Chapter 5

"Professor!?"

"Rin." The person answered.

What was he doing here? Did he discover her secret? How was she going to explain walking out of the forest? She had to think of something! Rin stood frozen, watching as he approached, desperately thinking of a good reason she would be coming out of the forest. He was standing directly in front of her now, maybe a little too close.

"Hello Rin." He said having to look down due to her short stature.

"Hi Professor Naraku." Rin replied. She took notice of how long his wavy, black hair was as it swayed in the wind. He usually wore it in a bun atop his head during class. He was an incredibly pale man with a tall and muscular build. Rin often wondered if he was a vampire and only ventured out when the sun went down. Naraku was Rin's professor for her Spells and Potions class. It was the equivalent of a Chemistry course and extremely difficult. However, unlike Sesshomaru, he was actually very thorough when explaining the material.

"This forest isn't safe for a young, vulnerable woman like you to be wandering around in. You're aware of the disappearances aren't you?" Naraku asked, his crimson red eyes watching her closely.

Rin became a little uncomfortable under his intense gaze. She quickly became cognizant of the fact that he was three times bigger than her and they were alone. She shook her head trying to quell those uneasy thoughts. He was her professor; he wouldn't hurt her or try anything unusual right? She hoped not but something in the back of her mind told her to be wary. She quickly glanced behind him for the nearest exit path if she needed to make a run for it.

"I am aware of the disappearances but sometimes I like to take a stroll along the outer edge of the forest to clear my mind after a long day of classes. I only do it when the sun is up to avoid the wild demons." Rin lied nervously.

He peered at her for a moment, and then smirked while stepping even closer.

"My dear little student, while it is true that wild demons are more active at night; there are some demons that won't hesitate to kill and eat a human any time of the day." He reached out and cupped her chin, caressing the soft skin of her face.

Rin stood frozen in place. She didn't know what she could do. Suddenly, his hand felt prickly. The prickly feeling extended down her chin; snaking its way around her neck. Rin watched in horror as his hand morphed into a thorny, green vine. She winced as the thorns scraped against her skin breaking it.

"But there are far worse things than just demons dwelling in this forest. You should be more careful." Naraku said, allowing the thorns to lightly cut at her skin but with just enough force to draw blood.

Rin closed her eyes and prayed that this would be over soon. She couldn't move from where she was standing, couldn't fight, couldn't even scream. Terror took ahold of her body, freezing her in place. Why was this happening? Why would he be doing this to her? She didn't understand. A single tear slid down her cheek as she thought about her parents. Would she be joining them tonight?

Rin's eyes burst open as she was knocked to the ground by a strong gust of wind, the vines instantly loosening from around her neck. Her mouth went agape as she saw Naraku a few feet away lying on the ground. She looked up, eyes widening in shock as she found Sesshomaru standing between her and Naraku.

"That's enough." Sesshomaru stated seriously.

Naraku stood from the ground rubbing his face where Sesshomaru punched him. He laughed loud and hearty as if a joke had just been told. "I was only trying to scare her to keep her out of the forest. I had no intentions of actually harming the young lady. Rin, I'll see you in class." He glanced at Rin, then Sesshomaru with a smirk before disappearing right before their eyes.

Sesshomaru released a low growl before turning to Rin. She was still on the ground so he crouched down to examine her injuries.

"You're bleeding." He stated flatly.

Rin stared blankly while unconsciously bringing her hand up to her neck then back down again. Looking at the red substance on her hand, she began to tremble. Her mind having a hard time processing what just happened. Was I being attacked? Was I about to be killed? Why would the professor do such a thing? Even if it was just a lesson, what he did was terrifying. How far it would have gone if Sesshomaru did not show up?

"Rin."

Her savior's voice startled her out of her thoughts. She looked at him noticing his face was just a few inches from hers. Normally this would have unnerved her but she felt too weak to move. She felt as if her energy was being drained. Her thoughts were becoming jumbled and her head felt lighter by the second. Just a minutes ago she was able to formulate coherent thoughts but now she could barely think of a word.

"Rin, you've been poisoned."

His voice sounded like an echo.

"I have to suck the poison out."

Rin could not understand the last thing he said. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was close her eyes, so she did.

