Crossing Destiny

by Ladyjai87

AU - Rin's simple routine gets thrown off-balance when a very charming stranger shows up on her fire-escape. Things go from strange to terrifying as secrets come to light and emotions rise to the surface. Join us for a romantic thriller sure to send shivers down your spine and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Just in time for Halloween! And there's a lemon! Enjoy!

Crossing Destiny

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Hello again everyone. I'm happy to say I have a nice Halloween delight for everyone. And what better way to celebrate than with a cute and thrilling vampire tale about our fave couple, Sesshomaru and Adult Rin. Sorry if anyone appears out of character.

This one was written by my friend Solaris and proofed by me. I tried my best to find every grammatical and punctuation error and I apologize if I missed any. Once again, we hope you enjoy and we have a nice surprise at the bottom of the page after you read.

---

I still don't know why I did what I did. The average person wouldn't have been so foolish. The average person would have called the police. I mean seriously, I was putting my very life in danger.

I just came home from work. The sun light would be peering into the living area/bedroom of my studio apartment in about eight minutes. It was always in the morning that I was thankful the building beside my home was so tall. I had a little extra time before the sun intruded, just enough for me to change out of my waitress uniform into a soft camisole and shorts and hit the pullout sofa-bed. But this morning changed everything.

I walked out of the bathroom and heard some thing out on my fire-escape. I ignored it until a distinct knocking was heard on my window. I was more curious than terrified that there was someone on the second floor fire-escape. Walking to my window, I saw a man. He smiled pleasantly at me. His pearly white teeth gleamed at me.

"May I come in?" He asked in a muffled baritone voice from the other side of the window.

I didn't answer his question. I was mesmerized by his warm topaz eyes. My mind told me to run, run far away from him. Run for my cell phone that was charging on the end table and call the police, lock myself in the bathroom or run to my neighbor's door. Or maybe be brave and dart to the kitchen and grab the sharpest knife I could find and threaten him sternly so he wouldn't come back. Every idea seemed pretty good but I didn't follow any of it. My heart was screaming the complete opposite at me. My heart was telling me to let this man in, even though he was a complete stranger.

"The sun is coming up and I need shelter. I've been up all night and I'm very, very tired. May I please have some lodgings?"

Lodgings? He wanted to rest here for a while. That was definitely a no. But my hand was already on the latch. I felt like I was having an outer body experience. I watched myself raise the window and step back as he gleamed and ducked his head, clearing the window and enter my home.

He gave a satisfied sigh and smirked, looking around my modest dwelling.

"Thank you very much."

I shut the window and locked it. I drew the shade just as the sun reached it's shining spot in the sky. The darkening shades I used blocked the sun completely. It looked like mid evening now.

"You don't like the sun?"

"It's not that I don't like the sun but I have trouble sleeping with it shining in here. I work the night shift and sleep during the day." I answered turning toward him.

"A woman after my still heart." He smiled.

My breath hitched in my throat. It was then that I noticed this stranger I felt compelled to assist. He was a tall slender man, smartly dressed. Brilliant white hair adorned his head, hanging down his back, stopping around the back of his thighs. His face was perfectly symmetrical and smooth, almost porcelain, and slightly pale. He had a beautiful smile and hypnotizing eyes. He must have noticed my gawking and gleamed at me again, his canine teeth much longer and sharper looking than the average person. They resembled fangs but that was ridiculous.

Beyond visual comprehension, he was at my closet removing his long trench coat, placing it inside and sitting on my bed.

"So what is your name?" He inquired.

"My name is Rin. Rin Inuzuka."

"What a lovely name."

"Th..Thank you." I answered standing in the middle of the floor with my arms folded across my chest trying my best to discreetly conceal my rather large bust.

"You seem rather nervous. There's no need to fear me. I will not harm you. I'm not hungry." He laughed.

"Hungry?"

"Your heart is beating fast. Relax. Come rest."

Was my heart really pounding that loud in my chest? With unsightly speed, he was beside me ushering me to my sofa-bed. My brain told me time and time again to run the other way. This situation was unsafe. But beyond all reason, I did the complete opposite. I sat on my bed, rattled.

"Perhaps, if I introduce myself, you will feel more relaxed?"

I looked up at him as a gesture to continue.

"My name is Sesshomaru."

"That's an odd name."

"It's a very old name."

"No surname?" I inquired.

"There is no need for it." There was a slight pause in his speech before he asked, "Feel comfortable now?"

The more I stared in his eyes the more I felt the tension release from my body. He yawned and I followed.

"Where do you keep your pillows and blankets?"

"They are in the closet." Before I could turn toward the door and point, he was returning with my two pillows and thick throw blanket.

"Sleep." He ordered laying his head on a pillow like it was always his. I followed suit. Beyond all reason I couldn't bring myself to fear this being with inhuman speed.

When I awoke later that day I remembered being plagued with weird dreams of abstract colors and shapes. And then I remembered the events before my hypnotic-like sleep. I certainly couldn't have been foolish enough to let a stranger with beautiful eyes and great physique, who showed up on my fire-escape into my home. But sure enough, when I rolled over there was a man beside me. He laid perfectly still on his back, fingers laced together atop his chest. He looked as if he were in a coffin. How could anyone sleep like this? I continued to gaze at him. The muscles of his arms and chest were more prominent with the fabric of his shirt resting against him. I looked more closely at his chest. There was no rising as in breathing. His face was pale, deathly pale. Was he dead? In my bed?

I distinctly remembered reaching toward his perfect face, my hand mere inches from stroking his cheek when he grabbed my wrist. His soft cold hand gripped me tightly. But yet I wasn't afraid. Evermore fascinated with him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep. It's just that...well you weren't breathing. I thought you were dead."

He smirked smugly. "Thanks for the concern." He paused looking toward the window. "Morning already? I have not slept that sound in eons."

"You do know it's about 6 in the evening."

"That is morning for me. You too, right?"

"Yea I guess."

He slowly climbed out of my bed and stretched. I wondered where that lightening speed went. As the thought went through my head, he zipped to the wall opposite my one window, a wall covered by my large book collection. Four cases as tall as the wall, from history to fiction, sci-fi, romance, architecture and archaic civilizations. It was my most coveted possession. I gawked in amazement as he quickly grabbed one book after another, flipping the pages and moving to the next. There was no way possible he was comprehending anything he was seeing but then again he proved to have some freakish talents. Maybe this was another. He broke my concentration when he spoke to me in that baritone voice.

"You have a very extensive collection. And a wide variety of subjects. Do you read them all?"

"I have at one point."

"That is very gifted for your type."

"Type? And what type is that?" I asked. Whether he didn't hear or simply chose to ignore it I would never know but I didn't get an answer. He redirected the conversation.

"Mythical creatures?" He inquired picking up a book. "You believe it this kind of thing; imps, goblins, vampires, werewolves?" He staggered the last word.

I shrugged my shoulders. "You never know."

He stopped browsing and headed toward the door.

"You're not leaving, are you?" I asked a little too quickly.

He turned to me and smiled. "Not if you don't want me too."

"Well I wanted to offer you something to eat," I stammered, rushing toward the kitchen.

"Nice of you to offer but I will eat later tonight." He smiled flashing beautifully white teeth, his fangs peeking under his lip.

I gulped and quickly began making myself something to eat. I didn't have much of an appetite, his presence was throwing my whole routine off its tracks. I continued to watch my perfect stranger gander at my books from my kitchen space, a long cluttered counter-top separating it from the open floor. Though he moved in blurs, the times that he was actually standing still, I noticed he moved with a grace I had never seen before. At least not in person. His movements were graceful and elegant like that of kings and dignitaries. He had to have some sort of charm school up bringing. He was crisp and clean, very prim and proper. From the way he carried himself, the dictation in his speech, to the perfect creases in his grey slacks and white dress shirt under black suspenders. Very prim and proper indeed.

"Why is it that you all are so greedy?" His deep voice held a sense of disgust as he said that.

I stared blankly at him. My mind still processing his tone rather than the words he spoke.

"You all consume so much; whether it is natural resources or material things or immaterial things. Taking land, food, lovers." He slivered the last word. "You consume and squander."

"I guess it's in our genetic code. It's who we are." I emphasized by pointing to him and back at me.

The corner of his lip raised in disgust. "I am not like you people."

Immediately I felt hurt. Would he not like me anymore because of the sins of our species.

"I'm not like them either. I mean look at where I live. I'm not taking up more space than what I need. A single person consumes less than a pair." I chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He raised his head looking me dead in the eyes. "Yes, a single person is less wasteful than a pair." For the first time, he didn't zip to where he wanted to be, he stalked over toward me standing on the other side of my counter. "I would like to thank you for being single." He purred leaning in toward me.

