Well Diggers
A 30kisses challenge

Rain
Theme #12: In a Good Mood

Author's Notes: I've claimed Inukag for the 30kisses LJ community challenge, where I write thirty scenarios from prompts. So, each chapter is separate from the other, but this will just be where I post all the stories I complete from the prompts. Wish me luck!

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There was something soft and comforting about the rain. For as long as Kagome could remember, she enjoyed sitting in the rain and staring out towards the skies, feeling the gentle caress of a raindrop falling on her face. It was just so… fulfilling and cleansing. Free. Wonderful.

"Lovely," she murmured to herself, her lips curving upwards into an impossibly happy smile. This was what she loved the most—these simple moments of serenity.

Kagome loved the rain. She loved listening to the raindrops outside her window. She loved walking in the rain and jumping into puddles. She loved tipping her head back and opening her mouth, letting the delicious taste of rain cascade into her mouth.

There was something almost magical about the rain, and Kagome couldn't help but find tranquility when the skies opened up and poured down on top of her. But, despite all the joy she felt whilst in the rain, there was nothing in her time that could even begin to compare to the rainy days in Sengoku Jidai. Absolutely nothing.

Kagome felt it strangely comforting, sitting outside the village on the crest of a hill. Sitting, she huddled for warmth as she let the gentle raindrops splatter against her uniform and skin and hair. She didn't feel cold… She felt free. There was nothing in this world that could calm her down so completely like rain.

She often wondered why people always got gloomy on rainy days. She could understand why the dark grey sky and steady thump of cold raindrops could get anyone's spirits down. But the rain made her soar, and she couldn't understand why.

She'd never truly experienced this era's rain before. More often then not, her fellow travelers would prefer finding shelter before they got soaked. Kagome would have been content walking slowly through the rain, but Sango and Miroku usually didn't share this brilliant idea. Needless to say, they often found shelter while it rained and Kagome never went outside to feel that gentle touch of rain on skin.

There was little difference between her time's rain and this time's rain, in all honesty. But it felt different to Kagome. Each little touch of rain on her sent a spark of remembrance through her and she felt as if every inch of her were on fire. Her toes curled inside her wet shoes. There was something mysterious about this time's rain, though it may very well be all in Kagome's mind.

She hummed happily to herself, her lips curving upwards into a delightful smile. No matter how her day started, whenever it rained, she felt a strange warm feeling overflow her body, as if making up for the lack of warmth in the world around her. To punctuate such a thought, Kagome shivered.

'I could stay out here forever,' she marveled silently to herself, feeling almost on the edge of delirium, so enthralled by the rain she was.

"What are you doing out here, stupid girl?" And suddenly the peace woven around Kagome shattered.

'Ah,' she thought dimly, her smile never slipping from her face, 'I should have known he'd come out and find me.'

It was, after all, Inuyasha's tendency to always find her. He followed her constantly like a shadow, but she didn't mind his overprotective nature. No, truly, she enjoyed his company more than anyone else in the Sengoku Jidai.

Tilting her head up, she gazed at the hanyou aloft in the tree above her. His bright red haori was a startling contrast to the grey skies overhead. His silver hair swayed with a soft wind and his wet bangs were slicked against his forehead. His golden eyes stared at her like twin fires in a stormy night.

"I'm sitting in the rain." No sense in lying, obviously.

He gave her a dry look, as if to tell her 'Well, obviously I knew that, stupid girl.'

She looked out towards the raining horizon before returning her gaze up towards the hanyou. With the smile still on her lips, she patted the ground beside her, silently inviting the aloft hanyou to come sit by her. He gave her a calculating look before sighing.

"The rain's nice," she offered.

He dropped down from the tree as easily as he'd ascended it. He landed gracefully with only a tiny thud to reveal that he had, indeed, hit the ground. He stared at her skeptically, as if she'd grown a second, equally delusional, head.

She gave him a calm look, feeling the raindrops drizzle down her face and flatten her hair against her back. She felt her cheeks turn pink and wasn't sure if it was because of the cool weather or his presence.

