A/N: That chapter was just a big monster, so I had to split it.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed until now, your encouragements are more important than you think!

I am very excited about this chapter, I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it…even though the best is yet to come!

Let the fun begin ;)

Chapter 7 : Silent Confessions (part 1)

A wave of gasps was heard, as the Lord of the Western Lands, his loyal servant and ward entered the mansion. Rin figured everyone must think they looked ghastly: with all the rain, mud and blood. She didn't dare move too quickly, to make sure she wouldn't soil anything with her dirty clothes…that had been so pretty just a day before…

After barely a minute, the Lady of the West showed up: her lips a thin line, while staring at her son.

"Sesshomaru", she started, severely, in a contrast with her typical casualness. "You are bloody", she observed.

Then she glanced at Rin. "You too. Are you alright, dear? Do you need healing assistance?"

"Oh, I'm okay Sasori-sama. I'm not injured", she whispered.

"You bled on her then", she said, as she stared back at her son, almost a reproach. "Tell my Sesshomaru, what happened?"

If she wouldn't know better, Rin would have sworn she heard worry in the Lady Mother's voice.

"Not much", retorted the lord with impassiveness. "A mere absent-mindedness. The culprit is dead."

Sasori scoffed. "Just like your father aren't you? A monster almost ate your entire arm but everything's fine?"

"Do I sense concern, mother?", Sesshomaru, asked with barely hidden mockery. "Do not trouble yourself, you will hear the entire story. The council shall be summoned at once."

"And why is that?", she asked.

"Security issues. Worse than expected", he announced.

Sasori nodded. "I see…I shall gather them. We will meet in an hour."

As she left, Rin nodded politely to her Lord, in expectation to have the permission to retire for the day, but his thoughtful glance told her otherwise.

"What is it my lord?", she asked, determined to break the silence.

"The black scaled demons attacked your village, is that correct?"

"Yes. It's one of them who killed Kohaku", answered Rin, staring down.

She felt a hand grab her chin to make her meet his powerful stare.

"I think the council would like to hear details about what happened, when your village got attacked." He paused a moment, before continuing. "Can you bear it, Rin?", he asked, neutrally, yet with a dash of concern.

How was it possible to refuse such a request, with the kindness he expressed? Rin simply nodded.

"Hm. You shall attend as well, then."

The room was deadly silent, as Rin got in, cleaned up and with some simple lilac garbs. She could hear the heavy rain pour on the wide windows of the study. Unlike the meetings about weddings, all faces were stern.

Rin sat at the only place left; aside what she assumed was Sesshomaru's seat, at the far end of the table. Based on what Sasori had told her about his meetings, she supposed most vassals might not be seeking his proximity, but Rin was in fact very glad to be there.

Then he got in, silent, yet very noticed. He had traded his bloody attire for some black clothing. Rin tried not to stare, but she always thought he was even more handsome when dressed in dark colours.

Everyone, except the Lady Mother, stood up and bowed. Rin wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, so she went for small bow.

He walked slowly to his seat. Only when did he sit down, everyone followed. Then he stared at papers in front of him for a while, apparently concentrated. Rin thought the silence was somewhat amusing, but didn't dare let it show.

"Tatsumaki", he finally stated, looking at the red-eyed vassal. She frowned.

"Yes, my lord", she replied blankly.

"I received reports of valiant patrols on your fief."

"Yes…", she said, unsure.

Rin thought the woman who was so mean to her the week before suddenly looked very quiet, when addressed by her lord.

"Can you explain, then, why we have encountered a dozens of demons from the Central Heartlands while marching on your territory?", he inquired, icy.

She looked aghast. "I-I…I don't know. It was all clear last time I checked in!"

"Which was?"

"Two days ago…"

"…They must have moved pretty quickly then, being able to march from the Central Lands to the limits of your stronghold on such a short notice?", he asked, even icier, if that was possible.

Rin started to understand why everyone was so uptight.

"Well, Katashi's lands were unprotected, that must be why they've reached…"

"They weren't even close to Katashi's stronghold, I was talking of the limits between your territories, and my domain, we were barely half a day from here", he retorted, iciness meeting impatience.

"But, they clearly penetrated the Western Land's from Katashi's or Kachikimaru's fiefs", she said, defensively.

"I was indeed expecting enemies on their territories, but they only showed themselves when we were deep inside the Lands. Which means, you didn't insure impenetrability of the territory you must protect".

"This is some weak defence Tatsumaki. Coming from you especially, that is a disappointment. Your stronghold is very strategically situated next to our domain. You failed at your duties", Sesshomaru's mother insisted, narrowing her eyes.

The vassal looked petrified for a moment, before speaking up.

"I apologize my lord…my lady", she said finally. "If I may be excused, I will attend to this urgency immediately"

"You may", answered Sesshomaru who had switched from icy to usual coldness.

