Here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy the evilness in this story. Lol.
Three days later
Kyri slipped the many knives into their hiding places. It was her, Sango's, and Kagome's turn to go hunting. The last couple of hunting parties had ran into Youkai patrols, so they were taking all of their weapons. One hunting party hadn't even returned.
Kyri buckled both swords onto her hip, then filled her quiver before picking up her bow. She looked over to Kagome, who did the same before smiling at her. Sango sheathed her sword, filling her quiver then turned. Kyri sprayed herself, before tossing the bottle to Sango, then Kagome.
"Let's go." Kagome stated, leading the way to the surface. It was a beautiful day, the sun high in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing through the forest. They all stood for a moment, simply enjoying the sun light before they would have to face reality, a reality where they could be killed in this beautiful forest.
Kagome led the way, silently walking through the forest followed loosely by Sango and Kyri, each scanning the woods for danger while Kagome looked for food. When they entered a clearing, both Sango and Kyri felt like something wasn't right. A moment later, three wolf Youkai stood, blocking their path. All three notched arrows, about to shoot at them. However, four panther demons appeared behind them. More demons popped up, encircling them in the clearing.
"Shit." Kyri mumbled softly, dropping her bow and drawing both swords. As if that wasn't bad enough, another demon joined in the circle, this one looked familiar to Kyri.
"Well, what do we have here? A wandering band of humans?" A cocky male voice stated, drawing Sango's and Kagome's attention as well. A tall, silver haired Youkai joined the circle. He had two magenta strips on his cheek and a crescent moon on his forehead. His golden eyes flashed when he saw the human female that had injured his arms. "And you look familiar." He mumbled, smirking.
"I should. How did you like those blades of mine, Youkai filth?" Kyri taunted, seeing him scowl slightly.
"Watch your mouth, Bitch. You are in no position to be so confident." Sesshomaru growled softly, not wanting this female to get to him.
"Oh, does the great Demon Lord need all these demons to do his dirty work?" Kyri continued to taunt, glaring at him and only him.
"Shut up, Kyri." Kagome murmured from beside her. Kyri taunting them would not help. Sesshomaru's face went blank as he drew both swords.
"Care to rest your skills once more?" he asked, crossing his blades then lowering them, watching the human female. Kyri glanced to the impatient Youkai that surrounded them, before looking back to the Lord. Now would be a good chance to kill him, but she wouldn't be able to do so if the other demons interfered. "Don't worry about them, wench." Sesshomaru stated, taking a step forward.
"Kyri, don't." Sango stated, seeing Kyri look ready to take up the Youkai on his offer.
"I can handle him." Kyri whispered softly, stepping forward and crouching slightly, her weight on the balls of her feet.
"Kill the other two." Sesshomaru ordered the remaining Youkai as he attacked the female clad in black leather. Kyri reacted instantly, side stepping and swinging one sword to block his. He followed her movements, his other sword trailing her actions. She cross swung, blocking his other strike. Sesshomaru scissored his swords, her meeting his as he pushed against hers. She took a couple of steps back, knowing he was stronger then her.
Mean while, Sango and Kagome were hard pressed. They had only gotten one arrow launched before Sango had to use her sword and boomerang while Kagome used her purification powers and her small sword. Kagome spared a quick glace in Kyri's direction, seeing her fight the demon lord with grace and agility. With the way the demon lord was fighting, Kagome was glad he wasn't fighting them as well.
Kyri rolled back, springing to her feet in time to block his attack. She swung a sword side ways at his open stomach. But it was stopped and batted away by his sword. "You fight well for a human. How is it you are so good?" Sesshomaru allowed his curiosity to get the better of him.
"I've practiced since I was young. So when I found a demon, I could kill it." Kyri snapped her reply, attacking in rapid succession. He went on the defense and chuckled lightly.
"Your practice seems in vain. I am still standing." he taunted, finding a hole in her offensive strike and turned the tables, making her go defensive.
"You won't be for long. You know the steel my knives were made of? My swords are the same stuff." she growled, blocking both of his blades, drawing them downwards, then kicking her foot above them. Sesshomaru jerked back to avoid being kicked in the abdomen.
"Your knives were very interesting. I have multiple punishments I plan to inflict for that." Sesshomaru retorted, sheathing one of this swords and allowing the poison to flow from his claws. He attacked once more, striking her sword with one clawed hand. The blade wavered at the assault.
