Euphoria

Summary: She could see the desire pooling in his emerald orbs as he looked straight into her eyes and in a voice, low and husky, said simply, "I want you."

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chapter 13

"The Reikai prince…"

Kageyama turned to look at his partner. The demon sat languidly on a chair with one leg crossed over the other, the yellow shade of the his hair nearly matching his turqoise orbs as they met with Kageyama's dark blue ones. A message seemed to pass between them, and the cat ears on the top of Kageyama's head twitched a little.

"He is no threat," he reassured, "Though he is aware Kurama knows who is behind all this, he does not have so much as an inkling of a clue about our identities."

His companion seemed to study him, staring at him with a blank look before shaking his head. All of a sudden, he stood up from the chair, ignoring the way the wooden material screeched against the floor of the warm, dark warehouse that was their hideout in Ningenkai. "Look, Kage, the Yokuboshi I had was the last of its species," he started slowly, hesitantly, as if afraid Kageyama would snap if he uttered the wrong words, "It was priceless. But I gave it to you because you were a friend. I helped you. But if this plan of yours results to nothing…"

A growl, low and dangerous, immediately silenced his doubtful remarks. Kageyama's blue eyes flashed red and he sighed as he saw his cat ears flatten on his head. "I assure you, Ruki," Kageyama's voice sounded slightly strained, "our efforts will not be fruitless." A smirk reached to find its way to his lips.

Ruki pressed his lips together, somewhat unconvinced. He continued to gaze back at Kageyama's determined irises, considering for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay, I trust you. But the moment this gets out of control, I'm leaving."

"You're going to bail out on me?" In spite his words, Kageyama did not seem even the least bit surprised at the outburst. He earned a nod in return, causing the smirk touching his lips to broaden just a little. "You tell me you're doing this all for me, but you'll abandon me at the last minute? How very honorable of you."

Ruki shrugged both shoulders, then raised his two arms in defense of himself. "Hey, I know I said all that stuff and all, and it's true. But I still have my own matters to take care of, and I'm not going to die by the hands of a crazy fox demon, or more importantly, get myself arrested by Reikai's reliable SDF members."

That tore out a laugh from Kageyama's throat. "Death is more relevant than imprisonment, huh?"

"Yes." Ruki grinned, not even the least bit hesitant with his admittance. "Very much sweeter."

"You need to get your priorities sorted out."

"So I've been told." Ruki pushed his hands into the warmth of his pockets as he felt a surge of demon energy- one that didn't belong to him- spiking a little with the intent to kill. His grin took on a more playful approach, his eyes mirthful as he stared down at Kageyama. "Relax," he uttered, "I know I said I was going to escape if worse comes to worse, but at least, I'll come back later to check up on you. Or we can devise another plan to make Youko's life miserable."

"And if I were dead by then?" Kageyama retorted with a huff, though his aura seemed to be gradually losing its touch of hostility as his clenched fists unclenched, the blood trickling from the wound his clawed fingers had marked on his skin from clutching too hard blatantly ignored, even as it dripped on the floor, turning it red and dark brown.

Ruki's orbs seemed to flash. "Then I'll bury you, mourn for you-"

"You'll probably just feed me to one of your cannibalistic friends," Kageyama cut off the bluff, blue irises narrowed at his partner's lame attempt at a friendly joke.

Ruki attempted a half smile, but his eyes seemed to glint at the mention of the human peers he'd made through something called an internet on a website dedicated to humans who consumed other humans as a food source. He found it somewhat funny. Years after more and more demons had abandoned the habit of devouring humans for survival, it would seem their prey's own kind had adopted that obsession and doing a good job at continuing where demons had left off. He had laughed the instant he found the website, and he was still laughing about it to this day. It felt pleasant, for some odd, sick reason.

"At least, they're satisfied," Ruki replied with a chortle, catching the knife Kageyama threw at him between his forefinger and middle finger with effortless grace. For some reason, his smirk seemed to grow. "Hey, I've got a favor."

Kageyama glared for a moment, before slowly nodding his head. Ruki's features looked as if they would disappear from the grin he sported.

