Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha but I'd like to own Sesshoumarou :D
"Sesshoumarou-sama."
The girl, who has been the demon lord's companion for ten short years, called out to him as he gently placed several stray strands of her lustrous hair behind her ear. The moon is already hanging low in the sky and the first rays of morning light are slowly clearing away the shadows of the night. He has given in to her request to be with him, willingly so.
"Yes Rin." The demon lord's golden eyes are fixed on the young woman's face as he took in the small smile that played on her lips.
"Milord, do you know what is love?" The unexpected question unnerved the white-haired youkai as evident from the small frown that threatened to overtake his handsome features and the way his hand tightened around hers. He has no answer to the question, perhaps, because if he allowed himself to be truthful enough, he would never be able to take back his words. Or perhaps he refuses to admit it, because it is too much, too powerful, even for a man who is called the Lord of the Western Lands.
"I have no definite answer to that Rin." Rin's tiny smile widened and he could honestly say her eyes are laughing.
"I know milord. And I want to tell you."
"You shouldn't exert yourself." The girl trained her mesmerizing eyes on his and just with that glance he just could not force himself to be firm with her.
"When Kagome and Inu-yasha bicker and make-up and bicker and make-up again, is that love?" With that question, the demon lord permitted himself a tiny smile. "When Miroku gropes Sango and Sango slaps him, is it love?" The young woman could tell that her lord is curious as to how she gathered the information.
"I observed them several times milord, when you were off somewhere with your conquests and didn't want to bring me." Silence permeated between them as they contemplated each other's thoughts. He thought that it was for the better, not bringing her with him, for it was too dangerous. It's not that he could not protect her; it's just that he wanted, more than anything else, for her to continue living. But those rare journeys often brought out the worst in him, perhaps due to the longing that he tried not to notice but which pervaded his soul nonetheless. She thought it was for the better, for her to be left behind, for she didn't want to be a burden to her lord. At those times though, she cried herself to sleep and when he arrives, he often asks what made her eyes puffy. But she answers him with those smiles reserved specially for him as she thanks the gods that the most precious person is safe and tries to shake the loneliness out of her heart.
"Why are you asking this now Rin?" the demon lord asked as his normally commanding voice dropped down to a soft husky whisper, almost tender, that earned another smile from the girl.
"We don't do those things milord." Her lord seemed to be appalled the idea of bickering and groping. The proof is in the way his mouth slightly opened. She wanted to laugh, laugh as hard as she could but her body does not permit it. But the demon lord recovered in an instant.
"We never did those things milord." He pretended not to know what she is talking about even though his chest felt heavy. It's as if his heart, if he permits himself to admit he has one, is being squeezed with something akin to regret.
"We never did those things but you should know what love is milord." By now, the sadness he could never have imagined experiencing because of a human seemed to engulf his very being. Is it possible? Is this possible? To have his eyes flooded with crystal clear tears? And he muses to himself that everything is possible. For his Rin.
"You should know Sesshoumarou, because I love you" the girl whispered as she placed as kissed on her lord's hand and fell into that deep infinite slumber called death.
He walked deep into the forest, in the very heart of his lands, with lilacs and lilies adorning his hands. As he approached the place he had ever since deemed special and sacred, the loneliness – which seemed to be the mantra of his soul by now – dug deeper into his heart. He allowed himself to shed a few tears before kneeling down and placing the fresh flowers on her grave.
"I'm doing well Rin. Don't worry about me."
As his custom during this time of the year, he looked at the sky, which reminds him of the only being who opened the doors to his heart, and uttered the words he wished he could have spoken to her more frequently, more openly, and more fervently, when she was still by his side.
"I love you too Rin."
This is my first Inuyasha fic so please review and be gentle. Onegai! Arigatou!