Got an update for you guys ^^ All for a Bet is in the works, so don't worry ^^

Hope you guys like it!

Edit: Sorry about that guys, I clicked on the wrong story

... guess we all make mistakes huh?... I'll be going back to studying now... sorry.

The hospital room was almost silent as the mother and son tightly hugged; warm arms remained encircled around her son, soft shushing noises made to comfort her more than her scared child.

"How are you feeling honey?" Rin asked quietly, her heart quivering as she glanced to the cast around his arm.

"Tired mommy," the boy mumbled, his amber eyes glancing towards her, "I'm just… tired…"

"You had a bit of an exciting day," the young woman smiled weakly, "we all did…"

"Yeah," Akihiko sniffled slightly, "'s all my fault…"

Rin said nothing as she ran her fingers over the soft locks, her face a mixture of sorrow and contemplation.

"I-I'm sorry," the boy's soft whimpering brought her back to the present.

"Akihiko-"

"I-I just thought… if you two still loved each other…"

"This isn't your problem to sort out," Rin told her son gently, "we'll talk about this later, alright?"

"But-"

"You're hurt and I need to get you home," the young woman whispered softly, "I promise, you and I'll talk about this when you're more awake and feeling better."

"Yeah…" the boy mumbled, his amber eyes looking hopefully up at her.

"Of course," Rin smiled gently, her body pulling her son in for a second hug, her erratic heartbeat soothing at the feeling of warmth in her arms, the reality that her boy was with her the only thing she needed.

"Mommy…"

"What is it?"

The amber eyes flickered around her form intently, the boy's face falling slightly.

"Wh… Where's daddy?"

Rin said nothing as she turned to where the demon had been standing, her own heart sinking at his absence.

"I-uh… I don't know," the young woman told her son honestly, "I-I think he went out for coffee…"

"Did he go home?"

Chocolate eyes turned to look at the boy's crestfallen face, his ears drooping slightly with his shoulders.

"Wh… Why-"

"Cause you said… you said he left us once… so he'd do it again… right?"

Rin swallowed thickly as her words were thrown back in her face. Lowering her gaze slightly, her lips gently pressed to the crown of white hair.

"You should know by now… mommy's not always right about everything," the young mother tried to explain, "and… if I go ask him, do you want to see your father again tonight?"

Akihiko's face light up at the mention, the hope sparkling in his eyes enough to make his mother's heart hurt.

"C… Can he?"

"When he comes back, you can ask him that yourself," Rin nodded to her son as she stood up, "wait here okay? And behave."

"Yes mommy," the boy nodded weakly as his head sunk further into the pillows.

"Excuse me," the young mother called to the nurse, "would you mind caring for my son for a few moments?"

"Um… o-of course ma'am," the young woman nodded nervously, "b-but may I ask why?"

The young mother turned to look over at her son, flashing the boy a warm smile.

"I'm going to get his father."

The metal door burst open as Rin tore into the parking garage, her deep brown eyes searching the rows of cars before she saw the long white hair move towards his black vehicle, his eyes turning to the keys in his hand as the car lit up. Without a word to him, Rin ran and weaved through the cars, her heart hammering in her chest as she prayed that she would catch up to him.

"Sesshomaru!"

The demon turned to the sound of the melodious and now furious voice, his eyes curious until her hand connected with his cheek for the second time in the night, the slap echoing through the parking garage as his face was left with a red mark on his cheek.

"What, is, wrong with you!" Rin screamed at him, her eyes blazing while tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, "you-you promise your own son that you won't leave him again and that is exactly what you do! Is there no low you won't sink too?!"

"What about you?!" the demon roared, "you say you don't need or want me in that boy's life and now you're yelling at me for doing just that!?"

"I'm yelling at you for breaking your promise!" the young mother snapped, tears now slipping down her cheeks, "how could you do that to Akihiko?! A few hours ago you were willing to fight for him in court! What changed?!"

