Hello again everyone! I'm so happy with the reviews that I received for my last chapter! I guess there is a reason to continue this story! Anyway, Mrryl, you were asking about the last line of last chapter…………. Well, this chapter should help to clear that up. And just a caution to everyone... things are not always as they seem. And with that little warning, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: yada yada yada. I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 2: Explanations of the Past and Future

"What do you mean you 'love' me?" Inuyasha asked, the twinkling bits of the discharged spell falling between them.

Kagome blushed. She hadn't meant to say that. How was she to explain that he had been her best friend for the last three years? "Well, it's a long story, and I'm not sure if you would believe me." She said, deciding that the only thing that she could possibly do was tell him the truth.

"Well, I've got the time if you do." He said, sitting on the roots that had once held him captive. "If I believe you, I might not kill you."

So Kagome sat down too and started her story. "Well, I'm a bit of a time traveller. You see, I'm from 500 years in the future." Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at this, but said nothing. "The reason you took me for Kikyo, is that I am her reincarnation. And before you go off the deep end, I'm nothing like her, okay?" Inuyasha had seemed like he was getting ready to jump on her, but he stopped and nodded. "So, it was my fifteenth birthday, and I got kidnapped by a centipede woman who pulled me into the well behind the shrine that I live in. That's how I got here the first time." She stopped, seeing that Inuyasha wanted to say something.

"What do you mean 'the first time'?" Inuyasha asked.

"Just wait, I'll get to it. Just don't interrupt, no matter what I say, okay?" He nodded. Kagome wasn't sure if she believed this implied oath, but she continued with her story anyway.

"As I said, that's how I got here the first time. So I ran into the forest and found a boy that was pinned to a tree by an arrow, you, and the villagers from nearby got a little angry that I was near you. So they took me captive and brought me to their village." Kagome continued to tell him about their journey together, about the discovery and breaking of the jewel, at which point Inuyasha made his first of many interruptions, and about the friends they made and their many adventures. She didn't tell him everything though, just the main parts. She also told him all about Naraku, and about how he and Kikyo had been betrayed by the evil hanyou. Then she told him about the last battle, trying to tell him about it without crying, though she lost that battle in the end and shed a few tears for her fallen companions.

"And that was a week ago." She finished, looking at Inuyasha for the first time in quite a while. He seemed a little stunned, and it took him a minute to find his voice.

Then he looked at her. "So if we were all dead last week, then why is this happening all over again?"

Kagome looked away from him again. "Because I made a wish on the Shikon no Tama. I wished that I had a chance to do it over again and do it right." She looked back at him and saw the determination in his face. "You believe me?" She asked.

"Well, I never smelled a lie in anything you said, and if it's true then you have the Shikon no Tama inside your body, and tomorrow you're supposed to get it taken from your body by Mistress Centipede, right?" Kagome nodded. "So if what you say is true, then we should be able to extract the jewel from your body right now, and then we'll know that everything you've said is true."

Kagome went pale at his suggestion. She went paler still when he moved quickly to her side, claws up, ready to slash at her.

"OSUWARI!" She screamed, and watched Inuyasha plummet to the ground as the spell caught him off guard. She had conveniently "forgotten" to tell him about the spelled prayer beads that he was wearing.

"What was that for, wench?" He yelled from his place on the ground.

"You were going to slice me open, and you ask what that was for?" She said, in the calmest, deadliest voice that Inuyasha had ever heard. Then she walked off, knowing that Inuyasha would follow when the spell let go. She heard him coming after her more quickly than she had thought he would, but was happy when he fell into step beside her, giving her an annoyed look. She was worried, because she had felt eyes watching her from the shadows. The energy signature was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. And in this time, even a familiar presence didn't mean a friendly one.

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The one in the shadows watched as the girl walked away from the hanyou, and also saw the hanyou catch up to the human girl. I had better go tell my master of this development. He thought, as he disappeared into the night.

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Kagome and Inuyasha walked into a very silent village. No one was in sight, and Kagome could well imagine why. Inuyasha looked like he was going over every way that he could think of to destroy a village and kill the inhabitants. Kagome could only roll her eyes at him, but really, it was all she could expect of him at this stage. She had forgotten how impossible he had been in the beginning.

"Where are we going, wench?" Inuyasha growled, coming out of his daydream to glare at Kagome.

