IMMORTALITY

Chapter 12

Only You…

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lady Rin refuses to finish her meal again…" The servant, Ryoko said, holding a tray of half-eaten meal. Her lady Rin's health had weakened since the death of the child, and the fact that she refused to take any proper meals weakened her even more.

"…Prepare another meal for her, and pick some fruits also." Sesshoumaru ordered and watched as she bowed and left. It had been almost three months since the child's death, and still Rin had not get over it. He turned his gaze towards the grave in the garden, and remembered the day when his daughter was born into this world. His daughter, his perfect little pup who had died the moment she was born.

"This cannot be…the babe is affected by the mermaid's poison but she is still well formed." The priestess said, holding the lifeless bundle in her arms.

"…Give her to me." Sesshoumaru ordered, and narrowed his eyes when the priestess refused to do so.

"You are going to use the Healing Sword on her, isn't it? As I said before, this babe must not be revived or she will become a monster……"

"This Sesshoumaru just want to look at her. She is…after all, my daughter."

The priestess stared at the demon lord for awhile, but knowing that even if the demon lord wanted to use the healing sword on the dead babe, there was nothing she could do to stop him. Wrapping the babe even more securely with the red robe, she passed the babe to him and left them to be alone.

"……Lord Sesshoumaru…?"

Turning away from the scene, Sesshoumaru stared at his mate, Rin who was wearing a simple red kimono that showed him how pale she looked. He had been so deep in his though that he failed to notice her. Her amber eyes no longer shone with happiness but emptiness, just like the time when she was laying in a pool of blood after being attacked by wolves many years ago.

"Is there anything you need, Rin?" He asked. When she said nothing but kept her face buried in the fur on his right shoulder, he placed his right arm around her waist and frowned when he noticed how thin and fragile she was.

"…Lord Sesshoumaru, I heard there was a conference about your inheritance, is that true?" Rin asked, her hands clutching onto her lord's clothing. She felt like crying again when she remembered what she had overheard from the servants' conversation a few weeks ago. They said her lord was going to find another mate, so that he would be able to have an heir, a pure-blooded demon heir.

"Is that…true, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked again with her shaky voice. She knew it was her fault that their child died, and her fault that her lord was going to have an heir from the other woman. Although the priestess that delivered her child told her that she could conceive again, but Rin could not bear the pain of loosing her child again.

Sesshoumaru tightened his grips on her waist when she asked that. There had been a conference between him and the generals about the inheritance, and one of them had been foolish enough to threaten him to mate with the other woman, saying that if he continued to mate with Rin, he would ended up like his father. But of course, that foolish general was unable to leave the conference chamber alive, and since then, the others had ceased to talk about the inheritance.

"Yes, it is true."

Rin swallowed her sobs that threatened to spill from her mouth and wrapped her arms around her lord's torso. So it was true, her lord was going to mate with the other woman to produce an heir and the though of other woman touching her lord was killing her. She didn't want that to happen, she didn't want the others to know about her lord's beauty, she didn't want her lord to love another! She hated it.

"…But this Sesshoumaru refuses to mate with anyone but Rin. No one will be named as my heir if they are not our children, and if we are not blessed with any, then I'll end this bloodline myself." He said. Although he had once said he was never going to have children, but after considered what the priestess had told him about the immunity and Rin being so depress changed his mind. He was willing to try once more time, and if they failed, than the White Dog Clan would perish in his generation.

Rin stiffed and stared up at her lord with shock in her eyes. Her lord was not going to mate with the others, or to have an heir to inherit his land, to continue his noble bloodline, and all of this was because of her.

No…

Rin opened her mouth, but she could not speak. She wanted her Lord Sesshoumaru to have children, so that his name would be passed on forever through generations, but she was unable to say that. She was touched when her lord told her that he refused to mate with anyone but her, but sad at the same time because she could not give what her lord needed; an heir to inherit his land.

"Rin…?" Sesshoumaru asked when Rin pushed herself away from his embrace and backed away from where he stood.

Don't say it…

"I…can't…let…my lord do that…" She whispered in her shaky voice, ignoring the hot tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She had tried so hard not to cry in front of her lord again, but it seemed she had failed.

Please don't say it…

"My lord must mate with the others, since I can't bear you children…I…I…" Rin said, but was unable to finish what she intended to say before her lord pulled her into his embrace again, her face pressed tightly against his shoulder.

