Author's Note: Sorry everyone - this is...yeah, just enjoy the chapter. It's long overdue.

Title: The Threads of Fate

Author: Princess Kanako

Pairing(s): Mushra/Yakumo, Sago/OC, slight Kutal/OC, Mushrambo/OC, OC/OC

Date Submitted: 24/8/18

Disclaimer: I do not own Shinzo or any of its affiliates; they belong to Tetsuo Imazawa-sama.

Claimer: I own my own OCs, a few plot ideas, and some other stuff that pops up along the way. If I do not, I will say so.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Drama, Fantasy, Humour.

Summary: Sent tumbling into Earth's future, Hitomi must keep her wits about her as she tries to change the course of destiny. In an uncertain, violent time, will she be able to overcome the trials that fate flings at her? Or did the gods choose the wrong person?

Hitomi screamed and sat up with a start. She was shaking like a leaf and quickly patted herself down. Satisfied that she wasn't injured, she got to her feet and froze. This was not the beach house Aika described. In fact, nothing remotely resembling a beach was near her at all. She seemed to be on the outskirts of a tiny town, with little wooden huts or cloth tents dotted here and there. There wasn't a single metal or glass building in sight, except for one that looked to be about a mile away. She pushed the long grass that surrounded her out of her way as she stood up.

"Kajiko!" A voice shouted. Hitomi turned to see a tiny girl with dark hair and cat ears of all things running towards her. "Mother said you weren't coming!"

Hitomi fidgeted as the girl threw her arms around her legs.

"Sorry honey, but you have me mixed up with someone else," she said, trying to pry her off. The child giggled, transferring her iron grip from Hitomi's legs to her arm.

"Oh, stop playing around, Kajiko. Mother will want to see you." She turned an evil glare on her. "And if you try and tickle your way out of this, I'm going to bite you!"

Feeling lost, she allowed the tiny child to drag her towards the heart of the village, where a large number of people, adults and kids were milling about. Hitomi automatically went into defensive mode. She crossed her free arm across her chest and hunched her shoulders, her body language warning everyone to leave her alone.

"What's with you, Kajiko?" her kiddie-captor asked. "You're acting like you don't know us."

"That's because she doesn't." Everyone turned to see an elderly woman eyeing them with a smile. "At least, not yet." The woman bowed, a gesture that Hitomi automatically returned as her arm was released. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting you today. How about we go to my study to talk?"

Hitomi nodded, and the two of them walked up to a large hut - almost as big as a two-story house. She watched with interest the way that the woman smiled and laughed as children and adults of all ages swarmed around her. Her eyebrows rose as she saw them calling her companion 'Mother'. Surely they couldn't all be her children?

It took them only a few minutes to reach the proclaimed 'study', even with all the interruptions. Her companion took a seat behind the low desk and Hitomi sat on the fat cushion opposite, eyeing her surroundings cautiously. Just where the hell was she?

"You're in the year 2453," her host answered. "I sat in that seat once. I remember it well." She sat back. "Now, it's time to ask the right questions."

"Who are you?" Hitomi asked.

"Have I really changed so much?" the woman laughed quietly. "I almost forgot I have grown so old."

Hitomi blinked. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"The answer is right in front of you," her host said with a smile. "Just take a good look."

Hitomi stared in confusion at the woman opposite, eyes scanning her features for something familiar. There was something in the curve of the lip, the twinkle of the eye...the pieces fell into place.

"Are you me?" Hitomi gaped.

"In the flesh," her older self grinned.

"What is this place?"

"Earth," the older Hitomi said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't waste my time with stupid questions."

So, I'm a sassy old lady. Hitomi leaned forward. "Why am I here?"

Her older self smirked and leaned forward as well. "To change the past."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Her elder self sighed as she leaned back. "You have to ask a particular question, or I won't be able to answer."

"How do I to change the past?" Hitomi asked after a moment's thought.

"Years ago, I sat where you're sitting now," the elder Hitomi said, sounding wistful. "I heard the same words I'm about to tell you. I need you to succeed." She seemed to be bracing herself for her next words. "I allowed people - important people- to die."

Hitomi was floored. People died, and she was the reason? What? How? Why? Through numb lips, she managed to order, "Explain."

"When I was brought here, I wasn't given specifics," her older self whispered. "My guide didn't want to change the past, just correct it. That was wrong." She sighed. "In the 22nd century, there was a war between humans and a race of hybrids called Matrixers. It was vicious and bloody - I won't go into the details. Just imagine both world wars combined for a vague idea of what it was like."

Hitomi couldn't even begin to imagine the scale of such a war.

"At the time, a large meteor crashed into the earth. Two fragments broke off. The meteor fragments were rumoured to hold special powers and both sides were searching frantically for them, desperate for an advantage." The elder sighed, running a hand through her silver hair. "What they didn't know about was that the meteor had some very nasty after affects. A virus spread, infecting the people who were left behind. Hundreds of thousands of humans and Matrixers died, each side pointing the finger at the other and driving the war to its peak."

"What does this have to do with me?" Hitomi asked, swallowing. She watched as her older self's face twisted with pain.

"One of the fragments hit a young girl," she explained in a whisper. "A girl who was given such a heavy burden because of the powers in that fragment. I befriended her and travelled with her and her friends. We shared in her adventures as her powers grew. Eventually, it all began to take its toll on her." Her hands clenched. "And we sat by and did nothing. She convinced us that she was destined to do this and we were just fussing over nothing. We stupidly believed her." She was actually crying. "We as good as killed her, our friends, and so many others because I didn't fight."

After a few minutes of fear-fuelled silence, she piped up, "But why should I-"

"If you finish that sentence, I swear I'll rip out your voice box," her older self snarled, eyes flashing. "I don't care if it kills me. The only reason I've hung around here instead of joining my friends when they died is because I needed to tell you this. So you could fix this."

