DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA, OR MAKE ANY MONEY FROM WRITING THIS.

A/N: JUST A LITTLE FLUFFY ROMANCE PIECE, PROBABLY ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER COMING, A LEMON. WRITING IT FOR LJ COMM INUEROTICA.

"Rin, if this Sesshomaru were to touch you, would you become afraid?"

"No, Lord Sesshomaru, Rin would…enjoy it…very much."

~*~

She came out of sleep realizing she was safe and warm, naked and snuggled into mokomoko.  Her lord lay next to her, using gentle claws to rake through her hair.  She shivered in delight, and closed her eyes.  She felt him pull her body against his, his chest rumbling in a soothing way.  He was so much bigger than her, and so much stronger.  She pursed her tiny lips and kissed his chest, as she felt his hand slide over her body coming to rest in the groove of her tiny rounded behind.  She'd always been small for her age.

He gripped lightly, his hand covering her entire firm cheek.  He squeezed and his fingers came into contact with that special part of her body, the one that felt so good when he touched her there, the one that made her a woman.

She felt his 'maleness' grow hard, and, knowing how much it pleased him, she reached down and wrapped her tiny hand around as much as she could, then moved up and down, stroking and squeezing until his hips fell into a rhythm.

Yes, this was something she loved.  Their special times together, when they lay naked, and he touched her all over and kissed her and told her she was special, beautiful, and she pleased him so well.

'Does Lord Sesshomaru like what Rin's doing?"

His chest rumbled in response, and she giggled at the vibrations it sent through her tiny frame.  Yes, even at 19 summers old she was still much smaller than he.  She'd always been petite, and now her frame was still slight, her breasts small, but her hips had a pleasing curve to them, and her legs were long.   Her hair cascaded down her back, and her lips were pink and pouty.  The light dusting of curls at the apex of her thighs, which had embarrassed her when it had first appeared, seemingly overnight, pleased him greatly, a sure sign of her maturity, despite her slight frame.

His hand crept down there now, to her secret place that was reserved for him and only him.  She lifted her leg, laying it across his, giving him easier access.  The 'new' hand he'd grown was perfect for touching her there, no stripes to indicate venom, and no claws at the ends of the fingertips.  He'd secretly pondered if he'd subconsciously made it that way on purpose, for the express intent of touching his Rin, once she was older, of course.

~*~

When she was 16, she'd returned to him.  He'd given her the choice, and she'd made it.  With little fanfare, and only a few short goodbyes, Rin had packed her small bag and climbed onto           Ah-Un's back, taking to the skies behind her lord's billowing mokomoko.

What happened then surprised her.

He'd taken her to a tiny shiro, built into the mountain side, deep within the woods. 

"Lord Sesshomaru?  Where are we?"

He'd given her look, with amusement dancing in those amber depths,

"Home."

She'd never known him to have a home… not really.  I mean, his mother had the shiro in the clouds, and she supposed he could have lived there with her, but he'd always refused to, only 'stopping by' occasionally, as his mother had put it.  Yes, when she'd left the village, she'd fully expected to spend her days traveling the forests, and her nights out in the open, sleeping beneath the stars.  She didn't know he'd built a…home for her.

"I… I live here now?"

He'd put his hand on her head then, and smoothed his calloused palm along the side, eventually landing on her cheek.

"We…live here now, together."

She'd cried then, tears of joy.  Who would have ever thought he'd do something like this?  For her?  Why?  It didn't make sense, from what she knew of his character, he was a wonderer.

"But…Lord Sesshomaru… why?  I know how much you love to travel!"

His face didn't show the sadness that passed in his eyes then as he'd answered her.

"When I saw how quickly you have grown, this Sesshomaru realized that, while he has eternity to travel, he has but a short time with you, and he would like it to be spent in relative comfort, with you out of harm's way.  It is the understanding of this Sesshomaru that humans tend to live longer and be healthier if they sleep indoors, and have regular access to food and other such trivialities."

He just wanted a place for them to… enjoy her life together… She'd cried even more at his response, thanking him and throwing her arms around him, as she had when she was a child.

Her room was next to his, with a common room between them.  Many nights were spent in front of fire, while she brushed his hair, or she lay her head in his lap, falling asleep to his gentle claws scraping lightly and rhythmically over her scalp.

It was…comfortable.

It wasn't until 7 months ago, when she'd woken in a cold sweat, screaming at the top of her lungs, and he'd rushed to her room, wearing nothing but a sleeping kosode, but with bakusaiga in one hand, the other glowing green, that everything had changed.

She hadn't been aware of anything… sexual… between them, before that night.  Realizing she was in no danger, he relaxed, before coming to sit in bed next to her, and inquiring what she'd dreamed that had frightened her so.

She'd told him of her dream, the giant hellhound had eaten her again, and she was in a cold dark place, calling for him, but… this time… he never came.  Not because he couldn't, but simply because…he didn't want to.

He'd pulled the girl against him then, sending mokomoko to curl around her, and he'd rumbled deep in his chest.

"I'd do again, Rin."

She looked up at him then, not quite understanding.  He smoothed her hair back, then pressed her cheek to his chest again In that dark room, with Jaken sleeping in another part of the castle, and only her to hear him, he admitted,

"I would willingly run into hell, risk my life, if only to save yours.  I have done it once, and I would do it again, without thought."

She'd pressed closer against him, turning in his lap to hug him feircly.

"Rin, do you think of this Sesshomaru as your…sire?"

She'd looked up at him then, her face full of confusion,

"Of course, you're my Lord, my Master, my Sire…"

He shook his head, cutting her off before she could continue,

"That is not what I mean.  What I'm asking is, do you think of this Sesshomaru  as your…father?"

She'd looked down, a little ashamed to admit to him the truth,

"Lord Sesshomaru…um… Rin loves you, you know that right?"

He'd looked down at her, his eyes widening marginally, his jaw going slack without opening, and his eyebrows hitting his bangs and putting a crease in his crescent moon marking.  Rin, still looking off into space didn't see his reaction to her words, and innocently continued,

"And… I know you've done so much for me, but… Rin remembers her otou-san, and… no one, not even you can replace him.  Rin is sorry, but… I just can't think of you that way, it feels like I'd be betraying my otou and okaa if I thought of anyone else as my…parents."

His shoulder slumped as he relaxed, and placed his chin on the top of her head…

"Then…"

He was… trembling.  She could feel it, the nervous tension shaking his frame… although, his face remained impassive the invisible-to-the-naked-eye tremor working its way through his body shocked her.

"If this Sesshomaru were to touch you, would you become afraid?"

She'd looked up at him then, lips slightly parted, feeling the stirrings of something new within her, seeing him for the first time not only as her lord, but, as a male…

"No, Lord Sesshomaru. Rin would… enjoy it… very much…"

He'd eased his lips to hers, giving her ample time to pull away if she so desired, but she hadn't.  Instead, she'd kissed him back.

~*~