I did not realize my mistake until it was too late.

The well had disappeared. It could not have been gone for more than five minutes before my daughter and her protector appeared, but those were the scariest five minutes of my life. I had thought my daughter was stuck somewhere beyond the well. The well was the only way she had ever come and gone between the two worlds, and I thought it the only way she could. Staring at the ground that the well had vanished into, and crying out my only daughter's name, I could not fathom living if she was dead. I had sent her on her mission, giving her a destiny that should not have belonged to a child so young; a destiny that I wish she did not have. I had pushed her into it, pushed her straight into the arms of a boy from 500 years in the past. I had pushed her into the life of her ancient relative, one who could not handle the duties given her. I had pushed her to be as great as she could, and now, I was regretting it all.

If only I could turn back time and forbid her from ever seeing that boy, her protector again; forbid her from following her destiny. Though, I could not. I could not deny her the chance at love, at life, and at her future, which is foretold to be extraordinary.

The first time she had come back from the well, after missing for three days, she had told a story of fairytales: of demons, mikos, and the Shikon no Tama. Her grandfather, my father-in-law and a shrine-keeper, had began searching through the shrine records for legends that were related to what she had talked about. He knew the legend of the Shikon, but not as much as we would have liked. It was an old legend from our shrine. He found the myth of the Shikon no Tama, its protectors, and the legend of the Shikon Miko. It was a sad, harrowing tale of love, betrayal, and finally victory. The thing that scared me the most was that the legend never once stated what would happen to the Shikon Miko once the jewel was gone. It stated, very ominously, 'The Shikon Miko's tale does not end here'.

Knowing this, all I could think was that my daughter was destined for the past, and I would never see her again.

Shortly after I processed the disappearance of the well, my daughter and her protector, the boy, appeared.

I could not think of anything, except, 'My daughter is here; she is alive'. I ran to her, and grabbed her, holding her to me tight, letting my tears flow freely. While I was welcoming my precious daughter home, her protector, her love, disappeared back to his time. This was when I realized my mistake.

I had completely ignored the one who had kept my daughter safe during the three years she had traveled through the well. He was the only one who could have brought her back to me, and I ignored him. He had become almost like a son to me during my daughter's travels, and I disregarded him, without a second thought.

Then, I realized: I was fated to lose her again, eventually; to the well, to her love, and worst of all, to her destiny.

-----------------------

Six months had passed since the well had disappeared and my daughter reappeared without it when four boys had shown up at the shrine. One was brash and rude; he said his name was Yuusuke. Another, the tallest, said his name was Kuwabara. The next, a very cute, well-mannered young man had introduced himself as Kurama; and then he introduced me to Hiei. Hiei was the shortest of the groups, and also appeared the most violent.

Kurama had explained that their boss was Prince Koenma, the Prince of the three worlds. Then, of course, he had explained to me what the three worlds were and why there was need for them, though he did not go into great detail. The Rekai, Makai, and Ningenkai, he had said, were created to keep humans safe from demons. The Spirit Detectives, as they said they were, were the ones who were supposed to keep the balance, and ensure the demons and humans stayed where they were supposed to. The gods ruled it all from the Rekai. Kurama then explained that my daughter was wanted at Rekai, to speak to King Enma, Prince Koenma's father.

At first, I vehemently denied it. I told them my daughter had done her duty, and now, she needed to live a normal life. Yuusuke laughed and said, 'Lady, no one that the Rekai wants ever gets a normal life'. And, once again, my heart broke. My daughter's destiny was not over, and it seemed it never would be.

Shortly after this, I realized I had no choice in the matter, once again, and had to accept it as her destiny as the Shikon Miko.

When she arrived home, I pulled her aside and gave her a hug. I told her, 'No matter what happens, and what you decide to do, I will always be here'.

She just smiled, a strong smile, one that I was so used to seeing, and said, 'I know, Mama'.

We walked into the living room, to speak to her guests. She was so mature, and looking at her, I realized I did not really know my precious daughter. She was no longer my baby; she was a grown, mature woman, who had endured so much more than I had. I decided at that moment, that I would trust her, and no longer try to deny her destiny.

AN: I totally know I should be working on Make-over right now, but this bit me, and I couldn't let it go! Hope you enjoyed it!