Protecting You
xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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Chapter 1
Discovery and Reaction

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She was absolutely sure that she was sick.

There were days where she had a fever; a high one. She would be unable to leave the bed, but problems were worse when she needed to force herself out of bed to rid herself of her stomach contents. The young woman was also losing weight, simply from not being able to eat. Whatever she put down, liquid or solid, it would come right back up again within the hour. None of the yokai were able to look at her, and she did not wish for that to happen. Her mate's yokai should not be used on her for some ningen sickness.

Besides, they would not be able to tell what was going on with her, seeing as they were different species to begin with.

But that was not even the full problem, she was mated with the yokai ruler of the Western lands. She was his.

A ningen and a yokai were considered forbidden, taboo. It was a rare practice only done by a select few. The young woman obviously knew of her mate's younger brother, Inuyasha, and he was hated by yokai and ningen alike. A hanyou was considered to be different to a ningen and a yokai, even if he may have had the heart of a human, and the body of a demon or vice versa.

Her mate in question had allowed her to know of his father. It was said that Inu no Taisho was with Inuyasha and his human mate, leaving behind Sesshoumaru, her mate, and his mother. This jealously from the daiyokai, the both of them, should not have been condoned, but they could not help it. Sesshoumaru's mother soon got over it, but it was the elder son that felt the bitterness of jealously. It rained its ugly head and caused the two to hate each-other. Then, there came the story of Inu no Taisho's legacy; the Tessaiga. Of course, Sesshoumaru had already found the Tenseiga, and seemingly abandoned it. He did not like using it; it was of no use in battle as its blade could not even cut a leaf. The only thing the weapon had been good for was to bring yokai and ningen alike back to life.

However, years had passed, and the two had become closer. While they were not as close as siblings should be, they were able to, albeit without speaking of it, consider themselves brothers. They had spars frequently to hone their skills, and they were a close match in their strengths. It was clear that, while Inuyasha had the Tessaiga, Sesshoumaru was still stronger, due to his full-blood yokai abilities. He was able to heal quicker, and if he lost the Bakusaiga in a battle, he would be able to use his toxic claws.

As the brothers somewhat respected one-another, they had this unsaid promise that they would help each-other out. Of course, seeing as the two were so ego-driven, they would never ask for this help. It would just happen, and they may lash out at each-other for not being able to fight an opponent.

As Rin's thoughts continued, she felt the sick feeling in her stomach bubble. The girl rushed to her feet, and practically darted to the closest bathroom, the one in her chambers, and promptly, threw up. She had not even eaten today, and she was sick! She really did not understand what was going on. The colour drained from her face as she felt a hot flush coming on, deciding that it would be best to flush the toilet, and perhaps go for a swim in the lakes near the main chambers. That might cool her down.

But Rin hesitated.

She had a habit of fainting as well because of this illness. She knew it would not be best, as Sesshoumaru had made it clear he wanted no-one to watch when she was bathing, other than the female yokai that would groom her, if she wished. However, Rin was the sort to not ask for this, as she did not like baring herself in front of people; female and male alike.

Her hazel eyes met the mirror, and she noticed that her weight loss was evident in the mirror as well. Her cheeks were as pale as white clay, and her eyes had heavy and dark bags underneath. Her lips were chapped and dry, and she looked absolutely horrifying.

Rin was somewhat glad that Sesshoumaru would not return for the next few days, at least in what he had said. Her life had consisted of getting out her futon, throw up, try and eat, throw up again, lay down because she felt lethargic and exhausted, get up and try and eat again, then go to sleep for the night. She had been unable do much; she had to get others to watch over the house, and report to her. And by reporting, they left letters underneath the door so she could read them when she could.

Because of the sickness she was feeling, she wondered whether or not she should visit Inuyasha's mate, Kagome. Kagome was sure to be able to know what was going on, but there was the problem of getting there. If she is still sick when her mate returns, she may be able to get him to take her there. Of course, he would more than likely fly, rather than take Ah-Un. He preferred carrying her, anyways.

The reason for seeing Kagome, was simply because if she fell deathly ill and passed on, it could kill Sesshoumaru. A daiyokai's mate, and well, any yokai's mate, is held in very high regard. If one of them die, the other is very likely to follow. It is because their lives (and souls) are bonded in such a tight way, and when a yokai loses their mate, they usually lose the will to live. Even someone like Sesshoumaru is able to be affected by it, from what he had said himself, and that terrified her. It made her wonder why he chose someone as weak as she was. He could have had a lady which was strong and a yokai like him, someone who could look after herself easier, but he chose her.

When he had mated with her a year ago, it was practically like a marriage. He had bitten her months before, shocking her to her core. He had lost himself at one stage, and his eyes were that haunting red. She was unable to stop him, and he had sunk his teeth into her neck, forever marking her as his. The bond itself was forged when they made love for the first time. The memory was very fond in her mind, as she had never seen her mate the way he had been. While his eyes had later gained the fiery red hue, rather than the pupils turning emerald, they stayed the beautiful amber that she was used to. It calmed her down, and she was able to enjoy his ministrations during the act. Again, he had bitten her one last time, allowing a small moon to form on the side of her neck, disappearing beneath her skin, and another on her right hip bone. The latter stayed, while the former only appeared if he was searching for her, or if a man or yokai touched her with the intent to take her.

