17 ~ by: twilight zero
TZ's notes: Thanks, for those who reviewed my fic, especially lynnx lady! Your reviews really helped me a lot, that's why this next chapter's dedicated to you! *sniff*… Okay, the usual stuff…I don't own Inu-Yasha, nor the song "17". Okay, on to the fic…
Ever since that day when he saw her sweet smile for the first time, Inu-Yasha felt light for some reason. As he was running in the woods and jumping from tree to tree, her smiling image's sketched in his mind. Somehow, he can't shake her out of it. He smiled to himself. Maybe he was really head over heels in love with her. "I didn't know falling in love with someone feels this good…" he thought.
He stopped running for a while, when something caught his attention…a well in the middle in the forest. Now where did that came from? Curious as a cat (oops, I mean 'dog'…^^;), he decided to go over there and investigate. Peeking below the well, he saw various youkai bones at the bottom, and one of them was the skeleton of the youkai he defeated before. No, the youkai he and Kikyou defeated before. The memory was still fresh in his mind…that was the first time Kikyou thanked him for doing something for her. "Kikyou…"
"Inu-Yasha?" called a familiar voice. "What are you doing here?"
Turning around, he saw Kikyou, along with some dried branches…maybe for firewood back at their hut. "I should ask you that, woman!" he bellowed, in an attempt to hide his astonishment. He gave her his usual angry and mistrustful look.
"I'm here to get some firewood; we're running out of it back at the hut. Besides, Kaede has been the one doing this everytime I'm away, so I think it's time that I have to do it for a change."
"Oh," was all that the hanyou had to say, as he sat at the edge of the well. But still, he was boggled at the thought of where this darned thing came from, so he decided to ask her. "Did you make this well?"
"Not just me, all the men from the village did. The foul smell of all those youkais dying is affecting the health of the children lately. We assumed that those rotting bodies are the reason why they are getting sick lately, so we built this well to serve as the rotting place for them," she explained.
"But why in the middle of this forest?" He was getting interested in her side of the story. Besides, thinking of her concern for those children was making him envious. How he wished that she would look after him instead…wait, where did that came from?!?!
"Cause this forest is pretty far from the village. The foul smell won't be smelled by the villagers, therefore they won't get sick because of it. Why do you ask? Is the smell upsetting you?"
"Huh?!" he reacted. Kikyou's thinking about…me? "Honestly, yes!" he cried, and rubbed his nose. "All of those stinking smells' are upsetting my extremely sensitive nose!!" He shot a death glare at Kikyou, who in turn giggled.
"Well bear with it, Inu-Yasha. I can't risk the welfare of all those youth just because your nose can't stand the smell of all those bodies. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go back there now. I'm wasting my time here," and she started to walk away.
"What?! You bitch, come back here! Aren't you going to help me at least?!" What the-! Why did I say that? Inu-Yasha, you baka!
"Help you? I thought you didn't need the help of anybody," she replied sarcastically. The next thing that he saw in return was somehow funny…Kikyou tripped on a loose root and fell to the ground, losing all the firewood that she collected. He can't help but laugh hard at her. The great Kikyou, fell because of a loose root…now that's new, not to mention really funny. As he tried to restrain himself, he heard her soft cry from the pain of tripping over. Somehow, he felt guilty. Why shouldn't he? He laughed at her like she was the clumsiest girl alive!
"Oh no," she gasped. "I've broken the branches! It will take me another long time to find things like those again…"
"Don't worry, I'll find those branches for you," Inu-Yasha offered and went next to her. "I know this forest like the back of my hand!" he boasted. "You'll have all the firewood you need before sunset." He extended his hand. "Let me help you get up."
"I don't wanna do right, I just want you tonightNot just only in my dreams
Save my best behavior for a little later
Cause I'm only 17…"
"Why are you doing this?" the miko asked.
He looked at her somewhat sheepishly. "Cause I laughed at you for tripping over. It's my way of apologizing to you." Kikyou smiled at him, glad that he was feeling repentful for the first time. Seeing his extended hand, she gladly took it as he pulled her up. "Apology accepted, Inu-Yasha…"
He offered to escort her going back to the village. As he walked awy from the well, he felt a strange force coming from it…it's not from a youkai, but from something…or someone. Analyzing the strange aura, he was surprised to see that the aura resembles Kikyou's (A/N: Confused? Refer to Episode 31: The Gentle-hearted, lonely Jineji. Inu Yasha said something there that somehow, before Kagome ever came to his time, he somehow felt her coming before she actually did. Or something like that…that's the translation of the anime here in the Philippines…anyway, back to the story…). It made him thoughtful for some time, afterwards, he brushed it off, thinking that it was just the heat of the sun that's making him feel that way. What mattered at that moment was that he had the pretty miko by his side…
As promised by the hanyou, Kikyou received the firewood she needed before sunset. The look on his face was still fresh after he gave her what she needed…and she can't believe her eyes at that time…Inu-Yasha smiled.
