InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All My Love Couldn't Save You ❯ Enemies & A Past She Can't Escape ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

All My Love Couldn't Save You
Ch. 3
Shinjiru cooed unconsciously to the birds above her to quiet. Once they fled at her request, she rolled over into the warmth at her back, waking immediately as she did so. She sat up and frantically looked around. She had never woken to such warmth before…
She spotted Sesshoumaru next to her and it all came back. She laughed in remembrance of his wet, soggy form. He still looked great in both-especially wet. She blushed at the direction her thoughts were turning before someone's voice made her turn away from her mate.
"So it's true." Keisatsu stood ten feet behind her. He looked sad and angry at the same time, yet had jealousy written clearly on his face. She reached for Sesshoumaru's now dry haroi to cover herself before turning to her mate to cover him.
"Kei," she started. What could she tell him? More importantly why would she have to? "What are you doing on the Western Lands? You're breaking protocol by traveling so far into these lands. Not to mention the fact that either one of us could kill you for walking into such an intimate moment." Her voice was commanding, adapting to the role of the West's Lady. She could kill him, but he looked as though he had something to say. If he didn't leave before waking, Sesshoumaru would kill him.
"How…How could you?" Shinjiru narrowed her all-seeing eyes at him. His head was bowed, his hair hiding his eyes and most of his face from view. What was he up to?
"Very easily." Shinjiru suddenly felt colder toward him. As if their childhood together, their likeness in heritage, meant nothing. These feelings were very Sesshou-like. "Is there a point to this visit? If not, I'd leave before my mate wakes and causes you bodily harm. Which, by the way, I could do nothing to stop."
His eyes looked to hers. Hatred, jealousy, disgust, and lust played within his blue eyes. It was unsettling to say the least, as none of those emotions had ever been directed at her so. Then she recalled the shared words her now mate and he had before she lost complete consciousness that night her change took her. She could remember how heated his words were then. He had secretly coveted her and now that she was out of his reach he was lashing out at his lost target.
She felt Sesshoumaru rise behind her and leaned into the embrace he offered. The male in front of her scoffed before turning away. He ran back the way he had come and Shinjiru released a small bird cry of anger. Her mate licked at the mark now marring her flesh. A mark she proudly bore.
"I apologize for the interruption, mate. He appeared quite suddenly." Shinjiru whispered, still locked within her role as these lands new Lady. His arms tightened around her.
"No need. I was awake the moment he appeared. You handled yourself appropriately and exerted your position. It was very arousing to hear you dismiss him so coldly." He purred against her neck, moist from his attentions.
Suddenly an alarm went off in her head. She looked to Sesshoumaru to see him sniffing the air surrounding them. Fire. Something in his lands was ablaze.
Shinjiru turned to the village and rose silently in the air, her wings using little effort or command. She scanned the forest and gasped, her worry instantly overcoming her role as a Lady. She looked down to Sesshoumaru and informed him of her findings. "Sesshoumaru, the village is on fire. My sister is in there!"
"Go ahead." Sesshoumaru yelled to her as he reached for his swords and sash. As much as he didn't want her in danger, she was wearing his clothes, covered in his scent and stronger because of his mate magics. She would be fine. She could handle herself until he got there.
Shinjiru sped to the village, her wings making short work of the distance. As she got closer she could see the severity of the damage done. Several huts were ablaze as well as the chief's mansion. She landed in the square, ignoring the growls of not only the scent she was covered in, but what she was.
She went to her and her sister's shared hut and released a cry at the image of it burned to the ground. But from the corner of her eyes, twin flashes of white flashed in the forest not too far from the hut. She sped on her feet to the clearing where it became apparent battle was going on. Her sister's form solidified with Youko at her side. Keisatsu's angered form rushed toward them and with an angered cry, Shinjiru's wings lifted her enough so she could kick him away with her taloned feet. He hit a tree truck with a crack and slumped to the forest floor.
"How dare you!" Shinjiru screamed stalking toward his unconscious form.
"Shin?" A voice came from behind her, quelling her anger instantly. Her sister had never seen her falcon form, only known that every few years she had to leave. Shinjiru turned to her sister and smiled.
"Yeah, it's me. Now you know what happens when I leave." She whispered, half ashamed to face her sister's judgment. It never came. Sitora just rushed toward her and hugged her form.
"I was so worried. When Keisatsu started to burn the village I though I heard him mumble your name. I thought he may have…" She trailed off. Then looked up at her sister, pulling away. "I thought you turned like hanyou or something when you went away. You turn full?" She asked, circling her.
"Yeah, my taka half is stronger than my tora, so it overcomes me. I have to leave because of the chief's terms. My wings are irrepressible in this form. Even now, when I showed up the villagers felt threatened." She elaborated. Thinking about it now, she felt shamed.
"Of course you overpower them even more now." Sesshoumaru's voice called from the trees. She turned to him with a smile. His eyes fell to her sister and he bowed in acknowledgement of her formidable power. Then to the figure behind her, obviously trying to hide. "Youko, I should've known you would see her once more. No tact." Shinjiru eyed her mate and her sister, who was now trying to hide herself.
Youko scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "She finally accepted my proposals." He said as if to point out an accomplishment. Sitora just shook her head and covered her face with a hand.
"I knew it." Shinjiru said cynically. Sitora gulped at the look of pure evil on her sister's face. Though it was weaker than her own, it still held it's weight. "You came home on nights smelling of musk and I knew you were meeting someone. Especially when you would have a light blush or even bruises on your neck." Shinjiru crossed her arms and smirked at her win.
Sitora had other plans.
"Well, what about the night of the festival? You did the same thing. Does Sesshoumaru know?" She threw back. Shinjiru rose to the challenge.
"It was with Sesshoumaru and that was once. Besides you had no room to talk that night. You were doing the same thing." Shinjiru pointed out triumphantly.
"So, the first offense is worst." Sitora replied lamely.
