OTP Prompt

Kurama

There hadn’t been many of your kind who lived outside of captivity, and even less who lived as long as you.  Some asshole turned a cat demon into a goddamn pet a few hundred years ago, and then it became a trend.  There was a little detail, however.  If cat demons lived long enough, their tail split into two, and their power doubled as well.  Nobody wanted a pet that was going to turn around and break free by ripping down the surrounding village, so the captured cat was killed before that happened.

You managed to hide your age, just barely.  Your wide blue eyes still carried a youthful and carefree spark, your long black hair still shimmered a midnight blue and the plush fur on your tail did the same as you absentmindedly moved it about.  The sick bastard that kept you as a pet stuck a damn bell collar around your neck, and while he never touched you he still made you wear a degradingly skimpy kimono that didn’t even reach your knees and fit tightly around your bust so you were forced to reveal far more cleavage than you would have liked.

The master of the compound owned an old artifact, one that Yoko had been seeking for a particularly long time.  He wasn’t about to let the fact that it was held inside a veritable fortress stop him, and as he and Kuronue made their way into the compound they made use of the unexpected chaos.

Your tail had just split, and you were going to burn the whole damn place to the ground.  You crossed paths with the thieves as they made their exit, you stood in the center of the moonlit courtyard with blood staining your clothes and skin but no sign of injury.  It was odd for Yoko to be the one to stop, but he handed the sealed box over to his partner and made his way over to you.  You hadn’t seen them until you spun on your bare feet just to see the fox approaching.  You didn’t recognize him, he wasn’t from the compound, but you didn’t care.  Everyone thought it was okay to imprison you and use you as a pet, you weren’t going to take the chance that the fox wanted to do the same thing.

You tensed, tails tensed and stiff as the long fur on them stood on end, a feline-like growl rumbling in your chest as you bared your fangs.

What impressed Yoko was the fact you had managed to eliminate everyone in the compound without getting caught.  Even the master had been killed before his own guards noticed.  Black cats had once been known for being particularly stealthy, but to think you were capable of such a thing without any training…and based on that second tail you had power you didn’t even know what to do with.  Taking you in would require teaching you, and likely dealing with a rebellious nature considering your history, but it would be worth it.

He was an animal spirit, you didn’t need your sense of smell to tell you that much.  With certain exceptions, such as a black cat’s affinity for shadows, animal spirits used plants to fight.  You expected there was about to be more to that rose he now held-

Why was he putting it on the ground?

“You won’t survive out there on your own, and it seems like you don’t know what to do with all that power you have,” he observed as he took careful steps forward, he didn’t want to kill you but he was going to defend himself if that’s what it came to, “I will admit you have talent, but that will never be enough on its own.”

“What’s your point?” you seethed, still on edge, the bell collar cutting into your skin as the muscles in your neck tensed.  He hadn’t made a move to attack, and fighting him wouldn’t be like taking on the guards.  If he made his way into the compound, he at least had a reason for the confidence that allowed him to do that, and you doubted it had anything to do with the bat demon waiting a few feet away.

“Come with us, and we will teach you,” he offered, careful as he reached towards the collar around your neck before carefully using his claws to cut it off you and looking away to grimace at the thing, “More than a bit perverse if you ask me.”

He tossed it away, and you watched him carefully as you asked, “What do you get out of this?”

Nobody ever did anything nice without expecting something in return, especially to strangers.

“I’m a thief, and there are more than a few things I could use your skills to acquire, but you will be free to do as you please without consequence.”

It was a dangerous gamble, Kuronue had to trust Yoko knew that much, but the fox wouldn’t have made the gamble if it wasn’t worth it.  Besides, there were things about just having a girl around that would help them.  Something about women just made everyone else let down their guard, cat or not you would likely have the same effect.  It was hardly an entirely selfless act; likely Yoko was gambling on the fact that you would stick around out of gratitude or maybe even grow fond of the thieves who gave you shelter when you had none.

“…Alright…but I reserve the right to leave at any time.”

