Cora stood, staring out the window of the spare bed room that Shiori had given to her; the same room she had woken up in the night Hiei had left. Three long, tiring years had passed but Cora had found it easy enough to adjust to human living. She had signed up for Kurama's school almost two years ago to pass the time, and she enjoyed the small training sessions she had with Kurama from time to time. Cora had even thought about getting a part time job somewhere close to the school to help pass some free time. But despite Kurama's and the other student's and even Shiori's efforts, Cora still felt a strong sense of homesickness. Despite her hardest efforts to push her time with the temperamental fire demon to the back of her mind, she still found herself thinking of him often. Damn him.

Cora left the window, moving to her small closet and shifting through the modest assortment of hand-me-down shirts and pant's. Four or five plain tank tops, two pairs of jeans and a single pair of shorts was all that she owned having never really developed a taste for much else. A couple knee length dresses hung at the back of the closet for special occasions. Maybe she should wear one of them today; Shiori always seemed so pleased when Cora made an effort to dress up...

"Cora," she turned, her big aquamarine eyes landing on Kurama, who stood just inside her room. He had grown nearly a foot and a half in the last 3 years, and had decided to grow his hair out; it now fell well past his shoulders. She liked it on him, though it did bring out even more of his other worldly femininity. "I wanted to tell you that dinner is nearly ready." He gave her a warm smile, making her smile in return; no matter her mood, Cora could never find it in her to snub Kurama or his mother. They had done far to much for her over the last three years; Cora was sure there was nothing she could ever do to repay them. Remembering what Kurama had come to her for, Cora nodded in understanding.

Kurama smiled once more before turning to leave, closing the door behind him as he returned to his tasks in the kitchen. Cora allowed the smile to fall from her lips the moment she heard his foot steps fade; she wondered if her silence ever unnerved him. Did it make Shiori feel neglected? It's not that she didn't wish to speak to them, she just... couldn't.

The morning Hiei disappeared, Cora had been terrified. After Kurama had managed to push his way into the room (Hiei had blocked the door with the dresser), Cora had promptly attacked him. When he was able to subdue her (which didn't take him long), she had screamed bloody murder at him until he throat was raw and blood started to dribble out of the corners of her mouth. It was only then that Kurama manged to explain who he was and why she was there. Afterwords, Kurama left her alone until his mother came home from work later that day. Telling Shiori that Cora was some student from his school who came from an abusive home, Shiori was quick to offer her the spare room. Cora had hardly acknowledged either of them that night, and spent much of her time sitting in the farthest corner of the room that was specified as hers. The next morning Cora had awoken in a panic to find that she could no longer speak, her vocal cords seemingly paralyzed for no reason. After a few day's of holding out, she reluctantly allowed Kurama to examine her, with him theorizing that her run in with Yustade had caused some psychological damage that effected her ability to talk. Also screaming until her throat was bleeding; that was probably a side factor as well. Cora didn't really understand, but had stopped questioning it almost a year ago; even after the physical damage had healed, her voice remained lost, and if three years wasn't enough time for her brain to 'heal' then she doubted that it ever would.

With a last minute decision, Cora decided to pull one of the two knee length dresses from the depths of the closet. It would make Shiori happy to see her wearing something feminine that wasn't her school uniform. The dress was simple with a square neck line and tank straps that where about two inches wide. It was white in color, a dark red ribbon wrapped around the waist that tied into a loose bow in the back; she choose to wear the dark red flat's Shiori had given her the previous summer to match the dress. It was just as Cora was weaving her hair into a loose braid over her left shoulder that Kurama called down to her from the bottom of the stairs.

"Cora, dinner is ready!" Kurama called up the stairs. Cora took one last look at her self; yes, Shiori would be delighted to see her dressed in such a way. Shiori had always wanted a girl (though she asked Cora to never mention it to Kurama), and so she enjoyed taking Cora out to shop and talk over coffee... or at least, Shiori had enjoyed doing so.

At the thought of the human woman who had loved Cora like she was her own daughter, Cora grew sad; Shiori became gravely ill only six months ago, and her illness only progressed by the day, draining the life out of the normally vivacious human woman... shaking her head, Cora rid herself of the foreboding feeling that welled up in her heart when ever she thought about Shiori's sickness. She did not wan't to believe that the worst could be just around the corner...

