Rin awoke the following morning with her back against Sesshomaru's bare chest. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that he was peacefully sleeping, his face void of his normal cold expression. His arms held her flush against him with their legs intertwined. Blushing, she managed to carefully peel herself away from him and place a pillow she had been laying on in his grasp. He sighed, nuzzling it like a puppy. Giggling, she snagged a white dress shirt from his closet along with a pair of black boxers that barely fit her. Then she made her way to the kitchen to make coffee and cook breakfast. A quick search through his fridge yielded a carton of eggs, bacon, cheese, and baby potatoes. So she decided to make scrambled eggs and cheese with bacon and hash browns. As she was whisking the eggs a loud, authoritative knock sounded at the front door. Not caring about her state of dress, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and opened it. Behind the door was a statuesque man with silver hair and a dark purple stripe on each cheek. His resemblance to both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha was uncanny.

"Hello there," he said with a grin, his voice smooth like silk, "Is Sesshomaru here?"

"Y-Yes, he's sleeping though. If you would like to come in, I could get him for you."

"Let him sleep. A cup of coffee would be lovely however."

"Okay. Please, take a seat on the couch while you wait."

He nodded politely and sat as directed. Rin poured him a cup of coffee, setting the sugar dish and cream beside the cup on the coffee table. As he was stirring in cream, a certain annoyed demon appeared from the hallway.

"Father," Sesshomaru huffed, "I would appreciate you not treating my mate as a servant."

"Your mate?"

Inu no Taisho looked genuinely surprised as his eyes darted to the woman sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch. She blushed, suddenly self conscious about her appearance. He turned back to his son with a smile.

"I didn't know you had it in you, son. I must say, she is quite wonderful."

"..."

Rin scowled at his rudeness and said, "Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Rin."

She held out her hand and he shook it.

"And so polite as well! She could teach you a thing or two."

"Enough stalling, why are you here?"

"So mean. If you must know, I wanted to meet the grandson your brother told me about. Yuki, was it?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, he stayed the night at a friend's house and isn't here."

"Oh? Well that's a shame. I was really looking forward to meeting the child you felt necessary to hide from me."

His smile became cold as he said this, sipping his coffee. Sesshomaru put his arm around Rin protectively; his lip curled to show his teeth. Chuckling, his father put his hands up in surrender.

"Relax, my son. I'm not going to harm your mate. Though I am pleasantly surprised to see that she's human. This must mean your son is-"

"Yes, a hanyou."

"And after all that talk against hanyous and humans! I knew it was just sibling rivalry!"

"No, I still hold my views," he said curtly.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I hate humans. They are urchins that are good for nothing more than slaves. Except for my Rin."

She blushed again, looking away. Though what he said was hurtful, she knew it wasn't his fault. One couldn't change their entire view on life in a just a few months. Hopefully he would grow to feel differently.

"And I still hate Inuyasha and every other hanyou that is not my child. They are abominations. Disgusting monsters that deserve to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yuki burst through the front door. Grinning, he ran straight to his father and jumped into his bewildered arms.

"Daddy! Aunty 'Gome said momma was here so I came too!"

"Is the child?" Inu said, stunned.

"Yes. Yuki, say hello to your grandfather."

The small hanyou turned around to gaze curiously at him before breaking into a dazzling grin.

"Hi grandpa!"

"H-Hello there."

"Momma, I'm hungry."

"Okay. Let's let your dad talk to grandpa while I get you some breakfast."

He gave his dad a quick hug and chest nuzzle, then hopped down to hug his grandfather's leg. Rin took him by the hand to lead him into the kitchen. While she started making the breakfast she had been preparing, the two demon males looked at one another coolly.

"What was your real reason for coming over, father?"

"To be perfectly honest, I was asked by Izayoi to invite you to a dinner party at our house on Sunday."

"Hm."

"Don't be that way. You know she loves you, no matter how much you try to push her away."

"Why didn't you send a servant with the invitations?"

"You really are perceptive. Just like your mother. You know-"

"Stop stalling," he snapped.

"Fine. I wanted to see if your brother was right about your relationship and he partially was."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I can tell just by her scent that you mated her, but you are not married."

"So?"

"So, you son was born out of wedlock. He is your illegitimate heir."

"And I honestly don't care. I love him. So does his mother."

"I knew you would say that. Which is why I have come to give you an ultimatum: Marry Rin and produce a legitimate heir or I will take Yuki to groom as my own."

Sesshomaru felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He had been expecting him to say that. This is how his father was. Pleasant when it was convenient, but deep down a cold-hearted bastard. It was something that he had always tolerated. Until now.

"I refuse to force Rin to do something just because you want to save face."

