YAY! :D EPILOGUE!

LOVE YOU GUYS!

oh and sorry if it seemed like I cut this story off too fast. I just had nowhere I wanted to go except for the birthing.

But OBVIOUSLY I'm not done since there's an epilogue, right?! :p

Enjoy!

She ran through the palace courtyard with the vigor and energy of a colt, stampeding her way around demon servants and henchmen. Each of them gave their own disapproving glance but they were undeniably used to the lord's little hanyou daughter prancing about the territory by now. The young half-demon child originally received a lot of skeptical opinions by the demons of the Western province, but since her birth five years ago, she had won over the hearts of those who found distaste in her sullied blood. No doubt, this ability was one that she had inherited from her lovely mother. As first heir to Sesshoumaru's vast kingdom, Aiseru Akemi, received her majestic two-part name from her powerful father, himself; as was the tradition for high shogunate families.

~5 years ago~

Rin's head rested lightly along her mate's lap as she ached for breath; recovering from the difficult, yet safe, delivery of her first-born child. Her mate carefully caressed her knotted and sweat-ridden hair, doing his best to remove the strands that had made it down to her reddened cheeks while Aomori and Natsuha rinsed the newborn with care.

Though giving birth had taken a toll on Rin, Sesshoumaru found a unique beauty radiating from the female that had just delivered his pup; one that encouraged his dominating and protective nature. For him, witnessing such a thing caused all else in his sights to ultimately fade away. He had never experienced anything quite so fascinating.

While Sesshoumaru had nearly turned at his mate's desire for him to accompany her during the delivery, he now felt immense satisfaction at being by her side throughout this rather trying event. After all, she was but a human woman giving life to a supernatural being. Perhaps his presence was of aid.

"My Lord… My Lady…," Natsuha breathed, breaking the lord from his thoughts as she made her way over to both him and Rin; kneeling to their level. With a cloth-wrapped bundle held tightly to her chest, the young doctor waited patiently as Rin opened her eyes and sat up; leaning against her mate's warm and encompassing chest for support.

Smiling and outstretching the bundle to its mother, Natsuha whispered, "A healthy female pup."

Sesshoumaru, though speechless for reasons beyond that of his quiet nature, watched as Rin's trembling hands took hold of the weighted cloth. When she had successfully peeled away the red silk, Sesshoumaru felt her pounding heart skip a beat against his chest. And in that sliver of a moment, he completely understood anything and everything that his father had stood for...

This child… This pup… It was half-demon.

A half-breed.

And yet, Sesshoumaru felt an overwhelming fondness for the creature. From the moment he rested his bright golden eyes upon her, he felt his livelihood shift. No longer did he live to fight. No longer did he live to conquer. He was now bound, heart and soul, to the safety and happiness of his offspring; to that of his family. His cause had forever changed from that of destroyer, to that of protector.

All because of this human woman.

He reverted his gaze back to Rin as she pressed further into him.

"She's waking up…," his mate barely managed the words, choking on emotion.

It was now that Sesshoumaru took in the child's features. Just like him she held his fair magenta stripes and crescent moon; though hers were slightly lighter and more feminine. However, her hair was a trait that she had undoubtedly inherited from her mother. Raven-black and human-like. The only discrepancies were the two tiny ears shifting back and forth upon her small, fragile scalp.

And then her eyelids lifted. The first look was coincidentally given to him rather than to her mother. Two golden orbs stared right back at him… And for the longest time, they refused to leave.

Narrowing his eyes after a loving nudge from his mate, Sesshoumaru tenderly took hold of his flesh and blood. The little girl looked up at him with the utmost intrigue; trying to figure out the first thing she had set her eyes upon. And for the smallest of moments, Sesshoumaru smiled, amused, at her.

This was his daughter.

Rin merely observed as the last remaining walls of Sesshoumaru's heart came crashing down. It was almost unsightly, how obvious of an effect holding his own pup had upon him.

Finally, Rin spoke, nuzzling closer to his form out of sheer emotion.

"Sesshoumaru, my love…," she whispered the second half of the endearment under breath and blush, "…What shall we call her?"

The dog lord merely let his eyes grow half-lidded in response. After a few moments, he was ready to gift the heir of the Western lands with a proper name.

"Aiseru," he declared firmly.

Rin looked at him with confusion, but he spoke again.

"Aiseru Akemi of the Inu no Taishou clan. That is what we shall call her."

Rin finally smiled down at the pup that had now turned its attention to her.

"…Why such a unique name, if I may ask?"

