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Chapter 3

Wednesday afternoon rolled around and Hiei found himself going into work early. There was no reason to sit around alone when he could be doing something productive.

With his emotions a little on edge, for no other reason than he missed Kurama. He found himself thinking about the red head a lot and it hadn't helped that he'd only talked to the man once since he'd left. And that was only for a few minutes Monday night, because the red head had been on his way to a 'social gathering' with his boss.

The black haired hit the door to the station only to pause when he noticed the bay empty. Wondering what the hell was going on since his pager hadn't gone off. He scanned the large bay and his eyes landed a blonde headed man over in a corner.

"Mitarai….where's the water truck!" He yelled at the rookie.

Mitarai looked up from the ropes he was inspecting. "Took it out for a flush, it's been a slow week."

"Did Yusuke go with them?"

"No, the Captain's in his office, but I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Mitarai replied.

"Why?" Hiei said, walking closer to the man.

Suddenly, they both heard a loud thump, followed by a string of words that made Mitarai blush.

"I've heard that before….." Hiei said, pivoting in the direction towards the other end of the bay.

"You're not going in there?" The young man questioned with a look of worry and fear plastered on his face.

"Got to, it's my job to face the blaze." Hiei smirked.

Mitarai gave a smirk in reply before going back to the ropes.

Hiei approached the station's office door and paused as he heard another loud thump, but this time no cursing followed.

A knock on the door made Captain Urameshi look up from the mounds of paperwork cluttering his desk. He was glad for the interruption, though whoever interrupted wouldn't be glad, he was glad for the reprieve.

"Come in." Yusuke snarled.

"Time for the monthly reports?" Hiei asked as he peeked in the door.

"How'd you figure that out Einstein?" The raven haired asked, pushing a stack of papers to the side so he could see a chair in front of his desk.

"Oh, just recognized that particular string of adjectives." Hiei shot back, stepping in and closing the door.

Yusuke broke out in a laugh, but the smile dropped almost immediately, replaced by a glare. "I'm glad you interrupted…take a seat." He said, his voice as stern as his face.

"What?" Hiei said, actually stepping back towards the door in complete confusion.

"Just take a seat." Yusuke's voice stayed straight and level.

Hiei walked cautiously over to one of two chairs in front of the desk, taking the one that had been cleared for viewing by the Captain. With every instinct in him wondering. 'What the hell did I do?' He sat there and waited patiently.

"Why the HELL didn't you tell me, Mister?!" Yusuke yelled.

Hiei's sat up straight, stunned, red eyes blinking. He had never seen, much less heard, such menace from his Captain. His sister yes, but not his captain.

"Well." Chocolate brown eyes stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Hiei shook his head, not understanding how he was supposed to reply. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, deciding to fish.

"This." Yusuke said, handing Hiei a typed letter that had been sitting to the side of the stacks of papers.

Red eyes quickly scanned the letter, the whole time feeling his Captain's eyes bore into his skull, as if he could dig out the answers he wanted.

Dear Captain Urameshi, Station 51.

We are interviewing one of your EMT's, a Hiei Jaganshi for a position with Emergency Services of Northern Yama.

Your name was listed as a reference for both personal and business. To help us with our selection process, would you please fill out and complete the enclosed questionnaire.

Sincerely,

Office of Enema King

Director of E.S.N.Y.

Looking at the second paper, the black haired scanned over a list of personal and job related questions.

"It's common courtesy to tell someone that you're using them as a reference….damn it Hiei, it's common courtesy to tell your boss that you're out fishing." Veins were beginning to show along Yusuke's neck.

"You know I've been looking for a long time, I told you and asked you." Hiei said, tossing the papers back on the desk.

"You didn't tell me you had a hot prospect. All the others were…how'd you put it 'cold day in a warm place'." He countered.

"Snow day in hell." Hiei muttered, crossing his arms and sitting back in the chair. "I didn't even know I was in the running for this job." He said with sincerity.

