Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko

Nothing Without The Other

Chapter 16

"Well, little brother. You came much faster than I anticipated. Should I be grateful that you are so anxious to see your big brother?"

"Keh, don't kid yourself Sesshoumaru. I have something to protect," said Inuyasha, looking around cautiously for the other threat he sensed. "Not all of us can just order our swords to protect someone, I actually have to make an effort."

"And here I was considering protecting you, but for that remark, I'll leave you to your own defenses," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nani? What are you-"

Inuyasha cut himself off as something rushed toward him from the trees. He had only enough time to unsheathe Tetsusaiga and block the sword that had tried to slice him in half. An involuntary growl escaped his lips as he met the eyes of his opponent. He started when the undeniable resemblance in the woman's face dawned on him.

"Rin?"

She grinned. "Come now Inuyasha, if you don't pay attention, you could get hurt."

Her eyes shifted to her left and Inuyasha followed them. They pushed back from one another as Sesshoumaru rushed at them, Toukijin withdrawn for attack. Inuyasha was put on the offensive again, but with an aggressive growl, he attacked Sesshoumaru fiercely. Much more skilled than he used to be, he unleashed Kaze no Kizu and forced his brother to retreat for the moment.

Sesshoumaru flipped to the side and landed on one knee. He pushed himself quickly to his feet and dashed forward as he saw Inuyasha racing toward him. Rin jumped in front of him, apparently to attack Inuyasha again, but turned on him instead. He barely missed being nicked with the pathetic thing she called a sword when he resigned himself to dodge her second attack.

"What are you doing Rin?" He said calmly.

"I can't let you two boys have all the fun," she said, attacking him aggressively.

He blocked her easily with Toukijin. "Move before you get hurt."

Rin smiled wickedly and spoke barely above a whisper. "If I do, will you promise to personally attend to each and everyone of my wounds?" When his eyes widened in surprise, she allowed Inuyasha to take advantage of the distraction and quickly stepped to the side.

Inuyasha braced his sword against Sesshoumaru's. "Well isn't this a surprise. Looks like Rin still hates us," he said with a grin.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Maybe she needs to be taught a lesson." He sent Inuyasha flying back with a wave of jyaki and turned to attack Rin.

Without hesitation, she met him head on. Their swords clashed and he pushed her back the same way he did Inuyasha. But she was prepared for it and twirled to the side and swung her sword at his head. He caught it in his hand and started in surprise when she turned and used her shoulder to shove him away. He took one step back to let Inuyasha take over.

Sesshoumaru watched them closely, waiting for the perfect moment to attack before he dashed toward them. Rin saw him at the corner of her eyes and jumped back a few feet away from Inuyasha. She hurled her sword at him, which he easily dodged, but it was a distraction that gave her the opportunity to flip over his head. Sesshoumaru caught the sword in mid-air and dropped it to the ground.

Rin landed on her feet and immediately extended an arm in either direction. Purple youki spewed from her nails and exploded just inches in front of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's feet. Inuyasha was completely caught off guard and waved the smoke from in front of his face, yelling such bizarre obscenities that she could not help but laugh.

Realizing the game was over, Sesshoumaru picked up Rin's sword and handed it to her. "You need a new one."

Rin blinked and inspected the blade. She pouted as she looked at the many lacerations and indents it had taken from much stronger swords. "You ruined it!"

"Keh." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Who told you to attack me with such a weak sword? As if it could stand a chance against Tetsusaiga."

"Or Toukijin."

She scowled at them both. "I didn't think it would be damaged so much."

"I will have Toutousai make a youkai sword, not some useless human sword," Sesshoumaru added.

"As if Toutousai will do anything for you," Inuyasha told him with a sneer. "Now can one of you explain why you came all the way out here to attack me?"

"As if this Sesshoumaru would waste time so frivolously."

Rin smiled. "That is not why we came, Inuyasha. I wanted to let you and Kagome know that I was fine. That little spar was just a spur of the moment thing."

