Chapter 17: The Plateau

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Chapter 17: The Plateau

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 17: The Plateau

She could not rest and she could not concentrate on her work. The chains – replacements for the ones he lost – fell from her fingers and she sat back against the wall. No one was here with her for once and she knew that she should take advantage of her rare moment alone.

But what would she do? There was no one to talk to, nothing to occupy herself with except the work she avoided. She certainly didn't want to think about anything more serious than the weather. She couldn't even move very easily, so ideas of slipping out of the bare hut were best left alone.

Her hand moved to her side, where she had been pierced by her own blade. Nameless was going to force her to go to the next battle despite the injury. She knew he wasn't taking his time preparing for it for her sake either; Sesshoumaru apparently had more spark than expected and Nameless wasn't going to take chances next time around. He had gathered those strange shards of Kagome's and he was collecting his most loyal of followers to be his army.

"Miko." One of the demons she so loathed stuck his piggish head through the door without even knocking. "My lord orders you to go to him."

Midoriko stood and brushed off her clothing, sweeping up the chains in one hand. The demons, those that followed Nameless with blind devotion, were always rude to her. She was only human, after all, even if she was elevated above them in Nameless's eyes. Perhaps it had nothing to do with rank, but only the fact that they knew she hated Nameless, although he could trust her implicitly.

He had them all, even her, under his thumb in one way or another. It disgusted her.

Still, she had to follow the offensive youkai to Nameless's quarters, a larger hut up the road from her sometimes prison. He had commandeered the village chief's home, of course. His bulky form had almost demanded it, although his agility was something to be marveled at and she was sure he could manage in a mouse's home. His kin were a different story, of course – great, lumbering monsters that spoke in words barely better than grunts.

She had to admit that Nameless had a charisma not shared by his brethren. That was why he could do this. That was how he had ensnared her.

More of the beasts stood beside Nameless's door, but she did not give them more than a glance as she walked through the door and into the front room, where Nameless waited. He was wearing the shards around his neck, in an opaque vial. Even the vague allusion to Kagome was enough to make her stomach flip uneasily. "How are you?" he asked. If it weren't for the smirk on his face, Midoriko would think he was being genuine.

"Fine," she replied shortly. "Did you need something?"

Nameless's smirk deepened at her insolent tone and she admonished herself. He always did like it when his prey fought back. "Are the chains done?" he asked, not reaching for them.

"No. It will just take a moment though." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and pink light flowed through the chains. She dropped them into the pouch he held out for them and scowled. "Is that all you called me for?"

"So cruel, Midoriko. You wound me with your very voice, your tone."

The priestess frowned. "I do no such thing."

"Ah, but we might be going to our deaths," Nameless murmured, his bulbous eyes not straying from her face for an instant. "Isn't it possible that I would want a kind word, a gentle touch, before facing the son of the West again?"

"'A kind word'?" repeated Midoriko incredulously. "Never. And I know exactly what you mean by 'a gentle touch', and that is something you will not receive from me. Go find one of those willing females that always hover around."

Nameless waved his hand dismissively. "I tire of them," he said, moving predatory eyes up and down her form.

Midoriko steeled herself against a shudder. "Touch me and you will only have a helpless, human woman, not a priestess."

"That excuse will only last so long, my dear," he replied smoothly.

She turned her face away, admitting the weakness. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I thought you would like to see one more time," he murmured, turning serious in a moment.

Midoriko's eyes flashed with hope, but she kept it out of her voice. "You just want to make sure that I keep my promise."

"I don't dispute it." His fingertips touched and a small blur of energy formed in the hollow between his palms. "Well?"

Damning herself with every step, Midoriko approached. "Yes. Please," she replied, her desperation nearly echoing in the small room.

"Ah, very well," he said, as if he was granting her a favor against his better judgment, although he was the one that had offered. His palms fell open and he placed the vision beneath her eyes, watching as it lit up her face in more ways than one. It was the wistful expression that bound her to him, he knew, and he enjoyed watching it play across her small human features.

And she watched what he held in his hands, now a perfect orb. It was full of faces, smiling ones. Midoriko lifted a hand to her own mouth and wondered if such joy was still possible. When the vision passed and the orb melted into nothing, she looked up again. "Thank you," she said softly. She hated Nameless so much, but she could never avoid expressing her gratitude.

"Not a problem," he said in return with that smirk of his.

