For Love of a "Pet"
Chapter Three
Kurama awoke to find himself on a large bed, Kaline's hand gently resting on his tail. The girl was still asleep, her breathing deep and even. Her eyelids fluttered, showing that she was probably still dreaming.
He marveled at how she continued to heal him, even in her sleep. All his aches and pains were gone, although he knew that he was still wounded. There was only one thing that bothered him. He had no spirit energy.
'After sleeping, I should have recharged just a little; however, my power level is still at zero. This is not good. Without my spirit energy, I can not change back to my human form.'
The kitsune mused on his condition for a while, trying to come up with a reason as to why he had not regained any of his power. Despite his best efforts, he could not come up with any ideas.
'Could Loki have drained me of my spirit energy during the dream?' he wondered, mentally frowning. If that was the truth, then he was in big trouble. An enemy capable of stealing energy was much more dangerous than an abnormally strong foe.
For a few more hours, Kurama tried to think of any more possibilities. He couldn't, and he was thankful when Kaline awoke, giving him a break. He had almost given himself a headache.
"Morning, Youko," she said with a yawn. "How are you feeling this morning?"
He nuzzled her hand with his nose in response, earning a smile from her. 'I love her smile,' he thought as she sat up in bed.
"You look a little better." She paused, a surprised expression on her face. "And your head wound is already beginning to close. I can see the difference, and that isn't normal." She gazed at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hmmm... Strange."
After a few moments, she shrugged and climbed out of bed, gently and carefully pulling Youko into her arms as she did so. Cradling him in one arm, she pulled clothes out of her closet and went into the bathroom, putting him on the floor near the door.
"You stay there and be good while I take my shower, okay?" She turned on the water, and while it warmed up she washed her face in the sink. She took out her braid and then moved to pull off her pajama shirt.
When Kaline began to strip, Kurama closed his eyes; however, his curiosity soon got the better of him, and he opened them back up again just in time to see a fully naked Kaline step into the shower.
He listened to her sing softly to herself, her voice filling the small bathroom like a songbird's sweet melody. Closing his eyes, he allowed the sound to wash over him, and it nearly lulled him back to sleep. 'There's an almost healing quality to her voice. I wonder if everything about her relates to healing.'
Kurama considered that idea until he heard Kaline shut off the water. A moment later, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping one towel around her body and another towel around her long hair.
"Mmmm... I feel so much better!" She stretched her arms above her head, breathing in deeply and then slowly letting the air out as she lowered her arms.
The female used the towel to absorb as much water as she could out of her hair, and then she dropped both of the towels to the ground. Humming quietly, she pulled on the clean clothes and then hung up the towels, picking up the fox once she was done.
"Are you hungry, Youko?" Kaline asked with a laugh. "You probably are, and I most definitely am, so let's go get the both of us some food." She carried the fox out of the bathroom and to the kitchen. With practiced gestures, she pulled out bacon and eggs and everything else she would need to cook the food. Then, she set her charge down on a chair and began to prepare breakfast.
When she was done cooking, she pulled out a bottle of small pills. She quickly read the label and took out one pill. She wrapped it up in a small piece of bacon and placed it in front of the silver fox.
"C'mon. You gotta swallow this," the blue-gray eyed girl said softly, smiling when her charge did as she wanted. He swallowed the bacon and pill together.
With that taken care of, the gray-blue eyed girl sat down and began to eat her breakfast, feeding the fox as she did so.
Once all the food had been demolished, Kaline cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes, leaving Kurama in the chair the entire time.
"Would you like to watch me paint, Youko?" she asked as she picked him up and carried him into the living room, setting him down in a chair as she pulled out a box of paints, paintbrushes, and a easel with a half-finished painting of two wolves at play on it. Pictures of a wolf hung from the edge of the easel, easy to glance at while painting.
Smiling, Kaline put the fox in her lap and began to paint. Kurama watched her, impressed with her ability. She was an excellent artist, and her patience when it came to the painting was astounding. For some reason, she didn't seem to mind that her progression with it was so slow. She just worked on it, humming contentedly.
The rest of the morning and afternoon, the kitsune watched Kaline paint. Both lunch and supper were short affairs, and after supper, the girl yawned so much while changing his bandages that she decided to call it a day.