Inuyasha took the moment to judge Rin's new appearance. "I'm surprised you could handle Sesshoumaru's youki, but the transformation does suit you. How does it feel to be one of us?"

"It has its perks."

"Keh," he turned and led them to the village.

Sesshoumaru stiffened involuntarily when they came upon Inuyasha's house. The memory of that day flooded his memory. The scents, his panic, the hasty search, her pale body laying in the snow...He glanced at her and realized he was still greatly bothered by the fact that she had ran from him in such a terrible condition.

"The boys are probably terrorizing the villagers and Kagome is sleeping with the baby."

"Oh! I had forgotten she was pregnant. What did she have?"

Inuyasha smiled proudly. "A girl."

Sesshoumaru sat close to the door as Inuyasha went to check on his mate and child. Rin sat a small distance from him, squirming with excitement. Her face was lit with a happiness he had not seen since her youth and it greatly unnerved him. He had no chance to explore the feeling when Inuyasha came out of his room with a child in his arms.

"Kagome has a bad habit of sleeping longer than our little Rei," he smiled and sat next to Rin so she could see his daughter.

Rin smiled down at the gorgeous girl. She had short black hair with unruly bangs much like her father. Her eyes were a bright honey color and they smiled back at Rin almost curiously. She had ears quite similar to her father as well, but Rin felt she looked more like her mother.

"Would you like to hold her?"

She quickly sat up. "I couldn't Inuyasha. I've never held a baby that small, I don't know how."

"So what? Kagome says taking care of babies comes natural to women," he said, holding Rei out to her.

Rin bit her lip nervously, looking down at Rei and back up at Inuyasha. She moved away from him and removed her armor before holding out her arms. Cradling Rei's head as ordered by Inuyasha, Rin pulled the child closer to her and smiled with delight.

"You sure I won't steal her like I stole Tetsusaiga?" She grinned up at him.

He lay on his side and rested his head on his arm. "Keh, I'm sure. Kagome would be the one to come after you, not me, and what she would do once she caught you I'm sure is too scary to even voice."

She leaned her head down so the girl in her arms could touch her face as she seemed to wish. "That's fine then. I'd much rather leave you to Kagome's temper. Her hands are so tiny and cute," she added, letting Rei hold her thumb and looked over at Sesshoumaru. "Don't you want a closer look at your niece?"

"Careful, Sesshoumaru. Little girls have the awful ability to steal a man's heart the moment you look at them. You of all people should know."

Sesshoumaru would have said something in return, but Kagome came stumbling from her room, wiping the sleep from her eyes and looking for her daughter.

"Inuyasha. How many times do I have to tell you it isn't a good idea to take a mother's child from her arms while she's sleeping?"

Everyone stared at her as she finally realized that she had company. She squealed with delight when her eyes rested upon Rin. She immediately flew to her side and embraced her tightly. Rei cried out in protest and Kagome automatically redirected her attention. The noise level only escalated more as Kagome tried to silence her child.

Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru rose to their feet.

"I'm going to find the boys Kagome," he said and rolled his eyes when she ignored him. "Let's go, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru followed his brother without complaint or protest.

"Ah, Rei! You must be hungry," Kagome said as she rocked the baby in her arms. "Would you like to feed her?"

"I..ano..sure," she took Rei from Kagome and tried to soothe her tears away.

"Hold on a moment while I warm her bottle," she called from the cooking area. "I'm so glad to see you Rin-chan, how has everything been?"

"Strange and new. It took me quite a while to adjust to all this youki, but I have control over it now."

"That's good. Do you regret what happened? Does Sesshoumaru regret what happened?"

"I have no regrets, and I guess Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't. At least not anymore."

Kagome sat next to Rin and instructed her how to feed Rei. "I don't see why he would. He was already troubling himself going to get you. Giving you his youki so you could survive shouldn't have been that big of a deal since he wanted you to be with him."

She held the bottle securely and looked up. "What do you mean?"

Kagome frowned. "He didn't tell you? Sesshoumaru was going to your cavern when Inuyasha went to find him, that is why they came back so quickly."

