A/N: LASSSST CHAPPPPTERRRR!
Thank you all so much for hanging in there with me all this time, and I will let you know, I made 100 reviews with this story. Thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy the end.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes groggily, feeling as though he had simultaneously been given acupuncture by a sugar high six year old, been hit by a bus, and whacked over the head with an iron skillet.
"Aw dammit…" he muttered, trying to reach up and rub his pounding head. He found then that there was an IV stuck in his arm. And a breathing mask over his mouth and nose.
"What the freakin' hell." He growled angrily, ripping the mask off his face. He really hated anything that covered his face. It reminded him of Naraku.
He tried to sit up, intent on getting out of this place that reeked of blood and antiseptic mingled with an unnatural cleanliness. He loosed a stream of curses as he fell back onto his pillows. Oh, right. He'd been shot… six times or more. He couldn't remember.
Everything was a blur after that first shot, a blinding impression of pain like the fires of hell, a brief flash of sick satisfaction, and then a wave of fury so strong it made him physically ill.
The next thing he remembered was Rin's face, and asking her if she hated him. He couldn't recall her answer, only that he had smiled when she replied. He had been happy.
He hissed bitterly and reached up to finger his choker. It must still be there, he could still feel the throbbing ache of the nasty thing's spikes in his flesh. His hand came in contact with nothing but rough bandages. He poked around under the dressings, finding only flesh and blood. No metal.
It was gone. Gone.
Sesshomaru started laughing. He couldn't help it; the sound came spilling out of his mouth of its own accord. Free. Free at last.
"Freedom." He whispered to himself, savoring the word, tasting each letter on his tongue before laughing again.
"Oh sweet Lord, the bastard has lost his marbles." Came a voice from Sesshomaru's left. He stopped laughing to see Inuyasha seated on a hospital bed next to him with his torso wrapped in gauze, still wearing his cargo pants from before, but missing his shirt.
"Oh shut the hell up why don't you?" Sesshomaru replied with a hearty smirk still on his face. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder.
"Oy Rin, ya hear this? Bastard's awake!" The curtain behind Inuyasha flew open to reveal Rin's eager face, tying her hospital gown behind her as fast as she could. Sesshomaru looked at her in confusion, then back at Inuyasha.
"Why's she here? What happened to her?"
Inuyasha gave him and odd look. "Well, you kind of ripped off a chunk of her arm you freak." Sesshomaru quieted suddenly, and Inuyasha stared at him. "Uh hey, if the whole 'freak' comment pissed you off that much, I'm sorry, alright?"
"I don't remember." Sesshomaru said blankly.
"Huh?"
"I don't remember what happened. I… hurt Rin?" Sesshomaru's voice was pained now, sounding like he wanted to go jump off a cliff.
"It's all right, it's not your fault!" Rin piped, scampering over to his bed in her bare feet. "You did more good than harm, and my arm will heal, no permanent damage done." She smiled at him, and he lowered his eyes from her face.
"I'm sorry Rin." He mumbled. She sighed, and sat on his bed, taking his chin in her hand and forcing him to look at her.
"I said it's fine. I meant it, so there's no need to beat yourself up over it, alright?" She asked sympathetically. Sesshomaru nodded, and she released his face.
"What now?" Sesshomaru asked. "There are still cops to contend with… if they put me on the death row, I'll comply."
"Already taken care of!" Rin sang.
"Yup." Inuyasha broke in, "Rin had the forethought to bring that weird collar-snake-thingy with us. She explained everything about how it was controlling you and making you go crazy and stuff, so they let you off. You're still a bastard to me though!" (A/N: I did some research, and in real life, Sesshy would be put on death row. But this is a fic, and I can do whatever I want, so Sessh is not gonna die.)
"And you will always be an abomination in my eyes. Your point?" Sesshomaru asked stiffly. To be honest, he was a little overwhelmed with the sudden turn of events. Inuyasha rolled his eyes with a sigh.
"Whatever. You have worse mood swings than Kagome." His ears suddenly pricked up and he grinned hugely. "Speaking of Kagome…. Later bastard and Rin!" He scampered out the door, looking like a puppy whose master has come home. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, perhaps a bit jealous of his brother's ability to show emotion so easily.
"He certainly seems happy to have Kagome visit." Rin commented lightly.
"Hn." Sesshomaru grunted in reply. Rin looked at him.
"You're not still upset about my arm, are you?" She asked with mock severity.
"No." Sesshomaru replied shortly. He was really, but that wasn't why he was being so short.
"What's wrong than?" Rin queried. "Do your wounds hurt?"
"No." Sesshomaru said again, staring up at her anxious face. He was trying to find the words to say what he wanted to without sounding like an idiot.
"Well?" she cried after he sat there staring at her for a few minutes.
"Rin…. I…" Sesshomaru stopped with a sigh. "Can you ever trust me again?"
"Well… I guess so. It won't be the same as before, but I know you tried. You really did." She answered softly.
"I see…" he murmured, "Rin, I'm just going to come out and say it, but whether or not you accept it is your problem."
"Huh?"
"I love you."
"Haaaaaaah?" she nearly fell off of his bed in absolute shock. Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist to stop her from hitting the tile as she scrambled back up to the hard bed. "I didn't think you'd be so open about it!"
"About my feelings for you? I can say it again if you like." He said in his low monotone.
