Chapter 3: Where Secrets are Revealed

Hiei raced through the Dark Forest in search of Raven, hoping to get to her before those lowly apparitions could gang up on her. He lost her trail just as he was starting to near her destination. Stopping on a branch, he took a moment to get his bearings. If she's anything like her father, she'll be somewhere near the waterfall. He took off in the direction of the nearby falls. Hopefully, she's has more brain cells in that head of hers when it comes to sleeping in the trees than her father did.

Entering the clearing around the lake, he started scanning the trees in search of her energy. Despite the fact that energy is usually easily detectable, he was having a hard time picking up on hers. At this point it was unclear if she was hiding it or if it simply blended in with the energy of the forest itself. Searching the tree branches, a slight rustle caught his attention and he jerked around just in time to see Raven rolling off the branch a few yards from him. He kicked off the forest floor and raced to catch the girl before she hit the ground.

Raven landed in his arms hard enough to cause him to stumble as one of her wings clocked him upside the head, though he managed to keep both of them upright. Ready to lecture the bird demon in his arms, he opened his mouth just to see that she was completely out cold. At some point after arriving, her body must have fallen into a healing sleep, one that she wouldn't easily be awoken from.

"Stupid woman." Hiei muttered and re-adjusted the girl in his arms so her wings were tucked in safely. His hand rubbed down one wing and he marveled at how soft the texture of the feathers were. Raven seemed to mumble something in reply but even his demonic hearing was unable to understand exactly what she said, but it seemed as if she replied to him with an "…am not…you're stupid" Before falling right back into a hibernating sleep.

"Sleep well Little Nightingale, I'm taking you back so you can heal properly." He muttered to her as he walked through the trees. "Now I know to keep a close eye on you."

Hiei didn't think too deeply on the use of the little endearment he gave her all those years ago. His only intent being to make her strong enough that no one was ever going to hurt her again. He knew that he'd find her again one day, he had a promise to keep and that's what he was going to do. He just never thought that the little demon that he knew could be such trouble for him so many years later.

A drop of rain on his hand pulled him out of his brooding thoughts. Re-adjusting Raven, he used one hand to hold her as the other grabbed the edge of his cloak and wrapped it around her body to shield her from the rain a bit, unsure of just how water resistant her wings were and if she could fly with them wet. He hadn't been expecting rain tonight and had actually planned to sleep outdoors like he usually did. Then again, that's the reason for the room he claimed at the temple. Genkai eventually got tired of seeing him 'break-in' and sleep wherever was available, so she set a room up for him to do with as he pleased.

Hiei decided that his speed wouldn't wake the girl, so he took off at a full run back to the temple and the others.

*Back at the temple*

Botan and Yukina stood at the window, just staring at the forest-line and waited for Hiei to return with Raven. Everyone had expected them to be back fairly quickly, except for Hawk who said that it was normal for Raven to go off and usually involved a fight if someone tried to stop her. Hawk told them that even without Hiei's interference, Raven would eventually return. Though that didn't stop everyone from being concerned about the storm that had suddenly started brewing.

Getting bored, the boys decided on a game of cards. After a few rounds Hawk decided to join in with them as they sat around the table with a pile of plastic chips in front of them to play-bet with. Thinking her an easy target, Kuwabara and Yusuke quickly agreed to her joining and put a stack of chips in front of her. It didn't take long for her stack to nearly double as the boys lost to her repeatedly. Hawk noticed that Kurama was a bit more reserved and thoughtful when it came to his bets, resulting in a stack roughly the same size as hers.

"Man! What's taking Shorty so long to get back her?" Kuwabara complained as he lost yet another hand and threw his cards to the table. Hawk grinned as Kurama gathered the cards and the winnings were moved to her section of the table. "As fast as the Shrimp is, you'd think that he'd just flash on over there, grab her and then haul his ass back her. I don't get the obsession he has over her, it's weird."

Hawk tilted her head and turned her curious gaze to the fox. "Kurama, why is Hiei so concerned about Raven? From what you guys have been saying he shouldn't even think twice about her, much less rush out as soon as she's gone missing. So why is Raven different?"

