CHAPTER 7

Rin arrived at the scene of the fire in only a matter of minutes. Panting, she set her hands on top of her knees and took a small rest. She then looked behind her to find that Kagura had followed her the whole way without her noticing in her panic.

"Why'd you follow me?" she asked.

"There's nothing wrong with being curious too you know," Kagura replied.

There were firemen jumping out of their bright red truck and bustling around to bring the extant fire to a stop. A few other firemen rushed the long yellow hose to the closest fire hydrant, and connected it up as fast as they could with much vitality.

Rin and Kagura stood next to each other in shock. Sesshoumaru! The one name was all her mind could think of at the moment. She needed to do something because Rin knew that the firefighters probably wouldn't make in time to save Sesshoumaru. Wouldn't he be able to save himself? She asked herself. In desperation she started running towards the staircase entrance to the building, but was stopped by a fireman.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but I can't let you through." He out his hand up as if using it as a stop sign. "It'll be way to dangerous for someone like you. Stay back behind the line please."

What line! Rin always hated when people doubted her strengths and abilities. "I'm sorry." She looked down at her clenched up fist, studying it like a book, wondering exactly what it could conjure.

"It's okay. You didn't..."

She just couldn't help it. Rin put her skills for boxing into practice and punched the poor innocent firefighter hard in the face, knocking him out cold. But she needed to go help Sesshoumaru, and had no time to lose. Once again running to the glass door she swung it open and ran up the few flights of grueling stairs. Smoke was starting to condense together in the long hallways as she went closer, and closer to his dorm room.

Rin opened the door and looked inside as the orange flames engulfed most of the dorm room. "Sesshoumaru!" she would call out every few seconds, trying to find any trace of him. Walking into the kitchen, she saw that there wasn't as much fire eating its way through things as the other rooms. There was an opened note sitting on top of the kitchen counter. It was short but explained everything that she needed to know:

Rin,
Thanks, but something came up. Watch out.
Sesshoumaru

"He must've known! He must have known the fire was coming, and that I would be so stupid to try and come to save him. I guess that happens when you really care about someone," she said to herself in a raspy voice, but coughed because of the great amount of smoke filling into her lungs. She needed to leave before she ran out of oxygen and avoid the chance of her eye condition getting worse, because of how much the smoke burned them.

Rin took a few steps towards the door with caution, while making sure of not being hit by any falling objects. She heard a creaking sound come from above her head and looked up. A long wooden beam was getting ready to plummet right on top of her, so she decided to take a small step back. Embracing her head protectively with her arms, she watched through the small space of her arms with trepidation as the beam barely missed her, but grazed part of her arm leaving her with a painful cut.

Rin went back out exactly the way she came in. Once outside she panted heavily, and took in the new and much cleaner supply of oxygen. Her lungs felt as if they had never breathed real air before. She laid down on the grass with her eyes closed, trying to regain her lost breath. None of the firefighters noticed her as they were still trying hard to put the fire out. About three of them were holding the hose and targeting it towards Sesshoumaru's dorm room, extinguishing it. After a few minutes, Rin opened her eyes and was surprised to find that Inuyasha was hovering right over her body.

She was more than happy to see him and said, "Inuyasha!" Rin jumped up off the ground and gave him a friendly hug.

"Hey Rin," he said calmly while returning the warm hug. "What happened to you--- you look horrible!" They broke apart. "And your arm?"

"Inuyasha, your brother wasn't in there. And he left me a note." Rin ignored his question and uncrumpled the note that she had in her hand and placed it in Inuyasha's. He quickly scanned it, and gave a it a weird, enigmatic look.

"He probably ran off somewhere before the fire even started."

"Where?" Rin said a little to anxiously. "Do you have any idea of where Sesshoumaru would go?"

"Why are you so curious Rin?"

At this question Rin blushed furiously, but luckily it was dark outside and it was hard for Inuyasha to make out the blush on her face. He then gave her a sardonic look as if he could see her blush with his "catlike" eyes.

"He never liked hospitals. Especially when he was little. One time he cut himself and my mother wanted to take him to the doctor to give him stitches, but he ran off to the forest and wouldn't come back until he felt ready or healed."

"But if he got out before the fire then why would he need to run to the forest? He wouldn't have gotten hurt or anything."

"I have no idea, but just try looking there since you're so curious about him."

"Wow Inuyasha, you actually used your head, but thanks anyways I'll be back later.."

"Rin..." he said her name sarcastically. "Be careful he doesn't like to be bothered when...he's...hurt." Inuyasha slowed down his last words because Rin was already running off into the forest to find Sesshoumaru. He wondered how close those two actually were. . .

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Rin used a flashlight (she had grabbed it before she left) to see her way through the dark, ominous forest. Luckily it wasn't too far, but right outside of the college she attended. There were trees and plants everywhere, making perfect ways to slash your face or trip over a stray root.

She was beginning to become fatigued of the long walk and all she wanted was to stop. She couldn't though; Rin just had to keep going for Sesshoumaru's sake. He had saved her once before, and maybe she would be able to do the same for him.

Keep walking, Rin kept telling herself even though every minute. A few tears started rolling down her face. She was having a breakdown in the middle of a forest.

About ten minutes later her flashlight died of battery. "Damn it!" She yelled and threw it out of anger. She never heard it land, but from being so tired she shrugged the questioning matter off and kept walking. Rin took three more steps and fell flat on her face, which made her sob even more. Tripping on something was not what she needed right now.

"What are you doing here?" A deep voice said above her.

"Sesshoumaru?" Rin had never been so happy to trip in her whole life. More tears came down, but they were tears of joy. "I can't believe it I found you! How come you didn't say anything or tell me you were sitting right there?" Getting up off the ground she looked--or tried to at least--into Sesshoumaru's beautiful, golden, angelic eyes, then hugged him warmly without his permission.