Cora walked down the stairs and into the kitchen were she was meet with the over powering, and enticing aroma of Kurama's cooking. She was so happy that Kurama knew how to cook. Cora had never learned herself, and Hiei wasn't one to cook his food, preferring to eat it raw, or on occasion, leaving meat out to dry in the sun for something that was easy to carry and conserve. It wasn't until after moving in with Kurama and his mother that Cora had ever had a fully cooked meal, and she had to admit that Hiei didn't know what he was missing out on.

"Cora, are you feeling ok? You look pale," Kurama placed the back of his hand against Cora's forehead, his soft green eyes glistening with worry. Cora forced a smile onto her face, grabbing a pad a paper from the fridge and a pen, scribbling down her thoughts onto it's smooth surface. While Kurama was good at reading her emotions, it was easier to write direct answers out, though it did put a lot of strain on her hands. "I was just reminiscing..." Kurama with drew his hand, giving her a sympathetic smile. He could still remember the night she had woken up; still see the look of fear and anger that marred her innocent face when he had finally managed to break into the spare room. She had shouted at him all day, and had even attempted to attack him. The morning after, she had lost her voice; he had blamed it on the shock of Yustade's attack, but he was positive that it was Hiei's leaving that had effected her so.

And Hiei wasn't very happy to learn of her new handicap. Yes, Hiei had stopped by a couple times in the last three years, passing through the human world on one of his lead's concerning Yukina, whom Kurama had learned was actually Hiei's younger twin sister. When Kurama informed him that Cora could no longer speak, Hiei had been livid; his anger only grew when Kurama gave Hiei his theory for the sudden loss of her voice. Hearing that it had been Hiei's own fault had sent the fire demon running for the hill's. It was almost a year again before Hiei returned. But now it had been almost eight months since Hiei had stopped in to check on his charge in secrete; Kurama was starting to feel as if something had happened to delay Hiei's return... Kurama placed a reassuring hand on the top of Cora's head.

"You wont be forgotten for ever."

Cora scribbled onto her pad of paper again..."Not like I care either way, but how do you know?..."...

Kurama read her word's, his brow furrowing in thought. "It's just a feeling I have." Kurama said, lightly ruffling her hair.

..."If you say so foxy..."...

Not an hour into their visit with Shiori, and Kurama found himself being summoned to the roof of the hospital. Leaving Cora and his mother to their own devices, Kurama left the hospital room with the irritated thoughts of a specific fire demon echoing through his head. Kurama wasn't sure if he would call it a coincidence that Hiei would decide to show up just hour's after Kurama's discussion with Cora, but Kurama was rather annoyed that his time with his mother was being interrupted.

Kurama waved at a few of the passing nurses as he made his way to the roof top exit. It took him less the five minutes to get to the roof, and he was relieved to see that there was no one up there. Well, no one but the aggravated fire demon who had summoned him.

"It's about time you got here; I thought I was going to have to track you down." Kurama sighed and turned, his eyes locking on Hiei's familiar visage. He still looked like the same Hiei, a but a bit taller then he had been just eight months ago. The most noticeable change in him was his over all energy level and presence. Hiei had grown not just physically, but power wise as well. It was now clear to Kurama why Hiei had been absent for the last eight months; clearly the young fire demon was starting to mature.

"Hiei, a pleasure to see you as always. I apologize, but Cora wont be home before dark. I hope it isn't an inconvenience to you." Hiei scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and turning his nose up at Kurama's teasing tone.

"You misunderstand my intentions; I've come here to ask for your assistance in an adventure of mine." Kurama quirked a brow at the fire demon.

"You have my attention, Hiei."

Cora was a little irritated; Kurama had disappeared for nearly a hour and then came back stating that he had to leave to help a fellow student with a project for school.

..."Cora, I wont be here to walk you home." Kurama said with a low tone, succeeding in not alarming his mother of his conversation. "When you leave here, go straight home. Do not dawdle."...

