A/N: whoa! u all went crazy with the reviewing for the last chapter huh. or maybe its because i threatened to discontinue. lol!! doesnt matter what inspired it, but it made me very happy. and wen im very happy, i update! so here you go!

Summary: Inuyasha is presented with a one-time opportunity – to become a full demon. With his childhood years, not to mention the first ever reason for hunting down the Shikon Jewel in mind, his choice seems apparent – a no-brainer. But there's a catch. Becoming a demon will mean giving up the life he knows now. In fact, only he will remember his life as a hanyou, while others will now only know him as Inuyasha the youkai. Is he willing to give everything and everyone up?

Chapter Ten

Nightfall came soon after that. Inuyasha waited patiently for every light in the little houses of the village to go out before proceeded. The place had become absolutely still – nothing but nightly noises and a random loud snore.

Kagome was waiting eagerly outside the shrine house for him. He noted that she wasn't in her priestess get up, but in only a dark blue kimono that stopped mid-thigh.

"Shouldn't priestess where more than that?" he teased.

"This is what I sleep in Inuyasha. No one but me would know this is what I wear to bed."

"Aww, are you letting me in on a secret."

She rolled her eyes, but was grinning from ear to ear. "Come. Let me show you the surprise."

"Where is it?" he asked, half expecting it to be some grand stature that would be staring him in the face, or something along those lines.

"In here." She said, gesturing to the shrine door.

Kagome stepped in, and Inuyasha after. But as soon as he was inside, his body shook with unbearable pain. He felt like he was being eaten from the inside as his limbs were pulled in directions they weren't supposed to go. It hurt all over. He fought the urge to howl, looking around to see what exactly was attacking him. But his vision had left him, the pain fucking with his sight. What the hell is this!

Then, just when he was contemplating killing himself just to end all this mind-numbing pain, the feeling began to subside. His vision returned to him first, then his consciousness. He realized he was lying on the floor, on his back. His breathing was heavy and labored, and his bangs clung to his sweaty forehead.

Kagome was kneeling next to him, clasping one of his hands in bother of hers. Her eyes were closed and she was murmuring something under her breath. He could see a blue aura around her, and he determined that she was praying. Then he realized the aura was around him as well.

"What's going on Kagome?" he asked, his voice sounding weak.

She remained still for another couple of moments, then opened her eyes. She plunged right into an apology. "I am so sorry Inuyasha. I completely forgot about the seal on this house."

"Seal?"

Kagome nodded. "We get demons coming through here regularly, so I put a seal on the house so that in the event a demon manages to enter, he will immediately feel a searing pain. It's pretty effective: a couple demons have already died in here."

"Yeah, it is pretty effective." Inuyasha grumbled, still feeling tension in his joints.

"I've put a barrier around you, so that you're immune from the seal, but we have to keep physical contact at all times. Stand up with me."

They stood together, Kagome still holding his hand. Inuyasha felt unsteady on his feet, but he remained poised. "That's one hell of a seal Kagome. You're a pretty powerful priestess."

"Thank you. Now…look at this."

She pulled him to the actual shrine placed at the center of the back wall. Placed on a high pedestal, sitting comfortably in the center of a pillow, was the Sacrel Jewel. It glowed, shiny and pure, with its own glossy aura. For a second, Inuyasha felt his youkai waking, tell him to snatch the jewel and make off with it, but then he felt Kagome squeeze his hand, and he came back to his senses.

She nodded to the item placed below the jewel, and he followed her line of vision. Beneath it was a sword holder, and sitting on the top, was a weapon he knew very well.

"Tessaiga." He murmured.

Kagome smiled. "I knew you'd appreciate this."

"Where'd you get it from? How'd you come across this?"

"A couple of hunters in my village brought it back to me one day. I'm not sure where they got it from, but they figured I know what to do with it. I was surprised to know it needed no purifying. But it definitely made this village all the more popular with the youkai. Did you know that next to the jewel, this is the most sought out item by your kind? It makes no sense though, because–"

"–because demons can't wield it." Inuyasha finished for her. "Because it's a sword of protection, not destruction."

Kagome nodded approvingly. "You know about this sword then."

More than enough, he thought solemnly. Staring at what was once his sword in its rusty form, he felt – not for the first time though – a nostalgic feeling wash over him. He yearned to take it, watch it change into its magnificent form, then slaughter a couple hundred demons at once with his Wind Scar, just for old times sake. But he wouldn't be able to touch it: he had seen Sesshomaru try. There wasn't much else to do but gaze.

"They found this sword with a drawing you know: a drawing of its master." She said, interrupting his thoughts and tugging on his arm so that he kneel down. Now stooping on the floor, Kagome nodded to the closed book on the floor.

"Put your hand on my back." She whispered.

He followed suit, and watched her as she held the book with both hands, before methodically flipping through pages, until she finally rested on one. Showing him the specific page, Inuyasha felt his heart skip a beat.

"Kagome…" he started quietly.

"I know, its weird." She whispered back.

Weird wasn't quite the word Inuyasha was going for. There, drawn on the page, was an image of a human, holding the Tessaiga. It was in its regular form, but the human held it proudly. The human himself was young in appearance, clad in full red, with long dark hair and brown eyes. The words written in the corner read "the inu-hanyou."

Inuyasha was staring at a picture of himself.

"He looks like you, don't you think?" she continued in hushed tones.

"He would." He murmured. "This is me."

