AN: For those of you who have read any of the "Time" series, forget it all. This story is in not connected to them. I'm just using my old characters again; however, not all facts about them have been kept constant from the "Time" stories to this one.

For Love of a "Pet"

Chapter One

Kurama glared at his opponent that stood across the battle field from him, thorn whip in hand. With one hand he clutched at his stomach wound, trying to slow the bleeding and fight back the pain. He quickly assessed his situation, and he came up with only one conclusion--things were bad. There wasn't much else to say about it.

The redhead was alone and wounded, most definitely not a good combination. Normally, he would have had his friends to back him up, but he did not have them at the moment. The evil demon had surprised him, getting in a few hits before he had even been able to react. One of his wrists was broken, and he had a good guess that he had broken one of his legs as well.

"What's wrong, kitsune?" the demon taunted, slinking a little closer, pure black eyes very bright. His acidic-green skin rippled with muscles as he stretched to his full ten-foot height. "Are you having problems?" He chuckled, immensely enjoying himself.

'It would be nice if Hiei, Yusuke, or even Kuwabara were here,' he thought wistfully, keeping his green eyes on the enemy.

"Awww... you're thinking about your little friends." The creature chuckled evilly, a disgusting sound that sent shivers down the kitsune's spine. "Sorry, but I don't believe the other spirit detectives will get here soon enough to save your pathetic hide."

'He can read my mind...' Kurama stared for a moment, completely shocked. He had known that Hiei could read minds, but he had never met another demon who could. Things were beginning to go from bad to worse.

Enjoying himself, the demon switched his sword to another hand. When it came to sword fighting, he could fight equally well with each of his four arms. "Of course I can read your mind, kitsune," he informed the redhead. "I love reading my victims' minds. It makes killing them so interesting, since I know what they are thinking the instant before death claims them." He paused for a moment, a sadistic smile on his face. "And no one can hold in a mental scream... not even you."

Kurama quickly decided that he did not like the look on the other's face. Things were quickly going to become very ugly. Most likely, when that finally happened, he would be dead. That wasn't exactly a pleasant thought.

Doing some quick thinking, the kitsune raised up as much of his depleted power as he could, sending most of it into all the plants around him. Vines, tree limbs, and every bit of plant life available wrapped around the enemy demon, rendering him motionless for a few moments.

Seeing his chance, Kurama began to run as fast as he could. He couldn't fight the demon, not in the state he was in. He would, without a doubt, lose if he tried to fight.

His spirit energy swirled around him, obviously trying to do something. Whatever it was, it was probably for his benefit, so he gave his power free reign.

His spirit energy coursed through him, twisted around his form as he continued to run. He felt his bones shift inside of him as be began to shrink.

Suddenly, he knew what his power was doing. It was changing him back into his oldest form --his fox form. It had been years since he had been is his fox spirit form. He much preferred his demon form over it; however, if it was his only choice...

Moments later, he was a small, silver fox running from a great big demon.

'This is not good,' Kurama mused unhappily. 'He may not be able to sense my power, but if he finds me, then I will die much more quickly.'

"Trying to run?" a voice inquired, sounding very amused. "You pathetic fool." A balled fist came out of nowhere, knocking him into a tree.

The fox tried to stand, but his frail body had taken too much of a beating. Another one of his legs felt broken, as did a few of his ribs. That, combined with his injuries from earlier, sent waves of pain rolling through him. He laid perfectly still on the ground, completely helpless.

"Perhaps I should cut open your skull and see your brain. I might understand your thinking better then." With a cruel smile on his face, the demon walked closer and knelt next to his fallen prey. He positioned his sword so that the blade was pointed at the center of the fox's skull. "I'll tell your friends good-bye for you." Then, he began to slowly cut down.

All of a sudden, the demon drew away, leaving Kurama hurt but alive. "But, Mistress, he is almost dead. I have him at my mercy." The demon stared up at the sky as he continued to talk to a voice that the fox demon could not hear. "As you wish, Mistress. I will return immediately."