She gave him a stiff glance, the corners of her mouth turning down. "No, of course it wouldn't be," she said softly. She frowned for one moment more and then straightened her shoulders. He turned nasty when she was particularly rude. He ought to get the proper respect, he said. She scoffed inwardly. "When are we leaving?"

"Momentarily. I trust you have everything with you?"

"Yes," she replied. The sword that had pierced her was at her side. She needed nothing else, and at the moment, she could have easily done without the sword as well. She wouldn't draw it again with Kagome around.

They stepped out of the hut together and Midoriko watched in silence as he gathered his army. There were dozens of time demons and even more of the hulking wolves that seemed half-mad with their love of Nameless. She had seen the army that had gone after the shards and barely succeeded. They had been the disposable ones. If they had failed, it was no skin off Nameless's nose. They had been a rag-tag group of aimless orphans compared to this army.

The sun was already directly overhead. Not that it mattered. Nameless had already reordered time, giving Midoriko a few days to heal. He didn't really care for her that much, but she was a valuable asset against the son of the West. Of course, Kagome and Sesshoumaru would not be afforded the same luxury. For them, only a few scant hours had passed, not days. They were probably trying to scramble up the mountain, to find the witch. But Nameless would find his way first and he'd have all the time in the world to do it too.

She reached up and touched her chest, right below her throat. It was still there. There was no hole that bored through her body, even though it felt like exactly that. As the wound on her side healed, the gaping hole in her chest worsened and it was now at its pinnacle of pain. Of course, it might kill her when she faced Kagome again.

"Ready?"

Midoriko saw a small flash of white over Nameless's shoulder, but kept her gaze on his face. "Yes, I am."

Nameless nodded, gathered her to his chest and she closed her eyes automatically. The bright light of moving through time was too much for her. Kagome had once told her, while Sesshoumaru had hunted in the night, that she moved through the purest pink light. It sounded like waves against the rocks, she had said. But to Midoriko, it sounded like screaming and she wished she could close her ears as well as her eyes.

And then, for a moment, it did sound like the rush of water. It even smelled of water, fresh and green like the grasses along a riverbank. It grew stronger as the wind of the vortex died down.

She landed on the other side of time and space with a jarring tumble against Nameless. He steadied her automatically and took note of her pallor. "Have some strength," he admonished. "We are about to do battle."

Midoriko took a breath and opened her eyes. The water was still rushing in her ears and she saw that it had not been the trip, but the destination. A tall waterfall stood at one end of the field, the water spilling over a cliff soaring above them. The ground was soft and thick with reeds that came to her waist. "Beautiful," she murmured, then frowned. "I thought they would have been climbing the mountain."

Nameless smirked and pointed behind her. She turned to see that she stood twenty feet from a sheer drop. They were on top of a mountain plateau. A solitary path led down the side of the cliff with carved stone steps that were flat, broad and safe. Step off the path, however, and one would fall to his death.

"All of Japan is at our feet," whispered Nameless, coming to her side. She ignored the uncomfortable way he pressed against her. The army was circling around the path's mouth, where Sesshoumaru and Kagome would have to appear.

"Why are you doing this?"

Nameless pulled back slightly, frowning at Midoriko's whispered question. "If you're thinking that this isn't what you want..."

"It isn't," snapped Midoriko. "You know what I want. You've promised it to me, after all. I just want to know why you are doing this."

The demon gave her a skeptical, searching look and then shrugged. "What demon doesn't want to expand his territory?"

"But Kagome?"

"Ah well... Kagome is just a wrench in my greatest work," murmured Nameless. "Nothing in all of time and space will fight against my goal as much as her and her friends. And Naraku, of course."

"Naraku. She's mentioned him," said Midoriko.

"He is their great enemy. He wants what I want. The Shikon no Tama for one, which would be an immense asset in my plans. But he's powerful enough to get it too, if he ever manages to destroy Kagome and the others. But that little group is quite powerful itself, especially with Kagome's growing capabilities."

Midoriko blinked. "So you're going after her here, where she's separated from the others. And from Naraku. Without her, you can defeat her friends. And then Naraku is the only thing that stands in your way. You can't have him getting what you want. Taking the shards now gives you an advantage because he can never get to them if you hide them in the past. You're just going to pick them all off one by one."

Nameless touched her hair. "You're very intelligent, miko," he purred.

