1. Hot, Cold, And Dangerous
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game
characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Hot, Cold, And Dangerous
I eyed the crystallized teardrop atop my palm, enfolding the precious stone, as one would
should he or her find the philosopher's stone. It was that rare and my fingers curled a tad to add extra protection in case I dropped the gem.
I wonder if Hiei did this – just sat there and watched his mother's frozen teardrop shining in the sun where it resembled a beacon of light amid stormy clouds. My fascination with the
gem throughout my training was constant, because it had been my only linked to Hiei for three months. I would lie there in bed and dangle the necklace above my face. His necklace made his absence tolerable. It calmed my head whenever Genkai and Lena were pushing me toward madness.
It also hardened my heart against any warnings for my beloved demon.
-Flashback-
"He's a real cutthroat, that Hiei guy," whispered a tall, scrawny guard. I glanced up from tying my shoe to regard the two guards taking a break near the training grounds. "Shows no
mercy, never backs down, and doesn't give a damn for anyone, not even for himself – and we're trusting intelligence reports to him?"
The short guard snorted. "He is a cutthroat, I agree, but you better watch your mouth, Frank. You're lucky to be let in on some of his records. His real files are locked up. What you read was created for baby eyes, like yourself!"
Frank pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Slipping a cigarette between his lips, he glared down at the older guard. "Shut up, Aldon. I'm not a damn baby. I've been in the
services for two years."
"Yeah, well I got twenty years up on that," remarked Aldon. "I was around for those guys
during the Dark Tournament, the Sensui case, and the Demon World Tournament." At that, Frank stared down at Aldon with an expression of awe. Aldon ignored the look, appearing casual, but his voice was low and serious, "since you're being sent out as base guard on Mukuro's lands
for relay, I'll even give you some advice." Frank waited.
"Don't get on Hiei's bad side," was all Aldon said for advice.
Snorting, Frank lit the tip of his cigarette with a glowing finger. "Okay, I know he's
ranked, what was it," he thought for a moment, "lower B-class? That's impressive, but we're having round the clock guards nearby and he's under an oath not to attack us."
"Didn't you just say earlier not to trust him with our reports," inquired Aldon. "Son, you got something loose up there. Look," his voice lowered, "this wasn't in the report, because
it's changed, but during the Demon World Tournament, they checked Hiei's energy levels and he was ranked in the S-class."
Frank's mouth fell open and the cigarette went crashing to the floor. "B-but that's the highest recognized class!"
"Same goes for Urameshi," continued Aldon, "and Kurama would have entered that class if he kept his demon form. This isn't something to play around with, Frank. If Hiei's using his dragon again, then it won't be long before he shoots back up. That dragon is deadly. I saw
the tapes of that dark beast, and it would make you piss your diapers… Whatever is tying him to our side, well, let's just count ourselves lucky, man. We need him." Aldon stroked his
beard, thoughtfully, "so stay on Hiei's good side. Do what he says, no matter what. You don't want to anger any of them, not now that they're back from the dead."
The two guards went silent, and I straightened beside Jet. We began heading toward the guards to exit the training grounds.
"… Do you think it's true, about him being thrown away by his own people," asked Frank
cautiously, as if the subject were taboo. "I heard from another old guy that he's cursed. A fire demon born from ice – a direct opposition from his own people –"
"Frank," interrupted Aldon with a heavy, criticizing scowl, "it's probably best if you pretend like you never heard of that, you hear?"
As we were passing, Aldon and Frank bowed their heads slightly and chorused, politely, "have a good evening, priestess."
…
…
…
"I'm sorry you had to hear that," murmured Jet when we were out of earshot from the two guards.
"I think you wanted me to," I replied just as softly, "otherwise, you would have said something, like with the rumors of Yusuke's ancestry."
"It just worries me that you're with him." Jet's words rumbled from within his chest,
quietly, but loud like a distant thunder. "You're my friend. I care about you." He paused as the tone of his voice entered into one of seriousness. I gave him my full attention. "You
don't know how strong he really is and I don't think you should be alone when you tell him about your temple work. Demons have instincts too strong for a human to understand."
Hearing the familiar warning, one like Kurama's long ago, I lifted my head to give him a
level gaze. His eyes were masked behind his glasses, but I could feel the sincerity rolling off him.
"Thank you for your concern, Jet," I answered with a small smile, but also with a slight
hardness to my eyes. "Despite everything I've heard and any warnings, I still trust him. I'll
_always_ trust him."
-End of Flashback-
Holding up the jewel, I allowed some sunlight that was peeking in through the closed curtains to filter through the stone until it sparkled. Shimmers of light danced off the surface like tiny fairies dancing on a summer's evening. I dangled the rare stone and the surface appeared to ripple.
Jet's warning of my relationship with Hiei echoed inside my head. I was reminded of Kurama's information about how Lena disliked Hiei, of the assurance Kurama had made to Koenma about
our relationship, and of Kurama's warning. My mind then jumped to Yusuke's fight with Hiei, and then to Jet's subtle warning of caution. It seemed my relationship with Hiei was nothing but warnings, whether it was with shushed words or the glimmer of admonition across eyes.
Yukina had also had that warning look in her eyes when she had given me her brother's
necklace – as if she was begging me not to give up on my relationship with her brother before there was anything to give up on. All these warnings were trying to close in on me, but my
heart and head were too stubborn to heed them.
I wasn't going to give up. I did love him. Silently, I had handed him my heart long ago and his dark deeds could not frighten me away. His past wasn't pretty, but ribbons and bows
hardly lined anyone's past these days. I realized there were things he had done that would cause grow men to cry – only, I just saw him. To me, he was a man of honor, bravery,
strength, beauty, and my list went on for miles that may possibly stretch across all three worlds.
"_Hiei, as my people think of him, is the cursed child of fire. He was cast away from our
floating island…"_
Hearing Yukina's words, I frowned while staring into Hiei's mother's frozen teardrop. The
stone sparkled brightly, as if to keep my eyes trained onto the gem, but not even something so utterly beautiful could distract me from my dark demon.
I was abandoned by my parents. I never knew them. My name was given to me by the nun standing by to take me away to her sanctuary. I couldn't imagine what he had gone through at such a
young age. I found goodness, parent-like love, even if I had to share such love with handful of children. But to be abandoned by his own people – the very thought made my heart fold in on itself.
