The Importance of Being A Youkai's Mate

A/N: Sorry this took so long everyone, especially to Christi. ^_^ If you want to be on mailing list please let me know and tell me which story you'd like an update since I'm working on three at one time. Thanks!


Sesshoumaru descended gently to the ground from the top of the highest building in the middle of campus. Astonished students watched him in fascination. He reminded them of an angel with his long silver hair whipping around his beautiful, yet masculine features. In a way, he was their guardian angel since he helped protect everyone from the youkai that wrecked havoc in their lives. He wore tan color dress pants and a white shirt opened at the chest with a high collar. A simple style, yet on Sesshoumaru, it looked like he was advertising for a fashion magazine. The students scattered away when his feet hit the ground. Sesshoumaru, landing in the middle of campus, was not a good thing. It meant something was wrong. Students knew to keep away from him when he was working, unless they wanted to lose their life in the midst of a fight.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes seemed to pierce the ground. He was looking for something underneath it. The ground had risen into a short hill attracting his attention before collapsing flat again. He hadn't been able to smell the youkai because it was under the ground, but his keen eyesight had noticed. The school newspaper had always helpful when locating evil youkai that feasted on the students at the university. He read articles about kids disappearing in certain spots or finding bodies in strange places. This week the article had announced finding a student completely buried in the dirt with only a hand sticking above ground. His lower body was missing.

A worm youkai. Sesshoumaru hated the dirty nasty things. If he had known ahead of time, he wouldn't have put on his new clothes. Its scent was easier to detect once he was on ground. He walked around tuning in on it until the scent grew stronger. Smirking, he struck the ground with both hands creating an intense vibration that frightened the worm and sent it rushing to the surface. The worm burst through making a shrill scream that was loud enough to hurt the eardrums of the students nearby. It immediately starts crawling away as fast as it could. Sesshoumaru grabbed the tail, but it broke off in his hands and kept crawling away. A half digested body fell out it. Sesshoumaru nearly gagged at the stench and went after the youkai.

Rin was just coming from class when she saw the worm youkai heading straight in her direction. She gasped at how ugly the thing was. It was brown, covered in dirt and the size of a car with a gaping mouth that was lined with very sharp teeth. Instead of running in terror like the other students, she stood her ground and watched in disgust. It must have sensed her because it went underground again and began to burrow its way towards her.

Sesshoumaru's heart nearly stopped when he saw Rin in the path of the worm youkai. Why was she just standing there watching it tear the surface of the ground to get to her? "Rin" he yelled in her head. "Get out of the way!" Caught off guard at seeing Rin, Sesshoumaru knew he wasn't going to make it to her in time. The ground exploded in front of her sending dirt and rocks flying everywhere and blinding Sesshoumaru. "NOO!" he yelled aloud fighting through dirt and coughing as it filled his lungs. He couldn't see her, but he could sense her. She wasn't hurt. She wasn't even afraid. When he reached her, all he could do was stop and stare in complete shock.

Rin, his little fragile and very petite Rin, was holding the gigantic worm over her head with both hands and giving him a huge smile. "I got it!" she yelled excitedly as the worm wiggled violently to get out of her small hands. "Had to dig my nails into it to hold it," she said as black liquid began to run down her arms.

Sesshoumaru's heart was pounding. He knew that Rin had gained some of his strength after mating with her, but he never thought to test how strong she truly was, until now. Still, the worm youkai was dangerous and Rin didn't know anything about it. "Rin, put the worm down," he told her as calmly as he could and hoped she'd listen to reason instead of showing off her new powers. Ofcourse, it wouldn't be Rin if she didn't want to show off in front of him.

"Look, Sesshoumaru, I caught it. Didn't think I could do it, did you?" She began to wave the worm side to side over her head.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru snapped at her angrily. "Give me the worm!"

The liquid that was slowly seeping out of the worms body unto Rin's arms suddenly began to burn. She screamed in pain and dropped it to rub off the acid like gook. The worm screeched again when it dropped to the ground and turn to attack her. Sesshoumaru got in front of her just as its mouth was to go over her head and sliced through it with his poison claws. The body split into and fell to the ground wiggling a few seconds before it stopped.

