Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the gang.

As she lay in bed, Kagome could feel InuYasha shifting from his seat at the foot of her bed. His habit of sleeping sitting upright had not changed. When half an hour had passed and the hanyou had woke her for the third time, Kagome sighed heavily and sat up, glowering at the back of InuYasha's head.

"All right. What has you so restless now? You have been shifting and moving and grunting, keeping me awake."

"Something here just doesn't seem right. Sesshomaru has that damn elixir in his hand, all he has to do is sneak some to Rin but he says she can't drink it. What the hell is up with that?"

"Maybe he has developed a conscience? Sneaking it to her would hardly be fair, InuYasha. She has made it clear she doesn't want to drink it just yet. If ever." Kagome yawned, flopping back on the pillows.

"Feh. Sesshomaru? Have a conscience? Not likely. If pulling the wool over Rin's eyes will get him what he wants? He'd do it. Sesshomaru isn't known for changing his mind on things, Kagome. I saw the look in his eyes when he got his hands on that elixir. You'd have thought someone had just handed him Tetsuseiga. He wants Rin to have it...just not right now." InuYasha snorted with a frown, a scowl marring his features.

Suddenly, Kagome giggled and curled up on her side, her hands tucked beneath her chin.

"Who knows. Maybe she can't drink it just yet because she's pregnant."

"Oh get real, Kagome!"

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Rin's eyes studied the simple ivory flask intently as her lord carefully placed it amidst the arsenal in his cabinet. It hardly seemed large enough to hold a dose of some fabled potion that would grant eternal life. Cautiously, Sesshomaru closed the doors and locked them before turning to look at his young mate. His eyes studied Rin. Perhaps he had been wrong earlier. Here in the light of their room she looked no different than she had only a month ago. It wasn't her appearance, however, that had been the most obvious change to him.

"Rin. Come here."

She came to him, eyes wide. The closer she came, the stronger the scent became. No. There was no mistaking it. He was now forever bound to this woman. A tie no sword could severe. Sesshomaru's first instinct was to curse himself. Why had he not been more careful?

'Because you wanted to bind this woman more firmly to you than the title of Mate ever could.'

Sesshomaru ground his teeth. This was not the time for his conscience to become so vocal again. He was confused enough as it was. All the signs were there before him. The bloom in Rin's cheeks, the slight smudges of fatigue beneath her wide brown eyes. He would make no mistake before he said a word to her. Without warning Sesshomaru's hand reached out and splayed over the plane of Rin's belly. It was there. He could feel it beneath his palm, hear it in his ears. The heartbeat of a child. His child. Rin was watching him closely, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"My lord? Is something wrong?"

"I suppose that would depend on your definition of 'wrong', Rin. Have you been well as of late?"

"I have been well, my lord. Tired and at times ill to my stomach. I think perhaps it has just been all of the goings on. It is nothing to concern yourself with, my lord. I promise, I will take better care of myself."

"Therein lies the difficulty, Rin. Its not just yourself you will have to take better care of."

"My lord, you have been speaking in riddles and I cannot decipher what you mean. You have me so confused." Rin frowned.

"Rin, when I said you could not drink the elixir now, there was a good reason." Sesshomaru replied, removing his hand, "Your body, that of a matured adult, could survive the power of the elixir and the change. The child you carry, could not."

"Th...the child I carry?"

The warmth of her lord's hand on her still lingered as Rin's own hands flew to her belly. A child. A part of her and a part of her lord. She knew how these things came about. Lord Sesshomaru had made certain she was schooled on the changes that her body went through when she first entered her teen years. Unfortunately, the lessons on childbearing and birth were taught to her only if the pairing was between two humans! Not a human and a full blooded inuyoukai lord! A look of panic transformed her usually peaceful face and tears flooded her eyes.

"I...I am so sorry, my lord! Please forgive me! I did not know."

Now it was Sesshomaru's turn to be confused. Why was Rin sorry? Did she regret this? Was she disgusted by it?

"The child will be...be like your brother. Forgive me!"

Sesshomaru's own insults came back to haunt him. Of course. How foolish of him to have forgotten. Rin had never heard him refer to his brother in insulting terms until she was of age. Although Rin harbored no ill will towards InuYasha for his mixed blood she knew how much it disgusted her lord. How clear and precise hindsight could be. He should have better planned for when this moment came. He knew when he made Rin his mate that it would come down to this. Now to find a way to assure her that he carried no such feelings of revulsion towards his own offspring. A child of the same mixed heritage as his brother.

