(Edited Version)

Sesshomaru observed Rin from the bushes. He gazed at her as she climbed into a tree. She found herself a bough that was slightly bent and curved to her body. Her body, he thought to himself. Something was different about her, something about her was stirring a longing in his heart. A part of him wanted to sit in the tree with her. Watch the sunset with its oranges and yellows, like they had so many times together back in the forest. He cursed himself for never taking more time to investigate the things he smelled on her before. The blood of demons, the smell of the forest, the sweat of battle. She had hardened. He was unsure if he liked that. She had never truly been soft. He loved the way she ran through fields of flowers, the smile that seemed to light up her eyes, and the sound of her feet behind his. Yet, she wasn't that little girl anymore.

Rin seemed peaceful to him as she rested in the large tree branch. Her scent was far from peaceful. She was scared, the musky scent of sweat and fear permeated the sky. He shook his head, feeling a constriction in his heart, what is she thinking? A simple bear demon he could take himself, one swipe of his claws and he would send it to the netherworld. He fondly stroked the hilt of his sword. He made a promise and had already broken it. He did not know how she would react if she knew that he was standing in the shadows. Believe in me, she asked him. Were these the actions of a yokai that believed in his human?

When he sent her the sword, he assumed she would use it for protection. He assumed she would learn to use it, he had not expected to face her as he did in the forest. After sparring with her himself, he comprehended that her training had already spanned years. Her body was hard. He felt his back tighten when he thought of his hand along her stomach, his heart alighted the damn thing betraying him. Her skin was supple, smooth and pleasant to touch. There was something attractive about a woman that could hold her own. Humans and simple demons wouldn't stand a chance against her. He hadn't seen her in a year, the last visit, too intense, spawning too many emotions, many of them he didn't have a name for. It was a year since he saw her last, he felt a calling, a need to come back and finish what he had started and something else, worry. A deep worry. He hung his head and closed his eyes, it would be appropriate to apologize, his heart spoke and his brain rebelled, this Sesshomaru does not apologize for his actions.

Not even when they hurt.

She was thirteen nearly fourteen. He spent more than a year away from her since the time she had foolishly run off into the forest to fight Yokai. He knew why they came. They knew she was his. They knew the human of the great Sesshomaru lived in that village with an old woman and his hanyou brother. Inuyasha told him there were constant threats. His enemies, particularly the ogres he had cut down perfecting his meido wanted revenge. His hopes of Rin having a quiet, safe human life in Kaede's village were for not. That was why he had sent her the katana. After he left her, he flew into the skies, away from the ground, ignoring her pleas for him to return. He flew towards his mother's home. He landed on her steps lightly. He stalked until he found her. He hadn't seen her since she had caused Rin's death in hell. He still hated her for it. He loped up the red steps and stopped by his mother who lounged in her long throne chair with a bored expression on her face. Her index finger rest next to her eye. "Sesshomaru, you returned to visit your mother."

"I did not come to visit," he said tersely. "I have come for one of my childhood fangs."

His mother was infuriating, she stood up and touched his chin, "for your human?" She eyed him curiously. "Come with me." She led him further into her home, to her wing. He followed her up three flights of stairs. She opened a case that was full of fangs of varying sizes, "your yoki is powerful Sesshomaru. This one should do, you lost it when you were three," she folded his fingers around it. "Be careful with the connections you make," she warned him.

He left and flew to the opening of the underworld. The gates were the same as when he had left them. He drew Tenseiga proudly reveling in the power to easily go to and from the afterlife. He flew to his father's giant grave. He rest his forehead on the nose of his father's skull affectionately. He landed within the mouth and gazed around. Underneath a pile of bones he found a large walnut sized ruby. Chichiue, he thought fondly, you once asked me if I had someone to protect. With this ruby, protect her, the one that is dear to me. He would never say the words out loud, that Rin meant more to him than anything.

Afterwards he moved on to the swordsmith. He flew to Totosai in the mountains that were covered in fire. The old codger sat blowing fire on a blade. "Totosai," he said as he entered the mouth of the skeleton head.

