A/N: Jacob Black + Kagome + Rain = Too easy. Bring on the angst and the shirtless werewolves!

Pairing: Kagome Higurashi x Jacob Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Twilight, or the characters belonging to either franchise.


Rain

Kagome had never put much thought into how she would die.

Having gone through all she had back in the Feudal Era, she was honestly surprised that she had even lived this long. She never thought that she would have survived the battle with Naraku, restore the Sacred Jewel, and make the correct wish that would set them all free from its tainted existence. She never thought that the jewel would vanish into thin air, taking her, the well, and her choices with it.

She never thought that she would come home.

Kagome laughed to herself as she stared up at the cloudy sky she found herself under. Perhaps "home" wasn't the word she was looking for. Home for her had been a small hut, crowded with friends that became family; sitting around a small fire, sharing laughter and the warmth that only came from being surrounded by those closest to her. Now, she was stuck in her original time, the era of her birth, but she felt more out of place here than she had ever felt back in the past. A few tears burned at her eyes and Kagome found herself inching forward, just a bit.

Her home with her family, the ones that shared her blood, had become a prison. "Home" was a magic-less place that promised her nothing but a simple lifestyle, void of adventure and excitement. It made Kagome's stomach hurt just thinking about it. She had stayed home long enough to graduate, hoping that she could at least make her family proud before she broke their hearts. She was finding it harder and harder to exist in a place that had once meant so much to her- but now only served as a reminder of what she had lost; The future she could have had in the past with her Feudal family. Kagome closed her eyes tightly, listening to the roaring of the wind around her.

She had started traveling not long after graduating from high school, choosing not to go to University. There would be no point. All she wanted was to find some sign that there was still magic in the world, somewhere. She was a desperate woman, researching every myth and legend she stumbled across, looking far and wide for any signs of the creatures that had become such a huge part of her life.

Kagome had a fantasy that her comrades had survived, at least the ones that could. She had daydreamed more than once of coming across Sesshoumaru or Shippou, who- in her mind- would be successful businessmen or celebrities that kept their true identities a secret from the world. She imagined finding Kouga, Ginta, and Hakaku again- living their lives together as always, because they were pack, and she just couldn't imagine them living any other way. She pretended that yellow cats were Kirara, disguising herself as a normal house-cat to avoid being noticed by those that shouldn't know about her kind. She imagined a world where demons were hiding in plain sight, and she just needed to keep looking.

Her efforts had gotten her here, in the tiny town of Forks, where she had found some promising leads on what could possibly be a pack of wolf demons hiding in the lush forests of this gray place. Kagome had done all that she could, reaching out with her powers, hoping to sense even a fragment of demonic energy, only to be disappointed.

Again.

Kagome felt her foot scrape the edge of the precipice, and her stomach jolted just a bit before she grit her teeth in determination. She took in a deep breath, opening her eyes once more to look out at the large expanse of ocean before her, taking in the dark, rolling waves that would hopefully consume her. She just wanted to stop hurting. She just wanted to stop being disappointed. The cold splash of water from above startled her, and she looked down at her exposed arms, not entirely surprised to see raindrops had struck her and were now falling harshly from the tumultuous sky.

"How poetic," she said to herself with a chuckle, reaching up to clutch the precious beads she always wore around her neck, fingering one of the fangs that was strung through them.

"There's nothing poetic about suicide, lady."

Kagome whipped her head around, heart jumping to her throat as the voice from behind startled her. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight of the young man behind her, and she was baffled that she hadn't sensed anyone approaching. He was tall; all rippling muscles and caramel skin, glistening with the rain that was pouring down on them. His dark hair was cropped short to his head, matching dark brows that furrowed as his gentle brown eyes watched her cautiously. His face was flushed, and his full lips were parted slightly in what she assumed was surprise. His feet and torso were bare, which was odd considering it was freezing out, and here he was wearing nothing but a pair of baggy gym shorts. Was he resistant to the cold? He was dangerously handsome, the kind of handsome she had become surrounded by once upon a time, and for a moment, she felt hope spark in her chest again- but there was no demonic energy in this male. Kagome saw him swallow, and he shook his head, as though snapping himself out of a daze. She gripped the beads tighter, her body tensing as his eyes focused on her intensely. Her heart raced, suddenly anxious as she watched his eyes almost glow as they fixed on her with something akin to wonder. Is he some kind of psycho?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the boy suddenly called out, hands splayed before him, but his body didn't move an inch toward her. His voice was raised so that she could hear him over the pounding of the rain and the roaring of the wind. "Don't jump. Whatever you're going through, it isn't worth killing yourself over!"

Kagome rose an eyebrow at the copper-skinned male and couldn't stop the laugh that spilled out.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she said bitterly, turning around to face the cliff's edge again.