Rin stared blankly into space, finding herself more confused than she would have liked. If Sesshoumaru had been coming for her, why had he lied in attempt to hide it from her? And why had he been coming for her at all? It had not been her sickness or Inuyasha's request that had brought him to her. He wanted to see her again. Had it been his intention to take her to the Western Lands whether she was sick or not?

"Rin-chan, are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Kagome-chan. Take Rei."

She obliged the request and watched Rin closely. "You're not telling me something and it has to do with Sesshoumaru. Has he been treating you cruelly?"

Rin laughed at the idea and would have pushed her hand through her hair if it had not been braided. "Things may be easier if he had, but his treatment has been quite the opposite. Sesshoumaru-sama has been treating me...I don't even know what to call it."

Kagome noted the deep blush that crept up her face and quickly caught on. "He's been coming on to you?"

"It's much more than that. The way he kisses me...the way he touched me last night..." she stood up quickly and began pacing the room. "I think he wants to take me as a mate," she said finally and stared at Kagome very seriously.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know?"

"This morning...this morning he basically said I need to choose between him and...well I'm not really sure what other choices I have, but it seems that he thinks I have more."

"I knew it!" Kagome shouted with delight. "I knew Sesshoumaru was into you. The way you two would bicker and his protective behavior - just like Inuyasha! He probably didn't realize he wanted to be with you until after he left you at the cavern."

Rin sat down and held her head in her hands. "What am I going to do Kagome-chan?"

"Nani? Don't you love Sesshoumaru?"

"I..think so."

"You think so?" She stared in shock.

"I have never been in love before."

"Do you think Sesshoumaru has?"

Rin looked up. "No, I don't think so."

Kagome sat next to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Then you must know that he is just as afraid as you are, believe it or not, just as unsure and confused. Just take things slow and follow your heart. All you need to know will come to you eventually."

"Arigatou, Kagome-chan."

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Rin approached Sesshoumaru slowly, taking a final moment to gather her courage. She was glad that she had not seen him for the remainder of the day since it had given her time to fully explore what she had learned. At times she felt giddy with joy while others she felt she would faint from fear at any moment. She wanted to be with Sesshoumaru, to be his mate, but there was something that made her deathly afraid of the doors it could open. Not knowing why only made her more afraid.

She stopped a short distance behind and watched him. He was staring at the sky again and she knew he was lost in thought. The moon bathed his face with light and made him stand out amidst the shadows of the forest. He turned to her and stared in a manner that took her breath away. He said nothing, choosing instead to wait patiently for her to come to him.

When she stood by his side, he looked back up at the night sky. Rin decided to seize the moment before she lost her courage.

"You lied to me. Why?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "This Sesshoumaru does not lie."

"Ahh, but you do. I asked why it had taken you less than three days to reach Kagome's village and you lied in return. Why?"

Sesshoumaru said nothing, realizing he had firmly dug himself in a hole. He recalled what exactly had caused him to do such a disgraceful thing as telling a lie. He quite easily remembered the anger he had felt toward her and himself because she had denied him, had told him it was unnatural for him to touch her. There was no way he could have told her that he did not want them to be apart, so a lie had to suffice. At the moment, however, he was regretting it because he still had no idea how he was going to tell her.

"Sesshouma-"

"I am thinking," he cut her off somewhat angrily.

Rin frowned. "I don't understand. Is it that difficult to tell the truth? Inuyasha said you were on your way to see me. Why? You made it clear that you did not want me around. What changed?"

He turned and met her eyes. "I have always said that humans and youkai live different so I felt it was only right for you to live among your own kind. But you said that you live differently from humans."

"So you thought it was okay for me to stay with you again," she finished for him.

"Hai."

Rin bit her lip nervously and looked down. "I don't know what to say, Sesshoumaru-sama."

He stepped forward and cupped the back of her neck in his hands, forcing her to look up at him. "I wanted you around then and I want you around now, but the decision is yours Rin. You must decide where you want to be and who with."