Totosai leapt away in fear, "uh…Sesshomaru, what do you want. You already have a sword."

"Is it possible to make a sword for a human girl? That would provide her with protection?" He handed both the ruby and the baby fang to the old man.

Totosai seemed confused at first, almost like he would refuse, then sighed and said, "come back in two months. It will be ready then."

As soon as it was finished Sesshomaru sent the sword to Rin. Where Totosai got the idea to make the hit out of gold plating in the shape of his true form, he had no idea. He could feel the yoki latent within the sword. Totosai warned him, "she won't know the true power of the sword until she is older, when she is ready to wield your yoki."

In the time he was away, Sesshomaru had hoped that his distance would provide her a modicum of protection. He hoped the yokai would stop attacking, believing she no longer was of value to him. He was wrong, he was hunted down by Inuyasha who gave him what for. "She misses you. You're hurting her more by not coming, you can't treat Rin like this. Do you know how many people let her down in her life? She's an orphan, she thinks of you like a father. And it isn't helping, they're still coming. At least it gives me a good fight," Inuyasha tried to break the serious conversation with humor. "Come, she still needs you," he told Sesshomaru. "No one is immune to hurt and pain, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha went on. "She has a good life, even with the attacks on the village."

After that, and after his anger at her for endangering herself subsided he decided it was time for he and Jaken to visit again. Inuyasha was right, she was an orphan, she had only what he had given her. "Don't you think she has a good life there?" Jaken asked him.

He became pensive as they flew towards the village. Aun flew next to him, laden with gifts. Mostly to assuage his own conscious for staying away for so long. There were new kimonos, new tabi, new sandals and a host of other items he thought she would need.

"Life is full of hardships, she maintains her happiness despite it," Jaken told him. "It's not about what happens, it's about what she does with it. This Jaken is so excited to see Rin!"

He was not far from the village when he smelled her blood. Again he wanted to howl. It smelled different somehow. He sniffed the air again and shuttered the feeling deep down into his body and in a fury crushed it. He would ask her this time, how she hurt herself.

Blood…her blood, why? He increased his speed and followed the scent until he found her by the river with a boy who looked the same age as she. Instead of making his appearance known, he slipped into a nearing tree. He leaned forward and moved a branch out of his view. He clamped Jaken's mouth shut to keep him from talking. He wanted. He wanted to see her and the child play together. The boy was chasing Rin. She laughed. She dodged his attempts to touch her. Tag, Sesshomaru knew the game well. Even young Inu-yokai played it. While she ran circles around the boy, he looked for signs of injury. He saw none, her ankles were bare and her feet exposed, but all he saw was clean white skin. Her hands and wrists were clean. His eyes flowed over her body, there were no injuries he could see, no cuts, no bruises. The blood was fresh, where could it be coming from?

The boy grabbed Rin by the arm finally catching her, "ow," she laughed, "let go."

"Come on Rin," the boy persisted, "let's go into the woods for a while." He held her arm firmly. He tried to tug her further into the tree "It'll be fun!"

Rin was wearing a soft lavender Kimono with butterflies, and his obi was wrapped around her waist. He was pleased to see that she had not forgotten him completely. Rin tried to pull her arm away, but the boy held her tight, "no," she responded, "let go of my arm Hideki." Her voice was still light, full of laughter, "I need to get home. Kaede-sama will be waiting for me."

"Come on," his face was dangerously close to hers, "I said come…hey didn't you used to have a demon protector?"

"Hideki let go," Rin's voice sounded more desperate and against her will he was dragging her towards the trees. "I said I would play tag, that's it!"

"I want to play a different game," he said as he put his other arm on her. He reached into his Hikama and pulled out a knife, it was against her neck, "you don't have that Yokai Lord to watch over you anymore. None of us are afraid any longer, not of you nor of those mutts children."

