Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it (unfortunately)
*This story is dedicated to a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. I'm sorry Fate took everything away from you.
I Wish It Was Different
Ch. 3: "Homesick Already?!"
She ran to them as fast as she could. The lack of air made her lungs ache. He was hurting her! She had to stop him!
The woman being choked turned to the girl trying to reach them.

"Sanbi..." the woman barely whispered.

The man's hands around her neck tightened, and the woman made a choking sound.

"NO! STOP HURTING HER!"

The woman looked at Sanbi desperately. "No, Saiai-chan... run away!"

"I WON'T! I WON'T LEAVE YOU!"

Sanbi jumped at the man still choking the woman. She had to stop him!
Sanbi shot straight up from her sleeping bag. The camp fire was still going, however, it was still dark. *A dream....*
Sanbi thought to herself. *It was just a dream....*

"You looked like you were having a nightmare." a voice told her.

Sanbi looked around. Miroku, Shippou, and Sango were still asleep. That meant the voice belong to none other than
Inu Yasha.

"It was that and nothing more!" Sanbi snapped at him.

"You know, you're just like Kagome! You're personalities are the same! You look the same! Why did you have to look like
her?!" Inu Yasha clamped his mouth shut, but the words were already out.

Sanbi stared at Inu Yasha. What was he saying?! Was Inu Yasha annoyed of her because she looked exactly like Kagome?

A strange sense of dajia vu came to Sanbi. Her Anma-chan told her often of Inu Yasha's annoyance with her because she
looked so much like a miko woman named Kikyo. Sanbi looked a bit further passed the statement. Could it be that Inu Yasha
was actually.... in LOVE with Kagome?!

Sanbi wanted to laugh at herself. Though Kagome, her Anma-chan, told her about the many adventures she had with Inu Yasha
and the gang, never once did Kagome dig deeper into the more intimate parts between her and Inu Yasha.

Sanbi, herself, was at fault as well. She always thought the stories she heard from Kagome were just, well, stories. Sanbi
always thought it was Kagome's little dream world to help her escape from her... current one. As Kagome got deeper into the
details as Sanbi got older, Sanbi was beginning to think Kagome was crazy!

Sure, she admitted to Sanbi her deepest emotion towards Inu Yasha, and something else as well, but, never did Kagome
mention the intimacy that occurred.... if there was even THAT in their complicated relationship! So Sanbi answered in the
best way she could.

"Because of a little thing called 'genes'."

"What the hell are 'genes'?!"

"It's every person's genetic make up."

Inu Yasha stared at Sanbi like she was an alien from outer space, with 20 heads, and she was breathing fire. Sanbi sighed.

"You see how your hair is silver?"

Inu Yasha nodded.

"Well, you inherited that from one of your parents. The claws on your hands, you inherited it. All of these are 'genes'.
The color of your eyes...."

Sanbi trailed off as she looked deep into Inu Yasha's golden-yellow eyes. Those intense yellow eyes held mystery, and
emotions Sanbi never even thought existed. They were just as Kagome described them, and more.

"What is your problem?"

Inu Yasha's rude statement snapped Sanbi out of her trance.

"Uh, well," Sanbi continued. "2+2=6."

Inu Yasha stared at her.

"Right." he continued. Sanbi realized what subject they were on.

"Oh, yea! Well, sometimes genes can skip a generation, and that's how I look like Anma-chan. Though, I have no idea how
that is possible with the issue of Anma-chan being a reincarnation of Kikyo, but--"

Sanbi cut herself shot when she looked ay Inu Yasha. He looked like a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"How do you know about Kikyo?" Inu Yasha asked a little too calmly.

"How else? Anma-chan told me."

"That wench told you about her?! What else?!"

Sanbi was taken back by Inu Yasha's outburst.

"Why are you taking it so defensively?! She was tricked by Naraku, and you were tricked by him as well! What is so Earth
shattering about that?!"

Sanbi, of course, knew more about the issue with Kikyo then she was willing to tell Inu Yasha. But just for now, she was
going to act like she didn't know more than that.