Sesshoumaru and Youko watched the exchange in interest. No siblings they had ever encountered had acted as these two had. Worried one moment and arguing the next, what was next? Sitora's next comment made Sesshoumaru arch his eyebrow.
"You didn't loose your virginity to your mate like I did." Sitora waited for Shinjiru's retort, but none was forthcoming. She smirked at Shinjiru's stunned face.
She was right. She still had no idea who took her innocence. Sesshoumaru was her first sexual experience, but not her first. Was that alright with him? She turned silently to Sesshoumaru…before running.
"Shin, I didn't-" Sitora's voice went unheeded as her wings carried her into the morning air of their own accord.
She flew quickly toward the waterfall where Sesshoumaru claimed her last night. The familiarity and intimacy of the surroundings served to comfort her nerves. She landed gracefully on the rock she transformed on that afternoon before he initiated the ritual. Her wings folded against her back and she pulled her knees up to her chest. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks as struggled to remember who stole her virginity. That important of an act belonged to Sesshoumaru and Sesshoumaru alone. It tore her apart to know that someone held such a part of her and she didn't know them.
Sesshoumaru's white garbed form appeared in the clearing. He looked up to her silently and couldn't help the sigh that escaped his mouth. He could understand her worry, but it was unnecessary. He loved her just the same, it mattered not that she wasn't inexperienced when she came to him. She would have lost it anyway. So why?
"Shin." Sesshoumaru called to her. Her teared eyes raised to connect with his. "May I come up and speak with you?" She nodded silently.
His youki cloud formed beneath his feet and he rose to the rock next to hers. She was whimpering almost inaudibly and small cries would shake her. It hurt deep down to see her so distressed and not be able to eliminate the cause. This wasn't someone or something he could kill for her. This was inner-unbelief. She felt unfaithful. He could sense it through their bond. Soon enough he'd be able to read her thoughts, not just emotions.
"It's nothing worth worrying over. I love you none the less." Sesshoumaru said quietly, surveying her form.
"It's not just that. It worries me, but not the thought that you don't love me. I could never doubt that." Shinjiru looked out over the Western forest from their high vintage point. Sesshoumaru looked out as well as her silence reigned. Her silence was short lived, however. "I hate the fact that the pain of loosing that wasn't given to you. I wanted to know I was in pain because you wanted me that bad. I hate the fact that someone else has what's rightfully yours. My innocence should be yours to covet, yours to cherish. Now you'll never have that. I'll never be able to say I loved my mate enough to experience that pain for him. To bleed that way for him." More tears slowly bled down her cheeks.
Sesshoumaru looked to his mate. She was so unsettled by that? That he hadn't possessed every bit of her intimately. Wasn't he supposed to be upset about that? He jumped onto her rock and sat behind her before pulling her into his lap. He nuzzled his mark against her skin and purred.
"Whose mark is this, that you bare so proudly?" He asked, licking at the scar.
The small, but proud whisper of, "Yours." came from her mouth in answer.
"Then what is the problem?" He whispered. She turned to face him, straddling his waist.
"You don't own me completely-" He abruptly cut her off as his lips crashed to hers. She moaned into his mouth as she melted into him. He tore his mouth from hers all too soon and sank his fangs into her mark, instantly bringing her to climax. She cried out and arched against him. He could feel her wetness seeping onto his hakamas and growled lowly. He pulled his haroi away from her thighs and bunched it around her waist. He moved his hakamas away from his now straining erection and pushed it deep within her folds. She cried out again at the assault so soon after her release. "Sesshou…what are y-you…" She never finished her question as Sesshoumaru began a fast rhythm.
"I'm proving a point." He groaned out between upward thrusts. He quickly brought them to climax soon after his declaration. She cried out once more before he stiffened against her, emptying himself within her. She looked up to him with satisfied eyes.
"Why?" She gasped out still caught in the aftershocks of their release. He nuzzled her mark lovingly once again.
"Never doubt that I own you completely. Your first blood means little to me. That I have you now is what matters." He whispered against her mark.
"I know. I shouldn't care as much, but it scares me that someone has that part of me and I can't even remember who." That was understandable. He'd be worried as well.
"Your innocence will be avenged, I promise. Until then, try not to let it bother you so greatly." He finished before kissing her gently.
"I won't." She whispered as they stood and went to bathe.
After they were both cleaned, Shinjiru searched their surroundings for her kimono. It was nowhere to be found. She distinctly remembered hanging it on the branch closest to their place of 'rest'. Yet it was not where it should have been.
"Sesshou, where's my kimono? You watched me hang it here, didn't you?" Shinjiru asked, still dressed in Sesshoumaru's haroi and searching for her kimono.
"I remember you hanging it on that tree branch. Is it not there?" Sesshoumaru called from behind her. Shinjiru stood from the bush beneath the branch suddenly and stomped out with heated glare. "Shin?"
"I think Keisatsu took it. I saw some of his footprints in the ground. That evil…" She trailed off, letting her thoughts finish the nasty words.
"He will be dealt with. Let us return to your village and get you some more clothes." He started off in that direction, but her footfalls did not follow. He turned to her and quirked an eyebrow.
"Sesshou, can we go home? They don't want me at the village and I don't want to go there in such a state." She gestured to her attire with a small blush. Sesshoumaru smirked smugly and nodded. Swiftly, they headed for the castle.
~*~*~*~
"You were supposed to injure Sitora and make Shinjiru brake! I want her broken before the next new moon!" An angered male voice echoed through the forest.
In a small clearing not far from the Western stronghold, two figures argued over a female. One was calm and quiet, but on the inside he was seething. This male before him thought to threaten him. He would decide what was done with the female.
"It will be handled. I need you to back off! Shinjiru will be as good as ours well before then. Her past troubles her and if she is troubled she will be less aware. But I warn you she has mated, not only does she have his magics to aid her, but also her form will settle. I cannot guarantee she will still be even partly tora when we get her." The second voice informed the first calmly.
"Keisatsu, you know something I don't?" The first asked with anger.
