A/N: Here's chapter five, everyone! Someone brought up a very good question in their review. Inugoddess715 asked: "How will Kagome react when she finds out that she is her own mother's reincarnation (if that's the case, that is)? Plus, how freaked out will she be if she finds out that her own love interest, Inuyasha, was in love with her mother in that past life?"
Interesting question, Inugoddess715! I was wondering if anyone was going to notice that I'd done that. Kudos to you for pointing out what you have. Of course, it wouldn't be one of my stories if there weren't millions of little plot twists along the way. Your questions will begin to be answered in this and coming chapters in this story…with plenty of my little twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat!
Please keep the reviews coming guys! I love the feedback, and I love it when people ask questions and try to figure things out! It gives me more satisfaction in these little stories of mine. Hope you like this chapter!
Summary:A Place Where I Belong: AU. Kagome accidentally discovers a secret that her abusive family has hidden from her. She was adopted. Desperate to find her birth mother, Kagome enlists the help of Inuyasha, a private detective who always finds what he's looking for. But what happens when she finally finds the truth? Will Inuyasha be able to help her find where she truly belongs?
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A Place Where I Belong
Chapter Five: Who We Were
"I don't understand it. Where are they?" Kagome wondered out loud.
Kaede laughed. "Child…why do you worry so?" she asked. "The important part is that I have gotten the both of those evil characters away from your mother's shrine, and we can proceed as planned…"
Kagome nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. I'm just…scared…"
"Don't be scared, Kagome. I told you, if anything happens, I promise to protect you…"
"Funny that you would say such a thing, Inuyasha…" Kaede commented.
He blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?" he questioned.
Kagome shivered. "Can we hurry? How do we do this? I just want to get out of here…" she admitted.
Kaede sighed. "You need only to jump into the well."
"But it's dark…" Sango whimpered.
"Just do as I have said, child. Trust me. Jump into the well, and you will emerge safely on the other side." She explained to the group.
"The other side of what?" Miroku asked. He had been the most quiet of the group.
"Time." Kaede answered simply. "Jump in…when you reach the other end, climb out carefully and wait for the rest of us to get there. Once we are all there, we can regroup, and I can explain. Of course, once you cross over, you will already have a better understanding about what I have been talking about…"
Kagome gulped. "I'll go first…" she volunteered.
"You're not jumping down there by yourself." Inuyasha snapped. "I'll go with you and make sure that it's safe."
"Go ahead, Inuyasha…" Kaede smiled, a glint in her eye. "Do not wander when you reach the other side. You will be surprised that you will know the area, but I don't want to risk you running into any problems…"
"Problems?" Sango's eyebrow rose slightly.
"When the memories themselves hit, and Kagome and Inuyasha are reminded of the past, it may cause strong enough emotions. Add the inclination to wander around, and there could be problems." She explained quickly. "Trust me."
Kagome shivered slightly. "The memories will come back…just like that?" she stammered.
Again, Kaede nodded. "Yes, they will…and we will talk about it all when we are all together on the other side. Now, go!"
Kagome looked away from the old woman, glanced at Inuyasha, took his hand, and approached the lip of the well. "Here goes nothing…" she whispered, and she jumped in, bringing Inuyasha with her.
A bright purple light enveloped the two of them, and the group standing in the well house shielded their eyes from the brightness of it.
Sango blinked. "Where did they go?" she gasped.
"I told you," Kaede repeated. "They've gone to the past. And now, we will follow them."
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"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered. "Do you remember…do you remember…everything?"
Inuyasha blinked, and averted his eyes toward the ground.
"Kagome, shut up and let me protect you!" he screamed, yielding his sword to a giant dog demon…his older half brother, Sesshoumaru.
"Why would you want to use the jewel to become a full demon? I like you just how you are, Inuyasha. You're fine as a half demon. I don't understand why you would want to be different…" Kagome commented, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.
"Inuyasha…you owe me. You promised. Are you going to follow me into hell or not?" Kikyou demanded.
Kikyou…
He remembered her. He had loved her once. She was a miko...the only human besides his mother who gave a damn about him…until he met Kagome. Kagome. Kikyou's reincarnation…Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyou…her mother in the present time?
Inuyasha gasped as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Kagome, I…I…" he stuttered. "Are you…are you all right?"
Kagome swallowed hard. Everything was hitting her at once.
"Kagome, shut up and let me protect you!" Inuyasha screamed, yielding his sword tesseiga to his older brother, the dog demon Sesshoumaru.
"Don't fight it, Kagome. You can't move. You can't speak. He won't even know you're here. You're only in my way, anyway…" Kikyou smirked.
Naraku laughed at her. "Why do you fight? Why do you defend someone who cares nothing about you? Do you love him? Is that it?" he smirked.
Kagome took a deep breath. "Inu…yasha…" she gasped. She dropped to her knees. "Inuyasha…how? How can all of this even be possible? She hates me in this tme period. She hates me…but in my time, she's my mother? And you…I don't…you're…you loved her. I thought I was…"
"What, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, dropping to his knees so that he would be level with her. "What is it?"
"Nothing…nevermind…" she waved nonchalantly. "It really wasn't that important."
He shook his head. "I think it was." He insisted.
