I do not own Inuyahsa

Jaken found her in the same spot two days later. She watched Ah-Un land without curiosity. She wasn't happy, or sad to see them. They didn't matter. Sesshomaru was dead and nothing mattered but that. He had been dead for two days and for two days she had sat there, keeping guard over her love, until her body decided it was time to join him. Her eyes dropped back to his face. She had expected something about it to change, but of course it didn't. If she had been able to, she would have smiled. Sesshomaru wouldn't tolerate anything less than perfection, even in death.

She could hear Jaken approach but she didn't care enough to look.

"Master!" he exclaimed, "Rin what happened? Is he…"

Rin could only nod. Her voice had been lost once again. Jaken came closer and now Rin did feel something. It wasn't protectiveness or even anger, it was too small for either, but it was enough to help her move. Between one eye blink and the next she had pulled Akita out of its sheath and had it pointed at the little green imp, without ever lifting her head. No one would take him from her! She would kill any who tried.

Somehow Jaken understood.

"Easy girl," his high voice tried to placate her, "I'm not going to move him, but I must confirm this."

Slowly, her blade dropped and Jaken took that as permission. He came up to Sesshomaru and began examining him. Finally, he lifted his lord's hand and taking a pin form his robe, poked a finger. Akita was at his throat once again.

"Rin please!" the irritating creature begged, "I must smell his blood!"

Rin eased the sword from his neck, but held it ready if he should try and mutilate her beloved further.

Jaken watched as an excruciatingly slow drop of blood formed before he held the finger to his nose. The imp sniffed then wiped the finger clean before replacing the hand and letting out a sigh of what sounded like relief.

"Rin," he said, placing a claw on her arm "He's not dead."

Rin's head snapped up and her face snarled at the imp, though no sound came out. She wasn't an idiot, she knew what it meant to be dead. He was lying. She didn't know why he would, but for two days she had sat with Sesshomaru and there was nothing. He was dead. Jaken leapt back as she swung her sword at him.

"Ungrateful girl!" he snapped, "I just told you our lord is alive and you try to kill me!"

She wanted to growl at him, the way her beloved would, but the best she could do was glare.

"Rin listen to me," Jaken pleaded, "Lord Sesshomaru is not dead. When a DaiYokai such as he is badly injured they enter a state known as Naru Boku. It's a healing sleep that allows them to regenerate, not only their bodies, but also their demon energy. They do not require breath and their heart slows so only the keenest hearing can detect it. Lord Sesshomaru said once that it's a wonderful way to fool your enemies into thinking you're dead and he's used it a few times for that purpose even when he didn't need to…"

He continued talking but Rin didn't hear him. She looked down at her beloved lord. Could it be? She wondered. Her heart answered her. It started beating again. Rin gasped. It was horrendously painful, one's heart was not designed to stop beating while alive, but she endured and beat by beat she could feel life flowing through her again and she knew the imp spoke the truth.

Ah-Un walked over to her. Un's head reached behind him and grabbed her saddle bag. He dropped it at her feet, then plopped down next to her. Rin felt an immense gratitude for the faithful beast. He must have flown straight there and back to get Jaken here. She rubbed his hide and leaned back against the tree. Her love was alive and now, so was she.

Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in two days. Apparently that was what Ah-Un was telling her. Rin opened her bag and downed every scrap of food they had.

"Um Rin?' Jaken interrupted her eating, "May I ask how long he has been this way?"

Rin held up three fingers. The third day would be ending soon.

"Three days," Jaken mused and he looked at Rin uncomfortably, "He will most likely wake up soon and…." He looked at Rin and coughed as he looked away again. What was on his mind?

Spit it out Jaken! She silently yelled

"Oh dear," he moaned, "this is most embarrassing,'

What!?

"Well Rin, considering all you've been through the past three days I can hardly blame you for forgetting, but…since our lord will wake soon…and considering his highly sensitive sense of smell…perhaps you might want to….ah, consider, perhaps…Bathing?"

