I know it's taking me some time to post on this chapter but I will eventually get it finished and move on with to the next. Work and being ill have a tendency to get in the way. But It's getting there!

-Lena

Chapter 2: Remembrance

'Father'

A whispered cry escaped her lips. The bloody body of a man she once knew was strung outside of the Higurashi shrine. A war had somehow found its way into her families home. Her father, the head of the house and their protector had lost his life protecting his wife and youngest child. It was a vicious sight to take in. Her father had been torn to shreds before her very eyes, leaving her frozen in place.

Her mother had locked Sota in the bathroom alone. Told him to remain quiet and to be calm as she went to assist her husband at the front gate. "Where's the girl, Woman?" A soldier grabbed her on her way out of the house."THERE"S NO ONE HERE! Please, just leave us alone!" The mother cried out in fear. "We know she's here! You hid her, didn't you?!" Another soldier came from the side, pushing her against the wall with such force. "WHERE IS SHE?!" The men growled. One man was in the process of striking her across her face when a little girl around the age of seven dropped down out of the sacred tree. "Mom?!"

The woman looked back to the direction of where the voice came from. Her daughter, the one she was trying so desperately to protect came flying through the courtyard to where she was standing. "No! Go back Kago-

"Before she was able to finish her sentence, one of the soldiers removed his sword from its sheath and stabbed her in the waist of her slender body. Little droplets of blood trickled down to the ground while she stood hunched over, slowly going limp in the mans arms.

"Shush now little puppet. Your job here is done." He laid her body down gently before turning his attention to the daughter of the young maiden.

'Mom..."

"Listen here little girl," He edged closer to her, "You're coming with me whether you want to or not."

Tears streamed down the little girls face as she looked up towards the sky, with the word God formed on her lips. She knew that her time here had come to an end but she simply could not accept it. Not with her father gone and her mother laying in a pool of her own blood. It seemed as though time had stopped. Within that very moment, nothing seemed to be real. Not the death of her father nor her mother and not when she felt the steel of the shackles being placed around her wrist.

'No' her thoughts screamed. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. So much blood was shed on her behalf. What was so special about this one person that they had to go to such drastic measures?

"Ka...go..me!" her mothers struggled cries did not go unnoticed. Behind them stood a bloodied woman holding a bow with an arrow aimed directly to the soldier who had held on to the child. "You will NOT have HER!"

There was no time to react. Kagome's mother let the arrow fly, knowing good and well that it would hit her desired target. Within an instant, the man in front of her had fallen. Now only one remained.

He lunged for her, striking the ground with his sword, barely missing the woman before him. "You will die you treacherous wench!" Her mother managed to maneuver out of the way of each swing.

"I have to do something!" Kagome felt her heart in her chest. What good was she if she just stood there watching from the side lines? Her mother was in need of help and she was determined to be the one to assist her.

Kagome ran towards the shrine's well house. She knew she was to never go in there on account that it had been dangerous, but now she was in danger of losing everyone she ever loved. Her hands trembled as she reached to pull open the sliding door. A cold wind escaped to the outside, causing the little girl to shiver. 'What can I do?' Kagome asked herself before making her way into the dark room. She didn't know what she was capable of, but whatever she was going to do needed to happen fast.

Kagome made her way through the shadows, feeling for anything that she could use. After searching for what seamed like an eternity, her hand brushed upon something or should I say, somethings. On the far back wall she found more weapons than she could imagine. From bows, to knives and swords, Kagome was beyond herself as she stared in disbelief. She had never seen so many weapons in one place. She knew her that father spent more time than necessary out in the old well house, but had never questioned his reasons up until now. So many questions yet so little answers.

Not knowing what weapon to pick, Kagome let fate decide on which one to take. 'I hope I can use this' she thought to herself as she held out the sword in front of her. The blade looked as though it had been freshly sharpened and was in fine color of the blade was red and had a fine outline of black running around the edges. It was a simple sword but that's what made it so beautiful.

Suddenly Screams broke through out the shrine, breaking through Kagome's trance. Time was up. It was now or never if she was going to save her mother.

Kagome ran as fast as could, arriving at the scene to see the man standing above her mother with one boot placed firmly on her chest. Anger could be easily seen upon his face as he tightly gripped his sword in both of his hands, raising it above his head. Her mother had closed her eyes as she waited for that final blow, but to her to surprise, it never came. She dared to look up at her attacker to see that he was frozen in place.

