A/N: I have never laughed so hard reading reviews for my fanfics before! I appreciate the honesty, humor, and reactions everyone has included in their feedback. Thanks for the great reviews, please keep them coming! Sorry it's taken me a while to update, I've been inspired to type out a few Danny Phantom fics recently. Anyways I'm back now so on with the story! P.S.-There will be a LEMON in this chapter.
Driven by Instinct, Guided to Love
Chapter Five: The Appeal of Young Love
"KAZUMA!" a female's frantic voice called.
This was the morning of the final day before her unavoidable pregnancy. With thoughts of becoming a mother-to-be in just twenty-four hours the young koorime had failed to notice the increasingly unsubtle proclamations of devotion and love from her longtime admirer Kazuma Kuwabara.
He loves me. she thought as her feet quickly propelled her down the temple steps and towards the retreating man just a flight of stairs down. He loves me...and he wants to be a father to my babies! Kazuma, I never realized...
Kuwabara's head was hung low and his eyes fixed on the steps beneath him. He felt like a fool. All this time and he'd never noticed how oblivious Yukina was to his flirtation and courting. Maybe Hiei's right, I am just some oaf. he thought bitterly, Just another worthless human. I'm not worthy of her love. Kuwabaka is right, what an idiot I must've looked like to her.
"KAZUMA PLEASE!" she pleaded, finally within earshot.
Kuwabara paused near the bottom of the steps. He thought he'd heard something. A faint cry nearly lost in the wind. Turning around he was just in time to see his beloved snow queen trip over her own foot and fall forward. Before she could hit the ground he managed to rush up and catch her.
They stayed that way for a moment. Yukina with her face buried in his chest. Kuwabara frowning slightly as he awkwardly stood with his hands lightly covering her shoulders. After what seemed like an eternity of uneasy silence the koorime slowly lifted her head and met his longing melancholy gaze. Her cheeks were tinted a deep pink as she stared up into his emotion-filled eyes. They seemed to dance with the unshed tears of a broken heart. She hated to see him this way.
"Kazuma..." she choked back a sob, "...I-"
Forcing a small smile he removed his hand from her right shoulder and gingerly brushed her bangs aside. "Don't worry Yukina. You haven't done anything wrong. I'll get over it. Sorry for acting like a lovesick...well...sorry if I've embarrassed you."
Her own tears were trailing down her cheeks. She'd left a few rare tear gems littered across the temple's steps on her way down. Now a small pile was starting to gather at her feet. "Stop!" she cried, "It's my fault!"
Taken aback by her uncharacteristically sharp tone he let go and stared down at her in disbelief. Her fault? My sweet Yukina didn't do a thing wrong. I was the dummy trying to win her over all the time.
Fearing that he would turn and try to leave again she reached out and quickly grabbed him by the folds of his jacket. "Just wait Kazuma, please! I-I admit I didn't understand what you meant back when you started saying such things to me. I didn't know if you were serious or just trying to be polite. But..."
She was at a loss for how to adequately explain herself. The words were there, they just refused to come to her. "...you were always saying nice things to me. Telling me how much you cared. I assumed you wanted to be good friends. I like being with you Kazuma. You make me smile."
Kuwabara was dumbfounded by Yukina's words. A small smile formed upon her tear stained face after her last statement. Her smiles were always the most beautiful of sights to him. He could while away the rest of his life in complete contentment just staring dreamily at the smiling face of his angelic ice apparition.
"I never really fit in back in my homeland." she confessed sadly, "But when I came here to search for my brother, when I met you and the others, I finally felt like I belonged. You were my first real friend Kazuma. I will never forget how you bravely fought the Toguro brothers to rescue me. And then how you humbly asked me not to hate mankind. Kazuma I've never met anyone like you before."
The confession was getting harder and harder to make. She tried her best to look him in the eye. The intensity of the emotions she beheld when peering into his mahogany orbs was becoming a bit overwhelming for her. The heat in her cheeks seemed to spread throughout her entire body. She felt faint, but she had to finish, she had to let Kazuma know just how much he meant to her. And most of all, she had to tell him what nearly losing his affection had forced her to realize.
"Yu-Yukina..." Kuwabara breathed, I-Is she about to say what I think she's gonna say?!
As the young man desperately prayed it was true Yukina managed to collect herself enough to continue before she lost the nerve.
