The next few days passed quietly with Rin not seeing Sesshoumaru nor any of his delegates. It was as if he had purposefully steered them away from the daily life of the Southern castle. He had refused meals and had ensured that the humans made few concessions to their living arrangements.
But Rin knew he couldn't hide forever. That evening, she had insisted that a farewell dinner be held for the delegates of the West and as a welcome for the Eastern delegates. Lord Ulrich had been thrilled to find out that they had brought gifts of food for the Southern princess and had ordered the kitchen staff to prepare a feast to his standards.
As she left the kitchen to head up to her study, Rin wasn't surprised to find Inuyasha leaning against the turret stairs waiting for her.
"You will say that you are ill tonight and stay in your room."
Coming from Inuyasha, Rin wasn't sure if that was an outright order but the determined look in his eyes made her step back in surprise.
"I will do no such thing. Am I not the host of this ceremony?" She pushed past him and continued up the stairs, aware that he stomped right behind her.
Almost at the top, Rin felt a warm hand clamp around her wrist, tugging her backwards.
"Please reconsider Rin. It is dangerous for you to be in the presence of the Daiyoukai clans especially now."
Descending a few steps so that they were standing face to face, Rin twisted her hand so that she was the one holding on to Inuyasha's hand. She didn't need to ask him what he meant. It was clear even to her how her body had adjusted to the news of her pregnancy. Had she been shocked? Yes. But even more so that Sesshoumaru had publically chosen to accept the child and said nothing about keeping it a secret.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered sadly. "You knew didn't you? I wasn't ill. That was morning sickness and you didn't say anything? Why?"
"Oh Rin…I only wanted to protect you. You had so much on your mind and I wanted to hold off for as long as I could." He told her about the imprinting and how Sesshoumaru hadn't wanted to do it at first. And now that he had, his scent was so overpowering that even Ulrich's little trick was overshadowed by his claim over her.
"Just what was he thinking? To do so in the presence of the clan heads? Does he wish for them to go on strike here on these lands?" Inuyasha leaned his head against the stone wall in defeat.
"You should have told me Inuyasha… you should have!" Rin found herself sliding down to sit on one of the stone steps; the Hanyou following suit with a heavy sigh. "I would not have said no if it was you."
But Inuyasha merely smiled at her. "What name did he give the boy?"
Her mouth opened to ask how he knew but bit her lips instead. Damn these Youkais.
"Kenta. Strong and wilful."
Inuyasha nodded. "Suits him."
"Does the father always provide a name when he imprints the baby?" When he nodded, she smiled at him. "What name had you planned for my baby?"
"It's bad luck to give a baby two names."
"But we both know that you and Kagome will be raising the baby with me. I know you already have a child, but what's another one?" she tried to tease even when her heart felt heavy at the truth. Sesshoumaru might have saved her life by giving their baby a secure lifeline but it meant nothing. It would be absurd to dream that he would leave everything to be with her.
"So?" she insisted.
The Youkai simply leaned his head on her shoulder and whispered, "Mamoru. Protector and guardian."
Rin couldn't help but smile. "That's a perfect name too."
After all, little Kenta Mamoru was the only reason she was going to be strong and protected until he takes his first breath in the world.
/
First order of business – call a meeting with the Council advisors.
"Princess, have you made a decision about your terms of ascension?" asked Kaito from across the table. They were seated in the same arrangement as before with the eleven of them seated in front of her.
"Yes. I am with child."
As expected, the advisors broke out in a chorus of questions. Who was the father? Why won't she just get married?
"I am afraid that is not possible. But, until the child is born, this Council will see to it that a joint rule be enforced alongside my position as the Lady of the South."
If he was surprised, Kaito dared not show it and instead held a hand up, waiting for her permission to speak.
"If I may be so bold to ask – how is it that you did not know of your pregnancy the last time we met? Surely you cannot be pregnant in a matter of days?"
Rin let out a sigh. She knew this was coming.
"It seems that I myself was not aware of my condition," she answered, pointing to the lack of a bump at her abdomen. "But the scent of a child was not missed by our… guests."
