A/N: Long time no see! …so it's been quite some time since this was updated. . I've been busy, okay? …so what, maybe I've been busy watching T.V. and playing Minecraft, but still! Anyhow, enjoy the long awaited chapter and disclaimers!

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

The next morning found Inuyasha rumbling softly as he buried his face in his new mate's hair, breathing in her scent happily while she slept peacefully, snuggled against him. Eyes glowed with happiness as he took in her appearance, gently pressing his lips to the ark on the joint of her neck and shoulder, his ears pricking forward as he heard the small whimper she gave.

Inuyasha frowned at it, sniffing at the Mark intently. Swollen, and the bite had reopened sometime when they had both been asleep. Inuyasha sighed, gently rasping his tongue across it, hoping it would heal faster.

Kagome stirred slightly and opened her eyes tiredly, glancing up at his face. "Inuyasha?" she murmured, raising a hand to gently touch his cheek. "What's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Inuyasha grinned, fangs gleaming. "Morning, Kags," he answered, nuzzling her nose with his own before kissing her. Then he pulled back, sitting up and rubbing his head, popping his neck as well. "You've been sleeping for a while."

"Obviously," Kagome sighed, sitting up as well, rubbing at her eyes with a yawn. Noting the fact that Inuyasha was still naked, she flushed and turned her face away, pulling the blanket up to cover herself when she noticed that his eyes were gleaming. "Stop that and get dressed, you stupid dog."

Inuyasha ducked to avoid a pillow that his mate through at him, getting out of the bed, snickering when Kagome flushed and hid her face. "Come on, Kags, I don't know you're embarrassed," he teased as he dressed quickly, his stomach growling. "It's not like you haven't seen-"

"Out!" Kagome shrieked, flushing and hiding her face.

"Alright, alright," Inuyasha sighed, ducking out of the room.

Kagome waited until he was gone, then climbed out of the bed herself, digging around in his closet for something to wear. She looked startled when she came across clothes that she recognized.

He still had some of her clothes, which she'd purchased a long time ago, stashed in his closet... Kagome's eyes softened as she pulled out a sleeveless deep blue dress. She'd bought this on a shopping trip with Rin and Sango.

Pulling the dress on and combing her hair with her fingers, she padded barefoot out of the room, where Inuyasha waited impatiently for her so that he could walk with her to the kitchen.

Golden eyes sparkled as he took in her appearance, appreciating the fact that she'd found the clothes he still had and that she looked great in them. Kissing her cheek, the half-demon twined his fingers with hers, leading her down towards the kitchen, where Rin sat, typing away at a laptop. Beside her, Shippo sat working furiously on his homework, and across sat Sesshomaru, scanning over paperwork.

"You guys look busy," Inuyasha said cheekily, obviously in a good mood.

Sesshomaru scowled at his brother, sniffing the air before retorting, "And you're finally done being busy, hm? Did Midoriko give any information?"

Kagome became serious as she sat down beside Rin as the girl shut her laptop, telling Shippo that he could finish later. The kitsune, not wanting his family to change their mind, took off running, disappearing. "Yes, actually. She'll die if we kill Magatsuhi, but she's agreed to allow us to."

Inuyasha huffed in disappointment, unhappy that his good mood had to be replaced with the serious situation. Settling down beside, Kagome, he grumbled, "Try and purify me again."

Kagome frowned, protesting, "But what if I hurt you?"

"Then it's only a little shock," Inuyasha replied with a shrug. "Not a big deal. You won't kill me like you'd kill Sesshomaru."

"This Sesshomaru would not be so easily killed by a miko such as your mate," Sesshomaru said absently, glancing up from his paperwork.

"Whatever," Kagome said, waving him off. She touched Inuyasha's hand, closing her eyes and focusing. A moment later, Inuyasha snarled in surprise and jerked his hand away, wincing as he declared, "Definitely back."

"So Miroku's plan worked then!" Kagome said cheerfully, grinning as she threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

Rin snickered, leaning back in her chair. "I'm not going to even guess what Miroku suggested, I bet I already know." She shot a suggestive look at Kagome, who flushed in response.