With a sleepy expression on her face, Kaline went to the bedroom, changed into her pajamas, put Kurama on her spare pillow, and then crawled into bed. In moments, both Kurama and the girl were fast asleep.
Kaline blinked, surprise apparent on her face. "I'm back," she whispered, looking around at her familiar, beautiful surroundings. Green grass stretched out across rolling hills and beneath tall shade trees. The sun shone down on her from a brilliant blue sky. Brightly colored wildflowers dotted the ground, completing the scene. She had the greatest desire to paint the place.
"We both are," a male voice said from behind her.
She spun around, a smile instantly appearing on her face when she saw the redhead. "Hey, Kurama!" she greeted him brightly. "It's nice to see you again. How ya doing?"
The male smiled back at her, pleased that she was already treating him like a friend. "I'm doing fine, and good evening, Kaline."
"Do you know where we are exactly?" Kaline asked, sitting down on the grass.
"My dream-world version of Makai," he answered simply, sitting down behind her. On an impulse, he reached out and pulled her into his lap, his arms going around her.
"Kurama!" Kaline half-heartedly protested, laughing in surprise and delight. "My, aren't we being forward today?"
"Yes, I am," Kurama responded, smiling. "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"I guess not," she answered, shaking her head. "Oh, by the way, any future objections I make to you being forward is purely instinctual. I won't mean a word of any one of the protests."
"That's good to hear," he commented, turning her around in his lap so that she was facing him. Cupping her face in his hands, he gently kissed her.
Kaline briefly stiffened, but she quickly relaxed, her hands resting on his chest as she leaned into the kiss. His lips were so soft, and he was so gentle as he caressed her lips with his.
Kurama broke off the chaste kiss, smiling smugly at her dazed expression. "Did you find that enjoyable?" he asked, curious.
She nodded her head dumbly, her mind still trying to reboot; however, she didn't seem to be having much luck. Her eyes held a glazed look to them. After a few moments, she shook her head, which obviously helped.
"Now, what was the kiss for?" the blue-gray eyed girl wanted to know, still very relaxed. She was amazed by the effect that his kiss had had on her. It was almost like she didn't have the will to protest at the moment.
The redhead shrugged. "I just felt like kissing you," he informed her simply, believing that to be explanation enough. Then, he moved to kiss her again.
Jumping out of his lap before his lips could touch hers, Kaline wagged her finger at him. She was amazed that she had recovered so quickly, but she wasn't about to complain. "Uh-uh," she stated, shaking her head. "If you want another kiss, then you're going to have to catch me." With that said, she began to run off.
Kurama quickly stood up and took chase, green eyes sparkling. His ears picked up the sounds of Kaline's giggling as he ran after her, making a grab at her every so often. He mentally shook his head at her, amused by her child-like actions; however, he was impressed by her speed. She could run faster than any human he had ever seen, and that included Yusuke.
"C'mon, Kurama!" Kaline called back over her shoulder, laughing. "Hurry up and catch me! Or are you too slow to do that?"
"I'll show you too slow," the redhead growled playfully as he used a quick burst of energy to catch up to her. After allowing himself a quick smug smile, he tackled her around the waist and twisted, making them roll through the grass together. When they finally stopped rolling, Kaline was on her back on the ground, giggling, and Kurama was on top of her, laughing as well.
The girl with golden brown hair fought to get herself under control, and she eventually succeeded. When she did, she looked up into Kurama's green eyes and flashed him a bright smile. "That was fun," she commented cheerfully. "Now, could you kindly get off of me?"
Kurama considered her request for a moment and then shook his head. "No. I rather like this. It's comfortable."
"Kurama, get off," Kaline ordered, trying to sound strict but failing miserably. While he chuckled, she bucked and rotated her hips at the same time, throwing him off of her. He groaned, eyes flashing golden for a moment; however, she just ignored his response. "There. Much better."
Since he was staying on his back on the ground, she laid her head on his chest and looked up at the sky. After a few moments of studying the clouds, she spoke again. "Look at that cloud. It looks like a puppy dog," she stated, pointing at a fluffy white cloud.
"Yes, it does," he agreed simply, enjoying her presence. He loved her scent; it was the most beautiful thing his nose had ever smelled. Her hair was long enough that he could twist a lock of it around his hand at least ten times.
Silence reigned for a full two minutes before Kaline broke it. "Ummm... Kurama? You're suppose to tell me what you think a cloud looks like," she informed him.
