Snowfall, Chapter 1

During the winter, the feudal era seemed as though it was draped in a blanket of white. As far as the eye could see, snow covered every inch of ground.

It was the most beautiful thing Kagome had ever seen. The cold air was bitter, but she enjoyed it

Slowly, she climbed her way out of the well, biting her lower lip as she did so. The sides were especially slippery because of all of the ice, and usually Inuyasha was there to help her. More than likely, he and her friends were off hunting a few shards. They tended to always head off without her whenever she went home. Even though Naraku was defeated, their journey wasn't over.

It was expected.

Just because she took a break didn't mean they needed to. Her fingers dug into the side of the well as she began to pull herself further out, yet she lost her grip.

She screamed once she began to plummet, yet something caught her wrist.

It must've been Inuyasha. A soft sigh of relief left her lips before she smiled as that strong grasp began to pull her out, "Oh! Inuyasha, I thought you-." Her voice immediately died in her throat.

It wasn't Inuyasha.

It was…Sesshomaru.

He was simply standing there, cold ashen orbs simply observing her. He released her hand, and she nearly fell back into the well. She clutched the wooden sides before pulling herself over the edge and into a standing position.

Because of the snow, she wasn't in her usual school girl outfit. She now adorned a pair of jeans, a sweater, and a jacket, but it still wasn't enough to fight the bitter cold. She shoved her hands into her pockets, forcing an awkward smile onto her lips, "Uh, thanks for the save…you must be on your way to visit Rin at the village…"

Ever since Rin began to live with Kaede, Sesshomaru began to make regular monthly appearances to check up on her. Sometimes, he even brought her gifts. When Rin got old enough, she was going to choose between living with humans or Sesshomaru, but Kagome knew that Rin was going to leave with Sesshomaru when the time came.

The little girl adored him just that much.

Just as Kagome expected, Sesshomaru didn't respond- nor did he give any notion that he was listening. He simply continued to peer at her closely before those same predatory eyes flickered towards the well. "…Is that the link between two realms?" He asked, his voice a low, yet even timbre.

She remembered back when they were truly enemies- even though they weren't quite friends as of yet. They simply were no longer on bad terms. Back then, Sesshomaru was nothing more than a murderous demon, until he found compassion through Rin and Kagura's death…at least that was what it looked like. He didn't seem as cold hearted as before.

He continued to stare at her with the same penetrating gaze, almost as if he was peering into her very soul. She could only stare back, growing oblivious to the world around them.

She never truly realized it before, but Kami, Sesshomaru was beautiful- otherworldly even. He had eyes like the sun, and a regal yet dangerous presence about him, and long hair that looked and acted like liquid silver. After a while, she caught herself, soon blinking a few times as her cold cheeks began to heat up and grow red. She cleared her throat, "…Uh, yeah. The Bone Eater's Well connects my world with yours. I guess you really haven't seen it." She shrugged, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

A rather awkward silence developed between them, though Kagome kept her gaze adverted. This was her first real conversation she had with Sesshomaru, period. The only times they stood this close to one another was when he attempted to kill her on two separate occasions, and when he helped her find Inuyasha back in Naraku's body, "Uh…thanks for the save ag-" Her azure eyes flickered upwards to view his face, but he was gone…seemingly out of thin air.

Kagome's lips pursed before she simply folded her arms across her chest to keep warm, "Uh...bye I guess then.." She murmured to herself, slowly pacing her way towards Kaede's village.

A few weeks drifted by, and Kagome had yet to see Sesshomaru again. She wanted to thank him properly for saving her from falling. Before, she was too nervous to give him a suitable apology, and he left just when she got the words out. She received her chance after returning from her era. This time, she was dressed in layers, and the cold didn't particularly bother her. However, as she climbed out of the well, she realized just how bad the weather was that day.

A vicious blizzard was racking the area, so much so that she was nearly swept off her feet. She attempted to pull her scarf up around her mouth to shield her from the stinging wind, but it was no use. She couldn't even see anything but a fog of white. She couldn't even tell where the well was, and the wind was getting harder to fight. With each step she took, she was pushed backwards until her strength gave weigh. She was sent stumbling , but something hard stopped her.

It was Sesshomaru's chest.

His arm wrapped about the mortal girl's waist before he leapt inside of the well.

Kagome's high pitched scream followed suit, but the tall walls proved to be refuge from the storm, as he predicted. The wind was blowing so hard that snow didn't even fall into the well. It was simply moving sideways.

Kagome violently began to cough and wipe all of the snow off her face. She sucked in a few breaths of well deserved air before her azure eyes flickered in her "savior's" direction.

Sesshomaru, again.

Her face became so red that the snow on her cheeks began to melt, "Uh…" What was he doing there? Did he get caught in the storm as well? Her lips parted and fell open as she attempted to find her voice, but her eyes then widened.

The Jewel Shards!

Why was she just at the bottom of the well? Why didn't she move through to the other side? She began to pat her body and her pockets, and realization hit her. She must've dropped the shards outside of the well.

"I have to go back out there!" She could still sense it nearby. She began to climb the well again, and though she could not see it, Sesshomaru's brow slowly elevated.

The mortal did not stand a chance.

She wouldn't be able to see her own hands in front of her, let alone the halfway completed Jewel, and if she did find it, he doubted she was capable of getting back to the well. However, she seemed determined.

The moment her head poked out of the well, she immediately ducked back down. Her face was now completely covered with snow, and she lost her grip on the well's sides. She screamed for the second time that day before landing harshly on her backside, directly next to Sesshomaru.

Kagome's brow twitched.

Of course, he was capable of catching her, but he didn't, but she immediately froze in place at a sudden realization.

