Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or Rin. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
A/N: This is a very short chapter because it was originally the beginning of the next chapter that will be coming along. I decided to go ahead and put this up since it is taking so long to write this chapter. So here you go!
Dancing In My Heart
Chapter 5: Joy and Bliss
The birds chirped their morning song from the branches above. The sun peaked through the leaves, making golden patterns on the lush, green ground. The light reflected in Rin's brown eyes as she stared with anticipation at Sesshomaru, waiting for him to speak.
They had just returned to Edo after Kohaku's wedding, and Sesshomaru had taken Rin back to the big tree in the woods where he first attempted to express his feelings to her. They were alone, and she was sitting on the same tree root. He stood beside her, gazing off into the distance. He was trying to recall exactly what he had wanted to say to her before they were so rudely interrupted by the armadillo that kidnapped their friends' children. He knew he would botch everything he said.
Only something concerning Rin could make him feel like this. Only Rin could make him feel nervous.
He decided to, first, address an issue that had previously bothered him. Without looking at her, he asked, "Rin, are there any young men in the village who wish to take you as theirs?"
"You mean somebody who wants to marry me? Not that I know of. If there are, they haven't come forward with it." Rin could not fathom why he would be asking her this.
"If there were, would you desire them as well?" He turned to look at her then, to catch her facial reaction as well as her verbal one.
Rin scoffed. "Lord Sesshomaru, there is no human man I would waste my time with. I like my friends, but I don't want to be stuck here in this human village for the rest of my life."
Her words gave him hope, but he countered, "Rin, you are human."
"I know!" She slapped her thigh in frustration. "But sometimes I wish I weren't. I don't belong with them!"
"Why is that, Rin?"
"It's…hard to explain. I just think humans are so measly and weak, so pathetic. I love Kaede, Inuyasha, Kagome, and the rest. But being here with them doesn't compare to being with you."
"Inuyasha is half demon."
Rin crossed her arms and said, "Not good enough. Sesshomaru-sama, is that what you were going to ask me before, if someone wants to marry me?"
She was very close, but that was not quite what he was going to ask. "Not exactly."
"Then, please, what was it? I can't stand waiting any longer!"
"Rin, you have known me since you were a child. My perception of you has changed, over time, from that little girl you used to be to what you have become now: a beautiful young woman."
Rin blushed and smiled broadly. "Go on," she said, squirming with excitement.
"And, as my perception of you changed, my love for you changed as well."
Rin drew in a long, deep breath and whispered, "And what kind of love is that?"
As was usual for Sesshomaru, he asked a different question instead of answering hers. "What I need to know is the type of love you hold for me. Do you see me as a father? A brother? Or can I be more to you?"
Rin needed no time to consider that question. "Although he may not still be alive, I see my father as my father. I see maybe Jaken or even Kohaku as my brother. But you, Lord Sesshomaru, I see as someone I love very much who doesn't fit into either of those categories. What do you mean by more?"
Relief washed over Sesshomaru, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he said, "That is the kind of love I have for you. You are not my child, nor are you my sibling. But you are very special to me, and I love you. I do want you to travel with me again."
"I love you so much, Lord Sesshomaru, and I have been waiting so long for you to want me to rejoin you."
"Then," he said as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Will you consider not only traveling with me, but traveling with me as my wife? Rin, will you marry me?"
Rin's jaw dropped. Her eyes opened wide. She sat, staring at him in this stunned state, for so long that Sesshomaru began to think asking her was a mistake. He could not determine if she was shocked because she was happy or because the idea of marrying him was grotesque to her. All he could do was return her stare, letting the anxiety grow as he waited for her response.
And then, very gradually, the look of surprise on Rin's face became an expression of the greatest joy Sesshomaru had ever witnessed. A genuine smile lit up her features. Her eyes were bright, filled with a radiance that seemed to dance. Her whole body appeared as though it would float away with the clouds. As he watched her happiness blossom, Sesshomaru involuntarily gave a tiny and satisfied smile.
She could not believe this was really happening. Her dreams were coming true! Rin sprang up and threw her arms around Sesshomaru's neck. He embraced her so that she would not be dangling from him. "Do you really mean it?" She asked with her face pressed into his shoulder. "Do you really want me to marry you, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Yes, Rin, I do," he whispered softly and hugged her tighter. "Would that please you? Do you wish to marry this Sesshomaru?"
"Oh yes, yes, yes!" She squealed with delight. "This is more than I ever thought possible!" She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "Sesshomaru-sama, don't you hate humans? Why are you willing to marry me? I am human."
"You have taught me that not all humans are to be hated. I still hate most, but not all. And, Rin, I simply love you too much to care anymore that you are human."
Rin smiled warmly. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, I am so happy."
Still embracing her, Sesshomaru pressed his back to the big tree and slid down until he was sitting on the ground with Rin in his lap. They gazed at each other adoringly. He was in awe of the abundance of love that was evident in her soft, brown eyes. Her face glowed with an angelic grace, and it felt so wonderful to hold her lovingly.
Rin took in every aspect of this gentle and intimate Sesshomaru. She had never seen such emotion in his golden eyes. They were on fire with passion and devotion, seeing only her. His hands had never been so tender as he held her. His ivory skin and snow-white hair were just as alluring to her now as they had been when she first met him.
She knew she could finally be intimate with him like she had always wished she could. Rin reached up and traced his sapphire crescent moon with her finger. The finger then trailed down between his eyes, around his nose, and to his lips. She paused there for a moment, looking at him with a sweet smile.
He reached up, gently grasped her wrist, and moved the hand away from his lips. As he did so, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. They both melted into their first kiss, enjoying and savoring every second of the pure bliss that it delivered.