InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What's In A Name? ❯ Confused Reunion ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: ::Finds letter in mailbox::

Dear Sessy-sama, please stop contacting us over the rights to InuYasha, you cannot have them.

::pouts::

::stares at AFF, rubs eyes and continues to stare:: 110 reviews for What's In A Name…for two chapters. That is 60 reviews for chp 2 alone…::proceeds to run up and hug all AFF people:: I love my other reviewers too, but can you beat 60 reviews for a chp? WIAN has more reviews than any of my other stories, on any site. Woohoo!

Well, onto the story…oh and since I have been asked a few times, there will not be any sex scenes. I don't write them, however there will be a fairly intimate scene later.

I give Kaede the suffix sama primarily because I am currently too lazy to go see if they says sama or baba. I will change later if it is wrong.

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InuYasha watched as Kagome laid out various items on the kitchen table. She was taking him back to the Sengoku Jidai the following morning and said she wanted to explain some things to him. InuYasha waited as she tried to think of anything else to show him. While she thought he took the opportunity to examine what she had brought.

The first thing to catch his eye was a bundle of red cloth that looked to be a folded hakama and haori. Beside it was a rather old and apparently highly used sword. The leather striping was torn and peeling from the hilt and the small piece of blade pulled out of the sheath looked scratched and cracked. How useful such a sword would be in combat he had no idea. He recognized it though, from the first day he woke up, Kagome had brought that and the third item for him to identify. The third item was a small jar containing a sliver of a lavender crystal; at least it looked like a crystal.

"I think this should do," Kagome said, pulling InuYasha from his study of the items. "InuYasha, do you recognize any of these?"

He hesitated a moment. "I know what they are, but I don't know what they are supposed to mean to me."

Kagome placed her hands on the red bundle and the sword hilt. "These are, your inheritance, you could say."

"Inheritance?" he asked quite confused. She had told him both his parents were dead, but she had never elaborated on it.

"This is what you normally wear," she said handing him the colored clothing. "It is made from the fur of the fire rat. It is extremely strong and resilient. It has saved yours, and my, life many times."

InuYasha ran his fingers over the smooth fur that made up the haori. It didn't feel like a fur really. It felt like normal cloth, but he supposed looks and feelings could be deceiving to him right now.

"And this," Kagome picked up the sword and removed it from the sheath as she spoke, "is Tessaiga."

"Tes…saiga?"

She nodded. "Tessaiga is a sword forged from one of your father's fangs. When wielded properly it has the ability to kill a hundred youkai in one stroke."

Suddenly, the clothes seemed less impressive. He carefully took the unsheathed blade from Kagome and examined it closer. It still looked like a rusted, battered sword about ready to break, yet it was capable of killing a hundred youkai in one swing? How? How could such a thing be possible?

"It is made from my father's fang?"

"Your father was said to be one of the most powerful youkai. He gave you Tessaiga in order to protect you."

"So, my father protects me even though he is dead? A pure youkai cared about a hanyou?"

InuYasha stopped at his own question. Why did it seem wrong for a youkai to care about a hanyou? Why did he feel there was something not right with being a hanyou? He barely even knew what a hanyou was when he woke up, yet some part of him was uneasy with the fact he was a hanyou.

"Youkai or human, both your parents cared about you. You never talked much about them, but from what I have learned of them, they seemed like very good people. Your father died before you were born, and your mother died when you were young."

"So I don't have any family."

"No, you do have one living relative, but you two don't get along well."

"Who is it?" This was the first time she mentioned anything about him having family and he was more than curious.

"You have an older half brother, Sesshoumaru. You two end up fighting whenever you see each other, though."

"Why?"

Kagome looked away. "Well, he doesn't like that you inherited Tessaiga. He wanted it but instead received Tenseiga."

"Tenseiga? Another sword, like mine?"

"Yes and no. Tenseiga was also forged from one of your father's fangs, but it is a sword of healing. It can even bring the dead back to life."

"And my brother is mad he got it?" InuYasha was rather confused again, he could use a healing sword about now. "Hey, you don't think he could put the past behind him and use this Tenseiga sword to try and heal me? Help me get my memory back?"

Kagome looked away again. "He would sooner kill you, I think. It would be best if we didn't run into Sesshoumaru until you are more used to everything."

"All that because of a sword?"

Kagome's fingers tapped against the tabletop. "It isn't completely about the sword. Sesshoumaru…he doesn't like the fact you are a hanyou. He thinks it taints your father's youkai blood."

He stared at the sword in his hands. Was that the reason for his unease? Did he somehow remember that? Did he remember that he was…hated…scorned…tormented? Why was he thinking that way? Was that the truth? Was that how he lived? Was that how everyone saw him…as some kind of half breed? How did he know those ideas…why remember those…no, not remember, he instinctively knew. Was he so hated that he could never forget it even when he knew nothing about himself?

