Author-chan's notes: Can you believe it?! Chapter sixteen already! This fic seems to be getting longer than I expected it to be. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! This story is taking forever to write!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Sixteen: Learning Through an Unexpected Source)

Back in Kaede's hut with Kagome, Shippo, Kaede, Miroku, and Sango

"Alright, we know that Inuyasha isn't in these three villages," Miroku said, pointing at a map on the table, "Which one do you want to try next?"

"I don't know," Kagome sighed, feeling totally defeated, "Why don't you chose one, Shippo-chan?"

"Alright!" Shippo said with a grin. Then the young kitsune crawled onto the table and looked over the map. The group had been looking for Inuyasha in various villages for quite some time. Kagome was getting more worried and was getting less and less sleep. The others in the group were also loosing sleep because of Kagome's worrying.

"How about this one?" Shippo asked, pointing to a nearby village.

"But Shippo," Sango protested, "That one is too close by. Remember Kagome's description? It has to be far away from other villages."

"I know, but at least if we go to this village we won't have to walk that far," Shippo pointed out. The others sighed.

"What about this village?" Miroku asked, pointing to another village. Shippo groaned.

"That's too far!" the fox kit complained.

"Fine then," Sango sighed and pointed to yet another village, "How about this one."

"It's still to far!" Shippo whined, "I'm tired, and I don't want walk anymore!"

"But all you do is ride on Kagome's shoulder!" Miroku cried.

"So?" Shippo asked innocently, "It's still tiring." The others glared at him.

"Let's go to that village," Kagome said, agreeing on Sango's choice. Stretching briefly, Kagome walked out of the hut. The rest of the group quickly followed her.

***

Somewhere with Kikyo

'Why didn't I kill him?' Kikyo asked herself, 'I had the perfect shot. WHY?!'

'You know why,' a voice in her head whispered, 'You still care for him.'

'No! You're lying!' Kikyo thought back, 'All I can feel for Inuyasha is hatred. He must die!'

'Then you won't admit that you felt a little bit jealous that Inuyasha chose to call out to that girl Kagome instead of you?' the voice prodded, ' When you were trying to drag him to hell, that girl's voice brought him back. He broke through spells that could not be broken just to save that girl! And just today he admitted he loved her! Even though he showed affection towards you, he never said "I love you". Kagome has done what even you could not do -she taught him to trust her and to love her with his whole heart. Can you make such a claim?'

'SILENCE!' Kikyo mentally screamed.

"How much further, Kagome?" a voice nearby moaned.

"Just a little bit more Shippo-chan," another voice answered. Kikyo froze. She knew that voice! Pushing aside a few bushes the dead miko saw the one she had been expecting -her reincarnate, Kagome.

"K-Kikyo!" Kagome gasped.

"Eep!" Shippo squeaked, then covered his head with his hands. Miroku and Sango glared at the undead miko, preparing their weapons for battle.

"If you're looking for Inuyasha, he's not here," Miroku said calmly, tightening his grip on his staff slightly.

"I've already had a talk with Inuyasha," Kikyo said in a deadpan voice. Kagome's eyes hardened.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Kagome shouted, quickly pulling out an arrow and putting it to her bow. One part of Kikyo idly realized that the girl had good form -almost as good as her own. The other part noticed that the pure fury in Kagome's eyes matched Inuyasha's.

"Relax, he yet lives," the miko said icily. Kagome didn't lower her bow. Rather, she pulled it back a little bit more, the fire in her eyes intensifying.

"Where is he?" Kagome asked through clenched teeth. Kikyo reached into her robes. Kagome's eyes narrowed, not trusting the other miko. From within her robes, Kikyo withdrew a map, similar to the one Kagome and the others were looking at in Kaede's hut. Unrolling it, Kikyo pointed to a village a few miles away from where they were.

"Inuyasha is here," the dead priestess murmured, "I suggest you hurry."

"Why?" Kagome whispered, "Why should we trust you? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm doing this simply because I can," Kikyo said, looking strait into Kagome's eyes, "And as for why you should trust me, what choice do you have? Would you rather wander about until you run into him? By the time you do that, Inuyasha will have already gotten back to look seventeen. Follow my advice or not, I hope you find him soon and reverse whatever spell he's under."

