"The past can't see you, but the future is listening."

~ Destin Figuier ~

Chapter 9

After the performance that both Rin and Izumi had participated in, Sesshoumaru found his family seemed to have difficulty in not talking about the performance and it was honestly beginning to get on his nerves. Yes, both of them were brilliant performers and yes, he was proud of both of them, but he had no desire to hear about it all the time. It annoyed him no end when someone would bring up the topic of Rin's duet with Bankotsu. The very thought of another man touching her irked him and the fact that he could do nothing about it made it so much worse. Fortunately, Bankotsu no longer attended the same dance classes as Rin and both Rin and Izumi seemed to have stopped attending class as often as before. This behaviour baffled him, but he supposed that they were merely taking a well deserved break after the show.

Life had gotten a lot better since that performance and he was very glad that everything seemed to have returned to normal. The mountain of work that had suddenly appeared on his desk disappeared slowly but surely. Days were spent working hard at the office while most evenings were spent with Rin and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder why her parents or even her overprotective brother didn't seem to question her absences. Miki already knew what was happening and after Rin's phone call a few weeks before, he could only assume that her parents had a fair idea of what was happening.

The days turned to weeks until eventually, the day of Ren and Kasumi's wedding was fast approaching. Sesshoumaru and his siblings had already been informed that they would be attending the wedding and although he didn't really see a reason why they should all attend, he didn't question his father's decision. Rin was one of Kasumi's bridesmaids and Sesshoumaru could only imagine what she would look like on the day of the wedding. He knew from experience at Inuyasha's wedding that the bridesmaids had looked very pretty. A sudden thought occurred to him as he remembered his brother's wedding and he frowned as he remembered that there had been a bridesmaid who looked remarkably like Rin. Pushing the thought aside, he decided to ask her later if she had been there.

When the day of the wedding finally dawned, Sesshoumaru sighed irritably as he stood beside the car outside the church where the wedding was to be held. Long, slender fingers fidgeted with his tie as he watched other guests drifting through the doors to be greeted by the smiling ushers and to his left he could hear his brother's quiet complaints to his wife about how uncomfortable his suit felt. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk to himself as he heard the complaint. It was common knowledge to everyone in the family that Inuyasha detested formality and being in a suit as he was now was surely torture for the free spirited man and his elder brother could get some satisfaction from the fact that his sibling felt just as awkward as he did. Eventually, Inutaisho and Izayoi came over to where they stood and smiled happily at the sight of their family.

"We should be going inside," Izayoi said with a broad smile as she smoothed Izumi's hair. "We've been given seats near the front of the church, behind the Ishikawa family, I believe."

Heaving a sigh, Sesshoumaru pushed himself off the car he had been leaning against and followed his family inside to their seats, carefully ignoring the looks women sent his way. Ren stood near the altar with his father and brother and smiled, waving slightly as he caught sight of them and Sesshoumaru was sure that the man had a knowing look in his eye that hadn't been there the last time they had met. He then remembered the conversation he and Rin had had with Kasumi and smirked. Perhaps the woman could work miracles after all. Ren certainly didn't seem eager to warn him away from his sister and Sesshoumaru could only wonder what his wife to be had said to him to change his attitude so drastically. Before he could ponder the thought any further, music filled the hall and everyone rose to their feet as the bride made her way towards the altar. Rin and another woman walked behind her and Sesshoumaru caught his breath at the sight of Rin. She caught his eye briefly and her smile seemed to widen before she turned her gaze to the bride.

The ceremony seemed to drag on for far too long, but when he felt boredom taking its toll, Sesshoumaru would simply look to the left of the room and let his amber eyes roam over the slim figure that was Rin. The dress she wore was pale blue and did wonders for her figure. The tight bodice showed off her curves before flaring out into a full skirt that reached her ankles. Her long dark hair was swept up off her shoulders into a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. Sesshoumaru began to wonder when he had seen her look more beautiful, but his mind was soon inundated with images of her in one of his own shirts as she made her way through his apartment and of other more appealing images of her unclothed form beneath his own as she lay in his bed. A small smirk appeared on his face, but he willed the images away as he joined the rest of the crowd in applauding the new couple as they headed towards the doors of the church.

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A short while later, Sesshoumaru found himself sitting at a table with the Ishikawa family and his own as they tucked into their meals. Much to his displeasure, Rin was not sitting beside him, but between Jirou and Inuyasha on the opposite side of the table. The meal passed quickly and soon people were making their way towards the dance floor until only Jirou, Rin and Sesshoumaru remained at the table. Jirou soon excused himself and disappeared towards a table at the back of the room, not casting a backward glance at the pair he had left behind. Rin smiled radiantly at Sesshoumaru from across the table.

"Shall we dance?" he asked, marvelling at her beauty as she sat opposite him.

"When the last little star has left the sky, shall we still be together with our arms around each other?" Rin countered with a smile, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him.

"Hm, you watch too many musicals it seems," Sesshoumaru said with mild amusement as they made their way onto the dance floor.

