Chapter 13

He smelled her first before he heard her, which frankly, was an impressive feat.

A subtle shift in weight scooted him easily off the branch and onto the forest floor further away from the source of the scent. Subconsciously, he gave his clothing a few pats, dislodging any bark clinging to him.

Inuyasha walked forward, deliberately making his steps rustle the understory vegetation. Before long, the figure in pristine white and dark crimson appeared under the dappled light of the canopy.

Kikyou glided forward, tabi making barely a sound with each step. Different from her every day attire at the village was the full quiver of arrows strapped to her back, and the long bow alongside her slender form.

Dark eyes shifted from their careful survey of the surroundings to meet his.

"Inuyasha."

He nodded. "Kikyou."

She came to a stop a few arms length in front of him.

"It has been a while. You have been well?"

He fought to keep from visibly wincing. Come to think for it, it really had been some time since he'd shown up at the shrine in the early mornings. He'd been…. preoccupied. The miko's voice was as calm as it always was, so maybe he was just the one reading too much into it? Fuck. He was shit at this kind of thing.

But seriously, why would she care for his visits anyway. Seemed like the humans around here frickin' worshipped her. Every time he went to see her, it was hard to completely shake the feeling that he was just a minor inconvenience she tolerated.

Wait… it wasn't like he was ever visiting her specifically. He was looking for clues about what is hidden in that damn shrine she guarded. Kagome's stupid tendency to overthink shit was seriously rubbing off on him. What the fuck.

Suddenly, Inuyasha realized he had let too much time lapse between Kikyou's question and his response.

"Uh, yeah. M'fine." He scratched the side of his head. "You?"

"I am well." Kikyou's focus moved to the trees beyond him. "Have you sensed anything unusual in the forest?"

He tensed up immediately at her words. "What do you mean?"

"Earlier today I felt a brief hint of jyaki on the breeze. But there is nothing amiss that I can sense so far."

"I woulda've known by now if there's anything besides the weaklings that 're usually in here."

"I see."

Kikyou took a step sideways to continue on past him. Having just walked beyond where he stood, she stilled again, looking slightly back over her shoulder.

"Oh yes. Kaede tells me that you and Kagome have been teaching her safely navigate in the water. That is… kind of you."

Caught by surprise, he looked up and was momentarily captivated by her deep eyes, marginally softened by the current subject matter.

"S'nothing. It's Kagome." He muttered. "I just make sure nothing eats 'em."

There came a soft sound, made by a minute puff of air. A corner of Kikyou's lips lifted in a ghost of a true smile. He blinked, and it was gone.

"You have my thanks."

The miko turned, sweeping on.

For a split second, Inuyasha floundered, unable to process the barrage of thoughts sparked by the exchange. One arm shot out, intent on grabbing Kikyou's elbow to still her movements. Thank fuck he stopped himself in time realizing that surprising a miko can only result in a painful zap on his part at the very least.

"Kikyou!"

She turned, surprise at his somewhat urgent call evident in one arched brow.

He rushed on, clumsily pushing out the words. "Ya want me to come with you?"

"That will not be necessary. I would prefer to be as covert as possible." Her expression lightened marginally. "You need not worry, Inuyasha. I've dealt with many youkai before your arrival."

Although he was certain she meant that as a comforting statement, those words snapped his jaw shut, making him swallow whatever retort he had been preparing to persuade her next.

Inuyasha nodded stiffly, crossing his arms in his sleeve across his chest.

"Right."

Kikyou dipped her chin slightly in parting, lips curved faintly. Then she turned to continue her search in the forest.

For a while he stood there, watching each fluid step leading her further away. Her ebony hair swayed slightly, confined in a straight line down her back.

Right. Who the fuck did he think he was? She was Kikyou. A renowned miko in these parts for being particularly gifted in spiritual powers. She could easily purifying the shit out of anything that crossed her path.

Inuyasha chuckled humourlessly and leapt back up to his favourite perch.

And here he was, some nameless hanyou, who had taken on himself to think he would protect a miko. Hilarious.

Still, back when he first arrived here, and she hadn't shot at him right away, instead keeping his company time and time again, he'd let his mind wander. A very small, very suppressed part of him had wondered if there could be anything. After all, she was the first woman to not scream and run away after one look at him.

And well… Kikyou was a beautiful woman at that.

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A/N: Welp, this turned out super weird and no matter how long I stared at it in an attempt to fix it, it's not going to get better. So yeah… I just posted it, so I can keep moving along.

Sorry for the wait! Real life has been kicking me in the ass for the last month and then some. I am aiming to update again next week! Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. However, this plot, the exact sequence of words and any original characters described therein, I reserve all rights to.