Chapter 1

She wasn't the same girl she had been. Back then, way before the Dark Tournament, before Sensui. Before Yusuke Urameshi went to Demon World. Back then, she had been one of Genkai's students, along with Yusuke and Kuwabara. She had thought she needed to keep up with the boys. Still felt it, if she was being honest. She hadn't seen Shuichi - Kurama, she told herself - in years. Hiei even longer. She missed the red-haired fox demon. Hiei, she couldn't care less about. He had never been civil to her. Though he had saved her life, once.

It was days like this that brought back all of the old memories. Cloudy, overcast days with the wind whipping through the trees. Genkai's temple was always under cloudy skies in her memory, even though she knew that, logically, sunshine had to have happened at some point.

Thinking of Genkai brought back the memories of herself as a child - gawky, nervous, so concerned about which band shirt she would wear for training that day. Neither Genkai nor the two demons had ever cared. She could admit to herself now that the reason she was so concerned about it was that she wanted them to notice it, to think she was cool and punk rock. She shook her head at her old self, so hungry to be accepted as good enough. She still struggled with feeling good enough, but knew on an intellectual level that being 'good enough' could only come from herself. She didn't owe anyone anything.

As she turned away from the window, something black moved in the trees. Heart pounding, she watched for it again, but didn't see anything. Probably a bird, she thought to herself as she turned back to the shelves of books, computers, and patrons studying, talking, and reading.

She was a librarian. As far from 'Spirit Detective' or 'fighter' as one could be. And that was fine with her. She needed a quiet life. No more deadly tournaments. No more chasing down demons. No more risking her life. As a teenager, she had been chomping at the bit to prove herself, but now she realized that Spirit World, and even her master, had taken advantage of her. That's why children are sent to war. They don't know any better.

Pushing away those bitter thoughts for another day, she handed the book in her hands to the waiting patron with a smile and returned to her desk. She hadn't heard from anyone on Yusuke's little crew in years, and it did her no good to dwell on the past.

Though as she unlocked her car to leave later that evening, her thoughts still turned to the boys. The parking lot was shadowed in the twilight, one light flickering. She had emailed the administration twice now about getting those replaced, but apparently they had other priorities.

A rustle came from behind her, then again, closer. It could be an animal, but then again, she had learned that it paid to never be too careful. There was nothing when she looked over her shoulder, just the parking lot and the library building. Turning back to her car, she opened the door, listening hard. A footstep, just behind her. There was no mistaking it.

Time seemed to slow as she took a deep breath, gathering herself. When she turned, her spirit energy was at the ready, glowing in her palms. A figure stood there, practically on her heels. Before it could move, she thrust her palms out, shoving it away in a blue blast of spirit energy. Or at least, she tried to. The figure blurred and winked away. She cast around for it, breathing hard, ready for a fight. But the parking lot was empty.

"You're getting slow." The voice came from behind and above her, close. Whipping around, she went for a strike, but the figure crouching on top of her car caught her wrists in a burning grip. Then her brain caught up with what her ears had heard, connecting the sound with memory.

"What the f–. Hiei?"

The fire demon didn't deign to reply. He crouched on the roof of her car, no doubt putting dents in the metal, holding her wrists and searching her face with those glowing ruby eyes.

"You've gotten old, too," he finally said, releasing her arms with a sneer like they were something disgusting.

Well if that isn't the same old Hiei, I don't know what is. She was just over thirty, the asshole. Not ancient. A mix of annoyance, anger, and old betrayal swept over her.

"What do you want?" she asked, folding her arms.

He grunted and looked away, his face shadowed. "I want nothing from a human." Contempt dripped from the last word.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Then get off my car and leave. I've had a long day and I want to go home."

Shouldering her purse, she opened the car door. He'd either get off, or he'd fall off.

"Wait." His voice was low, the word barely gritted out through his teeth. Surprised, she looked up into his face, but he had looked away. "I… I want to ask you something."

"I'm not helping with any Spirit or Demon World bullshit," she said quickly.

"As if I'd want help from someone of your paltry power level," he replied.

"Okay, well I'm leaving. Goodbye Hiei." And with that, she got into the car and drove towards home, not caring if he jumped away from the moving vehicle or not. As she drove, her brain churned. What could he possibly have sought her out for after all these years? Should she have turned him down so fast, without even hearing him out? Well, if he was going to be rude, she didn't have to listen to him at all, she decided.

Leftover soup was for dinner that night, along with some toasted bread. As she was feeding slices into the toaster and singing along to the music on her bluetooth speaker, a knock came from her patio door, making her jump. Her fifth floor patio door, to be precise. When her heart finally slowed down, she knew it could only be one person. Just to be safe, she charged her spirit energy as she drew back the curtain, but it was only the fire demon. Rin briefly considered just closing the curtains again, but it wasn't like Hiei was above breaking and entering.

Sighing, she slid open the door and Hiei strode in, eyes burning coals in his face. In the light of her apartment, he looked exactly the same as he always had. Black spikey hair that helped hide the fact that he was an inch shorter than her at 5'4", ruby red eyes, the palest skin, and dressed all in shabby black. No wrinkles, scars, or other marks to indicate that he, too, had aged years in the time since they had last seen each other. His porcelain face and elfin features were unmarred. A white headband covered his third eye, but he had made no attempt to cover the huge dragon tattoo wrapping down his arm.

The two stared at each other in Rin's living room, brown eyes to red, until Hiei looked away and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was just like him to need something but not be able to spit it out.

"Want dinner?" she asked, falling back on politeness. "It's just leftover soup, but it's homemade."

Hiei looked affronted, like a cat that had been touched unexpectedly, then jerked his head in a nod.

The two of them dined at Rin's kotatsu table in front of the television, Rin watching the news and Hiei staring into his soup bowl. He ate like a wild thing who was afraid this was his last meal. He probably didn't get home cooking very often in Demon World, now that she thought about it. Every so often she glanced at him, wondering what he wanted, but content for now to let him eat. Better for him to let his guard down. When they were both finished, she took both bowls to the dishwasher, then offered him a glass of wine. Hiei turned up his nose, but she wasn't going to let him disrupt her after work ritual. She relaxed under the kotatsu with a book and her wine while he inspected her apartment.

The fire demon looked at the art prints on the walls, the books on her shelves, the laundry waiting to be folded, and took quick peeks into the bathroom and her bedroom. Rin watched him over the edge of her book, then sipped her wine.

"You never used to be this… domestic." He spat the word as if it were a curse, his gaze cutting to hers in a glare.

Setting down her empty wine glass very carefully - because otherwise she might have smashed the glass, and where had the wine gone? - she said, "What do you want, Hiei? You show up out of nowhere after five years and insult me repeatedly. I'd be surprised but that's so classic you." Her mouth quirked and tears pricked at her eyes. Anger, not sadness. For once the fire demon looked like a deer trapped in oncoming headlights, but Rin didn't think it was because of what she had said. He mumbled something and turned back to her bookshelves.

"What?"

Mumble mumble. Now this was odd. Hiei was a lot of things, but shy was not one of them.

"For God's sake Hiei, you know I can't hear you. You have that fancy eye to read my mind, remember?"

Now he turned and looked at her. There was the palest rose tint to his cheeks, his red eyes wide, but no sign of the Jagan activating in a purple glow. She suppressed a shiver thinking about its power. Wait, was he blushing?

"It's my sister. Yukina," he said, running a hand through his midnight hair, ruffling the white streaks in his bangs. "It's her wedding."