I have class in three minutes. Going to make myself late, but ff wouldn't let me post yesterday, so I have to do it now.

Unhappy with the end of this chapter because it's not a good place to end it. The next chapter might have to be more of a 5.2 than ch. 6...

Very short chapter, but I wanted to give you something, since I missed last week and may not be able to post again until January. I'm having a little trouble plotting out the progression of this fic; where I want it to go and how, whether or not (and how much) I want to deviate from the cannon, etc.

Anyway, enjoy.

Kurama was only gone for a month before he returned, announcing his intentions to stay for the weekend.

Yomi lost his initial surprise quickly enough. His first thought had been that, perhaps, the fox had been thinking of him while in the human world. Perhaps his brief stint as the youko had reminded him of just what he had lost while insisting on playing at human. Perhaps, given time to think, the fox had realized what Yomi had tried, but been unable to, tell him.

Each of these thoughts had been dismissed almost as soon as they occurred to him that Friday night when Kurama came to him smelling of soil and rain.

Kurama had many enemies within Yomi's ranks, after all. Yomi was no fool. Once he managed to shove away silly fantasy, he became certain that the fox's return had nothing to do with Yomi and everything to do with Kurama's enemies. With reminding them that he had been hand-picked by their king. With keeping his own senses in touch with the inner workings of the palace.

The mental transition from fantasy to reality had taken only seconds. And although seconds could rarely be spared in the presence of one like the former thief, Yomi could not begrudge himself for taking that time when Kurama had come to him so quietly, slipping in through the balcony and soundlessly stealing into his quarters.

They hadn't spoken since Kurama's announcement of his plans, and the silence between them became something fragile and important. As if shattering it would lead to devastating results.

His imagination gave him the image of the fox's humanity that his mind's eye had been reluctantly forced to form. "Beautiful," Kurama had called himself, and the fox's ideals of beauty were stricter than most. "Beautiful" to Kurama would be breathtaking, stunning, earth-shatteringly lovely to anyone else.

To Yomi, it was a painful beauty. Painful because he could not touch it, see it, understand it. Achingly fragile.

The silence shattered as Kurama spoke.

"Would you care for some company?"

Yomi frowned, brow furrowing. Kurama's voice, though calm and controlled, made it clear that he was still angry at him – every bit as angry as he had been when he'd left. Perhaps moreso, now that he'd been given the time to dwell on it.

"What do you want in return?"

The fox made an irritated noise.

"I haven't come to sell myself to you!" as he spoke, his voice changed. He was shifting forms. Yomi fought not to imagine what that that red hair had to look like as it bleached out to silver, strand by silken strand. The word "you" came out a growl, a snarl, his youkai voice much more expressive than his human.

"Then why?"

"I just need someone to fuck – and this is the first weekend I've had free," the Youko said impatiently, stalking across the room as he spoke. "I'll need power for your war. One go isn't going to do it for me."

"And every time you change forms or travel through the worlds or hatch a seedling, it takes some of your power." Yomi judged. "Not enough to matter usually, but…"

"But it could be a deciding factor in your war." Kurama agreed. Yomi imagined him grimacing at the thought of how well Yomi understood the workings of his power. It spoke of how much he had once trusted the other demon – letting anyone know of the intricacies of one's power was something only a fool did.

Yomi felt it as the fox's expression smoothed almost immediately, as he reached to take Yomi's hand in his, draw it to his mouth.

"It's going to take a lot of sex to get me to the power level I need to be at for my plans."

Yomi's own lips parted as he felt the fox draw his fingers into his mouth.

"I thought you hated me."

"I do hate you!" Kurama snarled passionately, dropping Yomi's hand and stepping forward until their bodies were touching, his breath sweet against Yomi's face. Of their own accord, Yomi's hands moved to rest against the fox's slim hips, to hold him in place. He felt the fox's tail lash violently against the backs of his fingers.

"The feeling is, I fear, entirely mutual."

"Good. Then we have an understanding."

Their lips met. Kurama's kiss was brutal, controlling, and lacking in any kind of passion.

Yomi still felt a thrill of excitement.

He pulled away quickly.

"You expect me to believe that there's no one else who can do this for you?"

"Why the hell would it matter if there was? This is nothing more than a convenience, after all. It isn't a commitment, a bonding, hell, even a partnership. This is nothing more than what it is. Two people who hate each other using each other for sex."

It was painful dropping his hands. His body was cold as he stepped away.

Kurama scowled. Yomi knew he was scowling, the expression dark and foreboding. It had always been his response when Yomi had disagreed with him. Yomi had never been quite smart enough to learn to heed the warning of that scowl before.

"A human won't give me what I need," Kurama said coldly, voice biting and bitter. For the first time Yomi saw indication that perhaps the fox did not entirely enjoy how his powers enslaved him to the cravings of his body. "And I doubt either of your opponents would appreciate my sneaking into their kingdoms to have my way with their seconds."

There was pain in his voice too, Yomi realized with surprise, though he couldn't begin to fathom why.

"You recruited me for a reason, Yomi." Kurama finished at last, voice softening. "It was only out of some lingering respect that I came to you. I will choose one of your soldiers instead, if you so wish."

He moved to leave and Yomi grabbed him, pulled him to his side. There were no more words spoken between them.

A night and a day.

It felt like old times, except, back then, he had never had possession of that long, lithe body, never known the feel of those long-fingered hands pulling through his hair. Well could he remember the sight of the fox he yearned for twined around the body of a partner, the gleam of all that pale skin and silvery hair in the moonlight.

A night and a day and they did not leave Yomi's quarters. Neither did they argue. A night and a day and the coldness has left Kurama's voice, his touch had grown less purposeful and more impassioned.

Yomi had even heard his old friend laugh.

It was with reluctance that Yomi dressed when he received word that the delegation he had been expecting had arrived. Youkai of the upper A-class who had yet to have chosen a side in the upcoming war who Yomi was hoping to lure over.

"Are you certain you don't want to accompany me, Kurama?" he asked, turning his head toward the corner where the bed rested. Memory was nearly enough to let him know what a vision the fox must make stretched out leisurely on the wrinkled sheets.

Kurama's voice was lazy, almost bored.

"I told you no, didn't I?

Yomi crossed the room, and putting a knee on the bed, leaned across to kiss the fox.

"But think of how much easier my proposition will be with you by my side," he murmured warmly, letting his fingers run through that long expanse of silken hair. "Kurama, you're my second, or will be, very soon. But there's so much more to it than that. We should be so much more than commander and second."

"Is that what you think?" Kurama asked quietly, voice unreadable. It was strange after the warmth it had held only moments ago.

"We always should have been."

"Hm." he replied.

"Everything we could be, Kurama. Everything we could forge…" there was something in Yomi's gut screaming alarm at him, but he pushed it aside. Youko Kurama was not one to express his thoughts or feelings often, and his human aspect seemed to have only increased that trait. His growing quiet didn't mean anything.

"You're going to be late for your meeting."

Yomi laughed, kissed him again. Kurama's lips were unresponsive, but Yomi was confident that he had learned how to break past the fox's mood swings easily enough.

"Have it your way. I'll return shortly…get some rest."

Yomi's spirits soared as he felt Kurama smile, and he left for his meeting with a brighter outlook toward the future than he had felt in a long while.

TBC

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

Casey - Thanks so much for reading, I'm glad you like it so far.

guiltyamethyst - LOL. Read the next one and then see how you feel for him. (grin)