Chapter Five

A Gentle Push

"Today, the Canadian Prime Minister, Wil Martin, and the President of the United States, Evan Kilpatrick, met to discuss environmental protections they can implement to decrease…"

Landon Stride's calm and even voice always put Ashley's mind to ease, and his morning news with the BBC was just what she wanted to wake up to. It was a quick refresher to what was going on in the world which always left Ashley ready to face the day.

She'd put it on while getting ready for work, playing it from the speaker of her phone so she could listen to it while in the shower and as she searched for the homework that she'd had her students complete last week.

"Where the hell…?" She asked aloud, fully dressed, and tearing her flat apart looking for the nine pages she was sure she put on top of the kontatsu, but now were missing.

"In other news," Landon Stride continued in his reassuring tone, "Yesterday, during the football game between Ajax and Feyenoord..."

Ashley tore the sheets from her bed; maybe they'd somehow managed to get shoved between the folds of fabric?

"…nearly came to blows as tensions between demons and humans continue to rise…"

Ashley slipped back to the kitchen. Maybe she'd sat the papers down on the counter as a way to grab them on her way out the door? She had her other two classes' of homework together in her bag. It was just her late night class whose homework had gone missing. She hadn't had a chance to grade it over the weekend and figured she would wake up early that Tuesday morning to grade them real quick. Once she'd graded them, she quickly recorded the grades and jumped in the shower, knowing the time to leave for her first class was quickly approaching.

"…no one was harmed in the displays of aggression, but both sides put up their own defense. We were able to speak with…"

As Ashley surveyed the tiny flat - seriously, they could only be in one or two places - a distressed whine reached her ears. Following the noise to the kontatsu, she lifted the blanket and found Knox staring right at her, pieces of the homework pages caught in his fur and nestled around him like snow.

"You have got to be joking," Ashley snapped, pulling Knox out from his hiding place as he whined dejectedly. Little pieces of paper fluttered from his fur as she lifted him to face her. "You are such a pillock!"

Gathering up the pieces of homework and stashing them in her bag, and attaching Knox's leash to his collar, Ashley left her flat in a huff.

"Well, the story is that I can't leave this guy alone for two seconds," Ashley explained to her morning class. That was met with every pair of eyebrows raising unanimously. Knox had made himself quite comfortable on the lap of one of her students, who kept one hand on him, stroking his fur, and the other hand ready with pen in hand, for the lecture to begin. "He completely ate all of my night class' homework."

A rouse of laughter filled the classroom. "I know, I know," Ashley said with a sigh. "It sounds crazy, but I at least have evidence to back me up."

The class loved having Knox in the room with them. Halfway to the train station Ashley had begun wondering if Knox would prove to be too much of a distraction for her students, but her morning class did great with him. It also helped that once Knox found a lap to lay on he didn't move again until the student had to get up.

Once class let out at eleven thirty, Ashley had barely ushered her last student through her door before someone new stuck their head in. "Ashley Wright?" He said in English with a grin. Knox immediately perked his head up from where he'd been deposited between the desks and whined anxiously.

"Yes, that's me," Ashley answered him, curious. He was a tall man, although not nearly as tall as Tetsuya, and skin the natural color of bronze. If being human could be determined by outward appearance alone, this man was definitely human.

"I am Luis Cerda," his eyes twinkled when he spoke and his smile was cocked to one side, teeth white as pearl. "I am the Spanish teacher, just down the hall. Another teacher and I are about to head to lunch and we wanted to extend an offer for you to join us?" He spoke with a Spanish accent.

If Ashley had been Isla, she would have had trouble speaking in front of this Luis. He was the type of guy that Isla would swoon all over: he had high cheekbones, and black, swept back hair, and it was obvious he worked out and kept his physical form at top notch.

Ashley, however, wasn't Isla, but smiled inwardly to herself at the thought of Isla in this situation. "Sure," she replied instead. "Is it okay if I bring my dog?"

Knox was still lying on the cool tile floor, his hind legs out behind him. Even with the new visitor, he didn't move.

"Yeah, he's welcome! Don't let Doctor Ikeda see him, though." When Ashley raised her brow in question, Luis laughed. "Ikeda's more of a rabbit person, honestly."

That was something Ashley never would have thought of. "Will do; thank you for that little tidbit." Luis grinned in return and waited for Ashley to gather her things and Knox's leash and led her out a back way from the building, and away from Ikeda's office. Just outside the foreign languages building were some tables set up so people could eat or relax outside when it was warm. A few trees blossomed around the small courtyard. Another woman already sat at the table that Luis led Ashley to. She looked up immediately with a smile as they approached, and stood to welcome them.