"OH?! AND SHE EVEN TOLD YOU ABOUT NARAKU?!"

Sanbi shushed him, and looked at the three still sleeping soundly. Were they used to it?! Or are they fake-sleeping?!

"Hai. So I know who we are dealing with."

Inu Yasha stared at Sanbi for a while again.

"Keh! You have NO idea who we are dealing with, little girl!"

"Anma-chan gave me a crash course."

"That still isn't as bad as having personal experience about him! Even Kagome had no idea who she was up against, so I
don't expect you to know!"

"I can take a wild guess!"

"And guessing is all you are going to be doing! Just when you thought you had him figured out, Naraku keeps handing out
surprises like candy!"

"..... Is he really that bad?"

"Keh. You don't know the HALF of it!"

Sanbi thought about that for a while.

"Did he have anything to do with Kikyo the night Anma-chan was hurt and went back to our time permanently?"

Sanbi suddenly realized her mouth had run away from her, and she blurted out the fact that she knew more about Kikyo than
Inu Yasha probably wanted her to know. Already she could see steam coming out of Inu Yasha's dog ears.

"Uh, well, what I meant was--"

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, WENCH!"

Again, Sanbi had a strange sense of daija vu. Kagome told her the same lines Inu Yasha said that fateful night. Instead of
arguing with him, mostly because she sympathize with the half breed, she decided to let the subject drop.

"You're right. It is none of my business. Gomen nasai."

Inu Yasha stared at Sanbi again. Had he heard right?! Then it hit him. While Kagome would have challenged him, Sanbi was
more submissive. And the look in her eyes... the desperate loneliness was the exact same loneliness Kikyo had. The same
loneliness that made Inu Yasha fall for Kikyo due to the fact he, himself, was also lonely.

Could it be possible everyone made a mistake, and Kagome wasn't the reincarnation of Kikyo, but this Sanbi person? Inu
Yasha decided to test this new theory.

"Keh! You talk too much!"

"Hai... I suppose I do..."

There it was again! The deep loneliness in her eyes that Kikyo gave him so many years ago. But Kikyo had a reason to be
lonely! She had to be human, yet act as though she wasn't human in order to protect the Shikon no Tama from so many demons.
What was this girl's reason to be lonely?!

"It's getting lighter." Sanbi told the hanyou in a soft voice. "Perhaps I should get some more sleep before we continue
the quest."

Sanbi settled back down in her futon. Inu Yasha watched her for a while, when he remembered what he was supposed to ask
her in the first place.

"Oi, Sanbi?"

"Hm?"

"Just what was it you were dreaming about?"

"Oh.... nothing."

Silence again.

"Oi, Sanbi?"

"Hm?"

".... Did Kagome ever talk about me... us?"

After a while Sanbi didn't answer, and Inu Yasha thought she was asleep. He was about to go back to his place on a tree
branch.

"All the time."

"Eh?"

"She talked about you all the time." Sanbi repeated herself. "She never stopped thinking about you... and about everyone
here. She said she was sorry for what she did."

*It wasn't her fault.* Inu Yasha thought to himself.

"She wanted to return. She wanted to return so desperately that she cried out your name in her sleep... I even offered to
come back with her, but something was holding her back... Anma-chan loved you, Inu Yasha. She loved you."

Inu Yasha froze. Kagome was in LOVE with him?! *No! That can't be right! It just can't be!* Inu Yasha thought of all the
times Kagome cared about him. How she was always worried about him. Then it hit him. Kagome is in love with him! Why didn't
he see it before?!

All the times she felt hurt because she constantly found Kikyo in his arms. Inu Yasha felt a pang of guilt in his side,
and it traveled up his spine. In desperation to get rid of this agonizing guilt and loneliness, Inu Yasha looked down at
Sanbi.

"Oi, Sanbi?" Inu Yasha uncharacteristically whispered softly. After Sanbi didn't answer again for a while, Inu Yasha
thought she was finally asleep.

"Nani?"

"Are you lonely?"

