A/N: Oh, I'm excited about this story. My first multi-chapter Inuyasha fic. I hope everyone likes it so far!! Oh, and in this story Kikyou and Kaede are not related.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. That honor belongs to Takahashi-sama.

"Sometimes in an argument, it will show

When you go a little farther than you meant to go

I know you don't mean the things that you say

I just wanna ease the pain that's in your way

But the woman before me must have been hard on you

'Cause that hurt in your eyes, I never put you through"

Trisha Yearwood "The Woman Before Me"

Kagome opened her eyes slowly, loving the warm, content feeling that cocooned her. The blankets on her bed were spooned around her form, trapping her body heat in their depths. She uncurled her body, reaching her arms above her head and stretching her legs out languidly. Sunlight streamed into the room from the single window, and through the glass pane the bright chirping of some birds could be discerned.

The young girl swung her pajama-clad legs over the side of the bed, her feet hitting the soft, plush carpet below. She heard the sound of voices, probably coming from the dining room.

'I guess Aunt Kaede and Sango are up all ready,' she mused to herself, running a hand through her mussed-up hair. 'Well, I guess I could go get some breakfast before I get dressed.' Kagome smiled.

"After all, this is supposed to be my vacation," she said aloud, running her hand through her raven hair once more. She made her way down the hallway and through the kitchen, coming to the small, round table in the dining room. She froze instantly, eyes going wide.

"Good morning, Kagome," Kaede greeted, a secret smile on her face.

Sango laughed softly, also smiling. "Good morning, Kag."

"Feh," the third person said gruffly, glaring at the girl in pajamas. "Do you always wake up this late?"

Kagome put her hands on her hips angrily, fixing the man with a glare of her own. "What is he doing here?" she asked angrily, not even acknowledging his presence, instead turning her question to her aunt.

"This ain't your house, wench!" Inuyasha stood up from his seat at the table.

"Yeah? Well, it's not yours either!" Kagome shouted, amazed at how rude this guy was.

"Kagome! Inuyasha! Both of you sit down!" Kaede commanded, her tone causing both of them to slide into their seats reluctantly. "Inuyasha, I don't know why you have to be so mean to her. And Kagome, why do you feel the need to retaliate?" Sango watched all of this, feeling amused, despite her friend's predicament.

"You know why, old woman!" Inuyasha said with incredulity. "That bitch ran into my car!"

Before Kagome could reply with a few choice words, Kaede spoke up. "I don't think so, Inuyasha. I think it goes deeper than that."

If Inuyasha was angry before, now he was furious. His violet eyes flashed with barely-suppressed rage, and he fixed that stare on Kaede. The older woman didn't even flinch, but Sango and Kagome, admittedly, felt shivers go up and down their spines.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded, his voice dangerously quiet. His tone proved that he knew exactly what she was speaking of, but just refused to admit it. Kaede answered coolly.

"You know exactly what I speak of, Inuyasha."

"Spit it out!" His voice was no longer a hissed whisper. He slammed his hands onto the table roughly, and Kagome jumped, involuntarily. Both her and Sango were watching the scene with wide eyes, totally transfixed.

Kaede gave him a calculating look, hearing his angry growl. She said, "You shouldn't immediately put her off, Inuyasha. She's not Kikyou, you know."

"Feh! Of course she's not!" he exclaimed, as if the idea were absurd. "The bitch doesn't even look like her."

"Hey!" Kagome protested. "I told you not to talk to me like that!"

"Shut the hell up, Kikyou!" The whole room froze with Inuyasha's command, and the young man's eyes widened, horror-struck. Kagome's sharp intake of breath broke the tense silence.

"Whoever this girl is, I'm not her!" Kagome protested loudly, slamming her hands on the table, mimicking Inuyasha. "My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!" Inuyasha snapped out of his trance-like state, fixing the girl with a glare. He opened his mouth to strike back, but decided better of it. Instead, he rose, storming from the room. The door slammed as he left the house. Kagome's eyes were riveted to the spot where Inuyasha had once set. Sango interrupted the silence:

"Ms. Kaede…just who is this Kikyou person?"

Kagome huffed, looking away from his vacated chair and crossing her arms. "That's something I'd like to know."

