**I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR SAILOR MOON**

Happy victoria day! I'm posting a few chapters today mainly because I have a ton written and want to get them up for you all. How are you liking how the story is going? I would love to hear from more of you.

Chapter Nineteen: Rin Talks

Everyone went quiet for a moment. The room so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. No one knew quite what to say to Rin's revelation. Sesshomaru looked to his father who looked as shocked as him. He looked to Izayoi who just shook her head completely clueless as to what she was talking about. Sango was the first to speak

"I'm sorry what did she just say?" looking around the table at everyone else's flabbergasted faces.

Sesshomaru turned to Rin again, placing his hand gently on her head.

"What do you mean Rin? Tell daddy the truth"

Rin chewed on her lip unsure if she should tell her daddy. What if the bad man came to hurt her? But maybe it would help her mama.

"It is the truth. When Rin got sick, Mama's hand got all glowy and then she got sad saying Rin had a hole in her tummy" she looked up at her Father's face pointing to her stomach. She hoped she wasn't mad at her for not telling him. "Mama said Rin could die. Then she cried and healed Rin!"

"What?!" exclaimed Inuyasha stunned. How did that pass under the radar?

Shippo scoffed "told you, you should have told them" shaking his head turning back to his breakfast. Rin had told Shippo what happened when she got better and he said she should tell the grownups. But she made him pinky promise not to tell, she didn't want her Mama to get into trouble.

Rin frowned and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You knew?" asked Inuyasha looking down at his son "why didn't you tell us?"

Shippo shrugged "Rin asked me not to and you said I should always have Rin's back. That's what I was doing. Rin's my responsibility"

Inuyasha hugged his son, proud of how he was with his younger cousin. Inuyasha and Kagome raised him as a kitsune should be raised but also with love, compassion, respect and kindness. Inuyasha taught him to be strong, how to be a kit demon and to trust his inner beast whereas Kagome taught him to always view others with respect and kindness. Shippo and Rin were as tight as thieves. When they weren't in school or with their respected friends, they were with each other. Shippo never got tired of playing the games Rin wanted, he loved her as a big brother would. He swore when she came home for the first time that he would always protect her, stating that she was his responsibility. Neither child knew their birth parents, which created a bond of sorts between them.

"What do you mean she healed you Rin?" inquired Toga feeling completely lost "why would she be crying?"

Toga looked at his son, the distress written on his face. Rin smelled sick when she came home but not of death. Izayoi woke her and took her to school the last two days before she was off so she wouldn't have been able to smell death on her. Not like they could have.

"Mama asked someone named crystal to help her then I got all warm. Poof!" Rin exclaimed throwing her hands up "all Rin's pain was gone but Mama was so sad. She said the bad man was going to come and take her away, you won't let him take her daddy right?" looking to her father, her little lip trembling. She didn't want someone taking her mama away. She knew the moment she met Serena that she was going to be her mama. Sesshomaru plucked her from her seat holding her as close as possible.

"Yes Rin, I won't let him" He said firmly feeling distressed over his failings as a father. Sesshomaru had been slammed at work trying with a new project. He had asked Izayoi to help him since he was spending long hours in the office, he had failed as a parent.

"None of us will" added Kagome

'My little girl could have died' he thought tightening his hold on her 'she risked everything to save her.'

"Ow Daddy, your hug is too hard" Rin struggled against his arms. He released her, letting her sit and trace his markings on his face. Rin loved touching them and was never frightened of him in his demon form. Everyone dropped their concealments when they were at home and in the office. It was a place of security and safety.

"Mama was so sad, she didn't care if the bad man came because Rin was safe" Rin sniffled "she said she would go with him if he tried to hurt Rin. You'll protect her right Daddy?" Sesshomaru kissed her forehead and rumbled low to comfort her.

"That's because your mama loves you baby"

"Your dad's right, she loves you so much. But don't worry your mama has a whole family of big bad demons, slayers and Mikos to help her" Koga said coming over and began to pretend to eat her.

She giggled "bad Uncle Koga"

"Sesshomaru, give me Rin. We will all get changed into our gear" Koga said removing Rin from his arms turning serious "go talk to your girl."

***Meanwhile***

Serena was fuming.

"That ignorant son of a…" she stomped into the dojo grumbling as she changed into her black leggings and sports bra, throwing her long blonde hair up.

"I cannot believe he would be so…so…" she sighed "sweet and protective ugh! I'm an idiot. Serena what are you doing? They just want to help you, why must you be so stubborn?"

She smacked her forehead "Clearly a marsarian trait you got from father's side"

Serena called her staff forward twirling it between her fingers. It was a silvery-white long staff with a large sharp blade on one end. It had a gold crescent moon engraved on the length surrounded by coloured gems representing each planet. She spun it around her head and began training mumbling to herself. She tumbled and spun pretending to fight invisible enemies, jabbing and swinging. Serena twisted her body letting her staff bend around her like water following around a river. They were the same when she trained, she could throw her staff and reach out to grab it knowing exactly where it would land.

"Why can't you just let people help you? Luna always said you were too marsarian for your own good" she scolded herself.

