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Sandman	By : YoursAlways Category: InuYasha Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 2261 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor YuYu Hakusho and make no money from these writings.

Chapter List
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Sandman

Chapter Two

Kurama sat in the park he’d been walking through the previous day as he waited for Keiko to meet him. A young couple walked past him hand-in-hand as his thoughts wandered to the previous night.

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Botan had certainly gotten back to him quickly. He was getting ready for bed when he heard the small ‘pop’ that accompanied the portal she used to teleport between worlds. Making his way into his living room, Kurama was greeted by the energetic reaper as she straightened her kimono.

“Kurama!” Botan enthused as she plopped down to sit on his couch. “I’ll have you know you ran across quite an interesting name.”

Taking a seat at the opposite end of the couch, Kurama’s curiosity piqued. “What were you able to find out?” He asked.

“Well,” Botan began as she turned to him looking every bit like a schoolgirl getting ready to gossip. “The only ‘Shikon’ that we have on record is the Shikon no Tama, also known as the Jewel of Four Souls. It was created almost a millennia ago during the height of a fierce battle between a powerful priestess and a formidable demon made up of many other demons. The jewel contains the souls of the priestess and demon who are said to still be battling inside the jewel to this day! It’s also said that the thing can grant any wish! It traded hands many times before it came into the possession of a tribe of demon slayers several centuries ago. They found a priestess to look after it, but that ended in a very tragic story.” Botan became quiet for a moment before snapping out of it and getting back to her story. “Anyway, the jewel was burned with the priestess’s body and disappeared for a while. It popped up again a while later though—I think the files said about fifty years—and it was shattered! That caused this big hullabaloo with demons and humans both searching for the pieces. It came down to a small group including the priestess that shattered it in the first place fighting against a half-demon named Naraku; what a creepy name!” Botan took a breath to continue, but was cut off by Kurama.

“Wait, what did you say the half-demon’s name was?” Kurama questioned seriously.

Botan blinked. “Umm...Naraku. Honestly, I glossed over a lot of the names involved because there was a lot in that file, but I guess that name just stuck with me. Why?”

“I heard that name earlier too,” he said. “I’m sorry, I interrupted you. Please continue.”

“Well there’s not much to it after that, actually,” Botan shrugged. “The priestess’s group won, destroyed the demon, and completed the jewel. Not long after that the priestess and the jewel both completely disappeared. There’s nothing about them after that in the records, and the jewel hasn’t been seen since. It’s assumed that she died and the jewel was burned with her as was done previously, but her soul was pulled from the reincarnation cycle. Of course we don’t have any records of that either. Spirit World was still working on creating Demon World and building a barrier, so a lot of things slipped by until it was too late. The records from that far back are usually spotty at best. Most of what we had on the jewel was collected from interviews after everything was done and over with.”

It occurred to Kurama where he knew the name Shikon from. It was a thieves legend. The ultimate bounty. After it seemed to disappear, rumors had spread as to its true whereabouts, but none of them were substantial. He had hunted it in his youth as Youko, but he soon dismissed it as a fable. “How common is knowledge about the jewel?” Kurama asked.

“That’s hard to say,” Botan mused as she thought on the question. “I had never heard of it until you brought it up, but I’m sure beings older than me would know. I think it’s some sort of demon myth isn’t it? But there’s no telling how many demons believe in it anymore. And I’m hesitant to even venture a guess with humans. There may be a few who still know the story, maybe some temples or shrines that pass it down, but I’d probably say not many know about it. I’d be surprised if anything but the basics of the story survived in this world today.”

“Thanks Botan,” Kurama said as his thoughts began to race. Kagome lived on a shrine, so it’s possible that she had heard the story growing up. But what were the chances that she would know a specific name related to the tale? He was most likely thinking about this way too much. It was probably a coincidence. They happened every day, like with he and his step-brother sharing the same given name. Then again, how often were they just coincidences when related to something demonic?

“It’s no problem!” Botan chirped. “Though I’m curious, why did you want to know about the jewel?”

“I met someone who mentioned it by name earlier, along with Naraku. She was a human, but I think she might be a priestess,” he explained.

“Really? A priestess?” Botan asked slightly surprised. “That’s pretty rare these days.”

“I know,” Kurama agreed. “That’s what I thought too.”

“And you said she knew about the jewel and Naraku?” Botan prodded further.

Kurama nodded. “I’m seeing her again tomorrow with Keiko. I’m not sure how much more information I can get from her given her condition, but I’m going to see if I can learn anything else about it.”

“Her condition?” Botan questioned.

“She’s sick, a type insomnia that’s killing her,” Kurama explained simply.

Botan merely hummed in acknowledgement. She was a reaper. Death rarely fazed her or made her sad. It was just a fact for her that humans died, priestess or not. “What did you say her name was?”

