Allies, Friends, and Other Foes

an Inuyasha/Yuu Yuu Hakusho crossover

A few notes on setting and mythology:

I think I did pretty well on mixing the mythos of the two shows, but there is one change. Basically, I had to account for the fact that in YYH, there is a seperate demon world (Makai), while in Inuyasha, demons and humans coexist in the human world (Ningenkai). But we hardly ever see demons in Kagome's time, so what happened there? YYH canon says that at one point the two worlds were one, but at some point in the distant past, they seperated. So for the purposes of this story, I've just changed it from the distant past (I think they say 44 generations ago in YYH, which is way too long for our purposes), to like, four hundred years ago. Probably no one cares, but I feel weird enough about writing a crossover in the first place, I want all my bases covered.

The story is set, for YYH, between the second and third seasons, so after the Black Tournament arc and before the next arc. In Inuyasha, it's set during the filler after Naraku disappears around episode 90...ish, and before Kohaku reappears in episode 102. Obviously, if you haven't seen that far, there may be some small spoilers, but nothing big.

And we all know I don't own these characters and am technically violating copyrights. But I don't think any of us really care, do we? Onward!

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Part One

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Kagome stretched her arms over her head, smiling. The last final of the term was over, and she actually thought she'd done well. All her frantic studying had to have paid off, because for the last week or so, she'd actually been able to understand what her teachers were talking about, and she was sure she'd passed.

'It probably didn't hurt that things have been so quiet on the other side of the well,' she reflected. 'I've actually been able to go to school for a whole week in a row!" But now she had a term break. Starting tomorrow morning, it would be jewel-shard hunting and demon slaying full time for a while. But that didn't seem as bad as it once had.

As they were dismissed, Kagome's friends descended on her. "Kagome-chan, you're smiling! That geometry final must have gone ok?"

"Yep! I'm sure I passed!"

"Lucky you," groaned one girl. "I took one look at that test and everything I've ever known flew right out of my head."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," teased Kagome. "Anyway, I need to get going. I'll see you all at the end of the break!" She swung her backpack onto her shoulders and started off. "Ja ne!"

"Aren't you going to be around?"

"Oh, I- um..." She cast about for a reason she wouldn't be at home during the break.

"She's going to be with HIM, I bet!" Her friends burst into giggles, and Kagome flushed a little bit.

"Kagome-chan! When are we going to get to meet this mystery man of yours, anyway?"

She tried to bite back her smile, imagining how her friends would react if they actually met the "mystery man," dog ears and all. "Bye-bye!" she chirped in English, darting out the door and laughing.

Outside, she threw her head back and basked in the sun. It was a beautiful day, she had done well on her finals, and she was on her way to meet Inuyasha. Everything was perfect. He'd shown up last night, as he tended to do when he got bored and she'd been away too long. She wouldn't dare to tell him so, but she loved it when he came through the well. Knowing that he really did want to be near her that much, even if he never admitted it out loud, made her feel warm and happy all over. He'd played with Sota while she studied, and slept on the floor by her bed. He'd offered to meet her at school this afternoon, but instead she'd arranged for him to meet her a few blocks away. She was sure that if her friends caught sight of him, they would instantly realize he was the "boyfriend" they'd been asking and teasing her about for so long. And Kagome could tell that Inuyasha wouldn't react well to meeting them.

She saw him up ahead, and had a sudden urge to break into a run. Instead she called out and waved, and he waved back in a surly way. She had to suppress a little laugh. Since he'd started spending more time on her side of the well, she and her mom had bought some clothes for him that would make him less noticeable than his usual clothing made from fire-rat's fur, and he absolutely hated them, although he grudgingly wore them when he went into public. Privately, Kagome thought that he looked almost - almost - handsome in the jeans, tshirt, and zippered sweatshirt, although not much like himself. Of course, even in the unremarkable, ordinary looking clothes, he still got a lot of odd looks, as any boy with waist-length silvery white hair is bound to get walking around Tokyo, but they were fewer than he used to, and as long as his ears were hidden under a hat, he could pass easily enough for a weird human boy.

"Inuyasha!"

"Hey. How'd it go?"

"Great! I think I did really well!"

"Good, then maybe you won't whine so much about school." He took her backpack, to her surprise. 'He must be in a really good mood,' she thought to herself. He caught her looking at him with affection, and started.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" he asked suspiciously.

Kagome just smiled and slipped her arm through his. "I'm not going to argue with you today, Inuyasha. You're not going to ruin my good mood! Now let's go home, ok?"

As they walked towards the shrine where she lived, Kagome thought she'd never been quite so content. She leaned her head against Inuyasha and sighed.

"What's with you? You're being really weird today."

