A/N: I didn't have any time to spare because of finals, and this chapter had been almost complete, but I spare any time to wrap it up. But here it is. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all who reviewed in the last chapter and the chapters before that. Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year to all!

Chapter 11

Anako's lips twitched in a wry smile. "So be it, then." Under her breath she muttered, "The young ones always are so optimistic. Pity them."

Rei studied this Anako-Tsubaki woman. Rei had expected someone old and decrepit, like the hags in witch stories, but it was not that case at all. She was surprisingly pretty. That's not right. Not pretty. She's utterly gorgeous. And it was true. Rei sensed that Anako was old; it seemed as if she had seen much of the world, but none of it shone in her appearance. Flawless, silk-petal skin stretched across her cheeks; not a wrinkle could be found across her face. Her eyes were a deep penetrating blue-green, such an intense color that it always seemed like the woman was trying to pierce through one's soul with her gaze. The only hint of her age was her hair, and even that was perfect. Cascades of perfectly brushed snow white hair swept down her shoulders, silky and shiny as a young girl's. Now that I think about it, I suppose it wouldn't make sense for witches to be ugly. Why would they be, if they could change their flaws with magic?

Anako watched them with her blue-green eyes now. "You want to know where Naraku's castle is? Ha, but he would be so furious if I should tell you," she said half to the girls and half to herself. Rin and Rei unconsciously leaned in closer to hear what she had to say.

Anako stood up and ambled slowly to the window. She stopped before it and stared outside, tracing the elegant bamboo frame. "Did you know that I worked for Naraku once before?" she asked with a vague wave of her hand.

Come on, old woman, tell me where the freaking castle is, and we can all go about our business and be merry, Rei thought impatiently. Instead, she replied dully, "No."

"You wouldn't, would you? Would you ever work for Naraku, if given the chance?" She paused temptingly. "The rewards are very great. For me, it was the almost-complete Shikon Jewel, an object of magic that could work wonders and grant my wildest dreams. But for you? Who knows? Anything is possible. He could offer you anything you wanted."

Rei put her hands on her hips angrily. "No! How could you even ask such a thing? I've never met this Naraku character, true, but I know for a fact from good people that Naraku is evil. And I would never work for him, no matter what he offered," she said stoically.

Anako sighed. "You are so inexplicably young. I hate the youth. They never understand anything. Tell me, girl, if you are so sure of yourself, tell me: what is good and what is evil? What allows you to deem your friends 'good' while condemning your enemies 'evil?' What if it's the other way around and you have been fooled all this time? Or are you too close minded to believe it?" Her eyes were fixed intently on Rei, demanding an answer.

Rei shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Naraku has killed and pillaged and caused misery for many, many people. Isn't that bad enough? What kind of good person would go around and deliberately try to cause pain and misfortune?"

Anako cackled and slapped her thigh. She was, in all manner and personality, an old woman, but in looks, she was a blooming fresh girl, hardly older than Rei. It was unnerving. "Your Sesshoumaru has done such things as well. How many people has he killed, hmmm? You don't know, do you? You, poor, innocent thing, have no idea. And Inuyasha, he has killed many also. That miko reincarnation, Kagome. Humph." She spit on the ground to show her contempt.

"Kagome hasn't ever hurt anyone, you old hag!"

Anako raised an eyebrow. "Really? That you should be so naïve and trusting is quite amusing. Quite annoying as well. So Kagome hasn't killed anyone? I thought you were friends with a demon. Kagome has killed many of his kind. Kagome has attempted to kill him. You're friends are a paradox, and you refuse to admit it. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are enemies, and always will be. Naraku and Sesshoumaru are enemies and always will be. Whose side will you take? In the end, does it really matter who is the good side and who the evil? In the end, all that matters is whether or not you are on the winning side."

Rei took a quivering breath. "I tell you, Kagome has never destroyed a life. Not one that didn't deserve to be destroyed."

The white haired woman frowned. For minutes, she did not speak, only trained her gaze outside and stared at something only she could see. Then she took a heavy breath and released it. "I will help you find Naraku's castle."

