Love and War

Chapter 2: Inner Emotions

Kit: You know, a lot of people weren't happy with the way I ended the last story.

Kuwabara: I think that's because it wasn't a happy ending.

Kit: I know…but I had already thought of the ending a long time ago. And not all endings are happy.

Kuwabara: But…people like happy endings.

Kit: (rolls eyes) Well I promise this story will have a better ending. But I'm not giving it away any more than that.

Hiei: Just answer the reviews, onna.

Kit: Jeez, okay then.

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4-is-lovely: YAY! you're the first reviewer! --confetti--

hejimeten: You are so cruel to those boys... ;P

Yus/Kuwa: I'LL SAY!

MikoHatome: Glad you think so! n.n here's the next chappie.

icedragongurl16: Don't worry, I'll update. n.n

TheSoulsDemise: Ooh, new reviewer! Glad you like my stories!

Gaara's Pyro RACCOON: UPDATED! XP

HoldMyHand-KissMyLips: Yay, two new reviewers! --confetti-- i feel special. n.n i was kinda iffy about how i began the story, but glad to see it worked out. n.n

Thunder Ring: Mwaha, but if i die, then no more updates for you! XP BEGONE EVIL ANIMALS!

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Kit: O.O eight reviews! Thanks guys! Well, enjoy the next chapter of Love and War! And for reference, in the translated version of Yu Yu Hakusho, Kuwabara's dad DOES make an appearance, but doesn't reveal his name.

Chapter 2: Inner Emotions

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"Hey Mandy?" Kuwabara peeked his head in Amanda's room.

"Yeah?" she looked up from her magazine.

"Me'n Urameshi are gonna be gone today."

"Where?"

"Genkai's." He had told Amanda that Genkai's temple was a martial arts training hall. Not too far off, but when Amanda asked to go the first time they had hastily made various excuses as to why she wouldn't want to go. She had rolled her eyes and just brushed it off as a "guy thing."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm going around town with Eimi today. She should be here any minute." Eimi Kimoshita was a friend of Amanda's. She was a spunky girl who wasn't afraid of the reps of Yusuke and Kuwabara. Amanda had met her through Keiko since Eimi had transferred from the all-girl's school that the brown-haired goes to. "You know, I still don't know what you guys do there."

"Oh, you know…" he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Nothing important."

"Right." Amanda rolled her eyes. Then there was the ring of the doorbell, telling the two someone was there.

"Amanda, it's Eimi!" Kazuki, Kuwabara's father, called from downstairs.

"Well that's my cue." Amanda got up and shook the tiny wrinkles out of her clothes caused by lying on the bed. "Have fun." She waved to Kuwabara and grabbed her bag before leaving.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours!" Amanda told her adoptive father, closing the door behind her.

"So…" her sandy brown-haired companion spoke from beside her, bright blue eyes twinkling, "Anything new happen?" Amanda gave her friend a look.

"If you're talking about boys, then no." she huffed. The raven-haired girl had blossomed in her two years of high school and the boys were definitely noticing. Eimi thought it was funny to see them watching her with hearts in their eyes while Amanda was (seemingly) oblivious to it all. "Anyway," she thought it was high time to change the subject. "Where do you want to go first?"

(okay I'm saying this now, since most people don't do this, but please read the "notes" at the beginning and end of the chapters, sometimes they're important. Thanks for those who already do!)

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FSHH…THWAK!

"Kuwabara, you need to ease up on your sense of an honor code." Rinae sighed, lowering her katana.

"I…just don't hit girls, okay?" Kuwabara frowned, rubbing the back of his hand where the flat of Rinae's blade had hit.

"Well then, if you end up fighting a woman in the tournament are you going to forfeit?" She asked, a fist perched on her hip. Kuwabara didn't reply.

"Fool, you need to strike to kill. Your enemies will not hesitate to do the same." Hiei spat coldly. Kuwabara rounded on him, his temper already not in the best of states.

"Shut up, Shorty! …And stay away from Mandy! She doesn't remember you so there's no reason to!" Hiei's crimson eyes narrowed and both fox (Kurama) and dog (Rinae) winced.

