Disclaimer: Characters and plot from canon belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Hajime Isayama.

So this story deviates away from anything and everything, but I haven't written a fanfic in years (like actually almost 10 years) and I wanted to see if I could do it… Honestly, I'm always swamped with work, so this is just an on-my-free-time kind of thing.

Characters will undoubtedly be OOC, though I do make an effort to stay in line. First chapter will establish a bit of the background, so no Attack on Titan quite yet (Next chapter!). Chapters will probably be shorter so I can update sooner than once in a thousand years, haha.

Rating may change.

Chapter 1

"Miko."

A gust of wind blew the smell of smoke and blood in their direction. Kagome tilted her head. Her eyes stayed locked onto the scene in the valley before she wrenched her eyes away and turned to fully face the youkai.

Sesshoumaru regarded her with a cool demeanor, unaffected by the carnage below. "Focus."

Kagome sighed, nodding in resignation. She fiddled with the silky, white sleeves of her miko garb and adjusted the bow slung around her shoulder. There was nothing they could have done. Humans fighting against humans. Of course. Two minor lords outside the border of the Western territory had become hostile over the ownership of a trade route and had decided to wage war. While the civilians had not wanted any part in the war, they were forced to defend their homes. Sesshoumaru and Kagome arrived after the fighting was over. There had been no survivors.

Despite what she might have thought when she was younger, Kagome realised that people – humans – did not change. Not as a species, anyway. Humans held a basic instinct for survival that was shared by all organisms that inhabited the world they lived in. When viewed in that regard, nothing changed at all. Individuals; however, were both subjects and agents of change. That was already obvious in the stark contrast between this era and the one she was born in. Humans had a propensity for greed, selfishness, and destruction. Beyond individuals, change was present in the waters and lands of the earth, acting even in the absence of life forms. Time was the only constant. Time spent in the Sengoku period chasing down the fragments of an innocuous-looking jewel had changed her beyond anything she could have imagined before she first fell down that well.

It wasn't like her personality was completely different. However, the massacre that occurred at Naraku's hand all those years ago had twisted something deep within her. She had built a family only to have it ripped away. Briefly, she thought of Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru had pulled her out of her self-pity and brought back a resolve that allowed her to stand tall and keep moving. He was her only family now.

She shook herself out of her musings. "It should be around here somewhere." Kagome closed her eyes and focused on the wisps of energy that had been emanating from the side of the mountain like a beacon – the only reason the two of them had ventured outside of the Western borders today to investigate.

They had begun their regular patrol earlier in the morning. It had been a quiet day, so there was no reason not to seek out the energy. The cloud of smoke had been yet another reason to head in the direction of the mountains. In the end, the smoke had only led them to the aftermath of a battle. The ground was littered with human bodies that Kagome wanted to bury, but there were more pressing matters…she really wanted to know what that energy was about. Perhaps she would later today.

The path of energy drew her several hundred meters away from where they had been standing to an alcove within a patch of trees. Kagome circled around the area, but did not find any demon or being present. "There's no one here, but… I think it's coming from this place."

Sesshoumaru brushed by her, scrutinizing the smooth surface of the alcove for a few moments. A swift kick sent a stray pebble straight towards it.

"What –" She closed her mouth as the pebble passed straight through the rock and disappeared. "An illusion." Kagome frowned, regarding their situation in a new light.

At first, they had thought the flux of energy had come from a distressed youkai. Sesshoumaru had not cared to investigate, but Kagome kept pushing him. He had finally agreed, if only to stop her protests of 'but what if they're in trouble!', 'what if they're sick!', 'what if someone's dying!' After all, it was their duty to eliminate potential threats at the Western borders. Now, this energy could be anything. It had seemed demonic from afar, but being so close to it now, it didn't feel like anything familiar at all. In retrospect, she should have known it wasn't a demon. An injured demon would not send out a distress call that large in fear of attracting other demons to finish the job. But then why would Sesshoumaru agree to this? Most likely, he was just as curious to know.

The illusion wavered slightly. They shared a look before the taiyoukai unsheathed his sword, Bakusaiga. This prompted Kagome to draw her own sword, Junsaiga, forged from Sesshoumaru's own fang. Years together had forged a familial bond between them.

"Lady Kagome." A girl, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, emerged out of the illusion wearing a simple white dress and no shoes. She bowed low, holding her pose for several silent seconds before straightening. "Please come this way. The Lady has been expecting you." She turned back around without making eye contact and disappeared back through the stone wall.

A gust of wind rustled the trees around them.

"If this is someone's screwed up version of a trap, I am going to be so mad," Kagome huffed, covering her nervousness up with irritation. "I didn't miss lunch and come all the way out here for this kind of drama!"

"Hn."

"She didn't even address you...does that mean I'm the only one who's supposed to follow her?" She pursed her lips and then rounded on Sesshoumaru. "Also you've barely said a single thing since we left! I feel like I'm alone and talking to myself!" He merely raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to release another huff.

"There is a..." he paused, "strangeness in the air. I would advise against going alone."

It was the most he had said all day and Kagome wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained. A miniscule frown upon his face belied his concern for their situation. Sesshoumaru caught her forearm before she progressed forward. "Kagome," he stressed, catching her attention, "the girl had no heartbeat."

Her eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. Regardless, Kagome stepped through the illusion with only slight hesitation, Sesshoumaru close behind her. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding; Sesshoumaru was able to follow her after all. There was a need for her to know what was going on; she had a compulsion to investigate. Did this have anything to do with the carnage down the mountain? No, that had trouble had been brewing for the last fortnight. Demon, human, or whatever, she had felt this strange compulsion since they had sensed the energy earlier in the day. Surely Sesshoumaru had felt the same way, right?

