500 Years and Waiting

By swirly87

Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized.

Author's Notes: I am SOOOO sorry for not updating for such a long time. I also love the reviews that were written and I feel so horrible for not updating sooner. I had this chapter for awhile, but my friend just didn't have the time to pick it up. I think I mentioned that I wrote this fanfic for my friend so she gets the first dibs on the chapters. So until she gets them, I can't post them. That's why I am so sorry for the delay. I'll try to update sooner, ok?

Chapter 9: Skipping Classes and Interesting Discussions

This has to be a dream. It just can't be possible. She thought. For the past week, ever since Sesshoumaru had told her that he wanted her to be his mate, he acted as if he was besotted with her. Oh, he would leave her side to do the things taiyoukai do, but during the times he didn't have to do paperwork or rule over his lands, he would spend it all with her. Rin enjoyed the time she got to spend with him, but she just couldn't help but wonder why. She remembered asking Sesshoumaru the day before and blushed.

The day before…

"Sesshoumaru-sama, do you think that we are moving this relationship a bit too fast? Shouldn't we slowly move things along? I mean we just started courting a few days ago," gasped out Rin after a particularly long kiss with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru looked at her. He pondered on her question or at least what he thought she was asking him. After only a moment of thinking about it, he looked at her and answered, "No."

Rin replied, as expected, with a "Why?"

"People court to know each other better," started Sesshoumaru. Rin nodded at this before he continued, "We have known each other for more than a decade. You, Rin, probably know me better than anyone else does. We've also declared our love to each other. We can skip the introduction and holding hands part considering we've been holding hands ever since you were but a child. We can slow things down though if you think we are rushing in to quickly. Do you want to Rin?"

Rin shook her head. She enjoyed their passionate kisses. No way in hell was she going to wait and slowly move things along. Heck she waited years for his declaration of love and those sinful kisses. She had only asked him because she was curious.

Sesshoumaru smiled, with a mischievous glint in his smothering amber eyes. "Good, that answers that question," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck slowly up to her mouth, "Now where were we?"

Rin could only open her mouth as Sesshoumaru descended upon her lips and devoured her.

Rin's face was a deep red as she recalled that memory. It seems that lately I have been receiving a lot of kisses. She thought. Sesshoumaru is certainly impatient and demanding. It almost seems he can't have enough kisses. He's like an affectionate puppy. Rin giggled at the thought since technically speaking, Sesshoumaru was a dog.

"What's so funny?" asked a curious Inuyasha as he entered the room. Rin gasped in surprise. She had been so into her thoughts that she had not noticed him entering. I didn't even detect him. I must be getting rusty…or too…Rin didn't get to finish that thought as Inuyasha asked her the question again.

"It's…it's…nuh…nuh…nothing. I…I…I…was just…recalling something," stammered Rin. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow in skepticism.

"Willing to share that memory?" asked Inuyasha. Rin quickly shook her head, her cheeks turning a deeper red. Inuyasha just smirked, so similar to a certain someone else's smirk.

"What are you doing in here anyway? Shouldn't you be learning youkai etiquette right now?" inquired Rin as she quickly recovered from her embarrassed state.

"I'm taking a break," responded Inuyasha. Rin looked at him incredulously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will be mad if you don't go," commented Rin. He merely shrugged his shoulders and looked outside as if he didn't care if his older brother got mad at him. Rin sighed and shook her head. She knew it was futile to try to bring him back to the classroom considering she knew he was like Sesshoumaru in that they were both horribly stubborn to not do things they didn't want to do.

"So…whatcha doing?" asked Inuyasha as he looked over his shoulder at Rin and the paperwork she held.

"I've already sent out the letters to the guests and ordered the supplies needed for the event. All we have to do is wait for the supplies to arrive so that we can start decorating and preparing. Right now, I'm just checking my math and see if I added up the amount of money needed for the ball is accurate. As soon as I'm done adding and subtracting, I'm going to send this bill to Sesshoumaru," explained Rin as she mentally added and subtracted the numbers. After scribbling some numbers and looking at her piece of paper, she rubber the temples of her head and sighed. "It would have been easier if Sesshoumaru-sama had told me a limit on which to spend the money, but he just told me to spend as much as I needed. Now I feel guilty using this much," confessed Rin.

