Hello, readers! I just want to say sorry about the slow updates. I am sick now, so… yeah, it's bad. ALSO, I am sorry, but no long chapters for you! I can't make really long chapters, or else I lose interest, and I love writing this story so far, so… yeah XD.

Okay, so, down to business! Kagome has just had her first kiss with Inuyasha after three long years of separation. However, he does not remember her at all. Yet, our brave and strong-willed Kagome is determined to make him remember her, or have him place her as something special in his heart with a new life. At the same time, though, Kikyo is plotting something dangerous and sinister against her. What will happen?

Bold words are words from the writer to the reader (or emphasis)

'Character thought'

Flash back

Previously, on Kagome's Return…

Just as I was about to make a move to pull away from him, I felt his right arm wrap around my lower waist, and his left hand tilt my head up. I stared into his golden eyes as his face lowered near mine. I couldn't read the expression in his beautiful eyes, but I hoped it was good, because the next thing he did surprised me. His lips met mine in a gentle kiss that lasted only for a few seconds, but I didn't need anything more to realize that even if Inuyasha didn't remember me, I could always try in any way I can, or I could just build a new life with him to, hopefully, be at my side.

Little did I know, that I had been watched, and that a sinister plan of an evil heart's desire was beginning to form.

~Twenty miles away~

The soul collector flew away from the scene it witnessed and went back to its host. The girl sitting under the dead tree smirked.

"So, Kagome, you have kissed my beloved. Well, I shall not tolerate such a thing." Kikyo petted the collector. "I shall soon show you my wrath."

Sango and Miroku had come back later, the next day with a bundle of rice and a large sack of gold. I was surprised at first, but then I saw a deep red mark on Miroku's cheek and knew he had paid a high price for his greed… or for being a pervert. Miroku and Sango had bought the essentials—food and clothing—but still have a little left over.

It has been two weeks since they left. The relationship between Inuyasha and me hasn't improved. We don't argue a thousand times a day... only nine hundred. Also, Inuyasha has been avoiding me every time we are alone together. I thought since the kiss, we would grow a little bit closer, but my thoughts were proven false. I think the kiss actually bothered him.

I tried my best not to think about that, because even if it was him who kissed me, I felt like he regretted it. And I didn't want that.

I stood before the hut, staring at the door. I wanted to go in. Everything in my right mind told me too. I knew I could trust her with anything I would say. She was like family to me… no, she is my family.

So… why was I scared to knock on her door?

Turning quickly before I could make a fool of myself standing in front of her home, I began to walk away.

"Kagome?" A soft voice came.

I looked over my shoulder, stopping momentarily, then turned around fully to look at her.

"Kaede…"

"What is wrong, dear child?" Kaede asked, passing a tea cup to me on a small plate.

I stared into the cup for what felt like forever, and then slowly asked, "Will Inuyasha ever remember me?"

The look on her face was full of sadness. "I don't know, child. My sister, Kikyo, always had great power, but she died before she could fully master her spiritual powers. However, she never had powers like this before. Whatever powers she has now, she has attained from what I believe to be a dark force in our world. She wishes Inuyasha to be hers and hers alone." She paused, looking at me straight in the eyes. "Ye are the only thing in her way from fully having Inuyasha, Kagome."

I met her gaze with determination. "I've been constantly thinking about him and how to get him to remember me. I don't know what to do, but there is something I wish to achieve." I clutched my hands into fists. "I wish to become stronger. I need to become more powerful than Kikyo." I paused for a moment, and breathed out slowly. "You are a great teacher, Kaede, but staying here and doing nothing won't help me get his memory back."

"So, what are ye saying, Kagome?"

"I need to leave this place, Kaede." I looked a moment, adding quietly, "In secret."

She nodded, suddenly standing and going to the doorway. She beckoned me with a nod of her head, and I soon followed.

"Well, child, if ye are going to leave us, we might as well fetch yer belongings I stored away."

