~*~I'm having fun… you?~*~
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The gang all looked at the red haired demon at the conclusion of his story with the miko. None knew exactly what to say. What could you tell someone who had the person they loved kidnapped, leaving them helpless when they had sworn to protect them? Not much you can say to that.
Yusuke looked over Kurama. 'There's still something he's holding back, but this was a lot to say to begin with. We just have to give him some time.'
Botan thought over this information. "So this demon Natas is the one you believe is responsible?"
Kurama shook his head. "I know Natas is the one. That is why I must kill him."
Even Hiei nodded in agreement. This was something Kurama had to do. He would not be satisfied until the death of this demon. 'This miko better be worth all this trouble.'
After pouring out the story, Kurama felt somewhat drained but also relieved. They understood now his motives for fighting and agreed to help him anyway they could.
The day was coming to an end, causing all but two members of the team to head in for some sleep. Kurama looked out into the water below, but knew he was not alone. "Anything else you require, Hiei?" Turning around, he looked at his demon friend. Silently, Hiei walked over, hands in his pockets, and leaned against the railing. Without a word, Kurama took up his original position again, waiting until the smaller demon would break the silence between them. A few minutes passed until Hiei indeed broke the silence.
"What could possess you to have feelings for this miko?"
"Obviously you did not listen to what I had said."
The smaller demon looked at his teammate. "She's a miko. Mikos and demons are never to care for each other. This just shows your human self has taken over. You're losing the part of you that is demon."
Closing his eyes, Kurama took a deep breath. "It does not matter whether I am human or demon. The feelings would still be the same."
Pushing off of the railing, Hiei began to walk away. Without turning around, he had just one more comment to make. "Youko wouldn't have even been in the same room as one."
"You might think differently when you meet her, Hiei."
"Hmph." Hiei just walked down to the sleeping area below, leaving Kurama to his thoughts. 'I guess I'll have to check out this miko myself.'
Kurama stood out on deck, staring off into who knows where, letting his thoughts run away with him.
~Flashback~
A few days had passed since he and Naomi had spoken at the hill. Now, he woke up early to watch her as she trained in the mornings, some days racing her to see just how fast she had become. Her speed was rapidly increasing, which impressed him greatly. 'She has a lot of pride in what she does.' Day after day, just by watching her, Kurama's respect for her grew even more.
One day, he was looking around the forest for some herbs when he saw Naomi walking over to him. Kurama stood up and waited for her.
"Kurama, there you are. I've been looking for you."
"Sorry, I thought I would find some herbs to take back with me when I return home." He thought he saw some sadness in her eyes for some reason, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. 'Strange…'
"Oh, help yourself to them. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me into town. A woman came by saying a demon was inhabiting her home. It should be a simple job, but I thought you might want to see other things besides the shrine while you're here."
He had thought about going into town before, but was unsure how the people there would react. 'I am a stranger here.' Thinking it over a bit, Kurama nodded. "Yes. A change of scenery might be nice. And please allow me to accompany you on this task."
Naomi gave him a look of curiosity. "Why?"
"You may require some assistance. You do not know what kind of demon it is. I would feel more comfortable knowing you will be safe."
A small blush appeared on her face as she agreed to his somewhat demand. Kurama nodded and went to put the herbs inside his room. Naomi waited patiently and when he returned, they set off down the path, through part of the forest and into the village. It was a good fifteen minute walk, but they enjoyed the nature around them and each other's company.
Once arriving into town, Naomi led him towards the home of the woman. As they walked Kurama noticed the young females of the village looking at him strangely. "Naomi, why are they all staring at us?"
A smile grew on her face. "Well, technically, they're all looking at you."
The demon's eyes went wide as he looked at her. "Why?"
Her smile grew even larger. "Kurama, this is the first time I came into town with a male besides Haku, and they know him. You have this whole mysterious thing working for you. No one knows who you are. Heck, if a mysterious handsome stranger came walking into town, I'd look too."
Kurama could feel himself blushing a bit. He wasn't sure if it was because of what she had said or the fact that the girls were still looking. Raising an eyebrow, he noticed one in particular. 'I think that one just drooled.'
*Sweatdrop*
While all the staring was… flattering, Kurama quickened his steps until he basically collided with Naomi. She turned to him when she felt him run into her. "You alright?"
"My apologizes. I am not used to so many eyes on me."
The miko blinked a few times. "Ooooookay… umm, we're here."
Nodding, Kurama went with Naomi to the door and stood there as she knocked and waited for the owner to allow them to enter. A chill went up and down his spine. 'I can feel the demon's presence.' Naomi must have sensed it too, for she quickly reached for her bow and arrows.
