Chapter 5: Aishiteru

Watching as the fishes moved underneath her feet, Botan stared in silence as she continued to watch her surroundings. It had been three months since she had been taken from her home by the crafty youko and been forced to stay in his lair. She sighed, three months, the first month had been uneasy for both of them. She had tried dozens of times to escape his lair, only to be captured after a few hours by the youko himself. He had been fairly amused at her first and second attempts to escape, but when her escapes had become more and more frequent he deliberately made it a point to leave her locked in his lair guarded by the most dangerous demon plants in Makai.

When she herself had grown tired of trying to escape, she gave herself up to her fate. Kuronue, had accompanied her most of the days when the kitsune was out hunting, giving her glimpses of the man that made the kitsune who he was. Blowing the fringes away from her face, she looked despondently down on the water. Kurama Youko was an enigma that she wanted to solve. These past few weeks, he had already begun to train her on how to use her youki to be able to control her plants and manipulate them and turn them into weapons of her choice. Although she had been wary and suspicious of him from the beginning, she had to admit that she now longed for the kitsune's presence every time that he's not there with her.

Laying her head on her knees, she looked down sadly down at the water. Botan no baka… how could you let a thief like him steal your heart, knowing that he'll just leave you after he's grown tired of you… you heard Kuronue, right? Not only Kuronue-san… but also the other youkai around the forest have mentioned that as well… but that doesn't stop you from loving him…

A white garbed figure stood quietly behind a few bushes and watched the young woman as she sat quietly in front of the pond. His amber eyes watched her every movement, What is it with this woman… it had already been three months since he took her but his desire for her had not diminished one bit… in fact, the longer that he was with her, the more he wanted her for himself. Even Kuronue had noticed his possessiveness with this woman… his eyes widened. Masaka… could it be… he continued to stare at the woman before him, could she be the one that would hold him forever? He breathed in deeply, he had not taken it to himself to find someone as his mate, but it seems that this woman was just the one for him. She was as rare as any treasures that he had sought out all his life… it was one of the reasons why he went out of his way to get her… but this time… he knew he had to take something more important from her… he wanted to steal her heart. Looking down at his clawed hands, a look of determination passed his face before he made his way to the young maiden.

No matter what the price would be… I will make sure that I will possess you… all of you.

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Two large rocks burst into pieces as thorny whips slashed right through them. The blue haired youkairenji breathed deeply, clenching her hands, she turned to look at the figure behind her, the thorny whip encircled her body. An appreciative glint appeared in the youko's eyes. He nodded and gave the signal to the young woman to continue her training, the sharp sound of her whip echoing in the quiet cavern.

Watching as she moved gracefully, Kurama bit the insides of his cheek hard. It was hard to control his desires for her especially when he was still trying to win her over. His ears twitched. Who the hell said that Kurama Youko was patient when it came to things that he wanted? Stepping forward, he caught her whip in midair as it passed right by his head, surprising the young woman, he locked her in his embrace… her back directly to his front. Slightly towering over the young maiden, he lowered his head and inhaled her sweet scent. Noticing the way her body locked up and stiffened in surprise, he ran one of his clawed fingers slowly down her back, his lips curving in a masculine smirk when he felt her shiver at his slight caress. Sliding his other hand down her length of her arm, he lowered his face beside hers and whispered softly in her ears.

"Follow my lead…"

Flushing red at his nearness, the young youkairenji gulped slowly as she moved her arms in time with the kitsune behind her, her brows furrowed as she tried to concentrate on her movements and not the distracting caress that he was currently giving on to the length of her back. At another gentle caress, her arms jerked, causing the whip to retract heading directly to her face. Botan eyed the whip in alarm, too shocked unable to move, closing her eyes, she waited for the impact. When nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes, only to widen in shock when she saw the kitsune's hand stretched before her, his arm protecting her face while his hand gripped the thorny whip. Gasping in dismay when she saw the blood dripping from his fingers, she immediately made the whip disappear and grabbed his now bleeding hand. Without thinking, she removed the ribbon from her hair and covered his hand, closing her hand, she summoned her reiki and healed his injured limb. Smiling when the wound was completely healed, she lifted her head and beamed up at him only to have her breath catch in her throat and made her heart beat faster.

