A/N: so sorry for the long absence, but my computer crashed and I neglected to save a very nearly finished chapter to my stick, :( . Im deeply sorry, & I hope you readers continue to read. -AF

Chapter 8-

Fire, red and hot and consuming. Obviously Sesshomaru was beyond angry; his amber orbs teetered dangerously between hot amber and bright crimson. Rin sneaked a glance at Kanori, who looked just as perplexed by the misplaced anger as she.

'He can't possibly feel the bond, not yet anyway'

Still, there was no denying the huge sense of guilt that was overwhelming her. she was cheating, technically, and it didn't sit right in her stomach. Sesshomaru kept his eyes burning into hers; the intensity of the gaze left her feeling burned and exposed. He lifted a pale hand and waved it over his shoulder, clearly signaling Kanori to leave without looking at him.

The general waltzed past Sesshomaru with so big a air of cockiness that for a moment Rin was sure the taiyoukai would snatch the dark locks that flew after him. Instead he closed the door, and advanced upon her quickly.

Rin trembled at the sudden feel of his hot breath against her neck. She sucked in her chest, and hoped it was going to be this easy.
"Your a witch"
His declaration shattered her thoughts of sucess, and annoyance rose in her body. Pressing her hands against his well defined chest, Rin forced the demon back enough to look at his convinced face.

"And what, my lord, gave it away"

The sarcasism lacing her words produced a growl from him. One moment she was standing her ground, eying the lord fearlessly, and the next she was sprawled on the huge bed and gasping. Sesshomaru gave her a menacing look. His gaze took in her disheveled look.

"Your purpose is lost to me. You come here, spin tales, move with the practiced grace of a warrior on the battlefield with blades that you handled exceptionally, as a tenured master would their own weapon..."

"Are you perhaps, jealous my lord that you found such a beautiful well rounded women with your general?"

She let him process her comment, not phased by the murderous look he caste her. He chose not to respond. Rin grinned, a plan formulating in her witty mind. She flicked her hair behind her, and crawled forward on the bed towards him.

"Want to know something, my lord?"

Standing on her knees, Rin let her fingers graze his face. He immediately snatched her hand.

"How many times must I tell you of your unworthiness to touch this Sesshomaru?"

His molten eyes flashed dangerously.

"Is your mate worthy enough to touch?"

The taiyoukai's surprise was evident on his cold features. He still held her hand tightly in his grasp.

"Are you insinuating that I would take some girl like you to bed to be my mate?"

Rin, fully aware that he had dropped his third person speech in exchange for his rising anger, took the opportunity to yank her haori from its ties and expose her torso. Though she was painfully conscious of her now exposed breasts, she hoped they would not distract him of what she truly intended to show him. Her lips up turned slightly.

Gone was his angry expression as he set eyes on her mark, more correctly his mark.

"Impossible"

Rin waited until he raised his gaze back up to hers. She put on her best pleading face, and prayed to kami in her head. Leaning forward, she took a life threatening chance and brushed her lips softly against his. He didn't respond, and Rin felt oddly discouraged.

But she thought of Anna answering the door of Sesshomaru's home, and anger coursed though her body. With renewed determination, she kissed harder and pressed her naked chest against him. Her gasp was barely audible when she felt an arm wrap around small waist and throw her backwards on the bed.

She looked up dazed as her mate pinned her body to the bed with his weight.

"You knew you bared my mark, yet you gave yourself to Kanori." He growled; all emotions hidden behind his stoic mask again.

'Shit!'

She was so damn close. Why did Kanori have to come on to her so strongly? Picking her words carefully, Rin wiggled helplessly under him. The contact was making her body react.

"Would you have noticed me otherwise? I was using him to get to you, my mate"

She wasn't sure how he would respond to the title. His silver hair fell in silky curtains around them when he leaned down towards her. The newly demon bite her lip with a pointed fang when a cold hand cupped her left breast. Everything was a white blur, and she hissed when a stabbing pain erupted from her chest.

Realizing that the blur was his hair, Rin quickly deduced that the sharp pain was Sesshomaru sanking his fangs into the top area of her poor boob. Her mouth opened to whine, but no sound came. Everything was fading out and away, every so slowly.

There was no name the demon lord could put on the emotion that was coursing through his being at the moment. He only knew he felt something in a way he had never felt it before. The situation had clearly taken an unexpected turn.

First off, he wasn't completely sure at the time why he had been so angered by the display that was Rin kissing his young general Kanori. He remembered feeling so, so... betrayed? It made no sense to him, because at that point in time he had no idea of his mark on her body.

