Disclaimer: I owned YYH once but then the lawyers appeared and took the copyrights. I managed to steal the rights back for my OCs, plot, and poems though.

Recap: After a tiring night of rocking Rei to sleep, Tsukino doesn't even have enough energy to stand and seems to be losing her mind. So Kurama, being the gentleman that he is carries her back to his and Botan's apartment. Once inside, Kurama lays Tsukino down in her room and leaves. He is quickly cornered by Botan, who is convinced that Kurama has a crush on Tsukino. Kurama denies this and goes to bed. During the night, Tsukino has a dream and awakes frightened. Botan comforts her until the mixed breed falls asleep. After a short talk with Kurama, she and he return to sleep as well.

Say It If It's Worth Saving Me
Chapter Thirteen
A Decision to Make

One Truth Revealed

The morning after my dream I awoke to the sounds of talking coming from the kitchen.

"Still asleep?" I heard Kurama ask.

The person he was talking to must have nodded because he continued talking. "Perhaps we should leave so that she'll be able to rest."

I heard Botan ask, "What if she has another nightmare?"

There was silence for a few seconds. During that time, I managed to get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen. I stop just outside the kitchen as I hear Kurama reply.

"I'll come home right after my meeting and check on her. Then I'll stay home," he said.

"Should I call Keiko, or just walk over and tell her I'm filling in for Tsukino-chan?"

"I suggest calling. There is less of a chance of her waking up if you call rather than Keiko calling here demanding to know if she is alright."

I entered the kitchen at this point. "Morning," I said as I sat down in my usual chair.

Kurama gave me a concerned look as I sat down across from him. I look away from his eyes. After that nightmare, anything green was only going to remind me of my mother. The fact that Kurama's eyes were green and… eyes wasn't helping. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Just tired."

"I was just suggesting calling Keiko and telling her that I would be working instead of you," Botan said.

I gave her a confused look. "Why? I can work. I'm fine, just tired."

Botan was just about to reply when the phone rang. I covered my cat ears as a headache started to form.

Kurama answered the phone as quickly as he could and after listening for a moment, handed it to me. "It's Keiko."

I took the phone. "Hello?" I asked.

"How are you feeling, Tsukino-chan?" Keiko asked from the other end.

"Just a bit tired but fine."

"You could take the day off if you wanted if you are still drained. Yusuke can handle the restaurant on his own."

"That's very kind of you but I'll come in if I can."

"What do you mean? 'If you can'?"

"I'm getting the vibe from Botan-chan that she's going to chain me to my bed if I try to leave the house," I feebly joked.

"Then you'd better stay home. Botan's a healer, she knows what's best."

I shook my head. "Keiko-chan! Not you too! I'm perfectly fine, just tired."

"You were delusional when you left here."

I paused before I replied. "What do you mean?"

"You told Kurama had he had pretty eyes."

I just sighed.

A while ago, Botan and Keiko had tricked me into playing Truth or Dare. Luckily, Yusuke and Kurama walked in and accidentally stopped the game before anything really bad could happen. Unfortunately for me, before that Botan and Keiko asked me what I liked about Kurama. I answered his eyes, because at the time, they didn't remind me of my mother.

Anyways, I decided to play along with Keiko's joke and said, "Well, I'm not delusional now so I can work right?"

"If you are working, you are going to be cooking, not walking around and Kurama is giving you a lift over and back so that you don't put too much stress on yourself."

I paled. "Keiko-chan. I'm sure that he's busy. And I can walk just fine. There is no need to-"

"That is the only way you are going to be working, and you will only be working in the morning. I'll give you an hour to decide which is the lesser evil. Staying home with Botan all day, or getting a ride from Kurama."

Before I could say anything, Keiko hung up.

I handed the phone back to Kurama since he had to make a call and tried to decide. Botan was nice, but she often got bored of staying in one spot. It wasn't fair to do that to her. At the same time, I refused to take a lift from Kurama. It was a matter of pride. I was fit and able to walk, and it was only going to trouble him. For a second, I wondered if I could somehow fake getting a ride from Kurama.

"So what did Keiko say?" Botan asked as she placed food in front of me.

