All's Fair in Love and War

Twenty Eight

Photographic Memory


His eyes opened slowly, only part way, and he stretched out his limbs. His toes curled in as he did so. He yawned, and then snapped his jaw back in place with ease, despite a couple of small cracking sounds. Kagome was lying next to him and her breathing was loud enough to be heard by him, yet soft enough to not be obscene. He snickered to himself at her sleeping face. A runnel of drool on the side of her face did take away from the serene perfectness of her sleeping form, and he was almost surprised that someone like Kagome actually did something like drool in her sleep. He stiffled his laughter as not to wake her.

The sky above them was cold and grey as it dawned and the rims of the monotone clouds were tipped with pink edges. The sun was not yet visible over the horizon which led him to believe it was around six o'clock. Since he had to wake up early every morning to make breakfast, clean occasionally, and get ready for school, he was so used to waking up early that he did it even on weekends when he could sleep in.

A light drizzle of rain sprinkled over both their bodies and he decided to head inside the house, noticing the darker rain clouds across the sky that looked ready to burst at any moment. He wrinkled up a sleeve of his outfit and wiped her face softly to remove the saliva. He softly pushed his hands under her back and lifted her up, her sleeping head lolling against his chest.

Now, getting himself along with Kagome down the vertical stairwell was a small problem. He wouldn't tell her, but he actually came close to dropping her more than once. But he found that if he leaned back against the other wall of the narrow tunnel that formed that stairwell, he could care fully step down the rungs, one by one. (The ladder formed a ninety degree angle with the ground.) The bottom of the ladder landed him in a sort of storage closet and, using his back, he had managed to push the door open. He slunk through the dark house, using his ears and senses more than he actually used his eyes.

The living area in the part of the shrine Kagome lived in offered poor lighting, seeing as windows were very scarce. There was one sunroof which a square shaped pillar of light grey seeped in, but beyond that, the house was painted with shades of black. He bumped into many walls, his feet desperately trying to remember the layout of the Higurashi house. Stumbling around in the dark felt kind of awkward. He knew he should trust his enhanced senses to lead him to her room, but the idea of not knowing where you are going, where you are standing, or even where you are in the first place tends to make a creature fill with fear or worry. Worry, in this case, that he wouldn't be able to find Kagome's room and he would pass out on the floor.

He looked back at the small square sunroof in the main room and examined the furniture. From noticing where the furniture was and what directions they were facing, he could tell where he was and found his path. He soon found himself stumbling into Kagome's room and he lay her down in her bed softly. He brought the blanket from the foot of her bed over her and she curled into a ball on contact, snuggling her head into the pillow and mumbling some unheard phrase in her sleep. He smirked at her as she did so.

He felt around the room, every so often stopping and flicking his ears in every direction to find Shippou. At last, his fingers stroked the soft fur of his back. Inu Yasha lay down with him, Shippou instinctively crawling closer to Inu Yasha's warm body. He cradled the kitten in his arms for a while, delighted with the soft sighs in his breathing. Then he placed the child back down and covered him with a blanet. The demon sighed happily and mumbled something about tennis shoes before falling back asleep.

Inu Yasha was restless. Sleepless nights and a strange fear of not knowing what was going to happen next helped him stay awake at night when he much preferred to stay asleep. He decided to prowl around the Higurashi household. He looked around the small living area, not daring to go outside into the complicating maze of stairs and tunnels that Kagome seemed to know so well.

Kagome's house was made of seven rooms; a kitchen, a small dining area, her bedroom, her mother's bedroom, two bathrooms, and a small guest room, probably for a maid or visiting relative. He looked through the dining area. It served multi-purposes. Since it was large, on one side was a table, and on the other was a sofa with a chest and a television.

He walked around the room and tried to take it in and memorize it, in case he needed ever to do a little midnight run like he had just done. Technically it wasn't midnight, it was probably around five forty five, because the sky was turning that grey color it becomes before the sun rises. He ran his fingers across the chest the television was on. It was smooth and smelled nice. Running his hand along the wall, he felt his way to Kagome bathroom. It was average and clean. It had a toilet and a shower/bath adorned with a snowy white curtain covered with pictures of pink flowers.

He walked towards the small guest room and with a little jiggle of the knob, he opened the door. It was small, and had only a chest of drawers and a bed. It was cozy, like it belonged to someone, however, Inu Yasha strongly felt that no person had ever occupied this room. He walked over to the bed and felt the comforter. It was soft. He plopped down on it and squeezed the pillow with his slender fingers. After a brief rest, he sat up and looked around the room. A small closet caught his attention. He opened it to look inside and a huge and heavy binder fell, narrowly missing his feet. He shrieked quietly then clamped his hand over his mouth. He hoped no one heard that. He'd feel terrible to wake Ms. Higurashi at this ungodly hour.