"But then, your father didn't believe that. And maybe, one day, Sesshoumaru will understand too. He seems to be changing…slowly, very slowly, but he is different than when I first met him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he hates humans and everything about us, and when I first met him he would never even think of doing anything but killing any human who approached him. But now Rin-chan is with him."

"Rin-chan?" He knew Kagome didn't mean to say things he had no idea of, but it was slightly irritating having to ask something every time she spoke.

"Rin-chan is a human girl. We don't know how or why she is with Sesshoumaru, but she travels with him and he has even protected her. The Sesshoumaru I first met would never have done that."

InuYasha was getting a bit confused by everything. He had a brother that hated him and wanted his inheritance, but even though his brother says he hates humans he travels with a human girl. And for them to know all this they must have had a lot of contact with them, so did they just fight but never kill? Or did they try to kill but never succeeded? Or…what was the point of having a brother if they just wanted to kill each other? That was as bad as an enemy.

InuYasha set Tessaiga down and slowly massaged his right temple. His head always seemed to hurt when he was told too much at once.

"Are you alight?"

He nodded. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the pale purple crystal.

"We'll get to that in a minute. There is more you need to know about Tessaiga."

"More?"

"Yes, Tessaiga has a second function other than just protection. It also acts as a barrier against your youkai blood." After a confused look from him, Kagome continued. "When your life is in danger your youkai blood instinctively takes over so you can protect yourself. You transform from your current appearance to a stronger, more deadly one, such as your claws and fangs lengthen and you become more powerful. The problem with that is your hanyou body can't control your youkai blood. You forget yourself when you are in that form."

"I already have forgotten myself. I think I know what that feels like."

Kagome shook her head. "This is much different from what you are now. You lose your rational thought. You know only to kill your enemy, but once transformed you no longer are able to distinguish friend from foe. Everyone is your enemy, so you try and kill anyone that comes near you."

"Even you?"

Kagome looked to Tessaiga. "It is very dangerous if you transform. Tessaiga stops that from happening. So once we are in the Sengoku Jidai you must be sure that you have Tessaiga with you, especially if we are attacked. It will protect you somewhat even if you are unable to bring out its full power."

InuYasha's unease increased at Kagome's reaction. If there is one thing he did remember it was no answer is usually confirmation. He would even attack Kagome in that other form. Why did that scare him so much? She was his safety…that was probably why.

He reached out and picked up Tessaiga again. This rusted piece of metal was supposed to do all that and more. It seemed ridiculous almost, but Kagome was serious.

"I'll make sure to keep it with me."

"Good. Now, this," she said picking up the small jar, "is a shard of the Shikon no Tama."

"Shikon…what?"

"Shikon no Tama. It enhances ones power, whether human or youkai, and has amazing abilities. On accident I shattered it and all the shards scattered. Now the jewel is almost completely whole."

"Uh, Kagome-san? That is almost whole?"

Kagome lowered her head till her bangs shadowed her soft, brown eyes. "No, this is just one shard. We aren't the ones who have most of the jewel. In fact, there are only two shards not restored to the jewel, this one and another we have. The other one is hidden though, so even if we lose this one we don't lose the last."

"Hidden?"

She nodded, though she still didn't look at him. "It is hidden in a place where it can't be corrupted."

"A jewel can be corrupted? How?"

"The Shikon no Tama can strengthen power for good or evil. When it is tainted with blood and hatred it becomes corrupted and more powerful for those who want to use it for evil."

"So the person who has most of the jewel is evil?" InuYasha asked, figuring he saw where this was leading.

"Yes, he is a very evil youkai named Naraku. All of us have suffered because of him. Sango-chan's entire village was destroyed because of him. Miroku-sama has the Kazaana curse on his right hand, that if Naraku isn't killed, will one day swallow him. And you, Naraku killed someone very dear to you a long time ago. You are after him for revenge."

Kagome sounded very bitter when she talked about his reason…or at least he thought she did. Perhaps not bitter, there was also a sense of…guilt? Was that what he had heard? Why did she sound that way?

"Why do you go after Naraku?" he asked, thinking that perhaps their reasons were connected. They seemed connected in other ways, so maybe their reasons were similar.

Kagome hid her face even further from him. "He has done so many horrible things. Killed so many innocent people, and…and I gave him the power to do so."

InuYasha didn't understand so he just remained silent waiting for her to explain.

"If I hadn't shattered the jewel it would never have gotten into his possession in the first place and it is from the jewel that he has gained so much power." She hesitated a moment. "In the end, I'm responsible for everything that has happened. That makes it my responsibility to find the jewel and stop Naraku. I have to do that much."

