Been tossing this chapter around in my mind for a little while trying to decide how to fit it all together and such, sorry it took a while to get up!
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The next morning, Yukina woke up first. She felt sort of stiff and as soon as she became fully aware and awake she realized how sore and tender she was, she hissed slightly as she rolled onto her side to look over at Kazuma. He was on his back, the sheets pulled up to his hips, limbs askew, his mouth slightly open which was resulting in an occasional rumbling snore that made her smile and giggle.
She thought back to the events of last night and blinked slowly, images flooded her mind and sighed happily. It had definitely been something special, just like Kazuma had always promised her it would be and she couldn't help but think of Hiei's opposite opinion on the matter...he made her it sound as if it was bad and something to be afraid of. It crossed her mind that this must be how her mother had felt...torn between the approval of her family and the love of her partner.
Had her mother felt this way the next morning when she and Hiei had been conceived? Had she felt happy and peaceful like Yukina was feeling now or was she afraid and concerned about her family's reaction? Yukina imagined Hiei's reaction when he found out about this...but she wasn't afraid of Hiei, he had a kinder heart than he ever let show.
Yukina felt something hard near her pillow and she brushed her hand there to pick up whatever her cheek had come to rest on. It was a tear gem that she'd shed in the middle of their intimacy last night, she held it up and examined it in the morning light...this was a strange gem indeed. It was a slightly different color and shape of the tears she made when she was sad.
"Whatcha doin?" Kazuma's scratchy morning voice made her nearly drop the gem and she enclosed it firmly in her palm.
"I was just looking at this," she told him, reopening her hand for him to see. He looked very guilty when he saw the small, pearlescent gem in her palm and he sighed.
"Are you ok this morning?" he asked in concern, noticing the odd way she was laying.
"Just tender," she assured him, "I'm sure that's to be expected."
"Guess so," he didn't sound convinced but she was glad he didn't press her for any more details, "Sorry I passed out right afterwards."
"Keiko tells me all men fall asleep after sex," Yukina shrugged good naturedly.
"It won't be like this next time," Kazuma promised as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his palms, "I promise, it'll be a lot better. There's a lot of stuff I forgot to do."
Next time? Yukina wondered when that would be, it wasn't like they had much privacy back home...she couldn't imagine doing what they'd done last night with Shizuru just in the next room.
"I mean...only if you even want to do it again," Kazuma stated quickly, seeing the thoughtful and concerned look on her face. Yukina blinked, clearing her thoughts, and looked at him...he looked worried.
"Of course I do," she assured him, scooting closer to his side to wrap her hands around his upper arm...or at least attempt to, her hands weren't exactly big enough to reach all the way around, "What makes you think I wouldn't?"
Kazuma gave her a look that clearly said "You're joking, right?" and Yukina huffed in disbelief at his sudden display of self doubt.
"Why do you put yourself down like this sometimes?" she asked quietly.
"Well...I just...can't believe a girl like you would ever want a guy like me," Kazuma replied hesitantly, "I mean...you could literally have anyone you wanted."
"I do," Yukina replied without a second thought, "I have exactly what I want. There's no one else out there who could possibly compare to you, Kazuma. You literally rescued me from a fate worse than death, you make me laugh, you make me feel safe, you make me feel beautiful..."
"You are beautiful!" Kazuma immediately assured her.
"Thank you," Yukina blushed lightly and gave him a soft smile, "You want to know a secret?"
Kazuma nodded eagerly and Yukina dramatically leaned over to whisper into his ear.
"I think you're hotter than even Kurama."
Yukina didn't expect the loud and sudden burst of hysteric laughter that burst from him and she squealed in surprise when he fell back into a laying position and took her down with him, pulling her onto him and holding her very close and tight. She raised her head to look at him and found him smiling broadly down his chest at her.
"I find that really hard to believe," he said, not sounding at all like he expected it to be true, "You should see the girls flock to him when we hang out together. Never happens to me."
Yukina squinted in annoyance at his subtle dismissal of her admission.
"Well it doesn't matter what other girls do or think," she informed him sternly, "I said I think you're hotter, and I know for a fact girls pay more attention to you than you seem to notice."
"Risa doesn't count," Kazuma joked.
"Stop it, Kazuma," Yukina began to get concerned by his jovial attitude towards her comments, she was being serious! Her tone made him lose the snarky look and his face became calm and serious.
"Sorry," he said gently, he looked off to the right and avoided eye contact, "I just...I've never been the "hot" one so...it's hard to accept it even when you say it."
