A/N: I know, I know…good fanfiction writers don't leave annoying notes at the beginning/end of the fic. Just be thankful that I'm not throwing them in the middle. Anyway, I'm sorry if the first chapter sucked. I'm trying. Also, I'd like to point out that this takes place, as I said, after the Hakusho ANIME series. The Inu-verse, on the other hand, is slight AU. Seeing how the manga has yet to end, this is basically assuming how life is after Naraku is defeated…assuming he is in fact defeated in the manga.
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. The basic idea of this storyline belongs to me.
(Still) Untitled For Now
By: Katana Baka (Fuzz Ninja)
Light rain had recently ceased to sprinkle over the Tokyo, and the sun began to peek out from the clouds, causing a bright rainbow to appear in the sky. The temperature, uncomfortably warm before the small shower, had become pleasantly cool. The day had morphed into the paragon of a perfect summer day. If it became any better, all of the people in the vicinity would become Mary Sues and Gary Stus. Thankfully, for the sanity of the world, there remained one on whom we could count to save the day.
The boy's scowl, accompanied by his storming down the sidewalk, shot through the perfection, often causing a feeling of uneasiness or fear in those who saw his face. Although, in the opinion of many, his black hair looked better when left alone, he had decided to slick it back, as always. While it remained too warm for him to wear his favourite red jacket, he still wore the white T-shirt and jeans that it often accompanied.
Unfortunately, this angry boy had a rival, one who remained smiling and obviously enjoyed the weather at the time. His soft green eyes and his kind smile fought back to keep the perfection. On top of that, the scarlet-haired boy had a combination of a gorgeous appearance and incredible wisdom. Though he had recently graduated, he wore his magenta school uniform, causing him to look all the more feminine. Perhaps this boy wore that gaudy outfit out of habit, or perhaps he simply wanted to feel nostalgic. His current mission certainly aroused such feelings within him.
Lastly, an even greater scowl than that of the first boy, accompanied by crimson eyes that glowered at everything around them, were both on the face of one abnormally short man garbed almost entirely in black. Although the black cape that he wrapped around him resembled a dress, no one seemed to notice or comment on his strange appearance. A white scarf around his neck and a thin, white strip of cloth wrapped about his forehead contrasted with the darkness. In fact, this combination of black and white caused him to vaguely resemble a nun, especially since his hair was also raven coloured. Still, no one really noticed the irate nun-man in the city.
All three boys, Yuusuke, Kurama, and Hiei, headed toward a rather large shrine up ahead. They still needed to climb large stairs and then sneak past the residence of the shrine's owners before they could investigate the "strange" magic in the area. As they approached the house, their footsteps became much lighter. Kurama warily eyed the area, not wanting to be caught. Hiei also seemed very alert but for different reasons. He didn't particularly care if someone saw something. If it somehow thwarted this pointless investigation, he could erase the memories of seeing them snoop about. However, he had to make sure that he saw any rubberneckers. Yuusuke, on the other hand shared neither of the feelings of his two friends. Only the task appointed by Sesshoumaru plagued his mind. Rather, the thought of finishing the wretched task was all that was on his mind.
Within minutes, the threesome had successfully entered the shrine without being spotted. No one appeared to be home, much to the fortune of the disbanded Urameshi team. Although their fourth member, who had always sported abnormal awareness of the paranormal, remained absent, the rest could sense abnormal energy emanating from the area. In fact, several strange energies came from the area.
"It would seem we may need to prolong our stay," remarked Kurama, keeping a relatively upbeat tone. With a smile, he added, "Perhaps that means more time to bond?"
"Hn," grunted Hiei while clenching his fists. 'As usual, I'm forced to do a tedious mission for the sake of insignificant bastards.'
"Right," growled Yuusuke. "Let's get to work."
The three started with the main shrine. Each split up to search different sections. The shrine, rather clean and dust-free despite its age, had numerous energies lingering in it. Kurama, who had taken on the western wing, found vague remnants of a mystical object. His eyes widened slightly.
'Not good…Sesshoumaru asked us to find a mystical object. If that missing item was in fact the one for which we are searching, we may have trouble on our hands. From what I can tell from the energy and the smell of the area, that was a youkai blade…I wouldn't put it past that Taiyoukai to want such an item…Again, we can only hope that he searched for something else…If only he hadn't been so vague.'
