Her story truly begins at 81 Dundas Street with Kwong Wa Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Not that Kagome knows this yet, but she will.

The street is packed with street vendors and little shops, people mingle and cars are parked somewhat messily while others speed by. There are signals everywhere, glaring at them. There's both fresh fruit and fish, trinkets and every other thing one needs to survive. As the walk further through the masses, right on the corner leading to Kwong Wa St., a beautiful tall building immediately grabs her attention. Six stories high, its architecture is entirely different from its surroundings but still blending perfectly with the heap of modernities surrounding it. It looks old but well taken care of, in an industrial style that has many big windows on every floor. The top floor has a big round one facing the street, a sideways triangle with a cutting line making a pattern on the glass.

It has many windows, all fogged. There's no way to tell what happens inside. Elegant pillars support the strutter and frame the windows and the front door. There's something about it she can't quite describe. Some kind of energy that it emits, that drags the air itself into it. It looks oddly ethereal in her lights, guarded by energies that are not entirely earthly. Carol walks up to it with the same confidence she did to their hotel. Kagome runs to walk beside her, craning her neck to look up at the tall building on the other side of the street.

It's only as she steps onto the street to cross it and notices halfway through that Carol does not walk beside her. She twists around, hair whipping behind her as she looks back. Carol still stands on the sidewalk, looking over her shoulder, half her body turned away.

"Carol?" she calls for her, dread polling into her belly. "What's wrong?" Carol turns, blinking at her and pursing her lips. Kagome turns to face completely. "Carol?"

"I didn't want to say goodbye," the other says. Kagome gulps, stricken by her sudden confession, and tries to ignore the voice in her head that says — i told you i told you i told you. "Not so soon."

"Then don't," she says back, somewhat trembly, daring to take a step forward. "Don't say goodbye at all."

Carol's eyes gloss over and she shakes her head, lips pursing even more. "You need to go," she tilts her head to the side, warm brown eyes turning hard. "Go inside that building," she points at the one Kagome had been looking at, on the corner. The red light turns green for the cars, but Kagome stands her ground despite the angry horns.

"I could run," she braves on, shrugging. "If—If you go, it wouldn't matter that you brought me all the way here. I could just leave. If you leave—" her voice hitches and there's a soft hiccup that escapes before she sets her jaw and continues, heavy frown contrasting with the vulnerable look in her eyes. "Then I'll just— I shouldn't—I don't know you! I—You—Why?!"

"They're here," if she wasn't scared before, she's terrified now. "You need to go, now." Carol fixes her stance, still half turned towards her, eyes still fixed on her. "And you—you need to learn. This place — this is where you can start," her fists light up as she turns away from her. Her stance is one Kagome doesn't remember seeing but recognizes all the same. Carol is ready to fight, muscles coiled and ready to strike. Kagome refuses to listen to her, running out of the middle of the street and standing beside her, eyes searching for threats as the cars pass with long irritated horns sounding behind them before the light turns red once more.

Carol pushes her away, her voice forceful. "Kagome, no!" Her voice is haunting, her eyes are knowing. "So much depends on you, so many lives depend on you entering that building," the word comes out like a heavyweight setting her shoulder. Kagome snatches her eyes away, looking at the now ominous place. "There, you'll learn. It's a sanctuary for people like you— with weird magic and all these weird things," Kagome shakes her head in denial, wide eyes begging Carol to stop. Her friend shakes her own head in response. "No, no, see? You'll find your own path. It'll take time but you'll see! You must, do you hear me? You must—" she emphasizes, desperate. "You must learn. And I—" She hesitates, mouth open.

"You won't leave me alone," Kagome hisses back. You can't! "Who are they? We can fight. Together!"

"You—" she takes a step away, looks back at the crowd with a frown. Kagome follows to look at the same point. Being so tall is strange, but gives a clear way for her to see the men and women in black clothing a good distance away from them, cutting through the crowd and heading directly towards them. Her eyes clash with one of them, and his glare fuels rage inside of her. She recognizes some of them as the ones who grabbed her from her little cardboard bed on that fateful day.

I. Won't. Go. Back.

She bares her teeth at them, curling her hands into shaking fists.

I won't go back.

She swallows any lingering past fear their weapons — she remembers the corrupted energy, how it polluted her, broke her — bring back.

Iwon'tgobackIwon'tgobackIwon'tgoback—

Carol makes a sound, frustration clear as she grabs Kagome's shoulders. She pushes until Kagome's back is facing the building. The men are closing in on them, she can see them behind Carol's shoulders. "Kagome," her friend shakes her, grabbing her attention. She licks her lips, eyes frantic as she searches her face for something. "We don't have time," she whispers furiously. Kagome grabs her arms, hands fisting into the leather of her jacket.

"I don't care," she shakes her head, a hopeless smile playing on her lips. "I won't leave you—" please don't leave me, "We can make time!"

Carol stops. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. The crowd closes in on them, the light turns green behind them. Cars speed past as people stop, forming a barrier between them and the approaching men. Kagome senses it before she sees it; Carol's power flaring up the world around them, tendrils of energy curling softly around them as she opens gold blazing eyes. She feels herself letting go of the woman's arms, barely takes a step back when Carol half turns. One fist is pointed at the threats not five feet away, pushing people out of their way to reach them.

"Kagome," Her other fist is pointed at her chest. Blue eyes rise to meet desperate brown. "You need to help us. Our future depends on you." Carol blasts the man away with a resounding boom. Kagome doesn't get to see what happens next, blasted all the way across the street and directly through the sanctuary's door. She feels the wood giving in to the terrifying force pushing her.

