Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Stuck With You

Summary: AU, Kurama Minamino and Botan Fukuyama are sworn enemies. What happens when one day, they are handcuffed together and they don't have the key? Will they be able to put aside their differences and form a friendship... or something more?

Chapter 9

Kurama broke off the kiss and stared at Botan for a split second. The girl looked as if she was torn between being angry and embarrassed. Her mouth parted to yell at him, but she didn't even manage to utter out a word as the redhead abruptly kissed her again, his warm lips coming in contact with hers.

She tried to speak, but she only managed to let out a muffled noise as instead of letting her go, Kurama deepened the kiss. She felt his arms tightened their grip around her waist, his hold almost possessive. Her cheeks started to heat up when she realized she could feel the hard contours of his body pressing against hers. And he... he was half naked, for god's sake! The guy was practically topless, with drops of water still trickling down his body and dampening her clothes.

She had to stop this... but, but...

She sighed into the kiss, before closing her eyes, her lips slowly but gradually starting to move against his. He growled, the sound making delicious vibrations against her mouth, pleased to see that she was finally responding. He was clearly enjoying this.

Botan, on the other hand, knew they should stop... but, goddamn it, Kurama Minamino was such a good kisser...

For a moment, she wondered if he was experienced, if he'd done this before. At the thought, her chest tightened, and something stabbed at her heart... like hurt... or jealousy? That's ridiculous. This doesn't mean anything, she thought, quickly brushing the feeling off.

She, on the other hand, didn't have much experience as the redhead probably did. She had no idea what to do, and just moved her lips according to what she'd seen in movies, or when she'd caught a couple kissing in public.

... Then again, maybe Kurama was just as inexperienced as she was.

. . .

Kurama wondered if he was doing it right. He never did this before: he didn't have a girlfriend or a love interest to try it out with. He recalled a few kiss scenes he'd read in his books; granted, he wasn't that of a romance fan, but he read anything that was worth reading.

It was a bit ironic that he shared his first kiss with Botan. A girl he was supposed to hate.

He darted his tongue out, and poked it at her bottom lip. Feeling her body stiffen at the contact, Kurama assumed for a moment she was scared. But then, he felt her mouth part slightly, and he swiftly drove his tongue into her wet cavern. She moaned at the feel of the wet appendage stroking against hers, the sound causing his body to turn rigid.

Sort of odd that she was able to elicit such a violent reaction from him.

Her hands found his chest, traveling upwards to his hard biceps, then downwards to his abs. He almost lost his breath.

What was the girl doing...?

Shit.

Damn her.

. . .

Botan was dumbfounded and surprisingly, disappointed when Kurama abruptly pulled apart. Hands on her shoulders, he pushed her gently off of him. There was a feral look in his emerald eyes, turning the bright color into a smothering dark forest green. She gulped.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, voice soft and timid.

He shook his head in return, causing the girl to frown in confusion at his answer. He placed his hands on top of hers, before slowly removing them from his chest. "Don't do that," he whispered, voice ragged and... husky?

Botan's frown visibly deepened, and she watched as the boy turned around, back facing her. "Come on, I need some clothes. It's freezing just being in a towel, you know," he spoke casually, as if nothing happened.

Her eyes flared in anger. "What? Why?" she screeched.

"Like I said, it's freezing-"

"That's not what I meant!" Botan roared furiously. She received a surprised look from Kurama as he whipped his head around to fix his gaze on her. She took a few deep, calming breaths and after she calmed down, well, a little, she stared at him straight in the eyes.

"Why is it that you can touch me, but I can't touch you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Kurama was silent, but there was something in his eyes; something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She waited for an answer, but none came, and after Kurama started to stroll out the bathroom, pulling her along, she expelled a loud and exasperated sigh.

"Come on, Kurama!" she practically cried. "How could you just act like nothing happened? And if you're going to be like this, why did you do it? If you're so disgusted by me having my dirty hands all over your chest, then why did you kiss me!" she went on, and sounded genuinely hurt, surprising even herself.

Kurama couldn't take it anymore. He whipped around, startling Botan when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. She opened her mouth to say more, but he wouldn't let her.

"That"s not it," he said, and Botan could've sworn she heard a growl.

He looked into her eyes, his gaze smothering, as if he was trying to stare into her soul. But then, he quickly darted his eyes somewhere else, focusing his gaze on the floor instead of her face now. His bangs covered his eyes, as he took a deep breath.

"Fuck, Botan," he whispered, voice harsh, but low and almost inaudible. "I didn't want to lose control, that's why I stopped," he continued, more to himself than to her. She had no idea how much effect she had on him now.

Botan was surprised by his answer. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes widened in saucers. But there was a slight tint of pink on her now warming cheeks.

What?

She could hardly believe her ears.

Without saying anything else to her, Kurama turned to continue his steps towards the bedroom, a dumbfounded and embarrassed Botan following closely behind him.

"You're not going to shower?" Kurama questioned as he wrapped his towel around his head. He rubbed it, attempting to dry off his hair. "Who was the one who told me that normal people shower when they get return from school or work?"

"Who?" came Botan's stupid response. She had been busy thinking about Kurama's words to realize he had been talking to her.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Who knows?" he sarcastically responded.

It took the girl a few moments to understand what he meant. She didn't bother to acknowledge his sardonic remark, and instead, "I... think I'll take the shower later," she muttered.

He quirked one eyebrow at her in question. "What happened to the Botan who said she doesn't like to be sweaty?" he joked, despite the serious expression on his face.

"Uh... no reason. I just feel kinda lazy all of a sudden," she lied.

Truth be told, she was kind of nervous after everything that occurred in the bathroom and was still too stunned by his earlier words. The redhead didn't seem to think it was a big deal though, as he went on talking to her casually. But anyway, right now she just felt like not taking a bath, to avoid more embarrassing and awkward situations.

Kurama didn't buy her lie. "Yeah, right," he mumbled under his breath. "I'm not going to take advantage of you, if that's what you're worried about."

Botan blushed beet red at his words. Did he have to be so blunt like that?

He flopped down to the bed, before raising his head to fix his gaze on her. "Don't tell me you're scared of me now?" he inquired, with a touch of mischief an amusement in his voice. A playful grin tugged at his lips.

Her blush deepened. "Shut up, Kurama. Who could blame me after that stunt you pulled in the bathroom?" she shot back, half irritated and half embarrassed. "What made you do that anyway?"

She paused. "Did I charm you or something?" she went on monotously, though she doubted that was true.

Kurama visibly stiffened, her words striking him as the truth. But, she didn't need to know that. He cleared his throat, averted his gaze elsewhere but her face, and ignored the last part she said. "I wouldn't be complaining. You seemed to be enjoying it," he mumbled to himself, more than to her, but the girl heard him quite clearly.

She grabbed a pillow, and threw it at his face. "I did not!" she stubbornly denied in an indignant voice, turning her nose up in the air haughtily. "As if I would."

"Then why did you kiss me back?" he asked as a matter of factly.

The girl was unresponsive, causing him to look up at her with a satisfied smirk. "Tricky question, huh?" he teasingly stated.

"Shut up, Kurama," she muttered for the second time that day.

The redhead opened his mouth, making to say something but didn't manage when another pillow hit him directly in the face.