Author's Note: So I decided to release the second chapter after a few days. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. It was written and illustrated by my idol Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own Sayuri and a little bit of the plot.

Chapter 2: Sealed and Exiled

The skies were flush as the sun rays edged the corner of the world—signaling another day. The trees were still wet with the dews caused by condensation of atmospheric vapor that formed overnight. A lazy figure rustled beneath the comfortable futon and a muffled moan echoed within the room. Sayuri's demon ears twitched, reacting to the gentle chirping sounds of the birds coming from outside her veranda. Her eyelids fluttered open as she propped her body with her left elbow. She had a peaceful sleep tonight; no dreams of a grumpy red eyed fire demon. She shifted her weight from her elbow and propped her body completely with her two arms. The sleeve of her hadajuban fell from one of her shoulders when she removed the blanket off. Her garment was a mess probably from tossing and turning in her sleep. The edges that supposed to cover her legs had raised and she felt a slight shiver from the morning breeze. She gathered a new set of yukata and made her way to the bathroom, ready to tackle the unknown technology. She giggled as she tried to understand the different knobs perched on the edge of the tub. She turned each one and realized that it sprouts warm and cold water. She grabbed the snake like apparatus and wondered what it is for. It has holes on the rounded head. She traced the other end to find that there's another knob for it. She gently turned the knob and let it go when water sprayed right to her face. She turned the knob again, making a mental note not to use the spray thing as she deemed it dangerous.

The breeze was still cold and was teasing the flowers of the cherry blossoms. It swayed gently left and right and was meant to be a relaxing view except for a certain fire demon that seemed to dig his left hand on the trunk and his right hand gripping a branch. He almost fell off the tree; unprepared for the first thing his sleepy eyes would land in to. He caught a glimpse of her shoulders and how the stray silver hair teasingly cascaded on the milky white skin. Her hadajuban was raised so high that the image of her feminine legs burn deep in his mind. It was enough for him to gawk, slap himself and pull his drifting soul back to his body. He was not appreciative of anything weak and fragile—especially this sorry excuse of a koorime. However, he was aware that the koorime was a sight to behold like there's something different emanating from her being. He leaped off and landed on his feet with his knees slightly bent to cushion the fall. He wanted to calm his nerves and decided to vent out his frustrations in the demon forest.

-o-

Sayuri carefully tied her obi and took a last glance at herself on the mirror. Once satisfied with the way she looked; she head out to the kitchen. There she met a bubbly ice maiden who seemed to busy humming to herself that she barely noticed Sayuri entered the kitchen. She had a beautiful teal colored hair tied with a red ribbon. She's even smaller than Sayuri and was so adorable busying herself in the kitchen. Sayuri can't help but smile at the girl—she's far livelier than most ice maidens in the village. She wondered how long she'd been away from the place.

"Hello!" Sayuri greeted the other ice maiden and to her surprise; she watched Yukina gasp and almost throw the bowl.

"Hi! Oh my gosh, you scared me…" Yukina's face was flushed as she set the bowl down the counter. Her other hand was on her chest trying to calm her heart. Sayuri noticed that she also had the same crimson eyes as Hiei.

"I'm sorry! You must be Yukina-chan…I'm Sayuri." She held out her hand to the other koorime.

"Hello, Sayuri-san." Yukina gently took her hands. Sayuri noticed that she is a sweet and meek girl; so unlike her brother.

"Can I help?" Sayuri pulled out a ribbon tucked in her obi and started to tie her hair up into a bun. Yukina beamed at the offer and nodded. Sayuri can't help but want to hug the tiny girl for being so cute.

"I really appreciate this Sayuri-san. It's rare for me to find another ice maiden outside the village." Yukina blushed as she started to prepare the natto salad.

"I'm also happy that you're here. I think…I would rather feel lonely being alone now." There was sadness in her tone that caught Yukina's attention.

"Is it alright…if you tell me your story? I'm sure; you're here because of your circumstance too. Just like me and my brother; Hiei." Yukina looked away, remembering how her brother was casted out of their village.

Something with the mention of Hiei's name just popped a vein in Sayuri's head. She remembered his arrogance the other night and reading her mind.

"I like you, Yukina-san because you are so nice. However, Hiei-san is just so infuriating sometimes." She sighed as she continued to cook the eggrolls. She expected that Yukina would defend her brother but she apparently agreed and giggled about it.

"He's been like that! And to think he kept his secret as my brother for a very long time. It wasn't as if I never noticed!" Sayuri giggled at Yukina making a face. "And he's always; HN…HN…HN…" Yukina mimicked Hiei's expression and crossed her arms in front of her. Sayuri couldn't contain herself and guffawed at the sight.