Yukina grabbed his face in both hands and turned his head to look at him in the eyes.
"Well, you better believe it," she stated firmly, "I'm not just being nice, I mean every word I say."
"Ok," he whispered, wide eyed and surprised by her rather strong grip.
Yukina released his face and gave him a quick kiss before rolling off his chest and standing up to collect her clothes from the dresser where she'd laid them. She pulled her jeans on, feeling slightly nervous as she felt Kazuma watching her every move.
"Oh," Yukina had a thought and she turned to face him with a teasing grin, "Also, if any girls do start flocking to you...I may have to injure them."
Kazuma chuckled and reached out to grab his jeans and boxers off the floor. He swung his legs off the bed and stood up quickly, jumping slightly to yank both layers up all the way before turning around to search for the shirt he'd discarded last night. Yukina liked this look, bare torso with that light trail of hair trailing down to disappear under the good fitting jeans hanging low on his hips, barefoot and sporting an unkempt mop of ginger bed head, his eyes bright from a good night's sleep.
"What?" Kazuma asked, giving her a knowing grin, "Should I not bother with the shirt?"
"I'd be just fine with that," Yukina replied happily, giving him a wink.
Kazuma smiled a crooked smile and leaned down to collect his shirt anyway, tossing it in her direction.
"Then do me a favor," he stated, "You wear it instead."
Yukina looked down at the very oversized gray shirt in her hands in confusion. She recognized it as the t-shirt he'd worn when they fought with Sensui, still torn in the same places...she wondered why he'd never bothered to fix the holes. She shrugged, having not put her own shirt on yet, and slipped it over her head. She giggled, it was like wearing a dress.
Kazuma grinned and walked around the bed to her side, his finger on the side of his cheek and his expression one of overdramatic contemplation. He gave her a wicked grin and then scooped her up before she could even ask what he was looking at, laying her back down on the bed and kneeling between her legs. She felt his hands pop the button on her jeans and she felt slightly panicked, hoping he wasn't planning to repeat last night's events...she was far too sore to even consider it this morning!
"I don't think..." she started to tell him her fears but her jeans were quickly removed and Kazuma stood back up, pulling her into a standing position with him.
"Don't worry, I know," he assured her with a wink, "I just...call it a fantasy...there's just something really hot about your girl wearing nothing but your shirt."
Yukina looked down at herself and didn't find anything sexy about her appearance...but she assumed he knew best when it came to finding her attractive so she just accepted it.
"Ok, I guess it's a guy thing," she said with a small laugh, realizing one large rip in the chest area just barely missed showing more of her left breast than a shirt should.
"Definitely. Hey, I'm gonna jump in the shower, but don't make breakfast because I want to make it for you!"
Yukina looked at him for a moment, and he wondered what was going on in her mind, then she smiled a shy smile and looked down at the floor.
"We could save some time and shower together," she offered. She felt nervous about asking for some reason...after last night, why would taking a shower together feel so intimate?
Kazuma was surprised by her bold offer. He was still fairly shocked and pleased that they'd actually seltp together the night before...and now she wanted to shower together? He felt a little glow of pride in his chest, it must not have been completely terrible for her last night. He looked at her now and squinted one eye at her, his mind flooded with images of her perfect nude body in the candlelight and comparative images of her in the bright light of the shower with soap suds sliding down her skin.
"Kazuma?" Yukina's questioning voice made him shake the images from his mind, his body had already begun to react to his imagination and he grinned at her quickly to reassure her.
"You have the best ideas, baby," he stated with a grin. He stepped forward and scooped her off her feet, making her squeal and carried her down the hall, bridal style, to the bathroom and set her down with a laugh.
Yukina giggled as well and immediately shed his oversized shirt, filling his hungry eyes with her tiny naked form as she bent over to adjust the water temperature. Kazuma grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked it harshly, trying his best not to let his mind go places it shouldn't. God, she was a little bit infuriating with her naive mentality, not knowing what her little ass sticking out like that was causing in his brain and his pants.
Or maybe she did because she turned her head at that very moment and gave him a wink and a smile then straightened up quickly, leaving him slightly thunderstruck.
"Come on, Kazuma," she said softly, "Or are you gonna stand there all night and just stare?"
Absolutely not!
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Yukina wrapped her hair in a towel after pulling the oversized t-shirt back on, the two of them brushed their teeth together, giggling at each other's faces as they did, and then they headed to the kitchen for breakfast.
