Pushing his long chestnut brown hair from his face, Kana sighed heavily. Doing minor fixes on his barn was tiresome some days, but to protect Hayate and the other horses someone had to do it. Just as he reached for his hammer once again his ears caught the sound of Rahi shouting his name. Standing his full height of 6'2, he tossed aside the cloth he used to clean his hands and walked from the warm barn into the cool spring morning air. He spotted the child easily and raised his arm to Rahi as he jogged over, wondering what had the kid so riled.

"Hey little guy, what's got you all freaked?" Kana asked as he neared the fence, leaning onto the wooden post closest to him. Rahi hopped in his spot, his expressive eyes wide with excitement. "Kana! You gotta come quick! Mom said the new farmer wrecked their cart! She said the pony looked hurt! You're the only one in town who knows horses well enough to help!"

Kana straightened and jumped over the fence with one fluid motion, patting the child's head as he landed. "Lead the way Rahi."

One week later Kana found himself staring out his window as a typhoon blew sheets of rain against the pane of glass, his mind not on the storm but on the day he had met "Her". No one in town had warned him the new farmer was a woman, always referring to her as they or something like that. His lips curled into a small smile as he remembered their first meeting. He had believed the tiny framed female who had walked out of the farmhouse was a teenager, that is until Ina addressed her and briefly introduced them. His smile faded as he remembered her large blue eyes watching him as he had explained carts, her stare intent and yet calming in a way. He could still remember the sound of her voice, the musical quality to the sultry soft tone when she spoke, the scent of sunflowers and hay that wafted from her as she moved, and the sway of her hips as Ina had lead her away. He had placed the cart where it belonged and the horse in the barn, albeit after he had watched the small woman walk away with nearly the same intensity she had watched him.

Kana had never been obsessed with girls or women, preferring the simplicity of his horses to people, but something about the soft spoken new farmer had stuck with him long after he had left. As if his thoughts had conjured her Kana spotted a small form moving through the rain slowly, the female moving as best as she could against the wind. Without a second thought Kana spun on his heel, rushing to fling his door open and run to her. He reached her just as a particularly strong gust of wind pushed into her, causing her to lose her balance and stumble. Kana caught her arm and pulled her to his side, using his larger frame to shelter her from the rain as he guided her to his house/store carefully. He made sure to keep his body angled so that the stinging wing and rain wouldn't hit her as he moved her to the open door and inside.

Once they were indoors he kicked the door closed, letting the poor woman go to wring out his ponytail. For a few moments all that was heard were their panting breaths, the muted howling of the winds, and the soft clicking of claws on the wooden floor. Without looking at her Kana walked into the other room, looking for a towel to give her. "Not sure if you remember me but I'm Kana. What in the name of the Harvest Goddess were you doing out in a typhoon?"

Kana's words were called out to her as he dug through his things, hoping to find a clean towel to give her. He could hear her murmuring to the pets he kept in the store before her footsteps came to the doorway, her slender body leaning against the frame. Her large blue eyes watched him, as intense as the day they met as a hand lifted to remove her kerchief from her hair.

"Drowning I think," She answered, a small laugh filling her soft spoken words. "I'm Alexa. In case you missed it when Ina rushed our meeting. I was trying to reach town for a delivery. Gombe wanted something delivered today and I figured if I could reach my barn I could reach town."

Kana pulled a large black towel from his drawers, a small sound of triumph leaving him before he tossed the item to Alexa. His left eyebrow raised as he heard her words, surprised at her courage. Even as the strongest guy in town he never went into town during a typhoon, knowing the risks of doing so. He watched her as she began drying her dirty blonde hair, attmepting to ignore the way her clothes clung to her curves or how empty his arms felt since he had let her go. Once her head had lifted he gave her a small crooked smile, shaking his head slightly. "Considering you nearly blew away do you want some company into town? I'd feel pretty bad if you ran back into that storm alone."

