Kagome kept running, her feet leading her to the God tree, being very cautious that Mistress Centipede was right behind her. She looked forward, only hoping that Inu-yasha still has his memories for her . . . but chances of that were very slim.

"GIVE ME THE JEWEL, CHILD!" the demon cried out, gaining to her prey by every stride.

Kagome stole a glance from behind. Man, she's faster than the last time, but that could just be me. Still . . .

The Centipede charged. Kagome had barely enough time to even duck as the centipede passed just above her and disappeared just above the canopy forest.

"Heh, your pathetic, Kikyo." A voice calls, shocking Kagome, "Why waste your time with third rate demons like Mistress Centipede?"

She slowly lifted her head to lock eyes with glaring, golden eyes: Inu-yasha. Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Inu-yasha really doesn't remember Kagome?

"I-Inu-yasha . . . you . . ."

"Defeat her in one blow, Kikyo! After all, you did the same to me."

"N-No! You got it all wrong!" she stuttered, trying to keep a straight face, "I'm not Kikyo! I'm . . ." Inu-yasha cut her off.

"She's coming . . ." he says as he looks to the sky. Kagome looks up, now panicking as she backs away. Before she could even have a chance to turn and run, the demon charges down from above! She was just about to grab Kagome with her six arms, but was stop short. Two spears stuck out from the side of the demons body; ropes tied at the ends to the villagers.

"'Tis time!"a villager cries out. Then he calls to the others, "Draw!"

Kagome breathes hard as she watches the villagers pull the demon towards them. Then she notices something. Wait, did she have six arms? But one of them is suppose to be in the well when I collided with her, so . . . She takes a closer look at the demon centipede and counted her arms. She does have six arms! But how could that be!

"Really, Kikyo, I'm disappointed." Inu-yasha snorts out. Kagome scrunched up her eyes in order to keep the tears from falling. She had to face him.

"Listen, you . . ."Kagome stood up and climbed the roots to face him. "I am not Kikyo! I never was her and never will be so stop calling me that!"

"Feh," he spat, "Do you expect me to believe that I wouldn't know the stench of the girl who . . ." Inu-yasha stop short as he leaned closer to her and sniffed. "Wait . . . that scent, your not Kikyo."

"Do you get it now! My name is Kagome! Ka-Go-Me!"

"Ka . . .gome?"

"That's right! It's Ka - - wait, what did you say?" Did she hear right? Did Inu-yasha actually call her by her name? He never said her name until after they defeated Yura of The Hair, and they're not even there yet.

"Kagome . . . ?" Inu-yasha looked at her, trying to figure out where he has heard her name before. He narrowed his eyes, frustrated. Kagome noticed. Yet she couldn't believe it. He was actually trying to figure out who she was. She was silently pleading to him, to remember. Her eyes began to water and overflowed, causing Kagome to turn away from him to wipe away the tears threatening to fall. She couldn't cry in front of the villagers, it would give her away. But as she turned away, she heard Inu-yasha suddenly protest.

"Hey! Don't do that!" His free hand shot out and brushed Kagome's tear stained face with the tip of his fingers, causing her to look up at him in great surprise. He had never done something so affectionate before, and the fact that it was the past Inu-yasha. The Inu-yasha that despised her.

Inu-yasha caught himself before he could cup the girls face with his palm, realizing what he had done. His hand just stayed their, looking at her eyes as flashes of memories flooded him. Once again he narrowed his eyes as he took all of it in. Then . . .

"K-Kagome?" he said, suddenly startled as he pulled away his hand and frantically looked around. "How did we . . .I-Is it a dream?" he looked at the arrow on his chest fearfully. "Why am I . . ." he shakily reached for the arrow on his chest, then suddenly pulled away, as if it burned him. He turned to Kagome, giving her the look of a scared child. He whispered to her in a barely audible voice. "Kagome?"

"Inu---" Kagome couldn't answer him fast enough before she was grabbed by a couple pair of arms. She felt herself being hoisted off the ground and away from Inu-yasha.

"GIVE ME THE SACRED JEWEL!"

She could think straight. Everything was happening too fast for her to react. As a last resort, she reached out for Inu-yasha's forelocks as she did in the past . . .

. . . only to slip in her hands.

"No!" As quickly as she lost her grip, a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping al motion.

"H-Huh?" Kagome looked at her wrist, then followed the hand gripping it . . . to see Inu-yasha smirking at her.

"Heh heh heh. You think I'm going to hand you the Jewel to the likes of you, Hag?" He said menacingly. "We'll just see about that."

Because only one person updated on my previous fic, 'soul sphere within' (BTW Capt. Applesause, ur the best!) I will write a short chappy for this fic. I don't care what u all say. When 1 fic suffers, both suffer. Until I get more reviewes, no more long chappys, let alone any at all! So there!

Akida411searcher