Sorry that it's taken so long for the next chapter to get posted – what can I say, life got in the way. Dirty thing is pretty good at that. Anyway, here's the update. I hope you enjoy!

Hypnotized by the dance of the flames, Rin felt her thoughts gradually melt away to nothingness. It was a welcome relief to the loop that had constantly droned through her head, filling her mind until there was no room for any other considerations.

Lord Sesshoumaru was angry with her, more so than she could ever remember. That morning, he had brought her to the village a few hours journey from the complex in order to purchase the fabric for her new winter kimono. As always, he had waited with Ah-Un in the forest as she went to the shop, the same one she had visited every season for years.

Something about the shop owner's demeanor had always seemed vaguely familiar to her, enough that she could feel a measure of ease while she was in the strange human village. While she knew that there was another shop in the town that dealt exclusively with fabrics of the quality Lord Sesshoumaru required her to purchase, Rin was willing to sacrifice some in the way of selection in order to feel comfortable.

The owner's son, who had been learning his father's trade for a few years now, had hesitantly approached her as she had turned to leave, asking quietly if he could not escort her back to her home. For a moment, she had been too shocked to respond, unsure of how to deal with such a strange request. Finally, fearing to be rude to people who had been so kind to her in the past, she had told him that he could walk with her to the edge of the village.

It had seemed innocent enough, and his polite conversation with her had been fascinating. Having lived with the demons for so long, Rin rarely was able to speak to humans, especially those her own age. It was strange to realize how different she had become from the majority of her race.

When he had turned to leave, he paused for a brief moment, a blush creeping up his cheeks as he asked her if she would return sometime before the next season. Confused and distantly uncomfortable from the half-understood meanings of this question, she had shrugged and honestly replied that she did not know when she would be back. She had given him a short bow before hurrying down the path to the seclusion of the forest to look for her lord.

She found him a moment later, standing in a clearing with his back to her. Although she was happy to see him as always, the instant he had turned towards her she felt her thoughts shatter at the sharpness in his glance, at the unsaid warnings in the cold amber of his eyes. It prevented her from speaking or approaching him further; it kept her from doing anything but sitting silently on Ah-Un during the return to the palace.

The sharp tension between them had continued for what little remained of the day. For the first time she could remember, she felt as though she didn't exist, Lord Sesshoumaru refusing to acknowledge her presence and the rest of the palace following suit. There was nothing tangible to betray this state, but just a feeling in the air, a coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. The only respite had come when he had accepted the pleas for assistance from one of the minor demon lords who lived on an estate a short distance away; some of the servants, mostly those who attended to her on a regular basis, then felt bold enough to speak to her as they usually did.

By then Rin had wished to have nothing more to do with the politics of the palace and retired to her rooms. In the silence, her thoughts had no other focus than conceiving some way to return to her lord's good graces. She did not know when she had lost it, but it was very clear that it had happened sometime between that morning and afternoon. The change was just so drastic that she could not think of what could have caused it…

Sighing, she turned from the fire, giving up the short ruse of ignoring her unsettled thoughts. What had she done? She had never seen him that angry before; indeed, she could never remember him being more than exasperated with her. Her face burned from staring into the flames so long as well as from unshed tears. Passing a hand across her eyes to wipe away the tears, she decided to leave her rooms for a while. Perhaps the air of the early night would help clear her mind.

Carefully, she let herself out into the garden. The air was crisp but still, making the cold prickle her skin but not bite. The grounds were now bare of all leaves and flowers, instead covered by a thin veil of snow that sparkled like a reflection of the heavens. Above, the stars were bright and cold in the winter sky, shining vividly between the net of the bare branches.

As Rin watched the stars, however, she remembered the many nights spent under their light when she had been younger. There were no duties then, no intangible responsibilities in the mind of a child. Nothing of the intricacies required to make her existence acceptable in the world of the demons, in the world of her lord, would have been comprehensible in her youth. Only now did she realize how strange her relationship was, how subtle the nuances were that blended the differences between their people to allow them to coexist with such seeming effortlessness.

Until now.

Something in their existence had shifted, disturbed from its usual rhythm. Everything felt wrong now, since that icy look had been directed at her. She was more than willing to accept responsibility for whatever ill she had committed, but she could not think of what she had done to cause his anger.

