"Love gives itself; it is not bought."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Chapter III

In the days leading up to her wedding, Rin had tried to spend as little time at home as possible. She knew that if she spent too long in the house she would inevitably be dragged into helping her mother with preparations for the wedding and that was something she had no interest in doing. Fortunately, she managed to get extra shifts at the restaurant and she was definitely not going to complain if she got paid for all the time she didn't spend at home. Even though she prayed daily to whichever deity was listening, the day of her wedding arrived far too quickly and she found herself being fussed over by her mother once again.

"Stop fidgeting, Rin!" Yuri exclaimed in exasperation as she tried to tie up Rin's hair.

"Sorry."

Yuri shook her head at the girl. "I know you're nervous, but really, you have to look perfect!"

Sighing softly, Rin sat still as she watched her mother's reflection in the mirror. Who would've thought that a week can pass by so quickly? In just over an hour's time, she would be a married woman; married to a man she had met only once. Although she was not feeling terribly happy about the arrangement, despite the fact that her husband to be was a god in human form, she wondered how he felt about the whole arrangement.

"Let's go Rin," her mother said, pulling her to her feet. "Your father is waiting to walk you down the aisle."

Nodding, Rin stood up and smoothed the miniscule creases out of her long white dress. Truthfully, she was surprised when she found out that this would be a modern ceremony and she was so glad she wouldn't have to wear another of those uncomfortable kimonos for an extended period of time. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Yuri disappeared into the church to take her seat in the front pew. Sighing again, Rin turned to face her father who stood beside the entrance to the church, smiling at her. She had always much preferred being in the company of her father, he seemed stern but in reality he was quite amiable when his wife was nowhere near. The pair of them had a very close relationship, much like a real father and daughter would, but Rin still harboured resentment towards him for making such a decision for her. Her wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but here she stood, looking up at the building and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.

"Let's go," Akira said gently, pulling down her veil and offering her his arm.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Inside the church, there was great excitement as the bride's mother slipped in to take her seat. Evidently everyone took it as a sign that the ceremony was about to begin and began to take their seats. Clapping his son on the back, Inutaisho took his seat beside his wife, Izayoi, while Inuyasha stood up and took his place at his brother's side, grumbling about having to take time out of his day for this. The doors creaked open and everyone rose to their feet as they turned to see the bride.

Sesshoumaru was surprised to see a completely different woman walking down the aisle towards him. Having only seen Rin in a kimono, it was strange seeing her in a strapless white gown. When they reached the altar, he watched Akira turn and lift her veil, kiss her cheek gently before sitting beside his wife. A smirk threatened to cross his face as he heard Inuyasha's intake of breath as Rin turn to face them. She had looked beautiful before, but now she was radiant. The corners of her mouth lifted just slightly as her eyes landed on him and he wondered what she would look like when she smiled.

It was hard for Sesshoumaru to keep focussed on the ceremony when he had such a beauty beside him. He was still not happy with his parents for deciding to make this choice for him, but he was grateful that she at least seemed to the same age as him. A frown creased his brow slightly as he realised that he didn't know anything about her. He was only assuming they were the same age, he could be completely wrong.

His attention returned to the ceremony when Inuyasha nudged him in the side, holding out the small box containing Rin's wedding ring. Picking up the ring, he took Rin's delicate hand in his and recited his vows as he slipped it onto her finger. When he was done, he held her hand in his, waiting to see what would happen next. He had not been to very many weddings in his life. In fact, the only ones he had been to were his father's when he married Inuyasha's mother and Inuyasha's when he had married his childhood sweetheart. Now he stood at the altar facing the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. Reality hit him hard as he stared at her as she recited her own vows in her soft, calm voice. How could she be so calm when this was such a life changing day?

Hours later, Rin sat beside Sesshoumaru at the table in the tent that had been erected in her parents' garden for the reception. She nodded at a waiter nearby who handed her a glass of champagne and waited for the inevitable speeches. Her eyes followed her husband as he rose to his feet when it was his turn to speak. It felt strange thinking of a virtual stranger as her husband, but she had had little choice in the matter, as she suspected he did.

"I have little to say," Sesshoumaru said and paused for a moment. "Thank you for attending, we are grateful that you could share our day. Finally, I thank Rin for agreeing to marry me."

Raising his glass in direction, he saw a blush creep over her face as everyone clapped and laughed happily as they began socialising. Resuming his seat beside her, he wondered if he should try a conversation, but was surprised when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to look at her and found her hand on his arm, a blush still staining her pale cheeks.

