~*~Hey hey! Let's answer some questions.

Michelle: Umm… I wrote these chapters a long time ago and am just recently (Sept.) posting them again. I have up to chapter 21 written and am currently stuck on 22. What Japanese would you like to know? I don't know much myself, but my best friend is Japanese and when I can't reach her, my second best friend helps me because she takes a Japanese class. The only Japanese I know myself is what I pick up from watching Inu Yasha in Japanese with the subtitles. *sweatdrop*

 Anywho, even I want to know what's gonna happen next! So let's see what I can get down before I have to get some sleep.~*~

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Sitting up in a tree close to the house he sat thinking about the string. 'Why would the string appear? It does not make sense.' Shaking his head, he jumped down and walked inside, heading to her room. Sliding the door open quietly, he looked in to see her still asleep on the futon. He walked in and sat beside her, watching her intently.

Suddenly, the miko began to stir and turned on her side, facing him. Her arm lay out of the covers, hand by her pillow. For some reason, he had the urge to reach out and hold it in his.  He shook his head. 'Baka,' but apparently his hand had other thoughts as it took hers. It was smaller then his large ones, but soft and gentle. To think these same hands could also kill. It didn't seem right to him.

Her breathing was even, signifying she was deep in sleep. A part of her hair covered her peaceful face. He reached over with his other hand, brushing the strands back. His hand lingered on her sweet face. His touch seemed to relax the miko even more for a small smile appeared as she leaned into his hand.

Yeah, that startled him. 'What am I doing?!?' He quickly took his hands away and left the room. He would have gone racing through the forest, but that would leave Naomi alone and unprotected in her vulnerable state. So, he had to be content with just pacing back and forth in the back yard.

What was this weird feeling going through him? It was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was like a need to be beside her, to make her smile, to protect her from harm, to chase her inner "demons" away and to wipe away her tears if she ever cried. Why was he so loyal to her? It was only two months ago he came here, injured. If someone had told him he would stay with a miko for this long, he would have killed them, riding the world of one less incompetent idiot. When did this happen?

He shook his head and heard something move from inside the house. Turning, he headed inside to find Naomi sitting up and stretching. "How long was I out?"

"Maybe two hours. You alright?'

"Yeah. That ritual just takes a lot of power to perform, that's all. Umm… how did I get back here?"

"You were about to pass out, so I had to carry you back here." A small blush formed on her face as she looked away.

"Thank you for taking care of me yet again."

He didn't know how to answer her, so he just nodded. Naomi soon got up and stretched her back, then headed to the kitchen, but a certain someone was blocking her way. She looked up at him with curiosity. "I'm just going to go make some dinner. I figured we missed lunch awhile ago."

He shook his head and in one swift motion had her in his arms. He placed her back in the futon and saw her eyes were extremely wide in shock. He just looked at her. "You should get some more rest. It has been a long day."

"What about dinner? You must be hungry."

"I shall prepare something. It is only fair since I reside here for the time being." A quick flicker of sadness filled her eyes, but it was quickly gone. 'Strange…'

"You sure you are okay with this? I mean, do you know how to work everything?"

"I have seen you prepare our meals many times. It should be no problem." Naomi just nodded, knowing no matter what she said he would still insist. He then left her after she laid back down to rest more.

After many trials, he finally was able to make some soup. 'I guess it is harder then it looks.' He brought a bowl and a spoon into her room, where he found her relaxing, eyes closed, but not appearing to be asleep. Her eyes opened when he entered. "Something smells good."

He went over to her side and showed her the soup he had prepared. He was rewarded with a smile. A small laugh also escaped her lips. He looked at her with curiosity. She shook her head. "This is the same soup I made for you your first night here."

Puzzled, he sniffed the food and smiled. 'I knew it seemed familiar.' Naomi continued to smile and slowly reach for the bowl. He held it away from her, a small smile on his face. She looked at him, obviously confused.

"You said it was the same soup. You are weak, just as I was. Did you hand me the soup?"

Thinking about it, her eyes then went wide and she let loose a laugh. "No I didn't. I feed it to you."

"So is it not expected I do the same?" A small smile was tugging at his lips as he watched her eyes. They weren't sure if he was kidding or not. So, he took a spoonful and held it up to her lips. She just shook her head, her smile still on her face.

"If you don't eat, you will get weaker faster. You won't be strong enough to even get out of this futon."

Catching on to the game, her smile widened then she gave him this weird side look. "How do I know you didn't poison this?"

His eyes grew softer. "You don't. You'll either have to trust me and eat it, or not trust me and die from lack of food. You're choice." He brought the spoon up to her lips, waiting for her to open up. She did so and he feed her the soup. "See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

She smiled and looked at the bowl expectantly. Without hesitation, he eventually feed her the rest of the soup until the bowl was empty. He got up to take the bowl to the kitchen.

"Thank you Kurama. It was very good."

He turned his head to her. "You're welcome." With that, he left the room, leaving the miko to rest more.

After cleaning up, he went into her room again to check on her. She was now by the window, staring outside with a far off look in her eyes. "Something on your mind?"

Naomi glanced back at him and returned her gaze to the window. "It's nothing important."

He came beside her and sat down as well. "I would like to hear it anyway."

A small smile appeared then. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you."

