Hey! Look it's a new chapter! Aren't you glad? I know that this story seems to just be following the same line as the original story, and this chapter is pretty much like that too, but I promise, there are going to be some twists soon! I just have to write them, that's all… anyway, on to chapter four!

Disclaimer: you know it, I know it: I don't own Inuyasha!

Chapter 4: Memories, the Bond and an Oni

When Kagome arrived back in the village, everyone welcomed her with kind words, and not a few prayers. Oh yeah, I forgot about the villagers being weird when they found out I was Kikyo's reincarnate… I just hope they get over it quickly.

Kagome walked swiftly into Kaede's hut to avoid the prayers, and an annoyed Inuyasha who should be coming along anytime now. Kaede wasn't there, so Kagome decided to take out her journal and write about her travels and the differences between this time and the last. Her memories of this day from her first time travelling to the past were fading, and she worried that all of her memories of that other time would fade too.

Maybe I should write down everything I remember from last time right now, so that I won't forget. I don't know how long I will be allowed to keep my memories; they might all fade in the next few days. So Kagome spent a few hours writing down everything she could remember about the last three years. When she was finished, she put her journal away and went back outside to look for Inuyasha. She had given him plenty of time to cool down and now she wanted to talk to him about going on a search for Naraku.

She found him sitting in the tree that she had come to think of as his, as he always sat in it when they were in the village. She knew that he knew she was there, she had seen his ears twitch when she came near, and yet he didn't even look at her. He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree, his face turned up to the sun and his eyes closed. He looked beautiful sitting there, Kagome wished she had remembered to bring a camera.

She remembered when she first brought a camera to the Sengoku Jidai. Everyone had been curious about the little box that made a bright light when a button was pushed. They had spent an afternoon just playing around with the camera, each member of their group getting a chance to take pictures. There were some very funny ones, like Miroku's finger, Sango's hair, and Shippo's tail. No one was really sure how Shippo had taken a picture of his own tail, until Kagome remembered that Shippo had been somersaulting with the camera in his hands before she took it away from him. There was also a shot of Inuyasha's ear, which was also taken by Shippo, and one of Inuyasha's eye that he had taken when looking through the wrong side of the camera. Kagome had taken a few nice pictures of the group, and each individual person, then she made copies of them for everyone. Now those photos were gone, and she might never get a chance to take them again.

"Is there a reason you're standing there, wench? I could have taken the Shikon by now, if I didn't know that I would be flat on my face right after you realized I had it." Inuyasha's words broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see him looking down at her.

"I was coming over to talk to you about Naraku. We should go after him right now while he's weak. What do you say?" Kagome kept her gave steady on his.

"I would love to do that, after you hand over the Shikon no Tama so that I can become a full demon. And it might be nice to have that sword you mentioned in your story as well. You never did say where I got it from…" He looked at her questioningly.

Kagome blushed. She hadn't told him about Sesshomaru looking for their father's sword because she didn't want to bring out the enmity that she knew Inuyasha held for his brother. She was hoping that there was a way to get around the fights between the two brothers. But then, the fights had taught so much to both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, that Kagome wondered if, perhaps, the fights were necessary.

She remembered something that Sesshomaru had said to her once, when she asked him why he fought with Inuyasha so much. 'A youkai must learn to control his or her temper so that the demon rage does not overtake them in battle. A hanyou must learn this as well, for they also hove the blood of a youkai. It is, in fact, harder for a hanyou to control their youkai blood, as it is constantly in battle with their human blood. By taking a youkai, or hanyou, to the edge in battle time and again, they will either learn to control their urges, or they will be consumed by them. If our father were still alive, he would be doing this with Inuyasha, but as he is not, the responsibility falls to me as his elder brother.' Koga had agreed and testified to the fact that this was the way that his father had taught him. After that Inuyasha had returned from speaking with Kikyo and they had gone on their way.

Kagome came back to the present, realizing that Inuyasha was still waiting for an answer. "Well… I guess you're just going to have to wait and see, aren't you?" She replied. "And I'm not giving you the Shikon no Tama, so forget it."

"Then I guess we're done talking for now, because I'm not moving from this village until either I am a full demon, or I have that sword." With that he seemingly went back to sleep, and Kagome walked away muttering about stubborn inu-hanyous.

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Two days passed that way. Kagome would go to talk to Inuyasha about leaving to find Naraku, and he would say that he wasn't moving until either he was a full demon or he had the Tetsusaiga.