She heard his feet shuffling behind her and she peeked over her shoulder, watching as he struggled to keep himself in place when it looked like he really wanted to go to her. Kagome frowned at him, but didn't move away from him. This boy definitely piqued her curiosity- something that hadn't happened in a long time.

"Please, just get away from the edge," he called out to her, and Kagome struggled to hear him as the rain picked up. "I know I'm just a stranger, and you don't owe me anything- but it would haunt me forever if you jumped off that cliff and died with me standing here."

"Then go stand somewhere else," Kagome said with a dark chuckle under her breath.

"Not gonna happen, lady."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the fact that this boy had even heard her over the pounding rain around them. She slowly turned around to face him, watching as he sent her a crooked half-smile that probably would have made her blush a few years ago. She frowned, taking comfort in the faint clacking of beads in her hand as she struggled internally with what to do.

"You know, if I were to kill myself, I wouldn't have the chance to feel guilty about traumatizing you," she pointed out.

"For someone trying to off herself, you're kind of a smart ass."

Kagome's eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh that came out at his words. Here she was, seconds away from jumping to her demise, and this strange man pops out of the woods with his rippling muscles and guilt-trips to stop her. Was this the universe telling her that she couldn't give up yet? Was this her sign?

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a faint howl and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up at the sound. She closed her eyes, heart aching as she remembered why she had even come here. She had hoped beyond hope that maybe she could find traces of wolf demons here, maybe even learn about what became of her once would-be suitor, but she had hit another dead-end, and that was how she had found herself wandering into the forest looking for ways to end her life. When she opened her eyes, she saw the boy staring off to his right, head cocked, listening to something.

"What? Speak wolf, do you?" Kagome spit out, arms folding defensively across her chest.

The boy's eyes widened in shock as he stared at her, his mouth floundering before he was sputtering and forcing out a fake laugh that had her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She tilted her head and tried again to reach out with her power, tentatively so as not to get her hopes up too high again.

"'Speak wolf?'" he scoffed, hands on his hips as he rocked awkwardly from side to side. "That's ridiculous. Who ever heard of-"

There was another howl, closer this time, and Kagome watched as his head whipped toward the sound and his lips pulled back as though he was fighting with himself. Her eyes widened and she took a hesitant step toward him, still poking and prodding his aura with her power. If there was anything useful she had picked up from hanging around Inuyasha, it was that she knew a guilty person when she saw one. He was hiding something.

"B-but if I did speak wolf," he said, eyes searching the trees before turning back to her, sending a nervous smile her way. "I bet that one is saying we should get outta here. You know, before he comes to defend his territory and...and other wolf-like stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Kagome said slowly... and then she felt something coming from the boy's right arm.

It was just a flicker, just the smallest hint of something, but it had Kagome rushing at the male, completely catching him off-guard. The boy took a quick step back just as Kagome latched onto his bicep, eyes locking on the striking tribal tattoo there and pressing her fingertips against it. Unfortunately, the barefoot boy had jerked back so suddenly, and was so surprised at Kagome's manhandling, that he slipped on the saturated ground, toppling onto his back, taking a squealing Kagome with him. She still had a grip on his arm, causing her to crash against him, landing with her torso over his as they landed with a splat onto the muddy earth. Kagome sputtered but refused to let go, instead using one hand to shove the wet curtain of her hair out of her face.

She was not prepared for the look this boy was giving her.

Kagome's mouth went dry as her sapphire eyes clashed with the warm, chocolate ones before her. He was looking up at her in wonder, eyes wide and almost glowing with something eerily familiar to a predator's gaze. His lips were parted, and she noticed that he was breathing heavily as he stared up at her, eyes darkening the longer they watched each other. Kagome shivered, one had still clinging to the tense muscle of his arm, the other pressed flat against his bare chest, and that was when she noticed just how warm he was. Her cheeks flushed as she watched his tongue dart out to lick his lips, lips that were already wet from the rain that was still pouring over them. She took in a sharp gasp and, without thinking, squeezed onto the arm that she held, sending a little spark of her power at the tattoo that had caught her attention earlier.

Then she felt it.

It wasn't anything demonic. She would have recognized it if it were. Still, there was something in this boy, something otherworldly that was hidden before by what she now knew was some kind of seal on his arm. She heard a soft growl from the male underneath her, felt it vibrate in his chest beneath her palm, and her eyes widened and brimmed with tears. The boy was stiff then, blinking rapidly as he looked up at her, and whatever spell he had been under before was gone as he started to panic.

"I-I didn't mean to scare you-" he started, but he was cut off by Kagome's lips crashing against his.