"Why are you so anxious to have his back to his hanyou form?" Miroku asked, "And can't you break the spell yourself?"

"I want to kill a hanyou, not a human child." Kikyo said with a smirk, "And I doubt that even the child form of Inuyasha will trust me anywhere near him."

"What did you do?" Kagome whispered.

"Last time I saw Inuyasha he was unconscious with a gash in his side and an arrow in his shoulder," Kikyo commented idly, "I wonder how long it will take Inuyasha to recover now that he no longer has his demonic healing powers."

"WHY YOU!!!" Kagome yelled as she released her arrow.

*THUNK!* the arrow buried itself into a tree. Kikyo was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?!" Kagome cried. High above her, in the trees, Kikyo sat, petting one of her snake-like demons. (AN: Erm, I don't remember the correct term for Kikyo's demon minions, so please be free to tell me in your reviews. And yes, Kikyo escaped. It would be so much easier if she was dead, ne? Oh, wait, she's already dead. Never mind.)

'If that arrow had hit me, I would have been destroyed!' Kikyo thought to herself, 'That girl put so much miko power into that one arrow she could have obliterated countless youkai!' Kikyo watched the small group leave. Part of her was pleased that they were following her advice and going towards the village that she had pointed out.

'Inuyasha, that girl is coming to save you,' Kikyo thought, 'Are you pleased? Your "true love" is coming your way. Will you tell her what you told me? Whether you do or not, I give not a care. But that girl will free you, and once you're free I will drag you to hell once and for all!'

***

Some Unknown Place

"Very nice, I'm impressed. You manipulated that dead miko beautifully," a dark figure murmured, "Getting into her mind like that -I couldn't have done it better myself."

"That was all nothing," a second figure laughed, embarrassed by the complement, "You're too kind." (AN: Everyone, meet some of the shadowy figures that have been manipulating everything! And, yes, these two were the ones who threw the sleeping powder on Miho, and put the special herb in Kagome's mouth.)

"Whatever," Figure #1 snorted, "I'm not being kind. If I was, I'd let you know."

"So what's your next move?" Figure #2 asked, "It's your turn. Roll the dice."

"Of course," the other shadow murmured, pulling out a pair of black dice from within its billowing robes. Giving the black dice a little shake, the first shadow flicked its hand, sending the dice rolling. When the dice stopped, the second shadow looked at them.

"Double sixes," Figure #2 called out, "Lucky. You get two moves this turn."

"Don't complain," Figure #1 scolded, "It's unworthy of you."

"So what is your first move?"

"Hmm. I think I'll put this player on the board," Figure #1 answered, again reaching into its robes. This time it pulled out a small figurine, similar to a chess piece, but much more detailed. Also there were two smaller figures attached to the figurine that the shadow person pulled out. When Figure #2 saw figurine, it groaned.

"Not that one again!" Figure #2 whined, "It always makes things difficult."

"I told you before," Figure #1 growled, "Don't complain. You're above such frivolous nonsense. And besides, I think this player will help out a lot in this situation."

"Fine," the other pouted, "What's your second move?"

"I was rather fond of Naraku's puppet," Figure #1 murmured, "You remember? The one that I controlled?"

"Yes, I remember," Figure #2 nodded, "But didn't that deranged baboon destroy it?"

"Perhaps," Figure #1 shrugged, "But there's one thing I like about puppets."

"What?" Figure #2 asked. Figure #1 smirked slightly and pulled out another figurine from its robes.

"You can always make more…"

***

Somewhere else in the forest

"My Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken said in his whinny voice.

"What news do you have for me, Jaken?" the demon lord said icily, "It better be good, or else your life is in forfeit." Jaken gave an undignified squawk.

"W-Well my lord," the toad-like demon began, "There are rumors going around that the Dream youkai have some sort of plan underfoot."

"The Dream Clan always have a plan," Sesshoumaru said in a bored tone, "And they always fail. The Dream Clan is weak. How does this concern me?" Jaken gulped in fear.

"T-They plan to steal the Tetsusaiga!" Jaken blurted out. Sesshoumaru didn't change his impression.