Ashley greeted her and introduced herself, not knowing whether to bow or shake the woman's hand. Deciding to follow cultural norms, she bowed.

"Raissa Schneider," the woman said in English, but with a German accent. She bowed, herself, then held out her hand for a handshake. She definitely had a French name with a German surname. Perhaps one of her parents was French? Ashely grasped Raissa's hand; she looked maybe five or so years older than she was, or at least closer to thirty than twenty. Luis was similar. He seemed older than her as well, although that could have been in part due to his height. "And who is this?" Raissa cried out in joy. "He's adorable!" Knox sat at her feet, anticipating the love and attention that he was sure was coming.

It was likely that they were all part of the same program, to teach their native languages at the university. "This is Knox," Ashley replied, slipping the leash beneath her chair's leg so that Knox could go where he wanted and she didn't have to worry about him running off. "He ate my late class' homework today so I thought I'd bring him with me today to prevent any further damage." Raissa laughed, ducking her head, and sitting back at the table.

Ashely and Luis followed suit and unwrapped their respective lunches. Sure enough, Ashley learned that they were all part of the Young Traveler's Program, which was designed for young people across the world to travel to a different country and teach their native languages, which by default, promoted the travel industry and the sharing of cultures. There were dozens of Universities across the world that participated in the program. At Mushiyori University, there were also French, Italian, Russian, and Chinese teachers.

"So, Ashley," Raissa began, leaning over her sandwich. "How long have you been here, now? A few weeks?"

"About a week or two," Ashely replied, popping a grape into her mouth.

"What all have you done so far?"

That question stopped her. Truthfully, beyond helping Hiei get this prank started, she hadn't done anything. It was mildly embarrassing and she slowly admitted, "I haven't done a whole lot, yet, honestly."

"We'll you've got to get out there!" Luis immediately exclaimed, missing her embarrassment, thankfully, but making her jump at his sudden outburst. "They told you to make a list, right? Of everything you wanted to do while you were here? You still have that right?"

Ashley nodded, in between bites with her mouth full. "Use that and just start doing. Go places. See things. You're only here for one year, right?"

Ashley nodded again. "I've been here for eight months now," he continued. "Every weekend is full. I haven't really had a weekend off since I got here-"

"Except for that nasty sinus infection you had in January!" Raissa teased. Luis rolled his eyes, but the absolute smile Raissa shot him spoke volumes. Affection glittered in her eyes and Ashley realized almost immediately that they were together in some way.

"Yeah," Luis drew out the word, "but only because I caught it on a hike."

"How long have you been here, Raissa?" Ashley asked, turning away from Luis.

"Nine months. Came just before this dummkopf." Turning her full attention back to Ashley, Raissa continued, "But he's right. You're already down two weeks before you have to go back home. You've got to make the most of your time here otherwise you'll regret it when you go back. I didn't start exploring until maybe two months in, and I always wish I had more time." Her gorgeous red curls sparkled in the sunlight.

"What have you done? While you've been here, I mean."

Raissa thought about that, her eyes widening as she thought over her answer. "How do I even answer that, you know? There's so much. And you can do a lot of the local stuff on days where you get out early."

"Then what were your favorite things?"

"Well, I'm a huge anime fan, so the Ghibli museum was to die for."

"And I love history so going to the different castles has been really great. And hiking up Mount Hiei-" Ashley nearly snorted in humor at the name, but covered it with a cough, "when I got sick with Raissa was fun but she'll never admit it."

"Yeah, it was fun, especially watching you start to trip all over yourself. That's a sight I never get to see." She winked at Luis, joking with him at his expense. He made a show of being wounded at her words, but it was just that: a show.

Google was a wealth of knowledge.

Before traveling, Ashley had made a notebook full of all the places she wanted to travel to and see while she was in this part of the world, as the Young Traveler's Program had recommended. It hadn't even occurred to her yet, with everything else going on, to open the thing. Hiei and his whiplash decisions took up enough of her time, but already her first week was over and she hadn't even begun plotting her first trip.

Nara, Kyoto, Tokyo Tower, the Himeji Castle, Mount Fuji, Nikko National Park, Mount Koya, the beaches of Ishigaki, Hiroshima, Hida-Takayama, and so, so many more. Pages upon pages had been scrawled over in her little red pleather journal.

