Ahhh! I KNEW there was something I had to do today! It's Friday! So sorry if you have been waiting for this; I'm on Pack Camp with my brownie unit and we were having a party and someone (me) had to go to the supermarket and we were making tiaras and... anyway, this honestly slipped my mind until I sat down at my computer and then it hit me. But, better late than never hey? I'm just glad this camp has Wifi! Anyway, enjoy!

Oh and to those people who paniced over my 'quit with this story' comment, April Fools! I'll never quit on Scarlet, even if you don't review but thanks for the support. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Rin hummed as she moved small knickknack and items from the shelves, dusting the wooden shelves. Since Sesshomaru had volunteered to go out on patrol alone that afternoon, Rin had decided to make herself useful and tidy up.

She had already done all dirty dishes, put two loads of laundry out and was now putting a duster around. The prince's home had so many treasures around it, dusting gave her a chance to inspect them all. She reached up to a high shelf and swept the duster over the surface before something caught under her fingertips and moved to hang on the edge before falling.

She blinked and it caught it easily, looking at the picture, a black and white image of a man with pale hair in a formal uniform of some kind. Rin looked at it for a moment. "Sesshomaru?"

"I know I said my home was yours. But I thought my private property was still that. Private."

She turned to look at the voice and smiled. "You look so handsome in this picture, why do you hide it away." She looked back at the image. "With an ego like yours, I would have thought you'd have your pictures all over the place."

The man walked over and snatched the photo from her grasp, keeping it away from her. "That is not me."

"What?"

"It is an image of my father." He turned and glared at her. "And I do not appreciate it being messed with."

Rin blinked as she looked at him. "Sesshomaru."

"What?"

"You never talk about your family. Apart from that time with the landmine." She held his shoulder. "What happened between you?"

He stared at her then let out a deep breath. "It's a long story."

"Tell me. Thought we were friends?" She smiled at him. "I told you about my family… about the whole… Red Hood thing."

The prince took a moment then reached back up and took down the picture. "I guess… it's only fair." He sat down on a chair, composing himself. "Aerofall is an old kingdom and my father was a great leader, wanting only to protect his people. So when he was very young, he agreed to an arranged marriage to a rich and powerful lady from another country. My mother. But when I was 4 years old, she got sick and died." He rolled a shoulder. "I never really liked her so I wasn't very upset about it. She never had time for me, too busy… doing anything else. I was basically raised by a nanny."

Rin blinked as he looked at him. "So… what happened?"

"For a few years it was just me and my father but when I was 10…" His hand closed into a fist. "He brought home this bitch. A nobody of a servant he said he had fallen in love with. I couldn't believe it. They were married in just a few weeks and… then they had the brat."

"Brat?"

"InuYasha, my half-brother. The pathetic little… shit. I wouldn't have minded except… I overheard my father saying he was intending to make him the heir to the throne, not me. And he was going to send me away to my mother's home land where I would be nobody. I had been raised to be a prince, a leader and now I was to be nothing." He looked away from her. "So… I decided to leave Aerofall. I ran away. I denounced my family and haven't been back since."

"Your family must miss you."

"I doubt it. My father is dead now… as is my… as is the bitch."

"What about InuYasha?"

"I don't know and I don't care." He huffed, turning away from her. "I left and I've never looked back."

Rin watched his face as it looked conflicted and saddened for a moment before she slowly leant into his arm. "Guess we're both orphans then."

"Yeah."

She continued to lean on him then nodded. "You and I have a lot in common when you think about it. We both fight creatures, we both want to protect those we care about and we have both lost those who love us."

He looked down at her. "Didn't you say you had an older sister once?"

"Had. She died when I was 13. I was at Pot of Gold, training but she hadn't been accepted. She had been adopted by this kind old couple but… the Wolf tracked her down and killed them all. Just to make me angry."

"Why would he do that?"

"I told you; I'm the only one who can kill him. He wants to make me suffer."

Sesshomaru looked at her then reached out and stroked her hair back. "Rin, don't worry, we will find a way to stop him."

"I know. And… in a way, I'm glad I have you at my side. Even if you are a dickhead sometimes."

He smiled. "And I you. Even if you are a loud mouthed show off."

Looking up, she smiled softly then stood. "How was patrol?"

"Nothing major, just a few scavengers over by the docks. Looked like they were trying to settle down. I scared them off but…"

"I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Alright." He looked over at her then down at the picture in his hands. After a short moment of consideration, he placed the image down on the table, in view, where it stayed.

The next time Rin went on patrol, she ensured to pass by the docks since over the years, hunters like Rin had discovered that a creature needed at least three days of being undisturbed to make itself a home, and once they did, they were far stronger than a roaming scavenger. As long as Rin or Sesshomaru made a patrol every few days or nights, they would disturbing any creatures before they made a home and protect the city.

But, over the last few weeks, talk of a lake that had once had a load of fish suddenly becoming empty had spread to the city. Rin had checked out the area around lake but she didn't see anything that made her worry. A few days passed and a man on the lake fishing was dragged underwater, by something unseen. The man didn't return to the surface.

Now the two of them were there, looking around the lake for whatever had caused the disappearance. Rin was investigating the area around the lake while Sesshomaru knelt at the water edge, picked up a stone and threw it onto the surface.

