Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the plot.

Recap: Rose has a plan to get revenge on Kurama and, at the same time, get herself out of trouble and Tsukino into trouble. Kurama, meanwhile, is unaware of the plotting happening in the cat demon base. Instead his attention is focused on capturing The Fox's Rose and worrying about Tsukino's safety.

This Is How You Remind Me
Chapter Fourteen
Lust or Love?

Day Hundred-Ten

It was a week before we were able to talk to the generals about going scouting earlier. During the week we spent sitting around the base, we were searching the Black Demon Diamond walls for signs of a weakness or a way to move them. There were no such things except for the narrow and low tunnel that lead from the front gate to the maze-like base. However, Kioshi and I were unable to consider that an escape route due to the fact that the hole we would make while digging would be discovered before we could finish it and the tunnel would most likely collapse. Because of the lacking of escape routes, Kioshi and I were forced to wait to see the generals instead of merely disappearing into the night.

More than once Kioshi suggested fighting our way out of the base, but I shook my head at the idea. We were vastly outnumbered, and if we were captured during the fight we would be killed instantly and the mission would end in failure.

"And your little batty-cat would be stuck with The Fox's Rose forever," Kioshi added before quickly disappearing from the room before I could even look away from the plans of the dog demon base Kazuma had sent to me from Spirit World.

Once Kioshi was gone I merely shook my head and called Kazuma to see if he had any information on The Fox's Rose or Tsukino's condition. In fact, it was just as we were finishing the call that a small pup brought the message that Kioshi and I were to see the generals in the far north corner of the base where the prisoners were kept and interrogations took place.

When I received the news, I quickly went and found Kioshi at the bar. Once he was sober enough to walk on his own, we headed towards the north corner. We found the generals deep in the torture chambers watching a cat slowly being ripped to shreds behind a glass wall. They didn't hear us arrive until I coughed to alert them of our presences.

Startled, they turned to face us, and the glares on their faces were not a comforting sign.

"Katsu-san, Kioshi-san," said one general stiffly.

Kioshi and I bowed respectfully and waited to hear the reason for the sudden meeting. However, it appeared the generals had other plans.

"Where are you both from?" was the first question we were asked.

"From the west," I replied while Kioshi explained that he was from the east.

If possible, the generals' glares became colder. "Then why do you both wear the colours of the North."

I looked down at my black tunic in confusion while Kioshi appeared to look at his navy blue hat.

"Last time I checked, blue hats were the west and red ones were the north," Kioshi said as he placed his hat back on his head.

"Before the Demon World Tournament they were, however, just as the structure of Demon World has changed since the first Demon World Tournament so have our clans," a general replied.

"Any true fox or bat demon would know that," added another.

"And how would a dog know that?" Kioshi hissed, the alcohol not quite out of his system.

The generals stood high and puffed out their chests to appear smug and superior. "It is our business to know and now that the cat demon you captured has managed to escape we are sure you are spies."

They stupidly paused to let the information sink in.

"And what proof do you have?" I asked as I crossed my arms so that my rose bud fell into one of my hands.

"One, you are dressed in the wrong clan colours, a mistake no insider would make." The generals moved closer, and both Kioshi and I hear movement from behind the door behind us.

"Two, the cat had no problems escaping which suggests that he was released."

Kioshi and I both looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes, and I slightly nodded to the glass wall that now showed an empty chamber. Silently, he reached behind his back.

The generals were grinning, sure they were right and had won. "And three, the clans have never had any pups who go by the names Kioshi or Katsu."

Behind us the door suddenly was kicked open and swords slashed into our afterimages. We were already on the other side of the room breaking through the glass and running through the base. For a moment, I was strongly reminded of my days as the King of Thieves in Demon World and the adrenaline rush of the chase.

With the aid of my plants and Kioshi's blade, the rock hard walls fell before us until we reached the edge of the maze where the walls were Black Demon Diamonds. After looking in Kioshi's direction, I ran towards the front gate. If we were quick, the other dog demons wouldn't be able to catch up and capture us. Thankfully, we were quick and were even able to run to our room to grab our bags of supplies that we had prepared. So with the help of my compass to locate Tsukino's energy, we were off in the direction of the cat demon base. Or so we thought.

