17 ~by: Twilight Zero

TZ's notes: Okay, for those who are dying to know, the story's already reached halfway! Wai!!! Minnasan, iro iro arigato!for reviewing! Also, the sweetest of all greetings to lynnx lady and to Jade! (blows kisses and waves…) Thanks for making my story a part of your favorites list, Jade-san! ^_____^ Gomen if I took too long to update, coz I'm currently working on a new fic, my upcoming Beyblade ficcy, "Misty", and I'm proud to say that it's going to debut in ff.net very soon. Hope you'll like it as much as you like my IY fics! This is the 5th chapter, and this is dedicated to everybody who wishes to see a little Inu/Kik lover's quarrel (yes, they're going to fight! Not physically, though…hehe) Itadakimasu!!!J …P.S. Oh, I forgot! I don't own IY. Enjoy!!!

The darkness of the night was nothing, as Kikyou made her way silently towards the forest. She had to admit it made her anxious for a while; waiting for Kaede to sleep was quite a task. But it was nothing compared to the joy and happiness that she's going to feel in the next few minutes after she's reacquainted with him again. She had waited for this moment to come. The moment that she'll be witnessing his presence again. It's not easy to see that she's desperate to see him. And Kikyou knew that…

…for she was deeply in love with him.

It was the night of the new moon, the night that the hanyou hated the most, and the moment Kikyou finds out the truth, she'll be totally shocked for sure…

"Chikuso," Inu-Yasha cursed disgustingly, as he looked at his human appearance. He was sitting on the branch of the biggest tree in the forest (A/N: You know what it is already, don't you? ^_~), while looking at the dark sky without a single star in sight. Nothing beautiful that might cheer him up. Or so he thought – his sharp senses sensed that someone's coming to his way. Was it a youkai? He prayed to Kami-sama that it wasn't. As the creature came nearer, his human nose sensed that it was not a youkai, for the scent of the creature is far too sweet…wait, that scent smelled so familiar… "Damnit! I need to get out of here!" he mentally cried,  and jumped down the tree. But it's too late…

The scene that was laid upon Kikyou's eyes was almost unbelievable. There she was, looking at a black-haired human wearing Inu-Yasha's outfit. She thought that she was going to see him once and for all after all the lonely months that passed her life. Disappointed, she clenched her fists and fought back the tears that were about to fall from her eyes. But she was stopped by a familiar voice. "Kikyou, don't be frightened. It's me."

"What…Inu-Yasha? Is that you?" she stuttered.

Even though he was human and his appearance had fully changed, he still kept his arrogant behavior. "Keh, it's just me in my human form," he finally answered and crossed his arms. "What about it?" When he looked at her face, he felt like regretting the statement that he said earlier. Kikyou was already crying. "Hey – "

"We've been together for so long…and I didn't know that you're also a human like me…" She faced him with anger and sadness in her eyes. "Why?"

"I-" he began. "I-I don't know…"

"Inu-Yasha, don't you trust me?" Kikyou asked, hoping to hear a positive answer. But the reason she received was just as worse as the negative one… "I don't know. I mean, we're enemies, right? That is, once… I'm afraid of trusting a wrong person  -"

"You're meaning to say that you didn't trusted me all this time?!"

"No!" he cried. "Okay let me explain." He went near her and wiped away the tears that are staining her pure maiden face. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this, but during the new moon of every month, I lose all my hanyou powers and appearance, and turn into human. It's all because of my heritage – my father's a pure youkai and my mother is a pure human." As he continued to explain, he could see the anger in her eyes subside. "During those times, I have no means of defending myself, that's why I kept my true identity a secret. When the first rays of sunshine the next morning come, I change back…" He was relieved to see her smile once again, as she rested her head on his chest. "All clear?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. I'm sorry I made you worry," he said with an unusual softness in his voice, and embraced her. "I'm sorry Kikyou…" he listened on and was glad to hear that she stopped crying. She raised her head and looked at him with happiness in his eyes. "But still," she said in between sobs, "you looked much better as a human." She gently soothed his cheek and smiled. "Much better…"

The romance in the air was so intense, as Inu-Yasha leaned his head towards hers and was just inches away from their first kiss, until…

 "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know what came over me. I have to go back now, Kaede might be awake…" she staggered and pushed him away, blushing fiercely. Without even bothering to look at him, she walked away. Inu-Yasha looked like he was in a trance for a couple of seconds before snapping out of it. "Kuso…baka!" he cursed mentally and slammed his head lightly against the trunk of the tree. "Stupid me – I shouldn't have attempted that. now Kikyou's going to stay away from me for good!"

"That's almost my first kiss," Kikyou said to herself sheepishly. "I almost kissed him…" she walked on, the image still playing inside her head. "Almost…why can't I shake it off!?" She passed by the cave where Onigumo was laid, and as she looked, it seemed that he was fast asleep. Relieved that no one heard her outburst, she proceeded silently back to the village. Her first venue was the shrine, where the jewel was laid, and she kneeled before it, praying fervently. "Did I just made a terrible mistake?" she asked the jewel. "Have I just committed a sin, Shikon no Tama?…" It seemed that the jewel illuminated brightly as if it answered her. "What do you mean – " And suddenly, something flashed back into her mind…

"Inu-Yasha, you knew what the Shikon no Tama can do, right? That it can grant the wishes of anyone who asks it from the bottom of their hearts…"

That's right, Kikyou thought. I can give him the jewel so that he can become human…but that's selfishness! I'm confused… "What shall I do? Honestly, I want him by my side…I don't want to lose him…cause I love him. For once, I wanted to live a normal life with the person that I love until I die of old age…" she told the jewel. Outside, the first sign of snow fell slowly and enveloped everything in white. Pretty soon, the whole village looked like a white, magical fantasy place in the middle of sorrow. The miko looked outside and raised her eyes towards the sky, watching the yuki fall down and float like small balls of cotton. "So cold but soft…" she remarked. "…just like me."

"I don't wanna do right, I just want you tonight,

Not just only in my dreams

Save my best behavior for a little later,

Cause I'm only 17

I think I made my mind up, I got time to grow up

Face responsibility

Living in the moment, keeping my heart open

While I'm only 17…"

The winter that year was strangely fatal to most children of the village. There has been a surprising amount of children suffering from cough and colds, and everytime there was a victim, Kikyou was always summoned to take care of them. She told the parents what they must do and even gave them medicinal plants to give to the sick. She was assisted by her younger sister Kaede. And day after day, she would visit Onigumo in the cave and nurse him back to health bit by bit. Everytime she was there, Kaede noticed that he was staring at Kikyou maliciously, which made her nervous. What is he planning?

Little did Kikyou knew that Inu-Yasha was following her, making sure she was safe. But unfortunately, the winter that year was the last winter that neither of them will both experience. For deep inside Onigumo's soul, a dark plot has been set…

================================

================================

There! Another chapter finished! (stretches her arms and cracks her knuckles). Please review! ^______^ Well, gotta rest now and hit the fridge. Ja ne!