A/N: So Rin is going to become Sesshomaru's mate . . . eventually. For some reason I just can't see Sesshomaru making Rin his mate right away. But this is an important conversation nonetheless.

Later on Rin woke and found herself pressed against something warm and wrapped in something soft. She lifted her head and saw that the something warm was Sesshomaru's chest, which meant that the something soft was his fur. Rin's eyes took in his flushed face and she smiled weakly. She put her head back on his chest and closed her eyes once more.

Sesshomaru had arranged the pillows so that they formed a slight hole in the middle of the large bed. He was currently in the middle of this hole, one leg thrown carelessly over the edge, with Rin sprawled against his side. The room was pleasantly warm. The fire pits had been burning all day and were presently casting a soft, flickering light in the room. He could smell the evidence of what he and Rin had been doing mixed in with the light smoke that rose from the fires. It was a very relaxing combination.

Sesshomaru felt Rin place a hand on his chest and slowly begin to lower it. He caught the hand before it reached any lower than his bellybutton and looked down at her head. Sesshomaru felt her try to pull her hand out of his, but he held it tight, waiting for Rin to look up at him. After the third tug, she finally turned her face up to him.

Rin's hair was mussed, her lips swollen and her eyes half-way closed. She peered at him through her lashes, unaware of how lovely she looked at that moment. Sesshomaru released her hand and pulled her closer. "I need to tell you something."

Rin snuggled closer to him and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Rin, you're pregnant." Her smile slowly disappeared as she took in what Sesshomaru said.

"What," she whispered.

"You're pregnant," Sesshomaru repeated. He wasn't quite sure what type of reaction he'd been expecting, but so far all he sensed was shock.

Rin licked lips that had suddenly gone dry and sat up so that she could look at Sesshomaru clearly. "How . . . how do you know? It's too soon to know anything yet, right?"

Sesshomaru looked at the shadows that the flickering flames were casting on the ceiling. "I can smell it Rin."

Rin brought a hand to her forehead. This was to much on top of everything else that had happened today. She didn't even know where to begin, what to feel. "Do you know . . . how long – how long have I been-."

"Three days."

"Oh," Rin said. She brought a hand to her stomach and looked at it. There was a child in there. Rin hadn't even been thinking about the consequences of being intimate with Sesshomaru until just that moment. She was . . . shocked. "So what now," she asked looking back up at him.

Sesshomaru turned his head towards Rin, a slight crease between his brows. One thing that Rin liked about being in bed with him was that he didn't hide his emotions so easily from her while they were there. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Rin took a deep breath before releasing it. "What happens between us now?" She couldn't just come out and ask him what she was to him, but now she suddenly wondered. It was hard to believe that just this morning she hadn't cared what she and Sesshomaru were, as long as they were together. So much had changed since then, and Rin couldn't help but be aware of the fact that he'd known she was pregnant for three days and hadn't attempted to mark her. Did that mean he only wanted her as a concubine? She was carrying his first-born for crying out loud. Yet Rin knew that some men didn't care if their first-born were concieved by their wives or their concubines.

"We'll go on as we have up 'til now," Sesshomaru said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to him it probably was.

"As lovers," Rin asked, wanting to hear him say that he wanted something more the way she did, the way she needed.

"Yes."

Rin slowly lay back down next to Sesshomaru and turned away. He only wanted to be lovers. He didn't even say that he wanted her to be his concubine. There was nothing other than this child tying them to each other. She had a sinking suspicion that that wasn't enough. Rin tried to stop the waves of despair from crashing over her, but it was useless.

Sesshomaru sensed the change in her mood and came up behind her. "What's wrong?"

Rin shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She heard him growl softly, but didn't care. He was obviously oblivious to the fact that he'd hurt her deeply. When she was sure that her voice wouldn't shake she asked, "Are you ok with having a half-breed."

Rin felt Sesshomaru grow still behind her. There was a long silence in which Rin thought her misery was complete before he said, "There's a chance that the child will be a full-blooded demon"

Rin felt her brow crease. "How is that possible? I'm a human."

Sesshomaru threw one arm over her waist while putting his head in the hand of the other arm. He lifted his head up so that he could see Rin's face, but her hair was in the way, so he pushed it aside. He was aware that Rin was upset. He'd thought that she would be happy about the pup, not upset. What's more, they hadn't even gotten to the part he thought would upset her. "Rin, you are one of the Kazufuhei, which means that you're one of the few humans capable of bearing a full-blooded demon . . . regardless of who the father is."

He immediately sensed Rin's confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sesshomaru sighed softly and started to stroke the curve of her shoulder. "The offspring of the very first union between a demon and a human were called that Kazufuhei. They were given this name to distinguish them from all the other half-breeds to come. . . You see, the Kazufuhei had the unique ability of producing several different types of races. They could produce full-blooded demons, half-breeds or humans. The race of their mate could influence the race of a Kazufuhei's child, or it couldn't. Most of their offspring were either purebloods or half-breeds."