"Aren't I allowed to be in a good mood once in a while? Look around you, it's a gorgeous day! And more importantly, for the first time in ages, I'm not worrying about anything: finals are over, nobody's trying to kill me, life is good!"

Inuyasha stared at her like she had lost her mind, but then his face slowly cracked into a smile and he started laughing at her. She didn't mind. She laughed, too.

As Inuyasha composed himself, he gave her a long, appraising look that was full of affection, and for a breathless instant, Kagome wondered if he was going to try to kiss her. Of course he didn't, just shook his head and muttered "Dumb girl," and went on walking.

Less than a block from the shrine, things started to fall apart. Inuyasha's nose twitched and he sniffed the air suspiciously.

"Inuyasha? Nan desu ka?"

"Not sure. Do you... feel anything?"

"A Shikon no kakera, you mean?" She concentrated, reaching out with her extra sense for the humming power of the Shikon no Tama, but it wasn't there. She shook her head. "Definately no jewel shards nearby." But there was something - a jaki, malevolent and coming closer. "Inuyasha!"

"You feel it? That jaki."

Suddenly the sun didn't seem so warm. Kagome wrapped her arms around herself. "Are wa..."

Whatever the source of the jaki, it was rapidly moving towards them - or towards the shrine. Inuyasha's hand was fumbling at his waist, having forgotten that on the advice of Kagome's mother, he'd left Tetsusaiga at the shrine, it being very unlikely he would need it, and very likely that it would draw more attention to him.

"Home," Kagome gasped. "We've got to get home. Hurry, Inuyasha!" She broke into a run. The intense evil of the energy made her feel desperate and terrified. Whatever she did, she couldn't let it get to her family. 'Mama... Sota... Jii-chan...' she prayed. 'I won't let it get you.'

Inuyasha moved like the wind, faster than any human. He caught up to her in an instant, grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto his back in a single smooth movement, and they were off, his arms stretched behind him in the strange, inhuman way he ran, his feet slapping the pavement. Kagome kept her head down and a tight hold of his shoulders, and prayed silently against whatever evil was coming.

They had reached the gate to the shrine, and it was upon them: an enormous bird, hideous and cruel, surrounded by a cloud of jaki so intense it made Kagome dizzy. Inuyasha set her down. "Get Tetsusaiga for me. I'll hold it off. Go!" She nodded and ran towards the house at the back of the shrine, hearing his cry of "Sankon tetsou!" behind her, and the tear of his claws through the creature's flesh.

"Mama! Jii-chan! Mama!" she screamed. Where were they? Were they safe? Her mother was opening the door in front of her, her eyes wide and her face petrified at what was happening outside.

"Kagome, what's going on?"

"Where's Tetsusaiga? The sword, Mama!" she gasped. Her breath was ragged from trying to run in the toxic air of the bird youkai's jaki. Mama wordlessly pointed to where the sword lay on the table in the living room, and Kagome grasped it thankfully. The battered sword in her hand gave her a feeling of safety and she knew with certainty that Inuyasha wouldn't fail to protect her, her family, and their home. "Mama, stay inside," she called over her shoulder as she ran out. "Inuyasha will take care of it!"

She ran again, fighting against the paralyzing effect of the jaki. "Inuyasha!" she called, and he put his hand out expectantly. Her body reacted, and she threw the sword as though it were a boomerang. The hanyou caught it, and as soon as it touched his hand, Tetsusaiga burst into life. With a roar, Inuyasha slashed at the bird's chest, and doubled back, landing a good ways away to catch his breath.

"I feel sorry for you now," he grinned. "No puny bird stands a chance against my Tetsusaiga! Kaze no KIZU!" He swung the sword and a burst of power tore from the blade. Unfortunately, the youkai bird flapped its wings and evaded it with ease. "Kuso," Inuyasha swore.

"Rei Ki... GUN!" Kagome looked around to place the new voice, and the blast of powerful energy that had accompanied it, striking the bird creature in the abdomin. There was, she realized, a very new youki nearby. And whatever the source was, it was powerful. In fact... she furrowed her brow, trying to focus on the new energy. There were several newcomers, all of them with great power.

The bird, amazingly unhurt by the blast, rose into the air and let out a crow that turned Kagome's blood to ice, and with a few flaps of its massive wings, it began to circle the small outbuilding that housed the sacred well. Kagome gasped as she realized it was shrinking. When it had reached the size of an ordinary blackbird, the creature plummeted straight down. Kagome understood too late what it was doing. "No!" she cried out, taking a few futile steps in that direction. It smashed through the roof, sending little wooden bits of shrapnel flying.

Inuyasha was there in an instant. "Kuso, kuso, KUSO!"

The jaki had disappeared. The bird youkai had gone to the Sengokou Jidai.