"How much is it?" asked Inuyasha as he walked up behind Rin and looked at the paper.

"A lot…enough to make me feel very guilty," answered Rin as Inuyasha whistled at the total amount on the piece of paper.

"That's a shit-load of money. Enough to last me for at least half a century," commented Inuyasha.

"I know…" muttered Rin as she looked guiltily at the sheet of paper.

"Cheer up. You know how fucking rich Sesshoumaru is. This is probably just chump change for him," said Inuyasha.

Rin looked at him and smiled gratefully. She was grateful for him at trying to cheer her up. I just hope Sesshoumaru-sama will be just as nice when he sees this amount. Who am I kidding? He's never going to trust me again! She thought with dread.

"So…speaking of this ball thing I have to attend…whose coming? Anyone I know?" Inuyasha inquired, breaking the brief silence between the two.

"It's mostly powerful and high ranking youkai that live in the Western Lands that have been invited, ones that can take on a human-like form like you and Sesshoumaru-sama. However, there have been invitations sent out to the taiyoukais of the North, South, and East. Unfortunately there was also an invitation to that Tomoe lady's family," replied Rin as she looked down the guest list.

"Why the hell would Sesshoumaru invite that bitch?" exclaimed an angry Inuyasha.

"Because although she may be insane (Inuyasha snorted at this and mumbled that she was and is still insane), she is still a high-ranking and powerful youkai that can retain a human-like form," explained Rin. Inuyasha just looked pissed at this and merely glared at the guest list.

"Just curious, but where's Shippou-kun?" asked Rin as she looked up from her work to look at Inuyasha questioningly.

"Still learning youkai etiquette. He's determined to not embarrass himself at the ball. It might also help to know that he was informed yesterday by a reliable source that Souten would be there,"
answered Inuyasha.

"Souten? Whose that?" inquired Rin, who was very curious about this person who would make Shippou learn his manners and not skip off class like his idol Inuyasha.

"She's the younger sister of the Thunder Brothers," shrugged Inuyasha.

Rin looked at Inuyasha in shock and said, "Didn't you kill her brothers? Weren't the Thunder Brothers the ones that killed Shippou's parents?"

"Yes and yes. However, she's entirely innocent. Her brothers were greedy bastards, but the family actually had a strong, loving bond. She was trying to kill me to get revenge for her beloved brothers," answered Inuyasha.

"That still doesn't explain why Shippou would want to learn manners to impress her. He does know that she is the sister of the Thunder Brothers right?" asked a now very curious Rin who had forgotten about her paperwork and was now very interested in Shippou's private life.

Inuyasha smiled and looked toward the sky while leaning on the wall, reminiscing about that particular memory, "Yes, he does. In fact, their first meeting was hilarious. You see, she was trying to defeat me by using Shippou as the bait. The funny thing was, you have to remember this was back during the days of Naraku when you started following Sesshoumaru around…"

"But that means that…Shippou and Souten were only 6 or 7 years old!" sputtered a surprised Rin.

Inuyasha merely smirked at this and laughed, "Exactly. Did you know that the first time they met, Shippou thought she was a guy and not a girl. She looked almost exactly like her brother Hiten. Those two 'fought' each other. The battle was quite funny you know. They threw acorns, tops, and mushrooms at each other. They tried to out-spin each other toys, out-draw each other, and other little mock-battles. When Shippou found out that she was a she and not a he, he quit the fight and even gave her his beloved crayons that Kagome had given him. The little devil even gave her one of those smiles of his. I think that was the first time he gave them. You do know what kind of smiles I'm talking about, right?"

"Oh, you mean those supposed devastating smiles that make the girls instantly fall in love with him?" teased Rin.

"Yes, one of those. You are the only one immune to that smile of his, which is probably why you guys are such good friends," thought out loud Inuyasha.

"That's only because I've been in love with Sesshoumaru-sama all my life. Now please continue," insisted a very curious Rin.

