The next thing Bekka was aware of was the feel of the bed under her. Frowning, she opened her eyes to see Kurama bending over her. "How long?" she asked groggily.

"A full day," came the reply. Bekka could hear and see that he'd been concerned. "Do you know why?" he asked.

Bekka tried to sit up but was restrained. Sighing, "Oma said it was difficult to learn elements other than the native one." Bekka rubbed her head, "Air is probably the easiest because it's freely moving, like fire, even though fire is grounded and air isn't."

"What does 'grounded' mean?" He thought he knew what the term meant, but it seemed to have a different meaning when she used it.

"Can I sit up, first, please?" Kurama removed his hand from her chest and Bekka pulled herself to sit cross-legged on the bed. "Grounded means that fire has a fixed source, where air doesn't. Freely moving means that air can go anywhere, without restrictions. Fire is slightly restricted since it needs a…ummm…fuel for lack of a better term. Water is more fixed than fire because it has a fixed size, though its shape is free flowing. Earth is fixed, stable, stationary, for the most part. Even when earth does move, which takes a lot of energy, it doesn't move very far."

"Are you going to fall asleep every time you use anything other than fire?" This really wouldn't be good at all.

Bekka frowned a moment. "Probably the first time, maybe a couple of times, since it takes a lot of concentration and energy. Once I get used to them, I should be fine, I think."

"You think?" he echoed, not really liking the sound of that.

"I've never done this before…I don't know." Bekka was at a loss.

In an abrupt mood change, Kurama bounced off the bed. "Get up, we're going out." He walked over to the wall of vines and began looking for something.

"Out?" Bekka echoed as she followed more slowly. She couldn't get anything from his thoughts other than he was pleased with himself and this made her uneasy.

"Yes, Bekka, my dear, out." He withdrew a small wrapped bundle from the closet. "Go, get dressed in that ivory outfit of yours and meet me in the living room." He walked out, his tail swaying in pleasure.

'He's entirely too pleased with himself,' Bekka thought uneasily as she moved to comply. She couldn't read anything from his thoughts that gave her a clue as to what he was planning. 'Damn him learning how to block me from his thoughts!' she huffed, running the brush through her hair. Gusting out a breath, she put her brush down firmly and walked to the living room. Arms akimbo, she demanded, "Why are you so pleased with yourself?"

Kurama looked up from the strip of fabric he'd been fingering, "Because, my dear Bekka, you are going to town with me."

"And that makes you happy?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yes, because you have to wear this," he held up the strip of fabric he'd been fingering. It was a narrow band with elaborate designs running along its length.

"And that is what, exactly?"

Kurama grinned, knowing by her questions that he was learning to block her from his thoughts, "A ward."

"And it does what exactly?" Bekka was beginning to get annoyed.

Though he knew baiting her was probably not the best idea, it was fun. "Generally, wards…"

"Not generally, that one specifically," she interrupted.

Kurama stood up, walked over to her and began wrapping the band around her left arm. "Generally, wards repress yoki, demon's energy, but this is a warning."

Sighing in frustration, Bekka asked, "What kind of warning?"

Kurama cupped her cheek, looking at her seriously, "That you are not to be molested."

Bekka blanched as the meaning behind the words came through his mind. Without it, she would be in danger of being taken forcibly. Kurama's preference for willing partners was not shared by all in the Makai. "How does it work?" she asked.

Kurama smirked at her, "It marks you as my property."

Bekka jerked back, "Your what?"

"Here, in the Makai, ningens are either food or slaves. Which do you prefer?"

Bekka grimaced, not liking either choice. "Fine, what do I have to do?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just behave," he grinned.

She eyed him sharply, "Behave how, exactly?"

Kurama caught her cheek again, "Do as you're told and keep quiet." Releasing her cheek and tapping her on the nose, "You can do that, right?"

Bekka shot him a dirty look before schooling her features into a neutral mask and bowing. "I'll behave, sir." She really didn't like it, but didn't see that she had a choice.

Kurama chuckled, bending over to whisper in her ear, "See that you do, or I'll be forced to punish you." He licked her ear and continued to laugh as she struggled to control the color rising in her cheeks. "Let's go." He turned on his heel and left.

Bekka followed, confused and upset. She was confused about Kurama's ability to block her, why he chose to go to town now, what he was planning. She was upset at having to be his "property" and not being able to tell if he believed it or not. She could still read his emotions, but couldn't get much more from him. She was loosing what little advantage she had and wasn't happy about that.