Sesshomaru's chest vibrated with furious growls. He could smell the arousal on the pathetic boy manhandling his Rin. He dropped down from the tree, stalking like a ferocious dog towards the boy, "let her go." Each word was clipped and full of authority. His hair floated in the wind, his eyes were cold. He knew this boy, he teased Rin often when she was younger. He even hit her once leaving a bruise on her cheek when she was nine.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Rin whispered in shock. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open. It was the first time he noticed the fullness of her lips. She turned around and full forced shoved the palm of her hand into Hideki's nose, blood gushed from his wound. He held his nose howling in pain. She picked up a rock and threw it at him as he fled from her, "coward!" She yelled back at him.

He expected her to run into his arms or smile at him. She usually bounded up to him with so much excitement that it overwhelmed him. Instead her eyes were as emotionless as his own. She glared right back at him. "I didn't need your help," she brushed passed him completely ignoring his presence. "Baka," she muttered.

He heard it. He was dumbfounded, he assumed she would have been excited, happy to see him. but instead she trudged through the mud back to the hut, leaving him shocked. Shock, he put his hand to his heart, I do not feel shock. Instead of calling her name, Sesshomaru followed her, he would not be the first to yield.

She turned and stopped staring at him, "why are you even here?"

He was stunned into silence, no one spoke to him like that. What had Kaede been teaching her?

"Rin!" Jaken protested. Sesshomaru completely forgot the green imp was even there, "how dare you talk to Sesshomaru-sama like that! Apologize at once."

"You thought you could just come back after what happened last time? After sending me a sword, that could feed this village for years and never saying a word? Did you think I would just run into your arms like I did as a child? I'm not a little girl anymore!" She stomped her foot at him.

The smell of her blood was fogging his mind, her words were slicing into his soul, true she was not the child he had left.

"And of course, you don't say anything, because this great big Sesshomaru-sama, doesn't apologize, never admits when he's wrong, and sends Jaken to announce his presence like everyone should bow down and worship him!" Her voice was raising in intensity. She stormed away from him. Again.

"Rin," he called making to grab her arm, but was reminded how roughly that boy had treated her. "Rin, where are you hurt?" It was all he could think to say, she had twisted his own silence against him like a serpent.

"Hurt?" Her eyes were incredulous. She folded her arms beneath her breasts. His stomach tightened, she had breasts now too?

"Blood," he sniffed the air again, "I smell your blood," he said quietly.

Out of nowhere, her eyes dilated, she covered her gaping mouth with her hand and ran off crying. He was even more confused than he had been before. He did not follow her, he was unsure if he should stay. Instead he went into the forest and found a tree to sit under and stare at the sky. He was grateful that it was a bright afternoon and the sky was clear of clouds. The air was clean, it gave his mind time to consider what had happened. He did not understand this girl that had met him. He did not understand her anger. His had subsided, why had hers not? Maybe she had made her choice and his presence was no longer necessary. No longer necessary, at one point he would have given up anything including the sword his father left for him, in order to save her life. It had never occurred to Sesshomaru what role he would play in her life as she aged and relied less on him and those around her. Something felt uncomfortable in his chest. He rubbed his heart, trying to remove the uncomfortable feeling. It almost felt as if it hurt, ridiculous this Sesshomaru does not experience hurt.

"O-ni-sama!" He heard the Miko calling a distance from him. "Sorry for finding you," Kagome bowed her head in respect, her stomach was just beginning to show the signs of life.

He was surprised, they already had two boys that had come in quick succession. Sota was born barely seven months after she returned from the well and another boy he hadn't learned the name of after that.

"I could sense that you were here," she knelt down next to him, "you must forgive Rin-chan she was so upset when you left last time. Her affect hardened when you failed to return. Also…" Kagome put a finger on her lips, he could tell she was thinking of how to word something to him.

"Where is she hurt?" His voice was harsh. He turned his gaze to stare at Kagome.

"She isn't hurt Sesshomaru-sama. She has become a woman. You're going to have to learn not say you smell her blood when she cycles."

"Cycles?" Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow, "explain."

"Well, um, do female Inu-yokai have cycles?"

He couldn't answer, he still had no idea what she was talking about.

"Okay," she laced her hands over her small bump, "how do you know a female is ready to have a baby?"