"She says I have an hour to decide whether I'm working or not," I replied as I eat.

"Why so much time?"

I sighed and then said, "Because I'll only be cooking in the morning and I have to get a ride to and from there with Kurama-san."

Botan gave a cat grin. "Oh is that all?"

In the short time, I knew Botan I learned to fear for my sanity when she gave me that grin. I was right to be afraid because the first thing Botan said when Kurama re-entered the room to replace the phone was:

"Tsukino-chan needs a lift to and from Yusuke's if she is going to work."

Kurama stared a Botan for a moment before asking me, "How long are you working?"

"Only the morning," I muttered, completely defeated.

He nodded. "That should work. I'm going out now, but I can give you lift in about forty-five minutes and then pick you up after the meeting."

Botan grabbed my arm before I could say anything. "She'll meet you in the lobby in forty."

Kurama nodded and went out the front door. Botan, on the other hand, followed me to my room. Once we were both inside the room, she closed and locked the door. Then she pointed to my bed.

"Sit," she commanded me.

Now normally, I wouldn't have listened and would have just gotten ready for the day, but there was something seriously off about Botan that morning. I sat down on the bed like a common dog.

She sat down beside me and gave me a serious look, which really didn't match her. "Kurama won't admit this, so I'll just tell you. You really scared him last night, and he wants to help in any way he can."

I stared at her in shock but overcame it quickly. "It was just a dream Botan. I just tired myself out last night and had a nightmare."

"Not even using up all your energy transforming can make you delusional."

I twitched. "So what Keiko-chan said was true?"

Botan nodded. "So what caused that?"

I started to shrug when a thought hit me. "I doubt that is the reason, but…"

"But?" Botan urged me.

I realized what I had said my thoughts aloud. "It's nothing," I quickly told Botan. She didn't need to know. No one needed to know.

"Tsukino-chan," Botan said with a frown. "If you tell me what is wrong maybe I can fix it."

I shook my head. No one could fix it. It was probably just a result of messed up genetics. Nothing important and nothing that could be changed.

"Tsukino-chan," Botan urged me again.

I realized that she wasn't going to go away unless I explained. With a sigh, I tried to explain. My sentences were hesitant because I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. "Every since I turned seventeen I have been acting oddly during certain weeks."

"Oddly as in what?"

"I become more aware of the males around me."

Botan just stared at me completely confused. "Meaning?"

I sighed. "From what I've seen, I'm on the look out for possible mates."

"That seems normal."

I shake my head. "Botan-chan, when I say on the lookout, I mean if given the chance, I, theoretically, could end up mated to someone I just met."

"You mean that bite?" She pointed to my throat where my scar was visible.

I gave her a confused look. "What about it? It's just a bite I got a few years ago."

"But it still hasn't disappeared."

I nodded. "I'm not even sure what this is from but I'm sure that it has nothing to do with mating. Even though I don't even know how the process works, I'm positive this bite wasn't from a heated night of 'fun'."

Botan nodded. "Okay, so how do you avoid ending up mated?"

"In Demon World, I just avoid everyone. Here, I didn't have that chance. Luckily, I spent most of my time attempting to remain in my human form. For some reason, the problem doesn't transfer over to my human form."

"How do you know when this problem is over?"

"I get a headache thirty-three days after I'm out of the danger zone."

"And when is the danger zone?"

"The first week in Hraru."

"Hraru?"

"Demon World calendar. On the Human calendar, I'm like this first week of April."

"So that time at the mall?"

I shook my head. "It was too early. I'm not sure what happened."

"Could it be your inner demon reacting to Kurama?"

I shook my head. "My inner demon has been screaming at me to avoid him."

"That doesn't make any sense."

I nodded. "I know. If Kurama-san was a cat or bat demon then I could see my inner demon reacting and acting out of order while it's not in the danger zone."

"But Kurama is a fox demon."

I nodded and we fell silent until I managed to ask the question I had been dreading the answer to. "Botan-chan, have I done anything else odd around Kurama-san?"

"Well you did cause him to blush as we were entering the apartment."

"And… how exactly did I do that?" I asked in a small voice.

Botan suddenly jumped off the bed. "You should get dressed."

"Botan-chan?"

