Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
A/N: I want to thank all my reviewers. It is truly wonderful to have such great feedback from all of you! And I apologize for the delay in getting this next chapter out.
Dancing In My Heart
Chapter 6: Take Care of Her
"So you finally asked her, huh? Sure took you long enough, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha nonchalantly taunted his older brother.
"You knew Lord Sesshomaru was going to ask me to marry him?" Rin asked innocently.
Sesshomaru was glaring at Kagome, eyebrows raised. "You told him?" he asked sharply.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "He's my husband, Sesshomaru; I tell him important things like this."
Naturally, after Rin accepted Sesshomaru's proposal, their next step was to happily announce their engagement to everyone. But most of them apparently already knew. Kagome had told Inuyasha, and she was unable to keep the secret from Sango, who then spilled the news to Miroku. Kaede and Shippo had not been told, but neither of them was surprised, given Sesshomaru's affection for Rin and her undying admiration for him.
"So you talked to Kagome about it, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked her beloved.
He gave a slight nod. "I accepted Kagome's assistance on this matter, yes."
Rin sprang forward and engulfed Kagome in a giant hug. "Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, he might never have done it!"
"Oh, really, I didn't do that much," Kagome said humbly.
Jaken sat at a distance, staring wide-eyed at his master. He never even mentioned it to me! Jaken's lower lip began to tremble, and tears flowed down his cheeks. Why, Lord Sesshomaru? Why would you consult Kagome about such important matters and not your faithful servant? His little display went unnoticed by the rest of the group.
Inuyasha and Kagome's children danced around chanting, "Rin is going to be our aunt!" Miroku and Sango's children joined in the fun singing even though they had no relation to Sesshomaru and Rin.
"I trust that you will take good care of Rin, Sesshomaru?" Kaede asked.
The daiyoukai puffed up his chest in indignation. "Have I not always taken good care of her?"
"Has she not fallen into grave danger while under your care?"
Sesshomaru cringed and thought, Why does she have to remind me of such things? In an icy tone, he replied, "Those times are over. Naraku is dead and no longer poses a threat to her. As for the hell hound, my mother knows better than to pull another stunt like that again. Rin is in as much danger here, with nothing but humans and a half-demon to protect her, as she would be with me. However, I am much better suited to protect her from harm."
Inuyasha shouted, "Hey! Just go ahead and insult everyone who is standing right here, you dumbass!"
"Inuyasha, hush!" Kagome reprimanded him. "This is between Sesshomaru and Kaede."
Inuyasha crossed his arms and mumbled, "He threw me into that speech, so doesn't that make it involve me too?"
Sesshomaru completely ignored his hanyou brother and waited for Kaede's response.
"You make good points, Sesshomaru, but as Inuyasha said, you didn't need to insult all of us to do it," the elderly priestess said calmly.
Sango glanced at Rin and noticed all of this negativity was dampening the girl's cheery mood. She decided to dissolve the heated conversation and stepped forward, loudly declaring, "Congratulations, Rin!" She gave Rin a hug and said, "I'm so happy for you."
Miroku took the cue and said, "Yes, we're all happy for you. When will the ceremony take place?"
"We haven't discussed the particulars yet, but I hope it will happen very soon!"
Sesshomaru's temper quickly faded and was replaced by a soft expression of adoration as he gazed upon his beloved Rin. Her smile was warm and genuine, and she absolutely glowed from happiness. She, Kagome, and Sango were already excitedly making plans for the wedding.
Kaede, who had already been looking at Sesshomaru, saw his transformation and secretly grinned.
Kagome said, "Sesshomaru, you mentioned your mother. Do you plan on telling her you're getting married?"
"We might visit her after the event, but certainly not before. I will not take the chance of her sabotaging it in any way."
Kagome nodded. "That's probably a good idea."
Rin's eyes widened, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. "Oh, no, I hope she doesn't get mad! I don't think she would want her son to marry a human. What if she doesn't like me?" Tears were beginning to glisten in Rin's eyes as the thought both frightened and saddened her.
"It is not her decision who I marry," Sesshomaru said sternly. "And if she does not like you, then she is very foolish, indeed."
"Well, I hope she does like me," Rin said quietly.
Suddenly, Kagome clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Ooh, we need to start making announcements! There are so many people we need to tell!"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"
Kagome started to name people, counting on her fingers as she did so, "All of the villagers, Kohaku, Totosai, Myoga, Jinenji, Koga…"
"Why does the mangy mutt have to know?"