'He'll break my sword if he gets too many of those hits in.' Kyri thought, jumping back and dodging his next attack. She quickly sheathed one of her swords, drawing a knife and firing it in his direction. She watched in awe as he snatched it out of the air.
"You caught me by surprise last time." he growled, flipping the blade in his hand before throwing it back at her. She like wise caught it, smirking.
"You can't use my own weapons against me." she taunted, yanking her sheathed sword free when he attacked once more. She blocked his claws, wincing at the way her blade wavered.
"How many attacks will your blades withstand?" he smiled cruelly, sheathing his other sword and smiling as poison seeped from both claws. Kyri sheathed both swords, pulling two knives free, reversing her grip so the blade pointed down.. He attacked her and his claws met the blade of the knife. The attack pushed Kyri back, but did not affect the blade of the knife.
"Thicker steal, demon filth." Kyri sneered. She saw red bleed into his eyes just before he attacked once more. She was able to block each attack, but it pushed her back with each hit. She didn't have the strength to stand her ground against him. Kyri blocked another attack, wincing as she felt her back collide with a tree. Sesshomaru smirked, seeing she had no where to dodge.
As soon as Kyri recovered from the slight pain, she realized her mistake. In being distracted for only a moment, Sesshomaru stood before her, both of her wrists in his grasp. And he was to close for her to kick as he was only merely an inch from her. "You are good human, I'll give you that much. But you still feel pain as a human. Which in turn, makes you weak." Sesshomaru growled softly.
He looked down at the determination in the females gaze. During the fight, for some unknown reason, Sesshomaru had gotten slightly aroused. It had been ages since he had fought someone who could push him to the edge and it was a thrill for him to fight like so once more.
"I am not weak, demon." Kyri sneered, feeling not one ounce of fear. She looked up into his red tinted eyes as he smirked down at her. She simply glared up at him.
"No, you are not. You have killed many Youkai." He agreed, his smirk widening as his thoughts wandered. The red slowly leaked out of his eyes as his gaze traveled down her body.
"Perhaps you would better entertain me as a slave?" His arousal increased at the hateful glare and the way she struggled.
"You would have to kill me first!" she snarled, trying to get away. But his grip on her wrists was solid, as was his stance.
"Now where is the fun in that? It has been so long since I have had a challenge." Sesshomaru purred, seeing her glare increase tenfold.
"I'm not here for your amusement, demon." Kyri sneered. Sesshomaru chuckled at that statement. He lifted her wrists higher, so her feet barely touched the ground and her face was about even with his. She was about to yell at him some more when he roughly pushed up against her, her body now stuck between his and the tree. Her mind clouded with confusion, but it went completely blank when his lips crushed against hers. She didn't have a chance to react before his tongue was forced between her lips and plundered her mouth. Her body betrayed her thoughts when she roughly kissed him back, fighting for dominance in the kiss.
'Oh my god, what am I doing?' her mind screamed at her, jerking her back to reality. She tried to pull away, but the tree prevented her head from moving any farther from him and his hold on her ensured she could not move.
He pulled away from her, seeing her pant slightly. "You misunderstand human. You are here for my amusement." He smirked at her, seeing the confusion and anger flash in her eyes. He leaned down, lowering her armored neck line with his nose, then sunk his fangs into the place where her shoulder met her neck. Kyri bit her bottom lip in pain, trying to pull away.
Sesshomaru felt her try to pull away and tightened his hold on her, hearing her whimper in pain. Sesshomaru slowly cleaned the wound, then looked down at the human he had just bit. "Why?" she mumbled, completely worn out. The fight and now the bite had taken its toll.
"I couldn't have my new play thing being killed, now could I?" Sesshomaru chuckled. "Enjoy your free time while you have it." Sesshomaru released her wrists, seeing her drop to her knees, too weary to stand anymore. He turned back to the others to see the other humans were barely holding their own against the Youkai he had brought with him. "Stop. We are leaving." Sesshomaru growled the order.
Kagome looked over at the Youkai who had spoken and the color drained out of her face. Kyri was on her knees behind him. She watched the Youkai smile cruelly at her, then glance back at Kyri before leaving with the panther and wolf Youkai in tow. Kagome and Sango quickly forgot their exhaustion and ran to their friend. They both dropped to their knees, worried their friend might be mortally wounded. When Kyri looked up, her eyes were emotionless as was her gaze. The only thing either one could tell was she looked tired. Physically.
