Hi xD

No, this is not Mirrored Pleasures, instead this is a new SessRin shortfic, cause I have done well in my exams and cause my mind will not leave me alone when I have a new idea xD

It's set in the Sengoku Jidai and I'm trying to depict Sesshomaru and Rin wrapped in the court policies, or the policies of mating and love. So... do expect some sexiness and romance in future chapters. Not quite a lot as in Mirrored Pleasures, but I can't make Sesshomaru a saint, he is too sexy for that.

My biggest thanks to Flavia, who helped me with this chapter and gave her sincere opinion in this my first try at something longer for this ship. Thank you and love you :3

Keep in mind English is not my first language. Brazilian, remember? xD But I did my best to make it understandable. Also, it's not betaed, so you know...

momiji - japanese mapple leaf.

hanare - separate.

uchikake - highly formal kimono worn by a bride.

tsukesage - formal kimono often used in ceremonies.

Disclaimer: Takahashi owns InuYasha, I own this plot.

Warnings: Smutness (cause Sesshomaru makes it impossible to write anything without some sexiness) and possibly OOCness.

Enjoy!

Mating Policies

I – To love a Demon

"I refuse."

The voice was clear in the room, so much clear it would have any other person bending in total submissiveness. The one in front of him, however, was no coward. Lady InuKimi bent to no one. She feared no one. Not even her foolish son.

"You know nothing of a woman's heart, Sesshomaru." She sighed, almost defeated as she moved her black pieces.

Almost.

You see, Sesshomaru never gave up and it was a trait he learned from his mother. Really, he had inherited that from the Lady of the West herself.

From his father, however, he had inherited the taste in woman. The Lady would have scoffed if she did not know better, if she did not know since the very fateful day in which he pleaded for her to save the girl.

Well, the girl became a woman. A foolishly young woman who loved Sesshomaru more anything else, who cherished and worshiped him more than a powerful God — which reminded her the lesson she taught Sesshomaru when the girl was but a child.

"And you are about to teach me it?"

InuKimi waited for him to play, watching his very movements carefully. She enjoyed playing go with him very much, he had proved himself worthy enough to even manage to win a few times around. But not that time. The glint in her eyes was of pure amusement as she replied in a soft tone, "I do not deem you smart enough to learn it."

To say Sesshomaru was dumbfounded would be an understatement; angry maybe, but above anything else the demon Lord was surprised. He never thought his mother would come from her palace in the sky to admonish him for taking Rin as a wife.

"She consented," he said quietly, unsure on why he was explaining himself. Actually, he was the one say yes; she proposed.

Next thing he knew his mother had missed a movement — which was very unlike her, who was so good playing go and never lost a match— and was laughing so intensely, her eyes became wet with unshed tears of pure amusement.

"Consent is not total agreement. You see, my son, that foolish girl would not have denied you even if you were to kill her."

"I would never hurt her."

"Not physically... Yes, you would not..."

The rest of her sentence was left hanging. The air between them became thick as Sesshomaru understood the meaning of her words. He was not quite catching yet the reason why she was pressing him so much. He lost no time to voice his concern.

"What do you want from me?"

InuKimi did not bat an eye as she replied, her fingers dying to touch one of the black pieces he should have discarded a while ago if he was paying any attention to the match.

"Mate her."

That was the second time the demon lord was taken by surprise that afternoon. His lips pursed into a thin line as he replied, "A human?" His face was expressionless, his voice, however hid nothing of his disgust.

InuKimi shrugged. She could not care less about the species of his son's mate. He cared for the girl, at least. She learned at a great cost how it was to mate someone without love. She lived that story herself and it hurt. It hurt so much she had trouble forgiving Sesshomaru's father.

She did not want the same fate for another woman. Not even for a weak human.

"You already took her as your spouse, why not mark and mate her at once?"

Sesshomaru took his time to reply, not so sure why she continued to press him on this matter. She was the one to teach him to hate humans, right? So why was she so desperately trying to protect Rin? Did she think that maybe he was not the best for her? That it was only a temporary solution?

Rin was his spouse; they exchanged vows under the old momiji last afternoon in order to avoid getting married to a demoness the council chose but that his family — father and mother included, which was a surprise for they never agreed upon anything after he took a human as a mate — was not a fan of. With threats to his life, he could not marry someone who would have a knife pressed to his throat when he was asleep or even someone whose family would not hesitate to kill him when he was most vulnerable after the mating ceremony.

Instead, he chose Rin as his bride, for none would dare to question him for taking a human as a wife; it is till he decided to mate her. Meanwhile, he could investigate what was going on with the council and why the Southern Princess appealed to them so much when it was clear their families had been at War for centuries.