She clashes into a staircase. Wood pieces and broken stone pierce into her back and her shoulder feels weird as debris flies away. Kagome gasps silently, coughs and tries to breathe through the pain in her ribcage and back, but the dust makes her rack up even more. The dusty air cuts into her airways as she tries to find grip on the broken pieces of wood and stone behind her. Her head is spinning, her vision filled with black dots. She doesn't know what way is up or down, or where she is anymore. All she can think about is Carol's blazing fist pointed at her chest, betrayal, and confusion making the blood pooling in her mouth taste bitter.

A strong light comes from ahead of her, along with screams and explosions, pulling her barely conscious mind to attention. She barely sees Carol's blazing body light up the street before someone steps in front of her, blocking the view to the street through the hole she broke through the door. Cold eyes stare down at her, assessing. A small woman with black hair tied into a severe side fishtail braid, strange black clothes, and a staff, stands between her and her friend.

The woman snaps the bottom of the staff onto the ground and a runic circle lights up on the dirty floor, breaking away into fiery energy runic lines traveling behind the woman towards the arch of the door and ahead of her, behind Kagome, fixing everything they came to pass. The door and staircase return to their pristine stage, Kagome's body rising up with the fixed steps just as the door closes with a resounding boom.

Now, the woman stands between her and her freedom.

Questions blind her, fear overcomes all else. Kagome tries crawling away from the woman. She's forced to stop with a breathless gasp, the pain too much to bear. She weeps, brokenly, dryly. Her vision is a mess of colors and visions, voices haunt her, scream at her. Power fizzles at her fingertips, pink and bright. It crackles in the air, breaking the stairs under her once more. Her energy fills the air around her, making it heavy as the broken pieces rise and circle around her.

Kagome forces herself to crawl up the steps, ignoring the way the woman patiently accompanies her onto to the second floor. Tears trickle down her cheeks freely, and she sobs pathetically on the floor, heaving for breath. Her body isn't healing, she thinks distantly. Her fingers are bleeding from the effort it took to crawl, her wrists feel like they would snap at any moment. Her knees are on fire and her back feels like it is completely broken. Kagome's head is heavy, her vision failing her.

It hurts to breathe.

Only four feet into the second floor, Kagome collapses. Her breathing sounds wrong, and she thinks she's going to drown in her tears when her face hits the floor and she tilts her head to the side to watch the mysterious woman. Salty tears and blood mix well on the tongue, her probably concussed mind takes note.

The woman tilts her head at her, leaning on her staff and watching her like she's nothing but an interesting object at a fair. Kagome blinks once, twice, then not at all.

•••

Anomaly. There was an anomaly in her Sanctum.

Tina blinked owlishly at the fallen young woman, calm despite the blood spilling out of her mouth and wounds and bruises darkening her skin. Pursing her lips, Tina looked down the staircase and towards the great front door. The sounds of the panicked crowd still resounded out in the streets. Sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. Thankfully, her disciples were already out dealing with whatever had caused such disturbance.

The Outer Worldly One had visited far too early.

Carol Denvers visited Earth once more and did it much earlier than the Ancient One ever warned them. Too early, Tina wondered, stepping over the anomaly's body and towards the front door.

"Master Minoru!" said woman stopped her descent, the slight tilt of her head the only sign of her paying attention. "What should we do with the intruder?" there's a touch of poison in the disciple's voice, and she can hear the agreement amongst his fellows. The anomaly destroyed the entrance to their Sanctum and she was shrouded in strange energy. They saw the girl as a threat.

Tina turned, putting her weight on one foot and staring up the staircase, following the blood trail until the second floor. A few of her students were kneeled by the girl, some standing a few ways away with closed expression and crossed arms, sneers and narrowed eyes.

Unsure herself, Tine hesitated. As the master of the Sanctum, they would — they were obligated to — obey her at all costs, but she could not simply give in to her curiosity for this strange being. They were her responsibility, given and consented by the Ancient One herself.

"…" despite all that, the Ancient One saw what no other could. She guarded time, she saw beyond it. There was nothing quite hidden from her and, mayhap, this was a test. Once more, she turned her eyes to the dangling feet of the unconscious young woman halfway into the second floor. Tina blinked, a small smirk forming on thin lips before she gave her orders. "Take her to the infirmary. Make sure she won't leave, and that she's alive when I come back."

The entrance hall echoed with their acquiescence, and Tina didn't stay long enough to see them take away the girl. The doors of the Hong Kong Sanctum were opened in haste by one disciple pantingly waiting by the door. She stepped out into the street with sharp eyes already looking for trouble. Chaos reigned, and a dome shone dully around the premise of the Mystic Arts' base. Five of her students stop on the edges of the dome on the sidewalk of their building. Hands thrown before them, runic circles shone brightly orange as they kept the shield up.

Mortals ran in panic around them, never stepping close to their base, kept away by their spells. Tina perused the frantic crowd, finding the eye of the hurricane in the incredible force of nature that was Carol Danvers casually destroying their surroundings as she fought with enhanced humans.

The Mystic Arts' master narrowed her eyes at the suited men and women attacking Danvers. Their semblance and unnatural musculature, as well as their deranged expressions didn't bode well at all. She twirled her staff at the sudden nervous energy rising from her belly. Her palms were sweaty but her grip and skill were sure, and the magic staff twirled in a perfect circle before she slammed one end of it on the ground. Her voice boomed, severe "Report!"

"Master, it appears that both women have significant amounts of energy, and the one who remained behind was trying to save the other from these…monstrosities," so they were smart enough to notice the clear inhuman aspect in the altered humans attempting to battle Carol Denvers. Good. "The blonde one blasted the girl into the Sanctum, but she had seemed to already be heading directly there. We don't know exactly why. Or how they found us."