While they were busy a small blue creature crept on the corners of the kitchen and grabbed one of the sausages on the counter. It was Yusuke's spirit beast—Puu. Yukina caught a glimpse of the beast in the corner of her eye picking on the sausage.

"Puu! NO!" Yukina tried to stop the creature but it flew away. Sayuri was bewildered at what was going on. "We need to stop him or he's gonna have a bad stomach ache again!"

"Leave it to me! Please handle the breakfast. I'll go get the poor thing." Sayuri disappeared from the corner before Yukina could protest.

Kurama arrived at Genkai's temple directly through Koenma's portal. The place was so serene and he can smell Yukina's cooking breakfast. He breathes in the scent; miso soup, natto salad, egg rolls, pickle and sausages. He smiled as he caught the stray strands of his red hair and decided to tie them into a pony tail. He contemplated to have his crimson locks cut short as it is starting to bother and tickle his face. He picked up his duffle bag and made his way into the entrance. The peacefulness was disturbed when he heard a crash and a scream at the left side of the temple. He ran towards the noise and before he could turn into a corner, he felt his body being thrown backwards and falling on the wooden floor. He was pretty sure he saw Puu flying above his head as if he was being pursued. He can feel the dull ache on his back radiating to his buttocks. He propped his left elbow for support and his right hand rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. Then his hands shifted to something heavy on top of him. His green eyes opened as he heard a moan. Silver strands sprawled on his chest and a delicate figure slowly eased herself up to meet his gaze. His dreamy green eyes meet the hazy blue ones. There was silence in between them until he saw her face turned beet red. Her blue eyes travelled down to see where his hands landed. His own green eyes followed her gaze and locked into his right hand—right on top of her soft mounds. They both jumped away from each other and muttered long lines of apology.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bump into you." She was in dogeza form.

"I'm sorry, my hand—I didn't know…oh dear, this is awkward." He was in dogeza form.

They both stared at each other and laughed. Yukina was running towards them and asked if they were both alright. Kurama stood up and brushed his clothes then held his hand to Sayuri to help her get up.

"Hi, I'm Kurama. Well, my human name is Shuichi Minamino. I'm sorry we didn't meet when you woke up but I was with Hiei when we found you." He tilted his head to the side and flashed a smile.

"My name is Sayuri. Thank you for taking care of me." She replied with an abrupt bow, knowing that he is one of her benefactor. She blushed realizing that the gentleman was very charming. She was awed at his long crimson hair that begs to be touched. She can easily get lost in those dazzling sea green eyes. The manner in which he carries himself is so elegant the she thought he may be a royalty. She can feel her chest tighten whenever he utters a word making her a little bit breathless. He was her ideal man and the thought of it made her cheeks hot. He looked presentable in a white long sleeved shirt, dark jeans and white converse sneakers. She didn't know that human clothing can be so simple. He seemed to be as tall as Hiei but a little bit slender in frame—almost feminine.

Yukina ushered them inside the living room and let them know that breakfast will be prepared soon. Hiei saw them enter the temple; in fact he already saw everything from when Kurama bumped into Sayuri. It didn't bother him but he noticed Kurama flustered for the first time. He just shrugged and followed them into the temple for breakfast. When he arrived in the dining room; Genkai was sitting on the head seat with Kurama on her right and Yukina on her left. His eyes landed on the silver haired koorime that's seated beside Kurama. He noticed her slightly flushed cheeks and stolen glances toward his redhead friend who was busy talking to the hostess. Hiei sat beside his sister and was facing Sayuri.

"Ah, Sayuri-san…let me get you some miso soup." Kurama grabbed Sayuri's bowl before she could even object.

"Kurama-sama! You should let me do the honor of serving the food." Sayuri wanted to steal her bowl away but Kurama already filled it with miso soup. "Thank you…Kurama-sama." She blushed again and Hiei felt like he wanted to choke. He knew that she fancies him. It also raised his brows when she called him Kurama-sama—stressing on the "sama" part.

"Please, call me Kurama. You can drop the honorifics—I feel like an ancient lord with it." He chuckled which made her blush deeper. His laugh was making the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. "Are you alright?" She heard him ask again when she realized she did not respond.

"Hai…Ku-kurama…" She stuttered and started to feel overwhelmed that she uttered his name. Hiei's eyes travelled from Sayuri to Kurama. He pried her thoughts out of curiosity and they were in jumbles but filled with Kurama.

