Back again loves. I'm gonna try to update as fast as possible. This story is just growing in my head, but i have an idea where I'm going with it. I bet the cliffie at the end of the last one was a bit of a shock, huh? Had that in mind from the beginning actually, as well as a few more things. No guessing! If you're right I'll be bummed. I like surprises.

So here's Chaper 7, and I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Reviews are welcome. Hope you enjoy.

Chaper 7

Everyone but Genkai and Yukina stared at Kaori in shock. "That guy was definitely a human," Yusuke said. "And his goons were low class demons, D tops."

Kaori tilted her head slightly. "But he wasn't Konajiru," she said. "He just ran one of his clubs." Yusuke's mouth fell slightly ajar. And here he thought this case would be easy.

"Then why couldn't you just escape yourself? We all saw you toast that guy that came after us," Kuwabara asked. Kaori's head dropped slightly.

"I tried a bunch of other times. Getting away wasn't the hard part. But he always found me, and his personal guards are a lot stronger than the guys at the club. Each time they caught me I had more to worry about then just what dance I was going to do when I got back."

Kurama looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but did not voice his question. Kaori met his gaze then looked down at her hands. It was all the confirmation he needed.

They tried to rape her, he thought.

"But why does he want you so bad?" Yusuke asked, serious. "You must be special, especially since he wanted your family dead."

"We…I'm the last one," she said, "at least as far as I know. But I'm rare, which I guess is what makes me special."

"Are you extra strong? Do you have some hidden ability? There has to be something," Botan piped in. Kaori shrugged defeated.

"If so I never learned it. My family's kind of dead," she trailed off.

After a brief silence, Yusuke stood and stretched. "Botan, I think you and Koenma need to find out what's so special about fire kitsunes. We should get Kaori back to Genkai's and make sure she's safe from whatever this guy's planning."

Botan nodded and left out the door. In moments she was seen flying up to Spirit World.

"Um, Yusuke?" Kaori asked, slightly tentatively. "Can we walk around a bit?"

He looked at her slightly confused. "But there's some lunatic looking for you," Kuwabara cut in.

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed. "It's not safe."

"But you're all here, just like back at Genkai's," she said. "And I'm in a human body, so they probably won't recognize me. And I've never just walked around the Human world."

"And we should get her more clothes so she can blend in easier," Yukina added.

"I thought you just went to the mall this morning," Kurama asked.

Yukina giggled. "That was only the beginning," she said. "She needs a lot more if she's going to stay in the human world."

...

Kaori, Yukina and Genkai led the way through the mall, looking in every store and going in almost as many. Kaori had never seen so many kinds of clothes and shoes and shiny things called 'accessories' in one place! Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara were surprised too. They never had to carry so many kinds of clothes and shoes and shiny things called 'accessories' in one trip.

"Can we take a break?!" Yusuke whined, dropping a pair of boots for the third time.

"If you can't carry a few bags what makes you think you can protect her from Konajiru?" Genkai snapped.

"But this is more than a few bags!" Kuwabara complained. Even Kurama was loaded down, but he seemed to be able to cope with it a lot more than the other two.

"You can leave them on the floor while we go in here," Yukina said, pointing to a store with a lot of dresses.

"Why does she need a dress?" Kuwabara asked, dropping his bags.

"Who cares? It's a break isn't it?" Yusuke said, dropping his as well and sitting on a bench. Kuwabara joined him, but Kurama continued to stand.

"Keiko wanted to have a get together," Yukina said. "I met her when we were out here the first time. She can't wait to meet Kaori."

"Oh, really?" Kaori asked, a slight blush on her cheeks. "But I'm not anyone special…" Kurama chuckled at her innocence. She was very similar to Yukina in a way, but she could be quite spontaneous and excited in ways that were similar to Botan.

"Kurama," Genkai said at the door of the store.

"Yes master Genkai?" he answered with a small nod.

"You accompany them in this store," she instructed, handing him her wallet. "I have to make sure these slackers don't try to run away and leave you with the bags." Yusuke moaned, knowing his plan was ruined. Kurama chuckled and followed the two girls into the store.

"What color would you like?" Yukina asked Kaori. She was silent for a while, then her eyes lit up. She slowly walked over to a rack that held a variety of purple colored dresses.

"I love purple," she breathed, eyes never leaving the rack. She and Yukina, who had found another rack, sorted through dress after dress, until they each pulled out two or three. Both girls giggled, and headed back to the dressing room.

"Try mine on first," Yukina called to her through the door.

"Ok!" Kaori said. Kurama stood by Yukina, who seemed much happier now that she had a shopping partner.

