Authors note: I have another story called "The King and His Queen". I started writing it when I was a few years younger, but it never developed into anything. I will be deleting it now, as this story is the same kind of story and more developed than that one.

Thank you for the review darlin'

WARNING! Lemon. Soft core. But there.


Tali was bored. Kurama had denied her request to join one of the scouting parties so now she was sitting at the pond doing nothing. Well, she wasn't doing nothing, she was also hiding form Aimee. After spending so much time alone, locked away in her room, then locked up in the highest level of that compound that served as her prison for seven years, having someone around her as much as Aimee was chaffed her badly. She supposed that since she had never been allowed to make friends that she should take the friendship offered. "Baby steps" she muttered to herself. Great, now she was in a dark mood. Memories of a dark secluded room occasionally visited by monsters will do that to a person. Sighing she decided to go back to being bored.

She understood Kurama not wanting her to go with the men on one of the scouting trips. She had no experience in the matter and she might botch up the mission. But still, there had to be something she could do rather than sit on her butt in front of the pond and talk to the fish. Suddenly her face brightened in a smile when she realized that there was something she could do. She stood up and dusted herself off. Taking one last breath of fresh air, she headed back to the compound in search of some paper and a writing utensil.

"You can use my office whenever you want." Kurama has told her this morning when she had asked what the door next to his bedroom led to. She intended to use it now. Opening the door, she stopped just inside when she saw a strange site. Aimee was sitting on the couch looking sad. She sniffed when she looked up and Tali with red eyes. Tali swayed at the door, unsure if she should go into the office or leave the girl by herself. Finally, she decided to enter the room and close the door, approaching the desk cautiously.

"He doesn't notice me." Aimee said sniffing into her hand.

"Who doesn't notice you?" Tali asked reaching the desk.

"Kurama."

"Umm…." She located paper in a drawer then turned to Aimee. "He spoke to you last night."

"But he didn't look at me!" she wailed.

Tali blew out a breath of air slowly. She had no idea what to say. This was a foreign subject to her. She grabbed up a pencil and sat down in the chair behind Kurama's desk. As she began to sketch the outside of the home she grew up in, she searched for something to say.

"He doesn't really look at any one," she offered quietly, " He kind of just glances at you then goes back to staring at something only he seems to be able to see."

"He looks at you." Aimee said, startling her. Tali looked at the girl to see if she was serious. She was. "I don't think he looks at me anymore than he would at one of his men. It's not like we have long soulful conversations."

Silence passed between them as Tali continued with her drawings. She sketched the outside of the house as a general sketch, then began to sketch what she recalled of the traps on each level of the outside defenses. When she had started to sketch the inside of the first level of the house, Aimee jumped up off the couch she was sitting on and began to pace the room.

"I mean, it's not like I am unnoticeable," Aimee continued the conversation like there hadn't been a long awkward pause in it, "I guess he still just sees me as a kit."

"How old are you?" Tali asked, pausing in her sketch to listen.

"106!" Aimee said proudly, then she frowned. "Although, compared to him, I might as well be in diapers. But hey! I am all grown up now! I have boobs and curves and everything!" Aimee appraised Tali then said, "But yours are bigger, and you have nicer curves and an hourglass figure. But still! I've known him all my life practically and you have only known him for a day!"

Hoping to distract the girl, Tali asked, "How did you meet him?"

Aimee's face lit up. "I was just a kit back then. I had barely made it from spirit animal to my demon form. I left alone to my own devises since I was little because I was the runt of the litter. So I was used to being alone and fending for myself. But I wasn't very good at it. Mostly, I would steal the food from other people. One day, I came across this camp where several people were surrounding a fire. The food smelt so good and I was so hungry that I couldn't help but attempt to take some of it. One of the men set his plate down beside him as he took a drink of some wine, and I darted in. I stole a bird leg off his plate and ran back to the bushes. I ate it quickly while listening to some crass jokes. Another man wasn't guarding his plate either so I snuck in and stole some bread. I grew bolder every time I took something and no one noticed. Finally, I snuck in to grab a jug of water that was sitting next to a man who was closer to the fire than the rest. It was stupid. I know that now, but I was cocky. I was about two steps behind him when his ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder at me. I remember just staring at him in awe. He was gorgeous and I instantly had a crush on him. Despite the fact I was pretty sure he was about to kill me. "

