A/N: Hey guys! I was honestly pretty disappointed that I go no reviews on the last chapter. I hope that wasn't an indication that it wasn't very good. Regardless, I'm posting this today in hopes of getting at least TWO reviews before I post again. Please take a minute to write a quick review! It means a lot! Hopefully this chapter is good; I had fun writing it! Also, I realized that this whole time FanFiction had been undoing my breaks between scenes, so I suppose I will just use their silly lines now. :/

"So how's about another day off this weekend, Mai?"

The blonde turned huge moss eyes on her hanyou friend. Yusuke was lounging against the wall of mirrors. She had just pulled her hand out of Hiei's, their dance complete, when he had voiced the question.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked.

She stumbled backwards in shock, to the point where Hiei placed a firm hand on her back to steady her, when Yusuke replied, "Uh… no. I'm serious."

"What do you mean you're serious?" Mai almost yelled, throwing her hands up.

"That I wasn't joking?"

"Yusuke, the first round of the competition is next Friday night! We need all the time we can to practice!"

"Could we do extra practices the next day or somethin'?"

"No!"

"Why not?" Yusuke shouted back.

"Because we will already be doing extra practicing!" The blonde nearly punched the black haired boy in the face, she was so peeved. "Why do you want Saturday off so badly, anyways?"

"It's Keiko's birthday, and I kinda wanted to freaking be there!"

Mai's jaw snapped closed as she bit back her next scathing remark. In a quieter voice, she said, "Yusuke, I don't know if-"

"Come on, Mai! What the hell can I do to make you say yes? Keiko is gonna kill me if I'm not there, and dammit, I wanna fucking go for her!"

The blonde shrank back slightly at her friend's tone and word choice, and opened her mouth to say something, when Hiei spoke up.

"Do not yell at her," he said slowly, a threat hanging on each word.

Yusuke shot the fire demon a glare, but did not reply. Apparently, Hiei's bad moods were much more intimidating than Mai's.

"You can leave early on Saturday," Mai said finally. "But you can't have the whole day. I know that Keiko is very important to you, but this mission has so many lives hanging on it. You don't quite know the scope of it yet."

She was met with a questioning look, but ignored it. With a sigh, she added, "We're done for today. Same time in the morning, please."

Mai pulled away from Hiei's light touch on her back and walked out into the hall of the dance studio. She was thankful that no one followed her, and slowly made her way to the women's locker room. Her body ached and felt deflated. She was honestly exhausted. It had been several weeks since her check-in with Kazai. Since then, the hanyou had been eating as little as possible. She knew it was damaging her health, but how else could she lose the necessary amount of weight in such a short time? She already worked out for a significant portion of her day, so the food element was the only thing she could think to change.

It was working, as she was already nearing where Kazai had ordered her to be. If she continued, by the actual first round, she should be just about a size two. She hoped that would be good enough, especially since she didn't know how long she could keep it all up. Her headaches were nearly constant, she quite honestly didn't have the energy for all of the dancing she had to do and her moods had a tendency to be less than happy. She worried that it would push Hiei away, and tried to keep her snappiness under control, but slip-ups were both embarrassing and frustrating. In short, she was a mess and it had to pay off in the end.

"What're you going to do now, onna?" Hiei asked, shutting the door to Mai's apartment behind him.

"Put a sweatshirt on," she answered vaguely, heading off in the direction of her bedroom. Hiei could hear the exhaustion in her voice and frowned.

He followed her into her room and watched her rummage slowly through a pile of clothes on the floor at the foot of her bed. She sighed, picked the whole pile up in her arms and exited the room once more. Crimson eyes stared after her before he followed her again, though this time into the laundry room. She shoved her armful of clothes into the washer, added detergent, and shut the top before turning the dial to start the machine. Apparently unaware of his presence, she slumped over on top of the softly vibrating washer and rested her head against her forearms.

"Your head is hurting you again," Hiei observed.

Mai hummed her affirmation, but made no other move to respond. He noticed for what felt like the millionth time over the past weeks how thin she had come to look. Her clothes were baggy and her collarbone and wrist bones were more pronounced than they had been. The curves he had first noticed she had were still there, but were admittedly less magnificent than they once were; there was simply not enough there to support them. The fire apparition assumed the stress of the competition was getting to her. Understandable considering that ultimately, as their teacher, their performances and overall success in the mission rested on her shoulders.

"Come on, onna," he said cocking his head in the direction of the door.

She straightened and it was her turn to follow him. They left the apartment once more and she followed half a step behind him. His hands in his pockets, the fire demon turned his head up to the sky. It was pinkening as the sun dipped lower toward the horizon. There was a warm breeze blowing, for which he was thankful.

