Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

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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Risa stared at her son before glancing towards Kurama and his friends. She would go along with the plan for the moment, but when they were alone she and Souta were going to have a serious talk about keeping secrets from one's mother.

Souta watched his mother leave the room before inviting Kurama and the others into the house. “Have a seat at the table and we’ll wait for Mom to get back,” he said as he pulled a couple of extra chairs from a small corner.

“You seem to take situations like this in great stride,” Kurama commented as Souta gestured for Keiko to have a seat.

“Yeah, I guess,” Souta laughed before taking a seat for himself. “But I guess I got used to it growing up with Kagome. After she started going to the past, there was no telling what might show up next. First that centipede woman grabbed Kagome, then a dog-eared boy came barging into the house, and if you throw in the few other demons that popped up along the way, I just adapted.”

Once Kurama finally got Hiei to sit down, he responded, “Trust me when I say that’s a trait that will come in very handy during your life.”

“Oh, I can believe it,” Souta said as he watched the two people in the room that he’d yet to meet. “So who are you guys?”

“Ah yes,” Kurama said as he remembered that introductions hadn’t been made yet. “These are friends of mine, Botan and Hiei. I believe that Hiei and I might be able to help your sister.”

“You mean you can cure her?” Souta asked hopefully as he sat up straight.

Kurama hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “I doubt that we’ll be able to do that, but I believe that we could possibly extend her life for a while.”

Souta frowned and eyed Kurama’s calm face. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have Kagome around for as long as possible, but if you can’t cure her then what’s the point? You’re just going to draw things out. Why?”

“You know that your sister protects a very powerful item,” Kurama began to explain. “I asked you this the other day, but what do you think will happen to it when she’s gone? Who is going to keep it out of the wrong hands?”

“I don’t know,” Souta answered honestly. “I remember Sis would come home covered in bruises and scrapes. She cracked more than one rib. So even though she never really talked about it, I know how hard she had to fight. I know what kind of danger that thing can attract. She was meant to guard it. I don’t know if there’s anyone else who could do it.”

“None of us know either,” Kurama agreed. “That’s why we have to keep her alive for as long as possible. We need a plan to deal with the jewel once its guardian is gone.”

“It’s always about that damn jewel,” Souta muttered under his breath.

“What do you mean?” Kurama asked having heard what the boy said.

“It’s always about the jewel,” Souta repeated louder. “It’s never about Kagome. Everyone always wants to take care of the jewel. Kagome’s just protected by association.” He paused for a moment to reign in his temper before it ran away with him. “But thanks,” he continued.

“For what?” Kurama asked curiously.

“For not sugar-coating it,” Souta answered. “You may not be doing this for Kagome, but at least you’re honest about it. And no matter why you’re doing it, I’m glad that you’re going to try to help her.”

Kurama smiled and nodded at the teen. He didn’t have much interaction with humans Souta’s age, but he’d be willing to bet that the young man before him was much more mature than his peers.

“Okay,” Risa said as she entered the kitchen once more. Sitting beside her son, she said, “Kagome is fine. Grandpa is going to sit with her while we talk.” She turned to look at Kurama seriously as she said, “But before we talk about anything else, I want to know who you really are.”

“That’s fair enough,” Kurama acquiesced. “I didn’t lie to you when I introduced myself as Shuichi Minamino. It’s the name that my human mother gave me, and it’s the name that I use in human company.”

“Human mother?” Risa questioned. “Human company? Are you…” She paused. “Are you a demon?”

“Yes,” Kurama answered honestly. “And no,” he added after another moment’s thought. “I suppose you could say that my state of being is complicated. And, for full disclosure, Hiei here is also a demon. Botan isn’t a demon, but she isn’t a human either.”

“Botan, is it?” Risa asked as she turned to look at the blue-haired young woman. “If you aren’t a human or a demon, what are you? If you don’t mind my asking, of course.”

“Not at all,” Botan replied with a chipper smile. “I suppose “reaper” is the simplest term for it, but it’s my job to guide the souls of the deceased to Spirit World. I don’t actually kill anyone like people tend to think.”

“Well that’s different,” Souta commented. “I think we’ve only ever had humans and demons in this house.”

Risa shushed her son. She didn’t feel like joking at the moment. Meeting Keiko’s eyes, she asked, “And you knew about this? Do you know all of them?”