"Thank you," she said quietly and lowered her gaze quickly, almost as though afraid to meet his gaze.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, covering her tiny hand with his and giving it a squeeze.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

When the festivities drew to a close, Rin wondered what would happen next. She lived here with her parents and she knew nothing about where Sesshoumaru lived. Eventually, only the two families remained in the now empty tent and Rin sank down into the nearest chair, not caring that her dress would be creased. She would never have imagined that a wedding could be this tiring. Feeling someone beside her, she looked up to see Sesshoumaru standing beside her.

"What happens now?" he asked, voicing her question to the rest of the family.

"Actually, we haven't given you our gift yet," Izayoi said with a smile.

"Gift?" Sesshoumaru asked, exchanging a look of confusion with Rin.

"Here you go," Inutaisho said, handing Sesshoumaru a key ring.

"What's this?" he asked.

"The keys to your new home," Akira said with a smile.

"We all chipped in to make as nice as possible for you," Izayoi said as she and Yuri smiled happily.

"Off you go!" Inutaisho said as he and Akira herded the couple into a waiting car. "The driver knows where to go!"

Half an hour later, Sesshoumaru and Rin stepped out of the car in front of a large house about half way between both their parents' houses. The car disappeared as soon as they had stepped out and they were left alone. Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin and held out his hand for her. After a moment's hesitation, she took it and allowed him to lead her up the steps to the door. Unlocking it, he pushed the door open and switched on a light, illuminating a beautiful wood panelled hallway with an enormous wooden staircase in the corner. Rin gasped as she felt strong arms lift her up and she looked up to see Sesshoumaru looking down at her with a smirk.

"Might as well keep with tradition," he said quietly and carried her into the house, setting her down gently once inside.

Rin stared at him for a few minutes after he had put her down and then smiled for the first time. It wasn't the vague smile she had given him in the church, it was a genuine smile. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw it, but as quickly as it came, the smile vanished as she looked around the hallway.

"Shall we look around?" she asked timidly, looking up at him through her lashes.

Nodding, Sesshoumaru stepped back and let her walk past him into the living room. Her perfume floated up to his nose as she passed and he inhaled deeply, memorising the scent before following her from room to room as she explored the house. Eventually they reached the last door in the corridor upstairs and as she pushed it open, she gasped. Sesshoumaru appeared behind her and looked over her shoulder into the large bedroom with large windows that overlooked the gardens below.

"It's beautiful," she said quietly as she walked over to look out at the garden, bathed in moonlight.

"It is," Sesshoumaru agreed as he stood beside her.

"I want to change out of this dress," she said and looked up at him shyly. "Do you think there'll be a change of clothes here?"

"Probably," he replied, going over to the nearest dresser and pulling open the top drawer. "These are definitely my clothes. I wonder if yours are here too."

Rin watched in silence as he crossed the large room to the two wardrobes that had been built into the wall. Pulling the first one open, he recognised his suits hanging neatly side by side and closed the door to open the second one. Inside he found several kimonos of different colours and he almost smiled. Evidently she spent more time in kimonos than he had first thought if she had that many. She truly was a traditional girl.

"I believe these are yours," he said, stepping back and gesturing to the clothes.

Sesshoumaru watched as Rin approached and looked into the wardrobe. Her hands went straight to the shelves on one side of it and flipped through the piles of fabric there. Frowning slightly, she pulled her hands back and bit her thumb nail as she stared at the kimonos. Sesshoumaru heard her sigh softly before she reached up to pull down a pale blue kimono. He watched her disappear into the adjacent bathroom and return moments later, securing the kimono shut even though she had merely wrapped it around her like a bathrobe.

"Are you tired?" he asked as he loosened his tie and draped it over a chair beside the bed.

"A little," she admitted.

"We will probably have a busy day tomorrow," Sesshoumaru said as he leaned over to pull the covers on the bed back. "You should get a good night's sleep."

Rin looked down at the huge bed which stood between them and blushed slightly. "Is this alright?" she asked, nodding towards the bed.

"We are married after all," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug as he turned away, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so.

Rin blushed again, but couldn't fault his logic. She sat on the edge of the bed and marvelled at how soft it was before slipping beneath the covers. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she felt her weary muscles soothed by the comfort of the warm bed.

"Good night," she said quietly.

"Good night."