And the last update for my InuYasha fans... whew... hope you like it ^^

Laughter escaped the young woman's lips as she happily waved back to her child, her little boy running around with the other children, laughing and giggling as he slid down the slide or ran around the bridges and ladders, his arms outstretched as though he were ready to take flight, a thought that caused Rin's emotions to stir in her chest. It wasn't as though she wanted her son grounded for all eternity, she only wanted the best for him yet at the same time, Sesshomaru had left such a gaping hole in her heart that she worried her son would leave her too, leaving her to worry further that she was smothering her son.

"Mommy!"

Dark hair lifted up from looking at the ground to look up to her son, the boy's bright amber eyes watching her.

"What is it sweetie?" Rin asked softly, her lips curling into another smile though her son was not fooled.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked softly, his ears drooping slightly at the thought of his mother saddened.

"Nothing honey," the young woman murmured, "it's just…" she bit her lip, "do you think… I'm overprotective of you?"

"Uh-Uh," Akihiko shook his head, "you let me play with the other kids and when I get a scrape you don't get really scared and you let Miss Kagome take me places… why?"

"Being a mommy is really hard," Rin told him softly, "I'm just worried… I'll push you away and you won't want to see me anymore."

"NOooo~" the boy whined, his arms reaching to hug her, "I always wanna see my mommy! I love you mommy!"

"I love you too Akihiko," she smiled as she kissed the top of his head, "but… those are just a mommy's worries… okay?" the young woman tilted her head up to look her in the eyes, "please don't worry about them, okay? I'll always love you, I promise."

"Then I promise to love you too," the child hugged his mother before he smiled up at her, his amber eyes lingering on her before he took to the jungle gym, the mass of children looking as though they were preparing to play a new group game, Rin smiling for a moment longer before she glanced to the empty spot on the bench beside her, her heart aching as she wished not for the first time that it was Sesshomaru who sat next to her while they watched their child playing happily.

That was the second thing that ate at her; Rin worried greatly that her son would wind up hating her for keeping who his father was in the dark. The worst thing about it was that she didn't hate Sesshomaru as she felt she should. True, bitter thoughts still roamed about in her head and she held distrust in her heart, but the love that she felt towards him was a flame that she knew would never die and the words that Kagome spoke only served to heighten her hope in the situation.

Her shoulders sagged as she sighed, wishing that she could go back to that day and tell him first that she was pregnant, that maybe it would be enough to change the entire situation, that perhaps he would chose to deal with his family problems with her by his side and his child in her belly.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Surprised brown eyes turned to look up at the voice, a man's face smiling kindly down at her before he took a seat beside her, his navy blue coat wrapping around him.

"It is," Rin agreed softly, her body trying to close off in an attempt to silently convey her disinterest, "so, what brings you out, Mr. Shen?"

The man laughed jollily, the sound very much unlike Sesshomaru's soft chuckle that always made shivers slip up her spin and her own lips curl into a breath-taking smile.

"Rin, as I've told you a hundred times now, call me Yuji" her smiled at her, his row of perfect white teeth flashed to her as he ran fingers through his slicked black hair, everything about him impeccably perfect, something that irritated her to no end.

While Sesshomaru did care about appearances in the public eye, he would never go out of his way to force change on her and he didn't care about them while he was out with her; Rin always thought he was the most handsome thing she had ever seen and will ever see, his confidence and pride only serving to heighten it in her eyes even though he walked with a touch of arrogance. Yuji, on the other hand, held none of the confidence in a positive light and turned it to pretentiousness, preferring to waltz around with his chest puffed out rather than his head held high.

"To answer your question," the man continued, "I am here as I thought you looked lonely sitting here by yourself so I thought to grace you with my presence."

"I'm flattered," Rin told him, her body standing from the bench, "but Akihiko and I need to go home."

"In that case, why don't you and I get acquainted over dinner, say Friday night?"

The young woman shook her head as she sighed softly, "you never give up, do you?"

"I could say the same to you," Yuji smirked lightly, confusion on Rin's face making him press on, "he's not coming back Rin."

Rin stiffened slightly before she swallowed thickly, "who isn't coming back, Mr. Shen?"

"Akihiko's father," the man nodded to the small boy on the playground, "that man left the two of you for some reason I cannot see," he stood to his full height, his hand reaching for her, "however I will never leave you-"

"Heard those words once before," the young woman cut him off, "but I only believed them when they were from a real man."

"Rin-"

"Goodbye Mr. Shen," Rin told him curtly, "please stop with your advances, they are rather tiresome."

