Insert generic disclaimer here… if you think I own Inuyasha; you clearly haven't paid attention!

Well alrighty! 600+ views so far but only 7 favorites and 9 followers? A little disappointing! Well; for those of you who are awesome enough to stick with me…thank you! I appreciate all ten reviews and hope I clarified a few things.

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You all inspire me to update as quickly as I'm able to! I have been messaged by a few readers claiming that they have long since awaited a Sess/Rin story like mine and to be very honest I am completely humbled and blushing red at the compliments! Thank you so much!

READ THIS BEFORE YOU START THE CHAPTER- I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FLASHBACKS ARE AT AN END! WE ARE NOW MOVING FORWARD TO THE BEGINNING OF MY STORY! ENJOY!

Chapter 6- Birthday Surprises

Rin's 18th birthday- Kaede's village- early morning

"Auntie Rin! Auntie Rin! Wake up, Auntie Rin!" four children chorused while jumping on the figure hiding under the blankets. Rin opened her eyes while her body was used as a jumping board; she giggled softly before recalling her dream. She scowled.

'That damn voice always sets me up to be irritable in the morning. How much longer until he finally reveals his identity?' she wondered silently. A particularly hard jab to her side roused her from her thoughts and she grinned mischievously.

"Auntie Rin! Wake uuuupppp!"Aya, one of Sango's twin girls, whined in the location of Rin's ear. Rin continued to lie very still until she had counted to twenty.

"BOO!" She hollered; launching herself out from under the covers and startling all the children as they scrambled to regain their awkward balance on her futon. They squealed in delight when Rin proceeded to try and tickle them all in turns.

"No, no Auntie Rin! It's your birthday! Papa says it's time for you to get up and stop being lazy!" Kaname, Inuyasha's son, exclaimed. Rin halted her actions, smiling as she observed the four children in front of her.

Aya and Mika were the oldest, now nearing 9 years old; they were a shockingly mirror image of a mix between Sango and Miroku. Shin was 6 years old and every bit his father's son; his charming the ladies passing effortlessly onto Shin who donned his exact same violet eyes. Rin turned her attention to Kaname. It still shocked her how quickly the hanyou pup matured. He was but 2 and ½ years old but speaking both English and Inu flawlessly. He had been born with the same eyes as the previous males in his strong bloodline; though they were more dark amber than gold. He inherited Kagome's midnight black hair and his father's dog ears; though his were silver with black tips. When she had asked Inuyasha after his birth why he was a hanyou and not more human; Sesshomaru, who had been present for his nephew's birth to accept him into his pack, had answered her.

"Although Inuyasha is a mere half-demon; he bears the strong blood of our father. It seems that our father's powerful bloodline has allowed Inuyasha to breed hanyous instead of quarter inuyoukai pups. More proof of the superb breeding of our ancestors." He had declared with a hint of pride.

Rin shook her head and stretched.

"Ok, Ok! I'm getting up! Shoo! I'll be out in a few minutes!" She said, ushering the children out of her room. When all was quiet again; she sighed and sat at her vanity to brush through her long hair that was now creeping to the middle of her thighs. She tied a section of her hair up in her long, side ponytail and accented it with a red, jeweled flower comb her lord had given her on her last birthday.

She frowned suddenly; ever since the visit from the goddess, her lord had become more withdrawn from her. Rarely touching her and reverting back to the way he was when she had started traveling with him; cold and distant. He hadn't even allowed her to embrace him as she used to. When she touched him too much, he would send her a warning growl and bare his fangs slightly. She had stopped trying altogether a few months after Kaname was born. Tears pricked her eyes as she fought back a sob; she was terrified that he did not want her to join him again when he deemed she was ready. The thought had kept her awake on countless nights.

'But he still brings gifts every time he comes to see me. He wouldn't bother if he didn't care for me.' She thought to herself. She huffed; irritated with herself for putting a damper on her own day. She was 18 today! Today was not a day for tears! She stood and approached one of her trunks stored with her kimonos; lifting the lid, she pawed through the thick silks to find the kimono she had been saving just for today.