"Daidaiiro, I was friendly to her. I kept my lust under the veil of friendship. She told me of herself. Once she mates, her mate's youki will push out one of her forms. There is no guarantee she will be tora at all. She is caught in her yearly transformation. Her taka has overcome her tora. She lives as a full breed with the dog. Until the week has passed we will know nothing of her true form. Will you still want her if she is 'unpurifiable'?" Keisatsu asked smirking at Daidaiiro's indecision.
"It matters not to me as long as I can taint her. Though she has lost her virginity to that mongrel, I want to brake her. Everything. I will snap those wings of hers as she falls at my feet." Daidaiiro smiled evilly at the thought. Keisatsu growled lowly at his 'master's' train of thought. The only one to break Shin would be him.
He turned and walked away to let the deranged male pleasure himself with his thoughts.
"Soon…"
~*~*~*~
Shinjiru landed gracefully in the village square, her wings folded to her back tightly. A nervous signal she gave unconsciously. Her gi molded to her body and stretched when she moved. Her swords were strapped to her back in their usual X form and her wings covered most of the sheaths. Her hair was left down and the feathers blew with the breeze as she walked nervously beside Sesshoumaru.
Sitora was standing next to their ashen 'hut' staring at the burned remains.
"The only thing I ever really despised you for was your father. You knew your father before I ever got a chance to know mine." Sitora said solemnly. Shinjiru looked to Sesshoumaru as a silent request for solace.
As soon as her mate was gone Shinjiru stood beside her half sister. "I used to envy you for knowing mother. Sometimes I thought I was so disgraceful. I mean who would want a child like me. A Halfling of two fighting races. I could never find acceptance. It hurt knowing mother could never really want me." Shinjiru whispered sadly.
"Sesshoumaru excepts you, I except you. What more do you need?"
"I used to need a home. One that would take all of me, not just a half. I have that now and so much more. And you, you have Youko. I know you didn't feel right telling me, just as I didn't feel right telling you of that time when I leave. I guess I just never wanted to face your judgment. It mattered to me and I never wanted my only family to scorn me for what I became every few years."
They looked to each other and laughed. They looked so different, yet so much alike. Shinjiru wore the outfitting of combat, whereas Sitora chose a kimono; preferring a more refined look. Their hair were complete opposites, yet held so much of the same qualities. Their markings held differences, but one could never say they weren't alike.
A cough behind them caught their attention. The village chief stood behind them with various villagers.
"I would like to show my appreciation to you taka for helping rid us of the traitor." He said disdainfully.
"I am in debt to this village for allowing me stay when I was most assuredly not welcome." Shinjiru replied coldly to the chief's words. She had a home now, she could show her heritage now without fear of losing that home.
"You have never stayed in this village." A village she recognized shouted angrily. Shinjiru let her glamour wash over her, returning herself to her half form.
"As I said, I was unwelcome." She growled before dispelling her glamour. Whispered murmurs and gasps issued from the crowd.
"Shin, you are whole. Why are you not tora?" The chief asked with obvious disappointment.
"Well, I like my taka half better." She said winking at her sister to show her kidding. She smiled lightly in return. "And I had no choice in the matter. My mate decided that." She felt Sesshoumaru come to stand beside her, not forcing his dominance to make her stand behind him. The chief looked on with horror before kneeling.
"Forgive our rudeness to you, my Lady. I was unaware of your station." The chief pleaded. Shinjiru looked to Sesshoumaru with amusement in her eyes.
"Clearly." Sesshoumaru replied coldly. "Come, I wish not to linger here longer than necessary. We have duties to attend to my mate." Sesshoumaru said as he extended a hand to Shinjiru. She took it with a smile before they flew home.
~*~*~*~
"Okaasan! Look at the pretty butterflies!" Rin cried happily to Shinjiru, who sat behind her watching.
"I see Rin. They're beautiful." Shinjiru said as she gazed at her now adopted daughter. Despite the fact that she was human and had no relation to herself, Shinjiru felt protective of the small child. That and she had absolutely nothing to do. When Sesshoumaru said they had duties to attend to, that meant he had duties and she was to watch Rin. Not that she was really complaining.
Suddenly a giant amount of youki appeared within the garden, a few hundred feet from her position. She stood and turned to Rin.
"Rin, go inside and get Sesshoumaru." The youkai appeared behind her, striking her against the back. Rin yelled before running inside.
Shinjiru pulled herself up and dodged another blow. She drew her swords and slashed at the beast's stomach. With a gurgled roar it fell. Two more rushed in to take it's place. They stood on either side of her and repeatedly made blows to her back. Surprisingly, they never hit her wings. In fact they tried not to harm the feathered appendages. Just as she was about to fall, Sesshoumaru dove in and picked her up. Her carried her to a tree and leapt back into battle. Though, it was pointless. Three demons now surrounded her mate. They too surrounded her and made blows to her back.
Shinjiru felt her back give out under the brutal damage and she fell. Her body went numb and one of the beasts picked her up.
"We have what we came for." The one holding her yelled to the now one fighting her mate. It quickly hit Sesshoumaru across the chest, sending him into the garden wall before they carried her outside into the forest.
Mentally, Shinjiru screamed for Sesshoumaru. Her answer was his mate magics weaving around her, shocking the beast holding her. It screamed and dropped her, which was well because she couldn't feel a thing.
"I told you to knock her out. If she is unconscious she can't call to the dog." A familiar voice called from in front of her. She didn't have the strength to look up at her captor so she just closed her eyes and curled herself around Sesshoumaru's magic. It was warm and offered her battered body aid in healing. But it was short lived. I forceful blow to the head sent the darkness to her. Before blacking out, she made one last call to her mate.
"Sesshou, I love you…" She was backhanded a few feet.
"Your precious dog can't help you now, Shin." Keisatsu's voice called before she blacked out.
~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru cursed when the link was severed. She was unconscious and he had no way of finding her if her captors chose to rape her or worse.
