Champagne Satin

Description (Chapter Five!) When one's the mate to a youko, one must expect the unexpected! When Kurama surprises Shuiichi, the stunned ningen mate to the youko can do nothing but follow along blindly... or surprise the fox demon with his precocity. (Warning: Fluffy, surprisingly sweet chapter. ^^)

The days dragged on like the hem of a muddied cloak through rain-wet streets, and throughout it -- as though Shuiichi's confused emotion had summoned it -- the world rained. Water poured torrentially from the skies, dumping in great buckets upon the streets and grass and parks. It was fortunate that Shuiichi had summoned the energy from his sickened body to haul his best hybrids in from the back garden.

He sat cooped silently in a cocoon of blankets. To Shiori's dismay, Shuiichi had not strengthened, and could not eat, no matter the delights she gathered for him. He only sat and read of a day, silent and pale and withdrawn.

It was just past noon on a day that seemed slightly less rainy than the others, when Shuiichi felt a returning twitch of energy. The pale redhead sat up slowly, blinking, confused, and was shocked to find the tall icy specter of a silver fox demon, slouched against the wall. "It's about time," rasped Shuiichi in as reproving a tone as he could manage, considering the joy and sudden return of health that came flooding in great gouts through his frail body.

Nor did the kitsune look quite in his normal fashion. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact; he was wearing Ningen clothing. That was the first thing to cross Shuiichi's view. Secondly, the redhead noted that Kurama had botched his dressing job terribly. The youko's ivory silk Western dress shirt, while finely-made, well-fitting and expensive (though Shuiichi doubted Kurama's will to pay for the goods he wore) was incorrectly buttoned, and the sharply-creased pale khaki chinos that Kurama wore -- while they, too, did a fine job of fitting his long legs, -- were belted by a deep indigo sash instead of a proper belt, though in the silver demon's case it seemed not so very terrible. As a matter of fact, it looked quite appealing, and to Shuiichi's weary exhausted eyes, the youko appeared as a specter from heaven sent to soothe him. He knew, however, that Kurama was not, for he felt his mind register the familiar possessive touch and breathed the scent of Kurama's kitsune musk deep into his starved lungs, feeling himself restore to his prior strength. "Kurama," Shuiichi said, suppressing his laughter, "what occasion merits this mode of dress?" He lifted his hands to gently right Kurama's clothing, unbuttoning the shirt and rebuttoning it properly, to the youko's chuckle.

"I came to bring you out," said Kurama simply, watching as Shuiichi's nimble fingers slipped the silver buttons back through the loops. "I thought that perhaps a little foray out into Ningenkai might relax you, but you look as though you've just nearly died." Concern made the youko's heart turn over, and he gently shook Shuiichi's correcting hands off of him, and he lifted his own to gently run his hand through Shuiichi's ruby tumble of hair. "Pet, you nearly killed the both of us this way." Kurama smiled regretfully down at Shuiichi, who was gazing up at Kurama with those big, shining green eyes, until Kurama had to look away uncomfortably, and when he had regained his composure, he said gruffly, "Well, I still intend to bring you out, so get dressed, little redbird, and we will go." The youko placed a hat upon his head, which neatly hid the softness of his silver-furred ears, and shrugged into a well-fitted coat that hid the silky length of his tail.

Shuiichi's face lit, and he scurried to get dressed. The youko had made such an effort on his part, he thought admiringly, and glanced sidelong at the distinguished profile of the silver demon, secretly examining the white lines of worry that bracketed the sensual mouth, studying the premature creases at the corners. Had he caused that? He didn't remember ever having seen the youko look so very relieved. Quietly anticipatory, he drew on his clothing, and stood before the mirror to yank the brush through his hair quickly, smiling thoughtfully as he turned back to Kurama.

It turned out that Shuiichi didn't have to turn that much. Kurama stood right behind him, one hand gently lifting the ruby mass of Shuiichi's hair admiringly, before settling against the soft warm column of Shuiichi's neck, possessively circling it above the collar of his soft lavender shirt. Shuiichi flushed with simple pleasure, then said quietly, "Welcome home." Kurama shared Shuiichi's smile for a long moment, looking at their reflection in the mirror. Both slender, ethereal creatures, Shuiichi looked pale and fragile against Kurama's stronger form. Neither of them seemed to have a single flaw to them at all, Shuiichi's soft jade-silk shirt a delicate contrast to Kurama's white one.

