Stay Chapter 16: Remembering Someone and Something Important, an inuyasha fanfic

A/N: Once again, I would like to say thank you so much for all those people who spend time reading my chapters and reviewing too!!!!! To those new ones, welcome and hope you'll read this fanfic till the end okay? You're the sole reason this fanfic is still ongoing!!! I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!! The reviews are so very heartwarming! TT I would like to reply to some of my new reviewers:

To keki, do you really think my fanfic lacks romance??? I thought my latest chapter was fluffy already (well, Inuyasha standard at least)… ' Anyway, I guess I'll just have to apologize if I didn't live up to your expectations… Gomen ne and thanks for the review. Please review again and tell me if you still don't find enough romance in this fic.

To Kate, well honestly, I also think this fanfic was dragged a bit too… It's my fault since I enjoy making Inuyasha and Kagome fight so much and I can't make their arguments short (with Inuyasha being a smart ass with comments and Kagome losing her memory…) Anyway, I'll try to lessen the drag for you… Thank you very much for the review, even though it was a little negative you balanced it with nice words and it was also very courteous. I appreciate those kinds of reviews so really thank you!! -

To Calisto, really Inuyasha isn't the best speaker in town so he really does need improvement with his communication skills. Don't worry, I'm giving him lessons so he wouldn't mess up that much when he finally decides to confess to Kagome! o LOL!

To YuniX-2, just read this chapter and you'll know the answer to your question/s. I also think Kikyou doesn't have a lair… she's wandering remember? - Thanks, by the way.

To Angela, your review always flatters me (not to mention it turns me into a puddle -) Arigatou gozaimashita!!! Really you're one loyal reader! I want to hug you!!! o Wait, you didn't answer the poll!!! Please answer this time, okay? I'm not mad, don't worry…

To Jamfase, it's a relief that you're just taking a break from fanfiction and not quitting. I swear I'm going to hunt you down if you don't finish your fanfic!!! BTW, thanks for showing up again (really appreciate it) and apology accepted—definitely.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!!!!!!! How many times do I have to repeat myself??? o LOL!

Chapter 16

Remembering Someone and Something Important

"Don't you remember me yet?" His voice stayed creepy with a hint of laziness, perhaps because he knew that his captive would stay with him and would never manage to escape—not again. "Did you really forget me already huh?" He walked closer to Kagome, revealing his face to the terrified girl.

"Naraku!?" Kagome's mind exclaimed in surprise when she finally saw the owner of the chilling voice that made her shudder. She could still remember the way his eyes stared at her when she came out to go to Inuyasha after she had lost her memory; it was really scary.

Naraku jumped in front of Kagome and looked at her in the eyes. "I told you it's better to have that necklace than break it," said Naraku.

A sudden jolt of electricity seemed to creep into Kagome's body as she stared at Naraku. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Kukuku…" Naraku smirked at the stunned expression on Kagome's face, looking amused at the way her eyes widened in surprise and fear. "So you do remember me after all…"

Kagome quickly recovered from her shock and shot deadly glares at Naraku. "Why wouldn't I remember you?! You were the very reason why I lost my memory!" She spat with hatred, not lowering her glares. She mustn't let Naraku know that she was afraid; she must do her best to fight him. "But… I still can't understand why I'm in here… how did this happen?" She thought in confusion. "Where is Inuyasha?"

As if Naraku had read Kagome's mind, he smiled evilly at her and said, "Inuyasha won't be coming." He took a step closer to her and added, "He doesn't even know you're here." A satisfied smirk spread on Naraku's lips when he saw the despair on Kagome's face. "No one's coming to save you… and now that your miko powers have weakened, I'll be able to kill you."

The young miko took another step backwards only to find herself leaning against the cold stone wall of the room. "Am I going to die without even remembering? Inuyasha…" She thought, watching in horror as Naraku walked towards her with a sinister grin on his lips. "Inuyasha, where are you?!"

"Now, die." He grabbed the girl by her neck and raised her from the floor. His lips curled into a satisfied smile as he tightened the grip on the poor girl's neck. "How pathetic, you can't even fight back." He said scornfully, his eyes piercing hers in a mocking manner.

It was now hard to breath for her. She tried to loosen the iron grip around her neck but it was useless. Her strength was slowly fading away… along with her life. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Not a single feeling. "Is this how it feels… to die?" Then she fell into the clutches of deep darkness.

