Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Fire Within ❯ Burning Flame ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: Hawaiianhoney2030

*~The Fire Within~*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho in any way shape or form… though I wish I did ^_^

Chapter 2: Burning Flame

Kagome leapt up from her sitting position and quickly turned to stare at the demon that had just spoken. What she saw surprised her. Long silver hair, white tunic, adorable pointed white ears, and a white tail. What caught her attention the most though were his amazing golden eyes. Unlike Inuyasha's dull amber color, these were bright and filled with mischief and life. But unfortunately, the miko didn't know this demon, so she carefully backed away from him, a little disappointed when she felt her purification disappear from her finger.

“Who are you…what do you want?” Kagome asked, trying to hide her slight fear.

“I am both surprised and disturbed that you did not feel my presence much earlier Kagome, you should be more careful.” He smirked as he took a step toward her.

Panicking, Kagome took quicker steps back until her back pressed hard against a tree. She cursed her luck that she would happen to hit a tree at a time like this when she could be in great danger. Though for some reason, Kagome felt she knew this demon. She wasn't sure why but she recognized his eyes and something else that she just couldn't quite think of.

“Who are you?”

“How could you already forget about the kitsune that you were caring for just moments ago before you ran off?” he smirked as he continued to make his way toward her.

That's when it clicked.

“Youko?” Kagome asked slowly, not sure if she was right or not.

The silver kitsune grinned and Kagome knew she had guessed right. She smiled to herself. She knew that fur looked familiar, not to mention those ears and tail. How could she forget?

“Took you long enough.” He purred as he finally closed the space between them and pressed his body against hers. Kagome blushed as red as a tomato as she felt his body pinning her against the tree. She didn't know what he was doing but she had to admit he had a nice body. She felt him grasp her wrists and pin them at her sides as he nuzzled her neck with his nose.

“Youko….what are you doing?” she asked slowly, trying to resist the urge to arch her body up closer to his. She didn't know what he was doing to her but she was slowly becoming more aroused by every minute that pasted. She felt him graze her neck with his fangs and the miko felt heat pool at the pit of her stomach as he softly nipped and licked at her neck.

“Just relax…” he purred, making Kagome's entire body vibrate. The kitsune's hands traveled down her sides until they rested on her backside and squeezed her ass. Her eyes closed in bliss as she tried to hold back her moan. This wasn't like her…why was her body reacting this way? Kagome was completely confused by her actions, it was as if she didn't have control of her own body anymore and slowly her mind was beginning to fog over, making it harder to think.

Youko squeezed her backside once more and she lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist. The kitsune used his hands to hold her in place as he grinded his hips against hers slowly. A soft groan escaped her lips as the pool of heat ignited into a flame of need. Kagome almost lost complete train of thought as he moved from nipping at her neck to kissing his way down her collar bone. His tongue dipped into her cleavage and her body arched up toward his, as if asking for more.

Kagome began to panic. This wasn't like her… she had to admit that Youko was hot and she desperately wanted to ran her hands along his perfect chest but this was too far too soon. But she had no control… it was as if he was seducing her with his amazing body and ministrations. That's when Kagome remembered something Shippo had said a few days ago about silver kitsunes. They were masters at seduction! He really was seducing her!

Kagome tried with all her might to push the fog that was slowly flooding her train of thought. Soon she was in complete control of her body and pushed Youko away from her. Glaring at the kitsune angrily, she straightened her clothes.

“How dare you use my attraction toward you to your advantage! If you ever use that power of seduction on me again I'll purify a part of you that any man would surely miss!” she yelled angrily before stomping back to camp.

Youko smirked. She had admitted she found him attractive and he would bet his life that she didn't even realize it. But what surprised him the most was that the miko had resisted his power of seduction. No one, demon or human, had every resisted his seduction before. She was the first and it was quite puzzling to him. Though it also made her that much more unique. Deciding he would make it his goal to capture the miko's heart, Youko slowly made his way back to camp. It sounded fair to him since she practically already had his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kikyou entered the dark castle with caution. True she had walked through this vile place several times before but she had always come here. This time was different. She was summoned here. Her eyes narrowed, she glared at any and all demons that she passed as she made her way down the hall to the room she knew Naraku would be waiting in. Why he had requested her presence was a complete mystery to her, but she was definitely not going to let her guard down.

As the dead miko entered the room, she turned her hate filled glare to Naraku.

“What is it you want.” She demanded coldly.

Naraku turned serious blood red eyes toward the miko. “I want you to give me the sight.”

Kikyou snorted, “I cannot give you the sight you fool. Only the guardians of the Shikon have the ability to see and sense the shards.”

Naraku sighed as he shook his head. “Hmm…what a pity…I guess I'll just have to settle with taking your ability then.” he smirked as he stood from his seated position in his dark corner.

Before the miko could draw her bow, Naraku had her wrapped in his tentacles. So Naraku intended to absorb her did he? Kikyou smirked as she waited for him to draw her closer. Once she was face to face with the hanyou, she released a powerful blast of purification. Her attack effectively blew Naraku to smithereens and gave her the chance to grab her bow and escape the castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei had been trying to track down that damn hanyou for days. Naraku had stolen a shard of the Shikon jewel that he had in his possession. Hiei didn't mind that he lost the shard seeing as he didn't need its power. He thought it weak and pathetic to rely on an object to grant power. Any demon using the jewel shards didn't have true power, just temporary granted power that would be taken once a stronger demon or one with more shards crossed its path.

What angered the apparition beyond boiling point was that the vile hanyou had actually stolen from him. It was a major blow to his pride that a mere hanyou had succeeded in stealing from one of the most powerful demons to walk the earth. So in order to calm his anger, Hiei decided to hunt this Naraku bastard down and tear him limb from limb.

He had been following the hanyou's scent for several hours and finally began to hear voices. As he neared, he realized it was Naraku's wind witch yelling orders to several demons.

“Find that damn miko! Naraku needs her ability to see the Shikon shards!” Kagura demanded.

