Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko

Nothing Without The Other

Chapter 26

Rin notched an arrow in her bow and focused on the targets in front of her. Dozens of stuffed figures were strewn across the field, held upright only by the large posts in the ground. They had all the limbs a human or youkai would have, each varied in size and, some wore thick armor. She noted that Hideki, Sesshoumaru's main general, had rearranged the targets again.

"You're taking too long," Hideki complained.

"I have to identify my targets weaknesses, Hideki-sama," she reminded him.

He cringed. "Onegai, Lady Rin, refrain from using such a polite term for one so beneath you."

"Hideki-sama," she said with a hint of warning.

"You're taking too long," he repeated as if had not heard her. "You must have a sharp and fast eye, a swift and precise shot. Too much hesitation can cost you."

"Wakatta."

Hideki supplied her with a new set of bows. "Now, begin."

Rin let the arrow fly and quickly replaced it with another, using only a fraction of a second to take aim before firing again. She turned her body ever so slightly to bring a new set of targets into her vision. Someone quickly replaced the arrows before she was out, allowing her to continue the rain of arrows until every target was hit.

"Very good, Lady Rin. That was much better," Hideki praised as he looked over the field. "From what I see from here, you inflicted more fatal wounds this time."

Rin took a deep breath and handed her bow to a servant. "I'll have to be much quicker than that in a real battle."

"Nonsense," he walked with her back to the dojo hidden near the mountain. "You and Lady Kagome will be an excellent addition to our firing squad. Any enemy who is wounded by our squad will be dealt with swiftly by those fighting hand to hand."

She nodded in agreement. "I see that you have increased our supply of arrows. You will see that they are coated as I asked, correct?"

Hideki paused and stared at nothing in particular for a moment. "Lady Rin, are you sure you will get the results you desire? I have never heard of melting down youkai bones and using it to coat weapons to make them stronger."

"I was taught by a taijia friend of ours, but I never tried it on my own because I do not know how to purify the jyaki still left even after death. Kagome-chan is familiar with the technique and will see that they will be safe for us to handle," she added before tapping her lip. "Or we could make the bones into weapons like the taijia do, but I don't have the skills for that. We may not have the time either."

"First a miko, now a taijia?" Hideki asked, rather astounded. "How did Lord Inuyasha come to have such friends without being killed?"

Rin laughed. "There was a monk as well. You should not be surprised by the alliances that formed when Naraku was the common enemy."

"You are quite right, Lady Rin," he admitted, leading her to the back of the dojo. "As you can see, everything is being prepared. We await Lord Sesshoumaru's return."

"Arigatou, Hideki-sama." She was about to leave when a question that had been nagging her popped into her mind again. "Are you sure our preparations will be kept secret?"

"Of course, Lady Rin. Everyone is fiercely loyal to Lord Sesshoumaru, regardless of who is his mate or brother. Many of us have been here before he was born and we have no intention of letting anyone harm him now."

She smiled. "Arigatou, I'm glad we can depend on you."

"It is my honor, Lady Rin," he bowed deeply. "Should anyone chose to go against this estate, they will regret it."

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A week was lost in last minute and final preparations, training and exercise, explorations of the estate, and late night gossip. Kagome and Rin especially, had to learn the tedious etiquette that was expected of them as Lady's of the court. Rin had learned to use and read a calendar, paying particular attention to her monthly cycle and how it would help her avoid becoming pregnant. Both women had done so much, in fact, that when Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha returned, they were not very enthusiastic.

The week, however, had worn on both inu-youkai as well. Visits at the three villages had taken longer than they anticipated so that in the end, they had spilt up areas that needed to be eradicated of rogue youkai. Hauling carcasses to barrels waiting to be taken back to the estate had not been particularly engaging either. They returned exhausted and annoyed, so they did not mind the light welcome they received from their mates.

But after a night and morning of rest, everyone awoke feeling refreshed and able. Sesshoumaru wasted no time in resuming his training sessions with Rin. As the week progressed, he pushed her hard, edging her on even when he saw the exhaustion in her eyes. But she was just as relentless as he was, and never once complained or asked to stop until he felt they should. He was pleased by how strong she was becoming, even as he feared for her life.

"Yamero, Rin," he told her, dropping his sword before following it and sitting on the ground himself.

She collapsed beside him and laid on her back. "Arigatou," she breathed heavily.

"Hnn."

"Sesshoumaru," she said softly.

"Hnn."

"What's wrong?"

He looked down at her. "Nothing."

Rin pushed her self upright and sat in front of him. "Sesshoumaru," she said firmly this time.

He barely resisted the urge to smile. "Clever girl."

"What troubles my Lord?"

"It is nothing Rin, nothing but foolishness."

"This nothing has been plaguing you since you returned," she pointed out.

Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and walked across the field, deeper into the cover of trees. He could hear Rin's feet padding quietly behind him, could hear her patient sigh as it drifted through the air. When he found a quiet and secluded spot, he sat beneath a tree and invited her to sit beside him. She obliged him, mostly out of curiosity, and watched him in mild surprise as he slowly gave into sleep. Soon after, as if he called her to join him, she leaned against him and fell asleep too.

