Red-hot blood tingles through my veins as I awaken, still remembering the dreams of days past. I laugh silently at the fire that warms me, the part of me that I have never needed to mask.

The internal blaze moves me; I leave my bed and walk to the window. As I gaze out, an urge hits me. Suddenly I cannot stand being in this house any longer, cannot bear being trapped. The desire to be outside, among the wildness of the woods is too strong. I must leave now.

Clothes my mind whispers to me, reminding me of the human rules that I follow of late, but my instincts over rule. Who needs clothes? they laugh. I smile as I agree. There is no time to waste now; I want to run.

Silently, oh so silently, lest I wake my mortal mother, I open the window and jump down. As my feet touch the soft, dew-kissed grass, I feel the pleasure inside heighten. So good, it feels to have something natural under my bare feet once more. I take a step...and suddenly my dream state shatters as I feel the hard, cruel pavement. No, I whisper, no. This is not right. I want to be home, so desperately do I want to be home.

Contemptuously I glance at the human-built prison behind me. My nose wrinkles in a sniff of distaste--that is not home. Nothing holds me here, tonight. Tonight I let myself go, distance myself from my mortal mask, if only for a little while. But, there is something missing...

Yes, I know. I gather my youki around me holding it tightly before releasing it for its intended purpose. A miasma-like mist enfolds my human body, washing it away and bringing forth my true form. My hands roam to my head to feel the silky softness of my silver hair and pointy ears. Mmmm...nice. I glance to my tail to simply marvel at its sheer flexibility. My soul sings; I am Youko Kurama!

I gently lift my face to bask in the moon's worshipful glow. Night, my favorite time of the day. Who needs the sunlight when you can have moon's soft, silvery, yet oh so cold radiance?

I lick my lips and listen to the breeze as it whispers to me of the wild. The scent does not have the heady savageness of the Makai, but it is better than the smell of inanimate concrete. The seductive call leads me unerringly to that which I seek.

The part in which I find myself drawn to fills me with unbelievable disappointment. It is too tame, too inhibited, too human. But I can fix that.

The plants all bend to my will, showing, just this once, their intended greatness and beauty. You must put it back my newfound conscience warns me but I am too pleased with myself. Besides, the conscience is human and what does a youko need of a human conscience? Nothing.

As I start to walk through my lovely garden a new scent teases my nose--one filled with all the untamed violence of home. It is all the more seductive because of its double familiarity. The fire I had awakened with returns, heading straight to my loins. So he has entered my Garden of Eden...

He is easy to find; he wanted to be found. His little, black shape is not hard to distinguish against the bright light of the moon flowers. My heart clenches at the sight of him. How long has it been since we first met? Since we first got together? Since he stopped becoming just a game?

I sigh, silently though, because he has yet to notice me. He can't pinpoint me; my youki totally surrounds us, making everything feel like me, marking it as mine. Only one thing in this demonic garden does not have my mark...yet.

Carefully I gather my legs under me and pounce. I laugh aloud as I tackle him and wrestle him onto his back. I know that I've scared nine kinds of hell out of him but he hides it beautifully behind his ruby-red eyes.

"Kurama, what the--" My mouth covers his, effectively silencing his deep, velvet voice. I can't help but smile at his affected protests and token struggles. He knows he wants it, no matter how much he tries not to, and I make him admit it before I claim him utterly--again and again. Ah, how I'd missed this aspect of my youko body.

Later, as we both lay together on the forest floor, he cuddles against me and I feel a pleasure deeper than simple ecstasy. Thinking him asleep I ask wistfully, "Hiei, do you know how much I love you?"

Having said that, I then lay my head down beside his and prepare to dream the beautiful dreams of love. And he takes me by surprise when he tenderly kisses my lips and says "I do now." My lax grip tightens as he lifts his face to my ear. "Ai shiteru, Kurama." He gives my ear a gentle nip before he playfully punches my arm. "Now, go to sleep and let me breathe, fox."

Never the kind to follow orders, I disobey, pulling him up flush against me to nibble teasingly on his ear. He growls but lets my ministrations continue, knowing that I'm too tired to do much more.

I roll onto my back, bringing him to lay on my stomach. Drowsy, he buries his nose in my junction of my neck and shoulder. I loll my head back to rest on the cushion of the grass and simply stare upwards. Though the canopy of the trees, I spot the moon overhead. It's still as beautiful and silvery as it always is but it isn't so cold anymore. I'm not cold anymore. I have, at long last, found my sun and he fills me to overflowing with his warmth.