Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters EXCEPT those which I create.

A Little Bit Of Different

It had been raining for hours and yet the clouds still look menacing with their dark grey coloring. The Inu-tachi had been traveling all day and one angry miko was about to lose her cool. Now over the last five years said miko had learned to reign in her temper, but when the arrogant and ignorant Inu by the name of Inuyasha was driving them like slaves that was just the topping on the proverbial cake. The day had been going rather well until about ten in the morning when they were attacked. It wasn't anything the Inu-tachi couldn't take care of, but alas the young miko was kidnapped.

Not only was she kidnapped she was rescued to only be kidnapped an hour later. Now said miko can only take so much before she completely loses her control. It wasn't that she was kidnapped it was the fact that she was kidnapped AND the day rather had decided to rapidly dissolve into the worst day ever for said miko.

After she was rescued the second time they were attacked again, then they ran into the insolent wolf youkai Koga, who then proceeded to start a fight with Inuyasha which ended with a loud resounding thud after a ear splitting scream of "sit", only to find the fair miko Kagome kidnapped again.

The day seemed to rapidly grow worse and if that wasn't bad enough it had started raining. So to say Kagome was angry would be an understatement. Kagome was royally pissed. Now three hours after it had started raining Kagome just couldn't take it anymore. Her eyebrow was twitching and she was grinding her teeth as she prepared to verbally put the hanyou in his place. "Inuyasha." called the miko sweetly. The hanyou turned around only to yell. "Quit talking, keep walking, wench." He then proceeded to turn around to continue down the muddy road. Now if it had been any other day Kagome might have taken the time into cajoling the hanyou into stopping but being that today was today and not any other day that was the last straw.

Kagome had stopped walking to try and reign in her temper. Behind her Sango and Miroku who happened to be carrying the kitsune kit Shippo slowly backed away from her in fear she might strike out at them. As quickly as her temper came it was gone. "Inuyasha." said Kagome with a deathly calmness it sacred the hanyou. He turned around only to see Kagome's face hidden behind a curtain of wet drenched hair. "I might get sick if we keep walking out in the rain." Behind the curtain of hair Kagome could see the hanyou contemplating her words and knew before he even did that he would insult her, agree, and then let them stop. So she kept her head down to hide her all knowing smirk. "Feh, stupid wench, we wouldn't want your week human body to fall ill now would we." he said, only to turn around and start walking again. "I'll find a cave or something for us to stop." he called over his shoulder.

She lifted her head and turned to see the shocked faces of Sango and Miroku only to giggle and say. "I'm so manipulative." Then she turned to keep following the hanyou. Five sits and a smack on the head by the houshis' staff finally found the Inu-tachi in a cave with a warm and cozy fire ablaze. All huddled around the fire talking amongst themselves with the exception of Inuyasha and Kagome. Now normally small talk was a given for the young priestess, but tonight was different. Something big was going to happen, her skin had been prickling all morning and she had a feeling her subconscious was trying to tell her or give her a glimpse of something. 'What is it? I wonder if it's something evil.' She thought. 'Why was I the one to be forever the protector of the jewel? Why would kami choose me? Why hasn't Inuyasha wonder about the change in my scent? Could it be he doesn't know or realize I am no longer the ningen girl he once knew but a woman who will forever be unmarred and unscarred by the passing of years?' She thought for the hundredth time. 'Does this feeling have something to do with the jewel or Naraku? Well there was no use worrying about it now, right?' With a sigh she went back to making that nights dinner, Ramen of course. The Inu-tachi ate nothing but that when they were traveling and for once it didn't sound at all appetizing.