His mother, on the other hand, saw fit to have him not only married but also mated to Rin. As if he would ever lower himself to such a pitiful act. The very thought of becoming like his father angered him. He would rather die before he forced Rin to mother a hanyō.

"No," he replied quietly. "Never."

The smile that blossomed on his mother's lips had him shivering and not out of cold. He knew she was planning something evil that would not please him in the least. He could smell trouble; his insides contorted slightly.

"Very well... Rin and I shall teach you a lesson."

His answer came quick and sharp, almost as a snarl, "Stay away from Rin." He would absolutely not hesitate to forget her title above him if she was to approach his ward with bad intentions, which to be fair, were abundant in the Lady Mother.

The sides of InuKimi's mouth curved ever so slightly upwards. She shook her head and snapped her tongue as she moved the last piece, ending the game once and for all. Sesshomaru frowned. It was not... possible, was it? He had been focused on their match; it was unlikely for her to win unless she cheated.

"Tsk, tsk... Such a silly pup. You were so worried about the mention of your cute ward you did not see your defeat."

His golden eyes, so alike hers, narrowed. He would have growled if he did not know better; she would make his life a living hell if she just saw how upset he was for having lost for the... umpteenth time.

"And yes, I cheated. I did not have to, but I did. Keep in mind, beloved son, that not everyone is as righteous as yourself."

Sesshomaru quieted for a while, analyzing the pieces before him. Yes. There was no way she would have won if he was not distracted and she did not recur to cheating.

"Was that the lesson you wanted to teach this Sesshomaru?" he asked in a husky tone, his instincts making him painfully aware of his mother's antics and the threat she posed to his relationship with Rin. She would absolutely not hesitate to turn his ward against him if she so wished. "That you will not play fair and take Rin away from me?"

His question so filled with venom had InuKimi laughing. She threw her head back, the silver strands falling on her face as she laughed and laughed and laughed.

"Such a foolish pup... Tsk." She tore the smirk off her lips and spoke seriously for the first time, "For starts, I do not play fair. Not ever..." She raised long fingers and counted to two, "Secondly that was one of the lessons, but not the main one... You will see soon, beloved pup, and third... I have no intention of harming your cute little wife, I am far more interested in what the council will do once they learn you have not..." She sniffed the air, leaning close to him and furrowed her brows as if disgusted at the plain smell of Sesshomaru unmixed to his wife. "...Have not made use of your rights as a husband."

Sesshomaru stood silent as he narrowed his eyes even deeply at the words his mother had just spoken.

"Our laws are clear, Sesshomaru, an unclaimed bride and an unconsummated marriage can be easily annulled. Unless you want to find yourself married and mated to Kaoru, you better make Rin rightfully yours."

"She is not ready for the marital bed," he replied quietly, suddenly tired of that conversation. He almost regretted his rushed decision to marry Rin to escape both marriage and mating to the Southern Princess.

This time, InuKimi shook her head. If she did not know better she would have thought her son was a virgin, for he showed great unfamiliarity with women. But no, he was just another bastard with no respect whatsoever for a woman's feelings. Used to have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, Sesshomaru never needed to understand others. It was always about him, only about him.

Tsk.

"You are a clueless pup indeed."

With that, she left, a smirk plastered on her lips. It would be fun.

Definitely.

#

Rin woke up alone in a strange room. Alone.

The word rang a bell in her head. Waking up alone was a routine she underwent during her whole life, but after last night it felt... Different.

Empty.

She vowed under the momiji and before the statue of the last Lord — her Lord's father, InuTaisho-sama —, that she would love and cherish her Sesshomaru-sama for the rest of her mortal life. Strange as it seemed, it felt very much alike humans wedding ceremonies with very few modifications to it.

Usually, after the wedding humans would feast — there was no feast — and at night the newlyweds would share the same bed — and Lord Sesshomaru did not do any of these. On the contrary, he kept his distance and did not join her in the room they were supposed to spend the night.

She was no specialist, but she was no fool either. She knew what she was to expect of a marital bed.

A blush crept to her cheeks as she thought of her Lord and herself in the same bed... his lips upon hers — in more than the chaste brush they shared in the ceremony — and their legs intertwined.

The blush deepened.

No.

That was such a disrespectful thing to think about.

She had seen Sango and Miroku having sex before. Countless times. They were careless and sometimes could not hide their passion. Kagome and even Kaede obaa-san told her what she was to expect of a man once she married — and before that too, some of them would not wait for the right time and the amount of pregnant unmarried girls only proved that. According to Sango, men were such ruthless beasts they could not keep their hands away from their wives. Kagome disagreed; it was not about nature, more like self-control and some respect for their partner.

Perhaps full demons did not lack self-control as ningen men, but truth is... Kohaku never seemed as desperate as Miroku. Or perverted.

Yes.