'Belongings?' I wondered about that. What could I have possibly left behind?

Meanwhile with Inuyasha...

'Damn that woman!' Inuyasha thought to himself, his leg bouncing vigorously on the tree branch. He had been waiting for Kagome, quite some time, to come back from wherever she had gone to. While he was sleeping, he smelled her scent drift away, but it didn't wake him. She left some time in the early morning, and still had not come back.

Yes, he had been avoiding her because of the kiss they shared. He hadn't known why he had done it. It felt so natural for him to do that. The way she looked was so beautiful… Everything inside him had screamed to kiss her, to hold her close to him. His senses even hinted the thought of her becoming his mate and imprinting her. But, of course, he stopped that thought immediately.

What truly bothered him about the kiss was the look on her face when he pulled back. She had the look of yearning and happiness, but also confusion and… fear. Why fear? He didn't know and because he didn't know, he had stayed away.

Though, he's pretty sure by doing so, it made her mad, and now, she was off and away somewhere.

'Why do I care if the wench is gone? She's just a lowly human girl. She means nothing to me!' One part of him, a darker part of him, thought. But he didn't fully register that thought. All the while he argued with her, he felt guilty about it; especially when he started it. He didn't know why it bothered him so much that she wasn't in his sight. Why?

"Aren't you happy I'm back? Didn't you miss me at all?"(A/n: Kagome said this)

What did that mean? Sango said the day she "came back." That he met her one day before? Yet, he sensed that she had been lying. Did he know her previously, before she suddenly appeared in front of him? Why was she so familiar?

The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. Suddenly, he froze, as a memory (though he didn't know it was a memory), clouded his vision.

"Hello, Kikyo. Playing with bugs now, are we?" Inuyasha mocked.

The girl looked up to him with a dumbfounded look. "So you're alive?" She had asked.

He smiled cruelly. "Why are you taking so long to kill it? Just do her like you did me." He leaned forward slightly, keeping his grin up. "You look pretty dumb there, Kikyo. The Kikyo I knew wouldn't waste her time."

"That does it." She stood up, clenching her hands into fists which were raised up at first, then lowered to her sides. "Kikyo, Kikyo, Kikyo!"—She put her right hand over her heart.—"Whoever she is, she is not me, 'cause my name is—"

Inuyasha's look turned serious. "She's here." He interrupted.

Suddenly, the Mistress Centipede emerged from the tree top, and swooped down after the girl. The girl barely missed the demon and fell to the ground. As soon as it began to go after her again, an arrow was shot into the side of its chest and down a few feet of the body. There were ropes tied to the arrows, and the pathetic demon was momentarily distracted by the village human's attempt to save the girl.

"So I was saved." She said quietly, astonished. It didn't seem like she was hoping to be saved.

Inuyasha just smiled and glared a mocking glare at the girl. "You're pathetic, Kikyo."

"I'm not Kikyo!" She exclaimed, pushing herself to her feat. "Look, I'm telling you, I'm not her!" She walked up onto the tree branches, and directly up into Inuyasha's face.

"And I'm sayin' you gotta be her, because if you're not, there's no way you could smell so—" Inuyasha had started to argue, but then sniffed the air, staring more intensely at the girl. "You're not her." He finally said.

"I know. My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!"

(A/n: This is part of the first episode of the Inuyasha anime series. And I put it in third person for both because I wanted too! :P)

Inuyasha suddenly snapped out of it, blinking several times, before fully seeing the clawed hands he held in front of his eyes, now on both knees.

'What… was that?' Inuyasha wondered. Was that a hallucination? Was it a memory?

'No, no, that definitely can't be it.' He thought. 'If it was a memory, I would remember her! And I don't…' Even though he didn't remember her, he remembered of how he felt when he had helped the girl out of the well. He was at peace, relieved, and unbelievable happy. However, he was confused by that, because even though she seemed so damn familiar, he didn't know the girl.