It landed face down with the back cover flipped up. He kneeled beside it and looked into the page. There was a photo on the page. It was of Kagome and her mother. They looked about the same as they do now so Inu Yasha assumed that it was taken only a short while ago. So it was photo album. He had often fantasized about having something as nice and pleaseant as a family album. Of course, he wouldn't have many pictures to fill it with. But how wonderful it would be if he could own ssomething like this; a memoir of both good times and bad, sealed away forever within the tearing front covers of a binder. He grinned and flipped through the pages, opening on a random one. Another picture of Kagome, this time, she was wearing a school uniform. It was a collared shirt with an emblem in the upper right hand side, and strangely fitting beige pants. He ran his fingers along the rim of the photo, trying to take in the memory of her face. She looked to be around two or so years younger, still in middle school.

So this is when she lived in America.' he thought. He flipped the page. Throughout the next couple pages there were pictures of her and a few other girls; about two or three he saw frequently and assumed them to be her best friends'. She must have been so sad to leave them. I bet she still talks to them all the time.' he thought. He glanced at the American architecture and then felt glad he lived in Japan, where everything did not look as boring and grey as the buildings in the pictures.

He looked at the pictures of her with her father. One picture he liked in particular was that of her and him at some kind of party. There were soft disco lights every where and in the middle of the picture, a little to the right, was Kagome and her father. Except, since he was so tall, he was on his knees and she was giggling with her hand to her mouth. He smiled in delight at the picture, the overall sweetness of the mood overwhelming him.

Inu Yasha? His body shook at the voice. He felt himself tense up as he looked over to the caller with the feminine voice. It was Kagome. He felt awkward as he sat in silence, feeling almost guilty about looking through her things. She was wearing pajamas now. They were blue and had little ducks on them.

You changed. he noted, avoiding.

Yes, I always change into pajamas when I get out of bed. she said as she glided over and sat beside him.

he asked and sat facing her.

She laughed and said, No. I just wanted to change out of that kimono. I cant believe I fell asleep in that thing. Oh well, it is quite comfy. She grabbed a pillow off of the guest bed and hugged it to her chest, pulling her knees in. Inu Yasha let out a chuckle, though he was feeling quite embarrassed for not catching the sarcasm.

I was shocked to wake up in my own bed just now. she said.

he muttered.

For what? she asked.

For scaring you. he said. I apologize.

She laughed and put her hand on his back. Inu Yasha, you don't need to apologize for that. Silly boy. she chirped. He looked sheepish. Besides, it was sweet of you to carry me to my bed. Why'd you do that anyways? she asked.

Um, it was raining, kinda. he muttered, shaken by her calling his actions sweet'. He hugged his shins to his chest and rested his head between his knees, so that the side of his head rested on them.

Oh. Have fun last night? she asked.

Yeah! It was awesome! he yelped.

Oh, shh, you'll wake my mom. she hushed and listened for the sound of her mother waking.

She's still asleep. he said.

How can you tell? she asked, curiously.

I can hear her snore. he said, causing Kagome to go into a fit of giggles.

You laugh a lot you know, Kagome? he said.

I like laughing. she replied simply.

I do too. he said.

And that's why I like being around you. You make me laugh all the time. It's nice to be around people who make you happy. It was here that he decided he wanted to break down and beg Kagome to take him and and let him live with her because she made him happier than anyone in the world and his father made him more miserable than he ever thought possible. But that would be quite inappropriate.

You make me happy too. he said softly, as Kagome smiled and burrowed her face into her arms.

She smiled sheepishly and then said, I'm glad. She motioned towards the book on the floor. What were you looking at? she asked.

Um, a picture book. Your mom's I think. He flushed and pulled it towards them. The two teenagers lay down on their stomachs and faced the open book.

Oh yeah, said Kagome, flipping through a few pages. Our old scrap book. she said, as if she were just remembering it existed now. This thing is ancient. Me and my mom used to take pictures of everything. And we kept them all organized in this little book. It kind of went to sleep for a bit after my dad died, so there aren't a lot of pictures of me in America. I suppose the ones in here are the only ones there are. Inu Yasha nodded, taking in all the information.

My mom used to want to be a photographer, but was sidetracked by marraige and me, so she just took it up as a hobby instead of a profession. Somewhere in the shrine she has a dark room. She used to use it a lot, but stopped using it for a while. When my dad died, her creativity kind of died along with him I guess. She told me that she couldn't bring herself to take a picture of any of the beautiful things she used to capture in her pictures. A lot of her work from after he died was really dark, kind of scary.Her pictures reflected her mood then? he asked.