Looking at the grounds, she remembered where she had slept that summer, Lord Sesshoumaru watching over her regardless of her insistence that he did not need to do such a thing. Perhaps it had been that night where everything had started to strain between them, that day when they had both faced the implications of their relationship. Although it had felt like something had been shared between them through his admission, there had been a tenseness between them afterwards.

Of course, Rin had tried to go on as though she did not feel the change, and she had been so successful that for months she had convinced herself that nothing was different. Even after the incident in the cave, she had managed to explain it away as a dream or effect of the cold; Lord Sesshoumaru, after all, had made no mention of it the next morning. It had not been until today, when the unease and reserve had seemed to condense and freeze in that one glare, that she had to acknowledge that things were no longer as they had been.

A shiver spread across her skin, and she moved to return to her room. Just as she did, however, she caught a flash of white against the sky, disappearing somewhere towards the south side of the complex. Puzzled, she hurried across the lawn, ignoring the smart of the snow upon her feet.

She reached the far side of the palace in time to see Lord Sesshoumaru passing through the complex, a group of servants and guards left speechless behind him. For a moment, she considered approaching him, something about the way he held himself as he drifted through the shadows of the buildings unsettling her. Then she noticed how jagged the markings upon his cheeks had become, the scarlet hue of his eyes, and she hesitated.

His ghostly figure receded further into the complex until he disappeared from sight. Shaking her head, Rin ran across the open ground to the people gathered upon the road. "What happened?" she asked the first person she reached.

Still looking vaguely stunned, the guard shook his head. "I do not know. We had not expected the lord to return tonight," he said, almost half to himself. "He was injured; I could smell the blood, but he would allow no one to approach him."

He had barely finished speaking before Rin was running again, following Lord Sesshoumaru's footprints. She heard the guard yell after her, warning her to stay away from him while he was like this, but while she acknowledged the legitimacy of his warning, she continued nonetheless.

Once she approached his room, she finally slowed, her reasoning catching up with her. If he had denied aid, he clearly wanted to be alone. The last person he probably wanted to see was her; it would be foolhardy to approach him while he was still angry with her.

Rin shook the thought away. She had never been frightened of her lord, not even when she had first found him in the woods. Startled, perhaps, but never frightened. He had never harmed her in all the years she had been with him. Why should she falter in her faith in him now, when he might need her?

Slowly, she approached the screen to his room, finding that he had not closed it completely behind him. Rather than immediately announce her presence, she decided to look in, figuring that perhaps she could learn enough about his state to see if it was worth bothering him.

None of the lamps in the room had been lit, making the only light to see by what filtered through the screens. She watched as he removed his sword and dropped it onto his futon, wondered how badly he must be injured that he had not yet caught her scent. In the faint light, she saw him remove his sash, allowing his armor to fall to the floor with a thud.

His head still bent, he slowly raised his hand to his chest. Confused by his calmness regardless of his strange actions – she had never seen him treat his weapon and armor so trivially – Rin leaned closer, trying to get a better angle to see him. At that moment, however, he pulled his hand away, and she saw the blood.

She couldn't help it; she gasped. Instantly his head snapped up, looking as feral as when she had first found him, but she had already opened the screen and entered the room. "My lord…" she breathed as she reached out for him, feeling a flare of panic at the blood that soaked the front of his white kimono.

He pulled away, eyes still stained red. "Leave," he growled, part warning and part threat.

For a moment she paused, her hand motionless in the air. She watched him, observing his posture, and felt her worry dissipate. Even with his expression as wild as it was now, he was still Sesshoumaru. She shook her head, daring to defy him. "Let me help you," she whispered, taking a few tentative steps closer.

"What do you think you can possibly do for me?" he asked, some of the fire in his voice returning to the ice she was more familiar with. "How could a human's aid help me?"

It seemed as though her stomach dropped as his scorn for humans was directed towards her for the first time she could remember. Still, the moment the shock faded, she felt her hands clench at her sides. Yes, it was true – she was only a human, and what had she ever done to assist him? She had only ever been in his way, held him back from doing the things he needed to do. But all the same… she could try now. "Perhaps I cannot help you recover, or heal faster," she said in as even a tone as she could, trying to remind herself that his words were probably only an effect of what pain he felt, "but I can help you be more comfortable!"

Although he looked momentarily surprised by this change in her demeanor, he turned from her abruptly, as though closing the discussion. "Unnecessary," he murmured while carefully lowering himself to his futon.

