Life certainly hadn’t been what she expected, but then again, had she ever had any expectations?

A near fatal illness when she was young had robbed her of any semblance of a normal childhood. Her teen years were spent acting out and ‘experimenting’ in order to gain attention from her distant parents. Despite that, she had always managed to get good grades and went to college with the dream of securing a well paying job. However, an ill fated relationship with her philosophy professor had changed all that rather quickly.

A college dropout with nowhere to go, she found a mediocre job in a department store and rented out a cheap, tiny apartment in a shabby part of town. Unable to kick an alcohol addiction she had picked up back in high school, she slowly found herself turning to the drink more and more often. As the result of a concerned friend prodding, she ended up in a counselor's office ever Thursday afternoon.

Looking back now, she had plenty of regrets, countless paths she wished she hadn’t taken. She wondered if everyone had moments where they wanted to rewind their life to some defining moment and start over again from there. Sighing she leaned back, pushing her head hard against the headrest of the car seat. Her hands remained on the steering wheel as she waged an internal battle with herself.

It was 11pm on a rainy summer weeknight. She sat in her car, old and dirty thing that it was, outside of the liquor store that she frequented often. She knew that she shouldn’t go inside, shouldn’t pick up yet another six pact of beer. However, what she knew she should do and what she wanted to do was not always the same thing. If this night ended like all the others, she would be drinking herself into a state where she no longer regretted life, and instead thought back on how entertaining her crazy life had been. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

It was useless to talk herself out of it. She would always loose. Double checking the amount of cash she had in her wallet, she sighed. At least she only had enough for a six pack at most. Payday wasn’t until next week, but even then most of her pay check went towards paying rent and bills.

She retracted her car keys from the ignition, plunging the car into darkness. She slung her purse over her shoulder and exited the car. It wasn’t raining too hard, but hard enough to make her quicken her step. Water splashed over her pants when she walked through a puddle that had looked quite shallow, but turned out to be deeper than anticipated. She grimaced when her socks grew damp from the water seeping through the thin linings of her shoes.

Thankfully she was in the liquor store before too long. She nodded to the female cashier as she shook the water off her long, black raincoat. There was no need to search the store, she knew exactly what she wanted and where it was located.

The first time she saw him, he was in front of her in line.

Being behind him in line, she couldn’t see his face. Strands of long silver hair hung down, escaping from the rest of his hair that was tied in a pony tail that trailed down his back. She thought that he must spend a small fortune on hair dye every month. She also noted that, coincidentally, they were purchasing the same kind of beer. The cashier was making a pitiful attempt at small talk with the man, but he seemed to be trying his best to ignore her.

The moment was over to soon. He grabbed his beer and turned. As he did so, she caught a glimpse of pure golden eyes. So he wore contacts too? He must have put a lot of thought into his appearance, and must have had some strange reason for wanting to stand out so much in a crowd. Still, she couldn’t help feel that he was vaguely familiar as he walked with almost inhuman grace out the door.

She paid for her own beer without incident, setting it in the trunk gently. If it were up front with her, she might be tempted to drink it. Unfortunately there had been a time when she got caught driving under the influence, so she couldn’t afford to have something like that happen again. She shuddered. Her parents had flown into a rage when they found out she had been arrested. It made her sad that the only thing that would make them pay attention to her was to get thrown in jail for a night. She drove home with dark thoughts swirling in her head.

She saw him again at a red light.

She was fiddling with the radio, trying to find something good when the car beside her caught her eye. It was the guy from the liquor store again, sitting in perfect profile, staring at the traffic lights over head. The rain made the colors blur, but the headlights of the cars behind them made his silver hair shine through the water running down the window.

She frowned. There was that feeling of familiarity deep inside of her again. It was stronger this time, but that could have been because she had just seen him. This second encounter was nothing but an odd coincidence, nothing to be thought deeply of. She sat up straight just as the light turned green. His car turned and she continued straight ahead.

She arrived outside of the rundown apartment building minutes later. She unlocked the door and let herself in. Immediately she was assaulted by the musty smell and dull drone of the landlords TV set. She went quietly up the staircase to the second floor, though the quiet wasn’t needed. The TV may have been the background noise downstairs, but on the second floor her teenage neighbor's metal music reigned supreme, blocking out all other sound.

