Sorry for the wait guys! I've had exams and all sorts of things going on but I'll be able to get back on to writing this now! Thank you for all the reviews!

I don't own any of the characters from Inuyasha! Though I do own Theo, Maya, Tomas, Katsura, Asuna, Sakura, Zakuro and Ken! :)

Enjoy! :D

-Sesshoumaru's pov-

They had been travelling to Kaede's village for 3 days now and it was not long until they would arrive there. Jaken's voice was beginning to annoy him. He had decided to bring Ah Un and Jaken with him. He was sure Rin would enjoy seeing them. He would usually journey to see Rin by himself so Rin hadn't seen either of them since they had left her in the village all those years back.

The path ahead of them was now coming to an end and dusty ground was becoming a field of lush green grass and purple and pink flowers. He could tell this was one of Rin's favourite places. Her scent was everywhere mixed in with the scent of the flowers. She had always loved flowers.

Jaken however was complaining about the place. He had a slight allergy to them and Rin's flower necklaces she used to make him never made it any better. He would always have a sneezing fit and blow snot bubbles from his nose. This repulsed Sesshoumaru more than most things actually.

The village was in sight now and the smell of rice and fresh soil was in the air. Passing through the trees they entered the village completely. Sesshoumaru was used to getting dirty looks from the humans in the village whenever he was alone. When he was with Rin it was a different story. They would smile at him and even try to make conversations about something utterly pointless with him. Rin would usually intervene and change the conversation as he would rarely reply to whoever was talking to him.

The children of the village were fascinated in him. They called him a prince, a knight or even something insulting such as fairy princess. He really had to hold himself back from killing that child but he knew Rin would be upset by this.

They were halfway down the pathway towards Rin's hut now and there was a crowd starting to form around them. The children seemed more interesting in Ah Un and Jaken this time which took a lot of the burden off his shoulders. He felt almost sorry for Jaken, whilst the children were stroking Ah Un and asking to ride him they were prodding and pushing the poor imp around.

The hut was right in front of them now. He stopped and looked towards the now busy imp and dragon and had to force himself not to smirk at the scene. He then knocked once on the wooden door awaiting an answer.

-Rin's pov-

Rin had just finished dealing with the difficult birth of one of the village women and was sterilising the rags she had used with a bar of soap Kagome had brought back from her time. Rin always got frustrated with it as it would always slip out of her hand whenever she picked it up. She wouldn't tell Kagome of course, she didn't want to hurt her feelings and she was always generous to receive gifts from the future era from which she Kagome came from.

Rin knew Lord Sesshoumaru was due to arrive today so decided it would be best to take a bath. She knew her Lord wouldn't appreciate the smell of blood and sweat she had on her from the birth. She looked a mess. Her hair was tied up in a bun on the top of her head with numerous strands of hair sticking out of it; the sleeves on her kimono had been rolled up, as well as the bottom of her kimono.

She wiped the sweat off her brow and placed the washing equipment and rags into a basket in the far right corner of the room. She went into the next room just to check everything was going okay with the mother and child before leaving the hut to fetch her bathing things from her hut. Heading down the path she greeted the many villagers she passed along the way. She liked the people she lived with but she didn't consider them her family. In fact she only really considered Kagome and the others her family because she had met them whilst she was travelling with her Lord.

Her hut was just around the corner and she couldn't wait to get in the bath. It was only small as the village wasn't that big but it did the trick. Turning the corner she froze.

-Sesshoumaru's pov-

When he didn't find Rin in the hut he was disappointed. Rin was usually ready and waiting for him when he visited.

This was a first for him. He didn't quite know what to do. He could hunt her out but that would mean more villagers staring at him.

The other choice was to wait but he wouldn't be able to stand the commotion going on behind him.

-Rin's pov-

What she met turning the corner surprised him. Her Lord was standing there right in front of her hut, but behind him it seemed almost half the village were there. Women and men were staring and gossiping about the situation and the children were petting and climbing on top of Ah Un. Jaken however was on the floor being prodded by sticks by laughing children.

She started to mentally panic due to the situation, her Lord was standing right before her and she was neither presentable nor was her hut ready to allow him in. She had been planning to tidy everything up and wear one of the kimonos her Lord had brought her last year as a Christmas present but due to the sudden labour she had to deal with was unable to do this.