All of a sudden, Kagome could hear faint chirping of birds and rustling of leaves. "Are there birds and trees in the afterlife?" She wondered, opening her eyes gradually. She stood up and looked around her surroundings. "A forest? Now, why am I here?!" Then she heard someone shout a name.

"Inuyasha!!" That was the name the voice yelled—and by the tone of her voice, it was clearly angry.

Kagome immediately rushed to the source of the voice, finding herself hurrying to the location of the Goshinboku. She gasped in surprise when she reached her destination and saw the scene in front of her. Inuyasha was pinned on the Goshinboku; an arrow stuck in his chest. She wanted to scream out his name but her voice didn't comply. "What's happening?!" She thought anxiously, looking at Inuyasha's unconscious form. Then her eyes went to look at the culprit who shot the arrow at Inuyasha. Her eyes widened the moment she viewed the face of the perpetrator. "Me?!" She thought to herself, looking horrified at the thought of shooting Inuyasha herself. "I killed… Inuyasha?! That can't be…" She examined the girl carefully from head to foot. She did look so much like her. Same color of eyes, same lips—even her complexion was the same as the girl's. The girl's hair was only longer than hers but still they had the same color—black as the starless night. She was holding her bow in one hand, struggling slightly to keep her footing. "She's bleeding!" Kagome thought, seeing the blood on her white haori. "Is she really me?" She asked in her mind, still unable to believe what she was seeing. She watched silently as the girl weakly dragged her feet towards a shining pink sphere lying on the ground. "Is that…" She remembered seeing that same round jewel before. When was it? A picture came into her mind. "A centipede youkai attacked me then… that pink jewel came out from my left side…" She thought, reminiscing the memory when she had first seen the small ball. "That's right, that's the Shikon no Tama! So that's how it looked like before it was shattered…"

The scene changed suddenly; it was now dark and Kagome was in a forest clearing. She was tied to a tree by some sort of youkais that looked like small pale green dragons and in front of her were Inuyasha and that girl that looked so much like her. "Eh? Now Inuyasha is with that girl that killed him?!" She still wasn't sure that the girl she was seeing before her was really her. "If that is really me then, why is it that I am also here? This is really very confusing!!!" She thought, unable to figure out why she was there in the first place. "And why do I feel sad?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Inuyasha speak.

"No matter what you look like… I could never find you disgusting or horrible." Inuyasha said, looking at the girl seriously.

"Is that… true?" The girl replied, her face softening. She slowly approached Inuyasha and placed a hand on his cheek. "Even though at this very moment, I could kill you with these hands…?" She dropped her hand and leaned forward to kiss Inuyasha.

"Eh?! Now what's with this scene?! Why do I have to see all of these???" Kagome thought, unable to move or speak out. "Why do I need to see this in such a very close angle?" She complained in her head.

The girl broke the kiss then hugged Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, ever since I met you, I ceased being a miko… I became an ordinary woman." She tightened her embrace to Inuyasha, who wasn't making any move. "I wanted to hold you like this when I was alive," added the girl.

Somewhere in Kagome's heart, she could feel sadness when she saw the girl together with Inuyasha. Tears were now welling up her eyes but she didn't let them fall. "Maybe because I've already lost Inuyasha…" She thought as she saw Inuyasha, wrapping his arms around the girl. "Just when I thought I wouldn't feel anything anymore since I'm dead now…" She looked away from the couple, sadness and loneliness stabbing her heart repeatedly. "That girl definitely isn't me… because if she is me, I wouldn't feel sad like this to see her with Inuyasha…right?" She reasoned to herself, trying to figure out if her thought made any point. "Who is she then? And why does she look so much like me?" She wondered curiously. Her head began to start throbbing again, making her feel dizzy. Bit by bit, her sight was getting blurred. "And where is that annoying sound coming from?" She mused, covering her ears to block the loud constant ringing sound coming from an unknown source.

"Kagome? Kagome! Wake up, breakfast is ready."

