A/N: Saturday teaser chapter! lots of fluff of every kind

After a few weeks of rest and relaxation, getting things back to normal, Sesshomaru felt he had never been happier. He finished signing the latest in a set of treaties, weighting it with stones to dry and taking a break, getting to his feet and following his mate's scent out to the garden. His feet squeaked faintly on the thin layer of fresh snow that had fallen the night before, marking the end of november. Rin looked up at the sound from where she'd been sitting by the koi pond, watching the lazy fish.

Rin got to her feet to greet her beloved, a wide smile on her face. "how are your treaties going?" she asked him, hugging him and snuggling into his moko, enjoying the warmth of the fur with a happy hum. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around her, enjoying her slight frame filled out for the time being with thick layers of winter clothing.

"long, and boring, but well." He smiled slightly down at her, suddenly getting a powerful whiff of sweet scent from her. She always smelled very nice to him, with a certain undefinable sweetness better than any natural scent. Ordinarily, the scent was mild, and soothing, but with the extra sweetness it was somehow exciting. She looked up at him and her scent shifted a little as she stayed in his arms. Oh.

Rin smiled at him again, not knowing what he had noticed nor realizing what time of month it was. She hadn't even gotten her blood as a hanyou, she supposed because her human day was the equivalent. "Rin, do you know what is coming?" he asked her softly, the intense look in his eyes she'd seen before. She knew it was too late for him to be in heat…but she didn't know he hadn't followed the season due to the mate bond they'd only discovered less than two months ago. That same bond, far stronger now, had pulled him into line with her, simply doing its job. She felt her face go red and turned her head away, her heart speeding up as she could feel her body respond to the look in his eyes and the slight tension in his body. She nodded mutely, then stepped back and took his hand instead.

"let's go inside, I'm getting cold," she told him, tugging lightly, not that she needed to. He was putting his full concentration into not simply scooping her up impatiently. She moved so slowly! She walked up the stairs with him in tow, turning to him once the door to their room was shut. His arms were around her in an instant and she shivered faintly, knowing this would be more like the first time than the second. This time, though, she was almost in the same state he was, her skin feeling feverish…

She settled into his arms afterward, blinking tiredly, a few new marks on both of them. She wrapped an arm around him as well, intending to trap him. "those treaties can wait until tomorrow," she told him softly. "stay with me." He chuckled softly and kissed her head.

"I planned to."

She snoozed in his arms until the sun went down that winter day, and jaken knocked at the door to tell them dinner was ready whenever they chose to eat. Rin heard and decided to ignore it, nuzzling Sesshomaru's chest and keeping her eyes closed. She was warm and comfortable and didn't want to move. He sighed and sat up. "come on, love. Dinnertime." Rin mumbled and pulled the quilt over her head. "fine, no dinner for you," he joked, tying his underlayer back on. A pair of eyes peeked out from the quilt, then a hand appeared, palm up and fingers wiggling, demanding clothes. He handed her back her own winter underlayer and she threw the quilt aside, tying the clothes on as quick as she could, because the room was cold. Sesshomaru quickly looked away as it was very distractingly obvious just how cold the room was to Rin…

After they finished dressing, they had a leisurely dinner before retiring for the night. The next two days, neither of them did anything productive, simply spending most of their time in one another's arms. Another three days passed with treaties and etiquette lessons and plenty of cuddles without the lovemaking as the urges faded on both their parts.

Rin woke as the waxing crescent moon of december shone through the window screen very early one morning, long before sunrise. There was a tiny yet sharp pain in her lower stomach, and she thought at first that Sesshomaru was accidentally poking her with one of his claws, until she realized both his hands were wrapped around the bottom of her ribs. The little pain disappeared as suddenly as it had come and Rin soon forgot about it, going back to sleep until dawn.