"I want her," he went on, throwing the knife into the air before catching it again his palm. The blade cut through his smooth flesh, drawing out blood, but he did not seem to care. "The ferry girl."

Blue eyes gazed blankly straight ahead before amused realization filled them. "You mean the one Youko's screwing?"

"Yes," Ruki purred, "that one. With blue hair and those clear eyes."

Kageyama seemed to be torn apart between laughing and groaning in frustration. "I don't know what you and that fox see in her. I would've taken her, yes, but she's hardly that interesting."

"I find her alluring."

"Whatever." The cat demon brushed Ruki off as if he were a mere speck of dust in the air. "Why do you want her anyway?"

"I just do." The knife landed somewhere on the wall of the warehouse as Ruki's fingers moved to throw it like a dart. The gesture managed to cut a strand of Kageyama's silvery hair.

"You'll get tired of her," came Kageyama's rebuttal.

"I don't care. I'll kill her when I do. We'll kidnap her, then dump her body somewhere in Makai when the day she has to die arrives."

A silver eyebrow quirked at Ruki in question. "She's Reikai's top ferry girl, and you're planning to abduct her? More importantly, you're going to murder her after you derive every drop of pleasure you can from her? And you say you don't want to get caught by Koenma's henchmen."

"Yes." Ruki's lips pulled upwards into a toothy grin, spreading from ear to ear. "But I relish in the chase."

"Freak."

"Thank you."

Kageyama huffed. "I don't exactly mind; I won't have anything to do with her. Just kidnap her if you want, take her if you desire, but leave me out of it. All I want is to get my revenge on Kurama."

A nod. "Of course. You sure he wouldn't assume you didn't take her as a hostage?"

"He wouldn't."

Ruki pursed his lips. "And if he did?"

A pause hung painfully in the air as a feral, animalistic grin stretched on Kageyama's lips, baring his sharp, glinting fangs in the shadows surrounding them. "Then I'll let you fuck her in front of him just to make that clear."

Kurama's trembling body rose with a start from the covers soaked from his sweat. Ragged, breathy pants escaped him through wide, parted lips. His teeth gritted, his sharp, knife-like fangs poking through the plump skin of his bottom lip as he clamped his eyes shut and fought to regain composure. Moments passed, then the remnants of the memory he had dreamt- blood, his mother, Kageyama, Botan- finally faded away, leaving in its wake only the shivering mess that was his bundled up form as he brought the sheets up to the back of his head. What was that? That terrifying nightmare… Botan, his mother- the two most important people in his life- dead, a puddle of blood beneath their bodies while Kageyama's being stood tall between them with a blood-soaked sword in his right hand. He'd dreamt of their demises, and how they had been murdered because of him. A bad omen seemed to be calling for him, and he frantically shook his head.

No! His mind screamed. I won't let that happen. Not even in a million years. He would kill Kageyama, the cat demon would die by his hands. He wouldn't allow the blasted bastard to even think of going near them, much less land a filthy finger on their hairs.

A fleeting, overwhelming surge of warmth flooded the room, surrounded his cold body and he expelled a sigh of relief. Botan. A familiar pattern of spirit energy, and he eyed, amused, with a smile growing on his face as the knob twisted left to right, to and fro, struggling to open the door with the vines holding it shut. He summoned the green, thorny vines to slither away, watching as they disappeared underneath his bed before darting his gaze to the door as it slid open. In came Botan, her mouth pursed, and a frown embedded on her forehead.

"Did you lock it?" she asked, before closing the door behind her as she sauntered up to him.

"No, not really. I ordered my vines to… keep guard in case an intruder comes and tries to attack."

She blinked. "Why? Did that happen before?"

The redhead tilted his head to the side, a finger coming to rest on the area just beneath his lower lip as he flicked his irises to the right, his posture thoughtful as he racked through his brain. "Hmm, perhaps two or three times. Just a bunch of SDF members."

Surprise crossed over the ferry girl's features, before rage quickly took over and filled her burning pools of amethysts. "How dare they!" she roared, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "I'll have Koenma be made aware of their misbehavior, and they'll be fired in a second! Just they wait!"

