InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight II ❯ Twilight II ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: This is a continuation of the one-shot Twilight, which you really should read before reading this or you will be massively confused. I wasn't planning on continuing it, but this a special request for the wonderful Wicked-Oni, a very belated wedding present! Woohoo giirrlll, I hope you like it!

 

 

Twilight II

 

 

“It's been a very long time,” he said, reaching across the table to gracefully pour wine into her glass. “So long I almost didn't recognize you…Shiori.”

 

“I no longer use that name,” she answered, her small fingers tracing the stem of the wineglass, the curve of a spoon.

 

Sesshomaru nodded, his movements spare and refined, those of a man who has come to need little and be interested in less. “We all take different names,” he said, gazing out the window at the glittering Manhattan skyline. “I will call you what I please…hanyou.”

 

She stiffened at the old word, one she hadn't heard said aloud for years. Only in her mind she'd whispered it, on those few occasions when her path crossed with another of somewhat diluted youkai blood. The man sitting with her in this unbearably exclusive and expensive restaurant was anything but diluted. Not by time or age, nor by experience, she could still feel his strength as vividly as when she'd first met him years ago.

 

“So tell me, Shiori who does not call herself Shiori,” he murmured, a ghost of a smile on his pale, perfect lips. “Have you come to kill me at last?”

 

oOo

 

“Look, Shiori!” Rin cried out. “A hot spring!”

 

“Rin, you rotten child! Sesshomaru-sama said not to leave my sight!”

 

Shiori giggled as Rin pulled her into the forest. “We won't be long,” the dark haired girl shouted gaily. “You shouldn't peep, Jaken-sama!”

 

Huffing angrily, the imp turned his back on the two girls. “I would never do such a thing,” he said with a scolding tone in his voice. “Why would I want to look at a scrawny little human's body?”

 

“You embarrassed him,” Shiori whispered as they followed the sloping ground to the spring. “You shouldn't say things like that, Rin!”

 

“Hmm?” Rin had already started to skin out of clothes, throwing them carelessly on the ground as she edged toward the spring. Naked, she dipped her foot in the steaming water and grinned over her shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”

 

“T…turn around,” Shiori said, fumbling and flushed. It was silly, they'd seen each other nude many times, it was hardly the first time they'd bathed or swam together. But over the past few weeks, Shiori had noticed that she was embarrassed to take off her clothes around Rin.

 

Rin, however, didn't seem to care at all. She was slim as a young sapling, just starting to grow into her long legs. She'd grown inches this last summer and Shiori woefully realized that now she'd always be looking up to meet her best friend's eyes.

 

She watched Rin as she slowly undressed, still blushing. Rin's body was pale as new milk, her flesh contrasting sharply Shiori's dusky skin. She wished again that she looked normal, like Rin with dark hair and dark eyes, pale smooth skin. But every time she looked at her own reflection in the water, she saw the same old thing.

 

Odd silver hair, strange violet eyes, and dark skin that marked her as an unnatural creature, one of mixed blood, human and hyakki bat demon. Shiori would always be an outsider among humans or demons. She was an orphaned hanyou of no particular power and as the youkai who watched over them liked to remind her, she had no place in this world.

 

Shiori didn't care what he said to her, the only place she wanted was at Rin's side. And as for where she belonged, well, she belonged to Rin. That was all that mattered.

 

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Rin shouted, splashing at her. “Come on, get in! You can wash my back.”

 

She nodded, agreeing to this request as she always agreed. Whatever Rin wanted, Shiori would do. Not that the other girl ever asked anything impossible or cruel, it wasn't in her nature to do things like that. She was happier now than she'd thought she could be. After her mother had died, Shiori had fully expected she'd spend the rest of her days alone.

 

Shiori soaped a soft cloth as she moved to where Rin was relaxing, her long legs kicking idly in the gentle current of the spring. It wasn't very hot to her, but her bat-demon blood reveled in heat and humidity. Cold air made her sleepy and during the winter she only wanted to nap her days away. But it was summer now, and Shiori found herself longing for the warm, humid nights of the seashore where she'd been born.

 

“That feels wonderful,” Rin murmured sleepily as Shiori washed her back. She took care to be gentle, treasuring the soft skin like precious silk. Shiori knew that Rin loved to be cared for, having lost her own mother at an even younger age than Shiori. They could do this for each other, this touching that they both seemed to need and enjoy.

 

Rin yawned, stretching lazily in the warm water. Then she grinned, stealing away Shiori's washcloth and poking her in the side until the other girl moved. “Your turn,” she said cheerfully. “Don't you want me to wash you?”

