"Yuki! Don't run off on your own, it's dangerous." Kougaiji scolded her when he caught up to her just inside the cave. He didn't say it but he was glad they'd found the cave as it had started raining and he took Yuki as the type of girl to complain a LOT if she was wet or cold or hungry. "Sorry...but look who I found!" She said, kneeling down. "The dragon, I get it, but you should be more cautious." He sighed, having looked over her shoulder as she picked the little dragon up and stood up with it in her arms. "Hakuryuu isn't just some dragon...besides, he's harmless. He'd never hurt us." She said as the dragon nuzzled against her, happily chirping in delight of finding her. "That's not what I mean. It belongs to Hakkai so-" he stopped short as she held Hakuryuu up to face Kougaiji. "How can you possibly think something as adorable as Jeep is dangerous?" She pouted. Kougaiji looked at the dragon, unimpressed with her ignoring him.
Hakuryuu stretched his head out and sniffed at Kou's nose. Kougaiji stared back as Yuki watched, "See? He likes you." The interaction was just too cute... or it was while it lasted as Hakuryuu ended the greeting by biting Kougaiji's nose. "Ahh! The fuck?!" Kougaiji exclaimed as Hakuryuu retreated and coiled around Yuki's neck, hissing constantly at the prince. "Kougaiji, you scared him..." Yuki said, petting the dragons head gently, trying to soothe him while Hakuryuu continued to hiss threats at Kou. "I scared him? I. Scared. Him?!" Kougaiji was fuming. "It just bit me! And you're taking its side?!" He snarled. Yuki hung her head and avoided looking at him, even taking a step back from him. Kou knew instantly that he'd been too harsh but he was still angry so he took a few deep breaths before speaking to her again.
"When he bit me you were staring... What were you staring at?" He asked, changing the subject to help calm down. Yuki didn't answer so he leaned forwards and ran his finger from her jaw by her ear (the opposite side to where Hakuryuu's head was mind) down to her chin and applied just enough pressure to make her look up at him. He was slightly surprised that she flinched when his finger touched her skin. Now she was looking at him, albeit with a worried expression, he leaned forwards and started again. "I've got two questions now. Firstly, what were you staring at?" He paused, wanting to make sure she answered both questions. "Ah...it...was your ears..." She muttered, still trying not to stare at him though he kept the pressure applied to her chin which gave her little choice. "My ears? Why? You can't say you've only just noticed they're not small and pathetic like yours. I can actually hear things with them." He growled slightly. Yuki swallowed, "No...it's nothing bad-." She started but he interrupted her. "Then what?" He persisted. "Cute." She almost whispered, closing her eyes. "...Cute?" Kou repeated. "I... I didn't realise they moved with your moods and facial expression." She explained quickly. Kou leaned back slightly, a little surprised by her comment and slowly dropped his hand. "They perked up when Hakuryuu was sniffing your nose and they flattened back when he bit you... I've never seen them move before so... it looked cute." she uttered shyly. Kougaiji was lost for words.
"So what was the second question?" Yuki asked in the silence that followed her explanation. Kougaiji had been shocked by her response that it took him a moment to gather his thoughts to answer. "You flinched... before, when I touched you." he started saying. "I want to know why. Are you afraid of me? Because you said before that you aren't. So either you are afraid and you're lying to me, or you aren't and it's because of something else." he said, trying to be serious and act like her comment about him being cute, or rather having cute ears, hadn't affected him. Yuki stared at the ground again but unlike before, where she'd been embarrassed to say, this time it was obvious she was thinking about how to answer him. "Its... complicated." she uttered after a while. "And a long story." she added. Kougaiji sat down on a rock by the side of the cave, "Well it's pouring it down now and night has fallen so I'm not going anywhere." he said. "What I mean is... it's not a story that everyone is aware of." she said, playing with her fingers as Hakuryuu watched her from ther shoulder. "So? It's not like I talk to anyone else that you might know or who would tell anyone you know." Kougaiji said, letting his curiosity get the better of him now. He hated secrets being kept from him. "Even sanzo doesn't know. If he knew he'd be really angry." she uttered, running a hand through her hair. "I don't think you've noticed but Sanzo and I aren't friends. We don't talk, just fight. It's part of being enemies. You might even be surprised to find that he isn't on my christmas list either." Kougaiji said, trying to make it very clear now that whatever it was he wouldn't tell a soul.