Exactly! Smart little Inu Yasha. I suppose you'd know huh? Since you're an artist and all. Do you draw sad things when you're feeling blue too? she asked and rocked forward and then back to her original position again.

It didn't take long for him to answer this. he said. At his house, he couldn't bring himself to draw anything happy. Seeing the pictures he drew made him more frightened than they did proud.

I remember talking to a psycologist who came to my school once about the pictures. She said that my mom shouldn't take pictures like that anymore, because they put her in an unhappy place. But I think it's the opposite ... Because, maybe taking them made her get rid of some of that unhappiness. I don't really know how to explain it but ... I think that when she expressed herself it helped make her feel better. Beauty lurks in darkness too. It's just ... harder to find, I guess.I think I should draw more beautiful things. he said thoughtfully. She nodded in agreement.

What'll you draw Inu Yasha?I don't know. he said and shrugged. I'll draw ... whatever you want me to draw. Pick something. he said.

Kagome tapped her head and looked around, as if searching for something he could draw. she said and a grin creeped on to her face. She looked at him and smiled, rocking back forth on the carpet. Draw me! she squeaked out. Please? Will you Inu Yasha?Ah ... sure. he said and nodded.

she laughed and clenched her fists in front of her face, wiggling with excitement. Draw more beautiful things.' she quoted. I'm flattered. Inu Yasha blushed and looked down at his feet. He hoped she might have caught on to the relation but he never expected her to voice it aloud. Will you really draw me? she asked.

he said softly, if you want me to. he said matter of factly.

she said, would be wonderful. Say, want to look at the picture book with me? My mom has some great photos. he said and lay on his stomach, facing the book. Kagome opened to a random page in the middle. On the page was a picture of Kagome, with her mother and father. Her mothers arm was around the girls shoulders and the woman and the man were smiling. Kagome looked idly into the camera, almost as if she were bored. Kagome looked around eleven or so. That must have been right before he died.' thought Inu Yasha sadly.

Kagome smiled and said, That's all three of us, in front of the shrine. She turned the through the pages. A picture of Kagome, with her hair up in a ponytail, all except two little delicate curls that hung down and curtained her face, presented itself. Her pink shirt said Funk' in little feminine rhine stones and she looked exactly like a little girl. A girl with fluffy brown hair looked over Kagome's tiny shoulder as Kagome blew out cake candles. That's me on my seventh birthday. The girl next to me was a good friend of mine when I was younger, but we lost touch. Funny isn't it? We were so close and now I can't even remember her name. Inu Yasha shook. Could it be that someday he would just be a nameless picture in a forgotten scrap book? He couldn't let that happen. Not with Kagome.

She turned another amount of pages and there was another picture of her. That was me on a third grade class field trip. We went to Tokyo Tower. There was the little adorable Kagome, dressed in the classic Japanese school uniform looking out the window or a bus; gazing out the glass lining the walls of Tokyo Tower; wandering through the gift shop area of Tokyo Tower, trying to decide which cookies she should buy with the thousand yen her mother gave her.

She flipped forward again, and as if someone had pressed a fast forward button on Kagome's life there were more pictures. Kagome sat at a desk, typing words into a computer keyboard. This picture was obviously taken when she was not looking because she was messily dressed and hunched over in an almost crude way. Her mouth was half open as if she was chewing on something and she furrowed her eyebrows at the computer as if it had just insulted her. She turned the page after pausing just long enough to let Inu Yasha catch a glimpse at the computer picture. He glimpsed another picture of her sticking her tongue out at the camera person and pulling down one of her lower lids. Kagome stared at the page and pointed at the aforementioned picture and said My father took that. quite solemnly before flipping back a lump of pages.

Her voice regained it's natural bubbly fluffiness as she bounced once where she sat and pointed at a picture on the page she opened to. That's a picture I took. Notice how its off center? Not to mention it's of nothing in particular. I think that was the hoof of a merry go round horse. Hey, I think that was from the carnival I went to when I was younger, the same one we went to yesterday. I guess I was five or something. Inu Yasha fingered his way through the pages and opened to a random one. Kagome looked up at the boring white cieling and mused. I still remember my favorite fifth birthday present. A kodak disposable.

