*Warning, smutty chapter*

The moon caused his hair to appear as a pale soft glowing beacon in the night-time, as he stood on the outskirts of the camp, staring into the darkness. It was very late, but he could not return to his own space – for Rin was there.
He didn't need to turn his head or make any sort of movement to signal that he knew someone was approaching him.

She walked briskly, her silken kimono swishing luxuriously, and he could feel her anger.

'What were you doing taking that maid into your quarters?' Lady Machiko spat as soon as she had abruptly stopped by Lord Sesshomaru, her wide sleeves swinging in disgust.

'I saw you myself, don't give me your silence on this!' the demoness demanded 'I've never seen you behave this way, what has come over you?' Her chest heaved as her gorgeous forest green eyes glimmered in the dark.

'Speak! Or has a filthy ningen tied your tongue?' She jeered loudly, incensed at the Emperor.

Suddenly a neon whip lashed out and cut off the luxurious pile of hair on her head, leaving it a shorn shameful mess.

Lady Machiko screamed, her unbelieving eyes beholding the heap of her raven tresses that now lay on the ground at her feet.

'Watch your tongue or it will be next' Sesshomaru snarled at her before turning and leaving the demoness to mourn the loss of her best asset, as well as become even more viciously curious toward Sesshomaru's treatment of her new maid servant.

It had indeed not been with any slight surprise that Lady Machiko, on her way to the pavilion, had caught sight of the Emperor entering the main tent with the diminutive form of the small human maid in his arms.

She had been transfixed for some moments, ensuring it was not some illusion that had tricked her jealous mind. As a demoness courtesan, she was strangely covetous of Sesshomaru – not wanting to acknowledge that he saw other women apart from herself in his vast lifetime.

However, he had not come to her for the past twelve or so years – though it was but the span of weeks in her own estimation, it was a long time for a demon to go without carnal satisfaction. And what were demons, but creatures of lust?

She desired him and missed the sensation of the Inu Daiyokai's lean, powerful body pumping into her. The memories of it caused her to feel desirous all over again, and she was certain he could surely not be fulfilling his deeply seated dark appetites with that human.

To think of the Emperor of Japan, the greatest Daiyokai, a creature of such sublime beauty and power, allowing his body to join to that of dying flesh within the serving classes was utterly unthinkable. Perhaps there was some other motive that caused his treatment of the child?
Yet what, Machiko could not think, for demons – especially Sesshomaru, did not have more delicate considerations above the base primal impulses. Indeed, the Lord possessed vast wisdom as well as fang-sharp wit and cleverness, but that did not mean he had softness.

Whatever it was – her own gorgeous hair was now gone, and it was all because she had seen that damn maid being held like precious cargo by the Emperor – in a way Machiko could only wish he would hold her.
Her lust for him had been long standing, and insatiable.

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He had been too careless.

Rin could not be near him; the temptation to watch her every move and listen to her every word had eaten away at him since laying eyes on her two days ago.
She couldn't know she'd slept anywhere near his own bed let alone in it, nor could anyone see what Machiko had seen.

Swiftly moving back toward his quarters Sesshomaru whipped open the tent entrance and strode inside, his hair swirling about him.

Rin appeared to have slept very restlessly; her kimono had come loose and was discarded haphazardly to the side; her hadajuban torn apart revealing a sliver of flesh from her throat down to her stomach, the rounded inner sides of her breasts visible and her hard nipples pushed at the fabric. Her lovely dark hair was strewn about her like a river of liquid mahogany, and her face was flushed.

Immediately Lord Sesshomaru stepped backwards, his claws digging into the table behind him as he held on to it, his gold gaze transfixed.

Saliva flooded his mouth and he growled, watching as her chest rose and fell with rapid shallow breaths.

His mind was clouding over with an urge so overwhelming the Daiyokai was having difficulty remaining calm.

Seeing her undone in his bed in such a way was more dangerous to him than the most powerful foe.

But some words that escaped Rin's lips snapped the Demon lord momentarily out of his trance.

'Where are you?' He heard her whimper, and he noticed the scent of sweet saltiness. There were tear tracks dried on her cheeks. Was she ill? Why was she speaking in her sleep?

