I ducked as another arrow came for my head and Kurama's whip cracked. Three armed warriors came out wearing the crest of my family. I stood up and held my hand up to Kurama. He glared at me.

"What do you warriors want?" I asked sternly despite my fear.

"We are looking for the Princess of Princesses that he stole for her home," the leader informed. I already knew that seeing as how I was the princess.

"Where is the King?" Kurama growled coming to my side.

I began to worry. I didn't trust what my father and Youko would do when they came face to face with one another.

"He is one his way to your castle at this moment," the leader smirked.

"And what does he intend to do?"

"Well, he intends to retrieve his daughter and once he accomplishes that, we are supposed to take you and this vixen back to the castle so he can have a word with you."

I kept quiet about the name he called me. I was so not a vixen. In the general term I was, being a female kitsune and all, but the way he said it was supposed to be in a sultry kind of way. If only he knew who I was.

Kurama growled and grabbed my arm. So he noticed the way this man talked about me too.

"Is she yours?" he asked.

Kurama's tailed whipped viciously back and forth. He was angry at this warrior and had no problem killing him in front of me. I didn't want to see any blood shed tonight, but I highly doubted that I would be able to stop Kurama if I had too. The three warriors talked amongst themselves, still watching us with sharp eyes. One, in particular, watched me more than Youko. He was smaller than his companions with fire red hair and cool black eyes. No doubt he was a fire demon from the southern villages. My father had recruited many different demons into his vast army of soldiers. Some were kitusne and some were neko and some were elemental demons. It was all a mixture of races in his army. His advisors warned him against this, saying that it may complicate things in the future, but my father had the largest army in history and present. I hated being related to my father at some points.

"Vixen," he said, "come over here for a moment."

I didn't move. I didn't even acknowledge him. He called me by a foul name, especially for a princess. He did not deserve to get my attention. Kurama smirked at my stubbornness.

"Didn't you hear me, whelp?" he barked, walking over to me. "I said come over here."

He grabbed my arm and my hair roughly. I winced in pain.

Kurama's whip went around the guard's wrist. "Let her go."

He glared at Kurama. "She isn't yours so get your weapon off of me. I am apart of the King's Royal Guard. I am trained by only the best and can easily defeat thieves like you," he said smugly.

I elbowed him hard in the gut and wrenched my arm up underneath his chin. He stumbled away and I went by Kurama. He had a smug smirk on his face. "I see."

"Hey, Paytah!" his leader called, laughing.

"What?" Paytah snapped.

"I wonder what the King would say to see you, on the ground, beaten by a mere woman. What do you say, Varun?"

Varun was the other man in this threesome of warriors. He was larger than his fellow soldiers with long wavy light blue hair and baby blue teary eyes. He, I presumed, came from the south as well since he had very dark skin.

Varun shrugged. "Paytah seems to have a soft spot for this…wench. Otherwise he'd already be killing her."

I had been called three vile names in less than an hour by these three men. Wait until my father heard about this. And then I remembered that to them I looked like a thief and they probably assumed that I was one, seeing as how I was with Youko Kurama, King of all Thieves. God how infuriating this was.

Just then a spark of red flames erupted in the sky. I went behind Kurama on instinct. He was larger, stronger, and had weapon while I had nothing against three of the Royal Guard. I used my brain when it came to sticky situations like this.

"That's the signal," Varun said.

"They are red," Paytah added, "which means that they didn't find the Princess."

"That means that the King with be in a very foul mood for these two," the leader smiled wickedly.

Great. That was just great.

We walked side my side, Kurama and I. The leader and Paytah were in front of us while Varun, being the larger one, was in back. I was terrified of what was going to happen. If these three couldn't recognize who I was, then how would my father? Or would he recognize me and punish his guards? My head was spinning with all the questions I was asking myself. I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Why did I have to be royalty? Why did I have to do things that normal peasant people didn't have to? Why did I have to be me?

I jumped as a hand grabbed my ass. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Varun was smiling at me. "Just wondered what it would fee like."

I glared at him. "Keep your filthy hands off me, vermin."

He laughed and put his large arm around my shoulder. Kurama glared at him.

"You are a feisty one, aren't you?"

People kept saying that lately. Maybe it was true. "Back off," I growled.

He bent low and whispered, "When this is done, I'll have to tame you."