"Perhaps it isn't entirely necessary, but you don't have to hurt anymore than necessary. It… it won't make you any stronger, my lord," Rin replied softly, following him and sinking to her knees next to him.

"I told you to leave," he said at length, refusing to look at her.

"I want to help you," she said stubbornly. "Please."

With a barely concealed scoff, Sesshoumaru turned so that he was sitting sideways to her. When she hesitated momentarily, unsure of what she should do, he spoke up. "Go ahead. You were so anxious to help a moment ago."

This spurred her on, and she carefully brought her hands to the collar of his clothes. Gently, she slipped her fingers under the fabric, sliding them down so that she could pull the clothing over his shoulder while studiously ignoring the shiver that wished to work its way up her spine at touching him.

She was so focused on her task that she did not notice the momentary widening of his eyes at her touch, the almost indiscernible tensing of his muscles beneath her fingers.

After working the tattered fabric loose, she pushed it from his left shoulder, feeling her stomach clench violently at the mangled flesh beneath. How could he have been wounded like this? It was unusual for him to be harmed during any of the battles he partook in, and even more rare that it was of a severity from which he could not recover after an hour or two. Never before had she seen him bleed so.

She must have stared longer than she knew, for he raised his hand to her shoulder, gently pushing her away. The anger from a few minutes ago seemed to have dissipated, replaced by a dull weariness. Looking up to his face, she found that there was something old about his eyes that she had not seen before. "I only need to rest," he said, voice once again even and distant. "You do not need to make yourself uncomfortable by staying here."

"I am not uncomfortable," she said with more conviction than she felt, daringly touching his hand. "Let me retrieve some supplies, and then I will return."

When he made no reply, Rin hurried back to her room and began rummaging through the various vials and containers stored in a back corner. Over time, as she proved to have a talent for growing all sorts of plants, some of the demonesses had requested that she plant certain herbs for them. In return, she asked for a small amount of the balms they made from these, and by now she had quite a collection.

Grabbing a small clay container, she ran back to Sesshoumaru's rooms, the cold air stinging her lungs as she tried to catch her breath. As she brushed her flyaway hair from her face, she took the towel and small bowl of water on the washbasin inside the door and then went to sit by him.

Wordlessly, she dipped the towel into the cold water and rang it out before washing the blood from his chest. She bit her lip as she tried to avoid the deep gashes that crossed the skin, afraid of hurting him further. When she finally finished, the wounds were still bleeding, and she felt her eyes prickle as she scooped some of the salve into her hand.

Rin could not hold back the tears as she pressed the salve into the wounds, dipping her head down to try to prevent him from seeing. Of course, she knew that would only work for a moment before he could smell the change in her scent.

"It was cruel for me to allow you to do this," he said softly, something in his tone making her raise her head. His eyes considered her carefully, stained with a sort of distant sadness. "I was not myself then. Do not stay because you said you would; I can care for myself."

Swallowing, she nodded, wiping away her tears before returning to her task. "I know you can, my lord."

"You have never been comfortable around blood."

"No, I have not."

There was a stretch of silence between them as she continued tending to his wounds in the darkness. "Then why do you do this?" he asked finally.

She paused, and then looked at him. "You do not know by now?" she wondered quietly, looking for understanding in his eyes. When he betrayed nothing, no word or flicker of emotion, she smiled sadly. "I would like to think that it's the same reason you care for me and always save me when I'm in danger."

He was silent, nearly pensive as she finished. By now, the bleeding had stopped, something that at least allowed the knot of fear in her stomach to relax. With the balm, it was likely that the wounds would be almost healed by morning. As she cleaned her mess, she watched him as he laid back on his futon, noticing the slight indication of his pain in the momentary narrowing of his eyes.

After replacing the bowl, she turned to him. "Is there anything else I could do for you, Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

He shook his head, looking at her briefly. "No, Rin, I will be more than fine now."

----

She bowed her head before rising, and he noticed that her smile was sad as she left the room, footsteps measured and careful as she shut the screen behind her. For a moment, her shadow was painted on the screen hazily, and then it was gone.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru tried to block the voice in the back of his mind that whispered that her shadow was just like her: something that was only there for a second before passing. He always knew that her life would be short, a brief spring of light in the span of his years. Her bright presence would wax for a time and then wane like the moon, and then she would be gone, nothing more than a memory.

