. Chapter I .

"Hiei, get up."

Kurama shook him awake. The fire demon rolled over and looked at him, "What the hell do you want, kitsune? I was sleeping."

"You're lazy. Come on, I need to go to the store."

"And you need me to go with you? Honestly, Kurama, I don't like the world you live in. The human world, mind you. I'm not going."

"Fine. Then you can watch Tali while I go to the store. But I'm not going to the human world today, Hiei. I'm going to the village. Your village. The one where gangs and thievery are popular. Now, I can't go without you, so get up."

"Alright, but do we have to take the brat?"

"Yes, we do." Kurama walked down the hall. Hiei sighed and sat up, pulling on his cloak. He put his cloth around his head to cover his third eye and went to the open window. He turned around when he heard Kurama walk in his room.

"Surely, Hiei, you're not thinking of going out by means of the window?"

"Don't I always, kitsune?"

"Fine."

Hiei smirked and stepped through the window and onto the roof. He jumped down and onto the ground and stood, waiting for Kurama and that little brat of a child to come around. He was absent-mindedly playing with a ring on his engagement finger when Kurama came around the corner.

"What are you doing?"

Hiei looked up and shrugged.

"It's your own fault you let her go, Hiei. So don't sulk about it."

Hiei snarled at Kurama, "Damn you, kitsune. Is it all right if I miss her? The only person I'll ever," his voice dropped in volume, since nobody knew about the girl he was speaking about, "love is her... and now she's gone."

"Because you let her leave. You know nothing about loving another, Hiei. Your stubborness drove her away. Yes, she did love you and for a while, longer than I had expected, stayed with you, but you let your arrogance and pride get in the way and wouldn't admit to her what you felt."

"Shut the hell up. If you want to go to the village, go. I need this walk anyway."

Kurama nodded and picked up Tali. He started walking with Hiei towards the village. About halfway there, Kurama spoke.

"You know you can get her back."

"I don't want her back."

"That's a lie, Hiei. You just told me that you loved her."

"Still, I don't want her back."

Kurama nodded, "Mm, I can understand why not. After all, she was pregnant with your child when she left. She didn't leave you a note or anything. But you know, Hiei, maybe she did it for her own reasons, rather than you driving her off."

"Kurama, for once, just shut up about it."

Kurama nodded. Hiei walked forward into the darkness. He smirked once he was free from Kurama and started to run, but was cut short when he ran straight into something, or somebody. Kurama heard a startled cry and ran forward. He started to laugh at what he saw

Hiei growled and stood up, glaring at the dog-demon before him, "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"Why don't you?"

Kurama smiled and spoke up, "Hello, Inuyasha. What are you out here for?"

"I'm looking for Kagome and Shippou. They went out again."

Kurama nodded and set Tali down. Inuyasha grinned and looked at Hiei, "Is that yours?" He pointed to the little kitsune with black ears and tail, crimson eyes, and a white mark spread across the front of its hair, giving the impression of slightly spiky bangs.

"That beast? Hell no."

"It sure looks like you! Are you sure..." Suddenly, Inuyasha slammed face first into the ground. Hiei scoffed at the dog-demon when he stood up.

"Damnit, Kagome! I swear I'll get you for that!"

"DADDY!" Hiei looked down, a very unpleasant look across his face when he saw Kurama's son, Tali, clutching his leg tightly.

"Get off, you little rat! I'm not your father! Get off! KURAMA!"

Kurama shook his head and pulled Tali off of Hiei's leg, "You're just going to have to accept that Tali thinks that you're his other father."

"You're going to teach that thing that I am not, in any way, his father!"

Kurama shrugged and turned to Inuyasha, "Have you seen Miyasaki?"

"No, why?" Kurama wiggled his ears interestedly.

"I was looking for her."

"Oh. She the mother of that kid?"

"Oh, no. Tali's mother is a human who has the gift to change into a kitsune at will. Scary enough, she looks like a female version of Hiei, without the attitude."

Inuyasha laughed when Hiei turned around and hit Kurama in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground, breathless.

"You're such a bastard, Kurama. You know that? A pain in my ass."

Inuyasha finished laughing and looked at Hiei, "Did you stop to think that maybe Kurama feels the same way about you that you do about him?"

"INUYASHA!" Kagome's voice came out from the forest. She stepped out and walked over to him, "Inuyasha, stop causing trouble."

"But, I'm..."

"Sit, boy!"

Inuyasha slammed face first into the ground again. Kagome reached down and pulled Kurama to his feet and then she turned to Hiei, "You're looking for Miyasaki, right?"

Hiei nodded slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, Miya and I are best friends. I could tell you where she is. But she asked me not to tel l a guy named..." she sighed, "What was that name again? Started with a 'H'. Oh, what was it?"

Hiei lifted his head some, "Hiei?"

"Yeah, that's it! She told me not to tell a demon named Hiei where she was."

"Hn. Hiei's a shape-shifter, and he's right here with me. In the form of a human." He waved his hand at Kurama, giving him off as Hiei.