At last the long weekend came to an end and it was time to leave. Just in time too, as the morning sky was grey and gloomy with impending rain. Kagome bustled around camp, helping the others pack. Her own gear, which had been moved to the group campsite days before, was also packed and added to the rest currently being crammed into one of the vehicles.

She was busy double checking for trash and things left behind when Sango approached her.

"Um, Kagome…"

"Yes, Sango?" Kagome answered, turning with a smile.

Sango fidgeted, uneasy. Seeing the group huddled up near the campground entrance, Kagome frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Well…" The older girl hesitated, and then forged ahead. "With your equipment added, there isn't room in any of the cars for you to ride."

Kagome gaped. What was she going to do?

"So." Sango said, suddenly decisive, "You're going to ride with InuYasha. He's got to take a side trip, but he agreed to take you back to the city."

"But, but…didn't he come on a…" Kagome whispered.

"Motorcycle? Yep." Sango confirmed.

"Er, I've never ridden a motorcycle before." Now it was Kagome's turn to fidget.

"Don't worry, he's very safe. You'll be fine. We'll take your stuff to our place and you can pick it up later. You can call me for directions, or I can bring it to you." So saying, she gently guided Kagome to the others, adding "It was his idea, you know."

"Huh?" Kagome's attention shot to her friend. "InuYasha? Are you serious?"

"Uh-huh. He offered the ride himself, when we realized there was no room." Sango told her.

Kagome didn't know what to think about this development. InuYasha seemed like a nice guy, if a bit of a loner. It had been his suggestion that she pair up with Jenenji and Akitoki, rather than Shippo so as not to become overwhelmed by the harder pace the rest of the group maintained. He was a natural leader, despite his aloofness. And she had to admit, she did want to know him better. This seemed the perfect opportunity.

"Hi." Kagome said, once they'd reached the group and she was standing before InuYasha. His warm, golden eyes perused her from head to foot. Despite herself, she blushed.

He nodded. "You okay with this? I have to make a stop on the way."

"I-I guess so. I should warn you, I haven't ridden a motorcycle before though."

"I figured as much," He said, handing her a helmet. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy. You'll be fine."

He figured as much? What did he mean by that? Kagome awkwardly tried to buckle the helmet, while waving goodbyes to Sango and the rest of the group.

InuYasha stepped over and took the straps from her, buckling the helmet securely on. "Good?" He asked.

She nodded. As they approached the bike, her heart began to pound. She wondered if he could hear it. The likelihood of that diminished to nothing when he cranked the machine and looked at her expectantly.

Timidly she stepped up, and following his signals mounted behind him. Gingerly, she placed her hands on either side of his waist. She didn't want to seem forward. He startled her when he pulled her hands more securely about him. "Like this." He said, nearly yelling to be heard. She nodded and obeyed, glad he couldn't see her flushed face.

He eased the bike out of the parking lot and onto the road away from town and further into the mountains. For the first few miles, she clutched him with near fear. Gradually, as he didn't go too fast or make wild turns she relaxed and began to notice her surroundings. This is fun!

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InuYasha was in a sort of beautiful hell. Kagome's arms were around him, her body pressed close to his as they wended their way out of the campground. He wanted her even closer, but was glad to have the bike and twisting road to focus on.

He was drawn to this lovely girl, with her friendly blue eyes and happy manner. It was all he could do not to insist that he be her hiking partner, and gaming partner for every game. Something had awakened in him that first night, and teaming up for the sack races had started it. He'd pulled back after that, spooked by the emotions rising in him. He'd never felt attraction at this level. The last few days had been torture, trying to maintain his distance yet remain polite.

What he felt for her was anything but polite. He wanted to scoop her up and run away with her, learning all about her without interruption. He wanted to touch her too, and learn her that way as well. The equipment dilemma had provided the perfect opportunity, and he had grabbed it with both hands. "She can ride with me." He'd said.

He had ignored the open mouthed stares of his friends, standing casually with arms crossed. "Long as she doesn't mind a short stop on the way."

When Kagome had agreed, he had cheered internally. InuYasha hadn't missed the furtive glances she had given him over the last few days. He was sure she was as drawn to him and he was to her. Hopefully this trip would bring them closer.

When he had first seen her, standing in the camp with that Kouga guy he'd had to bite back a growl. Instant attraction. She had been exhausted, and frustrated and very uncomfortable with whatever situation was going on. Only years of strict self-control enabled him to stand apart, seemingly uninterested.

When he had found her waiting in his own camp that first night, his beast had given a happy rumble. Having her there only increased the possessive feelings within him. Unsure and hesitant, he'd pulled back after that first night in an effort to regain control, but it meant he spent less time around her, and he'd hardly spoken to her at all.

Now, he figured that they had around four, perhaps five hours until he had to drop her off in the city. Not nearly enough time to work on creating a relationship. He cursed his inner insecurities. Maybe he could convince her to have dinner with him, and work in suggestions to see each other again, somehow. Hmm, that's a very good idea.

As they made their way up the mountain, the threat of thunderclouds suddenly became real. The sky darkened and thunder boomed threateningly. InuYasha slowed and carefully turned off the main road onto a private drive.

Just as he did so, the clouds unleashed their torrent. "Not far now, just hang on!" He shouted back at her. He felt her nod against his back, and sped up as fast as he dared on the winding drive. The tires slipped in the mud, and Kagome 'eeped' and clutched him tighter. He couldn't enjoy it, as he had to focus to keep the bike upright.

When they finally turned into the yard, they were both drenched. Kagome could hardly see in front of her. The rain was a solid sheet of grey, reducing everything to murky shapes and colors. InuYasha plucked her off the bike and dashed to the porch of the cabin. Once there, he set her down and quickly unbuckled both her helmet and his. "Are you okay?" His voice was soft, his focus on her intense.