At his words a bright, pure smile crossed her lips and his world seemed to freeze in time. The purity of her smile made his breath catch in his throat and his heart pound. While his life had always revolved around horses and family, he was no innocent when it came to women. Seeing the purity and innocence that filled her smile made him almost feel guilty for his reaction. Almost. While he was lost in his thoughts, Alexa began tying her hair back with her kerchief. "As kind as your offer is, you don't have to help me. Gombe's is nearly a straight shot from here. Anyways I don't want to impose on you."

"Believe me, you are so not imposing on me. Anyways I could use a walk. I don't get out much during typhoons normally and I can't think of a better reason to go out in that mess than escorting a pretty girl safely through the wind." came Kana's response which was followed by Alexa's laughter, the sound a musical and sultry as her voice when she spoke. It took all of his restraint not to reach for her once he had crossed the room, choosing instead to grab her bag for her. Shrugging Alexa moved to his side and together they walked out into the storm.

A few hours later Kana stood in Alexa's home, the open space feeling almost homey as he waited for the towel she was searching for. They would have been in their respective homes by now if Nori, having seen their drenched condition, hadn't made them sit and dry off as she made them tea. He had to admit, if only to himself, the speed in which Alexa made friends was astounding. Within a few momentrs of talking to Nori both girls had vegan talking like two old friends who hadn't seen or spoken to one another in a long time. However their talking had allowed Kana to learn more about the tiny female that had joined their had, in only a couple short hours, managed to get Alexa to admit to being an artist and musician as well as a child of a farming couple.

Kana was startled from his thoughts as an "Ah-ha!" followed by a towel hitting his chest. Catching it he looked over to Alea before looking away hastily as he saw her peeling away her jacket, exposing the robin's egg blue tank top swallowed hard and began patting the moisture away from his skin, deciding to leave his hair for after he got his skin dried. A few moments after he started he noticed her shadow falling across his feet, causing him to look up. Noting the bedding in her arms her met her gaze with a questioning look on his face.

"After all you have done to help me I can't just let you go back into the storm again. Please stay here till the storm is gone. I will even make you dinner. I'm pretty sure I have all the ingredients for a spicy curry dish." Alexa said with a gentle smile, her arms holding out the bedding to him. Kana wanted to decline, knowing his sudden fascination with the frail looking young woman would making sleeping near impossible, not to mention test his control. The hopeful sweet look on her face coupled with the offer of his favorite food took the will to run away from him.

Smiling he took the bedding, hoping his face and voice would hide the conflicting thoughts within him. "You had me at spicy curry. I can't get enough of it. I will set up a small area while you cook, okay?"

She blushed and nodded once before walking off to gather the supplies needed. Inwardly Kana groaned as he watched her swaying hips, knowing he would be laying there staring at the ceiling for the entire night.

Only an hour later the sat at Alexa's table across from one another, eating and making small talk. Kana couldn't help but watch Alexa eat, the way her cheeks became rosy from the spicy food, the shy way she would look away as he watched her intently. He was pretty sure he made the shy female uneasy with his staring, but the feeling of rightness in the domestic setting had him wondering what it was about her that cause this. As they finished their meal Kana stood, reaching for her empty plate as he did.

The sudden movement had Alexa's eyes snapping to his face, her expressive eyes questioning his motions. The look had a soft gentle smile slowly slide over his lips before he motioned to the sink across the room. "You cooked a tasty curry. Least I can do is do dishes before I lay down, right? Go ahead and get to bed. I'm sure you got alot to do tomorrow."

Alexa let out a small giggle and nodded some before standing herself, her motions as graceful as her voice was musical. She began to turn away to head to her bed then paused, seeming to think of something in mid motion. Turning back to him, she moved close to the much taller male and tiptoed to place a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. The suddeness of feeling the velvety softness of her lips against his skin, the feeling of her warmth so close to him, froze Kana in place with wide backed away with a smile then turned away from him to head towards her bed. "Goodnight Kana. Thank you and sweet dreams."