Hidden Sunshine

By Kaycee Ronin

I don't own anything. Inuyasha isn't mine, and neither are any of the characters, situations, or anything else involved. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi-sama. This fic was written at complete random, most likely meaning I was bored in one of my history classes. It hints at an Inuyasha/Kikyo pairing set before there was Kagome. I had meant to finish this before Valentine's Day…but obviously that didn't work out. Hope you all enjoy! Remember, authors feed off feedback! Enjoy! ^_^

* * * * *

Of all the times he had seen that look on her face, repeated so many times in dreams throughout his fifty year sleep, the one time he had seen it for real was the one that stuck far more than any dream could. The look in her eyes was one he had never seen before then. He had never heard words spoken in such a manner as the way she spoke them with the exception of his mother—and that was so long ago he barely remembered. Even now he still remembered it; how she had cared when no one else would have.

~ "Does it hurt too much?" ~

~ "Feh! Of course not!" ~

Kikyo…

* * * * * * *

She had never let him get too close. At best Inuyasha could just see the village, and if he dared to get any nearer then a simple sight range she would stop him. Like now. Foot snared in a tightly woven rope, he found himself hanging upside down from a tree branch and cursing loudly enough for anyone within a few miles to hear. The young hanyou growled furiously and reached for the branch where the rope was tied. He could barely reach it; much less untie the knot bound on the upper part of the branch.

"Chukuso…"

"Are you caught up in there already, Inuyasha?"

That voice. It was her! Golden eyes darted angrily about for a moment before coming to rest on the young woman standing on the nearby path to the village. Her long black hair was tied back as it usually was. She held her bow in one hand, while the other reached into the quiver of arrows strapped to her back. A smaller dark haired girl stood next to her, watching the half demon with round dark eyes. Normally the girl, Kaede, carried the priestess' arrows herself, but she was still learning; most likely how to become a Miko herself someday. After all, she was still only a young girl, not quite the witch like her sister yet.

Inuyasha watched Kikyo expectantly. He was exceedingly annoyed, but still calm enough to have shut his mouth for now. For a few moments there was an absolute silence between them. Strange. The round golden eyes stared at her evenly, completely calm for a few moments. It seemed odd that Kikyo wasn't very repulsive for a human, even upside down.

"Kikyo," He snarled lowly as he snapped out of his momentary daze. He twisted heatedly in an attempt to free himself again. "Damn you woman! When I get down from here I'll… I'll…"

A small smile briefly crossed her face. "I tie my knots well," She spoke rather plainly, any trace of the previous smile gone as her serious demeanor held firm. "You could very well be stuck there for a long time, maybe even a day or two."

"Why you…" Inuyasha roared with vehemence, still struggling to free his ensnared foot.

"Give up already Inuyasha," Kikyo sighed, withdrawing an arrow from her quiver and quickly aiming it. "You act so much like a spoiled little child I can't stand it.  Just forget the Shikon Jewel." Kikyo released her arrow and sent it flying. It sliced through the rope before embedding itself in the tree, freeing Inuyasha and allowing him to fall rather ungracefully to the ground.

Kikyo only took a moment to glare sternly at the half demon before turning to leave, dark hair flowing in a breeze behind her.

"Matte-o!" Inuyasha lunged to his feet and raced after her.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, brown eyes still glaring. "Go home Inuyasha." She said disapprovingly.  With that, she disappeared along the path back to the village. Kaede hurried after her, laughing softly.  A child that had just seen another child scolded.

Inuyasha watched after her, fists clenched angrily. "Feh," He made a face, mocking loudly, "Go home Inuyasha." He growled, kicked at the ground, stirring up a small cloud of dust and dead grass and leaves. Another feral sound escaped his throat as he leapt into a nearby tree. He hopped from branch to branch, tree to tree in the opposite direction of the village. "Stupid wench," He moved rapidly through the trees as the sun began set on the village behind him. Kikyo had outsmarted him yet again. This was more or less becoming a daily event. When had humans gotten so intelligent?

