Kuronue stood at the entrance to the hideout, leaning against the stone next to the entrance. He was waiting for a certain someone to come back. He glanced up at the setting sun and continued to wait. He'd been waiting six hours. Youko was so slow. The fox had been acting so strange lately. Kuronue was getting quite frustrated with him.

When the sun set and the stars began to come out, Kuronue gave up. He went back inside the house and ignored his men's requests to play games with them. He went straight to bed and plopped down on his and Youko's bed, sinking down in the piles of fur and stared at the ceiling. He glanced at the bar that was on the ceiling for him to sleep in. He hated sleeping horizontally like this, but he did it for Youko. He debated moving to his bar but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Surely Youko would wake him when he got back.

He woke up the next morning and it occurred to him that the bed next to him was empty and Kuronue was fairly sure Youko had never been in it. He got up in a bad mood and went to the wash room. Dumping the bucket of lukewarm water over his head, he thought about how Youko hadn't been very responsive lately. He set the bucket aside, starting to wash himself with some weird kind of soap the fox had made. It smelled grossly like flowers but Youko seemed to like it when he used it, for some reason or another.

He rinsed himself off and got dressed, heading into the main hall. He found Youko there, and couldn't contain his anger. He walked over to the youko, pinning him against the wall, forcefully. "Where the hell have you been?"

Youko didn't even look at him. "Does it matter? Let me go, Kuronue."

"It matters a lot!"

The noise in the main hall grew very silent as everyone eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Kuronue, if you don't let me go by the time I finish this statement," Youko's fangs flashed.

Kuronue scowled but let him go. "Fine, I'll let you go," he left the main hall, letting the door slam behind him. Youko ignored everyone else and went down the hall that Kuronue had come from.

Kuronue sat at the edge of a large lake, thinking about how annoyed he was at Youko. They had times where things seemed terrible, but they were just playing. It always led to amazing sex but this was different.

He wondered if Youko had found another mate. It would explain the fox's behavior. Youko had gotten so angry when Kuronue touched him. He suddenly got to his feet, angrily. If Youko had another mate, Kuronue was going to make that demon pay. He refused to let Youko go without a whimper.

He headed to the hideout and went down, into the main hall and then past. He threw the door open to the washroom, catching Youko off guard in the washroom, surprising him for just a moment. "We need to talk, Youko! Now!"

"Kuronue! I'm taking a bath!" Youko scowled at him.

"It's not like I haven't seen any of that before," Kuronue retorted. "We need to talk and I don't feel like waiting."

"I said get out!"

"Do you have another mate?" Kuronue blurted, his tone annoyed. He stood in front of the door, making sure Youko didn't escape while Kuronue was trying to talk to him. More than anything, Kuronue wanted an explanation about what was going on.

"WHAT?" Youko leapt to his feet, his eyes wide. "How did…"

"It's true? Youko, I don't know what you think, but I don't share!" Kuronue scowled. "I don't care who he is, you are mine, and I'm not letting him have you."

"I was going to say, how did you come to that ridiculous conclusion? You're being absolutely…" Youko scowled. "Just get out!"

"If it's not another mate, then what is it?" Kuronue demanded, walking over to him, getting right in his face.

"Don't worry about it!" Youko turned his back on Kuronue, grabbing the water bucket.

"You haven't been the same since you went to collect those plants. Now you get pissed if I even touch you!"

"I can't decide if I even like you anymore!" Youko scowled.

Kuronue looked startled, taking a step back. "What?" He never imagined this possibility. Youko finding someone else was possible, but Youko not liking him anymore was a different story. He'd always thought he was a good mate, and finding out that he wasn't a good mate was a surprise.

"You heard me. You're intolerable most of the time." Youko poured the water over his head and it puddled onto the ground. "You treat me like I'm your personal sex toy. The only words out of your mouth are ones that are insulting or self-appreciating. I just don't want you around me until I figure out how I feel."