Cora huffed as she exited the hospital; he was up to something. She could feel it. But she knew better then to pry into his personal business; he did a good job of leaving her to hers. But she did wish he was with her right now; she had grown a bit in her defensive abilities, but was still far from being able to take on to much at one time. Kurama had made sure that she could defend herself; she wasn't sure she could beat a demon any higher then a D class, but she could at least hurt them enough to run away-

Cora came to an abrupt halt; she suddenly felt like she was being watched. She reached out with her sense', but when she came across nothing but human energy, she continued on her way, turning the corner that signaled the beginning of her half hour walk. She could still feel the eyes on her, but decided to just ignore it; she was probably just being paranoid...

A small toddler sat behind a rather large, and over sized desk staring at an even larger screen. The image of a young woman with white hair and blue eyes walking down a deserted street played on the large TV. Next to the toddler stood a bulky, ogre looking man with blue skin and a pair of white horns on his head.

"Koenma sir, I don't get it. What's so important about this girl?" The blue man asked.

"Isn't it obvious Ogre? The activities of demon's in this area have gone hay-wire! And something about this girl is connected with the demon's who may be causing it!" The toddler said around his pacifier. The Ogre scratched the side of his face. "Everywhere she goes, the energy signals go through the roof!"

"So we are watching her to watch them?"

"MmmmHmmmm! Hopefully we will learn wheather or not she is involved in any of this; if she is, then we can use her to get to them. Demon's are very territorial creatures; who ever is in charge wont think twice about coming after her! Saves us the trouble of trying to track them down!" The ogre gave him a surprised look.

"Koenma sir, you don't mean kidnapping do you?" The toddler gave him a side long glance.

"Are you questioning me Ogre?"

"Ah! N-no sir!"

"Good."

Cora stopped at a cross walk, checking both ways for traffic before making her way across the deserted street. She had only a few more blocks before she made it back to the residential streets were she lived. The walk seemed to be taking forever tonight; perhaps it was because she was alone. Well, mostly alone. A second set of foot falls echoed behind her, trying hard to match their steps up with her own to throw her off their trail. But she knew better. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, feigning sight seeing as she pin pointed her stalkers location.

A tall man dressed in a black trench coat walked down the side walk behind her, with a fedora hat and glasses that took up most of his face. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, and he walked with a slight slouch, as if trying to blend in with a crowd that didn't exist. Cora returned her eyes to her trek, and allowed her senses to reach out again. She hit a weak wall of energy; a low class demon. She mentally scoffed; this demon was so pathetic she debated even taking the time to eliminate him. But she knew she had too; she could take a demon this low, but a human would die in seconds if this demon got his hands on them.

So, making up her mind, Cora turned half a block sooner then she normally would, allowing herself to venture into a dead end ally. It was the perfect place to seclude her and her demon visitor from any human's that may be roaming the streets. It didn't take long for her stalkers foot falls to join in with hers in the chorus of echos off the tall brick walls. She came to a stop some ten feet away from the dead end, waiting for her stalker to come to a halt before she turned and confronted him. He smirked down at her, reaching up and removing his glasses and hat.

He was very ugly. His skin looked leathery and dry, and had an ashy brown hue. His eyes were large and buggy, their color almost matching his skin to a T. He chuckled at her as she quirked a brow at him. "Your probably wondering what a demon such as myself is doing here." Cora shrugged, making the demon bristle at her easy dismissive attitude towards him. "Well, I guess that seeing as you were able to sense me I could give you a little warning before I eat you." She sighed; of course that was why he was here. Low level scum could hardly think past their stomachs and dicks. She reached for the hem of her skirt, pulling it up gently. "Offering yourself to me in hopes that I'll take my pleasure and go huh? You've had dealings with demons before I see." She pulled her 10mm G20 from her thigh holster, a small gift from Kurama and something that she always kept on her, even when in school.

