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Chapter Four
Fire!

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It was a few hours before Kisara came to, her head felt like it was made of lead, her senses practically dead, not hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling anything except the numbing pain echoing throughout her skull. A scream brought her completely around, her mind ablaze as all her sensed reared to life; there was a fire nearby…

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Sesshoumaru's gaze was completely frozen, matching the stoic expression he held so perfectly on his face. Teru had just come barging into his study, ignoring all protests from the guards. The terrible scent of tears was heavy with her, and his heart instantly dropped to his stomach. The camel youkai was a mess, her tanned frame shaking with the powerful sobs. The eagle youkai had calmly placed her in the chair by the book shelf, wanting her to calm down.

"What happened." His voice was laced with a deadly cold, not a question, an order for her to speak, and now. Not daring to raise her eyes in the presence of her lord, the camel managed to whisper, "The wall…it just…vanished." Sesshoumaru's delicate silver brow raised in question. He moved to stand next to the chair, lifting her chin so that her eyes met his own, making a connection so there was no way she could not answer him. "Elaborate."

Teru took a long shaky sigh, the eye not covered by sandy brown locks still welled with tears. Teru felt that she'd failed, letting her charge walk out of her grasp without the slightest fight, letting her wander into possible harm. Teru had watched over Kisara since she was a child, so all of this was really hard on her. She sniffled, whispering again, "She, she was acting strangely…" She was interrupted by Sesshoumaru, "How so?" She brushed his hand away to wipe her other eye free of tears. "Let me finish, please." She said, her voice stabilizing.

She placed both of her clawed hands over her knees, her lion-like tail wrapping around her waist as she continued, telling her lord and his personal guard about how Kisara had melted the wall, then passed through the barrier with no resistance whatsoever, but when Teru had begun to follow, she'd been repelled with a nasty burn. Her hands had already started healing, thank you, youkai powers, but raw flesh was still widely exposed on both palms. Sesshoumaru had moved back over by his desk, his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, the room silent as the two awaited a response from their lord.

"Where did this all take place?"

"Across the bridge and through the gardens, Milord." She replied, a bit curious.

Sesshoumaru was silent for a brief moment before turning to his personal guard, "Kurashi, see to it Teru has her wounds tended to immediately." With those words the lord walked out of the room, closing the door with a snap.

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Kisara was confused and frightened. She had figured out by now she must have fallen down a hole of some sort. She was uninjured save for a cut above her left eye and a few bumps and bruises, but she needed a way out. "Can anybody hear me?" She cried, "I need help!" There was no answer from above, only the rolling clouds of smoke and a few licks of fire.

One could say she was lucky; she was up to her shins in freezing water, having stood after the scream. Was somebody hurt? Kisara needed to find a way out of this well! Her slender hands felt along the walls of the dark shaft, looking for something she could use to pull herself upwards.

'Is that really such a good idea?' she thought to herself, pausing in her actions, 'There's obviously a fire up there, and for all I know I could be right at the heart, burning to death as soon as I poke my head out." She shivered at the thought, shaking her mane of silver hair about in her attempts to dispel the images. "No…it's safer down here, in the cold dark, away from the fire.' Her mind tried to reason with her.

Pressing her back to the rough stone wall Kisara slowly let her body sink lower into the water, wrapping her arms around her knees, her head propped up in the corner of the well. How long was it going to be before someone found her? Before this fire ended?

These were chilling thoughts, but the thought that struck her through to her soul and she voiced it. "Who am I?" When no clear answer could be obtained, it was difficult to fight the tears.

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Sesshoumaru stood next to the gaping hole in the wall surrounding his fortress, his face holding no outward emotion, giving no le-way as to what feelings may be swimming around his heart. He didn't know how Kisara made the wall vanish, or how she passed through the barrier. Being this close was already making his hair stand on end, and yet…

A breeze wafted in from the north, brining the unmistakable scent of an early fall. Fighting a sigh, Sesshoumaru turned to head back into the castle, If Kisara wanted to leave, it was her choice, he wasn't there to stop her anymore.

"So that's it, eh?" An all too familiar voice grunted at him from just around the corner on the porch.

"InuYasha, it was her choice."