"No, no," Kazuma gently pushed on her shoulders as Yukina began to head for the refrigerator, "I'll make breakfast, you just relax, ok?"
Yukina blinked up at him and smiled, nodding in agreement. She gingerly sat down, cross-legged, at the short table and gasped slightly as her tender spots bumped the heel of her foot. Damn...she would have to be more careful not to do that again.
"You ok?" Kazuma was looking down at her with concern, a carton of eggs in his hands.
"Yes," Yukina assured him, "Just...bumped myself and it hurt a little."
Reluctantly and guiltily, Kazuma turned back around and began cracking eggs into a bowl. After a while, Yukina had a plate with pancakes and eggs in front of her and Kazuma sat across from her with a grin, waiting for her to try it out.
"These are amazing!" Yukina squealed as she swallowed a bite of pancake, "Can you make these for me every day?"
"If you want me to," Kazuma grinned.
Yukina poked her eggs with her fork, thoughtfully.
"Kazuma? What are we going to tell everyone when we go back home?" she asked, feeling slightly nervous at the thought of everyone knowing what had happened. She wasn't ashamed, but...it just seemed like something that was between the two of them.
"Well, we can tell them as much or as little as you want to," he said calmly, "I don't think we should announce it or anything but I guarantee they're all going to assume a lot once they know we were here alone."
"But that's none of their business," Yukina commented.
"I'd say we most likely won't have to say a single word," Kazuma grumbled, "They'll all figure it out on their own."
Kazuma imagined his sister's teasing and Urameshi's snarky comments and his dirty minded assumptions...he was not looking forward to either one. And Hiei...he knew he should be terrified to face the little guy but something inside him felt completely confident about the inevitable meeting with his girl's brother.
"Now that I look back, I think our friends have been trying to get us together for a long time," Yukina commented, breaking him from his thoughts of Hiei, "They are good friends. They are very involved in our relationship."
"A little too involved, if you ask me," Kazuma muttered, thinking back to Yusuke's trick of helping Yukina with her anatomy homework.
Yukina giggled and silently agreed.
"So, what are we going to do today?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Just lay around and take it easy," Kazuma replied quickly, "Something tells me you shouldn't be doing too much running around today. Anyway, I'm gonna make you dinner tonight and show off my impressive chef skills."
"Sounds like a great plan," Yukina sighed happily, "Yesterday wore me out with all that running around on the beach."
She stood up and was about to grab her plate to take it to the sink but Kazuma's hand shot out to stop her.
"No, don't worry about it," he said quickly, "I'll get them. I'll clean up."
Yukina smiled softly, but let him do his thing. He always seemed to want to do all the work for some reason, she figured it was another one of those human male things. She left him to clean up and headed out to examine the plants in the garden.
Kazuma watched her go with a smile and took his plate to the sink then returned to the table to grab his plate. He picked up the plate and looked down in surprise as his entire arm began to tingle, as he eyed his arm suspiciously it began to glow a bright yellow and the plate he was holding shattered into a million pieces.
"Oh shit!" Kazuma yelped, jumping back in surprise and staring, wide-eyed at the splinters of glass on the table. What the hell had just happened? His arm continued to glow and he stared at in fear, holding it as far away from him as he could. He squeaked and ran towards the patio to find Yukina.
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Yukina leaned over the railing of the patio and stared out at the beach, admiring the bright blue of the sky this morning and watching a family playing with their dog in the sand by the water. This was a beautiful place and she found herself wishing she could live in a place like this.
This weekend with Kazuma had been lovely so far, relaxing and laid-back and she was not looking forward to going back home and school again. Being out here with him, alone and together was something special to her and she imagined it was special to him as well.
She knew a little about human marriages thanks to Keiko and Yusuke's engagement...was that what would happen with her and Kazuma eventually? She liked the idea of them having their own home together...and she found herself imagining their future. Would she agree to this marriage ritual if he chanced to ask her someday? Yes, she decided, it would make him happy and that was important...and she knew it would make her happy as well.
"YUKINA!" Kazuma's terrified shriek made Yukina jump and she stood up quickly from where she was bent over to examine a rose bush and she whipped around to see what he was yelling about. She gasped and her eyes went wide when she saw Kazuma standing there with his entire left forearm glowing a bright golden color.
"Kazuma...what are you doing?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow, "What is going on with your energy? It feels so different!"
"I...I don't know," Kazuma replied nervously, "It feels so weird! And I can't make it stop right now!"