Now, as he sat in quiet darkness of his room, Sesshomaru wondered what had happened to his control of his surroundings.

This women was disrupting the precise order of his world, and she had only been actively in his presence a handful of times. Part of his mind wanted to cast the women away, hoping that he could just move on and re focus on what was important again. Yet, he knew he couldn't.

He knew he could lie to his self all day long, but a mark was more than enough proof to make her his, mate. Amber orbs blinked at the raw anger that word brought back up. He, Sesshomaru, needed no mate to be by his side. Especially one who had yet to prove herself to him. He almost gave into the urge to sigh.

Unfortunately, his interest in her was already at an unsettling level before the incident even occurred. He recalled her body, moving like an intricate dance on the battlefield, and her reckless head strong demeanor. She was not afraid of him, and Sesshomaru wondered for a moment if he found any dissatisfaction in that.

A noise brought the lord back from his thoughts, and he turned to look at the sleeping figure in his bed. With a low growl, he recalled how incredibly strong the urges were to mark her. He should have opened the door and walked out, but he had pinned her to the bed in spite of his silent warning. Had he walked away, perhaps he would have been able to cast her away, oblivious of the mark.

Yes, it was much too late now. He had seen it and in a moment of weakness marked her. The figure on the bed moved again; she awoke with a start and sat up instantly. Her eyes swept the dark room, and Sesshomaru debated pretending to be asleep before their glazes meet.

"Sesshomaru"

He was standing and hovering near the bed in moments; his hard eyes bore into hers.

"I have not permitted you to address me as such, women."

She smiled slowly, and looked down to inspect her left breast. The two small holes were an angry red against her pale skin. Her eyes locked back with her mate.

"You...mated with me?" Sesshomaru watched the smile on her face, and for a moment he wanted to tear it off.

"It was a mistake, It never should of happened."

Her smile faltered, but only for a small moment.

"But my stomach, its obvious that I bear fate's mark. You cant deny th..."

"I will not be told what I can or can not deny. You were foolish to think that the mark would convince me to fully mate with you. There is no one worthy of that honor."

Her gaze never faltered. Her mouth slightly downcast. There was a long moment of silence.

"I don't know why I'm here. Why did I even try?"

Angrily, Rin snatched the heavy blanket back and was throwing her legs over the side of the bed when she heard him growl.

"What are you doing?"

She didn't bother to look at him. She ran a clawed hand through her hair.

"I'm done trying. You aren't the Sesshomaru I want. Your so selfish, you only care about yourself! You can't even accept our inevitable future together. I...I wish I never loved you!."

She was so angry, so hurt and confused. Her heavy steps echoed through the hall as she ran from where he was. Why had she even felt something for someone who acted like this back then? He was so arrogant, so...so, stupid!

Rin willed the tears back as her legs led her down the unknown hall. She grabbed a door and forced it open roughly. Falling to her knees, all she could do was stare at the beauty around her. Dozens of blossom flowers spiraled slowly to the ground around her; the serenity of the sight made her forget all her problems and feelings.

Rin was in awe, a shock so big that she failed to hear the footsteps that stopped behind her. Kanori watched while the new girl sat on her knees in the middle of the raining cherry blossoms. Her head was lifted, a too peaceful look plastered on her pale beautiful face.

How he wanted her.

He closed his eyes, imagining her beneath him; licking her lips and begging for him.

'I want to hear that bitch scream my name'

Then, he realized something off.

Sniffing lightly, he could smell his lord's scent on her being. He knew it meant she had been marked, but the lack of an intertwined scent proved it was not a complete bond; curiosity gnawed his mind as to what was going on.

First his lord and the odd incident last night and now a partial marking. Had Sesshomaru took her for his own? He wanted to know and he intended to find out. Backing back into the house, he flicked his braid over his shoulder as he made his way to Sesshomaru. The lord was standing near his bed with the doors wide open.

Kanori, aware of the thick aura, took a cautious step into the room.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Had Kanori been any less of the man he was, he would of gasped. The red lingering around Sesshomaru's bright eyes and the elongated front fangs were more than enough clue to tell him his lord was in a really bad mood.

"Where is she?"

The roughness of a usually low and stony voice bounced of his acute ears and almost made him cringe.

'Bastard, he wants her too'

"The gardens."

Rin signed, and laid down dejectedly on the blossom covered ground. Her mind worked hard to come up with different ideas to win Sesshomaru, but it was no use. His words had set darkness in her optimism.

