Chapter 12

I do not own Inu-Yasha or my indescribable husband, Sesshomaru.

It was midnight. The house was very quiet. Sesshomaru was fast asleep when a slight noise and touch on the arm awoke him. "Lord Sesshomaru", Rin asked tugging his sleeve. Sesshomaru turned on his back to face Rin. "What?", he asked feeling annoyed. "I had a bad dream", Rin said. Of course, Rin was thirteen, but maybe she might get him to be nice all thanks to her subconscious.

"And?", the taiyokai asked. "I'm scared, okay?", Rin said. "Fine", the lord sighed. He sat up in the bed and Rin sat on the edge. She grabbed his waist and hugged him tightly.

Sesshomaru was bothered by that, but then thought about how he used to hold on to his mother when he had nightmares. He used to cry into her soft chest and she would hold him in a warm embrace for minutes before he fell asleep.

Then, something happened. Another part of his mind took control and his one arm wrapped around Rin's back and pulled her into his lap. Rin's body went stiff. Did he just…, her mind asked as it was at a loss for words.

Sesshomaru (uncontrollably) laid a soft striped cheek on Rin's head. What now? Rin thought. "Um, lord Sesshomaru?", she asked as she tilted her head up slightly to find that the lord, exhausted from the past days' experiences had fallen asleep and had been leaning on Rin's head for about thirty seconds now.

Rin seemed a bit ticked off, but then heard Sesshomaru's silent breathing and leaned back against his soft, yet muscular chest and accidentally dozed off. Her weight along with Sesshomaru's had made him lean back and since Rin's bed was next to a wall, Sesshomaru was now leaning against a wall.

Morning came.

Sesshomaru awakened to find Rin sleeping next to him with her head against his chest and one arm clutching his kimono collar. Hmm, the brat must have fallen asleep on me, he thought. The position she was in reminded him of one of the tragedies he had experienced during his child hood.

FLASHBACK

Sesshomaru was walking in one of the many gardens at the castle in which he lived. He was on his way to a very secret place; a place only he knew about. He was fourteen, with hair not quite as long, but at least a bit longer than shoulder length. His eyes were bigger, but still as golden and radiant as ever. His fair complexion glistened in the sun.

He had snuck out of his room early this morning to experience the fresh air as he did every spring and summer morning. It was spring. Everything was in bloom. The only thing that could create a contrast between the beauty of the gardens and the prince's was the fact that Sesshomaru was still in his white sleeping robe that stopped at his ankles. He wore a long under kimono over it. It was an under kimono due to the simple Asian loop design in purple with an almost magenta shade of red that was very light.

He pushed some branches aside soon came to a clearing surrounded by sakura trees and various bushes. There was a particular boulder under one of the trees that Sesshomaru loved to sit under. He had been coming to this place ever since he was ten. He was just walking around one day and there it was. He always went there to think after that.

Sesshomaru sat under the tree on the boulder and stared at the sky. Meanwhile, a pair of amber eyes watched from a bush. "You know, for a prince, you don't dress like one!", the voice of the eyes teased. Sesshomaru sniffed the air. Another person was present. "Who's there?", the clueless prince asked, "Come out."

A girl about his age stepped out. She was a half dog demon, with black hair and eyes the color of liquid amber. She wore a simple yukata with bare feet. Her hair was in a pony tail and her big black dog ears twitched as she took a twig out of her hair.

Sesshomaru was very annoyed. She had been spying on him, she disturbed him, and she smelled of a human. "Sorry, it's just that you were staring into space and looked like you were gonna fly away!", she said.

"What's your name? Mine is Shinrai!", Shinrai asked.

Oooh! A cliffy! What will Sesshy do!