~*~Thank you all for your support!!! Here's a new one for ya.~*~

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That night, Kurama lay wide awake on his futon, staring up at the ceiling. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. It was just too painful. 'She doesn't know me.' Frustrated, he got up and headed towards the back door, sliding it open quietly. The night air blew at him gently, as if trying to comfort him into thinking everything would be alright. With a deep sigh, Kurama decided to just walk until his feet stopped.

Letting his body guide him, Kurama ventured through the woods silently, taking in everything around him. 'Hiei has been here. I can see the marks from his sword.'

Shaking his head, Kurama continued to walk, looking at his surroundings. 'It is nearly an exact copy of her home.' Shaking his head to clear his mind, he continued his walk until he came to a clearing. Off in the distance was a lone figure, sitting and looking out below them. 'Strange…' Curious, he walked over to the person until he saw them clearly. 'Naomi…'

The miko was sitting on the grass, looking down at the village below, as if watching for evil spirits. She seemed to be protecting them, watching over them while they lay in their beds. Kurama didn't know what to do. Should he walk over to her and strike up a conversation? Should he just turn and walk away?

"Kurama?" He looked up and saw her staring right at him. Busted. Naomi looked at him with confusion. "Why aren't you asleep? It's rather late."

"I could say the same for you. Why are you still up?"

She smiled up at him. "I asked you first."

Sighing, Kurama answered. "I could not sleep. I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"We all do." Naomi looked up at him. "Could you sit down please? You're hurting my neck."

Nodding slightly, Kurama quickly sat down next to her, but there was quite a bit of room between them, enough to probably fit the people of China. The miko looked at him with confusion, but just shook her head and returned her gaze to the sleeping village. There was a long silence between them. 'I wonder what I should say to her. I have never been this uncomfortable with her before.'

"So tell me, why is it you fight, Kurama?" Startled by the question, he looked over at her. Her eyes were still on the village. The miko continued after a few moments passed. "I mean Yusuke is the spirit detective. It's his job to fight back. Kuwabara is very loyal to Yusuke. Of course he would come to help. He probably wants to protect someone back home anyway. Hiei is just looking for some fun. But I haven't figured out why you are here."

Thinking exactly how he was going to answer her, Kurama decided on one thing. 'I'm not going to lie to her.' Taking a deep breath, he answered. "I have a score to settle with Natas. He has stolen someone I hold dear. I am here to get them back at all costs, even at the risk of my own life."

Naomi looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kurama. This person must be very special to you."

Looking into her eyes deeply, Kurama replied, "Oh yes. Much more then they know."

A soft smile played onto her lips as Naomi looked back at him. Gracefully, the powerful miko rose to her feet. "Well, I better get some sleep. You coming?" She held out her hand to him to offer assistance. A small blush came onto his face, but Kurama moved his head before she could see. He got up and began to escort her back to the houses where the rest of the team lay asleep on their futons.

Naomi looked at him as they entered the house. "Well, as I said before, I will do all I can to help you defeat Natas."

Kurama nodded and the miko turned and headed to her room, telling him good night. He returned to his futon when she entered her own room. Laying down again, his thoughts continued to run through his head, but soon he drifted into sleep.

~Flashback~

After about an hour had passed, Kurama and Naomi headed towards the woman's house to help with the rest of the clean up. Naomi herself was still visibly shaken but was slowly pulling herself together to not have the woman worry.

Kurama was worried though. 'What does Natas want with her? Why must he destroy her entire life?'

The girl close to his side stopped short and Kurama looked ahead to see a small house. 'That must be it. I can smell the massive amounts of blood.' Taking a side look at her, he could see Naomi was scared. To somewhat reassure her, he took her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers. He gave her hand a slight squeeze and waited until she was ready. "Remember, I'm right here. No one will hurt you anymore," he whispered softly into her ear.

Feeling her squeeze his hand back, Kurama took that as a sign that she was ready. They both walked up to the door and she knocked, waiting for the woman to answer. Finally, the woman came. "Naomi-sama. Thank you so much for coming back." She cast a look at the man beside the miko and also saw their hands holding.

Naomi dropped her hand and motioned to him. "This is Kurama. He has agreed to help us with the clean up." The woman nodded and led them both to the backyard.

