So sorry...I forgot to say my thanks to the reviews I received during for the first chapter. Thanks for the reviews! And another thing...I'm sorry this story is complicated...but everything will reveal itself in the end. The future chapters will say why Kagome lost her memories, the only hint I can give now is: Kagome's lose of memory is linked to (as what the chapter is) the Nine Tailed Fox Vixen. So, tht's all. Enjoy the story!

Glossary:

miko: priestess

hanyou: half demon

youkai: demon

osuwari: sit

ramen: Japanese noodles

haori: the red coat Inuyasha's wearing

Chapter 3

To Kagome's surprise, the darkness of the well briefly dissolved into a shiny blue substance before they touched the ground. "Am I dreaming?" Kagome asked herself as she looked around. Everything seems to be back to normal.

However, she changed her mind as soon as Inuyasha carried her out of the well. Instead of the wooden walls of the shrine surrounding the well, Kagome was staring at trees, bushes and grasses. "I'm...in a forest." Cold realization hit Kagome with full force. But hope still lingered...Kagome still stubbornly refuse to believe what was happening to her. Frantically, she searched for something, anything which looks familiar. But her attempts were futile. She was about to give up when she finally saw it.

"The Goshinboku..."She whispered. Inuyasha's sensitive ears twitched. He heard her. "Oh yeah," he exclaimed, "your era have the Goshinboku too." Kagome glared sideways at him (she didn't asked for his opinion), only to see the shadows of sadness looming behind those golden orbs.

"What's wrong with this fellow?"

Inuyasha walked briskly through the peaceful village, ignoring stares from the villagers. His destination was fixed: the old miko's hut.

"Lady Kaede, I'm back." He said as he entered. An old lady sitting by the fire looked up, and a surprising sight met her only functional eye. Her wrinkled features changed tremendously. Inuyasha was putting Kagome down, facing her. And no, it isn't fake, it is undoubtly real...Kagome's aura could be proof to that.

"You...brought her back?" Her voice was urgent. But Inuyasha's reply was somehow neutral: "You asked me to, isn't it?" He leaned by the wall with his arms crossed.

"But I thought..."

"Keh! Forget about what I said earlier!" Inuyasha cut through her sentence hot temperedly. "Fill her in the details. I'm going out." Just as he approached the door, he stopped in his tracks and turned around: "However, don't tell her about the past."

Kagome looked at him and this old lady, bewildered. There was some unreadable expression on this lady's face, but Kagome was too scared to ask. She tried to content herself by switching her gaze to the fire.

Lady Kaede also tore her gaze from the spot Inuyasha just stood moments ago, and start adding more fire woods to the flame. Silence invades again. As the flame dance merrily before her eyes, Kagome can't help noticing Lady Kaede's single eye was glancing at her amusingly. She shifted nervously. Why was everyone treating her like this?

Cough cough.

Kagome turned towards Lady Kaede. It seems she was finally ready to speak.

"Kagome, I wonder, how did Inuyasha ever persuade you to come to this place?" The miko tried to sound casual, but she was actually bursting with curiosity. Curious about Inuyasha's action. Curious about Inuyasha's behavior towards Kagome.

"He did not persuade me. He kidnapped me."

Lady Kaede almost fell down in exasperation. She gave a small chuckle: "How typical of him." Kagome merely pouted.

"So, I assume you did not really get to know him."

"No."

More silence. Lady Kaede poked more fire wood into the fire. The hut was stifling hot now, but both of them don't seem to mind it. Than, just as silence came swiftly, it leaves.

"Inuyasha is a hanyou, the descendent of the legendary dog lord from the West Lands, Inutaisho, and a humble human lady, Iazayoi. Recently, his friends were captured by a youkai. Given Inuyasha's abilities, he should be able to save them easily. But..."Kaede paused for the effect of suspense. Kagome was teetering at the edge, wanting to know more. "...the youkai has the shards of the Shikon no Tama, a powerful jewel that increases the strength of whichever youkai or evil being who posses it. So here's where you stepped in..." Kagome's eyes widened. "...you must help Inuyasha get back the Shikon shards, kill the youkai, and save his friends.

"But why?" Kagome burst out. "Why me?"

Lady Kaede could only smile. Inuyasha had warned her not to tell Kagome about the past. In that case, how is she going to explain to the poor child?

"Please, Kagome. Inuyasha just lost someone precious, he wouldn't want to lose his friends too."

Kagome slumped dejectedly. She ponders.

"Kagome! Where are you going?" Inuyasha yelled bossily at Kagome.

"Home!" She answered this irritating hanyou. Inuyasha leapt and landed in front of the Bone Eaters Well, blocking Kagome's way. He stared at her stubbornly: "I'm not letting you."

Kagome glared at him as she remembered what Lady Kaede said before she left.

"There's a charm which acts on the rosary Inuyasha's wearing. If he ever troubles you, you would just need to say..."

"Osuwari!" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha felt the oh-so-familiar tug before crashing to the ground.

Wham.

"Serves you right!" Kagome stuck out her tongue before climbing into the well. "And don't you dare follow me!" She warned.

Inuyasha climbed up painfully and yelled into the well: "Who needs your help anyway, wench!"

Lady Kaede was hiding in the bushes all this while. The only reason Inuyasha haven't caught her scent was because the wind was carrying her scent away from his direction. Watching the little couple quarrelling, she sighed: "Just like the good, old days..."

"Kagome, you're back!" Mrs. Hirugashi said as she hugged Kagome.

"Grandpa was just about to do a ritual to summon you home!" Souta added cheerily. Kagome's expression changed into a mixture of appreciation and rejection: "There would be no need for that..."

As she breaks free from her mother's grasp, she fidgeted for a while, wondering how she is supposed to break the alarming news. "Mama, I would need to leave for a while..."

"But why?"

"Someone needs help...I must go."

Mrs. Hirugashi's face changed from sheer bewilderment to a gentle smile. This response of hers was quite unexpected. She patted Kagome's head as if her dear daughter was still a child: "Do what you must do, child. Grandpa will take care of your absence in school."

Kagome peered over her mother's shoulders and saw Grandpa talking into the phone: "Hello? Is this the school? Kagome Hirugashi is having a series of heart attacks, so she wouldn't be coming for a while..."

Kagome sweat dropped.

Everything Kagome needs is in her knapsack. Dresses, bandages, reference books, ramen, medicine...you name it, you got it. The only thing now is Kagome's facing a tiny little trouble, her knapsack was the size of a boulder. Such an insignificant problem compared to the challenges waiting ahead, but still...it would take ages for Kagome to move it to the well, a major discomfort to her. She huffed and puffed as she carried the incredibly huge knapsack. Souta watched and asked naively, only to earn himself a tongue lashing from his sister.

"Why must you bring so many things?"

"Don't you know that a girl is very troublesome?"

At this moment, a blur of red leapt out of nowhere and landed on the knapsack, sending Kagome falling down.

"Inuyasha, why must you do that?" Kagome roared, a tick mark flashing dangerously at her forehead.

"Lady Kaede told me you are back to get your things." Inuyasha replied as he lifts the giant knapsack without any effort. "Let's go now."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha in disbelief.

"Sis, come to think of it, he's quite caring..."

"No, he's not!" Kagome snapped at her little brother, although she fully well knows that deep in her heart, she totally agreed what Souta just said.