"Well, that poor girl instantly became smitten with Shippou and forgot all about her revenge. Actually she understood the circumstances and decided that she would rather not continue on her revenge. Anyway, the two went their separate ways since that day and didn't see each other for at least a decade. During that time, we both know that Shippou earned the infamous title of being a playboy. Girls of all ages became smitten with him, though I could never and still can't see why. There's nothing good in that brat. Well the thing is, during one of our patrols we bumped into her. Actually, she came to visit Shippou. And you should have seen Shippou's face!" laughed Inuyasha, tears glistening in his eyes in laughter.

"What? What happened? Come on, tell me…please? Inuyasha!!! If you don't stop laughing, how can I know? Inuyasha!!!," pleaded an impatient and very curious Rin.

Inuyasha laughed and laughed, then he slowly stopped and wiped away the tears at the sides of his eyes. His voice was still somewhat laughing, but he continued, "Well, Shippou might not have been able to tell that Souten was a girl back when they were little, but by now whistles he can tell now. You see, Souten had grown up and she is definitely a woman. Shippou didn't even recognize her until she said her name. When she did, you should have seen it Rin. Shippou's jaw must have dropped all the way to the ground and he was drooling! Imagine, the infamous playboy who has wooed many humans and youkais since the age of 6, speechless at the sight of a woman who he had once thought was a man."

"This IS Shippou, we're talking about right? From what I've heard from Miroku, Shippou use to fall in love with a new girl in every village you guys stayed at and they in turn fell in love with him. Miroku said that he changed his heart as often as he changed his clothes," commented Rin.

"True, but this time was different. Shippou was speechless this time. He couldn't even say a word. Usually he goes up to the girl and starts courting her, but nope not this time. In fact, after that visit from Souten, Shippou hasn't even looked or even tried to court another girl. And that visit was two years ago!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet this Souten. Do introduce me to her when she arrives, won't you Inuyasha? Oh, would you mind if I used this info you just gave me to tease Shippou a bit?" asked Rin.

"But of course Rin. I'll introduce you to her. And yes, you may tease Shippou. I plan to try to make his life as hellish as he makes mine and you would be greatly helping me by constantly reminding him of his infatuation," replied a smirking Inuyasha who was plotting the many ways in which to torture his young ward.

"Inuyasha, aren't you suppose to be attending to your lessons?" asked a very familiar voice.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" exclaimed a surprised Rin. I didn't detect him either! What's with dog demons? Rin thought as she watched as the beautiful youkai entered the room.

"The lessons were a bore so I decided to take a break. I saw Rin in here, working diligently and thought she could use a break. Plus another moment learning about etiquette and I'm very sure I'll go insane," replied Inuyasha calmly as he carefully observed his brother's reaction.

"I at least thought you could put up with those lessons, little brother. Or are you as stupid as you look? It seems your own ward has more intelligence and patience to learn and practice the lessons than you do," insulted Sesshoumaru as he calmly looked down as his shorter and more emotional brother.

"I'm smarter than that brat! I just choose not to learn those stupid lessons. They're at absolute bore! How could anyone tolerate them?!" retaliated Inuyasha.

"But if you don't learn them Inuyasha, you're going to look really stupid at the ball and it's going to tarnish your family's name. So won't you please learn them? Onegi?," implored Rin who turned her pleading eyes to Inuyasha. Now this was the very look that Rin used mostly on her lord to get him to do the things or get something she wanted. Rin wasn't a manipulative and selfish person by nature and therefore hadn't wanted to get many things or wanted Sesshoumaru to do very much for her except for the occasional kimono, hairpiece, or convincing him to go somewhere with her so this adorable pleading look was very rare. Few had ever experienced its effects as Rin had only used it on Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Ah-Uh. Since Rin had years to practice this look and had perfected it on one of the coldest, non-emotional man in history, this look was deadly. As Inuyasha had never had those eyes turned on him before, he was not prepared for its effects. So powerful was the look, he gave in to it after only a second or two of some stammering attempts at making excuses not to learn the lessons. Sesshoumaru eyes glowed with laughter as he saw his own brother succumb to Rin's charm; it made him feel better to know that he wasn't the only one who fell prey to her, but it also made him a bit jealous about it as well.

