Author's Note: Alright…this chapter is delayed again, as usual. And this chapter mostly came from Julie Garwood's book (because the fic itself is patterned in her books) and Christina Dodd. I only used some of their lines in conversation but I do not own them at all.

Thanks for those who reviewed!!!

DISCLAIMERS APPLIED!!!

Tifftiff, Dark Pixie, Princess Sapphire, Ex-W, grand master ffx, dunken, Luna Stargazer, Mizustarangel, LitaMinamino, Kio, Penny: Angel of Darkest Dreams, mail strom, Sailor Dark, En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha, Kohaku Hoshi, eunc, kuratata, sess9, I won't tell, Aryanne, shikonstardemon, BlackBelt, k, Lady Nightshade, AnimePuppy, FallenStardust, ElementalMoon, Temptress Nagisa, K+B Fan, Hiei/Botan Child, Sparkle3

CHAPTER 11: I NEED YOU TONIGHT

Botan was trying hard not to be afraid but failing miserably. She was sitting in front of the fire she'd manage to start a few hours ago.

Of course, it isn't something new for her to be alone in the woods. She'd done it before – for countless of nights, even, while she was on her way to the Raizen's estate.

However, back then, she wasn't aware of the danger that awaits her until those three youkai appeared and tried harassing her. Of course, nothing could be taken from her anymore as she was already a mated woman, but still, the idea of being violated and touched intimately by someone other than her husband didn't sit well with her.

The thought made her sad. She missed her husband even if they've only been together for one whole day and night. Yes, it seems peculiar to miss someone you don't know very well, but her husband had given her something she didn't know she's missing until he gave it to her – protection.

Protection not only in the physical sense but in all ways possible. He protected her from those scum, from poverty, and from the greedy Raizens.

And now is the time for her to return the favor. She should have known better than to think she'll be able to live happily in her new life. But she could not bear to see her husband's estate be in tatters because of her selfishness.

Her husband is right, she attracts trouble, she thought sadly as she toyed with the thick branch she was holding for quite some time.

Then her stomach rumbled that she had to sigh. She was hungry. And who wouldn't? She only ate five pieces of biscuits since this morning. And though she still had a good amount of food inside her bag, she didn't want to eat anything because she might need it for the long journey ahead.

She was not yet through deciding whether or not she would eat another biscuit when Kurama suddenly flopped down beside her.

She didn't saw him coming that she screamed and almost hit him with the branch she's holding hadn't he grabbed it quickly away from her.

"Kurama!" she breathed. "You scared the hell out of me," she lectured and frowned at him.

When he didn't answer, she continued. "I didn't hear you coming."

To her surprise, Kurama glared at her. "I'm a thief, wife. I'm trained to move quietly. Damn if you heard me coming."

"What are you doing with the branch, anyway?" he asked as he tossed it in the fire for it to give more heat and looked around making sure they were alone. He wouldn't let any intruder stop him from lecturing his obtuse wife.

"I'm going to use it against the intruders," she answered simply.

He didn't laugh at her. The idea seemed ridiculous if someone other than his wife told him that. But for Kami's sake, this is his wife he's talking about. Being alone in the forest in the middle of the night with only a branch to defend herself isn't funny. It is frightening.

"You only got a branch to defend yourself?" he roared. "Don't you have a lick of sense in you?"

Lord, but he was furious. He was still shaking in rage and was trying to calm down and reminded that nothing had happened to her and that he got her just in time.

"I –" well, she was at a loss for word. So much for a nice reunion, huh? She thought sarcastically to herself.

Just when she was missing her husband and thinking of nice things about him, he suddenly appeared, shouted and glared at her. Such a prince charming.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I –" she said then stopped. She could not tell her husband she would go to Raizen's estate so that no war should have to erupt, right? She asked the same question to him, instead.

"I came to get you," he snapped. Lord, but his wife is rather foolish.

Her eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

He scowled at her this time. "Start explaining now, wife, before I decide that throttling you would do some good to this world and to my peace of mind."

"You told me once that I was a walking disaster and that I attract trouble. You were right, you shouldn't have married me."

"What kind of explanation is that?" he asked, exasperated. "Do me a favor and try to talk with some sense, alright?"

