There is a time for change
By Jasmin Kaiba
Seasons come and seasons go, yet a youkai stays indifferent to such changes, Sesshomaru as well. Eight years have passed like a breeze; he didn't once turn around and ask where the time has gone. He didn't need to; he didn't feel the pull of time. Ageless and immortal, demons live until they're slain.
Everything about him felt the sting of time and the absence of Naraku. As much as it was a relief to have something that is evil to the core not wandering the plains of this world anymore, it did have its disadvantages. All the smaller youkai that have crowed before Naraku's evil came out, luckily they all had one aim, kill the most powerful and gain more power for themselves. Inuyasha was one of the targets, his mate and his friends too, Sesshomaru had only those kinds of trouble every blue moon, a youkai would have to be extremely stupid to dare attacking a Demon Dog Lord.
Two years that it took to slain Naraku have gone like two months, in Sesshomaru's eyes. Constant travel in pursuit of the fiend, searching for means to become stronger, everything blended together, making time fly. That and the concern for the frail human girl who depended solely on him.
With Naraku gone and himself free to pursue the means of expanding the lands his late father left him, Sesshomaru was forced to leave Rin in a human village. He was unwilling to admit, but she would only burden and slow him down, he wanted to put that task behind him as soon as possible.
Taking into consideration that the girl somehow seemed to attract demons and with that trouble, he made sure that she was safe and sound till he came to get her. What better place to leave her but Edo?
The village miko was old but wise, she would teach Rin well, a taijiki, houshi and hanyou provided plenty of protection, village children and a kitsune kit play-mates and company. Sure that she was safe and wouldn't miss him too much he made his way across the western lands, conquering and regaining, preparing everything for his return to the castle that had not seen him in a century.
Never forgetting his small ward, though, he always found a little time between seasons to visit her and provide for some of her needs, mostly bringing her clothes and toys and ensuring at least an hour to spend with her, he knew she'd feel lonely otherwise. She always had much to talk about, things Kaede-sama taught her, chatting endlessly about herbs and medications, games she played with his brother and the children, gifts Kagome-sama always brought her from the future, Sango-san and Miroku-sama's children, how she rode Kirara and had walk with Kohaku-kun. She was having her fun, was happy and content growing up in that village, yet she always told him how much she missed him and Jaken-sama and her beloved pet Ah-Un. He always reassured her with a promise of coming to get her soon; he was intent on making that promise true.
Two years before she would be reunited with him for good, Kaede passed away and Rin was put into Inuyasha and Kagome's care. The mated couple had twin sons that delighted Rin to no bounds and she was more then happy to stay with Kagome-sama in whom she had found a mother, sister and best friend. He was relieved that she wasn't mourning the old miko's loss too much. She'd lost enough in her life, she deserved all the happiness she could possibly get. And knowing she was the happiest when she was with him he completed his task in two more years and went to get her.
Though at first it went unnoticed, the flow of time had done visible changes to Rin, in appearance and personality. Cheerful and pure-hearted she'll always be, but Rin had become a lady. The first to notice those things and actually voice them was Jaken, not very surprisingly. He'd with a bit of awe and a bit of bitterness exclaimed that despite being a lowly human, Rin carried beauty unrivaled. Sesshomaru had admitted that those words were spoken truth, only to himself, yet he didn't deny out loud either.
Rin looked nothing like she had as a child. Her big chestnut orbs, constantly filled with laughter and innocence had gained a gentler and wise gaze, warm and inviting, still sparkling as innocently as ever, but with more confidence and maturity. Her skin was flawless, white like the snow and softer then finest silk. Her lips, full and rosy, stretched into a gentle, warm smile, teeth pearly white, flashing from time to time. Carefully groomed hair cascaded down her back to her knees in a ebony waterfall, shining in the sun, framing delicate facial features that had lost every bit of baby-fat and matured into perfection.
She was tall and slim, gentle curves all in the right places, a small swell of her bosom, not too little nor too big, just perfect for her figure, a small waist that Sesshomaru could probably encompass in his two hands without problems, gentle roundness of her hips, swaying naturally when she walked, long legs, slim arms, small long-fingered elegant hands. She was the perfection of beauty. And as he saw her in a multi-layered, silk kimono in aquamarine and sea-blue, decorated with small yellow flowers he swore that before him stood the only woman that carried such beauty before, Inuyasha's mother, the ningen hime, Izayoi.
