A/N: I don't own any characters.

Chapter 7: Nightmares

Kagome and Sango returned from their bath to find the camp set up and InuYasha and Miroku preparing dinner. Little did Kagome know that her favorite hanyou had peeked at her from the trees as she bathed. The gang ate and finally laid in the grass to catch some much needed sleep.

Kagome closed her eyes as her last ounce of energy was put upon the sight of InuYasha gazing upon her from her side. Her eyes slowly closed and the nightmares of her past began.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Kagome screamed as her father left her room. Their tears were left in small spots of dampness over the blanket of her day bed. He was leaving again, but this time it was for good. She was only four years old and couldn't understand why he had to leave her all alone.

She reached out for him but the scene was fading out fast and into another.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" Kagome sat at her birthday table with her family and friends around her. She was turning five, and her father was not here yet. Her aunts began to whisper: "off smokin' pot," "bangin' his girl," "not even calling, he's no real dad." Kagome ignored it as this seemed to happen a lot since her dad stopped coming around. He didn't even pick her up for the weekends anymore. She began to bury it inside.

Kagome turned over, trying to shake herself from the memories but was sucked in again.

"Leave me alone!" Her mother screamed as her step dad's fist connected with her mother's face. Kagome was 7 years old, laying in her bed awake, listening to the horrified screams of her pregnant mother. Chills went through her body. She wanted to go in the living room and yell at him to stop, to leave her mom alone, but she knew he would just throw her in her room and lock the door. Her mother screamed again for him to leave her alone. Kagome began to cry, the hot tears stinging her cheeks.

Kagome felt tears sting her eyes as she gave up fighting the memories.

Kagome glared up at him. This was not like her dad. "Well, you never spend time with me any way! You're always gone!" She screamed. He stared at her. "Then don't come back." He said and stomped out to his bed room with his second wife. The second marriage was crashing, and Kagome watched it burn to the ground. She was nine years old and wanted nothing more than her dad's attention, but the only attention he had was spent on work or the girl of the month.

"Kagome, we need to talk." Her mother's voice was urgent and afraid. She and her mom spent hours discussing her dad: the drug problems, the many girlfriends, three marriages, and the real reason of their divorce. It was too much for Kagome to handle, but she held back and took all this new information in. Her dad wasn't her dad anymore. He was a perfect stranger to her at eleven years old.

"We never spend time together!" Kagome screamed. "Then don't come back. Stay with you mom!" He yelled back. The door slammed shut and he left twelve year old Kagome to sob and cry alone.

Her father's voice came through the phone, angry and mean. "I don't even believe you're my real daughter. You know you're mom cheated on me before she had you. Did she ever tell you how drugged up she was before you were born? I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out not to be mine." Kagome let out a sob and said as calmly as she could, "I hate you. Don't call me ever again." "This is all your fault, Kagome." "I hate you!" Kagome lost her patience and screamed into the phone. She slammed the phone down and burst into tears. She was only fourteen years old; how could it be her fault?

Her father married again. "You never spend time with me anyway!" Kagome yelled at her father from the couch. "Well, don't come back then!" he screamed back and slammed the sliding door to the house. Kagome ran up to her room, slammed her own door, and fell on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "I hate him!" She screamed at the walls.

Kagome awoke from her dream dripping cold sweat. Someone was holding her, his gold eyes staring down at her were filled with concern, and his powerful arms were holding her close to his body.

"Inu...Yasha?" Kagome managed to say through the little sobs and hiccups. Her voice seemed far away. Her heart felt like it would pop out of her chest. Her breath came in little gasps.

"I'm here Kagome." InuYasha pulled her closer into his arms.