Forever:

Sesshoumaru and Rin

Written by: Namek Kaia

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Inuyasha or its characters. Oh, how I wish….

Rin rested her chin on her knees as she pulled them to her chest and gave a soft sigh. Her gaze trailed from the small fire in front of her to the enigmatic figure of Sesshoumaru leaning against a collection of large, smooth rocks. He appeared peaceful, with his eyes closed as if in meditation. Almost half her life she had been traveling with him, and he always looked the same. But she was always changing. She grew taller while he was always the same tall figure that towered over her. Her hair grew, had to be cut occasionally where his did not. Even his clothing seemed untouchable by time, though she had to replace hers from time to time. She had long outgrown the small and tattered orange child's kimono and now wore a blue yukata decorated with large purple hibiscus blooms and a matching lavender cotton obi.

But it wasn't her height, her hair, or her clothes that had Rin's mind so preoccupied. What had changed more than anything were her feelings for Sesshoumaru. But like everything else, his feelings hadn't changed either. He probably still thought of her as the little girl that almost died after being attacked by wolves.

Without realizing it, she sighed again and ran her fingers through her long hair. Absentmindedly, she caught a section of her hair and started to twirl it around her fingers. After a moment, while in deep thought, her teeth began to tug at her bottom lip.

With an annoyed grunt, Sesshoumaru stirred. "Jaken," he said evenly, seeming completely calm.

Jaken scrambled to his feet from where he sat off to the side of the campfire and rushed to his master's side. Eagerly, as always, he replied, "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"The fire is dimming. Go and fetch some more firewood from the forest. Take the container with you and get some fresh water for Rin… as well as some fresh blooms for her to use, the rarest you can find," Sesshoumaru ordered.

Bowing slightly, Jaken complied under his breath and began to leave.

"And Jaken..."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes slowly opened and settled on Rin. "Take your time."

Jaken bowed his head and quietly replied, "As you wish, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru resumed his prior image of meditation until Jaken was well out of hearing range. "Well, Rin? Are you not going to tell me what it is that is bothering you so much?"

The sound of his deep, rich voice made her jump and her eyes went wide in alarm to see his eyes on her again. What was it about the way he looked at her? How could he look so elegant and menacing at the same time? "Lord Sesshoumaru," she murmured nervously, "I… Nothing is wrong. I am fine."

"Do not try to lie to me, Rin. You are restless. Something heavy is on your mind. Now, what is it?" he asked softly, though it sounded more like a demand.

As she thought about how to answer him, her teeth caught at her lip again. Her fingers played with the hem of her yukata sleeves. Her dark hair veiled half of her face, the other half illuminated by the light of the fire. She was the very image of sweet innocence. Taking a breath and straightening her back, she said, "It is nothing, my Lord. I was only thinking. My thoughts are not proper discussion between a Lord and his servant."

In his mind, Sesshoumaru smirked. Her appearance had gone from an innocent girl to that fitting an elegant Lady. Still, her answer irked at him. "You are not my servant, Rin," he replied sternly in his deep monotone.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "If not your servant, Lord Sesshoumaru, then what am I?"

"Do not ask me such questions, Rin. Our relationship is a strange and unnatural one," he answered. She didn't reply, only bowed her head and placed her hands in her lap. A moment of silence ensued before the uneasiness in him settled. He knew he wouldn't like this conversation, but she was so troubled. He could feel it as if it the powerful emotion was his own. She needed to get whatever was bothering her out of her mind before it festered too long. "Tell me your trouble," he ordered.

She took a shaky breath, but made no attempt to meet his eyes. "I do not know what I should do, Lord Sesshoumaru," she confided. He paused, as if for her to go on. "I grow older and you do not. I do not expect you to keep me in your company until I am old and dying. So… I suppose I should leave, if that is what you wish. But I have no desire to leave your side, Lord Sesshoumaru. I do not know a life without you." She paused, taking another deep breath and finally looking into his eyes, hoping that he couldn't see the tears that welled up in her. "I do not want to know a life without you."

