I spent the next few hours mulling in my head the fact that I spent half my life in "captivity" as Yusuke so elegantly put it. I felt like a fish then and I still did... yes, I know mermaids are part fish... we are also part human too. Suck it. I sighed and leaned forward onto my forearms as a warm breeze filled the room. The sun was high in the sky and my mind started to drift to what it would feel like to walk among Yukina and Botan and Keiko while shopping downtown while the sun is high in the sky. I dozed off like that when I heard a soft knock from behind me. I turned and noticed Kurama was walking around the water with a tray. He sits down on the edge and setting the food down in front of me. I smiled at him and he smiled back causing his eyes to twinkle in the light. I look down at the bowl and notice chicken and something small and white... it looked fluffy.

"What's that?" I say pointing to the bowl.

"Herb roasted chicken and jasmine rice. I made it myself."

"What's rice?" I ask looking back at Kurama.

His eyes open wider as if surprised and he smiles.

"Try it." was all he said.

I narrow my eyes at him and pick up my chopsticks and the bowl. I take a bite still watching him. It is fluffy and warm and my eyes widen as I look at the bowl. Kurama chuckles as I start to shovel food in my mouth. I sigh and set the bowl and chopsticks down and blush.

"I was hungry." I say softly causing him to chuckle again.

"You do not know much about this world."

I stopped and started to fidget. It wasn't a question and I know it wasn't in jest. He seemed to notice, and his smile dropped into a frown.

"I don't know about this world. I don't know foods or drinks, I don't know the shopping and fun the girls refer too." I say softly looking at Kurama as my eyes start to get all misty

"Who taught you how to read?" He asks leaning back brushing his elbow against mine.

I would have pulled back, but it felt nice. He was turning into someone I knew I would be able to trust. I trusted the girls, but they don't know the details that the others knew like living conditions and how Yukina was spot on when she mentioned me being stuck in the tank by a window. I wanted to spare them my details. I didn't want them to change how they saw me nor was I going to let it define me. I shook my head slightly and looks back out the window.

"There was this... demon. He was like a servant. He was the one assigned to watch me, I guess you could say. Make sure I didn't try to escape and made sure I ate and whatever. He was really nice. Well nicer than those there. He started bringing books and one day I had asked him what he was doing. I didn't really care but I was tired of running in my head at how to get out. He told me he was reading and when I asked him what that was, I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head," I started to giggle softly and looked up at Kurama. "He said he would bring in a book and teach me. And the next day he snuck in a book and he would sit against the glass and started teaching me how to read. He said it only took me a month to learn. We exchanged stories. He told me about his sister and that I remind him of her. One night he came in and handed me chicken and told me he left the bones in. I took them out and sharpened them again my tank. He came up with a plan he said. Told me to let him know what I was done. I did and he called for another guard saying there was something wrong. The other demon came in and got close to my tank and I jumped out stabbing him. Then he helped me to the door and called for the last remaining guard and when the guard came in, I stabbed him too. The demon picked me up and took off telling me he was breaking me out. We got all the way to the edge of the forest when we realized we were surrounded. He told them he was leaving with me and they couldn't hurt me anymore. That was the trip that HE made out. He was worse the Ryo, colder and more deadly. He said his name once when he appeared behind Ryo. He... he told the humans to shoot. The demon turned away in time to protect me. I hit my head when we fell. All I remember is the blood. There was so much. I never knew if any of it was mine or not. I passed out."

Kurama listened intently and watched me but not really there.

"Did you feel any pain when you woke up?" He asked soflty.

I shook my head no. "They used to give me this nasty bright pink liquid that would heal me instantly. So, I figured I was given that when they brought me back." I replied.

Ya know, emotions are strange things. Sometimes they hit you as surely as you hit a wall, or they just disappear completely. Sometimes you feel one emotion so intensely that it has your insides exploding, while other times your begging to feel anything at all like pain or hurt. I felt everything and nothing at this point. This was a story I was hoping to never repeat but it felt nice for someone else to know about the darker days. Your life is colored whether you know it or not, bright colors for good times and good memories and darker colors for less desirable things. Mine was a storm of dark colors. I've only had pieces of bright since being rescued, this might be one of them. There was a soft breeze that passed through the room again and a leaf blew with it. I followed the leaf and looked behind me and met those crimson eyes again. The leaf blew past him and the breeze ruffled his hair. His eyes flashed emotion his eyes softening then growing to the normal hardness when he looked at Kurama who was smirking at him. I glanced between them knowing I was missing something. Hiei let out a low growl as Kurama chuckled again. Hiei promptly turned away and stalked out. I noticed he wasn't wearing the cloak like he was before. He was wearing a cut off light blue shirt. I watched his shoulders and back move with the swing of his arms. He reminded me of a cat, stealthy and quiet but extremely deadly. I glance back at Kurama raising my eyebrow. He shakes his head chuckling.

"He was making sure that I wasn't doing anything bad to you." He says.

"Why would he care?" I ask turning to him and plopping my chin to read on my hand.

"You intrigue him." He says smiling fondly.

I cock my head to the side.

"You're not someone he's ever encountered. You made him feel bad. And when he looks at you, he kicks himself every time. That is unheard of for Hiei."

It took me a few moments to process this information. I smiled when it sunk in. He sounded like a child. And not in a bad way.

"Why is that unheard of and how old is he anyway?"

"Well no doubt Yukina told you about the secret but he's 105. Hiei doesn't like anyone. He has more recently considered us his friends. He's always been a loner and has had a rough type like almost like yourself. And finding people who understand him is rare. That's why you intrigue him. He knows that fear you feel around us, but he couldn't show it. I would say that if I wasn't sitting her already talking to you then he would be. He has a good heart. We all know it, but he needs someone who can show him that. Whether they be a friend or otherwise." Kurama says the fondness in his voice only growing stronger.

It made me a little sad that I had no one left to talk about me like that but happy because maybe I could just find my new home here.

"You guys have been through a lot together?"

"We all have yes. I've known Hiei the longest. Not to sound cliché, but we saved the world together more than a few times." Kurama says biting his lip.

I open my eyes up wider and start cracking up.

"Did you wear your underwear outside of your pants too?" I say not able to control my laughter.

He clearly wasn't expecting that comment because he, too, is bent over laughing. Our laughter apparently had carried because Yukina and Yusuke, and Kuwabara walk in looking at us like one of us is a bug from the Makai.

"What's all the laughing about?" Yusuke asks.

I try to settle down which puts into a fit of giggles as Kurama wipes under his eyes shaking his head. I take a deep breath and smile at Yusuke trying to not look at Kurama again.

"You had to be there." I say. Yusuke's jaw drops and me and Yukina start giggling as he mumbles and walks away.

Kuwabara flashes a smile and chuckles and follows Yusuke. Yukina comes and sits on the edge and Kurama flashes her a warm smile also of fondness. Kurama picks up the tray and stands up excusing himself and shooting me another smirk before leaving me and Yukina alone.

"How are you feeling Eve?" She asks as I swim up to her.

"I feel... better. " I say smiling brightly.

"Did Kurama talk to you?"

"Yeah and honestly I needed it. And you were right. I don't think this ragtag little family would ever hurt anyone."

What I didn't realize was, that statement was going to be proven wrong. But what also would be proven was just how far I had come in a short amount of time...