A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Ch. 43: The Calm Before The Storm

Maru sighed as he felt the kitsune's joy through the stone in his chest. The weekend had come, and the morning sun shown through the windows of the small sitting room of his apartment. To be honest, he had thought it would hurt far worse to lose his chance at the little fox for good, but he found that he felt rather... relieved. At peace even, as he stared down at the head of soft blue hair against his chest.

Somehow, he had convinced Koenma to allow not only Botan, but the boy as well, to spend the weekend in his apartment at the old high rise. They had put on a Disney movie the evening prior, Botan curling up in his lap without so much as a warning. Before he could even question the blunette, who had been grinning quite wickedly as she claimed his lap as her seat instead of the ample space of his couch, the little boy had crawled into her lap as well, effectively trapping them both.

He had sat, stiff backed with his arms gripping the top of the sofa as she giggled away, pointing at the image on the screen as the toddler laughed with her. A little over an hour later, they had both fallen asleep that way. Maru, not wanting to wake either, had simply shifted the best he could against the couch, and tried to sleep as well.

Now the blue-haired male watched the slow rise and fall of the little shinigami's chest, wondering what on earth he had ever done to receive such a blessing as he twirled her hair in his human form's fingers.

No, it was perfectly fine with him that Yumiko had made her choice. He had found a new treasure all his own, and this time, his treasure had chosen him as well.

_______

Kona dotted ointment around his still healing black eye. Shura had punched him hard enough to send him flying the moment they had gotten home, then broke down into a fit of sobs immediately after. It was deserved of course. The two may not have a sylphan bond, but they were soul-mated, and had known from the very first glance. For Shura, watching his mate nearly lose his head on that rooftop had been unbearable. It had nearly torn the boy's soul into.

Nearly two weeks had passed, and they had nearly finished packing for their European tour, when Mako had phoned in. He had called Naomi immediately to have the tour cancelled, and the tickets all refunded at once. Their excuse was grave injuries sustained while visiting friends during "The Kaiden Riots." Which was how every news station was handling the infestation that had nearly torn the city to pieces.

They had been forced to answer interview after interview in response to the "mysterious beast that wreaked havoc" at the high rise, and had been looking forward to a return to normalcy when Mako told them about the invitation. Kona's blood had run cold at the mention of the Togoro brothers.

So they had cancelled the tour. They might not be able to compete, but the least they could do was go to support their friend. Support the being who had saved his life, and the humans who had been so kind to them in the aftermath.

The short, hazel eyed, Naomi handed Shura an envelope as she ran elegant, long fingers through her bobbed brunette hair. She was a nightmare of an agent, but kept them on track, and got them where they needed to go when situations came up. Though she appeared human, she was much, much more. She worked under the spirit world king, delivering assignments, and keeping an eye on the two demons as part of their citizenship.

"It's all there. VIP passes to the tournament, and the finals. You've got a suite on the top floor of the hotel, and all amenities will be charged to your spirit world account. We've arranged a boat on this date here, so you should arrive to the island the day before the tournament actually begins." Her sharp, detached voice filled them in as Shura accepted it.

"Thank you, Naomi. We really appreciate this."

"Considering how much damage the Yumekui could have caused, King Enma felt you two had earned the vacation. You will also need to plan a set." She added, then turned to the door. "Try not to get yourself killed on the island? We've got you booked for an American tour this fall."