Prompt given:
33. "Are you sure that's the decision you want to make?"

"Will you tell me... who I am?"

This isn't happening.

"And you? Who are you?"

Stop!

"How long are you going to keep the truth from him?"

I had just gotten him back! Do you even know how difficult this is!?

"You need to do the right thing, Kagome."

I thought I was! He's been through so much and now he doesn't remember! He doesn't have to deal with the burden anymore!

"He's been asking me about you. I've tried doing what you requested; telling him to stay away from you, but those feelings are still in there."

"It's true. He's asked me too. Inuyasha may not be able to explain anything on his end, but that doesn't mean the heart forgets. I understand your side, but I can't keep up the charade. You need to talk to him."

"Who's to say someone else won't tell him? He's recognized his connection with you, so what if he recognizes his with Kikyo when we next run into her? He's lost, Kagome. We thought this would help him, but it's only making matters worse."

"I-I'm sorry... if I've been bugging or pressuring you. I'm just-"

"No. You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm sure this has all been hard to adjust to since you woke up." Kagome smiled understandingly, minding her distance from the hanyou before her. They stood next to the Tree of Ages, Inuyasha's curious, ember eyes gliding up the length of the old bark.

With an exaggerated sigh, he walked over to the tree, slumping down on one of the exposed roots so his back was against the trunk. He looked around at their surroundings, taking in the way the dimming light from the setting sun shined through the branches and leaves at an angle, hitting the forest floor at their feet, speckles of orange and pink decorating Kagome's fair legs. She smiled softly, cocking her head to the side, her brown eyes holding a glimmer of something he felt only she could give him.

"Have we done this before?"

"Hm?"

"I don't know, have we come here before? Together?"

Her smile faded, a thick swallow tensing her throat as she looked away quickly, uncomfortably, then gazed at him as if she'd never shifted, giving a minute nod he'd almost missed.

If it weren't for her friends' adamance on her talking to Inuyasha, Kagome wouldn't be facing him right now as it was. After everything that had happened, the accidents that had occurred, the sacrifices that had been made, she'd barely come to terms with the fact that she may never see Inuyasha again. She continued to travel from her world to the Feudal Era. She continued to help look for the jewel shards, continued to fight alongside her friends, understanding that once their journey was complete, she'd go back to her time and never turn back. Then she felt a familiar energy clenching at her chest, turning her attention in an entirely different direction, and she took off like a bat out of hell, stumbling over roots and her own feet as she got closer and closer to the aura she knew so damn well, finding him standing in a clearing with the smile he hardly ever showed but never failed to make her heart sputter. He was back. Inuyasha was back, defying odds she couldn't be bothered to have explained, and she was so unbelievably happy. She spoke, her voice breaking, and he responded without hesitation. Like normal. For a split second, everything was normal.

Like a hammer to a mirror, the illusion shattered. Before her very eyes, his smile faded, his golden gaze dulling. He didn't have a single memory from before that moment. To him, she was nothing more than a stranger crying on her knees as the new reality crushed her once-hopeful heart into tiny, insignificant pieces.

It was the most difficult decision for Kagome to make; not to remind him of their history. Inuyasha has been through hell and back since childhood. He's been discriminated against, berated, mistreated, talked down to, chased and beaten, creating a thick, nearly-impenetrable wall to form. She felt that opening one door to his past and reminding him of their relationship would only succeed in opening others, and the last thing she wanted him to relive was that pain. That's why she quickly decided to pretend she knew nothing, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all following her queue. She kept her distance and swallowed her affection, almost putting up a cold front when he'd approach. After that, she'd spent more time in her era, and return for the sole purpose of hunting down the shards of the jewel.

It only held up for a couple of weeks with minimal complications. Inuyasha started following her a bit closer, asking her personal questions, wondering what the sword in the sheath at his side stood for. Looking at him was growing unfathomably painful. Not being able to touch him, to feel what she used to, to console him in his time of need, was showing how selfish she actually was under the facade. No matter how hard it became, though, Kagome always managed to turn away, telling him she had no answers to give.

Then she'd cry. She'd sob in the dead of night as her friends slept, sneaking off for a sliver of privacy while her chest was wracked with debilitating sobs and she intentionally clenched her burning throat to keep the deep gasps and hiccups silent.

"I had a feeling." He mentioned softly, never looking away from her.

"Yeah?"

"You had this look earlier. You don't smile often. I like when you do."

"Oh."

"I feel like you were someone important to me. Am I wrong?"

Kagome could already feel her muscles trembling as the battle within her mind grew louder. She wanted to shield him from the suffering he, himself, had worked so hard to shield everyone else from, but was that really her call to make? She only wanted to do the right thing by him.

"Kagome?"

"No. You aren't wrong." Her voice was feeble, barely above a whisper.