_He was never loved,_ I thought sadly. _He's never known love._
I had understood those thoughts in Yukina's words and within her eyes, that plea for me to not give up. She, in a way, was warning me that he was not capable of loving because he had never known such an emotion. I think she knew that I saw that fading light within him, and
she wanted me to protect the light from dying completely. I'd use every breath in me to keep those embers from smothering.
He would never think of himself as belonging to me, as it was the other way around – I
belonged to him. He had proven that claim time and again with his dominance. But I wanted to prove that he did belong to me, too. He had my complete trust and love. He had my heart. I
was going to love him. I was going to give him what he had been denied, because all I could really give him was my love. Compared to him, in all his fantastic strength and beauty, love was all I had to offer to such a magnificent man.
I wasn't strong. He had saved my life numerous times. Even if a poisonous snake slithered up, I would be unable to kill it, but I would throw myself in front of him to protect against the poison. I couldn't take care of him, as he had done for me, like buying a house and keeping
me hidden from danger. I didn't have a great amount of money like him. I could keep cooking nice meals and even patch up his shirt, which was my own pathetic way to take care of him.
The only thing I could give fully was love. And it was all his.
"_Hiei hasn't worn the necklace, or mine, for years now."_
Yukina's words reverberated loudly inside my head and I let the necklace pool into my palm. This wasn't my necklace. It was Hiei's necklace. Since coming back, I had taken care to keep the valuable gem hidden inside a small, velvet pouch. I wasn't sure when he was coming back, only that it was sometime this week. Even so, I didn't want to be seen wearing his mother's beautiful tear.
I was going to give it back to him. As for why he wouldn't wear the necklace, well, that was his own business. Yukina may have given the necklace to me, but it didn't feel right to wear something that wasn't mine.
It was really beautiful.
Smiling, I placed the gem carefully into the pouch. I stowed the gem in my bottom drawer
beneath some clothes. Seeing the clothes, I grinned proudly. They were favorite pieces I had snatched from Valon's bags yesterday. I know she said to clean the closet of old outfits, but there were a few shirts and jeans that I wanted to keep. I really was going to dress more
maturely, but I didn't see anything wrong with keeping my favorite pair of jeans for rainy days or wearing that comfortable t-shirt on days that were lazy. Everyone had such outfits, especially for period days. I couldn't very well go strutting around in a skirt on those
gloomy days when I was feeling horrible and disgusting.
Of course, I might be lucky enough to not get a period. The day after my proposal to Genkai and Lena, they had this SDF woman (taller than Jet!) come chase me down for a checkup. She did all the usual stuff, vitals and whatnot, and then asked about my menstrual cycle. I
answered every question. After all the twenty questions or so, she handed me this concoction. Wanting to eat a good, decent lunch before heading to my scheduled greenhouse session, I
tipped back the glass of green slime while she was jotting down some notes. It didn't taste good. It made my toes curl. It made my head spin. It nearly made me retch because the stuff
tasted like thick, cough syrup that somebody had burned. If you're wondering what burnt cough syrup taste like, it's absolutely revolting!
The SDF guard laughed at my face. She wasn't very nice. Once she was done laughing, she
briskly explained what the concoction had been – it was birth control. In a business-like
tone of voice, she explained that every priestess embarking to Demon World was recommended to take the birth control offered. When I asked why, she simply said that demon bandits had a
habit of raping human women, or any women, really. I grimaced at her bland expression and the shrug she gave at the mention of rape.
Well, I didn't get to hear the recommended part of the birth control. I simply downed the glass before given the option to refuse. She was kind enough to add that it took about a
month for the contraceptive to work through my system, that it didn't need to be retaken for another three months, and since I was learning herbs, I should be able to make my own
solution in the future. Oh, she also, rather jadedly, mentioned that there were side effects. She didn't bother to elaborate. She just handed me a pamphlet and pointed to the door.
I read the pamphlet (the way she said side effects was creepy). I knew that this birth
control mixture was quite effective and there was only a 0.01% chance of becoming pregnant.
That's impressive, but I suppose it had to be rather strong if it were to work against
demons. The birth control went right to work after residing in the system for a month and the side effects –
I didn't even make it to the side effects before running off to vomit into a row of bushes. I didn't even eat lunch that day or the next. For the first few days, I was horribly sick and
having Valon as company that week, didn't help my flu-like symptoms. Valon said that she
didn't get sick at all, but she did have her period for two weeks every month until her next dose and raged the entire time. However, Valon told me that Nessa didn't get periods anymore, but that she was horribly sleepy the first week of downing that stuff.
I guess I wouldn't know how my periods were until the end of the month. At least I wasn't sick anymore. If anything, I felt rather great.
Behind me, my door went flying open and I hurried to shut my drawer. It was Valon. At first, I thought she saw the clothes I had stolen from her sacks because she was glaring at me.
"You're not even dressed," she accused. I sighed in relief. "Isn't your boy's game in an hour?"
Sitting on the ground, I leaned against my dresser and stretched. "Yeah, but it won't take long to get there. The school's only a ten-minute drive."
Valon lifted a brow, as if I was going to need an extensive amount of time to dress. Shaking her head, she suddenly grinned and bounded to the closet. "Wear this today!"
She pulled out one of the new dresses I had washed last night. It was a simple white dress with a tiny, black, braided belt around the waist to give a little color. Taking the dress off the hanger, she tossed it to me and turned to her bag.
"Hey, any hot boys at your school," she asked casually, "not that I'm into kids. I like men." "You're three years older." I chastised with a roll of my eyes. She wasn't that much older
than high school kids were and age was just a number – or so I thought.
Turning around, she opened her mouth to make a remark, but paused. "That was fast," she tilted her head slightly as she pinned me with a curious gaze.
Did she think slipping on a dress was hard? All I had to do was whip off my nightclothes and don on the dress. I was practically ready. Living with Hiei for all those months had made me a fast dresser. Since I wore no makeup (I didn't trust myself to wield pointy objects near my eye), all I had to do was brush my hair and wash my face. That was my beauty regime in the
mornings.
"Ready," I said simply.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Standing, I collected my hairbrush off the desk. I had already brushed my hair earlier, but there could be a tangle or two. Once the brush went through a few times cleanly, I gathered my hair up into a ponytail. I thought a nice ponytail would do this dress justice. I wanted to be casual and comfortable.
"How do I look?" I asked after I was done with my hair. I fingered the hem of my dress, wondering if it was too short. It was mid-thigh, but I think I pulled it off innocently enough with just a hint of playfulness.