But while he had made it a mantra, kept the words to maintain the veil of distance between them, he found that they did not bring relief. They pierced through his mind like ice, sharp and painful. It should have reminded him that she could do nothing substantial in her insignificant years, least of all cross the distance he drew from the world. They did remind him, but it only ached, because it did nothing but bring to mind the fact that one day she would be gone.

He had always said that her choices were her own, that she could do as she liked. It had never been hard to allow her to do so; in fact, it usually simplified things. It prevented him from having to meddle in her little human affairs, in the vivid emotions and confusing logic. Yet after seeing that young village boy approach her and hearing the words he said, Sesshoumaru had been livid. Rin would do no such thing as visit that peasant; in fact, she would never return to that village at all. She was his – no other had the right to speak with her thus.

The rage had been instantly replaced by a coil of confusion, an emotion that was even more discomforting than the flame of passionate anger. She may be precious to him, something dear beyond everything else, but that did not make her a possession, something he owned. All her life she had been a free spirit, as comfortable in the wilds as he was. She would never be owned, even if she did marry.

Of course, that was where the greatest confusion came in, for it was the thought of her wanting to see that boy, and then the following idea that she might desire to marry and leave that made the strange emotion flare within him. Was it jealousy perhaps, or panic, or both? He did not want her to leave, especially to marry. He wanted her to stay with him.

But that did not make any sense. It had only been a few months since he had recognized that one day Rin would have to leave because he could not bring himself to provide the things he wanted her to have. How could she have a life like that if she stayed with him? For a time, those brief moments in the cave, he had hovered on offering himself, willing to break every truth he had believed for her sake. But it had faded, and there would be no changing that decision, no going back to dwell on painful possibilities beyond the grasp of obtainment.

So why did he still feel so desperate at the thought of her with somebody else?

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru thought of her earlier actions. She had dared to approach him even as his control had hovered, going so far as to disobey him in her quest to help. Already he could feel the flesh healing; no doubt by morning the wound would be completely gone. Her actions had been unnecessary, the risks she had challenged needless.

And yet… it had soothed him. He had been forced to restrain the wild energy for her sake, although it had taken time. He thought about what he had said to her, the cold words created from frustration and confusion and fueled by his pain. Yet all the same she had stayed by his side, gentle voice insistent on doing something as trivial as tending to his injuries.

Initially, he had only accepted maliciously, focusing his inner turmoil out upon her. It had seemed impossible at that time that she could be as innocent as she always appeared; she must have been aware of what he felt for her and was trying to draw him even further to her through his fear of losing her. When he had sensed her tears as she spread the salve over the wounds, however, he had returned to his senses. Rin was incapable of doing something so cruel; she truly was as innocent as she always acted.

Sesshoumaru pushed the thoughts away, scattered them from his consciousness. For the first time in a long while he felt weary, tired from both the physical and mental battles he had waged that day. There was no hope of solving all the issues he felt pressed around him because he could not pin down their direct cause; their resolution was completely out of his control. It was senseless to continue on this path. At present, the only thing he could do was rest.

----

While she had been able to fall asleep, Rin was constantly thrown back into wakefulness. Dreams, more than she had ever had before, drifted through her mind only to bend, light refracted into dark terrors only half perceived. She could not remember having such nightmares since she had been a young child.

The fifth time she gasped awake, bangs sticking to her sweat-slicked face, she decided that she had gone through enough. Every time she awoke, she found herself even more tired than when she had tried to sleep. If the cycle continued, she'd be utterly exhausted by morning.

Slowly she rose, walking to the small washbasin to splash some of the cold water on her flushed face. She sat still for a moment, letting the water drip from her nose and chin as she continued to catch her breath. Such frightening things had haunted her sleeping mind, so vivid that they had felt real. All the same, she could no longer recall what had upset her so, every attempt at snatching at the tattered memories proving useless.

After a moment, Rin came to a decision. She dried her face before grabbing a few layers of the kimono she had worn the night before. If she could not sleep, she would see her lord for a minute, to make sure that he was able to rest peacefully. Perhaps it would put her mind at ease knowing that he was comfortable.

After sloppily pulling the layers on over her nightclothes, not even bothering to tie an obi, she made her way through the silent complex. Everything was dark and quiet, the moon still in the winter sky; morning was clearly a few hours away yet.

She finally reached the screen, sliding it open slowly enough that it did not betray the slightest noise. For a moment she did not move, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, before she walked into the deeper shadows on the far side of the room.

