InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Assassin's Daughter ❯ One More Coincidence ( Chapter 5 )

Assassin's Daughter 5   He hated this.   The crisp black tuxedo he was forced to wear was extremely itchy, having his long silver hair up in a high pony tail was uncomfortable, he despised ballroom dancing, and all in all, he wasn't enjoying this stupid gala. Any woman wishing to dance with him was immediately glared at until a hole to Hell ripped open from under her. The waiters roaming around the spacious banquet hall knew not to get near him with their inane offers of various liquors unless they too wished to visit Satan.   Therefore, he was completely alone and the only productive thing he was currently doing was breathing.        "Excuse me, Maebashi-sama, but would you like to dance?"   Sesshoumaru refrained from sighing and turned his head to glance at the woman who dared to address him. She was wearing too much perfume for her own good, her dress's neckline was hazardously low, make up was caked to her face—ew.   Overall, she seemed like a typical aristocrat. She probably married twice in her lifetime, both to extremely wealthy men, prevented pregnancy with the morning after pill a little too many times to retain her 'figure', threw up after her meals to, once again, retain her figure—ew.    She was just...ew.   The dog demon never replied but only coldly narrowed his eyes, enjoying the way the woman froze and stuttered a hasty excuse to leave. He had been dealing with many similar women for the entire night, though he only cared about the moment when he would meet his future wife.   Who could she be? From his spot leaning against the wall in the new ballroom his father added to his mansion last spring, Sesshoumaru observed the single ladies amidst him. Some were beautiful, others lacked in fashion, a few were whores—no matter what, he couldn't see himself married to any of them.   Hell, he couldn't see himself married to begin with.   He spotted his brother dancing with his raven-haired wife on the dance floor, for once grinning, free of complaints and not stepping on her feet. It wasn't fair that the hanyou was enjoying himself! And even his father was delightedly conversing with his mate, Inuyasha's human mother, over by their principle table, sitting intimately close to each other.   Sesshoumaru averted his gaze from the happy couples and sighed. He might as well make the best of the night by—wait a minute, was that who he thought it was?! It couldn't be!   His golden honey eyes trailed over the form of a young, obsidian-haired woman standing off to the side of the bustling crowd in the dance floor. She was merely watching everyone having a good time with a content smile on her attractive face...but she apparently didn't have a date.   Heh, the gods were taunting him—the shy young woman was definitely Sunshine.      He made his way over to the oblivious woman and leaned against the wall beside her, joining her intense scrutiny of the people dancing their lives away in front of them. But, out of the corners of his eyes, he took in her lovely appearance.   The peach spaghetti strap dress she wore was modest—it showed only enough cleavage to leave men, including him, craving for more. It did, however, define the luscious curves of her body, making him want to run his hands over territory he had yet to explore. Her wavy hair was curled in long, twirling locks framing her face and falling below her shoulders.   What he would give to run his fingers through her hair as she moaned his name...   To sum it up, she was exactly what he was looking for tonight.    "Are you done staring, Stranger?"   Sesshoumaru smirked. He had known she was aware of his presence—she wasn't as airheaded as she appeared. "Not quite." There was still much more to see...   She turned her head to give him the once over, and he watched her nod, her silent approval amusing him enough to morph his smirk into a satisfied smile. He didn't miss the mischievous wink she shot him after her swift speculation.   "Having any fun?" The young woman asked with a carefree smile.   "Are you?"   "Nope."   "Likewise."   A comfortable silence soon enveloped them as neither knew what to say next. Sunshine was apparently content with staring at the dance floor, an ever-present smile curving her glossy pink lips. Her hands were innocently clasped in front of her while she did nothing more than gaze at the blithe dancers.   The dog demon sighed again and had to admit that he was finally enjoying the gala. He liked being near Sunshine because she never demanded anything from him—he was at peace with her. She didn't ask him to dance with her like other women did, she wasn't wearing any perfume that would mask her aromatic scent and threaten to blow up his nose; she was just happily quiet.   Well, more often than not, she was babbling someone's head off, but right now, she played her role of the reticent young woman in complete control of his attention.   