“But Kagura, she's a miko…how do you expect us to bring her back here and still be in one piece?” one demon questioned.

“I don't know, nor do I care. Find the damn miko and Naraku needs her alive if he's going to steal her ability.”

Hiei smirked. He finally found out how he was going to get to Naraku. All he had to do was find the miko he was searching for and hold her hostage. Or he could kill her; either way was fine with him, as long as he found Naraku. It shouldn't be that hard to find her since only one miko could see the Shikon shards and that would be the jewel's guardian.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome sighed tiredly. She was exhausted and Inuyasha still insisted they continue walking. They had been traveling since the sun rose and it was nearly dark. Even though Youko had gained enough energy to travel on his own again, he decided he wanted to hang around the group a little longer. Kouga had left early that morning, stating something about having to check on his pack. Of course before he left, he turned glares toward Youko and Inuyasha with the demand of `don't even think of laying a hand on my woman' before he disappeared.

Unfortunately for Kagome, her injured hip still hadn't healed. It hurt just to walk but she didn't show her pain. She didn't want to seem weak so she kept her complaints inside, even though she knew Shippo could sense her pain. She wasn't sure how, but the kit somehow always knew when something was wrong with her. Whether it was an injury she hadn't told anyone about or just inner turmoil, the kit always knew.

Youko had to admit, traveling with this group proved to be quite entertaining. The monk and slayers random fights or Kagome sitting the hanyou halfway to hell, it all made his mood that much brighter. The best part of course was walking behind the miko. With the revealing clothing she wore, the view was absolutely delicious. What further entertained him was the fact that Kagome was obviously in dyer pain, but refused to ask for a break.

No one else may have noticed, but he could clearly see the slight limp in her step and the pain was clear in her eyes. He realized the kit continued sending the miko worried glances and know he could tell his mother was in pain as well. Nevertheless, no matter how many times the kit offered to ask for a break and declare that he was hungry or tired, Kagome refused to stop. Why was she so determined to not look weak?

The kitsune quickened his pace so he was walking beside the pained miko. She turned to him briefly with a small smile before averting her attention back to where she was walking.

“It is obvious you are in pain miko, so why push yourself?” Youko whispered.

Kagome turned a shocked look toward the kitsune before she sadly looked away. “If Inuyasha were to find out that I was injured again, he would just go on and on about how weak and pathetic I am and I don't want to hear it right now.”

Youko shook his head. “You have been walking all day, keeping up with this hanyou's torturous pace nonetheless. How could he see you as weak if you asked for a single break?”

Kagome laughed bitterly, “Oh you don't know Inuyasha well enough yet, whenever he gets the chance, he will complain and yell. It's like he finds entertainment in crushing people's souls on a daily basis.” She muttered.

Youko chuckled, but only to cover his disappointment. It seemed that the hanyou picked on Kagome often. His gaze turned up to Inuyasha who was leading the group. The sun was starting to go down and it didn't seem that the hanyou was willing to stop anytime soon. Looking back at the exhausted miko, he sighed.

“Inuyasha, would you not agree that it may be wise to stop for the night?” Youko spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. Ever since the kitsune had reverted to his humanoid form, he hadn't spoken much. Miroku guessed he was more of the quiet and observant type.

“Oh is the wimpy fox tired?” Inuyasha teased grumpily.

“In fact yes, I have yet to gain my energy back completely and in order to receive it, I must rest. Not to mention the humans seem a little beat.”

Inuyasha took a look at the others. Sango and Miroku were sitting on the side, obviously thankful for the break, but Kagome was a different story. She looked ready to faint. She was pale and shaking slightly.

“Kagome, are you alright?” he asked. Before the miko could answer, she passed out. Luckily, Youko was still standing next to her and was able to catch her before she hit the floor. Inuyasha rushed to her side, as did Sango and Miroku.

“What's wrong with her?” Inuyasha demanded.

“She overworked herself, and she was injured but still was too stubborn to rest and let her body heal itself.” Youko stated, knowing she wouldn't be happy that he revealed her hidden wound but knew it was for the best.

“It's your entire fault Inubaka! You pushed her too hard!” Shippo yelled.

“How is this my fault?! She'd the idiot that didn't tell us she was injured!”

“Inuyasha, do you honestly expect her to willingly tell us if she has an injury? With how often you remind her of how weak she is?” Sango asked angrily. The slayer was seething. That clueless, not to mention heartless, hanyou could be so stupid sometimes. Inuyasha wasn't the only thing that upset her, but also the fact that Kagome hadn't even told her that she was injured.

The miko was usually quite forthcoming and open whenever it came to something that needed be known by at least one member of the group. But then again, it didn't seem that she had told anyone of her injury. After he finished his glare contest with Inuyasha, Shippo had rushed to Kagome's side. Sango had watched as Youko carefully placed her down on the ground as the kit searched for the miko's injury.

“Is she going to be alright?” Sango asked as she moved to sit next to her miko friend.

Even thought her question was directed toward Shippo, Youko was the one to answer. “I believe so; she merely fainted from her overwhelming pain and exhaustion.”

“Do you know how she got injured? Or even where she is hurting?” The slayer asked, hoping the usually quiet kitsune would answer her questions.

“When she first found me, she had been running from demons and trapped, successfully landing on her hip I believe. I, though, didn't notice she had hurt herself until several days ago when I noticed her slight limp.” Youko explained as he carefully rolled the miko to her uninjured side and lifted her shirt slightly.

Sango cringed when she laid eyes on her sister like friend's hip. It was a dark purple color and was swollen, but not to the point of being completely noticeable through her clothes. Sango sighed and took a quick look around. Finding Kagome's backpack, the slayer requested Shippo retrieve it for her. Once the bag was within her reach, she turned back to the others.

“Could you guys uhhh… go hunt for dinner and gather firewood so I can tend to Kagome's hip?” Sango asked softly. Miroku and Youko nodded and disappeared into the surrounding forest without complaint. Inuyasha on the other hand stomped off muttering about stupid woman and always wanting everything their way.

