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Tbh, the whole sess-rin dynamic isn’t tainted by the idea that alleges him to have protected Rin for personal gain aka to have her as a wife. Remember that in the first parts of Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru hated hanyous.
It doesn’t make sense to have him go after her in the hopes that she would eventually bear his children. Why would he dream about marrying a human in the first place when all this time his story revolved around him despising his dad for sleeping with one?!?!
So my theory is he protected Rin because he thought her special not for anything but just because she is Rin. Maybe it started off as a curiosity why a human would want to be with him but he got used to the company and whether he ever admits it or not, he deeply cares for her.
This is the reason why he became less blood-thirsty, because finally he has someone to protect. He avoided non-essential battles with other demons under the guise that he has a goal to focus on but tbh I think that was a half truth.
After centuries, finally, Sesshomaru, the great dog demon, possesses a weakness in the form of a feeble human. His enemies use this to taunt and lure him. And because he knew Rin’s vulnerable position as his most treasured...
...I believe he avoided making more enemies to keep her protected. Sesshomaru’s character is continuously developing and in Yashahime, we see him in a new light, not just as a demon but as a father to hanyous, and as a husband to a human, the very races he despised.
It’s him growing up and making sense of his past. It’s him doing something about it. All of this great change because of one tiny human. There was nothing in it for him but he still continuously chose her, and I think that’s what’s really pure about their relationship.
He had nothing to gain just by being with her. To say that he desired hanyous so he pursued her to be his wife is laughable. I don’t think he ever planned that. It was just a consequence to eventually developing romantic feelings for Rin.
There is no rhyme or reason for Sesshomaru’s love for Rin. And this is exactly what makes their relationship pure. Love is supposed to be unconditional. The moment that you put a reason behind it like “because of her smile” or “because she made him stronger,”...
...you’re already setting conditions. Sesshomaru loves Rin just because.