After a few moments, Sesshoumaru decided to leave the bustling ballroom in favor of the outdoors. There was no way he was going to accompany those buffoons on the dance floor and prance around like a monkey, and being inside all day wasn't on his agenda. It was a night of the full moon, and when he wasn't busy, he made a habit of gazing up at its silver serenity, which appealed to his inner beast and allowed him to forget life's troubles.   However...where there was a moon, there was bound to be a sun nearby...   "Come with me." Sunshine blinked and looked up in time to see him grab her hand before leading her away from their silent post. The young woman was confused, but refrained from questioning his intentions.   That was another thing he liked about her—she didn't ask multiple questions at once.   Soon enough, he arrived at a balcony, and after lifting his pretty hostage bridal-style, he easily jumped down from it and into the courtyard of his father's estate. Once he placed her on her own two feet again, Sunshine looked around the spacious yard in complete awe. It was marvelous!   Several rose bushes framed a stone path leading to a towering fountain, seeming ethereal in the faint glow of the solar lights illuminating the walkway. A creek ran through the entire estate, and a stone bridge over it allowed one to travel from one gorgeous garden to the next. And she couldn't exclude the majestic, silver full moon hanging high in the midnight sky, crowded by millions of tiny stars dotting the infinite blanket of navy blue.   The Maebashi courtyard was a superb place for stargazing...   "Wow..." The obsidian-haired woman breathed, her cinnamon eyes widening in splendor, "it's amazing... I'd love to live here!"   Sesshoumaru strode up behind her, also gazing at the large expanse of land belonging to his father, and himself—not that she knew as much. "I can imagine you spending hours in one the rose gardens. It suits you."   She smiled like an excited child during the holidays. "I love flowers. You can say they're my only friends."   "Why, Sunshine," he feigned hurt, placing a hand over his chest as though she had insulted him, "you'd choose flowers over me? Certainly I thought we were friends."     "Oh, you big oaf!" She giggled, taking the hand over his chest in hers. "And here I thought we were past the friend stage. Hmph, flowers are better than you any day!"   "Wanna bet?" Sesshoumaru's voice became husky as he leaned his head in closer to hers, purring into her ears, caressing the sensitive hairs on her neck. But for once, he wasn't threatening a victim. Hm...what a pleasant change. "I can prove my company is far more pleasing than your precious flowers."   "Hmm..." The young woman pretended to contemplate his suggestion, attempting to ignore the finger slowly tracing her figure. "Only if you catch me." The dog demon furrowed his eyebrows, and she laughed. "Tag, you're it!"   She quickly fled from him with a bright smile on her pretty face, leaving him confused and disoriented. Damn, the last thing he wanted to do was chase after her! Well, he then considered the prize he would attain once he captured his runaway hostage...   Sesshoumaru smirked. He was a dog demon—it was in his nature to chase after things.   Therefore, he wasted no time to hunt his prey, though he allowed her to believe she had the upper hand. She ran past the tall fountain, planning to confuse him by circling it twice, and continued down a path behind it. The dog demon inwardly chuckled and followed suit, keeping his presence unknown, silently stalking her.   That was, until he swept in and grabbed her by the waist.   "Hey! No fair! You're a dog demon and you have a great sense of smell! And I can't see in the dark as well as you do! I can't run in heels!" Sunshine squiggled in his tenacious hold, trying to break free but to no avail. "I'm dying of sleep deprivation!"   "Stop making excuses," Sesshoumaru admonished, setting the young woman down in front of him, though he first made sure she had no means of escape. He placed his hands on her hip and inwardly smiled at the bright blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I won, so where's my prize?"   "Hmph, I won a race against you and all I got was a hickey." He raised an eyebrow in question, glancing at her neck in his search for the red blemish of the day prior only to see flawless creamy skin. She sighed. "Cover-up. It works miracles."   Ah...he had borrowed some of Kagome's, even though she was a shade darker than he was. Well, it still worked to prevent his father from noticing his little love bite...yet he was forced to occasionally receive odd looks from him. He briefly mused if his father arrived to the conclusion that his eldest son was metrosexual...    Sunshine sighed again, yet it was in bliss this time. She wove her arms behind the tall demon's neck, leaning on him as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Sesshoumaru tightened his arms around her waist, drawing her body even closer to his before tucking her head under his cheek, reveling in the warmth of her petite body and allowing his mind to wonder about her sensual curves yet innocent countenance. It was truly baffling...   Hell, his inner demon was currently at peace...humming softly in content of having her near him so... Never before had the beast been quieted so easily on a night of a full moon, the energy of the complete planet stimulating its canine instincts...   