Shizuka was wide awake the moment sunlight streamed into the room, her mind racing. Sesshomaru was warm against her back as he dozed quietly beside her with his nose buried in her hair...and it was no other than he who was the source of her rampant thoughts. His intentions had been constant since the start...but what about her? She had been so disgusted with him, with herself, and then she slept with him? Was her willpower really that weak? Was she truly that fickle? Shame clawed at her stomach, and more now than ever, she wanted to go home.

She was supposed to be sharing shy glances with a cute boy from her class, not...not this. She was only fifteen! The loneliness had been hard sometimes, but life was so much simpler when she was human, when she was average. She could be calm and collected then, when all she had to worry about was her homework, and what she was going to have for dinner.

She had heard some of the other girls from her class talking about their first sexual experience, and she had always thought hers would be with someone she loved.

Feeling the tears begin to sting the back of her eyes, she slipped out of Sesshomaru's hold and stood up. She didn't really care that she was naked, it didn't matter. Her feet pattered quietly over the mosaic floor as she made her way over to the water's edge and kept herself still and silent as her tears cut rivers down her cheeks.

It seemed she was crying a lot lately. She had endured so much already, the deaths of her parents, the orphanage and the foster homes, and when her attorney had tried to cheat her out of her inheritance. She had come so far, everything was finally starting to look up. She had even made friends, friends that were precious to her.

Her face distorted with anguish, her hands gripping her hair painfully tight.

When she felt his presence behind her she thrashed at him with a vicious snarl.

The room lit up from the fire that spewed from her hands, curling around Sesshomaru's form before it flickered out. She stared at her hands in shock, watching as her markings darkened in pigment, going from a transparent gold to a fearsome crimson. Horrified at what she had done, she looked up at Sesshomaru. "I-I-I didn't mean-"

Sesshomaru, however, was completely unharmed.

His expression was unreadable as he approached her, and Shizuka couldn't bring herself to resist as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, using his free hand to move her hair away from her forehead, and a low growl vibrated his chest as he saw the crimson sun that marked the center of her forehead.

"The Temple of the Sun."

It took her a moment to realize Sesshomaru was not speaking Japanese. "T-Temple of the Sun?"

His eyes flickered down to meet hers. "Thousands of years ago they were revered as Gods by mortals and demons alike, elite among all living things. They are the ancestors of all dog demons, but over time their blood has become increasingly dispersed" he ran his thumb over the marking thoughtfully. "As a pure Sun dog, it would seem you were sealed with good reason."

She stared up at him with watery eyes. "You're not angry?"

His fingers trailed down her jaw and down to her chin, tilting her chin up as he regarded her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the hand at her throat begin to glow green, and other than a faint tingling sensation, she felt nothing.

Sesshomaru's expression became a porcelain mask. "Get out of my sight." he growled softly.

...

Sesshomaru did not miss the wounded expression in her eyes as she fled the room, and almost sighed in exasperation at her ineptitude. She thought him angry, while in truth he was being considerate. Any other demoness would have sensed his arousal, but this little tart would allot him no such good fortune.

He dressed quickly and decided to leave her be, to spare himself the temptation. Even more so now that he knew not only what she was, but now that their mating bond was complete. He departed from his chambers still deep in thought.

Few demons ever mated in such a fashion, and Sesshomaru was aware that it was underhanded of him to bind them without her knowledge, but he was unapologetic. The very idea of her ever laying with another man made his blood burn in fury. He had staked his claim over her the moment he saw her, and that claim would hold until his final breath.

He had been making his rounds through the palace some hours later when peels of laughter reached his ears. He watched as Shizuka chased her ward and the monkey servant through the halls, her superior speed bringing her right up upon them until they all tumbled to the ground in a heap in a fit of hysteric giggles.

Sesshomaru wasn't entirely sure how to feel with his mate tussling on the floor with her lessers.

Shizuka was the first to notice him, and her mirth was gone almost instantly. Noticing her expression, her companions followed her gaze. The halfling wore an expression of uncertainty, while the monkey merely seemed confused, looking back and forth between them.

"Leave us."

The monkey was quick to obey, though the boy was not so complacent, although a few whispered words and a tug on his hand was enough to get his legs in working order.