"Raizen's troops came and warned Kuronue that they'll declare war if he won't hand me over to them," she blurted out, upset that her husband had to remind her of that incident.

He didn't say anything but nodded to ask her to continue.

"So I will just go willingly to them to avoid the war," she said and nodded to prove that she really is serious. "You can't make me go home, Kurama. You protected me once and it's time I do the same to you. I won't let your estate be destroyed because of the war."

"Are you insulting the capabilities of my estate? If there is an estate that would be destroyed if ever the war commence, it would be the Raizen's estate and not ours," he said and frowned at her.

"I'm not insulting the estate, husband," she said hastily, "its just that, I don't want the peace to be disrupted by war. So I'm offering myself willingly."

Her answer infuriated him; however, he did not let it show because he wanted his wife to see the flaw in her plan. "Do you think they will accept you considering I had you first? By going to them, you will only prove that you are really theirs and since I'm your husband first, they would have a whole new reason to declare war – revenge."

Her spine stiffened. She did not think of that but she didn't want her husband to know that she overlooked that fact. "I will tell them that our marriage didn't really happen. It was all a lie," she stated smugly.

Kurama looked at her as if she'd gone crazy, then turned to look at the fire. Damn, but her answer made him want to shake some sense on her. Tell their marriage was a lie? He scoffed at the idea. He would not let her lie as to whom she really belongs.

So he counted to ten and breathed calmly before opening his mouth. "Don't you think you'll have a hard time proving that considering that your virginal barrier is gone?" he asked in a tone of mild exasperation.

She blushed and turned away from him so she wouldn't have to see his mischievous eyes. "Must you say it so bluntly?" she asked softly and blushed harder.

He looked at her, incredulous. "You're a thief's wife. Things like that don't have to be fussed about. You shouldn't be a prude," he said, enjoying every second of her lecture on her.

"Can we please talk about something else?" Botan asked, obviously distressed about the conversation.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" he asked cheerfully, accommodating her because she'd already forgotten her plan of going to Raizen's. He reached for her bag, and not looking away from her, his hand searched for something she could eat. Her stomach had been complaining since he found her but she seemed oblivious to her own hunger. He found some cooked meat and handed it to her. She quickly took it and took a bite.

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"The weather," she said, mentioning the first thing that comes to her mind.

"You want to talk about the weather in the middle of the night?" he asked incredulously.

Good lord, he didn't know why, but his weirdest conversations always happen when he was talking to his wife.

"I know you're angry with me," Botan said and tears stung her eyes as she eat her meat.

"Damn right, I am," he snapped, "you did a very foolish thing.  How the hell am I supposed to protect you when you kept being stupid?"

"Well, don't worry about my stupidity!" she snapped back at him. "When I reached the Raizens, you won't need to protect me and therefore don't have to worry about me doing something stupid."

"I forgot to tell you something, sweetheart," he said calmly, but his eyes had this glint that told her she's not going to like what he'll say.

"What is it?"

"If you stick to that plan of going to Raizen's, I will return to our home and declare war against them for threatening and taking my wife," he said.

Botan gasped. "You can't be serious," she said, horrified at the idea. Oh dear, it's going to be more trouble.

"Of course, I'm serious. I'm a thief and possessive. What's mine stays mine; what's theirs I can steal and claim as mine," he said nonchalantly.

"Please don't rub it in my face that you're a thief. You know I hate that fact," she said, mentally admitting the truth that she just have to return to her home and pray that the situation will turn for the best of them all.

"Why not? It's true."

"Could we please change the subject?" she asked, exasperated at her husband again.

"Sure. Do you want to talk about the weather again?" he asked and grinned at her.

The look she gave him told him not to push it anymore.

*-*

Kuronue sensed her ki when he was already a hundred meters away from her. He smirked when he noticed that her ki is not alone, but accompanied by five more, and when they spotted them, one of his soldier speak up.

"The Raizens fear that we would intercept again so they provided her some guards," Takeri said.

"Too bad they only spared five guards, huh? And from their ki, they're not really strong," Siluda said and smirked.

However, Kuronue wasn't worried about the guards, more on the woman. She looked so much like her sister, only shorter, and even if they were in great distance from her, Kuronue could easily tell that something was wrong because she looked a little pale.

