Many thanks to enlightened-hearts-ai and hedanicree for serving as my betas.

To those I couldn't respond to:

erica: I hope this chapter gives you a little something to keep you satisfied until the next update. I know that it'll probably only produce more questions, but I warned you when I first posted that it was going to be confusing until the ending chapters. ;) Hope you enjoy this one. I'll try to get an update out alot sooner. You can blame school for my absence if you must.

Forgotten
Chapter 7: Drunken Words, Sober Thoughts

The annoying ring of the telephone woke Miroku from sleep. He opened his eyes and groggily glanced at the clock on the bedside table, trying to make out the red numbers through the haze that filled his mind. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. Who could be calling him so late?

Groaning, he turned over and fumbled for the cordless phone on his nightstand and pressed it to his ear. "Hello," he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning back against his pillow. The person on the other line better have had a damn good reason for calling him.

"Miroku? It's Kagome."

He blinked a few times, not sure if he heard correctly. When he came to the conclusion he had, the doctor rose in his bed startled to hear the woman's voice. "Kagome, where are you?" he asked worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"No," was her hushed reply. "I mean, I'm not hurt. But there are people after us."

Confusion flickered across Miroku's expression as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "What do you mean?" He rubbed his eyes before fumbling for his glasses in the dark.

"I found someone else. His daughter was on the same flight. He didn't remember her, but now he does. How do you explain that? How do you explain the people chasing us?"

Standing up, the psychiatrist sought out the one direction he knew to take if an unstable situation like this were to occur. "Kagome, this is a panic attack," he explained to her gently. "You just hold on, all right? Now, tell me where you are. I'll leave right away. You need help."

She chuckled humorlessly on the other end. "No, I need you to start believing in me."

Before Miroku could get another word in, the dial tone greeted him. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the receiver for a long moment, contemplating Kagome's words. During the length of his career, there had always been some solid explanation he could provide, some method to cure the madness that plagued his patients.

But when it came to Kagome's case, he found himself stuck. She sounded so determined and voiced her thoughts so fiercely; he knew there was little hope to change her mind. The woman was stubborn, that was for sure. However, all known logic stated that she was wrong, that the memories she claimed were real were just a figment of her imagination.

The doctor clenched his hand around the phone tightly. He had to make Kagome believe she never had a child. Otherwise, she could very well lose her life.

V^V^V^V^V

Kouga struggled through the door of the run-down motel room they had rented for the night. He held two brown paper bags in his arms as he kicked the door shut behind him. As he turned around, his eyes locked with Kagome, who was setting the phone back in its cradle.

"Who'd you call?" he demanded sharply, striding over to where she sat on one of the two beds.

She didn't seem fazed by his worried expression. "Miroku," she said quietly.

He lifted a brow. "Who?"

"My psychiatrist."

Kouga set the bags on the nightstand and began emptying their contents. "Why the fuck did you call him?" he growled, although there was no heat behind his words. He was concerned for their safety, of course, but there was only so much he could take before sleep deprivation caught up with him.

She shrugged. "I trust him. If anyone can help us get out of this mess, he can."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you know how stupid that was? He could tell your husband," he paused, now emphasizing his words with large hand movements, "Or better yet, go to the police. We're fugitives, Kagome."

"I know that," she replied a little more forcefully. "I'm not stupid enough to give away our location. I was simply trying to change his mind concerning my mentality."

Kouga sighed and shook his head, deciding to drop the conversation. There was no need to get into an argument right now. They were both tired, hungry, and stressed. It would only be adding fuel to the fire.

"Found an all-night place," he explained gently as she hesitantly looked over the food he brought. He sat down on the queen-sized bed opposite her. "Didn't have much."

A few bags of chips were laid out on the nightstand with two bottles of water, as Kouga grabbed a package of cookies for himself. He glanced up at her, watching her nibble her bottom lip hesitantly. "You should eat something."

Kagome cocked her head to the side with a wry smile. "Just trying to decide if I want too much salt or too much sugar."

Kouga looked at her for a moment before holding out the package of cookies with a small smirk. "Sugar."

