Okay, I know I have other stories that need to be updated, and I WILL get those updated too. I'm not entirely sure WHEN, but I'll get them done!

This chapter and the next one will primarily revolve around Natalie and Hiei. Sorry Lisa/Kurama fans! But don't worry, I have some really juicy ideas for their relationship that you'll see in future chapters! And their making a cameo in the next chapter!

Anyway, here's chapter 21!! If I were inclined to give this chapter a title, I'd probably call it Work & Pleasure. :P

Oh, yeah... I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... only Natalie and Lisa.

*****

Natalie was woken up by the sound of Yusuke pounding on her door. Not just merely knocking... but pounding on her door.

"Yo, Nat! Aren't you awake yet? You're normally little miss early bird! It's going on nine!"

Natalie groggily lifted her head from the pillow and glared at her clock, realizing that Yusuke was right. She scowled. She'd fallen asleep at around four or five in the morning, and then she kept finding herself waking up. Needless to say, she did not sleep well.

She threw on a pair of pants and a shirt and stepped out of her room. Yusuke took in the bags under her eyes and her pale complexion, and he blinked curiously. "Didn't sleep good?" He sniffed her briefly. "Well, I can't smell Hiei all over you this morning, so I can't imagine why you'd be awake all night..."

He cut himself off at the glare she sent his way. "Hiei's not even in Human World right now. Shizuru told me that he went to Demon World to take care of a human that got past the barrier. He won't be back for a couple days."

He blinked again. "Then how come you're so...?" Natalie moaned as his expression turned to one of dawning realization and he grinned. "Oooohhh.... I get it... You miss him, don't you? You couldn't sleep after going one little day without your little Hiei-pooh, huh?"

Her eyebrow twitched. So much for him not teasing me, she thought. Then she sighed inwardly. Well, at least Hiei isn't here to witness it this time.

She pointedly ignored the Mazoku and bypassed him to go into the living room. She grabbed a light jacket and threw on her shoes. Then she grabbed her boa, which she had accidentally left leaning against the wall right by the front door the night before, and headed to eat and then continue on with her training.

*****

Genkai gave Natalie a warm but short greeting, and Yukina could spare little more than a kind word and a nod as she was busy with her temple duties. The girl simply made her way into the back of the temple and continued on with her training.

After training non stop for four straight hours, Yukina came from inside the temple and invited her inside for dinner at Genkai's insistence. The moment she was finished eating and cleaned up, she headed back out the back of the temple once more to carry on.

Yukina blinked as she watched the human girl run out. "She's very... dedicated, isn't she, Genkai-san?"

The old woman nodded, her smirk coming to her face. "Yes, she is. One would almost think she was trying to impress someone."

*****

As with the day before, Natalie returned back to Yusuke's place shortly before the sun set. She was a little sore from her workout, and felt a great deal of relief when she stepped into the steaming hot shower. She stayed in there for a good half hour before she finally stepped out and slipped into her night robe.

With the way her workout that day had worn her out, she felt fairly good about her chances of falling asleep.

Well, her plan sounded good in theory, but then she realized that it was easier said than done.

Especially when she heard the front door open and the sounds of Atsuko coming in with some of her drinking buddies. There was loud talking, obnoxious, drunken laughter, and... then the stereo came on.

Natalie moaned and tried to bury her head under her pillow in an effort to drown it out. Now she knew why Yusuke wasn't home when she had gotten home. He'd probably known this was going to happen.

She was going to kill him for not warning her.

A few plans of action went through her sleep depraved mind, and then she hesitated before settling on one of them. She quickly got dressed, snatched her boa, and jumped out the window.

*****

Kurama was a little surprised when he heard the knock on his door. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw it was after one in the morning. Thankfully he had been reading at the time, so it hadn't awoken him. He got up and headed to the door, a little wary given the time of night. Testing the air briefly, and detecting nothing dangerous, he opened the door.