Kaito narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Indeed it doesn't show my Lady and we will not fault you for not knowing. But, since your arrival, this castle has seen an increase in non-human residents. Surely they would have scented it out much earlier than now?"
It felt like she was being reprimanded for hiding a secret and telling lies. With another sigh, Rin stood up and began to untie the simple obi around her yukata, much to the horror of her advisors.
"Keep your eyes only here," she snapped, pointing to the small gap in her yukata just below her belly button. When she was satisfied that they were all fixated on the glowing writing etched on her skin, she folded the yukata lapels and wrapped the obi around her once more.
Looking up, she caught the cold understanding in Kaito's eyes as he shook his head in disbelief. "A Hanyou?"
Rin nodded, watching the mixed look of disgust and curiosity on her advisors' faces.
"Do you think it right for a Hanyou to be heir to a throne helmed by humans?" asked Kaito; his voice as hard as steel.
"As I recalled, the law does not state that it had to be a human. It was assumed yes, but not cast in stone." Rin laid a gentle hand over her stomach. "This child – this half-human child will be my heir and after his birth, I will be the sole ruler of Seurri as was decreed."
The chief judge choked back on his disgust but kept his eyes on her nonetheless. By the downturn of his mouth, Rin knew that while he disagreed with her decision, in the eyes of the law, she was right. Bet he was planning to rewrite those laws the instant they were dismissed.
"Seeing how… lax you are with this intermingling of the races, may I suggest you consider the Eastern Lord's proposal? He has made a very fine offer for the prosperity of our lands."
Rin looked at Kaito wondering if he thought that it was Ulrich's child she was carrying.
"There is no need to marry now that I have a child. Any of our shortcomings will be dealt with the writing of treaties. I do not believe in things just dropping onto our laps. If she will, Princess Emiko will see to it with her father for a non-matrimonial arrangement of resources."
For a moment, the human judge seemed to be smiling but when Rin looked at him again, the grim expression was back on his face.
"Then it is settled. The official coronation will take place after the birth of the prince. And the end of the mourning period will officiate the joint rule of the council and the Lady of the South.
Would you care to make the announcement at dinner tonight?"
Rin nodded and got to her feet; her hand reaching forward to seal the deal with Kaito.
/
The royal cooks had gone overboard with the cooking – that was the first thing that came to her mind as she stepped into the dining hall.
A roasted bird of some kind sat in the middle of the table, larger than a turkey and definitely not native to the Southern lands. Rin continued down the long line up and was surprised to find various other meats and vegetables piled up high on plates. Just how much did the Eastern delegates brought with them?
"I would offer so much more. You only have to ask." The whisper was light and teasing at the base of her neck.
"My Lord. I don't know what to say. This is too much."
His reply was to plant a kiss on her shoulder and twirled her around to face him. "Wolf Youkais aren't nibblers like the Inuyoukais. I wouldn't want to eat you out of house and home."
Arching an eyebrow at him, Rin jabbed a finger in his chest. "Now Lord Ulrich, you must behave yourself. Surely you do not want a blood bath over this dining table?"
Unrepentant, the wolf Lord simply grinned, shrugged and sauntered out of the hall. Judging from the rowdiness just beyond the doors, she figured the Eastern clan heads were jostling about; fatigue and hunger from their travels no doubt playing a huge role.
With a small laugh, she unconsciously placed a hand over her stomach as she settled herself at the head of the table. Tonight, the Advisors would also be joining the dinner, as part of their joint rule agreement.
"My Lady, are you ready to receive your guests?" asked one of her guards, bowing low at her side. At her nod, he marched over to the wide doors of the hall and began ceremoniously announcing each and every one of her guests.
First up was "Lord Ulrich and Princess Emiko of the East." This followed by various Sirs of the Eastern clans and then the Council of Advisors.
Finally, the announcement she was dreading:
"Lord Sesshoumaru of the West," and his various heads of clans.
Though his smile – so rare and gentle –was meant only for her; Rin had to look past his ethereal beauty to the Daiyoukais behind him.