The vassal demoness nodded and left the room, swift as the wind, without saying a word. Rin did think she had a talent to leave meetings quickly.

"If I may be so bold, can we know exactly what happened?", inquired Kireru, the fox demon.

"A bunch of weak foes attacked Lord Sesshomaru, however, some of them were appalling snakes demons, with scales as hard as stones!", told Jaken, gesticulating wildly.

"Snake demons made you bleed so? They must have been bigger than their usual counterparts", observed Sasori, narrowing her eyes.

"They were indeed", replied Sesshomaru, matter-of-factly.

"I bet their poison was something. You must have been dizzy for a while", she added with a scoff.

Rin gasped. Sesshomaru decided not to answer that.

"They can be stricken between their scales, however, these injuries aren't lethal to them…One of them tricked me", added Sesshomaru.

"B-but my lord, you didn…", added Jaken, incredulous.

"These nuisances can however be killed by stabbing them into their mouth. And this is all there is to say about it", finished Sesshomaru, dryly, shooting a glare at his servant.

Rin stared at the floor. Sesshomaru just pretended he hadn't sensed the agonizing snake demon in front of everyone, which was untrue. He got injured because of her carelessness…Why did he cover her like this?

He also never mentioned anything to her about the fact that the poison must have affected him, he just said he had some resistance to poison…

"Tatsumaki should have been informed of this precious piece of information, Lord Sesshomaru", commented the baron Hatsuno.

Sesshomaru smirked. "I'm confident she will find on her own. May it serve as an example: anyone who fails to inform me appropriately about their patrols will be treated accordingly."

"I suppose we should all reinforce patrols around our territories, then", asked the baron defensively.

"If you have reasons to think you also fail at your tasks, then you shall consider this an utmost priority", Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

"Well I've never heard of stony snakes before. Where are these scumbags coming from?", asked Tenmaru.

"Do I need to answer that?", Sesshomaru shot back with annoyance.

"Again? Well…I trust you will have nice discussions with your date next week", replied Tenmaru with a smirk. Sasori glared at him.

"Hmph", was the lord's only answer.

"Was this an isolated incidents, or you have reasons to think there could more of these invaders, my lord?", inquired Kireru.

"I don't think there are other snakes of the sort on the Western Lands. But I sure know they've been to some humans villages to the south."

"Do we know how many?", asked the fox.

"I have no detailed reports yet, some of them attacked my ward's village", replied Sesshomaru, glancing at Rin.

"The snakes demons who killed your boyfriend? They were made of stone too?", inquired Lady Sasori.

Rin felt a lump in her throat. She didn't like how Sasori brought this up so casually. "Yes…they…killed a few people, but they were many types of…demons…"

"How many casualties?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"15 deaths, around 30 were injured, I think", answered Rin.

"Well, that's a lot, but…at least it wasn't an annihilation", observed Kireru.

"That's a lot of casualties for this village", observed Sesshomaru, coldly.

"Oh right, that is where your…well…", the fox added, stopping mid-sentence.

"Where Sesshomaru's half breed brother lives, you can say it, Kireru", added Sasori with a sly smile.

"What did the others demons look like, Rin?", inquired Sesshomaru, who didn't want to linger on anything regarding Inu-Yasha.

"I…I'm not sure, some furry beasts, with huge claws, some others had cloaks and bows: it's one of those who killed Kaede-sama. The arrow was poisonous."

"I believe the ones with the bows are nomads from the Central Lands too", observed Kireru, with a frown. "Do we have any news from the East?", he asked suddenly.

Sesshomaru shot him an indecipherable gaze. "Not since the last time you asked."

There was a long silence. Rin supposed there were many things left unsaid in that pause.

"On my way to Rin's village a few weeks back, I noticed two other villages were raided, but I do not know how this happened", added Sesshomaru. "Those were close to the Western Lands. "I suppose we can suspect tribes from the Heartlands again..."

"Yes, I heard of them. The On'man and On'kura twin villages. Should we investigate?", asked Kireru.

"No, I expect detailed reports soon", answered the youkai lord. "However, you shall all strengthen your defences on the short term. I expect any other attacks to be instantly reported"

The vassals nodded.

"You are dismissed", stated Sesshomaru nonchalantly.

Rin stood up with a frown and walked slowly towards the exit.

"Wait a second, little Rin", said Sasori.

"What is it?", she inquired.

"Oh, don't look so troubled. I am sure your human friends are fine. The herons brought us mail for you again this morning", informed Sasori.

"Oh…really? Already?", inquired Rin. She had written to her friends before leaving for the patrol with Sesshomaru, she was surprised she received answers this quick. She glanced at the envelope and saw her name, with a little heart next to it.

That was Kagome. Only Kagome draw corny things like that.