When hers and Sesshoumaru's bond forged, her life was tied to his. If he died, she would follow. And if she died, he would follow her to the after-life. Another added aspect was he had a telekinetic bond with her, and that helped her when she missed him, and he would send her calming thoughts to allow her to sleep. Lastly, her life span had increased. It was to the same amount of time as he would live. Of course, she was still a mortal, and could be killed by anything that a normal ningen could die from.

Rin lifted her head, staring at herself once more. Her eyes were hazy, and she decided it was best to go back to sleep. She already felt tired. Swiftly, she flushed the toilet and made her way back into her bedroom chambers..

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"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The silver-haired lord had only just walked into his castle.

As it was, Jaken had a bad behaviour of rushing up to Sesshoumaru and complaining about things he did not care about, especially after he had just returned home. His body lusted for his mate, as it negatively affected a yokai if they were too far away from their mate for extended periods of time. Of course, he was able to control himself, like any aristocratic yokai should be able to, but that did not mean that he did not think about it.

All he wanted to do was make love to her and become reaquanited with her body, something that he allowed himself to do whenever he returned home from long patrols of his land.

Sesshoumaru did not bother to look or respond to the green yokai, simply walking past him. He had no time to speak with the yokai, besides, his body practically roared for Rin. He needed her at that point of time.

He continued stepping towards his chambers, but the irritating Jaken stopped in front of him. For once, the idiot was not listening to him, it seemed. The yokai's eyes narrowed as he regarded Jaken coldly. He had no want to sit around right now. The only thing on his mind was his mate; it had been a long couple of weeks without her. While years did not mean anything to a yokai, it still felt like a long time when a yokai was not in the embrace of their loved one. Besides, being mated has other effects; the main one is an even closer connection, hence him missing his human mate.

The lord's eyes returned to his previous stead-fast scowl. "What is it?"

Jaken froze, seemingly collecting his words. "It's about Rin," the green yokai swallowed his possibly last breath. "she is ill."

"Ill?" the yokai said, his hands clenching by his sides in an unnoticeable way.

"Some sort of human illness, Sesshoumaru-sama. She has been this way ever since you left over a month ago," Jaken explained, knowing that was what his master had wanted from him.

Jaken's scanned the room with his lime eyes, already realizing that his lord had disappeared right before his eyes.

But he did not make any comment, instead deciding to make himself useful.

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Sesshoumaru could tell that she was still asleep, and she was having no dreams. He scanned through her thoughts, seeing that she was indeed sick. Slowly, he opened his chamber's doors, sliding he door open so he could slip through silently. He was silent on his feet, not wishing to disturb his mate's rest. She needed all of that. Also, he knew that she was not a fan of people barging into her room, and he did not want to irritate her. She was the sort to not talk to him for a day, even for something over that. Of course, he would force her talk to him. Sesshoumaru was not the sort that enjoyed being ignored.

His eyes met her body, and his amber eyes widened a fraction when he noted she had lost a considerable amount of weight. The yokai closed the door behind him, and made his way to her. He leaned over the futon and her body, allowing his claws to sheathe, as he lowered his hand to her cheek bone. Her skin was warm, he noted. But her face did not show that; she was as pale as a spirit. His honey eyes narrowed as he checked her over, being gentle with her. Sesshoumaru leaned his head down and took heavy breaths, picking up on her scent. He needed to know what was wrong with her, so he could solve the issue. However, him being a yokai, he was not able to know exactly what was wrong with her.

However, from the symptoms she was showing, he knew that she was very sick. Kagome had told him before of a few illnesses humans can pick up, and he could tell that they were weaker than he had previously thought. She was no exception, he supposed. Even with being mated to him, she was still able to be affected by sickness, and this made him worry for her, understandably.

The yokai continued scenting her, reaching further and further down until he came to her stomach, picking on the scent of, well, himself. His eyes narrowed as he investigated further; the scent of her body changing was what caught him out. He knew her scent was like his, but not this much so. Something else was going on, and the changing in her body was making him sure that he knew what was going on. There was no way that her body was preparing to bleed, as her scent would drive him into heat. Instead, this was just a pleasant smell. Something that he liked.

He closed his eyes at this knowledge.

This is what is causing Rin to be sick? His head was thinking of all the possibilities of what was going on, but he knew that her being pregnant is the only possibility.

A hanyou was the cause of her sickness, it seemed. He snarled to himself, cursing himself for not noticing such a thing. He did not know that a hanyou would cause her so much pain. She was not sleeping well, and seemed to dart around in the sheets. He thought of waking her up, but was against it. She needed rest, even if that rest was not good. … He also needed time to think of what he can do to sort out this issue.

