Hello everyone out there in Mediaminer and This is a fanfiction written by user DragonBow, and Mediaminer user KuramaIs4Me. We're working together on this fanfiction, and it has been posted on both systems. Thank you everyone for reading, we love you all! ::huggles::

The small red car flew down the deserted forest road, dirt flying in its path. Shizuru was at the wheel, her window half-open as she took a drag off of the cigarette in her mouth, tipping some ashes out of the car. Kuwabara gave her a paranoid glance from the back, middle seat, fingers curling around his sister's shoulder as he begged her to keep both hands on the wheel while she was driving at such high speeds.

"Leave me alone, Little Brother, I know what I'm doing!" she snapped, batting his hand away after she drew her cigarette back into the car. When she returned her eyes to the road, she had to swerve to the left to keep from veering off into the trees.

Keiko gripped Yusuke's hand tighter as she squeezed her eyes closed. Even though he tried to put up a brave front, Yusuke, too, was horrified by Shizuru's driving. He was sharing the left passenger seat with Keiko, and he felt her press closer against him. "Kuwabara, your sister drives like a maniac!" he grated, his teeth clenched as he fought not to let out any sign of fear.

"Hey, just be thankful you all got a ride in the first place," she retorted, flicking her cigarette in Yusuke's direction. "I only did this as a favor to you all because we didn't all get killed on that island."

Kurama had a death-grip on the strap of his seatbelt that draped over his chest, staring around Shizuru's headrest out at the road in front of him. He was thankful for the fact that there were no turns up ahead on the road to Genkai's temple, and the youko thought that he could spot the building off towards the end of the path. That beacon of hope would mean an end to this horrifying ordeal...

Hiei was perhaps the worst off of them all. He had pressed himself back as far as he could into the corner where his seat met the door, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the cushion below him. This was his first time in a car, and as far as he was concerned, it was his last. He would have easily made his way to Genkai's on his own, but he had been persuaded to join the car ride instead. That was where the youkai had made his mistake.

Kuwabara glanced over at the small fire demon, an almost amused smirk on his face as he watched him. "You look like you're having fun, Hiei."

Hiei's blood-red eyes narrowed venomously at Kuwabara, gripping the seat under him even tighter —if that was even possible. His voice was low and biting. "If I hear another word slip out of your mouth, I swear that you'll suffer dearly for it once this horrible human contraption stops moving!" His anger was so immense that a dark aura seemed to swirl about him, making Kuwabara sweatdrop and scoot slightly closer to Kurama.

Kurama glanced over at the orange-haired human as he felt him bump into his side, seeing the look of utter hatred on Hiei's face. He sweatdropped as well. "It would be best to leave him alone right now, Kuwabara," he muttered quietly. "You shouldn't be teasing him at all anyway, not with the way your sister drives."

Kuwabara muttered incoherently under his breath, crossing his arms and staring back out at the road from between the two front seats. They were much closer now, and they could see clearly now the entrance to Genkai's temple. As soon they each caught sight of the building, they could not help but utter a small sigh of relief and a muttered prayer of thanks to Kami-sama.

The red car soon began to skid to a halt, and before it had fully stopped, doors flew open and the occupants leapt out, gripping duffel bags in their hands; even Hiei, who had been informed that he would need to bring extra clothes. Kuwabara had given him the bag itself, having not had one of his own. Yusuke actually kissed the ground in relief. Keiko, though equally relieved, gave him a kick in the side. Without another word, Shizuru pealed out, heading back down the road in such a manner that made everyone present glad that they were no longer her passengers.

"Get up, Yusuke!" she snapped, her voice still a bit shaky. "Don't make a fool of yourself!"

Kuwabara grinned, running his thumb along his nose. "Nah, don't worry about him, Keiko; he does that all of the time."

Yusuke leapt to his feet, glaring up at the orange-haired boy with one eyebrow raised. "Oh yeah? Nice thing to say, coming from the kid who keeps getting laid low by my fist!"

