'I have come to take Rin from you as my wife.'
Rin stood there, motionless, her arm caught by the man's hand, almost like a captor with his victim. But Rin did not protest or rebel in any way. The man was fresh faced and tall, he was quite tanned and had shining dark hair – the picture of health. The man's statement hung in the air like an unwanted fly, the words buzzing about uncaptured, unnoticed. But a voice cut the silence, calm and cool.
'You cannot take her.'
The man took half a step forward, his free hand clenching in to a fist.
'She does not belong to you!'
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. He was standing a little away, half turned toward the couple behind him, speaking over his great white fur. He turned his head away, his long silver hair swaying slightly. But he did not answer.
The man disliked the silence even more and let out a grunt.
'I courted her as custom dictates and she has not refused me! You cannot keep her in these wilds, in your possession – a demon who has no regard for the fading mortality of a young girl. She and I are to be married and she will bear my children. She will be where she belongs.'
But Sesshomaru said only: 'Rin'
'Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?'
'Is this what you want?'
He still spoke with his back to the pair, more still than the great forest trees which towered over them, and more ancient.
There was a pause before her answer came: 'Rin wants – Rin wants to have children, Sesshomaru-sama.'
'You cannot disregard her desire, demon. You cannot deny a woman her natural yearning for offspring. I am to fulfil this wish for her. It is not the place of demons to impregnate human women. It has happened in the past, and evil only ever comes from such. Your aura is one of death, demon. You would probably kill the child as soon as it was born, were you ever to bewitch a maiden. I know your kind.'
The man's voice was infused with not a little pomposity. Rin thought she heard a growl – but it was not from the man standing next to her.
'Don't you speak that way to Lord Sesshomaru! He is the kindest person I have ever known! He would never do such a thing! I would happily and willingly have Sesshomaru-sama's children if he loved me in such a way – ' Rin clapped her hands over her mouth as soon as she realised what she had said. She had been angry and as usual, her anger had run away with her tongue.
'Rin'
Silence. The man was fuming and he had Rin's arm in a horrible grip.
'Rin, follow me.'
'I – I can't Sesshom-'
The man was really hurting her by now. In less than a flash of time Sesshomaru had knocked the man flat on the ground, unconscious.
Rin rubbed her bruised wrist, but when the pain had momentarily subsided she realized she was standing there, facing Sesshomaru, who stood before her even taller than that man, and far far more menacing in his silent grace.
'I – I am sorry for being so stupid, Sesshomaru-sama, but that man demanded he see you – '
'Rin.'
It was the voice that commanded her to look at him. She felt like she was dragging two great boulders with her eyes as her gaze traveled all the way from the ground, up to Sesshomaru's armored feet, to the tip of his lowest sword, to the sash at his waist, to the spikes at his chest, over the great big white fur, past his grim mouth, and finally – she flinched slightly – to his burning golden eyes. She looked away again instantly.
'Sesshomaru-sama I didn't mean what I said, I really didn't it was just that that man made me angry and he had been so nice before then he started getting very insolent with you and I can't stand it when humans think they can insult you because you're a demon they never understand you and they never will because they are idiots and short sighted and I said whatever came in to my head to say in your defense – '
'Rin' his voice cut through her diatribe. 'I do not need protecting.'
'I know - ! – I – I am sorry, Sesshomaru -.' She ended the sentence hopelessly hanging her head.
'But I am not angry at you for any of that.'
Rin looked at him, open questioning in her eyes.
'So you are very angry with me?'
'Why didn't you tell me you wanted children?'
Sesshomaru had asked the question so matter-of-factly that it struck Rin how absurd it was that she had agonized privately over the desire for so long. Of course! Why hadn't she told her wishes to Lord Sesshomaru? But she blushed and took a step back.
'But – but Sesshomaru-sama – you can't buy me one of those, or fight something off to get one – '
she trailed off miserably.
'So you went to that pitiful creature' the demon lord's voice was laced elegantly with obvious contempt as he shot a poisonous glance to the still unresponsive man on the ground.
'He did seem nice when I met him – '
Sesshomaru let out a humorless exclamation of air but Rin did not understand what he found so terrifyingly amusing. The fact was, she was a very beautiful young woman and that was a lowly farm hand human. Of course he was nice to her.
'I thought you would trust me by now – that you can rely on me, Rin.'
'Oh but I do, I do, Sesshomaru-sama!'
'Then why did you ask a detestable mortal to fulfill your wish?'
Suddenly, Rin began crying very hot tears.
'Y-you don't understand Lord Sesshomaru!'
His eyes widened as he looked at the girl's outburst in front of him. She was positively shaking with heaving sobs, clutching at her stomach. Was she ill?
'Don't understand - ? Rin?'
'To have children – ' Rin choked out her words between sobs – 'it is not as easy as getting food, or getting warmth – ' She tried her best at composing herself before continuing, but she could hardly find any more words to say. What could she say? What on earth was she going to say? Didn't he know? Was he toying with her? 'It means two people – they have to – mate – in your terms – to produce a child – '
'And you said you would happily do so with me, if I loved you in a certain way?'
Rin couldn't believe how openly he was describing this. But those words, coming from him, words she had revolved round and round in her mind for so long – it was too much. She could not explain anymore, could not tear open her soul in front of him like this any longer. She was silent, tears still coursing down her face.
'You act in such a silly way, Rin. All you needed to do, was ask this Sesshomaru. You should know, that is all it ever takes for you to get me to do what you want. You should know, Rin.'
He sounded angry – hurt. But Rin was angry too.
'How could I ask you such a thing! How completely ridiculous! Do you know how intimate that is? Do you know how embarrassing that would be for me? I have loved you since I was eight!'
'Have you not known me long enough to trust me, Rin? To trust me with everything?'
'I am a woman – not a child – '
His voice cut in over the top of hers, the hurt evident in his tone.
'And I am a demon, not a human. I do not think in the same way as you. This matter is simple in my mind. It was only my concern for your feelings that I have held back in saying anything to you at all. I want you to be my mate. That answers all of your problems, Rin. And mine, also. I only wish you had asked me this sooner. Foolish girl.'
Rin hardly felt appeased. Her anger clouded over her senses and she reacted instead to all her own hurt rather than actually registering what Sesshomaru had just said to her.
'You think because I am alone, weak, a human, a woman no less, that you can comfortably control every aspect of my life, expect me to be comfortable with that – you think all the answers are easily got because nothing is hard for Lord Sesshomaru – but you do not understand my desire – I have a burning soul and it is blunted your coldness, even now, you are so cold, so – '
But she could speak no more because he was kissing her. And it certainly was not cold. It was hot and wet and passionate. There was grunting and whining.
'Oh I understand desire, Rin' he growled between kissing her. 'It is you'