 

Shiori nodded, closing her eyes as gentle hands began their ministrations. It was so quiet, just the soft babble of the water and a few chirps from sleepy birds. She was so relaxed that it would be easy to fall asleep right here. Rin was a smooth presence against her back and she could feel every curve of the other girl's body.

 

Soft breasts pressed against her skin as Rin leaned close, washing her hair now, playing with the thick, dark-silver strands. Shiori thought that if she could freeze this moment and live not a second more, she would die in utter happiness. She could feel Rin's breath against the nape of her neck and something stirred deep inside her hanyou body.

 

A snake had awoken and writhing inside her belly so sensual and warm. Shiori leaned against Rin, one of her hands dropping between her thighs. It was wrong to do this, wrong to think of Rin this way. She knew it even as she moved her fingers, trying to find the head of the snake. Her lips parted, her eyes closed and she let her head fall back on Rin's shoulder, completely forgetting that her friend could see…

 

“Shiori? What's wrong, do you have a rash?”

 

The hanyou girl jerked her hand away, flushing. She was burning with embarrassment, barely able to meet Rin's confused eyes. Could Rin really be so innocent and didn't understand what she'd been doing?

 

Choking a bit, she managed to answer. “No, I…don't have a rash.”

 

Rin clucked her tongue, wringing out the washcloth. “Well, you were scratching like you had a rash. I'll tell Jaken-sama, maybe he can find us a salve or…”

 

“No!” Shiori was desperate now, knowing that if Rin described where she'd been rubbing, even the irascible imp would understand. And worse, he might explain to Rin, tell her that Shiori had been trying to pleasure herself while Rin touched her. Dirty, perverted desires, she knew that Jaken would probably enjoy seeing her humiliated.

 

He might just keep his silence on such an uncomfortable subject, but Jaken kept no secrets from Sesshomaru, she was certain about that. She cringed inwardly, knowing that punishment would follow if the icy youkai suspected that she desired Rin for herself.

 

Shiori imagined that Sesshomaru might be waiting for Rin to grow up, perhaps to take her as a lover when her body became mature enough to interest him. The thought of that made her tremble with jealousy, knowing that if he did have such intentions, there was nothing a powerless half-breed like herself could do about it. It burned her to her core that he would have Rin someday.

 

And she, Shiori, would have nothing!

 

oOo

 

After what had truly been an exquisite dinner, Shiori found herself walking along the humid New York streets beside Sesshomaru. They made an odd pair, she mused. She wore khaki trousers and her hair pulled into a thick ponytail, dark silver waves falling over a shapeless yet functional denim jacket. In contrast, he was nothing but elegance personified. Dressed in a charcoal overcoat, his hair glimmered like moonlight on glass and his pale profile would have been more at home in a museum.

 

“It's been a long time since I've met a half-breed, much longer since I've seen any of truly pure youkai blood,” he commented casually, as if his comments could still find their way into her heart like a knife.

 

“You're such a condescending bastard,” she said, smiling with a sweetness she'd never felt. “I wonder how you manage to wake up each morning, suffocated by that ego of yours.”

 

“I wake quite easily,” he answered, unperturbed. “These modern times suit me well as humans have no more intelligence than cattle and are just as easily led. Unlike yourself, I have used these many years to secure a position of power in this world.”

 

Shiori stopped, planting her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “And how would you know how I've spent the years?” she asked, derision in her tone. “You didn't even know I was still alive until I approached you on the street!”

 

He turned away, walking quickly as if the damp sidewalk wasn't good enough to grace the soles of his feet. “Follow me,” he instructed curtly without a backward glance.

 

Cursing softly to herself, her small hands tightening into fists, Shiori obeyed. As she'd never obeyed another living being, except for her own mother, she was still somehow helpless to stop herself. His long strides were swift and she occasionally found herself breaking into a jog just to stay at his heels.

 

He stopped abruptly and it was all she could do not to run into him. For a long moment, she hesitated, watching as he raised a graceful hand to enter numbers on a keypad, smiling at her with a superior sneer when the glass doors slid soundlessly open.

 

“Are you coming, Shiori who is not Shiori?”

 

Jaw set belligerently, she glanced up at the impassive, glass-encased building. A showcase of wealth and status, it turned her stomach. “I suppose you own an apartment in this building?” she asked, unable to keep the contempt from her voice.

 

“Of course not.”

