Chapter XIV

Life carried on as normal after the wedding and the addition of the twins to Rin and Sesshoumaru's little family. The next week, Rin returned to her job at the university and Sesshoumaru returned to the restaurant while the twins spent the majority of their days at a pre-school. Sesshoumaru was pleased to find that he could continue his evening cookery classes at the university which seemed to fit in well with both of their schedules. He would collect the twins from the pre-school in the afternoon and take them with him to the university where they would spend the remainder of the afternoon with Rin before the little family would return home together that evening. Since Rin did not drive, it became habit for Sesshoumaru to take her to work after they had dropped the twins off at the pre-school and Rin found herself quite pleased with this routine. She and Sesshoumaru may not have married for love and the children were not their own, but the routines they now had made it seem as though they were a real family.

Rin sat in the café with Rika one afternoon as she waited for Sesshoumaru to arrive with the twins. It had been a long time since she had spent the afternoon with Rika and she was thoroughly enjoying the time she was spending with her friend now that she no longer had a busy schedule. Casting a glance around the café, she was pleased to see that some of the students present were some of her own and a few of them seemed to be working quite hard on their set tasks. She was mildly concerned about the fact that Kohaku sat in the corner of the café and had been eyeing her intently since her arrival half an hour previously, but she pushed her worries aside. If he was still bent on capturing her attention, Rin was almost certain that he wouldn't try anything in the café.

"Ah, the family's here," Rika commented with a smile as she looked at the door.

Turning in her seat slightly, Rin smiled as she saw Sesshoumaru push open the door and usher Ichirou through the door before closing it behind him. The little boy was saying something that she couldn't hear and was looking up at Sesshoumaru as though expecting a detailed response. Rin's smile grew slightly as she noticed the quiet man simply nod before adjusting the little girl in his arms.

"She's quite taken with him, isn't she?" Rika asked with a grin as she watched the trio slowly make their way across the room to them. "Do you ever get any time alone with him?"

"Of course I do," Rin said, her smile still in place as she realised what her friend was referring to.

Hana was clinging to Sesshoumaru's shirt in much the same way she had done when she had first met her new uncle and aunt, but she had relaxed a lot more. Still, Rin couldn't help but smile as she took in the sight of the stoic, expressionless man nodding absently to whatever Ichirou said while holding a little girl clad in bright pink clothes. Ichirou saw Rin and grinned as he ran towards her, his boots squelching loudly as he left a trail of muddy footprints on the white floor. Smiling at the little boy's enthusiasm, Rin bent down to pick him up when he was close enough.

"You're wet," Rin commented with a frown as Ichirou wrapped his arms around her neck to return her embrace.

"It's raining really hard!" he exclaimed with wide eyes as he pointed out the nearest window.

"You'll dry quickly in here," Rika said with a smile as she placed three mugs down on the counter in front of her.

While Ichirou filled Rika in on what had happened at school that day, Sesshoumaru sighed softly as he came to a stop beside Rin's chair. Hana smiled happily at Rin when she saw her. Making sure to keep up the appearance of a happy, loving couple, Sesshoumaru leaned down and pecked Rin on the cheek before handing the little girl in his arms over to her as he sat down heavily in the chair nearby. Hana was speaking quietly to Rin and Sesshoumaru took the chance to glance around the café to see if anyone who usually came to the cookery classes was present. Much to his surprise, Kohaku was sitting in the corner of the room with a couple of his friends and glaring at him ferociously. Memories of what had happened during the field trip came flooding to the forefront of Sesshoumaru's mind and he had trouble resisting the smirk that threatened to cross his lips.

"Your favourite student is giving me quite a ferocious glare," Sesshoumaru murmured in Rin's ear as she watched the twins talking happily with Rika.

"My favourite student?" Rin asked in confusion as she turned in her seat to look at him.

Sesshoumaru sat down in the seat beside Rin and subtly gestured towards the back of the room. Following his gaze, Rin smiled slightly as she realised he was referring to Kohaku.

