Chapter 2

Sesshomaru stared at her for a long time, almost not believing this was the same little girl he'd saved all those years ago. He supposed that he'd simply overlooked the thought that she would grow up someday, and in three years, she matured quickly. She was at least a foot taller than last he'd seen her. Dressed in the last kimono he'd sent her, he could easily tell she'd grown the curves of a mature woman.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Her voice was deeper as well. Still delicate, but also with the authority of an adult. She wasn't a child any longer.

When she smiled at him, he felt a tightening in his chest. Instead of that crooked-tooth grin she always had, her mouth smoothed into an overjoyed curve of plump lips.

"Welcome back," she said, gazing up at him with those eyes.

Those dark chocolate eyes were the same. Despite their time, traveling across the land as he fought Naraku and his incarnations, she'd always retained an innocent eye of the world. These eyes that looked kindly upon demons and warily upon humans, but she saw neither when she was with him.

"Rin," he said, testing out her name as if the flavor might have changed.

The way he said her name sent shivers through her body. Perhaps it was because she hadn't heard him say her name in so long. In truth, he hadn't said it aloud for some time and it made something stir in his chest.

The two were silent as they stared at one another.

"Rin, are you still here?" Kagome called, coming outside. "There you are. Oh, and Big Brother too. Welcome back!"

A twitch appeared in his eye as he glared at her, but the pregnant woman just smiled at him and laughed, "I hope you'll stay with us for a while. The baby is due any day now and Rin is going to deliver her."

"I'm just helping." Rin shrugged. "You're doing all the work, Kagome."

With a heavy sigh, Kagome grumbled in agreement. "I always thought my first child would be born in a hospital with lots of doctors and machines and pain killers, but I have faith in Rin."

The two women laughed. He supposed it was an inside joke lost on him.

"Anyway, you forgot this, Rin." She held up a bucket.

Happily, Rin took the bucket from her and turned to Sesshomaru, who'd been listening quietly. "Would you mind if I gathered some water for Kagome?" she asked him.

Though it was his standard to never stay for long, especially while she was doing mundane human tasks, he nodded. "I'll come with you."

Her smile curled inward, trying to conceal her delight, but her eyes gave her away her excitement, lighting up as she came to his side.

"Take your time!" Kagome sang after them as they made their way down the worn path to the river.

As they walked side by side, Sesshomaru noticed exactly how tall she'd gotten. Though she was still a good head shorter than him, he could easily recall a time when she was small enough to carry with his one arm.

"Jaken tells me you're building your empire now. Will you build a big castle? Your mother's was the most beautiful palace I'd ever seen. Not that I've seen many castles. I think your mother's was the only castle I've ever seen actually. Is she doing well, your mother? I'm sure she doesn't think much about me. We never did get fully acquainted, but she was nice enough to revive me once you saved me from the netherworld."
Remembering the last encounter he had with his mother, Sesshomaru scoffed. It was just a few days ago that she had appeared before him. She was crowing on about what an ungrateful child he was. With feigned tears in her eyes, she had lamented, 'You never call on me. You never write to me. My son doesn't even want to speak to his own mother!'

"She is well," he replied simply.

Rin's smile beamed. "I'm glad. She seems like a lovely woman. I hope one day that I can formally meet with her and thank her properly."

Just as always, she saw only the good in others, he noted, even among demons. It made him wonder then, what drew her to him in the first place. That day in the forest when they met seemed so long ago now, though every detail was still fresh in his mind. Even when he had growled and bared his teeth, she still approached him, concerned for him, but that was in her nature, he supposed. Even those who had kidnapped her and aimed to her harm, like Kagura and Kohaku, and even those who showed only discontent for her, like Jaken, Rin did her best to save them, risking her own life if it meant saving another's.

"Perhaps you will," he mused.

Just the thought of meeting his mother again made Rin's heart race with excitement. What an honor it would be to simply know her. And oh, the questions she would have for her. What was Lord Sesshomaru like as a child? What did he look like in his demon form then? What was his favorite food? What were his friends like? All the questions she was too afraid to ask him.

