Yay, thanks everyone who reviewed! I love you all, and am sorry I haven't updated sooner, I've been pretty busy lately (nothing new there really). And as a random side note… it's my 18th birthday on Sunday! Yay for me =] anywayz, on with the long overdue story!

Chapter 7 – healing

As the two appeared in the camp Opacho came running towards them.

"Hao-sama!" she called and Hao smiled at her. She was still worried about his injury.

"Has Hao-sama treated his wounds?"

"I told you Opacho, I'm all right." He told her. She frowned slightly but didn't press on the matter.

"Is kaiyou-Chan okay now?" she asked instead, addressing the small black fox Hao still held in his arms.

"She says she's fine Opacho." He answered for her.

The little girl nodded and happily skipped away, leaving the two alone in an empty camp secluded in nightfall. Hao walked over to the campfire and sat down, watching the flickering flame dance. A cold breeze would have chilled his skin were it not for his natural attraction to heat and ability to manipulate the elements. Kaiyou rested in his lap and his hand gently placed on the soft fur of her back. He wasn't bothering to set her down anytime soon.

'What did she mean wounds? Did you get hurt?' kaiyou asked mentally, ignoring how he was practically holding her in place and grinned a foxy grin at the fire shaman, who frowned back at her. Obviously she found it amusing that the little girl Opacho had been acting somewhat like a mother to him.

"It's nothing; you just panicked and clawed me when I was graciously saving your life." He teased, smirking when kaiyou glared at him.

'Well good, at least I was able to pay you back for almost drowning me!' she snapped.

"I thought you did that when you slapped me after you woke up." He countered.

'Oh shut up you frigging male!"

Ha laughed and then they both sat in silence for a moment, until kaiyou spoke.

'It's still bleeding you know'

"So?"

'Well aren't you going to clean it?"

"No"

'What if it gets infected?'

"It won't."

'Damn it you arrogant idiot! Gahh fine, I'll sort it out myself!' she growled, pulling out of his grip and ducking underneath his poncho, to climb up his arm and get to his injured shoulder. He smirked but said nothing, wondering what exactly she was planning to do.

'Ew this is going to be so gross.' Kaiyou thought, lapping at the bloodied puncture wounds and being careful not to be too rough. Hao didn't wince as the sharp pain shot up his arm, instead his smirk grew.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

'Spit is practically an antibiotic, why do you think animals lick their wounds so much?' She explained, 'but trust me, I'm not liking this one bit so don't get any weird thoughts in your head'

"If you hate it so much then why bother?"

'I just don't want to put up with the smell of blood all night, it's annoying.'

"So you taste it instead." He grinned. She growl at him.

'Do you wanna do this? If so be my guest.'

The arrogant smirk on his face was really starting to piss her off, but he didn't say anything so she continued. Hao was actually beginning to enjoy the feel of her tongue running against his skin until she stopped and slipped out from under his poncho, and jumped to the ground. He controlled the urge to frown and kept his face a blank mask without emotions.

'There, now all you have to do is bandage it up and it should be fine'

"I don't have any bandages" he said, his smirk returning.

"Oh for god's sake, you are an idiot! Come on I'll frigging get some." She snapped, padding over to Hao's tent and slipping inside. She popped her head out just as he was about to enter. 'Don't follow me for a sec. I need to change.'

"So?"

'So I don't want you to see me naked.' She spat back.

"Nothing I haven't seen before." He grinned.

'Oh shut up you pervert! Just stay there.' She growled, disappearing back into the tent. A moment later she was changed back into her human form, and was wearing some black shorts and a simple white top that slipped off over her shoulders. 'okay, you can come in now.' She thought, after making some bandages appear in her hand. Hao stepped inside and smirked slightly, subtly looking over her bountiful curves before setting his eyes on her deep ocean blue ones. He could get lost in her eyes.

She frowned at him.

'Well don't just stand there like a dumb ass, come here.' She thought rudely, making Hao snap out of his daydream and scowl back. Boy her mouth could really kill his mood.

"Don't forget who you're taking too." He warned.

'Don't forget who's patching you up.' She countered. The two glared at each other for a moment, before kaiyou was tired of their little game.