It was dark, but the girl was waiting inside with a torch. It illuminated a cavernous pathway, the dim light flickering as though caressed by an invisible wind. Several minutes passed in silence with only the small patter of Kagome and Sesshoumaru's footsteps echoing into the darkness. Kagome did not fail to notice the lack of sound coming from the girl leading them.

She peered at the figure. Slowly, Kagome began to realise that the girl's dress was strange. Was it…warping? The pathway was too narrow for Sesshoumaru and her to walk side by side, so there was no way for Kagome to confirm with him unless she turned around. The longer she stared at the girl's dress, the more convinced she became that she wasn't imagining things. The hem of the dress was twisting somehow, and the twisting was becoming more pronounced as they ventured further into the passageway.

Kagome gripped her sword tightly.

At once, the girl's figure spiraled, and then disappeared, along with the torch, leaving the two in complete darkness.

Her breath hitched, and she stepped back, free hand seeking out her companion. "Sesshoumaru?!"

"This Sesshoumaru is here." His voice came out low and directly behind her.

"This Kagome is relieved," she replied dryly, but her heart calmed with the reassurance that he was still there. She blindly held her sword out in front of her, imagining that the rustle of fabric she heard must have been then taiyoukai doing the same thing. For a few moments, she deliberated whether they should keep going forward, or turn around and hope there was still an entranceway to exit from.

"I am glad to see that you received my message, Lady Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru, your presence is not required, but no matter. There is little that can be done about that now."

Kagome jumped as an image warped into existence before her very eyes. The cavern was small and barren, with smooth walls and an even dirt floor. But that wasn't what caught her attention. At the end of the cave sat an old, hunched over woman in a wooden chair, a thin blanket spilling over her lap. Her braided grey hair hung over the side of the chair. She smiled at the two of them, beckoning them closer.

The miko took a step forward, allowing Sesshoumaru to come forward and stand beside her. She held her sword out in front of her despite the unassuming air of the woman. Kagome knew better than most that looks could be deceiving. Did this woman also lack a heartbeat?

"Please, do not be alarmed. There is no need to have your weapons out. I cannot harm you in the same way that you cannot harm me, so lower your swords."

"You have no scent," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome furrowed her brows. No scent? If this was a trap, why would an illusion continue on after the girl has vanished?

The old woman smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I ceased to exist physically long ago. I only exist here now as a spirit, a messenger, if you will. The image that you are seeing is merely a manifestation of ancient magic, that of which you can perceive by sight and sound, but cannot smell or touch."

Neither of them had a response, but then Sesshoumaru began to move forward, sheathing his sword and approaching slowly. Was he familiar with this kind of thing? Trusting his judgement, Kagome mirrored his actions. She glanced at him, trying to glean something from his expression. There was a strange look in his eyes. What was he thinking about?

"That is much better." Now that Kagome was close, she could also see the warped, fraying edges of the blanket on the woman's lap. "We shall progress immediately into business," the woman announced, "I sent a signal out with the hopes of you seeking me out and I am satisfied to know that it was successful. But that is not the main matter today. Lady Kagome, when you first entered this era ten years ago, I foresaw your journey with the Shikon no Tama, the hardships and triumphs you would face, and your alliance with Lord Sesshoumaru. I have watched over you as you mastered your spiritual powers and combat training and rose as the right hand of the Western Lands. You have always risen to the occasion." She smiled knowingly, watching the confusion on Kagome's face.

A light breeze drifted through the cavern.

"I don't understand."

"I am only the embodiment of an ancient magic. This ancient magic permeates the land around you – the same magic that allowed you to travel through time, and the same magic that withered away and did not allow you to return."

Kagome's heart clenched. She may have come to terms with the situation long ago, but it was still a sore spot.

"This magic, however, is fueled by fate. Just as you were meant to break the jewel, you were also meant to put it back together. Just as you were meant to stay in this era and travel with Lord Sesshoumaru, you were meant to come here today. Now, this is only the most natural next step, the progression. You shall have what was formerly denied to you."

Something the woman said put her on edge. She took a step back. What did she mean by the next step? A progression? The wind was picking up. There was a surge of foreign power.

"Do not fret; Fate has written it." The image of the old woman flickered for a moment as the wind blew a cloud of dust through her. "I will be brief. You were never meant to stay here, time traveller. You have done well, but time is moving. I am sorry to say that the taiyoukai will not be joining you. Remember the wall, but do not travel. In time, they will come to you. For your services to humanity you will –"

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome screamed as the unrelenting wind suddenly picked up further in speed. She began to slide back away from the taiyoukai. There was nothing to hold on to. She tried to take a step forward, but the wind quickly foiled her actions.

"–be rewarded for your efforts. You –"

Another cloud of dust swiveled around the cavern, forcing her to throw her hands up and shield her face. She was going to hit the walls anytime now with the rate she was sliding back.

"–will find your–"

Kagome locked eyes with Sesshoumaru. He was a portrait of calmness, despite the wind angrily whipping at his hair; the youkai appeared unaffected, as always. But she knew him well. There in his eyes – understanding and resignation.

"–happiness."

A familiar blue light blinded Kagome's vision. Her back hit the wall and the illusion dropped, pitching the cavern back into darkness, one taiyoukai standing in the silence.

Reviews are appreciated, thank you!