The irritating sound had finally stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around; she was inside her room, lying on her bed comfortably. "A dream?" She thought, leaving her bed to go towards the window. She opened her window, feeling relieved when the morning air kissed her face lightly. She moved towards her dresser and stared at the mirror for a while. "She looked like me a lot…" She murmured, studying her face on the mirror. Her eyes widened in surprise when another reflection appeared in the mirror—a reflection that was so much like hers. She quickly swiveled around, expecting to see no one—expecting that her mind was just playing tricks with her. But there she was. The girl she had seen in her dream; she was standing right in front of her, eyes looking straight at her.

"Who are you?" She spoke firmly.

"How did you get here?!" She asked the very first thing that entered her mind when she saw her, still unable to believe that she was standing in front of her—in reality.

The girl didn't look like she was going to answer Kagome, instead she repeated, "Who are you?"

Realizing that the girl—not her—was the one controlling their conversation, she answered softly, "I'm Kagome."

The girl seemed to be satisfied with the answer given so she proceeded to her next question. "Then who am I?" She asked challengingly, not taking her eyes off Kagome.

"How should I know?!" Kagome quickly replied, looking at her with puzzlement and annoyance. "Why do you ask me? I don't even know you. I just saw you in my dream with Inuyasha and…" And that was all she knew; she couldn't remember anything other than what she saw in her dream. She looked into her eyes and said earnestly, "Please, I just lost my memory so I don't remember much. Please tell me who you are."

"So it is true then," said the girl, looking at Kagome derisively. "You actually fell into Naraku's trap and he was able to defeat you…" Her lips curled into a smirk before saying, "That only proves that you truly are weak. You can't even use your miko powers properly now; you'll be useless in a battle with Naraku."

"Miko powers? How could I possibly have that kind of power?" She said, getting more confused with all the things she was hearing. "Naraku was also saying the same thing about my miko powers declining… do I really have that kind of power? If I really do then why does she know about it?" She asked in her mind. "Do you know me? Tell me! I have so many questions and I need some answers! Please!" She cried out desperately.

The girl's eyes became serious once again as she looked at Kagome's eyes. "You'll have your answers," She told her, making Kagome sigh inwardly. "…but not from me."

Kagome's mouth hung open. "What?!" Then she found herself alone once more inside her room. The girl was gone. "Hey! Where are you?!" She called out, turning around to inspect her whole room.

No one was there—except for her. She was completely alone.

"Kagome! Wake up!" But then again—maybe not.

Kagome squinted her eyes, adjusting them to the bright light that welcomed her. "Inuyasha?" She murmured sleepily, seeing the hanyou looking at her worriedly. "Anything wrong?" She asked him.

"You were shouting," pointed out Inuyasha, narrowing his eyes at Kagome. "You tell me what's wrong." He demanded, studying Kagome's face.

"I was shouting?" She said uncertainly; one eyebrow arched. "Shouting what?"

Inuyasha placed a hand under his chin and thought for a moment. "Something like you need some answers then you were saying 'please' then you were shouting 'Where are you?!'" He said, recalling Kagome's words in her sleep. "What the heck was that all about?! Were you dreaming?" He asked with a hint of both annoyance and worry in his voice.

Kagome sat up and looked around her room. "This isn't another dream, is it?" She asked tentatively.

"Bitch, this is reality." Inuyasha assured her, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Just what the hell were you dreaming about?!"

"I guess this is real…" She thought to herself. "Inuyasha is calling me names again, surely this is real." "Well, I had many dreams—I mean nightmares." She started, trying to recollect all of the things she had seen in her slumber. "First, I found myself in a room together with Naraku and he tried to kill me. Actually, I thought he had killed me but then I woke up in a forest then…" She couldn't remember much anymore. Why was it that she always had a problem with recalling things? She forced herself to remember what happened next. She knew she had to remember because it was really important. She had to ask Inuyasha about it—but what was it?

"Inuyasha!!"

Kagome looked into Inuyasha's amber eyes, which were also looking into her eyes. "There was someone who yelled your name—angrily." She said, hearing the voice clearly in her head.

"Who?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side a little.

"A girl…" She answered with certainty. "Then I ran towards it and…" She had forgotten what had happened next. She tried again but still she was unsuccessful.

"And?" Inuyasha prompted her to go on, looking at her expectantly. "Is her memory finally returning?!"

She pursed her lips together and looked down at her lap. "I don't remember anymore…" She said in a whisper, clenching her blanket tightly.

