Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha… Then I could do whatever I wanted with him… (Eww, that that way you sick hentai's!)

Author's Note: After the long wait, here's chapter 18! "Finally", all my readers exclaim! Sorry about the delay! Gomen, gomen! I'll try to write faster next time! Please enjoy! Thanks to: whatsinaname, aBacus, Noodals, chickittychick, LilFoxgirl, and totally-wicked, as always! Keep reviewing! Remember, need at least 5 reviews for the next chapter!

The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 18

Kagome sighed. Her previous good mood had evaporated, and she was no longer happy to be staying in the castle, although she was treated like an honored guest. She was sitting on a bed in a different room of the castle, having destroyed her previous one during the her fit of anger that morning. The miko was depressed, and her chest ached for something that was unidentifiable yet significant. She sighed again. It was a couple minutes after lunch, which she had spent eating with Sesshoumaru and Rin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After picking a multitude of flowers from the garden and arranging them into beautiful bouquets, posies, and garlands, Rin and Kagome headed back inside. Thanks to the latter's taste and skill, and the former's enthusiasm, the flowers were placed in strategic locations around the castle to make the dim-lit, chilly place seem quite cozy and comfortable. Then, Rin had dragged the older girl through the hallways, looking for Sesshoumaru so that she could give him the roses that she had picked. Before they had found the elusive demon lord, however, a servant had glided soundlessly up to them and informed them that it was time for dinner, and that "Master Sesshoumaru will be waiting for you at the table. This humble servant will guide you to the banquet hall. Please follow me."

The servant was obviously a youkai, for Kagome could sense its weak yet chilling aura permeate the air around them. It wore a thin black shroud-like cape that trailed along on the floor as it walked away, leading the two human girls behind it. With a dark hood that covered its face and bare feet that made no sound, the diminutive figure seemed like a ominous gravedigger, silent and frightening.

Kagome and Rin followed the servant into a long, impressive room with a long polished wood table standing in the middle. The banquet hall was not a large as Kagome had expected, but it was still big enough to seat at least 50 people. There was a row of elegant, tall, candles that stood unlit on the crisp, immaculate, patterned, white tablecloth. Plates full of delicious food were being carried up to the table by a line of servants. Sesshoumaru was sitting impassively at the head of the table, waiting for the rest of his companions to arrive. He looked for all the world like the king of a large kingdom who was waiting for his meal.

"Yay! Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin's finally found you! Rin has a present for you!" the young girl chanted happily as she ran up to her guardian, clutching the bouquet of roses tightly behind her back, "See! Look! Rin picked these all by herself for you, Sesshoumaru-sama! Do you like them?" So saying, she presented the flowers to him with a cheerful, satisfied flourish. "I picked them especially for you, because Kagome-chan told me that the roses represent love, and Rin loves her Sesshoumaru-sama sooooo much! See!" She spread her small arms wide, to represent how much she loved 'her Sesshoumaru-sama.' Rin frowned at the small space between her two outstretched hands, and frowned. "Ne, that's not big enough!" Her eyes lit up, and she ran over to Kagome, who was standing there, silently amused, as she watched the younger girl's open display of affection. Rin tooks Kagome's hands, and motioned the older girl to spread her hands out, like her. She stood next to her and repeated again, "See? Rin loves Sesshoumaru-sama thiiiiisssssss much!" Sesshoumaru quirked the corners of his lips up in a movement that could barely be considered a smile.

He took the roses and looked down at the bunch of vibrant plants that he held in his single clawed hand, and said, "Thank you, Rin." That was all. Three words, and a tiny smile. That was all he allowed himself to show to the outside world. Yet inside, the dog demon felt a growing warmth inside his chest, as if a candle had been lit, and was growing brighter, fueled by Rin's faithful words. He felt a rush of emotions that he had not felt in a long time. Happiness. Contentment. Satisfaction. Affection. Tenderness. Love.