Aimee paused in her story and looked up at Tali with a happy smile. "you know what he did? He waved me over to him. He said "I noticed you when you took Kasai and Kuronue's food. Your pink hair is hard to miss." He invited me to sit beside him, and the rest of his men laughed at me. They had noticed me too. Kurama let me drink out of his cup and Kuronue made me a plate. It was the nicest thing any one had ever done for me. When they got up to go to their tents, I followed them. I slept at the foot of Kurama's cot. I have been with them ever since."

"He trained you to be a thief?" Tali asked.

"Yeah!" Aimee said happily.

"Maybe he sees you like a little sister." Tali said, then panicked when the girl frowned at her. "I'm sorry honey. I'm not good at this. I too have lived alone most of my life and well, I have never dated any one so giving you advice is out of the question. I'm bad at this. I'm sorry."

"You have never been courted?!" Aimee shouted, her jaw dropping. "As pretty as you are, men should be climbing over themselves to get to you!"

Tali took a sharp breath and choked on the air. Suddenly dizzy, dark memories crashed over her in a wave. Whispers in the dark when the monsters came to call. A touch here, a nasty promise there, the sound of laughter. Hands grabbing her, unspeakable pain between her legs, she shuddered over and over again.

"Are you okay?" Aimee asked rushing to her side. "you are shaking and pale. Do you need to rest some more?"

"No. No, I am fine. Just got dizzy there for a second." Tali waved off the girls concerns.

"Good think we did not have you go with one of the scouting parties." A voice said at the door. Both girls jumped and looked over at where Kurama was leaning against the door jam.

"How long have you been there?" Tali squeaked.

"A few seconds. " He said. "Aimee," he glanced at the girl then looked back at Tali, " Go see Kuronue and compile a list of what everyone learned about the compounds today."

"Yes sir!" She said, saluting him. Kurama sent a small smile in Aimee's direction then walked to his desk as the girl skipped out the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She showed him the sketches she had made and explained them in more detail than the night before. He shuffled through them nodding. "It's good to have more Intel." He said.

"Well, I am doing the best I can. I have only seen these parts maybe a dozen times. Some things will probably change as dad has probably realized by now that we are still alive and that well, I did not return to him. He can put two and two together."

"Do you think that he has figured all this out in one day?" Kurama asked, doubtful.

"Well, if he has not figured it out yet, he will. And soon.:

Kurama nodded, lost in thought. Tali could see what Aimee had been rambling on about. He was handsome in a "shiver me timbers" kind of way. If a woman looked at him for too long, they started to shiver. His aura was overwhelming when he stood next to her for more than a minute. She had to remind herself to breathe. She tired not to tense up too much when he reached past her, brushing her arm in the process. His hand settled on her pictures of the interior and he seemed to pause like he was decided what questions to ask her. He vetoed the idea a few seconds later and straightened.

"Lunch is ready." He said instead. " Afterwards, you and I have somewhere to be."

After lunch, Tali stood outside the front gates waiting for Kurama to arrive. She was dressed in black pants and a black top, and her hair was pulled back revealing slightly pointed ears. Kurama had told her to dress for stealth. She figured black was a safe way to go although she still did not entirely know what they were going to do. A hand grabbing her pony tail and throwing her to the ground left her stunned. She had just enough time to roll away when a foot almost planted it's self in her stomach. Before she could stand up, she had the air knocked out of her by a kick to the side. She grabbed that foot and yanked with all her might in the second that her attacker was off balance, she kicked his other leg and he fell to the ground. She scrambled up to flee then stopped, utterly pissed.

"Kurama what the hell?" she asked.

Instead of responding, he leaped to his feet in a matter of seconds and slammed her up against a tree. His hands were like vice grips on her upper arms and the balls of his feet were planted firmly on hers. He looked down at her coolly.

