The woman on her window tilted her head and smiled. "Taisrika.
One of the Keepers." The woman's voice was soft and lilting.
She slipped from Kagome's windowsill and into the room.
Taisrika leaned over Kagome and frowned scrutinizing. "Hump.
Some Guardian you are. Well, sit up! Sit up! I can't go through
things if you're huddling down there."

Kagome stood up, immediately slipping on her bed cover and
falling back down. She groaned and managed to scramble her way
onto the bed again. "You said you're a Keeper. A keeper of
what? And how'd you get through the well? And why'd you call me
a guardian? What am I guarding?"

Taisrika rolled her eyes. "I'm Spirit. I can go wherever I
want. There's not time for me. There's just here's and
there's."

"What?" Kagome's head hurt and she wasn't focusing properly. "I
don't understand. What do you mean there's no time for you?"

Taisrika sighed and pulled Kagome to her feet. "Walk over to
your desk." After a seconds hesitation Kagome did as she was
bid then looked at Taisrika. "Now. Was there any change in
time?"

"No but-"

"You just walked from one place to another. Time difference had
nothing to do with it. First you were there now you're here.
That's how going back in the past is for me. It's simply here
or there."

Kagome frowned. "So you're a spirit."

"No. I'm a Keeper. I'm Spirit. Spirit is a state of matter. My
matter. A bit like you'd say that's water, not that's a water."

"That's the second time you've said that. Keeper. Keeper of
what?" Kagome paused before.. "And why are you here?"

"Well if you'd stop budding in with questions I'd explain it
all. Alright, I'm Keeper Taisrika. Keeper of the Watch Tower of
the West. Keeper of life, of balance." Taisrika smiled. "I'm
like..the hand that puts the opposing weight on the other side
of the scale. For every evil there must be an equally strong
potential force of good. For every good and equal potential
force of evil. All balanced."

"But why..why does evil have to be equal. If that's the case
and all the forces are equal how can one win over the other?"

"You weren't listening! I said potentially! It's how they use
that potential, how far they can tap into it that determines
which side triumphs. If both you and your opponent were of
equal strength, equal in the sword you wielded, equal in speed,
but you had a deeper knowledge of attacks, a deeper tap into
the movement of the weapon who would win? You would. Because
you use the potential you had to become better. Use the weapons
to their full extent even though your enemy COULD do the same
but doesn't know the same."

She waved dismissingly as Kagome's lips parted slightly. "Well
get technical later. Now you Kagome are one of the Guardians.
Guardians of the watchtower of the west. Guardians of the
balance of light. You're the actual weight on the good side of
the scale. You and Inuyasha."

"So..then everyone can't be a guardian."

Taisrika sighed. "No. There are minors; people who are like
grains of sand on the large scale. Their deeds are tiny, but
still carry that grain of weight on the whole outlook. Naraku
and his own would be the opposing force. As you gained help,
the demon exterminator and the monk he fell into posesstion of
the jewel shards and so spawned Kanna and Kagura and such."

Kagome nodded. "I understand. But..why are you here? Has Naraku
created more demons?"

Taisrika laughed and waved that of. "You're all much of a match
for Naraku. He's completely not the issue at the moment." She
smirked. "If I'm right he's curled up hiding and plotting now.
He's up to something but it won't unfold for quite some time.
No matter. Anyway." She frowned once more. "This is a far far
larger weight. Maieku. My half sister. She is also Spirit."

"Maieku... I haven't heard this name before."

Taisrika nodded. "And you won't again until she wants you to.
She harbors a deep revenge against Inuyasha. She broke our laws
in coming here and tipped the Balance so far back that I had to
come physically to straighten things."

Kagome murmured one word. "Inuyasha."

"He's in danger. She won't kill him soon. She toy with him,
hurt him, bend him, break him. It'll be far worse than if she
simply ended his life. He'll be nothing."

Kagome remembered her dream. Inuyasha with his eyes as blank as
a slate staring down at her with no emotion, no caring, no
warmth, not even annoyance or scorn. And Kikyou..the one with
the control...the on..

"Kikyou is involved isn't she?"

Taisrika nodded. "Maieku is using her as a pawn. The pieces are
being set up and soon it'll all be one big game of chess that
might shake everything."

Kagome's eyes started to cloud with tears. "What..what can I
do?"

Taisrika smiled and her eyes shone with genuine warmth. "You?
I'm going to give you the potential to be the queen."