Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.
The next few days after Hiei had spent the day with me, I was depressed. After that night, Hiei didn't come by at all. By the end of the week, I figured that I had somehow chased him away. I didn't know then why I cared so much, but I did, and I felt lonely and rejected. Maybe that's just because I always felt that way and just didn't realize it before, or maybe I just never met the right person.
"Sea Biscuit, can we talk?" I turned to my door to see my dad standing there.
"Hey, dad," I greeted. "What's going on?"
He cocked his eyebrow at me which confused the hell out of me. "I should ask you the same thing," he replied.
I turned away. I didn't want to talk about what I was going through right now, especially not with my dad of all people. "Nothing much," I lied.
"Your brother said he met a few friends of yours." I stopped what I was doing immediately and froze. "He told me about this one guy in particular, Hiei I think. Who is he?"
Damn it, I thought. It wasn't that my dad got suspicious of me or anything, but I always told him who my friends were and when I made a new one. This was the first time I hadn't said anything. Leave it to my little brother to mention it.
"He said he's your boyfriend," dad continued.
My eyes widened. Oh, hell no. "He's not my boyfriend. He's really just an acquaintance." I know I didn't sound too convincing, but I hoped my dad would drop it. Well, my hope was in vain.
"You've been acting different," he told me. It was true; I had been acting different, but I wasn't going to yield so quickly.
"Not really. I've just been busy. By the way, I'm thinking of going away for the weekend after my first 'propriety lesson.'" I said using air quotes.
"Where?" dad asked.
I shrugged. "Somewhere in the mountains, I guess, where I'll be cut off from all society and can just relax."
Dad hesitated, but he nodded in understanding. That's what I love about my dad. He never suspects me of doing anything wrong, unlike mom.
"Still, you have been acting different." Except he wouldn't let things go when he was worried about me. "Look, I'm not trying to run your life, Sea Biscuit, but I want to make sure that you are happy."
I looked at him sadly. I didn't want him to know that I was depressed because some stranger I barely knew was ignoring me or that I felt somewhat rejected.
"I want to meet him," dad said bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Who?" I asked.
"I want to meet that Hiei person," he replied.
"W-What?" I asked nervously.
"Well, my son has taken a liking to him and it's obvious he did or said something to upset you. I want to see if he really is as great as your brother described. Is that okay?"
I nodded, but said, "I don't want mom to meet him, though. Is there any way we can do this without her knowing?" Dad smiled and nodded. "Okay, then I'll let you know."
Dad seemed okay with my answer and left the room. As soon as he did, I turned around and nearly fell backwards as I was right up against Hiei and shocked at his arrival and distance.
"Don't do that!" I said loudly, though not loud enough for my family to hear.
"Hn. Why does your father want to meet me?" Hiei asked.
"You know how protective dads get." When his brow furrowed, I knew that he didn't know. "I don't know. Dads usually get all protective when they think their daughter is dating."
"But we aren't dating." I don't know why it hurt when he said that, but I brushed it off.
"Yeah, well, my brother told him we were," I said trying to act tough and unaffected. "I never said we were. Why would I want to go out with someone like you, anyway?"
I could tell my statement cut him deeper than his cut me. I swear, I can't say anything right to this guy. I sighed. "Look, I didn't mean it that way. It's just you kind of disappeared on me. I mean, it's not like you owe me an explanation, but it would have been nice to know when you were dropping in so I could at least not be in the middle of a conversation with my dad when you just randomly showed up."
He didn't respond. I honestly don't think he heard me, so I walked up to him and waved my hand in his face. He didn't say or do anything but after a few seconds he grabbed my wrist a little too roughly. I snatched it away from him. "What the hell is your problem?" I snapped. "This is getting frustrating. Everything I do seems to insult you, so just let me know that you're not coming here anymore and we can both go our separate ways until the weekend and I'll just make something up with my dad."
"I'll go," he responded.
"Go where?" I questioned, raising my voice.
"To this…dinner."
I looked at him incredulously. "Why would you come when it's clear you hate me? Why would you want to meet my dad if you don't want anything to do with me and I always seem to insult you?"
He went to the window ready to leave, but stopped when he was kneeling at the ledge. He turned his head slightly to look at me. "There is a lot about me you don't understand." Then he left again.