Yet...this was all wrong. "I shouldn't even be here with you..." His fiancée was somewhere inside the mansion, probably pondering his identity as he stood outside, enjoying his time with another woman he barely knew.   Besides...if his father saw him now...   Sesshoumaru tried recalling that he was an assassin, and that emotions never snaked their way into his life before, though his attempts were futile. He didn't know what it was about Sunshine, but he was completely under her spell...and he couldn't break free even if he wanted to, which he didn't.   She would give him a reason for living, if he allowed her to. A woman he hardly knew was suddenly a major turning point in his life—how wonderful. The dog demon resisted the urge to laugh sardonically. This was all too uncharacteristic of him—since when did women manage to drive him over-the-edge insane?     "I know, Stranger..." Sunshine agreed with him, much to his surprise. Her aromatic vanilla and lilies scent revealed her sorrow at this acknowledgement. "We don't really know each other...and we both have secrets we can't share..."   How he wished her statement wasn't true.   "I'm getting married." She tensed in his arms, and he swiftly explained, "An arranged marriage. My father thought it beneficial for the family." Technically, he wasn't lying; it was beneficial if Osaka Corp. and Maebashi Corp. merged.   "I see..." There was something in her tone of voice that told him she was hiding an important fact, but wasn't about to inform him. It wasn't his business, or so he consoled his raging curiosity. "Well...we've had enough coincidences for one lifetime, right?"   Her smile was contagious. "Yes. I never thought I'd see you here." Now that he thought about it, their situation was slightly suspicious... Were they secretly stalking each other?   She shrugged, her cinnamon eyes brightly lit. "Fate likes to play tricks on us."   "Unfortunately."   Silence soon enveloped them as they stared into one another's eyes, losing themselves in their respective thoughts. The pad of Sesshoumaru's thumb brushed over her rosy bottom lip... It was a feather-light touch that excited her nerves and tinted her cheeks red once more.   And the dog demon couldn't get over the fact that her scent was simply intoxicating...   The thought of another man sharing a similar moment with her caused fleeting anger to consume him. He was already possessive of her, and he was to be married to some slutty bitch who would play her role as an amazing trophy wife! Although he yearned for his Sunshine, he couldn't have her.   Letting go was the hardest part of saying goodbye...   But before Sesshoumaru descended to claim her lips in case he'd one day lose her to someone else...   "Ahem."   ...a man cleared his throat behind them.   The two immediately jolted apart as the dog demon replaced his mask of indifference, and Sunshine glanced at the intruder only to end up gasping. "F-Father..."   Sesshoumaru would've gaped if it was in his nature. Damn...the last thing he needed was to be caught almost making out with Sunshine by none other than her father...   The older man standing by the patio doors held an expression rivaling the silver-haired dog demon standing a few feet away from his daughter. His cold hazel eyes swept past the couple, analyzing the happenings in his absence. Apparently, he perceived them to be anything from pleasing, to him at least.   Sunshine gulped and bowed her head, absentmindedly fiddling with her peach dress. Her companion noted the nervous apprehension underlying in her scent. "Sorry for leaving your side. I—"   "Let's go." His deep voice left no room for protest and his cold stone eyes revealed what he would do if anyone chose to disobey him. Sunshine sighed and refrained from even glancing back at the dog demon as she obediently trailed behind the sable-haired man.   Sesshoumaru was left standing in the courtyard feeling lonelier than ever. Now he was forced to go back to the gala and spread his misery... What a great thing to look forward to.   He sighed and retreated back inside the mansion.   Well, at least he'd fun glaring at all the perky women who asked him to dance...   -XxX-   The firm grip on her arm threatened to create bruises—that much she noted about her father's anger. She knew she wasn't supposed to be congregating with people, but dammit! He didn't have to drag her away from the ballroom just because of a simple mistake!   But...she'd never regret her mistake. Especially since it hadn't been a mistake in her point of view.   Her times with Stranger were held precious by her.   A wince crossed Sunshine's face once her father unconsciously tightened his grip. He refused to meet her gaze, and starting a conversation with a man on the brink of whipping out a gun and shooting her in the gut was not a smart move. So, she was forced to accept her current predicament.   Yet, it would help to know where he was leading her in someone else's mansion!   