Hey there all of you. Just so you guys know, reviews are like crack. The more you review, the faster I publish! Also, to clear up some confusion, the first Rin is supposed to be the Rin from the manga/anime but after the story arch finished. Furthermore, I would like to apologize for any typos or grammatical errors there may be. I do proofread but I am only human and thus fallible. Anyways, enjoy :]

"My Lord, you've been looking out that window for far too long. Perhaps it's time to survey what's inside?" Rin chided playfully as she sat up in bed.

Her Lord made a low grunting noise in response. To anyone else would have seemed dismissive but Rin knew it was him suppressing a laugh. "What is there to look upon in here, mistress?" Sesshomaru asked without turning to his wife.

"If you'd only turn about you would see." Rin replied coyly knowing that he couldn't resist..

The Lord of the West spun around to see his wife completely naked in their bed. Her belly, swollen with child, was covered by a thin sheet that hung over her form leaving nothing to the imagination.

Again Sesshomaru grunted, this time not with mirth but with need.

"Wife, do you know what you do?" Sesshomaru asked as he adjusted the sash around his waist.

"Indeed, my Lord. Your pup has been keeping me from what I desire." Her eyes danced as she spoke and she pushed the sheet down until her breasts and half of her stomach were exposed.

Sesshomaru looked intently at his wife, gauging her seriousness before responding, "I did not want to make you feel unease."

"My Lord, my love, I am dying for you to touch me before you leave for weeks on end." She lifted the sheet up, exposing herself entirely to his heated gaze.

Sesshomaru whimpered softly, a sound only Rin's ears had ever been graced by. It was his demon side begging to come out, wanting to claim his wife and make her his mate. But the process was a brutal one and Sesshomaru had already decided to wait until after their child had been born… their child.

"It is always 'as I wish', My Lord?"

Sesshomaru couldn't help but smile softly and nod in consent. "I don't think my generals will have a problem waiting for me. What do you think?" He asked as he climbed over Rin to lay down beside her. His hand made lazy circles on her skin as he gently caressed up her side.

"No. No, I don't think they will mind at all…"

"Do you understand what I am telling you, Sesshomaru? Do you understand why this is an impossible mission that you have set yourself on? Are you comatose?" Yomi waved a hand back and forth in from of Sesshomaru's face only to snatch it back as Sesshomaru snarled in response, his lip rising to expose a rather sharp looking canine.

"Kuraokami. The Dark Rain Dragon?" Though his mind was reeling, Sesshomaru's voice was steady as he repeated the name Yomi said moments before.

"Yes."

"The deity of rain and snow." Sesshomaru said more to himself than to Yomi.

"Yes. I understand this is hard to grasp. But how do you think your kind came into being? There were others that came first."

Sesshomaru looked hard at the man across from him, trying to piece it all together. Over the past hour this maniac had spouted all sorts of nonsense about the Kami, the Gods of Japan. But the more Yomi said, the more it made sense. And the more it made sense, the more suspicious Sesshomaru became of Yomi. There was something he was missing. The power Yomi had displayed and his in depth knowledge of the Kami meant that he had to be some sort of deity. Yomi…. Yomi…

"Yomi!" Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in realization. "Tsukuyomi."

Yomi smiled widely as he threw his head back laughing. "By the Great Ones, I was starting to think you were thick. Tis I, the Moon King in all my glory. Did you like the trick earlier, with the white eyes?" Yomi chuckled to himself, "The moon can mess with gravity and I the keeper of the moon more so. It all makes sense now, doesn't it?"

In actuality, it didn't. None of this may any sense. This couldn't be happening. Sesshomaru couldn't be sitting across from one of the creators of the world. Though as Sesshomaru's mind worked through it, it certainly explained the powerful aura and lack of any discernable scent. The Kami were great beings but not of this world.