Kurama looked around and was disgusted. Most of the area was red with blood. Seeing Naomi's fearful eyes, he looked to where her eyes were focused. 'Natas.' There was the signature in blood as she had said. He shook his head and took a rag the woman had gotten. Wetting it with water from a bucket already there, he got down on his hands and knees and began to scrub the horrid name away. Soon, the two women began to scrub the all the blood away.

After about three hours, a majority of the red had been wiped away from the woman's yard. She thanked them and soon they were on their way back home. When they reached the forest, Kurama took Naomi's hand again, pulling her slightly off the path. She looked at him with curiosity. "Kurama…?"

He stopped pulling her and faced her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Naomi sighed. "Not really. He's coming soon. I know it."

Shaking his head Kurama bore his eyes into hers. "I know he killed your family and is most likely trying to rid the world of your bloodline. Naomi, I will not let him harm you in any way."

A startled look filled her eyes as Naomi gasped. "Kurama, I never told you he was the demon that killed them. I haven't told you anything about what happened except a demon killed them. How did you know?"

Realization hit him then. 'How did I know that?' Looking at her, Kurama didn't know how to answer. "I… I don't know. I probably put two and two together when you were crying before."

After a brief moment, Naomi slowly nodded. "Yeah, that must be it."

Both stood there for a bit, unsure of what to do. Kurama looked her over to see many emotions mixing around in her eyes. He took her into his arms and held her close. He could feel her arms around him as well. "I won't let him hurt you."

Kurama felt her arms tighten their hold on him. "Thank you." They stayed that way until Naomi pulled away, much to his disappointment.

"How are your wounds?"

"Much better to the point I forgot I had them. What did you use anyway?"

Kurama smiled. "A very old medicine I learned. Maybe I'll teach it to you one day."

"I'd like that." The miko shifted a bit. "Changing subjects slightly, did you read my note?"

Thinking back to this morning, Kurama smiled. "Yes I did."

She nodded and looked away from him. "But what I was afraid to ask was if… you had any regrets about it."

This startled the fox demon. "Excuse me?"

"Well, it's just maybe you were caught up in the moment or something and you didn't mean to do that. I… I would understand if-"

Kurama cut her off by pressing his lips to hers, silencing her with a kiss. At first shocked, she returned it, much to Kurama's joy. He held her close, his hand behind her head near her neck. He felt her hand gently touch his face as he deepened the kiss, her following suit. It was pure bliss.

Eventually Kurama pulled away from her and looked deep into her eyes. "I meant it last night as well." Happiness and relief appeared on her face as a huge smile burst out. Without warning, she hugged him tight, which he readily returned. He wanted to hold her, let time stop around them. It was a perfect moment.

Pulling away, Kurama took her hand and they headed back to the shrine. When they got there, Sóra smiled at them. "I won't be home till late tonight. Mr. Yoshimatsu wanted me to finish up his painting tonight. Oh, Naomi, there's a letter for you on the counter. And one for you too, Kurama. Make yourselves dinner and I'll see you later." She smiled as she descended the steps and walked into town.

Naomi looked at Kurama. "I wonder who wrote me."

Together, they walked inside and found their respective letters. Kurama opened his first and was a bit shocked to find out it wasn't from his mother or younger brother. 'It's from Yusuke…' Sadness overtook him as he turned from the letter to Naomi. "What is it, Kurama?"

He couldn't face her, not right then. Kurama read over the letter one more time to make sure of its contents. Sadly, the result was the same.

Kurama-

I got your address from your mother. Why didn't you tell us you were going out of town?? Anyway, hate to cut your vacation short, but we need you to come back soon. We start a new mission in one week and Koenma wants the whole team together. I'll see you in a few days. Who knows? Maybe it'll be short and you can have a few more days up where you are before school starts again. Cya.  –Yusuke

'Good thing Yusuke put the date at the top of the paper. I only have three days before I return back home.' Kurama turned to face Naomi who was looking at him with such innocent eyes. "What is it Kurama? Something from your mom?"

"I wish it was. It's from Yusuke."

"The Spirit Detective guy? Well, it's nice you're getting mail from them. What does he say?"

He could not meet her eyes at that moment. He did not want to tell her the news and just throw it out, as if it never came. "Kurama?"