"He's our friend!"
"He's not Sesshomaru's friend!"
"That's not the point!"
While the two of them bickered, Rin spoke to Sesshomaru, "I want to tell Kohaku! If I write a letter to him, will you send AhUn to deliver it to him?" Sesshomaru consented, and then he followed Rin as she hurried away to write a letter to Kohaku.
Rin's pencil could hardly move fast enough. She excitedly scrawled a message to Kohaku, informing him of the news and inviting him to her wedding. She stopped writing and glanced up at Sesshomaru. "When should I tell him the wedding will be, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"When would you like our wedding to take place, Rin?"
She considered the question for a moment. "Well, I want it to be soon. But, we have to give everyone time to get here."
"I think three days would be enough time."
"Really, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin was practically wriggling with enthusiasm. "We can get married that soon?"
"If that would please you. I desire to wed you as soon as possible."
Rin abandoned her letter and ran to Sesshomaru. She wrapped her arms around his muscular torso and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I love you so much, Sesshomaru-sama, and I can not wait to be your wife!"
Sesshomaru softly stroked the back of her head, then tilted it up so that she was looking into his passion filled, golden eyes. "My wife," he whispered in a deep, sensuous voice. A little smile played across his lips. "And I will be your husband," he said in the same loving tone.
He slowly leaned forward, keeping eye contact, until his forehead was pressed against hers. Rin then placed a gentle hand on each of his cheeks, and closing her eyes, gave a contented sigh. When she opened her eyes, she gave her darling a beautiful smile before placing her lips on his.
Sesshomaru ran his fingers through her hair and his hands down her back as he returned the kiss. With one hand, Rin used her fingers to trace his pointed ear. The other hand was lost in his silky white hair. They melted in each other's embrace. Neither wanted this moment, or this kiss, to come to an end.
SSSSS
Soon, the village was buzzing with the gossip about Rin's upcoming wedding. The villagers had all seen Lord Sesshomaru at some point or another. They were used to his frequent visits. After a few years, they had learned not to fear the formidable daiyoukai. Although everyone knew he was very partial to Rin, they were still surprised that his love for her was strong enough for him to express a desire to marry a human.
Kagome had helped Rin make several copies of her letter. She then instructed Sesshomaru to send AhUn on a delivery trip to everyone on her guest list. Rin, Kagome, and Sango had been hard at work decorating for the wedding. They gathered every type of flower they could find and put them in painted pottery, strung them over the area where the guests would be seated, and scattered petals everywhere. Upon Rin's request, Kaede agreed to perform the ceremony.
On the evening before the wedding day, AhUn returned, followed by a group of their friends. Totosai, with Myoga perched on his shoulder and riding Momo as usual, landed right after AhUn.
"Ah, Sesshomaru, I always thought you were too coldhearted and brutal for a girl to ever want to marry you," he said in his shaky, strained voice.
Lord Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the old sword smith.
"Gah!" Totosai nearly fell over backward off of his cow. "I was just teasing, Sesshomaru! No need to get testy."
Next, Koga, Ayame, and other members from their wolf demon tribe arrived. Ayame immediately gave Rin a hug, and Koga shook hands with Sesshomaru.
Last were Jinenji and his mother. Both greeted everyone happily.
"Thank you all so much for coming!" Rin declared. Then she scanned the group. "But where's Kohaku?"
AhUn approached her and turned sideways, exposing the bags tied to his back. Rin reached inside and found a note. After reading she said, "Kohaku and his new wife send their congratulations, but they won't be able to come because they're still on their honeymoon. Oh, that's a shame. I was really hoping they would be able to come. But at least we got to go to their wedding!"
Late that night, Sesshomaru stood outside under the moonlight. He was listening to Kagome and Rin giggling from inside Kaede's hut. They were all too excited to sleep. Rin had donned her wedding dress and was twirling around. Sesshomaru could hear the rustle of the soft silk as she moved, and he closed his eyes, trying to imagine her dancing in that dress.
"Too much silliness going on in there for you, Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru had heard and smelled his brother approaching, but he had not expected the hanyou to interrupt his musings. He opened his eyes and gave a sideways glance at Inuyasha. "Did you come over here to join them?" He asked sarcastically.
"I came to see if my wife was still over here. They couldn't do this mess at our house 'cause they'd keep the kids up."