"I can see this has got your head in knots, boy. I suppose I really should've given you the whole backstory first. Let me try one more time with all the information now that you've figured that last bit out. Perhaps, I should have been straight with you from the start but if you couldn't ever figure out who I was then you're hardly worthy, right?" Yomi asked rhetorically before sitting back in his chair. His tone became more serious as he explained the truth of his origins. "I am Tsukuyomi, the Moon God. My sister, Amaterasu the Sun Goddess, and my brother the Tempest God Susanoo, are the children of the one of the great world makers, Izanagi. But we are not the first and only. Before us came Kagu-tsuchi, a deity of fire who burned up his mother, the wife and sister of our Great Father. I know, incest, what were they thinking." Yomi paused for comic affect but then quickly realized he was not with the right audience and continued onwards.

"Father killed Kagu-tsuchi in a blind rage and from his blood eight great beings sprang life. These beings were born out of pain and despair and over the years they only became more and more corrupt." Yomi abruptly stopped- suddenly remembering the younger Tashio brother- and looked around Sesshomaru at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stared off into space, still caught in a trance. Satisfied that the pup was still daydreaming, Yomi returned his attention to the disturbingly still demon before him. To say that the Lord of the West was rigid would have been an understatement. Yomi knew it was all a bit of a shock but he had expected this part of the meeting to go a heck of a lot better than it currently was.

Sesshomaru's burning gaze brought Yomi back from his internal dialogue and made it clear that Sesshomaru's patience was quickly waning. "To skip past a lot of boring details, Kuraokami, is one of these beings. He is also the one you seek. Over the years the Rain Dragon has taken a liking to young beautiful women, particularly those who are off limits. While I cannot say with absolute certainty it was him; I am fairly confident in my belief. He does not just take what doesn't belong to him - he tortures his victims." Yomi looked away, his gaze focused on something beyond the walls of the room. "No, not just his victims. He leaves them in hideous ways for their loved ones to find so that they too can be in agony. He is what he was made to be, vengeance and agony. He wants to make the world suffer as his maker did. Do you understand now, Western Lord? He is a god and you are an ant to him. He probably wouldn't even recall your wife from the many he has slaughtered"

This seemed to jolt Sesshomaru out of his catatonic state. He stood and buttoned his suit jacket. His face fell back into a smooth mask, his body language gave away nothing of the fire rolling beneath his flesh. "He left quite a message for one who would so easily forget."

"Your burned estate? A simple 'look and see that you are nothing and I am everything' was all that was. It wasn't personal on his part. He showed he could have everything that was yours and then he took it all away. You weren't the first nor the last I am afraid, My Lord."

Dissatisfied with the God's response, Sesshomaru eyed Yomi with steely contempt. "I am the Lord of the West as you have correctly observed. I am to be feared and respected. I am Taiyoukai. I will not submit anyone, even a god. The Dragon of the Eight Volcanic Beings will pay."

Yomi smirked at this and nodded his head in affirmation. "Well, well My Lord. Your brother will come back from his musings soon enough. Understand that I will not help you with this. I only came to provide you with the knowledge you wanted. The battle is yours." Yomi rose from his chair and waved his hand in the space between them. The room began to spin and gradually the walls fell away until they were back on to the street outside café where Sesshomaru had met the God only hours earlier.

Before Sesshomaru could get his bearings, Yomi waved goodbye and began to melt away, but not before calling out "Oh, and do tell your wind demon to stop stalking me. I am getting rather tired of the gusts!"

When the Moon God was completely gone, Sesshomaru looked down at his brother, now kneeling on the sidewalk and sighed softly. For the nth time Sesshomaru was forced to admit that none of this made any sense. Kagura had given him the impression that this would lead him right to the killer. Instead, Sesshomaru was left with riddles and tales of God's long gone. He had, in a sense, agreed to give her what she wanted and yet he was no closer to his own goal.

"Jeez! My back is killing me! How the hell did we end up back here?"

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and looked down at his brother, now rising from the sidewalk with all the speed of a sloth.

"Seriously. I don't get it. Well, whatever." Inuyasha shrugged and brushed off his shirt. "Did you get what you came for?"