Inuyasha's shoulders slumped as he gave out a sigh. "I guess she still needs more time," thought Inuyasha, looking at Kagome's hands, which were still clutching the bedspread firmly.

"Sorry." She looked at Inuyasha sympathetically, knowing how much Inuyasha also wanted her to remember something.

"Don't apologize for something so shallow," said Inuyasha, trying to comfort the girl. "Just be patient and you'll remember soon."

"So it's morning already, right?" Kagome asked, glancing at her window.

"What do you think?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. She was really unpredictable sometimes. One minute she was apologizing and then the next she was asking one of her stupid questions—again. Maybe it was another side effect when someone lost his or her memory? "Or maybe it's just Kagome." He noted in his mind.

Ignoring Inuyasha's comment, she stood up and stretched her arms high in the air. "What a nice morning!" She squealed in delight then turned to Inuyasha. "What do you think, Inuyasha?" She inquired, still wearing her happy face.

"Feh!" Inuyasha scowled, walking towards the door to leave. "I'll go down to see if there's any food." He told her, waving a hand at her uncaringly.

"Okay," replied Kagome, watching Inuyasha's retreating form. "I'll be there later after I finish taking a bath!" She added before Inuyasha closed the door behind him.

After having their breakfast, Kagome volunteered to stay behind to help her mother wash the dishes even though Mrs. Higurashi insisted that she should be resting instead.

"I'm not feeling sick so it's all right for me to do some chores." Kagome reasoned out to her mother.

Finally, her mother gave in.

"Hey Souta, would you please keep an eye on Inuyasha for me? He might go wandering somewhere…" Kagome said to her brother, noticing that Inuyasha wasn't around anymore.

"Sure, neechan!" And Souta ran off, calling Inuyasha's name.

Kagome turned back to the sink, sighing inwardly. "At least I won't need to worry that he's going somewhere…" She thought in relief.

"So how was your sleep, dear?" Her mother asked warmly, smiling at her.

"Fine, I guess." She answered, not wanting to make the woman beside her worry. "I just had some nightmares but I forgot them." She said thoughtfully, smiling back at her mother. "That's right, I forgot them…" She thought disappointedly.

As she worked with the dishes, she tried once more to remember what had happened next in her dream. "A girl shouted Inuyasha's name then I ran… I ran towards the voice—then what? What did I see?" It was useless. The last thing she always remembered was her running—no more after that. "Just when I see something important in my dream, I forget it. Just great." She grumbled in her head, wanting to get angry with herself for being so forgetful.

After finishing her chore, Kagome went outside to look for Souta and Inuyasha. Luckily, she quickly saw Souta playing with a ball near the shrine.

"Souta, where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously; hands placed on her hips.

"Sorry but Inuyasha-niichan told me he doesn't want someone spying around him." Souta answered, looking apologetic at his sister.

"That's Inuyasha, all right." Kagome thought, heaving out a sigh. "Well he really is like that," said Kagome, looking around for any sign of the hanyou. "I'll just go look for him myself." She smiled appreciatively at Souta before starting to walk away.

"The last time I saw him was in the Goshinboku!" He informed her sister before resuming his play.

"Thanks, Souta!" Kagome called back, breaking into a run towards the said tree.

Shortly, the Goshinboku came into view as Kagome continued to run towards it. Her eyes immediately spotted Inuyasha's red kimono behind the tall tree. A calmed smile was painted on her lips as she continued running towards Inuyasha's direction.

Then she heard that scream again inside her head.

"Inuyasha!!"

She continued to run towards the Goshinboku, just like in her dream. She clearly remembered what happened next now. Fear instantly crept through her body as the images began to flash in front of her eyes. The image of Inuyasha pinned on the Goshinboku haunted her mind endlessly. Inuyasha was going to be killed! "Inuyasha! Just hang in there! Please!" She thought worriedly.

When she was just a few feet away, she slowed down and walked instead. She took each step without any hurry, her eyes looking at nothing but Inuyasha in front of her. "Inuyasha's safe!" Her heart was flooded with relief when she saw Inuyasha, sitting below the Goshinboku peacefully with his hands pillowing his head as he stared at the sky lazily. Tears welled up on the corner of Kagome's eyes as she walked on, not taking her eyes away from Inuyasha even just for a single second. "He's safe… he's not hurt… Thank goodness!" She thought gratefully, fighting back the tears of joy that wanted to fall. She stepped over the low fence that surrounded the tree and dropped all of a sudden in a kneeling position in front of him, sitting on the heels of her feet.

