A/N: Chapter ten is here! And I'm pretty sure that this chapter marks the longest story I've ever posted; ever. I hope you enjoy this installment to the story! (Oh, and FYI, slight spoiler for part of the anime in italics…don't say I didn't warn you!)

Disclaimer: My name is not Rumiko Takahashi, so therefore, I do not own Inuyasha. I know, it's sad.

Unnatural Amnesia

Chapter Ten:

The group was gathered outside just over an hour later, watching Sesshoumaru's limo drive away.

"Cool! You have a motorcycle, too!" Souta shouted, having just noticed Inuyasha's bike. Inuyasha turned to look over at the young boy, smirking.

"Yeah, I've got a motorcycle."

"Man, this must've been expensive!"

Inuyasha chuckled as he walked over and leaned against the wall beside his bike. "Yeah, you could say that. But it was money well spent, if you ask me."

"Could you give me a ride? I've always wanted to ride on a motorcycle!"

"Souta, don't you think it's a bit late?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"No way, Mom!"

"Maybe another time, twerp. Your mother's right."

"Aw, man. Ok. I've got homework to do, anyway. See you later, Inuyasha!"

"I've got dishes to do. Good night, Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi said, excusing herself. She dragged Gramps with her when she walked off, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

Kagome smiled up at him, clasping her hands behind her back. "So, thanks for coming."

"Keh," he shrugged, hands in pockets. "It's just a dinner, you know."

"Yeah, I know. It's just…probably we won't be able to talk very often, what with you being a busy businessman, and me a senior in high school. That's all." She mumbled the last part, looking away. Why did I say that?

"That bothers you?"

"Well, I-you're a good friend. And, I don't like to lose touch with my friends, that's all."

"Ok," he paused, not sure what he was doing, "if that's how you feel, then come to dinner with me. Just us. Say Sunday night?"

Kagome's eyes flew to his once more, and even in the dim light of what was left of the moon, he could see a tinge of pink in her cheeks. "Sunday night?"

"Unless you're busy?"

She shook her head, then, and smiled up at him. "No, I'm not busy. Sunday night is perfect."

"Great. Then I'll pick you up at six. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you Sunday at six."

He nodded, grinning still, and swung onto his bike, slipping into his over coat and tugging on his helmet. "Good night, Kagome."

"Good night, Inuyasha."

I just asked Kagome on a date. How the Hell did I manage to do that? Ok, granted, I've had five hundred years to learn how to swallow my pride and break out of my comfort zone, but this thing hasn't exactly been going how I'd wanted from the start, and, damn, what the hell? This is good; she said yes. And probably I'll have to settle for how things are now; I don't expect her memory will return, I've got this feeling that this is how it's going to be. So I'll deal with it. I can do that.

It didn't take him long to reach his house, and then he parked the bike in his garage, slipped off and went inside. He decided to bypass his living room altogether, going straight upstairs and dropping his watch on the nightstand. He headed directly for the shower, and after that was done, he dropped into his bed and fell asleep.

Kagome couldn't believe it. When she woke up that morning, she realized with a start that it hadn't been a dream. Inuyasha Taisho had actually asked her out; and she'd actually said yes. Oh my God! I've got a date, a real date, with Inuyasha tomorrow! This thought kept racing through her head as she got dressed for the day, and throughout the day.

She put in her ritual Saturday hours at the store, and then she went inside and changed, and while she was in her room, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kagome, it's Yuka."

"Oh, hey Yuka. What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking of going to see that movie that we all wanted to see, and Eri and Ayumi have already said they can come. You interested?"

"When is it?"

"Uh, tomorrow night. Starts at like 5:15, I think. I figure we'll have popcorn and candy for dinner, you know?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yuka, I can't come. I'm busy tomorrow night. But you and the girls can go; I'll see it eventually."

"What do you mean you're busy? It's Sunday night. Since when are you busy on Sunday nights?"

"It's just this Sunday. And it's no big deal."

"Well, can't you cancel or take a rain check or something? I mean, we all talked about seeing this one. How often do we get to all go see a movie together?"

"I know we don't get to see movies together very often, and I'm sorry. But I'm not going to cancel my plans, Yuka. We're almost out of high school, there'll be plenty of time to go see movies this summer!"

Yuka sighed heavily on the other end. "Ok, well, if that's the way it is. You're not blowing us off for some guy are you? Like that Inuyasha guy?"

"I'm not 'blowing you off!' I didn't know about the movie thing when I made my other plans, so that doesn't count as 'blowing off,' and you know it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Ok, well, I've gotta go. Guess I'll see you at school on Monday. Bye, Kagome."

"Later, Yuka."

Sunday afternoon, Kagome approached her mother and told her about her plans for that evening. "Is that ok with you?"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, her eyes laughing. "Of course it is, dear. Inuyasha's a nice young man, and I can tell he likes you, too. I'm glad you're giving it a try."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, you can thank me by having fun. Does that sound fair?"

Kagome smiled, giving her mother a quick hug. "Definitely!" And then she ran off, up the stairs.