"Shaddup Urameshi!" he retorted, turning his back on him and stomping up the long, steep stairway up to Genkai's temple. Yusuke grinned, taking Keiko's hand and following Kuwabara up the stairs.

Kurama hid a small laugh behind his hand, smiling as he watched them. "They're back to normal fast, aren't they, Hiei?" He turned his head to look over at the youkai.

"Hn," he replied simply, arms crossed as he looked away, a sweatdrop on the side of his head as he glanced around uncertainly, obviously unnerved by the whole ordeal.

Kurama continued to smile. "That's your response to everything," he said, taking a few steps over to him.

Hiei gave him an uneasy look, disappearing in a black blur and appearing in the limbs of a nearby tree, leaving his bag on the ground. "I'm going to go survey the area," he said shortly, vanishing again.

The smile slowly faded from the youko's face, picking up the extra bag as he turned to the stairs he could still see the others climbing. "Oh well," he muttered, walking towards them. "I guess I shouldn't expect too much from him."

Genkai watched them approach from the doorway to the temple, her hands clasped behind her back as she viewed them with a critical eye. Kuwabara and Keiko seemed thoroughly winded from the climb, Yusuke perhaps just a touch out of breath, while Kurama seemed perfectly fine with the exercise. She smiled inwardly; only to be expected, she assumed. Though she noticed that one party was missing; the demon, Hiei. But again, she though to herself, that was only to be expected.

"So, you're all finally here," she said as the assembled on her doorstep. She gave a small smile to Yusuke. "Even the dimwit."

Yusuke grinned back. "Yeah, love you too, you old hag."

Genkai let out a small chuckle. "Right, so you'll be spending your summer here training," she said, turning to Keiko. "Except you, of course. You can help keep the temple clean, cook and other such chores. Yukina will need extra help with five more people to feed. Your assistance will be appreciated, I'm sure." She gave Kuwabara and Yusuke approving looks. "At least it better," she added.

Kuwabara nodded dumbly, his eyes having gained an extra glint after hearing Yukina's name. One of the main reasons he was here for training in the first place was because of her lovely presence. And, of course, for the training itself.

"So, you'll all be needing rooms, and Yukina and I have prepared them." She looked at Kurama. "I wasn't sure, however, whether Hiei would be needing a room." Kurama noticed a tiny, knowing grin playing around her eyes, along with a glance at the second bag in his hands.

The youko tried his best to ignore this remark, but he couldn't help the slight red tinge that showed on his face. "He usually sleeps outside," he answered, which was true; Hiei did usually sleep in trees. "So I don't think he will need a room. You may want to ask him yourself when you see him."

"Right," she answered, giving him one last look before turning to the others.

Kurama sweatdropped. He had to be thankful, however, that she seemed to be the only one who had noticed anything... out of the ordinary.

Yukina appeared from the door behind Genkai, bowing slightly to all of those present once her familiar, red eyes fell upon them. "I placed the names on the doors as you requested, Genkai-sensei," she said quietly, rising from her bow and giving all of them bright smiles, her eyes lingering on Kuwabara for a moment longer than the others.

Kuwabara grinned back, scratching the back of his head.

Yukina seemed to count their numbers in her head, and her smile faltered as she noticed one was missing; Hiei. Kurama picked up on this quickly enough.

"Hiei is here, Yukina, but he just went off to check out the surroundings. He likes to know the area before he deals with 'pleasantries'. Old habits die hard, I suppose," he said.

Yukina's smile returned quickly enough, nodding. "Oh, alright! I was really looking forward to seeing all of you again."

Genkai turned to her, taking a step backwards so that she stood at her side. "Why don't you show them where their rooms are, Yukina, so that they can get settled in?"

Kurama closed the door behind him, tossing his bag onto the bed and Hiei's into a chair. He assumed that the youkai would leave it in his care, seeing as how he would be most likely sleeping in a tree nearby. He walked over to the bed, glancing at the closet —which was open and contained a few hangers— as he unzipped his bag and began to pull out his clothes. He put them in the closet as he saw fit and shut the doors, glancing around at the traditional-style Japanese room. Well, traditional all except for the modern bed. He glanced at the now empty duffel bag and picked it up, re-opening the closet and tossing it onto the floor inside.