When he would have released her, she held him firmly in place. "Don't."

Sesshoumaru leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips to hers. He remembered all too quickly how she tasted, but there was something more, some sweet after taste on her tongue that pushed him on. His tongue darted into her mouth and searched for more with a greedy speed. Her hands tightened on his arms and pulled him closer. He answered her plea for more by pressing hungry kisses down her neck.

"Sesshoumaru-sama...please. I need.."

It was all she had to say before he lifted her into his arms, seized with a most violent desire to fulfill every request she made of him. He carried her back to the area they had spent the previous night and gently laid her on the grass. Sitting up on his knees, he pulled his swords from his obi and tossed them aside. She sat up impatiently and placed kisses over his face while he fumbled with the knot of his obi. When it finally came undone he pushed her to the ground and quickly removed his armor.

Rin pulled him on top of her the moment he was free. Her hands roamed over his back, down his arms, across his chest, and around his waist as she truly touched him for the first time. His skin was hot and smooth and finely toned. She wanted nothing more than to feel it against her own, to meet him heart to heart as their bodies rubbed against each other in passionate love making. But even as her body screamed out for more, she found herself breaking their kiss and pushing him away.

"Too...fast..." she managed in between breaths.

Sesshoumaru shifted his weight to the side but remained on top of her. He flicked his tongue across her neck, keeping his hands to himself only long enough for her to catch her breath. She let out a broken moan and resisted pushing him away for a moment. He pushed the sleeves of her kimono over her shoulders and trailed kisses across them. As he kissed his way back up to her neck, he smelled something that made his entire body tremble with desire.

Then she was pushing him away again and struggling to move from under him. He sat up and pulled her into his lap. He held her close to him and buried his face against her neck, taking the moment to catch his breath and figure out why this scent was so familiar to him. Rin clung to him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"We can't," she said after much effort.

"I know," realizing that scent meant she was in heat.

She would have sat up, but she felt to weak and dizzy. Did he know she wanted to take things slow? "Kagome-chan...she said Miroku and Sango are bringing their family for a visit. They should arrive within three days. May we stay?"

Why not?, he thought to himself. What was one more week of denying himself what he wanted most? Reluctantly, he lifted them both to their feet. He adjusted his haori and put his armor back on. Rin handed him Tenseiga and his obi.

"You may stay for week at the most," he told her, picking up Toukijin to tuck it into his obi.

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said. She noted the look of heated desire in his eyes and felt her body react to it. When she took a step back, he stepped forward and enclosed the space between them.

His arm slipped around her waist as he lifted her to the sky and carried her back to the village. He placed one final lingering and passionate kisses on her lips before letting her go. Rin stared up at him as he rubbed her lip with his thumb.

"Tell me, what were you eating before you came to me."

"Ano, I think Kagome-chan called it chocolate. Why?"

"Hnn. Ask her for more before we leave."

"Why?"

He placed a small kiss on her lips. "Trust me and just ask."

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Lots of blushes for last chapter! I'm not sure what to say...I'm just glad you enjoyed it! Now I have to worry about doing much better the next time!

Shampoo-chan, I don't even know why you asked! I would not mind at all if you translated my stories! It is an absolute honor to me! Please, by all means, go ahead. I do recommend, however, that you go to Mediaminer to get "Hurtful Words". As I'm uploading it there, I've made small changes and corrections. It's not all up yet, but in a week it should be.

Among other things, the story is still up! But, like I said, if it should disappear, I will put it on mediaminer. I have begun uploading "Hurtful Words" there so I can maybe draw in some more people before uploading this story. My author name is RabidAnimeGurl.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I think they inspired me a lot last weekend as I kept getting praises after praises. I wrote two chapters last weekend, I believe, I'm not sure though. As of right now, there are 19 chapters to this story, all of which are still being edited. I imagine there are only maybe 3 chapters to write, but I'm not sure how long I'm going to make this story. I'm so proud, and happy, and it is all thanks to my reviewers. Thank you so much, this means everything to me!

Rabid Anime Gurl