Kaede sighed, resting her back against the chair. "It's a long story, really."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "We've got time."

"Yeah, we don't have anything else to do."

"Well," the elderly woman said slowly, "Kikyou…she was Inuyasha's fiancée. She shares an extremely close resemblance to Kagome." Sango gasped, eyes widening.

"His fiancée?" Kagome cried, her voice raising an octave too high.

"Yes. His fiancée."

Sango recovered first. "Well, what happened? I mean…he must hate Kikyou, because he's taking it out on Kagome."

"Well," Kaede started once again, "I really don't think he hates her. He may even still love her. But she did make him very angry."

"What did she do?" Kagome queried, her eyebrows drawing together. She was curious as to why Inuyasha felt the need to be so cruel to her.

"She left him," Kaede said simply, taking a sip of her tea before continuing. The girls stared at her, shocked once more. "The day before the wedding, she called to tell him it was over."

Sango frowned. "Why?" she asked, communicating Kagome's unspoken inquiry.

"She never gave a valid reason. It was rumored that she was having an affair with Naraku Onigumo." The girls shared an appalled look. "Those are just rumors, though, and there's no proof in them," Kaede added hastily.

"Who's this Onigumo character?" Sango asked. Kagome was silent beside her, gazing down at her hands. She felt so sorry for Inuyasha, despite the way he had been treating her. She reminded him of a love who had betrayed him; it was no wonder he was so wary of her.

'I'll try to be nicer,' Kagome decided to herself.

"People call him Naraku," Kaede said, not really answering the question.

"By his last name?" Sango inquired, resting her elbows against the wooden surface of the table. "How come?"

"Because his family name brings power," Kaede stated, her good eye crinkling up as she frowned. The two girls shot her confused looks, so she elaborated. "The Naraku family has been the most powerful family in Shikon. They are a line of strong warriors, and the eldest son has always had the title of Warlord, head of Shikon."

"They still use that title?" Kagome questioned. History was always her best subject. Sango had always much preferred literature, and things of fiction. Perhaps that helped fuel her supernatural fascination.

"Yes. It shows how much power the Naraku family has."

"But, why did Kikyou get mixed up with someone like that?" Kagome asked, her expression trouble. This didn't sound like a girl she'd like to meet.

"I'm not really sure." Kaede paused, as if contemplating what she said next. "But…there has been a…history…between Kikyou's ancestors and the latest Naraku's ancestors."

Sango tapped her fingers against the table lightly. "What kind of history, specifically?"

"Well, Kikyou's family name is Miko. The Miko's were all priestesses of Shikon."

"Kikyou's a priestess?" Kagome cried out in surprise.

Her aunt nodded. "Yes. It was rumored that Kikyou's ancestors would perform curses and spells for the Naraku family."

"Because of Naraku's power," Sango ventured, guessing correctly.

"Yes. But aside from the Narakus, the Mikos were the most powerful family." Kaede was silent for a moment. "Well, for a time, the Houshi family also held extreme power. They were a family of monks."

Kagome frowned, fiddling with the material of her pajama sleeve. "'For a time?'"

"Why did they lose the power?" Sango asked, curious. Her russet eyes were staring steadily at Kaede, alight with interest.

The elderly woman bowed her head for a moment, before looking up at the two girls, her expression one of mystery. "No one knows. The Houshis just…disappeared one day."

"No one knows…" Sango breathed, exactly as she had done yesterday.

"Aunt Kaede…" Kagome began, "where did this Houshi family use to live?"

"In the haunted house," Kaede said, watching as both girls adopted looks of poorly concealed surprise, "the old shrine."

"So…do you think that the ghost is one of the Houshis?" Sango asked, becoming excited once more, at the prospect of the enigmatic ghost.

"As I said, child, no one knows," Kaede told her, but then added. "Because every time someone tries to search the house for clues, the ghost chases them away."

'Why would the ghost chase everyone away?' Sango wondered silently. 'What is it trying to hide?'

"Well, it's not going to chase us away!" Kagome said assertively. At Kaede's stern look, she added, "Once we get permission from Mr. Sesshoumaru, of course."

