To Smash the Walls by thetroll

Chapter 1

This simply would not do.

Rin pressed her lips together as she watched the scene before her. If she wasn't heavy with child, she'd do something about it herself, but as it stood, she couldn't even get up on her own without assistance. 

Kagome and Jinenji were in the middle of a passionate discussion about healing herbs and... the great daiyokai Sesshomaru was just standing there.

"He's just standing there!" Rin complained, covering her face with her hand. Lord Sesshomaru might think he was fooling everyone, but Rin knew how much he desired to be talking to the priestess he couldn't keep his eyes off of.

"Keh." InuYasha shoved his hands in his sleeves. "You're too loud."

Rin whirled on the hanyo sitting on the edge of the hut's platform beside her. "Do something!" she said, waving her hand towards Sesshomaru.

InuYasha followed her gaze and then blinked. "About Sesshomaru...?" he asked blankly. "I thought you liked the asshole."

Rin groaned and threw her hands up in the air. "I didn't say get rid of him, InuYasha," she hissed, trying not to be too loud. She didn't want to risk Lord Sesshomaru or Jinenji overhearing; Sesshomaru because he wouldn't appreciate her revealing his secret admiration for the priestess and Jinenji because, as much as she loved her husband, he couldn't keep a secret for the life of him. "But we have to do something before this turns into a disaster!"

InuYasha shrugged. "Don't look like one to me."

Rin was sorely tempted to grab the hanyo by the ear and shake him but her baby had finally stopped kicking and she was afraid any sudden movements might start him back up again. "Lord Sesshomaru likes Lady Kagome."

InuYasha immediately scoffed. "The bastard doesn't like anyone. He wouldn't know romance if it kissed him on the ass."

Rin folded her arms across her chest. "He does," she insisted. "Trust me, I know. But he won't do anything about it! It's so frustrating! He likes her and she likes him and they just stand there like idiots and pretend the other doesn't exist!"

"Ain't no way in hell," InuYasha protested. "Kagome's human."

Rin glared at InuYasha. "What's your point?"

InuYasha swallowed and shuffled a few inches out of range of her hands. Rin was normally calm and loving but ever since she'd gotten knocked up, she'd become a holy terror and he wasn't risking her foul mood. Kagome would ultimately blame him for any altercations and he was still trying to get back into his friend's good graces after his last mishap. She hadn't appreciated finding him on the floor of her hut rutting a widow in the village but, to be fair, she was supposed to still be off picking herbs. "Nothin.'"

"Hmph." Rin clicked her tongue. "How do inuyokai court a love interest?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm a haffer." InuYasha glowered and it immediately turned into a sulk. "I dunno. They have to prove their good mates or something."

"Like how?" she pressed.

"I dunno. Provide things. Fix things. Something." InuYasha hoped that would be enough to shut her up; the conversation was growing increasingly more uncomfortable. He couldn't even begin to imagine his best friend and his irritating half-brother together. It just seemed...wrong.

Rin latched onto his last suggestion. "Fix things," she murmured and then clapped her ideas as an idea came to her. "Lord Sesshomaru is good with his hands; I heard Master Jaken say so myself. If he believes Lady Kagome is in need of help, then that would give him the perfect opportunity."

"Tch." InuYasha leaned back against the wall of the hut. "Ain't nothing that needs fixing though. Built this place myself."

Rin's lips thinned as she gave him a determined look. "Then we break something."

"Oh hell no!" InuYasha immediately protested. "K'gome would be pissed!"

"She'll thank you by the time we're done," Rin promised him. "And if you don't help me, I'll tell Lady Kagome that youwere the one who ate the last of her sweets from her home."

InuYasha's ears flattened. "Well, shit."

. 

. 

Kagome and Jinenji returned from Kaede's garden, having finished their discussion over the use of common herbs. Jinenji was a wonderfully patient teacher and she took full advantage of any opportunity she had to tap into his knowledge whenever he came with his wife to visit.