During this time, Kagome had killed the three-eyed crow that had caused her to shatter the jewel the first time and she didn't have to be caught by bandits to do it. She noticed it watching her one night and she killed it, end of story.

Now she was just waiting for Yura to show up. But since the jewel had not been shattered this time, Kagome wasn't sure that Yura would be coming any time soon. She almost wished that Sesshomaru would show up to get the Tetsusaiga just so that they could get going after Naraku. Of course, she wouldn't mind seeing Sesshomaru anyway, but he wouldn't remember her now, so she knew he would not feel the same way that she did, just like Inuyasha didn't feel about her the same way that he used to.

Kagome sat at the edge of the river that supplied the village with water and thought about how things were in the last few months before the last battle. Naraku had all of the shards except for four, the two in Koga's legs and the two that Kagome had. Kohaku still had one in his back, but Naraku could retrieve that one easily enough. Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku and Kirara were approached by Koga first. Naraku had destroyed his whole pack in an attempt to get Koga's shards. Koga destroyed the puppet, but not before every one of his companions were dead or dying. He gave them a proper burial, then went in search of their group to join forces and destroy Naraku. Then Naraku made an attempt to kill Rin and take over the Western lands. Sesshomaru had not found this to be very amusing, so he sealed his lands off, after leaving them, and came to join their group as well. He vowed to destroy Naraku for trying to take things that were his.

So they gained two more allies, and friends, to help them in their fight. Those last few months brought them all closer together. Miroku proposed to Sango and they agreed to wed after Naraku was destroyed. They never got married, I hope they can this time. Kagome, Inuyasha and Kikyo mended their differences and Kikyo joined their group as well. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru got to enjoy the brotherly relationship they had never had, and they finally stopped fighting over Tetsusaiga, though they found plenty of other things to fight over. Even Koga stopped claiming her when he saw that her heart was placed elsewhere and that love was returned. Shippo finally had a real family again, as Kagome adopted him and he had quite the extended family in the rest of the group. He also found a good friend in Rin, as Sesshomaru brought her with him, rather than trusting another to care for her in his stead.

Then Kagome thought ahead to the future. What was going to happen? Without the Shikon no Kakera to draw them together, would any of them ever meet? She hoped that they would because she couldn't imagine her life without them. Wasn't that why she had started over?

She had sensed that familiar presence watching her at times over the last two days as well. He never came within her sight, but she could feel him there. He also never tried to attack her, he just watched. It was starting to make her uneasy. Why don't you just come now, rather than waiting a few days? I know why you're here, why don't you just get it over with? She silently asked her watcher. He was there now, watching her from just beyond the tree line. She wasn't expecting an answer, and she was quite startled to receive one.

I don't want to.

How very like you. She thought, not sure that he would hear her. She hadn't thought that their link would still exist, but it seemed that it did. I wonder what he thinks of this…

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The figure in the shadows watched the girl sitting by the water. She had a dreamy look on her face that was often replaced by a look of sadness. He watched her shift and he wondered why he hadn't grabbed her yet. She would be an excellent bargaining chip to use against that half-blood from what he could see.

He was startled to hear a question in his mind, but not his mental voice.

Why don't you just come now, rather than waiting a few days? I know why you're here, why don't you just get it over with? The voice was feminine and seemed to go with the voice of the woman he had been watching. He smirked. So she was wondering the same thing that he was, was she? Then he would give her the same answer he had given himself.

I don't want to. He directed the thought straight at her, and was gratified to see her jump slightly. But she recovered quickly, which raised his level of respect for her.

He very faintly heard her response. How very like you. He was confused by this; he didn't ever remember meeting this girl before, but she seemed to know him. As she seemed to know that he was there, and yet didn't leave, he decided to stay and continue watching her. She intrigued him, even if he hated to admit that to himself.

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Inuyasha was sitting in his tree, trying to ignore the villagers that were gawking and whispering beneath him. He didn't know why he hadn't just killed them all; it wasn't like there was anything to stop him. He fingered the beads around his neck. Okay, so almost nothing to stop me.

That girl, Kagome, was starting to get on his nerves too. She was so insistent that they start looking for this Naraku, or whatever his name was. If he really had orchestrated the events that had led to his being pinned to a tree for fifty years and his first love's death, then Inuyasha would hunt him down and kill him soon. But since the Shikon no Kakera had been the reason that Naraku got so strong last time, then there was no hurry to go after him. The Shikon no Tama was still safely in one piece, and Inuyasha knew that he would use it long before this Naraku ever got his hands on it.

