Animegurl: Hey everyone!

Cho: HI!

Animegurl: Cho drank a whole gallon of chocolate milk, then she wanted to take her toenail polish off so I lent her my fingernail polish remover and she kinda got a good whiff of it...

Cho: Runs around singing some song she made up Do a Libby, Do a day, Do my heart, fly away!

Animegurl: In other words... She's high. So she's not going to help on this chapter.

Cho: runs to bathroom

Animegurl: Cho? What are you doing?

Cho: Walks out of bathroom a few minutes later grinning like mad person I'm a big kid now! Starts singing pull-ups commercial tune

Animegurl: ; Anyway thanx to:

Koga-lover: You're welcome. And I'm sorry for leaving you hanging. But I have had a LOT going on. Do you really think that Cho looks at freak flying around room STILL singing pull-ups commercial song writes better than me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha... But I DO own the first Manga! Go Me!

Summary: Kagome is trying to outrun her past. She takes her daughter, Usagi, and finds a little interstate town and hides there hoping that her abusive husband won't find her. Then she meets Inu Yasha and his son. Soon after she starts to date him and everything seems great... Until a certain someone from Kagome's past catches up with her. Will she find a way to keep her knew family together? Or will they be torn apart?

'Thoughts'

"Talking"

(Author's Notes)

Song

Dream

Flashback

Me and Usagi

Chapter 3

The Morning's Breaking Free

The house was never clean enough; His dinner, never warm enough;

Nothing I did was ever good enough to make him happy.

So I guess he gave me what he thought I deserved.

But it would kill me if he ever raised his hand to her.

"Kagome... You have to tell her the whole story." Inu Yasha spoke softly to Kagome.

"I know." She replied quietly.

"Tell me what?" Usagi asked.

"I think you're old enough to know." She paused and started again. "When we first got married... I was so happy, and not long after you were born. Then it started going downhill. At first he only drank once or twice a month, but then... He went once or twice a week. And that turned into once or twice a day. That's when he started abusing me. We fought over the smallest things. The house wasn't clean enough, His dinner was too cold. I tried to go to the police, but, he threatened that if I told... He would...He would..." a tear slid down Kagome's cheek. "He said he was going to beat you." Inu Yasha pulled up to the police station and stopped the car.

"The night I left him, was the night I asked about enrolling you in a Pre-school. He didn't want to hear it, so he slapped me. I knew I had to leave. So I did. Then, I almost forgot about it when you started having the re-occurring dreams with him in them... I didn't know what to do... So I didn't do anything. I was going to tell you at the wedding, and then...he showed up." Inu Yasha opened the door and Kagome, Ryu, and Usagi followed suit.

They walked in and saw a man with silver hair and golden eyes at the front desk.

"Hey Uncle Sesshomaru." Ryu said walking up to the Chief of Police.

"Ryu? Inu Yasha? I thought you were at the wedding?"

"We were...Until an uninvited guest showed up." Inu Yasha told him.

"What are you here for?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I need some divorce papers." Kagome spoke up. (I have no idea how this works because no one in my family has ever had a divorce.) He found some papers and gave them to her. She filled them out and signed her signature. When she was done they walked out of the building. They were silent the whole while.

It had been three years since Kagome filed for divorce and Kagome and Usagi were happier than ever that he was finally out of their lives. Kagome and Usagi were decorating a cake for Usagi's birthday, when the phone rang. Kagome picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kagome. It's me."

"Hi Inu Yasha. What do you need?"

"Do I have to have a reason to call the most beautiful girl I know?"

"Oh stop. No, I guess not."

"Well there's someone here who has been looking for you for a while. And he wants to see you."

"Okay. Let me and Usagi finish her cake and we'll be right over."

"Okay. Bye Kagome."

"Bye, Inu Yasha. See you in a little while." She hung up the phone and went back into the kitchen.

"Are you almost done?" Kagome asked the almost teen girl.

"Yeah. Let me add another rose and I'll be done." She told her.

"Well, when you're done change out of those dirty clothes. We have to go see Inu Yasha."

"For what?" She said taking off her apron."

"Someone's here to see me." Usagi changed out of her clothes and they drove to Inu Yasha's house. Kagome was about to knock on the door when someone opened it. A young man about twenty-seven stood. He had short black hair and brown eyes. Kagome knew who it was even though it had been fourteen years since she last saw him.

"Souta!" she said as she flung her arms around her "not-so-little" brother. Usagi stood there unsure of the stranger her mom, evidently, knew.

"Usagi, this is your Uncle Souta." Kagome told her child.

"I haven't seen you since you were her age." Kagome said amazed out how much time changed her once baby brother. They went in and sat down. Kagome and Souta chattered on about what they had been doing for the past years.

"So I heard you started a newspaper?" Souta asked.

"Yeah. The first issue came out June a few years ago. We're celebrating our fifth issue."

"Wow. My sister always did have a knack for writing. And what about you?" He asked Usagi. "How old are you. Fifteen?"

"No. I'll be thirteen tomorrow." Usagi answered.

"Thirteen? No way. You have to be older than that? You're too big to be thirteen." He teased. They talked a little more until it was time to go.

"So, what do you think of your uncle?" Kagome asked Usagi.

"I like him." Kagome started the car and they drove home.

Big rigs are throwing rain on my windshield

And I feel like their laughing at me

Finally the storm is letting up

And the morning is breaking free.