Finally, they reached the river. Tall trees lined the riverbank, providing shade from the sun on this cloudless day. While the air was still warm, the river water was cool and Rin decided to dip her feet in.

With one hand, she held up her skirt, careful not to wet the gifted kimono, and stepped in, sighing heavenly as the river washed away all the aches and pains from her dogged feet.

Nostalgically, Sesshomaru watched on, recalling the days when he'd observe from the riverbank as she caught fish for her dinner with her bear hands while Jaken bumbled about, trying to out do her.

Seeing her now, he still couldn't believe how much she'd grown in the years since he'd last visited. Her legs were long and slender now. Even her short tuft of hair had grown and disappeared with the length of her brown locks, only recognizable now by the orange and blue ribbons she had tied there, a small reminder of the youth this woman had grown from. Her hips, he also noted as she bent over, held a gentle curve to them.

"Ah, the water feels so nice! And it's such a beautiful day. Maybe I'll catch Kagome some fish while we're here. If that's all right?"

Silently, he nodded.

Smiling, Rin tied up the skirt of her kimono, pulling it up as she waded further into the water.

Something stirred inside him as he watched her. Something of the same breed of the chills he experienced earlier in saying her name. Once more there was a tightening in his chest. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck as he watched on from the shade of a tree nearby. Heat was rising in him.

A flash of movement caught the corner of his eye. A low hiss was quickly approaching. Before it reached him, Sesshomaru casually tilted his head, just narrowly avoiding the knife that made a dull "thunk" as it struck the tree behind him.

A battle cry pulled Rin's attention back to the riverbank just in time to see a small figure in black dashing past Sesshomaru while another approached from behind him. Just as she was about to call to him in warning, her lord reached behind him to grab his would-be attacker by the front of their clothes and haul them up.

"Let her go!" screamed the first assailant.

"All right then."

Easy as tossing a sack of potatoes, Sesshomaru tossed his victim to the first assailant, knocking them both to the ground in a mess of tangled limbs in the bushes nearby.

In a second, one of them was back on their feet, ready for more. Though the two figures in black looked identical, Sesshomaru assumed it was the one he'd just thrown. They seemed to be the more competent of the two, while the other struggled to pull themselves from the bush.

"Wait!" Rin called from the edge of the water. "Don't hurt—"

Several more objects whizzed past Sesshomaru, drawing his attention back to the figures. The competent one had several knives drawn, throwing them as they ran around to his side.

"Child's play," he muttered, rushing toward them even as he dodged the knives. Then he was in front of them, grasping them by the neck and holding them off ground. The figure in black kicked frantically, unable to reach Sesshomaru with their short legs. Bringing his other hand close, he brandished his claws, a bright green glow emanating from them.

A rattling caught his ear. Reaching out, his hand was wrapped in a chain, pulled taut by his other assailant, who'd finally made it to their feet. Easily, he yanked the chain, tugging them forward so hard they fell once more. Flicking his wrist, the chain wrapped around their foot, and Sesshomaru dragged them over, finally dangling them by the ankle.

"Stop!"

Just as he was about to clock the two together, Rin's hand on his sleeve made him pause. With the two still in hand, he turned to find her huffing and puffing, having struggled to run through the water.

"Don't hurt them."

"Rin, run!" shouted the one he held by the ankle. In all the struggle, a mask had fallen to reveal the face of a young girl, quickly growing red as the blood rushed to her head. "We've got the demon!"

The two struggled vainly.

Sesshomaru raised a brow at her. "You know these two?"

Giving him an awkward smile, Rin nodded. "They're in training right now so they're a little overzealous."

Rin winced as the two fell to the ground once he released them. While they struggled to their feet, Sesshomaru calmly made his way to Rin's side.

"Get away from her, demon!"

Both had their weapons drawn again.

"Stop it, you two!"