Kagome was probably right. Her Lord was not a common man who lacked control and fell to his instincts at the mere thought of a woman.

That or... Or he did intend to fulfill his role as only her protector as he promised when he came to fetch her in the village.

The old priestess had been adamant, Rin lived better with humans, but the girl herself disagreed. She enjoyed her years living with Kaede obaa-san, but it could never compare to the life near her Lord.

Sesshomaru was... Her everything.

The years away made her realize exactly that.

In the very beginning, he came to visit her weekly, then monthly and when she had the first moon cycle the visits became sparse, he would send a letter once or twice, but he never came back. There were always promises, but never the fulfillment of them.

On the contrary, the letters became then reticent... till they completely stopped.

In her heart, she tried to harbor any bad feeling for him — he was no better than a liar — but Rin never learned to hate. Compassion filled her heart and she was better at understanding people's needs and motives than any other person she ever met.

Having experienced muteness for a while in her life, she learned to listen to other people. She was skilled at it. Perhaps too much skilled she would miss her time to speak when the need arose.

And she knew, she knew, deep down that if he had his reasons to stop coming and to stop sending word.

Two years passed since his last visit. Almost one since he last sent word.

Her Lord would never stop visiting if he did not have a strong reason for that. It turned out he was battling all this time to put the West back in track. After Naraku's defeat there was not peace, but more War. Demons went crazy and caused havoc, desperate to defeat the next most powerful being in order to seize what he possessed. Her Lord could not give up his inheritance so easily. He could definitely not lose his time with a child.

So he returned to her when the situation was under control. The West was united under his command and he was acquainted with demon politics.

Two years...

She was fifteen then, or on the verge of turning sixteen. She was no longer a child that he once met, the child he saved countless times; she was a young woman.

One year had passed since he came to fetch her — since he came to know her answer. Did she want to live with her fellow kind or him? Which one would she choose? Rin had been quicker in her answer, she wanted to live with him, she had always dreamed of this day. There was nothing else she wanted more in her life.

She only went back to the Village when Kagome sent news of Lady Kaede's near passing. Having lived with her for so long, Rin could not simply let her go without saying proper goodbye. Kaede obaa-chan had been the closest of a motherly figure she had had in her life after her parents' passing. Everything she learned, from behaving in public, to sewing and even writing and reading had been taught by the old Lady. Not to mention the herbs; all Rin knew about herbs and medicines she learned from the old priestess.

Rin was almost seventeen now. Not more a young woman, but a completely developed woman. Girls her age had almost three or four child running around them; she remained single and untouched.

Not that she minded; no man ever caught her attention anyways. And she would dare say, giving the single status of her Lord, that no woman caught his attention either.

A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she remembered how startled he seemed with how much she grew and changed when he first came to fetch her. She was also startled to notice in him not only the demon Lord she learned to love and adore throughout her life, but also a man.

It was delightfully scary to see in him more than the usual. He was indeed a man. A man like Kohaku.

The blush deepened as she thought at how many kisses she shared with Kohaku before in her younger years, before he found the girl of his dreams and married her.

She was his first and he was her first. They had never kissed before and the experience felt… weird, foreign even, but also amazing. They had never gone past kisses, a few heated touches as they learned together what desire was, but never more than that.

What would her Lord say if he knew she was not as innocent as he deemed her to be?

And exactly because she knew what desire was and had experienced it in the arms of her friend that she found it odd when her Lord stepped back and let her be with just a kiss.

She touched her smeared red lips and thought back at the kiss they shared in the ceremony and the one in her room before he parted and bid her goodnight.

They were very different kisses. One was out of obligation in the ceremony, a mere courtesy, the other was fueled with passion and when Rin brushed her tongue against his, she could not help but moan, the wonderful sensation sending a tingling jolt to her core.

She could feel herself wet and then a fear gripped her heart. What if she was not good enough? What if she could not satisfy him? Demons and humans were different... Very different according to Kagome and Sango, they could last for hours and it was just her very first time... How was she supposed to act? She doubted she could handle him for minutes… what about hours?!

Soon he retreated and said goodnight. Rin was so frustrated she had to touch herself that night.

Again, she was not innocent enough not to know what an orgasm was, she had experienced it before — and a few times with Kohaku, he would use his hands but they never went past it for Kaede obaa-san once found them and prohibited their very encounters. She knew how to please him as well... But... But it was one thing with an inexperienced teenager, it was totally different with her Lord, a skilled demon used to even more skilled demon ladies. Who was Rin compared to women as beautiful and experienced as demonesses?

But then again... It could be because she was a human. He had said so himself, he faced trouble with his council that wanted him married to the enemy.