My heart pounded and I was sure he could see the flush of color in my cheeks. That panicked feeling to run for my life came over me again but my heart spoke the complete opposite. Staring in his eyes, I knew that I was fine. There was no need for fear no matter how probable the cause. He inched closer and closer to me. My breath came in short pants.

"I hope you stay a single creature and not pair up with some trite man." He went on as his breath was teasing my lips. I nodded dumbly.

"This little world could not handle such a tragedy." He finished with a devilish satisfied smirk and stood up right. "Is not it time for you to head out my Queen of the Night."

My eye lids fluttered rapidly as I processed what just happened or rather what didn't happen. And then I remembered he spoke. "Yes, I should be getting ready." I quickly bustled around grabbing my outfit for tonight before darting into my bathroom.

As I went through the motions, changed clothes and calmed my nerves, I listened for any sounds of life but it was quiet as if no one was on the other side. I was quite positive he hadn't left nor was he sitting still. I hurried my primping, running the comb through my long dark hair, applying some mascara to my lashes drawing attention to bright brown eyes and added red color to emphasize my exuberant smile. Working at an after hours bar, my looks and charming persona were everything.

When I opened the door, I found my house-guest zipping back and forth between my wall of books and the window each time grabbing a new book. I didn't make a sound but I knew he knew I had emerged from the bathroom. He stopped dead center in the middle of my floor, book still open, and gawked at me. I knew what he was seeing, my uniform made me look like a completely different person. My black leather pants held close to my bum, my black and red low-cut top showed ample cleavage, and the spiked jewelry added to the flair and danger my look gave off.

"It is hard to believe you are the same person."

I blushed. "I don't normally dress like this. It's the attire for the bar. It's their theme."

"You walk the streets dressed like that?" He grinned.

"I wear my trench coat." I answered, pointing toward my coat closet. I folded up my blankets and gathered the pillows, shoving them in the closet. I straightened things up a bit feeling his eyes pierce me, he had long since put the book back in its rightful spot on the shelf. Now came the awkward part. "Well it's time for me to head out." I began walking over to face him. "I'm sure you want to head out too and find something to eat. And I'll be gone awhile." I let my statement hang in the air. Hopefully he got my subtle hint.

"Are you saying I cannot wait here for you to return and sleep with you again?"

My cheeks flushed. "Um, it's not that I don't want you to but wouldn't that be kind of weird."

"Only if you feel that way."

I had no response. I just stared in his warm golden eyes.

"May I accompany you to work this evening?"

I nodded dumbly again staring into his eyes. Beyond all logic I was still going to be in the presence of the stranger, Sesshomaru, that appeared on my fire-escape this morning.

---

During our short walk to my work, I asked my stranger to not walk in with me. Everyone at the bar knew I lived alone and that I wasn't romantically involved with anyone. And entering with him was sure to arouse suspicion. I knew I would inadvertently blurt out how I found him outside my window and let him spend the day with me. And I knew they would scold me for being so reckless. The people here were like family. They were only looking out for my safety. Sesshomaru didn't object to the idea. He said he would do whatever was needed to make me comfortable.

I entered and headed straight to the back to hit the time clock and hang up my coat. The bar was pretty busy. A nice size crowd of about twenty people. I tied my apron around my waist and got my tray from behind the bar. Kohaku was bar-tending tonight.

Kohaku was about three years older than me and much taller. He had a medium built and jet black hair. He had a friendly and protective nature. If my stranger walked in with me, I knew Kohaku would be my main interrogator. Speaking of which, I had just made my first wave around my section when Sesshomaru entered. His presence beckoned the attention from everyone but of course all the women stared the longest. Any connection to me would have gone unnoticed if Sesshomaru hadn't been staring as intently at me as everyone was staring at him. I finally pulled my eyes away from him to put in my next set of orders.

"You know that guy?" Kohaku asked while cleaning a glass, gesturing with his head toward Sesshomaru.

I shook my head no.

"He seems to know you."

"I don't think so." I tried my best at giving a reassuring smile as I headed over toward my new customer.

"Do you want to order something?" I asked placing a cocktail napkin down on the table.

"No. He paused a bit. "Who is the man behind the bar?" He inquired looking pass me at Kohaku.

"That's Kohaku."

"He seems to have a problem with me." He gave that stoic tone.

"No he doesn't." I assured. "He's just...very protective of me." I continued to look in his eyes as he looked beyond me. There was a sudden flash in his eyes as they made contact with mine.

"Well I guess I should mingle with the crowd as to not give light to our relationship." He finished with a charming smile.

"OK." I spoke although I was sure a response wasn't needed. I just needed to fill the space between us with noise. My ears were still recovering from hearing the words "our relationship" spoken by his voice. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Bourbon."

"Ok. I'll be right back." I made haste to the bar to get his drink and quickly darted away before Kohaku could start the questioning.

The night continued on as such until around 4:20am or so. A group of very attractive women came in the bar. Their short dresses, high heels and over the top make up made it obvious they just finished a night of partying. The three women took a seat. Sango, the other waitress working with me tonight, took their order. I stood by the bar watching them gawk at Sesshomaru. I wondered if they were his type. Much to my dismay I caught him staring back at them. He had a look of desire in his eye, much likened to a predator to his prey. I felt a tightening in my chest and the feeling worsened when he stood up and sauntered over to them. He made what appeared to be small talk, whispered in the tall dark-haired woman's ear and held his hand out as she rose from her seat. I was paralyzed as the two of them made their exit. I turned toward the bar.

"So are you going to tell me who he is?" Kohaku interrupted my thoughts.

"Who?"

"Your guy from table five."

"Just a guy I met on my way to work." I rushed out and walked away.

For the rest of my shift, I hoped that Sesshomaru would come back but to no avail. My shift ended and I headed home after bidding everyone a good day. My walk was rather quick. I just wanted to close my eyes and forget yesterday. I mean why was I even so upset, he was a complete stranger, who very strangely, showed up at my window. I should have been happy I was still alive. Who knows what could have happened. But still, there was something so enticing about him. I never felt so at ease around another person. I inserted the key and turned my wrist unlocking my door.

"Good morning." A familiar baritone voice greeted.

I stood, mouth gaped. He was here. "Morning!" I smiled stupidly before logic buzzed in my brain and that panicked feeling overtook my being. My smile quickly faded. "What are you doing here?"

This time it was he who looked confused. "You granted me permission. Am I not welcomed any more?"

"Of course." I blurted. "I mean yes. But how did you get in here."

"The same as yesterday morning, the window. You left it unlocked."

"Oh." I spoke aloud. I knew I locked my window but I quickly told my brain not to question it. I was just glad he came back and then I remembered his actions. "I see you found someone to mingle with." I spoke snidely.

He gave a broad grin. "I had to eat."

"You didn't like the food at the bar?" I retorted.

"That place was too conspicuous. I wanted to have my dinner somewhere a bit more secluded."

"I bet." I mumbled.

"Are you upset, Rin?"

My body shivered listening to my name roll off his tongue. "No, I'm fine. Just ready for sleep is all." I spoke as I prepared the sofa-bed.

"May I join you again?"

Staring in his eyes, my brain ceased to think rationally and my anger became nonexistent. I nodded dumbly as I crawled into bed still in my uniform. I felt his presence slide beside me and shuttered. Soon I was lulled into a deep slumber.

---

The weeks after my meeting with my perfect stranger consisted of the same routine; dream-filled sleeps, conversations and work. Work was always the same, me serving drinks to the women Sesshomaru left with. Some times he would come back and other times he would be gone for the rest of the evening. But he was always waiting for me when I entered my home to get ready for slumber, only to do it all over again.

I distinctly remembered having dreams every time I slept. They always started out with a sea of bright colors and abstract shapes. Things swirling and flashing in a tunnel of sorts. And at the end of this cylindrical blur stood myself in a grayscale world. I would walk down a street in a downpour of the brightest most vibrant red color I had ever seen. As I walked unfazed by the rain people would come in and out of focus, blurry images littering the streets. The closer I got, these people would come into focus, like adjusting the lens on a camera. They seemed to be the inhabitants of this small western-like town, a seemingly pleasant community. The men were helping with repairs, things like repairing windows and siding, chopping firewood, fixing old timely cars. The women bustled about picking flowers or fresh vegetables from the stands, engaging in small talk with each other and flirting with the gentlemen. And all the children I passed as I walked these streets were running around joyfully as if there wasn't a care in the world. A seemingly pleasant place, indeed. Everyone greeted and acknowledged my presence as I walked by, smiling and waving and speaking a greeting. But the words uttered in their pleasant tone didn't quite seem to fit. Whether the message was delivered in a high-pitched squeal or by a solid tenor, the greeting was the same. "He's a vampire." I found it strange but didn't care. Whatever they were saying or trying to say was so irrelevant to me, for at the end of the street stood my perfect stranger dressed in an all black ensemble as always.

