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He doesn't know how long he's been sitting in the tree for.
Long enough for the moon to shift higher in the sky, for the village to settle into a restless kind of silence. Long enough to memorize the shape of her silhouette moving towards Kaede's hut—how she moves like she belongs there. Like she never left.
He hasn't taken his eyes off her.
From this high branch, cradled in the shadows of an ancient tree just outside the village's edge, he watches her. Not with suspicion—but something quieter. Something deeper. Something he doesn't have a name for.
When the well lit up again—when that strange, pulsing energy tore through the land like a wave—he hadn't questioned it. Not at first. He'd jolted awake, claws flexing, breath sharp in his chest. It was familiar. Not just the energy, but the scent that had come with it.
Her scent.
He didn't picture her face. Not right away. But the feeling it stirred? That ache in his chest—like he'd forgotten something he never should've lost—it was instant.
And then he saw her.
He didn't expect the way it would hit him. Like lightning and silence all at once.
He actually smelled her before he saw her.
At first, it didn't register. Just a shift in the wind—something soft beneath the usual mix of leaves, soil, and distant smoke from Kaede's firepit. A scent he couldn't place. It wasn't threatening. Not quite human, but not demonic either. It was… warm. Faintly sweet. The kind of scent that stirred something deep in his gut—something old. Forgotten.
Inuyasha froze on the branch he'd just leapt to, ears twitching toward the sound of light footsteps brushing against the grass below.
She wasn't trying to hide herself. If anything, she moved with a quiet certainty, like someone who belonged here. And yet, his instincts screamed that something was off—not dangerous, but... different.
His hand instinctively went to Tessaiga, but he didn't draw it. Not yet. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and followed the scent, the sound, the strange tight feeling building in his chest.
And then, he saw her.
She stood there, caught in the silver glow of the moon, her gaze tilted skyward like she was seeing it for the first time. Her dark hair moved with the wind, brushing against her cheeks. A bow was slung across her back, worn like second nature, and her eyes—wide and familiar—scanned the trees like she was searching for something… or someone.
The moment his feet pressed lightly into the dirt, her head snapped toward him.
They locked eyes.
And the moment they did, she didn't scream. Didn't flinch. She stared at him like she'd been waiting.
That was a few hours ago. Now, Inuyasha sat high in the tree just beyond the village's edge, one leg dangling from the branch, the other bent beneath him as he stared down in silence. The breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the familiar scents of spring—dirt, flowers, cooking smoke—but none of them mattered.
Not when her scent cut through them all.
Kagome.
She moved slowly through the village below, as if her feet were unsure of the ground. Her gaze wandered over everything like she was taking it all in for the first time. Maybe she was. There was something strange in the way she carried herself—like her soul hadn't fully caught up to her body. Like some part of her was still wondering if this was all just a dream.
Inuyasha's hand rested on the hilt of Tessaiga, fingers curled tightly around the worn wrappings. He couldn't look away. Couldn't stop staring at her like she might vanish again if he blinked.
Her return had shaken something loose in him. Something he didn't know was buried. And he wasn't sure yet if it was relief… or fear.
He'd felt the change hours before she appeared. The air around the Bone-Eater's Well had thickened, pulsed with a strange pressure he hadn't felt in years. Familiar, but off. At first, he thought he was imagining it. Wishing for something that wasn't coming. The well had been silent for so long, it almost felt wrong to hope.
But then he smelled her.
That scent—warmth, sunlight, and something he still couldn't name—had hit him like a punch to the chest.
And when he finally saw her… standing in the forest, winded and wide-eyed… his heart had stopped. But even now, watching her in the sunlight, something didn't feel right.
He remembered the final battle. He remembered the way Naraku had crumbled, the way the sky had cleared, and Kagome's cries cutting through the stillness like a blade. He remembered holding her.
But after that?
Nothing.
No memory of what happened next. No clear ending. Just a sense of something missing.