Of course! Rin agreed wholeheartedly. How could she have forgotten about that? She carefully removed her beloved's head from her lap and placed mokomoko under it. She then jumped up only to fall down in agony. She looked at her legs. They hadn't moved in three days and she was weak from lack of food and water. She crawled over to Ah-Un and used him to pull herself up. They felt like they were on fire, but her legs held her weight. She looked at Master Jaken then back at her beloved. Jaken understood somehow.

"Don't worry Rin," he said, "I will watch over him"

She grabbed her bag and shakily made her way to the river to bathe.

Jaken's idea of "soon" turned out to be two more days of agonized waiting. Rin still couldn't speak. She doubted she would unless she saw Sesshomaru awake again.

"Rin," Jaken called to her, "Go gather some more wood for your fire tonight."

Even though it was done through imperious command, Rin was still appreciative of Jaken's orders to take care of herself. She forgot so easily. Obediently, Rin went about the task of getting the wood. She wandered for an hour or so until her arms were full and then walked back to what she mentally termed the "camp". She wondered if she could get Jaken to do the fishing when she emerged from the trees and froze. There he was, standing with his back to her, still shirtless but clearly awake. She felt a tear form without falling. Jaken hadn't lied to her. He was alive! Her heart raced and her entire body started shaking. If this was a dream…The wind changed direction and carried her scent to him. His head snapped up and he turned. Rin was frozen where she was. It was taking everything she had just to remain standing. He stared at her, stone faced. Waiting, she realized. Rin felt herself take a step towards him and slowly made her way over to the fire. Why couldn't she stop shaking already!? She felt ready to come apart at the seams! She stared at the ground as she walked. Rin told herself it was to ensure she didn't fall, but if she was honest, it was because she was avoiding his gaze. Rin's emotions were going crazy and she knew if she looked into those eyes right now they would explode out of her. Something she knew her lord wouldn't appreciate. He didn't deal well with emotions, his own included.

She came within a few feet of him and stopped.

"Rin" he said, and it sounded almost like a question.

Her head raised itself slowly and she finally met his eyes. The urge to touch him…to make sure it was really him, suddenly overwhelmed her and she dropped her bundle. Rin rushed to him and threw her arms around his waist, placing her head against his chest she could hear the sound of his heart once again. Joy exploded in her chest and the tears she had been fighting fell. Sesshomaru had stiffened the instant Rin slammed into him, but she didn't mind. He always reacted that way around her. She held him tightly as she cried. Then she felt his arms slowly encircle her and it was her turn to be surprised. She hadn't expected this. She felt his hold tighten around her until she was almost unable to breathe. She didn't care.

"You're alive," Her voice had returned with him, though it felt sore from disuse, "You're here. You're alive…"

"Hn" He replied stopping her litany.

"I thought..."

"I know."

Sesshomaru had no idea how to comfort her and felt that he should. So he mimicked what he had seen his brother Inuyasha do with his mate, though he loathed the idea of the Hanyou's teaching him anything. He put his arms around her and carefully squeezed. The feeling of holding her was not foreign to him, but his reaction to having her this close, knowing what he knew about her…it made the embrace…different. He liked it. He brought his head down so he could smell her, fill his senses with her. He could smell her tears as she stood there holding him as tightly as she could and felt her face move into a smile against his chest.

"Ouch," she said and his arms instantly flew open, releasing her.

"No, no, no…!" she hurrily assured, "It's not you. It's…smiling"

She looked up at him, her mouth smiling again and she winced

"I haven't done that since you…" she stopped and the smile vanished.

Sesshomaru pulled her arms gently away from him and put a few inches between them so he could look at her.

"I am sorry for your suffering," he apologized and brushed his clawed hand against her cheek. His hand reached behind her head and he pulled her forward to touch his forehead to hers. For her to not have smiled once in five days…she must have been in absolute hell.

Her smile wasn't as wide this time, but it was there and she sounded…breathless.

"Don't worry," she reassured him, "I suspect I'll be doing it a lot more, now."