Kagome was driving through the rain trying to get home in time for Usagi's surprise party. Usagi thought it was just going to be the two of them but it wasn't. Everyone was going to be there. Inu Yasha, Ryu, Rin, Sesshomaru, Kohaku, Sango, Miroku, Souta, Keade, Kagome's Grandfather, Kouga, Ayame, and Shippou, Rin's newest boyfriend. (Sorry if you don't like the couple.)

Rin, Shippou, Kohaku, and Ryu, were all at the mall with Usagi, trying to keep her occupied before the party. Everyone else was getting the decorations up. And what was Kagome doing? She was stuck in traffic, behind a U-haul. She pulled out her cell phone to see if the decorations were almost finished. The phone rang a few times before someone answered.

"Hello?" Sango had picked it up.

"Hey Sango. Are the decorations all finished?"

"Almost. We just have to blow up a few more balloons and put the cake in the center of the table. Where are you?"

"I'm almost to the mall. Stuck in a traffic jam."

"Oh. Well, we're almost done. We'll probably have everything set up in about an hour."

"Okay. See ya then." She turned it off and continued to wait in traffic. It took about half an hour to get through the next three stoplights. When she finally reached the mall, she saw the four teens and one adult waiting under the shelter. The rain lightened up some as Kagome pulled up to the curb.

"Hey, mom." Usagi said.

"Hey sweetie. Hope you didn't have to wait too long."

"No. The gang waited with me until you got here."

"Well that's good. Oh! Ryu needs to come with us. Inu Yasha's waiting at our house."

"Okay." Usagi went over to where her friends were standing and came back with Ryu. They said their bye's and they were off.

"I have to stop and get something from the store okay." They mumbled a reply but soon they had fallen asleep to the soft pounding of the rain. Kagome looked in her rearview mirror. Usagi was leaning her head on Ryu's shoulder and his head was resting on hers. She stopped at the flower shop and picked up thirteen roses.

Once she got home, she peeked in the window to see that they were just putting the cake on the table. Kagome knocked on the window to get someone's attention. Inu Yasha opened the door and took the flowers inside. Everyone got in their hiding spots and Kagome went out to the car to wake the two teens up.

"Usagi, Ryu, we're home." She tapped them lightly. Ryu woke up but, Usagi, like her mother, was a heavy sleeper. Kagome tried again, but to no avail.

"Usagi, we're home sweetheart, wake up." Still no response. Ryu decided to help. So he tickled her. She woke up in a matter of seconds.

"Ryu, quit!" She yelled.

"Are you awake?" He asked still tickling her.

"Yes! Ha ha ha! Yes!" She said in between fits of giggles. Ryu stopped tickling her and they got out of the car. Usagi hopped up the stairs and opened the door.

"Why is it so dark in here?" She asked to no one in particular. She flipped the light switch and gasped. Everyone jumped from their hiding places. With the exception of Sango, considering she was six months pregnant.

"Oh my God! You're all here!" She looked around at the decorations and at her friends. Kagome looked too.

It's a brand new day

It's a second chance

Yesterday is just a memory

For me and Emily.

Kagome saw all the smiling faces of her friends and family. It was hard for her to believe that just eleven years ago she didn't have any of it. And now...She had everything she ever wanted.

Usagi sat down at the head of the table and everyone surrounded her and sang the birthday song to her. She blew out the candles and smiled.

"I hope my wish comes true." Usagi said.

"What did you wish for?" Kagome asked.

"If I tell you than it won't come true." She stated simply. Usagi cut the cake and gave everyone a piece. After everyone had finished eating Usagi opened her presents. Rin gave her a new manicure set; Ryu gave her a bracelet; Shippou gave her a gift card; Sesshomaru gave her a picture album; Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, and baby Suki gave her a book; Keade gave her a CD; Souta gave her fifty dollars; Her Great Grandfather gave her a necklace with a pearl like jewel on it; Kouga and Ayame gave her a computer program; And Inu Yasha gave her a coupon for a year free of music lessons at Jaken's music studio.

"I don't have a piano." Usagi said.

"That's why we got you this." Inu Yasha pulled out a box from behind the couch. Usagi ripped into the paper and saw it was a keyboard.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She squealed.

"Thank you all for coming. I had a great time and I know Usagi did too."

"But we're not done with presents yet. Shouldn't the mother get something? After all, without you she wouldn't be here." Inu Yasha stated.

"You didn't have to get me anything Inu Yasha." Kagome said.

"But I did and I'm not taking it back. It cost too much for that." He pulled out a box from behind the couch.

"Here." Kagome took the box. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. She tore the paper and opened the box. She pulled out the little packing peanuts and found a string. She pulled the string and the rest of the packing peanuts came out of the box, along with a piece of cardboard. She looked in the box again, but didn't find anything. She was about to put the cardboard back in the box when she saw something caught her eye. Something shiny was on the back of the cardboard. She picked up the cardboard and gasped. Tied onto the string was a ring. There was a pink pearl with white diamonds around it to make it look like a rose. Inu Yasha took the ring off the string and went down on one knee.

"Will you Kagome Gina Higurashi do me the honor of being my bride?" No one spoke. No one breathed. Kagome's heart pounded. Inu Yasha looked at her, pure love in his eyes. Everyone hoped she'd say yes.

Animegurl: Runs away angry mob of anime fans carrying very sharp and deadly items I know you hate me, BUT IS THIS NECESSARY!

Cho: Serves you right. Since she obviously can't say anything, considering she's running for her dear life, here are her thanx:

Fluffy Ears Fan: I put more Fluffy in it!

Koga-lover: I'm sooooo sorry it took sooooo long! & I'm sorry I left you on another cliffie.

Animegurl: R&R. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cho: See ya next chapter. --