"You look beautiful." Valon grinned and pointed at the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my closet door. "I was actually going to suggest you know, eyeliner or lipstick, but you
don't need it. Now, as for me, I like a smoky look!" She dove into her bag. Whipping out her makeup bag, she crouched down next to the bottom of the mirror. "Oh, hey, I was going to give you one of these – I got several of these at that sale."
She threw a small tube in the air and I fumbled to catch the object. Snatching the tube with both hands, I stared down at the soft pink cylinder object. It was lip-gloss.
"That stuff is good," cooed Valon happily. "It's very light, not too shiny, and the flavor is really," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I don't know what it is, but it's soft like some sort of flower. It tastes nice. I always get this. Here, have another one."
Catching the same brand of gloss, I set the two tubes beside the bit of makeup I did have in one of my desk drawers. I had a bottle of concealer, but that was mostly for the bruises I
would get from colliding into something, like the car window from Yusuke's reckless driving. I had a couple of lipsticks that had been given as a gift from Shizuru. One was long lasting and dusty pink. The other one was the same brand and same color type, but a bit brighter.
Shizuru knew I would want natural colors. I smiled at that the sincere thought of her gift – even if I had never used the lipsticks. Too much had happened around the time of my birthday and wearing lipstick was the last thing on my mind.
Sitting at my desk, I dug around in the drawer. I had some jewelry, too. There was the silver bracelet band from Kenji. The one-inch band had what looked like vines engraved into the
metal. I traced the path of the vines with a small grin. I slipped my wrist into the groove of the bracelet and returned to my search. I had a package of various hoop earrings from
Keiko. I lifted a hand up to touch my ear. I hadn't worn earrings since meeting Hiei. My
single piercings were still open, but I should probably put these gifts to use soon. As I was setting the earrings back down, I saw the necklace Kuwabara had given me. I laughed. There
was a little sumo wrestler dangling from the chain.
"Do I look hot," announced Valon and disrupting my search. Turning, I gave her a once over as she twirled with a sway of her hips. She was wearing short shorts, but they were a decent
length. Valon's yellow tank top looked pretty against her bronzed skin. And to top it off, she had a pair of cowgirl boots sitting off to the side.
"Where's your lasso," I teased her without answering her question. She did look hot, but she already knew that, obviously.
Patting her belt, she winked. "Right here and waiting for some hot Asians! You know, your entire family bunch is hot." I closed my drawer with a smirk. She knew that they weren't
really my family, as I had told her of my situation. "You should see my uncles. They got guts out to here," she dramatically emphasized with her hands. "It's all them beans and fry
bread." She moaned at the last word. "Now I'm getting homesick. By the way," she grabbed her boots, "don't you miss food back home? All the fatty stuff, like bacon and eggs," she asked curiously.
I pulled the strappy-heeled sandals from my closet. "Honestly, I've grown used to things here." I stared at the heels with some trepidation.
I hope I don't fall today…
Okay, I didn't fall. I had a little stumble, but that was only because Valon couldn't resist giving me a little shove down the last step near the tennis courts. Luckily, no one saw. It would have been embarrassing!
"I'm going to surprise Kenji," I announced once Yusuke found a good spot in the stands.
Pushing his sunglasses up over his forehead to rest atop his head, Yusuke dug out his wallet. "Hey, get two bottles of water and I want something sweet," he pulled out some money, but not before glancing at Keiko, "babe, you want anything besides the water?"
At the question, Keiko looked ready to answer, but then slumped slightly, saying dejectedly, "no, but make it three waters. I'm really thirsty."
"Keiko, do you like dark chocolate," I opened the flap of my purse and pulled out the thin bar. "I heard it was good for you." Actually, I had researched a bit of the foods for
pregnancy. Jet was supposed to send out some books from the temple for me to read. I wanted to know the in and out of her pregnancy.
Keiko's face lit up in surprise. Taking her expression as a yes, I handed her the chocolate. Yusuke eyed the candy bar with a frown. "Hey, where's mine?"
"I'm getting it," I said while snatching the money he had pulled from his wallet.
Before I could flutter away, I saw Valon talking to one of my former classmate's older
brother. _Wow_, I blinked. _She works fast._ I saw her giggle at something he said and Yusuke glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Smiling, I turned away.
"You better not go flirting with any boys," warned Yusuke loudly. "We're here to watch a game, not eye up the kids."
Stiffening, I flashed him a murderous look as a few spectators laughed quietly at his outburst. Turning away, I headed down the set of stairs from the stands.
"Cause I can see everything up here –" "Yusuke," hissed Keiko.
I grinned as I heard a slight slap from behind me. Just for that, I'm keeping the change!
Kenji slipped on his white headband and grabbed his equipment. Dressed in his team uniform, he slammed his locker shut and headed outside. He was feeling pretty good today, especially after his warm up run. He needed to do a few more stretches but he'd loosen his muscles on the court.
Outside, he could hear the chatter of the crowd beyond the blooming trees in the direction of the tennis courts. He hadn't played a game of tennis in a long time, but he made a few of the practices since school started. His coach wasn't too happy with his lack of enthusiasm for
the sport, but he had other things to attend to in his life. _Last game of my life,_ he thought wryly. _I better make it count._
It was as he was walking toward the courts that he saw a long legged beauty standing before him. His eyes skimmed the length of long, bare legs – really good-looking, no, _sexy_ legs
that were tanned slightly beneath a little white dress. His eyebrows furrowed, wondering whom this young woman was waiting on as they were behind the gym. He couldn't help but stare at
her lovely backside, the perfect, rounded hips, and up her sides –
"Karen?" his voice cracked a little in surprise when she turned toward him. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "_Karen?"_
Smiling, Karen tilted her head and eyed his exposed arms. "How come every time I come back home you look different every single time?" she asked jokingly.
To say he was taken by surprise was an understatement. He was speechless for a good full
minute. He simply stood there staring at the way the dress hugged her upper body. It was just a dress. He had seen Karen in a dress before, but she appeared different this time. _Oh man_, he thought wildly as he stared at the smooth thighs before him. He hated Hiei. _That lucky
bastard_, he groaned. Kenji had a sexy best friend!
That was just it – he had a sexy best friend, but a best friend nonetheless. And his stupor fell from his face.
She was still his best friend and he had given up on anything romantic with her a long time ago. With that thought, he dropped his small duffel bag and opened his arms with a crooked
grin. Giving a little laugh, Karen launched herself forward and into his arms. Once he heard her familiar laugh, he was Kenji again. He hauled her little body up against him and spun
around with an echoing laugh.