"Sesshomaru." I'd whispered his name softly, longingly coming face to face with him.

"Rin," he spoke my name harshly. "I am leaving."

"Why" I choked out. Instantly feeling unbearable weight upon my chest.

"I am starving and I cannot feast as long as I am here by your side.

I stared in disbelief. I felt helpless. I never wanted this perfect being to leave my side. I knew what he needed. I knew what it meant for myself. But most importantly I knew it didn't matter.

"If you need to eat…then eat." I tugged on the blouse I was wearing and exposed my neck. With lightening speed, I crashed into a solid surface. He pinned me to the nearest wall without hesitation. I held perfectly still as I was filled with the hot searing pain of his fangs sinking into the delicate flesh of my neck. I was becoming faint. I could feel the very life seep from within me. And as I took my last breath, a warmth over took me. I was dying. I let him kill me.

The world around me started to shift. This gray world waved side to side. The red rain suddenly stopped. And I was suddenly hurled backwards though the color filled tunnel that brought me here. As I reached the top of this tunnel. I awoke with a start, my body bolting upright and out of breath. It always took awhile for my eyes to focus in the dark room and I always grabbed the side of my neck to see if I had been bit. There was never a bite and once my breathing calmed down I would slowly turn to my left. As always, I would find Sesshomaru laying on his side staring intently at me.

"Are you ok?" He'd asked in his stoic tone.

I nodded my head. "I had that dream again, the one where you were talking about leaving," I confessed as my breathing came to a normal rhythm.

He wouldn't speak a word about my sleeping habits or asked of the dream that left me frazzled but I still flushed with embarrassment. With hot cheeks, I would climb out of bed and head to the bathroom to freshen up. I would never tell him exactly what went on in my dream, just that he was ready to leave.

After freshening up, I would make breakfast for myself. I always offered my guest something but he respectfully declined every evening, saying he would eat later in the night. While I ate, Sesshomaru and I would engage in a bit of small talk, which mainly consisted of my up-bringing. I shared with him my uneventful childhood. Sharing with him how I was raised by my grandparents, having both my mother and father die in my infancy. When I was about sixteen, I left my rural area home and moved to the nearby city with my closet friend Kagome. I finished school and found a job and saved up enough to get my own place. Kagome was upset I was staying in this particular city. She wanted me to come with her when she moved to the huge metropolitan city but this was the home I made for myself. So she moved and I stayed. Soon after that, I received word that my grandparents passed. I was sadden but not in the way that I knew I should. I knew they loved me but I never felt a kinship with them. It seemed as though taking care of me out of obligation, not out of love. But that didn't bother me. At least I had company while growing up. My ramblings always took us to my time for work. I would quickly clean up and change clothes and we'd head off.

Being at the bar was a different story. Sesshomaru wasn't so...into me there. I know I told him I didn't want anyone to start connecting dots about us but I didn't like being ignored by him. He would always flirt with the ladies who came in, some times one or sometimes a whole table full of beautiful women. And it was always with the travelers. He didn't seem to fancy the locals. Maybe that's why he never flirted with me the way he did with those other women. I mean there were times when I would say or do some thing and he would get that desired look in his eye. But it was never anything more. I'm sure we held the world record for the most almost-kisses. I scoffed out loud. Just once I wanted him to caress my hand the way he did that flirty blonde. Or whisper in my ear, to feel his breath on my neck and shudder like that exotic red-head. I wanted to leave with him and create pleasure beyond measure like I'm sure he did with all those women.

I sighed heavy as I watched Sesshomaru leave with a young girl who resembled myself this time. If only it were me this time. I hated feeling like this. And what was worst was I couldn't share my angst with anyone. Too many questions would arise and I honestly didn't have answers to give. I told Sango I was taking a break so I could clear my head.

I stepped through the side door into the alleyway the waitresses used for smoke breaks. It was dark and still, ominous almost but it didn't matter. This gripping feeling in my cheat was holding on too tightly for me to care. A faint moan like sigh invaded my ears. I turned to my right and saw it, saw them. There was Sesshomaru and his catch of the night, his face buried deep in her neck and her hands tangled in his long white mane. The tightness gripped in my chest again. I could barely breathe. Didn't he feel anything for me? I asked myself.

The woman moaned louder this time. Whatever he was doing had her squirming against the building-side. Her head turned giving him more access to her neck and our eyes locked. I stood frozen in place, mouth gaped as she stared at me with a triumphant gleam. And then…she gasped. Time seemed to slow as her face shifted from ecstasy to confusion then to panic. She tried to push him off with her body but she didn't have the strength. The color left her face. The look of fear and pain drained from her eyes. Her hand fell limp from his head. And her body dropped to the cold concrete. She was dead.

I didn't know if I should run to her or away from him. Although, I was pretty positive my legs wouldn't move even if I wanted them to. I watched as he stood upright and straighten his crisp shirt and vest, smoothed his slacks and run a hand swiftly through his hair. It seemed he didn't know I was there.

"Are you scared, Rin?" His voice broke through the silence as he turned toward me. "Your heart is racing."

I was feeling something. Something I shouldn't have as I ventured to him, my legs slowly bringing me to where he stood. I was feeling something as an unknown force brought me to the murder scene. I was feeling something but scared wasn't it. I am still ashamed to admit what I was feeling as I saw her body upon the ground. And even as I stood face to face with him, looking up to his eyes, with a droplet of his victim's blood on his smooth lips. I felt my body do things beyond my control. I raised a lone finger and took the droplet from his lip. I examined the pigment on my finger. I could smell the elements that made up this wonderful fluid. My sick fascination with blood was getting the better of me. And then it disappeared. He swiftly drew my finger inside his mouth. I felt his tongue remove the specimen. I withdrew my finger quickly. Time seemed to catch up all at once as my lungs filled with air and I felt my heart racing inside my chest. I hastily retreated from him and darted back inside. From all the things I could have, no should have been feeling, I felt the most appalling sensation to what I just witnessed. I felt relief.

The rest of my shift breezed by with me in a daze, I was glad no one questioned the glazed-over look I was sure to have in my eyes. And it was time for me to head home where I knew he'd be waiting. I opened the door to find him sitting on the pull-out.

"Were you waiting for me?" I asked as I took off my shoes and hung up my coat and headed into the bathroom to change into my comfy cami and shorts. He didn't answer me from the other side of the door. I shrugged it off and walked back out into the main space of my studio apartment. I climbed into my bed and laid beside him, my head resting softly upon my pillow, as I readied for the most difficult conversation I've ever had in my life. But it seemed it would never come. The awkwardness seemed to intensify the longer the silence remained between us. And then he spoke.

"Would you like to address what you saw?"

I took a deep breath and clutched the blanket close to my chest. I stared at the ceiling as I asked my question. "Do you do that to every women you leave with?"

"Yes." He answered in his monotone.

"Is that all you do to them?"

"Would you kindly elaborate?"

I forcefully let out a breath. "Is that the only thing you do to those women? Or do you do more to them besides that?" I spoke slowly, evenly. I cut my eyes toward him, a little annoyed with his silence. He seemed to get my implication as his eyes widened and then coyly grinned.

"Sometimes I have dessert before the main course." He said with a cruel chuckle.

I brought my eyes back to the ceiling as my lip curled in disgust. "How often?"

"Not that often. Only when I stumble upon a bright-eyed, busty, raven-hair creature much like tonight. But she was so intoxicating, I could not contain myself. I had to have her right there."

My breath quicken as I listened to his description. And I couldn't help but feel joy as I heard him loosely describe myself. I sighed as the tension seeped from my body.

"Are you scared now, little one?" He asked in a mocking tone.

I shook my head.

He chuckled. "What an interesting creature you are. You do not feel fear that you confirmed I feed on humans for substance but rather feel relief that I have no slept with all those women?"

"Interesting indeed." I used a heavily sarcastic tone myself. There was a pause before I finally shifted towards him and looked dead into his amber-colored eyes. "So, are you a vampire?" I knew the answer but I had to hear him say it.

He smiled deeply, baring his fangs, as he moved to lean over top of me, forcing me on my back, trapping my arms at my side, his hair cascading over one of his shoulders. "I thought that was obvious."

I remained motionless as he confirmed what my dream had been telling me all this time. I tried my best to regulate my breathing and keep my heart from thudding against my chest. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel he couldn't trust me with his secret and become a main course. Or maybe I would be dessert first. I couldn't stop the flush of heat from reaching my cheeks.

