A Girl Unknown to Love

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sesshomaru demands, not even bothering to get up from his spot on the ground as he watches Rei walk away from the camp.

“I’m leaving to find myself something to eat.” Rei says in an emotionless voice as she walks in a random direction. Sesshomaru sighs.

“You will return by morning, or I shall come looking for you.” Sesshomaru says, only to receive a growl from her.

“Fuck off, you bastard.” Rei says as she crouches down, only to spring forward, and into the tree. She doesn’t even look back at him before running off into the woods. After an hour or so of running, she hears something cry out. When she goes to investigate, she finds a wounded two tailed black cat with red markings on its feet and tails while it has a red double crescent moon on its forehead. She quickly picks it up and treats its wounds before transforming into her dog form. She runs off in an attempt to find a water source.

Meanwhile, Kagome and friends are putting away their stuff from camp when they hear something running through the forest next to them. Instantly, Inuyasha and Miroku step in-between the girls and the forest.

“What was that?” Kagome asks, looking over Inuyasha’s shoulder. She gasps when she sees a dog demon jump out of the trees. They all look behind the dog when they hear something growling.

“What the hell!” Inuyasha shouts as he sees a familiar dog demon walk out of one of the bushes. He instantly pushes Kagome further behind him when he sees the feral look on the dog’s face. “Stay there, Kagome.” He commands as he takes a step forward, only to stop when the smaller dog demon turns, and attacks the bigger one. Inuyasha watches in amazement as the smaller dog demon bites into the bigger’s shoulder.

“What are they doing?” Miroku asks from next to Inuyasha, who looks at the with a sigh.

“That’s Sesshomaru. And I’m guessing the other one is Rei.” Inuyasha says with a sigh as he carefully sidesteps a tree that had been knocked down by the two fighting dog demons.

“But why would Rei be attacking Sesshomaru? I thought they were mated.” Miroku says, confusion evident on both his face and in his voice. Inuyasha sighs while rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, since the two of them never actually chose each other, there was always a chance that Rei wouldn’t agree. Well, at least Rei didn’t chose. There’s a good chance that Sesshomaru knew what he was doing when he challenged her.” Inuyasha says, grabbing Kagome before jumping out of the way just when Rei is pushed about ten feet away from Sesshomaru, landing directly where they had been standing.

“So you’re saying that she’s unstable?” Miroku questions, his eyes going wide. Inuyasha sighs before shrugging his shoulders.

“Who knows. Otherwise, they could just be having a lover’s quirl.” Inuyasha says with a smirk on his face at the prospect of Sesshomaru finally getting his ass kicked. However slim chance that was.

After about an hour of fighting, Sesshomaru’s standing above Rei, who’s lowered onto her stomach, growling up at him. In one swift motion, Sesshomaru brings his head down, and bites her on the neck. Inuyasha’s eyes widen when he realizes just what’s going on.

“Alrighty! We need to get out of here….NOW!” Inuyasha says, picking Kagome up before carrying her as far away as fast as he can before she could see what’s happening. Once they stop, he puts Kagome down, only to have her turn to him with an angry look on her face.

“What the hell, Inuyasha! Why did you take off like that?” Kagome questions, looking at Inuyasha with narrowed eyes. He looks at her for a moment before deciding he might as well tell her.

“Rei must have gone into heat last night. I knew I had been smelling something off in the wind, I just thought it was a human pet that had entered their season.” Inuyasha says, trying his best to explain it with as little words as he can. Kagome looks at him for a moment in confusion before turning when she hears someone talking behind her.

“So that’s why she was she ruthless in her attacks.” Miroku says in understanding. Kagome looks at him with irritation before shaking her head.

“Would someone PLEASE explain this to me?!” Kagome demands, only to look up when she feels arms wrap around her.

“Basically, it means that Rei is in her time of being able to carry children. If Sesshomaru is successful tonight, Rei will be having a child in…” Sango says before turning to Inuyasha. “How long are demons pregnant for? Is it the same amount of time as humans?” she asks, Inuyasha sighs before collapsing onto the ground.

“Not exactly. Most demons carry children for exactly ten months before birthing them into the world. However,” Inuyasha looks up at them. “Dog demons are a little different. They are much like regular wolves in that regard. Dog demons carry their pups for three months before they dig a den. They spend the remaining month in the den, preparing it for when the pups arrive, well the female does. The male isn't able to get within ten feet of the den until the pups are around ten years old.” Inuyasha smiles slightly. “That’s why you don’t see as many females as you do males. They spend most of their lives taking care of young.” Inuyasha says with a sigh as he lowers his head onto his knees. “It’s a touchy time for both mates and they can be very unpredictable.” He says. Kagome stands there with her eyes wide.

“You mean Rei is going to be gone for the next eleven years?! What the hell is she supposed to do to be around people?” Kagome questions. All three of the remaining others in the group look at her with an ‘are you stupid’ look. “What?!” she questions.

“Rei’s most likely not going to let anyone around her pups until she’s sure they’re able to take care of themselves. That means she will attack anyone that gets too close to them.” Miroku says in a snappish voice, only to flinch when he feels Sango slam her fist into the back of his head. She walks over to Kagome before kneeling down next to her.

“There’s something you must understand, Kagome.” Sango says as she wipes the tears that had started to gather around Kagome’s eyes at the prospect of not being able to see her friend again.

“What is it?” Kagome asks in a broken voice.

“The odds of Rei not surviving the pregnancy is extremely high. She’s young, and hot tempered.” Sango begins, only to be stopped by Inuyasha.

“Female dog demons must remain calm throughout their pregnancy. That, and she probably won’t be in human form for long after the first month. Her human body just won't be able to put up with the strain that this is going to put on her.” Inuyasha says with a sad sigh at the thought of how sad Kagome would be if her best friend was to die during this pregnancy. “Sesshomaru should have known better than to breed her at this age. She shouldn’t even have a mate yet.” Inuyasha says with a sigh.