 

That surprised her and she must have let it show because he smiled wickedly, mockingly. He pulled off one of his dark gray gloves and licked the tip of his finger before touching the small, brass plaque set into the door's casement.

 

“I own the entire building. Won't you give me the pleasure of your company? I have something to show you.”

 

Cursing again at her foolishness, and wondering why she hadn't tried to kill him on sight, Shiori obeyed once again and entered the domain of the youkai who had shattered her world.

 

oOo

 

Long after Rin fell asleep, Shiori lay awake beside their campfire and stared up at the stars. She was deeply ashamed of what had happened. Her feelings for Rin had moved beyond sisterly affection and she knew down to the marrow of her bones what she wanted. When they'd first met, she had only wanted a friend, a companion, someone to banish the long, lonely hours since her mother's death.

 

Looking at the girl now, Shiori had to admit that her half-demon blood was telling her what it wanted. Rin's face looked so innocent in sleep with the soft darkness of her hair falling across her cheek. She wanted to reach out and stroke that hair, touch the milky white skin with her fingers. She wanted to kiss those soft, pink lips, bite them gently and suck them until they grew dark with blood.

 

Moaning softly, Shiori pressed her face into her arms to muffle the desire that was swelling inside her. She didn't want to hurt Rin; she just loved her so much it was like a sickness. Her heart, human and needy, ached to hold Rin in her arms, to give her nothing but love and pleasure. She wanted to see Rin's eyes light up when they looked at her; she wanted to have that sweet, unspoiled smile all to herself.

 

But there was something else, a viper inside her chest. It was a wickedness that spoke to her in darkness. It wanted to drag Rin away from here, far from Jaken's watchful guardianship. It wanted to do things to that soft and vulnerable body, it wanted to hear that innocent voice as it cried out in pain…or lust. Closing her eyes, she could feel the youkai within her blood writhe in hunger.

 

Those pale thighs opening beneath hers…slender wrists pinned to the ground, her yukata open and tender breasts exposed shamelessly. She wanted to see that, she wanted to taste every bit of what was Rin, slake her thirst and whisper as Rin's voice cried out in pure desire.

 

Rin would hate her, despise her if she knew how deep and dark Shiori's feelings had become, how twisted and torn her heart. She didn't know it at the time, but as her body grew rapidly from childhood to a woman's maturity, the demon blood of her father was growing ever stronger…

 

It was too hot; she couldn't hope to sleep tonight. Something was gnawing on her insides, a parasite that clawed through her belly until she wanted to scream. Restless, feeling the tides of an ocean that was far away, Shiori stumbled off into the forest. She wasn't sure what she was searching for, only that she needed to be alone now if she wanted to get some kind of control over her own nature.

 

She sank to her knees when she found a soft bit of moss-covered ground. Her hands moved on their own, pulling her yukata up over her thighs and Shiori closed her eyes, thinking only of Rin. She just wanted to hold her, those slender arms and long legs that were so graceful. She wanted Rin to look at her with that special smile that made her eyes twinkle.

 

Moaning softly, she laid back, spreading her legs and abandoning herself. She was a hanyou; touching her own body shouldn't embarrass her. But she'd been raised to be a modest human girl in spite of her bat-demon blood. A chaste maiden would never lust like this, be driven to the expanse of pleasure. If nothing else, Shiori knew her sexual desires marked her as something different from Rin. But it didn't stop her from wanting…

 

Or needing…and dreaming away the days until she was sleepless at the night. She rubbed the place between her legs, desperate to relieve the ache. But it frustrated her too, this helpless desire. At last, she stopped, exhausted, and hot tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

 

Even release seemed to be denied to her when the fantasies she dreamed were never destined to become real. Whimpering softly, she covered her face with her hands and felt nothing but abject misery.

 

“Rin,” she whispered.

 

“So that is it,” a soft, deadly voice murmured. “You desire her, hanyou?”

 

Her eyes flew open, fear hammering her heart like a drum, and stared up at the demon that was now standing over her spread legs. Sesshomaru smiled, a glint in his cold eyes that she'd never seen before. His graceful hand lifted, floating like a ghost upon the wind, and she shivered when he pointed at her exposed and glistening sex.

 

“Continue.”

 

oOo

 

Sesshomaru's home was beautiful, elegant. Shiori hunched her shoulders a bit, trying to slink away from the clean and orderly harmony. Sparsely furnished, the open spaces declared their master's complete disregard for anything less than perfect, anything less than unique. It was obvious to her not-incompletely trained eye that the youkai had given considerable thought and expense to his surroundings.