Sesshomaru didn't even bother to hide his annoyance as he turned away from his brother and stalked back to their limousine, which was still parked and waiting for them. "Indeed," he called over his shoulder, "I go to kill a God."

General Akane, looked behind her at the soldiers loitering around on the field. They had been ready and in formation when called upon but after having waited for almost an hour, their lines had slowly dissolved into a mass not fit for their ranking or the eyes of their leader.

She grimaced at the sight as a strand of her dark red hair slipped from its tight braid and moved across her face.

Akane tucked it back behind her ear and turned her dark blue eyes to her fellow riding companion, her First lieutenant, Jun.

"Jun, get the men back in line."

"They'll get fall out of formation again, General."

"He'll be out soon."

"Oh?" The lieutenant smirked as he nodded in the direction of the castle.

"Don't. Just don't." Akane sighed as her mare tossed its mane and continued to eat the lawn.

"But, he's at least an hour late and he was-"

"Careful, Jun. He will cut out your tongue if he hears you."

"You don't mean that," Jun laughed nervously, "or maybe you do…"

"Shut up." She snapped as she squared her shoulders. "He is here."

Jun sat up straight in his saddle and looked towards the gate where the Lord of the West was exiting the keep. The taiyoukai mounted his horse a few paces away and rode up until his steed was nose-to-nose with the General's.

"General Akane. I require you to stay behind."

"My Lord," Akane inclined her head in respect and acknowledgment though she was confused by his command. But, as luck would have it, the Lord was in a giving mood and clarified his statement.

"Lady Rin requires close guard while I am away. Out of the generals available, she chose you. You will accompany her anywhere she may go and keep her safe."

"Of course, Sire." Akane pulled her horse up and bowed low as she moved to the side.

Lord Sesshomaru turned away from her to address his soldiers. "General Hiroto will be the second in command. We ride first to the Southern Wall." Though he did not shout, his voice carried across the group.

All the men shifted back into line behind Sesshomaru as General Hiroto rode up to stand beside him. Akane watched as they moved through the front gates in a triple column formation and out into the Western Lands.

When all were gone, she turned her horse back to the palace stables and sighed heavily. Though she had no qualms with the Lady Rin, she would have preferred to be out of the keep. But, she was in no position to argue with Lord Sesshomaru's requests. Hopefully he wouldn't be gone any longer than necessary – especially with his pup so close to being born.

This must been hell. It looked an awful lot like her bathroom as seen from the floor's perspective. But no, this was definitely hell.

Pushing herself upright, Rin grabbed hold of the sink and managed to heave herself up and onto her feet but not without sending a pounding shockwave up into her temples.

"Oh god," Rin clutched the sink's edge as she looked into the mirror. What looked back at her reminded him of a combination of the Grim Reaper and an emaciated bush baby.

After splashing cold water on her face and managing to get a brush through her matted hair, Rin stumbled into her bedroom to find something to wear. She knew she should be putting more effort into looking nice today; in theory her boss was supposed to be back in the office this afternoon. But, for the life of her, she couldn't find the energy to care. And so she found herself out the door and on her way to work with no makeup on and wearing an oversized Christmas sweater.

When she arrived at work, Rin was surprised to find that everything had been put away. Over the week Mr. Tashio had gone, Rin had created a system with the files that, although messy, made it easier for her to find everything. Yet, it was very evident that someone had put everything away and moved things around – even her phone was in a different place.

Shucking off her jacket, Rin walked into Mr. Tashio's office and was greeted by her stoically handsome boss.

"You've finally shown up."

Rin glared but managed to contain the snarky remark threatening to break free past her gritted teeth. "Good morning, Mr. Tashio. Did you have a pleasant flight back?"

"If it becomes of any concern of yours, I will let you know."

What was his problem? He was being even more of an ass than before he'd left! Deciding it was probably best to ignore it and ignore him as much as possible today, Rin asked "Is there anything I can get you before I leave to take care of the Bensho case?"