'What?' Kagome's mother looked down to see a sharp object sticking through the pit of his stomach. Blood practically poured out of the wound, making her feel as though she was going to drown. A few moments later, the mans weight had lightened, followed by a loud thud as he made contact with the wooden floor.

"Kagome?" Her eyes couldn't stop staring at her daughter. Her once innocent little girl had tainted her hands for the likes of her. If only she could take everything back and make things right, but she knew that wishful thinking is what put her in this position in the first place.

The moment that Kagome was born, she knew there was something special about her daughter. At the time, she had no idea what it was but she could feel it. That purity that radiated off of her like the morning sun.

It wasn't until Kagome's fifth birthday that she started to see things. Kagome had been playing in the yard when a bird flew into the glass of their door. It didn't take an expert to tell you that the bird had died from the impact. Mrs. Higurashi attempted to walk towards Kagome, to tell her to stay away but the little girl had already retrieved the little bird in her hands. "No, Kagome. You could get sick! Put the dead thing down, NOW!" Kagome looked up at her mother with a bright smile. Mrs. Higurashi couldn't understand why her daughter was so happy and it concerned her. "PUT IT DOWN!" She repeated, grabbing the girls hands, prying them apart. Suddenly a small white light emitted from her daughters hands and to her amazement, the bird flew up and rested on Kagome's shoulder.

"How-" She began but was quickly interrupted by her daughter. "His spirit asked me to, mom." It was then that she knew that dangers would be around the corner. Everyone would want Kagome for her gift of healing and would do anything to get it.

This wasn't the first encounter they had, had with people trying to take away her daughter. The first time was an encounter with a strange young woman. She had tried to convince her husband to let her take Kagome to another shrine so she could have proper training. "A gift like that should not be wasted" was her reasoning. However, he had politely refused her offer and went about his day as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until this night that she regretted not grabbing her family and running far away. For if she had, maybe the strange woman wouldn't have sent out soldiers to kill everyone and take her daughter away...

"I'm sorry, Kagome." Her daughter saw the tears fall from the woman's face.

"Mom," It was a whisper so no one but her could here. " You will be okay." Kagome grabbed onto her mother, holding her into a tight embrace. "You'll be okay" She said through muffled tears and for the second time in her life, Mrs. Higurashi saw that white light.

Many years had passed since that troublesome day. And to Mrs, Higurashi, her daughter had no memory of what had happened. Her Father had passed on before the young girl could save him and that had broke her daughter. But now that Kagome had no memory to what had happened, she could alter the past.

To Kagome, her father had left for work related purposes and wouldn't be back for quite sometime. She allowed her daughter to believe that he was still alive, and doing well. From time to time, she would make a fake card and mail it so it seemed as though he was interested in their life. Oh how happy Kagome would be to read those letters! And as for Sota, there wasn't much explaining to do since he was far too young to remember that tragic day. The only one who would know, would be her. Kagome had never used her powers after that day, but her mother knew that they were still there. At least for now they had been placed at bay.

'My dearest daughter,' Kagome read. This was a personal letter intended for just her eyes.

' It has been many years since I last saw you. Today will mark your sixteenth birthday! My how the years have flown. I have written you to let you know that I think of you every day and I hope to get to see you again soon. However, This will be my last letter. I am going on a journey and will not be able to send out anymore for quite sometime. So, in this letter, I am sending you my love. Please take care my child.

-Your Father

Mr. Higurashi.'

" Oh, mom!" Kagome had ran to her mother with tears in her eyes. "What is it, Kagome?" Her daughter just stood there, holding on to her mother for dear life.

"He's not going to send anymore letters!" Mrs. Higurashi tried her best to comfort her daughter. She knew the letter would break her daughters heart, but she couldn't afford to send out anymore letters. Every time she did, she risked being caught and didn't have a way to explain her actions. Besides, there was going to be a new man in her life one day and she had hoped that they believed him to be the one they called Father.

"You're father is a very busy man, Kagome. I know this is hard for both you and your brother Sota, but your father loves you very much and would never forget about you." Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew her mother was right, but this was too hard on the young girl. She needed her father now, more than ever.