Kuronue just stared blankly at Youko, his expression having lost all cockiness. "That's how you feel, then? Fine." He turned his back on Youko.

"Wait. That's it? That's all you have to say?" Youko was suddenly indignant. "Just fine?"

"Yeah, fine. If you don't appreciate all the shit I've done or taken for you, and you think that I'm just a cocky asshole who thinks of you as his personal cock toy, then yeah. That's it." Kuronue turned and shut the door, letting Youko think about what he'd said.

Youko threw the empty bucket across the room, shattering it against the wall. Now he was pissed off.

Kuronue was back at the lake, this time he planned to stay awhile. He couldn't believe that Youko really felt that way about him. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around his pendant, thinking distantly about the fox demon. He enjoyed being with Youko, and he tried very hard to be a good mate. He had always tried to be what Youko had wanted. The fox had always seemed extra responsive and sexually interested when Kuronue acted aggressive.

When did he stop liking that? Just as he wondered that, he felt someone sit next to him. He smelled the smell of Youko's flower body wash and he looked away from him. "You're here? Why?"

"I wanted to apologize for what I said," Youko answered. "Sometimes we get caught up in how things are and we forget that that's not how they always were."

"You really thought that I felt and acted like that?" Kuronue asked. "Like you were just something to fuck?"

Youko was silent a moment. "Deep down, I knew you weren't like that. But I was so… worried. I've just been really stressed out, lately."

Kuronue scooted over to Youko, wrapping his legs around the fox, and his arms too. He nuzzled Youko's neck, playfully. "I know you have. I definitely get that." He looked off at the lake, thinking about his fox. Sometimes Youko got uncomfortable with closeness… "Don't stress yourself out too bad though. I need help running this level of Makai."

"Yeah, yeah," Youko muttered, seeming too serious for Kuronue. Kuronue dipped his hands low, rubbing Youko through the material of his pants. Youko's eyes widened.

"What's a better stress reliever than that?" Kuronue asked. Youko seemed to try to push him away before Kuronue clung tighter to him, whispering into the fox's ear, "I don't want to satisfy myself at all. I want to go down on you."

Youko couldn't help a tiny whimper before clearing his throat. "What? Why?"

"I want to satisfy you. Let's go home and I'll give you the best, most attentive night you have ever had," Kuronue nipped at his neck.

"Why not here?" Youko murmured, cautiously. "Is this a trick, Kuronue?"

"No tricks." Kuronue grinned. "You choose the venue. Here it is." He sucked lightly on Youko's neck before lying him down on the grass. He untied the fox's belt, removing his top. He saw the fox's golden eyes glisten as he looked down at Kuronue eagerly.

Youko looked up at his lover, watching the large bat demon loom over him, with a wicked look in his eye. Youko was nearly breathless, wondering what Kuronue would do to him. He felt guilty about lying to Kuronue, but it was for a good reason. Youko had experienced a recent encounter with a demon that entirely shook his world up. At the end of the time he'd spent with him, Youko had wondered about everything, from how he lived his life, to if he even liked Kuronue.

Just when he had decided to break things off with the bat, Kuronue had read his mind, and he had refused to let him go without a battle. Youko realized something important now. He did like Kuronue, very much. And Kuronue felt the same. The two of them understood each other like no one else, and they shared a strong bond that the fox was sure he could never get away from. And he would probably never meet a demon who understood him quite as well if something happened to Kuronue.

He took a deep breath out of surprise when the bat demon fastened his lips onto his nipple, running his tongue over it, teasing it lightly with his teeth. He removed his mouth and blew on it gently. "Kuro, you're such a tease," Youko murmured.

The bat demon just gave him a wicked grin before moving to the other side. Youko breathed deeply, closing his eyes. It felt good, but he was eager to see what he would do next. His abs spasmed as Kuronue suddenly ran a warm tongue down them, stopping at Youko's happy trail. He massaged that area with his tongue as Youko moaned lightly.

