Author's Notes: A huge thanks to my beta, Skyisthelimit, for her fabulous beta job! Also, a huge thanks to those who have reviewed this story! You are all the best!

By the way, I know some of you have read this story before and are probably like Wtf, why. Well, after constant reading and re-reading, I decided to change a few things and revamp the storyline. Some of the contents of the chapter may seem very familiar and the others not. Just a note. :)


Oft in the Stilly Night
By: Callisto Callispi
Chapter 2: Discovering the Future

It amazed her that despite living here all of her life, she had not heard one thing about some gang whose members dressed like the old Japanese aristocracy of the Sengoku jidai. She risked a quick peek up at his face and then cast her gaze back down. Those stripes on his cheeks and the crescent moon on his forehead… Were they symbols of his gang? They even tattooed themselves! Lord of the Western Lands, eh? It sounded like the title of some eccentric yakuza boss. Maybe it was good that she didn't give him her metro card—he could use the information to track her down again.

Wait, what was she thinking? He was leading her back to her house, for heaven's sake! He could track her down anytime he wanted. Kagome sighed suddenly. What a night to mess up her life. The crucial night just before her entrance exam…the night when she should be studying her brains out.

She wanted to say something to him, anything that would rid the awkward silence between them. She had never met someone so detached and reserved! But still, there was something about him that felt…familiar, like déjà vu. It was like dreaming a forgotten dream from years before. She felt some vague distortion of reality, but the feeling was not strong enough for her to clearly differentiate between reality and illusion.

Magnificent and bizarre as he was, Kagome felt easy and calm. The thought that he could rape her or kill her with his awesome strength hadn't crossed her mind at all. Quite on the contrary: Kagome felt…safe.

X

Sesshoumaru cocked his head towards more of those lit glass globes. What witchery was this, to keep these lit for so long? He could hear no crackle of fire within them…just an infernal buzz.

Sesshoumaru knew that he was in what Inuyasha referred to as "the future." He had never imagined it would be so…grotesque. What was this black stone that covered the ground, like cooled lava? What stench emanated from the gray clouds of smoke puffing out of the tall, hollow towers in the distance? He looked up. Where were the stars? He saw but a few of the brighter ones sparkling down at him. In his time, the stars seemed ready to spill out onto the ground like droplets of milk.

In his time…

Sesshoumaru's thoughts wandered back to the young miko—or girl—trailing him quietly. He had questioned himself multiple times: could he have been mistaken? Was she simply a girl who looked like Inuyasha's human lover, Kagome? Who was to say that the well had led him to a time in the future when she would still be alive? Was she, the real miko, even alive?

Sesshoumaru glanced back at the girl, feeling severely disoriented and not a little disturbed.

In his time, the miko Kagome was dead.

"Miko, how is it that you came to guard that well?"

He heard her start slightly before replying, "It-it's been in my family for generations. I actually don't guard it. My grandpa is the original caretaker, but he's getting old now."

"And you will assume his duties after he passes?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

Another pause. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it before. I mean, I've never really gone through any traditional miko training. I know stories, you know, some fables about the well that I can tell the tourists. But it's nowhere near the depth of what Gramps knows. Anyway, he always told me that miko exhibit supernatural qualities. I don't know what that even means, but I'm pretty sure I haven't been doing anything supernatural." She laughed slightly, dismissively, at the notion of her having spiritual powers—the supernatural qualities her grandfather had mentioned.

Sesshoumaru, though he expected this sort of answer, was still slightly surprised at her casual response. Back in his time, this Kagome was a miko of the highest caliber. On even youkai standards, she had exhibited a very sophisticated level of spiritual awareness. As the reincarnation of Kikyo, she would not have had less. But now, Sesshoumaru sensed nothing from this girl. She couldn't tell the difference between youkai and human; she couldn't sense anything beyond what she could see. She was simply a normal human child, and it made him doubt his initial belief that perhaps the miko incarnate was still alive. But, then again, what sort of sorcery reanimated the dead so flawlessly? This Kagome was undoubtedly alive; all traces of death were scrubbed clear from her spirit, if they had existed at all. Kikyo smelled like a corpse—cold and putrid. Kagome—her scent was warm and fresh, like that of a living human female.