"I could say the same to you," he remarked as he set her down. "Wait," Kenji frowned, "I thought you weren't getting in until this afternoon?"
"I came home early. I called you yesterday, but I forgot you were still in school."
He scratched the back of his head, "oh, my phone's dead. Sorry, I just," he stumbled a bit
over his excuse for why he hadn't received her call. In truth, he had broken his phone during his trip. "I just got lazy and didn't plug that crap in."
He saw the uncertainty in her blue eyes and knew she hadn't bought the lie. She knew him too well to fall for any of his fibs.
Her eyelids lowered for a moment, seeming to think over his words. They needed to talk, but now wasn't the time. She appeared to be thinking along the same lines, too, because she gave
him a small smile. "It's okay. I had company – remember Valon? She came home with me, but she leaves tonight."
Hearing the name, he looked up at the sky. "Is she that girl that you had lab with?" "No," Karen snatched up his duffel bag. "She was at the temple with us."
"Oh –"
"Hey, Moto," greeted a cool voice. "I'm surprised you get to play." Kenji tongued the inside of his cheek with annoyance. "How many practices did you miss? Not to mention all the classes you've been ditching."
Karen's blue eyes darkened in confusion and he rubbed a hand over his face. "Go away Seyu," he muttered between his fingers.
"Is this who you've been cutting classes with," Hiro Seyu asked instead of heeding Kenji's aggravated demand. Inching around Kenji, Hiro smirked down at Karen. Amazingly, Hiro's
eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her face. "I know you," he said to Karen. "Karen Urameshi, right?"
Karen's eyes widened in surprise at Hiro's recognition and she was about to answer, but thought better of it.
Narrowing his eyes, Hiro inched forward. "You're not finishing the year," he asked, almost
softly, but it was just how he voiced the question. "Pity, Urameshi," he leaned down, peering into Karen's face. Kenji was ready to push away Hiro, but didn't want to risk his temper at
his nemesis. Smirking, Hiro said, snidely, "I heard you're an orphan." Surprised flashed again within Karen's eyes and Hiro's leer stretched. "And I heard that you orphan girls, well," Hiro moved quickly and his hand slipped under her dress, "you're easy –"
Kenji swung his arm out and his elbow connected against Hiro's chest. Flying back, Hiro hit the pavement with a pained groan. "Try that again," threatened Kenji with a tense jaw. "Go on, Seyu," he stepped forward. "I'm not above teaching a lesson to your juvenile tactics."
Laughing, Hiro pushed himself off the ground. "Really, Moto – well c'mon then, rich kid! Is
that how you're still allowed to play," he taunted with a hint of jealousy, "because daddy
donates? He donated a lot of money to get this place rebuild. What else are you getting away with?" Face twisting into fury, Hiro rounded on Karen. "So what does Moto pay to keep you?"
"Are you finish?" asked Karen quietly, but with a hint of coolness. "It's very immature to go starting arguments when we meant you no harm. Act your age."
It was a simple statement, but something in Karen's tone caused Hiro to back up a step. His eyebrows dipped together in confusion as he glanced at the two and he realized that they
didn't look like normal teens. There was an odd harshness to each of their eyes that made them older than they were, as if they had aged greatly since the earthquakes last year. He even heard it in the way Moto had refrained from using any crass words like he used to do
during the fights he inflicted on the once scrawny kid. Urameshi didn't even slap him, as a number of girls would have done – she was actually reprimanding him as an adult would to a kid! She sounded like his mother and he almost felt the need to apologize.
Collecting his equipment off the ground, Hiro shrugged, "whatever. See you on the courts, Moto."
Silently, the two best friends watched Hiro slouch away. When he was far enough away, Karen's lips stretched into a charming grin. "I got that line from one of Keiko's soaps. It's amazing what you pick up from such dramatic shows."
"Did you see his face? You might as well have grounded him with how he reacted to you."
"Really," Karen handed him his bag. "I was ready to shake my finger, but I thought that would be too much. How did he know I was an orphan?"
Kenji slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders. "His mom's the secretary, remember? He probably just snuck into the files, like the slimy
creep he is." Leading Karen over to the tennis courts, he bent his head. "Now give my lucky headband your lucky kiss."
Wrinkling her nose, Karen leaned away. "Did you wash it?" "I think so."
Rolling her eyes, Karen leaned up and kissed the band. "Okay, now go lose!" Seeing Kenji's crestfallen face, Karen laughed. "Oh, you know you're going to win!"
With a smirk, Kenji opened the gate, but did a double take into the stands. "_Damn_, is that Valon?"
"Kenji, focus," demanded Karen. "Hit on her after your victory!"
"Right!" He rushed off onto the green courts, "but tell her I got some Indian in me, too – remember? I got some Cherokee blood in me." He glanced back into the stands. "Mm, sexy
Pocahontas."
"Nope, you're on your own this time."
"C'mon! I'm your best friend." Kenji pressed up against the cage around the courts and watched Karen striding away with a smile. "You can't abandon me in my time of need."
"Remember how you abandoned me to Yusuke and Hiei's anger in the temple," asked Karen with glinting eyes. "Yeah, I didn't forget. Try to hit Hiro with the ball, please!"
"Yes, dear," he saluted his friend.
It was nice to have her back in his life again. It didn't matter if they went months without seeing each other, because they had that rare friendship that would never break. They snapped back together like a rubber band and picked up where everything left off.
Yes, he definitely felt good – good enough to enjoy beating Hiro Seyu.
Valon sat beside her friend and her family, watching Karen's friend down below. She had never seen a game of tennis in person before – she had always thought it was boring. However, the
young men below were exciting to watch. Apparently, the two were the school's top two players and it showed. She didn't know which side of her neck was going to get a whiplash, but she
was bound to receive one with every swivel of her head to keep track of the tennis ball.
Karen's friend was tall, slender, and slightly buff – he was extremely handsome with the way his uniform shirt stuck to him like a second skin. At first, she thought he was a silly with the way he kept glancing up at her and giving her a little wave. Then, he took off his
glasses, set them aside, and began his warm ups. When the match began, any silliness melted away as a fierceness set into this boy's eyes. The way he faced down his opponent, how he
moved, the mask of his emotions – it made Valon breathless. She didn't know tennis guys were so hot.
"He's really good, huh," whispered Karen in a sly voice, as if she knew what Valon was thinking.
