A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this new chapter! My birthday was Monday (I feel so old, LOL) and I went away for a long weekend. No internet access, a forgotten laptop charger, and obscene amounts of alcohol don't make for a very conducive writing environment. But it was a freaking blast!
Anyways...
Yes, Sesshomaru has been getting more attention than Rin. Yes, I am well aware of this and have no plans to change it, unless I get a lot of crap for it. Rin, as interesting as she is, has a pretty good handle on this whole situation. She's used to dealing with emotions and has dated before, so this isn't too hard for her to deal with. Fluffy, on the other hand... he's going through a huge amount of change and I find it absolutely fascinating to watch him do it. He will eventually come around, but he's so used to being in control that he's having major issues. And as we all know, conflict makes writing fun!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha or any other recognizable characters/names/brands, etc. If I did, I'd have them do dirty things like this all the time.
Sesshomaru sat in the library for quite a while, mulling over his conversation with Inuyasha. The half-breed had made a disturbing amount of sense, leaving more questions than he had helped solve. Why had his demon chosen a human? Was he really acting so out of character that everyone could see his internal struggle? Was his iron-bound control not going to stop him from disemboweling Bankotsu of he kept flirting with Rin? Was he really only torturing himself? Was this alleged mating inevitable?
:MINE MY MATE:
Most importantly, would his damn instincts shut up long enough for him to think clearly for a moment?
Perhaps Rin was simply a momentary distraction, like the female in the forest so many years ago. The demon had been fairly insistent then, as well, so it was more than likely that it was happening again. The dog had gone crazy when his seed had been killed, and neither he nor the demon had cared one whit for the girl or the child itself. The perceived slight against him had been the greater offense, for which he had taken his destructive revenge.
That had to be it. Sesshomaru and his demon were merely protecting their temporary claim on Rin. Kagura had gone out of her way to make trouble and Bankotsu was trying to lure her away from him. As for the challenge to his father? His emotions had been running high after the confrontation with Kagura and he had overreacted.
The dog grumbled, unhappy with his reasoning, but didn't protest so loudly that Sesshomaru couldn't tune it out. Satisfied with the realization that she was just a diversion on this hellish forced vacation, he allowed himself a small smile for a split-second. Deciding on visiting the theatre room for a movie, he walked back towards the kitchen for a drink to take up with him.
Loud music and laughter filtered through the doors to the patio. He stepped outside into the dusk, the spotlights and decorative torches around the deck lighting the pool area as if it was still day. He couldn't help but frown at the spectacle his coworkers were making.
Someone had found the stereo system and old rock music was playing from hidden speakers around the area. Kohaku was behind the bar, passing out bottles of beer. Several people were splashing and cursing in the pool, much to the enjoyment of others standing by or using the lounge chairs. Even Taisho and Izzy had joined in the fray and were relaxing in the hot tub. Everyone, including the human males he had left poolside when he spoke to Inuyasha, was wearing their pool clothes. Apparently he sat in solitude much longer than he had originally thought.
A loud squeal caught his attention. Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the pool just in time to see a familiar green streak fly through the air and hit the water, causing an impressive splash. A second later, a sputtering Jaken paddled his way to the ladder and pulled himself out of the water, his ever-present hat and staff now sitting at the bottom of the deep end.
"Who did that? I swear I'll have my vengeance on you if it's the last thing I do! My Lord Sesshomaru will avenge me and-" Inuyasha casually nudged the imp back into the pool as he walked by. Kagome, who normally would have taken the hanyou to task for something like that, merely crossed her arms and glared at the ripples where Jaken had disappeared the second time.
When he reemerged from the pool, cursing loudly, she picked him up by his sodden robes and shook him vigorously. "You little pervert! You're lucky he got to you first! You better hope Sesshomaru gets out here to stop me before I decide to take my vengeance on you!"
The little toad paled under his green skin. Sesshomaru couldn't blame him; the female was a force to be reckoned with when she was angry. Inuyasha, who had come up to him, leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Your imp was hiding in the bushes and doing some very naughty things while watching our females. He should count himself lucky he's your lackey or else I'd have killed him right there."
"I will speak to him about this behavior."
Satisfied, the half-breed stalked back to his wife, who was still cursing and shaking Jaken. Inuyasha plucked him from her grip and tossed him back in the pool. Kohaku took the spot where Inuyasha had been standing next to Sesshomaru and held out a bottle in offering. Mentally shrugging, he took the beer.