Sango rolled her eyes before getting to her work. With Shippo's help, Sango was able to tend the miko's large bruise and bandage pain relieving cream to the area before the guys returned. Both Shippo and Sango were delighted to see Youko carrying a dozen fish. Miroku and Inuyasha arrived several minutes later with more than enough firewood to last them the night.

Youko began digging through Kagome's pack as Sango began cooking. Inuyasha had growled in his direction when he had first began rummaging through the girl's bag, but quieted once he saw the sleeping bag in his grasp. The kitsune set it down on the ground and looked it over carefully. How did the miko arrange it?

Seeing the older kitsune having trouble, Shippo left Kagome's side to help him lay out the sleeping bag. Once it was unzipped and layered with blankets, Youko lifted Kagome from the hard, cold ground and placed the miko in her soft, warm sleeping bag. Shippo slipped in next to her and zipped it closed with a smile. He didn't really mind not having any dinner nor did he want to while his adoptive mother was injured and couldn't eat with him. Within minutes, the kit was fast asleep.

Youko sat where he was for quite some time just watching the two. He just couldn't understand the miko. She was like one big puzzle and everyone knows how much the famous Youko Kurama enjoys his puzzles. From the girl's sharp intakes of breath, he could tell she was still in pain as she slept. As the humans and hanyou ate dinner, Youko sat against a tree next to where Kagome and Shippo were sleeping. Once they were finished eating, they all went to bed to prepare for the long day ahead of them.

Youko was the only one still awake. He couldn't sleep for some reason. Every time he closed his eyes, the thought of Kagome crying in pain surfaced in his mind and his eyes would fling open to check if the miko was alright. Each time he checked on her, she was fine, though pain was quite evident in her facial expression and sharp breathing. Youko wasn't sure why, but he wanted to comfort the miko. He tried ignoring the urge at first but it only strengthened and kept him from relaxing.

Groaning in irritation, the kitsune stood and made his way over to the miko. Sitting down next to her, he thought about how he should comfort her. Finally deciding that she would most likely freak if she woke the next morning with him sleeping next to her in his humanoid form, Youko gathered the ki needed to revert to his animal form. Within moments, he was back to his smaller fox form.

Yawning, the kitsune slowly settled next to her head. He curled himself right between her shoulder and ear. Nuzzling her neck, he purred softly as he rested his head on her chest. Youko's long fluffy tail rested across the miko's neck and gently thumped and brushed his tail against her skin. Yawning once more, the kitsune quickly fell into an alert sleep while purring to comfort the miko.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Youko woke the next morning to find Kagome missing. Taking a quick look around, he found that everyone else was still fast asleep and the sun was about to rise. Stretching, Youko reverted back to his humanoid form and lifted his nose to the air. Easily catching Kagome's scent in the air, he lazily began to follow where the scent led. When he finally found the miko, what he saw surprised him beyond belief.

Kagome was standing against a tree with a small but sharp blade. From where he was standing, she seemed to be examining the blade before touching the tip of her finger to the sharp edge. Just as he was going to interrupt the miko, she bit her lip and cut a long gash into her palm. Panicking, Youko rushed to her side and snatched the blade from her grasp. She looked up at him in complete surprise and he narrowed his eyes on her.

“What exactly do you think you're doing?” he demanded angrily.

Once the miko got over her surprise, her face lit up as her eyes danced with excitement. This confused Youko further. “Why do you keep sneaking up on me? Can't you like give me a warning that you're coming so you don't scare me half to death?”

Youko growled slightly, causing Kagome's smile to disappear. “Answer my question miko.”

“I was just going to test my healing powers…” she muttered.

“Healing powers? How do you have healing powers if you can barely hold raw power under your control?” That question seemed to anger the miko slightly but she brushed it off.

“Well I'm not really sure… when I woke up this morning I had completely forgot about my injury until I sat up. There was a throbbing pain in my hip. I lifted up my shirt to take a look and as I was checking it, I ran my fingers across it.” She explained before getting excited again.

“Then I suddenly realized that the area I had trailed with my fingers wasn't bruised anymore. It was weird, almost like an eraser…but anyway, I waved my hand over my hip and the pain disappeared!”

Youko stared at the miko with a blank expression. Kagome was grinning at him but soon it faded to a pout.

“Aren't you at least a little excited that I found out a new power?” she grumbled.

“I am indeed proud of the fact that you found a new power, but I am disappointed at the same time.” He answered.

Kagome stared at him in question. “Huh? Why are you disappointed?”

“I'm guessing that you intentionally cut yourself just now to test if you could heal your wound, am I correct?”

Kagome nodded slowly.

“You think it is wise to drown the air with the scent of your blood? I understand that you were curious about your new power but could you not have thought this over a little better?”

Kagome's happy expression dropped into a deep frown as she refused to keep eye contact.

“With you intentionally injuring yourself, you are possibly attracting demons. What if you could not summon your healing powers and you were attacked?” Youko asked. He sighed as she continued to stare at the ground. Reaching forward, he caught her chin in his grasp and lifted her face to look at him.

“I am not angry, just worried Kagome. You could have gotten hurt.”

“I know….I'm sorry…” she muttered.

Youko rolled his eyes with a smile. “I'll make you a deal. You don't go attracting trouble while you're by yourself with no one to protect you and I'll let you test your powers on me.”

Kagome stared at him, confusion clouding her eyes. “Why would you risk getting purified just to keep me from getting into trouble?”

“Because…wouldn't want my potential mate to go off and get killed.” He smirked before disappearing.

Kagome stood there shocked. Did he say potential mate? Sango had explained to her about demon mating before and from what she could remember, a potential mate was when a demon chose a female to court. Kagome's face turned red as she stared at the spot Youko had just been standing. Did this mean he liked her? But why would he like her? She was only a weak untrained miko who couldn't even protect herself. She just couldn't understand why he was interested in her.