Treading as though approaching a bird with a broken wing, Sesshomaru knelt beside the bed, still with his eyes trained on Rin's deeply sleeping face. He hesitated for a few moments, but further moans and silent tears from his sleeping ward convinced him to reach out a hand to feel her forehead. She was indeed burning up.

No wonder the child had thrown off most of her clothes even in her dreams.

Having touched her, he went to quickly retract his hand to not tempt himself further; but his pupils dilated as her small fingers reached out and grasped themselves hungrily around his.

'No! Don't leave' She cried out pitifully, and Sesshomaru was pulled lower as Rin brought his hand against her face, cradling it.

'Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave' it was almost like a mantra that spilled from her lips.

Sesshomaru felt the words go to his heart like a shock of cold ice.

Seeing her trembling form curled up around his hand as though it were the most precious thing in existence caused him to drop his head in a desperate effort – his fangs ground together with struggle; his eyes shut tight.

If only Rin knew who it was that she spoke such things to – but surely, in her dream she spoke of her husband – that criminal – or some other dear person in her life.

He had to get her away from him.

With a strength found only in the highest demons, Sesshomaru tore himself together for enough time to scoop her up roughly in his arms. He had to return Rin to the maids' area.

Grasping her discarded kimono in his other hand, his arm wrapped around Rin's small waist, he strode outside into the cold of the dark night. She was still allowing small moans to escape her lips, and the feeling of her almost bare breasts pressed against his chest caused his body to react in ways he couldn't quite control.

Uncannily, her shaking arms snaked up around his neck as he carried her, and her fingers clutched a handful of his silver hair at the nape of his neck, like she used to when she was a child. Sesshomaru's breathing became slightly erratic.

Almost flying into the maid's tent, which was unoccupied save for Rin's few belongings, he made to instantly rip her from him – but suddenly she clung to his form as stubbornly as an oyster to its pearl.

Her warm, plump lips pressed into his neck, whispering 'Papa' followed by a groan.

His claws extended as her body moved against him, his erection was painful.

Was she dreaming of her dead father, or did she call her husband 'papa'? Sesshomaru didn't wish to imagine the latter.

A memory intruded on his mind at the wrong time; for Rin was now murmuring deliciously, her hot breath tickling all along his neck and throat, her thick thighs clung around him like a clamp – he could feel her naked core pressed against his abs.

There had been a time many years ago when Rin had been happily skipping along the path in front of Jaken and himself, and she was in one of her chatty moods. The child had been going on about how Sesshomaru was everything to her – he was the moon and the sun, the trees and the water, her safety and her friend.
Then she had made a joke that he was also like a husband and a father rolled in to one.
To his displeasure, she had dared to refer to him as 'papa' as a joke a few times since that little rambling monologue.

'Mm, Pa – pa' Rin's breathing was heavy and ragged by now, her heated body beading with sweat, and Sesshomaru could smell her heavy arousal.
Unable to maintain his stance, the demon was brought to his knees by a woman unknowingly seducing him – the only woman he wanted; who did not want him in return.
Yet surely, Rin did not dream of him in her aroused state.
He had smelt, seen, felt and heard the hatred in her voice, pretty face and demeanour every time she had spoken to him in the past 48 hours.
It was as though she didn't remember him at all.

With what insane restriction then did he shackle his desire to completely ravage her body as it was begging to be ravished, grinding against him unknowingly.
He had inelegantly – for him – fallen in to a chair behind them, and Rin's unconscious form leaned even more heavily in to the Emperor, her hands feverishly exploring his face and chest. Every time he tried to remove her, she would desperately cry out and cling to him even more, causing a strange sound of strangulation to rip from his soul at her helpless, insistent need of him though she did not know what she was doing.

There was nothing for it but to wait until her dream passed, and he could lay her to rest without waking her.

There would be nothing worse than for Rin's conscious self to wake, then find herself half undressed straddled around the demon she seemed to hate.