Noticing Kagome's presence almost instantly, Inuyasha tore his gaze from the clear blue sky and beamed at her. "Great! Finally you're finally—" He paused when he met Kagome's eyes—they were watery. "What the—" He held Kagome's chin and examined her eyes closely. "Were you crying?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.

Kagome quickly wiped the unshed tears from her eyes and said defensively, "No."

"Then what was that in your eyes a while ago?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "What the hell's wrong with her?" He wondered in his mind.

"Don't worry, I'm just happy." She assured him with a smile, her heart was beating normally once more. Everything was fine, no need to worry anymore.

"Stupid!" Inuyasha scowled, looking away from her. "How can you be happy when—" He paused when he felt Kagome's arms around him all of a sudden; his cheeks immediately reddened at her action.

"I told you I'm happy!" She cried out, burying her face on his haori and sighed inwardly when she heard the beating of his heart. That was the reason why she hugged Inuyasha; she wanted to assure herself that he was real—not just another dream. He was truly okay and it made her really happy. She tightened her embrace and shut her eyes hard to hold back the tears that threatened to fall for the second time."I'm really happy because you're okay…" She said softly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye to prevent it from rolling down her cheek.

While trying to stop himself from blushing even more, Inuyasha glanced at Kagome sideways but found that her face was not visible from his point of view. "Kagome…" He started, wanting to find out what brought them to this kind of situation.

Kagome gently broke the hug and placed her hands on her lap. "Sorry if I—um—hugged you all of a sudden…" She said meekly; her eyes were safely turned away from Inuyasha's. "I was just grateful that you're alive…"

"Alive?" Inuyasha looked at her with pure puzzlement etched on his face.

"Yeah. I just suddenly remembered my dream and I thought it was some kind of premonition so I was worried." Kagome explained, biting her lower lip gently. "I just thought it was real… It felt so real…" She continued in a calm voice, looking up the Goshinboku. "In my dream, you were shot with an arrow… right there." She pointed a finger at the very spot where Inuyasha was held down by Kikyou.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome in astonishment after hearing her words. She was definitely remembering things now! "Kagome…" His heart was glad that Kagome had finally recovered some of her memory but knew that it wasn't time to relax yet. Until Kagome had her full memory restored, it wouldn't be over. "Kagome, that wasn't just a dream." This was the hard consequence of Kagome's memory loss; he had to explain everything to her—carefully—so she wouldn't misunderstand anything that might lead to a serious problem afterwards. "It's real… I was really pinned down that tree." He said coolly, preparing himself for the next question Kagome would be throwing at him. He had a hunch the question would be either hard to answer or hard to explain.

"So that girl really killed you…" Kagome said, slowly lowering her gaze towards her lap. She knew it was impossible but still there was a doubt at the back of her mind that made her ask Inuyasha. "Was that girl… me?" She raised her eyes nervously and fixed them on Inuyasha's amber eyes.

"Just as I thought, she really hasn't remembered everything yet. I can't blame her if she thought she was the one who sealed me. She really has a great resemblance to Kikyou." He smirked at Kagome and said in an insulting manner, "If you were the one who released that arrow, you'd certainly miss me!"

Instead of her getting annoyed with Inuyasha for saying something offending, her eyes shimmered happily at Inuyasha's comment. "So that means I didn't kill you, right?" She asked in pure delight, looking at Inuyasha excitedly for his answer.

"Of course, you didn't! You weren't even born back then!" He said, clutching his head with his clawed hand. "I think I'm going to have a headache soon." Inuyasha couldn't believe the reaction he received from Kagome. She was actually very happy—not just simply happy—with his remark. "In addition to her lost memory, she also forgot how to react correctly in certain comments." He thought to himself, staring at Kagome incredulously. "Why do I have to be the one explaining all of these to you?!" He muttered, regretting his decision to stay with Kagome in her time.

"So who is she then?" She asked, looking at Inuyasha attentively. "My great, great ancestor or something? She really looks so much like me, you know."

