Sosaku's eyes glared angrily from above the white strip of cloth that served as a gag. That man had shoved her into a SUITCASE. A SUITCASE! She was now being bounced around and, quite frankly, did NOT like it. As soon as she got out of here... She'd CRUSH that jerk. She got her wish swiftly, as she had been in here for several hours. She found herself being lifted, carried for a long time, and- after another fifteen minutes- set down. The man opened the suitcase and dumped Sosaku to the ground unceremoniously, greeted by a flurry of curses through the gag.
Sosaku struggled to sit up, but before she could do anything else, the man picked her up and set her on a squishy leather chair. She looked up at him, her eyes deadly. He merely laughed and turned away. Sosaku sat up straight and saw that they were in a small apartment, and they were not alone. Another man sat curled up across the room- a den or living room, to be precise- in a chair identical to hers. The other man sat up and yawned, stretching languidly. Sosaku watched him. Golden eyes with slit-like pupils, orange hair with cream-colored streaks, tall and thin yet muscular. And... He had cat ears. And a cat tail! Oh, if she weren't in a possibly life-threatening situation, she would run over and scratch behind those adorable ears just to hear him purr! As if to respond to her thoughts, the man stood slowly and walked over to her, his movements liquid. He leaned down and smiled to her, rubbing his cheek lightly over her hair, causing her own cheeks to warm over.
The man straightened. "My name is Edan. The man over there," he said as he gestured over his shoulder to the blonde man,"is Rhys." He bent down a little and whispered with a wink, "I'm nicer than he is, I promise." Sosaku's eyes widened a little as his orange-striped tail slipped around and pulled the gag from her mouth. She was silent for a moment, looking into Edan's beautiful golden eyes... She blinked, forcing herself to snap out of it. "Where am I?" she asked. She was surprised at how soft and timid her voice sounded.
Edan smiled again. "You're in Kyoto. Don't worry, though; we don't want to hurt you. Well, I don't THINK we'll have to... But you do have to cooperate, okay?" he said gently. His voice washed over her like a wave of warm honey, smooth and comforting.
Sosaku nodded. "B-But... I want to go home!"
"You will soon. Don't worry." he said before turning and walking off into another room. As he walked away, Sosaku noticed his tail protruding from his spine, just above his rear. It swished gracefully and seemed to be a portrayer of his mood and personality.
"Soft-hearted moron." muttered Rhys.
Sosaku glared at him. "When I get out of here, you are gonna be dead."
"Whatever..." he mumbled, turning away.
"No, beter yet... Hiei'll come. He's always watching over me, and when he finds out about this... Ooh, you'll have no ass at all. It'll be a burnt crisp."
He shrugged, sighing. "I'm so frightened." He turned to walk away.
"H-Hey!" Sosaku squeaked. "Don't I get somethin to eat! It's a long way from Tokyo to Kyoto in a freakin suitcase!"
Rhys waved a hand over his shoulder. "It's getting dark. You should sleep. I'll get that idiot Edan to fix you breakfast tomorrow if you shut up right now. Otherwise, you can just starve for all I care."
Sosaku felt tears stinging her eyes. "But... I..." She gave up, slumping down into the comfortable chair as she began to cry.
Rhys turned to her. "Don't cry. Really, don't. Just... go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." He turned and left to go into the room that Edan had went into.
Sosaku sniffled and bit her lip stubbornly. Don't cry. she told herself. Hiei is probably already on his way. He won't stop till I'm safe...

Sosaku opened her eyes, long lashes fluttering. She glanced around momentarily, finding that she had been moved to a pretty little room, in a bed with a canopy. There was a lamp on a small table beside the bed, and a vase with three white roses in it. She smiled and sat up carefully, finding that she was no longer tied up. She lay under satin sheets that felt very nice against her legs... She yanked the covers back up to her neck in alarm as she realised she was in her underwear. Who the hell took my clothes! she thought angrily.
Speak of the Devil, enter Edan. He walked over to her, each step purposeful but slow. He carried with him a pair of loose, black cotton pants and a black top with a silver Chinese collar and silver Chinese buttons. He smiled and set them on the table beside her. "Awake, I see. I expect you're hungry?"
Sosaku blushed, brow furrowing. "Who undressed me?"
Edan smirked. "I wouldn't let that worry me... Are you hungry?"
Sosaku nodded petulantly, glaring at the clothes he had set beside her.
He perched on the edge of the bed, looking very cat-like. That's obvious... But his manner was cat-like as well. He shifted, rubbing the back of his hand against his temple. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked simply.
Sosaku watched him suspiciously. "I dunno. Surprise me."
"I don't know what you would like."
"You can guess." she replied stubbornly.
He looked up at her, a bit annoyed. "I don't know what humans eat. I eat mice. And rats."
Sosaku blinked, though she knew she shouldn't be surprised. "Fine then... Pancakes, I suppose..." She paused for a moment, staring at him quizzically. "You... You really eat mice?" she asked hesitantly.
He brought his hands to his mouth- or paws, as it seems, though they looked like ordinary hands- and blinked cutely. "Yes..." he purred, holding out the 's'.
Sosaku smiled in spite of herself. "You're so cute!"
Edan blinked in surprise for a moment, then grinned. "Why thank you." He hesitated for a moment, then slipped up beside her and stretched out, laying his head on her shoulder gently. "You're very kind."
Sosaku stroked his hair softly and scratched behind his ears, listening to him purr. She felt that she was going completely insane, since this was one of the men that kidnapped her. But he was just... so... ADORABLE.
Edan purred and leaned into her hand for a moment, then got up. "Get dressed." he said, smiling. "Pancakes are on the way."
Sosaku didn't mobe for a moment after he left, instead opting to think of the adorable kitty boy. Why was her kidnapper being so kind? It just didn't make sense. She was really confused, and debated some more as she dressed herself. And why wasn't Hiei here yet? He should have found her by now. But after meeting Edan... Would she want to return to her normal life? What if Edan and Rhys had come to take her to some new and exciting place? Would she want to return to that human school, with those boring teachers and tests, her bland weekends... But... they weren't bland when she spent them with Kurama. Kurama!
She twitched uncertainly, glancing at the vase of roses by the bed. Kurama liked roses... She suddenly found herself longing to see him, to see his beautiful, kind smile... She shivered and sat back down on the bed. She had never thought about Kurama that extensively. She had always merely seen him as a friend. And he had kept his distance, but had become her truest companion. He had listened to all her problems, anything she wished to tell him. She had even told him about her missing her mother and father... He had told her about them on several occassions, since he had lived many hundred years before her, and would probably live many hundred years after. She had always cherished those moments. They would sit together, and if there was a fire in the fireplace, she would look at his face directly, and notice the intensity of his eyes as he spoke of her mother... She had often wondered what his relationship with her mother was, because he spoke of her with such fondness. But he always laughed when he spoke of Damian. She liked that, and she would smile and feel better. Kurama had the kindest of hearts.
She reached out and plucked a rose from the vase, pressing it to her face. It was easy for her to imagine Kurama's soft green eyes watching over her, keeping her safe...

End Chapter Two