-Lightning and Roses-

After May had asked the question, Yusuke and Kazuma had given her a look of the deepest chagrin and promised that all her questions would be answered that evening. They had left soon after to "go to work" and left May with Shizuru. There was a particularly long awkward silence at that point during which May had stared at Shizuru, willing her to tell her what she knew.

After a good ten minutes, Shizuru had sighed and walked to the fridge. "It's pointless for you to look at me like that, May. The boys said they would answer your questions this evening so you'll just have to wait until then." May pursed her lips continuing to look at Shizuru relentlessly. Her cousin sighed and walked passed her and out of the kitchen. May looked down at the table as her mind buzzed with curiosity. Shizuru poked her head back into the kitchen. "Neh, are you coming? I promised Yusuke I would be a distraction for his girlfriend while he works today," she said, shrugging into a windbreaker.

"Might as well," May sighed standing and retrieving her short trench coat and, pulling her boots on hastily, walked out the door after Shizuru. Her cousin locked the door and walked onto the sidewalk looking both ways before choosing the left and continuing. May followed, letting her gaze turn up and seeing that the clouds were drifting across the sky. Following the trail where the clouds became thicker, May saw that another storm seemed to be closing in on their piece of Tokyo.

Her spirit brightened slightly, welcoming the rain. She hated how it always seemed to rain while she was working and trapped inside and so appreciated that the weather had decided to go the way she wished it to. She smiled inwardly remembering one time telling Shizuru how much she loved the rain and the look of disgust she'd received. Shizuru had then complained that it was wet and cold when the storms came through and Kazuma complained that the thunder was too loud. Shizuru had quickly translated that into his having a fear of thunderstorms. May had laughed for quite some time after that, not knowing how someone could be afraid of something so beautiful and magnificent.

Her gaze drifted to Shizuru's back and she tilted her head in thought. Her cousin was a good head or so taller than her with long but thin brown hair. She was tough and usually smoked cigarettes which reminded May. "Hey, Shiz. I haven't seen you smoke once since I've been here," she remarked lightly. Her cousin tossed a look over her shoulder and shrugged.

"I haven't been stressed lately," she responded. So, it's not that she had quit, May thought to herself with a somewhat sad tone. She hated the smell and knew it wasn't good for Shizuru to smoke as much as she did. She also knew it wasn't stress that caused her cousin to smoke. But why, then, would she say such a thing? May observed her quietly and covertly as they reached a crosswalk that they had to wait for. Maybe she was giving it up and didn't want to bring too much attention to it.

The light allowed them to walk and May saw a mall looming before them. She didn't hate malls but they weren't her favorite place either. "We're going to the mall?" she asked dryly, casting a sideways glance at her cousin who shrugged.

"It's where Keiko was going to drag Yusuke so to be a distraction, Keiko needs to be able to continue on with what she'd planned just in different company. I've actually done this a few times, more often as of late it seems but the boys are working on a really tough case currently…" she said trailing off as if to stop the sudden flow of information she was providing May.

May turned her face away irritated by the abrupt appearance and easy dropping of the topic that was currently driving her insane. She continued to watch the people as they walked by before she realized she was unconsciously searching each face as if she would recognize someone. She shook herself mentally and forced her eyes to rest on the mall that was getting closer. There was a shorter-haired brunette looking as though she were waiting for someone right outside of the main entrance. She looked as though she were treading the fine line between crying and getting angry.

"Oi, Keiko!" Shizuru called out which caused the brunette to look up in mild surprise. As the cousins drew closer to her, Keiko began to look suspicious. "Hey, Shizuru, what are you doing here?" she asked, her gaze still casting over the rest of the oncoming traffic. She was still looking for Yusuke, May decided in slight surprise. He hadn't even warned her of the switch. Oh man, this didn't bode well.

"Well, funny you should ask, Keiko but first I'll do some introductions. Keiko this is my cousin, Kuwabara May," Shizuru said with an expression that was torn between pleasant and cautious, pulling May front and center. May tripped slightly but caught her footing again, having to look up a little to see into Keiko's face.

"It's nice to meet you, Keiko," she said politely holding a hand out for her to shake. Keiko looked down at her and shook her hand but May could see she was about to lose it and thus, after the handshake, took a step away from both Keiko and Shizuru.

"Shizuru," Keiko's voice was strangely calm which caused May to look back at her. She let shock take over her features as she watched Keiko opt for the tearful approach. "Where's Yusuke? I haven't seen him this whole week even though he said he'd be back on Sunday!" Keiko was full out crying and Shizuru tried to calm her as May looked around to see faces in the crowd staring at the scene.