"Kurama, stay here. I'll go around back and check it out. The demon seems as if it's on the move." Without waiting for a response, Naomi moved towards the back, leaving Kurama guarding in the front. He reached over and slowly turned the knob. Surprisingly, the door was open, so he proceeded to go inside to hunt this demon causing so much trouble. 'Something is not right.'
Slowly, he made his way through the house, not really sensing the demon. Confused, he went towards the back of the house when he stopped dead in his tracks. 'They are in the back. I can tell. There is more then one.' Suddenly, it dawned on him. 'Naomi…'
As if on cue, a cry of pain was heard. Taking off at full speed, Kurama came upon a horrific scene. Naomi was lying on the ground, her arrows all broken into tiny little shreds. There was blood coming from her, but where he was not certain. Her face showed no fear, but her eyes showed great pain.
The demon advanced at the girl still on the ground. "One less miko to worry about." He brought his fist down, but before making contact with her, Naomi rolled out of the way, something that definitely caused her pain. Getting up, she swayed a bit, but held her ground, staring at the demon in front of her. She smirked. "You think I could be killed that easily? Pathetic."
The demon growled at her and ran at her. Kurama revealed his rose whip and cracked in right in front of the demon. It was obvious to him Naomi would collapse at any moment. 'She is losing a lot of blood.' The demon turned to the red haired man. "This aint your fight. Get lost."
"Sorry, but I came with the lady. I have every intention of return with her as well." He positioned himself between the demon and Naomi, protecting her from any attacks.
The demon just smirked. "Your funeral." He ran at Kurama, but our red haired demon was too quick for him. "Rose Whip." Just a few slashes were needed to finish off the demon, leaving it fallen on the ground. He turned to look for the other demon. 'He's around here… somewhere…'
The nearby bushes began to move, catching Kurama's attention. 'I think I have found my demon.' "Rose Whip." Sending the whip out, a small demon jumped out of the way and began to run. Kurama could hear something the demon mumbled. "I must tell Lord Natas."
'Natas?' Kurama was all set to chase after the little thing, but instead he had to catch Naomi, who had just collapsed. He held her in his arms, alarmed when he saw her eyes closed. 'She has passed out. There is too much blood coming out of her.' He picked her up bridal style and ran back to the shrine. "Hold on, Naomi. Just hold on."
He soon reached the shrine and ran into the house, flinging the door wide open and rushing into her room to lay her down. He noticed no one was home, so he had to save her on his own. 'Where is the blood coming from?'
Kurama quickly got some bandages from the bathroom and some other supplies from his room, like the herbs he had gotten that morning. Quickly, Kurama grounded it into a coating of some kind and brought it into her room. He came in to see her uniform covered in blood. 'It looks like the injuries are in the shoulder and her side. Why do I feel like I have seen this before?' Shaking his head, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom to cover her *ahem* specific area and carefully pulled back the top part of her miko attire. To his surprise, she wore a white tank top beneath it. 'That's unexpected.' Kurama put the towel down and worked on her shoulder and then to her side. He rolled up the bottom of her shirt to see the wound, but not high enough to see anything private. 'It is a large wound.' So, he cleaned the area, applied some of the coating and bandaged it.
When that was finished, he covered her with a blanket and got up to put everything away in its place. That was completed quickly, so he went back into her room with water and the rest of the medicine he prepared. He could hear her whimper something. Curious, Kurama went closer to her to listen.
"No… stop… don't hurt…"
Kurama looked at her with sadness in his eyes. 'A nightmare.' He took her hand in his and she seemed to calm down a bit. Leaning close to her ear, Kurama whispered into it. "Do not worry, Naomi. I will be here to protect you. No one will hurt you anymore." The girl relaxed more and to his surprise, Kurama felt her hand tighten around his. He smiled down at Naomi as he got into a comfortable position beside her, still keeping their hands locked together. Kurama watched over her as she slept until he fell into a deep sleep as well. 'I will protect you, Naomi. I promise.'
~End of Flashback~
Kurama woke up from his deep sleep. How he had gotten from the deck to his bed was a mystery, but his dream was from the past with her. 'That was when I first realized…' Sighing, he threw off the covers and went to find his teammates. To his surprise, he found them all up on deck already. 'Have I really slept in so late?'
Yusuke turned to him as he came up to them. "Kurama, bout time you got up. Look there."
Kurama did as Yusuke demanded and saw what they had been sailing for. "Himura Island."
Yusuke smiled and placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder. "We're almost there. You'll find her soon."
A smile was all Kurama could give. Soon the boat would dock and the real fight would begin.
~*~I need sleep now. Night night! Ja ne!~*~