Finally, he had enough of fidgeting and got up, standing on the tree branch a moment, before jumping to the ground. Inuyasha couldn't wait anymore. He wanted to have her near him, even if he didn't understand why, and he was tired of waiting for her. He pounced off on the ground, following the scent of the girl.

Eventually, he landed at the old hag's house. He was about to thrust open the door, when he heard a soft voice say that she was going to leave. His ears flicked. 'That's Kagome's voice…' He blinked. 'She wants to leave? Why? Why not at least tell Sango and Miroku? And, more importantly, why not tell me?'

He heard footsteps shuffling toward the door, and he quickly and silently pounced up onto the roof of the hut, being sure not to be seen. He watched the two women walk out of the hut, away.

'Well, if she's leaving, then I can at least know where she'll be heading off too.' He thought, and silently trailed behind them.

I followed Kaede through the village and toward a very small hut at the edge of the village. She opened the door first, and let me enter inside. My lips formed a wide smile as I saw my pink bike sitting there with my yellow backpack on one of the handle bars. I went over and blew the dust off the bike, smiling more as I sat on it to find that I still could fit perfectly on it. I peaked inside my bag and was surprised to find one of my high school uniforms and my first aid kit inside it.

"Ye left these things here, so I decided to put them away, just in case you could ever return." Kaede told me.

I smiled more. Now I could just ride my bike, instead of having to walk. It was good exercise.

Kaede strolled over to me and tugged on my hand. "Come, child, bring these things out with ye. I have some clothes and other such things to put in that bag of yours before you head off."

I nodded, following after her back to her home, in which she, after a bit of time, brought out two priestess clothing, a few clothes made like my uniform (I'd have to look into it later to see what they actually looked like), and a small bundle of money and food.

"Ye are welcome to stay in the village until you wish to leave, Kagome. I will tell the others that you have left, tomorrow."

I nodded, and camped inside her house the remainder of the day. I talked to her about what had been going on the past three years, what had changed, fun stories about a few villagers, and other such things.

I especially discussed where I would be going and who I was after. Kaede told me of a person named Lady Yuri, the most powerful and pure priestess known to the world. She resided in the Yuran Forest, nearly half way across Japan. I was told to look for the woman with a silver crescent moon on her forehead and I was told that she was, indeed, half human and half demon. She was the ultimate priestess with exceptional powers.

I had smiled at that. I was looking forward to seeing her.

When sunset came around, I went outside and hopped on my bike with my backpack in my little basket in the front. I had my bow on my back with a quiver stuffed of arrows. I said my last goodbye to Kaede, and then peddled off.

I watched the familiar setting pass by me, and though I was glad I was leaving without a goodbye to the others, I felt bad, leaving without saying something to Inuyasha.

'Would he care if I left?' I wondered. 'Would he be worried, or relieved?'

Suddenly, I saw a flash of red and silver speed past me from within the trees from the corner of my left eye. I slowed my bicycle to a stop as I saw the man stand in front of me with his arms crossed, a frown on his face and intense golden eyes set on my own brown eyes.

"So, you were going to leave just like that." Inuyasha stated, rather than questioned.

"Yes. It seemed to be a good idea."

"Idiot! I can't let you go off by yourself. There are demons out there who will slaughter you on sight."

My eyes narrowed at his words. "Why do you care? It's not like it matters to you, right?"

He hesitated and stayed quiet for a few minutes, then sighed. He climbed on the back of my bike, sitting with me. "I do care. I don't know why, but I just can't bear the thought of some petty demon slaughtering you." He looked away and whispered, "I'll protect you, Kagome."

I didn't say anything more, and continued to peddle.

WOW! Kagome has set off on a journey to become stronger! She seems to be willing to do anything to get him to remember her. Isn't love sweet?

And Inuyasha is going WITH her!

But don't get TOO excited over the lovey-dovey-ness! Kikyo is still out there planning something against Kagome! What is she doing? And what will this mystery hanyou priestess be like, once she meets Kagome?

Stay tuned and find out!