"Why does it-"

Her hand struck his flesh once more, harder this time as she was shaking with anger.

"Enough!" Sesshomaru roared, his hand over his cheek.

"For once we agree," Rin screamed at him, "when are you going to stop this?! Just how many times are you going to break my heart before you stop toying with me?! With our son-"

Her words were cut off by a sob, her hands over her mouth as she started to cry, her chest heaving as she inhaled deeply.

"How long am I going to suffice as your amusement before you seek it in your own child?!"

"That's going too far!" the demon snapped, "I would never do that to my son, to you!"

"Says the man just about to leave us," the young mother bleated out a small laugh, "again, I might add."

"You told me to leave and to never come back," Sesshomaru told her softly, watching as she sobbed.

"And then I asked you to help me," Rin cried, "I just… look I just don't know anymore! And since when do you do what other's say!?"

Strong arms surrounded her in a heartbeat, the young woman consciously trying to move from him but her heart took over and she melted into him, her hand over her mouth as she tried to quell her sobs.

"Every part of me is telling me that I should hate you for what you did, b-but I don't… I can't. When you left, I-I thought that this was my fault, it tore me to pieces as I constantly thought about what I did wrong and-and when I saw you in the tabloids with your fiancée I-I thought that I wasn't good enough for you!" her breath shuddered as she inhaled, "your son is the only good thing that happened to me when you left, pl-please, please don't break his heart like you did mine!"

Sesshomaru felt his own heart break at the sound and sight of her tears, his arms pulling her close as he tried to comfort her, his mind torn in two pieces as he wondered to himself what to do.

Everything had become twisted in less than a day; the only woman he ever loved confessed that she didn't hate him and practically begging him to stay after only just screaming at him to go. He was fooling himself if he thought that she would abandon him the minute she had what she wanted, she had never been that cold-hearted and would never do that to her child.

"Rin," he murmured softly, "what… what do you want from me?"

"I want you… not to make your son so distrusting," she whispered, "everything is just so messed up right now, I-I can't think. I just want everything to be okay, for Akihiko. He-He's going to be so scared and-and if he doesn't find you… he's going to be devastated."

"B-But-"

"You promised him," Rin told him, her chocolate eyes looking up at him with tears swimming in them, "it must have meant something to you to promise it to him, after a month of being with him-"

"He means as much to me as you do," Sesshomaru whispered, his hands around her face, "and I know, after how badly I treated you that that itself doesn't seem like much, but you mean the world to me, as he does-"

"So why are you getting in the car?" the young woman asked, "why are you leaving your son?"

"Because you're right," the demon told her, "you're right that I don't deserve him, I abandoned him and you because of my stupid family obligations that I should have never put above you," his deep amber eyes stared into hers, pain flecked in his own orbs, "I'll do as you ask, I'll leave and never bother you again -"

"If you get in that car," Rin told him, backing away from the demon, "and drive away from us, you will never see him again. I will file restraining orders on you to keep you away, from both him and me," her eyes looked at his determinedly, "but if you come back upstairs with me, and take Akihiko home and be there, when he wakes up in the morning, we can… we can at least talk this out, for our son's sake."

Sesshomaru stood still as Rin left him, her face refusing to turn back to him, tears streaming from her eyes down her cheeks as she walked towards the elevator, her heart threatening to shatter if she turned back to him, her throat tightening as she heard no sound of footsteps following her but the slam of the car door echoing through the garage, her breath forcing out in a shuddering exhale.

The elevators opened for the young woman as she stepped inside it, her tears falling faster as she willed herself not to look so sorrowful in front of her only child. Rin was leaning against the side of the elevator wall with the second floor button illuminated when the closing doors were stopped by an arm, followed by the tall form of Sesshomaru entering though the elevator, his face apologetic.

"I'm sorry," the demon murmured softly, his hand pulling a tissue from a package and extending it to her, "I have quiet feet."

