Hello to everyone who is still with me after the last chapter. This is the chapter where I randomly thank people and beg for reviews, so, thank you so very very much to everyone who has added this story to their alerts and faves, you make me feel really proud of my little brain baby here. Thank you readers, for giving me such freaking awesome stats. And reviews are like crack to me. I'm addicted, and y'all are my suppliers, so please deal some more!

White Rose Fox: which part are you cheering Hiei on about. (I'm curious like a cat, so I had to ask)

DarkRoseDragon: so glad I could render you speechless sweetheart. Did it make your vote for it worth it?

Even with the craziness of the first time with Hiei mixing with a rather odd trip into sub-space*, I still managed to be the first one awake at the temple. Ok, I didn't manage, Lotus decided to start invading my head with rather dirty memories of some of her conquests. I couldn't stay next to Hiei with that going on in my head, so I headed off to take my turn cooking breakfast.

My cooking always managed to amuse the hell out of my Asian protector-senseis. Whenever it was my turn, I cooked meals that reminded me of home and how normal life was before all the crap with Lotus. Today was made-from-scratch pancakes and bacon, with fruits to balance it out.

Focusing on remembering the Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe and getting the bacon just to crispy, not burned, helped get her memories out of my head.

I sensed Kurama before he spoke. "Mornin, fox."

He chuckled at the slight flour mess on the counter. "One of your American-style breakfasts again?" his arm snaked around my shoulder toward the bacon.

I laughed and swatted his hand. "Shut the hell up. You're home and spent your life in this kind of craziness. I'm on the other damn side of the planet and still getting used to it."

"Sorry. Can I help at all?" He succeeded in snitching a piece of bacon, and hurried out of swatting range.

"You can cut up those fruits next to the batter."

He sniffed loudly.

I turned to look at him.

"You just smell a bit like fire demon, that's all." He shrugged and busied himself with sorting out the items in front of him.

I turned back to the stove just in time to rescue the last bits of meat from burning. "Still? Damn. I scrubbed in the shower this morning too."

He grew a jasmine in his hand while I finished mixing the batter. Before I turned, he carefully set it behind my ear. "Would not be good for either of you if the others came in and hassled you over your timing."

I grinned up at him. "Thanks, fox. You're like the best big brother I never had."

Hiei growled on his way to greet me at the stove. "Fox, I swear you want to fight again." He stood close and slipped an arm around my waist. Possessive, but it felt good, so I let him stay.

"Oh relax, oni-san." I whispered the reason for the flower directly in his ear.

Hiei's eyes went very wide for a moment. "Oh, never mind then." He sniffed my shoulder. "Hmm, her shampoo, her soap, a hint of smoke, and bacon." He shot a teasing grin at Kurama.

"You don't smell the jasmine? I must be losing my touch." Kurama sighed and returned to mixing the cut fruits in a bowl.

"You neglected to take into account that she always smells of her very floral shampoo. The jasmine blends in with that. The hint of smoke is the wooden spatula going up in flames." Hiei said, nudging me.

I looked down, and the spatula was resting just on the edge of the fire, flames licking along the side. "Shit on a shingle!"

"Oh man, is that what you're burning?" Yusuke stifled a yawn and looked in the pan.

I nearly threw the burning item in the sink. "No. I burned the damn spatula. I blame Hiei." I glared into the flames and water. Oil fires and water... bad idea kids.

Since the jasmine was on the side Yusuke couldn't see, Kurama made a show of putting it back behind my ear again. "Wouldn't do to give the others any ideas."

"Why the hell would it be the wrong idea? I mean, we all know they sleep in the same bed." Yusuke asked.

I gave Kurama a silent look of gratitude while Hiei turned on the zombie.

"You really don't understand demons yet, do you, detective?" Hiei rolled his eyes and brought the tray of bacon to the table.

"Oh, is it time for another demon politics lesson? I love those." Kuwabara asked, settling into his usual spot.

"Shut up, baka." Hiei snapped.

Kurama helped me bring the rest of the food to the table. Jin floated in sniffing loudly, followed closely by Touya, Genkai and Yukina.

"And what did ya ruin that won't be gracin the table?" Jin laughed.

"I burnt the spatula." I blushed.

"S'long as its not yer cookin, its alright." Jin touseled my hair fondly on his was past. "Good save, Kurama."

"I am so confused!" Yusuke wailed. He would have fallen over, but the plates were being passed around.

Kurama remained silent a few moments, using a mouthful of bacon to collect his thoughts. "In the makai, we don't exactly have the same kind of, um, mating customs, as here in ningenkai. His instincts and actions have claimed her in his direct protection, but that is an ambiguous category, so other demon males would not have a problem truly fighting her, so long as they don't kill her."

"That's kind of twisted." Kuwabara mumbled. He flicked a glance at Yukina, then back down at his plate.

"Not really." Kurama continued. "The twisted part is the way demons treat a demon's female mate, and how they can tell. Hiei smells like smoke, its a spiced smoke, but only a demon who really knows him knows the difference between his scent and, say, a burnt spatula."

"So, because the smoke from the fire is on her, other demons think she's his mate?" Yusuke asked.

"Exactly, and they won't even try hard if they were to spar. In mated pairs, if one gets hurt, the other knows, and even if the female happens to be very powerful, if she gets hurt, her mate might show up and, um, eliminate the threat." Kurama shrugged. He avoided my eyes, because he knew I hated that kind of behaviour.