"You don't want to keep Kurama waiting."

"Botan-chan," I said in a threatening voice. "What did I do?"

She gave me a fake smile. "You shouldn't ask questions you don't want answers to."

I sighed. "If you tell me, I'll tell you about the dream."

Botan nodded and sat down again. "You get dressed. I'll tell you as you get ready."

I nodded and got off the bed listening as Botan told me what had happened last night. When I was finally dressed I sat back down on the bed.

"So I nuzzled him?" I slowly asked.

Botan nodded.

"And said that his eyes were pretty?"

She nodded again.

I groaned and fell backwards onto my bed. "Damn it! He's getting mixed signals now!"

"I think Kurama realizes that you aren't in your right mind while you are acting like that."

"Actually, he probably thinks that when I'm like that I'm showing my true feelings!"

"And are you?"

"Of course not!"

Botan nodded but she wasn't smiling. "Then no problem, because from what I know, Kurama just thinks that you were delusional. And besides, your reaction to him last night was enough to give him the message."

I paused in mid-rant. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you remember anything about last night?"

I shivered. "I remember the dream and waking up to see her eyes looking at me."

"Her?"

I shivered again. "It will make more sense if I tell you the dream." So I told her the dream. By the end of it, Botan was nodding as if she had just found the last piece of a puzzle.

"Kurama was the one who woke you up," Botan explained. "You must have mistaken his eyes for your mother's. When he saw how scared you were of him he backed off right away and left the room." She got up and walked over to the door. "He was really worried about you," she added as a side note before she left.

I nodded and continued getting ready for the day. Once I was ready, I walked down the lobby where Kurama met me with his car. As I got into the car, I forced myself to look at his eyes. I noticed that unlike my mother's, his eyes, though cold, weren't cold with hatred. His were cold with distance and hidden deeply inside was also pain. Almost as if he was distant so that he didn't bring any pain to himself or anyone else.

We reached the restaurant and I got out. Kurama told me the time he would pick me up and then drove off. As he drove away, I silently wondered if he had been betrayed at some point in his life.

White Page, White Page
Fear In His Eyes
White Page, White Page
Reflecting My Demise

Day Seventy-Eight

There is a saying that states time moves faster when you are having fun. It almost moves faster when you are trying to do many things at once. Such as serving four different tables at the same time.

My meeting took two and a half hours so I had some time to waste afterwards. Instead of remaining at the company to do paperwork, I drove to the restaurant. Once there I was surprised to see that the place was very busy. Usually, at eleven o'clock the restaurant was quiet.

Noticing that Botan had come over and was helping out, I decided to give a hand as well. I walked over to the kitchen and picked up a plate of food that Tsukino had just placed on the counter.

"Which table does this go to?" I asked.

Tsukino looked over and didn't even ask what I was talking about. She just pointed to a table by the windows. "The ramen is for the man with the red hat."

I nodded and delivered the food. On my way back to the kitchen, I took a few orders as well. I gave them to Tsukino and went to find Yusuke. I found him taking orders as well.

"Hey Kurama," Yusuke said as he walked back to the kitchen. "I hope you aren't here to place an order because it could take a while."

"What exactly is going on?"

"Dunno. A lot of people from out of town though. I wonder if there is a concert happening or something."

I nodded. "Why don't you help Tsukino-san in the kitchen? I'll take orders and deliver the food."

Yusuke nodded and ran off to the kitchens.

For the next few hours, we were all kept busy until the rush finally died down at around two o'clock.

Now Botan, Yusuke, Tsukino, and I are sitting in the empty restaurant drinking some tea Keiko has made.

"I've never seen it that busy before," Keiko comments.

Tsukino nods and then gives Keiko a smile. "See, you should have let me be a waitress. It would have been less stress."

Keiko sits down beside her and whispers something into her ear. (Tsukino is in her demon form.) I am unable to hear it, but from the look on Tsukino's face, she is being blackmailed.

"I'm just amazed that everyone was so understanding," Botan says as she plays with Rei. "It was almost as if they all knew each other and were just taking in the sights. That big guy in the corner mentioned looking for something though."

Tsukino stops in mid-sip when Botan mentions the man. "What did he look like exactly?" she asks.