Kurama stared at the woman before him, transfixed as she hurriedly worked on his wound. Her reiki washed over him as she healed the small wound on his clawed hand. He had been faintly surprised when he saw the worry and dismay that covered her delicate features when she grabbed his hand, no one had ever worried over him… not even over a simple wound such as this. When she had finished healing his hand, she looked up at him and smiled, his control snapped. Youko lifted his bandaged hand and fitted it to her face, So soft… he thought idly as he continued to caress her face, lowering his face to hers, his other clawed hand closed over her trim waist and pulled her slowly along his length. Looking deep into her amethyst orbs, he held her gaze as he lowered his lips towards her own.

When his lips met hers, Botan let her lids drop to a close and leaned into his arms, she felt his lips caress her own, once… twice… when the clawed hand that held her face tunneled deep into her azure locks tightened, she gasped softly and the kiss changed drastically after that. Holding her head firmly in his hands, he deepened the kiss and slid his tongue deep to tangle with hers. Sweet… he had never tasted anything so sweet as her. Gripping his tunic, she whimpered softly when she felt the hand at her waist tighten, almost bruising in its grip.

Releasing her, he watched her flushed face as she took in deep, shuddering breaths, his youko instinct kicked in, primitive and possessive. He growled softly and caressed her face, "You are mine." He watched as Botan's eyes widened at his words, he could see the shock, then happiness in those bright orbs statement but then doubt clouded her eyes, gripping her body closer to his, he nuzzled her neck and growled when he felt her stiffen in his embrace and tried to push him away. Nipping the lobe of her ear, he pushed her towards the cavern wall and pressed himself to her body, his hardness a direct contrast to her softness. Whatever doubt that she had in her mind about him, he was going to make sure that he would erase them and make her realize that she would belong to no one else but him.

Botan moaned unconsciously. Get a grip!!! She screamed in her head, you shouldn't let him lead you on like this! You should know better!!! But as she screamed at herself in her head, she let out another soft moan when the youko's lips wandered down her collar bone and nipped her softly there. Gasping out loud, she snapped her eyes wide open and focused on the ceiling and gritted her teeth. You're already spoken for and you should know better than anyone else that you shouldn't fall for a youkai… especially to him, gods! He's the legendary youkai thief in all of makai for crying out loud!! And with that thought, she pushed him away and wrapped her arms around herself. She breathed in deeply, slightly relieved that he seemed to have come to his senses when he moved back, unlike the first time that she tried to push him away, he only growled and pressed himself closer to her. Steeling herself, she made herself look up to his face, only to have herself move closer to the wall behind her when she saw the barely concealed desire in the youko's eyes.

"What do you really want with me?" she whispered softly

The kitsune's brows and lips twitched at that, "I want you."

Anxiety vanished at that and was replaced by irritation. "I've kinda noticed that. What I want to know is, what do you really intend to do with me?! I'm not an object that you can add to your various collection!"

Kurama's amusement vanished as he watched the girl carefully. "Who says I intend to collect you?"

"I don't understand..." she whispered, but this time she looked directly into his eyes as moved closer to her.

The kitsune smirked sexily down at her upturned face. "I'll let you find that out for yourself." He whispered before he lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips a few seconds before moving back and leaving her alone in the room.

A few minutes after he left, Botan lifted a shaking hand to her lips as she remembered the exquisitely chaste kiss that he gave her. Sinking down to the cold ground, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the rocky surface behind her. "What now?"

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Kuronue watched in amusement as he watched his friend help the youkairenji to her feet after she had accidentally slipped and fell. His lips twitched uncontrollably as he watched his friend hover over the woman before him. He shook his head, anyone who knew the kitsune would tell you that the youko would do anything that he had set his eyes on… but kuso… who would have thought? He had never seen his friend act this way before. His lips quirked as he struggled to hold in his amusement.

The great kitsune has finally fallen… and fallen hard.

Kurama had been courting the young youkairenji for the past few months. He then smiled broadly as he thought about it. Kurama never courted any of the women he'd been with. Aside from training her, he had noticed that his friend couldn't spend enough time with her, and if you actually take time to watch the girl, it would seem that she's the same as the kitsune. Two days ago, the kitsune even went as far as to bring the woman with them in their hunt, surprising all of the other youkai in their group.