"It's horrible. You've cut her off from everything she's ever known by closing the well."

The time demon chuckled. "Well, there you give me too much credit."

She turned to look at him, her mouth opening to ask what he meant, but one of the other time demons whistled and Nameless's attention was immediately diverted. "Our quarry approaches," he said with a grin.

The entire army looked expectantly towards the path. They did not bother to be quiet as they drew their swords, clicked their claws together and gnashed their teeth. They were expected. Sesshoumaru would be able to smell them; Kagome would be able to sense them with her miko powers. The element of surprise was gladly given up for sake of their vast numbers. Even so, they began to hold their breath as the seconds ticked by and no taiyoukai or miko appeared.

Midoriko did not watch the path. She kept her eyes on the ground. She knew exactly when they would arrive. She could feel Sesshoumaru's angry aura and Kagome's anxious power rising in the distance. Part of her heart soared while the other part plummeted into the depths of despair.

It wasn't until the first cry of pain that she turned around. Sesshoumaru and Kagome had burst from the clouds above the mountain. They rode on their own bit of cloud. Kagome was tossing purified pebbles, like a kid standing at the edge of a lake. They skipped around the youkai army just like they would on the surface of the water, vaporizing her victims. Sesshoumaru was sending several youkai over the cliff with just his glare and a flash of his sword. The stubborn ones were struck down by a whip of poison light.

For a moment, Midoriko allowed herself to be happy that they had tricked Nameless.

"You knew they were doing this!" snapped Nameless, grabbing her haori and shaking her.

She pushed away but did not answer, her eyes suddenly glittering with contempt. The time demon shoved her away and dove into the fray as Sesshoumaru and Kagome alighted in the midst of the army. Blasts of pink light shimmered through the air as blood sprayed up on the tip of a blade.

The disorganization lasted only a few precious moments. Nameless, armed with his gift for fevered leadership, began to shout orders and the demons fell into rank and line. Time demons began to shift through the vortex of time and space, blinking in and out of the world like lightening bugs. Kagome cried out, her voice carrying over all the youkai army to Midoriko's ears.

A white blur shot up from the melee and Midoriko stood her ground. It was Sesshoumaru and he was coming for her. Behind him, a barrier blossomed from the epicenter of the brawl. But Kagome was losing strength already and the barrier rippled as demons crashed against it.

"You," he hissed as he landed. "You have injured her more than any of them ever could." His toxic whip lashed out of his casually thrown arm and slaughtered the youkai that turned to fight him.

"I didn't want to," she murmured, her eyes lowering.

"And that is what makes you worse than them," he continued. "You dared to call me 'filth' and yet you are the one that has betrayed everything for your own selfish desires."

Midoriko set her jaw. "What do you know about my selfishness?" she snapped.

"When it comes to Kagome, I know it all," he replied, surprising her. He paused and the poison whip flew again. "I'm supposed to kill you. She can't do it, even after what you did to her."

"She's the one that stabbed me."

"Stabbed you, and killed her own innocence," he said. "Even though she was simply defending herself from one that was supposed to be her friend."

The elder miko looked at him and noticed that the gold in his eyes was dull. He was mourning the loss of Kagome's cheerful naivety. She was sure that her own eyes looked quite similar. "Why haven't you killed me then?" she asked softly. "You could do it in an instant. I might not stop you. I'm not sure anymore."

"I am giving you another chance," Sesshoumaru said with a frown. "One more chance to act as one that befits your station. One more chance to have half of Kagome's strength. You are fortunate to have met a priestess such as her!"

Midoriko remained silent for a moment. Kagome cried out again. "Go help her," she murmured, knowing that he could hear her despite the noise of battle.

His muscles tensed and she saw that he wanted to go to Kagome. He wanted it more than anything. "What is your answer?" he asked sharply.

Behind him, Nameless rose up out of the mob and pulled the vial from his neck, snapping the cord. "Quickly," Midoriko murmured. "Before he uses them!"

"We were expecting this," he gritted out. "Kagome was quite adamant that she would be able to survive for as long as possible."

Nameless smashed the vial, plucking the shards out as the other youkai turned their attention to him. They pressed in close as he jammed the shards into his legs, arms, chest and head. Kagome was crying again.