"That fool Inuyasha maybe a half-breed, but even he should be able to handle Dream youkai," Sesshoumaru said, "It would shame the entire bloodline of the Inu Clan if he could not. None of your information is useful. You will die now."

"But the Dream youkai claim that the Tetsusaiga is in the hands of a human child, not Inuyasha!" Jaken said quickly, hoping to save his skin. Sesshoumaru looked at his henchman and raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, Jaken," Sesshoumaru murmured, "You will live -for now. Come Rin."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," the little girl chirped. Sesshoumaru picked up the human child carefully, then the demon lord took off.

"W-Wait for me, Lord Sesshoumaru!!!" Jaken cried.

***

Back with Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku began after they had been walking for a few minutes. The miko from the future turned to face him.

"Yes, Miroku-sama?" Kagome answered.

"Are you going to follow Kikyo's advice? Do you trust her?" the monk asked.

"I trust her as much as I trust you in a brothel," Kagome said simply.

"That means, not really," Sango translated. Miroku pouted.

"Does that mean you don't trust me around other women?" Miroku asked, "I'm hurt! I can control myself! After all, I am a monk."

"Sure," Sango, Kagome, and Shippo snorted.

"So why are you following Kikyo's advice if you don't trust her?" Miroku asked Kagome. The girl sighed.

"I'm not quite sure," Kagome admitted, "It's just I got this weird feeling that she was telling the truth. And if Inuyasha really is hurt as bad as Kikyo said he was, then there might be trouble."

"Why do you say that?" Sango asked, "I mean, I know he no longer has his demon healing powers, but I'm sure he'll be able to recover. He's too stubborn to die."

"Remember how Kikyo said that she fired an arrow into Inuyasha's shoulder?" Kagome sighed, "Well, Kikyo always puts spells on her arrows, like I do. We have no idea what kind of spell was on the arrow that's in Inuyasha's shoulder. It might be another sealing spell, and I'm the only one besides Kikyo who can undo her spells. I don't think Inuyasha will want to sleep for another fifty years."

***

In Aki's hut with Inuyasha/Shiro, Miho, Aki, Yumeko, Kumo, and Kimiko

"Do you know when they'll wake up?" Kimiko asked, looking at the sleeping forms of Inuyasha/Shiro and Yumeko.

"Soon hopefully," Aki murmured, sitting down next to Kimiko. Kumo was pacing about the room. He was so angry that Aki could feel the dark electric sparks that made up Kumo's aura from a mile away. All the spider youkai had done for the past half-hour was pace about the hut and mutter about all the different ways he'd kill Kikyo.

"You'll wear a hole into Aki-san's floor with all the pacing you're doing," Miho commented. Kumo stopped for a moment, glared at her, gave a slight snarl, then when back to pacing. Miho sighed. Men -human or otherwise -never listened.

"I still don't understand why Kikyo-sama would try to kill Shiro-chan," Kimiko murmured.

"She's a crazy psychopathic miko, that's why!" Kumo growled, his crimson eyes flashing.

"What I'm more worried about is why didn't she finish the job," Aki said, "Why didn't she just kill Shiro? She had the perfect opportunity: he was wounded and unconscious. It makes no sense!"

"She's a miko, they're not supposed to make sense!" Kumo reasoned.

"I have the oddest feeling you have something against priestesses," Miho murmured.

"I'm a youkai," the spider demon snorted, "Priestesses kill youkai, youkai kill priestesses. It's as simple as that."

"You're hopeless," Aki, Kimiko, and Miho sighed.

***

In the dreamscape with Inuyasha/Shiro

"It looks like that baka bracelet finished sealing up our memories," Inuyasha announced. Everything, from his night in the woods with Yumeko, Kumo, and Miho to the last minutes, was erased. Inuyasha knew that when he woke up, Shiro would have no memories after hitting that tree from last night. He wouldn't even remember getting cut from hitting the blasted thing! The hanyou growled in frustration.

"I guess this means I won't be remembering my dreams of Kagome or Kikyo," Shiro sighed. Inuyasha gave him a curt nod.

"Figures," the human boy muttered, "Just when I start remembering, I forget all over again. So what are we going to do now?"

