Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sensei.

Author notes: Today, I put the author notes on top instead of on the bottom. Hope you guys don't mind. My right wrist actually hurts a little since yesterday and I was wondering if I should lay off typing for a while since exams are coming too and I don't want to strain my hand too much. Haha but I can't resist typing for long...

Many thanks to those who have reviewed: Rekkaboziegirl, GetitCJC, DarklessVasion, chibi-inuyasha-girl, Sarcasm Girl8 and lilly. I would have loved to respond to you guys individually but my wrist still hurts....:) I might be updating slower too because of my wrist too and I actually want to finish my other story first. Gomen ne, minna.

Chapter 3: Calling For Help

Kaede gasped. Inuyasha continued, softly this time. "I don't understand. Why did she do that to me? We were so happy together...."

"Are you sure, Inuyasha? Are you sure it's Kikyou onee-sama who killed you?" Kaede cried. "That's impossible; she would never do such a thing."

"I used to think so too." Inuyasha whispered. "What did I do wrong? That she must do this to me? I don't understand...." Then suddenly, his mood changed dramatically again. "I want her blood. Where is she, Kaede?"

Kaede shook her head. "She died a long time ago already. Shortly after you went missing, Kikyou onee-sama was found dead in her room."

Inuyasha looked crushed for a moment. "Dead?" he whispered brokenly. "Dead? How could this be? Who killed her?"

Sango, Miroku and Kagome were all listening intently. Somehow, a small part of their heart began to pity the youkai sitting in front of them. He doesn't look so fierce anymore, or gruesome. Now he looked lost.

Kaede sighed. "We don't know. We just found her lying on the floor that night, without a single wound on her body. The forensic doctor said she died due to excessive blood loss, but we could not find a wound. It was a sensational case at that time."

Inuyasha laughed harshly. "So that bitch escaped from me, huh?" Then suddenly,

he turned to looked at Kagome, a speculative glint in his eyes. "Then this girl must be her

reincarnation right?"

Kagome shuffled. Kaede replied. "How do you know?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Simple, they looked almost the same, smelt almost the same, their aura seemed identical too. And this girl is a miko. All facts added up, don't they?"

"What?" Kagome stuttered. "I'm a murderer?"

"Wait. You judged too harshly, Inuyasha." Kaede continued. "I don't believe that Kikyou onee-sama would ever do such a thing, especially when she loves you so much."

"You think I want to believe that too?" Inuyasha barked. "You are not the one getting a fucking arrow in your chest, shot by the one who's the closest to your heart, left to die there like an animal. You don't understand how I feel," then he continued in a softer tone. "It fucking hurts. So much that I wished I can die a second time just to save myself from the pain."

"You need to move on," Miroku suggested. "Go on to the next world, you'll be happier there."

Inuyasha's eyes glowed eerily. "I can't. The fucking arrow kept me in the forest for years. I don't even know how much time had passed. I spent my time between waking and dreaming; until someone disturbs my rest a few weeks ago. They woke me."

"And you terrorize them?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I didn't. They just saw what you guys saw; me pinned to a tree. Somehow those pansies must have scared themselves shitless when they saw me."

"Gee I wonder why." Sango replied sarcastically.

Inuyasha choose not to reply, instead, he stared at Kagome intently. "I want her blood."

Kaede shook her head. "Don't be foolish, Inuyasha. Kagome has the ability to subdue you now and you know it. If I were you, I would leave that boy's body now immediately and move on."

"Move on? How?" Inuyasha asked softly. "I wished to move on too. But I don't know how to."

Miroku cleared his throat. "If a spirit lingers here, it must be due to some reasons. Usually it's some unfulfilled wish. If you have any desires, or wishes before you died that is not fulfill, it might be a reason why you cannot leave."

Inuyasha looked thoughtful. "Really? But actually....I cannot really remember my last thoughts very clearly. All I remember was pain, a great deal of it, then I blacked out and the next moment, I'm in the forest."

"What do you want now, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked. "What will make you happy?"

"Need you ask? I want Kikyou's life." Inuyasha growled.

Suddenly, Inuyasha lurched forward, a strange gurgling sound emitting from his throat. When he lifted himself up, the white hair darkened into inky strands, puppy ears disappeared and his eyes returned to their usual violet color.

"What happened?" Kagome asked.

"I think Akira is taking back possession of his own body." Kaede replied, watching the transformation with great interest.

