A.N I've appreciated the two reviews so far. Would love to see more if you're enjoying the story!

This chapter is more slice-of-life, since I think YYH lends itself to both that and the action/battle genre

I don't own YYH, just Sakura and M. Shinsuke (so far)

Chapter 10

With Botan's help, Sakura spent the next few days practicing her telepathy. Before long, she was able to hold the connection with Botan's mind as well as Yusuke's, but she still couldn't communicate.

"What am I doing wrong?" she asked Botan in frustration two days after her lesson with Master Shinsuke.

"Nothing, Sakura. Why would you think that?"

"I honestly thought I'd get the hang of this by now!" Sakura burst out. "Master Shinsuke seemed to think I had talent, and I don't,"

"Au contraire," Botan said firmly. "You've made remarkable leaps. Didn't he tell you that it normally takes a lot longer for his students to hold a connection for the length you did?"

"Well, yes…"

"And you're already holding it longer than that after two days. Learning a new skill takes practice, Sakura. It takes time. You're being far too hard on yourself,"

Sakura sat down on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. She wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. "We haven't found Hiei yet, and we're running out of time. If I could stretch out to people I don't have a connection with, I could find him. But instead, here I am just struggling to communicate with my twin brother and you,"

"Sakura, nobody expects you to be perfect. As for Hiei, we will find him," Botan said gently. "Now, why don't we call it a day? We can work on your connection more tomorrow,"

In spite of herself, Sakura smiled and nodded. Botan called for her oar and returned to the Spirit World. Sakura lay down onto the pillow and ran a hand through her hair, which was hanging loose. She needed to get a grip. Botan was right. She was being too hard on herself. Maybe some tea would help ease her mind. Too bad it wasn't the brew Master Shinsuke had given her...

Miss Urameshi?

Sakura jumped so badly she hit her head on the bed frame. She knew that voice.

Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I should have made my presence known another way. Would you mind coming to the street corner? I have something I wish to discuss with you.

Massaging her head, Sakura nodded and hoped Kurama would realise she was accepting his invitation.

Excellent. I'll see you in a few minutes.

Hurriedly, Sakura raced to change from the ratty old cotton t-shirt she'd thrown on that morning. What could Kurama possibly want to talk to her about?

"Hey, Botan? Oh, she's gone. Kura? Are you going somewhere?" Yusuke looked at her quizzically.

"Yeah, Botan's ended training for the day. She's headed back to Spirit World to see if they've tracked down Hiei," Sakura said, dragging a brush through knots in her hair.
"He's an elusive pain in the ass, alright," Yusuke muttered. He followed Sakura to the door and watched her put her shoes on.

"So, where are you heading off in such a hurry?" asked Yusuke.

"Just out. Need some air," Sakura said quickly.

"Uh-huh," Yusuke didn't sound all that convinced. But before he could question further, Sakura was out the door. As promised, Kurama was waiting for her on the street corner.

"Good to see you, Miss Urameshi," he smiled.

"Um, likewise," Sakura felt all tongue tied.

"Why don't we go for a walk, away from all this?" Kurama headed in the direction of the wooded area nearby. Sakura followed. Kurama stopped a little way in and looked at Sakura. His blazing green eyes seemed to be x-raying her.

"So...what did you want to talk to me about?" Sakura asked more nervously than she intended.

"I'm assuming Yusuke filled you in on what happened at the hospital," Kurama said with no emotion.

"Yes, he did. How is your mother?"

"She's set to make a full recovery, thanks to your brother. Naturally I'm still waiting to find out what my punishment will be. But, of course, that isn't your concern. You have one more artefact to find, correct?"

"Yes, the Shadow Sword. We're searching for Hiei, but so far no luck," Sakura admitted bitterly.

"I have a feeling you won't find Hiei until he wants you to," Kurama said gravely. "To that end, I wanted to give you a word of caution,"

"Go on?" Sakura's curiosity peaked. Kurama looked the raven-haired girl up and down. Truly, she puzzled him slightly. The same black hair and brown eyes as her twin, but slightly shorter than Yusuke. Her petite frame yielded no clue as to the tremendous strength she possessed, physically and emotionally.