"Aha! There you are!" She exclaimed happily to no one in particular. The heavy silk was an exact replica to her lord's own traditional kimono; down to the yellow and purple obi. He had given her this particular kimono three months ago when she had seen him last.

She dressed quickly before padding barefoot out to the main area in the hut; despite her lord's many attempts, Rin still refused to wear any form of footwear unless it was her knee-high, leather boots that accompanied her slayer outfit. Even then she still turned her nose up whenever she laced them up; but she had begrudgingly agreed that her exposed feet could be targets during battle and so, she had never not worn them during practice or a real battle. According to Rin, there weren't too many things that were more evil than footwear; to her, they were the spawn of Satan himself. Rin preferred to feel the earth beneath her feet; it made her feel at one with nature.

She smiled as she entered her and Kaede's sitting area; everyone had gathered to share breakfast with her on her birthday. Everyone turned to look at her as she entered.

"Happy birthday, Rin!" They all sang. Rin blushed and covered her face in her hands. She heard the patter of bare feet coming towards her before she was pulled into the warm, muscular chest of a certain hanyou.

"Growl, yip, yip, bark, yip, puuuurrrr." Inuyasha relayed in Inu. (Happy birthday, Daughter). Rin nuzzled his throat to communicate her thanks before he released her. Before he stepped away, however, he dropped his face to her level before licking the tip of her nose in fatherly affection. Rin smiled and gave a short purr of contentment before turning back to the group behind him. Everyone was enjoying breakfast and tea; Rin giggled at Kagome. The miko from the future was pregnant again and due within the next month; she was sitting on three cushions while balancing her bowl of breakfast on her swollen abdomen. Kagome heard her giggle and scowled at her before pointing her chopsticks in Rin's direction.

"You just wait! Someday you'll be in my shoes and you won't think it's so funny then!" Kagome practically growled out before turning her attention back to her food. Kagome put Sango to shame when it came to hormones and mood swings; everyone was always on eggshells around her during her pregnancies. One wrong word or move and you had to deal with a murder-capable Kagome for days.

Rin just rolled her eyes before sitting down next to Kohaku and accepting the bowl of food he offered her.

"I don't wear shoes, Kagome." She teased before scooping food into her mouth and enjoying the company of those around her.

She had no idea just how much her life was going to change in a matter of hours.

With Sesshomaru-

Sesshomaru had never felt his beast to be so content.

After the incident with the goddess and his realization of Rin being his future mate; Sesshomaru had put distance between himself and Rin, purely for her sake. It took everything the man had to wrestle his own beast into submission and prevent it from surfacing to mate and mark the small female it had chosen. So; for her safety and his conscience, Sesshomaru had ceased to partake in any physical exchanges between him and Rin that wasn't absolutely necessary.

His beast had harbored murderous thoughts towards the man for a very long time before the man had assured him that he would someday soon take Rin as his mate. However, the lack of physical attachment still left his beast in a hissy fit; lashing out at the man whenever he refused to touch Rin.

But today was different. Today he would announce that he was going to begin courting her for her hand in marriage and his right to bestow her with his mark of ownership. If she accepted; which he highly doubted she'd refuse, he would be able to touch her as much as he wanted without fear of losing control of his instinctual nature. The beast would be content with a courting mark for some time before it demanded that Sesshomaru mate her and make it official. An Inuyoukai held no one higher than their mates; their mates alone were worth their affections and on rare occasions, their love. To earn the beast's love; one had to be extremely loyal and worthy of such deep emotions from the beast. Emotions such as love, more often than not, permanently changed the youkai's personality for good; which could be dangerous to the youkai's sanity. To take such risks was no simple matter; though Sesshomaru was quite certain his beast was very close to loving the small female that he was intending on courting.

In truth; Sesshomaru could have begun courting Rin months ago, but had decided to delay it until her 18th birthday as one of his gifts to her. Sesshomaru had finally finished securing his right to rule and his father's empire had been returned to its former glory. His castle and its surrounding villages were prosperous and thriving; it was now time to give it a queen worthy of the title of Lady to the Western Lands.