"Tomorrow I become a mother-to-be. I was so afraid that once that happened I'd forever lose my chance to find a soul mate. Unlike the other koorime I want to break tradition, I want to fall in love. I guess I truly am my mother's child." Her knees were starting to shake now, her breathing became more labored. Please give me the courage to tell him how I feel. she quietly begged. "Kazuma if I ever lost you I...I wouldn't just be losing my best friend. I'd be losing my soul mate. You've done everything to prove your desire to be with me Kazuma. Until now I never considered it a possibility that you might truly love me. I'm sorry I broke your heart dearest Kazuma." she blushed harder at her attempt to compliment him with a term of endearment she had often heard him use towards her, "And I thank you."
"For...for what?" he ventured, his throat so tight he feared his nervousness alone would strangle him to death before he got an answer.
"For making me see," she said softly, "how much I love you."
Inside the anxious heart of the lovesick young man fireworks instantly went off. It was as if a mountain of fear and anticipation had been lifted from his shoulders. She loves me! he inwardly crowed, Yukina, my beloved snow princess, really LOVES ME!!!
"OH YUKINA!" he beamed quickly swooping her up into his arms and spinning around with her at the base of the temple steps. "YUKINA! YUKINA! YUKINA!" he sang as she laughed happily, amused and overjoyed.
"Kazuma!" she giggled, "I'm so glad you aren't unhappy anymore!"
"How can I be unhappy when the woman I love finally says she loves me back?!" he chuckled, ceasing his spinning he stumbled backwards a bit before steadying himself and slowly placing Yukina back on the ground.
Yukina's smile was priceless. She wore a grin so big her eyes were forced shut. She loved seeing Kazuma so ecstatic. Even more, she loved being the cause of his bliss. "Kazuma darling, does this mean that you still want to be a husband to me, and a father to my children?"
"Of course!" he announced happily, "We'll have a perfect family Yukina! A strong handsome father, a beautiful intelligent mother, and two sweet natured and pretty daughters who no boy will want to pick on!"
Laughing Yukina hugged her new love. A smirk spread over her usually naively blissful features as she held up the blue jumper, "Or perhaps we'll have a daughter and a son?"
Kuwabara paused and gazed down at the oddly behaving koorime in his arms. Confusion was plainly written on his face, "Um...Yukina my love, I just thought of something. If all koorime are girls and they all reproduce on their own. How are we supposed to have a son?"
Shaking her head the ice maiden just smiled to herself. It seemed it was Kazuma's turn to be blissfully naive. Holding the tiny garments in one hand she used the other to grab the collar of Kazuma's jacket. "Come with me koi," she said in her sweetest tone as she led him back up the temple steps, "and I'll show you."
In the living room area of an apartment back within the confines of civilization two young men sat on a faded dark beige sofa staring at the face of a very perturbed toddler.
"Oh dear, now this isn't good." Koenma sighed resting a cheek on his tiny fist. "Well since you weren't able to reach them in time I suppose the only thing we can do is hope that this whole thing works out for the best."
"Koenma," Kurama ventured half-heartedly, "isn't there any way to reverse the ritual and remove the claiming mark?"
"I'm afraid no known method has proven successful," Koenma answered glumly, "Unless you count the destruction of the claimer."
"I don't think Hiei's gonna be very cooperative there." Yusuke muttered grouchily. He couldn't believe he'd been dragged out of his nice warm bed in the early hours of the morning to come and deal with a horny fire demon's lust after his assistant. "Look, as far as I'm concerned what's done is done. Hiei's nailed Botan and made her his lifelong mate. There's nothing we can do about that. So why stick around here only to make an already awkward situation that much more awkward huh?!"
"For once I must agree with Yusuke," Koenma answered with narrowed eyes at the overly blunt spirit detective, "Hiei and Botan should be waking up anytime now. I highly doubt that finding the two of you there will help them to resolve matters."
"Ordinarily I would've already left," Kurama admitted, "but this is Hiei. He isn't much for socialization or outwardly displaying his affection. I admit that he possesses the ability to be quite protective and caring at times yet he prefers to do so obscurely."
"So, what're you gettin' at Kurama?" Yusuke demanded.
Sighing Kurama explained, "Hiei still hasn't resigned himself to revealing his true identity to Yukina. How can we expect him to openly accept Botan (a mate he took off of primal impulse) when he won't even openly admit relation to his own sister?"
