Disclaimer: Needless to say, I don't own Inuyasha. You are a very evil person for making me admit it.

Thank you everyone for all those wonderful reviews! I got more than I expected for a InuXKik story! Well, I just hope I don't disappoint you. I will do my best to make this story up to most of your standards. If you read my bio, you should've been informed that this would be posted a week from July 19, 2004.

I lied.

So it's a day late. Sue me. I didn't know my brother was getting another DDR mat!

WARNING: This story may not be suitable for people who waste their lives hating. Of course, when I say hating, I mean hating Kikyou. Do not say I did not warn you, because I will only respond by saying a sentence that contains the words Inuyasha, Kikyou, bed, love and happily ever after in a specific order, in which case you will respond to by exploding. Arigato and enjoy. And remember, Bush does not give a damn, so you shouldn't give a fu--::gets abducted by the government::

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Scroll Two

A Same Difference

Kikyou was resting against a tree, looking off into the distance as she usually did. But unlike most other times, she found herself thinking about...him. That half-demon who called himself Inuyasha. And she didn't like it.

She didn't like it at all.

'Why am I constantly thinking about him? Is it because I feel we are so much alike? Alike in being total outcasts? Or is it something...else?' she thought.

He hadn't shown up since their last encounter, which had been two days ago, and somehow, it saddened Kikyou. She had thought that he'd be more persistent than that. If he had heeded her words, he would be the first.

She carefully took off the sacred jewel that adorned her neck. It had been a short three weeks since she had been given it. Ever since then, many demons and humans alike had come to try and take it from her.

All had failed.

As she looked at the jewel, her face started to show some expression as it turned sad.

'Maybe under different circumstances...'

She closed her hand tightly around the jewel and held it against her chest.

'Maybe...'

"Sister Kikyou! Sister Kikyou! I have found the herbs ye wanted me to find!"

Kikyou was brought back to reality by her younger sister's outburst. She saw her running towards her with a handful of healing herbs that she had been assigned to find.

"Good job Kaede. You have made your elder sister proud." Kikyou said when she finished examining the herbs. Kaede laughed. "Thank you, sister."

It was then that Kaede noticed Kikyou holding something in her fist.

"What is that?" Kaede asked.

Kikyou looked down towards her hand and noticed the jewel was still clenched tightly in her fist.

"The sacred jewel." she began, showing Kaede the whole jewel, "I have been entrusted with the duty of keeping it pure."

"Really? Why?" Kaede asked.

"The lord of these lands has asked me to guard it."

"Why?"

"I am the only one who can keep it purified."

"Why?"

"Kaede, you ask too many questions. Come, we must take these herbs to the village across the river. They are in desperate need for them."

"Yes, sister."

Kikyou and Kaede made their way towards the neighboring village, going as quickly as possible towards their destination. On their way there, Kikyou couldn't help but think of that hanyou again.

'Why do I constantly think of him?' she thought. 'This is not how I am.'

"What is troubling ye sister?"

Kaede's question startled her. Not only because she forgot Kaede was with her, but also because Kaede could tell something was up.

"Nothing is the matter." Kikyou said, ignoring the face her sister made, which implied that she didn't believe her.

'Is it that obvious?'

Just then, the lord of the lands that Kikyou had spoken of was coming in their direction.

"Kaede, stand aside. The lord is coming." She whispered to her younger sister.

Both Kikyou and Kaede stood to the side of the path they were traveling in, making way for the lord to pass by them. As he passed, Kikyou bowed down to him politely, without making eye contact, as was the custom. As he passed, she noticed that a beautiful woman with long black hair, dressed in dark priestess clothing accompanied him.

Kaede's curiosity was going berserk this morning, and she had to ask her elder sister,

"Sister, who was that priestess."

"Her name is Tsubaki." Answered Kikyou, watching them disappear into the distance. "Hurry. The people are waiting." Kikyou said, before Kaede could ask anymore questions.

Kikyou and Kaede hurried their way towards the village where many villagers had been bitten by a demon rat. (Yes, a demon rat. I can't think of anything else right now!) Fortunately, the villagers had destroyed it, and though some had gotten away with only scratches and bruises, others had not been so lucky. It was those unlucky few whom Kikyou had to attend to.

After asking where the injured villagers were, Kikyou and Kaede went to help them. As they entered the hut, Kikyou saw that it was only five men who had been injured.

After examining their injuries, Kikyou ordered a bowl of water and settled down to work. It was, as if Kikyou was a doctor and Kaede a nurse, bringing anything Kikyou needed for the "operation".

It was sometime after lunch when Kikyou was bandaging up the last man, carefully wrapping his torso, where he had been hit. He had luckily dodged the rat's attack, making his injury the least worse out of all the men.

"A couple days of bed rest and you should be able to walk around again. Until then, do not make any sudden movements or attempts to stand up." Said Kikyou, keeping a monotonous voice. She was so used to that lifeless voice hers now.

"I shall inform the lord of the great deed you have performed today." Said the man. "I am sure he will reward you."

Kikyou continued to bandage him, but couldn't help the curiosity that was starting to consume her mind. It seemed this man knew the lord quite well.

"There is no need for his highness to know of my actions. I am merely carrying out my duty as a priestess." She responded.

"Yet it will mean a great deal to him, for you see, I am his nephew." He said.

