After Kagome pulled Rin out of the well and calmly led her inside the house, she gave her a hot cup of tea and wrapped her in a blanket. Rin didn't realize she was cold until she felt a hard jerk of her body that led into violent shivers.

She stared at her hands, wrapped around the cup of tea like it was a life preserver in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He left me, she thought. He got rid of me.

Somewhere in the confides of her mind, Rin knew it was all for a good purpose, but she couldn't shake that Sesshomaru believed her so delicate as to get her out of the way in order for him to defeat some demons. A tear fell from her eye, but she wiped it away quickly. Kagome ran a hand over her hair, trying for comfort.

"How are you, Rin?"

Rin shook her head, she couldn't open her mouth. If she did, a tumble of hurt mixed with anger and resentment would fall out and she didn't want to unburden herself to Kagome.

"I know. InuYasha shoved me down the well, too. He's being all macho in the feudal era and said he'd let me know when it was okay to return."

Rin barely heard a word Kagome said. She was focused on her hands, how they trembled and sloshed tea around in her cup. She didn't want to show weakness, but she couldn't help but feel so vulnerable. She wanted to look strong, to accept that her mate would defeat his enemies and then come for her, but she knew that the well was demon-repelled and that Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to cross over to return to her. And there was no other way to find out if the uprising was over or not. Rin's mind worked a thousand miles per hour, and she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that someone was making her a target.

"How long?" Rin whispered.

Kagome sighed. "Honestly, Rin. I don't know."

. . .

-Four Months Later-

"Rin!" a voice called from across the quad. Rin turned away from Ayumi and looked over her shoulder as Kagome dodged their classmates, all but sprinting toward the pair. Once she reached them, Kagome had to catch her breath. Slowly, a shaky hand came to eye level to reveal a piece of paper with a large, bold "C+" stamped in the top right corner. "I . . . passed!"

Rin chuckled. "I told you so."

Kagome grinned triumphantly. "This is cause for a celebration. To ice cream!" She pointed toward the exit and started marching away. Ayumi shared a look with Rin before the two girls followed their friend off the campus and down the street to the small ice cream parlor.

As they sat down with their cups of double-scoop ice cream, Kagome launched into a story of something that happened earlier that day. But Rin only half-listened, her mind taking her somewhere else. Taking her back in time. It had only been a few months since she last saw Sesshomaru, but as always, her thoughts were consumed with images of the fierce white-haired demon. And as always, the worst scenarios flowed in and out of her brain, like a river of dread and fear: Sesshomaru slain, laying in a puddle of blood on the shiny foyer tiled floor; Sesshomaru ripped open, laying in red-stained grass outside the palace; Sesshomaru crawling toward the well, a bloody hand stretched out, reaching for air, whispering a name—her name.

"Earth to Rin!" Kagome called her back into the present. Rin swiped away the tear that leaked from her right eye. Both friends watched her sympathetically. "You okay, Rin?" Kagome asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Rin nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. "I'm fine, just tired is all."

Ayumi accepted the excuse, but Kagome watched her a little longer, unconvinced. "Let's go back to my house. We'll play video games and eat until we barf."

Rin forced a smile. "Sure."

Ayumi got up and shook her head regretfully. "Can't, guys. My parents are dragging me to some stupid event that they're hosting. I'll catch you guys tomorrow at school, okay?"

Kagome and Rin nodded. "Okay, see you!" Kagome waved goodbye to their friend before throwing an arm around Rin's shoulders. "Talk to me, Rin."

Rin sighed and stared at their feet as they walked down the street, headed for home. "I just miss him, I guess."

Kagome nodded. "I miss InuYasha, too. But they'll come for us when it's over, I promise."

"How do you stay so positive, Kagome?" Rin pulled out from under her friend's protective embrace. "How do you keep yourself together? I'm falling apart everyday and you keep smiling. Why doesn't this affect you as much as it does me?"

