Ooookay so... I have literally no excuse this time, other than the usual - I got distracted with other ideas, among dealing with writing my dissertation paper and finishing my Master's. So, to make up for that, I'll upload the next chapter right after this one. And I'll try my best to finish this story as soon as possible, because I've already started work on the sequel for quite some time now.

Fair warning, though, my writing style has changed a bit over the past year, and it will likely reflect in the chapters following these two. But no worries, lovelies, it's evolved for the better, so that can only be a good thing I hope.

But I'll stop ranting, and let you enjoy the continuation of this story. Don't forget to leave me a little review and let me know what you think ;)

P.S. All YuYu Hakusho characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi :)

13. Thief's woman

The last thing she needed was for Kurama to be wounded or slain in front of her, and she knew Daichi would do that even if only to crush her last bits of hope that she would ever get away from him.

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Throughout that morning Kurama had inspected the entire castle. Fate, it seemed, was on their side as Daichi had left early that day saying that he wouldn't return until dark. By the time he had met with Nari and Hiei, it was almost noon.

"Did you find her?" Nari asked upon seeing the fox-youkai.

"Yes... she's fine. Her servant took me to her room during the night."

"I'm surprised you trusted anyone in this castle so easily." Hiei smirked.

"That girl and her sister are from the Makai. She said they were brought here a few years ago to be servants; most likely they were taken from their family against their will. I promised we'll take them with us when we leave."

"...I hope you know what you're doing." the fire-youkai replied somewhat hesitantly.

"Anyway, we can leave now by taking down the few guards scattered around the entrance. Or we can leave tonight and use the cover of darkness to slip past them unseen."

"What do you suggest?" Nari pondered.

Briefly glancing to Hiei who was offering him the same expectant gaze, Kurama took a few moments to contemplate what the best choice was.

"As eager as I'm sure you both are to leave this place, I suggest we wait until tonight. Even if it will be riskier, since Daichi will be here as well, darkness is always a thief's best ally."

"That would be for the best." Hiei agreed. "Especially since we'll have extra weight to carry."

Momentarily smiling at the fire-youkai's ironic tone, Kurama now exhaled a slight sigh. Had he been rash in promising the girl that they would take her and her sister along? True, they weren't sure if they would even make it out with Nozomi alone, much less with two more females. Not to mention that those other two had likely never been trained in combat or even self defense, as Nozomi had.

Later that day Nozomi was still in her chambers, Azami helping her dry off from her bath while Emiko was preparing her kimono. When the servant girl stepped before her as she moved around, Nozomi was startled by Azami's surprised yelp. Raising her gaze to see that the girl was staring at the window behind her, she whirled around thinking it was Daichi. Her frown, however, dispersed when her steel eyes settled on Kurama who was seated on the windowsill, watching her. When Azami recovered from the shock and rushed to wrap the large linen around her nude form, the fox-youkai finally spoke up.

"There's no need for that... it's nothing I haven't seen before."

His slightly amused tone was enough to make Nozomi blush; just how long had it been since she'd felt that particular type of warmth in her cheeks?

"Leave us for a bit." she said softly, retrieving the moist linen from Azami's hands.

Bowing, the two girls now rushed out of the room, most likely to hide their own blushes. Once they were gone, Nozomi finally smiled much to Kurama's delight.

"Don't you know it's not nice to spy on a woman when she's naked?"

With his lips curving into a sly smile, the fox-youkai now stepped into the room and approached her at a slow pace, like a predator closing in on its prey.

"I see no wrong in it, when that woman is mine." he replied without the slightest trace of shame in his tone.

He truly hadn't planned on taking it that far while they were there, but the sight of her body alone had been enough to spark his arousal. And the fact that she wasn't making any effort to cover herself only served to further his hunger and desire for her; not even including the fact that he hadn't touched a woman since he'd taken her back to her parents. Stopping just one step away from her, he reached out and placed a hand to her now healed cheek. He relished in the sensation of flawless skin when she pressed her cheek to his palm, his other arm now moving around her to press her body against his clothes.

"I still think I'm dreaming..." she said softly.

By then her eyes were closed and she had dropped the linen to the floor, instead choosing to place both hands over his. Allowing himself a moment of enjoying the warmth of her body which permeated the fabric covering him, Kurama leaned down to gingerly kiss her lips.

"All the more reason for you to not think of anything else..." he whispered, his breath hot on her mouth. "Just enjoy it and don't try to stop me..."

"Dream or not... I wouldn't stop you even if I could." she smiled while looking up into his eyes.

Oh, how she had longed to get lost in those twin pools of gold again, letting his endless gaze entrance her until she could barely even remember her own name. His lips once more curved into a mischievous smile at her words, and he abandoned her cheek to grasp her hands and place them onto his clothed chest.

"He's gone until dark..."

When her expression gained a puzzled shade, he barely held back a chuckle.