Again, Sanbi didn't answer right away, which was starting to annoy Inu Yasha. He was once again thinking of going back
to his branch again.

"Desperately."

"Eh?"

"I'm desperately lonely."

"Oh." Inu Yasha leaned over Sanbi. Her eyes widened at the lack of space between them. "Naze?" Inu Yasha whispered. "Why?"

Sanbi opened her mouth to answer him, but then it closed again. Instead, she sat up and wrapped her arms around Inu Yasha,
and buried her face in his chest. The cold air nipped at her skin, though Sanbi could care less. She needed to feel human
warmth. She needed to feel loved, fore she was truly, desperately lonely.

Sanbi didn't let go of Inu Yasha as she laid back down on her futon. Inu Yasha blushed deeply as he realized how wrong
this looked. Here he was, getting fresh with Kagome's granddaughter, whom he met only yesterday! Inu Yasha was about to
yank himself from Sanbi's hold when she lightly pushed him away from her, yet kept him close.

"Onegai. Please, Inu Yasha. Stay here and watch over me until I fall asleep. I feel safer that way."

"What are you afraid of?"

But Sanbi just closed her heavy eyes, and called desperately for sleep to claim her once more. All the while, even when
Sanbi was deep in dreamland, Inu Yasha watched over her. *Kagome,* Inu Yasha thought. *I swear to you, wherever you are, I
swear I will protect your granddaughter for your sake.* And he put a hand on the hilt of Tesuiguia.
The next morning, when the day was still young, Sanbi woke up with everyone else, acting as if nothing happened earlier
in the morning. In fact, Inu Yasha acted as if nothing happened.

"We'll head East." Inu Yasha told the group. "I heard rumors from that direction."

"But that's away from the well!" Sanbi told the half demon.

"Keh! Are you so worried about going home? Do you want to go home already?!"

"Ano... yes... but I can stick it out."

"Keh! You better! 'Cause if you go home, I'm going back there and dragging you back! You, or Kagome!"

At the mention of Kagome, Sanbi became distraught, even though she tried to hide it.

"I'm sure Anma-chan can't come, because it would be difficult for her to travel."

"Is she that old?" Shippou asked, which got him some good knocks to the head from Inu Yasha.

"Uh-"

"We are wasting time!" Inu Yasha yelled.
The group traveled into a remote area filled with planes that stretched for miles. Inu Yasha occasionally sniffed the air.

"Oi! Sanbi! Can you sense anything?"

"What do you-"

Suddenly, a huge pack of youkai surrounded the group. Inu Yasha pulled out a transformed Tesuiguia, while Sango got her
boomerang ready, and Miroku started to unwrap the prayer beads around his hand. Sanbi suddenly became aware of a strange
buzzing.

"What is that buzzing?!" she asked.

Miroku turned to her. "What?!"

"I said, what is that buzzing?!"

Miroku looked around, and sure enough, the demon wasps were surrounding the group and youkai. Miroku frowned and placed
his beads back around his hand. In the mean time, Inu Yasha fought off the surrounding youkai, while everyone else dealt
with the wasps.

"Oi! Wench!" Inu Yasha called to Sanbi while dodging a youkai. "Where are the Shards?!"

"I-I don't know!"

"NANI?!" Inu Yasha dodged again. "DIDN'T THAT OTHER WENCH TELL YOU HOW TO DETECT THEM?!"

"NO!"

"BUT SHE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO TELL YOU--" Dodge! "ABOUT KIKYO?!" another dodge.

"SHE SAID NEVER TO COME TO THIS TIME!"

"AND YET YOU DID?!"

Sanbi frowned even more. "I NEVER LISTEN TO ANYONE!"

"I CAN TELL THAT!"

Sanbi frowned even more. "I HOPE YOU GET SWALLOWED UP BY THAT YOUK--"

Sanbi suddenly felt something. It was like something was pulling her vision to a certain spot on all the youkai's bodies.
She saw shiny pink lights. *How can I sense them?!* She looked at Inu Yasha, who's fight was growing desperate. *But I have
to help him! It's what Anma-chan would have done!*

"Inu Yasha! There's a Shikon shard in that youkai's head!" Sanbi pointed to a youkai with sharp claws and fangs. Inu Yasha
smirked. *She is good for something after all!*

He brought Tesuiguia down. One more shard collected.

