"Move out of the way, Yusuke!" yelled Kuwabara, as he dodged out of
the large beast's reach. Soon, he was struck down. Yusuke fell shortly
after. Kurama was the only boy standing, though just barely hanging on to
consciousness. His clothes were badly torn and his wounds were gashing with
blood, leaving only few inches of cloth unstained. The beast lunged at him
and grazed his forehead. Kurama lost his footing and fell roughly on the
ground. He tried to hang on to life for a moment, but his lungs objected
madly to expand. Then his chest heaved for the last time. The others were
too badly hurt to help. Suddenly a soft voice that seemed to be in the very
air said, "Rose Downpour". White rose petals flew from all directions,
giving the air a sweet scent, though they seemed to be hurting the beast.
It slumped over lazily as it died. A white streak flew above Kurama, and
after a few moments he woke up. Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at each other,
then at Hiei.
"What just happened?" Kuwabara asked in a perplexed voice that matched the look on Yusuke's face.
"I would like to know also," said Kurama who had sat up and was rubbing his head. Kurama and Hiei were the only ones experienced enough to see the swift movement as more than a flash, but Kurama was obviously in no condition to know what had happened.
"A girl with white hair sucked something from a flower, kissed Kurama, and ran away," Hiei said.
"Kurama, seems like you've got a secret admirer," said Yusuke with a wide grin on his face.
"A strong admirer too if should could kill that beast," said Kuwabara, joining in on the fun. Kurama completely ignored them and stared at the ground. After a few moments, he jumped upon a tree limb and quickly ran away.
"Gosh, can't he take a joke," said Yusuke, rubbing his head. Suddenly, his mind remembered what his body had come to know all too well. Pain. He dropped at that instant, and found that Kuwabara was right beside him, heaving loudly and breathing in as much air as he could.
"Wonder where he's going," said Yusuke. Of course, Hiei knew what they didn't, and he knew that they didn't have to know.
A girl with medium length white hair and silver eyes strolled through a pathway bordered by bushes filled with flowers grown in Ningenkai and some very rare ones only found in Makai. She had on a light, sleeveless shirt and a see-through cloth tied around her waist. She strolled through the garden as a light breeze picked up her hair. She sighed, closed her eyes, and said, "Kurama, come out. I know you're there."
"How did you know?" asked Kurama, who had now come out of the bushes and was walking slowly beside the girl.
"The wind brought the smell of flowers to my nose. Red roses to be exact. There are none grown here, besides, I could tell your smell from yards away," she said, softly.
"I heard what you did," he said as he moved closer to the girl.
"I couldn't allow my leader to die," she said stiffly. Kurama smirked slightly and whispered, "Thank-you, Kodachi," into her ear. Kodachi stood still, stunned by the sincerity in his voice, while Kurama kept walking.
"Kurama, the Enchanted Gardens can be dangerous at night. Stay at my house, at least for tonight," said Kodachi.
"All right. Thank you for offering," Kurama said as he turned around and started walking back to Kodachi's abode.
"I'll get a blanket for you," said Kodachi as she went to a room in her small house. Kurama was sitting on her bed, admiring an elaborately made lamp.
"I couldn't find one, so you should take the one on my bed," she said sighing halfway into her phrase.
"As a man, I can't let you go to sleep in the cold without a blanket," Kurama said flatly, expecting to finish the conversation.
"As a member of the Five Roses, I can't let my leader catch pneumonia," she said harshly. Kurama merely looked at her. Kodachi saw the determination in his emerald green eyes and said reluctantly, "We'll share then, that way we both sleep with a blanket, and none of us is cold."
"I never could win an argument with you," Kurama stated. Kodachi walked out of the room, and said, "Remember how I am about clothes," through the door. A few moments later, she impatiently asked, "Can I come in yet?"
"Yes," Kurama answered. Kodachi came out with nothing on, and as she walked in, Kurama's heart asked what was going on. Then it suddenly remembered that Kodachi was biased to clothes and didn't wear them unless necessary. He realized that he had been staring at her and blushed violently. He turned to his side quickly as Kodachi walked toward the bed and slipped in.
It was about twenty minutes later when Kurama turned onto his back and asked, "What don't you like about clothes?"
"They attach you too much to this life, that's all," she said.
"Isn't this arrangement uncomfortable while you're." he paused until he found the right words to describe the situation blandly, "in that state?"