 

That small golden statue of Buddha, for instance, the price of which could have fed an entire village in India for a month! And that divan with its hand-embroidered upholstery, it probably cost more than a dozen workers in a Chinese factory would make in a year. Her eyes narrowed slightly, running her hand across the piece. Make that two years…

 

“Shiori,” he said, his voice clipped and demanding, “if you've quite finished fondling my furniture…”

 

She snatched her hand back like a naughty child. If by bringing her here he was expecting her to be impressed by his worldly wealth, Sesshomaru was to be vastly disappointed. She'd lived much of her life in poverty, rarely owning more than the clothes on her back. Instead she'd worked hard for those who had even less, going from village to village when she still lived in Japan. She nursed the sick, cared for the children, did the work of those who were too weak to care for themselves.

 

Shiori supposed that a selfish beast like Sesshomaru would have seen her dedication as pitiful and contemptible. No, she knew him too well for that even. He didn't feel pity; instead he would have seen her and the people she'd helped as nothing more than insects to be crushed beneath his feet.

 

“Why did you bring me here?” she said, her voice hard and out of place in such refined surroundings. “You think I'm impressed with you? I feel like I'm about to be sick.”

 

“Then kindly do not be sick on my floor,” he said, a trace of malice in those glittering eyes. “The carpet is hand-woven and rather expensive. I doubt you could afford to have it cleaned, let alone replaced.”

 

For some reason, that struck her as funny and she laughed aloud. Shiori grinned at his impassive face, no hint of emotion in the set of his mouth. “Don't worry, Sesshomaru,” she said, matching him hate for hate. “I promise not to puke all over your precious carpet. Forgive me, I am only a rude, unsophisticated hanyou.”

 

Sesshomaru turned away and she caught something in his eyes she'd never guess to see. A touch of sadness, a bit of regret? Obviously, she must be imagining it, there's no way Sesshomaru felt anything remotely like regret.

 

“There is nothing to forgive,” he murmured, his voice laced with old pain. “Another hanyou I once knew would have said the same thing. And mocked me for my words, as you have so aptly mocked me now.”

 

Taken aback, Shiori stared at him. The angry words dried up in her throat and she flushed, putting a cool hand to her cheek. Of course, she hadn't known back then who that other hanyou had been, or why he seemed to have such contempt for half-breeds.

 

If anything, perhaps she owed him a little more kindness, simply because his half-demon brother had saved her life and her mother's life so very long ago.

 

oOo

 

“Continue,” he said again, his tone commanding. She couldn't move, too scared to even cover herself and her body started to tremble. He tilted his head to the side, gazing down at her imperiously. “Are you disobeying me, half-breed?”

 

She caught her breath when Sesshomaru knelt and flinched when he touched a cool finger to the slick evidence of her arousal. “Pathetic,” he murmured. “You can't even make yourself come? I would have thought that masturbation was something even a hanyou could accomplish on her own.”

 

“Don't…don't touch me,” she whispered. He knew everything, had seen everything! Her pitiful moans, her shameless groping. Now he'd punish her certainly, for coveting what was his. And worse…he'd tell Rin.

 

“Be quiet,” he said sternly. His hand moved to her inner thigh, smoothing along the skin in a purposeful caress. When it reached the bend of her knee, he lifted her leg and pushed it up, spreading her wider. She trembled and whimpered, but couldn't make herself protest when he leaned close, sniffing at her with an almost interested expression.

 

“If you cannot complete, then I will do it for you.”

 

She jerked when his tongue touched her, exploring. Shiori closed her eyes…she was so scared…but his mouth was warm as he continued to lap and suckle at her. She started to pant, and then moan softly, when his tongue slipped inside her, probing gently and her body started to become aroused.

 

“No,” she cried softly, reaching for his head to push him away. He didn't move, but continued to aggressively work her inner folds, his lips and tongue seemed almost burningly hot, and she gasped and clutched his hair. His palm slid under her backside, lifting her a bit so he could taste her more deeply and soon Shiori was gasping for breath as her body jerked and convulsed.

 

Then he pressed his tongue hard against the swollen nub between her folds and Shiori screamed, writhing against the maddeningly intense pleasure. Her fingers pulled helplessly at the youkai's silvery hair as he drove her to orgasm, continuing to lick feverishly at her until she was sobbing and begging incoherently for him to stop.

 

Sitting back, he stared at her flushed and tear-streaked face. “Not bad, making you cry,” he whispered. “You can be useful for this at least.”