He growled when he thought of the countless official meetings he had had with the lords of the North and East. The lord of the North was an old white, wolf youkai by the name of Suko; he was the grandfather of Ayame and was in the process of handing over his lands to Ayame's mate, Kouga. The lord of the East was a fickle creature; a powerful fire phoenix demon by the name of Touran.

When Sesshomaru had announced he was taking a human mate; the uproar had been immense. Only when Sesshomaru had beaten both youkai to their knees in submission had the lords given him their reluctant approval. Not that Sesshomaru needed their approval, but it did make things easier when they had agreed to sign a peace treaty between them all. There was no Southern Lord; for the reason that the lands were filled with nomad youkai and humans alike. There had once been a ruler of the South; but that had been many centuries before Sesshomaru was born and he was not aware what type of youkai clan had actually run it.

'Obviously not a very intelligent or strong clan.' Sesshomaru mused to himself.

Sesshomaru felt his excitement and that of his beast grow when he came upon Inuyasha's forest. He was drawing nearer to the village where his young, lovely future-mate resided. He had not been this excited since he had been a pup when his father announced it was time to begin his training. His beast stood and wagged its tale before opening its mouth to pant slightly.

'Mate!' it growled excitedly.

'Indeed.' The man agreed silently.

With Rin and the group-

Rin sat on a boulder beside the river to watch the children and their parents play in the calm waters. She grinned when Kaname successfully launched himself at his father, making the older hanyou lose his balance and fall face first into the water. She couldn't help herself as Inuyasha jumped out shaking himself dry; she snickered and smirked in his direction. She saw his ears flick her way before he growled at her playfully and stalked towards her. Rin jumped to her feet and glared at him.

"Don't you dare, Inuyasha!" She demanded, slowly backing away from him. He gave a light, playful snarl before pouncing at her. Rin shrieked and avoided him simply by barrel rolling to the right; she gained her balance and shot off down the hill away from him. She was the quickest human in the village; even surpassing Sango and Kohaku's uncanny speed. She sprinted now for all she was worth; her long legs flying beneath her kimono in an effort to escape the hanyou that was closing in on her. She heard his low growl and knew that he was right on top of her.

Suddenly; the ground beneath her feet disappeared and she felt arms scoop her into their protective embrace before the masculine smell of trees and sap registered to her nose. She looked up to see the strong jaw and familiar markings that adorned her lord's face. She felt her blood rush to two different places; her face and straight down to pool heat in her lower belly. He glanced down at her and flashed her a small smirk.

Sesshomaru landed on Kaede's rooftop; staring at the group by and in the river. Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms, but tilted his head nonetheless before averting his eyes. Rin heard her lord give the small yip of acknowledgement before he jumped to the ground and placed her on her feet. She did not meet his eyes as she gave him a small bow.

"My Lord." She murmured. A clawed finger curled under her chin and pushed her head up; her lord was closer than she expected and the expression in his eyes lit a fire in her blood. They were warm, tender and alive with an animalistic hunger she had never seen before. He released her before stepping back.

"Happy birthday, Rrriiinnn." He growled. She flushed a deeper red and sent him a shy smile.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." She said quietly, confusion clouding her thoughts. What was that look he gave her, for? He only said her name like that in her dreams! Rolling the 'R' off his tongue like honey in his masculine timbre.

Sesshomaru hid a small grin when Rin's scent wafted to his nostrils; she was confused, and slightly aroused. Perfect. His beast began drooling in his sub conscience.

He turned his attention to the approaching group; his crescent moon pendant swinging around on all their necks. Yes; he had accepted them all into his slowly growing pack after they had been bestowed with immortality; he deemed it proper since he was in their debt for looking after Rin for nearly ten years. They now had the honor of being a part of the Inu Clan and were under Sesshomaru's own protection; and an Alpha never betrayed his pack. They all paid him similar respect as Inuyasha before he yipped to put them at ease.

