InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In a Different Light ❯ Comfort ( Chapter 30 )

Commentary Corner: Before we get on with the fic, I'd like to answer a few questions that have been posed. Last chapter a few readers were a bit disgruntled about Rin's rejection of Sesshomaru and his subsequent response. Rin rejected him because she'd promised Master Li she'd stay with him until he passed. It was his dying request, so she couldn't refuse, and Rin always holds true to her word. As for Sess' reaction, I based it on five things: 1)as Bokuseno and Rin agreed, Sess is very spoiled; he's used to always getting his way. That night, he didn't get his way, so, of course, he had to "pout" about it. 2)Sess still dislikes humans, in general, and Rin rejected his advances in order to spend more time with her human master, so he has yet another reason to be bitter. 3)He dislikes priests, priestesses, nuns, monks and the like because they look down on him (demonkind) and have the nerve to think they can do away with him with their oftentimes inadequate holy powers. Rin's Master Li is a monk. 4)He disapproves of Master Li's training methods. Remember how upset he got when Rin informed him that Master Li touches her to help improve her technique. 5)He's wanted to join with Rin for quite awhile now, even before their courtship began. And now that the right moment has presented itself, she says "Not tonight." Can we say "sexual frustration?" lol

As to why Rin would be so upset by his response of "This Sesshomaru will not beg for the favors of any female, and he does not repeat himself," remember the dream she had from Chapter 21. Sesshomaru came to her room in the middle of the night, seeking her companionship as a bed partner, and she rejected him. He then leaves and promises not to bother her again. So, after Sess says what he does, she's genuinely worried that he won't invite her to his chambers again, and he'll stop pursuing her entirely. Also, Master Sumida's tale is still fresh in her mind. Previously, Rin likened Sesshomaru to Master Li. Even after Master Li and Master Sumida had completed the mating ritual and had lived together for several years, Master Li seemingly changed his mind and rejected her. If Master Li could change his mind after all that, why couldn't Sesshomaru?

Another question came about because of the naming of Rin's dolls. Sesshomaru named two of the dolls himself-Sora (after his mother) and Mitsuko (after the courtesan he had the misfortune of falling in love with). As such, these two women are the most important females in his life. With Rin, that number increases to three, and he's trusting her with the safekeeping of the other two. Sora symbolizes family, and Mitsuko represents passionate love. He gave Rin "Sora" after the first year they spent together, welcoming her into his family, so to speak. And she received "Mitsuko" on her 17th birthday because Sess subconsciously realized he had more than casual feelings towards his ward and felt the need to express those feelings to her in a nonthreatening, nonphysical, nonverbal way.

And lastly, don't go by the chapter numbers on the different sites, go by the chapter number I place in the heading. The site says this is chapter 30, but it's not because Chapter 9 wasn't an actual part of the fic, it was just an interlude. So, this is Chapter 29, and the next chapter will be the last one.

Now, on to business . . .

Author's Note: This fic is rated NC-17 for a reason, and this chapter is one of them ^ ^. If you have a problem with, or you're not old enough to read about physical acts of a sexual nature, please, don't read any further. You have been warned.

In a Different Light

Chapter 29: Comfort

"Lord Sesshomaru . . . stop this."

Sesshomaru made another swipe with his claws at the already bloodied seiyuuki youkai. He didn't care she was a female and a few centuries his senior. He didn't care that she was once his mother's oldest and most-trusted friend. He didn't care that she was Rin's friend and yogi master. He only cared that his mate was dead, Tenseiga wouldn't, couldn't revive her, and Master Sumida was somehow to blame.

Only moments, barely a minute had passed since he'd detected the change in Rin's scent, from alive, but sad to dead and nothing. A large power surge of mystical energy was doubtless the cause.

"My lord, if you'd only listen to me . . ." She dodged yet another of his attacks. So far, he'd only managed to land one successfully. She was crouched over his prone mate when he'd barged through the dojo doors, seen Rin's lifeless form and Master Sumida's calm, but intense features. That look alone awoke his inner demon.

No one should be calm in a situation like this.

He'd taken his claws and with one sweep, ran a deep, bloody trail from her stomach across her chest to her right shoulder, staining her white kimono with rivulets of red. She was clearly surprised and tumbled over backwards, only to spring to her feet and regard him. She wouldn't attack him in return and still refused. Instead, she ducked and dodged while he attempted to add her body to the two bodies already lying on the dojo floor.

"My lord, listen to me. Rin is not dead."

Lies! He made another swipe at her. If he wasn't so concerned about collapsing the building and doing further harm to his mate's body, he'd simply dispense her with one of his more destructive methods. Though there was a certain satisfaction to feeling her blood soak into his claws, lying witch that she was. Did she really think he was incapable of discerning a dead body from a live one!

She dodged again, backflipping in the air, landing softly on her feet, still guarding her injured torso. Seiyuuki youkai were known for their speed, agility and strength. She was just as fast, if not faster than he was, as proven by his inability to land another successful blow. Proof of her agility was also found in her ability to duck and dodge his feral attacks. How strong she was, however, remained to be seen. The cowardly wench refused to trade blows with him.

It would be a lopsided competition, he knew. Males were inherently stronger than females, and he had yet to meet a female who could disprove this claim. But he disliked the idea of a helpless prey. He preferred it when they fought back, futile as their attempts were. As Rin had said, everything had a right to its life . . . even when it had crossed him, and he had decided to take it away. Refusal to defend yourself was nothing short of weakness. Only animals went mindlessly to the slaughter.

"Little sister," Master Sumida called out softly but firmly. "You are a mountain. Sink down!"

What nonsense was this? Rin was dead. She would no longer follow anyone's requests ever again.

He was losing patience with this so-called "Master," and had every desire to end her mindless prattling. He had her now. She'd backed herself into the corner where the human monk already lay dead.

Sesshomaru raised his claws with feral glee. It would suit him well to end the demon's life and maim the monk at the same time-bisecting her cleanly in half and burying his claws deep within the human's chest, dissolving his offensive form and dispersing his putrid smell in a spray of his corrosive acid. They had done this to her. They had taken his Rin from him. They were responsible for this . . . pain that had seized his chest in an iron vice and refused to let go... They had to pay. They would pay. His mate would be avenged, his honor would be restored and Rin could rest in peace. And then . . . he could grieve.

For the fourth time in his life, he had lost someone he loved. First, his mother, followed by Mitsuko, then his father and now . . .

A lip-curling snarl escaped his throat as he brought his claws down in a powerful swing.

Master Sumida caught the blow mid-swing, applying an almost . . . painful pressure to the tiny bones in his wrist, her own eyes bleeding a deep scarlet as she was forced to sink down to one knee. "You will not harm a hair on his head," she said through gritted teeth, the blood of her wounds pooling around her feet.

Sesshomaru growled in reply, allowing the poison of his claws to drip down onto her already blood-stained skin.

The female grimaced but did not budge an inch, steadily applying more pressure to his captured wrist. "I would prefer not to harm the only son of my dear friend, Lady Sora, but if you insist on dismembering the dead body of the deceased monk, I will fight you for all that I am worth."

"Then fight." He ripped his hand from her grasp and made another swipe with his Poison Claw.

The Western lord was suddenly surprised to find himself being pushed backwards by some unseen force. It wasn't attempting to toss him, merely impede his forward advance.

"I am a yogi master," the injured youkai declared. "I am perfectly capable of harnessing my own youki, and in some cases, the youki of my opponent as a deadly weapon."

Sesshomaru growled. Despite his efforts to advance on the murderous demon and her human cohort, he was still being forced backwards toward the dojo entrance where Rin's body laid in the hallway on the other side of a demolished wall.

She was perfectly still. No heartbeat, no breathing, her raven hair fanned out beneath her, old Bokuseno's bloom still tucked behind her ear, her brown eyes wide and empty. . . soulless. Yet he hadn't seen a single messenger from the other world! She'd been gone only minutes, but the little green imps were nowhere in sight; Tenseiga hadn't pulsed once. If there were no messengers to slay, there was no way to return her soul to her body and restore her to life.

Sesshomaru growled again, trying but failing to form his Whip of Light.

What was this female doing to him!

"Having problems, my lord?" Her tone was even, but she was clearly mocking him. "Did I not say I could harness my own youki, as well as the youki of some of my opponents as a deadly weapon?"

He glared at the injured female.

"This is not a deadly weapon; it's a youki binding. I've used my own powers to tap into yours and erect a barrier around your body strong enough to keep your demonic aspect firmly in check. So, you can't get close enough to me to harm me physically, and you can't use any of your demonic attacks."

He growled yet again, his eyes bleeding slightly red then fading. How was it that these

females were so effectively able to make a fool of him? First those conniving wenches in black and now his mother's old friend!

His hand forcefully found its way to Tokijin's hilt, Master Sumida registering that fact with a blink of her eyes.

They would pay for this. He would not fail to properly avenge her again. Two of her previous captors still lived-the wolf hanyou and the Northern lord's damnable mate . . . but Rin's master would not escape his vengeance. She would pay for the loss of his mate, yogi master or not. Even now, the force of her shield matched against his majestic might caused drops of his own blood to be spilled, the warm, wet liquid trailing down the corners of his mouth and out his nose, filling his nostrils with nought but his own anger, his own self-loathing.

How many times had Rin looked to him for shelter and safety and how many times had he failed her? Even his father saved his own mate from death, though it cost him his life. How could he be so different from him!

Was he, Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, truly this weak? This worthless? So completely incapable of keeping an eye on a mere mortal girl?

His anger grew as he continued to try to force his way through Master Sumida's barrier, his eyes bleeding as red as his blood. How could he fail to protect what was his so egregiously so many times!

With measured force, he drew the sword, his own dark mood feeding into that of Tokijin's. Perhaps the spry monkey demon could defend against youki-based attacks and even use his own demonic aura against him, but he had yet to encounter a creature that could withstand a full blast from the inherently malevolent blade.

