Chapter Three

Well, This Isn't Awkward

Four and a half years previously -

"You've got to be joking."

Isla's voice cut through Ashley's haggard haze. She'd been awake all night studying, finally crashing about two hours previously when she couldn't cram any more math into her head.

Ashley turned in her seat to face Isla, flashcards in hand. "What, exactly, am I joking about?"

Isla stared at Ashley incredulously. "We're eighteen."

Ashley raised a brow, wishing Isla would just get on with it so she could keep going through her flashcards. "I am aware we're eighteen. And?"

Isla gestured to Ashley. To all of Ashley. "So what is this that you're wearing?" Her voice went up two octaves.

The brunette glanced down. "It's my lucky jumper. I always wear this on hard exam days."

Isla did not look convinced. "Do you become six years old again when you wear it?" Isla asked as she sat on Ashley's left.

Ashley pouted her bottom lip knowing that Isla couldn't keep the tension for long. "I'm just joking! But goodness. Really, Ashley?"

It wasn't like the jumper was over the top. No, it was the entire outfit. Little yellow flowers dotted a landscape of pink, and she wore it with a yellow cardigan and bright green tights. "Well, I've always passed every hard exam I had when I've worn it, so I think it's marvelous." Ashley sat a little straighter, tapping her flashcards against the desk's surface to straighten their edges. "You're just jealous."

"Yeah," Isla mumbled under her breath. "That's what I am."

"You remember the dress, don't you?" Isla's voice cut through the receiver on Ashley's phone.

"Of course I remember the dress. How could I not remember the dress?" Ashley twirled a strand of hair between her fingers as she lounged on her futon with Knox. It was close to two in the afternoon over in London, and Isla had taken her afternoon break early to talk to her. "I'm the one who actually wore the dress for eight years, not you."

"Trust me, it's been burned into my memory," Isla's dry humor shot straight through the phone. Ashley chuckled at the memory, remembering the dress vividly and Isla's first experience with it. "You're worried about your late class. I get it. But that's why you should wear the dress! Keep up with tradition! If you don't wear it, what if your class goes horribly wrong and an asteroid hits your classroom or some other nonsense?"

"You know," Ashley stated. "You could be serious with this. Otherwise I may have to look for a new best friend."

Isla cackled. "Like you could replace me! You know you're going to wear the dress. Why don't you just admit it?"

"Because it's embarrassing!" Ashley cried with a half broken laugh in between her words. "Mum dressed me in it way back when I was fifteen! I'm twenty three, Isla! How ridiculous am I going to look?"

"Honestly?" Ashley knew Isla was about to be her usual blunt self. "Very." Ashley breathed deeply, glancing at her closet from the corner of her eye. Mum must have packed it in her suitcase when she wasn't looking. Somehow it'd made its way to Sarayashiki with her after she specifically left it out to be donated. "But, it'll bring you luck. So you might as well."

Isla took the pause in conversation, having made her point, to say, "I know it's getting late and you need to go, but after your late class and whenever you get a chance, give me a ring. I need to tell you something about what's going on over at the House."

Ashley stiffened. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"It's nothing urgent, and probably not important either. Just wanted to run it past you and see what you thought of it; that's all. But let's save that for a different day." Isla didn't let Ashley cut in. If she did, they'd be up all night. "When do you have summer break?"

"End of July through the end of August," Ashley replied, scratching Knox behind his lop-sided ear. Whatever it was that Isla had hinted at with the House didn't seem important enough to warrant any further questioning if Isla was this okay with letting the subject drop. The House had been passed on throughout Ashley's mother's side of the family for generations, and currently Sophia was looking after it. Sophia, who was Ashley's older sister and soon to be sister-in-law to Isla. "Will you be free for a visit?"

Ashley could see Isla nodding on the other end. "I will! I'll get back to you on dates, but consider it done. I miss you."

Ashley smiled a sad sort of smile. "I miss you too." She could tell Isla was about to get off the phone. She needed to get back to work, after all, and Ashley had work tomorrow, herself. "Take care of yourself, okay? And keep an eye on Sophia for me?"

Isla laughed. "Will do. And you keep yourself out of trouble too." At the mention of trouble, Ashley realized she'd forgotten to mention to Isla what she and Hiei had up their sleeve. Oh well; she'd tell her a different night. "Love you."