'Sesshoumaru's pov-

Rin's scent was in the air mixed in with swear and the blood of another human. He could tell the blood was due to labour due to the watery smell mixed with it. He presumed it must have been a difficult birth due to her lateness.

Following the smell he looked through the corner of his eye seeing the young female standing at the side of the road. Her mouth was slightly agape at the sight before her, her hair was messy and her attire was unpresentable.

'Rin, how long do you plan on standing there?'

-Rin's pov-

She gasped in surprise. His low baritone voice brought her out of her thoughts straight away. She watched as her Lord brought himself to face her completely and was left speechless. He still looked as he always did, his long silver hair that swayed in the wind and the beautiful maroon stripes that perfectly blended in with his pale cheek bones. She always wondered if he had any other maroon stripes anywhere else on his body other than the obvious ones on his cheeks and hands. His kimono was the same as well as the armour that rested upon it. (If you've seen him in Inuyasha then you'll know what it looks like.)

Jaken was stood beside him wearing his mucky brown robes and black cap, she hadn't seen him in years and he hadn't changed at all other than the new stress lines formed across his brow.

Coming out of her thoughts once again she smiled one of her brilliant smiles towards Sesshoumaru before running into Ah Un at high speed nuzzling her nose into his soft mane.

Like Jaken she hadn't seen him since they had left her in the village and she had missed him greatly.

Regaining her posture she straightened out her messy clothes and turned to face her Lord. She bowed slightly with a blush on her face before looking up into his golden eyes.

'I'm sorry for being late my Lord. Everything got a bit hectic and I must have lost track of time. I hope I didn't burden you in any way.'

-Sesshoumaru's pov-

He just stared blankly at her and gave a short nod. She had grown a lot since they had left her in the village. She was once so naïve but now she was much more knowledgeable and respectful now.

He watched her mature gradually throughout the years and gradually he found himself also changing with time. He could tell that he wasn't as cold as he once used to be. He didn't like the changes she was making with him.

No one could tell that he wasn't the same cold hearted demon that he used to be because in a way he was still that same person.

He wouldn't hesitate to kill a person if they looked at him in a strange way. His feelings towards humans were no different either. He still despised their very existence and was happy to kill them without a second thought.

Of course with Rin it was different. She could always tell what he was feeling and even what he was thinking sometimes. He never thought of her as something disgusting and unworthy of life like the other humans. He always thought of her as Rin, just Rin. She was his companion and closest friend. He trusted her with everything. She was the only person he trusted completely. He didn't even trust Jaken with the things he told Rin. Yes, Rin was different from everyone else. She understood him better than anyone else ever had.

'Rin'

She looked up at him with questioning eyes.

'Yes my Lord?'

'Get yourself decent and then we'll talk'

-Rin's pov-

She looked at him confusingly. She decided not to ask what about because she knew she wouldn't get an answer.

She bowed respectfully towards him before proceeding into her hut.

She quickly picked up the odd bits and pieces splayed across the floor and stuck them into numerous baskets to make the place somewhat presentable.

Sesshoumaru and Jaken followed her into the hut leaving Ah Un to deal with the excited village children surrounding him.

I watched Jaken turn his nose up at every bit of furniture and object in the hut. He had most definitely not changed a bit since she had last seen him.

Sesshoumaru didn't pay much attention to the condition of the hut because he had seen the state it was in after the Christmas party where Inuyasha and his friends had destroyed the place due to the amount of champagne they had been drinking. It seemed to have the same kind of effect as sake, but other than that it was a mystery to us. Much like the rest of the things Kagome brought back from her own time.

They were all huddled inside the small hut. The fire was blazing in the centre of to keep them all warm from the snow storm going on outside.

They were all sitting around it in a huddle. Kaede due to her old age and arthritis was sitting in a chair at the side on a pillow with Shippo at her feet. He was much larger than her now and had a larger Kirara on his lap. She was now the size of a small adult dog.

Kohaku was sitting beside him along with his new wife Sakura. She was a flamingo demon that he had saved during an extermination he was called for. It seemed the humans were keeping her captive because she looked different. She was an orphan so he let her tag along with him. Soon enough they had fallen in love. She had pale pink hair pulled into a high ponytail and a full fringe, her eyes were dark purple and she wore a green sleeveless kimono with purple gloves.