No, Kagome was not dead. In fact, she had never died. And yet, she still did not remember Inuyasha nor his time. Perhaps he had arrived at a juncture in time before she had fallen into the bone-eater's well? No, but that did not make chronological sense. This present miko was older by a few years than when Sesshoumaru had first cast his eyes upon her at the graveyard of Inutaisho. He remembered the day clearly, as that was when Inuyasha ran the Tetsusaiga through his arm. He barely noticed this Kagome then, but he did recall that he thought she was but a child. No, this miko was more woman than girl, which meant that she should have already made her trip down the well by now.

"Is there something special with the well that I should know about?"

The girl's voice jolted him from his rampant thoughts. Sesshoumaru was annoyed by this perplexing conundrum and her utter inability to contribute anything to finding a solution. He was tempted to tell her the truth: that she was the reincarnation of one of the most powerful priestesses of all time, that she was supposed to be dead, that she needed to remember who she was. If she could gain back a fraction of the awareness of her capabilities, perhaps she could become an asset in this war.

"Look, it would help to know just what it is that you want. How can I help you if I don't know even that?" she questioned in response to his silence.

"You cannot help me. At least, not now."

"How do you know?"

Because you are not you, Sesshoumaru wanted to respond. But he kept his silence, and she did not speak again.

How he yearned for his own sanctuary, back in his lands, back in his time. Sesshoumaru looked around his surroundings, seeing nothing familiar. Even the trees here were dwarfed compared to the ones at his time. White stone carved the walkway, rectangular buildings of glass towered in the distance, and even his stars were gone. Could he get back to his own time alone? The well wouldn't allow him back—he had already tried. Nothing was familiar to him here. Nothing could help him. This was not his world. Marooned in a place and time not his own, Sesshoumaru had never felt his heart yearn more to return home.

X

"Do you want to…come in?" she asked him as they approached the temple stairway that led up the hill to her house. "I can give you something to drink." She was surprised at her own insistence. She was definitely beyond the point of politeness—she was acting out curiosity now, be it misplaced or not. Kagome watched him, feeling awkward in the face of his dismissive silence.

The man stared at the sky, eyes searching. "You mentioned something to me. A card, some token that can take me back to my land."

"Oh yeah, my metro card. Of course—you can have it. It's somewhere in the house. I have to find it."

Sesshoumaru turned to look at her, and Kagome instinctually stepped backwards. At that moment, with his shocking glare penetrating hers, Kagome knew for certain that there was something about him that was not quite human. His appearance, while humanoid in nature, was far too refined to be human. His skin was too smooth, his hair too soft, and even his eyes… They were not gentle eyes. They were the eyes of a predator, cool and collected, with an absence of uncertainty or fear. His motions were quick, graceful, and efficient. There was no wasted energy in his movement or his speech.

But there was something else besides the physical that was different about him. For the first time in her life, Kagome felt something stirring deep within her, a sort of vibration touching her entire body, as if someone gently plucked the strings of an instrument of her soul. She was aware of him—she was aware of his existence. He was brimming with a vibrant sort of power, and Kagome felt her body tingle in tune to his presence.

"Your regard of me has changed, somewhat," he remarked.

Kagome jerked in surprise. "What… I mean, I don't know what you're saying."

The corner of his lips quirked, but the moment was fleeting. His gaze became impassive once more. "I will accompany you to your home. There, you shall provide me with the token."

Kagome blinked as he moved past her to elegantly traverse the stairs leading up to her house.

"Hey, wait for me!" she called, running to catch up with him.

The man who called himself Sesshoumaru waited for her on the doorstep, staring curiously at the brass knob. She fumbled for her keys in the pockets of her shorts and opened the door. The hallway was dark, and the only source of light came from the kitchen. She stepped in, kicking off her sandals and slipping on her slippers. She padded quietly down the hall, groping for the light switch and turned on the lights.

From behind her, she heard Sesshoumaru take in a quick breath. She glanced over her shoulder to find him staring incredulously at the lit lamp and the light on the ceiling.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"What is this?"

Kagome blinked. "What? It's my lamp. We bought it at a small boutique. I forget where. Why?"

Sesshoumaru stared at the lamp, neglecting to say anything.

She tilted her head, staring curiously at the gang leader in front of her. He claimed to be from the West. She knew some seedy people from that region, but they were never as eccentric as this one.

She led him to the living room. He stared impassively at the arrangement of the cream couches her mother had imported from the Italian furniture store in downtown Tokyo.

"Look, I'm going to go to the kitchen to brew up some coffee. Wait here for a few minutes all right? Then, I'll be down with my metro card."

Not even a glance in her direction. Kagome huffed. Way to show gratitude. With a "humph!" she made her way into the kitchen and collected water into the coffee pot.