Natalie stood there, looking positively exhausted and with a somewhat irritated scowl on her face. "I'm sorry to bother you. I know it's really late, but I hardly got any sleep last night and tonight Atsuko brought friends over for a party. If it's not too much trouble, could I stay here for the night? If you have a spare bed, that would be awesome, but the couch or even a soft carpet would work for me too..."

Kurama sighed inwardly. He wondered how long Natalie was going to be able to handle living with Atsuko before she got fed up and simply left to find a place of her own. He could easily understand her frustration.

He gave her his patented smile and a slight nod. "It's no bother at all. I wasn't asleep yet. Come on inside. I have a spare bedroom you can use."

Natalie's expression turned very relieved to hear this as she removed her shoes and followed the kitsune into his apartment. He opened a door that was off to the side.

"Hiei sometimes uses this room when the weather is acting up. You are free to make yourself comfortable and..."

Natalie went forward and simply flopped down on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly, taking Kurama by surprise. Then he chuckled lightly and retrieved another blanket from the closet, draping it over her.

Taking one more moment to ensure everything in the room was in order (and taking a moment to place her fallen boa up against the wall beside the bed), Kurama shut off the light to her room and closed the door, heading off to his own bed to go to sleep.

*****

Hiei was back in the human world early the next morning. The little boy's memory of Demon World had been successfully erased only hours ago by the hybrid and was under the protection of another demon until the human search parties located him for themselves. In the meantime, he decided he may as well spend the first few hours of his morning visiting with Kurama and was currently on his way there. He had no worries of waking the fox up. His sleeping habits hadn't changed at all since he had gotten out of high school, so it was guaranteed that he would be up at this time of the morning.

Approaching Kurama's building from the side, he entered the kitsune's home through the window in the guest room that the hybrid sometimes used. He blinked, more than a little surprised to see that Natalie was sleeping in the bed, sleeping a little restlessly. Hiei made his way to her side, about to try and determine what was causing her discomfort and see if he could find out why she was there in the first place, when the door to her bedroom silently opened and Kurama stuck his head inside.

Hiei, you're back earlier than I thought. She came here last night because Atsuko was throwing a party and I guess she didn't get a good night sleep the night before either. We should just leave her be.

Hiei nodded silently. Having one question answered was good enough for now. But the issue with her lack of sleep was something he was going to take care of himself before he left. He placed his fingers at her temple and activated his Jagan, using it to chase away her discomfort. The woman before him settled down immediately, a small smile coming to her face and a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. It was only when the woman was comfortable again that Hiei left her side and followed the fox into the main part of his apartment.

Kurama started preparing some tea for the two of them. "So, how did it go in Demon World?"

He shrugged. "It was a child. His memory was successfully altered and the human search parties should find him some time this morning, if all goes well."

He nodded. "That's good. Any news aside from that?" he asked, handing Hiei his steaming cup of tea and sitting across from him at the table.

Hiei was quiet for a moment and then he finally spoke. "Mukuro intends to meet Natalie for herself, with or without her consent."

Kurama's head jerked up and his eyes went wide. Such a thing would require the girl to go into Demon World... something that could prove very dangerous. Then another thought came to him.

"How did she find out about Natalie? Did you tell her about her?"

Hiei shook his head, scowling now. "No. Apparently she has spies keeping an eye on me for my 'well being'."

The fox was frowning deeply now. "If Mukuro would do something like that, I wouldn't put it past Yomi to do the same thing. I don't even want to think of what action he might take should he learn of Lisa and my interest in her." His eyes narrowed. "Why does Mukuro want to meet Natalie?"

Hiei shrugged. "I don't know. All she said is that her intention is NOT to hurt her and that she will be safe while staying there. Beyond that, I know nothing."

"And how soon did she want this meeting to occur?"

The scowl was back on his face. "A week. Which doesn't give me much time to prepare her for Demon World, but unless we want her being kidnapped, I have no choice."

Kurama nodded silently, still deep in thought. He decided he would talk with Kuwabara later and tell him to keep his eyes and senses open to anything unusual. "So evidently Natalie's not going to have a choice in the matter. But the question is... how will she take this news? She has enough on her mind as it is, and I think she knows how dangerous Demon World can be to humans."