Rin thanked the lady of the West, and so intrigued she was, she opened the envelope instantly.

Dear Rin,

It's nice to have news of you so quickly. I'm glad you liked our little gift!

You look good, I'm so happy! It sure looks comfy on the Western Land's! Nancy dresses, nice food, you're not greedy like Inu-Yasha, if you mention all this stuff, it must be that it's real paradise! And the wedding looks exciting, I wish I could see this: a demon marriage: you will have to tell me everything about it!

On another note, I'm not very surprised you made friends already: you are such a sweetie, of course you make everyone's heart melt, demons included!

Speaking of cold-hearted demons, I'm so happy Sesshomaru treats you well. Inu-Yasha was convinced your travel would turn to a disaster! Rest assured, I haven't told him the details, but I made sure to inform him his half-brother behave like a real gentleman. I mean…really…you ate in his chambers? You played hide-and-seek WITH HIM in his gardens? And I find hard to imagine he truly left his seat among his vassals to come next you at an official classy dinner, only for small talk… that is so unlike the Sesshomaru we know! You make me see him under a new light. He must really care a lot for you, I mean…I knew he cared for you, but I never thought he could be so demonstrative…But yeah, for some reason, I knew he was just a big softie…like his brother!

From the looks of it, it sure looks like you two get along…very well…Do you have old crushes resurfacing sweetheart? I bet there are sparkles in your eyes all the time with your dear Sesshomaru-sama so close to you. Oh I can already see you blush, Rinie, even though you are far, but you shouldn't. It's useless to deny: I know you, and I'm sure you little heart is all melted already.

Take care,

Xx Kagome xX

PS: You would tell me if you had a thing going on with Sesshomaru, right? Right? Oh don't look at me like that, I promise I wouldn't tell anyone!

"Rin", called a deep, familiar voice.

She gasped and stuck the paper on her chest, in an attempt to hide its content. She looked at her lord with a intense blush. He raised an eyebrow.

"Was I interrupting something?", he inquired.

"N-no, I was done!", she stammered.

"As you say.", he replied quietly. He was pretty sure there were a few lines about him in that letter, but he did value privacy, so he didn't feel the need to linger on that subject. "You are the only left, now. You should come"

"Y-yes!"

She let escape a huge, exasperated, embarrassed sigh as she entered her room. She had left out all of the most juicy gossips: the whispers to her ear, the rumours, the never-ending hug he gave her in the cave…and his arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture even though he got beaten badly by a snake because of her. How the hell could Kagome arrive to such conclusions with only what Rin thought was the not-compromising information?

She sighed again. She felt so lost. She spent at least a night out of two still dreaming of Kohaku, and everyone was gossiping about…whatever…

She took a deep breath and opened the doors of the balcony, staring at the wet lilacs. The rain had just stopped. Then, she grabbed paper, ink and a quill and started writing pages and pages to Kagome, explaining to her why this was not what she thought it was, why she shouldn't joke like that, why everyone was so wrong, that it was so obvious her lord would never think of her that way. However, Rin felt like her long essay wasn't convincing anyone, she could imagine Kagome with a mocking, yet friendly smile, reading the letter over her shoulder. She shredded her first draft and started another one, but it still sounded wrong. She did try to argue he actually had a date for the wedding, but then again, she knew for a fact he wasn't very enthusiastic about it. Then she tried to argue over the fact he didn't like humans, but then again, that argument was wrong: what was she doing here, if he hated humans so much? He changed his views…at least a little…

Then she argued over the fact he was more of a family figure. Rin cringed, that was the worst argument of all. Neither her deceased father nor her brother had a relation with her that resembled what she had with Sesshomaru. Even though they were long dead, she could remember, as if it was yesterday. Her father had been a very caring man, working hard for his family during the day, and helping her learn to read at night, yet disciplining her when she was doing stupid things. Her younger brother had been a friend: they played and fought with each other all the time.

Sesshomaru was…something else. She did own him her life. He protected her, but never was authoritative around her like her father did, in fact he never even forced her to stay with him…She just started following him because she had nowhere to go and he went along with it. A decade ago, when the old monk had been trying to tell her he wasn't from the same world as her, Sesshomaru had still come for her, releasing her of the old man's grip, yet he didn't force her to follow him either: he always wanted her to choose her own path.

He never really tried to teach her the ways of life like her father either, in fact, he had always been a bit nonchalant around her, preferring that she handles her needs on her own, or he would send Jaken to check on her. Yet he was still present, and protective in an indecipherable way, neither talking nor reacting much, but he always listened when she had something to say, asked the important questions at the right time, and respected her needs, letting her some time to eat and sleep in peace. He was the most powerful demon alive, and yet he was patient with her, and came visit her once in a while after he left her to Kaede, still not saying much, but his presence enough had always been a blessing to her. And for all these little reasons: because he saved her, cared for her in his own non-intrusive way, gave her a new beginning at life, gave her a bit of space in his own life, even though he clearly had no use for a human child, she loved him deeply for a long time, a naive crush, a bit like Kagome said. He had been some sort of knight in a shining armor in her childish mind, a cold knight, yet he was still one.

