Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

It was an ordinary day when Kuwabara called Shizuru and told her that there was a get-together at the temple that night. At first, she really didn't want to go, but she couldn't stay away hearing the excited tone in her little brother's voice. He had said someone in the group had big news they wanted to share, but he gave no inclination as to who.

Hiei had not been thrilled with the idea of going, but it was a good excuse to see his sister so he reluctantly agreed. He still didn't want anyone to know the extent of his relationship with the human woman, and she knew it too. He was thankful when she suggested she drive and meet him there. It definitely sounded appealing. He didn't need the others asking questions, though he was pretty sure Kurama suspected something. After all, the fox had revealed to him that he had known he'd been living with Shizuru. His demon senses alerted him to the fact that another demon inhabited the living space when he had gone to check on Shizuru. It made Hiei thankful that it was not Yusuke who was asked to check on the woman. He would definitely have something to say on the matter, and it would be a remark that would give the fire demon desire to slit his comrade's throat.

No one really knew what to expect. Shizuru learned when she arrived that Kuwabara had been the one to invite everyone to Genkai's. Even the elderly psychic was at a loss. She had even said something about the boys being too comfortable, enough to have a party without consulting her. Then she murmured something about extra training plans. Shizuru couldn't help but chuckle.

But, seriously, why were they there? Yusuke had been asking that for an hour while they were all eating a meal Yukina cooked. Hiei still hadn't arrived when the meal was near finished. Shizuru was surprised since he had agreed to attend the gathering. Where was he?

She caught Yukina looking around with sad eyes. "Is Mister Hiei coming?" she asked hopefully.

Shizuru didn't miss the irritated gleam in her brother's eyes, but it was to be expected with the rivalry the two swordsmen had with one another. It was obvious he hadn't thought to invite Hiei. He wouldn't have known where to start. Shizuru couldn't very well say she knew he would come. Thankfully, Kurama stepped up.

"Don't worry, Yukina," he said kindly. "I let Hiei know about coming here tonight. He'll show up soon, I'm sure."

"Oh, good," Yukina chimed. "I can't wait to tell everyone the news."

"What news?" Keiko asked. She looked to her boyfriend for an answer.

Yusuke shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me," he remarked leaning back in his chair. "I'd say you just tell us now. There's no telling when fire boy will show up. You can tell us again when he shows up."

"I agree with Urameshi on that one," Kuwabara stated. He smiled down at Yukina, love shining in his eyes. "I can't wait anymore."

Yukina returned his smile, and Shizuru caught herself wondering what was going on.

The redhead and ice maiden took each other's hands and then looked to all of their friends. "We're engaged," Kuwabara finally said, making everyone's eyes go wide.

"Seriously?" Yusuke asked in disbelief. He looked over to Yukina and had to question the naïve member of the group. "Yukina, you do know what that means, right?"

"Yes," she replied with a warm smile. "It is the same as being one's intended in Demon World."

"That is correct," Kurama marveled, still trying to process the information.

Keiko seemed to be the first one to show support. "Congratulations, you two. That's great!"

The sound of something dropping down alerted everyone else to another in the room. Everyone turned to the place the sound had arisen and saw Hiei standing there, his mouth agape looking almost as he had when he lost his soul to Kaito. Those who knew his relation to Yukina understood that he probably made it just in time to hear the news.

"Oh, Mister Hiei, you're here," Yukina chimed happily. "I have dinner for y-"

But, in an instant, Hiei was gone, and the atmosphere in the temple grew heavy. Yukina was visibly upset when Hiei left, but Kuwabara refused to let her feel sad. "Hey, don't let him get you down, Yukina," he whispered softly. "Let's celebrate instead, right guys?"

"Sure," Yusuke said awkwardly, forcing out a cross between a chuckle and a laugh.

Shizuru and Kurama exchanged knowing glances and silently agreed that one of them should leave. Since it was Shizuru's younger brother who had just gotten engaged, Kurama knew he would be the one to leave. He moved to "check his phone" and claimed to have received a text message from his mother asking him to pick up a few things at the store. He promised that he would find time to celebrate the engagement with his friends soon.

For the rest of the night, Shizuru needed to force herself to not appear concerned. She was truly happy for her brother. She knew how much he loved the ice maiden, and how many times he had gone to visit the girl even when he had to keep up with his studies. The only reason she was so shocked was that everyone always believed Yukina to be oblivious to her brother's affections. It just went to show everyone what Shizuru knew all along. Yukina wasn't completely unaware about courting and relationships. She wasn't oblivious about a lot of things. That included the truth about Hiei. Shizuru could see it in the girl's eyes when Hiei abruptly left. The girl looked like her soul had been crushed.

She definitely knew.

Later, Shizuru returned to her apartment and found Hiei sitting in the living room staring at the blank television screen. His eyes were hardened as he looked like he was trying to figure something out. He hadn't reacted to her when she entered the room and hadn't even looked at her when she sat down next to him. The two of them sat in silence for a while before Shizuru couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you seriously going to spend time moping around about this?" she questioned. "It's not the end of the world."

"I just don't understand," Hiei stated, suggesting that he agreed it wasn't the end of the world. Sure, he may have had his issues with Kuwabara and his weakness, but she could have always chosen someone worse. Still, he didn't approve of him, and it stunned him that she had chosen him. For the longest time, he though she didn't understand his pathetic flirtation attempts.

"What don't you understand?" Shizuru pressed. She figured if she could keep him talking and engaged that she could get answers from him and maybe provide him an explanation to everything.

Hiei looked over to her, his eyes softer than they had been before. "I didn't expect her to be with any man, ever," he admitted. When Shizuru looked at him with her usual "you have got to be kidding me" looked, he decided to explain. "Our people did not believe in those relationships."