"It's not your fault," InuYasha said comfortingly.

It was the oddest of feelings, but for some reason he had to reassure her before she started crying. He couldn't stand the thought of her crying, especially since she had cried so much already.

Kagome smiled weakly but didn't raise her head. "That is kind of you to say, but it doesn't help that you don't remember what happened. You don't know everything."

"Then tell me!" he yelled more fiercely than he meant to. He calmed his tone before speaking again. "When I don't understand you have to tell me. Please, don't just say I don't understand…tell me what I don't know. I don't like not knowing. So even if it's a long story, tell me. Please, Kagome-san."

Suddenly, the sound of faint laughter filled his canine ears, which immediately flattened in disapproval. What was so funny about him not understanding?

"It's not funny," he stated rather crossly and with a firm pout on his face.

Kagome finally looked up at him and on her lips graced a truly happy smile. "Gomen, InuYasha, it's just that I realized I actually missed you yelling at me. This is the first time you have, and it sounded wonderful to hear."

"You're happy I yelled at you?"

"Very much, actually. You see, you and I…we often got into fights. Usually about nothing important, but us yelling at each other was pretty common. Normally, I would end up giving in and forgiving you, so in the end they were wastes of time. But, I didn't realize how much I missed hearing you yell, until you just did. I think…I think that is the first time I really heard InuYasha in you."

InuYasha wasn't sure if he should be happy or annoyed. On one hand he was happy to know he was acting like himself, that was what he wanted; however, knowing that they fought so much made him confused at what their relationship was.

"Did we really fight all the time, Kagome-san?"

"Well, it wasn't like we got into a fight every five minutes. It's just that when we did fight, no one was surprised by it. But like I said, most were just a waste of time and we would get over it quickly enough."

"I guess that is a good thing then…that I yelled."

"I suppose so." Kagome's smile quickly faltered. "I forgot about that…I suppose I should explain that to you too."

"Explain what?"

Kagome leaned forward and pulled on the rosary necklace he wore. "The Kotodama rosary."

Now this InuYasha was interested in. Ever since he woke up the necklace had been on him and although he had quickly gotten used to it, he was intrigued as to why he wore it.

"I'm not sure how to completely explain this to you. You see, the Kotodama rosary…helps me keep you in line."

"Keep me in line?"

Kagome sighed and leaned back into her chair. "It is from we first met. When I first went to your time I was taken through the well by a youkai. She sensed the jewel in me and pulled me back into your time."

InuYasha interrupted her. "In you?"

"Yes, you see, the jewel originally was inside of my body. The youkai that dragged me back to your time was the one to remove it. Once in your time I saw you, only you were sealed to a tree at the time."

"I was sealed to a tree? Why was I sealed to a tree?"

"Well, you were originally after the jewel yourself, to become a full youkai. The miko protecting it ended up sealing you to protect the jewel." InuYasha thought he heard that tinge of guilt in her voice again.

"Wait, I thought you said the jewel was inside of you." InuYasha was getting confused.

"It was, but that is because I am the re-incarnation of the original miko who protected it. When she died the jewel was burned along with her body and when her soul was re-incarnated in me so was the jewel."

He shook his head. How confusing could this story get?

"Anyway, when I arrived in your time you had been sealed for fifty years."

"Fifty years! How old am I?"

Kagome bit her lower lip. "To be honest, I don't know exactly how old you are. I suppose you would be somewhere around your late sixties, maybe seventy. But you body is the same as when you were sealed."

InuYasha began rubbing his temples again. His head was really pounding now. He was sealed to a tree for fifty years, making him not only fifty years older than what he had thought, but also a bad guy. Good guys were not sealed to trees for fifty years. Was that why he had to be 'kept in line.' How was he supposed to be a 'good person' as Kagome's mother had said, how were his instincts supposed to want to help people, when he was nothing more than a greedy hanyou wanting more power? How was all that true?

"Do you want me to stop for now? We can finish this later if you want."

InuYasha shook his head. "No, just get it over with."

Kagome hesitated, her concern for him evident in her expression, but she finally continued. "You reacted to my power and were awakened, though still pinned to the tree, but when the youkai that had taken me came after the jewel once again, you told me you would kill it if I freed you. So I did."

"So I saved you," InuYasha said hopefully.

Kagome hesitated again. "You did, but then you came after me yourself to try and get the jewel.

"Oh." There went his hope.

"Kaede-sama used a spell to make you wear the rosary and after that if I say a certain word you will be…forced into submission."

Why didn't InuYasha like the sound of that? "And that is still necessary?"

