A/N: Saturday teaser chapter!

Fair warning, I will be at a convention next Saturday, and the following weekend I'll be travelling. Depending on how my schedule looks over the next week, I may have a week's hiatus for the story. Don't worry, I'll be back, but I would rather be a little late to maintain the quality of my work than try to squeeze something out on time that isn't nearly as good as normal.

Rin was staring intently at the scroll she'd been left with in the library. Beside her was an inuyoukai woman, from the Mori clan, who was centuries older than Rin and thus able to read the markings on the scroll that were so old they barely qualified as kanji. Rin nodded as the woman explained the different spells on the scroll with their costs and effects.

"Rin."

Her head popped up at the voice of her beloved and she rushed to him, forgetting the ancient scroll completely. She hurried into his embrace, her face drawn in concern. "ah, what happened to your face?" she asked in worry, pulling her sleeve up to try and wipe at the swiftly scabbing scratches on his cheek.

He gently pushed her hand away, embracing her and breathing in her warm, human scent to calm him after the ordeal he'd just been through. She was safe and whole, and neither of the awful futures had happened yet. He could prevent them—there was still time. "that doesn't matter. Rin, we need to talk."

"talk? About what?" all she wanted to talk about was what had happened to his face and why he'd allowed someone to injure him, even slightly.

The Mori clan woman who had been sitting with Rin cleared her throat and got to her feet. "I need to speak with you both as well, My lord."

He shot the woman an annoyed glance, only just realizing she was there because of his relief at finding Rin unharmed. He did not wish to be interrupted. This was going to be an important conversation. "not now," he told her shortly. "after this."

The woman bowed and settled back at the table with the ancient scroll. "as you will, My Lord." She seemed to be ignoring them now.

Sesshomaru returned his attention to his mate, who still looked worried about him. Her hands were curled gently on his chest as he held her close to him. She tried to reach for his injured cheek again. "we need to clean your face. It's all bloody…" he caught her gentle hand and shook his head softly.

"that is not important right now." He held her hand, his other hand on the bow on the back of her kimono as he held her small body close to him. He looked into her beautiful cinnamon eyes, full of worry for him. "Rin, I have been shown the future. If you do become a youkai, as my mother wishes, our child will not survive." Rin's face showed her horror at those words, and she shifted her free hand to her stomach in worry, covered by her layers and wide obi. "not only that, but the sacrifice required of you to put the spell in motion is too much."

Rin frowned deeper. "what is it? Your mother didn't say, before you arrived." She knew it must be something awful, but had no idea what.

"it is your soul you gave up for the chance to make me happy. You thought, I suppose, that I would be happier if I were able to take the throne, as my mother wishes me to. As I was born to do. But it won't, Rin. I told you already," he gently took her chin in his hand, making sure she was looking him in the eye to see his total sincerity, "it is your soul I love. For you to give it away for any reason pains me beyond words. I would rather give up everything in exchange for your soul, than have you give it up for anything, no matter how important or precious."

Rin felt him shiver slightly as he remembered how she had behaved as a youkai. "you were awful, Rin. You had no remorse that the spell had killed our child. You were dark and cold, worse than I had been when we first met years ago." Rin shivered too, picturing how bad she must have been to scare her Sesshomaru, of all people.

"then I must stay human?" she asked timidly. Surprisingly to her, he shook his head.

"that may not be possible either. It certainly will not be safe. Once the clans get wind of your pregnancy, we will be under attack. I saw that too." He sighed, remembering his mother's body in the burning palace. Rin shifted a little closer to him, seeing the pain in his eyes as he looked away from her. "there were many deaths. The vision did not remain long enough for me to see if our child survived, but you did start to whelp early, which is never good for mother or pup."

Rin sighed softly, resting her head against her beloved's chest. "but what other choice is there? If I cannot stay human for the wrath of the clans, but I cannot become a youkai for the sake of my own soul?" she felt him lightly rest his chin on the top of her head, holding her close to him for comfort.

"I do not know…perhaps…" he paused, gathering his thoughts. "listen. I want us to remain as one, forever. I want the child you carry—our child. Maybe…maybe three-quarters youkai would be more acceptable than half…"

It took several moments for the meaning behind his statement to sink in for Rin. When it did, she pulled back a bit from him, looking up and shaking her head frantically. "oh, please, no! I couldn't go through that again! Being a hanyou was terrible."

