I do not own InuYasha nor am I making any money off the use of Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

Summary: What if it had been Kagome in Kikyo's place? If InuYasha met Kagome instead of the other priestess all those years before the story began? Would they make the same mistakes, or would our beloved hanyou have gotten his happily-ever-after?

A/N: I do not speak Japanese, so I'm sorry if I mess up any of the terms. If you know I used a word wrong, would you please let me know? Thank you.

x…x…x

History Unrepeated

Part 1

x…x…x

She was born to protect the jewel until its destruction. She had rules to abide by.

She was not fall in love with a man. She wasn't to give in to the physical impulses that humans have. But most importantly, she was to never give the jewel to a youkai.

But what of a hanyou?

x…x…x

Kagome stood tensely in the clearing, suddenly sensing the youkai closing in on her. She could hear the leaves crunches under its feet, grabbing her bow and firing three arrows in rapid succession at the opening between trees. Her target leapt above the trees just in time, a blur of red and white in the sky as it flew towards her. She readied another arrow, aiming for the demon with confidence.

Firing, she heard the rip of fabric under the arrowhead's point, but couldn't see the youkai being purified.

Before she had time to fire again, it met the ground a few yards ahead of her, landing easily before rising to its full height, which was well over her own. He wore no sandals, his feet dirty but unscathed. The youkai wore a red hakama and matching haori. Realizing that it was in fact a male, she was almost mesmerized by the silver-white hair that flowed in the air, much longer than her own. His hands held claws that glinted in the sunlight lethally. When she looked into his face, she saw something flick on his head out of the corner of her eye and discovered that he wasn't a youkai; he was a hanyou.

"You'd think a priestess would have better aim," he snarled mockingly, one corner of his lips rising to bare his fang. "Especially the one guarding the Shikon no Tama."

Setting another arrow in the bow, she replied coolly, ignoring the flare of her temper at his rude comment, "Perhaps I was just trying to get you to come closer so I'd have a better shot." She paused, studying him. "I assume you're here for the jewel." She pulled back the bowstring as if to shoot him. "You can't have it."

He tensed, but didn't back down. Instead, he arrogantly snorted, smirking deviously. "Who's going to keep it from me? You don't think you could, do you?" He opened his mouth to say more when the arrow soared through the air just above his shoulder, it's purifying aura ripping through his haori in another place. When his shocked golden gaze turned back to her, she had another arrow ready, aiming for his heart this time.

"I believe I can. I am a priestess; I've been trained in such things." She couldn't believe it. Why hadn't she just purified him and gotten it over with? He was insulting her spiritual powers; no demon before him had gotten away with it. So why this hanyou? She brought the bowstring to a taut arc, allowing him to see her intent. "Leave before I have to kill you," she warned, but something inside her told her that she wouldn't be able to kill him. But why should she care? He planned to use the jewel for his own gain, to taint it. She needed to destroy the jewel; the more tainted it became, the harder that would become.

He growled, taking a step back. "I'll get that jewel, I promise you." Then he leapt into the air, seeming to fly into the forest over her head. When he disappeared, she released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding, loosening her hold on the arrow, lowering her bow.

How had a hanyou—she didn't even know his name!—get under her skin?

Shaking her head, she made her way back towards her village, trying to force her thoughts away from the red-clad man and to stay alert. It was hard; she was confused over the occurrences of their meeting. She'd never missed a target before—not even a moving one—nor had she ever deliberately done so.

"Lady Kagome," the villagers greeted, bowing slightly. Though she was only sixteen years old, they treated her with a respect that annoyed her. All her life she'd been told that she would be a powerful priestess, rivaling Midoriko herself in spiritual power.

But she didn't want that. She wanted to be a girl. Just a girl.

Everyone treated her as if she were something to be watched, never touched. And she hated it. Why could no one—except her brother and mother—see that she was the same as them? Everyone had destinies; hers was to protect the Shikon no Tama until it could be destroyed. How did that make her untouchable?

