Territorial

It was a low-blow, a very low blow.  While it wasn’t a secret you were tightly connected with Team Urameshi, or that the namesake of the team was your own little brother, it also wasn’t a secret you were a non-combatant.  You were a psychic, but you focused your attention on meditative and healing abilities rather than fighting, which made you the perfect target.  You fought back, but you still found yourself captured, tied up, and dragged hell-knew-where as you were still dizzy from taking that demon’s elbow to your temple.

Either the Spirit Detective and his allies submitted to the demands of the smuggling ring, or you became demon-chow. 

You had been snatched on your way to school, and the team had received word of your capture a few hours later.  None of them wasted time taking off to find you, all of them having their own reasons to track you down.  Yusuke wasn’t about to let his own sister die, not when she was the only constant source of care and love in his life.  Kuwabara simply wanted to save his friend, that was all it took for him to leap into action.  Hiei had grown fond of you after you used your healing abilities to ensure he would retain use of his right arm, and it helped that you and Yukina quickly became close friends.  Then there was Kurama, who knew he cared deeply for you, too much considering the amount of time since you met, healing him after he got stabbed helping Yusuke stop Hiei.

Spending so much time together both during and after the Dark Tournament had only expedited things, as had the soothing feeling of your healing abilities and the way you would hum absentmindedly.  Then there was your scent, god there was just something about that mixture of lavender and jasmine with vanilla that the fox just couldn’t get enough of.  It had been Karasu’s interest in you, solely because he recognized you as a weak point he could poke and prod at to cause pain and discomfort to the entire team, that caused the red head to snap his ire and anger towards the explosives expert.  The masked demon could say whatever the hell he wanted to the fox, the taunts would be ignored.  It was when Karasu placed a hand on you, fingertips ever so slightly brushing your cheek as you stared up at him with wide eyes, standing strong despite your fear, that caused Kurama’s blood to boil.

He hadn’t even grown attached to his mother so quickly, to think you had done such a thing in only a few months…it scared him.

Now that he knew you were captured, likely injured and in pain, all he could think of was making the fools suffer.  Since taking a human form, his demonic instincts had been buried under unexpected humanity, but he felt them beginning to bubble to the surface as Hiei struggled to track down your exact location.  Your own abilities made it difficult to track you, even with the Jagan, and the best the already irritated apparition could do was give a general location.  It was best to approach the forest and split up, remembering to remain quiet and unnoticed in case the smugglers would injure you – or worse – should they be caught too early.

Kurama barely waited long enough for the others to make a plan, both he and Yusuke were growing fidgety in their impatience to find and save you, and the fox had already caught faint traces of your scent.  He immediately took off, following the vanilla that did not belong in the forest, before remaining crouched in a tree as he watched your captors.  You were tied tightly, blood dripping from your temple and trailing down the side of your face, your head hung and bruises and rope burn remaining on the bare skin that had suffered the worst of your struggling.  On your cheek was another long cut, and on your neck was a large bruise, and the swelling of your ankle was visible from under one of your black stockings.

Six demons surrounding you, each with their own wounds from your fighting and struggling.  As he devised a plan, Kurama couldn’t help the prideful smirk at the fact you had continued to fight despite having the odds so against you.  He knew the change had happened, felt it as his agitation grew and grew closer and closer to you.

He couldn’t say he cared, the message would remain the same.

You heard screams, cries, sickening snaps and cracks before you could bring the energy to look up, clearing your vision as you blinked.  Your captors were dead, in pieces, save for one held tightly in the grips of nearby tree branches, and it was then your dazed mind recognized Kurama’s energy…at least you thought it was his energy.  It had changed…much like it had when-

After confessing the identities of the others who were involved in the plan, the remaining criminal found himself snapped into pieces by the branches before being dumped onto the ground like trash.  It was when the manipulated branches retreated that you saw Kurama, long silver hair flowing in the light breeze of the now peaceful forest, making his way towards you.  You watched as attentively as you could, in your state, as he cut you free of your binds before gently taking your chin in hand to examine your injuries.  You sat there, frozen and speechless, as the fox showed no signs of reverting back to his human form and manipulated the nearby plants to heal your cuts and the rope burn on your arms, gently taking your hands as he gingerly treated your sore wrists and arms.

Without a word, he picked you up to carry you back through the forest and to the city, his hair not returning to its now normal crimson until after you relaxed into his firm hold and snuggled into his chest.  Your breathing settled and evened out, with no signs of a concussion it was safe for you to fall asleep as the herbs still wrapped around your wrist and lining the cut on your forehead took effect. As expected, once receiving word you were safe with Kurama, Yusuke came rushing over to make sure you were safe.  The detective made no movement to remove you from the fox’s grasp, something Kurama was selfishly grateful for.  It would have been wildly inappropriate to refuse to hand you off to your own brother, but Kurama wasn’t ready to let you out of his grasp just yet. You were safe there, he knew you were safe there, and based on the way you relaxed and snuggled into his chest you were comfortable, content even.

As far as Yusuke and Kuwabara were concerned, the red head was simply caring for a friend.  Hiei, however, wasn’t fooled.  That much was clear from the look the fire apparition shot the fox.

The thief hadn’t even staked his claim to you, and he was already dangerously territorial.