Kurama sighed and set the cards down in front of his before resting his chin on the back of his folded hands. He glanced out the window and decided that it was probably best if they were clued into the story, Hiei certainly wouldn't tell them himself. Kurama wasn't even sure he would explain it to Raven later. Then again, there was the issue of sharing Hiei's secrets to the group, he may not want them to know about any of it yet or he may just not care if they do. Hiei had only brought it up to him years ago because he wanted Kurama to keep an eye out for the girl during their time serving two of the three Makai kings. Since either he or Kurama were often in Raizan's territory for one reason or another, he didn't deem it necessary for Yusuke or his men to know about the girl.

Kurama sighed again and decided to tell them the story. "I will tell you as it is partly your story as well Hawk…It was around twenty years ago. Hiei was still very young for a demon and had recently gotten his Jagan eye…"

*Flashback/Storytime*

Hiei stood over the body of a demon belonging to the Cobra Clan. He had recently gotten his Jagan eye implanted and was still not up to full strength. Shigure had finished training Hiei and determined that he was strong enough to once again survive on his own. At the verdict, Hiei was off again in Makai.

During the fight, the demon had managed to land a hit on Hiei. When the attack came from the Cobra, Hiei had attempted to block it with his arm and create an opening to kill the snake demon. The snake retaliated as Hiei cut off his head and injected venom into Hiei's arm. Snake demon venom being very potent, it left Hiei with maybe a few hours to live just from the half dose that he had received.

Not willing to give in to the venom coursing through his veins, Hiei just started walking. Despite all his attempts to counteract the poison, nothing seemed to work. Eventually his legs gave out and he fell. Still fighting, he crawled for a distance to rest and passed out leaning against a tree. He had decided to accept his fate and let himself drift off for the last time.

Sometime later he awoke in an unfamiliar hut. There were several voices talking around him, and it took great effort for Hiei to hear anything that was being said. He could make out the voices of a man and a woman. He was about to ignore them when the words "Cobra" and "Venom" finally reached his ears. They were speaking about him. Focusing a little more, he found that they were amazed at his ability to fight off the venom for so long. Hiei looked down and saw that his arm had been bandaged right where the snake demon had bitten him.

A noise alerted him to a new presence in the room and he looked at the door to see a male demon standing in the doorway. Embarrassed about having to be rescued, Hiei gave the guy a quick glance between turning his head to face the wall. The demon in front of him was a low classed shadow demon. The demon chuckled and stepped aside to let his wife in the room. "I'm glad to see you are awake. My name is Lyra."

It took Hiei several months to recover from the damage done from the venom. He had to get his strength back to where it was when he left Shigure's place. As he was already fighting to get his power back from the Jagan implant, this greatly irritated him, and he put all his extra effort towards recovery and using the peace and safety of his savior's home to do so.

The night that he woke, he learned that the shadow demon was name Shade, and the wife was Lyra (a fire demon) and she was very pregnant with their first child. They had mated against their tribes' wishes and left to start a family where they wouldn't be found. This was complicated by Shade's heritage. One of his ancestors had been half bird demon and since then every offspring after had grown wings as well as having some small affinity for the wind element. His tribe had even been contemplating the recreation of that ancient breeding to have more creatures like Shade. Not wanting to be a breeding experiment, he ran and took Lyra with him.

In the months that followed, Hiei assisted with daily chores to rebuild his strength. Within a couple weeks he was able to add sword training to his daily routine, but it was limited. Each day his ability to practice increased by minutes at a time. During this time, Hiei took on more chores around the property while Lyra was forced to rest more often. Honor bound by them saving his life, Hiei decided to stay until the child was born and Lyra could once again properly assist in defending her mate and child.

Eventually, Lyra gave birth to a female child. At the child's birth, Shade finally asked Hiei for a favor. Owing the demon a life-debt, Hiei had no intention of refusing him anything, so he listened. Shade simply asked for Hiei to protect his daughter should anything happen to him and Lyra. He feared that eventually one of their tribes would hunt them down and take the child from him. After a moment's hesitation over the possibility of being the child's guardian, Hiei agreed to take the child until she was able to protect herself to his standards should Shade and Lyra be taken from her.

