Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Draw in the Rain ❯ Chapter 2: Eye of the Storm ( Chapter 2 )

CHAPTER 2: Eye of the Storm

"Eh?"

Later, she would probably be embarrassed and smack herself for her less than brilliant response. But she couldn't help it. The unexpectedness of his actions, his words, his sudden nearness…they overloaded her senses until she couldn't begin to even think of what it was she should be thinking of.

Whatever that was.

No, her mind was a blank and the only thing she could do was to feel. He absorbed her attention and all she was aware of was of him.

The arms around her tightened and drew her ever closer until their bodies were aligned from toe to upper torso, causing her temperature to spike at this intimate position. Though her sight was useless, she could still feel and what she felt had heat pooling within her as the essence of him stole upon her. So closely were they pressed, her breasts flattened against the hardness of his chest with only mere layers of cloth separating their flesh, she shuddered and wasn't sure if the thumping pulse she felt was coming from him or from her.

His scent wrapped around her, hinting at whispered dreams that dissipated with the morning light, a woodsy earthy smell that held a touch of the floral like…roses. It was a scent that should have been feminine but to her, it only seemed to contrast and heighten his masculinity.

And he was definitely very, very male.

It was never more obvious than when he shifted, bringing an unmistakable bulge to nestle between her thighs, the short skirt she wore being little impediment. She froze, her breath hitching as she felt the warmth of his own caressing her cheek as he murmured a low approving sound into her ear. It shivered down her spine and she barely restrained herself from involuntarily arching even closer to his hardness.

The barest glimmer of common sense returning to her, she managed to wedge hands between their bodies and pushed against his chest. Though he wasn't the largest of men, he was still just as strong and her attempted protest barely budged him. Nevertheless, she persisted, arms straining with the motion. And when he finally moved back the scantest of inches, she knew that it was only because he willed it so and not due to any force that she had mustered.

Keiko peered through the dark, trying to focus her eyes in the general area where she imagined his gaze to be, sensing that he was staring intently back at her. And again, she caught the faintest gleaming of color that flashed in the darkness. A sheen of jewel-like emerald and…

`Are his eyes turning gold?' The muddled thought emerged as her scattered mind struggled to come to grips with what little she could see. `But how can that be? The only times I've ever seen that shade of gold was when…'

Shock widened her eyes.

"K-Kurama-san?" she stuttered uncertainly.

"Not quite."

A low chuckle, deep and husky and slightly different from what she was used to hearing, wound through the air, snaking around her in a subtle caress of sound. It was rich and dark and confident and, despite its enticing quality, she could practically sense the underlying smirk within it. It made her swallow hard around an odd lump that had somehow lodged in her throat as her heart began to pick up a rapid tattoo in her chest.

Especially when he touched her.

Oh, he was already holding her in a tight embrace. But she felt one of his arms loosen, sliding upwards until she suddenly had the warmth of a gentle palm cradling her jaw, long fingers splaying to caress the smooth skin of one cheek. She managed to bite back the instinctive gasp that threatened to break free but was unable to control her involuntary shudder at his stroking touch.

Another chuckle sounded, rasping against her senses and she had the impression that he shifted, leaning back into her once again. Then she knew for certain that he had when silky strands brushed her cheeks, cascading down to trail over arms left bare by a sleeveless top in multiple teasing caresses while his breath tickled her ear in a warm rush.

"Hello, honey. Did you miss me?"

Her mouth parted on a gasp of surprise. The playful words, the seductive tone…speculation and suspicion was one thing, but to have it actually confirmed…

"Y-Youko-san?" she asked hesitantly, heart beating madly.

"You remembered. Though you needn't be so formal, I'm flattered." His voice practically purred. "You should be rewarded."

He turned his head, nuzzling that pulse point just below her ear. A smirk curled his lips when he detected the spike in her pulse and in her scent that told him that she wasn't exactly adverse to his ministrations.

`Ah,' he sighed lustily, resisting the urge to pounce on her right then and there. `I always did love the smell of an aroused female…especially if I'm the one doing the arousing.'

`Take it easy, Youko. I don't want to scare her away.'

`Who do you think you're talking to?' He sniffed. `Don't forget, Kurama…I've had centuries more practice with the opposite sex than you. I know what I'm doing.'

`With other youkai,' Kurama retorted. `Keiko-chan's human.'

`Human, youkai…a female is a female and some things don't change.'

