Disclaimer: I do not own the anime series or any of its content and affiliations. This is devoted to my favorite character: Kikyo. Pairings: Kikyo/Sess/Kurama/Inu?

Please Read & Review

Sorry it took me so long to update; I underestimated the difficulty of writing a decent story.

In a forest much like the one in which Inuyasha and Kikyo had shared their first kiss, under a tree much like the one by which Inuyasha had promised Kikyo to love and protect her forever, on a night much like the one in which Inuyasha and Kikyo had spent their first night together, sat a handsome man with flowing rose red hair and emerald green eyes, with his back leaned against a the trunk of the tree and with a sleeping beauty lying protectively within his embrace.

Looking down upon Kikyo resting on his chest, Kurama could not help but notice her striking beauty: the silkiness of her hair, the softness of her fair skin, the perfection of her features and body—everything he has so close to him, yet so far from his grasp.

Gently, Kurama ran the tips of his finger down her cheek, along a strand of hair that leads down between her breasts, and finally to her left hand that rested on her abdomen. When he enclose her delicate hand in his, however, Kurama found it to be ice cold, just like the way it felt the first time he touched them…

Flashback:

…Yuske, Kuwabara, Hie, Kurama, and Kikyo had just entered the forbidden forest of the demon Sakiru. In order to enter Sakiru's castle, they had to battle the mysterious forces of the forest first. It is common knowledge to all that this is the most fearsome fortress in the spirit world. Many have attempted to cross the forest to Sakiru's castle; whether any were successful in arriving at the castle was unknown, for none had ever exited the forest to disclose its secrets.

Immediately after entering the forest, the group of five was split up by a huge earthquake, and by the time everyone regained his/her consciousness, he/she was alone.

Kikyo had woken up in what seems like a path sidelined by the dense forest. She was wearing a skin-tight black leather suit with matching gloves and boots. On top of everything was a black cloak, complete with a hood that caste shadow over her features. Kikyo had not allowed anyone to see enough of her features to develop a clear impression; she came only because Koenma had given her life, and that made her nothing more than a mercenary. She was not a part of the group, nor did she seek to be. For when she was restored to life, she promised herself never again to put her life in another's hand, and that she will be her own protector from now on.

With her body and power back, Kikyo had trained herself to be more powerful than just a great miko. She has become a fighter who can wield more than just bows and arrows, a warrior whose power is far beyond that of purification. And with her new self, Kikyo had sought to forget all her past weaknesses and fears, the greatest of which is love.

Or so she had hoped. For even as a cold-hearted mercenary, she can only suppress the memories she had shared with her love—Inuyasha, the betrayal and pain she had suffered. Once in a while, when she's all alone, everything resurfaces, and pulls her apart.

Kikyo stood up and carefully examined her surroundings. Nothing seems to bestow a clue as to her whereabouts, so she decided to follow the path in front of her. The forest was silent except for her heels clicking on the ground. Suddenly, another sound joined in, along with a light and two presences up ahead. Kikyo slowed her steps as she approached the light, which was cast over a clearing. The sight and recognition of the two figures made her stop dead in her tracks. It was Inuyasha, with Kagome in his arms.

The sight of the love of her life together with nothing more than a counterfeit froze Kikyo dead in her tracks. She could neither blink nor breathe; her mouth felt dry and there was a sharp pain in her throat; her heart skipped a beat, and then started beating faster and faster, thudding rhythmically against her chest while sending a new wave of pain throughout her body with every thud.

Kagome looked up over Inuyasha's shoulder and gave Kikyo a cold stare, as if annoyed by her interruption. At this point, Inuyaha released Kagome and walked over to Kikyo. Kikyo desperately tried to search for a sign of remorse, pain, or even love in his face, but all she could find was anger, or at most indifference.

"I'm done with you. Don't come to bother me again."

At these cold words, Kikyo's tears burst forth as she broke into a silent sob. She had a thousand questions to ask, a thousand things to say, but she could not make a sound. Although outwardly immobile, Kikyo was crying on the inside. Not only was she powerless to fight her pain, but, by the minute, she was loosing strength.

Inuyaha's claw started to glow as he broke into a sprint toward Kikyo, ready to attack.

Somewhere else in the forest, Kurama felt a sharp pain through his heart as the picture of Inuyasha attacking Kikyo flashed before his eyes. Without hesitation, he sprinted in the direction of Kikyo's scent and arrived just in time to tackle Inuyasha out of way before he reached Kikyo. As Inuyasha hit the truck of a tree, he quickly turned back into a gray, human-shaped metamorph.

Seeing that its partner is occupying Kurama, the Kagome metamorph showed its true form. Its forearms turned into blades as it charged a Kikyo at full speed. Kikyo, at this point, was still immobile. Partially because the metamorphs had been absorbing her strength during the illusion, but mainly because the image of Inuyasha hugging Kagome was still imprinted upon her mind, and its parallel with reality was too much for her to take.

"Kikyo, move out of the way!"

Kurama screamed to no avail. So he lashed his rose whip at the Inuyasha metaphor, cutting it into pieces, and quickly jumped over to Kikyo, covering her with his body while attempting to move her out of harm's way. They landed a few feet away, with Kurama on top of Kikyo, but not before the second metaphor slashed Kurama's right arm, drawing blood.

Being tackled to the ground and at the sight of Kurama hurt, Kikyo quickly snapped out of her dazed state. Pushing herself up from under Kurama, she materialized her own blade and slashed through the metaphor, killing it in an instance. Upon the second metaphor's disintegration, the light faded, the clearing disappeared, replaced by further continuation of the path.

Kikyo stood in the position that she landed for a couple more moments, catching her breath and blinking away any trace of tears from her eyes. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder that gently turned her around to face a pair of emerald eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Your arm is hurt; allow me to heal it."

Kikyo said quickly, trying to change the subject.

"It's fine really; only a minor cut."

"Please, it's the least I could do after you just saved my life."

Kikyo's though quickly turned back to Inuyasha for a second and added.

"No one has ever cared enough to do that."

Kurama's eyes widened a bit with concern at this last comment. He realized that this must be somehow connected to the silver-haired demon in the illusion. Taking his silence as an acceptance, Kikyo removed her gloves and then her hood. Her raven hair flowed to the back with an incoming breeze, fully revealing the beauty of her features.

At the sight of Kikyo under the moonlight, Kurama's heart skipped a beat. Never has he seen such beauty. When Kikyo was revived to life, he caught a glimpse of her beauty, but now that he has been able to examine her up close, Kurama felt like he was in a dream.

Kikyo held her hands over Kurama's wound, producing a pink light that, when faded, revealed a perfectly healed arm. When Kikyo dropped her hands, the back of her left hand brushed against Kurama's right hand. This caused both of them to blush, especially Kurama, who had felt a surge of excitement flash through his body at the softness of Kikyo's hand, but he was also surprised at how cold it was…

End of Flashback

Kurama held Kikyo tighter against his chest, lowered his face to the top of her head, and slowly inhaled her flowery scent.

"I will always be there for you. Where ever your heart might be, mine is yours."

Next chapter: more into how the relationship between Kurama and Kikyo developed and how Kikyo feels about him now. I'll get to Sesshomaru soon, don't worry all you Kikyo/Sess fans.

I drew inspiration from some of my favorite authors: Jazz7, Sweet Ruby Moon, and others that I can't name at this point. By the way, this is also my first story, so please feel free to comment and make suggestions.