Inuyasha leaned against the hut and looked up at the bright stars. Neither of them said anything for a while. Crickets chirped, the grass rustled with the gentle breeze, and the girls continued their joviality. Even Kaede's cheerful voice could be heard from time to time.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, breaking the silence between the two of them, "no fighting with the wolf at my wedding."
Inuyasha put up his hands, palms outward. "Hey, I won't start anything if he doesn't start anything."
SSSSS
Neither Sesshomaru nor Rin would have noticed if there were no guests present at all. They only saw each other. Everything Kaede said was barely heard by the two lovers. Rin felt like she was in a dream. She just could not believe this was happening. She was marrying Lord Sesshomaru! After all those years of idolizing him, admiring him, following him, and thinking she would never be good enough for him, he had finally chosen her as a wife.
Sesshomaru gazed at Rin. Her soft, small hands were held by his large ones. He was wondering why such a sweet, beautiful, innocent girl like Rin would want to spend the rest of her life with a fearsome, cold, temperamental daiyoukai. But, without a doubt, he knew how much she loved him. And he also knew how much he loved her.
The guests were seated quietly a little behind the bride and groom. Some of the villagers had come to attend the wedding. Everyone was admiring the decorations, the thoughtful words Kaede said about love and marriage, and the how much the couple made it evident that they were in love. But most of all, they admired how phenomenal Rin looked in her wedding dress. It was a flowing white silk, a shade that matched Sesshomaru's fur. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant style. She was radiating beauty, and her eyes sparkled spectacularly.
Kagome was holding back joyful tears. She was enjoying every moment of watching the marriage of Rin and Sesshomaru. More than once, she and Ayame had to prevent Inuyasha and Koga from throwing insults at each other during the ceremony.
Miroku sat with his arms around Sango. They were both smiling contentedly and reminiscing about the day that they got married. They looked at each other knowingly, and Miroku gave Sango's hand a little squeeze.
SSSSS
After the wedding and celebration came to a close, and the guests had bid the happy couple more congratulations before departing, it was time for Rin to gather her belongings. She had already packed most of what she owned, but there were still a few things left, and Kagome helped Rin pack her nice wedding garments.
On the way to Sesshomaru's palace, he and Rin were going to visit his mother and announce their marriage to her. Rin was nervous about this, and she could not help but express it to Kagome. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha heard bits of the conversation as they went back and forth between the hut and AhUn, loading up Rin's items.
"It will be fine. Don't you worry at all, Rin. You know Sesshomaru will take care of you, and he definitely would not have a problem never seeing his mother again if she gives you any trouble."
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had finished loading the luggage and were standing outside of the hut, neither of them displaying any scruples about eavesdropping. They listened as they waited for Rin to be ready to leave.
"But I really want her to like me," Rin continued. "She's my mother-in-law now, and I want her approval."
"You don't know how she's going to react to the news, so there's no point in worrying about it until you see her and find out."
"You're right, Kagome. I'll try to stop worrying about it."
This is something I will have to put her at ease about before we reach my mother's palace, Sesshomaru thought.
"There's something else I'm worried about too." Rin's voice had become more anxious and carried a trace of sadness.
"What is it, Rin?" Kagome asked with concern.
"Well, I'm married to Lord Sesshomaru now. So that means I'm very likely to become pregnant."
"Are you scared about being a mother?"
"Oh, no! I want to have children of my own. I want to be a mother. I really do."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Lord Sesshomaru hates anything hanyou. If I have babies with him, they'll be hanyou. Will he hate his own children?" At this point, Rin was starting to cry. "What will I do if Sesshomaru-sama hates his children…my children?"
From outside, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha could hear Kagome gently comforting Rin and murmuring words of consolation. She was trying to assure Rin that Sesshomaru would not feel that way about his children, but Rin still sobbed for many more minutes.
She should have thought about that before she married him, Inuyasha thought. He watched his brother's facial expression change from stiffness, to anger, to what could be classified as sorrow. Now, Sesshomaru had an unreadable expression, with his eyebrows drawn together. Inuyasha wondered what his brother was thinking about Rin's declaration. He did not dare speak to Sesshomaru.
The daiyoukai was rather displeased at the moment. It is my fault that Rin is so sad. That thought kept running through his mind over and over again. He wanted to be the one who would always protect her, take care of her, and keep her happy. Now he was causing her anxiety and grief. What bothered him most was that he could not answer Rin's question because he had already asked it of himself. How would he feel about his hanyou children?