A New Beginning

I do not in any way, shape or form own Inuyasha and Company. They belong to to Rumiko Takahashi. May she continue to bestow us with her beloved chapters on these characters.



And I do mean 'characters'!









Rin was starting to feel dizzy. She hadn't seen her new husband in over half an hour. As they'd expected, he'd been pulled this way and that by well-wishers vying for his attention, wanting to convey their congratulations.



Rin herself had bowed so many times that her head was starting to ache. She had even started to feel a bit nauseous from all of the attention, but that had thankfully gone away. She desperately needed a break, but couldn't figure out how to be able to go about doing so without being judged by everyone around her.



Kagome watched as Rin placed a hand against her forehead. She'd been following her sister-in-law very closely since Sesshomaru had been pulled away. Knowing that the pregnancy just might make the young girl feel ill, she'd hovered close by, just in case, and was very glad that she had.



"Rin, I think it would be a good thing if you took some time away from all of this. I really feel that you need a short break, don't you think?" Kagome whispered into her ear, pulling her towards the part of Rin's garden that had been sectionned off so that no one could go through undetected.



"Oh, Kagome. Does it show that much? I'm really starting to feel completely overwhelmed from all of the attention, you know." Rin whispered back.



"Only to the trained eye. It's because I know you so well. Here, sit down and try to relax. I went to the kitchen a bit earlier and asked your cook for some milk. I brought back something special for you from my era a few days ago. Gimme a few minutes to make it for you, okay? Ummm...you're not feeling too sick to your stomach, are you? This can wait until you feel up to it, you know." Kagome said while rummaging through that old yellow back-pack of hers that she'd hidden by Rin's pool.



"I will admit to having a...what do you call it? A 'tension headache'? I did feel a bit light headed, but that subsided several minutes ago. I can't believe that you still have that old thing with you. I would have thought that it would have given out ages ago. What do you call it again? Shoulder pack? And is that what I think it is? My favorite drink in the whole wide world?" Rin rambled back at her, barely stopping to breath in between phrases and questions.



Kagome chuckled. Rin hadn't changed all that much from the intelligent child that she'd been when Kagome had first met her. Always the inquisitive one when left in Kagome's or Kaede's care for whatever reason, Rin would politely ask questions until she had satisfactory answers. Then she'd offer any and all help that she could until her 'Lord Sesshomaru' would arrive and take her away with him.



"Rin, calm down. It's me, remember? To answer your question, I don't know just how many times I've taken my back-pack to be sewn up at the seamstress's not far from where my mother lives. I just can't bear to throw this stupid thing away. It been with me through so much, ya know? I've got so many memories attached to it, that Inuyasha says that it just might bring about dishonor or even bad luck to simply throw it away."



"And yes, it is your favorite drink, chocolate milk. Although the cook didn't have cow's milk and gave me goat's milk instead of what you're used to drinking from my era, though. It's a bit thicker, but I don't think that there'll be much of a change for the taste, though. Now, tell me what's bothering you. I've known you for far too long for you to tell me that's it's nothing." Kagome replied while shaking the plastic bottle that she'd brought back from her time, making sure that all of the dark powder had dissolved thoroughly with the milk before handing it to her new sister-in-law.



Rin accepted her gift gratefully. Slowly uncapping the top and placing the straw that Kagome had given her, she took a long sip, letting the flavored liquid swirl inside of her mouth and against her tongue.



"Mmmmmm. Thank you, Kagome-chan. This is exactly what I needed. This and some time away from everyone, as you so perceptively surmised. I'm glad that you weren't too far away. I really did need some time alone, without so many people around. Ummm, Kagome-chan, I'd really like to talk to you. I'm...well, that is..." Rin hesitated while slowly sipping her chocolate milk, looking off into the distance, not quite knowing how to put her anxieties into words.



Kagome took Rin's hand and squeeezed it tightly, trying to assure her without words that she was there for her.



"Rin, what's wrong? Talk to me. Please, don't be afraid, I'm here and I will never let you down. That is, for as long as I'll live, okay? You can trust me. You know that, don't you? I've never betrayed you before and there's no way that I'll start now. Tell me what's wrong." Kagome said, urging Rin to open up to her.