"Wake up?" Inuyasha shrugged.

"What about Kikyo's arrow?" Shiro asked, "Won't it put another sealing spell on us?"

"Don't know," the older boy admitted, "Most of Kikyo's spells are designed to be used on demons. We were human when she shot that arrow at us."

"But we turned into a demon for a short time," the younger boy pointed out.

"Not all the way," Inuyasha argued, "I don't think we had unsealed enough demonic power to be affected by Kikyo's spelled arrow. And it was only for a short time too." Suddenly, Shiro yawned.

"I feel tired," the human boy murmured. The hanyou snorted.

"Weak human," Inuyasha muttered.

"Watch who you're calling weak," Shiro murmured drowsily with a half-hearted glare shot toward the direction of his older self. Then, Shiro leaned against the God-Tree and closed his eyes. He didn't fall asleep, because he already was. Instead, he simply slipped into his normal dream-mode, where he had no control over his dreams and could not talk to outside forces, including himself -including Inuyasha.

***

Back in Aki's hut with Inuyasha/Shiro, Kimiko, Kumo, and Miho

"Bury her alive, drown her, burn her until she is but ashes then spread the ashes to the four winds," Kumo growled to himself. Miho sighed. Kumo was still angry with Kikyo. Oh well. They were still waiting for Shiro to awake. Yumeko had already woken up a few minutes earlier and was in the next room having tea with Aki. Miho smiled to herself. It seemed that Aki had found some interest in another woman.

"I feel like this is all my fault," Kimiko murmured.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Miho asked, walking over to the younger girl and sitting down next to her.

"I should have never trusted Kikyo-sama," Kimiko said quietly, "No, I shouldn't call her that. Criminals like her should not have an honorific on their names. She is just Kikyo."

"Look, the woman deceived you," Miho began, "It's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"But!" Kimiko protested.

"Shut up," Kumo sharply commanded, "It wasn't your fault. How could you have known about Kikyo? Stop blaming yourself and start blaming her!"

"Do you think Shiro-chan will forgive me?" Kimiko asked. Kumo snorted.

"Forgive you? He won't even blame you!" the spider demon answered. Kimiko blushed slightly and bowed her head.

"Thank you."

***

Inside Shiro's dream

"Where am I?" Shiro murmured. He looked at his surroundings. He was in a mist-covered place. Here and there, he could make out the outline of trees. Looking down, Shiro noticed that he was floating a few inches above the ground. He also noticed that his body was completely see-through.

"Am I dead?" the boy whispered.

"Not yet, Inuyasha-san," a voice whispered in his ear. Shiro whirled around, gazing at the new comer with wide eyes. The creature that he faced was also floating and transparent as he was. But this creature seemed more at home here, its shadow-like body blending in with the misty habitat.

"What did you call me?" Shiro whispered. The shadow-thing sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," the thing apologized.

"You're making the poor boy jumpy," another voice scolded from behind Shiro. Shiro felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He hated it when people sneaked up on him! That hardly ever happened, with his nose and ears…

'What?' Shiro thought, 'That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it makes sense," the second voice said, "You just don't understand what your instincts already know." The owner of the voice walked in front of Shiro so that he could see him. Shiro noticed that the new person looked just like the first, a being made of shadows and mist.

"Where am I?" Shiro asked.

"An in between place," the first figure replied. (AN: If you're curious, the two figures in Shiro's dream are the two shadowy figures from earlier.)

"Do you two know me?" the boy asked, "Do I know you?"

"We know you," Figure #2 began.

"But you don't know us," Figure #1 finished, "At least not directly."

"Then you know about my past," Shiro said, excitement beginning to rise within him, "You know who I was. You know name! Tell me!" The two shadows looked at each other.

"Yes, we do," Figure #2 began gently, hesitantly, "But we can tell you nothing. Your past is for you to find out for yourself."

"I don't understand," Shiro murmured, "I feel as if I should remember everything. I feel as if I did remember everything a few minutes ago…"

"You did," Figure #1 replied, "But we thought it best that we should talk to you without your memories. We made sure that the part of you that did recall everything was left behind."

"Why?" Shiro demanded.

