Heya! I'm back! Sorry about the lack of updates! I explained it last chapter though...

Grrr.... Back to school we go...

And this chapter was supposed to be longer, it just kind of decided to...end itself early. But don't worry. All the fluff that was planned for tonight will now happen whenever the next chapter comes out!

Fire: ::immediatly straps katana to waist and smiles:: Thanks. I'll use it to beat away annoying family members that want to force me away from my pretty computer. ::wink:: And guess what you're getting every chapter from here on out! ::runs over and hugs again:: Ha! ::grins::

Fate: ::laughs:: Blood and gore are my friends. Does it make sense that my favorite stories are either bloody or romantic? And yay! Thank you for not hurting me for something I couldn't change.

Watermellon: ::sniffles:: It's painful, but I've managed to survive. But now I'm back with nothing to distract me but school and play practice. ::denial:: Writing isn't what's distracting! Those are! Gah! ::hides from the school bus::

Asilin: Thanks. I'm glad it came out good. I'd been thinking about that scene forever.

Pen: ::laughing:: I don't have a life either. And he's also very technologically challenged. I was sitting next to him at the library trying to post the chapter and I had to show him how to italicize something.... ::sweatdrops::

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Chapter 24

Kisu…

The week passed as it normally does, except for the fact that I didn't go to school for a few days.

I told Hiei that it would only take a few days for everything to heal, and I'll be damned if I let my own body prove me wrong. I was right, almost. All the minor knife wounds disappeared after two days, but the others still haven't finished, or are still sore. I didn't tell Hiei that, though, when I emerged from my room Tuesday morning, after two full days of healing rest, and going on the third.

I told him I was healed and that I was going to school. He smirked, and asked in a tone that was almost approaching warmly amused, how I planned on hiding the gash that was still on the back of my leg when the school skirt displayed it so very clearly.

I grumpily succumbed to spending the day on the couch when he threatened to tell the others if I didn't. I doubt he would ever do something like that, mainly because it would mean being nice, or maybe just nicer, to Yusuke, even if nicer just meant sharing information. But it's never a good idea to push Hiei. You can never tell when he'll let go just to spite you for thinking him predictable.

I think that's the day he tried to ask me why I don't just shift my form so that wounds hold themselves together or are hidden, and I snapped back that doing that takes more concentration than I'm willing to give up for the amount of time I would need to.

We spent a remarkable amount of time just together Tuesday, sometimes just sitting there, me thinking or contemplating various things dreamily while I sprawled on the couch, Hiei sitting on the floor, sword care materials spread out around him, cleaning, sharpening, and oiling his blade and sheath. It's a process that takes a very long time to complete if done correctly and done well, I learned as I watched him sit there and work all day. It could probably be considered somewhat amazing that Hiei and me have essentially lived together for months and have never spent more than half an hour, at the most, alone with each other.

He answered my casual questions about what he was doing for a while before he get fed up with me and reverted back to the usual 'hn.'

I answered his questions for a while as well, until he tried to steer the conversation back to the pills and my past. At that point I shut up and glared at him, arms crossed, stonily refusing to answer.

I think he made me stay downstairs to make sure I didn't sneak out. God only knows where I would sneak off to, or why he would even think for a minute that I actually want to go to school. Even spending an entire day with him is preferable to school, and it didn't even turn out to be as bad as I had thought it would be. He and Kurama are the only ones that don't expect me to try to play nice, though Kurama does draw the line at allowing me to physically harm him, or others, when around him.

Or maybe we should just call it permanently maim… That's what I convinced him to allow when dealing with Yusuke and Kuwabara. I always leave the other girls alone, and it would be the equivalent of suicide to attempt to engage Hiei in public or otherwise.

Kurama, inevitably, happened to stop by after school let out. Yusuke and the others, thankfully, did not. Kurama said they had mumbled something about not wanting to catch the flu, or whatever it was I supposedly had, and then took off down the street.