"Really, so someone out of the kindness of their heart put your resume in." Yusuke's eyes rolled and he grabbed the papers from where Hiei had tossed them. "Emergency Services of Northern Yama." He said, looking at the letter. "That's a long ways north of here."

"Trust me Cap, I never put in for this job. The first I ever heard about it was a letter I got the other day. They must have gotten my name from a roster from one of the classes….or one of the other jobs I've applied for forwarded my resume." Hiei countered.

"Right….well, when do you think the JOB will start?" Yusuke said, placing the papers on the 'to do' stack.

"I don't really even know what the job is." Hiei said leaning forward as his own anger flared.

"Well if you find out. Be kind enough to inform me, will yeah." Yusuke said in complete aspiration. Leaning back in his chair, he placed his hands behind his head while his feet went up on the desk.

Hiei took a deep breath. "Honestly, I didn't know about this until a day or so ago." He said it softly, looking right at the chocolate brown eyes of his Captain, his friend. "And the letter just mentioned that they were looking at me as a prospect. It didn't even mention anything about an interview."

Yusuke looked at him and sat back straight in his chair, saying. "Okay, I believe you. I will answer the letter, but you tell me ASAP if you plan on taking this job. It affects more than just you."

"Okay Cap." Hiei said, standing up and going over to the door.

"Hey, sounds like this could be right up your alley." Yusuke said, giving him a soft smile.

"Yeah, it does." The black haired whispered. He went to open the door, but stopped as the door swung open on its own.

Standing there was Kuwabara, with an expression torn between hurt puppy and wounded wolf on his face.

"And just when were you going to tell me?!" The blood froze in Hiei's veins for he had never heard his partner speak with such harshness, first his Captain and now his partner.

"Tell you about what?" Hiei snapped, proceeding to go around his partner, who didn't budge and he huffed out. "Move it you big oaf."

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?" Kuwabara stated, stepping aside, but then followed his short partner as he walked across the bay.

Mitarai looked up at the two, but then tried to hide as he could tell something was up.

"Did anyone ever tell you it's not nice to eavesdrop?" Hiei asked, heading into the kitchen.

Chu looked up from his seat at the table as the pair entered. He was about to throw out a greeting, but saw the dark clouds looming over the two men. So he got up quietly instead, grabbed his mug and high tailed it out of the room.

"It's not eavesdropping when you can hear it all the way out in the parking lot." Kuwabara stated, leaning his back on the counter and crossing his arms as his partner dug in the refrigerator.

"We weren't yelling, we were talking loudly and you could have walked away." Hiei said, pulling out a bottle of water and slamming the door.

His voice calming, the orange haired asked. "Were you at least going to tell your sister?"

"I don't even know what's going on. How can I tell her something when I don't even have an idea as to what it's about? You know I've been looking over the years and not one of them has come through." Hiei's voice softened. "There's no reason to get my hopes up." He looked at the counter, wondering what he would do if it did pan out. Like Yusuke said, it affected more than just him and the others at the station, there was a certain red head to consider in all this as well.

"Remember that feeling I had……" Kuwabara looked like he was going to say something more, but their little 'chat' was cut off as the call alarm sounded.

The two gave each other a nod as they silently agreed that the time for personal talk was over, it was time for work.

a)a)a)a

(Friday evening, on the other side of the country)

A black limo pulled onto a private airstrip just about an hour before sunset. It came to a stop just outside a small building, where a man in a black and white suit got out of the driver's seat to open one of the back doors, allowing two figures to emerge.

Kurama got out and stretching his back looked towards the streamline jet out waiting on the small runway. Letting out a sigh, he thought. 'I hate flying.' As he also thought about the hours he would be spending sitting on the jet. Though it was better than a commercial flight, it still sucked.

Mr. Takanaka saw the look on his employee's face. Knowing the red head hated traveling, he was glad the lad had come along none the less. What they, better yet, Shuiichi had tried to do this week, more than proved he had made the right decision in hiring the young man.

"Shuiichi." Mr. Takanaka said, getting the young man's attention. "Why don't you wait until the last minute to board the plane? I'm going to make a few phone calls to the office." He then went to head inside.

