Might I recommend listening to the Inuyahsa/Yashahime OST while reading this (or any) story. There is actually Spotify playlist that has Inuyasha music, and that is what I listened to on repeat while writing this, but youtube is always a reliable source, as well.

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Time would fade and blossom with each season that would come and go. The year would end and begin again, and their talks would evolve from childlike singing to divulging into other topics. As she would enter her teen years, she would speak of her extensive human knowledge, such as learning how to sew, how to recognize and pick herbs, and cook. She would learn along with the other people in the Village her age, people who would be old enough to start working and looking into settling down. Marriage would be a common subject throughout any village during the days of splendor upon the land throughout generations of growth and expansion.

But there would still be plenty of time for that...

Right?

Rin would be vocal about everything that there would be to know about life in the Village, but she would tend to avoid some subject matters with certain people. These would be the days where she would be even more glad to have Sesshomaru's visits, if only to get away from daily talks about that. Rin would not be quite so comfortable talking about that kind of stuff with anyone. Besides, there would be much more interesting things to talk about, such as Rin learning of a surprise that Sesshomaru would have for her. Of course he would bring her a gift, but that would not be the surprise in question, and she would have to follow him to see what it would be.

In his entire lifetime, Sesshomaru never would have been taught to care for affection, let alone something as trite as touch. Affection would not be something passed down, at least not from his mother's side. He would have grown up in a stern household, rich in grain and knowledge, while mastering things necessary, such as reading and writing, to become the grand Lord of the West that he was meant to be- at least, that's what his mother would always say.

His father was...different. His father was always different, and would always be different, not that Sesshomaru would know much about his father, other than by his esteemed reputation. Much of the information fed to Sesshomaru about his father would be one-sided and overly critical, just like the rest of his mother's family. There would be little wonder on how he would adopt that trait.

As a child, Sesshomaru would know little of his parents, as they would rarely be around. The only attention that would be given to a young Demon Lord would be by his instructors and caretakers. Various people in power would give gentle guidance, but ultimately they would only speak when spoken to, quiet and frigid by the actions of his mother which ruled them. Because of this, Sesshomaru would not know what affection would be, nor would he be able to sense any emotion (if any ) that could be tied to it.

Emotions would be quite human, though, and he would observe that with time, but he would never consider the idea of yearning for something so trivial and unnecessary as emotion- or what someone would call feelings . Why would he? It would seem that he could never understand (at least until the day that he would understand ).

What he would know about his father is that he was always fighting with someone, but not in a physical sense. A physical fight would be an honored way of settling disputes, but his father would be rather vocal on matters that would often shift the balance of power. This doesn't mean that the Great Inu No Tashio was weak by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, he would be one of the most influential and strong demons to roam the land, even harnessing the power to kill up to one hundred demons in a single strike with his own fang that would become one of the most infamous swords ever known.

But for what? Why would the Great Inu No Tashio want to kill his own kind?

But his heart would be as weak as his muscles would be strong, for he would also harness the power to save up to one hundred humans, as well, with the second of three swords that he would come to have in his possession - swords that Sesshomaru believed he should have gotten through his birthright. None would be able to understand how such power could be wielded by a single entity, demon or otherwise, but it would cause even more friction between bloodlines. This would have Sesshomaru question his father on how he could have such power. The Great Demon Lord would inform his son that he would not yet understand, but would hope that with time, he would.

Although the Great Dog Demon would seem to be the strongest being in the land, he would often rather talk things through. That being said, he would often disagree with others that would share his place in rank, especially with how they treat humans. With power and influence, the Great Inu No Tashio would be one of the most powerful beings that roamed the earth, and he would cease to exist because of the beliefs that he would hold.

Having more than one wife would not be an issue at this day and age. Sesshomaru would meet many a diplomat with several wives and concubines. The concubines would usually be human, and humans would not be treated very well among demons, so one would imagine the poor fate of such. Growing up with this kind of behavior, one could imagine the shock of a youthful Sesshomaru when he would learn of his father's new human wife.

When Sesshoamru had gotten the news that his father had wed a human woman, the news had already spread all over the map. Treaties were burned, pillars of power started to overcome one another, and chaos would start in the political world. A demon taking on a human wife would be absolutely unheard of at this time, and would call for immediate death to all involved. For Sesshomaru, if he were to be the best Inu No Tashio in the land, he would have to kill his father, both out of respect for the other powerful Demons, and out of tradition that would be as old as the earth itself. By demon decree, such a marriage between a human and a demon would be treasonous, and death would immediately follow.