His cock throbbed with aching desire under her, and it was with delirious burning that he felt Rin begin to rub her core against it wantonly, moaning in a new wave of pleasure.
He had never known women to have such active, vivid dreams! Perhaps the trauma of Rin's childhood had caused her to wander the subconscious realm at night with deeper travels than most. He cursed whoever the person was within Rin's fevered mind eliciting such a dream from this goddess of a woman – watching her red-flushed face just below him, the tear washed lashes sweeping against her cheeks, her expression brazenly lustful as her plump deep red lips slick with saliva were open allowing her moans to escape.
How he wanted to capture that mouth and devour her.

Her swollen breasts rubbed against him, and her hands linked around his neck, moving up irresistibly to stroke his face and massage the tips of his pointed ears, seeming to need to cover as much area of him as possible all at once.

It was taking the strength of all the Kami's for him to not break his resolve as she pleasured herself against his rock-hard length under the cover of his kimono. Her wetness was soaking through and his heart was shattering with the lack of power in this strange unconscious pleasuring he was forcing on himself.

If Rin wanted to be fucked so badly, then would it not be right to satisfy her? Husband be damned. Images of his little ward as a young girl flashed before his mind, and a growl erupted from his chest as her warm lips began pressing themselves in wet kisses against his neck, sending jolts of shivering pleasure all through him.

She was his.

One day, he would make sure she would be his willingly, and Sesshomaru wasn't going to ruin that by taking her unconscious now.

Why did she seem to detest him so much? Why had she not looked at him with even the slightest shred of recognition at that Lukuoka gallery? It made what she was doing to him now all the more enticing, for it was what he had wanted to do immediately after setting eyes on her for the first time in ten years.

Her panting caused his ears to burn; her husky lust-laden voice calling him such an endearing pet name made his eyes red and his fangs long.

The powerful demon's long claws were so dug into the table behind him that he was sure they'd pierced all the way through.

Sesshomaru groaned deep in his throat as she moved her soaked opening relentlessly against his angry needful cock, feeling the shreds of his logical mind snapping quickly; - soon his beast would take over and there would be no explaining himself when Rin awoke amid being brutally fucked by a very large Dog Demon.

Roaring, he tore his nails from the damned table and latched his fingers around Rin's waist, using all his eternal willpower to tear her body off his – then it took less than a second for him to disappear from sight; sprinting in the form of a large salivating white dog through the city in to the inky black forest.

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The next morning Rin was awoken by Lady Machiko almost yelling at the tent entrance to the maid's quarters.

'Rin! Get up! I have an emergency!'

Feeling like she'd been hit over the head with a heavy hammer, Rin felt her head swim for some moments as nausea clutched at her stomach. Where on earth was she, and who was yelling at her so early in the morning?

Her large tired dark eyes scanned her surroundings with a bleary squint, a hand to her head, while the other hand on her chest told her mind that somehow, she was almost naked.

It all came crashing back to her in one unpleasant heap.

She had met Lord Sesshomaru for the first time in a decade – and he had taken her prisoner!

Her heart dropped so far within her that she believed she'd never be able to get up again.

But Lady Machiko's shrill voice was impetus enough for now.

With great effort, Rin forced herself out of the bed she was in, feeling uncommonly sweaty, tying her discarded kimono about her inelegantly and opening the tent entrance to reveal a very strange looking demoness.

'Don't you dare laugh you slovenly servant!' Machiko spat, and Rin used all her effort to not burst out with mirth at the sight of a very bald demoness.

'I need you to go and get me the most perfumed, styled, expensive wig immediately! Wash up, look presentable, and use this to buy something. Make sure it's blonde, I'm tired of black'

'Yes, my Lady' Rin bowed low to hide her smile, accepting the small bag of gold from Machiko.

The disgraced demoness disappeared back inside her own tent, looking this way and that without wanting to be seen by anyone else in her state of shame.

Rin place the gold bag on the wood table, and with slight surprise noticed that the chair and table were both covered in deep grooves that looked almost like claw marks – the entire edging had been shredded away so bad was the damage. Perhaps it made sense for the servants to receive the worm eaten, least desirable furniture after all.

Washing herself with a small basin of water, Rin brushed her hair out and put on her kimono from yesterday. The heat was already becoming unbearable so early in the day; Lady Machiko was right – Rin did need a few more clothing items, or she'd end up smelling like a dish cloth.

