A/N: Thank you again wonderful reviewers! Also, I'd like to ask you all something. I'm starting a new story for a different fandom, but I wanted to know if you readers prefer stories written in first person POV or third person POV. Please leave a review or send me a PM with your response. Thanks!

Kagome's POV

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Chapter Nineteen: Reunion

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Night; and once again

The while I wait for you, cold wind

Turns into rain

~~~Masaoka Shiki

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From outside my bedroom window, I watched a storm brewing over the horizon.

Black clouds turned the golden light of dusk dingy grey, and light rain spattered on the ground. In the distance, thunder sounded like a drum, making me tremble. I turned away, cursing my luck. It was sure to be a bad storm, and no fool would dare travel in such weather.

I slipped from my room and padded down the hall to the kitchen for some tea. For some reason, anxiousness was coiled in my stomach and, no matter how I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Whether it be good or bad I didn't know, but the expectant sensation made me nervous.

It was partially the reason I'd wanted to depart today. I had already dallied here for too long. With each passing day, I grew more and more tense, waiting for Sesshoumaru to make an appearance. The last eight days had felt like an eternity.

I finally reached the kitchen and scooped the teapot off the low table. Thankfully, my mother kept warm water ready at all times for tea. I quickly poured myself a cup and sipped at it tentatively. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing to ease my worry, and I noticed with some shock how hard my hands were shaking.

Setting the cup aside, I raked fingers through my hair, trying to calm myself. It's the storm, I thought. It was strangely reminiscent of the day I'd been sacrificed, so it naturally had me on edge.

I pondered the thought for a moment. Reminiscent . . .

I froze, eyes wide in disbelief. Of course.

He was coming.

Cupping a hand over my mouth, I felt tears prick at my eyes. Oh . . . oh, god . . .

How had I not realized this earlier? All the signs were there! The clouds, the rain, even the wind: it all made sense.

Well, I absolutely refused to sit here and wait for him to come for me. I would have to brave the storm. I spun around, intent on getting my packed things from my room, and nearly shrieked in astonishment.

I was too late.

In the dark of the kitchen, his molten eyes regarded me without emotion. The dark blue of his robes melted into the black of the room, and his silver-white hair turned washed-out grey in the gloom.

Obscured by shadows, I hadn't seen him. He could've been there the whole time for all I knew.

I felt my heart drop into my stomach, and nausea threatened to overwhelm me. Frantically, I thought of ways to escape him. My chances were slim, but I had to try something. His silence was making me more than uneasy.

But, god, if the sight of him didn't make me want to fly . . .

Unshed tears clouded my vision, and I retreated a step. His gaze zeroed in on the small action, and he finally moved, raising his left hand.

Though it was hard to see, I could tell he was holding something. It looked familiar . . .

I gasped, unable to stop myself. My knees buckled, refusing to support me, and I braced myself on the table behind me.

My sketchbook.

How . . . how?No one knew about my sketchbook except me. My heart pounded, filling me with adrenaline. Could it be . . . had he been watchingme?

It was entirely possible. With his abilities, it was most likely as easy as breathing.

I mentally shook myself. I couldn't become distracted. Yes, he had my sketchbook. Yes, he'd probably seen all my drawings of him, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I needed only to concern myself with escaping.

Suddenly, I remembered the back door that led out into the woods. It was perhaps six feet away from me, and hidden from Sesshoumaru's view. If I could get to it fast enough, I would be gone before he had time to react.

Now if only he would stop staring at me. If I made any move to run, he'd be in front of me before I could blink. Sighing inwardly, I decided to be patient. When an opportunity presented itself, I would take full advantage.

Being patient proved to be a task, however. The more we sat in silence, the more I wanted to say something. The tension between us was palpable, and I honestly did not care for it. Why had he come so far if he was only going to stand there? Was he content watching my nerves become more and more strained? In less than two minutes, the urge to rip my hair out by the roots was almost uncontainable.

Then, with one word, he shattered the suffocating quiet: "Kagome."

Unthinkingly, I turned and fled, reaching the door in record time and flinging it open. I raced out into the rain, running as hard as I could, heedless of the danger. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear how much I'd hurt him. I didn't want to hear how I'd betrayed his trust. So, like a coward, I sprinted away into the forest.