"This Sesshomaru would like to announce something," he began while turning towards Rin. Rin looked up at him with one of her brows raised high and confusion coloring her features.

What he did next caused them all to gasp in shock.

Sesshomaru lowered himself down onto both knees in front of Rin; he gently grasped her left hand and bowed over it briefly. He raised his head to look into her beautiful, cinnamon and green flecked eyes. A gentle, sincere smile spreading on his lips. His mate-to-be looked ready to faint; her right hand clutching her kimono over her heart that was beating furiously against her ribs. No doubt in shock that her lord who bowed to no one, was suddenly on his knees before her.

"Rin. This Sesshomaru seeks to court you as his future mate. Will you do this Sesshomaru the honor of giving him your consent?" he asked in a clear voice. The group behind him fell over anime style; except Kagome who stared in open-mouthed shock. Rin's lips opened in her own shock before a very large, very bright smile overcame her features.

"This Rin would be honored to have you court her, Lord Sesshomaru. You have her consent." She said, blushing madly beneath her smile. Sesshomaru gently kissed her hand before rising; he pulled her close and shifted her hair away from the right side of her neck. Rin knew what he wanted to do and turned her head as far as she could to the left to leave the right side of her throat exposed in complete submission to her Alpha. Sesshomaru growled lowly in approval before lowering his face to her throat; skimming his nose over the tender flesh, making his future mate tremble, he gave a small smirk before flashing his fangs and nipping the skin roughly behind her ear. The nip transferred a miniscule amount of his youkai into the skin where a bruise was quickly forming; the small amount of his youkai would expel his scent to signal all male youkai that the female was already being courted and therefore, off-limits. He nuzzled the mark once before stepping back and addressing his pack.

"Rin is your Alpha's future mate; you will show her the same respect you do me." He commanded. The members of his pack bowed to the couple before being dismissed by their Alpha.

"This Sesshomaru wishes to speak with you privately, Rin." He purred, glancing back to the young female. She nodded before taking the hand he offered her.

Sesshomaru led her to the forest; dropping her hand before offering his arm instead. Rin blushed for what felt like the thousandth time that day before linking one of her arms through his.

"This Sesshomaru apologizes for his recent behavior, Rin. I did what merely needed to be done to keep you safe from myself. You know that I am not truly a man; but a beast." He said quietly, leading her to her favorite patch of flowers before stopping and gazing up at the sky. Rin squeezed his arm and spoke softly.

"I have loved you for some time now, My Lord. Whether you are human, hanyou or Inu Daiyoukai; it matters not. I love Lord Sesshomaru; and despite what species you might be, you are still my Lord Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru felt his heart warm and fought the smile that threatened to break free. He caressed her cheek softly; his claws that were so often dripping with his enemy's blood were miraculously delicate as they stroked down her fragile, warm cheek.

"You will cease to call me 'Lord', Rin. I am just Sesshomaru now. Or Alpha if you prefer." He demanded gently. Rin sent him a heartbreaking, beautiful smile.

"Yes, Sesshomaru." His name without the honorific felt strange on her tongue; but she could definitely get used to the intimacy it implied. Sesshomaru graced her with his swift smile.

"This Sesshomaru will return you to the village." He hesitated momentarily before calling to the woman currently admiring the flowers at their feet.

"Rin?" When she looked up with a smile he continued.

"Would you like to return to this Sesshomaru's side once again?"

Rin's breath caught in her throat and tears instantly blurred her vision.

"Rin has been awaiting that question for a very long time, Sesshomaru. Yes! Rin wants to be by her Sesshomaru's side again!" She choked out, the tears breaking free to streak down her face. Sesshomaru wiped them away gently with the pads of his sword calloused thumbs. He lowered his face to hers; gazing into the eyes he adored so much.

"Forever with me?" He asked. She smiled.

"Forever with Lord Sesshomaru." She corrected. His eyes burned with tenderness as he gently caught her soft, warm lips with his firmer ones in a chaste kiss.

In the back of his mind; his beast threw its head back and howled its victory.

She was his.

Teehee :D we're getting into it now! I will update soon I promise!