A/N: Takahashi Sesshoumaru: 27

Harada Rin: 21

Kaze Kagura: 24

Takahashi Inuyasha: 23

Higurashi Kagome: 22

Houshi Miroku: 23

Taijiya Sango: 22

'Italics': Thoughts

Bold: Emphasis

'Bold Italics': Flashback

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the Inuyasha Characters.

Chapter Fifteen: My Saviour

I attempted to open my eyes but to no avail. The harder I tried to open up my eyes, the more pain I felt at the back of my eyes. Just as I thought of giving up, I felt my eyes open willingly. However I had to shut them back when the bright lights blinded me.

'Wait a minute. Lights? I thought it was dark.' This time I opened my eyes tentatively. When I was certain no other forms of light was going to hurt my eyesight, I fully opened them.

It was pitch black.

I slowly sat up as I forced my eyesight to get adapted to the dark. However it didn't seem to work. It was still pitch black. "Why? Why can't I see anything?"

I got onto my feet with slow movements. Once on my feet, I tried to find my way close to the wall. 'There are no walls?' I thought to myself as I continued to move slowly hoping to touch something. Anything.

Soon after, I got frustrated when I could not find anything to guide along the darkness. As my frustration built up, I decided to let it off by yelling.

I dropped to my knees and panted hard as I spent my energy on yelling. 'Where am I? Why am I here? What happened?' I asked myself. What was I going to do now? There was no way of moving about without any help. I should just give up since there was no other means. 'What about Kagura? I have yet to find her!'

"No, I am Takahashi Sesshoumaru. I will not give up," I vowed to myself as I got onto my feet once more. Taking small baby steps to wherever I was brought to, I was more determined that I would make it to somewhere safe.

However I became exhausted and started feeling cold to my bones after a long time. It seemed like hours had past ever since I started walking. For the second time of the day (or night; God knew what the time was), I felt frustrated. This time I felt agitation licking on my nerves along with frustration. Dehydrated and weak, I collapsed again.

"I think I should just stay here until someone finds me," I whispered to myself. I was drained. All my energy had been used up for walking and thinking.

I started to lie down once again, breathing hard at the same time. "I need some sleep," I whispered to myself again and then felt my eyelids drooping close.

"NOOO! Sesshoumaru you can't die! Do you hear me? You can't die!" I heard a female's voice screaming. Instinctively, Rin's name came into my mind. My eyes immediately opened up and I scrambled up to my feet.

"Rin! Where are you?" I yelled back, hoping that she would hear me. I waited for her to reply, but none came. 'Rin is close. I must move on. I can't just stay here.' Even though I was weak and was left with no more energy, I pushed myself forward slowly. Once I got my momentum, I broke into a sprint.

I ran as fast I could and as far as my legs could carry me. I could feel my lungs burning as they worked hard to pump enough oxygen through my veins. Just when I thought I would die out of exhaustion, I saw tunnel lit with lights ahead of me.

'Just a bit more,' I encouraged myself as I ran for the light. The tunnel got closer and closer and closer…

And when I entered the tunnel with light, I was blinded by it and…and…

"Argh…" I groaned. My whole body ached badly especially the right side of my body. 'What exactly happened to me?' I wondered to myself as I opened my eyes. Just like the first time, the light was blinding me. I tried to open my eyes for the second time but again the light assaulted my eyes. However by the third time, I was able to open my eyes, even though the light was hurting my eyes. Blinking my eyes for several times so that I could get used to the surrounding light, I got on my feet slowly.

I studied my surroundings and realised that this wasn't any different from the first place I landed at other than brightness of the place. However I preferred the lighted area to the dark one. Without any thoughts, I began walking. This time, I didn't feel as helpless as I felt when I was stranded in the darkness.

I walked as far as my leg could carry me. Every now and then I would feel a sudden shot of pain through my right arm, or I would hear voices particularly Rin. Sometimes I would hear Father's voice or Izayoi's voice on my left ear. I would just look around for any signs of him or Izayoi or Rin. At other times I would hear unfamiliar voices of people and the annoying beeping sound.

There was a point of time when I gasped in pain due to the sudden pain coursing through the right side of my body. I was still clueless on what was going on and what happened to me that I had to land in such a place. Nevertheless I continued walking until I was brought to somewhere I recognised.

It could have been hours, it could have been days ever since I started walking. And surprisingly I did not feel any form of lethargy other than the sudden pain I would feel on my right side of the body.

Just when I thought I might have to walk for another several miles, I saw the greenery of the several bushes. I walked towards them and finally sat down in front of them unceremoniously. I took a deep breath and let it go before I turned back to see the steps I came from. To my surprise, it wasn't the empty space of nothingness I'd come from. Behind me were full of trees. It didn't look like a forest though, but it looked more like a… 'Nursery.'

