Broken

Chapter 3: Together With You

AN: Since I just want to go ahead and get this chapter out, finally, I won't give any long explanation for this extremely long absence. Let's just say it was a very bad semester in school, and I apologize for the wait. I hope you enjoy Chapter three of Broken! ON WITH THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own the idea for this story and the OC's in it.

Oh…and one more thing I may not have made clear in the chapters before this

Well…On with chapter Two!

"talking"

'thinking'

~Flashback~

Last Time on Broken.

"Bye Daddy. You don't have to worry anymore 'cause I've got someone to take care of me now." She gave one last look at the stone then turned and walked away. She would never forget him, but right now she had a life to live. She had to be strong for her mother, Hiei, herself, and for her father. She had to be strong. And she would.

Present.

~Five Years Later~

"See ya later Kagome!"

Three feminine voices chorused over the loud noised of Tokyo. A young, teenage girl was seen separating from a group of three girls, around the same age, only stopping to wave a farewell to her three apparent friends.

"Bye Eri, Yuka, Ayumi! See you at school Monday," the young girl, now known as Kagome, yelled back before turning and continuing to walk at a leisurely pace towards her home at Sunset Shrine on the edge of town.

The 13 year old walked, along the sidewalk, staring ahead of her. She seemed to be paying attention, however, if you knew her well enough you would be able to tell differently. From her glazed over eyes and blank expression it was clear that she was deep in thought.

Her raven locks glided around her figure, gracefully, despite their, normally, unruly state. A few strands danced across her face unnoticed. Her black sneakers made soft, patting noises against the concrete of the sidewalk as she walked. She wore form-fitting jeans and a green t-shirt with black designs. A dark gray messenger bag was slung over her shoulder, bouncing slightly against her hip as she walked.

The world around her seemed to just flow by as she was currently thinking about a certain short, (though only to other people, since she was still an inch or two shorter than him) spiky-haired youkai friend of hers. Of course, Hiei wasn't aware that she knew of him being a youkai. She had been taught by her grandfather how to tell a youkai from a ningen, by the feel of their aura, through her miko abilities. Of course, all her grandfather had to teach her with were some old demonic relics with barely enough of an aura remaining to preserve them. Her grandfather, a Shinto priest from a very long line of priests, was always trying to teach Kagome the old ways. Kagome listened and learned well but always pretended to blow off her grandfather's belief that youkai were still around in this day and age. And she certainly wouldn't tell the paranoid old priest that her best friend, whom had been coming in and out of their home for six years, was indeed a demon. And, of course, her grandpa was none the wiser.

Kagome had never mentioned to Hiei that she was aware of him being a demon, opting to wait for him to tell her…to truly trust her enough. Kagome had no doubt that Hiei trusted her, especially after being friends for six years, but she also knew that deep down he was reluctant to truly trust a ningen with his secret.

As she walked, she subconsciously raised her hand up towards her neck to clutch something dangling delicately around her neck. The chain and the actual locket were a beautiful black gold. The long chain reached around her neck to end in a two inch oval-shaped locket. On the front of the locket was a gorgeous ruby red rose, detailed so precise it almost looked real. This was her greatest treasure. Hiei had given it to her three years before on her tenth birthday. She was hardly ever seen without it, and if she had it her way she would never have to take it off.

As she continued to think about her dark friend a faint blush bloomed across her cheeks. Hiei had, undoubtedly grown more handsome over the years, and because of his youkai blood he now looked to be about sixteen years old. She knew that he must be spending a lot of his time training, when he was not with her, especially due to a new physique consisting of hard, defined muscles, covering a slim frame. However, to Hiei's great chagrin, they were still the same height. Which wasn't impressive at all, being that they were both a good, strong, 5'5".

Besides that, two years ago he had started wearing a bandage around his forehead, and another around his right arm. At first she had thought he had been injured, until he had shrugged it off saying it was nothing she should concern herself with. Then, she had noticed the demonic aura surrounding both the bandage on his forehead, as well as the one on his arm, and had left it alone after that.