Ashley returned the sentiment and hung up, feeling a little lost as she returned, in a way, back to her little flat. Back to Sarayashiki, Japan, half a world away from her best friend.

There was no question about it: Ashley had to wear the dress.

Tuesday morning, while getting ready for work, she donned the outfit in battle-like preparation for her long day.

She was truly a sight to behold, and not the least bit terrifying. If she could feel people staring at her yesterday, today was nearly too much. She'd been prepared for it, though. Even decided that if she was going to dress like a child she would at least jazz the outfit up a little with a bumblebee brooch on the collar of her cardigan. At least it added a little sparkle to her otherwise overwhelmingly bright fashion choice.

The day passed quickly. She'd even thought to grab her copy of Julius Cesar to take to work to pass the time in between her two-thirty class that ended at four and her late class that began at seven.

Then, at 19:00 hours, it was time to face the class she'd begun dreading at nine thirty yesterday morning.

Ashley hid her anxiety behind a welcoming smile, hands clasped in front of her, and welcomed each and every student into her classroom. The class in total had nine students.

The first to arrive was about her age, who introduced himself as Nobuyuki Nojima. Another boy sauntered in and sat at the back of the class, his eyes blazing like liquid gold. He had deep violet hair. Possible demon, but also possible cosplayer. She didn't let him deter her excitement. She had to be excited to meet her students, even if she was shaking like a leaf inside. She'd always been shit at acting.

The next two that carefully looked around the door frame were Ren and Tetsuya. Ren was a small woman, and excited, making her personality fill the small classroom. Tetsuya, was definitely one of the three demons.

There was no assuming made behind this fact. His outward appearance said it all. Not only did he have to duck below the door frame's top in order to get into the class room, but his skin was the color of red clay. He obviously worked out quite frequently, as she was pretty sure one of his biceps was the width of her thigh. What gave it away beyond the color of his skin and his towering height, however, were the two slightly twisted horns protruding from his hairline at his temple and his canines that just barely overlapped his bottom lip. Yes, this man was one hundred percent demon, no doubts at all.

Still, even as she reminded herself not to tense up, and to welcome Tetsuya and Ren inside, they greeted her and quickly made their way to the back of the classroom to join the young man with the golden eyes.

The remaining five of her students didn't have much out of the ordinary about them. Two were above the age of fifty, one had blonde hair and blue eyes but spoke fluent Japanese and had not one hint of knowledge of English at all, and the other three crossed the front of the classroom to sit on the far side. Most of her students had coffee in their hands or water or gum. Anything to stave off the tired feeling that came with having a late class.

Ashley had her usual mint tea, which she took a sip of as she checked her watch, calming her nerves before she started class.

At least she didn't have to worry about trying to blend in in this class. And even though she looked a bit like something out of a cartoon, her entire class was diverse. Not just herself.

She bowed, addressing her students. "I welcome you to my classroom, Introduction to English," she spoke in Japanese, and crossed her desk to write her name on the dry erase board as she had with every class thus far. Once more she sent up silent thanks that it wasn't a chalk board. "My name is Wright Ashley. For the next three weeks we will be speaking Japanese as we develop a foundation in English. After that, I expect you to speak exclusively in English. As I have learned, immersion is the best teacher.

"Now," she turned back to them with a small smile. "As you can tell I am not Japanese. I was born in England and raised there. English is my first language. However, this does not mean I will ever judge you for what you say or mis-say, if the case may be. This is a judgment-free zone in all matters. What happens in our class stays in our class. We are here to learn, and I expect one hundred percent participation. Why don't we go around and introduce ourselves?"

The class passed fairly quickly and without incident. As each student introduced themselves, Ashley made small notes in her roster as to how to tell each student apart. The boy with the golden eyes, she noted, was named Mako. Although 'demon' was listed as his specie, she half thought the roster got it wrong. He certainly didn't look like a demon. And Ren, the small woman who came in with Tetsuya, was also a demon, apparently. The roster also listed Nobuyuki as seventeen, which was just as astonishing to her.

She barely had time to touch on all points of the syllabus and take a look at the textbook she would be using for the semester before the clock showed eight thirty and class let out. Assigning chapter one as reading, as the students gathered their things and filed out the door, likely heading home for the evening.

Two forms approached her desk however. Ashley glanced up from the roster, immediately recognizing Tetsuya and Ren in front of her.

Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, she reminded herself and donned a smile. "Yes?" she asked.