Mr. Tashio looked up at her with a bland expression. "Leave?"

"Yes, Mr. Tashio. I need to get quite a few signatures and you expressed that the utmost concern be taken, so I will be doing it myself, which will keep me out of the office for the next few hours." She hoped her thinly veiled condescension was evident.

"I see…"

"I'll be back by two then. Good day, Mr. Tashio," Rin said coolly as she shut the door. Yes, it would be easy to keep her distance. Lord knows what she had been thinking before when she had found him alluring. Sure, he was attractive and that ice wall of his just begged to be cracked but…

Rin sighed, disgusted with herself and got to work. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day… and she wasn't wrong.

The time out of the office had done nothing to thaw Mr. Tashio. When Rin got back, he had hounded her nonstop over the smallest of things. He called her into his office to critique or complain about everything she did, saying she had grown lax while he had been away.

All in all, he was being a menace and driving her crazy. By the time Rin's day was over, she couldn't wait to get out of there and away from his condensation and invasiveness. As the day had dragged on, his snide remarks had turned into personal jabs and Rin had become uncomfortable to the point where she wanted to pull out her hair and cry. He'd say things like "Did you not have anything more appropriate to wear today?", "Is your wardrobe only filled with kitchen items", an obvious dig at her festive sweater, and "Do I not pay you enough to buy better personal hygiene products?", probably due to her lack of cosmetics. God, the nerve of him to talk to her like that!

Rin needed something good. If she stayed in the office any longer she would probably end up killing her boss. Last week had been so quiet and nice… Rin pulled out her phone and scrolled down until her found the newest entry, Kagome.

Hey Kagome. It's Rin. Do you want to get dinner now? You mentioned you get off around 7 usually and I just got out of work so let me know! Rin smiled as she sent the text and went to retrieve her coat. When she got back to her desk, she phone buzzed with a new message.

Sure! Sounds great. I'll be there in 20 min tops! Rin could practically hear Kagome's chipperness through the text.

As Rin tucked her phone away the elevator bell chimed, startling her. She quickly went out to see who it was with her coat only half on. To her surprise, the younger of the Tashio brothers stepped out and smiled in greeting, his hand raised in a wave.

"Inuyasha," Rin gave him a small smile. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about seeing him. "I was just about to head out but what can I do for you this evening?" Rin pushed her arm through the other sleeve and buttoned up her coat as she went back into the office to get her purse.

Inuyasha followed her as he spoke, "I was hopin' to make up for messing up your dinner last week by taking you to get some now. No funny business. Just two friends eating pizza, or burgers, or whatever ya wanna stuff your face with."

Rin mulled it over for a moment before agreeing. "Sure, just as long as you don't mind me having a friend come along. I already told her we'd eat."

"Oh, uh yea. That's cool." Inuyasha said with a shrug as they got onto the elevator and headed towards the lobby.

"Oh, I guess she is already here." Rin unlocked her phone to read the text messaged she'd received.

"Who?"

"Kagome. She works at the coffee shop across the street."

Before Inuyasha could reply, the elevator doors opened and Rin skipped out to meet her friend.

"Kagome! Hey there, nice to see you."

"Sorry for coming early. I couldn't wait to steal you away to…" her voice drifted off as she made eye contact with Inuyasha who had hung back presumably to give them privacy.

"Oh my god."

"Hmmm?" Rin looked over her shoulder to see what her friend was ogling at. "Oh, that's just Inuyasha."

"You know him!?" Kagome gripped Rin's arm tightly as her face morphed between excitement and nausea. "Oh my god. Rin, he is the guy I was talking about!" Kagome whispered harshly, "The burning man!"

Now it was Rin's turn to look shocked. She spun her friend around so that Kagome's back was to Inuyasha, who looked like he was getting more uncomfortable by the second. He must've known all the girly squealing was about him.

