Warning, this chapter will have lemon. Get your faces ready cause this lemon is going to be sour... Nay I'm just playing with yah. It's just light lemonade. But serious, things are going to get a little frisky half-way through this chapter. Oh and for the record, Akai means red.

Chapter 43

"My word, the human palate is extraordinary." Kage said as he devoured the rations served that day in the Mesh Hall with the whole gang.

"Man, you guys must have been deprived of taste out there if you think this is good." Commented Shun jokingly.

"Hm, this must taste better than Aragami, huh?" Karel asked.

"Yes!" Shiro answered. "This has much more flavor than Aragami."

"Don't eat so fast, you'll make yourself sick!" Alisa scolded Shiro.

"But... I like this stuff." Shiro pouted.

"The food isn't going anywhere. There's always a new flavor tomorrow." Soma said, being the voice of reason.

"The human diet has so many varieties." Commented Kage. "I have no need to fear of ever getting bored."

"Glad to know you're enjoying being human-like." Kota grinned.

"Does this mean you'll stop eating Aragami?" Lindow asked.

"No. We still get cravings, we'll eat Aragami parts every now and then." Kage answered.

"Just like how Akai needs to eat Aragami." Shiro said, pointing down at Akai as he ate Fierce Kongou parts in a dog bowl on the floor next to their table.

"You needn't worry Lindow." Okami reassured. "I've got enough in storage to satisfy their appetite and continue to fill it with each mission. Good thing I'm a hoarder."

"It's amazing how well they do on missions." Sakuya pointed out.

"I agree," Gina chuckled. "They fight flawlessly with hardly any training."

"Not true," Okami corrected. "They've been fighting since they were tiny pups. It just took a while to get them use to their new bodies before we returned."

Kage grinned at the memory. "Shiro freaked out when his arm for the first took blade-form."

"I didn't freak out, I was merely surprised." Shiro protested.

"But I have to admit, it's strange seeing you in this form after first seeing you as Vajratails." Tatsumi chuckled.

"How does it feel having arms?" Brendan asked. Kage looked down at his hands.

"Strange at first, but after a while convenient..."

"Yeah with these," Shiro said lifting up his fists in a one-two punch formation. "We can punch anyone's lights out who would dare try to approach Okami in 'the challenge.'" Okami rubbed her head at this, letting her hand slide down her face in exasperation.

"Aren't you being a little over protective?" Kanon commented.

"Mating is serious business in the Aragami world. Not just anyone is good enough for our sister."

"Oh, have you shown interest in anyone for them to worry about this Okami?" Lindow asked her with a sly grin. Having a knowing look on his face since he had spent time in her mind once.

She sighed at both her brother's and Lindow's antics. "Guys... the day I get a challenge of mating right is the day Kage gets an admirer."

"...Why do I feel I should take offense to that?" Kage said nonchalantly.

"Um... excuse me." Suddenly they all turned to the sound of the shy voice to see the little girl who would come to the Den talking about her flowers addressing us.

She sported a huge blush on her cheeks and kicked her feet around. Her blush got bigger as she looked at Kage, who was looking at her with curiosity for being a new face to him. Of course she appeared in the Den when he was around, but she wouldn't approach him. Only watching from afar, at first Okami thought she was just scared but she guessed she was wrong.

Her hands that were behind her back then suddenly thrust outward, getting close to his face, with a flower in them.

"F-for you!" Somehow her blush got redder and increased in size as he made contact with her hand to take the flower from her. Before he could thank her she squealed and ran off before the words could leave his mouth. Leaving him puzzled and slightly confused.

The others laughed at this, while Okami smacked her forehead with her hand at such horrible timing of this situation. And the fact she actually liked the girl, she was too cute and innocent for her head to roll for taking interest in one of her brothers.

"Looks like it'll happen sooner than you think Okami!" Lindow said, laughing his guts out with the other guys.

"Lindow! Don't tease her so much!" Sakuya said, scolding Lindow as she lightly chuckled as well.

"Females... other than you sis, I fear I'll never understand them."

"You will in time Kage. I only fear that it will happen too soon."

"...Okami."

"Yeah Soma?"

"Meet me in my room later." Everyone turned to Soma, silenced by his boldness. Until he finished with this, "I think it's high time I return your mask."

"Ah, mother! It was a good thing you brought that up. I was starting to feel lonely without her mask. And dare I say I felt naked without it too."

"...Then meet with me later."

"Understood."

"Damn that was fast Soma."

"Shut up Kota."

