Last chapter! :) Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for reading! And sorry for the late update! I've been extremely busy...and sick...
Sesshomaru waited patiently for his fluff to dry, sitting down on a small pillow next to his mother's throne. The others did the same, though not next to Ruikokoru. They all chatted with each other, having a small conversation with the queen now and then. Ruikokoru would not usually ignore her guests, but she was busy having a long conversation with Rin. Even though she did exactly care for humans, she had to admit that there were a few humans worthy of respect; Rin being one of them. Ruikokoru also seemed rather fond of the way Rin spoke about her son, with absolute happiness in her voice.
Sesshomaru, hearing the conversation of course, sighed the entire time. He had to admit to himself, that having Rin speak so fondly of him was a wonderful thing. However, it was also...absolutely embarrassing. Plus it did not help that his mother seemed very fond of her (it was obvious, what with the smiles she gave Rin, and the fact that she let Rin sit on her lap).
"So does Sesshomaru treat you well Rin?" Of course Ruikokoru already knew the answer, but she could not help but ask to be sure.
"Oh yes!' Rin said happily. "Usually we just travel around, but sometimes he stops and we play together!"
Sesshomaru looked down and slowly brought his hand to his face with that one. Sometimes he forgot that as much as Rin had matured, and how close she was to womanhood, she was still just a little girl with a giant fluffy friend. And of course, children usually did not find certain things as embarrassing as adults did; so she had no problem telling Ruikokoru about Sesshomaru's soft side.
Ruikokoru smiled at that, "Oh? And what do you play?"
"Mother-"
"Oh hush Sesshomaru," Ruikokoru said to him with a shake of her head. "Besides it is very rude to interrupt! You should apologize to Rin for being so careless in manners."
Sesshomaru sighed, "My apologies Rin."
Ruikokoru eyed her son out of the corner of her eyes, before turning back to Rin with a kind smile, "So what do you play?"
Rin giggled, "Anything I want to play."
"You are toying with me," Ruikokoru teased with a smile. "What is it you play with him?"
"Well sometimes we play hide-and-seek," Rin said with another giggle. "Sometimes we play tag-OH! And sometimes he lets me braid his hair!"
Inuyasha, who was eavesdropping, burst into a fit of laughter at that one. Jaken sighed, but couldn't help the smile that crept on his face seeing the look on Sesshomaru's face. Kagome giggle quietly, but was polite enough not to say anything.
Ruikokoru laughed softly, "You braid his hair?"
"I love braiding his hair!" Rin said with a smile. "It's so soft, like feathers!"
Sesshomaru smacked his face and groaned, looking down at the ground in irritation.
"But there is one game that we play a lot, because it is my favorite," Rin said before giggling again. "It's much more fun than braiding his hair!"
"Oh? And what would that game be?" Ruikokoru asked.
Rin smiled, "It's a game that we call Mr. Fluffypants!"
Sesshomaru's eyes went wide, and he stood up abruptly, "Oh Totosai...you did NOT just say what I thought you did."
Rin grinned at him evilly, "I did."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened further, "Wait...are you trying to embarrass me?"
Rin nodded crossing her arms, "Well at first no, but then I remembered that you forgot my birthday. So...payback time."
Sesshomaru groaned and sat back down, "I apologized woman...sheesh."
Rin sighed before hopping off Ruikokoru's lap and walking up to Sesshomaru. She gave him a hug and small kiss on the cheek, causing him to stare at her wide-eyed. She certainly WAS growing up...
"I'm sorry," she said. "I was just having some fun."
"A-apology accepted..." Sesshomaru stuttered, cursing himself for it afterwards.
"So," Rin said sitting down next to him. "What are we to do while we wait?"
Sesshomaru said nothing, but instead did something nobody had ever seen him do before. Something that caused everyone to stare...well not really. Honestly nobody payed enough attention to the man to see that he did something out of the ordinary. Sesshomaru...he...well he...
...he yawned.
"Maybe we could see what's on your list!" Rin suggested.
Sesshomaru nodded boredly, "Alright...let's see. Did that...not time to do that...OH I know!"
Sesshomaru turned to Rin with an evil smirk, before leaning down and whispering something in her ear. Rin giggled quietly, and nodded before getting up and walking towards Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, may I please brush your hair?" Rin asked.
