A/N: Apologies for the teaser - I was struck with a bit of inspiration while working on the edit of next chapter's draft, and am having to re-work a LOT of the original text. One to two weeks, perhaps? Anyway, just wanted to indicate that I've no plans to one-and-done abandon.

...(long notes for ch.1 per my usual; they get shorter): I really hesitate to even call this a crossover; it's not laid on thick (I believe). That said, at the end of the day, I do borrow a number of FFVII concepts, and that is the OC's universe of origin, so I cannot argue too heavily against the point either (and at least one other character from that plane does make an appearance, eventually). I cannot even pretend I've read everything out there, but I have read an amount, and I do hope that this is truly the fresh spin on things that I feel it must be.

In any case, I like to think of this as tastefully done, as far as crossovers go, and I hope you enjoy my take on the lore. We're going for darkly cinematic here; eventually I will I post the sister story 'Rift: Light' (Memories), which is a bit...ehh...fluffier in tone. It's also rather different as far as premise, despite sharing the same 'seed' as this story. Stay tuned and whatnot.

Oh, one last thing or three:
So I've heard decent arguments from either side regarding random foreign words in stories such as this. I can see both sides, and try to avoid too many insertions, but I cannot completely escape it. Generally I stick to curse words (because they're fun) and things that don't really have a 1:1 English translation. Sometimes, outside of those two examples, this thing can help illustrate a certain attitude, and I figure you'll either be okay with that, or you'll find some other way to pass the time...
*shrug*
If the anime could get away with it, so can I (within reason, I promise).

I at least won't make you search these out:
kuso = shit! (but seems more classy, probably because I'm a shitty uni-lingual)
hanyō = half-demon
ningen = human (derogatory, in my mind...I couldn't think of a better way to illustrate the attitude)
jaki = kind of like 'demonic aura' - something that can be sensed
baka = idiot/fool/stupid
yōkai = demon (and technically I should be using majin to refer to the more humanoid form, but decided that this word was better; this word is used in the English translation of the series, majin is not. Actually researching those synonyms was fun, but I must be true to the series at the end of the day).
onna = woman - again I'm using the non-English to indicate uptight/disrespectful; 'bitch' just wasn't classy enough for him, yaknow?

This goes without saying (yet here I am, saying it...): I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own its characters; I also own nothing of the FFVII universe. Imitation is goddamn flattery, okay, so don't sue me. Or do, but I doubt my dice collection would cover the legal fees...not even if those sweet bone or titanium sets were included (and you'll take those over my dead body!).
The bit of lyrics below belong to AFireInside ('Clove Smoke Catharsis', from 'Black Sails in the Sunset'). Nitro seems like a cool bunch of folks, and though I'm not sure what happened to the rights later on, it is my hope that they (they being whoever owns said rights now) understand fair use, and leave me alone. I'm not making money here, guys...just exorcising demons...heh...get it?
Shekhi is mine, though.

- Let us set the scene... -

The moon shone bright overhead, casting down a bleak and silver light; striving to make autumn's crisp air seem even colder to the figure, who still did not shiver as a chill breeze ruffled the heavy knee-length cloak she wore. Temperature? Feeling? Those things were for humans.
This night was quiet, silent save for her soft voice and the crunch of decaying leaves underfoot, paired with the rustle of soon-to-die foliage overhead. The woman walked slowly, as if in mourning, along the trail; the stranger appeared to be lost in thought, paying nature little mind while singing softly to herself.

If only pure sweetness was offered,
Why's this bitter taste left in my mouth?
If I could catch my breath
Just to exhale
I'd know
That I
Held it in too long...

- A less cruel world would have allowed Shekhinah's heart to stop five years ago... -

"That's a really pretty song, but it sounds so sad," my sword hand extended automatically, but I did not yet summon the blade. This did not sound like danger, but danger is known to cloak itself with innocence. I waited.
She approached.
"Umm here! Maybe these flowers will help you feel better?" The child seemed to materialize from nowhere, suddenly standing in my path, impromptu bouquet extended cheerfully in my direction.

I prayed for patience.
The little one's orange and yellow kimono ruffled in the icy wind, but at least the cloth was thick, and she did not seem to shiver. Still, this was not an ideal situation. Still, she skipped and frolicked as if danger wasn't skulking just beyond the treeline.

"You should go home, child, it is cold and there are monsters in these woods." I stepped around the girl, avoiding her wide-eyed stare to continue my search for him, hoping I would find some way to return before time ran out. Even in this foreign land, I could feel the planet still; I could feel his will at war with the evil, still - it could not be too late...but there would not be much time left. I felt this fact, this precariously hanging sword over my head, always.
That the child posed no threat seemed clear, but she was not the only thing I sensed.

