Twenty-Five

The sound of something large and heavy hitting the apartment floor startled her into awareness once more, as she shot up from the bed and promptly flailed off the edge. Tangled in her sheets, her face smushed into the carpet unexpectedly, Kagome muttered, "Ow."

She felt like she had been run over by a train.

…...or an overly eager, jealous fox.

Tentative fingers brushing across her lips, a shiver rushed up her spine as the faded, hazy memory of Youko hovering above her surfaced. Her fingers curling into a ball against her mouth, she felt her power prickle beneath her skin, and she had to force it away with the reminder that he had not… gone too far. Kurama had stopped him before he had the chance, regaining control when it was obvious that she was not as receptive as whatever had been pumped into her system made her out to be.

Shaking her head slightly, Kagome started to try and wrestle herself from her twisted bedsheet. She sighed once she was finally free, stretching, and quickly decided that clothes were definitely in order at the sight of her pale skin staring back at her. Slowly moving to search through her drawers for appropriate wear, she bit her lip when shadowed, intense emerald eyes from the night before drifted through her thoughts.

Youko was a fox through and through, if she ever had seen one. He was a demon that knew what he wanted, and he was not above silly human pretenses to get it, obviously, but… Kurama…

If he was really trying to court her like Bokuseno suggested, then...

Another distinctive, loud thump banished the thought immediately, as she turned her head toward the door. Blinking as she pulled her shirt over her head, she nearly jumped when she heard the low, threatening snarl that soon filled the answering silence that had followed. Bouncing slightly on one foot as she tried to put on her other sock, she threw open her bedroom door and stuck her head out with a hissed, "I told you two not to fight in the apartment!"

The tense, crackling energy faltered slightly with the yell, even as she hurried down the short hallway. Skidding to the halt outside the tiny kitchen, one hand braced on the door frame, she frowned heavily at the sight that greeted her.

"I already let you hit me twice," Kurama spat, blood dripping from his chin. "Try and do so again, Hiei, and I can't say I'll feel responsible for what happens to you."

His bloodied knuckles white around the hilt of his sword, the fire apparition bared his fangs at the threat. "Some prince charming you turned out to be," he growled. His lip tilted into a smirk at the way Kurama's eyes narrowed, darkening. "You may have been the first, fox, but I will not hesitate to remove your head if you continue to allow Youko to defile what is mine."

Kurama's gaze flickered toward her for only a moment, his emerald eyes swimming with remorse as he lowered his head. He looked defeated, the blood continuing to drip silently from his busted lip, before he released a long, calming sigh and straightened.

He did not need to explain himself to Hiei.

The fire apparition used his thumb to flick the edge of his blade from its sheath with the silence.

"Knock it off!"

His crimson eyes were slanted and furious when they settled onto her when she stomped up next to him, huffing in indignation. The Jagan cracked open on his forehead, as he hissed through his clenched teeth at the feel of her energy crackling along his skin. "You…" Hiei lifted his lip. "You would rather he rape you, little miko?"

Kagome felt herself flinch, and felt her gaze drawn to where the fox avatar visibly tensed with the accusation. Her voice was soft when she looked back into the third eye staring angrily back at her, knowing that it was shifting through her thoughts and memories without hesitation. "You know that's not true."

"He drugged us both," Hiei snapped, another growl spilling forth.

"It was my fault," she said. "I knocked him out and woke Youko fully."

Kurama's surprised gaze snapped toward her.

The fire apparition sneered at the words, as he asked, "You would forgive him?"

"I'm not…" Kagome bit her lip, feeling drained all of a sudden. Even knowing that the Jagan was thoroughly sweeping through her every thought, she found it hard to explain why exactly she could not bring herself to fully place the blame on the avatar now openly staring at her. "Kurama..." she stressed, pausing. "Kurama stopped him before Youko… did anything he might have regretted."

Hiei scoffed, "Foolish miko," and then he disappeared in a flicker of movement.

Suddenly left with only the apprehensive fox avatar for company, the Higurashi woman used one hand to rub subconsciously at her wrist where she had been immobilized the night before. She reigned in the faint prickle of energy underneath her skin, not sure exactly who she had been trying to convince during the brief argument, and sighed deeply. "We should have a look at your face," she said quietly, pointing to her lip where he was still bleeding.

Kurama looked away from her again, saying, "That's not necessary, Kagome-san. I'll be fine."

Kagome felt her brow twitch at the stupid, idiotic, macho, mumbo jumbo that she swore she had heard from every single one of her male friends at some point in her life. Was it just ingrained into them to try and act tough when they were obviously bleeding all over the place? Or was it because Youko had… She halted the thought, not pleased with where it had attempted to travel, as she moved to where she knew the paper towels were. "Let's at least get you cleaned up then."

Watching her run the water and return to him, Kurama frowned at the way she hesitated. Only a moment, brief though it was, but still he caught her wrist before she could attempt to dab at his lip. "Kagome-san…"

"What?" she snapped, yanking her arm away. "You're bleeding all over my kitchen, and I'm just trying to…!"

"You're uncomfortable," he told her. "With me."

"No," she replied, her voice firm. "I'm not…"

"Your energy is fluctuating."

Tightening her grip on the wet towel, Kagome set her jaw in determination when she reached out to wipe at the blood on his chin the second time. She brushed aside his fingers, allowing her lip to form a thin line, as she said, "I'm not forgiving Youko." She caught the way his eyes flashed with the sentence, before pressing on. "If he's supposed to be part of you, if you were made for me like you keep saying you are… then he should have known better. But…"

Kurama tipped his head, feeling her pull at his lip with each swipe.

"I'm not blaming you, either." Kagome sighed through her nose, firmly stomping down on the energy until it was dormant and quiet beneath her skin. "I've never actually met an avatar, but I've had demon friends all my life almost." She pulled away, satisfied that the bleeding seemed to have stopped. "I've had a fox demon as my friend for a long time."

"That still doesn't…" Kurama tried.

"No, it doesn't," she pressed. "To you and to me, because we both think like a human. Me more so than you, obviously. And while I might not know how it works exactly, or how it feels, there's still a fox demon somewhere in there, and he doesn't think like that." Knowing she was rambling somewhat at that point, Kagome looked away from him. "So, I'm not blaming you, especially when it is partially my fault for zapping you into Bokuseno's barrier. And I mean partially, since that fox in there needs to learn how to keep his hands to himself!"

The fox avatar smiled a little at the way she crossed her arms with the statement, huffing up at him with a glare. "Thank you, Kagome-san," he breathed. It was not better, but it was enough for the moment. "I would still like to apologize, however. Youko would… well, his apology is not exactly sincere."

Rolling her eyes, she snapped, "Yeah, I'm sure that he thinks the sex would have been an apology in itself."

"Yes, unfortunately." Kurama grimaced slightly when he said it, but the small, airy snort the raven haired miko released was enough to release the tension that had built in his shoulders. He caught her eye then, his stare intense and filled with promise. Taking her hand gently between both of his own, he allowed the smile to return, and said, "Regardless, I want you to know, I will never allow Youko to harm you, Kagome-san. Never."

Mesmerized by the brief crack that opened into his soul within those stunning emerald orbs, Kagome tried not to think about the fact that this was all just so surreal. She had had him hand delivered to her doorstep, for heaven's sake, and yet none of that seemed to matter when she was able to peer deeper still. Softly returning the squeeze, she nodded, "I know."