Author's Note: Warning, lovelies! This is the chapter I spoke of before, the one with mature content. So if you are not a self-proclaimed mature individual...well, then I hold no blame for your scarred innocence.
As the rat turned back to her, Minako flung herself out of bed, slamming the poker into the side of the rat's head. It fell backwards, grasping onto the edges of the fireplace to keep from falling in, but Mina beat at it with all her might, stuck on the floor as her legs were still not working.
It screamed in pain as its fur lit on fire, and its front was disemboweled. Mina gave it one more shove and it fell back, flailing about and shrieking until it suddenly fell eerily still. The fire ate away at the demon, and Mina stared in silence for a while before deciding she might as well salvage some meat while she was at it.
Who knew when her next meal would be?
Sesshomaru fought the few males that he encountered. They too were following Mina's scent. In killing them, he was ridding her of any other possible suitors. He did this all very quickly, though. Who knew how long he had to save her?
Just a few hours before the moon rose and Mina took her human form, Sesshomaru saw a cabin up through the woods. Dull curtains were lit up by a light from inside. He could smell something cooking. Was the demon going to feed her, too? Had they already mated, and now it would take care of her?
No. Sesshomaru would take care of her. No one else.
He kicked down the door, fully prepared to kill whatever male demon happened to be inside. But instead, he found Mina, sitting at the edge of a bed with an empty plate beside her and bones in the fireplace. Demon bones.
Sesshomaru felt some form of pride welling up inside of him. His hanyou had killed a demon. Burned it. Eaten it. She was a survivor. Tougher than she looked. He loved it.
Masami never would have done this.
Minako was startled when someone broke the door down, and expected another male to have found her. She almost gave up, knowing that her legs were in no condition for another fight. Looking up, she was shocked to find Sesshomaru standing in the doorway. He cracked his bloodstained knuckles and wiped them off on the curtain.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she gasped, "What are you doing here?"
He stepped inside and looked around, assessing the place and the state of her most recent meal. His gaze stopped on Mina, and he walked toward her. "I have come to take you back."
"Why?" she shook her head, "I thought you and Masami had someone leave me in the forest."
"What an idiotic notion." He flicked a strand of hair back, "Come now, I have business to attend to."
Mina tried to bite her tongue as he moved to leave, but found herself snapping, "You mean mating."
He turned back to her, and she wasn't sure if he was angry or surprised. "Yes. An arrangement that began before you even knew what the word meant."
"I know what it means now," she said, feeling sick as she continued to risk angering him. "And I know that it means you will expect me to stay with Rin and Jaken, living one step above a pet."
He watched her silently, and she felt her entire body tense up as he took a single step forward.
"Well, I won't have it," she went on—against her better judgement. "I took care of myself before you, and I can do it again. I will not stay where I don't belong, and I am most certainly not welcome with those cats."
"You will try to leave?" he asked.
"Try?" she scoffed. Now she was really treading on thin ice. "It wouldn't require any effort. You've left me behind before, and it was my choice to find you again. You can find some other play thing for Rin."
"Do not test my temper, girl," he said almost calmly, a low growl deep in his throat.
"Why?" she asked, her knees shaking as she talked tough and raised her voice, "You don't care about me! I am just a half-breed, worse than youkai and human! I'm not your full-demon advisor, and I am not your cute little ward! I am a hanyou woman, and you couldn't care less about me!"
By the end, she was shouting, and Sesshomaru looked furious. The expression on his face frightened her, but she had gotten too wound up and didn't know when to stop. She stumbled back as he steadily took the few steps that had separated them.
"You are a foolish girl," he growled, staring her down with red eyes. "You know nothing."
She looked up at him, her voice significantly lacking in strength as she challenged, "Enlighten me, lord."
In an instant, Sesshomaru had moved forward, throwing Minako down onto the bed. He didn't attack, though. No, he was climbing on top of her and pressing his lips roughly against hers. She couldn't see anything but her lord, and she kissed back, pulling Sesshomaru closer as if he could disappear at any moment.
Was this really happening? Had she imagined it all? Some sort of poison from the rat's tainted flesh, perhaps. Or maybe she was finally going mad. No, this felt real. Sesshomaru, her lord, her everything. He was with her.
Mina's mind went blank as Sesshomaru forced his tongue into her mouth, his temporary arm propping himself up as the other wandered along her body. She bit at his lower lip, and he pressed his body harder against her, grabbing her hair and holding her in place as he moved his mouth down her neck, leaving marks. Mina closed her eyes, breathing heavily with him.
His hand moved up her leg and she shivered. She could feel him pulling her kimono open—the one he had given her, the most important item she had ever owned—and moved his hand over her chest, his mouth moving downward. She gasped, biting her lip as all of her senses seemed to heighten at once. Her nails dug into his back, tearing through the first layer of clothing. Sesshomaru pulled back for a moment, removing his now torn kimono and the one beneath it. He tossed them aside and returned to her body.
She wrapped her legs around him, and he let out a ragged sigh. The feeling of his breath against her skin made Mina's heart race. She focused on his fingers running along her bare skin. As his tongue moved against her body, she let out a moan and his body reacted. She dug her claws into his back. Her scratches drew blood, but Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind at all. If anything, he enjoyed it as his movements became more rough and passionate.
He kissed her as though he were a starving man, and left red and purple marks as if she were his to claim. She loved each one he made, wanting to be his for as long as he would allow. She leaned forward and kissed his neck and shoulder, biting down and sucking at his collar bone. She wanted him to be hers, and even if she couldn't have him all to herself, she would make sure Masami knew what they had done, what Minako felt for him. If this whole thing was just a product of the season, then at least she would have the joy of the memory and the pleasure of knowing Masami would remember it, too.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red, and he reached down to his pants. She held her breath, her heart racing. She wanted this, right? She wanted him in every way, but this was the best she would ever get of him. If someone were to take her innocence, she would rather give it freely to Sesshomaru than have it stolen by some mindless demon during the season. If she stopped him, then that was it. It would not happen again, and she would never be able to say that she had had him for even a moment.
Before she could make up her mind, he stopped, pulling back.
"No," he growled, closing his eyes and bringing his hands up to his head.
She looked up at him from where she lay on the bed, wondering what had happened to make him stop. Did she do something wrong? Perhaps he had realized what was happening and the disgust had settled in.
He ran his hands through his hair before startling Mina by reaching down and ripping the temporary arm right off his body. He tossed it carelessly aside; with only one arm, he couldn't go back to what he had been going to do before. He sat still, his only real arm running through his hair. He opened his eyes again after a moment, and they were no longer red. He was in his right mind.
"Why?" she whispered, "Why don't you want me?"
Sesshomaru's expression darkened and he stared down at her almost entirely naked body. "No, Mina," he shook his head, "Not like this."
What did that mean? That he did not want her body? But why? Her hanyou blood, no doubt. Or perhaps she was not as beautiful as Masami.
She looked away, tears beginning to blur her vision. He moved, laying down beside her. She was surprised when he leaned over and slowly kissed her lips. She kissed him back, not understanding why he continued so softly. This was all because of the season, wasn't it?
He moved onto his side, and she mirrored him. He wrapped his arm around Minako and cradled her close, pressing his forehead against hers. They opened their eyes and stared at each other for a few moments; Sesshomaru remained silent, and Mina didn't quite know what to say.
She sighed, resting her head against his chest. Would this ever happen again, or was this gentle moment another part of the season? It was her first one as an adult, so she did not know. Sesshomaru moved his hand through her hair. She closed her eyes, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.