A/N: Alright, last chappie informational. This chappie...I dont know! That's for you to decide! Seriously, I like the 'encounter' part! Well, ENJOY!

War Between Spirits 4

She hated her life.

She really, really, hated her life.

And when she said hate it was an understatement.

It was raining cats and dogs, and she had the nerve to be walking alone in a park, in the dark. She didn't know what time it was and she didn't care. All she knew was that she had said she was going to leave that hell hole and she did.

Didn't matter if there wasn't any place to go to, didn't matter if she had stolen a lot of her foster family's money, didn't matter that she would prabably catch the pneumonia, all that mattered was that she was finally out of there.

Eighteen or not.

She just couldn't bare to be in there any longer. They treated her like crap. Insulted her endlessly. Made her do their every last wimb. But she wasn't a slave. She could have called social services, but they wouldn't help at all.

They never did help.

Rin sniffed and tried to stop her next onslaught of tears. They were intermixing with the rain drops since she didn't have an umbrella, so it wasn't much help. In the end, she let herself cry freely, letting out a soft sob here and there when she felt a little overwhelmed. Humph, her life was overwhelming.

She was pathetic. Crying over them. Why even bother? She should be happy that she would be free from their death grip on her. But no. She let their words get to her and make her cry. And she wasn't the type of person to stay angry after an arguement. Rin usually just broke down and cried or just plain ignored it. She was truly pathetic.

...Flashback...

"Where have you been?" A mid aged man with graying hair but sharp, twinkling black eyes asked his foster daughter hostily. He had his arms folded in an angry posture, looking very much like the angry father he was.

"Out." The foster daughter, Rin, replied without a care in the world.

"Out where? And you better tell us you little bitch."

"With someone."

"A boy, Hideki. I saw him outside when he dropped her off. She's dating someone." An equally middle aged woman replied, shaking her head at her foster daughter. She had graying hair as well as her husband but had dark brown eyes.

"I'm not dating someone, we just went to the movies because of a dare. Nothing to freak out over." Rin replied boredly, starting to walk up the steps towards her room. Her foster parents angrily followed her.

"What did I tell you about dating bitch! Bet you probably slept with him or something." Hideki said smirking when he caused a reaction out of Rin. The said girl stiffened and turned to face her foster parents with pure fury in her eyes.

"I'm telling you, I knew she was a whore since the day I saw her at the orphanage." The foster mother, Matsuko, stated.

"I didn't sleep with him!"

"Stop lying bitch!"

Slap.

Rin looked up at her foster mother while cradling her swollen cheek with one hand. Her eyes glistened with unhearshed tears while she glared angrily at her foster parents.

She hated them...

"We're going to have a small talk young lady. Go to your room..." Rin knew what her foster father meant when he said go to your room. Heck, she didn't even want to think about it...

She didn't want to think about it anymore. It was disgusting and made her want to retch. So she kept walking in utter silence, letting the rain fall be the only thing to comfort her.

Right now Rin felt like crap. Her head hurt like hell, and she could feel a fever coming on. Of course, someone walking in this rain would get sick right away. But she didn't care because she had to keep walking. The farther away she was from that house the better it was. She was probably a mile away from the house, but Rin couldn't tell because she didn't know where she was or how long she was running. She just went with the flow.

After a while, Rin felt that she needed a rest from all her running and walking. She was just about ready to pass out and if it weren't for a familiar silver haired person sitting on a bench near by, she would have.

-XxX-

Sesshoumaru didn't know why he was compelled to be walking in the rain at this hour. And he didn't even bring an umbrella. But he didn't care. The rain was soothing and helped ease his thoughts about many things, yet one thing in particular.

One person.

That girl...Rin he remembered...why was he thinking about her? Through out the whole day he couldn't stop thinking about the girl for some reason. She was always in his thoughts and what the fool of Bankotsu had done infuriated him beyond what he would lead on. Why did it affect him so? Why would he care about that girl so much?

Sesshoumaru sat down on a bench in a park that his feet had led him to. He didn't care that it was soaking wet because he was wet as well. His clothing stuck to him like a second skin. But once again, the rain eased all his confusion and wondering.

Sesshoumaru sighed softly and looked towards his right where he sensed a person coming. The rain didn't allow him to sniff the person out, and he was slightly peeved that his peace was interrupted, but when he looked up, the person that was in his thoughts was there.

The dog demon looked the girl over and noticed that she did not seem ok. She looked horrible and cold and sick and...the list could go on forever. He suddenly had the overwhelming feeling to help her...what was it? Oh yes...compassion...why would he, the ice prince, have compassion for her? It was beyond his comprehension, he was no human to feel this...compassion for her.

Rin looked up from her mindless walk and stared right at Sesshoumaru who was sitting on a bench a little ways from her. He was staring right back at her, and she couldn't deny feeling happy that he cared enough to look at her. It was progress...

