A familiar Stranger

“Kaida-sama…where are we going?” Jaken said as he followed Kaida the opposite way from where they needed to go. They walked and walked some for, and to Jaken it seemed like they were going around in circles. Finally, she stopped and Jaken bumped into her leg.
“Jaken, do me a favor and wait for me outside.”
“I’m sorry Kaida-sama, but Sesshoumaru-sama said not to leave you side.”
“I’ll just be a minute.” She said in her “don’t follow me voice.” She headed toward a shrine that looked forgotten.
“Well, not much choice I guess.” He thought to himself… “I’ll make myself useful out here then!”


“Oh, so you’re back?” The youkai inside the shrine said not really surprised to see her there.
“Answer this one question for me.”
“Don’t expect to get frequent flyer miles from me, and besides you own life, you don’t have anything else to offer me.”
“I happen to know you don’t charge for information.” Kaida said with disgust in her voice, it wasn’t easy talking to the youkai that had killed her son.
“Well, ask away I want you out of my hair, I’m expecting someone.”
“Does it really matter what I saw in the lake? That it was a crab looking Youkai and not a lobster looking one?”
“I only did what you told me to do.” She said innocently. She flicked her wrist and a cloud of smoke appeared. When Kaida looked into it, she saw…


‘He said that she was around here somewhere!’ I crashed through the woods, hoping he hadn’t realized that I had escaped. For some reason he had let his guard down and I was able to take back control of my own body, making it possible for me escape…’ok…the monk said something about a shrine…THERE!’ I quickly ran up the steps…
“I’ve been waiting for you…”
“How did you know?” I asked her.
“My domain is time, past present and future…” was all she had to say.
“Then you know why I’m here”
“I do, but enlighten me.”
‘Dammit, I don’t have time for this…if he knows I’m gone…’
“I want to go back and save Sesshoumaru and Rin.” I said quickly.
“Is that so? Why are you in such a hurry to leave this time? You’re alive and that for some is enough.”
“You should know if time is your domain! I’m sick of being used by Naraku! I’m tired of doing his dirty work-”I said covering my face in annoyance.
“---aaannndd?? I know you hiding something from me and not just from me either. You’ve been hiding it from Naraku, Kanna and Kagura. You were also hiding it from Sesshoumaru you were even planning on telling him the next day at breakfast.”
I was going to tell him the next day wasn’t I? Funny thy thy things turn out…
“It’s a hard task keeping it from a Dog-Demon that you’re caring his pup. Usually they’re the first ones that know, even before the mother.” The time youkai said with a smile on her face…was she enjoying making Kaida remember these horrible memories?
“I want to go back in time to make sure Naraku doesn’t kill Sesshoumaru.” I said to her evading point she had just made.
“What will you give me in exchange?”
“You may have my life after I’m done doing what I need to do.” I said to her.
“jajajajajaja you think I’d let you off that easily?! Sending somebody through time is not easy! Let alone cheap, I want something you truly adore…” she trailed off.
It suddenly dawned on me what she wanted.
“I won’t let you have him.”
“Well then, you can leave. I’m sure Nu wiu will be pleased to have Sesshoumaru’s son in a couple of months….”
I looked outside the window….it was almost sunrise. He’d be awake soon and notice I was gone…
“So, what’ll it be? He’s awake you know…he knows you’re gone…”
‘Shit…’ I said closing my eyes thinking it over and over again…was my little boy worth going back in time and saving his father?
“You do realize that he might not even fall in love with you right?”
“KAIDA! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Kaida heard a frustrated Naraku screaming…
“You might be able to save him but then what? You can’t go back to your normal life and there are many version of the past you know…there is even one where the whole thing between Inuyasha and Kikyo doesn’t happen…it’s quite amusing…”
I could hear him coming closer, I didn’t hide my scent on the way over her, I had been in too much of a hurry…
“Make you choice then…go or don’t go…go or don’t go…” she said waving her two fingers in a metronome pattern. *tick tock tick tock*
Suddenly the shrine’s door shattered open and Naraku was standing there with a very unpleasant look on his face.
‘No, I don’t want my son to be born into this world…’
“SEND ME TO A TIME WHERE IT’S ALL DIFFERENT!” I yelled. I turned around and saw Naraku charging at me but he was fading. I suddenly felt an enormous pain where our son was… ‘I’m srry…rry….’

“What’s your point?” said Kaida hiding her anger at what she had just seen. She never wanted to remember those horrible memories again.
“I simply did what you told me to do. I sent you back where it was all different. I may be a youkai that takes people’s lives but I’m not cold hearted you know.” Her tone of voice changing when she said the second part.
“What’s your point?”
“Don’t you get it? I sent you back to a time where you don’t exist. Do you realize what a mess it would be if there were two of you in this time? I wouldn’t be able to keep you straight. The same thing can’t be at the same place at the same time…it’d be the ‘big bang’ all over again.”
Kaida’s fears where gone. Having only one of her in this time meant she didn’t have to worry about the other ‘her.’ She sighed with relief.
“Anyway sweetheart, do what you will. I need to get back to what I was doing. And watch the first step after you leave…”
Kaida turned around not really hearing what she had said. She was back with Sesshoumaru and Rin, she opened to doors to the shrine…but it had taken her years to chip away at Sesshoumaru’s wall he had built around himself…she suddenly felt herself being grabbed by one of Naraku’s root/tentacles thing-a-ma-gigs.
“Dammit!!” Kaida said as he hands where pinned to her side, it’d be useless to do an energy release and she saw Jaken sprawled out on the floor. Whether he was dead or unconscious she couldn’t tell.
“So, I was wrong about you.” A kugustu Naraku said pulling her closer to him, “I thought you had come back to save Inuyasha and his group and to stop me from completing the Shikon jewel.” He said squeezing her even more tightly. She felt the bones in her wings shattering under the pressure, but she didn’t give Naraku the satisfaction of hearing her scream. “But you came back to save Sesshoumaru and his little brat. Touching.”
“You were listening to ourversversation weren’t you?” Kaida said even though she was in pain.
“Of course I was. Now, what do you say we talk about this in person?” the kugustu said squeezing her even tighter, causing her to pass out from the lack of oxygen.