For reasons at that time unknown, the watch led us right back to the spot where Tsukino and I had parted ways. Once we arrived at that spot the red point of the compass turned blue. Due to Kioshi's presence I was unable to contact Koenma and demand an explanation. Because of that we continued to walk in the direction the compass lead us. Surprisingly, we did not walk into any walls as we would if we were using a GPS, which caused me to believe that the compass was finding Tsukino's location by following the trail her demon energy left on the ground she had walked on. While that explained why the compass had given the impression that Tsukino hadn't moved for many weeks, it did little to comfort me. Because of the tracking method of the compass, our progress was slow. So much so that we were forced to spend the night in a small rundown house, for lack of a better term.

Outside, even without the door being kicked in, the home looked ready to collapse. The structure was starting to sag and the roof buckle making the house appear as if it was slowly imploding. Inside, the paint was peeling, there were obvious signs of water damage, and Tsukino's scent was everywhere. Thankfully though, there were no signs of a battle, which caused me to believe that whoever had kicked down the door had entered while the house was empty. However, I was still at a loss why Tsukino would come to such a place in the first place.

I was not the only one wondering what Tsukino's motives were. Kioshi was also looking around the place for any clues of what happened to Tsukino. "Why would she come to a dump like this?" he finally asked after looking through the surprisingly clean bathroom, and small bedroom and pitiful kitchen that the front door led into.

I shook my head as I sat down within the bedroom. "We'll have to ask her when we find her but for now we'd better rest since we have no idea how far away she is."

Reluctantly, Kioshi nodded but did not listen. Instead he opened the closet despite my orders not to touch anything. Deciding to ignore the bat instead of trying to force him to obey, I lied down on the floor using my bag as a pillow and tried to ignore her scent.

Seconds after I had laid down, Kioshi said, "What's your batty-cat's name again?"

Glaring at the wall because of the reminder, I calmly replied, "Tama."

"And you are sure that's her name?"

I nodded but did not turn to face him.

"And she didn't give you a fake name?"

I paused, thinking back to when I first met Tsukino. Her face had been scared but quickly became angry when I asked for her name. She had paused and then replied, "Tsukino." Until then, I had never thought about the possibility that she had given us a fake name but that would explain why it took her so long to reply. However, she was very close to Keiko and Botan and I doubted she would have left Human World without telling them her real name.

Unable to answer, I turned over to face Kioshi and asked, "Why do you ask?"

Kioshi held up a small dog stuffed-toy that had seen better days. Its eyes were falling off, and someone had cut the fabric and resewn it to give the dog fangs and claws. "Because I gave this toy to a friend of mine when I was little."

I frowned. "Are you sure it's even the same dog?"

He nodded and turned the dog over where 'bat-boy' was written in bold symbols on its stomach. "I would never forget the claws and fangs I gave him."

I nodded. "Perhaps she sold it and Tama-chan bought it."

Kioshi shook his head. "She wouldn't have done that. She loved Inumaru, and how can you still call her 'Tama-chan'? If I had that bad of a fight with a girl I liked I doubt I'd be even able to picture her face without flinching in guilt."

I turned over on my side, wishing that Kioshi would stop his attempts to make me feel guiltier, and muttered, "Habit."

"So is 'Tama-chan' the reason you don't wear the right colours?"

"I could ask you the same thing since it appears you gave me a fake name."

I heard Kioshi move to lie on the floor. "You just asked for a name, and I gave you one. I never said it was my real one. You just assumed that, but if you want a name to call me by-"

"Kioshi will do." I replied, ending the conversation and allowing me to try to fall asleep. Unfortunately, I was unable to because the knowledge that the trip back to Tsukino would not be as quick as I would have liked. Many times I found myself wondering what lies The Fox's Rose had told her and if she believed them. Also, having her scent so close had made me restless, and it was many hours before I fell asleep.

