Chapter 18: The Witch

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Chapter 18: The Witch

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 18: The Witch

Sesshoumaru didn't move. "I will wait here," he said, selecting a flat rock and sitting down. Akemi jumped down and sat at his feet.

Kagome and Midoriko frowned. "What are you talking about?" asked the younger miko. "You came all this way with us and now you're not going to talk to her?"

"Precisely," he replied. "The witch will have nothing to say to me. I have done my part and brought you here. The rest is for you, Kagome."

"I still don't..."

"He is correct," spoke up Ami from her place beside the water. "The witch will not speak with him. We are pleased with his assistance and glad that he survived, but he would not be allowed to enter at all."

Kagome shook her head. "He came all this way though." She turned to look at the demon. "What if something happens in there?" she whispered.

"It will not," he said. He nodded towards the falling water. "This waterfall, as you guessed, is not natural. There are many enchantments woven into to prevent a demon like me from entering. That place is holy. I have no business there. Do not worry."

"Exactly what do you mean by a demon like you?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered towards Ami for a moment and shrugged. Kagome frowned again, realizing that this was something that only a demon could know. She felt entirely left out, but chose not to question it.

She stepped close to him and reached out, her fingertips an inch from his shoulder before she thought better of it and let her arm fall to her side. "You'll still be here when we get out, right?"

He let out a soft breath that almost sounded like laughter. "Of course. I would not abandon you now, Kagome."

She smiled a tight smile that did not completely reach her eyes. "Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can," she said.

Reluctantly, she turned away and followed Midoriko and Ami. They walked straight through the sheet of water and, because she was already sopping wet from her first trip into the waterfall, she readily followed. The water pounded down on her head, forcing her to close her eyes for a few moments. When she opened them again, she was through and completely dry.

"Wow," murmured the young woman. She turned to look at the white falls behind her, still roaring. "Neat trick."

"It is tiresome to constantly get drenched throughout the day," Ami said. "This way."

The girl began to lead them down a tunnel that winded down into the mountain. It was brightly lit, not by torches which would have been extinguished by the dripping ceiling, but by a green phosphorescence. Kagome reached out to feel it and found that it was a soft moss, springy to the touch. It glowed so fiercely that even its green hue refused to make them look sickly.

"You aren't really a little girl, are you?" she asked as their journey wended ever deeper into the rock.

Ami shook her head.

Kagome waited a moment and then laughed. "Well, then, what are you? If I can ask?"

"She's a half-demon, Kagome," Midoriko replied, before Ami was able. "Do you not sense it?"

"Lady Kagome does not sense it because she is blind to such things," Ami said, throwing a kind smile over her shoulder.

The priestess mused over this for a moment. "I stopped consciously sensing Inuyasha a long time ago. Unless I want to find him," she said. "Is that what you mean, Ami?"

"We do not notice what we are accustomed to."

Kagome let out a soft sigh, thinking of the comfort she once took in Inuyasha's presence. She hadn't appreciated it in a very long time. "Becoming accustomed to something can be dangerous. Or painful, when you lose it," she murmured.

Ami nodded and turned a sharp corner. The tunnel widened into a cavern the size of a small apartment. There was no exit except the way they came, but Ami continued to walk. "Please follow me," the little girl said, either not noticing or ignoring the looks of confusion on the miko's faces. "It is just through here."

She stopped beside a small crevasse in the rock. It was shallow and Kagome could see the inner wall of it, where the phosphorescent moss curled together. But as she was about to ask Ami if it was a joke, the half-demon put her hand into the crevasse and opened it. It looked as if she was doing nothing more difficult than opening curtains, but the rock cracked open and sunlight flooded in as if Ami had broken apart the mountain itself.

Blinking, Kagome saw a garden full of blossoms and herbs sitting in front of a tidy little hut with wind chimes tinkling from the porch. "It's so beautiful," murmured Kagome as Midoriko muttered similar compliments behind her.