The time demon roared and Midoriko watched in horror as his entire body pulsed with the shards' power. His orange eyes began to glow, his skin stretched taut across massive muscles and his fangs lengthened so that his cavernous mouth could no longer house them entirely. If he was terrifying before, he was fear itself now. He let out another roar that rattled the very mountain.

"Please, go to her," whispered the miko.

"What is your answer?" he snapped again, more forceful than the last time. His gaze kept flickering to the side, waiting to go to Kagome's side. He had not watched Nameless's transformation, but his hand was beginning to tighten reflexively around the hilt of his sword.

"She's going home," said Midoriko. "If you win, you'll lose her."

"I know."

It was said with such brevity and conviction that it robbed the miko of her voice for a moment. "Then why are you helping her?" she asked. "Why aren't you being selfish too?"

"Because I am not you," he replied and his golden eyes flashed anew.

Realization dawned. "You love her that much," she said. It wasn't a question and it wasn't a sneer, like the last time she had said such a thing to him. He did not reply and she shook her head, trying to dispel the lingering doubts that had hovered around since she had met Kagome. "But Nameless promised to bring my family back to me. He can reorder time. He can give me the chance to stop the demon that slaughtered my village. That's what he'll give me! He's shown me what will happen when they come back. It'll all be okay again. And I love them."

Sesshoumaru barely reacted to her admission. "They are long dead."

"Kagome died!" she snapped as her vision blurred. She realized belatedly that she was crying.

Only a slight scowl told her that he was even listening. "The choice is simple, miko. Your family in the past or your honor in the future." He arched an eyebrow. "Kagome awaits your answer. Realize that if you choose Nameless, you will not live to see his promise fulfilled, if he ever planned to fulfill it at all."

He turned and disappeared into the fray, blood dripping along his path as he fought his way back to Kagome's side. Midoriko heard her cry again, but this was one of joy upon seeing the taiyoukai again. The barrier dropped and Nameless called for a fresh attack. He was standing on the rocks by the waterfall, far from danger. His transformation had become a rallying point and the army was attacking with new fervor as he watched like a hyena ready to rip apart others' leftovers.

Midoriko felt something wrap around her ankle and looked down to see Akemi. The fire-cat had been following her since the last confrontation with Kagome. She had somehow latched onto Nameless's trip through time and kept out of sight. As far as the miko knew, she was the only one that had seen the kitten in days.

It had been confusing at first, to see Kagome's pet at her own side as her wound healed. Akemi did not effuse the warmth that she would have if it had been Kagome laying helpless and wounded, but she had kept Midoriko company.

Yes, confusing at first, but now Midoriko knew Akemi's reasons. "You love her too," she murmured to the fire-cat. "You stayed with me for her sake."

The kitten meowed in return.

"What would I be, if I sacrificed Kagome for the sake of my family? Not just Kagome either. Possibly Japan. All for myself!" She closed her eyes for a moment. "I wouldn't be saving them, would I? They'd come back and we'd all live under Nameless's rule. The visions he showed me were false. I knew that too. I just so wanted to believe him. I wanted to think that it was really possible to be happy again."

Akemi cocked her head and remained quiet.

Midoriko took a breath, so deep that her heart hurt. "Thank you," she murmured to the fire-cat. "You should hide though, until it's over."

As the kitten made her escape, the miko strode forward. The power that gathered in her hands was the pure pink of a proper priestess and Midoriko smiled for the first time in a very long time.

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Kagome was weakening. Sesshoumaru kept shouting at her, even to the point of insulting her, so that she remained focused. She wished that she could just collapse against him and let his strength support her failing body.

It was the time demons. They kept away from the center of the fight, popping in and out of existence just to hurt her. Sesshoumaru could not go to fight them without abandoning her. He wasn't willing to leave her to the rest of the army. But her condition only distracted him and not nearly enough youkai were falling to his blade. They were pressing in closer with each moment.

Suddenly, a ripple went through the air, jolting Kagome to full awareness. "What was that?" she yelled.

"What. Was. What?" Sesshoumaru replied in grunts, slicing several youkai apart.

Kagome frowned for a moment, just before her eyes went wide in realization. "Sesshoumaru!" she cried, throwing herself into him and making him fall. She covered his body as best as she could as he growled fiercely in confusion.

Jagged pink thunderbolts ripped through the air, disintegrating dozens upon dozens of demons in one hit. Sesshoumaru's skin burned as it passed over him, one bolt going right where his head had been a second ago. It was painful, but nothing compared to the screams he heard all around. Half of the army was gone, leaving them in a crater of the corpses' dust.