Sesshomeru was constantly told by superiors, such as his mother, of how distasteful his father was for marrying a human woman, and having the audacity of having a half human child on top of that. Sesshomaru would continue to hear his mother's grievances towards his father for years as she could continue to remind her son that he would be the only one to bring anything worthy to the Inu No Tashio name. The pressure on the lad would be immense, but he would accept, even if it meant killing his own father.

Especially if it meant killing his own father.

There would only be one goal for an angry and angsty teen aged Sesshomaru, and that would be to win this battle against his father and take his place, for how could his own father let himself be bewitched by such a simple and stupid creature- and to have an abomination of a half- human child, as well? But that is how most teen boys would think when they learn of the cheating affairs of their parental figures.

The Great Inu No Tashio would know what to expect out of his stubborn son- a child that would be brought up through tradition and lust for power. There would be no talking, only fighting, so he would devise a very complicated plan to take care of his, now, oldest son, even in death. The Great Inu No Tashio would love and care very deeply for both of his sons, and he would take care of them in the only way he would know how.

This is not something that Sesshomaru would be able to understand until he would have children of his own. He would watch his father run to his death for the pitiful life of a lowly human . He would not get to defeat his father, but instead would inherit what he believed to be the wrong sword that his father had left behind for him.

Then, befuddled by so much confusion and hatred towards his own flesh and blood, he would finally meet Rin.

The moment that things start to shift between Sesshomaru and Rin would happen on a lovely warm, summer day. It would be as natural as breathing, but as unnatural as cheating death (twice ). This day would be about a year ahead of our previous memory of a distant spring day filled with singing and picking grain. She would be growing into her height, and her hair would have had a little more than a year to grow, and she would know many more songs by now. Regardless of her extensive knowledge of music, one would always replay in her mind when Sesshomaru would make his way.

The familiar song would be about creating happiness in the saddest of times, but Rin would start to learn that songs could have more than one meaning, if a song is used in different circumstances that create different emotions. Kagome would best help Rin understand the emotions of a girl that would be growing more into a woman each day, and this would be incredibly necessary for her to realize in the future.

Sesshomaru would see the smile off to the side of his vision as they would finally reach a large grass field filled with wildflowers. Such a site would dazzle the slightly older girl's eyes as she would make a mad sprint for the field of color. She would instinctively gasp in an animated fashion while jumping and running into the field with glee. Sesshomaru would find this area upon his arrival and would decide to share his findings with Rin since it would not be too far away from the spot that she preferred with his visits. Content to watch her wander, he would head towards an ideal spot among the shade of the trees to rest against.

As her favorite song would wiggle through her mind, she would find herself humming the tune while blissfully picking through the seemingly endless sea of flowers as far as the eye could see. The summer months would mean longer days, and Rin would be happiest during the summers. The days would linger, as would the party of two when they would often steer away from their usual path. This place would be a wide open space, plenty of room for anyone foolish enough to come close to the Demon Lord Sesshomaru. Luckily, he would be content to know that the area would be relatively dull, which would be better preferred since this would be the ideal time for him to take a little rest.

At this time in his life, Sesshomaru would come to a frustrating conclusion. Sleep would stop becoming a luxury and would slowly start to become a necessity for him. It would be next to impossible for him to stop and rest in these days of reclusive travels. He would be more on edge and in even more of a fighting mode, ready for anyone who wouldn't mind losing their head with one fatal swoop of his claw. Demons were everywhere, and constantly on the hunt. The fighting would be of no issue for someone as powerful as the Demon Lord of the West, in fact it would be a welcome distraction.

He wouldn't have an idea of why he would be so on edge, but the over-excursion of his strength would cause enough of a distraction to irritate him further. It would not be in his nature to tire himself out. As the modern equivalent to being a "workaholic", fighting demons keeps him busy and out of his thoughts, for he would have more of those as time would pass by.