He watched the young youkairenji as she smiled up to the kitsune. Actually, the young woman complemented his friend fairly enough. She was bubbly as to the kitsune who was serious all of the time (well… almost all of the time), and she was one of the few people he had known who could stand up to the kitsune's wrath. Looking closely at the woman, he knew that her people had searched for her for weeks, but had already given up hope when they could not find any trace of the young woman after a month's time of looking.

Truth be told, he liked the girl. She was really nice… and her looks are nothing to be scoffed at as well. He shook his head. His friend has finally found the perfect mate just for him… but the question is, when will he be able to get the young woman's trust enough for her to love him?

Botan watched Kuronue form the corner of her eyes. That youkai had been watching her and Kurama for quite some time now… not that she doesn't trust Kuronue… from all of the youkai that Kurama had worked with, she knew that Kuronue would be the best youkai for her to turn to and he had been easy to talk to as well. As Kurama turned to leave to get her something to eat, she turned bright red when the kitsune paused to lick the side of her neck. Blushing uncontrollably, Botan looked at the kitsune's back as he moved away, her eyes hypnotized by the casual sway of his tail on his back. Damn… she clenched her hands into fists, my hands are just itching to touch his tail… not to mention those damned furry ears on the top of his head. She growled softly in her head.

"You know you could just pounce on him and he won't fight back."

Jumping back at the sudden voice behind her, Botan glared at Kuronue who was grinning at her. "You know, with all the training that kitsune has given you, you should be able to be aware of your surroundings already."

Glaring at the dark haired youkai grinning at her Botan merely stuck out her tongue at him. "Hmph. I'm sorry if my senses aren't as good as you or that kitsune."

Kuronue grinned down at the young woman and flopped down casually beside her. "So, how are things between you and Kurama?"

Blinking at him, she mentally crossed her fingers in her head and prayed to the gods that he wouldn't notice, "How's what with me and Kurama?" she asked back innocently.

A raised brow was her response.

She squirmed in her seat.

After a few minutes of scrutiny, Botan jumped up from her seat and glared at the youkai that had become her friend for the past few months. "Gaaahhh!!!! Alright!! What do you want me to say?!! That that kitsune has been driving me mad for the past few weeks?!! That creatures like him should be illegal?!!!" she yelled at him. Kuronue's dark brow twitched as he saw the kitsune stop short a few feet behind the girl, he was holding a tray filled with fruits and two cups of water in his clawed hands. His ears twitching in response in hearing the young woman's loud voice.

After catching his friend's eyes, Kuronue focused his amused expression to the young youkairenji. "And why should his kind be illegal?"

A dark glare was part of his answer. "Do you even need to ask that?! He's a walking disaster!! Do see any being that looks like him?! Silver hair, fluffy ears… and that tail!!! Arrrghhh!!!"

Kuronue's lips and brow twitched even more, "His looks should be illegal?"

"Don't you dare laugh at me Kuron!!"

At that Kuronue chuckled, "How can I not? You're a walking disaster yourself, my dear little youkairenji. Your unusual hair alone can cause a riot within the youkai communities, not to mention that reiki of yours." He chuckled even more, ignoring the dark glare his blue haired friend was giving him. "And besides, why is it driving you crazy by the way?" A flush appeared in her cheeks captured his attention, "Ahhh…"

Another glare. "What the hell does 'ahhh' means?"

"Nothing…"

"Nothing my ass."

"You know, for a lady, somebody needs to teach you on how to speak like one."

Botan snorted. "I learned only from the best."

Kuronue tried to look affronted. "What? My language is quite empathic. Maybe you got that from Kurama…" his lips quirked when he caught the glare that the youko gave him.

"Empathic my foot."

He chuckled, "Back to the topic…" he laughed softly when he saw the wariness creep back into her eyes. "You know, he wouldn't mind in the least… if you just jumped at him…"

"EEEEEHHHHHH?!!!!" flushing redder than any of the youko's reddest rose, Botan growled and tried to hit Kuronue with her fist. "Shut up!!"

Moving a bit to the side to avoid the flailing fist, he chuckled. "Maaaa… you're red as a tomato… something I said?"

