Teo torriatte (let us cling together)

By kira

Chapter 1

When I'm gone
No need to wonder if I ever think of you
The same moon shines
The same wind blows
For both of us, and time is but a paper moon...
Be not gone…

Let us cling together as the years go by
Oh my love, my love
In the quiet of the night
Let our candle always burn
Let us never lose the lessons we have learned…

From "Teo torriatte" by Brian May. It can be found on the A day at the Races cd.

For Sessh/Rin lovers everywhere…

Author's note: Please be aware that this is a spoiler of sorts for the ending of the Inuyasha series as it appears in manga form, so read with CAUTION.

It takes place roughly five years after those events.

Special thanks to Jen as always for polishing this fic, and getting Sessh to talk to me when he was being uncooperative. ;p

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Rin fingered the soft silk of the red obiage. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Sadly, it felt so out of place in the village she now called home, although she had to admit it went perfectly with the latest kimono her beloved Sesshomaru-sama had brought her. The fifteen year old sighed softly. She felt torn between her new life in the village as Kaede's assistant and the life she had almost forgotten living with Sesshomaru and Jaken.

Sighing softly again, Rin folded the gauzy bit of silk up and packed it away in the wooden chest Sesshomaru had given her shortly after the decision was made for her to remain behind. Closing the lid, she lovingly ran a hand across the smooth, lacquered surface. Hastily wiping the tears that silently fell down her cheeks, Rin pushed away from the chest and stood. After giving it one last longing look, the fifteen year old, turned on her heel and left the hut she shared with the old woman.

"Kaede-sama!" Rin called out. "I've finished bundling the herbs. Is there anything else you need me for? Kaede-sama? Where are you?" She looked around, half expecting to see the old miko tending the small herb garden they had planted together just outside the hut. "Kaede-sama!" I wonder where you are…

Sesshomaru stood quietly, watching her from the nearby shadows of the forest, a sour expression on his normally placid face. For eight long years, he had visited the village bringing presents to reassure Rin that he still thought of her. Although, as the years dragged on it seemed as if the presents were becoming more and more of a reassurance she was the one who thought about him. He could still hear his mother's laughter ringing in his ears when she figured it out. Her only son, now a taiyoukai in his own right, had blindly followed down the same path as her late husband, his father, had. Both had unwittingly fallen in love with a human and instead of angering her, the Inuyoukai woman found it hilarious. It was something she never failed to point out to her son whenever he chose to grace her with his presence. The fact that his brother also found it funny bothered Sesshomaru just as much if not more. At least the ancestral spirit of his father had the good graces to remain silent on the subject.

Rin frowned. She had the unnerving feeling of being watched and she hoped it was not that annoying peasant boy, Aki, who often feigned an illness just to visit with her under the guise of seeing the old miko. "Go away, Aki-san, I'm busy!" she snapped irritably.

Sesshomaru growled.

The soft, yet menacing sound would terrorize a normal person, but upon hearing it, Rin relaxed, the tension in her body melting away like snow on a warm spring day. "Sesshomaru-sama…" she said softly, turning towards the forest.

"Rin."

"Thank you for the pretty sash. It looks so beautiful next to the kimono you gave me."

Sesshomaru nodded briefly in reply as he stepped from the shadows. He steeled himself to remain calm in her presence, resisting the urge to reach out and grasp her hand. It was all he could do not to return her warm smile.

"How's Jaken-sama?"

"Fine."

She nodded wordlessly. Looking down at her feet, Rin swallowed, trying hard to control the butterflies that danced in her stomach. Lately, whenever he came by to visit, he seemed to have this strange effect on her and it left her confused. She hated feeling this way because along with the confusion, there was a sense of longing. It was not the childish longing of wanting to be with him forever, but the more adult longing of wanting him to enfold her in his arms the way she had seen his brother hold Kagome when they thought they were alone. Thoughts of stolen kisses made her blush prettily as she sighed.

As she was studying the ground at her feet, Rin missed the smile that briefly flitted across his face. Her soft sighing was not lost to him however, and Sesshomaru, correctly interpreting behavior, added one of his own, although, his was one of relief that she still cared for him. A tiny voice of hope pointed out in his head that she possibly returned his feelings while another, louder voice nicely pointed out that she had yet to give him any gifts in return, signifying her acceptance of him. Sesshomaru growled softly when yet another little voice in his head chimed in, pulling Rin from her reverie.

"Are you alright, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked, her concern for him written all over her face.

"Yes."

"I thought maybe…" Rin trailed off helplessly.

