Author's note: I would like to dedicate this chapter to The purple jade, who made me a very happy author and left a review. I've never had a signed review before! You guys are making my day.

Disclaimer:Consider this chapter duly disclaimed. Now if I'm sued, I can't be blamed!


Kagome walked as if in a daydream. The well had malfunctioned somehow, and going from the fact that the entire area was still a forest, it had sent her further back in time. The only thing she could do now was return to the well, in the hopes that it would send her back home or to the feudal era.

She turned around, and realized that she was unsure of which way she came. This left only one option.

"Help!" Kagome yelled. "I think I'm lost!" There was no reply and she sighed. It was worth a try, even if the idea of anyone else being in this particular forest was very far-fetched...

"What are you doing here?" A deep voice rumbled behind her. She jumped about a foot in the air, then whirled around mid-leap and fell on her rear facing the most gorgeous youkai she'd ever met.

He was tall, with long silver hair tied in a topknot, and wearing a red and white kariginu. His eyes were molten gold as he glared at her.

Until that moment, there was a faint ribbon of possibility that the future would remain unaltered, that Kagome would return to the future without changing the past. The moment their eyes met, that ribbon ended, and Kagome blacked out as time buckled and twisted, writhing like a wounded animal, trying to find a way to avoid a paradox...

"There!" A voice, ringing like a bell through the darkness said. "If I do this... There is no way I can prevent time from fracturing, but if you manage to complete your mission, the cracks should stabilize eventually. I'm afraid that's all I can do for you, my dear. The rest is up to you."

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a pair of golden eyes, flickering between anger and concern.