"That one!"

Swing. Another shard.

"And that one!"

Swing.

"And that one!"

Swing.

It went on until all the youkai were destroyed, and then they collected the shards. After Inu Yasha counted the shards,
he looked at Sanbi.

"Well, you are good for something!"

Sanbi was about to go off on the ungrateful half breed, when Sango stopped her. "You have to look through what he says.
What he really is saying is, 'Thanks for your help, Sanbi! I couldn't have done it without you'!"

Sanbi nodded. Suddenly, yet another youkai came out of the ground. This one was a twenty foot youkai with horns and
sharp teeth, as well as claws. Inu Yasha pulled out a transformed Tesuiguia yet again, and leaped towards the youkai.
The huge youkai bared it's sharp teeth, and smack Inu Yasha out of the way.
Inu Yasha landed a couple feet from the huge youkai, and the demon towered over Inu Yasha. Just as the youkai was about
to bring down the fatal blow with it's enormous claws, an arrow was suddenly shot into the youkai's throat. Then another
through the jugular vein, and the fatal one through the head.

The youkai fell backwards, and Inu Yasha got to his feet, looked behind him, and was surprised to see Sanbi with a bow
in her hand, while her other hand was still in posing. Sanbi smiled at Inu Yasha.

"You're right. I am good for something."

Inu Yasha just growled at her. "Who taught you archery anyway?!"

"Who else?"

"Kagome." Shippou stated.

"Hai."

Inu Yasha pondered that more. While it took Kagome probably years to master archery, Sanbi was a master at it at the age
of fifteen! Once again, Inu Yasha was pondering whether Sanbi was the true reincarnation of Kikyo.
"Home! Home on the range!" Sanbi sang out loud, much to every else's misery. "Where the deer and the antelope play!
Where no traffic is heard..... wait! I don't think that's right! Let me try to sing that again-"

"NO!" everyone else in the group shouted at the same time.

"How about another song?"

"NO!" they shouted together again.

"Aw! You guys are no fun!"

"What isn't fun," Inu Yasha stated. "Is your singing!"

"And you can sing better?!"

"Damn straight!"

"Let's hear it then!"

"Please guys!" Sango interrupted. "This is no time to fight!"

"He started it!"

"You started it with your singing!"

"Why you--"

"Please!" Miroku pleaded, then mumbled to Sango, "He fights with her like he did with Kagome!"

Sango nodded, and Miroku took the opportunity to grope her. Suddenly the poor priest had a new lump on his head.

"Hentai!"

After a few more hours of walking, Sanbi, as well as the others took a little break.

"Whew!" Sanbi exclaimed as she sat on a rock under a shaded tree. "I've never walked this much! Anma-chan always said
she walked miles upon endless miles with you guys, but I never expected this!"

Inu Yasha snorted. "Get used to it!"

Shippou sat at Sanbi's feet with his back up against the rock. While Shippou took a good liking to Sanbi, it just didn't
feel right for him to climb up into her lap like he used to with Kagome. That was something only him and Kagome shared.
Just the two of them.

Sango waved her hand in front of her face to cool herself off a bit. Miroku looked at Sango desperately, with a hint of
pervertion in his eyes.

"Well, at least we're getting good exercise!" Sango exclaimed.

"You know, my Anma-chan always said--" Sanbi started, but was interrupted.

"Is Kagome all you ever talk about?! Damn! For the way you talk about her, you act as though you worship her!"

"I don't worship her! I admire her deeply! ....and I love her even more."

"Keh! You worship her!"

"I admire her! And I have very good reasons as to why I do!"

"Oh?! And why is that?"

"Because Anma-chan was a very strong woman!"

"Strong?! Ha! That wench couldn't even protect herself!"