She flopped down on the bed angrily, her arms crossed over her chest as her eyes glared daggers at the wall presented before her. Kurama resisted a cheeky grin as he reached a hand to grab ahold of hers. The touch seemed to harbor a soothing effect on her, as he caught the sight of her tensed body slumping down a little, calm now but not entirely.

"Calm down, Botan," he told her, voice gentle as he brought her hand to his lips, planting chaste, open-mouthed kisses on her fingers, "You can't blame them. They're just wary of me, seeing as I'm a demon."

"Yes," Her mouth pressed tight together, "but you're also a member of Reikai Tantei. You have done a lot of good deeds, perhaps even more so than they have. You've put yourself at risk, you've even endangered your life, and I will not tolerate their insolence towards you." A growl built in her chest, before erupting from her throat as her wrath began to brew once more within her.

Kurama shook his head, his red hair swaying from side to side following his actions. He leaned in, then kissed her squarely on the lips to force her to cool down. Smirking against her mouth as he succeeded, feeling her relax against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the lip-lock. He gave her bottom lip a final, firm lick before he pulled apart, his hands cupping her cheeks as he gave her a long, hard look.

"I know how you feel," he whispered, before his voice grew firm, "but by retaliating for my sake, you'll be putting yourself in danger of being octracized. And I will not tolerate that. Ever." A gentle smile then curved at the corners of his mouth. "They may say what they want of me. But I do not wish for them to treat you badly."

Her lips pursed, but she seemed to relent. She understood what he was trying to say; although she cared not about being left out by a bunch of members from the SDF, he could not afford to get her loathed by her coworkers if word about her defending a lowly fox demon were to spread. And they would. Rumors spread like wildfire here in Reikai, perhaps even faster than in Ningenkai. And despite the fact she'd rather drop dead before allow herself to get bothered by what others thought of her when all she'd try to do was stand up for her lover, Botan was well aware of the fact that she could not debate against Kurama. He would win anyway, and she would have to do what he wanted. No questions asked.

She sighed. "Okay, but please tell me the next time it happens. I don't like it, you know? The fact that you've kept this hidden from me for all this time. You should have told me." Her head drooped low, tears springing to her eyes before she felt his warm, pliant fingers wiping them away.

"I apologize," he murmured, "I did not want to worry you."

"Even so," Her hands reached up to touch his, squeezing lightly, even protectively, as she lifted her head to meet his gaze, her purple orbs deadly serious as she went on, "you have to promise me you won't keep it a secret. I want to know. I want you to trust me. Just as I trust you."

His smile broadened ever so slightly, and he complied, nodding his head. "I promise," he whispered, before claiming her mouth in a brief, featherlike kiss. He pulled apart a moment later to see her eyelids, which were fluttered close at first, flicking open to reveal her beautiful amethysts; filled with deep love and yearning. All for him. His heart swelled in joy at the look.

Her left hair cupped his cheek, before tracing over to his ear and disappearing into his hair, the streaks of red matted to the flesh of his face as she continued to curl her fingers around the locks of crimson. "You're sweating," she stated more than asked, and he blinked, "Did you have a bad dream again?"

That threw him a little off guard. "How did you know?" He wondered briefly if she saw him turning in the bed from outside the hospital building before coming in here. But, that wasn't possible. He would have sensed her if that were the case. And yet…

Her mouth formed a patient smile. "You always do," she answered, "Sweat, I mean. And so profusely too, in your sleep. Whenever you have nightmares." Her response came sounding all too knowingly that not for the first time did the revelation hit him that she just knew the real him that much. The thought caused a slight grin to appear on his visage.

"Yes, I was," he finally replied, wrapping an arm around her waist as he drew her closer. She let him, the hand in his hair dropping to his chest as she trailed teasing, lazy circles on the linen fabric of his shirt. A heat began to sizzle in the pit of his stomach, but he tried to ignore it as he buried his nose into her blue mane, taking a whiff of her sweet, vanilla scent.

"What was it about?" she asked, finally, after a long, hesitant pause. She felt his body turn into a rigid line, before the muscles underneath her fingers relaxed, slumping down as he expelled a soft sigh into the icy air.