I growled at him and elbowed him in the eye. He yelped in pain. "Bitch!"

"Sick bastard."

Paytah grabbed my waist and the leader grabbed Varun's arm.

"What's going on?"

"I was just getting acquainted with her and she attacked me," Varun lied, trying to sound innocent.

"You shouldn't lie," I spat, "It doesn't suit you and you can't anyway."

The leader slapped me. "Hush!"

I growled and tried to get away from Paytah's grasp. It didn't work. I screamed in frustration.

"Relax," Paytah whispered in my ear. His voice was oddly soothing. I struggled less in his arms, but I tensed up even more.

Varun grinned at me. "I'm sorry if I was too transfixed by your beauty to stop myself."

I snorted and I saw Kurama roll his eyes.

"You really shouldn't lie," Paytah said, "Even I could tell that that was one."

"Well at least I didn't get beat up by a thief, let alone a woman!"

Paytah growled. "Kimball…..shut him up before I do."

Kimball just waved his hand in the air. "Nonsense. If this woman needs to be tamed, we will just let Varun do it."

"Over my dead body," I said venomously.

"That can be arranged," Kimball said wickedly.

I stared at the leader. It was no coincidence that he was the leader. His name meant leader of warriors, but he did not know how to control them or even lead them very well. He was tall with long light pink hair and yellow eyes. His demon was unknown to me, but that only made him a more mysterious and dangerous opponent. However, I could tell that Kimball wasn't a person who could live up to his name. I felt a pang of pity for him.

"I dare you," I challenged slowly.

His eyes went wide. He couldn't believe that a woman was daring him to kill her, let alone challenging him.

"Are you challenging me?" he asked bewildered.

I rolled my eyes. "I have nothing to lose-"

"Except your life," he sneered.

"True, but if you keep the King waiting, you not only loose your title and position, but possibly your life if he's in a foul mood like you say he is."

He was stunned once again. I wanted to laugh at him. He seemed so surprised that a woman could actually speak intelligently. Where he came from, that was probably how most women spoke. They didn't find interest in men's conversations so they didn't try to learn the way they spoke. Some women in society were just bad examples of women altogether. And, since men need to be in control, they take this stereotype into thinking that all women are like this and get angry whenever they meet a woman not like the ones they know and hear about. I would have to change that.

"She's right, Kimball," Paytah whispered.

Varun just lowered his head. I looked around for Kurama. He was nowhere in sight. That sneaky son of a bitch! He left me here alone with three demons, two of which didn't care at all about me. I wanted to kill him. And then it hit me. I began to shake in Paytah's arm and I felt tears welling up. I realized how frightened I was. I realized the situation I was in and it terrified me. I collapsed in his arms and felt the tears roll down my cheeks. I didn't know why I was so terrified. I was fine before I noticed that Kurama had left. Did I really need him here to make me feel safe? God, I hoped not. That would only mean that I was getting attached to him or worse. I shivered at the thought.

"Damn that fox!" Kimball cursed.

"Let's just keep going," Paytah said, picking me up.

I tried to stop crying, but it only made it worse. I hated how terrified I was without Kurama. It made me sick. I let the tears fall freely, knowing that if I tried to stop them, I would only be making it worse.

"Princess……?" Paytah whispered looking down at me.

I looked up and smiled. "Yes?"

His eyes went wide and I knew he was about to drop me. I held on to him, tightly. I didn't want to get him in trouble and so far he wouldn't be. If he dropped me, I would have no choice, but to tell my father what he did.

"Kimball! Varun!" he yelled.

They turned and look at him.

"She's the Princess," he said. "We have her with us."

They started to laugh at him. "She's a thief," Kimball said. "She's trying to trick you into thinking that she is."

"I'm telling you she is," he argued and held up my necklace. "This is the Princess's necklace, given to her by her father for her mother."

Kimball shrugged. "She stole it from her, if the Princess is living here. Come on, Paytah, stop trying to argue with us. It is quite pathetic that you believe the common thief, let alone a vixen."

I growled at him. I wished he stop calling me vixen.

"Come on," Varun said, opening the doors to Kurama's castle.

"Hope you are ready to face the terrifying wrath of our King," Kimball sneered at me.

"I hope you are too," I muttered.


Hope you all enjoyed another short chapter! Reviews? Please and thank you!!