Along with all of these physical changes to her youkai friend, he had also gotten a new job about a year before. He would never tell her what he did specifically, being extremely vague on the details. However, he didn't seem to enjoy his job at all. He was almost constantly being called away by his boss, and therefore was spending less and less time with her. Their meetings had went from several times a week, to once a week, then once every two weeks, once a month, and finally, once every three months, sometimes longer. He would still come to see her on holidays and her birthday, though, and it meant, to her, more than he would ever know.

There were times when she suspected, many times in fact, when he didn't come see her that he wasn't really away on work. Maybe he had made new friends, or found someone to be with. The latter thought always caused her chest to tighten suspiciously, and her breath to catch for a moment before she pushed the feelings down. If he had found someone, or had simply gotten new friends, then she should be happy for him.

…Right?

And it wasn't like she hadn't made any new friends. In fact, now that she was in junior high, she seemed to have made several friends that she hung out with frequently. None, however, compared to Hiei.

In any case, she refused to get in the way of any happiness Hiei may have found away from her. Though it hurt that she wasn't able to see him much anymore, she never mentioned anything to her mysterious friend. She would take anything he would give, and would not push him for more than he was willing to give on his own.

Even through all this change, and their less-frequent meetings, one thing stayed the same. It was kind of like a silent vow between the two of them, that every year they would meet in their spot in the beautiful field she had shown him all those years ago. They would sit together in the same, big, sakura tree, just like when they were kids. Sometimes, they would talk about their lives (well, mainly she would talk and he would listen, silently, with her trying to urge some answers about of her silent companion about what was going on in his life), or they would simply sit in a companionable silence and listen to the world around them until dusk came and it was time to retreat. It was always different, every year, but no matter what they were doing, or how the weather was, they would always meet at that spot, on that day, and Kagome looked forward to that meeting almost three hundred and sixty four days out of the year.

After walking for some time Kagome suddenly stopped, her body turning slightly to her left, and directed her gaze upward from where she had been gazing ahead. She was jarred from her thoughts when she finally realized where she was, and why her body had subconsciously stopped moving forward.

Blinking, a pretty blush once again spread across her cheeks, as she stared up the humongous set of stairs ahead of on her right. She smiled to herself, sheepishly, and absently scratched her cheek with her index finger. She gave a small chuckle at her tendency to be oblivious to the world around her when she was thinking about her friend.

The blush still remaining, she began her trek up the ridiculously long set of stairs. The ridiculously long set of stairs that, coincidentally, led to her home: Higurashi Shrine, known more commonly as Sunset Shrine. However, due to living at the shrine for her entire life, the three hundred and eighty seven stairs didn't really bother her, physically. Though, she still gave a small sigh of resignation each time she came to the bottom of the steps.

After about five minutes of climbing the stairs she finally reached the top, walked ahead a few yards, and stopped to absorb her surroundings. Something about her home had always seemed to put her at peace. And after the "training" her grandfather had given her for her miko abilities, she discovered that it was the extremely peaceful aura the shrine gave off.

Sunset Shrine was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, and was surrounded on three sides by a dense forest- one of the largest forests left in Japan.

Once you reach the top of the stairs there is a huge courtyard, stretching from the steps to a large, traditional shrine-building, looking, for all its worth, as if it were built hundreds of years ago.

Connected to the main shrine by a long hallway stretching off to the right was a fairly large storage building, slightly smaller than the main shrine- in it was her grandfather's many scrolls and other priceless artifacts that had accumulated over the centuries.

A ways behind the shrine, and off to the right, is a two story house with more modern qualities to it. This was where she actually lived with her family, and though it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other, more ancient buildings, it still seemed to just… fit.

All of these things, however, can be found in any other Shinto shrine in Japan. At the Higurashi Shrine, though, there was one distinguishing factor. To the left of the stairway and off a ways, proudly stood the very thing that made her shrine, her home, so special. The Goshinboku, or "God Tree", was, undoubtedly, over a thousand years old. It stood about as tall, maybe even taller, than a certain special sakura tree, though it was not nearly as wide. The big tree put off a peaceful, calming aura, which engulfed the entire shrine.