As if in response to his worry, his arm ceased to glow and he breathed out in relief, his shoulder sagging as he shook his head in confusion. He muttered about it being weird and then he looked up and his eyes got wide and excited.
"Oh my god!" he yelled loudly, making Yukina jolt in shock at the volume of his voice, "Oh wow...I need to test this out!"
Yukina smiled at his excitement.
"So, let's go test it!" she said, feeling excited herself for some reason. She could feel the power of his energy from all the way over in the garden as he stood on the patio, it felt unlike anything she'd ever felt before, it wasn't spirit energy and it wasn't demon energy...it was something on a whole new level. "I'll spar with you if you'd like."
Kazuma looked at her incredulously.
"Oh...no, no," he said quickly, "I can't do that. I might hurt you."
"You won't," Yukina assured him with a smile, "I trust you."
Kazuma considered his options for a moment and eventually he reluctantly agreed with the condition of no physical contact, ranged attacks only.
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Later on as the sun began to set, the two of them walked down to the beach and made sure the coast was clear to practice.
"Ok," Yukina turned to face him and made a hand motion for him to back up a ways as she backed up herself, putting quite a large distance between them. This energy of his honestly made her feel nervous but she was also very excited to see what the results would be. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," Kazuma muttered, "But I still don't like this. What if I hurt you?"
"Stop worrying and defend yourself," Yukina snapped, knowing she had to put on a bold front and show him she was not a fragile little child. She raised her hand and aimed her palm at the ocean, causing several splashes of water to freeze into shards of sharp ice, waving her hand to bring them close to her where they floated, waiting. She let out a yell and thrust her palm forward, sending the ice shards zooming in Kazuma's direction.
Kazuma took a deep breath as he watched the pieces of ice raise from the water and he planted his feet wide in the sand to improve his balance, waiting eagerly for Yukina's attack. When she launched the ice towards him, he instinctively raised his left arm and closed his eyes tight...the sound of shattering ice reached his ears and he felt tiny flakes of cold hit his skin.
"Wow!" Yukina called out excitedly, "That was cool!"
Kazuma opened his eyes and saw a sheer wall of shimmering gold energy in front of him, an energy shield. The ice sparks had shattered against the energy with no effect at all. Kazuma laughed excitedly and punched the air.
"Ok, again!" he said, getting back into position.
"Alright," Yukina warned him, "I'm going to send you one big piece this time."
She formed the large hunk of ice and aimed it in his direction, then she flung it at him. Kazuma's left palm glowed a bright golden orange the color of flames and Yukina's jaw dropped in awe at the spirit sword that leapt into his hands.
Kazuma sliced easily through the chunk of ice with the ease of slicing through butter and he raised his eyes to the sword he was holding. He was shocked...he hadn't even had to think about summoning it, it had just come to him as if he had simply formed it with a thought. The sword in his hands was not his normal spirit sword and it was not the Jigen Tou either...it was something completely new. It was fully formed like a real sword, the exact same golden yellow of the energy that had surrounded his arm earlier, it lacked any sign of energy spikes on the blade which was smooth and looked solid, the hilt in his palm glowed a bright, fiery red.
"That...that looks almost like you're holding a regular human made sword," Yukina commented in awe as she ran up to investigate, "But the energy it's putting out is incredible!"
"I...I think I know what's going on," Kazuma said quietly, examining the sword closer, "I didn't want to tell you but...Hiei told me I had to master the Sacred Energy to have his permission to be with you."
"I thought he already gave you permission!" Yukina said angrily, crossing her arms.
"He did...but then after the Risa incident he felt I couldn't protect you," Kazuma informed her, "He said this was the only way a human could be strong enough to protect a demon. After fighting with Sensui...I know he's right."
"Are you alright?" Yukina asked suddenly, her eyes full of concern, "Whoa, Kazuma!"
Kazuma felt his energy suddenly drain away from the prolonged presence of the sword in his hand and it disappeared in a flicker, he felt his legs shake in the effort of standing and he gasped at the sudden feeling of weakness.
"I'm ok, Yukina," he said quickly, steadying himself, "Just too much too fast."
"Come on," Yukina insisted, taking his hand and pulling him towards the house, "No more practice for you tonight. Remember, you promised to make me dinner."
Together they made their way back to the house, both full of excitement at the day's unexpected events.
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Kazuma made good on his promise and Yukina found herself staring at a plate completely full of amazing food, the paper lanterns filling the room with a beautiful red glow, Kazuma sitting next to her with his mouth already stuffed full of food.