Inuyasha made a face, "Are you gonna cry if I say no?"
"Yes," Rin said with a sad pout.
"Fine," Inuyasha sighed.
So Rin proceeded to brush his hair, with a wide smile on his face. After a few minutes Sesshomaru stood up, looking as if he was about to leave the room.
"I'll be back," he said going out, before coming straight back in with an evil grin plastered on his face.
Sesshomaru never smirked, grinned, nor made any sort of facial movement other than glaring...so it was certainly a sight to see. Not to mention freaking scary...
Rin carefully handed Sesshomaru Inuyasha's hair, without Inuyasha noticing. Everyone else was extremely confused, especially Ruikokoru. Sesshomaru brought a finger up to his lips, before proceeding to brush his brother's hair.
"Inuyasha," Rin said trying to contain her giggles. "May I wash your hair too, and then make it pretty?"
"No," Inuyasha said sternly.
"Please?" Rin begged.
"No," Inuyasha repeated.
"PLEASE?" Rin practically yelled, which she normally would not done...but Sesshomaru demanded that she do so.
"Argh!" Inuyasha yelled. "Fine! Just...no flowers, okay?"
"Okay," Rin said with a giggle.
Kagome smiled at him, "You are such a good sport Inuyasha."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "No, I just hate screaming kids."
Sesshomaru hated having to touch his brother's hair, especially clean it for him. BUT if his plan was going to work, then he had to do so.
"When is Sesshomaru coming back?" Inuyasha questioned.
"Oh Sesshomaru tends to lollygag when it comes to stuff like this," Ruikokoru said, earning a glare from Sesshomaru. "He will say he'll be right back, and then return about three hours later."
"Oh," Inuyasha said. "Whatever, like I care. Hey Kagome, got any chip potatoes?"
"Potato chips," Kagome corrected. "And no I don't, you ate them all! I'm going to have to go back to my time to get some..."
"Okay," Inuyasha said.
Sesshomaru pretended to continue washing his hair, while pulling out a bottle of what looked to be ketchup. Of course it wasn't ketchup, but Kagome certainly thought it looked like it. Honestly, Sesshomaru was surprised Inuyasha did not sniff him out yet...especially when he was so close to him.
Inuyasha sneezed, "Whatever soap you're using Rin, don't use it anymore. It's messing up my nose..."
"Okay," Rin said.
Inuyasha poured the ketchup looking stuff all over Inuyasha's hair, letting it sit for a moment.
"Geez woman, how long does it take to wash hair?" Inuyasha demanded.
"You're hair is just so SOFT!" Rin said with a smile, earning a smirk from Sesshomaru.
"Well hurry up will you? My head is freezing..." Inuyasha frowned.
Sesshomaru rinsed Inuyasha's hair off, before toweling it off. Everyone tried hard not to burst out laughing at the sight of his hair, especially Kagome (she's so mean). Sesshomaru then let Rin do his hair, and pretending to reenter the room.
"Wow Sesshomaru, that was fast," his mother teased.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, "Is that sarcasm I detect?"
"Hardly," Ruikokoru said with a smile.
Sesshomaru sighed, before staring at Inuyasha as if he did not know what happened. Sesshomaru stood there for a long while, crossing his arms and bring his fingers up to his chin in a judgmental posture. Inuyasha looked at seeing his brother staring, and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Inuyasha asked.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, as if he was thinking long and hard. Everyone else of course was trying not to laugh, hoping that none of them would reveal the secret just yet. Sesshomaru had obviously thought this plan through, and nobody wanted to spoil it.
"What?" Inuyasha demanded, frowning at his brother.
"I leave for fifteen minutes, and this is what happens?" Sesshomaru commented.
"What happens?" Inuyasha frowned standing up to face his brother. "What are you talking about, Sesshomaru?"
"Well I suppose it could be worse," Sesshomaru said nonchalantly, sitting over by his mother.
Inuyasha frowned, before sniffing his hair. His eyes widened, and he immediately turned to Sesshomaru.
"Why does my hair smell like shampoo and you?" Inuyasha demanded.