Rei was surprised. That was easy. I wonder…this old woman…I wonder. "Thank you," she said simply.

Anako did not reply. Instead, she said, "You said that Kagome has never destroyed a life. How untrue. She so excelled at destroying mine." Her mysterious eyes were unfathomably sad, but there was a flash that Rei did not recognize. Anako finished, "You may go now. I will call you…later. When I so choose."

xXx

The curt shrine maiden who had led them in showed them their rooms. They were nice rooms. Hikawa shrine seemed to have been designed to be a bright and airy place; it exuded purity and cheer. The shrine maiden, on the other hand, did not exude any of that. She was very sharp and brisk, telling them where everything was, explaining how everything worked, making sure they knew where to find help. While Anako was fluid and graceful, the bolt uprightness of the shrine maiden was a huge contrast.

The room had two beds, soft mattresses propped on intricately manipulated bamboo frames. It seemed like bamboo was the theme. Everything was made of bamboo. There was one large window that took up about a fourth of the wall. It let in the sunshine and fresh air.

Rei plopped down on the bed experimentally. "Nice," she said in approval. Her mind went over the encounter with the black miko. She's an odd one. But she's been very helpful, and I'm starting to wonder whether or not I should trust her. She is a black miko after all. They aren't exactly known for benevolence and good works. She tried to get us on Naraku's side. What's that old thing up to? These were the thoughts that ran through her mind as she sat pondering what was to become of their rescue mission. If they ever actually got to the rescuing part.

Rin whined, "When is Lady Anako coming to get us?"

Good question. I was hoping that it would all be quick and easy; she would tell us everything, and we would leave. But at this rate, we could be kept here for days! Who knows what could have happened by that time? "I don't know," she said in reply. "We'll just have to be patient. I know that you want to leave. I do too. But we can't ask Anako to hurry it up, or else she might get angry and then what will we do? No, we're going to have to wait for her to tell us of her own accord."

"Do you think we can trust her?" the child asked innocently. "What if she's lying to us?"

"We don't know. We're just going to have to trust her. We have nothing else to go off of."

Isn't that the truth? she thought wryly.

xXx

Dinner, when it came, was simple, but there was much of it. Rice balls and freshly steamed fish, and real, cooked vegetables. Oh but I haven't had vegetables in the longest time! Rei thought ecstatically when she saw the tray of food. I can't believe that I'd ever miss those things, but I do! Having mushrooms and roots for days in a row, raw no less, is not my idea of a fulfilling meal. Rice! Haven't had that in forever. It tastes like heaven. The fish was actually seasoned, instead of bland like it was in the wild. Rei never knew she would be so grateful for such simple things as salt and pepper.

A different shrine maiden delivered the food. This one was timid and afraid of everything. "Is the food to your satisfaction, milady?" Then, she would instinctively recoil as if she were expecting a shoe to be thrown at her. Rei was almost wary of speaking too suddenly or too loudly. She might go into a faint if I startle her. But after many apologies on the shrine maiden's part, and many reassurances on Rei's part, Rei and Rin were finally left in peace to eat their food.

Rin piped up, "I'm bored. We've been alone for the entire day."

"Too true," Rei acknowledged. "Jeez, I'm convinced that there's absolutely nothing to do in this room except stare stupidly out the window or make fun of the shrine maidens in the shrine. My God, you'd think that none of them have a regular personality. Or maybe they just don't get out enough to get used to strangers."

"Can we go exploring?" Rin asked eagerly. "Maybe there's something interesting to do."

Rei shook her head grimly. "I wouldn't want to make Anako angry. Plus, we'd get lost. Or mistaken as intruders and shot down immediately. I don't know about you, but I don't quite feel like dying today."

Rin giggled. "Me neither." She stuck out her belly and rubbed it. "Especially since I'm so full I can't even try to run away."

They piled up their empty bowls up on the tray and left it outside the door. Rei walked over to the window for about the ten millionth time of the day and stared out. It was a strange night. There were no stars to be seen in the inky black sky. Back in the modern era, Rei didn't expect to see stars when she looked up; the city was far too bright. But she'd gotten used to falling asleep watching the filmy spill of galaxies across the blue-black spread of velvet sky. It was odd that she couldn't see it now. Not even the moon. It was a moonless night, but Rei was sure that it wasn't the night of the new moon. It had been half full only yesterday.