`I have access to your memories. I know how easily you discard women and I won't let you do the same to her. She different from the others.'

`I know that.'

`Y-you do?'

`Why so surprised?' Youko shifted, placing a wet open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive skin of her neck, reveling in her shuddering reaction. `I'm the one who's been telling you to go after her long before this.'

`She wasn't ready yet.'

`Says you.' He licked, letting the taste of her roll over his tongue as his action drew a low, breathy moan from her. `But you do agree that she's ready now, right?'

`Well…'

`Kurama!' he barked sharply. `I've done what you said - you with your human ideas and sense of propriety. I've waited patiently and long enough against my better instincts.'

`You waited because you had no choice - I'm the main controller of this body. And as for your instincts…they're animalistic! If you had your way, you would have kidnapped her the first chance you got and kept her locked away, chained to the bed!'

`I don't know what you're so upset about. They're good instincts. And it's not too late…'

`Youko!'

`Oh, do shut up. Your way is getting us nothing except endless nights of unfulfilled frustration. It's a good thing I took over. I'm tired of waiting, tired of listening to you and being no closer to our goal. And now…now we have her in our hands, ripe and willing and wanting…and I absolutely refuse to wait any longer!'

`Stop howling like a little kit. She's very special and I just don't want to push her too fast into something she doesn't want.'

`Doesn't want? Are you insane? Use your nose, idiot! Or better yet, use mine.'

`There's more to this than the physical. I want more than just that.'

`Well, it's as good a place as any to start with. And besides,' Youko inserted impatiently before his other half could protest, `she's not resisting.'

Indeed she was not. As Youko shifted the arm still wrapped around waist until his palm flattened against the plane of her back and began rubbing slow circles upon the flesh, she melted, body conforming to his in a boneless lassitude. She rubbed against him, an artless motion that was unconscious but no less arousing to his heightened senses. And when he nipped at the graceful line of her neck, she arched, head tilting to give him better access in a wordless plea for more even as a low moan voiced her approval of his ministrations.

Youko was only too happy to oblige.

`See?' He was self-righteously smug. `She wants it. You can't deny it.'

`No,' Kurama replied with a sigh, enjoying the feel of her beneath their hands. It was so tempting to give in, and he'd wanted this so much for what seemed like too, too long. `But if she even gives the slightest hint of protest-'

`I'll stop.'

`Do you really mean that?'

`Of course. I don't enjoy force for these types of situations, nor have I ever had to resort to that. And I want our goddess to come to us willingly, Kurama. It won't mean anything, otherwise…and I won't take anything less.'

Those words and the intensity in which they were said, more than anything, convinced Kurama that the kitsune spirit wanted Keiko in the same way he did. It was reassuring even though he had a feeling that Youko wasn't quite sure what exactly was at the source of the emotions he held towards the young woman besides a consuming desire.

Kurama couldn't wait to see Youko's reaction when he found out.

`Very well,' Kurama finally conceded. `But I will take over if I ever feel that you're overstepping the boundaries.'

`Fine,' was Youko's short response. `Now stop talking to me so that I can concentrate on our lover.'

Kurama withdrew, content for the moment to let Youko take over. He was confident that he could wrest back control the instant he felt that Youko was taking things too far, too fast. But there was no denying that the kitsune spirit had more experience in the area of seduction and Kurama was willing to make the most of Youko's knowledge and skills if it could coax Keiko closer to their side and open her heart wider to them.

Though part of Kurama wished it were he who was in the commanding position to make her burn, being on the sidelines wasn't as much as a hardship as he first thought it would be. Not when their senses were merged and Kurama could feel and taste everything that Youko was doing to her.

And he reveled in the sensations.

He loved it even more when she touched them back.

Keiko was lost. So overwhelmed by him and the things he made her feel, combined with the unearthing of buried wants and desires, rational thought faded away until it dwindled away into oblivion. The darkness became a welcoming blanket, paving her way into becoming seeped by him, making it easier to shut out reality until this became a world involving only him and her and nothing else but the heat that flared between them and threatened to consume them both.

As he touched her, tasted her skin in hot open-mouthed caresses, her skin tightened, feeling stretched across flesh that threatened to burst at the seems with the sense of fullness her body was experiencing constantly heightening to an unbelievable degree at his every inciting motion. It was as if he were seeping in through her pores while her body soaked him up, eagerly absorbing his essence, her very cells becoming saturated with him.