This time, Rin had insisted that Jinenji take Kagome for the afternoon, stating that she was simply too tired to make the journey with Ah-Un and her husband back home just yet and Kagome had been delighted at the prospect. She'd spent the last few hours grilling Jinenji for any bit of information she could, hoping to further her skill as a priestess and healer.

And Jinenji had calmly, patiently answered any question she'd thrown at him.

The quiet, delicate man had proven to be the perfect husband for Rin. He showered her with the sincerest of affection that would make any other woman envious and even now that she was pregnant with their first child, there was no doubt that he still found her beautiful. Even in the gardens, Jinenji's conversation would often drift to include Rin somehow and he hadn't been able to resist bringing back some flowers to brighten her day.

If only Kagome could find a man with half that devotion, she would be satisfied, but the one her heart had gravitated towards was unlikely to ever return her regard, let alone shower her with affection.

She stopped short of her hut and gaped, suddenly noticing the damage. The roof had practically been torn apart, leaving nothing but splintered ends and claw marks, leaving absolutely no doubt as to the culprit.

She turned to InuYasha, who stood off to the side as if he was hoping she wouldn't notice him. "InuYasha, you destroyed my roof!"

He turned bright red as his ears flattened. "Keh," he said, awkwardly rubbing his nose as he avoided looking at her. "There was a yokai here. Ain't no big deal, wench, so quit your yappin'. It ain't like it can't be fixed."

"So fix it!" she hissed, aghast at his cavalier attitude. 

To her surprise, InuYasha looked over at Rin and then said, "Can't."

Kagome took a deep breath and then another for good measure. "And why not?"

InuYasha just shrugged.

"InuYasha..." Kagome's tone would normally have reminded him all too well of the rosary beads and their shard hunting days but though he winced, he made no move to fix her damaged roof.

"Looks like the old woman is callin'. She probably fell or somethin'," InuYasha said and to her astonishment, he took off towards Kaede's hut without so much as a backwards glance.

Helplessly, Kagome turned to look at Jinenji. "I hate to ask," she said, flushing, "but can you help?"

"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin said before Jinenji could answer, "can you please help Lady Kagome? Jinenji and I need to head back home to ensure his mother's medicine is ready for her to take with dinner. I'm so sorry, Lady Kagome; we would stay to help if we could."

Kagome wasn't sure who was more surprised by the request: Kagome herself or Sesshomaru.

"Rin, ah, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Kagome said, trying to be delicate in her let-down. "Sesshomaru probably doesn't even know the first thing about fixing roofs and—"

"This one will aid the priestess," Sesshomaru interrupted, his posture stiff.

Did I offend him somehow?

Rin grinned at them both. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru! Kagome will be safe and cared for in your hands." She let her husband help her to her feet and then onto Ah-Un's back. "Don't you worry, Lady Kagome. Lord Sesshomaru will make sure you're well taken care of!"

Sesshomaru turned to Kagome as Rin and Jinenji left, waving their hands as they gave their farewells. "Come," he said, turning and walking into the forest.

Sighing, Kagome followed after him. If he did a bad job, she could always force InuYasha to fix it later. The hanyo, at least, was surprisingly handy when he wanted to be. To her surprise, however, Sesshomaru was more capable than he appeared. He summoned his green whip and used it to make short work of a tree into usable planks and then, to her astonishment, used his cloud to transport Kagome, the planks, and Sesshomaru himself back to her ruined house.

"Wow," she breathed, eying his handiwork so far. "You're actually really good with your hands."

"Hnn." His reply was short but she couldn't help but feel that he'd been pleased by her words. After a moment, he added, "Woodwork was a childhood hobby of this one."

She was as surprised by the sudden personal information as she was by Sesshomaru suddenly removing his armor and swords, leaning them carefully against one wall of her hut. "Really?" she breathed, her voice suddenly hoarse as he reached to loosen his obi.

Surely he wasn't about to—

His haori gaped open, exposing his nagajuban, though it, too, quickly slid to expose his muscular chest, and in slow, sure movements, he carefully removed both garments to prevent the delicate material from wrinkling. And then he silently handed her both garments, evidently expecting her to hang them.