Releasing a sigh, and growing exasperated with the repetition and the games, in some way I felt a certain satisfaction - that one was still afraid to face me honourably. I did not know his name, nor his purpose, but I knew he was the enemy; this is all that mattered.
More are coming, I confirmed, catching a foul scent upon the wind. Of course the girl still followed, oblivious and offering this or that to 'help' me.
Haha, as if I can be helped...

I wondered if she, herself, sought death - there would be no other reason to come so close, no reason to approach a monstrous thing like me. The girl believed there was something capable and worthy of repair in me, but in truth it was I - my whole being - that was an abomination.

*sigh*

- Sesshōmaru's quickened pulse is an annoyance... -

Kuso! Rin!
The girl seemed to draw trouble towards her, but...damn it...this was not her time to die! When leaving them, I had not sensed any danger in the area, only the human woman, and she had not seemed a threat. Even Jaken could have dealt with her.

Is it a group of Naraku's minions, perhaps thinking to use Rin against me? Such things will not work as they expect.
I could smell the vile beasts, weak but strong in number. That Naraku thought this Sesshōmaru so easily manipulated only added to my anger; the filthy hanyō mocked me with this weak attack, begging to be punished for his insolence!

There! The apparently suicidal female stood between Naraku's ghouls and Rin.
Idiot ningen, you are no match for them. Hmph, but may you die with honour then, at least you do not cower.
It was a stupid act, but an ideal one as far as I could be concerned; she might provide a few seconds' distraction for the lesser demons - I was almost there.
It is unusual, I smell no fear but Rin's...

I kept my eyes on the stranger and on Rin, flying as quickly as I could towards their location. I also wondered if the woman might be seeking death - she stood still, head bowed, calmly waiting for Naraku's filthy minions to approach. I would prefer the stranger try to fight, if only for a few moments; I still was not quite close enough, and those extra seconds would be crucial.

Stall them, wench!
If somehow that one survived and Rin did not, I would see to it personally that her luck ran out. I might be inclined to see to such things anyway, come to think of it. Why were they together in the first place?

Before I came into range, something happened. Whether luck or skill was aiding her, I cannot say, but the woman did surprise me. Surprise - this Sesshōmaru is not so easily impressed. That such a thought even dared to cross my mind was an annoyance.

But, what was that?
It happened quickly...the woman wore no weapon, but I saw her left hand shoot out, held in a strange configuration above her shoulder yet to the side. Almost without pause an enormously long sword - it had to be six feet long at least - appeared suddenly in the female's grip. Though mildly interested by the thing's appearance, I found myself angered by her negligence; I saw no way a simple human could ever wield such a weapon as I sensed; no doubt she held a yōkai blade! That it responded to her apparent call was offensive in itself!
If Rin gets caught in that ridiculous thing's arc...

Three flashes. I blinked, surprised, and must have missed the rest while landing next to the uninjured child, who promptly began clinging to my leg - one day soon I would break her of that habit, I told myself again.
The woman had grown still again, holding the long sword in a grip that was most unusual, but seemingly fitting of a blade that size. Her head remained bowed as the weapon dissolved into the air, and she began a slow march, humming softly as if nothing notable had occurred.
That blade...How does this ningen possess such a sword? That jaki...

For watching over Rin, I would not immediately take her life for the offense of not acknowledging my presence, but I would have answers regarding sword and its origins. No human, especially no human woman, should be able to summon - let alone wield - a weapon with that strong an aura.
I must know how this is possible. I must find out who forged that weapon!

"You, human!" I called, eyeing Rin as a warning to cease the nonsensical babble that had begun the moment she'd secured my leg in cling. With that look, the frightened cling dissolved as well. I believe Rin was trying to defend the wench, but now was not the time to consider the opinions of a human child.
Seemingly uninterested, and continuing her song, the stranger ignored my call - as if to test my earlier decision to not immediately destroy her. This only served to fuel my rage; from what yōkai house did she pilfer such a sword? The woman had not even stopped to catch her breath - how dare she ignore on of her betters!
Impudent baka!

I moved quickly to stand within and block her path, shifting to impede the woman's multiple attempts to go around. "You will tell me how you came to hold a demon sword, human - and then you will relinquish it. Such things are not for your kind to hold. If I believe your answer, perhaps I'll let you live." I waited, but she did not respond.
"And you will look at me when I address you." I could not see the woman's eyes within her hood, and I would like to judge the truth of her explanation.
That technique was...hmm...effective, I had to admit it was, if only to myself, as I waited. She must have possessed the relic for quite some time, to have developed such a stance. All the same, though, I refused to allow a human, such a weak and fragile creature, the honour of impressing me!