 

Sudden fear gripped her and she twisted, trying to scramble away from him. Instinct was upon her and she knew what would come next. Not for one moment did she believe that Sesshomaru would pleasure her while expecting nothing in return. His expression was almost amused, watching her trying to crawl away, feral and fearful as an animal.

 

Shiori cried out when he surged forward and flattened her to the ground, her fists beating against the hard earth as that once-gentle hand lifted her hips. His claws gouged her painfully as she struggled and then screamed when something hard and huge impaled her from behind.

 

“Rutting is something even a half-breed can do,” he grunted, his breath hissing between his teeth. “You don't have the right to refuse me, hanyou.”

 

The pain was like nothing she had ever imagined, splitting her open and stabbing into her tender body like a relentless sword. She was crying, clawing at the ground with her hands, still trying to get away from him. He seemed to enjoy that the most, letting her almost squirm free and then thrusting her into the ground.

 

Then suddenly, he shivered and quite nearly crushed her, his heavy body collapsing on hers until she saw red and black spots because she couldn't breathe. He was killing her; she had to be dying from this much pain and terror. She almost screamed again when he yanked himself out and she could feel her own sticky blood mingling with his seed as it leaked from her battered vagina. But she could breathe again and it seemed like she might live.

 

She didn't move, listening to the sounds he made as he cleaned himself up. She didn't move when his claws touched her hair, then pulled so that he could look at her face. For a long moment, he stared down at her, something unreadable and hateful in his golden eyes. Then, gently, he released her so that her cheek was pillowed against the mossy ground.

 

“Understand this,” he said, standing and moving away. “You belong to me. You will do as I tell you. You will say nothing of this to Rin, not this time, and not the next. I will use you however and whenever I choose. Be compliant and you will be pleasured as well. Disobey and I will find a way to make you regret ever being born a female.”

 

He left her there to gather herself as well as she could. And she literally seethed with hatred at the thought of him touching her again. Her only choice was to run away, leave Rin, and her heart quailed at the thought. If not her body, then perhaps he would turn to Rin.

 

Shiori wiped her grimy face and glared up at the dark sky. No. She would not let Rin be put in her place, not now and not ever. If it were the last thing she did, she'd find a way to destroy him.

 

oOo

 

“I did not bring you here to show you my home,” he said suddenly, whisking away from her in a flutter of long hair. “It was something else that you said outside, how I couldn't know what you'd been doing for all these years. I wish to…disagree with that statement.”

 

Curious, she followed him now, into yet another room. Unlike the others, this room was a jumble of color and disorganized chaos. Shiori's mouth fell open, gaping at the rows and rows of books, scrolls, pieces of paper and oddities. It looked like the storage unit for a museum had exploded in this small study. She looked around in complete shock as Sesshomaru strode easily through the disorganized mess and started to pull books from the shelves.

 

“No, not here,” she heard him mutter, dropping the ancient looking volumes on the floor with careless disregard. Somehow, it was almost humanizing to see him like this, in what was obviously his favorite room. The rest of his apartment was a showcase of wealth and power, a display of elegant refinement. But this messy den spoke of a creature with far too much time and far too much…sentimentality, to be the cold, imposing bastard she thought she knew.

 

Dust rose as Sesshomaru cleared the shelves, intent on finding something in particular. So he was a packrat after all, she scolded herself, doesn't mean he's changed. Coughing, she picked her way across the room and settled discreetly on the edge of his desk. She folded her arms and waited.

 

“Are you looking for something?” she asked and then cringed inwardly. Of course he was…did she have to sound like an idiot?

 

“Yes,” he sounded distracted, “ah, yes. Here it is.”

 

Shiori was curious in spite of herself when Sesshomaru pulled out a very thick album. It looked quite old and worn, filled with faded pictures and clippings. How was this supposed to make her believe…

 

Paging through the pictures, she thought they looked familiar and her breath caught. This one was taken in 1969. A woman was standing in a small group of Cambodian refugees, her arms around the children and smiling. Shiori's heart started to pound, recognizing her own face from so long ago.

 

“How did you…” she started to ask.

 

“I saw it in a magazine,” he said bluntly, reaching out to touch the faded photograph. “I contacted the journalist that took the picture and asked him for this print. He thought I was doing research on the refugees, but I assure you, that was not the case.”

 

Turning to the next page, she saw other photographs. Lebanon. China. Thailand and Vietnam. Eyes wide, she looked up at him.

 

“I took these,” she said, her voice shaking.

