Guide: (1). " " means talking out loud ( even if other characters don't hear ). (2). ' Italic ' means thinking. (3). " Italic " means emphasis. (4). * before paragraph means narration. (5). ____ means flashback. (6). " Bold " means yelled really loud. (7). a line of ~*~*~ means that there is an alteration between areas, or the end of the chapter.

Inu Yasha:

A Past of Presents

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~Ch 3~

You'll Find Me by not Looking for Me

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* Late afternoon was coming on as the group continued to travel through the forest. Shippou had decided that he was going to walk alone so he could be by himself, but as he daydreamed slowly he started to fall behind. Inu Yasha being himself would not pass up on an opportunity to pester the lagging kitsune.

"Hey!! What are you doing falling behind again?" said Inu Yasha in an irritated manner. "You want to walk alone then you got' a keep up!"

* The kit hadn't heard any of this though. There were more important things to think about...

~*~*~*~*~(start of flashback)~*~*~*~*~

* Shippou was standing in a meadow on the edge of his forest home, and there she was just like always, sitting down in the grass with her arms behind her as she leaned back, blonde hair lightly blowing in the breeze, and blue eyes gazing skyward as the clouds passed by. As if the heavens were ashamed that their tent was not comparable to the peaceful ice that resided in her gaze.

"Hello Shippou," she said in a voice that was a calm as her composure. "You want to sit down?" He hurriedly scurried over and sat down by her side. "Is there something the matter?"

"Um... Do you think I could... um... ask you a question?" Shippou asked hesitantly.

"Of course. what is it?" she asked.

"Well I like it when you're here, and I know you say that you'll have to leave some day, but," he said as he tried to regain his composer, "but I don't want you to go!" He said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh Shippou," she said in a mothering tone as she cradled him gently, "I probably won't have to leave for a long time, and I promise to come back to visit, and if you want to," she said with a secretive smile, "when you get a little older you can come and stay with me for a while..."

"You promise?" he sniffed as he looked up at her, "And... and I can come and see you?"

"Umhum." she smiled happily.

"And when I come you'll teach me how to ride?" he said as he started to calm.

"Yes. When you get older you can come to see me, and I'll teach you how to ride." she said as tears secretly started to well in her eyes.

"Just like you?"

"Just like me."

~*~*~*~*~(end of flashback)~*~*~*~*~

"Shippou. Shippou." Kagome said in a motherly tone.

"He's spacing out again," Inu Yasha said matter-of-factly, "Hey, Shippou wake up or we'll leave you behind!" At that he picked up the kitsune by his tale, and started to pound him violently on the head.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Leave! Ow! Me! Ow! Alone! Oww!!! Kagome!" Shippou squealed.

"Sit boy!" Kagome yelled as she picked up the whimpering fox kit.

* Seeing that his interest in the maltreatment of the fox would only leave him bruised Inu Yasha decided to aim his malicious behavior elsewhere.

"Hey Myoga! What are you doing, still sulking?" Inu Yasha called.

"I can't believe that after all we've been through you won't believe me when it comes to the maiden." Myoga sniffed as he held back tears.

"Oh come on! Well if she does look like you say then she's not human. She's probably a demon if anything..." the dog demon trailed off. "And if that's the case she'll probably just get in our way."

"How dare you." Myoga said in a surprisingly angry and avenging tone. "You're lord father nearly killed me when I said that, and I know that he killed others for the same blasphemy!"

* This reaction, needless to say, caught everyone off guard.

"Okay! Okay! Don't get so God damn defensive! Sheesh!" Inu Yasha said half heartedly as soon as he got over the shock of the flea's outburst.

* Shippou had also reacted defensively at the hanyou's first assumptions, though only Kagome realized this. She had noticed the kitsune tins up, clench his fists, and start to growl in what felt like a low hum not to mention the unmistakable feeling of hot tears moistening her blouse.

"Alright! Alright! Brake it up you two! Lets just stop this conversation right here!" Kagome said as she tried to hide the kitsune's response to the argument from everyone else. "Lets talk about something else."