The demon eyed her gun and began laughing. "HAHAHAHAHHA! You think you can beat me with just a little human hand gun?!" The demon launched himself at her, his claws extended to strike. Cora rolled her eyes and lifted the glock with her right hand, and pulled the trigger. Click. Her eyes widened; she hadn't loaded it?! Cora mentally cursed as the demon lunged for her. She dodged narrowly, missing the demons sharp claws by mere centimeters. How ever, she did forget how close she had been to the wall, her back slamming into it with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs. Before she could recover the demon had her by the throat, holding her some three feet off the ground. The force of being slammed into the wall again knocked her gun from her hand, the sound of it's fall echoing off the wall's of the ally. Cora clawed at the demon's hand in a desperate attempt to release herself. This was it. She was going to die. All because she hadn't been able to pull her head out of her ass long enough to remember to load her only weapon.

"Darlin', your going to taste delicious!"

"Hn."

No sooner had the demon spoke then was he ripped away, his claws digging painfully to the sides of Cora's throat leaving behind shallow cuts in their wake. Cora fell to the ground, coughing and choking as she tried to catch her breath and stop her wounds from bleeding any further. Seconds later the demon landed in a heap some twenty yards away from her, his head and other limbs severed from his body. She stood up on wobbly legs, her right hand coming up to steady her against the stone wall. Cora took a few tentative steps towards the body, confusion swirling in her blue eyes.

"You shouldn't walk around in the dark unprotected," she froze, her eyes widening considerably. "Stupid girl." With a shaky breath Cora turned on her heel's, pinning garnet eyes with the blankest stare she could muster at that moment.

"Hiei. After all this time you still haven't learned my name." Cora grimaced as the weakened sound of her unused voice rasped from her throat. Hiei smirked, tossing her unloaded gun to her. Cora caught it with one hand, her eyes never leaving him as he walked towards her. He looked exactly the same, but when he got close enough she was surprised to see that she had to nearly crane her neck in order to keep looking at his face. He had matured greatly, his face losing the small amount of baby fat that it had had. He looked more lean, and a little deadly in comparison to how he had looked only three years ago. Hiei had grown up. Well, physically that is.

"Hn." Hiei, while having kept a somewhat close eye on her, could hardly believe that this woman standing before him was the same one he had left with Kurama some three years ago. Consistent meals and proper training had allowed her to fill out as a female her age should, though she was still pathetically scrawny by demon standards. Her hair was even longer then it had been, now coming down to her waist despite being braided, and three years of proper care made it an even brighter shade of white. But the biggest change was in her face; she had grown into her eyes, which had always been to large and doe like for her round face. Now her face was defined, and her eyes held some fire in them. Hiei grunted in annoyance. He was sure he hated her more now then he had three years ago. "What are you doing baiting demons?"

Cora rolled her eyes."I wasn't."

He scoffed, eyeing the scratches on her neck. They weren't horribly deep, but their direction was causing much more bleeding then he had first believed. The collar of her dress was surely ruined. He reached up and poked the biggest of the three scratches, making her suck in a startled breath, her blue eyes glaring up at him fiercely. Amusement flashed across his eyes so fast Cora was sure she had been mistaken in catching it... that is until a small triumphant smirk suddenly appeared on his lips, making her cheek's flush a light pink. "I can see that." He said, making her puff out her cheek's in irritation.

With a tenderness he wasn't even aware he still had in him Hiei tilted her head back, bringing his mouth to within centimeters of her throat. Darting between his lips his tongue laved at the fresh wounds left by the low level demon, prompting the blood flow to slow to a stop. Switching sides, he repeated the process, only pulling away enough to watch the tissue stitch its self back together. Hiei sucked the small amount of blood from his lower lip, relieved to find that her flavor hadn't changed; if anything, it had gotten stronger, sweeter. Yes, he definitely hated her. "You shouldn't pick fights when your not armed."

Cora felt her breath hitch as his hot breath fanned over her shoulder, making her blush intensify. She nodded dumbly as he released her from his hold, only to scoop her up onto his shoulder. Cora had hardly blinked when she found herself standing on Kurama's front porch, with Hiei nowhere to be seen. Cora stood there gaping in shock, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red, as her mind slowly but surely started to kick back into gear. What the hell was that?!

Koenma scratched his chin, a big goofy grin plastered on his face as he watched the young white haired woman storm into the house the male demon had dropped her at. It seemed that things were starting to look up for him yet!