"He's not told you that he'll be gone today? What a bad example of a husband..."

"He's not my husband..." she retorted, slightly furrowing her thin brow while clenching her fingers onto the silky material covering his chest. "He asked me to marry him... but I'd rather die than accept."

"So you'd choose a thief over a lord? You have odd tastes in men..."

Pouting at his jesting tone, the girl lowered her hands to his waist and swiftly pulled his sash off. Dropping the snowy material to the floor, she nearly tore his yukata in her haste to remove it.

"If that's what I have to do to get the man I love, then I'd choose the thief any day."

His chuckle was all her mind had time to register before she suddenly found herself laid onto her back on the bed. Even after all that time, his speed still amazed and overwhelmed her whenever he chose to display it to its full potential. Her awe was only allowed to endure for a few moments before she felt the familiar sensation of the fox-youkai's slender body moving over hers, her inner thighs brushing past his hips. She actually blinked at the realization that in that extremely short amount of time he had disrobed completely. When he once more claimed her lips, she returned to full awareness; her hips had already started moving out of instinct, taunting his half-erect member. If anything, it seemed she was just as hungry for him as he was for her.

"I'm risking my life for this... I expect it to be worth it."

His joking tone reached her ears just when her gaze settled onto his face which now hovered over hers.

"That makes two of us, so I expect the same." she retorted.

Chuckling at her reply, the fox-youkai then briefly touched the tip of his nose to hers, his expression settling into a loving smile. With her returning his smile, Kurama now leaned down to gingerly press his cheek against hers, moving one hand to the top of her head to stroke her silky hair.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." he said softly, all humor gone from his tone.

It was at those words that the tears she had been suppressing finally filled her eyes, and she wrapped her arms tightly around him as though she was afraid he would disappear otherwise.

"You're real... aren't you?"

Smiling when he recalled that she had asked him the same question on the very first night when he'd taken her from her home, Kurama placed a kiss to her cheek.

"I'll let you be the judge of that." he intoned.

His voice carried his unspoken promise that she would not leave that bed before they'd both sated their need for one another, even if only to a small extent. Falling silent afterwards, he took a few moments to relish in the way her hands trailed along his back; he basked in the natural scent of her skin mixed with the fragrance of flowers from her bath; he savored the sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest with each of their breaths and he thoroughly enjoyed the way she kept moving her hips to taunt his growing erection. Now letting his hand creep downward along her body, he lustfully grasped at her rump before sliding his palm over her thigh and pulling her leg up against his waist, to give himself enough free space to move as he wanted to.

When she took his hint and settled her other leg in the same position, his body curled affectionately to hers, pushing his member deep inside her. Though he hadn't intended to give in to pleasure so soon, he couldn't hold back a groan; she felt just as good as she had on every other occasion when they'd taken it to bed... in fact, after all this time, she felt even better. Grasping his arms Nozomi tilted her head back against the pillow, her body arching to his. A moan escaped her lips at the feel of her inner walls yielding to him and grasping his member in a tight embrace due to his size. For a few moments she simply held still, her head spinning somewhat from the pleasure wave that had washed over her. The only sounds she could hear were her pounding heart and her soft panting as her body steadily readjusted to his.

Giving her that moment Kurama then began to softly thrust into her, shuddering at the pleasure her body gave. While he had her, his hands explored her flesh leaving almost nothing untouched in their path. He had so missed the warmth of her body, the smoothness of her skin and he had definitely missed the way her breasts fit into his hands perfectly. His ear twitched in pleasure at the sound of her alluring moans; after just a few moments, however, his desire to taste her again overcame him, and he leaned down to claim her lips. Sinking into the kiss, he continued to thrust, but mildly faster and deeper than before. With his eyes closed, the fox-youkai shared his pleasure via the moans, some simultaneous with hers, some not. He loved how she made him feel, not just with her body, but with her words and actions... he'd tried for so long to not let his heart feel anything, but with her he wanted to feel everything.

Trailing her hands up his back Nozomi relished in the feeling of his muscles flexing under her fingers before she buried them in his silvery hair. By now she could feel him thrusting against the entrance to her womb, which only made her body tense even more. Her tongue moved in between his lips with hardly any trace of the shyness she had displayed at first, and she whined in protest when Kurama chose to playfully taunt her instead. Having released his neck so as to not hinder his movements she now reached above her shoulders to grasp the sheets, soft moans escaping her lips every now and then. She could already feel her juices overflowing, her body rather miffed that he hadn't yet given her his seed.