Ashley flipped through the pages, trying to get detailed information of how far away each place was with the assistance of her computer, how to get there, where to stay once she got there if it was far enough away. Within that, she plotted where everything was that she wanted to see at each individual place.

Her phone chimed and vibrated against the tabletop, making her jump and Knox's ears twitch. The little devil lay next to where she sat at the kontatsu on the ground. He looked so innocent lying there, back legs sprawled out behind him, but he was likely just plotting what to eat of her students' homework next.

It was Yukina. -Hiei got a phone and asked me to give you his number.- His number was listed in the text message, which Ashley quickly plugged into her phone, knowing she would soon forget to do so.

Phone numbers… calling. Isla!

"Shit," Ashley swore, her accent giving the curse a delicate edge, glancing at the clock and remembering the promise to call that she had made to Isla nights ago. While it was only nine thirty in the morning in Tokyo - Ashley quickly did the math - it was one thirty in the morning in London. Before she forgot again, Ashley inputted the reminder in her phone to call Isla on Saturday before she went to bed. At least Isla had previously said whatever it was that she needed to talk to Ashley about wasn't urgent.

Once that was complete, she went back to Hiei's number and typed a quick text to him.

-This is Ashley; Yukina gave me your number.- Before hitting send, she added, -Thank you!-

At least he got the phone. Now they could properly plan and organize without Yukina catching on. She might still catch on; Ashley had a feeling she paid attention to things more than her polite demeanor let on.

Her phone buzzed. -K- Well, at least Hiei knew how to use a phone, however annoying the little one letter texts were. She hoped that wasn't how he texted all the time, but at least the letter had been capitalized.

She ignored it, letting her phone remind her again that the text was waiting to be answered two minutes later. Snapping the 'vibrate' button down on her phone, she went back to work. No point in being interrupted every two minutes by her phone trying to do a good job.

Placing her ear buds in her ears and turning on some music, Ashley got back to work. Before long it was obvious that she could go somewhere close by this weekend and make it a day trip. The Nikko National Park seemed promising. It was just a short bus ride out of the city.

A thought occurred to her at that moment as she looked at the screen and felt the possibility of this trip cementing in her mind. It was always more fun to go on a trip with friends. Yukina and Kuwabara were the obvious choices since she knew them, but as she picked up her phone and saw the single letter text, -K-, from Hiei, she realized this would be a perfect opportunity to flex their prank out in the open.

Of course, with how easy conversation flowed between them, this could end up a catastrophe. Yukina and Kuwabara could catch on immediately that she and Hiei could barely tolerate one another, let alone hold a moving conversation that lasted more than five minutes.

Or, as she hoped, if it did end, perhaps it end in a laugh?

Rather than calling Yukina first, Ashley unlocked her phone with the text she'd received from Hiei and pressed the phone key to dial his number.

It rang three times before the she heard the phone knock against something, drop, and then a surly, "Yes?"

She braced herself. "Hi Hiei!"

He didn't seem to enjoy her bubbly energetic words and instead said, "What do you want?" in his brusque way.

"Well," Ashley began dramatically, knowing he wouldn't appreciate her enthusiasm at all, but it was too much fun not to tease him. "I'm planning a trip over to the Nikko National Park on Saturday, and I was thinking: if you really want to start this prank off why don't we plan an outing with Yukina and Kuwabara?"

He followed her idea immediately. "You mean go together and bring them along?"

Ashley nodded and then realized Hiei couldn't see her through the telephone. "Yes! We could go someplace else if you've been before, but I was just trying to plan out something that I hadn't seen yet. It'd just be a day trip, so nothing very long."

Although Ashely was curious if he'd even want to do it since he hadn't been very forthcoming regarding ideas at all, Hiei accepted rather immediately. "That's fine. Will you be telling Yukina?"

Ashley didn't ask what it was he was doing or how his day was going. She just wanted to give him the information and get off the phone. The less she had to struggle to try to hold this conversation the better. "I will. I'll call her next. I'll text you the information on Friday and where to meet and all that. Sound good?"

"Yes."

And again, he wasn't forthcoming with information, or a reply, or anything. Instead of letting it get to her, Ashley replied, still holding the chipper tone in her voice, "Okay, then, well have a great day! I'll talk to you Saturday!"

Hiei paused on the other line. For a moment, Ashley wasn't sure she'd get a response out of him. Maybe it was his way to just hang up without a goodbye.

Then, "You too."

The phone clicked, leaving Ashley with a dial tone.