She knew very little, but before she could think carefully she offered herself to marry him temporarily till he settled his mind and convinced his Clan that mating the Southern Princess was a mistake — more likely found out who was the one plotting against his back.

If he married another, he would not have to marry the Princess right away. He would have time to fully understand what the council wanted of him and how to strike back if needed.

Yes.

Rin was merely helping him. She would always do everything for her Lord. It was actually surprising to have him not only agreeing with her proposal but taking her as a bride. So why did it feel so… horrible to be so straightforwardly rejected when the marriage was nothing but a farce?

Wait… If it was not a real marriage, it was not rejection either, right?

Sighing, she outstretched her arms and composed herself when her lady's maid footsteps came to a halt in front of the shōji doors. Not giving herself more time to think about the predicament in which she would soon be found, she whispered, "Come in, Naoko."

#

It was a late afternoon when Sesshomaru left his meeting with the Council and joined his wife. The word felt foreign in his lips when he had to say it a few times aloud in the conference he arranged himself.

Needless to mention, the Council was pretty much pissed off at his rushed decision to marry a human girl when they had already invited Lady Kaoru of the Southern Lands to visit the West and get acquainted to him.

While troublesome, Sesshomaru did not mind sending word about his marriage and thanking the interest in making alliance with the West — future business was surely in his mind. He would not apologize for his Council hastiness — it was their problem to deal with.

The way from the meeting room to the hanare room was short and so were his thoughts. He was still bothered by the conversation he held earlier with his mother. Lady InuKimi surely knew how to set him on edge.

Firstly by suggesting he mated the ningen girl — an absurd idea. Rin was no more than a child. She was about to complete seventeen springs, no more than a blink of an eye if compared to his long demon life — and then by saying the Elders could annul the marriage if it was not consummated soon.

They tried.

They really did.

But Sesshomaru had been adamant. Instead of saying she was not ready yet, he stated she was tired last night, so he decided not to bother her — after all he was tired too after a whole day of a mundane ceremony that meant very little to him.

Honestly, he was surprised he even took upon her offer, for marrying a human girl had never been his dream wish; marrying his human ward at that. However, he knew it was the fastest way to mislead the Council. If he married any other so hurriedly, they would believe it was an excuse to escape marriage and mating with the Southern Princess.

Not that they did not find it weird he married his ward. They did. But they firmly believed that it was a trace that Sesshomaru inherited from the great InuTaisho — a soft spot for human women.

He cringed at that.

Sesshomaru was nothing like his father. For starters, he would never allow himself to become so weak to the point of putting Rin's life in danger — be it by carrying his child or simply by staying by his side again. If his enemies saw her as a liability when she was but a child that foolishly followed him, what would they think if she was to rightfully become his woman?

On top of that, he did not desire her.

See? He was nothing like the great InuTaisho.

He came to the hanare to tell her exactly that. To explain where they stood so no further misunderstandings would stay between them. The kiss last night was a mistake and the way he reacted was only natural. Her scent drove him to kiss her in the first place and her submissiveness was the most seductive weapon a female could use against an inu yōkai.

Rin was clueless.

She could not know what she did to him when she bared her neck and moaned in between the kiss. Her doe chocolate eyes were full of trust and in that moment Sesshomaru realized what he was about to do.

He had to rip himself apart from her before her intoxicating scent drove him to do the unthinkable. He would never forgive himself if that beautiful light went out from her orbs.

Even before he could reach the hanare room, he heard heated voices. Jaken and Rin seemed quite engaged in that usual bickering of them. If he was a lesser men, the sides of his mouth would have curled up slightly at the scene already painted in his head.

Ouch! Stop now! You foolish brat! were some of the words he heard more loudly and almost had to cover his ears when he approached the shōji doors. Sliding them apart slightly, he caught Rin holding the staff of two heads hitting the imp's head unceasingly.

When both spotted him — and it took them quite a while to notice his presence in the room —, they broke apart quickly and bowed respectfully; Jaken's nose almost touched the floor.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" they said in unison, one voice was shrilling and the other was much more pleasant, softer, with an undertone he was not used to hear coming from Rin even after almost one year living with her.

"You see, Sesshomaru-sama! This unworthy girl refused to agree that this marriage is a mistake and ask for the annulment before your great image is tainted."

Even if the Lord had directed his cold and unfeeling eyes at him, Jaken did not get the hint and continued his blabbering.

"As if an impure ningen woman could ever be worthy of the almighty Sesshomaru-sama!" With that, he took back the staff of two heads from her hands and tried to hit her. Rin escaped his attempts with easiness though, all the while calling his name in a playful tone. "How could you suggest that the Lord married you, Rin?"

She laughed at his questions and crying face and voice. It seemed he was under the impression that she had forced the Lord to that, or that she had somehow used some kind of powerful magic that turned the Lord into a lovesick pup. It had been a while since she last had laughed so heartily at someone's expense. The imp despair was almost making her guilty.

