Brilliantly. Brilliantly. The sky rolled over them with intensity, thunder shaking the Earth. Rin let out a sigh, "Why'd I have to get paired with you again?"

Shima's eyebrow twitched in response. "Oi, I could be asking the same."

What started out as a sunny and quiet morning had quickly turned dreary as dark clouds came rushing in through the blue sky. The humidity in the air was stifling as small droplets of rain landed around them. The fur on Rin's tail stood on end, weary of the impending storm. He jumped every time thunder crashed around them.

Just hours earlier the pair met in the lobby with the rest of their friends as Yukio filled them in on their mission. They weren't given many details but they were informed the town they were in had been plagued by a mysterious illness, likely stemming from a demonic source. Shura had once again suggested everyone split off into pairs to search the surrounding forest and meet back at the hotel by the end of the day. Thus leading Rin and Shima to where they currently stood, surrounded by a dense forest, finding their way back to the hotel to avoid the storm.

"You sure we're headed the right way?" Rin whined, clearly uncomfortable. He kind of reminded Shima of a frightened cat, the way he lowered his head, his tail swishing quickly back and forth in irritation. It was kind of cute, but he'd never admit that.

"Of course… I'm mostly sure." Shima shrugged.

"Mostly?!" Rin snapped.

"Hey hey, look." Shima pointed ahead of them, through the dense trees he could see a structure. It definitely wasn't the hotel, it appeared overgrown with vines and plants. The rain began to pour down around them, the forest becoming even darker. "It looks like an old temple, maybe we can hide here until the rain stops."

They ran to the old building, thankfully it was still in tact enough that they were able to open the doors and go inside. It was dark, almost pitch black, lightning flashed outside, illuminating the small temple in a blue hue through the small windows. Dust covered everything, indicating the temple had not been used in a long time, but at least it seemed safe.

Rin almost immediately took a seat in the middle on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. There was just enough light for Shima to watch him, he could see he was uncomfortable, which was kind of funny seeing this powerful half demon afraid of a storm. Though Shima couldn't laugh too much as he shuddered at the thought of bugs being inside the temple.

Rin felt a little off all day, he couldn't quite explain or understand it, it was as if he felt sick but he knew he wasn't. Something burned in the pit of his stomach. Though he tried his best to ignore it and push the feeling away. The storm was only making it harder to focus, his stomach was hot. He felt Shima sit down beside him as the sky fell into the ground, crashing into the abandoned temple. He glanced over at him, his chest clenched. Deep down he knew this feeling, it was similar to when he went into heat, but he thought that was over. And somehow this was different, this wasn't a primordial desire, it was a feeling in his heart so strong it shook him.

"Rin…" Hearing his name caused him to jump, stirring him from his thoughts. Shima's voice was hushed and serious, it was unlike him. Rin couldn't quite read the mood at that moment but as lightning lit up the room once more he could see a faint pink tinting Shima's face.

"Shima? Are you alright?" He leaned over, placing the back of his hand to Shima's forehead to check if he had a fever. Though he couldn't tell since they were both still damp from the rain, Shima reached up and grabbed Rin's hand, moving it away. As Rin went to pull back Shima tightened his grip on his hand.

"Something feels strange…" Shima half whispered. Rin wondered if the pink haired exwire was feeling the same burning in his stomach. He jumped as Shima reached up with his free hand to brush it gently against Rin's cheek, wiping away some of the rain water that was there. There was no denying it, Rin knew what he was feeling was from being in heat, though he didn't know why he felt it again, nor did he understand why it was so different from the first time he'd felt it.

Just when he felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest Shima leaned forward, his nose brushed against Rin's cheek. He inhaled softly, Rin was frozen in place, his blue eyes wide. He wanted to move but his body wouldn't respond and his hand was pinned firmly to the floor. He could feel the warm breath against his cheek, a burning desire welled up in his throat.

Shima moved so that their lips brushed together and in that moment Rin knew what he wanted. He leaned forward and pressed their lips tentatively together, and he felt it, it was like fireworks were exploding within him. He leaned into the kiss, the sound of the storm fading from his mind. Shima parted his lips, sliding his tongue across Rin's lip. Rin let out a small sound in response, copying his actions he licked Shima's bottom lip. They kissed for what felt like forever, every so often their tongues would meet. It was gentle yet filled with passion.

Rin's body felt like it was on fire, he shivered. "Ah, ah!" He let out a small unintentional shout as Shima grabbed his tail. With his other hand the pink haired exwire pressed his fingers against Rin's chest, slowly lowering them before sliding them up his shirt. Rin gasped, leaning his head against Shima's shoulder to hide his face.

"Rin." Hearing his name made him shudder. "Can I touch you?"

He was too embarrassed to speak but his body responded, leaning in to the touch. He nodded his head against his shoulder. He let out a moan as Shima slid his hand into his pants, rubbing against him through his boxers. More. He wanted more. An indulgent impulse fell to his hips. As if picking up on his reaction Shima removed his hand, pulling Rin's hips so they were practically sitting in one another's lap, their legs straddling each other. He unbuttoned Rin's pants, pulling his boxers down just enough to free erection and touch his bare skin.