Hiei sighed. "I don't know, fox. But what I do know is that I only have a week to whip her into shape."

He smirked slightly. "I think she may be a little ahead of you on that one. Genkai gave me a call last night and apparently Natalie's been spending most of her time at the temple training herself so she can shape her energy into a weapon. Apparently, someone mentioned the fact that demons will be drawn to her energy and she had to learn to defend herself better and she took their words very seriously. Genkai hasn't seen a fighter as determined as her in quite a while."

Hiei didn't miss the knowing tone to the fox's voice, but chose to ignore it. Although he didn't show it outwardly, he was both surprised and pleased that the woman had taken his advice to heart. The fact that she had been training herself in his absence was a good thing.

He and Kurama visited for a couple of hours (mostly engaging in small talk about Makai affairs), when the door to the guest bedroom opened and Natalie emerged. She rubbed one of her eyes sleepily and let out a small yawn. Then she blinked, seeing who was sitting at the table.

"Good morning, guys. Hiei, did you just get back from Demon World this morning?"

He nodded. "Hn. My business there is done, but there is something we need to discuss."

Before Natalie could ask, Kurama got to his feet and turned to her. "That matter can wait a few moments. I'm sure you must be hungry. Let me get you some breakfast and we can talk it over as we eat."

A few short minutes later, Kurama had placed a plate of waffles on the table before her and a steaming cup of tea. Natalie normally preferred coffee first thing in the morning, but felt it would be in her best interests to not complain. She didn't really need a wake-me-up this morning anyway... The second she had seen Hiei had returned, she had come almost fully awake.

Realizing she was famished, she quickly dug into her food, taking a couple bites before regarding the koorime. "So, what is it that we need to discuss?" she asked, placing another forkful of food in her mouth.

Hiei shrugged as if it was nothing of great importance. "Mukuro wants to meet you," he said casually.

As Hiei had done the night before, the woman choked on her food in shock. Kurama tensed slightly and relaxed when she gained control over herself. "WHAT?! Mukuro wants to meet me?? Why?"

He scowled slightly. "She's been sending spies out to keep tabs on me and they saw some of our interactions. Because of this, she wants to meet you, but assures me that no harm will come to you."

Natalie was quiet for a long moment, now under the watchful eyes of both demons. "Um... don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to meet her myself but... wouldn't that mean a trip through the Makai?"

"Hn. Yes. Which is why we are going to spend every day this week training."

She blinked now. "Wait a minute. I didn't say yes or no yet."

Kurama sighed. "Unfortunately, Mukuro's not giving you a choice."

"Say what?!"

Hiei looked directly at her for the first time that morning. "He's right. She told me that I either bring you to her myself or she would send some of her operatives to Human World to retrieve you herself. We have a week to prepare you."

Natalie's face went white. Then she scowled herself. "Terrific. Voluntarily or involuntarily, I'm going to demon world in a week." Then she blinked as something he said to her earlier came back. "Wait a minute! You said that she sent spies out to check on you?"

He nodded. "Yes. Unlike many demons of high standing, Mukuro tries to look out for her operatives well being when she is able, and she did name me her heir."

She looked now to Kurama. "What about Yomi? Would he do something like that to you?"

He nodded. "I had already thought the same thing when Hiei told me this morning. I fully intend on speaking to Kuwabara about this matter later. I may even ask Lisa to move from his place and into my own to better ensure her safety... especially if Kuwabara detects any strange activity in the next little while. As capable as he is, he would be no match for a high level demon, and Lisa would be unable to defend herself against them at all."

Natalie nodded, a little relief coming to her. It was nice to know that Kurama was looking out for her friend's well being. Then she turned back to Hiei, her expression serious. "Okay. I guess since she's not giving me any choice in the matter, I'm going of my own free will." She then went into detail about the training she had been putting herself through and the advice that Genkai had given her about manifesting a spirit weapon of her own. "I'll need to use the boa itself for a few more days before I try forming one of pure energy. Hopefully I can use a fully manifested spirit weapon for extended periods of time without getting myself sick, but I guess we'll see. In the meantime, I say we head out and get started the moment I'm done eating my breakfast."

