Due to my computer currently being out of service as a result of my mother accidentally setting it on fire (don't ask...good news, I finally got that clean-up I wanted...bad news, I lost EVERYTHING...more bad news, she violated the warranty when she opened the motherboard and tried to replace the hard drive, and we can't afford to get a new computer for at least a year), I'm writing this on my laptop. I'll save it on a disk and upload it from the computers at my college tomorrow. As far as news goes,

Comic-con was expensive. Line was three hours long. Feet hurt. Got Inu- yasha, Demon Diaries and Dragon Knights. Now have Inu-yasha 1-5 and 9-13, Demon Diaries 1-2 and Dragon Knights 1-8 (of those series. I have more manga than that). Costume is/was pretty. Want to wear cloak everywhere, but it's embarrassing. That's about it.

Right, had to get that out of my system. Stuff happened, but I'll put that in my livejournal, not here. Now, on with the next chapter...

Note: As I mentioned, MY computer (this is the laptop) is out of commission, and along with it, the internet and everything else, so I have no way to go back and see what I already wrote...this might get slightly redundant as a result. Please accept my apologies ahead of time. Thanks.

Disclaimer: Inu-yasha and co. are © Rumiko Takahashi. Everything else is either historical or a product of my twisted mind.

*---*

The scent of wild canines assailed his senses as soon as he was in the forest proper. Inu-yasha wrinkled his nose and growled, looking from tree to tree as if the imposing force was directly in front of him. After a moment of silence, Inu-yasha grunted and moved on.

He had taken only a few running leaps when again the stench reached him, so strong in its intensity that it gave him pause. The odor had no trace of domesticity, instead reeking of carrion and something akin to the haze that always surrounded a bog. The forest was in the southern half of England, which meant the only wild dogs around there were wolves. Inu-yasha growled again, this time accompanying the sound with an indignant lift of his nose. Something about wolves just got under his skin; something about their reckless, unskilled ways irked him to no end. Inu-yasha started off on a new path almost without realizing it, orienting on the loathsome scent and bearing down on it with the keenness of a bird of prey.

The first wolf yipped then turned and bared its fangs as it saw Inu-yasha approach, soon after making a small *gruffling* noise that called its compatriots to its flanks. Their eyes flashed red, and he knew immediately they were demons, savage and hostile. Inu-yasha merely smiled, sparing a disdainful glance at the quarter of wolves before ripping them to shreds moments later with his claws. Bits of flesh fluttered unceremoniously through the air, landing on the ground in soft, heated clumps that steamed for a while then dissipated into smoke. Inu-yasha was already on his way again when he saw a flash in the trees, but he curbed his curiosity and recalled his mission, once more turning due east. Towards the witch.

The house came into view almost as soon as he thought of it, startling the youth into a skidding stop. He turned towards it warily, inspecting it critically, as if forever suspecting a trap. The shack was small and simple in design, its roof in shambles but holding its own with surprising strength. The walls were not only in disrepair but seemed to actually be merging with the ground; the surrounding land was thick with weeds, and rogue vines invaded the lowest windowsills. Faintly pink gardenias gave the entire scene a soft, welcoming aura, and Inu-yasha was almost lulled into stepping up to the door and knocking on it directly.

Inu-yasha caught himself long before he stepped into the scene, and he scouted out the area with a distrustful eye, ogling every leaflet as though expecting it to pop open and choke him with poison vapors. At last, though, after more than an hour of watching, Inu-yasha was mostly reassured it was safe. He stepped forward slowly, approaching the door and waiting only a moment before raising his fist and thrusting the ball of his hand against the door in two distinct knocks.

Disappointment flooded through him immediately as he heard the knocks echo without response. She wasn't home? Never in all his imaginings had he thought that the witch might not be there. It was...inconceivable. In all the stories, and all the legends, the witch was always available, always. And yet here, in his singular hour of need, the witch was gone? Why, where had the tramp gone? Maybe she was out eating children, or looking for her next me—

"What do you there?!"

Inu-yasha whipped around, claws outstretching even as his expression of utter perplexity was replaced with one of anger at being caught unaware. His preparation was unnecessary, as no demon or monster of any sort had invaded his domain; before him was merely an old woman, skin leathery and skewered with wrinkles as her breath rattled unevenly with asthma and her hands shook with the barely subdued pain of arthritis.

"Who be you?" she demanded again, inciting a growl as Inu-yasha looked her over. Her brows knitted angrily and she ambled over with surprising quickness, lifting her cane and knocking Inu-yasha on the shoulder bone before he could even think to respond.

Inu-yasha let out a yelp as pain shot up his spine and jumped away, staring at the woman incredulously. "Witch?!" He demanded, startled, as if she was the antithesis of what he had expected.

The woman seemed bridled for a moment, but sighed and waved at the demon in a dismissive gesture. "Still do they call me that? Pity. I be no weaver of dark arts. The powers that I use be only good."

"So you are," Inu-yasha replied curtly, rubbing his wounded shoulder and staring at her with open animosity. He apparently had heard not a word of her explanation, for he immediately stated, "I want you to cast a possession spell for me."

