Disclaimer: I do not own nor have any rights to InuYasha the anime series, manga or comics. I do not have any rights to Rumiko Takahashi or any of the work affiliated with said person or anime/manga.

Authors Note: Please read and review this oneshot short story! Thank you!

Authors Note: AU; Oneshot; Rated T for Teen.

Under The Cherry Tree

By:VeeCat

I had always wondered, why did Sesshomaru hate me so much? What did me, or my family do with action or say verbally to get him to dislike me so very much?

In my Sophomore year of high school I laid on eyes on the boy next door, Sesshomaru's younger brother. Sesshomaru told me his name was InuYasha, I was so intrigued by this boy. He was beautiful.

Sesshomaru also came to me and informed me and my mother of his hatred towards the Higurashi family.

Years upon years before my time, in feudal era Japan demons, monsters, and half-demons were thought to have existed.

In my bloodline, we were pure. We could fight them, destroy them, hunt them, and protect the human race.

The Takahashi family are descendants of the dog demon.

So thats why he hates me. Thats why he hates our family.

But Sesshomaru also knew a secret.

He knew I was brought in by InuYasha, he knew of the past-life.

He knew that he wanted me, Kagome Higurashi, nowhere near InuYasha.

And I must obey, and that tugs at my heart.

I feel sadness, and anger.

Sesshomaru knows what we did, what I did.

He saw us do it, he says he will tell if I speak to InuYasha.

If I draw him, if I even look or allow him near my family he tell.

So I must obey.

I always think back to that day, a dark and gloomy day that changed my brother, mother and I...

forever.

'How would I be different all the way around, had that sinister act not taken place'

If you think of it, everyone would be different. 'Don't they call that a butterfly effect?' I think to myself.

Essentially, Sesshomaru threatened me. US. He would reveal not just to InuYasha, but publicly what he saw 8 years ago. Sesshomaru Takahashi was blackmailing me, I was not allowed to love InuYasha.

Or else...

8 years ago.

It was a dark time in my childhood, before this event occurred 8 years ago.

My father, Mr. Higurashi was a drunk. He was a mean, violent, and anger filled drunk.

Those were dark times indeed.

The dark night, as I sometimes call it, he was drunk.

Very drunk. He had told my mother he had to stay late at the office due to a meeting.

He lied, he went and spent his bonus check at the bar, and some of it at the local mini-mart in the booze section.

Stay late at the office? Yeah right!

It was storming outside, and my father pulled up the drive way late at night. Around midnight to one o'clock in the morning. He came in kinda crooked, and it was always obvious when someone pulled into the driveway because the headlights flashed through the blinds in the dark rooms among the house. The lights creeped through my window, ever so slowly.

It was eerie almost, as if I knew tonight was the dark night.

Father stumbled into the house and a brown sack with a bottle of jack slipped from his grasp.

There it was. All it took was one shitty thing to set the man off. I could not believe this was the life I was I given. A violent start in an already ugly world. My mom walked down the hall simply to offer some assistance to her husband.

"Do you want some help sweetheart?" She asked.

"Did I ask woman?" He hollered.

"No, but I was afraid you may have cut yourself." Mom replied.

He had that look in his eye and mom began to take a couple steps back.

"What the hell is wrong?" Father asked, still having that dark and sinister look among his face.

I was listening, from my bedroom. I sit in bed, and I hear this all. My knees are up to my chest, and I am anxious.

Oh so anxious, my palms are sweating.

He began to step towards, and then nearly lunging at the petite woman whom was my mother.

A picture fell from the wall. It was our happy family. The glass broke, and a shatter was echoed throughout the hallway.

My heart is racing, I wonder if I should get up and run to the rescue of my mom.

My heart then freezes upon hearing the next noise! I hear my young brother begin to cry in his room. He was woken up because of all the ruckus and violence.

Oh how the yelling was deep, monstrous and loud.

"Shut the hell up, stop being a pussy boy!" Father screamed. It was deep. As well as monstrous.

It had evil behind its tone.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

I heard my mother plea, sob and yell.

I darted out of my room. I just couldn't handle it anymore, I was afraid and worried for my family.

I scurried down the hall and into the living room where my father now was.

I lunged at him, and screamed for him to stop being so mean. Mr. Higurashi, my father, pushed me down. I was on my rear now on the floor and he raised his hand to me.

I was about to be backhanded, and it would surely leave a mark.

But he didn't touch me.

Going back to that night in only in a memory. Even if only to tell my story, simply put, still hurts and stings.

I am so perplexed by this situation, by what that Sesshomaru is doing to me.

My father did not get a chance to make contact with my face.

Not before I a thud was heard.

Following that thud, was a whizzing noise.

Following that whizzing noise was a snap and a crack.

Following that whizzing noise, which was followed by a snap and crack, was a fine red mist upon my face.

I don't think I was fully ready for what my younger self saw.

I am fifteen years old present day.

Then, 8 years ago on the dark night, I was seven.

Present day, I can't wrap my head around what I saw next.

My father fell to his knees; and there behind him holding a very sturdy and solid wok was my young brother in footie pajamas, sobbing and making stepping motions with his small feet.

A couple of feet behind me was my mother, caught with a smokin' gun.

There was a small metallic smell to the air around us, mixed in were hints of sweat, salt, and liqueur.

To this day these scents are pure evil to me, alone or together in any way.

Moments later my mother was telling us it was going to be okay, that the darkness was over.

She was sobbing, she kept saying over and over that the darkness was over.

This was nuts, I am sitting in 'study hall' at school as I am thinking of this nightmare. Remembering the darkness. Remembering who I am, and what I have done.