"But-"

Rin said nothing more as she turned to her child, the boy looking confused as he climbed down to meet her, his body bouncing over to her.

"Mommy?"

"InuYasha is coming to get you in a little while," the young woman told her son, "but before that… would you like to go get some ice cream?"

Her smile returned at the boy's vigorous nodding, her hand extending for the child to take, his tiny hind slipping into her delicate fingers, the boy following his mother with a slight bounce in his step and a smile on his lips at the thought of the time spent with his mother and a dinner with his father, his heart wishing that he could spend the entire time with both his parents.

A knock on the door alerted Sesshomaru to his dinner guest, his lips curling into a smile as he shut off the stove and turned to the door, his lips widening at the sight of his son, the little boy looking bright and happy but still hesitant in the other's presence, his brother standing behind the younger half-demon.

"Hello again Akihiko," the demon murmured to his son, the little boy nodding as he stepped up to his father, to his brother, "and thank you InuYasha."

"Right," his younger brother nodded, "Akihiko, I'll be back round eight okay? Have a good time."

"Thank you," the boy nodded politely to his uncle's retreating back, his amber eyes then turning to his father, the demon stepping aside to let the boy in, Akihiko looking around with interest. "You have a nice place," the child commented, the demon chuckling as he shut the door softly.

"Thank you," Sesshomaru murmured, "but it's not that impressive really, your home with you mother sounds much more appealing to me."

"Really?" Akihiko asked, "why?"

"Cause I miss the two of you," the demon admitted as he moved to the kitchen, "are you hungry?"

"Yeah!" the boy smiled as he followed his father, the demon pulling a chair out for him before he plopped his son into it, his father finishing with their dinner.

"Hope you like curry," the demon told his child, the bowl placed in front of the boy, "it's not too spicy for you."

Akihiko nodded his thanks as he speared on of the curry-covered chicken with a fork, his nose curious as he sniffed the morsel, the boy only taking a bite when his father had taken his own seat, the amber eyes shifting as the flavor rolled around in his mouth.

"Well?" Sesshomaru pressed, a smile tugging on his lips at the unintentionally amusing antics of the young boy, "what do you think?"

"It's good," the boy mumbled after he swallowed, a smile on his lips as he took a second bite from his dinner, the demon tucking into his own after a moment.

"Does your mother ever make this stuff for you?" his father asked after a few minutes of silence between them, the boy respectfully finishing what was in his mouth before answering.

"Kinda," he told the elder honestly, "I've had stir-fry and before and that kinda thing, but mommy also gives me other things like pasta and stuff."

"Sounds like your mother," Sesshomaru murmured softly as he took a bite of his own dinner, his mind recalling cooking he would enjoy after a long day's work, how Rin would prepare everything to his liking and fill the house with delicious aromas of spices and sauces.

"So…" Akihiko started, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he broke the silence, "what was mommy like…when you were together…"

The demon smiled softly at his son's curiosity, the boy looking bashful but brave.

"I guess… she was happy," the demon mused, "she'd always have a smile that would light up a room when I saw her," he tilted his head slightly, "why, what's she like now?"

"She still smiles," the half-demon told his father, "but… sometimes she looks sad, but only when she thinks I'm not looking."

"She just doesn't want you to see her sad," Sesshomaru murmured, "I can understand that."

"But isn't that like lying?"

His father looked over at him with soft eyes, the flecks of rice licked off his lips as the boy looked up at the demon with inquisitive eyes.

"You're extremely smart, Akihiko," the demon commented calmly, "I've only got to meet you all of three times and yet you continue to impress me."

The child blushed furiously at the praise, his eyes taking an interest in the food his fork turned over.

"To answer your question," Sesshomaru continued, "it is sort of like lying… but the thing is, not all lies are bad."

"Mommy says all lies are bad," Akihiko mumbled, "that they're gonna hurt the ones you love, even if you tell them because you don't want to hurt them."

The demon paused at his son's statement, the boy wiser than he got credit for.

"I guess they do," the demon admitted, guilt racking him at the thought of how damaging his own lie was, that now he could not live with the woman he loved and the child they had.

Their conversation moved to a lighter topic, Sesshomaru learning all about his son's aspirations and fears, how nervous the boy was about going to school in about a year, if he would fit in, if he would make friends, the worst of his nerves being that he would be mocked for his reading, his father assuring him in a heartbeat that he would do fine, that his intelligence would outshine his disability.