"Neh, Shizuru, let's take this somewhere more private," May said starting to feel extremely uncomfortable. Shizuru nodded her head in agreement guiding Keiko gently but swiftly into a small café next to the mall. By the time the three reached the quiet interior, Keiko had controlled her tears enough to leave only an annoying hiccup. May lead the way to a table in the furthest corner near the window and took the chair closest to the window so she could watch the people outside of it. Shizuru and Keiko sat in the other two chairs.

May cupped her chin in her hand as she watched the clouds close in swiftly, listening to Shizuru trying to calm Keiko who was calmer but on the verge of hysterics. Shizuru was telling her that Yusuke had promised to drop by to see her that evening but May, keeping a straight face, smiled to herself for the boy had made no such statement. Her cousin also promised the distraught girl that Yusuke always thought of her even if he didn't always act on it. May restrained her eyes from rolling at the notion of a guy thinking about one particular girl always. She had never come across it and was pretty skeptic about the whole "love" theory.

As she remembered her skepticism cultivated over the years, May saw a girl running into the arms of a man just outside the window. They spoke briefly before they kissed. A small crease formed between her brows at the display of this "love" she'd seen in the movies and read about in books. She blinked, looking away from the "happy couple" and saw that it had started to rain. A strike of lightning lit the sky followed incredibly close by a rumble of thunder.

"The storm must be close by," Shizuru said pulling May's attention back to her company. She looked briefly at Keiko, whose eyes were slightly puffy from her crying and then locked gazes with her cousin.

"I think it would be smart to go back home," May said, "with such a storm as this, it's only a matter of time before the power is knocked out and the mall closes." Shizuru watched her for a moment before nodding.

"I agree. Besides, I don't think any of us feel much like shopping right now," she replied looking over at Keiko. May looked over at the girl too and saw that she was gazing outside. May turned her face then her eyes to see another couple walking by the window, tucked close to each other under an umbrella. Her eyes flickered back to Keiko and she saw the longing in her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she watched the girl sigh rather forlornly before looking up at her. May's eyes flickered back out the window avoiding being caught staring. After a moment more she pushed her chair back from the table and buttoning her coat up the rest of the way she started to walk toward the entrance of the café. She heard Shizuru pop open an umbrella and offer to share it with Keiko.

"What about May?" the girl asked. May simply continued walking a few steps ahead of her two companions.

"She has the strangest inclination to the rain and it doesn't seem to bother her when it soaks her through," Shizuru explained in a determinedly bored voice instead of the distaste she usually regarded May's enjoyment of the rain and a good soak. As they walked, May's hair slowly became saturated; the curls weighed down and clumped together by the rain.

She was quite sure she was as wet as she had been after her shower that morning when she suddenly stopped feeling the drops of water on her head and face. She looked up rather startled into a handsome face with a gentle pair of green eyes. Further investigation revealed a black umbrella held above her and the stranger by his gloved hand. When she'd recovered enough from her shock to speak, another thing hit her. It was the smell of a rose garden but this time washed in rain and the stranger's red hair struck as oddly familiar. If that wasn't enough to confirm it had been the boy from the day before, his spiritual presence sent a shock through her awareness in spite of the fact, she discovered, that he was trying to conceal it.

"Hello, Shizuru told me that I shouldn't offer my umbrella's service to you but I don't think it the best idea for you to catch cold," the red-headed stranger said, his voice matching his eyes in gentle comfort. Something within her told her to get a hold on herself and stop this boy from affecting her so greatly but another piece reacted to him. She was certain she'd only been familiar with him because he had passed by the day before but another sense told her that there was more to it.

She finally found her voice as she said, "She's right. I'd rather not share an umbrella with you, a perfect stranger. Besides," she added tightly, "I've never caught cold by being drenched in the rain."

"Is that so?" he asked, still warmly even though she'd obviously harbored no such warmth toward him. "Well, first my name is Kurama and although you don't know me personally, I've heard about you so we're not perfect strangers and secondly, there is always a first time for everything." He smiled and her senses thrilled at the sight. She shook herself violently, looking away from him and picking up her pace as she caught sight of the Kuwabara residence. He kept pace with her and by the time she reached the door, she had broken into an easy run but he'd kept up with her the whole way.

She wasn't sure how to react and thus kept her eyes away from this Kurama while she waited for Shizuru and Keiko to catch up. She took a place under the eaves, the boy being forced to continue standing in the rain with his umbrella held aloft. "You can leave now," she said rather stubbornly, "Your umbrella's service is no longer needed, desired or not."