He immediately blamed her condition on her guards. "They're frightening her. We don't want that to happen. Take care of her guards and let me handle the woman."

The two soldiers nodded and quietly moved behind the guards and killed them easily. It was a good thing the woman stayed in front of the guards and therefore didn't have to witness the killing.

*-*

Yukina was sick to her stomach. And she was blaming all of it on the apples. She should have followed the guard's advice that eating something sour when you're extremely hungry would make your stomach queasy.

But she was so hungry and thought she could eat anything. She had finished her second apple when her stomach complained and she began to feel nauseated. Only then did she remembered that her mom would always made them drink a cup of hot water before eating, when they were very hungry, to calm their stomachs.

She didn't think she could make it without throwing up so she turned around to ask her guards if they could stop for an hour for her to calm her stomach or throw up its contents.

But she did not find any of her guards behind her. Instead, she found two, big handsome men. "Where are my guards?" she managed to choke out. Being handsome didn't make them good men, right?

"Don't worry about them, milady. They won't bother you anymore," the taller of the two said, and smiled at her.

She didn't smile back, "why are you doing this?"

"Our lord wants it done, ma'am," the other said and nodded at someone behind her to let Yukina realize that the lord they're talking about is behind her.

Then, nausea came to her again and she had to fight it before she threw up in front of the two men.

"Your lord is behind me, am I right?" she asked, a little pale because of the sickness she's feeling.

The two men are oblivious to this and only nodded at her. "Hai, he is, milady."

She slowly turned around and found the most handsome man she'd ever seen. Black eyes and black hair, he had this aura of darkness around him. He was tall and lean but he had muscular arms. Who, in heaven's name, was he?

"Milady, Kuronue from Kurama's estate," he bowed to her. "Your sister, Botan, sent me to fetch you."

He repeated her introduction. But she didn't know if she nodded to acknowledge him. God's truth, she could feel the bile at the back of her throat. She took long gulps of air and tried to calm herself.

"Do not be afraid of me, milady. I assure you, I'm not going to harm you," Kuronue said and almost frowned at her.

He couldn't imagine what had come over her. He knew he could be intimidating sometimes, but that's only when he's trying to be intimidating. Her reaction went beyond intimidated; she stared at him as though he grew another head and was about to eat her alive. And he was trying to be friendly!

He knew he couldn't be that godawful-looking, was he? He has had a fair share of women in his bed, right?

With an effort, he held onto his patience. He asked her if she was alright and tried to calm her. He really should do that since she's his mistress's sister, even if his ego is taking one hell of a beating.

She turned her eyes at him again, wide with panic. "I'm –" she choked out.

He wanted to whack her on the back or rub her shoulders to help but he stopped himself on time. If he touched her, she probably would faint or start screaming.

So, he just urged her to continue. "Yes?"

Yukina didn't have the strength to continue. Her throat felt as dry as a parchment paper and she could taste the bile now. She knew she was going to be ill any moment now and she tried taking long gulps of air.

"Milady, are you alright?" Kuronue asked again and was surprised when she grabbed his hand.

Her bizarre behavior made sense to him seconds later, but it was already too late.

"I'm going to be sick."

And she was. All over his favorite pair of boots.

*-*

"In two days, we're going to reach the estate, that is, if we kept the fast pace. Knowing you, you would smell all the flowers along the way," Kurama said softly and let out a chuckle.

She nodded while yawning and her head dropped down on his shoulder. She was so exhausted; she didn't know what she was doing anymore.

The past few nights had been very tiring for her. She couldn't sleep well and she didn't eat much that she could feel her body losing its strength.

Truth be told, this is the first night since she ran away that she will sleep with a full stomach; and only because Kurama had almost emptied the contents of her bag and shoved it in her mouth.

He told her he could easily catch a game tomorrow should they get hungry. He also told her she should keep her strength up because he wanted to reach home quickly.

They had a two-hour discussion before that and in the end, Botan could only admit defeat and agreed to go home with him and abandon her plan.

Kurama had been really pleased by her decision that he smiled genuinely at her. She almost choked on her cheese because she was so besotted by his smile; warmth crept up inside her body.