Sighing in frustration, the confused miko began walking back to camp. She wasn't surprised to see everyone awake and already getting packed to go. What she was surprised about was the fact that Inuyasha hadn't complained about her being gone when he woke up. Shippo trotted over to her and leapt on her shoulder with a big smile.

“How was meditating?” he asked sweetly.

“Meditating?” She questioned. Confused, she looked toward Youko to see him grinning as he packed her things. Catching on, she smiled.

“Oh, it was very relaxing.”

“Are you getting any closer to controlling your powers?”

Kagome ruffled the kits hair as she walked over to lift her large bag onto her shoulder Shippo wasn't occupying. “Yes, I hope soon I will be skilled enough to help in fights.”

“Feh, even if you do learn to control your powers, you're not going to fight with us.” Inuyasha stated.

Kagome turned a hard glare toward him. “And why not?!”

“Because knowing you and your klutzy self, you'll probably get hurt like you always do then we'll have to stop shard hunting and wait for your pathetic human body to recover.” The hanyou complained as he continued leading the group north.

Kagome clenched her hands into fists as she tried to calm her burning rage. Anger was rolling off the miko in waves and it made the group uncomfortable. Shippo stared at Kagome in worry. He could feel something boiling just beneath the surface of her anger and his instincts were screaming at him to run from it.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha angrily. How dare he say she can't fight! So what if she was a little clumsy sometimes, that didn't mean she got hurt all the time! The nerve of that stupid hanyou! For some reason, Kagome felt her heart pounding quickly and it wasn't just from how pissed she was. Her whole body was beginning to get warm as she felt her blood boiling.

Shippo panicked once he realized what he felt. It was purification. Kagome temperature was starting to rise and he quickly leapt off her shoulder. Being full kitsune demon and having more enhanced sense of smell, Youko smelt the kit's fear before any of the other demons in the group. Turning his attention to Shippo, he realized the kit was quickly moving away from Kagome. Confused, he looked toward the miko and his eyes widened.

He could still feel how pissed she was but now Kagome had gained a pink hue. Moving quickly and not caring that the purification would probably hurt him, Youko rushed to Kagome's side and wrapped his soft tail around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He winced slightly when the purification zapped him and burned at his tail but refused to move until Kagome calmed.

He didn't have to wait long because once the miko felt his tail wrapped around her and saw smoke rising from it, she completely forgot what she was angry about. The purification seeped back into her skin as Kagome gently touched Youko's soft and now slightly burnt tail.

“I'm so sorry…” she said as her eyes began to water. Youko shook his head as he wrapped an arm around her.

“It's alright, I'm fine.” He smiled, but it didn't make her feel any better. Tears slid down her cheeks, soaking his tail and her clothes slightly as she looked up toward him.

“No it's not…I hurt you...I'm so sorry…” she cried.

Youko was thankful that they had fallen behind the group a little, far enough so that the others couldn't hear or smell her crying. He was sure Inuyasha would only darken the miko's mood again. Youko was about to reassure her that he was fine when his tail began to tingle. Averting his golden eyes from Kagome's beautiful blue ones to his tail that was still wrapped around her waist, he was surprised and slightly scared to see his tail glowing blue.

Seeing his look of surprise, Kagome looked down only to gain a similar look but a combination of joy and surprise. A large grin spread across the miko's face as she wiped away her tears. Her healing powers were slowly healing Youko's tail and Kagome was overjoyed. Once the blue glow dissipated, Youko turned his questioning gaze to the miko.

“That was my healing powers! It healed your tail.” She smiled happily.

Youko nodded slowly as he realized something. Whenever Kagome was in a bad mood, she was able to summon that spark of purification but when she was in a good mood, she couldn't seem to form it. Now when she was sad, her healing powers leapt forth and repaired his burnt tail. Kagome's powers where linked to her emotions! It made perfect sense. This same thing happened to young demons that didn't know how to control their powers yet. Since they couldn't control them, their powers reacted depending on their emotions.

The same must apply for mikos. When they are scared or angry, their purification surfaces, but when they are sad or pained their healing powers kick in.

“Kagome, your powers are linked to your emotions.”

Confused, the miko turned to stare at the kitsune. “My emotions? How do you know?”

“Because the same thing happens to young demons who have yet to learn control over their powers. When you were angry at Inuyasha, your purification surfaced and almost purified Shippo. The kit sensed the danger and quickly distanced himself from you. Then when you burned my tail, you were sad. Soon after, your healing powers kicked in.” he explained.

Kagome thought about what he said. She had to admit it made sense. Every time she was able to make that little purification spark she was either really angry or frustrated. And that morning, she had woken up in tears from accidentally rolling over onto her injured hip. Just then, Kagome remembered that Youko had told her she almost purified Shippo.

Panicking, she quickly, but gently, unwrapped Youko's tail from her waist and ran to catch up with the group. Spotting Shippo near Miroku, she gently lifted the kit into her arms and hugged him tightly as she slowed her pace so she was at the back of the group. Youko quickened his pace until he was walking next to the miko and her kit.

“I'm so sorry Shippo…I didn't mean to scare you. I promise that I will do everything I can to keep you safe from my powers.” She muttered into the kit's hair as she hugged him tightly.

“It's ok Kagome; I just got scared and knew that I had to get away from it just in case you decided to fry Inuyasha.” Shippo giggled.

Kagome laughed. “You know, that's not a bad idea.”

“How did you calm down so fast? I expected it'd take you at least the rest of the day to cool down.” The kit admitted with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Youko helped me, but I injured him so I felt so bad I healed him.” She explained. Surprised she healed the other kitsune, but confused at the same time, Shippo stared at her in confusion.

“I'll explain later.” She smiled as they continued walking. Even after Kagome healed his tail, Youko could still feel her guilt flooding her aura. Moving closer to her, he wrapped his tail around her waist once more. She turned to smile toward him as she brushed her fingers through Shippo's soft hair.