Sesshomaru watched as the small young woman closed her eyes. Her body fell over onto the forest floor. He had to act quickly. He knew Naraku's thorns were poisonous. He was not sure what kind of poison it was but he was confident his body could neutralize it. If it was a fatal dose, Rin would be dead by now so it appeared Naraku was not trying to kill her. But still, Rin could have a reaction. He didn't know how the poison would affect her.

Sesshomaru sat down on the forest floor and carefully pulled her limp body into his lap. As he did so, her head rolled back exposing her bleeding neck to him. He stared at her for a moment contemplating what he was about to do. Sucking on the neck of a female was an extremely intimate act for a dog demon, almost sacred. Neck suckling always involved sex. Arousal was certainly a possibility but he was Sesshomaru, his self-control was second to none. A small human girl would not bring him to such an undignified state in this situation.

He pulled her closer and lowered his head to her neck. He began by licking away some of the blood still seeping from her wounds. Her blood was surprisingly sweet, tasting like nectar from wild flowers. Sesshomaru never had any reason to taste human blood before but he knew what it smelled like. It did not smell as if it would taste so sweet. Was this taste unique to this girl? He allowed his tongue to slowly drag across the skin of her neck, trying to make sense of her taste.

He paused.

What if she was not entirely human? He never once considered that a possibility based upon appearance. She had no other features besides human ones. Maybe she was an anomaly amongst humans. She did attend Shikon University meaning she had some sort of quirk. Many non-humans that looked human attended the university. Or maybe she had some sort of blood disorder? In the back of his mind, he knew it was not that simple. His mother would not ask him to protect just anyone. There was something odd about this girl and he found himself wanting to know what it was.

He quickly lapped up the rest of the blood before he began to remove the poison. He gently sucked on the wounds of her neck pulling at her skin with his tongue, the piquant taste of the poison now mixing in with the saccharinity of her blood. The combination of flavors was almost sensory overload for his taste buds. It was intoxicating in a way that only a demon would find it to be. He continued his ministrations a bit more forcefully than intended. It was getting harder to control himself the more he consumed the mixture. He felt her petite body squirm while pressed against him. It seemed she was regaining consciousness as the poison exited her blood stream.

"Aaaaahhh."

Sesshomaru froze. Did she just moan? Was she in pain? He lifted his head up to observe her. Her eyes were still closed but they were squinching, her face was flushed and she was biting her bottom lip. Taking a sniff of the air, he caught the spicy scent of female arousal. It was so faint he almost thought he imagined it but with a few more whiffs he was certain it was there. He realized that neck suckling was also an intimate act for humans as well. It appeared she was unconsciously stimulated by what he was doing. He needed to get this over with quickly to avoid an awkward situation. Despite his unparalleled self-control, he was well aware of the fact that he was still a male and she was a fairly attractive female for a human. Furthermore, she was untouched. Her scent was untainted. And the wriggling around she was doing in his lap was not helping the situation at all.

He needed to finish this so he continued but the more he sucked on her neck the more she wiggled and moaned. He gripped her thigh to keep her still. But absentmindedly, his clawed hand began to caress the fleshy part of her body. His self-control was slipping and he knew it but there was nothing he could do about it. He found himself getting lost in the rhythm and flow of his tongue pulling at her skin, her moans, his touch, her squirms.

"S-sesshomaru?"

The whisper of his name pulled him from his trance like state. He took one last lick before parting his lips from her neck. If she was awake then he must have been successful with getting enough poison out. The wounds on her neck were already starting to heal due to the healing properties in his saliva. He looked at her, finding her eyes opening now.

Rin found herself staring into Sesshomaru's heated golden gaze. His face was so close it was as if he was going to kiss her and this time he looked like he wanted to. She couldn't look away from him. He was so beautiful. His eyes were like pools of molten gold, his white hair seemed to glow against the dark hues of the forest and the colored markings on his pale skin appeared brighter than ever before. Her body felt so hot, too hot as if she would burst into flames. She was practically panting as if she just worked out. Beads of sweat rolled down her chest. Needing to move, she adjusted herself in his lap feeling something hard poking her backside. She looked from his face to his chest then down to her legs which were draped over his thigh...

With a yelp, Rin jumped out of his lap upon realizing the position they were in. Unsteady on her feet, she fell on her bum just a few feet away from him. Her brown eyes were wide with shock as she stared at him. She desperately tried to remember what preceded their encounter but she could only picture blurry images of green, thorny vine and black, wavy hair.