"Don't do this," Master Sumida commanded. Her blood flowed even more freely than before, doubtless due to the affects of his poison. Her white kimono was completely stained, his claw marks showing through the rips in the formerly fine silk fabric. Her breathing was labored, but controlled, her clawed feet soaking in a pool of her own blood. She was still apparently watching over the monk's body. Though bent on one knee, her head was high, her formerly scarlet eyes, now their normally ebony color. She seemed to be muttering something.

He felt the charge of energy begin to flow within his sword, the tip of the destructive blade aimed directly at the demon's blood-drenched form. Yes, he realized, it would kill the master and obliterate the monk, but it would also blow out the back half the building, possibly causing the wooden structure to collapse. He wished to avoid such a possibility, but the stubborn youkai refused to relent and accept the punishment for causing both Rin and he so much pain.

Though he had failed her in life, he would not dishonor his mate's memory by allowing her body to be desecrated amidst the upcoming destruction. She would be laid to rest whole and unharmed.

Keeping his eyes on his prey, he took a few steps to the left, assuming a defensive stance similar to that of the seiyuuki youkai. But while she knelt, he was still standing.

Tokijin hummed, its violent energies finally reaching their peak. He stopped resisting the barrier, choosing to stand perfectly still. His own bleeding slowed, then completely halted, the coppery taste still clung to his tongue, the scent of his own failure still strong within his flared nostrils.

Sword pressure would not be enough to finish the yogi master. Her shield would doubtless deflect the blow. It would take all his strength, all his focus and concentration to fight her binding and bring the sword down with enough force to break through her barrier and blow both her and the human into oblivion.

Though her death was imminent, Master Sumida still had that damned calm but tense expression on her face.

The Western lord growled. How dare she be so indifferent in the face of all that she'd done?

His Rin was gone, taken from him unduly before they'd found the time to perform the bonding ritual . . . That Tibetan terror and that Taoist monk . . . kept her from him, forced her to deny him her company when he could tell that she desperately desired otherwise. She should have been his, his ageless companion throughout the rolling centuries. Instead . . . she was nothing more than a fond memory.

He was ready now. Every muscle in his body flexed and strained, fighting against Master Sumida's binding, striving to bring an end to this nightmare. He was bleeding again, trails of scarlet running down the corners of his mouth, each of his nostrils and now his ears. There wasn't any real pain; it was simply a struggle to do the most simple of things. The discomfort he felt was a result of concerted effort and exertion.

The demoness continued her muttering as he finally raised his sword above his head and prepared to swing it down, releasing the malevolent energy coiled within. The strain was severe but . . .

"Don't," a voice said, a soft hand landing on his shoulder.

The Western Lord faltered. Rin?

"Please." Her right hand remained on his shoulder as she raised her left hand to his sword arm, wrapping her fingers delicately around his wrist. "Don't."

He glanced down at the floor, then at the woman standing beside him. It was, indeed, Rin. She was no longer on the floor dead, but standing by his side very much alive.

On the outside, he remained stoic, his face giving away none of his inner turmoil. On the inside he was trembling . . . shaken to the very core. How could this be? She was dead. Tenseiga wouldn't work.

He felt Master Sumida's binding slacken. Rin lowered his hand to his side. He couldn't take his eyes off her. How could this be?

She smiled up at him then turned her attention to Master Sumida. She clasped her hands in prayer position and bowed to her. "I'm sorry for this, Master. Are you very injured?"

The seiyuuki youkai rose to a standing position. "I'm fine, little sister; it will all heal in time. Did you enjoy your journey?"

Rin merely smiled in reply. "If there's nothing else you need, Master, I'd like to be on my way."

The female youkai nodded. "I can clean up on my own."

"And Master Li?"

"It's my responsibility to see to his body. Do not worry."

"I . . . I tried to follow him when he left, but he was moving so fast I lost track of him. I couldn't sense him anymore. I think . . . I think he's been reincarnated already."

The Master smiled and nodded. "I shan't have to wait too long for him, then."

Master and student bowed to one another.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, little sister."

Rin gave her a playful smile then tugged on Sesshomaru's wrist. Before he could fully grasp the situation and was able to utter a coherent sentence, he found himself in the dressing room of the bathhouse, Rin still by his side, Tokijin in his hand. He had no memory of leaving the dojo or trekking back to the castle in the snow, yet here he was; there she was.

"Put this away," Rin said softly.

The bright light and penetrating heat of the indoor bath was in stark contrast to the odd illumination and relatively cool interior of the dojo outside the castle gates. And Rin was here. With him. Not dead at all. How could his senses have been so fooled? How could he have made such a foolhardy mistake?

"Sess," she applied gentle pressure to his left shoulder. "Put this away. You know I can't touch it."

He was still shaking. His inner tremors could not be quelled. Were his nose not clogged with the scent of his own dried blood, he could sniff her and be assured that this was her, she was still alive, she was with him . . . But how?

"Sess, you're covered in blood. We need to get you cleaned up. Let me bathe you."

He slowly relented, laying the sword to rest on one of the room's three stone benches. He then unfastened his sash and set Tenseiga down beside it.

"That's better," Rin smiled gently. "Now, help me with your armor."

He did as requested, loosening the ties and fasteners, his mind still in a daze. He wasn't the type to indulge in dreams, fantasy, or illusion, so he had to ask. He had to know.

Perhaps this was a delusion, some trick of his mind. Or maybe a product of Master Sumida's manipulations. She had been muttering. Perhaps she had enchanted him in some way, produced a pleasing illusion to distract him from his mission of vengeance.

He had to know. "Rin?" he said softly as she helped lift his armor overhead.

Again, she smiled at him. "What is it?"

"Why . . . why aren't you dead?"

She gave him an odd look then chuckled lightly, her laughter echoing throughout the chamber. "I wasn't dead," she replied. "Though, honestly, I thought I was. I had an out of body experience; I went on a Spirit Walk."

Sesshomaru blinked, understanding her words, but not comprehending their meaning. "Rin," his voice seemed unable to speak above a whisper.

"Yes?" She pulled his blood-stained haori free from his hakama and proceeded to slide it, then his under kimono down his shoulders. She then removed his boots and set her own swords aside and peeled off her outer kimono, revealing the short off-white under kimono underneath.

"Only the highest level of martial arts master can do such a thing. It takes years of training and discipline, both physical and mental, to accomplish such a feat." He took a moment to collect his thoughts. "You have no such training."

Rin nodded. "Master Sumida told me that."

"Told? How?"

"She's the one who talked me back down and told me what was going on." She gave him a wry smile. "Master Li always told me I had a natural gift for the internal arts. When he passed, he used his spirit to awaken my full potential. He didn't give me his powers; he awakened my own. In time, as you said, with the proper training and discipline, I would've developed these abilities on my own, but Master Li gave me a giant push in the right direction."

So it was her. She was alive. She was still with him.

"Master Sumida thinks I can Spirit Walk because I died once and came back. But it is dangerous for the untrained. If you wander too far or stay gone too long, you can die, and Tenseiga won't work because I left my body willingly instead of having the messengers drag me off."

Master Sumida was correct. Rin had not died. One stops the heart and deprives the body of air to help ease the spirit out of the body. Once the spirit leaves, the body takes on a form like death in temporary stasis. He had read about that.

He was so concerned for her safety, the true nature of the situation escaped him. He should have listened to Rin's master.

A cool palm pressed itself against the side of his face. "You were worried about me, weren't you?"

He stared down into her warm, brown eyes and gave a slight nod.

"If you can't have faith in my abilities, you should have faith in your judgment. You picked Master Sumida to train me, didn't you? And she picked Master Li. Haven't you been complimenting me on my technique? Where do you think I learned that? And why was I given the chance to learn?"

He gave a slight nod, her left palm still on his right cheek. "I . . ."

"You . . ." she urged him.

He turned his attention to the end of the narrow room where the entrance to the cleansing chamber lay.

"You?" she urged more gently.

His mouth went suddenly dry. He had said this before, but his statement was moreso true now than before. Before there was an "almost" with the burrowing worm-like youkai. In this case, she had died . . . in a way. And the possibility that he might never see her again . . .

"I am afraid of losing you," he whispered into the warm air of the changing room.

Suddenly, he found a dark head of hair pressed against his bare chest and two surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his waist. "I'm not going anywhere," she insisted. "I belong with you." She turned her face upwards and smiled up at him. "I go where you go."

He gave a slight smile, recalling his own words to her when she'd asked where he spent his mornings when they'd first begun their courtship.

Rin continued. "And I don't want to go where you can't follow. We're mates, right?"

He inclined his head slightly forward. "If that is what you wish."

She giggled. "Of course, that's what I want. Why wouldn't I want that?"

"I have failed you on two separate occasion. I have proven that I am . . . irresponsible and cannot be depended upon. Having failed to fulfill one of the most . . . rudimentary aspects of the courtship ritual, you are well within your rights to reject my claim upon you and insist that I stop pursuing you on all fronts."

She was quiet for a moment, the top of her head resting just beneath his chin.

He was certain that she would not reject him. This was his Rin, after all . . . But he had also been certain nothing could ever take her from him for any period of time. And he had been wrong about that, hadn't he. Twice.

The silence grew to an almost unbearable level when a light tinkling sound broke the quiet and drew his immediate attention. Rin was laughing.

"You're so silly, Sesshomaru." She released the hold she had on his waist and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. I'm sure it isn't very pleasant to smell your own blood."

He allowed her to drag him into the cleansing chamber through the doorway at the end of the room. There were several intricately carved stone benches and gold drains built into the floor, which was made entirely of white ceramic tile. There was a large wooden tub of warm water in front of each bench, and each tub had a bucket-like ladle within it. Towels, washcloths and bathing supplies laid on the surface of each bench. The room was for removing dirt and grime; the bath, located through the doorframe directly behind them, was for soaking and warming the body.

"Please, sit," Rin smiled.

He did as requested, watching her from the corners of his eyes as she walked behind him and disappeared from his line of sight. He then sensed her presence beside him as she reached for one of the cotton cloths, her head positioned just above his right shoulder. She disappeared again and the sound of splashing water filled his ears, followed by the soft padding of bare feet on the ceramic tile.