"Thank you sir." Shuiichi said, giving a nod as he looked at the pilot waiting by the ladder to the plane.

The limo drove off and green eyes watched as another limo approached. Tilting his head in curiosity, Shuiichi watched as the limo pulled up next to him and the back window went down.

"I guess I didn't teach you everything." A man with long black hair said.

"I learned enough." Shuiichi replied, looking at his former boss.

"That was a valiant effort my boy….trying to save the future of those low lifes." Karasu said, looking at his former PA.

"What do you want with a mom and pop construction business?" Shuiichi asked, his defenses going up.

"I decided to get into the people business." Karasu said nonchalantly, studying his fingernails.

The red head huffed. "This is the third one this month you've gobbled up. So tell me, what do you plan to do with these people once you're done playing with their livelihoods."

Karasu's voice turned stern. "That is none of your concern."

"Then let me take a guess. You're going to merge them, force them to move for they'll have no choice. Then in a year or so when you're done with whatever venture you were on, and got bored with, you'll shut it all down and leave these people high and dry."

"You're right. I will only need them for a year or so." Karasu said, still looking at his nails.

"Then you'll lay them off." Shuiichi said, eyebrows rising.

"I can not tell you that until the time comes." Karasu said, finally looking at the red head.

"For some, time seems to fly." Shuiichi said softly.

Karasu's face softened as he looked down. "Yes, I suppose so. It's hard to believe next month……" He was cut off.

"About that….no more." Shuiichi said firmly, his hands clenching at his side.

Karasu looked up, eyebrows raised. "My dear Shuiichi, no more what?" He asked, though there was a slight smirk on his lips.

Shuiichi knew he was falling for the bait, but went ahead and said it. "No more sympathy cards. It's been almost three years. Let him go…..let me go." Green eyes blinked at his former boss, brother to his former lover, his lover for a short time.

Karasu could see the silent plea in those green pools of emerald and he inwardly felt sorry, for a moment. "I can't do that." He ended up saying.

"You're going to have to, because I'll never come back to you." Kurama said. He turned when he saw his current boss standing at the door to the building. Apparently he had been standing there for a few minutes as he had a deadpan look on his face. Not even giving a second look, the red head walked over to his boss and said. "Are you ready sir?"

Karasu sat there, watching as the tall lean red head and his boss climb aboard the plane. He watched until the door closed and the plane started its taxing down the short runway. It gathered speed before lifting off and clearing the tree line into the sunset.

"Sir." A man with brown curly hair, glasses and freckles on his face, leaned forward in the seat across from him.

"Yes, what is it?" Karasu said, finally facing front, as the plane was now out of sight, to address his personal assistant.

"The architect called with the final design plans and the head contractor wants to know when you will hold the ceremony to break ground. Also the Services called, wanting you to confirm the final list of personnel." The personal assistant informed.

"Get the contractor on the phone. I'll make the other call myself." Karasu looked out the window one last time before pushing the button for it to go up.

"Yes sir." Yuu Kaitou said. He had remained quiet as his boss and Shuiichi Minamino talked. Though he wanted nothing more than to speak up with the news he had, he waited. For it seemed the two had some things to hash out. They seemed to be very personal things and though he didn't understand, he planned to know everything he could about the red head.

Yuu had missed the week of negotiations and seeing Shuiichi squirm in an attempt to win the bid for Takanaka Enterprises. Though he missed learning a few things, he had more important things to deal with at the time.

Yuu was so glad he had answered that personal ad in the paper. Being picked to be Mr. Karasu's personal assistant was a 'dream come true'. Oh, his father was a little disappointed in him for leaving the family business, but man he couldn't beat the benefits he had now. Shuiichi had been a fool to quit this job. How could someone give up what he was offered? An apartment with all the latest furnishings and gadgets, a driver to take him anywhere he wanted to go, not to mention the travel to see the world and then there was the pay itself. 'I always knew you weren't as bright as me Shuiichi.'

End Chapter 3