"Rin is in heat?" He thought he would lose the raw boar meat he had eaten earlier. "She wishes to mate with someone?" He suddenly had a flash of Rin naked with someone, he forced the thought out of his head, surely she was too young for that.

"No!" Kagome rubbed her temples, "heat, your females go into heat? You call it mating? Like dogs? Well you are a dog demon. I suppose that makes sense. No she isn't in heat. Humans have cycles. The womb, do you even know about anatomy in this time?" She waited for him to say something, "okay, look in human females, probably female inu-yokai too, there is an organ, a part of the body called, the womb. It's a muscle like tissue, it's where babies grow. You can probably tell mine is growing, oh the baby is moving do you want to feel it?"

He continued staring at her.

"Okay, anyway, there is tissue around the womb that fills with blood. Once a month it sheds, and for five to seven days we bleed, I'm guessing you can figure out on your own where it comes out of."

"Her opening?" He supplied easily.

"That's one way of saying it, I would have just said vagina," Kagome laughed, "yes it comes from her opening. Seriously you can't say you smelled it. You embarrassed her. That's why the boys bother her. Before, when you came more often they were terrified of her, afraid of what you would do to them. But when you stopped coming, some were kind and wanted to walk her home, but others had their own intentions." Kagome's stomach shook as he glared at her. "It's no wonder, Rin-chan is a beautiful girl in body and spirit, one day she will make a fine wife, and mother."

The great Sesshomaru-sama enjoyed making humans scared with just a look. It was his turn to start, he ensured his face was turned away when his eyes widened only slightly at the thought, one day Rin would be old enough to marry and what would he do then? She would begin a life of her own, and would that life include him? Would it need to? He had never thought beyond her childhood to what her future would hold. Already she was becoming independent perhaps too much so. Would he allow a man to take her to his bed? The thought sickened him.

He stood up preparing to walk away when he heard a child calling in the distance.

"Haha-ue!" The child sounded upset. He was one of Inuyasha's spawn. He had short silver hair, and as Sesshomaru saw him come closer he noticed the same moon on the child's forehead that was on his own. "Haha-ue, it's Rin-chan. Hideki and his friends threw Taishao into the river, Rin-chan jumped after him. Chichue is losing their scent. I tried sankantesou to stop them, but I couldn't manage it this time!"

Sesshomaru stood quickly, he grabbed Kagome around the waist just above the growing spawn in her stomach with one hand and the child with the moon painting on his brow in the other. He could smell the river in the distance. He created the white orb of light that allowed him to fly faster. Within seconds he deposited Kagome next to the river and Sota. He saw Inuyasha running by the river. "Bastard, you lost her again!" He shouted at his hanyou brother.

"Shut up and help me baka!" Inuyasha jumped onto a stone in the river and continued running down stream.

She must be in the water. Sesshomaru returned to a flash of light and leapt into the water.

"To-san! Save me!" A small voice came from the river bank, he was holding desperately to a branch. Sesshomaru picked the black haired child up and put him on the bank. The child's eyes and hair were completely black as a moonless night. Sesshomaru jumped back into the water letting the current carry him. It was there he saw Rin at the bottom of the river. He grabbed her, cradled her in his arms and flew from the water onto the River bank.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, "Inuyasha, get Jinenji-san, quickly. Here take Taishao, he's freezing." The child shook in his father's arms.

Sesshomaru looked at the other boy, they named him for father. "Rin," he shook her shoulders.

The Miko fell to her knees next to Rin, "help me get her to a flat surface. She isn't breathing."

She will not have another chance, Sesshomaru heard his mother's voice in his head. His eyes broadened, he bore his teeth. Tensaiga would not work again. He felt a timid hand on his, "don't worry O-ni-sama," the Miko told him, "in my time we have something called CPR. I can try to revive her."

"This is possible?" He felt his stomach relax again.

"Yes," she grabbed her stomach and winced in pain. "Just help me, the bridge, take me to the bridge."

