Welp, here's another lovely chapter for you all.

Disclaimer: The characters within this story are not mine (excluding Sorako, Ayashige). I just play around with them in my spare time. Don't sue. College student= broke= get very little.

Chapter 4



Cold.

The iciness of the Makai night pulled at her clothes, sinking into her skin as she made her way to the door. The wind howled, singing its mournful song throughout her darkened home. Long white hair fanned out behind her.

What is this door doing open? I'm sure I closed it a moment ago, She thought, pushing the heavy door closed. The sensation of a sticky liquid on her fingertips gave her pause, her head down-turned and she examined it. Is this...?

A loud crash from behind drew her attention, and in turning came face to face with a very tall, very imposing kitsune demon. He was covered in blood. The same blood that covered her door and, now, her fingers.

She couldn't tell if it was his or another's.

Taking a step back, her eyes roved over his lithe body, analyzing every nick and scratch covering his too pale flesh.

Really, he was in bad shape, and she couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to get through her barrier, without her noticing, or even enter her home. It looked as though only sheer willpower was keeping him upright. He's so pale. . . I can feel him weakening, but even with it masked his power is still so immense.

Yet, she did not back away.

On the contrary, she moved toward him, her soft hands moving deftly over each injury, easing every ache in his tired body. His tense shoulders relaxed, the stolen object in his grasp clattering to the floor.

A moment later, he followed.

Breaking through the barrier had been difficult, even for one of his skill level. His injuries and the pursuit of the demon guards were far too great a stress, and he had barely made it through.

Breath coming in heaving pants, he dragged his tired body through the hidden woods, searching for somewhere -anywhere- that he could rest and regain his energy. He was far too weak. Even the menial task of masking his energy was tiresome. His strength was leaving him as fast as the blood oozing out his wounds. Wounds that his demon healing refused to mend.

You're pushing yourself too hard, Kurama. If you aren't careful, it could be the end of you, the voice of his friend and fellow thief, Kuronue, echoed in his mind.

At the time, he had been rather insulted, but now . . . maybe the winged demon was right. He'd never felt this tired before, never had this many injuries. At least I can't be attacked while I rest.

Stumbling along, his treasure still in hand, he was rather surprised to find a small temple-like structure in a small clearing. What the . . ?

He moved closer but was far too tired to even think of searching for another being's energy signals. He was just too drained, had lost too much blood. Silently and for the first time, he wondered if his death were upon him.

Bursting through the door of the structure and smearing blood all the way, he began looking for a place to rest out-of-sight. His hunt was interrupted, however, when his dismally weak senses picked up the energy of another, and he used the darkness to conceal himself. If I sneak up on him, perhaps I can overpower him, He thought waiting for the other being to appear.

He was not prepared for the sight that greeted him. A woman with hair as white as snow and with an aura just as pure entered, pushing the door to. He was so wrapped up in her lovely visage, he failed to notice the large bowl seated near his feet. That is, until he tripped over it.

The enchanting creature's head whipped around, and in a moment, she located him by aura alone and stared into his unyielding golden orbs. He stumbled uneasily from the shadows, his golden eyes tracing over every inch of her.

As he watched her, he noticed she did not cower in fear or even shutter in his presence. No, she met him head on, valiantly. Her imminent death seemed not to bother her, or even frighten her. He was surprised. Deep in the recesses of her startling eyes, he found hope, trust, purity. The woman before him, whose home he had invaded and dirtied, was unlike any he had ever laid eyes on.

His icy gaze followed her as she tentatively stepped toward him, her eyes shifting from his face to the deep lacerations dotting his chest and arms. Feather soft caresses trailed across his flesh as she gauged the severity of his wounds, seemingly unperturbed that he was a criminal, and perhaps quite a threat to her health. Every caress was like a soothing balm, wrapping and encasing him in her perfect aura. His breath steadied slightly, the tension melted away.

The selflessness she showed astonished him. No one had ever cared for Youko Kurama, never in such a way. He wondered idly if she even knew who he was.

Vaguely, he heard his stolen bauble clatter to the floor, then all was darkness . . . .

Sorako shot straight up, her entire body drenched in sweat. Her breath escaped from her lips in great heaving pants, her heart fluttered at the memory of the strange dream.

Yo- Youko . . . Kurama? Her mind drifted to the strange being in her dream. An impressive example of a demon, for she knew that was all he could be, and a thief. Yet, one thing she did not understand was why that strange woman treated him so kindly. Did she not know demon males were dangerous? Why wasn't she afraid? Who was she anyway?

Trying to calm herself, she threw the covers from her overheated body, draping her feet to the cold floor. I . . . that's the second one since I left. I don't understand . . . why am I dreaming of a woman I've never seen? Could it be . . . ? She shook the thought from her mind, knowing that any hope of recovering her lost memories was foolish.

Feet padding toward the kitchen, she was surprised to find she was not alone. Kurama, the man sworn to protect her, was sitting on one of the dining chairs nursing a cup of tea.

Sensing her presence, the fox looked up and greeted her with a smile. "Sorako." He greeted, his voice barely a whisper.

"Uh, hello, Kurama." She murmured uneasily, sitting down near him while still keeping a good distance between them.

While she had been under his care for scarcely a week, she still couldn't bring herself to trust him and never allowed him to touch her. While it saddened Kurama, he could understand. Her past history with the male sex had been nothing if not a nightmare. At least Hiei hasn't come near her since.

An awkward silence followed her greeting, neither really sure what to say. After several minutes, it was broken by the fox. "Having trouble sleeping?" He sat down his cup of now cool tea, focusing his attention of the girl.

