Sesshomaru heard the door open and glanced up with a smile, expecting his mate to have forgotten something. Instead it was Yura. She was disheveled and sour faced with her makeup running. Before he could tell her to leave, she dropped to her knees in front of him. She looked at the floor submissively and quivered visibly with fear.

"Please, Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered, "Please take me back."

"Go home Yura."

"Please, I'm begging you. Don't let it end like this."

"Don't let what end? You don't seem to get it, Yura. You're nothing. Just some slut I fucked."

"That's not true! You're lying!"

He snarled, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall. Her eyes widened, the scent of her arousal spiking. It was sickening.

"Are you calling me a liar?" he hissed, claws flexing.

"N-No..."

"Then what are you saying?"

"Sh-She isn't good enough for you. She can't give you strong heirs..."

"And you, a disgusting whore, can?"

"Please, my lord, just give me one more night. Then I will leave you alone forever."

He released her in sheer shock at her boldness. She fell to the ground and she crawled to his feet, hugging his legs. Smirking, he pet her head.

"Just...one night?"

"Yes. One night of meaningless, unbarred sex is all I want."

"And, nobody has to know?"

"No, my lord. I will go home and that will be it."

He chuckled, gripping her head. She cringed and looked up at him with terror in her eyes. His amber orbs narrowed as his mouth turned into a sneer of rage. Leaning down so his lips were at her ear, he whispered dangerously.

"The thing is, whore, I would know. And I would never forgive myself for betraying my Rin."

"Y-Your Rin?"

"Yes. I told you once to leave or I would kill you. I no longer have patience."

"My l-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he sunk his poison claws into her skull. Sesshomaru released and she fell dead to the floor. Wiping his hand off on her shirt, he called a clean up crew to get her. This was simply another day in the life of the dog demon. Now he could get back to waiting for dinner with his mate. All he needed to do was make sure everything went well so she would end up in his bed once more...and possibly for good.

Rin picked up veal, potatoes, and fresh cut green beans from the grocery store. She was going to pick up wine as well, but chances were that Sesshomaru would have some already picked out. So she went home to get dressed in something more comfortable instead. Looking through her closet, she became frustrated at her lack of feminine clothing.

Why do you care? It's just Sesshomaru…

Agreeing with her conscience, she picked a gray v-neck with denim capris. It was simple, yet stylish. She let her hair flow free down her back the way he liked. Once she was sure everything was in order, she drove to Sesshomaru's apartment to start cooking. Jaken begrudgingly let her in and stalked off when she thanked him. His grumbles of annoyance echoed from the living room as he cleaned every surface. Rin simply giggled at the silly demon and set to work on chopping the potatoes.

She became so enthralled in cooking, she hardly noticed the front door opening. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and she jumped out of her skin, hitting her assailant with whatever was in her hand. Fortunately, Sesshomaru's reflexes were fast enough to catch her wrist before she stabbed him with a butcher knife. Her entire expression went from fear to oh fuck very quickly. Smirking, he twirled so her arm was straight up with their bodies pressed together.

"You must be more careful, mate."

"I-I'm so sorry."

"Is everything alright? You seem...jumpy."

"It's just that," she sighed heavily, unable to hold it in anymore, "This morning I got a threatening phone call. Then, this afternoon, I bumped into a woman when I was leaving your office."

He glared at her lividly, but she continued on.

"I apologized and she yelled at me. But, the thing is, her voice was identical to the caller..."

"I see. Well, you have no need to worry about the likes of her anymore."

"Really?"

"Yes. I killed her."

Rin's jaw dropped. Not just from his open admittance to murdering the woman, but how casually he said it. It was as if he was commenting on the weather! He smiled softly, cradling her cheek.

"Y-You killed her?"

"That is what I said. I would kill anyone who dared threaten you or Yuki."

"You could go to prison! How would you feel leaving our son fatherless?"

"I won't go to prison."

"Why do you sound so sure?"

"One, I'm a very powerful man. Two, she was a common street whore with no family. And three, it is demon law that protects me."

"Demon law?"

"Yes. She posed a real threat to my mate and pup on multiple occasions, therefore giving me the right to kill her."

