Twenty

"Are you ready for this?"

Kimiko eyed the small bottle in Shuuichi's hand with definite trepidation. They had spent a very enjoyable day together, all things told, mostly talking, with a bit more... hands on time that had ended quite pleasantly. By the time they had agreed it felt like they should rest, Shuuichi seemed to be his usual self again.

So being confronted by the idea that she was going to be seeing the other side of him again made her decidedly uneasy.

"Not really," she admitted. "But it's not up to me. How does it work again?"

"Once I've taken it, it requires about fifteen minutes to work," he replied. "It seems to last for around forty-five, though I admit, I was not precisely keeping track. You were right to say I was intoxicated... Hopefully this time will be easier."

"Hopefully," she agreed, trying to sound more optimistic than she felt.

Shuuichi looked at her for a moment, then took a measured swallow, before capping the bottle and handing it to her. Kimiko blinked in surprise, but accepted it, giving him a confused look.

"This should help with the temptation," he said with a faint smile. "I do need this power, but I would like to not... forget myself again. If I turn back every hour, it might limit what is changed until there is a more proper integration."

"I see..." She smiled a little, feeling warm despite her nerves. That he trusted her to hold it was gratifying. "I'll try not to beat up your other self too much."

Shuuichi laughed softly, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. His hand came up, tracing the curve of her cheek, and she leaned into the gentle touch, sighing softly.

"Please, if I have earned it, do not hold back. A show of force may even be good. I am much more... acquisitive in that form, and you are not a thing to be acquired. You... are a wonderful person, who keeps surprising me with every day."

Now she blushed, half-hiding her face against his palm.

"Shuuichi..."

He kissed her forehead again, then her mouth, gently, lingeringly. It was impossible to not respond to that, and she kissed back, wanting to hold onto him for just that little bit longer.

It hurt when he pulled away, though he kept his hands on her waist for several moments more. She sighed, but stepped back finally, and watched with equal parts concern and unease as a silvery mist wrapped around him, hiding him from her sight.

And after a moment of thought, she tucked the bottle into the pocket of her coat. Not the most secure place if she wanted to keep it from him, but she didn't have many other ideas. The point, after all, was to train with him. And she only had two more days in which to do that.

He closed his eyes as he felt the power come, and let out a breath. When he took in a new one, he could taste the flavor of emotions left on the air from that kiss, the lingering desire, the tension; it mixed with the various scents of his hand-grown jungle, that rustled as the energy changed. His ears could pick up the various plants moving, taking in new bits of power, digging their roots deeper into the stone floor as his control on them briefly wavered.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see properly in the dim light, and his gaze immediately went to the young woman who watched him warily.

Mine, he thought with an inner smirk.

The little human voice immediately began to scold, though he tuned it out after a moment to pay attention to Kimiko. She was frowning gently, like something was puzzling her more than any other emotion.

"Yes?"

She startled a little, blinked at him, then shook her head slightly.

"Nothing. I think."

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest. After a moment she sighed.

"Would you say you're a strong demon?"

"Of course. I spent many decades acquiring my skills and powers. Why?"

"Dunno. Might be something. Might be nothing. I'll have to wait until you change back to be certain."

He took a step forward and she tensed, though she didn't step back. Tempting to push her, to see what reactions he might get, but he did remember what his human side had said only moments before; no doubt she would take him at his word, and while she might regret it, it would be Kurama who carried bruises.

So he stopped. Let her get used to him being that one step closer, then took another step, watching her expression closely.

"And if I decide I do not wish to change back?"

"I'd rather you did," she replied, meeting his eyes firmly. "You're a demon, but you're a human, and I still find I prefer the human. He talks more, for one thing."

Kurama blinked. Despite his best efforts, a smile that was not cold crossed his face, and he saw her respond to that with a quick grin of her own.

"You seem to talk quite a bit yourself," he replied, very carefully loosening his posture.

"Oh, well. Yes," she looked a bit embarrassed. "I suppose I do."

Lack of close friends, that tiny voice reminded him. Many secrets.

