Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks again to all of you for your reviews and adds. I know I always say it but I'm always very grateful. You guys are amazing and hey, you put up with my slowness and indeciveness. That's something to be thankful for! Well here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy. P.S. Sorry about the cliffy….I promise to post more soon!
Arinna opened the door to her apartment and was greeted by a howling cat. Apparently Sesshomaru hadn't been exaggerating when he'd mentioned the frightened little furball. She was usually only this aggressive with her need for attention after she was scared. Arinna closed the door with a kick and picked up her beloved pet all the while murmuring gibberish to her and stroking the soft fur. She needed some time to think and was looking forward to the day of peace. Her life had just begun to move far too rapidly and her brain was just, well it was not working anymore she decided. After all, who macks on the man that essentially kidnaps them? The Stockholm Syndrome immediately came to her mind but she pushed it away.
With a curse she remembered that her cat had not been fed this morning. In all of the strange-man-in-her-bedroom chaos she had forgotten. She opened the cabinet and cursed again. No cat food. "I'm sorry baby. I'll go right out and get it." Of course that turned out to be an overstatement as her phone rang while she was gathering her discarded things. She picked up and said an angry greeting.
"Well hello to you too. I'm the one that should be pissed seeing as to you ditched me last night." Kelly's irritated snap came through the receiver. Rin sighed and immediately felt like crap.
"I'm sorry Kel there was just, a lot going on."
"I've been calling you all day. Did you go home with David?"
"What?" Rin nearly shrieked in surprise. "No. I actually ran in to Mr. Taisho and he took me home." There was a moment of silence before a giddy squeal made her pull away from the phone.
"Oh my god! Tell me everything right now. Is he as good looking without his clothes on? Is his hair naturally that color? Oh my god, oh my god Rin I can't believe you slept with him! You are such a little slut." She giggled. Rin sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.
"I didn't say I slept with him Kelly I said he brought me home." Kelly groaned.
"Please tell me you did not just send him home?" When Rin didn't answer she huffed. "At least tell me you kissed him." Rin thought about it. She had kissed him but not until this morning. "Rin?" Kelly asked the playful tone returning to her voice.
"Well…" The high pitched squeal returned. Why her friend was so delighted at her less than savory conduct was a mystery.
"I knew it! Tell me tell me tell me." Rin couldn't help but laugh at Kelly's exuberance.
"Why do you want to know so badly? I mean I was pretty out of it. Definitely had too much to drink."
"Please there is no such thing. And I want to know because he's like way fine and the most eligible bachelor on the east coast." Okay that was a serious exaggeration. Well about the eligible bachelor part anyway.
"Well it was nice."
"Nice?" Her friend sounded disappointed and frustrated all at once.
"Yeah. He's really intense and possessive. I felt like I was just getting swept away but the kissing was definitely nice."
"So when are you going to see him again?"
"Oh uh…" Tonight if he had his way, which he probably would. "I don't really know." She lied instead. Last thing she needed was Kelly 'accidentally' interrupting her chance at answers from Sesshomaru. Kelly sighed.
"You should call him. Tomorrow obviously you don't want to seem needy but still. Give him a call and tell him you want to thank him for being so gentlemanly." She giggled while Rin bristled. She was just about at her limit with people telling her what to do.
"Hey, Kel, I just realized I'm out of cat food and Amenet is pouting something fierce. Can I give you a call back when I get home? It's just a quick run, ten, fifteen minutes?"
"Sure, sure. Then we'll plot your wardrobe! Oh god Rin, I am so happy for you. I will so show you how to catch this guy." She was glad her friend couldn't see the glower that contorted her face.
"Sounds good. Bye." She hung up after that not wanting to hear whatever man catching rhetoric she was going to be subjected to. She wasn't even sure she wanted to catch Sesshomaru. She sighed and apologized to the cat as she weaved between her ankles. "I know, I know. I'm going." She left her apartment and took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. The market was only a block away so she could zip in and out real quick. Since she was there though she might as well pick up milk and some food. Her refrigerator was starting to look a little bare and she needed some fuel. Her assignment for her art class was due in two weeks and she had yet to think of an original idea for it. Rin was one of those people born with the gift to see the art in everything around her and hear the music in the ambient sounds of life. Seeing as to she wasn't all that great at playing instruments and far too shy to sing for others she'd settled on following her passion for art.