Kagome smiled sadly. "It tears me apart, too, Rin. But I know that what you're going through is tough—you're mated and you didn't have a chance to actually say goodbye to him. He threw you into the unknown and the sitting and the waiting is driving you up the wall—I should know, it's driving me crazy as well. But seeing you upset is what makes me realize that I need to be strong—for the both of us. I need to make sure we both carry on the next day. If I sat and moped like I really, really want to, where would that get us? I'm composed because I know if I break down, we'll both go over the edge and wallow in our own miseries until someone else steps up to pull us out."

Rin stared at her friend, who had become like a sister in the last few months. She was the one who forced her into a school uniform and all but dragged her to class everyday. She was the only one to understand what she was feeling, how she was trying to keep it all inside—the hurt, the anger, the resentment, the hate, the fear, the pain. It was all bottled up inside of her and she wanted to release, but Kagome prevented her from exploding by being there, helping her make it through everyday without erupting.

Without speaking, the friends embraced each other, hugging one another so tightly, time stopped and the pain faded away. "Thank you," Rin whispered.

"I'm here, Rin. I'm not going anywhere," Kagome rubbed her friend's back, a tear escaping her eye.

They pulled away from each other. They looked at one another's wet cheeks and burst into laughter. "Look at us, a bunch of emotions," Kagome chuckled. "Let get home to food and movies."

Rin smiled and took Kagome's hand.

. . .

"No, not that one!" Kagome cried out, lunging for the video in Rin's hand. "It's terrifying!"

"I've never seen it, though."

"Rin, you've only seen a couple dozen movies since you got here. You haven't seen a lot of movies."

"But I want to watch it."

"Your obsession with horror flicks is really disturbing."

"They're fun to watch!"

"I pee my pants every time!"

"That's why they're fun to watch." Rin laughed.

"Evil," Kagome narrowed her eyes at her friend. "How about this one?"

She held up another video.

"Isn't that a flick chick?"

"Correction: chick flick. Yes. It's a rom-com."

"Huh?" Rin stared at her friend.

"Romantic comedy. There's love and there's humor. Perfect combination."

"Ugh. Whatever."

Kagome stared at her friend. "I'm so proud of you! You actually sound like a normal, 21st century teenager!"

Rin rolled her eyes. "Play the movie."

Kagome set up the movie and sat back on the couch, curling up against Rin. This was their ninth movie—it was late, Kagome's family already went to bed. Her mom made sure to supply the girls with enough food to last them until next week before heading to her bedroom. Rin laughed when appropriate and "awed" when necessary, but her mind still swirled with thoughts of Sesshomaru.

Eventually, Kagome drifted off to sleep. The movie ended and Rin turned off the TV. She glanced at the clock—four in the morning, and she wasn't even tired. Wrapping a thick blanket around her, Rin stepped outside and wandered over to the shrine that housed the well. Like many other nights, she found herself sitting on the edge, staring down into nothingness, thinking of her mate and what has become of him.

"You better not leave me here, Sesshomaru," she muttered. "You better come and get me before I jump in and find you myself. You have to keep your promise."

"I did, mate."

Rin jumped up and spun around. A grin broke out on her face and she leaped into Sesshomaru's arms. He was dressed in his white kimono, but his mokomoko was stained with red—blood. His face was splattered with it as well, but Rin didn't care. He was here, he was safe. He held her against his chest, burying his nose into her hair.

"You're . . . late . . ." Rin cried into his shoulder, soft tears of happiness.

He didn't respond, only held her tighter against him.

"Take me home," Rin whispered. Sesshomaru stepped toward the well, wrapping Rin into his arms, and together, they jumped.

The End

Author's Note

ALL DONE! I combined the last few chapters because I didn't want to make them short, filler-like chapters. What do you think? Let me know in a review!

Don't forget to favorite, comment or follow!

Thanks for sticking with me, guys. It's been a VERY long road, but we're at the end of it and I want to make sure you all know that I truly appreciate every single one of you. Thank you for your encouragement and feedback.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Willow Jane