"If it makes things fair, I'll call you Sayuri." That was the last straw. She was from a very formal environment; calling a very handsome man in first name basis and being called back in return was too much for her. She felt like her brain short circuited. Hiei and Yukina's chopsticks fell from their hands and both were gaping at Kurama's boldness. While on the other hand, Kurama looked so calm and unfazed despite being aware of the woman's consciousness.

-o-

Koenma stumbled upon an old scroll containing ancient dragon tribes' record. He slowly unrolled the pages but it seems most of the document has faded and beyond discernible. The scroll did say that they were completely wiped out in a single catastrophe. The 5 kingdoms where thrown into frozen wasteland. Now that he might know the origins of the Koorime village fear—he needs to know what the prophecy is to be able to contain any destruction. He wondered if the prophecy has been prevented when Sayuri was sealed but his guts' telling him otherwise. It was time to meet the Rekkai Tantei for another mission. He took out his communicator and dialed a specific number.

"Botan, please gather the crew at Genkai's. I'll wait for you there." His message was short and he was about to cut the call but noticed a sudden deflate of Botan's usual bubbly tone. "Is something wrong, Botan?"

"Ah…sorry! Nothing's wrong, Koenma-sama." With that Botan hung up.

He immediately activated the portal to Genkai's temple after alerting the group to gather. He breathed in the moment he stepped out of the portal and letting the familiar scent of the mountain envelope him. It was a long time ago since the Rekkai Tantei had a serious mission that involved saving the three worlds. He sighed as he made his way to the steps of the temple entrance. The place is still quiet; indicating that only Hiei and Kurama are present from the team and the usual habitants of the place. He shook his head and felt a little down knowing he's going to put their lives at risk again. He knew it wouldn't be long that they'd be in this situation again. The three worlds are hosts to cruel beings and it will never run out of it.

His feet lead him to the living room where he found Hiei lounging on the window sill and Genkai drinking her tea. Beyond the window where Hiei perched; his eyes caught sight of the silver haired ice maiden giggling and Kurama who is somewhat in close proximity to the woman. They were talking near the inner veranda where the cherry blossom blooms. He wanted to discuss things with the smartest one in the group but he felt like intruding on the atmosphere between the two. He can see flowers blooming and butterflies fluttering around them.

"Hiei…can you go call Kurama for me?" He'd rather take his chances being cursed by the fire demon than to awkwardly remove Kurama from the girl. Surprisingly, he did not hear any complaints from Hiei.

Little did he know Hiei was finding reason to separate the two since this morning and Koenma just gave him a valid one. Her giggling and blushing is annoying him and more so; Kurama's attentiveness to the girl is annoying him more. A while ago she was admiring his features now her mind is preoccupied with Kurama. Shouldn't she be paying more attention to him? He paused at the thought—a little bit disgusted at himself for remembering what she previously said. What she said is true; "Your appeal does not affect me one bit." He reminded himself that he does not want her attention but only wants to prove her wrong. For god sake, his ego is going to be the death of him. Earlier this morning, he had to go around slamming his fists on huge trees and killing a couple of demons because he couldn't get her image off of his head. He literally needed a shower after that breakfast. He dug his hand into the front pockets of his hoodie. He had grown comfortable with human clothing the past few years—mostly he used it to avoid getting attention to him. This was his favorite as well as a gift from his sister. It was a washout gray hoodie with black long sleeves and black hood. He usually pairs this with his black slacks and black/grey DC Graffik skate shoes that Kurama bought for him.

"I can't believe that you're 2 centuries older than I am…" Kurama beamed a smile that made her catch her breath. This man is intriguingly attractive.

"Well, in experience though—I'm only 529 years old when I was sealed. Any demon that lived for 5 centuries would have had all the knowledge and skills." She sighed as she remembers her days in koorime village. He watched her lower her head and fiddle her fingers on the rose he gave her.

"I wouldn't mind sharing you the history that you may have lost in your slumber." He took a peek under her bangs and wonder at the deep blue eyes she possessed. She returned his gaze but before she could answer, they were interrupted by a certain fire demon.

"Kurama, Koenma has arrived and he was looking for you." Both Kurama and Sayuri turned to where the voice originated from. Kurama stood up and acknowledged Hiei.

"If you'll excuse me, Sayuri—I'll be right back." Kurama politely excused himself.

Hiei watched the ice maiden's face turning pink again. He rolled his eyes and was about to comment until he caught a whiff of Kurama's scent the moment he passed him. Hiei's eyes grew wide in disbelief. He waited until Kurama was out of sight and turned his attention to the ice maiden.

"You should be careful of the fox. Although, he is completely harmless in human form—you better watch out for his real identity. He is not a patient lover." Hiei spoke without sparing her another glance.