With a feral roar, Sesshoumaru threw his fist into the closest tree. His mate was gone. He had little hope of finding her until she woke. Even then there could be several things done to hinder their link. Her last message seemed as if she had no other choice but to give herself in. She had resigned herself to her fate, but he had not. His mate would kneel to no one.
"I will find you. My mate…"
~*~*~*~
Shinjiru groaned as she woke. She was leaning against something warm and it was very drafty wherever she was. She looked down to find herself sitting with her knees tucked up under her on blood red silk sheets. Movement behind her made her still. A pale hand slid around her rib cage and cupped her left breast none too gently. She lifted her arms to slap the person, but found them bound behind her. They were tied with silk, but when she pulled, they tightened.
"There in no use trying to escape, Shin."
"Keisatsu." Shinjiru spat and stretched her wings. They flung him away from her enough to let her struggle away from him. She looked around. They were in a large bedroom with the balcony door open. It was night time, but that meant little to her. "Where am I?" Shinjiru asked coldly.
"A little ways from the Southern stronghold. Far from arms that reach for you." He replied just as blankly. She looked to the open balcony. "Don't even think about it. The entire castle is enchanted. The only places open to you are this room and the bathing area through that door." He pointed to the door at the far end of the room, opposite the balcony.
"Why am I here?" She asked searching her brain for Sesshoumaru.
"You are here for physical purposes." A new voice called from the door. Shinjiru hissed and the feathers on her wings rose in aggression.
"Daidaiiro." She looked to Keisatsu, who wouldn't meet her eyes. He was shamed by this. "Keisatsu. I should've known that this would be you two. Though I never would've forgiven you anyway." She hissed at Keisatsu.
"Enough." Daidaiiro approached her and she screamed to any and everything she could find in her brain. I'M IN THE SOUTH- She was cut off as Daidaiiro backhanded her once more. "No more of that. Those bonds on your wrists will glow if you are calling to your mate." He pulled her onto her stomach and curled his fingers around the bone connecting her wings to her back. "Not only has it been a dream of mine, but also for safety…" He curled his wrist, breaking the bone in two. Immediately, she went rigid and her wing flung him away from her. Her broken wing sat limply against the sheets and blood ran freely down her beautiful white feathers. She whimpered, trying to hold in her scream.
"No more. With just one wing broken she's useless for flight." Keisatsu had turned from the scene the moment Daidaiiro took her wing. Daidaiiro stood and dusted himself off. He looked satisfactorily at her mangled wing.
"I've had my fun. Take her to the dungeons. The demons down there may have her, but tell them not to mar her face or wings." With that he left. Keisatsu looked hesitantly to Shinjiru. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her head was bowed. Her wing was tucked closer to her protectively. She was trying to hide the remainder of her pride. She had told him once that she loved her wings; that they reminded her of her father's.
"I'm sorry." Keisatsu whispered as he lift her, surprised to find her almost dead weight. She weighed little more than a child. "I never meant for it to go this far." He told her as he carried her to the darkness of the dungeons. She had yet to say anything. "If you had never mated the dog…Things …t-things would be different." He opened a cell and walked in. He set her on the straw bedding carefully and started to walk away.
"Things would not be different. My life is his. Has been before you met him. I've known him since we were children and I've loved him for just as long. You've never had a chance." Shinjiru spat, still not looking at him. He growled in silent fury. He was trying to amend and she threw it in his face. "You were never my friend." She looked up at him with justice in her eyes. With a malicious smile she said, "I hope you are prepared for my mate’s fury. I hope he kicks your ass." Keisatsu roared and stalked away.
Shinjiru inhaled deeply. That took more energy than it should have. She looked to her wing to asses the damage. It was a clean brake, even went through her skin. It still bled. She stretched her other wing in front of her and closed her eyes. It glowed before the glow absorbed into her wing.
"If Sesshoumaru can't find me. I want to die with this still intact." She whispered to herself before tucking her wing back against her back. A growl behind her made her turn. Standing beyond the light were a dozen demons, staring at her with lustful eyes. She hissed at them in silent warning. They laughed before one stepped forward.
The next few days were a blur. All she could recall after sealing her wings with Sesshoumaru's magic was pain. Hands crawling over her skin, bruises that would normally take an hour to heal were still fresh after two days. No longer could she recall Sesshoumaru's gentle caresses, only claws tearing into her skin. Sesshoumaru's taste was but an unreachable memory. She couldn't, no matter how much she tried, to remember Sesshoumaru's teeth clamping into her mark for instant release. She didn't even remember the intense feeling of release, only emptiness.
Today she was left to recover. She was sitting in the middle of the cell on her straw bed with her blood soaking into her bedding. Her head was cast down and her hair hide her face from view. Her body quivered with the dampness of her skin. Dried blood clung to her still broken wing. A fresh cut across her cheek bled freely, mingling with her empty tears.
~I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain~
Shinjiru whimpered brokenly. That's all she was. Broken. She was stripped of her title, her mate's magic, her mate. She had nothing left to hold on to. She did still have Sesshoumaru's face within her head. His touches came back to her briefly before they too were stripped from her. She was bound and broken. Of little more use to anyone.
~'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
You've gone away, you don't feel me, anymore~
Sesshoumaru probably had given up on her. He never wanted her in the first place. He had said so himself. "I want no more of you." His words still stung. She curled her wing tighter to her, it offered the comfort she shielded it in. Her mate. She had taken his magics and pushed them into her wings. That left her open to anything, but no one else would harm her only memory of her father.
A tear fell down her cheek. Her father must be so ashamed of her. Here she was sobbing brokenly on the bloodied straw of a bed in a grimy prison cell. The pride of their race lay limply behind her, covered in gore and pretty much unhealable.
"I'm so pathetic."
~The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain~
"I've hidden behind this long enough. The beatings, the raping will stop. I can't take this anymore. I may be broken, but I'm not dead." Shinjiru said as she unwound her mate's magics from her wing. It sank beneath her skin, instantly healing her worst wounds. But with it, her mating mark burned at the essence in her body. It burned to remove it and let her mate know of the defilement. She stood and closed her eyes.