"Kyri, what happened? What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly. Kyri blinked a couple of times, anger slowly filling her gaze before that died quickly as well. Kyri sheathed her knives, then looked at her friends.
"I'm fine. Let's go back." Sango and Kagome shared glances before helping their friend stand. They made their way silently back, unsure what to ask Kyri. Once down in the cavern, they both led Kyri to the females underground hot spring, which was currently empty.
"Do you want one of us to say?" Sango asked. Kyri glanced at her worn out friends then shook her head.
"I'll be fine. You two go rest." Kyri weakly waved them away. Both exchanged worried glances before leaving their friend alone.
Once Kyri was sure they would stay gone, she peeled her clothes and weapons, then slipped into the water. Kyri relaxed into the hot spring, trying to forget the damn demon lord for a minute. However, her hand betrayed her and felt the mark he had left. The mating mark. Claiming her as his. She scowled at the very idea.
"I am no demons property." she growled softly to herself. Her anger flared when she remembered the kiss he had forced on her. Images of her mutilating his body flooded her mind while a little voiced pointed out a small fact, 'He stole your first kiss.' Kyri's anger grew even more.
Sure she was 21, but she had never had the time nor need to be loved. If she had friends she was fine. But that bastard had kissed her. 'What's worse, I kissed him back.' she scolded herself, feeling the mark once more. 'He's wrong if he thinks he owns me.' Kyri thought angrily before dunking herself under the water and actually beginning to clean herself.
"I wonder what happened to Kyri." Sango pondered out loud, looking to see if Kagome had any suggestions.
"All I saw was her on her knees behind him. I was too busy fighting before that." Kagome stated, sitting on her bed, thankful for its softness.
"We'll have to ask her about it."Sango said resolutely. Kagome's gaze got mischievous as she remembered something.
"Sango, you told Miroku you'd meet him after we returned." Kagome chided, seeing Sango scowl at her.
Sango peeled her armor and weapons. "I did not." she fought down a blush.
"You did!" Kagome giggled, seeing Sango's face darken.
"Fine...but...uh...O, be quiet!" Sango threw her pillow at Kagome, plopping down at her bed afterwards and glaring.
"Its fine, Sango. Just go see him." Kagome smiled. Her friend looked confused for a moment before standing and walking out of their room to leave Kagome to sleep.
Sesshomaru returned to the village, ignoring the other demons as he returned to his room. A couple of demons asked him if his hunt ended well, he simply shoved them out of his way and allowed the demons that went with him to say what they would. He didn't care. He had achieved what he wanted. The killing would come later on. Once in his room alone, he smirked to himself. He felt his arousal slowly die and his smirk grew just a little. 'So that human has some kind of hold on me, has she?' Sesshomaru thought, looking out the window in the direction she was in. 'In a couple of days, I'll go out again. She should be dying to see me then.' he thought then chuckled.
Kyri jerked awake, glancing about their dark room, seeing Kagome and Sango still asleep. She was panting, she realized. This was the third time she had awoken during the night, and for the same reason. Her mark flared with pain and she didn't even flinch when she covered it with her hand. 'What did that bastard do to me?' she thought, trying not to think of the dream she had. It disgusted her.
She had actually dreamt of him, of being with him. Kyri lay back down, staring at the ceiling and thinking hateful things of the one who had bit her. 'I'm going to have to find a demon expert and ask them about this...this bite.' she thought, glancing at her friends. 'They can't know. It's bad enough I'm dreaming about him, I'd be put to shame if they knew he...claimed me.' she thought with disgust evident on her face.
She rolled over with a soft groan, burying her face in her pillow and tried to sleep, praying no dreams would visit her.
Kagome, Sango, and Kyri were helping to prepare breakfast. They would often help the small platoon of older women when they didn't have anything better to do. Kagome was in the middle of cutting vegetable's when she saw Kyri flinch as she poured some water into a glass. Kagome's suspicion rose. That was about the hundredth time she had done so this morning and it was always followed by her rubbing her neck and cursing silently.