Later that afternoon, Souta poked his head in and started teasing her about going out with Inuyasha. She threw a book at him and told him to get out.

Inuyasha pulled up into the Higurashi's driveway at precisely six o'clock and stepped out of the Mustang. Feigning casualty, he walked up to the door and knocked lightly, as he had the night he'd taken her to the company dinner. He heard a scuffling sound, and pounding footsteps, and Souta's exuberant voice shouting, "Kagome, Inuyasha's here!" And then the door was thrown open eagerly, and Inuyasha grinned down at the young boy.

"Hey there, Souta. Your sister ready?"

"Of course not, this is Kagome we're talking about. C'mon in, Inuyasha, I'll go get her." As he spoke, the energetic teenager grabbed Inuyasha's hand and dragged him inside. Kagome met them at the foot of the stairs, dressed in a simple blue sundress, her hair loose around her shoulders.

"You can knock it off now, Souta."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Souta countered, grinning and bounding up the stairs. With a light chuckle, Kagome turned and met Inuyasha's piercing gaze.

"Sorry about him. I think he had too much coffee at dinner."

Inuyasha smirked and held out his hand. "Maybe. You look nice, Kagome." Then, quickly, he bent and brushed his lips lightly over the back of her hand, releasing it almost instantly and righting himself.

Kagome blushed and used both hands to hold her purse in front of her. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Mrs. Higurashi chose that moment to walk in, wiping her hands on her apron and smiling brightly at them. "Good evening, Inuyasha."

"Mrs. Higurashi," He said, bowing politely. She smiled again and turned her attention to her daughter thoughtfully.

"I take it you're off now, then." When Kagome nodded, she walked up and hugged her tightly. "Have fun, dear. And remember, it's a school night, so don't be out too late. Ten thirty?"

Kagome smiled. "I think we can manage that."

"Unless they're too busy making out!" Souta's voice called down from his doorway. Kagome blushed again and glared up in his direction while her mother chuckled and Inuyasha tried not to grin.

"Go, go, don't let us keep you. Shoo!" Mrs. Higurashi said, waving her hands in faux-impatience at them as they headed to the door. They waved and walked to the Mustang casually.

"So, I don't suppose you're going to tell me where we're going, are you?" Kagome asked after they'd pulled onto the main road. She saw Inuyasha toss her a smirk before returning his attention to the busy streets.

"Don't suppose I am."

"Typical," Kagome said on a laugh as she relaxed again into the leather seats.

You have no idea. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm betting you'll like it."

Kagome grinned over at him briefly, before replying, "Oh, I believe you."

They drove for another few minutes before Inuyasha turned onto a smaller road and drove half-way down it, turning into the parking lot of a small little café-type restaurant. Kagome looked up at it, somewhat surprised. "We're going here?"

"Yep. It may be small, but the food's top-notch."

"Yeah, I love this place. But we've only come a couple of times."

"Well, now you've come a few times." He said, grinning as he extracted the keys from the car and dropped them in his pocket. A minute later, they were walking up to the front door of the restaurant leisurely.

"What made you choose it, though?" Kagome asked curiously as they took their place in the small line.

"The owners are family friends, figured it was a good idea."

"Really? That's cool."

They were seated and eating barely fifteen minutes later. They made small talk throughout the meal, enjoying each other's company and the good food. It didn't take them long to finish the dinner, and the waiter swooped over and carried their plates away quickly.

"So, was it good?" Inuyasha asked, leaning forward casually and resting his elbows on the table.

Kagome smiled and put down her water. "Delicious. Thank you."

He smiled back, saying, "You're welcome." Then he paused and looked up as their waiter reappeared, holding a slightly large slice of strawberry swirl cheesecake.

"I hope you've left room for dessert. Ami insists that you eat it."

Kagome looked over questioningly. "Ami?"

Inuyasha grinned and made room on the table for the plate. "Ami's the cook. Oldest daughter of the couple who own the place."

"Oh!" By now, the waiter had left and moved to take another order. Kagome reached for the fork that had been left with the plate, but was too slow. Inuyasha snatched it and cut off a piece of the tasty dessert, then held it out to her with a grin.

"Open wide," He teased. She blushed but complied, and he fed her the bite of cheesecake. He watched as she enjoyed the dessert, moaning so softly, he shouldn't have heard it. He grinned again as she opened her eyes and held out her hand.

"My turn, Mister. Hand over that fork."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, handing her the fork. She smiled teasingly and repeated his own actions, cutting off a piece of cheesecake and holding it out. With a barely-contained smirk, Inuyasha allowed her to feed him. Then he snatched the fork from her hand and fed her another slice.

They stayed at the restaurant another hour before Inuyasha stood and escorted her back to the Mustang. "Tell me, Kagome, do you feel up for a movie?"

Kagome looked over at him curiously, and then replied, "I suppose that depends on the movie."

"How 'bout a comedy?" He suggested, pulling back onto the main road and turning towards the theater.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already bought the tickets?"

He smirked at her words. "'Cause you obviously know me so well."