"Wha—what exactly do you mean by that, Hiei-san?" Sayuri stammered caused by the last word Hiei made. His brows twitched; so Kurama gets to be called Kurama-sama and he settles for Hiei-san. He shook his head in disbelief and started to go back inside before he felt a tug on his jacket.

"Hiei-san…" Noticing her actions, she immediately let go of his shirt.

"Onna…" His voice was deep as he turned around and stepped closer, making her step back towards the cherry blossom trunk. She can feel her world being sucked in yet she could not identify why she suddenly felt uneasy—scared. She tried to take a side step when Hiei's hand landed on the cherry blossom's trunk and trapping her escape route. Her eyes were filled with fear even more when it landed straight into his. His crimson eyes were dark and filled with abominable intentions that sent chills to her spine. He leaned down until their faces are leveled. She struggled to find words and shake away from the gripping fangs of fear. She couldn't look away from him and started to forget how to breathe. His warm breath easily tickled her face while she's struggling to steady herself.

"You felt cornered…didn't you? You felt that fear looming around as how a mouse would feel in a snake's presence. You'll feel twice as much with Yoko Kurama's pursuit. Ah, my bad. It is not a mouse and a snake—more like a demon in heat and a woman." Hiei chuckled and with a blink he disappeared from her sights.

She felt like she hated him even more. Her face was so red either with anger or embarrassment. She was suddenly made conscious of a man's intention. Surely, Kurama won't do that—he's far too honorable for something that Hiei accused him of. The nerve he has to accuse his friend. She wanted to slap his face hard until she sends his soul into oblivion.

-o-

Hiei and Kurama sat in silence as Koenma explained the situation to them. Hiei was in a deep thought and deliberated if he'd share his opinion about his dreams and the dragons. He slouched forward with both of his elbows on his knees, his hands were clasped and he heaved a deep breath before saying his part.

"I have been dreaming of her..." He looked away; his voice was low and kind of awkward. Kurama and Koenma stared at him with questions in their faces. Sensing their confusion he continued to speak; "…even before the incident when we found her…goddammit."

"Oh…I see." Kurama added. "Are there anything particular with the dream?" Kurama tilted his head and his attention focused on his friend.

"She was asking to be freed. The day I was in Koorime village, I went to look for her." Hiei glided his hands to his nape feeling the stress building up when he realized he might be the cause of it.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? Dreams of being beckoned by a spirit can be a bad omen." Koenma stated in a flat tone that seemed to irritate the fire demon.

"Look, I did not know that she's going to be something of significance until my dragon thawed her out of that freaking ice tomb." His answer was sarcastic. "And yeah, for once I lost control of my dragon—as if it was calling out for her too."

"This is bad…your destinies may have been entwined from long ago. I am not sure the extent of the prophecy however I know it is connected to you. I remember the elders were avoiding any connection with the fire demons." Koenma rubbed his temples as the issue has gotten more complicated when Hiei confessed about his dreams.

"I remember one of them saying that they must not meet…that they should avoid the fire tribe." Koenma and Kurama stared at each other and to Hiei.

"It's not possible…" Kurama eased back into the sofa. "Your banishment and her existence…"

"I was thrown away—so we could not meet." He's eyes grew wide—it was because of her. She was the reason why he was banished from the village. It was partly because of his lineage but somehow he must be banished just to avoid meeting the ice maiden. Hiei gritted his teeth. His scars feel fresh again, gaping and bleeding. His thoughts snapped back when Koenma spoke again.

"However, you've already met. Yet all that happened was an explosion that only caused a minor avalanche." Koenma's head is starting to ache. "Just to be safe, let us observe her for now. I've put restriction bands over her to seal the power."

Kurama stared at Hiei. He seemed to be worrying over his troubled friend. Hiei may have hated the village but knowing she was part of his banishment gave him a more directed object of anger. Kurama feared the worst for the girl and Hiei. He sure hoped that the 2 weeks will be over soon so Yusuke could take over.

Unknowingly, Sayuri's room was right at the top of the living room where they were discussing about the situation. She heard everything and what hurt her most is—knowing that Hiei was thrown away, separated from his sister and mother. She blamed herself and her awakened powers. She felt like she lost everything when she was sealed but she never thought that she took away something from someone because of her existence.

-o-

Sayuri was sitting on the veranda of her room and was staring out to the night sky. She clutched the blanket closer to her body. Hiruseki stones were scattered on her bedroom floor, her futon and on her feet. Her eyes were puffy and her face's a mess. She was so embarrassed to show herself that she didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Kurama and Koenma. She hugged her knees and started to sob again when she felt a light thud on the floor adjacent to her. She looked up only to find Hiei leaning on the railings. His crimson eyes looked as if they were burning yet freezing at the same time. Guilt washed over her again and tears starting to fall non-stop, it sounded like marbles tapping on the wooden floor as they form into stones.