"Not exactly." He said while rubbing his head slowly. He was so sure he was going to have a headache—pretty soon. "You are her reincarnation—you know what that means right?" He looked at Kagome questioningly.

Kagome rolled her beautiful brown eyes at him and said, "Luckily, yes, I know what that means. She was my past life, I was her in the past…"

"Yeah, good." Inuyasha said, a little grateful that he wouldn't have to explain that too. "Well anyway, she was a miko and also the protector of the Shikon no Tama—"

"Wait!" Kagome interrupted upon hearing the word 'miko'. "She was a miko?! Like me? Oh wait, I forgot, am I really a miko too? Because in my dream, Naraku and that girl kept on saying that my miko powers have weakened… Um, what exactly does that mean?"

The hanyou took a deep breath as he replayed the questions that Kagome had asked him. Okay, he was having a headache now. "First, yes, she was a miko. Second, yes, like you. You are also a miko because you can fire purity arrows—and purify the Shikon shards as well." He raised his hand to stop Kagome from opening her mouth; she was about to ask another question and he wasn't finished yet. "Don't talk yet, I'm not yet done. Purity arrows are very powerful weapon used by a miko. And last, I think it is also a side effect that when you lost your memory, your miko powers have declined too. Do you get my drift?"

"I guess so." She answered hesitantly. "This is more complicated than I thought it would be." She thought, thinking of other questions to ask him. She replayed her dream in her head slowly, constructing her next question from the scenes she saw. Two scenes from her dream had caught her attention greatly. The first was Inuyasha being pinned on the Goshinboku by that girl and the second was Inuyasha being kissed by that same girl. "I just can't understand those two scenes!" She grumbled mentally, looking at Inuyasha, who was staring back at her curiously.

"Can't understand something?" Inuyasha said, still not tearing his eyes off her. Judging by the way her forehead cringed; he could clearly see confusion in her part.

"It's another scene in my dream," said Kagome while tying words together in her mind to form her upcoming question. "What exactly was your connection to her? Were you enemies…" She paused for a while to lower her gaze. She couldn't let Inuyasha see the sadness that shone in her eyes. "…Or friends?" "Kissing friends, that is." She thought somberly, not wanting the feeling she was feeling right now. It was tearing her heart as she played that particular scene in her head.

Inuyasha's cheeks quickly turned red at Kagome's question. He stole a glimpse at her and was thankful when he saw her eyes turned away from him. "My connection with Kikyou?" He thought about the question for a while, finding the right term to use for their relationship. What were they exactly? Definitely not enemies—but what? After a few minutes of thinking, he came up with a safe answer.

"I met her when I tried to steal the Shikon no Tama from her." He said in a quiet voice, glancing at Kagome's face secretly. "But then I never succeeded in stealing the jewel 'cause she always seemed to know how to protect that damn thing. Although she has always protected the jewel, she never tried to kill me for stealing it—even once. And surprisingly after some time, we became friends but we fell into Naraku's trap."

"Trap?"

Inuyasha gave a small nod then went on with his story. "He made a trap to make us hate each other. After that, I tried to steal the jewel again but she sealed—not killed—me in this tree." He said, sighing mentally after finishing his narrative. He actually managed to tell this to Kagome. That was definitely something…

Kagome waited but Inuyasha didn't continue anymore. "That was all?" She thought uncertainly. She didn't know why but something was bothering her, telling her that it wasn't as simple as that. There was something more that Inuyasha wasn't telling her—something very important. Deep in thought, Kagome didn't notice that she was already voicing out her thoughts. "Is that really all?" The words were out before she could stop herself.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked at her questioningly.

She quickly amended her sentence and blurted out, "I mean you still haven't told me what had happened to her afterwards."

He had stopped massaging his head and replaced his hand inside his red sleeves. "She died afterwards because of her wound. Her body was burned—together with the Shikon no Tama." He answered.

"So she died…" She murmured, contemplating to herself. "And I became her reincarnation…Wait, her?" She finally realized that she still didn't know the name of the girl. "Inuyasha, can you tell me what's her name? I forgot to ask you…" She said, hoping that if she would know her name she might recall something concerning her—something that might help answer her questions.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow at Kagome, not getting her point in asking Kikyou's name. Nevertheless, he still told her. "Kikyou." He said the name directly, looking at Kagome all the while.