She appeared and knelt down before him, running the warm, damp cloth over the planes of his face.

"Why are you like this?" he asked, his golden eyes fixed on her soft brown ones.

"Like what?" As she passed the cloth beneath his nose, her thumb grazed his lower lip. Whether it was accidental or intentional remained to be seen.

"So . . . unlike anyone I've encountered before."

Rin shrugged as she ran the soft cotton cloth down the corners of his mouth, cleansing it of the offensive red residue.

"Why do you not fear me? Why do you not despise me? Why do you . . . care for me so earnestly?"

She smiled yet again as she brought the cloth up to clean the blood from beneath his left ear. This time he was certain the touch was deliberate. Instead of merely removing the scarlet stain that trailed from his ear canal, down the side of his face to the crook of his neck, she started at the tip of his pointed ear and slowly, gently, worked her way down the outside edge of his ear, carefully following its curve to his canal. She then brushed the warm, wet cloth down towards his jawline, making a slight detour as he felt the tips of two of her fingers trace the stripes on his cheek through the fabric of the soft, cotton cloth.

He repressed a low growl as it attempted to rise up from the back of his throat. She was not only cleaning him up; she was getting him worked up.

"Why should I fear you?" she asked as the cloth continued its downward path along his neck and across his collarbone. "Why should I despise you?" She began the treatment over with his right ear. "And why shouldn't I care for you?"

"When you were a child, one could excuse your ignorance of demons and demon ways. But now you've lived among them, among us for over 10 years, I do not understand why you wish to stay. Jakken berated you every day of those 10 years, and I did little or nothing to discourage or dissuade him from speaking to you in such a manner. I, after all, held similar feelings towards humankind. It would have been hypocritical of me to say they were all worthless except this one . . . yet, that is how I . . . feel. I feel nothing for those other, lowly, human creatures. It is how I was raised to think. Demons are inherently superior creatures to humans."

"And, in ways, they are," Rin agreed. "You're stronger, faster, immune to disease, and your bodies are practically indestructible because you heal so quickly."

Sesshomaru nodded as Rin ran the cloth over his bare chest. Not a single mark remained from the hole that was there only eight days before. Such an injury would've killed a human. "But," the demon lord began, "as I am well read and have lived for several centuries, I am not unaware of human religion and its beliefs regarding demonkind. We are wicked, demoralizing creatures with no redeeming values whatsoever. According to them, our entire purpose is to torment humanity and corrupt their souls."

Rin nodded then rose to her feet, the bloodied cloth in hand. "I believe Master Li mentioned such things, as did a few others I've encountered." She disappeared behind him and the sound of lightly falling water again filled his ears.

"Have you no fear for your soul, Rin?"

She wrung the cloth out, then returned to kneel before him. "Why?" she laughed. "You don't want to eat it, do you?"

"No," he replied slightly amused.

She reached up with the cloth and washed the sides and back of his neck, applying gentle but firm pressure to the surface of his now heated skin. "I can't deny that some of Master Li's words did affect me. And for a few moments I even experienced doubt. Were you 'corrupting' me? Were you 'using' me? What possible gain would someone like you get from fostering an intimate relationship with someone like me?"

He tilted his head slightly to the side to allow Rin better access to the dip between his neck and shoulder. "And did you come up with any answers?"

A light pink blush formed across her cheeks. "Master Li said demons take great joy in 'perverting' the innocent and naive, getting them to fulfill their 'dark and twisted' desires." She chuckled lightly. "Honestly, I think humans are more interested in demons 'perverting' them than the other way around."

He chuckled inwardly at the young female's conclusions.

"But what you are doesn't define who you are." She brushed the cloth over his sensitive nipples, running the rag in small, slow circles. "If you were the sexually deviant monster they claimed you were, you would've taken me years ago when my cycle first started." A sly grin spread across her fine features. "Or the first time I became aroused, watching you sit in front of the fire that night."

With his nostrils free of blood and the warm, wet air in the cleansing chamber, his nose was able to pick up the sweet, seductive scent of his mate's musk. "You are quite aroused, my Rin."

She simply smiled in reply. "As I was that night. You told me I 'smelled' and needed to take a bath." She reached down and grasped his wrist, cleaning his claws of Master Sumida's blood with the warm, damp cotton cloth.

He inhaled deeply. "It is a potent scent. Even the strongest of demons may succumb to its call."

She brushed her hip against his knee. "But you didn't that night."

"You were too young and . . . ill prepared for the experience your body cried out for."

"Which is why I love you so much." She put the cleaning cloth down and ran her hands up and down the white silk which still covered his thighs. "You cared enough for me to wait."

He felt his male member stiffen in response to her alluring her scent, her stimulating touches, and her softly spoken words of seduction and comfort.

She raised up on her knees to brush his hair back with the tip of her nose as her warm breath caressed his outer ear. "So, you see, my dear Sesshomaru, my doubts only lasted a moment. One grain of sand in the hourglass of time."

"Rin . . ."

"In terms of karma, you may be one of the 'low' men on the spiritual ladder, but you are a lord to me. Always and forever."

"My Rin . . ."

"Yes, your Rin." Her hands traveled up from his thighs to caress the bare flesh of his lower abs. "The thing Master Li did not understand is that we are all subject to the rules of karma. As a god may be reincarnated as a man, in the case of this Buddha, a man may be reincarnated as a demon. We are all here to learn from one another. What we did not learn in a past life, we are given this one to grow upon and improve."

He parted his legs to draw his mate closer to him, encircling her waist with his one good arm, pulling her clothed form flush against him.

"Demons are not to be feared and shunned or purified unfairly. Above all else, they need our human warmth and compassion."

Yes . . . his Rin was quite warm.

"The true sage wants to help everyone walk upon the correct path-human, demon and animal. He wants no soul to be lost."

He sent his hand up her back to rub the recessed area between her shoulder blades.

"Some demons are lost causes, too lost in their own wanton ways to care who they hurt or what they have to do to fulfill their own dark desires. They don't care about the Way; they only care about themselves. And they'll fall into Hell because of it."

He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling her divine scent, taking immeasurable comfort in her strong pulse and its tranquil thrum. "And what is this 'Way?'"

"The Way is life," she smiled against his neck, placing delicate open-mouthed kisses in a trail leading up to his pointed ear. "Life, living . . . creation, nurturing." She ran her tongue along the rim of his ear, giving the tip a gentle nip before releasing it. "It is the natural thing to do, and that is the Way."

A low growl worked its way up from the center of chest. "Is that why you have become so . . . bold?" he asked, nuzzling her neck. "You wish to be natural?"

"I am natural," Rin replied. "And you are natural." She threaded her fingers through his hair. "When I left my body everything became crystal clear to me, Sess. I know why I'm here. I know why you're here. And I know with all my heart, with everything I am, with every fiber of my being, we were meant to be together. It's the most natural thing in the world."

"So, I am natural, you are natural, and it is natural for us to be together." He felt her nod against his shoulder.

"And anyone who thinks any differently is just blind."

"Rin." He instinctively tightened the hold he held on her lithe form.

She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes, a smile on her lips and a soft, burning desire evident in her own brown depths. "I do believe I feel your nature calling out to mine." She deliberately glanced downward at the growing lump in his lap.

He gave a low chuckle, amused by her use of innuendo. She was a fast learner.

She placed the palm of her right hand against the left side of his face, brushing the ends of his markings with the pad of her thumb. "I need you, Sesshomaru."

He sniffed the air experimentally, almost overpowered by the scent of her desire for him. If he were the type to show shock, he would have. But instead, he felt a lust-induced fog begin to settle around his brain, clouding his mind of all thoughts but one. "Go to your room, Rin." His voice came out more gruffly than intended.

"Why?"

He could hear hurt and a twinge of panic in her formerly calm and caressing tone, her new found confidence shaking somewhat.

"It is the proper thing to do," he replied, his voice still gruff, but more subdued this time. "To conclude the courtship ritual and begin the mating rites, the male must remove the female from her old home and bring her to stay with him in their joint home."

This news seemed to calm her down, the acrid smell of panic fading from her fair scent.

"Also," he added, exercising every bit of self-control he possessed, "the strength of your own arousal is calling quite loudly to my demon instincts. If we do not spend a few moments apart, I will not be able to be as . . . gentle as I promised and as you deserve."

Her arousal spiked, a bright blush stretching across her cheeks.

He gritted his teeth and turned away from her, giving her a light push backwards. He could feel his claws lengthening, his vision bleeding red. "Rin. Go." He clenched his claws tightly by his side to keep from reaching out to grab her. "Now!"

She quickly rose to her feet, bowed and departed.

Do not pursue her, he warned himself. Of all those who would wish to harm her in this world, you are not one of them. You are not an animal, and you will control yourself.

He continued to hold his breath as he purposefully made his way to his feet, intent on leaving the cleansing chamber before his instincts were able to take further hold of him. If Rin's scent wasn't still hanging in the air, he would've taken a deep breath to clear his thoughts. As it was, he would have to spend a few minutes out in the snow . . . completely bare . . . before he could even think about heading towards Rin's room.

It was a good thing most servants stayed indoors on cold, snowy mornings such as this ...

8 8 8

Rin waited patiently in her room, trying to calm herself, in hopes of sparing her lord's sanity. She made a space for herself amidst all her dolls and stretched out on her back, rolling her head to the left then to the right, working the kinks out of her neck. She had gone through

that wall awfully hard, but she was surprisingly uninjured. Running her hand along her throat she noticed that even the wound Yori had given her, which she thought would leave an ugly and highly visible scar on her neck, had completely healed leaving only smooth skin in its wake.

Perhaps that was one of her new abilities-accelerated healing. She'd already realized her heightened sense of spiritual awareness, being able to detect an entity's mood and life force before she could see them. That's how she knew Sesshomaru had returned from the border patrol, and it also allowed her to sense his sadness when he thought she had died. And she knew what she had to do the moment she returned from her Spirit Walk . . . hold him, love him, reassure him that she was all right and everything was going to be okay.