"How do I save them?" Hitomi asked after a few moments.

"I don't know," she snapped. "I obviously didn't succeed at it. But you will. You have to."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you're just as guilty as I am," she said darkly. "A murderer, with the blood of innocents on your hands. And you will have to live with that, like I have." She reached into a desk drawer and tossed a small leather pouch between them. "You're going to need this. So help me, never take it off. No matter how tempted you'll be - and believe me, you will be."

Hitomi cautiously took the pouch and was about to open it, but was stopped as her old self grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Trust yourself," she whispered. "You are where you're supposed to be. Never doubt it."

Hitomi hesitated, then nodded. She stood and faced her older self awkwardly for a moment. Then she bowed. "Thank you."

The elder Hitomi stood as well. "Don't thank me just yet. You're in for a time of it."

When Hitomi came to, she was lying on something soft. It took her a few moments to realise where she was - outdoors in the middle of a forest.

What the hell?

She sat up slowly, a searing headache pounding in her temples as she winced with pain. She pushed long strands of grass away from her face as she sat up. Hang on...where's Aika?

The clearing was empty of people. She was the only one around. She started running her hands through her hair nervously as she stood. She had an idea to look around to see if she could find her friend when she felt something cold press against the skin of her neck.

"Don't move," a voice said harshly. She turned her head slightly to see a boy about her age behind her. He wore strange clothes, and had tousled black hair and - most bizarrely - sharp silver eyes that bored into her. He held a very sharp sword, which he had resting against the side of her neck.

Oh crap.

"Who're you?" another voice asked. Hitomi could spot a girl leaning on a tree-truck a few inches away. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail at the side of her head, while her red eyes were trained on Hitomi, in a mixture of boredom and fascination.

How did they get so close without me hearing them?

"Drop your sword, Kai. I've been expecting her," a cool voice interjected.

"Fine," the boy snapped, removing the blade from Hitomi's neck and sheathing it. She shakily turned to see a very tall lady standing a few feet away. She could ignore the clothes, the strange eyes and hair could be easily explained but the large pair of metallic-blue fox ears that were twitching away on the top of her head were starting to freak her out.

What the-?

"My name is Accalia, and these are my students, Kai and Katalina," she said, bowing her head.

"I think I've finally cracked," Hitomi whispered. Accalia smiled at that.

"You are not hallucinating," she assured the frightened girl. "We are all very real miss-?"

"Hitomi."

"Where're you from?" the girl - Katalina - butted in curiously. "I haven't seen clothes like that except in the historical archives."

"Um...Japan," she answered cautiously.

"Where's that?" Kai asked, folding his arms thoughtfully, "I don't think I've heard of it."

"Are there good fighters there?" Katalina interjected excitedly. Hitomi pressed her fingers to her temples.

"Be silent," Accalia commanded. "You are overwhelming our guest." To Hitomi, she asked, "I do beg your pardon, but you are a human?"

"Yes, of course I am!" she replied a touch heatedly. What a thing to ask! "Listen, I don't really know how I got here, but I want to go home."

"You cannot," Accalia said sadly. "You should know that you cannot return to your home until you correct a great wrong."

"Correct - what on earth are you talking about?" Even as the words left her mouth, an image flashed in her mind. Sitting across a table from an old woman - her future self - who was suffering because she was unable to change the past. "Oh," she breathed.

"I know this must be overwhelming, but you do not need to fear. I am here to guide you." Accalia knelt at the startled Hitomi's feet.

"Shit," was all the startled girl could say.

"Wait, what?" Kai burst out. "I didn't think that training would mean babysitting this kid!"

"Kai!" Accalia snapped. The boy's kitty ears - only now did she decide to notice them, Hitomi mused dazedly - flattened against his head. His teacher sighed as she stood. "You must understand - both of you - that this is far more important than training you for regional fights," she strove to explain. "I have always taught you both that every living being is alive to fulfil a purpose. I have found mine."

Hitomi could see Kai gearing up for a fight, and guessed his teacher did too. But a small hand pressed against his shoulder as Katalina whispered something in his ear, and just like that, he deflated.

"What do you want us to do, teacher?" Katalina asked briskly, gathering up their bags.

"Always the practical one," her teacher muttered fondly before raising her voice. "Pack up and prepare to move. We leave in thirty minutes. And Katalina - you will be filling in Miss Hitomi about everything she has missed."

"No problem," her student shrugged, "How much has she missed?"

With a wry grin, her teacher replied, "Oh, from about the 21st century onwards."

The day went on and the unlikely group began their travels. Nothing exciting happened - aside from Kai underestimating a jump and falling into a river. Night came and they had to stop. Kai went looking for some firewood and started a fire while Katalina (who insisted she call her Kat) went in the opposite direction to hunt for their dinner. Hitomi sat by the baby flames, her head spinning with all the information that Kat had pushed into it during their travels, and her feet sore from all the walking. Even though she'd swapped her flip-flops for a pair of tennis shoes in her bag, she was in quite a bit of pain.

"They will get worse before they get better," the fox Matrixer said sagely as she returned with filled canteens.

"I never thought I was unfit before today," she said conversationally.

"We will acquire an easier method of transportation in a few days," Accalia concurred with a smile. "You will not be pushed too hard, Hitomi."

"Thanks," she muttered as Kat returned with a skinned - something - and proceeded to spit it over the fire. The conversation was muted as Hitomi struggled to stay awake. Before long, her eyes had refused to stay open, and a gentle pair of hands was lying her down, a warm blanket covering her from the night's chill.

"Night," she sighed, pressing her cheek into the palm of her hand. She thought she heard her mother saying goodnight, but she knew no more as she fell into sleep.

To be continued...