Kat plopped down heavily on her bedroom floor, sinking her fingers into the worn carpet. The usually cramped room seemed huge now with all her things packed away neatly in boxes downstairs. She just had one more box to take down, and she decided to sit and take in the empty space that had been her sanctuary for her entire life. All the posters had been taken off the walls, revealing the sky blue paint underneath that she had picked out all by herself as a child. There were indentations in the carpet where her desk and bed had been, and no matter how many times she ran the vacuum over them they stayed as a reminder of the last twenty-three years. It was weird looking at the room now with nothing in it, like it was both familiar and totally foreign.

Above blasting rock music, she could hear Beth crashing around in her room next door, still packing. It was just like her to leave it until the last minute. She'd probably be up all night finishing the list of things Kat had given her weeks ago. Kat supposed she didn't care so long as it was done by morning when it was time to go.

With a tired sigh, she lifted herself up off the floor and grabbed the last box, taking a lingering look around the only bedroom she'd ever know. She was trying to get all her goodbyes in tonight instead of in the morning to save time, and so she could do so privately, without her sister. She was going to miss the house just as much as Beth was; she just wanted to do it a little more… quietly.

The rest of the house was in much the same state as her bedroom was, with stacked boxes taped shut taking up most of the garage, ready to be loaded into the car and taken either to a storage unit or donated. Only a few things made the cut to take to Arizona with them. All the furniture had already been hauled away by the Salvation Army, so the girls would be spending their last night in an empty house on blow up mattresses in the family room. Then in the morning, they would lock the doors for the last time and hand the keys over to the new owners of the house, and say goodbye to Nebraska.

It was difficult to believe Beth was already eighteen, and ready for college. Harder still to believe that she wanted her big sister to come along with her. She'd even gotten into ASU, the same school Kat had planned on going to.

Kat had planned on staying home and letting Beth go off to live her life, but she had insisted that Kat come along and start taking classes too. It had taken some serious convincing, and a lot of optimism on the younger sister's part, but finally Kat had agreed to at least take the entrance exams. She was sure she wouldn't pass them and it'd be a moot point anyway. By some miracle, however, she'd done really well on the tests and had been accepted, again. Beth had even tried to talk her into studying music again, but one hard glance from Kat was all it took to squash that idea. She knew damn well that her older sister didn't sing anymore.

Instead, she was thinking about studying biology. She had liked it in high school, and it seemed like a good base for a wide variety of decent careers. After all, she didn't want to be stuck with the entry level jobs she'd been doing the last five years forever. Beth, of course, would be studying dance. She'd never given it up. In fact, she'd thrown herself into it even harder once she'd gotten to high school. Kat knew she had a great future ahead of her in dance. Whenever she got to see her sister at work, it was like watching her fly. Beth was weightless on stage, like Wendy and Peter Pan, gliding effortlessly with the help of pixie dust.

Beth strolled into the kitchen right as Kat was dishing out takeout Chinese food onto paper plates. She'd set up a folding table and two folding chairs where their kitchen table used to stand, and it seemed tiny in comparison. Beth hadn't been happy about the idea of getting rid of all the furniture, but Kat wouldn't hear it. Honestly, she'd been wanting to get rid of a lot of things over the last few years. It was a relief that they were moving across the country and she finally had an excuse to get away from all the reminders of their parents. She didn't regret the decision to keep the house after the accident, but she was constantly haunted by the ghosts of what used to be their lives. A change would be good for them, she just knew it.

"So," Beth started, her mouth full of rice, "guess what I found when I was cleaning out Mom and Dad's room."

Kat stiffened, glancing up at her sister warily. She hadn't been in their parents room in about four years, and had left the job of cleaning it out to her sister. Beth hadn't argued, knowing that Kat would just throw everything away, given half the chance.

"I found a box with all these old pictures of us when we were, like, babies and stuff," she went on. "And, like, even some of you with braces. And that horrible class picture where Mom made me wear that purple sweater? Ugh!" she exclaimed with a laugh. Kat hadn't seen those pictures in what felt like a life time. Beth shoveled a bite of orange chicken into her mouth and got up, practically sprinting out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When she came back, she'd brought the whole box down, tossing the lid to the side and sifting through hundreds of pictures and old school assignments their mother had saved. She handed Kat a few of them, and kept searching.

The first few were the ones she'd already told her about. A younger, dorkier Kat with braces and a bad hair cut. Beth's third grade class all lined up, her looking like a grape right in the middle of the group. She had the biggest, cheesiest grin on her face, making Kat smirk slightly.

"Aww," Beth cooed, handing another photo over. "Look at this one."

Kat took it and froze as she recognized the picture. It was an old Polaroid of their mom and dad, before she had been born. They were young and smiling at each other, like they could never be happier than they were right then. Kat felt the Chinese food in her stomach threaten to make a come back, and put the picture back in the box as nicely as she could stand.