Hiei smirked. "You prefer using a boa to a sword, onna?"

She grinned a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "I'd much prefer to use a weapon I actually know how to use, rather than go through you training me in how to use a sword yourself. The hand to hand combat training is probably going to be painful enough."

He shrugged. "Fair enough." Then he nodded to her. "As soon as you're finished eating we'll head out."

*****

So, fifteen minutes later, Natalie found herself racing behind Hiei, boa in hand, as he headed to their usual spot in the forest. She had a sinking sensation that this wasn't going to be like their last few spars, because they had to prepare her for the trip to Demon World now... something that still made her feel a little uneasy. She was also constantly reminding herself to be courteous toward Mukuro when she met her. The last thing she wanted to do was tick off one of the most powerful demons in the whole of Demon World! Not even Hiei would be able to protect her if she became the subject of Mukuro's ire.

Once they got to the location, Hiei allowed her only a few moments to imbue her boa with her energy. The second her task was completed, their spar was under way.

It soon became evident that she was right. This was way different from their usual spars. Hiei hardly let up at all and wasted no time with talk. But unlike the last few times they had sparred, Natalie now had a weapon and she was using it. Hiei had seemed a little surprised at just how skilled she was with the boa, but recovered from that surprise quickly as they went head to head. He held back his strength and some of his speed, that was all. Fortunately, as before he simply used a sturdy reed and not his real sword. Had he been using his usual weapon, Natalie doubted she would have stood much of a chance.

As it was, her muscles were burning from the excursion. Though she didn't think she was succeeding much, she was trying to match him blow for blow. And while she was starting to feel more than just a little worn out from their workout, Hiei still looked as fresh as a fucking daisy.

For some reason, that pissed her off.

Feeding from her anger, she made an attempt to go on the offensive, attacking Hiei with as much gusto as she could muster. Hiei simply seemed to allow it for a few moments before using his makeshift sword to disarm her. As Natalie's boa went flying away from her, Hiei used the few seconds she was in shock to swiftly knock her to the ground. What little air she had in her lungs was expelled from the impact and she could do nothing but lay there for a few long seconds, gasping to get the air back into her lungs.

Hiei had retrieved her weapon for her and threw it on the ground next to her. She slowly sat up, still breathing deeply, only now becoming aware of all the aches and pains of her body now that her adrenaline was gone.

"Hn. You went a little over two straight hours before your body went out on you. Not bad for a ningen onna," he said, a small smirk on his face.

Natalie was still trying to gulp down lungful's of air without being too conspicuous about it. Her throat felt like sandpaper, giving her voice a strangely throaty quality to it. "Was that sarcasm or your idea of praising me?"

She didn't notice Hiei stiffen slightly as she spoke. She was too busy trying to swallow now, as well as trying to bring her oxygen level back up to normal. He shrugged. "Take it however you wish, onna. But I will say this: not many humans could have gone that long fighting against me." When he saw surprise on her face he snorted. "Don't let that go to your head though. I was going easy on you. You can rest for half an hour, and then we're going again."

She didn't argue. She simply nodded.

He turned and started walking away. "Stay right here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Before she could question him on where he was going, he vanished from sight. She sighed and shook her head. She supposed he probably wouldn't have told her anyway.

So she sat beneath the tree for a few long moments, not bothering to waste her energy by standing up or moving around. She had a feeling she was going to need all the energy she could get now that Hiei was back from Demon World to help her train. She had a feeling he was going to be a hard taskmaster, but at least he wasn't going to be as bad as Genkai was with Yusuke when she had first started training him.

At least she sure as hell hoped he wouldn't.

When Hiei returned about ten minutes after he left, she was more than a little surprised when he tossed her a canteen of water. "Drink up, onna. The day's going to be warm and you're going to need to keep yourself hydrated. After another five hours we'll take an hour long break to get something to eat and then we'll keep going."

