Hello, everyone! Sorry, I know that I'm late on updates, but I'm seriously working on something cool for this story. This is the longest fanfiction yet. These next couple of chapters might be short but I mean I promise I will make this all worth it!

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Chapter Twenty-One

Golden eyes opened to face the late morning sun. A small, pale hand shaded them. In the distance, a Makai bird sang a nasty, melancholy tune.

Five hours, hm? she thought, and looked up to the person lying beside her.

Crimson hair framed his face well. He looked so very peaceful when he slept. So calm, not a care in the world. She supposed it was a rare opportunity to see the collected yoko in such an off-guard state. He was almost too relaxed.

However, she decided almost right away to get away from him. Slowly she removed herself from his embrace and slipped on her bathing robes. She grabbed a clean set out of her wardrobe while she was at it.

Crossing the room, she lifted the large tapestry on the wall. Behind it was a heavy door that barely anyone knew was there. Apparently her great-great aunt had built this tunnel as a private path to her royal bath house.

All of these Mari royalty had a private bath house. She was just the only one that had a secret tunnel, which she didn't know about until she was near seventy years old.

And now she realized that after awhile she'd always used the tunnel. That way someone wouldn't always know where she was. Being monitored had never been her thing.

The door on the other side was hidden behind shrubbery just outside of her bath house. For millennia no one had found it, which made her all the more doubtful in her society. Such honesty and innocence, they would never think that any secret tunnels existed.

She entered the building easily, using her own key to unlock it. The smells of vanillas, lavenders, and various fruits filled her nostrils. Maybe a long bath would help the aching heat between her legs.

Undressing once more, she dipped her feet into the hot water, perching at the edge beside a basket of hair pins, towels and scented oils. She reached inside to grab the former, seeing no purpose in getting her hair wet. It was still clean.

Finally she dipped into the water. On this side, the water was so shallow that it only reached her thighs. She moved further, her tail twitching slightly on the surface of the water. She continued wading until waist deep before sitting down.

The hot water didn't help much, but it did feel good against her skin. It relaxed her tense muscles and made her feel like the stench of sex was washing away.

After some splashing of hot water onto her body, Yuzuki waded back to the basket. She grabbed a bar of handmade soap from it, dipped it slowly into the water.

She soon saw her own reflection, with her deeply flushed cheeks and still-swollen lips. She also realized that she was shivering slightly with her need.

Honestly, Yuzuki's thoughts were fuzzy. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on bathing, seeing as every thought seemed to venture back to Kurama.

Kurama. A yoko with a human body. But that was the form she would rather see- the one with emerald eyes shining with knowledge and kindness, long crimson hair that she almost envied. Lightly tanned skin and chiseled body.

Stop! she thought, shaking her head vigorously. This wasn't the time to think of such things. She could at least wait until she got back into her room-

"Do you mind company?"

Immediately Yuzuki covered herself, turning to face the redhead. The steam must have cloaked his scent.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You welcomed me to the bath whenever I pleased."

"But not when I am here. Besides, I locked the door once I was inside."

He didn't reply, knowing that she then realized he was once a master thief. He probably got inside with no effort.

"I'm not sure I see the problem with my presence here," he said after a few moments' silence.

"I suppose there is not one," she replied. "Nothing you haven't already seen."

Soon she moved to the basket containing her scented oils. She attempted to focus on choosing a scent to distract herself from Kurama undressing.

His hands found their way to her skin the moment he was in the bath. He reached past her and grabbed a small bottle with a rose engraved on it.

She'd never used the rose engraved on it.

She'd never used the rose scented oil before. It had never been her favorite scent.

But she was more worried about the yoko's hands on her skin, and how they left trails of fire in their tracks.

"K-Kurama…"

"Shhh." He pulled the cork from the bottle with his teeth. "Let me help you."

Pouring a small amount in his hand, he placed the bottle back in the basket. He rubbed his hands together slowly and deliberately.

When Kurama began massaging her shoulders she felt like she was melting. His touch made her body quiver in a way no one else's had before.

She couldn't help but hunch over and grip the edge of the bath when his nimble fingers made their way down to massage the muscles in her back. He just made her feel so good, all the way down to her core. Her aching between her legs was almost unbearable.

"Do you like that?" he asked, voice only sending shivers down her spine. "I could do this all day, you know."

"I…It's just the… aphrodisiac…" So much for thinking clearly. She could barely focus.

"Are you sure? I would like to think you would enjoy me just as much without it."

"It… takes away rational thought… Otherwise I know you would not act on… ahhh-"

He pushed Yuzuki forward, hand on the small of her back. She found the front of her petite torso pressed against the cool surface of the bath house flooring. "K…Kurama?"

One hand slid down her back to wrap around her fox tail. He kept a tight grip, moving it to the side. With his other hand he brushed his fingers gently up her thighs.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to get over how soft your skin is." She squirmed and whimpered when he made contact with her soaked folds. "Especially right around here."

He only pinched her clit for a moment before lining his member with her dripping entrance. He kept a grip on her wriggling tail so that it would not spoil his view.

Yuzuki moved to support her upper body. "Kurama…"

The redhead slipped into her with ease, biting his lips at feeling her velvety core. He filled her, made her feel whole.

He began to thrust hard into her, growling. He couldn't help it anymore. He would take her the way he wanted.

She arched and writhed, moaning his name. He relished the view he had of her. He could see the dark blush across her cheeks when she looked back at him.

When she pleaded and pushed back against him, he picked up his speed, his free hand on her hip. He would pull at her to match his speed.

"K-Kurama…!"

Oh, her voice was the sweetest symphony.

But even though he was fucking her, steadily picking up his pace, watching Yuzuki scratch and grip at the surface beneath her, he felt something. Like an itch he couldn't quite scratch. Almost as if it were…

Demon instinct?

No, he wouldn't… couldn't mark her as his mate. Not without her equal consent. And she… she would regret it. She would not want that in the long run. Honestly, Yuzuki would probably hate him for it.

He washed her back slowly and carefully, making sure to clean every inch of her. Her skin, despite a few scratch marks from earlier, was completely flawless. She was so-

"Kurama?" Yuzuki was actually enjoying the bath. It was nice. She kept her golden eyes on the water. "Are you alright?"

"Perfect."

She suddenly felt numb, but her body grew rigid. She didn't bother to look behind her. She already knew.

So, naked and all, she bolted.