The Universe of the Fox and the Phoenix

An Explanation

This all started with a couple of friends staying up *way* too late at a convention, giddy over their anime purchases, trying to top each other with "Wouldn't it be great if...?" What was once a simple little story has grown all out of proportion, spawning ideas for five (count them) *five* sequels.

The original story, "The Fox and the Phoenix," can be read as either the regular or the yaoi version, and it fits (more or less) into the timelines of both series involved, to the best of our knowledge.

The sequels, with the exception of "Incarnation of Intimacy" (which involves a different set of characters), are based on the yaoi Hiei/Kurama version (with implied Tasuki/Kouji), so if you have an objection to either of those pairings, bail now. Most also include explicit sexual content; if you're not supposed to be reading it, please do us the favor of skipping them.

And now a word about the boundaries of this particular crossover universe. Just as the ripples from a pebble tossed in a pond grow larger as they spread from the point of disturbance, so the differences from series canon increase as the timeline progresses. This is necessary for two reasons:

  1. We have only seen a certain amount from each series, and though friends have been kind enough to share their knowledge, it becomes quite difficult to match events in our stories to second-hand information. To give you a point of reference--at the time of planning, we had seen Yuu Yuu Hakusho up through episode 12, Fushigi Yuugi through episode 52, and Vision of Escaflowne through episode 26. We've done our best to maintain consistency *at least* that far.

  2. The simple fact that the two (and later three) universes interacted causes changes in them. Metaphysical rules are bent. The characters are influenced by their experiences. These alterations cascade as their actions influence others.

So, yes, we know the sequels don't exactly correspond to the series plotlines [note, particularly, the FY OAV's don't exist in this universe], but we've tried to keep them true to the *characters*. If you have any views on the matter, Amparo would be happy to discuss it with you further. (Send technical comments to her only, please, since she was the one in charge of that aspect.)

One more warning: Both of us are romantics, so most of the sequels will involve a relationship plot or two. We understand that not everyone has the same tastes, so if you want more than pure 'shipping, you're best off trying the crossovers rather than the single-series stories.

Now that I've gotten all *that* off my chest, here are the stories...