Natalie simply nodded again, gratefully opening the canteen and taking a few long swigs out of it. Hiei was right. It wasn't even noon yet and she could feel the heat of the oncoming afternoon. When the sun was high in the sky, she had an uneasy feeling it was going to be scorching.

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. "Tomorrow you should try manifesting your spirit weapon again. The sooner you can do it, the better. We need to get your body as adjusted to using reiki energy as we can before we leave for the Makai."

"Okay. Are we just working on me manifesting my weapon or do you want me to throw some blasts, too?"

Hiei blinked, a little surprised at this question. He seemed to think it over for a moment and then regarded her. "Although I would feel more at ease if you could do both right now, a week isn't nearly enough time, so we'll focus on what you know best, and once the trip is over, we'll work on your blasts."

She simply shrugged and nodded, taking another long swig from her canteen.

They spent the remainder of the break in silence until Hiei announced that her break was over and they had to get back to training. The woman stood up, doing what she could to ignore her body's protests, grabbed her boa, and prepared herself again.

Hiei noticed that Natalie seemed to slow down somewhat for the second round, but he decided to leave it be for today. He could tell from her expression and the smell of her that she was giving it everything she had. The fire demon wondered if she would even be conscious by the time he brought her back home.

Natalie fought on, trying to get her adrenaline to take over once more. She had no idea how much time had passed and she wasn't going to ask. For the next week, it was going to be Hiei calling the shots for her. She cringed inwardly and hoped he didn't let it go to his head. He was high and mighty as it was!

For the first time, she actually came close to striking Hiei, but the little demon moved in time to avoid her attack. The boa sliced through the air where he had been standing and went straight through the trunk of the tree that he had been standing on. To Natalie's shock, the tree started tipping over and she barely avoided being crushed by its weight by jumping out of the way. She landed a little awkwardly on the ground and felt a pain shoot from her left ankle and go up her leg to her knee. She ignored it, a little dumbfounded when the tree crashed to the ground.

The girl blinked slowly and looked at the boa she held her hands. She looked from the remains of the tree to her weapon once more.

"Okay... that was... unexpected..."

Hiei showed up at her side. "Your energy is becoming more compact, meaning your body is starting to remember how to form the boa. The more compact your energy becomes, the more damage you will be able to inflict with it."

She nodded and then realized that her stomach was aching. "How much longer until lunch?"

"Two hours." He looked at her. "I'll push you a little harder until that time comes, so you had best be ready."

Natalie felt her stomach drop hearing this, but she didn't object. She simply nodded quietly, not seeing the look Hiei was giving her. The girl looked at her boa again, imbuing it with her energy.

Even though he saw her hair was a mess, she had several minor injuries and was obviously exhausted, the woman's expression was one of pure determination. Then she took a couple steps and the fire yokai blinked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Why are you limping?"

She blinked, turning to look at him, and then turned her attention to her left ankle. "It's nothing big. It's because I landed a little awkwardly when the tree came down." She shrugged as if it didn't matter.

He shook his head, indicating a nearby log. "Sit."

Natalie normally would have blown her top at him, but to his ever growing shock, she did just as he had told her... again! Shaking off his surprise, he came forward to examine her ankle for himself.

Natalie froze as she felt Hiei slowly removing her shoe, and then felt his calloused fingers very gently probe her injury. She felt a sudden jolt of pain go up her leg and she wasn't able to keep herself from wincing.

He nodded. "You have a minor dislocation." He smirked inwardly as he positioned his fingers to slip the small bone back into place. "This is going to hurt," he said, giving her his only warning as he gave the bone a light jerk and set it back into its place.

Natalie gave a little jump at this and elicited a loud curse. But Hiei was shocked that she didn't say or do anything else. She just got to her feet hesitantly and tested her weight on the ankle.

"Thanks," she said. The injury still stung a little, but now that her bone was back in its proper place, she could move much easier than if she had just left her ankle the way that it was.

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. "Hn. I don't think we've spent this much time together without us getting into a fight," he stated cautiously.