"Ogre; get me Botan. I think I have just the lead we were looking for!"

Orge rubbed the back of his head, uncertainty evident on his face. "Yes, Lord Koenma Sir..."

The next morning Cora was awoken by a very tired Kurama. He looked like he hadn't slept all night, and it made Cora a little suspicious. First Kurama disappears from the hospital, she just happens to have a run in with Hiei only ten minutes away from said hospital, and then Kurama doesn't reappear until the next morning looking like a member of the walking dead. Breakfast was sure to be interesting.

Cora tugged her black spaghetti strap tank top over her head and tucked her (loaded) 10mm into her ankle holster under her baggy camouflaged pants. She double checked herself in the mirror, looking her neck over. Of course. No scars. Damn that Hiei. Not that she wanted scars; she just didn't understand him right now. He disappears for three years and then comes back and turns her head in circles. Why had she allowed him so close again? Memories of the previous night caused another light dusting of pink to come to her cheeks and a strange sensation to flutter to life in her stomach. Maybe she should wait until later to deal with her strange reactions to the fire demon. Pulling her hair into a high pony tail, Cora trudged down stairs, not surprised to see the cereal and milk waiting on the table for her. Kurama rarely cooked if he hadn't slept well the night before. Not that she was going to complain; she didn't always need to have a gourmet meal. Kurama sat at the table as well, a cup of coffee in his hand.

He smiled in welcome at her, but she didn't return the favor, and instead narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she sat at the table. "...Kurama." His eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't spoken to him since the day Hiei left. But despite how rough her voice sounded, he knew instantly that she was agitated with him. "What's going on." He sighed, allowing his tired eyes to close.

"Nothing Cora; I simply didn't sleep last night. My class mates project was on neuroscience, a study on the effects sleep deprivation has on the brain-"

Cora rolled her eyes as she capped the milk, setting it down a little harder then normal in order to cut off Kurama's obvious and terrible lie. It was hard for most to tell when Kurama was pulling shit out of his ass, but being unable to speak has allowed Cora to learn his ticks. All of them. And the fact that he had yet to move his cup from in front of his lips, proved to her that he was in fact, lying out of his ass."I saw Hiei last night." His eyes and mouth snapped open, shock raining supreme over his features. "I just think it's strange; you disappear last night to help a 'friend', and not even two hours later I am saved by Hiei-"

"Saved?"

Cora mentally flogged herself for letting that slip. "Yes, I was attacked by a demon; I was distracted yesterday afternoon and I forgot to load my gun." Kurama gave her a scolding look, which she promptly ignored; it was her turn to scold him for once damn it! " He took care of the demon, healed my wounds and brought me home. He didn't hang around for long, but I find it an odd coincidence that he should show up around here on the same night that you just happened to take off out of the blue." She took a bite of her breakfast, shooting him a stern look over the tip of her spoon. Normally she wouldn't pry; but after her encounter with Hiei the other night, she was definitely worried for her foxy friend.

Kurama sighed; Hiei was going to kill him. Or was it he who was going to kill Hiei? "Cora, I can't give you any details. But Hiei is the reason I left the hospital last night. He needed my help with a task and asked that I keep you out of it, for your safety."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You cant just expect me to sit this out-"

Kurama sighed, finally taking a sip from his coffee. "I do, and you will. It would be different if it was only a low class demon we were dealing with; Hiei is challenging spirit world its self. We are sure to face some very strong opponents. Opponents that wont fall to a simple gun shot wound." Her eyes widened; was Hiei crazy? Spirit world was the only super power in all three realms; they controlled everything. "As your friend, I am asking that you stay put. I have stocked the kitchen with enough food to last a week-"

"What about Shiori?" Kurama sighed; he didn't want to abandon his mother, but right now he had no choice. "Let me see her one last time, and then you can lock me away for as long as you see fit." He thought it over a little in his mind; it couldn't hurt to allow her to see his mother again...

"Okay. If you promise to have your gun on you, and loaded, you may go see mother tonight. After that, I expect you to stay here until this all blows over." Cora smiled and nodded; she was happy with the deal. For now. She might change her mind some two days into her confinement.