A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to those who reviewed...so thankyou very very much and hope you like this chapter.
The Necklace: Part Four
"Naughty, Kurama. Really naughty." Kurunoe said as he peered through the bushes to check out their prey.
"Is she still there?" Kurama asked. He was beside Kurunoe but his back was facing the bushes.
"She is, she is still there." Kurunoe confirmed, smiling mischievously to himself, his eyes still focused on the girl.
"Is she wearing the necklace?" Kurama asked again.
"Oh, yes. She is definitely wearing the necklace. I'm pretty sure about that." Kurunoe said as he let out a low whistle.
"Stop that, its annoying me. What are you whistling about?" Kurama asked curiously.
"Because…" He signaled Kurama to take a look at their prey, "…That necklace is all she's wearing right about now."
Kurama peered through the bushes. And as what Kurunoe has just said, the girl was indeed naked. Her body was completely submerged in the water as she bathes herself, giving her audience a blurry picture of her bareness. The pendant of her necklace stayed afloat, indicating that it was the only thing she was wearing.
"Boy, am I lucky today." Kurama said to himself as he smiled naughtily.
"Incredible gem, isn't it?" Kurunoe remarked.
"And you are referring to… the girl or the necklace?" Kurama raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"The gem, you pervert!" Kurunoe said laughing.
"Yes. It is incredible. It floats on water. That's pretty extraordinary, considering it is quite heavy." Kurama said, his eyes never leaving girl.
"So, how do we do this?" Kurunoe asked.
"What 'this' are you talking about?"
"How do we get the necklace?" Kurunoe rephrased his question.
"We don't." Kurama said.
"What?!"
"Because 'I' will get it. Not 'we'." Kurama answered.
"Oh… " Kurunoe replied, his eyes laughing as he gave Kurama that I-know-what-you're-up-to look.
"Hey, don't take me wrong. It's not because she's naked. It's because she got the necklace from me. She fooled me with her little act and I want retribution."
"That's all?" Kurunoe asked, teasing him.
"Yeah, that's all!" Kurama said.
"Well, okay. But have you ever considered fighting with a naked woman?" Kurunoe asked.
"You know what? You are the pervert here." Kurama chuckled.
"No, seriously. Have you considered it? Want to try it out right now?" Kurunoe implied jokingly.
"No. Let's wait for her to get dressed up."
"Oooh… Kurama is a gentleman after all!" Kurunoe cooed.
"Hey, it's not that. I have a feeling she might get the advantage if I fight her that way." Kurama chortled.
"Thank you for the great show. I really enjoyed it." Kurama said as he walked towards the girl.
She had just finished dressing up and was already on her way out of the river. Her face showed no surprise that the youko had showed up.
"I won't give it back." The girl said, ignoring his malicious comment.
"Then don't give it back. But I'm taking it, whether you like it or not." Kurama said haughtily.
"You're not taking it."
"Really?" Kurama arched an eyebrow.
"You have to fight me." The girl said seriously.
"Fight you? I don't do weaklings. It makes me feel worse than I already am." He smiled.
"You think I'm that easy, huh?" The girl positioned herself for the fight, her eyes showing no expression at all.
"Easy? You're more than easy." Kurama said, trying the girl's patience. He knows the girl wasn't that easy. He could feel her ki clearly now. And the fact that she was able to hide it from him yesterday was sign enough that she is nowhere near easy -that is, for the average youkai. But for him, she is probably a piece of cake.
"Quit fooling around, youko. Fight me." The girl said.
"You know what? Stop playing hero and let me have the necklace. I never really liked the idea of killing pretty girls. Not that being pretty matters, it's just that it's not in my schedule today." Kurama said mockingly.
The girl raised an eyebrow. And in one smooth motion, she threw something at Kurama's direction. It was the technique she uses. She was able to make invisible razor-sharp objects.
Normally, an average youkai wouldn't see what she had thrown at him but Kurama is not in that category, he was able to see it quite clearly.
Quickly, he summoned his rosewhip. He stopped the object from hitting him straight in the head with the whip.
"Is that all you can do?" Kurama teased after nearly getting hit.
The girl smirked but didn't say anything back. She knows it would be a miracle to beat the youko. She has to admit that she didn't know his skills well. It was foolish of her to actually challenge him on a fight, not knowing what the youko is capable of actually doing. And from what Aya had told her, the youko is to be feared of. 'He could kill mercilessly, he's a cruel thief.' - were Aya's exact words.
Well, she has no choice. Fighting him was all she can do to keep the necklace away from him. Whatever the outcome of this fight may be, she only hoped it would favor her.
She closed her fist and when she opened it again, invisible razor-sharp objects appeared at the tip of her fingers. She threw it in Kurama's direction. She repeated the attack again and again. The objects flew faster each time she throws them at Kurama.