Inuyasha stood, his expression becoming a mix of concern and confusion. "You told me you didn't know anything, but that wasn't true, was it?"

"No."

"So, you know what I am." His question was more of a statement this time, his jaw setting as he stepped closer. "You know I'm not normal."

"Just because you have ears on top of your head doesn't-"

"Yes, it does! It means exactly that! People look at me strangely and seem to expect shit from me that I don't know how to give! I'm called half-breed like it's something disgusting! All of you guys guard yourselves around me! You're all hiding shit! You all know exactly what I am, and now I want to know! I want to know what happened! I want to know what you meant to me, because for some stupid reason I can't pull away! You don't seem to want anything to do with me, but being near you gives me a sense of familiarity so I cling on for dear life! Just tell me, Kagome! I want to hear it from you!"

"I thought..." She hesitated, a dense pressure expanding throughout her chest as she tried to look away but couldn't. "I thought keeping everything from you meant you could start fresh. I know this has been hard on you, but I thought you would learn to be happy."

"Happy?" Inuyasha nearly scoffed. "Do I look like someone who's happy to you, Kagome?"

"I know, I know! I'm sorry! I thought I was doing the right thing! You've been through so much, even I wouldn't be able to give you your whole story!"

"So give me what you can!"

"Inuyasha-"

"Start with you! Who are you? Where do you go in the middle of the night when you think no one's awake? Why can't I stay away from you? What's with the weird clothes?"

She groaned, briefly burying her face in her hands and then swiping the bangs from her forehead in exasperation. "It's... complicated!"

"So, get talkin'! That's the whole reason we're here, right?"

"Okay, fine! My name's Kagome Higurashi-"

"Yeah, I know that much, Ka-go-me." He chided, rolling his eyes enthusiastically.

She froze, the breath silently hitching in her throat. Miroku and Sango were right. Those feelings, his history, everything was still in there. The weight in her chest, though still alive, began to dissipate, a shimmer of hope clearing through her own fog. How else would he have remembered a detail so small?

Clearing her throat and brushing the thought aside, Kagome continued, "Believe it or not, I travel back and forth from this era to my own in the future through the well in the clearing not too far from here. That's where the clothes come from."

He gave a slow nod, his eyes holding a hint of disbelief and Kagome bit back her ill-timed chuckle.

"You and I... we were-" Another muffled cough to clear her throat. "We had feelings for each other."

"So, you're my wife?"

"No!"

"Lover?"

"Oh my god..." Kagome could feel the heat flooding her face, her brown eyes darting around to look at anything but him until he stepped closer, his head cocking to the side as he waited. "We weren't anything with a title. I told you, it was complicated. You and I protected each other. I trusted you more than anyone, and I can't count how many times you've saved my neck."

"How's that complicated?"

"There's a lot more to factor in." She admitted, hugging her arms over her chest. "There's Kikyo. There's Naraku. There's the sacred jewel, and the fact that I don't belong here."

"Wait," Inuyasha rubbed his forehead, sighing as he took in the unfamiliar concepts. "I don't understand."

"Exactly."

"Kagome, please."

"You can start over if I don't tell you anything more, Inuyasha! Take what I've said already and throw it away! I don't want what I've said to manipulate your feelings, you deserve to start anew!"

"I don't want to start over, Kagome, I want to pick up where I fucking left off!"

"The only thing you really need to know is you're half demon- dog demon, to be exact. And you have a half brother who isn't the nicest guy you'll meet, but we can avoid him."

"Just like you're avoiding the topic!?"

"I'm trying to protect you, Inuyasha!"

The hanyou closed the space between them, grabbing onto her upper arms and bending down to match her height, his eyes glowing of desperation. "Please, Kagome! I want to know! I need to know! I'm tired of grasping for something when I have no clue what's on the other end! What happened to me? Tell me!"

"But-"

"What are you protecting me from!?" He gave her a gentle shake, enough to make her flinch, his voice wavering. As liquid formed at the lower lids of his eyes, Kagome broke, freeing herself from his hold and fervently wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know what's right and wrong here, Inuyasha! I just wanted to give you a chance to change your mind!"

Slowly, unsteadily, she felt a hand press against her lower back, his other petting the black hair at the crown of her head. She couldn't help the relief she suddenly felt with his long-missed touch, guilt flooding through with any positive emotion she wasn't sure she should feel. In the past, whenever she didn't know what to do, Inuyasha was the light at the end of the tunnel telling her which direction to go. This didn't have to be any different. He could remember. It was inside of him.

"Are you sure?" Kagome stepped back so she could look up at his face, his expression cleared and straight, allowing him one last opportunity to withdraw from it all. "Are you positive this is the decision you want to make?"

"If you want to help me so bad, then tell me the truth. There are days when things seem less fuzzy, and others where I don't know which way is up. Your voice has been clearing the path little-by-little everyday, Kagome. So, talk to me."