She was amazed by the power she seemed to hold over him. She knew now that she could make or break him with a kind smile or blatant refusal. He'd been genuinely hurt that night she'd refused him to sit by Master Li's side. She'd sensed that when she'd left her body-his genuine, undying need of her.

Of course, he could never admit to such a thing-that she had hurt his feelings, wounding both his demonic and male pride-so he put on an arrogant facade and dismissed her with a wave of his hand . . . If not for Master Li, she never would've known such a thing.

The next time she trained with Master Sumida, she would have to ask her some pointed questions in hopes of discovering the true scope of her new powers. She knew since she wasn't an ordained nun or priestess, she wouldn't be able to purify demons or erect a holy barrier, but there had to be other things she could do. Master Li could move mountains, after all. Perhaps there was some sort of test she could take or . . .

Rin sighed, shaking the thoughts from her head, a slight smile curling her lips. Now was not the time to think about such things. This was a special day, after all.

He'd be coming for her soon . . . He'll knock on my door, enter my room and escort me across the hall to his room . . . No, our room. Then the courtship is over, and the mating begins.

She'd been told it would be relatively . . . uncomfortable for her that first time. Even with her virgin barrier removed, as he had said, she was quite small, and he was not.

Another blush worked its way into her cheeks. She'd seen with her own eyes and felt with her own body what an . . . impressive specimen he was. Just one of his fingers made for quite a snug fit, and his manhood was quite a deal larger than his finger. Her own hand, no small deal in its own accord, wasn't able to wrap entirely around it at its base.

She raised her right hand to eye level and made a circle, her thumb and forefinger more than an inch apart. That's about it, I think. I wonder . . .

She lowered her cupped hand to rest just above her womanhood, maintaining the distance between her thumb and forefinger.

I wonder how it will feel . . . inside me?

The heat it gave off. The way it pulsed and throbbed . . . Hard and thick and smooth. . .

She closed her eyes and remembered the incident at the hot springs, her legs gradually creeping apart as she recalled the feeling of his finger as it stroked her inner muscles.

That . . . had felt . . . absolutely fabulous. The way it slightly stretched her and filled her. And the way he rubbed that sensitive little nub between her thighs . . . increased the pleasure immeasurably.

She let loose a breathless sigh as she pulled her knees up, the short skirt of her under kimono falling open at the same time one of her knuckles "accidentally" hit that particular spot at the crux of her thighs. She had no real desire to attempt to pleasure herself, especially when her lord would be coming for her so soon, but . . .

What would he think if he caught her in such a . . . compromising position?

Would he find it amusing? Erotic? Disgusting?

The natural course of things demanded that there be two partners performing such an act-one masculine and one feminine. Self gratification was just that. Selfish. An act committed purely for your own pleasure.

According to Master Sumida-Master Li refused to teach this aspect of the Tao to her-sex was designed to strengthen love partnerships, alleviate sexual frustration, and increase longevity and good health. There was even a three-part guide to achieve these goals.

1. A man learns to sustain erection for as long as desired and regulates his ejaculation.

2. Both partners re-direct sexual energy through the body into higher regions of the heart and brain.

3. The lovers exchange their super charged energy with each other.

If you're simply pleasuring yourself, there's no redirection or exchange of energies, so there's no real benefit.

But, oh, how she wanted to touch herself in her younger years, letting her slender fingers dance across her flesh as thoughts of Sesshomaru filled her dizzy little head. But, of course, if she had, he would've known and that would've made everything very awkward..

And now that wasn't an issue, she was sure she'd prefer her lord's more experienced fingers to her own clumsy hand.

She quickly clamped her thighs closed and stretched her legs out in front of her.

Remember what Sesshomaru said, she scolded herself. If he gets too excited, his instincts will take over and . . .

Kimi said she'd forgotten herself and she accidentally killed her mate in the process.

Though she quite enjoyed herself, it couldn't have been very pleasurable for the male. And

Sesshomaru said so himself, even with his best behavior, she likely wouldn't be walking for a few days. Doubtless, he could rip her in two if the notion ever struck him.

But . . . he promised. He promised he would be gentle, and her pleasure would come before his own. Though that hardly seemed fair. It was his mating night, or rather, morning, too, and she wanted to give him pleasure.

"If it does not please you, it does not please me."

But, she supposed, it was just for today. And after she was properly initiated . . .

The pain couldn't be that bad, anyway. In her seventeen years, she'd been beaten and kicked, torn apart by wolves, fallen from a tall tree, fallen from a high cliff, knocked off a bridge above a water-filled gorge, accumulated all sorts of cuts and abrasions on various body parts when she'd switched from a practice sword to a real one. She'd had her face smashed in, her ribs broken, her internal organs punctured, and underwent a mystical healing for said injuries without the benefit of anesthesia . . . and, of course, there were Suki's purification attacks and the cut Yori had left on her throat.

Compared to all that, accommodating her lord couldn't be that bad. And even if it was, she needed him too badly to care . . . And, of course, there was the matter of the son he'd promised her, and everyone knows sons and daughters are only made one way.

A sly smile crossed her lips as her eyes drifted closed. She was feeling a bit tired after

everything that had happened in the past few days. It certainly couldn't hurt to take a little nap. Sesshomaru would simply wake her when he reached her room.

She yawned and stretched, rolling on to her side, tucking one of her downy pillows beneath her head.

Yes, a nap was a very good idea.

8 8 8

Rin awoke sensing another presence in her room. She sat up on her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes and turned her attention to her windowseat. Aside from the seated figure she found there, she took notice of the weather conditions outside. It was considerably darker than when she'd laid down for her nap, and it was snowing again. Slowly but steadily large crystalline flakes were falling from the evening sky coating the rooftops with another layer of fine, white powder.

But despite the cold and fading light outside, it was quite warm and bright on the inside, hues of yellow and orange tinting the interior of her bedchamber. Someone had taken the liberty of lighting a fire in the stone fireplace in the rear of her room.

Rin smiled. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Sesshomaru rose to his feet and approached her bed. This time he wore a royal blue silk robe that fell to his mid-thigh and the same black house slippers as before. "If you did not need to rest, you wouldn't have fallen asleep."

She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "I guess you're right, but I've slept away most of the day."

A devilish grin spread across his fine features, his golden eyes alight with mischief. "Then you'll be able to stay up with me . . . all night."

Rin giggled. "Perhaps you are trying to corrupt me."

He wasted no more words and extended his hand to her.

She took it and allowed him to pull her off the bed and to her feet, the tips of their toes touching, her head coming up to his shoulder, his body radiating a deep, penetrating heat.

He gave her one of those rare smiles and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. That simple act alone caused her heart rate to speed up.

Holding her gaze, he lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "Shall we, my Rin?"

She gave a slight nod, a warm blush settling itself on her cheeks.

He kept his eyes focused on her as he turned to the side and led them both from her room across the hall to his own chambers.

Rin swallowed hard as he left her side momentarily to secure the doors behind them. His chamber hadn't changed at all since the last time she'd been in here, eight or so years ago. She was 9 years old then and she'd had a particularly vivid nightmare during the worst thunderstorm she'd experienced up to that point. She'd pushed back one of the heavy, wooden double doors of his room and silently crept across the hardwood floor till she reached the richly patterned Oriental rug that his king size, wrought iron poster bed rested on. She'd created a small opening in the sheer curtains which hung from the upper railings of the bed and peered inside at him with red, puffy eyes, tear-stained cheeks and a nose overflowing with mucous.

She laughed softly to herself. What a mess she must have looked. But her lord didn't say a word. He simply made room for her beside him and let her cry into the silk of his robes till her night terrors had passed. He'd let her stay till she fell asleep, then he'd carry her back to her room. And she'd always be so surprised to wake in her own bed with a new porcelain friend.

That's the way the dolls worked. Every time she felt the need to creep into his room, uninvited, during the middle of the night, she'd wake the next morning in her own bed with a new doll. But after she began to bleed, she was strictly forbidden to enter his bedchamber. From then on, the dolls only came once a year on her birthday . . . unless he made a special trip

somewhere, and then he'd always bring her something back.

She was brought back to the present when a warm hand found its way around her waist and Sesshomaru nuzzled against her ear.

"What were you thinking?" he asked softly.

Rin smiled. "Slipping into your room uninvited."

He pulled her more closely against him, her head resting just beneath his chin, the side of her face pressed against his chest. "This is our chamber, now. You may come and go as you please."

She smiled again, giving a nod of understanding, then glanced up at him. "Sesshomaru?"

He inclined his head to indicate he was listening.

"Why didn't you ever tell me to stop being a nuisance and just sleep in my own bed?"

He seemed to ponder this for a minute. "When I was small, I often had a difficult time falling asleep. My mother and father had separate chambers and whenever the difficulty was too severe, my mother would allow me to stay with her. She . . . was not an openly affectionate female, but she was there when I needed her."

Sensing the downturn in his mood, she snaked her arms around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"She would allow me to fall asleep in her arms, and I would always awake the next morning in my own room."

Rin smiled at the obvious similarity between mother and son. "May I . . . ask how she died?"

He gave a slight nod. "It is your right; you are the new lady of the castle. You should know something of your predecessors."

"I only ask because she seems to be important to you, and I want you to know that I respect that. Family is an important thing . . . Unfortunately, you don't realize how important it is until you don't have one."

"We are family," he seemed to remind her.

"But we had family before this. To properly educate our children, our 'pups,' I think we should know that about each other."

Sesshomaru nodded his agreement and applied a gentle pressure to her lower back, urging her towards the bed. "Let us sit."

They spent the next few minutes going over their family histories. Rin spoke of her village, her mother, father and brother. She told him what she remembered of their lives, how she could plainly recall their deaths, and how she alone survived the ordeal with the bandits.