Feeling Mai lagging behind, Hiei stopped and turned to her. She was stopped, eyes closed and head tilted up slightly. Her hair danced gracefully in the wind and her body seemed less tense than it had been in the laundry room. In an uncharacteristic move, he curled his hand around hers and pulled her along. She followed a little faster now, and they had soon reached his destination – the park. He pulled her down a path he had walked more times than he could count before stopping below his favorite tree. It was the highest in the park, and the leaves were thick and heavy.

"What're we doing?" Mai asked him quietly.

Hiei didn't answer her. Instead, he wrapped an arm securely around her waist and jumped quickly to the top. In under a second, he had settled down on his favorite branch, one of the highest. Turning his crimson eyes to Mai, he found her clinging to him, her knuckles white and her face paled.

"I forget how shocking my speed can be," he said awkwardly. It was as close to an apology as he could bring himself to, but was more than he gave most.

"A warning, in the future?" she asked, her voice a little higher than normal.

"Hn," he consented.

Slowly, Mai pulled her face from his chest and he nudged her, pushing her to look over the edge of the branch at the sunset. She shifted slightly in his lap, leaning her back against his front and watched as the sun slowly sank past the skyline. The sky remained a beautiful medley of pinks and purples, and the air began to cool down.

It was her favorite time of day. The subtle shift in the air was refreshing. It calmed her like almost nothing else could. Warmth turning cool, a wind losing its force and becoming lazy at the end of the day – it made her feel new, too. Her green eyes closed and she arched her back slightly in a stretch.

Hiei let out a hiss in her ear and his hands flew to her hip in a harsh grip.

"Hiei?" Mai tried to turn and see what was bothering him, but his hands tightened even more on her hips.

"Don't move for a minute," he ordered through a growl.

She sat frozen for what was definitely more than just a minute before Hiei let out a breath he had clearly been holding. He loosened his hold on her, moving his hands up to curl his arms around her waist and to pull her back into his chest. He rested his chin atop her head and breathed out once more.

"Hiei?" she repeated.

"That was a much more sensual movement than you could have possibly thought," he explained. "I didn't think you'd appreciate my ruining the break this was supposed to be for you."

"I am not sure that what you had in mind would have been unwanted," Mai said flirtatiously. Her lack of true intention was given away by the fact that only a few minutes later, she had fallen into a light sleep, curled up against him. The breeze blew across her face, picking up any stray locks of hair.

Hiei thoroughly enjoyed the times when she fell asleep in his arms. His body curled around her and he breathed in the sweet smell of her hair. Her trust in him was something he was still getting used to. It had surprised him that anyone could trust him when he and his comrades had been stuck in Maze Castle, but since he had come to accept that in a world of violence, you had to trust those on your side. But her trust in him was something new, but something he found he took pride in. He knew he could prove her trust well placed, because he would protect his onna.

"Okay, Yusuke, you can go now," Mai sighed, seeing that the hanyou's mind was clearly not on his steps anymore.

The Spirit Detective let out a whoop and jabbed his fist into the air in excitement before running toward the door. As he was disappearing through the doorway, he called over his shoulder, "Later!" And then he was gone.

"Anythin' else you want me for tonight, Mai?" Kuwabara asked. He was determined to finish the lesson, but the blonde knew he was itching to join the others for Keiko's birthday celebration. Namely Yukina, actually.

"No," she sighed. "Go ahead, Kuwabara."

Her green eyes moved to Kurama who stood patiently by the window. Hiei was gone for the moment, stating he needed to do something and would be back in time to go over his dance again. The fox demon watched her sink to the floor and sigh for the umpteenth time that evening. He walked closer to her before sinking down next to his friend.

"This isn't quite the practice you had in mind, I suppose," he said lightly.

"It's like they don't get it," she snapped. "Like they don't understand how much rides on this competition. I know you are all fighters, not dancers, but this is serious!"

"They know that," Kurama stated. "We all do."

"They need to act like they know it," grumbled the blonde.

"That's just how they are. But they always pull through in the end," the red head said.

They sat in silence for a while before Mai said, "There is somewhere else you'd rather be as well."

"I have to admit that you are correct," Kurama gave her a soft smile.

Mai regarded him with sharp green eyes. "With a woman?"

"You truly seem to see right through me."

Mai laughed as the faintest flush could be seen on his pale skin. She nudged him with her elbow and said, "That's nothing to be embarrassed of, Kurama!"

"I am not… used to this sort of thing," he admitted.

Her face turned more serious; she had never seen the red head grasp for words before. "You mean the feelings?"

He nodded and added, "And how to act. Do I call her for some impromptu, thrown together date? We have mostly just been catching each other on the fly lately, and I am beginning to fear that she thinks I do not have any true intentions."

"Well, you do, don't you?"

"Yes. Though I wonder if I should."

"Why is that?" Mai raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You are a great guy, Kurama. You deserve to be happy."

"She is human."