Kurama ran his fingers through his bright red hair. "Well, I suppose I'm done with that," he murmured. "The others are probably still settling in."

Maybe I should go look for Hiei, he thought to himself.

Kurama heard a quiet sneeze, and he turned to the glass-less window, seeing the aforementioned youkai standing in the tree outside his second-story room. He let out a small laugh, smiling at Hiei and walking over to the windowsill. The fire demon leapt to his window, standing on the sill, perhaps an inch or two taller than Kurama from that position.

"So, this is your room?" Hiei asked him nonchalantly.

"No, it's Yusuke's," he replied, a slight sarcastic lilt in his voice. "You shouldn't ask obvious questions, Hiei, it really doesn't become you."

Hiei shot him a glare, but did not respond to his comment. "I'll be sleeping in the tree outside, since you have my clothes in here," he said.

"Well I'm glad," Kurama said. "I was hoping you would be nearby."

Hiei looked away, an uncomfortable look on his face. "I wouldn't be too far away. I know—"

Kurama cut him off, his fingers curling around the fabric of his black cloak and pulling his face down into a crushing kiss. Hiei's eyes were wide, surprise his first reaction, but he slowly eased into the kiss, his eyes closing as he relaxed. The youko released the front of his clothing, curling his arms behind the fire demon's neck, fingers toying with the nape of his neck. Hiei raised his hands, placing them on Kurama's shoulders as he leaned forward. Kurama pressed more firmly against him, drawing him closer as he parted his lips, waiting for the youkai to do the same. He did, readily, now that he had began to return the kiss Kurama had pulled him into; quite literally.

Hiei was still awkward with these sudden bursts of emotion and affection from Kurama, but once initiated, he settled into them easily and gave as easily as he received.

The youkai could feel Kurama's tongue in his mouth, and he, too, began this slight battle that seemed to be waged. He could almost feel him smile against his lips at his readiness to fight back, which only made Hiei try harder. He tried not only to show Kurama that he would not let him win without a fight, but because he did not want this to end; this affection he so rarely received. It had been only recently that the youko had expressed his feelings for him, and it had been awkward at first —and still was— for Hiei to take these feelings and try to return them in some way that he and Kurama could understand. More often than not, he did not understand the feelings he felt in his own heart when it came to the youko. He had never felt those emotions before, and had never had them given to him so readily.

Kurama pulled away from Hiei, taking in a shaky breath as he slowly opened his dazzling emerald eyes. He watched the youkai as his eyelids crept open, blood-red peering back at him, a slight haze over his eyes as though coming out of some wonderful dream that he did not want to wake up from.

"You don't have to sleep outside, Hiei," Kurama murmured, taking one hand from behind his neck and running his fingers down his cheek.

Hiei looked away, a slight shiver running up his spine at his touch. "The risk of being discovered runs to high that way, Kurama, you know that."

Kurama frowned, drawing him down gently from the windowsill with a tug on his wrist as he curled his other hand around his forearm. "I don't see why you should sleep outside when there are plenty of rooms, at least."

Hiei came obediently from the window, loosing all extra height and becoming much shorter than Kurama once again. "You know why, you just don't want to accept it," he said. "Don't be selfish."

Kurama's frown deepened, and he released Hiei, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm not being selfish..." he said, looking away as a slight red hue rose on the bridge of his nose.

"Hn."

Kurama looked back at him. "Okay, maybe a little... But, Hiei..."

"The others will find out."

"How could they? They won't."

"Kuwabara doesn't respect privacy; what would happen if we were asleep, and he just came barging in. What then?" Hiei watched Kurama carefully his eyes fixed upon the youkai's.

Kurama let out a defeated sigh. "Fine," he breathed, letting his eyes fall to the floor at Hiei's feet, looking the pure image of pathetic.

Hiei's steel resolve faltered slightly, and he glanced away from him quickly. "Stop it."

Kurama let out another sad sigh.