Meanwhile, Hiei scoured the eastern wing. After finding nothing with his two natural eyes, he uncovered the third one implanted on his forehead (the Jagan) in case he missed something. Nothing came into sight nearby. However, he faintly sensed something in the areas that Yuusuke and Kurama searched. Also, two more energies outside of impressive sizes remained outside. He has already sensed those before he uncovered his third eye. However, checking never bothered anyone. He darted across the wooden floors and returned to the grassy backyard of the Higurashi residence. After a moment of gazing at the scenery, he leapt into a particularly large tree, one from which he sensed something abnormal, and reclined on one of the sturdier branches.
'I'm thankful that Yuusuke forgot that I could have pinpointed the locations of the objects. I've no desire to be his bloodhound. I'm surprised that Kurama didn't remind him about it. Oh well. It didn't happen, so it doesn't matter.'
Lastly, Yuusuke hunted about the central area of the main shrine, but he couldn't find the energy that he sensed. Kuwabara was always the one to find this stuff. Besides, the energy was faint. Either he sensed a rather weak object or it had been moved a while ago. Actually, he couldn't actually sense it himself. Kurama pointed it out to him before moving on to a different part of the shrine.
'No way this is what "He who still needs His safety blanket" wants. He'd want something bright and shiny like a pair of demonic earrings that could blow up all three worlds or something. Damn…I'm going outside!'
Kurama, the last to exit the main shrine, eventually joined his two companions near the second energy source, that large tree. Much to the annoyance of the impatient Yuusuke and Hiei, he walked up to them at a rather casual pace. The fox no longer seemed as optimistic about the situation, but he wasn't in a bad mood like the others were.
"Any luck?" he asked calmly.
"No," replied Yuusuke and Hiei in unison. Hiei in particular had a bit of sharpness to his voice.
"I see…I may have found something, but it's best if we investigate this tree and the detached area of the shrine too"
"Hn," grunted Hiei. 'Oh joy…'
Meanwhile, in a era long ago, a group of anachronous people huddled behind bars. The castle, equally out-of-place, had obsidian wall and floors, vaguely resembling something from Europe, other than the difference in stones used to make it. The entire area surrounding the castle was shrouded black fog, which assisted in masking its presence. While the fog seemed conspicuous, it resembled something that was produced by some youkai. The average villager probably wouldn't dare to approach.
'Only the strongest will come here…which is just what I need,' thought a silhouetted figure. From the shadows, a pair of violet eyes glowed eerily. The figure to which they belonged seemed slim, though it blended in with the obsidian of its residence. Its head tilted upward, gazing at one of the brilliantly dark corridors. It spoke up in a bored, alto voice, "What of the people from our boring future?"
"I did away with them, as you asked," came the reply of a rather deep yet childish voice.
In the direction from which it came, a young man leaned against the doorway. While the dim lighting made it difficult to distinguish his features, he appeared to have long hair tied back. He had a well-built body, but he maintained boyish looks. His facial expression was hard to read due to the shadows, but he appeared to be frowning slightly. He folded his arms behind his head, directing his gaze to a random chip in the otherwise flawless ceiling.
"Nothing special happened, if that's what you wanted to know," the young man eventually added dully. He sighed. "When will I be able to do something other than kill the weakling prisoners? Why can't I fight that damn hanyou!"
"Have you ever heard of the word, 'patience'?" retorted the apparent master of the castle. "In time, I'll send someone off to battle with Inuyasha. If you prove to be competent, maybe you'll be the one to go."
"Huh," came the short reply of the slightly annoyed cohort. Without another word, he disappeared back down the corridor.
"So…The tree is just the product of a Kurama-wannabe, leaving that little storage room over there," stated Yuusuke.
"It would seem so," replied Kurama, ignoring the previous comment about the tree.
The trio entered, only to stop in the doorway puzzled. A well sat at the very middle of the small room. Something seemed…eerie about it, but judging by its condition, it was merely old. They each looked for any other sources of energy, but very little was in the room other than that well. Desperate to find something, Yuusuke had eventually resorted to looking for something a silly as an enchanted particle of dust until all three of them sensed a sudden surge of energy from the well. Three faces peered down at the well, only to see a girl at the bottom…
"Souta? Is that you-" the girl stopped as she looked up at the figures staring down at her. Her previously cheery expression quickly shifted into that of surprise and mild horror. "Who are you? I…I can explain!"
"Please do," responded Kurama. Not even he could explain what had just occurred. "Oh, and to answer your question, my name is Shuuichi Minamino. These two are Yuusuke and Hiei…" He paused to gesture at the two, shooting Yuusuke a look of disapproval.
