"I want you always to remember me. Will you remember that I existed, and that I stood next to you like this?"

— Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Woods

There were many things that Rin adored about Sesshomaru, more than there were grains of sand on a beach. She could go on and on for hours about the way that he looked and how he carried himself. That regal sort of stance where he seemed so rigid and unwavering. The proud way he would lift his chin as if to confront the very wind itself and dare it to try and blow him away. The angles to his face and body that seemed as harsh as the scowl that he wore on his face. How he was almost impossibly elegant, pristine no matter how many days he had been tromping through the wilderness. The soft way that he would look at her, and only her, when they were alone together. How, sometimes, she would catch him staring at her with that certain gleam in his eye and how he would meet her gaze with a dare and a smile on his lips.

She treasured all of those things about him, obviously, but the one thing that made her feel like she was falling in love with him all over again was when he would give her flowers. It was never a bouquet, usually just one flower that he would present to her in between his claws, but she loved them all the same.

There was the beautiful yellow one that he had first given her when the two had been sitting in the grass together. He had reached over and gently sliced at the stem of the small wildflower with his thumb nail. Rin watched him curiously as he brought it up to his face and gazed down into the center of it, gently spinning it in his grasp before looking over and handing it to her. She smiled gleefully and accepted it, tucking it behind her ear delicately before posing for him. Hands under her chin, batting her eyelashes she said, "How do I look?" He had looked at her for a moment before a small smile had twitched up his lips and he reached over and cupped her cheek.

"Beautiful," he said, kissing her.

There was the flower that he had picked from the tree as they passed under it together, a clump of beautiful purple flowers. She had gasped when she had seen the tree, running over through its drooping branches. When she had gotten to the middle of its immense canopy, she spread her arms out and twirled, laughing with delight. He followed her slowly, watching her relish in her joy, before stopping a few feet away. Her spinning stopped and she swayed on her feet, dizzy but happy, and put her hands to her cheeks as she looked at her husband.

He cocked his head, studying her before turning and walking over to the lower hanging branches that were still out of her reach, and stretched his arm out to snag one bunch. He brought it over and handed them to her and she made a soft sound of amazement at how small and perfect each little flower was. She looked at it before carefully transferring it over to one hand and brushing her fingers across his petal-soft skin.

"Beautiful," she murmured, smiling.

There had been the red flower, that truly had seen better days, which he brought home for her. She had been doing her laundry, humming to herself as she unstrung and took down her clothes from the rope she had hung up. He had appeared from under a sheet, pulling it down and handing it to her as he walked past it. She had chorused a happy "Welcome home!" reaching out to take the sheet while she went up on her tiptoes to place a delighted kiss on him.

When she stepped away, he held up his other hand, and in it was a wilted, red flower that he obviously had picked a while ago and carried all the way home. Her heart gave a sappy thump when she realized that he had done all that just because he knew she would have wanted to pick it if she had been with him. It was so thoughtful, so singularly done for the purpose of making her happy, that she didn't even care that the petals were wrinkled or the stem was limp. She picked it up, supporting its floppy neck, and smelled it before cradling it to her chest.

"It's beautiful ," she assured him, feeling choked up.

Oh, and she would never forget the exotic white flower that they had found one night while out together. She and he had snuck away from Jaken to have some… privacy and they had come across a field full of stunning white flowers that almost looked like they were glowing. He had seemed reluctant to be so out in the open but she was able to convince him, wanting to see him in this way amongst the flowers and in the light of the full moon.

In the aftermath, they lay sweaty and happy as the grass swayed around their heads, all slow lingering touches and soft voices. He had sat up, hair shimmering in the light of the swirling masses of stars above, and reached over her. When he reappeared he had a beautiful white flower in his claws. He looked at it and she 'oo'-ed over its beauty, which was truly even more fantastical up close. He glanced at her through hooded lids and handed her the flower. She took it and studied it before she stood up on her knees, the wind blowing across her naked skin leaving goosebumps in its wake. She gently pushed his silken hair back and situated the flower that matched him so perfectly behind his pointed ear. Her fingers slid down his face and she sighed, looking at him as he watched her with smoldering eyes.

"You are beautiful," she whispered, reverent.

The pink one that he gave her would forever hold a special place in her heart, though. She had just found out that she was pregnant and she had been so worried about how to tell him. While she was fairly confident that he loved her enough that the notion of having a hanyou wouldn't be a big deal any longer, she still found herself hesitating, fidgeting. She had shied away from him and avoided his presence for a full day after she had found out, convinced he would notice that something was off about her and question her about it before she had a chance to come up with a good way to tell him.

She had been sitting outside, cross-legged in the grass and watching grasshoppers leap amongst the tall, green blades that swayed in the breeze. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice that he had come outside, jumping when he sat down next to her. Rin gave him a nervous side-eye and did a double-take when she saw the beautiful pink lily he held in his relaxed fingers. She looked at it and realized that it had to be a present to make her feel better and that made her choke up and feel worse. He lifted it over to her, holding it out and she stared at it, mouth working soundlessly. She looked up at him, tears welling, and upon seeing his gentle, sincere face she couldn't keep it in anymore.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted, one tear escaping and rolling down her face.

"I know." He answered and gave her a small smile.

She blinked fast, underwhelmed, and relieved all at the same time. Laughing through her tears, she rubbed her arm across her eyes and nodded. He scooped her up in his embrace, holding her very tight and placing his face into the crook of her neck as she both wept and laughed. She dropped her arm and he sat up, pressing his forehead against hers. He tilted his head so that he was looking down and she followed his gaze just to see him reach out his pointer finger and gently, very gently, brush it along her stomach.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he beheld his family.

I hope you enjoyed it! Little soft palate cleanser after the last update haha!

My update schedule will be changing for a bit, going to updates on Tuesdays only because I'm working on another story that I need to split my time between. Sorry for any inconvenience but hopefully I will be able to get back to my normal twice-a-week updates soon. Thank you for your understanding!