Rin hadn't even noticed the danger she was in. She was too busy trying to wipe off the black liquid that seemed to be soaking into her skin. "It burns!" she yelled at Sesshoumaru with tears in her eyes. He picked her up and took her to the nearest fountain - since the dorm was too far away - and stuck her arm into the water. He scrubbed her skin furiously watching as the black liquid floated off Rin's delicate skin into the water. The burning eased away and Rin sighed in relief.

"Rin, are you okay?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know.

She nodded and he lifted her arms out of the water. The skin was red; blisters were already beginning to form. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. "What were you thinking?" he asked angrily. "That youkai could have killed you!"

Rin blinked at him with big eyes looking like a kitten that just got caught doing something it wasn't supposed to. "I was just trying to help."

"This, Sesshoumaru, doesn't need your help. I have never needed your help!" Sesshoumaru shook her again, and then held her close.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. What's the use of having these powers if I can't help you?" Rin mumbled against his chest.

"It's to keep you safe when I can't. You could have easily gotten away from the worm, yet you chose to stay and endanger both our lives. Rin, you must take our mating seriously. If you die, so will I. I will not be able to go on without you," he pulled her away from him so he could stare into her eyes. "Do you understand?"

She nodded, feeling his intense emotions for the first time. Sesshoumaru, the most dangerous youkai in the city who was never afraid of anything, was terrified of losing her. She could feel the way his heart had raced in his chest when he saw the worm youkai going after her, the dreaded feeling of getting to her too late. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Promise me you will never do anything as foolish as that again!" Sesshoumaru spoke harshly.

He was furious at her, she suppose she couldn't blame him. "I promise," she said quickly.

Sesshoumaru's Apartment

He scooped her up in his arms and flew to the dormitory.

"Ow, oww..." Rin whined as Sesshoumaru wrapped bandages around her burnt skin.

"Punishment, for your foolishness," Sesshoumaru said.

"You don't have to be so mean about it. I was only trying to help," Rin said in her defense.

"You can help by staying safe and acting as if you have common sense. If you are confronted with a youkai, run- you are a lot faster than you use to be- and if you cannot outrun it then defend yourself the best you can until I can reach you, but never face a youkai of your own will, Rin. You are stronger than humans, true, but not stronger than a youkai. Luckily, the worm youkai happen to be a weaker one."

"You are never going to let this go are you? You're going to continue to scold me for the rest of week," Rin said with a sigh.

"I'm going to have Jinko and Galieo guard you again. It was against my better judgment to let you roam free. "

"No! Sesshoumaru! Please don't have those two follow me again. I promised you I wouldn't do it again," Rin protested.

"You were reborn as half youkai, Rin. I have to make sure you are protected at all times until you understand your new powers and the dangers of other youkai. Just because you're strong doesn't mean you are invincible."

"Point taken with the burns," Rin mumbled.

Sesshoumaru finished bandaging up her arms. "They will heal soon, until then, stay here for the rest of the evening."

"I can barely move them. It hurts every time I wiggle my fingers," Rin said wiggling her fingers.

"Then stop wiggling them," Sesshoumaru told her. He watched as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. He couldn't get the image of the worm youkai attacking Rin out of his mind, the first image of it heading straight towards her and she just standing there watching it with this calm determined look on her face and the second of the worm springing over her small body to decapitate her head. He shivered. Nightmares...he would have nightmares for a very long time.

The sound of glass shattering on the kitchen floor sent him rushing to her side. Rin gave him a frustrated look and walked away. She had dropped a glass of water on the floor. Sesshoumaru sighed and quickly cleaned up the mess, then filled another glass for her. He found her sitting on the couch pouting.

"I can't do anything. I hate feeling useless," she crossed her arms out of habit and then yelled in pain.

Sesshoumaru realized he wouldn't be able to go back to work until her arms completely healed. Otherwise, she'd probably get herself into more trouble. "Drink," he commanded and put the glass to her lips. She did as she was told until it was empty then fell back on the couch.