"Kikyou…" She spoke the name in her own lips, trying to detect any familiarity with the mention of her name. "Kikyou…" She repeated when nothing came in her mind.

"Do you remember anything?" Inuyasha inquired after hearing Kagome say Kikyou's name for the fourth time.

Kagome shook her head gently and said, "No… not a single thing." She crawled towards Inuyasha's right side and sat next to him, also resting her back on the trunk of the Goshinboku. She took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. "I feel so comfortable sitting below this tree." She smiled as she gazed at the azure sky admiringly.

Inuyasha returned his hands at the back of his head to cushion it and glanced at Kagome from the corner of his eyes. He could hear Kagome murmuring Kikyou's name while she looked across the vast endless blanket of blue. "Do you intend to say 'Kikyou' this whole day?!" He muttered before turning his gaze up to the heavens.

"Not really," replied Kagome calmly, not taking her eyes off the enchanting blue sky. "I just thought maybe I'll be able to remember something if I say her name."

"Well, apparently, it's not working," grumbled Inuyasha, looking at Kagome with irritation. "So maybe you should just shut up?"

"Are you annoyed because I remind you of Kikyou when I keep saying her name?" She still didn't look at Inuyasha's direction.

"Stupid! It's not that!" He denied, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I'm annoyed because you're so noisy!"

"I was just whispering her name." She said in defense.

"I have sensitive ears so I can still hear you loud and clear, wench." Inuyasha answered back, pointing to the white furry triangles on top of his head while glaring at Kagome.

Kagome finally looked at Inuyasha, matching the angry stare Inuyasha was giving her. She wasn't going to lose this battle; she wouldn't let Inuyasha win this one. She stared into his eyes more fiercely until she saw a reflection of herself on them. "A reflection…" She thought sadly. Her eyes slowly lowered as she thought about it more and more. "Anyway, even if I shut up I would still remind you of Kikyou…" She said, giving up once again. "Since I look like her…"

"Who told you that you remind me of Kikyou?!" He asked. "I've told you before, you're Kagome—not Kikyou. Even though you look like her, you're different." He sighed in exasperation. "You're alive. Kikyou's dead. When I look at you, I don't see Kikyou. I see Kagome. Get it?" He really hoped she did. After all that talk he had done, she should get it.

She returned her gaze at Inuyasha with a warm smile on her lips and nodded. "Thank you, Inuyasha…" She said gratefully, looking into his eyes once more. This time she knew it was really her reflection on Inuyasha's eyes—not anybody else's. "That was nice…" Her heart was calmed by Inuyasha's words and it felt great. "Maybe it's not that bad if I lose against Inuyasha this time…" She thought; her heart was full of warmth. "Since I got to hear him talk like that…"

"I just hope you recover your memory soon so I don't have to do any more explaining. It's beginning to tire me and we still have lots of business to do." He said, shifting his gaze towards the green leaves of the Goshinboku. "Good, she got it." He sighed mentally, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

The two fell quiet for a while, busy with the thoughts going on inside their minds.

"Kikyou…" She had returned to her previous thought about the dead priestess. "I can feel something about her that Inuyasha didn't tell me… Somehow, I know now that I really have met her… Even though she's dead… How?" Her eyes subconsciously went to the ground. "Bones and earth?" She looked at the soil closely, trying to grasp something in her mind.

"I finally got the reincarnated soul of hers."

"I need you to bring Kikyou back to life completely!"

"She was resurrected?!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, looking at Inuyasha with wide brown eyes. "Kikyou was resurrected by Urasue, right?"

"Kagome, you remembered?!" Inuyasha burst out; the expression of shock and excitement mixed on his eyes. "You remember now?!" He asked, looking at her expectantly.

Kagome placed her hand on her temple as a tinge of pain began to surface. "Yeah, I think I'm beginning to remember now…" She said, a huge smile lighting up her face. Her questions were starting to get their respective answers. "I remember now, Inuyasha!" She said animatedly, looking up at the Goshinboku. "You were pinned here for fifty years, then I came from the Bone Eater's well with the jewel inside me. I was chased by a centipede youkai and in order to be saved, I broke your seal to free you." The pictures weren't confusing anymore as they began to flash in her mind—slowly this time. "I remember them now. Mama… she would always make a lot of lunch for me to bring to you guys in the Sengoku Jidai… Souta always asks me why he couldn't come with me and jiichan always loves to tell stories about the origin of stuffs. This is great! I have my memory back!!!" She cheered happily, beaming from ear to ear.

