Rei says:

Welcome…(finally)…to chapter twenty, everyone!
I really have to apologize for the wait…I know I promised this chapter by my birthday - which was well over a month ago, I know – but things have been extremely hectic with my life, with school and everything. Nothing I say now can make it better. –bows over and over- Gahh! Rei is sorry! –bangs head against wall-

Anyways – I think the end of this chapter will make everything better. It's chapter twenty, so something special should happen, right? That's what I think. Deimus's words interfering in the scene makes it all the more dramatic. What do you think?

I have to say thanks to my friend Emily – because, once again, if it weren't for her and her death threats, this chapter probably would have been up in a few more months or so. (I've been getting very lazy and suffering from mild writer's block at the moment). I don't think chapter twenty-one will be up for a long while, so forgive me in advance for that.

Thank you to those who reviewed Chapter 19!
Koji Shikage, Madhatterness, CryOfTheGhost, Konane Shadow Wolf,
OneNightOneDream, keia mizuki, xxTDAxx (see? I abbreviated it for ya' lol),
Du Weldenvarden Farcai, Mary, 14thShrineMaiden, Foxlover, Gure,
aoinochi, and Ayumi Fujiwara (a.k.a. Emily).

Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you next time!

Chapter 20

"You can put your suitcase in the guest room," Kurama said, once they entered his house. Kana blinked, looking around the house, wondering how long it had been since she'd last been here. Suddenly, she realized she hadn't been paying attention, and she looked back at him, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, somewhat stupidly, and she kicked herself inwardly for not listening. Kurama smiled.

"The guest room. You can put your bag in there. It's where you were last time, remember?"

Kana blushed, remembering that day as if it were years upon years ago, when he had found her in the rain and she passed out from exhaustion. He brought her back to his house, letting her stay the night. She nodded, shaking off the thoughts. "All right," she agreed, and he led her upstairs into the room.

He opened the door and she stepped inside, setting her bag down on the floor near the bed. She looked back at Kurama, who had been standing in the doorway, watching her with a faraway expression on his face. She put her hands on her hips playfully.

"What?" she asked him, smirking. He blinked, snapping out of his trance, looking embarrassed. He gave her an awkward smile.

"It's nothing," he said quickly. His eyes darted to her wrist, where the bracelet from Kuga dangled. "What's this?" he asked, coming closer. He took her hand and inspected the bracelet, his eyes narrowing to slits. The ruby star seemed to sparkle at that moment.

"It's a gift from a friend," she responded guardedly, taking her hand back from him. "Nothing else." Kurama watched her closely for a moment, then sighed.

"Do you need help unpacking?" he asked her gently. Kana shook her head. "Well then, dinner will be ready soon. Are you hungry?"

As if those were magic words, her stomach began rumbling. Kurama chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said amusedly as he left, closing the door behind him. Kana looked after him, sighing, her cheeks tinted red. She swerved her yellow eyes back to her suitcase and unzipped it, beginning to place clothing into the empty dresser that stood next to the bed.

After dinner, Kana retreated back to the guest bedroom, sitting down on the bed, lost in thought. She was finally out of her aunt's house and she was back with her friends in the one place she missed most. What more could she ask for?

She was pondering this when there came a knock at the door. Kana blinked. "Yeah?"

Kurama poked his head in. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, why?" she asked, puzzled. He gave a small shrug.

"You don't look so good," he replied.

Kana grinned. "Gee, thanks," she responded sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant," he said quickly with his eyes a little wide, shaking his head, waving his hand a little as if trying to convince her. Kana smiled, waving it off. "I just meant that you look extremely tired. Is everything all right?"

"I just haven't gotten enough sleep lately," she said, stifling a yawn, "A lot has been happening lately."

He looked genuinely concerned as he stepped into the room. "Why don't you get some sleep now?" Kurama asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But…" she started to protest, trying not to yawn again. "But what about…"

Kurama gave her a smile. "We can do something tomorrow. Right now you should get your rest." Kana nodded slowly, beginning to believe his words. "It's okay, you're just a little sleepy," he said, and Kana suddenly felt wide-awake at those words. She swerved on Kurama quickly, only it wasn't Kurama. It was someone else, someone she had thought she had forgotten forever…

"Kana?"

She blinked, and the image was replaced with Kurama again. He looked worried now. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Why had she thought of him? He, who she hadn't seen in over a year…

"Kana, what's wrong?" he looked right into her eyes, and she felt scared, seeing not his emerald eyes, but deep brown ones, sinister-looking, yet so familiar. A minute passed, and she relaxed, the brown color melting away. She slumped onto the bed, feeling exhausted.