"You are not useless, never useless," he sat the glass down on the coffee table and pulled her into his arms. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. "I can think of many things you can do that I cannot."

Rin gave him a hint of a smile as he sat her on the bed and began to take off her shoes. "And what would those things be?"

"You can give me unfathomable pleasure, enough to bring this Sesshoumaru down to his knees and beg for more."

"Mmm, I like that," Rin said with a smile. "But is that all I'm useful for?"

"What else is there?" Sesshoumaru said arrogantly.

Rin slapped him upside the head, hard, then screamed in pain, "Damn, I keep forgetting!"

"Do not curse, it doesn't become you, Rin," Sesshoumaru said as he rubbed his head.

"Sesshoumaru, is that the only thing you see me as, a mate that gives you good sex?"

"Not good, never good, beyond good...words cannot describe it..."

Rin realized he was teasing her. She glared at him.

Sesshoumaru smiled. "Rin, how can you ask me such a question when you know you are my life? You bring me joy every day you are with me. I have never experienced true happiness until I found you. You always here for me, to love and support me, even when I do not ask of it, I am humbled by it. What else do you need to do Rin except be here for me and perhaps give me sons and daughters. I am not looking for an equal in my mate."

Rin watched as he took handcuffs from the closet and walked to her with a hungry look in his eyes. She blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Punishing you," Sesshoumaru said darkly. He locked the handcuffs around her wrist and attached them to the headboard.

Rin tried to wiggle free. The handcuffs were made out of a soft, plush material, strong enough to hold wrists and soft enough to not hurt her arms. "How long have you had these things?" She cried out in alarm when she realized she couldn't get free. "Sesshoumaru! Get me out of these things!"

Sesshoumaru unzipped her dress and pulled it down her body. He unfastened her bra and ripped away her panties. Rin laid naked before him looking helpless and delectable in the hot pink handcuffs he'd put on her. "I was wondering if I'd ever get to use them. Now is perfect. They are to keep you from hurting yourself while I punish you for being a very bad mate."

"Sesshoumaru, this isn't fair!" Rin watched as he undressed that magnificent body of his and begin to stop struggling. She hated the things he could do to her, like make her entire body go weak whenever she saw him naked.

"This Sesshoumaru almost lost his mate today. Do not expect me to go easy on you," was the last thing Rin could remember him saying before he made her forget everything else.

Rin woke up later that night, wrapped tightly in Sesshoumaru's arms, his large body wrapped protectively around her. Memories of what they had done together, well actually, what he had done to her, had her blushing from head to toe. There wasn't an inch of skin on her body, except her arms, that he hadn't tasted, licked, nibbled, teased. She could still feel him kissing her down there, his tongue deep inside her doing things to her that she never thought was possible, telling her how sweet she tasted and how addictive she was, and driving her insane until she nearly passed out from the intense orgasm that had shook her entire body. Then he took her, hard and deep, as she was still recovering. She had wanted to hold him so bad, to caress his body, to run her nails down his back and hold on tight as he forced her into another amazing orgasm, but she couldn't, which had been very frustrating. The last words he had told her - before she blacked out by the overwhelming pleasure he'd given her - was that she should remember this night and realize how he felt when he thought he'd almost lost her, to never be able to hold her in his arms would have been the death of him. He certainly had a way of making her understand him even if he did go about it in a dark delicious way. But, that was Sesshoumaru, a youkai no one messed with, not even her.

She was getting aroused again just thinking about the things he had did to her. She blushed when he sniffed the air in his sleep, even now he could smell her arousal. He pulled her closer to him and ran his tongue slowly over the fang marks on the side of her neck. Rin's body responded his arms. She trembled and let out a soft moan wondering why it didn't hurt whenever he marked her. He would sink his fangs deep into her skin and she would cry out from pleasure, never from pain. His tongue continued to lap over the sensitive area causing Rin to wiggle in his arms. She noticed he did it a lot at night as he held her as if unconsciously taking comfort from it. "Mine," Sesshoumaru growled softly still half-asleep and rolled her over onto her back. He opened his eyes for a moment to stare into her as he laid on top of her. He was aroused again, hard and ready for her. Rin wasn't sure she could go through this again. He was always so big and she was always sore afterwards, and yet she felt her body preparing her for him, becoming wet. He wrapped her legs around his waist and sunk deep inside of her causing her to gasp out loud. "Always, mine..." he demanded as he waited for her to adjust to his huge size. "Yes," Rin said running her fingers through his long silver hair and hands down his broad back. She realized he'd untied her and that her arms had completely healed, one of the benefits of being a youkai's mate. "I love you," she whispered as he began to move inside of her.

