In Inu Yasha, this is set a little time after Sango's introduction into the group – which means it's pretty early in the anime, before Inu Yasha learns the Windscar. In Ranma ½, this is set just before Ukyou's introduction into the anime. Also, this story happens in the Ranma universe, which means there's minimal chance of anybody other than Inu Yasha or Miroku from "Inu Yasha" making his or her appearance.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha, Ranma ½, or any of their characters. Just this insane plot.
Of Half-Demons and Pigs
One
Ryouga Hibiki had come to a point in life, inevitable to all residents and frequent visitors of Nerima, where nothing, however bizarre or weird or unbelievable, surprised him anymore.
That would probably explain why he wasn't startled when the sky seemingly split itself open above him, depositing at his feet two strangely clad beings with a monster and on his arm (rather painfully) two shining pieces of glass.
He removed the annoying pieces of glass wedged into his arm, noting rather detachedly the way their pink, jaded surfaces seemed to swirl and glow, as though filled with some sort of luminous liquid. Hoping that they might make pretty pendants for his sweet Akane, he stuffed them into his pocket and turned his attention to the three others who had accompanied the glass.
One he could identify as a monk, with blue flowing robes and a golden staff with rings on one end. The other, with red garb, long silver hair and what looked like dog-ears on his head was a little harder to place. A glance at the third – what seemed to be an overgrown spider with huge pincers and dangerous-looking claws at the end of each leg – was enough for him to ascertain what exactly was going on.
But did they really have to crash a costume party right when he was in a hurry to get back to Akane?
He watched as the spider recovered first from the fall, and took a swipe at the monk. He blocked it skilfully with his staff, while the silver-haired guy drew out a sword – which suddenly seemed too big to have fit into so small a sheath – and took a running stab at the monstrosity (really, they seemed to have no taste at all when it came to costumes these days). The spider dodged with surprising agility, only to stagger in pain as a charm thrown by the monk landed on its forehead. "Go on, Inu Yasha," the monk cried, his accent decidedly old-world.
Wait. Inu Yasha? Dog demon?
The one with the silver-hair responded by running into another reckless attack at the spider, which it dodged again, seemingly recovered from the monk's spell. Two clawed feet rose and met to form a sharp, dangerous-looking point, and it descended quickly upon the red-clad man, aiming for the heart.
Ryouga decided that things, party or not, had gone too far.
Hefting his umbrella, he ran forward and blocked the spider's strike. In the same movement, he pushed the silver-haired one out of danger and rammed his left fist into the spider's extended appendage. He could hear the sound of chitin breaking and the pincers clicked wildly, as the overgrown insect staggered in pain. He brought his umbrella about, leaping, and landed a decisive blow on the spider's head while landing with a bone-crunching kick on its back. The spider twitched lamely for a couple of moments, before falling to the ground, limp.
Ryouga jumped off the body and landed in front of the other two youths with practiced grace. "I'm sorry about your… robot, or whatever it was," he said, with a slight bow. "But something had to be done, otherwise you'd have been killed. Ryouga Hibiki never stands aside when lives are on the line." He looked up to see two very startled faces staring at him. "I'm sorry again to have interrupted. I'll be going now."
With that, he turned and continued on his journey, reflecting on the two youths. The silver-haired one had had golden eyes… surely, they were contact lenses? If they were, they were certainly the most realistic Ryouga had seen. Those two must be recklessly rich, if they were able to afford costumes and equipment like that. All for what, though? Entertainment that nearly killed them? Ryouga shook his head.
Other kids these days. Absolutely no sense of discretion.
Inu Yasha forcefully bade all life forms to hell, and other places, which this chronicler doesn't find prudent to mention, while he strode toward the fallen body of the spider demon.
Miroku watched his friend, amusement twinkling in his blue eyes. "Well, well, Inu Yasha," he said, raising his hand to his chin in a mock contemplative pose. "Saved by a human who took all of five seconds to complete what you weren't able to accomplish in half-an-hour. I never thought I'd live to see this day."
"Shut up," Inu Yasha growled, sinking his claws into the demon's hide. "I'd say that guy is a hanyou." He tore out chunks of demonic flesh, as if looking for something. "Dammit, where's Kagome when you need the wench?"
"A hanyou? But I sensed no demonic aura. Besides, the clothes that he wore…"
"Okay, so maybe it's his time of month," Inu Yasha retorted. He glared disgustedly at his blood-coated hands, before casting a glare of nearly the same calibre at Miroku. "Aren't you supposed to be a monk of some sort? Surely, you can sense the Jewel Shards, if only faintly?"
"I'm not really a monk in the strictest sense of the word," Miroku said, and continued hastily when it seemed like Inu Yasha was going to snap an angry retort, "But my powers are substantial. I can sense the shards, but I cannot tell its location with the same accuracy as Kagome does."
"Just general would do. Get on with it already."
