Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho, or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

Chapter One: Maybe Not Such a Tough Guy After All

"I'm sure that they will come visit you, Kagome," her mother Shiori said, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Kagome nodded solemnly, her eyes still fixed on the well house.

Sighing quietly, Shiori walked back towards the house, intending to help Grandfather and Sota finish packing. Kagome on the other hand, was far too distraught to do so.

Because of her grandfather's medical bills, the Higurashi family was being forced to sell the shrine; the only home that Kagome and Sota had ever known. Everything in their life was being forced to change; they were moving to a less classy part of Tokyo into a small apartment; they would need to switch schools and try to make new friends.

There were only two things that Kagome was thankful for at that very moment: One, her grandfather was alive and well; two, she would probably never need to speak to that dreadful Hojo again.

How ironic it was for it to be raining on moving day. And to make things worse, the key to the apartment had not been delivered to them yet and they had to wait outside.

They had only one umbrella, which Kagome had given up for her mother and grandfather, so she, Souta, and Buyo were left to soak in the rain. Shiori and Grandfather however, were extremely grateful for her generosity.

"Um, excuse me!" a woman's voice yelled. Kagome turned around to see a rather attractive, middle-aged woman calling out to them. She had both hands over her head to try and shield herself from the rain. Kagome assumed that she had come from the apartment next to their own, due to the fact that the door was wide open. "Would you like to come inside to get warm? I've got hot chocolate and coffee if you'd like."

So, not two minutes later, they were in the well-kept apartment, drinking hot chocolate and coffee and telling their tale.

They learned that the generous woman's name was Atsuko, and somewhere, she had a teenage son Kagome's age running around and causing chaos with his friends.

"I can't even begin to thank you for your generosity, Atsuko," Shiori said, bringing her coffee mug to her lips. Atsuko smiled and shook her head.

"Not a problem at all. I'm looking forward to having some civil people around here." Atsuko suddenly noticed Kagome and Souta's damp clothing and gasped. "Here I am talking about non-civil people and I'm letting you two sit in your wet clothes! I'm so sorry!" the woman exclaimed, standing up and leaving the room.

A few seconds later, the woman returned, an armful of clothing in her hands.

"These are my son's clothes. I'm sure they'll be too big on you, but you have a far better chance of these fitting than my own clothes. The bathroom's over there," she said, handing clothes to each Kagome and Souta and pointing to a dark room down the hall.

"Thanks," Kagome muttered. She sat Buyo down on the floor and headed to the bathroom.

As soon as Kagome had left the room, Atsuko looked to Shiori.

"Do you know what school she'll be going to?" her new acquaintance inquired.

"Saryaski High School," she replied after nodding. Atsuko's expression didn't change.

"I'm sure you've realized that this isn't the best neighborhood in Tokyo," she explained.

"I am aware…" Kagome's mother replied softly.

"It's especially dangerous when you're a pretty girl like Kagome. Not to brag or anything, but my son's a pretty tough kid and he goes to Saryaski High as well. I'm sure he wouldn't mind walking your daughter there and back," she explained, leaning back in her chair. Shiori immediately smiled.

"That would be great. Are you sure it's not a problem?"

Atsuko shook her head. "Not at all. And Souta goes to Saryaski Junior High, is that correct?" Once again, her question was rewarded with a small, but sure nod. "That's on the way to the high school. He can accompany them as well. I believe that Yusuke walks there with a couple of his friends, but they're good kids so it shouldn't be a problem."

"I really can't think you enough for all this," Shiori said sincerely, her eyes darting to her father who was napping on the couch.

The door to the bathroom opened and out walked Kagome in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that were far too baggy for her, but they would do. Upon seeing his sister emerge from the bathroom, Souta darted for it, apparently needing it for another reason besides changing.

"Did I miss anything?" Kagome asked, sitting down next to her mother.

"It seems that you and Souta will be having an escort to school, Kagome," Shiori replied, smiling. Kagome smiled a little too, in response, happy that she would have some degree of safety in this new neighborhood.