"An enchantment," said Ami. "My mistress cannot be out in the true open air without exposing her presence to everyone and so she brings the sunlight to her. Please go through. She is waiting." She bowed and beckoned them to go in.

The two women stepped through and the opening to the comparatively dark cave closed gently behind them. Kagome hardly took notice. "Half of these blooms aren't even native to Japan," she said, her fingers brushing the petals of the exotic flowers. She touched one with conical petals of flame orange and royal purple. It opened like butterfly with several pair of wings. "This is a Bird of Paradise. It's from South Africa, I think."

Midoriko followed her down the aisle of the secret garden in silence. "Look at this!" Kagome kept saying, touching each flower and reciting each name. She had discovered a gift for botany long ago, when Kaede first began to teach her about the properties of herbs.

"I am pleased that you enjoy my garden," said a sweet voice that sounded like bells on a spring morning when there was nothing to do but sit and enjoy the sun.

The miko looked up to see the most beautiful woman either of them had ever laid eyes upon. She stood on the front porch of her small home, one hand on the supporting beam and the other shading her eyes. Those eyes were like brilliant obsidian, large, black and reflecting everything. Her skin was flawless and creamy and her features were fine and elegant. Her black hair fell like a silk river to her ankles. It took Kagome a moment to realize that the woman was wearing a simple cotton kimono the color of jade.

But it wasn't her appearance so much that made her beautiful, nor was it the humility of her dress. It was the light that moved with her as she moved, like the world would bow to her and her alone. Even the flowers seemed to nod their respects to the witch, and yet she was utterly unaware of this. Her gentle smile spoke of the genuine warmth and love she had towards all those that crossed her path. Kagome felt as if she was gazing upon her own mother, her mother's mother and all the mothers before that. She felt as if she had come home and she was certain Midoriko felt the same.

"Hello," Kagome finally managed to say, nodding her head only slightly. She did not mean disrespect, but she did not want to move her eyes from the woman. Beside her, Midoriko also stared openly. "Are you the witch?"

The woman's smile broadened. "Yes, Kagome, I am."

The young miko blinked, finally realizing that she was being rude with her continual stare. "I didn't expect... I mean, you look so..."

"You expected an old woman," said the witch with a soft laugh that seemed to make every color brighter.

"Yes, I suppose so," Kagome replied.

"My village has had stories about you for many generations," added Midoriko.

The witch arched an eyebrow in amusement. "I'm surprised that they still speak of me. I believe it's been almost forty years since the last time Ami allowed someone into the cave. Usually, she is the only one that speaks to the pilgrims."

"There are many stories of your benevolence," the elder miko replied. "That is why we came to you."

The smile faded from the witch's expression, although the softness did not. "Is it? That is truly the reason you brought Kagome to me, Midoriko?"

The miko hesitated for a moment and then lowered her eyes. Lying was hardly an option under such a searching gaze as the witch's. "No, it isn't. I never believed the stories. I told Kagome of you because I had to think of a way to remain close to her, to give me an opportunity to kill her. Nameless had promised me..."

"I know what he promised to you," interrupted the witch gently. "And do not fret, Midoriko. You have received pardon from your intended victim. I cannot do anything greater than be grateful that you chose the wiser path."

Midoriko looked abashed but relieved. "Thank you," she murmured.

The witch smiled again. "Please come inside and have something to drink." She turned and opened the shoji doors, allowing the light to spill into the room and onto the small table already set up for tea. "You must be exhausted," she said, moving inside and sitting down on the cushions.

Midoriko and Kagome looked at one another. "No, actually," said Kagome. "I was when I was out there. But I got distracted and then I went through the waterfall. I've felt wonderful ever since."

"Well," the witch laughed, "you will be quite tired once you exit my garden again. Here." She gave them full cups of the aromatic, soothing liquid and then finally took note of Kagome's shorn head. "That is an unfortunate wound. Greater than any of your others, however, and that is quite near to a miracle."