However, he would be able to find about a half day's peace and rest once a month, around the time of the crescent moon, but that would have to be because of exhaustion, and... nothing else. Yes, Sesshomaru would notice such a pattern about himself, but would toss it off as nothing more than a mere coincidence. It most definitely would not be because of his awareness of the girl's protection or anything, and he most definitely would not be intently listening for a familiar and welcome hum at the far end of the flower field as it would take its precious time making its way back to his side.

Rin's mind would be in the clouds with the rest of the shapes. Never before would she feel such pure bliss on a clear and lovely day such as this. She could tell Sesshomaru of her typical problems in the Village, but those things would start to lose importance the more he would come to visit. Plus, there were just things happening that she did not want to talk about.

The wind would dance in the colorful fields, and Rin would join, picking a flower here and there. Her giggles would carry through air, causing a sigh to slip from the Demon Lord who would reside in a meditative state. She would fall in the cluster of a floral fantasy as her smile would beam as bright as the sun. She would feel the wind's playful tug of her kimono as she would carelessly let her make-shift bouquet be carried away by the breeze. Following their flight, she would watch as her collection would dance over to Lord Sesshomaru's head, and the gust of wind would let each flower shower the Demon Lord, causing his eyes to gently open. Sesshomaru would sense the entity in the air, for the wind would be an old acquaintance to Sesshomaru, as well as any other that would have had the chance to experience her wrath.

The sensation would cause the slightest hitch in his breathing as he would see Rin approach him. His seemingly careless eyes would wander away from her as her giggle would grow with every step she would take. She would chirp about the playfulness of the wind she would gently pluck the strands of flowers from the top of his head.

Her actions would be swift and meaningful as she would start the job, picking out a blue flower here and a yellow flower there. Watching the petals fall, Sesshomaru would be as still as death as he fixates on the familiar fabric of the summer kimono she had been wearing- one of the many he would have gifted her. He would notice how soft the silk would feel as it would gently brush the side of his hand. His eyes would flicker at the sensation and would continue to try to pay attention to anything besides the delicate fingers that would be currently picking flower buds out of his hair.

He would try to avoid the... something inside of him. His very being would refuse to respond to the cold chill that she would unknowingly leave upon the top of his head. Her touch would be almost nonexistent, but each and every cell that touched him... he could feel. Demons sense much more than simple touch. There would be a... feeling with touch that humans would possess. It would be something much deeper than humans or demons would ever understand without a lot of soul searching (and a little bit of therapy ), but Sesshomaru wouldn't know about that, since he would never have had this kind of experience.

"There," her voice would be heard in a slight whisper as she would pluck the last flower from his hair, only to surprise him by putting it behind his ear at the last moment, with a smile to match.

And then suddenly, as if finally awakened, he would hear the thump of Rin's heartbeat again.

'That sound.'

This would be the first time he would hear her heartbeat since he had revived her (the second time ). The touch of her fingers would softly glide on the edge of his ear, and her thumb would ever so gently trace the tip of his cheek. It would be such a feather-like touch that she wouldn't even realize what she had done before turning to walk away.

But touch him she did, and until this day, none would be so foolish as to touch him. Who would dare? He would not be so weak as to care for such a sentiment. He would never have had the chance. Something in him told him to feel it again- something in him demanded to feel it again.

He would look up to her, eyes unable to hide his reaction, but she would have already turned back to her lazy activity of picking flowers. This time she would choose an area near the edge of the field, not too far from him. His eyes would remain on her for as long as her back would face him.

He would not be sure what to do.

Something... would continue to stir within him as he would replay the moment in his head. This human would have just placed a single solitary flower behind the Demon Lord's ear-

It would then dawn on him that no, she would not be a human...

She is Rin.

Rin is alive.

Rin has a heartbeat.

He would want to hear it again.

He would continue to watch her pick her flowers, but he would rest no more, for rest could no longer exist for a demon who had unknowingly tasted the fruit of good and evil. He would not yet know of his future desire to crave her touch. He would not yet know the pain that comes with absence of something so intoxicating, and he would not yet know of the sweet, sweet love that they would possess for one another.

Only time would tell.

For now, he would have to suffer, deeply inhaling to return to any kind of meditative state while he would hear the heavenly sound of Rin singing a familiar tune about her favorite things as her careless music would be carried away by the sound of the wind.

Neither the human nor the demon would pay any attention to the sun that would start to set.

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Yay fluff! Have a good day! Please get some rest, drink some water, and don't let haters ruin your day. 3 Love you!