"Ah yes, I saw him earlier," Rin said with a vague smile as she turned back to Sesshoumaru. "That is a ferocious glare. What have you done to deserve that?"

"He married you of course!" Rika interrupted with a grin. "He's frightfully jealous isn't he?"

"It seems that he has yet to forgive us for not informing him of our marriage," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk.

"Never mind," Rin murmured as she glanced down at Ichirou who was tugging her sleeve. "Perhaps he'll forgive us eventually."

"I don't really care if he ever forgives me if I'm completely honest," Sesshoumaru said as he leaned casually on the counter and gave Rin a smirk.

Shaking her head at her husband's nonchalant attitude, Rin turned her attention to Ichirou who cheerfully told her about his day at school while Hana clambered onto her lap and rested her head against Rin's shoulder. Rika smiled at the scene and glanced at Sesshoumaru from the corner of her eye and could've sworn she saw a tiny smile on his lips as he observed the trio that made up his family.

"So how're you adjusting to being an uncle?" she asked, leaning on the counter nearby and watching the twins.

"It didn't take as much time to get used to the idea as I thought," Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"Just wait until you become a father."

"That won't happen for some time yet."

"Can you be sure?" Rika asked with a suggestive wink. "Plans might change now that you're actually married."

"I doubt it."

Rika shook her head, her grin staying in place until her gaze fell on Kohaku who was getting to his feet. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watching him gather up the cups that littered the table top as though preparing to come up to the counter. His friends said something quietly to him before he nodded and stepped out from behind the table and came towards the counter where she stood.

"Look out," Rika murmured to Sesshoumaru before pushing herself upright. "Your friend is coming this way."

Glancing over his shoulder, Sesshoumaru saw Kohaku approaching with a slight smirk on his face and he had to resist the urge to palm his face. He hoped that he was simply coming for fresh cups of coffee and would leave it at that, but considering the rivalry they had established, Sesshoumaru doubted that it would be as simple as that. The smirk on the younger man's face clearly suggested trouble and Sesshoumaru had a suspicion that the man knew that this was not quite the loving relationship that it was meant to be, but quickly quelled the thought. There was no possibility that the man would know that.

Turning his amber gaze to Rin who sat within touching distance, Sesshoumaru was struck with a sudden idea. He would show Kohaku just what kind of man he was dealing with and how serious the relationship between him and Rin was even if it meant bending the truth a little. Turning in his seat to face Rin, Sesshoumaru leaned towards her and slipped an arm around her waist as he looked over her shoulder at Hana who was seated comfortably on Rin's lap. Rin glanced up and sent him a questioning look before turning when she felt a presence beside her. A slight shiver raced down her spine when she saw Kohaku standing beside her and conversing happily with Rika as he waited for her to refill the coffee cups.

"A family is a wondrous thing, isn't it?" Kohaku observed with a vague smile as he glanced down casually at the family beside him.

"It is!" Rika said excitedly, trying to divert the man's attention from the couple.

"To have children of such an age, you two must've been together for quite some time," Kohaku said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the twins and completely ignored Rika.

Rin smiled and shook her head. "These are my niece and nephew. They're living with us."

"You're right though," Sesshoumaru murmured as joined the conversation. "We have been together for quite some time."

"And will be together for a lot longer," Rin said quietly, falling into her role as she turned to look lovingly at her husband.

Kohaku's eyes narrowed further as he watched the loving display and resisted the urge to push the pair apart. It was sickening to think that Rin was in a relationship like that with such a man. Sesshoumaru was not the man she should be with and Kohaku was going to prove that. He simply had to come up with a foolproof plan. Turning his attention back to the pair in question, his jaw almost dropped when he saw Rin lean towards the stoic man and press her lips gently against his for a moment before pulling away with a slight blush staining her cheeks.