So much…

…and yet not nearly enough.

She shifted against him restlessly, instinctively knowing that what her body sought he could give. She couldn't think, only feel. And her body acted of its own volition to act out upon those feelings, the urges that had her in their vise-like grips.

Her arms somehow slipped upwards, winding around his neck only to bury anxious hands into the silky texture of his hair. She gave a pleased sigh at the cool caress across her flesh as she stroked through the long strands, one hand digging deeper and curling gentle fingertips against his scalp in a light massage.

His pleased murmur encouraged her as he continued to lave her throat with kisses, so she slid her other hand up over his head until they came into contact with something furry and warm. Entranced by this newest object that had placed itself in the path of her touch, she lightly stroked the delicate appendage and then shuddered in pleasure when the action elicited a deep growl that vibrated through his body to hers.

She liked it.

So she did it again.

And again.

Then she gasped when her world titled and she suddenly found herself pulled even harder against his solid body in a grip that was just short of being painful as he arched her backwards over a strong arm until her upper torso was nearly parallel to the earth. Blood pounding with a surge of adrenaline at his actions, she caught the brilliant gleaming of twin pools of gold that far outshone the surrounding darkness.

"So," a husky growl reached out at her through the pitch black, "my little goddess has a vixen inside that likes to play."

`Little goddess?' she had just enough time to wonder in puzzlement before even that briefest of thoughts was shattered into nothingness.

A kitsune's kiss was very distracting, after all.

Especially when it was done well.

Which, of course, he did.

It was like being suddenly dropped into an ocean of churning molten lava. Liquid heat rushed over her in an unstoppable tidal wave of sensation, hot and instant and forceful, knocking the breath from her as he attempted to swallow her whole from the outside in, starting with her mouth. He ate at her, as if he wanted to suck her inside of him, devouring her with a voracious appetite that would put the hunger of a starved lion to shame.

She never thought being devoured would feel so good.

Until now.

But she'd never been the completely docile kind and, though she enjoyed his command of the situation immensely, her more combative spirit rose and demanded she respond in kind. And he coaxed her with biting nips, inviting her to join in the fun until she was putting in equal participation and devouring him right back.

Much to both - or was that three? - of their enjoyments.

`I knew I picked the right one,' Youko crowed triumphantly in his mind, even as he continued to make a feast of her lips, growling at the feel of her kissing him back. `Delicious. I told you we should have done this sooner.'

Kurama roused from the pleasure of the drugging sensations they were experiencing just long enough to say, `Just shut up and keep kissing her.'

`Gladly.'

He was as good as his word and threw himself wholeheartedly into his task with a single-minded concentration that might have frightened her had she been able to see it, or even been coherent enough to pick up on his intensity. But she was just as caught up in the heated sensations that flowed between them as he was.

And he loved every minute of it.

He arched against her, wedging himself harder between her thighs, feeling her heat through the layers of clothing that kept them from each other and swallowing her low moaned response. Wanting more, he continued to keep her pinned to him with one arm while the hand that had been cradling her cheek and playing with the smooth skin of her neck began a downward descent.

Eager to know her shape, he cupped a breast, squeezing rhythmically as he tested the firmness of the soft globe and drawing even more of those delightful sounds that he was beginning to crave from her mouth. Ever greedy, he resented the barrier of cloth that kept flesh from flesh and nimble fingers made quick work of the row of buttons that fastened her sleeveless blouse, cloth parting easily while he kept her distracted by deepening their kiss. Then, utilizing his great skills as a thief, he made quick work of the last impediment to his goal, unlocking the clasp to her bra to bare the treasure that lay beneath to his possessive touch.

She arched sharply when he cupped her, skin on skin, and only the covering of his mouth on hers kept her strangled cry of surprise from resounding in the darkness. Reflexively, her hands tightened on him, as if trying to draw him closer and prolong the sensations he was invoking in her.

And he…he tilted his head, pressing one pointed ear harder against her caressing hand in a silent demand for more, never releasing his hold on her captured lips. All the while, the blood in his body continued to sing hotter and hotter, especially when he could feel one of her hands slipping beneath the loose folds of his tunic to stroke over the tight muscles and hot skin of his back.

Then she raked blunt nails across his flesh…at the same time she gave a firm rub to his ear.

And Youko lost control.