Ding-Dong

"Speak of the devil!" Kagome's aunt exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "That must be Sesshoumaru right now." Kagome made a small cry, gazing down at her pajamas. She ran her hand through her tousled hair as Kaede made her way to the door.

"Hurry up and go get dressed, Kagome," Sango said, unable to conceal her laughter.

Her friend shot her a glare, but shot down the hallway, towards the room she was staying in. Right after the young woman slammed the door closed, then Kaede reemerged in the dining room, followed by a tall, regal looking man. Sango had to admit he was beautiful…almost creepily so. What really surprised her were the two kids that were trailing behind the man. One was a little girl, with big, bright eyes and long, dark hair tied up into a half-ponytail on the side of her head. The other child was a little boy, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail. He had a blue ribbon tying his hair, and his vulpine face was grinning delightedly.

"Hi, Kaede!" the redheaded boy squealed, latching onto the woman's leg. The little girl giggled, following the boy's example and grabbing onto the woman's other leg.

"Rin, Shippou," Sesshoumaru said quietly. The two kids instantly let go, walking over to the man.

"We're going to have fun with Miss Kaede!" the boy, Shippou said elatedly. He smiled up at the stern man.

"Yeah! Rin's going to have lots of fun!" the little girl, Rin, stated. Sango noted that she talked about herself in third-person, and found this slightly odd. But the little girl's bright smile never seemed to fade.

"Rin, Shippou," Kaede said, interrupting their childish excitement. "This is Sango. She is going to be staying here as well."

"Hi," Shippou said shyly, hiding behind Sesshoumaru's leg. Sango found it strange how this stoic-looking man could have such a good relationship with these little children.

Rin walked towards Sango, looking up at her with a wide grin. "Rin thinks you're very pretty!" she said happily.

The complement, even coming from a child, was enough to make Sango blush slightly. "Why, thank you, Rin. You're very pretty, too." The little girls scuttled back over to Sesshoumaru.

"She thinks Rin's pretty!" Rin whispered to Sesshoumaru, though her voice was loud enough for the whole room to hear. Sango smiled kindly at the girl.

"I told Sesshoumaru that I would watch over Rin and Shippou, since he was going out of town," Kaede explained, lifting up Shippou, who was holding his arms up towards her. "Rin and Shippou are his adopted children."

Sango was quite stunned for a moment. Sesshoumaru-this cold-looking man-adopted what look liked a pair of six-year-olds.

'I guess I shouldn't be so quick to judge,' Sango thought with amusement, smiling slightly at her thoughts.

Kagome chose that moment to reappear, dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a blue tank top. She smiled at all the guests, walking over by Sango. Sesshoumaru gave her an odd look, his expression unreadable.

"This is Kagome," Kaede said pointedly, casting Sesshoumaru a look.

"Of course," he said coolly. "I really must get going. I have a plane to catch."

"'Bye, Sesshy!" Shippou cried, hopping out of Kaede's arms and bounding over to the man. He grasped his leg, squeezing tightly.

"Rin will miss you!" Rin said, grabbing onto his other leg. They seemed to have a knack for doing that.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru," Sango called, as the man began making his way to the door. He paused, but didn't turn to look at her. Shaking it off, she continued. "Kagome and I were wondering if we could have your permission to visit the haunted house sometime."

There was a pause, in which even Rin and Shippou were silent. And then, "It is of no consequence to me." He pulled a key out of his pocket, handing it to Sango after finally turning around. He fixed her with a cold stare, and she froze on the spot. "Not a lot to do with the place, anyway." Then he made his way out the door, leaving behind two children and two bags, which were obviously clothes for Rin and Shippou.

"The house didn't always belong to the Tetsusaiga family, you know," Kaede said suddenly. The comment seemed very out-of-the-blue. Sango turned around, still clutching the key absently.

"Tetsusaiga?" Kagome inquired, running a hand through her newly brushed hair.

"Yes. That's Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's family name," her aunt informed them.

"Who used to own the place?" Sango asked, looking down when she felt tugging on the hem of her shirt. Rin lifted her arms up towards Sango expectantly, smiling so that she couldn't refuse. She lifted the child into her arms, surprised at how light she was. Rin began playing with her hair, even though it was pulled up into a high ponytail.

