Rain

It was raining. God, how he hated the rain. It made him feel uneasy. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed across the night sky, filling the small room with a bright, glowing light every few minutes. Sighing, he brushed the hair away from his eyes and fell back against his pillow. Curling the blanket up to him, he turned on his side and closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

He couldn't. After tossing and turning a few times, he gave up. This just didn't feel right. The bed felt so empty with just him in it. So empty and so...cold. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he gave another sigh. This time, it was a sigh of longing; the longing for the one person who had ever given him comfort, protection, trust...and love.

A sudden sharp pain brought him out of his thoughts. Wincing, he wrapped his arm around his stomach, clutching the jagged scar that ran across his belly. He glanced up and stared out the window. Rain poured down in buckets, the wind howled, and the scraping of branches against the glass of the window sounded like sharp nails against a chalkboard.

This was why he didn't like the rain. It brought back too many painful memories. Memories that constantly haunted him, turning his dreams into nightmares that made him always wake up in a cold sweat. Propping his head up with his hands, he let his gaze stray to the empty space next to him. Instantly, in his mind's eye, a figure materialized. Tan skin, long blood-red hair falling over broad shoulders delicately, ruby eyes smiling up at him gleefully, lanky arms reaching out to pull him close; to hold him, comfort him, and to take his worries away with a gentle kiss.

A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie. Reluctantly, he got up off the bed, stretched his limbs, and made his way down the hall to the door. He twisted the knob and the door swung open. He peeked his head out and the pounding of the rain echoed in his ears. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a figure moved out of the shadows and came into view. He drew in a breath and grasped onto the door so hard his knuckles turned white. He shook his head and took in the sight of the person again, to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Tan, golden skin, lanky slightly muscular build soaked from the storm, blood red hair plastered to his head and face, ruby eyes looking at him with a subtle tenderness, a slow grin ruefully making its way across his face as he stepped into the doorway.

The surprised man stood there in shock for a few moments longer before finally regaining his composure and running into the redhead's arms. He buried his face into the wet fabric of his clothes, his nose tingling at the musky, familiar scent that was filling his entire being. His arms wrapped around the redhead's body, savoring the feel of their bodies pressing together.

A low laugh escaped the redhead's lips as he accepted the contact. He embraced him back before pulling away and meeting the other man's gaze. Ruby met emerald as they shared a smile.

"Hey, there, Hakkai," Gojyo said softly. "Ya miss me?"

End