Beside her sat Sango and Miroku both woozy from all the champagne they had drunken. Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting across from us. Kagome was out of her head and Inuyasha was sober glaring at Sesshoumaru with evil eyes. After Naraku had been defeated they had put their differences aside.

They still hated each other and Sesshoumaru still didn't consider him as a brother, and he most definitely despised half breeds as much as he always did. Occasionally they tried to kill one another. Sesshoumaru made an effort for Rin's sake as he knew he'd been caring for her in his absence.

They had all been playing a game of truth or dare that Kagome had taught them. Sesshoumaru however chose to not play the human game as it would be a waste of his time as he said. Instead he was keeping the children occupied.

Theo was standing on his leg examining his face; he always wondered why they looked so alike. Maya and Tomas were behind him plating his hair in 2 different ways. Katsura was climbing over his shoulder and Asuna lay asleep in his lap.

The sight was an odd one, and it didn't fail to place a smile on Rin's face, the irritance on his face was most apparent.

He had Zakuro and Ken with him as well this time as Koga and Ayame had decided to come and join in on the human festivities.

Zakuro and Ken were their twin children. Both of them had their mothers emerald eyes and their fathers brown hair tied into ponytails. It would be impossible to tell them apart if Zakuro hadn't been wearing the female equivalent to Ken's clothing which were for Ken a pair of wolf fur shorts and no top and the same for Zakuro except for a piece of wolf fur that covered her chest .They were 6 years old meaning they were the oldest of all the children, both of them had short stubby tails sticking out of their shorts that had not yet matured into their full size.

Most of the dares being asked were usually silly things such as kiss this person or kiss that person. The game would occasionally get paused as a slightly tipsy Koga and Inuyasha found something to argue about and would throw Rin's baskets at one another causing a lot of mess.

Rin was to out of it to care though; even for a human she was awful with alcohol, one sip and she was falling all over the place.

It wasn't one of Sesshoumaru's best nights...

Rin let her hair down and proceeded to getting her bath necessaries.

She turned around to face Sesshoumaru and Jaken holding a towel and a bar of soap along with 2 strange bottles containing substances called shampoo and conditioner. Sesshoumaru presumed they were from Kagome's time as well.

'Um my Lord…would it be rude of me to go for a bath quickly?'

She had a blush on her face seeming embarrassed by the question.

-Jaken's pov-

His mouth dropped open. She was asking permission to go bathe? She would usually skip off without even a word and expect us to know where she was going. She really had grown up since he had last seen her. In 10 years she had changed quite a bit.

Breathing in her scent he could smell blood and sweat mixed in with it. He almost felt the need to hold his nose from the smell.

'Go to your bath you stupid girl! Your smell is so disgusting it burns my nose!'

Jaken's voice was always so high pitched that when he shouted everyone got a headache.

Rin looked down at him and smiled. Walking over to him she bent down and patted his head getting an expected complaint from him.

'You have not changed a bit Master Jaken.'

-Rin's pov-

She giggled slightly before looking up to her Lord and getting an approving nod. She then left the hut leaving them both inside.

Heading to the bath with a slight skip in her step she smiled. It had finally come; the time where she would finally get to go back with her Lord and the others.

She was more excited for it than she was for her birthday. Sesshoumaru told her he had moved back into his father's castle to resume his work as a Lord.

She couldn't wait to see it and definitely not to see the garden. She was sure it would be a great one with all kinds of flowers and insects.

She decided not to use the bath house today and go to the nearby river. She could clean her clothes as well as her body whilst still there. She would occasionally use the river anyway, she loved the cold water and she'd gotten used to it when she was travelling with Lord Sesshoumaru.

Getting to the river she stripped off her kimono and slipped in between 2 rocks in the river. She placed her clothing and other things on the bank between her. After cleaning the scent off her body and washing her hair she relaxed a little. Sesshoumaru and Jaken wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for her to return.

Crack.

Sitting up in the water quickly she looked around the surrounding trees. She could've sworn she heard something just now.

Suddenly the soft sound of laughter came from the trees in front of her swiftly followed by a pair of large red eyes.