke acknowledged with a grimace. `If I can.' "So
where's Kurama and Hiei? Aren't they a part of this too?"
"Hiei's in the Makai with Mukuro right now. It's part of the
deal he worked out with her to remain her heir, and still stay in the
Ningenkai with Kurama."
Yuusuke and Kuwabara grinned, as they always did, at the
mention of their teammates relationship. The very first time the
eager kitsune had tackled the moody fire demon in public had been
priceless. "So Kurama's gone to get him?"
"I've given Kurama the directions to the time portal Kagome
uses," Koenma nodded. "They will meet you there."
"Awesome." Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. " Then I'd say it's
time to get this show on the road."
Yuusuke nodded. He gave one last look at Koenma who actually
managed to look apologetic and resolutely pushed his fears down into
the pit of his stomach to handle later.
"Let's do it."
==============================================================
TBC…
End part 1
More notes!
Okay - the spelling of Sango's weapon was taken directly off a subbed
episode so any fault with it is on the part of the subber whom I
automatically trusted to know what they were doing. (you'd think I'd
know better after the "Scurdick" fiasco in the WK subs ^_~)
I apologize for any formatting problems - I went through and tried to
fix them all manually but if any still showed up...*sighs and kicks
word processor*
If anyone has any title suggestions, I'm open to them.