Chapter V

Rin didn’t know how long they had sat beside the fire or how long they had held each other, but when she opened her eyes they met nothing the dim glow of the embers that had once been the fire. The faint light cast long shadows around the room and she shuddered slightly as her overactive imagination and long standing fear of darkness came into play. Hesitantly she sat back on her heels and looked around the room, trying to remember the layout so as to locate the nearest light. Her gaze drifted around the room as she tried to get her bearings and her eyes widened when she saw a pair of amber eyes staring back at her through the dim light. It was then that she remembered what had happened and realised that she must have fallen asleep, but Sesshoumaru was still very much awake. She smiled at him, not sure if he would see it in the light, but sighed to herself when he smirked in response.

“What time is it?” Rin asked, her voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

“After midnight,” Sesshoumaru replied, wishing that she hadn’t moved.

“You should’ve woken me up!”

“You looked too comfortable and happy.”

Blushing, Rin looked away and Sesshoumaru smirked again. She had looked comfortable and he certainly wasn’t going to complain if she wanted to sleep against him. When he had realised that she had fallen asleep, he leaned back against the chair behind him and held her against him gently. In the past he had held other women, but it had always felt awkward and for some reason, holding Rin in this way felt as natural as the passing of days. While she had been asleep, Sesshoumaru had taken the time to marvel at how delicate she truly was. Her slim body looked like it was made of porcelain and she was so light that he felt like she would break in his arms if he wasn’t careful. Long dark hair tumbled out of it bun and fell over his hands as they rested on her back. Tiny hands had fisted into his shirt and held on as though she thought he would leave. He smirked at the thought. There was no way he was going to be leaving this house unless she threw him out.

“The floor can’t be comfortable,” Rin mused and pushed herself up to her feet, looking down at him with a smile.

“Hm.”

A light came on, blinding the pair momentarily as they tried to accustom their eyes to the sudden light. Rin sighed in relief from where she stood beside the small lamp she had turned on. She looked down to see that Sesshoumaru hadn’t moved at all and was sitting on the floor looking up at her with a strange expression and she couldn’t help blushing although she wasn’t sure why she was blushing.

“Since it’s so late, you’re going to have to stay here,” Rin said, attempting to keep her voice calm and the blush down.

“Thank you.”

Rin silently led him up the stairs and down the corridor to the only spare bedroom, very conscious of the fact that it was right next door to her own bedroom. She wasn’t entirely sure why the idea of him sleeping in the room beside hers made her blush even more, but fought her blush down as she tried to regain the control of herself that seemed to have slipped at some point during the day. Walking into the room, she hastily turned on the bedside lamp before pulling back the covers and closing the curtains and eventually turning around to face Sesshoumaru, knowing that what she had done was not necessary as he could have done it himself, but she found herself in need of a distraction. She stepped back towards the door and gave him a smile, not sure what else she could do.

“Sleep well,” she said quietly and closed the door behind her as she left.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru had lain awake for most of what was left of the night, unable to sleep as his thoughts churned through his head. He had awoken as sunlight started to creep under the curtains and he wondered what Rin was doing. Getting out of bed, he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back, discovering that the bedroom looked out over the front garden. It was a nice house and he was certain that he could live there happily, but he was also certain that he could live anywhere happily as long as Rin was nearby.

He still didn’t understand what it was about her that made him feel calm and as though all the worries he had weren’t as bad as he had first thought. The world seemed to end the day before as he watched Yuri’s coffin be taken away for cremation, but as Sesshoumaru thought about it now, it was merely the end of one chapter in his life and he was about to begin a new one. Rin didn’t judge him when he spoke of how he had felt about the girl the day before or how he felt about her death, she had simply listened and not tried to use useless words to make him feel better. Rin was living proof that the death of a loved one didn’t mean that life came to a stand still. She knew better than anyone else he knew what he should do next and she also seemed willing to help him if he would ask.

Hours later, Sesshoumaru had decided to take his leave although he was fairly sure Rin wouldn’t object if he were to stay longer, but he had things to attend to and Rin had merely smiled in understanding. She walked down to the bottom of the garden where his car sat waiting for him.