Sesshoumaru was unsettled by her explanation. He too wondered what would become of her in the following years, and had yet to come to a conclusion about the matter. "Rin," he started, "you are a mortal. I am a demon, an ageless creature until I am killed, which I doubt will be anytime in the near future. We are of different natures. It cannot be helped. It is something that we both must accept." Suddenly, his heart grew heavy, a weight on his chest at the thought of losing Rin. For over a decade he had protected her from demons and humans alike. He had saved her from death once, and he didn't particularly like the idea of losing her, of never being able to see that beautiful, innocent face again. Somehow, over the years, she had wrapped her ways around his heart; a fact he would never dare admit to anyone. It was hard enough to admit the notion to himself.

"I know, but… I don't want to grow old and weak. I don't want to leave. You brought me back to life once. Isn't there some way for me to stay with you?" she asked almost desperately, on the verge of tears.

"The Tenseiga will be of no use if your body is too weak to carry life. Immortality is an ill-conceived notion that has spawned much evil and greed among humans. I would like to think that you, Rin, are much different than that."

"But there must be some other way. Is there not something else, anything else?" Her eyes were large, deep pools of emotion as she searched his eyes for an answer she didn't have. He wanted to end this nonsense. He wanted to make her see that what she desired, what he desired, just was not possible.

"There is one other way," he said, inwardly wincing at the hopefulness in her face, knowing that he would have to disappoint her. "But it, too, is impossible."

Pain flickered in her eyes. Her situation seemed to be inescapable. This was her last hope. "What is it? How is it impossible? If it was not possible, you would not have mentioned it. Please, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Rin…"

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" He tried not to meet her gaze, but his eyes were already on hers. Her eyes were irresistible, a desperate plea that he truly didn't know if he could satisfy. It was the very notion he had despised for so long. He shouldn't have brought it up, but what was done, was done.

"You could become my mate," he said flatly. It was obviously not an invitation, but nevertheless, an invitation was what met Rin's ears. She had forgotten all about the impossibility he spoke of.

"Really, Lord Sesshoumaru? I could become your mate?"

"No," he answered matter-of-factly. "I told you it was impossible."

"But why, Lord Sesshoumaru? Why is it impossible?"

"Because it is, Rin. That is all there is to the matter. Leave it alone," he said firmly.

"I am not too young. I am of the right age, Lord Sesshoumaru. Three moon cycles ago, I reached my 19th year…"

"That is not it, Rin," he replied simply.

"Then what is it? I fail to see why this is so impossible," she said quietly, as if already defeated.

"I have told you before. I am a demon. You are a mortal, a human. A union between us is unnatural. It is unacceptable."

Indignantly, she stood. "What do you mean unacceptable? It has been done before. It is not impossible as you say. Inuyasha… Your father…" She was silenced immediately by the flash of red in his eyes. She didn't see him rise, but before she could blink, he was towering over her with a cruel edge to his face that wasn't there before.

"Do not speak to me about my father!" he said harshly, harsher that he had intended. Scared, never before having to be on the receiving end of his anger, Rin staggered backward and fell on her bottom, then still tried to crawl away from him. At her frightened expression, Sesshoumaru's face softened and returned to its normal indifference. Slowly, he held out his hand for her to take. "It was not my intention to frighten you."

With only a little hesitation, Rin took his hand and stood. She took slow steps until she was nose-to-chest with the powerful demon who had been her companion and protector for most of her life. Being careful with his spiked armor, he let his stoic attitude slide for just a moment and cradled her to him. Immediately, her arms circled his waist and clutched to him like a lifeline. "It will be all right, Rin. We will figure something out eventually. It doesn't have to be today, and it doesn't have to be tomorrow." And without intention of humor, he added, "One cannot tell. You might tire of me and want to live a life of your own. You might pass through a village one day, fall in what you mortals call love, and then you'd want nothing to do with me."

"You're wrong, my Lord. Nothing will make me want to leave you like that. I want to know you forever." With that, she tightened her hold around his waist.

Her words were so innocent and sweet that a smile almost tugged at his smooth features. "Forever…"

Okay… I had intended for this to be a full-on, adult situated lemon between Rin and Sesshoumaru. But the more I wrote on it, the more I disliked the idea. I still think their relationship is interesting and still deserves to have attention called to it. It's just that I reached a point where I don't know if I want them to be romantically involved anymore. Still, whether you're a Rin/Sess fan or not, the story, and their relationship, is fitting I think. It can be read either way. Tell me what you think! Review:D

NaK