I awoke around sunrise the next morning panting slightly as I waited for my eyes to return to their blue colour since I had no doubt that they had turned red during the night. Having her scent around once more had caused my mind to create fantasies, which I shall not record in case Yusuke or Kazuma ever get a hold of this book. However, the dreams had allowed me to more clearly understand the elder's words. The reason I ever reacted towards her was because my inner demon was attracted to her which caused lust. Eventually, that transferred over to the human side of my personality and I had started to mistake it for love since both are easy confuse when one is human. However instead of happiness and relief at knowing that my feelings will fade once the mission is over and I will be able to avoid her, I felt self-disgust and worry at the thought of what could happen if she allowed my advances. The last thing I need is another accidental mating, and Tsukino has shown that she is attracted to me, most likely only because of her mate's mark.

Shaking my head to clear it of side-tracking thoughts about the dream, I concentrated on one thing; the best way to avoid another accidental mating was to avoid Tsukino. Therefore, I had to catch The Fox's Rose as soon as possible and get away from Demon World and Tsukino as soon as possible.

Kioshi's stirring pulled me from my thoughts and after a quick breakfast we returned to following the compass. We made better time that day, and within ten days we had found the cat base. However, we were unable to enter until later due to the cat patrols. After studying the base for four days, I concluded that the only and safest way to enter was to be captured. Kioshi was hesitant at first but eventually he agreed and now tonight we will put the plan into action.

***

After finishing the update on my journal, I lock it with a vine enriched with my energy and place it in my tunic. Satisfied that no one will be able to remove or read it, I turn to Kioshi who is glaring at me.

"If we get killed, I blame you," he hisses as we start to walk towards the cat base.

"If we get killed, it will because you didn't follow the plan," I mutter as we approach the giant tree. Noticing the eyes watching us from the tree, I say in a normal tone. "However, soon the war will be over and we'll be able to return to our normal lives."

Still glaring at me, Kioshi replies, "Yeah, but things will be pretty boring after that. I mean there won't be anymore cats to attack or boss around."

I nod in agreement and listen for the sounds of the cats coming to attack us. It appears they don't consider us a threat since there are only two cats. One behind us and in front of us. Kioshi notices as well and looks over his shoulder.

"Do you sense anything?"

I shake my head as he looks forward again. "Probably just a low level kitten. We have to getting close to the base by now."

Kioshi nods, and we continue to walk forwards towards the base. The cats allow us to do this until we are also at the foot of the tree. Once there, they charge and engage in battle with us. Kioshi and I hold back and try to appear as though we are weak demons. It works and the cats waste no time 'defeating' and tying our hands. Unfortunately, they also place a black collar on both Kioshi and I. Unsure of the purpose for the collar, I try to create one of my plant weapons to cut it so that Kioshi and I will be able to escape later. A sharp sting attacks my spine causing me to almost fall to the ground in pain. Too late, I realize that we should have never allowed ourselves to be captured.

The cats are far from gentle as they force us to climb the tree where they hand Kioshi and me over to a group of four cats. After pausing to wait for the cats to exchange information, we walk over the branches into a wooden room filled with cages, tables, and weapons. Kioshi is removed from my side at this point and I am forced to lay down on one of the tables. They carefully make sure I cannot move or escape before leaving the table side and moving towards the wall of weapons.

As a thief and a supposed traitor to all demon kind, torture is nothing new to me, and though the weapons they used stung for many moments, they were nothing compared to Karasu's bombs from Dark Tournament. Nothing in all three worlds could cause as much pain as his attacks did. After over an hour of torture, the cats finally give up and remove my bloody body from the table before throwing me into a cage with Kioshi who seems to feel as badly as I look.

Panting slightly, he asks what questions the cats asked me. Unable to remember, I shrug and ignore the pain that stabs through my shoulders. We do not talk anymore after that and quickly fall asleep to allow our wounds to heal. Sometime during the night, however, I awake again and find myself staring into The Fox's Rose's eyes.

Smiling impishly, she moves closer to me and licks my face. I reach for my Rose Whip only to be reminded of the metal collars' abilities by a sharp pain. Placing her hands on my chest, she starts to send some of her energy into my body, causing my wariness to grow.

"Sleep well Kurama," she mutters before I close my eyes and remember nothing more.

A/N: So that's another short chapter but it shows what Kurama was up to while Tsukino was being a healer. Sorry for not uploading faster, but my cousins were visiting and I finally fixed the water damage that my window caused way back in… March or April? Anyways, thanks for reading and the reviews. I hope you are enjoying the story and continue to do so. Until next chapter, See ya!

-D101