Sobered once more, Mai thought about the revelation for several minutes. Finally, she said. "You are smart, Kurama. You would not pick a woman who could not handle the truth about your demonic side. Even if it is subconsciously, I know you picked a good one for you."

Kurama paused before responding. "Thank you. That was helpful."

"Anytime, my friend," she smiled and shifted her weight back, stretching to lie on the studio floor. Her shirt rose a few inches, and Kurama's eyes widened slightly.

"Mai, what happened?" he asked.

She tugged her shirt back down, but the damage was done.

"Did Hiei do that to you?" Kurama referred to the deep purple bruises on her hips, shaped distinctly like hand prints.

"Uh- well- he-"

"Did he get angry?" Shifting ideas suddenly, he asked, "Did he force you into sex?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" she waved her hands emphatically in front of her. "It was sort of my fault, but accidently…"

"Please make that a little clearer so I can decide how hard my punch should be next time I see him," Kurama's emerald eyes narrowed.

"I inadvertently tested a limit. He just stopped me from pushing him."

"A bit too forcefully."

Mai bit her bottom lip. "I think he forgets how much stronger than me he is. And how easily I bruise."

"He shouldn't."

"Kurama, it's not-"

"The fox is right. I should be much more careful with you. More conscious of what I'm doing."

Mai sat up and found Hiei's crimson eyes burning a hole in her bruises. She pulled her shirt down again and stood up.

"Guess we haven't been as careful as I thought," he continued, pulling his hands from his pockets and moving closer to the pair. "The evidence is in your bruised skin and the fact that the fox knows."

"I am also a tad more analytical than most," Kurama pointed out good-naturedly.

"Hn," Hiei allowed. He turned crimson eyes to his friend, looking at him pointedly.

"I think I will take you up on your advice, Mai. If you do not mind," said the redhead.

Mai shook her head, her blonde waves bouncing over her shoulders. "Not at all. And, Kurama?"

He stood still, waiting for her to continue. She smiled at him and said, "Don't be afraid to be just a little less than gentlemanly."

The fox demon actually blushed at that, and muttered a word of parting before hastening from the room. Hiei and Mai stood in silence for a long while. Finally, he turned and left the studio. Mai blinked a few times in mild surprise at his abruptness before following after him.

For the walk back to her apartment, the hanyou walked behind Hiei, wondering what was going through his head. Was he upset with her for some reason? With himself? Was he rethinking courting her?

Her heart was beating faster at the nerve-wracking thoughts. She was sure Hiei's superior demonic hearing could hear it. He gave no indication that he could, never looking back at her as they continued back to her home.

They finally arrived and Mai unlocked the door, stepping in front of Hiei into the apartment. She walked slowly down the hall and turned into her living room. Suddenly, she felt Hiei's hands on her hips, light and gentle. He turned her around and pulled her into his chest. One hand strayed from her hip up her back, following the gentle curve of her spine to rest at the nape of her neck.

"So it's acceptable to be a bit less than gentlemanly?" he breathed, his warm breath fanning over her face and leaving a blush in its wake.

Mai nodded numbly, wondering green eyes locked on fiery crimson.

"Since being careful isn't working, want to try and find out where our limits are?" the fire apparition asked. "I must admit I have been missing the kind of kiss you surprised me with those few weeks ago."

"Then I suppose we have some testing to do."

Hiei took that as the most direct invitation he would get and leaned down, brushing his lips over Mai's soft ones. She lifted herself on her toes slightly, pushing their lips together more forcefully. The kiss was slow and soft, chaste and warm. He felt her slowly coil her arms around his neck and drew his hand back down to her hip. Slowly, he backed her over to the couch. The blonde sat down and he moved to hover over her, easing her to lean against the arm of the couch.

Their lips moved faster, each wanting more. Hiei flicked his tongue over her full bottom lip. She parted her lips for him and he took his in. Probing her mouth, the fire demon allowed his tongue to memorize as much of her sweet cavern as possible. He ran the appendage over her own, and a small moan filled the space between them. He swallowed it in another kiss before the need for air broke them apart. He filled his lungs once more before tracing the elegant bow of her lip with the tip of his tongue. She moved a hand to cup his face, her fingers trailing lightly over warmed skin.

They continued in this way for a time neither of them could really pinpoint, lost as they were in kisses, tongues and light touches, before finally Hiei pulled away.

"I think that is about as far as I can handle tonight."

"Alright," Mai replied, sitting up and combing her fingers through tousled hair. Her lips were red from the attention he had paid them, and he felt pride in having the effects of his care show.

"I will see you tomorrow for more practice," he said, standing up. Mai nodded and he focused his darkened red gaze on her. "And I am sorry for your bruises, onna. It will not happen again."

Before Mai could reply, he had disappeared, though a light breeze blew in from her now open window.