A dark chill settled over Hiei at that agreement and some feeling nagged at him to stay for a while. He didn't have the energy yet to use the Jagan so broadly as to figure out what was bothering him, so he followed his gut instincts. He found himself staying with them for the next year…

In the time that he spent with the family, he came to appreciate them. He also managed to defeat multiple demons who were hired to find Shade and Lyra. It appeared as if word still had not gotten back to their contractors about Raven and Hiei intended to keep it that way as long as he was able. He always stayed close if Shade was going to be gone for any length of time.

Raven especially loved her 'Uncle Hiei' and sought him out every chance she could get. Eventually though, the dark feeling he previously had, left him as the attacks gradually ceased to happen. After a while, he felt the need to continue on his journey. It was the reason he went through hell and back to obtain the Jagan eye and he refused to waste the efforts he made.

With a small bit of regret at leaving what finally felt like the potential for a family, he returned to his quest. As he ran, he found himself having to work at ignoring Raven's cries of "Unka 'iei". He silently promised to return soon to check in with them.

It had taken Hiei longer than he expected to return to the shack, only to find it had been destroyed. The damage was old, so it had been a long time since it happened, and he was unable to do anything about it. A secret message was placed on the branch of his favorite tree. They have found us, S.

Hiei spent several more years searching for them. Eventually he was able to find an old trail. He learned that Lyra had been killed two years previous and that Shade was on the run with Raven. It took another whole year for him to find another trace of them only to come upon Shade's dying body. The demon was grateful to see Hiei and had just enough energy to tell him about his second mate who was in hiding with Raven. That he had been returning with a pair of talismans to hide their energy while they ran and was ambushed moments later.

Despite Shade's warning that the talisman would prevent the females from being found, Hiei spent a few more years searching before he had to back off again. There were other things that he could do while searching for clues, but he couldn't keep solely looking for the two. Either they were dead and beyond his help or they had achieved what needed to be done and remained in hiding.

*End Flashback/Story*

By the time Kurama had finished the story, Hawk was nearly in tears. It was the first time she had ever been told about Raven birth or why so much about her sister had to be kept secret. As she mulled over the story, she was actually relieved that Raven now had the full protection and resources that Hiei could provide to her older sister. Then a thought struck her, "Hiei didn't know anything about me until the other day, did he?"

"No, he had never heard about you or who your mother actually was. It's possible that Shade didn't know about you either or he would have mentioned it in his last words to Hiei."

Hawk frowned, "But Raven has gotten to be so powerful on her own. Wouldn't that make the bargain between my father and Hiei void?"

Kurama smiled at her train of thought. He could hear the jealousy in Hawk's voice. Raven and she have been so close for so long that she didn't want to give up the open connection between the two of them. She definitely didn't want to share her sister with anyone else either. "If it is an issue for Raven to be the only one with protection and resources, then I offer you the same protection in which Hiei has given Raven. Then you will still be on equal footing."

Before Hawk could answer an amused noise came from behind her. "Ha! Now you both have knights in shining armor!" Yusuke laughed, "I guess that means you have no choice now but to be on our team."

Hawk smiled and laughed along at the dilemma. "I guess so."

Before the banter could continue, a cry from Yukina caught their attention. "They're back!" She cried and raced for the door, the rest of the group following her out to the covered porch.

Hiei walked right past the group with Raven in his arms, not saying a word to anyone. He had raised his body temperature on the way back to hurry along the drying process for him and Raven, though both would still need to be changed out of their wet clothing. He went straight to his room and set Raven on the bed. Yukina, not far behind him, had shooed away the rest of the group and closed his door. Hiei quickly settled Raven and grabbed clean clothing out of his dresser.

"Yukina," He said and waited for the ice koorime's attention. "Please take care of her."

Yukina nodded and turned to the girl. There was a new gash on her forehead as well as blood pooling on her shirt where the shoulder wound had re-opened. With a sigh, Yukina used her energy to try and speed the healing process along. Once she had used as much as she dared, the wounds now barely closed up but no longer bleeding freely, she borrowed some of Hiei's clothes and quickly dressed the girl in dry clothing. "At least Hiei rarely ever wears these clothes. I doubt the others will even notice." She muttered before leaving the room.

