.

Monster

Chapter 5

You would protect me.

Original Publish Date: 4/20/2018

"Ugh. I can't."

It's been nearly six months since Rin asked him if it was alright to call and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Especially after all the things Shiori told her about Lord Sesshomaru. When she was younger, she didn't question too much about his status, and his visits were so brief and so far apart - there were other things to talk about! (Not that he did much of the talking in the first place.)

Hearing that he was the son of one of the most powerful monsters - youkai - ever and he, himself, was also ridiculously powerful was a bit intimidating. Most of her fears were relieved the very next time he stopped by a month after. To her, he just wasn't the "cold, arrogant assassin" that Shiori said everyone described him as. He would come for a brief moment: watch, listen, talk, and make sure she was okay in his own way.

So why in the world can't I just call him over?! Rin mentally screamed, groaning into her pink body pillow. Maybe it had something to with how… does she just say his name in her empty room? She was screaming in fear last time.

Or maybe it had something to with how different he looked under proper light - seeing details that she never could make out when the room was dark with only the moonlight spilling in - and Shiori casually mentioning he was pretty hot after he left.

Sesshomaru.

Hot?

And Rin did it again. Stuck thinking about how attractive her friend was. Her gods-know-how-old-he-is friend. Friend. FRIEND. Not hot. You're hopeless. She thought, sighing as she turned on her back. In a bout of random courage, she finally said the words, "Sesshomaru."

Rin stared at the ceiling as she waited for that familiar feeling; an invisible wave of warmth that felt like slipping under the covers of a kotatsu. She tapped her bottom lip with her index finger, Maybe it only works when I'm in trouble or I just didn't say it loud enough? She wasn't going to scream -

And she smiled when that familiar feeling washed over her. Rin sat up, crawled to the end of her bed to kneel as the closet door shuttered opened. Oh no. Sesshomaru hardly wore anything other than a traditional garb, sometimes with armor, but now he wore a simple, fitted long-sleeve white tee and a pair of jeans. She wasn't aware that he even had casual clothing. It made him look too… too real. Normal. Obtainable? Stop thinking.

"Rin." Oh no. She was staring like an idiot.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you came!" She exclaimed before he could make any comment.

"Hn." His golden eyes swept over her figure and she tried very hard to keep Shiori's teasing words out her head. He wasn't checking her out - he always did that, sort of. Maybe he did start that more recently… whatever. It had to be him making sure she wasn't hurt. Had to be.

As he walked up to her, she figured out another possible - no, real. Very real - reason. He was a man… a man who could only come to her at night, in her room, alone… and she wasn't a kid anymore. The childlike wonder she used to look at him with changed a couple of years ago to something she couldn't put her finger on. It didn't really hit her - and boy, did it hit her hard - until the wolf incident. His gaze traveled to the open textbooks and notebook paper behind her.

"Trouble with your studies?"

Did she mention, that for a supernatural being who lived in another realm, he was a surprisingly good history tutor? That wasn't why she called him, but she could not for the life of her think of a subject to talk about, she just wanted to see him! So, she relented, "I could use a bit of help…" Rin felt her cheeks heating up, "If you don't mind."

The desk seat he usually took was currently occupied by a mountain of books. Rin hadn't asked him to sit on her bed anymore, realizing at some point in her pre-teen years that it was probably inappropriate. But it shouldn't matter, its Sesshomaru. He would never do anything she didn't want. She moved a bit, freeing up space next to her, "You can sit here." Rin noticed his hesitation and a million thoughts of how much of an idiot she runs through her mind in that split second until the bed dipped with his added weight and he asked what she was studying. "World War 2, Eastern Front."

Not exactly a romantic bedtime topic.

Not that she was looking for one.

But, one of the best parts of tutoring, was that it meant he would talk a lot. One of the worst parts was that the actual content flew over her head because she was too busy listening to the sound of his voice. Rin stared and took in how he enunciated every word, only to be stuck in embarrassed silence when he asked about the Siege of Leningrad and she had zero idea what he was referring to. "Rin."

