Shudder

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The sound of the helpless cries of an infant came through the closed shoji doors. He felt like he was walking in a daze, not really feeling the floor beneath his feet as he slowly strode towards the source of the sound. Two handmaidens crowded in front of the doors, peering into the room through a small crack between the wooden frame. They were cooing about how the baby was "absolutely adorable" and how "amazingly brave" their lady was during the hours of excruciating labor. The two exuberant women even had the giddy gall to steal a glance at his face before they fully opened the door for his entrance; he hoped that his nervousness didn't show.

The first image he saw, which would forever be etched into his memory, was Rin on her futon, lovingly holding a bundle of cloth close to her heart. As he heard the shoji doors close behind him, he felt as if he was in a totally different realm that belonged solely to Rin and the little form of life in her arms. He always knew that Rin was petite and fragile even among humans, but now, despite her figure being even more delicate from labor, her presence seemed to be gargantuan and breathtaking as she entered motherhood. Her forehead was still damp and her yukata slightly crumpled, but it was at that moment that Rin seemed to outshine even the sun as she stroked the bundle gently with a loving gaze.

There was a gurgle from the bundle and it was then that Rin looked up to give him her most radiant smile.

"Sesshomaru-sama."

He slowly came closer and gingerly crouched next to her as if a sudden movement could break the tender moment. Rin in turn brought the infant closer to him. A part of the bundle of the cloth hid the child's face from view.

"Omedetou, Sesshomaru-sama," Rin whispered with a happy smile. "It's a strong, handsome boy."

A pale hand pulled the cloth away from the infant's face and suddenly Sesshomaru found himself staring into two bulbous yellow eyes set in a ugly, green, and wrinkly head.

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In the darkness, a pair of golden eyes shot open. It took a while for Sesshomaru to calm his heavy breathing and register the fact that he was in bed and Rin was still heavily pregnant. Speaking of which, an unconscious whimper came from his side and he turned his head to find Rin sleeping on her side, her usually peaceful face in mild distress; it took Sesshomaru another long minute to realize that his right hand, which protectively clutched Rin close to his body as a nightly routine, was gripping her shoulder too tightly. He immediately released his fingers and the tiny wrinkles between her brow disappeared as Rin slept away in peaceful oblivion.

Sesshomaru absent-mindedly gazed at Rin's sleeping form, the scene of the revelation of the child's face repeating in his mind. He involuntarily shuddered - probably the first time he ever did out of horror - and planted a kiss on his wife's forehead before muttering softly:

"Thank Kami-sama that was a dream."

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For the next fortnight, Jaken could do nothing but wonder why his lord shuddered and glowered at the sight of him.

Greetings! This is an update (grammar, language choice, basically minor changes) of the one-shot that I wrote six years ago. It was based on a short fan art comic strip that was on a Japanese website, which is sadly now gone. I recently listened to the "Asatte" Inuyasha Drama CD where Sesshomaru basically proposes to Rin and that got me wanting to rekindle my passion for the pairing and for writing.

Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews will be very much appreciated.