*Hiei*

Hiei started the shower, turning the heat as high as it would go. Letting the water warm up, he stripped out of his ruined clothing and stepped in the shower. He was thankful for wearing his usual black clothing as it hid the blood from everyone except maybe the fox and his excellent nose. Stepping under the spray, the floor under Hiei's feet was instantly a mix of red and browns. He leaned his head against the wall and let the hot water wash his wounds cleaned and help his muscles relax.

The multitude of cuts caused Hiei to grit his teeth to avoid making noise as he shampooed his hair. He didn't want to give the others cause to hound him with questions and most of the cuts on his body could be hidden under fresh clothing. Washing his body was a challenge in itself due to the number of lacerations. He felt like he had been through a blender. But he was determined to wash as much dirt and blood away as possible.

Examining the damage, most of the wounds were pretty superficial and should heal up within a matter of hours. There was a laceration on his right arm that he could hide behind fresh bandaging, which he changed often enough anyways using the bandages with protective seals drawn on them to keep the dragon dormant until summoned. There was also a deep cut along his left side that would likely hinder him for the next few days.

Shutting off the water, Hiei stepped out and used a towel to dry off the excess water and finished the job by raising his demon energy. Fully dry, he dressed quickly and returned to his room where he could keep watch over the girl.

A quick glance at her told them that Yukina had done as much as she could. He was a bit pleased that she had clothed the girl in his things as she would now be surrounded by his scent for a short time. Looking at the top of the dresser, Yukina left a tray of items so he could care for his wounds. He smirked at her deduction that with Raven hurt he might be too. She also knew that he would refuse to have her waste energy on him and so started leaving healing supplies in his room whenever she thought he would be in need of them.

Hiei took his place at the window seat, grateful that it had been closed when the storm hit and removed the shirt that he had just put on. Steeling himself, he grabbed the bottle of anti-septic and started cleaning his wounds. While he normally wasn't loud during the process, he had to constantly remember to bite back the growls and quiet curses the cleaning process brought out of him. Instead, he decided to mentally come up with new ways to use old phrases, even translating them between the few languages he knew.

He sighed in relief as he finished, finally able to quickly wrap the wounds up. He easily managed to get his body completely wrapped and was starting on a layer of regular bandaging for his arm before adding the seals onto it. He didn't bother with wrapping his fingers but got about an inch above his wrist before he found himself tugging on the wound at his side. Frustrated, he started to ignore it and continue on.

Hiei heard a small groan coming from the bed and halted his struggle with the wrappings. Looking over, he saw Raven pull herself up into a sitting position with her back against the wall. "What happened? Why do I feel like I got hit by a mountain?" She asked and then looked down, "and what am I wearing?"

"Hn." Was all Hiei could manage in response. He was wondering if he should just cave and call the fox in to assist him but that would mean telling him everything that happened, and he didn't feel like any lectures tonight.

Raven frowned and noticed what he was doing. Looking closer, she saw the bandages that were already placed on him. "That was all because of me wasn't it?" She asked and the growled. "That was stupid of me. I don't know this area enough to find a safe place to hibernate. I should have stayed here until I could have scouted it out. And I even managed to get someone else hurt."

She didn't understand why the thought of Hiei being hurt mattered that much to her, other than the fact that it was her own stupidity that caused it to happen. "Forget it." Hiei grumbled at her, startling out of her self-loathing. He finally got the bandage wrapped and was trying to tie it off. Not his greatest wrapping job, and it needed a second layering with the seals for a few days while it healed…assuming he could get it tied off. "Either stop moping about it or do something to fix it. Wallowing in self pity is useless. A waste of time and energy that could be put elsewhere."

Raven pulled herself off the bed and held out her hand. He looked at her for a moment before offering his arm to her. She unwrapped the bandage, so it could be wrapped correctly and then tied it off almost exactly where Hiei had previously put it. When Hiei handed her a roll that had seals on the inside, she followed his directions and started at the fingers before tying that one off as well. Hiei flexed his arm, mildly irritated at the double layering but satisfied with the work. Raven looked at his other hand and saw a mark on it.

