Summary: A familial fluff between Sesshomaru and Rin. Rin has a bad dream and goes to her lord, and poor Sesshy is beside himself, not knowing what to do. Gee, what do you think might happen? I know that this plot is overly used in many a fanfic, but just like them, I had to add my own touch with my own favorite characters. I hope you enjoy it as I had writing it, and review. Flames are greatly accepted, since I find flamers quite interesting. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

~~~~~~What the Night Holds~~~~~~

A storm raged outside the fortress; flashes of light consumed the sky as the ground gradually flooded from conspiring rainclouds. Of all nights, it had to be this one, the one night where the Tai Youkai needed sleep. He laid in the dark within his private chambers, upon a grand and luxurious bed with the curtains tightly shut against the squall, but his sensitive ears remained victim to the harsh thunder, the nonstop patter of rain on glass. Oh, how he loathed the rain. Not only did it hamper his keen sense of smell and hearing, it would rob him of his sleep as well! The Lord of the West glared at the ceiling, as though it were the source of his suffering. As he glowered, a soft cry within the castle walls could be heard. He was reminded of Rin, who also occupied one of his chambers. Immediately smothering the offending urge to check on her, he also reminded himself that, on nights like these, she had a tendency to dream of the wolf attack that led to her death. She wasn't in any danger, so there was no need to see her. Turning on his left side, his back to the door, he resolved himself to view everything as inane, and closed his eyes. In the distance, he could hear the surrounding trees creak to the force of the gale; the storm surged to its climax. A small time went by, and an alarming scream rent the still air within the building – Rin's death scream. Sesshomaru would never admit it, but it unnerved him somewhat to hear her create such a sound.

The opening of a door and the soft padding of tiny feet soon followed the scream, finding themselves at the other side of the Tai Youkai's door. Rin was about to knock, but noticed that the lights weren't on as usual. As silently as she could, the little girl opened his door, finding his back to her with his side gently rising and falling. She would have left him alone, but she was too terrified to be by herself, too afraid to go back to that large and dark room of hers, where the shadows mercilessly played with her mind. Stepping inside, she quietly closed his door and curled up in a trembling ball on the plush rug beside her lord's bed. A few seconds went by before Sesshomaru softly inquired,

"Rin. What are you doing?"

A small gasp escaped the girl as she jolted upright. Her lord gracefully shifted to his right side and sat up with his one arm, taking in the sight before him: Rin's face white with fear, her cheeks tearstained; she knelt before him in a tremulous state. He knew the fear wasn't due to him.

"I-I apologize, m-my lord," she stammered. "I d-didn't m-mean to wake you."

"I was not asleep." He quietly stated.

"Oh." Rin went silent for a moment. The storm outside still continued to rage.

"M-may I stay here - with you? J-just for tonight?"

A pause. "Why?" He was genuinely puzzled by her question.

"I-I feel safe when you're nearby."

"You do know that it was a dream, do you not?"

Rin hung her head, a little color returning to her cheeks.

"Yes, I do know. But…" she stopped. Her eyes grew distant and troubled; tears flowed freely once more as she began to remember - her body continued to quake.

Calmly, he gazed at Rin, and for a moment, he could not help but think of how ironic this scenario was: in most cases, he wouldn't even be the last person on anyone's list of who to run to for comfort, save for this little human girl…

In a small huff, Sesshomaru sighed through his nose, the smell of tears and fear agitating it just a little. He didn't exactly know what to do: He didn't find it expedient for her to leave, but how in the seven hells was he to know how to comfort this child if she were to stay? He froze. A memory, from long ago, faintly flickered in the back of his mind, and before he knew what he was doing, his body seemed to move of its own accord – his taloned hand gently patted the area beside him, sliding back a ways to give more room, and made a space between his arm and his torso. At first, Rin couldn't grasp the meaning to this, but as she stared, she realized she didn't have to sleep alone. A smile sheepishly grew on her face as she clambered onto the high bed and slid beneath the covers into Sesshomaru's loose – if not unsure - embrace, burying her face in his mighty chest, and clutching his garments. Such personal contact felt alien to the Lord of the West, and yet…as he lay there, with Rin safely in his arm, the reassurance he had tried to give seemed to have a counter effect. As this tiny bundle of innocence and warmth held on to him, inhaled his scent, and found solace…so too…did he. Was this love? As soon as the question entered his mind, he made sure it left as quickly as it came – but he couldn't quite crush the feeling of something melting within his heart. Unable to understand it at the moment, he decided to focus on the present, and tentatively held her close to him.

Not long after this small act of kindness, both fell into a blissful slumber, despite the storm.

~~~~~~What the Day Reveals~~~~~~

"Dooooohhhh," groaned the imp outwardly. "Lord Sesshomaru will be most unpleased with what I have to tell him! I fear the worst of his wrath." He shuddered at the thought.

Why is it always me that has to tell him the bad news? Jaken despaired. Not only has the castle received much damage from the storm's tempest, but Rin has disappeared as well! I have searched high and low for her myself, but I have yet to find her!

It was nearly noon, with Jaken fretting to and fro. He had noticed that his lord had yet to leave his room, and grew unsure as to whether or not disturb him with his troubles. Finally, determined that Rin's disappearance was at least of some importance to his master, he trudged up to the door that led to the master bedroom…and stared. A foreboding aura seemed to envelope the door, as if daring him to knock, and meet a questionable fate.

"Perhaps I should look for Rin one more time – you can never be too thorough!"

Sweating, the imp sharply turned back to where he came from and stiffly marched away from the door. Had he entered, he would have beheld something so tender, that he would rather kill himself than to have his lord decide what to do with him. Within the room, a Sesshomaru could be found lying on his back, with little Rin sleeping soundly upon his chest as it gradually rose and fell, his hand securely on her back, and with a small, serene smile on his lips.

~END

Well, what do you think? Just to let you know, I get my highs off of reviews. lol. Why? Because they are my ego-points, and right now my ego-meter is nearly running on empty.