"Y-yeah?"

"You are being strange again."

She looked away, "No, everything's fine."

When he shifted closer, their shoulders touched.

Rin gasped, their shoulders touched!

That's not possible! His voice dropped, whispering in her ear, "Rin, do not lie to me…" A clawed finger hooked under her chin and moved her face towards his, "Do you think I wouldn't notice?"

"Notice what?" She managed to squeak, a feeling of dread coiling itself in her stomach. Something wasn't right, something felt off about him.

His lips curled, "The way you look at me." He was close enough to share the same air, "How you never want me to leave…" Rin didn't like the look in his eyes or the uncharacteristic smirk on his lips - none it looked right as if... When the hand holding her chin cupped her face and another arm made its way around her waist, the final warning bell went off in her head. Two arms. No way he just grew another one from the span of leaving her closet and sitting on the bed. This wasn't Sesshomaru.

Rin tried pushing the body away from her, but the man scoffed, a bored look on his face, "Found out already, huh? Just relax and enjoy yourself…" He purred, pulling her flush against him. "Let me fulfill your desires. No way this guy of all people is going to." No, no, no! Her voice was gone. She tried again pushing as hard as she could but the man didn't budge an inch. She didn't understand; if monsters weren't whole in this world, how is this possible?! "Though I can't help but be curious… How does a cute little human like you know enough to fantasize about him, hmm?"

She brought her legs up and was able to maneuver to kick him - except he was like a wall and it was more of pushing herself away until she fell off the other edge of the bed. Rin tried scrambling up to her feet, but the man was on top of her in an instant, pinning her face down on the scratchy carpet. She struggled against the hold on her wrists in vain.

"It's a shame. I was willing to play nice with you. Here I thought with your sweet face, that's what you wanted." When one of her wrists were freed, she elbowed the male above her in the stomach but the impact only bruised her as his claws sliced and tore through her clothing. He crouched low, whispering as something hard pressed against her exposed lower back, "But no, you want to be taken rough, like an eager bitch. I guess I shouldn't be surprised if a dog is what you are after."

Rin woke up in a sweat, the sound of snarling and screaming in her ears. Her eyes searched the room as they adjusted to the darkness. Sesshomaru's silver hair was hard to miss especially when it seemed to whip around him like if the wind was blowing, and he was towering over another wounded young man on the floor. She noticed the blood dripping from her friend's claws.

"Damn dog." The younger man hissed as he rose, clutching his left side. "We're all supposed to share, ya know? - fuck." He poofed in a small cloud of smoke just before Sesshomaru let out some kind of green gas from his clawed hand. He was gone and her friend looked displeased with the result.

"Lord Sesshomaru…?" The red eyes shifted to her, its menacing color receding to its usual golden hue. "Wh-What happened? Who was that?"

"A type of Incubus. Not all monsters feed on fear." Rin's gaze dropped, looking down at her open hands and wrists. She could still feel the stranger gripping them. "They enter your dreams and feed off your desires. They commonly attack those coming of age." A dream? But it felt so real. He was in her head then, and she couldn't stop it. Her hands closed into fists as she fought the prickling in her eyes.

"He tricked me…" Rin replied softly. She'd rather be beaten than have someone like that in her mind.

"They take the form of what you find most pleasing." His eyes hardened, "You are frightened."

Feeling naked, she pulled the covers up to her chin as she brought her knees up to hug herself. "He was going to…" She shook her head and looked up at him, "Thank you for saving me… but how'd you know?"

"You called me."

Rin stared, No, I didn't. It was a dream… Did he hear her in her dreams? She was too nervous to question further, not wanting him to find out the incubus took his form. Not that she even understood why, he was a friend, not what she desired… Right? Right! It was just another monster... She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. 2:30 AM. Still some time till sunrise and she had school in the morning. But if she fell asleep…

Her heart started to thud louder, would that monster come back? "Can -" She pursed her lips, aborting the question. No, he just saved me again. I can't keep asking for things.

Sesshomaru never liked it when she did that. "Speak."

