I hate disclaiming, but I'm sure you understand…
A/N: ARIGATO MINNA! So many people read them, I'm sooo touched. (bow respectfully) and thank you Mekia for reviewing, you are the BEST! The answers to all your questions is in within this chapter…(wink)
Chapter 15: Because Nothing Can Last Forever
'ITTAI! ITTAI! Can't you be a little gentler?' Ranma shouted wincing in pain.
Resha rolled her eyes. 'Baka! You shouldn't have underestimated him!'
'How should I know he's a shape shifter? Darn it!' Ranma started a string of curses as Resha continued to heal him. The match was a close call, he almost lost! Of course he got a lot of injuries that made his twin quite crossed and worried.
Just then, Hiei got off the stage. He had just won his battle.
Resha turned to him and saw the gash on his side. Putting a hand over it, she healed him completely.
'Hn.'
You're welcome.' Resha replied so-so. She was getting used to Hiei's monosyllabic. She coped with him superbly besides Kurama.
Yukina came by and gave both Ranma and Hiei a drink. As she gave it too Hiei, Resha noticed something very similar between the two. She couldn't tell what though but kept her gaze on the two for a long time.
"What is so odd about them standing beside each other like that? Something is so… same. Hmm… same crimson eyes, same pale cheek, same round face… matte! It can't be!" Resha eyes widen when a thought hit her hard. She was about to say something when Hiei interrupted her mind suddenly.
"Hn. So you have noticed. You better don't say anything or I'll slit your throat here and now!" Hiei threatened telepathically at her, sitting beside her.
Resha raised an eyebrow, smirking. "My, my! How forbidding you sound." She said back in her mind indifferently.
Hiei shot her a death glare which she ignored.
'Okay! Okay, I'll stay quiet but you better tell me everything if you want me to shut up loooooonnng!' she grinned at him.
'Hn. baka vixen.' He cursed irritably.
'Oh, I'm a vixen now? I thought I was a brat!' she chuckled lightly.
Hiei only rolled his eyes.
There were two matches that day as they defeated their first opponent quite easily, at least Hiei and Kurama did. Ranma was still quite mad about his.
Resha went up to made lunch with Yukina and when the two finished, the boys walked in, with four new faces.
'Guys, meet Resha. Resha, meet Jin, Touya, Chuu and Rinku. They were our former opponents in the last dark tournament. We're sort of… friends now… I think.' Yuusuke introduced grinning.
Resha smiled at them and studied each one swiftly but quite thoroughly. She could easily tell Jin was a bubbly youkai and is the easiest to tolerate. Touya seemed cold and distant. "Another Hiei." She thought.
"I heard that, vixen!" Hiei's voice rang suddenly in her mind.
Resha laughed nervously in her mind, a huge sweatdrop behind her head. She thought Chuu looked like a half-drunk man and Rinku seemed to like her… a lot. "There goes my charm!" she pondered in amusement.
Yuusuke then began to tell her how they met and fought and all. Resha listened attentively, curious beyond words since she picked up interesting ki(chi) from each and every one of them.
'Very interesting, so… are you guys gonna fight each other again if you meet in the match?' Resha asked as they ate.
'Of course! I would certainly wan' to 'ave a rematch with Yuusuke! It'll be interesting!' Jin said in his Irish accent energetically. (Sorry if it doesn't sound like one.)
'You'll get it next time.' Touya growled at Kurama menacingly. Kurama only smiled inoffensively.
'Mpfh…' Chuu said as he ate. The others sweatdropped.
'Kuwabara's nothing!' Rinku boasted to Resha. 'I'll just win again.'
Kuwabara began to shout.
'WHO ARE YOU CALLING NOT–' he was suddenly bashed by Ranma.
'Don't shout in my ears, dammit!' Ranma said angrily, as he was sitting beside him and got the full impact.
Resha was about to say something when the door slammed open and Kinu walked in.
'Hey sweetheart!' Kinu greeted Resha, grinning when he saw her eyes twitched.
Whack!
'Who are you calling your sweetheart?' Resha swiftly banged a mallet accurately on his head.
