Chapter 1
Under the Cherry Blossom Tree

It had been a long time since Kikyou died and Inuyasha was seventeen now. He was preparing for college and everything. High school was a blast, but he didn't do as much drugs and achohal as he use to. Kikyou's parents had changed him, but since Kikyou died, he couldn't stand to be in the house. There were too many memories that he shared with Kikyou.

So, once Kikyou had died, he moved in with his brother, Sessohumaru. Sessohumaru was Inuyasha's half brother, actually. They had the same father, but very different mothers. All they really shared was their amber-colored eyes, those very hypnotizing amber eyes that would have a girl ready to collaspe just by one gaze.

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Inuyasha was walking home from school one day, when he bumped into a girl. "Sorry," he grumbled and walked on.

"That's very rude, you know," she shouted from behind him.

"Keh, why would you care?!"

"Because you bumped into me and you don't even help me up!"

"Listen--" Inuyasha turned around and he gaped. "Ki-Kikyou..."

"No, it's Higurashi Kagome. Who's Kikyou?"

"No one!" He growled.

"Wait!" Kagome caught up with him. "What's your name?"

"That's none of your concern."

"When someone runs into me, doesn't help me up, calls me by some other name and then snaps at me, then I have some right to know who the hell he is!"

"Go run home to Mommy before she begins to worry!"

"Actually, I was just home and I was leaving to go this direction until you ran into me!"

"Hmph, then just run ahead or something, I'd rather shot myself then talk to an annoying little bitch like you."

"Excuse me?! But you don't even know me!"

"Sure I do, you're a freshman that goes to my school, but I chose to ignore you because of your little friend that has a crush on my friend."

"You're talking about Sango?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Just because you know I'm a freshman and that my friend is Sango who happens to have a crush on your friend, that doesn't mean you know me."

"Sure it does, you're an annoying freshman just like the rest of them who has no idea what the real world is like and think they're so cool when they get invited to a party by someone in an upper class."

"Well, that's not me."

"Like hell it is."

"Well, then I know who you are."

"Ohh, do you now?" Inuyasha stopped and looked at the girl. She looked so much like Kikyou, but there was this lively spark in her. He ignored it and chose to hear what the girl had to say about her.

"Yup! You're a stuck up junior who thinks he's higher than everyone else even though everyone hates him because he's a hanyou. You don't really fit in anywhere and neither do I, so we're alike in that way."

"Keh, how do you not fit in?!"

"Well, I'm attracted to youkai's and hanyou's. I'm not really much for falling for humans."

"Whoop-dee damn do."

"I'm discriminated againist because of that."

"Who gives a shit? What about that stupid boyfriend of yours?"

"We just broke up, baka."

"Oh, tear, tear. Why was that?! Because you prefer youkais and hanyous over humans?!"

"Ano, yeah... All because of that."

"Wow, I'm right. So, if you don't fucking mind, I need to get home."

"Bye..."

"Hope to never see you again..."

"Wait!" Kagome touched the hanyou's hand. "What's your name?"

"Inuyasha, now fuck off!"

"Sorry..."

Kagome turned into the park and went under the cherry blossom tree which was surrounded by the lavender garden. She loved the smell and always went there to think. Now, is when she needed that smell most to soothe her.

She caught a cherry blossom in her hand and held it close to her, "Why did he have to leave me? Just because I like hanyous and youkai? Of course that's it..." Her tears fell down from her eyes, to her cheek, and on to the cherry blossom. "And that man was so rude. Inuyasha, was it? Yeah, that was it..."

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Meanwhile, Inuyasha went to his house, dropped off his backpack and left for the park. He wandered through the tall lavender garden. It was taller than him, so he could walk around without being bothered by some youkai laughing at him because he was a hanyou walking in a lavender garden. His ear twitched as he heard a girl speak.

