AN: Hello my lovelies! This is just a fair warning: ANOTHER SAD ONE SHOT. I have no idea where this came from but when I started typing I couldn't stop. Been debating on whether I should post it or not for a while now. Anyways, hope you all like it and enjoy.

New Start

He stared up at the arrival's board, ignoring the crowd around him as he searched for the flight. It was still too hard to believe he was doing this and what had lead him to be standing in the airport without the intent to leave the country. Everything within the past four days seemed to be unreal. None of this could be happening.

Suddenly his phone rang. Without thought he pulled it from his pocket.

"Sesshomaru." He answered automatically as he began to walk towards the appropriate gate.

"Hey," came the tentative response, the voice male and extremely familiar. "You at the airport?"

"Of course. What do you want, Inuyasha?"

"Just checking on you and seeing if she arrived yet."

"Not yet. The flight seems to have just landed. I'm heading to the gate now." He felt his heart skip then squeeze painfully as he walked. There was no hiding the pain in his voice.

"Don't worry, bro." Inuyasha tried to comfort him, understanding what the older man was going through. "You've got nothing to worry about."

That angered Sesshomaru. "We'll see. The first thing I'm having done is a that damned test."

"Trust me, when you see her, you'll change your mind." He could hear the smirk in Inuyasha's voice then the sincerity that filled his next statement. "We're all here for you when you get back."

With that a soft click signaled the end of the conversation. Sesshomaru sighed as he returned his phone to his pocket. Memories from five years ago replayed in his mind. The largest and most painful being the last time he'd seen the woman he loved.

"Don't look at me like that, Maru." Rin giggled, cupping his cheek. "It's not forever."

"But it feels like forever." He sighed, holding her hand in place."Stay, please. Marry me?"

Rin's brown eyes softened even more as sadness filled them. She looped both arms around his neck and held him close. "I can't, Sesshomaru, not right now. We both have our dreams, our goals. I love you with all my heart, you know that."

"Then why are you leaving me?" He looked so lost as he stared down at her.

"Because we're too young for this. But, how about we make a deal?" She smiled at him, nuzzling her nose against his.

"What deal?"

"Five years." She stepped out of his hold, fixing him with a serious gaze. "We've spent most of our lives together, it's time we spent a few years apart. Five years apart, to finish our schooling and discover ourselves." She placed her finger over his lips to stop his rejection of her idea. "And within that time we both experiment."

"Rin…"

"And, after five years, if this feeling between us is still there then we know it's meant to be." There was a slight glint in her eyes that told him she didn't fully plan on following her plan but she was determined to go.

"How will I know if you move on if you tell me to stay away?" He finally asked, not wanting to give in but knowing it was a losing battle.

Rin bit her lip and reached into her purse. Revealing the small stuffed dog he'd given her along with the practical diamond ring. "This will be how you know. If I find someone else, I'll send this back to you."

He looked at the dog for a long moment before shaking his head and pulling out the small box from his pocket. "No, if you truly find someone you love more than me and intend to marry him, then you'll send this back to me." With that he opened the box and revealed the same diamond ring she'd refused a few weeks ago. This time the ring was on a gold chain. After placing it around her neck he offered her his own smile. "If I get that ring back then I will know that you have moved on."

Rin looked at the ring, wanting to protest but decided against it. Eventually she nodded, tears forming in her eyes. The next moment she jumped on him, hugging him tightly as she kissed him passionately. The kiss was long and heated, causing by-passers to giggle at the couple. Only the announcement of Rin's departure separated them.

"I have to go, Maru." She whispered against his lips before he kissed her again, not wanting to let her go.

"Please, Rin, stay with me. I'll give you everything you want, just stay with me." He was not above begging at this moment. He wanted the woman he loved to stay in his life.

"I can't, Sesshomaru." Tears were leaking from her eyes now. She gave him one last, long, heartfelt kiss before stepping out of his arms. Slowly she began to back away from him. "I love you but I have to go."