How odd. But perhaps it's just the position of Hikawa shrine. Maybe it's just not easy to see stars from here. Maybe there's too many…I don't know…torches or something? Or maybe Hikawa shrine is just defunct. Yeah, I like the explanation.

xXx

Bright and early the next morning, Anako summoned the two of them back into her "office." Although Rei was glad that Anako hadn't forgotten them (she had been slightly worried that Anako would just let them stay in those rooms and stew for the rest of eternity), she was slightly irked that it had to be six in the morning. Curse you old women and your early rising habits! Man, I swear that when I'm an old woman, there is no way in hell that I'm getting up before nine.

But instead of telling them where Naraku's castle was, she putted around and combed her hair, remarking, "You know, I was a good miko once. Oh yes, I am a black miko now, but I was a good miko. Once. Do you want to hear the story?"

Oh my God. This woman is flipping insane. What are we, her little pets that listen to her childhood stories? Is this what old people become? I hope I never get old. But obviously, she didn't say that. Instead, she said impatiently, "Yeah, sure." Under her breath, she muttered, "Whatever floats your boat, crazy old woman."

Anako shot her a piercing glare, as if she heard what had been said. "Once upon a time," she began in a reedy, tipsy voice, which truly suggested that she was either drunk or a lunatic, "I lived happily with my parents. When I was seven, they died, and I was sent to a shrine, to be a shrine maiden." She shrugged. "At least I would get fed and clothed that way. I had wanted to grow up and get married, like any little girl. I didn't want to be a shrine maiden."

"Why did you then?" Rin said. "You could have done something else."

"The world is not as easy as you expect, child. You don't always get what you want. I learned that young. So I went to the shrine, and I trained. I became very good and the head priest delighted in my progress. I was happy too. I wanted to be the best of the best. If I was going to be a miko, I wanted to be the best miko there ever was."

Rei rolled her eyes as inconspicuously as she could. Is this supposed to go somewhere? Maybe she really is insane. Maybe when Grandma and Inuyasha attacked her, she just lost it.

Anako continued, oblivious to Rei's musings. "Because I was so talented, I found it difficult to make friends. Everyone was jealous of me."

Rei couldn't help letting out a snide remark. "Of course it was because you were talented and not because you were socially impaired."

"No," she shot back. "Of course you wouldn't know anything about the setbacks of being talented. There's hardly any talent that anyone could be jealous of in your case."

Rei gasped with indignation and opened her mouth to retort, but Anako put up her hand. "Anyways," she went on pointedly, "I was all alone at Hikawa shrine. But then, a new girl came. Her name was Kikyo, and her parents had been killed in the surrounding wars as well. I was twelve by that time, and so was she. She brought a younger sister who was only three or four years old. She was in the same predicament; there was no where else for her to go. Kikyo started fresh in training, where I had been training for almost five years. But the speed at which that girl learned was incredible! Neither the head priest nor I had ever seen anything like it. By the time we were fourteen, she was at the same level as me. I thought it was slightly unfair that she was so naturally gifted where I had to try hard, but I bore no grudge. Kikyo was my friend. She was kind to me as no one else was."

Rin had been listening quietly and obediently but a gleam of recognition flashed in her eyes when Kikyo's name was mentioned. "Lady Kikyo!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I remember her. She saved me from the band of seven. Is that the Lady Kikyo that you speak of?" she asked eagerly.

The older woman seemed irritated that her story kept being unjustly interrupted. She ignored Rin and spoke louder. "Even friendships go wrong. Ours went wrong when we were sixteen. Up until that time, we were inseparable. No one understands mikos. No one understands the self-sacrifice it requires; we were both doomed to a life of loneliness and service. We would never marry, never have children. And so, we sought comfort in friends who were in the same situation. It was only the two of us. The rest of the training shrine maidens had fallen far behind by now. They would never become true mikos like us. The best they could ever aspire to be was caretaking for a small village. Curing small illnesses and warding away minor demons; that was their call. We were going to be two great women. We would be given all the important, dangerous tasks of ridding the world of strong demons. Even Kikyo's younger sister, Kaede, I could tell would never reach her sister's level. Talent is strange like that. It only gifts a few.