Sanbi stood up with her fists clenched. Her eyes were cold enough to make the over heated Sango shiver and beg for a coat.

"She did protect herself! And her child! She stayed strong even when Grampa would hit her!"

Everyone froze. Inu Yasha whirled around and faced Sanbi with a look of concern.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I said that Anma-chan would stay strong even when Ojii-san would hit her!"

It took a while for this new, as well as very shocking, information to sink into their brains.

"Please define 'hit'." Sango exclaimed.

"Hit. To cause physical and emotional pain to another."

"What did that guy do to my Kagome-chan?!" Shippou asked, about ready to go back to the well and rip the guy apart.
However, Sanbi remained silent. Her eyes had a look of distant memory in them.

"I.... I can't tell you.... yet. I'll somehow find a way to tell you."

It took a while for everyone to get over their shock, but as everyone knows, the search for the Shikon shards must
continue. So everyone got up and they were back to traveling.
As the group traveled on a dirt path, questions were raised in Sanbi's head that she felt just had to be answered. So she
stole a moment alone with Inu Yasha, while they still traveled on.

"Inu Yasha? What kind of relationship did you have with my Anma-chan?"

Inu Yasha's looked distant. Like he was remembering something from long ago, yet also the memory was precious.

"It was strictly business. She was the Shikon detector, and I had to protect her because of that."

Sanbi had a feeling it was much more than that. While Inu Yasha displayed a secret crush on Kagome, she, Kagome, on the
other hand, displayed much more deeper feelings toward the hanyou. It was obviously love on Kagome's part, but with the
stubborn half breed, it was very hard to tell.

Maybe it was strictly business. Maybe it was unrequited love on Kagome's part. Sanbi wished she knew more than what she
currently knew. She knew about Kagome's feelings for Inu Yasha, but she wanted to know the other side as well.

"You are being quiet all of a sudden." Inu Yasha stated, more to himself than to Sanbi.

"I was just thinking."

"About what? Eh?"

"Home."

"What?! You're homesick already?!"

"Hai."

"What is so great about home, anyway?!"

"Business. Strictly business."
To Be Continued....
Next chapter: "The Worst Is Found Out"
Preview for next Chapter:

"We want to see Kagome!" Shippou whined.

"I can't just go home and get her!" Sanbi explained.

Inu Yasha grabbed Sanbi by the collar.

"Get her now! I want that stupid kitsune to shut up!"

Sambi stared at him coldly. "Fine." she told him coldly. "I'll got get her."
AN: okays people's! I can explain why this chapter is late! I have been sick and couldn't get this done. Yet I still
finished this chapter despite the fact I have an invisible vice around my head that keeps tightening! T_T heeeelp!! T_T
And I'm STILL waiting for that review from my boyfriend... NICK!!!!! IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME MY REVIEW I'LL DO SOMETHING VERY
DRASTIC IN FRONT OF EVERYONE IN SCHOOL!!!! *ehm* too much Halloween candy... heh!! but I still want that review,
anata!! ^_^
Review response:

Lyn/Lin: *sniff* that's okay. Can you give my story one more chance? Please? *makes puppy eyes*

QueenPiscies: *starts making choking sounds* i made this chapter just for you... ^_^()

Emcronia: Do you still like it?

Animaniac Girl: *starts jumping with joy* Woooohoooo! *glomp* I'm glad you love it! ^_^ I know how parents can be!
My parents quote: "How are you going to get a job if those stupid Japanese cartoons?" Yep. That's parents.... -_-()

DemonBlade: thanx! ^_^

notaningen: You find out a little later on... you don't hate me now do you? *sad puppy eyes*

Hanamaru825: Happy early birthday present for you! ^_^ 4th coming up!

Miyomi Watanabe: 0_o ...noises coming from the closet? That's okay! I know a friend who always says "I do what the
voices in my pants tell me to do!"

automatpeoa: Well, I updated the fic just for you! (and everyone else) ^_^

Kells: What happened between Inu Yasha and Kagome that fateful day will be explained... a little later.... -_-()
please don't hate me!!