Sigh… Kede Diem here. Gomen nasai for taking so long. I won't give excuses, I will just improve.

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AnimeMew: I apologize for the wait. Hope you enjoy!

vampireking: Don't tell on me.

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Only a Memory

Chapter Four

The siblings followed the strange creature, whose name was apparently Shippo, through the thick forest as he tried to tell them the most obnoxious story ever.

"Your mother came through the well when she was fifteen," he said. "It was there that she freed the half demon Inuyasha, after she found out that the incredibly powerful Shikon jewel had been inside of her body and was ripped out by an evil demon. After she freed Inuyasha, he killed the monster. Kagome grabbed the jewel, but Inuyasha wanted it to become a full demon. He went after Kagome."

"This guy is crazy," Kame said.

"Be nice," Toki snapped.

"The priestess Kaede, who's older sister was the one who trapped Inuyasha to the tree fifty years earlier and had died right after, put enchanted beads around Inuyasha's neck," Shippo continued. "They were enchanted so that when Kagome said sit, the half demon would fall on his face. This allowed Kagome to keep him at bay."

"So what?" Kame snapped. "How does any of this bull crap apply to us?"

"Because Kagome shattered the jewel by mistake. She and Inuyasha set out on a quest to find all the shards."

"My mom shattered it?" Toki laughed. "How did she do that?"

"She shot it with an arrow."

Toki struggled with the picture of her mom holding a bow. "Huh…"

"That is how they met me," Shippo said. "My father had recently been murdered. Inuyasha and Kagome helped me avenge him. I traveled with them from then on."

"How old were you?" Toki asked.

The strange man grinned. "I was pretty young. Very, very small. I was just a kid."

"I definitely hit my head," Toki told her brother. "You're not real. You are in my dream."

Kame gave her a piercing glare. "Screw you."

After too long of a time of walking, the trio entered a pathetically small clearing. Kame noticed that diagonally across from them was some kind of moss covered precipice, and the so-called demon walked straight towards it. Reaching for it, he pulled back a few vines to reveal a much too small opening.

"Go on in," he said.

Kame pushed his sister forward. "Ladies first."

Toki gave him a dirty look and crawled inside. Kame followed her, and Shippo jumped in after, turning back to fix the vines.

"It's dark in here," Kame said.

Shippo stepped forward. "I can see. But whatever. Fox fire!"

Toki jumped back as the creature sent a stream of blue fire to the center of the dwelling, where a pyramid of sticks was waiting. The flame danced hungrily over the sticks, and the siblings gaped lamely at their new acquaintance.

"How… how the hell did you…" Kame could only gawk at the scene before his eyes.

Shippo rolled his eyes. "I told you. I'm a fox demon. A shape shifter, fire wielder. It'll be better for you when you start believing me."

Now that the dwelling was illuminated, Toki proceeded to studying it. It wasn't a big cave, but it wasn't exactly small either. There was a futon on one side, and some pots and pans and other living necessities on the other.

Reluctantly, Toki started to believe the demon. "What happened next?"

Shippo smiled and continued. "We ran into many troubles. Naraku, an evil pathetic half demon, also wanted the jewel. He became such a formidable enemy… he was a shape shifter. He was a coward. He could create his own demons. He was… such a monster. Even some of our other enemies wanted him dead. And Kikyo…"

"Who was Kikyo?"

The fox demon sighed. "She… was Inyasha's first love. She was also the priestess who sealed him to a tree." He looked at Toki seriously. "Kagome was her reincarnation."

Kame sat down. "I feel sick…"

"Kikyo was the reason the jewel was inside Kagome to begin with. When Kikyo died, she was burned with the jewel. However, Kikyo was kind of brought back to life."

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Toki asked.

"She wasn't really alive," Shippo explained. "She lived off of a collection of dead souls."

Kame made a face. "Ew."

"When they finally assembled all of the pieces of the jewel, Inuyasha did something entirely unexpected."

Toki got a nervous feeling in her gut. "What was that?"

Shippo smiled. "He chose to become human and return with Kagome to her world."

(Elsewhere)

Kagome was dreaming.

In her dream, she was wearing her middle school uniform. She felt younger and more reckless. She felt the urge to run.

And so she ran. And as she did so, she noticed how abnormally beautiful her surroundings were. There were lush flowers in every direction in every shade of every color. In the distance, there were several titanic waterfalls towering over the valley she realized she was in.

And she realized she was all alone.

(Shippo's Cave)

Kame jumped to his feet. "What the hell are you trying to say?"

"Kame! Sit down!"

"Shut up, Toki," he turned to Shippo. "My fathers name is Kote Katsuma. And he would never hurt my mother."

"Well not after he got to know her," the demon insisted. "They used to fight like no other. But slowly, they started to love each other."

"I can't believe this," Kame said.

Toki ran a hand through her hair. "I think I had a dream about this."

"Oh, great," her brother said. "Now you're giving my sister delusions."

"I really did dream about it!" she stood. "There was some kind of light… and there was a guy with a stick… I think he was a monk."

Shippo's eyes lit up. "Miroku! What else did you see?"

Toki strained to remember. "It was so long ago… but there was a figure. Dressed in red, with long white hair… weird ears… they were talking about a decision."

The fox demon nodded. "Toki, the man you saw was Inuyasha himself. That was the day he decided to become human."

For a moment, all three simply sat in silence. Toki was trying to contemplate everything, while Kame was making and admirable effort to conceal the fact that he was trying to wake himself up. For his part, Shippo studied the humans. He could see Inuyasha and Kagome in both of them, and he realized how much he missed his old companions. He remembered the day they left, and how he begged them to stay. He remembered Miroku taking him aside and explaining that he should be happy for them, whereas they would be together forever and that Inuyasha was finally at peace. He reminded him of all the suffering Inuyasha and Kagome had endured to finally bring the world back into order and defeat Naraku. Despite his feelings, Shippo had accepted it.

Toki looked at Kame. "Do you think mom is in this world?"

"What world? My dream? I don't know."

Toki shook her head irritably. "You are so mature. What about you Shippo? What do you think?"

Shippo smirked. "I'd bet money on it. There are several demons who want her head."

Kame groaned. "OK, so if this is real… then will dad be here?"

"Kame," Toki said. "Dad's at home with Kimo and Shizu. Could you please try to use your brain?"

Shippo looked like he was about to say something when there was suddenly a tapping noise that sounded like it was coming from the entrance of the cave. Holding up a hand to signal Toki and her brother to stay, he moved carefully towards the sound.

"Who's there?"

The voice that answered sounded irritated. "Shippo, it's me. I need to speak with you."

Shippo smiled. "Come on in."

Confusion swept over Toki as a man dressed in vibrant purple monk robes stepped in, a staff in his left hand. Toki stood, her finger pointing at the man.

"He was in my dream!"

Shippo nodded. "Figures. This is Miroku. He traveled with your parents as well."

The man called Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Parents?"

"Yes," said Shippo. "These are the children of Inuyasha and Kagome."

End of Chapter Four