 

“I know,” he said, his voice back to its careless disinterest. “I've kept track of your career, Shiori by another name. Traveling to the worst places on earth, taking photographs of the poor and the wretched. I was surprised to find that you'd chosen to spend your life documenting the misery of others.”

 

“You think it was wasted?” she asked, anger coloring her tone. How dare he, when she had spent her years as an aid worker, a photojournalist, while he had done little more than selfishly amass a fortune?

 

“Hardly.” Sesshomaru closed the album and stared at her in a most disconcerting way. “When you were arrested in Nepal for trying to enter Tibet, who do you think paid the bribes to get you released?”

 

Unable to answer, she only glared at him. Sesshomaru moved around the desk, standing close to her, his presence was overwhelming. “And when you were taken hostage in Sri Lanka a few years back, captured with other humanitarian fools, who do you think pressured the government to negotiate with the rebels for your release?”

 

He paused and then continued relentlessly. “How about that time when you were shot and nearly died in West Africa? Didn't you think it was odd that that the U.N. moved at just that time to take the refugee camp? You spent weeks in the hospital recovering from infections despite your hanyou blood.”

 

“Why?” she shouted, wanting to beat her fists against his expressionless face. “Why have you been following me? Damn you, Sesshomaru! Why?”

 

He reached out and cupped her chin. “Because the last thing Rin asked me for, so many years ago, was that I would watch over you.”

 

At the sound of that name, Shiori's mind went blank and she froze, not even feeling Sesshomaru's fingers as they lightly caressed her skin.

 

oOo

 

Drowning in desire and hating herself for it, Shiori wound her hands into his hair and pulled the demon close to her. Their bodies moved in slow rhythm, Sesshomaru never hurried, but always kept to his own pace. And her body had learned his pace as well as it knew her own. They almost always came at the same time and she swore under her breath even as her legs clenched around his hips.

 

“More,” she husked, her body on fire.

 

“Be patient, foolish girl,” he returned, amused.

 

Shiori said nothing, feeling her climax building like a serpent rising from a pit. She shoved hard against his thrusts, her mouth wide open as Sesshomaru pulled her against his body. Shuddering and gasping, she let him lift her into his lap without pulling out, sliding slickly along his length. His mouth sucked the tender skin of her throat and she grunted, pulling harder at his hair.

 

He chuckled. “What would she say, Shiori, if she saw you like this? You despise me and yet you take me inside so deeply. I wonder…”

 

“Shut up,” she snarled, biting his ear. “Just…gods…harder!”

 

Their hips clashed, Sesshomaru kept his arm clasped around her back and Shiori braced herself against him. Her fingernails clawed at his skin and she heard Sesshomaru moan, bending forward to nip at her breasts with his sharp teeth. He knew she couldn't refuse, didn't even want to anymore since her body and not her heart had made the choice.

 

Oh how she hated him, but at the same time she didn't run away. It was sickening and made no sense, but as her human heart loathed them both for these encounters, her half-demon blood relished the sex. She felt him surge inside her, grinding her hips painfully against his and she threw back her head, shouting her ecstasy with a piercing wail.

 

They stilled then and she felt his hand stroke her hair. Sesshomaru nuzzled her throat, licking the sweat that had plastered her hair to her skin. Teasingly, he nipped her ear and whispered, “Did you think of Rin when you came?”

 

Angry, she shoved away from him, sliding from his lap to land with a thump on her bottom. Then, a little sadistic because she'd learned it from him, she smiled.

 

“I certainly wouldn't come from thinking of you.”

 

He was silent and she sat quietly, not looking at him. The truth was…she hadn't been thinking of Rin during their sex, hadn't in a long time. She still loved the girl with all of her heart, but more and more her mind became confused.

 

Sesshomaru was only using her body, but she was using his as well. He'd forced her into this twisted relationship. She wouldn't have chosen to be his lover, not in a thousand years.

 

“I see.” His voice was cold and she sensed fury under that icy exterior. “Just remember that as long as you are with Rin, you will belong to me. You want to leave; you are free to do so. No fool would pursue a hanyou whore.”

 

“I'm not a whore!” The words blasted from her mouth like venom and she wanted to spit all her rage into his face. “I love Rin, I love her far more than you ever could! If I have to stay here and let you fuck me to protect her, I will! You make me sick, you perverted monster!”

 

His hand flashed forward and gripped her throat, squeezing. “Perhaps Rin would like to know that,” he said, his voice low and smooth. “Why don't you tell her how much you love her, how you think of her when I thrust into your body? How you moan and quiver with lust as I take you, don't you think she'd like to know how much you sacrifice,” his voice turned sarcastic, “to preserve her innocence?”

