Disclaimer: Inuyasha, Ranma and Yuu Yuu Hakusho don't belong to me.

Authors Note: I'm posting this story in the hopes that once it's out of my system I'll be able to continue K: TJC.

As of this chapter, this story is on Hiatus while I deal with personal problems in RL.

Kagome - 20

Ranma - 18

Yusuke - 15

Gleefully, the shriveled old pervert known to a great majority of women in Tokyo as Happosai bounded along the rooftops with his bag filled with ill-gotten goods. Surprisingly, none of said goods were panties.

Instead, it was filled with ancient ritual artifacts from the museum.

Of the artifacts, it was said that fifteen hundred years ago they had been used by a Daimyo to summon the spirit of a malevolent demon and set it upon a man who had betrayed him. Unfortunately the spirit wasn't properly bound, and wreaked havoc upon the land, devouring so many souls he gained the power to give himself a draconic form of flesh and blood.

He named himself Ryukotsusei.

Not for the first time in his life Ranma felt like he was flying as he sailed from rooftop to rooftop in his desperate run to give the Tetsusaiga to Kagome at the Higurashi shrine.

The wind flattened his red silk shirt against his chest and made his trademark pigtail flap in the wind. His breath caught in his throat as he thought about everything that had happened in the last five hours and how those hours had quite possibly changed his life.

I've never seen Shippo so pissed! O' course I ain't seen him since I was ... what, 5 years old?

Despite everything that was happening even as he took his final leap that crossed the four lane street and landed on the Sunset Shrine grounds he had to chuckle at the thought.

During his quick jog across the shrine grounds to the house Ranma passed the Goshinboku and he felt Tetsusaiga pulse.

He paused and looked at the ancient tree. During his journey with Genma he learned the hard way that when a supernatural presence is trying to get your attention it is wiser to stop and ask rather than getting slammed with a curse from an angry spirit.

His ears detected the distant sound of music and lyrics floating from the house as the sword of Inuyasha and the Sacred Tree seemed to... talk.

Don't judge a thing 'til you know what's inside it,

Don't push me, I'll fight it.

Never gonna give in - never gonna give it up no.

If you can't catch a wave then your never gonna ride it.

You can't come uninvited

Never gonna give in - never gonna give up no

You can't take me - I'm free.

("I'm Free" - Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack. Not mine.)

A distant part of his mind recognized the gaijin song and marveled at how his life resembled it right at that moment for only five hours ago his life had been flipped upside down once again by Shampoo. First by her abrupt arrival in Japan, and now by her attempt on his second cousin's life.

Of course, the Kami ain't gonna take her away 'cause we won't let 'em.

The sword released him of his obligation to stay put and he sprinted the final 10 or so yards to the home of his transformed cousin.

He was quiet as he entered the house and used his senses to find Kagome. Sota was there, and he was frightened.

"Don't worry, Kagome'll be fine once I give her this." Ranma gestured to the sword and for the first time since he'd been contacted at school by Genkaku-san he smiled.

Then he recognized the sword, having seen it at the hip of his Inu-niisan often enough. Sota grabbed Ranma's wrist, an angry look on his face.

"That's Tetsusaiga!" He hissed. "Do you have any idea how much seeing that sword will hurt onee-san!"

Ranma glared into his younger cousin's eyes and growled right back. "O'course I know it'll hurt her, an' so does Shippo! But Kag's in danger, an' Shippo's pullin' th' whole family together at his place to protect her! An' we can't protect her if she ain't in control of herself! So go get packin' for yourself, aunt Akiko, Kags and Gramps! Th' limo'll be here ta pick ya up in less'n n' hour." Of course he knew perfectly well what Tetsusaiga was, and who it had previously belonged to. And now he understood why Shippo had insisted he hurry, for Kagome, who had been a human all her life, the transformation was too much. And add onto that the srtess of nearly losing her daughter it was no wonder Kagome was only hanging on by a mere thread of her sanity.

Sota shut up, knowing that it would be futile to argue.

Up the stairs he softly treaded to the second floor and made his way to the nursery. There he found his now Hanyou cousin rocking back and forth on the floor with Rei held securely to her chest. His aunt Akiko was softly humming a soothing lullaby and his grandfather was shuffling about and putting up spirit wards. In other words, it looked safe enough.

Ranma began to step into the room.

Kagome's head snapped up to face him and she snarled, eyes glowing red and ears pinned flat.

He backpedaled into the hall, now knowing what a monumentally bad idea it would be to enter the den of a highly territorial mother who could only recognize her immediate family.

Tetsusaiga pulsed; and the snarling stopped.

Waves of power from the ancient sword reached out and caressed Kagome's inflamed demon blood, soothing it. Ranma let go of the sword and stood aside as it began to do what it had been created to do.

Calm washed over her like gentle waves at the beach and she embraced it. This feeling was familiar to her, the feeling of being enshrouded in safety. Alone, the sword hovered over the two half demons and covered them in a gentle mist of magic ...

He wanted to run in, to save his family from the sword and whatever it was doing. But Shippo trusted the Tetsusaiga, and Ranma wasn't going to let his own innate distrust of magic stop what good the sword might be doing for or to Kagome.