Their eyes were wide and fangs bared no doubt at the awareness of their Lord's scent on her body. She caught the urgent whispers and concerns of his men just before they took their seats on the right side of the table with Sesshoumaru seated directly on her right.
Rin waited until everyone had their cups filled with sake before standing up and raising her own. Almost immediately, she felt the bristles of tension on her immediate left and right. Goodness! She wasn't going to drink the sake! Surely they didn't expect her to toast with a glass of milk?
Narrowing her eyes at both of them, she cleared her throat and continued.
"Tonight we welcome our Eastern brothers and sisters and bade farewell to our Western ones. Seurri and the South are humbled by your presence. May our times of peace be long standing and may our lands prosper in the years to come."
Clinking her sake cup to both Sesshoumaru and Ulrich, she brought her cup to her lips, watching as the two males went stiff.
"Here my lovely, take this," said Lord Ulrich first, swapping her cup for a glass of water. "Please."
As she took the glass, she could hear the soft growls coming off the Daiyoukai on her right and shot him a warning look.
Sesshoumaru, please. I just need to get through this…
You just drank from his glass. I could kill him.
I choose whatever I want to do. Don't try and stop me.
Rin narrowed her eyes at him and took another sip of water just to prove her point. He growled again, but softer this time almost as if he wanted to be a good boy and not be the subject of her annoyance.
Drawing her eyes away from the two testosterone-laden males, Rin caught Kaito's eyes and nodded. The Advisor raised his glass; a spoon tapping the side to bring everyone's attention.
"Good evening my fellow countrymen. It is of grave circumstances that we are gathered here today but you honour the Southern lands, the late Lord Adam Tsara and now the Princess Rin.
I am deeply honoured to announce the ascension of the princess as Lady of the South and her coronation to be held in six months' time. We would cordially invite all of you once again to Seurri to witness this ceremony and to extend a welcome to the young prince when his time arrives."
There were no gasps of surprise or warm wishes of congratulations. The Eastern wolf Youkais were nodding, their faces somewhat thrilled at the idea of birth. The Western Inuyoukais however were looking over at Rin with disdain.
"My Lord… and Lady, if I may speak?"
Rin looked up to the male Daiyoukai seated beside Sesshoumaru. Hair of pure white tied in a long tail at the top of his head, making his face appear larger and pointed.
"Yes Satoshi, cousin of mine you may," replied Sesshoumaru.
"My Lady, I wish you no disrespect," said Satoshi. "But it is undeniable whose scent that child bears. Does my Lord and Lady wishes for this han –I mean child to inherit both the Southern and Western thrones?"
Before Rin could answer, Sesshoumaru placed a hand over hers and shook his head.
"No. This child will inherit his mother's throne, even if he is a child of the West." Turning to Rin and the Council of Advisors, he lowered his gaze as a sign of respect. "I will ensure that the South receives all help and resources to rebuild this city worthy of its prince."
Though he didn't say it, there was little doubt on anyone's mind that the prince was his.
From the other side of the table, the Eastern Lord cleared his throat before beaming at her direction.
"As I my Lady. In exchange for the lands you have given to my kin. Anything you need is yours."
Rin smiled back. The night didn't turn out as bad as she thought.
/
6 months later
She felt like a hippopotamus. Everything had expanded – from the swells of her breasts to her hips and even the size of her feet.
Inuyasha and Kagome still told her she looked beautiful every morning when they administered her herbal drinks but Rin wouldn't believe him. She had looked at herself in the mirror each day and saw the darkness under her eyes; the way they stared coldly at her reflection. Blue lines had also started to appear everywhere especially down her neck and over her belly.
Rin felt drained and she knew why.
The child within her was restless, almost as if it was tired of being inside and her human body was doing all it could to go against the strong will of her son. How many times had she rolled over spitting blood when he went into one of his kicking moods? Or the breathlessness she felt at the start of every new moon when the child within her was no doubt in his true form.
"It's not long now Kenta…" she whispered, soothing a hand over her tummy. "I can't wait to see you too. But right now, your mother truly needs to sleep."
Perhaps it was the gentle sound of her voice or the desperation in her veins; the baby stilled. Rin smiled imagining the child curling into a ball at the small reprimand.