The stone skimmed a few times off the surface then landed with a splash towards the middle of the water. It didn't take long before Rin came over to his side, frowning. "Looks like a barrier."

"Our target is the underwater."

"Great." Rin moaned softly. "How are we going to kill it?"

"Can you swim?"

She glared at him then turned, heading back towards her car.

The prince watched her for a moment then shrugged, taking off his shirt and boots, placing them neatly on a rock to keep them dry. He also removed the sheath from his sword and placed it on the side, ready to wade into the water.

"Oi, wait for me."

He blinked and turned, looking over at Rin as she came over to him. His eyes widened as he looked at her, wearing a tight sleeveless fitting black swimsuit and nothing over her legs but she had wrapped some bandages around her feet and wrists while attached to her leg was a long dagger attached to it.

"Rin?"

"What? You might be ok swimming in your clothes but I don't want to ruin mine." She huffed then tossed something towards him. "Unless you know how to breathe underwater, you'll need it."

He looked at what she had thrown at him; a full faced mask with glass over the eyes and some kind of filter over the mouth. "Thanks."

She walked slowly towards the lake, stepping into the cold water and putting her own mask over her face before diving under the water, forcing her way through the barrier. Sesshomaru waited until she returned to the surface, before he put his own mask on and, holding his blade, swam out to join her.

For a moment they just looked at each other before Rin drove down under the surface, the barrier pushing against them, keeping them out of the depths but soon enough they managed to get past it, freed to move as they pleased.

Rin glanced over at the prince then nodded, dropping something from her hand towards the ground of the lake. It soon bounced off a rock and began to glow a bright sun like orange, illuminating the whole of the water. The creature wasn't hard to miss; a snake like beast coiled up on the bottom of the lake, eyes closed but as the orb sank lower, they opened and looked up at the pair before coming at them, jaws wide to attack.

Sesshomaru was a little higher than Rin and swam out of its way but the female wasn't so lucky so grabbed the beast's fangs as they went to bite her, holding them up. Dam it. I wasn't expecting it to be so big! She groaned, catching movement as Sesshomaru tried to get behind it. The water was slowing both of them down, they didn't have the speed and flexibility that they had on land.

And as the beast thrashed, trying to dislodge the woman it its jaw, its long body came up and wrapped around Sesshomaru, squeezing him.

The white haired prince struggled in the serpent's grip, trying to get free but luckily he managed to twist his hand just enough that the sword stabbed into the beast's side. It flailed around and released him, slamming its own head into a rock to remove the human.

Rin grunted as she let go of the beast and pushed against the rocks, swimming behind it and pulling the dagger from her side, stabbing it into the neck, using that grip to hold on. The beast staggered at the attack, once more trying to get her off but Rin held tight while Sesshomaru went to a rock and pushed himself off it, his sword stabbing deep into the beast's heart.

But that didn't appear to be enough, the serpent brought its tail up and batted him away while Rin pulled away from it and took her dagger, driving it into its eye. Now half blind, it thrashed against the bottom of the lake, smashing Rin into it, her arm battered against a rock but she didn't let go, using the moment to push the blade even further into its head.

The beast struggled a bit longer before falling still, going to base of the lake where it began to turn to bones. The hunter swam away a little, leaving the beast's body and looking at Sesshomaru. He was treading water just above her, watching the beast before he nodded and turned, heading towards the surface.

Rin was moving to follow him before noticing something in the corner of her eye. A crack in the glass of her mask. Her eyes went wide as it spread and she gasped just before the glass shattered and water swept in. She didn't have time for one last breath as the water filled her mouth and lungs.

With only one good arm, she kicked hard in the water, pulling what was left of her mask away and letting it fall as she panicked, trying to get up to the surface. She got close but her arm was in agony, her lungs calling out for air… she could just about see Sesshomaru at the surface.

She didn't know if she could recover from 'drowning' and was beginning to really panic, striking out in the water. Her vision blurred… going dark around the edges before consuming her completely. Something hooked under her arm, pulling her towards the surface.

Sesshomaru gasped as he broke the water surface and dragged her to the edge, coughing as he helped her. "Rin? Rin, come on! Stay with me!" He lay her on her back, looking at her. "Rin!"

She wasn't breathing. The prince looked her up and down before leaning over and pressing his hands on her chest in a strict pattern before tipping her head back and pressing his lips to hers, forcing air into her lungs. "Come on." He mumbled as he repeated the actions again.

Pressing his lips to hers, breathing for her… he felt something change and sat back slightly as something slapped him.

He looked down at the woman as she glared up at him, blushing. "What was that for?"

She coughed, sitting up slowly. "What do you think you were doing? Kissing me like that?"

"I was trying to save your life."

Rin said nothing then huffed, turning away. "It's nothing." She snapped then spat up water.

"I was worried about you."

The woman turned to look at him. "What?"

"I was worried." He looked at her, a cold emotionless nature in his eyes. "When you didn't come to the surface… I worried."

The woman stared at him before hugging her legs closer. "Well… that's what happens when someone nearly drowns… you worry."

Sesshomaru smiled a little. "Yes, I suppose so." He looked over her. "But don't worry, it was only to save you. You're a rubbish kisser."

He was soon reeling from a punch to the jaw while Rin got herself up off the floor and headed back for the car. The prince smiled at her then got up and followed her.

A/N: You don't have to review but please do.