"The green guy seems like a lot of trouble," Kohaku observed as said imp climbed out of the pool for a third time.
Sesshomaru nodded once. "Yes, but he has his uses, as far and few between as they may be." The human chuckled, quickly going silent. Even though he was human, Kohaku wasn't that bad of company. He seemed to value silence almost as much as Sesshomaru himself, albeit for very different reasons. From what he had been able to gather, some tragedy in the male's past still affected him. Whatever the reason, he didn't feel the need to fill empty space with inane chatter.
Jaken stumbled over to his master, his sodden robes leaving a wet trail behind him on the deck. "My Lord! Did you see how that half-breed and the filthy human girl manhandled me back there? As I am your humble servant, I assume you will be avenging my honor and-"
"Jaken. Be quiet."
"Yes, milord! I told you last night that I will endeavor to never disobey you again and-"
"Jaken."
"Y- Yes, milord?"
"You insult the human women now, but you seemed to be enjoying them just a moment prior." Kohaku raised his brows and looked down at the flustered imp.
Stammering for a suitably appropriate reply, Jaken shook in terror. "M- My Lord, you cannot p- possibly believe the word of the half-breed over your faithful servant! I have served your every whim for centuries! You are the bravest, most fair, wisest, most perfect being and…"
Sesshomaru took a long swallow of the beer and rolled his eyes as Jaken regaled him with tales of his greatness. Kohaku snickered behind his bottle at the description of his prowess on the battlefield and in certain other activities, but he couldn't get upset over it. The toad had an incredible way of inflating his smallest action into the Greatest Feat Ever Accomplished By Anyone In The History Of The World.
For example, centuries ago Sesshomaru had slain a minor demon that had disrespected him. The badger demon was so weak it took no more than a single flick of a claw to end him. Over the years, Jaken had built the story up so that it seemed he had defeated a monster the size of a skyscraper in three days of twenty-four hour combat. Sometimes, if he was bored enough, he would have Jaken tell him of his past adventures and see if he could pare the story down to what had really happened.
"Jaken."
The imp stopped mid-word. "Milord?"
"I do not make threats. I make promises. If I find you have done anything like this ever again, I will kill you."
Predictably, the imp threw himself at Sesshomaru's feet. "My Lord, I shall never seek to embarrass you as long as I live! You are the kindest master I could have for understanding that this was all a mistake and-"
"Jaken."
Wiping the tears from his eyes, he stood. "Milord?"
"Be gone. I will call when I have need of you." The imp bowed and scraped his way off the patio and into the darkness. Ignoring the muttered comments about filthy humans and stupid females, Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the pool, where the game that had been interrupted by Jaken's abrupt entrance had restarted. Claws threatened to show and tell-tale burning started behind his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he beat the snarling dog into submission, all the while cursing that he had to do so. He had made a decision and would stick by it.
Rin was perched atop Bankotsu's shoulders, his hands wrapped around her thighs. They grappled with Miroku and Kagome in a game of chicken. Inuyasha shouted something encouraging to Kagome while Sango told Miroku he better watch where his hands were going. Sesshomaru couldn't take his eyes off his female.
:MAAAATE:
Dammit, SHUT UP!
:MUST KILL HUMAN:
SHUT UP, DOG!
The demon paced furiously inside his skull, howling maniacally. Sesshomaru agreed wholeheartedly, as loathe as he was to admit it. Even though he had just found some sort of resolution he could live with for the long-term, the short-term problems were rearing their ugly head. The sight of Bankotsu's hands on her infuriated him. He should be the one touching her. Her legs wrapped around the human's head made him see red, literally. His head should be between her thighs, but he would be facing inward.
As she and Kagome fought to knock each other over, the men underneath them tried to keep their balance. After a powerful shove from Kagome, Bankotsu stumbled backwards and Rin squealed as she was dumped into the water. A cheer went up as Miroku did a victory lap with Kagome still on his shoulders.
Rin and Bankotsu surfaced, laughing and brushing strands of hair out of their faces. Sesshomaru had to grit his teeth against the growl that wanted to escape as they hugged. Hands that weren't his wrapped around her waist and swung her around in a circle. Suddenly Bankotsu dipped underneath the water again and Rin's hands shot under right after.