As her lashes slowly brushed her cheeks, Rin felt slumber taking over; her body relaxing as she felt the familiar warmth wrapping its arms around her, simply holding her as she slept. In her dreams she would sometimes see him but when she opened her eyes she was always alone –after all, the Lord of the West was miles and miles away.
Still, he had ensured that his presence was always felt. In the six months since she last saw him, Sesshoumaru had redrawn their physical boundaries; Eilean, and the surrounding villages had been given over to the South. Seeing that Eilean was his village, Titus had helmed the meeting last month; signing off the treaty alongside Miria and Kaito as Rin's representatives together with the Lord of the West. Her ankles had been too swollen to make the trip up north at that time.
Miria had reported that the Western Lord has requested for nothing in return but Rin knew the treaty was merely a legal cover. The forests south of Eilean was rich in resources and knowing her mate so intrinsically, it had been a gift from him for his son – a piece of the West for the prince who would never step into his father's position.
The gesture had left her broken-hearted, especially since Miria had also reported that his matrimonial band was still as silver as the day he first wore it.
With a heavy sigh, Rin turned her body to face the door, the knock coming a few seconds later.
"Come in," she replied, knowing there was no way she could force herself to sleep this early in the evening.
"How are you feeling sister?"
Ever since Sesshoumaru had imprinted on her baby, Inuyasha had been adamant to address her as such and for some reason, they had both been thrilled by it.
"He's been restless again."
Inuyasha nodded. "It is not long isn't it? Perhaps even, he might be born at the start of the full moon."
"Promise me you will not call him here." There was no need to get Sesshoumaru involved. After all, they had agreed that the child was hers.
Inuyasha merely pursed his lips. "A delivery of silk arrived earlier today."
Again? Did Sesshoumaru think she was going to run out of clothes to wear?
"He's courting you," said Inuyasha lazily.
Rin ignored what he was trying to say. Instead, she looked down at her guardian of sorts and smiled.
"Have you made a decision about what we discussed?" she asked.
"I have," he replied, stopping his massage to look up at her. "If the Lady of the South will have me, Kagome and I will stay here… and dote on our nephew."
/
The Lord of the West sat in his study thumbing the pages of the journal before him. Leather bound, the edges were reinforced by an uneven layer of gold foil and opened up to faded yellow pages made from coarse bark.
But the writing was as he remembered. This was his father's hand; a book of thoughts not written for some fancy library or literary value. Inu no Taisho had probably written these sitting in the same chair that his son was now in, contemplating the same thoughts and possible futures.
Keane had not disclosed where or how he had found the book but Sesshoumaru had made a good guess judging from the soil stains on the majordormo's robes. His father had likely instructed the loyal servant to bury it along with his mate's body.
Sesshoumaru raised his eyes to the sky in a silent thank you to Izayoi and a deep apology for disturbing her grave. He will see to it that her resting place be taken care of as worthy of her position as the mate of the Western Lord.
Satisfied with his decision, Sesshoumaru then looked down at the precious book in his hand and began to read.
The first few pages had been an incoherent ramble of a male fighting his desires to love a human while juggling his responsibilities as the Lord of the West. Sesshoumaru had noted the date it was written – some two hundred years after his birth. Around the time his father ascended the throne.
Fast forward a few years, the late Lord wrote his first poetry in the journal, dedicated to the woman who had stolen his heart and who didn't want his love. He had pursued her relentlessly but the young human would not allow him to leave his throne for her.
Sesshoumaru almost laughed out loud at the parallels. Turning the page, he continued to read, absorbing the despair that his father poured out; aware that this was the only outlet for the Lord of the West for Sesshoumaru's mother clearly did not dwell much with emotions.
Third day of the first month of Spring:
I had gone to see her again – at first watching from a distance as she tended to the blooms in her family garden then closer, coming out from behind the shadows.
She hated when I did that but it was the only way I could be close to her.
But today, she did not turn me away as she had all those other times. Today, she took me in her embrace and accepted my touch… right before she told me the truth.
She would be married to the Lord of the South at the end of the month.