The next day, I told dad Hiei would be willing to meet him and he suggested we meet somewhere for dinner while mom was visiting a friend. Hiei overheard at the window and came in after dad left again and agreed to it.
"What did you mean, yesterday?" I asked while putting on some jewelry.
"I don't know what you are referring to," he lied.
"'There's a lot about me you don't understand,'" I repeated making him twitch. "What did you mean?"
He was about to say something when my mother appeared in my room, pissed off about something. What else is new?
"Abeline, who is this boy?" she asked. I looked nervously and apologetically over to Hiei.
"He's a friend, mom. Hiei, this is my mom," I introduced, although he already knew.
"And what is he doing in your room?"
I was damned if I told her the truth or not, so I decided to go the moral route.
"Dad wanted to meet him because Sorin met him the other day. Dad said you were visiting a friend tonight. We planned on going out to dinner and Hiei just showed up early."
"Why don't I believe you?" she asked me with venom in her voice. See, damned if I do, damned if I don't. I knew what she was insinuating, but I wouldn't tolerate it.
"Look mother, he's a friend, not a boyfriend. I can have those, you know. I'm not so socially awkward that I can't make a friend."
"A guy friend. You know guys are only after one thing. I don't want him here."
I noticed Hiei tense again and then I figured it out. Took me forever, but it was always when we attacked his character by associating him with other guys. Something must have happened to him that involved someone judging him for his gender and it seemed to have affected him.
"Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" I retorted. "He's my friend and I do want him here, but you…you didn't even knock my door. I could yell, but I'll ask nicely. Kindly get the heck out of my room so I can finish getting ready for dinner. Thanks, now go."
Before I knew it, mom was in my face. "You better watch how you talk to me. I will not tolerate disrespect."
"The day I respect you is the day you stop yelling at me, hitting me, or belittling me," I said darkly. "Until then, I have no respect for someone as rude and uncaring as you. Get out of my room."
Mom was pissed, but I didn't care. After she left the room and slammed the door, I went over to where Hiei was sitting. I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked up at me. The hurt in his eyes was evident and I felt guilty for letting my mom anywhere near him.
"What happened to you?" I asked before I could stop the words from leaving my mouth.
"Nothing happened," he replied.
"Nothing? Hiei, the way you reacted isn't nothing. Something bad happened to you and I want to know what."
"Just let it go, onna," he said.
"I'm not going to let it go. If there's something I did or said that upset you, I need to know why so I can avoid it in the future. What happened?"
"I'm not telling you," he replied. I got pissed off at that and then I said something to try and make a point, even though I didn't believe it.
"Yeah, well, I guess I should expect much from a guy. They're just these cold, unfeeling assholes that keep shit bottled up and then take it out on everyone else. It's guys like that I hate the most."
I regretted what I said as soon as I saw the look on his face. He looked so broken before he sped out of my room. I hadn't meant what I said, but I thought he would snap back at me and tell me just to rub it in my face and make me feel guilty. But instead of throwing it back in my face, he took my words literally and ran away. Instead of making a point, I hurt him worse and that made me feel like the worst person in the world.
Needless to say the dinner never happened and then the weekend came up so quickly. I was hoping Hiei would show up to take me to meet the guys so I could apologize, but I was met with Kurama instead. I had hoped Hiei would get over what I said, but I guess that was pushing in a little.
Kurama drove us to some random area in the mountains and parked the car in the middle of the woods. We ended up near a staircase that led up the mountain. When I saw how many stairs there were, I paled.
"We have to climb ALL those stairs?" I asked.
Kurama just chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yes, but don't worry. Everyone says that the first time they see, but it gets easier as time goes on."
Yeah right, I thought.
As we were climbing, my thoughts drifted to Hiei and everything that had happened earlier in the week. I didn't notice Kurama glance over to me. When he put a hand onto my shoulder, I stopped and looked up to see him frowning in worry.
"What?" I asked.
"I understand what transpired the other night and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Kurama replied.
I looked at him strangely. "Why wouldn't I be okay? Hiei was the one that got insulted, not me."
Kurama frowned and part of me felt like he knew about the fact that I was starting to feel some type of emotional pain in not seeing Hiei. I, myself, was still trying to understand these feelings, so I didn't expect anyone else to figure it out.
"I'm a couple thousand years old, Abeline," he explained as if reading my mind. "I'm not reading your mind, but you facial expressions and energy go through subtle changes and I've had enough life experience to distinguish them."
