Spare Ribs
It was not as if Sesshomaru had never seen a pregnant female before. Far from it. There were countless occasions to witness 'bulging bellies' and barefoot beauties as mothers-to-be trotted around the palce every so often.
If he were honest with himself, Sesshomaru would have to admit that he rather enjoyed the sweet fragrances of milk and flowers that seemed to pour endlessly from a woman with child.
But today, the pregnancy that was on his mind was that of his mate. Rin was very pregnant. The Oracle had said that she was over fertile, and was to bare twin sons. She was young, strong and healthy. The signs were good, and there would be no complications. Sesshomaru could not help but be proud. His 'lowly'human mate was about to do something that made every youkai female in the palace green with envy.
A youkai female is only able to bare one pup at a time. On the rare occasion when there were two, one pup often died or was physically unfit to be allowed to live.
Sesshomaru had finally returned from a patrol of some of his holdings this afternoon, and was feeling particularly 'paternal'. He despiratly needed to see his mate.
In spite of the palace's size, Sesshomaru was able to 'lock in' on Rin's scent almost immediately upon arrival. After a series of twists and turns, he'd found his mate enjoying her noontime meal. But as he approached her, an oddly familiar smell caught his nose.
Rin was radiant in her pregnancy as she sat comfortably eating her meal in one of the many sitting rooms to the couple's private quarters.
Rin graced her mate with one of her signature breath taking smiles. As Sesshomaru approached, the smell seemed to become stronger.
"Are you hungry Beloved? The cook has made me the most lovely meal!"
Sesshomaru gave Rin a kiss to her forehead before inspecting her foodstuffs. There was rice, vegetables, and….. ribs.
Sesshomauru's eye narrowed slightly when he sniffed at the meat. "No, this couldn't be what I think it is!" Rin noticed Sesshomaru's wandering eye, and lifted the small platter of meat to him.
"At least humor me and eat just one. They are positively divine!"
Not wishing to draw any attention to the meat, Sesshomaru plucked the thickest rib on the plate and consumed it - bone and all, in a few bites.
"That is good." he said trying to remain neutral. "How did you come about having this meal?"
Rin giggled. "I'd had it once before at Inuyasha and Kagome's home. If my memory serves me right, Kagome called it 'baby ribs'. I thought it was barbaric at first, and I refused to eat. But they both seemed to be enjoying it so, that I weakened and had one. I was hooked after that."
I asked Kagome for the recipe for the sauce she used, and that was that." Rin quirked an eye at a half eaten rib she was holding. "These taste a bit different somehow, but they are still delicious!"
Sesshomaru took another rib as Rin giggled. "I agree."
Rin whimpered a bit in protest as Sesshomaru turned to leave. Sensing her displeasure, he turned slightly to her.
"I will return shortly my wife, I simply wish to see if there are any more of these 'ribs' left!"
Rin smiled brightly. "Oh I hope so. I could eat another rack!" Rin did not notice Sesshomaru's eyes tint red as he turned to leave her while she was still happily munching.
Once clear of the sitting room, Sesshomaru transformed himself into a ball of light, and headed strait for Inuyasha's village. It just so happened, that Inuyasha and his mate Kagome were finishing their lunch.
The great Taiyoukai unceremoniously landed a scant few feet from the couple as he swaggered over to where they both sat in their front yard finishing what looked like a desert.
"Sister in law," Sesshomaru said with a half snarl that did not go un noticed by his younger brother, "Please tell me what it was that you fed Rin when she last visited."
Kagome seemed nonplussed by Sesshomaru's entrance, but she looked up from her meal obviously confused.
"We had barbecued spare ribs if I remember right. Why?"
"What kind of ribs?" Sesshomaru asked as his eyes went red.
Inuyasha, sensing Sesshomaru's pending anger, stood up between him and Kagome.
"We ate pork ribs. What of it? Are you looking for a fight?"
The red in Sesshomarus eyes (and his anger) quieted considerably.
"You are certain that she ate pork?"
Kagome rose to stand beside Inuyasha.
"Of course I'm certain! We had baby back ribs." Kagome put her hand to her chin as if in thought. "I remember them coming out rather good. Nice and tender! Rin even asked for the recipe for the sauce! Is there a problem? Did She get sick or something?"
Sesshomaru stood silent for a moment. "Why are the ribs named after an infant?"
Kagome chuckled. "That's because they come from the most tender part of a young pig."
Sesshomaru did his best not to roll his eyes. "Understood."
Sesshomaru then turned to leave. He had one more item to attend to before he joined Rin for the remainder of her lunch. Kagome cleared her throat. Sesshomaru did not bother with turning around to face her.
"Rin is fine." he said evenly. And with that, he was off again in a ball of light leaving a thoroughly bewildered Inuyasha and Kagome behind.
A short time later, Sesshomaru was back at his palace. Servants wisely made way as he took determined steps to the kitchens.
It took no time at all for him to find the gory remains of what was left from The Lady's luncheon.
Turning his attentions to one of his chefs, Sesshomaru glared.
"Who is responsible for the preparation lf Lady Rin's meal today?"
A chef audibly gulped and stepped forward.
"I am my lord. Our lady had just asked for us to cook the remaining ribs. She said that you would be joining her for lunch." The demon pointed to the carcass still on the cutting board. "She even said that we could eat the rest! Indeed our lady is generous!"
Suddenly, the chef started shaking in fear. "Did I not prepare it correctly? She did ask for barbecued 'baby ribs' with a sauce of her own design!" The demon licked his lips. "It was surprisingly flavorful!"
Sesshomaru sighed to himself. This was clearly a miscommunication. Turning on his heels, he went to leave.
"There was no problem. The Lady was highly pleased with your meal."
With those words, the chef beamed. "I'm honored my lord!" he said barely able to keep his pride in check. Sesshomaru got as far as the door of the kitchen before he turned around to face his cook and the other servants presant.
"Should The Lady ask for this meal ever again, you are to use a young pig's ribs instead. Do you understand?" The chef nodded.
"Under no circumstances is she to ever find out what it was that she'd eaten today." Sesshomaru passed a stern glare to all present. "Your lives depend upon your silence."
All nodded in agreement, although many didn't understand what all of the fuss was about. After all, didn't demons eat human children almost every day?