Ok, I'm sooooooo sorry that I haven't posted in a year but there is very good reason. I moved, went to school, got a job, got another job and computer blew up. But all is better and I've been writing again. (I've had my friends give me crap for not writing so I get it on both ends.) So expect more updates and less disappearances. Also another story to come out. So enjoy the new update and I'll be back again soon.

Chapter 12: Strike One!

Youko waited patiently, the next morning, for Kuronue to return and to set him free. He was able to regain his strength and rest but he also planned, planned to get Kiara to accept him. Kuronue walked into the room and smirked as she saw the unhappy look upon his friend's face. "Rest well?" he asked.

Youko growled but waited for Kuronue to untie him. When he didn't move, Youko nodded. "Yes, I rested well enough and my strength is at its peak. Care to try me?" Youko challenged.

Kuronue shook his head and smirked. "Nope but I think you've held up you're end of the deal so I guess I can let you out to play," Kuronue laughed as he untied the agitated kitsune. Youko quickly rose from his bed and went straight towards his bathroom. Kuronue shrugged as he waited for Youko to return.

When Youko emerged, he looked up and smirked at Kuronue. "We have much to prepare for. Inform Yomi that we're to do a raid ever two weeks. This will keep the men in high spirits if they have some treasure to play with. Also, I want you and Sienna to plan a masque, in a month's time. I have my own plans," Youko said as he immediately headed down to where he creates his plants.

"Plans? Do these plans include getting Kiara to give into you and become your mate?" He asked as he followed.

"My plan is for me to gain a mate but first I must gain her trust and her forgiveness," Youko said as he picked up a rose and another one of his favorite flowers.

"Do you have a general idea of what you're going to do?" he asked.

"Not a clue but I'm going to keep seeing her," he said as he started combining the flowers into a perfume.

"You only have one problem," Kuronue said as he picked up a piece of silver.

"And what is that?" Youko asked.

"Sienna," Kuronue whisper.

Youko stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend. "I forgot about her. Is she going to cause me some problems?" Youko asked.

"Well, she doesn't like you not after what you did during Kiara's heat. So I think that is high possibility. I can try to buffer as much as I can but I can't promise much. When it comes to Kiara, she's over protective," Kuronue said as he spun the silver piece in his hand.

"No kidding, it probably has something to do with Kiara's real identity," Youko thought before shrugging. "She can pull whatever she wants, I'm not giving up."

Kuronue looked up as Youko finished what he was doing and handed him the piece of silver he was playing with. "I wish you luck, man. You're going to need it. I'll head over to Yomi and pass the message along and then I'll go find Sienna and 'suggest' the idea of the masque," Kuronue said before turning back to the exit and leaving.

Youko nodded as he looked down at the perfume he had created. The scent was unique and he couldn't wait to smell it on her. He looked down at the silver piece that Kuronue had been playing with. It wasn't anything special. Just an ordinary piece of silver. Youko smirked as an idea same into his head. He picked up the piece of silver and began to mold and bend it into a particular form. He managed to make two different pieces from the silver before attaching them to a silver chain. He placed the silver chain down in his room before taking the perfume and running off towards Kiara's hideout.

Kiara sat in her room, looking down at a picture of her mother and herself as a small child. She remembered her mother telling her the story of how her mother and father became mates and chuckled to herself. Koenma had asked her several times to be his mate before she finally accepted. It seemed that Kiara was like her mother except that she could never give into Youko's request, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't. She placed the picture back in its hidden spot before wiping away a tear.

Sienna went back to her home, seeing as she was still exhausted and didn't agree with Kiara's point of view. Kiara had promised her that she'd spend the day resting since she wasn't up to her normal strength. "A week of hell to lose all your strength only to go through another week to get it all back," she grumbled.

"So I take it that you're under house arrest?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

Kiara quickly turned around and found Youko standing at the door to her balcony. He had his hand behind his back but he also had a knowing smirk on his face. Kiara laughed softly before giving him a fake pout. "Sienna is so mean to me. She won't let me go out and play," she said as she got up and walked over to him.

Youko smirked as he shook his head. "That's not very nice of her. You seem like you're back to normal," he commented as he moved to place his arms around her. His smirk vanished as he looked down at her. "I know that you turned me down but I'm not giving up. I will prove myself to you."

Kiara looked up at Youko with a sad look and started to move away. "Youko, please. Understand that I can't. I'm sorry," Kiara whispered.

Youko kept his arms around her. He could feel her hesitation and withdrawal. He had a long way to go to gain her forgiveness. He kept his eyes on her but smiled just the same. "Why don't we go out for a walk? I'm sure you could use the fresh air," he said as he turned her towards the exit.

Kiara looked up and smirked. "Jailbreak?" she asked.

