She had grown; Rin was no longer the little girl that—despite being weak, small, and insignificant—seemed to show little fear toward the great dog demon, Sesshomaru, when she came across him lying wounded in the forest about ten years in the past. No, she was no longer that pitiful little girl who had somehow broken through Sesshomaru's defenses, and he recognized this all too well.

Since Naraku's defeat, the warring era seemed less hostile. Humans and demons alike could live their lives rather peacefully, save for the minor disputes between the different species here and there. The Lord of the Western Lands had, in the last ten or so years, found himself with increasingly more time on his hands, and in turn, had found himself wandering to Kaede's village more and more often. With Naraku's death came somewhat of a parting for him and Rin, as he had been so used to looking over his shoulder and seeing her following closely behind. It was his idea that she should learn to live with the humans, and yet, for a reason unbeknownst to himself, the silver-haired youkai felt a twinge of regret at his decision.

Sitting in a tree at the outer perimeter of the village, Sesshomaru watched as Rin gathered herbs. In the last couple of years, he and his former traveling companion had grown into a comfortable silence; many times, they would not partake in conversation, but instead, both demon and human would wordlessly enjoy the other's company and the ease it brought to them. Closing his eyes, the silver-haired youkai listened to the young woman's sweet singing.

Upon opening his eyes again, Sesshomaru realized that he must have carelessly allowed himself to drift off into a slumber; events such as this were the things he hated about visiting Rin. He often found himself abandoning his normal vigilance in one way or another, but as much as he resented his weaknesses, he could not force himself to remain away from his old companion for too long. Why did I allow myself to wander to this meager village this time? he thought to himself, glancing up towards the stars that had overtaken the sky while he napped.

"Oh! Lord Sesshomaru, you're awake!" Sesshomaru looked down from his perch in the tree to see Rin sitting in the grass below him. To her outburst, he nodded his head slightly, giving her the "okay" to continue. "I am happy that you came to visit me today, mi'lord! I have waited up for you. I thought that since, upon the coming day, it will be my birthday, I might be able to spend a little extra time in your company!"

Ah, that was it; Sesshomaru remembered. He had come because he knew that the young woman's birthday was approaching.

"Do as you please, Rin."

At the demon lord's words, the innocent girl's eyes lit up. "Thank you, mi'lord! I shall return shortly. I'd like to show you what Lady Kagome gifted me! Be right back!"

Rin began prancing back to the village upon finishing her thought, not waiting for Sesshomaru to reply. He watched after her, sighing a bit to himself. A day of birth…Such a meaningless thing to demons such as myself, and yet, such an important part of human culture; they live fleeting, pathetic lives and feel as though they must celebrate each year that they manage to survive. I cannot bring myself to understand such a useless practice, but Rin shows joy towards this day year after year. Therefore, I continue bestowing gifts upon her in an act of false celebration. This year marks her being eighteen years of age—a milestone in human culture, signifying a person reaching adulthood. Truly, mortals are pointless creatures.

The silver-haired demon was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of soft footsteps coming toward him. He glanced over to be met with a sight that, for a split second, caused his breathing to cease. Kagome had given Rin a beautiful new kimono as a birthday gift, and it flattered the young woman entirely. The kimono was white as newly fallen snow and was decorated with red swirls. The crimson sash hugged Rin's now developed hips firmly, and the collar of the garment hung loosely to reveal the top of her chest. The innocent girl's pale skin and midnight black hair complimented the kimono in a way that the demon lord had never seen before.

"Do you like it, Lord Sesshomaru? I absolutely love it!" Rin clapped her hands as she spoke and then spun around to show off her new attire a bit more.

"It is a fine kimono, Rin." Sesshomaru spoke calmly and did not waste words. Though to his companion, he seemed cool and collected as he always had been, the dog youkai was startled by his reaction to the girl so happily dancing around on the ground beneath him. For the first time, Rin's beauty had come to the forefront of his mind; she had grown into a stunning young woman—a diamond among mere coal. He kept his gaze on her, taking in her image and attempting to collect his wandering thoughts.

