Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2:

We sat around the dinner table, everyone quietly eating their rice and fish. Mommy held Souta as she spooned an odd green colored mush into his mouth, most of it not even going into his mouth at all. Mommy looked up at me after another half-spoonful of mush, a smile on her face.

"Kagome, dear," she said. "Isn't Inuyasha going to eat with us tonight?"

I shook my head. "He said he wasn't hungry." Mom always acted as if Inuyasha was there, though you could clearly tell she thought it was all an act. But I played along. If she was dumb enough to think he wasn't real, then I'd be dumb enough to play along with her charade.

"Oh, and who is Inuyasha?" My father asked, looking from my mother to me. My mother gave a slight smile.

"Kagome's imaginary friend. He usually sits where you're sitting."

Father looked offended for an instant, bringing a mock hand to his chest.

"I certainly didn't mean to kick Inuyasha out of dinner. He can sit here if he wants."

Mother laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "That's not at all necessary, Dear." She looked back to me, raising an eyebrow. "And where is Inuyasha tonight since he isn't joining us for dinner?"

I turned around and pointed to the couch in the living room. He was playing with the remote, poking random buttons. He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye, giving me a mock salute before returning to the remote.

"Ah, I see him," Dad joked, nodding toward where Inuyasha was sitting. Inuyasha stopped fiddling with the remote long enough to send my father a side glance.

"Bet you wish you could," he muttered. I giggled at his comment. Everyone else thought I was laughing at Dad's comment, but that was just fine. Inuyasha looked at me again and gave me his usual side smirk. I returned the gesture with a toothy grin that made his smirk grow into a full smile.

Dinner was done, and I was handing Mommy the dirty dishes, standing on top of my stool as I watched her wash the dishes. I watched as the bubbles swirled with every dip of the washrag.

I turned around when I heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. I smiled when I saw Daddy, dressed in his red sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He yawned, throwing one arm back and covering his mouth with the other.

"Ah, I think I'm ready for some dessert," He replied, his voice still recovering from the yawn. Mom cast him a smile from over her shoulder, setting a dish on the counter and laying the rag over he sink.

"I think we might have a tub of ice-cream somewhere," she said, walking over and opening the refrigerator. After a moment of muttering and rummaging, she returned from inside the freezer drawer.

"I could've sworn we had a tub in here," she mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

"I can run out to the store and get some," Dad offered, already heading toward the coat rack.

"That's not necessary," Mom said. "Besides, the weather is horrible outside. As if on cue, a huge rumble of thunder suddenly shook the whole house. I whimpered slightly, wondering where Inuyasha had gone.

"Nah, it's fine," Dad said. "Besides, they don't make four-wheel drives for nothing."

Another rumble of thunder shook the house, though this time, there was a warm presence by my side. I turned to see Inuyasha giving me a reassuring smile. I smiled back, grateful for him being there.

Mom gave a hesitant glance out of the kitchen window, obviously warring with the decision in her head.

"I don't know..." She said, a flash of lightning illuminating the kitchen for a second.

"Ah, come on. I'll take Kagome with me and she can supervise." Dad smirked, looking at me. I grinned happily and made a dash up the stairs to get ready to go, ignoring Mom's calls of disapproval.

I walked into my room and started to dig through my drawer. Inuyasha appeared on my bed, giving me a glare.

"Kagome, I don't think you should go," he told me as I pulled out a shirt.

"Oh, really, Mommy?" I said tauntingly. He didn't smile at me, but continued to give me his stare. My smile disappeared as I looked at him.

"I'm being serious," he confirmed, jumping off of my bed and coming to stand beside me. He started to pull the shirt from me, but I held on tightly.

"So was I," I countered, pulling the shirt toward me. He held fast to the pink turtleneck.

"Kagome, the weather is horrible, you don't need to go." He tugged on my shirt again, this time prying it loose. He went to drop it on my bed, but his claws were momentarily stuck in the fabric.

"But, I want to go, and I'll be with Daddy."

"I don't care. I'm not going to lose you to a storm."

I shut my mouth, thinking over his comment. My heart sped up a little. I was only eight, but yet he still gave me weird feelings on the rare occasions that he said something extremely sweet.

"You're not," I finally whispered, looking at my floor.

"That's right," he confirmed, causing me to look back up at him. "Because you're not going."

I glared at him, pouting slightly.

"Fine," I muttered, pushing my way past him. "Let me go tell Daddy."

Inuyasha grabbed my head before I could stalk away from him and I looked at him from over my shoulder.

"Thank you," he said before releasing my hand and vanishing. I rolled my eyes, muttering a simple "welcome" under my breath. I knew he could hear me because I could hear his chuckling as I made my way down the steps.