"I do not cast possession spells!" she screeched, shoving past him and stepping into her hut without so much as a backward glance. After a moment she turned and tapped the bottom of her cane on the inner bricks of the floor, staring at Inu-yasha impatiently as though she was waiting for him to enter. After a moment of indecision, Inu-yasha quickly complied. Best be wary of the witch, old and frail though she appeared. Magic users should never be trusted, especially not those of the female persuasion. Inu-yasha reclined into an armchair she indicated with an impassive tip of her staff, keeping his eyes locked on her backside. She ignored him, going into the kitchen and lighting the stove with a snap of her fingers.

"Besides, what would a young demon lad like yourself be wanting with a possession spell? You've a pretty face; you need only charm the village girls with sweet words and a handsome guise, if that be your intent. Or perhaps you were planning on coming into riches by means of usurping some local baron. Why, it never works, I tell ye; just last week, I had some—"

"I don't care about you insipid mortals!" Inu-yasha snapped, disgruntled at both her insinuations and the fact that she had recognized his nature at once. Of course he had yet to resume his human masquerade, preferring his true form for its finesse and skill in combat, but that still didn't give her the right to—

"Ah, no, of course not." The woman chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that surprised Inu-yasha with its vitality. A lot about this mortal was surprising him, actually, and he wasn't pleased about any of it. "Perhaps, then, you were hoping to invade your brother's castle in the body of one of his servants and kill him while he slept?" She absorbed his shocked visage with a satisfied grin and returned to her tea-making, continuing her conversation as if unaware that Inu-yasha was currently startled out of his wits. How in the Goddess' name had she known?!?

The metal pot clanked as her spoon hit the side of it, causing Inu-yasha to jump slightly and his white furred ears to perk automatically. "It's possible, yes, but the odds are astronomical. First of all, Sesshoumaru is no brainless lout; he would sense you coming half a country away, disguise or no disguise. Not to mention that horrid little underling of his, Jaken...No, Inu-yasha. While I commend you on your otherwise foolhardy idea, I'm afraid it be not applicable to your situation." She finished with a sudden bang on the lid of the pot as she shook the driblets of boiling water off the spoon, tossing it without looking so that it thunked as it hit the inside of the drawer in perfect form. Inu-yasha glanced from the drawer and stared at the woman, desperately wishing she knew no more about his situation.

"Fine, then; what would you have me do?" he demanded, playing along with the game for now. She smiled and nodded, causing a shiver to run down Inu- yasha's spine quietly.

"What you do to fix this matter can come from only you. I can, however, help you from the sidelines."

"Explain."

Again that smile, the same one that gave him the impression that everything was going exactly as she had planned. He repressed a growl and forced himself to take in her response. "I can tell you of the future. Whether your present actions are going to keep you on top, or give him leave to take over." Her eyes glittered as she twisted round once more to meet his glare. "You ought to know if you're going to be successful or not."

"And what if your spell says I'm not?" he asked without pause. "What then? If it's the future, I cannot change it, correct? How can knowing that I will fail be of any use at all?"

"You are wrong." He blinked and his heart skipped a note when her words hit him. He swallowed, unintentionally leaning in closer. "You can change the future."

"How?" he whispered, his voice full of disbelief.

Her lips cracked in her final smile. "I'll show you." The water bubbled within the teacup and she sipped it, mouth twisted with the confidence of a god.

--

"Goddess of All...Let us see the way of the gods. Let us see the future...bestow us with your knowledge. Let us know the course of things as you will them. Let us know..."

By the third chanting, Inu-yasha's mind has begun to wander, and his gaze focused on the folds of skin beneath the witch's chin, watching with disgusted wonder as they flapped with each sharply punctuated vowel. Inu- yasha's right hand had gone numb from being leaned on, and he felt his lids drooping, belatedly realizing he had not slept soundly since meeting with his brother. She seemed to be doing just find without him, so Inu-yasha let his attention go to other things, such as the rattling sound of the trees outside as they shuddered amidst a sudden windstorm. Inu-yasha heard howling and immediately thought of wolves, but then realized it was only the drafts as they forced themselves through the cracks in the aged glass of the windows.

A bevy of air stirred the ashes in the extinguished fire pit, causing Inu- yasha to blink rapidly as bits of rubbish plagued his eyes. "Dammit!" he shouted, immediately reproachful, but relieved to find the woman had not paused in her chanting. At last the pool of water before her began to stir, and his eyes were drawn to it, watching, entranced as the globules of liquid lifted upon themselves and began to delineate into definite shapes, first clear and colorless then full of life as Inu-yasha began to recognize the beginnings of a scene.

The first thing he saw clearly was a human corpse. Inu-yasha almost gagged as the head grew larger in his view, the caved-in skull filled with writhing maggots. The vision was so complete that the demon could almost smell the ruptured flesh, as pocked and holey as old clothing. The view shifted suddenly, causing him a moment of disorientation, then again he covered his mouth as another corpse focused in front of him. It was a road lined with corpses, some pestilent and ancient, others less than a day old. The person to whom the view belonged looked down at her hands, and Inu- yasha stared at the thin, bony wrists in amazement, never before having seen the flesh of someone so near starvation.