She nodded, eyes moving away from the brutal fighting and towards the debris and destruction. "Casualties?"

"None," the answer was absolute. "We made sure of it, in the most discreet way possible, and have been guiding them away from the path of destruction through spells.." Tina turned to face the training Master with an approving smile, allowing warmth to pool in her eyes for a brief moment as she met his gaze.

"Well done, Mu." The young disciple nods and bows respectfully before returning to his designed position in the spell circle. The runes flare brighter when his own spells join the others'. She looks around her disciples, seeing that each and every one of them were doing their job well enough before setting her sight on the fighting woman once more. She shone like a star. The amount of energy she emitted was breathtaking. It humbled her somewhat, to be reminded that there were being of such great amount of power in the vast universe.

Shaking away such daydreams, Tina flexed her fingers before stepping forward. Soon she was running head-on into battle, intercepting one flying blue shot of energy with a glowing runic shield from hitting Denvers' back. With one quickly formed energy whip around a neck, a slight alteration to the energy runes and the whip cuts the not-quite-human's head clean off. The body barely falls on the ground before she turns, sweeping her staff low and knocking another off their feet. A quick hit to the head, a spell that severed their brains and they are down.

It took less than five minutes for them to deal with the onslaught of not-humans attacking. Twenty of them, all armed with Chitauri-esque weapons and most probably genetically altered in some kind of form. Tina stopped, wary stance never relaxing as she perused the fallen bodies. In the distance, she could see the authorities looking at them warily. Or, more precisely, at the woman on her back. Tine's presence was most likely hidden by her comrades.

"Help her," came from behind her. Tina turned, straightening her back to face the infamous Captain Marvel, who had somehow survived absorbing energy from one of the Infinity Stones.

Mystic Arts Master Tina Mamoru, Master Sorcerer of the Hong Kong Sanctum, met the heavy gaze of one Carol Denvers. Barely a blink passed, her mouth had just opened to ask questions when a white, black and red suit covered the red, blue and gold of the alien hybrid's. Tina's eyes widened, gaping as a helmet covered the blonde woman's head and she blinked out of existence.

•••

"Well, that sounds unfortunate."

"Unfo—unfortunate?!" watching Karl Mordo get particularly bothered by things taken too lightly had always been entertaining. A pity, truly, that Tina couldn't feel the particular joy she always did when the closest and most devout Sorcerer to the Ancient One reacted to the newest threat to Earth. "One of the most powerful beings to ever grace Earth has brought us an anomaly that not even the Ancient One can sense!"

"I still cannot, you know," the bald woman added, looking thoughtfully at the sleeping young woman laid on the infirmary bed. "It's like she flows right out of time…not even the Eye can see her. I'm blind to her."

"She must be dealt with—"

Tina frowned heavily at the older man, taking a step closer to the young woman and laying a hand on top of her pale one. "Don't say such things, Karl Mordo," she started, meeting the eyes of each of the sorcerers reunited in the room. "Carol Denvers brought this woman to our attention when Denvers should've never even known of our existence. We cannot just deal with her without having our answers."

A snort and a humorless chuckle come from the far side of the infirmary, where Kaecilius stood by the window, looking out on the street with a bitter smile. "As always, we are always so eager to destroy a life that we know nothing of."

"She's a threat."

Kaecilius turned to stare coldly at Karl Mordo. "She's a child."

This time, it was Sol Rama, the oldest among them other than the Ancient One, and Master of the London Sanctum, who snorted. "She's a young lady, but a child she most surely isn't," he sighed quietly, looking at the girl's tired face and thin body. Her cheekbones were quite pronounced, her skin sickly and the dark circles beneath her eyes were ghastly. Tina remembered the extension of her injuries and malnutrition, and cringed slightly, moving her gaze away.

"She has suffered greatly, yes, despite her quick recovery," the Ancient One agreed softly. Tina looked over the girl's body, no longer as broken as it had been when Carol Denvers' power wrecked her and the Sanctum's wards fought with her own immense powers. It made her shudder, just to think that such ancient wards against foreign and unknown entities were merely stepping stones that were soon overcome, so easily, by this mere slip of a girl. "And the power her body holds within is quite…" her lips twitched like she found something profoundly amusing. "Wild. Untouched. Unrestrained."

"Dangerous," Daniel Drumm added. He had his arms crossed, stance firm behind the Ancient One as he watched the unconscious young woman. The Master of the New York Sanctum had always been grave, curt and direct to the point. Tina quite enjoyed him. "If left unchecked, she could hurt herself…and others."

Tina nodded, as did Sol Rama. Karl remained with a firm scowl aimed at the sleeping young woman while Kaecilius simply looked away. Tina wondered what the newest one in the Ancient One's inner circle thought of their discussions. It was the first time he was brought into such big reunions. Said Ancient One tilted her head to the side, one hand rising to hold her chin in thought before speaking. "So you propose we should welcome her into our ranks?" Karl Mordo gasped in clear outrage, Kaecilius turned to face them, one eyebrow raised while Tina couldn't hold back the snort. "Oh, you find this amusing, Master Minoru?" Tina snapped to seriousness once more, but at the tranquility in the Sorceress Supreme's eyes, she calmed. Inclining her head, Tina brought forward her thoughts with careful words.

