Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha; only this fanfiction piece.

Special Thanks to: To my Beta, ReviewerWriter, and anyone who reviews.

Are You My Father?

Chapter 1: School Project

The sharp clanging of the school bell signaled the end of class.

"That is all for today," a tired, yet happy history professor called out. "Remember to bring in a picture of your fathers tomorrow. You will need them to complete the Ancestry assignment that's due Friday."

A requirement in the Japanese History class was for each student to study their parents' ancestry. The students needed to bring in a picture of their fathers for a huge collage that would be proudly displayed.

All the students had eagerly rushed out of the room, but one solitary girl remained sitting, blinking in disbelief. Surely she had heard wrong…even though she had missed the last few days of school due to a rare disease, she truly wished she had stayed sick until after Friday.

"Miss Higurashi?" Her teacher's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Is there a problem?"

"Wha-what if you don't have pictures of your father?" She barely even recognized the stuttering voice as her own.

"Surely you must have something. Perhaps your parent's wedding photo? If you don't have anything to show, the report on his ancestry will suffice."

She was not sure if she could accomplish that either but she needed to pass this class. Maybe her mother would have something for her to use.

"Thank you." She stood and tried to exit the room, only to be bombarded by her best friends.

"Kagome, we heard about your project," one of her friends mentioned in dismay.

Kagome gave a halfhearted smile.

"If there's anything we—" her three friends all started speaking at once.

"If you don't mind," Kagome interrupted, "I really need to get home. I have a lot of homework to do. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe."

"All right, Kagome. Just don't have another relapse of…umm, I don't remember what it was called."

Kagome thought to herself, 'Well, you aren't the only one.'

"Oh, yes, it was that worm-itis? It must have been awful."

Kagome visibly grimaced.

"You don't look so good," her friends commented. "You probably should get home. We'll see you tomorrow, Kagome!" the three voices chorused as they walked away.

'Great, now I can add a headache on top of that worm-itis I have. Worm-itis? Grandpa, you have sunk to a new low. What is wrong with staying home from a simple bought of bronchitis? He just had to be creative. Still, it's all InuYasha's fault for keeping me away for so long.'

Kagome wandered down the street and towards her home. While she walked, she thought over her project for school. She did not remember her father. He had died when she was just a few months old. She had never even seen a picture of him. She assumed her mother did not have any or that she would not show them because it would cause her too much pain.

Her mother had given brief descriptions of her father before. Though most of the time, when her mom would start to describe him, she would get this distant look in her eyes and Kagome would be forgotten.

Kagome stepped into her yard and grimaced as a sharp pain hit her. Her hand felt as if something was burning a hole through her palm. She could not figure out what might have happened. She checked her hand for any cuts but did not see anything out of the ordinary other than a slight redness. The pain quickly subsided and she started walking again.

'It's probably some sort of muscle strain. I must not be used to taking notes anymore.' She stepped into her home and promptly forgot all about it.

"Mom?" she called out. Her voice bounced off the walls and echoed throughout the house.

"I'm upstairs. Come on up."

Kagome climbed the stairs and went into her mother's room.

"How was your day, hun?" she asked pleasantly.

"It went fine until my history teacher gave us all a project. Part of it's due tomorrow and the other half on Friday."

"Well that should be plenty of time. Maybe I can help?"

"I-need-to-bring-a-picture-of-dad-into-school," Kagome rushed through the words, and proceeded to stare at the floor. She missed the color draining from her mother's face.

"She said I didn't have to, but I was wondering if you had a picture from your wedding or something."

Mrs. Higurashi had recovered by now. She answered quietly, "I have a box out in the shrine with your father's things in it. I will look and see if anything is in there."

Kagome was surprised. 'So that's what that box was for.' She remembered seeing an old wooden box on the highest shelf in the shrine. It was about three feet long and two feet wide. She noted that it was one of the only things out there not covered in dust. Kagome had tried to open it once but the box was sturdily locked. She had mistakenly thought that it had something to do with Grandpa and his crazy ideas.

Her mother started down the stairs and Kagome went into her room to change into something more comfortable. When she was finally dressed in her jeans and a light sweater, she went back outside and walked into the shrine. Her mother already had the wooden box down and was busy rummaging through it.

Mrs. Higurashi looked up at the sound of her daughter's footsteps and quickly shut the box. Kagome saw sunlight glisten off her mother's face—her mother had been crying. Kagome rushed to over and folded her inside of a big hug.

"I'm so sorry, mom. I didn't mean for you to—" her mother hugged her back.

"That's all right. You have a right to see these pictures, to know about your father. I have tried before, but I could never bring myself to show you. I haven't even been in this box for years."

Kagome wondered aloud. "If you haven't been in the box, then why is the outside so clean?"

Her mother paused for a second. "I really do not know. I imagine your grandfather keeps it clean. He knows how special it is to me." Kagome's mother brought her hand, the one that was hugging Kagome, back in front of them. "Here, take this picture. It is one of my favorites."

Kagome carefully took the photo.

"I left dinner boiling on the stove, and it is probably ready by now. Let's go back inside, but take the picture with you. You can look at the rest of the box tomorrow."

Her mother carefully latched the box shut, and Kagome helped her pick it up. She started to put it back on the top shelf but halted when her mother began tugging down on it. She looked at her mother questioningly.

"Leave it here on the second shelf so you can reach it tomorrow."

"Thank you, mother."

After placing the precious box on the preferred shelf, the two women walked back to the house. Little did Kagome know, her mother had been keeping a secret from her for 17 years that would change Kagome's life forever.

-------------------------------------------To Be Continued-------------------------------------------

Thank you for reading. Please review. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Muppy Puppy, for putting this story on your favorites list. I started this story because you were kind enough to do so.

I am new to Inuyasha and to fanfiction so please be patient; I am likely to make mistakes.