The hanyou stepped out into clear view, surprising the taiyoukai with his attire a bit. Instead of his tell-tale red kimono, he was dressed in the royal clothing bought for him, though not used. A blue Kimono much like Sesshoumaru's own, Silver spirals interlaced with lilies, a white obi. He even had his long white hair pulled back into a low tie.

"Still," He said darkly, his arms crossed, golden eyes narrowed slightly. "What if it wasn't her choice?"

"Who else's could it be, InuYasha, honestly; perhaps you should reconsider abandoning your lessons so frequently."

InuYasha grunted again, his eyes wandering to the hole, saying what Sesshoumaru had tried his hardest to ignore, "So...I guess the door didn't suit her fancy then?"

Sesshoumaru didn't reply, opening the shoji doors, decorated elegantly with a near mirror image of the gardens painted upon them and stepping through, leaving InuYasha outside to resume whatever it was he was doing previously.

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Kisara sat silently in the freezing well, listening to the fire rage above her, she already had a large wound on her arm from a piece of flaming wood that had hit her on it's way into the water. The screams had stopped, She hoped whoever was behind them was alright…though it was obviously doubtful. She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her good hand, the other cradled in her lap. Kisara had no idea who she was…oh, she knew her name, and only her first at that…but that was it.

Furious with herself, Kisara rubbed her eyes free of the prickling tears just threatening to fall. She had better breeding then to just give up and cry! Or...at least...she thought she did...

Reason doused her pride-filled fire with an icy chill. What else was there for her to possibly do but wait until the flames receded? With a sigh she slid further into the water, letting her feet warm up a bit against the wall of the well, which was still cold, mind you, but warmer than the water. Damnit she was weak…not even brave enough to face fire…damn…Kisara knocked her head back against the stone a few times. A bit too hard. "Ouch!" She yelped, her cry echoing up through the well.

A strangled cry had to her feet in an instant, "Hello! Can anyone hear me?" It was a deep, rough voice, sounding quite familiar, actually…hmm, oh well.

"Down here!" Kisara yelled, splashing the water for emphasis, her gaze fixated upon the top of the well. She was surprised to see a white head poke over the edge, unusually spiky, it was too far away to see anything else.

"Hang on!" He yelled, "I'll get you out..."

The white spiky head disappeared for a few moments, and Kisara hoped he hadn't caught fire…

"Here, grab a hold of this!" The voice called out again, and soon enough a rope with a few knots tied into it fell down, bopping her on her already-bruised head, though it went relatively unnoticed save for a grunt. Now for the first time she realized how cold her hands were, trembling as she fumbled for a decent grip on the rope, promptly ignoring the searing pain that shot threw her injured arm. "I-I got it!" She called out, her grip as firm as it was ever going to be.

"OK, now on the count of three I want you to brace your back against the wall, and walk up the other side like you normally would, but be sure to hang on to the rope!" His calm voice brought much needed reassurance to the young woman, and with a renewed determination she followed his instructions, however silly they seemed to her.

"OK!"

"Right, one, two…three! Now!" He called.

The rough wall scraped at her back, though she couldn't really feel it with her feet…that wasn't good. Halfway up the wall her grip faltered on her injured left, causing her to slide a few inches before hitting a knot, thank Kami!

The man above had felt the jerk, but also knew by the weight she'd managed to hang on. "Hang in there!" He called down to her, straining his back as he slowly walked across the floor, away from the well, the rope first winding around what seemed the only stable pole in the burning building. He secretly hoped his voice didn't betray his worry. There was ceasing to be any roof left above them, and their exits were diminishing before his eyes.

Back down in the well, Kisara was beginning to feel the heat, even on her freezing skin. She shivered, her muscles convulsing automatically, shifting into bumpy gooseflesh at the welcome tingle of warmth. Damn this well was deep! Not daring to look down, but judging by the sticky feel under her kimono back, she could guess she'd scooted a long ways up the terribly rough surface, breaking the skin on her back, and most likely her feet as well, though she still couldn't feel it, save for a dull ache.

Nearly half an hour later, most of the building was gone, Kisara was now extremely uncomfortable in her thick kimono, her back nearly ripped to pieces, her hands red and rough, the rim of the well was nearly within her grasp. "I-I'm almost to the rim!" She choked, surprised by how hoarse her voice had become, the scent of smoke almost unbearable. She wondered how the hell the man was pulling through this.

