AN: I wasn't really intending to start a new story since I've still got a few unfinished ones, but the idea for this popped into my head while I was walking around town the other day and I decided that adding another unfinished story to the list wasn't neccssarily a bad thing :P Anyway, I'm drawing a blank with The Bad Influence at the moment and I'm going to rewrite Angel In Disguise at some point. As for Ti Voglio Bene, I'm not going to continue that one. That was my very first fic and I don't really like it. I'm working on another story at the moment, but that one won't be put on here until I've finished it :P So that's what's happening at the moment. I hope you enjoy this one :)

xMxAx

"Take a chance! All life is a chance.

The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare."

… Dale Carnegie …

Chapter I

Sesshoumaru Taisho sighed to himself as he looked out the window of the vehicle he was sitting in as it sped through the city streets and attempted to ignore the shiver of both excitement and dread that raced down his spine as he realised that the vehicle was slowing down. He had been a fire fighter for ten years and although he enjoyed his job, he was always apprehensive about what he would find at the scene of a fire. Today was no different from any other day as far as he was concerned. There were quiet days when his shift was spent in the warmth of the station and other times when he found himself wondering what awaited him outside the vehicle.

As his feet touched the asphalt, Sesshoumaru looked up and was greeted by the sight of a single storey building in flames. Resisting the urge to shake his head and tut at the owner's carelessness, he made his way across to where several of his colleagues were heading towards the door in search of anyone trapped within the building. Once within the building, Sesshoumaru soon realised that the building was essentially one large room with several doors leading to smaller rooms. When it became obvious that there was no one trapped within the building, the small group of men quickly left the building to help tackle the now dying flames and it was only half an hour later when the fire had been completely put out that Sesshoumaru could look around him and see the people who had been within the building.

It took a moment for him to truly accept what he was seeing as reality and not a trick his eyes were playing on him and his over active imagination, but eventually Sesshoumaru decided that he was not hallucinating. Despite the chilly winter air, several women stood near a row of parked cars clad in only underwear that left very little to the imagination. A group of men stood nearby and each of them wore grave expressions as they looked from the scantily clad women to the shell of a building behind then and Sesshoumaru could only wonder what had been going on before the blaze. In comparison to the almost inhuman calm aura that the men seemed to radiate, the women's reactions ranged from disturbed to hysterical as they stood in a tight group in an attempt to shield themselves from the inquisitive eyes of passersby and the people present at the scene.

"What was going on here?" Sesshoumaru's colleague, Kouga, asked as they approached the men.

"We needed candles for a particular shoot and the set went up in flames," one of the men answered casually as though this happened on a regular basis.

"Just what were you trying to shoot?" Kouga demanded with a frown.

"We're photographers for one of the leading womens' magazines," the unknown man explained with exaggerated patience and gestured towards the women nearby. "These ladies are the models for the latest issue but unfortunately it seemed that the one of the ideas suggested to us didn't go according to plan."

"That much is obvious," Kouga muttered and looked at the burnt building. "You got insurance?"

"Probably."

"Probably? Don't you know?"

"Not my job to know that," the man said with a shrug. "I take the photos, they publish the ones they like and pay me. That's all there is to it."

"Who owns this building?"

"The magazine, I guess. They suggested we use the place."

Shaking his head, Kouga muttered something about having to deal with irresponsible idiots before leading the man away and leaving Sesshoumaru standing alone. The long shadows on the ground indicated that the end of the day was drawing close and Sesshoumaru couldn't be more grateful as he could soon be on his way home. Relishing the thought of being in his own home, he surveyed his surroundings, not entirely sure what he was supposed to do until the police arrived. Although he was one of the longest serving fire fighters, Sesshoumaru still felt at a loss when the blaze had been put out and he was not on his way back to the station. Kouga seemed to take charge and most of the other men gladly let him do as he deemed fit while they lounged around or in the vehicle, but Sesshoumaru could never bring himself to be so nonchalant after a fire. Sometimes passersby or people who had been in the building would attempt conversation with him, but that didn't happen today and he was left to his own devices.

Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru leaned against the vehicle and found his eyes once again on the scantily clad women and he was sure that the raucous laughter that he could hear from his colleagues had something to do with the women. Most of the women seemed to have calmed down by this time and only a few who had succumbed to tears were being comforted by their friends. The stronger women of the group seemed to be oddly proud of the attention they were getting because of their slightly inappropriate attire which only made Sesshoumaru wonder how any of them could be models when they behaved in such a depraved manner, eager for any attention whether it was good or bad. However, there was one exception that caught Sesshoumaru's eye as he scanned the small group of people.

Having been under the impression that models were the kind who enjoyed showing off their body and being the centre of attention, Sesshoumaru was surprised when his amber eyes fell on a small figure sitting on the front of a car, slightly away from the other women, with her arms wrapped around her knees and her face hidden by dark hair. She was dressed in much the same way as most of her colleagues, although in Sesshoumaru's opinion, it was more tasteful than that of the other's despite the fact that it was almost transparent. Instead of revealing underwear, this woman was clad in a tantalising bright blue lace slip and although her arms shielded both her face and the front of her body from view, Sesshoumaru was willing to bet that there would be nothing left to the imagination if she were to turn around. Wondering why anyone would voluntarily wear such an article of clothing, Sesshoumaru pushed himself off the vehicle he had been leaning against and shrugged off the heavy jacket that shielded him so well from both the cold and the flames. Silently, he approached the quiet woman and draped the jacket over her shoulders and was mildly surprised when she squeaked in surprise, turning around as she looked up and revealed his earlier thoughts about her clothing to be very true.