The human memories overlaid the demon ones, but two and a half decades couldn't really compete with several centuries. Still, he dug through the humans ones, familiarizing himself with the woman before him as she studied him with more curiosity than anything else now.

Emotional, but fragile. Lonely, but stubborn. Kurama found himself.. softening. Just a little.

"You came for a reason beyond... this," he said after a moment, watching her face carefully.

"Mmhm. Master Genkai said I ought to train with you for a couple of days. If you're going to be like this, your timing and the like will be different, so we should practice and spar together. To avoid a cross-battle crash, theoretically."

"Theoretically."

She grinned a little; she had relaxed a little in the past few moments, though why, he couldn't say for certain.

"Well, everything's theoretical in a fight until it happens. Can you make a nicely cleared area so we don't hurt the plants? They're kind of freaky, but also pretty cool."

He considered it, then nodded after a moment; the moss would have to stay, to cushion falls... perhaps a ring of brush to indicate the edge of this sparring ring... He waved his hand slightly, and heard her swear a little in surprise as he used a minimal amount of energy to affect some changes to where they were standing specifically.

"How is this?"

She blinked and looked around, her expression somewhere between impressed and annoyed. After a moment, she blew out a breath and frowned at him.

"Two things; One, that was pretty cool, but two, warn me next time, okay?"

He smirked a little, but inclined his head in agreement; it wouldn't do to upset her too much... not when he wanted to see just how much effort it would take to seduce her properly. The tiny human voice just sighed, and he had the sense that if it was its own person, a head would be shaking in resignation.

He ignored it, and watched as she stripped off her jacket, tossing it to one side.

"All right, fox boy," and she smiled a little, settling into a stance. "Come at me."

Some day she would learn to watch her mouth when it came to starting fights. Obviously this day was not it.

Kurama was fast. She hadn't been ready for how fast, and blocking his blows—which she realized after a moment, he was pulling—took some effort. She managed it, barely, then found a split-second opening in which to retaliate.

Ending up on the ground with a fox more or less standing on her back, was annoying. Not necessarily surprising, but annoying. He wasn't half as fast as her master, that much was true, but she had allowed herself to think he couldn't be as fast as he was.

"Okay, okay, point to you, get off," she groused, lacking the leverage to shift him herself.

She felt more than heard him laugh before he obligingly got off her back, allowing her to sit up and brush the moss off her shirt.

"...do that again, but slower?" she said once she was on her feet. "I felt it, but I wanna actually see it."

He looked startled by the request, and studied her for a long moment; she could see more of Shuuichi in Kurama's mannerisms now, though no doubt that was because she was looking for the similarities, instead of trying to highlight the differences. It was still hard to believe they were the same person, despite witnessing the transformation both back and to... but there was that tip of the head that indicated confusion, that slight shrug that could be either agreement or resignation, and in his eyes she thought she saw a glint of humor.

She ended up on her stomach again, but she had felt the way he'd flipped her that time. And he was nice enough to not step on her back so that she could get up immediately.

"Again!"

This time she got an eye roll, but he obliged and threw her again. It took a few more tries before she figured out just what was happening, and while it wasn't something she could necessarily counter, once she was prepared for it, she could flow with it, and turn it into something else.

His surprised look when she managed it, knocking him on his tail in the process, had her laughing.

"You," he said after a minute, getting up and lightly brushing himself off with what looked to be injured dignity, "are a very odd human."

"Yeah, I get that a lot~"

She hopped back to her feet, feeling quite pleased with herself; really, as much as she preferred healing to fighting, there was a purity about it. If nothing else, she was feeling more relaxed about being around Kurama.

"Come on," she said with a grin. "Let's keep going until the potion wears off."

He sighed a little, but when she settled into stance, he was quick to attack. Trading blows with him, she noticed the slightly longer reach, the faster reaction times... and grew somewhat annoyed at the way he now did seem to be holding back. She wasn't a fragile flower, and she was damn well going to be taken seriously!

She was unprepared to have her kick to his head actually connect, and didn't manage to pull the blow half as much as she'd meant in time. He went sprawling with an amazing lack of grace, making the shift from Kurama to Shuuichi as he rolled.