Just as Rin stepped forward, the one with the chain lashed out. Her breath froze in her lungs. She braced herself for pain as the ball of the chain snaked through the air towards her. However, all she felt was a gentle tug and the warmth of soft fur. A hiss came to her ear and someone shrieked.

"Girls?" Rin's blood ran cold. "Girls!"

It wasn't until she was able to struggle free from his grasp that Rin realized Sesshomaru had her firmly pressed into his fur. Wrapped around his hand was the chain, glowing green and melting between his fingers with a hiss.

"You monster!"

Seeing the two figures in black, holding one another with tears in their eyes, though otherwise unharmed, Rin was relieved.

"My chain!" one wailed over the melted remains of her weapon.

"That's what you get, Rei," Rin reprimanded, wagging a finger at the girl, "for attacking our friend."

Curious, Sesshomaru raised a brow at her as he shook the melted chain from his poison claws. He asked again, "You know these two?"

"They're Miroku and Sango's twins, Rubii and Rei. They just started their demon-slayer training and," she directed towards the girls, none too happy, "they're in big trouble."

Now that he looked at them properly, Sesshomaru supposed that his Rin wasn't the only one who'd grown in the last few years. When visiting the village, he often found the twins and their brother playing pretend with the other demon residents. The two looked very much like their mother, with large brown eyes and short bobbed hair, and both stared at him with contempt.

"But he was leering at you," Rei, the bumbling one explained. "He looked like he was ready to eat you, Rin!"

Though Sesshomaru stiffened at this comment, Rin continued to chastise them, unaware. "We don't attack friends and family."

"But it's just Sesshomaru," Rubii, the competent one muttered. "Uncle Inuyasha says he could always use a few good knocks to the head."

Closing his eyes, Sesshomaru kept himself from glaring at the girl in irritation. He supposed it wasn't a surprise that they didn't think highly of him. Despite the unflattering stories he was sure the half-demon told about him, Sesshomaru did his best to stay away from any of the others in the village, least of all any friends of his half brother's. The only one he even spoke to, aside from Rin, was the old woman who'd taken her in and perhaps then only a handful of times.

"We do not attack friends or family," Rin repeated firmly. "You could have been seriously hurt."

Rubii stuck her chin up. "We could have taken him. I think I even got him with one of my knives!"

"I am unhurt," Sesshomaru assured pointedly.

"But my chain," Rei whimpered, tears still in her eyes. "I didn't even get to pick out a ball or sickle to go on the end."

"But other than that, you two are all right?" Rin asked. When they nodded, she sighed and crossed her arms. "Good, then you can take this water to Kagome. After that, you can give her a massage and take care of the rest of her chores for the week."

"What!"

"Or I could tell your parents and they can come up with harsher punishment?"

Immediately, the two girls shut their mouths. Even Rei's tears seemed to stop flowing on command. The corner of Sesshomaru's lips curled upward as the two girls reluctantly took hold of the bucket of water and made their way back up the path to the village.

"Oh, they can be so troublesome sometimes," he heard Rin muttering to herself as she watched them go. The authority in her voice had him taken aback, he had to admit. The firm hand with which she ruled was so unlike what he'd expected from such a quiet and caring young woman. Even as she turned back to him, all anger seemed to vanish as if it'd never existed and she smiled warmly at him. "Since they're taking back the water, perhaps we should go back and prepare dinner?"

Gathering the fish she'd managed to catch, she lead him back towards the village in the direction of her own hut, where she lived alone. The last time he had visited, Rin was still living with Granny Kaede. It had been embarrassing to bring him back there, where the old woman acted as a chaperone. Her lord already didn't talk much, but with the old woman watching them, the silence seemed to hang heavier in the air. Now, with her own home, she didn't have to worry about that.

"This place is yours," Sesshomaru noted as he entered and was enveloped by her scent and no others.

Setting down the fish by the fire pit, she tried not to smile too excitedly. "It is. The villagers helped me build it just last year. You see, I have a place to cook, a place for all my medicinal herbs, and a place to sleep, though I do miss those nights under the stars during our travels."