Kikyou couldn't help but look up at him in utter amazement. What was a man like him doing in a poor village like this? He looked like nothing more than a mere villager! He could not possibly be telling the truth!

When he saw that Kikyou said nothing because she did not completely believe him, he said, "I have come to visit my uncle. I am dressed as a villager because I was traveling incognito. I was passing through this village, when I was suddenly attacked by that demon. These other men next to me are my guards." He pointed at the four men next to him, who were sleeping away the day.

"I see..." said Kikyou. "So your lord uncle has not been informed you are here?"

"No, he has not. I have not had a chance to send someone to inform him of my presence." He said.

"Do not worry. I shall send my younger sister to notify him. Kaede, go to the lord's castle and inform him that in this village is his nephew..."

"Oh. I am sorry for not properly introducing myself. My name is Hiroshi Kurabawa. Please tell him that I am injured and in need of assistance to arrive at his castle."

Kaede, who had been silently sitting against a wall in the hut, nodded her head and headed off to the lord's castle.

"It shall be most certainly appreciated, Lady...?" He paused for Kikyou to give her name.

"Kikyou."

"Kikyou, eh? Well, my Lady Kikyou, I thank you for your assistance today."

"There is no need to thank me. As I have said, I am merely carrying out my duties."

And with that, she excused herself from his presence, and headed off to her village.

As she made her way back, she stopped to help out the neighboring villagers with their questions about demons and such, advising them to let her know about any demons that needed to be exterminated instead of them trying to take care of demons themselves. When she was back across the river, she let out a long sigh.

'It's been a long day today.' She thought. She was completely exhausted and wanted to get back to her hut and rest for the rest of the day, even though the sun was still up. In an hour or two, it would be sundown.

Kikyou slowly made her way through the forest, having bow and arrow ready for any ambushes that may be awaiting her. She walked carefully through the path that had been made because of years of traveling to and from the village, keeping eyes and ears alert.

As she was walking, she noticed she had ended up in the same spot where she had met Inuyasha. Her arrows weren't there anymore, but the depth that they had made on the tree would stay for many years.

Inuyasha.

'Where are you...?' she thought.

As if on cue, she felt her heart start to beat unusually faster, and that only happened when there was danger around. She froze, concentrating all her senses to her surroundings, scanning the area with her eyes, and listening for any unusual noises. She thought she saw something to her right but wasn't sure until she heard something to her right as well. When she saw something jump out at her, she quickly and gracefully shot one, two, three, four, five and six arrows.

'Somehow, I knew it was him.' She thought, fighting the feeling of joy she felt when she saw the demon she had pinned to the tree.

"Dammit, bitch! How the hell did you know I was there!?" he exclaimed. She could tell he was furious, by the way his eyebrows formed a V on his forehead and the violent attempts he made to free himself from her arrows.

"I thought I told you not to come here anymore." She said calmly. Why was she enjoying this so much?

"And you expected me to listen to you? Please..."

"You should have. I do not wish to waste any more of my arrows."

"Then stop shooting me, bitch!"

"Then stop coming here."

"Then give me the jewel!"

"No."

"Goddammit! You're a stubborn wench!"

"You're one to talk."

He hated this. He had been spending the last two days devising a plan to confuse her into thinking that she would never see him again and making her let her guard down. Only then would he be able to snatch the jewel from her. Apparently, it hadn't worked.

'How can she be that good at archery? She looks just like any other human girl I've seen.'

No she didn't. He knew she wasn't like any other human he had ever met. She was a very calm and emotionless woman, very odd for her kind. Even when he had pretended to try to kill her, she never showed any emotion and stayed as calm as anyone else would have if they were bored to death. And she always had on that poker face of hers and her brown eyes never showed any real emotion. At least not in their last encounter. Today, he saw a mysterious sparkle in her eyes that she tried to hide. What it was, he could not tell.

She knew he would not stop until he had the jewel. But, even so, she could not find the heart to kill him. He reminded her so much of herself. It was not easy being the outcast. Not easy at all.

'He must want the jewel to make himself into a full demon. Only then will the other demons accept and respect him...' Kikyou thought, looking at him with sad eyes.

That look in her eyes was getting on his nerves. Was she feeling sorry for him? For what?

"Hey! What're you lookin' at?"

'I cannot kill someone who is the same as I am...'

"Do you got somethin' to say?!"

'...someone who is also different.'

"...stop staring at me! That look in your eyes is getting on my nerves."

Kikyou turned around and started to go back to the village. Like last time she turned around to tell him not to come anymore. But this time, she meant it.

"Please don't come here anymore...you're a waste of my arrows."

She turned back around and continued walking. But Inuyasha wasn't finished yet...

"Wait up, you! I'm not finished yet! I'm gonna take that jewel from you even if it's the last thing I do!" Inuyasha yelled after her, as she got further and further away.

"YOU HEAR ME!"

Inuyasha watched as she disappeared into the distance, leaving him all alone again, pinned to a tree.

"Damn..."

Oh well.

Tomorrow is another day...

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Yes! I'm finished! This took me two whole nights to finish and I think that's good. All my other chapters took me at least a week to finish. Sorry if some parts don't make sense. I typed this as fast as I could. I tried to make Tsubaki come in this, but she didn't have much to say in this chapter. She will next, though! Promise! Well, whatever. I'm tired. So review okay.

Adios!