Then, the demon was gone, leaving no trace. Surprised beyond belief, Kurama just laid there, unable to move. The pain was horrendous, and he wasn't even in his human form. Things were not looking up.

'Help...' was all he could think of before the blissful world of unconsciousness overtook him and sent his mind into utter darkness.

Kaline was washing dishes, strands of her long golden brown hair falling out of her braid and into her blue-gray eyes. Her simple light-blue t-shirt clung to her as she moved, and her flared jeans brushed across the tile floor, hiding her bare feet. Simple silver hoops adorned her ears, and a single silver band embedded with a small, fake sapphire sparkled on her right index finger.

She hummed softly to herself, content with her life. Things were good. She had her own house, a job, and good friends. Her guardian, Salova, was very proud of her, and Kaline could think of no better reward.

Salova was her only family, but she had been enough for the blue-eyed girl. She was very supportive and an excellent role model. Kaline was thrilled that she had lived up to her guardian's expectations.

The doorbell suddenly rang, the sound jolting her out of her thoughts and making her jump. Silently laughing at herself, Kaline dried off her hands and went to the door. When she opened it, she saw exactly who she had been expecting.

A girl stood there, her shoulder-length dark-brown hair framing her face and highlighting her blue-green eyes. She was a good two or three inches shorter than Kaline's five foot two, and she had on jeans and a t- shirt.

"Hey, Kaline," Cassie said, re-arranging her grip on a large, cardboard box. The lid on the container had holes, and someone had even poked openings in the sides. "I've got something for you."

"C'mon in," she told her visitor, opening the door wider. "And what do we have today? Another injured kitty?"

Both girls worked for an animal rescue organization, MARS or the Mistreated Animal Rescue Society, a organization that many of the major zoos had jointly established. Employees of MARS toured small zoos and other animal owners' homes; and if they found any badly treated animals, then they would take the animals away. Cassie was part of the search and rescue team, while Kaline helped heal and care for most of the injured animals that were discovered.

However, there was one thing that Kaline did not know about her friend--Cassie was a water demon.

"Nope," Cassie answered. "We've got something a little more rare."

Her level of curiosity sky-rocketing, Kaline gestured for her friend to set the box on the living room coffee table. "So... what is it?" She gazed at the box, her golden brown hair still trying to work its way out of the constraining braid she had it in as she moved around.

The brunette smiled. "A male silver fox." She set the cardboard container down and removed the lid, revealing a very injured creature sleeping on a fleece blanket. Bandages had been wound around the fox's stomach and three of his four legs. A large section of beautiful silver fur on his skull had been shaved away, obviously to make room for the stitches he had received. A battered silver tail was curled around the animal's feet, and the tip of it twitched every few seconds as he continued to rest.

"Awww... the poor kitsune," Kaline said sympathetically, her blue-gray eyes holding a soft expression for the animal. She watched the fox's ears twitch as he tried to move his head, its eyes slowly opening. "Shhhhhh, little one. It's all right. You just rest. I promise that I'll take good care of you." The fox settled back down and closed his eyes, much to Kaline's satisfaction.

Cassie nodded her head in agreement. "I know that you will." She set the lid back on the box. "I understand that you already know what to do, but I have a few things to tell you."

"Okay." Kaline sat down in one of her chairs, her eyes on the box.

"Someone found the fox on a trail in the state park," she told her friend, frowning. "We believe that someone abused him and then dumped him. Right now he's too hurt to fight, but he'll probably be nervous around you once he gets better."

"That's common for animals that have been abused." She sighed. "Poor kitsune. It'll take him a while to heal... if he even survives. With that head wound, it's likely that he's suffered from a concussion."

Sitting down on the couch, Cassie reached out and patted her friend's hand. "I'm sure that he'll be fine," she assured her friend. "MARS sends all of its hopeless cases to you for a reason. You seem to have this uncanny knack for turning out fully healed and completely happy animals, no matter how injured the animals are when they arrive at your house."

