Sorry for such a long hiatus. College started and I really didn't have much time to really make chapter. I will try to get the next out sooner. Almost at the end people.

-YSendo

Chapter 26

"Mrew?"

Yuumei sighed as she shut her door behind her, leaning back on the wood. Thoughtfully, she stared off in front of her, taking some small comfort from the ball of fur weaving between her legs.

She came home alone, dismissing even Hiei with a mumbled excuse that she needed rest. What she really needed, Yuumei decided, was some time to herself. In silence, she went about the kitchen, preparing herself something to eat. Yuumei sat down to munch on her sandwich, throwing down bits of turkey for the cat.

Then she wondered, bleakly, when her ideal of loving from a distance changed to a jealously that threatened to consume her. Even now, as she repeated aloud to herself that Hiei and Yukina didn't have a bond of physical love, but one more towards close friends, Yuumei couldn't shake the cold chill that gripped her spine at the sight of Hiei's repressed distress.

The easiest choice is to leave, Yuumei thought to herself, but as she did she felt that cold grip around her heart return. She knew that if she were to leave now, just disappear, she would learn to live with the loneliness until it became a dull ache that she would only feel on cold, rainy nights. Soon, her time with the detectives will be over. Soon, she will be forced to move away so they can't find her; she won't let them find her.

Yuumei was confident she could make it. She was confident she could live out her prolonged existence without turning to depression. I can do it, she told herself. "I can do it."

"Mrew." But still, she slid out of her chair and huddled around the small ball of fur which was contently munching on the remains of her sandwich. She gathered the feline in her arms and held it close. "Mrew?"

"I can do it." …just not yet.

"Yukina could've been killed!" Kuwabara roared down in Lei's face, spraying her with spit. "My most beautiful flower could've been killed!" Kuwabara seemed to realize just how in danger the ice apparition must have been in because his hands started to tremble as he covered his face with them; all the while, he was mumbling, "My Yukina."

After using her sleeve to wipe the drool off her face, Lei glanced around for any support from the team. Kurama looked most sympathetic, though he gave no words in her defense. Yusuke and Kuwabara were yelling at her for the past ten minutes, since a little before Yuumei left. Hiei sat up in a nearby tree, his expression blank and distant; he seemed to be ignoring everything.

Lei snarled, baring her canines, as Yusuke raised his hands again. Though he didn't strike her, during his rant he fell into a habit of using violent hand motions and Lei felt the need to warn him that he was getting too close. "I can't believe this. Why didn't you tell us? Does Koenma know?"

Lei stepped away from Yusuke as she answered the detective's questions. "I saw no need to bring it up. As I said," she ground out, "the design was changed."

"Does pacifier-breath know?!" Yusuke yelled again, unknowingly grating on Hiei's nerves.

"I don't know!" Lei barked back, tired of being pushed into a corner. She continued venomously, "I don't even know how that disgusting little human found out. Perhaps she already told that overgrown baby-!"

"Do not," Hiei said evenly as he held Lei up by the throat against a tree, "fabricate excuses." He tightened his hold a little bit, making Lei gasp and swallow heavily. As he explained with a deadly calm, no one dared interrupt him, so rigid was his frame. "Your project endangered an innocent maiden, nearly killed the fox, and," Hiei's voice rose, "it wasted my time!" He bit his tongue before he spurted out some nonsense in Yuumei's defense. Last thing he needed was to have the pesky humans bother him about his personal affairs.

"Your time," Kuwabara scoffed, "My Yukina could have-." He wisely stopped as Hiei sent him a sharp glare. Hiei choked Lei once more before releasing her. Turning to the rest of the team, he grunted, "Hn, I am tired of your foolish yelling." Then, he vanished.

Lei drew herself to her feet, her eyes closed and her body barely trembling. When she opened her eyes and saw Yusuke and Kuwabara readying themselves for another round with her, she deadpanned her voice, "I will not tolerate this behavior."

Yusuke was about to chase after her as she took off, but Kurama placed a hand on his arm. "It is time to rest. We all had an exciting day."

"You're right," Yusuke drawled, though his brow was wrinkled in anger still, "but she can't get away with it."

"She did nothing wrong," Kurama amended, though he didn't think he got through to anyone.

Hiei stopped at the temple to quickly check on his sister. Spotting her in one of the many rooms, he crawled in through the window, surprising her. "Oh, Hiei."