"What is that?" She asked as he tried to subtly hide the mark. Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand with lightning like reflexes and looked at the palm. Frowning she looked him in the eyes, "You grabbed my sword? You're lucky it didn't kill you, but I don't understand why it didn't. Not that I want it to but it's interesting…"

Hiei thought about what to tell her of the battle. So much happened in such a short time frame that he decided to just show her. He raised his fingers to her temple and a slight purple glow emanated from behind his bandana. There was a slight push on her mind, and she gave him a confused look. "If I force it then it will cause you pain. Just let me in and I'll show you."

Raven nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing the guards around her mind just enough to let him in. Instantly, her mind was flooded with images, and it took her a second to sort them out. When she did, she was amazed at the scene before her…

*Flashback*

Hiei had been on his way back to the temple, carrying a hibernating Raven in his arms. The rainfall was disrupting his ability to hear anything coming towards him, so he was in a hurry to get back. He couldn't sense anything in the immediate vicinity, but he didn't want to waste time and energy using the Jagan to double check the nagging feeling on the back of his neck.

Suddenly, Raven was awake and flipping out of his arms before he could tighten his hold on her. He watched as she used her wings to help her balance as he barely avoided another hit from one of the feathered appendages. The quick glimpse in her eyes told him that something was going on and to be on guard. "What is it?" He asked, drawing his sword and taking a defensive position, his back to Raven's.

Raven drew her own sword and relaxed at feeling him behind her. Her eyes searching the darkness for any hint of the danger that she felt was coming. "Company, strong and unfriendly company." Hiei's eyes twitched towards her, as she spoke to him telepathically, then returned to the dark forest surrounding them.

A few seconds later and a large group of eyes came out of the dark edges around the trees. Whatever was keeping Hiei from sensing them suddenly broke and he could tell that these were comprised of an incredible amount of B class demons with a few A class thrown in for good measure. The grip on his sword tightened as he tried to decide if it was worth it to call for back up. He turned it down instantly as it would leave the girls, including Yukina, completely unprotected if there was a second attack on the temple. It's better this way. He decided. I can handle them myself and I'm sure the girl will be able to hold her own for a bit…Hopefully…

The one Hiei presumed to be the leader of the group stepped forward. "Give us the girl and you just might leave here alive."

"Not a chance ugly!" Raven shot back. Hiei grunted his agreement, pleased that she didn't break her focus to insult the demon. His concern was that most of these demons seemed to be of a higher rank than she was. He estimated her to be somewhere between an upper C class or very low B class. After that obnoxious test that Mukuro had put him through, Hiei was confident in his abilities to take out this group of demon. Then again, he didn't have a hardheaded and eager demoness to protect at the time either. Back then, it didn't matter if something happened to him during a fight. Now he had Raven to worry about and that split his attention more than he would have liked.

"Put your wings away." Hiei told her, having to work to get his telepathic message to clear the walls she had in her mind. He wasn't used to having such difficult barriers to work around. "They'll be nothing but a hindrance in this small space, not to mention perfect targets for these fools to attack."

Irritated at Hiei's harsh words, Raven did as he told her to and pulled the wings back into her body. It was uncomfortable, but she didn't allow that to show. She knew he was right on his assessment and wanted to prove to him that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

"If your boss was looking for a visit then he needs to learn some manners and send a polite request like a good little demon." Raven snarked, irritating the demon.

As she provoked the lead demon, Hiei was trying to figure out a plan to eliminate as many demons as possible. The dragon was out because it put Raven at risk. There was one shot that would work on most lower-class beings…He lowered his sword so that the tip barely brushed the ground and stood straight up until he was at full height, pleased that he had added a few inches over the last few years.

"I am Hiei Jaganshi, an S class demon. For those of you who don't know me on sight, I wield the Jagan eye and am Master of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. My team won the Dark Tournament, joined the three kings and fought in the Makai Tournament. I am Mukuro's Second and her heir. My allies are Kurama, second to Yomi, and Yusuke, Raizan's son and heir. Now that you know who I am, I suggest you leave now if you wish to save you pathetic skins. Those who stay will die tonight. This girl is under my absolute protection, as well as the protection of my allies, and I will destroy anyone who touches her."