"After the Houshis disappeared, the Narakus owned it," Kaede answered. The girls were silent for a while, letting the information process in their minds.

"So, how did Inuyasha's dad come to own it?" Kagome wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Kaede replied truthfully, shrugging. "Maybe he owed him a favor, or something. Or perhaps he just got sick of maintenance. Who knows?"

"Maybe we could ask Inuyasha?" Kagome stated, though it was more of a question. Sango looked uneasy for a moment.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Inuyasha's not to keen on you, Kag."

Kagome folded her arms beneath her chest, frowning. "Well, it's certainly not my fault. I'm not her!"

"I know you aren't," Sango said with a sigh, shifting Rin from one hip to the other.

"I feel kind of bad for him, Sango," Kagome said softly, looking at ground in front of her, as though it had suddenly become extremely interesting.

Sango cast her a curious glance, but said nothing.

"There is nothing you can do, Kagome," Sango told her quietly. "It's in his past, and he must learn to deal with it." Her friend looked over at her, catching the sad look in her eyes.

"Like you must let go of your past, Sango," she said gently.

Sango looked away, uncomfortably. She set Rin on the ground, who scurried off with Shippou to go play in the backyard. She turned towards Kagome once more, her expression becoming angry.

"I put my past behind me a long time ago."

Kagome, catching the hidden hurt in her friend's statement, decided to drop the subject. "Of course. I'm sorry, Sango."

"No…it's alright."

Kagome clapped her hands together. "Hey, I have an idea! How about we go check out that haunted house!" Sango smiled, and Kagome mentally cheered. She had said the right thing to help cheer her friend up. Memories of Sango's past were best left buried.

"That's a great idea! Let's go get our shoes on, and then we can drive out."

A/N: Thank you for all the nice reviews! I hope everyone liked this chapter as much as the other ones! By the way, it took me forever to find a song for this chapter. I found these lyrics, and thought they fit for Kagome and Inuyasha!

CelesteSpring- Yay! I'm so glad you liked it. Do you ever get the idea for a story, that you hope will blow all your other stories away? That's the way I feel with this one, so I've been extra-cautious with everything I write about it. Anyway, thanks a whole bunch for your kind reviews!

Zephor- You'll find out what's in the haunted house soon…but can ya guess? ^_^ Thanks for your review!

LilGiggles- Hello person, to you, too! ^_^ I'm trying to write fast. I hope you like it, and thanks for the review!

Ashuli Dreamtide- This probably gave more insight into who the ghost is. There wa sa lot of foreshadowing, and I bet you caught all of it! ^_^ About the Rae thing, thanks for catching it. And I fixed it, too! It's a long story. See, I was planning on writing a ghost story slightly parallel to this one, only with my own made-up characters. But it got too confusing, so I just made it an Inuyasha one. Thanks for pointing that out though! And thanks for the reviews!! ^_^

Red Dragon- Thanks for the review! I tried to update soon. ^_^ But easier said then done.

fle- I'm glad you liked it! Here's more…and thank you for the review!

Callisto Nicol- Yes, lots and lots of foreshadowing! I think, by now, it is pretty easy to figure out just who the ghost is. But I kept everyone hanging for a little while, hehe. Thanks a lot for your review!! ^_^

Dark-Angels- I love mysteries and horror stories, too. All though the latter gives me nightmares. Hehe, just kidding. Anyway, thanks for the review!!

Kalira of the Flames- Yay! Sango's three-dimensional! *does a victory dance* Thank you so much for the nice review!

bfcat- Have you figured out who's in the house now? ^_^ Thanks for your review! I hope you liked this chapter, too!

Hollie- Yay! I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for the review!! ^_^

mandi-chan- I'm glad you like it! It will start to pick up soon, once they get more involved with the mystery.

Starpiper- I'm so glad you like it! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, hehe. You probably know who the ghost is after reading this chapter. ^_^

HLU_Me- I'm really happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review…you're not the only one who thought Kikyou was the ghost. But she plays a different role in this. ^_^

A lot of review replies, because I replied to the reviewers of both chapters. ^_^ But, like I said in the last chapter, reviews make me happy. But I don't hold them for ransom like some authors. ^___^