"No. You would never hurt any of us now," Kagome said, blushing slightly. "But it has proved useful at other times. Sometimes you would try and go off even if you were too hurt and I would use it to stop you. Or you and Kouga-kun, he is a wolf youkai, you two get into stupid fights and I just say the word and it stops that. It has even stopped your transformation once. That's why I don't want to remove it. I know you won't try to hurt any of us, but if you transform it may be powerful enough to at least stall you."

He looked at her doubtfully. That sounded logical enough, and he didn't really have any other choice than to trust her decision, but there was one thing he wanted to know.

"Kagome-san, what does it do exactly?"

"Well, you fall to the floor, pulled by the necklace, very forcefully. The harsher I say the word the harder the spell pulls you."

InuYasha thought for a moment, but finally decided. "Say it, Kagome-san."

"What?"

"I don't just want to suddenly have something happen and not have any idea what is going on. If you say this word and it happens now at least I can be prepared and understand what is happening."

"InuYasha, are you sure about this?" He nodded and Kagome stood up. "The floor is softer in the other room. Let's go in there."

He followed, but was fairly sure he wasn't going to like this no matter what floor he fell onto. Kagome directed him to the center of the room away from the furniture and took a step back.

"Are you absolutely sure you want me to do this."

"Kagome-san. Say the word."

She closed her eyes and whispered in a barely audible voice, "Osuwari."

A faint glow appeared around his neck, and suddenly InuYasha was not being pulled, as Kagome said, or forced down, no InuYasha was being slammed into the floor below him. Instinctively his hands came in front to try and brace his fall but they were only yanked into the ground along with the rest of him. He couldn't breathe for a moment; he just sat there staring at the soft carpet. He had been right, it didn't help much at all. Slowly, he regained his composure and pushed himself into a sitting position. Kagome hurried over to him, concerned.

"InuYasha, are you all right?"

In the end, it wasn't that bad of an experience. Yes, it did hurt, and he was sure if she screamed that it could do some damage even, but that wasn't what shocked him the most. No, there was one thing that had made him really annoyed with the whole spell.

He looked directly into her eyes. "Kagome-san…the word is osuwari?"

"Well," she said fidgeting nervously, "it was all I could think of at the time."

"You say osuwari to an inu!" he yelled.

"Can you blame me for thinking it when you are running at me and I see those ears!"

InuYasha hadn't paid attention to her last statement, he was already looking away from her. "Gomen, Kagome-san. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

He felt her fingers pulling at his chin, forcing him to look at her. Kagome's brown eyes were gentle and calming, without a single trace of the anger she had shown a second before.

"InuYasha, if you want to yell, then yell. It is who you are. You were never a person to rely on formalities, when you were angry we all knew it because you would yell at us. So you don't have to apologize every time you get a little mad."

InuYasha looked down slightly but nodded. "All right."

Kagome stood and held out her hand to help him. Once they were both standing she smiled once more to him. "Why don't we get to bed. We can head out tomorrow morning and you will get to meet everyone. Do you have any last questions?"

"Who exactly are we meeting? I mean, who do we travel with? You named a lot of people. Do we travel with them all?"

"No, we travel with Miroku-sama, the houshi, Sango-chan, the taijiya, and Shippo-chan, the kitsune youkai. We will be meeting them, as well as Kaede-sama when we go over tomorrow."

"Not too many to get used to, I suppose. I hope I remember their names when I meet them."

Kagome's smile faltered for a moment but she quickly recovered it. It was enough for InuYasha to see what she was thinking though. He had been acting more like…more like what she had been used to. The yelling had probably made her think he was getting better, and perhaps that was what it meant, but he was still clueless about his past. No amount of instinct or emotion was going to make him remember the names of the people who are supposed to be his friends. It was a sad, but all too real, fact.

"Let's get to bed. I am sure tomorrow will be tiring. Everyone will probably have questions for you and I'm sure you will have plenty for them." He nodded. "Then let's get plenty of sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Without warning, Kagome leaned in and hugged him. InuYasha wasn't exactly sure what to do, she had never done anything like this before.

"And don't worry," she whispered as she held him, "I'm sure you'll remember their names."

InuYasha relaxed beneath her. She was just trying to comfort him, and they were close…weren't they?

The next morning was full of activity in the shrine house. Kagome was hurrying to finish filling her yellow bag to what seemed like far beyond its breaking point. InuYasha was getting used to his normal clothing, which were rather comfortable, just the sword he wasn't exactly used to carrying at his waist. Souta was heading out to school as Kagome's mother was finishing the last touches to a number of pack lunches. Not wanting to bother Kagome, and liking the smell of the food, InuYasha decided to watch Kagome's mother in the kitchen.

"Who are those for, Higurashi-san?" he asked as he eyed all the delicious looking food organized into the five boxes.

"For you and your friends. Since it is your first time back I thought you might like one last meal from over here."