“Yes, I knew,” Keiko admitted. “And I know Kurama, Hiei, and Botan. They all worked with my husband when they were younger. They were--and still are to an extent--part of a detective team employed by Spirit World.” As she watched Risa take in the information being given to her, she added, “I know that you probably feel a betrayal of trust right now, but I promise that we didn’t lie to you out of malice. We have to be careful about who we tell. But they’re good people. If they say that they can help Kagome, I really recommend at least hearing them out.”

“And you?” Risa questioned tiredly. “Are you a demon too?”

Keiko laughed lightly, “No, no, no. I’m as human as they come.”

Risa released a shuddering sigh before she began to nod. “Okay,” she said. “It’s been such a long time since anyone brought up demons that it almost felt like I had dreamed all of it up.” Looking to Kurama once again, she asked, “Do you really think that you can help my daughter?”

“I do,” Kurama answered. “And we’re certainly going to try.”

“What is it that you want to try?” Risa asked warily. If it sounded like anything that could even potentially hurt her daughter, she would put a stop to it.

Kurama was aware that Risa was wary of him now. Her top priority would be to protect her daughter from anything and anyone that she deemed a danger. “I believe that we can induce sleep-”

“No,” Risa interrupted him.

“Mom,” Souta chastised. “You didn’t even hear what he had to say.”

“The doctors said that it could make her worse, Souta. It could make her progress through the stages quicker. Do you really want to risk losing her even sooner?” Risa questioned her son.

Souta was quiet for several seconds before replying, “Yes.”

“Souta!” Risa jerked upright in shock. “Why?”

Souta reached for his mother’s hand and squeezed gently. “It might make her worse,” Souta admitted. He saw his mother about to speak again, but quickly cut her off. “But it might make her better. And what if it does make her worse? No matter what anyone does, she’s dying. I don’t want to lose her anymore than you do, but if there’s even a chance that they could help her, I think it’s worth risking the loss of a couple of months.”

“But she’s my baby girl,” Risa said softly. Squeezing Souta’s hand in return, tears began to gather in her eyes. “I don’t want to lose her any sooner than necessary.”

“I know, Mom,” Souta tried to comfort. “But even if they don’t do anything, she has another few months at most before she won’t even be able to talk anymore. Even if she does make it to her birthday, she won’t know it. The way I see it, they’re either going to be able to help her, or they’re going to shorten the time that she has to suffer.”

Risa sat in silence for a moment as she thought over Souta’s words. Everyone knew that whether they proceeded or not would depend on her permission. When she finally looked back to Kurama, she said, “What are you going to do to her?”

Smiling at the question, Kurama answered, “I’ll put her to sleep using a more natural method than medication. I’m hoping that it will help lessen any adverse effects that Kagome may experience. Once she’s asleep, Hiei will use his abilities to push her mind into a deeper level of sleep where, hopefully, she’ll be able to truly rest and maybe dream.”

“I don’t think I understand,” Risa said as she shook her head. “I mean, I understand what you said, but how are you going to do that? Does it have to do with being demons?”

“Yes,” Kurama said simply. “It’s because we’re demons. The demonic part of myself gives me a certain control over plant life, including demonic plant life. There are several species that are able to put people to sleep, and I’ve chosen one in particular that won’t harm Kagome in any other way. Hiei has telepathic abilities. He should be able to keep Kagome’s mind at rest long enough for her to actually sleep.”

“When would you want to start?” Risa asked.

“As soon as possible,” Kurama said. “Today, if we can.”

Risa sighed. She was still unsure about the whole thing, but if could give her daughter a chance, she would risk it. “Kagome is fairly lucid today. If she says that she would be willing to start today, then I’ll allow it.”

“Where is she?” Kurama asked as he stood smoothly.

“She’s in the living room,” Souta answered. “I’ll go with you.”

Kurama gestured for Hiei to follow them, and the trio made their way to the small living room. As they entered the room, Kagome looked up at them. She had been listening to the television and coloring some sheets on a small lap desk. Their grandfather appeared to have fallen asleep in his chair while watching the movie. Souta nodded him forward, and Kurama walked to sit on the opposite end of the couch that Kagome was on.

“Hello, Kagome,” Kurama said gently. “Do you remember me?”

Kagome studied him with a look of concentration and frustration before she finally relaxed and said, “Minamino, right?”