"Yeah, that was it..." he heard the female voice say. "But still, just because I'm a human who likes hanyous and youkais, that doesn't mean he can just push me around like that. Inuyasha... Dog demon? Well, he sure has dog characteristics... The ears."

Inuyasha looked in a small pond next to him and saw his ears. He whispered quietly, "They aren't that bad."

"They're kind of cute on him..." Inuyasha snorted at her comment and she continued. "He doesn't like me... I'm an annoying, lonely, pathetic, freak-of-nature human, right?" He heard the girl sniffle and begin to cry.

Inuyasha gulped, he had made that Higurashi girl cry. He knew he was suppose to be proud of this, but he couldn't stand when someone was crying. Especially if it was him that made them cry.

He ignored this quickly and walked back home to Sessohumaru and his "kid," Rin. "Come on Rin," Sessohumaru said. "We have to get you to your flute lesssons."

"Hai," Rin jumped up from the couch and went to the door. "Hello, Inuyasha-sama!"

"Yo," Inuyasha replied, completely emotionless as Rin ran out the door.

"Better not tear the place down when I'm gone," Sessohumaru threatened.

"I'll make sure it stays spick-n-span," Inuyasha replied sarcastically.

Sessohumaru shut the door behind him. Inuyasha plopped down on the couch and all he could think about was Kagome... Her sparkling blue-gray eyes and her flowing black hair. She was perfect in everyway... She was like a copy of Kikyou, but there was something different about her, something that he couldn't figure out.

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Kagome wiped her tears away and got up to go to see Sango. What she told Inuyasha was a lie, she didn't go home and dropped off her stuff. She went to see what it was like with her gone, they acted like she had never left. It hurt her inside, but she just left and that's when she bumped into Inuyasha.

She approached her home (which was shared with Sango) and opened the door to see Sango cleaning.

"Hey Kagome," Sango said without taking one glance up. Sango was a junior and was like an older sister to Kagome. She owned a large bone boomerang which she kept up as display.

"Hey," Kagome groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Hojo broke up with me..."

"No!"

"Yes... Just because the way I feel about hanyous and youkai."

"That's cruel!"

"I know, then after I checked on my family, I bumped into this guy named Inuyasha, you know, Miroku's friend."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he was so rude. After I talked to him, I left to the park."

"Ooh." Sango sat down on the couch next to her.

"You're always up to date on gossip, Sango... Right?"

"Of course."

"Do you know who Kikyou is?"

"Kikyou?!"

"Yeah, when Inuyasha finally looked at me, he's like 'Ki-Kikyou.' So, I was wondering if you might know who she was."

"Ano, I can see why he might mistake you for Kikyou..."

"Who is she?"

"She's a girl who Inuyasha, Miroku, and I went to school with. She was only fifteen when she died..."

"Oh my."

"Yeah, you can see why Inuyasha is really mean now."

"Nani?"

"Inuyasha was adopted by Kikyou's family when he was 12 after getting out of juvi. He was really arrogant and rude, but then Kikyou kind of... Changed him, he became nicer and really sweet. Through out the years, Kikyou and Inuyasha fell for each other, you know. They were very, very close. One day, Kikyou just... Died. Just like that. Inuyasha was torn up inside and he became colder and colder by the day, until all he had left was Miroku." Sango went to the bookshelf and pulled out her yearbook from her freshman year and she pulled out a picture of a recent picture. "See, this is Kikyou her freshman year and this is you." Kagome compared the two pictures and nodded as Sango went on. "You can see why he made a mistake like that, you two look so much a like. It's like you two were sisters."

"But, I don't even know who Kikyou was," Kagome sighed.

"Still, when Inuyasha looked at you, he saw Kikyou."

Kagome frowned, He'll probaly only ever see me as Kikyou... Kagome sighed and stood up.

"Where are you going," Sango looked up at her.

"I'm just going to my room..."

"OK, if you need anything, you know how to find me. Across the hall."

"Hai..."