She and Sesshomaru were in an enclosed area…alone, and together, and neither of them needed to leave. He brought her down there for a reason, to save her from the storm. He too remained down there to get out of the blizzard.

The storm must've taken him by surprise as well.

She bit her lower lip before shrugging her back pack from her shoulders. Kami, how was she going to survive this? She could feel nervousness bloom in her chest. She folded her arms behind her back as her lips pursed. After a moment of staring at him, she spoke, "Thank you for the help. I didn't realize it was so bad out there."

Those golden eyes remained concentrated on her before flickering above to where the storm surged. He wasn't paying her any attention. At least that was what it looked like.

Kagome's head tilted as she peered at him.

Sesshomaru was never the talkative type. He was more of a "kill now ask questions later" type of guy. She managed to roll her eyes before taking a seat on her large backpack.

So long as no demons were about, the shards were safe on the outside of the well, unattended to. Besides, if the storm was strong enough to force Sesshomaru into finding cover, she doubted any other demons were about.

Her eyes slid in his direction.

She wasn't sure when it happened, but Sesshomaru was sitting, golden eyes focused upon her frame. She immediately sat up right, swallowing a lump in her throat, "Uh…some storm huh?" She forced a sheepish smile, despite how he glanced away from her.

She huffed.

Why did she have to get stuck at the bottom of a well with Sesshomaru?

There were so many other people that she would have preferred being the bottom of a well with, like Koga, Kikyo, heck, even Naraku, but as fate would have it, she was stuck with Sesshomaru- the literal ice prince, the personification of stoic.

The awkwardness was killing her, though he didn't seem to be bothered by it. If anything, he seemed to be lost in thought, almost contemplating something.

"…Is something up?" She found herself asking, her lips pursing as she did so. She didn't really expect him to answer, but there was really no harm in asking him. To her surprise, he spoke.

"It is not truly a storm…"

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed then, "…Not truly a storm. Is it like a demon or something?" If that was the case, she hoped that her friends were alright. If they did get caught out, she was certain they'd find cover. With Miroku's fake exorcisms, she was sure they'd spend the night in a comfortable inn.

"It is far too sudden to be a storm. Something is amiss." He was merely headed towards the human village when the blizzard whipped up- seemingly out of nowhere. It was so powerful that even he was forced to find refuge. If he flew out of it blindly, he risked getting attacked by whatever was the cause of it. The nearby human villages were more than likely flattened by the force this storm was exerting, though he didn't say so to Kagome.

He was certain the old miko Kaede, had taken measures to get all of the villagers to safety, including Rin. He trusted the old woman with the little girl's life. It was the only reason he decided to leave her behind.

However, the girl's trembling caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes.

She was cold.

It was expected. They were simply protected from the harsh winds, not the actual cold temperature, and mortals were so easily susceptible to the cold.

Kagome began to dig around in her back pack before pulling out a wool blanket. She spread it over her shoulders and huddled up, blowing hot air onto her palms. That was much better. If Sesshomaru was right about the storm, then there was no telling how long it would take before it went away. Thankfully, she was well prepared. She had all of the resources she needed to set up camp.

Sesshomaru observed silently as the girl removed all of the equipment from her bag. The space between them was quaint, and relatively small, but no overly so. It was large enough to at least put a fire between them without harm, and she did just that.

She was very resourceful, he took note. She could easily fend for herself, unlike the other human women that he came across.

"…Blanket?" Kagome offered, moving beside him. She didn't want to admit it, but she was still deathly cold- so cold that her hands were beginning to grow numb, even with the blanket. She didn't necessarily want to wait on the fire to heat the space between them.

No, she required something else- something that only someone else could give.

A blush spread from her cheeks, to the tip of her ears, and to her nose.

Demons easily thermo-regulated their bodies compared to humans. While she was freezing her butt off, Sesshomaru couldn't feel a thing.

"…I don't need anything from you." He responded, his gaze settling on her face. The girl was gazing at him with large, hopeful azure eyes, almost as if she wanted to inquire about something.

What exactly was she up to?

"Can…I sit next to you? It's…really cold." Her voice trailed off as she continued to stare at him, biting her lower lip. She didn't even know how to get the words out. She wanted to add, 'Because I could die if I don't get enough heat', but it wasn't worth mentioning. She probably dug her own grave by asking him such a question. He only continued to watch her with those same passive eyes- cool and calculating. He could vividly seem the tremors that passed through her frame. The fire wasn't helping, not yet.

This close, he could smell the girl's scent- the sweet aroma of lavender and lilac. It was a tantalizing and addictive scent. The longer he stared, he could see a bright red coloration forming onto her face.

She was blushing, and had been doing so a lot since they met.

He made her nervous, did he?

A smirk nearly drew onto his lips at the thought.

There was no harm in allowing the girl to sit beside him. She'd be a freezing, trembling mess if she didn't. Not only that, but he doubted' she'd rest until he allowed her to have her way.

Before Naraku's defeat, he wouldn't have wasted time in ending her life, and though he did not want to admit it, a lot of things had changed since then.

Their two camps were no longer mortal enemies, and as such, taking her life wasn't necessary. There wasn't any telling how long they'd be at the bottom of the well, and he desired peace if they were going to be stuck for a while. He simply remained silent.

Kagome remained in the same position- truly unsure of if his quietness meant yes or no. Sesshomaru had always been difficult to read, and this was no exception. It wasn't like he was glaring or anything, and he didn't look particularly annoyed. Slowly, she eased into a position beside him, the blanket pulled all the way up to her chin. Just as she figured, while she was freezing, Sesshomaru was so…warm.

And though she never expected it, in this moment…in this very instant, that warmth was her own.