Sesshomaru reminisced about his father and his many accomplishments and his untimely death due to the wounds he sustained in a battle with a great dragon demon. He briefly mentioned his father's human mate, Izayoi and their son, InuYasha. Then he spoke of his mother and the time he remembered spending with her. "She was killed on her return trip from visiting Master Sumida. I am . . . unaware of the specifics of her demise. Having been but a young pup at the time, my father wished to spare me the so-called gory details . . . When . . ." the demon lord faltered, letting his eyes to rest on his lap. "When he told me that she had died and would not be returning . . . ever. I . . . still being quite young at the time . . . ran and locked myself in her chambers . . . refusing to come out for the next few days. I . . ."

He stopped at that point, seemingly unable to continue.

Seated next to him on the bedside, Rin reached across his lap and grabbed his hand. "It's natural to grieve after the loss of someone you love."

"To show emotion is to show weakness," he said somewhat shakily, though his calm facade gave away nothing. "I would not show my father such weakness."

She pulled his hand into her lap and squeezed it as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. "How long ago was that?"

"Nearly four centuries ago. To a human, it is an imponderable length of time. To a demon, those four centuries would seem more like a few years. And a few years is nothing to one of my kind."

"How old were you when she passed?"

"Seventy-two," he said softly.

"Not even three," Rin concluded.

He glanced down at her.

"Master Sumida explained the emotional development of demons to me. She said you mature one year for every 25 that passes. A 25-year-old demon has the emotional state of a one-year-old. A 100-year-old demon has the emotional state of a 4-year-old. Master Sumida is 29. She said she's 253 years older than you are."

"She is," he nodded.

Rin did a little mental math. Seventy-two years plus approximately four centuries is? Four hundred, seventy-two!

"You're 472 years old?" she asked, her eyes wide, her tone nothing short of amazement.

"No," he said simply. "I am four hundred, seventy-five years old."

She again ran a set of numbers through her head. Four hundred, seventy-five at one year per 25 means . . .

An amused grin spread across her face.

Sesshomaru raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"You're only 19," she laughed.

He seemed slightly perturbed by her statement and huffed quietly. "I am 475."

"Chronologically," she said. "In terms of emotional development and maturity, you're only 19. You're two years older than me."

He huffed again. "I am old enough to be your father many times over."

"That may be . . . but you are not my father. You are my mate." She brushed her lips against the space of flesh just beneath his left his ear as she rested her hand on his upper thigh.

"Yesss," he hissed slightly.

Rin giggled. "No wonder you're so frisky and temperamental. You're just like one of the boys in the village." She brushed his hair back with the tip of her nose and kissed the now exposed flesh of his neck.

"I am not a 'boy.'"

She smiled against his neck. "No, I suppose not. You're an inu taiyoukai . . . My inu taiyoukai."

She released the hold she had on his hand and allowed him to run it up her arm over her left shoulder to the nape of her neck. Once there, he extended his fingers and gently caressed her scalp with the tips of his claws.

"And you are my Rin."

She let out a breathless sigh and sank into him, the right half of her body pressed tightly against his side. "Will you . . . take me, now?"

A roguish grin made its way across his face, the light of the fireplace across from them reflected in his amber eyes. "Where is it you wish to go?"

She smiled at his remark, but refused to let the humor of the comment defuse her increasing need for him. "I think you know where I want to go," she said softly, seductively, whispering directly into his ear. "Someplace I've never been before. Somewhere only you can take me."

She smirked inwardly as his eyes darkened from gold to bronze.

He slid his slippers off and eased himself to the center of the bed, gesturing with his hand. "Come," he commanded.

She crawled across the white coverlet and assumed a kneeling position in front of him. The sheets peeking out beneath the coverlet were black. In fact, his entire room was done up in pure white or somber black, save for the Oriental rug and the occasional splash of red, royal blue or bright yellow.

Sesshomaru reclined on the downy mattress, positioning himself on his left side. Rin found it quite difficult to resist the urge to reach beneath the hem of his short kimono and caress his bare bottom, the magenta markings on his hip and the silky hair she knew she'd find between those lean, strong, powerful thighs.

As if he'd been waiting for her to finish her less-than-pure thoughts, the demon lord spoke. "Lay with me," he said simply.

She gratefully stretched out beside him and rolled onto her right side, tucking one hand beneath her head as the other rested on her hip. They were mere inches apart.

All the curtains on the bed were closed, save for the side they had been sitting on which was directly across from a black marble fireplace. Above the mantle, a portrait of the previous Lord of the Western Lands in demon form hung, framed in an antique gold frame. On either side of the bed were nightstands made of deep cherry wood, and on top of the nightstands, individual lanterns. In the far right corner of the room was a large armoire done in the same wood as the nightstands and directly beside it stood a wardrobe closet similarly made, but intricately decorated in assorted carvings. In the left corner of the room was a large dresser where two porcelain basins sat on top along with a pitcher of water. Unlike her room, his room had a balcony on the other side of a door-sized, multi-paned window which was situated in the middle of the left wall of the room. But as in her room, the firelight gave the entire chamber a warm, yellowish orange glow and tinged both the translucent white curtains and Sesshomaru's hair a pale shade of gold.

Rin smiled at the demon laying across from her. "Are you just going to lay there and stare at me all night?"

"I could," he replied. "And, on occasion, I have. Do you know it was my mother's old room that you occupied?"

"Oh?" she asked.

"And this room belonged to my father."

"Did they ever sleep together?"

"Exactly once, from my understanding. Noble youkai mate for power and to improve their political standing. Affection and other such emotions are not factored into the equation."

Rin nodded. "So, you're kind of . . . new to all this?"

He gave a slight nod, extending his hand to caress the side of her face.

Rin smiled, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "So, I'm going to be your first," she teased.

"No," he replied. "There was . . . another. But it was a one-sided affair. Time showed that she did not care for me the way I cared for her . . . I was merely a 'good time,' another name for her to toss around along with many others."

She heard a whisper of sadness in his voice. It was barely noticeable, but with her enhanced awareness, she could tell that this female had hurt him. "She was unfaithful, then?"

He gave a dry chuckle, a sad sort of smile playing across his lips. "She was a courtesan," he said simply. "A dove youkai. She was . . ." he traced the contours of her face with the side of his thumb, the short digit brushing lightly over her lower lip. "She was very beautiful, my Rin. And she was . . . kind to me in a time in my life when I very much needed it. She was also extremely gracious and very . . . giving," he added. "You remind me of her a great deal, Rin. Though you are her superior in every possible way."

"Sess . . ."

"I wish to give you pleasure, my Rin. And I wish you to stay with me throughout eternity."

Her heart skipped a beat. "C-can you do that?"

He slid his hand down her neck to her lower back, that same roguish grin returning to his face. "My Rin, I believe you are quite aware of my capabilities in that department."

She giggled and gave his shoulder a playful slap. "Not that. Can I . . . stay with you . . . that long?"

"If that is your wish."

"It is . . . but how?"

"There are two ways," he said. "One is strictly for humans; the other may be used for a human or a demon mate."

She nodded her understanding.

"In addition to the mating mark, I can mark you with my claws, and your soul will always return to me. You will continue to grow, age and, eventually, die as any human would. But, upon your death, your soul would immediately be reincarnated, and your reincarnation would be compelled to seek me out, and the cycle would begin again."

"But would I remember you?" she asked. "Would my reincarnation remember our life together?"

"Your memories of this life would be stored within me until we again found each other. Once reunited, I would return the memories of your previous life to you, and we would begin again."

"But . . . how would I find you? How would you know me?"

"The mark would tell me all I need to know; it will call out for me. After a sufficient period of time, if you haven't found me, I shall search for you."

"But you'd be alone in the interim. After I die and before I return."

He gave a slight nod.

"I don't like that. What's the other way?"

"If you partake of my blood, thus marking me as yours, our souls will bond, and we will be bound together throughout eternity. You will not age any further. You will be immune to all disease and you cannot die of natural causes."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Natural causes?"

"Old age," he said simply.

"Oh. So I have to bite you?"

"Not necessarily. You must draw my blood and take it into yourself."

"Drink it?" she asked.

"Again, not necessarily. You may drink it if you wish, or you could simply mix my blood with yours through an open wound."

"So, I could cut your palm, then cut mine, press them together and all of a sudden I'm immortal?"

He gave a slight nod. "And where you cut me and our blood mixed, your mark would appear."

"But I thought the mark resulted as a mini transfusion power. I don't have any power. I mean, most humans don't have any power."

"Your mark for me would be given after I mark you. It is my power that would bond us together. You would be using your part of my youki to complete your part of the ritual."

Rin considered this. "Well, I suppose your father didn't bond with your mother, which is why she died. Did he bond with InuYasha's mother?"

"He marked her with his claws. Had he lived and she died-of natural causes-her reincarnated spirit would've returned to him in this life. But because he died, upon her death, her soul should have followed his wherever it went."

"So . . . with the second way, if one of us dies, the other dies?"

"No. As long as one of us lives, the other lives."

"So . . . the only way to kill us would be to kill us both at the same time."

"Yes. Our souls will be bonded together. Your soul will not leave this world without mine and vice versa. No matter how injured I may be or you may be, we would not die without the other. Your body would regenerate itself in order to support your life force."

"So we're practically invincible," she smiled.

"Close enough," he replied.

"Then why don't more demon couples do it?"

"It will not work unless the two bear a strong . . . affinity for one another. And such a thing is . . . quite rare in the demon world. In lower level youkai, they mate on instinct, and, as I have said, the nobility mate for power and to improve their political position."

"But if forming this bond with someone practically makes you invincible, why is emotion still regarded as such a weakness?"

"As Master Sumida has told you, demons mature more slowly than humans. If we let our emotions rule over us, we could make quite a mess of things. So, instead, we are taught to block them out and tamp them down. Creatures with powers as great as ours cannot afford to allow such . . . irrational thoughts to cloud our intellectual minds, regardless of any potential benefits."

"I see," she said quietly. "You know, this is the most we've ever talked to one another about each other. It's . . . kind of nice, isn't it?"

"I enjoy any opportunity to spend time with you."

"But . . . don't you feel . . . closer to me because of all of this?"