"Sesshomaru...um, professor? What..." She couldn't even finish her question, she was so confused.

Sesshomaru stood from the ground and turned his back to her for a moment to adjust his pants. He was extremely annoyed and a little embarrassed that she was able to get a rise out of him. He then turned back around, walking over to her. He extended his hand out to her and she took it allowing him to lift her from the forest ground.

"You were attacked and poisoned. I was able to stop your attacker and get the poison out. Your memory may be a little foggy right now but eventually you should remember what happened so I will not go into detail." Sesshomaru said.

Rin remembered the thorny vines. Was she attacked by some kind of plant? She also remembered long, black wavy hair. She shivered at the thought of it. But what was Sesshomaru doing here? This was the second time she was in trouble and he was there to rescue her, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Maybe he was like her guardian angel. Well no, he was a demon so definitely not an angel. Guardian demon? Did those even exist? How did he know she needed help though? How was he always so close? What if he was something more sinister, like a stalker?

Sesshomaru watched as an array of emotions played out on her face. She was looking at him suspiciously now. What was she thinking?

"What were you doing in the forest?"

"What were you doing in the forest?"

Both asked each other the same question at the same time.

The tall demon tilted his head as he stared at her. He detected that she seemed a bit fearful now so he decided he would answer first to put her at ease.

"I live in this forest." Sesshomaru was actually walking home when he sensed something ominous.

Rin's mouth formed an O. Her fear dissipated as she realized he was just in the right place at the right time. He wasn't a stalker. She felt silly for even thinking it. Why would he stalk little old her anyway? All of that aside, the fact that he lived in the forest as well was both comforting and alarming. She wanted to tell him badly that she lived in the forest too but she wasn't ready for her secret to be revealed. She didn't want anyone to know she lived there; she didn't want anyone worrying about her.

"You still need to answer my question."

Rin jumped at the sound of his voice. How was she going to answer that?

"I was just taking a stroll." She lied.

Sesshomaru turned his back to her. He decided not to pry just yet; he would find out why she was in this forest whether she told him or not.

"You are a terrible liar and I believe I've warned you more than once to stay out of this forest. You might not be so lucky next time." He warned icily.

Rin shivered at his tone but he was right. Who knew what would have happened if he didn't show up.

"Are you steady enough to walk?" Sesshomaru asked suddenly.

"Yes." She said quietly. She appreciated that he even asked. Her legs were a little shaky but she was sure she could walk. Besides, he didn't seem to be in the best of moods right now. She didn't want to bother him with having to carry her.

Without another word the tall demon picked up her bag and began walking toward the forest's exit. Rin quickly scurried behind him trying to stay close just in case she was attacked again. It was getting dark, the sun now setting. They walked in silence for a little while before Rin broke the quiet.

"Could you tell me everything that happened? Um, including how I woke up in your lap?" She blushed at the last question.

Sesshomaru sighed. He did not want to have this conversation because the implications of everything that just happened were complicated. He had to report this incident to his mother and who knew what the fall out would be with Naraku. The dark haired professor was renowned at this university so why would he take such a risk harming a student? And was it his first time? Was he assaulting girls on campus? Sexually assaulting them? Even worse, what if he was involved with the disappearances? Naraku would have to be investigated and Rin and himself would likely be subject to an interview by the disciplinary committee. He was not looking forward to that.

"If you don't remember by tomorrow, come and find me. I'll either be in class or the library. I will tell you." Sesshomaru replied.

"Okay." Rin nodded her head. She decided not to push him despite how desperate she was to know what happened. He sounded frustrated and exhausted. If she didn't or did remember by tomorrow, she was still going to seek him out. She was sure to have questions either way.

Rin was glad she was not sleeping in her cabin tonight. For the first time, she felt uneasy about being there alone. She was starting to think that maybe she needed to carry a weapon. She took for granted how peaceful and calm the forest always seemed. She had to keep in mind that it was still a dangerous place where wild demons roamed and people lost their lives or disappeared. She had to take the warnings more seriously.

They continued to walk in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. Rin looked over to Sesshomaru when the thought of how she woke up crossed her mind. She blushed as she thought of his arm around her waist and his other hand holding her thigh as she rested in his lap. She had never been held like that by a man before. Furthermore, the way he was looking at her when she woke up and how close their faces were; she wondered how she even got there. Waking up that way was certainly a surprise but not an unpleasant one. A smile formed on her face just thinking about it.