"Arigato," InuYasha said as he licked his lips. They had already eaten breakfast, but the food look too good to deny at any time. He tired to take his mind off the food by talking. "Higurashi-san, do you know what kind of food we do eat in my time?"

That was the best question to stop thinking about food, but he couldn't help it, he was getting hungry.

"I'm not too sure. I sometimes worry how well Kagome eats over there, but she says it is plenty so I try not to nag too much."

"We eat what we catch. Fish, rabbit, things like that," Kagome said as she hurried into the kitchen and open up a bottom cabinet. "Mama, where did you put the instant ramen you bought yesterday?"

InuYasha's ears perked up at this. "We take ramen back with us?"

"Yeah, since it is so quick to make it works well for camping out."

Kagome's mother pointed to a box on the floor next to the counter. "I left them in the box since I knew you would be taking most of them."

"That's fine. Arigato, Mama." Kagome grabbed the box and hurried back up to her room.

There was definitely too much talk and smell of food for the hanyou and he decided it was best to go into the living room and wait for Kagome. After taking a moment to realize that the only way he was going to be able to sit was to remove the sword from his sash, InuYasha sat waiting. It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to get extremely bored either. He hated doing nothing; he had done too much of that the first dew days after he woke up.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, but was actually only about five minutes, Kagome came running down the steps, yellow bag slung over her shoulders. She waved him to join him as she headed for the kitchen.

"Mama, I'm all ready to go, so InuYasha and I are going to head back now."

"Don't forget to take the lunches," her mother told her as InuYasha entered the room.

"I won't." Kagome turned to InuYasha. "Will you grab the lunches for me?"

"Why don't I take you pack instead? It…it looks rather heavy."

"You don't have to, I'm used to it. Just grab the…"

InuYasha took hold of the large bag and refused to let go. "It seems really heavy, Kagome-san. I'll take it."

She stared at him a moment, then finally relented. "All right, then I'll take the lunches."

InuYasha took the oversized bag from her and slung it over his right shoulder as he waited for Kagome to get the food.

"Bye, Mama," Kagome said as she headed out of the house.

Her mother smiled at the two of them. "Have a good trip."

InuYasha gave her a short, half bow. "Arigato, Higurashi-san."

"Come back to us safe and sound this time."

"Hai." He nodded before going in pursuit of Kagome.

The two headed for a small building on the shrine property, which contained an old well. Kagome headed straight for the well and, after placing the lunches on the edge and climbing up herself, she waved InuYasha over.

"This thing is really going to take us 500 years into the past?" he asked doubtfully.

"Stranger things have happened, trust me."

He looked down to the dirt bottom. "If you say so."

Kagome helped him onto the edge before picking up the lunches. "Come on, everyone is probably worried sick about you."

She grabbed his arm with her free hand and before he could do anything to protest she yanked him into the well with her. Just as he was sure they were going to slam into the ground a faint blue light surrounded them and it was as if he was being pulled somewhere, or in this case when. Now if he had felt a stranger sensation he would have been shocked. Nothing could compare to both the rush it created or the confusion. There was no up or down, everything was the same and the only thing that kept them moving was that pulling force. Then, without warning, the world returned to them and he found himself standing at the bottom of the well, only he could see the sky above him.

"We…we're here?" he asked as he reoriented on his environment.

"Yup, we are now 500 years in the past. Less people, less noise, more youkai, but at least there is clean air and rivers."

"How do we get out of the well?"

Kagome pointed to some vines growing along the wall. "Normally I would just climb out, but you can just jump us out, if you would."

"Just jump?"

She nodded and moved closer to him so he could grab her around the waist. It felt rather weird, holding her so close to him, but he was more afraid of dropping her so he held tighter than perhaps was necessary. Unsure of exactly how high he could jump, and definitely not wanting to make too short of a jump and thereafter look foolish, InuYasha used as much force as he could.

The result, Kagome's nervous laughter ringing in his ears as they soared into the air, passing above the trees, and getting a very beautiful view of the landscape.

"How the hell can I jump this high!" InuYasha screamed in shock.

"You're a hanyou," she replied between her giggling fits. "You will need to get used to your strength."

As the climax of the jump came and they began their decent a new problem arose. "Kagome-san, how do I land?"

Her nervous laughter increased. "Other than on your feet I have no idea."

"Great, just great."

To make matters worse he had jumped straight up, which meant they were heading right back for the well, and he was sure that would not be fun to crash into.

"Don't think about it," Kagome said. "Just land."

He laughed to himself. Don't think about it. Easier said than done, and the ground was coming upon them fairly quickly now. Don't think. Right. Don't think, just land. He had probably done this a hundred times, just land. They sure were falling faster now. Without any more options InuYasha closed his eyes and prayed his instincts kicked in.