Beth seemed to have no problem seeing the images that sent Kat into a panic. She chalked it up to being a more emotional person, so she'd been more equipped to deal with losing their parents. What Kat would never say out loud was that she hadn't lost them the same way she had. She hadn't been there.

"Are you done packing?" Kat interrupted her sister's reminiscing. She got up and started clearing her trash. Beth stared after her a moment. She knew her sister was trying to change the subject, and was debating on whether to ignore her or take pity.

She sighed heavily. "Almost," she said, putting the lid back on the box of pictures. "I didn't realize how much shit we had."

Kat rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to tell her not to cuss. It was pointless, anyway. "Yeah, well, if you weren't such a hoarder," she said instead.

"Are not! Just 'cos I have more stuff that I'm keeping than can fit in one box doesn't make me a hoarder. You're the weirdo," she exclaimed, sticking her tongue out. Sometimes it was easy for Kat to forget that her sister was eighteen, and not still thirteen.

"Just remember, it all has to fit in our two bedroom apartment," she said, taking Beth's empty plate and the empty food containers and tossing them in a trash bag.

"Man, I can't wait. We're gonna be, like, the only freshmen with out own place and everyone is gonna wanna party with us," Beth gushed.

Kat snorted. "You and I both will be too busy studying for parties. I'm not going to let you flunk out your first year."

"You're so lame," the younger of the two complained, pulling her blond hair up into a high ponytail in preparation for getting back to work. "College is going to be great. It's gonna be parties, and dance, and cute guys." She nudged her sister with her elbow.

"Uhm, no. College will be about going to class and working hard and getting good grades." Kat knew her sister was right, she did sound pretty lame, but someone needed to keep her head out of the clouds. Beth just laughed, knowing just how to bug her stuffy older sister.

"Whatever, Kitty Kat. I'm gonna get back to work."

Kat sighed as Beth headed back upstairs. It had been so long since she'd looked forward to something, but thinking about the change of scenery and getting back a little bit of the life she'd thought she'd lost, little tendrils of excitement began sneaking their way into her mind. A fresh start was exactly what they both needed.

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Away from the city, away from all the noise and the stink of humans, where the desert was a wide open space cut up only by distant mesas and mountains, was where Hiei spent most of his time since relocating to the states. This kind of landscape, this kind of emptiness just didn't exist in Japan. He would spend his nights with Kurama in the house they had acquired, and then as soon as the sun was up he'd be miles away surrounded by nothing more than sun baked dirt and scraggly brush. The heat suited him well, being a fire demon, making him feel as at home as he could without being in Makai. He savored the isolation, the only other living things being the deadly snakes and other small reptiles.

Mostly he used this time for training, fighting imaginary enemies sometimes from sunup to sundown, when he would make his way back to the house. Other days he would find a single small tree, barely surviving, and sit in the meager shade if offered and just think for hours. He was able to check in on his sister whenever he felt the need through his Jagan Eye. Life in Japan had been pretty quiet since they'd all returned from Makai. The barrier was completely fixed, if not even stronger than before, only allowing the most minor of demons to slip through every now and again. The carrot-topped oaf and Yusuke were plenty capable of handling anything that might come up. There had really been no need to stay, especially with so much more of the world to explore.

Kurama had taken a job teaching at a college in Pheonix, Arizona of the United States, for reasons Hiei couldn't fathom because it certainly wasn't for the money. The fox seemed content to lead a relatively normal life after their years of being spirit detectives. So he'd bought a little house outside of the city with a few acres of land and fixed it up to his liking, ready to settle down for a time and enjoy the slow life. Hiei supposed it could be worse.

Today had been one of the days for quiet contemplation. He had tried training in the morning, but just couldn't quite give a hundred percent, so he found one of his favorite trees, one that was long dead and dried out, but held upright by strong roots. It held no leaves for cover, but there was nothing around to obstruct Hiei's view of potential enemies, and no real reason to be hidden anyway. He was just settling onto a branch, back resting against the trunk, when he felt a nudge on his mental barrier.

Kurama was the only one tuned into his specific "frequency", and liked to check in sometimes. Not in a talkative mood, he nudged back but didn't answer otherwise, letting Kurama know that he was alive at least. He knew that would be sufficient for the fox, and he'd be left alone for a few days at least.

Kurama got the message loud and clear, a small smile on his face thinking about his strange little friend. Currently, he was at home, tending to his green house. It was like a topical oasis compared to the rest of the desert, lush and humid like a jungle, with all of his favorite species. Some were native to the human world and pretty harmless. Some were native to demon world and could be quite dangerous, if properly motivated.

Tomorrow would be his first day of classes, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited. Teaching was something he enjoyed, and was grateful to be given this opportunity. So far he was loving their new home. He liked the landscape and the city, even the people. He knew Hiei was enjoying his time in the states as well. It seemed like a good fit for the both of them.

Mostly he loved the absolute lack of excitement. Being spirit detective, especially the last couple years, had taken a toll on all of them, and Kurama was no exception. He was looking forward to nights at home, grading papers and reading, maybe even spending time with Hiei when it suited the fire demon's mood.

