Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Mind Links ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Kurama tenderly gathered her to him, allowing her to soak his shirt with her tears.

The depth of her feelings had taken him aback at first as even in her thoughts she was more carefree and less emotional. However, at this point, it was as if a mental wall had dropped and Kurama found himself hit with the full force of her anguish. It was staggering to say the least and he wondered if it was a type of defense against Yusuke's sometimes abrasive manner. Keiko, ordinarily I would not suggest this, but I think you need a day off.

Keiko willingly fell against Kurama's chest, shocking even herself when she started sobbing. It had hurt more than she had thought. She had thought herself over her love for Yusuke. Had she only been fooling herself? If it wasn't for Kurama's arms firmly around her, she didn't know what she would have done. Kurama was a rock, and at this point, she was very much in need of an anchor. She latched onto him and his suggestion, not wanting to face anyone right now. She didn't like skipping school, but she just couldn't face the teachers, or her fellow classmates, like this.

He guided her and she followed. She didn't protest when he took her school bag from her trembling fingers. Along the way, her tears subsided and she wiped her stinging cheeks knowing she must look terrible and still sniffling.

Youko was quiet and Kurama was thankful fearing the youkai half of him might say the wrong thing. He led her to his house and settled her on the couch, a little unsure what he should do with her at first.

Sensing his human half's indecision, Youko spoke up from the depths of Kurama's mind to offer a solution. ~She's distraught, Shuichi, and needs to calm down. There are still the items we brought back with us from Makai. Just the right amounts added to a tub full of warm water should be what she needs to help her relax.~

Kurama blinked in surprise at the insightfulness of his youkai half, but shook it off, instead he nodded and rose from where he knelt before her in order to go to his room and retrieve the things Youko had been referring to. Within minutes he'd obtained them and entered the bathroom and began to fill the tub with lukewarm water. He then took a glass from the sink and filled it halfway with the spring water he’d retrieved from one of the hot springs in the Makai. Replacing the cap, he set the bottle aside and brought out the individually wrapped packets of salts. He added an even amount of each to the water and at once the clear liquid began to bubble. He then added four of the leaves he’d brought back from a specific plant that gave off a soothing aroma when soaked in the mixture he’d just concocted.

Once he had added just the right amount of each item to the water, he poured it into the tub and immediately the room began to fill with a pleasant smell. Returning to the living room, he sank back on his knees before Keiko who was still staring numbly at the floor.

"Keiko? Keiko, look at me." he urged, gently tipping her chin up so that their eyes met.

"Yeah?" she asked weakly, sniffling.

He dropped her chin and reached for her hands and pulled her up. "I have a surprise for you."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kurama, I'm really not in the mood for surprises."

He stopped and turned her cupped her face in his hands again. "Keiko, please trust me?"

His eyes were tender and soft and her lip trembled. "Okay."

He took her hand again and led her upstairs toward the bathroom. "I've been wanting to do this for a while." He led her deeper into the steam filled bathroom. "Take a deep breath…"

She obeyed, shakily filling her lungs with air and was startled when a pleasant scent accompanied it, filling her nose with the sweet smell. She began to feel the tenseness in her body begin to seep away and if it were not for Kurama’s hands on her shoulders, Keiko feared she would have sank to the floor as her legs began to tremble. Kurama sensed this and assisted her over to the toilet, lowering the cover so that she could sit on it comfortably.

“What… what’s happening to me, Kurama?” she asked, her voice a faint murmur due to how relaxed she was becoming. She felt she could just fall asleep right where she sat.

“Think of it as… aromatherapy.” he replied simply, a pleased smile on his lips. He massaged her shoulders a few moments longer and he stepped back.

"Better?"

His voice was liquid silk and she trembled faintly, nodding. A perfect smile slid across his seductive lips and he motioned toward the tub. "Why don't you relax in the bath?"

She stood up and he moved to the doorway to leave her alone only staying until she pulled the shirt up revealing a long expanse of milky skin. He quickly shut the door.

Keiko managed to disrobe and climb into the tub, lowering herself into the warm water. She gave a soft sigh as she lay back, sinking up to her neck in the deep tub. The water that filled the tub was clear, without a bit of soap or bubbles and she wondered briefly how Kurama had achieved the sweet smell that was wafting up.

Outside, Kurama had drifted down toward the kitchen and was filling the kettle to boil some tea water when the special scent of Keiko's bathwater drifted past his senses. He took a deep, filling breath, taking in more of Keiko than the bath scent.

He closed his eyes as the fragrance that was simply Keiko filled his senses. The moment his eyelids shut, however, he was hit with a vision that startled him suddenly.

Pure alabaster skin masked only by the steam building in the bathroom shattered across his field of vision. He blinked, but the sight of her was all he could see. Her slender arms extended out of the water as she smoothed her hand down on arm and then another. Her shoulders were slim and narrows and the tops of her breasts were tantalizing curves that vanished into the steamy concoction he'd prepared for her.

