Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up and this fic. I don't want to own YYH because I couldn't possibly come up with such a brilliant story line. Flames R accepted, as long as you tell me the reason for the flame.
Chapter Two: Youko's Room
Youko paled at the suggestions. "No. We aren't going to kill her and we aren't going to send her back. She managed to get far enough into our territory without the guard's knowledge." He cast an insinuating look at Maki who cowered under the golden glare. "If we allow her to return, she's only going to report her findings to her race. We cannot have our territory be infiltrated by human scum."
Botan glared at the handsome fox prince. "You're going to have this place surrounded by the end of this day. Do you think my people are going to let you take me hostage?"
"Who says we're holding you hostage?" Ryu drawled silkily. "We won't give you that leisure."
"Leisure?" the deity asked in confusion.
"Yes. Our hostages are questioned."
"I won't say anything! I don't care what you do to me, you can't make me talk."
"Our truth serum will prove otherwise. After we manage to extract our questions from you, we allow the serum's side effects to kick in." His handsome face darkened as he flashed his sharp canines in a smile. "That specific side effect is slow and painful death."
Botan winced. Youko, however, sighed in frustration. Ryu wasn't about to mention that the truth serum was given to only males. Since their customs didn't allow them to purposely harm females, they weren't allowed to hurt them. Whenever the kitsune received a female hostage, they only starved to death.
"That's enough argument for today," Youko began. He saw Maki's mouth open. "Maki, your punishment will be received later this evening."
"P-punishment!" Maki sputtered. "Why am I getting punished!"
The fox demon's temper finally got the best of him. He could never match the stoic reserve his father had. "You are being punished because you let your guard down the minute you heard the humans retreated! You knew my father was injured. Don't you think the humans would have taken this opportunity to strike us when our backs were turned?" A growl rumbled deep in his throat. "We're lucky that they didn't! We're lucky that only a worthless female got past you. If the humans had attacked, we would all die for sure."
"But they didn't!" Maki continued to argue. "Only she got in!"
"Yes, only she got in. If she had been a fighter, we would have a large part of our elite fighters destroyed since our guard was down. Precaution is necessary!"
During this argument between the two fox demons, Ryu had been keeping his steady sapphire gaze on Botan. With a scrutinizing gaze, he immediately summed up the way she looked. She was, as Youko had thought, beautiful. And her attitude…it was charming. A girl with such a face was usually bred to be a delicate—a doll that was meant to be looked at and to serve the man she would be tied to.
When Botan looked up to meet his gaze, the dragon apparition smiled one of his most charming smiles. Botan flushed and looked down at the stone floor. She fiddled with the cloak, trying her best not to feel flattered by the smile.
"End of discussion. You are to return to your quarters and contemplate on how to boost our defenses. You an also think of this while you aid in cremating the bodies of the dead," Youko said. He glared at Maki, a glare that ensured that his orders would be obeyed.
Maki stomped out of the room, fighting the urge to push his point further.
The fox prince turned to face Botan. "You will stay in my quarter until your people come get you…or we decide what to do with you." He caught the look Ryu shot him—a raised eyebrow and half-lidded eyes. Youko rolled his eyes. "Since I don't believe in harming females, I'll give you anything you need." He led Botan into his room. Ryu followed.
"Here. Where do you prefer to sleep?"
Botan soon found that Youko's 'quarters' was nothing but a large cave. At the mouth of the cave hung a thick curtain that could be pushed aside. She blinked in awe at the insides of the cave. In one corner was a cot. Silk covers were folded at the foot on top of an oak chest located at the foot of the bed. In the middle of the cave was something that looked like a large hole, roughly the size a sink. Close to the wall was a large assortment of satin pillows and silky covers. Cubbies were carved into the sides of the wall and was filled with things like folded clothes, vases of flowers and trinket boxes. Attached to the walls were varied tapestries, woven with rare and obviously expensive fibers.
"How pretty," she murmured. "I never thought the inside of a cave could look like this! And…"
Youko nodded, accepting the compliments. "And what?" he asked curiously.
"I didn't know you demons could be so…so civilized…" She met the golden gaze, unable to explain herself further. "I didn't expect for you to live in something like this. I half expected the cave but the things inside…"
Youko nodded, getting the idea of what she meant. He glanced over at Ryu to see if he had understood as well. Ryu wore a dubious expression on his face. Obviously, the whole idea of the fox prince allowing the human girl to stay in his sleeping quarters wasn't making the dragon spirit comfortable. He scowled at his friend, attempting to tell him without words that staying with the enemy wasn't the best thing to do.
