Iku summoned Sana to her hut. She had been staying in the cave at night coming back with Jiro in the mornings in good spirits and ready to start her days.
Waiting in the doorframe she motioned for Sana to enter. Moving aside the bamboo curtain she went in.
"Good morning Iku." Sana greeted brightly.
"Good morning Sana." Pouring the tea she had prepared as the human sat Iku made herself comfortable. "There are some things we need to discuss now that Jiro has mated you."
"Alright." She said taking the saucer from her to sip at.
"Correct if I am wrong but I do not believe that the males of your species do not physically mark their females."
"Not that I know of." Sana shook her head slowly. "What do you mean by that?" Iku pushed aside the folded front of her kosode to reveal below her collar bone above her breast. "Is that, a bite mark?"
"It is. Riku marked me a very long time ago now when we were mating. Dog demons mark their mates in this way. The male lays his scent within it as well as his energy so others, especially males, will know that the female is his." Iku explained.
Taking in the information Sana though of how the first time they were together Jiro had nipped and licked at the spot on her.
"Jiro wants to mark me." She whispered smiling softly to herself.
"He does. By allowing him to do so it would bind him to you for as long as you are alive and then some." Iku stated.
"I love Jiro. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. Eventually I want us to have children together just not right now." Sana looked to Iku who watched her with a fondness that she could recall her own mother gazing at her with from time to time when she was happy for her.
"Well, if that is the case the we will make certain that you are not pupped until you are ready. Your mate will beg and he will whine to do so during your marking but as long as you take the tea I give you then you will be fine."
"Thank you Iku." Sana smiled widely.
"There is a question I have for you. Something I have observed that seems to be a human trait." Iku said.
"What is it?" Intrigued Sana set her saucer down in front of her.
"When Emi was in labor, Mitsuo placed his mouth to her hands and made a noise. Then he did it to her forehead. What was he doing?"
"Oh, that is called a kiss. Jiro was surprised the first time I kissed him. It is the same thing as licking. Kissing can be intimate or to show fondness or friendship."
"Ah." Iku said as she thought it over. "How do you do it?"
"Um, you just put your lips like this," Sana puckered her lips and made a kissing sound with them, "And do that." Holding up her hand to demonstrate she kissed it. "See. It is easy."
"Interesting." Iku said more to herself.
"You should try it on Riku. I'm sure he would like it." Sana giggled softly against her hand.
"Probably." Smiling as well she sipped at her tea.
"Iku, I know that you have been with your mate for longer than I could ever imagine. How did you both end up together?"
"Do you want the whole story?" Receiving an eager nod from Sana she sat back to get comfortable. "Izumis mother, Mizuki, was the lady I served in the southern house of the moon. There are many throughout the lands with houses of the sun joining together but it is always seen as a great victory when a moon pack can join with a celestial one or vice versa."
"Mizuki was sent to the eastern house of the sun to breed and potentially mate with Akio, Izumis sire. Being one of her attending ladies I was sent with her. Riku lived within eastern pack his entire life, he was one of Akios most trusted guards for many centuries. Everyone in the east appeared so strange to me with their golden hair and darker skin, pale eyes. So odd."
"Riku began to escort me to and from different places. When Mizuki expressed her desire to stay with Akio to be mated and marked I did as well. That was when I began my training to become a healer. At first Riku annoyed me tjen as time went on I began to look forward to seeing him. Before I knew it I expected him and would become anxious or nervous when he was late."
"Then I did a…bad thing." Sana furrowed her brow at those words as Iku glanced up at her bot seeming the motherly knowledgeable healer she and come to know but a younger version of herself.
"Go on." Sana said anxiously on the edge of her seat.
"There was another female whom Riku had been fooling around with and toying with mating. Mind you she was younger than us, how you are. Young but at an age where you can start to be an adult." Iku continued. "When I heard that he was seriously considering taking her as his mate I got him drunk and allowed him to mark me, as well as breed me."
"What?!" Sana exclaimed. "Here I thought you were a good girl." Laughing she practically doubled over.
"Afterwards I was not proud of myself but I got the mate I wanted. Besides, the bitch got me in the end." Iku rolled her eyes.
"How so?" Sana managed out.
"She remained unmated. She waited until my son was of age and bred with him."
