Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. Now, on with the story.

The Corpse

Ch. 1: Kagome Higurashi, Spirit Detective

Kazuma Kuwabara tightened his grip on his pencil, trying to concentrate on his research paper while his guest was staring at some martial arts championship on the TV.

"Hey! Urameshi! Turn that thing down. Some of us have work to do!"

"That's your damn problem," Yusuke answered. Since he had been missing for so long, Yusuke was considered a "special case" and managed to get into a high school. However, that did not keep him from skipping class.

"Geez, Urameshi. When are you going to get off your lazy ass and do something with your life? Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your pathetic life in a dead-end fast food job!" Kuwabara muttered to himself, "Man, that would suck. From a king of Demon World all the way down to a cashier at Wacdnald's (1)."

Yusuke decided not to comment on his friend's newfound ability to use big words like "otherwise" and "pathetic". "It's not my fault that the only thing I was ever good at was Spirit Detective."

"About that," said Kuwabara. "Why haven't you gotten your job back, yet? I thought Koenma and his dad made up."

"That was only because the problems in Demon World were a bigger problem than me. Now that it's under control, more or less, they're right back to fighting. King Yama wants me dead now that I'm back in Human World and Koenma's run away from home again." Yusuke's face darkened. "That's one of the things that sucks about people. The only thing that can stop the hate between two people is an even stronger hate for someone else."

"Now you're talking like Sensui."

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be." A moment of silence passed over the two former detectives before Kuwabara suddenly gasped.

"What? Spirit senses tingling?"

"I feel…like something really nasty just appeared in our world," said Kuwabara.

"You think so? Demon World's gonna be a relatively peaceful with Enki in charge."

"Well, our worst enemy wasn't from Demon World, if you know what I mean."

'Did I just get zinged by Kuwabara?' thought Yusuke. 'Maybe I should take my schooling more seriously…' Yusuke shuddered, forcing the sacrilegious thought from his mind.

"Besides," Kuwabara continued, "Spirit World is a bigger problem for us than Demon World."

"You think they'll be sending assassins after me again?"

"Well, why wouldn't they. You being a Mazo-whatever. Say, I just thought of something!"

"Congratulations. What is it?"

"Do you think they'll be hiring a new Spirit Detective? I mean, why haven't they sent any other thugs after you?"

Yusuke put his feet up on the coffee table and his hands behind his head. "They're all to weak. If the Spirit Defense Force is the best they've got, then I have nothing to worry about."

XXXXX

"I'm home!" Kagome called as she kicked off her shoes. There was no answer. "Hello?" she said again. "Is anyone ho..." Kagome trailed off as she detected the presence of the Shikon Jewel. This jewel was nearly complete, with only a few shards missing. There was only one person who possessed that jewel. Naraku.

And he was in her house.

Without a second thought, Kagome spun around and sprinted towards the old well. But before she reached the well house, a powerful gale blew the door to splinters and sent Kagome flying back to her doorstep. When she crashed into the ground, Kagome looked up to see Kagura, Naraku's arrogant minion, guarding the well.

"Hello, priestess," said the wind sorceress. "Fancy meeting you in a strange place like this. So this is your homeland?"

"What are you doing here, Kagura?"

"Looking for you, of course. And the jewel shards. Are they in your bag, or in that little washcloth you call a kimono? No, no," Kagura said mockingly. "Don't get up. I'll help myself." She rummaged through Kagome's backpack and drew out the bottle containing the shards.

"D-don't move!" Kagome ordered nervously, doing what was simply the riskiest thing she had ever done. She held her wristwatch in her hand and pointed the face towards Kagura. "I don't want to have to use this on you!"

Kagura eyed the strange device, which was barely an inch away from her face. "What is that thing?"

"One of the most powerful weapons of this era," said Kagome.

Kagura called her bluff. "If it were as powerful as you say, you would have used it a long time ago."

"I can't take this thing with me through the well. It's that powerful!" said Kagome.

Kagura glanced at the priestess, then at the shards, then at the watch. With a look of pure hatred, she set down the jewel shards.

"The fan too," said Kagome. Kagura reluctantly laid down her weapon.

"What are you doing, Kagura?" said a voice from behind Kagome. Both women turned to see Naraku, cloaked in a baboon pelt, and flanked by Kanna. Kagura didn't answer.

In desperation, Kagome pointed the wristwatch at Naraku. The demon lord glanced at the little machine before crushing it with the slightest focus of his energy.

Kagome snatched up the jewel shards and ran for her house, holding her breath against a blast of Naraku's miasma. She threw the door closed and locked it before running up into her room and grabbing her bow and arrows.

"Stop right there, Kagome," said the dull voice of a young boy. Kagome turned to see her mother, grandfather, and brother standing in the doorway, all carrying butcher knives.

"What's going on?" she asked in confusion. Her family stared blankly at her as they raised their knives. 'Kanna,' thought Kagome. 'She did this to them!' Kagome threw open the window and, without hesitation, jumped. She stumbled and fell as she landed.

She fumbled with an arrow as she tried to fit it onto her bow. "Release my family, now!" she shouted at Naraku. The hanyou only laughed.

Dark tendrils shot out from under Naraku's baboon pelt. They wrapped around Kagome and slammed her against the wall of her house. They began tightening their grip, slowly squeezing the life out of her. One tendril slipped inside Kagome's pocket to retrieve the jewel shards.