Rin bleated out a short laugh as she took the tissue from him, her tears dabbed as she tried to calm herself, the demon wrapping his arms around her.

"You shouldn't be crying in front of Akihiko," Sesshomaru told her softly, "through he's smart enough to figure it out."

"You scared me," Rin told him softly, gently pushing off on the demon but stayed with his hands on the tops of her arms.

"Let's get Akihiko home," the demon murmured, "so you can stop being scared."

The rain had since ceased falling against the house and windows when night had blanketed the sky, the small family gathered in the little boy's room, the child tucked in warmly under his blankets and comforter. The antibiotics his doctor had given him administered by his mother, the woman perched on the edge of his mattress, her hand rubbing his leg.

"How are you feeling?" Rin asked him tenderly, her hand moving to his forehead, the boy humming softly.

"Still hot," he mumbled, "I still feel sick mommy."

"I know honey," the young woman murmured, "the medicine should start working soon and a good night's sleep will make it all better."

"M'kay," the boy nodded, his body snuggling further into the blankets, his eyes flickering around the room before they landed on his mother once more. "Mommy," he asked timidly, both parents looking at him with interest, "are you mad at me?"

"For what?" Rin asked.

"For running away, for climbing a tree, for-"

"Hush," his mother shushed softly, her fingers caressing his ear, the boy looking on the verge of tears, "I'm not mad at you. I was very very scared that something bad had happened to you, but I'm not mad."

"Really? Even after I said I hate you?"

Rin felt her heart clench as she looked at him, her eyes soft, "really," she smiled at him, "I love you so much, and I always will, I swear; but I don't ever want you to do this again, do you understand me?"

Amber eyes flickered from his mother to his father, his body shuffling to pull up the cast, "I promise," he murmured, "I promise I won't do that again… and-and I lied… when I said I hated you… really, I didn't mean it-"

"I know, Akihiko," she whispered, her lips on his white locks, "and I trust you when you promise not to do it again," her brown eyes flickered to the demon, "and… I'll leave you two together for a little bit, just make sure you have a good night's sleep okay?" at his nod, her hand brushing the white locks before she stood up from his mattress, her lips pressing on his forehead, "I love you."

"Love you mommy," the boy whispered, smiling tenderly.

Rin made to leave the room, stopping to put her hand on Sesshomaru's arm, "do you want tea?"

The demon nodded thanking her, Rin leaving the two of them alone in the room, Sesshomaru taking her place beside his son, the sleepy eyes looking up at his father.

"Daddy," he mumbled, the long fingers caressing his hair as his mother did.

"Hm? What is it?"

The boy swallowed, wincing slightly, "are you gonna stay?"

Sesshomaru nodded, "of course I'll stay, I can't think of anywhere I should be."

"Even after I'm better?" the child whispered worriedly, Sesshomaru looking surprised for a moment before his face softened.

"I… I don't really know," the demon told him, his lips to the child's warm forehead, "I've made a huge mistake… but I want too, more than anything."

The boy smiled as his half-lidded eyes looked over at his father, the demon standing from the child, the covers tucked over the little body, the cast on the arm over the pattered material.

"Go to sleep," Sesshomaru murmured, "your mother and I will be right here if you need anything okay?"

The boy nodded sleepily as his father made his way over to the door.

"Good night daddy."

The demon couldn't help the soft smile that slipped onto his lips as he turned to his boy, "Good night Akihiko."

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

The boy shuffled uncomfortably for a minute before continuing, "I love you daddy."

Sesshomaru stopped, his eyes wide as he stared at his son before he moved over to the bed, his face softening, his lips pressing on the same spot his mother did.

"I love you too, Akihiko."

The boy seemed to light up at his words, the smile on his face despite being sick unmoveable as he snuggled under the covers , his eyes closing softly as his father silently left the room. The door shut behind the demon softly, his lips releasing a relaxed sigh before he turned to the kitchen, the young woman had her back to him as she stood over two steaming mugs of tea, her head turning to him as he approached her, her face impassive.