He came to a stop at the large Goshinboku tree and settled onto a large branch. With a snarl, Inuyasha turned and glared back in the direction of the village. How dare that Miko make a fool of him! He smashed a fist against the trunk of the tree as he uttered a few more curses. She constantly teased with him and refused to ever really do any damage. She never finished him off. He always thought he could do so easily, but whenever he came up with a plan to, he hesitated for one reason or another. Just as she never hurt him, he never hurt her either. With an annoyed sigh the young hanyou settled against the tree trunk, staring toward the village…and Kikyo.

* * * * * * *

"Onee-sama," Little Kaede gazed up at her elder sister as she carried a bucket of water towards their hut. "Why does that dog demon Inuyasha keep coming here? Like today, I saw him. Why does he want the Shikon Jewel? Why don't you just get rid of him like all those other demons?"

Kikyo shuffled the herbs she carried in her arms and glanced at Kaede. "Inuyasha…" She paused. "Inuyasha isn't like other demons, Kaede. He wants the Shikon no Tama, yes, but most demons come and slaughter anything in their way in order to get the jewel. Inuyasha merely…causes trouble. He's never really hurt anyone in the village," She stopped again, thinking. "Inuyasha is half human himself, but he doesn't want to be." His human side is what keeps him from trying to take the Shikon jewel the way other demons do Kaede. And it's also why I cannot treat him like them."  She gave the girl a small smile.  "He is simply…different."

"Different," The girl repeated.  "Like you, Onee-sama?"

Kikyo appeared startled for a moment.  Such a thought had never really occurred to her before.  With her duty as a priestess, and protector of the Shikon Jewel, she seemed to be an outcast from her own kind.  And in truth, Inuyasha had nowhere to fit in, being neither human nor demon. "Hai…Kaede…I suppose." She spoke softly.

"Sou ka," Kaede slipped into the hut and dumped the contents of her bucket into a large jar in the corner. "Just need a little more," She turned quickly to Kikyo, swinging the bucket with both hands. "I'll get it."

"Be careful," The priestess looked outside with a frown. It was dark now. "Hurry back Kaede," She said as the girl darted out of the hut. Kikyo watched until she was out of sight, then returned to sorting her herbs.

* * * * * * *

Inuyasha had just dozed off when a strange sound stirred him from his sleep. Rustling leaves…and snapping branches…? Not many creatures moved about in the trees at this hour. At least no normal forest creatures caused branches to snap when they traveled. Almost all were totally silent, even difficult for him to detect. That only left one possibility.

"A youkai…"

He sat up; ears twitching and nose wrinkled and ready to catch any scent. Something was moving rapidly through the trees. He moved quickly into a crouched position, eyes narrowed. It had to be a demon. Its scent was so awful there was no way it could be anything else. The creature was moving rapidly and heading for the village. ~~ After the Shikon no Tama, no doubt. ~~

Inuyasha growled as he leapt out of the tree and rushed back in the direction of the village. He was bound and determined not to let anyone touch the jewel he had decided should rightfully belong to him. ~~ It belongs to me. ~~ He thought as he raced through the forest. ~~ I won't let some weak undeserving youkai take it. ~~

* * * * * * *

Kaede held her bucket under the water for a few moments until it filled. Then she stood, carefully holding the container with both hands, and turned back to the row of huts nearby. Something moved swiftly through the grass, startling the girl and almost making her drop the bucket. She turned slightly, setting the bucket down. "Is somebody there?" The tall grass rustled again and Kaede retreated a step or two. Something was moving through the tall obstacle, too big to be one of the usual rabbits or field mice. Perhaps one of the younger horses that belonged to the people in the village had gotten loose.

The moving creature suddenly turned sharply in Kaede's direction and hurtled towards her. At this, the little girl bolted for the village with a cry of surprise. That was no horse, or any regular wild animal. Something white shifted in the grass and abruptly sprang into the air with a howl. Sharp fangs and claws glimmered briefly in the moonlight before the tall, lizard-like creature landed and grinned maliciously down at the girl. "The Shikon no Tama is here," He hissed, red eyes darting in the direction of the village, then back to Kaede. "Where is it girl?" A clawed hand swiped at her, barely missing her left arm. "You had best tell me quickly," The youkai took a step closer. "I am not in a patient mood tonight."