Not too far from the Goshinboku, to the left, stood a small building. In it stood an ancient well, boarded up at the opening, and said to be hundreds of years old itself, and crafted from one of the large limbs from the Goshinboku.

Stopping her mental tour of her home, with a small shake of her head and a fond smile, Kagome began her trek across the courtyard and to her home in the back.

Halfway across the large cobblestone courtyard she suddenly stopped, her head jerking to the left, in the direction of the Goshinboku. A bright smile lit her face as she spotted the dark figure leaning against the tree. Dropping her backpack to the ground carelessly she bolted quickly towards the figure, yelling his name gleefully.

"Hiei!"

Hiei stood from leaning against the tree and braced himself for the familiar greeting that he had, by now, become accustomed to. A small smirk had been playing at his lips, but it changed into a small, but genuine, smile as Kagome launched herself into the arms of her friend, laughing happily the whole while.

As he gently wrapped his arms around his best friend, (well, technically, only friend, if you didn't count the fox) guilt slightly overwhelmed him as he thought of how little time he had been spending with her.

His new "job" as a Spirit Detective gave him a very limited amount of time to come see her, due to all the long missions they were being sent on. Hiei didn't know how it would work if his missions got any longer.

The whole situation was made even worse by the fact that he couldn't tell her what his real job was, and he definitely couldn't tell her the reason for him being forced to work for that stupid toddler. He knew she would be disappointed with him and, even though he would never admit it to anyone- let alone himself -on pain of death, he hated to see her sad. As a matter of fact, if anyone he knew saw him with her at this moment they would most likely go into to shock.

Hiei gently released her as she stepped back to examine him for any obvious changes since they'd last met. He took the time to examine her as well.

In seven years Kagome had grown a lot from the scrawny little girl she used to be. She was just below his chin in height now (which caused him to smirk and Kagome to pout when she noticed "It's only been a month!") and her black locks now reached the small of her back. By now all of her baby fat was gone, giving her a slightly athletic appearance, complete with long legs and a slim waist. Around her neck, dangled the beautiful pendant he had found and given to her on her birthday a few years back. Overall, she looked beautiful. 'For a human.' He reminded himself stubbornly.

He brought his attention back to her and noticed she was fidgeting under his gaze. A small smirk tugged at his lips and he turned his head away with a small "Hn." Kagome suddenly brightened and let out a small giggle at the "word" she had come accustomed to over the years.

Kagome grabbed Hiei's unresisting hand and drug him along to the house, grabbing up her discarded backpack along the way. She pulled him along the courtyard, not releasing his hand until she reached the entrance to her home. Opening the door she stepped inside and removed her shoes stepping aside for Hiei to follow her example.

Suddenly, a cheerful woman, seeming to be in her mid-thirties poked her head out of the threshold to a room to the left of the duo. She smiled brightly when she spotted the teens.

"Oh! Welcome home Kagome! Hello Hiei, good to see you!" exclaimed the overly cheerful Mrs. Higurashi.

"Hey Mom!" replied Kagome as she set her backpack down and walked into the living room, plopped down on the couch, and picked up the remote to begin flipping through the channels.

"Hn." replied Hiei to the matronly lady, receiving a bright smile and a shooing motion in the direction Kagome disappeared. He walked into the large cozy family room and leaned against the armrest of the couch nearest to his friend's head.

Mrs. Higurashi, Kun-Loon, stood at the threshold of the living room, smiling knowingly to herself as she watched the pair.

Kagome glanced over at her mother and a thought struck her. "Hey Okaa-san, can Hiei stay for dinner? He hasn't been over for a while. Please?" For extra measure Kagome made her eyes into big, watery pools and then her bottom lip jutted out and trembled pathetically.

Hiei stared down at his sly friend in slight amusement. She had used the same technique on him several times before and he had fallen for it every time. It's rather infuriating the power she can have over him.