Kagome scrambled to her feet, her energy renewed. The time demons that remained had stopped flickering. Everyone turned to stare at Midoriko, standing at the other end of the plateau with her hands outstretched and sweat breaking out across her brow. "I told you!" the younger miko cried. The light around Midoriko was now a clear, untainted pink.

Sesshoumaru grunted again as he stood up. "Yes. It appears she has made her choice. Prepare for the fight, Kagome." He lifted his sword again as Kagome grinned, her heart swelling with fresh purpose.

The remaining youkai recovered from the shock, but not all of them were as willing to prepare for the fight as Kagome. Several tumbled off the cliff, taking off in flight to other, distant parts. Others crept away as fast as possible down the path. Midoriko was a force that would not fall to the time demons' tricks, they knew.

Nameless kept up a façade of admirable calm. He stepped off his perch and walked into the battlefield as his most loyal followers regrouped and waited for his order. "You realize that you've condemned them!" he called, his voice dripping with contempt. "You'll never see your family alive again, Midoriko!"

The elder priestess was equally placid as she moved towards her new allies. "I think that that's for the best," she murmured. She joined the others and turned to face her former master. "I'm going to live with the living now."

"Then you have lost my interest," the youkai said. He nodded to the remnants of his army and they all began to converge upon the two miko and the taiyoukai.

"Well," Kagome began, "here we are again." She smiled.

The corners of Midoriko's mouth turned up. "Yes, here we are." She looked at the taiyoukai. "How should we do this?"

If Sesshoumaru was surprised by her deference to him, he didn't show it. "I will kill the remaining time demons and wolves. You two, take Nameless. I will assist you soon enough." He glanced at Midoriko. "Take care of Kagome."

Kagome's eyes lit up and she gave Sesshoumaru an indulgent smile. He gave her a slight shrug in reply and turned away to face the oncoming hoard. The two miko focused upon Nameless, their hands already glowing like coals.

The time demon rushed forward, meeting them in the middle of the battlefield. Kagome and Midoriko each grappled with one swinging, cable-like forearm. A persistent, numbing ache went through Kagome's body as she touched Nameless. Her concentration wavered as she tried to pump the demon full of purification power.

"Kagome!"

The younger miko turned her head slowly to look at her companion. The energy jolt she had received just a few minutes earlier was draining faster than it had come. "It's not working," she said, pressing her eyes shut for a moment.

"I know. He's... he's not completely in sync with our time," she struggled to reply as Nameless roared and began to shake them off.

Kagome blinked as she was thrown away, landing squarely on her backside. Nameless was clearly in pain, judging by the way he was hunched over and growling. But he was also slightly translucent.

It took a moment for her to figure it out. "We can't really hurt him until he's completely in our time," she yelled.

"Right." Midoriko scrambled to her feet from where she had fallen. She turned sharply. "Look out!"

Kagome felt a presence before she saw the shadow. Whipping around, she raised a barrier only just in time for a wolf to crash into it. The barrier was strong enough and the youkai weak enough that it was purified on contact. But behind her, Nameless was regaining his breath and he began a dance through time.

The girl screamed and the shield fell as Nameless blinked back into reality three feet away. He was only half there again, but his proximity sent blades of glass through Kagome's heart. She heard the cry of Midoriko as she attacked and she felt the twinge of the elder miko's power in the air, but again it was rebuffed. Nameless was laughing and although he was beside her, it sounded very far away.

She tried to crawl away, back towards Sesshoumaru. She could feel his aura, despite the number of other youkai that should have obscured his. He was bleeding and tired, but doing well. He was anxious too, to get back to her.

Nameless leaned down and grabbed Kagome by the hair. He received a nasty shock for his trouble, but his grip remained tight. She reached up and clawed at him, but his skin was leathery and did not tear. He dragged her roughly across the terrain and tears of pain sprang to Kagome's eyes. It was unfair that they could not affect him, and he could so easily injure them in return.

"Kagome!" Midoriko was running after them, her sword drawn.

The girl wrenched herself in Nameless's grip. "You bastard!" she yelled. "What are you doing?" She reached up and grabbed his wrist, pushing all of her power into her fingertips.