After a short time, Bekka became aware of more voices in her head. She thought she'd gotten used to having more than her own voice running through her skull, but hearing so many more was disconcerting, to say the least. In an attempt to quiet them, she tried to focus on the now familiar voice of Kurama, but between the others and his blocking her, it was difficult to concentrate. Rubbing her temples, she began to think viciously, 'C'mon, concentrate. You can do this. Focus!' Her steps began to lag as her mind turned inward.

Kurama noticed she'd fallen behind as they approached the town. He looked back at her, wondering what was holding her up. When he saw her pained expression, he began questioning the wisdom of this trip. "Bekka?" he asked as he walked back to her and reached out to touch her.

Bekka caught his wrist, trying to avoid the added noise she thought contact would bring. Suddenly, the din quieted to a tolerable level. Shocked, she also realized she probably shouldn't be holding on to Kurama's wrist the way she was, even though she was reluctant to loose the benefit of reduced noise. Slowly, she released her grip. "I'm sorry," she muttered, looking at the ground, waiting for the assault on her mind to begin again.

Kurama saw Bekka's aura flash gold as she grabbed him. This puzzled him, as did the lingering band of aura around his wrist. "What is this?" he asked, holding out his arm to the girl.

Confused, Bekka looked at his arm, his face, and back to his arm. "What's what?" she asked.

Kurama pointed to what he could see so clearly around his wrist, "This."

Bekka frowned, "Your wrist?" She caught that he thought she was playing games. "That's all I see. I don't see anything else," she protested.

"You don't see the gold aural band you placed around my wrist?" he asked carefully, watching the girl closely.

"No, all I see is your wrist. What is an aural band? And how did I put it there?"

"How could you not know what an aura is? You use it to summon fire and air." He couldn't believe she was ignorant of this

"I do?"

"You don't see it?" he asked, beginning to think she might not be playing with him.

"No, I've never seen anything other than fire when I summon it and my eyes were closed when I summoned air."

He frowned, regarding his wrist, "When you grabbed me, what were you thinking?"

"I-I didn't want the noise in my head to get louder. There are several voices and I couldn't sort them out. I thought that if you touched me, it'd get worse, but it didn't. I could focus just on you and the rest of the voices dimmed. I didn't want them to get loud again when I let go. I don't know what I did, though," her voice trailed off, waiting.

"Gold would be a form of air, wouldn't it?" he asked, watching as she frowned and nodded. "Air is the element of intelligence and therefore the mind, right?" She nodded again. "You wanted to protect your mind, right?" Another nod. He shrugged and smiled, "Well at least you have the right instincts for this." He turned, walking again in the direction of the town.

Bekka stood for a moment, staring after Kurama, dumbfounded. She had just learned a lot in a short amount of time, but now she had questions. She jogged to catch up to Kurama. "Could you tell me more about this aura?" she asked eagerly.

He laughed at her, "You're supposed to supply information." She looked crestfallen, and he relented, partially. "Demons have an aura called 'yoki.' A demon's strength is measured by their yoki. Humans have a similar thing called a 'reiki.' Usually, this is always visible to those who can see it. In your case, however, it's only visible when you're using your powers."

Bekka thought this over. "Why did you call mine an aura instead of reiki?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Because it changes color." She started to protest, to ask a question, when he continued, "Yoki and reiki are always the same color for a demon or person. They don't change. When you summon fire, your aura is red and with air it's yellow."

"Oh," she thought a moment. "Then for water, it'll be blue and for earth it'll be green." She smiled at him. "Thank you, Kurama-sensei." She began humming as she fell back into place behind him.

They entered a smallish building on the outskirts of the town. Kurama thought sharply for the girl to be silent and do as she was told just before entering and was relieved when she stopped humming.

"Oy, Kurama, been a while since we seen you here during the day," the barkeep, a largish demon with red skin looking, for all the world, like a characture of the devil, greeted the kitsune as he entered. His eyes noticed Bekka behind Kurama, taking in her form and the ward on her arm. "When'd you git yerself one o' them? Though, she's pretty 'nough."

Kurama laughed easily, taking a seat at the bar. Surreptitiously, he pointed to the floor beside him. "Ah, yes, Koken, she's a recent acquisition of mine. I found her amongst some other misplaced treasures." Kurama winked at the barman, who knew his reputation.