“You know where to find me if you need anything,” Rin offered with a smile as she watched him walk through the little gate.

“I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done,” Sesshoumaru admitted, frowning slightly as he thought about everything she had told him and how she had opened his eyes to see that life didn’t end with Yuri’s death.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said softly. “I just didn’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”

“Thank you.”

Rin almost jumped in shock when a large hand cupped her cold cheek and caressed the skin gently but she kept her composure and smiled in return, unable to keep herself from leaning into his touch slightly. She was slightly surprised when she received a very vague smile before he turned away and got into his car. Rin stood at the gate for a long time even after the car had disappeared as she considered the events from the day before. She had noticed that Sesshoumaru didn’t look lost when he had come downstairs that morning and she was glad to see that he had realised that life went on. It would be a long road to recovery, but Rin knew that Sesshoumaru could manage it without any problem. Smiling at the thought, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the house.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A couple of months passed and Sesshoumaru had heard nothing from Rin, but then he supposed that was to be expected as she didn’t have a way of contacting him like he could contact her. Just as she had predicted, he was feeling better about life now that he had sorted out the main problems in his life. He had divorced Kagura and it had been a messy business what with her shrieking at him like a fish wife even in the presence of their attorneys. Sesshoumaru noticed that both men had flinched when she began shouting and he knew that they understood exactly why he was asking for the divorce. Although he technically owned the house they lived in together, he had packed him belongings and left, not caring about what he left behind. The house was full of memories that he didn’t need and a fresh start would include a home where there were no memories that would haunt him.

As the days passed and life fell back to what it used to be before he met Kagura, Sesshoumaru found that he couldn’t shake the habit of turning on the television to see Rin’s face. She was now only appearing for the evening news but he remembered her talking about her hours being cut and supposed that just being able to see her was enough although he wished it was her in person and not on the screen. Sesshoumaru started to notice that as time passed, Rin stopped appearing on the early evening bulletins and then eventually stopping appearing altogether. It had worried him and frustrated him that his only way of seeing her had been cut off from him, but he supposed there was a reason for that. With Rin not on television, there was no point watching it and he only hoped that he would see her again somehow.

The shrill ringing of the phone in his office jarred his frayed nerves as Sesshoumaru sat at his desk at work despite the fact that it was well after the time everyone went home. He didn’t know what time it was and he didn’t really care, but he did want the phone to stop ringing. Sighing, he reasoned that it had to be important if someone had thought to look for him here and he leaned forward to pick up the phone.

“Yes?”

“Sesh come quickly,” Inuyasha’s slightly panicked voice came across the line.

“Inuyasha?”

“I need help, I don’t know what to do!”

“About what?”

“Kagome’s gone into labour!” the younger brother all but wailed down the phone.

“Call an ambulance then.”

“I… uh… I didn’t think of that,” Inuyasha sounded sheepish and then paused briefly. “Will you come to the hospital?”

“If you wish.”

Half an hour later, Sesshoumaru was striding through the halls of the hospital he knew Inuyasha would have Kagome brought to and soon came face to face with his brother who looked tired and very worried. Sesshoumaru nodded in response to Inuyasha’s smile and looked around him as he took a seat on a chair nearby. A handful of men and women were scattered about the room, all displaying various states of anxiety and excitement. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru looked at his watch and realised that it was 9pm. As he rubbed his eyes, his sharp ears caught the sound of hurried footsteps, probably high heeled shoes judging by the tapping sound that came with the footsteps. They were approaching rapidly and he looked up and stared in surprise to see Rin hurrying down the hall towards them.

“Rin, you came!” Inuyasha sounded relieved as she came to a stop and he immediately enveloped her in a bear hug.

Rin merely smiled as she returned the hug as best she could. “Of course I did.”

“Were you working?” Inuyasha asked, stepping back to look at her seriously.