"So we were fast friends. But in time, I saw that Kikyo was different that I. She wanted to be stronger than me, better than me. The only way she could accomplish that was loosening her heart from all worldly ties. We had been growing estranged. One day, we were sent off to extinguish a troublesome demon that had been plaguing a village a few miles away. This demon was a bother. He was hard to defeat, even with the two of us combined. I was not at my best that day, and I got injured in the midst of battle. The demon struck a fatal hole into my stomach. As I lay there on the ground, helpless to move, groaning in pain, I expected Kikyo to come to my aid and forget the demon for the time being. She did not. She continued to fight the demon without throwing a second glance in my direction. I wanted to call for help. I wanted to tell her to stop and help me, but I was too proud to supplicate to her when she wouldn't do it of her own free will. Kikyo defeated the demon herself.

"She came over to me and helped me up. With infinite care, she dressed my wounds, but I could feel the rift between us. She would have let me die if that was what was required to kill the demon. When we returned to Hikawa shrine, Kikyo told the head priest that she did the whole mission herself. She said that I had been 'indisposed.' It was from then on that the head priest gave the most perilous missions to Kikyo. I had been put at second best. Our friendship was over."

Anako had a dreamy look in her eye. "It's curious how such a simple thing can destroy a relationship so easily. It wasn't really all that defined. We just drifted apart after that, until it seemed as if we had never been friends. And those who are not friends, are enemies. I vowed that I would never let Kikyo beat me. And I got the perfect opportunity. We were fighting together again, as we sometimes did, on and off. When we finally defeated the demon, I discerned my chance. Kikyo was weak then, she would not be able to ward it off. Miko though I was, I knew some curses, at least. Ha, Kikyo thought she could best me. I cast a curse upon her. It was a simple thing, I thought. It really didn't restrict her in much, only in what a miko was expected to do in the first place. I forbade her from falling in love. I thought it an easy thing to avoid.

"Kikyo seemed to think so as well. Good for her then. If only she had listened to me, she wouldn't have got herself into so much trouble." Her voice lightened in anger. "And then the day came when the sacred Shikon Jewel was found." She rested her gaze on Rei. "And you know who the head priest gave it to for purification? Not to me, oh no. He gave it to pure, precious, wonderful Kikyo. As if she could do it better than I. I protested. I told him that I was fully ready, spiritually and physically to do the task. But the head priest brushed me aside and told me that his decision was final. He had chosen Kikyo for the good of Japan. I saw my purpose and life floating away. My dislike for Kikyo turned swiftly into hatred. I had been trained as a miko, for what? I wasn't the best anymore. I couldn't offer my services anywhere. I would be a lowly shrine maiden for the rest of my life. I was furious.

"If I couldn't be the best, then I wouldn't be at all. I told the head priest that I was done. I became a black miko."

She took a deep breath. "Using my newfound powers and abilities, I attacked Kikyo with my shikigami. But she reflected it and gave me this scar—" she pointed to her eye, "—and I went into hiding, a woman defeated. I did not come out until Naraku offered me fresh hope. Hope for finally defeating Kikyo via her reincarnation. Who was I to care what version of Kikyo it was? They are all the same."

Rei growled. They are not all the same. Grandma is Grandma and not this Kikyo woman.

Anako set back, apparently done with her tale. "Do you understand now? It was not my fault that I became a black miko. Kikyo pushed me over the edge. Sometimes, the evil are not so evil after all."

Rei couldn't comprehend her logic. "You still did wrong. You can't fight fire with fire. Kikyo may have goaded you, but you had the choice to be the bigger person and do the right thing. You didn't, and that's your fault. And you cursed her! Perhaps her curse had adverse effects that you didn't know of. Did the curse come true?"