"Yeah, but he lost the first match of the set… and he's losing this one, too," Valon tilted her head, trying to remember how the game was won.
Munching on the popcorn Yusuke had offered her, Karen didn't seem perplexed at the news.
"Kenji's just getting started," she answered with complete confidence. "He'll win this match and the next – he'll be the winner, trust me. Since I've known him, Kenji's never lost a
game. Hiro's good, but Kenji's better."
Returning back to the game, Valon didn't miss the casual looks from some nearby boys that
were aimed in Karen's direction. She couldn't help but grin at how Karen paid no mind to the attention. The young woman didn't even seem aware of them, as she was caught up in her
friend's match. Valon doubted the girl could be swayed by any guy beside Hiei – that demon had one dedicated girlfriend. Karen could easily have her pick, but she was smitten with a demon that hadn't taken her on a date? Valon would have given up long ago. That was absurd!
But the demon was in for a surprise when he came home! Valon was proud of her work…
especially with the work she had done when Karen had been preoccupied in the shower last night.
After leaving the young woman alone, Valon had rushed to her own shopping bags. She was paid handsomely for her work with the temples (hey, they needed some compensation) and decided
that her friend needed some exciting chaos in her life. So, Valon stepped up to the plate.
She had purposely tossed in a couple of thongs into the young woman's underwear drawer. She
doubt Karen would find them right away. The drawer was a mess, much like Valon's own at home, and had pretty undies scattered into heaps of colors. The blue garter Valon had bought was
placed inside Karen's desk drawer. That was just too pretty to pass up during the sale! She also hung a very _little_ dress in the back of the closet where Karen had stashed away the lingerie set. It was black and so short that it just barely covered the goods. The sexy
number was also strapless and dipped low enough to show a good amount of cleavage. She knew Karen's size, but went a bit smaller. The stilettos for the dress were stashed in a shoebox near the back where Valon had written a brief message. Such a dress wasn't meant for public, but for the bedroom, it was all good fun.
If Karen never found the items, well, maybe that demon would be curious enough to go snooping around in the closet or drawer. Men were such predictable creatures, demon or human. He'll
wonder what else Karen has been hiding once he sees how sexy Valon has made her! It was her finest work, if she said so herself.
_I hope he does appreciate her,_ thought Valon fondly. Valon may be tough as nails, but she was a sucker for romance. She wanted her new friend to be whisked away into happiness! The world could use more love, anyways.
There was a collective gasp among the crowd and Valon's mischievous grin fell from her face. Immediately, she noticed everyone standing to his or her feet. She jumped up and glanced at
the scoreboard.
_Holy crap_, she mouthed. She had missed the previous match and now, it was the winning
match. Did he just zip through the matches while she had been drifting away in her schemes of love? She didn't think she had zoned off for so long, but she must have if it was now –
"Game point," whispered Karen furiously. "Kenji's going to win. I told you."
Kenji was serving and Valon stared in awe along with everyone else. Before he tossed up the ball, Kenji pointed his racket toward the stand… toward her. He gave a wink. Karen giggled. Valon blushed like a schoolgirl. The ball sailed high up, hanging for a split second before falling back down to the earth. Kenji's racket connected loudly with the ball and it flashed across the court, over the net, toward the far corner where Hiro missed his chance to stop
the ball.
Kenji won.
"W-what he do that for," asked Valon in regards to Kenji pointing his racket to her.
Karen and Keiko both laughed. "He was dedicating his winning shot to you," explained Keiko with a bright smile. "He does it to us all the time just before he finishes his game."
"He's being nice," added Karen, but then her voice dropped, "or you caught his eye. Don't worry, I won't tell him that you drooled when he lifted up his shirt to wipe his face."
Punching Karen's arm, Valon hissed, "I did not!"
"Yep, the dry drool is still there, too." To Valon's horror, Yusuke had overheard Karen's words. How did he hear her over all the noise? "Don't worry," he mimicked Karen with a
flippant tone, "I _will_ tell him that you drooled when the kid –"
"Keiko, he called me fat again!" Valon yelled before he could finish. "Yusuke," shouted Keiko with a raised eyebrow.
"W-what," he spluttered. "Do you think I would say that seeing as I'm the only guy surrounded by three grown women?" When Keiko didn't believe him, he turned to Karen. "Karen, did I say
the f-word?"
"What word was that?" asked the young woman innocently.
Valon laughed at the vein throbbing along Yusuke's temple. She was going to miss these guys when she left tonight. She hoped she could visit again, but in the meantime, she needed to work on her chopstick handling skills.
Koenma stared at me.
I stared back.
His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing me across his desk.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to appear unruffled in the slightest.
…
…
…
"I have a feeling I am going to be murdered." Koenma shook his head, but reached for a
document and his stamp. "It is your choice though and I apologize for that in the beginning."
Giving the prince a sincere smile, I soothed the apology with, "it's okay. I understand your
position, but all I'm asking is a chance to prove myself and to be allowed to break the news to Hiei."
He still looked uncertain, but stamped the document. For the entire worlds, Koenma appeared to have signed a death warrant. I was all smiles when he handed me the paper. "Hand this in to SDF. Yusuke is in a meeting, but he should be done within the next hour."
"Thank you, Prince Koenma. Have a nice day."
As I was turning to leave, he stopped me with belatedly compliment. "If I may say so, you look very pretty, Karen." He gave a fatherly smile and I returned it happily.
His life revolved around nothing but dull, mindless meetings and training equally dull, mindless beings for the expansion of border patrol. He knew the inner workings of Demon
World, as he did serve one of the lords of Demon World. Politics were complicated enough, but the damn Spirit World government felt the need to inform every one of the problems that
seemed unimportant to him. He made the negotiations. He did his work. Now he wanted to leave such mundane talking.
The meeting room was crowded and various people were situated along the round table. The current issue of importance was Enki's disappearance. Spirit World seemed to think the
demon's absence was strange, but anyone who knew Enki, knew that he liked his solitude. He hated politics as much as any demon and until the Demon World Tournament at the end of the year, that demon was going to remain in hiding.
The solution was easy. Simply send out more scouts into the uncharted territories and search out the large demon. Hiei suggested to the East where the mountainous regions were located, but there was argument that Enki was seeking his peace elsewhere in the know territories. If that was the case, then where the hell was he?