Akira's eyes were emotionless, his face slackened into an unreadable mask. "No, that's not his last wish." His voice whispered softly. "He just wants answers."

"Answers to what?" Kaede asked.

Akira cocked his head, as if listening to a voice only he could hear. "He wants to know why Kikyou shot him. That's all."

"And if we cannot find the answers?" Miroku asked. "You can hear him?"

Akira nodded. "He's still possessing me. But I pushed him back. His voice is at the back of my mind. He says he will never leave as long as he doesn't get his answers."

Sango looked horrified. "Then what now? We have to get him out of you."

Akira looked about helplessly. "He refuses to go. I cannot shake him off."

Kaede narrowed her eyes. "It is not like Inuyasha to be so stubborn about something. Tell him if he doesn't come out peacefully, I'll exorcise him."

"He can hear you. And he says he doesn't care. He will rather dissipate into thin air than to carry those questions with him to the other world." Akira replied. Then he looked distracted for a moment before continuing. "I think we should help him."

"Why?" Sango and Miroku cried.

Akira shrugged. "No reason. I just think we should." Then he paused for a while before continuing. "We have come to a compromise. He would not try to take control over my body again as long as we help him find those answers."

Kagome shuffled uneasily. "How do we find those answers? What if I'm Kikyou's reincarnation? Does that means I have to give him an explanation?"

Sango patted Kagome's head in comfort. "Don't worry. I don't think you are Kikyou's reincarnation. You don't seem like the type to kill anyone."

Miroku added. "Yah. Even if you are her reincarnation, you are not responsible for her actions. You are you, and Kikyou is Kikyou."

Kaede shook her head. "I still don't believe Kikyou onee-sama would kill Inuyasha." Then with great effort Kaede stood up, "Kagome, I need to return back to my place now. If you ever need help, look for me at my apartment alright? As for Inuyasha, you can subdue him with the rosary so there should be no problems for now. Take care."

Kagome nodded. "Thank you, Kaede-bachan."

"Look for me tomorrow. I will tell you everything that I know about Inuyasha and Kikyou. Perhaps that might shed some clue to your mystery."

Kagome nodded and watched with sadness as Kaede hobbled away into the fading sunset.

"Erm, no offenses or anything," Akira muttered. "But could you guys untie me first?"

Miroku and Sango quickly made short work of the ropes. Akira rubbed his wrists painfully and sighed. "New wounds on the job. I need to claim medical expenses."

Kagome looked at him oddly. "You are not worried about being possessed by a vengeful spirit?"

Akira shrugged. "The way I see things go, you guys should be more worried than me. As for me, I always follow this policy: change what you can change, and those that you cannot change, even if you worry it won't change a thing. So there's no need for worries."

Kagome gapped at him. "You are so optimistic."

Sango sighed. "No, actually I consider him to be insane."

"So what should our first step be?" Miroku questioned softly.

Akira rubbed his head thoughtfully. "Well, if Kikyou is not reincarnated, her soul might still be in the other world. We could try to get a medium or something to summon her spirit. If we can get her spirit, we can ask her why and all mysteries would be solved. Simple?"

"Ya, too simple if you ask me." Miroku replied.

"Well I'm not asking you." Akira chirped.

Sango sighed. "Miroku might be right. We need to think of a back-up plan. If this is going to be our new case, we need to find out as much information about this as possible. Fifty years might be a long time, but some of the people involved might not be dead yet."

Kagome nodded. "I'll go and look for Kaede-bachan tomorrow. You guys can go ahead and try to summon Kikyou's spirit. We meet up again late afternoon tomorrow to exchange findings?"

Akira, Sango and Miroku nodded. "So does that means Kagome is part of our agency now?" Miroku piped.

"Only for this case." Kagome replied. "Only for this case."

The next morning, Kagome set off to find Kaede in her apartment, brewing tea.

"Kagome, you are here so early. Come have a seat. Do you want some tea?"

"Yes please." Kagome replied, sitting herself in a comfortable position. "Kaede-bachan, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm really Kikyou's reincarnation?"

Kaede poured the tea into the cups carefully. "To tell you the truth, I believe there is a high possibility that you might be my sister's reincarnation."

Kagome looked crushed. "Is that why you offer to train me in the arts of miko? Because of that?"

Kaede shook her head. "Of course not, dear. I trained you because you have the potential, not because of my sister. My sister died a long time ago and I accepted that. You are Kagome, not Kikyou and I always remember that."