The nausea had slightly abated, but Rin wished with all of her heart that she could stop having such vivid nightly dreams.

Indeed, last nights had seemed so real she almost felt her body remember the contours and exact reactions of his own – but Rin couldn't bring herself to finish the thought – the reminder of who it was that elicited such lascivious dreams from her subconscious.
She felt a wetness between her legs and blushed deeply. This would not do; he might be the most handsome devil in Japan, but these nightly imaginings were taking a toll on her health. They had haunted her since just before puberty – and it was always only him who brought them on.

It seemed now that she was near him in person and had seen him again, that those facts caused the dreams to ramp up in intensity. Rin had almost felt the growls of his own yearning vibrate against her chest – could almost swear she had felt his muscled abs against her thighs.

This was ridiculous. Lust would not rule her or overtake her. Especially any longing for him.

Rin tried to force her heated mind to other avenues and wondered why on earth Lady Machiko had lost all of her hair overnight. It seemed this job as the demoness's maid would at least provide ample entertainment.

As she grabbed the bag of gold once she was ready to present herself in normal society, Rin exited the tent and made for the markets once again, hoping to maybe even run in to her saviour from yesterday.
She then remembered that her last memory of yesterday was feeding food to the prisoners, not getting in to bed within the maid's tent – but perhaps she had been so delirious with exhaustion that she did not recall stumbling back to her bed to collapse in a heap. It had happened to her before after all.

Rin would have to find ways to get more food to her imprisoned friends again today, preferably without the interjection of apron woman.

It was a Monday, which meant there were post-weekend specials on offer, so any people remaining in the city from the short break would be swarming the stalls to barter for goods. With a deep breath Rin entered the cluster of bodies and squeezed her way toward the section selling all sorts of fashion accessories and cosmetics.
The man who had sold her the rouge was still there, and Rin looked away from his stall so to avoid eye contact at all costs. She just wanted to be in and out of this place as quickly as possible.
She subconsciously flitted her gaze around every now and then, hoping to see the dark head of Hitori. But for someone named 'wanderer' it should be no surprise that he would have already left this place.

With a glimmer of hope Rin spied some hair pieces and forced her way through the crowd with renewed purpose.
There was a grand stall filled with hats and wigs of all sorts, shapes and sizes.

Fortunately, as these stalls were looking a lot pricier with fewer specials, there was less of a press around them and Rin was able to walk up to the stand straight away to inspect the goods more closely.

To her dismay, there was an entire row of voluptuous wigs all shades of yellow to some degree, with tags naming all the varying tones of blonde. What on earth did Lady Machiko prefer between dripping honey, flaxen wheat, chrysanthemum gold, and woven moonlight? Rin blushed as the colour of the moonlight one was close but still a mockery of Sesshomaru's wonderfully silken hair.

Her heart raced a little faster as she seemed to recall even the exact feel of it from her dream last night.
She mentally slapped herself, focusing on the task at hand. Machiko had a pale complexion, so she would suit either warm or cool tones – but in this summer heat maybe the richer blonde would be a better option.

'Can I help, Miss?' The salesman finally asked as he stood up from his seat behind the stall.

'Ah – yes –' Rin began, but she was interrupted.

A small, funny looking man had rushed up to the merchant behind the wig stand and he seemed incredibly agitated.

'Sir, sir' the little fellow beseeched of the salesmen Rin was trying to converse with; 'he is here! He is here, you must leave! He'll kill us all!'

'Silence, baka!' hissed the merchant, and Rin looked wide eyed between the two men arguing so heatedly across boutique women's head gear.

What was the deluded little man going on about? He certainly looked like he had seen a ghost.

'What do you mean by coming here and acting up in front of a client?' The merchant motioned towards Rin 'do you want to reveal us to everyone present?'

Rin's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked with some interest at the small man next to her practically hopping up and down.

'No time, no time' whispered the crazed man lowly 'I saw him with my own eyes! He's already killed more than fifty of us!'

'What?'

The merchant himself now had become pale, and he swiftly came around the stall to grab the little man by his shaking wrists.

