Update: I'm going through this story again & fixing mistakes I had noticed a while back. Mostly grammatical errors, but I've also added a few details here & there to make the story better, in my eyes. Enjoy!

(Older, Original) Author Notes: Over 14 years ago I wrote a story titled Stranger. I felt good about it back then, but after reading through it again years later I realized I didn't like the plot, the OC, & the pace of the story at all. So I went back & chose a different path for this story. It still focuses on an OC, Jenny, who loses her memory & is taken in by the YYH gang. She still struggles to find her place in the world & how to cope with her unknown past. Through it all, she finds herself drawn to certain demons, but nothing turns out the way she, or anyone, expects. This story takes place when all the (human) characters are in their mid-20's. Yusuke & Keiko are married, Yukina & Kuwabara are dating. (I haven't written any fanfiction for many years, so please be kind! I'll update as frequently as I can. Italics are Jenny's thoughts.

Chapter One - Stranger

Her eyes fluttered open, squinting due to the blinding light coming in through the window. Where am I?, she thought. She blinked several times & glanced around the quiet room. She was lying in a bed, wrapped under soft, green blankets. She ran her fingers frantically through her auburn hair. She couldn't get her thoughts together. How did she get here? What had she been doing? Why couldn't she remember? As she sat up, panic threatened to take over. As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember anything before waking up. But that's impossible….. Why…?

She jumped as she heard the door knob slowly turn. Wide eyed, she watched as a beautiful man with long, red hair walked into the room, giving her a small, gentle smile.

"I see you're awake," he said, continuing to hold his smile gently in place. "We were worried that you hadn't woken up yet." He stood next to the bed & handed her a glass of water, which she eyed cautiously & finally, reluctantly, accepted.

She watched him anxiously over the brim of the glass, not taking a sip yet. The man chuckled & assured her the water was fine to drink.

She cringed & closed her eyes momentarily. "Sorry.. I didn't think something was wrong with it… I'm just not sure what's going on." she mumbled as she looked down at the bed, not sure what to do. She finally took a sip. What's wrong with me?

The man stood casually across from her, one hand in his pocket. "Well, we aren't exactly sure what's going on either." He paused. "What's your name?" His green eyes watched her intently. She felt like he could see right through her. She gave an involuntary shudder.

"My name… is Jenny," she said quietly. At least I can remember that. "What's yours?"

"Kurama," he replied after a short pause. "You're currently in my guest room."

"How did I get here?" Jenny said, her eyes taking in the room again, gathering the courage to ask the question she'd been wondering since she'd woken up.

Kurama's sigh was barely audible. "I found you lying unconscious in a nearby park. No one was around & I was concerned for your well-being. I couldn't just leave you there." He shrugged. "I brought you back here last night & you've been asleep the entire time. I was hoping you just needed some rest, but as today passed without any change I began to worry." He gave a small smile. "I'm relieved to see you awake." With a graceful movement of a hand he pushed some of his hair over his shoulder.

He's really handsome. The thought quickly flickered through her mind before she pushed it away. She turned her face slightly away from his. Why was I unconscious in a park? This just gets more confusing….

"Thanks, I guess.. For helping me," I said. "Any idea why I was there?"

Surprise flashed across his face for a moment, but was quickly gone. "I was hoping you could tell us that."

"Us?" Who else was there? Where were they? Suddenly, for some reason, Jenny felt a rush of anxiety surge through her body.

Kurama tilted his head towards the door. "My friends are in the living room. They were here when I brought you in yesterday & were concerned. They stuck around." He moved back towards the door, sliding it open a little. "I should let you get some more rest. It's late. We'll talk more in the morning. Maybe by then you'll remember more about how you ended up at the park. I'll introduce you to the others later." Kurama gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm glad you seem to be alright. We'll figure everything out in the morning." He slipped out of the room gracefully & closed the door behind him.

Jenny pulled the blanket up closer around her shoulders. She wasn't sure why she felt this anxious. Her heart was racing.