Natalie blinked and looked at him in surprise. Then she simply shrugged again. "I had it drilled into my head to not disagree with my sensei's. I could have bitten your head off on a few occasions today, but since we're doing nothing but sparring anyway, why waste energy with words?"

Hiei rose an eyebrow. "So you're saying what, onna?"

She shrugged again and gave him a smirk. "I'm saying I'll scream at you later. Right now I'm trying to conserve what energy I have left and am counting down the minutes till lunch time. But anyway... how about we keep going?" Natalie twirled her boa expertly and took up a fighting stance.

Hiei's own lips formed a smirk and he continued training her.

*****

Two hours passed and Hiei informed her that they would head back to the city to eat and then return. Without waiting for her response, he simply scooped her up in his arms and bounded away. Natalie took full advantage of the situation and simply let herself relax in his arms as the scenery passed by, little more than a blur.

Finally he settled down on a rooftop and set her down. Looking to the street below, they saw several restaurants. Natalie noticed the scowl of distaste on Hiei's face. She had a feeling he didn't want to go into any of them, not wanting to deal too much with ningens.

She pursed her lips slightly, alternating her gaze from Hiei to the human filled street just below them. "I could just run into one of them and grab something for the both of us," she said thoughtfully.

He looked at her for a moment, scowled again, and then reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Just make sure that whatever you get me has meat in it."

Nodding, Natalie jumped down into an alleyway and made her way out to the street. She entered a restaurant that looked as if it sold western cuisine, so she stepped in there and quickly made her order: two hamburgers. She simply had them make them up the way she always did, not sure of what Hiei's preferences were. Then, heading outside onto the street again, she got a hunch, stepped up to an ice cream salesman and ordered two soft vanilla cones. She just had to see if this piece of conjecture dreamed up by the fans of the show was true or not.

Leaping back up to the top of the building where Hiei was still waiting for her, she smiled and handed him both the hamburger and the ice cream. Then the woman experienced a sight she never thought she would ever see.

Hiei's expression lit right up for a few brief but wonderful seconds, a genuinely happy smile splitting his face. He almost looked like an excited ten year old!!

"Sweet snow!" He said in surprise, his features becoming emotionless again seconds after the ice cream was in his hands. Apparently ignoring his hamburger for the time being, he quickly started to dig right in.

Natalie blinked in shock for a few minutes, before she let out a few little giggles. Curious, Hiei turned to regard her. "Onna?"

She quickly cleared her throat, though she couldn't keep a small amused smile from coming to her face. She smirked at him. "I guess your fans were right... you really do have a weak spot for ice cream!"

The little fire demon's eyes narrowed and he frowned slightly. "Is there a problem with that, onna?"

She waved it off as she started on her own ice cream. "Why would there be a problem with it? I find it pretty c-" She stopped mid-word, her eyes going wide as she slapped a hand over her mouth and turned bright red. Kami!! She couldn't believe she almost said that right in front of Hiei! Daring to cast a glance in his direction, she saw his eyes were now wide in surprise as he looked right at her. Natalie felt her throat constrict and her face turn redder from the embarrassment.

Had she not turned her eyes away, she would have seen an almost malicious smile cross Hiei's features. "You find it pretty what, Onna?"

His smile turned into a somewhat sinister smirk when he saw her blush deepen.

Natalie sighed inwardly, knowing he had caught her slip. There was no point in hiding it now. Just get the humiliation over and done with. She took in a deep breath as she felt more blood rushing to her head. "I... find it... cute," she said quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. She was sure that if Lisa were to see her friend in this situation, she would have been laughing herself sick.

Had Natalie been brave enough to glance up again, she would have seen something flicker in Hiei's eyes before he simply vanished, his smirk still in place.

Natalie didn't even have a clue he had moved until she felt a pair of very warm hands grip her shoulders. Hard on the heel of this, she felt Hiei's face beside her own and could feel his hot breath against her cheek as he spoke in a low slightly husky voice in her ear. "Is that right... Natalie?" he purred softly.

Hiei had to hold himself back from laughing at her expression. The way her eyes popped out of her skull and she turned a blazing red was beyond comical. He was sure she would have fallen off the building if he didn't have his hands on her shoulders.