With a snarling growl, the hand that had been toying with her breast suddenly streaked downwards, abruptly gripping one of her knees and yanking upwards, hooking her leg over his hip while at the same time driving himself deeper between her thighs. Simultaneously, he dropped to the ground, dragging her with him and following the weight of her body's descent until she was lying prone upon the earth and he was leaning over her, devouring her mouth with an even greater force.

It wasn't enough.

Impatient, wanting more, desiring full possession of her to the exclusion of all else, his hands worked urgently at their clothes, shifting material with as much minimal fuss and speed as possible until they were both bare where it mattered the most. Aching and ready, he positioned himself, preparing to dive in and -

CRACK!

He jerked, body tensing in battle alert mode while his head whirled with a vicious warning snarl towards the enemy -

Only to realize that there wasn't one.

It was like a dash of cold water.

Literally.

Even as his mind struggled to come to grips with this surreal situation, drops of cold water plopped sporadically on his heated flesh, causing him to shiver at the contrast in temperature. Looking up, he could see that the majority of the rainwater was pouring through the grate-covered opening above. From the sound of the heavy downpour striking the earth, pooling in their prison, and the rumbling of thunder above, he estimated that the storm had been raging for quite some time.

But he'd been too engrossed in other…activities to notice.

It was kind of embarrassing.

`So much for keen senses,' Youko mused absently as his eyes continued to scour the earthen ceiling. Though that entry point was positioned off to the side, rain was still collecting and flowing across the natural bridges of underground roots that infiltrated their entire earth-packed prison -

And was pelting him annoyingly with little droplets.

"Um…" A nervous throat was cleared. "Do you think you can get off of me?"

His gaze immediately snapped back to her.

"Please?"

He didn't move.

`Youko,' Kurama hissed. `What are you doing? Do as she says and get off! Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?'

Youko ignored his other half in favor of making his own observations. Indeed, he could see that she was uncomfortable with him still crouched between her spread thighs while she clutched the edges of her unbuttoned shirt together.

`When did she do that?' he wondered with no small amount of disappointment. `I wanted to see her.'

`Youko!'

`What? I was so busy kissing her, I didn't get a chance to look.'

`You-' Kurama didn't know what else to say; outrage and disbelief at the kitsune's antics left him speechless.

Youko, knowing full well of his other half's foibles was well aware of the tongue-lashing he was going to be given once Kurama regained use of his speech. And he, for one, was in no mood for it. He had better things to do than to listen to another one of Kurama's pointless ravings about proper conduct. After all, here he was still pressed against her in an intimate fashion so he saw little need for a harangue about proper conduct to enter into the situation this late in the game.

`Go away,' Youko ordered. `This is between her and I for now. I won't let you interfere.'

`Youk-'

Kurama was abruptly cut off when Youko slammed the mental door that connected them with him on the sidelines. Kurama could only watch the scene before him play out and seethe as the kitsune spirit proceeded to do things in his own merry - and potentially disastrous - fashion.

"If you're going to converse with yourself all night, could you at least be gentlemanly enough to move away before you do it?"

This time, the voice that spoke held an edge, sharp and angry. It snapped Youko's focus back to her and he took his time categorizing the details he observed about her. She was embarrassed, definitely. But he judged from the glaze in her eyes that the dark flush coating her cheeks had as much to do with sexual frustration as embarrassment. Oh, and the beginnings of anger at the way he seemed to be ignoring her.

`She's beautiful when she's angry.'

He watched, fascinated, as her eyes narrowed dangerously at his continued silence. It grated on her, he could tell by the turbulent sparks that swirled in those beautiful chocolate brown orbs of hers. He didn't care if others might call him perverse for his preference - he enjoyed seeing her fire in all of its forms…even when she was mad and snarling at him.

"Get. OFF!"

"Now, now," Youko clucked. "Don't be like that, honey."

"Don't call me that!"

"Okay, sweetie." He smirked when he saw an eyebrow twitch. "Is that any way to speak to your lover?"

"You're not my lover!" she hissed.

"Now that's just the sexual frustration talking."

As Keiko's eyes widened in disbelief before her expression became even more furious, an imprisoned Kurama could only bemoan the situation as he helplessly watched. He wanted to cover his face with his hands so he couldn't see the shattering of his hopes and dreams play out but morbid fascination kept him glued to the scene. `I'm going to kill you when I get out, Youko.'

It was too bad Youko couldn't hear that threat.