"You," Botan jerked up in surprise at that, "and my mother. Bleeding, dead on the ground…" He gulped, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to chase away the image from the recesses of his mind. He felt her hand, her warmth sapping through his skin, as it came in contact with his clenching jaw.

"That's not gonna happen," she told him firmly, the serious tone in her voice holding an underlying edge of reassurance, "ever. I won't let it. I'm strong, too, you know. Not in a fighter kind of way, but my spirit certainly is." Her eyes narrowed. "And I won't permit an enemy of yours to put an end to me. Nor will I do nothing to stop him from hurting your mother. If I had to, I'd even give up my life just for her."

Male pride took residence in his heart as her words echoed in the air and reverberated in his ears. A wave of relief, a surge of possessiveness and of course, a sense of overwhelming glee. This was his woman. His mate. And what a brave soul she was. He was more than blessed to have her by his side.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice grateful, "but it will not come to that point, hopefully. I will deal with him before he could even dream of doing anything to either of you."

A smile grew on her feminine features. "I know," she whispered back, before moving closer to crush his lips with hers. A growl rumbled from his throat, sending little, heartpounding vibrations across her mouth as he tightened his hold around her and deepened the kiss.

She felt the rough texture of his tongue poking at her plump lip, and she parted them, allowing him to drive the wet appendage into her warm cavern as it streaked, travelling and memorizing every corner of the insides of her mouth before stroking against hers. A shiver racked down her spine, and she tried to contain her shaking as she brought trembling hands into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer as she climbed onto his lap and pressed her thighs against the either side of his hips.

"Kurama…" she moaned into the lip-lock as she felt something hard poking at her inner thigh before she shifted her position, allowing the bulge constricting in his pants to rock against the heat of her centre.

He groaned at the feel of her wetness soaking the fabric covering his erection, his hands falling to her hips as he rubbed and thrust against her harder and faster. Relishing in the uneven, breathy pants of pleasure he managed to elicit from her with each roll of his pelvis.

"Botan…" he growled out, and it was at this moment that Botan realized something; his voice, it was so deep, so sensual… so different than the gentle, boyish tone of Shuichi Minamino's… Her eyelids fluttered open in a wide, surprised manner, and she finally saw it; the streaks of red hair faded into silver, the ears sprouting on the top of his head and the tail swishing wildly behind him.

"Youko," she murmured, before breaking off the kiss. His mouth tugged down into a thin line, clearly displeased with the halting of their make-out session. Though he let her, watching idly as she pulled away. Her amethysts met his gold, and a smirk crossed his lips as he ogled her swallow a lump in her throat. "Did Kurama let you take over?"

"Hm, not really." He leaned in to nuzzle his nose against her jawline. "It just happened. I suppose Shuichi got lost in the heat of the moment, but it was not in my intentions to gain control."

Her blue eyebrows creased into a deep, bewildered frown, and she observed mutely as the fox stopped his nipping on her throat and pulled apart to look at her. "Then, why did you…"

"Like I said, it just happened," Youko responded simply, his voice casual and his features in disinterest as he stared back at her and leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"You make it sound like it's happened before," she blurted out before she could stop herself, causing him to smirk.

His mouth formed an honest answer. "It has, once or twice." He nodded to himself in acknowledgement over the new fact. "Since the start of this whole ordeal."

"What does the circumstances have anything to do with you taking over?"

"The Yokuboshi," He lazily hooked a strand of her blue hair around his ring finger, eyeing the glint at the tip as the moonlight seeped through the curtains, "It's bringing out my demon energy. As to how, I have no idea. Though the plant is from demon origins, so I suspect it's just… how do I say this? Looking for a better host? A demon host, to be exact. Not that it's never had human victims before, but it's an intelligent creation, it knows that I, Youko Kurama, am a demon and a part of Shuichi. And it's making it easier for me to change forms."

"It prefers… demons?" she riposted with her frown deepening, her voice unsure and almost doubtful. "How… picky."

"Picky, yes, but undoubtedly, beneficial. With a demon host, it lives off longer because demons have long life spans. If the one under the influence of the Yokuboshi dies, then so does the Yokuboshi."

"Why?"