Kun-Loon just smiled and shook her head at her daughter's antics. "Of course he can! Hiei is always welcome here. I'll go and set another place at the table." With that said she left the room and disappeared back towards the kitchen.

When Kagome turned her attention back to her dark friend she was met with an intense stare and a raised eyebrow. She blushed and grinned at him sheepishly. "So…do you want to stay for dinner?" She laughed nervously and mumbled a small apology.

"Hn. Yes." was his curt response. Kagome smiled brightly at him before returning to flipping the channels. She eventually settled for a good American horror movie called The Grudge. She preferred the original Japanese version, but this would have to do.

About two hours later Kun-Loon returned to inform them that dinner was ready. The scene she came upon made her freeze and smile softly at the two. Hiei had eventually moved from his spot on the armrest to sit beside Kagome on the couch. Said girl was currently curled up into his side, head tucked under his chin, and Hiei's arm was slung protectively around her small shoulders. Both of their eyes were closed and their breathing even, indicating sleep.

Knowing that dinner would get cold if she waited any longer, Kun-Loon loudly cleared her throat. She could already hear Jii-san and Souta moving around upstairs and preparing to come down for dinner. She hoped to save the two teens from the embarrassing remarks and interrogations that were sure to come if they were discovered by the two "men" of the house.

Hiei's eyes snapped open from the noise, not yet realizing his position as he reflexively aimed a fierce glare at the cause of the disturbance. The glare faded when he realized it was just Kagome's mother standing there with her overly cheerful smile and a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Confusion soon replaced anger as Hiei wondered at what she was smiling about this time. A slight shifting movement from his left side brought his attention to the now waking Kagome whom, as it would seem, managed to snuggle into his side some time during the movie.

His left arm was currently draped around her shoulders, probably in an unconscious gesture, and her head rested on the side of his chest with her slim arms wrapped comfortably around his middle. A small, almost unnoticeable blush appeared on Hiei's cheeks as Kagome stirred and her dazzling sapphire eyes fluttered open.

As Kagome slowly woke, the first thing she noticed was that she was not in her bed, let alone her bedroom, and she was indescribably warm. Snuggling a bit closer to the warmth next to her she peered around her confusedly, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes.

As she started to get a grip on her surroundings she spotted her mother standing in the doorway to the living room wearing one of her too-bright smiles and had a creepy look in her eye. Shaking off the chill that crept up her spine, Kagome finally decided to concentrate on the source of her current warmth.

Her eyes slowly, cautiously traveled upwards until Kagome came, literally, face-to-face with Hiei, their noses only inches apart. The teens stared dumbly at each other for several minutes until a bright flash brought them back down to earth. Their attention simultaneously snapped towards the small Kodak camera held within the small hands of Kun-Loon. She smiled at them innocently, spoke something quickly to them about dinner being ready before rushing out of the room occupied by two glaring/blushing teens.

Kagome slowly lifted herself off of Hiei, laughing nervously. She looked back up at him, blushing profusely. "Heh, heh, sorry about that Hiei."

Hiei stared at her indifferently for a few minutes before turning his head away with a small scoff and a quiet 'Hn.' He stood to go towards the dining room pulling Kagome up with him. He turned and walked off towards the wonderful smell of udon coming from the kitchen/dining area.

Kagome stood still for a few minutes with a gentle smile on her lips and a faraway look in her eyes. Her thoughts were currently occupied by her handsome demon friend whom she had only a few moments ago been able to "cuddle" with.

'Hiei,' her smile turned slightly bitter and wistful, 'one day I'll tell you.'

"Kagome! Come on!" She could hear her mother yelling to her, breaking her from her train of thought.

"Coming!" she responded, walking to the door with the same smile lingering on her lips.

'One day…'

AN: Hey everyone! Well, there is the long-awaited chapter three. Sorry for the long wait.

I have to thank everyone for your reviews and PMs on this one. This is my most popular story so far, even though it is the slowest to be updated. (hehe…ducks and runs from rotten veggies) Again I apologize for that. Thank you everyone for sticking with me on this, I'll try to get the next chappie out a bit quicker.

PLEASE R&R!