Author'sNote: I don't normally write anything at the beginning of stories, although I probably should. The title and most of the story was inspired by Corpse Bride. Thank you to CelestialDragon423 and deduction for their reviews on the first chapter. It's much appreciated 

Chapter2

Rin sat on a blanket beneath a tree in the park and watched as Inuyasha and Taiki ran around. Kagome sat down beside her and smiled as she watched her husband and son playing happily.

"You're very lucky, Kagome," Rin said quietly as a smile crossed her face. Kagome looked at her friend and said nothing. "Your son is a real character."

Kagome laughed. "He takes after his father in so many ways. Not all of them are good though." She sighed. "I fear his stubborn streak may prove a problem when he's older."

"You just have to bring him up right," Rin said with a wink.

Kagome smiled. "You'll realise that that's not as easy as it sounds when you have kids."

"Perhaps," Rin shrugged.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you for a favour."

"Oh?"

"It's short notice, I know, but Inuyasha and I have been invited out tonight."

"You want me to look after Taiki?"

"Well, for a couple of hours. Sesshoumaru finishes work at 7 and he'll arrive to relieve you at about 8."

Rin nodded. "Okay. He gets the easiest part. Taiki will probably be asleep when he gets there!"

"He should be asleep, but knowing him, he won't be," Kagome said with a laugh.

-*-*-*-*-*-

"See you later, Rin," Inuyasha said with a grin as he walked towards the door.

"Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice," Kagome thanked her friend again.

Rin smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I always have time to babysit Taiki."

"We might see you later then."

"Perhaps. Have fun." Rin and Taiki waved as the car disappeared down the street.

Rin sat down beside Taiki and picked up a book and read quietly while he watched a film. When the film was over, they had their dinner and she listened patiently to his description of the film. She smiled to herself as she listened.

"Time for bed, Taiki," she said as she cleared away the plates and put them in the dish washer.

"Will you read the story to me?" he asked eagerly.

Rin laughed. "You've been asking me all day. I will read it to you. Go get yourself ready for bed while I finish clearing up. I'll be up soon."

The little boy ran out the room and thundered up the stairs leaving Rin in the kitchen. She shook her head and smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it was 7.30. Kagome would be proud. Her son was in bed on time. Rin wandered into the living room and put all Taiki's toys away in the boxes behind the door and put the cushions on the chairs back in order.

She had just picked up the book she was going to read to Taiki when she heard the front door open. Frowning she went to see who was there. A tall figure stepped into the house and shut the door quietly. Rin sighed in relief as she remembered that Sesshoumaru had finished work. He turned around and saw her standing in the doorway.

"Are you Rin?" he asked in a deep, expressionless voice.

"I am."

"Where's Taiki?"

"He should be in bed. Or making his way there."

"Aunt Rin! Hurry up!" Taiki yelled from upstairs.

Rin smiled slightly and went into the living room to retrieve the book she had been reading to him. "Do you want to read to him?" she asked the tall man behind her.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "What have you been reading to him?"

"It's a murder mystery, he seems to like them," she said as she moved toward the stairs with Sesshoumaru following behind her. "I'll say goodnight and leave the two of you."

Rin opened the door to Taiki's room and looked in to find the little boy sitting impatiently in his bed. He smiled as he saw her at the door and moved over on his bed to make room for her to sit beside him. As she came into the room, she switched off the main light in favour of the bedside lamp.

"I've come to say goodnight, Taiki," she said quietly as she bent down to secure his blankets around him.

The smile fell from his face. "I'm not getting a story tonight?"

"You are, but someone else is going to read to you," she said and sat beside him.

"Who?" the boy demanded with a frown.

"Your uncle is."

"Uncle Sesshoumaru?" the boy asked with a broad smile.

Rin nodded and motioned to the door where Sesshoumaru stood silently watching the scene unfold.

"Hello Taiki."

"You're going to read to me, uncle Sesshoumaru?"

The tall man nodded but said nothing.

"I'm going home now, Taiki," Rin said as she stood up. "Be a good boy for your uncle okay?" She bent down and kissed his forehead and stepped away. Turning to look at Sesshoumaru, she held out the book. "This is what we've been reading and I've left a marker where we left off."

"Thanks."

"I'll be going then. Goodnight!"

Rin left the room after waving briefly at Taiki who was grinning at his uncle. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway and watched as Rin left. He knew that he should've walked her to the door and then thanked her for looking after Taiki until he got there, but she was already gone.

With a slight shrug, he sat down on Taiki's bed and opened the book to find a small marker between the pages of the end of chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4. He picked up the marker and looked at it carefully. It was a plain piece of card with a small dragon drawn onto it.

"Aunt Rin made that for me," Taiki said, breaking Sesshoumaru's careful scrutiny of the card.

"Did she?"

The boy nodded. "She makes lots of things for me. She's fun!"

Sesshoumaru nodded and set the marker aside as he looked down the page and began to read.