"While what Master Mordo says stands true," the sorcerer in question crossed his arms, eyes burning into her figure. Tina ignored him in favor of their leader. "Masters Kaecilius and Drumm also see reason. She is young, and clearly lost," at this, she turned to face the sleeping female once more. "While Danvers is a force to reckon and we are right to be wary," she turned, facing the group, meeting each pair of eyes. "She is also a protector of our home, of our planet. And she brought this young, lost and hurt soul to us," she gestured at the sleeping woman. "To turn her away…" her eyes softened, returning to their silent vigil of the young one. "Would be to forgone the very lessons you taught us as Masters of the Mystic Arts."

They all took their time to listen, remaining in silence when she ended her speech. She could see each of them had truly listened to her words, considering the meaning behind them. They all had been lost, hurt when the Ancient One found and helped them stand on their own feet again. Each of them was here because of the woman. Their power and independence; they owed her for giving them a chance to have it.

"Well spoken, Master Minoru." the Ancient grinned at her, a soft look in her face that Tina answered in kind. The Sorcerer Supreme turned to look at the lot of them, a solemn look falling over her visage. They straightened, those who were farther walked closer. She waited patiently for each of them to stand at attention before making her decision known. "The Anomaly shall remain here, in the Hong Kong Sanctum," not as surprising as Karl made it look with his thunderous frown. "I'll put a language spell on her, it'll facilitate future interactions." The Ancient One turned her head to look at Tina and she straightened to meet her solemn gaze. "You will help her, you will question and you will answer her." She took a step closer, reaching towards her hands and holding them tightly. "Guide her," her face fell into something harder, colder. "Assess her."

Tina nodded in acquiescence, accepting her mission.

•••

She is awake, Tina thought numbly when the powerful energy spiked, sending waves and waves of its peculiar energy throughout the Sanctum. She is like a supernova, Tina blinked, breathless for a moment at the sheer intensity of the power crashing like raging waves against her senses. How could she hold so much? How could she siphon so much power through her body?

Where does it come from?

The Master turned on her heel, snapping the Book of Chains closed and waving her hand into a simple spell to make it lock itself into its place. Other sorcerers looked around in wonder and anxiety. Frowns lined up the faces of almost everyone she passed until reaching the infirmary. The Sanctum itself and all the magic items it held hummed in pleasure and curiosity, awaken and hungry for more. The building pulsed, clashing spiritual forces mixing as well as water and oil.

("Be careful," the Sorcerer Supreme warned. "I cannot see her, I cannot see the dangers you will face.")

The Infirmary was emptied just for the girl. The patients themselves wouldn't trust a stranger with unknown and uncontrolled powers to remain in their presence. Somehow, the door seemed awfully intimidating. Breathing was hard so close to the source of such uncontrollable energy.

Source.

Tina's eyes widened. Her heart stopped before fluttering into a frenzied rhythm. Might it be that the girl herself was the source of the unique energy…?

No, she shook her head. All beings harnessed energy from something or somewhere into power. Even Carol Denvers used the Space Stone's power through her body. This mere girl couldn't be breaking the laws of the multi-verse. Gritting her teeth, Tina straightened her back, aware of the sorcerers at her back watching and judging her from behind. This would be just one more challenge she'd face in her position of leadership, one more test to her powers and abilities. She walked resolutely towards the door, hand falling on the door handle, turning it and pushing it open.

Sunlight cut into the room. The high ceiling and big industrial windows allowing plenty of light to pour in. Everything was painted golden, the white sheets of the dozens of medical beds lining up the walls tinted yellow with the sun. On the wall facing the windows, six beds away from the entrance, the sole occupant of the room was sitting on the bedding.

With her head facing down, looking at her raised hands, she hid her expressions from onlookers. Only the slight quick moving of her shoulders and the trembling of her hands were telling of her feelings. Tina pursed her lips, walking into the room, one finger drawing a small runic circle activating the privacy barrier and closing off the room to all others. The door closed silently behind her, and the young woman finally looked up from the inspection of her hands to find Tina slowly moving towards her.

The girl was quick to scramble out of bed, on the side opposite to where Tina was. Her head moved around, eyes searching for a way out before settling on the big industrial windows. She ran, crossing the corridor of beds and slamming on the window, searching for a latch. Tina walked calmly towards the frantic girl, reaching her and stopping at the foot of the closest bed.

She turned to face her, clear blue eyes blazing with defiance as that same pink energy crackled from her fingers up her arms. She crouched low, eyes swirling a vivid lilac. The pressing force of her untamed powers made it harder to breathe, and Tina was already heaving hard.

Still, she pressed forward.

"You are in one of the three bases of the Masters of the Mystic Arts," she started, watching closely to the girl. "You were thrown into my Sanctum," she moved her own arms, runic circles adorning her arms and fists before she slammed both fists together, a shield taking form around her and protecting her from the sheer strength of the girl's unrefined use of power. The girl yelped, energy dissipated into its previous chaotic but asleep state. Her eyes widened in fear, light blue reflecting the fiery runes of the Mystic Arts. "We took you in, healed your wounds, gave you shelter," she stopped at arm's length of the girl, careful to not get too close. If the girl focused on her, she could very well break the shield. "And here you pay us back with unrestricted use of energy, threatening to suffocate my disciples and brothers and sisters-in-arms with your unchecked power," she raised an eyebrow, hoping that the girl was too surprised to notice the strain in her voice, the sweat on her brow, the slight shaking of her fingers.

Too much. Too much power.

Her face hardened, eyes cold as she ordered, "restrain yourself!"

And the suffocating energy was gone.

The girl heaved for breath, falling to her knees and crawling back to the wall. She watched her with wide eyes, confused and lost. The fair hairs of her eyebrows were scrunched up together, her black hair a mess. Her lower lip wobbled pitifully, tears gathering in her eyes, wetting long and fair lashes. Her tall body was gangly and awkward, pushed close to the wall, curled into a fetal position. She grasped desperately at herself, shaking her head and trembling like a leaf.