With no one around to backhand her, she opened the link. To find it closed on his part. She fell to her knees and cried out. He had forgotten about her. Thought her useless now that she was defiled.
"I wish I could die." Shinjiru whispered into the cold of the cell.
~'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
You've gone away
You don't feel me here anymore~


Ch. 4
The opening of the cell door caught her attention. She looked up with teared eyes to her newest rapist. He had a brown hooded cloak covering his form. She shivered as he growled when he looked upon her form. He stepped toward her and she crawled away from him.
"Leave me. No more. Two days without rest, just leave me." She whimpered brokenly as he continued toward her. He kneeled before her and she looked away. "Please." He put his hand surprisingly gently on her cheek. The cut healed as well as her wing regained feeling.
"I told you never to bow your head in my presence." A deep voice echoed from the male before her. Shinjiru nearly cried as Sesshoumaru removed the hood and smiled at her.
"Sesshou…" She whimpered. He cut at her bonds and watched as she stretched. Her body was covered in bruises and her inner thighs were covered in dry seed. He growled, causing her to turn to him. He handed her his haroi and frowned when she hesitated.
"Shin, what is it?" He asked, draping the silk around her shoulders.
"Why was our link closed?" She asked.
"If the guards would have felt our bond I would've been found out. I had to seal our bond. But I did feel it burn. Forgive me for taking so long." He ended in a whisper. All the pain he'd caused her…
"I forgive you." Shinjiru whispered back before sealing his lips with hers. She moaned as it erased sensations most unwelcome. He threaded his claws into her hair and deepened the kiss. His tongue against hers made her shiver. She had missed this. She had missed the pleasure.
As if sensing her thoughts, Sesshoumaru sank his fangs into the mark at her neck. She dug her talons into his arms as her body was brought to a long craved climax. She threw her head back in a silent scream and her body shook with it's intensity.
"Shin," Sesshoumaru growled. His beast longed to posses her anew. To erase the seed that dared to enter her body and make her feel him again. By her reaction, she craved what his body offered. But footfalls made him pull away. He covered himself with his cloak and stepped away from her now nude form. His haroi, buried beneath the soiled bedding.
"Bring her up. I want to see how you've made her more willing to my advances." Daidaiiro called. Keisatsu stood beside him and surveyed Shinjiru's suddenly healed form.
"Why is she healed?" Keisatsu asked. The hooded figure looked toward her.
"The magics won't work unless the target is completely healed. I have unbound her hands as well. She is too…weak to fight. Come." He gestured for the two males to walk in front. Keisatsu was still unbelieving, so Shinjiru made her eyes empty and her steps forced.
Sesshoumaru concentrated hard to heal her wing. She needed to fly to escape and she couldn't do that with an injured wing. Keisatsu's voice called to him.
"Her bonds tell us she is calling to the dog. If they are absent, how can we tell?" He asked skeptically.
"I can sense no magics on her. I was unaware she had a mate." Sesshoumaru said.
"I guess the dog finds her undesirable now. Hear that Shinjiru, even your mate doesn't want you." Daidaiiro called as they stopped in the courtyard. Sesshoumaru growled and they both turned to him.
Shinjiru flexed her wing and took flight. They called after her, but she flew higher. She looked down to see Sesshoumaru doing battle. She flew into the balcony she was housed in before and donned her gi and strapped her swords to her back. She dove out the balcony and charged for Keisatsu.
She drew her swords and brought them down on his chest. He smirked cockily at her and charged her. They blocked and swiped at each other, but Keisatsu had the upper hand as he had eaten for the last two days. He pushed her away and her sword flew from her left hand, leaving the one Sesshoumaru had given her.
"There is no way you could ever harm me. I'm your friend remember." He taunted. Shinjiru roared and slashed at him with all her strength. The blast struck him in the chest and he flew back.
"I have no friends. I have a sister, a daughter, and a mate." Shinjiru turned to her mate's fight with Daidaiiro. Daidaiiro was stumbling and striking wildly. He was no match for Sesshoumaru's graceful attacks and precision.
Sesshoumaru struck him effortlessly on his side. He fell.
"No one touches what is mine." Sesshoumaru declared coldly before moving to slash him once more. Daidaiiro kicked him back and transformed in a blinding flash.
Now standing before them was a giant yellow tiger. Sesshoumaru sheathed his swords and transformed as well. They circled each other growling. Sesshoumaru growling for the offense done to his mate and Daidaiiro growling for the interruption of his plans. Both charged each other and swiped. Various bites and slashed were made to the other, but only Sesshoumaru seemed to fairing better.
Shinjiru watched as her mate fought for her lost pride. He looked as regal as always when in youkai form and fighting just made him look better. His pristine white coat shimmered in the dying afternoon sun and took on a fiery glow.
Suddenly two arms wrapped around Shinjiru's neck and waist. She cried out at the unwanted touches.
Sesshoumaru threw his opponent away from him and growled as he spied his mate being manhandled by Keisatsu. He turned to charge, but Keisatsu's voice held him.
"Take one more step and I'll slit her pretty little throat. Daidaiiro, detransform and walk beside me." He instructed slowly. Daidaiiro followed his orders and waited beside the tora-inu.
Keisatsu watched as Sesshoumaru shrank in size until in his place a humanoid Sesshoumaru stood on two legs. He turned his eyes to Shinjiru and held her before him. He smirked and kissed her hard on the lips, forcing his way into her mouth. Pulling away slightly, Keisatsu whispered into her ear. "It's a shame really, you could have been such a good fuck." He licked at Sesshoumaru's mark and shoved her away before it burned him. He watched as she hissed in pain before turning and running.
Sesshoumaru ran to his mate and let his mate magics and presence comfort her. She turned into his embrace, crying. He hugged her tighter and purred, hoping the sound would soothe her enough for sleep. He was rewarded when her body went limp against his. He lifted her and carried her back to their castle.