"Not really sure. He had sunglasses on and black hair. He was sitting over in the far corner. For some reason, he reminded me of younger Toguro."

As Botan gives a description of the man, I watch Tsukino's face. For a second, a flicker of fear enters her eyes before it is covered. Is this man the one who is after her? Is he part of a group? Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. I don't even know if anyone is after her. All we have at this time are suspicions.

Yusuke also notices the look that flickered on Tsukino's face, but he makes no comment except that it was time for Tsukino to go home and rest.

Tsukino resists at first, saying that she is just fine, but we can all see that she is tired. Botan offers to return to the apartment with Tsukino so that I can visit with the Urameshis.

"I was planning on taking a nap anyways," Botan says.

After learning that fact, Tsukino slowly gives in and leaves the restaurant with Botan.

Keiko returns upstairs with Rei to feed her and leaves Yusuke and me alone.

"So any news from Hiei?" Yusuke asks once he is sure Keiko can't hear.

I shake my head. "I'm afraid not. It's been over two months since he went to check on Koenma. I must admit, I'm worried."

Yusuke nods. "Well… maybe Koenma forced him to help out with the paperwork. I mean, the guy is supposedly drowning in it. Maybe Hiei was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was forced to help."

For a moment, I picture Hiei sitting at a desk stamping papers. It is amusing enough to lift my spirits a bit. "Somehow, I think Hiei would rather burn the papers than stamp them."

Yusuke grins. "True." He grins fades quickly though. "So what do you think about the Toguro look-a-like? Tsukino-san seemed worried."

I nod. "I agree. There is something we are missing, and we need to find out what."

Yusuke's grin returns, confusing me. "I guess you'll just have to turn on the charm."

I shake my head. "By now I would have thought that you would have learned that that won't work."

Yusuke's face grew triumphant. "Ah but I figured out what was wrong with the plan!"

"Very well, what was wrong with your plan?"

"You were faking. Since she is a cat, she could sense that and saw your intentions. But now that you care about her, you can ask her because you are genuinely curious and worried about her safety."

"I fail to see where you came to the conclusion that I care about her."

"It's obvious! Why else would you flip out when she tries to get close to you?"

"Perhaps because she has a mate?"

"Why is she hitting on you if she has one then?"

"She isn't flirting with me."

"Then what is she doing?"

I sigh and start to explain my theory. "I'm not quite sure, but if my theory is correct, it would explain why she says she doesn't have a mate and her behaviour."

"Alright, let's hear that theory."

I explain slowly so that Yusuke isn't able to misinterpret anything. "Usually, when a demon is marked, that means that they are taken, correct?"

Yusuke nods.

"The next step would be to mate, much like the human marriage. You have the ceremony and then the honeymoon."

Yusuke nods. "So?"

I pause for a second to think about how to word my next sentence. "Pretend that the there is a demon pair who have just marked each other. Before they can mate, one of them dies. What do you think would happen?"

Yusuke shrugs. "The living demon mourns and moves on?"

I shake my head. "While that may be the case sometimes, there is another possibility. The living demon could revert back to their animal instincts."

"Which are?"

I sigh and point out the obvious. "To find another mate."

Yusuke gives me a confused look. "Isn't that what I said?"

I shake my head again. "When I say revert to their instincts, I mean during certain seasons, spring usually, the living demon would try to seduce another demon."

"In other words, sleeping with the first demon they see?"

"Possibly."

Yusuke is silent for a moment and then says, "Looks like you might not need to turn on the charm to get the information."

I glare at him. "Yusuke, Botan has a far better chance at learning what is happening with Tsukino-san."

Yusuke nods. "But Botan and Keiko refuse to tell us anything. Looks like your plan wasn't so brilliant, fox-boy."

Admittedly, both plans have many flaws. "I suppose we'll just have to wait then."

"And hope that that Toguro look-a-like isn't after her," Yusuke adds.

A thought suddenly strikes me. I'm about to voice it when we hear a scream that we both recognize.

"Botan!" Yusuke shouts.

Keiko appears at the bottom of the stairs. Before she can ask any questions, Yusuke and I run out the door.

"We'll be back," I shout over my shoulder.