Finally safe from the onslaught of power, Tina allowed the shield to fall and her face to soften. The girl only whimpered lowly at the sight of the fiery runes dissipating in small light particles. Tina kneeled slowly, careful to not spook her anymore she already had. She sat on the ground with her legs crossed and hands on clear view on top of her knees, directly in front of her, and waited.

The light coming from the windows intensified and moved in the room, the day bloomed into life as time passed. Like the day, the girl took her time, slowly uncoiling and relaxing as much as she could, watching her warily. Finally, nearly an hour later, she asked, "where is Carol?"

Tina smiled, "The Outer Worldly One has come and gone," she tilted her head. "I believe you were her mission here, this time?" Confusion clouded her delicate features before she nodded, hurt blooming in her eyes.

"She—she told me she came from—from—" she closes her eyes, one hand coming to massage her head.

"Another planet?" she prodded carefully, leaning closer in curiosity.

The girl shook her head, frowning. "No—no. From—from…" she opens her eyes, face contorting before meeting her gaze. "She said she came from the future," her electric blue eyes met her brown ones, a solemn look making the girl look awfully ominous. "That she needed to help me reach a—a sanctuary…" she looked down, face twisting in distress. "She—she blew me away. She—she said that I…that that place was—" she hesitated, words getting stuck in her throat as she spoke. It was clear she was holding herself back, trying to stop herself from crying. Tina put her hand on her shoulder, slowly, and the girl snapped her face up to look at her with wide eyes. Tina smiled softly at her, encouraging. The girl spoke softly, voice haunting. "Carol—she told me I had to learn there, in the sanctuary, so I…" she gulped, and Tina couldn't stop herself from shivering slightly at the look in her eyes. "So I could help save her… so I could help her to save our future."

Tina's smile fell.

•••

Summer rains were always bothersome, Tina never enjoyed them.

("My name is Kagome Higurashi.")

It was quite chilly and pleasant as the rainwater fell, but, afterward, it was humid and hot and just overall disgusting.

("Carol Denvers saved me.")

Maybe she should see with the Ancient One if she could take any away mission for the next Summer. She hated to spend it in Hong Kong.

("She told me my future self sent her to me.")

Thunder roared outside, the strong wind sending the raindrops to hit the glass like stones. The storm raged over the city.

("She told me I need to learn, but didn't tell me what. Or why.")

It was an unnatural storm.

("Only that…Only that lives depend on it. Many lives.")

Tina breathed out, breathed in.

("She told me I'd find help here.")

One sorcerer approached her, reporting calmly. "The altered humans who were killed and taken in by the authorities mysteriously disappeared. Agents all over the city, from two different groups, continue their search for her."

"Is there any chance for them to have access to us?" Is there any connection to the Mystic Arts or any other magiks?

She saw Mu shaking his head softly, clasping his hands in front of him. "No, they have advanced technology, but no access to our base, or ways to counteract our spells and defenses."

Tina breathed out, relaxing minutely. "Good," she answered, nodding in approval before returning to her silent vigil over the storm. "What about the girl?"

"She's been given a room, new clothes, and a meal. Her things were given clearance and put into her room. She's eaten and is now resting," he stopped, looked down. "She asked for you."

"Very well," Tina nodded, during her lips and straightening her back. "You may return to your duties."

"Yes, master," he bowed respectfully before turning away. She watched him go before heading towards the girl's — Kagome — room.

•••

Tina walked into the room assigned to the Anomaly, finding her sitting on the bed. Her posture was wrong, slouched. Her eyes were glued to her hands, resting on her knees, palms up. Her blue eyes were electric, a bright blue that hypnotized. Now, those eyes were aimed at her with caution. She stood when Tina closed the door behind her, slouch slowly disappearing, giving way to a hit-and-run posture Tina was quite used to.

Tina lowered her head, hiding her smirk by turning her head away from her as she moved closer to the single industrial window in the room. She was surprised to find the girl there and the window still intact, and she told her so, "you're still here, I see." She heard the girl shift behind her.

"I still don't know why Carol brought me to you," neither do I, she thought, a sardonic smile on her lips. "And she—she's not here, but those people haven't bothered us at all so…" So she was smart enough to join a few pieces of the puzzle.

"So you stayed put, where you know you're safe."

The girl looked at her with blank eyes, "safer than the last place I've been taken to, yes."

"And where was that?" Tina put one hand over the old dresser pushed under the window, palm sliding over its surface. The girl remained quiet. "I suppose those agents Denvers fought off are connected to such a place."

"Did you see her?" The girl scrambled off her bed, voice pleading and one hand pulling at one of Tina's sleeves. "Is she alright?" Her eyes were big, a strange shape that came from her mixed heritage, she supposed. Her eye and face shape and coloring were features that were clearly a strange mix of Asian and European. They marked the girl as being of mixed heritage. Her name was a given too, but those were easily changed.

She turned around, staring up at the girl. Despite the girl's towering height over her, the thinness of her limbs and vulnerability in her features made her look younger. Tina softened her eyes, one hand coming to rest on one bony shoulder. "I fought alongside her," she smiled to reassure her. The worry in her eyes shone brightly. "And we won; together." Her eyes roamed over Tina's body, assessing her. "We did it with no harm coming to us," she narrowed her eyes, looking away and biting on her lower lip. "At least, none that I know of…"

She could feel the gasp leaving the girl's lips as if on her own. The hand still holding her sleeve clenched tightly. Tina saw the slight shiver that wrecked her body. "What…what do you mean?" her voice turned soft, fearful. Guilt, weak and human, took root into her chest at the look on the girl's face. She looked like she was about to fall off her hinges. Tina, of course, set that feeling aside. It was her duty to make her trust them and take as much information as she could. She had to protect the planet, had to protect humanity; sometimes, that duty demanded more of her than it should.