The duo ascended a flight of steps and finally stood before a pair of wide, ebony wooden double doors. Her cinnamon eyes narrowed inquisitively. A room was on the other side of the doors, though its importance was lost on her.   Without uttering any words, her father turned the knob on one of the double doors and pushed it open, wasting no time to shove her inside and shut it behind him. She fell onto the carpeted floor in a heap; her peach dress lied jumbled just above her knees. The young woman hardly bothered to make sense of her surroundings, which she soon perceived as a man's bedroom.   "Rin."   She looked up when her name was called, and glared with all her might at the one person who was the cause of her misery. Her trembling hands curled into fists as she lifted herself into a sitting position prior to modestly covering her exposed legs.   Gods, she wished she could hate this man.   But he was her father. Therefore, she could not completely detest him.   "This is where you will be staying. Leave the room and I will personally see to it that you never walk again." His deep, threatening voice hardly intimidated her. She was used to his threats by now—and no, they were never idle.   "You can't force me to do anything, Father." The derisive way she referred to him angered him—she could tell by the narrowing of his eyes. Not like she cared.      "Let's get one thing straight, Daughter." Since she mocked him, he was returning the favor, she guessed. "You are currently on a mission. Fail me and it will result in death."   Rin rolled her cinnamon eyes and stood up. "Blah blah blah. You can't get rid of me because you need me. Without me you're nothing."    Slap!   The young woman sharply inhaled while her hand slowly rose to tentatively graze the recently bruised flesh on her left cheek. Her cinnamon eyes rested on the indifferent face of her father, staring at him in shock, her lips parting in a small gape. It wasn't the first time her father had hit her due to disobedience, but each time served to paralyze her muscles and prevent her from defending herself.   Gods...if she had a knife, she'd waste no time to plunge it into his gut and watch him suffer. Usually these types of thoughts were scarce in her mind...but when that bastard dared to strike her and remain as though nothing happened or she deserved it...   ...she would seriously kill him.    "Don't overstep your boundaries, Rin." Hideakio's baritone voice revealed no sentiments of guilt or remorse. His hazel eyes barely flickered towards his daughter. "Wait for your fiancé here. A week from today, you shall be married to him."   "Y-You..." Her words died on her tongue while her hand pressed against her aching temples. She blamed her current tunnel vision on the torrent of emotions swarming in her heart.    This was real, then...she was actually being married off, given away like an unwanted child. She had no say in his decision—hell, she might as well be sold into slavery! She might as well become a fucking prostitute! How dare him!   Again, she wished she could hate her father, but each attempt failed.    "I hope you don't give him any trouble since most men say you are too feisty for their tastes. As long as you complete your duties as a responsible wife and do as you are told—"   "Shut the hell up!" Rin shouted, gripping her head between her hands as she suppressed the tears threatening to flood her eyes. "Who the fuck do you think I am?! Some kind of slut?! Do you think I'm going to stand here and nod while you expect me to cater to a goddamn bastard's needs?!"   "I expect you to accomplish your mission at all costs. Monitoring the Maebashi family is the least you could do to compensate for your past failures."   "What freakin' failures?! ARGH! I forfeit! I hate the life I lead! I can't even sleep at night thinking of all the atrocities I've done! And how the hell am I supposed to live among this family and act as if everything is ok when in fact I'm hiding the deadliest secret of them all?!"   How could he even do this to her?! Sure, their relationship wasn't the best—both made sure to steer clear of the other. But...surely he had to esteem her at least a little! He couldn't...he already ruined her life! She was his fucking puppet! She carried out his most difficult missions and never failed!   Not even once!   Rin choked back a sob and willed herself to rein the emotions tearing at her heart and destroying her self dignity. Her head was seconds away from bursting—what was wrong with her? She couldn't care...not when she was about to marry a man she had never seen before.   Not when she was a week away from becoming his personal sex slave, as her father implied.     But why should she cry in front of this bastard? She wasn't weak in any way...she was stronger than this! Besides, Rin was not a child. Staying by her father's side and following his orders like an obedient daughter was no longer mandatory.   She could leave.   No, she will leave.   Now.   "Get out of my way."   Hideakio raised an incredulous eyebrow at his furious daughter, yet ignored her firm demand just as he ignored her previous rants. He knew she didn't have it in her to abandon him and her life—she was securely rooted in the world he molded for her.   