"Seriously?" At her friend's nod of affirmation, Rin's lips cracked into an evil smile. Before Kagome could stop her, Rin bellowed, "Inuyasha please come here and meet my friend!"

Upon being summoned Inuyasha slowly made his way over, eyes downcast.

"Inuyasha this is Kagome. Kagome, Inuyasha." Rin introduced them as she made an exaggerated display of checking her purse for something. "Oh my, would you look at that. I left my….thingy upstairs. I'll meet you both at the restaurant, okay? Just text me the details." Rin walked backwards toward the elevator as she spoke, though she got the feeling her words were falling on deaf ears. By the time she was in the elevator, Kagome and Inuyasha had made eye contact and were staring at each other with heated intensity; it was kind of cute and really creepy.

As the elevator doors closed, Rin lost sight of the odd couple, which was probably for the best. Hopefully they would actually speak to each other rather than maintaining a disturbing amount of eye contact. Granted, Rin didn't know either of them that well but, from her time with each she thought they suited one another.

Rin arrived back at Mr. Tashio's office and figured she should wait at least 10 minutes before going back down. She shrugged off her coat and threw it and her purse onto her chair. There was a stack of file folders on her desk that needed to be put away; now seemed as good a time as any. She picked them up only to haphazardly drop the stack back onto the table as Mr. Tashio appeared out of nowhere.

"Ms. Sato, you've returned." His voice was like silk but Rin had no trouble ignoring his charms at the present moment. Her distaste for him overpowered everything else.

"Only for a minute. I didn't want to leave these out." Rin replied tersely. She wasn't in the mood for his abrasive attitude right now. Honestly, in the past day he had spoken to her more than he had in the entirety of her employment as his assistant and yet none of it had been the least bit welcome. Where did he get off on being so damn difficult?!

"Hn," was the only indication he gave that he was listening.

Rin began sorting her folders without turning around the look at her boss, "I'm almost done here. So if there's nothing else-"

Mr. Tashio surprised Rin by cutting her off midsentence. "Have you been engaging in illicit activities in or outside of the work place?"

Rin's eyes went wide at the question and she opened and closed her mouth in a fish-like fashion. He seriously had no sense of personal boundaries! Rin reached up and tugged on the collar of her shirt while mumbling "I am not sure what you mean, sir."

"Have you been engaging in sexual activities or getting drunk or using drugs recreationally?"

Finally, her worn thin, Rin snapped. "Mr. Tashio, it is inappropriate to ask me that. What I do on my own time is none of your business." She spun around to face him and crossed her arms over her chest in frustration; her lips were pursed and her eyes narrowed.

"I am entitled to ask you whatever I deem appropriate," he retorted as he took a step towards her.

Rin shifted back around to sort out her scattered files and huffed at the indigence of the whole situation. How dare he think he had the right to keep asking about her personal life! If it wasn't interfering with work then it was none of his concern!

"If you don't mind Mr. Tashio, I'll-" Rin turned around again to find Mr. Tashio much closer than he had been a moment before. She felt her brain short circuit at their close proximity. It was impossible to ignore the feelings he gave her – energy poured through his body and into hers sending electric current through every nerve.

He had made a pact himself to keep away from Rin; he couldn't let her get any ideas. Sesshomaru has been doing everything in his power since he had arrived back to annoy and disgust her. Asking her about her personal life seemed to have worked best, but his planned backfired. Somehow he had ended up here, where he was not only right on top of her, but she was also starting to give off a scent of arousal. He hadn't meant to get so close but found himself cornering her against her desk with less than a foot of space between them. Sesshomaru watched his assistant intently as she reached up presumably with the intention of pushing him away; her mind was obviously reeling from their closeness.

"You can't just do whatever you want!" Her hands seemed to have gotten confused in their mission to push him back and ended up clutching the front of his button down.

"Ms. Sato. You seem to be confused." Sesshomaru said as he looked pointedly down at her fingers that were curled into his shirt.
"I," Rin swallowed hard as if trying to push down a lump in her throat. She swayed and bit her lip, moving closer to him.

