Before There Were Fairy Tales...
by Faehime
Chapter Two: An Accidental Destiny
They traveled for several hours along the path before Midoriko allowed them to stop for the night. Shoulders drooping, Kagome settled herself against the base of a tall oak as the older woman set about making a fire with some flint she carried in a pouch at her waist. Since telling her of their destination, Midoriko had not spoken again, and the young girl couldn't help but feel grateful.
While normally she would be salivating for conversation, she was too drained to care right now, and honestly wanted to avoid talking about anything that could remind her of her current plight. Even her thoughts seemed reluctant to violate the weary apathy that was clouding her mind, and Kagome was content to simply sit and allow herself to slowly become numb.
"Here, you need to eat, Higurashi-chan."
Midoriko's declaration had her turning dull eyes to look at the food being offered on the woman's outstretched palm. A couple of pieces of what appeared to be dried meat, some mushrooms and a small bundle of long, leafy stems were set into her lap after she failed to take them herself. Stomach gurgling petulantly at the sight of food, Kagome tentatively plucked a mushroom from the fare and sniffed it before popping it in her mouth.
Chewing slowly, she was surprised at the pleasant if musky flavor, and when she finally swallowed the young girl tucked into the rest of her meager feast with vigor. The yellow-green stems had a stringy texture to them that nearly had her gagging, but she quickly repressed the urge in favor of getting the sweet stalks into her suddenly voracious body. White teeth tore at the jerky, and she hummed in delight at the smoke-bittered taste of it, savoring each hastily swallowed bite. She quickly consumed the lot, and though she was still quite hungry Kagome felt somewhat better and more like herself than she had in several days.
Remembering her manners, the young girl ducked her head in embarrassment before saying, "Thank you, Midoriko-sama. For everything."
Sincerity heavy in her voice, she chanced a look at her companion, only to see cool, detached eyes once again looking at her strangely. Blinking, she squirmed in discomfort under the woman's penetrating gaze. An awkward silence fell between them, and she took the opportunity to look around at her surroundings. They'd moved some distance from the path when they'd settled for the night, and for the first time since she'd woken up in the well, Kagome felt appreciation for the natural beauty sheltering them.
The trees were stained in the warm colors from their small campfire and back-lit with cool moon-glow. The ground was dry and covered with a downy carpet of short grasses, feathery moss and dew-softened leaves. The mixture created a pliant cushion, and in the shadows caused by the flames, the forest floor transformed into a textured painting of light and dark. Looking up through the ample foliage, Kagome was disappointed to note that the sky was barely visible, blocked by a scribbled mass of crisscrossed branches and webbed leaves.
The tension gradually relaxed, and soon the young girl dozed off, slumping against the oak behind her as immeasurable fatigue beckoned her into a dreamless slumber. Midoriko's gaze never strayed from the ten year old's pale and mud-smudged face, her mind fluttering with a deepening curiosity.
'Who is this child really...?' she pondered, hand settling over her ribs firmly as her brows puckered with concern.
She had been traveling for days at an easy pace, heading to the Western Shiro at the behest of the current Lord, when she'd felt her soul stretch uncomfortably. Following the direction of the pull, she'd found herself at the infamous clearing that housed the Bone-Eaters Well, only to find it noticeably absent. Inspecting the ground where it had stood, Midoriko eliminated the possibility that it had been torn down and filled in, for the ground still crackled with the remnants of the structure's ancient magic.
Caught up in her investigation of the energies both there and not, the warrior had been jerked back to awareness by her soul yanking at the tethers that wove it to her body once more. Whipping around, she been taken off-guard by the appearance of a ebony-haired child standing in the eve of the forest. Covered in filth and riddled with shallow injuries that were concentrated on her hands, the girl had looked ready to collapse where she stood. Thus, when she stumbled forward with a sort of blank desperation on her drawn face, Midoriko had been surprised and impressed.
It was only as the girl drew closer that the miko had realized the strain on her soul was originating from the small, mud-caked figure.
Even now, staring at the innocent face of her new charge, the mature woman could feel her spirit quivering, reaching out towards the young figure laying vulnerable only a few feet from her. It was uncomfortable and unsettling, making Midoriko wary of her decision to help the girl.
'I must investigate this matter further with Kuenai... she'll be able to help me unravel this mystery.'
Thinking about her childhood friend, Midoriko felt a measure of calm soothe her jangled nerves. The Lady of Setsuna was well known for being clever and highly knowledgeable, which is why she'd decided to take Higurashi there in the first place.
'The detour will cost me several days of travel,' she thought, 'but I can't keep her with me, and that woman absolutely loves a challenging puzzle.'
