Well, this is my first attempt at an Inuyasha fic, so if you're not a fan of newbie stories, I suggest you turn back now. Just to warn you, the characters may be a bit stiff and out of character, but I tried to keep them in character as much as I possibly could. All feedback is greatly appreciated, if you have any to offer.

Rain or Shine

The sun was shining in the modern era.

The sun hung in a sky of egg-shell blue, burning down on the city of Tokyo. Cars honked between the buildings, and people on bicycles weaved expertly in and out of the crowd. One of the bicyclists brushed too close to a pedestrian in a baseball cap, causing the youth to shout obscenities at his retreating back before he melted away into the afternoon rush.

These busy streets criss-crossed and intersected at various points in the heart of the city. Most of them were congested and busy and loud, but there were a few side-streets that branched off into quieter areas of the city. It was on one of these peaceful streets that an ancient shrine was located. Across from the shrine was a simple house that housed a simple family. Or what used to be a family; the daughter was missing more often than not these days, lost in time, and the son was growing up and spending more and more time away from home.

And so it was a lonely middle-aged woman that stood in front of the kitchen sink, up to her elbows in soapy dishwater as she scrubbed at a stubborn piece of dried food stuck to a plate. For the tenth time that day, her eyes flicked to the door, hoping that her son would burst through at any moment with his schoolbag. But, like the other nine times, she was disappointed. The screen door did not slide open, and no young boy crossed the threshold with a big grin on his face. With a sigh, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

She looked out the kitchen window at the well-house for the hundredth time that day. She would look there a thousand times a day, thousands of time in a week, and a million times in a month. But as always, like Souta, Kagome disappointed her. As a watched pot never boiled, a watched daughter never came home. She would wait until her mother had momentarily forgotten that her daughter was five hundred years in the past before popping through the well, sometimes with her silver-haired friend in tow. But then she would leave again, her hand tugging at those shards that hung in the vial around her neck.

Ms. Higurashi never truly begrudged her daughter for her prolonged absences in the past, but it would have been nice if she could stay for longer than a few days when she came home. How nice it would have been to call upstairs in the mornings that breakfast was ready, and hear two pairs of feet scrambling down the steps instead of one. Not that she didn't care for Souta, no, of course she loved both of her children equally. But though she passed off her daughter's worrying over her with a wave of her hand, in reality, she was sometimes frightened for the teenage girl. At least when she was home, she was safe from harm.

Oh Kami, she though despairingly as she dropped the clean dish she had been absentmindedly scrubbing for the past several minutes, I know you have your reasons, I really do, but why my daughter, of all people in the world? Why my Kagome?

The slamming of the sliding door door announced her son's arrival. He caught her off guard, just as she knew he would, just as he always did. As she wiped her eyes free of the tears threatening to fall and putting a forced grin on her worn face, Souta bounced in with a smile on his face, his schoolbag falling off of his shoulder and onto the floor. A few years ago, his mother would have scorned him for such an action, but the solid thud of the books hitting the floor assured her that she and grandpa weren't the only ones living in the house anymore.

She opened her arms and her son obliged her. He knew what she thought about on these bright, sunny days that reminded them both of the lost girl. As she hugged him tight, he hugged her in return, and for a moment, the two pieces of the family melded into one. But there was still a gap there that couldn't be filled, and wouldn't be until Kagome returned. But for now, they had to do the best they could with the family that they had.

It was raining in the feudal era.

The sky was dark and roiled with clouds. It wasn't the pleasant, gentle rain that sometimes washed over the forests after a dry spell. No, this was a torrential downpour accompanied by a fierce wind, quick flashes of lighting, and crackling thunder. The trees shuddered and gave way to the howling wind, some bowed in half already, others toppling to the ground with crashes that were drowned out by the thunder.

In the thick of it all was a rather strange group; a monk, a demon-slayer, a fire neko, a fox kit, a hanyou, and a miko. At the moment, they were all rushing towards the cave the hanyou had spotted a while back, desperate to get out of the rain. Normally, the weather wouldn't bother them too much, but this storm was proving to be too difficult to cope with at the moment, especially for the humans and the fox kit.

They reached the cave, soaking wet and frozen to the bone. The hanyou skulked back out into the rain, muttering about weak humans as he went. The two women glared at his back as he left.