"It's... only hair," murmured the miko. And although she had spoken the truth, she still mourned its loss because someone did care very much about her lost locks.

The witch smiled again, sympathetically. "Yes, I suppose it is."

There was a slight pause. "My lady, what should we call you?" Kagome asked. "I mean, what is your name?"

"Name?" The witch looked momentarily confused. "My name. I haven't thought about that in many, many years."

"You don't remember it?" asked Kagome in awe.

The witch laughed again and poured herself some tea. "Of course I remember it. My name was and is Hoshiko. But no one has used that name for quite a long time. I am always 'Mistress' or 'Lady Witch'. You both may call me Hoshiko though, if you'd like. It would be nice to hear it again."

"Perhaps 'Lady' Hoshiko?" Kagome murmured.

"As you like," replied Hoshiko with a perfect smile.

"Why doesn't anyone call you by name anymore, my lady?" asked Midoriko.

The witch shrugged and sipped her tea. "I suppose you use another person's name familiarly when that person is your friend or younger than you. No one is younger than me. I am fortunate that I did not lose my name, like that time demon did."

Kagome's mouth dropped open a little. "Are you – forgive me, Lady Hoshiko – but are you as old as Nameless?"

"Yes," replied Hoshiko without hesitation. "And I have not had the advantage of being suspended in time either." Her eyes twinkled.

The young miko smiled at the joke, but sobered just as fast. "Then are you one of the Ancients? The ones in the stories?" She paused but Hoshiko did not answer. Midoriko gave her a questioning glance. "I mean the story that Sesshoumaru told me. It's true, after all. Nameless was one of the first demons that the taiyoukai drove out. But I can tell you're not one of those demons. So, you must be one of the humans."

Hoshiko nodded, stretching across the table to pour some more tea for her guests. "I am. And I am not." Her eyes became a bit distant as she looked out the doors and towards her garden. "I don't remember much from when I was truly human. Except seeing him for the first time."

The way the witch stressed the word 'him' made Kagome and Midoriko lean forward. "A taiyoukai," breathed the younger miko.

Her smile broadened slowly into one of pure joy. "Yes. He was beautiful. I loved him in that moment. And every moment after."

"You're one of the women that took a taiyoukai as her mate," whispered Kagome, a smile almost as lovely on her own face. Her heart warmed even more towards the witch.

"Yes. And since then, I was never truly human. I wasn't youkai either though," she replied lightly and turned back to her guests. "Eventually, I grew tired of the ever-changing world and the way I never changed at all. Becoming the center of a pilgrimage was never my intention, but it keeps me occupied. I have learned many things over the years and it would be a shame not to use that knowledge. It was, after all, a great gift that was not meant to be hoarded." She smiled again.

Kagome nodded, wise enough not to ask where Hoshiko's mate was now and wise enough not to ask about Ami, the half-demon girl waiting in the cave.

"But we have talked too long about my own past," said Hoshiko, setting down her teacup and folding her hands. "Lord Sesshoumaru is waiting and we should talk about what you came here to talk about."

The young miko felt a pit rise in her stomach. Here was her chance, what she had been working towards for weeks, and she wasn't at all sure she wanted it anymore. Hoshiko was giving her a gentle, knowing look, but Kagome nodded. "Of course."

"Good." The witch straightened her back and took on a slightly more business-like air. "Now, what I tell you to do must be done quickly. The fracture in Time worsens with each moment and Nameless is not the worst of the creatures that can crawl forth."

"Of course," repeated Kagome, not sure what the witch was referring to but feeling the pit grow larger and begin to roll around in her stomach.

Ami appeared at the door, carrying a small mortar and pestle in one hand, like the set that Kaede used to ground herbs. In her other hand she held one perfect orange and a ginger root. "Mistress," she said with a bow. She brought everything to the witch and cleared away the tea with a flawless fluidity. Easily balancing the teapot and cups in one arm, she drew out a small paring knife from her sleeve and placed it on the table before disappearing again.