There was a knock on the front door and Atsuko immediately jumped to her feet to answer it. When she opened it, a plump old man stood in front of her. His face wore a grim expression.

"We're expecting a new family to move in. I don't suppose you've seen them, have you? I've got their key for them," he said in an irritated voice. Atsuko was not overly kind in response.

"Yes, they've been in here with me for the past hour due to the manager not delivering the key on time. Shame, isn't it?" she snipped, snatching the keys from his hand.

The manager rolled his eyes and without another word, he turned around and walked back out into the pouring rain. Atsuko seemed happy to close the door and turn back to her guests.

"Here's your key, Shiori. And that man," she began after handing the key to the other woman, "Is a prick. He's the manager. Avoid speaking to him at all costs."

Shiori chuckled. "Duly noted." She stood up and Souta came in the room, laughing at his baggy clothing. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Atsuko, you're an incredibly charming woman. And Kagome and Souta will be sure to return the clothing as soon as possible."

Atsuko assured her that it wasn't a problem, and that she was more than happy to help.

"I'm looking forward to having a girlfriend living next door! You'll have to stop by occasionally you know," she told her with a wink.

"Of course, of course."

And everyone bid their good-byes just as the Higurashi's moving truck pulled into the apartment parking lot.

-Two Days Later-

Kagome was knocking on Atsuko's apartment door, her son's clothing folded neatly under her arm. After a few quick knocks, the door opened to reveal what she could only assume was her neighbor's son that she spoke of, the owner of the clothes that she had recently acquired. She had to admit, she figured that he would be attractive due to his mother's obvious good looks, but she hadn't expected –this-.

"Yeah?"

"Um," Kagome stumbled a little. "You must be Atsuko's son-"

"Yusuke," he said immediately.

"Yusuke," she repeated with a smile. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, we just moved in next door," she said, extending her empty hand. After he quirked a curious eyebrow, he shook the awaiting hand and glanced at the clothes in her hands.

"Aren't those-"

"Yours. Your mother lent them to my brother and I… it's kind of a long story." Kagome giggled lightly as she pushed the clothing into Yusuke's hands.

"Come on in, I guess," Yusuke said huskily, moving from the door to let Kagome in. She nodded somewhat nervously and walked in, hearing the door close seconds later.

Yusuke walked out of the room and into another, leaving Kagome to stand nervously in the Urameshi household once again. To her relief, Yusuke returned seconds later, the clothes no longer in his hands. He flopped down on the couch with a remote control in his hands and flicked the television on. He almost immediately noticed Kagome standing awkwardly in his doorway and motioned for her to sit down in a chair. And she did. He couldn't help but be a little pleased at himself with how flustered this girl was becoming at his mere presence, and he grinned a little in spite of himself. Yusuke's eyes couldn't help straying to her exposed, shapely legs. His thoughts were certainly anything but innocent and he was a little startled when Kagome started talking again suddenly, and it was clear she had noticed his wandering eyes, judging from the not-so-faint blush that was staining her cheeks.

"Um… Atsuko told you of her little arrangement I suppose?" she asked, still a little nervous. He nodded without looking up and just as she began to speak again, he cut her off. She was predictable.

"No, it's not a problem, just as long as you and your brother aren't going to be a pain in the ass," he told her.

Kagome smiled, as she was reminded of a certain hanyou.

After a few minutes had gone by with Yusuke channel surfing, he shut the television off, sat up and stared intently at Kagome, who's eyes were fixated on her perfectly tied shoe laces.

"You aren't much of a talker, are you?"

Kagome looked up, and laughed in response. "You're probably the only person who has ever said that to me."

Yusuke smirked and stood up. Brushing his knees for no apparent reason.

"You like the arcade?" Immediately, Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Absolutely!"

"Let's go, then. It's a short walk and I can probably introduce you to

a person or two there."

Something that Kagome noticed immediately with her walk with Yusuke, was that people around them seemed nervous about him.