"You thought wrong. This Sesshomaru is fine."

Rin smiled at him in reply. The silence that stretched between them was awkward, and yet, familiar and comforting at that same time, as if no words were needed between them. Just when it was beginning to be unbearable, Rin blinked, remembering her manners. "Sesshomaru-sama? Would you like something to eat? Or a cup of tea?"

For a minute, Sesshomaru found himself in the past, reliving the moment of their first meeting, but just as quickly as it had come, the moment passed when Rin laughed ruefully.

"Silly me!" she chided herself. "How could I forget you don't like human food?"

"Indeed," Sesshomaru said curtly, and there was something in her expression that made him quickly add, "But if you wish to make tea, then this Sesshomaru will join you."

"Really?"

"Yes." Without another word, he turned on his heel and headed towards the hut, Rin trailing behind him as she did so many times as a child.

888

Sesshomaru entered the hut, holding the bamboo mat aside for her, which surprised Rin. Normally the dour taiyoukai would have simply entered, leaving her to avoid getting hit as it swished back into place. Smiling, she entered as well, and quickly set to work making tea as well as slicing an apple for him to eat.

Sesshomaru stood for several minutes as he watched her, before deciding to make himself comfortable on the floor across from her. He nodded in approval at the efficient way Rin worked and what appeared on the surface to be a simple domestic scene took on an air of something deeper. It was as if Rin was welcoming him back into her life formally with a tea ceremony, rather than simply offering him refreshment.

He wondered if he dared to bring her home to his mother, this wild, semi-tamed little girl who was in the first blush of womanhood, to add to her education and make her into something, no someone who would command respect as befitting the wife and mate of a taiyoukai. In Sesshomaru's mind, the fact that she was human and therefore even more beneath him than her peasant status, was irrelevant, she and she alone had touched his heart in a way no one, youkai, human or even hanyou ever had before. Not even Kagura, who was just as wild in her own way, had made him feel like this. Sighing softly, he now realized with a start, he finally understood his father in way he never had before, not even when Rin had first wandered into his life.

What had once been a curiosity and a possible food source became a pet of sorts, before becoming a real responsibility and with that his first steps to adulthood, had somewhere along the way become an object of desire. It may have taken him eight years to admit it to himself, but admit it he did. He had lost his heart to a mere slip of girl and a human one at that. But what really unsettled him was the fact that he felt no shame at all in loving her. It felt as natural as roaming the lands he inherited from his father, and ignoring Jaken's inane chatter. And it made his decision to leave her behind all the more painful, since it raised the possibility that she would want remain there with some human male at her side. Since these were thoughts that were best ignored, Sesshomaru did just that, like he did with everything he encountered that unsettled him. So he let his mind go blank and concentrated instead on simply watching her.

Rin felt herself blushing under his vacant gaze. As much as it pleased her, it also unnerved her, as she could not remember him ever looking at her so intently. It was like he was committing her every move to memory and it saddened her while thoughts of him saying, "Good-bye," for good flooded her mind. Looking down while she poured the tea, her breath caught in her throat as she stifled her tears, so she missed the brief frown and look of concern that flitted across his face. Rin paused ever so slightly, so that she could calm herself down, and when she looked up at him, eyes bright with unshed tears, her smile was genuine. Looking back down at the tea bowl, her smile faded as if she were trying to capture the formality of the tea ceremony. Picking up the delicate tea bowl, she solemnly held it out to him.

Sesshomaru took it from her. He smiled inwardly, for she had used the fine porcelain bowl he had given her. It was adorned with a simple pattern of butterflies and red clover, the slight imperfections in its glaze enhancing its beauty the way her humanity enhanced hers. Raising it to his lips, he sipped. The hot thin tea had a slight bitter taste which complimented the apple slices she had set before him. He was not one for human food, or simply food in general, but he tolerated it when the need arose to do so. But this was different. It may have a simple snack, but there was also an air of formality to it that he found pleasing. The fact that it also calmed his fears, about not doing the right thing by leaving her here, was not lost on him.

And he felt as though he had made the right decision by pursuing her like a courtesan of the highest rank. It allowed him to remain distant from her, lest the village as a whole become aware of his feelings towards her, while giving him an excuse to visit as well as lavish her with gifts. And if the unthinkable should happen and there was a village boy who had captured her heart, then everything could be explained away as the actions of a doting parent or guardian. Once she was married off and comfortably settled, he would be secure in the knowledge that she would be fine. Then he could leave this place forever, no matter how much it tore his heart to think about the possibility of that happening.