She shook her head, remembering how she was sure she had gotten him with the mark on her breast. The feeling that had swept through her at his denial was cold and consuming. Now, on the brink of defeat, all she could do was sigh.

Why did she have to love such a...jerk?

She was staring up at the sky, confused at the purity of the blue when a shadow loomed over her. The serenity of the garden was shattered; the aura became thick with anger. Blinking, Rin didn't realize the claws that grabbed and dug into her skin before hoisting her up.

Her back collided with the study trunk of a tree, and with a gasp the wind was knocked right out of her. When the blurriness faded, brown eyes widened at the cold face that was mere inches from her own. Sesshomaru looked rabid as he drilled her with a nasty glare.

In a movement too fast for even her enhanced sight, he brought a claw down her shirt. Rin felt the fabric shred and fall to the ground around her feet. At that moment, she stared to struggle in his grasp. She knew something wasn't right, but it was fruitless to try to escape.

Even as a demon, Rin wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to push the taiyoukai off of her. Her breathing increased when he leaned in close and she felt a wet tongue touch her neck.

"This, is what you wanted so bad. Right, Rin? For me to make you mine?" The harshness of his words bit into her ear.

"Please, don't."

He growled loudly, and none too gently grabbed one of her breast. Rin squirmed, and fixed him with an angry glare.

"Please, stop denying me. Fate will have its way regardless of your thoughts. It's not suppose to be like this, not our second chance."

The last part came out as a quiet whisper, and Rin found herself squeezing her eyes close. She felt so small, and helpless. How could he? No, she wouldn't let him. She would show him, she will force his respect. She will force him into submission.

Her anger filler her body; her eyes opened to reveal her now crimson eyes. Growling, she felt power bubble up inside of her. Grabbing a hold of his shoulders, Rin stared directly into his eyes. The wind picked up, whipping a tornado of silver and dark tresses in the air around them. The women squeezed her hands, and with a grunt forced all of her energy downward.

Sesshomaru made an attempt to stay upright, but slowly and surely his knees started to bend. He snarled as his body lowered until his knees where firmly on the ground. She knew she had him; their eyes were still locked in place.

"You belong to me now, I am your mate. Submit to me." Her voice was dark with power and anger.

He narrowed his eyes. She was sucking the power right from his body, it was only a matter of time before he saw the match he met with her. No one can deny their fate; his strength was useless against the sheer facts of the world.

Sesshomaru was feeling light headed. The fact that he was being forced to kneel before this women made his blood boil out of control, but with it came an overwhelming sense of pride. This women, was brash, skilled, and strong. She demanded his attention as she was entitled to it. The proof of her worth was building up, and no longer could he find a good enough reason to reject her.

Lifting his arms, he wrapped them around her waist and growled softly. Immediately everything became still. The wind disappeared, and when Rin blinked her eyes where of warm brown sugar once more.

She waited.

"This Sesshomaru... will not deny you any longer."

Anna watched the entire scene in the garden, shocked beyond all measure at what she was seeing.

"No, NO!"

How could that women who popped out of nowhere have captured Sesshomaru like that in a few days of his presence while she had been consistent for years. She clutched her hair and her green eyes flashed. Her life was ruined. She couldn't believe that slut.

Fire burned in her eyes as she watched Rin put a hand on Sesshomaru's head and softly smile. A tear made its lonely way down the other woman's cheek. What a fake. Had her tears moved the great lords? Ridiculous.

So lost in her fuming, Anna was late to discover the general was behind her. She jumped at his glare, and stood frozen as he watched the two in the garden. When he looked back at her, she was surprised to find a look of disgust in his eyes.

He eyed Anna. "I know you've been trying to get the Lord as your own. Am I wrong?"

Anna, suspicious, glared at him.

"And if it is true?"

Kanori glanced back at the scene.

"Well then I 'd say scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Surprised, Anna pointed a long finger towards Rin.

"You want that thing?"

Kanori then turned a threatening gaze on her.

"I don't want them together as much as you don't. Separate, nothing is going to work. But if we work together, we can both have what we want."

She thought for a moment, turning the idea around in her mind.

"How can I trust you?"

Kanori grinned, and narrowed his eyes on Rin's unknowing face.

"Oh, trust me, I want her."

I know this is shorter than my last chapters, but I promise next one will be long. I wanted to get something out since its been forever since I updated. Hoped you liked, review & share with me =] -AF