"Oh shit..."

His head ached abominably; both where he'd been kicked and just in general. He had thought to potion would last those forty-five minutes he'd initially estimated, but something, it seemed had gone wrong. Had it been the sparring?

Very gentle hands touched his head, and he didn't have to see her to know that Kimiko was feeling both incredibly anxious and horribly guilty; the way her fingers skimmed over his skull, trembling, told him that.

"Shuuichi? Hey, can you hear me?"

He started to nod, then stopped as that made the ache quite a bit worse. Opening his eyes seemed like a bad idea, so he decided to just.. not.

"No, don't try to move yet. Let me..."

Coolness filtered in, soothing the pain rapidly; he couldn't really feel what she was fixing, but he knew that she was fixing it.

"...okay... okay. How many fingers am I holding up?"

He cracked open his eyes, blinking a few times in the low light; the headache was all but gone now, and he could see her well enough. That anxious expression made his heart twist a little, and it was hard to make himself lay still.

"Two..."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and just gently brushed her fingers over his cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's... not your fault," and he smiled ruefully. "I should have informed you that I felt the potion wearing off, and did not."

He wasn't about to tell her that it was done on purpose; not a deliberate decision by him, but by Kurama. A manipulative choice that actually made him rather glad the potion had worn off already.

Kimiko did not look reassured. Carefully, he started to sit up, then had to lean back as a wave of dizziness swept over him. She was there in a second, very carefully supporting him, and he let his head come to rest on her shoulder.

"Perhaps don't move for a little bit," she suggested, her voice trembling a bit.

"That does seem like a sensible option..."

She just hugged him, and he let himself relax against her, reaching up to cover her hands with his.

"It's not your fault," he repeated gently, shifting just a little so that he could press his forehead lightly against her neck.

She just silently tightened her hug, and it wasn't hard to guess that she didn't agree. Since there wasn't much else he could say, just sitting there and letting her hold him seemed to be the better option. When he felt her let out along,slow breath, he shifted a little more towards sitting up, reasonably assured that she was calmer.

She let him, though it wasn't hard to feel her reluctance. He put his arm around her, pulling her close once he'd sat up properly with no threatening dizziness, and she seemed content to be the cuddled instead of the cuddler, pressing her face against his chest and draping her arms around his waist.

"...I don't think that was forty-five minutes," she finally said.

"I believe you are correct," and he frowned a little, thoughtfully. "Perhaps my time-estimate was off..."

"Maybe, but I think it could be something else too."

"Oh?"

She was quiet for a moment, then looked up at him.

"There's a difference in power, but it's not a big one," she said after a moment. "Like... right now, you're definitely stronger than me. And Kurama was too, but it feels like it was only by a small margin. Like..."

She frowned gently, that same thoughtful look she'd had when he'd been in demon form. It was comforting to see, mostly because it meant she was thinking beyond her uneasy emotions, even if she wouldn't let them go entirely.

"I guess kind of like a pool? As Kurama you're mostly full, like this you're... maybe a quarter less in power. I think. It's noticeable, but I wouldn't call it a huge difference."

"Hm..." He pondered a moment, resting his head lightly against hers. "The potion does give me access to the past form... I suppose it's not too much to presume that the power stays, even if the form goes."

"I can ask Master Genkai when she comes to get me in a couple days," she offered, shifting a little more against him. "If anyone might know, she would."

"That certainly sounds like an idea," and he smiled at her a little, then kissed her forehead. "And for the next test, perhaps we should set a timer to see how long the potion does last."

"Sparring or no sparring?"

"We can do both. It would be beneficial to know, actually, that way I can plan out how long a fight may take if I continue to rely on the potion."

She nodded a little, and her hold on him tightened briefly. He gave her another small kiss in response, and just lightly ran a hand down her back.

"If you are correct, it may well be that the potion becomes superfluous," he said after a moment. "Though I still need to master the shift between forms... The reflexes and sense of Kurama are much better than mine."

She snorted a little.