Kyri placed the glasses on the tray, her thoughts dark. The bite kept flaring up in pain every once in awhile. She had tried to put some healing salve on it, but that didn't work. And it was darkening her mood by the minute. She poured another glass of water, scowling and flinching slightly when it flared up once more.
"Kyri, something wrong?" Sango asked when she noticed Kyri's scowl. Sango was in the process of taking out rolls to the eating area.
"No, I'm fine. Just a little sore from the fight." Kyri murmured, quickly pouring the last glass and walking out to where everyone ate. She passed out the glasses, many smiling their thanks. Once her tray was empty of glasses, she returned to the kitchen area. Kagome continued to cut, trying to think of what would be hurting her friend and why she wouldn't say anything about it. Kagome was about to ask Kyri about it when Kyri stated distantly, "I'm going to go for a little bit. I'm not hungry and I need to talk to...Derith." Kyri then quickly placed her empty tray on the table and made a bee line out of the area. Sango walked over to Kagome, a curious look on her face.
"Something's wrong with her." Sango stated matter of fact.
"I know." Kagome nodded, resolved to find out what it was after breakfast.
Kyri walked away from the eating area and down many different twisting paths. There was one who seemed to know an abnormally large amount about demons and she was going to pay a visit to the old, blind lady. Kyri approached the old lady's small room and knocked on the wood.
"Come in, come in." a soft, raspy voice stated. Kyri flipped the cloth door aside, walking in and smelling incense. The little old lady was sitting in a rocking chair, making some sort of salve.
"Hello. I uh, need to ask you some things if you have time." Kyri stated. The old lady turned her blind gaze at Kyri and smiled a soft smile.
"Of course, of course. To help, I enjoy." she replied. Kyri blinked at her strange accent and sentence choice. "Come now, tell what is bothering you." The blind lady set aside her mixing bowl and sat still, looking at Kyri who began to suspect she wasn't as blind as she thought.
"Um, my friend got bitten by a demon..."Kyri began, seeing if she had anything to say about that small piece of information.
The lady's expression didn't change as she asked, "And where, this bite?"
"Where the shoulder meets the neck." Kyri replied, her hand going to the mark unconsciously. The old lady seemed to ponder for a moment.
"A mating mark, it is. Claimed your friend, some demon has." the lady commented.
"She keeps complaining that it flares up in pain constantly." Kyri added.
"It would, yes. And will continue to do so, and in greater intensity. To reduce pain, your friend must seek out the demon that bit her. Need, is physical contact." the lady nodded to herself, a curious look upon her face. Kyri inwardly groaned.
"Is there a way she could get rid of it?" Kyri asked, praying to everything holy there was.
"No. Permanent, a mating mark is. If your friend is bit, and she stays away from the demon that did so, the pain will increase. With in the week, your friend will feel like she's on fire. Once a week, a visit to the demon is needed to stop the pain." the old lady stated, rocking slightly in her chair. "Misfortunate, your friend is. Curious am I, that a demon would mark a human."
All of Kyri's building anger snapped at that answer. "Why would the damn mark hurt if it is intended for a mate?" her anger staying in place as she thought of skinning the demon alive that had done this to her.
"To keep the mates close, is its cause for pain. When demons mate, normally they both bite each other. Therefor shared is the pain, when they part." the old lady answered, her neutral face not wavering at Kyri's anger.
Kyri groaned softly, running both hands over her face. "Thank you very much, I'll tell my friend your words." Kyri replied softly.
"Good luck, I wish your friend. No easy task, being mates to a demon." the blind lady stated before picking up her bowl and mixing once more. Kyri slowly stood and left the old lady's room, deciding already that she hated this day.
Later that night
Kyri snuck into her room once she was sure Kagome and Sango were asleep. She had a feeling they knew something was wrong as was going to ask her. She wanted to avoid that at all costs. She silently changed her clothes before laying down. She had spent the whole day watching all the little kids. Kyri was not a big fan of kids so Sango and Kagome hadn't looked there, which was what Kyri had wanted.
Kyri rolled onto her side, gasping softly when the mark flared up once more. 'I swear when I find him, I'm going to skin him alive then roll him in salt!' Kyri thought savagely, her finger exploring the warm mark that was causing her pain. 'But before that, I might just take a blade to my own skin and cut this damn mark off.' She thought, actually considering it for a moment.
She slowly fell asleep, a light scowl upon her face.