Rin laughed merrily as she let herself be drawn into his arms and guided gracefully across the floor, oblivious to the attention directed towards them from the members of both their families. Inutaisho patted Hibiki on the back and grinned happily.

"We might soon be arranging another wedding," Inutaisho said quietly, grinning at the sight of his son and Rin. "I was beginning to think he was never going to find anyone."

"Now, now," Izayoi said calmly from beside her husband. "Don't get carried away, they're just dancing."

"I'm sure they'd tell us if there was something going on," Nanami added with a fond smile at the pair.

Ren looked down at Kasumi who tried to hide her giggles as they listened to the wishful fathers and practical mothers. The eldest Ishikawa child looked at his sister with a smile and sighed. Part of him desperately wanted to rip her from Sesshoumaru's arms and protect her from the heartbreak being involved with such a man might bring, but when he looked at the smile on Rin's face, he knew that she was truly happy with the way things were. Kasumi patted his arm and smiled knowingly up at her husband.

"Just be there to pick up the pieces if it goes wrong," she whispered and then smiled at the dancing pair. "Although I don't really think anything will go wrong."

Sesshoumaru didn't know how much attention was focused on both of them as the families spent the evening observing the pair. Each time a man approached Rin for a dance, they watched with bated breath as she smiled and politely refused. The heads of both families had struggled trying to withhold their glee when Rin had fallen asleep at Sesshoumaru's side, her head resting against his shoulder and his arm around her slim waist as he surveyed the remaining guests with vague interest. Eventually, the two men could no longer help themselves and were soon making their way across the room to the pair, their wives in tow. Sesshoumaru looked up as h heard them approach and narrowed his eyes at his father who was grinning widely.

"Is there something you wanted, father?" Sesshoumaru asked coolly.

"Actually," Inutaisho started with a sideways glance at his friend. "We were wondering if there was something you two might want to tell us?"

"I see."

There was silence for a few minutes as Sesshoumaru eyed his father and Hibiki with narrowed eyes, wondering what to say to them. A slight movement at his side caught everyone's attention as Rin's eyes opened and slowly focused on the faces of her father and Inutaisho towering above her. She blinked, slightly confused for a moment before she smiled happily and stood up to hug her father. Hibiki chuckled to himself and returned her embrace before pushing her back into her seat and looking at her with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Do you remember, Rin," he started, a smile tugging his lips. "The conversation we had a little while ago?"

"We've had several conversations, father," Rin replied with a smile of her own. "Which one do you mean?"

"Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to tell us?"

"Oh, that conversation. It's not really appropriate to have this conversation here."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He remembered suggesting that they should tell their parents about their relationship, but he hadn't really expected her to actually take up his suggestion. Rin looked at him and smiled before getting to her feet and stretching.

"Let's go somewhere a bit more private them," Inutaisho said with a grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and beckoning Sesshoumaru to follow as they made their way over to the door with Hibiki following closely behind.

"Do you think we need to go with them?" Nanami asked Izayoi with a frown as the watched the little group leave.
"No. I think we should just leave them to it. No doubt we'll hear about it later."

While the two women remained in the main room, their husbands led their two children away to a smaller room down the corridor. Rin sighed as her father closed the door behind them and wondered if this was really a good idea after all. Sesshoumaru merely shrugged when she looked over at him.

"So, what was it that you had to say?" Inutaisho asked with a knowing smile.

"We've got to tell them now," Rin murmured to Sesshoumaru. "I think they'll burst with excitement if we don't."

"Most likely," Sesshoumaru replied drily before turning to the two men. "We know of your suspicions and we confirm that they are correct."

"Really?" Inutaisho asked, glancing at his friend who had been stunned into silence. "You two are a couple?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Rin asked with a vague smile as Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Why didn't you tell us before now?" Hibiki demanded, looking slightly hurt by his daughter's secrecy.

"Don't be like that, father. It's just that there were obstacles."

"What obstacles?" Inutaisho asked, looking confused.

"My overprotective brothers for a start and Ren and Kasumi were getting married. We couldn't just announce it; it's a special day for them."

Inutaisho looked at his friend who nodded in understanding. It was indeed true that it wouldn't do to for Rin and Sesshoumaru to simply announce their relationship today of all days, but since the day was nearly over and most of the guests had left, Hibiki saw no reason why the rest of the families couldn't be told. It was also true that both Ren and Jirou were very protective of Rin, sometimes ridiculously so, but Ren seemed to have no problem with the couple if he had not immediately intervened when they had danced earlier. Jirou, however, was another matter entirely. He did not have the firm grasp of his temper that his brother did and was prone to letting his temper flare, especially when Rin was involved.

"That is understandable," Hibiki said slowly as he thought over the situation. "Ren is more likely to understand than Jirou, but Jirou may cause a problem. However, the rest of the families need to know."

"Indeed," Inutaisho agreed, his face unusually serious.