"If it hadn't been for nature's bad timing," Youko continued casually, "it most certainly would have become a thing of fact. And it still will." He smirked, knowing she couldn't see it. "It's fate, after all. You were meant for me."

"Oh. My. God." The words were faint, shocked. "I can't believe you're so…so…"

"Right?"

"Arrogant!"

"I have a right to be, don't I? You melted against me at first touch."

A furious, choked cry was all she could manage in response to his smug words. If she had been able to form something coherent, she had no idea what she might have said. She was honest enough to admit to herself, if no one else, that it was true - she had lost all reason once she'd gotten in closer contact with him.

`And the things I did…'

She could feel her blush heighten at the memories. She couldn't believe how far things had gotten in such a short amount of time. If that crack of thunder hadn't sounded…

`I probably wouldn't be feeling as frustrated as I do.' Then she realized what she'd thought. `Damnit! I'm turning into some kind of…of…of pervert!' She glared in his general direction. `It's his fault. It's unfair that anyone should be so…irresistible. Kitsunes are so-'

Her eyes widened in belated realization.

"Hey! I thought that drug was supposed to suppress you," she said accusingly. "What are you doing out?"

"Hmm? Oh, that."

"Don't just `oh, that' me! I want an explanation."

"Demanding little lover, aren't you? Oh, well." He licked his lips, tasting her on them. "That's not always a bad thing."

Her flush deepened. "Just answer the question!"

"As my goddess commands." He chuckled, a rich warm sound. "You see, the power enhancing the manacles was merging with the drug in this body's system, making its suppressing effects stronger. But once the chains were removed-"

"So were the effects of the drug," she finished.

"Yes, for the most part. I'm not back to my fullest potential just yet, but the lingering effects are very minor and are wearing off rapidly even as we speak."

"Good for you. I'm glad. Now, if you don't mind…GET OFF!!!"

"Oh, I don't know." He settled himself harder against her, smiling when he saw her involuntary shudder and caught the rise in her musky scent. "I like it here."

"Well, I don't!"

"You shouldn't lie; false words are no use against me. My senses are very good and I can smell it, practically taste the truth. You like it too."

If her hands hadn't been so busy clutching the edges of her unbuttoned blouse together in a death grip, she would have tried to slap him. But she was still dealing with the aftereffects of their interrupted sexual interlude and was afraid that any small movement might set him, or even worse - her, off until control was lost again and resulted in a fairly obvious conclusion.

The desire still burning in her veins, as well as her ire at him, had her gritting her teeth as she struggled to control herself. But his goading words weren't helping, or the intimate contact of their lower bodies and she could only silently curse herself for choosing to don a skirt that morning which gave him too easy an access to what lay beneath.

Then she shifted, felt hard fragments digging into her back and a vision flashed across her mind. She grimaced.

"I mean it. Get off!"

"Back to that again, are we?"

She had the impression that he was moving, then she felt strands of silk cascading around her, brushing her face and the bare flesh of her upper arms, and she knew he had shifted to lean further over her. She shivered, loving the feel even as she inwardly cursed him for it.

Apparently, kitsunes were bad at taking commands.

"Don't worry," he purred huskily as he bent closer, meaning to draw her into another all-consuming kiss. "I can make you change your mind."

"I've got the bones of dead things digging into my back," she said succinctly. "It kind of kills the mood."

Startled, he drew back until he could clearly see her mutinous expression. That stubborn glint in her eyes that said more that words that she wouldn't allow herself to be taken any further than this had his shoulders heaving in a small sigh of regret. He knew from past observation that she was impossible to sway when she got like this and anything further on his part would border on force, something he had no desire to initiate.

A quick glance to the side lent credence to her words. The earth was littered with broken bones, most of them clearly belonging to small animals that had been unfortunate enough to somehow become trapped within the earthen confines. But it was the larger bones that could only have come from mammals that were of at least a human sized variety that gave him real pause.

Lips tugged down in a frown of his own when he realized that he'd almost consummated his first union with his little goddess on a pile of dead carcasses. If he'd been more superstitious, he would have taken it as a bad omen.

Hardly the way one wanted to start off a relationship.

CRACK!

Though he didn't flinch this time, he was shaken out of his musings. A pointed ear swiveled to catch the sound of the downpour increasing in volume as the storm above continued to rage in its fury. With concern, he noticed that the pooling water collecting beneath the opening and the dim circle of light it crated was rising, streams of liquid breaking off from the larger body to wind their way through rough patches of earth.

