A/N- I'm so sorry for not updating for a long time, it's been hard to find time to write lately plus I had the worst case of writers block :( Also, I just want to mention this because I've been getting a few PM's and I've seen one or two reviews calling me by a name that isn't mine. I'm so happy that you guys enjoy this story (I didn't think this many people would like it when I first began writing it ;v;) but I'd like to mention that I've come to notice other people are taking credit for my story. I know this probably happens a lot to others, but this is the first time it's happened to me since I haven't written too many stories and whatnot. I'm not angry about it but it does bother me and for a while I lost motivation to continue writing, but I really like my stories and I have a fun time writing and reading everyone's lovely reviews :)

You can call me Jasy. The only way to contact me is through PM's, my tumblr account jaaz-y, and my kik though I'm hardly on that. If I know you well enough, or if you ask for it than I'd give you my psn, Skype, etc. If anyone else tells you that this is their story then they're lying. I'll put this info in my bio too but I wanted to mention it here.

Anyway, my birthday is tomorrow! So I decided to update this story today since I'll be spending time with family these next few days; Notice Me should be updated soon, maybe by next week & I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)

And yes, I will be finishing this story. I haven't abandoned it :)

"You're the words stuck in my throat, and I fear I'd lose you if I spoke."

- elegant-freak via tumblr

"Sesshomaru?" Rin murmured as she read the aisle signs before glancing back down to the list of items written on a small piece of paper. "What do you like to eat?"

"Meat," he answered simply, pushing the shopping cart slowly. Rin had declared that he was on cart duty, and since he was more than grateful they hadn't gone shopping for clothes he had agreed without complaint.

"Hmm," she hummed, "What else?"

"The meal from McDonalds was acceptable."

She turned on him faster than he could blink, and before he could even raise an eyebrow in question she was poking him in the chest with her index finger.

"You are absolutely no help whatsoever you know that?" she piped, punctuating each word with a quick jab of her finger. "We need to buy food to cook for the week, we can't just eat out every day, and we certainly can't eat only meat for each meal."

For a moment he thought maybe he was having a heart attack because suddenly it felt as if his heart was beating so rapidly it would fly out of his chest and land right in the palm of her small hand, where it rightfully belonged. Perhaps it was because she was talking to him like this, like he wasn't the prince and she was so comfortable around him that she knew she could jab him with her tiny finger and he wouldn't be angry about it. Maybe it was because she was willingly touching him, or maybe it was everything put together. How they were sharing a hotel room, spending time together, shopping together. All of it seemed surreal and yet so right. How would he be able to go back to how things were before he invited himself to join her on this vacation?

The sound of something hitting the bottom of the cart with a clang pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced down to see a small bag, and then looked over to where Rin was, still mumbling as she snatched two more of whatever was in the cart.

"Rin?" he questioned, watching in slight amusement as she whipped her head to the side to glare at him.

"What?" she huffed, marching over to the cart and dropping the two objects in. He merely glanced down at the bags and looked back up at her with a raised eyebrow in question.

Rin crossed her arms over her chest, still slightly upset over how he wasn't even making an attempt to help her think of other things besides meat to cook. And to top that off, he ignored her while she was stabbing him in the chest with her finger. "I'm picking the food since you clearly don't know the definition of variety."

Both eyebrows rose now as he regarded her. "And you claim to have knowledge of that word?"

"Of course I do!"

With a smirk on his face he nodded toward the food in the cart. "Then why is it Rin, you've grabbed three bags of the same food?"

"What?" Rin looked over at them quickly before answering, "They're not the same."

"They are all green."

A small laugh escaped her, all thoughts of being angry quickly forgotten as she walked toward him and their cart. "Of course they're green. These are string beans," she said, pointing to one of the bags. "And these are peas, and last but not least we have broccoli."

Sesshomaru stared at the green contents, realizing now that they were in fact not the same. He stared in slight disgust, taking in the sight of the miniature trees known as broccoli. "I will not eat that."

"Of course you'll eat that," she responded quickly. "You need a balanced diet Sesshomaru you can't just live off of meat."