"I hardly know," Sesshomaru said calmly
Inuyasha growled, "Sesshomaru..."
"Oh just a piece of advice Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, fiddling with a strand of his hair.
He leaned in before smirking, "Pink really isn't your color...it definitely clashes with the red."
Inuyasha stood there for a moment in confusion, before his eyes widened and he ran to the nearest mirror. When he saw himself, he let out a yell of agony. His hair, despite being very clean, was a bright shade of bubblegum pink. He turned to Sesshomaru angrily, cracking his fingers threateningly.
"You did this," Inuyasha growled before his eyes widened. "Oh my holy father above...you touched my hair!"
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes before he slowly looked down at his hand, before making a face of disgust and freaking out, "Oh lord I DID!"
"Yeah it's all your fault you moron!" Inuyasha yelled, rubbing at his hair vigorously.
"Oh my great and powerful aura has been tarnished!" Sesshomaru wailed, almost in a childlike way. "I shall be forevermore corrupted by intentionally holding, in my hand, the hair of a half-demon!"
"Oh you act as if you've got it bad!" Inuyasha yelled at him angrily, still rubbing his hair. "Now I've got your germs!"
Everyone else glanced at each other, before breaking out in fits of laughter.
"Um, Miss Ruikokoru," Rin said slowly.
Ruikokoru looked down at her, attempting not to laugh too, "Yes?"
"I think we broke your son..." Rin giggled.
Sesshomaru was now on the ground, probably on the verge of tears. Inuyasha was attempting to tear his hair out, only now realizing just how strong it was.
"Oh it is the end for me!" Sesshomaru wailed. "I shall perish from this world, from contamination of human blood!"
Rin became offended by that, "Oh and I suppose that means you were on the verge of dying every time you've touched me?"
Sesshomaru's head popped up with that, and he quickly ran up to her, "You don't count."
"Yes I do," Rin said with a frown.
Sesshomaru sighed, "Look...where is my mokomoko already?"
"AHEM!"
Everyone turned to see a man with a large stick standing there.
"Presenting Master Sesshomaru's mokomoko!" he yelled, as some servants brought in his fluff.
Sesshomaru's eyes lit up, but he made no further movements to embarrass himself. His fluff was handed to him, with that he sat down on the ground and held it tight.
"You know, it does smell better," Sesshomaru admitted.
"That was the plan," Ruikokoru said.
Sesshomaru then wrapped it around himself, no longer feeling so empty, and began to walk out, "Come Rin."
"We're leaving already?" Rin asked.
Sesshomaru nodded, going back to his normal nonchalent self, "I've have retrieved what I wanted, so now we must leave."
"Oh alright..." Rin sighed.
Rin waved behind her at everyone with a big smile, "See you all later!"
"Goodbye Rin, goodby Sesshomaru," everyone else said.
Jaken came up behind his master, "Do you feel much better now, master?"
Sesshomaru said nothing, but continued on.
"I'll take that as a yes," Jaken muttered.
They left the castle, Sesshomaru flying them towards the nearest town for whatever reason. He usually did not like towns, seeing as he received far too much attention for his liking.
Rin sighed, seeing that her lord was back to normal. She couldn't help but admit to herself that she would miss his softer side, even if most of it was from being too emotional. After the years they had traveled together, they had grown much closer in just the past few days than they had in a couple of years. Now he was back to his usual self... She would love Sesshomaru anyway, seeing as this was the man she had been fond of to begin with, but... She certainly would miss the smiles he had given her, and the heartfelt conversations they had.
"Sesshomaru-sama, where are we going?" Rin asked.
Sesshomaru turned his head towards hers, seeing as she was on his back, and smiled a big wide smile, "You'll see."
Rin's eyes widened, before she giggled. At that moment she realized she had not seen the last of 'soft and fluffy Sesshomaru'. Now he would not, of course, act such ways in public...but she was certain that he would be kinder when it was only them. Maybe Jaken...but probably not.
And this was only the beginning of all the adventure, laughter, pain, and love that they would experience in the future.
*sniff* Well, that's all... Sorry it took so long, I've been really sick lately. I hope this chapter was worth waiting for! Please review (it's the last chapter...come on)! Thanks to all those who read this story, it was fun to write!