He called himself her protector. She supposed he was some sort of mix between some type of guardian and a unique friend. But she had stopped for a long time to think about what they were to each other exactly. She just concluded he didn't fit in any typical categories humans were used to, and she was fine with it. But now, she felt like his nonchalance and quiet protection of her was shifting toward something else, and she wasn't sure what yet. And she wasn't sure what to think of him either. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved that he spent more time with her, and that he spoke to her more openly, like an adult she was now, actually.

None of her close friends at the village treated her that way, she was just the little girl they had to watch over, a younger sister of some sort. But her lord apparently didn't miss the fact that she was a woman, there were some obvious hints she noticed, the most obvious being his not so uninterested stares. Especially the one the day before, he didn't watch the horizon he was usually so fond, when he laid back against the tree… which was very unusual: he never stares at anyone, never! No one was worth his entire attention before. But now, apparently, she did…

She thought again about the cave: the warm embrace, with his hand caressing her hair tenderly, and about the game in the gardens, his strong grip around her waist: she had felt the damn butterflies at that moment, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it back then. She hadn't expected they would show up so quickly…they weren't supposed to. But now everyone was shoving these little signs into her faces all the time, and she had no choice but to think this through.

She stared at her last letter and shredded it furiously all over again. Her shoulders fell down, with a defeated sign. Her hand got possessed with some malevolent force:

Kagome,

About this thing you are so adamant to know about…I frankly cannot answer. I simply don't know…I am so confused.

What if you were right? Wouldn't it be wrong?

Rin

A few days passed, then some more, Rin not thinking much about it. The wedding was coming very quickly. It was in only two days! She had been so busy getting prepared with the decorations and her singing repetitions…time was sure running out. It has been a month since her arrival to the Western Lands.

She was now doing some decorations with orange chrysanthemums: they were flowers who didn't wither easily, so she could do it in advance. But she knew it was a bit pointless, she knew she would still be very busy on the morrow.

She did have some dreams of Kohaku recently, but not as often, and they weren't as sad as they were before, the way he died has stopped plaguing her so often. She was now dreaming of happier moments, when he gave her a flower or when he kissed her for the first time. The few kisses they had shared had always been shy, innocent, well, almost all of them. They wanted to take their time. In the end, they didn't have the time to do much… But she remembered Sesshomaru's advice: stop lingering endlessly in the past, and move on.

When she wasn't able to see anything of what she was doing anymore because the sun had gone down, she realized she must have been doing this for too long. She left the ceremonial temple and got back inside the mansion, ignoring the official dinner: her lord wasn't there anyway. He hadn't shown up a single time since they had come back from the patrol. In fact, the closer they were to the wedding, the coldest, even sullen, he became, hiding in the study most the time, being apparently very busy, Jaken too was also very occupied. Well, everyone was worked up, her included.

She realized she hadn't checked recently if she had mail. She decided to go check out for herself.

She knocked at the door, didn't hear anything and decided to get in. She froze when she was greeted by her lord's stare.

"Oh…I'm sorry…Am I disturbing you?", she asked shyly.

"No", he replied curtly, returning to his papers. "What brings you here?", he asked.

"Not much, I just wanted to see if I have mail, and maybe check the books a little…", she answered honestly.

"I see. Well, suit yourself", he answered nonchalantly.

Rin nodded and noticed there was a huge pile of letters. She supposed no one had the time to sort them out recently.

Diving in, she recognized the familiar signature, with the little heart. There was only one piece of paper inside. The note was short.

Dear Rin,

I suppose the answer is subjective, I mean, my grumpy hanyou of a husband would probably

have an entirely other view if you asked. But here is my truthful opinion:

Live in the present life. Follow your heart and don't look back.

Kagome

Rin blushed and stared at the paper for a while. She felt like Kagome was literally trying to throw her in his arms…She wasn't the only one, her fox friend Nozomi was also convinced they were meant to be with each other, even Sesshomaru's mother had dropped a few insinuations, but Rin never felt like it was reproachful…which was surprising…

Rin glanced behind her shoulder and hid the piece of paper in her obi. Why did he have to be so close each time she was reading something compromising?

She then stared absently at the bookshelf. She saw some books about ancient wars, looking mildly interesting, and then she saw some novels…that surprised her. After a while, she even found a book about the significations of flowers. She was amazed as she went through it.

Then she remembered…she turned the pages until she reached the red tulip, remembering her lord's question, and then, her hazel eyes widened. She tried to refrain a blush and glanced at the youkai in the corner of the room.