"It's nothing," she said, running a hand through her hair. "For a moment, I thought…" There was a pause, then she laughed. "It's nothing. I think I'm a little too tired." She winced at how hollow her laughter sounded. Kurama watched her with concern.

"Kana…," he said, reaching his hand out to her. She closed her eyes and smiled, taking his hand.

"I'm fine," she said sternly, trying to convince him, yet she herself was shaking on the inside. He paused, hesitant. "I'm going to get some sleep, so don't worry about me. I'll see you in the morning."

"If you need me…," he started as he headed for the door, his eyes searching her face for any sign of what she was feeling.

"I know," she responded softly. The door clicked shut, and Kana was alone again.

Kana awoke with a start, looking around the room frantically. She had been dreaming about something, something that she had forgotten, but knew was very important. The thought of it scared her.

Wait. What was that? Someone else was in the room, over in the corner by the window. She strained her eyes in the dark, her mind still half-asleep, her heart pounding in her chest.

Whoever it was lifted their head, and the only thing Kana could see was the amethyst eyes, seeming to be the only light in the dark. They held her, and she could only stare in confusion. Why wasn't he attacking her? Why wasn't he speaking?

She froze, not daring to move a single muscle. Deimus was sitting there, watching her. None of them made a sound or motion for what seemed like ages.

"I see you've found your way back to your friends," he said suddenly. His voice was low, but it penetrated through the heavy silence as if he were yelling. Kana stiffened. Deimus stood up slowly, rolling his head to one side, cracking his neck. He grinned at her, and once more his fangs flickered in the near-darkness. "Are you sure you are doing the right thing by being here?" He made his way closer and closer to her, and she could do nothing but sit there, half-awake, half-asleep, yet frightened out of her mind.

"What…what do you mean?" she asked, her tongue feeling like a ball of cotton in her mouth. Her throat was dry and her voice came out cracked. He chuckled, either at the question or just how pitiful she sounded.

"You're not being very smart, dear," he said, his tone listless and bored. He reached out a slender pale hand towards her. His expression and voice turned dark suddenly as he spoke again. "You're only putting off the inevitable. You belong to me, and only me. When will you finally understand?" His wolf ears flicked backwards. He was getting impatient. A snarl passed his lips as his former mood melted away. Kana's eyes widened, still finding herself unable to move.

"Do you wish to know what will happen, should you refuse me?" He asked, his hand resting gently on her cheek. A shiver passed down her spine at his touch. His eyes held her own. "Do you want to know what you will end up doing to your friends?" Deimus gave a small smile, and his hand dropped back to his side. He leaned forward, his other hand touching her forehead. She gasped inadvertently as visions poured through her mind.

Yusuke was standing, his clothing torn and dirty, various wounds covered his body. He was breathing heavily, trying to keep his fighting stance. Kana could see that he was weak; his legs were going to give out any minute and God knows what would happen then.

Kuwabara lay on the ground, his eyes closed, injured badly. His breathing was shallow, and for a moment she thought he was dead. Hiei was there as well, half-cloaked in the shadows. His sword was cracked and lay uselessly at his side. But nothing could prepare her for the next…

She screamed as the next vision came, more horrifying than the others she had just seen. Everything stopped then. Deimus removed his hand, watching her closely.

"Keep your distance. It won't end pretty. You don't want your friends to get hurt, do you? Stay away. Keep your distance. It will be your fault."

He left the room shortly after that, disappearing through the open window. She could only stare numbly after him, the words and visions he had left her with shaking her to the core. She hugged her arms around her body, feeling cold. Tears filled her eyes as she felt a horrible, plunging sensation of utter despair.

But then suddenly he was there. She hadn't even seen him come into the room. He stood before her, watching her. She met his eyes, and he understood. Wordlessly he slipped into the bed with her, encasing her with his arms.

"I heard you scream."

She actually had. She closed her eyes, nodding silently. "He came."

"I know."

Kana buried her face into his chest, trying to rid herself of the image of her friends weak and dying. "It's going to be my fault," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't want it to happen, I really don't…"

"Shh," he murmured, trying to calm her. "Everything's fine, don't worry."

"No, it's not!" she cried suddenly. "I know what will happen if I don't do as he says. And I don't want to see you hurt…"

"No one's going to be hurt," he said softly, "there's nothing to worry about." He held her gently. "Nothing is your fault."

It's funny how a familiar scent can calm your darkest fears, your sudden scares. She didn't want these images in her head; she didn't want to see Deimus. She didn't want anything at the moment.

