A/N: The title is take from the first line of "Burnt Norton" from T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets.
Time Present and Time Past
Prologue
The waves beat upon the rocky shore, throwing mist into Inuyasha's face. The air smelt of salt. The rocks under his feet were slippery and cold.
"Will you be the one to stop me?"
Inuyasha looked up to see a figure with white hair blowing in the sea breeze standing with his back to him, gazing at the moon. In appearance and bearing – and to a lesser extent by the sound of his voice – he put Inuyasha in mind of Sesshoumaru. But who was Sesshoumaru? He grasped at nebulous impressions at the back of his mind that seemed just within his reach but scattered when he got close. Sesshoumaru was someone – of that he was sure. In a moment the name vanished from his mind completely.
"Would you kill your own father?"
His father – the Inu no Taishou.
"N-no, of course not," said Inuyasha hastily. "Why would I do such a thing?"
The Inu no Taishou glanced over his shoulder, as if trying to remember why he had said that.
"I don't know," he said at length. "Well, if you don't want me to go, I shall stay. The important thing is Izayoi is safe. The humans from her former clan who sought to destroy her again may live another day."
"You need to recover from your wounds first," Inuyasha found himself saying. "The wounds you sustained in your last battle against them."
"Yes, I must."
"If you hadn't given me Tessaiga before you left…"
"Izayoi might have been taken. I made the right decision."
"What about Tenseiga?"
"Tenseiga would have been of no use to me in that battle anyway," said the Ino no Taishou. "I wanted you to use it to protect your mother, should the need have arisen. I made the right decision."
The Great Dog General's two great swords – Tessaiga and Tenseiga – both passed down to his hanyou son Inuyasha during his lifetime.
Two hundred and fifty years in the future, a lone youkai pinned by an arrow to a sacred tree on the outskirts of a human village, surrounded by a ring of people.
"Sesshoumaru," said Kagome.
"What did you say?" demanded Kaede, the old priestess.
"Huh? Did I say something?"
"I thought you said something like 'Sesshoumaru'."
"Did I?"
"It is no matter," said Kaede. "This Inuyasha— I mean to say, this inu youkai terrorized our village fifty years ago. It was my sister Kikyou who put the arrow in his heart, sealing him for eternity. Your arrival in our world has awoken him."
A growl.
Kagome and Kaede looked up. The dog demon was staring at them through golden eyes. There was no anger or malice in those eyes. There was scarcely any emotion in them at all. They were eyes accustomed to looking down on humans as an inferior lifeform. Kagome thought he looked like a younger version of someone she ought to know but couldn't remember. What was the word Kaede said she had uttered just now? She couldn't remember that either.
"What is your name, demon?" said Kaede.
The demon's golden gaze turned upon her, but he said nothing.
"Speak," Kaede demanded.
"I do not answer to the likes of you."
"Sesshoumaru!" said Kagome suddenly.
The demon looked at her sharply.
"How do you know my name?"
How did Kagome know his name? She tried remembering whether it was from a story her grandfather had told her when she was younger, but that didn't feel right. Kagome felt like one who has had her memories wiped imperfectly, leaving little shards here and there, not enough to form a complete picture.
Shards!
There was another word Kagome felt ought to have some meaning for her.
"Since you seem to know who I am, do me the courtesy of freeing me from this accursed trap," said Sesshoumaru.
Kagome took a step toward the sacred tree.
"Stop, Kagome!" said Kaede.
But Kagome did not fear the demon – this Sesshoumaru. Something told her it was safe to approach him. She paused for a minute under the tree, close enough to feel Sesshoumaru's warm breath on her face. If Sesshoumaru intended to harm her, he could bite her head off at this distance. She grabbed the arrow piercing Sesshoumaru's chest and pulled it out with a sharp tug.
Sesshoumaru winced as the arrow passed through his body a second time and threw Kagome off with a growl.
"Kagome!"
"Today you have freed me," said Sesshoumaru. "That is the only reason I did not kill you."
He turned on his heels and strode away in the direction of the forest. The villagers parted to make way for him.
Kagome rose shakily to her feet and dusted off her clothes.
"Wait, Sesshoumaru!" she said. She was too shaken to think clearly and had given the reins of her mind over to her subconscious, saying the words as they appeared on her tongue. "I know where to find Tessaiga and Tenseiga."
Sesshoumaru stopped.
"Take me to them," he commanded. He swept back into the circle of villagers and grabbed Kagome roughly by the collar. "If you want to live."
Kagome instantly regretted opening her mouth. Not only did she not know where to find Tessaiga and Tenseiga, she did not know what they were.
tbc.