I sat on my bed, curled into a ball as I watched the rain trickle down the window on the other side of the room, the occasional lightning making them look like liquid diamonds. And rumble of thunder sent a whimper past my lips. Inuyasha suddenly appeared at the foot of my bed. Without looking back, he muttered something to me.

"Don't be scared. I'm right here."

"But I'm scared when I can't see you. It makes me feel alone," I whispered.

"I'm always here."

Another flash of lightning lit up my room. I tensed up, afraid. Inuyasha's hand reached over his shoulder and he took my hand in his.

Suddenly, there was a knock at my door, and my mother walked in, wiping her eye.

"Kagome," her voice quivered. I sat up in bed, staring at her as she came to sit beside me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well, your father," she began. Inuyasha and I exchanged a glance before we both turned our attention back to my mother. "H-he didn't make it Hunny."

Everything slowed down and I began shaking my head. It wasn't right, something was wrong. They were playing some sick, cruel joke on me. Dad was probably downstairs eating that weird green ice cream he always gets.

"Th-the car lost control and he spun into a tree head on…" She continued. I shook my head again, covering my ears with my hands. "I'm sorry," Mom whispered.

"No!" I said, the tears pooling in my eyes. "You're lying to me!"

Mommy drew back slightly, the tears glistening on her face as the lightning lit my room.

"Kagome, I-" she began.

"Go away!" I yelled, covering my ears again.

Mother sat there for a moment before standing up and walking to my door. With a parting glance, she slipped into the hallway, closing my door behind her.

"Oh, my gosh, Kagome-" Inuyasha started, but I turned my gaze to him, daggers pointed with every moment. He instantly shut up, confusion and fear on his face.

"This is your fault." I seethed, anger coming out in every word.

"How?" He asked, insulted.

"If you hadn't have made me stay, I would've been with him!" I replied, the tears falling over.

"But then you'd be dead too!" He retorted. "Kagome, please don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."

I looked away from him, shaking my head.

"Go away," I muttered. Inuyasha looked at me, horrified.

"Kagome, please don't say that. Don't tell me that, please!"

"Go away!" I screamed, lashing out at him. He disappeared before I could hit him and then reappeared in my computer chair.

He gave me the saddest look I've ever seen in my life. I felt the tears fall down my cheeks.

"Please," I whispered, laying down on my bed so that I was facing away from him. "Just go away."

I rolled back over and looked at where he had been. I had expected him to stay, to try and talk to me, argue with me a bit more. But when I looked over…

He was gone

The next morning, I woke up with the sun shining into my room. It seemed unreal. How could the world be so happy and sunny when my life was falling apart? I sat up in bed and rubbed my head.

I looked up and saw Inuyasha in the corner of my room, a sad, determined expression on his face.

"Morning," he said, a tired tone to his voice.

I nodded to him, patting the space beside me on the bed. He shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked hoarsely. He sighed, running his clawed hand through his long hair.

"Remember how you told me to go away last night?" I asked me. I winced at the memory. I regretted telling him that.

I simply nodded.

"Well, since you told me that, and I'm your imaginary friend, I have to listen to you."

I scrunched my face in confusion.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?"

"I mean, I'm leaving. Forever," he hung his head low, his hair covering his face.

"No, you can't leave me!" I cried, jumping out of bed and running over to him.

"I have to. You broke one of the rules, I can't stay," He murmured.

"And what rules are those?" I was mad at myself, and I was mad at whatever was taking him from me, especially when I needed him the most.

"The only two ways to ever get rid of an imaginary friend is to either no longer believe in them," he paused and looked me in the eye. "Or send them away."

I shook my head frantically, this wasn't happening!

"What'll happen to you?" I asked through my tears as they tumbled down. I thought it couldn't get any worse… I was wrong.

"I'll be assigned a new child, and you'll grow up like any other person."

"What if I forget you? I don't want to lose all of you!"

"That all depends on you," he whispered. "If you care enough, you'll remember. If not, then I'll just be another forgotten childhood memory."

"Please, Inuyasha," I pleaded, hoping to God this conversation wasn't really happening.

"Goodbye, Kagome," he said, placing a very un-Inuyasha kiss on my forehead.

I closed my eyes and memorized the feeling it gave me. If Inuyasha was really leaving me, I was going to hold on. I wasn't going to forget him. I loved him, after all. I was praying that when I opened my eyes, he would still be there, that he was kidding, trying to make me feel better after last night in some sick, cruel way.

But when I opened my eyes, he was gone. And I don't think I had ever felt so alone.

R&R!