Fake
Oh . . . it's magnificent, Rin thought as she entered the grand ballroom. The lights shimmered and danced about the crystal chandeliers and made the water sparkle on the fountains placed strategically about the room. The room, itself, was decorated in reds; from the pure red of the long curtains over the entrance and exit to the gardens, to the pastel red of the tablecloth coverings and the blood dark-red of the carpet. The hostess and host surely upheld their reputations of extravagant taste in style.
"Come on Rin, don't just stand there," The hostess said enthusiastically as she maneuvered the pretty, young heiress down the grand stairs.
Rin smiled as she fallowed the hostess, completely giddy about her luck to have her come out with such nice people. After all, her late father had left her with money, but no guardian to help her get along in the troublesome world of the rich and powerful.
"Hey Rin," The hostess said as she slowed down and seconds later came to a stop.
"Yes?" Rin asked as the hostess turned halfway toward her and stepped back.
"I want you to meet someone."
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The pounding rain was no help as Rin ran as fast as she could in the dangerous conditions. Her tears were indistinguishable from the falling rain on her face.
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Rin looked up at the stars and smiled when they seemed to twinkle at her and how they added to the already romantic evening. Perfect and romantic... everything tonight felt that way.
Looking back down from the flirting stars, Rin took notice of her companion returning from inside his study.
"Rin," he whispered as he sat down beside her and handed her the glass of white wine he had brought for her.
"Yes?" She asked him as she took a sip of the wine and tried not to stare at him. It was their third date in the month they'd known each other and even though she always had a good time when she was with him, his next question was unexpected.
"Will you be mine?"
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A mud puddle caught Rin unaware and caused her to fall to her knees, the dirty water freezing despite the warm early-spring weather, but in her desperate state of mind the harsh fall was naught but a momentary lapse in her escape. Even as she grew tired and an ache in her belly began, Rin would not stop for long. . . She could not let him catch her. She would prefer death to that life of living hell again.
How could I be such a fool? How!
There was no need in her mind to answer that because he had seemed so sincere in his 'love' for her. Now, she wondered if he even knew what love was. At the beginning of their dating he had been gentle, kind, romantic, faithful; the man she had fallen in love with. She hadn't known then his real nature; his deceit. He had hidden away his true character from her until they married.
Their wedding night had been her first glimpse of the real him. Upon saying "yes" at the alter, the chase had ended and he'd changed.
Cruel. That was one way to describe him. How the hell had she not realized he was a youkai gangster? Sesshoumaru Taisho, the oldest son of the crime lord Inu no Taisho.
It had been well over an hour since she'd begun running, but she kept on going, getting more lost as she went, but unable to stop.
Rin had days later found out Sesshoumaru had only married her because of an arrangement his father had with her late father. Or so she'd been told, but now she wondered if there had actually been any such arrangement because she had never heared of one. According to him, however, no human was worthy of his grace or respect, of being his mate or the mother of his cubs. And she was no exception.
The night of their joining ceremony had started his cruelty. In his ill-contained rage for having to mate with a human, Sesshoumaru was rough when he took her intimately. Though she now knew he could have been far more hurt that night because of his strength, she still shuddered to think of that one time with her mate. He had taken her like if she were the lowest, most used up whore ever, no kind words, no respect for her chasteness, no consideration for her as a person. There had been pain, confusion. Not something to remember lovingly for the rest of her life. The next day the servants found Rin with some bruises and many scratches.
After that day he ignored her. Wouldn't even look at her and that combined with his roughness on their first night as mates hurt her deeply. Her strong heart began to break. Later, as the days went by, Sesshoumaru would not tolerate her to be in the same room as him so she ate with the kind and loyal servants and slept in a guest room. However, she'd been able to withstand that.
A loud crack in the background caused Rin to increase her speed, however, she was still lost in her thoughts.
Her biggest humiliation had come to her a couple of days ago when he forbade her to attend the ball in their home to honor his father's latest triumph against the villainous Naraku. But that hadn't stung as badly as the fact that he had replaced her in attendance with his youkai lover.
That had been a mortal blow to her heart, but she'd stayed, pretended she didn't know what had happened that day and smiled on. However, for the past four days she had begun to feel sick and took to bed for most of the day until late afternoon. The servants took care of her, but were unable to stop the truth about her husband's lover from reaching her. Sesshoumaru's lover now occupied her place by his side.
That is why today, exactly a month after their marriage, she'd fled. For her sanity and possibility her very life. . . and for her babe's life. She'd been receptive on their marriage night. Now she had to flee before Sesshoumaru found out. He'd made it quite clear that he didn't want any children from her. Rin had to flee or he would surely kill her when her scent, according to the servants, got strong enough for him to notice it. She kept running, her endurance surprising even her, but before she noticed what happened, some one had jerked her back. She landed on her back with a loud thump.
"You thought to run away from me?" Sesshoumaru's dangerous monotone voice asked her from above.
As Rin stared up in paralyzed horror Sesshoumaru stepped out of the natural shadows surrounding them. His eyes were glowing red; his markings were jagged stripes in his cheekbones.