Nameless let out a yell at the pain and paused, shuddering through the worst of it. Midoriko caught up and her blade sliced through the air.

Kagome suddenly was falling towards the ground and caught herself just in time. She lifted her eyes and saw Nameless staring down at the sword shoved through his ribs. Blood, blood that was firmly within their time, dripped onto the ground with a patter. He began to howl.

The other priestess hooked her arm with Kagome's and dragged her to her feet. "Come on. It's no use with him halfway between times. We're only making him angry." She began to run towards Sesshoumaru, pulling Kagome along behind her.

"But you got the sword..."

"Yeah, I bet it hurts. But I put enough purification in that to slay a dragon and he's still standing. Believe me, it won't hold him for long."

Sesshoumaru was delivering a fatal blow to a wolf when they approached. "Trouble?" he asked, pulling his blade from the corpse and rounding on a bear demon, taking off its head with ease.

Kagome reached out and purified an oncoming snake youkai. It was much more difficult than it should have been. "He's between times. We can't hurt him." She glanced around at the severely crippled army. Only a few wolves and a handful of other assorted youkai still hovered around. The taiyoukai's new company of the two miko was extinguishing any last desires to fight. "Where are the other time demons?"

"Dead," muttered Sesshoumaru, leaning down to wipe his blade clean. He would take care of the rest with his claws, if necessary. "I went after them first."

"Thank you."

He turned to accept her gratitude and froze. "What... what did you do?" he growled. It took Kagome a moment to realize that the question was directed to Midoriko.

"He was dragging her by the hair. What was I supposed to do?" she snapped.

Kagome frowned. "I'm fine, Sesshoumaru," she said. One hand drifted up towards her scalp, intending to rub away the last aches. Her own eyes grew wide and all ten fingers flew up to her head, searching the air for where hair should have been. "You cut my hair?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Kagome."

The younger miko turned to look at Nameless. He was pulling the blade from his gut and she knew he would return soon. At his feet, a pile of silky black hair had been dropped into the dirt. "Oh, my mother is going to kill me," she muttered, her hand raising again to feel the uneven edge of her nearly shorn head.

Sesshoumaru frowned and stood, giving Kagome's remaining locks one short, wistful look before regaining his composure. "It is time to end this battle," he said.

The rest of the army had scattered. It was three to one odds now, but the three were not entirely confident.

Nameless was running towards them, the shards in his legs making it easy work to move his bulk. He jumped forward in time and space, jolting Kagome each time with a fresh dose of blinding pain. Sesshoumaru stepped in front of the younger miko as Midoriko threw up a powerful barrier.

"This isn't exactly how we're going to win," she cried to the taiyoukai as Nameless crashed into the shield with a terrible yell. She quivered as the time demon threw himself into the barrier again and again, signs of strain showing on her face.

"I will get the shards," replied Sesshoumaru.

She nodded. "And I will get my sword back."

"It is a useless piece of junk," he snapped. "Forget it."

"I happen to like it!" Midoriko returned. "This time, you take care of Kagome!"

Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome around the waist as Midoriko lowered the barrier. They broke away from each other, letting the charging Nameless go right between them. But the time demon was quick on his feet and turned, grabbing Sesshoumaru's ankle as he tried to leap away. Sesshoumaru had no choice but to drop Kagome and attack.

His blade went straight through Nameless's forearm, but only a few drops of blood splattered on the ground. Sesshoumaru growled with frustration and tugged himself free, flipping back to land on his feet. "You fight with tricks. Stay in one time."

"Two miko and one taiyoukai would spell my death, even with the shards," replied Nameless. "Why should I fight fair?"

Kagome stood and pressed her palms together, forming a ball of pure energy. "Because that's what honorable people do!" she yelled, letting it loose.

Nameless disappeared, making the girl cry out and letting the ball go right through where he had been. "'Honor' is just another way to say 'foolish'," he growled, reappearing to Kagome's left. He swept his arm across, hitting the miko in the chest and sending her flying.

"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru yelled, watching her crash into the sheet of the waterfall and vanish into the white mist. He snarled at the time demon and ran at him, his poison whip lashing around Nameless's neck as his blade went for his throat.

The taiyoukai stumbled as Nameless evaporated once more. He spun around, his blade heating up with the toxins in his claws. "Face me!" he snapped to the clear air.

