Disclaimer: I do not own 'Inuyasha' or any of its original characters.


A/N: This one-shot belongs to the universe I created with my Canon-Divergent Story One's true bond but can also be read as a stand-alone.

Summary: Sesshomaru has always followed his own set of rules in life, believing firmly in values that, however, have lost meaning as the seasons have passed. He is surprised to discover that it was a small human girl, now a woman, who caused certain doubts to arise in him. But to what ultimate discovery will his relationship with her lead? What does it really mean to surrender to her?


Wind of Change

Sesshomaru looked one last time at Inuyasha and his son, who waved enthusiastically at him before turning away. As he walked off and left his brother's hut behind, he could still hear the pup's cheers. And since no one could see him anymore, he let his lips curve up slightly in response.

As he slowly made his way toward his destination, he reflected on the conversation he'd just had with the half-demon, and though doubts still plagued him to some extent, he found himself pleased with the encounter.

Inuyasha was right: if he wanted to take Rin as his mate, he could do so at any time; he didn't need to inform anyone or get any permission other than hers.

And she had already agreed to be his, in every way. She had declared her love for him, expressed her desire to join him and spend the rest of her life — however long it might be — together.

Every afternoon of the last years crossed his mind, and he saw Rin growing up in front of his eyes, becoming a woman and, at the same time, keeping that innocence that had attracted him and then won him over.

He saw her smiles just for him, her red cheeks and her crystal-clear laugh; he heard the sweetest and most affectionate inflexion her voice took on every time she called him; he saw her parade before him, dressed in a kimono he had brought her as a gift; he smelled her heavenly perfume that reminded him so much of jasmine.

Every detail or moment reminded him of who he was now and who he had been before he met her, why he should follow his instinct and take her away that very day, without waiting to tell anyone or wasting precious time travelling between his lands and that human village.

Resolute, he quickened his pace and arrived at the meeting place. He made sure he always arrived before her; he didn't like to keep her waiting or the thought of her being alone in the forest where a demon could spot her. Sure, it was still his brother's forest, and he knew that Inuyasha checked the borders regularly, but his protective instincts told him to stay alert when it came to Rin.

The clearing was empty and quite far away, but with his fine hearing, Sesshomaru could still hear the farmers' voices and the annoying cries of children. Ignoring those sounds, the dai-youkai leaned against the trunk of a tree and waited.


When she finally arrived, the first thing she noticed was Jaken's absence. Immediately, a smile spread even wider across her lips, lighting up her face.

Whenever Sesshomaru had come to visit her, even when the visits had increased, Jaken and Ah-Un had always been a regular presence.

She'd never quite understood why he'd bring the imp with him if, punctually, he'd abandon him at an unspecified point in the forest and order him to stay put until he returned. Without anything to guard — not that Jaken had ever proven to be a very good guardian, she admitted, but he had been good company nonetheless — his presence was useless.

That day, however, his absence was a clear sign for Rin.

In the last few nights since Sesshomaru had made her that promise, since he had officially asked her to be his mate, she had not been able to sleep well. Her heart would beat faster than usual, and she couldn't focus on her surroundings. Her mind always in the clouds and her cheeks perpetually red, Rin was sure that more than one person understood what was happening to her. She had seen the same symptoms first on Kagome and then on Sango, yet she hadn't just discovered herself in love.

She had loved Sesshomaru for years now; the feeling had only strengthened over time.

What had suddenly changed, what made her heart quicken and her cheeks blush, was the realization that her single life was coming to an end and that, soon, she would become a woman and a bride.

Sesshomaru, however, had not told her when he would come, and the uncertainty somehow made her prey to the most ruthless fantasies. She had spent every night awake, imagining the various ways in which he would finally show up and take her away from that human village for the last time, from the home she had never truly felt as her own, despite the affection that surrounded her. Without Sesshomaru, unfortunately, she had never felt entirely safe.

Now, she couldn't wait to start her new life, to be able to love that proud and powerful demon with no more limits.

In her dreams, when Sesshomaru arrived, his gestures were never loud or his words many. She knew him well by now; she knew everything about him. It was always his eyes that spoke to her; those eyes that to almost everyone seemed cold and impersonal, but to Rin, instead, seemed to overflow with words and affection.

Thus, when she finally arrived at the meeting place and noticed Jaken's absence, she was certain the moment had arrived.

Sesshomaru did not disappoint her.

The way he looked at her, reaching out his hand for her to take, Rin read another promise, one even more important.

From that day on, whatever would happen, whoever she would meet, Rin would be his, his lifemate, his wife and lover.


After a brief and warm goodbye to Kaede, Rin left with Sesshomaru. As there was no Ah-Uh, the young woman travelled in his arms.

It wasn't the first time she had had such an experience, and yet, it always left her breathless. How, after all, could a human describe what it felt like to fly? Even in their demon-overpopulated lands, Rin was sure few had ever had such an opportunity. Plus, there was definitely an added touch of flying with the one she loved, a demon who was standoffish and icy with everyone but always attentive and open with her.

From up there, Rin felt like she had access to everything. To a world full of possibilities and Sesshomaru's heart, as no one had ever been able to do.

They flew over the skies for what seemed too short a time and, yet, infinite. Finally, they came to a desolate wasteland, in the centre of which, as they approached, Rin could see a small abandoned building.

It looked as if no one had lived there for years, if not decades, but when Sesshomaru led her inside, everything was clean and tidy. She quickly realized that the dai-youkai had the residence rearranged for their arrival.

