I do not own Inuyasha

"Rin."

One word and all her working, plotting and planning was nearly forgotten. Once their eyes locked, her body flushed and chills ran down her spine. 'This will not do. I need to be in control. But his voice is so soothing to me. He's so handsome and regal and makes me feel so warm. He's so..' She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. He smirked as he thought to himself, 'Do I affect her that much?'

"I have come to draw up a treaty between our people and our lands. One hundred years is enough, my Lord. Those whom offended you are long gone and our new generation would like a world of peace. If you will listen to what we have to offer, we can negotiate if you are not pleased with what you hear. " Rin finished looking into Sesshomaru's eyes with head held high. She was a strong, confident and stubborn one. He laughed inwardly, 'She is radiant'.

"And if I refused," Sesshomaru questioned.

Tears instantly collected at the edge of her lashes, threatening to fall with another harsh word. " I will do my best to persuade my Lord that this is the best way to prevent anymore losses from both sides." She bit her lip and pouting to herself. Her lower lip curled up in disappointment.

'She's so adorable. Look at those lips. Look at her eyes. Look at her. She is strong-willed and fearless. Our mate is exquisite!'

Sesshomaru didn't miss her nervousness. He didn't miss how her heart raced when he called her name. He didn't miss the hurt in her eyes when she thought he refused. Oddly, everything involving Rin was hard for him to ignore. No matter how hard he tried to hate her and her existence, he can not denied his weakness for her. He realized it. He wanted her. He wanted her as his mate.

"I will hear your plans and will have to discuss with my generals. You will stay here until I give you an answer. " Her breath hitched and she gulped. Then she showed Sesshomaru the doctrines with the boundaries, taxes, and agreement for almost anything the demons wanted. Everything she said stirred an old memory with his father.

flashback

"My son, humans are weak creatures but what they lack in strength they make up in heart. Their determination is fierce. Their need to protect someone precious to them gives them incredible strength. Treat them well, and they will return your kindness ten folds. Dispatch them, and they will come fighting you for generations to come."

"I don't see how they could hold a candle to our superiority. I can destroy then so easily. You need not waste time to help these lowly humans." Young Sesshomaru boasted.

"Sesshomaru. Every life is precious, be it a human or demon. You need to respect that life before you cut it down. One day, you will meet someone who's life force is the very thing you wish to protect. Then you will understand how precious each moment spent is."

end

True to his wisdom, this war had taken longer than he foreseen. Rin was right. The ones responsible have long disappeared and all that is left is war and hatred. The cycle is never-ending. Wait. Did he just say a human was right?

"Do not venture out if you want to live." He said calmly while he got within inches of her ear and purred, " You smell too delectable to pass over. I will return. RRRin ." Then he turned to the door guard, leaving a flushed, panting young lady staring daggers at his back. It was too easy to get her riled up. Her confused, anxious scent was strangely amusing and relaxing to him.

"Jaken. Watch over her. If anything happens to her. I'll kill you." Jaken gulped looking back at Rin.

Sesshomaru actually agreed to almost everything she had to say. The demons who are lord will remain so with lands borders as it was before. Human will ask to live on their lands and pay an annual tax. In return, the lords will watch over his 'people'. Areas between the kingdom are a free for all with no specific rules. Many demons and humans hated being governed anyways. He called his four top generals to meet and hear their opinion. They too agreed that peace was overdue. As long as the humans will pay them their respect, they will have no qualms of providing protection to such weak creatures. They were actually thrill of going back to their homes after a hundred years. The generals dispersed to tell the other Lords' of the proposition. They came back in the next day with the same answer: accepted.

Rin paced nervously inside the tent. It's been ten hours since she's come with the doctrines and yet no word. She was getting hungry and all she had been serve is tea. She was getting more nervous by the second sitting so she started to pace. Now she was getting the guard all wound up.

"Please, my lady. Stop your pacing. It is driving me crazy!" Jaken pleaded. Then they both hear her stomach grumbling. Jaken called out to the kitchen to bring some grilled fish and fresh fruits to the tent. Rin thanked Jaken and ate the food. Afterwards, she fell asleep on the table. Jaken let her be. He prefered the quiet, asleep Rin than the restless, loud one.

He left her alone for a while now. 'I wonder if she is still awake?' The moon hung high above the sky. He knew it was late in the night. Jaken was in front but nodding off like usually. He would stomp on the toad if not for the peaceful slumber Rin was in. Her head turned to the side on the table over one arm while the other hand on her lap. He gather the futon and carefully lay her down.