"You do?"

"Oh yes. I think we've seen more of Japan than anyone else in the village."

Though he was reluctant to admit it, Sesshomaru felt a warmth in the fact that she said "we" when reminiscing of their travels. He guessed he'd taken her to every corner of Japan, maybe even twice. Though, he was focused more on his vengeance than her. The places they traveled were never for leisure, let alone for their beauty. How she found fond memories of such a perilous journey was beyond him.

"I remember staying up late nights, watching falling stars and waiting for you to return."

Ah, yes, there were many of those days traveling in which he had left her behind. For her own good, he reassured himself, as she would be in danger. It all seemed rather silly now, thinking about it now. Dragging a small child into demon-infested territory time and time again, looking obsessively for clues wherever he could find them. She was the one following him, much like Jaken, he had told himself early on, and he clearly couldn't keep her away no matter how he growled and bared his fangs, but then he was the one who later found her new clothes and even enlisted the two-headed dragon Ah-Un to watch over her when he couldn't. At what time, Sesshomaru wondered, did she cease to be a follower and become his companion?

A soft gasp brought him back from his thoughts as Rin drew close and examined a thick cut on his newer arm. It seemed that young slayer had actually got him.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you said you hadn't been hurt."

Despite chastising him for lying, she really felt her anger flaring at the twins. Not only had they embarrassed her with their little stunt, they'd injured her lord. Of course, he would heal perfectly on his own, but it was deep and just seeing it made her furious so she quickly set to work on it, applying a poultice ointment and wrapping it in bandages as Kagome had taught her. Despite her extensive practice, her hands shook angrily as she worked.

"It's fine," he assured her.

"No! It's not fine."

"It will heal."

"I know, but—"

"Rin."

Distracted by her anger and embarrassment, it wasn't until Sesshomaru placed his hand on hers that she realized just how close the two of them were. "Y-yes?"

His gaze fell to her shoulders. "You're shaking."

"I'm—I was just angry at the twins. I'm fine."

As her face grew red, she turned away, feeling foolish that she couldn't keep from trembling. His nearness only increased it, causing a new feeling to stir in her.

"Are you?" he asked, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger to turn her eyes to him.

The moment he did this, all her body stilled, paralyzed by the closeness of him. As if finally catching her breath, her shoulders drooped, relaxing against him. With his presence there to ease her, she truly was better.

"I am," she murmured, gazing quietly at him.

His yellow gaze seemed to be taking in every feature of his face. Suddenly, she was incredibly self-conscious. She had grown, she knew, but his look was different than the way he looked at her as a child. Back then, he would glance at her for just a moment, before closing his eyes and turning away, not wanting to show the fondness she knew he was beginning to return for her. Now, it was more direct, taking in every last detail, from her brows down to her cheek bones and finally, her lips. When his gaze settled there, her mouth suddenly felt dry and she had to lick her lips to wet them. His gaze didn't miss that movement, she noticed, as his eyes narrowed on her.

Was this the gaze that she had been hoping to receive from him since she reached womanhood? This acute, greedy gaze that looked as though he were eating up her every feature? Was he finally looking at her like the woman she'd grown into? Her lower belly tightened with expectation.

They were closer now, breaths intermingling. His lips parted a bit and she could smell dark spices on his breath. While she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, she was hungry for it and she breathed it in, closing her eyes to savor it.

Just as she felt as though she were about to fall into him, the faint sound of feet reached her ears and the door flap was thrown open to reveal Rubii panting furiously.

"Rin!"

Retreating violently from Sesshomaru, Rin felt a shameful blush burning into her cheeks. Her voice sounded so high-pitched as she chastised, "Rubii! I told you to—"

"I've been looking everywhere for you! It's finally coming!"

"What's coming?"

"The baby!"

A bucket of cold water couldn't have doused the flames in her body faster than this news and Rin was suddenly scrambling to her feet to rush out the door, leaving a somewhat pink Sesshomaru behind alone.