Roses and Regrets

Roses and Regrets

Chapter 37

Beth's sense of humor had fled by the time she felt the hot water cascading over her body. "I really am a big girl, Kurama. I promise I can take a shower all by myself. You don't have to stand there and wait for me." She reached around the curtain to the sink, and felt for the shampoo she had forgotten. He put it in her hand. "You know, if you insist on babysitting, you could climb in with me. You could wash my…. back."

He chuckled. "Tempting though it may be, I think I can control my urges until you are feeling better." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I wouldn't even be in here if you hadn't stumbled twice getting from the kitchen to your room." "I just tripped. No big deal." "Um hm. Nice try. You're tired. You're stressed. You will rest. If I have to tie you to the bed." "Ooooo. Kinky. Sounds fun."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll remind you of that sometime in the future. For now, be satisfied with a good night's sleep." "Spoilsport." She turned off the water and drew back the curtain. She twisted the excess water from her hair and took the towel he offered. She wrapped it around her hair and reached for another. After it was wrapped around her body, he offered a hand to help her out of the shower.

She took the hand and stepped out only to be brought up against his hard chest. He kissed her soundly and turned her toward the bedroom swatting her backside as she went. "That's for tempting me in the first place." She giggled. He followed her to make sure she got there without incident. She pulled on the oversized t-shirt that Keiko had been thoughtful enough to bring. It hung to her knees.

She turned back to Kurama. "Ok. Everything covered. No more temptation. Although, the way you resisted could be considered a severe blow to my ego." "Years and years of self control, I assure you." He patted the bed. "Sit. I'll dry your hair." She climbed onto the bed and sat cross legged with her back to him.

He carefully unwound the towel patting and rubbing the remaining water from the long tresses. He threw the towel over the back of a chair and plugged in her hairdryer. Taking the comb from the dresser, he gently worked through the tangles. His deft hands had the tangles out in no time. He unplugged the dryer and returned it to the dresser with the comb.

She yawned. "I think I can sleep now. Thank you." She pulled the cover back and got into the bed. "Will you stay with me?" He stretched out on the bed and drew her into his arms. "At least until you fall asleep." She snuggled into his warmth, and in a very short time she was sound asleep.

Beth woke the next morning still snuggled to Kurama's warm body. His even breathing told her he was still asleep. One arm held her possessively, the other carelessly tucked behind his head. He opened his eyes as she drew lazy circles on his chest. "You should have at least taken off your shirt. That couldn't have been confortable." "I hadn't planned to stay all night. I suppose I was more tired than I thought."

Kurama kissed her lightly. "Get dressed and we'll have some breakfast before we go." "Ok. What are we going to tell Itzuki san? I'm guessing he's out of the loop on the whole demon thing, right?" He stopped at the door. "Tell him the truth about your father's death. At least the truth as you knew it before you came to Japan. Leave out the dreams. And your Uncle Russ was taking you to lunch. You ran into me and Russ got called away on business. He was fine the last time you saw him."

"Well, I guess that is mostly the truth anyway. At least from one perspective. Ok. I can do this." She got up and padded to the dresser as he closed the door behind him. Half an hour and a quick breakfast later, they were headed into town. Itzuki had been waiting for them. He introduced them to the secretary who would be taking down Beth's statement. When Kurama told him that he had been with Beth when she had last seen Russ, he insisted on taking a formal statement from him as well.

"This is good," he said. "She has a credible alibi for the last time he was seen. That should take care of that charge. We are still waiting for the information on the charges the American authorities have brought. This should be everything I need from you today." He handed her his card. "Shuichi san knows how to contact me. But if you remember anything later that might be relevant, call me directly. Don't worry. I know this is a difficult time for you, but the wheels of justice are nothing if not slow."

The statements had taken a while. Questions had been asked and answered. She had a slight headache when Kurama led her out to the car. "I need to stop by the phone store in the mall to replace my phone. Why don't we get some lunch while we are there?" "Ok. What happened to your phone?" "It had an accident." He didn't go into details. "If I had had it yesterday, Keiko could have gotten through to me sooner."

It was early afternoon when they finally arrived at the Yukimura's shop. "It shouldn't take long to pack what I'll need. Keiko said she was coming back, so she can help me." Beth said as Kurama opened the door for her. The shop was empty of customers. The family was sitting at a table.

Conversation stopped when they looked up to see Beth and Kurama. Beth was pulled into a tight hug by a small woman that Kurama had never seen before. She had short black hair and dark eyes. She was middle aged, but still an attractive woman.

"Elizabeth! I was so worried. I caught the first plane out as soon as I heard what happened." Beth's arms closed around the woman. "Mother. I didn't know you were here. I missed you." When they finally parted, Beth reached for Kurama's hand and pulled him forward. She smiled. "Mother, this is…." "Hello Beth. No greeting for me?" The smile faded from Beth's face, and she pushed her glasses up. Kurama had noted this was a habit she had when nervous or annoyed.

Kurama assessed the man who had spoken. He was tall, maybe even taller than Kuwabara. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Kurama supposed that most women would find him handsome. Beth did not seem pleased to see him. For some reason, he took an instant dislike to the man. He had just been rude in the extreme by interrupting Beth's introductions.

Beth continued her introduction as if the man had not spoken. "Mother, this is Minamino Shuichi." He bowed politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She smiled and murmured something polite. His attention was on the man. Beth spared him a slight glance. "Shuichi, this is Carl Logan. He's ….." The man stuck out a hand swiftly and smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Beth's fiancé."

To be continued….