What's in a Name?

His steps were quiet, though they had no reason to be. It was instinct that kept him this way and he did not fight it. So it was with unnatural grace that he stepped into his backyard, eyes assessing his surroundings. They easily found what he sought after.

"So here is where I find you, Kagome."

The boy's voice carried through the subdued night and did not so much as startle her, even though he was sure she had not heard him draw near. His tone showed his amusement, though it lessened as he approached her. The air around her was different, strange. It was still and eerily calm; so very unlike her.

She did not turn to him even after he had spoken. Instead, she kept her attention of the grand tree in front of her. A hand reached out to touch the worn trunk, though it was still fairly intact and strong in its old age.

"Did you plant this one?"

Her voice was soft as she spoke. She titled her head back to look upward toward the branches that stretched toward the sky. Cherry blossoms hung desperately to the ends of the limbs and it seemed even the smallest jostle would dislodge the flowers from their home and drift them away…

A quiet laugh escaped him. "No. That tree is quite a few years older than I, I assure you."

A breeze swept by the two, rustling their clothes and playing particularly with the ends of Kagome's hair. Blossoms were severed as the gust picked them up and sent them falling around the two in the garden. He felt the air around them ease as this happened and he let out a breath he did not remember holding. Kagome turned toward him with one of her trademark sheepish smiles. The still aura that had surrounded her was completely gone, vanishing with the wind.

"Heh, I guess you're right."

Kagome removed her hand from the bark and hopped down from the thick root she was standing on, moving closer to him. A hand went through her hair in what he recognized as a slightly nervous gesture. What did she have to be anxious about? "Sorry I disappeared like that, Shuichi. Were you looking for me?"

He did not answer right away, instead tilting his head as he examined her curiously. She felt herself become self-conscious at his scrutiny. "What?" It came out sharper than she had intended and she cringed inwardly. It was a tone she usually used with Inuyasha when he did something that annoyed her.

He was not offended at all, or at least he did not seem to be. "I'm sorry," he apologized, though Kagome felt he had no need to. "I only find it odd that you still call me by that name. I understood why you did before…. All that know of my past have always called me 'Kurama'."

It left him to wonder as she suddenly shook her head after he spoke. "No. You're not Kurama."

Again, that small, hardly noticeable incline of his head. His red locks partially fell across his face and she resisted the urge to push them away. She wanted to see his face as she talked to him.

"He's a part of you, but not all of you."

She felt her face begin to heat and to her chagrin, Kagome realized she was blushing, though could not figure out why. She half-turned away from him, looking back at the cherry blossoms. Her hands locked behind her back and she balanced carefully on the tips of her toes.

"You are you. Shuichi, mixture of human and the spirit of the fox."

A cool touch to her cheek sent a small jolt of shock through her. A hand gently held onto her chin, turning her to face him once more. Emerald eyes were intent on hers and she found she could not look away from their intense gaze. One of her hands came up to rest on his forearm, but did not push him away. She let it stay there, unsure of what to do.

"And who are you?" he asked.

The question surprised her; he could easily tell as he saw her eyes noticeably widen.

Who was she? "Me? I'm Kagome, of course." She answered as though it were a foolish question, which was surprising, coming from him.

"Not a priestess? Or a reincarnation?"

A particularly strong gust came to press past them and more blossoms fell to the ground around them. The wind did not seem to be done with its game as it picked them up so it could stir and toss them all across the garden. He and Kagome became stuck in the middle of a small whirlwind of soft pink petals, which seemed to give the dark night its only color.

Her initial reaction to the questions was anger, but pushed it away to actually consider what he asked. She had the powers of a priestess, there was no denying that. She was born with them and they were hers. But was she a priestess? Or a reincarnation? She was a reborn spirit, but her own person. Priestess and reincarnation… she might be labeled with these titles, but were they her?

Their surroundings settled as the cherry blossoms became still at their feet and the wind audibly died away. A strand of hair had fallen in front of left eye, but she dared not shake it away, for fear that his hand would fall away with it. Through it all, their eyes never left each other.

"Kagome." She said it with a firm conviction.

A tender smile graced the corner of his lips and her heart began pounding as he brought his face closer to her. She closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath against her mouth. Shuichi stopped only for a moment to whisper a few words before capturing Kagome's lips with his.

"Good to know."

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.