'Talk, but not here' the taller man glanced at Rin before dragging the other with him to some less populated area. But Rin was burning with curiosity, and in her gut knew that they spoke of something she would not be surprised over.
Rin followed at a distance and saw them disappear into an alley way; pretending to count her change Rin stood at the corner of the wall before the entrance to the narrow path and strained her ears to catch words from the conversation between the two men.

'He knows everything' the pitched voice of the small man tumbled words forth; 'he ambushed me – told me to deliver this to our master – he's already killed those from Shinawa and Lukuoka – over fifty - ! Men, women and children. You must leave immediately'

There was a rustling of papers, and the merchant's voice was eventually heard to say;

'Good Kami, help us. I knew we couldn't outwit him. He's far too powerful a demon, even for our leader. Are you sure he is here?'

'Why else is the royal envoy now in town, baka?' The small man spat in panic 'I saw him – red eyes, white hair, tall as a tree – in my own room!'

Rin's heart was thudding against her chest so loudly she was afraid they would even hear it; the sound of blood rushing behind her ears almost caused her to stumble off-balance. Sesshomaru. That genocidal, heartless, deceitful - !

What could she expect? Rin's soul mourned as she had to remind herself that he was only exhibiting the very traits of a demon. But – hadn't he changed with her, and the power of the sword Inutaisho had gifted him?

Over fifty men, women and children – dead – at his hand – due to some unfounded fear of refugees? This was plain insanity, not the actions of a logical creature. She had known Sesshomaru to be rational in all his ways in the past.

Yet nothing excused this.

Something in her rapidly panicked mind asked 'what do these two men mean when they speak of their leader?' but her pain at hearing of Sesshomaru's mercilessness was at the fore front.

She wondered what the papers were that the small man had shown the merchant, before hearing the latter gasp as he appeared to have seen something to cause him further shock.

'Kami below, a death curse?'

'Ssssh!' The small man hissed 'I believe I know a shaman who can get rid of it for me'

'No shaman, or any shamans combined could combat the power of the Emperor's curse' the merchant muttered.
The small man said nothing.

Rin clapped a hand to her mouth. She felt sick to her stomach.

'Very well. I will leave tonight. Warn as many as you can. My friend, you are on borrowed time'

As the merchant said the last words, Rin heard the small man groan in some intense fit of pain.

'It's happening already' the merchant remarked grimly. 'The Emperor really is after all of us. The curses take him and all that he loves!'
Rin heard the man begin walking briskly out of the alley way, and she rushed back into the crowd towards the wig stall; she used the strength of her will to regain her breathing as steadily as it would come and appear calm in her expression.

Absently Rin paid the troubled merchant for the flaxen wheat wig and left the markets with haste.

What was she to do? How was she to help so many people all at once – when she didn't even know who it was that needed helping? There had to be some way to curb her old guardian's blood lust – and she wondered if Inutaisho would be the only one able – or with the power - to check his son.
Rin had never met the elder demon, and did not know his intentions aside from the fact the sword gifted to Sesshomaru had taught him how to value being a protector and defender. Apparently, this lesson had waned.
Would there be any way Rin could find and speak with her old guardian's father, perhaps beg him to rein in his son again with another magical sword? Rin's mind raced so fast it was the only slightly logical answer she could come up with; after all, there were very, very few demons more powerful than Sesshomaru. Inutaisho would be of the same level, perhaps, but the power of influence was greater.
Whatever had to be done, needed to be done quickly – for it was tearing at Rin far too much to witness her old protector return to his primal demonic ways. She could not save him. Someone else had to. She didn't have the strength to even speak with him again, knowing such fresh and copious amounts of blood was on his hands.

Rin felt a new wave of filth and shame at the extent of her dirty dream about Sesshomaru last night.

Never would she allow herself to be given to a man such as he.

*Authors Note*

Hey you beautiful things, so I'm going on another week long work trip, so sadly I may not update for another week and a half or so. I hope you like this chapter! How freaking hot is the whole delirious sleeping Rin thing? I have actually done as much as her to my partner in my sleep, no fucking joke. It's hot. Also, if you want to see the perfect cosplay of Sesshomaru please look up weian_vann on Instagram, I swear he's perfection.
Lots of love 3