Rin was silent for a while. "So . . . you think that I'm one of these Kazufuhei's? How is that possible? From what you've said so far they lived along time ago."

"I don't think. I know," Sesshomaru replied. "The descendents of the Kazufuhei inherited this unique ability from their forebears. Rin, your scent used to change to that of a demon's whenever you were frightened or under a great deal of stress. That's one of the telling traits of the Kazufuhei. However, once you became capable of bearing children, those traces of demonic notes that only used to appear every once and a while, became permanent.

"I brought you back under my care once that time came, so that you would not be raped and forced to bear the children of any of those demon fools out there. The children of the Kazufuhei are exceptionally strong," he finished.

Rin turned around and looked at Sesshomaru with wide eyes. She felt like her entire world was crashing down around her. "How long," she croaked out. "How long have you known this?"

Rin didn't know what she would do if Sesshomaru had known about her being one of these Kazufuhei's from the start. What if that was the only reason he let her follow him? To prevent her from falling into the hands of some other demon, and bearing it children that would rise up to pose a threat to him. Rin was barely holding off the panic clawing at her throat.

Sesshomaru took in Rin's pale face and came up short. This should be the part where she was supposed to be happy not scared. "A few years ago. My mother told me about it shortly before that incident at the spring." He saw the confusion on Rin's face as she tried to figure out which incident he was referring to. "The one with Inuyasha," he prompted.

He saw the tension seep out if Rin's body and gave up on trying to read her. Her mood swings were exhausting him.

"So I can give you a viable heir," Rin asked, growing wonder in her voice and face. This little tidbit would make her an acceptable mate. And didn't Sesshomaru say that the children of the Kazufuhei were strong? Rin's brief despair was being rapidly eclipsed by sheer joy.

"Yes."

She searched his eyes before asking, "Why didn't you tell me sooner."

"Because there was never any need. I was going to tell you before you married that human boy. I was going to tell him too, but he died so there was no point."

Rin gently started stroking the markings on Sesshomaru's cheeks. "Why were you going to tell Shizuo," she asked.

"Because I wanted him to know what was behind the cause of his children being demons, should you have born him any," Sesshomaru said. He saw Rin raise her brows and answered her silent question. "I didn't want there to be any question about your fidelity." Rin traced his lips and smiled when he bit down on the pad of one of her fingers.

"Surely the children wouldn't have been demons if the father was a human," she asked lightly.

"I'm sure they would have. My mother said that whatever scent the Kazufuhei takes on while scared or sick is a huge indication as to the race of their children. You smell like a demon, Rin," Sesshomaru said seriously. He needed her to understand.

"I smell exactly like a demon," Rin asked teasingly while kissing the sides of Sesshomaru's mouth. Clearly she was finished talking for the night.

"Not exactly, but enough for other demons to know what you are," he got out between Rin's kisses. Sesshomaru sat up and looked down at her. He needed to get a few more things out of the way before indulging again.

"Well, if any more demons come after me you'll just have to kill them, won't you," Rin said in a sultry voice while running her hand up and down his thigh. Sesshomaru started panting slightly.

Rin got up on her knees, moved so that she was behind Sesshomaru and brought her hands around him so that they were on his chest. "Why don't we finish this conversation later," she breathed into his ear.

Sesshomaru fought a shiver. They could definitely . . . No - he wanted it out of the way. He shook his head, "I'd rather get it out of the way now."

"Fine," He felt Rin gather his hair off to one side. "You talk and I'll listen." She kissed his neck softly. Sweet kami, why was she doing this to him now?

"So you understand that the child probably won't be human when it comes out? That it'll probably be a puppy," he asked after finding the strand of conversation that he'd lost. Wait. Had they even gotten this far?

"No, I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me though." Sesshomaru could hear the smile in her voice.

"Carrying a pup is not the easiest thing in the world. Even female dog demons have difficulty carrying them to full-," Sesshomaru broke off suddenly. Rin had brought her chest to his back. He could feel the full swells of her breasts pressed firmly against his back. Rin's small hands were running up and down his chest while she placed random kisses on his back. Sesshomaru decided that they could finish this discussion later on - preferably someplace where a bed wasn't close by.

"Hmm mmm," Rin said, feeling Sesshomaru lean back against her slightly. She resisted the urge to shout in victory. She ran her hands up his muscular arms and across his shoulders. Once she was sure that he was finished talking Rin came back around to face him.

With a sultry smile on her face, she crawled up to him, straddling Sesshomaru's hips with no shame. Rin was feeling very happy and playful at the moment. She felt his fur start to stroke back and laughed. Rin placed a kiss on his Adam's apple, then his chin before moving up to place another kiss on Sesshomaru's forehead. As she kissed the tip of his nose she heard him growl and smiled before kissing his lips.