"His bandages will have to be changed daily, and I'll have to keep him inside until I'm sure he can defend himself," Kaline mumbled to herself, her eyes unfocused. "I'm gonna hafta constantly watch the kitsune too."

"Why do you keep calling him a kitsune?" Cassie asked her, curious. Her friend did not know about demons, and the fox appeared to be normal, so she was lost as to why her friend chose to call the animal that.

"It means 'fox demon' in Japanese, and I have a feeling that's what he'll turn out to be," she explained, giggling. "He's going to be a handful, I'm almost sure of it."

"If you say so," the visiting girl responded. "You're the one with the strange connection to the animals." 'Her connection is because of her magic, even though she doesn't know it, and it's not all that strange,' she mentally added.

Kaline shook her head. "It's not really a connection. It's more of an... understanding. The animals seem to know that I don't wanna hurt them... that I wanna help."

"Call it whatever you want; they still react better to you than anyone else." Cassie crossed her legs as she glanced at the box. "With the exception of this little guy, we've had to sedate every animal we've gotten our hands on. They always try to scratch us up or something."

"And you think that they don't do that to me?" Kaline pushed back one of her shirt sleeves to reveal a small scar. "The last bobcat you brought to me decided to try and take off my arm."

Cassie shrugged. "They still act nicer around you than anyone else. That bobcat tried to kill one of its rescuers. It obviously didn't try to kill you."

"So she thought it would be better to remove one of my arms. Yippee. I feel so much better now," the lighter-haired girl commented sarcastically, putting her shirt sleeve back down. "Oh, that reminds me, how's she doing? Didn't you and some of the others take her to a nearby zoo?"

"Yeah. She's doing fine," she told her friend. "And the wolf that you just finished taking care of is doing okay as well."

"That's good to hear," Kaline replied, smiling. It was nice to know that the animals that she had taken care of had survived.

Cassie returned the happy expression. "Well, I hate to say it, but I have to go. I have a few more animals to drop off. The lynx is going to a zoo, and the puppy is going to a friend's house. I've already released the hawk into the wild."

"Should I check up on the hawk in a week or so then?"

The visiting girl shrugged. "It's up to you. I was planning on doing it, but if you want to..." Shrugging again, she stood up. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll be home for the rest of the day." Kaline walked with her friend to the door. "Take care, Cassie."

"I will," she promised. "And you be careful with your new invalid. Here are his painkillers. Give him one every morning." She placed a large bottle in her friend's hands.

"I will, and don't you worry. In a few weeks time, the kitsune will be as good as new," the fair brunette promised.

The two girls said one final good-bye, and then Cassie left.

Once her friend was gone, Kaline put away the medicine, went back to the living room and opened the box back up. She studied the fox for a few moments, and then she gently ran her fingers over his wounds, checking how bad they were. She was very careful not to hurt him any more than he already was.

"Hmmm... your legs and ribs are broken. The gash on your head isn't too deep though. You also seem to have a bad cut on your stomach," she told the fox, although she was really thinking out loud. She had learned that the animals usually reacted positively when she spoke softly to them. "Possible internal bleeding and concussion. Not good. I'd give you two months to heal, maybe three. You're in pretty bad shape, kitsune."

The fox opened one of his eyes and stared at her, the expression on his face strangely trusting. It was almost like he knew that she was there to help him.

"Who hurt you?" she asked him, knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. She just enjoyed talking to animals. "Whoever did should be put in prison." She sighed sadly, giving the fox another sympathetic look. "I do wish that you could point out who did this to you. They hurt you so badly that I'm surprised you're even alive."

Kaline carefully picked up the box and carried it into the kitchen. She set it down on the counter near the sink so she could keep an eye on it, and then she went back to washing dishes.

Kurama stared up at the ceiling for a moment, and then he closed his eyes. He was laying on a blanket in a cardboard box while some girl washed dishes.