Kagome walked to her room, ready to cry over Inuyasha. But why? Why would she cry about that? She should be crying about Hojo, but I guess she liked Inuyasha and was hoping that Kikyou was just some cousin or something.

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Inuyasha got bored of sitting around, watching TV, and thinking about his dead love. He got up and left for Miroku's.

Inuyasha walked up to his floor and heard a smack. A blonde girl stormed past Inuyasha with her nose in the air. He walked up the stairs and saw Miroku rubbing a red hand print, "You can never hold yourself back, can you?"

"Never," Miroku replied. "What's up?"

Inuyasha walked into Miroku's apartment. Miroku's parents were on a business trip like always, so Miroku had the place to himself.

Inuyasha plopped down on the couch and opened up a cold beer can on the side table, "I saw a girl that looked just like Kikyou today."

"Really," Miroku sat down next to him, curiousity flooding through his head.

"Yeah. She looked just like her... The same hair, the body, but there was something different about her."

"I don't know what to tell you, Inuyasha. The only thing I can say is do not get drunk, all right? Do not get drunk, that's the last thing I need is driving you home and having to clean up after you."

"Keh, trust me, I won't. I'm never gonna be like my mother or my father. I never ever want to turn out like them."

"I know, I know..."

Miroku turned on the TV and began to watch some show. Inuyasha leaned slouched down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. How could it be that he found a girl that looked just like Kikyou? Was it destiny...? Nah, that destiny stuff is bullshit.

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On Saturday, all Kagome did was sit under the cherry blossom tree and think about Inuyasha. It was the only thing that could or would go through her head since she met him yesterday. She had so many questions. What was he like? Where was he born? Who was his mother and father? What was it about her that reminded him of Kikyou? Was all he saw in her was Kikyou? Did he even give a shit that she wasn't Kikyou? So many questions were remained unanswered.

Inuyasha went for a walk through the lavender garden to relax and get his thoughts in order. This Kagome girl, she seemed really strange to him. There was something about her that made his heart skip a beat sometimes when he thought about her. I guess he would never really know though. When he approached the cherry blossom tree, there he saw Kagome... Crying?

"What's up with you," Inuyasha said.

"Why do you care," Kagome sniffled.

"Because there's a girl crying under a cherry blossom tree on a bright sunny day."

"You really wanna know?"

"Why the fuck not?" Inuyasha sat next to Kagome. "I've got nothing else to do anyway."

"Well... It's just the fact that Hojo dumped me because of my taste in men, you know. Hanyous and youkais. It makes me feel really lonely and you know, with only Sango to turn to, I've got nothing much in life..."

"Don't you have that family?"

"No... My family disowned me when they found out that I adored hanyous and youkais. They just thought it wasn't the right thing, you know? I was stupid to tell them, I should've just kept it to myself. If it wasn't for Sango, I wouldn't have a home..."

"Keh, never depend on your family, I sure as hell know that."

"How do you know that?"

"That's none of your buisness!"

"I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to be rude." Kagome looked away as a tear fell down her cheek. "Besides, I'm just a copy of Kikyou right?"

"Uh... Well.... N-No, not really."

"Hm?"

"There's something different about you, Kagome. Much more different then Kikyou."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Kagome embraced him into a hug feeling warmth and security rush through her. Inuyasha seemed like a great guy after all. Nothing could ruin this moment for Kagome, nothing.

Inuyasha stared down at the girl hugging him. She looked too much like Kikyou to not be related to her or something. I guess he could pretend she was Kikyou... That would work nicely, just pretend Kikyou changed her name to Kagome.

Inuyasha felt so brilliant, and at that, he hugged Kagome in return under the cherry blossom tree, around the lavender garden, the sky as blue as it could ever get and the grass greener than it ever will be. The cherry blossom's were the loveliest pink and the lavenders where the perfect shade of purple. It was a romantic moment, but different thoughts going through different heads. One of hope and love and the other, of brilliance and pride.