"My life..." he whispered back to her staring deeply into her eyes with a serious expression.

"I know," Rin whispered. "I know how much I mean to you. I'm sorry for scaring you so badly."

He closed his eyes and buried his face in the side of her neck as he began to move within her stroking her deeply, slowly, this time making love to her tenderly. Rin sighed happily.

The next day, outside the dormitory

"Angel, angel..." the boy whispered as he lay on the ground slowly healing from the beautiful woman small hands against his chest.

"I'm not an angel," she told him.

She certainly looked like one. The attack had come out of nowhere. He'd was walking with a group of friends when they'd been attacked by a very large youkai that looked like a natural demon. He'd wondered who had let such a thing loose on campus? It had grabbed him threw him on the ground and began to stomp on his chest. He'd watched his friends get ripped apart by it, he'd been the lucky one, although every bone in his body seemed to have been broken. Sesshoumaru and his friends had quickly taken care of it. He would have to thank him later if he survived. Suddenly a very beautiful woman appeared before him, so beautiful she took his breath away. The sun light made her skin radiant almost ethereal in appearance. Her long black hair hung over one shoulder and folded on the ground beside him as she moved close enough to tell if he was still breathing that when he saw her eyes. Eyes like nothing else in the world, he'd ever seen, a stunning sparkling silver framed with long thick lashes. Crystal tears fell from them and dropped on the side of his cheek warm and delicate. "Don't die," she had begged him. Did he look that bad for her to cry over him? She had laid her hands on him and a white light had engulfed his entire body. Warmth spread throughout him and he could feel his bones mending together.

"I can't believe it," Jinko said in shock as he and Galieo stood beside Rin and watched her heal the dying boy.

Sesshoumaru watched; his expression serious. It seemed Rin had also developed his powers to heal, something just as shocking to him. They had destroyed the creature that ran rampant on the school grounds destroying everything in its sight. The stupid student that Rin was healing now had been messing around with black magic and conjured up a real demon. It was one thing to protect the students from harm when they were innocent, but when they brought it on themselves, Sesshoumaru didn't want to waste his time on them. One of his friends, one that didn't make it, had told Sesshoumaru that they had been promised to be turned into a youkai by Naraku if they conjured up a real demon and asked for its help. Any student stupid enough to believe Naraku deserved to die, especially since they had put his mate in danger. The students lived in the same dorm as he; luckily, the demon had appeared outside the dorm instead of inside or worse in someone's room. Still, Rin, Kagome and Sango walked back and forth to the dorm all day, it hit too close to home and for that reason, the students' actions were unforgivable. Sesshoumaru had no pity for the dying human. However, his sensitive little Rin did. She had inherited so many traits from him, but not his coldness. Sometimes, he wished she had. She had seen the boy lying in front of the steps bleeding to death, bones broken, and she had ran to him. Sesshoumaru hadn't wanted her to see, Rin was still very sheltered, she was too delicate to see something like this. He was angry with Jinko and Galieo for not keeping a closer eye on her as he battled the demon.

"Rin do not use all of your energy," Sesshoumaru warned her standing behind her like her guardian angel.

"It's done," Rin said softly and moved away as the light from her hands faded. She tried to rise, but her knees gave out.

Sesshoumaru growled and caught her. He picked her up in his arms and glared down at the healed boy. "You were lucky this time that my Rin saved you. Had it been me, I would have watched you die." Sesshoumaru stepped over the boy and carried a very weak Rin up the steps.