But while the two miko stared curiously at what Ami had brought, Hoshiko did not give them a glance. "Time itself has been broken, Kagome."

The statement, as it was meant to do, immediately grabbed Kagome's attention. "What did I do?" she asked.

"Nothing except offend one of the few that is capable of breaking Time," replied the witch. "Unfortunately, even fewer are capable of understanding what it is to break Time and how to put it right again."

"Who broke it?" asked the young miko.

Hoshiko gave her a grave look and the light in the room seemed to dim slightly. "Do you truly not know?" she asked gently.

Kagome sighed. "Kikyo."

"She tried to seal the well," murmured Hoshiko. "She tried to circumvent Fate, but you were meant to be in that time. She is powerful though, and the well only did what it could to resist. It brought you to the only creatures that could help you. It is a rare moment in time that such a taiyoukai and such a miko would be so close. This was no accident." She nodded towards Midoriko as she said this, making the elder miko color in embarrassment.

"Unfortunately, Time is fragile and Kikyo was far too forceful," continued the witch. "Do you remember the black smoke? That is only the first symptom. It is the precursor to the black ooze which traps the ancient monsters."

Kagome started. "Black ooze? Like tar? Like what Koga's mother saw! Years and years ago. But that was years ago."

Hoshiko let out a small, sad sigh. "An unfortunate meeting. Gen was the only one to see Nameless in a vulnerable state, although he still terrified her. That is why he commanded so many wolves. He could not bear to have anyone think of him as weak."

"He never cared if she told anyone or not," Midoriko said, her brow creasing angrily.

"No, he did not. And for that vanity, the wolf tribes will suffer for many, many years," the witch said.

"Can I fix it?"

Hoshiko shook her head. "No. To try would further harm Time. It is already hopelessly tangled. Or it is going precisely as Fate wishes. Fate is a larger enigma than even Time, after all." She paused and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. "Even as old as I am, it still makes my head ache to try to understand these things!"

"But you do know how I should fix what I can fix," Kagome pressed in earnest. It was distressing to hear that the wisest creature she had ever met still didn't have all the answers.

The witch took a steadying breath and nodded. "I have been gifted with clarity concerning that at least," she replied. She took another breath and smiled again. "Listen very carefully, little one."

Kagome suddenly saw Hoshiko's age. Not in the lines on her face which were only those that highlighted her smile, nor the color of her hair which was still ebony, but in her ancient eyes. She felt that there was a whole other creature within the beautiful witch, one which weighed upon Hoshiko's kind heart and whispered about all the horrible things that she could do nothing to prevent.

"Nameless and his brethren were only the first of many. Time demons of course have the advantage of being able to navigate through even the most fractured Time. He was able to pick his time to escape, so that he could prepare for your arrival and seduce your companion to his evil plans," she said, nodding towards Midoriko. "But the other exiled monsters will come soon. If they return to this land, broken Time will be the least of our concerns."

"Tell me how to fix Time and I'll do it," Kagome said, her mind filled with images of writhing, terrible demons worse than even Naraku.

"Fixing Time is nothing," said Hoshiko. "You must simply return to the place where Time originally broke. Kikyo created the cure at the same time as the problem. By now, Time is fractured enough that the well can send you back to where you're supposed to be. Time will heal itself when you're in your rightful place. If you had stayed there, speaking to no one, all of this would have been resolved quite quickly. Unfortunately, you have been altering history while you have been here. You had no way of knowing that, of course."

Kagome covered her eyes. "I tried not to," she murmured. "I did know that I must have been changing things."

Hoshiko waved away her concerns. "It was nearly impossible not to do it to a certain degree. And most of it is harmless. You trod on a bug that was going to be a sparrow's dinner and so she had to fly a little farther. That sort of thing. Even your influence upon Inuyasha's father is not so damaging."

