Saga 7: Demons, ghosts, & goddesses
Ch.19. The Gentle Wind
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Yu Hakusho characters except Michiru, Freya, Mara, Lulu, Osho, Jugo, Lenos, Raruna, Shadow Dark, and her sister
(that's a lot! ;)

The night was quiet as Michiru sat out on the porch of Genkai's temple, stargazing. The moon had swollen to it's fullest, and the stars illuminated the night sky like small diamonds. The wind gently brushed her hair away from her face in small, thin strands while her breath came out in small clouds, for the air was chilly. She shivered slightly, and ran her hands up and down across her arms quickly. Suddenly, she felt something being draped over her shoulders and quickly looked up to see Kurama holding part of the blanket. He smiled and she smiled back and replied with a quiet "thank you..." He nodded, and sat down next to Michiru while she snuggled into the quilt. For a while, neither said nothing, but continued to look at the sparkling dots in the heavens. Kurama suddenly caught himself yawning, which Michiru noticed, causing her to giggle. Kurama smiled at her few moments of amusement.

"Sounds like you should get some rest..." she spoke, barely above a whisper. Kurama blinked, and then replied, "Oh, I'll be fine. Just a little worn out from today". Michiru then turned her gaze on him, her face showing worry. "But, you really should rest. You fought Jugo today, and he is no easy adversary to defeat. Please, don't stay up and wear yourself out. I mean, it's not that I don't enjoy your company or anything, but-" However, she was cut off as he put a finger to her soft and pale lips, shushing her. She blinked in confusion, which caused him to smile again slightly. "I'll be fine..." he soothed, and drew his hand away. Michiru felt herself blush. That was the first time she had been touched so gently by a boy...

However, she didn't have long to think about it, as something soft was suddenly placed in her hand, causing her to snap out of her dream-like fog. Michiru looked down to see a small, but fully bloomed red rose in her hand. She then looked back at Kurama, who smiled, causing her to blush deeply. "Do you like it?" he questioned. She nodded quickly, then, in barely above an audible whisper, said "thank you." Kurama almost wanted to laugh, since she seemed so shy and embarrassed. 'I wonder...how many people this girl has been around?' he thought. 'She seems to be very timid. Does she have any friends? Family? A lover?' the last question made him frown. What on Earth had made him think that? 'Besides,' he thought, 'its none of my business anyway...'. He also gave himself a mental slap. 'This girl is a complete mystery, and here I am thinking absurd thoughts such as whether or not she's with someone. What is wrong with me?'

But, when he looked over at the young woman again, he saw why he had been thinking such things. Her eyes had become a beautiful dark blue in the night, her hands were thin and slender, and her hair was tied with her side locks hanging over her shoulders slightly before joining the other hair in the wrap, which trailed down her back in long and shiny strands. (A/N: For a better visual aid, think Kikyo's hair style from 'Inu-Yasha') Her thin bangs hid most of her forehead, and she peered shyly out from underneath long and thick eyelashes. Kurama could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat when she looked straight into his emerald green eyes and smiled gently, her own eyes sparkling with beauty and mystery. He gulped, and was about to say something when he noticed her hand was bleeding. He shook himself out of his trance-like state and spoke. "Um...Miss?" she looked over at him with shy curiosity, which made him stammer a bit. "Y-your hand is bleeding. You might want to wrap it."

Michiru looked down at her hand in response to his observation. Sure enough, her hand was trickling crimson liquid from tiny scratches made from the rose. With a pang, Michiru realized she must have clenched it too tightly when she felt the teenage boys' gaze on her. The thought of making herself bleed just because she wasn't very educated in the art of socialism and became embarrassed easily made her sigh. 'Darn. I guess I'll have to get up and wash it off.' For a moment, she had a fleeting thought that the boy had actually given the rose to her in hopes of making her bleed. However, the thought left just as soon as it came, and she silently scolded herself for having such a spiteful thought.

Although nothing prepared her for what happened next. Just as Michiru was about to get up and go clean her wound, Kurama scooted closer to her and took the bleeding gently in one of his own, ripping a piece of his shirt with the other hand, and carefully wrapped her cuts. Michiru looked at him for a brief moment, then stared at her hand, wide-eyed. She suddenly felt tears come to her eyes and tried to stifle a sob. However, it proved to be fruitless, as she began to cry, her tears plopping onto her hands and his like wet jewels. Kurama was taken aback. 'What did I do wrong?!' he thought frantically. 'Oh no, I hope I didn't hurt her!' He began to withdraw his hand, but was even more surprised when she squeezed it lightly and looked up at him, her eyes glassy, but gratitude shining in them. Kurama felt his voice freeze for a moment. At the same time, Michiru remembered her tears and their peculiarity to the human eyes, so she quickly used an excess piece of cloth from her kimono to dry her tears.