"Woah…" Yuusuke said. While some of that expression of awe was due to the girl that had just appeared in the well, he also happened to be marveling at something else. Unfortunately for him, the girl also noticed this.
"Pervert!" she shrieked.
"Wait miss! Please calm down…" Kurama threw in sheepishly. "I apologize on behalf of my friend."
The girl nodded, but she still seemed ruffled by Yuusuke's behaviour. Despite her slightly sullied clothing, she would have appeared normal, if it weren't for the fact that she had just popped out of a well. She even wore the white and forest green uniform of a nearby school. She accompanied Kurama to her house, being sure to keep Yuusuke outside. Hiei returned to that branch on the large tree near the well.
"You see…I was actually down there for a while, but I was stuck. I'm really glad that you guys found me when you did. My family wouldn't have guessed that I was in there!" the girl explained hesitantly.
Kurama narrowed his eyes slightly. "Pardon my rudeness…" He paused, unsure of her name.
"Kagome Higurashi," she replied. ''Rudeness?' He didn't believe it, did he…?'
"…Miss Higurashi, but I somehow have the impression that you're hiding the truth."
'I knew it…' she thought rather worriedly. She could do nothing but laugh somewhat sheepishly.
"You needn't hide the truth. Did something strange happen in that well?"
"Well, you see," said Kagome hesitantly. Before she could continue, the shouts of Yuusuke interrupted the conversation.
"Shit! Kurama…That well is spawning youkai!"
It was Kurama's turn to feel uneasy. He had a reply to the mazoku's yelling but kept it to himself. 'Yuusuke, you forget that we're in the presence of seemingly normal humans. Careful what you say!'
"Youkai…?" repeated Kagome. 'They know about youkai? I thought something seemed weird about these guys.'
Kurama and Kagome hurried out of her living room and into her backyard, where a lower-class youkai was cloven in two. Its remains fell onto the lawn, staining it somewhat red. Hiei, now on the ground, sheathed a katana, which he quickly returned under his cloak. With a trademark, "Hn," he walked past Yuusuke, eyes closed in mild satisfaction of the kill. Yuusuke turned around to look at the small youkai.
"Damn, Hiei..." the mazoku exclaimed with a grin. "The minute you're off duty, youkai come pouring in from Makai!"
"Idiot," growled Hiei. "A portal didn't conveniently open in the shrine. That well has some bizarre power that somehow let it through."
"Makai…?" Kagome repeated in confusion.
"The realm of the youkai," explained Kurama.
"I thought that youkai used to live with the humans…" she replied, cutting herself off upon realizing that she revealed her knowledge of that race.
"I suppose you're right," said Kurama. "However, that changed a few centuries ago. If you knew that, you either take an interest in a hidden aspect of Japan's past…or perhaps that well is somehow connected to the past…"
Yuusuke blinked in confusion at the fox's sudden conclusion. "Kurama, isn't that a bit of a stretch-"
"You're right," replied Kagome, somewhat astonished.
"A time-traveling well? That's new," remarked the mazoku. "Well, we now have something to report back to Captain Fluffy."
"Yuusuke," chided Kurama. "I wouldn't advise getting into the habit of calling Sesshoumaru-" He abruptly stopped talking and turned to face that large tree to which Hiei had taken such a liking. "Ah! Sesshoumaru-sama! What a pleasant surprise!"
Sesshoumaru appeared from behind it. Although outdoors, he still wore the sort of garb that was worn in Sengoku Jidai by those of higher social statuses. In fact, his red and white garb and the armour that he wore strongly resembled his getup from every time that he crossed paths with Kagome. Rather, every time that he crossed paths with Inuyasha, while Kagome was merely following.
"Sesshoumaru! You passed through the well!" exclaimed Kagome. 'But he's from Sengoku Jidai! What is he doing here? '
Sesshoumaru only replied to her with silence and a cold expression on his face. He then turned to Yuusuke, his expression unchanging. "You've found something worth reporting. You may leave now." 'So…she uses that well to return to the past.'
"'Leave'? Now? I sort of want to know why there's another portal that's letting loose youkai on Ningenkai!" sharply replied Yuusuke. "You guys owe us an explanation!"
"I owe you nothing," retorted Sesshoumaru. "Now leave."
"Damn…Your attitude is really pissing me off!" growled the mazoku. "You asked us to help you and we did. Now we want to help even without you asking us. We're staying."