"What the...?!" Inu Yasha said as he was smacked in the face by a renegade hanging sutra. "What's this thing doing here?"

"Hmm..." said Miroku as he examined another spell scroll pinned to a nearby tree. "Yes just as I suspected..."

"What are they?" said Sango confused.

"They're sutras." replied the monk directly before he received a blow to head.

"I knew that!" replied Sango harshly, "What I want to know is what are they meant to ward off?"

"Ow! Why do you have to be so violent? If you wanted to know you could have just asked." replied the monk covering his head as an expected secant thrust came flying at him. "I can't tell. All it says is 'Toughs who seek what can't be sought may go no further'. More that a little confusing don't you think?"

* At these words yet another memory hit Shippou.

~*~*~*~*~(start of flashback)~*~*~*~*~

* There was the same young woman and place as before except this was different. This, he realized, was a seen from when she left. This time there was a more prominent sadness that seemed to fill the air to the point where it seemed one might actually choke on the pungent emotion as it lingered in the atmosphere and caused everything around her, from the birds in the trees to the swaying grasses, to appear almost at the point of tears.

"But why.. why do you have to go!" Shippou some how managed to choke out through his tears. "You should stay here! No one will find you here, and... and if they do come then.. then I'll protect you myself! Just don't go! Because I... I don't want you to... to leave!"

"I knew this would be hard for him," said Shippou's father as he stood by his son. "It's just that over the years you've become like a second mother to him, and I to have become accustom to your company."

"It's alright. There's nothing to apologize for," she said as tears lightly trickled down her cheek. "I hate to leave, but I can't put you, or Shippou in any danger on my account. I know that I'll be safe as soon as I reach it, but I hate to be the one to cause so much pain."

"But... but you promised!" Shippou squealed. The girl flinched at his words as if they were physical blows. "You promised that you wouldn't have to go for a long time!! Don't you like us anymore?! I promise to be really good, and I won't pester you or anything! Just please.. just don't go away!! I don't want you to go away aunt Sa..."

"Shippou I don't hate you or anything it's just that I.." she tried to explain as she bent down at his eye level and held his little clenched fists gently. "I have to go there is some one waiting for me and I have to go see him. He has spent a long time trying to make a place for me to live where there isn't anyone who wants to hurt me, and besides I miss him vary much. I'll miss you, but I promise to come back and visit, and don't forget your promise. When you get older you have to come and see me at my home."

"But... but how will I get there?" he choked.

"Humm... When you are on your journey don't search for me, just go where your heart leads you. So... You'll fined me by not looking for me. See?"

~*~*~*~*~(end of flashback)~*~*~*~*~

* The last two things she told him seemed to echo through his mined, along with a question. Where was it? He knew that his father had known, but he had never been told of her journey, or where she meant to go, and on that thought who was he, and why did she miss him so much that she would leave?

* As everyone was looking at the sutras that hung from what seemed like every leaf Myoga hopped ahead. As everyone started off again they fond themselves in a small grotto, and there was the lake as still and smooth as glass, shining in the few small slivers of light that had somehow managed to dance through the trees, and there sat Myoga triumphantly watching from the bank.

"You see," said Myoga, "not all toughs who wander are lost."

"It's all so beautiful," Kagome said in awe.

"Whoa.. it's so peaceful," said Sango to her self.

"This must be it," Shippou mused. "I've nearly found you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

* Yes yet another cliffhanger! So(brakes in to announcer voice) who is this lady from Shippou's past? Why did she go? Where was she going to? Who was she going to? Could this be the it she referred to? Did Shippou really find her home? What is her name(quite a few 'W-words' and 'to' in these past few sentences aye)? And will the author reveal these secrets in the next chapter? Yes? No? Maybe so? Not even I know(which is pretty sad if you ask me).

Oh. Thanks again to Ashie-chan and Ashly-chan you make everything more...um... interesting... Disclaimer's the same as be for. I, being me, being the person who is speaking, do not own Inu Yasha, but all original characters and incidences that are mentioned do belong to me. ALL REVEUWS ARE WELLCOME!!!! So please review! Thanks for taking the time to read this. Bi!