Not that anyone complained. Most of the apartments in this building were empty, given the high crime rate of the area and shabby appearance of the establishment. People only lived here when they were desperate. The kid down the hall never once considered that not all occupants shared his taste in music, or would want a full night’s sleep. She sighed as she unlocked the door to her own apartment. She should bang on his door and ask him to turn it down, but knowing him, he was probably too stoned to do anything. Shutting the door of her apartment behind her did little to block out the sound.

The interior of her apartment was painted a cheerful yellow. Mismatched furniture was scattered around an old TV set. The counters were spotless, though the cupboards were probably bare. The apartment was small, one bedroom, one bathroom, and a tiny kitchen/dining/living room. She tossed her purse on the couch and put the six-pack in the fridge. She preferred her beer cold, not lukewarm.

She shook off her wet raincoat and hung it on a wall hook to dry. Next she put on a pair of comfortable pants, leaving the wet ones on the floor of her bedroom. Sinking down onto the couch with a blanket she flicked on the TV, not that she’d be able to hear it without really cranking the volume up. The soft blue glow bathed the room as she flipped through the channels, not really expecting to find anything to watch.

When she judged that a suitable time had passed she got up and retrieved one of the cans from the fridge. She took a deep drink, letting the cool liquid wash down her throat. She breathed deeply when the can fell from her lips. Her eyes absently flicked to the window.

He was standing outside, under a dark umbrella.

She blinked, almost unsure that it was he from before. It seemed almost as if he was waiting for someone. Peering through the rain on the glass she gasped. It was him. Three times was one time to many to be much of a coincidence. Something would have to be done, but what?

She quickly finished off the remainder of the beer and grabbed her rain coat. She briefly entertained the thought that he was involved in one of the many gangs that roamed the streets and that going out to meet him would spell her end. She just as quickly discarded it. She didn’t get that feeling that she should be scared of him. Then again, she had only been in his presence for less than a minute. The ridiculousness of it all made her laughed out loud. The sheer amount of alcohol she must have drunk in her life time must finally be starting to affect her head. Surely she must be going crazy to think that he was waiting for her.

“My life is already full of regrets.” She whispered sadly. “What’s one more?”

A final moment of hesitation, and she took off down the stairs. Outside, she paused. The rain wasn’t coming down as hard anymore, so their really was no need for a hood or umbrella. She walked down the sidewalk, towards where he stood, as calmly as she could. It didn’t appear that he had noticed her yet.

“Excuse me?” she said quietly when she was close enough to him. Close enough to him to talk, but she still remained far enough away that she thought she could escape … if the need arouse.

He turned around to face her, his golden eyes showing surprise and shock. The black umbrella rested on his shoulder, making his striking silver hair stand out. He was wearing casual jeans, and an expensive looking coat. The surprise in his eyes faded away to coldness, as though her presence was an unwanted disturbance.

She imagined how she must look. Her black hair, which had never ever cooperated with her, was thrown into a messy bun that by the end of the day resembled a rat’s nest. She wasn’t wearing make-up, so her skin looked blotchy and her acne, another present leftover from being a teenager, showed through. Her rain coat was wet, and wrapped loosely around the tight fitting T-shirt she wore. The baggy grey pants were something that she never intended public eye to see, they had been meant for lounging around the apartment. It would seem that also, in her haste, she had thrown on sneakers with no socks.

“Yes?” he said to her. “What is it?” his voice was full of arrogance.

All of the words she could have said dried up in her throat. Lowering her head, she berated herself. What had she been thinking? He obviously thought she was crazy, or worse. Why had she even come out here? What was supposed to say to him, that she had seen him in the liquor store and now seeing him here seemed like too much of a coincidence?

“Um… Well… I saw you, earlier.” She began, trying to keep her voice steady. “At the liquor store… I was behind you in line. Then I saw you at the intersection and…”

He didn’t say anything. There was silence, save for the rain. She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face again. She was so stupid! She should just go back home and drown out this moment with her one true companion, alcohol. More silence only added to her humiliation.

“I should go… Sorry to have disturbed you.” She said quietly, and turned to go back inside, her shame burning on her cheeks.

