I do not own Inuyasha or the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.

A Face without our Memories - Part 3

Inuyasha stayed on the rooftops to avoid curious onlookers as he followed Mrs. Higurashi's hand drawn map to find Kagome. Everything was so different compared to the feudal era. It was hard to believe that all of Tokyo was once farmland and forest. Abruptly he paused on a rather tall office building. The wind had brought a fresh whiff of Kagome's scent. He scanned the sidewalks for her and spotted her angry stride almost immediately. She was dressed in a blue mini skirt and a green sweater that he'd never seen her wear. He had the feeling that she was actually trying to look nice for this guy and he didn't like it, not one bit. He bet she did it just to spite him, but he resisted the urge to jump down there and drag her back home. Inuyasha walked alongside her at a safe distance atop the various office and apartment buildings, until she stood in front of the main doors to a medium sized stadium.

Kagome had never been there before herself, but her friends had attended a music concert there. Unexpectedly she spoke out loud to no one in particular, "It doesn't matter if I don't know his name, that's one of the things I'm going to find out," she said determinedly against Inuyasha's words repeating in her head. From atop the buildings, the half demon didn't bother to restrain the sly smirk that spread across his face as he watched her.

But the corners of his mouth soon dropped when Kagome disappeared through the entrance doors. He was nervous but also curious about what she would learn about this guy that supposedly looked like him. He himself refused to see the resemblance though. He contemplated following her inside, but she would definitely notice him. So he resolved to wait outside and if anything dangerous happened, he would be right there to jump in and save her.

After 10 minutes of pacing on a nearby building, it occurred to him that he didn't know how long she'd be in there for. Damn did he despise waiting. It gave him too much time to think. He waited until only a few people were gathered in front of the stadium before jumping down from the rooftops and finding shelter within a line of old trees running along the building. Inuyasha sat on a wide, comfortable tree limb and leaned back against the trunk. He placed his hands behind his head and let one leg dangle from the branch. To keep his mind from envisioning what could be happening inside, he watched people walk by and listened in on their conversations. Eventually boredom took over though and he dozed off.

Meanwhile inside the stadium, people were still setting up and carrying props and the like back and forth. No one seemed to notice Kagome standing there, until she saw a familiar face waving at her. "Kagome, over here." A smiling Inuyasha look-alike walked up to her. She wondered just how long he had been waiting there for her to arrive. As he walked towards her, she silently compared him to Inuyasha. His eyes were a dark, deep brown and he appeared to be more muscular than the half demon, even though she knew that Inuyasha's strength outmatched any person in her world. His jet black hair framed his face in a similar way, and his long hair was tied back in a low ponytail, but it wasn't as long as Inuyasha's. And somehow she thought they had the same cute nose. She also noticed that he was a smidge taller than Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry about using your name so casually, but I have to admit, I was a little desperate to get you to come here tonight. I really wanted to see you again," he admitted shamelessly.

Kagome could feel her face get hot at such an honest confession. He was still looking at her directly with complete confidence. Already he was so different from her Inuyasha. Her palms started to sweat and she absentmindedly shifted her weight towards him.

"So, my name is Iesada (E-sa-da), nice to officially meet you."

"Oh right," she said bowing towards him, kicking herself internally for spacing out. How could she not think to ask his name, that was one of things Inuyasha had hounded her about.

"Alright, follow me," he said and she followed him down a long hallway.

Iesada led her to what appeared to be his personal dressing room. Kagome paused at the doorway suddenly unsure about trusting a complete stranger, accompanied by a replay of Inuyasha's mindful warnings. Iesada noticed her hesitating at the doorway. While she was distracted, he looked her over again. He thought her mannerisms were cute. She was obviously younger than him, but still beautiful. She seemed different from other girls. She was young, but reserved and kind. And on top of that, he kept feeling the need to get to know her.

"Don't worry Kagome. I don't bite," he assured her, but she still didn't take a step further. "I'll tell you what. Leave the door open, just in case you need a quick exit route," he chuckled.

