Author's Note: When I heard this superstition, I had to write this fic, and I hopefully got the gist of the superstition correct. Takes place before the start of the story. As you may notice, I wrote this story from Kuwabara's point of view, but went with calling Yusuke, well, Yusuke instead of Urameshi like a normally do. Just felt a bit strange otherwise.

The idea for class hike seemed like fun. It would let them spend an entire day outside learning about useful things like what plants were edible instead of having to be stuck in the classroom learning about dumb stuff, like grammar. Even better, it let him waste away a day by talking with his friends. Still, something bothered Kuwabara, and it had to do with the clouds overhead. A thunderstorm was foretasted to arrive that night, but Kuwabara suspected it would be coming before they got back to school. The idea didn't bother him personally, but he was concerned for his fellow classmates getting wet.

His class was climbing part of a mountain. Komada and Sawamura were on opposite sides of Kuwabara, while Okubo lagged behind them, panting as he tried to climb the hill. The rest of their class walked ahead of them, all clumped together.

Well, almost the rest of the class.

Yusuke Urameshi had, surprisingly, decided to come to school for once. Kuwabara could understand why. These field trips outside were treasured by everyone, even punks like him. Kuwabara glanced behind him. Past Okubo, Yusuke was walking next to Keiko with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. Keiko was talking about something, Kuwabara wasn't close enough to tell what, and Yusuke didn't appear to be enjoying it.

"Are we... there... yet?" Okubo asked between gasps for breath.

Kuwabara laughed. "Not even close! We have another hour before we stop."

Okubo groaned. Komada fell back to walk beside him.

"Come on, Okubo! We'll be there before you know," he teased.

"Easy for you to say."

The class had spread so each student could find one of the many edible plants they had learned about. Kuwabara was assigned to search through bushes. He kept being stabbed by their thorns every time he reached for the berries. He time he was pricked, he would swear. Far away thunder would occasionally boom. Kuwabara smiled to himself whenever it did. The storm was still far away, but he had guessed right. By the time he had gathered half a bag full of of berries his hands were speckled with blood.

It was when he moved on to a different bush that he spotted familiar green outfit. Kuwabara rolled it his sleeves. It figured that even out here, Yusuke would want to pick a fight with him.

"Here to get your butt kicked?" Kuwabara taunted.

Yusuke laughed as he continued to walk closer to him. "You wish! You couldn't beat me even if I had a hand tied behind my back."

"What?! I'm feeling lucky today, Urameshi! You're gonna get it!"

The bag of berries fell forgotten as Kuwabara ran to punch the shorter boy, who simply bent down to avoid the attack. He then grabbed Kuwabara's arm and flipped him over his hip. Kuwabara cringed as he landed on a patch of thorns.

"I'm not feeling too like a fight today, so you're in luck." Kuwabara still on the ground, he strolled over to the bag filled with berries and picked it up. "This what you're collecting?"

With a grunt, Kuwabara stood up. There were several rips in the back of his top. "Give that back!"

"Nope." As he reached for the bag, Yusuke moved it out of his reach. He plucked a berry out of the bag and popped it into his mouth. "Tell you what, since you seem to suck at foraging, I'll help you out."

Kuwabara finally managed to grab the bag back. "I don't want or need your help! Aren't you suppose to be with Keiko or something?"

Yusuke shrugged. "I pissed her off earlier. She won't want anything to do with me for awhile."

Kuwabara thought over the situation. Four hands would get the job done better than two, and Yusuke did, for some strange reason, seem honest in his request. Besides, their rivalry wasn't born out of hatred. Hanging out with Yusuke might be alright.

"Don't you need to be gathering your own plant?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke laughed. "Yeah! Like I'll do that when I'm already all the way out here! 'Sides, picking leaves isn't my style."

"...Alright." Kuwabara nodded. He pointed to an untouched bush. "You can start over there."