The mounds of supple flesh were obscured from his vision by her arms only momentarily before her hands moved downward, over her chest and dipping into the valley between and following through to her submerged stomach before backtracking, vying from the path in order to cup and mold her breasts, displaying them plainly for his eyes.

His grip upon the teakettle slipped. The metal shaped pot clattered loudly to the floor, spilling its contents along the way, splashing his pant leg and the front of the cabinets. It turned onto its side.

'Kurama?'

His vision of her changed. He could see the water splashing as she sat up suddenly, startled by the sound. Worry for her friend filling her and filtering through their link, Keiko rose up to stand, taking a tentative step to exit the tub.

In the face of being presented with a full frontal shot of Keiko in all her glory, Kurama was reduced to a tortured groan in response, which only served to fuel Keiko’s concerns. ‘Kurama? Please answer me. I heard a noise… are you alright?’

I'm fine, fine. I just dropped the kettle is all, He answered absently as he knelt down on one knee.

He blinked his eyes suddenly and the vision dimmed away leaving him to collect himself. Hs cheeks felt warm and his palms felt moist. He reached for the fallen kettle, absently setting it on the countertop as he went for a towel.

~We could use some relaxation, couldn't we, Shuichi?~

From the bathroom, Keiko heard Kurama's reassurances and Youko's comment. 'You can use the bath if you want, Kurama. I'm through and it helped a lot with my nerves. Of course, I'm sure you already knew it would. Anyway, I didn't let the water out if you want to use it...'

N-no. I don't think so. Are you quite sure you don't want to relax longer? Kurama asked.

'No. I'm sure. I feel better, really.'

He could actually hear the rustle of clothes and dropped his head slightly. Why was he being tortured so?

He received no reply, but was once more assaulted with Keiko’s scent, not artificially through the link, but by her emergence from the bathroom and entrance into the kitchen. Spying the mess on the floor, Keiko moved quickly to get a mop and help Kurama clean it up. “How did you manage to drop the kettle? You’re usually not so clumsy…”

"An off moment," he replied reaching to take the mop from her hands as she appeared with it. He wanted to keep his hands busy, but regretted it an instant later when their hands came into contact with one another and the softness of her flesh caused his body to have a fierce and quite obvious reaction.

"Oh!" Keiko blinked, her widened eyes unmistakably directed in a downward glance, cheeks tinted in an all out blush.

Youko's amusement was apparent as he laughed and Kurama shifted awkwardly.

"Um…" Keiko struggled for something to say, wondering if she should avert her gaze. It wasn't as though he could hide that.

"I …" Kurama cleared his throat. "Please excuse me."

He made to quickly leave the room and Keiko wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Kurama, wait!" Keiko called out, not sure what possessed her to do so or what she would say next, but knowing that for some reason she couldn't let him leave.

He half turned toward her, his back tense. "Yes, Keiko?"

Keiko approached slowly, unsure of what she would do once she reached him, and wound up surprising them both when she moved to stand in front of him and rising up on tiptoe, placed a soft kiss to his lips.

Shuichi was hesitant, his discomfort compounded by the situation, but Youko was more than pleased, trying to get closer to Keiko as the girl pulled away from him a moment later, blushing faintly.

"I-I I'm sorry, Kurama. That probably didn't help matters any, did it? I really don't know why I did that." Keiko attempted to apologize.

Kurama was having none of that though. "It's quite alright, Keiko. Your kisses are always welcome, I assure you."

Keiko's blush deepened. "Oh... then you won't care if I do it again?"

His discomfort seemed to fade at both her boldness and her willingness to be close and Youko took advantage, manipulating their body to reach out and slid his hands about her hips.

~We won't mind one bit.~

Keiko shivered when Youko’s deep voice drifted through her mind as Kurama’s arms pulled her flush against him. Her soft body seemed to fit against his harder one, molding every dip and curve as he pressed her closer, one hand trailing up to the small of her back. The other remained on her hip, fingers clenching lightly, scrunching her skirt up into a bunch in his hand.

Keiko’s hands rested on his forearms, fingers encircling his pectoral muscles as much as they could as she held onto him for leverage and leaned up to kiss him again.

Strong slender fingers traced up the backs of her thighs and higher up the curve of her backside to tickle along the lower edge of her back.

She moaned against his mouth.

Keiko felt herself being moved, body turning in a half circle. A moment later the breath was forced out of her in shock as her back met the wall and his hands slipped back from her. A gasp escaped her mouth only to be caught up by Kurama's as he used the opportunity of her parted lips to deepen the kiss. Moaning again, her hands shot up to clutch at his shoulder blades, the crisp material of his shirt bunching up in her clenched fists.

Kurama pressed one hand against the small of her back, as the other moved against her shoulder, smoothing down the length of her arm and back up again before hesitantly beginning to wander over the rest of her body.