Sesshomaru abandoned his paperwork to lean forward, eyes flashing. "Now. We need to plan on how we kill Magatsuhi. So if you're done messing with your Mark, Inuyasha, that would be great..."

Inuyasha paused in sniffing at Kagome's neck after tugging her into his lap to scowl at his brother, growling irritably. "I'm making sure it's healing," he retorted. "All we have to do is catch the guy with Tetsusaiga and he's dead."

"You can't kill him like that."

They turned their attention on Kagome, who'd begun to mess with a lock of Inuyasha's hair, refusing to look at them as she continued, "He's not like normal demons. His physical body isn't a physical body if he doesn't want it to be."

"…that made no sense," Rin told her.

Kagome pursed her lips, thoughtful for a moment before explaining, "His body is only solid if he wants it to be. If he doesn't, then you can't hurt him. That's how he travels around. When we were at Souta's wedding and he came to talk to me, he just appeared."

"Damn," Inuyasha hissed irritably. "Then I can't kill him?"

"He's not invincible," Kagome huffed in reply, reaching up to tweak his ear affectionately. "His soul is his weakness. I nearly purified him a few times when I got angry at him because I couldn't figure something out, a loophole in my fake memories."

"So one way we can get rid of him is the miko purifying him," Sesshomaru mused, thoughtful as he added, "His soul is his weakness you say. Perhaps Tenseiga can be a weapon for once."

Kagome smiled, twining her fingers with Inuyasha's. "We'll defeat him when the time comes," she said, eyes determined. "We just need to be patient and plan is all."

Inuyasha's hand tightened around her own and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "…keh."

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Lips pursed irritably, eyes gleaming with anger, Magatsuhi stared down at the wooden desk before him, disbelieving. She'd broken his control on her miko powers by becoming the half-demon's mate, making the half-breed's aura overpower his own within her body and soul. The girl had almost completely broken free of his control.

Almost.

She didn't know that he didn't necessarily need her heart to block her memories again. She didn't know that he had a tight grasp on the part of her mind that contained her sanity, her fears. He could make her go literally insane. He could block her memories in an instant if he wanted.

So why didn't he?

Because he was certainly enjoying himself, watching as the pathetic Takahashi family scrambled around in their attempts to kill him. Pathetic weak younglings. Did they really think that they could defeat someone as powerful as him?

Someone who had once been a Kami, and still had the powers of one? A fallen Kami?

A cruel grin spread across his lips. They still had no idea.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Magatsuhi sighed, turning his attention on the unwelcome visitor.

He was utterly shocked by the person who stepped inside.

"You," he spat, eyes lighting with hatred as he shot to his feet, a snarl on his lips.

Midoriko gave a gentle smile, tilting her head as she searched the man before her. "Oh, Magatsuhi," she murmured, her eyes saddening. "What happened to you? What made you so angry, hm? You used to be so kind and gentle. To me, even. What happened to make you want to torture Kagome-chan so?"

Magatsuhi growled angrily. "You did," he spat, "You did and you know it. This is your fault, you bitch. If it wasn't for you, I would still be at my father's side instead of my pathetic wench of a sister."

"You know that's not true," Midoriko murmured, taking a step towards him. "You chose to come to me, Magatsuhi. And I loved you for it. I loved you with all of my heart. And I still do."

Magatsuhi's eyes flashed dangerously and he suddenly lunged forward, a hand wrapping around her throat and slamming her into the wall. "Yet you went and cheated on me six hundred years ago! Almost a thousand years of you being my mate and wife, and you cheated on me!"

Midoriko winced, but responded calmly, "And I told you, Magatsuhi. That man attempted to force himself on me, and was doing so when you arrived. If you hadn't killed him, he would have succeeded and I would be dead already."

"I should have let him finish," Magatsuhi retorted, face twisting with fury. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with you now, you damn bitch.

"Magatsuhi," Midoriko said softly, ignoring the pain from her mate pinning her against a wall, reaching forward and gently cupping his cheek, not surprised when he leaned into her touch. "My Magatsuhi. You need to stop. Release Kagome-chan, please. Release Kagome-chan; leave the Takahashis and their friends alone. They've done nothing to deserve what you've done to them."

