Author Notes: Over 12 years ago I wrote a story titled Stranger. I felt good about it back then, but after reading through it again years later I realized I didn't like the plot, the OC, & the pace of the story at all. So I went back & chose a different path for this story. It still focuses on an OC, Jenny, who loses her memory & is taken in by the YYH gang. She still struggles to find her place in the world & how to cope with her unknown past. Through it all, she finds herself drawn to certain demons, but nothing turns out the way she, or anyone, expects. This story takes place when all the (human) characters are in their mid-20's. Yusuke & Keiko are married, Yukina & Kuwabara are dating. (I haven't written any fanfiction for many years, so please be kind! I'll update as frequently as I can. Italics are Jenny's thoughts.)

Chapter One - Stranger

Her eyes fluttered open, squinting due to the blinding light coming in through the window. Where am I?, she thought. She blinked several times & glanced around the room. She was lying in a bed, wrapped under soft, green blankets. She ran her fingers through her auburn hair. She couldn't get her thoughts together. How did she get here? What had she been doing? Why couldn't she remember? As she sat up, panic threatened to take over. As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember anything before this moment of waking up. But that's impossible…..I had to have been doing something before waking up here.

She jumped as she heard the doorknob slowly turn. Wide eyed, she watched as a man with long red hair walked into the room, smiling.

"I see you're awake," he said continuing to hold his smile in place. "We were worried that you hadn't woken up yet." He stood next to the bed & handed her a glass of water, which she eyed cautiously & finally, reluctantly, took.

She watched him over the brim of the glass, not taking a sip yet. The man chuckled & assured her the water was fine to drink.

"Sorry.. I didn't think something was wrong with it… I'm just not sure what's going on." she mumbled as she looked down at the bed, not sure what to do. She finally took a sip. What's wrong with me?

The man leaned casually on the wall next to her. "Well, we aren't exactly sure what's going on either. What's your name?" His green eyes watched her with fascination. She felt like he could see right through her. She shuddered.

"My name… is Jenny," she said quietly. At least I can remember that. "What's yours?"

"Kurama," he said after a momentary pause. "You're currently in my guest room."

"How did I get here?" Jenny said, gathering the courage to ask the question she's been wondering since she'd woken up.

Kurama sighed. "I found you lying unconscious in a nearby park. No one was around & I was concerned for your well-being. I couldn't just leave you there." He shrugged. "I brought you back here last night & you've been asleep the entire time. I was hoping you just needed some rest, but as today passed without any change I began to worry." He gave a small smile. "I'm relieved to see you awake." His moved a piece of red hair from in front of his face & tucked it behind his ear.

For a moment, Jenny couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. She turned her face slightly away from his. Why was I unconscious in a park? This just gets more confusing….

"Thanks, I guess.. For helping me," I said. "Any idea why I was there?"

Surprise flashed across his face for a mere moment, but was quickly gone. "I was hoping you could tell us that."

"Us?" Who else was there? Where were they? Suddenly, for some reason, Jenny felt a rush of anxiety. She shuddered again.

Kurama tilted his head towards the door. "My friends are in the living room. They were here when I brought you here yesterday & were concerned. They stuck around." He moved towards the door, sliding it open a little. "I should let you get some more rest. It's late. We'll talk more in the morning. Maybe by then you'll remember more about how you ended up at the park. I'll introduce you to the others later." Kurama gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm glad you seem to be alright. We'll figure everything out in the morning." He slid out of the room & closed the door behind him.

Jenny pulled the blanket up closer around her shoulders. She wasn't sure why she felt this anxious. Her heart was racing.

Finally, after a few minutes, she calmed down & forced herself to lay back down on the bed. She was still incredibly nervous & worried about why she couldn't remember anything. At least I feel somewhat safe here… But something continued to nag at her.

Suddenly, now that her heart wasn't racing so loud in her ears, she realized she could her conversation in the living room.

"How do you know she's telling the truth?! Do you really want some random person staying here?!," a voice spit out angrily.

She sat back up & listened intently. It must be Kurama's friends.

"Calm down, Yusuke," Kurama's voice calmly replied. "I don't believe she's a threat. She doesn't remember anything before waking up here. I'm more worried about her than I am about us."

She struggled to hear his words clearly, so Jenny quietly slipped out of the covers & crept towards the door. That's better….

"How do you know that for sure? She could be lying," a different voice replied.

"I just know." Kurama's voice had a slight tinge of anger to it. The room was quiet for a moment.

"The lass 's human, right?" another voice said. An Irish accent? And of course I was human… what the hell did that mean? Jenny inched closer to the door, her curiosity intensifying.

"Most definitely," Kurama replied.

"I can't believe you'd be this careless, Kurama," a voice said.

"I trust my instincts. She's not a problem," Kurama said defensively.

"It just seems a little suspicious that she ends up here, in a house full of demons…," one of the voices said.

She heard a soft grunt, followed by, "You all should really be more careful. She's been listening in on this conversation for a while now."

She heard a rush of air & suddenly the door flew open, causing her to sprawl onto the hardwood floor of Kurama's living room. She hadn't even realized how much she'd been leaning on the door to listen to the conversation. She pushed her upper body up off the floor & glanced around, her legs still sprawled out. Everyone in the room was looking at her, and it was a fairly large crowd. She felt her face redden with embarrassment.

"Uh….," Jenny stared, not knowing what to say. The panic that had taken over her earlier had found its way back. Her eyes were wide & frantic. Suddenly she felt hands under her arms lifting her up with ease. She turned to see a man with red hair, but much shorter & brighter than Kurama's, smiling at her.

"Y' okay?" He asked kindly.

She nodded, but she didn't feel okay. She felt like she was going to be sick & she didn't even know why. The man helped ease her onto a chair. He sat in a chair next to her, watching her carefully. Everyone else was silent.

"I told you," a shorter man with black hair said. "So… you want to explain yourself?" He asked, glaring at her.

She felt so uncomfortable & alone. As much as she hated it, she felt tears well up in her eyes. It all came spilling out at once. "I don't know where I am. All I know is I woke up here & I can't remember anything before that. Literally! I can't remember anything at all about who I am or how I got here. I'm so confused! And then I hear you guys talking about me out here & mentioning demons & things like that." Suddenly her eyes show up after remembering some of their words. "You said this house is full of demons. What did that mean?! I don't know what's going on…. Or who I am… or.. or …. Anything…!" She broke down, sobbing.

The shorter man grunted, obviously annoyed.

She felt hands on her shoulders again. She jumped at the touch & looked up. Terror seized her. The red haired man, seeing her fear, pulled back. He was obviously concerned, but unsure what to do. He was just trying to help. Why did I react like that?

Kurama stepped closer & Jenny moved her eyes to him. "I know you're scared." He glanced around the room. "You've already heard some things that probably seem…" He paused. "... unusual." He turned to one of the other people in the room. "Should we explain more? Look at her.. She's terrified."

The others watched her for a few moments and, finally, someone spoke up. "Go ahead, Kurama."

Everyone sat down in the living room & told her the most insane story. By the end of the night, Jenny realized that, no matter how crazy her unknown past might be, it could never live up to the insanity of what she's just learned about the people sitting in this living room with her!

How did I end up here with these people?!