"I'll say..."

"That was an effective counter you created," he said with a small smile. "It was surprising."

That made her giggle a little, albeit ruefully.

"Yuu probably would have figured it out in half the time, but I'm not entirely hopeless. I still kind of wish Hiei would show up, though... his speed is so far beyond either one of us, it'd really help."

"I agree,"he sighed a little, "though I doubt his attitude about the transformation would."

She laughed a little, as he'd hoped she would.

"Putting Hiei in here with you in that state would probably make more work for me."

"Undoubtedly," and he smiled a little himself. "I, for one, am hoping that he's merely off in search of a technique that will help. Knowing Hiei, he won't be content to let us get ahead of him in power."

Kimiko snorted a little.

"He does seem the type..."

"It is a good asset to have, an ally at your same level. Even as he does make himself... difficult."

She giggled, hugging him fondly.

"That, Shuu, is the worst understatement about Hiei that's ever been made."

He only smiled, and kissed her forehead lightly.

It helped to be held, much more than just words did; it had been terrifying to realize that she could very well have caused him serious harm, and the tactile contact had gone a long way towards soothing her mind. She still wasn't sure she wanted to try sparring with Kurama again, though...

She handed him the potion bottle, and went through the apps on her phone to find a decent timer, eventually electing to set an alarm for forty-five minutes later, which she could then pause and see just how long it had actually been.

She also, prudently, moved out of his lap; she trusted Shuuichi to not be handsy, but she remembered the look Kurama had given her and didn't much feel like tempting fate at the moment. She felt bad enough that it wouldn't be hard for him to try and twist her about. It was better to not give him the chance to try; she still didn't fully trust that side of him.

The change swept over him again after she'd retrieved the bottle and stashed it with her phone and coat, and she felt the ambient power go up... but again, not as much as she had expected it to. That more than anything confirmed her theory for her, but she still planned to bring it up with Genkai.

Kurama looked at her steadily for a moment, then lifted a hand to lightly touch his head where she'd kicked him. Kimiko looked away, embarrassed.

"Sorry... about that. Guess I got carried away."

"Perhaps I did not take you seriously enough," he offered after a moment, startling her. "You are not a powerless human. I underestimated the strength of the blow."

"Well.. it's not like I'm exceptionally strong, either," she admitted after a moment, leaning back on her hands. "I can be, if I think about it, but mostly it's my speed and the energy manipulation skills that actually help me win fights. Or yelling. I've done that before too."

"Yelling?" he asked, one eyebrow going up.

Kimiko grinned a little, somewhere between rueful and amused at the memory.

"Yup. It was kind of an accident. Someone had popped through from the demon realm, found a bar, and proceeded to get absolutely wasted. Knocked a few people out when they tried to get her to stop drinking. Didn't kill anyone, which kind of surprised me, but definitely handed out pain. I found out more or less by accident, and had to drag her out. That part... wasn't really fun, but I managed to avoid a full-scale street brawl... Yelled at her for a bit about endangering people, found her a portal and kicked her back."

She shrugged a little, shaking her head lightly.

"I think I'm more impressed that she got drunk on human alcohol... I'd have thought demon-brewed stuff would be worse."

"It is," he said with a faint smirk. "So either she was playing, or she ingested quite a bit."

Kimiko pondered this for a moment.

"...I am almost certain she cleared the bar out of some really high-proof stuff, but," she shrugged lightly. "I don't really like alcohol, so don't quote me on it."

"Oh?"

"My mom."

He went quiet for a moment, in a thoughtful way, then nodded.

"I see."

And despite him not being Shuuichi at the moment, she felt that maybe he really did.

"So, since I don't feel comfortable sparring right at the moment without having a more definite time the potion will wear off, why don't you show me some of these terrifying demon world plants that you can conjure up?"

Watching her face was highly entertaining when he obligingly summoned up some of the demon world plants that littered the makeshift jungle. Equal parts fascinated, and unnerved, she nevertheless studied them, listening as he explained their properties, and how they could be utilized in fights or other situations.