Yes, Kurama though while pruning and weeding. Some peace and quiet is exactly what I need.

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Kat had been napping on their secondhand couch when the sound of the deadbolt unlocking roused her, and Beth announced her arrival loudly. Kat sighed, guessing that her break from unpacking was over. She was mostly done anyway, just a few odds and ends before she could get rid of all the empty boxes.

"Kitty Kat, I had the best day!" Beth exclaimed. She shoved the pile of papers off the coffee table and sat in their place while she gushed to Kat about her first day of classes.

"Don't call me that," Kat grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Campus is so freaking awesome," she continued, ignoring her. "and the people seem totally cool. And Kitty Kat, the guys!" She feigned a shiver of pleasure at some memory of a pretty face. "This is gonna be the best year."

"What about your classes?" Kat asked, bringing her back to Earth. Beth waved her off, getting up and heading to her room.

"Oh, yeah, they're fine and whatever." Kat rolled her eyes.

Most of her own classes were online, so she'd spent most of the day signing into her courses and looking over each syllabus carefully. The only exception was her botany class, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was no online option for it, but it had seemed interesting, not to mention it was probably going to be an easy A. She was a bit nervous, knowing she'd be several years older than most of her class mates, but she figured she'd just have to get over it. It wouldn't kill her to actually have to go out and see people.

Another chunk of her day she had spent searching for a job online, and she had a couple of prospects narrowed down. She even had an interview to be a bar tender at a little place down the street tomorrow after class. She knew close to nothing about alcohol, not being much of a drinker herself, but she supposed she'd learn if she had to.

Sighing again, she started gathering boxes to break down and take out to the dumpster.

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Kat pushed open the classroom door and a blast of cool air hit her, and she thanked all the gods for air conditioning. It was in the low hundreds outside with the sun beating down relentlessly, not a cloud in the sky. The heat was definitely something she'd have to get used to.

She was early yet, so there were plenty of open seats. The black tabletops were designed to sit two, so she'd probably have to deal with a partner, but at least she could sit in the back and keep as much to herself as the class allowed. She removed her textbook and a brand new notebook from her bag, arraigned them neatly in front of her, and sat quietly while the other students filed in.

It didn't take long for her to start feeling old, watching as kids her sister's age came in in ones and twos, some of them finding people they knew and starting conversations, and some of them finding seats alone and looking just as out of place as she felt. She was glad this was her only class that wasn't online suddenly, relieved that she only had to live through this once.

About five minutes before class was supposed to start, a man entered through the door at the front of the room, connected to the professor's office. He couldn't have been much older than Kat, and had shocking red hair. It was the kind of color that was probably fake, but somehow Kat didn't think he'd dyed it. He wore it long and flowing, though it did not make him any less masculine. She couldn't help studying him, having never seen anything quite like him back home. He was tall and lean and moved with confidence and grace, like a cat. She supposed he could be considered quite handsome, she admitted grudgingly to herself. She watched him as he shuffled a few things on his desk, and then looked up to scan the classroom. Their eyes met briefly and she was amazed that she could tell how green his were even from the back of the room. The corner of his mouth picked up in a half smile, and Kat nodded in greeting before turning away, trying not to blush.

He cleared his throat softly, signaling for class to start. "Hello students, my name is Kurama Minamino, you may call me Kurama. I'll be your professor for Botany 110." His voice was smooth and friendly, definitely easy on the ears. Some of the girls were practically melting. Kat rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long semester.

Kurama noticed the girl in the back right away since, oddly enough, she had a decent measure of spirit energy. It was pretty uncommon in humans, even in Japan, but for some reason in the United States he'd noticed it was even more rare. So as soon as he'd walked into the classroom, he'd noticed hers. It was untapped, to be sure. He doubted that she was even aware of it. But still, it piqued his interest. He must be more bored than he thought, he mused to himself as class went on.

She looked pretty common, he noted. Pretty in a simply way with smooth brunette hair and warm eyes, but not enough to really stand out. She was older than most freshman, in her early twenties for sure. She was making a point not to look at him like the other girls were, which he was actually grateful for. Already he knew it was going to be a long semester, at least until his novelty as the attractive younger professor wore off.

Kat was acutely aware of every time he glanced at her, though she made sure to remind herself that he was looking at everyone. Keeping this in mind, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was looking at her more than the other students, though. She shook her head at the thought, urging herself to focus. They finished going over the syllabus and jumped right into the first chapter, and he made it clear there would be homework assigned that would be due Thursday. She was starting to wonder how easy this A was actually going to be.

Class ended eventually, and she left quickly, eager to be out of the same room as the cute professor. She had a job interview to worry about now, not to mention homework.

Kurama let the class go, gathering his papers and preparing for the next class. Try as he might he couldn't quite get the strange energy from the girl out of his head, though, and decided maybe just a little spying would convince him that she was just a boring, normal girl like everyone else here. And he knew just the fire apparition to help him.

So much for peace and quiet.