"For the cold," Sesshoumaru said quietly by way of explanation as he watched the woman try and fail several times to form a question.

"Thank you."

A vague smile graced her lips as she pulled the enormous garment closer around her and carefully avoided the slightly heated glares from her colleagues. After a moment, she was able to collect her thoughts and looked up at the man who leaned against the car she sat on. He seemed intent of staring up at the darkening sky above him but soon looked her way when he sensed her gaze. At first glance, one would be forgiven for thinking the woman was really quite plain, but Sesshoumaru realised that that was far from the truth as he returned her steady gaze. Her short dark hair only just reached her shoulders and swayed with each movement of her head while her brown eyes held specks of gold. She had straightened her legs and Sesshoumaru discovered that they were long and slim and her hands looked very delicate as they clutched the fabric of his jacket.

"Is this a regular occurrence or am I just special?" she asked softly, looking away towards the nearby group of women who had resumed their conversation.

"I'm sorry?" Sesshoumaru stared at her in confusion as he struggled to find the meaning behind her words.
"Do you offer your jacket to many women?"

"No, this is the first time, I believe."

"Hmm… I am special then."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. In response, she tilted her head as well and gave him a teasing smile as she waited to see how he would respond. When Sesshoumaru was silent for a few moments, his attention was drawn back to the woman when she laughed softly.

"I'm Rin Nakamura," she said, her smile still in place as she looked at him.

"Sesshoumaru Taisho."

"How long have you been a fire fighter?"

"Ten years," Sesshoumaru replied, slightly taken aback by how she easily drew him into conversation.

"Really? You don't look a day over 21," Rin stated with a slight frown.

"Thank you."

Rin sighed softly and leaned back against the car as she pulled the jacket closer around her, inhaling the scent of smoke and traces of sandalwood. A slight smile crossed her face as she allowed herself to be comforted by the scents only to be brought back to reality when her companion cleared his throat.

"What were you doing in that building?" Sesshoumaru asked, pushing aside the explanation he had overheard earlier.

"Taking pictures for a magazine article."

"Dressed like that?"

"Well, it was for the lingerie section."

"Hm."

"Is it not pretty enough?" Rin asked with a coy smile as she sat up and turned to look at him with feigned innocence.

"I'm sorry?" Sesshoumaru stared at the woman in shock, completely at a loss for what to say in response.

"I thought this was pretty, don't you think so?"

There was silence as Sesshoumaru stared down at the woman who had turned around to face him, her head tilted innocently but a sly smile pulling her lips as she watched him struggle for a response. For a few minutes, there was nothing Sesshoumaru could do except expertly imitate a fish as he tried to regain his composure and form one of the cold comments he was so good at. Throughout his life, he had been known for the iron-like grip he kept on his emotions but now he was floored and all because of a lingerie model in a slip that was far to revealing for the oppressed side of his personality to handle. The jacket still hung over her shoulders and shielded her from the view of anyone other than him, but even though he knew that she was only teasing him, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but agree that the slip was indeed very pretty. Swallowing hard, he valiantly fought the blush that threatened to creep across his pale face when he realised that she wore nothing beneath slip except a thong.

"I suppose it is pretty to those who appreciate such things," Sesshoumaru said gruffly and looked away, not noticing Rin's grin.

"Do you?" Rin pressed, suppressing a giggle at the stoic man's obvious discomfort.

"Do I what?"

"Appreciate things like this?" she asked, gesturing to her skimpy garment.

"I…"

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru found himself grateful that Kouga had interrupted a conversation. His friend appeared at his shoulder with a broad grin as his blue eyes landed on the girl on the car beside his friend. Rin tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes slightly as she recognised the appreciative gleam in the newcomer's eyes. Making her disapproval obvious, she pulled her knees up to her chest and pulled the jacket around her so that only her head was visible. Kouga shook his head in amusement before turning to Sesshoumaru who watched the pair with a bemused expression.

"We can go now," Kouga said with a grin. "Our shift will be over when we get back to the station."

"The police have arrived?"

"About five minutes ago," Kouga said happily before turning to Rin. "Sorry miss, I'm going to have to take him away now."

Without another word, Sesshoumaru was dragged away by an excited Kouga. As they made their way back towards their vehicle, he cast a glance over his shoulder to the woman who had made his dislike for Kouga so obvious. She still sat on the car and sat upright as she watched them walk away. When she caught his amber gaze, Rin smiled cheerfully before slipping off the car and getting to her feet as the photographer called all the models over.

"She's a beauty, Sesh," Kouga said with a grin as he clapped his friend on the back. "You can see why she's a model. Go for it, you won't regret it."

"I won't be going for anything. I don't know her," Sesshoumaru replied irritably as he hoisted himself up into the vehicle beside his friend.

"I bet you want to."

"Kouga, my mind is not solely dedicated to women like yours. If you like her so much, then why don't you go after her?"

"She doesn't like me."

"That was quite obvious."

"Besides," Kouga said with a grin. "I have Ayame."

"The poor woman."

Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru looked out the window into the setting sun. The chances of seeing Rin again in such a large city were slim to none and even though he knew he shouldn't be, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that the odds were not stacked in his favour. Sighing to himself, he resigned himself to having lost a jacket and a chance to befriend an incredible woman.