"Don't leave me, Kurama."

That one request, sounding so small and childish, was the only thing she needed right now. He sighed, pulling the covers over them.

"I won't. I promise."

Kana cracked one eye open, recoiling from the bright sunlight that streamed through the window, seeming too bright for her right now. She groaned, turning over on her side, hitting something. She blinked, rubbing her eyes. And suddenly her mouth dropped.

What the hell was Kurama doing in the bed?

She paled, trying not to freak out. What…what on bloody earth happened?

"What time is it?" the seemingly-lifeless body spoke, his voice husky with sleep. Kana looked around frantically, trying to distract herself.

"It's…uh…I mean, I…" she stumbled over her words, looking for a clock. Okay, Kana, she told herself, this is no time to freak out. "Um…I…whoa!" she cried, spotting a clock and seeing the time. "Ten o' clock!" To her, it was a pretty late time, seeing as how this past week she's only gotten a mere couple of hours of sleep, and she had went to bed yesterday at…what? Seven or eight o'clock?

The bedcovers rustled as Kurama sat up, blinking slowly. His hair looked even more unruly than it usually was. He looked at her, and she realized she had been staring. She quickly averted her gaze, flustered.

"I…um…" Kana ruffled her hair, thinking hard. He chuckled.

"Good morning," he said softly. Kana could only nod lamely. "You're confused, aren't you?"

"Very."

"There's nothing to worry about," he reassured her. "You asked me to stay with you, and I did."

Oh. So that's how he got there. Kana suddenly felt very relieved, and she flopped back onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow with a soft thump. She remembered everything all of a sudden. She threw the covers over her head. Deimus was here, leaving her with strange words and heartbreaking images.

Kurama slowly drew back the covers, revealing her face. She blinked up at him, and he smiled, making her blush furiously.

"Forever strange," he said, shaking his head as he got up out of the bed. Kana shot up, looking at him indignantly.

"What was that?" she said accusingly. He shrugged.

"What was what?" he asked innocently.

Kana pointed a finger at him. "What you just said."

Again, he shrugged. "I said nothing," he said with a small smile, and left the room. Kana growled, falling back onto the mattress.

"Kana! It's you! It's really you!"

She was tackled to the ground instantly as two laughing teenagers rushed at her, shouting nonsense and exclamations.

"Hey, stop that," she said, prying herself off of Yusuke and Kuwabara. "There are other people here, you know." They looked around the outside of the movie theater, where there were a few people staring at them. Yusuke threw a few glares at them and they turned away, pretending to be busy with something else.

"We missed you!" shouted Kuwabara, lunging for her again. She ducked just in time to avoid what would have been a bone-crushing embrace. She straightened herself, a grin on her face. It really was good to see them again, after all this time.

Kurama suggested that they meet up at the movie theater and see a movie, and see everyone again. Yusuke and Kuwabara were all too eager to do so, and made plans to see a movie in the late afternoon.

"How's life with your aunt?" Yusuke asked, cocking his head to one side.

"All right," she said vaguely, not wanting to get into all the gory details at that moment. "My aunt's really nice, but my uncle's an ass."

"Let's get ourselves some tickets," Kurama interrupted, smiling. Kana was glad for it.

"Oh, yeah," Kuwabara said.

"Come on, come on," Kana said, pushing along Yusuke and Kuwabara into the movie theater.

"Hey, I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own," Yusuke retorted playfully. Kana shrugged.

"Not so sure about that," she answered, opening one of the doors and heading inside. They headed over to the line, where a few people were already there. Kana dug into her jean pockets, pulling out a few dollar bills. Kurama placed a hand on her arm, and she looked up at him, questioning.

"I've got it," he said. Kana shook her head indignantly.

"No, it's all right, you don't have to." She looked into Kurama's eyes, and something in them made her retreat. "Fine," she said, putting the bills back into her pocket, "you win. But I'm buying the popcorn. Okay?" she waited for his nod, then she turned to Yusuke and Kuwabara. "I'm going to get the popcorn. Don't do anything stupid."

As she headed over to the concession stand, a group of girls made their way over to Kurama. They stood in front of him, twirling their hair and giggling. He looked at them, trying to be polite, and smiled. They were wearing too much make-up, and wearing awful skin-tight clothing that showed off their all-too fake curves.

"Hi, Shuichi," one of them said.

He was speechless. He wanted to get out of there, but there was nowhere to go. He had to buy the tickets. He looked over at Yusuke and Kuwabara, but they were nowhere to be seen. Where did they go?