"Oh, ok. Sheesh. I'll go, but I won't like it," gave in a very unhappy Inuyasha.

"Oh, arigotou Inuyasha!" exclaimed a very happy Rin as she jumped up and hugged Inuyasha before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Sesshoumaru growled at this, clearly unhappy that his future mate was kissing his younger brother. Inuyasha was the only one to hear him growl though due to the fact that his growl could only be heard by very sharp ears. Inuyasha heard the growl and knew that that was not a good sign and tried to pry Rin off him as soon as possible. He watched helplessly as Sesshoumaru began walking to him and Rin, but luckily, before Sesshoumaru could deliver Inuyasha any bodily harm, Rin detached herself from Inuyasha. Inuyasha saw this as a sign to leave the two alone and began to walk to the door.

As Inuyasha walked to the door and out of the room, he passed Sesshoumaru and couldn't help but tease his brother, "Jeez Sesshoumaru, I can see why you're in love with her. She sure has grown up this past decade, brother. And with that face and body, she could get all of Japan to obey her." As soon as Inuyasha said this, he quickly ran out of the room with his supreme youkai speed before Sesshoumaru could digest the words and decide to do him any bodily harm. Inuyasha did not want to die before he could see his Kagome and he especially didn't want to die just because he was teasing his older brother.

Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha as Inuyasha made his escape. Before Sesshoumaru could decide whether he should kill his brother and forget about using him as his heir or just torture him slowly later, he felt long soft arms surrounding his torso. He looked down into Rin's soft brown eyes and forgot all about his damn teasing brother.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? What brings you here?" asked Rin as she looked up at her beloved lord, "It can't be because you missed this Rin because Sesshoumaru's work should come before seeing Rin especially since he can always see her anytime he wants and some of the work he has can not." Rin said all this in third person and in a way scolding Sesshoumaru for abandoning his work, "Because if Sesshoumaru-sama is, he is not showing a very good example especially to his younger brother who needs such a good role model."

"This Sesshoumaru has finished his patrols and work for the day. As for why this Sesshoumaru is here is because he wishes to see his future-mate at work. And it is not one for his to-be-mate to say such things to this Sesshoumaru. This Sesshoumaru has just seen and heard this Rin and his little brother conversing when she should have been doing her work and have sent Inuyasha away to class," teased back Sesshoumaru, his eyes lighting up in amusement as he and Rin teased each other in third person.

"Well, in that case. Do you want to help me with this? Or is it below the work of agreat youkai as yourself?" baited Rin, her eyes staring up at Sesshoumaru challengingly.

Sesshoumaru smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously, "Hmm… I see no problem in sharing part of your burden. I am to be your mate after all. However, I do expect a little reward for helping…"

"Reward? For helping? Why Sesshoumaru-sama…helping is a reward itself," replied Rin. Before Sesshoumaru could respond and say that his help required a reward because he is the youkai lord, Rin added, "However, because you are my beloved Sesshoumaru-sama, what reward would you like from this humble servant for helping her?"

Sesshoumaru grinned and bent his head down to her ears to whisper. His warm breathe caressed Rin's ears and sent shivers down her back before he whispered, "A midnight excursion outside the castle tonight." Rin's first thought was that that was a weird favor to ask of her considering that she knew that he knew that she would have gone with him with or without his help with the paperwork. However, his next words turned her cheeks a very bright red, "And remember to wear that 'swimsuit,' that Inuyasha's mate gave you before she left, underneath your robe."

Rin's eyes went wide open and she stuttered for awhile before she could reply. She stared downward at her feet and Sesshoumaru could not help but be amused at her shyness. Her words were soft and quiet, but Sesshoumaru's youkai ears could hear them although barely. Rin softly muttered to herself, "Kagome gave me a lot of 'swimsuits' so that I could wear them throughout my lifetime, but the only ones that can fit me now are the ones that she says are called 'bikinis' and those are really…"

"Exactly why I said it's to be a reward," answered Sesshoumaru with a lecherous grin.