She shrieked and lurched forward as she was lifted from the water once more, Bankotsu between her legs again. He yelled a challenge at Miroku and they got into position. As the two women lunged for each other, wide grins and laughter evidencing the fun everyone was having, Sesshomaru found he couldn't take it any longer. He chugged the last of his beer and went inside, tossing the empty bottle in the trash as he passed.
The dog was demanding he go back outside and show Rin who she should be on top of. That fucking human… he was in serious danger and he had no idea. As much as he hated having any secrets about him known among his family, at least he knew that they would keep their mouths shut about it. Rin wouldn't say anything to the human because she was probably convinced that he wanted nothing to do with her after their time in the music room. That couldn't possibly be farther from the truth.
He wanted to blame that on her, even though the logical part of his brain knew none of this was her fault. She just smelled too damn good, was too damn cute, tasted wonderful, was so responsive, could hold her own against the most willful bitch he had ever met…
:MY MAAAAATE:
He couldn't find the motivation to fight with his demon on that right now, especially as worked up as he was about Bankotsu. Really, he knew the human couldn't hold a candle to him in comparison, but his gut wrenched every time he saw the two of them together. He wanted nothing more than to let the dog take form and to fly with the clouds, but that was the last thing he should do. In that form, the dog was dominant and right now, the first thing it would do would be go eat the human and claim its perceived mate.
The dog growled at Sesshomaru refusing to let it out. A maid taking advantage of the impromptu pool party looked up with alarm as he passed, shutting down the vacuum and scurrying away. With the noisy machine off, the low growl he was emitting became clear. Giving himself a mental slap, he took a deep breath and tried to get back under control. This was getting out of hand. No doubt the story of him growling would be all over the house by morning. Servants loved to gossip about their employers; it was true hundreds of years ago and time didn't make it less so.
Retracing his steps to the library, Sesshomaru grabbed a book off of Rin's section and sauntered back to his room, the mask of indifference firmly in place. He made it without seeing any more staff and settled into an overstuffed chair, losing himself in an expertly crafted book.
A couple hours later, when Sesshomaru was just getting to a steamy sex scene and mentally replacing the hero and heroine with himself and Rin, a quiet knock sounded on his door. Swearing, he marked the page and opened the door, fully prepared to curse whoever had disturbed him. The words died on his tongue as he saw a mostly naked Rin, wrapped only in a bath towel.
-x-
Oh, crap.
Rin stared up at Sesshomaru in total shock. His eyes were as wide as hers felt, so she didn't feel quite so stupid. Then she remembered her current state of dress –or undress- and her embarrassment retuned tenfold. Her entire body blushed as total mortification set in. If she had any idea this room was Sesshomaru's, she would have avoided it like the plague. The last thing she wanted was to parade around mostly naked in front of a man who didn't want her. Ugh, this sucked.
"Uh, hi." She gave him a weak smile, which he didn't return. Not surprising, all things considered. "My shower quit and I just need to finish. Can I use yours? It shouldn't take me long and I'll be gone."
He stepped aside and waved an arm. "Of course." She hurried past him and into the bathroom, hoping that she wasn't leaving a trail of soap bubbles behind her. Closing the door behind her, she stepped into the opulent shower and turned the spray on full blast. Shampoo sluiced out of her hair and down the drain.
She popped open the bottle of conditioner sitting on a small shelf and breathed in the masculine scent. Apparently, the house stocked different supplies for girls and boys. As she ran her hands through the heavy fall of hair, she imagined Sesshomaru in the shower. Did he care for his hair as tenderly as she always did? Did he like all the jets on, like her? Did he go into full sauna-mode like Rin, with water so hot the entire room fogged?
Yeah, like you'll have a chance to find out. He doesn't want you, remember?
Rin sighed at the internal voice. Even though she had cried herself out earlier –twice!- some itty-bitty part of her still held out some small hope that he was only acting out of some stupid centuries-old demon-human prejudice and actually craved her as much as she did him. Still, that was no excuse for him to be such an asshole! Having been around men who thought being a jerk was cool when she was younger, the novelty of the out-and-out 'bad boy' had lost its appeal. They were still sexy, but just not what she was looking for at this point in her life.
Oh, well. It wasn't the end of the world if some ridiculously hot demon didn't want her. There were perfectly wonderful human men out there that wouldn't mind being with her. Bankotsu, for one. He had made his intentions perfectly clear today, even if he hadn't voiced them. He was nice, funny, courteous, and didn't try anything inappropriate when they were playing chicken.