She slept like a log. How can she? They were still enemies until the treaty was signed and here she was, defenceless against him. One strike and she would become nothing more than a memory. Such trust, such ignorance. The candle's light flickered illuminating her face just a bit, it seemed glowing in the night. Such beauty.

'Mate! Our mate is so beautiful. Her heart is like a thousand suns burning for us. Her trust in us, immeasurable.' For once, he agreed with his youki. She trusted him. He could feel no dishonestly in her tone when she spoke.

Why did she have to come and mock his existence? He hates this little human. He hates the way her smile etched into his memory and her touch plunged into his mind. He hates how wonderfully calming her scent is to him. He hates how humanly weak she is. He hates how he desires her embrace and yearns for her kisses. He hates how she draws him closer without his knowledge and how he feels the need to protect her. He hates her whole being. Yet, he does not want to destroy her for all the inconvenience she has caused him.

She will pay for making this Sesshomaru a fool... with a kiss.

His lips were on hers again. He had forgotten how he felt about this human. His human. His Rin.

Rin's eyes opened to see golden and a tint of red, as lips were wet on hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pushed her down on the futon. Her heart raced as hands pulled away from her face to her hips. She pulled back with a little hesitation with cheeks blushing. "Is it true? You healed me that day on the bridge with your..um tongue? Does this mean we are friends? That we can be together?" She gasped after hearing what she had asked. She was not sure why she was so bold. This demon made her throw caution to the wind. All her mind would tell her is she is his.

'She's a chatterbox when she is nervous,' he smiled inwardly.

He smirked. He laid down with her in his arms. "And if I did, how would you repay me?"

Her whole body warmed and her heart jumped beats. "Umm, I don't know what you want... you are a lord, you have so much already and you're powerful too so I'm not sure what you would need or want.." A claw on her lips stopped her.

Just being with her calmed him. Her nervousness made him...chuckled. Rin's eyes lit up. His smile was captivating.

He kissed her lightly on her lips. Her eyes opened wide with a bright blush on her cheeks. "What does this mean?"

"It means we are no longer enemies." He kissed her once more before pulling her close into his body. For once, Lord Sesshomaru slept. He was content with the prize he held in his arms.

Rin sent a message the next morning saying all was well and that she would return with Lord Sesshomaru once they received word for the official treaty signing. She was happy. He had held her all night. He said they were no longer enemies. He even kissed her again. Her cheeks warmed from the memory.

The day went by with them walking into the half destroyed forest. "What happened here?" Rin asked pointing at the destruction.

"It is nothing." Sesshomaru would respond. She did not need to know how frustrated he was before coming to terms of embracing her as his mate.

Rin thought no more of it. If Sesshomaru said it was nothing, then it probably is. Somehow she felt compel to believe everything he said. She could feel an invisible bond between them which would set her at ease and keep her chattering of nothing. When she asked to stop to pick a flower, he nodded. She ran through the fields, laughing and singing, arms straight out. Sesshomaru could not understand the silly things she would do; but her happiness somehow meant he was also content. Strange.

He sensed her hunger and called out,"Let's go."

Rin was busy adoring the flowers and basking in this new feeling between her and Sesshomaru. Inuyasha always spoke of how cold and heartless he was but all Rin has seen are emotions when she is with him. As many times as he embarrasses her, she knew she could also provoke him. She smirked. She heard him calling but insisted on laying on the ground on the flowers, giggling.

Rin:1 Sesshomaru:0

She's just playing with him. "Rin, stop this silliness and get up. The ground is filthy." She was being stubborn and not listening to him. If it were anyone else, he would have not repeated himself.

"Rin, This Sesshomaru will not repeat myself. Get up!" She grinned and jumped up smiling at him, but lost her balance and went crashing down. He caught her easily. Her cheeks were flushed as her eyes shy away from his.

Score: even

"Thank you, my Lord." She said as her blush moved up her face and towards her ears. Sesshomaru gazed into her eyes, his arms were still wrapped tightly around her small frame.

"Our mate is so cute! Her cheeks are warm and her body fits with ours so well..."

"Let's go." He said but this time he held her hand in his pulling her along. She pouted quietly for the rest of the walk back to camp.

As soon as they arrived, he ordered Jaken to get Rin's food ready and left to speak to his general. He would tell her in the morning of the other lords' responses, but first he must copy the treaty they Lords sign into human language.