"How can that be?" asked the young miko. "Toga broke off Sesshoumaru's engagement to Ryukotsusei's daughter because of me!" She blushed as Midoriko turned to stare at her.

The witch nodded. "Yes, but that engagement would not have been successful anyway, would it? You know that Sesshoumaru has no mate in Inuyasha's time."

"I never really asked," Kagome murmured. "Never had a reason, of course."

Hoshiko's eyes became intent again. "And he has never told you, not in Inuyasha's time."

Kagome laughed softly. "Of course not. He hardly talks to me except when he's threatening my life. And usually that's more directed towards Inuyasha..." She trailed off and her face fell. "I've changed Sesshoumaru irrevocably, haven't I?"

"Not irrevocably," said Hoshiko. "And truly, you are fortunate that more work is not necessary. Except for Sesshoumaru, everyone you have encountered in your time here will be dead before your time with Inuyasha."

Kagome looked at Midoriko, who shrugged in awareness that she would not live for centuries. "What about Koga?" the young miko asked.

"He is too young to remember anything more than a kind face," the witch said. "You changed aspects of his life, but you did not change his perception of the world. That is what is the true danger of your presence here, after all. Time can heal itself of many wrongs, but if you meeting with someone will change them irrevocably, Time can never heal. Fate and Time are tied together and if you damage one to the point that it cannot be repaired on its own, the other will remain broken. You have diverted Sesshoumaru from his Fated path. In turn, Time will ultimately fail to fix the flaw and crack open again. And so that is why something must be done about Lord Sesshoumaru before you go back to Inuyasha, before Time can start to repair itself. As long as Lord Sesshoumaru has been changed by you, Time remains in danger."

Her heart thudded in her chest as she looked at the witch. "What do we do?" she whispered.

Hoshiko held up the spice and the fruit, forgotten until now. "Do you know what a scent is to a demon?" she asked lightly, seeming to change the subject.

"It tells them everything," answered Kagome, swiftly and automatically.

The witch smiled, pleased with her reply. "It can tell them when to flee, when to fight, when to hate and when to love," she said. "Remove a scent properly and you can make a demon forget everything he feels. Sesshoumaru must forget the scent of oranges and ginger. Your scent."

Even before Hoshiko's words truly sunk in, Kagome began to breathe quickly and tears began to spring to her eyes. "Oh no," she moaned finally. "Please don't make me."

"He must forget you," Hoshiko insisted, the pain on her face mirroring Kagome's own. "He must not remember one shred of your existence, not even when he meets you again when you are fifteen and pulling Tetsusaiga from its place."

Midoriko was gathering Kagome into her arms as the witch spoke. "Please, there has to be another way," entreated the elder woman. "He loves her." Kagome began to weep on her shoulder.

"There is no other way," murmured the beautiful lady. She stood and circled the table, laying a hand on Kagome's head. "But please, Kagome, do not completely despair. I would never stop a friendship such as this forever."

Kagome choked on her tears as she lifted her head. She was still pale, but her eternal hope had already begun to clear her eyes. "You mean, he'll remember me? Or do I have to gain his friendship all over again?"

Hoshiko smiled down at her young guest. "When you next meet after you return to Inuyasha, just address him by name and he will remember." She gave Kagome another pat. "Does that ease your suffering?"

The miko nodded and straightened up, wiping her eyes on the hem of her kimono. She was blushing again, embarrassed that she had had such a violent reaction to the news that Sesshoumaru would forget her. "Thank you," she still managed to say, although a few last tears were dripping down her cheeks. "I don't know what came over me."

"Hmm," answered Hoshiko with a smile and knowing glance. She returned to her place, picked up the paring knife and began to cut wafer-thin strips of the ginger root. The orange was given to Midoriko to peel.

A few slices of orange were put into the mortar, pulverized and strained before the ginger was added. The mix of the two strong scents was surprisingly pleasant and Kagome sniffed the air. "Is that really what I smell like?"