"You promise?" she asked, looking up at him with her large, gentle, ash mauve eyes. "I'm a prince. I'm bound to my word by honor that means more to us than life itself." he bowed slightly, doing so simply so she wouldn't see the effect she had on him when she looked at him that way. Yuki walked over and sat beside him, not on the same rock or even on one of equal height, but on the floor and leaned slightly against the rock he was sat on. "Sanzo can never know." she said as though to reaffirm this much. "You have my word that I will never mention whatever it is you say to me." he vowed. Yuki took a deep breath before explaining herself as Hakuryuu moved from her shoulders to sit on her lap.
"I'm not afraid of Youkai. Nor hanyou. Nor Human. What I fear... besides heights... is men." she said softly and slowly. "I'm sure you're aware that when I was little my parents gave me up to the high priestess. She took me in and raised me until I was fifteen. Because of how long I was with her and the training I received, she brought me with her to many temples. She finally stopped and settled down at the same temple Sanzo lived at with his master for a couple of years. It was during the times that we were traveling that I was often attacked and abused by monks in the monastery and it only ended when my mistress died, leaving me at the temple where I first met you. I hated being left alone... I hated men until I met Sanzo and his master. When my mistress died I sent all the monks at the temple I was staying at away... just so I could feel safe." she wrapped her arms around herself now.
Kougaiji could feel the wind pick up but couldn't feel the cold of it so knew it wasn't from the cold itself but rather the memory. "They attacked you? And abused you? And Sanzo doesn't know?" Kougaiji asked slowly. Yuki shook her head. "Don't you think he deserves to know? He is your husband right?" Kougaiji asked. Yuki shook her head again, "No. Not at all really. We're engaged but that's so people leave us both alone. It's just a front. He thinks of me as his little sister so anything more than holding hands is beyond his capacity." She said. "So...you won't get married? How about... you know... 'relations' with him?" Kougaiji asked, choosing his words carefully but he was glad to see the blush on her cheek matched his. "Since I'm quite aware that once we've dealt with your father I will die, I want to experience as much as I can, even if it's just once. So, although there's no love between us, I would love to get married to him... maybe even have children of my own. But it's impossible to have...'relations' with him. We've tried before but everything just felt so wrong. It's sad that the only experience I've had with a man have been unwanted on my part." She said with a nervous and forced smile to him, as though to prove it wasn't as bad as she said though Kougaiji saw through it and could see the smile was simply to hold back any tears that might fall.
"Yuki. Don't smile if you don't feel happy It makes you look ugly. And don't think that if you get upset around me that I'll care." Kougaiji said softly, putting his hand on her head. "I know what its like to be used. You and I, we're not so different." He added. Yuki looked back at him as he spoke, tears in her eyes. He wasn't sure why but he leaned forwards and let his forehead touch hers. It was a very warm moment they shared. Kougaiji felt he understood Yuki a lot better now and it had somehow lifted a weight from his chest to find out the truth of Sanzo's relationship with her. "My stepmother treats me as if I were a doll. Just something she can use and throw aside as she wishes... she treats Lirin the same and other youkai are just as expendable. They're simply worker bees to her as she sees herself as the queen bee." he said softly.
"You feel cold..." Kougaiji said when he moved his head away. Yuki put a hand to her forehead, "Maybe just a little..." She agreed. A slightly heavy weight that instantly warmed her shoulders made her look back at him again. "I don't feel the cold like you." He said, taking his hands away from her, leaving behind his white jacket over her shoulders to keep her warm. Yuki blushed lightly, "That's so kind of you, Kougaiji, Thank you." she smiled. "Now if only it would stop raining... then I could go out and find firewood and maybe something to eat." she said. This made her demon friend frown, "You're hungry? Already?" he asked. Yuki brushed it off though, "Only a little bit. That's what happens when you have a high metabolism rate. You eat little but often." she said then added, "Well... since we can't go anywhere while it's raining I'm going to try to get some sleep... you should do the same too ok?" she yawned, curling up with his jacket. "I'll watch while you sleep if it's all the same." he replied. "Suit yourself. Wake me up when you want to sleep though so I can watch... Good night Kougaiji." She said. Kou smiled and sat back on his rock, "Good night Yuki. Sweet dreams."
Kougaiji waited half an hour, to make sure she was asleep before going to the entrance to the cave. He paused at the opening and looked back at the human girl and the little dragon that was curled up on her. "Come and find me if anything happens." he told the dragon though he was unsure if Hakuryuu could understand him. With that said, he went out into the stormy night. He had set his mind firmly on seeing Yuki smile again. And the only certain way to do so was to bring back a little present for her... the only question was, what would he find out here that would work?