The girl was quick. But being able to see her invisible weapon made it easy for Kurama to avoid them. With the rosewhip in his hand, he was able to shun all of them away from him.
That was all Kurama needed to see - what the girl was capable of doing before he could start his attack. She was good, but not good enough to beat him. What he had just seen was all he had anticipated and he could almost feel the necklace back on his hand, where it should be.
In his act of avoiding her attacks, he had thrown two seeds at the direction of the girl. With his command, the seeds grew and sharp, thick vines enveloped the girl's feet up to her waist.
She was already locked on where she was standing. She didn't anticipate that he could do that. She continued throwing her weapon at him, the razor-sharp objects where triple the size of the first ones she had thrown. She couldn't let him get near her.
After a while, Kurama aimed his rosewhip at the girl's direction. In a smooth, quick motion, the whip was able to tie both the girl's hands behind her back. It circled from her closed fists up to her arms. Her hands were locked and one movement from her would result to great wounds his plant and rosewhip could inflict. She was now defeated - and helpless.
"Not even a scratch." Kurama remarked after he made sure the girl couldn't attack him anymore.
The girl looked at him with her same expressionless eyes. She knows the fight is over. She didn't win. But she can't let him see that she had accepted defeat. If he gets the necklace, she would have to take it back tomorrow. If he killed her, then she swore to find a way to come back and get revenge.
"If I remember it right, you were saying you're not 'easy'. I guess your right, you are 'too easy'." Kurama said smiling as he walked closer to the girl.
Kurama felt the girl stiffened as he came nearer. Was it because of fear? He didn't know. The girl's face doesn't show any sign of it. Her eyes didn't tell him much either. In both of their encounters he had only seen determination and wrath in those eyes. Nothing more.
Was it because she never feared him? Kurama was insulted. A female weakling wasn't afraid of him. Perhaps he should teach her to be afraid of him. Yes, he would do just that. A little torture would do her ego some good.
"You're not scared of me, are you?" Kurama breathed down her face as he snatched the necklace from her.
The girl remained silent as she looked at him straight in the eye. Her eyes still bear no expression.
Kurama studied the girl's face. He was right about her being pretty without all that dirt on her face. Her skin looked smooth, her eyes were of dark purple and they were heavily lashed. Again, he thought of how completely feminine she would look if not from her cold eyes.
His gaze settled on her soft lips. A small smile played on his mouth as he thought of pleasuring himself before he'd start his torture to the girl.
Still holding the whip with his left hand, he lowered to kiss her. The girl attempted to turn her head away but Kurama's right hand grabbed her hair on the back to steady her head before she could turn away.
Kurama forced her mouth open and thrust his tongue inside. He began to kiss her hard. She wasn't kissing him back but he didn't mind.
He continued kissing her roughly. Pleasuring himself while unknowingly torturing the girl. He couldn't care less if she didn't want to be kissed. He was enjoying himself already.
He felt the girl's ki rise up. But he didn't stop, it had risen but it was still no threat to him. Then, he sensed the girl's arms moved. He heard the sound made by the thorns as it penetrated her skin.
Was she trying to free herself? He stopped to look at what she was trying to do. Surprise covered his face as he saw her tear-stained cheeks. For the first time he could make out fear in her eyes. No, not just fear -- great fear and panic.
She was looking at him like a frightened little girl. She seemed fragile now and so helpless. He never thought kissing her that way would make her this afraid of him. He never thought that kissing her was enough torture for her.
Afraid of him. Really afraid of him. That is what he wanted her to be, right? But somehow he didn't feel that way right now. The look on her face made him feel like he had abused a helpless girl.
No, he wasn't thinking about rape. He wasn't the type to get pleasure from raping women. What he had in mind was just a kiss. He realized that the kiss was too much for this girl.
Was he feeling sorry? It was just a kiss! Why is she making a big deal out of it? She was way too fragile, too pure, too delicate - and so damn beautiful to be treated that way, he concluded.
He noticed that the girl's arms were heavily bleeding. Without thinking, he loosened the whip and commanded the plant on her feet to release her.
The girl quickly walked backwards to a safer distance. But she didn't leave screaming for help. She stayed there and positioned herself for a fight. But this time her eyes weren't expressionless. It held a mixture of fear, pain, wrath and determination.
"The fight is over. Go home." Kurama said.
"Give me back my necklace! Damn you!" The girl shouted.
Kurama fell silent. He have to give it to this girl when it comes to determination. The necklace seems to be very important to her.
"I usually don't fight with injured opponents. So let's make a deal here. I'll hold on to this necklace for a few more days. Once you're healed, come back and fight me for it. And if you beat me, I'll never bother taking your necklace again. Is that okay with you?" Kurama compromised.
"How do I know you're not playing with me?" She asked.
"I'm giving you my word." Kurama said. He honestly didn't know what he was trying to do. He felt guilty. Why? He doesn't have a clue. All he knows is that he has to somehow make it up to this girl.