Knight's Lament

By: calikocat

Word Count: 2443

A/N: Okay, so just to make sure everyone is on the same page, consider everything Inuyasha to be AU. I know Kagome makes a wish that destroys the jewel and then goes back home to finish middle school and high school and then ends up going back to Inuyasha. In this, my ORRD canon Kagome freed the priestess' soul, purified the three demon souls, and absorbed the power into herself. ^^ The pairing of Inuyasha/Kagome isn't gonna happen; I have other plans for her later on. Just wanted to throw that out there.

XXX

Koenma was in a panic. This was not supposed to be happening. The Bone Eater's Well was not supposed to be active, not for another several hundred years. What in the world could have caused this?

"Koenma-sama?"

"Don't just stand there, find me something useful!"

The ogre gulped. "But you've gone over the entire documentation sir."

He glared at the ogre. "And they all say the same thing; that well is not supposed to be active! Now, find me something useful!"

"Right way sir!" The ogre scrambled away, glad to be away from him, which he couldn't fault anyone for. He was in no mood for incompetence.

A half hour later the ogre came back.

"Well?"

"We...we managed to find some footage. One of our cameras just happened to be pointed at the shrine when the well activated."

"Finally, something's gone right."

"Not quite sir."

Koenma's stomach sank a bit. "What's on the footage?"

The ogre pulled out a remote and pointed it at the large screen behind his desk. It came on...and a video started playing. On the video...was Kagome, which was expected, as she lived at the shrine...and Shippo...and...oh no...

"That boy is going to drive me to early retirement. Why the heck would it activate because of him? Xander has been there before, and it didn't activate then."

The ogre shifted a bit, "Um well...about that...we found out a few things."

"What things?"

"The well...might not be reacting to the Harris boy...but more of a combination of the boy, the Priestess...and the other girl."

Koemma looked at the video. "Who is she? One of Xander's friends?"

"Chase, Cordelia...her...life is very intertwined with his. I don't have the necessary clearance to see her destiny so that part of her file is sealed to me."

"Then I'll give you clearance."

"That's enough Koenma."

Both he and the ogre froze...for there in the door way to his office, stood his father...albeit he was in his more manageable form. "Father?"

"You panic too easily. The boy and his consort will be fine."

Koenma blinked. "Consort? Father only royalty has..." He sighed. "Xander is technically a prince...and the girl is his...consort?"

King Enma smirked. "Here, take a look at her parentage." Koenma strode toward his father, who even in this form towered over him, and accepted the scroll.

He looked at the family tree, at the lineage of the girl and her sister...both had magic. "The well couldn't resist, it wanted a feel of the unfamiliar magic...and Xander is of course a Wild Card." He sighed. "Wonderful." He glanced up at the king as he handed the scroll back. "Does she know?"

"No, and it is not your place to tell her." Enma looked at him for a moment. "I will need several limiter spells a month from now."

"Why?"

"I thought I might make a little trip to the human realm. I haven't been there in a while. Have them ready a month from today." And then he left the office.

Koenma really had no idea what was going on...but it was obvious his father did and didn't feel like sharing.

"Koenma-sama?"

"Call Yusuke...and I guess Botan. Maybe the well will let them pass."

xxx

"The only reason I haven't kicked your ass is because you're a girl and Keiko would smack me around the room for doing it." Yusuke told her as they walked up the steps to the Higurashi Shrine.

"I said I was sorry, but it wasn't my fault, and besides at the time my magic was tapped."

"You're telling me you couldn't even open a portal and drag me through?"

"I have a little brother too ya know, and he was unconscious in a hospital bed at the time."

Yusuke paused. "Is Tor okay?"

"Magical exhaustion. He used too much magic during the initial attack when the vampires came for Giles. Then he did something I didn't know he could do."

"Which was?"

"He used his soul to transport the energy of the pack to Buffy to give her the edge she needed to defeat Angelus and send him to hell." She sighed. "All of them are very...tired and twitchy right now. They need space, they lost a friend during the attack on the library, another slayer named Kendra...and Xander had to say goodbye to..."