"You should go to sleep now, you're exhausted. I've spread a blanket for you already," he said softly as he put his arms around her shoulders and rubbed it gently. He was trying to focus on what he was about to say to her, but she'd cuddled against him, and her soft warm body proved to be a hell of a distraction.

"No," Botan said softly and edged closer to Kurama. She was squeezed tightly against him that if she moved closer still, she would be sitting on his lap.

He sighed and tried to block the impossible thoughts off his mind. He had decided that he would not touch her tonight because she was so exhausted and she needed her rest. But she smelled so good and her skin felt as silky as he remembered.

"Botan, you can't sleep sitting up," he said exasperated, but surprisingly, he liked the idea of her pressed against his side.

He waited for her to answer, instead, she proved him wrong by doing just that – falling asleep sitting up.

She even let out a sigh of her own that almost drove him crazy. So, he lifted her and put her down gently on the blanket.

He shifted so that he could stand up, but before he could do so, she grabbed hold of his hand. "No, please. Sleep with me," she pleaded.

He knew she meant it literally, but still, it didn't stop his heart from falling at the pit of his stomach. He tried to swallow twice as he turned away from her, because Kami knows, if ever he looked at her and saw her lying there beside him, her eyes drowsy, though not with desire but with sleepiness, he won't be able to stop himself from touching her.

"I have to add more woods to the fire," he said, while gritting his teeth in frustration. He had never really lived celibately and his wife is making it difficult for him by being tired and seductive.

"No." she said again and Kurama had to wonder briefly if his wife knew what she was talking about because all she ever said to anything she said was "no." It seems that it was her new favorite word.

"Sweetheart, I have to add more woods or the flames will die and we'll get cold for the night," he explained patiently even as she pulled him to her and he stretched out beside her.

"That's alright. I have you to warm me up," she whispered that he suddenly sat up, beads of perspiration breaking out on his brow.

He looked at her in awe and when she smiled sweetly at him, he groaned in frustration. "Botan, if you want me to keep my hands off you for tonight because you're tired, you should stop talking like that."

"What's wrong with the way I talk?" she asked as she pulled him down again.

"It's not the way you talk," he said and moaned softly because she scooted against him until her back is pressed against his chest and her bottom is cuddling his hardening groin. "You talk about things that made me think about making love to you."

"Really?" she asked as she reached his hand to put it around her waist. "Was it so bad?"

"Just go to sleep," he ordered even as he tightened his hold on her and snuggled closer. He kissed her shoulder and her neck but was interrupted when she tried to turn in his arms.

He stopped her by firmly holding her and whispered in her ear. "Go to sleep and don't move. You're tormenting me."

He could feel her smile. "I want to kiss my husband goodnight," she said softly and because she was tightly pressed against him, she felt his heartbeat accelerated.

"No."

"I didn't give him a kiss when I left and didn't even tell him I was leaving. I wanted to make up for that by kissing him goodnight," she explained and heard Kurama groaned.

"Sweetheart, if you kiss me, I swear I won't be able to stop. It's been too long since I've had you," Kurama said gruffly that her heart fluttered.

When she tried to turn around again, he did not stop her. She was fully aware of the consequences now. "I want you," she whispered to him.

"I want you, too. But we want different things," he said as he looked deeply in her eyes. He reasoned to herself that he was only being considerate because she is his wife and therefore he should respect her.

She shook her head at him. "I want you the same way you want me. It's been so long, Kurama, and I felt alone without you," she said, her face blushing because of shyness and Kurama swore he'd never seen a woman more beautiful than his wife.

"Botan –"

She silenced him when she pressed her lips softly against his. "I need you tonight," she whispered when she inched her lips off his.

"You mean, as husband and wife? Naked in bed?" he asked as he slowly undressed her.

"I don't think I can change my mind now. You've stripped me naked already," she said, her eyes dancing in mischief.

"You are cruel if you tried to stop me now," he said, his eyes shooting a warning at her while he took his clothes off.

She laughed as she put her arms around his neck and rolled to her back with her husband on top. She rubbed against him and when he groaned in frustration, she giggled like a schoolgirl. "Love me tonight," she said as she planted her lips on his.

Author's Note:  I'll leave that chapter for your imagination, alright? I wouldn't dare post another lemon since ff.net is strict with its rules already…

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