A/N: I figured I would get an update out tonight, since I have a busy week ahead of me. Work more nights during the week than usual, a wake... Fun stuff. Anyways, Thanks for the one review I got (Yay for AbyssTales!), I really appreciate the comments and am glad that I have done a good job keeping Hiei in character. I think it gets harder as the story goes on, especially since there isn't really much indication of how he would behave in a relationship. Also, I really don't want to be that person who won't update unless they receive a certain amount of reviews, but it has crossed my mind. I like reviews... So yeah. It's been on my mind. But here is the next chapter. I'm hoping this one is enough to get some feedback, since this is probably one of my favorites that I have written for this story so far. Hope you all enjoy!

Hiei frowned at the sounds he heard coming through Mai's open window. The woman was definitely crying, and he felt a slight pang in his chest at the realization. Whatever happened had upset her a great deal; it sounded like she had the world resting on her shoulders.

Quickly, he jumped up and perched on the sill of her open window. She was not in her bedroom, but the sound of her sobs was close by. His eyes moved to her bathroom door and his frown became more pronounced. Did he stroll into her bathroom and make sure she was alright? Did he pretend he had never been there and come back later, hopefully when she was less teary? Or did he wait in her bedroom for her to come out and let her take it from there?

He had not yet decided when he legs sprang into action, jumping off the window sill and carrying him toward the closed door. The fire demon reached for the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, revealing a bathroom tiled and painted in various shades of blue. In front of the full length mirror hung on the wall knelt Mai, face in her hands. She did not seem to notice that he was there, or else she chose to ignore him. Slowly, the demon stepped forward and stopped beside her. His hand reached out, but paused nervously over her head, unsure of what to do. Finally, he rested it on her shoulder, earning him a watery gasp of reply.

Mai turned her head around to gaze up at him with eyes that were ringed with red. He sank to his knees beside her, leveling them. Her eyelashes looked heavy and dark, with moisture clinging to the ends. Her face was flushed and appeared a bit clammy. She seemed surprised to see him, although Hiei had to admit he was surprised at himself for coming to comfort her.

"H-Hiei?" she stuttered. Her voice was slightly hoarse and her throat sounded dry.

Offering a small nod in response, he increased the pressure of his hand on her shoulder. The way he looked at her was not with contempt for her weakness or pity or any other emotion she could have expected from someone who just found her crying on the floor of her bathroom. It was steady, calculating, caring even. He did not ask questions, and in fact remained perfectly still as if waiting for her to make the next move.

She sniffed and felt the pressure behind her eyes that meant more tears were about to burst forth. All she wanted in that moment was to know that she wasn't alone, stuck with the burden of threats, of being controlled and of the lives which were balancing on her actions. She wanted to be assured that Kazai's words were wrong, that she should feel nothing less than what she had when she had woken up that morning. But she didn't want to ask Hiei to validate any of those things to her, and settled for taking comfort in not being alone at that moment, a pathetic mess cowering in her bathroom.

Hiei was startled when the blonde threw her arms around his neck, pitching forward to lean against his chest. She made no sound, but he could feel her body shaking against his with the force of her tears. The fire demon had not the faintest inkling of what had shaken her so much, nor what he should do. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a vanity behind him. Slowly, he sat back on the floor and leaned against the oak front of the vanity, pulling Mai along with him. Letting his body just move instead of thinking, he eased her forward until she was curled sideways in his lap. Her hand curled around a fistful of his shirt in a tight grip, but still she said nothing.

Aside from the crying, Hiei found he liked the position he was in. Mai's small body fit against him perfectly so that she could perch in his lap and lean against his chest, the top of her head tucked beneath his chin. His body wrapped around her, arms holding her there securely, protecting her from anything that could hurt her. His need to protect and defend was heightened, and, he realized, so was his sense of possession. That could only spell trouble, but for the time, the fire apparition ignored the implications of his feelings and closed his eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed before Mai's tears had begun to subside. It must have been a while, because his back was beginning to feel stiff. At some point, his hand had found its way into her soft honey locks and was resting at the base of her neck. His black shirt was soaked through, and her body trembled against his as if she had no energy left in her.

"I'm sorry," she murmured finally.

"For what?"

"Being weak."

"It's okay, onna."

Mai felt a few more tears squeeze between her tightly closed eyelids at the acceptance and lack of anger in his response. She should have felt vulnerable, horrified at what had transpired. True, she felt embarrassed, but it was somehow alright. Hiei had been there for her and sat, comforting her still, not judging her for her frailties.