He could feel something tightened around his heart when he saw her tears, and he was a little surprised when she asked him to mate with the others. He would not, would never mate with anyone but Rin.

"We can try again, Rin. Perhaps this time, the child would have my ability…"

"NO!" Rin cried, and tried to push away from her lord again but found she could not. To have another child was her dream, but she would never forget how painful it was to have her child snatched away from her.

"Perhaps I should leave here, my lord. Then you can mate the others without me disturbing you. You will have children, strong and pure-blooded…" Rin said unconsciously, and she could not see her lord's expression because her tears were blurring her eye sight. "…Rin has no use to Lord Sesshoumaru anymore…"

"Shut up." Sesshoumaru silenced her up with his icy tone, and carried her up bridal style to the garden, where their daughter was buried. When he reached the gravestone, he placed Rin down in front of it and kneeled beside her.

"Our daughter, Sakuya had been fighting for her survival. She never gave up even though she knew she had only a slight chance to live." Sesshoumaru said and ignored the look she was giving him. He touched the stone with his claws, and remembered how his pup looked when he held her in his arms.

Her small body was cold, but she was perfect. She had purple strips on her cheek bones and wrists, slightly pointed ears, and she even had the blue crescent moon on her forehead, not to mention the silver hair that was visible at the top of her head. Although he could not see the color of her eyes, but he knew they would be golden like his, the symbol of being a White Dog.

He inhaled her scent; she smelled of tainted blood mixed with the scent of flower. He traced her face with his finger, careful not to scratch her tender skin. His golden eyes widened slightly when he touched her lips, she was…smiling.

"She was able to keep her form, which proves that she had won one of the battles." Sesshoumaru continued to say, his eyes saddened slightly when he fingers traced on the name on the stone; Sakuya.

Rin stared at her lord with tears in her eyes. She had saw the look on her lord's face when he looked at their daughter's grave, and she felt ashamed to think that she was the only one that was suffering, but in truth, her lord Sesshoumaru was mourning for the child also. She placed her hand atop his hand on the grave stone, and smiled faintly when he looked at her.

"…Our daughter was smiling, she was happy to be born as our child, to be held in our arms…" He said, and wondered why he could feel a strange wetness on his face, and why was it that he could see water in his eyes.

"My lord…" Rin whispered, and felt her own tears running down her cheeks again when she saw her lord's tears. Her lord Sesshoumaru was crying, the almighty demon lord was crying over a child, their child. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Rin placed kisses on his cheeks, to brush away the tears and hopefully his sadness also.

"This Sesshoumaru wants to see that smile again and this Sesshoumaru wants to see your smile again." He said, and pulled his mate into his warm embrace. Burying his nose at the crook of her neck, he inhaled her scent and whispered into her ear.

"Where is Rin…where is the woman who knows no defeat?"

Wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her kimono, Rin pulled slightly away from her lord and smiled. In the time when she was mourning, she had forgotten that her lord was there with her, to bear and share the pain along with her, and she knew that even if there were a next time, her lord would still be there for her.

"Rin is here, my lord. Perhaps we should…perhaps we should return to our chamber."

Sesshoumaru looked at her mate's smile and knew she had finally returned to her own self. He inched his face towards hers and smiled, it had been a long time since he did that and it felt good to smile with her.

"Yes, it is time to return to our chamber, or you will catch a cold here." He said and carried her up in his arms. A gust of gentle wind brushed pass them, carrying the petals of the Cherry Blossom in it, and Sesshoumaru looked up at the blue sky to see a small child smiling at them.

Thank you, Father…

"What is it, my lord?" Rin asked when she noticed that her lord was smiling at the sky as if he had seen something precious. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up at the sky, but all she saw was a piece of cloudless blue sky.

"…No, nothing…" He said and carried her towards the living quarter with a peaceful look on his face. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Never tell anyone about what happened just now, promise me."

"What? About…you cried?"

"…Yes, and this Sesshoumaru will never do that again. Promise not to tell anyone, especially Jaken."

"Hai, hai." She giggled and let her lord carried her into the domain, leaving her past and sadness behind her. There had been much sadness in her life, but there were also hopes in the future. One must never dwell in the past or he or she would never move on to the future.

I love you and only you…

A/N: Hohohoho, sorry for the long waiting. My exam is finally over and I'm FREE! Yeah Ha! This is not the final chapter, since many of you want to see Rin have a family, so I'll write an epilogue for this story. Next chapter will be the last and stay tune to "Immortality".