Kagome laughed. "That's what I thought." When she'd properly collected herself, she added, "A movie sounds great."

Less than ten minutes later, Inuyasha had Kagome pick out the seats and they sat down. "Now, you're sure you don't want popcorn?" He whispered. Ok, so in truth, the whole 'be quiet while in a theater' thing is just kind of an excuse to lean in…still, it's as close as I'm gonna get on the whole 'scent inhaling' thing for a while. Damn.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We just ate, so I'm not really hungry. You can get some if you want." She whispered back.

"Don't need any. Just checkin'."

"Ok, thanks."

The movie let out nearly two hours later, as Inuyasha had expected. As they climbed into the Mustang, Inuyasha said, "Well, I guess it's time for me to get you home now?"

"Is it already ten thirty?"

"No, but it'll be just about ten thirty by the time we get back."

Kagome gave a soft chuckle. "Then I guess it is."

They drove mostly in silence this time, until he parked in her driveway once again. Smiling, she unbuckled and looked over at him. "Thanks so much, Inuyasha. It was really fun."

He grinned and reached for his door handle. "Glad you think so, but it ain't over 'til you're safely inside. C'mon." Then he stepped out and walked around, opening her door for her.

"You don't have to walk me to the door, you know."

"Keh, sure I do. What kind o' man would I be if I didn't?"

Kagome laughed lightly, and he reached out, snagging her hand before she reached for the door. She looked back at him, her eyes dancing. "Inuyasha?" She asked softly. He stepped forward, still holding her hand, and, with his free one, grasped her chin lightly.

"Good night, Kagome." Then, before he could chicken out, he placed his lips lightly on hers. It took a lot of will power not to pull her tight against him when she returned the kiss. A moment later, he stepped back, forcing some distance between them. He smirked at her reassuringly.

"Good night, Inuyasha." She said softly, her face still pink. She watched as he turned and walked back to the car. Pausing beside his door, he turned and called out one final thing.

"Think you'd be up for a second date sometime?"

Kagome returned her attention to him, as she was half-way through door. Her face lit up with a smile. "Definitely."

She felt her heart stop when she realized that the arrow was headed straight for Inuyasha, who couldn't defend himself, pinned as he was to the tree. Without a thought, she dropped the bow she'd held in her hand and let the quiver fall beside it as she raced to beat the arrow. All she could think about was saving the man she loved. And she barely made it.

She reached him barely a second before the arrow, which would have pierced his heart, so much like Kikyo's had done fifty years before. Instead, it embedded itself into her back, probably puncturing something. She gasped, the pain sharper than she'd expected. She looked up, then, into his angry, worry-filled amber eyes, and released the breath she'd held. He was ok.

"Kagome! Kagome!!" Was all she heard for a long moment, and she felt things shift around her. Then, suddenly, she was trapped in some magical binding spell and their enemy, Kaguya, was standing before her. She knew her injury was gone, though she had no idea how. But all thoughts once again fled as Kaguya began chanting yet another spell. And Inuyasha, who had apparently arrived with their friends, whose names escaped her at the moment, started convulsing and growling uncontrollably. Then his eyes bled red, and jagged purple streaks tore across his face, and she watched as the monk attempted, and failed, to pacify him. Then the monk called out to her, telling her that she was the only one who could save Inuyasha.

The next thing she knew, she was clinging on to him as though her life depended on it, which she had no doubt that it did. And with tears rolling down her face, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. His struggling ceased almost instantly, and then, a long moment later, his arms came around her and she felt him kiss her back. The sensation was gone almost immediately.

Kagome groaned and smacked at her alarm before it finally shut off. She sat up a long minute later, rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly. Man, what a weird dream. Demons and monks…where in the WORLD did that come from? Shaking it off as just an odd dream, which wasn't entirely uncommon, she stood and began preparing for school. There were just a couple of weeks left until graduation, and so long as she attended class every day, she was guaranteed to graduate. Sounds so simple. Just two more weeks; ten more days. Wonder if I'll actually succeed, though?

Twenty five minutes later, she was off to school, grateful that, for once, she had no quizzes or tests to cram for.

Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and Rin were gathered at the airport. Sesshoumaru and Rin were slightly back, giving Inuyasha a semblance of privacy with his surrogate son. Shippo had already said his good-byes to everyone else, now it was just him and Inuyasha.

"I really am sorry that I have to go back already."

"It's no big deal, pup. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, Inuyasha….Still, call me if…you know."

Inuyasha was quiet a moment, looking away. Finally, he snorted. "Keh, 'course I will. Now take care, and say hello to those pups and Souten."

Shippo grinned, giving his 'adoptive' father a hug. "I will. Bye!"

"Keh," Inuyasha replied, ruffling the fox's hair and watching as the not-so-young-anymore fox demon strolled off to catch his flight. Then he turned and rejoined his brother and sister-in-law as they walked back to the parking lot.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Ok, so I know it was slightly short-ish, but hopefully you can all forgive me. I hope you enjoyed it, and please 'stay tuned' for chapter eleven! (Oh, and don't forget to R&R!)