The ningen sighed, moving her head slightly to glance up, as if finally noticing that I was the great and powerful Sesshōmaru, before finally raising her stare. "Sephiroth?...no..." our eyes met as she sighed those words, and I began to question my sense and intuition. Hers were like no human eyes I had ever encountered.
They...glow...?

Those eyes I caught were odd, luminescent things, and almost sent a shiver down my spine; piercing sapphires nearly halved by their horizontally slit and oblong pupils. Those eyes were reminiscent of a snake, or maybe some disgusting cat. Her eyes looked like a demon's might, but no demon I had ever known; they were like nothing I had ever known.
And the things I saw behind them, lurking, would give nightmares to a lesser man. The woman's eyes were torment in a sphere, void of light despite the glow, and almost chilling in the depth of their reflected anguish.

For a moment, and a short one only, I wondered if I should just let the matter rest. In truth no harm was done to me or mine, but the questions would not rest within my mind - the who and what and how of the strange woman and her sword of strange proportions, coupled with the curiosity of how such a vulnerable looking creature could be holding at bay so easily the battle between vibrancy and vacancy I felt warring behind her eerie stare.

Yes, something would not allow me to let this puzzle rest so easily.
If one could crystallize despair...
The thought intruded as the thing held my eyes in its own...the depth of sadness emanating from those strange irises was something I could literally feel; but I also thought I sensed a power. The combination was unsettling, but I could not look away; I would not be seen as weak to this creature that smelled human, but perhaps, was not.

"I am sorry, but you are mistaken - I am not a human. And this sword...haha...it is not of demons." The laugh was forced, but I could tell she was aware and not trying to fool me; the female something's cadence did not invite me to interrupt. Not unless I wished to risk missing vital information. "It is of an angel, and I only seek to return it to him," her voice was low, but still quite feminine; something that conjured images of crushed velvet unbidden into my mind; something that only complimented that unearthly, unsettling stare. I found myself intrigued, lured in by the promise of a mystery.
I found myself wondering just what an 'angel' was.

But I did not wish to find myself anything, and growled harshly at the woman or creature, "Cease your nonsensical babbling, onna! Answer me or perish!"
Perhaps not a human...where is your fear?
This was an... interesting creature indeed. A sad smile crossed the proclaimed not-human's face as she continued, "I have answered. But that aside, you..." again the false chuckle, as if she wished to manifest good humour but did not understand context or even the definition of the word. "You remind me of something pleasant, and I should not wish to spill your blood for just this small miscommunication. Certainly we have no reason to be fighting, and I must continue on my journey. Many of my apologies for this trouble."

I found myself again, scoffing at the deranged woman's arrogance - spill my blood? - when she leapt away. The vexing creature now flew across the sky, propelled by a single dark and feathered wing, somehow sprouted from her right shoulder.
Never have I been struck speechless in such an exasperating manner.
Humans...do not fly, no. And seldom do yōkai require wings when they wish to do so. This Sesshōmaru would know more of that one's origins.

Remembering my ward, so desperate earlier to share information, I wondered if some of her rambles might actually be useful in identifying the interesting being we'd just encountered. I did try to soften some of the frustration and irritation from my look, before focusing on the child. "What do you know of that woman, and why was she with you in the first place?" Naraku's demons hadn't even looked towards Rin, I realized; perhaps that creature was their target instead. I might have use for her as bait if this proved true.

"Oh, the lady was singing, she had the prettiest voice, but seemed very sad. I was going to give her these flowers to cheer her up, but she didn't seem to hear me, then the demons came. I was scared, but I guess I didn't have to be because the sad lady was here. I like her now. I didn't get to give her the flowers though...maybe master Jaken will want them..."

I stopped listening, there was no information to be had and I was concentrating on the creature's scent.
Half-demon? No...no demon blood at all, at least not that I recognize. Hmmm...there is...something, though...something of power; I must have missed it when I cast the woman off as human - not a mistake I will make again.
Normally, I would not care, but...something was interesting - I would heed my instincts in this case. This, and I was curious as to that ridiculous nodachi and what unheard of creature might wield it, seemingly without effort.

Was that aura of the woman, or the sword? I wondered to myself. My logical mind tied it to the sword, which would explain why I had not sensed it earlier, but my physical senses argued otherwise. The being herself had emanated power; she had a presence for those few moments I had stared into her eyes.
"Come Rin." I would find a place to camp her with Jaken and A-un, then begin the hunt.

- After all, the night is young... -