"Heh," the second shadow muttered under his breath so that Shiro couldn't hear him, "If Inuyasha found out that my sibling was the one that placed that bracelet on him, he'd have both our heads! We're not invulnerable; we can be killed, even more easily than most."

"Shut up, you baka!" Figure #1 hissed, elbowing his partner in the ribs. Shiro blinked at the pair. After clearing his throat, Figure #1 went on with talking to Shiro.

"You see, Shiro-chan," Figure #1 began, "We want you to relive your childhood. Your original childhood sucked like hell, so we decided to give you a chance to have a better one."

"We?!" Figure #2 hissed, "Who is this we?! You were the one who did this!"

"Huh?" Shiro blinked. Figure #2 took a deep breath.

"You see, Shiro-chan," Figure #2 said, "I was opposed of this idea from the start. Although I know your first childhood wasn't the best of the best -"

"More like the worst of the worst," Figure #1 interrupted, muttering under his breath. Figure #2 glared at the other shadow, then continued on with his explanation.

"As I was saying," Figure #2 began again, "Even though your childhood wasn't great, it still played a big part in shaping your character. If it hadn't been for the bumps in the road in your life, you might not have become what you are now. If we pull too many strings out of the tapestry, the whole thing falls apart. Without you the world as we know it might be destroyed. Youkai will run rampant, Naraku would take over the world, Kagome will die of a broken heart…"

"Kagome?" Shiro repeated, rolling the word around in his mouth. Somehow it felt so beautiful on his tongue -he could even taste the sweetness in the name. And somehow it felt very familiar.

"You baka!" Figure #1 yelled at its counterpart, "You're giving away too much of his past! That's against the rules!"

"Oh, sorry," Figure #2 blushed.

"Shiro-chan," Figure #1 sighed, "Although I do agree with what my sibling here is saying, I think it would be nice if you had some time off to relax and have some fun as a child. I mean, I'm pretty sure that even with this little detour, your destiny won't be affected. The thing is, you're too wrapped up with trying to find your memories, that you've forgotten to have fun."

"Maybe I don't want to have fun," Shiro growled, "Maybe I want to know what's going on."

"You can't yet," Figure #1 said soothingly, "You'll know eventually, but not yet. Please. Try to enjoy yourself. Most people can only be a child once. You're getting the chance to be a child twice."

"Why?" Shiro asked quietly.

"Why what?" the two shadows asked together.

"Why are you doing this?" Shiro asked, "Giving me a second chance, I mean."

"You've already suffered enough," Figure #2 murmured, "You deserve some reward for what you've done, even if I don't approve of the reward. Even though you don't show it very often, you're a decent kind of guy, Shiro-chan."

"Oh," the boy blinked.

"Well, I think our meeting is about over now," Figure #2 announced, "Will be sending you into a dreamless sleep pretty soon. Any last words?"

"I have some," Figure #1 said.

"Well?"

"Shiro," Figure #1 began, "I want your word that you'll try to have a good time. At least try?"

"I, um, I," Shiro stuttered, then sighed and nodded his head, "Fine."

"Good!" Figure #1 chirped, "Don't worry, you'll get your memories back sooner or later. You still have a destiny to fulfill, after all. Ja ne!"

"Sayonara," Figure #2 added. And then Shiro/Inuyasha fell into a dark, dreamless slumber.

***

In the hut with Aki and Yumeko ~ real world

"You're saying that his hand was completely healed?" Aki asked. Yumeko nodded. The two were having some tea after Yumeko had awoken when the dream demon started telling Aki what she had seen when spying on Shiro.

"It worries me, Aki-san," Yumeko murmured, "Nothing human could heal that fast. Not even a magician like you can. But Shiro did. I have a feeling that Shiro might have youkai blood in him. I remember the spider mentioning a strange aftertaste in Shiro's blood."

"You might be right," Aki agreed, "But somehow I doubt it. He has no features indicating that he is part demon."

"Remember, some youkai can look like humans," Yumeko pointed out.

"True," Aki nodded, "But nothing in Shiro's aura speaks of demon ancestry."

'What about his sword?' Yumeko wanted to ask. But she kept her mouth shut. The secret power of the Tetsusaiga would remain a secret!