"I don't understand it," Kagome sighed. "How could this all be possible? I remember traveling through the well before…meeting you…searching for the jewel…so how did we all end up on the other side? How did things end up like they are for us over there? Why were Sango and Miroku there…in school with me? And why was Kikyou my mother? And Naraku and Kagura…why was my life like that?" she sobbed.
Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Do you remember who your family was on the other side of the well the first time you were here?" he questioned.
Kagome thought about this for a moment, and afer some time, she shook her head in confusion. "I don't remember that. I don't get it. I remember everything…but I don't remember who my family on the other side of the well was. I don't remember them…" her voice shook.
"Things…reset themselves when you pieced together the entire jewel of the four souls the last time around," Kaede whispered, and Kagome jumped. She hadn't realized that everyone else had arrived already.
"Time reset itself?" Kagome nearly yelled. "People disappeared then? Is that what you're saying to me? Is that why I can't remember the name of the family I had on the other side of the well last time?"
Kaede nodded. "Yes…that's it…" She paused. "You can't remember them because when you completed the jewel, it made it so that they did not exist. The jewel rewrote time. It brought all of you together again..."
"Yeah," Kagome smirked. "It did. And then Naraku killed my mother and beat the hell out of me every day, and he…he…" Kagome's skin whitened.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "I know, Kagome. But we'll be all right…"
Kagome took a step backwards. "I don't know what the hell is going on. How is it going to be all right? Kikyou was my mother, Inuyasha! Remember her? She's tried to kill me! And you…you're in love with her…" Kagome stopped short, a look of pure horror in her eyes.
"Granny Kaede…who was my father? Do you know who my father was?"
Kaede shook her head. "No child…I do not. Kikyou never told me…"
"Kagome…Inuyasha is only four years older than us in the other time. He loved Kikyou in this time once…but this is different…" Sango whispered reassuringly.
Kaede nodded. "The reality that we know in this time has been rearranged in the next time. Nothing is what it was…"
Kagome sighed deeply. "So…what exactly are we supposed to do now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She shivered slightly, and Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her.
"We find our old things…and remember what we have forgotten…" Miroku answered.
Kagome frowned. "It may be a little more complicated than that, 'Roku. Did you not remember everything when you got here? There is a lot more that we may have to deal with than remembering who we used to be…"
"She's right…" Sango agreed. "It seems like we may have a couple things to take care of…"
Inuyasha coughed. "Well, if we have things to take care of, how about we get going? No offense, but I really don't like the idea of bringing Kagome back to this place, especially since she has the jewel. The demons will probably notice that the jewel is back if they haven't already, and then they'll come after Kagome again."
"And have you forgotten about Naraku?" Kaede added.
Kagome's eyes widened. "I thought we got away from him!" she yelped. "How is he here? Why is he here?"
Kaede shook her head. "As long as the jewel of four souls is in existence, Naraku will be somewhere close by. We know that he is in the future now…but that does not mean that we can't run into him here…" Kaede explained. "Naraku was powerful. He could make copies and incarnations of himself…so why couldn't he be in two places at once? We have to think of it as a possibility." She warned them. "You don't want to be surprised."
"That's crazy…" Kagome commented, shaking her head and averting her gaze to the ground. "This whole thing is crazy, not to mention confusing…"
Miroku gasped, and the group glanced toward him. "The wind tunnel!" he snapped. "That's how we'll know if Naraku is back. My family suffered that curse from Naraku. If he is here, and I am here, then the curse will come back…"
"Here, Miroku…I was wondering if you were going to realize that…" Kaede handed him a set of prayer beads and the cloth he had used to cover the wind tunnel before. "I saved it. I thought you might need it again one day…"
"Kaede…if…if my mother is dead in the future…does that mean that we may still run into Kikyou here?"
Kaede closed her eyes. "Another effect from the jewel…" she whispered sadly. "You must not remember the final battle…before you got the final pieces to complete the jewel…"
"Why wouldn't we remember something like that?" Inuyasha demanded. Although he had to admit she was right. He had no memory of defeating Naraku for some reason.
"Because Kikyou gave her life in the final battle…defending Kagome." Kaede told them. "Inuyasha had been struck down…and Kagome was not strong enough to defeat Naraku with what she knew…"
The breath caught in Kagome's throat. "She…she…Kikyou…died…defending me?"
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A/N: Have I done a good job confusing you? I hope so:D Please review and let me know what you think! Unfortunately, the next chapter will take me a couple days, as I am moving.
Next, on 'A Place Where I Belong': The wind tunnel returns, and with it, a load of bad news for Inuyasha and the gang. While the group works to perfect the skills that they'd forgotten, Kagome makes peace with her past…and with Inuyasha. Is love in the air, or does fate have other plans for them?
Upcoming Story Info: 'Far Away': Something happens, and Inuyasha fears he may lose Kagome forever. Can he finally admit what's in his heart and save her…and himself? A multi-chapter songfic based on the Nickelback song 'Far Away'.
'Somewhere, Sometime': Kagome and her best friend Sango find a photo in the Higurashi shrine's well house. They've found strange things in the well house, and even the well before, but this is different. Kagome finds herself falling in love with the man in the photo...a hanyou. Even stranger is the writing on the back of the photo...in Kagome's own handwriting! Will Kagome be able to unlock the mystery of this man...a man she will never get to meet...? Or will she...?
COMING VERY SOON!