"Oh no! Which one?"
"Kiyoshi. He doesn't know. None of us have ever told him that his mate was someone his father was once with."
"That is insane." Sanas eyes were as big as saucers as she was in utter disbelief. "Wow. I think I see you in a whole new light as of late. Does Riku know that you planned that?"
"Of course. I told him after Haruki was whelped what had happened." Iku answered. Shaking her head Sana took a breath. "We should start you on a tea now to prevent your marking to turn in to a breeding."
"Okay Iku." Sana still laughed softly as she watched the demon stand to begin grabbing different herbs to make an infusion.
"Is there anything I should do to prepare myself or to offer myself to Jiro?" Sana asked as the question came to mind.
"When the two of you are mating bare your throat to him. That will let him know that you are ready and willing to accept his mark." She responded.
"Alright. It was a bit odd at first, I know that as dog demons you use your sense of smell quite a lot but Jiro really enjoyed sniffing me when we were intimate." Sana couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks.
"Our sense of smell tells us everything we need to know especially about others." Iku said. "Scent tells us what a persons intentions are, where they have been, their physical well being…a great number of things. Here you are."
Iku handed Sana the small satchel she tied off. "Take this once a day, preferably in the morning. It is the same infusion you drank when you first arrived."
"Thank you Iku. You are too good to me." Smiling at her gratefully she stood. "Do you need anything while I am here?"
"No Sana. Thank you." Shaking her head once she stood as well to see her out. "Lady Izumi and Lady Rin have invited us along with Emi tomorrow for tea. Lady Kagome made a special blend that smells quite nice."
"I will look forward to it. Enjoy the rest of your day. Tell Riku I said hello."
"Of course pup." She said fondly as Sana exited the hut. Walking towards the forest she smelled the herbs she had been given scenting the ginger root.
Scrunching up her nose slightly she decided to take it to the cave then go to the pond to bathe. The day was humid and hot leaving her feeling dirty as sweat beaded and fell down her forehead.
Looking around the space she and Jiro cohabited at night she smiled to herself. Taking off her kimono to put on her yukata she placed her sunflower clip on top of her clothing and let her hair loose, it was due for a wash.
Grabbing the soap root she had gathered she went to the pond setting to work to pound out the root with a rock creating a nice lather. Dropping her yukata she waded through the warmer water to get to the more chilled in the middle.
"Oh, yes." Washing herself she dunked her head under coming up feeling refreshed. Lathering her hair she hummed to herself staring at the surrounding trees and sunlight that hit the pond. "I am so lucky to have had Lord Sesshomaru find me."
Feeling her hair throughly cleaned she ducked under the water again running her fingers through to get the soap out. Holding her breath and closing her eyes she suddenly felt arms seize her up.
Panicking she gasped for air as she sputtered fighting whomever had grabbed her.
"Sana. What are you doing?" Jiro demanded pulling her to him in a tight embrace.
"Jiro." She breathed out wiping at her face. Opening her eyes she glanced up at him. His eyes were wide and he appeared deeply upset. "Washing. What's wrong?"
Breathing out shakily he pressed his forehead to hers closing his eyes.
"I thought you had come here to…to harm yourself again." Speaking softly his voice wavered.
"No, no darling." She replied wrapping her arms around him. Trembling as he held her she bumped her nose against his. "Never, ever again. That was a mistake. I am so sorry I put you through that."
"I found you, right here, in the middle. You were just floating face down. When I grabbed you out your lips were blue, almost purple. I couldn't smell you."
"I remember running and running. When I came here it was as if this eerie peace came over me, it was unlike anything I have ever felt before. It was as if I was no longer in control of my body; all I could think of was that I just wanted it to stop. Everything. Knowing that it could was comforting." Sana explained.
"When I got here to the middle and went under I held my breath for as long as I could. The moment I took in water my senses came back and knew it was a mistake but I couldn't save myself. It was a trap that I had ensnared myself in."
"I sensed you by the cave so I went and found your clothing, your hair clip…it worried me. Then when I realized where you were, here…I hate this place." Jiro whispered.
"It's just a pond. Nothing more." Sana said. "We can make better memories here. For now let's go." Feeling him nod against her he lifted her up to carry her back to their temporary home.