He was feeling more... mellow, he decided, watching as she very carefully leaned away from the acidic mouths of the small death plant in his hand. Perhaps because she herself was calmer in his presence, deadly plants aside. Kimiko certainly seemed to be making the effort to find a halfway point between him and his mortal form...

He dismissed the plant and called up another, a small puffball that seemed harmless. It amused him to see that her wariness increased, despite the innocent look of the plant.

"What's this one?"

"A puffball," he smirked a little.

She gave him a narrow-eyed stare.

"Uh huh. And what's it for?"

"Eating," and he suited action to words, smirking wider at her exasperated look.

"You are an ass." Then, to his surprise, she grinned. "Could I have one?"

He blinked at her for a moment, then shrugged and tossed her one, which she nibbled at after a moment of curious inspection. It produced a very... odd feeling in him, one that he wasn't sure he understood. Was this a sign of trust from her?

Perhaps it was a good thing, then, that he had made an ordinary puffball instead of playing with it like he'd considered.

The little human voice was getting much louder, and he tossed a contemplative look towards her jacket.

"If you mess up the timing on this because you want to stay a demon, I'll smack you," she warned. "No cheating allowed, Kurama."

He sighed a little, but stayed put; he would just have to get his hands on that bottle another time.

When he faded back into Shuuichi, Kimiko reached over and pulled out her phone to check how long it had been.

"Twenty minutes," she said, in some moderate surprise. "And that's just with sitting and manipulating energy."

"The duration does seem...shorter than anticipated," he said shaking his head a little in clear disorientation. "Perhaps my body is simply growing used to it, and a larger dose would have a longer effect."

"Or a continuous one," she pointed out, resetting the timer. "The way you were using it before I showed up, for example. Though really, if you could figure out how to shift without needing the potion, that would probably be your best angle. Control it that way, and you don't have to worry about not having it when you want it. Right?"

"Very true. Perhaps that is something to practice tomorrow..."

She smiled a little and scooted closer so that she could lean on him once more.

"Your sense of humor is weird," she said after a minute, poking him gently. "I'm used to the sneaky smart comments, but that full out trolling was new."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled against him comfortably.

"I did say aspects of my personality get... altered. The trust you displayed was a bit surprising, I admit..."

"It... was just one of those random thoughts. It's not like Kurama and I started out on a good note, so I figured I ought to try a little harder. He's you, and I trust you. I should be able to trust him too...plus, I did kind of kick you in the head..."

She felt him sigh and chuckle, blushing a little.

"You also fixed it," he said gently, nuzzling her temple lightly. "Don't be too hard on yourself; sparring accidents happen."

It was Kimiko's turn to sigh, even though she had to agree. It still didn't make her feel much better, though. He kissed her cheek lightly, and seemed content to just hold her for the moment, so she stayed put, quietly enjoying the tactile contact.

"...you did well, keeping me off balance," he said finally, making her look up at him. "I didn't quite know how to handle the change of... I suppose temperament. That moment of trust, especially."

"Oh, well," Kimiko rubbed the end of her nose a little. "I was also kind of thinking that if he... you.. weren't focused to much on me, that possible seduction thing could be dropped."

He expression turned pensive, and he brought up his free hand to gently cup her cheek. She leaned into the touch reflexively, watching his face.

"I am not so sure that it can be completely forgotten," he said his voice gentle. "When I desire something, I will find a way to get it. And there is no denying that I have a very strong desire for you, no matter the body I wear."

She flushed not sure if she was pleased, embarrassed, or both. He kissed her once, very lightly, pulling back before it could go anywhere. A little dazed, but still thinking, Kimiko leaned against him for a moment.

"Should I just... offer?" she finally asked.

"It would not be rejected, but I do not want you to feel as though you must," he said immediately, albeit slowly. "Nor... could I guarantee just how much affection there might be in it. As Kurama, my desires are... somewhat skewed, is perhaps the correct term. When I desire something, and claim it, I almost never choose to let it go. I will not deny that many times when I look at you in that form, the first word that comes forth is 'mine.'"

