A/N: Inspired by the song Seattle by Jason Walker.

Thank you to my amazing beta Evervescent for doing such a great job, as always.

Rain Daydream

An upbeat song suddenly screeched loudly through the small apartment. Cerulean eyes slowly opened and roamed over the darkness of the room. The clock beside the bed indicated it was three in the morning. A groan escaped his lips as the ringing of his telephone continued to batter against his ears.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He peered out his bedroom window into the night beyond. There was something solemn swimming in his eyes. Their stunning, deep blue held a truth that his face could not hide. The despairing chill that they conveyed would make anyone feel heartbroken.

What was usually strength was now weakness. What used to be joy was now grief. He was a beaten man, broken down by life in ways that some could never fathom. A deep sigh escaped his lips. He grabbed his cell phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?" he mumbled, his voice gruff with sleep.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. "No," he lied, running a hand over his face. "I was just up late again."

"I see. You always were a workaholic."

He closed his eyes. Her voice was hard to describe. It was so warm and comforting even strangers immediately warmed up to her. Everyone seemed to relax when she had something to say. But as soon as she became angry, her voice would become like ice, cold and hard, and her eyes seconded the notion. When she was sad, it became a cool waterfall in the middle of nowhere, alone and small.

Lately, her voice was like a waterfall.

"It's what I do best," he replied.

There was silence for a moment. It felt empty and full of unspoken regrets.

"How's the weather there?"

He chuckled humorlessly. "You called me at three in the morning to ask about the weather?"

She sighed. "I suppose that does sound stupid."

"You always were one for stupidity."

"Don't even get me started, Kouga."

He grinned at the spark of annoyance in her voice. "Two can play at that game."

"Forget I said anything," she huffed.

He chuckled and they fell quiet for a moment. He listened to her gentle breathing in his ear and wished she was right there beside him, curled in his arms. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stood and walked to the window.

"How are you?"

It was the same question she always asked. He wondered why she even bothered. It didn't matter what he said. He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. You?"

There was trepidation in her voice as she spoke. "Just sick of all the rain," she mused quietly. "It's always raining here."

He rolled his eyes. "That's what you get for living in such a rainy city."

"It's not my fault I'm stuck here."

"It is too your fault," he argued. "And you know it. I don't know why you stick around."

"You know why."

He frowned. "No, I don't. There's no reason for you to stay."

"I didn't call you to fight," she relented.

"Then why did you call?" he asked. "What do you need to hear to change your mind?"

"I'm not going to change my mind."

"Just come home," he pleaded as he leaned his arm against the white veneer frame. His eyes sought the clear night sky. "Leave that mess behind."

There was a pause and he could picture her worrying her bottom lip. "I can't," she finally replied, rejecting him again. "I'm sorry."

He stepped away from the window and picked up a picture that sat upon his dresser. "So am I."

A resounding click was his only answer.

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

Kouga's eyes danced across the clock on his night stand. It had been a few days since he had last heard from her. It was normal, but he couldn't help the way his heart accelerated as the clock crept toward three a.m. He would never admit it out loud, but he looked forward to her phone calls. Knowing she cared enough to call meant that she still thought about him. That she still cared. That was enough for him to hold onto what they used to have.

Right on schedule, the phone rang.

He swallowed hard before picking it up.

"Hello?"

"Why is it that you're always awake?" she mused across the miles.

He smirked. "Why is it you always choose to call me in the middle of the night? Normal people call during the day."

"Well, I guess I'm not normal then."

He smirked as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "How was your day today?"

She sighed. "The same as always I suppose."

"Has it gotten any better?"

It was a question he found himself asking before he could stop, and he knew he was treading dangerous grounds. Usually when he broached the subject, it resulted in an argument and she would hang up on him. He hated those conversations.

"No," she replied listlessly. "He's still coming home late."

Kouga frowned and clenched his hand into a fist. "I can't believe that bastard is putting you through this. If I was there—"

"Don't," she interrupted. "Don't even think about it."

"Why not?" he demanded. "Why are you trying to protect him?"

"Please. I don't want to fight."

"What do you expect me to do, then?" he shouted into the receiver. He suddenly stood and began pacing the floor of his room. "I can't just sit by and let this happen to you."

"I'll handle it," she promised firmly.

"Keh," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I've heard you say that before."

"It's not as easy as you think."

"Yeah, I think it is. Just pack your bags and leave. He obviously doesn't care for you." Not like I do.

"He does care for me, Kouga. How can I leave knowing that?"

"If he really cared for you, he wouldn't be staying out for all hours of the night."

She was silent on the other end, and he mentally cursed himself for voicing his thoughts aloud. He knew that deep down she must have understood what was going on around her. She wasn't stupid. But a part of him also knew that she always saw the good in people and was purposely too blind to see it.

"He planned a date for this weekend."

He ran a hand down his face and took a seat on the bed. "Oh yeah?" he asked, attempting to sound genuinely interested. "Where's he taking you?"

"To this little café down the street. The one we met at."

"I just wouldn't get your hopes up," he warned softly. "You know how he is with canceling last minute."

She huffed. "I know, Kouga. But this time, it's different."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know," she mused. "I just have a feeling."

"A feeling, huh?" he echoed. He didn't care to point out to her that it was a 'feeling' that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

"Yeah. A feeling."

Her voice had a hint of warmth to it, of apprehension, and he knew that it was seldom these days. He didn't have the heart to break it. He smiled. "Well, I'm sure everything will work out, then."

"He's a good man," she said, as if to validate the fact. "He just has some stuff going on."

Cerulean-blue eyes glanced at the picture on his nightstand. It was a picture of him holding a woman in his arms. Her tall frame and slender body were like that of a model. Her deep, brown eyes were calm and bright. She had long, dark hair, so smooth and silky, almost as if it was tailored from charcoal fabric.