 

He released her with a vicious push and Shiori rubbed her throat. After the first time…a rape so painful she still cringed, he'd been much gentler with her body. It had become a game to him, to make her beg for his touch when he knew she hated him. He knew how to manipulate her responses, draw out the pleasure until she ached and pleaded with him to take her.

 

And then he taunted her about her love for the oblivious Rin, how wasted and pitiful her feelings were, how dark and twisted her bat-demon blood. And she knew, in her angry, hurting heart…that he was right.

 

Sesshomaru dressed and left her sitting on the ground, mulling over his words. “Make sure you bathe alone,” he tossed over his shoulder before he left. “You won't be able to excuse the marks I've made.”

 

Bastard. As if she didn't know that. At first she'd been able to pass of the bruises as her own clumsiness, but Rin was getting suspicious. Shiori was no longer able to even have the simple pleasure of washing her back and Rin didn't understand why her friend had become so shy.

 

She had to get back soon, if Rin awoke and found her missing, there would be questions. Jaken knew all about it, watching her with a glare that she didn't know if was from disapproval or jealousy. She suspected he held his tongue because Sesshomaru had ordered it and the imp was nothing if not loyal.

 

Like Rin, Jaken loved Sesshomaru and thought he could do no wrong. It shamed her so much, that she'd let herself fall so far. If she had any self-respect, she would have left long ago…what did she had to stay for, knowing by now that Rin would never return her feelings and all she had…

 

All she had left was the dark pleasure that Sesshomaru exacted from her body.

 

“Shiori…”

 

She choked and almost stumbled, staring at Rin's pale face. The girl's eyes were wide and tears sparkled like jewels on her cheeks. For a long moment, they faced each other, Shiori still half-dressed and her inner thighs sticky. She knew that Rin had seen…everything. And heard everything and the words wouldn't come from her mouth although they raced like a raging river in her mind.

 

PleaseI'msorryforgivemeRinPleasedon'thatemeIloveyou!

 

Shiori reached out to Rin, but the girl gasped, shook her head and dashed away. Slowly, she sank to the ground and put her head in her hands. It was over. The lies, the deception…and her heart was breaking…the love they'd shared as friends, as sisters, and Shiori knew that she was alone once again.

 

oOo

 

“She asked you to watch over me?”

 

A pause, then, “Yes. It was her last wish before she died. I honored it.”

 

“You honor nothing!” Wild with anger, Shiori seized the heavy album and hurled it to the floor. “You're lying, I know you're lying!”

 

“I do not lie. I do not waste my time with lies.”

 

Shiori clenched her fists in her hair and glared at him. She was trembling, shaking really, and didn't know if she was about to attack Sesshomaru or run screaming from the apartment. Breathing hard, she managed to regain some control and slowly lowered her hands.

 

“I suppose you two were very happy together,” she spat, glaring at him. “What did you bring me here for, do you think I'm touched by your little collection? It means nothing to me, you bastard!” Then she stopped, took a deep breath and turned away from him. She needed to get out of here. Get away from this monster that had broken her spirit and claimed her body so long ago.

 

“Rin spoke of you often,” he said, his tone as distant as ever. “Do not think that she did not care. She stayed by my side for many years after you left, but always, I knew she missed you dearly.”

 

Bitter, she turned to look at him and saw that he was staring out the window as if divining the future or past from the glittering lights of Manhattan. His expression was calm; once again she thought he looked as remote and beautiful as one of the many works of art she'd passed in the outer rooms. Strangely enough, the sight calmed her and she sighed heavily and sat down on his desk with a thump.

 

“She hated me,” Shiori said bitterly.

 

“No.”

 

She looked up, bleak and unhappy as she'd been so many years ago. “Nothing is wrong with my memory, Sesshomaru. I remember everything about that night. She saw us in the forest, screwing like a pair of horny demons, and she hated me for it. I tried…I tried to tell her how I felt, that I didn't want this, but she wouldn't listen.”

 

“She heard.”

 

Shiori hunched over, her hands curled on her knees. “She told you to get rid of me, I was there.” Rin's face, a mask of fury as she'd screamed for Shiori to go away. Her own voice pleading for Rin's forgiveness…as if she had been the one to make advances on Sesshomaru in the first place, then openly begging her to let her stay.

 

“She did say that,” Sesshomaru answered. She heard him move to her side and felt his fingers trail down her neck. “As usual, you understand nothing. Rin understood what had happened much better than you've guessed.”

