A/N: Thanks to SlytherinBabe and ayamechin for the reviews! Feedback is always appreciated

I had this quote in my head and I decided to use it for the title of this chapter, but after googling it I realized it was a quote in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire XD

So there might be other resemblances I'm not aware of in expressions and vocabulary, since I'm reading those right now…oh well…Rating is T for now, but it might change later in the story…not sure yet…

Chapter 2: Storms Come And Go

The road to the Western lands was quiet , except for the songs of birds and the rustling of leaves due to a warm summer breeze. Sunrays succeeded piercing through the thick foliage of the forest, making the weather surprisingly hot for this time of the year. At some point, the path opened on a vast meadow, making the sun even more visible. The temperature was as hot as in summer. Rin briefly closed her eyes, to enjoy the feel of the sunrays on her skin, forgetting her sorrow for a brief moment. She always enjoyed the warm weather.

She knew Sesshomaru's lands were slightly more the north, she hoped it would be warm, yet a tiny bit cooler than what her village had to go through each year.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Sesshomaru shoot a glance to the east, frowning for a brief moment.

"What is it, my lord?"

"…A storm is coming"

Rin looked in the same direction as he did a moment ago and noticed high columns of black, covering a part of the sky. A lightning suddenly flashed through the black clouds. Rin's eyes grew wide…She hated thunderstorms. She quickened her pace to catch up with the youkai lord.

"The wind is not blowing in our direction, I don't think it will come over here…", she commented.

"Don't get mistaken. The wind's direction around this area is unpredictable, and the instability in the air makes me believe it will change soon", replied calmly Sesshomaru.

"Oh…I see…", replied timidly the young woman. She had briefly forgotten the youkai lord had keen senses. "So…is there any kind of shelter around here?", she asked worriedly.

"Hmph…the trees of course", replied the youkai, matter-of-factly.

"The trees? I didn't think it was the best place to go during a storm…"

"Better than a meadow anyway", replied Sesshomaru, while stealing a glance at his ward.

Rin gulped.

"We will get back to a woody area soon.", added Sesshomaru, as if reading her mind.

"So…there is nothing safer around here?", asked Rin timidly.

"There is a cave not too far away, but I highly doubt we will arrive on time…"

"Well…there is no time to waste, then!", replied Rin as she fastened her pace.

The elegant lord raised an eyebrow. "I didn't remember you were scared of storms…Rin"

She tried not to panic, as she heard the roaring thunder. "I wasn't scared, until recently…"

She felt his eyes on her, as if telling her to continue. "A lightning almost hit me last summer, when I had the fabulous idea to visit Kohaku at the end of a storm. The entire village heard me scream. But Inu-Yasha and Shippo thought the whole story was very funny", explained an annoyed looking Rin.

The sky darkened. Rin was almost running now, but the youkai barely had to fasten his pace to catch up with her.

"You mean it fell in the village while you were outside…"

"It fell right next to me, on the chief villager's house! At least there were no one inside…"

"Hmm…I see. I suppose it must have been quite unpleasant", commented the youkai lord.

Rin giggled at this remark. "Unpleasant? I was scared out of my mind! Oh well…at least I got a little empathy from you, my lord…unlike some others…"

The wind was blowing harder. Rin let a sigh of relief escape her lips as they finally got back in the forest.

BANG!

Rin was startled, but Sesshomaru hardly reacted to the loud thunder. Gentle rain started to fall.

"Let's leave the path for now. We'll go up this hill…"

"So we won't get any puddle at our feet?" supposed Rin.

"Yes, and the cave is in this direction. We might be able to reach it before it starts pouring…"

But the rain quickly became heavy. The sky was now almost as dark as a moonless night. The youkai looked thoughtfully at leaves being blown by the harsh wind and stopped in his track. There was no time left.

"Quick my lord!", urged Rin.

"No"

"Wh-what?!"

"We will stop here. There is another meadow to cross before reaching the cavern. It would be better to stay around here for a while"

Rin looked at him worriedly and nodded. They hid under a thick and wide willow tree. The foliage was so thick that the ground was still perfectly dry. Sesshomaru aloofly sat on a root. Rin sat on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs protectively.

Bright flashes were seen, followed by hard thunder…Rin was startled again and hid her face on her knees. The youkai looked at her with mild curiosity.

"Are you alright, Rin?"

"N-No! I hate this!", she squeaked. "We're not safe here!"

"Nonsense. It'll be over even before…»

BAAAAANG! Rin barely heard her own scream as the thunder boomed. She glanced at her lord, who had stood up and was looking at a nearby tree struck by the lightning. The willow's branches were now flying all around. Even then, she was not prepared for what came next.

BANNG BAAAANG!

Even Sesshomaru was startled this time. Two other lightning bolts had fallen on nearby trees, one of them was struck so bad the trunk collapsed with a sinister creak.

"The trees are too high. Let's leave", he said.

"But…to go where?", asked Rin worriedly.

"The cave. Come." He took her by the wrist and he ran. She had no choice but to follow.

They ran for a while in the forest. Rin didn't mind, even though the soil was slippery. She'd rather run like crazy than stay under a tree, praying that the sky doesn't fall on them.

They arrived in a meadow. The rain poured on them as if an ocean was coming from the sky. There was water everywhere, and the thunder never seemed too far. There were surprisingly broken branches flying around, which probably explained why the lord didn't dare to fly. Rin was relieved when she finally saw the small cave, at the base of a hill.

