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

Authors Note: watches 3-legged tortoise pass eh, still going very slowly ... You would not believe how behind I am on this story! So I'm posting this chapter and going on hiatus until my career training is over; which'll be somewhere near the end of October. I also need you YYH fans to help me with something. Early in the DT, Kurama took quite a lickin' fighting a yokai who said he had an assassin (or something like that) watching his human mother, does anyone know what the yokai's name was?

Kagome - 20

Ranma - 18

Yusuke - 15

Some of the guests of the Eastern Lord's manor walked bleary-eyed to the dining hall for breakfast while the rest came in bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Among the bright-eyes were a somewhat sweaty pair of fighters coming from a morning spar, one which it looked like Ranma had won.

By a landslide.

Literally.

"K'so ..." Yusuke hissed under his breath as he rubbed his previously-dislocated-then-restored shoulder. It had been a very long time since his ass had been handed to him like that; naturally he wanted to get even with his cousin and so swore to himself that one day he would win against the martial artist.

"Don't feel bad Yusuke, I'm the best!"

Pissed, Yusuke took a swing at Ranma despite the sore shoulder.

Emerging from his room, Shippo couldn't help but chuckle at the two teenage fighters as they tore through the halls, unmindful on the damage they were causing to his estate. He didn't mind though, they were here, and that was all that counted. Sounds of the construction crew began filtering through the window as they arrived to do their daily 8 to 5. Shippo had little trouble resisting the urge to watch his little spitfire in light of yesterday's family crisis. And on top of that, Hachuruino Kokuo, the Reptile King passed on late last night and hadn't informed him of his new form like he'd done in centuries past. It was all part of the deal.

Hachurui was a spirit with no body of his own. Legend among the Taiyoukai had it that his original body had lived millions of years ago. But when he died he'd grown so powerful he could skip to a new, young body. It was in this way he remained in the ningenkai.

As his last known body was in Shippo's territory, and his death had been felt last night, it was only a matter of time until he arrived and let Shippo know his new form.

Shippo paused in front of Kagome's door and opened all his senses, wincing as he forcibly tuned out everything outside and focused on the room in front to of him. His ears heard the steady heartbeats and deep breaths of both sleeping females. His nose said that they were no longer upset, and that Rei didn't need to be changed yet; which he found a little odd but shrugged off. After all, what did he know about infants?

His youki, however recoiled at the feel of Kagome's pulsing miko power. Puzzled, he looked inside and found mother and daughter enshrouded in a pink and blue glow. Brow furrowed he closed the door behind him and tried to figure out what was going on. In the mean time, he would ensure that they weren't disturbed.

His family was wandering into the dining room one by one, Shippo sighed as he waited; he was not looking forward to this. Finally Yusuke came in with half-hung-over Atsuko and made her kneel at the table. Akiko, Sota, and Jii-san sat to his left, all three knowing full well what was going to happen next.

He tapped his glass with his fork.

"My family, I know you're all worried about Kagome for she is the reason we are gathered here now." All eyes focused on him, and he continued. "To explain what happened yesterday I need to delve into some recent and not-so-recent history ..." Shippo told them all about Ranma's fiancees by Genma, the mistakes made in the Joketsu village, and Amazon Laws. From there he elaborated on the events of yesterday and the measures being taken to protect Kagome and the rest of them from retaliation. With each word, Yusuke got angrier and angrier. Not at Shippo, or his relatives, but at himself for letting himself be cut off and at Genma for creating such chaos and not helping Ranma get his life under control.

A calming hand landed on Yusuke's seething shoulder, he whirled with the intent to punch.

Shippo caught the sailing fist and held it in place firmly.

"I know how you feel Yusuke. I knew about it, but was under the assumption it was localized to Nerima. Now calm down, there's much to be told and even more to be done." He took a deep breath and prepared to delve into the secret of the Higurashi Shrine. He began with the basics.

"As you all know, Higurashi Shrine has been maintained by the mikos and monks of the Higurashi line for over five hundred years. The legacy of the Shrine is the legendary Shikon no Tama, a jewel of great power. Originally the jewel was kept in a smaller shrine that was built to protect this sacred artifact. But there was an ... incident, the shrine was destroyed and the Shikon no Tama vanished." He paused. "Skip five hundred years to Kagome's fifteenth birthday. To when she was led to the ancient Bone-Eater's well by her," he glanced at Ranma. "By her cat Buyo." Ranma gritted his teeth and flinched. Shippo looked at the clock and told everyone that they'd be taking a break to let everything said so far sink in, and to give them time to prepare themselves for the big bombshell.

"Genkaku-sama requests that all his guests take a cell phone with them if they are leaving the property. In case of an emergency." Shippo's retainer told everyone as Shippo himself stalked down the hall unhappily, tails lashing.

Looking monumentally pissed, and needing to bust some heads, Yusuke grabbed a phone with the intention of picking a fight with Hiei and maybe Youko as well.

Ranma took a phone without nearly half the force Yusuke had and began roof-hopping, searching for a place to meditate and get his emotions under control before he hurt somebody by accident.

Nodoka, while stunned by what she had learned so far, was taking it better than most; calmly she poured a cup of sake, took a sip, put the cup on the table and contemplated. Her sister Atsuko reacted to the news the same way she reacted to everything, she started a new drinking binge. Jii-san and Akiko followed Nodoka's example of quiet thought, Sota got up and made his way to Kagome's room. He was joined by the seven tailed Kirara in miniature form. Together they sat in the hall beside the room door and wished Kagome well.

Shippo was on his way to the vault to get some items he would need for the next part of the conversation when he happened to glance out the window.

What he saw almost frightened him.

Almost.