Chapter 1: Hidden flames

K' was gathering the rest of his stuff from his room. Most of it was already in boxes except for a few things he considered too important to be put away. Within that category were; A tub of beef jerky. A fortune that he received from eating a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant with Whip, which stated; though you may not be able to see it yet, a precious light will come in your near future. A metal box Maxima gave him so that he could put his treasures in it. Last but not least, a small blue fox keychain that Kula had given him for good luck. He started down at the tiny keychain. He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of the little blue fox.

-Flashback-

K' was quite irritated with the fact that he had to waste his time at an arcade with Kula. He hated babysitting. Especially on a weekend. Though he mused to himself that seeing Kula so happy made it at least a LITTLE worthwhile. ONLY A LITTLE. He watched her as she continuously played the same crane game over and over, failing each time to get whatever she was aiming for. Her eyes were so concentrated and you could see her frustration building with each token she put in. That made K' laugh. Kula looked so…cute…when she tried. What the hell am I thinking..? K' got aggravated with himself for letting those preposterous thoughts roam in his head. He could never bring himself to admit the fact that he might like her more than he let on. She's like a sister to me…Besides she's too young…EVEN if she WAS old enough I wouldn't…I guess…UGH!!

K' was pissed off and couldn't stop the argument going on in his head, until he heard Kula yell. "Ah!!" K' looked her way immediately, checking to see if anyone was bothering her…In a brotherly way, of course. She turned around and smiled very brightly at him,"Look! I got it!"She put out her hands and showed K' a little blue fox. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "That's what you wanted so badly? You could have just bought one to save yourself the trouble." Kula smiled and pulled out K's hand. "Here! It's for good luck on your next tournament!" She then looked at the ground with her cheeks flushed. "I thought it would mean more if I won it…"

K' wasn't sure what to think. Of course he thought that was the dumbest thing he'd heard of, and had it been anyone else, he would have told them that it wouldn't have mattered because he didn't want it to begin with, but the way she looked shyly at the ground with that blush on her cheeks, and the way her eyes were shut anticipating his usual remarks for such stupidity…Well it made his heart squeeze just a bit tighter, and he couldn't say ANYTHING. He gave her a pat on the head and put the keychain in his pocket then began to walk away. Kula stood still and her aura began to change from nervousness to happiness. Just for that, K' turned around and gave a tiny smile for her, AND ONLY HER, to see, then continued to walk. His smile grew when he felt her happiness grow and her blush deepen.

-End Flashback-

When he finally got all of his stuff out, K' started to load them all into Maxima's truck. He was moving out on his own. When Kula left it just…Nothing was the same. Though no one could tell, he was the most affected by it. Once Kula said she was leaving he didn't know what to say. Who was he to tell her she needed to stay or go? He chose to say nothing, and when the conversation was over, he glanced back and saw Kula, hurt barely showing in her eyes, but he knew it was there. He was convinced she would come back within one month. Three months tops. But she never came. And he couldn't stand the reoccurring memories he had of her. Smiling at him as if he was the only person there. Seeking him out for some form of comfort or protection. Blushing very lightly when their hands barely touched. He wasn't sure why she always looked at him the way she did. And he had always intended to ask, but his chance left when she did.

Whip and Maxima would often visit Kula, however K' only came once. Just to make sure she lived in a safe area. After that, he was never seen by her again, though in truth, he followed her every day. When she would walk alone at night or just sit on a park swing thinking of Kami knows what…She never knew, but he was always watching her. Making sure she was safe.

Today was different though. He needed to take his stuff to his new apartment. It was nearby, so he borrowed Maxima's truck to load and unload his stuff to his new place. He couldn't get rid of the feeling he had that Kula was going to be in danger. Every time he had this feeling, he was always right. There were many times when men would look at her, lust in their eyes, thinking of what they would do to her once she was alone. It angered him more than anything that such lowly creatures would think they even had a CHANCE at seeing ANY part of Kula. HIS Kula. UGH!! I'm doing it again!! She isn't my fucking girlfriend!