One of the girls stuck their arm in his face. "I wore perfume just for you, Shuichi. Do you like it?" she giggled. Kurama tried not to gag at the overwhelming scent of the cheap fragrance.

"Are you here alone?" another asked, pushing aside another girl and fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"No, I'm with--," he started, his eyes darting over to the concession stand, where Kana was receiving her change for the large popcorn. One of the girls caught his glance and sneered.

"You're here with her? I thought she left."

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

"That girl over there, remember her? She used to go to our school, but then she was gone for some reason. I say, good riddance, that girl was no good."

"Oh, I remember her! What was her name? I knew it before…I must have forgotten…"

"Ugh, she was awful. Why did she come back? I don't know why you hang around her, Kurama; you could do so much better. Why don't you ditch her and hang out with us instead?"

"Didn't her father die?"

"Oh, yeah, I saw it on the news one night. They found his body in an alleyway, piss drunk. He must have killed himself or something."

"See, Kurama? You don't hang out with people like her; she's crazy in the head. She's going to end up doing something to you one day."

Kurama turned to look at the girls, and they drew back a little, surprised. "Don't talk about her that way," he said, his voice held an edge to it that made the girls back off.

"Hey, fine, whatever," one of them said, smirking. "No need to get all weird on us. We're just trying to help." They giggled together, like they had a strange joke between them, and walked off, whispering in hushed tones.

"Tah-dah!" Kana cried, presenting Kurama with a huge bag of popcorn. He couldn't help but smile. He looked at those girls, then back to Kana. She followed his gaze, and scrunched up her nose. "What was that about?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing," he said quickly, moving up on the line. "Where's Yusuke and Kuwabara?"

"No idea. I thought they were with you. Weren't they?"

"I thought they were, but…" he looked around, scanning the area for any signs of them. Strange. They weren't there, anywhere.

"Should I go—ah!" Kana yelped suddenly, ducking. Two figures launched themselves onto her, shouting in her ear. She broke free of them, seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara standing before the two.

"Did we scare you?" Yusuke asked, grinning from ear to ear. Kana sighed heavily, hanging her head.

"I guess we did," Kuwabara said to Yusuke, looking at Kana and her reaction.

"Mission accomplished!" Yusuke laughed, giving Kuwabara a high-five.

Kurama shook his head lightly, holding the recently-bought tickets out to them. "Let's just get into the movie," he interrupted politely.

"I say – thumbs-up."

Yusuke looked at Kana in surprise. "Really?" he asked her as they exited the theater sometime later. Kurama nodded in agreement as well. Keiko was standing at Yusuke's side, voicing her agreement.

"I didn't like it," Kuwabara pouted. Yusuke nodded fervently with Kuwabara's statement, causing the rest of them to roll their eyes.

"First time I go to the movies with you guys, we all hate the movie and you two love it. Now, we all like the movie and you two don't," Kana pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I sense a pattern here?" Keiko said.

"I believe so," Kurama agreed.

Kana looked down and patted her pants pocket – something was missing. She stopped short. Everyone else did as well, looking at her in surprise. "I left my wallet in the theater," she said sheepishly. She looked back the way they came, then back to the group.

"I'll go with you," Kurama volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Kana asked him. He nodded.

"We'll meet you outside, we won't be long," Kurama reassured them. They nodded and continued for the exit after being reassured that it was all right.

Kana and Kurama headed back into the theater they were previously in. Kana scanned the aisle they sat in, searching for her wallet. "Ah-hah!" she cried suddenly, holding up a black wallet with a heart on it. "Here it is," she said, relieved, sticking it back into her pocket. She looked back at Kurama and smiled. "We're good."

He took her hand as they exited the theater, heading into the lobby. "Thanks for coming with me," Kana said. "I--," she started, but then caught sight of someone standing in the lobby she thought she had long-forgotten. She stopped short, squeezing Kurama's hand. He stopped as well, looking at her in concern.

"What is it?" he asked her. Kana's gaze hardened. She shook her head and kept walking.

"No one. It's no one," she said, starting to walk again. "Let's get out of here." Kurama, looking puzzled, obeyed, looking over at the boy who she had seen. He stood with a group of no more than two girls, laughing. Suddenly he stopped, seeing them. He held out a hand to the girls, as if to silence them, and broke free of the crowd, heading towards Kana and Kurama.

"Kana? Is that you?" he called. Kana cursed under her breath. Kurama's grip on her hand tightened a little. He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "Man, it's been so long, you've changed a lot, haven't you? Remember me?"