He looked at the girl expectantly. She finally began. "I was just thinking back on something my mother used to tell me. I was about fourteen and was a bit sad because all the girls in the village had started dating and such. When I told her, she only smiled. I can even hear her response. 'Naomi, there is no need to rush. One day you'll just be walking, just going about your regular life when you will come upon a man with long, beautiful hair. Forget all that damsel in distress stuff, for it will be reversed. You will be the one to save him, in more ways then one. A quiet but loyal man, he will be concerned for you but will let you live your life as you see fit. This man will be the one for you, your soul mate. It will be hard, obstacles to overcome, but in the end, all will be well. I don't know when he will come, but when he does, you will be able to break down your barriers and be whole. Remember this, my little one.'"

He listened to her speak, a twinge of jealously flowing through him. Who could this one be that was so perfect for her? And what was keeping him? Naomi needed someone now, not later. 'Who could this perfect guy be?'

Naomi looked over at him. "I told you it would be stupid."

"It wasn't." Naomi smiled, grateful for what he had said.

"Did your mother ever tell you things like that when you were young?"

He shook his head. "I do not remember my mother very well."

"I'm sorry. That must be hard for you."

He looked at her. "It was a very long time ago. Remember, demons do not have the same lifespan as humans."

She nodded. "Forgot about that. You just look so young, that's all. Very deceiving. How old are you really?"

"After 100, I stopped counting."

Her eyes went wide and he thought her mouth would drop open any minute. "Wow. You don't look a day over 99 though." A small formed on her face when he looked at her. He smiled as well.

"I take it that is a compliment?"

"Worse, a joke."

He nodded. "Even in my old age, I know what a joke is."

"I would hope so."

Naomi got up and went to head outside. He got up and followed her. "Where are you going?"

"Where else? The hill. Care to join me?"

"You should not be out there. You are still drained from the ritual."

"I'll be fine, Kurama. No need to worry. I may be drained of spiritual power, but I know more then that. Besides, if you come with me, I know I have nothing to fear."

The young miko smiled at him, which gave him a warm feeling and caused him to smile as well. He nodded and continued to follow her to the hill. She sat down and looked to the village below, him sitting right beside her.

"Kurama? Can I ask you something?"

He turned to give her his full attention. "Of course."

"Why do you stay? I mean I'm not annoyed or anything. Stay as long as you like, but…" The miko looked away, unsure how to phrase what she was thinking.

That question took him by surprise. Thinking a moment, he said the only thing he could. "I don't know. I honestly do not know." That was true. He didn't know why he was still there. All he knew was he couldn't leave. He just couldn't. Something was telling him he had to stay.

"Well, you can stay here as long as you like. If you want, you could consider this your home."  A small blush appeared on her face, which he noticed.

The thought intrigued him. 'A home? I have not really had that in a long time. It would be nice to be able to come back to a place and to feel welcomed.' He smiled at the miko. "I would be honored to."

She looked up at him, her violet eyes filled with… happiness? "I'm glad."

He looked into her eyes and was so overjoyed that emotion flickered in hers. He smiled back at her, actually glad and content with his life. How did the most famous notorious cut throat thief of all of Spirit World ever get so lucky? And to think it was because of those damn hunters. Amazing.

But what was this feeling he had towards Naomi? It was like a deep bond, a friendship. But it was more then that. Why did he always feel like smiling when he was near her? Why did he have the strong urge to protect her, make sure she's safe? He had never felt that before, so why now? Why to Naomi?

"Kurama?"

"Hm?"

The miko had her back on the grass and was staring up at the stars, her hair spread out. He could only stare at her. 'She looks… beautiful.'

"You seem gentler, kinder then when we first met. You say things to me, open yourself up." He shifted a bit, unsure if this was good or not. "I like it, Kurama. It makes me feel like you trust me. You have no idea how much that means to me." Her eyes softened as her gaze went to his golden orbs, which were staring at her with equal softness.

Eventually, he broke the gaze by leaning back on the grass and looking up at the stars. He never really liked watching them before, but tonight they seemed so… magical. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. He saw her blush out of the corner of his eye. "You were shivering again." He wasn't sure if that was a lie or not, but she didn't pull away. Instead, he felt her head rest on his shoulder, both now looking up at the night sky.

What was this feeling of calmness, of contentment he had when Naomi was near? Would he ever understand what exactly he felt for her? Then a thought struck him. 'What does she feel for me?'

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her breathing was at an even pace. Looking down, he saw that Naomi had fallen asleep. Smiling, he carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the house. When he got there, he slide open her door and went over to the futon still lying on the floor. With care, he placed her in it and pulled the blankets up to her chin for warmth.

As Naomi shifted in the futon, he heard her mumble something. "Kurama…" His eyes went wide. 'She's dreaming… about me?' For some reason, not only was he startled, but he was glad, happy that he was in her dreams. Not wanting to wake her, he got up and began to leave the room… until he heard her again.

"Kurama… don't… leave…"

Blinking a few times, he shook his head, wondering if he heard her right. Looking over at the young, beautiful miko in the futon who seemed to be having a nightmare, he smiled and walked back over to her and took her hand in his. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, "Do not worry, Naomi. I'm not going anywhere."

The girl was calmed and eased into a comfortable deep sleep. He just sat there, with her hand in his, eventually falling asleep beside her.

~*~How much do we love the fluff? So, yeah. It totally took me about two days to write this. Anywho, I'd love reviews and I'm writing as fast as I can. Be nice and say you like me fic? Pretty please? I'll give you a cookie! Ja ne!~*~