"That's stupid," he declared loudly, not caring for his brashness or abrupt disapproval. He never cared. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she enjoyed his company so much, if not for his brute honesty.

"I don't care." But she'd have none of his attitude today. Nothing could extinguish her good mood. It was raining, after all.

He snorted and turned his nose upwards, looking miffed at her refusal to rise to his taunts. She turned away from him and looked over the village from her perch on the hill. A raindrop splattered against her nose and she giggled.

The sun was setting behind the clouds and a dark, grey shadow extended over the world. Kagome hummed happily, wondering if there would be a cloud break so she'd be able to see the moon. She voiced such an opinion to her half demon companion.

Inuyasha scoffed beside her but Kagome paid him no mind. If he didn't want to hear her talk about the rain he shouldn't have gone out looking for her.

"Aren't you cold?" he barked. She could hear the curiosity in his voice that he tried to hide beneath his faux anger.

"No," she said truthfully and laughed.

He eyed her skeptically as she shivered. He growled low in his throat and Kagome gave him a tiny shrug as an apology. She didn't feel cold, but she supposed that she was, indeed, rather cold. She'd been sitting out in the rain for some time now.

She could feel the warmth burning off of Inuyasha's body as if he were a fire himself. Her entire body responded to his presence and she scooted a bit closer to the hanyou. He was warm beside her cold body. It was only with Inuyasha sitting near her that Kagome realized that she was, indeed, rather cold. And she couldn't feel her fingertips. That could be a problem.

But the warmth coursing through her veins wasn't her own mind playing tricks on her, she was sure. The combination of her beloved rain and Inuyasha beside her stirred a medley of emotions harbored within her very soul. The feelings blending within her were overpowering and so consuming.

Kagome let the smile slip from her face as she absorbed everything around her. The delicious taste of rain against her lips, the sounds of the world falling asleep, the smell of fresh rain, the feeling of Inuyasha's aura sliding against hers, the look of the world in that moment…

"You're really stupid, you know," he said after a long moment of silence. For one brief moment Kagome actually forgot that he was there beside her. Was she that used to his company?

Still Kagome refused to grow angry at his, semi-logical, remarks. Sure, sitting outside in the rain while it got dark wasn't the smartest of things to do, but who was he to judge her? More often then not, he was sleeping outside. Of course, he was a hanyou, but that was entirely beside the point.

He stood up quickly and Kagome turned her head to watch her. He gave her a dark, menacing look that he often gave her when annoyed, before turning away and slipping off his haori. A small smile plucked the sides of her mouth as she watched him kneel down beside her.

He draped his haori over her head and shoulders, using the red fur to cover her body from the rain. "Get up. You're going to get sick."

"It feels nice, the rain. Don't you think?" she asked instead of following his order. She heard him growl softly at her disobedience.

"No. It's wet," he replied gruffly.

Sometimes Kagome really had to wonder whether Inuyasha was really a cat in a dog's body.

But she would not be daunted. She enjoyed the rain, and this was her first rain in Sengoku Jidai she could truly enjoy. She'd be damned if she let the hanyou boy ruin it for her. With her blue eyes rolling heavenward, Kagome turned to look at him.

"Then come here, silly." She pulled his oversized haori from off her shoulder and draped it over his head, too, tugging on his white sleeve to draw him closer. "Now we'll both stay dry."

He let her pull her close and, aside from his pink cheeks, gave no reaction to the sudden close proximity. He grumbled incoherently to himself but did not move to draw himself away. Kagome smiled sweetly at him before returning her attention to the rain.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she marveled quietly, her voice a breathless whisper. What was it about rain that made the world look so new, so clean, so beautiful?

There was a long pause from her male companion before he grumbled out a soft, "Whatever."

Kagome accepted that and snuggled in closer to him, enjoying his proffered body warmth. She felt him stiffen for half a second before relaxing and leaning back, just a fraction.

The grey clouds in the distance were stained a conservative pink and red. The sun was setting and the world grew dark. Kagome and Inuyasha watched the sun's descent below the horizon and marveled at the way the darkness rolled over the earth, banishing any evidence of light.