K' snapped out of his thoughts and came back to reality. He had finished loading all his stuff. He locked the front door then drove to his new apartment. When he got there, K' placed each box on the floor of his living room. He just finished putting the last box down and was about to drive back to the old house to pick up his bike, when he caught sight of smoke from the direction of Kula's home. …It couldn't be…for some reason he couldn't shake off the feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. He felt as if she was calling for him. I'll just check to make sure…When Kula opens the door I'll tell her that I came over to let her know I was moving out. He sped down the street and raced to her house. When he got there, he felt his stomach sink into nothingness and his head explode.

"KULA!!" He yelled out hoping she wouldn't be in there. K' tore open the door with his fire glove. A gust of smoke came flying at him and all K' could see was flames. He ran in and looked desperately for Kula. He couldn't see anything! Finally he spotted a small hand underneath burning wood. K' was horrified. He threw each plank of wood off of her and found Kula's body surrounded by a thin layer of ice, almost invisible. He quickly picked her up and ran out of that house. When he came out, the fire department FINALLY showed up, along with the crowd that was sure to follow. They tried to stop and ask him questions, but K' was in too much of a hurry to talk to them. He quickly went to the truck and laid Kula down in the back. He then got in the driver's seat and drove off to his apartment. Who ever the fuck did this will pay...Please be okay Kula…

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Kula woke up in an unfamiliar place. She looked around and saw boxes everywhere. She was scared and didn't know what was going on. She tried to get up, but failed miserably. She was still exhausted from the fire and the smoke in her lungs had yet to leave. She looked around and saw a clock. "7:30…" It was late, she was in some strangers home, and she couldn't move. She wanted to cry. Kula didn't know what was going to happen to her. She wanted to run back to her home but it was gone. Kula rolled herself off the couch and attempted to crawl to the door, when it opened.

K' walked in and saw Kula on the ground, desperately trying to leave. "Kula..!" He ran over to her side then picked her up. She was shocked beyond words and felt relieved. Until she realized one thing. She wasn't wearing anything but underwear. She was in so much of a rush trying to get back her necklace that she never finished changing. Kula blushed deeply and tried to push herself off of K'. "NO!" She yelled and covered herself with her arms.

K' realized why she was freaking out and began to blush a deep crimson color. He set her down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. "Don't worry…I wasn't looking…" much…he finished in his head. He was worried about her, sure, but seeing the girl that you…Well…She was wearing a more mature and sexy kind of lingerie that…Lets just say the image of Kula wearing close to nothing will forever be burned in his mind.

Kula felt a bit disappointed though she wasn't sure why. She didn't want him to look right? So why did it bother her that he really didn't? Did she want him to see her as a woman that badly? Was that even important now? Kula looked back up at K', still flushed with embarrassment, and then looked back down. "Thank you…" She said it so softly you could barely hear it. K' then sat down on the floor next to her and began to speak. "You know…This is my place now…I just moved in and with what just happened well…" He cleared his throat. "Kula…You can stay her for now if you'd like…" K' trailed off with the last statement but Kula heard him loud and clear.

Kula sank further into the covers to hide her tomato-like face, and smiled on the inside. She NEVER would have thought that K' would let her stay with him. Hell she never thought he would come save her (though she was kind of hoping). She was so glad that her house burnt down, as stupid as that sounded, because Kami presented her this opportunity to finally turn her unrequited love around! Kula popped her head out, like a little mouse, then looked down at K'. "If…If you don't mind…Then…" Kula trailed off.

K' wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. He felt quite relived at the fact that she accepted but at the same time he wasn't sure what living with this girl would do to him. He was trying his best to hold down his feelings, seeing as how she was 4 years younger...Though she was of age...K' was having a battle within himself. He still couldn't admit his attraction to her. He defended himself in his mind by saying that the only reason he was so turned on was because she was a close to naked girl. Not because she was (his) Kula with the perfect body, and certainly not because she looked too innocent to touch...Though he wouldn't mind if he did...Oh Kami…What did he get himself into…

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Authors note: I wanted to put more of K's point of view in this story. I was originally going to make K' more…Affectionate, but I figured that's way too soon. He isn't the type to change in a day. There might have been some OOCness but I'm trying to keep it at a minimum. Let me know what you think.