The Guardian by Ichigo2491

Chapter 3

Oh my gosh, I only just realized I didn't put a disclaimer on this story yet. So here it is: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Savvy?

It was midwinter. The snow fell heavily on the ground, forming a blanket of white over the landscape. And indoors, Kohaku was struggling to think of new ways to insulate the dwelling to keep his wife from freezing to death. Cold winds whistled through the walls and left Rin shivering no matter how close Kohaku held her. And now her life was doubly precious to him.

"Where are you going, Kohaku?" Rin asked from the fireside, where she sewed on blankets, some of which were much smaller than the others. She looked slightly fearful, and made to set her work aside and join him, but Kohaku sensed the source of her anxiety and came to kneel on the floor beside her.

"Rin," he told her in a gentle voice, "you must know that I would never leave you. I would sooner die than leave you, especially now." He kissed her gently. "I'm only going to fetch some more wood from outside. The fire is dying, can't you see?"

She blinked in surprise. "Why, yes… I suppose I hadn't noticed." She went back to her knitting almost at once.

Rin was like that. Her mind tended to wander often as not, and it seemed she almost lived in some sort of daydream. Kohaku knew why, but he would never say so. With a sigh he patted his wife's hair and then left the hut.

As he stepped outside, Kohaku felt a chill that had nothing to do with the snow. Whirling around, drew the chain-sickle from his belt and faced the figure that walked across the snow without making a sound.

"What do you want?" Kohaku snarled, facing Sesshomaru. As usual, the latter had no expression whatsoever on his face, and did not seem in the least disconcerted by the weapon being pointed at his throat.

"This Sesshomaru came to inquire about your welfare," the demon said tonelessly. Kohaku hesitated, then sheathed his weapon.

"We are both doing quite well," Kohaku replied stiffly. "Rin is my wife and she is with child." His eyes flashed, daring Sesshomaru to make a single comment.

If Kohaku's words bothered him, Sesshomaru gave no sign. "It is well," he said. "But the air is chill and even from out here this one can see that your house is quite drafty."

Kohaku bristled with indignation. "Are you implying I'm not caring properly for her?" he demanded, his eyes bright with anger. "You, my lord, are one to talk."

Sesshomaru shrugged. "I did not come to trade barbs with you, fool. I was merely making an observation. You might want to look underneath your house."

"Underneath? Why?" Kohaku was suspicious.

Sesshomaru turned and faded into the snow.

Feeling a little spooked, Kohaku bent to peer under the hut, and to his surprise found a pile of warm, high-quality blankets there. He felt uncomfortable as he realized Sesshomaru must have been the one to leave them there. If the demon lord had been so anxious to rid himself of Rin, then why should he still be so concerned about her welfare?

When he came back inside, bearing the blankets and the firewood, Rin looked up, startled. "Kohaku, you worried me. You were gone so long I feared you might have frozen." She set aside her stitching and came to embrace him, and Kohaku warmed inwardly. Then Rin caught sight of his burden, which he had set by the door. "Where did those blankets come from?" she asked in confusion.

Kohaku cast about in his mind for a believable lie. He didn't want Rin knowing Sesshomaru had been here. The demon's name had not been mentioned once in this house, and Kohaku intended to keep it that way. It helped somewhat that Sesshomaru didn't seem to want Rin to know about his little visit either.

"I was given them by a merchant passing through the village," Kohaku fibbed. "On his way out he caught sight of me gathering wood and asked me if I would like to take some of his extra merchandise off his hands."

"How kind of him," Rin said softly, and then noting that her arms were still around Kohaku, she removed them and went to sit on the hearth while Kohaku frowned, and came to stoke the fire.

The winter seemed to pass more quickly after that, now that the nights were warmed by the new coverlets. Rin became more conscious of the child moving every day, and she felt rather excited at the thought that she was a mother. The fact that the father was not her first choice made little difference.

It would be a lie to say she had forgotten Sesshomaru. She thought of him every day, missed him painfully, and sometimes when her husband looked at her she lapsed into a daydream, imagining that Kohaku's warm brown eyes were the gleaming gold of Sesshomaru's. She tried to separate her thoughts of the two, but she couldn't. Though she was deeply fond of Kohaku and did not loathe his touch, it helped her some small bit to pretend that the hands that held her ended in clawed fingers, that the hair she ran her fingers through was long and white and silky.

But it eased her conscience not at all, for every time Kohaku took her in his arms she felt unfaithful to him, as though their marriage was nothing more than a lie. But it was not a lie! She knew she loved Kohaku, but in her heart she would always love Sesshomaru as well. And choosing between them in her mind seemed untenable.

And though she was a caring and dutiful wife, and never made mention of her former master's name, Rin knew that Kohaku knew the truth, at least a small part of it. The relationship between them was almost strained as Rin's pregnancy dragged on into spring, and soon, her small treachery was revealed to her husband in a more heartbreaking manner than she had ever intended.

The flowers that had sprung to life in the new season filled Rin with nostalgia for her happy childhood at Sesshomaru's side. She was more likely than ever to fall into reverie now, and Kohaku accepted this as a symptom of her being with child. He continued to be a splendid husband, and cared for Rin when she felt too tired or too ill to carry on.

In the early afternoon, Kohaku made a point to take time out of his work and spend it with his wife. On this day, he brought her to the field of wildflowers she had so admired on her arrival. She had been depressed when the flowers died in the winter, and he wanted to assure that they bloomed once more. Rin was delighted with the colorful blossoms, and Kohaku decided he wanted to kiss her. Their lips had barely touched when she whispered, her voice husky with passion, "my lord…"

Kohaku stiffened and drew back abruptly, startling Rin out of her reverie. "I knew it," he said dully, staring down at her guilty face. "I've suspected all along what was really going through your head when you came to my bed, and now I know."

Rin's eyes filled with tears. "Kohaku," she pleaded, "hear me out, I beg…"

Kohaku, his heart heavy, turned and walked back to house, leaving Rin to cry for the shattered illusion of domestic bliss.

Poor Rin, poor Kohaku... Chapter 4 coming ASAP!