Hearing that dismal reasoning Koenma and Yusuke frowned, sinking further into pessimistic speculations of the situation's outcome. Kurama had a point, and he was usually right about these things, poor Botan...
"And then there's the matter of how she'll react to all of this." Kurama added solemnly.
"You mean Botan?" Yusuke asked, "I don't get it? Wouldn't she be okay with it? I mean, she did give in and mark the little guy."
"Yes but I doubt it was a decision that she came to lightly." Kurama responded looking up from his lap where his thumbs were twiddling between his knees as he sat slumped forward pondering all the possible scenarios. "If Hiei, as we fear, decides to refuse her as a mate then it could lead to quite a devastating heartbreak for her."
"If Hiei goes and pulls a gutless thing like that he'll meet up with the end of my spirit gun." Yusuke vowed.
"YUSUKE!" Koenma shouted, "If you go and attack Hiei with your spirit gun he'll unleash his Dragon of the Darkness Flame on you and then I'll have to find myself another spirit detective so don't you dare!"
"Are you saying that you think that pint sized flamethrower could beat me?!" Yusuke demanded his face at such close range with the communicator that his breath was starting to fog up the screen.
"No," Koenma shook his head, "chances are you'd both wind up wiping each other out."
"Hn," a familiar voice came from the entrance of the hallway catching everyone's attention, "Don't flatter him Koenma. We both know that my dragon would swallow the fool and his precious spirit gun."
"Hiei," Kurama said slightly surprised that he hadn't sensed the smaller demon's energy when he arrived. He'd been trying to keep tabs on Hiei's youki from the time he'd suspected his awakening back in the bedroom when he and Yusuke had just arrived.
Hiei's narrowed eyes zeroed in on the fox, "Don't think I don't know what you're all thinking. I've heard everything that's been said about my supposed negative reaction to claiming the ferry onna. You idiots couldn't be more wrong."
"Now Hiei," Koenma tried to reason with the irritated youkai, "no need to get upset. We were just concerned that your instincts may have taken principle over your sense of reason."
"I assure you—you meddling brat—that my 'sense of reason' was never impaired." Hiei spat, "I claimed the onna of my own free will and given the chance I'd do it all over again. She is my mate and I won't stand for any more of your ignorant interference into my affairs."
"But Hiei you still have just short of twenty-four hours until-" Kurama began.
"GO!" Hiei ordered pointing a tense finger towards the door.
Kurama studied his ally's face intently. A strong spark of determination flickered in the small stature demon's crimson eyes. He'd never seen Hiei so dead serious about something this dire before. He may have very well been acting on instincts when he'd taken the girl, yet despite his primitive drive, it had all been a willful act.
Yusuke followed in suit when he saw Kurama nod to Hiei before rising to leave. Closing the communicator the spirit detective fell in step behind the redhead who paused with his hand resting on the doorknob.
Taking one last look over his shoulder at the stern faced demon Kurama spoke sincerely, "Congratulations on your new life Hiei. I wish you and Botan the very best. Please, know that I'm here if there's anything that either of you need."
"He means we're here if ya need anything." Yusuke grinned, giving his pint sized bud a thumb's up, "Just don't go calling me up at one in the morning like some other miniaturized pain in the neck I know."
Hesitantly Hiei gave his friends a quick nod, dismissing them. Not that I'll ever need their help but still, anything to get them to leave. At least now I know that they won't make any foolish attempts to separate us.
He waited until the door was once again shut and the sounds of the duo's footsteps faded off down the hall before walking back into the bedroom.
Botan was seated on the side of her bed; the sheets were still askew, though she'd pulled on a bathrobe and tied her hair back up. A slight pinkish tinge lined her cheeks; obviously she'd heard the whole thing.
"That was, really nice of you...did you...did you mean all of that?" she questioned unsurely, looking up at him through messy powder blue bangs.
"Hn, I never say anything I don't mean onna," Hiei replied nonchalantly.
"Oh," Botan looked down at her bare feet; a small smile crept over her lips, "so I'm back to 'onna' now?"
"Just because I still think you're a bit of a baka onna doesn't mean I don't love you." he replied, a bit of blush starting to appear on his face as well.
"And I still love you, although you're a foul tempered reclusive youkai." she teased, happy that Hiei didn't regret their actions last night. Her meek tone of voice was starting to regain its usual cheeriness.
Drawing a bit nearer he asked, "What are you doing up anyway? When I left you were still sleeping...or at least you were trying to seem that way."