"To who? His girl is with him...and how long have they been sleeping together?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, my main job is to gather the souls of the dead and guide them to Reikai. Xander is seventeen and I'm not going to report his sex life to you."

"You reported it to Koenma."

"That was different. In that instance Xander mixed sex and power." She started walking again. "Look...Xander is following his destiny...sort of. The Fates are not happy with him."

"Yeah, knew that part."

"It's gotten worse. He has three titles now."

"You mean besides the Prophecy Breaker thing."

"He's also been labeled The White Knight and a Wild Card. He's unpredictable...and the Fates don't like it when they can't control someone."

"And that's why Kagome's magic well ate them?"

"I have no idea why the well is active. Koenma didn't give me any details, he just wanted me to check things out and let Willow know what was going on."

"Willow? Are all the kids in the know now?"

"Yes...and Willow and her boyfriend Oz are here. Poor girl is probably panicking by now since her mentor is gone."

"Mentor?"

"She's here to train as a Priestess."

"Oh..."

They had just come to the top of the steps when a red-headed blur practically appeared before them.

"Botan! Thank goodness you're here. We woke up and couldn't find Kagome or Shippo and Gramps said he saw them talking to Xander and Cordy and then there was a flash of light and they got sucked into an old dry well and I don't know how or why and I can feel the magic from it but the well is being stupid and won't give them back and Kagome's family said it was okay and everything would be fine but everything is not fine because they're missing and the well is stupid and-"

A hand went over her mouth, and a quiet voice said. "Breath Willow."

Willow shuddered and took a breath through her nose; her eyes were starting to water with unshed tears. She all but collapsed in Oz's arms.

"Whoa."

Oz shrugged. "She does that sometimes."

Willow moved Oz's hand. "Can you get them back?"

"Everything will be fine Willow." Yusuke gave her his most charming smile.

"No offense...but I hate it when adults say that."

Botan snorted. "I'll take a look...you didn't try to force the well open did you?"

"I wouldn't even know how to do that. I just sort of panicked and cried and begged the well to give them back...and I might have kicked it."

"Three times." Oz supplied helpfully.

Botan nodded. "Take her inside for a cup of tea; I'll look at the well."

Oz led her back inside and Yusuke stared after them. "I didn't know anyone but Xander could babble like that."

"Yes well, I think most teens from Sunnydale are capable of babbling. Tor has had a moment or two himself. Shall we?"

"Do I get to blow the well up?"

"No."

"Then what do you need me here for?"

"Just shut up and follow me Yusuke."

"Yeah, yeah."

When they reached the well Botan walked around it, observing it, Yusuke watched her with a skeptical look. She hopped inside. Nothing happened. She floated back out. When her feet touched the floor again she sighed, and glared at the well. "Well, that didn't work."

"So why can't I blow it up?"

"It's sentient."

He stared at her. "The well is alive?"

"Yes."

"So how do we get them back?"

"We wait until the well opens again."

"That's it?"

"That's all we can do."

xxx

Xander awoke to the sounds of a forest...which was weird because they hadn't been at Genkai's when the lights went...out... He opened his eyes and extended his senses. This wasn't Genkai's forest.

"It's about time you woke up." Shippo grinned down at them from the edge of the well.

"Did we miss anything?"

"About five-hundred years."

"Come again?"

Kagome stepped into view, peering down, an amused smile on her face. "We've traveled back in time."

"So...we're in the Warring States Era? The Feudal Era? The era when Makai demons still roamed around freely eating humans?"

"That isn't the sort of thing a girl wants to hear when she wakes up." Cordelia grumbled as she sat up beside him. "Are you sure this translator thingy is working right?"

"Yeah...and trust me, that's not the sort of thing I want to think about." He sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here." It took some doing, but they managed to get top side, where they both took a deep breath of fresh air.

She wrinkled her nose. "What's that smell?"

Kagome giggled and offered her a hand to steady her as she climbed over the edge of the well. "Actually it's more of a lack of smell."

"Lack of smell?" She accepted the help and stepped down. Xander did the same and nodded in understanding.

"No smog."