"You are one of the few people in the world I have ever felt close to. And it began well before these past few minutes."

"Oh?" She reached out and ran her index finger along the outer edge of his ear and down the stripes on his cheek. "How long before?"

"When you felt secure enough to crawl into my lap and fall asleep on me all those years ago."

"Gods . . ." She could feel her eyes begin to water. "By the gods, Sesshomaru, why do you say such things?"

"Because they are true."

This time a few tears did fall.

He pressed a kiss to her trembling lower lip. "Do not weep, my Rin." He then wiped the salty moisture from her face with the pad of his thumb.

"I can't help it."

He kissed her again, caressing the back of her neck with the palm of his hand. "No more tears," he insisted.

She drew in a deep breath and pushed it out, nodding, the overwhelming warmth in her heart traveling from her chest and down her stomach to settle between her thighs.

He kissed her for a third time, gently but insistently, slanting his mouth over her own, sending his tongue out to taste her lower lip as his hand manipulated her neck muscles at the same rhythm and tempo as his kiss.

A pleasant shudder ran down the length of her spine and she pressed her hips forward to grind against his. She was pleased to find a growing bulge there and decided to add to his excitement by caressing his ear in exactly the manner he'd instructed her that first morning they became intimate with one another.

"Rin . . ."

She ran the tips of her index and third fingers over the sensitive shell of his outer ear, then lightly grasped the tip between her thumb and forefinger, giving it a slight squeeze as she reversed the action, traveling downwards and forward to trace the two magenta stripes on the side of his face. When she heard the low rumbling sound rise from the depths of his chest, she knew she'd done something right.

He pulled her more tightly against him, running his hand down her back, over her bottom and upper thigh to pull her left leg up and rest atop his. He then insinuated his growing erection between her slightly parted thighs as his hand caressed the roundest part of her posterior.

"Sess . . ."

His hand moved lower, then proceeded to move upwards beneath the hem of her knee-length under kimono, pushing the off-white fabric up as his hand returned to its previous position.

Rin moaned as he continued to rhythmically rotate his hips against hers, the heat from his arousal working its way through two layers of fabric, adding his heat to her own, further moistening her feminine flower, an undeniable itch building between her thighs.

Sesshomaru nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled. "If there is a more divine scent in this world, I have yet to smell it."

Rin blushed as he grasped her around the waist and pulled her on top of him, her nearly bare legs instinctively straddling his narrow hips. "Sit up," he instructed her.

She pushed her upper body off of his, resting her full weight atop him, her naked core pressing down on his male member. Now, only one, thin layer of fabric separated them, and she was completely open to any advances he may wish to make on nether regions. She could already feel her wetness coating the smooth silk of his robe as his maleness pulsed and throbbed beneath her.

"Rin . . ." he held her gaze with his own as his hand slowly untied the knot in her robe. She moved to do the same to him, but was abruptly stopped. "Not yet," he said. "Leave it on."

She dropped her hands back down to her sides as he continued to undress her, a slight pout on her lips.

"Patience, my Rin. We have all the time in the world."

She nodded, slightly embarrassed by her own overzealousness. He had told her that if things moved too quickly, he could hurt her, and that was something neither of them wanted.

The knot came free and her robe fell open. She squirmed slightly, feeling his erection give a short spasm. He then reached up and slid the cotton robe from her shoulders, leaving her bare to his gaze.

Was it possible for her to become more lovely each time he saw her?

The graceful line of her neck, the soft slope of her shoulders, her perfectly rounded breasts and dusky, erect nipples. The smooth, flat plane of stomach, her well-developed hips and tightly toned thighs . . . and the light dusting of dark curls just above her woman's entrance.

Seeing her perched above his body in such a position, made his mouth go dry with desire. Feeling her perched above his body in such a position, increased the growing ache in his groin, making his stomach muscles tight and his manhood perfectly rigid. And smelling her reaction to being perched above his body in such a position was nearly enough to make him forget all promises and simply flip her over and drive into her warm, wet core over and over, patience and preparation be damned.

But . . . he had promised. He was not an animal. And he was determined that his mate enjoy her time with him, though it was bound to be somewhat . . . uncomfortable for her in the beginning.

He had waited this long; he could wait a few minutes more.

"Come here," he cupped the back of her neck with his hand and urged her to lean forward.

When she did so, he brought her mouth down to his own, thrusting his tongue into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth, exploring every inch, delighted by every twist and turn as her tongue danced with his. He felt her hands apply gentle pressure to his shoulders as his arm held her tightly against him, her bare breasts to his chest, her warm, wet heat spreading throughout his turgid length, the scent of her arousal filling the firelit chamber.

"Rin . . ." the gruffness had returned to his voice and he could clearly hear the racing of his own pulse.

She nuzzled her nose against his outer ear then trailed wet kisses down his neck, her hands massaging his scalp with the tips of her fingers.

He suddenly sat up, taking her with him as he licked and nipped his way along the flesh of her neck, shoulders and collarbone. She wrapped her legs around his slender waist, pressing her heated core against the now soaked fabric of his robe which kept his throbbing erection from burying itself within her body.

Patience, he reminded himself.

But she was so warm. Her entire body seemed to radiate heat, her flushed flesh smooth, damp and pliable, and oh so sweet on the tongue . . . Those passionate brown eyes, that tousled wavy hair, her erect nipples brushing against his silk-covered chest . . . And when she licked his ears with that warm, wet, sinuous muscle . . . .

Sesshomaru groaned.

She kissed his lips, lightly sucking on his lower lip before slanting her mouth over his and slipping her tongue into the deeper recesses of his mouth. He felt his control slip a notch as she ran the tip of her tongue over one of his fangs, testing its length and sharpness as she slowly rotated her hips against his.

He growled, instinctively thrusting forward, rolling his hips into her pleasurable rotation.

He was ready. But he still needed to prepare her.

He broke free from her kiss and urged her back against the mattress, briefly resting his body atop hers then beginning the downward journey to suckle at her breasts, the tip of his tongue teasing the hardened nubs protruding from the soft mounds of flesh, then dragging his fangs across them before pulling them fully into his mouth, worrying the excited little buds till they appeared swollen and red from his oral assault.

Rin moaned and gasped, a fine sheet of sweat forming over her heated flesh, her back arching upwards, urging him to take more of her into his mouth.

Kneeling between her parted thighs, he placed his palm just above her lower abs, holding her flat against the mattress as his tongue traced circles around her navel then dipped inside, his lips covering the shallow orifice as his tongue repeatedly plunged in and out of the tiny aperture, eliciting further cries and pleas from his female partner.

A slight smirk crossed his face as he kissed his way down the smooth, flat plane and he, at last, came to the dusting of dark, downy hair that covered Rin's hidden depths. He nuzzled his nose within the damp curls and inhaled deeply.

No, he agreed with himself. There is no better scent in the world than that of his fully aroused mate. And no other male had ever been or would ever be this close to her. He would be her one and only lover, and he would ensure that she never regretted that decision.

He ran his hand between her strong, toned thighs, parting her warm, slick folds and lapped at her already excited center of pleasure.

Rin cried out, her hips thrusting off the bed.

He gave her inner thigh a slight nip and glanced up at the dazed expression in her dark eyes. "Be still," he warned her. "Enjoy but do not move."

"But . . ." she tried to argue with him. "It feels sooooo good, Se-sesshomaru." She continued while gasping for air. "I . . . I can't . . . help it."

"Try," he said softly. "Try to be still, my Rin. I do not wish to harm you accidentally."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "I understand."

"Good." He pressed a kiss against her nether lips, his tongue, again, seeking out the sensitive nub nestled between the damp folds of flesh.

Rin cried out again, but her hips stayed flat against the mattress.

He rewarded her with another pass of his tongue, then he slowly slid his longest finger into her tight passage. He growled in appreciation at the way her inner muscles instantly clamped down on the intruding digit, surrounding it in warm, wet heat.

His control slipped another notch, her arousal approaching the level it had been at in the cleansing chamber-potent, strong, inviting . . . enticing.

Patience, he growled inwardly.

If he scared her or caused her more pain than was normal, then she would never want to mate with him again. The idea of sleeping in separate chambers didn't appeal to him in the least.

He needed to be able to touch her. And he wanted her to want him to touch her . . .

Rational thought again prevailed, and he turned his attention back to the female spread out in front of him.

He slid the single digit in and out of her virgin passage, gradually stretching her as he continued to lap at her bundle of nerves.

Rin sighed breathlessly, and as he felt her muscles relax, he carefully added his index finger, increasing the intensity of her sensations, preparing her sheath for his sword.

"Sess . . ."

He circled her sensitive nub with his tongue, rotating his fingers inside her.

"By the gods . . ."

Another growl rose from the back of his throat as Rin's wet heat threatened to completely engulf him, sending him over the edge, daring his demon nature to surface and ram into her till neither of them could see straight.

But, not yet . . .

"Ohhhhhh . . . Sesshomaru . . ."

He added a third finger, his tongue lavishing her with love as his digits plunged deeply and slowly within her, stroking her from the inside, preparing her passageway for the inevitable intrusion of his engorged member in her warm, slick canal.

Rin squeezed her eyes shut, rolling her head from left to right, her pelvis pressed firmly into the mattress. "Sess . . . Please . . . . Ohhhhhh . . ."

That was enough. If he waited any longer, they would both be sorry.

"Rin." This time he was unable to disguise the raw need in his voice.

She stared down at him, her chest heaving, her brown eyes dazed, her skin glowing as the firelight reflected off the sheen of her sweat.

"Stand," he commanded.

She raised an eyebrow at him. He wants me to stand up on the bed?

At this point he wasn't entirely capable of forming coherent, complex sentences, but he could sense her confusion, so he needed to clarify. "On the floor," he said.

Rin nodded and slid to the edge of the bed, placed her bare feet flat on his Oriental rug, then stood. She watched with marked fascination as he tossed her a pillow then began to untie the sash of his royal blue robe.

She could see the wet spot her sex had made on the front of the short kimono.

"Kneel," he commanded.