Contact. InuYasha opened one eye and looked down. He was standing on the well rim perfectly balanced. He closed his eye again and let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't crashed to the ground. It would have been pretty embarrassing to get hurt again in the first five second they were in his time.

"Um, InuYasha, can you let go of me?" Kagome asked in an airy whisper. "I can't breathe."

InuYasha immediately loosened his hold and set her down on the ground next to the well. "Gomen, I didn't meant to do that."

"It's okay," she said after taking a deep breath. "You haven't really used your strength since you woke up. It's perfectly understandable you don't know how much you can do."

He sat on the well and took a moment to think. Being that high had let him see the land and it was completely different from Kagome's world. Forests covered the area and in the distance was a small village. Not the city he had gone to, but a small farming village, the kind InuYasha had been expecting. Somehow he felt a bit more comfortable just see that. It felt…right.

"You ready to meet everyone?" Kagome asked smiling.

He took one last breath and nodded. Kagome took his hand and began leading him through the forest. He couldn't help but wonder how his 'friends' would react to the new InuYasha. He shook it off and focused on remembering who he was meeting.

There was Miroku. He was the houshi. That should be easy enough to recognize, as long as he dressed like a houshi that was. Then there was…Sango, the taijiya. What did taijiya wear? He would just hope she was the only woman who came near him, that would help. There was also a kitsune youkai, Shippo. Well, that should be pretty easy, see a kitsune, it is Shippo. And Kaede, but she was supposed to be a miko, so he hoped she was the only one in town. If she wasn't…he would just pray she was.

Soon enough the forest ended and they entered the fields just outside of the village. A number of people working called out greetings to them, which Kagome answered. InuYasha just tried to take in everything around him. The air smelled a lot fresher than in Kagome's time, and she had been right, there wasn't half as much noise, only the wind and the random chatter of people in the distance.

"So, what do you think?" Kagome asked taking him from his thoughts.

"This is what I was expecting when Higurashi-san took me out."

She laughed at him. "That must have been a shock for you then."

"It was, but your world was interesting. I like it here though, it feels…"

"Like home?"

He looked down at her and nodded. "Hai."

They continued on but by the time they had reached the outskirts of the village the noise had increased, specifically the yelling of three voices. A man and a woman were hurrying to meeting them, but he couldn't seem to locate the third voice till it was too late.

"InuYasha!" a high pitched voice called as a small furry creature leapt for him.

Confused at what the thing was and why in the world it had catapulted itself right for him InuYasha raised his hand and knocked it to the ground before it could get to him. The small creature landed hard against the ground and looked up at him. With it still InuYasha was finally able to identify that it was actually a he, a small boy, or rather, a small kitsune. Damn. Shippo. InuYasha hadn't expected him to be so small.

The kitsune's eyes filled with tears and he ran over to Kagome who had wisely put down the lunches in order to comfort the young boy.

"Really, InuYasha, was that necessary?" The man…the houshi…Miroku said. "Shippo has been worried sick about you."

"The last thing we heard was you were unconscious, can you blame him for being happy to see you," the woman scolded. InuYasha hoped she was Sango, because otherwise he was at a loss for who she could be.

Great first meeting so far. InuYasha approached Kagome and the weeping child and held out his hand. "Gomen, I didn't mean to hit you like that."

The boy immediately ceased his crying and slowly turned to face InuYasha. To the side he could see both man and woman staring at him in shock. Now what did he do wrong? Shippo looked from InuYasha to Kagome then back to InuYasha.

"Are you sure you are better?" he finally asked.

InuYasha dropped his head and began rubbing his right temple again. It was that obvious something was wrong? "Kagome-san, if you could explain, please."

The kitsune latched onto his haori and stared into InuYasha's downcast eyes. "What did you just say?"

"Kagome-san," he pleaded.

Kagome took the confused boy back into her arms as InuYasha tried to stop the pounding above his eyes. Things definitely were not going as well as he had hoped.

"InuYasha, isn't completely better," Kagome began. "His body is healed, but the injury to his head damaged his memory. He doesn't remember anything about himself or any of us. That's why we waited a few days before coming back."

A silence followed and InuYasha finally looked back up to everyone. He knew he shouldn't have. All three were staring at him in disbelief, while Kagome tried her best to look comforting. It wasn't helping him.

"You don't know who we are?" the woman…Sango asked.

"I know what Kagome-san has told me."

"Why are you calling her Kagome-san? You call her Kagome," Shippo said.

InuYasha looked away slightly. Why couldn't he call her that? He didn't know her!

"It's all right, Shippo-chan," Kagome said. "Until he gets to know us he can say what he is most comfortable with. We are all strangers to him."