"She was gone," and the girl fell on her knees, a sob escaping her mouth before she covered her pitiful wailing with her free hand. "Before I could reach her, she just…" Her other hand that still grasped tightly to Tina's sleeve let her go as if she was burning. Her shoulders shook as she cried desperately, both hands clawing at her mouth before she curled into herself until her forehead touched the ground. She fell into misery, assuming the worst.

Tina did not correct any of her assumptions.

"But," the weeping ceased at once as the girl snapped her daringly hopeful eyes back at her. "Her last words—" her lips wobbled open into a silent wail, eyes closed as she shook her head. Whispered 'no's were repeated lowly, over and over and over while Tina spoke. "Her last request…" she looked down on her, at the stillness that took over the girl's being. Master Minoru's shadow engulfed the girl's vulnerable self, wrapping her into its shade as she stared down at her with calculating eyes. "…was for me to help you."

The girl remained silent, body shaking occasionally as she looked down at the floor. Again, she stared at the palms of her trembling hands. Tina waited with bated breath, eyes roaming over the young woman's quiet form. Finally, after what felt like hours had passed, her tiny, trembling, weak voice asked. "Will you?" Tina tilted her head, watching closely as she turned her resigned face upward, pleading.

It almost put a smile on her face.

She kneeled, falling to her level. The girl's blue eyes were bland, almost dead but not quite. She must've gone through so much, it hurt to even think about what had made her so…desolate. Why did Danvers leave her? She must've known how important she was to the girl. She must've known it'd hurt and break her more to leave her behind. Still, she was here, unknown, alone and lost. Tina would help her, and she would make sure she'd never become a threat to their world.

"Yes," she smiled. "I will do my very best to help you, Kagome."

•••

Waking up after she'd been left behind, again, is one of the most painful things Kagome has ever had to go through. All of her inside is hollow, her mind fills itself with nuisance to distract itself from the pain. Dust specks float weightlessly in the morning light pouring from her window, and she tries to count them. The traffic outside is silent but slowly picking up, and she tries to find a rhythm in it. The clothes laying on top of the dresser are black blue, like her hair and eyes. Her bed is good, but not as good as the Citiview's. The tears tracks on her cheeks make her face cold.

It's all nothing but a useless effort to try and forget the fact that she is alone in this apparent sanctuary. There's nothing saint about being told to wake up this early, the following day after waking up from heavy injuries, but Kagome doesn't complain.

She washes her face with the water in the small basin on her dresser, dries off with a small towel, and puts on her robes. She ties the blue sash clumsily. Sees the way the ensemble of top, undershirt, and pants are a mess even though they'd been perfectly smooth. She doesn't have the strength to even shrug it off, only looking down at the last piece of clothing left.

A hair band.

Kikyou's perfectly tied and traditional ponytail flashes through her mind, her likeness close to Kagome's own original body making her close her eyes and snarl. She twirls away from it, stomping towards the door and—

She stops.

There's one inch between her and the door, her hand grips the door handle so tightly she thinks she'll break it. Her jaw is so tightly clenched she thinks she's going to shatter it. Frustrated—she's completely, irrevocably, utterly frustrated. She wants to bash the entire room given to her, to tear these clothes from her body, to scream as loud as she can and destroy everything.

She's so angry.

Why? She asks for the thousandth time. Why me? Why again? Tears gather in her eyes, fucking again, despite her despising the feel of them. Carol saved her. Carol healed her. Carol befriended her. Carol…Carol—

Carol saved me, and then she left me.

Why must she, Kagome, always be left behind? Why is she the one who needs to always move on, alone? In pain? Why did she have to end up here? Stranded in a place not her own, alone, isolated. Why can't she find a moment of respite?

Where's her peace?

I want to go home, resurges in her mind. The wish resounds in her mind, echoes in the dark corners of the lonely room. It flows in her blood, tunes itself to the beating drum of her heart. Her soul sings for her home, for her family.

She wants this suffering to end.

I shouldn't cry, she thinks furiously to herself, dragging her forearm over her eyes. I've cried enough already, and she breathes in deeply, throwing her head back and closing her eyes, willing the tears and sorrow away.

Carol said she could save people. She said people needed her in the future. Kagome has no purpose in this world, she has no identity. She is nothing. Carol left something behind for her; a will, a duty. Kagome had never been one to run away from duty.

So she takes a deep breath, dries her tears and opens the door. She steps out ready to face the world; like she always did, like she always does.

•••

The first lesson was always the best lesson. Passed down to her, directly from the Ancient One herself, and then to her own students; Tina had always had a deep sense of satisfaction at repeating the same old words that explained the workings of the Mystic Arts. While her newest student seemed not even a bit excited or impressed, sitting in front of her in a slouch, Tina was excited to see how she'd react.

"The language of the Mystic Arts…" she started, her speech an almost perfect mimic of the Ancient One's own accent. Kagome blinked slowly, mouthing 'mystic arts' with a raised eyebrow. "…is as old as civilization." Tina allowed a smirk to grow on her lips as she tilted her head slightly to the side, raising one hand with its palm open. "The sorcerers of old called the use of this language 'spells'." And from her palm bloomed a runic circle, a simple skeleton of what could be a spell but is a mere control exercise.

