Disclaimer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kaori and Yoko are walking through a forest. They were quiet. "Why didn't you run?" Yoko finally asked. "What do you mean?" Kaori asked. "When hunters shot me you didn't run. Why?" he asked again. "I don't know. Something just told me to protect you, that's all. Blame it on instinct," she replied with a shrug. Yoko went silent in thought. Kaori's ears twitched. She swerved around and pressed her back up against a tree. "Someone's coming," she said in a low voice.

Yoko closed his eyes and focused on listening. He heard many running footsteps only a few hundred yards away. "Come on," he hissed, grabbing Kaori's hand and running. Yoko continued to listen to the humans. From their conversation, they were obvious bounty hunters, the humans that Yoko had been trying so hard to avoid. Worse still they were getting closer. "Hurry," he urged. The hunters were now in sight.

BAM!

The sound of a gunshot cracked in their ears. More quickly followed. Gun powder filled their noses and their mouths. Kaori began to cough but continued running forward. Another gunshot and Kaori clutched at her side. Nevertheless she ran for dear life. The two foxes ran out of the woods and stopped. They stood before a drop-off cliff with rapids at the bottom.

There was no choice.

"We have to jump. Yoko, I can't swim," Kaori said gripping her bleeding side. Underneath his calmly featured face Yoko was panicking. He needed to get out of there but He couldn't leave the girl behind. How the hell was he supposed to do this? Making a quick decision he picked up Kaori.

"What-?" Kaori asked. "Hang on," he said as he tightened his grip on her. He jumped over the cliff's edge. When they hit the rapids they tossed and turned. Yoko felt like Kaori was going to be torn from his arms but he clung to her. Kaori just knew that her lungs were going to burst and couldn't hold her breath any longer. She gasped for air but only managed to fill her lungs with water. They slammed into rocks. Yoko tried to grab one but slipped and almost dropped Kaori. She clung as tight as she could onto Yoko's body.

Finally the rapids stopped and the water was smooth. Yoko swam to shore. He laid Kaori on the ground. She moaned and began coughing up the water that she had swallowed. Her wound was still bleeding badly and she was shivering.

"Kaori?" Yoko asked his hand hovering just over her face. She gave no response, not even opening her eyes. Yoko quickly and gently removed the bullet from her side. Even in her unconscious state Kaori screamed from the pain. Yoko grabbed her and held her tight, muffling the noise with his shirt.

After she finally stopped he carefully laid her back down. He tore off some of his shirt and wrapped it around her waist. Quickly, he built a fire to warm her but she continued to shiver. He gathered her in his arms to warm her with his own body heat. She finally ceased shaking and slept peacefully.

He began to wonder why he was acting this way. Why did he care so much for this little fox spirit's life? 'To get the diamond' he finally convinced himself. Regardless of what his mind said to him the heart that no one thought he had told a different story. One that he did not wish to hear and brushed to the side.

The diamond was all that mattered. The diamond and himself… and Kaori, his heart added. He shook away the thought and refused to look down at Kaori's face, afraid of what his heart would tell his mind to do. Even with his attempts he saw Kaori's face in his mind. He saw her smile. He saw her healing him. He saw her dancing on the stage. His lips tingled at the memory of there mouths touching. He could distinctly taste her citrus-like flavor in his mouth.

'What would it be like to taste that again? Would it be the same as before?'

He shook away the thought. Why would he want to do that? Stupid fox… He glanced down at Kaori's face, gentle and quite vulnerable from slumber. She was definitely a beautiful one. Her long black hair pooled around her like a dark veil and her skin stood soft and pale against it. Her long dark eyelashes brushed against her cheeks. And her lips… Oh how he wanted to taste those beautiful light pink lips…

He rolled his eyes at himself and decided that until he tasted her again he would not be satisfied. Much like the bloodlust, this feeling would not be shrugged off. He lowered his face to hers and gently let their mouths connect. He ran his tongue over her lips, nipped them, sucked at them. Yes… she still tasted like freshly picked oranges… He smiled against her lips and finally pulled away.

Alright… so Kaori was better for some things than others…

R and R! Please?