At length, Kurama smirked. "Shall we, little one?"

Shuiichi nodded, and started to step away, then paused. "Wait. If we're going out into Ningenkai, you must remember -- you cannot take off your hat and coat, alright? Nobody in Ningenkai must find out that you're a demon." Concern darkened his green eyes.

Kurama tossed his head imperiously, and his silver hair fell around it, beneath the brim of his hat. "I don't intend to give myself away. I am doing this for you, pet, and none else. I have no desire whatsoever to consort with Ningens."

Nodding, Shuiichi let Kurama out onto the rain-wet streets, into the bustle of a city that was surging after the days of rain. The youkai and the human made their way through the swarms of businessmen and women and parents with small children that gawked at Kurama's exorbitant height in comparison to Shuiichi's slender, smaller, paler appearance. The red-haired ningen smiled at the children sweetly, and Kurama would eye them with arched silver brows over amused golden eyes. The children laughed, flattered that the two men would pay them any mind.

Shuiichi had to stop and rest several times on their way, pausing to sit down at one of the tables at a roadside café, his cheeks flushed with exertion, and Kurama calmly sat down beside him, placing a pale clawed hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Are you alright, pet?" came the calm, possessive voice.

Just as Shuiichi was about to respond, a little boy's shout came to his ears. "Hey mister! Hey! With the silver hair!!" Blinking, the redhead looked about in puzzlement, and then matched voice to creature, with a little sandy-haired, blue-eyed boy that had an amazed, wide-eyed look on his face. "Kurama," said Shuiichi, chuckling, "he's summoning you." The fox-demon's left eye ticked, and then he turned to find his mate gesturing for the child to come sit. The little boy's parents let him go, but watched with wide eyes as the small boy climbed up into Shuiichi's lap and sat there, looking at Kurama through those narrowed summer-blue eyes.

The little boy drew a deep breath, then said in a soft, confidential tone, "Hey mister... how come you're wearing a tail under your jacket?" He looked truly worried, his eyes wide and his cherubic features set in a fearful pout. Shuiichi nearly fell out of his chair, before Kurama grabbed his arm, keeping him steady.

Kurama swallowed, then looked at Shuiichi for help. Clearing his throat, Shuiichi spoke. "Can you keep a secret, little one?" His voice was solemn and soft, and those big green eyes spoke to the little boy, who nodded eagerly, and said, "Promise I won't tell!" Shuiichi smiled and looked at Kurama. On his love's whim, Kurama lifted the edge of his French chapeau. The little boy's blue eyes grew wide and glossy with amazement as the youko twitched the soft silver appendages. "Are they real?" whispered the boy in awe. Kurama nodded with a smile, the softness of his ears twitching. "Can I... well..."

Kurama lifted the hat a bit higher, and the little ningen boy lifted his hand to shyly touch the silver-velvet ears, which twitched to his touch. "Careful now," admonished the youko, trying not to flinch against the touch of a ningen who was not Shuiichi. However, the redhead's hand rested on his shoulder, gentling the fox demon to the child's touch. "How'd you get those, mister?"

"I was born with them," Kurama narrated with a small smile. "I'm a fox demon."

The boy nearly fell off of Shuiichi's lap in his enthusiasm. "Wow!" stage-whispered the child. "Hey, I heard that fox demons make good protectors... will you be mine? My name's Daniel."

"I'm Kurama," responded the youko, reaching over to tousle the boy's sandy curls. "I'll see what I can do for you, Daniel, but you can't tell anyone about me. Agreed?" Wide-eyed, the ningen child nodded adamantly. "Good kit -- that is, child. Now run along to your parents." Obediently, Daniel scooted down off Shuiichi's lap with a big respectful grin at the silver-haired demon and his ruby-haired mate, who exchanged a laughing glance, and rose to vanish into the crowd before the boy's parents could memorize their faces.