Kimiko considered that for several minutes, letting the idea sink in. She could remember from her time in school, how often other students would lay claim to their current dating partner, sometimes even after they had broken up. It had been frustrating at the time to hear things like 'my boyfriend' or 'my girlfriend', when she'd wanted one badly and hadn't been able to find anyone who would brave her brother's reputation.

"So... if I offered myself to Kurama, there's.. a significant chance that this situation could be a lot more permanent?" she finally asked.

"There is," he said soberly. "As myself, as I am now, I know that there may well come a time when we are not... as we currently are. I do not anticipate it, but I know that it could happen. I cannot control you, nor the way your heart may fall at some point in the future. As Kurama, I am... more possessive. That you might not want to stay will be a small thought, negligible, for," and he smiled ruefully, "in previous experience, no one has wanted to leave, and generally must be pushed off."

She nodded thoughtfully, and just leaned on him quietly, thinking hard.

Loving him was easy; she had been attracted to his energy the moment he'd moved into his shop, but had lacked the courage to meet him. If not for Rando, they might well have continued to pass one another by, and the past eight months had been far more than she'd ever thought or dreamed about. He was a true friend, and so much more. Her feelings about moving in aside,a future with him had started to feel like a given... perhaps from the moment they had become true friends.

"I think..." she said slowly, her fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt. "I think... I'm okay with that. If you are." Then, after a moment while he was clearly processing what she'd said, she giggled. "Would that count as a proposal of some type?"

Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed her again, lingeringly this time.

"You never fail to amaze me," he said, when they had both pulled back for a breath. "I think I would like to do it properly at some point, however."

She couldn't help but laugh, and gave him a quick kiss of her own.

"Okay. I can wait."

They waited two hours this time, sitting quietly together and thinking their own thoughts. Shuuichi would admit that he was still heavily stunned; Kimiko had been understandably resistant to moving in, though she had done it in the end. That was was willing to consider their relationship quite permanent... Well, it was perhaps the last thing he'd expected, though it would be a lie to say he hadn't put some arbitrary hope for it. Even as himself he didn't want to let her go... and his demon side truly was that much more possessive.

He was worried, a bit, about what said demon side would do; there was tempering happening, less that little voice in his head and more a natural progression of thoughts, but that didn't mean that he'd be easy on her if she did offer.

But he could not deny the trust, and the love that came with the offer might do some good. Trust and love had never been high on his list as a demon, after all... most of his empathy had come from the mortal life he'd chosen to lead. He could only hope that he wouldn't go... overboard. Even now, he could still quite vividly remember several of his past encounters with other demons... pain to go with the pleasure.

He wasn't too sure Kimiko would like that... but he could only wait and see what she chose to do.

For the most part, he just concentrated on trying to remember the feel of what it was like to shift from Shuuichi to Kurama; she was right, that would be an valuable skill to have, especially if it allowed him to maintain more of his human nature. The potion from the Past Life fruit seemed inclined to throw him directly into the mire of being a demon, which tended to bring out the more... difficult traits. Being able to have that power, that form, with his more human side in control would be decidedly more helpful.

She stayed next to him this time, when the potion took effect; while he had removed his arm, to try and avoid potential problems, she seemed inclined to test those potential problems. Kimiko wasn't snuggled up, but she wasn't far away either.

He grasped the feeling that wound through him as the potion pulled him over into the fox demon form, trying to lock it down in his mind, though he privately felt it was going to take another few transformations with the potion before he might manage it successfully without. And then he felt the shift of his worldview, making the ability to transform suddenly feel much more meaningless... and the young woman sitting tantalizingly close much more interesting.

Kimiko did her best to not shift uneasily as she watched the transformation steal over Shuuichi again; up close it was interesting to see, even if she couldn't quite figure out just how it worked. He seemed to become briefly enclosed in mist, and when it evaporated, there was Kurama in place of Shuuichi. Admittedly, she was more curious about how it shifted his clothes more than his body... the white outfit replaced the more casual pants and button down shirt was somehow stranger than the shift of hair, eyes, and everything else that went with it.