Heh, perhaps he'd give her the illusion of freedom...but nothing more.   Upon noticing that he wasn't about to budge an inch away from the doors marking her freedom, Rin lifted her head, no longer shielding her eyes with her bangs. They were dark in murderous fury, nearly bordering black. At her sides, her trembling hands curled into fists.   If she had to fight him, then so be it.   "I said, get out of my way!"   "You're not going anywhere, darling," the hazel-eyed man crooned, his lips curving into a smug smirk. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable on the bed and wait for your husband-to-be, hm?"   That was the last straw—the mere implication of her being a common whore ignited her nerves and sent her into a blood-lusting rage. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way! MOOOVE!"   Rin charged forward and aimed a sweep kick at Hideakio's feet, but he merely avoided her and condescendingly waited for her next attack. She viciously swore and launched a round of kicks and punches at the smirking man she deemed her father, but every attempt she made to free herself from his clutches backfired.   At long last, however, he moved away from the door. There was her chance! Without looking back, she ran towards it, yet before she could turn the knob...   "AAAHH!!" She clawed at the strong hand grasping a fist full of her long obsidian locks, twisting and turning her body trying to remove it. The agony she was bearing at the moment was enormous—only once prior had he pulled her hair in such a manner!   Hideakio yanked on her hair, gathering another yelp from her, and dragged her to the bed covered in royal blue silk sheets, mercilessly throwing her on top of it. The young woman gasped for breath, cradling her abused head after her father's hand released its painful hold. She glared at him with all the anger she could muster.   "Let this be a lesson, daughter. Don't try to escape from me because I am not so magnanimous to allow you to leave unscathed."   Any one could see it in his hazel eyes—he was sadistic and aloof to the pain of others. His daughter was only related to him in blood and nothing else; she was just another human body he could cut up and dissect.   Rin refused to concede to his demands! She felt like crap, but like hell she was going to stay here while her father sold her to the fucking devil!   "GRRAAAH!" In another burst of rage, the young woman threw herself against the older man shoulder-first, knocking him off his feet, and made a mad dash for the door.   Again, it was futile.   Thud!   "No! No no no no no NO!!!" Rin tried to crawl away, she tried to use her knees and manicured nails to help her body move forward, but it was hopeless. Tears of frustration leaked from her eyes as she sobbed, realizing that...   ...that she was helpless.     No dammit! Why couldn't she get away?! Why didn't he just let go of her and have someone else take her place?! She couldn't be forced to...gods no!   Hideakio gripped her ankle in his outstretched hand and hauled her back to him before standing up. He loomed over the sobbing woman on the carpeted ground, practically growling in acrimony—what an impudent wretch! Her little show of crying and looking frail and...and all that shit was not going to grant her freedom!   Not now, not ever!   He kneeled beside her and fisted his hand in her hair again, snapping her head up to meet his piercing glare. For once, savage loathing shined in her dark, flaring eyes that were swollen with tears she barely suppressed. They revealed the danger always surrounding her, the predator cloaked by her ever-present innocence.   Hmph, Rin wasn't innocent.   Far from it.   She was beautiful and dangerous...her embrace was murderous...she possessed a spiteful fire's painful caress...she was a lioness...   His daughter had accomplished tasks most men would never even dream of foregoing.            ;      For that, and her endless determination, he admired her.   But Hideakio realized that his daughter needed to be reminded of what and who an assassin truly was. Marrying her to the son of his best friend, a dog demon as apathetic as anyone could get, was the perfect way to achieve his goal. It was partly why he agreed to InuTaishou's 'business merger'.    "Drugging you was pointless—it's true that you have bundles and bundles of hidden energy." He watched in perverse satisfaction as her eyes grew wide. At last, he had the upper hand. "Oh well, in the end I subdued you."    Gods...the reason why her head was pounding, why her movements were not as graceful as usual, was because he...he drugged her! Was her father so desperate to have her married that he would go through such lengths to ensure her submission?! It was sickening!     Rin gritted her teeth as a dull throb settled into her cranium—there was no way she would be stupid enough to forego another escape attempt, however.   "Listen, Rin, I know you are not far from hating me at this moment, but this is for your own good. Trust me—one day you will be thanking me for arranging this marriage."   "Eat shit and die." Never would she consent with his words. At this point, she hardly cared who she was going to marry—what irked her was the fact that her father was willing to hand her to some asshole so readily.    