Okay ladies and gents...here is my favorite chapter. I pray I will have good reviews! And more of them, too...

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha...dammit...

Moments Time could not Erase

Before she knew it, she was in his arms as he ran out of the village. Ayame could feel the curves and muscles of his body as he cradled her in his arms. She lightly gripped the front of his shirt as he sped almost silently to their destination.

The scenery seemed to grow more beautiful with every yard he ran. They were far from the village now. They were where the grass grew tall and green. It made a soothing, swishing noise as Inuyasha ran through it. Trees were then visible; their branches hung low and seemed to play with the grass as they lightly swayed in the breeze.

Soon, they came to the place Inuyasha wanted to show her. They sat right above a cliff's edge that overlooked the valley below. The sun sat above it all, spreading its golden rays forth to the land and giving life to everything in it.

"Oh Inuyasha," Ayame said in amazement, her eyes glowing at the sight.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" he said as he set her down in front of him.

"It's gorgeous," she replied, still looking at the scenery.

"Yeah, gorgeous," He repeated, but secretly setting a warm gaze upon her, yet she did not notice. "The reason I brought you out here is because this is what my mother used to do when I was wounded."

"Oh really?" she said seeming interested.

"She used to bring me out to a place like this and talk to me. She always said that we are apart of nature and all belong in its cycle…"

Inuyasha flashed back to those memories of being a child, he remembered every word she said to him.

"See how fire will burn away at trees, yet just under the bark there is green? See how snow covers the ground in the winter and freezes all the grass below it, yet when the sun melts the snow away, it is once again lush, green grass? This is all apart of nature's healing. Being apart of nature, our bodies heal themselves. This is why I have brought you out here, to connect with nature, and heal in the ways of nature."

As Inuyasha came back from those memories, he found himself saying those exact words to Ayame. Then, there was a silence from the both of them. He then realized he had been staring into space and turned to Ayame. Her gaze was deep and affectionate. She had been moved by his words and was surprised by the close relationship between him and his mother. A soft smile was upon her face as she looked up at him. He returned it, his eyes showed the same gentleness as they had done before. She once again saw the two lovers within his eyes and let the image become of them. Her hand softly moved through the grass and touched his, and she quietly lost herself in his gaze once again…

Not before long it was noon. Ayame was now sitting in Inuyasha's lap, his arms around her. A breeze picked up the moment and softly swirled it around them. Inuyasha's hair drifted to his left side as his chin sat upon Ayame's shoulder. The white undergarments Lady Kameko had dressed her in after treating her wound hung low upon her shoulder, exposing her soft skin to him. He now slowly lowered his head against the back of her shoulder, letting his cheek brush against her soft skin and taking in her scent. His arms grew slightly tighter around her as the moment grew more precious.

Now you are probably wondering why Ayame is letting him do this. Well, she knew she had a promise to her grandfather, but she thought that an occasional flirt was permutable, but anything more was unacceptable. Ayame was now aware of what he was doing, but before she could stop him, she herself, had been swept into the moment. Her eyes closed as she rolled her head back slightly. His hot breath against her flesh made her tingle all over, and the strange heat she had felt before now burned like fire. Her hand slowly moved up his thigh and gave him more encouragement. Now he brushed his lips across her skin, and just as he did, an image of her grandfather flashed in Ayame's mind. Her eyes shot opened and her head came forward, breaking the moment. Inuyasha loosened his grasp on her, knowing that something was wrong. Concern now covered his face, but he thought back to just a moment ago. He realized what had happened. What he had felt was something new. He had never experienced those types of emotions with anyone, not even Kikyo. He felt like he needed her, like he couldn't live without her. He then realized he no longer liked her.

'I love her,' He thought…

Ayame's eyes were wide. She seemed to be staring into some invisible force.

'What just happened?' she asked herself 'It was real, what we had for that moment was real,' she thought to herself. 'I can't do this. I've got to get rid of these feelings!' she thought. A serious expression crossed her face. She took his arms that were still upon her and placed them by his sides. A look of hurt flashed upon his face.

'She's rejecting me!' he thought surprised.

"Inuyasha, please take me back to the village." She said calmly. A dagger pierced Inuyasha's heart. She wanted no part in a relationship with him! Tears stung in the back of his eyes. She didn't want him! She didn't feel the same way he did! Inuyasha's heart was now shattered, his hope and pride struck down. All he wanted was her, but there was no chance he could make her fall in love with him, but Inuyasha was never a quitter…

Inuyasha picked her up and held her in his arms as he had done before, but without any meaning this time. He had a facial expression like he was only carrying an object of some sort. He never took a glance down at her.