Lightning split the sky above me and I screamed and lost my balance. My foot caught on the hem of my long kimono, sending me sprawling beneath a tree. I landed hard on my side and grasped desperately at the bark as the air was knocked from me.

But still I didn't stop. I couldn't afford to let him catch me. I couldn't let him take me back. Struggling up, I leaned heavily against the tree and started off again, this time at a much slower pace. The rain was coming down in torrents that made it difficult to see, and I knew it was his doing.

He was trying to make me give up so he could find me, but he should've known better than to think this would stop me.

I tread carefully over roots and fallen branches, keeping my treacherous hem fisted in one hand. My hair was hopelessly tangled with bits of leaves and underbrush, and fine red cuts from the occasional thorn decorated the bare skin of my legs, but I was determined. I would give Kagutsuchi no reason to hurt Sesshoumaru.

Then, I made a mistake.

There really was no excuse for my stupidity. I should've known to avoid bodies of water of all sizes but, like a complete dimwit, I stepped into a puddle. It wasn't even a deeppuddle, though that obviously made no difference.

Before I could move, his arms closed around me like a vice from behind, holding me prisoner. My surprise lasted for less than a second, and then I screeched at the top of my lungs.

"Let go!" I kicked furiously at him. "Let me go this instant!"

The rain had stopped the moment he caught me, so his response was easy to hear. "No."

I dug my nails uselessly into his forearms. "You can't take me back!" I cried. "You can't! You don't understand!"

"I understand more than you think." He spun with me still in his arms and I knew he was headed to the river. "And I am taking you back."

"No!" Desperate, I began to beg. "Please, Sesshoumaru. Pleaseleave me here." Hot tears spilled down my cheeks as I tipped my head back to look at him. "I can't go back. You say you understand, but you don't!"

He swung me around in his embrace, his eyes blazing. "Are you sure? Because what I know may surprise you." Crushing me against him, he kissed me with bruising force, holding me in place with one of his hands at the back of my head. Despite my upset, I responded without hesitation and burrowed my fingers in his starlight hair.

I hadn't known how much I'd missed him until this very moment.

"Kagome," he murmured, brushing his lips gently against mine. "I know Kagutsuchi threatened you."

Pulling back, I looked at him incredulously. "How . . . how can you know?"

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be." His palm was warm on my neck, and his eyes were bright as he looked me over. "Have you lost weight?" he asked abruptly.

Flushing, I focused on some point past his shoulder. "I haven't really had an appetite."

Sesshoumaru's grip on me tightened convulsively. "You must take care of yourself, Kagome. No matter how upset you are."

"Upset?" I gawked at him. "I'm upset when they don't have the tofu I like at the market. Do you honestly think I could bring myself to eat after that manipulative bastard told me he would tear you apart and burn you alive in front of me?" The last eight days of worry and frustration came spewing out as I continued without thinking, "Do you have any idea how many times I thought of killing myself? I had no way of knowing whether you were safe or if he was torturing you or if he'd just decided to kill you because he felt like it. And I couldn't live with myself, either. Never would I have left you if I'd had a choice. All I could think of was how much I hurt you and—"

He kissed me again, effectively cutting me off. "I do not ever," he growled out, "want to hear of you killing yourself."

Whoops. I supposed I could have omitted that particular part. Swallowing, I said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that."

I watched as Sesshoumaru attempted to keep a hold on himself. "I do want to know one thing," he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I exhaled sharply. "I knew you would try to stop me, but there was no way I was taking any chances when it came to your life."

He chuckled, and the sound filled me with butterflies. "I've never had anyone protect me before. I must say it's a nice feeling."

I laughed softly for the first time in days. "You should get used to it. I'm ridiculously overprotective when it comes to people I love."

He stiffened. "Love?"

I felt my face heat in mortification. "I mean . . . well, um, that's not, uh . . ." I fumbled pathetically for something to say. "May we stop by my house before we leave? I have a few things I'd like to take with us."

For the first time, I heard him laugh outright.

"For you, koishii, anything."

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A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! Please don't forget to tell me if you like stories written 1st or 3rd person POV :D Thanks!