Chapter Three

Tonya was sitting on her bed, reading, when she heard a knock on her door. Sticking a bookmark between the pages of the novel, she stood up and answered the door, and she was surprised to find Botan there.

"Um... hi," the young girl said. She wasn't quite sure what to do. After all, the grim reaper was standing right outside her bedroom.

Botan smiled nervously, biting her bottom lip. She had bad news to report, and she wasn't exactly sure how to tell Tonya about it. "Hello, Tonya-chan." After meeting Tonya, she had switched to from san to chan, mainly because Tonya used the chan after her name.

"No offense, but why are you here? Can I go home now?" Tonya inquired hopefully. 'That would be great if I could go home,' she thought, smiling.

The ferry-girl shook her head. "No, sorry, but I do have something to tell you... and the guys."

Tonya's face fell. She didn't get to go home. "Only Jake-kun and Kuwabara-san are here," the auburn-haired girl stated.

Botan sighed. "I know, and you'll just have to tell the other guys tomorrow."

"Okay..." Tonya shrugged, deciding to not worry about whatever was happening. After all, it wasn't like she could do anything about it. "Let's go out into the living room then."

The two girls filed into the living room, Tonya making sure to stay as far away from Jake as she could. She didn't quite trust him to keep his hands to himself.

"Hey, Botan!" Kuwabara greeted her. "Whacha doing here?"

"I have something to tell you guys," Botan replied. "You already know that Tonya-chan is a demon... more specifically, a quarter cat demon."

"What's the rest of me then?" the blue-eyed girl wanted to know. She didn't believe she was a demon, but she was still curious.

"A fourth human and half kitsune," the ferry-girl answered. "But it's the cat demon part that's going to cause problems."

Tonya leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms out of habit. "Okay... Would you mind going a little more in depth?"

"To be blunt, you went into heat today," Botan stated.

"She what?" Kuwabara looked completely confused.

"She went into heat," she repeated, tugging on a lock of her blue hair. It was a nervous gesture, one that made her look younger than she really was.

"And that means what exactly?" Tonya asked.

Botan took a deep breath. "Your body's trying to attract a mate, so it's putting off a scent that all male demons can and will react to, sometimes without knowing it."

Kuwabara started laughing. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard."

Tonya almost voiced her agreement but shut her mouth when she glanced at Jake. He was staring at her again, his whole body tense. Something was wrong with him. "I'm not so sure," she said.

"Have any of the guys acted... strange today?" Botan wanted to know.

The other girl nodded. "Hell yeah. Hiei-sama kissed me right before lunch."

Kuwabara fell off of the couch. "The shrimp did what?"

Botan sighed, ignoring the bearer of the spirit sword. "That was to be expected."

Tonya didn't want to admit it, but she had to accept the fact that she was a demon. It was the only logical explanation. "So... why didn't you tell me this sooner? It would have been REALLY helpful. I ended up sending both Hiei-sama and Jake-kun into the walls today."

"You sent Hiei flying because he kissed you? That seems a little extreme," Botan commented. Tonya seemed like someone easy going who would sooner tell the guys to stop than resort to violence.

"Oh... he didn't go flying for kissing me. He got it for pinning me against the wall," Tonya replied.

Kuwabara fell down again. "He pinned you? The shrimp pinned you?"

The girls ignored him.

"Hiei and Kurama shouldn't have as much trouble as Jake-san and Yusuke. They're older and have most likely been around other females in heat," Botan informed her.

"Yusuke-san?" Tonya repeated. "Yusuke-san? You've got to be joking!" She shuddered. "Kami... scary."

Jake tried to relax as the three continued to talk, but he just couldn't seem to. Tonya's scent was driving him nuts, making him think things he normally wouldn't. He felt almost drunk on her presence, as well as uptight. He could easily hear and understand what was going on and said, but it took all of his will power not to go over to her and kiss her. He wanted to touch her so badly, and he couldn't help but think of the kiss she had returned. Of course, he hated the fact that Hiei had kissed her, absolutely hated it.

Praying that he could control himself, he dug his fingernails into his palms. 'I won't jump Tonya. I won't jump Tonya.'

"So, Botan-chan, what am I supposed to do? Wait this out?" Tonya asked.

"Actually... this won't end until you choose a mate," Botan replied.

"WHAT?" Tonya's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit no. There is no way..." She shook her head. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with four male demons protecting me while I'm in heat?"

"Choose one, of course," she answered calmly. "It won't hurt them to settle down."

"This oughta be good," Kuwabara commented softly. "I wonder who she'll choose."

'He makes it sound like this is some kind of game he's betting on,' Tonya thought, scowling. "Damn. Shit. Fuck it all. There is no way I'm gonna do that! I don't want to settle down. I don't want a mate!" Tonya shouted. She wanted to stay single, mainly because she was so independent. She was used to doing what she wanted, when she wanted without having to answer to any guy. "I'm too young for one of those! I wasn't planning on getting married or anything for years."