"Iron Reaver!" Naraku's tendrils were shattered as a hanyou's claws ripped through them. Inuyasha landed in front of him, one hand on the Tetsusaiga.

"I thought I smelled you by the well, Naraku." Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga and swung at Naraku's head. Naraku jumped back as Kagura stepped forward to confront Inuyasha.

"Dance of Blades." Inuyasha easily deflected Kagura's half-hearted attack. 'What's with her?' Inuyasha thought to himself. 'It's almost as if she doesn't want to defeat me.' He performed a downward slash, which barely missed Kagura.

Kagome nocked an arrow. Inuyasha and Kagura were still fighting, keeping her from getting a clear shot at Naraku. Soon Kagura flew into the air on her feather, intending to attack from above. Inuyasha jumped up towards Kagura and out of Kagome's line of fire. Kagome fired off two arrows. One struck and entered Kanna's mirror. The other hit Naraku.

The glowing pink arrow exploded, destroying Naraku's lower body in an explosion of poisonous miasma. Blinded by the smoke, Kagome fired another arrow in Naraku's general direction.

A pillar of black smoke shot up into the air as the weakened Naraku and his two servants escaped into the air.

"Look!" Inuyasha shouted, pointing into the air. Three orbs of light, souls, were floating back into the house. Kagome sighed in relief.

"Where's Naraku? Did he go back into the well?" she asked.

"No. Look," Inuyasha pointed at the well, where Kagome's arrow had struck. It created a barrier of pink light, one that could have destroyed the weakened Naraku. "He'll be running away, looking for somewhere safe so that he can lick his wounds."

"Well he won't have much luck finding a new body this time," said Kagome. "There's no demons in this era."

"No demons? Do not be naive," said a new voice. Inuyasha spun around, Tetsusaiga in hand, to face a pale, dark-haired woman dressed in a black kimono.

"What do you want?" demanded Kagome.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ayame and I have come to you with an offer that I feel will be mutually beneficial."

"What is this?" growled Inuyasha.

"What's this offer?" asked Kagome.

Ayame pointed at Kagome. "You have all that's required to be detective of the Spirit World."

XXXXX

Miroku's eyes remained fixed upon the well. It had been only a couple of hours since Inuyasha disappeared down the well, but the monk didn't want to think of the damage Naraku could do within that amount of time, especially in a world where humans were seemingly powerless and had no understanding of demons.

"I hope Kagome and Inuyasha come back okay," whimpered Shippo.

"Don't worry," Sango said reassuringly. "We've had plenty of encounters with Naraku over the years and we've all come out just fine." She didn't sound like she believed her own words.

Shippo's sensitive ears picked up a sound at the bottom of the well. "Someone's coming!" Miroku and Sango jumped up instantly, readying their weapons, while Kirara transformed into her wildcat form.

"Ah!" Sango exclaimed as something flew high out of the well. Without hesitation, the demon slayer hurled her Hiraikotsu at it.

A figure in red jumped off and deflected the Hiraikotsu with his body before landing with a loud thud. A flying oar bearing Kagome and one other rider descended quickly.

Inuyasha stood with a groan. "Ahh, damn, Sango. What was that for?"

Sango sweatdropped. "Eh, sorry!"

Miroku helped Inuyasha up. "Who is that?" he asked.

"Her name's Ayame," said Kagome. "Come with us and we'll explain it."

"Okay. Where are we going, Kagome?" asked Shippo.

"My time."

"What?" Sango exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah. You guys can get through the well now," said Kagome. With that said, she leapt down the well, followed by Inuyasha and the woman named Ayame.

"Uh, okay," Sango said uncertainly. Hefting her weapons, she reluctantly dropped down the well, followed by the monk and the cat and fox demons.

XXXXX

"Detective work?" asked Miroku. He and his friends sat around the kitchen table in Kagome's house. Shippo was scurrying around, absorbed in the many strange machines of his friend's era.

"What's a detective?" asked Shippo.

"A detective is a person who solves mysteries and catches criminals," Kagome explained. "Spirit World adjusted the well to allow all of you to come here. That was one of my conditions for accepting their request."

"You see," said Ayame, withdrawing a thick folder of papers, "the hanyou Naraku, along with the Shikon Jewel, disappeared 500 years ago and did not reappear until today. Back in the Feudal Era, Spirit World did not have the power it has today and we have no intention of letting the Sacred Jewel return to a world where demons hold sway. If you aid us, Spirit World will provide help in finding and fighting Naraku. Also, we will tell you where to find the remaining shards of the Jewel."

"This is quite a generous offer," said Miroku. "But what do you want in return?"

"All that we want is for you to carry out the proper duties as Spirit Detectives," said Ayame. "Take out our enemies and protect the humans. That is all."

Kagome seemed uncertain. To her, Spirit Detectives sounded too much like some kind of assassin. But she didn't want to go back to searching for Naraku on her own, groping around for him blindly. "All right. We have a deal."

XXXXX

Wacdnald's- the obvious parody of the word "McDonald's" used by Rumiko Takahashi to avoid copyright infringement.

Yeah, there's a lot of IYxYYH crossovers out there, but I'm a big fan of both these shows and I couldn't resist. Besides, they fit together almost seamlessly. I'm sure that IY and YYH take place in the same universe. Yeah, I'm weird like that.

I currently have seven and one-half chapters typed up. I can't say I'll update regularly, but I want to make sure I don't sacrifice quality in my rush to update.

I hope you enjoy the story!

DXM