“I didn’t,” Kurama answered. “But her name is Kagome Higurashi. She lives with her family at the Sunset Shrine here in Tokyo.”

“I’ll check her life file in the spirit records and see if there’s anything odd that stands out, just in case your investigation doesn’t turn up much,” she said.

“Does Koenma know that you’re looking into all of this for me?” Kurama asked as he cast the ferry girl a knowing look.

“Not exactly,” Botan fidgeted. “I have someone covering my reaper duties in the area. I’ll tell him about it if it seems serious enough, but I didn’t see any point in getting him in a fit if it turns out to be nothing.”

“Good call,” Kurama said with a smile.

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Kurama checked his watch just before hearing Keiko’s voice. “Kurama!” She called out to him as she jogged over to where he was sitting. “Sorry I’m a little late. There were a few more files than I thought.”

“You aren’t all that late,” he said with a smile as he stood from the park bench. “Only a few minutes.”

“Still,” Keiko protested as the pair fell into step and began their walk to the shrine. “I hate being late, especially when I have an appointment!”

“Always the perfectionist, hmm?” Kurama teased. He laughed when Keiko pushed him with her shoulder.

“So you just met this family yesterday?” Keiko asked. “What made you decide to go this far out of your way for a complete stranger?”

Thinking for a moment, Kurama said, “I think there’s more to Kagome than one might think.”

“You’re investigating her?” Keiko asked incredulously. “Seriously, Kurama? She’s sick, for crying out loud! What could you possibly be investigating?”

“I believe that she may know more about an ancient relic than the average human should,” Kurama explained.

Keiko merely roller her eyes at his carefully worded answer. “You really like being vague, don’t you?”

“A bit,” he smiled at the shorter woman as they began their trek up the tall staircase that lead to the shrine.

When they made it to the shrine’s courtyard, Kurama directed Keiko over to the house and knocked on the door he’d used the previous day. He smiled pleasantly when Risa answered the door. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Higurashi. This is my friend Keiko Urameshi. She’s the person I spoke to you about yesterday.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Ms. Urameshi,” Risa said with a bow. “My name is Risa Higurashi. Please, both of you, come in and I’ll fix us something to drink.”

“Thank you very much,” Keiko smiled as she and Kurama entered the house. She slipped her light jacket off and hung it on a hook pointed out to her by Risa. “Though I’m actually Mrs. Urameshi,” she corrected as she held up her hand and pointed out her wedding ring.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Risa apologized with a light laugh. “You look like you’re about my daughter’s age. I’m sure you can understand how it is for us old people; you always see your children and their peers as still being children. It’s still so hard to think that your generation is old enough to start getting married and having families of your own.”

“Trust me, my mother feels the same way,” Keiko laughed along with the older woman. She and Kurama sat at the kitchen table when instructed, and she got to business. “So Kur-umm...Shuichi tells me that your daughter is ill.”

Risa’s shoulders drooped a little as she brought a small tray of drinks and snacks to the table. “Yes,” she confirmed. “And I’m afraid that we’re all having to spread ourselves a little too thin to give her the care that she needs. It leads to accidents like yesterday when she left the house when no one was watching.”

Keiko nodded her understanding before pulling a small notepad and a pen from her purse. “Do you mind if I jot down some notes? It’ll help to have the information in front of me when I talk to my boss about your situation tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind,” Risa said with a sad smile.

“And your daughter’s name is Kagome Higurashi?” Keiko asked. She’d heard Kurama call her by the name, but she had to make sure.

“Yes, Kagome Hanae Higurashi,” Risa provided.

“And how old is she?”

“She’s twenty-three. She’ll be twenty-four in March,” Risa said as she fiddled nervously with her cup.

“And Shuichi said that she has Sporadic Fatal Insomnia. Is that right?” Keiko asked looking up from her notepad.

“Yes,” Risa answered.

“Let me know if any questions become too personal, okay?” Keiko asked. When Risa nodded, she continued, “Can you tell me what stage she’s in?”

Risa swallowed thickly. “Stage three. She doesn’t sleep anymore. She’ll close her eyes for a few minutes every day or two, but that’s about it. She’s also began to lose a lot of weight over the last couple of weeks.”

Keiko hummed lightly. “Yes, from what I know that’s common for stage three. How many people do you currently have who can care for Kagome?”

“Two, sometimes three,” Risa said. “It’s usually just me and Kagome’s grandfather, my father-in-law. My son, Souta, helps out when he can, but he’s still in high school. He wants to help more than he does, but I always make him focus on his studies.”

“Okay,” Keiko drawled as she finished jotting down the last of her notes. “And where is Kagome now? I’d like to meet her if you don’t mind. It would let me get a better read of her condition and personality. Those factors will come into play when matching her with a caregiver.”