Hiei knew better. He had been to the uncharted territories and sought his own solitude within the deep forests. Disappearing out there was easy – actually, disappearing in Demon World
hardly needed any effort if one knew where to go. Spirit World had limited abilities in Demon World. There were asking for his jagan, but unless he was greatly connected to Enki, his eye would come up empty. If he were able to find Enki, then wouldn't he have already sought for
Cain to end this madness? A majority of Spirit World's ambassadors needed their throats slit for their stupidity.
Aside from that issue, it was mandatory for him to sit in at the meetings. He needed to be up to date on the other issues personally before he left for Demon World in a month. Mukuro
would want the latest from his tongue. She didn't trust Spirit World completely. Demons never trusted Spirit World completely.
He was staring at the papers before him, hardly paying attention, now that the meeting was under wraps, when there was a soft knock at the door. Someone was always interrupting the meeting, usually ogres running errands, so he didn't bother acknowledging the intruder.
But then he caught a familiar scent…
His eyes focused sharply on the paper as he concentrated on the scent. It had been three
months since he had a whiff of her, but he'd know her scent anywhere, even if the room was clouded with the odor of a pollutant pond. A second later and the heat simmered beneath his
skin. Then, the connection buzzed to life. It was one after the other – all the many ways in which he was bonded to his downfall.
He heard the muffled clicks of footfalls and he lifted his eyes. He spotted the black, high
heels lined with teasing lace. He didn't know why he paid such attention to the shoes, but he was staring at them intensely. His eyes continued up what seemed like an endless amount of
bare skin. The shapely calves were toned nicely, showing the length of her legs with each
step. He admired the flash of silky looking thighs until he was blocked by the black, mini- pleated skirt. The peach tone of the woman's shirt seemed to bring out the slight tan of the woman's soft skin. His eyes zeroed in on the one shoulder that was bare from the way her
shirt slid off fashionably.
His mind was blank. All he seemed to be able to do was drink in the sight of the woman
walking across the room. She bent down to whisper something into Koenma's ear and the curtain of brown hair hid her bare shoulder from view.
Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, he knew that was his mate. He had never seen her
dressed in such a way, but here she was, striding toward Koenma's desk as if she did so her entire life. How was it possible for her to be even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her? Where was that awkward human girl that constantly tripped over her own two feet?
Now, here was a girl, a _woman_, walking confidently in heels and showing the most skin he
had ever seen. Those dresses in Shirakawa-go had been nothing compared to that skirt gracing her slender hips.
"Good thing Lena had you bring this." Koenma sighed in relief. "It was careless of me to forget such an important document. I thought I had picked everything up in my earlier
meetings. Thank you."
"It's no problem," she straightened. "Sorry for interrupting. She told me to just barge on in, but ignore me now." She turned away with a gentle smile.
"Wait, will you hand this to Jorge?" Koenma handed her a slip of paper with a hushed whisper. "It's my order for dinner."
Giving another polite smile, Karen bowed her head and headed toward the door. Her heels clicked softly along the floor. Hiei followed her with his eyes and so did a few other
occupants in the room. He didn't know how to feel about that – his mind was still reeling
from her presence. She left without a backward glance, taking those legs, the scent, and soft voice with her as she had done constantly in his dreams during the long three months. His
ghost left him sitting there feeling somewhat lost.
When the meeting resume, he came back to his senses and began silently reprimanding himself for acting so foolishly.
Damn.
But what was she doing in Spirit World? His eyes narrowed.
"Yes, I did sign the document," I answered into the cellphone. "I explained everything to Koenma and he gave his official stamp."
"This is good news." Jet's voice rumbled from the phone. "Did you hide your equipment?"
By equipment, Jet meant my gun, research manuals, and dried herbs that I had with me. As soon as Valon had left six days ago, I had retrieved my bag from the back of my closet. Inside, I had stashed away my things. The herbs didn't give off a smell that Jet could pick up on, but Hiei had sharp eyes. The only place I could find was the loose floorboard at the bottom of my closet.
Discreetly, I snuck into Yusuke's toolbox and found the necessary tools. I tried to remember Hiei's explanation of tools, but there were still a mystery to me. However, I was intelligent enough to find the file needed to help pry up the floorboard. I had done a similar thing at
the orphanage when hiding away the money I had been saving for when I came of age. It was
actually rather roomy down there – enough that I could hide my tiny gun, the few manuals, and fancy fanny pack with the pouches of herbs. It really just resembled a belt with various bags along the length. I told Jet that it made me feel like an explorer wearing the cool belt.
I doubt Hiei would search my closet. If so, I had that lingerie set in the back that might halt his prying eyes. I had never been able to hide anything from Hiei. I had a bit of an advantage now that he was refraining from entering my head and if he did so, I could block
him. But Hiei didn't need to see inside my head to know if anything was up. He could read me very easily and I was going to have to tread carefully, simply toe around just to keep from
slipping in front of him.
I covered the floorboard with all my shoes and even threw some books among the pile. I wasn't too messy of a person, but cluttered piles chased away people. There was even a shoebox
inside that I had pushed into the mass of shoes.
I don't know how long I could keep up this charade. I had a feeling he would know something was up and I was afraid I would crack at any simple-minded questions. I was going to have to change the topic, but as for how – well, I was still working on that.
"Yes, sir," I joked, because Jet voiced the question sharply, like a commanding officer.
After my meeting with Koenma, I had come back home with Yusuke. It was nearing evening and
the air was getting nippy, but I needed to find a safe place to talk to Jet. If Yusuke found it odd that I went walking into the forest wearing heels, he didn't say anything. I wasn't
worried. Yusuke was preoccupied with Keiko these days. He just reminded me to come in to help Keiko with dinner later.
I took daily walks these days. I had been home for entire week and still no sign of Hiei. It was glum work waiting on that special someone. I don't know how Keiko did it. I was
constantly looking out the window, looking over my shoulder, and looking into my tea dregs for any sign!
Yet, today had been the warmest day of my life.
I couldn't explain it. It happened when Lena had me disrupt one of Koenma's meetings to
return a document he had left in one of the rooms earlier. I always hated interrupting people speaking. The entire room felt stiff and foreign. I could feel multitude of eyes on me as I
walked up to Koenma's desk. There was a brief moment where I stumbled near Koenma's desk, but I played it off by leaning down to whisper in Koenma's ear.
I don't know if it was the eyes of strange people or the heavy air of a crowded room, but my entire body felt flushed and tingly. It almost reminded me of Hiei's warmth. I was tempted to search the crowd, but it would have only ended up in me looking away dejectedly once he was
nowhere to be found. Even now, I felt warm… I was feeling really warm.
