Lightening flashed across the sky, giving the trees stark shadows for an instant.  Thunder rolled after it, building in sound until it seemed to shake the ground.  Rain poured from the heavens in thick sheets.

Another flash of light revealed a young woman running across a field.  She stumbled as the light faded and the thunder bellowed.  Her feet gave out and she knelt on the saturated ground with her head bowed to the rain.  Her shoulders shook as she gave ragged gasps.  She lifted her head to the sky and cold rain washed away her tears.

Light flashed, revealing someone bounding to the young woman.  Thunder vibrated the world with an ear splitting groan.  When it faded the running someone had reached the young woman and knelt beside her.  The words "Stupid girl" were drowned out by the sizzling rain.

The young woman bowed her head again to the storm and the one beside her.  She shivered.

"Why did you drag me out here?" the other snarled.

"I didn't ask you to come," she cried.

"What else am I supposed to do when you run off into a storm like that?" the other demanded.

There was another flash of lightening and the young woman cringed.  Thunder rolled and she leaned forward and shivered.  "Go away, Inu Yasha," the girl said.

"I won't," he replied, untying his sash and pulling off his half-length kimono, revealing his bandages.

The girl glanced at him through her wet bangs.  "What are you doing?  You'll catch cold... or aggravate your wound."

"I've lived through worse than this," he answered, scooting towards her to cover her with half of his kimono.

"I'm mad at you right now," she sniffed.

"You think I care?" he growled.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" she sighed, looking to the ground, but secretly grateful for his body heat.

"I need you," he said softly.

"For jewel shards," she pouted.

"Yeah..." he whispered, with something in his voice that made her turn to look at him.  His large amber eyes stared intently at her.  His eyes... they still held innocence.  They were filled with sadness and longing.

"Why did you have to hurt me?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.

His eyes clouded over with pain and his breath caught.  "It's... It's just the way I am," he responded, looking away from her. 

"Inu Yasha," she began.

"Damnit, Kagome!" he rounded on her.  "Let's go back inside.  It's freezing out here.  Can't you just forget what I said and come back with me?  Is that too much to ask?"

Kagome stared back at the ground, watching as the grass flashed into view and then out again with the lightening.  Thunder seemed to reside in her chest, making her shudder.  "Do you love me?" she asked softly through the deafening roar of the sky. 

Warm arms surrounded her, pulling her body closer to a warm chest.  "Kagome," he said gently, bending his face to hers.  His warm breath tickled her nose.  "Kagome, don't be like this," he whispered.  "Let's go back to the others now."

"No," she whispered, hiding her face in her hands. 

"Can we at least find some shelter?" he asked, hopefully. 

"No," she moaned into her hands.

"I'm soaked... and so are you," he informed her and touched her wet hair.

"No one asked you to stay," she replied.

She waited for his response, but he didn't move.  She looked up to see him staring intently at her.  "I do," he said quietly.

"You do what?"

"In answer to your question."

"What question?"

He rolled his eyes.  "If you're going to ask questions like that... and then forget you asked them, then I won't answer you anymore," he growled.

"You heard that?"

"I can hear your heart beating in your chest," he replied.  "Even when I'm up in a tree at night, I can still hear your heart beat.  What makes you think I can't hear in a storm?"

"I thought... your ears... sensitive..." she stumbled over her thoughts.

"I can always hear you," he replied.  "Can we go back now?"

"Wait a sec.  So you... love me?" she stared up at him in wonder.

He closed his eyes and turned away.  His arms squeezed her.  "I... love," he said softly.  "I didn't want to... I tried so hard not to, but... but I can't help it.  I can't stop it."  He turned back to her and focused on her face.  "I love you," he said with an eerie sort of finality in his voice.

"What about Kikyou?" Kagome asked quietly.

Inu Yasha winced, closing his eyes and hastily shaking thoughts out of his head.  "She's... she's a part of you that I am obligated to restore to you."

"Do you love her?"

"I will always... I guess.  Yeah."  He glanced at the pain in Kagome's eyes.  "But what I loved about her is alive in you, not her," he said quickly.  "What she is now... reminds me of who I was.  Of who I was going to be.  But," he left off with a little smile "fate changes things on us.  I can't help but get pulled in sometimes... to her pain.  I want to die right along with her, so I won't have to feel it anymore... That's what it was like for me back then.  Somehow the answer was oblivion.  But now... I have to remember why I want to live."  He gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips.  "You do that for me... and I love you for it."  He leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. 

It was simple... pure.  Lips made contact and pressed against each other.  Warm breath tickled the other's faces.  He pulled away from the kiss with a shiver and opened his eyes.  "They are so warm," he mumbled.  "Not cold."  He closed his eyes reflectively.  He leaned forward again and pressed his lips to hers.  Gently, he parted his lips and tasted her with the tip of his tongue... something he had never done to someone's lips.  He shivered and grew bolder, delicately exploring where her lips met.  He was surprised when her lips parted and something warm and soft met his tongue.  He pulled away with a twitch and gazed searchingly in her eyes.  He saw nothing but trust and warmth in them.  He leaned forward again and she met him with her lips parted.  He tasted her, teasing her tongue and pulling her head closer to him with his hands.  She moaned against him.  It felt like death and the relief of meeting oblivion.  He pulled away and held her close, burying his face in her neck.  "I didn't know... I didn't know it was like this.  So warm... so warm..." he cried, smelling her skin. 

"What did you think it was?" she asked quietly.

"It was so cold before," he replied.  He straightened and stared at her.  "Kikyou's kiss was cold."  He blinked rapidly at her.  The rain in his hair was getting in his eyes... or maybe something else.  He turned away to wipe them, sniffling as he rubbed them dry.  "I didn't know... I'm sorry."

"Didn't know what?"

"Didn't know many things," he responded with a shiver.  "About you... about her.  But I know now."

"Do you want to go back to the others with me?" she asked.

"No... Let's stay for a moment... in the rain."  He held her close and lifted his chin to let the rain splash on his face, washing away his tears. 

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