Why couldn't he remember what came after? Why couldn't she?
His eyes don't follow her when she disappears into the hut—but he listens with his keen hearing.
The door creaks softly on its hinges. Straw mats shift beneath her footsteps. Then, a croak that was meant to be a gasp. He could tell it came from the old hag. But then, silence. A long moment of it. The kind that fills the space between breaths, heavy with things unspoken.
And then—Kaede's voice—tired, low, but kind.
"Kagome… child, is that truly ye?"
Kagome's reply is quiet. Almost too quiet.
"It's me, Kaede."
Another pause. The kind that feels like the earth holding still. Then the shuffle of fabric, the soft strain of old bones, and the sound of Kaede moving closer.
"I sensed a disturbance," Kaede murmurs, "but never did I expect… I thought the well was sealed. That your time had claimed you for good."
"I thought so too," Kagome whispers. "I didn't think I'd ever see this place again. But the well—something pulled me back. It lit up, and I felt it. Like something was calling me."
"Strange indeed…" Kaede says, her voice trailing into thought. "And do ye remember what happened? After Naraku's defeat? After the jewel vanished?"
Silence again. This time, heavier.
"No," Kagome finally says. "I remember… the battle. The sky clearing. Inuyasha. But after that, it's blank. Like someone took a blade to my memories and cut away the end."
From his perch, Inuyasha tightens his grip on the branch.
Kaede lets out a slow breath. "Aye. So it is not just me, then. I feared my mind was growing feeble in old age. But if you remember little, and Inuyasha even less…"
She trails off.
"You've seen him?" Kagome asks, something fragile and tentative in her voice. Her expression must have given her away, because Kaede offers a quiet, knowing smile.
"Aye," Kaede nods as she slowly makes her way across the room to set up a bed for Kagome. "He's been watching since you arrived. Lurking in the trees like a ghost with no name."
Kagome doesn't respond at first. Then, quietly, "He didn't say anything."
"No," Kaede says softly, her back to her. "And yet, I believe he felt you long before you crossed through. His aura… it's been restless for days."
Kagome's voice trembles just enough to betray the storm beneath it. If Kaede wasn't turned away, she would've noticed the gloss over her eyes. "I didn't know if he'd still be here. If he'd remember me at all."
"Rest for now, child," Kaede murmurs, patting the made up spot on her floor for her. "There will be time to speak more come morning."
Despite something being off, Kagome falls asleep with ease for the first time in years. And she's sure it has something to do with knowing she will see Inuyasha again.
Birdsong breaks through the stillness before the light does, pulling Inuyasha from the shallow edges of sleep. His neck aches from the angle he'd fallen into, back pressed against the bark of the tree.
The sky is just starting to shift—gray easing into pale blue—when Kaede steps outside. The village is already beginning to stir. She pauses in the doorway, lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the low morning light, then looks straight up at him. Not in the direction of the well, or the forest, but at him.
"Inuyasha," she calls, her voice firm despite the rasp of age. "Come down. We've much to discuss."
He doesn't move. One leg still dangles lazily from the branch, arms crossed tight over his chest. He rolls his shoulders to try and loosen the ache in his neck.
"Tch," he scoffs. "Talk to Kagome if you wanna talk. I'm fine up here."
Kaede arches a brow, unimpressed. "You'll come down, boy. I'm not craning my neck just to speak sense into you."
"Feh. Didn't ask you to." He turns his face slightly, chin lifting in defiance, but his ear twitches toward her anyway.
Kaede doesn't flinch. "You felt it. The shift in the well. Her scent. The way your heart damn near leapt out of your chest when she appeared."
That gets him. Just barely. His arms uncross, and his foot shifts where it rests against the branch. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Inuyasha may be stubborn, but he's not stupid. And he admits to himself that Kaede does know what she's talking about, and is actually a very wise woman that he often seeks advice from.
"I know enough," she says. "Now quit sulking and get down here before I start calling you 'pup' again."