That's right, they weren't used to this yet. It took Kagome a while to get used to him saying it, so he just needed a little patience as they adjusted. Kagome brought the kitsune up to him.

"InuYasha, this is Shippo-chan and I believe he is very happy to see you are alive."

InuYasha held out his hand again. Now that he knew who the boy was InuYasha didn't mind if he was with him. Shippo looked at Kagome who nodded before scrambling over to InuYasha.

"Hello, Shippo-kun."

"You really don't know me?" he asked with tears in his eyes.

InuYasha shook his head. "To me this is the first time I have ever met you."

Shippo grabbed his haori and veritably tried to bury his head between the folds. "At least you are still alive!"

InuYasha placed a hand on the shaking boy's back and tried to comfort him as best as he could. Kagome picked up the lunches and motioned for them all to head into the village.

"Why don't we go to Kaede-sama's to talk. I'm sure she'd like to know what is going on as well."

They all nodded and started for the village. A few people greeted them as they passed, but most just kept to their business. Was it really this common for a hanyou to be walking in town, or was it just him? At the entrance to a small hut stood an old woman dressed like a miko. Kaede. At least she was easy to identify.

"InuYasha," she said when they were close enough, "it is good to see that you recovered."

He just looked to Kagome who smiled weakly at the woman. "There is a lot to explain, Kaede-sama."

The group went into the hut and Kagome began the long story on exactly what had happened to him, and what the possible outcomes were. All the while Shippo stayed with InuYasha, and he had to admit, the kitsune was rather comforting to have. It wasn't as much anything the boy did, in fact he had sat very still as Kagome talked, it was more it seemed…normal to have him nearby. Perhaps not in his lap as Shippo was at the moment, but near. It was nice to have something feel normal.

When Kagome was finished everyone took a moment to take in the information. Kaede was the first to speak.

"So, you may never regain your memory of your life?"

"That is what Sanzo-sensei said. But he also told us it might just be a matter of time. He said the best thing for me would be to be surrounded with things that I'm familiar with."

"Well," Miroku said, "it's like Shippo said earlier. At least you're alive. We will just have to wait and see whether or not you regain your memory. We will help you in any way, of course."

Sango nodded. "That's right. You're our friend and we can't just leave you. If you need help just ask us."

"Arigato, Sango-san, Miroku-sama."

"That's still weird," Shippo said from his place in InuYasha's lap. "You never use to say anything after a person's name."

"Anyone's?" he asked confused. He had thought it was just Kagome and her family.

Kagome smiled. "Like I said, you were never concerned with formalities."

"I see."

Once again he was confused about his relationship with Kagome. He had thought that everyone was shocked by his reference to her because they were close and it didn't matter, but now it was just because he didn't use honorifics, so what did that make Kagome to him? He began rubbing his temple again. This throbbing was getting annoying.

"Why don't we have the lunch Mama packed for us while we talk more?" Kagome said seeming to take notice of his new habit.

"It's mid day already?" InuYasha asked taking a look out the small window to see the sun indeed high in the sky. Though that hardly mattered as just the mention of food made him hungry from the memory of what was packed in the small boxes.

They talked for most of the day, each of them telling him about themselves and how they had met him. They explained more about Naraku and the jewel and what they were doing now that all the jewel shards were found. According to them Naraku was after them as much as they were after Naraku. Since they were the ones with the last two shards Naraku was becoming more desperate to obtain them. That was how he had been hurt. Hakudoushi, a person created from Naraku, had attacked them in hopes of stealing the last two shards.

"But you don't have one of the shards with you, right." InuYasha turned to Kagome. "You have one hidden away."

She quickly nodded. "That's right, so even if they get the one we carry they can't complete the jewel."

The others looked at Kagome strangely but none tried to correct her. Sango gazed out of the hut.

"Kagome-chan, would you like to go take a bath at the lake. It has warmed up quite a bit and I am sure the men would have plenty to talk about without us here."

InuYasha didn't want to admit it but he very much liked that idea. He could ask Miroku about his relationship with Kagome. He didn't want to ask Kagome herself in case it wasn't what he was thinking it was. Kagome looked doubtful though.

"It's ok, Kagome-san. I will be fine here," InuYasha said cheerfully.

"All right, a swim at the lake sounds rather nice."

Sango turned to InuYasha, "And don't let Houshi-sama out of your sight. For that matter don't let him out of the hut. He was born a lecher and would like nothing more than to watch us bathe."

"Sango, please, do you really think I would take advantage of our friend's condition like that?"

"Absolutely!"

Miroku shrunk down defeated. InuYasha waited as Kagome retrieved a few things from her bag and left with Sango. Once they were gone Kaede also left saying she had duties to attend to. Whether that was true or she was just letting InuYasha have some time alone with Miroku, he really didn't care.