Kagome was content and quite comfortable with Youko's silky tail wrapped around her. It wasn't long before Shippo fell asleep in her arms and Kagome was surprised Youko was actually behaving. That's when she felt his tail slide under her shirt. The tip of his tail was brushing against her flat stomach as she turned a glare toward the kitsune.

Youko pretended he didn't know she was glaring at him until she cleared her throat. He turned to her with an innocent look on his devilishly handsome face and Kagome rolled her eyes.

“I'm warning you, if that tail travels any higher or lower, I'll purify it from your body.” The miko threatened.

Youko shuttered slightly at the thought of his tail being completely purified. It wasn't a pretty visual. Deciding he wanted to get through the day in one piece, the kitsune brought forth all his will power to hold back the urge to brush his tail just a little further up. It was so tempting though… her breasts were so perfect and full. He internally groaned in frustration.

He really hoped Kagome would accept his desire to take her as his mate. He hadn't staked an official claim on her yet but she was aware that he was interested. He would not be able to place the official claim on her until she accepted it. Though he wondered if she knew what a potential mate was seeing as she was human and could have no idea what he was talking about. He would just have to talk to her about it later, when they were in a more private place away from the nosey hanyou.

He knew Kagome was attracted to him, but would she accept him as her mate? Youko's pride told him that no female could resist him but then again his pride also made him believe he knew everything. He was proven wrong of that when he met this strange miko. He had believed all mikos hated demons and it was their duty to destroy his kind.

That fact he was raised with had shattered to millions of pieces when he realized the miko had not only saved his life, but was also the adoptive mother of an orphaned kitsune. So if he was wrong about that, he could also be wrong about him being irresistible… Youko snorted with a smirk. Naw, he was definitely irresistible.

But that didn't necessarily mean that Kagome would agree to be his mate. Youko turned his gaze to the miko walking beside him. He was surprised when she had threatened him but still let his tail rest around her waist under her shirt. He smirked. She had a weakness for soft ears and tails. Maybe he could tease her later with them just so he can have an excuse to make her touch him.

Oh yes, that sounded grand…

Youko had never truly admitted it but he loved having his ears stroked. It felt amazing and the thought of Kagome's soft delicate fingers massaging his ears made him shiver in delight. His tail was just as sensitive as his ears and every time he saw Kagome brushing her fingers through Shippo's tail, he always hoped that it was him sitting in her lap, brushing through his tail.

For the rest of the day, Youko wasn't quite there walking with the rest of the group. He was busy plotting how he was going to get Kagome to stroke his ears and tail and at the same time find out if she understood what he meant by potential mate. Just as the sun was beginning to fall behind the mountains, Youko had figured out his entire plan. He smirked as Inuyasha announced they'd stop and make camp for the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner and everything was cleaned up, everyone got ready for bed. Inuyasha took his usual spot up in the trees as Miroku leaned against a tree near where Sango was sleeping in her sleeping bag. Kagome set up her sleeping bag near the fire and slid inside. Once Shippo had settled himself inside the bag with her, she buried her nose in his hair and closed her eyes.

Youko sat against a tree near Kagome. He waited until everyone was sound asleep before pulling a seed from his hair. Pushing his youki into it, the seed quickly grew into a beautiful purple flower with large petals. Stealthily leaping up into Inuyasha's tree, he placed one of the large petals on top of the hanyou's head. Moving quickly but quietly, he placed a petal on each member of the group except Kagome.

Once that task was done, he made his way over to the miko. Unzipping her sleeping bag, he lifted her into his arms before covering Shippo and leaving the camp sight. Once he was several feet away, he cast a barrier around camp so the sleeping members inside would not be seen or sensed by any passing demons. Once the barrier was set, he continued walking until he came to a clearing not to far away.

Sitting in the middle of the clearing, he gently placed the slowly waking miko down on the grass and waited for her to wake. Soon her eyes opened and Kagome woke to see Youko grinning down at her. Confused, the miko sat up slowly and took a look around.

“Youko…where are we?” she asked slowly.

“A clearing not far from camp.” Was his simple answer.

“And why are we here?”

“So you can train your powers.” When those words reached Kagome's ears, she was immediately wide awake. She was about to thank the kitsune when she suddenly began to panic.

“Oh no!! What if Inuyasha wakes up!! He's going to throw a fit if he finds out I'm gone! Not to mention he doesn't trust you to be with me alone!” she blurted before slapping her hand over her mouth.

Youko raised a brow in her direction. “May I ask why the hanyou doesn't trust me to be alone with you?”

“No you may not ask. We have to get back to camp before Inuyasha wakes up!” she stated as she stood and began walking toward camp…wherever that was…

Youko rolled his eyes and grabbed the miko's arm before pulling her back against him. “None of them will be waking up anytime soon.” He purred in her ear.

Kagome turned in his hold to glare up at him. “What did you do to them.” She demanded.

“Nothing that will harm them, I merely used a flower petal that puts them in a deeper sleep.” He explained.

“You do realize that putting them in a deeper sleep puts them at risk of getting attacked!!!” she yelled, trying to escape his hold.

“Will you calm down?! I placed a barrier around them! They are safe.” He growled. Kagome stopped struggling and looked down in pity. She should have known better. Youko knew she would worry about her friends, so of course he planned for them to be completely safe while she was gone.

“I'm sorry Youko…”

The kitsune huffed before sitting, pulling the miko down with him. He ordered her to sit across from him and waited as she did so.

“Alright, so we know that your powers are linked to your emotions for now. Once you have learned complete control of your powers, you can summon them at anytime you wish.”

“So they are connected to my emotions cause I don't know how to control them? And the only way the power comes to me is if I'm in a certain mood?”

“Correct. So once you have a firm hold on them, you will not have to rely on your mood to bring forth your power.”

“Ok so how do I gain control over them?”

“First you must learn to control your emotions. Control your emotions and you have the basic control of your powers.” He explained as he twitched his ear slightly. A small smirk spread across his face when he noticed her gaze was directed at his ears.

“So how do I control me emotions?” she asked, trying to avert her gaze from his tempting ears.