Again, she raised an eyebrow at him.

He growled slightly, frustrated by her incomprehension and inability to follow simple orders. Didn't she know how far gone he was? Didn't she know if he couldn't enter her "comfortably" in a matter of seconds, he would seat himself inside her regardless of her pain, protests or pleas?

But, he would not allow that. He would control himself. He was not an animal.

His Rin required comfort and patience, reassurance. And he would give her that. He would force his demon instincts down and be the . . . kind, compassionate . . . gentle . . . lover that she needed and desired.

But still, he did have his limits.

He huffed and slid off the bed, his robe open, but still around his shoulders. He then grabbed the pillow from her hands and threw it on the floor very near the edge of the bed. He met her questioning gaze, pointed at the pillow and, in as calm a voice as he could manage, repeated himself. "Kneel."

Rin swallowed hard. "Oh." So, this was it. He was actually going to . . . claim her this time.

Of course, she wanted to be his. She wanted to do this. It was Fate that brought them together, and this was the natural progression of their relationship.

This was natural, she reminded herself. Life, creation, nurturing. And, so far, the experience had been nothing short of amazing, but . . .

She felt a warm, wet pair of lips pressed against her pulse point as a strong, firm hand situated itself at her lower back.

"Relax," he whispered. "I can make it feel good." Being so close to her and so sure of his success, his demon nature quieted down, allowing him to pursue the matter in his way. But if she was too resistant, too hesitant . . . Especially when he was so close . . .

She turned towards him. "Sess, I . . ."

He captured her parted lips in a warm, wet embrace, rubbing his erection against her left hip as his hand ran up and down her tailbone.

She wanted to melt right then and there.

Running his hand up her back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders from behind, he kissed her again, softly, slowly, seductively, then he applied gentle, but firm pressure to her right shoulder, encouraging her to kneel on the pillow he'd set on the side of the bed.

She did what was expected of her, the soft down of the pillow, comfortably cushioning her bare knees, her elbows propped up on the edge of the bed.

Unwilling to turn around, she simply listened as the fabric fell from Sesshomaru's shoulders and felt a slight breeze as it was tossed over her head and landed on the bed with a soft whoosh. She then tensed slightly as she felt Sesshomaru settle in directly behind her, his warm breath blowing across her shoulder, the tip of his erection brushing against her bottom. His entire body radiated a warm, penetrating heat.

He rested his head upon her shoulder and brought his hand up from behind her, massaging her right breast, his thumb grazing over her distended nipple. "Relax." He placed a warm, wet kiss on the side of her neck then licked his way down to the crook of her neck. "You are ready, as am I."

She shuddered as he passed one of his fangs over her pulse point, his hand still kneading the fullness of her breast.

"Trust this Sesshomaru." He sucked her left earlobe into his mouth, his fingertips gliding across her collarbone to bring his hand into position to caress her left breast. "I will not harm you."

She tilted her head to the side allowing him better access to the left side of her neck and shoulder.

"I do not wish to cause you pain; I wish to give you pleasure."

She sighed breathlessly as he rolled her nipple between his forefinger and thumb.

"Let me . . . give you pleasure, Rin." He continued to kiss up and down her neck as his hand dipped lower, slowly heading for that secret place nestled between her thighs.

"Sess . . ."

He stroked the sensitive nub between her wet folds, lightly brushing his aching erection against her backside. "Let me in, Rin. Let me show you how good it feels. Let us take our pleasure in one another."

When she didn't utter a phrase of refusal or resistance, he removed his hand from its previous position and placed it on her back, pressing her top half against the mattress. As he did so, he backed up slightly, allowing her enough room to make herself comfortable, his eyes now fixed on her protruding posterior-soft, smooth, firm and perfectly round.

Once she seemed to be settled, he placed his palm on her inner thigh, urging her to widen her stance to ease his entrance. He then took hold of himself, using the tip to part her folds as he gradually pressed into her.

Rin gasped at the odd sensation, silently marveling at the way he stretched her, filled her, completed her. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable; it was just . . . new.

He pushed in further, his hand firmly grasping her right hip.

Faster, his instincts called out to him. But no. He intended to savor every second of this first coupling, committing every moan and movement to memory.

"Sess . . . Mmmmm . . . ohhhhhhh . . ."

Inch by inch, he eased himself inside his life mate, nearly overwhelmed by the smooth, tight fit, and the warm, wet heat that surrounded his stiff length, wrapping him in her essence as her inner muscles contracted and squeezed. Even now, he could feel his stomach muscles clench in anticipation of what would doubtless be an explosive release.

"Sooooo good," Rin moaned. The heat from his male member. The thick, hard feel of him pushing into her warm, wet recess. The way it pulsed and throbbed and twitched, stimulating the sensitive flesh of her inner walls as they stretched to accommodate one of his sizeable girth and length. And the way it hit her pleasure spot as Sesshomaru eased himself inside her with slow, deliberate strokes . . .

"Deeper," she urged. "I . . . I need all of you."

The demon lord growled, pulling her back against him, filling her to the hilt. He was not one to refuse her simple request and . . . no other female had ever felt like this.

If he desired, he could simply stay still within her and still bring them both to a fulfilling climax. But . . . this first time, he intended to keep with tradition and bring about her pleasure in the usual way.

He gave her hip a gentle squeeze, then proceeded to withdraw and advance within her, creating a most pleasurable friction along his length as her inner muscles clung to him and welcomed him with each thrust.

Rin bit her lower lip, her hands gripping the coverlet as Sesshomaru stroked her from the inside in the most . . . intoxicating way. Much better than his hand. Much better than his tongue. Much better than a finger or two or three . . .

"Gods . . ."

Sesshomaru gradually picked up his pace, spurred on by his own need for completion and the passionate cries of his lover.

"More," she pleaded with him. "Faster . . . deeper . . . You're sooo good . . ."

He ran his hand along the side of her body, easing himself down towards her ear. "Move... with me," he urged her. "When I . . . push forward, you . . . push back."

Rin whimpered slightly, nodding her head. She was pleasantly surprised to find that when she did, she could feel him even deeper within her, sending shockwaves of pleasure from her feminine core to the top of her head, down to the tips of her toes.

He, again, grasped her hip, pulling her back against him, helping her meet his established rhythm. She seemed to enjoy it most when he thrust in deeply and rotated his hips against her.

"Sess . . . ohhhhh . . . yessss . . . ."

"Rin . . ." He bent over and licked the crook of her neck.

"Mmmmm . . . Faster . . . please . . . harder."

"Harder?" his voice was gruff, very much on edge.

"Yessss . . . please . . . I need you."

Sesshomaru growled, his blood heated almost to the boiling point, his phallus painfully hard and his mate gloriously wet and tight.

"Please!" Rin cried. "Please . . ."

His eyes briefly flashed red as he pulled out to her lips then roughly shoved himself back in, causing Rin to give out a high-pitched yelp. "Did you like that . . . my Rin?"

"Gods yesssss . . . Please, Sess . . . again . . . Please."

He repeated the process, slamming into her hard enough to shake the bed she was bent over.

"More!" she pleaded. "Gods . . . it's soooo good." She tossed her head back, grinding her hips against him. "You feel . . . sooooo good, Sess."

He bent slightly back, thrusting harder, faster, deeper into his mate's scorching hot core, driving into her again and again, causing her to make the most delightful sounds . . . Moaning and groaning, whimpering and whining, crying out for him, begging him for what he was so willing to give.

"Yesss . . . like that . . . yes, oh gods, yessss." She pushed back and met each one of his deep, powerful thrusts, arching her back, pressing her forehead into the mattress, disassembling the bedding before her.

He could feel the fluttering of her inner muscles and smelled the change in her scent. She was close . . . very close.

He groaned as the heat in his loins built to an almost unbearable level. "Rin." His voice sounded nothing like his own and very much like the animal he'd been trying to fight down since earlier that day. His breathing was labored, his skin was damp, his hair clinging to his body in silky tendrils.

Rin moaned. The combined feelings of her erect nipples rubbing against the downy soft coverlet, the tight feel of Sesshomaru pushing and pushing within her, the hot heat from his thick, hard member coursing throughout her veins, making her sweat, making her ache, making her itch and burn . . . the way he filled her, stretched her, stroked , kissed, and soothed her . . . The sound of her name passing through his lips, escaping in a deep, masculine groan . . .

"Ohhhhhh . . . Se-Sess-Sesshomaruuuu!"

Now. He bent forward and clamped his fangs down on the sensitive flesh, drawing her blood as his youki flared and flowed into her body.

Rin felt his fangs puncture her skin, but oddly enough . . . it didn't hurt. Quite the opposite, actually. As his tongue brushed across the broken flesh, she felt an irresistible wave of pleasure wash over her, closely following the tail end of her first orgasm, the combined power of the two climaxes leaving her shaken, sweaty, and exhausted, but completely sated.

As she came down from her second orgasm, he extended his clawed hand to her, so that they might complete the bonding ritual, which would bind them together as life mates.

Rin gave him an uncertain glance over her shoulder, and he nodded. He was still inside her and had yet to allow his own release. Though his body was teetering on the edge between exquisite pain and inordinate pleasure . . . he had to wait . . . just a little longer. Till the bonding ritual was completed. The force of her combined orgasms had shaken him to the core . . . Her body's attempt to milk him . . . nearly pushed him over the edge . . . but he held it back. This ritual was more important. He wanted her forever . . . not just tonight . . . and not just a few paltry decades.

She took his hand in her right hand and used his thumb claw to make a slash in her left palm, the bright red blood immediately bubbling to the surface. Now, she had to decide where she wanted to mark him. The neck was too obvious an area, and he already had markings on his face, arms, legs and hips.

Then it hit her. There was only one place for her mark on him.

"I need to face you," Rin said.

He pushed forward, urging her to rest her body more fully on the edge of the bed. She scooted slightly forward and he followed. He then grasped her right leg behind the knee. "Roll over," he instructed.

"But . . ." He was still inside of her. It felt wonderful but . . .