"I cursed her, but I told her my curse. She could have heeded my warning, but she did not. A few months after I had gone into hiding, I heard rumors that Kikyo had been killed by her lover, a hanyou. I had succeeded after all. But it was a bitter victory. I had lost some myself in the process. I wanted a true victory, a complete and utter victory. And so, I took Naraku's offer of revenge."

Rei was adamant, "You shouldn't have done what you did. There are no excuses for that, no legitimate reasons. What is evil, is evil. You can't explain it away."

Anako sighed. "The young are so ignorant. You still don't understand." She waved her hand flippantly. "Leave now. You aren't ready."

xXx

"For crying out loud! We aren't ready? Stupid, stupid woman!" Rei was very capable of using much stronger words than those, but since Rin was in tow, she decided to rein in her frustration to less curse-wordy exclamations. "What does she mean by that? What was the point to her story anyway? Okay, we get it. You had a sucky, horrible life. What do you want us to do about it? You've already lost. I think it's time to forgive and forget, instead of plotting in a corner like some maniac world-domination freak."

Even Rin was frustrated. "I want to go find Lord Sesshoumaru. This is taking forever."

"I agree."

Dinner that night was eaten with a flood of complaints and grievances. Rei highly irritated. But she had to be patient. There was no one else who had an earthly clue where Naraku could be hiding except Anako. Unfortunately, Anako seemed rather disinclined to give up that information without force-feeding the two of them an autobiography.

"I'm bored," said Rin.

"Same."

"Can we explore tonight? I don't want to be stuck in this room again. It's so boring."

The rational part of Rei's brain told her that it wasn't a good idea. They could get caught. They hadn't particularly said that they could not wander around, but then again, they weren't told that they could either. They would make Anako angry…

"We're going exploring," Rei said decisively, with a measure of satisfaction.

Rin cheered.

"Yup, we're going exploring, and Anako can just shove it. Come on."

Cautiously, the two of them snuck out of their room, nervously glancing around to see if anyone was watching. No one was. The entire shrine was quiet. Everyone usually went to their rooms by eight o'clock at night. It was already well past nine. Rei felt guilty for doing what was probably not allowed, but she had a strange, brutal joy at doing it as well, just so she could make Anako angry. God knows, she's made me angry enough times.

Rin tripped and gave a small yelp. Rei swiftly cupped her hand around Rin's mouth. "Shhh," she whispered, "Don't let anyone hear us." Wordlessly, Rin nodded, Rei's hand still enclosed on her mouth. Rei removed her hand.

It was clear outside, and like before there were no stars. No moon either. It leant a mysterious and frightening element to the night, and Rei was afraid that someone would just pop out of nowhere. But no one came out of their rooms. Most of windows were dark, meaning the shrine maidens had already gone to bed. It was to be expected; they were usually awake by daybreak. Anako never seemed to come out of her office enclosure, and she did not speak with anyone unless the situation was dire. Rei, then, was confused as to why she was so intensely talkative around her.

The shrine was not particularly interesting, and not even night could lend it some mystery. It was dull and bland and all the rooms were in plain view. But, no, here was something. Rin tugged on her sleeve. "Look over there," she whispered. Rei squinted. She could barely make out the darker shadows of a smaller corridor. "Hmmm," she murmured, "Let's go check it out."

It was extremely narrow and obviously was not meant for people to go through it. But Rin insisted that she could see doors in the far back, and Rei acknowledged that she didn't have the best of eyesight. But even Rei, who was slim, had to slip through sideways. "Maybe this is just supposed to be a space between huts," she grumbled, when she finally went through. But Rin was already skipping ahead.

It was all bare walls, but the corridor seemed to go on forever. Rei felt like it was as a dream. She could see the end of the hallway, but just barely, and it seemed as if it were miles and miles away. She began to say, "I don't think there's anything here, Rin," but the little girl was far ahead now, calling back, "We're exploring. It doesn't matter if there's anything here."