He took her and Rin in either arm and glided to the bridge. Rin looked small and helpless despite being thirteen. Her fingers and lips were blue, and her skin was cold. He watched as the Miko lay Rin's body down. The Miko touched Rin's neck with two fingers, "no pulse," she glanced at Sesshomaru, "it means her heart isn't beating. Don't fear O-ni-sama, this will work. She wasn't in the water long enough, you found her just in time." She placed two hands folded over and started pumping on Rin's chest, "one, two, three, four five…" She held Rin's nose and he saw her move towards Rin's mouth, "Ow," the Miko held her stomach. He saw her take a deep breath and then blow into Rin's mouth. Rin's chest rose and fell. For a moment, he thought she was breathing on her own. "One, two, three, four, five." She pumped Rin's chest again, despite Kagome's reassurances she still smelled of fear.

Inuyasha was back by himself, "Taisho is fine," he told Kagome, "I left him with Kaede-baba, she's warming him up. How is Rin?" He knelt down next to Kagome.

"One, two, three, four, five," Kagome continued, each time she bent over to breathe for Rin she held her stomach in pain, "ow."

"Kagome let me breathe for her," Inuyasha insisted, "we don't need to lose another one."

Another one…Sesshomaru thought to himself and for a moment he felt pity for his brother, have they lost a child? When Inuyasha went to breathe for Rin, Sesshomaru drove one of his claws through his brother's shoulder, "don't touch her. Miko…show me."

"One, two, three, four, five," she sat up, "tilt her head back, open her mouth holding her chin, use one hand to plug her nose, and breathe into her mouth, two breaths each time I say five." She helped him angle Rin's chin.

"Kagome, you have to stop exerting yourself, the doctors in your time said you need to rest…" Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder.

"Oswari," she barked at him and he hit the ground. "I will not lose Rin…if only I had a defibrillator, one, two, three, four, five." She pumped her hands against Rin's chest.

Sesshomaru followed what the Miko said. He breathed slowly into her mouth, watching her chest rise and fall with the flow of air from his mouth to hers.

"One, two, three, four, five," she said again. He breathed for her, willing life back into her body, again. "Rin, please," the Miko's voice was shivering, "ow," she held her stomach.

"Rin," Sesshomaru shook her shoulders giving up on this breathing thing, it wasn't working, "Rin."

"Breathe Sesshomaru, or I'll do it for you!" Inuyasha punched his shoulder.

He knelt down and placed his mouth on hers once more. The inside of her mouth was still warm, breathing for her was like a kiss. That was the only thing he could relate it to.

Suddenly, her body convulsed, the Miko grabbed Rin by the shoulders, "quickly, on her side, the water is coming up."

Inuyasha grabbed Rin's shoulders, but nearly dropped her, staring at Kagome wide eyed and scared. Sesshomaru smelled it too, "Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

She looked weak, "take me to the well, quickly Inuyasha. Sesshomaru take her to Kaede, she will know what to do. Don't move her until the water comes out and she stops vomiting." Inuyasha lifted Kagome up bridal style and leapt over the river towards goshinboku with her.

The human body was a disgusting thing. Jaken must have heard all the noise, because he was now by Sesshomaru screaming about how the vomit was on Sesshomaru's shoes. It wasn't just water that came out but food. Rin was weak, he told himself. She still needed him to protect her. He would find this Hideki and kill him, if it was the same boy that had laid hands on her earlier. Rin shivered, winter was coming, her teeth chattered and she was barely conscious.

The monk and the Taijia were nearby followed by their own growing brood of children. "Although Inuyasha protects the village, the people here find his marriage to the Miko upsetting. His children are less than half-demons but are rejected by humans. Some of the children do not appreciate what Inuyasha does for them."

"They will die," he stood up holding Rin in his arms. He wrapped his tail around her for warmth. "Jaken…find the hut of this Hideki and bring him to me."

The monk grabbed Sesshomaru's arm, "move," Sesshomaru barked at him.

"You cannot kill a human child, no matter his actions to Rin," his eyes were dark and cold, Sesshomaru thought only he could feel that.

"You presume to order me?" He turned angrily on the monk, daring him to lay hands on him.

The Monk stood up, "I know in a battle I would lose, but human life is sacred I cannot allow you without a fight to harm one of the youths."