Miroku closed his eyes and concentrated. The small speck of incredibly concentrated power that he had come to associate with the Sacred Jewel shards teased at the edges of his consciousness. Lifting his hand, he tried to trace the location from which the faint glow seemed to be emanating. Though he couldn't determine the number, Kagome had said that the demon possessed three shards. It should be… no, not there… it's more powerful to the left…
"There, Inu Yasha!"
There was no answering shout of triumph, a gruff thanks, or even the wet sound of Inu Yasha tearing open the demon's carcass to get to the shard. Curious and rather concerned, Miroku opened his eyes, and immediately recognised the reason for the hanyou's silence.
His finger was pointing right at Inu Yasha.
The half-demon's hand tightened on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, as his eye twitched in barely suppressed rage. "What do you take me for, some kind of gullible idiot?" His eyes flashed a dangerous gold. "You'll pay for playing games with me, monk."
Miroku gulped. "Um, you're sure you didn't pick up the shards by… er, mistake?"
The twitching intensified.
Miroku sidestepped to avoid a potential attack, when he saw the answer. Smiling, he brought his staff to his side and straightened his back, getting into his element. "Well, Inu Yasha," he began coolly, "the shards may not be on your person, but you must realise that my powers have performed to your expectations, however the situation looks at face value. You see – ack!"
His small speech was rudely interrupted by Inu Yasha bunching the front of his robes in his clawed hand, and lifting him at least two inches off the ground. "You beat around the bush – you die."
Miroku suppressed another gulp. "Theshardisinthelimbbehindyou."
"What?"
Miroku gestured for Inu Yasha to put him down, to which the hanyou hesitantly obliged. Feeling rather annoyed that his dramatic moment of revelation was now irreparably spoiled, Miroku muttered sullenly, "The shard is embedded in the spider limb behind you."
With a snort, Inu Yasha dug it out in a small fountain of blood. "You could've just told me that in the beginning," he said, stuffing it into his voluminous sleeve. He cast an impatient look around them. "Aren't there supposed to be two more shards?"
"I can't feel anything else on the demon," Miroku said, smoothing the front of his robe.
Inu Yasha clenched his fists. "Where in hell are those two girls and that little demon brat? Kagome, of course, would be late just when there's a fight, or shards to be found…" His voice trailed away and his ears pricked, as they picked up a distant and vaguely familiar rumbling sound.
A sound that was coming closer and closer to them.
Miroku seemed to be hearing it too, for seriousness settled like a mask upon his face as he looked to Inu Yasha. "Something is coming our way. And I cannot feel its aura." He frowned. "Could it be a void, like Kanna?"
"No time to think about that," Inu Yasha muttered, as he grabbed Miroku's hand and both of them dove behind the cover of nearby tall bushes. The sound grew louder and louder as a lumbering shape turned into the dusty dirt road, a black, flickering silhouette in the glare of the noonday sun. The silhouette resolved itself into a definite shape as it moved at an incredible speed. Finally, the two were able to see what the 'thing' was: a huge white, strangely designed box that travelled on unnatural-looking black wheels, propelled by some invisible force. It belched black, noxious smoke from its rear at regular intervals, and Miroku and Inu Yasha watched as it lumbered out of sight – the former fascinated; the latter horrified.
That… that thing… I've seen others like it before. Inu Yasha's scowl deepened until it seemed his lips would split open. Shit – if my suspicions are right, then we really are in a load of trouble here.
"What is it, Inu Yasha?" Miroku asked, looking to his momentarily enlightened half-demon friend. "Do you know what that thing we just saw is?"
"Yeah – I know enough to say that it doesn't belong here." He stood up and looked around him, for the first time since the fight, noticing the changes – however subtle – between what the battlefield was an hour ago, as opposed to now. "Or rather, that we don't belong here."
Miroku's jaw nearly dropped to the ground as he grasped the implications of what Inu Yasha was saying. "Do you mean to say that… that… we…"
Inu Yasha nodded grimly. "Yes – we're in Kagome's time."
"But how? Despite the fact that I have in my possession a couple of Sacred Jewel shards, we didn't jump into the Bone-Eater's Well."
"How am I supposed to know?" Inu Yasha retorted. "You're the monk here."
Miroku cast a wry look at his friend, but chose not to comment. Instead, he closed his eyes once again, stretching his spiritual senses around him, until it impacted against a centre of incredible demonic power, much like the Bone Eater's Well. He opened his eyes and traced the feeling to a majestic banyan tree across the road. "That tree is it," he said quietly. "Of course there would exist more places like the Well – it cannot be the only one with such a vortex of power…"
"Let's get back to home, then," Inu Yasha said, bounding to the tree's side with one giant leap. Annoyance scrunched his features as he realised that Miroku wasn't following him. "What's wrong with you? We've got what we need – the Sacred Jewel shards, and…" Inu Yasha trailed off, his eyes widening.
Miroku nodded. "The other two shards – they accompanied us to this world, I'm sure of it."
"Then that would mean…" Inu Yasha's eyes flashed. "That other hanyou… he must have the other two shards!" He punched the ground furiously, immediately regretting it as a cloud of dust entered his mouth and sensitive nose. "What… did he say… was his name again?" he asked, between coughs.