The girl sniffed, afraid that Sesshoumaru would sense her tears, and continued walking. His eyes never left her and she had to struggle to not falter in her steps. Everything was getting hazy and she felt incredibly hot even though it was raining ice cubes. Rin didn't know how much farther she would be able to go.

If she didn't find a way...

"Where do you intend to go?" His smooth voice startled her and made her stop. Where did she intend to go? There was no where else to go. She had no relatives and she definately had no friends. Where was she going?

Rin tried to not start crying again and shakily replied. "I...I...d-dont...kn-know.."

It was so cold, yet she was burning. It was like she was cold in the outside, but hot in the inside. There was no way she could've explained it because it would have been stupid. The rain wasn't helping her in any way, she was completely wet, and all her problems were the cause of all this. She didn't know what to do anymore.

Sesshoumaru continued staring at the girl and decided that she was not ok after all. He could tell that the girl was sick just by looking at her, of course she would get sick in this rain. He wouldn't because he was a full demon but she was just a human.

Worthless beings.

"You are a fool. Going out in this rain and getting sick. Now you have me involved." After he said the last part to himself, Sesshoumaru stood and went to stand infront of Rin, blocking her way from leaving his sight.

He could have let her go, and not care at all what happened to her. But that would be a coward's way of handling this sitsuation. A real man would help her out, even if he couldn't care less. Yet, something within him urged him to help her, and wouldn't leave him alone until de did...

"Y-you...y-you w-wouldn't under-understand..." Rin replied, trying to make a way around him but he would have none of it.

"J-just l-let m-me g-go..."

"See. You are not well. You're stuttering."

"M-maybe...b-because i-its c-cold..." Sesshoumaru didn't have a jacket to lend her so that was out of the question.

"No matter. Where is your home?" The dog demon said, looking away from the girl's hopeful eyes. But when he glanced at her out of the corner's of his eyes he saw that the hope turned into suspiscion.

"W-why d-do y-you c-care! Y-you d-dont e-even kn-know m-me!" Sesshoumaru sighed and wondered if this is what he had to go through just because he was trying to do a good deed. Which rarely ever happened. Nope, maybe never.

"F-forget i-it...I...I d-dont have...a-anywhere...to...g-go..." Rin tried to say but it came out sort of groggy. And that was because at that moment, she fell limp into Sesshoumaru's much less surprised arms. The dog demon adjusted her so that he was carrying her bridal style. He still wondered about what she had said but shrugged it off. He'd find out later.

But suddenly, he felt a jolt run along his spine. It made him stop for a moment, and something deep within him stirred. He remembered what Izayoi had said and shrugged it off.

So Past Sesshoumaru had been awakened...

"I was waiting for that to happen."

-XxX-

"Now Rin...what you did today was unacceptable. Very unacceptable. You're not supposed to talk back to us when we reprimind you, understand."

"Great, now get out of my bedroom."

"Young lady, what the hell did I just say?"

"That you were going to go fuck yourself in a barn. Beautiful speech, I even cried. Now get out."

"Rin..."

"Get OUT!"

SLAP!

"You little stinking bitch!"

"Jeez, twice in a day!"

"You deserve all of it, and you deserve this..."

"What...what are you doing! Get off of me!"

"This is what you get..."

"GET OFF! HELP!"

"No one's here...scream as loud as you want...I love it when you scream..."

"GET OFF! I swear...I'll kill you..."

"You cant hurt me..."

"...you sound so sure about that..."

CRASH!

Rin woke up with a huge gasp, panting hard because of her dream...no memory. It was a damn memory, oh how she wished it was just a dream.

The girl shook her head and looked around the room that she was in. Wait, room? Didn't she run away yesterday? She knew that it wasn't her room because it was way bigger and nicer, but then where was she?

Rin tried to think back to what had happened but all she remembered was rain...silver... more rain...hold on, silver? Ah yes, she encountered her silver haired hero! Now she remembered, she probably passed out on him. Then...he must of taken her to his home...right? Great she didn't even know his name.

Suddenly, the door opened and a very beautiful woman stepped into the room carrying a small basin filled with water. The woman looked to be no older than in her mid thirties, no even younger than that. But Rin knew that she had to have been in her mid thirties.

The woman looked oblivious to Rin's awakening and just put the basin on a small table near the bed Rin was in. Hey, it was a queen sized bed too. But it seemed that the woman wasn't as oblivious as she seemed because she then turned to Rin with a bright smile on her face. Her dark violet purple eyes glistened when she smiled, and Rin found her an even more beautiful woman. Was she an ex super model or something?

"Why, hello dear! Nice to see that you've finally awakened! I was wondering if you were going to be awake to be able to go to school, and it seems like you are!"

Rin stared at her in a daze, not fully putting her attention to the woman talking. But she heard what she was saying and Rin turned to see if there was a clock in the room. There was one, on the table where the basin was, and it read 7:00 AM. School started at 8:15 today.