He was getting very near the front cover of the book. Kagome looked at the page Inu Yasha had opened to and lectured again. That is my mom. She was younger then of course. In the picture stood a woman, looking to be around twenty. She had soft wavy hair that was pulled back in a loose pony tail, and a warm, soft smile. She pointed to the picture next to it. In the picture stood the same woman with her arm wrapped around that of a man. And that's my mom with my father. They were high school sweethearts. she said happily, a sense of pride ringing in her words.

commented Inu Yasha. She's really pretty.My mom says she knew that he was hers the second she locked eyes with him. Cool, huh? I wish that could happen to me. It's so ... romantic, I guess. she said. I couldn't imagine how she felt when he died. It must be like having part of you ripped out. she said, slightly grimly.

That's terrible. said Inu Yasha softly, not wanting to disturb or upset the already upsetted Kagome. He looked down at her hand and saw it twitch twice. Hey, who's that? he asked, and pointed to a third picture of a woman with her arm around Kagome's mother, smiling and winking at the camera. The picture looked like it was taken by one of the girls, because most of their heads were cut off, and the faces of the two were big and looked like they were close to the lens when the photo was taken.

My mom's friend I guess. shrugged Kagome. I think that was a good friend of hers through high school. They lost touch I suppose. I have never met her.She's pretty. said Inu Yasha.

Yeah, her smile is really cute. She looks really lively in this picture. said Kagome.

Kagome took the picture out from under the protective glossy coating of the scrap book. She held it in the middle of them so Inu Yasha could see. Isn't it weird to think that was my mom? I mean she looks so young. I can't help but think of her as the fourty something year old person she is today. What about your mom? Do you remember her?Hm. She was pretty tall, I think. Then again, she died when I was young so I guess everybody seemed tall then. She had soft hair, like mine, and it was the same color, only hers was darker silver. She had tan skin and really bright eyes. They were really light. Mine are more amberish looking. But hers were bright yellow. She was really pretty. I ... I don't really remember her so well. he said regretfully.

Don't you have any pictures of her? she asked.

I have one. Its small and faded though. he said. I could show you maybe. I already showed you the picture I drew of her. That came out really well. Well, she basically looks like me if I were a girl. he said shyly as he brushed his long bangs out of his eyes. She told me it's cos' demon blood is so dominant that half demons almost always take after the demon parent. he said this happily because he remembered his mother being the most beautiful woman in the world. He thought this and it made him feel good. If you met my father, you would never be able to tell I was his son. He said. It made him feel good to say it.

Kagome called, spooking Inu Yasha. Kagome's mother appeared in the doorway, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

What in heaven's name are you kids doing up so early? she asked and yawned.

We were looking at the pictures. said Kagome, smiling innocently. Inu Yasha blushed and looked down, feeling ashamed and embarrased that he may have woken her. The woman in the doorway stretched and yawned again, the long sleeves on her night gown flapping in the wind her movements produced. After stretching, she sat down beside Kagome and kissed her cheek. Morning Mom. she said.

Morning Kagome. The woman rubbed her eyes and twisted her torso. Well, I'm up. No use trying to fall back asleep now. she shrugged. Anyone want breakfast? she asked tiredly.

Kagome hummed. Ms. Higurashi looked down at the book for a second before pulling herself up and walking towards the kitchen with Kagome in tow. Inu Yasha watched them leave, then cautiously stuffed the picture into his jacket.

Author's Notes

THANKS FOR 1000 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS:squeals:

If you want to know why 1) The past two weeks have been hell and/or 2) Why this chapter is so late, read below.

I KNOW this chapter is like two weeks late but thats because as of two weeks ago I am no longer allowed to go on my dads computer, the only one that has internet, during the week and I am only at his house every other weekend. Know what that means? About 6 hours of computer for me every other week. It's utter hell, I assure you that you guys are not the ony ones suffering. So, other than having my small dream of perhaps being a writer when I grow up RIPPED from me, I am also fearing the possiblilty that I may not be able to complete AFILAW because I wont have enough time to write. I'm really sorry if I don't update frequently, but stick with me guys. My fans are my best motivation to keep on writing this story, and that is something that is growing increasingly harder to do.

So ... A look into the past life of Kagome and her bewidowed mother. Seems normal enough right? Mwhaha.

Well, this story has become quite big. It exceeded all my original ideas, truthfully. In the beginning it was just going to be Inu Yasha and Kagome falling madly in love at first glance and then teen angst fit only for a soap opera. I figured it would be fifteen chapters long and no longer than 30,000 words. Crazy how different it actually is, right? It's looking at being around 35 chapters and at least 90,000 words. Joy.

Some one asked about my trip to Japan and I have to say this: I lurve Japan. It was totally beautiful there! If anyone wants to see pictures of my trip then they can visit me on dA:

http // the- perfect- failure. deviantart. com /

Take out the spaces, though.