"Kagome!" her mother shouted, racing to hug her. Releasing her quickly, she smiled down at her daughter, a twinkle in her eye. "Souta saw the light of your arrows; you should probably go tell him the story of the youkai." She gave Kagome a light kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to go check on Sakura; her baby is due any day. Could you make dinner for Souta?"

Kagome nodded, grinning happily. Her mother treated her the same as all the other young girls in the village were treated by their mothers; she had chores to do, her family to take care of. Her mother had told her that she may have a duty to protect the jewel, but she had to help out with their home, as well.

"Sister!" Souta yelled, running to her. "What kind of demon was it this time, Sister? Was it another bug demon? Or maybe one of the panther youkai I've heard are nearing the region!" His eyes widened at the thought of such dangerous creatures in their vicinity. "I bet you could purify all of them in a second."

Kagome smiled, ruffling his hair. He saw her as indestructible, as if nothing could ever stop her from doing her job to the jewel.

As she began her recount of the day—sure to make it more dramatic for the twelve year old boy—she didn't realize how much it would need to be true.

x…x…x

Why didn't she just purify me? Why did she hesitate and warn me off?

If the stories were true about the Shikon no Tama Priestess, she could hit a running youkai with ease, from across a forest. So how could she have missed him not once, but twice? Of course, he believed that the third—the one that had been aimed over his shoulder—was a warning of just how easily she could kill him.

InuYasha tapped his claws furiously against the branch he perched on, creating large slashes with the furious drumming of his fingers. He didn't notice them, just continued wondering about the woman he would meet again. And he would meet her again. He'd make sure of it.

The thought of meeting with her again gave him the feeling of anticipation, something he quickly tried to force down. Why would he be so willing to go to a woman who could so easily kill him? He must have been going insane!

Kagome, he thought. That's what I've heard her called.

The few youkai he had overheard telling tall-tales of this woman—of her unbelievable beauty, despite being fully human, of her power, of her cleverness and unimaginable senses—had said that she was cold, that she didn't waste time mincing words with any youkai, that she never missed a target.

He had to admit, she was beautiful, especially for a human. Though youkai females who held a human-like form were known for being dazzling creatures—a defense mechanism—he had to say that he had never met one as lovely as the priestess. Of course, most youkai females didn't waste their time with lowly half-breeds, so he didn't know many.

But the youkai had also been right about her power; her arrow hadn't touched him, yet he'd still felt a burn from the aura alone. And how she'd known he was there when he snuck up on youkai the same way, he might never know. Perhaps this priestess wasn't as human as everyone thought….

"You there!" a human man bellowed from below, dragging him from the inner recesses of his mind, something no one else had ever done before. "Are you friend or foe of our village?"

InuYasha raised a dark eyebrow at him. He was a bandit. That much InuYasha was certain of, from the stench of him. Did he mean to act like he was from Kagome's village? It lay just beyond the trees, easy enough to see with the torches in each of the huts.

"Depends on who's askin'," he replied calmly, shifting to throw his feet over one side of the branch.

The bandit's scent—and that of the men following him—held a little nervousness as well as greed as he cleared his throat. "We come…we come from the jewel's home village. Our headman has sent us to retrieve it from the priestess guarding it. Do you know where she is?"

Of course he did; her scent was completely different from anything else he had ever known. But he wouldn't be telling them that. "She's s'posed to destroy it, ain't she?" he answered suspiciously, knowing how to push a human's buttons. If they were drawn out in their lie, they gave more away. "Why does your headman want it back?"

The man paused, looking to the others for help.

They would think he was human; there was no sign of his ears, claws, or fangs from the ground. Therefore, they would believe he would be easy enough to kill. They would fight him, of that he had no doubts.

He smirked. He loved fights.

Suddenly, they all drew their swords, prepared to fight.