"Miroku-sama, can I ask you something personal?"

Miroku turned his attention from the direction the girls had gone to InuYasha. "Of course, if I know the answer I will tell you."

"What exactly is my relationship with Kagome-san?"

The houshi started fidgeting with his robes. "Well that is quite uncertain. What has Kagome-sama said of it?"

"Nothing much. That's why I'm confused. It seems like we are close, but I can't tell how close."

"Well, Kagome-sama is probably the person you are closest with; however, there are complications."

"Complications?"

"Kikyou," Shippo said rather solemnly.

"Who is Kikyou?"

Both Shippo and Miroku tensed up. "InuYasha, what has Kagome-sama told you of why you are after Naraku?"

He looked at Miroku confused. "She said that he killed someone I loved long ago and I was after him for revenge."

"Yes, well, Kikyou-sama would be that person. You had loved her before you were sealed and a part of you is still very connected to her. You won't let yourself let go of her and thus there are complications with your relationship with Kagome-sama."

"I can't let go of my love for someone who is dead?"

Miroku once again fidgeted with his robes. "That would be the problem."

Shippo looked about as confused as InuYasha. "Miroku…"

The kitsune was silenced with a glance from the houshi. Why did InuYasha get the feeling they were hiding something form them. He shook off the notion and returned to his conversation with Miroku. At least now he was able to understand a little more about Kagome.

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Sango looked at her friend resting in the cool water. There seemed to be quite a bit she had purposefully kept from InuYasha.

"Kagome-chan?"

"What?" she responded without opening her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell InuYasha where the second shard is?"

Kagome opened her eyes but still didn't look at Sango. "I can't let that happen again. I can't watch him like that again. He nearly died because of the shard, because he was protecting the shard."

"He was protecting you, Kagome-chan."

"All the more reason he shouldn't know about the last shard!" Kagome yelled, tears fighting at the corners of her paled brown eyes. "I can't let him do that again. You didn't see him as we tried to clean him up. There was so much blood and so many wounds. And I waited so long, not knowing if he was even alive still. I couldn't do anything for him. I won't let that happen again."

"Kagome-chan."

"As long as he doesn't know he won't worry about it. He has so much to learn about himself. There is so much I couldn't tell him. You saw him rubbing his head, just trying to explain about the first time I met him confused him, and he seems to be in pain when he gets too confused. I haven't even told him about Kikyou. How am I supposed to explain that! But, but if I don't tell him I'm just denying the fact that he is in love with her."

Sango wadded across the water and pulled Kagome against her, letting her cry out all the frustrations she had kept inside. Sango knew this wasn't hard just on InuYasha, Kagome was hurting too.

"Give it time. InuYasha needs time to adjust too. We can explain about Kikyou when he is able to completely understand. There is no point trying to tell him before he is ready. We can explain about everything when he is ready."

"But, like this, he is so kind. I know he is confused, but I also know he thinks we are more than we are. I want it to be true, but I can't bare him remembering her and leaving me again! And he will! He always goes back to her, and how am I supposed to explain why I never told him she was still alive. But how do I tell him that she is alive! I just don't know what to do."

Sango could almost feel the Kagome's pain washing over her. If InuYasha regained his memory before they told him about Kikyou he might think Kagome was trying to trick him, but if they told him before he remembered he might want to meet Kikyou and Kagome would be hurt even more. More than that, InuYasha had trouble understanding everything, so how were they supposed to explain that not only was Kikyou both dead and alive, but that Kagome was her re-incarnation. These were not simple things to understand.

Sango looked down to her friend again. "Like you said, we shouldn't overwhelm him. We will just take this one day at a time and see what happens. That is all we can do for now."

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Ok, this was seriously longer than I intended, but I didn't realize how long explaining things to InuYasha would be. Every time I said something I realized he didn't know something else and had to add more explanation. That is the downside to an amnesiac Inu, you have to explain things to him. And then I really wanted the part at the end with Sango and Kagome so you understood why she had been so vague about Kikyou and stuff. Prolly left you with the question of where in the world is this last shard. Heehee I'm not telling! Not yet at least.

If anyone is wondering, (mainly cause my neechan asked me forever ago and I just suddenly remember it) the title comes from the way Inu talks to everyone, as in adding the honorifics. That is also the reason I have to go by the jap version, otherwise the effect just isn't there. But yeah, the title will make more sense as Inu's memory problem progresses or fixes. I'm not giving that away. Be all vague, yes. I can neitehr confirm no deny anything about inu's further memory. Ok, I can tell it is 5 am here and I need sleep, yes!

Well, remember to REVIEW!

Ja..no, Oyasumi! (editing will be done tomorrow after I wake up)