Ok so it has been quite a while since I updated I'm very sorry about that. I blame real life and writers block but here is the next chapter and I hope you like it XD

Chapter 23 Injuries and Care

Rin woke stretched out on the sofa with her head in Sesshomaru's lap with his fingers running through her hair. She snuggled into his tail which was acting as both her pillow and blanket. "What did I miss?"

"The preliminaries are done and most of your friends are out of the running as well. Kurama has just won his fight but is injured. He's being brought back now."

She sat up and stretched, "Maybe I should go check on him? Who's fighting next?"

"Hiei and Makuro."

"I think I'll go looking for Kurama, I never met Makuro; and Hiei I don't know very well." Rin stood and walked to the door, "I'll be back soon."

Sesshomaru nodded as Rin left.

Rin walked toward the main arena feeling for Kurama's familiar energy. She didn't get far; in one of the eastern participant viewing rooms Rin felt his weakened energy. Going into the room Rin immediately saw Kurama in a back corner with some of their friends.

"Just allow me to watch Hiei's next battle. Then I will go with you." Kurama stared at the screen waiting for the fight to begin.

"What am I going to do with you," Rin walked up to them and knelt beside Kurama. "Will you at least let me treat your wounds?"

"Yes," Kurama smiled up at her and leaned back against the well. "I think I can handle that."

"I'll get what you need from the infirmary." Suzuka said before running out of the room.

Jin helped Rin remove Kurama's shirt so she had better access to his injuries.

Suzuka soon returned and Rin began cleaning and rapping Kurama's arm and side, as well as treating his less serous injuries. As she worked she listened to her friends talk about Hiei's fight.

"What's he playing at, ya think?" Jin asked.

"He's playing?" Suzuka asked.

Rin looked at that screen. Hiei was fighting but Jin was right there was something off about it, as if he wasn't aiming for any kind of real damage. "Your right he's up to something. I wonder if he's trying to throw the fight, does he like her or something?"

Kurama's mouth fell open, "Hiei? No way. I've only known him for about two years but he has never shown any kind of interest in a female, ever."

Rin eyed him, "Male?"

"No!" Kurama was surprised at the idea, "No special interest in anyone."

"Hmm… In that case I would say he probably already has a female somewhere or he has something too important that he needs to accomplish, so much so that he would deny the very basic need of every male for companio…"

"I have had enough of this!" A harsh female voice cut across Rin's words, and a clawed hand latched onto the hair at the nape of her neck. "It's bad enough there's a human running around demon world and even here at the tournament, but how dare you try and pass off as the mate of one of the dog lords."

Rin froze, she knew she was at a steep disadvantage and her friends would not risk trying anything with those claws so close to her neck.

"And people call me stupid." Yusuke said from the door.

"You. You're one of them how can you tolerate this human walking around with that fake mark of her wrist?" The demoness said as she tightened her grip on Rin's hair and her claws broke the skin on Rin's neck.

"What makes you think it's fake?" Yusuke asked.

"Yusuke I would like to prevent as many deaths as possible." Rin said as she felt blood start to make a line down her neck. "Clear this room, now!"

"Every body out!" Yusuke yelled.

A few demons left and Kurama was helped out by their friends, none of them wanted to see what was about to happen.

"Hey, if the girl has some fight in her I want to see it," one demon said and there was a chorus of agreement from others.

Rin called up her power and focused it on the back of her neck. The demoness' hand pulled away sharply as she hissed in pain, there was smoke drifting up from her burned fingers.

"You little…" The demoness was silenced by a vicious snarl and a thin rope of energy rapping around her neck, glowing green; she quickly went to her knees choking then fell lifeless to the ground.

Rin stood and looked to her mate. His eyes she saw were completely red and he was on the verge of morphing into his giant dog form, his claws and fangs were elongated and his shoulders hunched ready to go onto all fours. "My mate." She addressed him hoping to calm him enough to keep him in his human form; the full glory of the dog lords is not something to be shown in the confines of this small room.

Sesshomaru looked at her, his mate, she was bleeding but not in danger; and his conscious mind was asserting itself over his instincts. Some of his tension relaxed and he turned his attention to the other demons in the room, they had watched as his mate was attacked and injured, wishing nothing but to see her fight for her life, he could not forgive this, and he made short work of tearing them all to shreds with his claws. Walking back to his mate he saw she was trying to wipe the blood from her neck.

"Allow me." He lifted one hand but was stopped.

"Sesshomaru, your hands."

He looked at them still covered in blood, allowing his poison to pour from his claws, he rubbed it over his hands, burning the blood away; flicking the last drops of the poison from his fingers, he once again reached for his mate. Rin let him this time and he gently gathered her hair and twisting it loosely lay it over one shoulder for her to hold. Sesshomaru examined the scratch on the back of her neck and the deep puncture under her right ear that was far to close to an imported vane for his liking.

Sesshomaru lifted Rin into his arms and swiftly returned to their viewing room. He walked to the sofa, sat down and helped Rin to adjust so she was laying across his lap with her head resting on the arm of the sofa.

Brushing her hair aside again Sesshomaru said, "This is going to hurt, dear one."

"It already hurts." She murmured.

With a soft growl Sesshomaru bent to lick the two wounds his mate had received; his saliva would both clean them and start the healing process. Rin flinched as his tongue when over her torn skin and he tightened his hold around her. When he was done he settled her more comfortably on the sofa once again with her head in his lap and his fingers running through her hair.

"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru." Rin whispered, she met his eyes when he looked down at her. "I was distracted and let her sneak up on me."

"Be more careful, I do not what to lose my mate so soon after getting her." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"You don't really think that she could have beaten me do you?" Rin asked, surprised.

"She caught you by surprise." He gently touched the skin next to where the demoness' claw had pressed in to her neck. "If she had tried she could have hurt you much worse before you reacted."

"I'm sorry, I will be more careful. Especially here."

Please Review!

And thank you so much to every one who has followed/favored/reviewed this story I'm glad there people who like this story enough to want to keep coming back for more : )