He turned, leaving her with her cart full of greenery. "Watch me," he stated, and proceeded to walk toward the aisle that contained edible food.

Rin stood frozen, slightly shocked that the prince was acting like a child over some vegetables. The shock only lasted a minute though, and soon she was barreling down the aisle with her cart, almost bumping into two people as she closed in on the demon.

Skidding to a halt once she reached her destination, she rounded on him, finger ready to poke a hole into his chest to get her point across. "Sesshomaru," she panted, "I swear if you don't eat your vegetables I will make this vacation horrible for you."

"Oh?" he questioned, plopping a large package of chopped meat into the cart. He took in the sight of her chest rising and falling as she panted, then let his eyes wander to her parted lips. His hand reached out and grabbed her chin lightly, tipping it up and forcing her to keep eye contact with him. "I doubt," he purred, trying not to break out into a victory dance when her cheeks turned bright red, "you would be able to make any part of this trip horrible."

Her cheeks flamed even more as she noticed a few other passing customers glancing at them oddly before moving on. She attempted to pull her head back and away from his hold, but failed miserably. She averted her gaze from the annoying smirk that crossed his lips, wishing she could wipe it off.

"Well I.." She thought quickly, trying to form a suitable threat, but nothing came to mind. How could she threaten a prince? Nothing was coming to mind, and his close proximity was making her stomach flip and her heart pound rapidly. In a moment of desperation she blurted, "I'll invite Inuyasha and Kagome."

His hand immediately dropped limply at his side, and for a moment Rin thought maybe she had crossed the line. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated whether or not she would actually go through with her threat, and unfortunately he had a feeling she would.

"Very well," he muttered, no longer enjoying the situation, "I will eat..that." He glared at the package of vegetables and briefly wondered if he could somehow get rid of them without her noticing.

"Good," she chirped, having gotten over the momentary shock over the fact that she effectively threatened the prince. Who knew the thought of Inuyasha and Kagome coming on their vacation would cause him to surrender so rapidly. She'd have to save that tidbit of information for a later time.

"Come on, let's go get the rest of the food," she said, smiling at him before turning and walking toward her favorite section of the store.

The candy aisle.

And as long as she kept smiling at him like that, he'd eat as many vegetables as she wanted him to.

o~O~o

"Do you like flowers?" Rin asked, her head tilted back as she walked to look at a few clouds drifting by slowly across the sky.

They, or rather Rin , had decided to take a walk in the nearby park after putting away the food they purchased. She had insisted he let her buy them since he had declared he was paying for everything else. The elderly woman scanning the items had laughed when they argued over who would be paying. In truth, Rin was the one arguing, Sesshomaru merely glared at her and repeatedly stated 'I will handle this' every time she opened her mouth.

In the end Rin had won the rite to purchase their groceries. The elderly woman, who had been watching them with a fond smile on her face had asked Rin, "Is he your boyfriend?"

And without hesitating even a moment, she replied, "No he's my husband."

Sesshomaru's jaw had gone slack, his mind had gone blank, and warmth spread across his cheeks. He was hit with feeling both overjoyed and completely shocked. A large part of him wanted to grab her and kiss her in front of the old woman and anyone else present, and another part of him felt faint, as if he was being overwhelmed with happiness.

He had barely noticed Rin paying the woman, and it wasn't until she glanced at him, leaned toward him and whispered, "We're supposed to act like we're married right?" that reality came crashing down and he could only nod.

"I've always loved them," she continued, bringing him back to the conversation. He realized he hadn't answered her, but she continued on as if he had. "My grandmother told me my mother loved them as well. She used to say that every flower is a soul blossoming in nature."

Rin stared at him, trying to read his expression. She opened her mouth to say something but the words became stuck in her throat when she felt herself trip, her hands flying out in surprise. Sesshomaru quickly grabbed her hand to steady her, and then resisted the urge to grin when her cheeks instantly became red.

"Thank you," she murmured, and when she didn't pull her hand away he decided he'd continue holding it. He began walking again, with her next to him and her hand in his. "Did you know flowers have meanings?" she asked suddenly. "Usually when someone gives someone a flower, there's a meaning behind it."