"Finally!"

Sesshomaru looked in her direction, but she just had the time to see his amber eyes go wide, before she felt one of her foot hit a rock. She yelled in pain and fell on the ground. The pain was so blinding she didn't dare move. She felt two strong arms pull her out of the muddy grass and keep running until they reached the cave. Sesshomaru gently laid her down on the stony ground. She was holding her foot and whimpering in pain.

"Rin, are you alright?"

Rin could hear more than a hint of worry in his voice. She looked at her foot. One of her toe was bleeding, but it didn't looked so bad.

"I think…it will be alright", she replied. She smiled reassuringly at him.

BANG!

"Eeeek!"

Rin folded once again her legs against her chest and held them tight. She laid her head on her knees and looked miserably at her lord.

"Rin…we're safe now", he said as he was discarding his armor.

"I know…but…I can't control it…I'm sorry", she whispered.

The youkai lord raised an eyebrow.

"You shouldn't be so scared of thunderstorms, Rin. You should enjoy the view, now that we have found a decent shelter", he replied stoically.

"…N-no… I can't…Kohaku…he liked storms too…look where he is now…", she whispered sadly.

Sesshomaru smelt tears. He fought back an urge to slap himself for saying something that made his ward upset. A sideway glance told him she desperately tried to keep her cool, but she was failing miserably.

"I apologize my lord. Usually, I try not to bother anyone when I'm sad, but there is no place for me to hide now", she explained, while wiping a tear.

He simply looked at her. She shouldn't have to hide…His ward was in pain, but it wasn't the type of injury who can be healed only with rest and time. Even he was aware that an injury of the heart was more complicated to shut. She needed help…some kind of support maybe?

Her distress was slowly getting to him. Was it really a good idea to take her from her village when she was in such a state? Her human friends would have known what to do, but he didn't. The Rin he knew was happy, cheerful and…self-sufficient. Of course, she would require entertainment once in a while, and to be protected, but it was the first time he was seeing her so pained . No one was here with her, but him. Maybe the old miko was right…maybe he simply lacked the words and emotional skills to make her feel better.

He hated that thought.

No…he couldn't just stay next to her and watch her cry. He needed to do something…but what?

Maybe honesty was the only thing required.

"Rin…I", he started. She wiped her tears again and looked at him.

For the second time, he fought back the urge to slap himself. Why was he hesitating? He wasn't struggling so much when he talked to her after she had gotten out of the shrine, but it's true she wasn't in such a visible state of sadness…openly crying and unable to stop…

"I wish I could do something to help, but I believe we are very different beings. I frankly do not know what to say", he calmly admitted.

She smiled weakly. "You don't need to say anything, my lord. I didn't expect you to comfort me. You already told me you understand what grief is and you're bringing me to the Western Lands. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm aware this isn't helping you at the moment", he said matter-of-factly.

"Well…I suppose I will feel better with time. I don't think there is anything you can do for me…Sesshomaru-sama", she said. "Well…maybe one thing…but…Nevermind…"

"Why shouldn't I mind?", he insisted.

"…I can't possibly ask you that…", she replied shyly, but he insistent gaze told her otherwise.

"Well…a hug would really be nice", she admitted, while blushing furiously. He raised an eyebrow, which made her panic.

"But…I won't ask you that, my lord! I know you don't hug people!"

"Really?"

"It's-it's a human thing! I can't ask you that!" she insisted.

"Human thing? No…to embrace is not an exclusively human behaviour", he corrected.

"But!"

"Rin, was I ever judgemental towards you?", he asked with a hint of irritation, as he discarded his soaked fur.

Rin's blush went a shade redder. "N-no. Never"

"Then why are you so self-conscious?"

"I…I suppose I didn't expect you would want to be so close to a human", she said, while looking away.

Was his disdain for humans supposed to refrain him from helping his ward? It seemed a ridiculous thought. He decided to make the first move while she wasn't looking. He slid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She seemed shocked for a brief moment, but she finally seemed let go of her illogical thoughts and slid her arms around his back.

"Are you aware you have a human in your arms, my lord?", she asked in a whisper.

"Yes. So?", he asked indifferently.

She smiled and closed her eyes. Her cheeks were so hot they were probably purple, but he couldn't see.

It was strange…Kohaku had already hugged her before, when she was sad, but it had felt awkward…because he was as shy as her. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to realize the closeness was supposed to be a source of embarrassment…

Sesshomaru…who she had never seen touch anyone, except when killing a foe…

Or when he was caressing her cheek with his thumb.

She realized she felt good. His embrace was warm and soothing. His scent was masculine and pleasant. How come such a stoic man was able to embrace someone this way?… She tried not to think of the tingly sensation in her chest. She always had a soft spot from him…but it had never crossed her mind he would ever let her be so close, even if it was just meant to be a comforting and platonic gesture.

She just realized she had stopped crying.

"Th-thank you, my lord", she whispered. "I…I don't hear the thunder anymore…"

"Violent or not, storms come and go.", he simply whispered.

"You were talking about the bad weather, or my mood swings?"

"Whatever you fancy", he murmured elusively. "You should get some rest, now"

His whisper close to her ear had something mesmerizing about it. She buried her face against his chest. She felt a hand in her back go delicately back up to stroke her hair. It was just…a comforting gesture…nothing else…she was sure of it…But she liked it anyway.

It wasn't very long before she fell asleep.

…End of chapter…