"If you do not believe that we were sent here peacefully after our letter"—their lies smelled worse than their usual odor—"then you are not of this village. Die!" They flew at him, slashing at his legs as he flung himself back to land on the ground, facing them but on the opposite side of the tree. "Youkai!" they shouted, fury in their eyes.

"Not yet."

They rushed him and the fight began.

x…x…x

The next day

Kagome once again sensed him. He was approaching her with astonishing speed, easily sidestepping the trees in his way. She clutched the jewel in her hand, making sure every corner of it was purified. Any darkness within it would be a weakness; it had to be pure when she fought.

Putting it around her neck, she readied her bow and arrow, aiming for where he was crashing through the forest. He would appear in a moment….

Immediately, he burst out of the trees, and she shot, catching the sleeve of his haori. Her arrow stuck in the tree behind him, pinning him there for a moment. It was long enough for her to shoot another through his other sleeve, holding him to the tree. "I see you didn't heed my warning," she said calmly, aiming another arrow at him. "That's too bad."

He tensed when she released the bowstring, clenching his eyes shut when it seemed that she had aimed for his face.

The arrow stuck in the tree beside his head, slicing a couple strands of hair just to the left of his face. He turned his head to look at it, disbelief on his face. He turned to once again look at her, narrowing his eyes menacingly. "What the hell? Why won't you just kill me?!" he demanded, thrashing wildly against the bonds holding him to the tree.

"You seem smart enough," she retorted, "to understand the blessing you have just been given. If you stop trying to take the jewel from me, I will not kill you." Her eyes flashed dangerously as she went on. "But if you don't, the next time we meet, I won't be so kind." She turned sharply on her heel, determined to leave him hanging there until her power wore off from the arrows enough for him to get out. It could take hours for that to happen; in that time, she wouldn't be bothered by him, at least.

A thud behind her had her spinning around to stare at him. He was straightening from the ground, glaring at her darkly, a snarl on his lips. She gasped when he was suddenly next to her, growling in her face.

"What the fuck did you think you were going to do? Leave me there? Fuck that, little priestess." He took another step towards her until they were toe to toe. She gaped up at him as he continued on. "Give me the fucking jewel, wench, and I won't slice that pretty little head off your shoulders!"

She was snapped into action, reaching for her bow swiftly, but he caught her wrist, holding her easily. "Let go of me, hanyou," she hissed, her other hand grabbing his wrist, trying to pull it away from her own.

He didn't.

Forcing all her concentration into not putting her full power into it, she gave him a shock with her powers, making him yelp and leap away, letting go of her. She immediately grabbed her bow and readied an arrow, prepared to shoot if he so much as breathed wrong.

"Bitch," he growled furiously.

"That isn't my name, hanyou."

"And that isn't mine!" he snapped in return, hands clenching into fists at his sides. But, though he tried to hide it, she could see the hurt in his eyes.

Regretting calling him that—though she didn't understand why—she lowered her bow, saying quietly, "I'm sorry. If you tell me your name, then I won't call you that ever again. That much I promise you."

He seemed taken aback for a moment, then suspicious. "InuYasha," he answered lowly, his tone giving away his distrustful thoughts.

Turning away from him, she said, "Then, if we ever meet again, InuYasha, I hope you realize I will have to kill you." She walked away and he didn't follow.

x…x…x

Several days later

Kagome knew he watched her. She had been feeling those eyes on her for nearly three days. Even when she was in the village, she felt them everywhere she went. She was constantly looking over her shoulder, trying to find where he could be. But whenever she saw even a flash of red, it would be gone within a blink of an eye. Why is he watching me?

"Kagome, is something wrong?" her mother asked, worried over the absent way Kagome was playing with the material of her hakama, something she never did. "You're acting very strange," she added, bringing her hand up to feel her forehead for a fever.

"It's nothing, Mother," she replied, twisting her face away before her mother could touch her. "I'm just a little tired, I suppose."

She'd barely gotten any sleep the last few nights, tossing and turning as she thought of the weakness she had shown. And what little she had managed to steal had been filled with dreams of a hanyou dressed all in red with shining white hair….