~*~*~*~
Shinjiru cried out against the hands holding her down. She could feel it again. All the touches and abusive bites. Their hands were everywhere on her skin and it made her feel dirty.
A hardened, pulsing piece of flesh wedged itself between her cheeks and forced itself painfully into her backside. She held back a sob as a mouth latched onto her nipple, biting and sucking at it roughly. Two fingers pushed into her dry core, manipulating her walls, trying to work her into getting aroused. He slapped her hard when her lack of responses continued.
Sitting up with a jerk, Shinjiru screamed as she leapt from the bed she was in. Quickly grabbing her swords, she jumped out the opened balcony doors and let the wind carry her to the familiar surroundings of her mating spot. She landed silently before the small lake. The scent she still smelt imbedded into the trees and water made her release a grateful sigh.
She drew her swords and threw them at the waterfalls' drop. The swords sheathed themselves in the rock and the water parted allowing her entrance the cave behind the curtain of water. As soon as she was safely nestled inside, the water fell over her shelter and hid her scent and her presence from the world.
Shinjiru whispered one word before the dreamless dark called to her. "Sesshoumaru…"
~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru looked over the cascading waters of the waterfall. Shinjiru's scent ended at the waters edge. Two familiar looking hilts caught his attention. His youki cloud brought him up to examine the sword hilts sticking out from the rock wall behind the water. He brushed against one and the water parted to allow him entrance to the cave.
He landed silently and scanned the cave. Bundled up in his missing haroi was his mate sleeping soundly with a fistful of the material held to her nose. She was taking comfort in his scent even when asleep.
He had heard her cry last night and had not been fast enough to catch her. He felt as if she needed her space to deal with the ordeal on her own. It seemed he was wrong. She needed him more than ever.
"Sesshoumaru," Shinjiru called to her mate. He lifted his saddened eyes to her and she smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. You didn't know."
"I should have had some clue as to what you wanted. I am your mate." Sesshoumaru spat. He hadn't intended for his words to come out so angrily toward her, but he felt helpless.
"Do you know what I want right now?" Shinjiru cooed from her spot on the cave floor. She shed her sleeping kimono and laid back.
Sesshoumaru purred at the sight of her naked body presented to willingly to him. He divested himself of his own garments and stalked toward her, intent on reacquainting himself with her body. It seemed so long since they had been intimate. He was going to rectify that right now.
Taking full possession of her mouth, Sesshoumaru kissed his mate passionately. She molded to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. It had been too long. She had been raped by other males and he wanted to rid her of the feel of them. By the smell on her when he found her, she had been forced into countless ruts.
"Make me forget." Shinjiru voiced, reading his thoughts. "Make me feel again. Make me remember the feel of you shuddering within me. The feel of your seed upon release. The pleasure coupling with you. Mate…"
Leaving no room for words, Sesshoumaru slammed his cock into her wet and ready core. He groaned in ecstasy as she clenched and pulled at him, encouraging him to go deeper. He started a rough and demanding pace, leaving her struggling to keep up.
"Never again will you feel any other males flesh, but my own. I promise." Sesshoumaru growled out before kissing her passionately.
Shinjiru arched against him before sinking her own teeth into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. She felt him go limp against her and flipped them over. Releasing his bloodied flesh, she sat up and rocked against his shaft. She lifted herself before slamming back down and repeating. Sesshoumaru's face was scrunched up in pleasure beneath her as he released. Relinquishing a cry, she too climaxed.
Sesshoumaru groaned as her warmth coated his arousal still locked within her. Her muscles pulled at him rhythmically as she licked at his new mark. He smiled lightly before wrapping his arms around her back.
Shinjiru swept her tongue against his mark once more before smirking. "Sesshoumaru?" She asked curiously. At his grunt she continued. "If I tend to your mark will you release?" She felt his breathing shudder and smiled mischievously. Testing the idea, she sunk her fangs into his new mark and was rewarded with a feral roar spilling from his mouth as well as his seed spurting from his arousal. Shinjiru groaned at the sensation.
Sesshoumaru held her tighter as the aftershocks of his release shook him. He had no idea it worked both ways, but he was far from unhappy with that. His body warmed a few degrees as her mate magics weaved around his still trembling form. He released a small sigh as they sunk beneath his skin.
"Thank you." Shinjiru voiced from above him.
Sesshoumaru licked at her pulse in reply. That was as much for her as it was for him. He too needed to feel her again, being without her had felt even worse than their separation after childhood. He had experienced her body, claimed her soul, and held her heart. Being without her after so much of her had been given to him and he had given all that and more in return had felt infinitely worse. Never again would he be without. Never again would she be tortured.
"Forgive me." Sesshoumaru murmured against her neck. He felt Shinjiru turn and looked up into her eyes. She smiled warmly.
"There is nothing to forgive so long as you love me as much as I do you." She kissed him soundly, leaving no room for arguments. She drew him closer and parted her lips in open invitation. When his tongue met hers she moaned in pleasure and molded her body to his.
Sesshoumaru snaked his arms around her waist and held her as he felt her hands tangle themselves in his hair. He grasped her thighs while rolling them over, he continued the kiss as he pulled her thighs up and slid himself back within her. At her groan he pulled back out slowly before sliding smoothly back within her. He pulled himself away from her to stare into her eyes as the pace steadied into light rocking on both sides. Shinjiru's eyes glowed an intense green, shining with love and desire up at him as a smile pulled at her lips. He smiled back in kind.
"I love you." She voiced lowly, but none-the-less honestly.
He nudged her nose with his as he said, "I love you too." He buried his face in her neck and ran his hands up and down her sides as their rocking continued. He felt her nip at his ear as her talons trailed lightly over his shoulder blades. He felt her talons stop their trail as she moaned long and loud. He followed her into bliss soon after as his release washed over him in small waves, each one as overwhelming as the last.