X

Sesshoumaru gazed around the small room. He slowly walked up to the cream-colored seats and ran his hand over the cool, smooth surface. His gaze caught a thin rectangular screen of what seemed like black glass placed a distance from the seats. There were words on the bottom of the square...something in a foreign language that he could not make out.

"You can watch the television if you want, but don't turn on the stereo. My little brother's been messing with it, and it might go haywire on you," he heard the girl call from the kitchen.

She spoke his language, but for most of the time, he could not understand a word of what she said.

He turned around, gazing at the assortment of the white chairs, the upraised glass table in the middle, and the outlandish assortments of plants around the place. He moved toward a large canvas hanging on the wall and narrowed his eyes. On the canvas was an image of…the girl. His breath caught in his throat. The canvas was large and too realistic. She was in it, in the frame of smooth mahogany, standing next to a woman sitting down on a bench. She shared the girl's likeness. Her mother. Behind the mother stood a wrinkled old man with a toothless smile, and on the other side of the mother, a lad about thirteen years of age. They smiled down at him, not happily but serenely. He had never seen such precise lines before. It was almost as if the artist had captured a part of these humans' souls on the canvas.

Sesshoumaru stepped back. What a strange time this future was. Capturing souls for what a mirror could provide.

She called this the "living room" for lounging. Sesshoumaru scowled slightly. What a place. She truly was a witch. This whole family consisted of witches, with portraits of captured souls and strange rectangular slabs of black glass for decoration.

"Why don't you sit down?" she asked, coming into the living room, holding a cup of something black and steaming towards him. It smelled bitter. No doubt some foul human beverage.

Sesshoumaru stared at her, now with more distrust than before. He ignored her offering and narrowed his eyes. "You promised me passage to my lands, and I desire nothing more from you than that."

Kagome bit the bottom of her lip, annoyance creeping up on her face. She set the cup down with a discordant clatter on the glass table and walked out of the room. "Fine." Before she walked out, she turned back to him. "You know, I didn't ask to be involved in your affairs. I'm doing you a favor, not the other way around."

Sesshoumaru growled, baring his sharp canines. The impetuous girl shrank back slightly, but she still maintained her defiant glare for a few more seconds before leaving. Sesshoumaru watched her retreating form, frustration coursing through his body. She was correct, of course. He was dependent on whatever sorcery she could invoke. She was his only connection to this world, his one speck of hope for a return to his land. But realizing this did not mean that he had to like it. He had accepted hospitality from one other being in his life: Rin, his most precious vassal. This Kagome reminded him too much of his little charge, and it made him feel weak. He needed to return to his time, and the sooner, the better.

X

Kagome cursed as she dug through the mess in her room to find her wallet. She heavily regretted bringing that wacko into her home, and thinking back on it, she didn't know why she even invited him in. Honestly, she was lucky to even be alive right now with that lunatic running around. If she were a smart girl, she would have called the police to have this nut case taken away. She clenched her teeth and eyed the phone by her bed. All she had to do was pick up the phone and dial a few digits. Then this nightmare would be over, and the neon 10:41 PM blinking on her bedside clock would cease to loom over her like storm cloud, counting down until her dreaded exam.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. She wasn't usually so irritable, but gnawing at the back of her mind was worry over tomorrow's exam. What would she do about tomorrow? After the night's bizarre events, she didn't think she would get any sleep. It wasn't as if she always needed sleep before an exam to do well. Her high school career was literally one sleep-deprived night after another, so she was fairly used to running on adrenalin during tests. Despite her overall good grades in school, though, Kagome was starting to feel suffocated by the prospect of exams. Tomorrow was the day of the nationally administered achievement test, which usually served as a screening for the prestigious universities. She had attended cram school for months now, and she thought she would do all right on the exam. But the lack of sleep and the night's crazy happenings worried her.

Kagome shook her head. Forget the police. Too much noise and trouble. Honestly, at this point, she just wanted to give that guy her metro card and get on with her life. He was a curiosity, she had to admit, and in some perverse way, she felt some sort of attraction to him. Well, not any more, that insensitive, arrogant jerk! It didn't matter how beautiful or curious a guy was—if he treated her like crap, like he did just now, forget him!

And where the hell was her metro card?

After a few furious minutes of digging through the clothes on her bed, she found her wallet. Kagome breathed in deeply. Okay, be cool. She had a bit of a temper, she knew, but her mom always told her that losing control over one's temper already made you lose the fight. She would calmly and maturely give that guy the card and see him off on his merry way. With a firm nod, she made her way downstairs.