"Jaken," Jaken grabbed on to Sesshomaru's tail and they both floated towards Rin's home. She shivered against him. Her eyes were partially glazed, she coughed against his chest. He wanted to get his armor off, he didn't imagine it was comfortable for her to be against. He laid her on her mat in on the dirty wooden floor. Had this truly been the right choice to leave her here? Every time something happened.

As if reading his mind Jaken offered, "Sesshomaru-sama, life is dangerous, did she not face worse danger by your side?"

Anger welled inside of him, he reached a hand out and threw the green toad against the side of the hut. "Kaede," he called, "Rin?"

Kaede moved away from the child she was tending. She placed him next to the fire with a blanket. She walked over to Rin, she was getting old. Age, another weakness of humans. She came and gently moved Rin's head from side to side. "Turn your head Sesshomaru-sama, I must check the rest of her."

"That is unnecessary," he had seen Rin before, when Jaken would bathe her as a child.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Kaede's voice became stern, she had never spoken to him in such a voice before, "Rin is no longer a little girl, her body has changed. If you were to see, beneath her kimono a woman's body forms. Did you think she would remain the little girl that would dote on you forever? I need to get her out of these cold clothes. She would not appreciate you seeing her naked now."

Now he was uncomfortable, he walked out of the hut and sat down on the wooden porch, hoping that Rin was well. It took time, eventually he was told she was fine, her arm was broken and she was too cold. He walked back in and sat down next to Rin. He took one of the warmer blankets he had sent for her and placed it on top of her, while sliding his tail beneath the covers. He wrapped her body in his mokomoko and pulled her closer. As the night wore on, her body temperature warmed but it did not stop there, it began to rage. Her skin was burning with fever and her body shook, her teeth were chattering. Jinenji placed poultices on her chest. Sesshomaru hovered.

In the middle of the night when nothing but Kaede's snores filled the hut, Inuyasha returned and sat down next to his son. Sesshomaru balked at Inuyasha's hair. It was dark and his pointed ears had moved from the top of his head to human ears on the sides. He stroked his child's head softly. "Even I am not scary enough to protect you." His voice was full of melancholy.

"Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru called him.

"What do you want?" He was annoyed.

"So that's why you lost their scent?" Sesshomaru wondered how he never knew about this before.

Inuyasha said nothing.

"You named that one after Father?" He motioned with his head towards the sleeping little boy.

"Got a problem with that?" Inuyasha barked back. His fingers combed through the child's hair.

"No," Sesshomaru replied softly. Rin shook against him.

Inuyasha turned around shocked for once he did not have a smart retort.

Sesshomaru was doing the same thing, he was stroking Rin's wet brow. His heart damn the thing that it was, it hurt again. "You lost a child?"

Inuyasha stared at the ground and nodded, "last year, a girl."

"You did not think to send for me?" Sesshomaru touched the hilt of Tenseiga.

"Tenseiga wouldn't have saved her. She was too young to be born, we buried her behind our hut."

"You allow those children to disrespect you too much."

"Taishao can't help it," it was clear Inuyasha was shocked that his brother was even attempting a civil conversation, "you see his black hair?" Inuyasha held up one of the child's small hands, "no claws. You wouldn't know he was a quarter Yokai. Sota already is showing signs of having some strength, he threw blades of blood at me the other day in a fit, but Taishao, he is more human. He wouldn't be here if not for Rin. She was able to grab him and pull him to the bank before the current took her under. She is stronger than you think Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru nodded and returned his attention to Rin. Rin…hang on. He glanced at Inuyasha for a moment before he allowed his body to curl against Rin's. He rest his palm on her forehead, "you're so hot," he whispered in her ear.

By morning Kaede sat down next to him and whispered as she tried to pour a putrid smelling drink into Rin's mouth. Rin was still burning and her breathing was shallow, and hoarse. "Sesshomaru-sama, you should consider saying good-bye to Rin."

"What?" he turned furiously.