Rin gasped and panted against the touch, all of his senses were being overwhelmed. He glanced up for a brief moment and was enchanted by the expression on Shima's face. He wondered if he was feeling it as much as he was, he could see the passion there, the want as Shima touched him slowly and gently. He inadvertently rubbed the palm of his hand against Shima's pants, he could hear him gasp. At that Shima once again caught his lips, this time the kiss was rough, almost desperate. Rin clumsily undid the pink haired exwires pants, he was already fully erect as the half demon touched him.

Shima's tongue danced against his own, brushing against his sharp fangs. The next time Shima moved his fingers, the pleasure welling up was different. It ripped through Rin's chest. "…Tch, ah…" Rin panted against Shima's lips, pulling away as he became fully swollen in his hand. Shima moved his hand faster as they felt one another reaching their limits in each other's palm. Something surged in Rin's stomach. His breathing wild as he desperately pushed his forehead to Shima's shoulder. His hips tensed as a gaining sensation of chaos approached his chest. The tips of his toes curled, his tail swayed from side to side.

"Ah… I-I can't… soon…" He stumbled over his words, panting heavily, his throat shook as he dug his nails into Shima's shoulder with his free hand. Shima was also reaching his limit as he stroked Rin harder. Rin felt something inside him about to burst open. As if unconsciously trying to escape, he pushed Shima back. His hips bucked on their own. With a shout his body shook, his vision became soaked in white. He trembled as he came in Shima's hand. He felt Shima's body shake shortly after, he gasped and at the same time warm liquid was released against Rin's hand.

They both leaned against each other. To Rin's side he could hear wild breathing. His heart was still pounding, his fingertips felt numb. As he glanced around he realized he could no longer hear any rain. The room had become lighter. His thoughts cooled down and he noticed the strange feeling that haunted him all morning was now gone. So it was definitely due to heat? Rin pushed himself away, he saw Shima's normal expression had returned, but in a way still had a trace of passion.

"Are you alright?" Shima asked, diverting his eyes and standing up.

"…Yea." His voice was rough. Embarrassment still rushed over Rin.

"You should clean that off, sorry I made you dirty." Shima mumbled.

"It's… the same for both of us, isn't it?"

A faint awkward afterglow drifted through the air. Rin couldn't quite understand the inexcusable, embarrassed sensation that he felt. He saw Shima tugging on the hem of his own shirt, before he could ask what he was doing Shima used it to wipe off Rin's hands. Rin felt immediately guilty as he realized what he was doing. Somehow, he felt awkward as he continued to avert his eyes, he wondered why it was he felt so tense. Why did he have a feeling that he shared a secret?

The day was winding down as they stood there, Rin slowly adjusted his disheveled clothes. Still bewildered he looked up. "Here…" Rin held out his hand. Shima hesitated before slowly taking his hand. "Let's head back."

Rin walked while holding Shima's hand. They returned through the forest, the ground still soaked from the storm. As they walked Rin thought about many things, his conversations with Yukio and Mephisto about mating season. He felt a weight on his chest. Was Shima okay? Naturally this was probably quite a shock for him. As he thought about everything, the hand he was holding squeezed tighter, as if Shima read his mind and was saying he was okay.

Rin let out a small sigh of relief, returning the firm squeeze. Even without words-they spoke clearly. It meant Rin wasn't alone. That began to sink in. They found the hotel and much to their relief it seemed everyone made it back safely and they were all conversing in the lobby. Shima immediately went back to the room to change out of his wet, dirty clothes. Before Rin could follow, Yukio stopped him to ask if he was alright.

Rin figured this was his chance to inquire more about his mating season. "Could I talk to you in private?" Yukio nodded, "Let's get you out of those clothes before you get sick, I have an extra pair of clothes you can sleep in."

Much to Rin's dismay Yukio's answers were short and quick. "Just watch out, aside from your own impulses which you may not be able to control there is also a matter of compatibility."

"Compatibility?" Rin questioned further.

"If the compatibility is perfect, two demons can become strongly attracted to each other and force the other into heat. It's also said if the compatibility is strong that this can even affect humans and make them feel the sensation of a demon's heat." Yukio explained.

If that was so, then he and Shima… Rin stopped. He became oddly embarrassed as he left Yukio's room after changing. As Rin left Yukio buried his face in his hands.

Shima had been having a difficult time, you see, there was this boy that just appeared out of nowhere. To his surprise, he was the same kind of person as him, he had the same kind of eyes on the day they met, and at first sight Shima realized he wasn't a solitary existence in the world, he was happy. Until he met him, he was all alone in the world, with no one to share the scenery before his eyes in a world made of countless boxes. He had no one to share the music in his ears, and he wouldn't mind if that world was destroyed. What saddened him was, the moment he saw him, he knew they were never meant to be.

Yet aside from feeling this, something in him stirred, something was slowly changing. For the first time in his life he had hoped to be found, for someone to really know him.