Prologue

Keiko's chocolate colored eyes were sharp as she observed her surroundings. Her hands felt clammy while a small pit of nerves and excitement filled her abdomen. Only a few more days and class would begin. Anxiously she began to wander the University's courtyard. The buildings were tall, modern with splashes of tradition Japanese landscaped into the courtyard. Her thoughts drifted to the future and all the plans she and her boyfriend, Yusuke, had made. The next few years of her life would be filled with school work. Once she earned her degree, all her hard work would finally pay off. This was merely the first step to the future she had dreamed of.

She continued to walk until she stood in front of a sakura tree, its blossom covered branches reached out towards one of the large and spacious buildings. The sunbeams playfully pirouetted around the elegant, soft colored petals. This only added to the University's beauty. Keiko's lips turned upward as she felt the tall, spacious building beckon to her. This was it; everything she had worked so hard to achieve had all led up to this.

Excitedly Keiko turned and made her home to her newly acquired apartment. She only had a few days to finish unpacking and she wanted everything to be neat and orderly by the time classes started. She also wanted to have everything unpacked before her roommate arrived. Once her room was finished, she made her way into the kitchen.

She had begun to unpack her dinnerware when she heard the front door open and shut. She could hear the shuffling of shoes being removed and soon footsteps were drawing closer. The university student turned just in time to see another girl, around her age, appear from around the corner. Her eyes were dark brown while her auburn hair was a short pixie-styled cut. Her face was pale and plain; not ugly but she wouldn't win any beauty contests. Everything seemed normal at least. Her hands clenched two suitcases as she made her way closer. She didn't notice she wasn't alone until her eyes shifted up and spotted the young woman in front of her. Silence filled the air as the two stared at the other. Their minds quickly began to process the situation, though they processed it very differently.

"Oh! Hi!" Keiko's smile spread cheek-to-cheek. Her eyes glittered happily at meeting her new roommate. "I'm Keiko, I'm….." Her face dropped slightly as the short haired girl, turned and walked away from her. She heard the shuffling of shoes being placed back on feet before the door opened and shut again. Leaving the university student alone.

'That was odd.' Keiko thought as she stood stunned by her roommate's actions. It was rare and rude for someone to behave in that manner. 'Maybe she was in the wrong house?' she tried to explain. After a few minutes, she turned back to the rice bowls she had just unpacked. She remained in her thoughts as she tried unpack and justify the short haired woman's actions. It just seemed so strange.

Meanwhile, the plain faced woman, walked through the back-roads of this foreign city. Her thoughts raced ans she paused, set down her luggage and took out a piece of paper. She wasn't meant to have a roommate. Had she accidentally entered the wrong home? She glanced at the address in her hand again before she determined she had been at the right apartment. Still, it didn't make sense. She crumbled the piece of paper up before she pushed it into her pocket and picked up her belongings. She continued to walk until she reached a quiet, vacant ally. Once she assessed she was indeed alone, she pulled out her cellphone. Soft beeps were heard as she dialed a familiar yet despised number. After a couple, short rings she heard a deep voice answer.

"Hey it's me, I thought we agreed I wouldn't have any more roommates." The stranger spoke quietly as she cautiously glanced over her shoulder. Silence filled the air as she listened to the man who spoke on the other end of the phone. An exasperated sigh left her lips before she spoke, "Don't you remember what happened to the last one? I can't protect her." Again there was a short pause while the woman's fist balled up. "That's not good enough, you can barely keep me safe." Her clenched fist began to slightly shake. Her tone was low as she dangerously whispered back. "I will not be responsible for this. If she dies it will be on your head."

~Author's Note~

Hi everyone! Welcome to my second Yu Yu Hakusho story! I wasn't planning on writing a Kurama/OC romance story, but this plot wouldn't leave me alone so I figured I'd go ahead and write it out. I hope you've enjoyed this first installment.

Please note I am an amateur writer. As such my writing will be speckled with mistakes. I try to proofread several times before posting but sometimes things will slip passed me. I will fix these mistakes as I noticed them. Feel free to let me know if you notice any errors in my writing. I use fanfiction as a way to practice my writing abilities and I find my stories flourish when I listen to constructive criticism. So don't hesitate to leave me any constructive criticism.

Story is rated 'T' for now. May change to 'M' in future chapters. Story takes place a few years after the series ended.

I will try to update the story at least every other week. Sometimes sooner if real life permits it. Thanks for checking out my story! I hope you will join me for the next chapter! Feel free to leave a review if you have a moment and are so inclined. Thanks again!~Lin

Disclaimer: I do not own Keiko, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei, Botan or any other YYH that may appear in this story. Nor am I making money off writing this story. I write purely for fun and entertainment purposes.