Was he trying to dispose of her? Had she displeased him in some way—what did she do to deserve this? She valued her virginity; she wished to lose it to a man she loved, dammit!   Hideakio sighed at her ongoing impertinence. Well, there was nil he could do. "All I can say in return is fail me and die." Not many knew him for who he truly was...a cold hearted man trained not to show his emotions because they were weaknesses—weights holding him back from the creed he had pledged to in his youth.   He killed by discipline, honor, and loyalty.   He lived by no bounds and no love.   He profited by success.   Hideakio had been one of the most skilled assassins...   ...and Rin was his daughter.   -XxX-   "My son."   Sesshoumaru gave his father a passing glance, his expression unemotional and detached from the world. A glass of red wine pressed against his lips as he took a sip, but not even the sweet taste of fine imported wine eased his frustration. Now he knew why he was an assassin: being forced to attend galas like this made him want to kill someone.   Painfully.   At this time, the guests have all left the mansion and retreated to their own extravagant homes. He was silently glad, though wished for a random nuclear bomb to blow them up on their way out. And for what he cared, his father could join them. Obviously he was homicidal right now.   "Is there something you'd like, father?" He coldly answered without revealing his state of mind. Well, his mind was crusted with ice, anyway.   Did he want to further ruin his son's life? He wouldn't be surprised if his father one day announced that his two sons were to kill each other. There were so many surprises in his life that Sesshoumaru felt no need to be shocked.   InuTaishou gazed at his son, the vacant dog demon leaning against the wall of his ballroom, staring at the servants cleaning up remnants of the festivities in boredom. Sometimes it was hard to accept what he had done to not one, but both of his sons...how he had desensitized them only to morph them into merciless abominations.   Sesshoumaru was a prime example.   The older dog demon sighed, raking his clawed hand through his bangs. "Your fiancée..." InuTaishou watched his son's lips tighten, and he frowned. "Your fiancée is expecting you. You will find her in your room, since she is to stay with us until the wedding. What is to be done with her, I leave up to you."   He left without another word, and Sesshoumaru stared at his empty wine glass. So, they leave the bitch in his room—what was he supposed to do? Fuck her senseless? Did their fathers hope he'd be consumed with lust and therefore agree to marry her?   Like hell she was even sleeping near him!   CRAAACK!   His golden honey eyes glistened murderously. The pain he had inflicted on himself was not registered by his nerves, for he hadn't flinched when he crushed the glass in his hand, causing multiple shards to cut into the rough flesh. He already began to feel the wounds healing, however. It was of no concern to him.   No.   The only one who should be concerned was his fiancée. Why?   Because she was about to marry not Maebashi Sesshoumaru, but the Sadist.          -XxX-   Even from outside his bedroom he sensed something was wrong. If he stepped through the closed doors right now, his life would change forever and he'd never be the same again. His nose wasn't registering any scents from inside the room—why was trivial.   All he knew...was that a woman was in his room.   His fiancée.   Sesshoumaru's hand hovered over the door knob that would open his bedroom door, and he sighed, shaking his head. What the hell was he doing—hesitating? When had he ever hesitated before in his entire life?   His golden honey eyes narrowed. He had faced some of the most dangerous and cunning gang leaders in the world, and he killed them without a second thought. There was no reason for him to fear one measly woman, a tramp who was after his money, too. By marrying him she was gaining a good-looking, rich husband and a mansion to boot.   A deadly growl rumbled in his chest, but he composed himself. The dog demon's clawed hand turned the knob and he entered the room, his expression cold and gaze unwavering.   Yet...   What he found was definitely not what he expected.   Immediately his emotionless shields crumbled and shock clearly showed on his handsome face, widening his eyes and parting his lips. With everything else forgotten as he walked to the center of his room in a sort of mystical trance, Sesshoumaru stopped in front of his bed and stared down at the dark-haired beauty sprawled across it.   "No..." It couldn't be...not her...gods, not her! "Sunshine...?" She was deeply sleeping so she couldn't respond; her rhythmic breathing told him as much.   However, a bright red bruise sat proudly on her cheek, highlighted by dried tear streaks, and her once neatly curled hair was a tangled mass under her head. Apparently, she had struggled with someone before she had fallen asleep.   It proved what Sesshoumaru refused to accept.   His fiancée...was Osaka Rin.   And Osaka Rin...was Sunshine.