Sesshomaru was frowning over the latest treaty from the Dou clan when he smelled lunch and Rin carrying it. He set his brush down and turned to her as she smiled at him, setting the tray down on the low table. He got to his feet to settle beside her as she poured tea for them and offered a tiny smile. How strange this all seemed to him, sometimes. He had spent centuries on his own, the only thing on his mind his quest for power. Now here he sat opposite the love of his existence, a human woman, who was smiling at him and pouring his tea in their house! Surely a stranger turn of events for his life he couldn't even imagine. He took a deep breath, loving how her scent now wreathed around him constantly on all sides. He noticed it had changed slightly again, having the faintest note of added warmth. Maybe he was just imagining it, or maybe it was normal just before she got her blood, and he'd just never noticed, not having been around her at that time much. He took his teacup and sipped appreciatively as she started on her lunch enthusiastically.

By that evening, he had to admit he wasn't imagining it. The note of warmth was faint, but it was there. He frowned a little in concern and decided to call Jaken in once more, thinking perhaps his faithful servant might know what was causing the shift.

Jaken came in and he sniffed at Rin's wrist for a few moments, making her squirm nervously. He looked up and shook his head. "whatever it is, Sesshomaru-sama, I cannot detect it. It is more than likely nothing." Sesshomaru let out a faint sigh of relief. "all right. Thank you." The imp bowed and left quickly.

"what was that about?" Rin grumbled, shaking her wrist and rubbing it to get rid of the funny sensation of hot breath. "I'm fine."

"I know. I just worry about you, that's all." Rin smiled at Sesshomaru's words and leaned against him, closing her eyes contentedly, letting him pull her close. "sleep, my love. You seem tired." She nodded and got ready for bed.

The next day, new worries for him arrived in the form of the scroll delivery. In among the usual treaties and such was a handwritten note from his mother, obvious both from her seal and the fact she must have rubbed her cheek on the paper to get such a powerful dose of her scent to cling to it. He groaned loud enough to wake Rin, who was sleeping oddly late that morning. She looked up and rubbed one eye. "what is it?"

"a note from my mother again. I wonder what she must want this time?" he opened the seal on the note and unfolded it, reading it aloud. "My Dearest Son, it has come to my attention there are rumors around the lands about you. You declined meeting with me in april due to a personal emergency, which, rumor has it, has been happily resolved. I wish you to come to the palace with all haste so I may test the truth of these rumors. Come alone, unless you have someone I need to meet." He sighed again and set the note down. "mother…"

"it's all right, you can go. Just visit and then she'll leave you alone." Rin got up and dressed for the day, fixing her hair so her moon showed clearly once again. "what do you want for breakfast?" she asked, turning around to find him packing a bag. When he left to travel, he never took anything with him. when he noticed Rin's blank look, he paused.

"you're coming with me, and we're leaving now. Tell the cooks to prepare a day's food for you." Rin's blank look changed to confusion. "it's all right, my love. With the moon on your brow, no one can touch you. You'll be perfectly safe, I promise. Even my mother would not dare try anything." He stepped to her side and stroked her cheek gently in reassurance.

"well…how will we get there? It's a very long way, isn't it? Should I fetch Ah-Un from the stable?" he shook his head at her questions.

"no need. I will take you myself." Rin's eyes sparkled with awe at the thought of seeing him in his true form, which she'd only witnessed a tiny handful of times before. He was a truly magnificent creature, if a bit intimidating by nature. She met him in the garden after doing what he'd said to find him standing in the middle, clear of the trees. Once she could see him, he allowed the transformation to begin, thick smoke covering his human form as it changed, warping gruesomely before settling into his massive true form as the smoke cleared. Rin watched the whole thing in awe of him, staring up to his face as he looked down at her with one red-sclera eye. He closed his mouth to hide his impressive fangs and shrugged his shoulders once or twice to settle the transformation, shaking himself lightly. Then he settled to the ground in front of her, tucking his feet in and hoping he wasn't so tall she couldn't climb up. His ears drooped as she started to giggle at the sight of him folding himself up like a common dog. He deliberately let out a sharp puff from his nose that almost knocked her over, reminding her to show at least a little respect!

Rin sighed, both awed and amused by her husband. She stepped forward and patted the side of his muzzle, giving him a tiny smooch before moving to his shoulder to climb up. She found a convenient dip the perfect size for her in thehollow spot between his shoulderblades, and settled into it, enjoying his soft fur. Once he could feel she was settled he got carefully back to his feet and jumped over the garden wall, hurrying on his way to his mother's palace.