Happy Friday the 13th! Did anyone notice that? N-e way, I want to thank everyone who reviewed!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story.
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Botan dragged Youko into the living room and locked the door behind her. She closed the blinds and turned the light on. She put a few pillows under his head and winced at the sight of blood seeping through the snow-white robe that clothed the fox spirit.
She tugged tentatively at the sash around his waist. She blushed as the top of the robe fell to the floor to show Youko's well-shaped body.
(A/N: Only the top part of his body, you perverts!)
She stood to get some towels and moistened them. She wiped the blood from Youko's side and probed lightly around the bullet holes to feel how deep the bullets had gone.
Youko's eyes shot open. He sat up and stared at Botan with wide eyes. He clutched his robe to his body and darted to the far corner of the living room. His amber eyes glittered angrily at her.
"That didn't last long," she said to herself. "What's wrong with you? I thought you wanted me to fix you up. Did I do something wrong? Does your side hurt?"
Youko pulled himself tighter against the corner. "You touched me!" he exclaimed.
Botan fell over in typical anime grace. She quickly gathered her senses and sat up. "Of course I touched you! What do you expect me to do, blast the metal pieces out of you?"
"No, I suppose not." He relaxed enough to move from his protective crouch to a sitting position. He continued to study her, curiously this time. Nobody ever had the courage to make contact with his skin . . .especially not a female. Everyone in Makai was afraid of him. Most were even afraid to breathe in his presence, but here this human girl was, acting as if he were a normal person. She was even looking at his angelic figure without staring in an awestruck daze, nor was she afraid.
He cocked his head slightly. What was wrong with her? Her contact with his bare skin made him feel awkward. Now that he thought of it, he wasn't so sure if he liked people touching him all that much.
"Are you going to bleed all over my clean floor or are you going to let me fix your side or not?" Botan demanded.
"Just keep your hands off of me. I don't like to be touched," Youko replied, allowing Botan to walk towards him.
"I have to touch you to help you."
Youko inwardly flinched. He didn't want to be touched by this strange creature, but he didn't want his cover to be blown either if he healed it himself. He mentally slapped himself. Think, idiot! You are a fox demon and she is a mere human. There's no way you can be outsmarted by her or be cornered by her. He debated with himself.
"Well?" Botan asked.
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you have to do." He buried his hands into the folds of his robe and clenched his fists to keep himself from killing Botan as she touched his skin.
"You're very strange," Botan replied and inspected his wound. "The bullets are pretty deep. I might have to dig them out with tweezers."
"What's a tweezer?"
"It's a metal thing that can pick small things up." Botan retrieved them along with warm water and more towels. "This is a pair of tweezers." She brought it to his skin to begin the excavation.
Youko gasped and slapped the tweezers out of her hands.
"What now?!" Botan demanded.
"Those are cold! It's something from the depths of Reikai! Get it away!" Youko exclaimed and struggled against her grasp.
"You're a big baby. That's all you are," Botan realized slowly. "How in the world are you the demon everyone's afraid of?"
Youko stared at her. Had this human dared to insult him? Which of the three worlds had she crawled out of? She was amazing—amazing in a way that he didn't like in the least. "What did you call me?!"
"YOU! ARE! A! BABY!" came the reply. "You're whining like some human child! Are you a demon or are you a baby?"
"I'm a demon!"
"Then act like one! I don't know whether to hit you or laugh! I swear!" She seemed to fume over the way the fox demon was acting.
Youko growled and allowed the cold metal dig in his skin for the bullets.
"This will hurt some," Botan said sympathetically as saw him wince as the cold metal object pulled out a small, bloodstained bullet. She put it in a small bag she had brought after wiping the blood off. She picked up a wet towel and dabbed carefully at his side to wipe up the fresh blood.
"Are you done yet?" Youko demanded after what seemed forever to him.
"Keep your pants on," Botan murmured, gathering the final bullet.
"I don't wear pants," Youko scoffed.
Botan stared at him, her lips parted. "That . . .was a little further than I intended to go," she said with an embarrassed cough. "I didn't mean it literally."
"Then perhaps you should say what you mean rather than throw mindless clichés at me."
Botan sighed in irritation and wiped up the rest of the blood. She pressed one palm to the holes and put her other on top of it. She used her Reiki to heal the wound. "There! Wow," she added in awe and she ran a finger across the smooth skin where the wound had been. "I am good for something. I didn't know I had it in me." She smiled, continuing to admire her handiwork. "Good as new."
"Thank you, I suppose."
"You suppose?" Botan repeated incredulously.
"Yes. You insulted me and nearly froze me to death with this icy-cold, evil metal . . .whatever this is!" Youko held up the tweezers and shuddered.
"How can you . . .ugh, never mind!" Botan threw her hands up helplessly. "Why are you in the living world anyway?"
"Because I . . ." He trailed off. What was he going to say? To allow himself time to think, he adjusted the top of his robe and retied his sash. "I wanted to start over," he blurted out.
"Okay," Botan replied, drawing out the 'a'. She raised an eyebrow. "Start over how?"
"Everyone is afraid of me in Makai. Sometimes I need to have someone actually see me deep down for who I am."
"I've seen how you really are," Botan retorted with a giggle. "You aren't scary at all."
"You think that, but the Makai residents are so afraid that they can't sleep at night. I was hoping to lead a more fulfilling life here." He gave her a convincing dismal look. "Can you possibly understand how hard it is for me to live with everyone in fear of me? I want friends and the other nonsensical things that all humans have a right to have."
Botan looked at him sympathetically. "Oh, that's so sad. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be your friend."
"Really? Even after the way I acted?" Youko turned his head. "I don't deserve your kindness."
"You deserve a second chance."
"You're too kind to me," Youko exclaimed and did something he would never have done to anyone. He hugged her.
Botan seemed taken-aback. She hugged him back, feeling her face flush with an embarrassed happiness. "Wait, you need a disguise to live in the human world! You can't walk around with fox ears."
"I have one already. Nearly fifteen years ago, this hunter shot and killed me. My spirit took shape and escaped into the human world. I entered a pregnant woman's fetus and was reborn as a human."
"Then why did you go to Makai?"
"Because I needed to keep up my reputation or the demons would try to kill me."
"Oh. Show me what you look like, then."
Youko smiled. "No, not yet. I need to learn more about you first."
(A/N: Note, please, that what Youko just said wasn't 'suggestive', k? You perverts . . .* shakes head sadly *)
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There. Another chapter! Pretty please review!