Jake took one step towards the quarter cat demon. While his brain had easily picked up every word she had said, his body had only concentrated on two words: Fuck and mate. He was quickly losing his will to stay away.

Tonya shook her head violently, growling softly. "Damn it! I won't pick a fucking mate! I won't!"

After hearing those two words again, Jake went straight for Tonya, moving as fast as he could, which was faster than she could see. Before the auburn-haired girl knew it, Jake was French kissing her, his hands wandering up the front of her shirt.

A second later, the aqua-eyed boy went flying back and hit a wall, groaning as he sunk to the floor. 'That hurt,' he thought. 'But it was worth it.'

Tonya sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration as Kuwabara looked on in shock. "Botan-chan, please tell me that you have some good news amongst all of this mess?" she pleaded, blue eyes focusing on the grim reaper. She really needed some good news.

"Well... after a little while, the boys will adjust to your new scent, making it harder for you to attract them," the ferry-girl replied.

"Thank you, Kami!" the young female whispered firmly, clasping her hands in a praying position.

"But not that much harder. If you kiss any one of them, they won't fight you," Botan added.

Sighing, Tonya began to walk away. "Great. Just great." She paused just long enough to say a few last things. "I'm going to bed now. Good night. My door will be locked." With that said, she left Botan and the two boys to their own devices.

Sometime around ten in the morning, Tonya crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom, a change of clothes and her boombox in hand. She loved the bathroom (even though it was the only bathroom in the large safe house), mainly because it was huge and fancy with a small whirlpool tub and a large shower stall. A toilet and a black marble-top sink were close by. Yawning, she plugged in her boombox and pushed play, quickly moving to turn on the water in the bathtub. Normally, she was a shower person, but after dealing with the guys, she felt she had earned a relaxing bath.

An hour later, she came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt. After putting her boombox back in her room and her clothes in the laundry room, she went into the living room, intent on watching a little television. She found Kurama and Hiei in there. The redhead was on the couch, and the fire demon was sitting in the windowsill.

"Hey! Mornin'!" Tonya said brightly.

"Morning?" Kurama repeated. "It's almost the afternoon."

She shrugged. "So?" She sat down in one of the armchairs, suddenly remembering what she needed to tell them, which caused her to blush. "Hiei-sama... Kurama-dono... Botan-chan was here yesterday."

"And what's the big deal about that?" Hiei inquired gruffly. "The ditz was probably just here to gossip."

Tonya rolled her eyes. "She was here because she had something very important to tell everyone, and since you guys weren't around last night, I get to tell you." She paused just long enough to take a deep, relaxing breath. "She said that I went into heat yesterday."

"I know," Kurama stated. "And I believe Hiei does as well." The koorime nodded.

"Okay then... do either of you have any idea how I'm supposed to deal with it?" she asked. "'Cause I sure don't."

"What did Botan suggest?" the kitsune wanted to know.

Tonya sighed. "She said that I was supposed to pick a mate." She glared at the two males. "And I am most certainly NOT going to do that. I happen to like being single." She crossed her arms stubbornly, showing them with her body that she wasn't going to budge in the slightest.

"I guess the only thing you can do is keep your distance," Kurama suggested logically. "I believe as long as don't touch Hiei or myself, we'll be fine. For Jake and Yusuke, I would suggest you make sure you're never in the same room as them."

"Yippee," she responded sarcastically. "Joys. That's just how I want to spend my time, running away from the guys who are supposed to be protecting me!"

"It can't be helped," the redhead told her, lightly shrugging his shoulders as his voice remained calm. "There's nothing anyone can do."

Tonya hung her head, closing her eyes. God, how she wanted to cry. "This is going to be one long stay in this stupid safe house."

Tonya was sitting on the living room couch, watching a movie, when Yusuke, Jake, and Kuwabara arrived. She wasn't even given a chance to stand up before Yusuke was on her, pressing her into the couch, his lips on hers. Before anyone knew it, the son of Raizen found himself flying to the other side of the room, banging into the wall.

Sighing sadly, she got up and ran to her room, glancing back just long enough to make sure the guys weren't following her.

It took two weeks for Jake and Yusuke to become accustomed enough to her scent that they could be in the same room without her being jumped. As for Hiei and Kurama, they seemed to adjust as well, becoming increasingly comfortable around her.

During her normal homework help sessions, Kurama did kiss her a few times, but he always gained control of himself before he pushed his luck too much and ended up flying across the room. Hiei kept his distance until Tonya borrowed his sword so she could have a good look at it and swing it around for a while. Needless to say, he was not happy with her, but he brought Tonya her own sword the next day to keep her from messing with his again.