"I must return back home in three days. There is a new mission which requires my assistance. I-"

Kurama was silenced by her fingers on his lips. "I understand. You are very loyal to your team. Just promise me you'll be okay. I… I couldn't stand it if you got hurt… or worse."

This stunned Kurama for a moment. 'I guess I told her too many of our fight stories.' His eyes soften as he looked her over. "I promise. I will be back as soon as the mission is over. That is… if you want me to."

Without another thought, her arms were around him in a hug. "I would like that very much." Kurama slowly brought his arms up and hugged her back. Only three days? It just wasn't enough.

"Naomi? Kurama? Anyone home?"

The couple broke apart to the sound of Haku coming in. He took one look at them and knew right away something was wrong. He sent a questioning look to Naomi.

"Kurama needs to go home soon. In three days."

The boy then looked over to Kurama, as if seeing for himself if it was true. The demon could only nod. "But… but I don't want you to go!"

This broke this poor red haired demon's heart. "I'm sorry, Haku. My friends need my help back home. I promise to come back when this mission is complete."

"*sniff* Promise?"

Kurama smiled down at the young boy. "I promise."

"Okay."

Naomi walked over to him. "Why don't you call one of your friends and hang out with them for awhile? Your mom won't be home for awhile."

"Hoshi wanted to know if I could sleep over tonight…"

"I don't think your mom would mind. Go ahead."

"Okay! I'll go over now." He looked up at Kurama and smiled. "Don't forget your promise."

Kurama smiled. "I won't."

With that, the boy ran out to see his friend, leaving the miko and demon alone. They looked at each other for a moment, then Naomi took his hand and led him outside to the hill. There, they sat in silence, watching the sun begin to set. Slowly, Kurama put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him, not wanting to leave. 'Only three days…'

"Kurama?"

He looked down at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. "I really don't want you to go. What if you can't keep your promise?"

He shook his head and looked deeply into her eyes. "I will always keep my promises to you. I will return safely. I would not want to be far from you. Ever." He lowered his lips and pressed them against hers, a sweet and tender kiss as if to reassure her of what he had said. She returned it as well, saying she believed him.

They broke the kiss and Naomi put her head on his shoulder, his arms going around her waist. Only three more days…

A thought struck him. "Naomi? What about your letter?"

The girl in his arms shifted a bit to reach the letter she had placed in her pocket. "I had forgotten about this. There's no return address." Without delay, she opened the envelope and read the paper inside. Her face paled as her eyes widened. "Oh Kami…"

Kurama turned serious as he took the letter from her hand to read it.

Naomi- Next time, the blood will be yours. And I won't forget about your little friends either, especially your demon companion. They will not be spared. I'm coming for you. –Natas

He crumpled the letter and held her closer to him, subconsciously protecting her. 'How can I protect her when I'm not even going to be here??'

~End Flashback~

Hiei was working on his swordsmanship when he heard voices not too far away. 'If I didn't know better, I'd say that was Kurama.' Against his better judgment, Hiei went to go check on the emotionally altered fox demon. He was in ear shot, but not close enough to see yet.

"I have a score to settle with Natas. He has stolen someone I hold dear. I am here to get them back at all costs, even at the risk of my own life."

'No mistake. That is Kurama's voice. Who would he be talking to?' He soon stood at the forest's edge and was about to see his companion…

"I'm so sorry, Kurama. This person must be very special to you."

Hiei froze when he heard that voice. 'It's that miko Kurama's so fond of. Keh, waste of my time.'

He could see Kurama look at her deeply with this… spark Hiei had not seen before. "Oh yes. Much more then they know."

It took all his strength not to just gag right then and there. 'How revolting. Kurama, your human self is definitely taking over way too much.'

He continued to watch as they got up and headed back to the shrine. Hiei was following them, but made sure to stay hidden. He wanted the opportunity to check out this… miko for himself.

Before they entered, Hiei saw her turned to Kurama. "Well, as I said before, I will do all I can to help you defeat Natas."

'And how do we know you're not lying? I'll find that out for myself.' He watched as she headed towards her room and Kurama to the futon. It didn't take long for the fox demon to fall asleep, giving Hiei the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Hiei slipped inside the house and went straight for the miko's chambers, sliding the door open silently. He entered quickly, but was a bit surprised to find her still awake… not only awake, but sitting up on her futon staring at him. Botan lay passed out, a little "sleep bubble" coming from her nose.

