Chapter 2: That Cold Feeling

It was a loud day when Yukina, Kuwabara, Hina and Tama visited from their small bit of land in the outskirts of Hiei's territory, very near Yusuke's border. It was loud because Kuwabara, Hina, Rain, and Yukei were having a four on four wrestling match.

Kuwabara Hina was a tall girl with long red brown hair tied in a braid down her back and two beady black eyes. She was a perfect replica of her mother, but dressed similar to her father, Japanese gangster outfit with a white duster with white fighting pants tied with a black belt and a white t-shirt. She was a Spirit apparition and was taught the Rei Ken by her father.

Her twin brother, Kuwabara Tama, was the gentler of the two. With his father's face and curly hair he had his mother's teal colored hair and red eyes. He preferred healing to fighting and was taught how to heal with his ice powers by their mother. He wore a traditional samurai outfit with the tunic and gi. Both twins were around the same age as Rain.

"Yukei, you're on my tail!" yelled Rain

"Rain, you're on my hair!" yelled Hina

"Hina, get off my leg!" yelled Yukei

"My arm doesn't bend that way!" yelled Kuwabara.

The four on-lookers watched in amusement.

"The sweet reunion of family," chuckled Kurama.

"And the bruises," said Hiei. "Come on, Rain, you can punch the idiot harder then that."

"Hiei-niisan, please don't encourage her," said Yukina. Through she was used to the way her friends acted around each other, she didn't like any fights among family, even if it was playful.

"He'll be fine, Yukina," said Kurama. "You know Kuwabara. He'll take it with a laugh."

Yukina nodded and watched as the other got their energies out. When the wrestling match was finished they sat in the lounge where the family of fire and plant apparitions could relax. After the usual news of what's happening between Hiei and Yusuke's territories as the children played a few human games Kurama smuggled into Makai Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara and Yukina began to talk on their daily life.

"How's your new garden," asked Kurama as a servant passed around fruit juice made from Kurama's personal fruit garden.

"It's going rather well," said Yukina, "But there is one bush of blue roses I can't seem to make flourish. It looks like it's sick. "

"Blue roses are hard to grow," said Kurama. "I'll come by in a few days to take a look at it."

"Why can't you come by tomorrow," asked Kuwabara.

"Kurama and I are going on vacation," said Hiei. "We're taking a break from ruling and let Rain lead for a while. There's a horse and rider ready if something major happens and everything pretty basic. I've been teaching her how to rule since she was a toddler."

"You didn't tell us you were going on vacation," said Rain looking up from the game.

"First rule of leadership," said Hiei. "Expect the unexpected."

Rain frowned. "I thought you said the first rule was trust no one."

"That's the unofficial rule."

Kurama chuckled. "Since when has there been an official rule in Makai?"

Everybody got a good laugh at that. The adults talked about their daily lives again and only stopped when Rain got into a fight with Hina, again. The Kuwabaras stayed for several hours, from lunch to well past dinner and was offered room at the castle. They took the invitation and decided to leave early the next morning. Rain, Yukei, Shiori and Hina had a three way battle before they went to bed. When everyone was tired they went to bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Everything is ready."

"Nothing is wrong with the plans?"

"No, everything is situated for every contingency?"

"What about the others?"

"They'll come in later."

"Good. It's time to teach them a lesson."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiei laid back and sighed, closing his eyes. It had been a week since he left Rain in charge and was glad he did. Ruling a third of the Makai was well and all, but sometimes it was too much for him. He wasn't born a leader so he couldn't count how many times he lost it. Luckily Kurama was there so he wouldn't completely blow it. The bond between them wouldn't allow any violence between the two, plus Hiei would never hurt his fox. He had already done that once and he wasn't going to again.

He felt movement next to him and didn't have to look to know that Kurama had settled next to him. He cuddled closer into Kurama's side as the youko spooned him. Hiei started kissing up Kurama's jaw and the youko groaned.

"Not now, Hiei," said Kurama moving away. "We've been at it like rabbit demons since we got here. I'm tired."

"Well, I'm not," said Hiei and softly bite Kurama's down fox ears, gently nibbling it. Kurama yelped and shot up.

"Hiei! We're here for vacation!"