"Because this is its purpose. Without a host, it does not have one, and it wilts."

Her features became even more baffled as further befuddlement surrounded her. "So it dies. But how did it manage to be alive before… making you- Kurama- er, the both of you, its host? I mean, it's just… so weird."

Youko let out a low fit of chuckles- he couldn't help it, she seemed so cute, trying to refer to him and Shuichi at the same time. She shot a glare at him, and that served to silence him, his laughter dying out in the air, reducing into a cheeky grin that found its way to his lips, though his eyes were anything but playful. And she knew he was dead serious about the words that left him next.

"The Yokuboshi, technically, isn't alive until it attaches itself to a host. It exists, yes, but it doesn't come to life until it courses through hot, living blood. The host's life is also its, after all."

"I… see…" she muttered slowly as she attempted to let all the information sink in. It wasn't until she felt the clawed hands, still on her ass, clutching tightly to the soft mounds before giving the right cheek a smack, did she break out of her reverie. A startled gasp escaped her parted lips as she arched her back, driving her breasts closer to his face, and he buried his head there.

"Youko…" she whispered, body trembling as she felt the tip of his claws scraping against her skin as they roamed every inch of exposed flesh. "W-wait," she tried to say, hands gripping to his shoulders as she tried to pull away. Youko growled, tail thrashing behind him in slight irritation, and he gave her cleavage a long lick, ignoring her whimper before he parted to lightly slam the back of his head against the headboard. He seemed to be upset as he gaped at her, and Botan pursed her lips.

"What now?" he demanded, the lust brewing in him making it nearly damn impossible to keep his cool. Of course, he knew she needed to know more, and he would be more than willing to indulge in her questions… after her fucked her. He went to pull up the yellow blouse she was clad in, but the ferry girl swiftly tugged the hem of it down, preventing him from taking it off. She watched, slightly amused, as his ears flattened against the top of his head. "What is it?" he repeated his question, louder and firmer this time, which caused the smile on her face to falter as seriousness took over.

"I-if," and she briefly gulped, "If the Yokuboshi's trying to keep you in this form… what does that mean for Kurama? For Shuichi Minamino?"

That halted his fingers, which had been busy tracing lazy circles on the small of her back. His eyes turned blank, though underneath she could tell he was putting deep thoughts into her inquiry. He stared straight ahead, gaze transfixed on the wall behind her than her face. Then, after a long, what felt like interminable silence, his mouth eventually opened, forming out the words;

"Frankly, I do not know. This has never happened before. I've never heard of cases where the Yokuboshi chooses a demon in human body before, after all, so I… have not a faintest clue of the outcome." He furrowed his brows, sensing her discomfort, and quickly offered, "Would you like for me… to change back? Into Shuichi?"

She frowned, but blushed and nodded her head. "Is it… alright?" She was aware that the silver-haired fox rarely took control, and therefore, he must have wanted his freedom just for a little longer. But, her worry for Kurama got the better of her, and she couldn't help her growing desire to see the redhead's smiling visage.

Youko nodded in affirmative, and as if sensing her concern for his feelings as well, he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay," he answered her, "there's more time for me to have my turn of loving you all night." Desire filtered his molten gold before dissipating. "But, if it is to ease your worries, then I am more than happy to oblige."

Botan's cheeks flamed bright red at the mention of him making love to her, before the colour faded away from her face to give way to a firm stare as she nodded her head. She eyed, with slight awe and full anticipation, as the fox shut his eyes and creased his brows in concentration. She felt his demon energy shift, watched his ears twitch, and barely heard him uttering something under his breath. This lasted for about one or two minutes before Youko opened his eyes, his frown deepening into confusion as he brought his hands up to the length of his waist and stared down at them.

A sense of uneasiness suddenly overtook her, and she inhaled a shaky breath before asking, "Is everything okay? What happened? Why haven't you turned back into Kurama?"

Youko continued to gaze at his hands with that baffled look before his gold orbs widened in realization. He slowly lifted his head, his lustrous yellow eyes staring hard at her as his mouth parted, then in a low, almost inaudible, hushed whisper, came the words,

"Shuichi… I can't change into him."