It did not take her long to find Lord Sesshoumaru, the fan of his hair spread across the futon catching what frail light was in the room. Rin stood next to him, pausing between her desire to stay and her polite sense to leave. It was just that it was so rare for her to see him sleep; she could probably count the times that such had happened on one hand. There was something strange about the peaceful expression on his face, the usual cold planes melted as he slept.

Slowly, she sank to the floor next to him, indulging her half-asleep mind. The angry gashes on his chest were now gone, not even the faint traces of scars left to mark where he had been wounded. Vaguely, she wondered if the salve had been any help or not before raising her gaze to his face. She took in every detail, trying to imprint them even deeper into her memory than they already were. He truly was beautiful, she thought with a faint sigh, her hand lifting from her lap and unconsciously stretching towards his face.

Somehow, she could not find the will to stop herself. Her hand descended, gently pressing into his bangs before carefully sweeping the hair back. As she allowed her fingers to momentarily brush against the crescent upon his forehead, she wondered why he had not yet woken; surely, her disgusting human scent had to be overpowering this close, no matter how well he appeared to be sleeping.

But if he was truly sleeping so deeply, Rin would allow herself one more thing before departing. She pulled her hair over one shoulder, holding it securely so that it would not brush his face as she leaned over him. Carefully, using the most delicate touch she could manage, she pressed her lips against his forehead, closing her eyes for that brief, beautiful instant. "No matter what happens between us, I will always love you," she breathed, fighting the inexplicit tears that wished to form in her eyes as she started to lean up. "Until the day I die, I will love only you."

It was then that she found a hand upon her back preventing her from moving.

For the first instant she remained motionless, frozen at the realization that he was awake, that he was aware of all that had happened. She felt her face flame scarlet before jerking, wishing to put distance between them. But his hand held her still, refusing to allow her to escape from her embarrassment.

Although she could sense that he wanted her to look at him, Rin refused to raise her eyes. The silence continued to spread, the gulf between them growing regardless of their proximity. "Rin," he said softly.

She felt all the held back words break loose. "I'm sorry, my lord!" she whispered urgently, finally looking up at him. "I was completely outside my bounds, there is no excuse for it! I had only meant to see if you had been able to sleep, but… oh, I am so sorry! Please forgive me; I will leave now!"

"Rin, be silent," Sesshoumaru said. Instantly, Rin became quiet, but realized that his tone had not been angry. In fact, under the calm, there had been a hint of… amusement?

Blinking, she studied his expression in the vain hope that something of his emotions would be visible. There was nothing of his thoughts betrayed upon his countenance, but there was something odd about the light in his eyes, something that made her heart both pound and clench.

It wasn't until she felt his fingers touch her face that she realized he was no longer holding her. Now, however, she found it impossible to move. His fingers trailed to her chin, gently tilting it down towards him so that he could look more directly into her eyes.

For once, Rin held his gaze evenly, unable to look away from the coolly burning gold. There was an intensity in his eyes, such focus pinned on her, that she did not think she could have moved if she had wanted to.

"You meant it, didn't you?" Sesshoumaru murmured, voice almost lost in the stillness of the room.

"Meant what?" she wondered.

His eyes followed the movement of his thumb as it swept upward, lightly touching her lips. "That you love me."

Rin almost missed his words, distracted by the gentle caress. When she realized what he had said, she could not tell if she should confirm her earlier words or deny them, if he approved of her feeling that way or not. Judging by the tenderness of his actions, she dared to be truthful on this sensitive subject. "Yes, my lord, I meant it."

"You shouldn't," he said quietly, his eyes returning to hers as she pulled back, stung by his words. It had been a mistake; she should have known that he would not accept her feelings. Had he not made it perfectly clear that he would not reciprocate such sentiments?

Before she could stand, however, she found herself being pulled to his chest as he sat up, his arm drawing around her possessively. She felt frozen in her shock, overwhelmed by the sudden contact.

"I do not deserve to have your love," Sesshoumaru said finally, laying his head against hers. "These past months I have been cruel to you because of my uncertainty, my inability to decide what I wanted. I thought that I was the only one who was tormented." He leaned back, unmistakable regret in his eyes. "I did not even think of you, the one I cared for, and as a result I have hurt you."

For a long moment, Rin could not think of any way to respond to such a blatant confession. She could never remember him speaking in such a manner before. "It is alright, my lord," she said slowly. "If I gave you the impression that I was hurt, I am sorry…"

"No," he said sharply. "Do not apologize. I am the only one who should be doing so."

