Courtship

An exciting time was coming up in the spring when all the snows had receded; Rin was to become the mate of Sesshoumaru and would be known as the Lady of the West. The courtship had hardly been private, the entire village knew of the Daiyoukai's visits; but they also knew that Rin had been kept safe with the elderly Miko and that the youkai had been patient for more years than men of those times usually waited to take a bride.

So their approval was given, not that it mattered at all to Sesshoumaru; Rin was to be his mate whatever any human said. Not all approved certainly, but all recognised the inevitability of it and in the main were happy that he would not just keep her as a concubine or worse.

Sesshoumaru had even spoken to Inuyasha about Rin at great length and had assured the hanyou that his antipathy towards hanyou in general was in the past, along with his hatred of his brother. He had in the time since Naraku become acquainted with worthy individuals such as Jinenji and had also matured and widened his horizons, having come to the conclusion that his father was correct, as lord he needed to cater to all his subjects.

Inuyasha believed his brother, it was plain that Rin had always been special to Sesshoumaru and nothing had changed in all the time that Rin had stayed with Kaede. He had showered the girl with gifts that were all too costly and fine for a village maid. The hanyou could not completely hide his reactions to his brother's news; there was still a flare of jealousy over Rin, no longer because she had Sesshoumaru's care, but because she would give him hanyou heirs that he would love.

His own past was never far from his mind however much he covered it up; Kagome often reminded Inuyasha of his mother when she played or dealt with the pups. This was also well known to Sesshoumaru as he remembered Izayoi with the tiny Inuyasha. But the moment was fleeting, Inuyasha had accepted Sesshoumaru's regrets and they had made peace a few years ago. The hanyou had no fear that any nieces or nephews would be put through the ordeals he had suffered.

So as the winter months drew to a close and the snows were not so deep; the pups went out more to play and the women all chatted about Rin's wedding. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru deepened their own sibling relationship by hunting together for meat and furs, or by sparring. Kagome and Rin were ecstatic at the way things had worked out, they had always liked each other and that had only grown as Rin got older, now they would be sisters and would be together as long as their mates lived.

Of course Kaede too was included in all the talk; she had a long history of anecdotes about nervous brides and was a good raconteur, making them laugh. And so the days went by, easing Rin's transition from girl to woman, soon to be wife, and of course there were special talks for her specifically too, which Sesshoumaru had asked them to have while he was far away.

Kagome understood and after being reassured by a very prim faced brother-in-law that mating with a full youkai was the near enough the same as a hanyou in their case, she was able to fill Rin in on the 'special' details. Kaede advised her to speak with Sango too, the slayer might also be able to give her some of her knowledge in general.

On one afternoon, Rin gave details of how she met Sesshoumaru and her impressions and general life while she was travelling with him; her stories of Jaken were always amusing. It led to comparisons of Kaede's meeting with Inuyasha and the similarities of two little girls' friendships with the dog youkai was astonishing, but suddenly Kaede claimed she was tired and needed her rest allowing Kagome and Rin to carry on talking well into the evening when the males returned.

The evening was a great success, the two couples found pleasure in the simple chat that was unguarded and natural, even Sesshoumaru was able to relax and found to his surprise that he truly enjoyed the small cosy room with the glowing fire. Only one thing marred the time as far as Inuyasha was concerned, he could scent tears coming from Kaede's room, but as his head came up suddenly to mention it, Sesshoumaru shook his head and whispered to him to say nothing.

Inuyasha stared at his brother and as the scent abated he settled down, knowing that Kaede would not want a fuss and her general scent was healthy. But he was concerned, there was something deeper going on and he got the impression that Sesshoumaru knew something that he didn't, about his old friend.

To Sesshoumaru it was obvious what Kaede was thinking, however he knew that his brother would never see it for himself and the Lord would not reveal all he knew of the elderly Miko; she was entitled to her privacy as were all living beings. But he had seen Kaede as she grew up on many occasions, specifically when he had visited the village to check on his sealed sibling.

He had seen the longing in the girl's eyes as she too kept tryst with the bespelled Inuyasha, and he knew that although one sister was the acknowledged love of his brother, the other also had tender feelings. At the time Sesshoumaru had not understood, but Rin's open adoration of him had taught him to recognise such feelings if he saw them in others and he had remembered Kaede.

Meanwhile Kaede was trying to go to sleep, but she was annoyed with herself for acting like a child who couldn't get her own way. She had never been one for self pity and certainly discouraged it in any one else, so she was cross over the indulgent tears. Inuyasha had never been hers except as a friend, whatever else she had come to wish for in her lonely teens.

She had been his friend only and he hadn't known or thought of her in any other way although he had always been grateful for her friendship, the first he had known. But all this talk of Rin had caused long hidden desires to surface, desires she had furiously quashed when Kagome came on the scene and released the captive Inuyasha. He had not even recognised her, even by scent which had caused her pain, but she soon assumed the grandmotherly role in the little pack's lives.

But at times, and this was one of them, she couldn't help but reflect on how cruel human aging was. If Kaede had been still young as Inuyasha was when he had been freed, they would perhaps have been able to rekindle their affections, maybe even leading to love. A love that would have been based on genuine friendship and understanding; and therefore more lasting, than his doomed infatuation with the beautiful Kikyou.

Kaede sighed; once more she exerted her strong will and put her regrets to the back of her mind to sink slowly back to sleep with a rueful laugh. Another cruelty of aging was that the young would only be revolted by her secret desires or worse pity her if they knew; not that they would ever find out from her.

30 Shards Inuyasha and Kaede; shard 7, Longing