The gentle demeanor of their sex started to lean toward firmness, though he wasn't completely inside her yet. Breaking the kiss Kurama leaned up until he'd straightened his posture, reaching down both hands to play with her breasts. Then, the index fingertip of one hand drifted from her chest, seemingly appreciating the tone of her muscle and smoothness of her sweaty flesh. With his tip poking her cervix, he pulled back and thrust through it, slamming against her. Then, at the same intensity as before, their groins began clapping together, his fingertips arriving at her lower stomach and ultimately her clitoris. Rather than moving up and down, since all the nerves were on the sides of this little nub of flesh, he flicked his thumbprint against it from left to right and back. His eyes were gradually emptying of mental presence, since the silver haired male was focused on their pleasure. When she tilted her head back and moaned out the fox-youkai's name on that lust dripping tone he had come to love, Kurama felt a slight shudder rolling along his spine all the way to the tip of his tail.

Releasing her breasts he settled his hands onto her hips to hold her in place, shifting to a faster and ultimately rougher and fuller pace. By now her back rubbed against the silky sheets since each of his thrusts forced her body to slide against them, her mind gradually falling into the process of emptying of any thought as pleasure kept building up inside her. Even her eyes betrayed that as she looked up at him, her hands trailing the outline of his well toned torso. Though he returned her glance for but a second, Kurama then allowed his golden gaze to trail along her body, taking a few moments to relish in the sight of her small frame jolting at each of his sturdy thrusts and her breasts bouncing in rhythm with the pace he was imposing on her. Nature had truly blessed her with such stunning beauty, in his eyes, that it made him wonder for a split second how he had ever found any other female to be attractive.

When she again moaned out his name, his pleasure finally spiked to the point where he could feel that so familiar pressure building in his groin. But he refused to let himself get to climax before she did, even if his body wanted nothing more than to just fill her with his seed as he had so many times before. Moving his hands from her hips to her back, he forced her to sit up on his lap; she actually startled him when she suddenly buried both hands in his hair and crushed her mouth onto his, while below her hips started moving at the same rhythm as his though in opposite directions. When she chose to break the kiss, he slyly smiled as she leaned her forehead onto his... for once he actually enjoyed seeing a woman's dominant side. While he hadn't indulged that with any other female, Nozomi could ultimately make him enjoy anything; even showing a shade of submission for a change.

"So... so good..."

Her hot breath fell on his lips, carrying her whisper to his ear which twitched as he smiled while relishing in the sound of her voice. Tensing his arms around her, he fully pressed her torso to his until he could feel even the outline of his erection on her lower abdomen.

"If you want it... work for it..." he teased.

Despite how frail she still appeared to be, by now he knew full well just how much her body could take; it was why he'd never refused her whenever she had made advances on him. Not only did that allow her to train her seductive skills, it had also helped her body grow accustomed to intercourse itself so that she would gain experience and stamina. His lips curved into a satisfied smile when she seemed to reply to his very thoughts, taking over the pace of their love making as displayed by how her hips were imposing her own rhythm on his twitching erection.

A few good minutes later – though to Kurama it seemed like just a few seconds – Nozomi once more pressed her lips to his; her body tensed in his arms, and her slick inner muscles tightened around his member telling him of her oncoming climax. Indeed, before he could even fully process that thought, she nearly screamed his name which made him grateful that her voice was muffled by their kiss. The way her womb twitched around the head of his member, however, was finally enough to push him over the edge as well. Thrusting his hips roughly into her, he groaned when the tip of his erection speared the very back of her womb, his thick seed erupting inside her with such force that he actually felt dizzy from the sudden, overwhelming outburst of pleasure. When his body calmed down enough for him to regain good control over it, the fox-youkai parted their lips to heed his lungs' need for air. Leaning forward Nozomi placed her head onto his shoulder, panting against his neck whilst her body still twitched faintly in his arms. Closing her eyes as she waited for the tension in her muscles to go away, she placed a loving kiss to his sweaty skin.

"I wish this moment would never end..." she whispered.

Smiling at her words, Kurama now carefully moved to pull himself out of her before gently handling her small body until they were both lying on the soft bedding. Yes, he'd heard the strain in her voice which betrayed the fact that she was exhausted. While he had no trouble after a long break like that, due to the centuries of experience he had, he knew the girl's body would need a bit of time to readjust to the idea of sex. Thus he now settled onto his back, letting her rest on his body while he placed a hand to the back of her head, sliding his slender fingers through her strands.

"If you're tired, sleep..." he said softly, turning his head so he could kiss her forehead.

"I don't want to..." she retorted. "You can't even imagine how much I missed you."

Her childish tone drew a brief chuckle from him, while he rolled onto his side placing her next to him. When she cuddled to his chest, the silver haired youkai trailed the back of his fingers along her cheek; as he had expected, the scar was gone without a trace and her skin was back to its naturally flawless state. It still angered him beyond limits to know that scum had dared to wound his woman, but he wasn't there to get involved in unnecessary fights. His goal was to get Nozomi back to the Makai, though he would fight and kill Daichi if he had to.

"We're leaving tonight..." he finally said, his expression having lost all humor by now.