Then he paused as his nose picked up on her arousal. He did a quick consideration, taking into account his own personal self control, as well as the fact that there barely a trace of Kurama's scent upon her. Then he saw her tousled hair, battle worn body, and the light sheen of sweat that was making her skin glisten, and decided to go for it, smirking in a way that was nothing short of evil.

He leaned forward a little more and gently ran his hands down her arms. He had to fight to keep a self satisfied smirk on his face when she let out a little shiver. He allowed his lips to brush up against her earlobe and took in a deep sniff of her neck. Upon breathing in her delightful scent, he felt the traces of his inner beast stirring within. He decided on just a couple more jabs before leaving her be.

"What's the matter, onna? Am I... distracting you?"

The woman stiffened slightly. "Oooohhh.... this isn't fair and you know it!!" she said, a tinge of anger in her voice. She almost whimpered when Hiei's hands settled on her hips instead.

Natalie wasn't sure if she wanted what Hiei was doing or not, but she couldn't deny that it sure as hell felt good to have a guy touch her like this again (and still mind blowing to know that it was Hiei who was doing that touching). His lips brushed against her ear again and she couldn't help but shiver in pleasure.

"Are you enjoying this, onna?" he murmured in possibly the most seductive tone Natalie had ever heard.

"I..." She took in a sharp intake of breath when his hands started making a trail up the sides of her body, moving upward toward her breasts. He stopped just an inch or so short of them.

The smell of the woman's arousal was getting stronger with each passing second, and Hiei felt his beasts stirrings intensify right along with it. He decided it would be best to bring this to an end, no matter how much he enjoyed watching the onna squirm.

He let out a chuckle, there mere sound of which sent Natalie's heart pounding. A small voice in his mind told him to see just how far she would let him go, but he shoved that annoying voice out of his mind before he could consider it. After their time in the tree a few nights ago, Hiei was trying not to underestimate his own self control.

He smirked. "Hn. So tell me, onna... have you fantasized about me lately? Or do you save that for in your own world?"

Natalie's eyes bugged out of her head once more and she turned cherry red. However, he also smelled her anger come to the surface... something that made his smirk widen. He pulled back slightly when he felt her tense.

"What?! First of all, how dare you!! Just because you know things like that about me, doesn't give you a right to ask questions like that!!"

He let his smirk grow until it was nearly splitting his face. "And here I thought you were going to complain about me touching you. It's nice to know you enjoyed it." He backed up and crossed his arms, letting his eyes bore into her.

She whirled, losing the top of her partially melted ice cream in the process. She didn't seem to care less about the ice cream, however. Her eyes were wide and a wild blush went across her face, a combination of rage and embarrassment. Her body started shaking in shocked anger. "Why... you...!!! You arrogant, self satisfied, little...!!!!" She held herself back from calling him a Son of a Bitch, not knowing if he'd take that too personally or not. She growled very impressively for a human. "When this break is over, I'm going to..."

"...make the sad attempt to inflict bodily harm upon me. You'll get your chance soon, onna. Break is over in ten minutes, so if you want to eat, I suggest you do it quickly."

Her hands were clenched into tight fists and the expression on her face was almost murderous, causing Hiei to smile inwardly. Ah, yes... their spars were always better when she was angry. The fire demon felt his anticipation increase for the first time that day.

Natalie made quick work of her burger and sent a look at Hiei that told him she was ready. Nodding, he started off going at a speed that was deliberately just a little faster than her apparent top speed. He was determined to make the woman push herself to her physical limits. If he had his way, she wouldn't be conscious by the time they were finished today. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun while he was at it.

As he expected, Natalie attacked him full force when they returned, and he knew her newfound strength had little to do with the break they had just had. The womans strength and speed seemed to increase with her temper... something that oddly delighted the koorime.