She observed everything with a shimmering gaze and parted lips. She was so engrossed in her exploration that she didn't notice a pair of intense golden eyes following her everywhere, not missing a single movement or sigh.

Sesshomaru's gaze wandered over her, partly sensing already the heat that her body, intertwined with his, would give off, the moans she would emit, her cheeks red with embarrassment and passion then.

Yet other doubts arose.

How would it all begin? How should he treat her, always so fragile in his presence? What were the chances he would make a mistake and ruin all her expectations?

Sesshomaru wondered if his father had ever been beset by such... such... human and degrading fears. For never, in all his long life, had he ever thought to experience them; never had he imagined asking himself such questions on the verge of binding himself forever to a human.

Was this what it meant to open his heart to the sentiment that Toga had tried so hard to teach him? Did crossing his path with that of a human being also meant sharing her fears and uncertainties?

Evidently so, he answered himself. Whatever he thought about, whatever memory crossed his mind, there was always that one constant: fear. Ever since he had met and then saved — and been saved by — Rin, Sesshomaru had always feared for her. And now, even in that circumstance that was supposed to be happy, he couldn't help but feel the same.

Now more aware of what those doubts meant, Sesshomaru approached her, brushing his arm against her to catch her attention. Interrupting her exploration, Rin turned to face him, and her breath caught as she met his gaze.

She had never seen anything like it in his eyes: they were hot, burning and searing with passion. She didn't know how to explain it, but although his love had always come through clearly, Sesshomaru had never expressed it to her in that way.

It was as if he had suddenly changed and understood something capable of upsetting the foundations of his seemingly perfect, but — Rin had long since learned — also lonely existence.

She felt overwhelmed by the emotions she read in his golden pools, and she instinctively reached out, raising her small hand and brushing the demonic marks on his face. She lightly pursed her lips as she whispered his name. "Sesshomaru."

"Rin, do you understand why we are here?" he asked her bluntly and without looking away for a second.

She nodded, unable to find the breath to say anything else.

Slowly, brushing her lower back with his hand, he led her towards the bathrooms. Here, he asked her to get ready and take as much time as she wanted. Afterwards, she was to join him in the master bedroom he had already shown her.

He left no room for doubt. He made her realize that those would be the last seconds of her young life. And Rin, watching him retreat, short of breath and flushed, did not hesitate for a second; she understood that truth as if everything depended on it.


When Rin joined him in the master bedroom, no words were needed to make her feel welcomed; Sesshomaru immediately pulled her close as they lay on the futon, and for a while, they stayed that way, in silence.

Their breaths and the gentle rustling of the trees from outside were everything that could be heard in the room. The warmth was that of their bodies, and the light little that came from the candles lit for the benefit of the young woman who did not have demonic eyes.

Soon the long fingers caressing her snuck under the light yukata and shifted it, causing her shoulders to show bare to him. The amber of his eyes grew even darker in response, and she shuddered when she read so much passion in them.

Knowing that she had such an effect on Sesshomaru — that power — still amazed her, yet it was not enough; Rin wanted to dare, trigger a stronger reaction in him. When she lifted herself up a few seconds later, her robe pooled at her feet and she was left unprotected. She felt the demon's ravenous gaze travel over every inch of her skin and an unexpected sensation in the pit of her stomach. Shivers ran through her, but at the same time, many small fires were born in her and ignited her with a desire that rivalled his.

When their eyes met, it was as if they shared a thousand words without uttering a single one; they exchanged promises, and above all, abandoned any doubt or fear that had seized them until a short time before. Nothing existed outside of the two of them and their needs.

Sesshomaru's hands worshipped her, but his lips, urgent on her skin, burned her, branded her, making her arch her back.

Their bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle, their breaths became more erratic, and their hearts beat wildly in their chests. Yet, in the midst of the frenzy they had become prey to, Rin discovered the gentleness the great prince of demons was capable of. And she told herself that if she hadn't already been in love with him, if she hadn't already decided to give herself to him in every way, that would have been the moment when she would have thrown down every defence still standing.

When Sesshomaru looked at her, proud and authoritative, she understood what he was silently asking of her. But Rin had no fears; she had never had any when it came to him. She didn't want to go back — she couldn't; going back to only a day before would have been impossible, and now she wanted to know the final stage of that passion, to know that it would be there in every aspect of their lives. She wanted to feel like he was hers, but most of all, she wanted him to give himself to her and let her know again that she was the only woman who ever had understood him.

Joining was the last step, but it wasn't as painful or difficult as she had imagined; every womanly talk she had indulged in when she was still a simple village girl left her mind, and she focused only on the feelings she was experiencing.

She felt her breath catch and her mouth opened in a silent cry; his golden eyes didn't leave her for a second as he moved inside her and made her his own, possessed her body and marked her deeper.

How did one describe such pleasure? Rin couldn't find the words. She knew, however, that she had never felt so close to someone, never had she loved so deeply and intensely.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as his movements became stronger and his thrusts faster. But she couldn't identify the new fire that was rising inside her. She felt the heat in her belly rise until she could no longer keep her eyes open and her heart stop for half a second.

And Sesshomaru, watching the way Rin succumbed to the pleasure, her every little reaction, let himself go as well. The moment he came, he knew he would never be the same person he had always been.

He felt when their souls merged, and he gave in to that feeling as well. For the first time in his long and lonely existence, Sesshomaru abandoned every defence.

He wasn't scared of that new part of himself — he didn't succumb to fear easily — but he was already sure that certain elements would make his life more than happy from that day on.