"You knew her?!"

Taking a deep breath, he moved to the table and sat her down carefully. Then he knelt so they were at eye level to each other.

"Yes. She was a sexual partner back in Tokyo," Sesshomaru took her hands in his own, "But that was all. I used protection and hadn't fucked her since you."

"And she...threatened your pup? She threatened Yuki? When?!"

"The night he spent over here, she showed up unannounced and made a scene. She attempted to hurt him, but I shielded him."

"Why didn't you kill her then?" Rin asked coldly.

He looked at her and she glared back, dead serious. A strange kind of lust stirred inside him at her rage. It made him want to take her right there on the table. Pushing his urges away, he kissed her knuckles.

"It was only her first offense and he wasn't hurt. I ordered her to leave my home, which she did."

"O-Oh..."

The oven beeped and she jumped up to run to the kitchen. The aroma of veal steaks wafted throughout the apartment, making the demon lord's mouth water. He entered the kitchen just as Rin was accidentally burning herself on a hot pan. Sesshomaru was at her side in an instant to inspect the wound. It was a little red, but there was no sign of blistering, so he ran it under cold water. She looked up at him curiously.

"You seem shocked," he muttered, "Even an imbecile knows that you put a burn under cool water."

"Th-Thank you."

"It is my duty."

Drying her hand carefully, he put a bit of ointment on it and bandaged it. She smiled, thanking him once more, then made both their plates. He insisted on bringing them to the table. Setting them at parallel seats, he made sure she was seated before taking his own. Jaken set a bottle of rosé on the table at his request, which he poured them both a glass of.

"This is delicious," Rin said, licking her lips.

"I must say the same about this steak, my dear. It may be the most delicious veal I've ever eaten."

She blushed, smiling bashfully while he continued eating with gusto. After a few bites of her own food, she spoke again.

"So, I was thinking about what your stupid brother did earlier and I have an idea on how to stop your father."

"Marry me?"

"Close, but no. Do what we did at the party and pretend we are."

"My father would never fall for that."

"And why not? The media believes we're together, Yuki wants to stay over here again, and I'd be fine with staying over her for a few days."

"He would try to test us to see if we were truly bonded though. I would need to mark you for this to even have a chance of working."

She looked at her hands and took a deep breath, whispering "Okay."

Sesshomaru froze mid-bite. His eyes searched her face for any sign of joking, but there was nothing. He reached up to cup her cheek gently.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You are always saying I'm your mate. Plus, it's for Yuki."

Smiling, he nodded and stood. Then he walked around to her side to pull her chair out.

"B-but we didn't finish eating."

"I am no longer in the mood for food anymore."

"We can't just leave the table a mess!"

"Jaken will clean. That is his job after all."

Biting her lip, Rin took his hand as she stood. He led her to his room, heart beating rapidly at what was about to occur. She sat on the edge of the bed and he knelt once more.

"Do you know what goes into being my mate?"

"If it means keeping Yuki, I don't care."

"I will be more possessive than I already am and you will feel the need to be with me at all times. We will basically become one being."

"I am willing to take on anything."

"It will hurt for a second. But I will try my best to ease the pain."

She nodded in comprehension, but chewed her lip apprehensively. This made him smile softly.

"Maybe we should go slow for once."

Rising, he captured her lips in a loving kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she slowly began kissing back. Sesshomaru leaned forward until she was beneath him. He pulled away for a moment to simply gaze into those mocha orbs he adored. Rin leaned up to kiss him again and he returned it with passion. His hand moved up her hip to the hem of her shirt. At the same time her tongue touched his, he ran his hand over the flat plain of her stomach. What he wasn't expecting was the ridge of a scar. Curious, he lifted her shirt to expose a scar that stretched across her lower belly.

"From Yuki?"

"It was an emergency c-section," she said soberly, "His placenta became detached a three weeks before his due date. There was so much blood… I'm lucky I was with Kagome or I- we would've lost him."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid."

"Rin..."

He kissed the scar before resting his cheek on it and looking up at her.