"Oh, where are my manners! My name's Izayoi Takahashi, but please just call me Izayoi. Sesshoumaru brought you here last night and you had a really high fever. But dont worry, it seems to be gone now."

Sesshoumaru, so that's his name...Sesshoumaru...

"Uhh...well, thank you very much M-Izayoi for taking care of me. But I-"

"Sorry, dear, but it wasn't me who took care of you last night. It was Sesshoumaru himself. I was surprised, he must really care about you."

But she practically knew him! Why would he care? Is it because he pitied her? She didn't need pity, much less from him.

"Oh...thanks anyway though, my name's Rin, Rin Osaka." She seemed like a very trust worthy person. Very nice too. If only she could stay here...

"You know, Rin, I asked Sesshoumaru why he didn't take you home and he said it was because you said you didn't have anywhere to go. Did you run away from home? You dont have to tell me if you dont want to, dear." Rin contemplated on whether or not to tell her. Well, if she wanted to stay, she was going to have to say something...

So Rin told Izayoi everything. From her parent's death in an accident, her being taking to an orphanage and getting adopted, to what happened yesterday. She couldn't stop herself as she bore her soul to the woman she had only met a few minutes ago. It was like she had known her for centuries. Izayoi had a calming aurora around her and it made Rin feel so much better, like everything was going to be ok. And it probably was.

"...and I just couldn't take it anymore...so I ran away..."

"Sad story my dear. You're more like me than I would have thought..." Rin looked up at this and saw that Izayoi seemed lost in thought.

In painful thought.

"When I was about your age, my mother died and my father hated me because I was in love with a demon. Actually, I was going to have his child. He did everything in his power to make sure my baby was never born. He hit me, tried to make me have a miscarriage, heck he even threw me down the stairs. But I protected my baby with my miko abilities. Nothing could have harm it." Izayoi paused and took her time to sigh dejectedly. Rin continued to listen, curious as to what happened next.

"But that was until my father started bringing men into our house. These men were vulgar men, the type that are usually drunk on the streets. He even went as far to hire them to rape me. They almost did if it weren't for my boyfriend at the time. We decided to elope together and we did just that. And here I am! After that, I never heard from my father again. All I know is that he is dead now. May his soul rest in peace...so...where was I? Oh yes!"

Rin sweat dropped as Izayoi changed the topic so quickly and put a smile on her face again. Yet, Izayoi was like her in many ways. Boy oh boy was this woman her idol from now on! But Rin still wondered what happened to the Mr. Takahashi. Was there even a Mr. Takahashi?

"Ahem, Rin, if you want to, and only if you want to, you are welcome to stay in my house for as long as you want. This includes complete access to whatever you want that belongs to me. You dont have to ask permission for anything you want, just tell me and I'll get it for you. And, I'll help you with your problem in anyway that I can. Is that ok with you?"

Rin was in the border of either crying because of joy or shrieking in happiness. Which one was better? She'd take the shrieking in happiness and hugging instead.

"Thank you, Izayoi! Thank you, thank you, thank you times a million! You dont know how much I appreciate it! But...are you really sure you want me to stay?"

"Of course child! I've been stuck with boys, whom I still love very much, for the longest time! I need another girl to shop for and go to the salon with and do other girl stuff with! I'm telling you, my two boys are the most stubborn bunch that I have ever seen!"

Izayoi made hand movements to show how exsasperated she was with her two sons. Rin could only laugh because of how funny it was.

"And dont worry about them. Sesshoumaru could care less about a girl in the house and I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't mind. As long as you dont touch his guitars. Now, if you do, that's another story..."

The two laughed again and Izayoi led Rin to the closet where her clothes were. She promised the younger girl to buy her new ones since her own probably didn't fit, but Izayoi took the liberty of washing and drying Rin's clothes for her.

"Now, if you need anything, I'll be down the hall. I have to go wake up my youngest son, Inuyasha, from his deep, deep slumber. The other boys, and when I mean other I mean Sesshoumaru, Shippo, and Miroku who are the best friends of Inuyasha, they slept over last night, are already down stairs waiting for breakfast. Once you're done, go down and wait with them, the kitchen is to your rght, cant miss it. Oh, and beware of Miroku, he is a good hearted person, but a perverted one at that. Ta ta!" Izayoi bubbled and dashed out of the room in a hurry to wake up her son.

Rin shook her head at the woman, wondering how she could have so much energy. She shouldn't be one to talk, she was exactly the same. On her good days though.

Rin sighed as she headed towards the bathroom inside the room, which she thought was so cool, did her morning routines, dressed, and then headed down to the kitchen where she could hear two boys laughing and who she thought was Sesshoumaru growling. Oh boy, what has she gotten herself into?!

A/N: Well, bye and REVIEW!