"Neither of you is what I would've otherwise expected. Yusuke's deepest nature is compassionate, but he is hot-headed. Impulsive. You, Sakura, are different. You possess the same kindness, but you're slower to act and trust. More gentle in your approach,"

Sakura felt the heat creeping up her face. "And your point would be…?

"You must be exceptionally cautious when it comes to Hiei. You may have defeated Gouki, but Hiei possesses traits Gouki does not. He's cunning and ruthless, and the Shadow Sword is dangerous. Yusuke is strong, but his spontaneity, if you will, can be a blessing and a curse. His traits could easily be exploited by Hiei and lead him right into a trap. Likewise, your softer style can also be a liability. Without the aggression driving you, you could simply be overpowered even with your Spirit Blast. Does this make sense?"

With a shiver of comprehension, Sakura nodded.

"While you could both learn from each other, your brother would do well to follow your lead, and you his. Only this will be what will save you both. I trust you understand what will happen if Hiei gets his hands on the other two artefacts,"

Kurama saw the girl's eyes widen as she considered his words.

"I understand," she said finally.

Kurama took a step towards her. "Rest assured, if there's anything I can do to help, I will. I owe Yusuke a great debt,"

He was close. Too close. His eyes seemed to be looking into her soul…

"Well, I suppose that is all I have to say," Kurama pulled back and gave her a small smile. "I am sure our paths will cross again soon, Miss Urameshi. Take care of Yusuke, and please, stay safe,"

Sakura stood silently and watched Kurama walk away. She shook her head to regain her bearings. To her shock, the sun was setting. She hadn't realised it was getting so late in the afternoon, and she still had homework to finish.

Sakura left so abruptly she didn't sense the demon watching her from the distant treetops. And there was no way she could have heard the imp he had with him whispering in his ear.

"Sakura Urameshi, twin sister of Yusuke Urameshi. As close as siblings can be..."

With the final lines of her book report completed, Sakura finally allowed herself to look at the clock. 12:30am. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her brain was still whirring. The only remedy was chamomile tea.
Walking out into the kitchen, Sakura saw the light was on in Yusuke's room, which was odd. He wasn't one to wake up easily after falling asleep. She headed to investigate and found him sitting up in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey bro, what's got you up so late?"

"Can't sleep," he said gruffly.

"Uh-huh," Sakura creased her brow skeptically. "I'm making some tea, why don't you join me?"

Yusuke shrugged and followed her to the kitchen. Sakura poured two mugs of chamomile and handed one to her brother.

"So, you want to tell me what's really going on?"

"...I had a nightmare, if you must know," Yusuke muttered, clearly embarrassed. "Usually I don't even dream, but every night when I fall asleep, I see Gouki,"

"Don't you feel better now that you've talked about it?" Sakura smiled.

"Well, maybe a little. Hope this tea helps too,"

"It's my go-to when I can't sleep," Sakura smiled and began to drink. "Honestly, I've been getting nightmares about demons too,"

Yusuke nodded. "Speaking of which, how's Kurama?"

Sakura jumped and slopped half the tea down her front. "What? How did you…?" she spluttered, then frowned as she realised what must've happened. "You followed me!"

"You were never great at lying, Squirt," Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Besides, I wasn't there for long. Just long enough to see what you were up to is all. Next time, just tell me where you're going in case you get in trouble, ok?"

"It's not like he's dangerous or anything," Sakura bristled. "You know that!"

"Well that's true, but we know demons can change their forms. It still could've been a trap by Hiei or someone else. And then what? I don't want you getting hurt, Kura. I'm serious,"

Sakura hastily mopped the liquid from the table. "So how did you know he was the one? Your Demon Compass clue you in or something?"

Yusuke shook his head. "No, I actually left it here. Call it instinct. So what did Fox Boy want?"

"Uh, he was just warning me to be careful of Hiei," Sakura muttered. "He's worried you might run in head first and get into a world of trouble,"

"Oh is he now?" Yusuke shook his head. "I'm not stupid, I know Hiei isn't going to be easy,"

"Yeah well, before we can even think about beating Hiei we have to find him first," Sakura pointed out irritably.