Raven was impressed at Hiei's speech and knew that he spoke the absolute truth. She also knew that he only used his titles and named his powerful allies to scare of some of the weaker demons. With her body in healing mode and being nowhere near his class, it was going to be a battle for her to keep up with him. She refrained from showing the relief she felt when about a dozen lower B class demons took off, cutting their opponents numbers down by a third. The leader sneered at them but didn't say anything and refocused his attention on Hiei.

"Is that all you got?" The demon laughed at Hiei. "I have more than enough demons to take even you down."

At some unknown signal, a demon launched itself in Raven's direction. Raven swung and managed to take the demon's head off with a hard laugh at his tactics. This seemed to set off the rest of the troops and Raven soon found herself being separated from Hiei. It wasn't long before she found herself completely surrounded by demons and struggling to keep them back.

"Dammit! Raven!" Hiei growled enthusiastically upon seeing her predicament. He took out several more demons and worked his way towards his charge. He was nearly to her when a demon knocked her out from behind. Her sword fell from her hand as the demons surrounding her stopped what they were doing. The silver hilt of her sword glittered in the moonlight, too much temptation for a green scaley demon to resist. He reached down and wrapped a clawed hand around the sword.

Instantly a whirlwind picked up and surrounded him, a shield surrounded him and kept the others from stepping forward. Instantly things shifted direction and what the demon had thought of as an achievement soon turned into terror as the sword quickly sucked the lifeforce out of his body. In a matter of moments, nothing was left but an empty green husk.

Shocked by the phenomenon, Hiei was a hair too slow to avoid a demon's claws ripping open his arm. Hiei growled, and in one fluid motion he turned and cut the demon's head from its shoulders. His anger renewed and Raven down for the count, Hiei started to make quick work of the demons surrounding him as he stood over Raven's body.

There were only a few demons left before the leader came up from his left and sliced at his unguarded side. Hiei never saw the demon's approach and he wondered how it was possible for the demon to reach him so easily when he was so on guard at the moment. One demon had grabbed Raven and tried to run off with her only to have Hiei lunge and shove his blade right through the demon's heart. Hiei caught her with one arm as she fell. Backing away slowly so he could keep an eye on the remaining half dozen demons, he was able to place her against a trio of trees that had grown into one trunk.

With Raven settled, Hiei was able to have a little more freedom and took out the few demons that were left. The leader put up a decent fight after Hiei had cleared out his last minion and it took more than a few minutes to find a break in the demon's guard, but Hiei was eventually able to kill him as well. It took less than ten minutes for the battle to conclude but it felt like hours had passed. Hiei looked around to see at least two dozen demons dead at his feet.

A glint of metal caught his eye and he saw Raven's sword on the ground, just a few feet from her. Debating on what to do about it, he decided that it was best to not leave it in case one of their own came across it and recognized the hilt. He didn't need to add that to the long list of sins he had obtained during his life. Calling on his Jagan in hopes of gaining some added resistance, and wrapping his cloak around his hand, he quickly grabbed the sword's hilt. The short distance he traveled to return the sword to its sheath was absolutely agonizing as he fought the sword for his life. The end result being a mark that looked very similar to a burn on his palm, despite the cloak being used to protect him.

He only gave himself a moment to recover before hefting Raven back into his arms. The smell of blood drew his attention to the gash on her head and his eyes darted to her shoulder. There was fresh blood there as well. Using his cloak, he wrapped her up against the elements and used every ounce of strength and speed he had to get them back before another ambush could take place.

*End of Flashback*

Raven's vision slowly returned to the present and she held Hiei's hand in hers, staring at the mark left behind. She was amazed that he had the ability to hold her sword and live, even if it wasn't direct contact. Her sword was old and magical, it had developed a mind of its own and had obtained a particular dislike for males of any species. She allowed his hand to drop in his lap and turned away from him. "I'm sorry that you were hurt on my account. If I wasn't here, then they would have never bothered you. I should leave, then you will all be safe."