"I think you've lost, hun," Rika said quietly as she too watched the couple. "She only has eyes for him."

*-*-*-*-*

Rin didn't see Kohaku for quite some time after that and heard nothing about him from either other students or her co workers. It was only when she and Sesshoumaru were spending the afternoon with Kagome and Inuyasha that the other man came up in conversation. Everyone had been fawning over the twins before Inuyasha had looked seriously at Rin and frowned.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?" Rin asked, fixing a smile to her face as she pushed her glasses up.

"I was speaking to Miroku the other day," Inuyasha said slowly, glancing down at Kagome who looked at him curiously. "I didn't realise that you knew Sango's brother."

"Sango's brother?" Rin asked in confusion. "I didn't know she had one."

"You didn't know? Well, he's staying with Miroku and Sango for a while until he finds a new apartment."

"What does this have to do with Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked lazily, turning his gaze to his brother from the twins who he had been watching intently.

"It seems that Kohaku is quite taken with you," Inuyasha said with a shrug.

"Kohaku?" Rin asked in surprise. "I know who you're talking about and I'm already aware of his attentions."

"Are you?" Kagome asked in surprise. "Is he nice?"

"He's an annoying little runt," Sesshoumaru muttered, frowning slightly at the mention of the troublesome younger man.

"You know him too, Sesh?"

"Both of us know him and of his affections for Rin," the elder brother replied with a shrug. "He seems to be quite eager to see this marriage fail."

"Indeed," Rin agreed quietly. "He also seems to have quite a problem with Sesshoumaru for some reason."

The four friends sat in silence for a while and Rin looked thoughtful as she tried to come to a conclusion as to why Kohaku disliked Sesshoumaru so much. After while, Inuyasha shook his head and smirked while Kagome giggled quietly before turning her attention to the other pair.

"Do you really not know the reason, Rin?" Kagome asked with a grin.

"No, I don't. Please enlighten me if you know the reason," Rin replied with genuine interest.

"You're slower than I thought. Kohaku doesn't like Sesshoumaru because he's the one who married you. It's the same as if I would have married Kouga instead of Inuyasha. It's obvious that Inuyasha would have a problem with Kouga."

"I believe Rika mentioned something about that the other day," Sesshoumaru murmured thoughtfully.

"Well you should listen to her," Kagome instructed with a smile. "She obviously knows what she's talking about."

"I suggest you be careful of him though," Inuyasha advised with a frown. "Miroku seems to think he might be planning something."

Hours later, Rin sat quietly in the living room after putting the twins to bed and gazed out the window across the dark garden with a slight frown. She had hoped that Kohaku would simply leave them be now that he knew the situation, but it seemed that she was wrong. The thought of someone who had been one of her nicest students being so vindictive did not sit well with her, but she knew that there was little she could do about it save divorcing Sesshoumaru and agreeing to a relationship with Kohaku.

The soft sound of tapping caused her to turn around and she looked down the passage to the study where Sesshoumaru sat at his desk, typing up the new menus for the next day. The living room was dimly lit and Rin knew that even though he was facing her direction, Sesshoumaru would not see her in the dim room. Sighing to herself, she leaned against the wall beside her and carefully scrutinised the man she had married. He was the type of man most women would dream of marrying and she was no exception. Sesshoumaru was obviously strong and he was also surprisingly attentive to those he deemed worthy of his attentions, but Rin imagined that the only thing that would probably be negative about him would be his silent nature. She didn't mind the fact that he didn't speak much or the fact that he did not expression his emotions much, but she supposed she was used to it now. After all, she had known him for so long that it didn't seem out of the ordinary to her anymore. In fact, she would even go so far as to say that he had become slightly more talkative over the past few weeks which had come as a great surprise to her, but not an unwelcome one.