Rin chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, "Could you stay the night…?"

She watched his golden eyes widened a fraction before he gave a curt nod, taking his usual seat at her desk by the bed. Rin made herself comfortable then, snuggling up with her body pillow and comforter, facing him. Normally, the silence was fine, but right now… "Shiori told me your father loved a human and took her to your world… Is that true?"

She learned early to look for any twitches on his face that signaled his true feelings like the small tick in his jaw before he blandly replied: "He did."

"Is that a bad thing…?"

He opened his mouth but shut it close again as if he was reconsidering his answer. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Guess that's the end of that… Rin started chewing on her bottom lip, wondering what to talk about and coming up blank. She just wanted a distraction so she wouldn't think about what had happened. "...you want to be taken rough, like an eager bitch." Rin winced and buried her face in her pillow, desperately holding in the pang of shame that struck her. Don't cry, don't cry.

"Rin." She didn't look up just yet. The dam would break if she did, she knew it. After a few moments, the still silence in her room was suffocating - or maybe she had to finally bring her head up. Her eyes peeked over the covers at him. He was staring the ground with a look that she could only describe as murderous and wondered what in the world he was thinking, then he looked at her before she could hide again, his eyes softened a fraction.

Rin wiggled closer to the edge, closer to him, and settled in again. Might as well ask, "What are you thinking about?"

He stared at her for a moment before replying, "Murdering the incubus."

Oh.

"Do you have to?"

His eyes narrowed, "He harmed you."

"I'll be okay." Rin rather not have people dying. Even if… "That's how he survives, isn't it?"

"He survives by not angering those above him. He made a fatal mistake tonight."

"But I'm okay." She was totally fine! By morning, she'll just focus on others things like school. I'm okay. She repeated to herself, I'm okay.

He inhaled, his honey gaze pierced through her and she felt a very specific prickling sensation around her neck that traveled around her scalp, something she inexplicably felt two or three times with him. "You are lying."

Rin swallowed hard at the accusation, "N-no."

"Rin, do not lie to me." She flinched away from him, startled by the same words she heard from the monster earlier. Rin saw his jaw and his bloodied hand clench in response. I didn't mean to. Was she was being troublesome?

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, clutching her pillow closer.

"Rest." He told her, and she tried, rustling and turning for an hour before sleep finally took her. When she woke an hour before class, there was no evidence of Sesshomaru's presence like every other time. No blood on the carpet, no green acid damaging the wall. Rin sighed as got up from the bed, and began getting ready for school.

Ahh, I forgot to tell him I won't be here this weekend. She thought while brushing out the knots in her hair, It should be fine. His visits are never close together. Rin made sure she had enough clothing for sleeping over at Sango's. They, along with Kagome, had a project for their social studies class that they planned on finishing early in the weekend. I wonder if they believe in monsters. It wasn't something you could just bring up out of the blue… or maybe she could. Shiori did tell her not to, but she couldn't be the only one...

Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her things and rushed to the train station.

:-:-:

Sesshomaru had been searching for the incubus all day. As the sun began its descent, he returned home only to find he didn't have to go so far to find the youkai.

His father sat on one of metal outdoor chairs in his mother's old garden, a half-empty bottle on the glass table, a drink in hand and the dismembered body of his prey on the dried grass. "Sesshomaru, you've returned." Touga motioned him over and he reluctantly stepped closer. What could he possibly want now? "This one here -" He pointed to the corpse, "- just tried blackmailing me."

"A foolish endeavor."

His sire nodded, "Very much so… but I am surprised you let him go initially." The incubus tried to use Rin as blackmail? In what way?

"I had other things to attend to."

"I'm sure she kept you busy." That tone again. His father was looking to get a rise from him. "You must introduce me."

"Never." He replied with zero hesitation, and his father found it absolutely hilarious. Sesshomaru scowled at the laughing man, not understanding his behavior.

Touga finished his drink and rose from the seat, "I am just having some fun with you, son." Or he's drunk. His father had taken to drinking often in the past month. In fact…

"I haven't seen Izayoi in the past week and you have been acting more odd than usual."