He raised an eyebrow, curious. "A meaning?"

"For example, say I were to give you three flowers. I might give you a purple tulip, which represents royalty," she smiled. "A calla, meaning regal," she stopped walking and turned to him, her eyes searching his face as she thought. "And the third, maybe..." now she looked down at their joined hands, staring. "A pansy," she breathed.

Sesshomaru waited for her to explain the meaning of the last one, but when she didn't, curiosity got the best of him.

"And the last one?"

"What?" she asked, finally coming out of her thoughts. Her hand dropped away from his and he resisted the urge to take hold of it again. The loss in contact bothered him, but he tried not to show it.

"The pansy," he said. "What is it's meaning?"

"W-well," she stuttered, "You'll just have to find out yourself."

And then she skipped ahead toward a small patch of flowers she had spotted way before he had, which didn't surprise him in the least.

She bent down, tracing a petal with a delicate finger before reaching down to pluck it. "This one is called an aster," she said, holding it up for him to see. It was dainty, with a yellow center and white petals surrounding it.

Smiling softly, she reached out and gently took hold of his hand, raising it up and turning it to place the aster atop his palm.

"What does this one mean?"

Her cheeks reddened instantly, something that seemed to occur quite a lot this day, and her eyes fell to the floor. "Contentment," she whispered, avoiding eye contact, confusing the dog demon for merely a moment before his eyes widened a fraction and he dared to hope.

Absentmindedly, he touched the petal of the flower with his finger just as she did before, and asked, "Are you content right now, Rin?"

Rin was quiet for a few moments, her eyes glued to a spot on the ground. Eventually, he began to think she simply wouldn't answer him. He was just about to say her name when he heard her voice. It was soft, softer than a whisper, and if his hearing was not as good as it was he wouldn't have heard it at all.

Her eyes finally lifted to stare into his own, "I am."

If anyone had told him a few years ago that two words from a human woman would have him feeling breathless and almost deliriously happy, he would have thought them insane and would have possibly removed their tongue from their mouth. But here he stood, unable to draw in a breath and his heart summersaulting within his chest. He wanted to tell her he was content as well, being here, being with her.

The words flittered around in his mind, and he tried to grab hold of them, to actually say them to her instead of hoping she understood without him having to speak the words; because it felt as if he moved an inch, even if he were to only open his mouth, the moment would be gone. Or maybe he'd awake alone in his bed back home, having only dreamt of being here, being with her.

And suddenly she smiled that smile, the one that stole the breath out of his lungs and made his knees quake; and maybe she did understand what he wanted to say. But, maybe she just couldn't stand the silence. He couldn't tell, and with her smiling like that, he couldn't possibly hope to speak.

"So, Sesshomaru," she said, speaking normally and not having trouble forming a sentence. "I couldn't help but notice you hardly packed anything. Like shorts, or a bathing suit. Casual clothes."

The sudden change of topic threw him off guard for a moment. It was true, he hadn't really had a chance to pack much since all thoughts had been on getting to Rin in time before she left. Finally finding his voice, he answered, "I did not have the time." Though if he was honest, he didn't really have 'casual' clothes. His closet was full of suits and buttoned down shirts.

But as soon as he let the words fly out of his mouth he immediately regretted saying it. She was giving him a knowing look, and a small all too innocent smile.

"Looks like we're going to have to go," she started, and he filled with dread, "clothes shopping!" she exclaimed excitedly, twirling and beginning the walk to the shopping center without him. She was obviously looking forward to torturing him; he had heard horror stories from both Inuyasha and his father about going clothes shopping with their partners and briefly he wondered if he should turn around and head back to their room. But at the thought of being away from her, he decided he couldn't.

Reluctantly, he followed, still holding the aster gently in his hand.

A/N: I know a few flowers I'll mention aren't really found growing in Japan, so I'm sorry for that! I apologize for any spelling mistakes and I'm sorry it was a bit short.

And the pansy- it's meaning is loving thoughts. if I've gotten any of the meanings wrong feel free to correct me and I apologize! :)