And some of those streams were snaking in their direction.

With a muttered curse, he shot to his feet, grasping one of her wrists and tugging her upright with the same motion. She gasped, unprepared for the sudden motion and stumbled only to be steadied by his supporting arms.

"Well, it's about time," she grumbled once she'd reoriented herself to her new position. "I thought you were never going to move."

"Believe me…it pained me more than you'll ever know."

She stilled. `Something in his tone…what was that?'

She didn't have long to wonder as another loud cracking boom split the air with its powerful force. It diverted her and she suddenly realized that she was still in his arms.

With a tiny yelp, she jumped back from his loose embrace, turning until her back was to him. Mumbling beneath her breath, she hastily adjusted her clothing, refastening her bra and buttoning her blouse, all the while feeling as if his intense stare was boring into her back as he remained standing behind her, silent. Then she reached back to dust herself off only to pause.

"What's wrong?" Youko asked, immediately put on alert with her hesitation.

"Nothing."

"Now what have I said about lying?"

She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "It's really nothing. Just…I want to dust myself off…but I don't really want to touch whatever it was that I was lying on."

"Is that all? Well, that's easy. If you don't want to, I'd be more than happy to help."

"No!" she exclaimed forcefully when he made a motion to step closer. "You keep your distance! If you think I'm going to give you an excuse to put your hands on me, you're crazy!"

"Have it your way for now. I'll have my hands on you again at some point…and you'll like that too."

She didn't even deign to respond to that.

Trying to ignore him and his forceful presence the best she could when she reached down to smooth her skirt back down over her hips. But when she did, she realized that something was out of place.

Her panties were missing.

A hot flush renewed itself when she recalled just how exactly they'd been removed in the first place. She shook her head, an irrational determination to find that missing piece of cloth overtaking her inexplicably. She shifted, preparing to devote herself to the task, then froze.

There was something clinging to one of her ankles.

`And just when I didn't think I could be any more embarrassed…' was Keiko's miserable thought, followed by one that was even more inane. `If only my fellow classmates could see our school's top student now, wouldn't they be shocked?'

Unsettled with the entire situation, she started to bend down in order to tug the panties back in place when she suddenly stopped. Her nose wrinkled when she thought about just what exactly they had been lying in and the idea of having them back in intimate contact with her body…

She shuddered in disgust.

`It may not be something a good girl does, but I'm NOT going to put those things back on. Who knows what I'd catch?'

So thinking, she kicked a sandaled foot, shaking the offensive garment off. Then, that taken care of, she turned back in his general direction and tried to gloss the whole thing over as she addressed her would-be lover, hoping to nudge him onto a different topic.

"Now," fisted hands came to rest on her hips as she glared, "are we going to find a way out of here anytime soon?"

"As you wish," he chuckled darkly. "I, too, am eager to be gone from here. I much prefer our tryst to continue in friendlier atmosphere."

"That's not what I meant!"

He shrugged. "What's that human saying? Something about two birds and one stone?"

She gasped when she suddenly found herself once again in a strong embrace. Ashamed when she felt herself start to melt so easily when he nuzzled her throat, she inwardly berated herself for being so weak and ordered herself to resist his magnetic pull.

"I don't particular care for a bird," she managed to say, "who hides in the shadows."

His form went still against her. Then she felt the lips on her neck curve in a smile as he slowly drew back, a grip on her wrist tugging her after him as he walked backwards closer to that dim ring of light which did little to illuminate the darkness of their underground prison.

Her eyes widened and things low in her belly tightened when she got her first good view of him since this fiasco had begun. Like an enchanting dream born from the dark, he was a fantasy come true. Clad in loose-fitting white that displayed his muscular leanness to the best advantage while an elegant silver tail swished lazily behind him, matched by long strands of hair of the same color that streamed down his back and were topped by a pair of triangular shaped ears…all of it only served to highlight the beauty of his features which were home to the molten gold of his eyes that were blazing at her with molten intensity.

She couldn't help the shuddering breath that escaped, nor could she tear her eyes away from his. They spoke to her, beckoning her to do something that she couldn't put into words as she stared helplessly back, trapped in his gaze.

CRACK!