Botan's blush deepened, So he noticed. Figures, I should know better than to try and pull one over on Hiei. "I decided to go ahead and get up. Kurama's pretty soft spoken but Yusuke's horrible at keeping a low profile."
Hiei let a soft—almost inaudible—chuckle escape between the upturned corners of his lips. This did not go unnoticed by the ferry girl sitting before him. Happy that she'd managed to make him laugh she leapt to her feet and hustled towards the door.
"Where are you going onna?" Hiei inquired, a bit disappointed that she didn't want to lavish any sort of affection on him before leaving the room.
Stopping she spun around on her heal, clasping her hands together as if realizing she'd forgotten something. She practically skipped over to the curious fire demon then planted a loving kiss on his cheek. "Oh I'm just off to make my new hubby something delicious for breakfast! I want everything to be just perfect for our first day together as a couple!"
Hiei's features sagged, a sweat drop forming on the left side of his brow. What had he gotten himself into? The last he recalled Yusuke and Kuwabara had spent a good two hours each in the bathroom after forcing down a plateful of Botan's questionable home cooking.
Reluctantly he dragged himself into the kitchen and winced at the ruckus she was causing while trying to gather together various pots and pans for making breakfast.
I don't even like ningen cooking, he grumbled inwardly, so how am I supposed to stomach her concoctions?
"Um," Botan paused, staring at the ingredients she'd placed atop her counter, "I'm sure this margarine isn't out of date, I can't seem to find when it expires."
Hiei gulped while she starting sorting through the mess. Every now and then she would pick something up and study it for a moment before muttering something absently to herself...and unsettling to his stomach.
"How much non-stick cooking spray does a non-stick frying pan require?"
She's kidding...right? Hiei felt his eyebrow twitch.
"Hiei, does this milk smell all right to you?"
Any hopes he was harboring of surviving his first ningen meal with the onna died right then and there. I don't suppose there's any way I can convince her to stop playing 'house' and get back to mating.
For the sake of his digestive track he had to try...
Oh dear, the ferry girl frowned, I hope Hiei doesn't realize just how inexperienced I am at this whole cooking thing. I've been dead for quite a while, and a bodiless soul really doesn't require much nourishment. And now that I have a body again...I'm seriously out of practice.
Still, to keep up pretenses, the blue haired woman clambered about the kitchen as if cooking was second nature to her.
Leaning over the stove to adjust the knobs she yelped when she felt two strong arms wrap themselves securely around her waist. The warm breath that swept across the back of her neck caused her hair to stand on end. Her whole body seemed to tingle with some sort of inexplicable anticipation as the fire demon rubbed against her sensuously.
The friction created by his erotic motions was starting to get to the both of them. Botan's thoughts strayed from cooking to the highly enjoyable activities of the previous night (or early morning). Hiei's primal side was awakening again, his eyes began to glow their aroused shade of blood red while a low throated growl resounded in the earlobe of the ferry girl he'd pressed himself up against.
Botan shakily supported her weight and the force of Hiei rubbing himself against her by placing two jello-like arms between the back burners. A few more strands fell from her sloppily done up ponytail as Hiei's motions strengthened. She braced herself as best she could, it was clear that his instincts were once again in control. It was then that she was reminded of the fact that he still had one day to go before his hundredth birthday, a time when he was intent on having offspring. Well, to be more specific, a time when he was intent on her having his offspring.
"Hiei..." she managed in a raspy voice.
"Hn..." a dull grunt answered.
"Is...Is the kitchen really the...the best place to be doing this?"
Smirking against her neck as he nudged the fold of her bathrobe aside, exposing the bite mark, he tightened his grasp. In one fluid motion he spun them around, knocking the pots, pans, placemats, and floral centerpiece off the kitchen table and laying his mate atop it. "Why not? There's plenty of room." he replied grinning down into her startled fuchsia eyes.
(Warning: Lemon to follow. If you don't wanna read it then scroll down to the next set of parenthesis!)
Botan swallowed the lump forming in her throat as Hiei tore open the folds of her bathrobe and pushed the sleeves down past her elbows. Her arms were outstretched; her fingers gripped the edges of her round table so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her breathing came in short, raspy breaths. She felt a familiar heat sweep over her body as Hiei hastily rid himself of the baggy black pants he was wearing and positioned himself to take her for a second time.
