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“Papa!”
Rin blew out a sigh of relief when she heard Towa’s excited shout ringing through the quiet halls of the palace. Sometimes, the Western Palace was far too quiet and cold for Rin’s liking and her children’s high spirits filled the hallowed halls with a sense of warmth. She swept through the halls, following the sound of Towa’s whining, “Papa, wake up…!”, to her shared quarters with her husband and oftentimes their daughters. The door was left ajar, and a little peek inside granted her the image of Towa clambering over her father as if he was a great mountain for her to climb. Her little, chubby hands grasped fistfuls of his robes, tucking, and hauling herself up until they were face to face.
Rin couldn’t see her expression, but she knew her daughter well enough to know she was pouting. The cutest little quiver to her call as she patted Sesshōmaru’s cheeks with the bravery no yōkai in this world possessed. All the while, her lord merely allowed this to happen, his left arm tucked beneath his head while the right was draped over his stomach – conveniently close to where Towa almost slipped in her assent. His face remained relaxed despite Towa pushing at his cheeks with her palms and rubbing her forehead against his, a rumbling purr arising from her tiny body as she seemed to forget her reason for trying to wake him – tucking her forehead against his cheek as she settled down for a mid-morning nap on his chest.
Only after she fell asleep did Sesshōmaru’s eyes open, drifting in the direction of Rin’s hiding place. She smiled sheepishly and nudged the door open a bit wider to slip through, padding over to them. With his fur bundled up beneath his body, it was like stepping onto a fluffy patch of clouds. Luxurious, silken fur tickling the soles of Rin’s feet as she knelt to gather enough of it to cover Towa with. Sesshōmaru’s long, pale fingers brushed against the back of Rin’s hand as their hands met atop of their daughter’s back. She jolted at first, moving to pull her hand away until he slowly intertwined their fingers, and pulled.
Her knees slid against his fur until she was awkwardly bent over him, one hand pressed beside his head to brace her weight, so she didn’t fall atop of Towa. Her hair curtained Towa’s face from the sunlight parting through the shoji. Locks of it falling over Sesshōmaru’s eyes, though he didn’t seem to mind.
Face to face with her husband, Rin smiled and closed her fingers around his one by one. “I can’t stay,” she told him as he twisted her hair around his fingers. “Okaa-sama is visiting, and Setsuna is with her.”
His brow furrowed, and she could see the moment he began considering the deeper motives as to why his mother would want to come down from her skyfaring palace. Neither of them would admit out loud how fond they were of the twins. Their pride and tradition wouldn’t allow them to say or show as much, especially in a castle filled with yōkai, but Rin guessed the moment she returned, Setsuna would be absolutely spoiled with sweets given by her grandmother – and Towa would nap in the comfort of her father’s embrace.
“She will be safe,” Sesshōmaru told her.
Rin had no doubt. Outsiders were only allowed past the gates of their family’s estate if they were in possession of an inro, specially crafted with identity seals tailored to the yōkai in question. Special exceptions were made, but Sesshōmaru took no chance with their safety. Should his careful planning have flaws though, their youngest daughter was currently being entertained by her grandmother, and the Queen Mother of the West did not keep her reign by strategic planning alone.
“Then, I’m not tired.” Rin smiled, brushing her lips against his in a featherlight kiss. A low, husky growl almost pulling a giggle from her. “My lord husband and okaa-sama may not require food, but little hanyō, imps, and dragons do.”
Sesshōmaru seemed to give that thought, then he arranged their interlaced hands so his lips could brush her fingertips in a kiss. One for each finger, then her knuckles, and as his lips grazed her wrist – Rin felt faint and wiggled her hand from his slackened grasp, catching the slight upturn of his lips as he settled back with a half-lidded gaze trained on her certainly flushed face.
“I’ll come back for you both when lunch is ready,” she said, pressing a kiss to Towa’s cheek then scrambling to her feet to avoid her husband’s gaze.
“I will be waiting,” Sesshōmaru said, a rare display of his dry wit and sultry teasing making her blush from ear to ear.
This man will be the death of me, Rin thought as she walked to the door.
“Rin.”
She hesitated at the sound of his voice, then turned around, one hand holding onto the sliding door’s frame while the other hung at her side. A curious look on her face when she saw him lying there, relaxed and contended like a dog napping in a pool of sunlight. Their little girl, a puppy in her own right, snoring away with her arm tucked under her head. Rin smiled, looking up to Sesshōmaru’s face. His eyes closed, portraying sleep, though his mouth began to move.
“Beloved wives must eat as well,” Sesshōmaru said, simply and with such ease it’s as if he was speaking without thinking.
And Rin wonders how she could love this beautiful, mischievous yōkai who spoke his affection to her shamelessly when he felt the mood take him.
“… Of course, milord,” she said, sliding the door shut behind her then hurrying off to check on her mother-in-law and Setsuna. A skip in her step and a song in her heart as she sang to herself. “Loving you is as easy as breathing, it’s as if I’ve known how all my life.”