Right. Kurama showed up and seemed completely unsurprised to find me unsick and lounging. I'd taken this as my cue to bounce up and depart. "Right. I'll see the two of you later." Unfortunately, I momentarily forgot that it's very bad to flex or move a healing muscle a lot, and promptly popped at least three of the stitches. I hoped that Hiei wouldn't say anything, and that Kurama wouldn't notice. Those things never work out, do they…

"Kisuko." I froze at the sound of Kurama's voice, plastering a grin on my face as I turned around.

"Yes."

Kurama's eyes danced. He's been acting rather strange for the past week or so. Maybe I would try asking Hiei about it again later.

"You popped a stitch."

My smile became strained as I tried to slip my sock off before I got any blood on it. "That? I didn't even notice. I'm gonna go deal with it in my room. Bye!" I turned and ran up the stairs, ignoring another couple of stitches popping and the dribble of blood running down my leg.

I heard Kurama laugh behind me and Hiei mumble a couple of words to him. I know that, out of all of the others, Kurama is the one that Hiei is closest too. Would he tell Kurama about the fight when he had essentially promised to tell no one? And would it even matter if Kurama knew? The answer to both of those questions is probably no…

I came up with a plan sometime during the rest of the day while I did the homework Kurama had gotten for me from Yusuke. Joy. He had brought it up to my door and I had snatched it from him, slamming my door in his face as soon as possible. I already spent most of the day being sociable. I have a limit.

I snuck into Hiei's room around ten o'clock, crouched down by his head, and poked him, immediately jumping back to avoid the automatic lunge I knew he would launch into after being touched while sleeping. He woke up rather well, I think. It only took him a few moments to realize it was me, stop attempting to kill me, growl, and demand "What the hell do you want?" I just laughed and laid out my plan, which involved sneaking into Yusuke's house and stealing one of his uniforms, preferably one that was the correct color, and possibly playing a prank on him in the process. Humiliating Yusuke. Hmmm… Let's think. Of course he agreed.

I slouched into school the next day wearing one of the ugly blue suits all the guys at the school have to wear. Some of the less intelligent guys, including Kuwabara, made some 'suggestive' comments, at which point I beat the crap out of them. It was so nice, being able to fight and not worry about flashing someone while wearing that goddamned skirt.

The gash on my leg had been healed enough the night before that I hadn't needed to re-stitch it. I probably wouldn't have even if it needed it, though, because I would have had to ask someone to do it for me. By morning it was healed enough that I could peel the rest of the stitches out, even if it was still scabby and a bit of a mess. I ended up bandaging it so that the fabric in Yusuke's uniform didn't irritate it, or get blood stained.

The thing was still huge, but not as big as it would have been if it was Kuwabara's, and the longer sleeves hid the second gash on my wrist, which I hadn't even thought about.

When I finally got to the school I immediately slid into my seat and tried to go to sleep. I was guessing that the teachers would be slightly more sympathetic than usual because I had been 'sick.'

I was almost there when I heard a wolf-whistle to my left as Yusuke slid into his seat.

"Nice duds, Kisu," he said, smirking. "Where'd you pick those up?"

I lifted my head and flashed one of my best smiles at him, one that was icy and cold. "Your closet, and shut up. I have a head ache." I didn't, but I'm known to be more irritable and prone to hurt things when I do so people don't question its truth.

He held his hands up in a peace gesture. "Whoa. Didn't mean to bug you."

The day was normal, slow, boring. The only excitement was when Yusuke and Kuwabara decided to bug me during Literature and one of them accidentally poked my leg wound. By pure chance it was Yusuke that ended up flying out of his chair and into the wall. I just happened to grab his arm first.

The principal gave me a detention for that and the uniform. They also asked me, very politely, to wear the correct genders ensemble tomorrow. I just sneered at them. The administrators have heard about my flighty nature through the teacher grapevine, and I think it's made them wary of me. That's the best thing I've discovered in weeks.

Just for that I'm wearing this thing again tomorrow, whether I need to or not. I haven't even decided if I'm going to go back to wearing the skirt after this anyways. Probably not. Skirts just aren't me.

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My reviewer people! If you have aim or yim will you include your sn in your message thingy? ::mopes:: It gets lonely out here....