A/N: Wind Dasher, you are the sweetest. I want to thank all of you that have been reviewing, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Again, haven't heard from my beta, and in all honesty I may end up just scrapping that whole "partnership". Come to think of it, I guess I already have. I'm not the type of person to hound someone about something; I figure if it's not that important to them, I'll just move on. AND SO good people, I am having to submit my story without the added protection of a beta reader…which kind of stinks because I hate doing that. I probably wouldn't have submitted the story in the first place if I hadn't had a beta reader and I hate putting something out there and just deleting it after posting a few chapters. Eh, what the heck. Flame away, but I'm going to finish this story without a beta. So without further ado…or whining hehe, I give you chapter 3.

Ch.3- A Fine Line Between Truths and Lies

"This should do the trick. If you chew the leaves and swallow them, your bruises and scrapes should heal quickly and with less pain."

Reika watched as Kuronue tore the lush leaves from the plant in his hand and offered them to her. The healing powers of such a small leaf were a mystery, but instead of questioning his claims, she swiftly stuffed them into her mouth and began to chew. Kuronue chuckled when her nose crinkled and she began to look as though she'd just eaten a thousand lemons.

"MMM, bitter."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, they have a little bite to them. Just hold your breath and swallow."

" Forgot…or wanted to get a good laugh at my expense?" Reika said lightly, managing to swallow the remnants of the chewed vegetation with a labored gulp.

Kuronue rose and began putting together the beginnings of a small fire. If she had been with anyone else, she might have doubted their sanity, but she was with Kuronue: feared thief and as she'd just witnessed, able protector. They wouldn't be bothered, the terror in the eyes of the two demons he'd just obliterated validated that, and she was relieved. If the fire did attract anyone, it was highly unlikely they would desire a skirmish with Kuronue. The flames from the fire rose, licking at Kuronue's hands and Reika couldn't help but wonder how such an apparently even-tempered man could be a ruthless killer feared by so many.

"I'm a thief, not a professional joker; I have to get a good laugh whenever and however I can."

Reika smiled when he suddenly answered her sarcastic remark with a joke a few minutes later. He seemed likable despite his chosen profession, and the crude way he handled confrontations. If circumstances had been different, perhaps she would have desired to know him better, perhaps even befriend him. Of course, circumstances were exactly what they were. The light of the morning would find an empty shell of a youkai drained of his spirit, and she would be gone. She didn't enjoy the killing, but she had to eat, had to survive. She wasn't going to fade away so easily if she could help it. Life was precious, and she looked forward to the day when she would be strong enough to exist without having to take it from others. Turning to petty conversation, she tried to take her mind off what she would have to do.

"I honestly want to thank you again." She paused and leaned forward. By the light of the fire she could see that his cheek had been grazed in her "rescue", and reaching out, touched the side of his face with her fingertips. "It looks as if I'm not the only one to be injured. I think it should be fine, but I would like to clean it for you…if you'll let me."

Kuronue shrugged and Reika pushed herself up slowly, still trying to remain in character, and after ripping the sleeve off her already shredded shirt, dipped it into the cool waters of the lake. She would wash his wound, try to gain some sort of trust with him, and by the end of the evening, she would seduce him. Of course, it wasn't entirely a ruse; she really did feel a little guilty. He could have ignored her call for help, and she would have been violated and killed. It was the least she could do for him, considering she had been the cause of his injury and would soon be the cause of his demise. Gently, she dabbed the cloth on his wound, and he winced slightly in pain.

"What were you doing here anyway?"

"Well, I hadn't planned on stopping, but I saw the water below, and decided to freshen up. I was just about to make my way to the water when those goons grabbed me."

"You're lucky, you know. It's not safe for a woman to travel the Makai without some sort of escort these days. I've seen first-hand what a family goes through at the loss of a loved one. It's not pretty, and I'm sure your family and friends would have been distraught."

Kuronue was managing to surprise her the further the night progressed, proving that perhaps there was more to the male youkai than she previously thought. Not once in her entire miserable life had anyone bothered to ask about her family. Certainly, no man had ever cared enough to hold meaningful conversation with her before claiming her body. Of course, they had all paid dearly in the end. Reika sighed, he had touched an unexpected nerve, and she wasn't quite sure how to recover. It wasn't like he was going to use her past against her, hell, he wasn't even going to live past the next morning. It would be safe to walk the line that separated hunter from prey, if only this one time.

"I'm afraid I'll never know. My family has been gone for quite a long time. It was a petty feud over a woman, my mother. It lasted many years; until the obsessed youkai decided he would not continue to allow another to possess her if he could not. After enlisting the aid of the Shinobi, my mother and father, my sister, and my brothers were all killed; I just barely escaped with my life."

"And now you avoid men at all costs; I could see it in your eyes when you were being attacked. There's real hatred there, am I right?"

Reika was taken aback. He was capable of surprising her even further than she believed possible, and she was caught off her guard. She hadn't been expecting him to question her further about the past or her present beliefs. Truly, he was either completely fascinated by her tale, or completely cruel for making her relive it.

"A woman can survive on her own. Certainly a woman can make her way in the world without always enlisting the help of a man."

"You didn't answer me. You've sworn off men to avoid falling into the same trap as your mother, avoiding men unless you absolutely have to, right?"

"Whether or not I avoid men is irrelevant. I'm grateful for your aid, but my business is my own."

Kuronue nodded his silent apology. She was right; he had no right digging into her personal affairs. He had stunned himself by caring enough to ask in the first place. Perhaps it was selfishness that caused him to push, or maybe it was because she looked so sad. In all honesty, he had come to know that look of loneliness from seeing his own reflection those years when he was younger, and it had bothered him so much that he'd quit looking at anything that reproduced his image. He had recognized it immediately as the very same look worn by Kurama at their first meeting. He was always curious, when he saw that look in the eyes of others, what had been the cause of their sorrows.

"You're right. I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I know how you feel. My mother's new suitor didn't feel like being bothered by a young one while he pursued her. After taking me on a trip that would 'bond' us, I was beaten and left for dead. Luckily, I was found by a kind hearted water demon who nursed me back to health and raised me…until he was murdered in a case of mistaken identity. I was alone for a long time before I met Kurama."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

They were silent for a long while when Reika yawned, and arching her back, slowly spread her feathery wings to maximum capacity. It was the first time in awhile that she'd felt the need for rest so urgently. Surely, it was a sign that her energy stores were depleting.

"Looks like that herb I gave you earlier is starting to take effect."

Reika's eyes flung open, the wild look of panic engulfing them as fear set in. Had he purposely given her a sedative? Her heart sank at the thought of her own foolishness. The roles had been reversed and she had gone from hunter to unwitting prey. In this state, she wouldn't be able to carry out her plans, and if she didn't feed soon, she was going to be too weak to take on the next demon…provided she survived what the dark youkai had in store for her. She had already witnessed what he was capable of, and she suspected it was only a fraction of the horrors he was skilled at. She could only imagine what dark purpose he had in store for her.

"You…gave me a sleeping herb!"

"When you wake up in the morning, you're going to feel as good as new."

"What do you plan to do with me?"

Kuronue frowned, realizing that she thought he meant to do her bodily harm, and that he'd purposely drugged her to ensure her immobility.

"It's not like that, Reika. The fatigue is simply a side effect of the herb. The rest will help your body to heal."

They were the last words she heard before closing her eyes and falling into a deep slumber.

'It's not like that, Reika."

She had been playing a deadly game with the winged youkai from the moment she set foot on the ground. When she woke…if she woke, she would learn for herself exactly how fine the line between truths and lies really was.