Kagome turned on him. "Look, my name is Kagome! Ka-go-me! Not wench! Do you think you can remember that?" She never raised her voice in all of this, but the look in her eyes told Inuyasha that he would be much better off of he just listened, this time.

"Feh. Whatever, its not like it matters." He mumbled under his breath.

Kagome just sighed and kept walking, at least they were making progress faster this time than last, if you could call this progress. Well, he hasn't tried to hurt me, except that once, and he's sort of agreed to call me by my name. I guess that's progress.

The sun was setting in the west, casting long shadows and drenching everything in a golden glow. Kagome led Inuyasha to Kaede's hut and the older miko brought them inside for dinner.

"Kagome, child, I still do not understand why ye are here. If ye are my sister's reincarnation from 500 years in the future, as ye say, then why are ye here now?" Kaede asked when they had all finished their dinners.

"Well, I'm not really sure as to why I'm here, but I think it has to do with an evil hanyou that needs to be destroyed, or the world will fall into darkness, and my time will never exist." Kagome answered. At the mention of the evil hanyou, Kaede had glanced at Inuyasha. Kagome had noticed that glance, however. "And before you ask, the evil hanyou is not Inuyasha."

Kaede looked startled at this. "How do ye know these things, child? Were these things recorded in your time?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Inuyasha. "Nah, she's been here before. She told me that she's already done all of this, and that she defeated the evil hanyou three years from now, but that she didn't like the outcome, so she used the Shikon no Tama to start over." He said, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, as Kagome fumed.

I didn't want to tell everyone that I'm doing this for the second time! She thought, glaring daggers in Inuyasha's direction.

He just smiled at her.

"Is that true Kagome?" Kaede asked her. Kagome's attention swung back from the infuriating hanyou to the older woman across from her.

"Yes, Kaede, it's true. I'm doing this for the second time, because the first time after I defeated Naraku, everyone was dead except for me. I couldn't accept that, so I made a wish on the Shikon no Tama that I could have another chance to do things right. In fact, last time a came tomorrow." Kagome smiled at the perplexed expressions of her two companions. She couldn't help it, the looks on their faces were just so funny!

"So ye've already begun to make changes then." Kaede stated, seeing no reason to make a question of it.

"Yes, although if things happen the same way as they did last time, then a demon called Mistress Centipede should be coming here to try and get the jewel from me tomorrow. She's the reason I came here in the first place last time." Kagome looked down at her clasped hands in her lap. She remembered the destruction that had happened in this village on that day because of her. I won't let that happen this time, this time I'm ready for that over-grown bug!

"Well, if none of this is to happen until tomorrow, then I suggest that we all get some sleep. You are both welcome to stay with me in my home." Kaede glanced uneasily at Inuyasha, she wasn't comfortable around him, even with the spell on him that gave Kagome control.

Luckily, Inuyasha didn't want to stay in Kaede's hut anyway. "I wouldn't stay in here with you humans for anything! I'm going to go sleep in a tree!" Kagome had to hide a smile behind her hand at this typical response from her friend.

When she regained control, Inuyasha had already left the hut and was out of sight. Kagome stuck her head out the door whispering, "Good night Inuyasha, see you in the morning!" Then she went back into the hut.

"Feh."

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I see my servant has told me the truth. The hanyou is free of the spell put on him 50 years ago. But where is the wench that was mentioned? I suppose it doesn't matter, the hanyou doesn't matter either, he's just a means to an end. But perhaps I shall watch and see why Inuyasha is settled in this village, rather than destroying it, as he did 50 years ago. There was no sound to indicate any movement, but the figure in the shadows, thinking these thoughts, melted back into the forest to await the coming dawn.

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So, does that help to set the ball moving in the right direction? I hope so. Chapter 2 done. YATTA!

Reviewer Response:

Mrryl: did this help? And keep my warning from the beginning of the chapter in mind: things are not always as they seem.

Me: glad to hear that you're enjoying the story

Greg Selm-Orr: did I update fast enough? I don't know if this relieved any of the suspense though.

Seida02: thanks for the support! I read your story "Kagome's Fate" it definitely has potential. I'll tell you right now though, I am not a fan of AU stories. But I will continue to read your story. I must admit that I am interested to see what will happen with Kagome and Inuyasha. And to see what's going on with Sesshomaru.