For the record, I don't own Inuyasha nor the characters. Don't sue me, I have no money.

This fic is going to be different than the story line... for one, the jewel is still in one piece, Kagome IS NOT the reincarnation of Kikyou, and major OCCness. Plus, Kagome's family is gonna be way different, and everyone exists in one time.

*=Past events

**=Thoughts

~~~

He had been drinking again. He wasn't home to prove it, but Kagome knew how he was and what he was doing. She sat in her upstairs bedroom, the electricity had been out for nearly three hours. Her brown eyes never left the streets as she waited for the sound of the almost broken-down car that her father drove and pressed her forehead against the coldness of the window. It had been snowing since earlier that day, and it had just now come to a stop. The house was still a mess. Her father told her to clean it, but she refused to take orders from him anymore, let him hit her again, she dared him too. Kagome closed her eyes as her thoughts went back to the previous time he was drunk and didn't clean the house.

*"Dad, I'm sorry, I--"

"Shut up, Kagome, just shut up! You're just like your mother, a lazy piece of shit!" He threw his hands up in anger and glared down at his daughter. Hurt and anger took over her features as she returned the glare and tightened her fists by her sides.

"Oh, and you are something?! Lazy bum that goes out to get drunk everynight doing God knows what, with God knows who, and you have two kids at home to take care of, but you expect me--"

She was cut off when sharp pain went across her face and she dropped to her knees, holding her cheek. The sting from his slap would last for another ten minutes, and eventually bruise.*

Since that time, she knew to just keep her mouth shut and walk away. The door in her room slowly opened and she turned her eyes to see her younger brother standing there with his pillow and blanket. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and made his way to his sister, crawling up into her arms. She held him close and they both looked out the window.

"Nee-chan, when's dad coming home?"

"I don't know, kid."

"I'm hungry."

"Want me to fix you something?"

He nodded and placed his stuff on her floor. They walked down the stairs in the kitchen and she looked around.

"Want a sandwhich?"

He nodded.

"Peanut butter and jelly?"

Another nod.

Another fifteen minutes passed and they both sat on the couch in the darkness. Kagome looked down at her watch and saw that it was almost 3:30am. She looked down at her brother and saw that he had fallen asleep. She sighed softly and picked him up in her arms, making her way back upstairs and to his room. After placing him in his bed, she made her way back downstairs and looked around, seeing all the trash that her father's friends had left behind from the previous night. She sighed and started to clean it. A few minutes later, the sounds of a car pulling up to the house came up. **Is it him?** She heard a crash of trash cans and she sighed. **Yeah, it's him.**

Not too long afterwards, a drunken man with two woman on each side of him came through the door, laughing. The man stopped laughing as he saw that his daughter hadn't cleaned the place up and just now started on it.

"Kagome, why the hell haven't you cleaned this yet?!" Kagome ignored him and went on with cleaning.

"Answer me!"

She looked up at him and turned away, making her way back to her room. Before she could get past him, he grabed her by her hair and pulled her back, making her hit her shoulder on the sharp edge of the table in the middle of the room. She winced and rubbed her head and her shoulder. After a few slaps across the face from her dad, and him screaming at her, she finally got up and went into her room. The tears kept rising up into her eyes, but she angrilly wiped them away. She refused to cry.

She made her way down the hallway to Souta's room and looked in on him. It was about 5:00am, and he was sound asleep. Kagome hated the fact that he had to grow up without their mother and grandpa there. She had an idea. Her Mom lived on the other side of the stretch of forrest near her house, and it'd take her around two weeks to make it on foot. If she could beg her mother to take her and Souta away from there, Souta wouldn't have to experience the angry words and blows from his father.

She made her way back to her room and grabbed her bag. She just grabbed various things: a heavy coat, boots, and a hat. She put those on and then started putting the rest of the junk she had gotten into the bag. She then saw the stuffed bunny that her mom had sent her for her birthday when she was seven so she picked it up and crept silently back down the hallway to Souta's room. After placing the bunny on his bed, she went back down stairs. If she were gonna do this, she'd need money to get food. Holding her breath, she went to the door of her father's room and was silent, listening for any movement. When she heard none, she slowly pushed the door open and slowly walked around the dark room. A slight movement in the bed caused her to freeze in her tracks and watch what was happening. She closed her eyes and turned her head away. The three were so drunk, and the blonde was still trying to make moves on her dad, regardless of him being passed out or not. When she found the drawer she was looking for, she opened it and found at least ten 20's rolled up. She grabbed it and put it in her bag as well and made her way back out of the room.

As she walked to the door, small footsteps at the top of the staircase caused her to turn around and look. Souta was standing up there, holding the bunny with a confused look. She spoke quietly to him.

"Souta, I'm going to get mom. Stay here, do not tell him where I'm at. I promise I'll get you out of here."

Souta nodded and spoke back as well. "I love you, nee-chan, be careful."

"I love you, too, I will." She gave a soft smile and made her way outside in the freezing cold. She pulled her jacket more around her and ran off into the streets, darting into the alley's so no one would see her. But what she didn't know was that a figure was following close behind her.

~~~

So, did you like it? I hope so. The reason I got the idea for this kinda fic is actually because this is based on an original fic I was writing, but it got deleted. Last night, I was looking for some paper and I saw my rough-drafts for it and decided to use it as an Inuyasha one. ^_^ I hope no one hates me for screwing up the storyline and all that other good stuff. Bye.

---Kaoru.