Actually, I was hoping to find a clue, anything, something that she's hidden away, maybe a map to Naraku's castle or something. Rin seems to think this is one big adventure. Oh well. I doubt there's anything condemning in Hikawa shrine. Looks just like any other one. Who knows? Maybe they all have weird corridors like this one. Rin was humming now, all caution forgotten. And really, they didn't need to be too cautious; all of the rooms were in the main courtyard, and they were in some strange alleyway that looked like it hadn't been swept in two thousand years. I bet the shrine maidens don't come in here.

"Rei, Rei, look!" Rin said suddenly. Right in the middle of the corridor, there was a stubby, square wooden box sitting in plain view. They had not reached the end of the alley yet. "What's that?"

She bent down to inspect it, and found it odd that it was right there. "It's not a box," Rei said in surprise. "It looks like the entrance to a well. In fact, it looks just like the Bone Eater's Well. That's strange." She fingered the wood. It was dusty and dry and felt like it would crumble to powder beneath her fingertips. Her hands instinctively grasped the rim below. She would lift it, if she could. It was heavy, for such an old, decrepit piece of wood.

"Help me lift it, Rin."

Rin dropped to the ground. "Why?"

"Because. I want to see what's inside."

"It's just a yucky old well. There's nothing inside. Not even water."

Common sense told Rei that much, but she wanted to see anyway. Its presence disturbed her. "Yes, but how do you know? It's in the middle of a corridor, there could be dead bodies inside it."

Rin recoiled. "Ewww, that's disgusting. Don't open it!"

Probably shouldn't have said that. "I'm just kidding," she amended hastily. "There probably isn't anything in there, but I want to see anyway. Just help me for a minute. You get the other side."

"Okay," Rin said skeptically. "If you're sure." She went to the other side and grabbed the rim with her chubby fingers.

"Watch for splinters," Rei warned.

They lifted.

A huge blast of air came up unexpectedly from underneath, hitting them with the pungent smell of mildew. It was dark, and they couldn't see anything inside at all. The opening was enormous and gaping, like a huge mouth waiting to consume them whole. There was the unpleasant scent of rotting meat wafting up.

"Hellooo!" Rei called into the hole. It echoed forever. "Wow, this thing is pretty deep." She scanned the ground for something suitably useless and throw-able. The ground was made of hard packed dirt. But the walls were made of stone and brick. Rei pried a small pebble lodged surreptitiously in the gap. She threw it into the well. She counted five seconds before the faint "plop" came up. "Holy crap, this thing is deep. It's like a cavern." And there was no ladder or anything. In fact, judging from the size and build of the hole, it more resembled a large underground football field with an escape hatch in the ceiling. In other words, there was no way to go down into it. For that, Rei was mildly relieved. She was not anxious to go into that deep…whatever it was, and if it had been accessible, she might have felt obligated to "check it out."

She opened her mouth to say something, but a distinct rustling noise and a moan rose up from within. Rin leapt up, stricken with terror. "There's something in there," she whispered hoarsely. "Let's get out of here."

They both scrambled up and ran, ran, ran in the opposite direction without looking back. They didn't even bother to put the lid back on, and it was leaning askew on the opening of the well.

They ran all the way down the corridor, terrified the whole time that something would be right behind them, slipped through the space between the huts and dashed haphazardly back into their room. Not until they had slammed the door shut and fastened the lock, and Rei leaned up against the door and slid down, huffing and puffing, did they look at each other.

"That," Rei declared, trembling, "was probably the stupidest idea that I've ever had the misfortune to act on."

xXx

The next morning was another one of those uneventful mornings where Anako called them to her office. It was early, as usual, and while Rei was groggy, she was still conscious enough to realize it probably wasn't the most intelligent of things to tell Anako what had transpired last night. So she smiled, and acted cheery, and said nothing.

"It is looking stormy today," Anako said, as a means of greeting. "Maybe it will rain."

"Maybe," Rei said, pasting a false smile on her face, attempting to keep from choking from her impatience. She said carefully, "Are you going to tell us today?"

Anako shrugged. "Perhaps. If I feel you are ready."

"And when will we be ready?"

"When I've made you understand."

"Understand what?"

"You'll see."

Rei reined in her impulse to scream. "Endow us with your knowledge, then."