“Yes,” Kurama smiled. “But you can call me Kurama. Kagome, my friend and I are here to help you.”

“How?” She asked as she went back to coloring a sheet filled with a geometric pattern.

“We’re going to help you sleep,” he answered.

Kagome’s hand jerked so suddenly that her colored pencil left a vibrant line across the page, ruining the picture. When she looked up at him, Kurama was almost a little startled. It was the most alert he had ever seen her. “Don’t joke like that,” she bit out. “Can you really do that?”

Kurama noticed that her speech was still a little slow and slurred in places, but he knew that she understood him. “Your brother told me that you’re a priestess. Do you know what we are?” He asked as he gestured to Hiei and himself.

Kagome gave him an irritable look as she held up one shaky hand. As it began to glow with a very faint pink light, she said, “I may be weak, but I could feel you in the other room. You’re both demons.”

“Scared?” Hiei spoke for the first time since entering the Higurashi home.

“Hardly,” Kagome said as she shot him a small glare.

“Good,” Kurama cut back in. “Because we’re going to need you to trust us. We believe that we can help you sleep again. You won’t be able to do it on your own though, so we’ll need to be there.”

Kagome glanced over Kurama’s shoulder to look at Souta. “He’s not joking, Kagome,” Souta reassured. “You can trust them.”

“You’ll really be able to make me sleep?” Kagome asked Kurama with a cautious but hopeful look.

“We’re going to do our best, but we won’t know until we try,” Kurama told her.

Kagome nodded emphatically. “Please,” she said as she closed her eyes. “I don’t even care how. I’m just so tired.”

Souta walked over to put an arm around his sister as tears began to gather in her eyelashes. “Are you ready to try now, or do you want to wait until another time?” Souta asked.

“Now, please,” Kagome sniffled as she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

“Okay then, come on,” Souta urged as he helped her move her lap desk and stand up. Turning to face Kurama, he said, “I’ll help her get up to her room and into bed. Could you let Mom know that you’re going to try this now?”

“Of course,” Kurama said as he stood. As they were exiting the living room, he turned to Hiei and said, “You go with them while I let Kagome’s mother know what’s happening. She’ll likely want to be there.”

Hiei rolled his eyes, but followed after the woman and her brother. As he watched them, he realized just how frail the young woman looked. Next to her brother, who was obviously some sort of athlete, the woman appeared far too thin, bordering on emaciated. The trek up the stairs was slow as she took them one at a time, and Hiei found himself wishing that the brother would just pick her up and carry her already.

When they reached Kagome’s room, Hiei had to keep himself from sneering at all of the pink. It was like stepping into a child’s cottoncandy-colored dream. As Souta tucked his sister into bed, Hiei crossed the room and took a seat in the floor beneath the only window. Souta announced that he was stepping out of the room for a moment to get his desk chair and a book from his room, leaving the priestess and demon alone together.

“What’s your name?” Kagome asked tiredly.

“Hn,” was Hiei’s only reply.

“Great,” Kagome drawled. “You’re one of those.”

“One of what?” Hiei snapped.

“The “strong and silent” type,” she answered complete with air quotes. “Emphasis on the silent.” When he didn’t respond to her comment, she continued, “You don’t want to be here, do you?” Again, she received no answer. “That’s fine, I can talk enough for the both of us.”

Hiei inwardly cringed, but felt a wave of relief when Souta entered the room once more followed by Kurama, Kagome’s mother, Botan, and Keiko. The small room was suddenly very cramped. Souta sat in the chair he’d brought while Kurama and Risa sat on the edge of Kagome’s bed and Botan and Keiko stood.

Kurama pulled a small seed from underneath his hair and held it in his palm. Slowly, a tiny sprig of green grew from the brown shell. As it grew, tiny leaves began to sprout until finally a large red flower bud appeared. As the crimson petals unfurled, Kurama spoke, “This is a flower from Demon World. Its pollen is known to instantly knock out whoever inhales it. I’m going to blow some into your face, and all you need to do is take a deep breath at the same time. You’ll be asleep before you know what’s happening. Does that sound okay?” When Kagome nodded, he smiled and continued, “Then I’m going to countdown from three.”

“Okay,” Kagome said as she readied herself.

“Three…” Kurama counted as he lowered the flower closer to Kagome’s face.

“Two…” He said as Kagome closed her eyes and exhaled.

