When Mina opened her eyes, she found herself in a brightly lit room beneath layers of thick blankets. She knew that Sesshomaru had returned her to the castle—without the other two women—by the scents surrounding her. However, he was not in this room. Nor was he lingering outside the door. Minko momentarily considering going back to sleep, but decided against it. She couldn't bare to waste such a beautiful day.

Instead, Mina pulled herself out of bed and reached for the yukata laid out on a chair by the window. Rin would want to spend time with her. It had been a long time since they had the chance to play, and a kitten—no, Minamaru was a cat now—couldn't be her sole company forever. And so Mina tied her hair back and hurried downstairs, knowing that she would find the little girl eating breakfast with Jaken.

The big fat ball of fluff that was Minamaru sat at it's own stool before a bowl of milk and a plate of fish. A spoiled little thing, Rin ate happily beside the cat. Jaken sat at the other side of the table, seeming too disgusted by the presence of a furry animal to eat his own meal.

"Minako!" he exclaimed when she entered the room. "So you've awoken after all. I wondered if you would sleep for days."

"That's silly," Rin laughed, "Lord Sesshomaru said she just got sick from the old witch's magic. You should know that, Lord Jaken."

"You don't even understand what Lord Sesshomaru said," the little imp snapped back.

"Let's not start the morning with arguments, alright?" Mina suggested, sitting down just in time for a servant to set a plate of fruit before her. "I thought we could go down to the waterfall today and swim. What do you think, Rin?"

"We could teach Minamaru how to swim!"

The ball of fluff moved to look up at the group from behind a veil of white fur, letting out a simple "Meow" of discontent. The girls laughed this off while Jaken simmered in his own little mood, casting secret glances at his companions as to not let them know that he actually did quite enjoy spending time with them in their juvenile adventures.

Sesshomaru stood in his study, staring out the window at the three splashing around in the waterfall. He had already left the castle in search of a temporary arm while Mina was resting; he couldn't do much with this useless burnt thing. It really bothered him that he had actually thrown himself in front of the attack. What had he been thinking? Nothing at all, really. He hadn't thought about it, he just acted.

Better his life than Mina's.

But where had such thoughts come from? When had Mina rooted herself so deeply within his very being as to penetrate his main priority in life: himself. It unnerved him to no end, and yet at the same time, it felt like a comfort to some extent. He had found someone to care unconditionally for, and she loved him in return. Sesshomaru had never hoped for, dreamed of, or even expected this to ever happen. After all, when did demons ever mate for love?

But Mina was not his mate. Not entirely.

He couldn't help but view her as his own. The moment he marked her, he knew that she would always been his mate, at least in his mind. Even now that she had lost the mark and the connection had broken, he couldn't think of Mina as anything but his mate. It was just fact.

But when he really thought of it, he realized that she was not his mate in any sense. That decision was entirely up to Minako, and Sesshomaru found himself uncertain of whether or not Mina would accept him again. He tried to be so careful, practically tip-toed around the woman in fear that she would leave. When had a Lord ever feared a hanyou's rejection!

And yet he somehow found himself standing at the window, watching the young woman play with his human, the pit of his stomach clenched into an uneasy knot. Had he done the right thing in taking the flames? Mina said she could fight her own battles, complained that he only showed affection when her life was in danger. Is that what he had done, would she see it that way? After all, she had gone straight to Rin rather than find Sesshomaru after she had awoken. Even so, he would do it the same all over again had he a second chance.

Sesshomaru hated how she put him in such uncomfortable situations. Before this girl came along, he had never had issues with worry and guilt. Rin's safety had been the extent of his emotional connections. And now here he was, holed up in his study stalking the only woman to ever cause him to love, worrying about his future with her. If they had one at all.

And his damned arm! It seared with pain as the dragon's burns took extra time to heal. Were he any less of a demon, it would have caused serious longlasting damage. At least in the meantime, he had gained another arm from some nameless humanoid. It would do for the time being.

Sesshomaru tore his gaze from the hanyou by the waterfall, finding the sight too much to handle. She had stripped down and the water drenching her body, undergarments clinging to her skin—he just couldn't handle it. How Mina had such a hold on Sesshomaru outside of the season was beyond him.

She drove him mad in the greatest of ways.