A/N: here's hoping I get this done for posting on Sunday! ...okay, wrong sunday, but I did it!

also, can I just say...some of you scare me. you're practically out for blood and death...this is supposed to be fluffy and family and stuff!

Sesshomaru crossed the palace once again. He had already lost count of how many times he had done so today. He tapped gently at the frame of his mother's door, knowing she was in her room.

"What is it, my son?" She asked, sitting with the nurse who was charged with caring for the newborn until Sesshomaru and Rin officially took custody of him in a few months' time. The pup was snoozing softly in the nurse's arms, sniffing now and again as he fidgeted, making sure his mother's scent was still nearby him. As soon as Sesshomaru entered the room, the pup woke and started to squirm and fuss, recognizing his father's scent. "I already got your message. He is being guarded in here with me."

"Rin wishes to see the pup, to put her worries at ease," He explained calmly, motioning to the nurse. "And I wish to speak with you in private." The white-haired woman nodded to the nurse, who quickly left with the fussing pup to take him to Rin. She offered her son a seat on a cushion in front of her, but he remained standing.

"What is troubling you, my son?" She asked, noting the tension in his frame.

"Several things. I just apprehended two men from the Dō clan who obviously had a hand in the midwife, Chieko's, death," He began, frowning deeply. "As well as a Shiro-Yama man they threatened into helping them with their plot." His mother nodded slowly, looking up at him from her comfortable position on the floor, wondering where he was going with this. "In addition, there is a clear pattern in the gifts that Azumi sorted. Poison or drugs were most frequently found in the Dō and Shiro-Yama gifts of foodstuffs, as well as the Umi and Mori clan items, though both of those also seemed coerced, as they were poorly hidden and weak strength unlikely to cause lasting damage even if they went undetected."

Gobodō-sama nodded slowly again, beginning to frown. "And what do you propose to do with this information, my son?"

Sesshomaru was beginning to get irritated at her repeated reminders of his inferiority of position to her. The repetition of 'my son' also made him feel as if she was not remotely taking him seriously, speaking as if he were a child weaving a tale to get someone else in trouble.

"We have plenty of evidence. If we strike now, while they are unprepared, we can—"

"Unprepared?" was the word the dainty woman picked out, raising a fine white brow as he stopped to stare at her, golden eyes revealing his frustration. "What makes you think a person or group so confident as to make such an easily trackable trail is unprepared for a fight?"

"They may not yet realize we have traced everything back to them! We need to strike quickly!"

"And who, exactly, are we striking?" She challenged. "All the Dō clan? And the Shiro-Yama too, as they seem to be rather implicit in the plotting and execution of these plans?" She challenged, a sharpness entering her tone. "This is the work of a small group at best, perhaps only a few individuals. Yet you would dare to risk another civil war in an attempt to kill what is perhaps only two or three dissidents?"

A growl of greater frustration slipped out from between the man's clenched teeth and he began to pace to and fro in front of the woman, who was still seated, though sitting up now, watching him closely. "We must do something! They cannot remain unpunished for their many crimes, or they will only grow ever more bold in their attempts to undo us!"

To his flaring anger, his mother slowly nodded a third time. "That is what we must do. As it is, we will have little cooperation should it come to a war. The clans will answer our call to aid, and most are loyal to us, though they will be grudging at best. If we wait for those among the clans to reveal their hand, we may be able to avoid a war altogether, if we're very lucky." She looked up at him with a deep frown of concern. "I worry as much as you, my son. We never know what way the enemy may strike next, or if their plan at any time may yet be successful. But that is no reason to rush in blindly. Your father taught you battle strategy, I know he did. You know tactics like that will only get more innocent blood spilled on our behalf. Enough has been shed to water the ground for generations. We must not make rash decisions when our opponent has likely spent centuries plotting for every eventuality."

Though the woman's calm words angered him further, he knew very well that she was right. Jumping in blindly had nearly cost him his life just weeks ago, and he could not afford to make such a mistake again. "We have those men in the dungeon," He said, grasping at anything he thought would help his position. "They can be interrogated. I'm sure they have valuable information of some kind. Perhaps they can lead us to the responsible parties."

"Perhaps," the irritatingly calm woman confirmed. "We shall see, certainly. But for now, there is nothing to do but wait for the enemy to show their hand, or make a mistake. Their confidence may yet be their undoing." She finally rose to her feet and caught her son's shoulder, making him stop and turn quickly to face her, looking ready to growl and bare his teeth in frustration and upset. "Sesshomaru," She addressed him directly, "I trust you to take the throne when your pups get their stripes. That is now only months hence. Do not betray that trust, for it is not only mine to give, but all the clans', who pledged their loyalty at the new year. It is no longer only you that you must concern yourself with." The proud and angry man before her seemed to deflate a little, and, perhaps she imagined it, but for a moment she seemed to see only the lost little half-grown boy who had once run to her for advice on everything his father would not explain to him. "You should return to your mate, and the child. Both need you in times like this." He gave a soft sigh and half-turned toward the door, then back to her.