The damn flower! Why did it have to be associated to a love confession!? Now that must be why the maids looked at her weirdly when they had seen her bring the flower inside the study.

She looked at the red flower still lingering on his desk with hatred. It had been there for a week in a half now, still as pretty as day one. How could a flower last so long? It must be to torment her mind or something…

She wondered if he knew…

"Do you have something to say?", he inquired.

"Wh-what?"

"You've been staring for a while", he replied neutrally.

She cursed mentally. How could he notice? He wasn't even looking!

Because of her silence, he finally decided to glance at her, and noticed what she was holding. She cursed mentally again.

"You can keep it if you like", he commented.

"Oh…really?", she asked with a smile.

"Hmph, do you really think I use this thing?", he asked coldly.

"I suppose you don't", she replied, a bit dumbly. "Well thank you my lord!"

With her troubling thoughts chased away, she walked slowly towards his desk, and looked at him. His eyes left his papers again, silently inquiring the reason of her great curiosity.

"You look very busy my lord, are there any trouble regarding the borders again?", she inquired.

"No. Not here, but human lands are unstable", he observed.

"Oh…you read stuff about human villages?", she asked with surprise.

"Yes, some of them are close the southern part of my Lands, any attack on them would impact us", he replied, matter-of-factly. "Have your human friends talked to you about new attacks in their letters?"

Rin blinked a few times before she answered. "N-no…Why? Should I be worried?"

"Not about their village…in fact…I was told they are currently setting up barricades."

"Really? Why would they do that?"

"Some neighbour town got raided again. Also, I read Inu-Yasha has been appointed as guard in chief of your village", he explained.

"Wow! Really? I didn't know…", replied Rin with a gasp.

"How surprising. You do spend a fair share of time writing to them…", he mused.

"Yes", she said curtly, suddenly self-conscious.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh honestly you don't want to know what I'm writing about", she said with pink on her cheeks.

He blinked a few times.

"Indeed, it is not of my business", he conceded, breaking eye contact, returning to his papers.

"What else do you do?", asked Rin.

He raised an eyebrow again. "You are curious", he stated.

She blushed again. "Ah you're right, I'm not fair, I shouldn't ask so many questions about your lordly affairs while I won't even say anything about my childish correspondence!", she exclaimed

"I was merely noticing your curiosity toward my work."

"Is that a problem?", she asked.

"Not at all", he answered. "But I suppose if these topics interest you so, I could relegate some duties to you, in due time"

"Oh…really? You would do that? You would trust me?", she questioned with a blush.

"Why not?", he replied with moderate curiosity.

"Well…I never thought of it…but I suppose I would really love to be useful to you", she said with a sincere smile.

"Hmph, well… It surely is to consider if you think about staying here", he commented.

Rin's eyes went wide. "Stay…here?"

"Yes, that was the point. You stay here for summer and you choose your fate after", he reminded casually.

"Oh yes…that…I completely forgot", she whispered. She looked at him hesitantly. "You would really consider keeping me here, my lord?"

He looked at her as if it was truly a dumb question. "I can't fathom why I shouldn't. You seem to have a good time, and most people appreciate you", he observed.

And there was also the fact that he didn't expect that the situation was going to improve on human lands in the next few months, but she didn't need to know that.

"An-and you do too, right? You like to have me here?", she stammered with a blush.

She would have sworn she saw a hint of amusement in those amber eyes. "I had forgotten how you bring so much life", he said mysteriously.

She didn't look reassured at all.

"And it's not a bad thing", he added.

She answered with her trademark smile. "Fair enough…if so many people would like me to stay... I suppose I should seriously think about it!"

"Don't stress yourself. You choose when you're ready", he replied curtly.

She smiled again. He was truly allergic to pressure.

"I shall get going, my lord. I have flower issues to solve tonight…"

"We are now in the morning Rin, don't you need to sleep every night?", he inquired.

"Nah…not now…too much work to do!"

He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "If you say so"

"Good night, Sesshomaru-sama", she said with a beaming smile.

Rin stared with hatred at the morning sun while desperately trying to assemble a flower garland…Also, never had the bird singing been such an irritant…

Only a few hours had passed, and her mood had changed so much… She had drunk too much tea…she hadn't slept of the night, she was a ball of nerves…a disaster on two feet, and she felt like she was going to blow up.

It was a total disaster! Nothing was going as fast as planned, and she had plenty of others chores to finish today. She had a huge pile of red roses still waiting for thorn removal, lilies that needed to be cut, swan plant flowers that were supposed to be delivered today…and all of these would have to be either placed in vases, or cut and trimmed and sometimes tied together for diverse decorations.