Kouga's heart ached at the memory from that picture. "Are you happy?" he asked quietly.

There was a moment of hesitation, a moment where his breath hitched in his throat as he waited for her to answer him. His heart skipped a beat.

"Yes," she finally replied. "I am happy."

He released the breath he had been holding as his heart dropped to his stomach. "Okay, then," he murmured. "I'm happy, too."

"I'm glad."

Her words stung.

"I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon."

He nodded. "Sure. Goodnight."

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

Kouga exhaled deeply as he walked home in the warm summer air. His suit jacket was thrown over his shoulder and his blue-striped tie hung loose around his neck. It had been a long day at the office, leading him to grab a drink after work with that red-headed secretary who was always flirting with him. Usually he turned her down, but for once, he needed a night away from his thoughts.

He glanced upward into the clear night sky, ignoring the slight buzzing in his head from the couple of beers he had. It was almost three in the morning. His hand twitched with the desire to pull out his phone, but he fought against it. Although his heart ached to hear her voice, his mind was tired. As long as he held onto those late night conversations, he would always end up going home alone.

"Keh," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What a mess you've gotten yourself in."

With his free hand, he dug out his pack of smokes and lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag before blowing smoke into the air. It wasn't often that he gave into the bad habit, but these days he just didn't give a damn.

He fumbled around in his pocket for his house keys as he strolled onto his block. The street was nearly empty, but he liked it better that way. He enjoyed the silence of twilight. The chirping of crickets was his only companion, allowing his mind to empty of his troubles. He was at peace.

The vibration of his phone rocked his quiet cocoon, bringing him back down to reality. He paused, furrowing his brows and pulling his cell out of one of his jacket pockets. Her name lit up on the screen, causing his heart to miss a beat.

"Hello?" he answered thickly, swallowing passed the lump in his throat.

"K-Kouga." Her voice wavered over the phone.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, a little panicked. "What happened?"

She sniffled on the other side. "He-he did it again," she cried meekly. "He canceled our date for her."

Kouga closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "That son of a bitch," he growled. He clenched his hand tighter over his phone. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"I-I don't know what to do," she mumbled. "Why does he keep doing this to me?"

He scoffed. "Cause he's a damn fool." He started walking toward his apartment again, his thoughts reeling. He hated these calls. He hated hearing her so upset.

"Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something to upset him?"

"No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you," he assured. "You are perfect. Don't let his idiocy make you feel any less."

She sighed. "Then why doesn't he love me?"

Blue eyes shifted to the stars above. "Because he's a brainless bozo who doesn't know when he's struck gold. He doesn't deserve you. And you deserve better than him."

"I guess you can't help who you fall in love with, huh?"

He smiled sadly. "No, I guess you can't."

She was quiet for a moment, her breaths soft and even in his ear. "What am I supposed to do?"

Kouga sauntered up to his apartment steps. "I don't know, darling. What does your heart tell you?"

"It told me to get on a plane."

He stopped cold in his tracks as the echo of her words surrounded him. His eyes widened with disbelief as they danced across her face. Eyes the color of copper against honey looked back at him as waves of obsidian tresses fell across her shoulders.

There she was, sitting on the stoop to his apartment complex.

"K-Kagome," he breathed, pulling the phone away from his ear.

She slipped her phone into her jacket pocket as she stood, toying with the handle of the suitcase near her feet. "Hello, Kouga." There was a shyness to her, hesitation in her body movements, and a softness in her voice. Her white blouse and green skirt had a tailored look to it, but his mind turned back to memories ago, seeing her in jeans and a t-shirt, feet up on the couch and painting her nails.

She was right there, only a few feet away, but in her understated glamour she might as well be on the television or a girl in a pop video. The sure reality that he could reach out and touch her was almost too much to comprehend.

Kouga took a few steps forward until he was a breath away from her, and ran a hand across her cheek, as if touching her would make her real. She smiled sadly and leaned into his palm. "W-what are you doing here?"

Kagome sighed. "I finally became sick of the rain," she admitted quietly.

He suddenly dropped his jacket on the ground and enveloped her into his arms. He embraced her tightly against his chest, burying his nose into her hair and breathing in her strawberry-scented shampoo. She still smelled the same after all this time.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt silent tears wetting his shoulder, but it didn't matter. Nothing did anymore. She was finally home.

"What about Inutrasha?" he questioned reluctantly, a bit of venom in his voice.

Her hands twisted around the fabric of his shirt. "I'm not sure," she admitted quietly. "All I know is that I love you. I always have. I was just too blind to see it."

His heart skipped a beat at her declaration. He pulled away from her then, gazing deep into her eyes that he knew so well. She hesitantly looked up at him. The swirls of emotion she saw there made her gasp. Lust and desire. However, before she could ponder about it further, he yanked her to him and covered her mouth with his in a hungry kiss.

As their lips crushed together, Kouga felt like he was walking on air. It was magic, the way her lips connected with his. Her mouth was so warm, the caress of her lips softer than he could remember, and she opened her mouth with a low moan.

Breathless, they pulled away and he leaned his forehead against hers. "Damn, I've missed you woman."

She grinned, gazing up at him through her bangs. "I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for that."

He shook his head, unable to hide the smile on his face. "It doesn't matter. You're here now, and I'm going to make you pay for all your sins."

Kagome squealed with delight as he lifted her into the air. Her thighs clasped around his waist as she held his face between her hands, their noses brushing together. He spun her around as laughter echoed through the night.

A warm summer breeze brushed over the couple. Stars twinkled down on them through the clear sky without a cloud in sight. There would be no rain tonight.