Kagome couldn't see the world beyond the hill. The rain was slowing down some, but she could still feel the cascade of raindrops easily. They splattered against the tree beside them and the darkening leaves swayed in the night wind.

As if the heavens had heard her silent wish, Kagome could see cloud breaks were stars emerged. She saw the moon for half a second before it disappeared. She counted the stars before they disappeared.

She shivered and she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer to a strong, warm body. Kagome accepted such a gesture happily and rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling his woodsy scent. Inuyasha moved his head to look at her. A lock of damp silver hair fluttered over her cheek before spilling over his shoulder.

"I love the rain," she confessed to her companion and he grunted his acknowledgement.

"It's okay," he replied, refusing to offer any humanizing admissions himself. He sat up a bit straighter and his hold on her tightened, as if he were trying to solidify that Kagome was still there.

The rain was slowly dying out, and Kagome only felt a pinprick of sadness at its retreat. She held the corner of the haori and wrapped it tighter around her body as her other hand gently touched the white fabric covering Inuyasha's back.

For half a second she could have sworn that his breath stilled as her fingers breezed over his back, but just as suddenly as she thought it, his breathing was back to normal. His golden eyes traced the horizon that her human eyes couldn't see and refused to look at her. His cheeks were pink.

The clouds parted and the moon appeared again. She could see beyond her position on the hill. The village below, kissed by moonlight, looked almost surreal. The windows of the huts were lit with lanterns and candles.

Trees swayed in the night wind, their leaves shimmering in the pale moonlight. It almost looked like a dream. Rain drops drizzled down on her head and she could feel the coolness even through Inuyasha's fire haori.

"We should head back inside," he said at last. "You're going to get sick."

"I'll be fine," she said lightly, happily taking in his body warmth. "You're here with me."

His cheeks turned bright red but he said nothing more. His golden eyes focused solely on something far beyond his own eyes' sights. She pressed her face into his shoulder, feeling her own face turn a lovely shade of pink. But she couldn't wipe the ridiculous smile off her face.

Her heart thumped and flopped in her chest, and she wondered vaguely if he could hear it. She lifted her arm and released the haori. The red fabric fluttered in the air for a moment before falling down into her lap. With her arm now holding onto nothing, she wrapped it around his front and hugged him tightly.

He stilled and she could feel his heartbeat against her cheek. It was beating as fast as her own.

"I want to stay here," she whispered quietly, and knew that he'd hear her. Those ears on top of his head weren't for show, after all.

The rain was slowly dying around her and she knew that within moments the tranquility of rainfall would shatter and they would have to return to the village.

She felt a hesitant hand touch her back and she could feel the soft breeze of claws against her back as his hands moved to encase her in a tentative, cautious hug in return. She knew that her cheeks would never return to their normal color again, but in that moment she couldn't care less.

Ushering all her courage to the front line, Kagome swallowed thickly and raised her head. Suddenly, their eyes were locked and Kagome couldn't pull away. She giggled nervously.

She kissed him softly on the cheek, just as one last raindrop fell on his nose. He sputtered and blushed brightly. Kagome looked away shyly, her own cheeks turning pink. He continued to blush and cleared his throat, looking off in the distance opposite Kagome. The moonlight outlined the mountains surreally.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she whispered quietly.

He made a small nose in the back of his throat which Kagome could only assume was agreement. She pressed against his shoulder, looking at the twinkling lights in the huts far below, like tiny stars in the night sky. His shoulder relaxed and he sighed lightly.

"It's beautiful out here," she said again.

"Yes," he said, without hesitation. Her hand grabbed his and he didn't pull it away.

There was nothing Kagome liked better than the rain. And while there was nothing in the world that she felt compared to the feeling she had while in the rain, there was something magical and so wonderful about being out in the rain with a companion.

And as the last raindrop fell and the stars and moon burst out from behind the clouds, Kagome had to silently amend that there was something magical about sitting through the rain with someone and then enjoying the world after the rain together.

The world after the rain was always so beautiful.