“Meditation.” He answered as he twitched his ear once more.

“Now, I want you to close your eyes and relax.”

Taking a deep breath, the miko did as she was told.

“Now think of what makes you really angry, something that makes your blood boil.”

Kagome smirked, that would be easy. The miko began thinking of Inuyasha. She thought back about how much he insulted her and hurt Shippo. How he would hold the poor kit but his tail in midair and hit him all the time. She felt her hands clench into fists as she continued thinking of the hanyou. How he would run off to see Kikyou when he thought she was sleeping.

She felt her body temperature rising and heart rate quicken. This was the same feeling she felt when she was able to form that spark, but this feeling was much stronger. Before, she was just frustrated or disappointed, right now she was pissed and Kagome could feel the power flowing through her veins.

Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes and lifted her hand in front of her. Opening her fist, she concentrated on focusing her power into her palm and almost fell over in shock when a burst of flame ignited in her hand. Kagome and Youko stared at the blue purification ball of fire in shock. It was much larger than that little spark she was able to summon before; this was more like a flame.

Youko didn't think she would be able to summon her powers this first try but was proven wrong once more as he stared at the burning flame positioned in the miko's palm. That was twice this miko had proven him wrong, and she didn't even know it. Youko smiled when the miko laughed.

“Oh my goodness... I did it!!” she cheered. Closing her hand into a fist, the flame disappeared and she sent the kitsune sitting across from her a big smile. She saw his ears twitching again and just couldn't hold back any longer.

Youko was quite surprised when the miko dove for his ears, effectively tackling him to the ground. He had never seen her move so fast and was caught by surprise so couldn't prepare himself for her. It didn't matter though, his plan had worked out better than he expected. Kagome was now lying on top of him stroking his ears and it was turning him on quite quickly.

Kagome smiled to herself as she softly stroked Youko's velvety ears. A loud rumbling sounded from his chest and pulled her back to reality. She briefly noticed she was lying on top of the gorgeous kitsune as she stopped stroking his ears and giggled.

“Were you purring?” she laughed.

Youko frowned as his ears drooped slightly. “I am a fox, therefore I do not purr.”

Kagome reached up and stroked his ears again until the rumbling sounded once again. “Sounds like purring to me cat demon.” She giggled. Suddenly the miko found herself pinned to the ground by said `cat' demon.

“I am not a cat demon.” He growled playfully.

“Oh really? How do I know? That purring sounded pretty catlike to me.” She laughed.

“Because cats are terrible in the art of seduction, whereas I, my vixen, am a master.” He smirked before leaning down and licking her cheek playfully.

Kagome blushed slightly before rolling her eyes. “You can't be that great at seduction if a mere human could escape your spell.”

Youko snorted before a smirk played across his lips. “Would you like me to test it on you once more? I'm certain this time I will not fail seeing as I now know you are more mentally powerful than I had first expected.”

Kagome's blush darkened at the thought of Youko trying his seduction on her again. Flashbacks of what had happened the first time surfaced and she was sure he would not fail this time around. And if he did not fail…how far would he go with her? Her blush darkened even further as she shook her head vigorously.

“I'll pass on that one…” she muttered.

The kitsune grinned in triumph. “That's what I thought. Now then, on to more important business, I have a question for you my little miko.”

“Ok…ask away.” She said hesitantly.

“Did you know what I meant when I said potential mate?” he asked straight forward.

Kagome's blush returned full blast as she slowly nodded her head.

Youko smirked. “Good, now the question is if you accept my claim.”

Before Kagome decided what she was going to answer, she went over what Sango had told her once more. A potential mate was a female chosen by a male demon to be his mate. When the demon placed a claim on the female, it was merely a mark that told other demons that the female was under the protection of that male and that he had taken claim of her.

A claim wasn't completely mated yet because other demons could still place a claim on the female as well. A claim was a bite mark that was placed at the junction of the neck and shoulder. If another male wanted to place a claim on that female, then he would place his bite mark just above the previous one, stating that he had marked her the most recently. Once the female accepted one of the males that claimed her, they would begin the official mating ritual which included a deeper bite mark and getting intimate and going all the way...

Kagome sighed. So if she accepted Youko's desire to claim her, he would place his mark on her but she still had the choice to be with another if she did not want to be with him. Kagome stared up into the kitsune's eyes. He was waiting patiently for her answer as he stared down at her, still lying on top of her. She knew what her answer was, but before she told him, she desperately needed to know why he wanted to claim her in the first place.

“Why do you even want to place a claim on me?”

Youko smiled, as if he was expecting that question. “You are different, unique. Never before have I known a human, especially a miko to take in an orphan of my kind. Even some female kitsunes don't take in orphans because they can be a handful. Your just so…perfect… you don't judge a person or demon by what they have done in their past or what race they are but by who they are inside. The hanyou warned you that I was the most well known thief in all of Japan yet you allowed me to travel with your group.

“Not to mention any other human that came across an injured demon would either kill it or just leave it there to die. I owe my life to you…” he explained.

“But I'm nothing but a weak untrained human…I can't even keep myself out of trouble for more than a day.” She muttered.

“You are not weak, untrained perhaps for now but most definitely not weak.”

Kagome sighed. “Promise to help me with my training?”

“Promise.” He smiled.

“And to help Shippo train too?” she added in with a big pleading smile.

Youko chuckled. “Yes, I'll help him too.”

Kagome smiled. “Ok then…I accept.”

Youko smirked before pinning her hands at her sides, holding them down with his legs. Kagome's surprised and confused eyes darted around, trying to figure out what was happening.

“Youko!! Let go!!” she demanded.

“I don't think so.” He growled playfully as he pressed his lips against hers. Kagome stared up at Youko in complete and utter shock. She was completely aware of his wandering hands sliding from her waist up further. She felt his tail wrap itself around her waist as his fingers played with the edge of her bra. She gasped when he moved his hands over her breast and began massaging them. He took complete advantage of her gasp and drove his tongue past her lips to deepen the kiss.