Frowning slightly, Rin dared to move enough to raise a hand to his forehead. "My lord, are you sure you should not rest more?" she could not help but wonder, unable to think of any explanation for his strange behavior besides an after effect of his injuries.

With a smile so brief that it might have been mistaken as a trick of the light, he shook his head. "I am fine, Rin." He released her so that he could take her hand as she lifted it from his forehead, holding it gently for a moment before bringing it to his chest. She tried to focus on the rhythm of his heart beneath her fingers instead of the intimacy of the touch. "You asked me what I felt for you, back in the cave. At that time I was too cowardly to accept my feelings; I thought that it would be better to deny them and remain unhappy rather than accept them and face the consequences. But I have an answer now."

Everything seemed to buzz around her as he spoke, half dream-like. He could not really be saying these things to her, could he? She had imagined what it would be like for so long that it seemed impossible that they could exist beyond the realm of her fantasies. If it wasn't for the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers and the steady beating of his heart, she would have discredited everything.

He now brushed the bangs from her face, softly kissing her forehead just as she had done only minutes before. "I love you. That is what I feel."

In that moment it seemed as though the world spun, everything becoming too bright, too warm, too vivid. Rin released a shaky breath that she had involuntarily held, feeling completely lightheaded. "My lord, I –" she began, although she could not form what she wished to say before he spoke.

"My name," he said, now pressing a kiss to her temple. "Just my name."

"Sesshoumaru…" she tried before becoming too distracted by the faint smile that crossed his lips. Although it took a moment, Rin was able to gather her thoughts. "I don't know how… how can you love me?"

He shrugged gracefully, a gesture so strangely casual for him. "I do not know; I just realize that I could not be with any other."

For a moment, a shadow fell over Rin's thoughts. "But…" She paused momentarily, feeling awkward for the things she needed to say and painfully aware of the blush spreading across her cheeks. "You said that I would never be your mistress…"

The second before she heard the deep tone of his laughter seemed to drag on forever. As soon as the rare sound reached her ears, she felt herself relax, even if her blush did deepen. "I do not want you as my mistress," Sesshoumaru finally said, looking at her seriously. "I want you as my wife."

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come. She felt completely overwhelmed with both shock and joy. Truly, it could not be real now. He could not really mean to make her his wife…

But his eyes were so soft and sincere as he looked at her, emotions so plainly displayed. Rin could only think of a few occasions where he had revealed anything of his emotions, when she could catch faint glimpses of what lay behind his impassive exterior. It seemed so strange, seeing him like this, but she had always known that he was capable of such warmth, even if she had never believed that she would see it.

"Of course," Sesshoumaru said quietly as she still attempted to absorb everything, "if you do not wish that–"

She did not let him finish before wrapping her arms around him, holding him as closely as she could. "I will be your wife," she managed to say, caught somewhere between tears and laughter.

She felt him smile into her hair before he leaned back onto the futon, pulling her along so that she was next to him. He adjusted his hold when she shifted, allowing her to rest her head against his chest. "I hoped, you know," she whispered, almost afraid that speaking any louder would ruin the dream-like quality of everything that was happening. "Even though I told myself not to, I wished that you would love me."

"I know," he replied, running his fingers through her unbound hair. "I always have; it was merely a matter of accepting it."

Rin nodded before abruptly lifting her head. "But… your subjects, won't they be disappointed?" she wondered, suddenly remembering the world outside her happiness.

"I'm sure they will be," Sesshoumaru agreed, "but I have told you before that what they think does not matter to me."

"So much will change, won't it?"

For a long time he was silent before touching her cheek, an unvoiced request for her to look at him. When she obliged, she instantly became lost in his eyes, even more piercing so close. "Things will change, just like the seasons," he agreed. "But, there will always be one constant you can hold onto."

"What is that?" she asked.

His hand gently brushed down to her throat before slowly pressing back into her hair. Still looking into his eyes, she read his reply. My love. That will remain.

Smiling more brightly than she could ever remember, Rin laid her head against his chest again. In the stillness, she could hear the steady beating of his heart, unwavering and unchanging. It seemed to her then, as they waited together for the first brushes of morning to sweep the sky, that there was nothing quite so true as the sound of his pulse, the constant beating resonating in her mind.