 

Looking up, she studied him. “What do you mean?”

 

A faint smile lit his eyes. “I suppose you've always assumed that Rin sent you away out of jealousy, out of hatred and anger. The Rin I knew did not have such feelings in her heart.”

 

His fingers tangled in her hair and Shiori was surprised that she didn't flinch away when he leaned close. “Before she told you to go away, Rin confronted me. Such a little thing she was, and so upset. She asked if I had forced you.”

 

Shiori caught her breath, eyes wide. He stroked her cheek, seemingly unable to stop touching her now. “I did not lie. I told her yes.”

 

“And?” Shiori whispered, helpless to stop herself.

 

“She did not reprimand me, Rin would never do such a thing. She knew how much you loved her…desired her…but I told her that as long as you were with us, I would continue. You had agreed to that as a condition of staying at her side and base creature I was at the time…I was very selfish to insist upon it.”

 

She choked back a laugh. Sesshomaru admitting he was selfish? She'd never thought to hear such a thing. His fingers touched her cheek and Shiori realized that tears were falling from her eyes and she hadn't realized it.

 

“So that's why you've watched me? Out of guilt?”

 

“No. I did not feel guilt. I gave Rin the choice to send you away if she thought that was for the best. She did so out of love, not because she was angry. She only wanted to stay at my side and not have you submit to me against your will.”

 

Sighing heavily, she leaned her head against Sesshomaru's chest. Somehow, this eased the pain of the past, knowing that Rin had never despised her. The harsh words had been a play, an act so that she would leave them. She felt Sesshomaru's arm curve around her back in an awkward embrace.

 

She closed her eyes, the words hard to get out even now. “Did you love Rin?”

 

His lips touched her hair and she heard his whispered words as his breath made her nerves tingle. “Not in the way that you think. She was my child, the daughter of my heart although not my body. At the time you knew her, I could not have admitted that much even to myself. Perhaps I feared that you would eventually seduce her.”

 

“What makes you think that?” Shiori was curious to hear his answer, and not for the ghost of the love she'd felt for Rin. She wanted to know why…after all these years…why had he done such things to her, to Rin. Why had he torn them apart and sent her into a spiral of self-loathing and lust?

 

Even now, her body still remembered the touch of Sesshomaru.

 

He tipped her head back to look at her face and there was warmth in those golden eyes she'd never seen before. “If you could seduce me, unwilling and unknowing, despising hanyou as I did at the time…how could Rin resist?”

 

“I didn't seduce you,” she said, barely breathing. “You forced me, you hurt me. You made me want you no matter how much I hated you.”

 

His finger moved to trace her lips. “I hated you because you were a hanyou, because you became beautiful enough to tempt me. I despised you because I was disgusted with my desires and jealous of your love for Rin. You…lowered me, Shiori. I couldn't forgive you for that.”

 

He kissed her then, a soft, almost innocent pressing of his lips upon hers. She felt desire and compassion for this youkai who was so alone and isolated within his memories. She had lived these past five centuries, lived and experienced joy, love, sorrow…everything life had to offer and more.

 

Unlike Sesshomaru, who might have been waiting all this time for her to listen to what was not an apology, but still salved her soul with its heartfelt equivalent.

 

Conflicted, she didn't know what to say. Sensing her confusion, Sesshomaru withdrew and turned away, looking out the window yet again. “You may go,” he said, as if she'd been waiting for his permission.

 

She went, stumbling a bit as she did. The truth was bitter on her lips, along with the memory of his kiss. As she rode the elevator down to the street, she thought about that, about Rin. Shiori knew her friend hadn't been a fool, or half the naïve child that she'd believed. She had been a joyful girl who had probably grown into a warm and loving woman. And she hadn't left Sesshomaru, not until she'd died.

 

Shiori stood at the doors, gazing out at the humid streets through the thick glass. She ran her finger down the smooth surface, watching her breath fog the clear and tempered glass. Sesshomaru was like this building, encased within his own icy reserve, unable to touch or be touched by the mass of humanity that seethed outside his door.

 

Save by her…who had entered twice and been told to leave yet again.

 

“Oh, to hell with it,” she muttered. Her finger touched the call button and she listened to faint buzzing somewhere deep inside the wall. She didn't move until he answered, a slightly baffled tone when he did.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I think I'd like to come back up,” she said, the words slow and thick. “Do you mind if we talk some more?”

 

There was a long pause and she waited. Then, “If you wish.”

 

 

 

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