"I do not need your pity, onna." His tone was cold and condescending. Damn him for reading her mind. She continued to sob silently and ignored the source of her guilt. He reached for one of the hiruseki stones formed from her tears and gazed at it.

"I am sorry…" That was all she could mutter when she felt strong arms gripping her shoulders. She could feel him seething with anger as he shook her to face him. Something underneath the bandage of his forehead was glowing again. She felt like she was in a trance, like the first time he showed her images of his dreams. Although, he has not transmitted any images this time—she felt like there was something he needed from her.

"Please let me go…" Her voice was so weak.

"I'll let you go when I'm done with you." His abrupt answer made her feel more helpless.

"Hiei-san…" She had no right to be angry at this man. She was the one who took everything from him. For a moment, if he decides to kill her right then and there—she would have been fine with it.

"Yes, you took everything from me. But I neither need your apology nor your death. What I need right now are answers." His right arm let her shoulders go and grabbed her face. He was nowhere near gentle. She winced at the pain as his calloused fingers roughly grip her cheeks.

"Well, it seems you don't need to ask them since you're forcefully prying them out of my head…" He ignored her and continued to take information from the dreams she had. He needed answers of their existence—their purpose. Then he tapped on to an entity within her. It was trying to convey something to him but it was weak—barely audible. He started to feel his arms heat up. His dragon was reacting again. However, this time it was more soothing and far different from the raging desires to be unsealed when he thawed her out of the glacier. He felt that the same tug in his mind again. He tried to reach for the source but failed.

"There's nothing useful from you either. Listen onna, and listen well…" His eyes bore deep into hers. "…I will collect everything you took from me." She felt his hands let go and shoving her back to the floor. When she looked up, he was gone again.

He thought he could search for anything within her subconscious mind for any possible clues that caused both of their damnation. He was angry knowing he had to be left for dead and he didn't understand why it has something to do with her. All his life, he believed that his lineage was the whole cause of his exile. He partly blamed his mother for falling in love with a fire demon who didn't even bothered to search for him and his sister. Oh how wrong he is all this time; there was even something bigger beyond his trivial deductions of why he was thrown out of that cursed village and treated as an abomination. His pain is slowly consuming him again—the demons from his closet are out to get him. He clenched his fist and noticed that he was still holding on to a hiruseki stone—her tears.

Hiei had the urge to return back to her with his hands enclosed on her solidified tears. He knew that she did not intend for this to happen. Deep inside, he was aware that his displaced anger should not have been pointed towards her. They were both deprived of things they longed for. There was so much more behind that woman. She was hardworking and helpful to everyone in the Koorime village. He closed his eyes as her memories are still etched in his mind. Despite being the village healer, despite being adored, despite extending her help to those who needed her—they still sealed her and left her trapped.

"Damn this all." He turned around and retraced his steps—launching from one branch to another finding his way to back to the temple and to her veranda. He found her groggy and helpless right where he left her. He may have overdone it when he searched for her memories.

The chill wind was lulling her tired body to sleep. She wanted to move but she has no strength left. His prying on her mind had drained most of her energy. She felt her eyes starting to get heavier by the minute. She felt her body slowly succumbed into slumber. Just when she finally gave in, the last thing she saw was a dark hooded figure gathering her into his arms.

Hiei slowly placed one of her arm on his neck while he adjusts her body to securely carry her. He caught his breath as he noticed that she's only wearing a thin piece of clothing under the blanket that he just removed. He felt her soft mounds against his chest that made him pause.

"This is not the time for perverted thoughts idiot…" He cursed and steadied himself after he slid another arm under her knees. To his dismay or the lack thereof, her hadajuban is loose. It barely covered her skin and he drank the view that welcomed him. He shook his head and focused on bringing her back to bed. He slowly tucked her in and watched her breathe in and out. He noticed a lot of stones were scattered in her room. She was a handful and so was he. He decided to gather all of her tears and put them all in to his pocket. He left her veranda door open just like she always wanted and leaped towards his favorite branch on the cherry blossom tree. He felt conflicted about everything, he was angry at her yet he couldn't completely blame her for his misfortune. They both had their fair share of adversities; she was nearly sealed for eternity and he was exiled.

End Notes: Just a little information for some words that may not be familiar to some:

Natto – a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis

Dogeza – is an element of Japanese manners by kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to prostrate oneself as touching one's head to the floor.

Hiruseki stones – these are expensive stones from an ice maiden's tears, so yeah Hiei's rich now!