I was seven, but because of how he was. Because of how my father was, as a drunk and an abusive father.

I fantasized about his passing, his murder, the fine red mist...

I wanted him to go away.

I had these thoughts so often, at seven years young.

Sesshomaru enters the study hall classroom. He takes a seat, directly behind me. Study hall blocks were simply used when there wasn't a class you needed during that period, that Sesshomaru Takahashi must have dropped a course. I gather it was to taunt me since he was a senior this year.

In a low whisper so that no one would catch even a word Sesshomaru leans forward and says "Remember, I can own you." He says, "I can destroy you, stay away from my brother."

I simply froze as he gave me one last whisper, "Just imagine what could happen to your mother and sibling, I know what I saw."

I was not facing him, but I imagine he had an devilish smirk upon his pale skinned face.

Was the darkness really over if this event was still over my head 8 years after it took place? I wonder.

The storm had only increased in severity, as if mocking the events of hours past.

Thunder rumbled, and lightning shot across the sky it small bursts.

Those bolts of light sure were powerful though.

My mother had been outside with a poncho on for well over an hour, she then re-entered our home.

Mother had mud caked upon her shoes, and was drenched in rain water. Her nose appeared a red as well, more than likely from the wind gusts outside.

She knelt down in front of me and my brother, why she addressed a young boy that wouldn't remember is beyond my (then) 7 year old brain. "The darkness is over." Mother said, repeating that line from earlier. "But we must never speak of this again, he just went to the store to get beer and never came back again."

As she said these things, I looked at her fresh bruises and my heart ached. My tummy was in knots and doing flips. Why was my father like that? Why was he like that?

Tipping back a damn liqueur glass was more comforting to him that the love of his little girl.

I was no daddy's girl, that's the truth.

Mother used all her might and wrapped in a sheet and began to move him outdoors.

She went through the back door.

Our yard had only one tree, but it was outside the fenced in portion as my grandfather (whom was in a short-term hospital stay at the time) said it was sacred in his teachings to my mother and us kids.

Mother was outside as I grasped Sota's hand, that was my young brother. I walked my young brother down the hall, he was still uneasy on his feet.

It was so cute.

I gave him his juice cup and managed to get him into his playpen.

As I lay him down to sleep...

I wish upon a star, 'Dear Jesus, keep it a dream to young Sota.'

My seven year old self was growing dreary.

I was becoming sleepy, I knew because I yawned and my eyes felt heavy.

I walked back down the hall and looked out the rain soaked single pane window...

There mother was, standing by father next to a hole.

She placed her right foot upon the rolled up dead man...

It all flooded back to me, in such an overwhelming manner for a young girl.

I had flashbacks.

The hitting, the throwing of glass whiskey bottles. My mothers tears. The screams of terror from my brother. The bruises, burns, cuts, and hateful words.

In one swift motion she kicked the body into the six foot deep hole.

Mother began to shovel the mud and dirt onto of that evil man.

Good riddance pops.

I was no daddy's girl.

I just stared. I was still dreary but I stared. I was not sad to see him fall into that deep hole.

I began to look away and take my small hands off the window, and then I saw across the way.

A handsome boy, older than me though.

He didn't appear to be an awfully cheerful boy.

He was looking.

He saw.

He may have even heard.

But this young boy saw.

This older yet young boy was pale, he maintained a straight face. I caught a glimpse of a smirk though, he liked what he saw. He knew he liked it.

Days had past, and the darkness did in fact begin to dissipate. When outside playing or near a window with a splendid view, I would watch across the way. I felt drawn to that house, I always wanted to peek.

However when that older boy saw, he would just remain still and look.

After about a week had gone by, since that dark dark night...

Mother pulled up into the drive-way and began to carry to the fenced in backyard, some soil and what appeared to be a tree sapling. It was so lushes and green. I loved it.

She got hard at work, and there was a smile upon her face. She dug a small hole, and transplanted the sapling into the ground while also dumping a small amount of potting soil and grass seed around.

A small 6 inch high brown fence barrier was put around it and she planted some flowers as well.

Mother was smiling.

She just stood there in that yard, and smiled.

The sun was shining so bright around her, that the bruises were almost invisible to any onlooker.

But not to that older boy across the way.

He saw what she was doing.

He knew what she was covering up.

He knew what we did.

He saw what we did.

He watched on that dark night.

He cared not for the smiles.

He was watching. He saw our evil act, yet we did not think of it as evil.

Yet protection; self defense if you will.

I was playing outdoors and mom said to me, "I hope you love our new tree Kagome." She smiled down at me.

"I love it momma, it is so pretty." I looked up at my world.

"I am so happy, in the years to come our new cherry tree will produce real cherries." Mom informed me, "And maybe I'll bake a pie."

There you have it, I guess you could say I helped cover up a crime. Is it really a crime though?

My father was a drunk. He verbally abused not only my brother, but me. He sometimes hit me, and said it was just because he lost control. He lost his temper. I could always vision his clenched teeth as his hand flew by, bringing with it a hint of whiskey. Oh how I hate that stench.

It was five minutes until the bell was going to ring, dismissing school for the day. Sesshomaru would once again whisper to me, "I know whos under that cherry tree Kagome Higurashi." he whispered, "Did his hands upon you hurt, like loving someone you can never have?" He asked, I feel it was a rhetorical question.

Theres the story, a story of woe.

I guess I was never meant to have InuYasha.

Star-crossed, all because...

Of the skeleton under my cherry tree.

Maybe mom will bake a cherry pie.

Just maybe shes gonna bake that pie.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this InuYasha oneshot. Leave me a review and let me know! Thanks for reading!