Sesshoumaru and Rin slowly followed their fathers as they walked back out to where everyone else was sitting as the last of the guests made their way to the exit. Miki and Izumi were deep on conversation which was surprising given that they seemed to be complete opposites personality wise and what was even more surprising was the young woman who sat beside Jirou. Rin frowned as she looked at the woman, not sure she had met her before pushing the thought aside as the group came to a stop at the table.

"We have an announcement to make," Inutaisho said with a smile as both families turned their attention to him.

"We have had our suspicions about a relationship between Rin and Sesshoumaru," Hibiki said, casting a glance at the pair he mentioned. "They have just told us that our suspicions were correct."

There was silence for a moment as both families took in the information, looking from Hibiki to the couple in question. Nanami and Izayoi simply smiled while everyone else seemed to be in a state of shock over the news.

"Finally!" both Miki and Izumi exclaimed, breaking the silence after a moment.

"It's about time!" Miki said as she got to her feet and went over to the pair.

"It took you long enough," Izumi added, following Miki and coming to a stop in front of her brother who looked mildly amused.

"You knew?" Jirou asked in surprise, frowning at his sister.

"We've known from the very beginning," Izumi said with a smile.

"Actually, we knew about it as well," Ren added.

"Were we the only ones who didn't know about this?" Jirou demanded as he looked at Rin.

"I can't help it if you're slower than everyone else," she replied with a teasing smile.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Nanami asked curiously.
"We were worried about Ren and Jirou's reactions," Rin said with a slight frown.

"If you're happy then I have no problems," Ren said with a shrug as he looked down at Kasumi who stood beside him. "I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."

There was laughter throughout the room as everyone watched the happy couple with broad smiles. Jirou, however, frowned slightly as he looked at Rin and Sesshoumaru with narrowed eyes. Rin's smiling face turned to him after a moment and he sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm not entirely happy about this, but I suppose it doesn't matter as long as you're happy," he said slowly before his frown returned as he looked at Sesshoumaru. "Know this, if you hurt her in any way, I will break your legs and no forensic team will be able to identify you when I'm done with you."

Rin squealed with happiness and ran over to her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck and showering him with kisses. Both families watched in amusement as he protested half heartedly to his sister's display of affection and gratitude. Izumi went back to her seat while Miki still stood beside Sesshoumaru. Shaking her head, she looked up at the tall man beside her and grinned.

"Isn't that what I predicted he would say?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru smirked as he looked at the younger girl and lifted a hand to ruffle her short hair. Miki ducked away and grinned at him again, clearly planning a witty statement, but was cut off when he spoke.

"Your prediction about breaking my legs was indeed accurate," he admitted. "However, you failed to mention the other part about the forensic team."

After the families went their separate ways, Rin found herself sitting comfortably on the sofa in Sesshoumaru's living room while the man himself sat beside her. She sighed and leaned back against his chest, allowing her head to be tilted to one side as he kissed his way down her neck to her shoulders. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer as a large hand splayed across her stomach.

"You know," Rin started and stopped briefly as a moan left her lips. "It's a good thing we told everyone about us tonight."

"Hm."

Silence descended on the room once again as Rin lost herself to the sensations that Sesshoumaru evoked within her. He had the ability to clear her mind with a single touch and his kisses simply blew her away. She still found it hard to believe that after wishing this very man would pay her attention for so long, she was currently wrapped in his arms and was quite clearly being promised a sleepless night. Sighing happily, she relaxed against him.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"Hm?"

"I think I might be pregnant."

Everything stopped in the wake of that statement and Rin shivered as she felt Sesshoumaru's breath on the sensitive skin of her neck. After a little while of him neither moving nor speaking, she began to wonder if he would push her away. Almost as though he knew of her thoughts, the arm around her waist tightened and his large hand gently caressed her stomach.

"Really?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, pressing a kiss against her neck.

"I think so."

"Things are a little out of order."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked in confusion.

"We should be married before we have children."

"Does the order really matter?"

"Not really."

"You're not upset?"

"No."

Relief washed over her in waves as she sighed softly and relaxed against him once more. Sesshoumaru sat up and pulled her towards him until she sat across his lap and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he looked down at her. She gasped in surprise when he leaned down to ravish her lips, his hand moving to her stomach once again. When he sat back, he looked at her with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Perhaps we should do something about your uncertainty," he suggested, looking into her flushed face with amusement.

"Like what?" Rin asked, not entirely sure what he meant.

"That is a surprise."

Rin didn't question him any further as he rose to his feet with her in his arms. She smiled at him as she realised that their destination was the bedroom and shook her head. She couldn't even begin to imagine what his surprise entailed, but it certainly seemed that he intended to banish any doubts about her pregnancy. A giggle escaped her lips as she wondered how they were going to explain this to their families.

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AN: I'm not entirely happy with this ending and I may come back to rewrite it at some point. I seem to remember writing the same thing about another of my stories :S

Anyhow, I'm considering a sequel, but I'm not sure about it yet as I still have to start the sequel to Cupid's Arrows at some point as well. Let me know what you think and thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far. It's greatly appreciated! :)