"So Hiei didn't say anything?" I don't know why I asked, but I did and I wasn't expecting the answer I got.
"No." I was shocked. I figured Hiei couldn't wait to get rid of me after that and turn all his buddies against me. "Hiei doesn't really…communicate…his feelings to anyone, ever." He sighed. "You didn't hear this from me, but I believe Kuwabara said you met Yukina, correct?" I nodded, not really understanding what meeting Yukina had anything to do with this. "Ask her about her brother. I'll let you figure everything else out on your own."
"What is there to find out?" He was really starting to worry me.
"I can't tell you that, Abeline."
"You can call me, Abby, ya know," I murmured.
Kurama smiled. "Alright then, Abby. I can't tell you anymore that this, but I will give this piece of advice. Do not under any circumstances ask Yukina about her brother around Hiei."
"Does Hiei not like her brother?" I asked.
"Something like that," Kurama said, although he sounded sad about this. Okay, at that point, I needed to know.
"Oh, hello, Abby," Yukina greeted. "It's nice to see you again."
I saw Hiei sitting up at a tree. He looked at me for a second with what could only be described as pain before closing his eyes and looking away. It was then I registered what Yukina had said.
"Yes, it's nice to see you again, too, Yukina. Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"
Hiei looked back down again, this time looking curious. I ignored him and followed Yukina into the temple.
What did you say to her, fox? I heard inside my head. I nearly shrieked, but kept my cool as I listened to the mental conversation.
Absolutely nothing. I scoffed. Seriously, what was there to tell?
"What did you want to talk about, Abby?"
"I know this is probably going to seem like a bizarre question, but would you be willing to tell me about your brother?"
Yukina smiled. "So Kurama said something, huh?"
"What's going on?" I asked. "Is there some kind of conspiracy or something going on with your brother?"
Yukina looked outside and I joined her. Hiei was glaring daggers at Kurama.
"He doesn't know I know, but Kurama and Yusuke do," Yukina stated.
"Who doesn't know you know what?" I was seriously getting confused.
Yukina sighed. "I won't give names yet. Kurama probably wants you to figure it out on your own."
"Do you guys like plan the stuff you're going to say or something?"
Yukina laughed. "No silly. Anyway, I have a twin brother." I looked at her skeptically. "We were separated at birth. You see, I am an ice maiden and in our culture, there are no men. Women give birth to one girl every hundred years without any male contact." I wasn't even going to ask how that was possible. "If an ice maiden does mate with a male, then she has a boy, or in my mother's case, a boy and a girl. My brother was seen as a curse, an imiko, and the elders ordered for him to be killed." I blanched. "They forced my mother's friend to toss him from a mountain and he survived, but I didn't meet him until a few years ago after I had gone looking for him and got captured."
"How could they do that to a baby?" I shouted. "He couldn't even defend himself, though he had to be incredibly strong to survive."
Yukina smiled. "Yes, he's very strong, but he doesn't want me to know that he's my brother."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. Yusuke and Kurama haven't told me. All I know is that he needs time before he can bring himself to tell me."
"Why don't you tell him you know?"
"In all honesty," she said with a smile, "I'm trying to protect a friend who told me by accident. I already had a suspicion but she confirmed it and my brother had already threatened her about telling me. I figure he'll tell me when he's ready and then it won't matter HOW I found out."
"Does it bother you that he's forcing everyone to keep it a secret?" I would never be able to forgive someone for doing that to me.
Yukina's smile never faded but it saddened. "No," she replied. "He's had a hard enough life as it is."
She looked back out the window and I leaned against the wall. Hiei was still out there looking up at the sky from the tree. "So…" I said, "what happened to your brother?"
"You're looking at him."
My eyes widened when she said that and I looked to her in shock. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she excused herself. I stared at Hiei for a while longer before Yusuke found me and told me that I had to meet Genkai and train.
I gave Hiei one last glance and then heard something else in my head. Why the hell is this bothering me? I shouldn't care that some human girl hates me. I hate her too…don't I?
Tears almost formed in my eyes and I forced myself not to let any fall. Now I felt guiltier than I had for the last few days. I didn't just insult Hiei, I hurt him deeply and I didn't know how I could convince him that I didn't hate him. At least, not at the moment.