Forcing her thoughts on the jewel instead, she berated herself for even thinking of the hanyou. Why did he seem to be haunting her? Why was he constantly in her mind? But most importantly: Why was he watching her?

"Actually, Mother," she began, looking off to the forest once more. "I think I might go for a walk to clear my head."

Not waiting for her mother's acquiescence, she started on her way to the hut where they kept the sacred jewel. She was not to leave the village without it. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Her mother started to say something; she could hear her sucking in a breath to do so. But then she must have decided against it, closing her mouth with an audible click of her teeth. She knew her daughter was able to protect herself; she had no reason to worry about her.

But her maternal instincts were telling her that something was going very, very wrong in her daughter's world.

x…x…x

InuYasha saw her coming towards him and grinned devilishly. She hadn't brought her bow and arrows along; she must not know that he was around.

His arrogance slowly faded as a sudden surge of unwanted protectiveness swept through him. Was she insane? There were youkai everywhere in the forest, just waiting for their opportunity to take the Shikon no Tama. If she was so clever, why was she walking into such a dangerous situation?

As if on cue, a large boar demon went flying out of the trees beside her, ready to tear her apart with his tusks to get the jewel from her. The smell of violence was swirling around him.

InuYasha leapt towards her, knowing he was too far away to do anything about the charging pig. Waves of fear and fury crashed into him, making him almost roar as he sped towards the boar, ready to rip him apart for even thinking about harming the priestess.

Just as the boar would have slammed into her, a bright purple light flashed, making him skid to a stop to cover his eyes from the power of it. A painful screech rent the air as the smell of burning flesh grew. But as quickly as the light had come, it vanished, and with it, any signs of the youkai that had been threatening the tiny human woman. The odor was gone, replaced with only her intoxicating aroma and spiritual power. When she continued on as if nothing had happened, he couldn't help but watch in silent appreciation.

Straightening, he followed her quietly through the forest—sure to kill any youkai that got too close to her before she could even sense them—until she entered a lighted clearing housing a small hill. He stayed in the shadows as she moved to the top of the hill, sitting down slowly. She looked up to the sky, seeming exhausted. She gave a small moan before bringing her knees to her chest, resting her cheek against one to show him the back of her head. Did she know he was there?

"I know you've been following me," she said clearly, answering his unsaid question. "And watching me."

He gave a small sigh—how the hell does she even know I'm here?—and left the darkness of the trees to stand at the base of the hill, only a little ways away from her. He said nothing.

"What I don't know is why. Why have you been following me and watching me, InuYasha?"

He didn't know how to answer that question. If he was being perfectly honest, he'd say he didn't know. Something seemed to be compelling him to stay near her, to watch after her. He tried to convince himself it was because he needed the jewel; if he was to become a full-demon, he would have to wish on the damned thing. But he found that over the last few days he had been thinking less and less of the jewel and more about the woman guarding it. Something wasn't right about the whole thing. He didn't know her; why did he care?

"Answer me," she demanded. A tremor came to her voice, as if she were about to cry. But she shed no tears; he would have been able to smell them. But it still tore at him like a knife. Her head flew up to glare at him. "Why do you do this to me?!"

He growled at the accusation. "I'm only after the jewel! Why do you keep looking for me?" He didn't know why he was furious with her so suddenly. She hadn't done anything except ask why he was following her. It was a logical request. But that she was angry at him for watching over her…what an ungrateful little human!

"I'm protecting the jewel from youkai like you! The ones who are after it for selfish gain, who only want it to become stronger!" She stood, shaking on her feet as she pointed a finger at him. "But, unlike the others, you don't seem to understand how easily I could—I will kill you! I won't let you take the Shikon no Tama!" She instinctively reached for her bow and arrows, only to remember that she had not brought them with her. She let out a shriek of sheer rage before dropping back to the ground, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with suppressed tears.