Sesshoumaru handed the bundle back to its mother, answering her as he did so,

"Aiseru… 'to have the capacity to be loved," and Akemi… 'to radiate beauty.'"

Rin widened her eyes before replying, "That's what it means?"

Sesshoumaru merely closed his eyes in affirmation before standing; catching the horrified attention of his lover.

"S-Sesshoumaru…," Rin pleaded, grabbing his haori sleeve in a light tug. He looked down upon her with tough, yet compassionate eyes.

"…Rest, my dear Rin. Our pup will do well to bond with its mother alone for a while."

Reluctantly, she let go of his sleeve and nodded as Sesshoumaru turned to exit the birthing hall.

"Ha-ha-ue! Mother!" The little girl cried out as she ran. Just yards away a dark-haired Rin, finely dressed in layers of magenta silk and white satin, was teaching her second and youngest child the hiragana alphabet in the sanctity of the Sakura garden. She looked up with a sweet and playful smile at her rambunctious daughter.

"Aiseru, darling, what is it?" Rin smiled, standing to greet her with open arms.

Aiseru Akemi crashed right into Rin's calves with a fair amount of half-demon force, causing her mother to fall backwards, threatening a crash into the budding bush just behind her.

Suddenly, a firm hand managed to grab onto Rin's fine wrist, holding her hostage above the bed of leaves and brush.

Smiling, for she knew those hands like her own, Rin looked up at her once-again savior, Sesshoumaru.

"My love, you've returned…," she smiled serenely up at him.

Before Sesshoumaru could respond, Aiseru shot one hand up as the other still grappled her mother's leg.

"Hey! I made it here first! I beat him! Chi-chi-ue lost the race!"

Sesshoumaru scowled in his ornery daughter's direction.

Rin audibly chuckled, "Is that so?"

"Yep! I smelled him coming from the East towards the garden so I ran as fast as I could and I beat him!"

"Aiseru…," Sesshoumaru's tone deepened to that of discipline as he looked down upon the young hanyou.

Ears flattening into her dark and full head of hair, the young girl looked up at her father out of fear of his upcoming scold.

"…You must be mindful of your actions when you are near your mother," he glowered, speaking over his daughter with authority, "Continue to disobey me and I will be sorely displeased."

Aiseru cowered and looked up at her mother who had now regained her footing.

"I-I'm sorry. I just g-got excited and I… just ran and-"

"It's okay, I forgive you, darling," Rin smiled, patting Aiseru on the head comfortingly. Since becoming a parent, Rin came to learn that she wasn't too skilled with disciplinary action, and that her mate would have to be the one to intimidate the children into submission. However, the night and day differences between her and Sesshoumaru were surprisingly advantageous.

The children were able to see the splitting difference between mother and father; human and youkai. They were able to see two completely different natures join as one under a phenomenon called love; something the new generation of demons and humans alike would need to see for the new alliance to maintain its grip across all four powerful nations.

Rin dipped to scoop up the very confused three-year old son of both her and her mate, Ichiromaru; lifting him so that Sesshoumaru could view his astounding growth. It had been, after all, five long months since the lord of the castle had to take leave for the Eastern mountains. The wolf tribe's business and negotiation gatherings tended to last longer than the rest; simply out of cultural differences. And Ichiromaru, still being far too young to take away from his mother, forced Rin to stay behind this time.

Sesshoumaru grabbed the chin of his young boy and swiveled it, taking in all of his developing features. The boy had both his glimmering silver hair and acicular ears. However, his skin was fair and clear of any markings, while his eyes shone hazel with a handful of golden specks.

"Hmph," Sesshoumaru chuckled at the hanyou boy's openly displayed distaste of his touch, "So… you have forgotten the scent of your father, have you?"

At hearing his voice and taking a huge whiff of his clawed fingers, Ichiromaru gave his first smile since Sesshoumaru's return.

"That's better, huh?" Rin laughed, bouncing him on her hip slightly.

Aiseru, in the meantime, ran to her father's hakama and embraced his muscled leg, now apparently seeking his forgiveness.

Sesshoumaru, with his usual expressionless features, merely flicked her flattened ear in a "quit-being-so-feeble" gesture that implied all was okay, before finally cupping the full of her head and pressing her even closer to his leg.

Rin took one light step towards her mate, looking up at him sadly.

"I've really missed you…," she whispered.

Studying her with his mesmerizing eyes, he whispered a similar reply, "Take the pups to Cesaria... I wish to have you alone after I handle the nation's pressing matters."

Smiling, with the slightest hint of a blush, Rin responded softly, "Yes, of course."

Are there going to be more epilogues? ;) I don't know, what do you think? :)