She turned to leave and Hiei grabbed her arm forcefully enough that she wondered if it would be bruised in the morning. "This is not your fault woman. These demons are too stupid to know when to back off. Obviously, they aren't strong enough to take you by force or numbers at this point. It shows an amazing lack of intelligence should they keep trying to do so."

Hiei stood, placed two fingers under Raven's chin and forced her to meet his eyes. Ruby red stared into Lilac Blue eyes. "Listen to me now because I will only say this once. You are under my protection until I deem you able to be safe on your own. I will not allow these worthless demons to have their way. So don't even think about running off or leaving again without my expressed permission. The fox has already taken to claiming your sister to be under his protection, just as you are mine. He will let nothing happen her. As long as we live, you both shall have our absolute protection. That doesn't mean it will be easy, but it will be better for you both. Understood?"

Raven nodded as she felt the worry for Hawk lift from her while she still bristled at this fire demon's audacity to dictate her life. A demon she had only met this same day. Undecided if she wanted to thank him or beat his ass into the ground, she clenched her fists and thought about what came next. She didn't realize how much weight worrying about Hawk's safety put on her until it was gone. She felt that, despite his rough personality, she and Hawk could trust him and his friends. Suddenly, she felt absolutely exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a while.

Hiei grunted in confirmation and walked towards the door. "You should come and reassure your sister. She was all but breaking down my door to find you. And probably driving that damn fox to the brink of insanity with her incessant questions." With that said he walked out the door and allowed her to make up her own mind.

It only took a moment for Raven to hurry out the door after him, remember Hawk's comment about how easily she had gotten lost in the building. Raven walked behind Hiei as they reached the end of the hallway. She could hear voices but didn't see anyone. Hiei went and took his usual place at the windowsill, watching the rain come down. Raven spared him a glance and then went through a door that led her into the kitchen and dining room.

She saw that nearly the whole group was settled around the dining table and were playing cards. The raised voices she heard were that of a boy with slicked back hair and a boy with orange hair arguing with each other. Raven was surprised but amused as their argument brought the two of them just inches from each other, each threatening to take the argument outside. Raven also saw the girls sitting around the table with cards in their hands and the fox demon that was with Hawk earlier. Now that she was paying attention, she realized that his scent was off, as if he were half human or something. But even that didn't seem quite right either. She brushed it off as a problem to solve for a later time.

Hawk was sitting with her back to the door. Raven walked up and wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders. 'Cheating again, are we? Didn't you learn your lesson a few months ago when you got caught?' She teased her sister on their private path. The younger girl just grinned at her before playing another card.

'No need to. These boys are too easy to bluff, well except for maybe Kurama, and the girls I have to go too easy on to cheat.' Hawk rested her head back, rubbing it against Raven for a minute. She relished the fact that her elder sister was alright and soaked in her scent for comfort. 'Besides, I am having fun and there's no real betting involved. Strictly for enjoyment purposes.'

Raven marveled at how easy going her sister was. She was just so carefree most of the time, like a fledgling playing in the thermals when learning to fly. It's one of the reason Raven always felt extra protective of the girl. Taking a seat next to her sister, Raven looked around the table.

Whatever the two boys were arguing about before seemed to have died down, the girls were all chatting away over the table and Kurama seemed like he was distracted. Watching a little closer, Raven saw the signs that leaned towards Kurama having a private conversation with someone. She deduced that it was probably with Hiei, discussing the events of the night so as to not cause extra chaos in the group.

Kurama stood and took two plates of food off the counter. Hiei came in a minute later and took one of the plates from the red head, giving him a nod in thanks. The other was offered to her. She started to politely refuse but the steely look that she got from both Kurama and Hiei caused her to bite her tongue and take the plate. Raven picked at the food while Kurama re-introduced the group to her. This time she was able to retain everyone's names better.

Kurama returned to the table, Hiei went back into the other room and Raven returned to her place beside Hawk as she slowly used her chopsticks to bring tiny bits of food at a time to her mouth. She had to admit that the food was good. Kurama picked up the cards that had been dealt in front of him while he was dishing out dinner. Raven, never having been good with card games, looked over Hawk's shoulder at her cards.