Worse of all was that she had to attend to some rehearsal she had completely forgotten about where everyone would be, so they could review key moments of the wedding celebrations. She had just learned her presence was requested for the entire rehearsal, which was weird, considering she wasn't the bride or anyone important during the ceremony.

And now by the look of the sun in the sky she was pretty sure she was late. So she ran out of the gardens and sprinted through the mansion to reach the training area as fast as possible, in hopes she wouldn't be the last to arrive. She was told the Lady Mother had been very cranky lately, so she didn't want to do anything that would upset her.

Her breath was getting out of control but she kept running, until.

"Not so fast Rin, or you might get hurt!", warned a familiar, croaky voice.

Rin stared back at Jaken, who had spotted her with his big bulging eyes. Then she noticed her lord wasn't very far, his back laid against the wall. He had dark clothing again. She tried not to stare but then again, the nice contrast of the dark colour with his pale complexion was hard to ignore. She wondered if he knew what effect these dark clothes had on her…

"Oh…master Jaken, I'm sorry, it's just that I'm late!", she replied with worry, trying to calm her breathing. "They might start without me and the Lady Mother will be mad."

"Don't worry. They will wait", replied Sesshomaru, stoically.

"And why is that?", she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Because I'm not there yet", he said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh…you have to go too?"

"Of course. We should go", he suggested, starting a relaxed walk toward their destination.

She smiled. "Yes!"

He darted a sideways glance. She had shadow under her eyes and he noticed her clothes were the same as the day before.

"Are you nervous, sometimes, my lord?", she suddenly asked, out of the blue.

"No. Why?"

"Everyone is. How can you stay so calm all the time?", she asked, amazed.

"Hmph... Anxiety is pointless and counterproductive", he answered with his usual composure.

"But, it's not like we choose to be stressed out or anything!", she said, throwing her arms in the air.

He raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by her touchiness.

Her shoulders fell. "I'm-I'm sorry. I haven't slept much and…"

"Not slept at all, you mean", he corrected, with knowing eyes.

She bit her lip. "I'll be fine! I'm just…" She couldn't find any relevant excuse. She sighed. "Whatever…Here we are…"

He opened the door for her without saying a word. She tried not to gasp at everyone staring at them, the Lady Mother's freezing gaze the most disturbing of all.

"Here they are", she observed.

"Greetings, mother", replied Sesshomaru, in a cold, yet daring manner. She just frowned at him.

"We were practicing the wedding walk. You both go behind the groom. The zone right there represents the shrine entrance. You stop there, until the bride arrives…", she instructed.

Rin looked at Sesshomaru's mother hesitantly. "Wait…Isn't this Lord Sesshomaru's escort role?", she asked.

"Well, yes. But she's not there. And she won't be there before tomorrow morning", Sasori retorted dryly. "We need a backup escort, in case Lady Amane doesn't show up…"

"Backup escort? Really?", asked Rin, unbelieving.

"Of course. My son cannot be without an escort, and you are Sesshomaru's pretty thing. You are qualified to be the backup girl", the Lady Mother retorted.

"But I don't think…"

"Come on! Up to work!", she interrupted, clapping her hand impatiently.

Rin just shut her mouth with shock. She saw everyone starting to gather in lines, in the right order.

"Rin, take my arm", Sesshomaru ordered in a low voice.

She nodded, held his upper arm and let him lead the walk through the vast ballroom; she had no clue what else she could do in the circumstances. Human unions were very different so she wasn't sure what she was doing. Her own zoris were echoing loudly on the marble floor, her lord's steps silent as usual…She did her best to follow his example…

"You knew about this backup lady thing?", she whispered to his ear.

"No", replied Sesshomaru with a low voice.

"And you agree with this? I mean, I don't mind it, but…"

"I don't care either. And you shouldn't argue with her today, neither tomorrow", he suggested, throwing her a knowing look.

"I suppose you are right!", she whispered.

"Silence!", snapped Lady Sasori, glaring at them. "Walk gracefully, toward the shrine!", she barked.

Rin was startled and held Sesshomaru's arm tighter, apparently unconsciously seeking some sort of comfort and protection. He tried not to smirk.

Then they stopped at the spot they called the entry of the shrine, which was just in fact, the center of the room. With greatest regret, Rin had to let go of Sesshomaru's arm and bowed her goodbyes, so he could wait for the bride and bring her to the altar. A few maids of honour passed by them, until Lady Kishiko showed up: a tall young demon woman, almost taller than her future husband, with turquoise hair, and a messy bob partly hiding her eyebrows, and black eyes. Her walk was confident and she constantly had a playful –a glint devilish– smile plastered on her face. From her first impression, Rin thought she might have a similar temper as Tenmaru's.

Her lord formally brought her to the altar, not even glancing at her a single time. Rin couldn't help but smile when she saw Sesshomaru's cousin glance back and see the bride, feign bewilderment and then awe. Kishiko stuck her tongue in a teasing manner, and apparently whispered something funny to his ear. Both of them snickered.