***

Unknown place ~ Back with the shadowy figures

After they're little interview with Shiro/Inuyasha, the two shadows began to play their game once more…

"What did I roll?" Figure #2 asked. The other shadow looked at the black dice and replied.

"A two and a one."

"Damn! Not enough!" Figure #2 growled. Figure #1 chuckled slightly.

"I told you before, don't complain," Figure #1 scolded, "You only have yourself to blame when it comes to your bad luck."

"Shut up," the other shadow snarled, "Alright, for now, I'll pass my turn, and save it for later so that I can have two moves later."

"Planning something big, I see," Figure #1 murmured, "Not that it will do you any good. It's my roll." Picking up the black dice that the other shadow had previously rolled, Figure #1 gave the dice a toss. Figure #2 looked at the numbers that came up.

"A three and a one," Figure #2 declared, "That number is too low to summon up a new player."

"That's alright," Figure #1 shrugged, "We don't need any new players for awhile. Hmm. Let's see. I'll move this piece here."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Figure #2 asked when the other player moved the pieces, "You've been giving that group a lot of trouble lately. I mean with all those false trails…"

"Oh well," the other shrugged and handed its companion the set of black dice, "Your turn."

***

Back with Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo

"How much longer 'til we get there?" Shippo moaned.

"Not far," Sango answered, "Perhaps another day or so."

"A day?!" the kitsune whined.

"Don't worry Shippo-chan," Kagome soothed, "We'll be there faster than you -"

"Kukukukukukukukkukukuku!!!!" an insane laugh interrupted Kagome. The four travelers looked up to see everyone's favorite psychopathic baboon wannabe.

"Naraku!" the group gasped. The demon jumped down from his branch to stand right in front of the four.

"Very observant," Naraku murmured, "However smart you have all become, I cannot allow you to pass." Suddenly, a shadowy rope-like substance wrapped itself around the group, making them unable to move.

"What's this?" Sango cried. Meanwhile Miroku frowned, suspicion stamped on his features.

"I must say, Naraku, this really isn't your style," the young monk said, "What happened to all the poison vapors and giant wasps? And did you actually compliment us earlier?" The white clothed demon in front of them laughed.

"You have gotten smart, houshi-sama," "Naraku" laughed, "I am not Naraku."

"Then who are you?!" Sango demanded. "Naraku" smirked at her.

"One who is merely interested," he replied, "I'd like to see if you can free yourself from these binds by yourself. Just like how I would love to see if Inuyasha can get rid of that bracelet I gave him."

"You were the one to put that spell on Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, "Why?"

"Because I could," the false Naraku replied, "And because I had orders to do so. Like I said before, I am interested to see if you can fix things by yourself."

"You're just as bad as the real Naraku," Miroku whispered. The false Naraku laughed.

"Thank you, houshi-sama," "Naraku" said with a mocking smile, "And since I'm needed elsewhere, I must bid you good day." And with that, the false Naraku disappeared.

***

Back with the shadowy figures

"Well, that was interesting!" Figure #2 murmured. Its companion nodded.

"Yes, but the encounter was too short for my liking," Figure #1 replied, "As I said before, I believe it's your turn."

"Give me the dice," Figure #2 said, snatching the black cubes from its companion's hand. Tossing the dice, Figure #2 waited for the black dice to stop spinning. When they finally came to a halt, Figure #1 looked at the dice.

"A six and a five," Figure #1 announced, "Congratulations, darling sibling, your luck is improving."

"Feh!" Figure #2 snorted, "It's about time!" Its sibling laughed.

"I do believe we've been controlling Inuyasha's fate for too long," Figure #1 laughed, "You're starting to sound like him."

"Shut up, and play the Game," Figure #2 growled, "For my next move, I think I'll bring this player back into the action."

"Waking up little Shiro, then?" Figure #1 asked, "You were always a sucker for cute heroes. Face it! You like having Inuyasha as a child just as much as I do."

"Shut up," the second shadow growled, "All I want if for Inuyasha to get his memories back as quickly as possible, before everything gets messed up."

"Calm down, darling sibling," Figure #1 laughed, "Nothing bad will happen. You'll see."