"If I was your enemy, you would be dead by now, or worse. You need to override the instinct that tells you to flee. You need to heighten your senses. Did you even hear me approach?"

"No." she muttered. I'll never be able to hear like you do. And how do you walk so softly anyway?"

He smiled a little. "It's called ghosting. Basically means to "walk like a ghost."

"that's ridiculous… but I guess it's effective. You want to let go of me now?" she glared at him.

"Make me little girl." He mocked.

"You know I can't!"

"Put your arms through mine and cross them. Grab my right arm with your left hand and vice versa. Good. Now, do you feel the cords in the center of my arms?" When she nodded he continued. "In a second, put pressure on that part. This will loosen my grip. At the same time, throw your body down to put weight on my arms…." Before he could finish speaking, Tali did exactly as he had told her. She pressed down and threw her weight down, causing him to release her and stumble back slightly. Like a child, she shoved him in the chest, sending him on a backwards free fall. He laughed and hooked a foot around her ankle, causing her to fall with him. She landed on top of him and said " oomph" as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Kurama grabbed her wrists and held them behind her back as he rolled so that he was on top. He pinned her down with his body, and she fought off a wave of panic.

"No fair." She said lightly, trying to hid her panic. "So not fair." She said again.

He looked down at her and assessed her. He wasn't hurting her, that much he knew. She still had a pained look on her face. Her injuries had recovered and although she was a little weak, there was no reason for that expression to be on her face. His eyes narrowed down at her as her body began to shake with fear.

"Well," he said gently, "I can guess what happened to you in your father's house" then his features grew stern. "But you have to get over it. As soon as another demon sees that fear, he or she will exploit it." He released her wrists and pushed his body off of hers. "If you go into a full blown panic every time some ones does anything to you that is even remotely sexual, you will be a sitting duck." He stood and held out his hand. Even though her skin was crawling, she reached up and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet. She realized that holding his hand wasn't an issue. The act of having him on top of her had caused the panic. She realest his hand and sighed.

" You are right of course. I just, I don't know how not to panic, you know? My last encounter of a…forced sexual nature wasn't that long ago. How do you block that from your mind? I can't unsee it. I can't unfeel it. Those memories will never stop haunting me! Pain and fear in that type of situation is all I have ever known, that and shame. Lots of shame… "She babbled faster and faster then trailed off when Kurama approached her slowly. She backed up and hit the trunk of a different tree, more secluded from the front gates.

"What?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

He didn't say anything before placing his fingers under her chin and lifting her face to his. His firm lips pressed softly into hers and his tongue traced the seam of her lips. She shuddered, but this time it wasn't fear that caused it. His lips and tongue coaxed her to open her mouth, and she did a fraction. His tongue took full advantage and she gasped when he tickled the roof of her mouth. He deepened the kiss, sucking on her tongue and touching every crevasse in her mouth with his. His lips moved easily over hers as his hand slid from her chin to her neck where he held her firm. He nibbled on her bottom lip. You can join in any time you know. His eyes teased. I don't know how! Her eyes said back. Do what I do. He responded, before claiming her lips again. So she imitated him, shyly and felt his groan of approval vibrate against her body as he pressed himself more firmly against her. Panic threatened to flare up and he pulled away to look at her.

"sorry," she said, cheeks turning bright red, " I'm.." he interrupted her flow of speech with another kiss. He pulled her from the tree and pulled her more securely against his body. She gasped when his hardness pressed against her belly and his hands roamed to cup her bottom as he raised her to his level. With a squeak, she wrapped her legs around his waist, just like he hand intended. He trailed his kisses down her neck and throat, nipping along the way. She shuddered as the first ounce of desire she had ever felt started to bloom.

"I can erase those memories if you like." He whispered in a dark and husky voice. "I can make you feel better than you have ever felt. Would you like me to demonstraight?" he punctuated his question with roll of his hips. She gasped. The throbbing below began to intensify when he licked up the column of her throat.