Just as Rin was about to reply, a nurse appeared beside them and told Inuyasha he could see Kagome. He had looked surprised for a moment and then jumped at the opportunity, leaving Rin and Sesshoumaru outside to wait for news. Sesshoumaru looked at Rin carefully as she moved to sit beside him and realised that she had lost weight again. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked frighteningly pale. It worried him that she looked so much more fragile than he remembered and at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her.

“The day’s finally here,” Rin murmured with a smile.

“Indeed.”

“Are you pleased about being an uncle?”

“I hadn’t given it much thought. I wonder if it’ll be a male or female.”

“I know Kagome wants a girl,” Rin replied. “Inuyasha wants a son though.”

Sesshoumaru grunted. “Always at odds with each other. It’s a miracle they’re still married.”

“I hope they don’t argue too much around the child. It’d be awful it picked up its father’s bad language.”

“He would truly be a disgrace as a father if the child did.”

Rin laughed and sat giggling to herself about that statement until her giggles turned to coughs. Sesshoumaru looked at her in surprise when he heard the coughs. They didn’t sound bad, but it just seemed strange for Rin to have one as she had never seemed to have one before. Seeming to sense the question that was coming, Rin raised a hand and waved it dismissively as she reached for a large bottle of water in her bag.

“Sorry about that,” she looked slightly embarrassed. “My throat’s a bit dry.”

“Should you not ask a doctor for medication?”

“Don’t overact,” Rin said with a smile. “It’s just a cough; it’ll pass in a couple of days.”

They sat in silence for a while, wondering if Kagome was alright and eventually Inuyasha appeared briefly to give them an update. As soon as he was done, he retreated into Kagome’s room again and Rin sighed.

“I need a hot drink,” she said quietly before looking at Sesshoumaru. “Do you want one?”

“Please.”

Nodding with a bright smile that seemed at odds with her very pale face. She put her bag on the floor after taking her purse from within it and got to her feet, staggering slightly as she seemed to be having trouble with her balance. Frowning slightly, Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm when she looked like she would fall over and waited until she was steady on her feet before letting go. She smiled her thanks and walked away down the hall as Sesshoumaru watched her carefully, wondering if maybe he should have gone with her. Much to his surprise, she came back about 5 minutes later looking cheerful and carrying two cups of coffee. She handed one to him and sat down beside him, sighing softly to herself as she did so.

“You know Kagome will probably skin you alive if she finds out you’re malnourished again,” Sesshoumaru said quietly, keeping his gaze fixed on the steam rising from his coffee as he spoke.

“She won’t find out,” Rin replied after debating whether or not to admit to it or not. “Besides, I’m not as malnourished as you think.”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow at her and his expression clearly showed that he didn’t believe her. “So what will you tell Kagome when you see her?”

“Nothing. She’ll be so happy with her baby that she hopefully won’t notice.”

“Good luck trying to fool her.”

Sesshoumaru knew that Kagome was very perceptive and it was very hard to hide anything from her. She seemed to have a knack for finding things out without directly asking about them and he knew that Rin knew that as well as he did. He was glad that she didn’t try to lie and say that she was fine because it was obvious to anyone that she was anything but fine, but he knew that despite her joy over her new child, Kagome would definitely notice Rin’s condition. It was just a question of whether or not she would say anything about it.

Hours passed slowly and Sesshoumaru began to lose patience. The waiting area they sat in was not very warm as the doors kept opening and closing, letting the cold night air in as people rushed in and out. The few men who paced nearby were beginning to annoy him even though he knew they had a good cause for anxiety and the overly cheerful nurses who walked past and whispered to each other as their gazes landed on him didn’t help the situation much. He could see the blatantly lustful gazes of several women, patients and nurses alike, who looked at him and tried to catch his attention only to be disappointed when he ignored them. Overall, he was beginning to wish the child would be born so he could get out of the place as he knew he would never hear the end of it from Inuyasha if he left before the child was born.