"I'll send those books you requested when I return to the temple next week." I awakened from my daze with a jerk. Staring into the distance, I listened quietly. "I'll also work on a few herb combinations. Remember, you need to work in the time to keep your muscles loose. It's
important now that we're getting things underway."
I sighed into the receiver. "I know, but that's just it." Closing my eyes, I bent my head and rubbed at my temple. "We need to talk."
"About what," asked dark voice from behind me.
My eyes snapped open at the familiar husky baritone that sent a shiver dancing along my spine like a hand zipping down a row of piano keys. Instantly, my body awakened, as if it had been sleeping all this time. I could feel the tiny hairs on my arms standing on in, but not in
fear. That voice was making my stomach muscles clench tightly. I prayed this wasn't some dream again. I was almost afraid to turn around to what was surely emptiness awaiting my searching gaze, but turn I did.
It _was_ Hiei.
I continued to hold the phone to my ear, unsure if Jet had said anything in the time that
Hiei had spoken. Three months without a word or sight of him and seeing him again was causing all my emotions to rage within my heart. I could feel the cage inside me rattle. It was the
cage inside my heart where I had locked away my feelings for him to keep myself sane during his absence. Only that little gem had given me enough comfort, as if it were that tin cup I was banging along the bars to keep myself entertained. But in spite of the cage, my emotions had leaked through the bars for every day that neared his arrival. Now, everything was
pouring forth in waves.
He was leaning against a tree across from me with his hands in his pockets. The sinking sun
was casting shadows along his face, but his eyes were a deep red and burning like the sun
itself. His shirt billowed a bit in the soft breeze. His face was masked, completely devoid of anything. The planes of his face were hard cut as always, emphasizing his good looks and his coldness.
Three months for him had simply been three months. He was aloof and guarded while I was nearly breathless at the sight of him.
"Karen," asked Jet into the phone.
I snapped back to life. Hearing his voice, I almost flashed a startled look in Hiei's
direction. I had no idea how long he had been standing there, but now I recognized why I had felt so warm today. And I realized that Hiei had been in the office that last time. I was
sure of it.
The question was if he had been watching me in the forest while I sought privacy.
Giving a hurried smile, as if Jet could see, I said, "Duh, Kenji. You said yourself that we needed to talk."
"I see," murmured Jet, catching on to my obvious hint at an unwanted audience.
When Jet hung up, I lowered the phone. Nervous now, I held the phone within my hands and met Hiei's unreadable gaze. "Hello." Immediately, I felt like slapping my forehead at the shy
greeting. Well, at least I didn't stutter.
He didn't say anything. His silence reminded me of all the times he had ignored me in the
beginning. I still had feelings for him. I was still horribly attracted to him. Only now, I was unsure of how to act after such a long time. All the confusion of my emotions, the
longing for him, and his silence – I felt like crying at the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings.
"Who was that?"
I guess it was stupid to assume he would say hello, too. I had high hopes sometimes. Casually, I answered lightly, "Kenji –"
"Don't lie to me," he warned dangerously.
This is how our reunion was going to start? With a fight? No, I was supposed to wow him with these pretty clothes! _He doesn't even notice me_! Maybe the side effects of that horrid
tasting birth control were still in play because I was ready to burst into tears. I told
Valon repeatedly that Hiei just wasn't like normal men and she still squished me into these outfits – these cute outfits that I was starting to like and he didn't even notice.
The tears didn't fall, but I stared at the ground in case.
"Are you going to answer me," he demanded and I heard the crunch of grass.
Glancing up, I watched him slowly walk towards me. His footsteps were precisely exaggerated to intimidate me into answering. It worked. I backed away and my phone fell from my hands. I wasn't scared of him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but my actions were automatic.
When he neared, I could feel his body heat. Even in heels, I still had to lift my chin in
order to meet his gaze. He was a couple of feet from me when I noticed his crimson eyes. They were darkened, smoldering in the dying light of the sun. The intensity of his eyes almost
made me gasp. My heart thudded. It had been thudding since his first words, but now I felt the brutality of every beat. There was a heated ache low in my belly. My inner thighs
twitched at the storm raging within his eyes.
I was a human girl, right down to the core. My emotions were visible despite how hard I tried to hide them to keep from annoying him. I remembered my vow to make him see that I loved him. I didn't plan on saying I love you every day, but every few weeks, or whenever he came home – I think my human emotions were safe to express.
Standing my ground, I allowed him to near me. I was hesitant as I lifted my hand up to his
face when he was close enough to touch. "I missed you," I whispered with a small tremble, as if I was trying to clasp my teeth on the words to hold them in – but I did miss him.
The storm within his eyes stilled, clearing a bit, as if I were staring into the eye of the
storm. I saw something, a soft something swim across the pools of blood at my soft admission.
Again, he was silent and I felt odd holding my hand up in the air, near his face, but not touching him. He had stopped moving. A tiny step separated us. My emotions were already a
mess and I didn't like the coldness he was trying to force back into our relationship. It was almost as if he had hardened himself during the three months. He had gained some semblance of control to push me away and such a thought scared me.
"_Shows no mercy, never backs down, and doesn't give a damn for anyone, not even for himself…"_
Refusing to teeter on the edge any longer, I stepped closer to him. I wasn't giving up on him. Those guards had it wrong. Hiei cared. Everyone was wrong. He does give a damn.
Letting my body guide me, I pressed up against him. I placed my hands on his shoulders and
tilted my face up to kiss along his jawline. His body tensed, startling me. He hadn't tensed around me in such a long time and the coiling of his muscles caused a zing of brief panic.
The heat of his body seeped through my thin shirt. It was deliciously warm against the
dropping temperature of the approaching darkness. However, his tightening muscles added a
shiver of ice, like cubes dropping into hot liquid. The ice cubes sizzled, trying to pierce through the heat.
Needing to be closer, I allowed my hands to glide down his chest and slip around him. I
trembled at the fact that I was finally holding him in my arms, even if he wasn't holding me.
I think I would be happy anyways if he allowed me to hold him without any interference. My lips trailed from his jaw and down to his neck. His skin was hot and burning my lips. His scent was smoky and spicy, like the aromas of one that spent too much time roaming among
nature.
Moved back up to his face, I kissed near the corner of his mouth. "I missed you so much," I mumbled beside his lips.