Kagome had been having nightmares about his death. It was the same dream that played in her mind over and over for the past few years. She felt that she needed to warn him but never had the chance to do it. She wanted to write to him but he had never once sent her an address to respond to his letter. One night, Kagome had tried to tell her mother about the dream, but her mother told her it was nothing to be concerned about and simply waved it off. But Kagome knew in her heart that it had meant more than what her mother wanted to admit. So simply put, she had to deal with this on her own.

"Kagome, you should be going. You will be late for school!" Kagome looked up at the time. It was 7:15 am. It was a twenty minute walk from the shrine to her school and if she didn't leave soon, she would most definitely be late. "I love you mom! Got to go!" She said as she ran out the door.

"Buyo!" Came the little boys cry. Buyo was their pet cat and had a tendency to disappear at times. "Hey! What are you-" Kagome walked over to her little brother, who happened to be standing in front of the shrines well house.

"Nothing..." Came Sota's response. He was holding a bowl with cat food in it. "You know you're not supposed to play in there."

"I'm not! It's the cat!" Kagome stared at the forbidden door. What would she do if Buyo was in there? Would she go against her families wishes and fetch their beloved cat?

"Did he actually go down to the well?" Sota ignored her question as if it was obvious.

"Buyooo!" Sota called again. " I don't know where else he could be." Sota was on his knees now, not wanting to give up hope but also not wanting to get in trouble for disobeying orders.

"So, if he's in there, why don't you go get him?"

"Why do I have to be the one?" Sota replied.

"because you are the one looking for him!"

Scratching sounds could be heard from the other side of the door, making Sota go into a frenzy. "Something's in there sis!"

Kagome smarted off at him. "Duh! It's The cat!" Finally Kagome pushed the sliding door completely open and stepped into the well house. It was dark and eery. The scratching sounds only made it worse. With each passing step came the realization that the sound was coming from the well itself. The well had been closed off and had sacred soutra's placed upon every crevice. There was no way the cat had gotten in there!

Something loud crashed down beside Kagome, making her squeal. To her dismay, she was greeted with a fat purring creature.

"Buyo!" Kagome bent down to pick up the cat. Sota had been mocking her for the fact that she had been scared by Buyo. "Look who's talking?! Mr. Why do I have to go?" Kagome loved her little brother, even though he was very immature at times.

The scratching persisted a little while longer before a bright blue flash escape from the well.

"Sister! Behind you!"

Kagome could feel the presence of something other worldly. She wanted to run for her dear life but there was not enough time to act. Whatever was trapped in the well had latched on to her, dragging her into the unknown.

Feudal Era, Present day

Rays of light bounced off of the puddles of water while the morning sun came into view. The storm had cleared and the night was passing, allowing her to witness yet another beautiful day. There was a light breeze that brushed through her now tangled hair, making her feel more at peace. The birds had started to form in the trees around her, singing songs amonst one another before flying off to hunt for their breakfast.

''This is nice'' The young girl whispered, trying not to wake anyone up from their slumber.

"Kagome?" Too late. A softened voice came from behind. "What are you doing up?" A flash of silver could be seen out of the corner of her eye. "Inuyasha," she trailed off, inhaling the fresh air as she did so. She should have known he would standing guard to protect her from whatever might happen to come her way. However, the tension between them was still there, even after all that had happened. His words from their last fight still repeated in her head. She was helpless-useless! If she wasn't able to sense the jewel shards, she would have no place in his world. After last nights events, no one could tell her otherwise. She was alone for a short amount of time and had already found herself shaking hands with death. If it wasn't for Inuyasha and the others, she wouldn't have even found her way out of the forest. 'Why am I even here?'

Her mind kept racing. With the questions forming in her mind and the memories replaying like a broken record, she felt like she was losing herself. Even though her body told her that she desperately needed rest, her mind wouldn't allow her to do so. Everything felt like a bad dream that her mind made up, but her injuries confirmed that it really did happen.

Inuyasha took a seat next to the young miko; Concern clearly spread upon his face. Kagome had barely spoken to him since he found her in the forest. He had believed it was because she was still in shock from what had happened to her, but deep in his heart he felt that it was something more.