"Of course. Every different scent has a meaning behind it," she replied. "A creature's scent gives an important clue to what that creature is like."

"I've heard that flowers have meanings," Kagome said, watching the witch press the ginger into the mortar. She had a grace to her movements that made even this act – which so many peasant women did every day – look regal.

"Everything has a meaning," Hoshiko corrected gently. "That is the essence of Fate. Oranges signify 'eternal love' and ginger signifies 'pride'."

Kagome frowned. "So I'm prideful and lovesick?"

Hoshiko laughed. "A person's scent never changes, Kagome," she said a moment later, but still smiling. "You have a constant, loving heart. And you take pride in yourself and in those around you when they show that they have constant, loving hearts as well. It is a good combination. It speaks of your determination and compassion."

"That sounds a bit better," Kagome said, but she couldn't smile in return. "Do I have to trick him into drinking this?"

"Unless you think he will willingly choose to forget you," Hoshiko murmured. The liquid was now a murky orange and despite its fragrance, was not something Kagome could imagine convincing anyone to drink. "Now, remain quiet for a moment. Do not fear."

The two miko sat silently as Hoshiko closed her eyes. Her hands remained in her lap, but her lips began to move in a silent chant.

The sunlight grew brighter, harsher and the miko had to shield their eyes even though they were inside. The garden's color was washed out and every bloom was white. The wind chimes rattled loudly and the beams of the small hut began to creak. The liquid, still sitting in the mortar with strips of ginger root in it, bubbled.

Hoshiko, still with her eyes closed and her mouth moving, grabbed at the paring knife with one hand. The other hand darted across the table, wrapping around Kagome's wrist and pulling. The young miko shrieked softly as her palm was turned upwards and the paring knife came down towards it.

But it suddenly hovered and Kagome thought Hoshiko was only scaring her until one single drop of blood blossomed in the dead center of her hand. The blade moved again, sweeping up the drop without touching her skin again. The blood was dropped into the mortar with a hiss of steam and the knife was placed back in its spot.

The sunlight eased, the color returned to the world and the concoction cooled. Hoshiko opened her eyes and took a breath. "I should have warned you," she said immediately, "but I find that fear can pollute the spell."

Kagome nodded and rubbed at her palm, but no more blood sprang from the small cut. "It's fine. I understand," she said. "I guess I was just expecting something more like 'eye of newt and toe of frog'. That sort of thing."

Hoshiko arched an amused eyebrow. "Not quite. I suppose my witchcraft is of a quieter breed than that." She smiled at the young miko. "Once I bottle this, I believe your business with me will be done."

"I guess so," replied Kagome.

"Not everything has been fully discussed, however, with your companion. Why don't you go out to the garden to wait?" the witch suggested. "I must still speak with Midoriko for a moment or two alone."

With a glance at her subdued companion, the young miko nodded and took her leave of the others. She stepped outside into the warmth and the green of the garden. She was almost glad to leave actually. Now that she knew what she had to do in order to get home, Kagome was anxious to do it. The guilt she felt over having to betray Sesshoumaru would lift as soon as she saw him again in Inuyasha's time, she just knew it. She hoped so anyway.

Dabbing at her eyes and the fresh tears that were suddenly forming, she walked along the paths. Some of the flowerbeds were blanketed with plants that grew so tall that they reached above her head and so Kagome wasn't entirely surprised to turn a corner and find Ami tending to a few young shoots.

She watched the half-demon nurture the small green stalks for a few moments. "What are they?" she asked, drawing Ami's attention. She self-consciously lifted her fingers to her damp eyes, trying to hide their redness.

"Sunflowers," answered the girl. She smiled at Kagome as the miko continued to rub at her face. "You look lovely, Lady Kagome. He will not know you cried."

The miko let out a little laugh of sadness. "I doubt that," she murmured. Ami stared at her for a moment and Kagome shook her head clear of her discouraging thoughts. "Um, anyway... I meant to ask you something. What did you mean with all that talk about bridges when we first met?"