Once they had made good their escape, Shuiichi said softly, "That was a kind thing you did for that boy, Kurama." He was worrying his lower lip between rows of even white teeth. "Not something I would've -- " He cut himself off, blushing.

" -- something you would have expected," Kurama said quietly, "from a youko. From me. Right?" When the ruby-haired boy didn't respond, Kurama felt a spasm in the area of his heart, surprising him with its intensity. "Yes, well," he said softly, "I'm just as capable of kindness as any other demon."

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Shuiichi softly. And it wasn't. It was his own mortality he feared. He didn't want to hurt Kurama, nor did he wish to be hurt by the handsome youkai. Even so, the memory of his brutal searing kiss, the memory of fangs breaking skin, sent a frisson of ecstasy down Shuiichi's spine. Kurama picked up on it, and growled alertly.

"Surely you're not afraid of a little passion," said the youko, in a tone of disbelief.

"You lived in me once," said Shuiichi, in a very quiet voice. "You know all too well what I am and am not afraid of. You could terrify me, or you could be an ideal lover -- and either way, I would not know what you truly felt."

The traffic on the sidewalks was lessening, and it left Shuiichi and Kurama walking slowly, alone, down the road, attracting the attention of passersby as a beautiful distraction. "I don't suppose," whispered Kurama, "that you could take me at my word?"

That stilled Shuiichi in his tracks. Here he was preaching about trust in his own supercilious, self-righteous way, and he couldn't find it in his heart to trust the beautiful fox-demon, who was opening more to him every moment, as a beautiful bloom might open to the sun, slowly -- very slowly, barely there, but movement nevertheless -- but surely. He swallowed hard, and thought he felt his pride go down, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "I don't suppose," quipped Shuiichi softly, pausing, so that Kurama's face darkened in anger, "that you could destroy this pride of mine and save both our lives, could you?"

The demon's face went through a gamut of emotion, from anger to disbelief, from joy to dazzled wonder. He drew a deep breath, looking down at the upturned pale oval of Shuiichi's face.

It was then that he noticed Shuiichi's cheeks were fire-engine red with exertion again, and that the little ningen's breath was coming in short pants. Kurama swore fluently in the language of youkai, before he caught Shuiichi against him. "Now. We are going to go rest, and you will sleep until you are well again." Shuiichi protested that there could be no sleep without Kurama at his side, a soothing presence to his body, who craved the youko's nearness like a drug to an addict. Kurama brooked no arguments, and said with great certainty, "I will be there while you sleep."

Shuiichi nodded, and allowed Kurama to lead him back toward home, a slender red-haired figure leaning against a taller, stronger silver-haired one, walking slowly and calmly into the evening.

The youko Kurama sat upon the couch, his hat cocked down to cover his eyes, his arms gently wrapped around Shuiichi's slim body. The redheaded ningen reclined at ease against the demon's broad chest, his breathing soft and even as Kurama's mind dwelled within Shuiichi's.

Unbidden, desire rose in Kurama, heating the youko's blood, firing his lust so that he could barely breathe. He coughed softly, hoping to clear his throat, and a soft whimper escaped the sleeping Shuiichi, who burrowed deeper into the hard wall of Kurama's chest. The fox demon froze like a deer caught in a hunter's eye, deciding that it was not a good idea to wake his mate with the urgency of the fire coursing through his veins. A rigid self-control fell over Kurama's mind, and he swallowed hard, forcing his body to relax bit by bit, muscle by muscle.

Kurama was gratified when Shuiichi's tightened muscles went loose, and his warm body softened against Kurama's own.

Succumbing to the restful soft rhythm of Shuiichi's sleep patterns, Kurama closed his eyes.

Soon, both youko and ningen lay sleeping as the moonlight began to flood in through the windows. All was right in their little sphere of existence.

A/N: Salutations, faithful readers! This update took much longer than I intended it to! I am very sorry; I have not lost interest in this story, but I had exams these past two weeks and things have been hectic at home. Email me at foriornhopes@aol.com if you want a preview of Chapter 6; it's in the works as we speak. Happy reading!