Resolute in her decision, she concentrated, raising a barrier around the camp before settling down to catch a few hours sleep before dawn. Tomorrow, they would travel to a nearby village so she could get Higurashi cleaned up and properly dressed, and by the next afternoon they would arrive at the Setsuna Shiro.
~O~
Kagome couldn't help but look around with awe at the sprawling grounds of Setsuna. Pattern-cobbled walkways were freckled with glimmering stones of orange and russet that smoldered under the afternoon sun. Rustling boughs draped gracefully from the willows standing guard along the path to the main entrance, an ornate set of carved wooden doors framed by two jade statues.
Each green obelisk was sculpted in the image of a crane at attention, wings spread in a way that was both a welcome and a warning. The statue to the left had it's head raised, neck stretched upwards towards the sky, while the one to the right had it's deadly beak pointed towards the ground, polish-bright eyes piercing as it stood witness to the coming and goings of the shiro. Kagome could only stare as her new guardian spoke with one of the servants.
Over the past two days, the young girl had come to find that Midoriko was a highly reserved individual, but also very kind. Fingering the melon colored yukata she'd been given yesterday, she couldn't help but feel grateful that the first person she'd met in this time was happened to be the woman in front of her. In the village they'd stopped in for supplies, Kagome became aware that her current guardian was a well known and respected miko, and that knowledge made the young girl feel much more secure about her current problems.
"Please inform the Lady Kuenai that Midoriko humbly requests an audien-"
"RIRI-CHAN!"
Kagome jumped, peering curiously around her guardian to see who had interrupted the rather serious woman. Approaching them was a woman with a mass of unruly, brown hair held up with mismatched chopsticks, skeins of it fluttering loosely in her face and about her slender shoulders. The lady was shorter than Midoriko, and swathed in a multilayer kimono that engulfed her slender figure. When she got close enough, the exuberant woman threw her arms around the miko gracelessly, smiling as she laughed with delight.
"Oh Riri-chan, it's been so long!" Her voice pitched upwards at the end, the sound reminding Kagome of a squeaky toy that her cat, Buyo, frequently played with.
"It is good to see you again, Kuenai," Midoriko responded, an easy smile relaxing her face into something far more open than anything the young girl had seen in the past two days. "I fear this is not a casual visit however, and there are matters I must discuss with you immediately."
Kuenai flapped a hand dismissively, clucking her tongue in playful reprimand, "Always so formal, Riri-chan! With you, I am and always will be Kuku!"
'...for cocoa puffs!'
Something about the woman's bubbly statement summoned up memories of Kagome's favorite cereal commercial, and a giggle slipped from between her lips at the flippant if inadvertent thought. The osund must have caught the lady's notice, and instantly she found herself the focus of a pair of goose-gray eyes peering over an armored shoulder.
Flushing at the attention, Kagome swallowed before bowing politely like her mother had taught her. Before she could straighten, an ink-worn sleeve broke into her field of vision. Stained fingers emerged from beneath the ruined fabric, and in moments the young girl was subjected to the sounds of cooing as her cheek was pinched unpleasantly.
"She's so adorable! Who is she, Riri-chan? Surely not yours? My brother would not be pleased you know. Look at her cute little frown! Why is she with you/i? Where-" Kuenai rambled off questions without waiting for answers, and Kagome couldn't help but see the resemblance between the woman and her father. Before the accident, her dad had a habit of tackling her when she came home from school or after a long business trip, pinching her cheeks as he fawned over her. Often he would start asking her so many question so quickly that she would end up laughing too hard to form a response.
'Daddy...' she hastily pushed the melancholy thoughts away before they could drag more tears from her. Focusing on the woman who was now gently tugging on both of her cheeks, she rolled her eyes pleadingly towards Midoriko, silently begging for her to intervene before the inquisitive Kuenai left permanent fingerprints on her face.
"Kuenai-" the miko cut off as the woman in question glared fiercely, lips puckered with unhappiness. Sighing patiently, she corrected, "Kuku-chan, you might not want to break your newest puzzle before you get a chance to solve it."
At the word puzzle, the excitable lady released her hold, peering one more at Kagome before turning back to Midoriko, expression full of mischief. The young girl shivered at the slightly predatory grin, rubbing at her abused cheeks as she listened to the exchange.
"I do love a good intrigue, but... what could possibly be mysterious about one small girl?" Her voice was challenging, and Midoriko happily did not disappoint.
"For one, that child before you hasn't been born yet."
~O~
After Midoriko's revelation they had quickly retired to Kuenai's personal rooms, where she'd formally introduced herself to her newest guest. The Lady of Setsuna turned out to be a wholly delightful person, and Kagome had quickly forgiven her for the enthusiastic greeting.