He grumbles something low under his breath, probably a curse. The weight of the night before, of Kagome's scent still clinging to the air, has him locked in place. But then, with a heavy exhale and a muttered, "Keh," he drops from the tree, landing soundlessly on the packed dirt just a few feet away.
Kaede nods once, satisfied. "Good. You always were more reasonable after a full night's brooding."
He rolls his eyes, ears twitching. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
But he doesn't walk away. Doesn't pretend he isn't itching to know what the hell's going on either.
Kaede holds the flap to the hut open, her voice softening. "Come. Kagome's waiting. Whatever is happening...it began with the jewel. And I fear it has not truly ended."
And for once, he doesn't argue. He crosses his arms into his sleeves and ducks into the hut, desperately trying to ignore the punch of Kagome's presence now being there.
The interior of the hut is warm and dim, sunlight filtering through the woven slats in dusty streams. A small fire crackles low in the center, the scent of herbs steeping in the pot above it.
Kagome sits near the wall, legs folded beneath her, her expression distant. She turns when they enter. Her face softens slightly at the sight of Kaede, but when her eyes land on Inuyasha, something flickers—almost imperceptibly. It's too quick to catch, but enough to feel.
He pauses in the doorway, caught in the flicker of her gaze, before giving a low grunt and moving to sit cross-legged across from her. His arms fold tight again, posture closed, but his golden eyes don't leave her.
Kaede settles beside the fire, easing down with a quiet sigh. "You two need to talk," she says plainly, reaching for a small pouch of dried leaves to add to the pot. "But more than that, you need to listen."
Neither of them speaks at first.
Kagome shifts, her fingers curling in her lap. "Kaede… when I came back, I thought maybe I'd remember more by now. But everything after the battle—it's just… gone. I remember Naraku. The jewel. Being with all of you. Then the well… and now this."
Inuyasha's brow furrows. He doesn't interrupt, but she feels the weight of his gaze.
Kaede hums, stirring the pot once before looking up. "You're not the only one with gaps, child. I've felt them too. Small things at first. Misplaced seasons. Conversations I'm sure we had that I can't quite recall. But now that you're here…"
She looks between them, her expression growing more serious. "I believe something greater is at work. Something unnatural."
Inuyasha narrows his eyes. "What are you saying? That someone messed with our memories?"
Kaede nods slowly. "Perhaps not just your memories. Time itself, maybe. The threads of fate. I've sensed a lingering energy around the well… something twisted. Familiar, yet wrong."
Kagome's voice is small. "Like the jewel?"
Kaede meets her gaze. "A piece of it, perhaps. Not the jewel as we knew it—but an echo. A shadow. Something left behind."
Inuyasha stiffens. "That thing's supposed to be gone. We destroyed it." His tone is strong, with no hint of doubt that they didn't accomplish the goal.
"Aye," Kaede says, "but power like that doesn't vanish easily. Especially when it was born from so much pain and desire. It leaves traces. Scars."
They fall into silence for a moment.
Kagome swallows hard. "If we don't remember… how do we find the truth?"
Kaede looks to the window, her gaze distant. "We start with those who might still carry pieces of it. Those who weren't fully human. Or fully alive. Creatures like Myōga, perhaps. Or others more ancient."
Inuyasha's jaw tightens. "If that mangy flea knows anything, he'd better show himself before I squish him."
Kaede smiles faintly, but it fades as quickly as it comes. "You both returned to each other for a reason. The past may be fractured, but there's a reason your paths crossed again. Whatever this Echo is, it hasn't finished with you."
Another silence. But it feels heavier now—charged with energy.
Kagome meets Inuyasha's gaze across the fire. "Then we start there."
He doesn't look away. "Yeah," he says quietly. "We start there."
Outside of the hut, the pale light of dawn begins to eat away at the last silver traces of the moon. One full night had passed since Kagome's return, yet to Inuyasha, it still felt like a dream.