"Seriously?" Shizuru asked in surprise before scoffing. "Sounds like a boring society. Why were they against it?"

Hiei didn't answer. He turned away from her instead glaring at the carpet. Shizuru was taken aback by how much darkness and hatred Hiei was emanating. Obviously this was a sore subject for him, but she still didn't understand why. It was then that Shizuru remembered their past conversations: Hiei not having a home in Demon World, his nightmares, how he had never experienced comfort, and even when he had abruptly left after confessing he wanted something more with her. It had taken him ages for him to trust her, and now she realized that everything about him could have been associated with his and Yukina's people.

"Did they not like men?" she tried, seeing if that was the actual reason, or if it was something more.

Hiei scoffed bitterly. "Let it go," he ordered. "I do not wish to discuss this with you."

"Maybe you should, though," Shizuru suggested. "It could help. You've been dealing with this for a while, haven't you? Wouldn't you want to let someone else in after so long?"

Hiei eyed her before he closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. "I know what you're trying to do," he told her, "and it won't work. You can't force me to talk using reverse psychology or whatever it is that gets others to bend to your whim."

"Fine, Hiei, you caught me," Shizuru reluctantly admitted, "but I still think you should talk about it. Besides, we're…whatever we are now, so don't I have the right to know what has you moping just because my brother is marrying your sister?"

And then she saw it, an emotion flicker across his features. It was one of fear, confusion, and apprehension, though to what she couldn't gather. Hiei sighed in aggravation before shooting a glare her way. "You want to know so badly?" he asked darkly. "Fine, but I warned you to let it go."

"It's my choice, Hiei," Shizuru reminded him. He nodded as he began to explain the essence of the culture he was born into.

"The ice maidens are an all-female race," he started. "Every hundred years, they give birth to a female. If the maiden ends up having relations with a male, then the child is male, or the maiden gives birth to twins. The male child is seen as a curse, an imiko, a child of fire and destruction that has no right to live."

Shizuru was stunned by the last words he spoke. He couldn't truly believe them, right? "So, what? All the bitchy females just belittled you all your life for being a guy? What kind of crap is that?"

Hiei released a bitter chuckle. "A load of crap considering that is far from what happened."

Shizuru's brow quirked as Hiei continued the story. "The elder believed I didn't have the right to live. Our mother fought to keep us together, but I was taken away from her shortly after she had given birth. I couldn't tell you much of what happened in the Glacial Village for the majority of my life because I was tossed off the floating island and was found by a band of thieves."

"I'm sorry," Shizuru muttered, "but did you just say you were tossed from a floating island? To what end?"

"My death," Hiei stated firmly. He saw many emotions flashing in the human's eyes, but the two that stuck out the most were what pissed him off.

Pity and disappointment.

So, now the woman probably thought, like the maidens, that he was a curse. The next words out of her mouth proved to him that that was far from true.

"What kind of idiotic person tosses a baby to their death? Even when I was pissed at Kazuma, I could never…" she nearly shouted. "Those disgraceful, cold-hearted, psychotic-"

She listed many more adjectives in her tirade, and Hiei just stared at her in shock as she finished her unusual, unexpected emotional outburst. When she was finally done, she looked at him. "First of all, there is nothing wrong with male/female relationships. It's not the end of the world if someone gave birth to a boy. Second, you are definitely not a curse. Yeah, you have a bad attitude most of the time, but you have just as much right to be alive than anyone else. Truthfully, I'm glad you and Yukina got out of that place. You should know your sister doesn't share their ideals. Is that why you think she'd hate you? Is that why you won't tell her?"

Hiei's shock wore off, and anger replaced it. "What do you know?" he questioned. "Yukina would hate me because I'm a murderer."

"Oh please, Hiei," Shizuru groaned. "Did she not go to the Dark Tournament to find you? Did she not see countless murders all in the hopes of finding her brother? You even killed in the tournament and she still has more respect for you than you do for yourself. She was crushed when you left tonight after the news. She knows who you are, Hiei."

Hiei froze, and surprisingly he became pale. "Repeat that."

Shizuru sighed and shook her head. "I don't know for sure," she admitted causing him to relax a bit, "but your approval and acceptance is all she cares about. She was asking all night at dinner if you would be coming. She wanted to wait to tell everyone until you arrived. Hiei, Yukina loves you. There's no doubt in my mind that she knows the truth."

Hiei grew serious, his mouth forming a straight line. "She doesn't need me," he spoke. "It's obvious she's taken care of which means my responsibility to her is done."

"She does need you," Shizuru assured him. "Like Kazuma still needs me. Siblings, especially those who don't have their parents, rely on each other. Maybe you should get over whatever was instilled in you and accept that you're in a different world with a different set of rules."

Hiei shook his head evenly. "No. You will continue to not say anything to Yukina, about her brother or about our relationship. You will keep it quiet from the fool you call your brother. As far as anyone knows, I'm not here. We continue as we usually do."

Shizuru did not like his demands, but she was sure if she denied him that he would leave and return to a world where he felt unwanted and had no home. She needed to keep her here, so she needed to give in, at least for now. Now that she knew his history, she was certain she could break through those barriers he erected. "Fine, I'll drop this," she agreed. At least for now. "We should head to bed, okay?"

Hiei stiffened when he felt Shizuru's lips against his cheek. When he relaxed, she changed her destination and placed a kiss on his lips. Hiei's senses registered her only, his earlier angst forgotten as her fingers entwined his hair and scratched his scalp. Moaning slightly as the feeling of comfort washed over him once more, he lost himself, his walls crumbling at least for this moment of intensity between them.

This time, he wasn't so terrified.