"I have a Postcard Mouth. All it ever says is: wish you were here."

‒Trista Mateer, Honeybee

Cause for celebration was something that most people needed very little of, especially in these uncertain times. Festivals were a semi-regular occurrence and one of Rin's most favorite things about living in a human village. The excitement in the air as the day wound down and everyone knew that soon it would be time to get together and eat and dance and just have fun with each other was such a fantastic feeling, almost electric. It was enough to make even the dourest person feel giddy.

Since she had left the village and returned back to living with her Lord, Rin had missed that buzzy excitement. So, one crisp fall day, she poked her head around the corner of their bedroom and very sweetly asked if there was any reason why she wouldn't be able to go back to Inuyasha's village for a festival that she knew was coming up. Sesshomaru, who had been looking out the window waiting for her to come to bed, turned to her and blinked. She had come the rest of the way into their room and clasped her hands under her chin, doing her best to replicate the expression she knew he had the hardest time saying no to.

"You can come with me," she told him, shuffling even closer to him. His lip twisted in a way that informed her that his idea of a fun time was not at a party, human or otherwise, but he closed his eyes and his face relaxed again before his beautiful amber eyes fell back onto her eager, upturned gaze.

"You are free to do what you like," he reminded her and she squealed happily, clapping her hands together and wrapping herself around his midsection in a grateful hug.

"Thank you, thank you!" She went on her tiptoes and placed a trail of happy kisses along his collarbone and what she could reach of his neck as he stood stoically in her gleeful embrace. "You won't regret this! I promise!"

That feeling of elation followed her all across the country, back to the village that had been her home for a few years and where her friends awaited her. It had been present as she had said her hellos and help set up for the festival. It was present even now at the end of the night as Rin decided that it was time for her to turn in. The party was still in full swing, and she was sure that it would be up until the last drunk person wobbled their way off to bed, but she was ready to go. Her head buzzed pleasantly and her feet felt like rubber under her as she stumbled, just a bit, and she gripped Kagome's arm tighter. The two of them giggled like conspirators, their foreheads touching as they worked their way to the edge of town to find Sesshomaru as Inuyasha trailed behind them, probably worried they would fall over and crack their poor drunk skulls open.

"You know you are more than welcome to stay the night," Kagome whispered to her, her friend's words covering the slowly fading sounds of music as they wandered further away from the action. Rin sighed and shook her head, patting Kagome's arm.

"I don't want to leave him waiting," she explained, also in a whisper that felt louder than it should be. There wasn't a need to clarify who the "him" was, and Kagome nodded, closing her eyes for a moment before she remembered that she was walking and opened them back up again.

"Well," Kagome tsked, sounding a bit sad that she had to leave already. "Don't be a stranger, please. We miss you around here; even Inuyasha." She said, turning to look at the hanyou over her shoulder who responded with a loud keh! Rin smiled, an odd melancholy feeling itching its way into her heart. Her poor addled brain was trying to come up with a good answer for Kagome when she saw her Lord standing just outside of the forest, looking up at the sky. Rin's thoughts died away and she couldn't help the romantic sigh that exploded out of her.

He was completely and totally beautiful and it was completely and totally unfair to poor Rin's heart. He had always been the object of great respect to her, but as the years had gone by she couldn't help but notice how that respect had grown and morphed into some uncontrollable beast that left her blushing under his scrutiny. Even now, after being married for a short time, she still couldn't believe her luck. She was convinced that she would wake up one day, still in the forest, her Lord back to being an aloof and distant icon of respect, untouchable as ice. But he wasn't; he was hers and he was as warm and kind as any of the stars above.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin sang out happily, waving. He turned to look towards them, though she was absolutely sure that he had heard them coming a mile away for the two of them were moving with all the stealth and grace of cattle. She let go of Kagome's hand with a smile and a jaunty pat, hurrying forward to meet him, "I'm okay now! Thank you for your help!"

She made it to him in a wobbly line, stumbling on her feet just before she reached him and righting herself with a barely suppressed giggle. He looked down at her, expression unreadable, as she did her best impression of a very serious, very sober person. Their staring match continued and she hiccupped, fingers covering her mouth delicately.

"Rin," he started, and she wondered if it was just because her brain was moving a little slower, but it almost sounded as if he was at a loss for words. "We are leaving." Is what he finally settled on, turning from her and the familiarity of the words and his actions had a titter sneaking out of her traitorous mouth. He cast a glance at her over her shoulder and she wiped the smile from her face and began to follow him.

They made it a whole six feet before she stumbled the first time.

She let out a mumbled whoops and delicately tipped over into a tree, slumping into it and placing her hand against the trunk. He stopped and waited for her to right herself, which she did quickly, still doing her best to convince herself that she was perfectly sober. Then, another three feet in, she tripped over herself and toppled onto her hands and knees. She winced and sat back on her heels, looking at her now dirty hands as they stung. She glanced up at Sesshomaru and saw that he had not only stopped but he had turned to look at her sitting on the ground. She balled her hands up and hid them behind her back, embarrassed now. They stared at each other.