But then, the laugh fit stopped as the next words left his greenish lips.

"Do you ever think he will be able to harbor any feelings for a weak human such as yourself?"

Rin's eyes suddenly widened at the imp's words.

"Jaken, stop," he said, not taking his eyes off of Rin. He saw, for a brief moment, a sad shadow ran through them. She bit her bottom lip fiercely.

"That he would want worthless half-breed children?"

"We… We are not really ma—

"Leave."

When the imp did not move — eyes still set ablaze with the fury he felt for having the child he once had following his very steps now married to his Lord —, Sesshomaru added in an icier tone.

"Jaken, leave now. I want to speak with my wife alone."

#

A few minutes went by after Jaken left the two of them to themselves. Sesshomaru saw how Rin looked at him square in the eye and forced her lips upwards in the biggest smile he had ever seen.

Biggest but fake.

It was a very empty smile.

He knew, but did not understand exactly why, Jaken's words hurt her. After all, the marriage was nothing but fake, a temporary solution for a complicated problem. In spite of what he told the Council, he would not bed her and they would never have half-breeds together.

"Welcome back, Sesshomaru-sama."

It would be an understatement to say he was used to her soft and demure voice. It was a pleasant sound to hear, as her scent was pleasing to his sensitive nose.

She smelled of cherry blossoms and he quickly realized it came from the small petals she placed upon her braided strands. The traditional uchikake of the night before had been changed to a blue tsukesage with white flowery pattern and a golden obi. The light colors gave an aura of utter innocence to her, the red lipstick, however, made him realize he was staring at a woman.

Till the night before, he had trouble realizing Rin was indeed a woman. It had been one year since she came to live with him, but despite the shock it was to see the child that once tended to him and he had saved countless times become a woman so quickly, he had never thought of Rin more than the eight years old child he met after his fight with InuYasha.

He was utterly astonished when she suggested they got married.

This Sesshomaru married to a human child?

But Rin was no longer one. She was a grown up woman in every aspect of the word. He realized that when their lips brushed slightly and innocently in the ceremony and later in the hanare room with such a fiery passion he did not expect of her.

He did not expect of himself.

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Rin," he acknowledged taking his eyes from her luscious lips and the deep want they evoked in him.

He absolutely did not desire her.

"May I serve tea, my Lord?"

For a brief moment, he had some difficult understanding her words — he would never admit it aloud, but her lips distracted him greatly —, but soon he found himself nodding as he took a seat in front of her.

"How was your day?"

#

The conversation between them unfolded very smoothly. In no time Rin was smiling for real. No forced smiles or whatsoever. She was truly at peace in his presence and the shadow that he saw earlier in her eyes was not there anymore.

Stupid imp.

He would see that Jaken was punished greatly for causing Rin so much distress.

Not that what he said was false — it was not —, but Sesshomaru had no intention of hurting Rin unnecessarily. It was foolish enough that he took upon her offer to marry her, he did not need to cause her unnecessary heartache by stating she was not worthy of him.

He told himself that he fact he did not want her was not totally related to the fact she was a human — he would never desire a human, of course — but also because he wanted to protect her. It was only natural for him to continue protecting her, right?

Her life was his to do was he pleased. He was the one to grant her life back twice, he should be the one responsible for her fate — even if it meant protecting her from himself.

"Rin."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," she replied, looking back at him. A pinkish color covering her cheekbones, he decided she looked lovely that way.

She was distracted, barely taking notice of what he said for the last couple of minutes. When he announced that from that night onwards they would have to share the same chambers and she said nothing, not even looked at him, he knew she was not paying attention to what he said.

"I am sorry, Sesshomaru-sama. I was…" She sighed and bit her bottom lip, the crimson color highlighting the brightness of her small teeth. "I was distracted. I apologize."

"We are to sleep together from now on."

"Excuse me?" Her chocolate eyes were very much widened when he delivered the news.

Yes. That was a reaction he expected of her.

She bit her bottom lip again and Sesshomaru barely could contain his need to do that for her instead. And he absolutely did not desire her. It was only… an inviting gesture that any male would have trouble resisting to.

"My promise remains the same. We shall not consummate the marriage. We are merely to share the same chambers, so the Elders will not question our union."

"Ah…"

A few seconds went by in utter silence. For a moment, he could swear he saw indecision in her eyes, even sadness, but it was quickly gone. Her scent also betrayed nothing.

"I understand, Sesshomaru-sama."

And then the big, fake smile was back. Sesshomaru had some trouble understanding her. It was what she wanted, right? She only suggested to get married to him in order to help him, there was no way she harbored feelings for him and her reaction yesterday was… only natural… After all he was the one to kiss her senseless, of course she would react to it…

It did absolutely not mean she desired him, for he surely did not desire her.