"Li," Kana responded stiffly. Kurama could tell she was getting uncomfortable.

"Good, you remember me! I was afraid you wouldn't. But then again, how could you, you know?" Li said, grinning. The two girls he was talking to headed over.

"Li, who's this?" one of them said, looking over Kana.

"My old girlfriend," he said proudly.

"Don't call me that," Kana said edgily. Li made a clucking noise with his tongue, shaking his head. "I was never your 'girlfriend'."

"Aww, come on, babe, don't say that. What we had was special."

"We had nothing," she said. "Come on, Kurama, let's go. They're waiting for us outside." She tugged at his sleeve impatiently, giving Li a dirty look. Kurama stood, looking at Li.

"Why are you leaving? I just got here," Li interrupted, grasping her shoulder to pull her back.

"She said she wanted to leave," Kurama stated simply, looking at Li darkly. He looked back at him as if seeing him for the first time. He raised his hands in the air and whistled.

"Hey, man, no worries," he said, shaking his head. He turned to Kana. "Who's this, eh? Your new boyfriend?" He looked him over with a sneer. Kurama said nothing, still holding on to Kana's hand, the other stuffed in his pocket. He looked at him with an eerie calmness around him.

"Kurama, forget it, let's leave. Ignore him," Kana pleaded, not looking at Li's face.

"Leave? Ignore?" Li cocked his head to one side, placing his hands on his hips. "Now, where have I heard that before, huh?" His gaze turned dark and he reached for Kana again. "I still haven't forgiven you for that. Man, you nearly broke my heart. I couldn't believe it."

Kana angrily shoved him away. Kurama let go of her hand and placed it out to Li. He paused, then scoffed.

"What, you want to fight me or something?" he said, holding out his hands as if beckoning him. "You don't scare me, and Kana isn't yours. So back off. She was with me last year. Not you."

"Li!" Kana said sharply, her eyes widening. She looked at Kurama, who stood, still looking calm.

A moment passed as Li and Kurama stood facing each other, not saying a word. Li looked cocky, then almost afraid, as if he saw something he wasn't supposed to see. He stumbled backwards, one of the girls earlier holding his arm for support.

"Wh-what the hell are you?" he spluttered, his dark brown eyes wide. He wiped at his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth from Kana to Kurama. "You-you're not human. How did you do that…?"

Kana looked at Kurama anxiously. What had he done to Li? She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Li walked away with his two friends, looking back every now and then and muttering something, his eyes widened and frenzied-looking. She turned her attention back to Kurama, who still wasn't facing her.

Don't do that again. You could have ruined everything.

I wanted to have a little fun, Shuichi. You can't blame me, can you? Anyways, you got what you wanted. He's gone. You can thank me later.

"Kurama?" she asked tentatively, reaching out a hand to him, as if to touch his shoulder. "Kurama, what did…" the question died on her lips as soon as he turned around, looking at her blankly, as if not really seeing anything at all. He looked serious.

"They're waiting for us," he said simply, managing a smile. He started to head for the theater exit, and Kana, not knowing what else to do, followed, looking at Li once more before heading outside.

"What took you guys so long?" Yusuke asked, stretching his arms as he clicked his seatbelt in. Kurama stuck the key into the ignition and started up the car. Kana, in the front passenger seat, looked back at the three of them.

"We had a little delay," Kurama said, checking the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove away. Yusuke and Keiko exchanged looks.

The sun was just beginning to set as Kurama made his way finally back to his house with Kana, having dropped off Yusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara already. Kana shifted in her seat, looking out the window, feeling an awkward silence fill the car. She cleared her throat, ready to speak. She watched the sky turn a mix of orange and red, and felt oddly calm.

"Look," she said, smiling, pointing out the window to the sunset, "its pretty, isn't it?" She looked at Kurama, looking for a response. She sighed.

"Kurama—about Li—what he said was all lies. I mean, I don't have any interest in him, and we were never an item or however you want to say it. I just--," she looked for the proper word as he parked the car in the driveway. He shifted in his seat to look at her. She looked up at him helplessly, Deimus's words starting to echo in her head:

Keep your distance.

Kurama reached out a hand and placed it on her cheek, leaning in closer to her so that their faces were only inches apart. Kana held her breath, watching him, her heart racing.

It will be your fault.

He closed the gap between them, bringing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Kana thought her heart was going to burst; it was beating so hard and so fast. His hand rested on her cheek. A few seconds passed before he finally pulled away, looking at her.

It will be your fault.