Inuyasha shifted in his tree to look at Kagome, who was helping some of the village boys and girls practice archery. She had left three days ago and no one could find her, but she had returned by nightfall. When he had asked her where she had gone, she told him that she had gone home for a couple of hours to straighten things out in the future, and so that her mother wouldn't think that she was kidnapped or something.

Something made his eyes flicker to the shadows in the trees of his forest. There was something there, but he wasn't sure what. There were youkai out there, but that wasn't strange, they were all looking for a chance to snatch the Shikon no Tama. Most of them wouldn't venture into the village though, as they could sense his presence as well as he could smell theirs. He may be only a half-youkai but he was still stronger than most of the youkai lurking in those shadows. He caught the scent of something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up in anticipation. That was no weak youkai, that was an Oni he could smell.

Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw Kagome's head whip around to face the same direction that he could smell the Oni. Her lips moved, but she was too far away for him to hear what she had whispered. It looked like she said Yura of the hair.

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Kagome felt the presence of her silent watcher almost constantly after their silent exchange. She briefly wondered why Inuyasha couldn't smell him, but she quickly realized that he must be masking his scent from the hanyou. She couldn't figure out why he was just sitting there watching her, it wasn't like she held any real significance, except that she held the Shikon no Tama. If the jewel was all that he wanted, then he could have taken it from her long ago, so it couldn't be that.

She was teaching the younger villagers how to defend themselves with the bow, when she sensed another presence, and this one she knew was a sinister one. She looked up in the direction of the youkai aura and whispered the name of her enemy. "Yura of the hair." She couldn't count on Inuyasha helping her to defeat the Oni this time, since he seemed bent and determined not to move from his tree until she gave in to making him a demon or giving him the Tetsusaiga. She quickly told the children to go back into the village as she ran for her bow and quiver and the light sword that she had been working with for the last two days. She wasn't nearly as good with a sword as she used to be yet, but it was better than no sword at all.

When she got back to the outskirts of the village, Kagome could see the tendrils of hair starting to make their way toward the village. They had already made it to Inuyasha's tree, but he didn't even seem to notice them. Oh yeah, he can't see them!

"Inuyasha! Look out!" She cried as some of the strands heading for the village branched off to make their way up the tree toward the oblivious hanyou.

"What are you yelling about, wench? There's nothing there!" He yelled back, just as the hair got up to his level and bound him to the tree. One strand found it's way to his throat and started to tighten. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he felt an invisible blade sit against his neck.

Without stopping to think, Kagome ran up and cut the strands with the purifying power emanating from her sword. Inuyasha fell back on the branch and glared down at her, as if it was her fault that he had nearly lost his head. "What was that?" He growled at her.

"That was the weapon of the Oni Yura of the hair. It was her hair. Apparently only mikos can see it, so I was able to cut it before it cut you." The look in his eyes would have scared her, if she hadn't known that it was meant for Yura and not for her.

"I'm gonna kill that Oni for trying a stunt like that!" Inuyasha snarled. "Where is she?"

Kagome looked at the furious hanyou. I guess I am going to get some help after all… She mused. "It doesn't matter where she is, she's hidden her soul in a comb that is in turn hidden within one of her skulls." She replied.

Inuyasha looked like he was going to protest her knowledge of the situation, but he thought better of it. She had been right about having the Shikon no Tama, and about the attack of Mistress Centipede, why would this time be any different?

He nodded. "Well then, where do we go?" He asked.

Kagome looked at the strands that were still slowly making their way toward the village. "We follow the hair."

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So, what do you think? Was it any good? I tried to make this chapter longer, because I know my chapters tend to be kind of short… anyway, as always, read and review! I love to know what you are thinking of what I'm writing!

Reviewer response:

Mrryl: I'm glad you like the last chapter! I'm still not telling who the stalker is, though you might be able to guess by now! As I said in the review to your story, it is one of the three that you guessed! But if you don't know from this… I think I'm probably going to be giving away the identity of the stalker in the next couple of chapters.

Seida02: Thanks for the support! I'm glad you like it!

Kikyo224: Glad you're enjoying it! As I said to Mrryl though, I'm not giving you the name of the mysterious stalker yet! Maybe next chapter!

That's it for this chapter! As I said, the mysterious stalker will be revealed soon, but I love it when people guess! So read and review, and see if you can guess the identity of the stalker!