"Wait!" He quickly grabbed her arm to halt her movement. "If I can't see you can I still call and e-mail you?"

She bit her lip, thinking about his request. "We'll see." With that she gave him another quick kiss and hurried away from him. At the gate entrance she turned back to look at him one last time. She gave him a bright smile, despite the tears flowing down her cheeks. Once again she bit her lip before waving at him. "Five years, Sesshomaru!" That was the last thing she said before she disappeared into the gate then onto the plane.

He watched from the window until he couldn't see the aircraft anymore and the woman he'd loved most of his life faded into the clouds.

After that day they kept in touch regularly by e-mail for three months with two phone calls thrown in between. Then…nothing. It was like she just disappeared. No matter how hard he tried to get a hold of her nothing worked. For the past five years he'd heard no word from her and practically gave up on her return. The only hope he had was that he never received the ring.

At least…until he'd received that dreadful phone call.

"Sesshomaru Takashi?" A female voice called from his left, drawing him out of his painful memories. He turned to see a middle aged woman dressed in a dark grey suit. Her light blonde hair was straight and reached to her chin. She was all-in-all professional, even her make-up was very toned down.

"Yes." He answered, unable to look anywhere but at the woman's sad green eyes. The unusual emotions of fear and sadness returned when he saw the woman offer a sad smile, her eyes softening more.

"We spoke on the phone. I'm Jessie Grayson, Miss Yamada's lawyer." She offered her hand which he took in a gentle grip, surprised that he wasn't shaking. Seemingly as if she sensed his inner turmoil, Jessie dropped her hand to her side and brought her other forward, drawing his attention to the reason for this meeting.

The breath froze in his lungs as his eyes widened. Inuyasha had been right.

The little girl, no older than five, holding onto Jessie's hand was beautiful…and no doubt his. She had his same silver hair pulled up into pigtails on each side of her head. Her yellow eyes mirrored his own amber perfectly, just like the rests of his family's. She even had his slightly pointed ears and pale skin. Then there were the traits from her mother; her stubborn looking chin, petite nose, and large eyes. Yes, there was no way he could deny who she was.

She was his child. His…and Rin's.

Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat he knelt in front of the young girl, still amazed by her appearance. How could he not have known? The girl shrunk back a little, leaning closer to the woman she still clung to. Her other arm lifted up, helping to hide her face slightly behind a white stuffed animal. It took him only a second to recognize the toy. It was a white dog…the same one, given by the marks on its face, that he'd given to Rin when he'd asked her to marry him.

"Hello," he finally spoke, as softly as he could. This only caused her to look away and bury her face in the lawyer's pant leg. Unsure what to do he looked up at the woman.

She shrugged, putting her hand on the girl's back. "Come on, there's no need to be shy."

The girl peaked out at Sesshomaru, her eyes shooting to his hair then his eyes. He offered a small smile that he hopped would calm her. After a moment she spoke in a very soft voice. "Hi."

"My name is Sesshomaru. What's yours?" He asked, trying to coax her into opening up.

"Sakura." She responded, eyes shooting to his hair again. "I know you."

That surprised him. "You know me?"

Sakura nodded and pulled away from the lawyer a bit. "I've seen your picture. Mommy has your picture."

"Sh-she does?"

The girl nodded and reached out, touching his silver hair. "You have my hair. And my eyes."

He looked back up at Jessie with a silent question to which she shook her head. "It was part of her request that you tell her." She explained.

That caused him to smile again. That was so like Rin, to make him do something so unlike him. He turned back to the girl who had released his hair and was now hugging her stuffed dog to her chest, her large eyes staring at him with curiosity.

"Sakura," he tried her name, finding that he like it. "What did your mommy tell you about me?"

"That she hoped I would meet you." She shrugged as she answered.

"I see. Sakura, what did your mommy tell you about your daddy?"

A look of sadness covered her face as she hugged the dog closer. "Mommy always said that daddy was a good man, who she loved more than anything."

