"So let me get this straight?" Hiei asked, sitting testily on the fox's bed while the fox was moving around, getting ready for school. "She half skipped the mission by running away from danger and accidentally trespasses on an old alchemist's lands. The alchemist dies and gives her his weapon, an unnatural creature that can think for itself. And to top it off, Koenma just gives her a warning to do better next time?"
"Well summarized," the fox responded. "Poor thing was terrified before meeting with Koenma, sure she was big trouble," he gave a soft laugh at the mental image. "She's been warned to do better next time. Afterward, Koenma attempted to run some tests on the wind serpent to figure out its unique existence, but when she jolted when he tried to draw some blood, the wind serpent bit him before she could stop him," he gave another short laugh. "The tests ended abruptly after that."
Hiei's face twitched in annoyance. "If I had missed half a mission for whatever reason, I'd be imprisoned in the Spirit World."
"So would I since my parole depends on your good behavior as well."
"He should just get rid of her."
"Don't you have a video tape to deliver?" the fox asked, changing the subject. "I need to go meet with Koenma after school myself anyway."
"Why, what about?"
The fox paused tensely. "To look up some more information about the wind serpent... To see how I can improve Nanashi's training." He zipped up his school bag. "I need to get going," he hinted somewhat directly.
Taking the hint, Hiei went to the fox's bedroom window, opened it, and jumped out with a soft thump on the ground. The fox closed the window for him.
Hiei stepped into the shadows of the fox's apartment building, took off his head band, and closed his eyes to locate the detective. He does so easily, sensing him just now leaving his own apartment. Putting his head band back on, he made the journey there swiftly. Once he saw him running to school with that annoying girl a step behind him, he waited patiently ahead of their traveling direction for them to approach him.
"Yusuke?" the girl's small voice huffed out. "How exactly and how long has the VCR been broken?"
The detective looked at her as he ran beside her. "How should I know? My mom probably broke it. Why?"
"Um... I tried to fix it, but..." she shook her head. "Do we have the manual? I might be able to figure it out from that." Looking ahead of the two of them, she stopped running suddenly, brought one hand up by her mouth, and the wind serpent had risen up around her neck with a feisty hiss as she had spotted Hiei standing ahead of them.
"Of course you'd look for a book," he teased. He noticed then she was no longer just behind him. Glancing back at her, he scolded her, "didn't Kurama tell you not to let that out when you're not fighting? You'll waste your energy." When she did not respond, he turned his gaze to where she was looking and saw Hiei. "Well, if it isn't my favorite three-eyed demon! What's up Hiei? You're not stalking me again, are you?" the detective asked as he closed the distance between the two of them. After a pregnant pause, the girl came over, but stayed partly behind the detective.
Hiei handed him the video tape while wearing a poker face. "From Koenma."
"Koenma? Isn't this Botan's gig?" the detective asked puzzled and then took the tape.
Testily, Hiei responded back. "I don't know. I'm following orders."
With a laugh, the detective asked "You're following Koenma's orders?"
The two stared at each other over the pause. Out of the corner of his eyes, Hiei noticed the annoying girl was twitching her lips as if she were speaking, but no words were coming out. He looked her up and down, irritated that the creature, the elemental serpent as the fox called it, around her neck had not only made her so strong so fast, but it also allowed her to stay a spirit detective when she lucked into a dying alchemist giving it to her. The creature noticed him looking at her and hissed menacingly. The girl brought her hand that had been by her mouth down to it and shushed it. The creature acted almost tame for her as it disappeared from sight. Seemed like a perfectly good weapon was wasted on her.
After Hiei flitted away, Yusuke commented, "strange guy," and then took off running towards his school. Hiei watched Yusuke run off first and the girl quickly followed after him. On the run, he told her "I'll see if Kuwabara will let us watch the tape at his place after school."
She nodded vigorously as she made the turn towards her school and away from the direction of the detective's school. Hiei noticed she sped up considerably as she ran to her school. Hiei took of his head band and closed his eyes, curiously trying to look into the creature's mind. It was surprisingly intelligent and had the motivation to protect its new mistress from anyone who scared her, seeing his own face in particular. He noticed the creature disliked the reaper and the prince as well. Outside of the girl, it felt affection for both the detective and the fox.