"That's what you said when you brought Kikyo back to life," Figure #2 grumbled.

"So that wasn't my best move, so what?" the other shadow shrugged.

"Feh."

***

Back in Aki's hut

Aki and Yumeko went back to the main room to rejoin the others, bringing the teapot. As the pair was passing out tea and cups, the group heard a small moan.

"Is it morning already?" a sleep voice demanded. Shiro was sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "'Cause if it isn't, then I'm going back to bed."

"Don't you dare go back to bed!" Kumo snarled, glaring at the five-year-old. Shiro blinked.

"What's up with him?" Inuyasha asked. Yumeko smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about the spider over there," the Dream demon laughed, "He was just worried sick about you. It was rather cute."

"Shut up, dreamer!" Kumo snarled back at her. Yumeko laughed again. Inuyasha blinked.

"Um, you're Yumeko, right?" Shiro asked, "The woman Kimiko-chan brought home?"

"That's right," Yumeko nodded, looking at him strangely.

"Are you alright, Shiro-chan?" Miho asked, coming over and feeling his head, "You sound a bit dazed."

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" Inuyasha asked.

"What is the last thing you remember, Shiro-chan?" Aki asked, also coming over.

"We had all just gotten back home, and Kimiko introduced us to Yumeko," the boy replied, "That was just a few minutes ago."

"No, it wasn't," Kimiko whispered, her face pale, "That was a long time ago."

"Don't you remember the night we spent in that cave?" Miho asked. Shiro shook his head.

"Shiro-chan," Kumo began, taking a deep breath, "What are Yumeko and I?

"You're Yumeko and Kumo," the boy replied.

"I didn't ask who we are, I asked what," Kumo corrected.

"Aren't you human?"

"No," Yumeko shook her head. "We're youkai."

"You don't look it," Shiro said.

"Some youkai can take human forms," Yumeko sighed, tired of having to repeat the same information so many times.

"But there's always something that gives youkai away," Inuyasha protested.

"What?" Yumeko asked. Shiro paused, not quite sure what to say.

"Haven't we done this before?" Kumo asked with a laugh.

"Um, Shiro-chan," Kimiko began, "Do you remember Kikyo?"

"Who?" Shiro blinked.

"They miko who shot you, don't your remember?" Kumo asked.

"Oh. So that's why I hurt a lot," Inuyasha mused aloud. The others sweat dropped.

***

A few minutes later, still in Aki's hut

"Are you saying that Shiro has forgotten the past couple of days?!" Kumo demanded, glaring at Aki. The young magician sighed at the demon's anger. The adults had made Kimiko and Inuyasha/Shiro go outside so that they could talk in peace.

"There's no need to bit my head off, Kumo-san," Aki sighed, "It's not my fault."

"Do you have any idea why Shiro-chan's memories were erased?" Yumeko asked.

"I have a few guesses, but I'm not entirely sure," Aki replied, "The most likely possibility is that Kikyo did something to Shiro-chan that made him lose all his memories."

"I wonder what Kikyo has against Shiro-chan," Miho mused out loud, "I mean, what was their relationship anyway?"

"Well, judging by what that baka miko did, I'll say that their relationship wasn't wonderful," Kumo muttered.

"I wish Shiro could tell us more about Kikyo," Miho sighed wistfully.

"Well, maybe he can," Yumeko said.

"What are you talking about, dreamer?" Kumo asked.

"Simple," the female youkai said calmly, "Although he may not be able to tell us directly, Shiro still can help us. I can go into his mind and look in his memories."

"Have you forgotten that Shiro has forgotten his memories?" Kumo asked with an edge to his voice.

"Even when someone has forgotten something, it's still stored within their mind. The only thing is they can't access it," Yumeko explained, "But with my powers, I can. As long as Shiro doesn't have any mental barriers, that is."

"Well, I don't think that will be a problem," Aki said, "Shiro-chan is too young to have built up barriers."

"Good," Yumeko nodded, "Now all we need to do is to wait for him to go to sleep."

"Why?" Kumo asked.

"It's easier to get inside his mind when he's dreaming," Yumeko answered.

"Oh," Kumo nodded.