"There is one other thing I wanted to discuss. Why did you lie to me about the pup's lineage?"

"How did I lie?"

Sesshomaru's frown returned. "You said he was the son of a midwife and a healer. Yet his father was Kaito, one of the most respected Ka captains. A warrior in title and deed. So why did you lie?"

"I was uncertain who his father was. I assumed the Ka only served as guards during the whelping festival. Certainly I have never visited their lands for myself." She sighed. "Do you honestly believe I would lie to you deliberately?"

"If it caused you to gain something, I believe so." His words and tone were quite firm, and a bit accusatory.

Gobodō-sama scoffed and looked away a little. "I am hurt you think so." But, he noticed, she did not deny his accusation. "Now go. Your mate could use your comfort, I am sure."

As the man left again, the dainty woman returned to her cushion. The time would not be far distant, now, when he would have to take up arms in some way. She only hoped it would be as Taishōgun, with a full army to face the threat, rather than as a Taishō with whatever troops he could scrounge up…

Sesshomaru returned to his room across the palace to find Rin sitting with the nurse, chatting softly as Rin held the pup, who seemed to be sleeping much more deeply in her gentle embrace. His darling mate looked up as he entered, offering him a gentle smile. "What did you talk about?" She asked him, yawning softly before he could manage to respond. "It has been a long day, hasn't it?" She mused. Rin laid the infant in the little sort of bassinet she had made in her nest out of her own moko-moko, laid in a ring. She then laid down beside it, wriggling and quickly getting comfortable. The nurse was frowning in some sort of concern.

"What is it?" He asked the orange-haired and teardrop-marked woman, who turned to him. In a low voice, she told him, "She is too early to be nesting as she is, Sesshomaru-sama. Much, much too early."

He frowned, looking to his mate, who was already peacefully sleeping next to the newborn, and back to the nurse. "It could be nothing," she continued softly, "But it likewise could be a very bad sign. You should have Aki-sama check her, to make sure all is well."

"What trouble could it cause, if she nests? Surely there's no harm in it." He found it rather comforting and charming, honestly. She had even made him a supremely soft and comfortable spot in the pile of blankets and cushions. But the nurse quickly shook her head.

"Her instincts clearly know what time of year it is," She noted. "And being around all the other new mothers, as well as a newborn she has more than once fed, will also strengthen those instincts. And, if her body responds as her instincts are…" She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought, but he could.

"What are you saying? Will she whelp early?" He looked back to his sleeping mate again, who had a little smile and a small hand resting on her swollen belly. She was hardly halfway through the period Aki had said it would take for the pup to grow and develop within her. She still looked comfortably round to him, nowhere near ready for something like that. And if she wasn't ready, neither would the pup be.

"It could be a possibility. Again, have Aki-sama check her over, to ensure such a thing is not happening. You may need to take her home, away from the mothers and pups, in order to protect her and the heirs." He gave a nod of understanding and hurried off to fetch her, luckily catching her in a brief lull between working. She agreed to come as soon as she had finished her food, and he quickly returned to Rin, gently waking her so she would be less startled by their sudden visitor.

A few mercifully short minutes later, the Royal Midwife bustled in, all business, and went straight for Rin, immediately starting to pull the layers of her robes apart so she could reach the area she needed to check. Rin was quite alarmed at the abrupt intrusion and yelped loudly in terror, grabbing at her mate to get him to protect her. He nodded curtly to aki, knowing she needed to do what she was doing, and hugged Rin's upper torso tightly, letting her cringe into him and cry, murmuring sweet nothings while the midwife worked as quickly and efficiently as she could.

In a few moments, Aki was finished and sat up. "Take her home," She ordered curtly. "Carry her. Azumi will accompany you. If she begins to have pains, stop and have the servant give her herbs which I will send with you. Send for me if I am needed." She then stepped forward and took the pup, returning him brusquely to the nurse and ordering her out. Rin was still sobbing in her mate's arms, now curled in as much of a ball as she could manage from the moment Aki released her. He apologized profusely as he held her tight, rocking slightly, though he doubted it would do anything to soothe a pain this deep and fresh for her. When she finally stopped crying some time later, he gently tucked her tightly into her nest and got to packing, gathering everything quickly and resigning to carrying it all. He called for Jaken—the foolish toad had a hangover since discovering the sake—and relayed Aki's instructions, charging him with ensuring all was ready for their departure as soon as possible.

Within a few minutes, they were ready to depart with the evening sun. the sun had barely given way completely to stars when Rin began to whimper afresh, squirming a little between Sesshomaru's withers.

Rin?

"I-It hurts…"