Kagome nodded, smiling shakily. "Inuyasha....his name is Inuyasha ne? Who is he? How is he related to your sister, Kikyou?"

Kaede sighed. "That is a long story. I'll try to tell the story as best as I could, but remember, I was a young girl at that time and I don't understand a lot of things."

My sister, Kikyou, was a miko. Back in those times, we were still living in a small village despite industrialization and the wars. Kikyou onee-sama was a gifted priestess. One day, she met a hanyou named Inuyasha. I don't know how they got to know each other. I remember Inuyasha often came over and see my sister. Soon, they began to fall in love with each other.

It turned out that Inuyasha came from a rich family. He was the second son of the famous Taiyoukai; InuTaisho of the Western Lands. Needless to say, his family was unhappy that he fell in love with a human, a Miko no less. They forced him to break off all contacts with my sister, but he refused. He left home and married my sister. My sister too, was looked down upon by all her fellow miko-in-training. They laughed and spit at her for 'defiling' herself with a half-breed. Although they faced oppositions on many sides, they continued to love each other deeply. Life to them, were full of bliss even though they were extremely poor. Inuyasha, coming from a rich family, has no knowledge of how to live in a rural farm. Nevertheless, he is willing to learn for my sister's sake. They spent three happy years together.

However, one day my sister fell sick. It began as a small cough, but grew to become more and more serious. I watched as my sister's health deteriorates day by day. Inuyasha was extremely worried. We could not afford the proper healthcare services for my sister then. Japan was extremely poor after her defeat during World War II and medical care was not easy to get. Inuyasha worked very hard, holding a few jobs at one time, just to earn enough money to feed us and get a doctor for my sister. I watched as they suffered; my sister being tortured by the sickness, and Inuyasha nearly collapsing from exhaustion from work. Nobody helped them; all my sister's friends deserted her, saying it's her retribution for loving a hanyou. Inuyasha treated my sister very well; he always rather starves himself than to let me or my sister go hungry. Of course, he would cover up by saying he's not a weak human like us, but we all know the truth. It only made my sister sadder.

Then one day, things seemed to change for the better. A new doctor was in town. He looks at my sister and gave my sister some medicine free of charge. Inuyasha thanked him profusely. My sister got better after drinking the medicine and it seem finally, that their spell of bad luck is over.

But one day, in August, Inuyasha went out in a fit of anger and never came back. My sister and I tried to search for him but could never find him. The villagers refused to help us. My sister wept everyday, pinning away for him. Until two weeks later, I found my sister lying on her bed, dead. I called the police and they took me away. My sister's master, who taught her miko arts, took me in. And I never heard from Inuyasha again......

Kagome had tears in her eyes when she finished hearing the story. "I can't believe this. It's such a romantic story. But why did Inuyasha claim that Kikyou killed him?"

Kaede shrugged. "That's the part I don't understand. My sister really loved him. And he really loves my sister. When I was younger, I thought maybe Inuyasha abandoned us. But now I realized it's not so. He didn't return because he was dead."

Kagome nodded. "I see. But why did you call him a hanyou? I thought he was a youkai?"

Kaede shook her head. "Inuyasha was a hanyou. His mother was human. Wait a while; I have some old photos of them. I'll go and retrieve them."

Kaede came back with some yellowish pictures. Kagome took them over carefully and gasped.

The picture showed a couple smiling into the camera. The women looked a few years older than her, but shared a distinct resemblance. She must be Kikyou, Kagome reasoned. Her gaze then turned to the male in the picture. It was Inuyasha. Her heart ached when she saw the two smiling happily into the camera, their happiness palpable to anyone who could sense it.

They were so happy together. What happened?

Kagome suddenly realized something as she looked at the Inuyasha in the picture. Inuyasha had no purple stripes on his face and his eyes were not red.

"Kaede-bachan. Why does Inuyasha look like this? He looked different from the Inuyasha I saw yesterday."

Kaede nodded. "I was puzzled too. The Inuyasha at your shrine looked like a full-youkai Inuyasha. But Inuyasha was a hanyou, he only looked like that when he was threatened or angry. Usually he doesn't have stripes on his face and his eyes were not red; they were amber."

"Then what happened?"

Kaede sighed. "The only conclusion I can come up with, is that the Inuyasha in your house is not the real Inuyasha."

"Not the real Inuyasha?" Kagome shrieked. "Then who is Inuyasha?"

Remember to review ne, minna.