"Oh, so it is her who doesn't wish to be married. Maybe she just needs some discipline"

Then he blacked out.

When Sesshomaru came to, he was laying on the living room floor with his head in Rin's lap. Her fingers ran through his hair soothingly. He looked around the room, instantly noticing a large hole in the wall beside the kitchen. His father and Yuki were nowhere in sight.

"Rin, what happened?"

"You went psycho and threw your father through the wall, into the kitchen, and broke the table. You were snarling like an animal. But, when I called your name, you froze. So I led you out here to calm down."

"Where are they? Where is Yuki?"

"Your father offered to take him out for ice cream while you calmed down. Sesshomaru, you really scared him."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her stomach. It was a motion similar to a puppy seeking comfort. The thought of his son fearing him was unbearable. How could he make it better after having been seen by him in such a primal state? The front door opened and he looked over to see Yuki staring at him warily.

"D-Daddy?"

"It's me..."

The child relaxed, running to hug him. He sat up, engulfing his son in a tight hug. His face buried in the boy's hair, sniffing him like a true inuyoukai. Vanilla, apple shampoo, tree bark, and a rich scent he couldn't place formed his son's unique scent. It was something he loved, much like Rin's natural scent. Yuki sniffed back and he smiled.

"Yes, pup?"

"You smelled me so I smelled back. I-is that okay?"

"Actually, it was very polite of you. But only because we are both inuyoukai."

"So, no sniffing friends?"

"Not unless they are like us."

"Okay. I'm glad you're okay, daddy."

"I am too," he mumbled, embracing him tightly.

Inu no Taisho watched with his arms crossed from the doorway, A smile graced his features. Rin slipped away from her reluctant mate to stand in front of him.

"I never thought I would see him in such a light. He truly loves that child."

"As does almost everyone who meets him."

"I see. That reminds me, I would like to invite you three to dinner at Taisho manor on Sunday. My Izayoi would love to meet you."

"We will be there."

"Excellent. I must be going now. Pleasure meeting you, Rin."

"And you as well, ."

He left and she turned around, colliding face first with Sesshomaru's chest. She stumbled back and he caught her with one hand. The other was holding Yuki against his shoulder. His expression was cold as he looked down at her.

"What did he say to you?"

"He invited us to dinner on Sunday. I accepted."

"Why?"

"Because it is good to be polite. Beside, it's just dinner."

"I guess it was inevitable."

"Mhm, so you better behave."

"Was that a threat?"

Rin felt her stomach twist at his tone. It was probably the mark, but she had the urge to apologize repeatedly and submit. Pushing it away, she stood taller. His eyebrow cocked in amusement while he stayed stone faced. Sensing the tension, their pup decided to speak.

"Daddy?"

"What is it?"

"Can I stay here tonight?"

"It is up to your mother."

"Well," Rin smiled, "Actually, pup, we're going to be staying here for a few days."

"We?"

"That's right. You and me."

She had never seen Sesshomaru truly surprised before that moment. His shock only lasted a moment, quickly replaced by joy. Still holding Yuki, he used his free arm to pull her into a tight hug. Her arms wrapped around his middle while he kissed her hair. Fuzzy ears tickled her as their son wiggled into their embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes before separating. Rin blushed at the look her mate was giving her. It was full of love and sadness, an expression that broke her heart. He wanted them to stay more than a few days; he wanted them to stay forever. But she simply wasn't ready. After being on her own since the age of 17, the idea of not being independent was petrifying. Shaking it off, she smiled at her pup.

"We have to go home to get a few things though. Clothes, toothbrushes, Buppy, the necessities."

"Okay!"

"We should go soon though. I want to avoid going out tonight."

"Why?" Sesshomaru tilted his head like a curious dog.

"Because, it's the night of the new moon. You do know what it does to hanyou, right?"

"Of course. I'm not a fool. You shouldn't be worried about him getting attacked, though. I will protect you both."

"It's still better to be safe than sorry."

Rolling his eyes, the demon grabbed his car keys and started toward the door. She sighed at his petulance, following with Yuki at her side. If he ever wanted her to live with him, he would have to learn to listen.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a middle-aged man glared down at a newspaper. The picture was of the (in)famous Lord Sesshomaru with his newly revealed mate and son. Growling in rage, he pushed it across the table to a younger man. The latter scanned it passively before looking up at him.

"What should we do, father?"

"We must enforce the betrothal. Your bride has already been tainted by his filthy offspring. You must eliminate it, then him if you ever want to take my place."

"Yes, father."

"Good boy. Now go. You must plan thoroughly if you wish for even a chance to succeed."

He stood, bowed, and hurried out. No demon, not even this great warlord, would keep him from what was rightfully his. This was something he would make sure of.