"Kuro, more… this teasing isn't enough," Youko stared down at him, unable to see his face under that ridiculous hat he wore. "I want to see your face. Take that off,"

Kuronue lifted his head and removed his hat, staring into Youko's eyes. He set it on the ground next to them before moving up and kissing the youko passionately on the mouth. Youko eagerly reciprocated, before the bat demon moved on. His mouth was a flurry of licking and nipping every sensitive area of the fox that was above his waist. After a moment or two, he moved back down and removed Youko's pants. Youko struggled to lean on his elbows and sit up to see the show.

Kuronue gave Youko another smirk before lifting the fox's leg and running his tongue up the inside of the thigh. Youko reciprocated with a gratuitous moan, before closing his eyes. "Kuro, just get to it…"

"I get to whatever when I damn well want, and whenever when I damn well want," Kuronue answered, surprising Youko. He wrapped his fingers around Youko's member, playfully giving it a few quick jerks. "Eager, aren't we? I might make you wait a bit longer for that, Yok,"

"Please," Youko moaned.

Kuronue chuckled before gently massaging Youko's balls. "You're rushing me, fox." Kuronue rubbed his hands gently around the base, grinning evilly. Youko just moaned even lower, keeping his eyes shut. Kuronue decided that was it and he wrapped his hands around the fox's member, licking his lips, and pushing it into his mouth.

He moved his head up and down on it, pushing it as deep into his mouth as he could. Youko panted below him, moaning occasionally. "Unngh, Kuro…" Youko reached out for him, putting his hands in Kuronue's hair. Kuronue smacked his hand away, taking his mouth off of Youko, assuming he was close. He pulled him towards him by the hair, kissing him deeply.

"You should know I do things at my own damn pace," Kuronue whispered, pulling away from Youko. He let the fox whimper. As he saw the snow white hand reach down, Kuronue grabbed it, tightly. "Uh-uh."

Youko let out the most pleading sound Kuronue had heard out of him a long time. "Kuro… please,"

Kuronue chuckled.

"Kuronue, please don't make me beg," Youko murmured, closing his eyes. Kuronue laughed. The Youko had gotten a sufficient cooldown time, Kuronue decided. He lowered his face, running his tongue across the tip teasingly.

"Alright… I won't. This time is for real," Kuronue took Youko into his mouth and sucked, slowly moving his head up and down on the shaft. He used his tongue to massage the large vein on the underside, and he gently stroked the base of the shaft with his thumb. Youko was lost in a silent moan, his eyes closed tight and his mouth open wide. Kuronue increased the speed until Youko gaspingly told Kuronue that he was about to come. Kuronue removed his mouth and continued pumping Youko until he cried out and went limp on the grass.

Kuronue gently rinsed his hand off in the water, and wiped his hand on the grass.

Youko watched Kuronue through lidded eyes. "Kuronue, you're so prissy, you know that," it brought a small smile to his face.

"I'm not prissy, I'm hygienic. I don't put gross tasting substances in my mouth, if I can avoid it," Kuronue answered, lying down next to Youko.

The fox rolled over and rested his head against Kuronue's chest and smiled a bit wider. "You're a terrible mate..."

"Youko Kurama, do we really need to go through this again? It happens every time."

"Because you do that every time," Youko teased.

"Well, I can tell you're feeling better. If you'll excuse me, I've got something to attend to," Kuronue sat up, glancing over at Youko. Youko looked down. "Yes, but a promise is a promise. Courtesy is important," Kuronue winked at Youko, standing up. "Sexual or otherwise."

"You can be so ridiculous," Youko chuckled, pulling his pants back on and standing up, turning toward the direction of the hideout, letting his feet guide him back. "Well, I'm going home. I'll see you there."

Youko headed off for home, knowing the bat was watching him from the pond. "Think of me,"

"Everytime," Kuronue grinned.