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Winter (Fuyu) Fuyu (winter)

By kira

Sesshomaru had always loved winter and especially the snow. There was something about the way the flakes fell silently; some melting away on contact, others piling up until they formed a soft blanket of white. He did not know if was because he had always admired the beauty of it or if it was because he simply enjoyed the quiet. For when the land was covered in white, a kind of stillness would come over it as peacefulness settled in and the wars and conflicts fell away into oblivion. He loved walking in it as an adult as much as he had as a child, and he had happy memories of romping in the snow with his father, when he was younger and had finally mastered holding his dog form. What he had never expected was to once again have someone to share his love of it.

Rin too had always loved winter and the snow that blanketed the place, although she loved it for entirely different reasons. The snow reminded her of her family and the fun she had had with her brothers as they played in it. She remembered tying rags around her feet and pulling on an old pair of her brother's hakama and the many layers of old kimono she wore as protection against the cold. Then they would head out with the other children of the village to play in one of the fields. There they had built forts from the snow and rolled many handfuls of it to use as ammunition in a huge snowball fight. Sometimes she would go off alone with her brothers to a small hill and they would slide down it on an old piece of wood from a broken box, until they grew too cold and tired to do it any more. She also remembered her mother serving the family as a special treat, a bowl of snow topped with a drizzling of some precious honey. Since it was such a rare treat, it was one of Rin's favorite winter memories of her life before Sesshomaru-sama.

Together they had also amassed numerous memories of winters past and as they walked in the quiet fluffiness of the winter morning they talked about them. Or rather Rin chatted on about them while he simply listened, but Sesshomaru did not mind as he had grown used to her voice intruding upon the stillness of the land.

He loved the way she had pulled him out of his jadedness and showed him how things that seemed the same were always different as they journeyed through the cycle of life. And so winters that had once looked the same to his eye were now as different each year as she was. But he never minded as each new day was an adventure and he looked forward to seeing things through her eyes. He was so lost in thought about her and the way she saw things that it was several minutes before he noticed she was not at his side. He spun on his heel, worry written all over his face, before his cool mask of indifference settled back in place when he spotted her.

"Rin, daijoubu?" he asked, fear gripping his heart, for she was doubled over and her shoulders were shaking. She was just starting to show her pregnancy through the many layers she wore, and while he considered her stronger than most humans, this was as new an experience to him as it was to her and he was worried.

"Daijoubu, Sesshomaru-sama! I'm fine, really I am!" she called out, bringing a faint smile to his lips when he heard the unmistakable tone of affection in her voice.

He allowed himself to relax which turned out to be somewhat of a bad thing, for no sooner did he do so, then she straightened up and threw the snowball, she had been making, at him. It hit him square in the chest with a resounding splat that shattered the silence of the morning along with her hearty laughter.

"Gotchya!" she cried between laughs and much to her surprise and his, he joined her laughter.

Sesshomaru, still chuckling softly to himself, also bent down and picked up a handful of snow, but instead of forming it into a tight ball, he let remain loosely packed, before throwing it in her direction. It came at her in a tiny blizzard that fell harmlessly at her feet, which made her laugh again.

"Sesshomaru-sama, you know how to make snowballs as well as I do! Did you not tell me a story last night about a snowball fight you had with Inuyasha-sama when you were younger?" She waved her finger at him as he tried to look properly chastised.

"Hai, but I did not wish to hurt you or our pup..." he trailed off softly as he closed the distance between them.

"Oh..." she said softly and she smiled when he cupped her cheek gently with his hand. Placing her own hand over his, they briefly indulged themselves in a moment of public affection, before he slid his hand down under her chin and tilted her face upwards for a kiss. Surprise lit up Rin's face and she smiled at him again. As if it shared her happiness, the child she carried made its presence known by giving her a sharp kick in her ribs.

"Daijoubu?" Sesshomaru asked when he saw the look of pain that briefly flitted across her face.

"I'm fine, it was just our child kicking me again," she said with a smile. "Here," she took his hand and pressed it hard against the layers of clothing she wore. "Can you feel it? He's doing it again. I think I woke him up with my laughter. Or perhaps he's laughing at us?"

"Iie, gomen, Rin-chan, I cannot feel anything. Perhaps later when we are home I'll be able to feel it better," he said softly. "If it is troubling you, we can go back now."

"Iie, I want to walk around a bit more as everything looks so beautiful, all covered in snow." She pointed to the hill at the far end of their garden. "When our child is old enough, I'd like to take him there and slide down the hill with him."

"Really?" he said as he quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Hai! It's so much fun! I used to do it all the time when I was little. My onii-chan would take me up there and we slide down on an old piece of wood. It was scary at times, but I loved it. I know our son will love it too, just like you would too if you tried it."

"Indeed," he snorted and she laughed. "Besides, what makes you think you are going to give me a son?"

"I don't know..." she shrugged as she gave it some thought. "Don't you want a son?"

It was his turn to think about it. "Hai, a son would be nice, but so would a daughter, especially if she looked like you," he said and he was pleased the frown that had been on her face a minute ago was replaced by her usual sunny smile. With a jolt, he realized that was one of the reasons he loved her so much. She was the sun to his moon, although he knew she would swear it was the other way around, and she brought a happiness to his life that had been long missing.