"You can't tell me what I can and cannot do." He snarled. Both of them looked as if they would rip each other to pieces if either of them so much as twitched.

"That's enough!" Rinae said firmly, getting between the two and giving them both a firm shove in the chest back. "For Kami's sake, you've been at each other's throats for the past three weeks!"

Kuwabara's temper cooled. "…Sorry, Rinae." He muttered, wilting. Hiei didn't give the same apology, just "hn-ed" and flitted off.

"Kuwabara, I think Hiei's taking all this as hard as you are. You know the reasons behind his decision." Kurama sighed.

"But-"

"He just doesn't show it. That's the kind of person he is…" Rinae added softly. "But what usually is showing, means that he's feeling it a great deal more on the inside." She said, speaking from experience. She and the fire apparition had been close, back in their thieving days. They also had found it uncanny how whatever one was feeling, the other could feel it too. Right now she could feel pain, and a multitude of mixed emotions, much too complex for her to even try to unravel. But she knew that what she felt, he was feeling it hundreds of times more.

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"Uhn…" Amanda tossed and turned in her sleep. She kept seeing that boy…she saw him in her dreams. She knew she'd seen him somewhere before…but where?

Black… Nothing but black. She doesn't know if she is upside down or downside up.

'Hello?' These are the words that try to escape her lips, but her voice is frozen. Suddenly though, she sees a light…someone is being illuminated in the darkness. At first she can't make the person out. She soon realizes it's that boy from a year ago…Hiei. His back is turned and he's walking away. 'Wait!' she tries to yell, but once again she cannot speak. She suddenly feels the notion that she's running…running to catch up. But catch up to what?

She continues to run but to her dismay, she cannot catch up. He seems to be getting further and further away. 'Please wait!' tears fall from her eyes and to her surprise they change into small, cloudy blue-green gems. She continues to run until she cannot run any more and collapses to the ground. The boy finally halts and looks back at her. His eyes seem stoic, but she can see the pain lurking deep in those crimson depths. He looks as if he wants to say something, but only turns and continues to walk away.

One word finally rips its way from her throat…

"WAIT!" Amanda sat bolt upright in her bed, emerald eyes wide. Chest heaving, she fumbled for her necklace and tugged at it until the ebony gem came into view. Just looking at it had a soothing effect on her.

"…Amanda?" she looked up, brushing a few damp raven strands out of her face.

"Oh…hey Shizuru." a weak smile.

"What was that about?" Shizuru asked, entering the room and closing the door behind her. "I heard you next door."

"Nothing…" Amanda looked away.

"'Nothing?'" she repeated, an eyebrow raised. "Amanda," she sat down on the bed. "Come on. You and I both know you have a tendency to bottle things up." Amanda looked at the older girl and after a reluctant pause relayed the dream. Shizuru was quiet during the story, her face unreadable.

"I know it's dumb…but I've had these dreams for a while now, Shizuru." Amanda sighed. The brunette shrugged.

"Who knows? It could mean something." She firmly ignored the crimson glare out the window and the unspoken threat hanging in the air.

The younger girl wilted. "I doubt it. But…if it was, what could it mean?" Shizuru placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. It'll either have a reason or go away soon enough." She stood up and went to the door.

"Thanks Shizuru."

"Don't mention it." She gave the ebony-haired girl a small smile. But once she closed the door that smile faded and her expression became solemn. "You can't keep doing this Hiei." She whispered to the still air.

(end chapter 2)

Kit: Hm…I think this chapter was kinda short. Oh well, I needed to end it somehow.

Yusuke: Your making Kuwabara look smart.

Kit: Shut up. Kuwabara has a heart of gold and he's protective of his friends.

Yusuke: Well don't tell that to him.

Hiei: It would go to the fool's head.

Kit: Whatever. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and remember to review! Also, hope you liked the new character I introduced, Eimi! Come on, Amanda's always surrounded my boys! (with the exception of some of the girls) She needs a good friend. And since Keiko goes to that all-girls school…

Yusuke: Which sucks.

Kit: …I decided to bring in a new character! Hope you like her, She will appear throughout the story, even in places you wouldn't expect. Crap, I probably gave too much away. Anyway…

Kurama: We hope to see you in the next chapter!