"You should never be afraid. This scar is a reminder of the sacrifices you've made out of love for our pup. It is beautiful like you."

She blushed a deep crimson and he kissed his way up to her lips. While they continued making out, he reached up to cup her breast. For the first time, he noticed how the soft flesh overfilled his palm unlike before she had Yuki. It was definitely a perk in his opinion. His erection started to become painful beneath his dress pants, so he removed them quickly. Her hands glided over his length, her touch setting his nerve endings ablaze. Growling, he pinned her hands above his neck.

"Continue that, and my mark won't be the only thing you're bearing."

Rin gasped softly and he grabbed a foil packet from the drawer.

"I despise these infernal contraptions."

"I-I could go back on the pill..."

"It didn't work very well last time."

"That's because you made me miss two doses, remember?!"

"Oh, right. You were the one who recommended camping out in the forest."

"Yes, but you forgot to grab my bag and then wouldn't listen when I said it was a bad idea."

He rolled his eyes, tearing the packet and rolling the condom over himself. She eyed him brazenly, excited for what was to come, no pun intended. Sesshomaru removed her pants, chuckling when he saw her yellow polka dot panties. Snapping them against her hip once, he cut the sides with his index claw. Then he threw them over his shoulder and scooted down to skim her inner thigh with his nose. Her scent was strongest down there - a scent of lilac, baby powder, and Rin. The inuyoukai held back a groan of want, concentrating instead on his mission. Bracing himself above her, he looked into her eyes again.

"I'm going to mark your neck. Tell me now that you are positive that this is what you want. Because there is no stopping once we begin."

"I am positive. Please, Sesshomaru, mark me as your mate."

That was all it took. As he sunk his fangs into the junction of her neck and collar, the most feral part of him took over. He licked the mark to seal it before sinking into her slowly. Her whimper was muffled by his mouth, his markings glowing faintly. His hands gripped her hips roughly as he thrust his full length inside her core, causing her to gasp in both pain and delight. Rin looked up and was shocked to see that his eyes were blood red.

"S-Sesshomaru?"

"Mate," he growled softly before reclaiming her mouth.

His tongue delved deep within, pushing at her own encouragingly. She moaned at the sensation, hips moving to meet his involuntarily. Grunting, he pistoned his hips faster. The sound of flesh on flesh only drove him more wild. His mouth moved to latch onto her left nipple, tugging. A mewl of pleasure escaped from her lips as she constricted around his cock, climaxing. But he was nowhere near finished. Pulling out, he flipped her over on all fours and pushed inside once more. The sight of her round, soft ass drove him wild as it slapped against him. A squeak of surprise broke through her wanton moans as his hand came down hard against it. He wrapped both arms around her torso for leverage, squeezing her breasts as he fucked her relentlessly. Slowly the pressure began to build inside his loins, his knot throbbing. Rin screamed his name as she reached her second orgasm. An animalistic growl tore through his chest as he pushed in all the way to the hilt, his release nearly tearing the condom.

"I love you!" he snarled in inuyoukai, knot inflating to lock them together.

They collapsed on their sides, panting hard. He wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder before kissing her mark affectionately. His eyes slowly faded to their golden honey color. Blushing, Rin reached up to touch his hand.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Hmmm?"

"What did you say when you were...coming?"

"Nothing, my mate. Just babbling."

"I'm going to have to get used to that title, aren't I?" she yawned.

"Yes, yes you are."

She smiled in satisfaction and he eased out of her slowly, pulling the very full condom off. When he came back from discarding it, he found that his mate had fallen asleep. He sat down on the edge of the bed for a moment to look at her in wonder. Everything about her made him proud. Her slightly bruised lips, her now-pink ass, the bird's nest that was her hair. It was all his handiwork. Then the realization hit him like a house- Rin was his mate. He mated her! This was what he had been working toward since the very beginning and, now that it had happened, he had no regrets. Smiling to himself, the demon lord laid down and pulled her close to his body. Her own figure fit against him like a puzzle piece.

"I...love...you..." she mumbled in her sleep.

"I love you too, my beloved mate."

And, with one last kiss on her lips, he let the sweet song of sleep overtake him