"Sesshoumaru, why are you so cruel to people?" Rin wanted to know. She had always known this side of him, it didn't come as a surprise to her, and she was happy he had never shown it to her, but still it bothered her when she witnessed how cold he could be to people he didn't care about, which was very few.

"He endangered your life and our friends by conjuring the demon in the dormitory. Rin, if the demon had appeared inside our apartment with you alone..." Sesshoumaru didn't continue. "Why should I care about him when he put so many lives in danger?"

Rin sighed. She understood Sesshoumaru's anger, but she wondered if being a youkai was the cause of his coldness? Unlike Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru was a full-blooded youkai; his ideals in life were so vastly different from hers. Sometimes, she was afraid of Sesshoumaru, not that he would hurt her, but the destruction he could cause to the entire campus if anything happened to her. He protected the campus now, but she knew without a doubt, he did it because she lived there, but what would happen if something happened to her on campus, if she died by the hands of someone here? Now that they were mated, would Sesshoumaru completely loose it? Would he kill everyone? Was she the only thing standing between his good and dark side?

Narkau's Apartment

"How did our little plan go?" Naraku asked Kanna when she walked into his living room.

"The demon appeared outside the dormitory instead of inside. It seemed to be only after the student that participated in raising it and the students that got in its way," Kanna said.

"So, none of the others were hurt?"

"Inuyasha and Kagome was not there, neither was Miroku and Sango. However, Sesshoumaru was there like usual and destroyed the creature. Rin, his mate, healed one of the boys who told Sesshoumaru everything."

Naraku picked up a vase and threw it upside the wall in anger. "Never mind," he said suddenly relaxed again. "It was a random plan. At least you have managed to befriend one of my enemies, Kagome."

Kanna nodded. "She is very easy to fool."

"The women are all friendly and open which makes them easy targets, except Sango, that one I will have to keep an eye on to expose her weakness."

"Do you really believe by destroying the mates of the youkai you hate, that they will also be destroyed with them?" Kanna asked.

"My poor Kanna, like me, you don't know what it's like to love or find a mate. We will never be able to do those things and because of it, we will be stronger than they can ever be. Their mates are their weakness, nothing else can destroy the powerful youkai and once they're gone. I will take over this campus and perhaps the city."

"Yo Naraku, don't forget us," said a wolf youkai pouring himself a drink.

There were several youkai in Naraku's apartment. Like Naraku they wanted to take over also, but they had different reasons. They called themselves the "Youkai Pure Bloods". They believed that human and youkai should remain separate species. They hated the any youkai or human that mixed their blood with each other and they hated half-breeds like Inuyasha. One thing Naraku hadn't told them or anyone else was that he was also half youkai and human. Unlike the others, Naraku hid his secret well using a variety of spells to cover up his human scent.

Two wolf youkai were from Koga's tribe, banished for their rowdy behavior that caused shame and harm to rest of the wolves. The leader of the "Youkai Pure Bloods" looked completely and utterly human. He was a very handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, but he was a demon to the very bone and an evil one at that. The other youkai were animal like and others human like with tails and horns.

"As long as we can get rid of the vile human creatures carrying our blood and the disgusting youkai that gave it to them, we will help you in any way we can," Jacob, the leader said. "Such horrors should not be allowed to walk the campus grounds."

"That dummy Sesshoumaru still doesn't know who actually fired the poison arrow into his beloved Rin's body," one of the wolf youkai laughed.

"And yet, he managed to heal her, even though it was his own poisonous blood. His mother had a hunch he would turn her soon, which was why she called us since the bitch Kagura would have nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, we ended up hurrying the process of him binding to that human instead of ending it," Jacob said angrily.

"Trials and misfortunes," Naraku said. "If you at first you don't succeed kill and kill again."

They laughed at Naraku's dry joke although none thought it was that funny.

"I don't understand why you insist on sleeping with the human, Kikyo," Jacob said in disgust.

"She has her uses," Naraku said smiling evilly.

He turned to Kanna. "Why don't you invite your new friend, Kagome, to a certain rave over the weekend? And if you can, bring her friends."

Kanna nodded and left as quietly as she came.