"I need the Shards the half-breed possesses," Magatsuhi spat in response, eyes gleaming angrily as he jerked away from her. "I need to gather the rest of Shikon no Tama so that I may get my own heart back..."

Midoriko's eyes misted over as she rubbed her neck... "You know that my heart is in there as well."

"Yes," he retorted, smirking. "But this way, you can die without me dying as well. We have both lived past our lifespans. We rely on each other to live because of our mating bond. With our hearts back, though, you can die and I won't."

Midoriko sighed in defeat. "I see. You believe it has to be this way. I didn't tell Kagome-chan and Miroku-kun how to kill you because I still love you, Magatsuhi. But you are intent on doing evil to this world, the Takahashis, and Kagome-chan and Miroku-kun. So I will leave, and as soon as I arrive at my home, I will call Miroku-kun. I will call Miroku-kun, and I will tell him how to defeat you, Magatsuhi. I am tired of life anyways. Perhaps it's my time as well."

With that, Midoriko turned and strode from the office, her eyes determined as she ignored the completely agonized and furious demon.

A smirking demon that suddenly raised a hand to his lips, whispering sacred words into them.

A demon that took a certain miko's memory of her family.

And he was certain that when the half-breed came across her this time, discovering her memories were gone, that it would most certainly kill him.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome hummed quietly as she worked on putting the dresses that her last customer had tried on back onto the many, many racks they had, smiling as Jakotsu called, "Someone's in a good mood, and good moods on you are nice because you have such a lovely voice when you hum…"

Kagome giggled, responding in the same teasing tone, "Why thank you, Jak, that's very kind of you."

"Bet my voice is better," Jakotsu replied jokingly, in which Kagome just laughed and returned to her work, smiling as she returned to her thoughts about… Kagome frowned. What had she been thinking about? All she could remember was that whatever it had been had been making her happy.

Kagome shrugged; gently brushing off the wedding dress she'd been hanging back up off and smiling warmly at it. It was the one she wanted to wear, she decided. When she married…whoever she wanted to marry.

There it was again, that sudden blank in her mind, where it was like a name was blocked.

Kagome stiffened, digging through her mind for answers to questions she asked herself.

Where had she been living for the past few weeks after the wedding?

She had no idea.

Whose wedding had she gone to and who had she met while she was there?

Her brothers', and no idea.

Anger pricked her mind as she discovered that she couldn't remember anything really from the last few days.

"Jak?" Kagome called, voice distressed.

"Yes, Hun?" Jakotsu replied, head popping around the corner, eyes concerned at her distress. "You okay?"

Kagome slowly shook her head, pressing a hand to her head as she said slowly, "I can't remember. I was thinking…and then I can't remember about what, and then I…I can't remember where I've been for the past few weeks and who I've been with."

Jakotsu blinked in surprise, immediately moving over and pressing a hand to her forehead, checking for illness. "You don't have a fever," he noted softly, mind racing. Then it clicked. "That bastard did it again. AYAME GET IN HERE!"

Said wolf demon appeared immediately, green eyes curious. "What's wrong?" she asked, running her thin fingers through her thick red hair, head tilted. "You alright, Kags?"

Jakotsu looked furious as he spat, "We need to call Inuyasha. Tell him to come here, would you? That bastard Magatsuhi...I think he took her memories again." He turned back to Kagome as Ayame's face paled. "Kagome-chan, do you know who Inuyasha Takahashi is?"

Kagome blinked, bewildered. "Uh…not really," she said nervously, wary of the fact that Jakotsu looked ready to explode when she said that. "Is that…bad?"

"Very," Jakotsu said through gritted teeth. He reached over and gently pulled the midnight dress she wore down, revealing her Mark. "Kagome-chan, this is a demon Mate Mark. It shows that you're basically married to a demon or half-demon. If I touch it," he did just that as he spoke, resulting in anger flooding through Kagome for no reason, "Inuyasha-san can feel it."