"Thank you." He spoke with the most sincerest tone I ever heard from him, catching me off guard, forcing me too look in his eyes. "Thank you for not being scared." He spoke as he lowered his head toward me. I thought I was finally going to get my kiss on the lips but he nipped my nose instead.

I smiled in return disappointed. "Come on. Let's get some sleep."

---

When my eyes opened, earlier than usual, I was greeted by day light, not the usual dark of the evening. I also realized I was looking at the ceiling, not the wall beside my window. How was this possible? My breathing was calm. I involuntary stretched my limbs. I was still lying on my back, in my bed. I didn't awake with a fright and out of breath. What did that mean? I had awaken like that for the past three months. Why would that change? Then the thoughts of last night came flooding back. What I saw? What I was told? What I had finally found out? I should be terrified. I knew what he was, what he was exactly. And what he did to sustain. I…I should be… But I couldn't bring myself to feel the way I should have. Maybe my brain finally gave up on me. Three months of subconscious warnings through dreams were enough. Maybe my brain was resigned to letting my heart do whatever it wanted. No longer caring of the outcome.

I slowly rose into a seated position. One hand raked fingers through my hair while the other clutched the blanket to my chest and sighed.

"I did not know you knew how to do that." His baritone voice mocked.

I turned my head to the left and rolled my eyes. I knew what he was referring to but I wasn't going to dignify his teasings with a response. He grinned wider. My stomach growled.

"Excuse me while I get dressed."

He gestured a "you're excused" with his hand as it swayed through the air toward my bathroom door.

Once inside, I stripped and jumped into the shower. The hot water would do me some good. I let the water cascade down my head and body as I concentrated on not thinking. Not thinking about the handsome mythical…being waiting on the other side for me. Mythical indeed. I always thought the creatures I read about in those tales were just that, tales. Not something that was very real and really sitting in my apartment. Not something that has been sharing living space with me for months. Never going out in the sun. Paler and slightly colder than a normal person. Using impossible speed and dexterity and concentration and focus and hearing. I discovered his incredible sense of hearing one morning when I was in this very bathroom sobbing, with the shower running, over him leaving with another woman who wasn't me. He actually knocked on the door to see if I was hurt.

I snapped my head up. Am I crazy? I was jealous that a vampire didn't find me attractive enough or at the very least appealing to eat. A vampire. The more I said it in my head the more ridiculous it sounded. And the more ridiculous it sounded the more I questioned my sanity. Was I insane to believe what he was? Was I insane to be ok with what he was? Was I truly insane because at this very moment, knowing what I knew, I still wondered if I would just be a main course or would I get to be dessert first? Was I insane to overlook that he was a murderer? Was I insane to not care? I didn't have answers, couldn't even begin to find answers. But what I did know, the answer I did have, was that I didn't care.

I went through the motions and cut the water off and toweled off, dried my hair and changed into some lounge wear. Maybe it was good that I was off today. I needed some time to myself, well not to only myself.

I opened the door to find my still perfect, though no longer a stranger, roommate seated at one of the stools I had bought since his arrival. I didn't think it was appropriate we were sitting in bed all the time. I headed to the fridge and grabbed some milk. I chose cereal for today. Something quick. I sat down across from him and spoke.

"So now it's your turn to tell me about yourself."

He shrugged. "I am a vampire."

"I know that. You weren't always a vampire, were you? Tell me about beforehand."

"I was always a vampire."

"Really!" I was surprised. "I thought humans had to be bitten by a vampire to become a vampire."

"Not in my house. He scoffed. "I hold the second seat in the third house of pure blood vampires."

"Is that important?" I asked. He spoke with such dignity I knew I was missing the significance.

He shrugged. "I guess it holds some weight. Although we are the last house in our brood."

"So there are three? But if you weren't bit and turned into a vampire how did you become a vampire?"

"I was born this way."

I stared in his eyes as I was made aware of this information. So many things I didn't know.

"Back in the feudal era, demons and vampires alike, among many of creatures, existed right along side you humans. Many of our kind liked to raise armies of disposable half-breeds to fight for territory but our founding fathers wanted to keep our bloodline pure. Our kind only impregnated our kind."

"Wouldn't that be like inbreeding?" I asked.

"I guess you could say that. But we are far superior to your human genetics. We would not come out missing chromosomes and such."

"Oh!"

He ignored my surprise and continued.

"Our three founding fathers made a fearful brood of vampires but are very much resigned to peace. We only feed when necessary, never over indulging. We are all collectively apart of a delicate balance of predator and prey. And though we are the superior beings, our mantra is to never exert dominance or rule your kind by fear. We all serve a purpose." He gleamed at me. But I rolled my eyes. He wasn't going to intimidate me even if I was only food to him.

"The three founding fathers hold the first seats in their respective houses and their first-born holds the second seat. As I said, I hold the second seat in the third house. The second seat of the second house belongs to Naraku, a pompous, idiot whose ideals involve a full-scale invasion of your kind. And the second seat of the first house belonged to Lady Sara."

When he mentioned her name, his eyes changed. They became gloomy. Overcast. Sorrowful. "Does she not hold the seat anymore?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, she is dead." Although his voice held no inflection, his eyes told a different story. He sadden by her death. I wondered why.

"How did she die?" I whispered.

"Lady Sara committed the ultimate taboo in our brood. She fell in love with a human." He paused briefly before continuing. "A fight for feeding grounds broke out but was quickly vanquished. But in the midst, the princess's father was killed, making her first seat in the first house and queen of our brood. Under the rule of our Queen of the Night, we remained the fierce brood we became known for but that did not quill the ache she had. Still saddened by the lost of her father, she sought comfort in me. She started to fancy me. And I took a liking to her as well. Lady Sara was a beautiful brown-eyed enchantress. Perfect in every way imaginable. And she was to be all mine. This of course did not sit well with Naraku, who was also in love with her.

Naraku, and his house, thought he was more deserving of her; being from the second house and such but it didn't matter to her. She wanted me. This caused unrest within our brood. And not wanting a division amongst us, Lady Sara distanced herself from us all. And in this time away she met her human, fell in love and became pregnant. When word got back that she was carrying a halfbreed, the brood demanded she be stripped of her title and imprisoned. But that punishment was not enough for Naraku. In the name of treason, he wanted her life as well as the life of her human and the child she carried. Naraku's father, as well as my own, thought this to be excessive. The life of her human lover and child were enough and Lady Sara would be imprisoned for eternity to suffer quietly for what she had done. They allowed her the time it took to birth her abomination to remain a free woman. Not satisfied with the ruling, Naraku had his father killed and took the first seat thus making him the new leader of our brood. Naraku had her human lover captured and imprisoned. And when it was time for Sara to give birth, the three of them would die together.

One night, she came to me and asked that I help her hide her child. I cared nothing for this thing or for her weak human but because of my love for her, I aided her. Amongst a loyal group of her followers, she birthed her half-breed and gave it to her lover's parents. I watched as she took one final look at her child before returning to her death. When the day came, Lady Sara declared that the child was born dead and was burned by members of her court. Furious Naraku demanded their death right there and the two of them were burned alive in each other's arms.

The years after that became a blur as I mourned the lost of her. I stood right there as the woman I loved was killed. And with Naraku now holding all the power, I discovered he started interrogating Lady Sara's personal servants. He found out that she did indeed give birth to a very much alive child and sent his subordinates to kill the child and anyone harboring it. Once again, I was powerless to stop it. Not that I cared anything for it but it was the last part of Lady Sara that existed. I was not able to stop her execution. At the very least, I should have been able to protect the thing for gave her immortality for.

Sensing my grief, my father granted me a temporary leave from the brood." He scoffed as he said that. "I ventured west, to larger cities. I liked the fast paced age your kind developed. It made feeding so easy. You all are too busy to notice one or two or six go missing at a time." He grinned at that last line. "And in my travels around this globe, I eventually stumbled upon a magnificent creature who lived alone and operated on the same time schedule as myself. And here I am." His hands gestured toward himself as he brought me up to speed on how he would end up on my fire escape those months ago.

He remained silent as his eyes wandered his past. I felt horrible for him. No one should have to deal with sorrow like that. I stood up and walked around to his side of the counter. He didn't seem to notice until I placed both hands on his cheeks and brought his face to meet mine.

"It'll be ok." I spoke tenderly. "You can stay here for as long as you need to." And I finished with a sweet kiss on his cool forehead. I didn't give him time to respond as I headed to the bathroom to change. "I have to run some errands. I'll see you later tonight." I called out.

I went out and handled my usual business on my day off. I picked up groceries, did a little bit of shopping and a tiny bit of pampering. I didn't dwell on the information he gave about himself being hopelessly in love with another woman. I remembered him saying this happened years ago. So I let it stay in the past. I hurried with my errands since the shops would be closing in about an hour. That was one of the pitfalls to being a night owl, I had to wake up earlier just to rush to do a tiny bit of shopping cause the rest of the world didn't operate on my hours.