Rin looked up in shock. Sesshoumaru was being an awful lot like Sango's husband, Miroku, and totally unlike himself. Then again, Rin thought, it's only directed at me and not at every pretty female in sight. Although Miroku stopped directing his lecherous ways at other women after he married Sango. However, maybe this is part of the real Sesshoumaru, the playful side of him. A part of him that disappeared after all the hardships in his life forced him to bury it. "Why at night? Why a bikini?" asked a very suspicious Rin.

"When was the last time we really had time for ourselves before someone interrupted us? When was the last time you wore a swimsuit?" retorted Sesshoumaru as he thought about the moments during the week that he thought that they had time to themselves when they really didn't. Oh, we would be alone for about half an hour to an hour at the most, but someone always interrupts us, thought Sesshoumaru, It would either be one of the servants, Jaken, Inuyasha, or Inuyasha's pup. Being that they are all youkai, they should have been able to sense that we wanted time to ourselves. It's as if they allow us to have the time, but not enough time. Do they think that I, the honorable Sesshoumaru, would debauch my innocent Rin before we officially become mates? What fools…I would never harm her or dishonor her in any way.

"Ok, fine. I agree to this reward, but only because I really do need the help," replied Rin as she detached herself from Sesshoumaru to head back to her stack of papers. Sesshoumaru followed behind her and they stopped before the huge stack. As Sesshoumaru looked at the stack, he couldn't help but notice the account book that Rin had been writing in. He bent down elegantly and picked it. Rin had been staring at the stack of orders, bills, and information so she hadn't notice Sesshoumaru picking the book up. She had just turned around to ask Sesshoumaru where he would like to start when she saw him holding the book in his claws. Rin panicked and rapidly stammered, "Go..Go..Gomen Sesshoumaru-sama! I'm so sorry about the amount of money being used for this event Sesshoumaru-sama. I didn't think it would be so expensive. I was going to tell you about it today, but then Inuyasha came in. I had just finished counting up how everything was going to cost today. I wasn't sure how much you wanted to spend on this event and so I just continued spending. And I…"

"It's fine, Rin," interrupted Sesshoumaru, a bit amused at Rin's panicky words. Rin had been gesturing with her hands and had been talking very rapidly so it took her awhile before Sesshoumaru's words sank into her. She stopped and looked at Sesshoumaru in surprise. Sesshoumaru stared right back at her, the book still in his claws, and smirked, "This amount barely takes anything out of my treasury. And I did tell you to use as much as you see fit. And if it costs this much to make the event successful, I do not mind at all especially since I did not have to worry about the details."

"Arigotou Sesshoumaru-sama!" exclaimed Rin as she ran and hugged Sesshoumaru. She was thankful that Sesshoumaru understood and wasn't mad at her for the amount being used for his ball. She was even happier for the fact that he was trying to make her feel better. Sesshoumaru smiled and bent his head down to Rin's ears.

"I thought we were suppose to work on this stack of papers? Or are we going to continue in this position? I don't mind spending my whole day like this, but I would prefer to get that reward," whispered Sesshoumaru, his claws gently caressing Rin's back and his nose inhaling Rin's scent.

"You're incorrigible, Sesshoumaru-sama," laughed Rin as she took Sesshoumaru's claws into her hands. Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but smile in amusement as his mate-to-be led him to the paper pile.

Later that day…

Shippou and Inuyasha had just finished their daily dose of youkai etiquette. They were exhausted, frustrated, and couldn't wait to get their claws on the cause of their torment, namely a certain youkai lord. However, before they could get their claws onto their tormentor, they wanted to get some grub in. After a long day's work of trying to listen and absorb youkai etiquette, they were starved. The two youkai's agenda for the rest of the evening was "Eat first, hurt later." The two canine youkai entered the dining hall and not only found food, but also their tormentor and his mate-to-be. Instead of entering the dining hall immediately, they decided to eavesdrop. They were disappointed to hear that the two were discussing about the ball…and about flowers of all things!