"Trust me," he said, his voice sounding more like his own, though still with a gruff edge.

She did as he suggested, and as she rolled over, he brought her right leg up and over, allowing it to fall in place on his left side. She was now flat on her back, and they could regard one another face-to-face as they were joined below the waist. He, again, extended his hand to her and she used his thumb claw to make a small incision on the right side of his chest above his heart.

"Now, press your palm against the wound you made . . . and allow our blood to mix and combine with each other. You . . . should feel a small transfer of power . . . as my blood begins to circulate within your veins."

Rin nodded her understanding.

He bent down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, his stomach pressed against her stomach, his chest to her breasts, her hand still in place over his heart.

"Wh-what're you doing?" Wait. She knew what he was doing. She could sense his desire for her still burning . . . And it wasn't just that general feeling she could pick up from everyone, now. It wasn't a basic awareness of his overall mood and state of mind. It wasn't just sensing how he felt; it was feeling how he felt.

And she knew this . . . feeling didn't belong to her because while she was feeling quite calm and sated, a few lingering spasms of her previous orgasms still pulsing through her, Sesshomaru was, as of yet, unsatisfied. She could feel the tightness in his loins, causing her own arousal to return full force. She could feel the dull, throbbing of his maleness mirrored in her own sex. And oddest of all, she could feel the warm, wet, inviting heat of her own body as experienced from Sesshomaru's end.

He rubbed the length of his body against hers, his heated groin brushing against the swollen nub of her womanhood, his silky hairs adding another layer to the altogether pleasant sensation.

"Sess . . ."

"Is it . . . working? My blood?"

"Can't you tell?"

Sesshomaru growled as he felt the first jolt of sensation from Rin's end. She was quite close again. His blood was circulating within her and the subsequent power transfer, though minor by demon standards, had temporarily awakened every nerve in her body. She could hear, see, smell, feel, and doubtless taste everything. Her heightened senses, coupled with the feelings she was receiving from his end had her teetering on the edge.

And this time, he intended to join her in the blissful fall.

He lifted his torso off of her and ran his hand down the front of her body, his claws lightly grazing her flushed flesh.

"Sess . . ."

He then pushed slowly in and out of his mate's moist interior as his hand ran along her side, squeezing her hip then returning to caress a breast.

"Gods, Sess . . ."

He continued the slow, purposeful torture till something within both of them cried out for him to hurry.

She kept her hand pressed to his heart as he thrust into her again and again, over and over, the silky friction between their two bodies bringing her to new heights. Adding fuel to the fire was the ability to see her mate as he paid such intimate attentions to her body . . . His damp hair clinging to his forehead, neck and shoulders, the pale hair contrasting nicely against his flushed skin and facial markings; the molten bronze of his lust-filled, loving gaze, his heavily lidded eyes staring directly at her; the sight of his muscles flexing and contracting, straining with every move he made within her; his warm palm, cupping, caressing and tweaking her breasts, the tips of his claws sending scintillating shockwaves of sensation straight down her spine; his chest rising and falling with each labored breath, his grunts and groans of pleasure filling the firelit chamber; his slender hips positioned between her parted thighs, thrusting forward and back, pushing himself deeper and deeper inside her.

Rin moaned, her third orgasm of the evening only scant moments away.

"Rin . . ."

She arched her hips forward, her back, shoulders and head lifting off the bed.

"Yessss . . ." her mate urged. "Now . . . my Rin."

She cried out loudly, the force of her climax shaking her entire body as her eyes squeezed shut and everything suddenly fell silent.

Sesshomaru grasped her hip, almost violently slammed into her, bringing about his own release, shooting scorching jets of his seed into Rin's awaiting womb. He growled and grunted as he poured himself into her, his stomach muscles tensing then relaxing as his male member pulsed its last and Rin's inner muscles milked him for all he was worth.

"Gods, Sesshomaru . . ." She finally pulled her hand away and pushed her damp hair back from her face. Though weary, she smiled brightly as her "mark" appeared on his chest-the outline of a red rose encircled by a solid, blue crescent moon. "It worked."

The demon lord glanced down then nodded, his body feeling much too heavy to move.

"Oh, that's right." She sat up and wrapped her arms and legs around him, allowing herself to fall backwards, pulling him onto the bed then rolling him off of her. "You're exhausted."

He gave a slight nod as his eyes drooped closed.

She pulled the bedding back, tugging it from beneath him then covering his nude form. She then tucked herself under the covers and snuggled up to his right side, feeling surprisingly... energized and not at all sore . . . Due perhaps to the powers Master Li had awakened within her.

She felt peaceful and calm . . . genuinely content.

She propped herself up on her elbow, then brushed his bangs back from his forehead and kissed the crescent moon she found there.

Sesshomaru gave a light growl of approval then grasped her around the waist and pulled her back down to lay beside him. "Sleep," he said softly.

She smiled warmly. "Can't I just lay here and watch you for awhile?"

He opened his eyes a crack, his pupils their normal amber color. He gave her a lazy, contended grin then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She absently rubbed the spot his lips had most recently been. "There's nothing there, is there?"

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Then it dawned upon him. He brushed the pads of his fingers against the crook of her neck, his arm about her shoulders. "My mark is here and only here."

Rin smiled then gasped as a particularly pleasant jolt of sensation struck her, her fingers and toes curling in an attempt to hold on to the tingle that traveled the length of her spine. "Wh-what WAS that!"

He gave her a somewhat smug smile, his eyes warm, his hand sliding from the crook of her neck to hug her about her shoulders. "A gift."

"A gift?" she repeated. "Did you feel that?"

He shook his head slightly, the gentle affection reflected in his eyes now showing in his smile. "No. That was solely for your benefit."

"But what was it? It felt as if--"

"I will explain later," he promised, pressing another kiss to her forehead.

She lifted her eyelids to lock gazes with him, her head down, her lower lip protruding slightly. Now, Rin wasn't one for pouting just as her lord wasn't one for giving sway to open displays of emotion, but it had worked once when she was twelve and he had reprimanded both she and Jakken for a particularly loud argument they'd gotten into during the middle of the night. It began when Jakken had called her a troll and ended with the two of them wrestling around the campsite.

"Enough," their lord commanded, his eyes cold, his tone harsh.

Jakken and she immediately pulled apart, the toad grumbling that she had started it, while she stood silently, digging the tip of her big toe into the ground.

Sesshomaru sat equally as silent, staring at the two of them across the campfire until Jakken ceased his muttering, his eyes falling to the ground and she finally found the courage to cast a timid glance upwards. Sesshomaru and she locked gazes, much as they were now. Her facial features immediately turned downcast, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as her lower lip slid outward, her chin practically to her chest. "Rin is sorry," she'd said softly. "Rin won't do it again."

He held her gaze a moment longer then gave her a slight nod and an almost unnoticeable smile . . . then he threw a stone at Jakken.

Rin smiled inwardly at the memory but maintained her pout in hopes of gaining an answer to her question "now," as opposed to "later."

Sesshomaru met her displeased face with one of his own, his stoic mask falling effortlessly into place. His hand, however, remained hugged about her shoulders, and his tone remained light. "Are we regressing into childhood, my Rin?"

Her continued pout was his only reply.

He resisted the urge to yawn and pulled her more snugly against him, her face mere inches from his, the air from her nostrils blowing down upon his upper lip. "You know this Sesshomaru does not respond to such petulant behavior."

She drew in a shaky breath, but the pout remained in place.

"Perhaps I should have disciplined you more in your youth. You seem to be quite spoiled."

Rin huffed quietly, her eyes maintaining their fix on his face, her lower lip daring to jut even further in its protrusion.

"Perhaps," he slid his hand from her shoulder down her side to caress the roundest part of her posterior, "I can correct past mistakes, now."

Her heart rate increased, a breath caught in her throat.

His facade faltered and he let a hint of mischief cross his face as he leaned in and ran the tip of his nose along the left side of her face, coming to a stop at the entrance to her ear. "Perhaps a spanking could convince you to change your dour disposition."

Rin jerked slightly, her pelvis pushing into his hip.

"But . . . perhaps you'd enjoy that." He gave her a light swat as he drew her earlobe into his mouth.

"Sesshomaru!"

His mouth remained attached to her ear as he delivered another stinging blow. "This Sesshomaru will not tolerate disobedience from his mate."

"Ouch!" her hips again jerked forward, attempting to distance her behind from the source of its discomfort. "Stop that! I'm not a child."

Another swat. He growled lowly into her ear. "Then stop behaving like one and remove that unpleasant sight from your fair face."

Her mock pout turned playful as she braced her right hand against his side, trying to push herself free from his embrace. "Sesshomaru, sto-oooop it."

Smack. "Be still." His mouth moved from her outer ear to that sensitive spot just below her lobe. There, he licked, his hand flat against her behind.

Rin moaned, her body arching towards his, the scent of her arousal again filling the air. "Y-you're supposed to be tired."

His hand again made a motion, but instead of a slap, his palm gently caressed her firm flesh. "Now, you understand." He abandoned her neck in favor of her mouth, placing a warm, wet kiss against her slightly parted lips before pulling away from her.

"So you'll explain later."

He rewarded her with another kiss.

Rin smiled.

They were quiet for a moment as Sesshomaru seemed to settle in to sleep and Rin rested by his side. The flames continued to flicker in the fireplace as the snowflakes continued to fall outside.

"I love you, Sesshomaru."

He pulled her more tightly against him, the heat from his body making her feel comfortable and safe, sleepy and warm. "I . . ." Love you, too? Feel the same way? Return your affection?

"Know," he finally said.

She gave him a knowing grin then brushed her nose against the underside of his chin. "Good night, my mate."

He nodded his regards as they both drifted into a peaceful slumber.

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Author's Note: Ta-Da! This chapter was also 55 pages long in MS Word. Twenty-nine chapters down, one more to go.

Correction: With this added bit of naughtiness and a little reformatting, this chapter is 58 pages in MS Word. I had to rework the ending a little because of events that take place next chapter. . . hehe.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope I didn't disappoint,

theMaven :)