Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the previously existing characters therein.

Chapter One

Kagome sat up in bed, sending the soft pink covers flying. A shaking hand reached up to wipe at the sheen of sweat that stained her brow; she had no idea how it had gotten there. She knew that she had dreamt of something, but as quickly as the fear of it had seized her heart, the dream faded, along with any memory of the images she had seen.

She shook her head to clear away the dream, and the movement caused her unruly raven tresses to spill across her face. A delicate hand brushed the strands away as she turned to her still-buzzing alarm clock. Ugh, thought the fifteen year old. It's not even a school day, and I'm still running late!

She jumped out of bed and headed down the hallway to the bathroom. After a steaming shower, the last of the dream was forgotten and replaced with more immediate thoughts. With her mind already caught up in the coming events of the new day, she ran into her bedroom and threw on her last good school uniform. Kagome knew that she might not have time to change before she needed to go back to her feudal adventures, and so the uniform would have to do for this morning. Minutes later she stood in front of the mirror and straightened her skirt. This is my last one…I better ask Mama to pick up some new ones for me while I'm gone. But first….

This morning was special for her family, and Kagome knew better than to be late for this. After finishing her inspection and running a brush through her still-wet hair, she hurried downstairs to breakfast.

The sounds that greeted her as she jumped over the last few steps were normal…for the most part. She could hear the sounds of her mother cooking, and of Grandpa reading Souta the newspaper. But there was another noise that reached her ears this morning, one that in any other household would have been a cause for worry.

"ARGH! Souta! Your damn cat scratched me again!"

It was the sound of an angry hanyou.

As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, Kagome found herself dodging when the family's overweight cat, Buyo, came flying through the air. She watched as, despite all rumors, the cat failed to land on his feet. Instead, the extra fat on his sides cushioned his fall and sent him rolling. By the time his momentum had slowed, the lazy cat was already fast asleep.

"InuYasha!" she yelled as she turned her attention back to the kitchen. "That wasn't very nice! You could have hurt him, you know!"

The hanyou was sucking on the offended finger, his gold eyes angry and indignant as he stared up at her from his seat on the floor. He removed the digit and showed her the tiny wound. "He scratched me! That tub of lard had it comin'!"

Kagome sighed as InuYasha placed the finger back in his mouth. He probably deserved it! He's always tormenting poor Buyo! thought the girl as she stormed past the pouting hanyou and took her seat at the table.

A tired yawn escaped her lips as she settled herself across from her brother. The younger Higurashi did not miss the opportunity to tease his sister, and he leaned forward over the table. "What's wrong, sis? Up all night thinking about InuYasha again?"

"Souta!" Kagome cried crossly as her cheeks turned bright red. "It wasn't that! I had some weird dream last night! I can't even remember what it was about."

Grandpa Higurashi lowered his newspaper enough so that he could peer over the pages at his granddaughter. "Hmmm…well, Kagome, you must not dismiss your dreams so easily. You come from a long line of priests and priestesses, and dreams have often been a connection to another time. Sometimes, they are a message from the past, trying to be heard."

Before Kagome could reply, her mother announced that breakfast was ready. The older woman kindly asked InuYasha if he would like to try some of the omelet she had made, but after taking one sniff of the proffered food, he told her that Ramen would be fine. Moments later he was sitting next to Kagome, happily slurping down the heated noodles.

So intent was he on gobbling down the Ramen that he nearly missed the sudden change in atmosphere at the table. He stopped mid-bite and glanced around the room. Mrs. Higurashi was quiet, which was not too unusual, but Kagome's grandfather had laid aside his newspaper and fallen completely still. That alone was enough to warn the hanyou that something was up. Kagome and Souta also seemed preoccupied, both lost in their own private thoughts. He leaned in close to Kagome and nudged her with his elbow.

"Hey," he whispered. "What's going on? Why the hell is everyone so quiet all of a sudden?"

Kagome glared at him for a moment before letting the expression fall. That's right, he doesn't know….

She finished the last bite of her food and excused herself from the table. After carrying her dish to the sink, she grabbed InuYasha's arm and gently pulled him from the room, his precious Ramen still in hand. She led him outside and quickly closed the door behind her.

"Look, InuYasha. I know that I promised to come back today, and I will, but there is something I need to do first, okay?"

The hanyou's ears twitched nervously atop his head. Something was going on here. He could tell by the way Kagome and her family's scents had changed at the table. Another dead giveaway that something was wrong was the way that Kagome avoided making eye contact.

"Oi, wench, what's going on? Why are you and your family acting so strange?"

"Just…wait for me on the other side of the well, InuYasha. I promise I'll be there soon," now she did look up at him, her dark eyes pleading with him. "Please?"

Now InuYasha was worried. She wasn't even trying to make an argument out of this! Usually when she wanted more time at home, she would yell at him or sit him until either he agreed or dragged her back through the well. Now, however….

"All right, Kagome," he sighed in frustration and leaned against the door in defeat. "But you'd better be back before noon, or I'm comin' to get you!"