A sudden gust of wind brought a small flurry of snow, and fearing for her health and the health of their child, Sesshomaru reluctantly headed Rin towards home. "Gomen, Rin-chan, but it's too cold out here for you." He took her hand and kissed it. "I promise you we'll come again." He walked to her side, never once letting go of her hand as if it were his lifeline. "Come, let's go home and make some tea. I'll leave the shoji open a bit so that we can sit by the fire and watch the snow fall."

"Hai, that sounds lovely," Rin said as she swallowed her disappointment. "Sesshomaru-sama, you're right; it is very cold out here..." She shivered and gripped his hand tighter as they walked along.

Sesshomaru let out a soft sigh, before removing his fluff, and settling it around her shoulders. He gave her a slight smile when she murmured "arigatou," as he lamented the fact he was shy one arm. When she was younger and smaller it never mattered as he could easily pick her up and carry her in his arm, but now that she was woman-high and with child, she was just too big for him to do so without fear of hurting her. So they walked along as fast as they could through the drifts until their modest home came into view.

Once inside, they quickly shed their wet clothes, before bundling up in their quilted sleeping kimono. Sesshomaru, then quickly banked the cooking fire until it was roaring again, filling their one room home with warmth. Rin hung a pot of half melted snow to boil over the fire, while Sesshomaru went to open the shoji.

"Can you see outside, or must I open it wider?"

"It's fine the way it is." She smiled and motioned with her hand for him to come over. "Come, sit with me and we'll watch the snow fall while we wait for the tea," she said. Remembering that she needed her tea things, Rin struggled to get up and he quickly came over to help her. Once she was standing, Rin padded over to the large tansu that took up a good portion of the far wall and opened one of its many doors. Sticking her hand inside, she brought out the jar of powdered tea and set it down on top of the tansu. Then she removed her tea pot and two cups, before reaching up for a tray to set them on. Once she was ready she brought everything over to where her mate had set two cushions by the fire along with a small table. Sesshomaru took the tray and set it down.

"Arigatou, Sesshomaru-sama. Would you like me to get the rice balls that are left over from breakfast? If not, is there something else you'd like to snack on with your tea?"

He came up behind her and wrapping his arm around her, he murmured softly in her ear, "Just you, my love."

Giggling, and patting her swollen belly, Rin replied, "That's what got me in this position in the first place, Koishii. Seriously, is there something else you'd like other than me?"

"Iie."

"Silly thing..." She turned around to face him and cupping his cheeks she pulled his face closer to her own so that she could kiss him.

Sesshomaru deepened the kiss; the tea momentarily forgotten as they gave into their desires. Before Rin had a chance to remind him about it, Sesshomaru had closed the shoji. She could feel happy tears stinging her eyes when he moved to unroll their futon. Even though he would swear up and down the length of Japan if he had to, Rin refused to believe him when he told her she looked more beautiful to him the bigger she got. Still, she went as eagerly to his bed as she did before her pregnancy, and this time was no different.

As he slid her kimono down off her shoulders, Rin mirrored his actions, punctuating each move with a kiss. As her lips met his yet again, Sesshomaru wondered how it was possible to love someone so completely that he never tired of her. He loved the way that each time they pillowed it was just as new and exciting as the first time only better and he suspected she felt the same way as well for she very rarely, if ever, turned him down.

Soon they were as one as he developed his rhythm, each one enjoying the moment as it built for the final release. Shuddering, Sesshomaru spilled his seed deep inside her as she cried out in pleasure, before they both collapsed on their sides in a tangled heap. Still joined as one, he pulled her close, before letting his hand wander down over the swell of her belly.

Their child moved again and he felt it, a look of wonder spreading over his face as it melted into a grin. "It would seem we have disturbed him again."

"Hai...It seems the bigger I get, the less he enjoys it when we pillow. I wonder if it hurts him..."

Sesshomaru frowned. "I don't believe so, but then I am not a woman so I would not know those things."

"Thankfully, you're not," she said with mock seriousness as they snuggled under the heavy quilt. "Perhaps we can send word to your brother's mate about it. Kagome-sama has had several children so I'm sure she's very knowledgeable about such things..." she trailed off softly.

"Iie, it's best we don't bother them about it. Besides, if it bothers our child so much, we can try to not pillow so much."

Rin laughed which made her baby kick again, "I somehow get the feeling our son doesn't believe that'll happen as much as I don't."

"Keh!" he snorted which only made her laugh, sending their child into a kicking fit.

"Please stop making me laugh, my love, before our son kicks his way out of here," Rin said as she tried not to laugh.

"Fine." Sesshomaru nuzzled the back of her neck, his warm breath sending little shivers down her spine. "By the way," he whispered, smoothly changing the subject in an effort to calm his desire. "Your water's ready. Would you like me to make you some tea?"

"Hai...I would like that very much." Rin sighed as he got up and she hated the lack of warmth his absence created. Still, the sight of her mate parading around naked, while he tended to her needs was not a bad compensation in her humble opinion. Smiling, she let her eyes wander over his body and she sighed contentedly when he returned to hand her the cup of tea. "You know, my love, I could easily get used to being spoiled like this..." she teased.

"Oh really?" He quirked an eyebrow at her as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "It's funny, but I could just as easily get used to spoiling you like this."

"Oh really?" she said in perfect imitation of him, down to the quirked eyebrow. "Then shall I consider myself spoiled?" she asked as she tried desperately to keep her expression deadpanned like his, failing miserably as it melted into a smile.

"Hai... Hurry up and drink your tea so we can go watch the snow fall."

"Hai...I'd like that," she said, before setting down her empty tea cup, and capturing his lips with her own.