The fact he now wanted to kiss her again and again and again till the red tint in her lips gave space to the nude color underneath had nothing to do with desire.

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

He nodded, looking at her. He barely noticed he was closer now, one hand across her waist, bringing her close to himself.

"Speak."

"How are we to trick them? I mean…" She bit her bottom lip again and his golden orbs flashed before focusing back on her brown eyes. "They will smell…"

"I will mark you," he replied, his lips ghosting over the skin of her neck. She went rigid on his arms, but did not move to send him away. On the contrary, her fingers held him firmly by the haori, keeping him close. Her neck fell to the side, giving him enough space to nuzzle her. A growl formed in his chest; he was utterly pleased with her submissiveness.

"M-Mark me?" Her voice was no more than a stutter as she slid her fingers in his silver mane, feeling the softness of his strands.

"Yes," he all but purred. His tongue lapped at the pulse point. He could feel her heart racing and her breath coming out in short gasps. The scent she gave off made him slightly drunk. She smelled of cherry blossoms and something wonderfully spicy. Delicious. His fangs caressed the place he intended to mark her, but before he could do anything, he broke off and looked at her eyes. "It is a temporary mark, so no one will question your place as my wife."

"Y-Yes…" She replied, fingers still clutching the fabric of his haori. The light in his golden orbs asked for silent permission. She nodded.

"It may hurt."

"I do not care," she replied, caressing his demon markings carefully. Albeit shocked, for no one ever stroked him with such devotion and love, he did not move away. Instead he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against her cheeks. "I trust you."

Her words were his undoing. He looked up at her face again, only to find her beautiful doe chocolate orbs completely shut, and lowered his face to her neck, ready to mark her.

The pain Rin expected, however, never came.

She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly. Next thing she knew, his lips were against hers in a powerful kiss. Taking advantaged of her gaping state, he slithered his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her slowly.

A moan formed in the back of her throat as his lean fingers found the way to her raven tresses and tilted her head for better access. Rin, a bit bolder, entwined her fingers on the hand that was stationed at her waist and brought it slightly upwards, towards her breasts.

His breath hitched when he realized what she was trying to get him to do. Deep down, he knew he should stop before it was too late, but for what he was about to do, he pondered that perhaps it would be better if she could concentrate on the pleasure instead of the pain he would bring her shortly.

Still kissing her, he caressed her soft mound, feeling as she shuddered in his arms. His fingers soon found the way to the nipples, pinching it with his long nails carefully till they stood erect under his ministrations. He ravished her thoroughly and the sensual sounds she let out were more than enough to set him on edge.

Needless to mention, her scent made it very difficult for him to keep himself at bay. He knew he should feel disgusted at how hard he was, but he could not control his reaction to her marvelous scent.

However, before Sesshomaru could get enough of her delicious mouth, he had to break apart and let her breathe. He nibbled at her lips and even before she could get her pulse back to normal, he sank his fangs deep in the crook between her neck and her shoulder.

The blood reached his tongue fast and his reaction to its taste was even faster. The gold on his eyes was replaced by the lust filled red color. His face became a little bit elongated and his marks were jagged. His erection was strained against his hakama pants, throbbing with… well… Desire.

In his arms, Rin trembled. Partially from the pain and partially from the pleasure she felt. His hand was still working on her nipple and she could feel herself getting closer and closer… It was the first time she was on the verge of an orgasm having only her breasts caressed.

She bit her bottom lip trying to suppress the moans, or trying to moan quietly, but it was to no avail. When he lapped at her skin, trying to close the small wounds with his healing saliva, she could not help but sob, a tear cascading down her cheeks and stopping on her chin.

"Have I hurt you?" he asked, his voice low and filled with concern.

Rin shook her head and snatched his lips back into an overpowering kiss. When her tongue brushed against his lips, seeking entrance, he greedily not only accepted it, but turned the kiss into something even more demanding and powerful. The human girl could not help but throw herself at his arms, her legs wrapping around his lean hips as she mounted him and rode him seeking her own sweet release.

Sesshomaru growled low in his throat. He was absolutely not used to have a female dominating him, — a human one on top of that — he hated that even, but he could not control how strongly his body responded to Rin. He knew it was related to the fact he had just tasted her blood and how horny it had made him. Of course she did not help the tiniest bit with her heady scent and delicious moans.

His kisses went southwards, till his ragged breath caressed the opening of her kimono — already very much parted from their endeavors — and his tongue flickered out to tease the nipple through the layers of fabric. A clawed hand moved her hips against him, making her slide on his shaft back and forth.