Their tongues danced around each other until they were both breathless. Rin didn't know which one of them pulled away first, but she took advantage of the broken contact to push Sesshomaru back so that he was lying down again. Once that was accomplished, Rin leaned down and kissed him again, whispering against his lips, "You promised that I would get to look later. So is it?"

Rin kissed Sesshomaru's chest before softly biting him. She heard him groan and smiled once more.

Sesshomaru was panting as he asked, "Is it what?"

"Is it later yet," Rin asked playfully, still biting his chest.

"Yes."

"Good," she said. Without warning, she sat up and moved further down, so that she was now straddling Sesshomaru's knees. Rin sat and look at her demon lord. At the moment he looked like some hedonistic god waiting for her to serve him. Rin's hand stole into his fur and started stroking it.

Rin loved this man, and while she knew that she would probably never hear him say something similar to her, she knew that he cared for her. He'd only know about her being one of those Kazufuhei's for a few years, not since she had first stumbled upon him, injured in the forest. He'd brought her back under his care once she began her cycles, aware of the danger that she was in. Sesshomaru also cared enough about her reputation to think about telling Shizuo about what would happen once she got pregnant, so that she wouldn't have been shamed and dishonored.

His physical protection was something that Rin was used to, even expected, but his protection of her name was something that was completely new to her. Rin knew he wasn't the most expressive person in the world, which was why these little revelations were so important because they clearly showed something that even he might not be aware of yet. At the beginning of this conversation, Rin had felt the need to have her relationship with him clarified, but now she felt confident that she could wait.

Sesshomaru was a man who did things at his own pace. She would just have to wait for him to reach the same point as she had, and in the mean time continue to look for the seemingly insignificant signs that spoke of his true feelings for her. Rin knew that Sesshomaru would never besmirch her name, so he would make her relationship to him clear at some point. She would not bring it up with him anymore. Rin didn't want him to think that she was nagging. She knew firsthand how distasteful he found it.

Rin saw that Sesshomaru was breathing hard, so she brought her hands to his shoulders and traced the width of them. She ran them down his chest, then traced the lines of his muscles, her eyes greedily devouring him.

For the first time, she saw two magenta markings on his hips. Rin thought they were only on his arms, well his arm – the clawed one. She glanced behind her and saw the same markings on his calves. Rin traced the ones on his hips while looking at his ever growing erection. So this was what had pleased her some many times.

Beyond that brief glance on that first night, Rin hadn't been able to see it properly. She traced the line of silver hair to its base before hesitantly reaching a hand towards the quivering staff. Rin quickly glanced up at Sesshomaru to make sure that this was okay. From the heated look on his face she guessed that it was. Rin closed her hand around his member and heard him groan. Full of both feminine triumph and curiosity, Rin began to explore Sesshomaru's staff.

She found it amazing that something so hard could also be so soft. How on earth did he get all of it inside her, she wondered. All throughout her explorations Rin watched as it grew bigger and bigger.

Sesshomaru was trying not to rip the pillows beneath him to pieces. Feeling Rin's small hands on him was driving him over the edge. She wasn't stroking him hard enough - it was almost as if she were afraid of hurting him, so Sesshomaru covered her hand with his and showed her how much pressure to exert, and how to stroke him. Once he felt her moving of her own accord he released her hand, laid back and closed his eyes.

Sesshomaru had just started to pump himself into her hands when he felt Rin stop. He barely had his eyes open when he felt something wet and soft close about the head of his member. He looked down to see Rin's head in his lap. Good Kami, his head fell back onto the bed. Sesshomaru concentrated on not bucking up into her mouth. Rin gave a powerful pull and he swore saw nirvana for a moment. Then next few minutes passed by hazily for the demon lord, who was lost in a world full of pleasure.

When she released him from her mouth, Sesshomaru was dimly aware that Rin had climbed back up his body. "Did I do it right," she asked. He saw that she was looking at him with expectation and nervousness.

Sesshomaru just nodded his head. A beautiful smile spread across her face. Rin leaned over and kissed his neck, then reached down to guide him to her entrance.

As she slid down his length, Sesshomaru couldn't help thinking that he should let Rin have her way with him more often.

A/N: Okay so I would like your advice once more. I had planned on taking this story in a different direction (but it just keep running away with me whenever I sit at my computer) so I'm kinda at a loss right now . . . I was planning on just skipping ahead to when the pup is born, but I could do a chapter of some fluff while Rin's pregnant. What do you think? Let me know, because I honestly don't know what I want to do, so your feedback will influence what's in the next chapter a lot.

So, did you enjoy your triple scoop sundae? Let me know what you thought. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Until next time.