A smile tilted her lips as she watched him lean back in his seat and slip the menus into a folder ready to be used the next day. Somewhere along the line, she had come to care for him just a bit more than she thought she ever would. Perhaps it was because they had both grown up a lot since they had last seen each other? Whatever had caused her to like him just that little bit more, Rin knew that it was a good thing. Even if this marriage was a farce as far as loving relationships went, the whole experience would be a lot more enjoyable if they were friends and she could already tell that they were slowly progressing towards viewing each other as friends.

Before she could pursue that thought any further, Rin found herself staring directly into Sesshoumaru's amber eyes as he looked at her from the study before rising to his feet. Slowly, he made his way down the corridor and paused only to place the folder near his jacket. With some difficulty, Rin tore her gaze away from his and turned around to face the garden again as she tried to will her racing heart to calm down. His gaze was rather intense and it always overwhelmed her slightly when it was trained only on her.

"I thought you would have gone to bed," Sesshoumaru said quietly, stopping beside her and looking out the window like she did.

"I was going to," Rin admitted and smiled vaguely at him. "But my thoughts distracted me."

"What were you thinking about?"

Rin paused for a moment. She couldn't tell him that she had just been thinking that he was a rather fine male and that being friends with him would make her happy. It also occurred to her that she couldn't tell him that his intense gaze make her heart race and her breathing quicken slightly. He would probably think her mad if she decided to inform him of all that. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked at him seriously, not surprised to find him looking down at her.

"You don't suppose Kohaku will do anything, do you?" she asked seriously, voicing the thought that had led her to admiring the man beside her.

"It's likely that he will," Sesshoumaru said in an equally serious voice. "He seems to be quite persistent, but fortunately, he doesn't seem to possess much common sense."

"That's a good thing?" Rin asked in confusion.

"Indeed. If he had any common sense then he would have realised by now that you want no relationship with him other than that of a teacher and a student. He probably will attempt to execute a poorly conceived plan and no doubt, it will end badly. If it causes any trouble, it will be simple to get a restraining order against him or something to that effect."

"Isn't that going a little too far though?"

Sesshoumaru glanced down at Rin from the corner of his eye and saw the concerned look in her eyes. "I would prefer it not to go so far, but if he persists then it might be the only option available to us unless you want a halfwit chasing after you for the rest of your life?"

"No, I don't, but I hope it doesn't go that far."

The pair stood in silence for a short while, each lost in their own thoughts as they gazed out the window with blank expressions. As he stared at the dark shapes of the trees and shrubbery in the garden, Sesshoumaru dwelled on Rin's words. He was touched by how caring she was even about those causing her inconvenience, but he wondered how long she could remain sympathetic towards Kohaku if he continued down this route. Beside him, Rin sighed softly and pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes wearily. Watching her from the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru silently made a decision as he stood there beside her. She had given up her chances of finding a man who loved her to marry him and he knew that he couldn't do anything for her that would come anywhere close to matching what she had done for him. He was loath to admit it, but he owed her a great deal. For some reason he couldn't begin to understand, it irked him to see her worried about such a troublesome man and what he might do. Considering what she had given up in order to marry him just so that he might have a secure future, Sesshoumaru knew that the very least he could do for her was to see that she was happy and even if he didn't care for her as a husband should, he would still make sure that she was happy with her life.

Rin's glasses dropped back into place as she felt Sesshoumaru shift beside her and she looked at him curiously when she heard him mutter something about it being late. She just managed to catch a glance of the time before she felt an arm drape around her shoulders and steer her down the corridor towards the bedroom. A smile curved her lips as she allowed herself to be guided towards her bed and she couldn't help but think that she had somehow managed to get a little closer to the stoic man beside her. She may be wrong, but something insider her told that probably wasn't. Whatever it was that she had done, she was glad she did it.

*-*-*-*-*

AN: I've been writing this chapter for the last few days and it's not really turned out the way I wanted it to, but never mind. I get distracted too easily and this is the result. I'll try to produce something better in the next chapter :P

Also, thank you for the reviews! They're greatly appreciated as always :)

xMxAx