"Who dealt this hand again?" Kurama asked with a frown. Everyone instantly looked to Kuwabara, who in turn waved his hands in front of him, completely embarrassed about the bad hands he kept dealing.

"Hey, back off guys! It's not like I have any control over who gets what cards now!" Raven almost felt sorry for the guy as he got a defeated look on his face. Hawk quietly informed her that Kuwabara's dealing was the worst at the table and probably the worse luck she had ever seen with card games.

"It figures." Yusuke mumbled and tried to organize his hand. The girls looked like they were doing the same.

'Raven,' Hawk said as she moved a couple of cards around. 'We need to talk later. I made a deal with Koenma to keep us out of Reikai Prison. You should know the terms of it.'

Raven nodded as she watched the card game. The others had only managed a few turns before Hawk threw down her cards and gave a shit eating grin. She had won another hand. While Raven may not have an interest in cards or gambling, she enjoyed watching the pleasure that Hawk got at winning at cards and bringing home her winnings.

"Dammit!" Yusuke yelled and threw his remaining cards face up on the table. "I lost again! It's a good thing this wasn't for real money or I'd be broke and working for Keiko's dad again hahaha!" The comment earned him a slap from Keiko who wouldn't have surprised Raven if she had set Yusuke on fire with just the look she gave him. The two argued for a moment before Yusuke apologized profusely.

"Just get a room you two!" Kuwabara jeered at them, causing the odd couple to blush and turn away from each other. Raven was amazed at how embarrassed the two of them were, even she could tell that the two of them were a couple.

"I'm gonna catch me some Z's." Yusuke brushed of the embarrassment and stood up. "See you guys later." It only took moments for him to be gone and out of hearing range.

"Damn that Urameshi!" Kuwabara growled and stood up, looking as if he was ready to track Yusuke down and pound him into the ground. "Skipping out on clean up again!"

Raven watched as the rest of the group stood, cleared the game and then put dinner away. After Keiko had taken Raven's plate to be washed, Yukina stood in front of the girls. "Botan asked me to show you to your rooms. Please follow me."

Unable to deny the girl anything, Raven and Hawk stood up and followed her down the hall. The room they stopped at was roughly the same distance away from the living room as Hiei's and Raven suspected that they were even down the same hallway. She couldn't believe how many rooms this place had, and all of them upstairs. Hawk had been right as to the number of rooms this floor had.

Raven suspected that there were more rooms in the other half of the downstairs area she hadn't seen yet. It would be the only way to account for the amount of room the upstairs took up. She showed them where everyone's rooms were and then headed back down the dead-end hall the was empty, except for Hiei's room. It was the farthest hallway away from the others.

"This is your room Raven." Yukina said opening the door. "Mr. Hiei specifically requested that you get put here. His room is just across the hall if you need anything. There should also be fresh clothing in the closet for you. It's not much but I'm sure the others would be happy to take you shopping for more comfortable clothes. I'll see you in the morning, goodnight."

With that Yukina bowed and left Raven to herself, showing Hawk to a room down the hall. Raven counted the doors to her sister's room, then watched as Yukina turned the corner, presumably to go to her own room. Raven nodded to Hawk before entering her room, signaling that she remembered her request to talk.

The room was done in dark colors, blacks, blues and purples. The walls and ceiling were decorated with pictures and images of the night. Over the bed was a curtain to keep bugs out, but the netting was decorated with gems to appear as if they were starts in a night sky. All the wood furniture in the room was a dark mahogany. Smiling, Raven found a fresh kimono in the closet that was just a little small for her, but it would work.

"Must be one of Yukina's." She muttered and then realized that she was dressed in clothing that wasn't hers. Now that she noticed, she could smell Hiei's scent vaguely permeated the clothes. They didn't smell like he wore them often, but they were close enough to her size that she hadn't even realized someone had changed her with everything going on.

Taking a quick shower, Raven returned to her room dressed in a light blue kimono and waited for Hawk to join her.