The girl drew in a sharp breath and Tina dared to raise her eyes up from her palm between them to access her reaction. Wonder, and it made her smile softly. She could easily remember the wonderment of her own first lesson. The first wonderful brilliant strings of flame that shaped the universe in ways she thought impossible. The challenge that had been to face and study for years to reach mastery, how it had been to overcome all conventions she had grown up with.

"These spells act as the keys to the workings of the universe," she closed her hand, dissipating the spell as she watched the girl slowly straighten her back. "Each rune, each line, can bind and shape reality as desired," she slapped her hands together, making the girl flinch and widen her eyes. "We harness energy," her hands glide against each other, one down and one up, conjuring a vertical runic string of fiery energy in the air. Pointer finger against thumb in each hand, she moves them in circular motions in opposite directions. The line became two circles, strings of energy crossing all over it.

The wonder in the girl's eyes grew. "Drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse," the girl's eyes widen enough she was afraid they'd roll out her eye sockets. When Tina's hands were parallel to each other, each having switched their initial positions, she snapped them to the sides of the circle. Bind, she thought. A square appeared around the magic circles already formed, limiting them. The snap of her fingers made the girl flinch away, "to cast spells," more lines filled the second inner circles as the square rotated, forming an eight-pointed star that grew spinning with infinite fractals inside it. Chain the soul, she thought. "To conjure shields, weapons, portals, chains…" Tina took a moment to look away from the girl, to wonder once more at the impossible thing she had taken years of practice to become so proficient at. She held the secret of infinity, as did all of the Mystic Arts users. Keep her awake, she whispered in her mind, making the spell shine brighter. "To make—" she snapped her eyes back to the girl, watching as her image, overlaid by the spell circle, was illuminated in the fiery glow of—"magic."

And she pushed the spell towards her.

The girl closed her eyes, cringing away and raising her arms as the intricate binding spell sunk into her skin. Tina was quick, one hand gripping the crown of her head as the girl's power awakened from within. Desperate, Tina put her other hand in position, thumb pressing to the middle of the girl's forehead.

"Open your eye!"

•••

Sound was sucked into a void along with all colors and sensations. She drifted, unbound by gravity. Her humanly body disappeared, her mind expanding beyond the supple flesh of her human shell. For a moment, Kagome saw beyond the void, understood what laid beyond it. It felt welcoming, numbing the pain that still haunted her in the recesses of her spirit. She felt as she finally reached answers to her own mysteries, the secrets that made her who she was became unveiled and then—

She was hurled into the sun. The void was torn open and she was flying into its fiery depths. She screamed as the heat engulfed her, searing, unbearable. Her body dissembled into ashes, scattered across space and reformed, pulled together by the terrifying strength of a black hole.

("Something is wrong, she—I'm losing her. I'm losing her!")

Sight was a concept beyond her eyes, she visualized everything. She could see where before she was blind, her mind perceived things that were—

("Kagome, come back! Come back!")

Impossible, she thought, staring while her human body assembled from its ashes. Her pale skin shone from within with a pink glow that she was familiar with. The flow of space-time halted, wrenching itself away from her. Pink energy sparkled across her astral body, illuminating the darkness. She looked around with wild eyes. Supernovas surrounded her, cosmic dust twirling around her giant self. She stood gigantic, dwarfing even the biggest of galaxies. She saw far into the universe from her point of view, seeing beyond the horizon of it, what laid at its end, where it was birthed and where it would die.

She reached towards a cluster of stars, body once more dissipating, this time, into energy. Suddenly, she was somewhere, sometime, where there were no stars, no galaxies. Only never-ending tridimensional formations of light that floated lazily with pulsing power.

She fell into herself, glided through fields of dark hair that became strands of tightly knitted energy, glowing ominous red as they opened. Red spider lilies blossomed from the fiery trails left behind by comets, and Kagome burst forth from one of them, falling down its soft petals and into the pits of dark matter.

Colors exploded around her, painting the pink of her soul with green, yellow, orange, purple, red, blue, indigo…The darkness swelled into a prism, reflecting light that coalesced into crystals. Gems glinted prettily in the white expanse of space. They were pulled towards her, each gem encrusting themselves into her body until she was engulfed by them. She shattered with a choked scream, opening her eyes to see a tree made out of celestial golden energy, its branches leading upwards to other worlds. Fantastical worlds with thousands of lives. Their souls shone brightly until they formed a sky filled with distant dying stars.

Something pulled at her, pulled her away for transcending into a higher form. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to go back. No, her way home remained lost in the vast multiverse laid before her. She tried to wrench herself away from the pulling of her being, hand desperately reaching towards the infinite when—

A butterfly.

Bright, cheerful. It beat its wings softly. Kagome looked down, seeing a blue planet she vaguely recalled as hers. The bright orange of the butterfly snatched her attention once more, calling softly to her. One hand extended towards it, fingers reaching towards the earthly being. When the tip of her finger barely grazed against it, with a flutter of wings, it transformed.

It took form of a man. His back was turned towards the blue planet. Earth engulfed his whole self as he looked up at her with a confused frown. He had a long and sharp face, his pale skin looked clammy and sweaty. He looked tired, defeated, but still, a brilliant light shone in his blue eyes.

Blue like the summer sky, she thought distantly, remembering, suddenly, what summer felt like. His clothes were blue too. Blue shirt, bluer flannel jacket, and light brown pants. He looked dirty, he looked confused and lost, and Kagome felt for him because...because she had once felt the same. What a mess, she thought, taking in his appearance, blinking for the first time after what felt like hours. She watched him, from the frown of his dark eyebrows to the slight wave of his long messy hair.