"He's falling asleep," Sesshomaru told her softly, the young woman nodding before she took a seat on the kitchen chair, her head in her hands, her resolve breaking as she began to sob, her body shaking as she cried.

"I-I'm sorry," she sniffed, her tears flowing from her eyes, "I-I just… I almost lost him and-"

"Shh," the demon hushed, the sight of her tears causing his reflexes to take over, even after five years. His body moved to her side and sat next to her, his arms surrounding her as she buried her face in his chest, her hand to her mouth as she tried to quell her sobs, "don't apologize Rin, you don't need to apologize for this."

"B-But I-I almost lost him-"

"-and he's safe," Sesshomaru whispered quietly, "he's safe with you."

"This is my fault," Rin cried softly, her body shuddering as she inhaled shakily, "this all my fault-"

"I hold much more of the blame than you do," the demon told her, his fingers running through her black locks as she cried into his chest, "please stop saying that this is your fault when it isn't."

The young woman merely took in shuddering breaths as she tried to steady herself, her hand to her mouth so as not to disturb her sleeping son.

"Why did everything have to go so wrong?"

Sesshomaru said nothing as he tried to sooth her, his hand rubbing over her arm in a comforting fashion, his own mind mulling over her question, wondering the same thing she did, Rin calming after a few minutes, her heart still weary and quivering.

"Why don't you go up to bed," Sesshomaru suggested, the worry in her eyes added to his words, "I will stay here, for our son-"

"If you leave," Rin cut him off, "I will get back in contact with your father and I will make your life a living nightmare-"

"Living without the two of you is a nightmare," the demon murmured, "I just… look," he sighed deeply, "if you and I get a good night's sleep, can we talk about this in the morning or tomorrow?"

The young woman looked at him with an unreadable emotion in her brown eyes before her shoulders sagged, her head hanging as she nodded.

"Alright," she half-whispered, "there's a guest bedroom upstairs you can sleep in if you want to…"

"I'll stay up with him," Sesshomaru told her, his hand on her back as he led her up the stairs, his amber eyes watching her before she turned back to look at him, a small smile on her lips given to him before she went to her room, the demon's sensitive ears hearing the click of the door before he turned from the stairs.

Sesshomaru felt his shoulders sag as he sighed deeply, his fingers running through his long locks as he took to the living room, his eyes looking around at the small yet cozy house, his orbs landing on two photo albums Rin had stacked on the table. With silence that could make a mouse envious, the demon took to the couch, his fingers extending to take the green felt in his hands, his heart tightening at the sight of the first photo, the black and grey sonogram looking back at him, Rin's neat handwriting noting the date and a small note in blue ink.

The demon kept his emotions in check as he looked through the pictures, his throat thickening as he watched his baby boy turn from a small infant cradled so tenderly in the arms of his mother to a smiling and chubby toddler playing with blocks and trains.

"How could I miss this?" he whispered under his breath, his fingers trailing over a picture of Rin looking at her six month-old son with a beautiful smile, their baby reaching for her while his head was snuggled comfortably to her chest.

He wished not for the first time that he had stayed, that he had gotten to raise Akihiko with her, that he got to hold his child as he grew up, never got to hear the baby babble form the words "daddy" and "mommy", and he never got to experience Rin's pregnancy with her or feel his son shuffle in her womb.

"Akihiko," Sesshomaru murmured, his fingertips running over the picture of the toddler standing, his hands on the wooden coffee table, his face grinning toothily at what was surely his mother behind the camera.

A flash of silver caught the amber eyes, the circular device fell from the slip at the end of album. Reaching slowly down, the long fingers pulled the DVD from the carpeted ground, curiosity in his face as he turned over the disk. Edged on, the demon had retrieved his laptop from within the car, his headphones in his ears as the disk loaded.

"I can't figure this thing out!"

Sesshomaru jumped at the surprisingly loud voice, the old tone reminiscent.