"You seem to like Kaori very much," Kurama said with a smile. Yukina smiled up at him.

"She is very nice," she replied. "I do hope she can stay with us when this is all over. It will be very sad if Konajiru takes her again."

Kurama smiled back at the koorime and her caring. "Don't worry, we will protect her." At that, Kaori came out of the dressing room, slightly tentative. She wore a crimson colored v-neck dress that was just short of her knees with a soft white curve down her right side. It was snug enough to fit her figure while not being too revealing.

"What do you think?" she asked. Kurama's eyes widened slightly, while Yukina clapped happily.

"You look lovely," she said. "We have to get you that one."

"Indeed," Kurama said with a smile. Kaori blushed at his compliment.

Why did he have to come in? she asked herself as she went back into the dressing room. He made her extra nervous, mostly because he was the one she wanted to impress.

Outside, Kurama was just as surprised. It was obvious to him that she was pretty, and her being a kitsune was just a bonus, but he found himself concealing a blush himself as she walked back inside the dressing room. Yukina giggled a little at his side, causing him to glance at her slightly confused. "I see you like Kaori too," she smiled, looking up at his surprised face.

Kurama chuckled, knowing he was caught. "I guess you're right," he said, waiting for Kaori to come out again.

"Geez, Grandma. How long are they going to be in there?" Yusuke asked, annoyed and tired.

"Quiet nitwit," she snapped. "They've only been in there for ten minutes. Why can't you be more patient like Kuwabara?"

"Cause Kuwabara fell asleep the minute they went in!" Yusuke yelled. He elbowed Kuwabara in the ribs, snapping him out of his daydream.

"What!? Are we getting attacked?!" he asked, jumping up and wiping the drool off of his face. He looked around and, seeing no one suspicious, looked back at Yusuke and Genkai. "What happened?"

"You just proved how much more prepared you are than this nitwit," Genkai said smugly. Yusuke rolled his eyes, earning him a smack to the back of the head. "You must be prepared at all times."

Kuwabara sat back down, confused, yet slightly proud of himself. A few more minutes passed before Kaori, Yukina, and Kurama were seen emerging from the store, each girl carrying a bag.

"I got three dresses!" Kaori said happily. "They're so pretty!"

"I'm sure they are," Yusuke sighed, grabbing up his bags again. "Let's just go to Genkai's and drop these off already." Kuwabara, ever the gentleman, attempted to take this bag from Yukina so she would not have to carry it. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a way to hold it, so she ended up taking two and walking with him, much to his joy.

Yusuke, grumbling with Genkai, led the way back to through the mall with Kuwabara and Yukina tight at his heels. In the rear, Kurama walked with Kaori.

"Let me take a couple of them," she offered, taking about four bags that held a load of funky t-shirts.

"Thank you," Kurama said, feeling a relief at the lightened load. "I can take them back when we're outside. It'll be a lot easier to use my vines to carry them so you don't have to."

Kaori laughed a bit. "Honestly, that was my plan so you could get a break," she said. Kurama laughed as well as they fell in step with the rest of the group. "I just feel bad for Yusuke."

"He should be used to it. You should see what happens when Botan and Keiko go shopping together." Kaori giggled, imaging poor Yusuke with bags hanging out of his teeth and packed up like a mule.

The walk back to Genkai's continued this way, Yusuke grumbling, Kuwabara impressing Yukina with his strength, and Kaori and Kurama laughing and talking as if they knew each other all their lives. Kaori was almost sad when they reached Genkai's temple.

Yusuke was overjoyed.

"Finally!" he sighed, throwing Kaori's bags into her room. "I feel like my arms are going to fall off." Kuwabara set his load by her bed, then made his way to the kitchen to drink a river. Yukina and Genkai followed to make some afternoon tea, leaving Kaori and Kurama staring at the sea of bags on the floor.

"I never got so much stuff in my whole life," she sighed. Kurama smiled at her as he sat her bags on her bed.

"Then I hope you can stay here a while," Kurama said before bowing slightly and turning to leave.

Kaori watched him walk through the door before calling out "Kurama?"

"Hm?" he said, leaning back in. Kaori looked at him for a moment, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, so fast he almost missed it. Almost.

"Thank you," she said, slightly blushing. Kurama smiled at her before leaving once again.

Kaori slipped off her necklace, and with a small glow her ears and tail returned. She sat amongst the endless amount of bags and held her tail around her waist, stroking it gently. A soft smile spread across her face as she reached out and found a perfect, purple rose in the small bag Kurama sat on her bed. She held it close, loving its sweet fragrance.

"I hope I can stay a while too…"