To be honest, Rin hadn't really felt like playing pool games, but after the emotionally charged day it served as a distraction from her thoughts. The only time they had intruded is when Inuyasha threw the little green demon into the pool. Then she had noticed Sesshomaru having a beer with Kohaku. It took all her willpower, but she ignored him and went back to playing after everyone was reasonably sure Jaken wouldn't end up in the water again.
This fascination she had was driving her crazy. They just met yesterday and he was on her mind constantly. If this was a sign of the week to come, by the time they left she would be a slavering fool for him. Not that she hadn't made an ass of herself earlier, or anything. Kissing him had been a huge mistake, even if it had been the right thing at the time. Throwing herself into his arms after the Q&A earlier was mistake number two. The whole piano incident was mistake number three. She may as well have a stamp on her forehead that read 'FOOL FOR HOT DEMONS'.
After turning off the shower, Rin squeezed as much water out of her mass of hair as she could and rubbed the towel over her body quickly, eager to get as far from the tempting man on the other side of the bathroom door as possible. Not that she could have gotten too far away, seeing as he was across the hall from her.
A sudden thought occurred to her and her jaw dropped. When she was crying earlier, she had heard soft footsteps and the door across from her close. He had heard her bawling after the piano incident. Oh, man. This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
Making sure the towel was securely wrapped and covering everything, she stepped back into the bedroom. Sesshomaru was seated in a fluffy chair, reading. He looked up as she entered and she could almost swear there was a hint of red in the corners of his eyes.
"Thank you. My shower lost all pressure right in the middle of washing my hair. I'll speak to Taisho about it in the morning. Goodnight, Sesshomaru."
"Rin."
His deep voice stopped her headlong flight for her own room, but she didn't look at him. "Yes?"
"Stay. We must speak."
Raising an eyebrow, she turned to face him. "Must we? I think you made your feelings perfectly clear earlier. I'm only human, remember?" She tried to suppress the bitterness in her tone, but it proved impossible to contain.
He had the grace to wince at that. Well, his eye twitched fractionally, but that was equal to a normal person's full body shudder. "I spoke rashly. Please, sit, so we may speak of my meaning."
"No." His eyes widened at her refusal. Apparently, he was not used to being denied. But, on the other hand, this had to be worked out if they were to see each other constantly for the rest of the week. "I'm going to get dressed, then I'll come back."
He relaxed slightly, a small loosening of wire-tight muscles. "Very well." He turned back to his book and she left, closing the door softly behind her.
Once safely behind her own door, Rin took a series of deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart. God, his voice… and when he said her name… A shiver ran down her spine at what she imagined his low growl would sound like as he thrust into her, calling her name as he came deep inside…
Snap out of it, Rin!
Shaking her head to clear it, she scoffed at the direction of her thoughts. She was a romantic to the core, which was how she managed to write novels that garnered her a rabidly loyal fan base, but she wrote the stories, she didn't live them. Very, very few ever did, and she was under no delusions that she would have a storybook happily-ever-after ending. Especially if that jerk was to be involved.
Picking out a camisole and a pair of comfy pajama pants was easy, but now she bemoaned following Kagome's advice and packing only sexy undies. Not that she was one for granny-panties, and not that Sesshomaru was going to see her underwear, but she would know. Sighing, she grabbed a pair of light blue boyshorts that matched her sleeping set. After brushing her hair and stepping into her favorite pair of fluorescent green slippers that were to-die-for comfortable and matched absolutely nothing, she knocked on Sesshomaru's door lightly. He answered instantly and waved her in.
Silently, he moved back to his chair and sat down. She took the one opposite and glanced at his book. Of course, it just had to be another one of her sexier books. Why, oh, why couldn't he have picked one that wasn't rife with love scenes?
Sesshomaru followed her line of sight to the book and his lips quirked. "You are quite the talented writer, Miss Kimura. I never imagined I would voluntarily read romance."
"Thank you, but let's skip the small talk. What is this?" She waved a hand back and forth between them. "What are we doing here?"
A brow quirked. "I believe we are here to talk about what happened earlier."
Rin glared at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Don't get all nit-picky with my words. You know exactly what I mean."
"Very well. I do not relish speaking much, so bear with me. I am not mated to you," his eyes closed and he was silent for a moment before continuing, "My demon, however, is incited to near frenzy when you are near. This is unbearable for me, and why I reacted as I did earlier."