Behind him, she could suddenly see. It was beautiful; more beautiful than any star, supernova and celestial sights she had seen. Earth, with its vast blue expense and fluffy unending clouds, framing this strange mess of a man that was floating in space with her. Kagome breathed through chapped lips, blinked again when the slight itch of dry eyes finally registered through the fog of her senses. In and out, she felt her muscles clench and unclench. She felt cold, hunger.

She felt.

Kagome inhaled, something crisp and pure filling her lungs as her wide eyes watched the man's face tilt to the side, something terribly innocent and curious growing in him. His frown smoothed out, a strange light to his blue eyes as he gazed up at her. He had a terrible beard and terrible messy and dry hair that made an unbelievable smile form on her lips. Their hands were frozen, reaching towards each other. She could see he had hurt his, a cloth tied tightly across his palm.

I can help him, she remembered. Straining to grasp this man, this reminder of humanity engulfed by the planet they shared. In him, in his image, in his humanity; she found purpose again. She found herself.

I am Kagome, she thought, trying to grasp his hand, to pull him close. I am Kagome Higurashi, human, and priestess, and her duty was and would be always towards the good. She helped humanity. She helped others. She fought against the forces that threatened life.

Kagome could almost feel his skin against hers, and she strained herself to touch him. He did the same, twisting his tall body to try and find a way closer. His hand seemed so big, it looked like it could cover hers entirely. I do not belong to infinity, their hands touched, the softness of his skin surprising enough to make her gasp. Their eyes met once more. He opened his mouth, the baby blue of his eyes so beautiful and human it brought tears to her eyes.

"Who—" and then they were pulled apart, him up into the vastness of space and she down towards Earth.

•••

"WAKE UP!" Tina screamed, shaking the girl's body. The healer shook her head, looking down in distress.

"She's gone, master," she closed the girl's wide open eyes with a soft touch. "There's nothing we can do." Tina shook her head, not believing her for a second.

Not wanting to believe.

Everything was fine, everything was fine. She had not the skill to push the girl directly into the multiverse, but she had pushed her through their universe. But the girl's power—her terrible terrible power—interveined, cut her hold over the girl's, burning through her binding spell like it was nothing. Just as her astral form had left Earth, all hold Tina had over her was fizzled out. The girl's own immense energy had blocked her out, had cut the line that let her guide her through the realms.

Kagome had been lost, and nothing they did could stop her heart from losing its rhythm. The girl died in her arms, body seizing and mouth gaping open in a silent scream before falling dead on the ground. The healer hadn't had time to arrive through a portal before the girl stopped breathing.

Not once in her life had Tina left a student to die this way.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she pulled the girl to her lap, head falling down so her their foreheads touched. Her shoulders shook as she mourned the loss of life. Around her, she knew the masters and students, all sorcerers and protectors of Earth, lowered their heads in respect. They mourned with her.

I have failed, she thought, drawing away from the girl with a delicate sob. She took a deep breath, looking down at the girl. The Anomaly.

Kagome, she thought to herself. Her name is Kagome.

Tina used her hand to move a few strands of hair from her face, smiling softly at her. "Rest in peace, child," her smile trembled. "I am so, so very sorry." I couldn't help you, she thought, blinking away the tears that rose up once more. I may have doomed us all.

But then, with a flutter of long lashes as light at the beat of a butterfly's wings, Kagome opened her blazing blue eyes. Gasps echoed around them, reverently watching as the girl breathed again. Tina watched with wide eyes as the girl defeated death, all on her own.

Breathless, Tina laughed lowly. Her hands scrambled to grasp the girl's face as she slowly pulled herself up. She turned her face to one side, then the other, her hands blazed with a scanning spell. Information poured into her mind, scrambled —coded— and making it nearly impossible for her to know if the girl was okay. Kagome grasped her wrists, gently pulling her hands away. Her wide eyes looked at her in a new light, clear of everything that had haunted her when they first met. "There are ways to other universes," her mouth moved again, but no sound came out of it. There was a fragile hope in her that Tina hadn't yet seen. "There are ways…" she breathed out, a beautiful smile blooming on her lips. "There are ways for me to go back home."

•••

A/N: gAsp who is that hobo stranger butterfly man?

I DIDN'T POST ON THE FRIDAY I WAS SUPPOSED TO BUT FUCK IT THIS CHAPTER DESERVED PROPER ATTENTION.

It was so fucking intimidating to describe Kagome's astral trip like wtf, have you seen the movie? It's such an indescribable thing to describe. It's so fucking visual. I still tried tho cause it's IMPORTANT. Did you guys like it? Any thoughts on it?

Tina is a complex character, somewhat. She's canon but she's not very fleshed out, even in the comics. I tried to use a lot of that heavy duty aspect of the Masters of the Mystic Arts as the main base for her character. Protecting the Realm and Earth and life is THE priority, and, as those who saw Endgame can tell (i did and yeet), they can be quite cruel as long as their mission is complete. It's tragic but necessary. Their responsibility asks them to forgo things that are important for the greater good, and sometimes, most of the times, the greater good demands sacrifices. It won't always be about who lives or who dies. It can be about manipulating the truth, manipulating someone into doing what they think necessary and all that. Yeah yeah, it's all very philosophical, and a study of moral and priorities and ethics and yada yada yada.

Kagome's astral trip: yep, her physical body died. It's a result of her powers. I had to cut a good chunk of this chapter cause it was getting too long and mixing up stuff. *sighs* oh the burden. Does someone have any theories? I appreciate theories.

Really tho. You guys are scary sometimes, anyone has any ideas what's this leading to? How does Butterfly man fit in? WHO IS BUTTERFLY MAN?

(yes i've seen endgame yehaw let's roll!11!1! everything is lining up as I FUCKING WANTED)

~mari