She nodded, "Just wet and really cold." She said, shivering. He frowned, and quickly turned and unlocked the door.

"Come on in, I'll get some heat going. It can get cold this far up the mountains after a rain." He moved to the wood stove and began to set it up for a fire.

Kagome stood just inside the entry, looking around. It was a nice cabin, with a large bright living area to the front, and from what she could see, a large kitchen and dining area to the rear. The rest remained a mystery.

"The bathroom is that way," InuYasha pointed through the kitchen door. "You can find towels there."

Gratefully she followed his directions to the small bath and was soon drying herself as well as she was able, given her soaked clothing. The ride home is going to be miserable, she thought.

"Hey," InuYasha said, startling her. "I'm going to get the generator started so we can have some light. You'll find some stuff to wear in the master bedroom."

She looked at him with large eyes, confused. "But-but, aren't we going to the city?"

"Keh, that's the plan. But these storms can last a few minutes or a few hours. It's dangerous to drive in them, especially on the main highway. We'll have to wait it out." He answered, seeing her concern. "Don't worry, I've been here before. My uncle owns this cabin. Everything will be fine."

He wanted to reach out to her, hold her close and soothe all her worries away. Instead he headed for the basement, going to start the generator from the remote keypad. They needed light and power before anything else.

Kagome watched him go, more uncertain than ever. How long would they have to stay here? Then she realized that maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all. They would finally get that one on one time, and she was determined to get him to open up to her!

She was a bit reluctant to wear a stranger's clothes, but given the situation she could hardly be choosey. All her stuff was in the back of Sango's car. Deciding to make the best of the situation, she wandered into the bedroom.

She rummaged through the dresser and quickly found a tee shirt and some elastic waist shorts to wear. They were both hopelessly big on her, but she tied the drawstring of the shorts as tightly as it would go and made do. Her legs were a bit chilled, but the fire would soon have her warm. Her underwear was soaked, so she had to go without. Hopefully, if he noticed, InuYasha would be a gentleman about it.

Wandering out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, she noticed the washer and dryer through an open door. Perfect! Kagome quickly gathered up her wet things and loaded them into the machine. Hearing the hum of the generator start outside, she tried the button and whooped when the dryer responded immediately. Things were looking up!

"Now, let see about this kitchen." So saying, she padded over to the cupboards and did a little jig when she found hot cocoa inside. They would be warm in no time!

"Something must be good, if you're dancing around like that." InuYasha's warm voice brought her whirling around, clutching the cocoa packets to her chest like a shield.

"Oh! You startled me." She told him inanely. "You said we might be here a while, so I figured it would be a good idea to find something warm to drink. I hope that's okay."

"That's a great idea," he said. "I see you found the dryer, too. Good thinking."

He headed out of the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "Get that cocoa going while I find something dry to wear." His own things were in the gear bags on his bike, but he really didn't want to go back out in the rain if he could help it.

Kagome nodded at his retreating back, and then quickly scrambled to find a pot for heating water. By the time he returned wearing a t shirt and sweats, she was stirring the second of two steaming mugs. "Here you go." She told him. "There's more water, if you want another cup later."

"Thanks," he said, and his hand brushed hers when he took the mug from her. His eyes never left hers. She was suddenly too warm, and she hadn't even taken a sip of her cocoa.

Oh, girl. You are in so much trouble.

But her heart pounded in excitement, not fear. She took her own mug and followed him into the living room. Carefully, she seated herself on one end of the sofa, tucking her legs under her and watching as he chose the oversized arm chair. He propped his feet up on the matching ottoman and looked completely at ease.

For a time, there was a peaceful silence as they sipped cocoa and watched the flames in the woodstove. Finally, she spoke.

"So, how long do you think we'll be here?" The rain hadn't let up at all, and she could barely make out the woods ringing the house through the downpour.

"Hard to say." InuYasha answered, following her gaze. "So far up and in a storm there's no cell reception at all." He turned his eyes to her. "It might even be tomorrow before we can head out."

She swung her head to him. "T-tomorrow?"

He nodded, but his gaze never left hers. "You can have the bedroom; I'll take the couch."

"Uh, that's….really nice of you. But it's your uncle's cabin. You should take the bed."

"Nah, I'd never do that to a guest." He said, finally breaking away to lean his head back and close his eyes. "You can have it."

She eventually nodded, then wanted to smack herself when she saw he couldn't see it. Figuring he was asleep, she tiptoed back into the laundry room to check on her clothes. His voice followed her. "Let me know when yours are done and I'll throw mine in."

"Okay." She called, hurrying to the privacy of the small room to gather her thoughts. Guess he wasn't asleep after all.

She was pretty sure now that he was interested in her. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, or how his hand had lingered on hers when he'd taken the cocoa from her. They were alone, in a cabin high in the mountains with no chance of interruption. Now girl, what are you going to do about it?

How much did she like this hanyou? And how far was she willing to go to know him better? She remembered his comment of figuring as much about her motorcycle experience. One thing Kagome had sworn to herself to do, the thing that brought her thousands of miles from Tokyo in the first place, was her desire to do, and be, anything but ordinary. Maybe this was another chance to live out that vow. Of course, the stakes were much higher than simply moving. If this didn't work out, she'd end up with a broken heart rather than simple disappointment.

Realizing her thoughts were like a hamster on a wheel, going round and round and getting nowhere, she mentally smacked herself. First, she would check her laundry. Then, she was going back into that living room and…let whatever happened, happen.

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Authors note: I have no working knowledge of generators, solar array or living off grid. Consider that there is a remote, indoor way to check generator levels and just go with it (there might actually be). Any mistakes are mine.

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