"Rin, if you think being a hanyou is bad, then being a youkai would be worse." She shook her head again, more gently. "that's the choice you must make."

"I know." She sighed and laid her head on his chest once more. "so I can't remain a human, but I can't become a youkai, for the baby…and I don't want to be a hanyou again…"

The woman had been listening to their conversation the entire time, eavesdropping. She cleared her throat pointedly as they both fell silent. Sesshomaru's head snapped up and he glared at the brown-haired woman. "what."

"if I may interrupt…" she rose gracefully to her feet and stepped over to them, clutching the ancient scroll in her delicate hands. "your mother is not skilled at choosing spells, my lord."

"what do you mean?" Sesshomaru regarded the scroll, able to read it also, though it was difficult. He hadn't exactly spent much effort on learning such old writings when he was intent on gaining power and surpassing his father.

"there is a spell I believe would be ideal to settle your dilemma. See, here." She pointed to the scroll, showing him the details. "it does not require her soul, and the change is gradual rather than instant, allowing the pup to change along with her. It will still require a soul, though. You shall have to find me one."

"is there a requirement as to what kind?" he reviewed the characters on the page, frowning intently.

"human. The more wicked, the better. Find one and bring them here, alive. I shall need to harvest the soul myself to weave the spell. Go now. I shall see to it that your mate is cared for." She turned and bowed slightly to Rin, who said the first thing on her mind: "I'm hungry."

It took two days of intent searching to locate a group of bandits in a nearby area. The first place to search for wicked men was among other wicked men, Sesshomaru thought as he lay in wait for the group to near a village. He wanted to be sure he got the worst of the group, to be the strongest for the spell. For good measure, he would kill the remainder of the band so they would stop troubling the countryside. The leader, he was glad to see, was obvious, as he was the only one on horseback. They passed his watching place and he quickly moved to get in front of them, stopping their progress under the first quarter moon.

"what is that?" blurted the man on horseback as his men shied back from Sesshomaru. "it's a youkai, sir!" blurted one of the forward men, cowering. "well, then, kill it! Prove you are men!" he commanded.

Sesshomaru did not bother to draw his sword, just sliced through the first few men who tried to charge him with his whip, making the rest cower once more. He locked eyes with the man on horseback as he goaded the animal to charge the white-haired man. He simply held out his hand as the human charged him, sword drawn, snarling. He avoided the clumsy blade and knocked the man off the horse by his neck, slamming him to the ground and knocking him unconscious. The remaining few men tried to flee the youkai, but his whip made short work of them. He regarded the horse. Deciding he wasn't hungry enough, he left it to go free, tossing the unconscious man over his shoulder and taking the short way back to the palace at last.

Rin was waiting for him early the next morning when he finally returned with his prize. He was glad to see she was clean, well-dressed and healthy, even more than he had left her. Someone had put up her hair in a fancy braided mum on the side of her head where she once tied up her bangs as a child. She was also wearing more of his mother's old courtly garments, and she had color in her cheeks, making him think of how women would say that pregnant women 'glowed' with extra life. Her whole face lit up with joy to see him, and he offered a small smile. "where is the magic-maker?" he asked her.

"I'll get her!" Rin turned to hurry off, then paused with one foot up. "oh, after, will you join us for breakfast?"

"of course, dear." She grinned and continued. The Mori clan woman came along, brow furrowed. "yes, this one should do nicely. I'm surprised you managed to get him so unharmed. That will help." She took the limp body from Sesshomaru and carried him off. "I shall explain the particulars at breakfast, milord. You have time to bathe if you wish."

They met around the breakfast table and Rin certainly did not stand on ceremony. Sesshomaru was surprised to see the amount of meat on her plate, raising an eyebrow at it. It was nearly identical to his own plate, except he could tell it was just human food. She had always seemed to dislike eating meat, but she was stuffing it in her mouth as fast as she could chew it now. Perhaps it was another side effect of the pregnancy?

The woman cleared her throat and he turned his attention to her. "now then, the spell is not terribly complicated. I need simply the soul as an exchange, and a willing recipient, and I have both. What troubles me is that setting the spell is excruciatingly painful. In order for milady, and especially the pup, to survive the procedure, you will have to take some of that pain upon yourself, milord."

He nodded without hesitation. "I will gladly take it, if it will help."

"It will be required of you." The woman finished eating, then rose. "I shall go and prepare. Meet me in one hour, in the room just above the dungeons."