"While that may be the case, I'm not planning on leaving. You see, Shizuru invited me to come over and wait for the others to arrive and I've gladly accepted. It's a little cold out here for my tastes," he said, his lips tilted ever-so-slightly the whole time. He paused, the tilt disappearing for a moment before he chuckled lightly.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in his direction.

"It would seem that you've reached your temperature limit, as well," Kurama said lightly. She didn't reply seeing as she was indeed shivering. While walking it wasn't so bad, but standing still after being drenched with a cool breeze moving across the way was far from pleasant. He had the sense not to offer any other "service", she noticed. However, seeing as she couldn't find anything witty to say she just trained her eyes on the toes of her boots and stood shivering until Shizuru and Keiko caught up.

Shizuru glanced at May then at Kurama and staying quiet with raised eyebrows, she unlocked the door and led the way inside. They all removed their jackets and, in the small confines of the entryway, May's elbow bumped into Kurama's and she felt his spirit energy more acutely as always when physical contact was made between her and others. However, his was strange and in a way not as human. She jerked her elbow away and closer to her sides careful not to touch him again as they piled out of the narrow space and into the living room.

It was warm but May had left over goose bumps from the outside chill that combined with her wet hair and vexation to make her quite uncomfortable. She exclaimed in surprise when a towel was thrown at her head and peaking out of the folds of it saw Shizuru regarding her with her bored expression but there was something else just below the surface. "You'll catch cold if you don't dry your hair, May," she said turning away before the younger cousin could read what was different in Shizuru's expression. She set to work obediently towel drying her hair before she paused and saw Kurama watching her. Keiko had followed Shizuru into the kitchen to get some water bowling and left the two alone.

Pulling the towel down to hide her face, May glowered at the fabric as her cheeks warmed from a blush she wasn't used to wearing. She stood up and moved to retreat to the bathroom and use the hair dryer when her clumsiness decided to surface. It had been sometime before she'd truly tripped over something but this time it was actually a certain someone's legs. "Ack!" she cried, being sent sprawling to the ground over Kurama's leg.

"Oh! Are you alright?" he asked grasping her arm to pull her upright. The towel hung halfway off her head as she felt the same shock she'd felt in the entryway. She felt the blush stampede across her face as he pulled her up and, after she was sure her feet were stable under her, she shrugged off his hand rather roughly.

"I'm fine," she grumbled as she stalked off and escaped into the bathroom, not sparing him a glance. With the door securely closed, May ripped the towel the rest of the way off her head and glared at herself, mainly her cheeks, in the mirror. They were quite a brilliant shade of maroon and she turned the faucet on, splashing her face with warm water. Shutting off the water she looked at her dripping face in the mirror as she heard some laughter out in the living room. She sighed and grabbed the nearest towel, drying off her face and forcing herself to calm down.

This wasn't like her at all, she knew, but it couldn't all be this Kurama guy's doing, could it? She numbly unwound the cord of the hairdryer and plugged it in. Turning it on, she meticulously dried her hair letting herself have all the time she needed to regain her senses. When she walked out of the bathroom, she would have control. It startled her when a knock came on the door to the bathroom. She took one more breath before opening it to see Kazuma standing there.

"Oh, Kazuma. You're home," May said.

"Yeah," he responded being uncharacteristically serious. "So, you ready to get your answers?" he asked gruffly. She could see on his face that he really didn't want to tell her but she also knew his "code" also held him to promises. She nodded and followed him out into the living room where she saw Yusuke had joined the party and was being yelled at by Keiko. It would have been comical if May hadn't had all her thoughts trained onto her questions being answered. She ignored the sidelong look from the red head.

"Alright, you guys, it's time to go," Kazuma said before turning toward his bedroom. May let her question show on her face but no one gave her an explanation as they followed Kazuma into his bedroom. She noticed that Keiko and Shizuru were returning to the kitchen which meant only the three boys would be "going" with her.

"You coming, May?" Yusuke asked looking back at her. Kurama and Kazuma were no where in sight. May walked into Kazuma's bedroom to see his closet door ajar but instead of a regular closet, she saw a long walkway with sheer drops on either side into canyons. At the end of the "road" there was a huge building.

"What's this?" May blurted. Her cousin and the aggravating red head had already begun walking up the path and turned at her question. Yusuke grinned and walking her through the door, which closed promptly after they crossed the threshold, gestured an arm at the totally different space. "Welcome to Spirit World."

Casidhe here!

So, I have finally received a review! And then some. I was worried that no one would like this story- in all honesty, I usually do Hiei centered Yu Yu Hakusho fanfictions so this is a new spin for me.

Reviews: CannonRebel

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Thanks you guys! And this was extra long compared to the last chapter... so love me. Baha!

-CB