"Speak for yourself, fool," growled Hiei. His back was still turned to his ex-teammate, but now he appeared to be straying from them too. A hand roughly grabbed him by the scarf, stopping him from moving. "Let go!"
"Why would I do that? That's what you get for turning your back on us. Don't you like the humans?" Yuusuke replied with a grin.
Hiei let out something that was half-grunt, half-sigh. "Do you really need me to answer?"
"I know you don't give a shit about the human race, Hiei, but I remember you also telling me that you hate these weak youkai even more."
"My point exactly, you nitwit," he shot back at Yuusuke. "Enki wouldn't like it if youkai, even if they didn't come from Makai, began to attack Ningenkai. Thus, all of Mukuro's group would have to pay. Just remember that I'm only doing my job."
"Right," replied Yuusuke with sarcasm.
"This is none of your business, boy. You've done what this Sesshoumaru has asked of you without failing miserably," cut in Sesshoumaru.
"That may be so," said Kurama. "However, you also told us that you would tell us once we finished the investigation."
Sesshoumaru glowered at the fox before nodding. "The girl already mentioned that this well is connected to the past. Specifically, it connects this era with a time in the distant past. Back in that era, youkai still roamed the lands freely until that Enma forced up a barrier, keeping most youkai isolated in Makai. You needn't know more."
Refusing to answer further questions, Sesshoumaru sauntered toward the small shrine, closing the door behind him as he approached the well. He let his stare linger on the well before closing his eyes and then leaping into the well. He opened his eyes, upon landing and gazed up at his surroundings. The shrine remained in tact. It must have existed five hundred years ago. However, as he exited the small room, he noticed the same settings, causing frustration to swell up within him. He stared down Kagome and quickly approached her.
"Explain."
"Well…You see…" Kagome fumbled for words. "From what I can tell, only Inuyasha and I can pass through the well. Also, the well generally works better if you have a shard of the jewel…"
"…And Naraku has the jewel. Is this Sesshoumaru not correct?" finished Sesshoumaru.
Kagome stared at the Taiyoukai as if he had sprouted a second head. "Naraku? He died a while ago. Weren't you there?"
"This Sesshoumaru has lived through the five hundred (or so) years since that Naraku perished. However, this Sesshoumaru could not be sure if traveling through the well would bring him to a time before that wretch's demise," he answered. 'That fool Jaken was wrong…'
"Still…I sometimes wonder if he's really dead. After all, he's had us fooled in the past…" Kagome mused aloud. "…But the Shikon no Tama is safe now. Still…There's been some strange mist tumbling over some villages in Sengoku Jidai. The descriptions sort of sound like Naraku's shouki. Meanwhile, people have begun to disappear in the present. Something is wrong, even if it's not Naraku. Inuyasha and I are going to visit some of those villages soon."
Yuusuke shifted before walking up to her himself. "Do you know if there's any way for me, Kurama, and Hiei to get a hold of one of those Shikon things? I'm beginning to want to shove this new…ancient guy's head up his ass!"
"Yuusuke…" Kurama in both amusement and slight surprise. "I thought that you had finished defending humans."
Yuusuke turned back to face his friend. Indeed Kurama had posed a good point. He never had a completely black-and-white view on the world, and since he was fired from his position as Reikai Tantei, he didn't especially feel the need to defend humankind. However, someone that he had stalled for so long was beginning to keep him waiting…someone that he had always wanted to protect above all.
"Yeah, but it's all beginning to add up. I think these assholes have kidnapped someone worth saving." He faced Kagome again. "Now tell me where I can get one of those stupid jewels!"
Kagome pulled something off from her neck. A pink sphere sat at the center of a rather frayed string. Apparently the necklace had been hastily made. The mazoku had reached to snatch it out of hand, but she quickly pulled it back.
"This is the only one, and after the whole Naraku ordeal, I'm not going to give it up that easily," she replied, forgetting that only she and Sesshoumaru probably knew anything about Naraku. "I suppose I can try to bring you with me through the well."
Yuusuke smirked. "Okay. Works for me. Now let's get going."
A/N: …At least the length of this isn't quite as pitiful as that of the last chapter. –insert sheepish expression here- Now that I've decided to continue this and have a relatively good idea of the plotline, this will hopefully update faster. Eheheh.
…I need to find myself a good person to beta read this.
…I also need to put in less dialogue and add in more action….Oh, and fill a few minor plotholes/details/things.