Ren stepped forward, obviously nervous. "We just wanted to say, or rather - I just wanted to say," she fumbled for her words. As she spoke, Ashley noticed slightly pointed teeth. It was at that moment that Ren bowed to Ashley. Bowed low. "Thank you for not making a big deal about us being in your class. I mean, it's pretty obvious we're demons, so we really appreciate it."

Now, Ashley was the one at a loss for words. Had some other teacher pointed them out in class? Had they outed these two as demons? That was never the appropriate response, especially since no one knew who demon allies were and who wanted them dead.

"You're welcome?" Ashley tried. "I just want my classes to be as accepting as possible, for anyone who wants to learn."

"Well," Tetsuya spoke then, his voice deep. Up until then, he'd hung back, large hands grasping the straps of his backpack, and let Ren approach her. "It means a lot." He seemed a man of few words. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't make a move to.

Ashley wasn't sure quite what to do in that moment, so she did what she would do with any of her students. "Let me know if you need anything, okay? Until then, I'll see you on Thursday."

Ren's face, with her high cheekbones and sparkling eyes, lit up. "Yes! We'll see you then!"

They both bowed deeply and left, and as they did Ashley realized that Mako had been waiting for them in the hallway. He slouched into the weight of his backpack, hands shoved into his jean's pockets, and watched Ashley with a stare that reminded her completely of Hiei and the way he'd stared at her twice, now.

The bustling French-style cafe was busier than Ashley thought it would be at nine in the morning on a Wednesday. It was a little place that Yukina had recommended when Ashley mentioned she would be meeting Hiei. Yukina, barely suppressing delight, had given her the address for this little place, and it did not disappoint.

Ashley, of course, had visited Paris in the springtime and had sat outside at a small table quietly sipping on her coffee as she watched the French go about their day. This little place, Le petit Cafe, was modeled after a cafe of a similar sort. Outside there were two patios: one on the bottom floor, and one on the top. Small tables and chairs for two to four people had been set about. The decor was definitely French-inspired with everything from fashion magazine covers to illustrations of the Eiffel Tower. The food imitated the classic croissant, eclair, macaron, creme brulee, and other French desserts and pastries. And while they served coffee and tea, it was not a French cafe. It was a Japanese cafe with a French theme. However, it was nice.

Ashley had woken early, much earlier than she had on Monday, thankfully, and decided to lie in bed a little longer than usual, just taking in the quiet morning before things got hectic. As soon as Knox heard her moving about on her futon, he attempted to hop onto the mattress, his stubby legs barely having the force needed for such a feat. Eventually, Ashley picked him up and set him next to her, only for him to decide that no, that was not the place he wanted to be, and instead clambered onto her stomach and laid right on her very full bladder.

Ashley got up after that.

The meeting with Hiei was set to end early enough that she'd have enough time to return to her flat to change for work long before her one o'clock class began. He didn't seem much like a talker, after all, so she figured give it an hour, maybe even two if he decided to surprise her, and she'd be headed back.

Knox, however, was having none of this. When Ashley took him out to relieve himself, he whined. As Ashley showered, he whined. As she dressed, he whined. As she was halfway over the threshold he let out a whine so pathetic she just about cried herself out of sympathy for the poor creature.

"Do you want to go, then?" she asked, doorknob still in one hand as she looked back over her shoulder at him.

Knox, of course, perked up immediately, both ears standing up at attention, whereas usually one was constantly cocked to the side in a permanently goofy position.

So, Knox came with her. As he trotted along beside her in the chilly morning air, he caught the attention of every single person they passed. It took them nearly thirty minutes to walk to the cafe where it should have only taken them fifteen, because every person they passed wanted to stop and pet Knox. Not that Ashley could blame them. He was positively adorable.

Thankfully, the cafe allowed pets as long as they were outside. So, once she ordered her tea, mint as usual, and climbed the staircase to the second floor she found two chairs set with a table at the edge of the balcony. The table perfectly overlooked the street below lined with cherry trees lush with sakura blossoms. The barista had given Ashley a pup-achino, which she set on the ground for Knox.

It occurred to Ashley, as she settled back into her seat with her tea, just how stereotypically British she was right at that moment.

The thought fled quickly as she wondered exactly how Hiei was supposed to find her here. There were two stories, and he had specifically said he didn't have a cell phone.