She watched her companions go, before her eyes flickered back to him. This time it was not fear and confusion he saw in them, but anger.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

He tilted his head ever so slightly as he looked at her. "Everything."

She sneered at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He moved towards her, and she sidestepped him. "More than once you have returned to my chambers as if they are your own, when you could easily stay with that servant like the half-breed if you wished. It is not fear that keeps you here, yet you have not once attempted to leave."

Shizuka opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again.

"You fell apart in my arms last night, and now you shy away from me."

She glared at him despite the blush that bloomed on her cheeks "You took advantage of me."

"You could have stopped me, but you did not."

Shizuka was shaking with anger as she scowled darkly at him. "I don't love you, I barely even know you. How am I supposed to feel about last night? Tell me please, because I don't know!"

...

Shizuka's heart pounded within her chest from her outburst as she glowered at Sesshomaru, while he contemplated her coolly.

He stepped towards her again, his hand reaching out for a strand of her hair, upon which he placed a kiss. "Do you expect me to apologize?"

"Apologize? I am not looking for an apology, I want an explanation."

You are precious for reasons you cannot possibly comprehend, and I will not let anyone take you from me."

"So I am a trophy then."

"No. A treasure."

Shizuka was stunned, her body remaining frozen to the floor even as he turned and walked away. Her hand rose up to her chest, to find her heart pounding for an entirely different reason than anger.

...

Ran was fast asleep with his head resting in Shizuka's lap as Aiko lay on her futon, staring up at Shizuka as she finished recounting her story. "That's so romantic." she crooned dreamily. "I had no idea Lord Sesshomaru was like that."

"I don't know what to do." Shizuka said dejectedly, hanging her head in defeat.

"Well, I think you like him. That's more than a lot of demonesses can say for their mates."Aiko said, smiling at her friend warmly. "And he is definitely fond of you, you know those demons that attacked Ran? I haven't seen them around for a while now, rumor has it that Lord Sesshomaru had them killed, or banished...depending on who you ask."

Shizuka stared at her in horror. "Killed?"

"Ran is your ward, kind of like Rin. To harm him is a sign of great disrespect to you, and therefore to Lord Sesshomaru, which is not to be tolerated. Anyone who lives here knows that."

"Oh. Who is Rin?"

"Rin in Sesshomaru's human ward. She's adorable." Aiko said with a smile. "He brought her here once before. One of the servants tried to eat her and Sesshomaru lopped his head off."

Shizuka contemplated her friend for a moment, before getting comfortable in the spare futon, which was surprisingly nice for servant's bedding.

Noticing her surprise Aiko grinned at her. "Lord Sesshomaru takes very good care of us." she paused. "Are you really going to stay here tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you are more than welcome. But I think his lordship will be lonely, he only just found his mate, you know?"

"Goodnight, Aiko."

Shizuka had not been asleep for more than an hour when she woke up feeling restless. She looked around, her keen eyes making out a dozing Ran beside her.

Knowing that she probably wasn't going to get back to sleep, she decided a walk was in order. She slipped out of Aiko's room and out into the cool hall of the servant's quarters. She had never been out in the palace during the night before, as it was deep within the mountain one would expect it to be pitch black...but it wasn't. The halls were bathed in an ethereal light, as if there was a window nearby allowing the moonlight in. It was so serene.

Shizuka contemplated Aiko's words as she wandered about in the deserted passageways. She didn't love Sesshomaru...but did she like him? She wasn't sure. She didn't hate him.

There had been something special about him when she had first met him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Aiko depicted him as some sort of ice king who was feared and respected far and wide. A demon who could defeat an army single handed. And then there was Rin, a human child.

Surely he couldn't be too terrible if he took care of a little girl.

Before she knew it, her feet had led her to the door that led into Sesshomaru's chambers, as they had a tendency of doing. She sighed at herself in exasperation. She could do a whole lot worse for herself, that was for sure. And love took time...maybe she could learn to love him?

When Shizuka reached the bedroom, she was surprised to find it empty. Feeling a little relieved, she made her way over to the bed and sank happily into the now-familiar cushions, snuggling into them with a satisfied sigh.

She had been almost asleep when the bed dipped beside her, a hand met the small of her back and pulled her to an increasingly familiar chest.

...

A.U. I am so sorry for the OOC! The ice king we all know and love will return in future chapters as I develop his character more in this story!