"She is not breathing well, her heartbeat is slowing. She is very unwell. Kagome calls this aspiration pneumonia, a sickness of the lungs when water gets into them. We can try to make her as comfortable as possible, but she may not last," Kaede attempted to touch his hand.

"I don't need your sympathy," he knelt down and picked Rin up. He took the obi he had given her and placed it in her hands. He wrapped her in a yellow blanket. "Jaken stay here." He barked at the imp who was half awake in the corner of the hut.

"You shouldn't move her," Kaede warned, "it could make her sicker!"

"What is worse than death? Move out of my way," he threatened. His heart was heavy, his chest was constricted, he felt as if he himself could not breathe. He disappeared in white light and found his way back to a place where his memories of her were the happiest, the field of daisies. Rin had said it was like walking in a field of gold and danced happily. It was the place where he had let her ride his back in his true form, something silly to allow a human to do, but allowed he did. He sat down under a sakura tree, holding her close to his chest, willing her to live. "Rin," his lips touched her ear, "wake up," it was as if he was begging her. "Rin," he tousled her. Her head flopped from side to side, her eyes remained closed.

It was no use, her body was boiling. She was shaking and for once he felt truly helpless. There was no enemy that Bakusaiga couldn't cut and Tenseiga could not revive her again. He stroked sweat soaked brow. It stunk like sickness but he couldn't let her go, not yet. He had once said that nothing was worth her life. It wasn't. Humans say good-bye to the living, he scoffed. "Rin," he spoke in her ear, "I will not say good-bye, I will see you on the other side." If she is to die, she will die in the place where she was the happiest. I will bury under the sakura tree.

He closed his eyes and allowed sleep to overtake him. Hours later, he felt something squirming against his chest, coughing. He looked down and he saw two large eyes staring back at him, "Sesshomaru-sama?" He reached a hand out to hold hers, "I'm thirsty."

He had forgotten water but knew where a river was nearby. He gathered her back into his arms, ensuring that she was wrapped tightly. He flew to the nearing river. He found an area where the waters were calm. He sat cross legged with Rin in his lap next to the swirling eddies. He used his hands to cup the water and bring it to her mouth. She lapped it from his hand. He brought another handful to her mouth. She coughed again, the noise shook her sides. "Where?" She rasped.

"Try not to speak," he warned as he let her lean against his chest. He had already removed his armor and swords, to hold her closer. She held onto the opening of his haori. He could still smell this cycling blood that Kagome had mentioned. Her head flopped against his chest.

"You," she coughed, the fit rocked her body, she could barely catch her breath, "you cried," she stuttered.

"This Sesshomaru-sama does not cry," he stared at her seriously. That wasn't entirely true, he spent the evening praying to some unseen power that her life would be spared. He willed her body to heal, feeling like his heart was draining in the process.

"I'm sorry," her voice was weak and immediately followed by another coughing fit.

"Rin, you mustn't speak," he pushed her wet hair from her face.

She raised an eyebrow at him and somehow, he knew what she was saying. He rolled his eyes, "If I must," he found a tree for them to lean against. "Which one?"

"The truth," she rasped, "about me." His stomach pitched, he had never told her how he found her. How Tenseiga had revived her, and that it could never be used to save her life again. "Rin, remember the day you found me," he began, if she had the bravery to jump into the river after a child, he would have the same and tell her a truth he had kept hidden.

When he finished she was still awake, "you can't bring me back again?" She sneezed into his mokomoko.

"No, you must always remember, to cherish the life I gave you," he nuzzled the top of her head.

"That tickles," she giggled then laughed again. "Sesshomaru-sama?"

"What?" He asked her.

"I'm cold and tired," she said. He felt like she wanted to say something else. He wrapped her into his mokomoko. He let the fluff cradle her feet and her body. "Sesshomaru-sama?"

"What?"

"Thank you, for coming back. I missed you," she said innocently. "Can I hug you?"

He nodded. She wrapped her thin arms around his waist and squeezed him. Her arms had gotten stronger. He returned the gesture, and rest his chin on the top of her head, "sleep Rin."

"Stay with me? Please?" She nuzzled her nose into his neck.

He didn't answer. If he had he would have said, forever.