Authors Note

MistressOfTime1218: I just had to do this.

StormBlitz: Don't you think you should finish the other story you have?

MistressOfTime1218: I'm having a bit of writer's block ok? Besides this idea has been in my head for awhile and it hasn't left me alone. Besides it's about time I wrote something about Kagome. She is my favorite Inuyasha character.

StormBlitz: You're just lazy.

K-Chan: MistressOfTime1218 does not own Inuyasha, and it's a good thing too.

MistressOfTime1218: What's that supposed to mean?

DarkMist: On with the story!

MistressOfTime1218: That's my line!

There were times where Kagome thought too much about things. Sometimes they were trivial things like what types of food to bring to the feudal era, or what medical excuses she had to worry about dealing with when she got to school. (Her grandfather really had to come up with less embarrassing lies) At times it only got her into trouble. More than once she had found herself taking the insult of an enemy too personally and becoming distracted during a battle. Sometimes the remark was not even aimed at her. She tried to brush it off and tell herself to focus. She tried to tell herself to let it go. Let it all go out of sight and out of mind.

Throughout her journeys with Inuyasha and the gang she had managed to fight off most of those thoughts. She taught herself to ignore them, and if that wasn't possible she taught herself to force it to the back of her mind until later. The thoughts she could not bear to ignore always came back to her in the dead of night. When everyone was asleep and no one was able to see the looks on her face. She found it was easier that way. No one would ever know, no one would ever ask questions.

Her thoughts varied from night to night but one particular problem kept coming back to her mind. She was never happy when it came. She had tried countless times to get rid of it and every time she thought the problem was solved, it came back to her the next night with renewed vigor. It was about Inuyasha.

She never really knew when she started thinking about this. She supposed it just happened when she was getting dressed one day. Once she was done she looked in the mirror to make sure she was presentable and for a split second she thought she saw Kikiyo staring back at her. She blinked and the sight of the dead priestess disappeared, but she was left to wonder...

Is that what Inuyasha saw when he looked at her?

She had been able to brush it away from her mind that night, but it did not stay away. It continued to haunt her every single night after that. It was no surprise that it came to her at the time of day where she was most vulnerable, the most susceptible to hurtful suggestion. Tonight was no exception

She could not deny the fact that the two were similar. She was, after all, Kikiyo's reincarnation. There was no point in saying that the two didn't look alike. Plus Kagome was an archer, and she was always being reminded of how her skills came from the once lively priestess. Both were able to sense the sacred jewel shards and could purify things that were once tainted in darkness. In reality both were so alike to others it was almost eerie. They could have been sisters. Kagome didn't like that.

She had nothing against Kikiyo. Kikiyo was Kikiyo, and Kagome couldn't blame her for that. But Kagome was her own person. She had her own soul, her own life, and her own personality. She was Kagome Higurashi. So why did everyone keep seeing her as a new version of Kikiyo?

Did Inuyasha see her that way? Did he see her as her? Did he look at her and see a girl who loved him? A girl who was willing to put aside her own feelings so that he could decide on his own? A girl who had a spirit all her own with a heart that loved to see others happy? When he looked in her eyes, did he see Kagome? Or did he only see the shadow of the woman he loved 50 years ago?

She supposed she would never know the answers to her questions, she would never ask. She would just fall asleep and wait for the heartache to come again the next night. Who knows, maybe something would happen tomorrow. Something that would put a stop to the reoccurring thought. Maybe Inuyasha would do something the next morning that would send all those depressing thoughts out of her head. Maybe the gang would somehow unintentionally say something to put her aching heart at ease and put her thoughts to rest. As her eyes finally began to close, she could only hope that tomorrow would bring upon such a happy ending.

StormBlitz: That was so sad.

K-Chan: Poor Kagome!

MistressOfTime1218: I know. I feel so bad for Kagome, always being compared to Kikiyo. Since she is my favorite Inuyasha character, I felt a need to write this. Anyway, please read and review. I actually want to hear what you think. Except if you're one of those mean Kikiyo "Kagome sucks and should rot in hell" lovers. In which case feel free to bite me. If you're a nice Kikiyo lover feel free to tell me what you think.