'Kaline,' he thought. 'Her name's Kaline, and she's trying to help me.' He would have chuckled if he had been in his human or demon form. His body had become so weak and so tired that he had reverted back to his oldest form --a fox. His human form was the newest body he had, and his demon form was the strongest. He had started out his life as a fox spirit, but he had slowly acquired the powers of a demon as the centuries had passed.

'She is a strange girl,' Kurama mused, his silver tail twitching a little. 'She calls me a kitsune, but does she even know that what she's saying is the truth?' He tried to move so he could look at her again, but he only caused himself pain. Fortunately, it hurt less than the last time he had tried to move.

'Kaline seems to have some kind of healing ability. When she was touching me, I could sense some type of power.' He took a deep breath through his nose, but his brain was too tired to figure out anything despite the fact that she smelled like roses, vanilla, and sunshine. The vanilla was the smell of her soap, but the roses and sunshine seemed to be part of her natural scent. 'I can't tell if she's a demon or not. She appears to be human.'

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a pretty face. "Hey, kitsune," she said, looking down at him. "I finally thought up a name for you."

'Whatever she is, my demon instincts say that she is my soul mate; and I am inclined to agree with them. Love at first sight definitely applies here.'

Kurama watched her through one eye, curious. She was unusual, there was no doubt about that, but she seemed to be innocent as well. She acted too cheery not to be.

"I was considering calling you Youko, since I think that it means fox," Kaline stated, smiling. "But I believe that Zorro will be better. That's fox in Spanish. Wha'd'ya think? Do you like the name Zorro?"

He mentally laughed as he closed his eye. 'She almost named me Youko. How funny, especially since that is what some people once called me.'

"Okay, so not Zorro." She had taken his actions as a negative answer. "Will Youko be better then?"

Kurama opened his eyes and met her gaze, blinking only once. She giggled. "Youko it is then." She paused for a moment before she continued. "Well, Youko, I'm done with the dishes, so let's change those bandages."

A minute later, the fox found himself being very gently picked up. He marveled at how all the pain was immediately dulled as she handled him. Even when she unwrapped all of his bandages, he felt no discomfort. He was amazed, but he chalked it all up to her having some kind of power.

'It's official,' Kurama thought as Kaline smoothed some kind of balm on his wounds. 'She's not a normal human being. What is she though? Why can she heal?' He could feel all of his injuries slowly beginning to close as she continued to touch him.

"You're being very good for me, Youko," Kaline said sweetly as she covered his wounds with layers of gauze. "Thank you." She lightly rubbed the tip of her nose against his, smiling. "I appreciate you not biting my hand off." She set him back down in the box, and instantly all of his aches and pains returned. It did not hurt as bad as before, but he still did not feel good.

The silver fox looked up at his nurse, hoping that she would pick him back up. 'I need to heal as quickly as possible. Yusuke and the others will need my help soon. The demon that I lost to is most likely causing problems. I cannot let my friends face this enemy on their own.'

The young woman noticed how pleadingly the creature gazed at her, and she frowned. "What's wrong, little one? Are you hungry or something?" She reached down and lifted him into her arms. "Pobre Youko. Let's go get you some food. I believe that foxes like chicken..."

She carried him into the kitchen, his body cradled in one of her arms like a baby. He didn't protest the position, even though he should have. Any animal would have fought to keep from exposing the soft, vulnerable belly.

"You must have been someone's pet, Youko. You're too tame not to have been," Kaline stated, glancing down at her small charge. "That, or I was right about you being a kitsune." She laughed briefly at that statement, a beautiful sound that filled up the room and made the air quiver. "But I know that can't be true. Demons don't exist... unless you count Derek, the jerk down the street." Her laughter returned when she said that; she had obviously been joking.

Still giggling, she pulled some fried chicken out of the fridge one-handed and popped it into the microwave. She continued to talk to the fox in her arms as the food cooked, her voice fluctuating pleasantly.