"I..I…I" she stuttered, too overwhelmed to say anything. Kurama stopped, his ears twitching, then sighed and set her down on her feet. "We have company." He said smirking down at her startled and slightly disappointed face. He stepped away from her and his cool mask slipped into place. She envied him. She wished she could wipe her face clean like that. Kuronue stepped through the trees smirking a little.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked coyly.

"Just combat training." Kurama said in a bored voice. Kuronue way lifted an eyebrow but thankfully said nothing.

"Did you want something?" Kurama asked, starting at that space that no one seemed to occupy.

"I was bored. So I came to find you. I thought we could make some plans for the attack on the compounds, but I see you are….occupied."

Tali turned her face away so he couldn't see the blush. To cover her embarrassment, she blurted the first question that came to her head. "How do you guys walk so quietly?"

"be at one with nature grasshopper. " Kuronue said smiling. "Kurama hasn't showed you that yet? Guess he had something else on his..oomph!" He grunted when Kurama nailed him in the stomach with his fist. Tali tried not to laugh, she really did, but she couldn't help it when it burst from her lips. "Well," Kuronue said with a grin, "At least that got a laugh out of someone."

"She was laughing at the fact you got punched, not your comment. " Kurama muttered.

"whatever, it's a laugh. You've got to admin it's cute when she does that." Kuronue responded.

"As cute as Aimee's laugh?" Kurama asked taking his turn at the teasing.

"Shut up." Kuronue muttered, narrowing his eyes,

"Um, guys…walking softly and all that jazz?" Tali said, looking from one to another to indicate that she was ready to learn this.

"Heh, I'll leave that up to fox man here. I'll see you in a bit." He winked at Tali before heading out.

Once they were alone, Kurama turned back to Tali, the lust back in his eyes. She backed away with her hands in front of her. "Teaching me to walk softly remember?" she asked weakly. He took a breath and let it out slowly.

"Yes. Alright. Close your eyes." When she quirked an eyebrow he said, "You need to be able to hear someone coming before you start being a ghost walker yourself. You need to be able to sense me coming so you know what it feels like from the preys point of view." She opened her mouth to say I already know how that feels, and he raised his hand to silence her. "You will understand what I mean later. Close your eyes." She rolled her eyes, but closed them like she said. And she heard nothing. After a few beats, she opened her eyes again and Kurama was gone. Before she looked around she heard "close your eyes!" so she did. Reluctantly.

"Keep your eyes closed. Try to feel where I am. When you know where I am, before I touch you, look in, turn your head in that direction. . ." she did as she was told, but she didn't like it. Although it was still sunny out, and the sun was being filtered through the trees, she still hatted to stand there, exposed to an unseen force. She jumped when she felt something brush her stomach. A few seconds later, he ran his fingers through her hair. She jumped when his hand brushed over her back.

"Stop tensing up. Relax and breath. Use your other senses to find me." His voice came from behind her and she turned her head. "Good. Sound is a sense that you should heighten." She turned her head back to the front and waited. She breathed in and realized that she could smell the dirt beneath her feet. Another breath told her that it was going to rain soon. Fingers lightly passed over her right breast and she shivered. After a deep calming breath, she tried to locate him by his scent. The faint smell of roses reached her, but it was an unreliable scent. Her senses told her that a few feet away were dozens of rose bushes. If she was in a place beyond the scents of nature she would have a better time identifying his scent from the nature around her. She felt a pinch to her backside and nearly squeaked.

"I am starting to think you want me to touch you." Kurama teased, kissing her quickly on the lips. She shuddered.

"My earlier offer still stands you know." He whispered against her right ear, his hand running over her stomach. She jerked away before his hand could reach below her waist, and he chuckled. She felt a displacement in the air as he moved quickly to her left and she turned her head in that direction. "Good." He said softly. Another displacement in the air told her he was right in front of her. She held her hand up to indicate she knew where he was. "Very good. You can feel me when I cam close. But what happens when I am farther away? See if you can tell. Every thirty seconds, point to where you think I am. If you don't know, just say "I don't know."

"Okay." She said concentrating.

After thirty seconds, she hand no idea where he was and told him so. He informed her that he was to her right. After a few times of her getting it wrong, she shook her head. "I can't do it." She said, exasperated.

