I am SO sorry this took so long. I had to say all my goodbyes this past week, move in on thursday, and we have stuff during orientation that takes like ALL day. so it's 9:25 Sunday morning, and i have the next chapter for you. This one was really hard to make right. But here it is! Sorry it's so short...I promise the next one will be better!
Chapter 11
Kaori woke up in her bed in Genkai's temple. She saw Kurama sitting in a chair next to her bed with a book and Hiei sat in the window, staring out blankly. When she moved she caught their attention. "Oh, hello," Kurama said with surprise.
"Hi," Kaori said. "Why so shocked?"
"You've been unconscious for an hour," Hiei said.
"Oh, cool," Kaori said sitting up with a yawn. "So what happened to that demon?"
"You killed him," Hiei said, turning his gaze to her. She looked more shocked than Kurama was.
"Really? How?" Kaori asked.
"What do you remember?" Kurama asked, setting his book down. Kaori thought for a minute.
"I was fighting, and I hit a tree, and then…he shot you," Kaori said slowly. Kurama nodded at her in reassurance. "Then I…I got mad…and then…" Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Kurama. At that moment, teenage Koenma came walking into the room.
"Kaori, I need to speak with you," he said. He continued when she nodded her head. "Earlier this evening, you destroyed a demon with reserves of demon energy, correct?"
"I guess," she said. "But it couldn't have been too much, cause I didn't know it was there, and the demon-"
"Was an A-class," Koenma cut in. Kurama's eyes grew and Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Your energy peaked just short of an S-class. You told me that you had no hidden power."
"I didn't know about it!" Kaori defended. "I swear! I didn't lie to you, Koenma. I don't even know where it came from!"
"Well, find out what triggered it then!" Koenma snapped back. "Your power is dangerous, and if what that demon said is true, that Konajiru is prepping you, then we need to find out what it is he wants."
"Yes sir," Kaori said, eyes lowered. With that, he left the room. Hiei 'hn'd' and flitted out the window to find a tree for the night, leaving Kaori and Kurama alone. Kurama looked over at Kaori, who drew her knees up to her chest, covers up to her waist.
"Kaori? Are you alright?" he asked, moving to sit next to her on the bed. She nodded, paused, then shook her head.
"Konajiru wants to use a power I never knew I had, and it only came out when you got hurt," she said sadly. "That means he'll probably come after you and you'll get hurt again and it'll be all my fault." Kurama put an arm around her back in comfort.
"I'll be fine," he said. "We're all going to protect you, Kaori. And don't even think about running away. You'll be safe here, and I'll be safe."
"But why should you put yourself in danger for me?" Kaori said, purple eyes finally meeting green ones. Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but could not find his voice as he looked deep into her purple orbs. So many emotions were swimming around the girls eyes that for a moment he was lost in them.
"Why would you risk your life for me?" Kaori repeated, but this time in a softer, gentler voice. She saw the same depth in Kurama's eyes as he saw in hers. The emotions were deep and pure, full of warmth, all directed towards her.
Kurama slowly leaned over, his face an inch from Kaori's, keeping their eyes locked. Their noses just brushed against each other, giving Kaori a chill she'd never felt before in her life. "Because," Kurama said softly, "I care about you, more than about my own safety. I will do all that I can to protect you because you are worth fighting for."
Kaori gave a small gasp. Never in her life had she heard someone be so caring, or considerate about her. She hoped that he was different that all of those men she met at Konajiru's clubs who only wanted her for pleasure. Kurama erased all doubt when he closed the gap between their lips and gently held hers with his. Her eyes drifted shut as he became the possessor of her first kiss, then he released her lifts just as lightly as if he were a cloud.
Kurama watched as Kaori slowly opened her eyes and met his, a small blush on her cheeks. With his hand that was not holding her close to him, he reached up and gently stroked her face. It was so soft that Kurama found it hard to stop. Kaori was entranced as she watched the green orbs that were watching hers.
Again, Kurama kissed her, a bit more passionately than the first time, causing Kaori to lean back into his other arm. Kaori slid her hands up to his neck as he pulled her closer, tighter against him. Suddenly, her energy spiked again, and it felt as if her temperature shot up. When Kurama pulled back, Kaori's ears were ablaze and her eyes, now opened, had fire.
Kaori gasped and jumped out of the bed. Her tails were burning, but her dress remained and the bed did not burn. "Oh my God…" she trailed off. Kurama stared at her in amazement as she took herself in. "Oh my God I'm burning…this is so crazy…"
"Yes, very," Kurama agreed, standing to face her. She spun in a small circle, almost chasing her tail. Her ears and tail slowly returned to normal. The fire slowly was changing back to fur, from the base out to the tips. Her eyes to, returned to their normal, purple color as well.
"Maybe we should go see Koenma," Kaori decided. Kurama chuckled.
"It's nearly one in the morning," he said. "We will see him first thing in the morning." Kaori nodded and climbed back into bed while Kurama sat back down in his chair.
"Will you…stay with me tonight?" she asked timidly. Kurama nodded, sensing her nervousness. To his amazement, she scooted over in her bed to make room for him. Kurama got in next to Kaori, but gave her some room between them. She was obviously slightly nervous and did not look at him.
"Kaori," Kurama said gently, making her half jump as she looked at him. He reached out to trace her face. "I'm not going to take advantage of you, I swear. I have much more respect for you than that. Trust me, ok?"
Kaori nodded, then smiled. She snuggled a bit closer to him, and he put his arm over her stomach to make sure she felt secure. The last thing Kurama felt was a tail wrapping itself around his waist before he fell into a deep sleep...