When the machine beeped, she took the chicken out and set it down on the table. Then, she sat down, placing the fox in her lap. "Well, Youko, I hope that you do like chicken." Kaline used her fingers to pull a small piece of meat off. "Open up," she prompted, putting the food in front of his face.

Kurama paused for a moment, then he tentatively took the meat from her fingers, making sure not to bite her in the process. Hey, if she was going to hand-feed him, then he wasn't going to argue. He was healing and being food at the same time, which was a very good thing in his mind. He particularly liked receiving the food because he was starving.

"Yep. Definitely a pet. You even know how to take food from a person without biting off an appendage," Kaline commented, giving him another piece of chicken. "Good for me, bad for you and whoever tamed you. When I get a hold of them, they're dead meat. Wild animals are not supposed to be made into pets. I'll never be able to release you into the wild. You'll hafta go to a zoo, and maybe not even that. I don't think you're wild enough to last in a zoo, at least with other foxes."

She paused for a moment, totally freezing. She stared off into the distance and didn't move until the fox nudged her hand with his nose.

"I'm kinda like those people who tamed you. I treat all the animals I help heal like pets. Well, I treat them as much like a pet as I can," Kaline told Youko. "I played fetch with the wolf a month ago. I had the bobcat chasing a string, too." She chuckled nervously. "They do go back to normal once they leave my presence though, so I guess that I shouldn't worry too much about it."

She went back to feeding her charge, actually staying silent. Her mind was busy thinking about things, and she was beginning to feel tired. She yawned suddenly.

"Geez, you'd think I'd be used to this by now," she said to herself. "Every time I get a new injured animal to take care of, I become exhausted. I don't have a clue why." She yawned again as she fed the fox the last of the chicken. "What do you think, Youko? Do ya think that maybe my body just likes to mess around with me?" She giggled. "C'mon, little one. Let's go to bed. I'm tired, and you must be too. After all, you need plenty of sleep if you're gonna heal quickly."

Being as gentle as possible, Kaline carried the silver fox into the living room and put him back into his box. Then, she picked up the cardboard container and carried it into her bedroom. She set him down on the floor near the foot of her bed.

Humming softly, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a large t-shirt and pajama pants. Tossing her pjs on the bed, she began to strip, still humming. She pulled on her night pants, pausing for a second.

"I wonder if the room's warm enough," she mused quietly. In only her pajama pants and bra she knelt down beside the cardboard box and looked at the small creature. "You comfortable, Youko? Should I turn up the temp?"

Kurama opened one of his eyes and then quickly shut it once again. 'Dear Kami!' he thought, shocked. 'Does this girl have no modesty?' Keeping his eyes tightly closed, his mind did a double-take. 'Oh, wait a minute. She thinks that I'm a fox. Of course she sees nothing wrong with going shirtless around an animal.'

"Are you okay?" Kaline asked, sounding worried. "C'mon, open your eyes." The fox did open his eyes, his gaze locking with hers and not leaving. "Good, Youko." She patted him lightly on the head, making sure to avoid his wound. "You aren't shivering or anything, so I'm gonna assume that you're warm enough."

Smiling again, she pulled on her night shirt and shut off her bedroom light. "G'night, Youko."

Kurama curled up in a ball, his tail wrapped around him. 'Good night, Kaline.' Then, he fell asleep.

CotA: Okay, a couple of quick notes. This takes place a couple of years after the dark tournament. Kurama is 23 and living on his own in an apartment. He's going to college and majoring in botany. He still checks in on his mom every so often; and, if you hadn't noticed, he is still a spirit detective. Yusuke and Kuwabara have graduated from high school as well, and Yusuke is trying for a criminal justice degree. Kuwabara wants to become a vet, and Hiei is... well, he's doing what he usually does. ^_^ '

Also, this story is only partially finished. Bits and pieces from the beginning, middle, and end have already been written out, but there are quite a few gaping holes. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to finish this story, but I'm assuming that it will take a while.

Oh, and take heed of the rating. This story is "R" for a reason. The reason may not be clear at this moment, but it will be eventually.