"You can." She felt him move in front of her. "Tell me, when I am near, what do you smell?"

"Roses." She said.

"And what do you feel?"

"I…a chill. Kind of. Like the air has suddenly gotten a few degrees colder."

"That's my aura. I am a winter fox so it has an arctic feel. Try to isolate that now."

Thirty seconds passed and she located the chill above her, in the trees and she looked up. Then it was by the rose bushes east of her. Then she felt it by the pond, to her north. Then she felt it behind her, a few feet away, so she turned around. He smiled to himself. His eyes traveled up and down her body at a lazy pace, and he had to shove the image of her naked out of his mind.

"Good. Now that you know what my aura feels like, you can find me. However, you are not going to know your enemy and what they feel like. You need to be able to locate any aura in the area. Lock on my aura then expand your senses. Tell me when you find someone and where they are."

"Okay." She concentrated and expanded her senses. She felt an aura just inside the gates. She reported this and Kurama confirmed her find. A few seconds later, she located a darker aura than the first approaching the light and fluffy aura she had felt before.

"I think that Kuronue is talking to Aimee just inside the gates." She said.

"Correct. Expand it further." He said. So she did. She felt a cluster of auras in what she assumed was the mess hall.

"I guess it's snack time in mess hall." She said, feeling a little cocky.

"Yes. Good. But tell me…can you do it while you are distracted?" he asked. Suddenly she could feel his body pressed to hers and she shuddered. He kissed her neck, just behind her ear and she began to shake. "Concentrate." He whispered, traling kisses down her throat and licking the top of her cleavage.

"I can't when you are doing…oh!" he bit her lower lip before kissing her fully. His hips began to roll against hers and she trembled.

"Who else?" he said coolly, like he was not doing something so, erotic against her. Her breathing quickened as she felt something spark in her navel.

"Someone is…" she struggled when his pace picked up tempo.

"Yes?" he asked in a husky tone,

"Someone is in your office. Fire aura. Kasai?"

" mmmm." As all he said before lifting her leg to wrap around his waist. He pressed himself further into the cradle of her legs that this action provided and rubbed against her harder. She whimpered and he hushed her, kissing the side of her neck and nipping at it. The pressure between her legs began to build, and a pleasant throbbing had started. He adjusted himself so that he was rubbing against both her bundle of nerves and her core. She bit down on his shoulders so she wouldn't cry out.

"Kurama?" she quietly moaned when the pressure was about to explode.

"Shhhhh. I've got you." He said, nuzzling her hair.

"What's happening?" she asked, a little scared.

"You are about to find out. Hold on tight now. "

She wrapped her arms around his neck and put her forehead against his collar bone. He lifted her leg higher and rolled his hips harder and faster against her. She felt a spark, then threw her head back and cried out when an explosion of pleaser rocked through her body and she tensed up through the waves. She shuddered over and over again WHIMPERING. He ran his fingers through her hair, then grabbed a handful and yanked her head back so that she was looking at him. He kissed her hard on the mouth, groaning through the kiss as he had an explosive moment of his own. After a beat, he let her leg go and she stood on it weakly. She placed her forehead on his chest trembling, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture.

"You've never had an orgasm before?" he asked in a whisper against her ear.

"No." she breathed. Her face was already turning red and he jerked her face up to look at him.

"Don't be embarrassed by what we did. Don't you dare use this as an excuse to shy away from me. I want you. You want me. You now know how good it can feel. And that was with our clothes on. I can't wait to show you what it feels like without them. " He gave her a wicked grin.

"But…what if the memories…?" she gave him a wide eyed look, trailing off when she saw the intensity of his gaze.

"Then I'll fuck you back to your senses." His grin was full-fledged and she shivered. He kissed her again and started to lower her to the ground beneath him, when he heard a shout.

"Kurama! Boss! HELP!"

He was on his feet in a flash, dragging Tali up with him. Horrified, tali looked behind her to see the back end of the compound was on fire.

"Stay here!" Kurama barked, zooming away and leaving Tali by herself underneath the trees.