I returned home to an empty home. On days like this, it was just like he never showed up mysteriously months ago. In fact, more and more it felt like he wasn't here. The more time went by since I found out the truth, the more distant Sesshomaru became. Whenever I had the night off, he would promptly return at seven, when the sun was rising high, but that changed. At the bar, he seemed to be flirting with more women and so many at a time. He didn't stare or glance my way anymore. It was as if he was actually a stranger now. And when my shift was over and I would return home, he wasn't waiting for me anymore. He would return at the same time as I or several minutes later. I noticed he stopped beating the sun up. It would be closer and closer to the time that the sun shone over head of my building. I distinctly remembered a morning where the sky was particularly overcast, the sun hiding behind clouds. He showed up an hour late. And when he finally did return, he wasn't as talkative as normal. He just slept. I didn't know what the problem was. Maybe I was getting too close.

Every since the day I found out what was really going on, I stopped waking up in a fright. I guess I was getting more comfortable with him because I would wake up to find myself closer and closer to him until one evening I awoke curled into his chest with his arm wrapped securely around me. And maybe he was getting to comfortable with me because some nights I would awake before him. I would just gaze at his beautiful face until his eyes opened. I had long since stopped blushing when he stared at me. It felt like this was how my life should had always been. But maybe it was the opposite for him. Maybe being around me for so long was having some adverse affect on him. Whatever it was, it left me feeling emptier than when I was actually alone. At one time my head was warning me of the danger if he stayed, maybe it was my heart's turn to prepare me for when he would leave.

On a particularly slow night at the bar, Sango pointed out that a good-looking guy was checking me out. I welcomed the attention. Especially since the being I wanted to notice me was preying on a group of four women. I walked over and chatted with this guy named Shura. He was a great looking guy; chiseled features, medium built, shiny dark hair. He seemed pretty cool, could make me laugh and was interested in seeing me in the daytime. We agreed to a date the following day. I smiled brightly at him, making sure Sesshomaru saw that someone else was showing interest in me, but he was too busy leaving with his all-you-can-eat buffet meal to notice. Shura left around 2am or so and I finished the rest of my shift in a very pleasant mood.

As it was time to leave, I heard a ruckus of people outside of the bar. It was way too early for this area to be busy with consumers. I headed out and started to walk home but there was a crowd of people standing around yellow caution tape. Something had happened, something bad. I walked over to the alleyway beside the bar and was met with a horrible sight. Someone was murdered. I could hear the medic saying to his partner, "The victim's throat has been torn, almost ripped out. There are several deep lacerations all over the body and the left arm has been severed. Pretty disturbing, viscous murders like this don't happen around here. This had to be the work of a maniac."

I pushed my way to the front of the crowd to satisfied my sick curiosity and to see all the blood splatter patterns, but wished I didn't. I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the victim. The horrified look on his face. It was truly heinous what happened to him, Shura. I felt partially responsible. Had I not shown interest in him, he would not have had been attacked by a crazy vampire. A medics words brought be out of thoughts. "It looks like there's another body over here. A woman. But she appears to be dead for some weeks now." Upon hearing that I walked way.

Once home, I expected I would have to wait for him to show up but he was here before me, just like the old days. Lucky me.

"Did you eat?" I asked as I took off my shoes and hung up my jacket. He didn't answer, just simply stared at me with a perturbed look on his face. "You must be full." I stated, stopping right in front of him. "You left the bar with quite a feast. Or maybe you weren't satisfied. Is that why you came back to the bar?" He still said nothing. And by now, his silence was angering me to no end. I snapped. "Why did you do it? Huh? Because he talked to me? Because he was nice to me? Because he didn't ignore me all night like you do?" By this time I was shouting and he finally spoke.

"You better watch your tone human", he warned.

"Did I strike a nerve? It must be true. Some guy takes an interest in me and you heinously murder him but yet you can ignore me for weeks and show up late and not talk to me all because you can. But you're just doing what needs to be done. You're just having a little "dessert" before dinner right?"

"What does it matter what I do to those women, as long as it results with death, right? You have no problem with my killing of women yet the moment I kill a man, it becomes an issue for you?" His typical stoic tone was replaced with anger.

"No, it becomes an issue for me when he's savagely murdered like that. There was so much blood everywhere, I know there was nothing to drink. You do what you do to those women to sustain your life. What you did to that guy was cold murder."

"I cannot believe what I am hearing. You are mad because I killed some pathetic human."

"No, I'm mad because you killed him in some jealous rage because he talked to me. You expect me to be alone while you go have every woman you want. Every woman but me." I emphasized with a swift slap to my chest.

"You want me to have you?" He asked incredulously.

"If you won't allow any other man to have me, I might as well be yours."
He looked me dead in the eyes, expressionless and then bared his fangs to me. I knew I had crossed the line. He was furious and I was petrified but I wasn't about to back down. And if it meant I would die here then so be it. With his inhuman speed, he pinned me hard against my book shelf. I was prepared to feel his teeth sank into my neck just like in all those dreams. But what I wasn't prepared for was to feel his lips devour mine in a frenzy.

His lips moved against my own with such a hunger. I tried to match his intensity but was unsuccessful. His hands found their way to my neck and up to my jawline, securely holding me in place, as my hands roamed around to his back and clawed. The feeling of his demanding lips moving against mine was what I wanted for so long. I yearned for it. Ached for it. And now I was finally able to have it.

I felt his hands move back down and rest atop my breast. I shuddered and broke away from his kiss. His mouth immediately went to my neck. He nipped and licked and sucked the flesh there. He pressed himself harder against me. He was already excited and raring to go. I panted harder as a little panic began to settle in. It had been so long since I'd been with anyone like this. And he didn't seem to be slowing down at all. His hands squeezed my breast through my top. He growled against my neck, the vibrations moving throughout my being. I felt his hands slide around me to the middle of my back and heard the ripping of my shirt. I opened my mouth to protest but he quickly covered it with his own. His tongue probed my mouth with fervor and I timidly did the same. I used my tongue to explore as much as I could. A part of me didn't expect him to taste so enthralling given his diet, but I was pleasantly surprised that he tasted so intoxicating. I ran my tongue over one of his fangs to feel how sharp it was. I don't know if he was startled or angry but he ranked himself back and stared at me. He pulled my now torn shirt off of me and was headed for my bra next.

"Please don't rip my bra," I blurted out.

He smirked and reached behind to unhook it properly. As the straps became slack on my shoulders, I brought my arms up to conceal my breast. I was still slightly hesitant about revealing myself to someone but he wasn't about modesty right now. He lightly gripped my wrist and moved them apart, holding them above my head, and stared at my big bare breast. I watched helpless and excited as he descended down on one, flicking his tongue across my pert nipple. I gasped aloud. He glanced up at me seemingly pleased with my response and did it again. His mouth was soon around my nipple sucking so intensely. I writhed around from his torture as he still held my wrist captive. The only reprieve I got was when he switched breast to begin the same assault.

When he had his fill, he let my wrist go and took handfuls of my breast, pushing and kneading them together. All this stimulation was making me feel amorous and rather bold. I used my freed hands to run them through his hair. Grabbing fistfuls, I ranked his head back and kissed him with as much gusto as I could. He must have liked it because he growled against my mouth, and still in his slightly crouched position, he let go of my breast and slid to my hips. With precision he unbuttoned my pants and unzipped them. I slid my tongue into his mouth once more when I felt my lower half become exposed to the cool air in the apartment.

I released his mouth, panting for air. Seemed he didn't have to same breathlessness problem that I was having. "Why am I the only one undressed?" I panted.

"Because you are the prize." He explained standing up right.

I was going to protest but forgot how to speak when I felt his cool palm touch my core. I gasped as my head fell back and hit my bookcase. He stared me down with such intensity as he fingers deftly slid into my well saturated entrance. I saw him smile before my eyes slid closed. I moaned as he moved inside of me, expertly focusing on the areas that brought the most pleasure and elicited the loudest cries out of me. I felt the intensity strengthen as he prepared to bring me to orgasm. But it seemed in would never come as his movements slowed down. Was he teasing me on purpose? I opened my eyes expecting to find him gloating but that wasn't the case. He was staring intently in my direction but he wasn't staring at me. He was looking past me at something on the shelf behind me.

"Are you ok?"