"Did she tell you who he was?" He asked, his heart clinching at her words.

She shook her head. "No, mommy always said that I would meet my daddy some day. She would say that since I found the things he gave her I would find him too."

He smiled again, believing that Rin would say such a thing. "That dog is very pretty. Did your mommy give it to you?"

"Yep, she said daddy gave it to her so she gave it to me." Sakura nuzzled her nose into the dog, looking at him from over its head. "She said that I should have something from him too."

"From him too?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Again the girl nodded then pulled on the chain around her neck until she produced the diamond ring on the other end. "Mommy always wore it. She said it was her connection to my daddy."

Sesshomaru stared at the sparkling ring in shock. With a slightly shaky hand he touched the ring. Rin had not only kept the ring but had worn it, according to the little girl, all the time.

"Mr. Sesshomaru," Sakura's voice snapped him from his shock. Her eyes somehow seemed bigger as she continued to watch him from over the stuffed dog's head. "How do you know my mommy?"

"I…" he shot the lawyer a quick look, taking her nod as encouragement before he answered. "May I see your dog?" She nodded and held out the toy. He took it, looking it over and remembering the day he gave it to Rin. His eyes shot to the ring now resting against Sakura's blue cotton covered chest before looking back up at her golden eyes and continuing. "I loved your mommy very much, Sakura. I wanted to marry her."

"What happened?" The girl cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I gave her this toy and that ring when I asked her to marry me." He smiled fondly as he returned the toy to the surprised girl. "But your mommy wasn't ready to get married. She left to finish her dreams."

"You gave my mommy this dog and ring?" Sakura gasped, her eyes widened further. "But…mommy said my daddy gave them to her." She gasped again and looked up at the lawyer still standing by her. "Does that mean he's my daddy? Is that why we came here?"

Jessie nodded. "Yes, sweetie, he's your dad."

Sakura turned back to Sesshomaru, tears shimmering in her eyes. "You're my daddy?"

He could only nod.

"Why didn't you come see me?" She sniffed, trying to hold back her tears.

"Because I didn't know about you." He put his hand on her tiny ones as she squeezed the dog tighter. "Your mommy left me before she knew she was pregnant with you. Your mother asked me for five years apart so we could work on our lives and I foolishly gave it her. She never contacted me after the first three months. I never knew about you until the accident. Sakura, you have to know that, had I known, nothing would have stopped me from finding you or your mother." His hands had moved to her shoulders as her tears began to fall.

"Why?" She sniffed.

"Because, I never stopped loving your mother." He felt his heart tear further and he did the only thing he could think of, he pulled the crying girl into his arms in a long awaited hug. "I have always loved her and always will. And having you here with me just proves that she felt the same way."

"I miss my mommy." Sakura cried, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"I know, I miss her too." He tightened his hold for a moment before pulling back to look into her eyes. "I promise you, Sakura, now that I know of you and have you here, I will not let you go and I will not leave you. I will do my best to be the father you deserve."

Sakura sniffed loudly and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve as she nodded. Sesshomaru gave another smile before pulling her into another hug, uncaring of the people around them or of what was going to appear in the papers in the morning. All that mattered to him now was the last connection to the love of his life he was currently holding.

A distant thought occurred to him then. Despite the lack of contact and the car accident that took his precious Rin's life, she somehow managed to keep her promise. Even though she wasn't there a big part of her was, and it was the part that proved her love for him and gave him the undeniable truth that, had she returned like planed, they would have spent the rest of their lives together. Never, though, had he'd imagined things turning out like this, but he swore, then and there, that he would make Rin proud and raise their daughter right. This was a chance at a new start for them both.

AN: Soooo...was it worth it? Just so you all know, ILOVE Rin and hate when she actually dies. (Sessy too) Let's hope my mind stays happy for quite a while so I don't have anymore dead characters. Oh, and another thing: Currently working on two request (hope to have them posted soon) and wanted you opinion. What do y'all think about a few classic fairy tale one shots involving this lovely couple?