****** Soma's Room ******

"Oh mother. How I missed you so." I embracing the mask of my mother to my chest before strapping it back to my waist and turned back to Soma, who was leaning against the door as I grabbed mother's mask from his counter. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"Hmph. If parting with it made you feel this way why did you leave it behind?"

"It was the only way to let you know that I was coming back."

"And what a surprise that was to come back to."

"I'm sorry, but... I knew if I told you you would've stopped me."

"Most likely."

"But look at how far we've come Soma. Eric has finally returned after a long recovery leave. Everyone has gotten stronger and matured. My brothers and Akai have been accepted into the pact and fight along side the Den."

"Yeah... But I can't help but notice you let them fight on their own with everybody else except Kanon."

"Although she has greatly improved since when I first met her, she still is pron to misfire. And with my brothers and Akai, such a misfire can be deadly."

"Hm, you're right. But all the same, they get along with her at the Den."

"That's true and that's all I can ask for..." Taking a big breath, I noticed something off with my mask. "How strange... I know it's been with you all this time, but... my mask shouldn't be carrying your scent so much."

"That's cause I would embrace it in my sleep."

"... What? Why?"

"Because." His eye clouded as he approached. " I missed you while you were gone. I craved you, dreamed about you, you plagued my mind, I needed anything to dull my emptiness... Anything to remind me of you and your damn beautiful spring leaf eyes."

His words caught me off guard as I backed up into the wall in his room, only stopping as he successfully blocked all my exits with his arms.

"You bring out the better man in me and my inner monster all at the same time. I should hate it, but... I love you for it."

"Are you serious? Soma, this isn't something to joke about!" I say panicked, this isn't good he's getting all hyped, his inner Aragami is coming out.

"I am being serious." Looking into my eyes he lifted one of his hands to cup my face. "I want you, Okami."

"... Do you have any idea of the seriousness of your words."

"I do... Okami, I wish to challenge you for the right to be your mate."

"...Why are you doing this to me Soma? Do you have no idea how cruel you're being?" He faltered a bit.

"I... I just wanted to get that off my chest. Others are starting to take interest in you and I've done nothing about it so far, just getting angry in the background. Before someone else grabs your interest... before I lose my chance... I just wanted to express my feelings towards you before I regret missing my chance. But, I guess... you don't return the feeling."

Unable to hold back anymore, I grabbed him by the tie and pulled him down to my level giving him a kiss before he could back away. It wasn't a chaste kiss like the ones I would give him before on the cheeks, it was a full blown mouth-to-mouth kiss. This somewhat caught him off guard as my other hand grabbed the back of his head, deepening the kiss. I would stop to give him a chance to breath as I sucked on his bottom lip, pressing our bodies together. I licked his bottom lip, lightly biting it, asking for entrance. I moaned when he complied, hastily entering the cavern of his mouth and fighting his tongue for dominance.

He growled immediately as our tongues made contact, showing no mercy he used the strength he had over me to dominate my tongue in battle then explored the spoils of war of my mouth to his desire. With one hand on my waist pulling me closer while the other dug into my hair, dipping me into a deeper kiss.

I whimpered as I tasted him, he had a natural taste of winter frost and pine that would make my eyes rolled back with pleasure. Rolling my body on his I pushed him back, leading us both to his couches until we fell onto it with me straddling his hips.

We both gasped for air as we broke apart, looking into each other eyes.

"What cruel words you speak Soma." I say slightly out of breath. "Of course I want you. Of course I want to be the one by your side during your times of happiness and even your sorrows. I want to bare your children. I want to ravish you until we both can't walk for hours."

I grounded my hips into him at that, getting a good feel of the bulged growing in excitement. He let out an animalistic growl at my antics as his eyes glazed over while digging his hands into the couch. I stilled after getting the point across.

"But... I love you too much... to be selfish enough to challenge you to the right of mating. I will not force you to be bound to me. So I've kept these feelings locked away deep into the subconscious of my mind were no one else could see, except Lindow unintentionally, so that... you wouldn't be burdened. The choice would always be yours."

I closed my eyes and turned away, unable to meet his eyes at this moment. But he grabbed my chin and turned me to look back at him.

"Who gave you the right to decide what's good for me or not? I grow tired of you carrying the burden by yourself."

"I'm sorr- ah!" I moaned as his other hand pushed me down on his bulge giving me a pleasurable friction.

"I'll decide what's a burden, or what's not, for me. And I've decided that I want you... to the point that I'm willing to fight for you on your terms."

"... If that is your choice..." I said getting off him, already missing his body heat. He lightly growled in protest, but I ignored it. For now we have other things to take care of. "Come with me. We'll settle this once and for all at the Sunken Grid."