"So...clean air?"

"Yeah."

"Weird."

"You get used to it. Come on, the village is this way."

Cordelia gave him a look. "What village?"

"The village that is here, five hundred years in the past."

"We really traveled through time?"

"Yep."

"Great, just what we needed."

xxx

Their first meeting with Inuyasha was...different. One minute the four of them were walking into the village, the next a crazy guy with a big sword comes flying at them. Xander just barely managed to get Cordelia out of the way.

"Get away from Kagome!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Stay back I'll handle this!"

Xander kept Cordelia behind him. "Handle what you maniac? We haven't done anything."

"I don't know what you are, or how you fooled her, but you're not setting foot inside this village! If you and your wench don't leave now I'll-"

"What did he call me?"

"Doesn't mean anything Cordy. He doesn't know you."

"Exactly so where does he get off calling me a wench."

"Inuyasha!"

"What?"

All eyes focused on the priestess, her arms were crossed and her dark eyes smoldered in anger. Xander had no idea what was about to happen, but he felt distinctly sorry for the guy who was about to be on the receiving end of her wrath. "Why are you attacking my friends?"

"Friends? This guys doesn't smell human, I've never even smelled or seen anything like him! Who knows what kind of demon he and his wench are."

"Oh that's it!" Cordelia made a dash at the guy, Inuyasha, while he was distracted by Kagome and gave him a good punch to the jaw. It didn't look like it hurt the guy much, but the shock on his face was hilarious.

However he liked having his girlfriend in one piece so Xander made a grab for her and carried her toward Kagome, making sure the priestess was between them and the demon. "Okay Cor, that's enough. We'll let Kagome handle the rest."

"She hit me!"

"Well, you did call her a wench."

"I could have called her a lot worse." Inuyasha sneered at them. "I could have called her a who-"

"SIT!"

The necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed and yanked him to the ground with a crash. Cordelia blinked in surprise and a positively evil smile graced her face. "Do it again." Xander wasn't sure whether he was terrified or turned on.

"Only if he calls you something worse."

"Ah, I see we have visitors." They turned toward the new voice to face a man wearing dark robes and a staff. "And such a lovely visitor." His eyes trailed over Cordelia's body and Xander stepped in front of her, growling again.

Shippo however launched himself at the man in glee. "Miroku!"

"Everyone here is crazy."

Xander took her hand and nodded in agreement. "Let's hope someone finds a way to get us back home."

xxx

Koenma burst into Genkai's home, heedless of the teenage girl sitting with the old woman as they ate lunch. He paced a bit before Genkai gave him a cranky glare.

"Hello brat."

"Brat? You know who's a brat? Xander that's who!"

"What's happened now?"

Koenma gave a shrill laugh. "Nothing much, except chaos, wherever that boy goes its chaos. It's bad enough being labeled one of the three things, but to be a Wild Card and a Prophecy Breaker...he's seriously starting to be a pain in the rear."

"What about Xander-

Koenma whirled on her. "Buffy right? This is entirely your fault."

"What's my fault?"

"Xander is so loyal to his friends that he would do anything for them. So when you died he brought you back, heedless of the prophecy that said you would die."

"Who are you exactly?"

"Koenma."

She paled a bit. "Xander mentioned you in a letter. You're a...anyway, what's going on with Xander?"

"Who knows, ever since he broke the Prophecy and saved you the Fates have had it out for him. Eventually they will get their way and he'll have to repay the debt he owes."

"What debt?"

He leveled a very serious look at her. "A human life."

Buffy surged to her feet. "Where is he?"

"Five hundred years in the past."

xxx

"Now what?"

Botan gave Yusuke an annoyed look. "There's nothing we can do if the well won't open on its own. So I'm going to do what I said I would, I'm going to pick up the others. That way they'll be here when the well does open."

"What good will that do?"

"Having them around might help calm Willow down at the very least."

Yusuke stared at the still distraught redhead as she knelt beside the dry well, her head bent in prayer. Her boyfriend sat beside her, an arm around her in comfort.

"Yeah...I guess that would be okay."

XXX