"Where's Inuyasha going?" The younger of the two girls asked, pushing her hair back from her forehead, where it had stuck after it had gotten wet. Her clothes were odd for the time; a scandalously short skirt combined with a short-sleeve shirt, both of which were sopping wet and clinging to her skin. It was the monk who answered her, averting his eyes from the girl to look at the slayer instead, whose outfit always clung to her body anyways (not that he was complaining).

"I'm uncertain, Kagome-chan, perhaps to get firewood. What do you think, Sango?"

The slayer automatically shuffled a few feet farther from him, deeper into the cave, not trusting the monk's lingering eyes. Her hand went back to the huge weapon that was slung there, a silent warning for the pervert to stay away, and the monk gladly obliged, holding up his hands, trying (and failing) to put an innocent expression on his face. Once she was sure he wouldn't try anything sketchy, the Sango sat down, neatly folding her legs underneath her as she wrung out her hair.

"I don't know Miroku."

Kagome sat down next to Sango, frowning. "Where would he get firewood in such weather? Won't it all be wet?"

Miroku sat down close to the slayer, who glowered at him. He ignored her, though, and smiled across the stone floor at Kagome. "There are places the water can't reach."

"Oh? Like where?" The young miko followed Sango's lead and also wrung the water out of her hair, listening to it splatter against the ground, blending with the rain.

"Oh, various places. Sometimes the inside of hollowed out trees remain dry in such storms. Inuyasha will know where to go."

Kagome 'hmphed', still a bit annoyed at the hanyou's earlier comment about weak humans and folded her arms with a shiver.

The fox-kit walked up to hair, shaking the rain from his fur, and reached up with tired arms. Kagome obliged without a word, holding her adopted son against her chest as he snuggled there in an attempt to keep warm, mumbling incoherently. She drew her knees up against him, unknowingly giving the monk a free view up her skirt. He pretended not to notice, but peeked out of the corner of his eye.

He was sprawled out on his back a second later, an angry red handprint obvious against his skin even in the dark cave. Kagome didn't look up, assuming that Miroku had tried to feel up Sango for the twentieth time that day, until the slayer leaned over to whisper in her ear. With an undignified squeal, Kagome flattened her legs in front of her and smoothed down the front of her skirt, joining Sango in glaring daggers at the Monk.

"Now ladies," he said with a nervous laugh, "surely you don't think I was looking for my own benefit. I was certainly going to tell the lady here that-"

"Stuff it, Miroku," they answered back simultaneously.

A companionable silence descended as they waited for Inuyasha for return. Kagome sat next to Sango, stroking Shippou's fur softly as he slept in her arms, his fur slowly beginning to dry. The fire neko Kirara curled into Sango's side, and the slayer wound her fingers into the demon's fur, sending occasionally glares to the other side of the cave where Miroku huddled, looking sheepish.

Suddenly, Kirara lifted her head and glared at the cave entrance, a high-pitched growl rumbling in her throat. A second later, Inuyasha appeared out of the rain, shaking it out of his hair and fire-rat cloak as he moved in towards where the group was huddled. Kagome, Sango, and Miroku shrank back as they were hit with stray droplets, giving little noises of complaint. Inuyasha scoffed and pulled a few pieces of dry wood out from under his cloak, where they had remained safe from the rain.

"Keh, don't see what your problem is," he grunted, dropping the pile to the ground. Kagome slipped her bag off her shoulders, trying not to jostle Shippou too much, and fished inside to grab her box of matches. As she moved to light the fire, Miroku and Sango scooting closer, Inuyasha was still grumbling. "Shake a bit of water and they all turn on ya. Well maybe next time I won't get firewood."

"Sit, boy," Kagome snapped without looking up. There was a loud thud as the beads around his neck did their work, followed by a few choice words. Kagome was thankful that Shippou was still asleep. She carefully placed two matches in the pile of wood, painfully aware of the dwindling supply of matches in the box. She'd have to pick another box up the next time she went home.

Home. The teenager sat back with a small sigh. Dog ears twitched, and golden eyes flickered over to where she sat back, watching the fire slowly catch and grow higher. The fox-kit, as if sensing her distress, gathered bunches of her shirt tighter in his hands and snuggled deeper. In response, her arms went around him, her chin resting on the top of his head.

In truth, Kagome Higurashi never knew whether or not a visit home would be her last. For all she knew, for all any of them knew, the next brush with Naraku could be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next.

Her hand clenched around the jewel shards that hung from her neck. She knew that she had a duty to accomplish, but at the same time, it wasn't her desire to die in this time. As much as she loved Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Inuyasha, she wanted her mom, grandpa, and brother at her funeral too.

She glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. She wanted him to have one of his rare humane moments, where he would sit next to her and ask her what was wrong. But he was staring into the fire, the fierce, burning light reflecting in his equally fiery eyes. Of course, she had just 'sat' him, so this silent treatment was to be expected. With another tiny sigh, Kagome stared back down at the fox kit, her adopted son, and went back to stroking his head with gentle hands. She should know better than to hope for that.

As the night wore on and the storm showed no signs of letting up anytime soon, the group slowly began to nod off. Miroku slept on the floor, using his arm as a pillow, his staff clenched in his other hand. The hand that was afflicted with the Wind Tunnel would occasionally clench and unclench as he slept. The taijiya watched him with an expression of unhappiness before she rose to join him, sitting a few paces away with Kirara in her arms. Within a few moments, she had nodded off as well.

Kagome and Inuyasha were the only ones left, both staring intently at the fire. Despite the warmth of the flame, her clothes were still a bit damp from the rain, and she shivered in spite of herself. But even though her skin was chilled, sleep was beginning to prevail, and her head began to slump forward in her exhaustion.

Just as she was feeling herself fall asleep, she heard Inuyasha get up. Before she could open her eyes and ask him where he was going, she felt a warmth descend upon her, and soft footsteps padding away to the back of the cave, where she knew he would sit in solitude for the rest of the night. She opened her eyes to peer at him, and only saw his back, clothed in the white shirt he wore underneath the cloak.

With a small smile, she drew the fire-rat cloak around her body, reveling in its warmth. She laid down on her side and wrapped her arms around Shippou, using her bag as a pillow. Listening to the popping of the fire and the even breathing of her friends, she fell asleep, watched over by golden eyes the peered through the darkness of the cave at the storm still raging outside.

XxXxXxXxX

"Wake up, wench."

Kagome blinked at the insistent foot nudging her in the side. She glanced up and saw Inuyasha hovering over her, pulling his bright red cloak back in place and glaring down at her.

She sat up, noticing immediately that Shippou was gone. She relaxed when he heard him laughing outside as he played with Kirara in the grass that was wet from the storm during the previous night. Upon glancing around, she noted Sango kicking ash on the embers remaining from the fire, and Miroku waiting patiently at the mouth of the cave.

Springing to her feet and slinging her bag and bow over her shoulders, she stared at Inuyasha expectantly.

"Ready!" she declared with a bright smile. The sun was shining brightly, as if it were trying to recompense for the absolutely wretched day before. A bright day meant that they would be able to travel farther, which in turn would mean an uplift in Inuyasha's mood. And when Inuyasha was happy, or at least not in a bad mood, everyone was happy.

As she followed Inuyasha out of the cave, her stomach grumbled loudly in protest, reminding her that no one had eaten since the previous afternoon.

"Umm, Inuyasha?"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes at his annoyed tone; no doubt he had heard her stomach and knew exactly what she was going to ask. "I was just wondering if we were going to have anything for breakfast."

Before Inuyasha could make a scathing response, Shippou came running up to her, his arms weighted down with several large, rosy apples.

"I picked these for you, Kagome!" he grinned up at her, his weariness from the previous night forgotten as he offered them up to her. She smiled back down at him and ruffled his hair, taking two apples and putting the rest of them in her bag for later.

"Thanks, Shippou," she said, with a pointed glare at Inuyasha's back.

The dog demon looked back over at her with a look of indifference and turned back around and began walking away with a barely concealed 'keh'.

Kagome considered sitting him, but decided against it. Shippou clambered up to sit on her shoulders, and her hands automatically wrapped around his legs to steady him as he sat there. As much as it infuriated her that the stupid dog could go from honorable "give-the-cold-lady-my-jacket" sweetness to "bitch-I-don't-care" mode in the course of a single night, she didn't forget that he had given her his cloak the night before, and she was grateful for that. And so she swallowed the "S" word that was trying to claw its way out of her throat and turned to chat with Sango instead.

The sun slowly climbed overhead until it was directly above them, so hot that Kagome felt as if it were close enough to touch, and not a billion miles away like she knew it to be. She raised her hands up to rub her shoulders where the straps of her bag were cutting into the skin. Shippou had abandoned his post there to entice Kirara into a game of tag. They were currently frisking around in the woods to their left.

"Ha, I'll get you!"