She blinked, looked away feeling very disoriented. As if a thick impenetrable fog had been lifted, her senses came back to her in a rush and she became aware of her heavy breathing, her accelerated heartbeat and…

The wetness of her clothes.

Disconcerted, she glanced upwards. The opening was positioned directly above them, the rain coming through streaming directly down upon them in heavy sheets, instantly soaking them to the skin and pooling around them, at ankle level now.

She hadn't even noticed.

She glanced at the silver kitsune. "You know," she told him primly, "you're very distracting."

There was no egotistical posturing, no arrogant declarations, and no flirtatious words. He simply remained silent, staring…not the response she'd been expecting from.

Then again, there'd been a lot he'd done recently that she hadn't expected from him.

Based on the few times she'd seen the kitsune in his true form, she'd garnered an impression of him that was, even when he was dangerously playful, cold and somehow distant, indifferent and uncaring of anyone else - especially if that `anyone else' was a human that he wasn't related to.

But his eyes now…they were far from cold.

And far from being indifferent.

Even as his body remained statue still, his eyes blazed with life, with heat. Within them was a fire that beckoned her closer to its warmth and the more she stared, the more she seemed to see something else that lay in the depths of his gaze beyond the mirror of gold to the soul concealed on the other side. And that something she had a difficult time putting words to seemed to plead with a sort of…

Longing?

Whatever the emotion was, it made him appear somehow softer and vulnerable. It called to her, had her reaching up without thought, her body acting of its own accord as soft hands framed his face and caressed his elegant features in gentle strokes.

As if her actions were a sign he'd been waiting for, he finally moved, breaking his stillness to lean forward, pressing his face harder into her light touch with a contented sigh, eyes slipping half-closed in pleasure as he continued to regard her steadily. And he liked what he saw.

`I've waited forever to have her look at me with that face.'

Her expression held a deep caring and tenderness that he'd never had anyone direct towards him before. There was Minamino Shuuichi's mother, but she didn't count; she didn't even know this form of him existed. No, there was only Keiko and Youko found himself suddenly possessive, wanting to somehow reserve that expression for his pleasure alone.

Suddenly no longer content with only gentle touch, he wanted more and drew back, expression hardening. She blinked, looking confused at his sudden withdrawal only to gasp in surprise when he hooked an arm under her legs and hoisted her into his arms, cradled against his chest.

"We're leaving," was all he said as met her startled gaze.

Mutely, she nodded in response then gasped again, instinctively throwing her arms around his neck for better purchase when he unexpectedly leapt upwards. As they propelled towards that solid looking grate, the source of their freedom, she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes tightly shut as they hurtled towards that imprisoning metal. So she didn't see what he did exactly to win them their freedom though she was aware the sound of a dull explosion reaching her ears before her senses picked up the smell of air fresher than the damp, moldy odor of their former prison.

Then she felt a shock vibrate through his body and hers as he landed solidly on grass-covered ground. She opened her eyes to see a ring of trees surrounding them, their image distorted by the torrential downpour that continued to fall on them in pelting sheets of rain.

"Are you alright?"

The deep voice, and the concern she detected in it, had her smiling warmly up at him as she nodded. "I'm fine."

"Good. I'm glad."

He lowered her slowly, her body sliding down his in a long caress until her own two feet rested upon the wet grass as their gazes locked and held. Never taking his gaze from hers, he carefully sank clawed fingers into her dark hair plastered against her by the rain. She was soaked to the skin, clothing rumpled and smudged with dirt as the wet cloth molded to her form, leaving little to the imagination…and Youko found her absolutely entrancing.

"My little goddess…"

She shivered, the caress of his whispered words having more effect than the rain falling upon them. Indeed, so caught up was she in the emotions swirling in his gaze and the feel of his hands massaging her scalp as he tipped her head closer for a kiss, she shut everything out but him and -

"I TOLD you that it wouldn't hold him!"

Before her stunned mind had time to fully register the words formed by that crackling snarling voice, reminiscent of the sound of broken glass being ground, Keiko found herself staring at a swath of silver hair and the expanse of Youko's back. He'd immediately positioned himself before her, facing the direction where he sensed the most danger was going to come.

And it wasn't long in coming.

Even as thunder boomed above and the storm continued pouring rain upon the scene, surrounding foliage rustled alarmingly with violent force from all around them. Bushes broke and trees cracked as large forms started to emerge out of the woodwork one by one with glaring eyes and snarling mouths.

They were surrounded.