She spun her staff, kicking out her leg and jabbed. A thin layer of sweat covering her, she pushed harder and harder. Unbeknownst to her, Sesshomaru stood in the doorway leaning against the frame. He had changed into athletic shorts and a t-shirt to be comfortable. He couldn't stop staring. She was strong, stronger than he maybe gave her credit for, he was so focused on protecting her he didn't stop to remember that she had been protecting herself more decades before him. Sesshomaru just wanted to help her so that she didn't have to face this threat alone.

She was graceful and fluid in her attacks, like wind bending and twisting through trees. Her movements strong and regal like a Queen but deadly. Sometimes he forgot she was technically royalty but at this moment she never looked more like a Queen. Except for the self-deprecating comments.

"You know talking to yourself isn't a good sign."

She stopped, standing and turned her body towards him looking solemn. He pushed off the frame and started towards her.

"Sesshomaru…" she started feeling guilty about her outburst earlier "I…"

He interrupted "when were you going to tell me about Rin?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach. 'How did he find out about that?' she thought.

"What about Rin? What do you mean?" she licked her lips nervously, her gaze flicking to the ground and back up.

"That she was not just sick with the flu. She could have died had you not helped her" cocking an eyebrow at her. His face unreadable.

She sucked a sharp breath in "who told you?"

He tilted his head and gave her a look that said who do you think?

"Rin did. She wasn't entirely asleep apparently, good thing too since you weren't going to it seems."

Serena groaned, of course she was awake.

"I had to Sesshomaru! She was so sick and is so small. That kind of thing is dangerous for anyone! But someone like her? I couldn't just leave it and hope it would go away. What if she needed surgery? She isn't a demon, she can't heal like you can. Or what if they didn't catch it? I couldn't just not do anything! She needed me!" He walked over as she rambled, putting his hands on her arms, he interrupted her stream of babbling.

"Stop"

"I…" she started but closed her mouth when he gave her that look. That look that said to just stop and breathe. Her eyes filled with tears, she dropped her staff to the floor and brought her hands up to rest on his chest.

"You risked everything to save my little girl, when you didn't even know that I was not with another. I can never repay you for that. For the life of my…our daughter. You knew the risk, why did you do it?"

Serena bite her lip momentarily "because I am so desperately in love with you. I love her like she is my own. I didn't care if I would have had to watch you mate that awful woman, Kagura" he growled at the prospect "I would not have forgiven myself if I risked Rin's life to keep myself safe. So I used the crystal and then I was just going to…" she shut her eyes tightly and cut herself off.

Serena felt his hands grip her upper arms.

"You were going to run weren't you? Just disappear" he hissed narrowing his eyes

She nodded, hearing him growl deeply. He was not happy.

"You were just going to disappear on me? Leave me wondering where you went?! Let us all wonder why you left?" Sesshomaru shook her frame.

"If I had to, yes!" she jerked from his grip "if he knows how much I love you all, he will use that against me. If he took Rin, I would gladly let him take me and kill me to save her!"

Serena stalked across the dojo, rubbing her face frustrated. 'How dare he be angry with me, If I had to run to keep them safe then I would have' she thought. Sesshomaru closed the gap grabbing her arm and pulled a struggling Serena tightly against his chest. She tried to pull away.

"Stop fighting woman! Just let me love you and protect you for once!" he yelled

She ceased her struggling letting him encase his arms around her frame and hold her gently. Sesshomaru sighed, he understood how difficult it was to let another help when you've been caring for yourself for so long. However, she needed to understand that she wasn't alone anymore and didn't need to find this battle on her own.

"I know you've been alone for far too long and feel a lot of guilt" he began "I can never understand what you've gone through but I can help you heal. I can love you and if you stop being so damn stubborn I can stand by your side in this fight"

Sesshomaru buried his face into her hair breathing in her scent. It calmed him to have her so close to him.

"Let me in" he pleaded against her hair "Let me help keep you safe"

He felt her tense then her whole body relaxed in his arms.

"What if the danger becomes too much and you decide I'm not worth the risk?" her shoulders sagging, her face crumbling.

Sesshomaru felt his breath taken from him, so that was it. She didn't want to let down her guard only to be left alone when he figured out she wasn't worth it. Serena loved him in every sense of the word. He could tell she wanted to open herself to him completely but was held back by this fear. This fear that he would see the craziness around her and start to look at her like a problem and not a person. What she didn't realize that there was nothing that could stop him from being by her side. That Sesshomaru would fight to the last breath to keep her safe and in his life. In his eyes, life did not make sense without her. He couldn't picture a time when she wasn't Rin's mother or that he slept without her. He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

"I'm not going to leave you. I love you. I don't know how to exist in a world where you are not mine. And if I need to remind you a thousand times a day then I will. I will be standing next to you not just when we kill that vile creature but for all eternity. You are the beginning and end of everything."

Sesshomaru pushed his lips against hers pouring all of his love into it. They kissed until they had no air left, pulling back he rested against her forehead.

"Will you allow me to stand with you and love you as your future mate and King?"

Serena's blue eyes sparkled as she felt her walls break down. She hadn't realized she had built such tall walls around her heart but here was Sesshomaru one of the most closed-off people opening up to her and delivering his emotions on a platter. Serena felt cherished and could almost hear her mother telling her "be open to all love's gifts my darling girl."

"Yes, there is no one I would rather have helping end this fight" she relented "but if we are going to fight beside one another you should see all I can do"