The young editor took an Oreo cookie with a soft smile in thanks before nibbling on it. Kouga popped one into his mouth and watched her with calculating eyes.

He was still trying to wrap his mind around their whole ordeal. It wasn't every day someone believed fairytale stories from an old man might actually be true. Things like that were created to help children fall asleep at night. How in the hell was he supposed to believe these so-called 'demons' were out to get him? And why the fuck would they want him in the first place?

And then there was Kagome. He had to admit, she was one hell of a woman. He didn't remember her ever being so strong-willed before, or so adamant about her decisions. If it wasn't for her, he would still be living the drunken haze he had called life, never knowing he had a daughter. It was enough to drive a man crazy.

Too shaken by what had occurred during the last twenty-eight hours, Kouga reached for the second paper bag and brought out a bottle of Whiskey. Sometimes all he needed was a few moments of peace.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Kagome spoke up from her place across from him.

"Who are you, my mother?" he replied as the top popped off the bottle. "Don't worry about it."

Kouga ignored her defeated expression and stood up to walk into the bathroom. He knew she was judging him, probably labeling him as a pitiful alcoholic. When he looked in the mirror, he really couldn't blame her. A man looking well past his years stared back at him. His unshaven face and red-rimmed eyes did nothing to dissuade that fact.

A sigh escaped his lips as he hung his head. One man could only take so much in a single day before he began to break down. With a shake of his head, he grabbed a small plastic cup from the sink and walked over to the small window ledge near the motel door.

"I think I'm just going to go to bed," Kagome called from across the room.

He glanced at the clock. It was well past three in the morning, and even he was finally feeling full-blown exhaustion hit him. She turned off the lamp hanging over her end of the bedside table. She quickly moved the curtains for privacy, before unbuttoning her jeans and stripping down to her underwear.

Kouga stole a glance at her as he brought a shot of whiskey to his lips. The moonlight drifted softly over her porcelain skin and caused her ebony hair to radiate in a blue back-glow. She removed her top, leaving her in a simple black tank top that left nothing to the imagination.

Her eyes rose to meet his and they simply stared at one another. Kouga couldn't deny there were sparks between them and they were more noticeable now in the dimly lit hotel room than when they were on the run from the feds. However, he knew they could never coexist together as more than just friends and even that was stretching it.

Finally, he turned his eyes toward the window and poured another shot of booze, downing it in one gulp. A minute later, he heard her quietly slip beneath the covers of the bed, already half asleep if he didn't know better.

"You held out." Maybe it was the darkness of their motel room or the alcohol slowly seeping through his system, but he found the words flowing from his lips before he could stop them.

"What?" Kagome replied, her voice muffled by the blanket.

He blearily looked out the window at the small storm brewing, refusing to turn around and face her. "You held out and I didn't. I forgot her." Those three words caused pain to shoot through his heart. It was the first time he acknowledged those thoughts aloud. "How'd you do that?"

She shifted in bed, turning to face the window away from him. "I don't know." He could tell she was on the brink of dreamland, but at the same time, he couldn't help but voice one more thought.

"What's so important about us? Or our kids?" he asked, his fifth shot of whiskey at his lips. He turned around and locked gazes with her. "I mean, the kids are dead. Why try to erase our memories? It's not like we're going to go look for them."

She shook her head before turning over a final time and burying herself deeper into the blankets.

After only a few moments, Kouga heard her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep. It was going to be another hour or so before he'd be able to find comfort among his pillows and dreams about a certain red-headed little girl.

V^V^V^V^V

The little dark-haired girl turned around and waved at Kagome, her smile bright and her eyes dancing with excitement.

Kagome waved in return, watching from behind the fence as Rin hurried to catch up with the other kids. Her backpack bounced upon her back as she made it to the stairs. She turned around then, catching her mother's eyes, and stuck out her tongue in a childish gesture.

A laugh bubbled up in Kagome's throat as she watched her daughter board the plane, disappearing into the dark compartment and out of her sight.

Minutes later, the plane was ready to fly and was bounding down the runway. It took off into the blue sky, shortly disappearing behind the clouds and becoming a white spec in the distance.

Kagome had no idea it would be the last memory she would have of her little girl.