Without warning something grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving. Shocked, she turned back to find that the man had grabbed hold of her. Fearing the worst, she tried to struggle out of his grip, but stopped when he spoke.

“Do you remember me…Rin?” He asked voice steady. A gust of wind sent his hair flying. Slowly, when she didn’t say anything, his grip loosened until he let go. Her hand dropped back to her side, but she didn’t run.

“I saw you at the liquor store.” She repeated, though she was perplexed at how he knew her name. That familiar feeling was back, settling into her chest. This was all so strange, she felt like she knew him somehow, but couldn’t recall ever having seen him before. “What’s going on?” she asked, no longer even trying to sound sure of herself.

Frustration crossed his face momentarily. She was almost scared. If she screamed for help, she doubted that anyone would hear her. “Not today.” He said coldly. “From before… do you remember?”

She frowned. What did he mean, before? Before when, before college? Maybe he was a high school acquaintance, though she doubted it. He had to be in his 30’s at least, to old to have gone to school with her. College then, but that didn’t seem quite right either. For some strange reason, she thought of flowers, fields of flowers that seemed to stretch on forever.

“No…” she whispered reluctantly.

Ice came into his stare. “I see.” He stated. Then he turned and put one foot in front of the other, walking away. Her vision swam; she thought she saw someone else walking away from her. Someone who let their silver hair fall free, blowing softly in the wind, who wore a sword at his hip, who wore strange clothes that seem both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. She blinked, and saw the dark, rainy street again, the black umbrella slowly drifting away from her.

“Wait!” Rin called after him. It was overwhelming, and she was so lost, more confused than she had ever been. The man didn’t stop, but kept on walking. “Wait!” she called again. “Who are you?”

Again, he didn’t stop. She couldn’t believe herself, but a single tear fell down her cheek. Seeing that back, that person, walk away from her seemed to fill her with so much sadness, she almost couldn’t bear it. “Wait!” she called a third time, her voice cracking.

“Don’t leave me...” and after a moments hesitance, she added, “Sesshomaru-sama.” She didn’t know where the words came from, but the poured off her tongue before she could stop them. That name seemed so familiar, so safe. The name of someone she could trust and look up to. That name comforted her. She fell to her knees. The thought of that person leaving her filled her with anguish. The water on the ground clung to the cloth of her pants, chilling her slightly, but she didn’t feel it.

She didn’t see him stop and turn around. She didn’t see his eyes wide with something akin to disbelief or his mouth hanging open, something that he surly would never have done in another era. She didn’t see him until he was standing beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. It was an affectionate gesture she wasn’t expecting.

She looked up and saw those golden eyes staring down at her. Memories floated through her head in a dizzying whirlwind, it was all slowly coming back. She swayed on the ground, but his hand held her up. “Sesshomaru-sama” she whispered again, now confident in whom he was. “Don’t leave me.”

It was the plea of a little girl centuries dead.

Now she was all grown up, a different person in a different era. He couldn’t stop himself. It had been too many years since he had seen her, heard her voice. He knelt down beside in, pulling her into something that could resemble a hug, if you squinted your eyes really hard. She gasped in spite of herself. Why now? Why was she remembering this all now? Why had he sought her out now? Why not sooner, when she was younger before everything had happened?

“Why now?” She whispered, her brown eyes staring into his golden ones.

“Because, it was a good time.” he stated simply.

They were silent a moment. No more tears ran down her face, no more whispers cut through the night. Eventually, he stood up, shaking himself off. With a look towards her to show that he wasn’t leaving her, he began to walk towards the door of her apartment building. Rin sat on the ground for but a moment before leaping to her own feet and following him.

“Get your stuff, and change your clothes.” He was saying. “We’re leaving.” With that said, he gestured towards a car parked down the street that she hadn’t noticed before. She could just make out the outline of a spherical head sitting in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” she asked, holding the door open for him. Her memory was still fuzzy, but she would follow him anywhere. It was the mindset of a child, someone who she used to be. However, in time that mindset would work it’s self out into something more suited to a young woman in her mid-twenties.

He didn’t answer. She didn’t mind, no matter what life she lived, she would always trust him.