The chocolate-eyed man wasn't looking too good either, but with the living conditions he was often presented with, he was pretty prepared for anything. A large beam of flaming wood had knocked against his shin, hurting him badly, though he still managed to move. His hands were far worse then Kisara's and he felt as though his body had been sucked dry of all fluids, the skin turning a terrible red-brown in color. Gods, he was nearly being cooked alive! He hoped this was all worth it…

Slamming her ripped back against the wall with gritted teeth and grit, pressing her now-almost full feeling feet against both sides of the well, she managed to get one blistered hand to the uncomfortably hot side of the well, bearing through the pain she was currently enduring.

The man caught sight of her hand, having been watching the well rim for some time now. "OK," He choked out the deadly smog penetrating the piece of cloth he had over his mouth and nose, "I'm going to let go of the rope, I need you to hang on the side of the well, ok?"

Startled, but wiling to do whatever it took to get out of the well, she gasped out a strangled reply that mingled somewhere between shock and agreement.

"One, Two, Three!"

The rope went limp, and Kisara's other hand flew up to grip the side of the well. The unexpected weight was most unwelcome for her painful hands, and her legs were trembling, struggling to hold her up against the well. Luckily she didn't have to wait very long, as the snowy, now ashen head appeared, worried brown eyes meeting her pained blue. "Don't worry, I gotcha." He said, grabbing her wrists with his own blistered hands. He was surprised at the girl's strange, yet foreign beautiful appearance, now able to see her clearly, though he pushed it aside for the moment, his brain already pounding from mental stress and smoke inhalation.

With a combined effort of two exhausted beings, slowly Kisara emerged from the well, her lower half dripping wet and freezing, and her top half uncomfortably hot and itchy. With a final tug and push, she tumbled out of the dark hole.

As soon as the woman was fully out, the white-haired man gave her no time to reflect on anything, taking one arm and slinging it over his shoulders, helping to support her as she staggered to his feet, looking upon him with grateful, yet completely tuckered-out sapphire eyes.

He, himself was tired beyond belief, this ordeal one of the most draining things he'd been through. And again he pondered if it was worth it. His own knees buckled, but he didn't fall. Kisara had taken his arm as well, throwing it over her shoulders with slight impatience. "You're not going to just quit on me know…are you?" She asked, determined once more.

"Don't count on it." He replied, one of his infamous grins lining his face for a split second before it was wiped clean by a sudden inferno of debris falling from above, sealing one of their last possible exists.

"Shit." He said quietly, now both supporting and being supported. Franticly both eyes scanned the hellish surroundings, desperately searching for escape. "There has to be a way…" Kisara panted, her eyes half-lidded, the smoke affecting her a great deal more then the man. She was (unfortunately) completely dry and as hot as she'd ever been. Never had she encountered such heat. The man, being for the unforgiving desert, was used to extreme temperatures, though even this was asking a bit much from him. "Hey!" He croaked-yelped, "Don't you dare pass out, or we're both dead!" More debris clattered from above, and just barely missed them, though the embers licked at their bodies.

Kisara nodded, her brain only functioning out of sheer will power.

The man's deep chocolate gaze, alight with the reflection of the dancing fire, continued to look about, though Kisara was now staring only at him. 'He has very pretty eyes…' her head mumbled, still half-clouded. A gap of dark between the flaming wood caught his eye. "Hang on; we're getting out of here."

She nodded, still supporting some of his weight. Together the limped and staggered towards their only exit, moving like a drunk elephant, though moving non-the less. Another chunk of burning debris fell before them, a larger mass behind. "On the count of three…" Kisara whispered roughly. The man nodded, his own eyes now hooded, "One...two...three..."

Together they used the last bits of strength to push through the burning wood, and hit the freezing night air like a brick wall. There were no spectators; they had all left hours before, dismissing any possible survivors as dead. Moving slowly, limbs shaking feverishly they both hobbled a safe distance away before collapsing onto the cold, beautiful sand.

Kisara's eyes slid shut, not even giving her savior a parting glance as she slipped into the most welcome darkness...

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