Sesshomaru managed to remain still as he watched their connection overtake Rin. Her eyes closed and she leaned in enough so that her cheek pressed against his chest. Her hands continued to hold onto his shirt for dear life, no doubt wrinkling the fabric.

He was almost afraid to move, afraid to touch her and break the spell. His hand on her desk slowly moved up and ghosted along her side until it was millimeters from touching her hair as it fell over her shoulder. He breathed shallowly so as not to disturb her but couldn't control the shiver that went up his spine as she nuzzled him, pressing her nose into him.

A low growl rumbled through his chest but she did not move back or break from her trance. Rather, Rin's hands slid down to his stomach and tugged hard enough to pull his shirt free from his trousers. Sesshomaru cursed under his breath and finally let his hands rest on her shoulders, pressing her body into his.

He could feel the weight of her breasts against his abdominal muscles and wished, not for the first time, that there was nothing separating their skin. Rin whimpered softly against him and despite how good it felt, Sesshomaru was forced to acknowledge that he had let it get too far. The urge to take her right there on the desk was hard to ignore but he had to nonetheless.

Gently pushing her back, Sesshomaru bent down so that his face was close enough to her to look into her eyes.

"Rin, it's okay. You're okay. Come back to me." He knew she wouldn't remember his kindness and that it was for the best but there was no denying it felt good to be sincere in his affection.

Rin's dazed expression began to clear as her eyes focused on his face. Her grip on him slackened as she peered into his eyes with a mix of confusion and wonder.

Sesshomaru was about to tell her that she should get back to work. He was about to act like it never happened. But Rin stopped all his plans in their tracks when she did something he couldn't have predicted. Rin, his Rin, his eleventh Rin, leaned forward and kissed him.

It was bliss. Her lips were soft and warm. Her tongue darted out and just barely slid across his lower lip sending a tidal wave of pleasure through him. Sesshomaru reached forward to pull her against him again when his vision narrowed in to a pin point and he was sucked backwards into a memory, his own memory. He was no longer in touch with the present but had little doubt that Rin was here with him as well. If he could have, Sesshomaru would have chosen any other moment in his lifetime to show her for the moment they shared was the beginning of the end.

An enormous weight lifted from Sesshomaru's shoulders as he entered the private wing of his castle. After having spent weeks away on a grueling mission to inspect all of his lands, he longed for the comfort that only his wife's embrace could provide. Even though she was heavy with the weight of bearing their first child, he could not resist touching her, however inappropriate it may be.

The Great Lord of the West allowed himself a small, private smile at the thought of his precious Rin carrying their creation. Though a half-breed child would always hold some distaste for him, he could not imagine having a child with another at this point. Anything that was a part of Rin was something worth cherishing.

Sesshomaru flung open the doors to Rin's central chamber, ready to greet his most treasured love… and found the room empty.

She wasn't there. It made no sense. How could she not be there? Maybe she had gone to the gardens even though it was so late.

Sesshomaru breathed in deeply; her scent was still fresh in the air but it was soured with the stench of sweat and fear.

"Guards!"

Almost immediately, the three demons that had been posted at the outer doors of his wife's rooms appeared in the doorway with General Akane close behind. They stood at attention while Akane stepped forward and joined Sesshomaru in his wife's chamber.

"My Lord, it smells of-"

Sesshomaru snarled at his general as he rounded on her. She stood her ground but looked to the side, showing her submission to his will. "Was it not your only duty to protect my wife while I was away? She trusts you. She confides in you if only for the fact you have female genitals! I allow this because it pleases her. But if you are incapable of even this-" Sesshomaru stopped himself from continuing. He did not want to kill one of his best generals… yet.

He stalked over to the bed sheets and held them to his nose for confirmation of his suspicions. "She was here less than an hour ago. Find her! And bring me the head of whoever is responsible for this!"

Don't forget to review. Please, oh please! :]