Hmm... where to start...? Heh, this is more of a mushy one, but has a bit of foreshadowing, so it's all good. Man, I wish I could write stuff like this more often.^_^ I'm a MAJOR romantic and this is what I feel most comfortable writing.^_^ Oh well, anyway, enjoy okay?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters in it. If I did I'd be rich, but I'm not... and if I had lots of money I'd probably spend it on anime anyway so pleeaasseee, don't sue me.^_^ lol

Oh, and as always,

_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech //_// = narration

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Memories of the Present

Chapter 4: A Painful Past

All day it had been quiet, too quiet. About 6 hours ago (9:30), Kagome had told Inu Yasha to go take a bath. He was still covered in mud when he came into the house and was getting it *everywhere*! Kagome has been sitting at her desk for the past fifteen minutes waiting for noise, noise of any kind. Her mother hadn't said anything about the mud, meaning that she either hadn't found it yet or doesn't care. Wait, wasn't it past time for lunch?

Kagome sighs, Staring at the wall is boring. I can't concentrate at all. I wonder where Inu Yasha went; it's too quiet. He wouldn't have gone back without me... would he? She leans back in her rolling chair, being careful not to put too much pressure on the back, lest she falls over. Well, at least if I fell over maybe he'd be there to catch me. Sitting back up, she leans her elbow on her windowsill and looks outside. The sun is still shining, the wind still blowing a gentle, cool breeze. It's not too hot, nor too cold; the sky is blue and the birds are chirping. It's so... unnatural.

Slowly she gets up, checks the time again and goes downstairs to see what's going on. She passes a series of pictures along the way, stopping to look them over only briefly before continuing her descent down the stairs. Hmm... the Sakura festival, mom with Souta and me, that time when I caught Inu Yasha off-guard, surely *THAT'S* a rare moment worth capturing... She giggles softly, remembering how startled he'd been when he heard the slight click as his picture was taken. He probably would've beaten the camera to a pulp if she hadn't explained what it was. Of course, he just "Keh"ed and looked away. I wonder if he'll ever care... Slowly, she stops. Looking at the last picture on the wall, small tears begin to form in her eyes, "Daddy... "

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Inu Yasha walks into the house and enjoys a big canine yawn. He stretches slightly, raising his arms above his head and, opening one eye at a time, sees Kagome staring at a picture on the wall.

"Kagome?"

She didn't hear him. As he watched, a single tear fell from her eye, then another, and then another. He stood there, watching her cry, oh how he hated to see her cry! But why was she crying? Was it something he did? No, it couldn't have been, he'd been playing with Buyou all morning purposely trying *not* to bother her. He hadn't even gone up when lunch was ready, for fear that she'd get mad at him. Was that why she was crying, because he didn't come get her? Had he been gone too long?

Slowly, he approached her and his heart sank in his chest. The silent tears continued to flow as she stared up towards a single picture, her father. He almost wished it *had* been him.

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Kagome spun as a hand was gently placed on her shoulder. Inu Yasha was standing behind her, a worried look on his face. She sniffled and quickly tried to wipe away the tears, but he caught her hand.

"Kagome... are... are you okay?," he asked, his thumb gently wiping away her tears.

She stared, dumbfounded, Is he actually worried about me? Her heart melted and she found herself buried in his arms, much to his surprise.

" I miss him Inu Yasha, but I don't even remember him..." She sniffled. An arm carefully wrapped itself around hr waist. "When will it go away?"

"It doesn't Kagome." It was all he could say. He knew how hard it was to lose a father, and how hard it was to miss him, even when you don't remember much... His arms tightened around her waist and she curled up against his chest, gently gripping the fabric of his shirt. After a few minutes, she sniffled. She had stopped crying by then, but she didn't want to let go. He's so comfortable. I wish this never had to end. He's so warm...

Much to Kagome's dismay, Inu Yasha stepped away from her, looking back towards the kitchen, he wiped one last tear from her face before leaving to find something to eat.