Sesshoumaru went rigid at Rin's touch, but enjoyed it more than anything in the world. "I was hoping you wouldn't find me." He pushed her off of him. Stupid. Why did he always ruin the perfect moments?

"Oh, I can leave you then." She looked down sadly at the ground. "I only came to find you because I was worried."

She was actually worried about him? Sesshoumaru regretted the way he said the last words to Rin.

"I take it you got my note?" he asked her in a more gentle tone this time.

"Yeah, but how did you know? About the fire and me acting like an idiot to come and try to save you?"

Sitting cross-legged on the cold ground that were covered in leaves, Rin scooted closer to him like a child eagerly waiting to hear a happy fairytale. She then wiped some of the salty tears from her face.

"I didn't know exactly that there was going to be a fire. While reading on the couch I accidentally fell asleep and woke up to see that a fire was burning down my dormroom. When I stood up a piece of wood fell on top of me. Luckily I was able to pull it off of me. That's when I wrote the short letter and left it on the counter because I knew it would be the last place that would be scorched with fire." Sesshoumarua laid his head back against the tree trunk that he was leaning against and closed his eyes for a moment then reopened them. His eyes glowed in the dark night like a cat, but they were just so beautiful to Rin.

"How did you know I would come though?"

"I'm not really sure Rin. I just kind of knew."

She smiled. It was a smile of gratitude, showing that she appreciated him leaving her that note. Rin knew then that he was surely okay.

"Why don't you like hospitals?" she randomly asked.

"Same reason as you," he simply replied.

"Oh." Bringing her knees up to her chest she hugged them tightly and said," Are we going to stay here all night?"

"I am, but you don't have to." Sesshoumaru wanted her to stay with him, but, as always, had too much pride to just ask her.

"What happened to your arm?"

"It happened when I went to go find you. I need to wrap it up though." Rin ripped part of her t-shirt and took the strip of cloth and wrapped it tightly around her arm. She made sure that there was enough pressure on it to stop the bleeding. "Okay, Sesshoumaru," Rin said. "Where are your cuts?"

"I don't have any, just bruises. None like your arm though." Sesshoumaru showed her his arms, legs, and stomach to prove his point to be true.

"Okay." Yawning, Rin went to the opposite side of the tree trunk and sat against it, ignoring a few small branches poking into her back. It was almost as if she could feel Sesshoumaru's body connected through the tree to her own. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning Sesshoumaru did not have any desire to get up. His arms were holding onto the best pillow in the world. It fit in his strong protective arms perfectly. Leisurely he fluttered his eyes open to find Rin asleep in his arms. How did that happen? Shocked, Sesshoumaru let go of her body and let her head fall to the ground, waking her up.

"Ow," Rin said still only half awake. "What was that for?" Sitting up she rubbed the back of her head trying to make the pain go away. Then looking around and drinking in her surroundings, she remembered where she was and exactly what had happened the previous night.

"Sess-sesshoumaru?" she said exahuastion still present in her voice.

"What is it Rin?" Sesshoumaru looked down at her as he stood up, but began to feel weary and dizzy. He put placed a hand on his abdomen to keep his balance, but instead he found his hand wet and sticky with blood.

"Your bleeding..." she said realizing that he had noticed as well.

Sesshoumaru sat down against the tree slowly. Was he really going to die?

"Lemme help you please!" Rin started to freak out. Calm down Rin. A memory flashed into Rin's mind. The time she was stabbed by her own father. Sesshoumaru's wound looked exactly the same. All she had to do was try to keep calm as much as possible.

She turned around and reached into her book bag that she'd carried with her and pulled out much needed bandages. As she watched herself wrap the bandage around the side of his stomach, tears started to slide down her face subconsciously. Rin didn't mean to cry, but it just kind of happened. It was one of those things in life that just sort of happen without it meaning to. Once she was done, she looked at her work and most of the bleeding had stopped.

"Thanks Rin." Sesshoumaru said in a weak tone of appreciation.

She just smiled and nodded her head. Being careful she went up to side of him that wasn't cut and gingerly hugged him. When she tried releasing herself, she was stopped by Sesshoumaru's arm. He then pulled her in so she could rest her head against his chest.

" I feel like I've seen this before. It's like dèja vu." Rin said looking up into his beautiful golden eyes. After about a minute she released herself from his grasp not wanting to hurt him or cause more bleeding.

"I guess you could say that."

"Are you making fun of me?" Not caring whether he was cut or not she poked him accusingly in the side.

"No, you're just crazy is all I'm saying," he said, leaning in close to her face.

"Shut up," she said. "I-I can be serious too." Rin was getting kind of uncomfortable with his face so close to hers. (Remember she hasn't even had her first kiss yet!)

"Really?" He pulled his face back and turned around, only allowing Rin to look at his back. She was disheartened because as much as she was afraid, she really wanted it too.

"Rin."

"What?" she asked saddened about being so close but yet so far.

"You're the weirdest girl I have ever met, but that's why I..."

Rin was looking down at the ground not expecting what was coming next.

When Sesshoumaru turned around, he took Rin's chin in his fingers and brought her soft lips up to his. Shocked at this newfound feeling Rin's eyes were wide open, but eventually they slowly closed and she leaned into the kiss a little more.Everything felt right. Once they broke up for air they just stared into each other's eyes dumbfounded. Not sure what to think or to say. All Rin knew that it was the right and first kiss she had ever had.

OK there's another chapter and I made it longer just because I couldn't stop writing and someone requested it! It was fun though. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing my stories it really makes me happy. And I'm pretty happy bout this chapter and I worked pretty hard on it so I hope you enjoyed it a lot! Also thanks to Shiay she's the best and keep on reviewing guys until next time ttyl!