Their eyes were locked, each gazing upon the other with adoring fascination. When Hiei's patience had had all that it could stand he dug his claws into the wood beneath her shoulders with the palms of his hands holding her down as he plunged himself in, reeling in the titillating cry that followed.
The blue haired girl struggled against his firm grasp. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to get away, she wanted to stay lost in this bittersweet bliss forever. Amidst all her conflicting needs she settled for bucking her hips up against him, encouraging him to continue, to drive her mad with desire. She swore his instincts were contagious. They seemed to be of one mind whenever they became enthralled in intercourse.
"Hi—ei!" she moaned, tossing her head back as be bent down to suck on her neck, trailing an agonizingly slow path down and over to her claiming mark.
Growling possessively he bit down, his teeth lining up perfectly with the marks left from before, and lapped greedily at the sweet, coppery liquid that gushed forth.
Botan's scream of pain was quickly replaced by a moan of delight as Hiei's ministrations became more soothing to her tortured flesh.
"Botan," he murmured against her skin as he began to rock against her. This time he wouldn't stop until he was sure their kodomo had been conceived. With one day left his will to create offspring was his being's strongest desire. No one would interrupt them now. They had time. Everything was in place. By this time tomorrow her scent would change to that of a woman with child.
Bright magenta eyes shut tight Botan finally managed to pry her hands off the edges of the table. She rapidly brought them up to her lover. One rested on the back of his head, her fingers brushing through and at times tightly gripping fistfuls of his unruly ebony hair. Her other hand ran up and down the lightly tanned, smooth, and sweat bead covered length of his back. Every so often a thrust would prove so overwhelming to her screaming senses that she'd unconsciously dig her nails into his flesh, leaving thin scratch marks that would need to be healed later.
Her own instincts were screaming at her to do more, to lavish affections upon Hiei as he was doing to her. Opening her eyes she spotted the mark she'd left on his collar bone, the one that meant he was forever hers and hers alone. When he pulled back from her shoulder to catch his breath she hurriedly seized the moment and mirrored his actions by biting down possessively, and reopening the tender wound.
He loved her...he truly did. Such simple conclusions became evident in idyllic moments like these, when she cast all rationale aside and went with her most primal urges, as did he his.
Their pace had quickened, it wouldn't be long now. He felt his climax coming, and her wild responses to his every motion told him that she wasn't far from hers either. All they needed to do was hold on, and go with their every whim. Things would work out fine, if only they didn't stop to reason with everything. A bubbly ferry girl and an anti-social fire demon...an unlikely couple perhaps, but an unbeatable match nonetheless.
"Hiei..." Botan whimpered, lying back against the wooden surface beneath them.
Damn, he loved that sound. The sound of her whimpering his name completely lost in ecstasy, on the verge of euphoria. He wasted no time in claiming her mouth with his own. Their tongues roamed over every inch of their moist caverns. They both reached their climaxes almost simultaneously, crying out to their lover, holding fast to their mate.
(End of Lemon, it's safe to read, all's PG-13 and lower from this point people.)
"I love you koi," Botan managed after a few minutes of panting.
Hiei lifted his head from her chest, where he'd collapsed a short while before, "I'll love you always, Botan."
Their sentimental moment was short lived as a soft noise reached their ears.
Creak.
Bright magenta eyes widening a fraction Botan lifted her head to listen closer, "What was that?"
Shrugging Hiei laid his head back down, "It's probably nothing onna, just your neighbors moving about."
Creak!
"Hiei, there it is again." Botan stated, it sounded like it was coming from under the-
CREAK!
"AAAHHH!!!"
"AAAHHH!!!"
CRASH!!!
"...stupid baka ningen carpentry."
"Hiei Jaganeshi...YOU OWE ME A NEW TABLE!!!"
Amanda/Artiste: Lol, I could not resist! Hope I didn't make anyone too OOC in this chapter, it's not easy when ahem 'adult situations' are involved. Yes, I'm giving Yukina some credit in the 'knowing how to mate' department. But if her mother knew how then c'mon, Yukina's a smart enough person, she was probably either told, or figured it out herself. Reviews would be appreciated and taken as early Christmas presents! Flames will get you brick hard fruit cake. Next Chapter: Is Botan finally the proud mother-to-be of the next Jaganeshi generation? And how will everyone's favorite fire demon react when Kuwabara and Yukina announce themselves as mates? O.o'