Realizing how much he had given her that afternoon, she sighed, "Thank you."

She didn't know what pushed her to do it – it was impulsive, and perhaps a terrible idea – but she tilted her chin up and pressed her lips to his.

Hiei's mind went blank almost as soon as their lips touched. He felt suddenly feral, animalistic. His lips moved roughly against hers, marking them as his to ravage. His hand at the back of her neck pulled her closer, intensifying the kiss. She let him do it, giving in to the force of his movements and the feeling of being wanted.

She felt his tongue flick across her bottom lip and was surprised that he was asking for entrance, not just taking it. Her lips parted in acquiescence and his tongue pushed between them. He explored her mouth and raised his free hand to cup her face. A thumb beneath her chin guided her to an angle better suited for the navigation of his surprisingly lithe appendage. It was as if he wanted to feel every inch of her, like it was imperative for him to do so.

The soft, almost inaudible moan that escaped Mai's throat brought Hiei back down from the high he had been riding since the first brush of their lips. He was doing everything he told himself he would not do. He was growing closer to the woman, succumbing in to his desires and his instincts, and dammit he thought he was starting to feel something more than that.

Mai's eyes flew open when Hiei pulled away suddenly. She had just barely registered that he had stood up when he was gone, leaving her alone, dazed and even lonelier than before.

"Kurama."

The addressed redhead looked up from his seat on the couch, reading a book. He was in the apartment that Koenma had provided the boys and had been lost in his reading when the bark of Hiei's voice brought him back. His emerald eyes surveyed the fire demon carefully, noting that the shorter man seemed incredibly irate and disoriented.

"What is it, Hiei?"

Hiei walked toward him but did not take a seat in the arm chair near the couch, opting to pace in front of Kurama. He did not say anything for a long while. Kurama watched him, perching his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together into a net for his chin to rest on.

"How is it possible for me to have been so fucking moronic?"

The fox demon watched as, finally, Hiei sunk into the arm chair and turned weary crimson eyes to his friend.

"Did something happen with Mai?"

"You better not laugh, you damned fox," Hiei snarled in warning.

All seriousness, Kurama replied, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"We kissed."

The red head leaned back into the couch and raised a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "And what is the problem with that?"

"I do not want a woman."

"True, you do not want a woman, Hiei," Kurama began sagely. "You want this woman. The one which you probably just ran away from."

The other demon growled in anger, "No, Kurama, I do not want a woman. Any woman. No matter how fucking attractive she is."

"Oh?"

The dark haired demon bit back a retort and looked down at the carpet in thought. "I don't know anymore."

His honesty surprised Kurama, though he quickly recovered. "Maybe you need to figure that out."

"I need to get away," Hiei muttered. He needed to think, and his ability to do so decreased greatly around Mai.

The red head was silent for a minute, contemplative. "Do what you must, Hiei, but remember the competition and definitely mind Mai's feelings."

Hiei gave no indication that he had heard before flitting away.

Hiei had not shown up for practice in three days. In fact, Mai had not seen the fire demon since he had left her alone in her bathroom. She wondered if she had stepped a boundary that should never have been crossed. Had she undone all the progress they had made and ended up somewhere even worse than they had been after their first meeting? At the time, he had seemed to be into it. How else could he have kissed her like that? How could he have made her feel everything she had felt?

Mai knew from the very beginning that she was attracted to the fire demon, but what she hadn't counted on was developing feelings for him. She had no idea how it could have happened or when over the few weeks they had known each other, but without him around, it became incredibly obvious. She missed him, wondered if he was safe, and worried that he wouldn't come back. Her mind often strayed to the kiss they had shared and she thought about the emotions he had evoked in her. Mai had feelings for the fire demon, no matter if she was aware of their development or not, and now she worried that they had put everything in jeopardy.

The other boys were doing very well in their dancing and had begun to learn the first one that would actually be performing at the competition.

"Okay, so round one is going to literally be at a club. That means club music, club style all the way," the blonde explained, pushing Hiei from her mind. "Kurama, have you been feeling any more comfortable with club etiquette?"

The red head chuckled and admitted, "I don't think I will ever fully accept it, but I believe I have been getting better at faking it."

"Good," she replied, smiling.

With that, she began going through the choreography of each boys'dance individually, and as they practiced, the others would give input on what they felt would look better or what was working well. The camaraderie that had developed was great and was almost enough to drive Mai's other troubles completely from her mind. However, each issue festered in some deep corner of her brain, rising to conscious thought every so often. From the concerned looks she sometimes received from her friends, she knew it must have been affecting her behavior, but she didn't know if she could talk to them about it or if she even should. Somehow, she didn't think Hiei would want everyone to know that she had kissed him.

