Disclaimer: I don't own YYH.

Thanks to all my reviewers, especially Red Kitsune Flames. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

IMPORTANT: There's something I forgot to mention in the last chapter. Did anyone, anyone, notice that Karasu's signature mask was missing? Well, whether you did or didn't, here's the explanation. At this time, Karasu has not yet been discovered by Toguro. This means that he is not as powerful as he was when battling Kurama in the Dark Tournament, when his power was so strong that he needed the mask to contain it. Because he was not that powerful yet, he didn't need the mask. (Well…that plus I needed to give him easy access to Kuro's lips XD)

On with the story! Enjoy! Review! Next chapter to be posted soon!

…………………

When Kuronue's indigo-lilac eyes next fluttered open, he was surprised to see sunlight shining through an open window. He realized that he was lying on a soft, rather comfortable bed, in a cave of some sort that had been converted into living quarters.

"Ah, so you're finally awake."

The unfamiliar voice startled him, and he jumped, instantly regretting the sudden movement for fear of what he knew it would bring. However, instead of a sharp, twisted agony, only a dull pain arose throughout his body when he moved.

Looking to the right, where the noise had come from, he found that the voice belonged to none other than the infamous Youko Kurama.

"…you?" Kuronue questioned when he found his own voice. He noticed that it no longer took much effort to speak.

"You've been sleeping for over a week now," Kurama said, moving to the bedside. "Your wounds are healing quite nicely, if I do say so myself."

For the first time, the bat demon realized that his arms were scarred, but not bleeding freely as they had been while he was a prisoner. He could not move his wings, for they had been bound with a cast of some kind to heal the fractured bones and torn tissue.

"You…did this…for me?"

The youko smirked. "Who else could have gotten you out of that prison, taken you here, and healed you?"

"This has to be a dream."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you said that you wouldn't help me unless I gave you my…"

Kuronue trailed off in realization. His hand flew to his neck, but the Makai bloodstone was not there.

Kurama chuckled and swung the pendant back and forth in front of Kuronue's face like a pendulum.

"Give it back," the bat snarled, snatching for it. He caught only air, for Kurama quickly yanked it away.

Kuronue began to leap after it, but the kitsune's arrogant laugh stopped him. "Do you really think that you are in any condition to fight me for it?"

The former prisoner settled back down, glowering at the fox. "Now I see…the only reason you saved me was to get my pendant."

"You know, you are not as smart as you look," Kurama shot back. "What do you think is easier to carry and escape with: a mere necklace…or a grown, injured man wearing said necklace around his neck? If I had only wanted the bloodstone, I simply would have taken it with no consequence. You were out cold."

Kuronue was confused. "Then…if not just for my stone…why did you save me?"

Instead of answering, the spirit fox turned away. "I'll tell you what," he said in slightly kinder tone than he had intended, fastening the pendant around his own neck. "To save us both the trouble of battling over it, I will offer you a challenge. If you are able to steal this back from me, which I assure you is not an easy feat, you can have it. Also, I would even consider letting you be my partner."

"Is there a time limit?"

"None whatsoever. I will allow you to stay here with me until you either succeed or give up."

The bat's eyes narrowed, considering. "I accept your challenge," he finally said with confidence. Then, in a meeker tone, he thanked his savior.

"Just remember," Kurama barked, steeling his voice and turning back to Kuronue with his gold eyes flashing, "this does not make us friends. Just leave me alone, and do not distract me or get in my way."

With a frustrated swish of his silvery tail, he exited the room.

&&&&&

During the next two weeks, Kurama continued to tend Kuronue's wounds. Though the kitsune was usually sharp with words and performed his duty as if the bat demon were an annoyance, Kuronue noticed that sometimes Kurama would adopt a kinder, almost loving tone, and absentmindedly stroke the other thief's skin.

But almost instantaneously, realizing what he was doing, Kurama would pull his hand away as if Kuronue were a filthy object, and make a scornful comment.

As much as Kuronue hated to admit it to himself, he knew that he was falling for the silver kitsune, and falling hard.

He tried not to think in those terms. It wasn't that he was in denial about his attraction to males, for he had been with many male lovers in the past. He just tried to deny his attraction to Kurama. After all, Kurama was an opponent thief, and he had the pendant that Kuronue and his family had always cherished.

However, Kuronue found that he could not deny his love, and found himself wondering if Kurama, through those strange subconscious actions of his, felt any affection for him as well.