Shinjiru felt him try to turn and stopped him. "Stay. Like this." She felt him settle over her and lick once at her neck before his breathing evened out in the first real sleep she'd ever seen him have. She pulled his haroi over them and sighed contentedly before twining their fingers and following him into slumber. Before she was gone his hand squeezed hers in a simple gesture of love. Soon after they were both asleep, still connected at the hips.
~*~*~*~
"Okaasan should've seen it! Sesshoumaru-sama hit the puppy in the face and he flew into a tree. He made a smash sound before he fell. Sesshoumaru-sama always wins!" Rin pronounced proudly, dancing among the flutter of butterfly wings around her. Shinjiru watched the display with a smile. She couldn't wait until her own pups were sitting before her playing in the flowers or with her mate in training. Their pup would make a fine Lord or Lady to be.
~I couldn't agree more, mate.~ Sesshoumaru purred into her mind.
Since completing the mating that night they had been in constant touch, but sometimes far from the other. They could read each other's thoughts, emotions, and even see what the other was seeing. Right now Sesshoumaru was doing paperwork, so she didn't want to see what he was doing, but she could hear what he was saying and it was boring.
~Now you know how I feel.~ His voice grumbled this time. She laughed to herself before sending her mate magics through their bond to relieve the headache she knew was coming. She heard him groan pleasurably. ~Do you have any idea what that does?~
Shinjiru smiled to herself. 'Why don't you show me?' She strengthened the magics to entice him. This playful banter each day was what kept her up at night. They made love each night after the palace was well beyond sleep. Usually it was like in the cave, light rocking to show how much they loved each other. But the slow, careful pace was killing her. She longed to be rough with him once more, but the only place that she felt comfortable letting loose so completely was in the wilderness. The only thing stopping her was Sesshoumaru's warning the night of their mating. If they let their guard down both of them could get killed and there would be no pups to dream about.
A sudden pulse between her thighs made her thoughts cease and a gasp find its way from her throat. Her body heated up and she crossed her legs tighter under the kimono she wore. Another pulse, this time stronger, sent tremors through her body. She gripped the marble bench beneath her so tight it began to crack and crumble under the strain of her talons. Finally she felt her body hit a peak and resisted the urge to throw her head back and scream. A wetness dribbled down her thighs as she caught her breath. With a glare she answered her teasing mate. *That was evil and you know it.*
~Be thankful I let you cum...~ She heard with a laughing tone.
Shinjiru huffed before handing her watching duties to a grumbling Jaken and heading inside to the Mistress's wing. The entire Northern part of the castle belonged to the Lady of the house. It housed her lady-in-waiting rooms, a rather large bathing area, waiting rooms, and her own bedroom should she want to sleep alone. She hadn't even thought to go into the bedroom seeing as her nights had been spent in the Master's suite with her mate. After the recent turn of events she toyed with the notion of sleeping in their tonight.
~Don't even think about it.~ Sesshoumaru's voice warned in her head. She defied him by sending a large dose of her mate magics to him and running to her bedroom laughing merrily, Sesshoumaru's pants echoing in her head.
Opening the double doors carved with a picture depicting a young female demoness standing beside a lake holding a white haroi to her naked body. If you looked close enough you could see blood running down her shoulder to soak into the haroi from the bite mark at the juncture of her shoulder and neck. Sesshoumaru told her he had a lot of the carvings redone to suit her tastes. Shinjiru blushed in remembrance of the scene before opening the oak doors.
The sight that greeted her made her gasp in delight. The entire room was done in silver and midnight blues. The canopy bed laying in the center of the room was veiled in a sheer, shimmering silver curtain. Brushing it aside, she found the bed to be covered in a gorgeous midnight blue with a silver trim and various shades of blue pillows at the head. Walking away from the bed Shinjiru looked to the vaulted ceiling finding star-lit darkness with a crescent moon hanging above the bed. Comets and shooting stars traced the sky above her as imaginary stars twinkled and the moon glowed with her presence. Turning from the ceiling, she scanned the cherry wood doors to her closet. Making her way over to the set of doors, Shinjiru opened them to find a row of beautiful kimonos of various colors and styles with her slippers laying beneath their owner to match. Closing their closet, Shinjiru walked to the vanity and sat down. She opened each drawer to get used to their contents and each time made her gasp. Gorgeous hair ornaments, jewelry, and other accessories peeked from within the drawers. Diamonds, emeralds, opals, and stunning sapphires done in many styles were set on the simplest of hair ornaments. Smiling to herself as she closed the last drawer before standing, Shinjiru walked to the bed, plopped down, and sighed.
"Could anything be more perfect?" She asked herself aloud.
"I could name a few things." Sesshoumaru's velvety voice called from the doorway. Shinjiru got off the bed to greet her mate with a smile. "I take it you like your accommodations?"
Shinjiru hugged him lovingly while replying, "I love it. Thank you." Sesshoumaru pulled away from her to wipe the tears from her smiling face.
"Nothing but the best for the Lady of these lands." He held her face in both hands and smiled genuinely before leaning down for a kiss.
The moment was broken however when Jaken came into the room screaming, "My Lord, my Lady, there are Shinobi here, they have taken Rin and are requesting your audience!" Sesshoumaru growled and straightened himself while releasing Shinjiru.
"Where are they Jaken?" He started down the hall with Shinjiru at his side and Jaken running after them.
"They are in the throne room my Lord."
Sesshoumaru waved his hand in dismissal, before turning to Shinjiru. "You are to stand behind me at all times and do not speak. The Shinobi are treacherous snakes who will pull the dirtiest tricks." Shinjiru nodded her understanding, dropping two steps behind him. Before entering the throne room, Sesshoumaru took Shinjiru's hand and squeezed. She squeezed back to show her support before releasing him and bowing her head. They entered the throne room in silence.
Sesshoumaru scanned the Shinobi present. Five in all, two by the door at his left and right, and another two standing beside the one holding Rin. He looked to be the leader. Each of them were covered in black cloaks, concealing their forms from his senses.
"I demand to know what you are doing in my lands and in my house uninvited." Sesshoumaru thundered coldly. A few of them visibly tensed, but otherwise made no outward indications of fear.