Rin slowly sank down into a nearby chair, her hearbeat thundering in her ears. A part of her was so happy she wanted to cry but a deeper part of her was equally as distraught. Halfbreed. She could hear the insult ringing in her head as she closed her eyes against the tears threatening to fall. InuYasha had learned to ignore the vicious slur but he had also lived hundreds of years before that was possible. Rin took great offense to the word seeing as the hanyou was her friend. She knew how much it hurt her just to have her friend called by that name but her own child? She didn't think she could bear it. Could her own lord abide by his child being of mixed blood?

"Rin. Look at me." Sesshomaru said, his presence looming over her seated form.

"I cannot, my lord. I bring shame to you, to your family. Your hatred of InuYasha has never been a well kept secret. He shares your blood and still you loathed him for so long. For his human mother. Someone...someone like me."

"I have come to look passed your being mortal, Rin. I care nothing for that. My child will be part human. So be it. Now I ask you. Can you bear to carry a child who will be half demon?"

It took all of her might to bring her eyes to Sesshomaru's but Rin had to look him in the eye as she spoke, so he might see her words were true and from her heart. That she meant them with all of her being.

"I care nothing of the child being human or demon. All that matters to me is that it is yours."

Sesshomaru nodded silently. As blood proud as he had once been, it seemed of little consequence to him now. Word of his mate's condition had to be kept contained. Those who were his enemies would most certainly seek to use this against him. He could not be with Rin every moment of every day. He would have to find a way to insure her safety and that of their unborn child. A thought dawned on him. There was someone. Someone he knew would protect the child fiercely, without fail.

"My lord? What will it be like? I mean...for me. I know and understand the length of pregnancy for a human female when the father of the child is also human. Will it be the same where you are a demon?" Rin hesitated to ask.

"It will differ, yes. How so, I am not certain. I never concerned myself much with such matters. As the Lord of the Western Lands, my mind was more focused on battles. I fought by Father's side and never delved into the workings of the body. Knowing my brother, his little vermin friend, Myoga, could perhaps answer your questions."

"Would you mind if I spoke with Myoga about this?"

"If you can find him. He has a knack for vanishing whenever I am present. He served Father faithfully enough...or as well as a flea could. Bravery is not in his nature and he has a tendancy to abandon my little brother at all times." Sesshomaru shrugged.

Rin nodded, trying to absorb all her lord had told her. Pregnant. She had never given thought to her part in her lord's life much beyond being his mate. Mother to his child was a role she had never dared dream of. She had just assumed he would be careful not to allow her to become pregnant and if he wanted children he would father them with a female demon. Now that she knew her lord was not repulsed or angered over the child she allowed herself to feel happiness. Were Lord Sesshomaru not present Rin would have spun in a circle and laughed. She rested a hand on her belly as she pressed her fingertips from the other to her lips. Her whole life had just changed dramatically once more.

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The sun had barely risen when Kagome heard the soft knocking on her door. InuYasha still sat on the floor, his back against the foot of her bed. His ears barely twitched at the sound of Rin's soft whispering.

"Kagome. Kagome, are you awake?"

"Come on in, Rin. I'm not really awake yet but I'm getting there." Kagome yawned, pushing herself up on the pillows.

Rin slowly opened the door, giving her friend a hesitant smile before nodding to InuYasha. How was she going to ask to speak with Myoga without raising suspicion? Kagome was a woman of a thousand questions while the hanyou never really delved too deep into things. Nervously tucking her hair behind her ears, Rin shuffled closer to the bed.

"Um...actually...Kagome, I came to speak to---ow!"

Rin slapped her hand against the side of her neck. Something had bit her! As she pulled her hand away, Rin recognized the rumpled form of Myoga, InuYasha's semi-sort-of-not-really reliable vassil. How had he...? How long had he been on her? InuYasha looked to Rin, an eyebrow raised. Kagome was peering at her as well, curious what could have the young woman up and about so early.

"Myoga, I'm sorry! I didn't realize it was you. You aren't hurt are you?"

"No more so than usual." Myoga groaned, rubbing his head.

"What were you doing?" Rin demanded, now nervous as to just how much the flea already knew.

"Just..uh...just having an early morning breakfast?" the flea smiled weakly before frowning, "I say, Rin, you taste...different. In fact, if I didn't know better...I would say you tasted as if you were--"

Quickly, Rin curled her fingers around the hapless flea and silenced him before he could reveal too much. Now both InuYasha and Kagome were looking at her with rapt interest. All Rin could do was laugh nervously as she began to back out of the room. She had the counsel she needed. No need to disturb her friends or fumble through some feeble excuses. With a wild wave of her empty hand, Rin threw open the door.

"Oh nevermind. Far too early to be bothering you, Kagome! Go back to sleep, all is well, I'll talk to you later, bye!"

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving a perplexed Kagome and InuYasha behind. Several moments of stillness and silence passed before they finally looked at one another.

"What the hell just happened here!" the hanyou asked indignantly.