~DISCLAIMER: Yu Yu Hakusho is created and owned by Yoshihiro Togashi. My characters are entirely fictional and yeah are mine.~

Chapter 45: One Night, Heading Home

"Shikiharu, after you finish filing those papers away you can head home. It's getting late and I don't want you walking home by yourself late at night."

"Yes Professor," Keomi replied as she filed the papers away under their correct category. Keomi had only been working for the professor for a week and a half, only a mere two weeks after the battle with the frog demon. All the girls had been returned to their homes and were slowly getting used to their normal lives. It was a hard ordeal for all those who had been put through it. Keomi had quickly settled into a daily pattern of school, studying with Shuichi, work, and late night demon trips.

"No stalling Keomi, hurry up and get going." Professor Aibu ushered her out the door as Keomi barely had time to collect her things before getting locked in.

Keomi took three routes home and she constantly switched them at random to make sure that she wouldn't run into the same people in case of thugs and yakuza. It felt like a good night to continue on her regular path so Keomi went on her way. Everything was perfectly normal as Keomi walked toward her home, it was that way until she got a shiver up her spine. The shiver remained to crawl up her back as Keomi went on high alert as she widen her senses as a demon's presence floated around. Keomi was becoming more and more wary with each step she took as she tried to discover where the demon was hiding. She was trying too hard that she didn't pay attention as she rounded a corner too fast and ended slamming her face into a chest.

Scrabbling backwards Keomi stuttered an apology but she wasn't about to finish as hands grabbed her. Keomi turned aghast as she started to pull away but she stopped short when she heard the voice.

"Keomi? What are you doing? Are you okay?" Shuichi gripped Keomi's arms to make sure she wouldn't fall backwards or that she would escape. Right before Keomi had slammed into Shuichi's chest he had been in deep conversation with Hiei who vanished instantly when she had rounded the corner. "Keomi, is something the matter?"

Holding her face where she ran into Shuichi's chest Keomi answered as she glanced behind her, "Nothing's wrong now."

Shuichi didn't say anything as he carefully studied Keomi's face.

With just one peer at Keomi she cracked and told Shuichi what she was really feeling and what had really happened. "It just felt like something was wrong, like someone was watching me."

Shuichi noted that change in Keomi's face as she blushed lightly but she was genuinely worried about something. Shuichi suddenly feel the menacing demon's presence that was indeed stalking Keomi. "Instinct…"

Keomi's eyebrow rose as she studied Shuichi's eyes but he had turned away to look down the road from which she had been traveling on. The demon's presence was growing stronger as if it was moving closer to them.

In an instant Shuichi's arm was around Keomi's waist and he was pulling her along side him as he starting walking down the street at a brisk walk. Keomi stuttered along for a moment or two before their strides evened out and they matched each other step by step. Shuichi didn't say anything as the two of them walked with each other, side by side, glued close to the other.

Keomi could feel that demon presence fading as they walked down the street toward her apartment. But that wasn't all that Keomi felt, there was something about Shuichi's attitude that had left Keomi feeling a little anxious. Then a horrible thought struck her, what if Shuichi had felt her demon energy? She had been using it when she walked right into his chest. Keomi's face drained of all color as her heart rate tried to speed up but she restrained her breaths and heart beats with overwhelming mental ability. Her movements became a little stiffer and she began to pull away from Shuichi's side. If he was just playing innocent with her then in no time he would try to capture her. Keomi knew that she was wanted in Spirit World and that Kurama had been issued an order to catch her, along with his friends. She was walking on a very thin line and even the smallest shift would cause her to loose balance and she wouldn't just loose her freedom if the balance was disrupted. The human side of her would be completely wiped out and she would become a nobody, a nothing.

