(A/N) I was going through yesterday, because I'm weird like that, and found this. It really reminded me of this story, so I thought I'd put the link here. Please take a look at it! .com/cards/view/45903/

Anywhos, I'm really happy with this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. I'm really short on time (my mom's coming home in half an hour and I haven't done a bloody thing but this update), so I'll keep this quick.

Thank you so much to my reviewers: WerewolfVampireWriter and Lily-chan818!!

Arg! I don't have time for this!! *insert disclaimer here or view previous disclaimers*

The piece of cloth tied around my head moved as I twitched my ears. The wooden stick they called a "broom" was held awkwardly in my hands. Kagome's mother's words were clear in my head: If you're going to stay, you may as well help. You usually do it, anyway. Here, sweep the kitchen, please.

I had to admit, the strange smells of the kitchen smelled very familiar, even if I couldn't place them. Even the broom caused a faint thing to stir in the back of my mind.

Another thing stirred in my head.

How dull, boy, reduced to a maid.

Shut up, I growled mentally. I'll do anything it takes to regain my memory.

The shard chuckled. What an irony…

What's an irony?! I roared at the thing. You drop these tiny little, enraging, cryptic things, and-

"InuYasha…?"

I untwisted the grimace frozen on my face and looked at Kagome, who was leaning on crutches in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wandering to my hands. I glanced down to see the two splintered pieces of wood I was gripping so tightly that my knuckles were white. I dropped the broken broom in shock.

"Oh… oh crap… I am so sorry…" I shook my head.

"It's okay," she soothed, limping forward, "Why did you break the broom?"

Her voice was so kind… I didn't fight the inexplicable urge to confide in her for long.

"The Shard…" I admitted. "It talks to me. It knows something, too, but won't say a darn thing, just drops cryptic little hints… it drives me crazy. It taunts me too. I would take the thrice damned thing out, but…"

But indeed! Chirped the shard.

Shut up! I snapped at. You aren't a part of this conversation!

"But you're afraid," Kagome supplied.

"No," I growled defensively, "Just… afraid." I finally sighed, failing to think of a better word. "I've become dependent on the hell-born thing," I stared at my palm. "If I take it out… I do remember I was in a lot of pain before I used the shard. I don't think it's healed those wounds, it's just suppressing the pain."

"Well, let's see." Kagome limped right up to me and began- after laying her crutches to the side –to untie the cloth that hid my ears (I still didn't see a reason for it). Her fingers combed experimentally though my hair; she paused once to finger my ear thoughtfully.

"Looks like you're right," she mused, "Your concussion hasn't healed yet."

"And what exactly is a concussion?" I asked, annoyed.

"Well," she began, "We were running along and you had Kikyo on your back. I was riding on Kirara, a demon cat," she grimaced as if the memory brought back unpleasant feelings. "I accidentally said the "s" word, sent you sprawling, and on the way down you literally cracked your head open. We took you back to Kaede, and we tried to nurse you. But when Kik…" she trailed off, and I wondered if she was about to mention that Kikyo character who kept coming up. Then she finished quickly, "It seems you left before you were fully healed. You found the shard and decided to use it so you could…" I thought she was going to say more, like why I might have been motivated to do something like that, but then she spread her hands, indicating that she was finished.

I sifted through my many questions to find the most important. "One question," I said, "What's the "s" word?"

Kagome startled me by laughing. It was a wonderful, musical sound.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course!" my voice sounded eager even to my own ears. A shadow of a memory was there… warning me? I felt something unpleasant was coming…

"See these beads around your neck?" a smile was tugging at the corners of Kagome's mouth. "They're called "subjugation beads."" She fingered one thoughtfully, and then said simply:

"Sit boy."

A flash of many memories raced though my head, my shocked yelp stifled by Kagome's rug.

"By what spell…?!" I growled.

"Don't ask me," Kagome offered her hand. "And you literally did ask for it."

"You've done that before…" I mused, "Many times… are you sure we aren't enemies?"

She laughed again. I felt a smile pull at my mouth. No, this girl was my friend. As I thought those words, my heard jumped and fluttered, and I felt happy. I couldn't remember ever having this light feeling before. But I had a feeling this wasn't the first time. And then, it got better. As I looked at Kagome smiling, a beautiful feeling swelled in my heart; I didn't recognize it, but it was a thousand times better than anything the shard could ever give me.

"Kagome…?" I asked softly.

"Hm?" she looked up at me, still smiling.

"I… I'm so confused… but… I think I'm… happy."

"I'm so glad." She said, reaching forward and wrapping me in a warm embrace. My heart skipped, the warmth of Kagome's body melting my very soul. I held her close, her body feeling so right in my arms.

"Kagome…?" I asked again softly.

"Hm…?" came her reply. She had buried her head in my chest.

"Who were you to me?"

She looked up at me, her eyes big and shimmering with tears. I was taken aback by her reaction.

"I don't know," her voice was sweet and sad, and her eyes shone with emotion. My heart stopped and fluttered, trying to beat but failing.

Kagome tore herself from my arms and fled, barley pausing to grab her crutches. I gazed after her, feeling strangely empty.