At the memory, Ashley nearly snorted. Who the bloody hell didn't have a cell phone these days?

Two nights previously she'd told Hiei point-blank she thought he was handsome. She'd wanted to see his reaction, but nothing could have predicted the perfect coincidence of Yukina returning at the very moment she'd finished uttering the words. She hadn't gotten to see Hiei's reaction at all, as carefully composed as he kept his face, and she didn't have another moment alone with him to continue their previous conversation.

The night had been a relaxing one. Kuwabara was such fun to be around, and Yukina kept things light when Kuwabara and Hiei's antics started to get out of hand. Ashley had the distinct feeling that Hiei and Kuwabara had known each other for some time, and knew exactly which buttons to push to get the most rise out of the other.

Still, it was a work night, and once dinner was finished, Ashley had been the first to push away from the table. After bidding goodbye to Kuwabara and Yukina, and a much more distant farewell to Hiei, Ashley had stepped out from their apartment building into the cool night air only to dig her phone from her purse and try to bring up directions back to her own building. Everything looked different in the dark even though she'd walked these streets just a few hours prior.

She was sure she hadn't been standing there that long when Hiei emerged from the apartment building, the streetlight above his head bathing him in an ethereal glow.

Ashley glanced up at him, question ready on her lips. "Do they really try to set you up all the time?"

They regarded each other silently for a moment, the light from Ashley's cell creating a similar effect on her face.

Hiei was an enigma. Something to be figured out. His face was composed and his eyes betrayed nothing of what he felt. He stood there casually, hands shoved into his pockets, and made no move to walk away.

He finally replied, "Yes."

Man, that sucked. "Have you ever thought about pranking them for it? Get them back?"

He cocked his head ever so slightly, as if he was trying to figure her out. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You know," Ashley turned to face him more fully, pocketing her phone for the moment. "Pretend to date someone just to get your friends off your back. And to kind of show them that you can do whatever the hell you want." He didn't move, but continued to watch her. They stood apart, not nearly far enough that either had to raise their voice to the other to hear them, and close enough that with just a few steps one could close the gap. Neither of them moved from their respective positions. "Obviously if they see you dating they'll likely back off. I'm guessing they just want to see you happy. That's how my friend, Isla, always is for me."

"And how on earth do you propose I find someone to conduct this prank with?" His tone nearly dripped with disdain as if he could barely bring himself to entertain the thought of such an activity, but Ashley plowed ahead. If he wanted to end the conversation he could just as easily walk away. She'd had exams back at university during her physics courses that were more intimidating than Hiei was.

Ashley replied, undeterred, "Do you have any girlfriends? You know," she clarified quickly, "friends who are female? Or identify as female? Or maybe you don't like women, and that's fine. Maybe any single men in your life?"

Hiei was obviously not entertained by Ashley trying to be inclusive. She immediately held up her hands in surrender, "Well, you never know; I'm not going to judge." With a quick laugh to clear the air, she said, "But still, that'd be the place to start if I were you."

Hiei was silent a beat, possibly mulling the idea over. "And if I don't have any single friends who are female?"

The question hung in the air. Ashley considered it carefully before saying, "Well, I've got nothing better to do."

She'd nearly earned a smirk from him at that remark. Nearly. He caught himself before it showed too much. From what she knew of him so far, she was nearly positive he would implode if he showed too much happiness.

When she asked for his number to plan a meet-up to get to know one another, he told her he didn't have a cell phone and to tell Yukina of the details for where to meet and she'd get them to him.

How horribly inconvenient. If this was going to work, he needed some sort of communication device that didn't rely solely on one of the people they were trying to prank not figuring out what they were up to.

"You're early," Hiei's voice snapped her back to reality, making her jump away from him in surprise.

"Jesus bloody Christ," she swore, hand coming up to rest on her beanie to make sure it hadn't slipped off during her sudden burst of activity. She glanced up at him as he took the seat opposite of her, dressed in the same black cloak and white scarf as he'd worn Monday night. "Do you want anything?" She asked as she willed her racing heart to calm.

Ashley was sure twelve years had just been erased from her lifespan.

If Kuwabara couldn't sneak up at all, Hiei was the master of sneaking up.

"No," he replied as he sat opposite of her, lounging in his chair. Knox was immediately happy for the extra company and put his front two paws on Hiei's chair, whining and wagging his stub of a tail to try to get Hiei's attention.