"Something like that," he laughed.

Kiara smirked at him before sneaking over to her door to make sure it was locked. She did a quick test before joining Youko. "Lead the way!" she said as she smiled up at him.

He smiled down at her before taking her hand to the balcony. He quickly hid what was in his hand and placed it into his pocket. He went first as he climbed down the vines and waited for her to join him at the bottom. She quickly followed him down, showing absolutely no fear as she made her way to solid ground. When she turned to him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the forest. "Let's go. I know the perfect place," he said as he dragged her into the woods.

"Is this a date, Youko?" she asked playfully.

"It can be if you want it," he said as he continued into the woods.

"What are you hiding, Youko?" she asked suddenly. Even as she waited for an answer, he kept pulling her until he turned around and tied as red silk blindfold around her eyes. "Youko?"

"It's a surprise and you'll see soon enough," he said as he pulled her into his arms and held onto her.

She squirmed a bit before giving up and waiting for him to put her down. It didn't take long until her ears picked up on the sound of water. "We're not at the hot springs, are we? Cause you're still not getting that lucky," she said as she moved to remove her blindfold.

Youko chuckled as he placed her on her feet. "Sorry to disappoint you but we're not at the springs. We're at something of my own creation, if I do say so myself," he said as he fully removed her blindfold and allowed her to see a secret waterfall that Youko had taken a large amount of time to conceal. The ground that surround the pool below the waterfall had the softest grass ever created so that as one laid upon it, one could gaze up at the hundreds of flowers that bloomed above.

Kiara felt her jaw fall as she stared at the beauty of the waterfall. It was pure silence aside from the sound of water. She let her feet glide across the grass as she walked towards the pool and dipped her foot in. "So warm. How did you do this? When did you do this?" she asked as she turned around to look at Youko.

Youko had moved to stand behind her and smiled down at her. He loved seeing the surprise on her face at his sudden closeness. "Many years ago. This place was perfect for me, when I wanted to disappear from it all. Its beauty and peacefulness helped to keep me sane. I…uh…wanted to share it with you," he said before pulling out the small bottle and handed it to her. "I also created this for you. I think that the flowers I chose best describe you."

Kiara took the small bottle and opened it enough to get a good scent. "Roses, lavender, and orchids? Perhaps cherry blossom?" she asked as she looked up at him.

Youko nodded to her as he moved to wrap his arms around her. "All of them. Each flower represents you in one way or the other, especially the roses. Gorgeous too look at and to smell but dangerous to touch," he said as he placed his head on hers. "Will you wear it?"

Kiara smiled before dabbing a few drops at strategic points on her body. She dared a look up at Youko and noticed that his eyes were closed and his nostrils flared. "Perfect," he muttered.

Kiara turned in his arms and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you, Youko. It's very thoughtful of you," she said as she placed the bottle safely in her pouch then stepping away. "This feels weird. A couple of months ago we were doing everything we could to get under each other's skin and now we're acting like Kuronue and Sienna."

Youko let Kiara pull away from him and go on about how they changed and even he had to admit that it was strange feeling like this. He thought back to before he met her. To the days when it didn't matter what female was in front of him. He would have had her in his bed, had his way with her and then sent her packing. They meant absolutely nothing to him but looking at Kiara, he couldn't even imagine her leaving him. Even the thought of her being with another male made him growl with possessiveness.

Kiara must of have heard his growl because she turned toward him in concern. He cleared his throat and looked at the waterfall. "You can't control who you fall in love with, Kiara. It just happens. You can either embrace it or run from it and to be honest I don't want to run. I've been doing that for years and now, I see you. I see you standing there amongst the plants that I helped to grow and all I can think about is you. Not thieving or fighting. Just you. You've all I've ever wanted in a mate. You challenge me in a way that no one ever has. You're like a lock that can't be picked. But just as you're hard and cold, you're soft and caring. I see the way you are around the other women. You treat them like they're of your own blood. I love that about you. You'd make a great mother," he confessed before realizing what he let slip.

Kiara stared at Youko. That's all she could do. Her mind raced. Her heart pounded. Youko was a male of worth, not a womanizing bastard. He just needed the right woman to show him who he really was. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong woman. He chose a woman he could never have. He had to fall in love with the heir to Sprit World. Tears filled in her eyes as she turned her back on him. Anger coursed through her as she thought of her other life and how she almost wished that she could give it up. Wished that should could rip off her mask and reveal the whole truth to him but she couldn't.

Youko saw Kiara's tears and quickly moved to have her in his arms. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you cry," he said as he held her close.

"I wish that you didn't love me, Youko," she whispered.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, shocked.

"Because things would be so much easier for both of us but now I feel like I'm splitting in two and it's killing me," she said as she pulled away and looked down at herself in the pull. Although she had her mask on, it was two people who stared back at her: Kaida and Kiara.