Kagome looked confused, tilting her head. "Inuyasha Takahashi is my…"

"Husband, mate," Ayame replied. "Your husband and mate actually. Not sure when that happened though. By the scent of it, last night. You go back to work. We'll call him, and he'll come and deal with the fact that you've forgotten him, alright?"

Kagome huffed. "I don't know what you guys are talking about, but whatever," she grumbled, gently pushing away from the two and scooping up the dresses she'd been replacing.

As soon as the young woman had disappeared around the corner, Ayame tore out her phone and typed in the sadly familiar number of Inuyasha Takahashi, who picked up on the first ring. She could hear another male voice in the background, along with a baby's cries. That was his friend, Miroku, she noted. "Hey there, Inuyasha-san."

Inuyasha huffed on the other end, growling irritably, "What do you want, Ayame? This had better be good, because you made my phone wake up Miroku's kid."

Yep, Miroku it was. "We have a problem, or, more specifically, you and Kagome have a problem," Ayame said carefully. "We think Kagome's memories were erased again. Her memories of you."

Silence, then-

"That son of a…I cannot wait until I tear his damned heart out…bastard, how dare he touch my wench…"

Ayame snickered slightly as the raging hanyou continued to do just that before interrupting, "So are you going to come and talk to her? She was a little stressed out about everything, and I know it's not good for her to be stressed out when she was just recently Marked."

"…you know that we're mated?"

"When your scent is completely covering her, it's hard not to, Inuyasha-san."

With that, Ayame grinned and hung up.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome stared blankly at the tall silver haired, dog eared, golden eyed man before her, head tilted curiously as he stared intently at her, waiting for even a sign of recognition. "Uh…who are you?"

Inuyasha growled angrily, fury making him shake. "Damn it," he hissed, "DAMN IT!" He whirled around, slamming his fist through the nearby wall and making Kagome flinch in surprise, and then frown in confusion as he whimpered, resting his head against the same wall. "Damn it," he repeated, this time in a whisper, a whimper escaping his lips. "Not again."

Kagome reached out, hesitantly touching his arm. "Err, Inuyasha-san," she said hesitantly, biting her lip as he glanced over, meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry."

"I know," he murmured, shoving a hand through thick silver bangs. "It's not your fault Kags." He moved over, hesitating before gently pulling her to him, crushing her to his chest and nuzzling his face against her Mark. She stiffened uncomfortably in his grasp and he stifled a whine before pulling back, telling her, "You get back to work. I need to talk with Sesshomaru…my brother. I'll come pick you up, alright?"

Kagome blinked in surprise at his gentleness and how he lovingly kissed her cheek before pulling back. "Err, alright," she stammered, startled.

He took a final look at her face, and then was gone.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome offered the middle aged woman before her the dress that she'd been preparing, smiling warmly at her. "Why don't we try on this one?"

The woman she was helping, one by the name of Wakiko, smiled, removing the previous one. "I did like this one the best," she told Kagome, her green hawk eyes gleaming with amusement as she pulled it on.

Kagome helped her zip the back of it, beaming. "It looks wonderful on you, Wakiko-san."

"So," Wakiko said with a look of fake innocence, waving at Kagome's Mark. "Who's the lucky man who mated you, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome immediately touched the Mark on her neck, frowning as she did so. "Err, I'm not really sure," she admitted. "I've forgotten him again," she added in an explanation. "But he's handsome, and he was nice when I saw him not too long ago. His name is Inuyasha Takahashi."

Wakiko's eyes widened. "You're mated to the famous Inuyasha?! You're so lucky, Kagome-chan!"

Kagome frowned, curious. "I am?"

Wakiko beamed, nodding. "Inuyasha's a good looking man. I love my fiancé, but I certainly wouldn't mind if he asked me on a date. So have you told him yet?"

Kagome blinked, looking bewildered as she arranged the skirt on the dress. "Told Inuyasha what, Wakiko-san?"

Wakiko giggled, smiling down at the younger woman. "Have you told him that you're pregnant, or have you not?"

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A/N: I had so much trouble with this. X_X So it's a kind of terrible chapter.