"Why won't you tell me, Kagome?" He watched her body tense up at his question. "I -I was so scared when I found you. You had lost so much blood that I could barely make out a heartbeat." Inuyasha's voice turned into a whisper. " I wasn't there for you, Kagome. I shouldn't have let you go. I should have followed you! I -" He stopped mid-sentence, feeling the weight of guilt crash upon him. Kagome watched his reaction, unsure of what she should do. She finally reached her hand out to him and gently placed it on his shoulder. He turned to look at her only to find himself lost in a sea of blue. He could stare at her eyes for days if that were possible. She always made him feel special and truly loved. But today was different. Where there was once happiness and hope, now reflected pain and defeat. Before Inuyasha could mention anything about it, she calmly spoke.

"I'm here, Inuyasha. The blame for this isn't on you." She used her other hand to motion towards her injuries as she continued. " Inuyasha, I can't tell you what happened because... it's nothing to worry about. I'm alive and I am safe, now." Her words were soft as she spoke to him but the meaning behind everything she said is what ate him alive. She was safe and he was grateful, but what she said without realizing it was that she wouldn't rely on him like she used to. She wouldn't tell him what had happened because she felt like she would only burden him with her problems. There was no denying the truth. Inuyasha's words affected her more than he had originally intended and now he had no way to take it back. 'I'm so sorry Kagome! I'm sorry for hurting you.'

Kagome broke his thoughts as she proceeded to get up and walk away. But before she could get a step off of the ground ,he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her into his arms. She had so many bruises and so many bandages covering her body. He knew she had to be in pain, but she refused to show an ounce of it. She had become cold and distant which unfortunately reminded him of his once beloved kikyo. Everything she did, straight down to the tone in her voice screamed Kikyo and he wouldn't allow it to continue.

Inuyasha felt his body start to shake. Did she not know how he felt when she left him after that stupid argument? Did she not understand how devastated he was when he found her struggling to hold on to dear life? Why did she want to push him away? Was it because of what he said? He prayed that he hadn't gone too far this time. "Please Kagome, don't push me out like this.."

"Inuyasha..." She felt herself getting lost in his warm embrace. To her, it was the best place in the world. She loved him, but she knew he could never feel the same way about her. He had Kikyo in his life and to be honest, she was tired of fighting. Fighting for his love and affection, and fighting just to simply get along with him. She wouldn't let him in this time. She simply did not have the will to do it anymore. "I can't.. I have some things that I need to figure out on my own. Not you and not anyone can help me this time." With that. she pulled out of his embrace before glancing back at him one more time. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

He watched her make her way inside the hut where he knew she would eventually be greeted by their friends. She wasn't alone in this but refused to let anyone in. He didn't want to watch her struggle with her inner demons while he sat on the sidelines. But if that is what she demanded of him, then he would respect her wishes. At least to her it would seem that way. There was no way in hell that her protector would sit around and watch her wither away. He would help her without her knowing about it and when she finally came around, he would welcome her back with open arms.

"Kagome!" The young kitsune got up from the pallet he was laying on and ran to his beloved friend. "Kagome! I'm so glad you are okay!"

Kagome couldn't help but smile. Shippo always made her feel loved. "Easy Shippo! If you hug me too tight, I might just explode!" A small glimpse of fear could be seen in the young boys eyes. He didn't like the thought of his Kagome disappearing let alone the thought of her exploding from his grip. "I'm Sorry Kagome! Please Don't explode! I love you." Small tears started to form as he loosened his grip.

"It's okay Shippo! I'm just teasing you." She gave him one more quick hug before walking over to the others.

"Hey Sango! Miroku!"

"Kagome?" Sango cried out in surprise. "What are you doing up?!"

"I couldn't sleep. Last night keeps repeating itself in my head, making me feel so ...scared." Kagome looked away almost ashamed of her confession.

"Well, in any case just lay down in your bed and relax. Your wounds will take some time to heal."

"She's absolutely right, Lady Kagome. The severity of your condition is not one to play with." Miroku had wrapped his arm around her as he guided her towards her sleeping bag. "I'll never forgive myself if you died on my watch."

"Guys! I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks"-

Miroku cut her off "Not as bad as it looks you say? Lady Kagome, You stopped breathing in Inuyasha's arms last can you are tell me that it's not as bad as it looks? We care a lot about you and would do anything for you, so just do us this one favor and rest. We need you alive and well because we can't bare to see you this way."