"I'm very proud of you, Kazuma," she said as she picked up her chopsticks to dig in to the amazing looking dinner, "I didn't realize you'd been practicing so hard. But...you've only been working on it for a week, how did you manage to learn all of this in so short a time?"
Kazuma popped a shrimp in his mouth and chewed silently and thoughtfully, he swallowed and then nodded to himself.
"I've been wondering that too and I think I have an idea," he replied, "I started learning it for your sake, because I want so badly to be able to protect you. I've always wanted that...but last night, what we did, was a connection to you on a whole new level and I think our connection gave me the strength I needed. Whenever I practiced before, I always felt there was a sort of barrier in the way...like, I could feel the energy but I couldn't reach it."
Yukina listened in awe, remembering the connection she had felt to his energy the night before...it had felt different then too but she was too distracted to notice. Had she really awoken something in him during that event?
"But last night...I never knew I could feel so close to someone," Kazuma continued, blushing as he spoke, "I knew that all I could ever want was to keep you safe, to keep you with me...and I believe it's something like when my spirit awareness realized my need with the Jigen Tou before I did and changed me without me knowing."
Yukina had heard the story of Kazuma's discovery of the Dimension Sword many times and she had to admit that it sounded like this theory was very possible. She always had known Kazuma was strong, even when everyone else had doubted him and criticized him and told him he was weak and foolish...she had always known there was something deep inside him more powerful than anyone else seemed to notice.
Kazuma was looking at his arm with a smile, letting a tiny amount of energy form on his palm and Yukina smiled at the child-like excitement in his eyes.
After dinner, the two of them cuddled close on the couch, their eyes focused on the entrancing flickers of the flames in the fireplace, the only sounds were the crackles and the roar of the waves in the distance.
"Yukina," Kazuma whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind his girl's ear, "I...I wanted to thank you..."
Yukina looked up at him from where her head was settled in his lap.
"Thank me?" she asked, confused. He sounded so serious.
"Yeah," Kazuma continued quietly, "You're an amazing girl, you know it? Ever since I first saw you...you made me stronger. You've always made me feel like I could do anything when you're around. Last night, well...you made me feel like a whole new man."
"Because of the energy?" Yukina asked gently.
"Well, yeah, but in every way possible too," Kazuma assured her, "Thank you for giving me a chance and for believing in me when no one else does...and, obviously, for the sex."
Yukina giggled and smiled.
"I will give you more of all of those things," she promised happily, "But not tonight, I am far too sore."
"Of course not, silly," Kazuma poked her nose with his fingertip and chuckled, "And that's fine."
"I want to though," Yukina admitted, blushing and avoiding his eyes, "I...really think it was fun."
"Well...I mean...we can do other stuff," Kazuma offered hopefully.
"Yes, Yusuke mentioned many different things to try," Yukina suddenly remembered back to her bird and bees conversation with Urameshi.
Kazuma was about to ask her if she had any ideas when a loud knock on the door made them both jump off the couch in shock. Kazuma rolled his eyes at the familiar presences he sensed and sat back down with a groan.
"Better go let them in," he muttered and Yukina skipped over to open the door to reveal Botan, Keiko and Yusuke standing in the entryway.
"Hi, Yukina!" Botan said cheerily, "Kurama told us we'd find you two here."
Kazuma made a mental note to have stern words with Kurama when they got home tomorrow.
"Yeah, we went over to see if the two of you wanted to go to a movie and Kurama told us about your romantic weekend getaway," Keiko stated.
Yusuke plopped heavily down on the couch next to Kazuma and nudged him in the arm with his elbow.
"Well?" he asked, his eyes aglow with perverted glee, "Did you finally get laid or are you still too much of wimp to take advantage of a place like this?"
"Shut your mouth, Urameshi," Kazuma muttered through gritted teeth, "It's none of your business."
"I'll take that as a yes," Yusuke said, sitting back and crossing his arms behind his head.
"Did you two finally do it?" Keiko whispered on Kazuma's other side, making him groan out loud at the barrage of assuming questions.
"Of course they did!" Botan stated, matter-of-factly, pointing at Yukina who had just walked into the sitting area, "Look at the way Yukina is walking, she's doing the Post Scuffle Shuffle!"
"Geez, man," Yusuke laughed, "What did you do to her!?"
Kazuma leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. It was going to be a long night.
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There you go! And I have another chapter started in my head so it should be up tomorrow sometime!
Review and suggest and be awesome :)