Her husband had died some years ago due to an illness that had ravaged the land. Kuenai, being more learned than most women of the time, had easily taken over the responsibilities of running the lands belonging to the Setsuna line. The only family the woman had left were her daughter and younger brother, who served as a diplomatic adviser to his sister.
"I met Riri-chan after I married my husband," she explained, pouring tea for each of them with a grace Kagome wouldn't have thought the disheveled woman possessed. "She was visiting our court on business, and I was immediately besotted with her!"
"Which is why she tried repeatedly to humiliate me for two weeks straight," Midoriko calmly interjected, blowing to cool her tea before taking a sip.
Kuenai flapped her hands dismissively. "Oh, don't listen to that old fuss-pot. She is forgetting about my many invitations to tea-"
"She slipped sake into my cup in an attempt to get me drunk..."
"...and the kimono's I sent her-"
"She cut a hole in the back of them so as to make me appear indecent..."
"...or that time I allowed her to use my personal hot springs-"
"Which turned out to be the male servant's bath house-"
"But enough about us," the flustered lady interrupted, her smile looking a bit strained and her eye having developed a rather noticeable tick. "Obviously, there are some discrepancies between our recollection of events, but suffice it to say we quickly became the closest of comrades."
Kagome looked between the two women over the rim of her cup, resisting the urge to snort into her tea at their teasing banter. It was amusing to watch, and she was feeling more and more comfortable by the minute. Clearing her throat, Kagome decided it was time to explain her situation, lest Kuenai loose the little composure she had remaining.
"I can see that," she agreed, smiling sincerely. Picking nervously at her nails, she glanced to Midoriko, who nodded encouragingly, before continuing.
"I'm not really sure where to start," Kagome admitted.
"Well, a good place to begin would be by telling me how you can be sitting here sipping tea if you have yet to be born, Higurashi-chan?" The playful tone was still there, but the young girl could hear the serious curiosity in the question.
"Well, that's because I was... will be born in the year 1982. Two days ago, I fell into the Bone-Eater's Well on my family's shrine, and woke up in this time," she explained. Over the course of the next few hours she told the woman everything, from why she had been in the well-house to how she had figured out that she had gone back in time.
Midoriko pitched in now and then, offering small tidbits of information that Kagome had skipped over, or offering a different perspective. Her friend listened attentively, asking them both pointed questions occasionally before lapsing back into silence. When the young girl brought up her theory about wishing herself into the past, Kuenai had become immensely intrigued, eyes glittering as she leaned forward eagerly.
"Wait, what exactly did you wish for? Tell me the precise words you spoke."
"Well, I didn't really speak them," Kagome hedged, picking once more at her yukata. "I just thought it to myself."
Seeing the expectant looks she was being given, she quickly caved, reciting, "I wish I could go back and make things right."
Frowning thoughtfully, the Lady of Setsuna pressed, "You weren't more specific? You didn't frame a criteria for the time you wanted to go back to, or what you were wanting to fix?"
Discomfort growing, Kagome ducked her head, murmuring sullenly, "No."
"Interesting..." Kuenai trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully while her companions waited patiently. Relieve laced through the young girl as she realized she wasn't going to be questioned as to why she had made that wish. With the goal of getting back home firmly in her mind, it had become easier to handle the pain of her father's death and the circumstances surrounding it; and honestly she didn't want to share even the memories of him with anyone yet.
"Well, I'm not sure what is going on, but I'm going to do my best to help you Higurashi-chan!" The chipper declaration had hope swelling in Kagome's chest, and she shot Midoriko and beaming grin. The miko returned the expression with a small smile of her own, but Kagome failed to notice that it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You'll stay with me for the time being, and are welcome to explore the grounds at your leisure. I'll begin researching later this evening, but for now I want to catch up with Riri-chan before she has to leave."
Kuenai gestured for one of her personal attendants, and gave them instructions to take Kagome to the gardens and leave her with Izayoi, her daughter, while she had a room prepared for the young girl.
After the brightly smiling child had left, Midoriko turned to her long-time friend, voice stern with concern. "Will you be able to help her get home, Kuku-chan?"
A sigh huffed from between the lady's thin lips, eyes empty of any traces of the playful spirit she'd exhibited all afternoon. "Honestly, I don't know, but I am going to try. She's keeping something to herself about everything that's happened, but that isn't what bothers me.
Kuenai glanced toward the door Kagome had just left through before turning back to pin her companion with a grave expression. "Riri, I think that girl is meant to be here."
Midoriko jerked with shock, brows furrowing as she asked, "How do you mean?"
Nail-bitten fingers rested calmly on the table between them as her friend explained, "Her wish. She didn't give it any boundaries, limitations, or definitions. If that wish was the catalyst for her traveling through time in a well that has never reacted to her presence before...
"...then it stands to reason that there is something in this time Higurashi is meant to fix."