"Is that concern I'm hearing?"

"Curiosity." He answered blandly.

"Hmm…" His father's gaze drifted to the dead, overgrown shrubbery, "She is in a cell." Sesshomaru's eyes widened. "For her own protection."

If Izayoi's mental state was terrible enough to warrant him throwing her in a cell… "Would it not be better to kill her instead?"

His sire took a deep breath, anger flaring in his identical gold eyes, "It is temporary. She will pull through." Sesshomaru said nothing more. He knew his father wouldn't listen. They had different views on things such as compassion, mercy, and Izayoi's strength or lack thereof. "Earlier… it was not a request. I wish to properly meet this girl."

"Why?"

"Curiosity." Touga taunted. Sesshomaru glared and his father chuckled, "Easy now. I am merely curious about the young woman who seems to have enraptured my most difficult son."

Now he growled, "Enough with your tone. I'm not enraptured by anyone."

"Yet you hear and respond to her call. Dare I say, you are protecting her. Besides…" Touga gave a pointed look to the corpse behind him, "I believe my tone is warranted."

He was too angry to de-compact his father's meaning, "Don't be ridiculous. She is only a..." He pursed his lips, Only a what?

Touga's smile turned into a full grin and Sesshomaru mentally kicked himself for allowing his father to rile him up exactly as he wanted. His father filled in the blank as he saw fit, "I would like to meet my son's first friend. Is that acceptable, Sesshomaru? Friend? You didn't have much of a problem with her calling you one, considering it would normally result in certain death." He said nothing. "Why would you not want me to meet her?"

Sesshomaru mulled it over for a moment. Rin was deeply unsettled over the incident and despite her insistence that she was 'okay': her voice trembled, her heart was erratic, her mind was wounded, she flinched away from him and he was still coming to terms with how much that affected him. He was planning on staying this night as well to ensure another didn't get attracted to her vulnerability, he didn't think it would be wise to introduce her to another youkai so soon. Then there was the conversation with Izayoi months ago that he hadn't forgotten...

But none of that was his father's business. "There is no reason to explain myself to you."

Touga spoke as he walked past his son, "Then I will visit her myself. After all, I've seen her and her home. I don't need you to guide me." Gods know what his father would say to her if they were alone. It was out of the question.

"Leave her." Sesshomaru found himself saying, making his sire pause.

"Why?" He asked again.

Sesshomaru relented, "... She is unwell."

Touga smirked, "That is concern. Another time then."

While he watched his smug father walk away, he briefly entertained the idea of snatching So'unga from his back and plunging it into the older daiyoukai's chest. That would have to wait. Eager to leave his father, Sesshomaru opened a portal to Rin's light out of habit, not noticing he landed in an unfamiliar place until it was too late.

"Did anyone else feel that?" He heard a nervous feminine voice ask. Her aura felt… unusual - nothing like the average human.

"Hmm, no." Said another, more confident female.

"Hehe, I think these movies are scaring Kagome." And Rin.

"Hey, let's go check on the pizza!"

"Sure! Let me just grab something from my bag first."

The two strangers left the room, with one protesting rather loudly like she was being dragged.

Rin opened the closet door and shut it behind her, before turning on the light. The room wasn't tiny, but two adult bodies pushed the limits of the available space and the young woman was closer than she'd ever been to him. "Lord Sesshomaru." She smiled apologetically, "I forgot to tell you I'll be at a friend's house this weekend… but I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." Her tone shifted to worry, "Did things with your father go okay?"

"Hn." The vague answer made her pout. He had no plans to tell her of his sire's intentions to meet her just yet. "Are you... better?" He asked, still finding the words strange on his tongue. He wasn't one to inquire honestly about anyone's well-being before he met her.

"Hn." Her cocoa eyes shined with mirth as he watched her lips struggle to not smile. He huffed, She is mocking me.

"Rin." But his voice lacked its usual bite, unable to find the usual annoyance he felt towards such things.