She was unbearable to be around. Great. Rin just looked at him, waiting for more explanation before she blew up on him.
Sesshomaru took her silence for the hint it was. "This is very hard for me to articulate. You… call to me, make my demon want to take you. I have never had to fight my instincts as I have with you. Only one person has ever affected me as such and even then it was only after their demise that the demon made it's feelings clear."
"And so the piano thing was… what?"
"I pride myself on my control. This is the first thing anyone learns about me, and I am sure you are already aware of this." He paused for confirmation and she nodded. "I lost control in there. The demon took over and we would have rutted on you until that piano broke underneath us, then continued among the remains. You would have come out of that room fully mated and not left my bed for the remainder of the trip."
Rin's eyes widened as he spoke. The dog had it really bad for her. "Okay, so let's say that I'm not your mate and that your demon is wrong. What happens then?"
"If it has its way, you will be mated regardless. What will happen is that we will continue on as we are and I will attempt to not kill every male in this house who puts his eyes on you."
"And if I am your mate and you're wrong? What if you're only hurting both of us with this refusal to admit it?"
He took a deep breath. "I have suffered through worse. Your …longing… should cease as soon as we are no longer in such close proximity."
Rin didn't think he was aware, but every time he spoke of not mating her, his brow furrowed and his voice took on a strained tone, as if he was fighting the demon as they spoke. It was painful to watch, so she couldn't imagine how hard it was to fight it herself. If he wanted to be hardheaded about it, though, he deserved every bit of it. Steeling her resolve, she voiced the question for which she was terrified of the answer. "Your demon wants me; I get that. What about you?"
Sesshomaru just looked at her. Red bled into the corners of his eyes as he perused her from head to toe. Uncomfortable with this minute inspection, Rin crossed her arms and looked away. She could feel the uncomfortable weight of his gaze on her and was about to leave when he spoke.
"I want you so much it drives me to distraction. This evening, Bankotsu was courting death and had no idea. If any man looks at you, I want to tear out his eyes. If any man touches you, I want to rip off his arms. If any man was to bed you, I would kill him. But I cannot have you."
His eyes were glowing red by the time he was finished. Rin's mouth worked open and closed silently, unsure of how to take his statement. She had always known that demons were possessive, canine demons especially so, but she had no idea how deep it actually ran. Part of her was appalled at the domineering aspect of the whole thing, but another part relished the thought of having someone so devoted to her.
"Why not try it?" The question was out before she knew what she would say, and he seemed at shocked as Rin herself.
"I cannot risk mating you. It would be impossible not to mark you."
"I thought you were in control." The challenge came out easily. Clearly, her brain had gone on autopilot and was bypassing all the filters to her mouth.
His eyes narrowed and fingers flexed. "I am, but you truly bring out the demon in me."
"Let me get this straight: You might have found your mate, someone your demon resonates with, and you're going to pass up the opportunity because your demon likes the idea of being with her? Because she's human? That's just stupid."
Sesshomaru's upper lip curled slightly. "You are playing with fire, woman," he growled. "Do not push me."
Rin kept talking, ignoring his warning. "I mean, really. If I never tried anything because part of me liked it, I never would have become an author, never would have come on this trip, never would have done anything. Is that all you're going to do, be contrary to your instincts just for the sake of being contrary? Or is it just because I'm human and you aren't? There are three demon-human couples here who seem quite happy. But what do I know, I'm only human, after all."
She was playing a dangerous game and knew it. By this point, Sesshomaru's eyes were blazing, his fingers curled into fists, his breathing harsh with a hint of growl. The lump in his jeans was proof that some part of him enjoyed her baiting, even if he didn't want to admit it. She was enjoying it as well, her heart racing and a small tingle settling in her center.
His nostrils flared and she knew he smelled it. His lips pulled back in a grotesque grin, reminding her of the Joker. "Rrrrrin," her name rolled off his tongue with a growl, "You have one chance to leave. Take it now."
Watching him warily, she stood and slowly backed towards the door. His eyes followed her every movement, his tight grip on the arms of his chair making it squeak in protest. "Fine, I'll go. Let me know when you decide to pull your head out of your ass."
A feral growl was his only response as she left. Just as the door closed behind her, there was a loud crash in the room. Rin jumped at the clamor and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Maybe she couldn't handle a demon and really was deluding herself.