'He's acting strange,' she thought, looking up at him. Then, she saw something that made her heart sink. She saw a look of sadness in his eyes. She knew why he was hurt, and now immediately regretted her actions.

Inuyasha knew she was looking at him, though he did not want to return her glance, yet it was quite hard not to be curious of the look on her face. So instead he looked at the sky, as if curious of the weather, but suddenly, he realized dark clouds were rolling in. At that moment, rain began to drizzle, and then pour. He was far from the village, and there was no way he was going to be able to make it back. Thunder rumbled as lightning brightened the sky. The storm was farther off, but it was close enough to get the full experience. Inuyasha ran under a draping willow tree for shelter, he set Ayame next to him. They both became drenched, and Ayame was wearing white. Inuyasha tried to stop himself from glancing, but he couldn't.

"So much for going back, huh?" Ayame said, trying to break the silence.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, his head hung low. Ayame tilted her head in his direction and examined his sorrowful face. His eyes were still filled with pain but were partially covered by his drenched bangs that shed water droplets from their silvery tips. She felt horrible for doing what she had done. She had hurt him terribly. Ayame's expression became soft. She crawled over to him on her hands and knees, her garments now covered in grass stains. She slipped her arms in between his and lied upon his chest. Inuyasha was surprised.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He softly held her against his chest, not saying a word. He knew why she was sorry and there needed to be no explanation.

"You know what I used to do in the rain when I was younger?" Ayame said, looking up at him.

"What?"

"I used to dance,"

Inuyasha slowly got up, she now sat near the place he was.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like? I'm gonna dance in the rain!" He walked out from under the weeping willow and stood in the rain. Ayame watched him closely. He then undid his cloak and tossed to the ground. His shirt was drenched and stuck to his muscular chest. Ayame could see the shade of his skin color through it. It then dawned on her that she must be visible also, but she didn't care. He then shed the shirt as well and stood there, shirtless, dripping wet. He looked like a god. His silver hair was drenched and sticking to his tanned back. Ayame melted at the site. The strange warm feelings now flared in her feminine places. She shifted her weight, trying to distract the feelings.

"So, what do you do?" he asked just standing there.

"I'd twirl around with my arms out," she replied, trying to shout over the rain and thunder. Holding his arms straight out, he did a small spin.

"Like that?"

Ayame smiled at his simplicity. She slowly tried to stand, using the tree for balance. She then found that the pain had lessened and tried walking. It didn't hurt much at all. She walked to him and took his hand.

"Like this," she said as she twirled under his hand. Releasing him, she danced on her own. She swayed her hips and rolled her shoulders and let her hands twist as if she were doing some ancient rain dance. She closed her eyes and felt nature around her and spun. She took the bands from her pigtails out and let her damp, dark locks fall down the length of her back as she kept on dancing.

'Wow…' Inuyasha thought. Her beauty bewildered him. He ran over to join her. They began to twirl and dance in rhythm. They would run to each other's side and clasp hands and twirl around laughing. The thunder seemed to laugh with them as the rain poured harder, never letting up. They twirled and twisted and ran to one another again, having a wonderful time. Ayame twisted and twirled away from him, but then began to run in his direction once more. She did not go for his side this time, but straight to him. As soon as she was a few feet from him, she leapt lightly into the air and he caught her. And in that moment, time froze. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck. His eyes met hers. They saw both surprise, and an unfound love within each other.

Inuyasha gazed at her, she seemed to radiate with beauty. Her hair hung around her face as a few locks lie on her jaw line.

'God, she's gorgeous,' he thought. He could feel the heat of her body against his, in which his own body reacted slightly to.

To Ayame, this moment seemed familiar, like she had seen it before, like a dejavu. But it wasn't a dejavu. She had seen it before. Ayame then realized this moment was of the one she had seen in Inuyasha's eyes, of the two lovers in the rain…

She just stared at him. Emotions ran through her like crazy. She wanted him, but she knew she could not have him. She had a promise to keep, and that promise was sacred. Finally, realizing there was nothing she could do, she rested her head upon his shoulder. For a while he just stood there, holding her. And for a moment, he felt that she loved him.