A deep growl split the air, and out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw the telltale flash of fire that came with Kirara's demon form.

Shippou's voice shook. "H-hey! That's not fair!"

It took one playful roar from the demon cat to send the kitsune scrambling back onto the path, where he hid behind Kagome's legs with an accusatory, mocking glare at the fire neko, who had strolled up dutifully to walk beside Sango.

They all chuckled, except for Inuyasha, who carried on walking ahead as if nothing had occurred.

Kagome huffed. "It wouldn't kill you to crack a smile every once and a while, you know!" She called to him.

"And it wouldn't kill you to shut your mouth, woman," the hanyou bit back without losing a beat. Miroku and Sango sighed and fell back a bit to leave Kagome and Inuyasha to their daily squabble.

The girl ran ahead to walk beside the dog demon, glowering at him the whole time. "Why are you always such a stick in the mud, Inuyasha?"

"I dunno, maybe it's because being happy never got me anywhere."

Kagome flinched at his sarcastic tone. "Oh yeah, and when were you happy? When you were with Kikyo?"

The silver eats went down flat until they were pinned completed to his head, blending in with the pale silver hair.

"Maybe I was, alright!" His voice was still low, but it had risen in pitch, and the look he gave her should have melted the flesh off her face. "And look what happened. Trust one bitch and she seals you to a damn tree."

"And yet you still go to her whenever she's around," Kagome hissed back. "All it takes is one glimpse of those soul collectors and you run off to wherever she's waiting."

His lip curled as he looked away, saying nothing. They had had this argument so many times, it was practically rehearsed. It always ended with Inuyasha falling silent and Kagome falling back beside Sango.

Or at least, that's what usually happened.

As Kogme slowed her pace and glared down at the ground in defeat, Inuyasha stopped suddenly. She ran into his back, but he did not turn to admonish her with an insult. His ears were twitching like mad, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his hand on the hilt of the Tessaiga.

Behind her, Kagome heard Sango crouch down, and she knew her friend's hand was reaching for Hiraikotsu. A fierce growl rumbled in Kirara's chest, and Shippou came running forward to stand beside Kagome, wrapping his hands around her shin.

Kagome dropped her bag and drew her bow, reaching back to snatch an arrow from her quiver. Inuyasha was still standing in front, his hard eyes staring straight ahead. There was the sound of scraping metal, and in a single fiery blaze, he drew the Fang, already fully transformed.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, nocking the arrow in her bow in preparation for the worst. She hadn't sensed any jewel shards in the immediate area, so it couldn't be any power-crazed demon sent by Naraku.

"It's Sesshoumaru," the hanyou answered gruffly without turning his head, Tessaiga pulsing in anticipation in his hands.

And as if his words had summoned the great dog demon, he melted out of the forest before them.

Kagome lowered her bow but did not loosen her grip on the wood. Sesshoumaru did not always show up to merely fight his brother, but one could never be too careful in his presence.

The youkai was striding purposefully towards their group, one arm held stiffly at his side, while the empty sleeve where his other arm should have been fluttered about gently with the wind. He cut quite an imposing figure, dressed all in white with the metal breastplate that also encased his shoulders gleaming in the sunlight.

He stopped a few yards away, his platinum hair billowing in the wind as he stared down Inuyasha, who was still wielding his sword brazenly. The hanyou's expression was still set in a fierce hostility, while Sesshoumaru's face was utterly impassive, which spoke volumes in itself. The demon made no move to draw his sword, though that did not make him any less threatening; one well-placed swipe from those poison claws could send even Inuyasha to the grave.

There was the sound of braches crunching underfoot, and Kagome squinted in the direction from where Sesshoumaru had appeared. There, running with her arms flung wide, was his little human ward, Rin. The annoying toad Jaken followed quickly behind her, pulling impatiently on the reins of the dragon demon that traveled with him. Kagome relaxed as Rin slowed to a stop next to Sesshoumaru's leg. She was certain the lord would not attack with the young girl there. After all, in spite of the heartless mask he held up most of the time, she was certain that Sesshoumaru went out of his way more than necessary where Rin was concerned.

"Well, well," Inuyasha drawled as he lowered his sword a fraction of an inch; he wouldn't attack when a human girl was standing so close to his target. "Looks like you brought your whole misfit family, Sesshoumaru. What's the occasion?"