"I've been here before," I told to no one but to myself as I took in my surrounding…

"Wait for Rin Sesshoumaru!

"Stop bothering me and go mix around with Inuyasha!"

I heard voices from behind the bushes.

"Wait for Rin Sesshoumaru!" I heard a young girl's voice. 'Wait a minute. She called my name. She mentioned Rin's name too.'

"Stop bothering me and go mix around with Inuyasha!" came the second voice. The voice sounded very, very familiar to me.

I moved closer to the bushes and slowly pried them open. There, at the front of me, was a girl of about four to five years old and a boy of te— 'The boy is me… This is how I looked like when I was ten,' I mused to myself.

In dazed I got up on my feet to get a better view of them. The miniature version of me and the girl didn't seem to take notice of me. In fact they were squabbling. 'Who is the girl?' I wondered to myself as I watched them.

"— so just leave me alone!"

"But Rin doesn't want to leave Sesshoumaru alone. Rin likes Sesshoumaru more than Inuyasha. Inuyasha likes to bully Rin!" said the girl- Rin- with enthusiasm ending with a pout.

A smile lifted the corners of my mouth watching the both of them when I suddenly came to realise an important fact. I studied the young girl with shock. Her hazel-coloured wide eyes, her button nose, her shoulder length ebony hair and her heart-shaped lips…

"No this can't be real. It must be some kind of a sick joke!" I said it to myself but loud enough for the both of them to hear me. However they ignored my presence and continued squabbling. I walked towards the both of them as my mind registered the fact I just stumbled upon.

Rin. This small girl in front of me was…my wife. I had known her since I was young? This was…impossible. Why was it that I did not remember her from my childhood?

"No! That is not true. Sesshoumaru is not mean. Rin feels Sesshoumaru is lonely. Rin wants to be Sesshoumaru's friend!" the voice of the younger Rin brought my back from my thoughts. I walked towards Rin and stood in between her and my younger self but they stared at each through me. They couldn't see me nor hear me.

"This Sesshoumaru likes to be lonely. He doesn't need friends. He is independent," the younger version of me said in a weak voice. 'I was lonely. Father negelcted me for Inuyasha and Izayoi. My classmates discriminated me because I looked different from them and also because I was exceptionally smart for my age. So I decided not to rely on others and be spiteful to all of them. I kept everything to myself. Until,'

"Until Rin entered my life," I finished my thoughts aloud.

"You know it is not right to lie? Sesshoumaru is lying. Sesshoumaru doesn't like to be lonely. Sesshoumaru wants friends and Rin wants to be his friend," Rin said.

"Why would you want to be my friend? No one likes me!"

"But Rin likes Sesshoumaru, because Rin knows he is nice," Rin replied in an amused tone and then giggled.

I watched the younger me as he stumbled on his words. He seemed pretty surprised by Rin's confession.

"But people do not think that I am nice. Daddy doesn't think I am nice too. All of them don't like me. Daddy likes Inuyasha more than me. Daddy likes that lady more than me," he said in a whisper.

Making a disapproving sound, Rin walked towards the younger me. "You are Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru can do what he pleases. He does not have to care what other people think of him," she paused with a smile, "And I am Rin! Rin can do what she pleases. She does not have to care what other people think of her! So that is why Rin wants to be Sesshoumaru's friend because she thinks he is nice. Will Sesshoumaru be Rin's friend?"

The boy before her looked up at her with an uncertain smile and nodded his head. "Sesshoumaru will be Rin's friend." A smile broke out on Rin's face. Seeing her smile, he started grinning from ear to ear. Rin got hold of the boy's hand and ran towards from where I came from.

I watched the both of them running further away from me as many thoughts ran across my head, 'I remember. I remember Rin. I remember I was happy after so long. I remember…I liked her. I had a crush on her. No, I think I loved her even though I was very young. She was my first love. I loved her… but do I still love her?'

I was still lost in my thought as the both children disappeared from my veiw. Another noise from behind me brought me out from my thoughts. I turned around to see what it was. The surrounding had shifted again. Right now, I was across the road of a mansion. From where I was, I saw a twelve year old me and a girl of about six years old, both looking very sad. There was a lady and a man (my father) standing about five feet away from them next to a taxi.

I remembered this day very well. It was the day Rin left me for another country. As I walked closer to the both of them, I could hear their conversation.

"— said we are best of friends?" I heard myself saying to the younger Rin.

"We are…but Rin has to go. Rin's aunt has to go to another country," Rin replied in a dull tone.