Unable to help a superior smile from curving his lips, Miroku replied, "I remember him referring to himself as…" He frowned in concentration. "Ryouga Hibiki. Yes, Hibiki. He must have the other two shards." His expression shifted to one of concern as he watched his friend wave away the last of the dust. "He seemed to be pretty strong – are you sure you can fight him, Inu Yasha?"
"Of course I can," the hanyou replied, his hand positioning itself on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. He clenched his other hand into a fist.
"He's going to regret that he ever set his eyes on us, much less steal our Jewel Shards."
What kind of wasteland have I been travelling in all this while? Ryouga Hibiki cast another weary look at the rows and rows of buildings lining the road, each no different from the other. He sunk to his knees on the pavement and leaned forward, only his umbrella preventing him from falling onto his face. Oh, Akane, it is only the fire of my love for you that fuels me on now…
In a way, that was true. He had placed his food – and his meagre money happened to be with it, as well – too far away from his sleeping bag at his latest makeshift campsite, and as he walked around the clearing looking for it, had promptly gotten himself lost again. It had been fifteen hours since he had eaten anything, and he had been travelling all the while.
But I will not give up, he thought determinedly. Even if I have to walk around the earth five times, I will get to you, Akane! I will profess my love, set my lips against your soft, lovely ones, and…
"… I'll kiss you, Akane, my love!"
Ryouga looked up, startled. He had not spoken loud – he recognised the voice, but it… it just couldn't be!
"Just get lost, Kunou!" There was a whack, and a yell that slowly petered out as Kunou flew above Ryouga, and toward the horizon. Ryouga scrambled to his feet and turned around to see Akane standing behind, still fuming at Kunou. So… I am in Nerima, after all!
"A-Akane?"
She seemed to notice him standing there for the first time, for an expression of pleasant surprise replaced the anger on her face. "Oh, hi, Ryouga!" Her smile widened. "It's good to see you're back."
Really? A blush crept across the bridge of his nose. "Thanks. It's… it's good to see you too, Akane." Now is the time… the time to tell her how I feel. His hands twitched nervously. "Um, Akane… I… I have something to say to you."
"Go ahead, Ryouga."
He cast a wary look behind her shoulder. "Is Ranma with you?"
"No, he's training with his father back at the dojo. I just came to do some grocery shopping for Kasumi." She lifted a loaded shopping bag. "So – what is it you want to say?"
No Ranma? This is perfect. "You see, Akane, I –"
"I'd better refill this vase… oops!" Ryouga looked up to see a vase tumbling from the apartment window right above his head. That was not what caused his eyes to widen in horror, and his heartbeat to accelerate, however – worse things had bounced off his visage harmlessly before – it was the fact that the vase was half-filled with water, and that wily mercenary, Gravity, was directing the liquid onto Ryouga's head – and that there was nothing he could do about it.
The most horrifying of all – Akane was standing right in front of him.
I hope my death is a quick one. He felt the cool splash of the water on his head, and waited for the transformation, the shouts of "P-Chan!", and "How could you, Ryouga?", the kick that would send him flying to orbit around Mars, the accusing stares, the tears of betrayal…
… all of which never came.
Ryouga opened his eyes, unaware of when he had closed them, blinking in surprise. He lifted his hands to his eyes and twitched his fingers. Human. He ran them over his face, and felt the beginnings of a rough stubble on his cheek. Human male. The hands explored upward, until they impacted against his bandanna. Human male with a bandanna.
Yes, he was himself – he was Ryouga Hibiki.
Ryouga. Hibiki. Human. Not a piglet.
How was that possible?
"That was really inconsiderate of her…" Akane frowned at his silence. "Is something wrong, Ryouga?"
"Erm, nothing… nothing at all, Akane." A disbelieving smile spread and lit up his face. "Absolutely nothing."
"O-okay, then." Akane lifted a hand in goodbye and turned around. "I really have to get these back in time for dinner, so I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, Akane – Bye."
"Bye – See you later!" Ryouga watched her leave, the delirious smile still etched on his face. He… he was cured! Inexplicably, wonderfully, suddenly cured! Something had had to have happened earlier in the day for this change to come about, for he could recall transforming from the effects of his Jusenkyo curse as recently as the previous night. Nothing remarkable had happened, really, except for him meeting those two strange youths…
Those glass shards…
They must be it – the cure! He dug into his pocket and fished out the two glowing shards, tears of utter joy pricking the edges of his eyes. It seemed that the Gods had finally taken pity on him, and bestowed on him the cure to the blasphemous Jusenkyo curse – dropping it from their heavenly bosom onto his mortal self. He fell to his knees again – this time, more out of reverence than exhaustion (though that did play a factor).
He clenched the fist that held the shards. Thanks to these pink pieces of godly glass, a whole vista of opportunities that had thus far been denied to him, had opened – a glorious future lay unfurled before him, and he intended to accomplish it, with Ranma Saotome under his foot and Akane Tendou by his side.
Nobody was going to take these shards – his future – away from him, not when he was alive.