He froze. She was…crying? Why would she be crying?! Gods, he couldn't stand it when females cried; he didn't know what to do whenever they did! He could take anything else but…not tears. "Wha…what the hell are you crying for, bitch?" he demanded, unconsciously moving towards her until he crouched in front of her, forcing her face up by gripping her chin between his fingers.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, her hands coming out.

He flinched, waiting for her to do to him what she had so easily done to the boar youkai. Instead, her fingers wrapped in his haori, bringing her face to his chest. His breath caught in his throat as her silent sobs dampened his haori, though she tried to stop it. He sat there, dumbly as she cried for what seemed like hours.

What was he supposed to do? He'd seen human males rubbing their females' backs when they cried and that seemed to calm them down. Was he supposed to stroke her back? Would that only make things worse? Gods, if she didn't stop crying soon….

Uncomfortably, he patted her back softly a few times, waiting for a sign that he was doing something wrong. When she gave no such sign, he rubbed her back, hoping she would stop soon as he tried to force back his embarrassment.

The discomfort only grew when he realized what he was doing. Why was he comforting this human? He had never done so before, not since his mother. No other woman had made him feel the need to. What the hell is wrong with me?

She gave one last sniffle before raising her head from his chest, her blue eyes meeting his own, searching for something. "Why?" she finally asked.

Why what? Why comfort her? Why allow her to use him as some sort of hanyou-pillow? Why follow her? Why watch her?

"I don't know."

That was the only answer that seemed to fit every question.

x…x…x

Over the next few weeks, Kagome and InuYasha met almost daily, though they rarely spoke. Whenever Kagome went to the Goshinboku, he would be there, sitting on the branch above her. They would both sit in silence, merely enjoying the company each provided. The times that they had spoken, they had talked of things such as the stars and her family. Never about him, but she didn't want to think about what he had done in his life to protect himself. None of their conversations ever involved the jewel, though they both knew that his eyes would always drift to where it was wrapped around her hand.

On the night of her birthday—something only her mother and brother celebrated with her—as she sat beneath the Goshinboku with him on his usual perch, she was surprised when she caught sight of something in his clawed hands. She gasped when the package, wrapped in what seemed like the same material that made his haori and hakama, fell into her lap, looking up at him. Had she told him it was her birthday? She didn't remember ever doing so; how could he have known?

He gave her a small smile. "Open it, would ya? I ain't got all night."

Hastily, she opened it, disbelieving what she saw. It was a beautiful pink kimono with a soft floral print. Rubbing it gently between her fingers, she couldn't believe how soft it was! It was as if someone had woven it from the clouds themselves. When she pulled it out more, she realized it was very old; she recognized the long, flowing design as that of royalty from paintings of hundreds of years ago.

"InuYasha," she breathed. "This is beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It was my mother's."

Her eyes jerked up to him at that. His…mother's? She could remember when he had accidentally brought up his mother once before, the sadness that had permeated off of him. She'd asked him how he always knew where to find her, even when she knew he hadn't been watching her.

"I used to have to find my mother that way whenever we had to separate."

The revered way he'd spoken had told Kagome more than anything anyone else had ever said to her. The loss of his mother had obviously hit him hard. But he hadn't wanted to talk about it, and she didn't force the issue.

She gave him a dazzling smile from below, glowing. "I'll treasure it always, InuYasha. This is the best gift I've ever had." She gingerly rewrapped the gift, making sure that the kimono was perfectly refolded, that nothing could ruin it.

They sat in silence for several minutes before he cleared his throat in discomfort.

"One day, will you wear it for me?"

His voice was so soft, she nearly didn't hear it. If the breeze had fluttered the leaves, if a wolf had howled off in the distance, she wouldn't have.

Will I wear it for him? Her heart sped up and leapt into her throat. He…he wants me to wear it for him? She smiled up at him. "I promise that I will, InuYasha."

x…x…x

Tell me what you think! I'm going to make this a mini-series, since this part is completely revised.
And, yes, I realize InuYasha and Kagome are OOC.
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