The boy, who was me, looked at her through his lashes as he fidgeted around. The girl looked at him with a bright smile and then said, "We can still write to each other! Sesshoumaru has Rin's new address, no?" he replied with a nod and then Rin continued again, "Then we can still keep in touch!"

"But it wouldn't be the same. Sesshoumaru will have no one to play with. He will be lonely again and he will be mean."

"Sesshoumaru shouldn't be mean. Sesshoumaru wouldn't be lonely because he has Rin in there," she jabbed the left side of his chest where his heart is at, "and Rin has him in here," she pointed to her heart.

That brought a smile to his face. "Sesshoumaru will write to Rin everyday! And Rin also must write to Sesshoumaru everyday ok?"

"Mmhmm. I will!"

"And Sesshoumaru will marry Rin when he grows up! Okay?" he ended uncertainly as he eyed Rin surreptitiously.

The younger Rin kept silent for a while before breaking into a grin and said, "Rin will hold Sesshoumaru to his promise!"

The younger me fished out something from his pocket and placed it on Rin's palm. I moved closer to get a better view of it. What I saw made me catch my breath.

It was a howling dog locket. It was the very same locket Rin had given to me during my birthday.

"Keep this locket. When you return, return the locket to me and I will know it is you!"

Rin grinned as she opened the locket. Inside, there was a picture of me and her together. The picture was taken probably a year before she left, at my house then.

"Rin darling, we have to leave already. Say goodbye to Sesshoumaru and InuTaisho-san and then we'll be off," the woman told her. Rin nodded and turned back to the younger me.

"Rin has to go. Remember to write to Rin. Do not forget Rin ne?" she said in a quiet voice before pulling him down and kissed him on the cheek and then ran towards her aunt.

The boy blushed and watched her bid farewell to his father. I, too, watched the young girl.

"Sesshoumaru will never forget Rin. I promise," I heard the boy promise. I felt something stirred within me when I heard his promise.

'I promised I'll never forget her. But I had forgotten her… I wasn't supposed to forget Rin,' I chanted again and again. 'But it wasn't my fault. She had promised to write to me everyday. But she didn't. I wrote to her every single day for months. Never a day did I get a reply from her. And ever since then, I vowed to forget her and the memories I had with her. Ever since then I became quieter and pushed away all emotions. Emotions make me weak. She didn't keep to her promise then why should I?'

The scene shifted once again. This time it was back to where I first came from. Darkness engulfed me and it made me difficult to breathe. I tried my best to take in as much oxygen as I could but I still couldn't breathe. In the distant I could hear voices and again the beeping sound. As I tried my best to keep on breathing, darkness turned into light.

I was briefly aware that I was in water, probably in the sea. I tried to move my limbs but to no avail. 'I'm going to die,' I thought to myself. The more I tried struggling, the deeper I drowned.

"Sesshoumaru please fight for your life. Please Sesshoumaru. Rin loves Sesshoumaru," I heard a distant voice.

'There is no way I will survive,' I thought to myself once again and just as I was about to shut my eyes, I saw a hand reaching out to me from the land.

'Help me!' my mind yelled as my lungs burned with the lack of air to breathe. I tried to move my limbs once again, only to meet failure again. I felt myself drowning deeper and I could hear the urgent voice once again,

"Please Sesshoumaru! I'll give you the divorce and help you find Kagura! Just don't you give up! Don't you dare give up Takahashi Sesshoumaru! You do what you please; death can never take you away!"

And that did it. Though I was still unable to move, the hand I saw from below the water, plunged in and grabbed my hand. It pulled me further up to the surface of the water. Once I was out of the water, I took a deep breath to remove the burning sensation of my lungs.

I opened my eyes to see my saviour but only to be greeted by the blinding light. The only thing I got to see before I closed my eyes in pain was the howling dog locket…

I opened my eyes once again as I became aware of the beeping sounds of machines and a woman crying on my chest. I gasped in pain and in need of breath.

The woman on my chest looked up at me with wide eyes.

"My Saviour," I rasped subconsciously before falling back to a dreamless sleep.

My apologies to my readers for not being able to update more frequently. I've been really busy with all that is going on in my life. I really really hope you will all understand my plight even though I have no right to explain myself. Despite all of this, there are so many of you out there still support me nevertheless. And for that I would like to offer you guys my sincerest thanks. Thank you so much for standing by me all these while and silently supporting me, I'm really indebted to all of you. I'm humbled by your support and I will try as much as I can to prove myself to be worthy of your support.

Thank you once again and I would hope you guys will review after reading this chapter. (:

See you guys soon.

Love,

Restria