Rin in the meantime occupied herself with the various magazines that sat on the table nearby. She had no interest in any of the articles within them, but needed something to do. However, eventually even the magazines failed to hold her attention and she threw them down in disgust. Glancing at her watch she saw that they had been sitting in the waiting room for nearly four hours and she sighed as she looked at the door to Kagome’s room, assuming that the child was not born yet as Inuyasha had yet to come out with the grin of a proud father. Her mind as weary and her body ached; all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep until everything felt better.

The pair sat in silence as they each wished to be at home asleep and after nearly half an hour, Sesshoumaru felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking down he found Rin asleep in her chair and her head against his shoulder. Smiling to himself, he wondered if he should wake her so that she could find somewhere a bit more comfortable to sleep, but decided against it and chose instead to shift in his seat, putting an arm along the back of her chair and adjusting her so that she was tucked into his side snugly. He didn’t care what people thought and didn’t particularly care what his brother would say if he saw them, all he cared about was the woman who slept soundly against him.

Another few hours passed quickly and eventually, Inuyasha came out of the room with a grin, ready to express his joy to Rin and Sesshoumaru. As he stepped out of Kagome’s room, his eyes scanned the room for the pair and they widened when he finally located them in the far corner of the room. A grin crossed his face as he saw a sleeping Rin curled up against his brother’s side while Sesshoumaru had an arm wrapped around her shoulders as he leaned against the wall, also asleep. Inuyasha’s grin widened and he began to wonder if there was hope for the pair yet. Hearing Kagome’s voice from the room behind him, he remembered what he had come out for and made his way quietly towards the sleeping pair, not really wanting to wake them.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes opened slowly as he felt something flick his forehead and he looked around wondering what had woken him. Amber eyes widened as they landed on his grinning brother who towered over him and he frowned slightly. Inuyasha didn’t give him a chance to speak as he looked down at Rin with an affectionate smile.

“Wake your girlfriend up and come meet your niece,” Inuyasha instructed before turning on his heel and walking back into Kagome’s room.

Blinking in confusion, Sesshoumaru stared at his brother’s retreating back. His girlfriend? Not sure what Inuyasha had meant, he was about to sit up when he felt the weight against his side shift slightly and he looked down. Rin was still fast asleep and curled into his side. Realising what Inuyasha meant, Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly. His girlfriend indeed, if only that were true.

“Rin, wake up.” Sesshoumaru nudged her gently and watched as her eyes opened slowly, looking around her as she tried to get her bearings. Her eyes widened when she remembered where she was and she looked up at him, slightly surprised that she was curled up against him. “The child’s been born.”

“Really?” Rin exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair as her eyes showed her excitement.

“Inuyasha wants us to go in.”

Nodding, Rin got to her feet and followed Sesshoumaru across the waiting area to Kagome’s room. She stepped inside with Sesshoumaru in tow and looked over that the little family sitting on Kagome’s bed. A smile spread across her face as she watched and then stepped aside as Sesshoumaru cleared his throat.

“You finally woke up, eh?” Inuyasha asked, amusement in his eyes as he looked at them. “Come meet your niece, Sesh.”

Hesitantly, Sesshoumaru left Rin’s side and approached Kagome’s bed so cautiously that Rin wanted to laugh. Anyone would think he was afraid of the child. He looked at the tiny bundle and his eyes widened when he saw dark hair and amber eyes staring back at him. Truly a mixture of both parents, he mused and wondered if the child would inherit its father’s bad temper or its mother’s calm demeanour. He shook his head and backed away when Kagome had asked if he wanted to hold the baby and instead chose to stand beside Rin who watched the scene with amusement. Turning to Rin, Kagome asked the same question and Rin gladly accepted the child, immediately taking a liking to the little girl. The proud parents looked on as the child seemed to take a liking to Rin as well and wrapped a tiny hand around one of Rin’s fingers. Sesshoumaru watched the little display over Rin’s shoulder and it suddenly occurred to him that she would be a good mother.

“They make a good pair, don’t they?” Kagome whispered to her husband as she looked at them

“They look like a family,” Inuyasha agreed. “They really should get together.”

“That will happen in due course, dear,” Kagome teased with a mischievous look in her eyes.