"Do you think you could take someone with you, Yumeko-chan?" Miho asked

"Huh?" everyone in the room blinked.

"Can Yumeko bring someone with her when she goes into Shiro-chan's mind?" Miho repeated.

"I'll go," Kumo and Aki said at the same time. Both men looked at each other in surprise.

"Sorry, spider, but you can't come," Yumeko shook her head, "It would be too much strain on Shiro-chan if two youkai were wandering in his mind. When you go into someone's mind, you go in spirit form. And in spirit form, a youkai's negative energy doubles at the very least. We give off too much negative energy as it is being demons. With all that negative energy wandering about in his head, Shiro-chan will at best go insane or die, unless he was part youkai himself. And we're not quite sure about that yet."

"That makes sense," Kumo admitted grudgingly, "Isn't that one of a dream youkai's main attacks? Sending negative energy into a person's mind to drive them insane?"

"Yes," Yumeko nodded, "That's why it has to be someone human that goes with me. Humans don't give off as much negative energy as youkai do. I'm already putting Shiro at a risk by going into his mind myself. However, I don't think I should bring Aki. He's a magician, and I have no idea what his magic will do to Shiro-chan's mind. It could be just as bad a bring another demon with me."

"Well, it looks like Miho-san is the one that's going," Aki said, looking at Miho, "Tell us everything that happens, alright?"

"Sorry," Miho shrugged, "But I have something else I need to do. It looks like Yumeko-chan is going by herself." Kumo looked at the young woman in surprise. She ignored his surprised eyes.

"That's alright with me. Now that that's settled, all we have to do is wait for Shiro-chan to go to sleep," Yumeko said.

"That shouldn't be too hard with all the times he gets knocked out!" Miho said with a half-hearted laugh.

***

Back with the shadow figures

"They seem to have got something there," Figure #1 murmured. Its sibling nodded.

"And they thought up all by themselves," Figure #2 added, "Our little players are getting smart. Pretty soon they won't need us anymore."

"Good," Figure #1 sighed, "That means they're growing up."

"Do you think Yumeko-san's plan will work?" Figure #2 asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Figure #1 shrugged, "Let's watch and find out."

"You know, my twin, if they do succeed, that means I win this Game," Figure #2 reminded him.

"I don't think so," the other shadow smirked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Inuyasha is too stubborn to give up his secrets willingly."

Author-chan's notes: Let me take this time to explain about the shadowy figures. Yes, they are playing a game with the Inuyasha characters as pawns. And contrary to popular belief they do NOT represent good and evil. They represent aspects of fate. They aren't good or evil, simply interested in what goes on. If you look closely, they don't try to dictate the lives of the characters, rather they throw in some obstacles to see if the characters can overcome them by themselves, or try to help them out a bit, if they feel like it. Sometimes they even whisper suggestions to the characters, kind of like how Figure #2 spoke to Kikyo pretending to be her little "conscience". I understand if this is a bit confusing, but don't worry about it too much. Anyway, they're moods can be kind of shifty, that's why half the time they help while half the time they aren't so helpful.

I'll explain about the Game those two are playing. Their Game isn't based on which characters beat up the others, but rather on what happens to Inuyasha. Figure #2 is trying to get Inuyasha's memories back as soon as possible. Figure #1 wants Inuyasha to relive and have a better childhood, then get his memories back. That's why they're doing all this stuff.

If you're confused about the rules of the Game let me help. First off, there's the dice. Depending on what numbers are rolled, allows the players to figure out how they move, or influence the Game/story. Rolling a six or lower doesn't allow the players to do much. Mostly it only allows them to give suggestions to the characters in the story via the mind. Most of the time the characters don't listen, hence no impact on the Game/story. Rolling a seven or higher allows the players to do more, such as to bring in new pawns/characters into the Game/story or to influence the Game/story directly. Rolling doubles allow the player to have two moves in one turn. If a player was to pass a turn, then he/she/it can have two moves later. However, a player is only allowed to store three turns at a time to use later.

Well, this little explanation will either clear up some things about the shadowy figures or make things a bit complicated. If you have any more questions about the shadowy figures, please review me and I'll answer your questions in my Author's notes. Hopefully they'll be a bit clearer. Well, see ya later!