Finally getting around to updating this. As the story is progressing, I'm thinking it's going to be more than four parts. Maybe five or six, but let me know how you like it!

Flashback Continued…

The next morning, when I showed up at school, Inuyasha was waiting for me outside. He was leaning against the chain-link fence, one hand resting on the strap of his book bag, his other hand in his pocket. One foot was placed against the fence, and he was staring hard at the ground, like he was contemplating something. When I got close, he looked up and his serious expression was replaced by a softer one. "Hi," I said.

But he wouldn't meet my gaze. "Morning," he said as he pushed off the fence, the metal rattling from the force of his weight, and walked beside me. He didn't say a word, as he walked me to my first class. He held the door open for me, but refused to look at me, directly.

Awkwardly, I glanced from him to the open doorway, "Thank you," I said. He simply nodded and kept his eyes on a crack in the door. I sighed, and hooked my thumbs through the straps of my bag, walking through the threshold and hearing the door shut behind me.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, Inuyasha crowding my thoughts as I tried to concentrate on what my teachers were saying. As the bell rang signaling the end of my last class, I looked down at my open notebook and realized the only thing I had written was the date. I sighed and stood up, placing the book in my bag, and walking out of the room. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall, "Hi," he said, giving me a small smile.

"Hi," I said, stunned to see him. He followed me to my locker, and waited, while I switched my books, grabbing the few I needed for homework. As I zipped my bag shut, I heard him ask, "Do you need to be home soon?"

Puzzled, I shut my locker and looked at him. "No."

He leaned closer, leveling me with his amber gaze. "Come with me?" he asked in a soft tone. And I stared into his eyes, consumed by the golden orbs.

"Okay."

I didn't think. I needed to know why someone I had never officially met could somehow make the pain in my chest dissipate. He pushed off the lockers and glanced back, waiting for me. I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed him out of the school.

We walked to the park and I started heading toward one of the picnic benches, but Inuyasha gestured beside me, "This way," he said, leading me off the beaten path. It occurred to me that I was blindly following someone I barely knew to a secluded area, but I couldn't ignore the safe feeling I got from being around him. My feet walked on their own, as if under some compulsion to follow the mysterious boy in front of me. No matter what my mind was trying to tell me, my heart implored me to follow.

He walked me all the way down the path, toward the lake. It was shady, and slightly cooler than it was in the sun. We walked all the way down to the water bank, kicking our shoes off and sitting on the grass. The sun was setting, turning the water a brilliant, orange. There was a slight breeze, and I shivered. He noticed and stripped off his jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to me.

"No, it's okay." I said shaking my head. He pushed it toward me and I took it, wrapping it around my shoulders and relaxing into the soft material.

Inuyasha leaned back on the grass, resting his weight on his elbow and staring out at the water. I wasn't sure how to broach the subject, so I just sat looking at the grass, noticing the small yellow flowers. I don't know how long we sat there in silence, but it was him who spoke first. "How's your knee?" he looked at bandage covering my skin.

I followed his gaze, tilting my knee upward. "Better, it doesn't hurt much anymore." He nodded, and before he could say anything else, I added, "Thank you for yesterday," while peering at him from beneath my eyelashes.

"You're welcome," he said, softly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes and the anticipation was killing me. I needed to know why he had decided to intervene, but I didn't know how to ask. I turned to look at him, biting my lip. Hesitantly, I ventured, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he said, nonchalantly, looking back out at the water.

"Why did you help me, yesterday?" A flush was working its way up my neck and starting to color my cheeks.

He shrugged, "I thought I could help."

"Yes, but why?" I pressed.

"You've been melancholy, lately" he said, finally turning to look at me. I stared back, surprised. I didn't expect him to be so blunt. But I also didn't think anyone had noticed at school. I thought I had hidden it better than that.

I looked down, embarrassed. My hair falling over my shoulder to cover my face. "Don't do that." I heard him say. He reached forward and brushed my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. "Don't hide." He gazed at me, and I was transfixed by the comforting look in his eyes.

"I haven't told anyone yet." I said in a strangled voice. My chest tightening from the tears trying to break their way through. I forced them back, not wanting to cry in front of him.

"Tell me" he said. He didn't look away, and I felt myself unraveling, the fragile hold I had on reality was slipping from my grasp. I broke eye contact. I couldn't say it. If I did, it would make it real and I just couldn't handle it. I felt my throat constricting, and it was getting harder to breath. Suddenly, I felt his warm hand take hold of mine. The soft padding of his thumb calmed me as he smoothed it over my skin. I caught his eyes, and saw such warmth that all the bad feelings start to ebb and fade away. I stared at him and the words flow free.

"My dad was killed in a car accident." I squeezed my eyes shut. My mind was reeling. Why had I just told him that? Because he makes you feel safe. Because he numbs the pain.

"Were you close to him?" he asked gently, still squeezing my hand.

"Yes," I managed to choke out. I opened my eyes and Inuyasha was closer than he'd been before. We stared at each other and the world seemed to shrink to just the two of us. For the first time in two days, the immense sadness was lifted from my shoulders and I felt the pain cease. I kept going.

"He was always there, I keep thinking I'll walk in the house and he'll be there—he won't." Inuyasha kept his intense gaze on me, and I felt the first of the tears start to fall down my cheek. I reached up with the hand he wasn't holding to swipe it away, but he caught it, shaking his head at me, gently.

"Let it out," he said. "All of it."

The tears started coming faster. "He's gone. He's gone, and I don't know how to deal with it."

"Let me help you." He said, folding me in his arms, and leaning me against his chest. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and cried. He let me.

"It gets better," he said, stroking my back. I fisted his shirt in my hands and pulled him closer. He moved his hand in smooth circles around my back. What he said next surprised me most of all. "I lost my mother when I was young. I never knew my dad." I was speechless. Inuyasha was a loner, but he was letting me in and allowing me to share the pain. "I know what you're going through. It's hard, but it won't always hurt so much."

I shook my head against his chest. "I don't hurt. I just feel numb."

"That might be better."

More tears spilled down my cheeks, "I still miss him."

"Tell me about him." He said, and when I didn't speak, he said. "It helps, trust me." He laid his cheek against the top of my head, and waited.

I looked out on the water and allowed the memories to rise to the surface. "He was kind. He had soft brown eyes and a warm smile. His laugh was so contagious, it made you laugh." Inuyasha sat listening, intently, while I talked. "He was always there for me. When I was a young, he kept the nightmares at bay, and even as I grew older, he always made me feel safe. I'd come home from school and he'd pull me into a hug, greet me with a smile, like it was the best part of his day."

I stopped talking, momentarily, and Inuyasha held me tighter. I felt like I was wrapped in a cocoon, and the rest of the world didn't exist. I felt weightless, like all the problems in the world couldn't reach me, while I was in his arms. "He can't hug me anymore," I whispered. "He's gone and I feel like I lost a piece of myself, and I don't know how to function without it." My voice cracked and I drew in a ragged breath. My voice rising as I said "He's gone, Inuyasha."

I couldn't hold them back anymore. The tears started pouring down my face before I could stop them. I put my head in my hands and sobbed uncontrollably, Inuyasha pulled me closer, smoothing my hair and letting me cry. I don't know how long I stayed in his arms, but he never ceased his comforting caress.

When my tears dried, I turned toward him, "How did you know I needed this?"

He peered down at me, stroking my cheek with a gentle hand.

"Because I know you."