Rin stopped spinning as she seemed to notice Sesshomaru's unease. "Have I done something wrong, mi'lord? Are you alright?"

"Yes," the silver-haired lord stated simply while gracefully descending from his spot in the tree. "I will give you your gift now, Rin." Sesshomaru pulled out a small wooden box that looked to be hand carved, flower designs adorning the sides. Rin cheerfully took the present from her master and carefully opened it up. Gazing upon the contents of the box, she froze, earning a questioning look from Sesshomaru. "Is it not to your liking?"

"Lord Sesshomaru…I could not have asked for a more wonderful gift! Please, mi'lord, help me put it on!" Rin pushed the box back into the dog youkai's hand, turning around to allow him to put her gift around her neck. He could never admit it, but he had gone out of his way to have the perfect necklace commissioned. Just as the sides of box had been, the charms on the silver necklace were crafted into the shape of flowers, each charm containing small diamonds and pink crystals. The gift rivaled even the elegancy of the kimono that Kagome had picked out for her friend.

Sesshomaru accepted Rin's request and carefully placed the necklace around her neck; just as soon as he finished, Rin whirled around to face him with a large smile adorning her face. "Thank you so much, mi'lord! I promise to take good care of this. I've never received anything like it!"

Sesshomaru met his former traveling companion's gaze and noticed the sparkle in her eyes. He felt a wave of tranquility wash over him and take hold of his body. Before he could put any of his usual thought into his actions, he leaned forward and planted his lips upon Rin's; she gasped, but, to Sesshomaru's surprise, she quickly returned his gesture. When the dog demon finally regained his normal composure, he swiftly pulled back from the kiss, leaving his companion in a daze. "L-lord Sesshomaru…Y-you…" she stuttered out in a hushed voice that was starkly different from her typical sound.

"Pay no heed to my action, Rin. I do not know what came over me, but it was merely a mistake," Sesshomaru exclaimed in an attempt to cover up what he had done, earning a slightly pained look from Rin.

"But…my lord…"

"I must go," stated the confused demon, turning away from the young woman he had just kissed.

"Please, Lord Sesshomaru, don't go! Listen to me, even if just this once!" The crack in Rin's voice halted Sesshomaru in his tracks. As he glimpsed back over his shoulder, he noticed tears carelessly strolling down the flustered girl's face. "I did as you asked me to, mi'lord; I've lived with my own kind, but I long to be by your side still! There is a constant battle that goes on inside of me between misery and happiness. The happiness is from the friends that I've made, and the misery is from me living a life that is not suited for my heart. I wish to travel with you once again; I wish to be at your side even though I know you are fine standing alone! I apologize for speaking out, my lord, but I couldn't bear to be silent about my true feelings any longer. If you truly did not mean that kiss…it doesn't matter to me. My heart is most joyous with you, and that is where I want to be, forever…"

At her final words, the onyx-haired girl dropped to her hands and knees in a respectful bow. The dog youkai, against his true form, unwillingly allowed his eyes to remain widened. He feared there would be no response that he could offer that would save Rin from heartache or harm, whether at this point in time or in the future. He had missed her being at his side dearly; in this moment, he saw this clearly, but she was still just a young mortal girl who remained naïve to the true evils of the world. He could not determine whether allowing her to accompany him again or forcing her to stay in the human village would do more damage.

Thoughts rushed in and out of Sesshomaru's head; he had never experienced such confusion and emotion, and because of this, he was not confident in what to do. As instinct took over, Sesshomaru knelt down onto one knee and raised Rin's face so that their eyes could meet. "Rin," was all that he could muster out before once again pushing his lips into his companion's. In this instance, he did not care about his pride as a demon or his responsibility as a lord; it was all trivial to him in comparison to the beautiful young woman in front of him.

After lingering in their position for what felt like eternity, Rin pulled away from her lord, whispering softly through labored breaths. "For this birthday of mine, mi'lord, I wish for you to take my body as yours." Sesshomaru was taken aback by her words. Take…her…? he thought to himself, staying silent and allowing for the girl to continue. "I…I am no demon. I lack power, and I have fleeting emotions with a life that lasts about as long they do. However, I ask that you break me into my new womanhood. I could not imagine allowing anyone else this opportunity, so please, mi'lord. I beg of you: take me."

