Finding the Light

okay this will be my last updte until after christmas and maybe new years. im still writing chapter 9 and i dont know if I will write more than 10 chapters.I'll just leave you guys in suspence for 2-3 weeks.later!

Chapter 8: The Bond Grows Stronger

Shin had carried the wounded human Inuyasha to a nearby cave. She had left a trail of blood behind them from their open wounds and small pools here and there where Shin had fallen, but gotten right back up. After she made a small fire in the cave she took off the top of Inuyasha's kimono and placed herbs over his wounds that Kagome had given her. As she spread the herbs over his wounds he twitched and flinched from the pain.

"I'm sorry about this, but it'll help you a lot since your human now…. There… that should do…." She helped him sit up when he regained consciousness and put his kimono back on.

"I'm sorry Shin. Are you alright…?" Inuyasha asked staring at her concerned and sympathetically.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was hurt too, but I already took care of my wounds. I hope the other's can find us here…" she said looking out the cave's entrance at the night sky. Quickly Inuyasha pulled her into a hug with his one arm that wasn't in serious pain.

"Don't worry….. they'll find us… you're alright and that's all that matters…." He said holding her close. Shin's eyes swelled as she wrapped her arms around him gently. She buried her head in his chest and began to cry. Inuyasha gently rubbed her back comfortingly and moved his bad arm up and placed his hand on the back of her head. They sat there frozen in time like that until Shin fell asleep from crying so much. Inuyasha took off his fire rat kimono and placed it over her. He put another branch on the fire then placed his hand on her cheek gently. He brushed her bangs away from her face and smiled down at her.

"Why…. Why do I feel this way around her? Why is it so much more different than Kagome or Kikyo? Am…. Am I falling in love with her" Inuyasha thought staring at her with images of Kikyo and Kagome running through his mind. He laid down where he was a few feet away from Shin and just stared at the ceiling above. As he slept through the night memories of his childhood came flooding back to him.

A young little Inuyasha was playing in the stream behind the castle in the forest he lived in. He watched a fish careful and went to catch it with his hands. But he slipped and fell into the shallow water. He sat there crying until a girl his age came up to him. She helped him to the waters edge and let him sit in the grass and soak his feet. He tried to figure out who she was, but his vision was blurred from all his crying.

"Here. I'll show you how to catch one." She said smiling then walked out and stood in the middle of the shallow end of the stream. She stood there like a statue and watched as a fish swam by her. As it went by her foot she kicked it into the air above her and when it came down she caught it with her hands. "Here… you can have it Inuyasha…." She smiled at him and held out the fish. Inuyasha wiped his tears away and the girls face became visible. It was a young Shinsei smiling at him.

When Inuyasha awoke the next morning he looked over and saw Shinsei was gone. "Where did she go?" He looked around frantically and his dog ears twitched as he saw her walk by the cave entrance. "What the…" he got up to investigate and found her gathering berries with two sticks with fish on them resting on her shoulder. His face slightly turned red as sunrays shined through the trees and around and on her.

"She looked back and saw him staring at her. "I figured since you were tired I should get some breakfast." She walked up to him and smiled and just to bug him she petted on of his dog ears.

"Hey!! Stop it!!" He backed away and stood there mad with his arms crossed.

"Oh whatever lets eat already." She smiled and patted him on the back where his deep wound was. Then he fell over onto the ground from the sudden pain. "Oh I'm sorry!! I forgot you were wounded there!!!" she said loudly looking don at him.

"I'm fine!!! Just don't touch ….YOU FORGOT!?" He yelled laying there in pain.

After they ate the two decided to head out and look for their friends. They searched for till noon and found no trace of them. Shin found a small stream and they decided to take a break.

Shin sat by the water soaking her feet and staring into the sky smiling and daydreaming. Inuyasha sat in the shade of a tree watching her closely. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't take his eyes off her. "Why does she make me feel this way…. I feel like…. Like I'm not alone…." Inuyasha thought as he started to doze off.

Shin stared into the open blue sky thinking of what Inuyasha had done back in the forest and what he had said to her. "Why did he do that? Maybe he thought I was Kagome… Maybe he was still in a daze or something… But… the way he spoke… I felt… so… so important. For once in my life…. I wasn't…. I wasn't alone."

"Shin… I'm sorry for what happened back there.." Inuyasha said from his shady tree as he looked at the ground blushing.

"It's alright. I didn't mind the hug, but the kiss kinda freaked me out…" she said looking back at him smiling. "But why did you do it? Did you think I was Kagome?"

"I really don't know… why….but… when I'm around you… I can be myself… I feel like I'm not alone in this big world…." Inuyasha said looking up at her blushing deeper.

"I… I can't believe you just said that…." She stared at him with wide eye's completely shocked.

"I know… I'm completely sorr…"

"No. Don't say it. That's not what I meant…. What you said… that's exactly how I feel. I was completely alone in Kagome's time. I had no family and I was picked on every single day by everyone even my teachers. And when I came here I thought I was just going to die and I didn't care. But now that I've met you and everyone else…I have a reason to stand up for myself and fight to keep on living." Shin looked up at the sky with a big smile soaking in the sunshine.

"Shinsei….." Inuyasha sighed with a smile. He stood up, walked over to her, and sat next to her putting his arm around her holding her close. "I'm sorry…. If I hadn't wandered away from you on that day so long ago you never would have been hurt so much…."

Shin smiled and leaned against him resting her head on his shoulder. The she closed her eyes and said "No… It was my fault, but I'm glad that I've come back to my time. I got to see my old friends and make a bunch of new ones. And…. I got to see you again…."

"Shin…" Inuyasha smiled and gently rested his head against hers. He had never felt this feeling before even though he had been with Kikyo and Kagome. Kagome….. he knew she would never accept this. "Shin….lets wait until we destroy Naraku to actua…"

Shin sat up and her finger against his lips. "Don't worry… I understand. There will be nothing special between us until Naraku is defeated." She said smiling and moved her finger away from him.

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and held it softly. "Alright…Just one more thing till then…" Inuyasha pulled her hand closer and wrapped his other arm around her waist pulling her close.

"O-okay…. What is i….!?" Shin's entire face turned a dark crimson and her eye's opened wide. Inuyasha had kissed her deeply on the lips.

When he pulled away slowly he let her go, turned around, and knelt with his back facing her. "Get on. I'm sure the other are looking for us. It'll be a lot faster if you ride on my back."

"Alright…" she got on his back and he ran off into the forest.