Yusuke acted like his normal punk self, but he made sure to keep at least five feet between him and Tonya at all times. He did not want to have a repeat of the last accident. He wasn't the most intelligent guy, but he wasn't stupid either. Jake, on the other hand, interacted more and more with Tonya as he learned how to control himself better (he was thrown into walls quite a few times until he learned how to keep his hands to himself), and during the third week he surprised her by hugging her without doing anything she didn't like.

At the end of her fourth week after going into heat, Tonya brought all her drawing supplies out into the living room, setting them down next to her favorite reclining armchair (which she called hers, of course). She then went over to the television and began rooting through all the movies that were in a box next to it. Koenma had been smart enough to realize that it was a good idea to find multiple ways to entertain a teenage girl, just in case.

Finally picking one, she went over to the television and turned it on. That seemed to signal all the guys to come into the living room. For some reason, Kurama and Hiei had stuck around after the other three males had arrived, not that she was complaining. She found the arguments between Hiei and Kuwabara absolutely hilarious.

Before she could even stick in the movie, all five boys came into the room. Hiei sat in one armchair, while Kurama claimed Tonya's favorite. Yusuke, Jake, and Kuwabara plopped down on the couch.

"So, what are we watching?" Yusuke inquired. "Please tell me it's not a romance."

Tonya snorted. "Since when have you known me to watch romance movies? You've known me for how long, and you're still thinking that I'm going to stick in some mushy-gushy movie? I'm sticking in Rush Hour 2."

"Cool. I always liked that movie," Jake commented.

"I've never seen it," Kuwabara stated. Of course, Jake and Yusuke had to lecture the carrot top for not watching such a great movie.

Rolling her eyes, she put the movie in and hit play, going back over to her favorite armchair. "You're in my spot," she informed Kurama, frowning at him as the previews began to play. She was a possessive person by nature when it came to certain things, and she preferred people to not mess with whatever she claimed as hers.

"I did not know you had it saved," the redhead replied, a small smile on his face. He was teasing her.

Tonya sighed, not really in the mood to mess around with forcing him to give back her chair. It just wasn't worth it. "Oh well." She sat down on the floor right in front of the armchair as Yusuke got up and turned off the lights.

"If this is your spot, then I don't see why we both can't sit here," Kurama commented, reaching down and lifting her into his lap. "There." His arms went around her waist as Yusuke sat back down.

Tonya waited for him to do something else, but he didn't. The kitsune seemed perfectly content just to hold her. "I wanted to draw though, and it's kinda hard to do that with the lights off and someone's arms wrapped around me."

"Do you always have to draw during a movie?" Kuwabara asked.

"He does have a point. It wouldn't kill you to simply sit back and enjoy the show for once," Jake added.

She sighed in defeat. "Fine. You guys win." Not knowing what else to do, she leaned back against Kurama's chest, laying her arms on top of his. Then, she yawned.

Right before the actual movie began to play, Kurama leaned the chair completely back so that it was flat like a bed, spinning the recliner so he could look sideways and still see the screen. "Go to sleep if you like."

Tonya blinked a few times. "I'm alright, but don't you find this a little uncomfortable?"

"No," he replied.

"Will you two be quiet!" Yusuke snapped.

"Yeah! The movie's started!" Kuwabara stated, sounding annoyed.

"Would you mind if I moved around a little?" Tonya whispered. "I'm uncomfortable."

Kurama shook his head. "Not at all. Move around all you like," he whispered back.

Tonya wiggled around until she was lying on her stomach, her head resting right underneath Kurama's chin. She placed her hands palms down on his chest, a small smile on her face. 'I'm snuggling with Kurama-dono. How unusual. After all the stories I've written, I never thought I'd actually get to do it. This is almost funny. Too bad I don't have a computer here. I'll have to have Botan-chan talk to Koenma-sama about that. I do have my disks with all my stories on them with me, strangely enough.'

About halfway through the movie, Tonya felt strong hands move her up a little, bringing her face to face with Kurama. She stared into his green eyes for a moment, wondering what he was thinking. Then, he softly kissed her, the action a mere brush of lips. When she closed her eyes, Kurama took that as an invitation, kissing her again.

It had been years since he had last kissed a female demon, and since Tonya was in heat, she was just all the more tempting. His demon side wanted to claim her as his, mainly because she smelled so inviting, but his human half held him back and made him act like a gentleman, making sure he went no farther than kissing. Tongue, however, was fair game, and he quickly found out that if he traced Tonya's lips with his tongue, she would open her mouth for him.

Jake glanced over at Tonya, finding her kissing Kurama. The sight made his blood boil. He had barely been able to tolerate seeing her on the kitsune's lap, but now that they were making out, he didn't think he could take it anymore. At the moment, he had two choices: he could leave the room, or he could separate the two. He decided to go with the latter option rather than the former one.