"I know Sesshoumaru-sama, but I was thinking along the lines of a more European theme plus a bit of a Japanese theme. The main colors for the decoration will be white and blue, seeing as those are your favorite colors and that it's winter. As for the flowers, I ordered lilies, white orchids, and forget-me-nots. What do you think?" asked Rin as she looked down at her list on the dining table.

"Some of those flowers will have to be imported. They aren't in season at this time of year. I think you should add irises to the flowers as well," suggested Sesshoumaru as he too looked down at the list of decorations.

"Irises? Well, let's see…the white orchids and lilies will be at the dancing area with the forget-me-nots. Hmm…irises don't really go with the whole winter theme though. They might look okay outside in the competition areas. But why irises Sesshoumaru-sama?" inquired Rin, curious as to why Sesshoumaru would choose irises of all flowers. After all, the lilies and orchids were white while the forget-me-nots were blue. White and blue were Sesshoumaru's favorite colors.

"They were my mother's favorite flower as well my father's favorite flower. And if I remember correctly, yours as well," replied Sesshoumaru, who looked up at the list to look at Rin.

"Yes, they are. My mother once told me when I was very young that irises meant hope. They were her favorite flowers as well," said Rin, her eyes revealing that she was thinking back on the few memories she had of her human family.

"My parents told me the same thing…" commented Sesshoumaru, he too recalling old memories.

"And yet your favorite flower is the white hellebore, of the genus Veratrum. The white hellebore is a beautiful white poisonous flower of the lily family, a flower that also happens to bloom in the winter. Let's see…hellebore: beautiful, white, winter, and deadly. Definitely the perfect flower for my lord," said a slightly smiling Rin.

"The Japanese Iris, part of the large genus of Iris. A flower that is part of the perennial plants of the iris family, with sword-shaped leaves and conspicuous flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals of widely varying color mainly purple, then yellow, with a black center. The Japanese Iris: beautiful, bright, colorful, fun, spring, full of life, and means hope. The perfect flower for you, my Rin," said an observant Sesshoumaru.

"Oh I think I'm going to be sick. Please tell me I didn't look this pathetic and mushy with Kagome…or that we talked about something as stupid as flowers," moaned Inuyasha as he entered the dining hall, disgusted by what he had just witnessed.

"You and Kagome were worse. You two had those tense, staring at each other, romantic moments that lasted forever. And you guys didn't even talk about things, if you guys weren't staring at each other, you guys were yelling at each other," retorted Shippou, trying to defend his childhood friend.

Rin smiled at Shippou with gratitude and Shippou winked at her as if to say "your welcome." Sesshoumaru merely nodded slightly his thanks while Inuyasha shook his head in disgust.

"Enough about the lovey dovey stuff. Let's eat!" cried Inuyasha as he plopped down on his chair. Shippou, on the other hand, greeted Rin and Sesshoumaru first by bowing down a bit like a gentleman. He then pulled his chair back a bit before sitting down on and placed a napkin on his lap.

"It isn't hard to see on who's been learning his daily lessons. Perhaps Inuyasha, I should let Taka teach you over the weekends as well, seeing as you have barely progressed. Your ward is doing far better than you are. Take pointers off your ward and start learning," suggested Sesshoumaru.

Before Inuyasha could insult his older brother or go on a rampage of certain choice words, Rin interrupted and asked him, "So Inuyasha, what is your favorite flower?"

"Favorite flower? I don't think I have one," answered a surprised Inuyasha. Inuyasha forgot about plummeting his older brother as he was too stunned by Rin's choice of questions to do such an action.

"I think Inuyasha's favorite flower is a red rose which is of the genus Rosa. The flower is part of the shrubs of the rose family, characterized by prickly stems, pinnate leaves, and fragrant flowers with five petals that are red," commented Rin, the flower expert.

"A rose?! A red rose?! Nope, definitely not a red rose," rejected Inuyasha, determined to not be associated with such a flower.

"What's wrong with a red rose?!" cried an indignant Rin, who did not understand why Inuyasha would reject such a wonderful flower that matched his personality.