The fox prince, however, ignored it and put a hand on Botan's shoulder. "I know what you mean. Your kind see my kind as filthy animals therefore you assumed that we lived as such." He forced a smile. "If you continue to assume things, then I doubt you'll survive here long. You'll soon find that patience isn't my best virtue." He pushed the girl into the cave.
Ryu moved to follow his friend to make sure nothing bad would happen, but a quick glance from the fox made the dragon back away. With a small bow he pushed the heavy curtain at the entrance back into place.
Youko suddenly realized how awkward he felt. He was alone in his room with this strange but very beautiful human girl. Anybody in his situation would easily take advantage of this situation. He mentally pushed this thought away. He could easily take advantage of Botan, but she was a human. She was the enemy of his people. Her people had helped kill his father. With that thought in mind, anger quickly replaced his awkwardness.
Botan wasn't aware of the different emotions she was creating in the fox demon. All she knew was that she was afraid. She had never wanted the comfort of her own room more than she did now. She was afraid of being this close to the kitsune. Youko scared her the most. 'He's gorgeous…but he's so serious that it's scary! That Ryu person was kind of scary but the way this demon acts…' She shivered. All of a sudden she felt tired. The adrenaline of actually getting into this territory had eased away, leaving her sleepy. She forced herself to fight the sleep. She wasn't about to fall asleep right here in Youko's room! She had heard stories about girls who got stranded in the woods and ran into a kitsune's territory.
"I suppose you need something to wear…" Youko mused. He moved to one of the many cubbies and sifted through piles of silk outfits. "Am I right in assuming that you humans have different clothes you sleep in?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.
Botan blinked and nodded.
The fox nodded and went once again to the pile of clothes. He frowned in deep thought. All his things were too big for such a slim creature and he knew that none of the females would be willing to give up something of theirs for a human, even if he was the one who asked them for it. "I don't think I'll have anything that will fit you adequately," he said to Botan. "Is it absolutely nessessary to sleep in clothes?"
The golden eyes almost bore a hole into Botan. She flushed. "Yes. Unless you want me to wear this and get your things dirty." She gestured to her mud she had acquired while moving through the woods.
"I suppose not." He chewed thoughtfully on his lip and yanked a tunic out from the bottom of one pile. He tossed it to her. "Wear this." Without a further word, he began to undress, his back facing Botan.
She flushed and looked away. She wasn't sure what to do. It would be shameful to undress in front of a person she didn't know—especially a demon! But then again, if she went somewhere else to change, all the other kitsune might attack her. She clutched the tunic, unable to decide what to do. She peeked at Youko. The sight of his bare skin made her flush a deeper color. 'Maybe his people aren't as shy about their bodies,' she decided. She knew that the kitsune were physically perfect. It made sense. Since all the kitsune had perfect bodies, why would they be ashamed of themselves? 'I'd better hurry and get this over with,' she thought quickly.
She glanced nervously at Youko, making sure that his back was still turned and began to hike her dirty and torn dress over her head.
"Oh," Youko said suddenly. "If you want some privacy to change then—" He turned to speak to her but his words stopped in his throat. Botan stood with her dress halfway off. He gaped for a second. "I-I thought you humans were self-conscious," he sputtered. He was vaguely aware of his warm cheeks.
Botan squeaked in surprise. She yanked the dress back down. "Y-you perv!" she managed to utter. "Why can't you just keep your back turned!"
"I was going to offer you some privacy. You only had to wait for me to get ready and I would have gladly allowed you to change in privacy," he snapped. "I didn't order you to get naked before me did I?"
"N-no…"
"You did this of your own accord. And, you could have asked to change in private."
"Then why did you just drop your clothes?" she demanded, not willing to give up in this argument.
"Because, I don't have any reason to be ashamed of myself before a human. I am in my prime. As a demon, my physical status is superior to that of a human." He offered her a sly grin. "I'm sure you agree with me on this. Isn't my body attractive?"