There was an awkward silence that lingered in the room. Kagome didn't know what to say. Her friends had never reacted this way before. Had she concerned them that much? She never meant to make them worry. But she never ever did to begin with. She was always such a burden. Always making the others stress over her well being. If she had only stayed away, then they wouldn't have been out all night hunting for her in that storm. They could have had their much needed rest and gone about their day. 'It can't be like this anymore.'

"I don't mean to be difficult." Kagome said as she slipped into her sleeping bag. " I know you were worried about me. I mean, how could you not be? I just want to say that I am sorry you guys...I just wish I was capable of so much more.." Kagome with held a tear from falling from her eye. She could only imagine what her friends went through to find her. They had sacrificed themselves just to see to her safety.

"Kagome" Sango walked towards the young girl, taking her place next to the monk. A brief silence filled the room before she proceeded to go on. "Do you not realize all that you do for us? You are not a burden. You are the light that keeps this group going. You are the hope for the future! You may not have demonic powers, a wind-tunnel in the palm of your hand or even the training to kill demons, but what you do have is a pure heart. You help feed us. You make sure our wounds heal and my favorite thing about you, besides your strong will to protect your friends is that you truly love us. You don't pass judgement on us! And even though we have no family, you make us feel like we are a family."

Kagome couldn't hold it in any longer. The tears just poured out of her eyes like two waterfalls. She needed to hear those words and she also needed to let out a good cry. There was so much going on in her life and she didn't know how to handle them. " Thank you" She managed to say in between the sobs. "What would I do with out you guys?"Miroku and Sango gave her a reassuring smile. They would always be there for her even if she never asked for them to be there. That's just the type of people they were. Especially when it came down to their loved ones.

Inuyasha couldn't find the energy to step away from the spot that the young Miko left him at. Afraid to lose whatever moment that they had had. It wasn't too long when he caught the scent of salt mixed with the soft sound a sobs. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that someone was crying and with his canine senses, he knew it was her. 'Kagome..' Why was she crying? That was a dumb question. Why wouldn't she be crying. She felt alone. She was scared and better yet, he hadn't treated her the greatest in the past. From day one, he had always been a jerk to her. He even refused to call her anything other than wench or some other rude name. Yet, she still sought out their friendship. She still wanted to be apart of his world even with him slipping off to see his beloved Kikyo. But she didn't know that everything had changed. His feelings towards Kikyo and his feelings towards her couldn't even be compared with one another. He had only known of one type of love until he met Kagome. Now that he had spent time with her, and she forced him to see the world through different eyes, he now had friends and they all accepted him with open arms.

Inuyasha's ears caught some of the conversation, but not enough to know what was going on in there. He thought he had heard Sango tell her that she wasn't a burden. Of course she wasn't a burden. She had saved his tail in more ways than one. Had she really believed that she did absolutely nothing?! Sure she got into some trouble here and there but who didn't? His ass was always in some kind of danger. Fortunately, he was strong enough to get out alive but that was all thanks to her. SHE made him strong.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to talk to her and make her listen before he lost her forever.

"Kagome?" He began, hand still on the mat in front of the door.

Everyone turned to look at him, gesturing him to come in and visit with them and the young girl. He hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in.

Kagome turned to look in his general direction. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

He looked at her, eyes still unbelieving on how injured she was. "How can you believe such stupid things?!"

The girl was baffled. Had he come in here just to put her down again? She felt her anger boil. "EXCUSE ME?!"

"You mean to tell me out of all that we have been through and out of all the times you have saved all of us from our inevitable death, YOU still believe that you are a burden?!" He inched closer so she could see his eyes and see that he spoke the truth. " Kagome, you are what makes us who we are. We fight to protect you because you are worth protecting. I've never met another person with such a pure soul as yours. Even though you do cause a lot of problems with your Stubbornness, you still help us out in the end. So yes, a pain in the neck but also yes, a pain in the neck worth having."

Kagome couldn't help but feel herself smile. Inuyasha had slightly insulted her but with his own way had told her that she was needed. That he believed that she had value and felt that she was worth fighting for. Inside her chest, her heart sang a happy tune. "Thank you, Inuyasha."