She did so absent-mindedly, gingerly laying them over her empty herb drying rack. She couldn't have torn her eyes away from Sesshomaru if her life depended on it. "Aren't you cold?" she blurted stupidly, staring at the sculpted chest before her.

He raised an eyebrow as he took the ladder that had been conveniently left on the ground by her house and set it up against the her wall. "It is summer," he remarked casually.

She wanted to smack her own forehead. It wasn't like she wanted him to cover up, either. "Right," she said lamely, unable to stop herself from studying every single one of his exposed muscles.

His lips tugged into a small smile, though she scarcely noticed it, as he pulled up his hair and tied it back. "You will hand the planks up to this one."

She nodded, still ogling his chest, though she had to admit he looked really good with his hair up.

He turned to climb the ladder and then waited expectantly until she pulled herself together long enough to grab a plank and hand it to him. He took the plank and moved it into place, using his caustic poison to fuse the board into place on her roof.

She didn't bother to ask how it worked; she didn't really care. As long as she had a roof to keep out the rain, that was all that mattered.

The process continued seamlessly, with Sesshomaru calmly requesting a plank every time he needed one and Kagome climbing up and down the ladder to deliver it to him. It was quite a workout, so she rested against the edge of her wall more often than not, taking full advantage to take in the scene before her.

"So," she said, licking her dry lips when she couldn't stand the silence any longer, "ah, would you like something to drink? It is hot out today, isn't it? I could bring you a nice cup of hot tea to cool you down, if you want."

She swore his lips moved for a moment. "This one is fine."

"Oh, sure." After a moment, she blurted, "How did you get into woodworking?"

Sesshomaru glanced back at her as he put another board down and began to seal it in place. "As a child, this one would often practice in the woods by his home with his sword," he said, his voice low and calming. "When he was done, he would pick up pieces of wood and take them home to carve them by claw. It was... soothing."

There was a look of quiet delight in his eyes as he explained how he'd selected the wood he used and the way he'd carved the pieces with his claws and doku. They sounded beautiful and she had a sudden craving to see them.

She inhaled. "Do you still do it?"

"When there is time. The plank, Kagome." He gestured for the wood plank in her hand; the last one in the pile he'd made. "If you would please hand it over."

"Right." She flushed as she handed him the plank. "What do you carve?"

"Nature. Animals." He hesitated for a moment. "What this one finds beautiful."

His golden gaze met hers and they both stared, unable to look away. Kagome had never seen such passion in his gaze before and it seemed to be reflected back at her. She drew in a sharp breath, hardly believing what her eyes were telling her. "Sesshomaru..."

He reached out as if he could not stop himself, stretching across the finished roof to cup her chin. He lifted her chin and then, to her delight, he bent to kiss her as her hands came to touch his bare chest, enjoying the slick feel of hard muscle beneath her fingers.

She lifted her lips and with a quiet sigh, met his kiss.

. 

. 

From the edge of the village, Rin cheered as she took the sight in. "I told you so!" she crowed, clapping her hands together in delight.

"Keh." InuYasha looked distinctly uncomfortable. "It's disgusting, watching the frigid bastard like that. He's practically eating her face off! I should march over there and—"

Rin slapped his shoulder lightly. "Don't you dare," she threatened him calmly, "unless you want Kagome to find out just what you were doing when you disappeared last week."

InuYasha blanched; just where was Rin getting her information anyway? "Fine," he huffed. "But I ain't sticking around to watch him mate her. I want to bathe just watching them go at it."

Rin rolled her eyes as InuYasha stalked off, still muttering to himself. She turned to her husband who was smiling at her indulgently. "Shall we head home, my flower?"

Her hand moved to cup her stomach as she nodded. "I'm ready to go," she said, content that her mission had been accomplished. Soon, her son or daughter would have a playmate of their own; she just knew it. "But do you think we can have your floral tea tonight? I'm craving it."

Jinenji chuckled in quiet delight as he nodded and Rin sighed happily, content that everyone she loved had finally found happiness of her own.

Well, her eyes narrowed as she watched InuYasha walk away, almost everyone. 

Perhaps she would have to help InuYasha with his little courtship problem next.