"Ok, let me get this straight. We've all tossed her around, and we know she burned the spatula, so we're good with still throwin her around during training. But say Shishi shows up, and smells smoke on 'er. You're saying he'd just let her thrash him?" Yusuke said. He was a little on the slow side.

"Right, because he would assume that Hiei had finally cemented his claim on her as his mate." Kurama replied.

"But we all know he has." Yusuke said.

"Not really. Its unspoken." Jin pointed out.

"No, he spoke it. To Niyati at the concert. I believe his words after the concert were, 'the onna is mine, affection-guzzler.'" I said. I didn't look up from my hands, because I was pissed. This was medieval bullshit.

"Damn. I really wanted a rematch." Touya grumbled. I could hear his grin.

"I didn't mark her." Hiei said very quietly.

"What?" Kuwabara asked

"I did not mark my onna. She is mine, but I did not mark her. Fight her all you like, but if you hurt her too much, I am not responsible for how badly I will hurt you in return." Hiei glared around the table, daring someone to say something.

Kurama squeezed Hiei's shoulder. He whispered something I just barely made out as, "good, but do so soon if you plan to keep her."

I glared at the fox. "Y'all are fuckin chauvinists. I'm a grown woman, not a damn prize brood mare."

"Its just an evolutionary need in a chaotic place like the makai. Protect the women, to protect the next generation." Touya said matter-of-factly.

I just rolled my eyes.

"So, Feochadan, wanna rematch to get that aggression at us out?" Touya grinned.

I laughed at the way the ice master put up his hands in a mock defense position. "Why the hell not?"

"Um, Feochadan? Do I need to remember to do like we do with Kurama at his mom's house?" Kuwabara asked, his confusion giving him an empty-headed look.

"No." I flicked a small bit of berry at his head. "Feochadan is part of the name I gave you when we met. I am Pyro Feochadan, witch extraordinaire. My real name shall never pass my lips again, nor will you ever see pictures or any mention of my family."

Yukina's eyes went wide and locked on mine. "You would have them think you dead?"

I kept my eyes locked on hers. "Kina, I know that's how Hiei played you for the longest time, but my family is very very fragile, and not able to protect themselves. When I severed ties, I could barely keep myself in one piece, so I let them think I died in the demon explosion that killed my lover at the time. The moving out thing I told the boys was a lie, I was only going to make sure mom didn't burn my altar."

She looked down first. "You're right. Its not very good, but its for the best." She was very quiet, then winked in my direction. "At least you're not looking them in the eye and telling that lie."

Hiei paled. "Yukina..."

"No, its ok brother, I don't mind." She giggled at his response.

"Sibling teasing, gods how I miss it." I laughed.

"Wait," Yusuke held up his hands. "if you're legally listed as dead, how were you in an apartment and holding a job?"

I grinned. "Ever the detective, neh, zombie?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Just answer the question."

I reached into my pocket and produced my mini dragon Tarot deck. I moved my plate and laid out several cards. "People around my city may say they condemn witchcraft and psychics, but I did twenty readings a day."

"See? I told you that's what that gypsy costume in her closet was for!" Kuwabara reached over and slapped Yusuke in the head.

I held up the tower card. "I pulled this the day I met you guys, a day after I lost it on someone and she nearly got out. That's how I knew a demon would be coming, because when she gets out..."

Something made several trees fall out in Genkai's forest.

"They find me." I whispered.

Cards forgotten, we raced through the forest toward the sound. Only Genkai stayed behind, claiming the need to guard the building. She yelled that she'd take care of my cards for me.

I stayed toward the back of the pack, so that they would let me stay on the hunt. They growled at me to go back to Genkai, but I had to know who it was this time.

The demon was in full demon form, and HUGE, but his energy was familiar to me. "Give me what is mine, and I will spare you."

That voice stopped me dead in my tracks, twenty yards from where the demon stood. I started to shake all over.

Hiei seemed to materialize in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look him in the eye. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't get my voice to work. My thoughts weren't much better. 'I-its him... oh gods it can't be... he...'

"Who is he?" Hiei shook me a little.

It cleared my head a bit. I was safe, Hiei would make sure. "He's the one who tried to kill me, the one you saw in my head." I whispered.

Hiei growled, and his aura flared to become visible.

I grabbed his shirt before he could run. "Please be careful, Hiei. Don't let me watch you die."

He kissed me hard. 'Not a chance, onna. He'll be the one Botan delivers to Hades.' He sped off before I could make him swear it.

The huge demon laughed when Hiei took up a position in his path. "You're her guardian? I'll squish you with one step."

"Hn. You could try." Hiei shrugged. "I will warn you, the woman is mine, and I have no intention of letting her go."

I knew Hiei was smirking. His words made my heart skip a beat or three.

The demon rolled all six of it's eyes. "That girl is nothing but a stain on the planet. She'll just break you apart. Let me remove her for you, save you the trouble."

"Nah, I think I'll keep her around for a while." Hiei was being a smartass, which meant it was going to get messy soon.

The demon let out a wave of energy that crashed on us like a tsunami.

*sub-space=the lovely kind of buzzy place a submissive goes in their mind when playing a scene. endorphins are lovely like that

Oooo cliffie! Haven't done one of those in a while. Reviews help me resolve it faster!