"No. You helped me get this body; I'm not ashamed to show it to you," she answered. Kurama had often asked her this question, and she had always replied with this answer, careless and innocent. She slowly turned around, and she found that her eyes had met his. She loved the way the green in his eyes mixed gently with the gray of his pupils. She had often lost herself in those eyes. He gave her a slight smile, and she shuffled a little closer to him every few minutes. She had moved subconsciously forward until their noses were almost touching. He hadn't hindered her movement. He never would. He couldn't, for he loved it. The way her slender body had returned his heart's yearning was almost more than he could stand. She closed her eyes then caught herself. She began to blush slightly at her own thoughts. She turned to her other side so that her back was facing Kurama. She couldn't lose herself this time.
"I wasn't planning on doing anything, you know," she said, folding her arms.
"Yes," said Kurama. "You never were that way," he said.
"I wasn't," she said in agreement.
"And you never had those kind of feelings for me," he continued. This time it took a little while, but she didn't fail to say, "I never did."
"And you would never have the courage to," Kurama said, merely prodding her on.
"I never. Hey what did you say!" she yelled and immediately sat up straight in the bed.
"I merely said that you never had the courage to kiss me," he said. He had his back turned to her so that she could not see his smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't kiss you, huh," she said lifting one of her eyebrows up.
"I don't believe you would," said Kurama. Suddenly, Kodachi leaned over and kissed Kurama while he was off guard. Once she had released him, he said, "Not bad," as he sat up to look at her at eye level. He loved to tempt her, and she always fell in.
"Not bad! I'll show you not bad," she said and lunged at him. She missed on purpose and said, "You know what, I'm not going to kiss you. I'm going to make you want to kiss me." She sounded almost evil, though she was really just having fun.
"Are you sure?" Kurama said with a smirk. She got out of the covers and walked into the previous room to get into character. Kurama watched her leave, with the smirk still on his face, waiting for her to show him something he hadn't seen before, a new side of Kodachi.
She slowly opened the door and stood there waiting for a response from Kurama. She had let her hair flow down freely in front of her face, and she smiled deviously. Kurama sat up immediately and gazed at what was in front of him. He had never seen Kodachi like this, and he never expected to. He had seen her without clothes many times, but he had never seen her act this way. He stared at her figure, curvaceous, tantalizing, making him want to own her.
She slowly walked toward Kurama, letting her hips glide from side to side with each step. She took slow, steady steps, taking extra precautions, as not to destroy the emotions she knew that she was making within him. She slid atop the bed and lazily put her arms around Kurama's neck. She forced her weight upon him, and he willingly fell back. She brought her hands up to his face and indulged in kissing the kitsune. She picked her legs up to the bed and lay flat, still holding Kurama's face into a kiss. He gently set his hands to rest on her waist to keep her on himself. She felt his hands come upon her skin, and she fell over at his touch. She took Kurama down with her, and they both hit the floor with a thud. They lay on their backs, then laughed on and on for several minutes, unable to stop themselves. The two finally halted their chuckles and got back on the bed.
"So." said Kodachi once they had gotten reestablished.
"Well, that just shows me that either you can't stand responses to emotion or you're just flinchy," he said cheerfully.
"Neither apply. Anyway, what emotion?" she said gruffly.
"The emotion I you gave to me a few moments ago," Kurama answered.
"That was an act, and obviously it worked," Kodachi said. Kurama put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to face him. Kurama gave a concerned gaze to Kodachi.
"You don't need to hide it anymore," he said softly. He placed his hands lightly on her face as she closed her eyes. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then looked at her with the same concerned look on his face. He wanted her to be real with him. He wanted to see her unhindered feelings.
"It doesn't matter what happened before, I care for you now," he said in her ear. A tear ran down her cheek slowly, and Kurama wiped it away with his finger. He held her close to himself, feeling her heartbeat speed up then slow down. She dug her head deep into his chest. She felt warm and safe inside his arms. His arms were like walls blocking out everything, yet the room that they formed was filled with a warm breeze that seemed to fill her up with comfort. She didn't have to be alone or cold with him. After she wiped away her tears, he released her slowly, taking time to stare her in the eye before disconnecting their contact.