I waited for him to respond, but he was stiff. He wasn't moving. Did I lose him already? Maybe I didn't appeal to him. Maybe my actions were appalling to him. Maybe –
His left arm wrapped around me, crushing me against him. I could feel the bandages around his right hand scratch against my skin as he cupped my cheek. The kiss started off shaky, almost desperate with his lips lightly skimming along mine in an unsure caress. Finally, he bit down once on my lower lip and that was all it took to make the cool waters boil.
I didn't know we were so close to a tree, but a few backward steps and the back of my legs
met the cool bark. His tongue was demanding, like a violent painter where each stroke created a defiant streak of color. I moaned into his mouth and my knees buckled. I fought to keep
myself standing by snaking my arms back around his neck.
I couldn't imagine that this was happening. Every time he kissed me, I wondered why he chose me to be the recipient of his skillful tongue. Every time he touched me, I wondered why I was so lucky to have him so close to me.
His hand was slipping beneath my shirt and I didn't stop him this time. His entire palm
covered my left breast and his touched burned through the lace of my bra. It was nothing but lace. The cups were absent and the thin lace covering my chest was hardly a barrier to his
rough hands.
"Oh god," I cried.
"You're supposed to scream out my name, little fool." He reprimanded with a soft nip at my exposed shoulder.
"Oh Hiei," I hurried to correct.
His dark laugh fanned into my ear, but too soon, the husky chuckle was gone. "I can smell you," he breathed. It almost sounded pained, as if he were being tortured. "_Kami_, _I can finally smell you_."
I didn't know how to respond. I didn't understand what he was saying. I was lost in the haze of his kisses and large, burning hands. Dazedly, I heard the sound of pants being unbuckled.
There was the sound of metal ringing and I glanced down. I was dimly amazed that he could
remove his belt with one hand so easily. My astonishment faded when I saw his bandaged hand slip under my skirt and it was such an erotic sight. When I realized that he was pulling at my panties, I rushed to halt his hand.
His head dipped down to capture my lips. "Don't fight me, Karen."
Were we really going to have sex outside, against this tree, with only my panties gone, and his pants unbuckled? I know beggars can't be choosers, but I thought we would be in a bed.
"_Karen, you're a grown woman," chided Lena, "but be responsible."_
I was ready to scowl at Lena's words from earlier today when she had asked if I took the
birth control solution. I was living in the moment. I was already drowning in the heat. He
brushed aside my hand, pulled the fabric down, and the panties went sliding down my legs with ease. It was as if his mere touch frightened the fabric into fleeing toward the ground, where they sought sanctuary by pooling at my feet.
But she was right. My birth control wasn't active for another – I tried to count, but counting in this intimate situation was futile. I couldn't get past one.
"P-protection," I gasped against his lips.
"Not the first time." Then, teasingly, he said, "I thought you wanted children."
_Oh no_, I moaned. Strangely, I wanted no barriers between us either – but I knew the risks! I knew pregnancy can happen on the first try and I could not afford to become pregnant, not when my life was too confusing and dangerous. Only, I couldn't fight him. I couldn't fight
him this time. All my self-control was gone.
"No, no, no…" I protested weakly, but even to my ears, the pleas sounded unlike themselves. It sounded like I was begging him not to stop. It could also be because my hands were fisted into his shirt, pulling him closer despite my breathless objections.
_Please, virgin deity, help me_! I was pleading to a goddess I had made up on the spot. I was praying silently for the help of virgins everywhere to lend silent aid in helping me fight
off the turmoil of pleasure and desire. This was bad. This was bad. This was a good, delicious feeling kind of bad… but still very bad.
His arm wrapped under my bottom, ready to lift me up and my legs twitched as they prepared to wrap around his waist –
"_Fuck_," he hissed and the venomous swear startled me. "What did I do," I automatically asked.
Straightening, he caged me in within his arms by bracing his hands against the tree. His breathing was ragged in my ear and caused my neck to break out in goose bumps.
After a few minutes of our harsh breathing, he said, coldly, "a guard is coming."
My eyes widened in alarm. "And you're just now telling me!" Despite our odd reunion – his
coldness, my recklessness, and the erotic situation – I couldn't help but shove at his chest in an annoyed way. He didn't budge an inch. "We've been standing here for several minutes,
Hiei, and I'm not even wearing panties!" Glancing down, I searched for the yellow lacy garment. "Oh no, where are my panties?"
Unperturbed by my missing panties, Hiei calmly buckled his pants. Either I kicked the
garments somewhere or they were taken, because the underwear was nowhere in sight. I'm not
sure where they could have gone. I don't remember kicking away from them. All I remember was fire, fire, and more steamy fire.
Huffing, I fixed my shirt and smoothed a hand along my skirt. My skirt was long enough to hide my nakedness, but I felt like the moment someone saw me, it would be known that I was
without underwear. I felt exposed. The icy temperature of the evening air was nippy without that scrap of fabric to protect my lower half.
With a sigh, I inched around Hiei and ran a hand through my hair to make the strands
presentable. It was nearly dark and I couldn't find my panties. However, I did find my phone easily enough as it was lying several feet away. Swiftly, I picked it up. When I turned
around, I saw my panties caught in a tuff of grass at the base of the tree. Hurrying over, I was ready to snatch them up until they blurred from view. I watched Hiei stick the yellow
lace into his pocket.
"Hiei," I reached toward his pocket, "what are you doing?"
"You'll get these back later." Wrapping a hand around my wrist, he pulled me in to kiss my lips gently. "I also expect you to be honest when we finish our discussion." His eyes
narrowed and the red irises made my face burn. He was very angry earlier and now I understood why he had acted so coldly toward me. At least I melted away some of the anger, which was
enough to allow me time to gather my wits. "You know better than to lie to me." "I'm not –"
"And you're still doing it," he seethed.
I don't know why I felt the need to utter that juvenile protest. Ducking my eyes to avoid his glare, I hoped for a way out of this mess. His first day back and he was already suspicious.
Well, he must not have heard my conversation with Jet – otherwise, he would have heard my
plans. I think he only heard Jet's deep voice and unfamiliar with the once silent guard, he was assuming something because I had given false identity.
As we were walking, I could still feel his bristled anger rolling off him. Glancing down at his hand, I laced my fingers with his and he gripped my hand softly. We continued holding
hands even when the guard approached to talk to Hiei. I smiled.
…
…
…
But how was I going to keep from blowing my cover?
A/N: Everyone, thank **akasoeki **for beta reading through this! Fist pump me as I chug away on my slow ass choo-choo train toward this story's future.