Glancing at Knox from the corner of her eye, he was watching her, tongue lolling. "I feel like I've just made progress! Isn't that funny?"

-End of Chapter Five -

I apologize for the lack of Hiei-fluff in this chapter. I'm super excited about next chapter because 98% will be from Hiei's point of view, and there will be FLUFF. So much Fluff. I'm excited. And it will be long, likely my longest yet. Writing from his POV is the best.

On the topic of updates, after some thought, I'm going to be moving from updating every Sunday to every other Sunday. I had first thought I'd have this chapter out three days ago, but the past week has been busy, and the last three days have been so busy I'm convinced people think I don't need to sleep anymore. I have just gotten to the first hotel on my vacation. The airport didn't have any wifi to connect to during my two hour wait for my best friend, because of course they didn't, so I'm uploading this real quick before heading to bed. I don't want to try to write during this trip; I really just want to de-stress and relax. Next week when I get back I'm anticipating another flood of stress from catching up from work and helping Dad deal with the flooding he got with Hurricane Harvey. So, my next update will be on October 1, and I'll begin updating regularly again every two weeks from there.

I'm really excited about chapter six, so to hold you guys over I've included a sneak peak of the chapter after my disclaimer down below. Thanks for being patient, guys. You all are the best.

Pillock (English) means 'idiot' or 'fool.' Dummkopf (German) means a stupid person, or blockhead.

Thank you to WistfulSin, NarutoFallenAngel123, LadyEllesmere, aviellaford, and Guest for your lovely reviews! Each made my day! Again, I apologize for not replying to reviews; I hope to get that changed.

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.

Sneak Peek - Chapter Six

Hiei was where he was supposed to be at seven in the morning on Saturday. Ashley had texted him with a smiley face the day before. According to the fox, smiley faces were usually good signs from females. Smiley faces usually were used to ease tension, lighten the mood, show the other person meant well, or flirt. He doubted it was the latter.

For whatever reason, more than what he could fathom, the girl actually seemed excited about the prospect of helping him with this prank. Of course, he didn't quite care for her reason and neither did he ask, but it entertained him to see her so excited, even if her constant excitement was annoying. It was almost like being around Kuwabara, but he was on a different level of annoyance. Hiei couldn't put up with Kuwabara for too long. The girl, however, at least provided entertainment in her annoyance.

The morning, he knew, was a chilly one. It wasn't as if he never got cold. Certainly, he was aware of cold and could become cold, but on a chilly morning that was Saturday, it wasn't even a bother. For humans, however, They wore a layer or two, usually with sleeves and perhaps a scarf. So, Hiei had dressed in his usual black cloak and white scarf, if only for appearances' sake.

This world, especially in the last two years, had ceased it's good natured relations with demons. Almost everywhere demons tread these days was dangerous for them, even for demons, such as himself, who possessed strength that no human could ever fathom. If any demon were to fatally hurt a human at this point, whether on purpose or by self-defense, it would mean an all-out war. To be able to blend in with humans was a good thing. And although he hated that he could blend in, he did it out of necessity. The color of his eyes was usually the only thing that gave people pause around him, if they were to look up from their phones. Even the girl, whenever she saw him she would look at his eyes just a few moments too long, and then glance away, embarrassed. Crimson. The color of blood. The color wasn't natural among humans. Different, they knew.

The state of the world as it was was something that he was working to ease, however he could.

He heard her coming before he turned. "Good morning," she said. Hiei turned to see Ashley holding a cup of tea between gloved hands.

"It's not that cold out here, you know." He observed, watching her. She was much more subdued than she had been last week. Hell, even earlier this week when he'd spoken to her on the phone she had been much more chipper. She glanced away from him for a moment, beyond his shoulder.

"I get cold easily," she replied. Her steel eyes held a defensiveness that he didn't try to cross. It was something that he always hated Kuwabara for doing when he felt less than pleased to deal with people. "It's easier to just bundle up now and remove layers later. But there's Yukina and Kuwabara," her face lit up, and even though she obviously tried to make it touch her eyes, it didn't quite work. "Let's try to get along today, shall we?"

She turned away from him, still clutching her tea and cried, "Yukina! Kuwabara!" They both greeted her; Kuwabara greeted her much more loudly than Hiei would have liked so early in the morning, but they were doing this because he wanted to get back at the oaf. The most he could do was be near, and try to play a convincing role. Boyfriend. Never thought he'd hear that word described towards him, even as false a statement as it was.