The uncertainty of where he stood with her left him with a restlessness that had him longing to wander the western lands, while a part of him wanted to remain where he was by her side. To cover up his discomfiture, Sesshomaru took another sip of tea. He savored the bitter taste, letting it roll over his tongue and down his throat. When he noticed Rin was not having any tea, Sesshomaru carefully wiped the edge of the tea bowl with his fingers, and turning it around; he offered the bowl to her.

"Thank you," Rin said, taking the proffered bowl.

"You're welcome."

Rin took a sip of tea before repeating his previous action, setting in motion a game of give and take. As they passed the tea back and forth between themselves, Rin remembered Kagome's and Inuyasha's wedding and the cups of sake they had passed back and forth. It was a quick step to imagining her wedding to Sesshomaru. The fifteen year old could see herself in her mind's eye, wearing a red silk kimono that was decorated with his crest rather than the traditional pines and cranes, as well as an obi that was identical to his. She was so caught up in her fantasies that it was several minutes before she realized he was speaking to her. Without thinking, she replied, "What is it, Husband?"

That softly uttered word left Sesshomaru speechless and not only that, he found he was unable to coax his shocked, yet hopeful, expression into a more suitable frown. They stared at each other for several long tense minutes, Rin blushing as she realized she had called him husband while the color seemed to drain out of the dour taiyoukai's face. The longer the silence stretched between them, the more unsettling it became until Sesshomaru finally found his voice and said, "Husband?" while a mental image of himself ripping a human male to shreds, only to feast on his flesh, flashed in his head. It ended with a pleasant image of him relieving himself on the bones of the idiot foolish enough to steal hisRin's heart. "Who is this impudent male?" he demanded.

"Who?" Rin, taken aback by his imperial tone, repeated.

"The human who dares steal your heart," the taiyoukai growled low in his throat. "Who is he?"

"No one has stolen my heart," she said in what she hoped was a reasonable and placating tone. It has always belonged to you…

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her. He was mad with jealousy and overwhelmed by the emotion he normally associated with his brother. Part of him was sure she was lying to protect some weak and foolish mortal, while the calmer, more rational part of his psyche insisted she that she had never lied to him about anything except for…Kohaku. "What about Kohaku?" he asked, his tone deathly calm, as he raised a delicate eyebrow at her.

"Kohaku…?" Rin repeated. She blinked several times, while wondering that came from.

"Yes Kohaku," Sesshomaru said. Having finally regained control of his emotions, he let his expression go blank as he stared her down. "And stop foolishly repeating everything I say."

Rin nodded. At this point she would do anything to appease him as she was frightened he would go on a rampage through the village, destroying the place in his search for the taijiya, whom she had not seen since the birth of his niece. "Kohaku hasn't been here since winter, when Sango-sama had a baby. She's really cute; you would like her, Sesshomaru-sama…" Rin rambled on. "Her name's Rin too. She didn't want to cry at first and I told Sango-sama not to worry as I didn't cry when I first met you and then Kaede-sama flicked her foot and she let out a howl that had Miroku-sama running to see what was wrong…" She tittered nervously, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as she tried not to wilt under his gaze.

"Then who is this 'Aki'?"

"He's just some village boy that's forever getting sick or hurt," she stated matter-of-factly. Kagome-chan says he does that because he likes me, but it's so irritating…

"I see."

"He means nothing to me, Sesshomaru-sama," Rin insisted. "He's more annoying than Jaken-sama." She covered her mouth, embarrassed by what she had just said. "Forgive me, I didn't mean it to say that. I know Jaken-sama meant well…"

Sesshomaru's lips involuntarily twitched into the briefest of smiles, but Rin had no idea if it was simple fondness for his old vassal or relief that his fears about Aki were assuaged. She was about to return his smile when he said, "Then who were you calling 'husband'?"

Rin giggled and sputtered, "I…I…" before trailing off helplessly. Her giggles soon became all-out laughter as she pointed at him. "You…" she chortled.

Sesshomaru held up his hand as if that would stop her mirth. He was more upset that she had caught him in the throes of so base an emotion as jealousy than he was by her amusement over it. Hiding his discomfiture with a blank stare that only made her laugh louder; the taiyoukai let his mind drift to more important thoughts. So she has longings too…?And for me? His heart warmed by the thought that she loved him; he reached out in a soft whisper of silk, gently caressing her cheek and quieting her laughter. How could I have doubted you?