Bekka stood slightly behind Kurama, resenting being talked about as if she were just an object. She kept her face carefully schooled, not allowing her anger to get the better of her. Trying to take her mind off their conversation, she began to look around the bar. There were several demons scattered around the dimly lit room. Some looked more animalistic, while some looked nearly human. She was amazed at the variety of shapes and sizes. Her attention was brought sharply back to Kurama when he pinched her arm. Her cheeks flamed with color from embarrassment and anger.

"Still got some fight in 'er, looks like," Koken commented, lust creeping into his voice.

Bekka's stomach quailed. Kurama regarded her for a moment before replying, "Yes, she's got a bit of fire in her. I've heard the red headed ones do. But," he pulled Bekka to stand before him, between his knees, "I haven't finished with her yet." He turned the girl around, pulling her back to his chest with one arm as the other roamed over her body. Her blush deepened as she bit her lip. Kurama rested his chin on her shoulder, still talking to Koken, "Just imagine how much she'll be worth when I'm through with her." He turned to nibble on her ear, enjoying teasing the girl when she couldn't do anything in return.

Koken swallowed visibly, "Ya ever wanna sell 'er, let me know, eh?"

Kurama chuckled, "Of course. The usual to drink, please."

Koken walked off to prepare the drink and Bekka muttered under her breath, "I hate you, you know."

Kurama nuzzled her neck, whispering as hi did, "Of course you do. I can feel it, smell it, how much you hate this." A small laugh, "If you hated it anymore, we'd have to go to one of Koken's back rooms." His tongue darted out to lick her neck and she had to fight back a groan as Koken returned with Kurama's drink. He drank it slowly, occasionally speaking to other customers, all the while, using one hand to explore Bekka's torso and arms.

Bekka was loosing the battle to keep her mind focused on anything. Between Kurama's hand wandering over her body, feeling his impression of her, and the envious or lustful thoughts of the other patrons, rationality was simply lost to the girl. Her reaction was not lost on Kurama. His teasing had previously been met with evasion or rebuttal. Here she could do neither, having to submit to him. He knew she was enjoying what she felt, but wondered what would happen on the walk back to his den. As much as he wanted her, he knew that if he took advantage of her, it could cause problems with her training. She had to trust him, so, reluctantly, he tossed a coin at Koken and pushed Bekka away, pinching her in the process. She gasped, not catching herself in time, causing Koken to chuckle. "G'night, Kurama. See ya nex' time," he called as the kitsune left. "An' feel free to bring back th' girl."

Kurama waved over his shoulder, not looking back. He noticed that the band was no longer around his wrist. At some point, Bekka had dropped her defenses.

Her mind was chaotic as Bekka followed the fox demon. She had to reach a decision. Her body was screaming for more, there was no doubt about that. She knew he wanted her, too, and knew why he had chosen to leave. In her mind, however, a small voice screamed at her, telling her she needed to be faithful to her husband.

'Why should I?' another voice countered viciously. 'I'm never going to see him again and he rejected me, so why should I?'

The small voice offered that such a short time had passed.

'I decided to move on, to move forward.'

The little voice countered, 'Are you sure you won't regret it?'

She thought about this, almost running into Kurama as he stopped inside his den. She knew the answer.

Bekka wrapped her arms around Kurama's waist from behind, surprising him. He turned to look at her, only seeing the top of her head, her cheek pressed against his back. "Bekka?" he asked, wanting to understand her motives.

Stepping back, letting her hands trail as she did, Bekka looked up, her eyes darkened to blue. "I know what we both want." She glanced down at her hands, now resting on the small of his back. She drew one hand down his tail, enjoying the softness of it before looking up again. "I know what we both want," she repeated, her voice thickening. She walked around to stand in front of him. "No regrets," she said, reaching up to place her hand on his cheek, urging him to bend down.

"Are you sure?" Kurama asked his voice husky.

In response, Bekka slid her fingers behind his neck, pulling him down as she stood on her toes. Her free hand went to his chest to help maintain her balance as their lips met. She kissed him deeply, unlike the chaste kisses he'd used to tease her. Surprised and gratified, Kurama wrapped his arms around her waist. She pulled back, "Why are you surprised? I do know how to get what I want."

"And what is it you want?" he asked, letting her take the lead, for now.

Bekka's voice was near a growl as she answered, "More." She pulled him back to her, letting her lips express what she wanted, enjoying the dual sensations she felt. It was a heady experience, feeling a kiss from both sides. She wanted to feel more, groaning in disappointment when he pulled back.

"Why don't we go where we'll be more comfortable," he suggested.