Rin was interrupted from her reverie by the sound of Sesshomaru cursing under his breath. She looked up at his face which had an irritated expression. What's gotten into him? She wondered.

Looking ahead, she noticed they were almost out of the forest. The university was within view now. She squinted as she heard her name being called in the distance, trying to see who was calling her. She noticed five silhouettes pacing in the courtyard of the university. It was her newfound friends! It seemed they were looking for her. It was well past the time she said she would meet them there. Excited to see them, Rin jogged ahead of Sesshomaru waving her arms.

"Heeeeeeyyyy! I'm right here." Rin called.

The group all ran toward her, Shippo and Kagome reaching her first. They enveloped her in a hug. Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku stood around her protectively. Rin was still in awe of how easily they accepted her in their tight knit group. They genuinely seemed to be concerned for her wellbeing and were always looking out for her.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked.

"Why are you coming out of the forest?" Sango asked.

"We were looking for you." Miroku said.

"When you didn't show up we got worried. Did something happen?" Shippo asked.

"And what are you doing with him?" Inuyasha asked angrily staring at Sesshomaru who was a few steps behind Rin after she took off jogging toward them.

Rin felt overwhelmed by all of the questions. She really could not even explain what happened because she could not remember all of it. Noticing how hostile they were looking at Sesshomaru, she needed to say something so they did not suspect him of harming her.

"I know this was stupid of me but I took a stroll in the forest before coming to meet you all. I guess I was just curious about the forest because of how beautiful it is. But it's dangerous and I should not have been there. I was attacked by something and Sesshomaru saved me." Rin felt bad for deceiving her friends but she still told part of the truth, at least what she was told by Sesshomaru about the attack.

"Rin, you should never go into the Bone Eater Forest alone!" Shippo hugged her again this time sniffing her to try to figure out what may have attacked her. However, the only scent he could pick up on her was Sesshomaru's. It was everywhere, particularly around her neck! Shippo held her at arm's length to examine her. He noticed small, faint dots circled around her neck. It appeared the dots were healing. Humans didn't heal that fast so if she was injured here and Sesshomaru's scent was strongest here then it only meant that he licked her neck using his dog demon healing saliva to heal her wounds. Shippo became light headed from the thought of Sesshomaru nibbling on the neck his precious, innocent Rin. He let Rin go and wavered where he stood needing to sit down.

"Shippo, what's wrong?" Kagome asked.

Shippo sat in the grass looking crestfallen. "Inuyasha, smell." He whispered pointing at Rin.

Inuyasha took his eyes off of his big brother and turned to Shippo. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Shippo just weakly pointed at Rin.

Inuyasha walked over to Rin but didn't need to get as close before he realized what was going on. He turned around and marched back over to Sesshomaru.

"Why the hell is your scent all over her!?" Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome gasped.

Sango raised an eyebrow.

Miroku grinned.

Shippo lowered his head in his lap.

Rin blushed furiously.

And Sesshomaru was unfazed.

The two dog demon brothers glared at each other, Sesshomaru refusing to answer the question because he didn't need to explain himself to anyone. The tension was getting so thick in the air; it was becoming hard to breathe. Rin felt she had to do something.

She ran between the brothers facing Inuyasha with her back turned to Sesshomaru as if shielding him.

"Everyone, Sesshomaru saved my life. I don't know what you all are thinking but he didn't do anything besides help me." Rin stated sincerely. She then turned around to Sesshomaru. "Thank you for being there to save me again. I'm still not clear on what happened but I don't want to think about what would have happened if you did not show up." She said shyly.

Sesshomaru handed her bag to her and nodded. He turned around and walked toward the direction of the forest, his long silver white hair swaying behind him. Rin watched him walk away with a slight blush tinging her cheeks because she just saw something few ever had the chance to witness. His amber colored eyes in the moment she thanked him were gentle and the faint smile he offered her was more beautiful than the setting sun.

Author's Note:

Writing again has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. With the holidays and a busy one-year-old, I had little time to work on this chapter last month. Finally getting some breathing room, I was able to write the past couple of days! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I haven't been feeling very confident with my writing because it seems to take me longer to think of what I want to write. A couple of years ago, I was able to type my thoughts easily. Hopefully, the more I write the better I'll feel about it. I will get over my mild case of writer's block!