Kagome pursed her lips at his teasing. "Can you blame me? I just followed a complete stranger to a secluded back room," she pouted, fiddling with strands of her hair.

"Some might say you're crazy, but I'd say you're fearless."

"You're clever with words, aren't you?" Kagome smiled, appreciating the compliment.

"I might've heard that once or twice in my life," he laughed, walking across the room and leaning up against the wall.

"Come have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the one chair in the room. Kagome decided that she didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence and walked over and sat down. She twirled her fingers together out of nervousness, which Iesada chose to overlook. He wanted her to feel relaxed rather than more anxious. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure," she replied shyly. She couldn't stop fidgeting, which was unlike her. But who was she kidding, this whole situation wasn't like her. No wonder she had no idea what to do. However, she wanted to know more about him, that's why she came. At least that's what she told herself. Well now she had to achieve that much or she'd never hear the end of it from Inuyasha. She could see his stupid face already calling her an idiot and accusing her of doing something inappropriate with him. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Iesada handed Kagome a bottle of water, "Here you go. It's heavy so you can use it as a weapon, too."

"I have pretty good aim so be careful what you wish for," Kagome said.

"Ya, I get the feeling that you're not one to be messed with," he teased.

"I'd have to agree with you Iesada," she responded playfully.

Iesada smiled at the sound of his name from her lips. "Then I'll start off with a neutral question. Has your family owned the shrine for a while?"

"Yes. It's been passed down from generation to generation. Grandpa is always going on and on about all the sacred items that we've collected over the years," she responded. "What about your family? Do you live nearby?" she asked.

"Well, actually," Iesada began, looking away from her, "my family and I don't live in Japan."

"Oh. Where do you live, then?"

"My mom is Brazilian and my dad is Japanese."

Oh, he's also half, Kagome thought to herself. "And do you all live together in Brazil?" she asked, hoping with all her heart that his mom was still alive.

"Ya, my dad met my mom when he travelled to Brazil for a show. He knows some really intricate sword maneuvers, it's really captivating to watch. I learned most of what I know from him."

"Is he here tonight?" she interrupted, half expecting Iesada's dad to also be a reincarnation of Inuyasha's father.

"No, I'm doing this one without him. He flew back to Brazil two days ago. But he's the one who got me so interested in Japanese folklore. And for some reason the red warrior just stuck with me. I guess you can say he was kind of like a role model for me when I was growing up," he admitted.

"Why was that?"

"I got bullied a lot as a kid because I was only half Brazilian. So my dad taught me how to fight early on and when I was old enough to start performing in his shows, I based my character off of the red warrior. Have you heard about him, the red warrior?"

"Only a little bit," Kagome lied.

"Oh well, he was often alone, but really cool about it. He helped people even though they didn't have money and was pretty stern, but fair with others. And after a while he slowly gathered people he could count on. I really identified with the concept of waiting for the right friends. Sorry, am I talking too much? Somehow it's so natural to talk to you," he said sheepishly.

"No you're not talking a lot. I want to know more about you," Kagome said plainly, without thinking about how it sounded.

Iesada blushed at her bold declaration, "That's good, because I want to know more about you too."

The nerves in Kagome's stomach stirred up, like a child had just run through a field of resting butterflies. That wasn't what she meant to say, nevertheless her face turned a rosy color.

"Today is actually my last show and I fly back tomorrow. But after meeting you, I wish that I could stay longer," he confessed.

Kagome stammered over what to say next, but was saved by a soft knock on the open door. She was grateful for the distraction.

"Yes?" Iesada said, directing his attention to the door.

"You'll be going on in 10 minutes," a soft spoken girl informed him.

"Okay, thank you."

The girl bowed out and went on to the next dressing room.

Iesada walked over to the door, closed it shut and turned to face the young girl. "Kagome, you don't mind if I change, right?"