Looking sideways and down Shuichi watched as Keomi purposely pulled away from him. Keomi's face was almost had a stricken pale look but she was so stiff that it was hard to tell. The thought that she was very uneasy by being this close to him popped up to the front of his mind. That would very easily explain why she was pulling away from him. After all they had barely walked together holding hands and here he was holding her right up against him with his hand on her waist. Shuichi was starting to release his hold on Keomi to allow her to slip away from him but he changed his mind and pulled her close to him once again. He was ever so unwilling to let her go, even for the tiniest bit. Shuichi could easily feel Keomi flinch as their shoulders collided and their hips brushed up against each other. Suddenly it was much more sexual than it had been the first time. Aware of every tiny touch and bump as they walked pressed together made the walk to her apartment seem even longer than it was. Shuichi's grip on Keomi's waist was like iron as he held her pressed against him and all the while the two didn't speak or look at each other. Shuichi's gaze was intensely staring to the front of them as they walked as Keomi's head was down, staring at their moving feet. Among that their faces were also quite red as night settled around them as they headed towards home.

Reiko couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she peeked on Shuichi and Keomi walking toward the apartment building. Judging by the way they were walking and the awkwardness that floated around them they were still two innocent and pure little kids. Reiko had to keep the laughter from her voice down as she leaned up against the railing and drew in a breath of toxic cigarette smoke. She was just finishing her cigarette when the two came up the stairs, hand in hand this time and not sides glued to each other. She let the giant grin that she had been holding back this entire time burst out on her face as the couple appeared at the top of the stairs.

Keomi didn't dare to make eye contact with Reiko as she lounged against the wall and grinned like a maniac at them as Shuichi gripped her hand. She knew that her face was red and there was a high chance that Shuichi was blushing too. "Um, well thanks for walking me home Shuichi. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Shuichi could see his chance slipping away as Keomi was trying to escape into her apartment. "You shouldn't be coming home this late, it's dangerous!" He was suddenly very adamant about Keomi's safety once again, it hadn't worn off completely from the frog incident that still loomed ever present in their lives. Somehow or another Keomi always seemed to be in some sort of predicament. Dangerous or not Shuichi didn't want to take any chances with loosing Keomi, he had already seen it too many times but he just didn't want to let her go. "Keomi, I'll start walking you home every night when you get off this late. Okay?" Shuichi had already made up his mind, it was definitely too dangerous for a girl to be walking home late at night by herself. Besides he was her boyfriend so it was his duty to make sure she stayed safe and protected.

Keomi had to blink several times before what he finally said sunk in for her to understand it. He was going to start escorting her once again, it wasn't as if Keomi wasn't able of protecting herself but Shuichi didn't know that and she couldn't risk letting him find out. Moreover it was cute that Shuichi wanted to protect her so bad and how could Keomi say no to that. The blush on Keomi's face deepened as her head dropped as she replied to Shuichi's demand of taking her home each night. "I look forward to walking home with you tomorrow. Goodnight."

Keomi moved so fast that Shuichi almost missed it as she dived inside her apartment and shut the door on him. Shuichi was shocked for moment but then his face reddened a bit more before he called goodbye to Keomi through the door. He was just starting to walk away when Reiko caught his attention. Shuichi bowed to Reiko and started moving away as she grinned at him.

The two didn't speak as Reiko studied him as he moved towards the stairs. He was surely overprotective of Keomi but that made it all the easier to see how much he didn't want any harm or danger befall her. And just by showing that he didn't want anything happen to Keomi Shuichi was showing how much he cared for her. If he thought he could hide his feelings simply by being overprotective he was wrong, they were a dead give away to how much he loved her. But for some odd reason he was holding himself back, there was something that he was holding back from Keomi. It was as if he was doing it on purpose to protect her even more. Was it that hard to tell the truth to the one he loved and if he didn't it would tear them apart.

~Why is it that when I actually sit down to write my authors comments I can't think of anything to say about the chapter? Hmm well now that I think about and reread though my chapter I can say for sure that Shuichi and Keomi are moving closer. Although they are both keeping secrets from each other and hiding the demon part of their lives their human lives are moving closer…physically…

Reviewing keeps my spirits up and wants me to write so more so I look forward to hearing what you think and have to say about Passion. Thank you!~