He snapped out of whatever that was and looked at me again. "Yes." He quickly answered as he covered my mouth with his again in another bruising kiss. He removed his fingers and started unbuttoning his shirt. Upon realizing what he was doing, I quickly assisted and pulled his shirt from his slacks. We parted again. He pulled his suspenders off his shoulders and took off his shirt. He was more muscular and toned than I ever could have imagined under his slender physique. My eyes roamed all over his body. From his toned arms and chest down to his tight abs and further to his pelvis. His fingers had just flicked open the button fastening his trousers. I patiently panted as he leaned over pulling down his slacks and undergarment. He stood up right for me to take him all in.

"Holy shit!" I blurted so unladylike.

Without giving me time to react, he closed the gap between us. His lips found mine once again and he plundered my mouth. My hands wandered up and down his toned arms, pulling him closer to me, my breast smashed tight against his solid chest. I felt him reach between us, his fingers brushing against my slick passage. His other hand guided the back of my thigh up to his waist, giving him just enough room to enter inside me. I abruptly broke our kiss to scream aloud. The sheer length and girth of him was unlike anything I had ever felt before. He moved cautiously at first, allowing me to adjust to an intrusion of this magnitude. Only when he noticed that my moans became rich with passion and pleasure, did he intensify his movements, thrusting so deeply into my very welcoming body. I shifted against my bookshelf, hoisting myself up, and brought my other leg to his waist. Without asking, he placed his hands on my backside and supported my motions as I matched his rhythm, blow for blow. We moved together in a unison I didn't know was possible between two beings. I felt the pressure building in my lower half. I squeezed my legs tighter around him causing him to used shorter, more intense thrusts. I was almost there. I screamed aloud and his mouth covered mine, drinking in the sound of the most powerful orgasm of my life.

I felt my body go limp against him as we stood there allowing me to catch my breath. I opened my eyes to find him smiling boastfully at me.

"We are not finished yet, little one." He teased. "I still haven't had my dessert."

My head snapped upright. I wanted to ask him to clarify but was silenced as I felt him move us to the floor. The soft carpet was welcoming after being banged against the hard wood of the bookshelf. He adjusted his position between my thighs and picked right up with the same rhythm he used before. Tired, I was at his complete mercy as he filled me to completion over and over again. My arms stayed locked securely around his neck as that familiar pressure began to build again. He must have caught on to the rapid fluttering of my chasm because he raised his head from the buried position in my neck and kissed me deeply again. His movements gained speed and his breathing quickened. He placed his forehead atop mine and panted in my face. I watched his eyes squeeze shut.

"Shit." He growled as his movements doubled in speed.

All I could do was moan and pant as he was driving me to a climax that was more intense than the first one. He groaned deeply, moving his mouth to my ear. His cool breath caused me to shudder and my walls gripped tight. I released, my climax spilling everywhere. He groaned deeply again as he moved to my neck. My arms remained tight around his neck as I continued to spasm from my climax. I felt his fangs rest against my neck. I froze. Was this it? Was he about to puncture me? Willingly or unintentionally. Was I really about to be dessert before the meal?

I felt him thrust one more time before he groaned, shuddering against me, spilling his seed deep inside me. He kissed my neck where his fangs had just been. And I blew an exhausted breath out in relief.

At some point I must had fallen asleep. When I awoke I was on the floor still but under my blanket. I sat up, clutching the blanket and looked around. I was alone. I glanced at the clock. It was way too early for Sesshomaru to be out amongst the general populace. So where was he? I stood up, blanket wrapped tightly around my frame. And walked to the window.

"Figures." I spoke out loud. Of all the days to be overcast. Which meant he could be any where. He didn't have to be confound to my tiny studio apartment when the sun was hiding in the clouds. I sighed and headed to the bathroom to shower and dress in my lounge clothes. Waiting around wondering if Sesshomaru would return left me rather bored. I walked aimlessly around my extensive collection of books. I ran my fingers across the spines of each shelf haphazardly until I realized one was missing, a book given to me by my grandparents. My grandfather told me it belonged to my mother. I never read it, just stuck it on the shelf in hopes of forgetting it existed. Upon further examination I realized this was exactly where we were standing when we were…together. The moment where he seemed to be lost in thought. He had to be staring at the spine of this book. Could he have taken it? But why?

I sighed aloud. This was definitely going to be a long night. Just then a strange rustling from my fire-escape had my heart pounding in excitement. I thoughtlessly rushed to the window hoping to find Sesshomaru but what I found was...

"Hello. May I come in?" A tall, lanky man asked in a muffled accent. His long black hair and black trench coat whipped about in the wind.

He smiled sweetly at me but panic settled into my being. I slowly backed away, staring into the seemingly pleasant eyes of this stranger. A stranger, who very strangely, showed up on my fire-escape. My mind told me to run, run far away from him. Run for my cell phone that was charging on the end table and call the police, lock myself in the bathroom or run to my neighbor's door. A rapping on the window ripped me from my thoughts.

"Please. May I come in? I am not here to harm you," he spoke again.

He's not here to harm me, but he's here with a purpose. This person is specifically here for me. He didn't show up by chance, as I would like to think. I continued to back away slowly, trying my best not to reflect fear on my face. Our eyes remained locked as I moved toward the front door. Running, that was the best course of action. Where I would go once outside was a dilemma I would have to face once there.

I turned swiftly to the front door, grabbed the knob and ripped it wide open, prepared to run as fast as I ever had in my life. But I was staring in the deep brown eyes of another stranger. I was trapped, no way of escape on my own. Inhaling deeply, I readied my lung to scream, and then everything went black.

---

"Rin."

I heard my name being called. But it was muffled. Like my ears were clogged. Like I was listening under water.

"Rin."

That time it sounded a little clearer. And I became aware of my body. I felt like I was in some sort of seated position. My hands were held by the wrist above my head. A cold solid something was pressed into my back. A wall maybe?

"Rin. Car you hear me?"

"Yes," I wanted to say but I couldn't figure out how to use my vocal cords. My head began to throb like I was just tuning into it, always there, I just wasn't paying attention to it. And then I remembered "them". Two men appeared at my home and...

"Rin!"

My eyes flew open and fluttered as I adjusted to the dimly lit cave of sorts I was in. I looked up at the shackles around my wrists. I was chained to a wall. My breathing became labored. I was starting to panic.

"Rin. Look at me."

I recognized that voice. My eyes shifted around the room until I set sights on him, Sesshomaru. He was at my side but in my hysteria I must not have seen him.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked.

He gave me a sadden look and shook his head. "No. This is real."

"Oh." I remarked but then something more pressing entered my head. "Where were you? I woke up and you weren't there. Are you upset about what happened?"

"No, it is not like that at all. I was on the roof actually." He said with a weak chuckle.

"The roof?"

"Yes. I just had some things on my mind. And then I caught whiff of 'his' cohorts and led them away before they caught your scent but it turns out they were after you all along. The ones I was leading away were just a diversion. I fell right into that trap."

"You tried to save me?" Tears began to well in my eyes. All the emotions bubbling inside me had me thinking on an entirely different level. Fear for the current predicament I was in was the furthest thing from my mind. I had no reason to truly fear for my life as long as he was near. It was fear for my heart that was weighing heavily right now. "Look, I know its crazy with all things considered and where we currently are but I just have to know. What I felt was just too real and I want to believe you felt what I felt. And I have to know the truth. I have to ask, when you're with those other women, is it like that with them? That chemistry? That spark?"

He snickered. "You are an interesting creature, indeed. Even in the midst of this you do not feel the appropriate fear." He paused and genuinely smiled. "No. It is not like that with them. Only you. I will get you out of here. As soon as he comes, I will kill him and get you out of here."

"How very touching." A male voice slithered. I turned my head to the source of the voice. It was a medium built man with long wavy black hair. He was dressed very smartly in all black; black slacks and shoes, a black shirt tucked into his pants with coordinating suspenders. He was a very good looking man. And he would be very appealing if it wasn't for the ominous air around him. I eyed him as he walked, stopping directly I front of me. Sesshomaru stood up right and faced this stranger. Though I was chained to this wall, I was able to stand, the slack in the chains giving me a foot or so away from the wall.

"Yes, she is a very interesting creature, indeed. She has the genes to bewitch any male creature."

"Naraku," Sesshomaru growled. I looked from Sesshomaru to Naraku as he called his name. This was the name Sesshomaru used when he told me of his past. Which means he too was a vampire, a vampire just like Sesshomaru, but what did he want with me. Was I to be killed along with Sesshomaru just like Lady Sara and her lover?

"What do you want with her?" Sesshomaru growled.

