A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Ch. 48: The Uremeshi Team Sets Sail!

"I don't think I've ever seen you be so rude to someone!" Yumiko cornered him once they had rounded the corner.

"I'm not in the mood, Yumiko. Leave it."

The brusqueness in which he spoke caused her to stumble over her own feet, though his hand quickly shot out to steady her. He didn't say a word, but sent a displeased wave down the bond urging her to be more careful. At first, it cowed the girl, then that firebrand inferno kicked in.

Yumiko pouted, and picked up her pace to step in front of him, forcing Kurama to stop.

"Again, what's gotten into you? You're usually nice to everyone, but you acted like you wanted to rip Mr Hatanaka's head off back there! What's the big deal anyways? He seems nice, and he really likes your mom. He told me so on the walk over. He even asked me if I knew what kind of flowers she might like best! I told him he should just ask you, since you would know her better than anyone, and even his son flinched when I said it. Now I see why! Do you always treat him like that?"

A growl sounded down the bond, though on the outside Kurama remained as calm as ever. He stared down at the fox with cold emerald eyes, unable to step around her.

"Yumiko..." He warned again, pushing some of the authority the bond allowed through as he spoke. "I would suggest you leave this topic alone for now. As I have already stated, I am not in the mood."

Yumi flinched from both the ice in his voice, and grip suddenly tightening around that bond. She gasped, her Oceanfire gemstone blazing into life. Her own seafoam eyes hardened on the male as she pushed that grip away with her own mental wave.

"I am not just some dog you can tell to stop barking when it displeases you!" She snapped, baring her teeth at the male in a furious display. "It's that's what you wanted then you never should have marked me as your mate!" She half-snarled, pointing an accusing finger at her collar.

"That power is meant to be used in the most dire situations, not when you just want to get out of an argument! What happened to 'I will never abuse this bond, Yumi'!" She mocked, throwing his own words back in his face. She had expected him to flinch, to back down, but the snarl that ripped from his throat caused her to startle back a step.

A lash of pain, white-hot seared through the bond as she disobeyed the command to leave it alone, and he took a step closer to her, glaring down at the kitsune in a rare emotional display.

"ENOUGH!"

Yumiko flinched, a small yelp escaping her from both that pain, seared through her sylphan bond, and the sharpness of his tone as Kurama raised his voice. Her eyes went wide as he stepped closer, and she found herself backing away until her back hit a lamp post. If Kurama noted the squeak of shock, or the slight fear-scent that accompanied that lash of pain, he did not react to it. Instead, he kept the pace until he was inches from her face as he snarled down at her, so unlike the kind, gentle male she knew.

"Why is it wrong for me to have reservations over the male trying to steal my mother? You weren't here for the last one Yumiko, or the one before that. You have seen only a fraction of how cruel human males can be, and I will gladly do everything within my power to prevent my mother from ever suffering such things again!"

As he spoke, images of long buried memories flashed through Yumi's mind. A large, blonde haired male dragging an eight year old Shuichi by the hair. A slighter, less opposing male when he was twelve, arguing with Shiori, screaming at her over a simple burned dish. The sound of an impact.

Tears began in Yumi's eyes as she watched the memories of cruel humans who had gotten too close to Shiori after her husband had died, as well as what had happened to them once they were out of his mother's sight. Kurama had been very careful to cover up the disappearances each time, though on one lesser occasion, simply used a flower to erase the males memory of his mother, and implant a strong desire to travel abroad.