Kurogane sighed as he waited at the bus stop. Jessi was the one who had called him up late last night, and demand that he meet her here, and now, she was over and hour late. What was the meaning of this? Was she just trying to mess around with him? This wouldn't be the first time that she and Fai teamed up to do a little teasing, but she usually didn't pull stuff like this.

Getting annoyed, he flipped open his cellphone, and called her number. When she didn't answer him, he tried calling Sakura, thinking maybe she had stopped to see her. Sakura answered the phone, but denied knowing where Jessi was.

"Syaoran-kun and I saw talked to her this morning, but we haven't heard from her since." she said.

"Well, what did she say when you talked to her?"

"Hmm, I think she said something about going to meet you...Syaoran-kun, do you remember what Jessi-chan said?"

The sound of the phone passing hands occurred, and then the brunette boy was on the line. "She said she was going to stop by somewhere before she went to meet up with you, Kurogane-san."

"Well, where?" he asked. This was getting ridiculous, how was it not occurring to them what he was asking? The younger boy thought about it for a few seconds, then piped up, "She said she was going to visit Fai-san!"

So it had been a prank after all. The two of them were probably watching from a distance, laughing amongst themselves. But that just didn't feel like the truth to Kurogane. He'd known Jessi a long time, and she was sweet, and a little shy, and he had a gut feeling he should be a little more concerned.

"Okay, thanks." he said, hanging up before Syaoran could answer. He then dialed Fai's number. It rang a couple times before he picked up, "Kuro-sama? Why are you calling me in the middle of your date with Jessi-kun?" he asked teasingly. Fai always referred to Jessi in the male term kun, probably because it completely didn't fit her, as she was very beautiful, with cute little fangs, and an adorable smile. But Kurogane didn't have time to dwell on that, because Fai had indicated that he thought Jessi was with him.

Therefore, Jessi was not with anyone.

Now, he was worried.

"She isn't with you?" he asked. It wasn't like him to ask stupid questions with obvious answers, but his mind was foggy all of a sudden, imagining the danger she might be in.

"No." Fai answered. "She was here about an hour ago, but then she ran to meet you. She was in quiet a hurry, because she was afraid she would be late for your date."

Fai also always referred to them as already dating, even though that wasn't true. Not that Kurogane didn't want it to be true. He had quite a soft spot for Jessi.

"And have you heard from here since then?" he questioned.

"No..." Fai answered, starting to sound concerned. Fai was sharp, even though he acted like an idiot, and so the blond was quickly picking up on the fact that Jessi was not with Kurogane, and had not been heard from for almost an hour.

Kurogane cussed, and started to hang up, but Fai's voice called to him from the other line.

"Do you want Sume-chan and I to come help you look for her?" Sume was Fai's girlfriend, who had blond hair like him, but green eyes. They'd been dating for almost a year now.

Kurogane considered it. Having help wouldn't hurt. Which was why, less than five minutes later, Fai and Sume were there, Sume gripping Fai's arm tightly, concerned for her friend.

"Nobody's heard from Jessi in almost an hour?" she asked worriedly, and the boys nodded.

"But it's only five minutes from your house to this bus stop." the girl added. Kurogane knew she was right. Jessi must have left Fai's house to come meet up with him, and something had happened in that brief time.

"Alright, let's stop wasting time and start looking for her." Kurogane ordered, and the group quickly spread out, Kurogane going one way, while Fai and Sume checked the other. As Kurogane walked, he imagined all the terrible things that might have happened to Jessi, and he found himself growing more and more upset. She was a smart girl, but even she could get into sticky situations.

Just as he walked past an alley way, he heard a shout of what could only be called pain. He looked in, and his eyes widened as he saw Jessi, attempting to fight off five men, much taller and stronger than she was, all by herself.

"For the last time, I'm not going with you!" she screamed, squirming so that one of her captives let go of one arm, giving her a chance to swing and hit him in the head. He let go, but the other four quickly swarmed her.

"Come on, sweetie, don't be like that." another guy said. "We just were looking for a pretty date."

At this point, Kurogane was seeing red. He felt his rage boil. The attackers barely had time to process what was happening, before they were all getting a brutal beat down, from what appeared to be a red eyed demon.

"Kurogane!" Jessie gasped in relief. She'd managed to hold of these five men for a whole hour, but at this point, she was grateful for the help.

With in minutes, the attackers were unconscious on the ground, and Kurogane loomed over them, eyes still burning with rage, only simmering down when Jessi put a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you, Kurogane. You can calm down now."

He breathed out, calming himself, before turning to her. She was cut up, and she looked disheveled. Still beautiful, but he pissed him off anyway.

"Let's get back to your house and bandage you up." he said softly, and she nodded an agreement. As they walked to her place, she called Fai and Sume to tell them she was alright, and to thank them for searching.

At her apartment, where she lived on her own, she sat on the sofa, as Kurogane got some bandages, and gently set to work patching her up. It was a funny site, Kurogane being so gentle. But she found it sweet.

"Again, thank you." she said, and he nodded silently, before wrapping his last bandage and looking up. They locked eyes, and Jessi found herself blushing. She'd liked Kurogane for a long time now, and she thought he might like her too, but she had never been sure.

Now, as he swallowed, and then started to lean forward, she was sure.

Their first kiss was gentle, and beautiful, and everything she imagined it would be.

"Next time, I'll be there to protect you. Always." Kurogane solemnly swore, and she smiled and grabbed his hand.

"And I plan to enjoy every second of it."


This was written for my friend Garnet Kitsune, who is writing a wonderful Fanfic called the sands of time! Jessi comes from that story, so technically this is an AU of a sortaish AU. I think you're really like her story! Go read it! Jessi is based on her, and Sume is based on me! I hope you don't mind that I put myself in the story too, Garnet! And I hope you liked the story!