"You said it yourself, we'll find a way," smiled Yusuke. "Thanks for the tea. Now let's get some shut eye,"

In the girl's bathroom, ice cold water gushed from the tap. Without hesitation, Sakura scooped up a double handful and splashed it on her face.

So far she'd practically been sleep walking through the day and jumping at any sudden movements. She didn't know whether to chalk it up to a lack of sleep the night before or her spirit energy trying to warn her of imminent danger. Sakura couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. What exactly, she didn't know. But the uneasiness dogged her every step.

"Get it together, Sakura," she muttered to herself in the mirror and patted her face dry with a paper towel.

Maybe if she went and found Yusuke, the demon compass might be able to ease her mind. Even though it was lunchtime and he wouldn't be skiving class, Sakura headed for the roof. Nine times out of ten, her twin would be there. But halfway up the stairs, she ran into a familiar face.

"Botan?! What's with the get-up?"

Botan giggled and looked down at the outfit she was wearing. A navy school uniform identical to Sakura's. "Thought I should fit the part if I'm going to be following Yusuke around school all day,"

"Suits you, " Sakura grinned. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Oh yes, he's just on the rooftop with Keiko….are you alright, dear?" Botan looked closely at Sakura.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Sakura sighed. "And I feel like something's wrong. Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she smiled.

"Wrong? Like what?"

"I'm not sure. Just been a little jumpy today,"

"You need to take care of yourself, Sakura," Botan reminded her. "Look, why don't we do telepathy practice later today? We'll talk more then,"

"Sure," Sakura agreed.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about Kurama. His offence was reviewed by the Punishment Board, and under the circumstances Koenma has let him off on good behaviour,"

"I'm so glad to hear it. You'll have to tell me about it later. See you after school!"

With a wave, Botan ducked around the corner out of sight. Clutching at the bannisters for support, Sakura moved to climb the last few steps to the rooftop when the door flung open.

"Is that a fact?" Keiko huffed to an awkward looking Yusuke.

"Hey! It's not what you think!" Yusuke was apparently scrambling for words.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Keiko snapped.

"Because I know how it looks!"

Keiko turned her back on Yusuke and flounced down the stairs without a word.

"Keiko?" No answer. Sakura stepped through the door and looked at Yusuke with a raised brow.

"You want to fill me in on what that was all about?"

"Kura, what's Keiko saying about a book report? First I'm hearing about it,"

Sakura reached inside her jacket and calmly handed over several sheets of neatly typed paper. "Here. Just tell them you're late because you had to print it out,"
Yusuke's eyes were nearly bulging from his skull.

Sakura crossed her arms. "Admit it. I'm a lifesaver,"

"Squirt...you are honestly the greatest," Yusuke sighed in relief.

"Better than you failing. Now what's up with Keiko? She just ran right past me without a word,"

"Gah!" Yusuke groaned. "She came up here looking for me about the book report, but Botan was here and I think she might have gotten the wrong idea, because she doesn't know anything about Spirit World. I said I'd explain later, then I asked her to do my homework for me and she got upset and ran," Yusuke shook his head. "Girls are a mystery...OW! What was that for?!"

Sakura dusted off her hands. "I honestly don't know why Keiko hasn't drop kicked your ass at this point,"

Yusuke glared at his sister and rubbed his shoulder. Sakura glanced over the edge of the roof and saw Keiko slowly walking away from campus with her eyes to the ground.

"Yusuke, you haven't had any alerts from your compass today, have you?"

"No," Yusuke shook his head. "Why?"

"It's probably nothing. I just feel weird today," Sakura sighed.

"What about Keiko? How do I explain all this to her?" Yusuke's cocky attitude had completely dropped. He looked at Sakura with genuine fear and confusion on his face.

Sakura touched his arm in reassurance. "Let me handle it, bro. I'll go talk to her now,"

In the distance, someone had seen and heard everything that had gone down on the rooftop, thanks to the third eye that rested on his forehead.

The sinister looking goblin perched on his shoulder spoke with a gravelly voice.

"Keiko Yukimura. Classmate and childhood friend of Yusuke Urameshi. She appears to be his closest link aside from his twin,"

Hiei listened and a devious smile spread across his lips.

"Perfect," he said, his eyes on the school building. "With a little help from her, I'll be quite entertained,"