Nameless began to sputter into existence, one moment on the rock by the waterfall, another moment close enough for Sesshoumaru to touch, and another at the peak of the mountain. "Here I am!" he called, laughing.

Kagome emerged from the waters, dripping wet and groaning as she clutched at her chest. "Make him stop!" she breathed.

Sesshoumaru frowned and narrowed his eyes. Nameless was still flashing around, mocking him with malevolent smiles and sneers. He took a breath and focused, excluding even Kagome from his senses. When the time demon appeared at the edge of the plateau, in front of the sun that was on its descending arc, he saw it. A moment, a flicker, but just what they needed.

When Nameless reappeared, he was for the briefest second securely in the present. He was solid. He was powerful. But he was vulnerable.

Midoriko had seen it too, if her slight gasp was anything to go by. She was supporting Kagome now, her battered sword in her free hand. They both knew what to do. Midoriko glanced at Sesshoumaru and mouthed, "I'll do it."

She made Kagome sit upon the bank of the waterfall, whispered into the girl's ear and then advanced. Nameless was tiring of his game and had settled upon a spot close to the miko. "What? You are sending the traitor after me, Sesshoumaru?" he laughed.

The elder priestess rushed at him, pointing the blade right at his chest as Sesshoumaru followed up with a strike to his thigh. She cried out as Nameless caught her around the throat, pulling her close for a brief moment as he kicked out at the taiyoukai. "Pathetic!" he snapped, watching the dog demon fall and tossing Midoriko to the side.

She sailed through the air and over the edge of the plateau, barely missing the edge with her outstretched hand.

"Midoriko!" screamed Kagome, struggling forward. Her hands were radiating pink light, so bright that it was almost white. Still, Nameless caught her, lifting her by the front of her kimono.

"She's dead," he growled.

Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and glared at the time demon. "No, she is not," he replied.

And Midoriko was there, standing on the edge of the cliff, stepping off the rosy white light of Kagome's power and a wisp of Sesshoumaru's cloud. It was as much power as the young miko and the taiyoukai could summon at the moment. But it was a success. Midoriko held a small pouch in her hands, which she weighed carefully.

Nameless frowned and looked down at his side, where his own pouch – his 'bag of tricks' – had been. It was gone. "Foul thief!" he snarled.

Midoriko had pulled out the chains, the ones that she had imbued just a few hours earlier. They flashed pink in her hands before she threw them, yelling out the name of the intended victim. "Bind Nameless!"

The time demon dropped Kagome as he flashed through time. But the chains had an explicit order and changed course, latching around his ankles as soon as he reappeared. Sesshoumaru flew in and gathered the girl to his chest as Nameless began to laugh. "How stupid!" he cried. "They do not even hurt! You are losing your touch, Midoriko! Even if I cannot move for a few moments, you still cannot harm me!"

Midoriko gave him a disarming smirk. "They aren't meant to purify any longer, Nameless. They only bind. They bind your soul." The smirk grew into a toothy grin. "Your soul, in one place and one time."

The time demon's face went slack for only a moment, but it was enough.

"A barrier around him, Kagome! Quickly!"

The younger miko set her jaw and shards of light sprang from her hands, wrapping around Nameless's position like a spider's silk around its prey. He screamed in frustration and pounded against it, but it held firm. She let out a breath as the pain eased in her chest. He couldn't time-shift any longer.

Midoriko smiled and joined them. "And now, Sesshoumaru, you must do the honors. I seem to have lost my sword after all." She touched Kagome's shoulder. "If you have the energy, you can add your powers to the blade and it will be that much more effective."

Kagome nodded and touched Sesshoumaru's weapon, careful to not let it go beyond the hilt. "I can't believe you two thought of this," she murmured. "And without talking. It's almost as if you're friends." She smiled.

"Hmph," was all that Sesshoumaru said. Midoriko just threw her a careless shrug.

The taiyoukai stepped up to the barrier and looked into the orange eyes of the time demon. Nameless sneered. "I will..."

"I don't care," interrupted Sesshoumaru, shoving the blade through the barrier. Nameless tried to jump away, but the tip cut into his flesh with ease. He batted it away, but the purification power had already flowed into his blood. He was breaking apart.

"A last request!" Nameless managed to snarl before disintegrating into dust.

An orb hung suspended in the air where his heart would have been. It was one that Midoriko recognized from the times he had shown her the future she would share with her resurrected family. Different images danced across the surface of this one and they all stared, transfixed.