"Have you committed any terrorist acts lately?" she inquired, quirking a dark eyebrow.

"No, but I've definitely got a reputation," he bragged gruffly, putting his hands in his pockets. Kagome laughed slightly, and Yusuke looked surprised at her response. "Is that funny?"

Kagome nodded a little. "You're the school tough-guy, huh?" He shrugged. "At my old school, people wouldn't hang out with me," she began, and Yusuke's eyes widened. "Because everyone called me the 'walking-epidemic'. I was sick constantly," she said, only partly lying. She was called the walking-epidemic, but there were only a few occasions out of her absences where she was actually ill.

They were interrupted by a whistle and a cat-call when they passed a group of guys. Yusuke stopped and looked more than a little annoyed.

"Problem, assholes?" he asked haughtily.

A tall, muscular-looking one stepped forward and smirked. "No problem, Urameshi. But, who's the babe and what the fuck is she doin' with you?" he asked, jerking a thumb towards Kagome. Apparently Yusuke knew these guys.

Yusuke glanced at Kagome before looking back at someone who, apparently, was one of his rivals.

Kagome noticed that they all wore the same red uniform, probably belonging to a school that rivaled Saryaski.

"I'm not sure what you're complaining about, Mikamoto, it's pretty obvious that most of your company consists of chicks anyway."

"You better watch it, prick," one of them said angrily in his direction. Yusuke only grinned, and scratched the back of his head. Kagome was more than a little amazed that he was so willingly picking a fight with a group of tough looking guys over something as trivial as a cat-call. Especially when he was so badly outnumbered.

"Or what? You going to hit me with one of your girlish slaps? Come on, man, gimme a fucking break. Do you creeps not remember what happened last time? How I kicked all of your asses single-handedly?" he spat. "I'd hate to have a repeat. I don't wanna embarrass you in front of the girl here," Yusuke said.

That time, Yusuke had hit a mark with Mikamoto.

"You better watch your ass, Urameshi. 'Cause one of these days, I'll catch you off-guard and I'll fucking pummel you," he said coldly. He ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair and winked at Kagome, who only grimaced in disgust.

"See ya around, babe." And they departed, most of them not at all happy.

Yusuke turned back to Kagome, who looked a little more than shocked.

"Stay away from those guys," Yusuke said, his tone gruff. Kagome only nodded and began walking again, leaving the Spirit Detective a few steps again. He couldn't help but admire her again, but decided this time he wasn't going to keep quiet.

"Ya know, you've got some pretty nice looking legs," he told her as he drifted into step alongside her. He had a cocky grin on his face, as he waited anxiously for her response to his pervertedness. He wasn't at all surprised to see her blushing again, but was a little taken off guard by her scrunched eyebrows and clenched fists.

"Would you like a kick to the balls, Yusuke?"

Yusuke laughed rather openly in response. That, he hadn't expected. Perhaps she was used to the perverted comments. But somehow, he doubted she would follow through with… such a painful sounding threat.

"I think I'll pass on that one," he told her, ruffling her hair, very casually for two people that had just met less than an hour ago. But somehow, it looked natural. He chuckled when her eyebrows drew together once again, and she playfully smacked his arm in response. Any passerby would probably expect them to be siblings, at the very least.

After a minute or so, Yusuke dug his hands into his pockets again.

"Sorry your ass got dragged into that… thing back there," he suddenly said seriously. She looked up. "Mikamoto and his goons are a bunch of creeps and they really make this neighborhood pretty unsafe when there's girls like you running around…" Yusuke trailed off, scuffing the sidewalk with his shoe.

Kagome looked confused. "Girls like me?"

Yusuke turned his head to the side, away from her view. "Pretty girls."

Kagome blushed. "Well, thanks." He glanced at her.

"For what?"

Kagome just shook her head with a smile. "You put on a tough-front, but you maybe you really aren't such a tough-guy after all."

Revised 03/04/07