No, Kuronue thought, that wasn't possible. His view then turned to something less pure on Kurama's part. What if the kitsune was just like Karasu, feigning familiarity only to make him trust, and then turn around and abuse him? What if the subconscious affection wasn't subconscious at all, and Kurama knew of Kuronue's feelings? What if it was simply a trick?

Kuronue sure wouldn't put it past the fox, not with the kind of reputation he had. Well, the bat demon wasn't about to be fooled. He taught himself to harden his heart when it came to the youko, and devised a plan to surprise him, take the pendant, and flee.

&&&&&

Finally, after five long weeks, Kuronue was fully healed. When Kurama pulled the final length of bandage off the bat's wings, Kuronue bent and flexed them happily.

"There…I suppose that you are as close to normal as you will ever be," Kurama stated, crossing his arms before his chest and inflicting his melting gaze on the other thief. "But I still doubt that you will be able to challenge me. So, you may leave."

Kuronue rose from the bed in compliance. "I suppose you're right," he said with a disappointed half-smile. "Really, thanks for everything you've done for me."

As he turned to leave, Kurama relaxed. The bat demon didn't seem in any mood to put up a fight, and Kurama supposed that Kuronue was just grateful for his life.

Suddenly, Kuronue whipped around. He pushed the unsuspecting Kurama into the wall and kissed him passionately. Youko froze with astonishment, for he had been overconfident enough to believe that the non-superior thief would back down.

Though Kuronue was almost frozen himself just savoring the bliss he felt upon this contact with the kitsune, he remembered his fears of Kurama's intentions, and used the opportunity to tackle Kurama to the ground. He grasped the bloodstone necklace and pulled the chain taught around the kitsune's neck.

"On second thought, I'm not going anywhere without my pendant," he said, grinning wickedly.

"Well," the spirit fox replied as he instantly recovered, slanting his eyes, "you are certainly not going anywhere with it."

He swung his arm as if to hit Kuronue, but as the bat youkai ducked, Kurama pushed his own head up to meet his opponent's lips with his own. He wrapped his arms around Kuronue's back and neck, preventing him from breaking away.

Kuronue, for the first time, was afraid of the fox himself. This time, instead of tasting heaven on the fox's lips, he tasted the acid that he had tasted with the vile kiss of his former tormentor Karasu.

Kuronue flared his wings, trying to escape the kitsune's grasp, but Youko held him firmly. He did, however, succeed in getting away from the kiss.

"I know you hate me," the bat snarled, his face inches from the fox's, "but don't torment me like this!"

Kurama smirked and closed the gap between their mouths again.

Growling in rage, Kuronue forced his lips away. "This is just a game to you, isn't it? Just a sick joke to make the poor prisoner fall in love with you. Well, are you happy? Because it sure as hell worked, you bastard!"

Kurama's face went slack with shock, and Kuronue tore away from him, the pendant clenched in his fist, the chain shattering from the kitsune's neck.

The bat youkai began to run, but his arms and legs were suddenly tangled in vines that came from nowhere.

As Kuronue struggled against his new bindings, Kurama stood and went to him, a thoroughly puzzled look on his face. "You are in love with me?" he asked simply.

"You think?" the bat demon yelled. "I knew it…this was your plan all along! You're sick, you know that? Pretending to be kind and caring, faking those signs of affection…you're really a perverted bastard, just like Kar—"

Youko Kurama captured the rest of the protest with his lips. Instead of a forceful, almost playful kiss, like the two he had planted on Kuronue before, this was more serious…more heartfelt.

Kuronue lost himself in this kiss. Without thinking, he returned it.

The two thieves broke away simultaneously. Kuronue noticed the vines binding him had receded.

"Kuronue, I am anything but a perverted bastard," the youko murmured with his pure tongue, using the unfamiliar curse word tentatively. "I drop my guard when I am around you. You are the only person who I have allowed to see my true self…this is because you are the only person who I have allowed myself the pleasure of falling in love with."

Kuronue then realized the dreadful mistake that he had made. No one, not even the infamous Youko Kurama, could successfully pull off a tender kiss, the wounded look in those perfect golden eyes, and the stunning confession…all under false pretenses.

"This is not about the bloodstone," Kurama continued, "and it never has been about the bloodstone. I rescued you because I fell in love the moment I saw your beautiful eyes shining through the darkness."

No words would come to Kuronue's aid, so he used a kiss in their stead.

The kiss sufficed.