"Oh..." He fixed his attention at the fluffy white objects far above his head. "That one resembles an automobile."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Men and their cars." She pointed at a different cloud. "That one looks like a daisy."
"Women and their flowers," Kurama teased, earning a soft smack on his stomach near her head. She had hit him with the back of her hand.
"You're horrible, ya know that?" she commented.
"Yes," he answered, moving one hand to rest it on her stomach.
"Oooooh! That one looks like a castle." Kaline gestured towards a cloud overhead as the redhead slipped a hand underneath her shirt, resting his hand on her bare tummy.
"It's a very nice castle too," Kurama stated, lightly drawing circles on her abs with the tips of his fingers. She giggled. "That tickles!" she exclaimed, wiggling.
He slightly increased the pressure until she stopped giggling. "Better?" the green-eyed man asked.
"Mmmmm..." The girl shook her head, as if trying to clear it. "Yeah. Better." She turned to lay on her side, facing him, one arm wrapping around his chest as she moved her head to his shoulder. Snuggling up to him, she gave a happy sigh.
The redhead's arm snaked around her and pulled her fully on top of him, bringing their chests and stomachs in contact. Her legs fell to either side of him, straddling him. Her head moved to the crook of his neck, nuzzling him as her delicate hands rested on his shoulders. He kept his arms wrapped around her back, one hand buried in her hair.
"I take it you find this position more comfortable?" Kaline inquired curiously.
Kurama nodded. "Yes, I do." He kissed her quickly on the lips. "It's easier to kiss you like this." The red-haired man traced one of his hands up her spine, making her shiver slightly. He stopped at the back of her neck, leaving it there for a moment while he just admired her face. Beautiful blue eyes gazed at him from underneath perfectly arched eyebrows. Golden-brown hair tumbled about her shoulders, spilling onto his chest and the ground. Her pink lips were twisted slightly in a small smile that almost always seemed to be on her face.
Being gentle at first, he used his hand to guide her head down to his, touching their lips together. At first, the kiss was chaste, but Kaline quickly opened her mouth, and the kitsune wasn't about to turn down that blatant invitation. His tongue slid out of his mouth and into her warm cavity, tasting her sweetness.
She moaned into his mouth, sub-consciously rubbing her lower body against his. Never before had she kissed a guy like she was kissing Kurama, and the feelings shooting around inside of her felt a little odd; however, they were exciting, and Kaline welcomed them.
The redhead pulled her away after a few minutes, allowing them both to catch their breath. Kaline's suddenly bright blue eyes were glowing, a demonic sign of arousal. Of course, he knew that his own golden eyes were glowing as well, indicating the current state of his mind and his body.
"Kaline..." he whispered against her mouth, bringing her back down for another kiss.
The instant their lips touched again, Kaline vanished, leaving a very unhappy kitsune behind.
CotA: Well, there you people go. A new chappie for Christmas! Sess-chan and I have been working hard on these, and RL Cassie has been helping by giving us some feedback.
Sess-chan: What do I get for Christmas?
CotA: Ummm... What do you want?
Sess-chan: The tetsusaiga.
CotA: Okay. *pulls out a magical copy of the tetsusaiga and hands it to Sess-chan* There you go. Merry Christmas.
Sess-chan: *Swinging the sword around to test it* Thank you.
CotA: *blinks* Did you just thank me?
Sigmund: Where's my present?
CotA: *sighs* What do you want?
Sigmund: *whispers something in CotA's ear* That's what I want.
CotA: *takes out her Baseball Bat of Doom and Destruction and knocks him unconcious* Hentai...*shakes her head* Well, the review responses are below and if anyone wants to be sent an email when I update, just tell me. Enjoy.
Sam: Ooooh. The cake sounds good. If there's any left, can I have a piece?
Bijin-chan: Kurama's a... *laughing* OMG! I have never heard ANYONE say that. I'm not sure if I should say "kawaii" or just agree with you.
Rei Akita: *sweatdrops* ummm... the difference between a lemon and a lime. Well... a lemon actually describes the act, while a lime alludes to it.
Iloveinuyasha1029: Sorry, chica, but I've already writen out a lot of the story. And Hiei already has a girlfriend slated out for him. I can add you in a future fic though. Well, whenever I get around to writing one. How about that?
Chronicles Bailey: Thanks for the compliment. Here's your update.