He eyed her stomach for a moment, not feeling anything but worry for his mate. The hanyou she was carrying in her womb was the cause of her illness. In other words, he was the cause of her sickness. He knew that a hanyou would cause plenty of damage to a human, especially with his power. Sesshoumaru was a full-fledged yokai, and also was one of the strongest the lands have seen.

Sesshoumaru knew better than to wake his mate up, so he decided to lay with her and get some rest as well. However, he knew full well that she needed it more-so than she did.

… And if he could not rest, he needed to think about what he can do to solve this issue that has made itself known.

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When the young lady awoke, the first thing she noticed was an arm wrapped around her body, pulling her close into a larger body. The warmth she felt calmed her, and she could feel the fluffy boa against her body. She hugged into the fur, feeling the arm tighten slightly when she shifted. She closed her eyes, but felt a tongue lick at the scars of the bite her mate had created years ago. She giggled softly, his fangs playfully biting into the creamy flesh of her nape. The scar always stayed on her neck, the moon appearing in the middle of his bite's scars. Of course, ningen asked about the fangs imprinted in her neck, and she gave them the honest answer; she was mated with a yokai.

Rin felt his hands move a little more, and she definitely, definitely knew he was awake. Unlike her, he needed very little sleep. However, he allowed himself to rest in her presence, even dozing off every now and again.

Rin turned around in his arms, to meet his golden eyes. He was awake. Or, at least, he had always been awake.

Sesshoumaru helped her turn around, so that she was facing him. His eyes were… different. There was something in his eyes that made her worry, but it vanished, making her believe that she was only seeing things. Her fingers lifted up and traced each and every marking that was permanently marked upon his face. He leaned into her touch, enjoying it.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

He leaned in. "You are ill. You need rest."

The young woman was surprised that he knew about it, and then realized that Jaken was sure to have told him about her condition. After all, Jaken did check on her daily. However, Rin felt sadness at the fact that she was unable to get better before her mate returned home, but she was still happy to see him, nonetheless.

Sesshoumaru leaned down, reading her eyes. Rin hid her eyes, closing them. He gripped her head, telling her to look at him. She did as he ordered and watched him.

"Honto gomen," Rin breathed, gazing up at her mate with sad hazel eyes, "I should be better by now; before you returned."

Sesshoumaru watched her silently for a few moments before shaking his head, "It is not a sickness you should be ashamed of, mate."

Confusion swept through her, making her so puzzled by the words he had said. Ningen had such a weakness towards disease and famine; something that yokai do not go through. She knew that her mate absolutely hated ningen weakness, and he showed that when some petty children begged him for money or food. Of course, when Rin knew that her mate was far away, she would give the children a few coins to get them on their way, and to be able to buy a full meal for themselves.

Sesshoumaru watched Rin for a few seconds before muttering, "You are carrying a child."

A few seconds ticked past, and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. She sat up, pulling away from his grasp, and felt his eyes watching her. Rin allowed her hand to drop to her stomach, allowing herself to smile lightly. She could not believe that she was carrying her love's child! Never had she expected to do such a thing, yet, here she was, pregnant.

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Sesshoumaru had followed her as well, sitting up in a cross-legged position.

The silver-haired yokai gauged her reaction, and felt his heart stop when he realized the happiness on her face. He would have to shatter that, for her well-being, and he wondered if she would hate him for it. It would hurt her; he would hurt her. The daiyokai knew that carrying a hanyou, especially from a yokai as strong as him, would affect her negatively. Even before childbirth, the child could kill her, ripping her a part from the inside out. The strain on the body was something that scared him as well; she could die at any moment. If the hanyou kicks her later on, it could break spine or cause internal bleeding.

It was the harsh reality of carrying a yokai child; she could not heal as quickly as he could, and her body would be harmed. He did not wish to put her through that, even for the sake of keeping a child alive. She was too important, after all.

He would grow to hate his own child if it was the cause for his mate's death, besides, Sesshoumaru's would follow soon after. And even if he did survive the loss of his mate, he could not care for something that took away his most important thing. He knew that Rin was sure to be upset, especially with the evident happiness she had shown, but it was for her own good, as well as his own.

"This issue needs to be dealt with," he paused, watching as Rin froze, "it cannot stay."

He watched the smile fade away from her face, and she fixed her eyes on him, turning her head. Her back was to him, and he could cause her to lose it whenever he wished; they both knew that. But she was not paying attention; she was seeking his words' meaning.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru growled, making her shiver with his tone, "You cannot carry this child."

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tbc

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(1)—Boa: referring to Sesshoumaru's fluffy… thing.

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Okay, so I hope that the first chapter was good. I'm hoping to give out chapters at least once a week. I'm three chapters in, but I'm going on holidays next week. I think that this should only be four or five chapters long. It will have some more adult content later on *winks*, but I hope it's okay. And yeah, I'm so, so sorry that Sesshoumaru and Rin might be out of character, but this is my first time writing something for them. But yes, anyways I hope it was, well, readable.

Also, this is unedited so there is sure to be mistakes.