"Kurama, I wanted to tell you." she said softly, but was interrupted by the easy breaths of the slumbering kitsune. She stared at him for a few seconds and smiled. She had always wished for that kind of peace, the kind of relief that one got from sleep. But even peaceful sleep was a blessing that she could not enjoy; a gift that was given to everyone else but her. She lay down and slowly drifted into sleep. Almost as soon as she slept, she started to toss and turn. Kurama sensed this, though he was still asleep, and put his arm around her. She felt his warm touch upon her skin and snuggled up to him. The warmth of his body soothed her as it often did. She went to sleep again, but this time her sleep was serene and blissful. Her thoughts had been softened by the gentle feel of his hands, the aroma from his hair, and the hidden affection in his heart.
"What just happened?" Kuwabara asked in a perplexed voice that matched the look on Yusuke's face.
"I would like to know also," said Kurama who had sat up and was rubbing his head. Kurama and Hiei were the only ones experienced enough to see the swift movement as more than a flash, but Kurama was obviously in no condition to know what had happened.
"A girl with white hair sucked something from a flower, kissed Kurama, and ran away," Hiei said.
"Kurama, seems like you've got a secret admirer," said Yusuke with a wide grin on his face.
"A strong admirer too if should could kill that beast," said Kuwabara, joining in on the fun. Kurama completely ignored them and stared at the ground. After a few moments, he jumped upon a tree limb and quickly ran away.
"Gosh, can't he take a joke," said Yusuke, rubbing his head. Suddenly, his mind remembered what his body had come to know all too well. Pain. He dropped at that instant, and found that Kuwabara was right beside him, heaving loudly and breathing in as much air as he could.
"Wonder where he's going," said Yusuke. Of course, Hiei knew what they didn't, and he knew that they didn't have to know.
A girl with medium length white hair and silver eyes strolled through a pathway bordered by bushes filled with flowers grown in Ningenkai and some very rare ones only found in Makai. She had on a light, sleeveless shirt and a see-through cloth tied around her waist. She strolled through the garden as a light breeze picked up her hair. She sighed, closed her eyes, and said, "Kurama, come out. I know you're there."
"How did you know?" asked Kurama, who had now come out of the bushes and was walking slowly beside the girl.
"The wind brought the smell of flowers to my nose. Red roses to be exact. There are none grown here, besides, I could tell your smell from yards away," she said, softly.
"I heard what you did," he said as he moved closer to the girl.
"I couldn't allow my leader to die," she said stiffly. Kurama smirked slightly and whispered, "Thank-you, Kodachi," into her ear. Kodachi stood still, stunned by the sincerity in his voice, while Kurama kept walking.
"Kurama, the Enchanted Gardens can be dangerous at night. Stay at my house, at least for tonight," said Kodachi.
"All right. Thank you for offering," Kurama said as he turned around and started walking back to Kodachi's abode.
"I'll get a blanket for you," said Kodachi as she went to a room in her small house. Kurama was sitting on her bed, admiring an elaborately made lamp.
"I couldn't find one, so you should take the one on my bed," she said sighing halfway into her phrase.
"As a man, I can't let you go to sleep in the cold without a blanket," Kurama said flatly, expecting to finish the conversation.
"As a member of the Five Roses, I can't let my leader catch pneumonia," she said harshly. Kurama merely looked at her. Kodachi saw the determination in his emerald green eyes and said reluctantly, "We'll share then, that way we both sleep with a blanket, and none of us is cold."
"I never could win an argument with you," Kurama stated. Kodachi walked out of the room, and said, "Remember how I am about clothes," through the door. A few moments later, she impatiently asked, "Can I come in yet?"
"Yes," Kurama answered. Kodachi came out with nothing on, and as she walked in, Kurama's heart asked what was going on. Then it suddenly remembered that Kodachi was biased to clothes and didn't wear them unless necessary. He realized that he had been staring at her and blushed violently. He turned to his side quickly as Kodachi walked toward the bed and slipped in.
It was about twenty minutes later when Kurama turned onto his back and asked, "What don't you like about clothes?"
"They attach you too much to this life, that's all," she said.
"Isn't this arrangement uncomfortable while you're." he paused until he found the right words to describe the situation blandly, "in that state?"
"No. You helped me get this body; I'm not ashamed to show it to you," she answered. Kurama had often asked her this question, and she had always replied with this answer, careless and innocent. She slowly turned around, and she found that her eyes had met his. She loved the way the green in his eyes mixed gently with the gray of his pupils. She had often lost herself in those eyes. He gave her a slight smile, and she shuffled a little closer to him every few minutes. She had moved subconsciously forward until their noses were almost touching. He hadn't hindered her movement. He never would. He couldn't, for he loved it. The way her slender body had returned his heart's yearning was almost more than he could stand. She closed her eyes then caught herself. She began to blush slightly at her own thoughts. She turned to her other side so that her back was facing Kurama. She couldn't lose herself this time.