Unconsciously, Botan's amethyst eyes roamed down the kitsune's half-dressed form. He stood in only the flowing silk pants. He had taken off his sleeveless tunic, exposing his bare chest. As he had said, his body was attractive. He was lithe, his movements graceful. It was hypnotic just to watch him move! His kitsune tail swished as he walked a little towards her. His silver ears twitched in amusement as the owner of those silver ears gave the girl one of his most seductive looks. His silver hair fell easily onto his shoulders. "Well?" he demanded lightly.
She nodded slowly. She couldn't have lied if she wanted to.
Youko glanced away, his hypnotic hold on Botan released. "Continue to change if you wish. If you want for me to leave then I will." He gazed at her again to wait for her answer.
She was unable to say anything. The shock of his body was still very real. Instead of thinking of a good answer, the urge to stroke those pointy ears overpowered any and all common sense. She opened her mouth. "I want to—" She closed her mouth abruptly with wide eyes. She had almost told him that she wanted to touch those ears! "I want you to go away," she said quickly.
Youko felt a vague pang of rejection at this, but ignored it. "Very well." He walked up to her. Botan shivered. She didn't know if it was from fear or longing. He stared right into her eyes. "Don't be ashamed of your form. I find it rather…appealing…" He purposely skimmed his eyes down her body and walked away, leaving her breathless.
Ryu snapped to attention the minute Youko stepped out. "That was fast," he joked. "I wasn't aware that you could fuck a human girl in under five minutes. I always thought you liked to play with a girl first."
The fox demon laughed. "I didn't do a thing to her. You know how I am." His smile faded. "I don't want to have a female fall willingly into my hands. It isn't any fun. I want to own her mind as well as her body...and it has to be a challenge to obtain. If there's a girl out there who can resist me...even if only her mind resists, then she's worthy of my approval. And perhaps even worthy of owning me."
Ryu's sapphire eyes widened and blinked. "So when you find a girl that matches this, you'll willingly give yourself to her?"
Youko nodded. "Yes. Whenever I find a girl that fits that description, I'll be sure to make her my lifelong mate."
"What if she happens to be a human? Say…Botan?"
The fox snickered. "Feh. A human? Worthy of me? You're always full of laughs aren't you my friend?" He clapped a hand on the dragon's shoulder.
"If you aren't going to fuck her, why keep her in your quarter?"
"She's more attractive than the other humans. She'll be taken advantage of…or she'll be killed. I can't have either one of that. She'll be safest in my care."
It was Ryu's turn to snicker. "Sure. Lets see what you say tomorrow morning." He smirked and went to his post.
Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I guess I'll be continuing this then! Here's the people who reviewed last chapter!
Spoonerific: My very very first reviewer! Nice to hear from ya! ::Blush:: thanks so much! You say I kept everyone in character? That's good to know! And I'm glad my new characters aren't Gary-Stue's! I hate those!
Thundercat: Here's another chapter! Hope you enjoy this too!
miyako14: Thankee! Here's another chapter so don't you worry!
Lady of Roses: Yes, it is sad that Youko's daddy died…and it's good Botan came because we get to have a nice fluffy story, right?
animegirl007: Well here's more to read so I hope you enjoy this chappie too!
Mourning Fox: Really? You don't mind if I update? Yay! Here's another chappie then!
Keirin-Sama: Yes! I'm trying to kill you! Just joking! I hate cliffies too. I just wasn't sure how the end the last chapter so I put a cliff hanger. I didn't die though, and I don't think you did. So it's ok, right?
What a scene: You think it's good already? ::blush:: Aw…you're too kind. Thanks a lot!
KuramaandHiei4ever: Yep, I right a lot of stuff and once. I'm surprised I'm actually keeping most of them up! The ones I hadn't updated in a long time will probably be discontinued. I got a writers block on Secrets Behind Emerald Eyes, but it's not like that many people will miss it. Yes, the cliffie was too early, but I updated so don't worry! Ryu's up to no good you say? Maybe…maybe not. Just have to wait and see!
Kitsune Kit: Glad you love it! I'm here to please!
Tyedye/Rin: You command me to update? Well I guess I had to then! Lol. Ohh! A gold medal? Really? ::snatches it:: Ohh! Shiney! ::bites it:: Hey! It's fake! ::growls:: Just joking! Hope you enjoy this chappie!
DarkShadowWriter: Nope, Couldn't leave it like that. So here's the next chappie!
Prettynutter: Good start you say? Thanks!