Ami blinked in the bright sun as she looked up at the miko. "Do not forget the past and do not fail to consider the future when you are in the present. Do not let it chain you though," she said.

"Yeah, well... I got that," Kagome replied, crouching down beside her and mimicking Ami's movements to aid another baby sunflower.

"If you understand that, you are far better off than most of your kind," Ami said.

"So you were just dispensing some general advice?"

Ami smiled. "I think that time-travelers should be more often reminded of the dangers of the weights of the past and future than others."

"That's probably true."

The girl finished her work and they stood. "Perhaps it is something you should remind Lord Sesshoumaru of as well," she said. "He might forget to let the past be the past."

The miko nodded solemnly. "He's not going to be very pleased about me erasing his memory, is he?"

"I would not think so, my lady. Most creatures, demon or not, reasonable or not, would not be pleased."

Kagome's unease returned, nearly moving her to tears again. Once he knew why she did it, she reminded herself, he would understand. After all, the destruction of Time wasn't very conducive to expanding the Western Territories. And although he might be hurt for a while, he would also remember their friendship and everything else they shared, which Kagome still refused to label.

Although the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she would not be dealing with her younger, kinder version of Sesshoumaru. She would have to face the most terrifying taiyoukai of Japan. "Hurt" was simply not an emotion of the older Sesshoumaru. The only words that did come to mind were along the lines of "angry", "vicious" or "murderous".

Damn these tears, she thought, wiping at her eyes yet again. She was becoming an emotional wreck. She should have remembered, she chided herself. She should have remembered what a tyrant Sesshoumaru would be in the future. She should have distanced herself.

Of course, if she had, she would have been dead about a hundred times over. This Time and Fate stuff was truly screwing up her perception of things and she inwardly snarled at these all-controlling entities.

Ami was suddenly holding a bloom out to the miko. Kagome blinked away her darker thoughts again and took the flower automatically, a purple blossom with a canary yellow center. "A bittersweet?" she asked, recognizing it immediately. She did not vocalize the other name of the plant – Deadly Nightshade.

"It signifies 'truth'," Ami replied, giving her a steady gaze. "My mistress did tell you that everything has a meaning, correct?"

Kagome let out a soft sigh and tucked the flower into her obi. "Yes, thank you," she said, "but it's not the time for truth. I'll be betraying his trust soon enough."

"You will be protecting him," argued the girl and the light appeared in her eyes that proclaimed that she was far older than anyone could guess. Again, Kagome mused on the possibility that Ami was Hoshiko's child and had to tamp down the urge to ask about the taiyoukai who had stolen the witch's heart. "Truth often coincides with betrayal anyway. At least, what some people might see as betrayal."

The miko had to admit this truth and although she still loathed the idea, she knew she would soon erase Sesshoumaru's memories and feel that she had done the right thing. At least as far as the universe was concerned. Dumb universe, she added petulantly.

In the distance, someone called her name. Ami reached out and took Kagome's hand. "It is time for you to go," she said. "They are done talking."

The miko walked back with the half-demon to where Hoshiko and Midoriko were waiting on the path back towards the cave. The witch smiled and pressed a small opaque vial of liquid into Kagome's hands. "Remember everything we discussed. You must keep your strength. It will be both harder and easier than you think."

"I'll remember. Thank you," murmured Kagome, tucking the vial into her sleeve.

Hoshiko embraced both of them in turn. "Have faith," she said simply as she pulled away from Kagome.

"Perhaps I'll visit in three hundred years," said the young miko.

"Perhaps," replied Hoshiko with a soft smile. "Good luck to you both." She bowed to each of them, which they returned. When they straightened up, the witch was already backing away. The sun was at her back and the light suddenly splintered around her body, enveloping the witch in its rays. When Kagome shielded her eyes, she could no longer see her.