Rin shuddered and hunched against Kagome, wrapping her arms around her waist and burrowing her nose against her shoulders. The Miko could feel her pain and fear. What in the Seven Hell's could be wrong? Sesshomaru had finally declared his love for her; had finally taken Rin as his mate; had even pupped her for Kami's sake. What on earth could be wrong?



"Rin?" Kagome prodded.



"It's just that...well...what if...what if he doesn't want...!" Rin wailed into Kagome's shoulder, shuddering as all of the pent up emotions from the past two days came to a head. All Kagome could think of doing was to rub Rin's back and coo meaningless words into her ear until the flood of emotions finally stopped.



Finally hiccupping, once every sob had been spent, Rin pushed herself slightly away from her sister-in-law, apologising.



"Kaa...ggome(sniff). I'mm...(sniff) ssorry. II...(hiccupp) sshouldn't...(cough) have."



"I'm....stronger than this (cough). I shouldn't have...bothered...(hiccup)."



"Rin, stop it. It's alright. Now, spill it, okay? Tell me what's really wrong. This is just so not like you."



"It's just that...well, what if he doesn't...what if he refuses...what if he pushes me away?" Rin wailed.



"What if he doesn't want any children, Kagome? What if it's a burden to him? What if I become a burden to him because I'm carrying his offspring? What if...what if...he....doesn't want me anymore?" Rin moaned in a whisper, huddling herself against the only person that she ever considered to be a true friend and sister.



"Oh, Rin...stop. Don't. That's enough. Enough I say! Look at me! Look at me and tell me that you don't know your 'Sesshy' as well as you think you do! How can you even think that he'll abandon you once you've told him that you're pregnant! With that oversensitive INU nose of his, do you honestly think that he doesn't already know? He's probably known right from the very first second of conception, damn it! He's just waiting for you to choose the right moment to tell him yourself. So stop beating yourself up, for Kami's sake. In actual fact, if you take just a few minutes to think things through, you'll be able to tell him tonight. Just imagine what kind of wedding gift that it'll be for him, from you, telling him that you know that you're pregnant. That his seed has taken hold inside of you and that you're expecting his child. For heaven's sake, Rin! Pull yourself together! You know as well as I do that if Sesshomaru went through the human traditional wedding ceremony, it was only because of what he felt for you. He loves YOU, and ONLY you, Rin. One look from any idiot around you could tell you that much, for Pete's sake! Please! Give yourself...and HIMSELF some credit!" Kagome ranted, holding Rin tightly against her, hugging her with all of the love that she could muster between her arms.



Rin slowly pushed herself away from her sister-in-law, wiping the tears from her eyes.



"Thank you. You know, sometimes you really do need to be told the truth. Like a good swift kick in the butt. Ummm.....Kagome, will you stay by my side until Sesshomaru comes back from his obligatory functions tonight? From what I've been told, it shouldn't be too long now. If everything goes as planned, I should be able to retire with him very shortly. I don't think that I'll be able to keep up pretences for very much longer anyways, I'm just that tired." Rin replied as she grabbed Kagome's hands between her own, squeezing them as hard as she could, hoping that Kagome understood her inner turmoil.



Kissing Rin's knuckles, pulling her hands away, then wrapping her arms around Rin, Kagome hugged her for all that she could, trying to convey as much love as she had in her towards her younger 'sister'.



"Come on Rin. It's time that we went back to your reception. Do you feel a bit better? Did the chocolate milk help any?"



Giggling, Rin answered. "Yes, thanks to you. Kagome...you'll stay until Sesshy comes back?"



Chuckling, Kagome replied: "Yes Rin, until Sesshomaru comes back."



Slowly, the two young women got up and headed back towards the wedding reception, arm in arm. Unbeknownst to them, a silent eavesdropper with golden eyes watched them leave the protected shroud of the garden with approval. He continued his gaze, following them, making sure that no harm befall them all the way back to the wedding reception. Heaving a small sigh, The great Lord Sesshomaru slowly followed them.