Kagome couldn't think straight. The feelings, the needs, the desire, it was all too much for her. She had never felt so good in her life. She barely noticed that Youko had stopped kissing her and had moved toward her neck. He nuzzled her softly as he continued to knead her breasts. Slowly, his tail unwrapped itself from her waist and traveled lower. It pressed against her inner thigh, successfully making the miko arch herself up against him further.

Once he knew she was completely lost, Youko sunk his fangs lightly into her flesh. He knew she was thrown right back to reality when he felt her entire body tense and heard her soft whimper. He moved his tail back up to wrap around her waist to comfort her as he placed his hands on either side of her to hold himself up so he wouldn't squish her. Once she calmed a little, he removed his fangs and softly licked up any blood that dripped from the wound.

Kagome let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths to calm herself. That hurt more than she had expected and now it made sense to her why Youko was…distracting her. He wanted her completely unaware of when he was going to place his mark because he knew it would hurt her.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

“Yea…that hurt worst than I thought it would. Thank you for distracting me.” She smiled.

“Distracting you?” he asked, lifting himself up slightly so he could look down at her in confusion.

“You mean…oh you jerk!!! I thought you were doing that to distract me from the pain!!” she yelled.

Youko chuckled. “Relax, I was merely teasing. Though I could have thought of many other ways to distract you, that one appealed to me the most.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes before pushing him off of her and standing, muttering about perverted kitsunes that couldn't keep it in their pants. Youko chuckled as he followed her back to camp. Once they got back, he agreed to begin Shippo's training the next day as they removed the purple petals from everyone. Before returning to her sleeping bag, Kagome kissed Youko on the cheek goodnight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He could smell it. It was very faint, but the scent was there nonetheless. He could smell a miko nearby. The purity that flooded her scent disgusted him to the point of gagging. The miko was near…he was so close to getting his revenge. Taking a deep breath so as to remember the scent for him to track, he also caught another smell.

This one worried him. It was Youko Kurama. Did the miko injure him? He could not smell the kitsune's blood anywhere nearby but there was still the fact that she could have merely purified him to dust. Hiei shook his head. Youko is not so weak as to die by the hand of a mere miko. Disposing of all other thoughts, Hiei continued following the miko's scent, knowing for sure that he would encounter her soon enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Inuyasha! To your left!” Kagome shouted.

The hanyou leapt out of the way just in time to dodge long lethal claws aimed at his ribs. Inuyasha growled in irritation. They had been fighting off these three tiger demons for only five minutes and Inuyasha was already frustrated that he couldn't land a straight hit. To top it off, they were moving so quickly that Kagome couldn't point out the exact demon with the four shards.

Thankfully, Shippo was safe with Youko about a mile away. Just a few hours ago, Youko announced he was taking Shippo away for his first lesson. Not much later, everyone was packing their things quickly so it wouldn't get damaged when the three demons Miroku felt approaching came. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Inuyasha were all standing in a circle around Kagome to keep her safe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He finally found the miko the scent he had been following belonged to. There was a slight problem though. She was being heavily guarded by an unusual group. It puzzled him why a monk, demon slayer, hanyou, and full demon were working together to keep a miko safe from three attacking tiger demons. There was also the fact that this could not be the miko he was looking for.

He would have to wait to see if this miko could see any shards or anything that clued to him that this was the miko he was looking for. Deciding to see how this turned out, Hiei sat back in his tree and waited patiently for his opening to snatch the miko.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wench! Will you hurry up and find that damn thing?! We don't got all damn day ya know!” Inuyasha growled impatiently.

“Shut up! I'm trying…” Kagome muttered as she closed her eyes and concentrated as best she could. She really wished Youko was here so he could help but she was also thankful that he wasn't because if he was here, then that meant Shippo would be in danger right now. Kagome took a deep breath and focused her complete attention on finding the four shards she could feel circling her at incredible speeds.

There! Kagome's eyes darted open as she focused completely on the one tiger that had the shards. What frightened her slightly was that her eyes were actually keeping up with the tiger's movements. Pushing aside her shock for later questioning, Kagome located exactly where the shards where.

“The female tiger! There's one female tiger and the shards are in her hips!” Kagome finally announced.

Smirking, Inuyasha leapt toward the tiger with the shards once his eyes caught her, breaking the circle of protection that kept Kagome safe. One tiger aimed straight for the miko but thankfully Sango was able to deflect the attack just in time. The slayer then continued to fight the tiger, slowly winner her battle. Kagome was left with only Kirara at her side as Miroku took on the third demon.

Kagome sighed as she leaded against the neko, watching her companions fight. Kirara nuzzled her large head against the miko's arm with a mew. Kagome smiled warmly toward the neko before averting her attention back to the fight. Suddenly Kagome felt something on the edge of her senses but before she could figure out what was wrong, the miko was knocked out.

Inuyasha heard Kirara's roar and quickly turned to see if Kagome was alright only to see the miko thrown over a demon's shoulder before they both disappeared.

“No! Kagome!!!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Youko quickened his pace. Shippo was holding onto him tightly as the kitsune rushed back to where they had left the group. Once Youko sensed danger, he immediately grabbed the kit and dashed off. He just hoped Kagome was alright, but once he heard Inuyasha yell the miko's name, his heart dropped into his stomach.

Finally he reached the group to see Sango collecting shards from a tiger's corpse and Inuyasha angrily punching away at the ground. Kagome was nowhere to be seen and Shippo couldn't smell his mother anywhere nearby. Both kitsunes turned hard glares toward the hanyou.

“Where is Kagome.” Youko demanded.

“How the hell should I know!? Some damn demon knocked her out and kidnapped her while we were fighting the tigers.” Inuyasha growled angrily.

“What did this demon look like?” Youko questioned as he caught a familiar scent.

“All I saw was black clothing, that's it then he just disappeared.”