"Why do you feel like you're splitting in two? Kiara, I would never ask you to give up your girls. You wouldn't have to choose between them or me. You could have us both," he said hoping that that would cure her sorrow.

Kiara forced out a laugh as she shook her head. "This is not about the girls. In a way, they will suffer like you," she said before shaking her head. She looked down at the water before taking off her shirt and pants and jumped in. "I don't want to talk of sad things anymore. Let's swim."

Youko watched as Kiara deflected the problem at hand. His mind trying to figure out what she meant by how both he and the other females would suffer. His mind, however, didn't linger on that puzzle for too long. When she started to remove her clothing, his demon came screaming to life, drinking up the sight of her tan skin as it descended into the clear water. He watched as she swirled her dark mahogany hair in the pool, almost like a dance amongst the ripples. It didn't take him long for his own clothes to disappear and for him to join her in the water. He reached out to her and pulled her body to his and together the two of them circled in the water in the silence the babbling water.

Kiara smiled up at him as he held her close. She had let the water rush over her body, in a way, washing away her worries of what was to come in just a couple of years. A part of her was telling her run and to keep on running while the other screamed to give up the life of Kaida and remain as Kiara. She pushed both of those voices into a room and closed the door. For now, she was going to celebrate that both Youko and herself survived her heat. She looked up at the silver hair fox and wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in close to his ear. "Tag," she whispered before dunking him clear under and swimming off into the pool.

Youko quickly broke the surface and looked for the vixen that pulled yet another fast one on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the swish of her black tail as she swam under the waterfall and towards the caverns that were hidden behind them. He quickly followed after her and it didn't take him long to catch her tail in his claws. He pulled her back and dragged her to the surface. He held her close to him as he swam them both to the edge. "So what is my prize for catching you?" he asked in a low whisper.

Kiara shivered under his arms as his words shot through her. This was a familiar Youko. The flirty Youko. "Prize? I didn't realize that there was something to gain," she said as she looked up into his golden orbs.

"Oh there is something to gain here. There's always something to gain from you, Kiara," he said as his lips claimed hers.

Kiara welcomed his lips. She knew now that she would never be able to resist them and at this moment, she didn't want to. Youko's hands seemed to fit perfectly around her body, as if her body was meant for him. She was surprised by this realization but not as surprised as she was when she realized that he knew the same thing. His lips moved from hers to her throat. He gave her slow salutes of his feelings for her. At one point she felt his fangs brush the side of her throat. "Don't mark me, " she barely whispered.

"I won't until you tell me to," he growled possessively as he moved further down. He was in love, he knew it now. Every part of him wanted to mark her. To call her his, but he didn't dare do it against her wishes. He wouldn't enjoy those reprocussions. He was about to move further down to her chest when she moved away. Youko gave her a confused look, wondering why she moved away. "Kiara?"

"I don't know if I can keep this up," she whispered to herself.

"Keep what up?" he asked as he urged her to continue.

"This double life," she confessed.

"What double life?" Youko asked, listening carefully.

"Kiara isn't who I am. I made her up to surivive here," she said before realizing what she said. She quickly gathered her clothing and ran off into the jungle.

Youko stared at her. Shock was clear on his face. A part of him knew that Kiara wasn't who she said she was but for her to say it aloud was harder to accept. He watched as she disappeared into the jungle only to realize she didn't know where she was going. Forgetting his clothes, he chased after her. It didn't take long for him to catch her. As he laid upon her, trying to sooth the flailing vixen, he tried to surpress the urge to remove her mask. "Kiara! If you keep this up, your mask will fall. Do you really want me to see who really are?" he asked, unsure of the answer he would receive.

She stopped squirming about as she looked up at him, fear clear in her eyes. Youko couldn't help the concern that showed on his face. He watched as she placed her hand on her mask. "What is so horrible that you must hide from me?" he asked a bit hurt.

"If you only knew, you wouldn't feel the same about me. If you truly knew, you wouldn't want me," she said before squirming out from underneath him. "I'm sorry Youko but no matter how much I love you, I can't abandon my other life or that responsibility. No matter how much I want to."

Youko stared at her as she fortified her resolve and took off into the jungle. Youko stared at what was once Kiara before heading back for his clothing. So much had been revealed in the short amount of time that they were together but the very secret that she held so close to her heart. Once Youko finished dressing, he returned to his own hideout, to think of what to do, to decide if he should continue to pursue her or let her go. Youko tried to imagine her with another male, every time he pictured it, he growled with his mind saying mine.

What a mess! Kaida finally fines peace and happiness and Koenma has to screw up again. What do you do when you're torn in two? Find out on the next chapter and Love and Secrets!