Soon, her moans became too loud and his mouth came back to hers, to muffle the sounds in a hard kiss. Even sooner than he expected, she was shaking in his arms, exploding in a blissful, sweet orgasm. And if he was not such a master at controlling his urges, he would have followed her shortly after and spilled himself in his hakama.

Rin's ragged breath caressed his neck as she rested her head against his shoulders, a few pants leaving her mouth as she tried to control herself. Her body still shook with afterward waves. Sesshomaru's hands were on her back, keeping her pressed against him as he also fought to control himself.

The experience was simply mind-blowing. For both of them.

He had never experienced so much pleasure from simply dry stimulation. Hell he was never one to care that much about a woman's pleasure — he could barely remember the last time he cared about his own pleasures let alone another's. All he ever wanted now was to get rid of his hakama and take that physical intimacy to a whole new level, one in which clothes was absolutely not involved.

No.

He could not.

He should not.

If he got carried on, if he insisted on carrying on that brief endeavor of them, it would be his end. It would be the same of admitting he desired her.

And a demon Lord such as himself could not desire her, a human.

He should leave.

He should definitely leave.

Now.

#

"Did you enjoy the hanare room?"

"InuKimi-sama!" Rin bowed her head and sat properly on her zabuton, straightening her clothes in the process. She could not see it herself, but she bet the bite left a red mark on her shoulder, one that she would not be able to conceal — that she did not want to conceal.

Her Lord had just left and it was such a hurried gesture she had no time to ask him what was going on. She was simply put aside, still breathing hard from the most amazing and intense orgasm she had ever had, watching through half lidded eyes as he left without much of a word.

Heavens above.

Her face was still red from their earlier endeavor. Even in her wildest dreams she never expected to experience such a powerful connection with her Lord. It was more than lust. Even if she was not sure what it was, it was so much more than something physical.

She felt so… happy and free and attached, everything at once in his arms that when she last expected she was sobbing and crying like a fool she indeed was.

Now, she was faced with the most beautiful female she had ever seen. Her Lord's mother was gorgeous beyond measure.

"Hello, Rin…" Her purple lips curved up ever so slightly. "It has been quite a while, hasn't it?"

On her end, Rin could merely nod. She remembered almost nothing from the last visit to her Ladyship's castle. She was but a mere child at the time and she was… Well… Dead at the time.

She gulped.

And nodded profusely once again, thinking she did not respond earlier. What did the Lady want there? Probably ask of her the same Jaken had just asked? To leave Sesshomaru-sama and demote him from that ridiculous idea?

Yes, she was the one to suggest they got married, but he was the one to accept it. He was the one to kiss her first and to pleasure her first. To mark her.

At the tingling sensation on the junction of her neck and shoulder, Rin touched the small mark, feeling the two small punctures. No drop of blood remained on her skin. She was completely cleaned up.

"I see…" The curves on her lips became more accentuated as the smirk grew. Her pearly teeth showing. "He has marked you."

In a blink of an eye she was upon Rin, a clawed finger lifting the ningen girl's chin up slightly. A scoff went past her lips as she narrowed her eyes though.

"It is a temporary mark though…" she mused to herself, letting go of the human girl. His scent was all over her trembling form.

Clever boy.

He did not need to have sex with her if his scent was so powerful mingled with hers. The Elders who would not happen to pass by her in the first weeks — for she would be secluded to the hanare room — would not notice what he did.

However, upon closer inspection — and InuKimi's nose was powerful enough to distinguish the scent of fresh arousal and orgasm —, she realized what happened between them.

Foolish boy.

He was so attached to the girl he could not mark her — even if it was a temporary mark — if it would leave her in pain. Instead, he used pleasure as an excuse to prepare her to the punctures he would place upon her skin.

Did he really think it could mask the deep desire he felt for her? Did he really think it was only related to her well-being and not his selfish needs?

Stupid pup.

"Tell me, girl…" she started, wetting her lips. "What would you do to make that mark permanent?"

Rin's eyes widened at her proposal. What would she do? What could she do? Really. There was nothing under her power to make her Lord want to mark her. He had made himself clear. It was a temporary solution for a complicated problem.

She said so herself. She suggested so herself.

"Rin."

She looked up at the golden orbs of her Lady. They were full of mischief and… somehow understanding.

"Nothing."

The smirk came back with full force to InuKimi's lips. Of course she did not believe the girl! It was crystal clear she loved her son, so as any other woman she would fight for her man. It was the most reasonable thing to do.

"But you love him."

Rin pursed her lips together, then she bit them forcefully. Did she?

Did she love him? She knew she cared for him, she always did since the first time she laid eyes on him when she was still a child. But to care for him and to love him as a man were two entirely different things. Did she love him? For real?