Youko growled. That was Hiei for sure, but why would his partner in crime kidnap a human miko? Youko knew for a fact that the hybrid despised humans, especially mikos. So why did he take Kagome? Taking a long whiff, Youko found which direction his friend headed. As the kitsune was leaving, He felt something grab the bottom of his pants.

Stopping, Youko turned his attention down toward Shippo, who was staring up at him with tears in his eyes.

“Youko, where are you going? It's bad enough that I lost Kagome, I don't want to lose you too…” he sniffled.

“I'm going to find Kagome, don't worry kit, I'll bring her back to you.” Youko grinned.

“Can I come with you please? I wanna help rescue mama.” Shippo pleaded.

“Take him with you Youko, he needs to spend more time with another kitsune and helping save his mother will make him very happy.” Sango smiled.

“What's the point of the runt goin with him anyway? We're gunna be right behind him!” Inuyasha yelled.

“Inuyasha, you know very well that Youko will find Kagome much faster than we can ever hope to. You have us humans dragging you down; Youko would merely have to carry Shippo.” Miroku explained.

“Yea, whatever. Take the runt, maybe it'll be quieter around here.” Inuyasha huffed in irritation.

Rolling his eyes at the arrogant hanyou, Youko picked Shippo up off the ground and dashed off in the direction he smelt Hiei went. Unfortunately for him, Hiei's speed gave him an exceptional head start. In fact, the hybrid could be all the way across Japan by morning whereas he wouldn't even make it half way. Youko sighed; he just hoped Hiei wouldn't hurt Kagome because if he did…their friendship would not be the only thing severed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Darkness. Darkness and a sharp pain at the back of her head. It almost felt like someone took a baseball bat to her head. Slowly, Kagome sat up rubbing her sore head. Opening her eyes, she waited for her eyes to focus. It was night already? How long was she out for? Wait…why was she knocked out in the first place? Confused and slightly scared, Kagome raised her gaze to see a demon sitting against a tree across from her. He was glaring at her as if she had done something to offend him.

He was pretty good looking from what she could see. Tanned skin, muscular body, breathtaking ruby red eyes, and silky soft looking black hair. He was dressed in all black and had a katana strapped to his side. Kagome could feel he was a demon, but was confused on what exactly he was. Concentrating on his aura, she tried to find out what kind of demon he was when she heard him growl.

Freezing where she was, Kagome merely stared at him unemotionally. His glare seemed to have intensified and his hand moved to grip the hilt of his katana. Not sure what she should do or if she was even in danger, Kagome smiled.

“Um, could you tell me where I am?”

“You can see the sacred jewel shards, can you not?” the demon demanded instead. Kagome tensed. How did he know that? If he was asking about the jewel shards, then she was definitely in trouble.

“Uhhh…no?”

Kagome panicked as she suddenly found herself pinned to the ground with a sharp blade pressed against her neck.

“Do not lie to me miko.” He growled.

Kagome took a long shaky breath as she tried to figure out what to do.

Hiei could smell her fear, but what confused him was he also smelt her slight arousal. And the fear he could smell was very faint, almost barely there. He stared down at the miko. She didn't seem scared at all, instead, it seemed she was trying to think of a way to escape with her life. Of course it was much easier to understand the miko since he could hear her stray panicked thoughts with his jagan.

There was also the scent of his comrade Youko all over this miko. His skilled eyes caught sight of the bite mark on her neck and inwardly growled in frustration. He now knew that he could not kill the onna. If he did, Youko would surely hunt him down. Of course, just because he knew he couldn't kill her, didn't mean he couldn't allow her to think he could.

Kagome inwardly groaned. She couldn't try to purify him because she didn't practice enough to bring forth her power at command. It would take too long to concentrate and by the time she was even close to ready, he would already have figured out what she was doing and probably killed her. So instead, Kagome decided to take a different route and see where it took her.

She was sure he wasn't going to kill her because Kagome knew he kidnapped her. So this must be almost exactly like when Kouga first kidnapped her. He had taken her so she could find the jewel shards for him and now this demon was asking if she could see the jewel shards. He must have kidnapped her so she can find shards for him. Though in her opinion, he seemed strong enough already.

“Yes, I can sense the sacred jewel shards. Have you kidnapped me so I can find them for you?” she asked slowly.

Snorting, the demon leapt off her and returned to his original position against the tree. “I am in no need of more power, even if I did, I would not use a cursed jewel to do so.”

Kagome was shocked. This was the second demon in the past month she had encountered that didn't want the jewel because they thought it was a cheat way to gain power. Was this guy related to Youko? Of course he wasn't, but it was rare that she found demons that weren't after the jewel.

“So if you don't want the jewel then why did you kidnap me?”

“Naraku is in search of you for your power to see the shards.”

Kagome was thoroughly confused now. So was he protecting her? “That still does not explain why you kidnapped me.”

“Naraku will come for you and I will have my revenge.” He answered.

Kagome glared at him. So he was using her as bait. What a jerk. But wait…if Naraku was after her power to see the jewel, then he would go after Kikyou if he knew it was too dangerous to go after her.

“How do you know I am the one Naraku is after?”

“There is only one miko that can see the jewel onna, now stop asking stupid questions.”

“That is where you are wrong. There is another miko that can see the shards.”

Hiei snapped his attention to the miko. “Explain.”

“Tell me your name and maybe I'll tell you.”

Hiei growled. “Hn, nice try miko, you're not escaping.”

Kagome groaned. He didn't believe her. Well that was to be expected since there is supposed to only be one miko who can see the shards. Great, so now she was stuck with a hot tempered demon that most likely wouldn't even think twice about killing her. Kagome sighed.

`Someone…please find me…'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N:

And there's the second chapter ^_^ Hoped you all enjoyed it. The next chapter will be following this one quite fast seeing as I have found a lot of time to myself lately since classes haven't started just yet. Once college starts up though, my updates will be taking longer… so sorry for that bad news. But anyway, R&R. Love your reviews, hope you like my new fic so far. ^_^

*~Icyfire~*

Next Chapter - Chapter 3: Frozen Heart