It was kind of amusing to watch his ears twitch a little prior to opening his eyes, though it became disconcerting how quickly he focused on her, that slow, subtle smirk crossing his face quickly.

"See something you like?" he asked.

"...promise not to laugh?"

"Perhaps."

That was not wholly reassuring, but damned if she wasn't going to stick by her decision.

"Can I touch your ears?"

He blinked at her for several moments, indicating that she had once more taken him by surprise. Inwardly, she smiled a little; while she had made her choice, it wasn't like she had to rush into it. There was still most of today and possibly part of tomorrow, if she could keep to a fairly steady test and break pattern like this.

"Why?"

"Because they look soft, and I'm curious," she replied promptly.

Slowly, with an expression that suggested he couldn't believe he was going along with this, he bowed his head a little so that she could more easily reach up and touch his ears. In turn she moved to kneeling, getting far closer to him than she had previously, and very carefully brushed her fingertips over his ears.

They were soft. She spent several moments just fascinated with how they felt, paying only peripheral attention to the demon they were attached to. It only occurred to her after that bit that he was almost leaning on her, but in a manner that was more relaxed than she had seen him. Not at all what she'd expected really, and she snuck a quick glance down to confirm her suspicions.

Much like a cat, he seemed perfectly happy to let her keep petting his ears. She half-suspected he'd have been purring if he could. It really was the most relaxed she'd seen him... and there was something actually quite cute about it. After a moment of hesitant thought, she gave a mental shrug, then leaned down, hands still on his ears, and gave an experimental kiss.

Kurama had her pinned in moments, a hand clamped down on either arm. The breath had been knocked right out of her, and the only concession he made for that was that his mouth was on her throat, not her own mouth. True, it was with teeth, and she was fairly sure he would try to tear her throat out if she fought back... Or at least bite down very hard. Either would kind of suck.

It was hard to fight back her own reflexes; her knees had come up, ready to piston her feet into his chest, or other sensitive spots if that became necessary. She'd risk being bit if he tried to actually hurt her... but he wasn't. He was just keeping her pinned.

A warning, maybe? She probably had startled him. The teeth were wholly unnecessary, though.

Very slowly, he pulled back, and she let her knees drop, which went a ways towards allowing her to regain her breath. He still held her down by her upper arms, but the grip wasn't so bruisingly tight any longer, and while she couldn't read his expression, he seemed to be studying her. Looking for something, perhaps.

"...why did you do that?" he finally asked.

"Because I wanted to," she replied, shrugging a little, then wincing slightly. Even with the moss as a cushion, that had hurt. "I didn't mean to freak you out..."

That made him look mildly offended, and he finally pulled back all the way, releasing her arms so that she could sit up, which she did cautiously.

"Do you know what you're offering?" he asked as she carefully probed the back of her head.

"Mmm. Shuuichi explained," she hissed a little; that was definitely going to raise a lump... "I decided that I don't mind the idea. I trust him, by that same logic, I ought to be able to trust you. You're the same person... more or less."

It was his turn to surprise her then, moving around behind her to gently run his fingers along her skull and spine. She held very still, not entirely sure what he was doing, then actively jumped, almost falling forward at the abrupt flare of energy. One hand caught her shoulder, keeping her upright, while the other trailed back up her spine, soothing the lingering aches.

"...I didn't know you could do that," she said after a moment, tipping her head cautiously back so that she could look at him.

"I prefer plants," he responded, tipping her head forward again so his hand could brush over her skull. "This is something of a connected, tertiary skill."

"Huh. That's... kind of cool, actually."

There was a pause when he was finished, and despite her best intention, she tensed. Very slowly, arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back until she was resting against his chest; not in his lap, but not too far from it. His hands were staying in polite range of her stomach too... it gave her the sense that maybe he was actually uncertain about taking what she was offering.

She let herself relax against him, though it did take some effort on her part too. It was a bit different from being held by Shuuichi; for one thing, Kurama's grip was just that small bit tighter. But on a whole, it felt almost similar enough that she grew used to it.

Maybe...this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Smut version on AO3