Kyri jerked awake once more, panting as she looked up at the ceiling. 'Not another dream of HIM!' she thought, trying to clear her mind of her extremely intimate and disgusting dream. Kyri wanted to bang her head against the wall and knock herself unconscious. Her mood darkened considerable when the mark flared with pain once more.
'That's it. Today, I'm going hunting. And when I find him, I'm going to kill him. I will plunge my sword in his chest and laugh as I cut him in half.' She growled inside her head. Figuring sleep was useless, she got up and got dressed.
She was about to walk out of her room when Kagome stated, "And where do you think you're going?" Kyri froze in mid-step, wincing because she was caught.
"I was going to...uh...go see Derith about that order of knives I placed." Kyri lied, not looking back at Kagome who would be able to see if she was lying.
"Ok, whatever." Kagome mumbled, rolling on her side and closing her eyes. Kyri breathed her relief and quickly left the room.
"I don't think you should be going out so soon." Kagome stood in front of the door beside Sango, blocking Kyri's path. Kyri stood with her hands on her hips, scowling at her friends. She wanted to go with the noon hunting party, which consisted of Kagome, Sango, and Celphi. Kyri was determined to go as well.
"I'm fine, honestly!" Kyri growled out, resisting the urge to wince and grasp the mark at the end of that statement. It was driving her mad. And had only increased in pain.
"No you're not! We've been watching you Kyri, and something is wrong with your neck or something. You're always flinching then rubbing you neck." Sango retorted, crossing her arms, not planning to move.
"No, I'm fine, honestly! I just need to get out a little more. I must've slept on it wrong." Kyri shot back. "Besides, with the frequency of Youkai attacks, you guys could use me." Neither Sango nor Kagome could argue that point.
"Fine, but you don't fight unless you have to." Kagome scowled at her friend, who looked extremely relieved.
"Right." Kyri agreed, indicating they could lead the way. As soon as they turned their back to her, she bit her bottom lip and winced as the mark flared up once more. 'I'm going to kill him.' she thought, over and over in her head.
They met Celphi at the bottom of the stairs and sprayed themselves to cover their scent before they all went to the surface. Each fell into the hunting stance, stalking through the afternoon forest.
Kyri tried to concentrate, she really did, but the damn mark wouldn't leave her be. It was pulsing at regular intervals now. She kept her face turned from Kagome and Sango as much as possible so they wouldn't see her growing scowl. As they passed an area, the mark suddenly quit. Kyri stood rigid, looking around her. She flashed everyone the stop signal and everyone froze as Kyri continued to look around. 'He has to be close.' Kyri thought, secretly relieve the mark had left her alone. As Kyri focused, she found she could sense him.
"You guys continue. I want to check something out." Kyri stated softly, seeing Kagome and Sango were going to protest. Before they could, she slipped off into the woods, in the direction of him. Celphi began to stalk off with Sango and Kagome reluctantly in tow.
Kyri walked in his direction, seeing him stand in a clearing, alone. He glanced in her direction, stating, "You might as well come out." Kyri dropped her bow to the ground, resting her hands close to her sword hilts, then walked into the clearing. He turned to face her, a small smirk on his face. "One day and your already back out hunting." he commented, "What caused you to leave so soon?" Kyri's anger grew.
"That damn mark you left, it's been driving me crazy." Kyri snapped, glaring at him. "Why the hell did you bit me?" Sesshomaru smirked but did not answer, running his gaze along her body. "And stop looking at me like I'm some new toy for you to play with." Kyri growled, eyes flashing in defiance. Sesshomaru's smirk grew at that comment.
"You should know by now that you are some new thing for me to play with. Are you telling me you didn't dream of me at all?" He purred mischievously. Kyri looked away, but did not answer."And the mark, did it bother you?" Kyri's gaze snapped back at him, glaring at him hatefully. Her hands grasped her sword hilts, planning on killing him or to die trying. "Tsk tsk tsk." Sesshomaru shook his head slightly. Kyri jerked quickly, trying to get her swords loose and cursing when he grasped both hands once more, pulling her close. "Struggling will get you no where." Sesshomaru stated softly in her ear. Kyri couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine at him being so close. He noticed this and smirked down at her.