For a moment he almost believed that the gods wanted to play cruel games with him a had sent the woman he detested the most just to remind that he'd admired her beauty and grace with the dedication of a male, before she'd become his father's lover and taken the most precious person away from Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru blamed Izayoi for his Chichi-ue's death and had no problems forgetting the beauty he himself had found admirable such a long time ago.
Sesshomaru had always admired beauty, being a beautiful creature himself and he's admitted centuries ago that Izayoi was the most beautiful creature on earth. No nymph, no demoness and certainly no human would ever be able to be so beautiful. He'd believed that with Izayoi such beauty had died as well. Then he heard of the miko Kikyo. She was rumored not only for her power and the fact that she guards the Shikon no Tama, but also for her great beauty. And while Sesshomaru didn't deny that she was beautiful something was off with that woman, her features were perfect, yet her soul was scarred, Izayoi's beauty remained unrivaled. Then Kikyo was resurrected and while she had still that perfect face, Sesshomaru found her disgusting, and that overlooking the fact that her body was nothing else then bones and burial soil. The disgusting part was the bitterness in her stolen soul and her presence on the earthly grounds. Kagome, while maybe not as beautiful as Kikyo in the face had a more beautiful soul, Kagome was pure, nothing like the miko whose soul was drenched in bitterness even as she still lived. But Kagome too had nothing to Izayoi's beauty.
He had almost started to believe that such beauty existed only once and would have died believing that, had he not revived Rin that faithful day.
Rin was more beautiful then anybody he ever encountered including Izayoi.
That revelation had hit Sesshomaru as hard as the fact that Rin had changed him, slowly but surely, and that while he was still detesting most humans he came to respect few of them. The old miko Kaede, for her wisdom, the demon slayer Sango for her strength, the houshi Miroku for his power and probably most of all Kagome for her wisdom, for her strength, for her power, for her pure soul and good heart.
Rin was another story. Long ago had he stopped berating Rin for being human, even in his thoughts. The awareness of her race had left when he had started to see the child as loyal as innocent and dedicated, he'd seen Rin for Rin and not for her being ningen or youkai. It had always been that.
Yet he had not noticed when he'd stopped seeing the child and started to look for the woman in her. In the two months Rin had lived at his castle, he'd become familiar with all her changes and hadn't been able to stay away. He'd listened to her singing, accompanied her when she desired a walk through the forest, sat in her garden while she tended to her flowers, kept her firmly at his side at night when they stayed outside to watch the stars. She'd become a woman of few words, like himself. She only spoke when she had something of importance to say, or to simply break a too long silence. Gone were the days where she chatted endlessly about anything and everything and he only listened with half a ear. Now he listened carefully to every spoken word, enjoying her melodious voice and the way it made him feel.
In no time he'd learned how to appreciate Rin as a woman and had understood just why his father had died for Izayoi.
One night when they'd sat side by side in her garden, surrounded by roses and lilies he'd turned his head and pressed his lips against hers. She didn't resist, she eagerly responded till he deepened the kiss and sealed their fate. The following night he took her as his mate, forever following his father's path.
They'd lived happily two years, basking in their love for each other and the possibility to be together. Then Rin stated that she was with child. At first he didn't know what to think. If there was something he'd detested more then humans then that'd hanyou. And suddenly he was told that he'd fathered such a creature.
But as Rin's pregnancy progressed, he forgot to worry about those things and as she presented him with a silver-haired, golden-eyed healthy little boy that carried his features and dog-ears on top of his small head, he'd thrown every hatred and prejudice to hell and embraced his son.
They had named him Sanosuke, he'd be Sesshomaru's successor and the next Lord of the Western Lands.
But Sanosuke didn't stay an only child for long. Soon followed a little girl with ebony hair, golden eyes, dog-ears and her mother's beauty. Rin had named the child Lily, foreseeing great beauty and honor.
The third and fourth hanyou came as twins, girl and boy, both looking like their father and acting like their mother in her childhood, too loudly. They named them Amano and Amane. They were perfect.
A decade later as Sesshomaru sat surrounded with his children listening to mate sing, he knew that somewhere in the after-life his father was holding his beloved human hime close and probably laughing at his eldest son for not realizing that he'd that way sooner. But as Lily and Ayame snuggled into his sides, Sanosuke and Amano smiled proudly at him and Rin watched him with loving eyes, he knew that he didn't mind one bit.
There was something more precious then any power in the world, his perfect family.
THE END
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