Kinu dropped to the floor. He then looked up at her, eyes streaming down like waterfalls. 'Don't you like me anymore?'
Everyone sweatdropped.
'Of course I like you, but not in the way you're thinking!' Resha rolled her eyes and helped him up.
Almost simultaneously, Kinu rolled his eyes also. 'Yeah, yeah. You and your fox fetish.' He muttered, making Resha suddenly grinned. He then turned towards the four guests. 'So here are where you guys are. Master Yomi has been looking for you. Get back to your rooms.' He ordered.
The four grumbled. Resha blinked. 'They are under Yomi?' she asked. The four nodded along with Kinu.
'Yup! But Kinu here is in rank 'ier than us.' Jin explained happily.
'Higher rank? I see…' Ranma nodded.
'So… this Resha is the girl you've been talking about lately?' Rinku asked a tad disappointed.
Kinu nodded and Resha gave a sudden glare. 'Talking behind my back?' she asked.
'Nothing bad, certainly.' He assured her quickly. 'I come here to take you somewhere…' Kinu trailed when he saw the mock in her eyes.
'And what makes you think I'll go with you?' she dared.
Kinu smirked and suddenly turned into his full-fox form.
Resha eyes turned starry. In an instant she was hugging him. 'FOX! Kawaii! I'll go with you.' She declared promptly.
The others, including the tantei, made a sudden face fault.
'Baka!' Ranma and Hiei muttered. After that, Resha went out with Kinu.
Kurama didn't protest although he didn't like the idea one bit. It would have seemed odd if he objected out of the blue so he had to let her go with him.
"Don't worry, she'll come back." Youko teased.
"Shut up!" Kurama said edgily.
"My, my. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Youko continued laughing.
Kurama only growled.
'What are we doing here for, Kinu?' Resha asked as she looked around. They were now in the forest.
'Your youki. You still can't control it well enough and you need some good moves so I thought I took this particular time to teach you. And you should know by now that some of your senses had increased.'
'Hai. I noticed my hearing is getting extremely acute and I can see clearer at night. My smell increases a bit… and also my need to fool around.'
'Fox instinct.' He assured her grinning. 'You can do many things with your youki especially your ice element. Do you want me to teach you?' he asked her seriously.
'Yes.' She nodded with the same tone.
'Good. Let us get started, shall we?'
A few hours later
'You learn very quickly. I'm impressed!' Kinu said as they sat on the forest floor, exhausted.
Resha smiled wearily. She's been training seriously and it worn her out. She leaned against him and he put his arms around her, supporting her.
'What's wrong?' he asked worriedly, stroking her silky hair.
She smiled contently when she heard his caring tone. So he was still the overprotective fox she had known. It's good to know that. 'You shouldn't have left that time.' She said quietly.
He blinked for a second before he realized what she was trying to tell him. 'I couldn't stay with you forever. I have a master to protect, and I thought that I was going too soft.'
'You did!' she chuckled lightly. 'I changed you.'
'Yes. And hell knows how I'm going to stop being so protective towards you. You were so precious to me, and you still are.' He said and spun her to look directly into his eyes.
'I cried for a whole two months after you left.' She continued bitterly. 'You should have known that I'll cry if you go but you still left me.'
'Nothing last forever. Even I can't be with you eternally. You should know that.'
She nodded weakly.
'What happened after I left?' Kinu asked curiously.
'I was depressed. I guess… I did like the way you were always protecting me like your own cub. I refused to train and I just felt really lonely after loosing you. You were the closest person I had beside Ranma. But two months afterwards, when Pop was out, a youkai attacked us and Ranma tried to protect me. It was there and then that I realized I don't want to loose him too. Pop came afterwards and managed to defeat the youkai. I cried again. I was so scared…' she trailed sadly and Kinu put his arms around her, comforting her. 'It was then that I made an oath. I'll do anything to make him happy. I want to become strong and protect Ranma until the day I die. That was the last time I ever cried. I became so serious in training after that, in fact, I became serious in everything. But now… I can't do that anymore. He's strong on his own, he can think for himself, and mom was right… I can't protect him forever. And you are right too… nothing can last forever.' She finished faintly.