The child's cry tore through the village, startling Kikyo from her work of sorting herbs. "Kaede…" She looked toward the sound, alarmed, her dark eyes widening in fear for her younger sister. She grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows without a moment's hesitation and rushed out of the hut. She rushed toward the stream as fast as her feet could carry her.

Inuyasha's ears pricked forward as he heard the little girl scream. "It's the brat," He spoke rather quietly to himself. His nose twitched, smelling the air in the direction the noise had come from. The youkai too? "Great," He murmured with an added snarl. Of anyone who could have run into the demon and had a formidable chance, Kaede was certainly at the very bottom of the list. Inuyasha sped toward the village stream. Hopefully this demon hadn't gotten through Kaede to the Shikon no Tama yet.

"Get back," Kaede warned in the most threatening voice she could manage. She was retreating quickly herself, though dark eyes still glared at the monster in front of her. The demon merely hissed, a forked tongue appearing for a moment before he smiled again.

"My tolerance is wearing very thin, child," He spoke lowly, iron-like claws tensing. "If you cannot tell me where the jewel is, I'll slice you and the rest of this village to bits right now and find it myself."

The youkai took another step forward as Kaede shrieked and stepped back again. This time she tripped and lost her balance, falling flat on her rear as the demon leapt into the air over her. She squeezed her eyes shut, too afraid to move now as her attacker howled as a warning to attack.

A few seconds passed and nothing happened. A startled sound escaped from the demon's throat and Kaede ventured to open one eye. A lone arrow had embedded itself into the ground in between her and the demon. She looked up in surprise to a small hill where Kikyo stood, holding her bow with another arrow ready to shoot. "Onee-sama!" The girl scrambled to her feet and hurried to her sister, hiding quickly behind her.

"You are all right, Kaede?" Kikyo looked over the girl carefully before handing her the quiver of arrows that had been draped across her shoulder.

"Hai," Kaede nodded, obviously a bit shaken, but she showed no other visible signs of damage. "I'm fine, Onee-sama." She took the arrows as Kikyo looked back to the demon. One hand held the quiver of arrows, while her free hand clung tightly, rather childishly to one leg of her sister's hakama.

The youkai looked startled for only an instant longer before turning to glare at Kikyo. "You must be the priestess," He sneered, his tongue sneaking through his teeth briefly like a snake. "You are quite well known for protecting the Shikon no Tama. There are many stories told about you, Lady Priestess."

"Then you should have known not to come," She aimed her arrow carefully between the demon's eyes. "The Shikon Jewel will be purified here so no demon will ever be able to touch it again. You have simply wasted your time by coming here to try and get it."

"Is that so Lady Priestess?" The youkai stepped forward, a grin as wide as ever crossing his face. "Many have said such things to me before, and I'm not about to take such words spoken by a human seriously. What can a mere human woman do?" The demon's claws tensed again as he readied to charge her. "Priestess or no, I'll tear you apart now."

Kikyo never even had the chance to see the demon move. It was in front of her in a second flat, knocking her firmly to the ground with a powerful fist. She hit the ground hard and skidded back a few feet, dropping her bow and arrow as the breath was knocked from her body. The youkai stood over the young priestess with a smirk.

"You are quite weak for a holy woman," He spoke tauntingly. "You can not even dodge an attack that simple?"

Kikyo clenched her teeth and pulled herself up, wincing slightly in pain as she did. Her ribs ached as she dragged breath back into her lungs. "Omae wa…" She turned, reaching down and picked up her bow. "You are not going to get past me demon," She said firmly. "I will protect that jewel no matter what."

No sooner had she picked up her bow than the youkai attacked again, smashing a foot against her head and propelled her backward until she fell again. She attempted to stand again and clear the black spots dancing in front of her eyes, but they only grew. "K-Kaede…" She glanced in her sister's direction. "Get out of here right now."

"D-demo Onee-sama…"

"Go…Kaede," Kikyo watched after the girl as she took off running. The instant she was out of sight she felt a foot ramming into her side again then all went dark.

The youkai approached again and nudged Kikyo's shoulder. "Pathetic, Priestess," He stepped past her and looked toward the village. "Perhaps in your next lifetime you will do better," He turned back to her and swung down a clawed hand, ready to rip her apart.