"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru." The one holding Rin greeted while stepping forward, the child still in his grasp. "Forgive the late notice, but we want something you have." He stopped a few short feet from Sesshoumaru. "And we have something you want back."
"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked with narrowed eyes. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew.
"Your mate." The male replied, gesturing to Shinjiru standing behind him.
*Can't say I didn't see that coming.* Shinjiru remarked in his head as he stepped forward. "What do you want with my mate?"
"Simple really, she has secrets that we want. You see, your precious mate was once a Shinobi. I was under her command and she knew everything the Elders knew and more. We are looking for a lost artifact and she knows the location to that artifact. We want her to lead us there." The male said as he toyed with the silk holding Rin's hands tied at her back.
Sesshoumaru looked to Shinjiru with surprise. She was skilled enough to be Shinobi? Why had she not told him of this? ~Is what he says true?~ Sesshoumaru asked her, silently fearing the answer. She looked up at him from beneath her bangs and with a small unnoticeable nod she replied, *Yes, it's true.* Sesshoumaru turned from her, thinking.
"I will make a deal with you. You keep my ward from harm and my mate and I will lead you to this artifact. If any harm befalls her, I will kill you myself. Once the artifact is recovered I will take my ward and you will never step foot in these lands again. Deal?" The male seemed to consider this for a moment, but nodded his consent.
"I swear on my life that she will be safe."
Sesshoumaru called Jaken into the throne room and had him lead the Shinobi into a large room away from the rest of the palace's inhabitants. He placed Rin back in her rooms and returned to his study. He was surprised that Shinjiru was not there to meet him and talk about her secret, but shrugged it off and returned to his work.
~*~*~*~
Shinjiru hissed at the invisible opponent she slashed at, but stilled as she sensed a familiar presence behind her. Turning she greeted her former officer.
"Koroso." She said coldly as if his very presence was unwelcome. He bowed before her with his sword at her feet parallel to his shoulders.
"Lady Hanshou. As the will of Kami and those I serve, my sword is yours to dictate." He bowed his head. Shinjiru rolled her eyes. It was custom for one not to look their superior in the eye unless told to do so. She had never given anyone permission to, he was still following orders.
"Get up, I'm no longer your commander." Shinjiru said as she resheathed her swords and started to walk from Koroso.
"That may be true, but I still have to bow to you Lady of the West. You couldn't stop with us could you, you had to go bigger-" The feel of cold steel pressed against his throat, keeping any more words from escaping his mouth. Shinjiru glared at him coldly, a look that rivaled Sesshoumaru's.
"Say what you will about me, but don't you ever, ever disrespect my mate, this house, or these lands. By Kami I will kill you where you stand for such insolence." She turned once more only to be met with the other four Shinobi. She sighed, turning back to Koroso with a serious face. "What is this about Koroso? Make it quick, I promised Rin I would take her to the garden after lunch."
Koroso laughed. "Look at what you have become. You used to be a fierce warrior, skilled beyond comparison. Now you have reduced yourself to baby-sitting a ningen brat and playing lapdog for that inu lord." Shinjiru's growl warned him one last time, but he continued. "What is it about him that intrigues you so? His lands? His title? Or his looks perhaps? I have heard from his previous lovers that he was great between the sheets. Could that be it? The Lord gives you pleasure...pleasure you could've had from someone better." Koroso smiled evilly as Shinjiru's fingers tightened around her sword hilt.
"ENOUGH! I have heard far enough from you. Leave me be for the remainder of your stay and you will live to see this artifact of yours recovered."
"Just tell me why your here with the dog and I will leave you in peace." Koroso pressed on despite the threat she posed.
Shinjiru growled and once again sheathed her swords. She turned away from the Shinobi and as she walked out of the dojo said, "I cannot expect one such as you to know the feel of love."
Outside the dojo, Shinjiru searched for any disturbances before sprinting to her rooms as fast as her feet would take her. Once inside she collapsed on the bed and tried to hold her tears at bay, but her student's words rang in her head.
"What have I become indeed." She whispered to herself before hearing a knock at her door. Thinking it Rin, she bid them entrance, but the scent of waterfalls and thunderstorms greeted her nose instead of lilies and dew drops. She turned and faced her mate with a downcast head.
Sesshoumaru looked over her. She had unconsciously given him the entire conversation she held with Koroso and he couldn't have been prouder. Despite the fact that even she was beginning to question herself, she held her title, her lands, and her family high. No words of disrespect would be spoken of anything she held dear. And she came clean to her past of her love for him. Even if her past didn't believe in such a thing, she held her head high and admitted her truths.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sesshoumaru asked as he walked toward her, scenting salt. She was crying.
"I am ashamed of it. So why would I hold it out for all to see?" She looked up at him with saddened eyes and a tear-stained face. He shook his head before sitting next to her on the bed and taking her hand. He laced their fingers and nudged her neck over. She complied and he licked at her mark, sending reassuring but heated shockwaves through her form.
"Shame is not in your vocabulary where I'm concerned." He murmured against her moistened flesh. He heard her giggle.
"I don't think I can spell half of the things in my vocabulary where you're concerned, much less remember them." He sat further on the bed and she crawled onto his lap before nuzzling into his armored chest. "I hate this thing, I hope you know." She groaned against his chest before poking the bone armor with distaste. He chuckled lightly.
"Do not be ashamed. I can find no wrong or flaw about you so don't keep things from me. Tell me everything, I want to know your shadow inside and out and still be able to find something new. You are my mate, your past can't change that." He felt her sigh and wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away, looking at him pointedly.
"You're not gonna bite me now are you? Cause last time we had this kind of talk you bit me." Sesshoumaru sighed in pain. She slapped his arm playfully before sinking back into his chest.
They were silent for a while before Sesshoumaru commented, "It does sound like a good idea right now." Shinjiru groaned once more in torture. Sesshoumaru just shook his head and laid his head atop hers and let her breathing carry him to sleep.

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