The only problem was in school you had deadlines. They wanted you to be creative but they wanted it done by a certain time and that was hard for her. The ideas came when they wanted to and there was really no rushing them. She observed the labels of the food in the market while she browsed for what she wanted, hoping against hope that the brilliant idea would suddenly emerge from her subconsciousness. It didn't, not that she'd really expected it to, but she was disappointed all the same. She smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the teenage clerk and then exited the store into the bright sun. With a happy smile she breathed deep the fresh city air. Not exactly fresh really but not too terrible today. She started the walk back to her apartment with a lighter step. She could figure all of this craziness out. It was just a setback and all she needed was to get back on track. Painting was a great way to clear her mind and even if it amounted to nothing she would still have worked through her inner turmoil. She nodded to herself and walked a little faster. "My, you seem to be in a good mood." That sickly seductive voice froze her midstep. She turned slowly to see the man from the diner leaning in the shadows near the alleyway. If possible he looked even paler than he had a few hours ago. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."
"That's ok. You were busy with Mr. Taisho." She tried to smile knowing it looked as fake as it felt. Her heart was hammering in her chest causing her throat to constrict. She started to take another step and keep going when she heard an amused chuckle from the creepy man.
"Come here girl." Her body turned toward the man against her will. What was happening to her? She may not have been Ivy League material but she was not so dumb as to walk down an alley with a stranger who gave her the heebie jeebies. Hell she wasn't really into alleys at all for that matter. Yet here she was, staring in open eyed shock as her feet moved towards him. She fought them, narrowing her entire field of focus until she was pouring all of energy into standing still. Once she halted he frowned and she felt something wash over her. Sickly and thick like smog it enveloped her and caused her to lurch forward again. She fought more and succeeded in only shuffling her feet so that she was weaving unsteadily as her body went towards him. "That's it. Very good. Now, where were we?"
Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was for once supremely grateful for his soundproof office. After he had returned from depositing Rin safely at her apartment he had proceeded to inform Jaken of his manifold failures over the past few days. The imp had of course immediately prostrated himself and set in with the whining apologies. Sesshomaru had passed irritated and then pissed and was now firmly seated in enraged. He paced, needing an outlet for his frustration besides maiming his servant. Now he had to deal with a demon in his territory. It was odd how he was starting to get excited. Feelings he hadn't had for years were now coming back to him in a rush. The need to be dominant. The need to fight. The excitement at finding someone to fight with. In fact he could now safely vent all of his anger, frustration, and loneliness. Not to mention get him away from that girl for a while.
He still couldn't believe he'd kissed her. True she'd initiated it but hadn't said no or stopped it now had he. Not until after he'd marked her anyway. Damn it he was a basket case. All up in his head and worrying all the time about stupid humans and they're stupid rules. Wouldn't they all laugh at him now, the demons he had laid to waste in his quest to be the best. Now he had another to add to his list of conquered and he wasn't a fool. The extra little edge of anger he felt towards the demon in question was for threatening what was his. Even if he wasn't really sure that was what he wanted necessarily, she was his until he decided otherwise. So long as she wasn't near him clouding his judgment and making him act so completely irrationally of course.
He stilled himself, finally landing on a plan and in that finding a measure of peace. Jaken had been reduced to whimpers and trembling with his forehead pressed into the carpet. The perfect subservient bow. It made Sesshomaru gnash his teeth together before speaking. "That's quite enough Jaken. You have duties to attend to." The little toad raised his wide blinking eyes and started in with the gratitude. Sesshomaru pegged him with a hard look and for once the little man shut up. He scampered out of the office and disappeared from his sight. Sesshomaru sat at his desk with a purpose. He would call the girl and inform her that he would be out of town for the time being and Jaken would look in on her. And Jaken would look in on her or Sesshomaru would skin him alive.
