Indomitable Soul

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine, unfortunately.

Author's Notes: I didn't get as many reviews as I was aiming for but my muse told me to submit yet another one-shot of InuKik goodness! Giant e-cookies go to my two wonderful reviewers that took time to share their thoughts and ideas with me. I dedicate this one-shot to StarPrincess999 and Gammer.

Review responses! :D

StarPrincess999: MY FIRST REVIEWER! 8D I would have died if that had happened too! Hehehe. But then we wouldn't have met Kagome or the lovely Sango or the perverted yet charming Miroku (you get where I'm goin' here. xD). Thanks so much for your kind words. Please stick with me through 'Indomitable Soul'!

Gammer: Inuyasha is mostly affectionate here because of his human emotions and I wanted Kikyo to be less zombie-like. XD And I'll consider your idea! It'll be a challenge I'll be willing to give a shot. Beware though…What I could up with might be a little…odd. ;)

Do you readers want a lime or a lemon? Or do I just stick with the fluffies? O.o

P.S – It's been decided that this fic will be a series of one-shotters. Ja ne!

I was lying with my back against the Goshinboku tree; the very tree that was said to transcend time. A tree of ages. It was a relatively majestic tree – maybe about forty to fifty feet tall and perhaps millions of years old. The bark was worn with age and its leaves made a peaceful lulling flutter whenever the wind picked up.

I know it may sound kinda weird but I felt a certain connection to the old tree, a vague sentiment yet to be understood. Perhaps it was something I would never comprehend. Its robust presence made me feel at ease. Perfectly serene. Sighing, I glanced up at the sun's yellow rays that tried to surpass the leaves and colossal branches overhead. A soft beam of light touched my shoulder, warm.

This, I thought, is my sanctuary, before shutting out everything around me.

I must have dozed off for some time because when I woke the sky was visibly darker and grey clouds loomed like a lost butterfly seeking purpose in a flowerless meadow. I squinted heavenward.

"Dammit," I muttered in dismay. "Don't tell me it's gonna—"

Thunder crackled in the vicinity and was shortly accompanied by a heavy downpour. I scowled when fat raindrops steadily dripped onto me from above. It would have been a waste of my time to leave my deficient cover so I stayed where I was, getting thoroughly soaked and miserable by the minute.

"Spring showers bring May flowers," I said to Goshinboku, recalling an old saying my mother had often quoted to me as a kid.

"Indeed," a voice agreed.

My eyes grew impossibly larger at the sound of the voice directly behind me. Typically, when one spoke to an inanimate object they did not expect to receive an answer. This was downright creepy! I scrambled away from the old tree like it had grown a set of teeth and bit me. "Who's there?" I heard a soft feminine laugh. "Who's there!" I repeated more loudly, eyes shifting about for the unseen source. Maybe the rain is playing tricks on my weak human hearing.

"Oh Inuyasha."

This time I recognized the speaker. Kikyo appeared from behind Goshinboku's broad trunk wearing an amused smile on her lovely face. In her hand was a thin cow-hide sack probably filled up with fruit from the looks of it and on her head a conical rain hat made to protect one's hair nice and dry for days like these. My own onyx hair was currently drenched and plastered to my face.

I threw her a mock-angry look. "You coulda scared a guy half to death sneakin' up on him like that!"

"That guy being you?" she teased, drawing closer to where my butt and the rest of me that sat in a patch of mud. To make matters worse my wet kimono started to become a cause of discomfort.

"Feh," was my intelligent retort. I stared bitterly at the ground – not because of the ex-priestess, but because of my sodden situation. But she didn't take it as such.

"I came all this way to be ignored," Kikyo sighed, pretending to be disappointed with my evasive behaviour. I gazed up from the ground to see a brief flicker of humor cross her delicate features – this rare display of emotion baffled me. I was accustomed to seeing her expression solemn and somewhat sad, like a face carved in stone. While I was recovering mentally the raven-haired beauty furrowed her eyebrows taking in realization that I was soaked from the rain and shivering slightly.

She set the bag of fruit aside, brushed the dripping bangs from my eyes with notable benevolence, and then planted a lingering kiss to my exposed forehead. I gave her a wondrous stare.

"K—Kikyo," I stuttered because my teeth were literally chattering from the cold. Grrr. Curse my weak human body…And stupid conflicting emotions. Even over half-a-year after becoming fully human I still could not control my feelings. Generally my feelings for her.

I watched her as she undid the string that fastened her hat and took it off. She laid it atop of the fruit and graced me with a turn-you-to-goo smile. "Now I shall get wet from the rain also."

I arched an eyebrow at her skeptically. "But you'll get a cold," I said as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"You and I both," replied Kikyo evenly.

"Feh. Whatever," I grumped, crossing my arms.

The sound of the rainfall became our music; a rhythmic melody made by nature. It was silent between us for a few minutes. But it was a comfortable sort of silence.

Suddenly, she threw her head back to let the precipitation caress her face, leaving me to view how her pale skin shimmered under a bright flash of lightning, dumbfounded. I swear she was the most beautiful being I've ever laid eyes on.

And I loved her—Wait…loved? Is that what I feel for Kikyo? Love…? Here I am denying it to myself. I love her! I love Kikyo and she's all mine.

"All mine," I said aloud. Unsteadily, my hands reached out of their own accord and grasped her shoulders in a firm hold. The ex-priestess pulled out of her own thoughts and looked puzzledly down at the trembling hands as if she didn't know what I was doing. I was certain she could hear the almost-painful pounding of my heart resounding in my eardrums. Forgetting how to breathe or think, I yanked her toward me and crushed my mouth against hers in a breathtaking kiss that made my head spin and my cheeks flush. I felt her wince at the pressure of my lips so I softened the kiss, taking her face in my hands dotingly – stroking the soft skin of her cheeks with my thumbs. She tasted sweet, like strawberries, and I felt my desire intensify. It was almost unbearable.

I ran my tongue along Kikyo's lower lip - something I've never done before – courteously requesting access which to my astonishment, she permitted. I brushed my tongue across hers, getting to know her taste and exploring the hot depths of her mouth, slowly tracing every perfectly smooth tooth until her tongue interrupted with its own curiosity. As I eagerly thrust between her lips again I was met half-way. So it repeated with her exploration; I patiently allowed her to grow familiar with me. Though both of us were inexperienced it was an enjoyable exchange.

When it was apparent we were tired, Kikyo timidly nibbled on my bottom lip for a moment before withdrawing. The rain had long ago ceased to a light drizzle. I didn't even care that my whole back was probably caked with mud from lying down – she had pushed me back and laid carefully on my chest during our kissing session. I stared up dreamily at the now clear blue skies and relished the sensation of her warm, curvy body cuddling into my side. The young woman in my arms, fast asleep, made me grin. All was well. She was all I needed for happiness; my sleeping angel.

This is my sanctuary.