You did grow fond of them over time, but they had never expected to grow fond of you as you began to open up.  Once they had been woken up in the middle of the night by an unusual sound, their attention being brought to the source.

“Is she purring?” Kuronue kept his voice down, you valued your sleep and would likely kill him if he woke you.

Yoko’s brow furrowed as he watched you sleep, curled up in a ball with your tails wrapped around you, a purely blissful look on your face, and one of his ears twitched as he made sure the sound was coming from you.

“Yes…yes she is…”

You started leaning your head on their shoulders, whichever was closest, found it far easier to fall asleep or relax when they were there, and worried when they were gone.  Even now, years later as you lived as a human, being without them felt wrong, being without Yoko felt wrong.  He had been the one you found yourself most drawn to, and despite him being…well…himself, he never minded your affections as you would lay your head on his lap or scooch closer to him in your sleep.  There were times you felt him fiddling with your hair as you fell asleep, purring.

You felt safe, you felt protected, you felt free, and as Yoko terrified all those who looked at you and saw nothing more than a little pet, you actually felt loved.

You had taken to using your new life to help others in situations like yours, which had brought you to Yukina.  You helped the detective and Kuwabara free her, and then you helped her get home as the only woman in the group.  You were allowed to stay in the koorime village for a while, Yukina was fond of you as you had helped free her and as a woman they felt you did not pose a threat.  You would have to return home, and to school, but with a psychic mother more than aware of the demon world – and what you were – and attending an art school you had a bit of freedom. 

It was there she told you she had left to search for her brother, and made her promise to wait just a few years until you could go with her.  Only months later, she showed up at your doorstep to ask if you would accompany her to the Dark Tournament.  She figured she wouldn’t find her brother, but she wanted to support Kazuma and Yusuke as they had helped free her.  Your human mother heaved a heavy sigh, she wouldn’t be able to leave the shop closed for as long as you would be gone but she couldn’t say you couldn’t go.  So, with the promise to call at least every other day, you took off for Hanging Neck island with your teal-haired friend.

You had to wait until Team Urameshi’s round was over, so you sat with the only other humans in the arena.  It was reasonable to expect they were there to support the only human team, and the woman with the cigarette even recognized Yukina as the girl from that video.  Then she turned to you and blatantly asked if you were human.

“Yes and no…I was a demon in a…I guess it’s a past life, though it doesn’t really feel like it…I was killed and didn’t actually feel like dying so I just found a new body,” you struggled to actually explain the situation, your nose crinkling a bit as your lips pursed in thought.  You certainly weren’t completely human, and you were more than prepared to outright kill anyone who threatened the group of humans you were with, but actually explaining what you were with words wasn’t going to be easy.

“I thought so, like that red headed boy, Kurama-“

“Kurama?”  If you still had cat ears they would be perked as your eyebrows raised and your eyes widened, turning your head back to the ring and immediately spotting the boy Shizuru was talking about.  You watched him closely, careful not to get too excited too quickly even after you saw him fight, but the second you followed the other girls to meet up with the team you were convinced.

“Yoko?” you had to ask, you had to try, you just had to-

It was a miracle Kurama didn’t have whiplash from how quickly he turned towards you.  The list of people who would still call him that was small, and when only counting the number of people on that list who were still alive…

You looked at him with wide eyes, your eyes weren’t the same ethereal blue and your hair wasn’t the same inhuman shade of black or nearly as long, your ears were entirely human and you certainly didn’t have any tails.  Still, as you stood there, looking up at him…

“[Y/N]…”

The excited squeal you held back turned into a little squeak as you jumped a little before sprinting towards the fox and launched yourself at him.  He caught you, as he always did, and you wrapped your legs around him and your arms around his shoulders as you buried your face into the crook of his neck.  You relished in his scent, still thickly laced with the scents of the multiple plants he cultivated and controlled, and your hum of contentment sounded vaguely like a purr.  At least, as close to one as a human could get.

Kurama would have to explain to the others, but as he nuzzled into your hair and left a soft kiss he couldn’t care less.  He had missed you, dearly, and after a miracle brought you back to him the last thing he wanted to do was let go.