He picked up the phone and dialed her number from memory. Not that he'd called but he'd seen it in the computer file he'd found her address in. The phone rang and rang. He hung up and frowned at the telephone. Technology was not exactly his favorite thing but he was sure he had done everything correctly. He waited another minute figuring she was probably just out of reach of the phone for the moment and then dialed again. Same result. His frown deepened into a glower as two possible reasons for this presented themselves. One, she was ignoring his phone calls or all phone calls in general assuming one of them might be him. Two, she was out of the house after he had expressly told her to stay there. Knowing her, it was most likely the latter. He growled and stood up so fast his chair went skittering into the wall. Fine, he would tell her face to face after he gave her a thorough tongue lashing about being responsible.
He gathered his power and dematerialized, retaking form in her apartment. Once again he was reduced to sniffing out her trail and tracking her down. This of course only exacerbated his already foul mood. He found her scent easily enough and followed it inconspicuously out the door and down the stairwell. He should find a way to drink her blood so he could find her much more easily whenever he needed to. He shook his head at that thought and clamped down the territorial urges she'd awakened in him. He had no interest in all of that. Never had. He was angry at having his orders disobeyed so flagrantly, nothing more. He exited the building and followed her scent down the street and saw another one of the establishments in which humans got their food. That must have been where she was heading. He warred with himself trying to decide whether showing up randomly again where she was without explanation was such a good plan or not when he lost the scent. Or rather it faded.
He frowned and turned back to where it was stronger. She must have already gone and then walked back but it was at its most recent in a random spot in the street. He looked around but didn't see her anywhere. He did however see a darkened alley way. He began a mental tirade at the stupidity of humans as he turned towards the alley following her ever strengthening scent. He was going to sit her down and explain the definition of 'staying put' and 'safety' the minute he caught up with her. What was she thinking just gallivanting down a dark alley where no one could see her or hear her? It was beyond stupid it was… He stopped as another scent overtook hers. Dead rotting flesh. His lips were back off his fangs and he was growling before he realized it. He wanted to believe that she wasn't with that demon, that it was only evidence of him watching her from the shadows. But her scent disappeared with his at the end of the alleyway. There was no way out except back the way she'd come and she obviously hadn't done that.
He frowned and growled some more while trying to decide the best manner in which to find them. Flesh demon's didn't posses great translocation abilities so he could not have gone far. The city however was large and he could waste the rest of the day and half the night looking for her. He could always track the lesser demon's magic. There would be a trail of it as all magic users left one. It was unavoidable. He cut off the growl and dropped his glamour spell on himself so he could use the full extent of senses. The smells and sounds of the city flooded over him from all directions. It had been a long time since he had let go and stood in his true human form. He flexed his claws and ran a hand over the smooth lines of his clothing feeling once more the different fibers woven together. He stopped and made himself focus on the task.
The trail of magic was sloppy and easy to sense. Even easier to follow. He'd taken her east and not very far by the looks of it. Sesshomaru gathered his power and followed the trail. He materialized in a dense thicket of trees and frowned. At least it was well concealed. He immediately threw his glamour spell back into place and then reached out as far as his senses could go in this muddled form. His ears picked up a pain filled moan from Rin and his body began to tremble. "I see he's marked you, clever dog. No matter. I assume its going to hurt you more than me." There was a dark chuckle and then a grunt of pain from him. The sound of a slap rang through the clearing Sesshomaru was now moving towards as fast as he could manage. "Don't make me break you, girl. You're just another human to me. Now, where to put it." There was silence and the sound of hard breathing from Rin. The closer he got the more he could smell her. Mixed in were the salty smell of tears and the rusty smell of blood. "Ah, there will be perfect." Sesshomaru closed on them just as Rin's pain filled scream resounded through the clearing. "Just in time. I do so love an audience." The flesh demon turned glowing green eyes to Sesshomaru who was now crouched down and growling. He was going to burn the filth to ash for this.