He nodded at her, standing resolutely next to his escape route until she motioned for him to sit across from her. When he did, she prepared him a cup of tea and they sipped in silence. "Are you all right?" Hiei asked quietly.

"Yes," Yukina smiled at him. "I just had a bit of a scare, that's all. How is Yuumei?"

Her question surprised him, making him pause mid-sip. "Why should I know?" he said, more harshly than he intended. Yukina gave him a confused glance, "She usually stays around you. She didn't look too good earlier."

Hiei looked away, holding back the instinctive retort to deny noticing the taller girl's health. "She is ill," he muttered.

Yukina smiled, "Perhaps you should visit her. I'll pack you some sweets that I made."

"You don't have to-," was Hiei's strangled reply, but his sister already dashed out of the room. With a sigh, Hiei finished his tea and got to his feet, silently wondering what the girl was doing.

He felt her tension throughout their earlier excursion. Hiei tried to read her body language, but there was nothing clear except that she was upset. He even probed her mind to get to the root of the problem, but it was such a mess in there that he withdrew. In fact, even now, Hiei dreaded seeing Yuumei; his primitive instinct kept telling him that whatever plagued Yuumei was his fault.

Yuumei pretended to not hear the knocking. She simply sat curled up on the couch reading a book, leafing through to the more interesting parts. The knocking got more persistent, making Yuumei look over thoughtfully. She set her book aside and methodically unlocked the door. When she opened it, she was met by Hiei's more than annoyed expression, with those crimson eyes glaring at her hoping to instill guilt. Yuumei shut the door and slid the dead bolt in place. She crossed her arms and faced the door, knowing he could see her perfectly well with his jagan.

She heard the audible sigh Hiei deliberately let out. "Woman, let me in."

She shook her head and heard him growl. This is ridiculous, Hiei thought to himself. "Yukina made me bring you some food."

Yuumei growled out from the other side of the door, "Figures. Yukina." Hiei stared at the door in confusion. Then, his jagan glowed as he invaded the girl's mind again. He saw that same turmoil, although this time he got a feeling that it was conjured intentionally to throw him off.

It took half an hour to convince Yuumei to let him in. If Hiei were a more sociable person, it would have taken less time, but he kept himself aloof and Yuumei relented only when he threatened to break her window to get in.

Once inside, Hiei handed off the blue little bag that Yukina gave him, more as a symbol of truce than a gift. Yuumei stared at the little bag for a long time and the tension in the room returned. Hiei shifted his weight from one foot to the next, staring up at the taller woman resolutely.

"Why?" A simple question. Hiei wanted an answer. Yuumei could see that, but she was too afraid to really voice it. Not because she feared his rejection (frankly, she was convinced he would deny everything out of reflex), but because he wouldn't understand it really. Love.

Hiei started to pull his lip back to snarl, showing his impatience. Yuumei set down the bag and avoided his sharp eyes. "Earlier, I assumed things. About you and Yukina."

"Just friends," Hiei injected stiffly, still unwilling to confess even to this woman.

"I know," Yuumei conceded with a smile, "I overreacted. But it showed me something I wanted to keep denying." She wandered to the bookcase, sliding a finger along the spines of her most favorite books. "You need a demonic companion, Hiei."

Hiei stood confused as the statement hovered between them. "Yes," he replied warily. Yuumei looked at him ruefully, "So I can't compare."

Hiei scowled at her and glared, silently demanding she explain herself. Yuumei grinned to herself for a moment before wandering over to sit on the sofa. "I fell in love with you," she said in one breath.

Hiei stood, carefully weighing his response in his mind. Yuumei just slid down and leaned back on the sofa with a regretful smile. He watched her warily, in a way hesitant to say anything. Yuumei closed her eyes and said, attracting Hiei's attention, "I don't expect you to confess whether or not you feel the same. In fact," her smild slid off her face, "I'm afraid to know that answer."

When she looked up, Hiei was standing above her, staring down with his hands buried deep within his pockets. He leaned over and touched his lips to hers.

Yuumei cautiously kissed him back, but she didn't try to deepen the gesture. He kept his hands in his pockets; she kept hers crossed across her chest. It wasn't until Kuwabara came knocking on the door that they broke apart, with Hiei disappearing into thin air.

Hope you liked it. Thanks for remaining such loyal readers :)

-YSendo