Sesshomaru was impressed that his son had cleaned his plate, the demon half expecting the boy to be a picky eater, thankful to be wrong as he put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"So, Akihiko," the demon started, "what do you usually do after dinner with your mother?"

"Um… sometimes we read together or watch a movie," the boy smiled, "but I also draw sometimes, could we do that?"

"Sure," Sesshomaru nodded, "though, I'm afraid I don't have anything like crayons or markers, just charcoal and sketching pencils."

"You mean like… for a serious artist?"

"I'm not serious," the demon chuckled, "but… sort of yes."

"So… you draw?" the boy pressed, now appearing to bounce on the balls of his feet in excitement, his smile widening while his father nodded.

"Want me to draw you something?" Sesshomaru asked with a smile, his grin widening at the vigorous nodding, his body moving over to a desk, his fingers reaching in and pulling out a pad of sketch paper and a pack of charcoal sticks.

Akihiko sat next to his father on the couch, his amber eyes watching intently as the demon moved his hand over the white paper, the black charcoal leaving marks which slowly formed a picture, the boy becoming more and more interested in the work.

"Wow daddy!" Akihiko gushed, his hands on his father's thigh as he looked over the charcoal drawing his father produced, the image that of his mother and him from the picture the boy had first shown the demon, "that's really really good!"

"Thank you," Sesshomaru chuckled, watching as his son reached to touch the picture, "just be careful with the picture, charcoal smudges."

"Smudges?" the boy asked, his amber eyes confused while his father smile kindly down at him, his fingers replacing the black stick in its holder, his fingertips held up to show his child.

"It leaves black marks on the skin," the demon explained, "not permanent, but it also leaves a mark on whatever you touch, like here," his fingers brushed the left cheek of his son, "and here," black marks appeared on the giggling boy's right cheek.

"Daddy!" Akihiko squealed, his hands coving the smudges of charcoal on his skin that his father had given him, "mommy's gonna see it!"

"We'll wash it off before you go home," Sesshomaru laughed for the first time since he left Rin, the action feeling as though a weight was lifted of his chest.

"Can you show me how to draw mommy real pretty like that?" the boy asked as he crawled into his father's lap, the demon smiling as he turned to a fresh new page, his own fingers grabbing the stick of charcoal before he placed it in his son's hands, his own surrounding the child's.

"Right, start with the face shape…"

The boy continually smiled as his father guided his hand around the page, the picture forming to be his mother, her smile as bright as they both remember it, her long hair framing her face and her eyes looking at them with warmth.

"This is really pretty," Akihiko commented, his eyes looking over the work before the smile fell slightly, his father noting it as the charcoal was replaced a second time.

"So what's wrong?" his father asked, his eyes looking down at his son.

"I wanna show mommy," the boy mumbled, his hand holding onto the page, "but… she'll know and then… I won't see you again."

A clean hand touched the top of the white locks with care, the demon sighing softly in agreement.

"We'll find a way to tell her," Sesshomaru promised softly, "we won't keep this a secret forever."

"Kay," Akihiko grinned, "but until then…"

Sesshomaru felt his amber eyes widen as a small hand touched his face, the black mark trailed from his eyebrow to his nose, his mouth hanging open in shock before his lips curled upwards, the boy giggling madly, his getaway stopped by an arm around his waist, his legs kicking harmlessly while he struggled against his father.

"Daddy!" the boy squealed, "l-let me go!"

"Never," the demon grinned, his own chest moving as he chuckled, enjoying the sound of his child's laughter as the boy playfully struggled against him, "come on," he smiled as he scooped up the boy, his smudged hand careful to avoid the clothing, knowing it would be hard to wash that out of his clothing, "let's get us cleaned up."

Akihiko nodded as he smiled up at the demon, the back of his head to his father's chest as his hands and face were cleaned with tender care, his smiling lips often turned to his father's own smiling face. He was patient as he waited for his father to finish before he took the wet rag from the long fingers and gently emulated the demon, his hand dabbing at the marks he had left on Sesshomaru's face and the long fingers, both of them removed of the charcoal stain.

"There we go," Sesshomaru murmured, "all clean to go home to your mother."

Arms attempted to wrap around his waist, the boy only stopping halfway due to his size, his head rubbing against his father's side.

"What is it?" the demon asked, his arms gently holding the little boy close, "something wrong?"

"I wanna go home with you," the boy mumbled, "I wanna go home and be with you and mommy."

"I know," Sesshomaru murmured, his lips to his son's hair, "I do too."

So... reviews?