She nodded, and he stalked off in the direction of the sacred well. Kagome watched him leave and whispered a quiet apology to his back.

"Kagome? Are you ready?"

The girl turned to the door as it slid open to reveal her mother. "Yeah, Mama. I'm ready."

InuYasha stood just inside the well house. True, he had promised Kagome that he would wait for her on the other side of the well, but he had also promised to protect her. How was he supposed to do that when she refused to tell him what was wrong? So, after convincing himself that he was only doing this for her sake and not his own, he decided to stick around. He slid the door until it was nearly closed, leaving a tiny slit just wide enough for one prying eye to see the world beyond. With one large gulp, he swallowed the remainder of his Ramen, set the empty cup aside, and set his eye to the door.

He was rewarded only moments later when he caught sight of a small procession coming from the main house. Kagome's grandfather led the way, followed closely by Kagome, her mother, and Souta. The heavy feeling that had prevailed at breakfast had deepened, and the solemn faces were cast down as they walked through the shrine.

The family stopped at the base of the great Goshinboku tree. One golden eye narrowed as the hanyou furrowed his brow. What were they doing?

Grandpa Higurashi moved to the base of the tree, stopping just in front of the small fence that surrounded it. Souta moved forward and helped the old man to the ground, and the women gathered close. The elder lit the incense and began to speak.

Is he…praying?

InuYasha watched, and his soft, triangular ear bent forward in an attempt to catch the old man's words. The language that he was speaking in sounded like the words Kikyo and Kaede used when praying or performing their priestess duties. Whatever they meant, they were spoken with quiet reverence, and InuYasha suddenly felt guilty for eavesdropping like this.

He pulled his head away from the door and sat down with his back against the cool wood. Though the ceremony still intrigued him, he would not spy anymore.

The strange event didn't last much longer. The praying stopped, and the sound of shuffling feet reached his ears as Souta offered to help his grandfather up from his kneeling position. The procession then headed away from the tree, probably back into the house.

Finally, after the shrine had settled into silence once more, InuYasha dared to turn around. The ceremony was indeed over, and the only evidence that it had even occurred was the smell of incense that still hung in the early morning air. Most of the family had retreated back into the house, leaving only one member still staring up into the leafy boughs.

"You can come out now, InuYasha."

The hanyou stood and slid the door open reluctantly. "How did you…?"

"I could sense you," she replied, her eyes never leaving the tree. InuYasha could not tell if she was angry with him. Her voice was calm and steady, and her hands lay open and unmoving at her sides.

Slightly unnerved at the girl's unusually restrained behavior, the hanyou moved hesitantly to her side and followed her gaze upward. They stood there in silence for a while, both allowing themselves a brief escape into the serenity of the moment.

Kagome was the first to break that silence. "You want to know what we were doing, don't you?" She didn't even have to glance over to know that he was nodding, and she closed her eyes for a moment. With a deep breath, she opened them and turned to the half-demon.

"It was a ceremony for remembrance," she began slowly. "Every year, on this day, we gather beneath the limbs of this tree to remember someone who is no longer with us. We came here today to remember Kouken Higurashi."

InuYasha eyed her curiously. "Who was he?"

"He was my father."

"Oh," was all he could say as she turned back to the tree again.

After a moment, he dared to ask the question that now burned on the tip of his tongue. "How did he die?"

The girl next to him shrugged. "It happened when I was six. I was so young then… I can't even remember it anymore. It was the day after Mama found out that she was pregnant with Souta. She said that Papa was driving home from work, and there was an accident. Another driver lost control of his car. Both died on impact."

InuYasha cringed at the mention of 'cars'. He had never liked the strange contraptions. They were loud, and they smelled terrible, but Kagome had never told him that they were dangerous before.

"I'm sorry that I spied on you, Kagome."

If she was surprised at the apology, she did not show it. Kagome did, however, smile gently at him. "It's all right, InuYasha. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before. I just didn't think that you would be interested, that's all." The young miko patted his arm once, and then turned away from the tree. "Come on, help me finish packing and we can go. I think I saw Mama bring home some extra Ramen the other day."

That was all the encouragement the half-demon needed. Together, they headed back toward the house. Just before she passed through the door, however, Kagome turned back to the ancient Goshinboku. The sway of the heavy branches caught her eye, and for a moment she found herself hypnotized.

"Kagome! Stay back!"

"I'll always love you, my little Kagome."

"Papa!"

"Kagome? Hey, Kagome! You coming or not?"

"Huh?" she shook her head to clear the cobwebs that had suddenly settled there. "Yeah, I'm coming." Kagome followed him inside and slid the door shut behind her. What was that? she thought as she followed InuYasha through the house. It must have been something from the dream last night. With a shrug of her shoulders, she attributed the strange occurrence to an over-active imagination and lack of a good night's sleep and turned her full attention back to the hanyou who was currently tearing her kitchen apart.

I should never have mentioned the Ramen!

A/N: First of all, I'd like to offer a big thanks to my beta for this one, Moonglow gal! I hope that this fic will shape up to be even better than the last two big ones, and with her help I think that I can manage that! See you guys in chapter two!