Chances Not Worth Losing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Inuyasha.

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--15 years later—

Rin sat down at her desk looking through a stack of bills that had just been through their first reading. After reading each bill she would summarize it. "Mom!" five year old Ai yelled running into her office. The little girl had black hair with silver highlights, brown eyes, fangs, delicate hands with claws, dog ears, a red crescent moon on her forehead and two navy blue stripes on each cheek, and Rin's smile.

"How was school?" Rin asked her.

She dug through her small back pack and found a small book. "I read this for Ms. Richie all by myself."

"Good job." Rin hugged the girl. "I'm so proud of you."

Yukio leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He was now 15 years old and looked more and more like his father. He even had a similar disposition: calm in public, except when he got angry, and sentimental in private. "She wouldn't shut up about it."

"You were the same way when you were her age." She smiled at the memory of him telling everyone under the sun about his new found ability to read.

"Feh....Do you mind if I go and sit in the gallery?"

"How much homework do you have?"

"I can get it done tomorrow before I go out."

"Go ahead then." He left to sit in the gallery of the Senate and listen to the progress of the veto session. His interest in politics was something he had gained from both of them. He even dreamt of one day becoming President like his grandfather.

Rin often wondered if Sesshomaru would ever run for the Presidency, but he never talked about it. She loved living in Illinois because she always had, but she always feared that it may hinder him from thinking about going to Washington, D.C. He was happy being the Governor though, and as long as he was happy, she assumed that things would stay the same.

"Whatcha doing, Mom?"

"Reading over all of these bills until it's time to go home and make dinner. Do you want to color?" Ai nodded her head and was given a box of crayons and some coloring books that had been stored in one of Rin's drawers before sitting on the floor and coloring away.

Normally Ai would go down to Sesshomaru's office and spend some time there pestering Jaken, amusing Kathy, or reading to her father, or playing on Sesshomaru's floor when he was free. Today was different because Sesshomaru was traveling about the state doing several groundbreaking ceremonies because of a grant program he had set up. Tonight she would be meeting him at the airport.

It was funny how things had turned out. Instead of his dream coming true, it had almost been the complete opposite. Their children were born in reverse order, she was waiting for him to come home, instead of a train station it was the airport, and she had a different job. Despite that, she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. All the problems, all of the fights they had, all of the unexpected twists and turns were worth all the joy and pain in the end.

Around six o'clock she packed up everything and locked up her office. Taking Ai's hand she went to retrieve Yukio, who was now downstairs talking to some of the senators and lobbyists. Before she could reach him she was bombarded with questions and people just wanting to talk. It was six forty-five before she got out of the building. As soon as they arrived home Yukio helped Rin out with the cooking while Ai set the table.

They sat down for dinner and Yukio talked about his day at school. They cleaned up the dishes afterward and sat down to watch a movie. When Yukio had turned one she had started scrap booking to preserve as many memories as she could. Every night before she would work on one she would sit down and look at all of the previous ones she had made. The first was devoted to her childhood followed by scrapbooks about Sesshomaru's childhood, their college years, the fifteen years they spent apart, their friendship before courting, their courting, his campaigns, his mother, their engagement, their wedding, the ten years before having Yukio, her pregnancies, Yukio's first years and then his schooling, and Ai's first years. Now she was starting a scrapbook on Ai's schooling.

At 10 o'clock the clock in the living room chimed signaling that it was time for them to leave for the airport. Yukio had to carry Ai through the airport since she was about ready to fall asleep. They arrived as Sesshomaru was coming in. The first thing he did was kiss Rin. Yukio groaned and whined, "Please stop. You're embarrassing me."

That of course didn't stop them. When they parted he took Ai from Yukio and kissed her cheek. She in return hugged him and fell asleep. Yukio took Sesshomaru's briefcase and suitcase so that Sesshomaru could hold Rin's hand and still carry Ai. The men discussed Yukio's classes and a possible internship for the summer at the office of one of local state representative all the way home.

Once the pups were put to sleep the couple retired for the night. Hours later as they laid there holding each other Rin sighed, "I hate it when you go away for days at a time."

"I know. That's one of the reasons why I decided to turn down an offer to run for the Presidency."

"What?" she asked frantically.

"If I am the President, then we wouldn't have as much time for each other, and I wouldn't have time for the pups. The best part about trips is coming home to you and the pups."

"We won't always have pups."

"But we have hundreds of years left to still have pups, and I thought we agreed that we would have one every ten years, if possible."

"We did, but I don't want you to put off your dream until then."

"I don't mind. I prefer it. I have a long time to live, and if I'm President too soon, I won't know what to do with my life."

"Are you going to stay Governor for all of those years then?"

"If the voters will allow me to be, and if you'll always be by my side."

"I will," she said before she gave him a chaste kiss. "I will never leave you, ever. I love you too much."

"I love you too." He rubbed circles in her back. "We should probably get some sleep because Ai will be up early."

"Sesshomaru, before you go to sleep, will you answer one question?"

"Yes."

"Do you think things would have turned out different if I had told you my feelings after graduation?"

"I don't doubt that it would have turned out differently. Sometimes it's best to lose chances to gain new experiences."