There was nothing she could do about the feeling right now so she would have to wait for the moment when it was imperative to deal with it. She saw no reason in saying anything to the rest of the group it would only cause wariness and concern towards her and she wanted nothing of the sort. As it was she seemed to be the only one really even feeling anything remotely unusual so maybe she was being a bit over dramatic. No, definitely not there was no way this was a figment of her imagination. It felt to depressing and overbearing. 'Why has Inuyasha not smelled it yet?' Surely by now she thought she was going insane. So as everyone was finishing there food she started to clean up while wondering why it was always her that got pulled into these kind of situations. 'Kami, I feel like I'm a mother of four sometimes.' She thought. With the campsite cleaned up and everyone getting ready for a good nights sleep Kagome took the time to roll out her sleeping bag and jumping in without changing. She knew what ever was going to happen was going to happen tonight and she wanted to be prepared.

The moon climbed higher in the sky as she waited. Everyone was sleeping except Inuyasha and her. She knew she was bugging the hanyou with her constant sighing but she couldn't help it she was getting bored with waiting. With in the next fifteen minutes all hell was going to break lose, metaphorically speaking. Kagome turned to face the entrance to the cave to look deep within the forest. Off in the distance she could see the faint glow of Kikyou's shikigami. She could hear Inuyasha shifting uncomfortably torn between staying and going. He was about to settle back down when he heard Kagome's voice whisper. "Go. I know you want to. It's okay I'll stay up and watch over camp." Inuyasha just stared at her as if she had grown three heads. Here was the one girl he wished he could give his heart to but knew he couldn't for his heart had chosen another and it wouldn't let go. Something deep down inside told him he needed to wait and that one day every wrong committed against him would be rectified.

"Kagome...I..." He whispered back. What could he say to the girl whose heart he had broken one to many times? Nothing, there was nothing that would come to his mind and out his mouth. For once the loud brash hanyou had nothing else to say to the girl who gave him everything he wanted in life and expected nothing but friendship in return. She understood what was going through his mind and in all seriousness it was fine that he was in love with another. She, of course, stilled loved him but just not in the way he was thinking she did. So now would be the right time to tell him. Sitting up she looked straight at him and held his gaze. "Inuyasha...you can't help who you love. You have no say. I love you I really do, but I don't love you the way your thinking. In the beginning when it was just you and I, of course I was in love with you. How could I not be? You were everything I never knew. Your bold, brash, loud, courageous and what really sets you apart from others is your drive and desire for life, one you couldn't have. The one you have now. The one you'll never know and the one the that has yet to come. All I ask of you Inuyasha, is to think of all of us when you go. Go with caution. Think this time before you act. I know it's hard to accept that the one you love isn't really the one you fell in love with, but believe me when I say this, because I say this for you safety as well as the rest of us. She may look like Kikyou and she may have the memories of Kikyou, but the shell that houses a part of her soul is and never will be her. It's not her time to be here yet. Her time has yet to come again. One day when all of this is over Inuyasha you will understand what I mean when I say I am but am not the reincarnation of Kikyou. So go, go to her!" She said.

That night she watched as her friend left knowing it would be the last time she would see him for years. She knew that night when she told him she loved him no longer as a potential life mate but as a friend, a confidant, as a brother, that he would leave to search his soul for the answers he so wished to know. So that night as she stood at the entrance to the cave she whispered into the wind "Be free. Be Safe but always come back." Her voice carried to him. He stopped in his trek towards Kikyou to turn and whisper back. "I always will." Not sure if his voice carried across the distance he prayed she knew he would. And she did and she never lost hope. Where the others would have given up she was the one who always pulled them out of it. So the young priestess held true to her word. It would be another year before she would see her hanyou friend. Another year before they would meet and once again become the group they were meant to be. It would be another year before he would come back and find everything he knew changed and the woman he loved as a sister would be in...well...love.

So this is my first fanfic ever. I've no experience what so ever. Constructive criticism is and always will be appreciated. So please, please, please be gentle. Please no flames. I can't help it if I've made grammatical and spelling errors. I don't have an editor as of yet. So I hope you enjoy all I've written. I will try to make updates an every two to three days thing.

Love from

Kumorimaru