Afterwards, they each would only remember parts of it and different parts at that. Sesshoumaru remembered the vision of his father's grave and of Kagome walking away, her shoulders firm with volatile anger. Kagome remembered the vision of death that came swiftly to her friends and a broken body of Sesshoumaru lying at her feet. Midoriko remembered a vision with a look of fear on her face as she died, overcome by youkai as she fought them alone.

But finally, the orb flickered and disintegrated too. Kagome let the barrier fall and they stood quietly for a moment over the remains before the younger miko knelt down to gather the shards that glittered in the dust.

The older miko shook her head. "This is ridiculous. We beat him. He was angry. He showed me images of my dead family, after all, promising they would return. And that never happened. And it never will."

Sesshoumaru nodded, but Kagome remained silent. "We should be pleased," agreed the taiyoukai.

There was a soft meow and they all turned. "Akemi!" cried Kagome, running forward and gathering the fire-cat into her arms. "Where have you been?"

"She's been with me," Midoriko replied. "I think she was keeping an eye on me. Or forcing me to rethink my position. Every time I saw her, I felt guilty for what I had done. Kagome..."

Kagome shook her head as she cuddled the kitten. "Don't apologize. I realize what Nameless was offering you. If someone gave me the chance to bring back my father, I might take it too." Her eyes flickered to Sesshoumaru, but the taiyoukai did not look displeased at her refusal to accept an apology. "Besides, you came back. We can talk about the specifics later, if you want."

Midoriko gave a little half-nod. "Alright."

Kagome grinned. "I have to ask though. It was a fabulous plan, but why did I need to put up the barrier? You could have done it. I used your technique of storing my power in my fingertips and it worked. It worked great, but it was so scary. I thought it'd go wrong."

Midoriko smiled and the other two realized she had not smiled so much in all the time before as she had in the last few minutes. "A demon can become accustomed to the magic of a particular priestess. My power would only hold Nameless for a short time. And I think that Lord Sesshoumaru has become accustomed to yours, Kagome. Otherwise, it would have surely hurt him to hold that sword, even if he didn't touch the purified part."

Sesshoumaru opened his hand. It was pristine, as usual. "What does that mean?" he asked.

The miko shrugged. "It will fade in time. If you let it."

Kagome caught the lilt in Midoriko's voice and tried very hard to look everywhere but at Sesshoumaru. That was when she noticed the small girl standing beside the waterfall. She seemed to be waiting patiently for the three comrades to finish their discussion, with her hands folded and a slightly distant look in her eyes. "Ami?" she asked, her voice rising with surprise.

The girl smiled and bowed. "Lady Kagome, Lady Midoriko and Lord Sesshoumaru. How pleased we are that you survived. We had hoped for this outcome." The corner of her smile quirked a bit. "I realize that my presence shocks you. Forgive me for disguising the truth about myself, Lady Kagome. I was simply curious about you. I should have realized you would be equally curious about me. I had to stretch the truth considerably."

The miko smiled in return, ignoring the skeptical looks on her two companions' faces. "That's alright," she said and then she faltered. "Are you... are you the witch?"

Ami shook her head. "No, my lady. The witch, my mistress, waits for you inside." She motioned to the waterfall.

Kagome's mouth fell open a little. "I knew that waterfall wasn't natural!" she exclaimed. "It was so soft when I fell into it."

The little girl nodded. "My mistress waits," she said again. "She welcomes you to her home."

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A/N: I'm sure a lot of you expected that battle and its outcome. I was actually going to draw out the tension and have Midoriko only jump in at the last moment, but I realized that that would never be enough for Sesshoumaru. Joss Whedon once said that he was planning to have all the characters on his show (namely, Firefly) agree to a dangerous mission to show their solidarity. Then Joss realized that if the most morally bankrupt of them (Jayne) agreed to do it, he was really speaking for all of them. Sesshoumaru is sort of like that – Midoriko is back in good graces because the one that hates her the most trusts her. He wouldn't trust her if she decided to suddenly switch again to the winning side.

Normally, I draw battles out over 2 chapters. Obviously, this time I didn't and so it was rather quick. If you think I've really cheated you, I'll see what I can do for future chapters. If you don't think I've cheated you at all, we'll see what the future holds. Hmm.

Anyway, please review! Ciao!