'No, nothing can.' He said placidly and warped her tighter in his arms. He nuzzled his nose in her neck. She was starting to play havoc with his sense. Very slowly, he released his male fox ki.
'You are not a little girl now. I've turned you into a beautiful masterpiece.' He said huskily, stroking the side of her cheek.
Resha's mind went blank leisurely. She closed her eyes momentarily and opened it to look directly into his amethyst ones. Kinu smiled at her and slowly leaned for a kiss.
'Erm. Erm.' A cough sounded somewhere from behind.
Kinu cursed but Resha was still in a daze.
'Huh?' she blinked as Kinu got up to face the intruder.
'What do you want, Kurama?' Kinu asked, glaring at him.
Kurama eyed him with the same fierce glare. 'Isn't it time for Resha to get back? She's going to miss dinner.' He said coolly.
'Ah… dinner. Is it really that late? I wanna eat.' Resha said getting up, still feeling dizzy.
Kinu growled and gave Kurama an angry look before he rapidly disappeared.
Kurama watched the other fox went away before turning to Resha. She looked lightheaded. It's obvious she didn't know what Kinu had done to her. He held her by the shoulders.
'Are you alright?' he asked.
Resha shook her head, unable to utter a word. She was fairly embarrassed that he saw what had almost happened and was more confused as to why she acted that way.
Kurama sighed. Well, there's only one thing to do…
Resha felt Kurama tilted her chin up and her eyes widen slightly when he suddenly kissed her. It was genially a soft, innocent kiss. When he pulled away from her, she realized, her mind was now clear.
'Can you think clearly now?' he asked frowning.
'Uh…yeah.' She said and quickly turned away when she felt herself going red. Thank goodness it was about dark! 'Why are you here?'
Kurama heaved another sigh before falling into steps alongside her. 'You didn't come back for a long time and it's getting dark. I got worried so I came to look for you. Do you know what he just did to you?'
She shook her head.
'Male fox scent. He tried to lure you into… uh…' he thought of the best way to say it. '…a deeper relationship.' He finished.
Resha cringed, understanding what he was trying to say. 'What ever for?'
He stopped walking and looked at her strangely.
'What?' she asked innocently.
'Dear lord.' He muttered and continued to walk.
'What?' she asked, annoyed he didn't answer her question.
'Resha please, bear in mind that you are now also a female fox, not a cub for heaven's sake. You were leading him on.'
'I was not!' she replied defiantly.
'You were turning him on anyway. What do you expect from another fox…male fox to react to you, especially in such distance?'
'The way you react! You are a fox, and a male, and you don't try anything…except that one particular time, but just that once.' She frowned and he blushed.
"You never knew, and you'll never know." Kurama thought, eyeing her forlornly.
'Did you hear everything?' she suddenly asked silently.
Kurama was quiet for a while. 'Yes.' He said emotionlessly. From what he heard, the two seemed to be in a seriously deep relationship and that bugged him a lot.
'I only knew him as a fox that time, before we met each other again a few months ago when I first meet Yomi. So… no need to be jealous.' She uttered carelessly.
'I'm not jealous! I'm just worried. Besides, why should I be jealous?' he said edgily.
'No, I guess not. Why should you be jealous? Hmm… maybe because you don't have a girlfriend yet, or just being a little too overprotective brother, hmm Aniki?' she teased.
'If dinner is already finished, don't blame me.' He said without warning as they were now out of the woods.
'Ahh…they can't do that! My dinner!' she shouted, now that food is the main conversation. She ran towards their stay, leaving Kurama shaking his head in disbelief, smiling at her sudden childishness.
A/N: Like the last part? It's my fav! Hmmm… I didn't mean to put Jin, Touya, Rinku, nor Chuu in this tournament at all. But since there's people wanting them to be in it(guess who!), I somehow manage to slip them inside. The next chapter will be about Resha vs. Touya. Hmm… I wander what happens when ice meets ice.(smirk) Tune in next time in chapter 16: Ice Vs Ice.