"Then why did you buy it?" a laughing voice asked, the image revealing Rin smiling up at the camera from her kneeling spot on the floor, her hand holding out soft toys for the small child sitting in front of her.

"I thought it would be a good way to remember things-"

"I have pictures," Rin informed her old caregiver, her attention focused on her infant, "yeah? Mommy takes lots of pictures of you!"

The demon chuckled lightly at the sight of the giggling baby, the child shaking as he laughed.

"He's adorable," the old woman crooned, the boy turning to look up at Kaede with a beaming smile before back to his mother.

"Wanna come here sweetie?" his mother asked, her hands outstretched for her child, Akihiko slowly trying to shuffle as best he could towards his loving parent.

"Ah… AH!" the boy cooed, his torso pulled towards her.

"Well… oh confound it!" Kaede muttered, the camera panning away from the two to the wall, the machine fiddling and shaking as the elder woman tried to work the device.

"Kaede," Rin's voice interrupted the other's, "what's going on?"

"Just can't figure this-"

A loud cry disrupted them, Sesshomaru's own heart tightening at the sound of his crying son. The demon was thankful that one of the two had knocked the camera around, the image now at an angle as Rin's back was revealed to it, her arms returning with a small bundle in them; Kaede beside her all the way, her own back to the camera.

"What is it? What's wrong!?"

"I think he just bumped his head," Rin told Kaede reassuringly, her baby in her arms as she bounced her child soothingly, "shh, hush sweetie… mommy's here… mommy's here."

The child surprising didn't wail when he was in his mother's arms, the face scrunched in pain as he whimpered, his head buried in the crook of her arm and his feet curled as he tried to get it too his chest.

"There we go… it's okay honey… it's okay… there, that's my little prince."

"Think he's alright?"

"You've raised more kids than I have," Rin pointed out, "he seems okay…"

"Good," the old woman sighed, "I'd hate for something else to happen to you two…"

"We've been over this," the younger murmured, "he and I'll get through this, together."

"Rin-"

"It's alright Kaede," the young woman tried to tell her guardian, her throat thickening slightly as her son buried his face in her shoulder, "I don't mind… I have to raise him alone."

"I'm here for you!"

"You live an hour away," Rin murmured through the soft white locks, "you have your own life to run… and there isn't anyone else I trust."

"Rin…"

"It's fine," she whispered, "really-"

"You can't lie to me Rin," Kaede told her.

"It's been a year since he left me," Rin murmured, "I need to move on… if I don't, Akihiko won't have the upbringing he deserves."

"It won't hurt any less," the old woman informed her, the baby's face relaxing slightly as he was cradled closer to her, his tearful amber eyes looking up at her while his tiny hand reached for her.

"It'll get better," the young woman whispered as she rubbed the chubby cheek, "it'll get better… won't it Akihiko?"

Sesshomaru's last image was of his former girlfriend kissing her son on the spot that he had bumped, his own hands touching her cheeks.

Sighing deeply, the demon forced himself to shut the lid of his laptop, his heart heavy after the minute and a half of footage he had seen. Jaw set, Sesshomaru felt that, though Rin wasn't helpless, seeing her so accepting of his leaving had cut him deeply, guilt swirling in him as he realized that that was what he had wanted.

While he had long since managed to get himself free of the arrangement, he knew coming back to Rin was now impossible. The publicity of the scandal had undoubtedly reached her ears, thus destroying any chance he had of returning to her.

Not that it was possible in the first place.

He knew he had been fooling himself if he thought Rin was so accepting of him, that she would be so grateful when he came back into her life. His arrogance had been staggering if his mind could conceive any of those ideas.

"What have I done?" the demon whispered as he curled up on the couch, the light shut off quickly as the milling thoughts in his mind calmed as he fell fast asleep with the rest of his small family.

So? Reviews please?

Edit: Sorry about that guys, I clicked on the wrong story

... guess we all make mistakes huh?... I'll be going back to studying now... sorry.