Sesshoumaru finally realized and acknowledged his feelings. He loved this little girl, this mortal who smiled with dimples in her cheeks. This child whose chocolate brown eyes and freckled face beamed up at him whenever she saw him. Rin. Her smile was like a soothing balm that comforted his mind and heart. When she cried, he felt as if his own heart would tear apart in two as he watched the liquid pool in her eyes. He felt a sort of obligation toward her. He cared for her as did a father feel towards his own daughter. He would protect her with his own body and soul. And he would teach her, love her, care for her, for as long as he was able and she willing.

The dog demon had finally come to accept his guardian position after all. He would care for this human girl as Inuyasha took care of Kagome, and when Rin grew older, blossoming into a woman, she might become something else to him as well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*end of flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a wonderful luncheon, Kagome had retired to her room. Rin had gone somewhere with Sesshoumaru, presumably so that the demon lord could begin his newly acknowledged task as a father. The teenage girl from the future found, that without a distracting little girl by her side, her thoughts wandered towards a certain half-dog demon and her other feudal friends. It had been days since she had last seen them, though she knew for sure that Inuyasha would be rushing here as soon as possible to 'rescue' her. Inuyasha.

The brief moment of tenderness that they had shared in the cave had sparked something in her that threatening to overflow if she went on any longer without his attention. She was confused about her feelings toward him, and of his toward her. She undoubtedly cared about him, that was for sure, and the hanyou made it obvious that he would risk his life to protect her. Yet, when it came down to the facts, who was he really protecting. Who did he see looking at him every day? Whose hands had he imagined running smoothly down his back? Did Inuyasha really care about her, as Kagome Higurashi, modern teenage high-schooler? Or did he see his former love, Kikyou, every time he laid eyes on her?

It was a question she had yet to answer. And yet, Kagome reflected thoughtfully, turning her thoughts away from her own love life, to ponder the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Rin. Did the demon lord actually have feelings toward Rin? Did he care for her as more than a mere temporary toy? From what Kagome had gathered from their limited conversation at lunch, Sesshoumaru had suddenly realized his paternal duties to Rin as her guardian, and was trying to fulfill his obligations to her by asking Rin to accompany him to the meadows after lunch.

Kagome giggled at the memory of his stiff posture as he said, after they had finished eating, "Rin, this Sessoumaru would like the pleasure of accompanying you to the meadows to…pick flowers, if you do not object. My brother's woman may do what she wishes in her room for the remainder of the afternoon."

She sobered. At least she had not been treated as a prisoner, since she was Rin's friend. But when, and if, Inuyasha arrived, the hanyou would probably storm the castle and demand to fight Sesshoumaru, if only for retaliation for kidnapping Kagome. Not that she would allow him. Kagome did not want her recently formed truce with Inuyasha's half-brother to be breached by an angry and pissed off half-demon. The teenage girl had a vague idea in her head that if both she and Rin could appeal to their own dog-demons to stop fighting, they would agree for the sake of their 'women'. She sighed again, for the third time. If only Inuyasha would come. She wanted to see his face, even if it were annoyed at her or his brother.

A loud tapping at her window broke into her thoughts like shattered glass, and she whirled around on her bed. Long white hair framed a familiar face that was peering through the window, furry ears twitching.

"Inuyasha! I'm so glad to see you!"

A/N: I just want to say, to all Sess/Rin fans, that I'm sorry for not putting any romance between them. But considering that Rin is only seven years old, and Fluffy is, like, twenty or thirty in human years, I think it'd be better if they stay apart (for now). -_- I don't approve of having little children fall in love with adult demon males, you know? So for any of my readers who wanted a romance between Rin and Sesshoumaru, you'll just have to be satisfied with knowing that the two might become a couple, in the future. If you ask politely and nicely, I might just write a side story about those two when I have time! ^_~ *hint, hint, wink, wink* Anyway, review!