“So you think that your organization will be willing to help us?” Risa asked hopefully.

Keiko smiled and nodded. “From what I’ve heard, you have a fairly strong need for our assistance, but my boss and our chairman have the final say. Even if we are able to send someone to help you, I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to have someone here at all hours. Would you say that you need help more during the day or at night?”

“Well,” Risa thought for a moment. “Probably at night. Grandpa has the shrine to run during the day, Souta has school, and I still have to take care of the house and the rest of our family. If someone could sit with her at night, I can’t even tell you how grateful we would be.”

“We’ll do our best,” Keiko said as she smiled and patted Risa’s hand in an attempt to comfort the woman. “So may I meet your daughter?”

“Oh, yes!” Risa said as she began to stand. “I completely forgot. I’ll go get her.” She retrieved her coat from a nearby hook and turned back to the two at her kitchen table. “It’s actually very lucky that you were able to come today. She’s having one of her good days; she seems much more lucid than usual.”

“Where is she?” Kurama asked curious as to why Risa would need a coat.

“When she’s aware enough to know what she’s doing, Kagome likes to meditate in our main shrine building. Even at this stage of the disease, I think it helps her some. She does what she can to keep her mind clear and focused,” Risa explained. “Souta took his homework out there so that he could sit with her. I’ll be right back with both of them.”

With the Higurashi matriarch out of the room, Kurama turned to face Keiko. “So do you really think they’ll be able to get the help that they need?”

“I do,” Keiko murmured as she looked over her notes again. “But a lot of it will be determined by what I see in Kagome when I talk to her.”

Kurama nodded as he picked up a small snack cookie from the tray. The kitchen was quiet until the door opened again to reveal Risa, Kagome, and a young man that Kurama had yet to meet.

“Kagome,” Risa began softly as she helped her daughter out of her large sweater-jacket. “This is Mrs. Keiko Urameshi. She’d like to talk to you for a little while. Are you feeling up to it?”

Kagome nodded as she unwrapped the pink scarf that had been wrapped around her neck. As she stepped into the kitchen she stopped and her dark blue eyes locked onto Kurama.

“Oh, do you remember Mr. Minamino? You met him yesterday,” her mother prompted.

Kagome was silent as she stared at Kurama. She narrowed her eyes a little in concentration as she studied him, like she was trying to place him but couldn’t quite get there. Kurama was about to greet her when he felt the same power as the day before lightly brush against him. It recoiled quickly, and Kagome seemed to come to her senses again. “No,” she finally answered. “I’m sorry, I just have trouble remembering sometimes.”

Giving her a quick once-over, Kurama tried not to frown. She spoke very slowly, and her voice seemed much softer and more tired than the day before. Her eyes and cheeks also seemed a little more sunken, but he wasn’t sure if it was just in his mind or not.

“Come on, dear,” Risa said as she held her daughter’s arm in an attempt to steady her. “Let’s get you comfortable in the living room, and you and Mrs. Urameshi can speak in there.” When Kagome nodded, Risa motioned for Keiko to follow them. “Souta, you stay in here and keep working on your homework,” she called over her shoulder.

Without a word, Souta placed his books on the kitchen table but didn’t sit down. Kurama looked up at the teen and saw that he was being glared at. “Is there a problem?” He asked as politely as he could.

Souta crossed his arms over his chest and frowned deeper. “Why are you here?” He asked.

“I’m trying to help your sister,” Kurama responded. “I didn’t meet you yesterday, but surely your mother told you what happened.”

“Yeah,” Souta said shortly as he tugged out a chair and sat down hard, never uncrossing his arms. “But that still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”

Genuinely at a loss, Kurama caved, “I apologize, but I really don’t understand what you’re asking.”

“I mean,” Souta said as he leaned forward enough to rest his elbows on the table. “Your kind don’t usually come to places like this. So why are you here?”

“My kind?” Kurama asked, curious as to what the boy was alluding to.

“Don’t play dumb,” Souta said flatly as he stared Kurama in the eye. “You’re on a shrine. I’m from a long line of priests. My grandfather is a priest and my sister is a powerful priestess.”

The message had finally been delivered. ‘Ah,’ Kurama thought as he leaned back in his chair a little. ‘I’m always up for a little bit of playtime.’ Smiling, Kurama asked, “And what exactly is it that you think I am?”

“I don’t think anything,” Souta said as he pulled a small piece of paper out of a notebook and quickly scribbled a design on it. He slapped it onto the table between them and the table glowed blue for a moment.

Kurama quickly drew away from the holy power and hissed through his teeth as it signed him slightly. He looked up, surprised, at the cocky look now on the teenager’s face.