"No, it's all right. If you can say it, so can I!" Rin sucked in a deep breath, puffing up her chest. "I love you Sesshomaru!"
"Glad to hear it." Sesshomaru said with a smile that showed off his ultra-white fangs. Rin gasped in astonishment. "What?" Sesshomaru asked nervously.
"S-smile! You smiled!"
"Well, I was laughing earlier wasn't I?"
"Well yeah, I think the people two floors down could have heard that but this is the first time you've smiled at me!" Rin cried ecstatically.
"Erm…. Riiiiiight…" Sesshomaru drawled, looking at her like she was a nut case. She bopped him lightly on his uninjured arm.
"You shut up." She joked. He leaned in closely.
"Sure. Only if you shut up too though." He murmured. Rin closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his with gentleness nearly unsurpassable. The door suddenly slammed open to admit Miroku, Sango, Ayame, Kagome and Inuyasha.
"AHA! I KNEW IT!" Kagome screamed triumphantly. "I knew you two were dating!"
"We are as of now, yes." Sesshomaru replied smoothly as Rin covered her face with her hands to hide her furious blush at being seen by her friends like that. "What's wrong?" Sesshomaru queried, "No need to hide your beautiful face."
"Oh stop it!" Rin cried, her voice muffled by her hands. "You're making me turn the same color as a sunburned lobster! You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"
Sesshomaru started laughing even more loudly than before. Ayame and Kagome each jumped about a foot in the air. Miroku used that to try and look up Kagome's skirt, and immediately got punched by Inuyasha.
"What?" Sesshomaru asked with an amused glint in his eyes, "Didn't think I had a sense of humor?"
"Wha….wha….wha….!" Ayame stuttered.
"Th-that's not natural!" Kagome yelped.
"You're right," Inuyasha interjected, "It's not! He's laughed twice in one day… more than he usually does in ten years! I think one of those bullets may have knocked something loose in his head!"
"Hmmmm…. I think it may have something more to do with… Rin?" Miroku guessed. The stunned look on Sesshomaru's face was proof enough for him, and he grinned slyly. "I bet if our group had come any later…. Sesshomaru and Rin may have ended up doing 'things' in this hospital room! Eh? Eh?"
"Get the hell out of here you dirty pervert." Sesshomaru commanded while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance and pointing to the door.
"You know I'm r~ight!" Miroku sang joyfully.
"Shut up, bastard." Sesshomaru growled, eyes flashing momentarily red.
"Oh…. Touchy, touchy…"
"Really Miroku, don't push your luck. He's in a bad mood because his wounds still hurt, and you making him blush like that is just gunna piss him off." Inuyasha said. Rin laughed to herself as the color on Sessomaru's cheeks deepened by a couple of shades.
"You-!" Sesshomaru cried, stretching as far as possible to try and swipe his brother with his claws, swing erratically with one hand. "Gah, whatever." He mumbled, giving up and leaning back on his bed again. He looked around at his bedside table for a moment before asking, "Anyone got a Sudoku on them?"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Sesshomaru!" Rin sang, several weeks later, as the boy in question walked up to her in front of the school, now completely healed. He would bear the scars of the collar for a while yet, but they seemed to be reminders of a nightmare rather than reality now.
"Rin." Sesshomaru greeted, bending down to kiss her gently. A group of girls passing by squealed, and Sesshomaru shot them a look through the corner of his eye. Rin blushed furiously. She hated it when people made a big deal out of things like this! Sesshomaru tilted her chin with his fingers, searching her face.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed." He commented lightly. This just proved to make Rin more self-conscious.
"And you're annoying when you make me more embarrassed." She rebuked. Sesshomaru smirked.
"You know you love me." He said boldly, taking her hand and beginning to walk up the stairs.
"There's no denying that by any stretch…" Rin sighed, making Sesshomaru chuckle lightly.
Rin was nearly in shock. At one time she had thought, 'But obviously I'm human, and any relationship between he and I would be one of contempt at the most. He's a powerful demon, and what am I? I'm short, A-cup little girl with black hair and brown eyes. Absolutely nothing to make me stand out.'
But now this dark eyed, dark haired, A-cup little girl had a relationship that was on the opposite end of the spectrum from 'contempt' with the demon.
Love. That was all she felt toward him. And that was all that he felt toward her. Sure they had their little tiffs now and then, but it would have been weird if they hadn't.
Sesshomaru smiled at his shorter companion, happy for the first time in years.
He had forgotten what that warm feeling had felt like.
His heart throbbed with emotion as he reveled in his freedom. Well, relative freedom. He still had to protect Inuyasha, but that wasn't really an issue anymore now that Naraku was gone.
Happiness. It was his now. No longer something to dream about as if it was of a bygone age.
Sesshomaru smiled at Rin again. With her by his side, he could take anything the world threw at him now.
And this was a fact.
A/N: OHHHHHH-kay guys, that IS the end. I appreciate all of your reviews and sticking with me all this time (saying it again cause it's true)… And I should tell you, my next fic will be called 'Walking on the Stars' (Inu/Kag)… or I might start posting 'Mr. Sunshine'.(Sessh/Rin)
Um… If I post Walking on the Stars, there will be a contest involved… The first person to guess which book it is based off of will get to pick the next story I write! Is that maybe a bit conceited….?
Ah well… thanks again for reading, I love you all, and adios. XD