Sesshoumaru re-read the passage again. Surely not. Did Adam somehow chose to confer is title to Rin as payback for losing his fiancée to his father? Shaking his head, he turned the page and read the next entry.
Fifth day of the first month of Spring:
I befriended him. Yes the human. I thought it was beneath me to seek out a human like that but I had to know. I had to. Who was this man who dared claim my mate? Well, she wasn't mine yet but she will be soon.
Elisa hadn't been thrilled about my many trips down South but she made no move to stop me. All she cared about was that our son would claim the throne someday. Of course he will. My son would be the wise and loving Lord as he is now. That smile, that kindness… I wonder sometimes if he had any of his mother's traits in him at all.
But I know he is lonely. I wonder what he would think of another brother or sister.
Sesshoumaru didn't remember a time when he was ever kind or loving. Had his hatred over his father's betrayal truly lock those emotions over the years?
Final day of the first month of Spring:
I kidnapped her today. On her wedding day.
I have no regrets.
Thirteenth day of the second month of Autumn:
I had knelt before her today, pressing my lips to our unborn child and named him. Izayoi had been shocked but she held me soon after and told me she loved me. But I had looked in her eyes and saw the tears in them.
She didn't want the child. Not as long as I am still the Lord of the West.
Twenty-second day of the first month of Winter:
I had convinced her to keep the baby. My son is strong in her but he has such a gentle heart. Perhaps the child too was desperate to be loved and wanted back. Never had he caused his mother any pain, not even once making her ill.
That day, I taught Izayoi how to reach down our mating bond to speak to him and she did; every day.
She had asked me about the child and how we planned to raise him. Her Southern lands would never accept a Hanyou child and to bring him back to the Western castle… well, Elisa might murder both of them at sight.
So I carved a small village near the coast just for her. A part of my lands given sovereignty. Over this land I am not a Lord and our son will grow up without the pretences of the court.
Fourteenth day of the first month of Spring:
I had convinced myself that my blood in her veins would have been enough to see her through a Youkai birth but her body had given up many times over the course of her long labour but I had to keep her alive. I could not live without her!
The mating bond was everything I had left and I held on to it for dear life… taking away as much of her pain as I could, channelling it so that I alone bore the wreck her body was taking. It went on for hours and hours…
I gave up something today; something I will never dare to admit to anyone –my immortality.
What good was this eternal life if she were no longer beside me? And so, I gave her two hundred years of my life in exchange for a finite lifetime. When her time comes, so will mine.
Fifteenth day of the first month of Spring:
I have never seen a Hanyou born looking like my son. All black hair and kind black eyes; his smile so coy and tender. He didn't cry nor did he cause any pain to his mother but his birth had not been easy.
A quick scent of him, I knew why. My son was born a human. Never before had it been recorded that a human carrying a Youkai child could give birth to a human one –how was that even possible? And yet, as I held him close, I knew it was not a lie. Neither was the human lying exhausted but alive next to him. Perhaps it was the trade I made for his mother's life or perhaps it was the channelling of her pain down the mating bond that did it. I would never know. But somehow, easing a human child into the world had allowed her to survive the birth.
Many Youkais mated humans because they were more fertile. Most didn't care if the mother survived.
And because of that, I was living on borrowed time. Izayoi's body, already distraught from the delivery would be put on more stress in the next months of nursing and caring for this young.
It was in that moment that I knew I would remain by her side for the remainder of our finite days.
Sesshoumaru closed the journal, not wanting to read the next entry. His eyes had not blinked a moment as he leafed through the pages. Though the hatred he had for his father, his mate and his half-brother still burned at the back of his heart, something else had ploughed through.
Understanding.
It wouldn't be long before Rin was due to deliver. Could he live with himself if she didn't make it?
Perhaps it was time to speak to Chiyoko and take up her offer after all. Sesshoumaru needed the laws to be changed if he was going to have a son and the Ancient might be the only one who could help him.
He just hoped it wouldn't be too late.
A/N: One more chapter to go! I'm going to try to do a long one for the final chapter so that will take me a while but I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I've been thrilled to receive your reviews and PMs so do know that they are pushing me to finish the story.