It would explain a handful of things. It would explain why it hurt when he rejected her so straightforwardly last night, why it hurt when Jaken-sama suggested he would never reciprocate her feelings and would never sire a child with her. Why her heart leaped with joy when he kissed her and when he said he would mark her — even if temporarily.

As realization sunk on her, she could not help but feel that her heart would be shattered at the end of that little endeavor of them.

"Yes… I do love him."

"Then I shall ask you again, child…" InuKimi smirked lightly, "what would you do to make that temporary mark a permanent one?"

Rin lowered her head.

"Nothing."

The Lady scoffed. She was joking right? She had to be. She eyed the girl more closely, trying to read in her expressive nut-brown orbs the truth. Any other woman — demoness at least — would not hesitate to lay claim upon her son, so this human girl could not be different. When she realized it was not a lie, nor a sick joke, she shook her head and closed her eyes in disgust.

Fool.

Her son and his lover… They were both fools, weak things that did not deserve for such a wonderful feeling such as love to happen to them.

Stupids.

#

The Lady Mother had a very pleasant afternoon watching over the castle she once owned. Her son had changed few things, but it remained mostly the same. He was far more traditional then he gave himself credit for, the fact he married a ningen woman and cared for her did not make him the most progressive being in the demon world.

He still hated humans after all. Rin was... Different, according to him.

Fool.

He could not even realize he denied her and denied himself because he was afraid of hurting her — which was a possibility, demons were not known as the most careful lovers, lust was always an uncontrollable thing — and being straightforwardly rejected later — which was also a possibility considering human nature, but not if the human was Rin.

To InuKimi it was also clear he was afraid of desiring a human — a blow to his pride as a demon and also meant breaking a promise, which was not becoming like his father. No matter how different Rin was she was still a human and nothing would ever change that. Being compared to his father — which already happened — was never his intention, for Sesshomaru knew how much it hurt when his father blatantly abandoned him and his mother for a human.

But Sesshomaru was not InuTaisho.

He failed to see that.

What he wanted to do, however, would make him worse than his father himself.

Marry a girl that already harbored feelings for him — even if it was her suggestion — and later leave her would break her heart.

She was a fool.

Did she really think that by loving him unconditionally would make him return her feelings? Did she really believe that he would walk over his pride for her? One thing was to protect her and bring her back to life, mating her was a completely different matter.

Without proper help she would never make the fool realize what she meant to him. Without the proper guidance she would fail to reach his heart and secure herself a place in it.

It was not sufficient to love a demon.

It never was.

The Lady learned it the hard way when she did not fight for her late husband, when she expected out of arrogant certainty that he would not leave her for a human woman. When she realized her mistake, it was too late to act.

But it was so very different for Rin.

Their stories were so distinct it would be a pity if their fates ended the same. It would be a shame if she let the girl end up like she herself.

Of course it was not a feeling born out of sympathy for a ningen woman about to share the same fate. InuKimi was far more concerned about the good effects Rin could cause upon her son. After all it was because of her that Sesshomaru learned compassion, it was because of her very existence that he mastered Tenseiga and became a worthy men at the eyes of the Meido Stone. Impossible not to mention he learned fear at her expense. The man who could have everything could not have a little girl's life back; the man who feared nothing was afraid of losing a human child.

It would be a total waste if the child, now a woman was not the one to teach him how to love.

Tsk.

Lady InuKimi would make sure of that.

A/N - That's all, kids! xD

As I said above, it's a shortfic, no more than seven chapters planned, so I shall have it finished by July or August.

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and the situations I put them into. I have always wanted to write a fanfic that depicts the policies inside of a Clan and I think it's quite entertaining to see Sesshomaru struggle for power with his pack/family/clan. Hope you agree with me :)

Again, it was most entertaining to work with InuKimi. She's quite a pleasant character to write about. As for Rin, I was not so sure about making her not so innocent, but I thought that being a virgin, doesn't necessarily means you have to be completely clueless about pleasures and please do throw stones the ones that haven't been curious in early adolescence and all... and no, Kohaku doesn't pose a threat to their relationship. To those who know my works, I'm not the kind of author to put a female/male to destroy relationships, my characters do that themselves. Honestly, Sesshomaru and Rin don't need help to make everything twisted and bad between them.

As for Mirrored Pleasures shall be updated and finished this weekend. I haven't forgotten about this fic.

And as for the readers who asked me about Remember and The Duke's Lover, worry not. I have NOT abandoned my ByaRuki fics, I'm just taking a break from them because I need to plan carefully the next chapters – The Duke's Lover cause it's on the end and Remember cause it's my most treasured fic and I really need to be into it to come up with new chapters. Hope you understand xD

Well, I think that's all. I shall be back in 15 days. Now, would you mind reviewing this for me?

Take care,

Velvetsins