"How could we have been so stupid?" Yusuke demands to know. "We knew that someone was after Tsukino-san, and we just let her walk outside the house with only Botan to protect her."

"Let's just find them," I reply as we keep running.

We find them in the parking lot to the apartment. Botan is sitting on the ground beside an unconscious Tsukino.

"What happened?" Yusuke demands to know as I look around for anything that is out of place.

Botan is shivering. "I don't know. We were talking, and then Tsukino-chan mentioned feeling like something stung her. And then she just collapsed."

Yusuke nods and kneels down by Tsukino. He looks down at her and then looks up to me. Suddenly, he points over my shoulder. "Kurama!"

I spin around and spot the demon that Yusuke sees.

The demon, knowing that it has been spotted, makes a run for it.

"Stay here. I'll go after it," I say before I chase after the demon. If it caused Tsukino to faint, it will pay.

The demon runs onto the street and surrounds itself with humans. I find it in the mob within seconds and continue the chase. Unfortunately, I'm unable to run at my top speed due to the humans surrounding me.

Luckily, the demon runs into the park where there are less people. I follow and increase my speed. As I chase, my communicator rings. I pull it out and see that Yusuke is looking at me in worry.

"Kurama, Tsukino-san doesn't have a pulse."

I shake my head and keep my eyes on the demon I'm chasing. "Demons don't have pulses, Yusuke."

"I know that! I sensed for her demonic pulse and couldn't find anything! She isn't breathing either!"

The demon runs back into a mob of people. I'm tempted to follow and chase it down since it must know something, but with Tsukino in that condition…

"Botan and I also found a dart in the skin on Tsukino-san's neck."

I made my decision quickly. I turned off the communicator and ran back to the parking lot. When I arrive, I see that Tsukino is no longer laying on the ground.

"Botan took Tsukino-san to the apartment and is healing her," Yusuke says when he sees me looking around. He hands me the dart. "That demon you were chasing must have shot it at her. What kind of poison do you think they used?"

I nod and look over the dart. "It wasn't filled with poison, Yusuke. It was filled with energy."

Yusuke stares at me in confusion. "Energy? What for?"

I shake my head and pull out my cell. I dial the number for my apartment and hope that Botan will answer.

"Moushi moushi?" she asks after the second ring. She sounds tired and worried.

"Botan, how are you healing Tsukino-san?"

She sounds confused. "The same way a healer heals poison…?"

I shake my head. "Then stop what you are doing right now. Do you recall when Hiei tried to turn Keiko into a demon?"

Yusuke, who was overhearing, says, "Kurama, I think you have some screws lose. Tsukino-san is already a demon. She can't transform into one."

Botan overhears Yusuke's comment and adds, "Yusuke's right."

I shake my head. "She's not turning into a demon; she's turning into another type of demon. And I don't think she'll survive the experience if we don't act quickly."

Before anyone can say anything, I continue, "Botan, you have to try to buy us some time. Do the same thing you did for Keiko on that day as long as you can. Yusuke and I are going to find an antidote."

"Alright. I'll try to stop the transformation as long as I can," Botan says before hanging up the phone.

I put away my cell phone and turn to Yusuke.

"Okay, how are we going to find the antidote?" he asks.

"We need to find owner of this energy," I say as I show him the dart. "Get a blood sample, and then I'll be able to make an antidote."

Yusuke stares at me. "You act as if this has happened to you before."

I give him a grim look. "It has."

He nods. "Figures. And how are we going to find this demon? He got away from you, remember? And we can't even sense the signal of the energy that was in the dart. How are we supposed to find the match?"

I look over to the window of my apartment and then back to Yusuke. "We need to find Kazuma."

A/N: Nice long chapter for you. I had fun writing the last part but I think Kurama was a bit OOC, then again, someone he believes he doesn't care for is in danger. I dunno.

Anyways, I couldn't get a hold of you Silverwing013, so here is my reply to your review. "Yes, denial is a beautiful thing. It makes messing with Kurama's mind all the easier. Thanks for the review and reading!"

And I would also like to thank all of you for reading this far, and reviewing for previous chapters. I hope you will continue to read and hopefully enjoy, and review.

-D101