"I wasn't planning on doing anything, you know," she said, folding her arms.
"Yes," said Kurama. "You never were that way," he said.
"I wasn't," she said in agreement.
"And you never had those kind of feelings for me," he continued. This time it took a little while, but she didn't fail to say, "I never did."
"And you would never have the courage to," Kurama said, merely prodding her on.
"I never. Hey what did you say!" she yelled and immediately sat up straight in the bed.
"I merely said that you never had the courage to kiss me," he said. He had his back turned to her so that she could not see his smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't kiss you, huh," she said lifting one of her eyebrows up.
"I don't believe you would," said Kurama. Suddenly, Kodachi leaned over and kissed Kurama while he was off guard. Once she had released him, he said, "Not bad," as he sat up to look at her at eye level. He loved to tempt her, and she always fell in.
"Not bad! I'll show you not bad," she said and lunged at him. She missed on purpose and said, "You know what, I'm not going to kiss you. I'm going to make you want to kiss me." She sounded almost evil, though she was really just having fun.
"Are you sure?" Kurama said with a smirk. She got out of the covers and walked into the previous room to get into character. Kurama watched her leave, with the smirk still on his face, waiting for her to show him something he hadn't seen before, a new side of Kodachi.
She slowly opened the door and stood there waiting for a response from Kurama. She had let her hair flow down freely in front of her face, and she smiled deviously. Kurama sat up immediately and gazed at what was in front of him. He had never seen Kodachi like this, and he never expected to. He had seen her without clothes many times, but he had never seen her act this way. He stared at her figure, curvaceous, tantalizing, making him want to own her.
She slowly walked toward Kurama, letting her hips glide from side to side with each step. She took slow, steady steps, taking extra precautions, as not to destroy the emotions she knew that she was making within him. She slid atop the bed and lazily put her arms around Kurama's neck. She forced her weight upon him, and he willingly fell back. She brought her hands up to his face and indulged in kissing the kitsune. She picked her legs up to the bed and lay flat, still holding Kurama's face into a kiss. He gently set his hands to rest on her waist to keep her on himself. She felt his hands come upon her skin, and she fell over at his touch. She took Kurama down with her, and they both hit the floor with a thud. They lay on their backs, then laughed on and on for several minutes, unable to stop themselves. The two finally halted their chuckles and got back on the bed.
"So." said Kodachi once they had gotten reestablished.
"Well, that just shows me that either you can't stand responses to emotion or you're just flinchy," he said cheerfully.
"Neither apply. Anyway, what emotion?" she said gruffly.
"The emotion I you gave to me a few moments ago," Kurama answered.
"That was an act, and obviously it worked," Kodachi said. Kurama put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to face him. Kurama gave a concerned gaze to Kodachi.
"You don't need to hide it anymore," he said softly. He placed his hands lightly on her face as she closed her eyes. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then looked at her with the same concerned look on his face. He wanted her to be real with him. He wanted to see her unhindered feelings.
"It doesn't matter what happened before, I care for you now," he said in her ear. A tear ran down her cheek slowly, and Kurama wiped it away with his finger. He held her close to himself, feeling her heartbeat speed up then slow down. She dug her head deep into his chest. She felt warm and safe inside his arms. His arms were like walls blocking out everything, yet the room that they formed was filled with a warm breeze that seemed to fill her up with comfort. She didn't have to be alone or cold with him. After she wiped away her tears, he released her slowly, taking time to stare her in the eye before disconnecting their contact.
"Kurama, I wanted to tell you." she said softly, but was interrupted by the easy breaths of the slumbering kitsune. She stared at him for a few seconds and smiled. She had always wished for that kind of peace, the kind of relief that one got from sleep. But even peaceful sleep was a blessing that she could not enjoy; a gift that was given to everyone else but her. She lay down and slowly drifted into sleep. Almost as soon as she slept, she started to toss and turn. Kurama sensed this, though he was still asleep, and put his arm around her. She felt his warm touch upon her skin and snuggled up to him. The warmth of his body soothed her as it often did. She went to sleep again, but this time her sleep was serene and blissful. Her thoughts had been softened by the gentle feel of his hands, the aroma from his hair, and the hidden affection in his heart.