"Well you should very well know." He spoke as he held up the missing book from my shelf. "That is if you read this. And considering you would ask such a frivolous question, proves you do not know what lies before you. Or maybe you simply have not told her. Either way, I would like enlighten both of you if I may. I will take you back to the beginning. Lady Sara, the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on, was the queen of our brood, after the death of her father. And I wanted to make her mine. But she was deeply in love with a being of lesser stature." He gestured toward Sesshomaru. "But that was a minor problem. With Lady Sara's soft heart, I knew she would not let tension rise between the two houses. She removed herself from us temporarily to ease the tension and with her far away from Sesshomaru; I knew I could manipulate her to sway in my favor. But she cleverly camouflaged herself with you mortals and eluded my detection. When she surfaced again, she was with child, ruining my chances to be lord of this brood. Or so I thought. Lady Sara was carrying a half-human, half-vampire offspring in her womb, jeopardizing the sanctity of our brood. We prided ourselves on being 100% pure-blooded vampires. A hybrid abomination was not welcomed. So with little convincing, the first seats of the house decided to strip her of her title and kill her offspring and lover.

But I needed Lady Sara out of the picture as well. If I was to ever truly become lord with absolutely no retaliation, Lady Sara had to die as well. I could not risk her loyal followers revolting and demanding her title be reinstated. So I had my father meet with a rather unfortunate accident that left me as lord, unopposed. And my first act as lord was to kill them all. Sadly, Lady Sara's offspring was stillborn and burned. But that did not stop the execution of her and her human pet.

With Lady Sara dead, I was lord but sadly, I felt empty inside. Something was missing. The notion of her child being stillborn did not sit well. So I began killing, I mean interrogating, members of her private court and found out she in fact did give birth to a very healthy child, and hid it amongst the mortals. I sent some of my subordinates to search for it. Through exhausting efforts over a course of years, I surmised the child resided in a small town not so far from here. I personally went to kill the child but it was nowhere to be found. The two pathetic humans who resided there assured me that the child was gone. And for their cooperation I granted them a quick yet painful death." He snidely grinned.

"I had my men track down the scent from the house and followed it to a nearby city. And discovered it belonged to a woman. And imagine my surprise when I was told that one of our own kind's scent was all over the area." He looked at Sesshomaru and back at me. "I had my men pull back. And I waited for the right time to strike. You see, Lady Sara broke my heart. First, when she chose this fool over me and again when she allowed a human to impregnate her. It was as if she were insulting me, as if she did not care for my feelings. She had to pay, with her life and the life of the two things she cherished most in this world, her human pet and the life of her daughter, you."

Sesshomaru turned toward me right as I looked at him, my eyes asking if what he was saying was even remotely possible. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was. It would explain my missing parentage. Wait! What was I saying? It would mean both these men were hopelessly in love with my mother, my vampiric mother. Meaning I was half vampire, born to a vampire queen who was executed for loving a human, my father. As I ran down the details in my head, something snapped within. I charged at that murderous beast but the chains didn't allow me to get far.

"You bastard. You killed my mother, and my father, and my grandparents. I'll kill you. I'll kill you with my bare hands." I yelled as I thrashed about but the chains around my wrists held secure. I couldn't break free and only managed to exhaust myself.

"My, my what a feisty little creature. She reminds me so much of Lady Sara. I wonder in what other ways is she like her mother?" Naraku asked out loud. And then the air shifted. This just wasn't about simple murder anymore. The stakes were raised even higher now. I started to panic. I looked to Sesshomaru.

"You are to not touch her, Naraku. Give me your word and I will be merciful and grant you a hasty death." Sesshomaru placed himself in front of Naraku, blocking my view of him and in return shielding me from his lecherous gaze. And in a flash both were gone from my sight. I could hear the various sounds of what appeared to be scuffling but with their superior speed and my inferior vision, I couldn't see a thing. I could only hope Sesshomaru was faring well. There was a crashing sound nearby and the crumbling of a wall. Someone hit the ground hard. Before my eyes had time to adjust to see whose body was a limp puddle on the floor, he was standing several feet across from me, Naraku.

I wanted to move to stand, to defend myself in any way possible but I was frozen in fear. I knew with his speed he'd be to me in a fraction of a second. I watched helpless as he barred his fangs to me. The only thing I could do was hope he was willing to skip whatever sick preliminary tortures he had planned and grant me a quick death. I crossed my arms as best I could chained, my wrist meeting each other in a feeble attempt to shield myself. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the dirt under his feet shift. He was on the move. I felt the disrupted wind from him movements. And I could feel him near, taunting me as he loomed over me. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing the panic in my eyes. All was quiet and undisturbed. Unmoving. What's was he waiting for? Just do it.

I felt a drop of liquid fall on my wrist. Was he salivated for his kill? I felt another and then another. Curiosity got the best of me and I opened my eyes and saw that the liquid that continued to fall in a slow trickle was red. Blood. I followed the dark colored slacks upward and onward to the top of the shirt. My heart raced faster, knowing something my brain was refusing to believe. My tear-filled eyes continued upward until I saw his face.

"Sesshomaru," I whispered.

Naraku, just removing his hand from the gaping wound he left in Sesshomaru chest, was the cause of the blood falling. I shook my head slightly in disbelieve. The blood pouring from his chest wound started to flow profusely. He opened his mouth and said something but I couldn't hear him. I was in too much shock for my other senses to function. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a dream, an awful, awful dream. A single droplet of his blood landed on my lip. It was then that I realized his blood was running down my face. A terrifying rain that awakened memories I had long since locked away. The smell of the elements in his blood took me back to a place in my distant past.

I was about 9 or 10 years of age. I was playing and fell down. I skinned my knees and scraped my elbow really bad. I walked inside for the aid of my grandmother. As I went to speak to her, I realized I cut my lip also. The blood from my wound flowed so much I had no choice but to drink it. Feeling of it in my throat, the taste of it on my tongue, I cringed. And shook. And collapsed to the floor. My throat became hot. It burned. I started convulsing and screaming aloud. I closed my eyes wishing this horrendous pain would subside. Then I heard my grandmother scream at the top of her lungs. A scream of panic and terror. I thought I must have been dying for her to scream that way. I wanted to see her face before I did. I willed my eyes open. My vision was hazy and I was looking at the rafters of the ceiling; although not at the right angle as if I was looking up but rather looking forward. I was eye level with them. And then I looked down and saw my grandmother screaming louder looking up at me.

A sudden sound brought me out of my memory. Sesshomaru collapsed on to his back to the right of me. I opened my mouth to call to him and that's when I tasted it. That familiar taste from all those years ago. My breathing escalated and my chest heaved. I licked my lips and tasted more of it. My body became hot and I started to shake lightly. I squeezed my eyes shut as this warmth filled my body. My ears heard the shifting of the dirt to my left and my eyes snapped opened. My vision was hazy with a green hue, as if a film were over my eyes. The burning in my throat became more prominent. And I was filled with the desire to satiate the thirst. My body knew only one thing could quell it. Blood.

With a gentle flick of my wrists, I snapped the cuffs that were binding me and I picked myself off the ground. I stood upright, face to face with my adversary. Aside from the gnawing in my throat, I felt calm. Resolved. Renewed. I found amusement in the confused and slightly frighten look on Naraku's face. For him to be scared, I knew I had to be a threat to him and for that to be true, I knew only one thing could have happened. I became a vampire.

Wasting no time, I charged at my foe, closing the gap between us in speed unmeasurable. Even though it all was new to me, I moved with top rate precision. If I had a chance to defeat him, it would have to be with the element of surprise. I attacked fiercely and quickly, landing punches and kicks; my strength sending Naraku into nearby cavern sides and not giving him a chance to recover and collect his bearings. I pummeled him with punches again. I was becoming increasingly confident in my victory with each connected blow, until something caught my attention. Sesshomaru shifted. He was alive. Naraku took advantage of my loss of focus and grabbed me. His hand wrapped around my throat and lifted me off my feet. I gasped for air as he looked me in my eyes. He sneered and tossed me aside. My body made contact with the cavern walk near Sesshomaru.

"Enough. You pathetic half-breed. I will put you in your place. I am king. And your life ends now." He declared. His body was changing. I watched as he doubled over and sprouted a huge set of wings out of his back. It was going to take some real skill to defeat him in this state. I began doubting myself.

Just then, a white light engulfed me and I was face to face with a man and a woman. Their kind, gentle faces put me at ease as I instantly recognized them to be my parents. My father stood tall with dark hair and a slender built wearing a blue shaded kimono. And my mother was just as beautiful as Sesshomaru described, long flowing raven hair like mine and bright eyes. She was wearing a kimono as well but hers was purple and gold, the colors of royalty.

"You've grown into a fine woman. I only wish your mother and I were able to be there to watch you as you grew," my father spoke. He walked forward and embraced me. "Your life meant more than our own. It's a precious gift. Cherish it." He finished as he let go of me and stepped back. I watched as my mother approached me.