Rin waited in her room for his return. She felt lonely without him. They had spent the last three days getting to know each other and she felt so free. He didn't judge her in any way. Didn't get mad at her silliness and still gave her those looks which made her shudder, in a good way. Jaken made her realise that she was able to get away with things which have killed anyone else. She smiled in that revelation. She was special to him. But where was he? He never said it but she was hoping he'd come to say goodnight to her. She felt empowered so she went to his tent. She just wanted to say good night. She changed her mind when she saw him sitting at his desk though.

"My Lord. May I sit with you for a while?" She asked him timidly.

"Hn"

She sat down beside him and looked at what he was doing. It looked foreign to her. "That must be demon scribe. I have never seen it before." His eyes glanced on her warm brown ones, widen and curious, accompanied with a beautiful smile on her face.

He knew she did not like to be alone. She mentioned it quite a few times. The first night she came he held her and she slept well. She was restless the past two nights. He smelt her tears from his tent. Now she's here, she must be afraid to be by herself. He was deep in thought and noticed that the chattering was gone. He looked at her and noticed she had fallen to sleep in one of the futons. She was breath-taking with her small rhythmic motions of sleep. He put his ink brush down and laid beside her. He slipped his arms under her and noticed she inched closer. He normally did not sleep, but when she was near, he felt so peaceful and closed his weary eyes. He let his guard down, just a bit.

She awoken to a plate of fruit and tea as Sesshomaru was drawing up the rest of the proposal for the treaty in demon scribe.

"Eat. A temporary cease fighting has been issued. Tomorrow is the official treaty signing, you will be weary. Rest for now." He said without looking at her, his voice without emotions. Her eyes saw a cold, heartless demon once again; not the loving one whom been with her the past three days. Her heart dropped and her disappointment filled the room. She wondered if he was trying to act distant; push her away.

'You are ignoring our mate and she is sad. She is human. Human needs feelings and those other touchy human things.' His youki was unsure of what she needed, but it definitely was not being ignored.

"Rin." His eyes made contact with hers. He did not say another word, but her heart rejoice in what she saw in them. Love and concern. He had spent his whole life in search of power so this interaction was new to him. He has laid with many others, but never cared for any but her. She wiped away the tears threatening to fall. Her wonderous smiled covered her face and happiness filled the room.

"Thank you, my Lord." She sat closer to him and rest her head on his arm. The touch sent a small shock through both demon and human alike. The rest of the day went by uneventful with two souls content with each other's presence. After dinner, Sesshomaru took Rin out for a stroll.

"Hm. The things I do for this human," he said to himself.

"It's a full moon tonight. It is so beautiful. Look Sesshomaru," her voice sang to him. She grabbed his hand in a moment of excitement, only to blush when he would not let go. He laughed inside. The things this human made him... his world stood still the moment he saw the moon.

The full moon shone outside with a blood halo. Sesshomaru's heart stopped.

'You must protect her!' His youki was screaming in fear. There was a saying from old, 'Blood around the moon means death of a loved one for those whom see it'. He looked at the beautiful priestess with her hand in his. From the moment he had decided to embrace her as his, he had no intentions of losing her; not now...not ever!

"It's a beautiful full moon tonight. And with tomorrow, starts a new era of peace. Inuyasha, come look." Kagome yelled over to Inuyasha who was grumpy.

"That just means I'm going to be useless if anything happens tomorrow night." Kagome hugged him from behind with a giggle.

"That means I will do the protecting tomorrow." They were happy; lost in the moment.

Kaede smiles were endless since the news that the demons have agreed to the treaty. Rin did it. She was able to change the heart of her beloved demon. Kaede was happy for her. After tomorrow, the world will finally be at peace. She too looked up into the beautifully lit sky just to feel horror shoot through her body. Her tears fell instantly. A blood halo on the full moon. Rin. Her life is in danger.

*Superstitions are different for every village not just countries. People from the same countries could believe in one sign being two different things. I grew up in the US but my family was very rooted. I knew the lunar calendar by heart, my zodiac animals year-month-and hour. ( There is a zodiac animal representing every hour of the day, not just every month); along with all our celebrations...lunar festival, harvest moon, new year,..and so on. Mom told me once that the blood halo was the spirit of the moon crying for a loss of a loved one. 'One life to redeem a life'. I know it is silly but I can't deny how much cultural influence my mother had on me...lots! BTW, we're almost done here. Heads up, the next chappy is an emotional rollercoaster.