The castle left to Sesshōmaru by his father was ordinarily a place of quiet and solitude as he only kept what servants were necessary to keep the place from falling into ruin. He came here only when there was business or correspondence to see to that he absolutely could not delegate to Jaken or some other servant. He had no use or desire to go to great expense or bother maintaining the appearance of power or splendor. He had no need of such trappings. He would leave the grandiose machinations of politics to his mother.

It was Jaken who had alerted him to the passage of time.

Sesshōmaru's meditations had been so deep and so all consuming that he had not noticed almost a full month had passed since he had last checked in on Rin. Although he knew Kaede's village was well protected under Inuyasha's guard, he made a point to always be close by during his human transformation.

"Lord Sesshōmaru! Please forgive your most humble servant for taking such a liberty as to disturb your repose! But what about Rin! May it please milord to spare his faithful vassal, but it is almost the new moon! Please do not forget that the halfbreed will be indisposed! We are always nearby during his time of unfortunate weakness…"

Sesshōmaru stopped listening. Forget? As if the girl ever strayed from his thoughts. Nevertheless, he was grateful to Jaken for his timely reminder. Time was a slippery thing that he had found bothersome in recent years.

Time seemed to now make itself known in most startling and disturbing ways.

Sesshōmaru prized loyalty more highly than any other trait in a servant, which was the main reason he tolerated his long time vassal. He would praise Jaken for rousing him for Rin's sake. He must have been terrified to do so, but his devotion to the girl overshadowed his fear, as was always the case. Jaken was still yammering, and likely would have continued interminably.

"…hope you will forgive me for speaking out of turn! I was only thinking of Rin and how much she must miss milord and I hope that this time—"

"Jaken."

"Y-yes milord?"

"You have done well. Wait here until I have need of you."

He didn't linger to witness the imp's irritating raptures over the rare compliment.

Sesshōmaru made haste to the region surrounding the village and fully intended to actually visit her this time, and not simply patrol the area. Though Jaken had been gibbering and groveling, Sesshōmaru did not miss the subtle censure in the imp's insistence that Rin 'missed' him. However, once he got there, he fell into his recent habit of watching her from afar.

The first day of his watch, he observed a young human male who had followed her around like a besotted pup as she went about her chores.

The young male was courteous and seemed to adore her. And why wouldn't he? Her countenance was fair and her figure was lissome. She spoke kindly to everyone. It was only natural that this human wanted her for his own. Sesshōmaru could think of no reason why she should not return the boy's affections…

Except for the base jealousy and possessiveness he felt at the idea of another man even touching her. He growled. Wasn't this what he had intended when he had deposited her into this village full of humans? For her to grow up normally among her own kind and for her to have a chance to choose for herself what kind of life she wanted, even if that meant she chose to stay here among these humans?

Wasn't it in her best interest to settle down safely and happily with that young man, or one like him?

Presently, Sesshōmaru watched the two women as they made their way back to the village after their target practice. He grunted in annoyance as he sensed the priestess's heightened awareness of his proximity. He didn't even try to hide it from Kagome, there was no fooling her. Thankfully, she did not give him away.

He was absurdly pleased that Rin had taken it upon herself to learn a weapon. Riveted, he had admired the graceful way the bow became an extension of her body.

How ever much he had tried to chase away fanciful imaginings of her, such efforts had become impossible. As a child, she had often vexed him with her incessant chatter and questions but the topics she asked about revealed a sharp mind. The girl's impenetrable optimism had intrigued him, as well as her simple joy in the mundane.

His eyes drank in the fetching picture she made in her simple homespun garment. His mouth went dry when he noticed that although she was dressed modestly and plainly, there was no hiding the pleasing swell of her hips and the smallness of her waist. Even dressed as a simple peasant girl, she was...so lovely.

He was captivated.

The angular awkwardness of childhood had given way to soft femininity. With all of the odd quirks she had possessed as a child, she had transformed into a sublimely alluring creature. As he watched her practice, her familiar scent finally reached him, the delicate taste of it mingling with sadness. He bared his teeth instinctively, frustrated. Why would she be sad? And why should he even now, with her so near, continue to simply watch her from the shadows like a great coward?

After his long meditation, his baser nature grew impatient with the methodical pace of his logical mind. Even so, Sesshōmaru once again fell into his thoughts.

In all his long life, he had not once felt compelled to attach himself to a female of his own kind. His mother was much aggrieved by this, but he could not stomach the idea of siring an heir upon a greedy grasping demoness who only allowed him to do so for the status and safety he could provide her. This had been the purpose of his own parents' relationship. Yes, there had been mutual respect and perhaps strong friendship between them, but no passion or love. His father and mother had had an amiable and harmonious union, but it had been strictly business.

They had been lucky. Many such partnerships between great demons were not at all friendly, some were even hostile. Goodwill was not necessary to secure a bloodline.

Sesshōmaru had no interest in such a cold, transactional arrangement.

Tōga's union with the human had been nothing of the sort. It had been fire, passion….and folly. There had been no deliberation over what she could offer him in return. In fact, the poor creature had been nothing but an encumbrance. She had been a princess of a noble house impoverished by war. When the great Dog General had claimed this unlucky human as a second wife, he had ultimately paid for it with his life. The entire enterprise had been nothing but disaster from beginning to end.

So why had Sesshōmaru spent so many countless hours ruminating over his father's doomed relationship with Inuyasha's mother?

What had the beautiful princess given his father? That was the question that had haunted Sesshōmaru in recent years. What could he have possibly gained by risking his very life, everything he had built over three millennia, for a being so powerless, whose life was so transient?

Eyes locked on the retreating figures of Rin and Kagome, Sesshōmaru could no longer escape the truth. Izayoi had not been powerless at all. Her power lay in her ability to reawaken joy and meaning within his father. She believed in him, loved him…with everything that she was. She had a will of iron and knew her own mind.

Izayoi had been good. And kind. And she had been unafraid. She had been bountiful in her love of his terrible and frightful father. These familiar reasons ticked off relentlessly as he always arrived at the same conclusion.

Resolved in his heart, if not within his mind, Sesshōmaru was tired of pondering his current situation. He knew he wanted Rin, yet he could not reconcile that desire with all of the unknown variables, chief among them being Rin herself.

What was the nature of her regard for him?

At their last meeting he had been about to tell her that he wished for her to rejoin him. But the words died on his lips. He knew she would immediately do so, but her nearness and sweet scent would be a torment and a temptation. What if he frightened her with his growing fascination with her? Or worse...repulsed her? Like a great fool, he'd left her standing there, and had not shown himself in all this time. He was still cursing his stupidity and cowardice.

So his problem remained unsolved. If she did wish to be with him, what would be her reasons? Did she still regard him as she had as a child, as simply her guardian and protector?

Or could he dare hope for more?