Kurama pressed one hand against the small of her back as the other moved against her shoulder, smoothing down the length of her arm and back up again before hesitantly beginning to wander over the rest of her body. Long, dexterous fingers plucked lightly at the buttons of her blouse, releasing them one by one.

Once that task had been accomplished, Kurama lowered his mouth to feather kisses across the expanse of pale flesh he had exposed, his tongue trailing down to taste the swell of one breast. Keiko moaned as she shifted against him, her softness caressing his hardness, eliciting a groan from him as well.

‘Onegai, Kurama. Don’t stop.’

Keiko’s plea whispered in his mind, driving Kurama to an even higher plane of arousal. Hands dropping to her waist, he grasped her by the hips and lifted, pressing in as he slid her body up the wall so that she had no other choice but to wrap her legs around him. His mouth left her chest in order to retake her mouth in a heated kiss before drawing back to look her in the eye.

Lust hazed chocolate orbs stared back at him from beneath hooded eyelids, her flushed face proof of her aroused state.

Licking his lips, he drew back, supporting her weight somewhat awkwardly as he moved toward the stairs. She looped her arms around his neck, her lips curving into a smile as he began to walk.

The action of going up the stairs seemed to rock her body against his. She moaned softly and leaned forward, pressing wet kisses against his neck. At the landing he shifted her weight and she nipped her teeth against his skin gently. He drew forward a few more steps before stopping before a doorway. Awkwardly, he pushed it open and stepped inside. Foregoing the light switch, Kurama took a step toward the bed only to be halted in his tracks as a dark voice spoke from the recesses of the darkened room, in the direction of the bed.

"Hn, it would seem I have come at a bad time,” The highly amused voice said. “If you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you two didn’t start copulating right on top of me.”

Keiko stiffened in his arms at the voice and Kurama stifled a groan as the reaction caused her pelvis to push more firmly against his.

“Hiei,” Kurama greeted even as Keiko’s legs slipped from around him as he lowered Keiko to her feet. Could the fire demon have picked an even more inopportune time to pay him a visit?

“From the way you were about ready to take the girl against a wall if need be, Kurama, I would assume that my earlier impression of your desire to be rid of the link was incorrect. If you wish to continue, go right ahead." The last was said with a lavicious sneer as the fire demon folded his arms behind his head and leaned back, looking every bit like he expected a show.

Kurama frowned as Keiko turned in toward him, tucking her face against his chest. He could feel her embarrassment, which, if he were honest, mirrored his own. Then Hiei’s words actually registered in the kitsune’s normally sharp mind. Apparently, Keiko’s presence around him tended to distract him more than was probably healthy. And… Hiei had just mentioned their mind link, hadn’t he? Kurama settled his hands upon Keiko’s upper arms as a means of support and reassurance as he focused his once more upon the fire demon lying leisurely in the middle of his bed, staring at them both impassively.“Do you mean to say you’ve found the key to dissolving the link between Keiko and I?” He asked, curious as to why the idea suddenly didn’t sit as well within him as it recently had.

In response, Hiei rose from the bed and went to stand at the open bay window, his back them in order to look out at the sky. This gave Keiko ample opportunity to draw away from Kurama long enough to swiftly rebutton her top, her face glowing bright red in mortification the entire time. Her hands were shaking too badly though and it was Kurama who wound up having to situate her blouse.

‘Oh, God, Kurama, make him go away!’ Keiko moaned in her mind, and then remembered that Hiei could also hear her voice.

Hiei shot Keiko a devious smirk over his shoulder. "If my presence distracts you that much, you could always go back to your previous activities, and then you’ll forget I’m even here." Switching his mischievous gaze to Kurama, he said, “Unless the kitsune is out of....practice."

Kurama’s mouth turned down into a frown at the remark. “I resent that,” The fox replied. “What is this solution you have eluded to?”

Hiei smirked and crossed his arms. “It requires you and the onna come to Mukuro’s. It shall be explained there.”

“What? Right now?” Keiko asked, now tugging at her blouse.

Hiei's smirk widened. "Unless you have something more... interesting you'd rather be doing?"

Keiko gaped. Had Hiei just... teased her? Shaking off the awed sensation that thought brought on, Keiko shook her head. "No, no... um, that's fine. I would really like to go see this Mukuro person. If you think he can do something to help us."

Hiei’s expression seemed to grow even more amused and his smirk turned mysterious, but he did not tease her further. Instead, he drew his gaze back to the window. “Are we going, or are we not?” he asked a bit impatiently.

“Yes, I believe we should,” Kurama answered, reaching for Keiko’s hand. “Shall we?”

Keiko nodded in agreement as she took Kurama’s hand in hers, casually lacing her fingers through his. Kurama smiled down at their linked hands and then back up at Keiko briefly before turning back to Hiei.

“Very well. Let’s be off then.” he said, and in the next moment, they were gone, leaving the bedroom empty, the white curtains floating with the light breeze that drifted through the open window.