---

Kagome still hadn't said a word to Inuyasha. After his quiet declaration, Kagome's jaw had dropped slightly, then she seemed to go into a state of shock. She closed the book and returned it to where it had been. Then she took his hand and led him out of the shrine house. They walked silently side by side towards the river. Now they sat along the edge, and she still hadn't uttered a word.

Inuyasha wanted to say something to the silent priestess, but wasn't sure what would be right. He could easily say that he had been joking with her when he said that was him in the drawing, but it was too late for that. He didn't know how the picture came about, but there had to be a reason that she had it. There had to be a reason why Kagome remembered snippets of their past. There was no turning back now.

Finally, she spoke. She sound flustered. "That can't be you Inuyasha. That picture is of a human. You're a demon. That's the previous wielder of the Tessaiga. You couldn't hold it if you wanted to."

"It's a picture of a hanyou, Kagome."

"All the same. You're a youkai, are you not?" She didn't wait for him to answer: "That just proves it all. It can't be you. It just can't be."

Inuyasha waited patiently for her to finish. She blabbered on some more about nothing in particular, still trying to a prove her point of why that wasn't him, before she fell silent again. She then she turned to face him, looking at him expectantly.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Before we get into that Kagome, we have to talk about something else."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Remember those times you felt like you've met people, and they seemed familiar to you, like you've known them before?"

"Yes."

"Tell me who they are."

"Well its strange, but Shippo is one. When I hold him in my arms, it feels so natural, like I've done it countless times before. And then there was Sango, and stranger still, her husband Miroku, who I met only today. And of course, there's you."

Inuyasha wasn't surprised at her selection: those were their past travelling companions. "What if I told you, they're familiar to you, because you've known those people – and myself – once upon at time."

"I-I-I wouldn't know what to say." She looked frightened.

"Keep an open mind here Kagome. The truth is, you knew us all once."

"That's impossible. How?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's too long a story. But that's why we seem familiar. And that's why I'm the one in the picture. When we met back then, I was a hanyou."

"What? Inuyasha–" she shook her head vigorously. "You're wrong."

"Listen to me Kagome. You wanted to know about your past. You wanted to remember. I'm trying to help you remember. You were from a different time that the rest of us. You came down a well."

"Bone Eater's well." She murmured to herself.

Inuyasha nodded encouragingly. "Exactly. And you found me pinned to a tree. You released me. That's where it started. The jewel shard broke, and we were trying to get all the pieces back. That's how we came across everyone else. On our journey to find jewel shards."

He thought he saw a glimmer of recognition on her face, but it quickly disappeared. "No, no. What you're saying is insane. If we all knew each other, how come only you and I remember? Why doesn't anyone else?"

Inuyasha knew why he remembered, but he still hadn't figured out why Kagome did. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Kagome! The flower."

She looked at him in confusion: "I don't follow."

"It's the lily. The night before I changed into a demon, I gave you a pink lily, and asked you not to forget me. That's why!"
Kagome looked alarmed. "The night before you…what?!"

Inuyasha could tell her was losing her. He held onto her shoulders firmly and pulled her closer.

"Come on Kagome, you remember. I know you do. It doesn't sound that crazy. You remember some of it, don't you?"

Kagome looked at him, her face scrunched in confusion and concentration. He searched her face, looking for something – anything – that would indicate that she remembered, but he found none. Then she collapsed in a burst of tears, crying to his chest.

"Oh Inuyasha, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She stammered out between tears. "I don't remember. I want to remember so badly, but…I just…don't…."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her body. Funny, how when she was attacking him the first they met in this world, she seemed like such a powerful young woman. Now, as he held her close, she seemed so fragile.

"It's okay Kagome." He murmured soothingly. "You don't have to remember."

She shook her head vigorously and looked back up at him. "It's not fair!" she said in frustration. "It all sounds so familiar. I know I know it, I just…." She wiped her eyes. "I don't know it. I know it, but I don't. It's all so confusing."

"It's okay Kagome." He repeated, now feeling guilty for putting all that pressure on her in the first place. "It's not that important."

Her face was a picture of innocence. "You promise?"

He shrugged. The old witch had told him that no one would remember. Why was he badgering Kagome, just because she seemed to be missing a few pieces of the puzzle? The point is she wasn't supposed to remember. That's how it would have to be.

"I promise." He told her.

She nodded. "I'm sorry Inuyasha."

He tenderly stroked the side of her face. "You don't have to be."

She gave him a weak smile. "You know, you really aren't like any other demon I've encountered."

"Well if you treated them like you treated me the first time we met, they wouldn't be alive long enough for you to see their true colors."

She let out a choked laugh. Then looked up at him shyly, blushing a little. Inuyasha rose an eyebrow. "What's with you?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just realized I really like this. I really like being with you. I wish I could remember us before this point."

Inuyasha smiled after that. "I like being with you too Kagome. Even if you don't remember me."

She smiled brighter at that. Then, before she could change her mind, she leaned closer to him and brushed his lips lightly with hers.

Inuyasha felt his heart jump at her touch. She was even redder than before now, looking down meekly in her lap. He grinned, tucked his thumb under her chin to lift her head. Then, just as innocently as she had, he kissed her back.

A/N: decided to end the chapter on a cutesy note. after this, it starts getting ugly. some baddies will be popping out. guess what else...i think we're nearing the end (sad face). dont know for sure, but hey...we're going with the wind here.

hope ur enjoying the tale so far, see u in the next chapter

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