She knew in the back of her mind that was she was doing was insane, but she was so happy. This boy wasn't a demon, but he wasn't human either. He was the first clue she had found in years at something still existing in this world. Kagome whimpered against his lips, hands raising to cup his sculpted cheeks, surprised when she felt him eagerly returning her kiss. Their lips parted against each other, heads tilting to get better access- Kagome's body melted against his and she was lost.

It was like a fire had been lit beneath her skin.

Kagome felt large, hot hands coming to wrap around her, pressing against her soaked clothing and heating her up from the outside in. She reveled in the feeling of the power inside this male, knowing that she had so many questions to ask him but right now...

...Right now all she could focus on was the tongue that was twisting with hers, making her gasp against his open mouth.

He was holding her firmly, hands roaming over her smaller body, and Kagome was consumed by the heat of him. His soft lips were moving against hers so expertly, like kissing her was something he had always done. She felt it again, the growling in his chest, and Kagome's body shivered as her fingers shifted over his face to tangle in his short locks, holding him to her as she took from him desperately. They were suddenly rolling, and it was Kagome who was pressed into the mud, thankfully shielded from the rain a bit as the male's larger form leaned over her. He pulled away from her a bit, and Kagome's eyes opened slowly, immediately locking with the glistening, suddenly opaque eyes above her. She couldn't help the smile and sob that broke free.

She reached up a hand to trail her fingers down the side of his face, vaguely noticing the steam rising from his skin as his body heat started to evaporate the rain that was still falling. He was watching her carefully, breathing hard as he held himself on his hands over her, careful not to crush her. His lips were swollen, parted, and she saw the flash of a sharpened incisor that made her heart jolt in her chest.

"What are you?" Kagome whispered, running her fingers over the man's lips, eyes fluttering as his body shook at her touch.

"I could ask you the same," he returned, and his eyes were searching her face as curiously as she was searching his.

Kagome smiled a genuine smile for the first time in years, and she felt like the skies had finally cleared for her. She wasn't sure what this boy was exactly, but she knew that there was something here, and she had been meant to find it; To find him. She pushed herself up a bit onto her elbows so that she could bring her face closer to his. Copper cheeks flushed at her closeness and Kagome felt the warmth of feminine satisfaction that she affected him so strongly, but was also very concerned that she was reacting to him as well. There was something going on here, something she needed to understand, and this boy was her only way to get answers.

"I'm Kagome," she finally said, softly, and she realized vaguely that the rain had stopped at some point. She looked up at him from under her lashes, her own cheeks burning at the soft hum that emitted from his throat.

"Jacob," he said, and his voice was warm and husky and inviting. "Jacob Black."

"Well, Jacob Black," Kagome said, eyes sparkling mischievously. "I don't think I'll be 'offing myself' now. I have too many questions."

"Good," Jacob said, and she felt herself shiver again as he cocked an eyebrow and sent her a smile that was all white teeth and sharp fangs that were distinctly canine in nature. "Because I have a few of my own."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but she was silenced as he shifted his weight onto one hand so that he could lift the other to cup the side of her face. Kagome's eyes fluttered as he tilted her head, and she was amazed at just how small she felt caged beneath this complete stranger.

And how safe.

"But first..." his voice trailed off and she gasped as his lips came pressing down on hers again.

Kagome didn't bother to fight it, but she wasn't sure why. She didn't know this male. She had no clue what he was, or what he wanted. All she knew, was that his lips were doing things to her that she had never felt before, and gods be damned, it felt like he was supposed to be the one doing them. It just felt right. Kagome sighed, body turning to goo under his touch and she heard his growl of approval as her arms came up to wrap around his neck, pulling him flush against her.

She would ask him questions later. She could make sense of it all later. Right now, she was reveling in the fact that not all of the magic in the world was gone, and she now had a reason to keep on living. Kagome lost herself in the arms of this male, Jacob, and she felt her soul cry out happily that she had found something to enjoy after having gone so long being miserable.

Above them, the clouds parted, shining just enough sunlight to brighten up the patch of earth where they laid, lost in the sensations of each other as though it were the most natural thing in the world for two strangers to suddenly start going at it in the middle of nowhere. Kagome couldn't help but smile, pulling back and breathing heavily as Jacob lowered his head to pepper kisses down the side of her neck, making her arch against him. She looked up into the brightening sky, feeling his warmth invading the coldness that had numbed her for so long.

He was like the sun. Chasing away the dark clouds her life had become. He had saved her from the pouring rain that had become her only constant.

"How poetic," she breathed.

And she smiled when she heard him laugh against her skin.

To Be Continued


A/N: This chapter caught me by surprise. It started out as something fun and steamy, but quickly turned into a story of someone being pulled from the depths of depression. I hadn't planned on doing a continuation, but after writing it, I could't help but feel I could definitely do more with this. Also, I looooooove me some Jacob *fans self* Let me know what you guys think!