"Yo, Mai, what's been eating you?" Yusuke asked around a mouthful of noodles and chicken.

"Nothing," she replied, but the Spirit Detective knew it was a lie. She was terrible at telling those.

"C'mon, dancing queen, there's gotta be somethin' wrong. You haven't been yourself lately and you aren't eating anything," Yusuke pointed out. When he earned no reply, he asked, "Has it gotta do with Hiei's vanishing act?"

Mai looked at him, surprised. It occurred to her suddenly that no one had even mentioned the fact the Hiei hadn't been around; they all acted like everything was normal, like it was something they were used to. She figured they probably were, and wondered vaguely why she hadn't noticed before.

"So it is the shrimp that's got you down?" Yusuke continued.

"Yes, among other things," Mai answered truthfully. As an after-thought, she added, "But I suppose mostly Hiei."

"What's up?"

Mai looked at the young man across the table from her with calculating eyes. Kuwabara was a good friend, fun to hang out with and to have around in tense situations. Kurama was a good friend to really talk to, to converse about anything academic, philosophical or troubling. He was a friend to confide in and to go to when you needed to be leveled, to see more clearly and to think things through logically. But Yusuke, he was a friend she felt she could tell mostly anything to and he wouldn't pass judgment. He wouldn't tell her what to do and would let her feel the way she felt without trying to alter her way of thinking on the matter. He listened and consoled and would protect her if push came to shove from any threat, physical or emotional. Sort of like she imagined a big brother would be.

"When he came over to guard me a few nights ago," she began slowly, "He found me in my bathroom, crying."

"You cry?" Yusuke interrupted and got a swift kick to the shin beneath the table. "Okay, okay, go on!"

"I was surprised that he didn't leave or at least tell me to get over myself. Then I was even more surprised when he… he tried to comfort me."

"Woah, the shrimp tried to console someone? What the hell did he say?"

"Nothing, he just… held me and let me cry." Her cheeks heated up spectacularly at the admission and Yusuke's jaw dropped in shock.

"He initiated physical contact?"

"Prolonged physical contact," she nodded. "And then, when I was feeling a bit better, I… Oh, I don't know what got into me, Yusuke, but I- I kissed him!"

Her hands flew to her face in embarrassment, so she did not see her friend's reaction, only heard his incredulous splutter. Continuing from behind her fingers she whispered, "And he kissed back."

They fell into silence. It felt like hours to Mai. Eventually, her face cooled down a bit and she lowered her hands to her lap. She watched them tremble for a few minutes until she heard Yusuke speak up, "How was it?"

"By far the best kiss of my life," she mumbled.

"So, let me guess," Yusuke began, leaning back in his chair. His arms were crossed behind his head, his bowl of noodles sitting forgotten in front of him. "Hiei realized what he was doing and ran the hell off and you haven't seen him since?"

"Exactly. I… I don't know what I did. If someone had given me that situation as a hypothetical, I'd have laughed and called them crazy because that would never fly with Hiei, but on some freak chance it did, then yeah, he would run away as fast as he could. But when it was happening, I just felt… he made me feel-" she stopped, unsure of whether she should continue. Yusuke waved her on lazily, but his eyes told her he cared a lot about what she was trying to say. "He made me feel like I wasn't alone, like I mattered. Hiei made me feel wanted and… and safe."

"You like him," the Spirit Detective stated after a moment.

"Yes," she blushed again.

"And since you like him, that's why you've been wigging out about the whole thing?"

"Yeah, I mean, was he really not impressed with the kiss? Does he think it was a mistake? Did he leave because he never wants to risk something so terrible happening again? Did I ruin the beginnings of a friendship we had finally managed? Will he ever come back?" She paused before continuing, "Besides concerns over what we will do if he doesn't come back to dance in the competition."

"Well, Mai," Yusuke responded slowly, picking his chopsticks back up, "I have no idea what Hiei is thinking right now, but I have never known him to show any interest in a woman before. If he kissed you like that… I wouldn't lose all hope in him. As for the competition, if he is too stupid to come back, even for an awesome girl like you, then I guess the rest of us will just work harder and sweep the floor with those other lame ass dancers."

Mai laughed at that and felt that maybe, just maybe, Yusuke was right. Maybe there was hope.