They seem to be taking this union lightly, but the aunt Sasori didn't seem to agree, by the look of her judging glare.

Then followed some accelerated version of the priestess prayers, the couple exchanged vows, Sasori blamed Tenmaru for what Rin thought were very pointless details, and then the ceremony ended…finally… At least an hour had passed already.

Then Sasori spoke of very detailed things for the nuptial dinner. At least, Rin learned she would be sitting at the table of honour, which would also be occupied by the newly weds, their parents, Lady Sasori, Sesshomaru and his escort. She didn't know how she felt about this, she had hoped she wouldn't have to be too close to Sesshomaru and the mysterious lady: what if they got along?

Rin chased that thought away. She couldn't be jealous…it wasn't like she was a suitor or anything…She was just his ward…

Then, when she thought everything was over, Sasori insisted everyone practice the wedding waltz, more precisely, the first dance.

Rin thought briefly of leaving, but noticed no one dared, so she sat back, looking at the newly weds laughing with each other. For an "alright" bride, Tenmaru didn't seem to be bored at all with Kishiko.

"What are you doing?", asked Sesshomaru. Rin was startled.

"My lord?"

"Come", he said, giving a hand so she could stand up. "The hosting Lord and his lady are second to enter the ballroom", he informed her, matter-of-factly.

Rin's heart skipped a beat.

"But…I'm not…", Rin protested shyly.

"She's looking at us right now. She will bark again if you don't move", he warned, a glint of something close to amusement in his eyes.

Rin nodded quickly and took his warm hand.

As much as she liked him, she hated this rehearsal to the highest point. She hated she had to play Sesshomaru's escort, knowing this was never going to happen, a role reserved to some gorgeous demon queen, who would do it marvellously without having to bear Lady Sasori's complaints. She thought it was a pointless torture. And she had so many other things to do!

She tried to get rid of the negative thoughts. At least it was an opportunity to dance with Sesshomaru in advance! He had promised her they would at some point during the celebration…probably late enough so that no one would bother to notice, that is.

She tried to ignore her dizziness. Her lack of sleep was catching up on her. She was so tired and distracted she almost didn't pay attention to the music in the background and the fact that her Lord was now standing in front of her, staring…

"Rin", he whispered.

She blinked and seemed to regain consciousness.

"Y-yeah", she replied absently, staring at her feet.

He frowned. He slid his hand on her back and took her hand. She watched him raise it slowly in the stereotypical elegant fashion of the nuptial dance. She noticed for a second time how his hand was warm, contrasting flawlessly with his cool demeanour.

"Your hand, in my back", he said in a low voice, bothered by her distraction.

Her hazel eyes finally met his ambers, and she realized…this…was…actually happening. She obliged and tried to regain composure. She felt her face whiten and her heart beat faster. She looked at him in the eyes, his traits expressionless, as usual… but she could barely bear it. What was happening to her? She felt ill, an outcast. This wasn't her place. That was the place of the gorgeous lady of the Heartlands, with the fancy name.

In theory, in her own little naïve mind, such a moment was supposed to be dreamy, she wasn't supposed to be intimidated by his amber eyes, his damn black clothing making him even more manly and stern or his slightly musky and entrancing scent she could smell when he was so close. There was no way she could focus in these terrible working conditions!

He started his move, and she followed, but realized how different his style was from Tenmaru. His cousin, so bold and energetic, was making her waltz and spin at a quick pace. Sesshomaru started…slowly, with relaxed and fluid movements. When Tenmaru was dynamic and lively, Sesshomaru was precise and graceful…she wasn't used to such perfection. She realized she might have overtaken his speed once or twice. Until…

"Wait, stop!", ordered Sesshomaru's mother. Everyone stopped moving.

"Rin, what is the matter with you?", she asked with annoyance.

Rin blinked, not sure what she was supposed to answer.

Sasori frowned. "That's not working, you will have to concentrate more than that."

She nodded "I'm sorry Sasori-sama", she whispered, shameful.

"Alright, You four need to start over", she told the future spouses, Sesshomaru and Rin. The poor human gulped and stared at the floor, not wanting to see her partner's sideways glance.

"Oh don't worry Rin", whispered Tenmaru with a wink. "It's not your fault, it's because prince prissy over there doesn't know how to deal with a bubbly fay like you". His fiancé gasped.

"I suppose you enjoy the fact that I cannot kill you right now?", shot Sesshomaru back with annoyance.

"Well, you have to admit this is not exactly the best day to unleash your demonic form on me", the cousin retorted with a smirk.

"Oh stop it, kids!", ordered Sasori. "Start over!"