When she woke, she did not know what time it was and barely knew where she was, but Sesshoumaru's hands quickly told her who she was with.

"Sesshoumaru," she called out to him sleepily. "What are you doing?"

He pushed the fabric over her shoulders. "Undressing you."

Rin slapped his hands away weakly. "You never told me what was bothering you."

He pulled her down until she was laying flat on her back. "Not now, Rin."

"Yes now," she held him at bay when he would have kissed her. "You wanted to have an honest and open relationship. Now, tell me."

Sesshoumaru growled and pushed himself off her. He sat beside her and tucked his hands into his sleeves, his entire frame going stiff and rigid within a matter of seconds. A little frightened, Rin redressed herself and wrapped her arms around her waist. She looked at him, sensing the rise in his youki, and saw that he held his head down. Then all at once he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"You're scaring me, Sesshoumaru," she breathed against his neck.

"Good, you scare me too," he admitted quietly, though his voice was already muffled by her neck. When she did not respond, he continued. "This Sesshoumaru does not want you to fight."

"You said there is no guarantee that anything will happen."

"This Sesshoumaru does not want you to fight," he repeated. "Ever."

She tried to push him away so she could look at him, but he would not release her. "Now you are being ridiculous."

"I cannot lose you Rin."

"Sesshoumaru..." she trailed off nervously.

"This Sesshoumaru cannot lose you, cannot bear to see harm come to you, cannot imagine you fighting anyone but me. But it may be the only way to build a secure future for you and our pups."

Rin squeezed her eyes shut and stroked the back of his head. "You must not worry. Everything will work out."

"I know, demo this Sesshoumaru-."

"Damare," she whispered and pulled away from him. "No more."

Rin held his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. Her Lord, her powerful and seemingly fearless Lord had admitted his most hidden secret. In all their time together, she had never really considered her own mortality. She had stopped being afraid of death the moment she fell in step behind Sesshoumaru, knowing without understanding that she would always be safe with him. But she knew now that he thought of it, if not on a daily basis, even though she now had youki running through veins. He would never forget that a part of her was still mortal and he could still lose her.

She vowed never to be so careless with her life ever again.

Sesshoumaru untied her braid and tangled his fingers in her hair. She leaned into him and pressed her lips softly to his. He felt her hands slide down his chest, parting his haori ever so slightly. Then his obi was coming lose and her fingers danced across his flesh, sending waves of lust straight to his loins. He sucked her lip into his mouth, using the moment to take a breath before resuming their tender kiss.

Rin pulled her sash away and wrapped her freed legs around Sesshoumaru's waist. She broke the kiss slowly before setting her mouth on his neck. His throat vibrated as he released a low growl. She nipped at him in response and flicked her tongue over his ear. Her lips curved into a grin when he gripped her hips and pressed her against his crotch. She did not want to wait, so she straddled his lap and and began tugging at his hakama.

He obliged her eagerly, so he did not see her reach into her kimono. Then he pulled her to him and assaulted her breasts with his mouth, ruthlessly teasing them until the peaks were swollen and red. He placed his hands on her hips, fighting the desperate need to be inside her. But she complied to his unvoiced desire and wrapped a hand around his member. He felt something strange before she took him in completely, but when she began moving, he lost his sense of reality.

She rested her arms on his shoulders for support and slowly rotated her hips. He dug his claws into her thighs, surprising her enough to make her jump. He encouraged the new movement until she was moving up and down his shaft continually, body pressed closely to his. Her sweat slicked breasts glided over his chest, making his fingers itch to touch, his mouth water for another taste.

But he kept his eyes locked with hers, watching closely as the brown flecks of color danced in her golden orbs. And she watched him, aroused even more when they dilated and narrowed in response to her movements. He felt her breath rush against his face as a shaky moan escaped her lips. She was almost there, so close to the edge, and he shuddered as he watched her tumble over, as he watched his own fall reflected in her eyes.

"Rin," he said after a while when a realization set upon him.

"Hnn?"

"I told you this Sesshoumaru does not like these things."

She barely resisted the urge to laugh as he pulled the contraceptive off and tossed it away. "You did not seem to mind this time."

"You were quite sly this time."

She kissed him. "You're the one who doesn't want me to get pregnant."

"There must be other methods of prevention."

"Hai, there are," she said, holding his face in her hands. "Showing all the Lords of the court that you are worthy of your position."

His expression turned grim. "Tomorrow."

"Hai," she released him and rose to her feet. "Tomorrow."

Sesshoumaru dressed slowly and quietly, lost in a maze of angry thoughts. Tomorrow his guest would arrive and he would play host to a court that had not been at this estate in several years. It might prove difficult to keep his anger in check, especially if Rin requested him to wear an offending contraceptive again. His pride and honor were wounded on so many fronts that he knew he could not take many more blows before snapping.

For the next four days, he knew he would be walking on thin ice.

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Yamero: Stop it/Enough / Damare: Silence/Shut up / Hai: Yes / Iie: No / Arigatou:Thank you / Taijia:Youkai exterminator /

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