Disclamer: I do not own, nor pretend to own, any of the original storyline or characters of Inuyasha. Nor am I responsible for your becoming addicted to my story. :p
AN: I have recently baught the new Josh Groban CD, and I have fallen in love with it. I mean, I loved him before, but now I worship the ground that he walks on. I highly recomend this CD to every one of you readers. And for you wrighter out there, I have found that, for me at least, if I'm listening to music while I wright, I have better consistancy and less errors. I think that is has something to do with white noise. Anywase, enjoy.
"Papa, what are you doing? Are you going to battle again?"
He was standing by the door and had woken her from her sleep. She had come to find out what all the noise was. She had heard his weapons being lifted from the rack outside her bedroom, and then she had known.
"Yes, my dear. I am going to battle again. I have to protect you. You should go to bed. There is food in the store room for you if you are hungry in the morning. Go to sleep now darling." And her dad walked her to her bed, picked her up, and tucked her in.
At the entrance to her room he turned and looked at his little girl. She was only eight years old and she had experienced so much tragedy in her short life. her father wept at night with the worry of how she would remember him after he had passed. Would she forgive him for not giving her all the toys he could not provide, for her not having a mother to look after her, for running wild all day with no discipline to speak of, because he had to work hard to raise the crops that would feed her come winter?
Or would she remember the love that he gave to her and the respect that he held for her maturity? When he returned from this new battle he would be sure to take tome time out of his day to play that game that she was always asking that he play with her. What was it again? Oh, yes, it was called Tag. Who had ever come up with the name off the game was sure a strange person to name it as such.
"Dear, do you remember the song that I sang to you the last time that I had to leave you to do battle? Do you remember how it goes?"
"Of course papa, how could I ever forget it? It is so dutiful. Will you sing it to me again this night?"
"How about we sing it together? Would that be alright?"
At the nod of his daughter, he began to hum the tune to get it into her head before he began to sing, his own bass weaving expertly against her wavering soprano. Their words becoming synchronized as the song wore on.
"Hush now baby, don't you cry
Rest your wings my butterfly
Peace will come to you in time
And I will sing this lullaby."
"Know though I must leave my child
That I would stay hear by your side
And if you wake before I'm gone
Remember this sweet lullaby."
At the end of the second verse the child had faded into sleep, lulled by her fathers' smooth and strong voice. As he noticed this he backed out of her room slowly, and picked up his pack that he had rest by the front door before she had caught him on his way out, and he left.
He did not know that his daughter lay in her bed, in her room, still asleep; humming the tune that he had taught her as his 'Goodbye Lullaby.' The same song that his father had sung to him as he left, and his father, and his father, ect.
When she awoke in the morning she did as her father had told her and went to the pantry for her first meal of the day, and the next day, and the next day. Until two weeks had passed and her food was almost gone.
She lay in her bed on the night of the fourteenth day and she knew. She knew that her father would not be coming back to get her more food. She knew that he would not chop the fire wood, or finish plowing the field for the crop that would need to be planted. She would still have to do the house work and take care of the animals, and cook her own food, but she knew that her days would now become much longer. She knew that her father would never return.
She knew that he had died.
In the morning she would have to get started on the harder chores, then she would cook and then she would take care of the animals, and then she would clean.
She sighed, when would she find the time to hunt? She needed meat now. She had no idea how to hunt.
She sighed and rolled over on her side. I'll have to save these thoughts for later. Sleep now. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.
And she drifted off to sleep, humming the last of her Lullaby.
AN: The lyrics of the 'Goodbye Lullaby' are from the Josh Groban CD. The CD is called Awake, the song is called Lullaby, and it is number 11. No I dont own that either. Will update soon. Please review. Love you all, loyal readers.
Kiaya.