Tenmaru and Kishiko quickly joined hands and did the same as the first time, swift and gracious moves. Rin gulped. Sesshomaru frowned, he started to understand why his ward was struggling, he thought the spouses looked like some kids who ate too much sweets, not appropriate for a nuptial dance at all. But no one seemed to care.

"That won't do", he commented with disdain. "Tenmaru behaves like a fool and his woman seems to enjoy…".

"I think they are quite elegant", Rin observed.

"To a beginner's eyes, maybe", he observed. Rin eyed him worriedly. He cursed mentally; it seems that practising with his damned cousin made her learn some bad habits.

"Just follow me", he instructed, with a tad of impatience.

They started over. This time, she wasn't as quick, but she still felt horrible. When he raised delicately her hand to make her spin, she couldn't help but make her move far too quickly and haltingly, mismatching his flowing elegance.

"Rin!", snapped Sasori, harsher than first time. "What the hell are you doing?"

Rin flinched and stopped abruptly. Sesshomaru glared at his mother, she was distracting even him.

"Your moves are an eyesore!", Sasori continued, with impatience. "You can't expect to dance with my son if you can't do simple basic dance moves!"

"Oh they will dance together?", wondered Kishiko with curiosity.

"Mother, why don't you get some air", suggested Sesshomaru.

"Why should I? We don't have the time for that!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

He tried not to frown. There were too many irritable women around him today…

"Nonsense. Rin is indisposed. We need a break", he replied dryly.

Rin blushed, was he trying to cover her again?! Making up excuses for her bad performance? But then again, if you define lack of sleep like a physical condition…

"Is it true Rin?", inquired the mother suspiciously, eyeing her.

She gulped. "Well…I do feel under the weather, my lady…"

Sasori frowned. "You do look a bit pale. Fine…we'll take 10 minutes…"

"20 minutes", Sesshomaru corrected, frowning.

"Fine", she replied, her lips a thin line. "It better be worth it"

Last line was like a slap in Rin's face. Everyone started talking, she felt many stares.

"When is the last time you have eaten, Rin?", asked Sesshomaru with a knowing look.

Her shoulders fell. How did he know? "I-I…it must have be yesterday afternoon…"

If looks could stab, she would drop dead.

"You skipped dinner…again?", he asked, unhappy.

You weren't there…she wanted to say.

"I'm sorry", she whispered sheepishly. "I was so busy…"

And then she saw Jaken run toward them with a plate of rice balls. She felt her mouth water. Another saviour… "Oh thank you master Jaken", she whispered, attacking the food like it was the best thing she had ever eaten in her entire life.

Even Sesshomaru was silently thankful his servant was quick to react for once.

"Feh…imprudent girl", scoffed Jaken. "It is ironic all the demons around you are more aware of your human limits than yourself!"

"Oh I don't think every demons are…only you and Sesshomaru-sama", she said with a smile. Her smile faded "I guess it's pretty ironic anyway?"

"Very ironic indeed", insisted Jaken with a judging frown.

Then Rin realized Sesshomaru had disappeared, she spotted him talking to his vassal Kireru, who nodded at something.

"Rin!", whispered Nozomi, while sitting next to her. "You are going to dance with Lord Sesshomaru?", she asked, bewildered.

"Well, yes. But if the Lady of the Central Lands comes as expected, it'll only be the last dance, I asked him last week. Why?"

"Oh Kami! Don't you know?!", she asked with a gasp.

Rin looked at her questioningly.

"Well, the fact that he accepted to dance with you, even though he is accompanied is something…", she started thoughtfully, "but you know…there is also the fact that…"

"What?", asked Rin, now impatient.

"Lord Sesshomaru is like…a legend when it comes to dancing! He barely dances, but when he does, it's like the most awesome thing any female can ever witness in their lifetime! It's masterly, marvellous and majestic! It's it's…"

Rin felt her face whiten all over again. Had she made some terrible mistake she was going to regret her entire life? He was some legendary ballroom dancer coming out of his shell once every century and she was some human beginner almost stepping on his feet! Oh Kami!

"What absurdity is she talking about now?", inquired a low voice.

Now it was the turn of the vixen to whiten and stare behind her, master Sesshomaru being even more intimidating, standing while they were sitting, looming over them like a silent and deadly threat.

"She said you are some sort of dancing legend!", Rin exclaimed with panic. Nozomi stared at Rin with terror. Sesshomaru glared at the fox-girl.

"Nonsense", he retorted with annoyance.

He gave a hand to Rin. She complied and had the impression his hand was even warmer than before, it was probably hers that was freezing by now…

"Let's revise a few steps", he suggested.

"Right", she whispered, full of dread.

…to be continued…

Yeah…I know…what a terrible place to stop! But I promise very high concentration of fluff on part 2, but it does require some minor editing before publication. A couple of reviews could help me fix that quickly ;)