Natalie wasn't even sure how long they were supposed to spar this time before taking a break, but she didn't ask. At the moment she simply didn't care. She was too busy trying to beat the crap out of Hiei... which didn't seem to be getting her anywhere, really, but it felt good. The nerve of that... that... perverted midget!! Asking her such things and being all smug and self satisfied. She just wanted to smack that smirk of his off of his face.

Unfortunately, that wasn't happening, and her frustration was building up within her with each failed strike.

Her body was beyond sore and it felt like her legs were barely able to support her own weight, but she didn't care as she lunged at him again, boa glowing with her spirit energy. Hiei simply dodged or countered every one of her attacks, and then he suddenly made an offensive move with his bamboo sword, Natalie barely able to leap out of the way before he could take out her knee cap.

However, she didn't have time to react when she had just landed from her jump and felt something slam into her. She lost her boa somehow in the struggle, and finally found herself flat on her back, Hiei's makeshift sword at her throat.

Natalie took in a few deep gasping breaths, trying to get her oxygen level back up again. She could feel branches and rocks digging into her back, her entire body felt like it was made of jello. She didn't even know if she would be able to stand up. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes.

Hiei's face was scant inches from her own, his ruby eyes blazing into her own. She felt her breath catch in her throat. If Hiei was at all winded, he didn't show any sign of it. Then she froze as he brushed some of her hair out of her face, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You lose, onna. Are you ready to try again?" he asked, an arrogant smirk on his face.

She got an annoyed expression on her face and she gave him half a glare. "If you get off me, I might."

It almost looked as if an expression of indecision crossed Hiei's face, but it was gone before Natalie could be sure. He climbed off of her and watched as she struggled to get back to her feet. Her legs were quivering weakly beneath her, but she was as stubborn as ever. She located her weapon and picked it up, almost stumbling in the process before her feet found purchase once more, and she imbued it with her energy again, this time straining somewhat. Hiei saw her legs quiver beneath her again and nodded to himself.

She wouldn't last much longer. She was making a valiant effort, but she simply didn't have the kind of strength to stand up to him and have a hope in hell of winning.

She decided she was going to try again, however. She had slowed down significantly, though. Hiei slowed his own speed for her benefit, to give her a half chance in hell.

After dodging her attacks for almost a half hour, Hiei decided it was time to end it. He whipped out his leg and his foot slammed into her chest, sending her flying.

Natalie felt herself go flying through the air and time seemed to slow down for a moment as her vision wavered. Her body was refusing to follow her mental commands, so she couldn't shift her position in midair or try to absorb the upcoming impact in the least painful way possible.

This is going to hurt... she thought, trying to mentally brace herself for the impact. Her vision started going dark just as she felt a set of arms fly around her torso and her back against a finely toned chest.

Hiei realized almost immediately that the woman was on the verge of losing consciousness and wouldn't be able to stop herself from slamming into the ground. With a burst of speed, he caught her and slid his feet along the ground to stop her trip. When he had done so, he had the woman in his arms, her head limp against his chest. He was a little concerned until he saw the steady rise and fall of her chest and internally breathed a sigh of relief.

He took a few moments to do a quick check up on her. She was covered in bruises and a few scratches and scrapes, but otherwise seemed to be all right. However, she was also completely and utterly drained of her spirit energy. She would be lucky if she was back up to par tomorrow, but he had a feeling that not only was that not going to happen, but she was going to be sore as all hell.

He considered her injuries again, briefly thought of healing some of them, but then shoved the thought from his mind. If she was conscious, then fine. But passed out like this, it just felt too much like taking advantage of her. His best options were to either bring her home and wake her up and heal her then, or go to the fox and see if he could provide the koorime with some sort of healing ointment to take care of her injuries. Hiei would have to still apply it to her injuries himself, but at least he would just be using his hands and not his tongue. Thinking this over for the span of a few seconds, he decided that bringing her straight to Kurama would be the best bet. Then he could simply bring her home and let her rest.

Retrieving her boa, he scooped her up into his arms and shot off for Kurama's apartment.

*****

Okay, just telling you now, the next chapter is going to be rated R. It doesn't have sex in it, but there are scenes that are going to be a little... :ahem: 'hands on.' XD