The little green retainer gave an indignant screech that had Kagome wanting to cover her ears. "You disrespectful half-breed, how dare you speak to Lord Sesshoumaru with such disrespect!" The lord himself did nothing but narrow his eyes into golden slits. Kagome watched the motion, remembering that her cat back in the modern era would get that same expression whenever he was about to pounce on an unsuspecting songbird.

But he remained stationary.

Inuyasha was beginning to bristle with impatience, growling obscenities at his half-brother under his breath. Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. If the world was left to the men to rule, this would be how all of their problems would be confronted; two opposing forces glaring daggers at each other, but neither actually gaining any sort of upper hand. So she took matters into her own hands and stepped forward, allowing her bow to hang peacefully at her side.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she muttered respectfully, knowing he would hear her. The demon lord's eyes flickered from Inuyasha to her with a cool indifference, but she knew she had his attention. "Why have you come here?"

The taiyoukai gazed at her calmly, before starting forward. Inuyasha raised the Tessaiga expectantly, and Kagome could tell that "Wind Scar" was about to roll off his tongue, but before he could act, Sesshoumaru moved past him completely without second glance. If Kagome hadn't been so frightened (for the demon lord was walking straight towards her), she would have found Inuyasha's face quite priceless; his mouth was hanging agape with the sword hanging loosely at his side.

Sesshoumaru was standing in front of Kagome, close enough for her to reach out and touch if she really wanted to, though she was sure such an action would earn her nothing but a torn-off limb.

"You are the miko, are you not?" His voice was every bit as stoic as his expression, impassive and cool.

'Now why would he ask that?' Kagome wondered. 'I'm sure he can sense my aura.'

She nodded.

The taiyoukai gave her a swift nod and turned on heel to walk away, off the beaten path and into the forest.

"Come."

The command floated back to her on the wind as the white-haired demon began to vanish into the trees. Kagome's eyes grew wide, and she glanced from Inuyasha, who was still standing there like a dumbstruck moron, to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, who were shaking their heads frantically.

"Don't follow him, Kagome," Sango warned, "it could be a trap."

Miroku looked thoughtful, even though his face was uncharacteristically serious and grave. "But I'm sure Sesshoumaru hardly needs to lay a trap. If he really wanted to harm Kagome, he probably could have done so right here."

Kagome nodded, seeing the logic in the monk's words. Besides that, Sesshoumaru was among some the most honorable people, well, demons, she had ever met. He would never stoop so low as to trick someone into death. She slung her bow over her shoulder and began to follow where the demon had walked. Before she reached the treeline, however, Inuyasha came back to his senses.

"Oi, wench, where do you think you're goin'?"

Kagome turned her head to glare at him with an icy gaze. "I'm going to go talk with Sesshoumaru, where else?"

Inuyasha slashed the Tessaiga through the air with a fierce growl. "If anyone's gonna talk to that bastard, it's gonna be me!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. She was sure if she let Inuyasha anywhere near his brother, there wouldn't be as much talking as there would be attempted homicides.

"Inuyasha…" she said sweetly with a sugary smile. The "sit" that she had held back earlier was about to make itself known, except she felt like she would have to repeat it numerous times to get her point across.

The hanyou was oblivious to the danger, though, and propped his sword on one of his shoulders. "Yeah?"

A moment later, Kagome had vanished into the woods where Sesshoumaru had gone. Inuyasha was buried about ten feet in the ground, moaning and grumbling incoherently. Shippou was standing at the edge of the hole with his hands on his hips, smirking. "Geeze, Inuyasha, you should have learned by now."

"Can it, runt," came the muffled reply.

There was a giggle from the other side of the hole. Shippou looked up to see Rin standing there, her hands on her hips, mocking the kitsune's stance. Never missing the chance to show off, Shippou jumped gracefully over to where she was, making her smile.

The fox-kit reached up to the human girl with one paw. "I'm Shippou!"

Rin took his paw into her hand and shook it. "I'm Rin!"

Sango and Miroku watched their exchange with an air of amusement, laughing as the children abandoned their diplomacy in favor of chasing each other up and down the path. Sango sobered more quickly than Miroku, and turned her head to stare down where Sesshoumaru and Kagome had vanished.

I wonder what he wants with her?

This is not my only first of the day, haha. I've never written a chapter that exceeded three thousand words, and this one blew it away by far, almost by 1500 words! How exciting is that?

Please leave feedback, every bit helps, even if it's just a little "good job", or "needs work". Reviews are like fatty foods; not exactly necessary, but still amazingly good.