"What your father says is true. You mean more to us both than our own lives." She spoke with a regal air about her. "Remember to always keep your kind and gentle heart. But right now that will not help you. Let me show you how to use your full vampiric powers." She reached forward and embraced me maternally, pulling my head to her chest. I closed my eyes and let her take control.

It was as if I were having an otherworldly experience. I was watching through the eyes of my mother as she inhabited my body. I saw from her point of view. Our body grew hot again. The heat radiated to our back and out through our new appendages. We flapped our new set of wings and took to the air to meet Naraku head on.

"Naraku," my body spoke with a voice that was not my own. "Today, you die by my hands. Come. Meet your death."

I gazed unafraid as he soared through the air at us. With a better understanding of this new body, fighting was effortless. Our movements were lithe and exact and much quicker than Naraku's. He couldn't keep up. And before long, we were grappling with him. From us sharing a mind, I knew what needed to be done. Delicate hands wound their way around his neck and turned. And turned. And turned, completely detaching the bones in the neck and head. He was dead. For good. No chance of recovering from that.

Our field of vision turned until we saw Sesshomaru's form. He was standing up, just barely.

"Sesshomaru," my mother spoke through me. "Thank you for looking after my child." Smiling, she mildly teased. "Looks like I was able to return the favor and come to your aid just as you did for me those many years ago. Thank you my friend. Take care."

Another warm white light engulfed me and all at once I felt normal. I was human again. I rushed over to Sesshomaru's side and helped him stand upright.

"I will be fine with a day or two of rest." He chuckled.

I smiled back, noticing the wound in his chest was already starting to heal, and looked around at my short-lived dungeon. Nothing could ever be the same now. My whole life changed in a matter of months. I was thrust into a world I didn't even know existed and now by birthright I was its leader.

"Sesshomaru," I spoke timidly. "This rest that you need, where will you be doing it?"

"Silly girl, I will rest at home…where you are. You do have to work tonight," he grinned down at me. I looked up at him as his fingers brushed my cheek and he pressed his lips to mine in a deep kiss.

---

"And so…um that's it. That's what I been up to." I sat across my counter-space, staring in the unbelieving eyes of my best friend, as I finished recapping the past few months of my life. She remained silent. "You don't believe me, Kagome?" Her silence was starting to worry me.

"It…It's not that I don't believe you. I mean, I have to as I look into your now green eyes. It's just a lot to take in. I mean it's not everyday that your childhood best friend, who had brown eyes back then, tells you, now with her green eyes and you know she's not wearing colored contacts, that she's half-human, half-vampire and queen to a whole clan of vampires; who reside less than 10 miles from the city you reside in. And, and that you used your bare hands to kill a man, excuse me," she corrected, "vampire."

"I know it's a lot but it's all true."

She let out a deep sigh. "So if you're half and half. What do you eat? I mean you kill people?"

I dropped my head in slight shame. "We found out that if I taste blood my vampiric powers awaken." I raised my head again. "But the longer I abstain from blood, I become more human and my eyes turn brown again. But also it seems the more I taste blood and access my vampiric side, the longer I have to abstain before I revert back to 100% human."

"So you have killed people?"

"Just bad people. You know the one committing murders and stuff."

"So you're a moral vampire."

"Do you hate me now?"

"No, no. I'm only joking. The world is vast and history omits a lot if things. There are plenty of things that we don't know about." She turned to her boyfriend who was sitting on my new couch watching the new tv, uninterested in anything we had to say. "I mean last year we found out that one of Inuyasha's ancestors was a great dog demon general of western japan. That's why as the men in his family get older, their hair turns all white. We need to enjoy his black hair while we still can." She laughed "So anything is possible right."

"I'm so glad you're taking this so well. I thought you would be freaked out and not want to be friends with me or something." I confessed.

"No, nothing like that. So let me get this right. Your mother was in charge and then that other guy was in charge but now since you're the daughter of the past Queen, that's that make you queen now?"

I smiled. "Yea it does. I am the queen of a brood of vampires. It still sounds crazy when I say it."

"So do you live in a castle or something?"

"No, it's not a castle. It's a big mansion of sorts where we live and it expands deep underground."

"Won't you get in trouble for telling an outsider all this?"

"I'm the queen," I laughed. "But I questioned that too. Apparently we aren't so big on secrecy. Sesshomaru said no human would dare come near the grounds to investigate. And if they did, well you know." I gave a grim look.

"Oh," Kagome returned a grim look of her own and then smiled. "So are you going to make a whole bunch of new laws and rules for your…"following" to obey?"

"Not really. I don't think I'm fit to enforce new rules. I actually left Sesshomaru's father in charge until I learn all this stuff. I have a whole new world to learn, a new culture to get accustomed to."

"You trust Sesshomaru's father in your absence?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. He was very accepting of my lineage. Other members of our brood, mainly from the second house where Naraku ruled, where not as accepting considering I am a half-breed. And some of my mother's followers were not as enthusiastic since I am the reason for their beloved queen's demise. But Sesshomaru's father was very welcoming." I leaned forwarded and whispered at Kagome. "I think because he knows of Sesshomaru's feelings for me. I mean he was willing to risk his immortality for me." I sat upright and spoke at a normal level. "His father told me that whenever I am ready, he will groom me for the throne."

Kagome was nodding her head as she was listening to me then suddenly sat up straight and stiffened as if something caught her attention. "Do you think Sesshomaru's just with you to relive some relationship that he used to her with your mother?"

I was quiet for a minute, thoughtful. "He told me that he was starting to feel something for me the longer he was with me. He said he didn't like it or want those feelings but couldn't bring himself to just leave me. Angry with himself for developing emotions for a human, he tried to get me to be so angry with him that I would tell him to leave. And you know how well that worked," I laughed. "He said when we were together, he thought about telling his father that he was resigning from his position in our brood and staying with me until I didn't want him anymore. But then he read the book that my mother left me that I had on the shelf.

It was a journal of sorts with writing from my mother, her recounts and thoughts as the princess and then her becoming queen. She wrote about how Sesshomaru was a wonderful friend to her and how Naraku was ever-growing jealous of the fact. And then she met my father. She loved my father beyond measure. And she was ecstatic when she found out she was pregnant. But she was discovered by one of Naraku's subordinates. She loved me so dearly that she died for me. The last entry she wrote was to Sesshomaru. If he ever found me, she asked that he would protect me from Naraku. She also apologized for the emptiness she was sure to leave in him. She said she was happy she gave birth to me for two reasons. The first was because a part of my father would live on and she thought he was the greatest human she ever met. And the second was because I was apart of her and she wanted Sesshomaru fill the void she left in him with me.

Even if Sesshomaru is with me to relive some relationship he had with my mother it doesn't even matter. What I feel for him and how I feel when I'm near him out weighs all those thoughts." I finished with a smile.

Kagome smiled back. "Ok. As long as he knows how special you are. Cause if he hurts you, he'll have to deal with me."

We laughed loudly together as I looked up to the ceiling.

"So where is he anyway?" She inquired.

"On the roof," I stated. "He's up there listening to everything we're saying."

Her eyes became slightly panicked. "Everything?"

"Yes. I told you our hearing is phenomenal." I grinned.

"On that note, we're going to go." She laughed nervously.

I stood in the doorway of my apartment and bid my best friend farewell for now. As I was closing the door, Sesshomaru was just climbing in the window from the fire-escape.

"I like your friend. She is quite entertaining." He grinned as he stalked over toward my now seated position on the bed. "But I want to clarify. I am not with you because I was once in love with your mother. Nor because she wished such a thing for me. I am with you because I love you." He spoke as he invaded my personal space, forcing me backwards on the bed and climbing on top of me.

"I know. And I love you too but I can't help but wonder sometimes." I whispered as I laced my fingers in his soft hair pulling him closer to me.

"How many times do I need to show you just how much you mean to me?" He emphasized by grinding his hardening member into my ever-growing moist center.

I moaned slightly. "Well you know I'm a little stubborn." I felt his lips skim across my neck, causing me to shiver in delight.

"Seems that way. Looks like, once again, I will just have to show you my little one."

His lips pressed against mine as he prepared to take my body and spirit to realms of pleasure I couldn't comprehend. My life before my meeting him seemed like a faded dream but now there is only me and him, a destined love that moves across worlds.

---

Thank you all for reading. We hope you enjoyed it. Please review. We are sorry for any errors that slipped from us. A lot of things are going on at the same time and the proofreading and formatting task may have not received me full attention.

We also wanted to mention that this literary work has been published into a short book. It started out as a simple fanfiction and then took on a life of its own. The story line is mostly the same but with new characters and a lot more details. There is a much deeper back story for the female protagonist and added information.

It will be available as digital media and in print very, very, very soon!

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