"What is it you want, Hiei? There has to be something if you had the need to watch your friend and me as we were coming in."

'So she doesn't know I've been watching since the hill. It doesn't matter.' Hiei took a step forward. "You may have everyone fooled into thinking you are completely against Natas, but not me. You're working for him and are leading us into a trap. I won't be fooled."

To his… well, shock, the miko began to laugh softly. "If that is what you think, then you're a bigger fool then I thought." The demon growled and moved to draw his sword. "Don't draw that, Hiei. I wouldn't want to use that subduing spell on you so soon. I can see you are someone who doesn't give his trust away or let his guard down. But, you respect and are very loyal to your teammates, even Kuwabara for some reason."

"Don't pretend to know me, miko."

"I don't intend to. Now, why don't you ask your questions so I can get some sleep."

Hiei smirked. "What's to stop me from killing you in your sleep?"

Naomi shifted and sighed in exasperation. "Because, Hiei, I don't think even you would attack a so-called enemy while they were completely defenseless. I think you'd rather have a real fight, especially with a miko."

Well, that was a bit…shocking. Hiei was taken aback just a tad, but not enough to be noticeable. "Why would you want to help us? Demons are not exactly on your best terms list as a miko."

Naomi shook her head. "To be honest, that doesn't matter to me." Hiei looked at her, an odd look on his face. She continued thought. "For some reason, I feel as though I can trust your friend. A weird feeling inside me. I don't know why either. You, on the other hand, I feel I should be cautious of, but in due time, I hope to gain your trust. I won't rush it and demand respect, but I will help you all I can. Natas must be stopped. He is a horrid demon."

"But you serve him."

"He has no right over me!" Anger seeped out of the miko which surprised him. "He is a cruel man, using people to his advantage. If you look down at the village at night, you will notice one woman, a different one each night leave their so called homes and walk deep into the forest. They go to his castle where he takes advantage of them, rapes them, then sends them home. He does this to all of the women as young as fourteen. It is sick and wrong."

Hiei could definitely see the anger rising from her. He just had to ask the question that was in his mind. "Has he done this to you as well?"

A small smirk played on her face. "He's tried. He had me on his bed, about to ripe my clothes off when I sent out some of my miko energy, blasting him across the room. He cursed at me and sent me away, saying one day he would have his way with me. I tried to protect the girls here, but no matter what I do, he finds some way to stop whatever I try."

"Keh, why haven't you finished him off then if you despise him so?"

"Because, you idiot, I can't!" Exasperated, she held out her left arm, a gold arm band encircling her wrist. There was some sort of writing on it that Hiei didn't recognize.

"And what is that? I'm not exactly interested in jewelry."

"Do you ever think before you speak?" Noticing him reaching for his katana, Naomi shot him a glare that said try-it-and-you'll-see-some-serious-miko-power. For some reason, Hiei sighed and just waited for her to continue. "This arm band is what keeps all of us under control. Everyone in the village wears one either on their wrist or on their ankle. This way, he can call any of us whenever he chooses. So, whenever I try to destroy him, this armband lights up and cripples me, making me unable to do anything. He could advance at this time, but this weird red glow surrounds me and shoots him back, as if a barrier is around me, protecting me. I don't know why it's there. I know for a fact I did not create it." Naomi shook her head and lowered her arm. "I should just be thankful it arrives just in time." She looked up at the demon before her. "So, any other questions, or would you rather wait until tomorrow? Oh, and I am serious about the sash. Natas has spies working for him to steal other's moves so he has no problem defeating them."

Hiei didn't say anything, but turned and moved to leave the room. "Expect more questions, miko."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you, Hiei. Until tomorrow, good night."

With that, the miko curled up and fell asleep as Hiei left the room and headed towards his futon. While on it, his thoughts went all over the place. 'Should we trust what she says? It might be a trick.' But in the back of his mind, something told Hiei she was indeed trustworthy.

Sighing, Hiei allowed sleep to overtake him.

~*~Finally the end! A damn long chapter. Anywho, thoughts/reviews/notes are wonderful little things.~*~