"Great!" Inuyasha agreed, also feeling happy about the recovery of Kagome's memory. "So you remember all of it now, right?" He asked to make sure.

"Eh?" Kagome propped her hand on her chin as she thought about Inuyasha's question. After a few seconds of thinking she answered, "I think so… I broke the Shikon no Tama because I accidentally hit it with that crow youkai… Kaede-baachan told us to collect the Shikon shards and during our journey, we met Shippou-chan, Miroku-sama and Sango-chan, right?"

"Okay, so I guess you really have your memory back." He assented, stretching his arms as he gave out a yawn. "Damn… sitting here all morning is very boring." He complained.

"I think we should go back to the Sengoku Jidai soon." She remarked, looking bothered. "We really should start looking for the Shikon shards again and the others might be worried about us too." She told Inuyasha.

"Are you sure you're okay now?"

Kagome nodded and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine now. Thanks to Kikyou I—" She stopped abruptly when Kikyou's name registered in her mind. Now that her memory was brought back, she knew the connection between Kikyou and Inuyasha perfectly well. "Kikyou was the one who killed Inuyasha. She was the one who wanted Inuyasha dead. She wanted to pull Inuyasha down with her to hell… and Inuyasha… he wants to protect Kikyou because…" Kagome's memory wouldn't betray her anymore; she had really recovered her memory. Happy memories and even the bitter memories—all of them were back. "Because Inuyasha loves her…" The pain she felt whenever she thought about this had returned. Always along with memories, there were always feelings. Jealousy, sadness, loneliness and love. Now she knew why she felt like that towards Inuyasha—she remembered it now. "It's because I love Inuyasha." She thought, finding herself staring into Inuyasha's deep pools of golden yellow.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said her name worriedly. "Is your head hurting again?"

"No." She instantly replied and flashed a reassuring smile at Inuyasha. "Sorry, I just remembered something…" She said in excuse.

"What was it?"

"Nothing important." She said dismissively. "Liar." She grumbled in her mind.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking suspiciously at her.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure." Kagome said, hoping Inuyasha would just drop the subject. "So we'll go back after lunch?" She asked to change the topic.

"Sure."

Kagome sighed inwardly and looked up towards the sky. "Well, at least, I have recovered my memory now. Things will be normal once again…" She thought, feeling glad again that she had her memory back. "Even though things won't be easy for me now, at least I'm back to normal."

Kagome and Inuyasha were now standing in front of the well, saying good-bye to Kagome's family.

"Kagome! Be careful there, okay?"

Kagome looked back at her mother and smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry Mama, I'll be extra careful now and besides, Inuyasha will be there for me." She said, glancing at Inuyasha's direction.

"Take care of yourself, Kagome." Jiichan said with pure concern. "By the way, did you bring the charm I brought to your room a while ago?" He asked.

"What charm?"

"The protection charm I got from the shrine!" Her grandfather replied with a confident smile. "You mustn't forget that Kagome!" He added.

"I think I did put it in my bag." She said, sounding somewhat unsure. "We'll be going now, okay?"

"Okay, remember to be careful!" Her mother repeated.

"Take care of neechan for us, Inu no niichan!" Souta added.

Inuyasha simply nodded then looked at Kagome. "Let's go, Kagome."

"Okay."

And together they jumped into the well, ready to face what they had left behind in the Sengoku Jidai.

A/N: So you think this is the end? Nah… A few more chapters before this story ends. The problem isn't over yet, believe me. And you think Kagome's already back to normal—not completely. Wow! There's so much in store next chapter! A certain someone is going to visit Kagome! Guess who? Now, you got to review okay? Never ever forget to leave a review! That's very nasty if you're just going to read the chapter I have worked so hard for and you won't leave a single comment. Another thing, I've got an account on notifylist . com and from now on, I'll be using that to contact my readers. Please sign up so you'll receive an e-mail when I update Stay. Just go to my profile here at FF . net to get the link, okay? Thank you for reading and reviewing! (violet blossom, thanks for signing up already!!!)

Again, review... Fanfiction . net is messing up my smileys... That's really depressing... : (