Inuyasha appeared out of nowhere, pouncing on the demon just a second before the claws reached Kikyo. He pinned the attacking one face first to the ground with ease. "After the Shikon Jewel?" He snarled, golden eyes narrowing in fury as he roughly punched the demon's midsection without warning. "It belongs to ME youkai! Just for trying to take it I'll kill you." He gave the demon another punch, again not giving him the chance to block it. "No one touches what's mine." He lifted the demon by the arm and hurled him a few yards into a tree. When the creature didn't move to get up, Inuyasha turned with a snort and quickly padded to where Kikyo lay.

He knelt over her, golden eyes scanning the priestess' face uncertainly. "Oi," Inuyasha's ears folded backward as he awaited a response. None was given. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. For only a moment, he was choked with the fear that she may be…He nudged her arm gently before sitting on the dampened ground. "You… aren't dead, are you?" Inuyasha leaned closer to her face.

"Nn…" Kikyo blinked her eyes open dazedly and gazed upward, fixing her stare on the half demon. "I-Inuyasha…?" She moaned softly as she carefully sat up, quickly moving a hand to her spinning head. "What in…" She looked quite surprised at seeing the unmoving creature underneath the nearby tree. "Did you do that?"

"You let yourself be defeated by such a weak youkai. Really a pity Kikyo," Inuyasha backed away a bit, dusting off his hands as Kikyo pulled herself up and picked up her bow. He started toward the motionless demon as Kikyo leaned against her bow for support until her head cleared.

"Be careful, Inuyasha," She spoke in a cautious, low tone, her dark eyes narrowed and fixed on the unmoving youkai. "I sense something is not right."

"Keh, no one needs to warn me to be cautious." He said, snorting indignantly as he crouched next to the prone form.

Just as she spoke, the youkai stirred and slowly sat up. Inuyasha tensed eagerly; ready to attack again as his recovering adversary leered at him. "You hurt me boy," He growled, staggering to his feet. He noticed Inuyasha's pointed ears for the first time and grinned. "Iie… hanyou. How embarrassing that is to be harmed by a mere half demon. You'll pay for it."

"I doubt it," Inuyasha smirked as he hopped to his feet. "Don't mistake me for the way I look. Kisama…I've defeated creatures far tougher than you."

"Protecting the priestess are you?" The demon glanced to Kikyo, smiling slowly as his gaze shifted back to Inuyasha. "How noble for a half youkai."

Inuyasha snorted. "You're trying your luck. I've simply made this MY fight. I'd never go into battle for such a feeble, mere human woman." He smirked slightly. "You know…I could be tempted to torture you before I kill you. You're nothing compared to any other demons I've faced before."

"Let us see then, hm?" The youkai said before swinging a heavy fist at Inuyasha. "No hanyou could possibly be a match in speed and strength for a someone like me."

As the fist came at him, Inuyasha leapt into the air, catching a tree branch as the youkai looked about in confusion. "What do you call that?" He mocked, grinning widely in amusement. "Is that your speed? Such a joke." The young half demon hopped silently from the tree and rammed harshly against the youkai's back with his shoulder. "That's speed."

The larger creature staggered forward a few steps, almost falling before he caught his balance and turned quickly back toward Inuyasha. He shot a feral glance past him to Kikyo. She still held her bow and arrow ready, the statement in her eyes fully serious. She intended to release the arrow just as soon as she could have a clear shot. But she didn't dare tell Inuyasha to get out of the way. The hanyou would never listen. He would simply prefer to fight then watch her end it in less than a minute.

"You have quite a powerful pet, priestess," the demon admitted, smirking as he stepped toward Inuyasha.

"Watch your mouth!" He fumed in reply before Kikyo could utter a word. Inuyasha crouched, claws and fangs barred-- ready to attack again "I am no one's pet! Understand?!"

The youkai laughed. "How passionate," His gaze again briefly turned to Kikyo. "I think he likes you."

That moment of distraction was all Inuyasha needed to spring forward, claws headed directly for his annoying adversary's throat. "Pretty stupid for the last words you'll ever speak, demon!" He growled. This time, however, the bigger youkai was ready. He caught Inuyasha's closest wrist and threw him off balance, sending the half demon a few feet before he finally caught himself against a tree.