Botan continued to glare at the youko before sighing in defeat and looked down sadly at her feet, shuffling the dirt beneath her sandal clad feet, she refused to look up to her friend as she mumbled the truth to him, making the dark haired youko grin widely in front of her and the silver haired kitsune stand in shock after hearing her mumbled words. Looking up only when Kuronue placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she blinked up at him, only to find him smiling down at her. "If you're worrying about that kitsune, let me tell you first hand that he takes care of everything that he possesses."

Botan looked sadly up at him, "That's just the point, I don't want him to just want me… there's a huge different from want and the thing that I want most from him… I don't want to be collected, Kuronue-san…"

Kuronue's eyes widened at that. He knew exactly what the young woman meant. Amusement faded from his eyes as he looked up and watched his friend, he knew Kurama had everything that the young maiden had just said… especially with his sharp senses, even the mumbled truth that she had just told him a while ago, he knew that the kitsune heard it loud and clear. Unsure of what to say to the woman beside him, he merely squeezed her shoulder in comfort and moved away from her and past the stock still kitsune who was staring at the back of the blue haired maiden.

"Now, you've heard everything… now what are you going to do about it?" he whispered to his friend as he walked past him.

Kurama's clawed hand tightly held the tray before him before lowering it to the table beside him. Tilting his head, ears twitching trying to sense if there was anyone else aside from them within the room or along the corridors, satisfied that Kuronue had completely left, he turned towards the woman who was still standing quietly in front of him. Delighted at her surprised gasp, he nuzzled his face along the crook of her shoulder and neck, his arms tightening its hold on her.

Botan's eyes widened when she felt someone wrap his arms around her, and when she nuzzled her neck she flushed brick red as she realized exactly who was holding her. "Kurama-san…"

"I'm not going to collect you…" came the soft whisper.

Stiffening at his words, Botan paled when she realized that Kurama had probably heard her talk with Kuronue. She gulped softly, "How much have you heard?"

His hold tightened around her waist, his left hand slowly stroking her waist as he smirked. "Mmnnn… I've been standing right behind you from the moment you said and I quote… 'that creatures like me should be illegal.'" Lifting his head, he turned the girl in his embrace and looked at her purplish-pink eyes. He felt a huge sense of possessiveness and protectiveness towards her when he saw her eyes. She was afraid, not really afraid of him, but of what his reaction would be after hearing her words…. He knew that now… after all, she did say that she was in love with him. He sighed and lifted her chin with his clawed right hand and stroked her chin.

"I would be lying if I said that I loved you…" at the widening of her eyes, he prevented her from speaking by placing his fingers on her mouth, shushing her. "I would be lying because I don't know what love is… but this I know. I've never wanted anything more than you… I would give up everything if it means that I would be able to keep you forever…"

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him and knew that he spoke the truth. There's one thing that have to know about Kurama… he never lies. Truth be told, he's one of the most brutally honest creatures that I have known… trust me on this one… Kuronue 's words echoed in her brain as she watched him. "Why me?" she whispered

The kitsune merely looked at her, he was quiet for a while, he was surprised at the question… why her? He then smiled as he continued to look in her eyes. "Because you don't fear me… you look at me and saw me. Not the cold blooded Kurama Youko… but just me… and I would do anything to have you in my arms forever… to have you look at me that way for all eternity."

Lifting her hand to his face, Botan tilted her head. I thank the gods for this blessing… closing her eyes, she lifted herself up to his face and matched her lips softly to his…

"I love you… I know that now… I know that I should have known better than to let you past my defenses but you have… you've stolen my heart…and I'll stay with you and teach you exactly what love means… even if it takes me a lifetime…" she whispered softly to him.

Kurama's eyes glittered brightly as he brought her body close to his and claimed her lips in a feral, possessive kiss.

Deep in the shadows, Kuronue grinned as he eyed the two lovers. Finally…

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AN: hello minna!! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this updated, with work and all… ok, next chapter is going to be a lemon, but, I'm going to post it at don't want to post it here and have my account deleted again… NO THANK YOU!! Hahahahaha!!! Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter!!! Remember the small box down there… review plssss!!!!

Ja ne!!

Aoi-chan