After a few stressful minutes, she forced herself to lay back down on the bed & took some calming breaths in an attempt to calm down. She was still incredibly nervous & worried about why she couldn't remember anything. Eventually, she felt her muscles relaxing & her breathing slowing.

Now that her heart wasn't racing so loudly in her ears, she realized she could hear a muffled conversation coming from outside the room.

"How do you know she's telling the truth?! Do you really want some random person staying here?!," a voice spit out angrily.

She sat back up & listened closely. It must be Kurama's friends.

"Calm down, Yusuke," Kurama's voice calmly replied. "I don't believe she's a threat. She doesn't remember anything before waking up here. I'm more worried about her than I am about us."

She struggled to hear his words clearly, so Jenny quietly slipped out of the covers & crept towards the door. That's better….

"How do you know that for sure? She could be lying," a different voice replied.

"Trust me. I don't believe she's a threat." Kurama's voice had a slight tinge of annoyance to it. The room was quiet for a moment.

"The lass 's human, right?" another voice said. An Irish accent? And of course I was human… What the hell did that mean? Jenny inched closer to the door, her curiosity intensifying with every word.

"Most definitely," Kurama replied.

"I can't believe you'd be this careless, Kurama," a voice said.

"I trust my instincts. She shouldn't be a problem," Kurama said defensively.

"It just seems a little suspicious that she ends up here, in a house full of demons and –," one of the voices began before they were obviously cut off.

She heard a soft grunt, followed by, "You all should really be more careful. She's been listening in on this conversation for a while now."

She heard a rush of air & suddenly the door flew open, causing her to sprawl forward on her belly onto the hardwood floor of Kurama's living room. She hadn't even realized how much she'd been leaning on the door to listen to the conversation. She pushed her upper body up off the floor & glanced around. Everyone in the room was looking at her. She felt her face redden with embarrassment.

"Uh….," Jenny stared, not quite knowing what to say. The panic that had taken over her earlier had found its way back. Her heart raced. Her eyes were wide & frantic, scanning the room while at the same time feeling unsure where to look. Suddenly she felt hands under her arms lifting her up with ease. She turned to see a man with red hair, but much shorter & brighter than Kurama's, smiling down at her.

"Y' okay?" He asked kindly.

She nodded, but she didn't feel okay. She felt like she was going to be sick. The man helped ease her carefully into a chair. He sat in a chair next to her, his eyes watching her intently. Everyone else was silent.

"I told you," a shorter man with black hair said. "So… you want to explain yourself?" He asked, glaring at her through red eyes.

She felt so uncomfortable & alone. As much as she hated it, she felt tears well up in her eyes. It all came spilling out at once. "I don't know where I am. All I know is I woke up here & I can't remember anything before that. Literally! I can't remember anything at all about who I am or how I got here. I'm so confused! And then I hear you guys talking about me out here & mentioning demons & things like that. I was just trying to understand my situation a little. " Her eyes lifted to look at them after remembering some of their words. "You said this house is full of demons. What did that mean?! I don't know what's going on…. Or who I am… or.. or …. Anything…!" She broke down, finally sobbing into her hands.

The shorter man grunted & turned away, obviously annoyed.

She felt hands on her shoulders again. She jumped at the touch & looked up. Terror seized her. The red haired man, seeing her fear, pulled back. He was obviously concerned, but unsure what to do. He was just trying to help. Why did I react like that?

Kurama stepped closer & Jenny moved her eyes to him. "I know you're scared." He glanced around the room. "You've already heard some things that probably seem…" He paused. "... unusual." He turned to one of the other people in the room. "Should we explain more? Look at her.. She's terrified. Maybe it could help spark a memory & help us all figure out what's going on."

The others watched her for a few moments and, finally, someone spoke up & nodded. "Go ahead, Kurama. At this point, I don't think it could make matters worse."

Everyone sat down in the living room & told her the most unexpected story. By the end of the night, Jenny realized that, no matter how crazy her unknown past might be, it could never live up to the insanity of what she's just learned about the people sitting in this living room with her!

How did I end up here with these people?!