I apologize to everyone for the wait! Especially Emina! Here is your belated Christmas present! I'm sorry for the shortness… but something tells me you'll like it!

By the way, the title refers to the end… I was looking for the right word and couldn't find it so… tee hee…

Kurama's eyes snapped open and he lay tense in his bed, ready to jump up and strike at any moment. The all too familiar metallic sent of blood wafted before his nose, strong and overpowering. He sat up slowly and scanned the room for the source of the thick stench that hung heavy in the air. His eyes scanned the room landing inexplicably on the mirror directly across from his bed. He stared for a moment in shock, before recoiling sharply from the image reflected in the mirror. Piercing golden eyes stared back at him the same shock glimmering in their depths. He stood slowly, watching as sleek silver hair swept over his shoulder, and swayed gracefully behind him as he walked to the mirror. He glanced down quickly, confirming much to his confusion, that his hair was indeed still crimson. He looked up, and placed a hand against the mirror, watching in fascination as a clawed, slightly larger hand met his. He looked into a face he remembered from long ago, fully matured, with a rather pronounced jaw line framed by fine silver hair and silver twitching ears. He stared in wonder for a moment at his past, Youko, the legendary fox thief. Then the gold eyes narrowed with malice and mischief, and the clawed hand trapped his own in a vice grip. His eyes widened in shock, and Youko's lips parted, and the fox gave one strong tug and Kurama fell headfirst into darkness, the words roaring in his ears.

"Its time."

Kurama shot up in bed, tangled in shredded sheets. He fought them for a moment before his rational mind took over and he lay still for a second. He untangled his hands first, noting with a shiver that his fingers couldn't have caused that much damage. He slid out of bed, and stripped off the sheets, stuffing them into the hamper to be sewn later, irritated that he would have to change sheets twice. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had the inexplicable urge to check on the people he cared about, to make sure they were alright.

He peeked in on his mother just long enough to confirm she was still safe and well, feeling the horrid pang of guilt for allowing her mind to be tampered with. He closed the door softly, and turned to Sin's room. Hiei was asleep on the windowsill, a stoic unmovable guardian to the girls beneath him. Somehow, Emina had slipped into the bed with Sin, and they lay together, comforting each other, Emina cradling Sin's wounds so as not to hurt her.

So his nightmare had been only in his head. He sighed in relief, glancing once more at the heartwarming scene before him before shutting the door softly. There was no room for him.

He sat at the kitchen table, nursing a hot cup of tea. His mind raced in circles. Youko was back. But he had already decided to stay as Suiichi, Shiori's devoted son. Did the dream really mean anything? Had his demon powers fully matured once more, or was it all just a figment of his imagination? And how could he have let Emina tamper with his mother's mind. It was a drastic measure, but he hadn't exactly been thinking clearly. He had needed Emina to be occupied, and he needed to think of a way to cover up Sin's injuries, but had it really been necessary?

He heard a rustle by the doorway and turned to see Emina standing there, her clothes a bit wrinkled from sleeping in them, her eyes still sleepy.

"Good morning Kurama…" She mumbled. He smiled at her, finding his worries had simply been swept away.

"Good morning Emina. Would you like me to make you some breakfast."

She laughed. "I'd rather you not burn the house down. I'll do it."

With that she set about making pancakes and scrambled eggs. He watched her, content with the comfortable silence between them. She was focused, intent on getting everything right, for, despite her talk, she wasn't much better at cooking than he was.

"How is Sin?"

"She's still asleep. Hiei is watching over her to make sure she doesn't hurt herself anymore."

"That's good." He rose, retrieving a mortar and pestle from the counter.

"What are you doing?" Emina asked, her crimson eyes staring at him curiously as he ground together a few seeds from his fiery mane.

"I'm making some tea for Sin that will act as a painkiller even more powerful than the one last night. She'll need to be able to walk today, or Shiori will notice."

She was silent for a moment, then she turned to him, and grabbed his hand, forcing him to look up at her. "Are you mad at me?"

He stared up at her, surprised. "No? Should I be?"

"I mean, last night, I messed with Shiori's memory, and… well…"

He pulled his hand away from hers as he stood up, before enveloping her in a warm hug. Her small frame fit perfectly against him, and his heart skipped a beat. "No. I'm not mad at you. Not at all. It was nessecary."

Her arms wrapped around his waist and she spoke quietly, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Are you sure? I really don't want you to be mad."

"I could never be mad at you Emi." He replied. He closed his eyes, and breathed in her scent, kissing the top of her head gently.

"Why not?" She asked, the hint of stubbornness in her voice proving she didn't actually believe him. He chuckled slightly.

He didn't know why he did what he did next. He would spend hours later pondering just what had come over him. He would never understand why he spoke then, why he hadn't continued to restrain himself. He would claim momentary insanity when defending his actions, Sin's injury and his allowance of altering Shiori's mind coupled with his horrible nightmare had caused him to act irrationally. To reach out to what he had established time and time again was forbidden territory. Eventually he would have to give up, and admit to himself, and himself only, that the words felt just right as they spilled from his lips.

"Because I love you." He replied, much to his own shock. He felt her grow very still in his arms, and he felt his face grow very red. She looked up at him, her face blossoming into a lovely pink.

"W-What?"

There was no backing down now. His sense of right and wrong had been thrown to the winds.

"I love you, Emina."

With that, he tilted her head up with one finger and gently, softly, brushed his lips against hers.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…. Cliffhanger! I hope you liked it! I hope to have another chapter out maybe for New Years? *wink wink*

MERRY CHRISTMAS EMI!