Anako sniffed. "I took up Naraku's offer of revenge," she continued with her story, as if a day had not elapsed in between.

Maybe old women have no sense of time.

Rei interrupted, "But you didn't get revenge. Kagome almost killed you. And now you are working for Naraku again? Haven't you learned your lesson the first time?"

Anako glared at her. "I give up," she proclaimed suddenly, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "This is going nowhere. I thought that you would have gotten some clue at least by now, but I was mistaken. It seems like I can't make you understand after all. I tried. I truly did. Now it is up to Naraku."

What's that old woman raving about now? "What are you talking about?"

"Even now, you have no idea of what is about to befall you," Anako said excitedly, her voice increasing in intensity. "I still live for revenge. And I am about to get it. Oh how long I have waited. The chance has finally come."

Rei felt a spine-tingling fear spiral up her back. "What are you talking about?" she repeated, her voice softer this time, from fright.

"Do you not even know yourself? Look at yourself, girl. You look so much like Kagome. Like Kikyo. I wonder that I haven't seen it before. Another reincarnation? I think so. I know exactly what to do with you. Naraku wants you for his own purposes, those of which I do not know. But he assured me that you would be done away with, and my revenge complete. However, I am a fair woman. I gave you the chance to realize the truth and get away. Several chances in fact. But you dismissed them as the trivial rants of a madwoman, did you not? It isn't my fault if you are too thick to pick it up. Kagura did her job, and now I've done mine. We are about to win. You, my dear, are the key to our victory. My personal victory and Naraku's as well. No more reincarnations. No more stupid mikos getting in our way. I can't sense any spiritual power from you, but you must be hiding it somehow. You are the Reincarnation. You are Kikyo. You are Kagome."

"No!" Rei cried in a panic. "You've got it all wrong! I'm not Kikyo or Kagome. I'm Kagome's granddaughter. I can't be her reincarnation if she's still alive!"

"Alive now. But what about in your time? You're another one of those futuristic girls, and I know all about them. You foolish child, thinking you could trick me into thinking that you are not the one. One glance at your face can tell me enough. You look remarkably like Kagome. And Kagome looks remarkably like Kikyo. It doesn't necessarily mean you look the same. It means you look similar and act similar. I've never seen an obstinate girl as Kagome. And yet here you come, waltzing into my midst, daring to believe that you could rescue Sesshoumaru from the jaws of Naraku's castle. You are not only stubborn, but also stupid, and only a human on top of that, with no particular powers yet to show. They would show in time, but we'll have you dead long before that."

Rin blubbered, "D-dead? Why would you kill her? She hasn't done anything to you!"

Anako ignored her. "Naraku is ecstatic, I can tell. His original plan was to simply get rid of Sesshoumaru. But as Kagura stayed with him, she noticed how alike you were to Kagome. She suspected that something was a-foot. And so Naraku decided to get rid of a small problem like you quickly, before you could turn into a pain. Two birds with one stone. And now, he has you both."

Rei was scared senseless. She thought about making a break for it, but her legs wouldn't move. Anako wouldn't let her get more than two feet away anyway. So she cleared her throat and said with much more bravery than she felt, "Either way, you're going to have to get me to Naraku's castle first. And that would be helping me, since I'll be able to find Sesshoumaru. You will have to take me to my destination. I've outwitted you after all."

Anako laughed, a nasty sound. "Poor girl. Like I've always said, 'pity the young, they're far too optimistic.' You are the same. You will not find Sesshoumaru. You've had all the time in the world to do it already."

Rei felt her heart tighten in despair. You…it was a trap. The well should have told me that.

Anako grinned. She waved her arm, and suddenly everything began to change. The walls melted in on themselves, and the ceiling lowered. The room became much smaller. The wide, spacious window that had been filtering in bright sunlight collapsed and the room flickered into darkness. The plants, paintings, and decorations disappeared. Everything was black now. A strong demonic aura glowed from all around. The transformation was complete.

Anako's clothes changed from white and red to midnight blue and black. She cackled. "Do you see now?" she said, howling with laughter. "Hikawa shrine…is Naraku's castle."