Kurama then realized for the first time, she was looking at him with all her will, and not simply shying away. He felt himself smile at the thought that she might finally be warming up to him. Although his hope faltered a little when she slowly withdrew her bandaged hand, but it remained as she continued to look at him, then replied quietly, "Thank you." He nodded, and was about to say something when she looked back down. Feeling a bit defeated, he sighed, but was surprised when she looked back up at him, her face showing guilt. "I...I'm sorry...if I'm not very talkative. I mean, all I have said is thank you, but that's it." Michiru focused her gaze on the cloth wrapped around her hand and then nervously brushed a thick strand of hair away from her face.

The fox was surprised. He didn't think she wasn't very talkative. In fact, he recalled silencing her earlier when she had been trying to make conversation. He sighed again. 'I'm such an idiot...' he thought, and decided to try once more to converse with the girl. He took a deep breath. This girl seemed sensitive, so he knew to word what he said carefully. He then turned his gaze back on her and lightly touched her shoulder. She looked up, and he mentally prepared himself. "Um, no. I mean, I understand that it's not that you're talkative. I think you just enjoy being around people more than saying something. I mean, oh shoot..." However, before he screwed up even more, Michiru did a most unexpected thing. She put her soft finger to his lips and quieted him. He stared at her, not knowing what else to say or how to react.

Michiru was also quiet for a moment, but then replied "I understand what you are saying. And, you are correct, I suppose. I guess I am not much of a talker, but more of a listener, or something of that sort..." she trailed off, then smiled. Kurama felt himself blush slightly. He then gave himself another mental slap. 'Why am I...so...entranced...with this girl?' he questioned silently. However, he didn't even need to think of an answer as the girl's lips met his. Kurama was in almost complete shock. She was...kissing him?! But why?

Michiru softly pressed against his lips, trying her best to enjoy the most gentle moment of her entire life. At first, she felt no pressure back on her own lips, and was about to pull away, thinking she had made a serious mistake, when she felt a hand stroke the side of her cheek softly. Michiru then slowly placed her hand on top of the one on her cheek, and almost giggled when she felt him nuzzle her hand. She then ran her fingers through his fiery hair while he wrapped an arm around her back.

Kurama was almost inclined to sneak into her mouth, but it was amazing that she was doing this, so he decided he would ask her permission first. However, before he could do so, she drew away slowly, also withdrawing her hand from his crimson hair. He looked into her eyes, his questioning, followed by the girl slowly standing up. He let go of her back, but still kept his eyes locked on her, while she looked down in embarrassment for her bold move. 'Why...why did I do that? I don't understand. I...don't know if he's the one for me or not, but...how could I be so STUPID?!' she almost screamed. Kurama saw the girl clench her fists and instinctively knew she was thinking the same thing as him. Why.

Resisting the urge to sprint away, Michiru looked down, more tears beginning to form in her eyes. She then leaned down close to him and whispered "I'm so sorry..." and then gave him a quick kiss this time, and walked back inside feeling almost miserable. 'I'm so stupid...' she thought, and a tear slid down her cheek, turning into a feather into mid-air. But she didn't care. She was tired; tired of hiding things, tired of death, tired of living in fear, and just tired in her soul. 'Raiden...please forgive me...' she thought, more tears sliding down her cheeks.

Just as she neared the door to the guest room, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was met with a fiecer kiss than before. She barely managed to choke back a sob, and kissed with a passion she never knew existed within her heart. A hand went through her hair and combed through it slowly while she wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and kissed back with all her soul. Kurama suddenly felt...warm. He cracked an eye and almost gasped at what he saw. The girl's hair...it had a pink tint to it! Her aura was glowing...multicolored. A gentle breeze then whipped through, stirring their hair, causing Kurama to hug the young woman back, as if afraid she would blow away with the wind, like a beautiful and gentle dream.

However, before he could kiss any further, he felt the girl slump in his arms. Alarmed, he looked down and looked to see if she was breathing. Surprisingly, she was fine. Her chest rose and fell, and her eyes were shut. A small and gentle smile was still on her face though. Although she was sound asleep, Kurama could have sworn he heard her whisper "thank you...". With a content sigh, he tucked his arms under her knees and around her shoulders and carried her to the futon and laid her down gently and covered her with a blanket.

However, before he left, Kurama leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before shutting the door quietly. Little did he know, a pair of old eyes was watching, and smiling as well at the tenderness that had been displayed between the two that night. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Awwww. This chapter I wrote straight from my heart & soul. Please enjoy.