He went over and tapped both demons on the shoulders, which effectively broke them up. Kurama just glared at him, while Tonya looked up and blushed like mad, the color in her cheeks apparent even in the dark. "Would you mind if I stole her from you for a little while?"

"Why don't you ask Tonya-chan?" Kurama suggested, tone calm but distant despite the friendlier honorific he had attached to her name. The female took that to mean he wasn't happy. The look in his green eyes confirmed her guess.

Jake bristled slightly at that. He didn't like how Kurama had attached the chan to the end of her name. 'Two can play at that game,' he thought. "Tonya-chan, would you mind if I stole you from Kurama-san?" he inquired, not sure how she would answer. He remembered all her stories in which a character she had created wormed her way into Kurama's heart. He knew she liked the redhead, and he didn't like that. During camp, she had admitted her feelings for him, and he hadn't said a word back to her. He was regretting his lack of response now, especially since she seemed so damn taken with Kurama.

Tonya stared up at Jake and realized that she didn't quite know what to say. The sad thing was, she liked both Jake and Kurama (and Hiei as well, but not nearly as much as the other two); however, she trusted Kurama a little more, mainly because she knew the kitsune could control himself better. Jake was a great guy, but he was also a young demon. Still...

"I guess not," she replied after a few moments, gently climbing off of Kurama, expression wary. She went over to the couch, allowing Jake to pull her into his lap. He simply held her for about five minutes before kissing her neck and then her lips. She kissed him back, feeling relieved when his hands didn't wander in the slightest. She was thrilled when he allowed her to pull away from the kissing. Smiling, she snuggled up against him, her head on his shoulder. It was a comfortable position, and she soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

When the movie finished, Jake looked down at Tonya. "She's dead asleep."

"So's Kuwabara," Yusuke added. "And once he's asleep, there's no way to wake him up." He sighed in aggravation.

"That's great and all, but what do we do with Tonya-chan?" the aqua-eyed boy wanted to know, running a hand through his short black hair.

"Put her in her bed, of course," the raven-haired punk replied.

Jake nodded his head in understanding. "I guess that is the only choice."

Frowning, Kurama stood up and stopped Jake from going anywhere with the girl. "I mean no offense, but I don't believe it would be wise for you to take the girl back there. After all, her scent is strongest in her room."

"Well, I don't think you should take her back there either," the teenage boy retorted.

Kurama looked at Yusuke, but Genkai's student just shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't even trust myself to carry her."

Jake scowled at the redhead. "If I can't take her, and neither can you or Yusuke-san, what are we supposed to do with her? Kuwabara-san's got most of the couch."

"Let Hiei take her to her room," the kitsune suggested.

The fire demon stood up and shook his head. "No."

"Then who's going to do it?" Kurama calmly retorted.

"I don't care, but I won't do it," Hiei shot back.

"C'mon. It wouldn't kill you," Jake pitched in.

Hiei glared at them. "No."

"We can't leave Tonya out here; there's no place to put her, so why don't you take her back to her room?" Kurama inquired.

"No."

"Someone has to do something with her," Jake stated.

"I don't care. I'm not taking her to bed," the fire demon replied firmly. He was not going to budge at all in his resolve. Someone else could take the girl to bed. "I could care less about what you do with the onna."

"Hiei..." Kurama began.

"No."

Hiei sighed sadly as he carried Tonya back to her room. 'How'd he rope me into doing this? I don't understand at all.' Whether he liked it or not, he had to put her to bed. So, he planned on dumping her on the mattress and fleeing out the window.

Nodding his head at his plan, the fire demon went into Tonya's bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Instantly, he was fully surrounded by her thick, tantalizing, warm scent. Trying to concentrate, he pulled the covers down and laid her on the mattress. He almost covered her back up, but her bed looked so inviting, as did she. Her auburn hair looked so soft spread out over the pillow, and she looked like a sweet angel at the moment, her breaths smooth and even.

Not thinking clearly, Hiei climbed into the bed, instinctively drawing Tonya close to him. He brought her back flat against his chest and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her enticing scent. Before he realized it, he was fast asleep in the exact place he was not supposed to be.

"Where's Hiei-san?" Jake wondered. It was ten minutes since the fire demon had disappeared with the girl, and he was beginning to worry. A part of him was telling him that something was wrong, he just wasn't sure what.

"He's probably camped out in a tree right outside of Tonya-chan's room, just like he usually is when he has night duty," Kurama replied. "I can sense him in that general area."

"Okay," the dark-skinned youth responded, feeling a little bit better. Still, he hated how Kurama kept using the chan when it came to Tonya. Kurama had no right to call her that, especially since he hadn't known her for all that long; yet, Tonya let him, simply accepting whatever he called her.

With the matter of Hiei settled, Yusuke changed the subject. "Who wants to be the first to watch for the demon that sent the nice little note?"

Jake volunteered, so the other two went to bed.

onna - woman