'Just come here would you, your still bleeding.'

Hao frowned, but complied none the less, sitting down beside her and slipping off his poncho. Silently, she began bandaging up his wound concentrating strictly on her task.

"Why aren't you speaking to me" he asked, suddenly, catching her attention.

'I am.'

"I meant out loud"

'I don't want anyone to hear me.'

"Everyone's asleep, how can they hear you?"

'I'm just being cautious, you know I don't want anyone to see my true form, they've already seen too much.'

"...You don't trust us" Hao stated after a pause. She stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, before smiling briefly. Was she hearing things right, was Hao actually...upset? As soon as the thought came across her mind he glared at her, and she realized it wasn't a good idea to press on the matter. After all, Hao wasn't the type to admit something like that, she knew because she was the same way.

'I don't trust anyone; I've been alone for so long so why should I start now?' she asked, continuing with her task.

"You're travailing with us."

'Not by choice.' She countered. Hao frowned. He hated her stubborn nature, always arguing with him and causing trouble. They'd only been together for a few days and she was already set to pack up and go. Was he really that hateful? No, he knew it was only because of her unease around people that made her want to leave, that and the heat of the desert. After all he had sensed no fear from her, only a slight weariness of his power. They argued a bit but it didn't mean she hated him, she just didn't like the idea of being dominated by someone she just met, and after all she had a wolf's nature. But it still seriously annoyed him. He didn't want her to be wary of him, didn't want her to think he was untrustworthy. What he wanted was for her to accept him, accept his followers and the life they all led. But could it be possible?

Kaiyou finished bandaging his shoulder and tightened the knot. She was about to stand up when Hao grabbed her wrist. Her head shot up, her eyes telling a mixture of emotions, questioning, confusion, and anger. But she suppressed the latter when she saw the soft look on his face, and the slight sadness hidden behind his dark auburn eyes.

"Do you really hate being here that much?"

She stared at him for a moment, wondering what had possessed him to ask. He already knew that she hated it. The sweltering heat that continuously blazed on her black fur, the soft sand where she felt that she was constantly sinking even though her delicate body was light enough to keep her on the surface, and the constant feeling of being powerless in such a tiny form without a means of defence.; everything about the place was horrible to her. And she hated being such a small fox; it was almost as bad as being human.

"I hate the desert." She stated. Hao shook his head.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" she asked, feeling slightly irritated that he wasn't getting straight to the point already. He looked at her, directly in her deep ocean blue eyes, reading her thoughts and expression. He knew she was slightly annoyed, so he decided not to drag it out much longer.

"I meant do you hate being here with me?" his face became serious as he spoke, and she was stunned into silence.

'What the hell does that mean!' She thought frantically, 'I don't hate him, the idiot should know that else I would have tried running by now, I just hate this frigging place. Besides its funny when I get to annoy Billy hehe. But I can't tell him that, his ego's big enough as it is! Wait why is he smirking like that? Oh shit I forgot...'

"Stop reading my mind!" she yelled aloud, glaring daggers at Hao, who sat there with a smug look on his face. "Damn it you bastard! I need privacy, not you listening in on my every damn thought. You stupid, egotistic, pyromani... why the hell are you laughing? Stop laughing you jerk!" still Hao laughed. "Gahh, that's it!" she cried, tackling him to the floor, kicking and hitting him lightly. Amazingly, Hao was happy about it. She had said that she didn't hate him, and that was good enough. He didn't mind when she hit him because he knew that she was defiantly going easy on him, not actually trying to hurt him too much. Somehow he thought she was trying to play with him, and even though her face was scowling, her eyes were not. She seemed relatively happy. He grinned and easily flipped her over so that he was on top of her, and held her wrists to stop her from hitting him in the face.

"I win!" he smirked. She glared at him, but just as she opened her mouth to say something, Opacho ran inside.

"Hao-sama, Opacho heard shouting, is everything..." the girl began, trailing off as she saw the position her master and a mysterious black hair-blue eyed girl were in.

Wooo cliffy =] well u guys know the drill. Rate and review and this time I might even review in the week =]