V^V^V^V^V

Sunlight filtered through the dusty motel room, slowly rousing Kagome from sleep. "Rin," she mumbled into her pillow, snuggling farther into the warmth the bed offered. She wasn't ready to face the day yet. It would mean facing another day without the sunshine of her life.

She closed her eyes, eager to fall back into dreams of happier days, but something in the back of her mind prevented her from doing so. It took a few minutes of thinking before Kouga's final words from the night before came flooding back.

"I mean, the kids are dead. Why try to erase our memories? It's not like we're going to go looking for them."

Kagome lay in bed for a few moments, pondering the drunkard's words. It wasn't until almost five minutes later that she shot up in bed, suddenly wide awake with her heart pounding.

"Kouga," she called, whipping around to face the man passed out on the adjoining bed. He didn't make a sound.

She threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Kouga, wake up," she said louder, pulling on her jeans as fast as she could. "Come on."

Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she noted he hadn't moved. "Come on, wake up. Wake up!"

Kagome continued to repeat the mantra as she crossed the room, coming to stand by his bedside. "Wake up, come on." She shook him lightly, but he didn't show any signs of consciousness. The only thing proving he was still alive was his labored breaths.

Frustration fired through her veins as she tried without success to wake up her companion. She smacked him a few times on the ass, hoping that would rouse him, but it did no good.

"You are unbelievable," she growled, placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes drifted over the nightstand, where a now empty bottle of Whiskey stood next to half a package of Oreos. "Damn it, Kouga." Leave it to him to pass out drunk when there were bigger things at stake.

However, next to the bottle was the ice bucket. Since it had sat overnight in the warm motel room, the ice had melted, leaving cold water in its place. A thought struck Kagome and with a daring glimmer in her eyes, she picked it up.

"Kouga," she warned, although he didn't stir. "Kouga." When there was still no response, she knew there was only one way to get the man out of bed. "Wake up," she said sternly while pouring the ice-cold water across the ex-athlete's neck.

Muffled curses and shouts could be heard through the pillow as Kouga struggled to sit upright, totally out of sorts of where he was or who he was with. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted in a rage, glaring at her with a fierce blue gaze.

"Listen to me!" she demanded, trying to avoid his flailing arms as he tried unsuccessfully to push her away.

"You nutjob!" he yelled, standing up in a frenzy. He lost his footing and fell back down on the bed, seething at her bitterly. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Listen to me! You were right!" Kagome shouted, putting her hands up in defense as if to quell his anger.

Her words seemed to make it through his thick skull. After her words processed, he simply sat there and looked up at her with a confused expression. His face was still red with anger, and his eyes shot daggers at her, but he remained silent.

"You were right. You didn't know it, but you were right."

Kouga's struggles had ceased as he looked up at her with furrowed brows, his hands gripping the sides of the mattress tightly. Water dripped down his collar and his hair, making him appear all the more frazzled. "What are you going on about, woman?" he demanded in a tone that was none too friendly.

"If the children were dead, they would leave it at that," Kagome explained, sweeping a strand of hair over her ear. "If we all thought they were dead, why would they erase them? Like you said, why would they need to make us forget them?"

He wiped a hand down his face before looking at her once more. "I'm guessing 'they' are these so-called demons?"

She ignored his sarcastic comment and pressed forward. "Don't you feel that Ayame's alive out there?"

The ex-hockey player averted his gaze. "I don't know, maybe." However, as he thought about his connection with his daughter's memory, he couldn't help but feel something within his chest. Maybe it was hope that there was some truth behind Kagome's words. Whatever it was, he knew it was something. He raised his blue eyes to meet hers. "Yeah."

She bit her lip and sat down across from him on the other bed. "I think the children are alive, Kouga. That's why I can still feel her, why I can't let go."

With hesitancy, she wrapped her hands in his and looked him in the eyes, an imperceptible smile touching her lips. "The children are alive."

V^V^V^V^V

A/N: Sorry for such a late update, guys. If you want to know the details as to why it took me so long, feel free to check out my profile. In any case, I hope the wait was worth your while and I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as I can. Thanks for sticking around.