They had not been working long when rain started to fall from the sky. Yusuke stopped plucking berries to look up, and inhaled sharply.

"We should seek some shelter." he said.

Kuwabara shook his head. "We're almost done. Let's finish up then go to the meeting place."

Yusuke frowned and crossed his arms. Kuwabara paused his gathering to look over at him. "You're an even bigger idiot than I thought possible. It's getting ready to storm. We could struck by lighting."

The red head rolled his eyes. "Urameshi, the chances of that happening are slim. I never thought you were that big of a pussy."

Yusuke went over to him, grabbed him by the wrist, and drug him to sit under a tree while Kuwabara tried to free himself from the other's grip. The tree was small, but it was the largest in the vicinity. Drops of water could and did fall through the cracks between the leaves and hit the pair. Yusuke sat with his knees tucked against his chest while Kuwabara had legs legs crossed.

"Let go of me!" Kuwabara demanded. He tried to jerk his hand away again, but Yusuke kept a tight grip on it. "What's this all about!?"

"I don't want us being struck by lighting," Yusuke calmly explained, his voice somewhat quiet and absent of the anger it contained earlier.

Kuwabara huffed. "I think you just don't want to go back to class."

Yusuke said nothing. So the boy was playing silent. He could deal with that. He watched as the rain fell onto the ground, an entertaining sight for him. He loved storms.

Half an hour later, the rain had gone from a sprinkling to a downpour. Kuwabara's clothing was soaked, and one glance over at Yusuke confirmed that his were too. He inched closer to the trunk of the tree in hopes of getting more protection. Yusuke copied the gesture, moving backwards with him so that they were still closed together.

"Man, it's really coming down now, isn't it?" Kuwabara asked.

"Seems like it."

Kuwabara sighed. If Yusuke was going to force him to wait out the storm with him, he should at least entertain him with conversation. The sky lit up as a bolt of lightning flashed behind a distant peak. Kuwabara whistled. It was an impressive sight. He briefly wondered if his classmates were alright. They had the teachers with them, so they probably were. He wouldn't be surprised

Yusuke squeezed his wrist. Glancing over, Kuwabara noticed the shorter boy's knees were shaking slightly and his breathing sounded as if he had to force it to remain regular.

Kuwabara was no longer sure if Yusuke was holding his wrist to keep him trapped under the tree or for some strange sense of comfort.

"Urameshi...? Are you alright?"

"Of course, you moron!" Yusuke replied quickly.

"Your legs are shaking. Are you afraid of stor-"

"Shut up!" Yusuke squeezed his wrist again, this time digging his nails in. "I'm not afraid of some damn weak ass storm!"

He was. Even though their conversations were just throwing punches, Kuwabara knew Yusuke well enough to understand when he was acting abnormal. He was lying, and that in addition to his shaking legs, told Kuwabara that Yusuke Urameshi was, in fact, afraid of storms.

Kuwabara didn't laugh. Yusuke was his rival, and as men, he liked to think there was respect between them. He didn't fight with Urameshi because he hated him; he fought with him because he liked fighting with him. It was fun, even when he had his bones broken. Surely the other punk being here proved he felt the same. He had sought Kuwabara out for comfort, and he would give it to him without embarrassment.

With his free hand, he began to remove his blue jacket, leaving his torso exposed. Yusuke only let his right hand go when he needed to pull it through the sleeve. The jacket was then placed over the shorter boy's shoulders, and Kuwabara casually wrapped his arm around his shoulder to bring the other closer. The gesture provided comfort, yet relaxed enough to not hurt his pride.

Yusuke huffed. "Idiot. What the hell is this about?"

"You were cold, right? That's why you were shivering."

"Kuwabara..."

He saw pure relief and absolute gratitude flash in the better fighter's eyes, and he even smiled. His intent had gotten through. Kuwabara found himself smiling too. He would let Yusuke keep his pride. He understood what pride meant to man. Yusuke leaned against him.