Without saying a word, the Lord of the Western Lands gently guided his companion into leaning back against a nearby tree; he swiftly pulled on the sash holding Rin's kimono together, tugging it off. Although a deep red blush remained plastered across her face, the young woman sat still, not fighting against her master's actions in the least. He slid his hand under the cloth of her kimono and took her breast into his hand, running his finger over her nipple and causing her to shiver in pleasure. He had not wanted to find himself in this position due to his pride as a demon and his role as Rin's protector, but now that he and his companion were in the moment, he had little restraint.

"Rin, remove your clothing if this is what you truly desire, but know that once we begin, we will be in no position to cease our affairs. Is this understood?"

With a slight nod of her head, the young woman that had once traveled with Sesshomaru stood and began removing her clothing; the silver-haired demon followed suit, attempting to control his longings as best he could. As soon as they were both unclothed, Sesshomaru pinned his now-lover against the tree and allowed his dick to naturally fall between her legs.

"I will ask you once more, Rin," the agitated youkai started, breathing noticeably heavy, "are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, my lord," Rin replied while looking sternly into her master's eyes.

"Then lift your leg," Sesshomaru instructed. The young woman did as she was told, and Sesshomaru took his large dick into his hand, positioning it so that he would be able to push into his lover. Once situated, he wrapped his arm around his lover's leg to keep it elevated before pushing into her, earning a loud yelp of pain. He hushed her, giving her an almost cold but also reassuring look. Sesshomaru sat still inside of her, inwardly fighting off his strong demonic desire to just begin thrusting himself in and out of her tight walls, until she nodded her head in confirmation that he could continue. Slowly, he began rocking his hips so that his cock would continuously find its way in and out of his lover; he picked up speed with each thrust until he was ramming himself inside of her and causing her to moan uncontrollably in pleasure.

"Lord…Sesshomaru…My stomach feels…so tight…" Rin struggled out between labored breaths, obviously not sure how to feel about this new sensation.

"Do not worry, Rin. Give into that feeling; allow me to release that tension," Sesshomaru replied, pushing his dick as deep into Rin's pussy as he could. He felt his lover's walls tighten around him as she screamed out in ecstasy; feeling her release herself brought him to his breaking point as well, and he allowed himself to come deep within her.

Both human and demon leaned into one another and panted; pleasure had led into welcomed exhaustion. The demon lord helped his mortal companion back into her kimono and then put his own clothes back on. Once dressed, he began walking away from her, causing a sad expression to make its way onto her previously content face. "Are you…leaving already, mi'lord?" she questioned, very noticeably trying to sound as unbothered as she could by the situation.

"Hn. Do not ask such foolish questions. I am merely waiting for you to show me the way to your home in the village so that we may rest for the remainder of the night," Sesshomaru replied, stopping to allow for his lover to catch up with him.

"Oh! I would be so happy to have you stay with me tonight, my lord! I do sometimes get lonely in my home by myself…"

"Those feelings will no longer be necessary. We will be departing from this village after you have said your goodbyes tomorrow."

"My…goodbyes?" Rin's eyes widened in realization. "Lord Sesshomaru, are you saying that I may accompany you on your journey once again?"

"If it is what you wish for, then I will allow it."

At Sesshomaru's words, Rin squealed with glee, and then the two very quickly fell into another comfortable silence, allowing for the silver-haired demon's thoughts to creep back into his mind. I am not allowing this for her sake alone, but my own. How could I have been so blind to my own discontent without her at my side? Human lives are so fleeting, and yet, I am compelled to remain with Rin. Suddenly, I feel as though I can understand the human practice of celebrating the day that they were born because today I have realized what a short but valuable life Rin has, and every year, every week, every day that I am able to walk this Earth with her is a cause for celebration. The grim reality is that I will not have the opportunity to look over my shoulder and see her following closely behind forever, so for now, happy birthday, my dearest Rin.