"Yes, I'm better." She was telling the truth. It didn't surprise him, her companions would know far more about comforting her than himself. He wasn't needed. Her gaze dropped to her feet, and her next words made him question the conclusion he made seconds ago, "I always feel better when I see you." She shifted closer, hardly an inch of air between them. It didn't matter, they couldn't touch each other... but it was almost as if he could feel her. "When will I see you again?" She should be fine with others around her at night. Certainly, by Monday, she will back to herself for the most part. Her eyes still pleaded with him, "Soon?"

"Soon."

Rin grinned, "I'll see you then."

:-:-:

"There was definitely something in there," Kagome said, pointing to the closet. She looked at Rin and she tried her best not to start fidgeting, "I felt it."

"Kagome comes from a long line of shrine priestesses, and she has like a sixth sense," Sango explained, handing Rin a slice of pizza. Sango and Rin were huddled in front of the TV as Kagome set up the next movie. She leaned in and whispered, "Not that I've never seen it actually work."

"I heard that!" Kagome exclaimed while she pushed the DVD in the player and then sat between them. "I know I felt something." She said with finality, crossing her arms over her chest. Maybe… Maybe Kagome believes in monsters? Could she see them?

"I feel my grades slipping away," Sango mumbled in between bites. They had made no progress today, too busy with just hanging out.

"We'll get it done!" Rin exclaimed. They still had tomorrow and the day after. More than enough time!

"Yup! Tomorrow we'll tackle our homework with no mercy." Kagome agreed, "But now, movie!"

After finishing 2 films from their mini-marathon, the three called it quits for the night after 2 AM. Sango retired to sleep in her younger brother's room - who was staying over at her grandfather's - while Rin and Kagome took Sango's bed. But Rin couldn't find sleep, even as her eyes dried in protest of being open and her friend was sound asleep behind her. That's when she heard it. A sticky, suction noise… coming from the closet.

Brown and black tentacles were escaping from the closet doors, silvering up the walls. Rin began shaking her friend, "Kagome…"

"Urgh…" She wouldn't wake.

Rin tried calming her heart. The darkness crept closer to them, the tentacles leaving a trail of black slime behind them that hissed and bubbled while they neared the bed. It can't touch us, it can't touch us. But the lump in her throat didn't go away, her breath was coming out in pants as it encased the entire opposite wall. She shook her friend harder, "Kagome?" They had to leave before it reached the door. And what about Sango? As if her thoughts were being read, more came from the bedroom door. Others from under the bed as it crawled up the bedposts. Aand a type of gas was beginning to expel from the closet. It was foul enough to make her eyes sting and her throat turn hot. "Kagome!"

"Hmm? Wha…?" There was a pink lightning-flash, had Rin blinked she would have missed it entirely. Kagome yawned, her eyes droopy from her interrupted slumber, "Rin, what's going on?"

The monster was gone, and all evidence of it, as if the morning came and dissolved it all. "There was…" How?

Kagome sat up and looked around, "There was what?"

Rin blinked, I didn't imagine that… right? No, her eyes still stung as she wiped them. Her throat still on fire, but there was nothing there. "I… Nothing." She smiled at her friend, not wanting her to worry, "I'm sorry. I thought…"

Kagome pointed to the closet, an 'I-told-you-so' kind of look on her face, "That something was there?"

"Maybe…" Rin shook her head, "It's nothing. I'm just imagining things. I'm sorry I woke you."

Kagome looked unsure but let the subject drop as they both settled back into bed again. While her friend was fast asleep once more, Rin found herself having trouble sleeping for the second night in a row - unable to keep her eyes off the closet doors.

End of Chapter 5

.

.

Author's Note: Guys, I'm fucking awful. I totally forgot Jaken existed again. LOL. Poor Jaken. Always getting shafted in my fics.

I'm legit starting the process of buying my first home this weekend, and I have no idea how that's going to affect updating here and my writing. Hopefully, it doesn't! D:

Hope you all liked this chapter! Next chapter should be up next Friday~ Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows! Have a great weekend everyone. :D