“Demon,” Souta named him.

Straightening, Kurama pushed aside his playful mood. “There aren’t many humans with power like that left in the world, and I highly doubt that you’re self-trained. Where did you learn that type of control?”

“My sister,” Souta answered. “She started teaching me when I was just a kid. Gramps never showed any signs of power, but Kagome and I did. I’m not nearly as strong as she is...was, but she taught me as much as she could. And now it’s my turn to protect her, so I want to know why you’re here.”

Kurama was a little surprised with the boy. He was right that he didn’t have much power, but his spirit seemed to more than make up for that. “I’m not here to hurt your sister,” Kurama tried to reassure as he lifted his hands in a sign of peace. “Quite the opposite, actually. She and your family seem to genuinely need help. I’m only doing what I can.”

“And what’s in it for you?” Souta asked.

“I would have done this without getting anything in return,” Kurama prefaced. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not after something. Very astute of you.” When Souta smiled a little at the praise, he continued, “Kagome mentioned something to me yesterday that I’m very curious to learn more about. More specifically, I would like to know how she knows about it at all.”

“And what’s that?” Souta asked.

“The Shikon no Tama or Jewel of Four Souls, whichever you prefer,” he answered.

Souta snorted. “I can tell you that. We grew up with those stories. Do you know the story of it?”

“I know the jist,” Kurama confirmed.

“Well the part where the priestess kills her half-demon lover, died, and had the jewel burned with her body happened here,” he said. “We even sell cheap little replicas of the jewel in the gift shop.”

Kurama was a little disappointed at the anticlimactic answer to part of his question, but he laughed at what Souta had said. “I certainly hope you’re not in charge of the shop. Your sales pitch could use a little work.”

For the first time since entering the house, Souta laughed. “No, that’s Grandpa’s area. He can sell that stuff to just about anyone. I’d steer clear of it if I were you.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Kurama said. The tension in the air relaxed and he decided to prod the boy for some more answers. “Your sister said something else to me yesterday when she mentioned the jewel. It’s something that wouldn’t likely be in any of the stories or legends. She named the evil demon from the jewel’s history. I had a friend check into it, and it turns out that your sister knew his actual name.”

Souta’s eyes grew a little wider as he stammered, “I…um…”

“She also told me that she has the jewel in her possession; inside her body to be exact,” Kurama finished.

Souta’s entire body stiffened and he began to slowly reach for the sutra that he’d drawn earlier.

“Now, now,” Kurama placated. “I’m not here to cause trouble. Like I said, I want to help. I work for a very powerful demigod. He has a team, which I’m part of, that work to keep this world safe from demons. If the stories about this jewel are true, it’s something that needs to be protected. If you know about it as well, I’m sure you know the rumors of its power.”

“They aren’t rumors,” Souta ground out. “I know exactly what that jewel is and how powerful it is. I know what it does to demons, and I know that my sister almost died time and again trying to keep it out of the wrong hands! And as far as protecting it goes, Kagome is the only person able to do it. She was born to protect it.”

Kurama watched Souta take a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. Treading gently, he continued, “Your sister is very ill. If what you said about her being the only one who can protect the jewel is true, what do you think will happen to it when she’s gone?”

Souta looked as though he was going to protest the very idea for a moment before he closed his mouth and looked down at the table with a stubborn frown.

“If you can tell me more about it, I’ll be able to talk to my boss and see what our options are,” Kurama explained.

With the hard look back in his eyes, Souta locked eyes with Kurama and asked, “How do I know you aren’t trying to get information just to try and take it?”

“Do you believe that you’re a good judge of character, Souta?” Kurama asked him.

Souta chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Yeah, I guess,” he answered.

“Then you tell me; do you think I’m going to try to take the jewel?” Kurama sat back in his chair and opened himself up to the young man’s scrutiny.

After a minute or two of examining and thinking, Souta eventually shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’ve seen evil demons. I don’t think you’re one of them.”

“Then are you willing to help me?” Kurama asked as he extended his right hand in a gesture of trust.

Souta stared at the hand for a moment before finally taking it with his own right hand in a firm grip. “Sure.”

It was almost an hour later when Keiko and Risa came back into the kitchen announcing that they were done for the day. Kurama bade the family goodbye and he and Keiko took their leave for the evening. They chatted during their walk, but they eventually had to go their separate ways. Keiko promised to call him when she knew something about Kagome’s situation, and Kurama thanked her before continuing on his way.

When he arrived home, he got comfortable and fixed himself some supper before sitting down at his desk once again. He picked up his communicator from where he’d left it beside his computer, flipped it open, and pressed the little blue button. “Botan,” he said once the ferry girl popped up on the screen. “I think I may need to schedule a meeting with Koenma.”
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Sandman