"I hate you." she growled, struggling once more. Sesshomaru slowly pried both of her hands off of her sword hilts, grasping both wrists with one hand, leaving the other free. "And I'm amazed by you. Not many have met me on such terms and lived to tell about it." Sesshomaru stated, watching her as he pressed her body to his. Kyri's eyes closed as she tried to focus. She should not be feeling like this...and for a demon no less!
"Get away from me." she struggled half heartedly before she froze when she felt him lightly kiss the mark. That single act soothed her and she didn't understand why. She shivered when he placed an open mouthed kiss on the mark, running his tongue over it. "Please, stop." she choked out, now more focused on fighting the feelings she was having then fighting him. Her body was betraying her once more.
"Is something wrong?" Sesshomaru asked smugly, looking down into her eyes as she fought with herself. "Do you want me to let you go?" Sesshomaru asked as he ran a hand down her spine, feeling her shudder against him.
"Yes." she breathed, closing her eyes but did not try to pull away.
"I see." He smirked, leaning down and placing a light kiss on her lips. He was slightly surprised when she kissed him back, apparently wanting more. He felt her arms struggle slightly, but they weren't trying to get away. Testing his theory, he let go of one hand.
Kyri's mind wasn't functioning properly and she knew it. She hated him with a passion but she wanted him as well. Two emotions a person should not have at the same time. Kyri felt him kiss her and shocked herself when she kissed him back. When he freed one of her arms, she was torn between wanting to pull a knife and wrapping it around his neck. Apparently her arm had a mind of its own and wrapped around his neck, pushing her self more against him.
Smirking smugly at the fact she was now pressed to him and had an arm wrapped round him, Sesshomaru let her other arm go as he deepened the kiss. He met little resistance when he pushed his tongue past her lips this time. He felt her other hand run through his hair.
Kyri was fuming and completely overwhelmed inside. She was sickened with herself that she was so pressed against the Youkai, even kissing him back. She should be fighting him, not wanting to...to... A bit of her anger slipped out and she bit his bottom lip. He growled against her, one hand grasping her hip possessively while the other traveled down her curvy side. Sesshomaru pulled his lips from hers, kissing her neck then the mark he made, hearing her gasp slightly. His fangs traced where he had bit her, smirking against her skin when she moaned lightly. He pulled away from her, looking to see she was panting quietly. Kyri tried to shove away the images flashing in her mind and tried to focus on the demon she wanted nothing more then to kill and have sex with at the same time.
She saw him smirk smugly down at her and knew any statement she might produce or any argument she could call forth would not speak louder then her previous actions. Kyri was filled with frustrated anger and desire and both flared when she saw him smirk down at her. One of Sesshomarus hands slipped down the front of her, resting just above her core and looked down at her mischievously. Kyri's body froze at the contact, her eyes dropping shut as she tried to fight the feeling within her.
'He's a Youkai! They killed your family!' she screamed within herself even as her body shuddered with his contact.
Sesshomaru saw the inner struggle and couldn't help but smile. 'Yes, she is definitely entertaining.' he thought, a cruel idea coming into his mind. He removed both of his hands from her, reluctantly, and pushed her slightly away from him. Kyri's eyes snapped open, looking at him in confusion, hate, and lust. "I'm going to leave you now. If you ever feel the...need...to come to me, I will be in the village." He stated, seeing the anger take over her.
"I will not go to you, demon." she sneered, scowling at him. Sesshomaru chuckled at her statement, glancing to the mark he had made.
"We shall see. Go to your humans now. I will see you within a couple of days." With that, he turned and began to walk away. Kyri's anger and indignation soared to new heights. Not only had the damn Youkai bit her, now he was baiting her. He knew the mark would cause her pain. She drew two knives, quickly flicking them at his back. He easily spun on his heel, catching both. "Now, now, my pet. Save your energy. You're going to need it if you wish to wait a couple of days." Sesshomaru mock scolded, tossing them easily back at her. She caught them like wise and glared at him, wishing just once looks could kill. Sesshomaru then turned and walked into the forest, leaving Kyri to fume.
Thanks for reading this one! Here are reviewer responses now.
Brlousee: I'm glad you like it. This was one of those ideas that just wouldn't leave me alone.
SilverWolfbaby: Hey, you've read both of my fanfics! I love you! Lol. Hey now, don't base this story on unexpected mates. I could be real mean in this one. 'Laughs'.