"Kagome once told me that a rose, especially a red one, was the kind of flower that lovers give each other. A red rose represents beauty and love; it is…romantic. And I, for one, am not romantic and will not be considered one," huffed an upset Inuyasha. He definitely did not want to be thought of as one of those lovey dovey sorts, especially a lovey dovey demon considering technically speaking he was, but he refused to let everyone else know that.

Rin laughed at Inuyasha's response. Everyone stared at her and wondered why she would be laughing. Everyone thought that she had finally gone mad, with the exception of Sesshoumaru who was the only person who truly understood Rin.

"Beauty? Love? Ha! Gomen Inuyasha! But I wasn't thinking of you like that. I was thinking of how a red rose matches your personality. Sure, a red rose is beautiful, but it has its own sharp thorns. Like you, it is beautiful, but not without its dangers. One has to be careful with its thorns in other to enjoy its soft petals like one has to be careful with your temper in order to be your friend. Plus a red rose would match that red kimono you always wear. A rose can also mean death and blood. You, Inuyasha, have killed many enemies with those claws especially with that attack that requires blood. As for a rose representing love, that's true. You're willing to wait 500 years to finally meet up with your love are you not? Not many people would wait that long, especially a full-blooded demon male for a human female. It takes a lot of love to do such a deed. The red rose: beauty, blood, death, romance, love, and deadly. This flower represents the many sides of you, which makes it perfect for you," explained a grinning Rin.

"I never thought of roses that way before," admitted Inuyasha, who had gained a new perspective on the topic of red roses, his opinion of them having been changed by Rin's words.

"Rin is an expert of flowers. She has, after all, always loved flowers ever since she was a little girl. She often thinks of people as different types of flowers. She can match any flower with anybody's personality," explained Jaken, who has just entered the dining hall and had heard the discussion about roses.

"Really now?" asked a curious Shippou, "Then what kind of flower would match me, huh, Rin?"

"Hm…this a bit hard, but I would say that Shippou-kun reminds me of a tiger lily or Lilium tigrinum," remarked Rin, "what with its beautiful and interesting colors and cute little freckles…"

"Tiger lily? Freckles? How does a tiger lily represent me?" asked a somewhat confused Shippou.

"Well, a tiger lily is a very interesting and beautiful flower. When you look at one, you tend to think that it's a strong plant despite its beauty. The color of a tiger lily is similar to your colorings being that it's bright orange. The spots from a tiger lily look like freckles, which make it adorable like you. The tiger lily: bright, colorful, beautiful yet adorable, attractive, and interesting. Qualities that resemble you. You're bright, colorful, interesting, adorable, and quite attractive," replied Rin candidly.

"Colorful?…I'm not quite sure I like that characteristic. And only quite attractive?! Rin…you wound me…straight to my heart," mocked Shippou as he acted as Rin's words have wounded him. Shippou looks sadly at Rin with great big puppy (or in his case kitsune eyes), points to his "wounded" heart, and mockingly faints into Inuyasha's arms.

"Shippou…get your body out of my arms before I seriously harm you," threatened an annoyed Inuyasha as Rin laughed at Shippou's acting.

"Sorry, Shippou-kun, but after seeing Sesshoumaru…well no one else seems to be as beautiful or as attractive. Don't worry Shippou-kun, although I'm already taken, I'm pretty sure that Souten will think you're the most attractive youkai alive," teased Rin as Shippou blushed.

"Who…who…who…told…youyouyou about Souten?" spluttered a red Shippou. Rin grinned as Inuyasha laughed uproariously.

"Damn. This is hilariously…the smooth tongued kitsune has become tongue-twisted at the mere mention of a certain youkai female," laughed Inuyasha. Shippou glared at Inuyasha and then at Rin before he stomped to his chair and sat down. Inuyasha laughed as he too walked to his seat and sat down.

The three youkai and the one human thus ate their meal in relative silence, relative being that once and awhile Inuyasha would tease Shippou about Souten and laugh as Shippou turned red. Sesshoumaru would look at the two once and a while, his eyes laughing. Rin would look at the two and laugh along with Inuyasha though not as loud and glancing once and a while at Sesshoumaru's reaction to the two. After dinner, each person retired to their room; two of whom were unaware of what was to happen that night while two others were anticipating for the night to come.