“One,” Kurama finally reached before blowing a small cloud of pollen into Kagome’s face. Everyone heard her inhale, and then there was silence. As the tension melted out of her body, Kurama allowed the flower to wither and die before reaching over to check on Kagome. He gently lifted one eyelid and saw that her pupils were dilated. Checking her breathing and pulse, he assured her family that both were strong and steady.

“Hiei,” Kurama called. “The rest is up to you.”

Hiei grunted before reaching up to untie the bandana around his head. Everyone watched as a third eye in the middle of Hiei’s forehead slowly opened and blinked several times.

“Woah,” Souta breathed. When the Jagan locked onto him, he visibly drew back away from it.

Taking a deep breath, Hiei closed his natural eyes and used the Jagan to get to work. He entered Kagome’s mind and began pulling her down into a deeper and deeper state of sleep.

“Okay,” Kurama said as he stood up from the bed. “They should both be out for several hours.”

“Thank you,” Risa said quietly as she gently brushed away some of Kagome’s hair.

“Of course,” Kurama smiled. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay until Kagome wakes up, just to make sure that everything went well.”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Risa assured. “But won’t you be bored?”

“You can use Kagome’s laptop,” Souta said as he pointed to the mostly unused computer on his sister’s desk. “I know the password.”

Kurama nodded his head in thanks before he heard Botan clear her throat.

“What should we do now?” The ferry girl asked as she gestured to Keiko and herself.

“Botan, you should probably check in with Koenma and let him know that things are going well so far. I brought my communicator with me, so I’ll let you know when Kagome wakes up,” Kurama answered. When Botan nodded and vanished, he turned to Keiko. “And I think we have things covered for tonight if you’d like to go home,” he told her. “Spend some time with Yusuke. Better yet, make him take you out to dinner.”

Keiko laughed as she said, “That actually sounds like a great plan. Are you sure you have things covered though?”

“We’ll be fine,” Kurama reassured. “If we need you, I’ll be sure to call.”

“Okay,” Keiko said as she gave in. “I’ll see you all later. Be sure to call me if you need anything!”

Kurama watched Keiko leave before sitting down at Kagome’s desk and settling in for the evening.

The hours passed and the Higurashi’s mostly went about their usual nighttime routine. Risa went downstairs to make dinner. Kurama ate with the family and finally met the Higurashi patriarch. They all gathered in Kagome’s room as they told stories, got to know each other, and watched for any change in Kagome or Hiei. Grandpa Higurashi eventually went to bed, and Risa sent Souta to bed saying that he had school in the morning.

Kurama and Risa stayed with Kagome and Hiei through the night. Risa curled up next to her daughter and got some sleep, but Kurama opted to stay up all night. There were no fluctuations in either Kagome’s or Hiei’s power, and they both appeared to sleep peacefully through the night.

As morning broke, Risa left her daughter’s side to make breakfast for her family. Kurama watched as she sent Souta off to school and made sure that her father-in-law was bundled up for the increasingly colder weather as he tended to his shrine duties. It was when he and Risa were having coffee in the kitchen that they heard a shrill scream come from upstairs.

They both rushed to Kagome’s room, but Kurama made it to the door first. He ran in to see Kagome sitting up in bed, wide-eyed and panting lightly. Looking to Hiei for any indication as to what had happened, Kurama only saw Hiei calmly tying his bandana back around his head.

Risa rushed past Kurama to sit next to Kagome on the bed. She looked her daughter over for any obvious injuries before pulling her into a fierce hug. “You scared me half to death,” she breathed. Finally pulling Kagome away to hold her at arm’s length, she asked, “What in the world happened?”

Shakily, Kagome answered, “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh, baby,” Risa cooed as she pulled Kagome in for another tight hug. “I’m so sorry.”

Kagome’s shoulders began to shake as she shook her head and pulled away from her mother. “No,” she corrected through tears and hiccups. “I was actually asleep. I had a dream. It was the best nightmare ever.” Torn between fright and relief, Kagome began to laugh and cry at the same time. Risa did her best to console her daughter until she calmed down enough to speak again. Kagome looked up and smiled at Kurama before turning her attention to Hiei. “Thank you,” she said simply, but the look of gratitude in her eyes spoke volumes more than her words.

Hiei frowned at first feeling slightly uncomfortable, but he eventually sighed and nodded once in acknowledgement.
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