Rin, enfolding his hand in hers, held it against her cheek. She had fluttery feelings deep within when skin lovingly touched skin in this primal expression of love and she suspected he did too which was why he never pulled away. Long ignored longings surfaced as each passing minute stretched into an eternity.

Should I kiss her…?

Will he kiss me…?

Is this what I want…?

Why is he hesitating…?

Rin…

Sesshomaru…sama…

He leaned forward and she moved towards him until they rested their foreheads against each other's. It something they had often done when she was a child while she whispered her fears into the darkness so as not wake Jaken. He would reply just as softly with a few stilted words of comfort, before holding her until she drifted off to sleep. But this time when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, it was he who needed the comfort of her touch and the wordless assurance that she would always be there for him. They clung to one another, and Sesshomaru buried his nose in hair, breathing in the warm clean scent of jasmine and the unique fragrance that was "Rin." It was as comforting as it was familiar and they felt as though they could not only feel each other's heartbeat, but hear it as well.

Nuzzling her cheek, Sesshomaru whispered, "Rin…" softly in her ear.

"Hnnn…?" she replied breathlessly.

"You wish to make this Sesshomaru your husband." Although he stated it matter-of-factly, Rin could still hear the question in his tone.

"Yes."

"Then this Sesshomaru will grant you that wish."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama!" she cried, hugging him tightly.

"When?"

"When what?" Rin asked, pulling away from their embrace as a puzzled frown settled over her features.

"When do you wish to formalize our relationship?"

"Oh…" She blushed prettily. "But I haven't formally accepted… I mean, I don't think so…I, I... ummm…"

Sesshomaru blinked. "No?"

"No…" she reluctantly admitted as the silence awkwardly stretched between them again.

Sesshomaru nodded.

"It's just that I wasn't sure what you meant by all the pretty gifts. When I was younger, I was happy you hadn't left me here and forgotten about me, but when I saw some of my friends in the village get pretty things from the boys they liked… I ummm…" Rin trailed off helplessly.

"What…?"

"I ummm… I hoped it meant you liked me too. But then I wasn't sure because I don't have any parents, so you couldn't ask them if you could marry me, nor could you go work for them. But I could go work for your mother." She winced at the look he gave her.

"You must not think like a peasant, Rin. If you wish to live with my mother, then you shall, but not as a servant."

She nodded. "I suppose I could, but wouldn't Kaede-sama and all my friends miss me?"

He frowned. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Everything! I live here now, and I have friends here and then there's Inuyasha-sama, and Kagome-sama, and Miroku-sama, and Sango-sama and-"

"Rin, there is no need to name everyone in this village."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama." She looked away, properly chastised and he felt terrible about upsetting her. "I know!" she said, changing the subject. "Wait here." Rin stood up and walked over to the wooden chest he had given her when she first came to live with Kaede. Opening it, she looked inside, before taking out a wrapped bundle of cotton. Bringing it back, she handed it to him. "You can open it. I'm sorry it's not the best thing I've ever made, but it was the first thing I did." Rin smiled shyly.

Sesshomaru looked down at the bundle in his hands. Casting a quick glance at her before he gingerly untied it, the taiyoukai carefully opened the bundle. Inside, he found what appeared to be a black kimono with the tri-pattern of honeycombed sakura blossoms embroidered like a formal crest on both sides. He picked up the garment and shook it out as a brief smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"It's supposed to be a haori," Rin said helpfully.

"This Sesshomaru can see that." He looked up at her, nodding briefly in approval. "It's beautiful. You made the whole thing by yourself?"

"Yeah…" Rin said, bursting with pride. "Kaede wanted to teach me how to sew and I told her I wanted to make something nice for you to wear. She helped me get the fabric, I'm sorry it's not silk, and dye it and cut it and sew the whole thing together. Then Rika-sama taught me how to embroider in exchange for looking after her children during the harvest. I always wanted to give it to you, but I didn't think you would like it…"

"This Sesshomaru likes it very much, Rin."

"Really?" She smiled shyly at him.

"Yes," Sesshomaru replied. "This Sesshomaru will wear it to when we formalize our relationship."

Rin's shy smile broadened. "Yeah?" she asked as he nodded in reply. "Hmmm… I'm not sure how long it'll take for everything to be ready."

"No matter; this Sesshomaru shall do as he has done and continue to visit you as always. When you know, simply tell him and this Sesshomaru will be there."

"Thank you!" Rin cried, throwing her arms around him again.

"You're welcome," he said, wrapping his arms around her as they clung together, neither one willing to let go.