He didn't smile back, but his eyes softened and he knew she understood. Slowly, giving her the choice to pull away, he leaned forward and softly, carefully, brushed his lips against hers. He expected his Yokai's reaction. It howled in triumph within him and he had to fight hard to keep himself in check. Rin, however, seemed to have no such qualms. He pulled back slightly to give her air, but she didn't allow it and attacked him with her mouth. He had never seen Rin be aggressive like this and It threw him off guard. His Yokai was quick to take advantage. Before he knew it he had deepened their kiss had felt himself burning alive with it. Sesshomaru felt powerless against the raging passion being created within him. It overwhelmed his senses, crushed his will, and drove him to do what he had long wished to. He should have been frightened or angry or both that his prided control was stripped from him so easily, but instead he wondered at it. This small, easily damaged, human woman he had spent the last decade of his life protecting had rendered the Lord of the Western Lands, the most feared and greatest demon in the world (in his opinion), utterly powerless in her arms. In that moment, she had absolute control over him, and in that moment, it stunned him that he didn't mind.

Rin pulled back gasping for air, and Sesshomaru felt a margin of his self control return. For him it was like coming up for air as well. Her eyes found his as she looked at him in wonder. Her large brown eyes drowning him in their depths. And then she smiled and her face lit with a radiance that stunned him with its beauty.

He would see that smile as often as he could put it there, Sesshomaru promised silently. He would make sure of it.

Sesshomaru leaned in to kiss her again, but his ears twitched with the sound of someone coming and he paused. Rin's scent overpowered his sensitive nose, but he thought he knew who it was. It didn't matter though. He claimed Rin's willing lips just as Jaken walked around from the other side of the tree and upon seeing them, squawked loudly.

"My Lord! you're…" his voice was shut off as Sesshomaru's poisoned whip lashed around his throat.

Sesshomaru was fully ready to kill the little green imp right there for his interruption, but, without moving her mouth from his, Rin slid her hand up his chest and down his extended arm to clasp his wrist gently. She pulled back to look at him.

"Please don't," she asked warmly, "If it wasn't for Jaken I probably wouldn't have lived to see you wake up."

The slender line of energy extending from his fingers disappeared as he brought his hand back to her waist. A sigh came from her as she hugged him again briefly, snuggling into his chest. Sesshomaru would never admit it, he but loved the feel of having her there. Right next to the heart she had unknowingly claimed. It felt...right.

"My Lord," Jaken squawked, "A thousand apologies for my intrusion…I am so grateful you didn't kill me…I have news from the castle…"

Sesshomaru ignored the imp. Rin didn't though.

"What news Master Jaken?" she asked politely turning to him, making Sesshomaru growl softly.

"It's your mother, my Lord…"

Sesshomaru's head snapped towards his servant, his eyes narrowing.

"What about her," he asked coldly

Jaken squeaked and started shaking nervously.

"Well, she's there, sire, at the castle." He continued under the harsh glare of his master, "Lady Inukimi arrived a week ago and began making all kinds of preparations. She didn't say who, but she mentioned expecting honored company…."

Sesshomaru was already moving towards Ah-Un. If his mother was at the Western Palace then there was undoubtedly trouble and most likely of her making. Rin followed close behind, sensing his urgency, and when he stopped at the Dragon, Rin didn't. He turned and without breaking her stride he helped her into the two headed beast, before jumping on behind her. He could have flown of course, but he didn't want to let go of Rin quite yet, and there was no way he was going to fly ahead to leave her unaccompanied when she got to the castle. His mother would eat her alive, and with her…it wasn't a metaphor. Wordlessly Rin handed him the now clean and flawless kimono shirt he had placed on the dragon nearly a full week ago.

"One of these days you're going to have to explain to me how your clothes can do that," she mumbled referring to the way it seemed to mend and clean itself.

"Hn," he answered and she laughed.

A rare smile spread across his face as he slipped the fabric over his shoulders. There were a lot of questions she would need to know the answers to and he looked forward to giving them to her. For now though, he just sat behind her enjoying the feel of her against him. She leaned into him as his hands held her close.

"Wait Milord! Wait for Jaken!" the imp cried out as he raced toward them

Sesshomaru ordered Ah-Un into the sky just as Jaken jumped onto the dragon's tail.

"Are we going to the Western Palace?" Rin asked as they flew

"Hn," Sesshomaru answered, now worried.

It was time to introduce Rin to their home...and he had no idea what new dangers waited.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews!

Wow! you guys are amazing! thanks for All your support!