Hiei looked absolutely disgusted by Knox's displays of affection and shoved Knox off his chair. Ashley caught the entire exchange. "You don't have to be rude to my dog, you know" she deadpanned. Of course Hiei was the type to dislike puppies. What the hell had she gotten herself into? She leaned over, calling Knox to her and away from Hiei, scratching him behind his cocked ear like he liked until he laid at her feet.

"But seriously, do you want anything? It's kind of chilly out here." She wrapped her hands around her own mug of tea.

"I'm fine," Hiei responded. "Anyway, how do we do this?"

His brusque tone set her on edge. Thinking back to her own "fancy" lessons as she called them as a child, Mrs. Potter would have had an aneurysm if she ever had to teach the man in front of her. Politeness was not a word that seemed to be in his vocabulary.

"Well, I've never done this before, but I suppose if we're going to do things convincingly we ought to at least know about each other." She paused, waiting for Hiei to begin.

When he didn't, and instead stared at the flurry of people rushing about below their spot on the balcony, Ashley continued, "Or at least be able to talk to each other."

Hiei still didn't utter a word.

What on earth had she gotten herself into?

"Well, I'll begin, then!" She said, perking up, and trying to diffuse the situation from the awkward spell that had descended upon them. Hiei's gaze snapped back to her. At least she'd managed to get his attention. "I was born in London to my parents, Susan and William, and have two older siblings, Oliver and Sophia. They're both about to be married. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"That's none of your business," he snapped quickly.

Okay, avoiding that subject.

"Well," Ashley continued, undeterred. "What do you like to do in your free time? I love to read and I used to play the piano, but I haven't done that in years." When he didn't respond straight away, she changed the subject again, "Or work! We could talk about work. You probably already know through Yukina, but I teach English over at Mushiyori University. What do you do for work?" She leaned toward him, trying to engage him in the conversation.

"I travel and go where I'm needed." Finally! Words! When he looked up to find her staring intently at him, he continued, "I diffuse situations."

A mediator. Ashley could not see this man, in any capacity, hold a job as a mediator. Mediators were supposed to be warm and welcoming and offer ideas and advice in tense situations. At the present moment, Ashley could only see him making things worse in a situation like that. He was as warm as a prickly porcupine!

"That's really very interesting," she replied, taking a sip of her tea to hide the laugh that was threatening to work its way out. "And it sounds very difficult. How did you get into that line of work?"

He just stared at her for a moment before finally saying, "You know, this conversation is extremely vexing."

Ashley felt as if she'd been scolded, which was a ridiculous notion. Instead of trying to save the topic, she changed it, trying not to let her distress show.

"We don't have to talk about that," she said, dismissing it entirely. "We could talk about a million things. We could talk about music, or books, or even talk about the weather-"

It was in that moment that Knox, tiny protector that he was, saw a bird land on the balcony railing so close to Ashley's head. He barked, scaring Ashley once more, and so much so that she knocked her knee against the table in surprise. It stung, and she clutched her joint, only looking back up at Hiei once she'd gotten Knox calmed down again.

Hiei glared at her with a look that could burn.

Her tea, which had been resting on the table, had been knocked over when her knee hit the table, effectively spilling and running directly into Hiei's lap.

She gaped, trying to come to terms with what she had just done. "I-I'm sorry! Here, let me just-"

"Don't bother," came his curt reply. "You've reminded me exactly why I thought this was a terrible idea to begin with." He stood, and with a flurry of his black cloak, disappeared into the cafe, leaving Ashley to sit at the table alone and endure the burning stares of questioning people all around. At least she hadn't mentioned any of this to Isla; there was nothing to tell her about now.

She did realize, with a curious thought, as she gathered napkins and cleaned up her mess, that Hiei had never asked about what she had said before Yukina came back into the room two nights prior.

Oh, my babies, if only you knew what I have in store for you!

Fun fact! I've written Ren and Tetsuya before. They're two of my favorite OCs. Their origin story will be posted on my Tumblr later this afternoon if anyone is interested: o-dragon05.

Thank you to destinyswindow and Star Charter who reviewed last week, and Anonymous who sent me a lovely message in my ask on my tumblr. I always love seeing everyone's thoughts. If you like this, please be sure to comment!

I do not own, in any way, the characters, places, or ideas of the Yu Yu Hakusho universe created by Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my own characters and plot.