Hiei flushed slightly, eyes wandering uncertainly around the wall. "Kurama, I should sleep outside. You know it as well as I do. Aren't you usually the one who thinks of these things?"

"I'm just being like you said; selfish," he replied, his face still tilted towards the ground, though his eyes were raised to watch Hiei.

"Hn."

"But if you want me to stop bothering you with it, I will. You can sleep wherever you want, Hiei." He paused, a small, wicked smile curving on his lips. "Wherever," he repeated with emphasis.

Hiei flushed. "Hn," he grunted.

Kurama snickered quietly to himself, but he leapt to his feet at a sudden bang on his door. "KURAMA!!! ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

The youko's eyes widened, and he looked at Hiei, and then at the door. Hiei, too, looked thunderstruck, and seemed rooted to the floor. "Hide!" Kurama hissed, placing a hand on Hiei's head and shoving him down to the floor, pointing under the bed.

The youkai scrambled under the bed, huddling under the frame as he peered at the bottom of the door. Kurama tried to quickly regain his composure, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve and glancing around the room to see if anything looked suspicious. After passing his two-second inspection, he turned to the door.

"What is it, Kuwabara?" he called, walking to the other side of the bed farther from the window.

Kuwabara opened the door walking inside and glancing around. Kurama sweatdropped. "I didn't say you could come in," he muttered.

"Eh?" Kuwabara gave him a puzzled expression. "Well, it's not like you were doing anything in here that would need me to knock. But I did anyway."

Kurama let out a low sigh. "Yes, I know..." He ran his fingers through his hair for a moment. "What is it that you need, Kuwabara?"

"Oh!" he said, as though remembering that he had invaded Kurama's room for a reason. Most likely he had forgotten for a moment. "Right, there aren't any blankets in my room, and Yukina said that there should be some in your room."

The youko tried his best not to look frustrated. Interrupted because of blankets?! His eye twitched ever-so-slightly. "I didn't see any, Kuwabara," he replied.

"Oh, well, let me check," he said, walking over to the closet and opening it, looking on the floor and on the shelf above Kurama's clothes. There were none there.

"You see? Nothing there, Kuwabara. I would like to point out that I am rather observant..." he said.

The orange-haired human turned, looking at the bed for a moment. "Did you check under the bed?"

Had Kuwabara been a more observant person, he would have noticed Kurama's eyes widen slightly and his face become a more pale shade. However, he didn't notice, and walked over to the bed, crouching down beside it and reaching under it, groping around for any sign of blankets. Kurama sweatdropped, praying silently that Hiei wasn't discovered.

Hiei glared at Kuwabara's hand, creeping away from it and avoiding the limb like the plague. In a sudden thought, he emerged from the other side of the bed, standing there, trying to look like he had no idea what Kuwabara was doing. Kurama stared at him, eyes widening as he began to shake his head. Hiei met his eyes, giving him a look that said 'stop doing that, I know what to do.' When Kuwabara drew his hand back, empty-handed, he stood and saw Hiei, standing there as if he had just entered the room.

"What were you doing? Trying to find some monster under the bed, Kuwabara?" Hiei asked, his eyes narrowing with annoyance, eye twitching.

"No, I was looking for blankets," he grumbled. "How the hell'd you get in here, Shorty?"

Hiei jerked his thumb at the window.

Kuwabara looked at the window, and then back at Hiei. "Yeah, I guess you're short enough to fit through that," he said, dismissing it.

The youkai's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hand into a fist.

"You can go now, Kuwabara. There aren't any blankets in here," Kurama said, reminding him of his initial task.

"Oh, right," he muttered, turning and walking out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind him.

Kurama walked up to it and slid the door shut, letting out a heavy sigh. "That was too close for comfort."

"I told you it was risky," Hiei replied.

Kurama grinned, but when he turned around, Hiei was gone. His grin turned into a frown. "I really hate it when he does that."

And that would be the end of Chapter One! ::dances:: So, if you love us, r/r, and leave us with happy notes about how much you love us! Otherwise, we may not write anymore o.O... And no one wants that!

DragonBow & KuramaIs4Me