"I'm fine!" She stuttered through her blush as he continued to fix her with a bland stare. He looked to the sky for a moment before approaching, in what she assumed was a quick moment of soul searching for patience. Rin craned her head back to peer up at him as he towered over her and she was so busy looking at his face that it took her a moment to notice his outstretched hand. Even once she saw it, her brain still didn't seem to understand what it was for and she just looked at it with a puzzled expression.

He really has very beautiful hands, she thought to herself as she studied the magenta stripes just barely peeking from under his sleeve, the delicate way his long fingers reached for her, the impossibly sharp tips of his claws. What spelled certain death for all others only held kindness for her. She reached out as if in a trance, her trembling fingers ghosting against his palm gently. For all his boasts of only carrying a weapon, his hand was warm and sturdy. If she was in an imaginative mood, she could almost feel him brushing them along her face, feel the strength of his grip as he pulled her to him—

"Rin." His voice floated through her and she jolted, hand jumping out to grab onto his guiltily. His fingers wrapped themselves around her hand and she let him help support her on her way back to standing. When she finally made it to her feet, swaying as she found her balance, she felt herself tottering closer to him. To stop herself from fully falling into his body, her free hand reached out and pressed itself against his armored chest.

Looking at her pale hand against his dark armor, she again felt that dissonance of thought where it all felt very dreamlike to her, though in this moment it was more likely all the saké than anything. She caught him looking at her hand where it laid spread out against him and she wondered if he was angry with her before his gaze flashed up to meet hers and she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He is...very close to me, was the only thought that echoed in her very sluggish brain and she couldn't help the gasp that puffed out of her mouth. She felt as if she couldn't escape his gravity, like she was being pulled into something. It's too much.

Rin cleared her throat and took a step back, suddenly self-conscious of everything about herself, from how sweaty she probably was from the dancing, to how badly she must smell because of it. His hand twitched against hers, fingers tightening so slightly that she almost didn't notice, before it fell away altogether. He turned towards where they had been walking but didn't leave her, instead he stood waiting patiently. She blinked at him a bit before she nodded and they took off at a much slower pace.

She looked up at his profile, wondering what he was thinking. She hoped he wasn't annoyed with her. After all, she had asked him to put whatever plans he had on hold for her and once he was ready to get going again she was in such an irresponsible state that they were having a hard time even getting back to Jaken and A-Un. Surreptitiously, she reached out and snagged his long fingers with her own to help steady herself. She saw him glance down at her and she gave up on being sneaky, too tired and dizzy to pretend anymore, coming closer to him and threading her fingers with his. When his hand closed around hers she smiled freely, leaned over, and placed her head against his arm, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Thank you for letting me come out tonight, my Lord," she murmured, eyes still closed as her cool hand pressed itself against her warm cheeks.

"Hm." He answered, and she assumed that would be the end of it. "Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked, surprising her. She opened her eyes a crack, standing up straight again to look at him as he, almost stubbornly, stared ahead of them. Thinking back on the night and all of the fun she had had with her friends, a big grin split itself across her face and she nodded enthusiastically.

"I very much enjoyed myself!" She assured him, tipping her head back to look at the stars with a content sigh. "It was so much fun," she murmured, half to herself, half to him. She wrapped herself around the arm of his she had in her grasp, smiling foolishly and wishing she had enough words to really express how happy he had made her. "Thank you, really. I'm sure this was a burden on you, but I really, really appreciate it." Caught up in the feeling of his silk against her cheek, she rubbed her face against his bicep like a cat.

There was a moment of silence and she assumed that he wasn't going to say anything. With a sigh, she stopped hugging his arm and went back to holding his hand, too nervous to try and walk on her own. She rubbed at her tired eyes with her hand and couldn't wait until she had a chance to lay down, already imagining cuddling up with him and drifting off to sleep with no small amount of wistfulness.

"You are not a burden," Rin turned to look back at him as he continued to stare into the darkness before them. He glanced over at her for a moment but when his eyes met hers they darted forward again. She waited to see if he would elaborate but he didn't. She smiled, tucking some of her hair behind her ear and feeling very touched by his sweet words. He was not one to tell her much of the things he was feeling, and she had learned to just accept that and read between the lines, but to hear him say something like that out loud was so nice.

"Thank you, my Lord." She whispered to the side of his face. She rubbed her thumb against his hand kindly and she felt his hand tighten a bit against hers. Silence reigned as she woozily followed his confident strides back to whatever campsite Jaken had set up. It had been a truly magical night and she was beyond happy, yet she couldn't help the one, final thought that filled her head, and slipped out of her mouth; "I just wish you had been there…"

I hope you enjoyed this little story! Thank you for reading!