"Uh, just let me know if you ever need some firewood again, ok?" he asked her before jumping out of sight. He didn't waited for her reply; he was more than happy to find her some of those things again. It was the first time he felt happy that he did something for someone. A special someone…
ooooOOOOoooo
The "enemies-turned-friends" relationship was mirrored between Kikyou and Inu Yasha as the days slowly passed by. One cool summer afternoon, Kaede was coming back to the hut after visiting the shrine, when she happened to overhear a conversation between the village women…
"Have you noticed how our priestess disappears everyday? It came to me that she's going to the forest just near the village."
"You mean the forest where the demon Inu Yasha lives?"
"Don't you think that something's going on between the two of them?"
"No way! Our priestess Kikyou won't do such a thing! She's a pure maiden by heart!"
The other village women just shrugged their shoulders, while hoisting their baskets onto their backs. "I don't know, but if you ask me, she's still a human like us, after all."
"You mean there's a possibility that she won't be pure, like us?"
"IIYA! KIKYOU ONEE-SAMA WON'T DO SUCH A THING!!!"
The village women were startled, and turned to see the younger sister behind them, her fists clenched with anger. "My onee-sama is pure at heart and she knows what she's doing!"
"Kaede-chan! You've been there for how long?" one of them asked.
"Don't you know that it is bad to eavesdrop on someone's conversation?" another scolded.
"I know! But you're saying bad things about my sister! And I absolutely won't let you ruin her good name!"
The others just shook their heads in pity. They started to walk back to their homes, while another, the eldest woman in the village, came to her. "I'm sorry, my child. But we are just concerned about your sister. We care for her so much because of all the good things that she does for this village. We can't help but notice about her everyday disappearances. Do you know where she really goes during those times?"
"No…"
The old woman put her hands on Kaede's shoulders. "Child, we're really bothered. What if a youkai suddenly attacks our little village and we have nobody to defend us? Us villagers fear for our lives and our children's lives. Please tell your sister about this; it's for the sake of everybody." With that, she left little Kaede confused and mystified. She hadn't noticed herself that Kikyou was missing everyday. And she was acting strange. What's wrong with her? Worried, she looked at the direction of the forest, where she was right now. "Kikyou onee-sama…"
"You mean you've been guarding that thing all your life?" Inu Yasha asked her, pointing to the Shikon jewel in her hands. "Don't you ever get tired of doing that everyday? I mean…"
"It is the duty bestowed upon me. This is my calling…to protect this jewel along with the humankind depending upon it," the miko solemnly answered. The hanyou felt offended at the mention of the word "humankind", and wished that she didn't included the darn word. It's offending his being as a half-youkai. Frustrated, he turned his head away, ignoring the lady who was sitting beside him. "What's the matter, Inu Yasha? Is something bothering you?"
"You don't have to press the word 'humankind' so much…"he gruffly replied.
Kikyou raised an eyebrow. "You're offended, right?"
"It's none of your business."
She smiled, and looked at the pink jewel shimmering at the light of the setting sun. "You're aware of the power that the jewel possesses, right? That it can grant the wishes of any being, as long as his wish is from the bottom of his heart…"
"I think I made my mind upI got time to grow up, face responsibility
Living in the moment, keeping my heart open
While I'm only 17…"
That statement caught his attention. "Don't tell me that you're going to give me the jewel, Kikyou!" He stopped short when he saw her surprised expression. "I mean, er…"
"I was just thinking…" Kikyou started. Inu Yasha waited for her to continue. "Well?"
"Nothing…just forget what I said earlier. I'm sorry I offended you, I didn't mean to do it," she apologized.
"No, you don't have to!" He insisted. "Really, it's nothing…and don't give me that long face! I hate it when you do that!" Shocked at what he just blurted, he stood up, and crossed his arms. "You have to go back to your village now. They've been looking for you for sure." He looked at the sky, as the signs of the night are approaching, and figured that he should get going himself. But before he could leave, a gentle hand took hold of his right hand. It was Kikyou, and the sad expression in her face earlier disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile. "Thank you…"
He could feel his face getting red, and turned away, hoping that Kikyou won't notice. "Keh!" he exclaimed, and dashed away the moment she let go of his hand.