Innocent Beginnings

Epilogue

Bringing me back to the present now, I feel his fingers brush across my face. I look at him and smile; he is smiling back at me, looking so adorable in his drowsiness.


"What are you thinking?", he asks, moving over to snuggle against me. He IS a cuddler, the rumors are true!


"About you.", I say, wrapping an arm about his waist as I press myself even closer to him.


"Me?"


"Yeah, I love you, Sesshomaru"


"I know you do.", he yawns, looking so much like a little boy that I want to just eat him up.


"Love you too.", he murmurs, his eyes drifting shut as he falls back into sleep. I lie awake and watch him.


For awhile I lie there, smiling to myself as I watch him breathe deeply and evenly. He is beautiful - so very, very beautiful. I reach over to brush the hair from his eyes and gently kiss his lips. He sighs - content and safe now in the love we share.


I climb quietly out of bed and walk into the living room to stand by the huge windows I've always loved so very much. Those same windows that afford me a spectacular view of the sea - a view that brings peace and harmony to my soul. When I think back to how much these windows have witnessed, to how many times I've stood in front of them in the past two years to bare my soul…


I have to tell you - this isn't the end of our story by a long shot. There's so much more I want to share with you. But this is as far as I will take you - for now. It just feels right to end it here, don't you think? Everybody loves a happy ending, don't they?


For those of you that are interested in our continuing story - I will tell you that we ARE still very much together. But it didn't come easily and it didn't come without a price.


Kohaku is still a major force in my life. I came to depend on him more and more as Sesshomaru and I struggled through our new relationship - hiding "us" from the world for as long as we possibly could. Without Kohaku, I really don't know what would've happened to me during that particular part of my life. As always, he was my rock, my strength. I love Kohaku Asada dearly, he loves me just as much and that's all you need to know for now.


Shippo's still around, where would I be without his goofy smile and fabulous dance moves? Miroku even became a very important part of my life and our story… and continues to be so to this very day.


But my heart and soul belongs to Sesshomaru Hara and it always will. He captured it the day he walked into that dreary rec room at Sacred Heart and sat down to listen to a girl that had essentially figured on ending her life as it was. He saved me and I've never forgotten that. I never will.


Does he love ME? Yes, he surely does, with all his heart and soul.


"Rin?", sleep roughened, his voice comes from behind me, interrupting my thoughts, and in mere seconds he's wrapping himself around me in the dark, his chin resting on my shoulder as he looks with me out over the calming sea.


"Are you ok?", he asks. He knows of my penchant for gazing out these windows, for looking out over the sea…


"I'm ok if you're ok.", I answer him, covering his hands with my own.


"Well, I'm ok if YOU'RE ok.", he says and I can hear the smile in his voice.

His lips brush my neck and he whispers the words I can never, ever hear enough.

"I love you Rin Matsumoto… Hara"