The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Mistake

Chapter 77 - The Mistake *Lack of Power for Wisdom* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Migotoyami laughed, utterly relieved, as she felt the barrier shift. The only woman who could have brought it down had just died. Sesshoumaru still lived, but that didn't matter. He could never enter the West again. She was safe.

The witch collected a bowl from her many shelves and set it on the center of the table. She hadn't cared to go through all the trouble of peeping before, but she was intrigued to see the woman who had been foolish enough to fall in love with the cold taiyoukai. She picked up a sharp blade and sliced her wrist, filling the ancient stone vessel with her blood. When she had enough, she licked her thumb and ran it along the wound, healing it instantly.

She picked up the bowl and swirled the dark red fluid around several times before setting it down before her. She began to chant and watched as an image began to appear just above the surface. It shimmered for a moment before clearing, showing the great Lord of the West on his knees. A few more uttered words and the picture shimmered again, clearing to show the half-breed holding the body of a woman.

Laughter rang out in her home, echoing off the high stone walls. "A human?" she asked aloud. "He tricked a human into loving him?"

She returned the focus to the taiyoukai, and she frowned. He seemed genuinely upset. Had she been wrong? Had he somehow fallen for this woman as well? A shiver ran down her spine. If he had truly loved her, then he would never let it go. Her death would only make him stronger, and he would hunt those responsible to the ends of the earth.

Yes, she was safe from Sesshoumaru directly, as he would never walk in the West again, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't figure things out eventually. He had all the time in the world to gain his revenge, and if he ever did figure out who had ordered the woman's death, she could expect nothing less than a tortured existence for all of eternity.

She could have found another way out of this, one without innocent bloodshed, if only she had taken the opportunity to gather all the information. If she had known that Sesshoumaru had actually fallen in love, she could have negotiated for her safety, for her forgiveness. For what she could have offered him, the taiyoukai would have happily pardoned her of her transgressions. Now, though, the girl was dead. She had made a terrible mistake that could never be undone.

Unwilling to watch more, the witch muttered a few final words and then brought the bowl to her lips, draining it of its contents. She licked the blood from her lips and sighed. She had to think of another way out of this because she didn't doubt Tsukiko would reveal her identity eventually.