Inuyasha though, was exceedingly resilient. The white haired dog demon would practically have to be missing his limbs to give up in any fight. He rebounded quickly, his feet pushing off the tree's trunk for extra leverage. He was high in the air above the youkai before he felt a sudden tug at his foot and was thrown to the ground. The angry demon had managed to move and grab him from behind.

"All I really need to do is keep you on the ground, and you'll have no way to fight," The youkai sneered as a surprised Inuyasha began to gather his senses and get up. "How horribly unskilled."

"Why you…" Inuyasha hissed, jerking his foot out of the demon's grip.  "Underestimating me will get you killed!" He leapt back at his opponent.

The larger youkai only grinned, bright fangs glinting. "Listen to your own advice, hanyou." He swung an arm forward, claws aching to hit any sort of flesh, and tore into Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo's dark eyes widened in horror as the dog demon fell to his knees, cursing in pain as a thin shower of blood rained down around him. He didn't seem intent on staying down long, however, but Inuyasha seemed much slower as he clambered back into a standing position. A hand was clamped firmly over his now heavily bleeding shoulder.

"Urusei, onna," His eyes narrowed slightly at the priestess as he looked at her briefly over his uninjured shoulder.  He hissed once in pain.  "Let me finish this."

The demon laughed, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You will be finishing nothing, hanyou, or can you not tell when claws are poison-tipped?" His grin only widened as Inuyasha sneered at him in skepticism.

"Lying isn't going to help you— " Inuyasha stopped himself feeling a strange pain in his stricken shoulder. ~~ Shit…this is…no mere wound…~~ The half demon moved his hand to examine the injury. It didn't hurt so much as made his entire arm feel peculiar. The youkai hadn't been lying. Not only was he not lying, but his poison was quite strong, Inuyasha was beginning to feel dizzy. "Shit…" He cursed, swaying considerably. "Shit…"

The youkai rushed forward, kicking Inuyasha forcefully across the ribs. He sent the half demon staggering back a few yards into a large tree trunk. Inuyasha growled at his opponent as he wobbled yet again and fell back to his knees. He cursed under his breath as he attempted to rise, his muscles refusing to cooperate. As he raised his head, he saw the vague image of the youkai rushing at him again, claws fully ready to strike again. Unable to do anything else, the half demon only raised his hand over his head in an attempt to block any attack. He cursed lowly, furious. Never once had he thought about dying this way, practically helpless and at the mercy of a single youkai.

Kikyo refused to simply stand by any longer at this point.  There was no way Inuyasha could win now, and if she let him be, he would be sliced into pieces before the poison could even finish it's job.  She let her carefully aimed arrow fly at the advancing youkai, holding her breath as it flew through the air.

A startled gasp escaped the demon's mouth as the arrow struck his chest, sending him staggering back, away from Inuyasha.  He glared at Kikyo as a dying howl bellowed from his throat.  The demon fell to the ground without a coherent word, only hissing and sputtering as a final breath left his lungs.  Then everything was still.  The demon was finally dead.

Inuyasha's eyes flew wide in surprise and he coughed softly as his gaze turned to Kikyo.  "How'd you do that…?" His gaze remained fixed on the dark haired woman as he fought to stay on his knees.  He hissed lowly as she knelt in front of him, eyes full of concern.  "I told you… it was my fight." He protested halfheartedly.

She smiled at him softly.  "And you did well, Inuyasha."

The pointed ears pricked as he caught Kikyo's tone.  For once, the voice didn't seem to have any tone of annoyance in it.  Her eyes didn't seem angry or upset as they usually seemed to be when they met up.  She wasn't going to scold him as she so often did.  And that relieved him somehow.

He finally let his eyes close as he heard the priestess beginning to shout for someone to bring certain herbs.  He heard that soft voice again as he fell forward, then felt a cool hand against his face.  "You'll be all right, Inuyasha."  It was the last he heard before the world fell into silence and darkness.

* * * * * * *

Inuyasha wasn't quite sure just where he was when consciousness returned to him.  He was lying on his back, gazing at the plain thatched roof above him. ~~How did I end up here…?~~ He wondered, still slightly groggy as his half open eyes scanned the small hut.  It was bright now, morning.  He had been out for at least the whole night.  His eyes finally came to rest on the woman sitting nearby; her shoulders leaned lightly against the closest wall.

He propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes narrowing a little as he fixed his gaze on Kikyo.  "How did I get here?" He asked in a demanding tone as the priestess raised her head, seemingly having just awoken herself.

"You are awake," She smiled in relief.  "Good.  I had two of the village men carry you here so I could take care of the poison the youkai got into your system.  How do you feel?

Inuyasha sat up all the way. "I'm fine." He reached gingerly for his injured shoulder, clenching his teeth in pain.  Kikyo's eyes narrowed in concern.

"I have an herb that will take care of the pain," She offered.  Before Inuyasha could protest, she was on her feet and sifting through a small bundle of herbs near the entrance to the place.  She quickly found the one she was looking for and broke it open, allowing some of the liquid inside it to fall onto a waiting cloth.  "This may sting for a moment or so, Inuyasha…" The priestess warned as she picked up the cloth and moved it toward his arm.

He jumped as the soft cloth touched his shoulder, followed by the cold feeling of whatever herb Kikyo had used.  "Ch'" He tensed slightly in pain; she hadn't been lying when she said it may sting.

"Does it hurt too much?" Kikyo asked quickly, keeping the cloth firmly in place as the half demon hissed in pain.

"Feh!  Of course not!" He retorted, making his face as stoic as possible.

Silence fell as Kikyo finished with the cloth and set it aside.  She then took several strips of extra cloth, ready for use as bandages.  The hanyou's eyes were avoiding her own as she began to carefully wrap his injured shoulder.

"This…isn't something you have to do…" He murmured as the priestess worked.

"I do it because I want to, Inuyasha, not because I must," Came the soft reply.

His eyes narrowed and his ears pricked backwards.  Still he didn't turn to look at her.  "Why?"

There was a pause, maybe a few minutes or so; Inuyasha really wasn't counting time, he was simply curious for a response. "Because you're different." She murmured.  "Different from all those other youkai that come after the jewel.  Different from any youkai or human…" She continued to bandage his arm in silence.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, seeming confused.  "You're different from any human yourself.  You're a priestess, more powerful than they are.  It doesn't make sense." He shook his head, finally turning his intent look to Kikyo.  "Just what reason does that give you to act the way you do?"

"Only because I want to," She spoke softly.  "If I cannot be regular person, I would rather…" She paused a moment.  "I would rather have someone to talk to who is different, like me."

The half demon blinked, surprised by her response.  Never before had someone spoken words like that to him.  Never before had anyone cared enough to attempt to tend to an injury of his.  He still couldn't understand, but something seemed a bit better when Kikyo's dark eyes lit up as she smiled at him.

"So then…" He still looked a little uncertain as he watched Kikyo tie off the bandage.  "Being different is good… at least you think so?"

She smiled and nodded softly. "I do.  At least, when you don't have to be different alone.  Don't you think so, Inuyasha?"

He frowned as he stood.  "I'll never understand humans, no matter how different or weird they are," The hanyou muttered, giving the woman an odd look.  She stood as well, folding her arms in front of her.

"Does your arm feel better now?" The priestess asked, as Inuyasha slid back the door.

"It…" He turned back briefly, reaching a hand to his shoulder.  It strangely didn't hurt anymore.  "Hai…" His eyes quickly lowered to the wooden floor as a low murmur escaped his throat. "Thank you."  He gazed at her a moment longer, then disappeared out the door.

* * * * * * *

That night, he sat in his usual tree, that strange look and smile on Kikyo's face earlier that day seemingly permanently etched in his mind.  What was wrong with these humans?  Different?  Alike?  What did it really matter to them?

"I would rather have someone to talk to who is different like me…"

Humans… So strange.  How could someone ever begin to realize just how they thought and acted? 

And more importantly, why was he starting to think like them?

~~ Maybe it is best to have someone different around… somebody I could actually relate to.  Kikyo must think that way too. ~~

He looked toward the direction of the village, his ears tilting forward at the usual silence of the dark night.  "Kikyo…"

* Owari *

            Na, na minna-chan!  What'd you think?  I've taken a little break from writing for a while, and this is my first fic I've actually finished since then.  Comments are appreciated.  Now back ta work on Kesshite Itte Shimau.