Ami wordlessly led them back into the luminescent cavern and towards the waterfall. Kagome finally looked towards her quiet companion. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Midoriko took a deep breath. "For the moment," she replied.

"What did she say to you?"

The elder miko smiled softly. "If I was permitted to tell you, you would not have been sent out to the garden," Midoriko said.

"Oh. Of course." Kagome blushed slightly and they fell back into silence.

Hoshiko had been right. They were weary again from the fight, with all their bumps and bruises aching afresh. But more than that, their hearts ached from the loss of Hoshiko's company. If Kagome had fretted about what she had to do inside the witch's garden, it was a hundred times worse now that she was out of it. A glance at Midoriko's pale face told her that her companion was feeling something very similar. It was unfair, Kagome felt, to experience such wonder and have it taken away so quickly. They could not have been inside for longer than an hour.

They reached the waterfall quickly and Ami offered even quicker good-byes before disappearing back down the tunnel. Midoriko watched her go and turned to Kagome. "Are you ready for this?" she asked. "He can't know anything."

"Why not? I'm going to make him forget anyway," argued Kagome, her voice raising in pitch as she began to breathe harder.

"How will you get him to drink that liquid if he knows?"

"He'll do it voluntarily," Kagome said. But even as she said it, she knew it was ridiculous. Sesshoumaru would fight it. He would want to try to find some other way, a way that didn't exist and would just further jeopardize Time by delaying what had to be done. She sighed and realized that she had already broken her promise to Hoshiko and let her strength fail. "Okay, fine. He won't know then."

"It's best this way," Midoriko murmured, not sounding very convinced either.

Kagome shrugged. "Well, at least this way he won't be able to kill me immediately back in Inuyasha's time. He'll want some sort of explanation," she muttered darkly.

The two women looked at one another. "It can't be helped," the elder miko said, trying again.

"It really can't," agreed Kagome.

They walked through the waterfall together, arriving on the other side in just a few moments and still completely dry. Night had fallen but Sesshoumaru had remained in his place. He stood up at their appearance. "I was about to follow," he said.

"You can't go in, remember?" replied Kagome with a smile.

"You were taking too long. I would have found a way," he said, his golden eyes following her as she came towards him. "What did she say? Can she help you?"

Kagome nodded. "It won't be too difficult, I hope. I'll explain tomorrow morning."

He looked as if he wanted to insist, but acquiesced instead. "We will camp on the mountain tonight, far enough from the battlefield that scavengers will not find us. Tomorrow we will descend the mountain."

The young miko wasn't listening. She could only stare at him. His beautiful profile against the night sky, his deadly claws, the fur that he always wrapped around her when she became cold, the eyes that would one day become hard with perpetual anger and everything else – it was all so precious to her, now and in this moment of his remaining virtue. She felt her resolve waver for a moment again. She bit her lip and moved forward suddenly, hugging him and burying her face into his shoulder.

"What is wrong?" he asked, returning the embrace as Midoriko pretended to be interested in the constellations above.

"Nothing," came her muffled reply.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and brushed his hand on her cropped hair. He knew she was lying. "Very well," he said.

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A/N: I have tried to make the time travel bit as clear as possible and it's still mud. For those of you interested (as I am) in the actual physics of time travel, go look up "Grandfather Paradox" on Wikipedia. It's actually an excellent overview of the impossibilities (or possibilities) of time travel, with much less discussion of the laws of physics that are in the time travel article.

Because this is Japan, most of Hoshiko's speech centers on Fate and how it cannot really change – Time will work itself out because Fate MUST work out. However, Kagome committed some acts that are so intertwined with her own past and future that Time would essentially become a pretzel and never correct itself. Therefore, Fate would fail to go on its merry way. The question is – does Hoshiko's remedy for the destruction of Time play into Fate's hands? Or does it repair Time AND Fate's paths?

That, my dear readers, is entirely up to you to decide. Please review! If you really want to talk about time travel, I might answer, but be warned that I'm an amateur and high school physics was many, many years ago.