"And where would that be?" she asked coyly.

He picked her up, enjoying that she wrapped her legs around him, and began walking with her, "I think the bed would be nice, don't you?"

"Hmmm…" she began kissing his throat as he carried her, letting her tongue dart out every so often. He enjoyed it, almost having to stop and lean against the wall. She kissed up his neck and along his jaw, clinging to him with her whole body as he bent over the bed. He gently placed her on the bed, and she allowed her grip on him to relax. Her hand began to roam over his face as she pulled back to look at him. He was watching her, one hand behind her head, the other on her waist.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, still not wanting to take advantage of her.

Bekka glared at him, pushing back on his shoulder. He allowed himself to fall onto his back, amused, as the girl straddled his waist, "Do I need to show you exactly what I want?" she snarled at him.

"That could be fun," he conceded, laughing at her.

………

Slowly, the world began to resolve itself. She could feel the bed beneath her, Kurama's hand gently caressing her, the coolness of the air. Blearily, her eyes opened, trying to focus on anything. Everything seemed to be blurs of colors. She could make out Kurama's face, looking at her. Gradually, it came into focus. She smiled at the tender expression on his face. His hand came to her cheek, a finger tracing her jaw line. "You were out for about an hour," he told her, his finger tracing her lower lip.

"Feeling everything is a bit overwhelming," she breathed, her voice still ragged and worn.

Kurama bent down and kissed her lightly, "Did you enjoy yourself?"

She gave him a glare, "Now that's a strange question. Yes, of course I did. Did you?"

He laughed, "Yes, very much. But don't think for a minute you're getting out of training in the morning."

She yawned, "And why would I think that?"

He shrugged, not answering her verbally as he turned her on her side, pulling her back to his chest. "Go to sleep, Bekka."

Bekka grunted in response, lacing her fingers through the hand that draped over her body.

A/N Yes, this is the infamous cut chapter that I've been complaining I would have to write…the original version is three pages (of Times New Roman 12 point) longer than this one…I also promised I'd tell you how to get the full version…but a warning first…it is a lemon…it's only my second and my first m/f lemon and does anyone have any idea how difficult it is when one person involved can feel everything? That made this hard to write so if you get it, I want feedback! How do you get it? Go to my profile page and email me a nice little note asking for it please…if you don't send me feedback, I will send my muse to curse you with a story you absolutely must write, no matter how inconvenient it is! Anyway…again with the safe sex talk…I feel it's important to protect yourself, both physically and emotionally. No one else will take care of you, it's your responsibility. Enough of my soapboxing…on to reviews (my favorite part :D )

Shadow…I saw one other person put up a safe sex warning…and I do feel it's important. I have converted another to the wicked awsomeness that is the Phantom of the Opera…my work is done! Lol And by calling me Edgar Allen Poe, does that mean I mess with your poor brain? Lol That does my ego so much good :D

Rokosho…I update as quickly as I can write…thanks for the compliment :D

Kitsune…yes, Loki is arrogant…it makes him fun to write, though…hope you like the chapter…I had trouble deciding exactly where to cut, but I'm sure I'll hear from you for the full version.

Kayrana…don't try to analyze the questions…just give me your first reaction…I'll explain how the answers help me figure it out…Thanks for reading :D (and it's "probably")

Anasazi…yes, Kurama loves teasing Bekka…it's fun. This is before the series…I do know there will be an epilogue that ties it to the other stories I've written…and if you've read this chapter, you know the order I'm taking the elements, but I need to work more with air, first

Sakura…thanks for reading and reviewing…I'm sorry your home puter is being a brat…but it's working better than mine…I'm typing this up on a friend's laptop because my computer blue screens whenever we try to connect it to the wireless modem (I'm in the process of moving) and, while trying to figure out the problem with the modem, I lost my sound…I can't type without music playing! I'm having to buy a new computer sigh

Jag/Kis…I'm so glad you like Bekka…and how I portray Youko…they're fun to play with…especially with the gods added in for fun…

Ah, one last thing…just so you know, if you do email me…I don't forward stuff, ever, and I won't continue writing you if you don't want me to…but, as I said, I would like some type of response for my effort….What type of effort (not that you really care)? I type my chapters up in one sitting after writing as much as I can get away with by hand. For this chapter, I wrote six pages by hand and typed it in about seven hours…this is the type of slave driving muse I have (in case you care…the full version of this chapter is 11 pages)….Be kind and review….

Ja mata ne!