The person began running, and the water of the pool splished lightly as the apparition changed quickly, showing lane after lane of rotting corpses. *What sort of hell is this?* Inu-yasha wondered in horror. *Is this England?*

"What year did you say this was, Kaede?" Inu-yasha asked, trying to stare at the half-eaten corpse of a baby and the skeleton of a puppy with deadpan eyes.

"1348, about 350 years from now. Rather far in the future, yes, but you should still be able to find out who is the new ruler of England."

Indeed, if he didn't vomit out his innards first. Inu-yasha turned away, disturbed and angry at the nausea in his stomach. Why was he being affected so strongly? It wasn't as if he cared for any of these grotesque, dead mortals; all of them weren't even born yet. But still, something was pulling him, something similar to a chill or a desperately sought-after memory...

They were his people. This was England, and these were his people. And they were dying. All of them.

No, not all of them. The girl was still alive. But barely...she was so thin, so godsdamned thin, and her skin was a little pinkish around the edges...she had it too, whatever this sickness was. Her time was limited.

"No!" Inu-yasha cried suddenly as the girl faltered and stumbled to her knees. "She's getting weaker! Can't you do something, Kaede?" The witch turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised skeptically. She, too, was surprised at his concern. At last, something the witch hadn't planned on!

"...No, Inu-yasha. This is in the future...if I try to alter it in any way, I risk creating a paradox that might cancel out the future, that might, if it is severe enough, even destroy the world and stars as we know them. We can't—"

"But look at her!" he rasped, his voice frayed as the girl stumbled yet again. It was impossible to keep up his façade of indifference in the face of so much death and destruction. For all his words, Inu-yasha was still half-human, and still had half a human soul.

"No, Inu-yasha." The edge in her voice had sharpened, becoming crystal clear, but Inu-yasha was oblivious; he shoved past her towards the pool of water, thrusting his hands into it as if that would send him there, make him useful. The water splashed wildly and noisily as it collided with his skin, leaving him undamaged but searing him emotionally with its powerful magic. Inu-yasha backed away and rubbed at his wrists, and the water immediately fixed itself just in time to show the girl trip over the outflung corpse of a woman's body and the rush of dirt as her fingers crunched beneath her.

"No!" he shouted again, taking the edges of the pan in his hands and forcing it heavily to spill over the sides. Kaede made a noise of surprise and leapt forward to swat his hands away, but Inu-yasha's grip remained firm, lifting the heavy dish with strength inhuman.

"You'll break the spell! Inu-yasha, what are you doing?! Release that plate at once! Inu-yasha!" After acknowledging that he was ignoring her, the witch grabbed a wooden staff from the doorway and hit him over the head with it. Inu-yasha reacted automatically, reaching out with his claws and taking all the nearest objects to him. This included Kaede, Kaede's staff, and about a half dozen assorted vials and objects off the table beside the dish of water.

The thin glass of the fragile containers burst easily, and the various liquids spilled into the pool, some scalding him, others passing off his skin without effect. Inu-yasha jumped away, but Kaede was already staring in open-mouthed horror as the water began to churn of its own accord, the colors of the foreign liquids staining it a bizarre mix of red and brown and fuchsia. Faster and faster it spun, elongating into a spire of liquid that was thick and almost as tall as Inu-yasha, until without warning it exploded and drenched the room in a rainbow of puke and bile.

Inu-yasha coughed and choked as some of it entered his lungs, then leaned against the wall, hopelessly trying to recover. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kaede hunched over the broken shards of the saucer, her spine absolutely rigid.

"What did you find?" He asked quietly in a gruff voice that failed to belay his worry.

As if unable to speak, Kaede glanced at him then stepped aside, beckoning him once to come forward.

He did, and his jaw parted in the epitome of perplexion and surprise.

Before him on the ground was the small, waifish form of the girl from the future. Her hair was black, and her face was more familiar than the face of anyone else in the entire world, either present or past.

A bead of moisture had gathered at the corner of Inu-yasha's left eye, and it slid down his temple as he spoke. "Oh, my Goddess. Kikyo."

*---*

Eek, what a long chapter. Sorry about that. I had a lot I was trying to fit in (I say that a lot, don't I?) I tried to make it flow pretty smoothly, though...

I noticed I tend to be wordy. Is that a good thing, or does that put y'all to sleep? :p Of course I have no way of telling, considering the fact that NO ONE HAS EVER WRITTEN A SINGLE REVIEW...Sigh. Huh? Me bitter? No, why? -_-

Anyway. Some of you are probably thinking now, "Whoa, (Kaede/Inu-yasha) is really out of character." And I ask you: Were they ever in character, in this fic? I had to change them a little bit, both to make the plot fit and to make it flow better, but I tried to keep to the original characters as much as possible. Inu-yasha is more compassionate in this than he is in the manga, I think, but then, we've never really seen Inu-yasha in a similar position...oh well.

In any case, thanks for reading this far, and please review. Please!

~Keh!~