"I, uh . . . well, yeah." She murmured, shifting in her chair nervously. The way those emerald orbs watched her with such unending calm unnerved her completely. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, that gaze reminded her of another. Golden . . . eyes, the thought echoed in her mind, but it went unheeded.

"Oh, I see." Kurama said, turning toward the window beside him. "The stars are beautiful, wouldn't you agree?"

Following his gaze, she could do nothing but agree. The stars were indeed beautiful but . . . "They're so cold."

Bewildered eyes landed on her, silently questioning. "What do you mean?"

Her eyes, which had held this far off kind of look, suddenly snapped back, meeting his. He still wasn't used to the way she looked at him. Her eyes were too steady, her gaze too deep. He always felt she could see to his soul, and somehow found him lacking.

"Oh, nothing at all. Just . . . it's been so long since I've seen . . . ." She trailed off, standing suddenly. "I think . . . I'll be going now. Goodnight, Kurama." His eyes followed her until she disappeared from sight.

Something strange about that one, He thought absently. Standing and placing his cup in the sink, he started for bed. Perhaps sleep would not elude him this time around. Perhaps the dreams would no longer torture him, yet somehow he doubted he would be so fortunate.

"Fox." A deep voice rang out behind him. Then, everything went dark.

"She did that?" Koenma asked, eyeing Botan warily. The recount of the human girl's first meeting with part of the Team was very disheartening. Having to gain her trust wasn't something he'd thought about.

"Yes, Koenma-sir. She nearly climbed up the wall to get away from them." Botan exclaimed, arms waving around in grand fashion as she recounted the episode. Settling down, a thoughtful look crossed her face. "Though, she only seemed extremely agitated around Hiei. And Kurama mentioned that she called him Ayashige before I arrived." She stated, mind wandering into thought.

At the mention of the demon's name, Koenma's eyes darted up to the deity's face. "Did you say Ayashige?" A tone of urgency crept into his voice that startled Botan.

"Ah, uh, yes. That was the demon that held her captive." Botan said. Troubled by the look of utter concentration on her boss' face, she questioned him.

"This is troubling." Koenma murmured, sucking absently on his pacifier. "There's no telling what kind of spell that demon lord put on her."

"D-did you say lord?" Botan sputtered, eyes wide. She knew just how ruthless demon lords could be, and . . . Oh goodness. That poor girl!

Koenma shuffled some papers around on his desk, deliberately avoiding his work. Besides, he had an excuse. The girl had been in the lair of that pesky demon he'd sent Yusuke and Kuwabara to spy on only days before. Just as he'd thought, she would be quite the asset to the mission. Indeed, quite the asset.

"Yes, Ayashige is a demon lord. The same one I sent Kurama after to begin with. Surely, you didn't forget that so easily, Botan." He said, eyeing her with a professional aloofness he usually didn't possess.

Rubbing the back of her head nervously, Botan tried to cover the fact she actually had forgotten. "Ah, oh of course not, Sir! You know I wouldn't forget!" She replied with false cheer. Demeanor changing to one of seriousness, she spoke of the girl again. "She only told me a little about her time with that demon, but it was truly horrible, Sir. I honestly don't see how she survived, and something about her just doesn't quite add up. I think-"

She was cut off by the Spirit Detective himself as he walked in. "Who in the world are you babbling on about, Botan? Trying to get the Toddler a date?" He chuckled, stopping directly in front of the aforementioned Spirit- ruler's desk. As usual, a smirk was blazing across his face.

"Yusuke! It isn't polite to just barge in like that! Honestly!" Botan howled, arms once again flailing.

"Well, it's not like you were talking about anything important. Koenma can get a date by himself." He lazily replied, rubbing the ear closest to the deity. Really, her voice could get quite high.

A scream of frustration followed by the screeching of the detective's name was heard as Death stormed out in a huff. "I'm going to Kurama's to check on Sorako." She called out to Koenma before disappearing.

"Who the hell is Sorako?" Yusuke asked, puzzled.

Koenma didn't even bother to look up. "She's Kurama's new mission."

"What?!" Yusuke exclaimed, bolting forward until he was in the Child- ruler's face. "Some girl was more important than that damned mission you sent us on?!"

"Yes! And besides, Kurama can handle women far better than any of you. Clearly he was the best choice." Koenma stated, pushing his detective back with a pudgy hand.

Huffing, Yusuke dropped on his haunches, arms crossed. "I coulda handled some stupid girl."

Koenma chuckled, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Really, can you? I seem to recall the only female relationship you have is with Keiko, and we all know how the two of you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He exclaimed, barely holding himself back from grabbing the toddler.

The conversation was interrupted however, when Botan came screaming in on her oar at full speed clinging precariously to an unconscious Kurama. "Sorako's been kidnaped!"

Alrighty, that's all for now. I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be out next weekend. It would be eariler, but sadly, I'm working Monday-Thursday this week.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it.
Now, do review.

Ah, finally remembered to thank my reviewers!

Kaija Katake: Ah, don't be jealous. Really, most of the stuff I write isn't worth much. Heh, I have a lot of ideas and this is only so good cause I've spent over half a year on just the plot. Oh, and a summer job isn't all it's cracked up to be! But I'm still glad you like my story.

Corkycomp: Oh, I'm glad I got you hooked so easily. But really, there are a lot of good stories out there that you're missing if you don't read stories that only have a few chapters. And I'm eternally glad my OCs aren't looking like Mary Sues. It was something I was worried about, but I know Volpone would let me know if they started going that way. I don't think I could stand it if they were. There will definitely be more of Ayashige in the near future!

Fireneko: Don't worry. I definitely plan to!