"It should be here," Kagome said as she walked down the stairs, busily flipping through her wallet to avoid the man's penetrating gaze. "Sorry—my wallet is stuffed with receipts and stuff. I should organize a bit more, but I always forget to." After a few seconds, she produced the card and handed it to him. "Here it is. My metro card. There should be enough credit on it to take you to Matsue."

However, instead of the grateful—or at the very least grudging—approval she was expecting, Sesshoumaru regarded her coolly, the frown on his face deepening. "What trickery do you attempt, witch?" he growled in a low voice.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, and instinctually she backed away a few steps. "Huh?"

Sesshoumaru bared his teeth once more, and Kagome's eyes widened as she thought she saw a streak of red glinting in his eyes. "This is no magical token. This is a scrap of paper."

Kagome blinked and mentally shook her head. She was imagining things, psyching herself out. "You asked for the metro card, and here it is," Kagome snapped, her courage renewed, her heart pounding. "What is the matter with you?"

"The matter with me, little human," he spat out, as if even speaking the word left a bitter taste on his tongue, "is your ignorance."

Her what? Say what? Kagome felt her temper flare, but before she could open her mouth to reply, she felt something hard encircle her neck and lift her high up in the air. Her hands shot up, clawing at what she felt to be fingers, and she found herself staring down into the murderous golden eyes of Sesshoumaru. He was choking her to death! How did he even get to her so quickly? She didn't even see him move!

"Remember yourself, human," he snarled as she whimpered and flailed against his chokehold. "Otherwise, your pitiful life will be forfeit. My patience wears thin."

"P-p-please," Kagome wheezed out. "I-I…"

His eyes narrowed.

"I-I can't breathe…"

A few torturous seconds ticked by before she felt his hand release her throat. Almost gently, he lowered her onto the ground, and as soon as he removed his hand, Kagome collapsed to the floor. Hot tears sprung into her eyes as the blood rushed to her head once more.

"Stand, miko," she heard his voice drawl from above her head.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, but she made no move to get off the floor. Her knees were shaking too badly from that dangerously close brush with death, and no matter how much she wanted to, her muscles would not respond to the shocked commands from her brain.

When it became clear that she would not stand, she heard a gentle rustle of clothing and looked up to see Sesshoumaru turning to walk away. However, before he turned away completely, he stared at her from over his shoulder. His golden eyes full of disdain, and he said, "You are pitiful."

Kagome jerked, as if she were slapped in the face, eyes wide and face flushing. He had dismissed her, just like that. Something bubbled within her—beyond anger, beyond humiliation—and her whole body felt heated, as if something within her exploded with the force and intensity of a supernova. She must have whited out for a second; before she could stop it, she opened her mouth and screamed:

"OSUWARI!"

Her voice rang out within the living room. She had mustered all of her anger into that one command, and damn it felt so good to say it! Sesshoumaru suddenly stilled mid-step, as if someone had pushed the pause button, and Kagome would have giggled at how his foot was suspended in the air if she weren't so shocked and confused at her outburst.

The silence that followed was thunderous in volume. Kagome slapped her hands over her mouth and blinked, feeling as if she had done something incredibly foolish and taboo. She watched Sesshoumaru turn around slowly, his eyes widened in unmistakable shock. He stared at her, for once his face unguarded, and she could discern confusion and surprise etched on his features.

"What…did you say?" he asked, his voice quiet yet colored with incredulity.

Kagome blinked again. "I-I don't know where that came from," she stuttered as she moved her hands from her mouth. "I was-I was just so mad because… And well, I guess it just slipped out. I-I never said that to anyone before."

Sesshoumaru regarded her, his impassive mask slowly slipping back into place. However, the look in his eyes suggested much more than just disdain. Rather, he seemed almost…contented. Kagome was sure he would be pissed off at her for telling him to sit, as if he were a dog.

But on the contrary: he tilted his head, a frightening smirk slowly lifting a corner of his lip. Kagome scooted back, more than a bit frightened at his sudden mood swings.

"Perhaps there is some use for you yet, little human," Sesshoumaru said silkily, baring his canines.

Kagome's mouth suddenly felt dry.

Oh, crap, what did she get herself into?

END CHAPTER


End Notes: As always, please leave a review! Even a few words of encouragement or constructive criticism would be wonderful!