Kuwabara felt his blood start to race in a way that had little to do with the fighting spirit he normally felt towards his companion. The water was making Yusuke's hair cling to his face. His lips were a beautiful shade of red. Had his rival always been so attractive?

The storm continued to rage. In a way, Kuwabara found the rain less miserable without his shirt. Now he didn't have any damp fabric clinging to his body. Lightning lit up the sky again, and Kuwabara felt Yusuke tense under his arm. As if by reflex, he gently squeezed him.

Yusuke broke the silence this time. "When I was six, I used to play outside while it stormed. I never thought much of it," he said softly.

"Most of us don't," Kuwabara replied with Yusuke paused.

"Anyway, one day while I was outside, lighting struck about thirty feet away from where I was. I was flung backwards against a fence. I still have the scars from it. Ever since that day, I've never liked storms..."

Kuwabara had wondered why Yusuke, his rival and the kid who didn't flinch when ten people came at him at once, was afraid of a simple thing like the weather, but that explained it. The punk had been traumatized.

He chuckled and placed his free hand across his own chest. "Well, don't worry about it happenin' again! I've got a feeling lightning won't strike around here, and my feeling are usually right."

Yusuke laughed. "I hope so! Why else do you think I'm here, moron?"

His mood seemed to be improving, Kuwabara happily noticed. The rain was also beginning to let up.

In response to his question, Kuwabara just shrugged. He wanted to say because he sought comfort from his rival, but he would spare Yusuke the humiliation.

"Kuwabara Kuwabara." The chant was instantly familiar to the man who shared his name with it. "They say mulberry trees don't get struck by lightning. There aren't any of those around here, but luckily, there is a guy who shares their name."

Ah. So that was why he was here.

Kuwabara felt both hurt and amused. Amused because the explanation was ridiculous and not what he ever would have expected, and hurt because it meant Yusuke had used him. He liked the idea of him seeking comfort better.

But it was a silly thing to be upset over. Whatever the motive was for Yusuke seeking him out, Kuwabara could not deny that things were currently intimate. Yusuke was so close to him that their hips were touching, and he was resting most of his weight on the taller fighter. Kuwabara could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath. He had even got to hear a secret from the other.

Now that the storm had been reduce trickle, Yusuke was watching the rain with a calm expression. He was no longer shaking. All his fear had disappeared as the storm subsided. He stretched his arms over his head, and let them rest in Kuwabara's lap without a thought to the gesture.

Kuwabara felt his blood run south. His hands were a bit too high up his thigh.

He cleared his throat, drawing Yusuke's attention. "We should be getting back. I bet everyone's worried sick."

"Good idea." With a grunt, Yusuke stood up and tossed Kuwabara his jacket. "Don't tell anyone what happened here, got it?"

Kuwabara nodded. "You have my word as a man. I'll keep your secret."

"Great!" Yusuke grinned and held out his hand. Kuwabara took it. Instead of Yusuke helping him up, however, he used the hand to pull him closer. Then as he placed his other hand on Kuwabara's shoulder, he gently pressed their lips together. The touch lasted only for a second, but it left Kuwabara feeling dizzy and wonderful at the same time. "I noticed your hard-on, so consider that a thanks for keeping my secret."

Kuwabara turned red and quickly covered his lap with his jacket. Shit. He hadn't even noticed.

"Urameshi! That happens all the time! Don't think it's because of you!" Kuwabara yelled in embarrassment.

Yusuke laughed. "Mh-hm. Sure. The fact that you were checking me out has nothing to do with it either, right?"

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "That's your ego talking."

With a smile on his face, Yusuke turned around and started to walk away. "Whatever. See you back at school."

While Kuwabara was putting on his jacket, he noticed Yusuke bring his fingers to his lip and him smile to himself.

Kissing him hadn't been unpleasant, and being with him had been nice. Maybe, Kuwabara thought to himself, their relationship shouldn't be limited to rivals.