Hiei smirked and cradled his hands behind his head. "From work, not sex."

Kurama frowned at him, sitting cross-legged on the grass with his hands balled up in his lap. "Is there a difference?"

"Yes, one is pleasurable and the other is endured."

Kurama groaned and fell backwards on the grass, spread eagled. Hiei got up and straddle him across Kurama's hips.

"Come on, Kurama," he said. "It's not everyday we get the full pleasure of sex. With the kids around it's just been quickies, and I really want to make you scream."

"You did make me scream, five times! My voice is harsh and my body is tired. How about later?"

Hiei pouted. "But fox…."

"Hiei, I just want to…." Kurama stopped his protest at the sudden surge of ki and he didn't have to look at Hiei to know his mate felt it too. Hiei got up off of Kurama and both got ready for fighting. The problem was it signature was so erotic that both couldn't figure out where they were coming from. First it was in front of them, then beside, then right next to them.

"Where is he?" growled Hiei. "How can be move that fast?!"

Kurama's brow furrowed as he thought. "He's not moving," he said. "There's more then one!"

A sudden hard wind brought the entrance of their attackers and they were looking at six black robed figures, ranging from very tall to extremely short. Kurama and Hiei got ready to fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I didn't know ruling a domain was this bloody hard!" yelled Rain. Kurama and Hiei had left for their vacation three days after their announcement and since then the works been piling up. There were papers for everything on everything and Rain had to review and sign them all. There was one where a Makai investigator wanted her to review evidence on a murder and she had to read the case, check the evidence and find a punishment severe enough for the offender.

"Daddy made it look so easy," said Rain lying on the desk, seven piles of paper in front of her. "And so does Koenma-oji, and Yusuke-oji."

"Koenma-oji's been lying back since he had Emma," said Yukei picking up a paper. "This one says a small lord wants to half a quarter of his neighbor's lands."

"What does the neighbor say?" asked Shiori. Yukei picked up other paper.

"He wants to go to war for right of the land."

"I can't make two people go to war," whined Rain. "It's the human in me." She thought for a moment. "Do those lords have any kids?"

"Hai," said Yukei. "The first lord has a son and the second has a daughter."

"Have the scribe write a letter. Tell them to sign a marriage contract."

"What?!" shrieked Shiori taking the paper. "You want them to marry their kids off?!"

Rain looked passively at her sister, her furred silver red ears laid back on her head. "Would you rather them fighting?"

Shiori thought for a moment for setting the paper down and going to get the scribe.

"How does Daddy make it look so easy," asked Rain her head still on the desk.

"Dad makes everything look easy," said Yukei. "I'll help you sort this out."

Rain looked at Yukei in surprise. Usually her fire demon silver haired brother would try everything in his power to annoy her, irritate her, make trouble for her and make her live a living hell. Rain told Kurama once she swore Yukei was out to get her, but her kitsune mother just laughed and said it was a brother thing and that he would outgrow it, or not. Rain left her mother's presence with a very worried expression.

"Who are you and what the hell have you done to my brother," yelled Rain shooting up from her chair and pointed at Yukei. The latter looked at her in surprise.

"Can't I be nice and help my anee-san?" asked Yukei.

"No, because Yukei never helped me with anything! He always makes sure my life is horrible and miserable! You're being nice to me, something Yukei never was so therefore you can't be Yukei!"

Yukei blinked a few times before speaking. "Was that all in one breath?"

Rain, who was panting at that moment from her speech, looked at him in confusion.

"I think it was," said Shiori. She had arrived just as Rain began the shouting. All three siblings had a good laugh and went to sort out the papers from most important, to not so important, to "will look at later," meaning when Hiei got home.

They had just finished when an icy feeling shot through all three of them. Shiori cried out, Yukei clutched his chest, and Rain gasped.

"What was that?" asked Shiori, shivering. She clutched her arms tight to her chest. At first, Rain didn't know what it was, then a memory surfaced, one she had almost forgotten.

"My mommy used to say that when your chest felt like ice then someone close to you is in trouble or dead."

Yes, Shinken, her adopted human sister, had said that, in the Koorime mining camp they were imprisoned at for two years before they managed to escape.

"Mama and Daddy are in trouble," she said.

TBC