Standard disclaimers apply

Story Legend: 'present thoughts' *emphasis, dreams, memories, letters, etc*

To clear up confusion: I'm sorry, I meant I can't write Hiei from his perspective (I love reading from Hiei's perspective), but can write about Hiei from someone else's perspective. OK, onto the story!

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Koenma sat back with a sigh and sunk deep into his chair. His research had seemed futile. There had been no masses of death anywhere in Makai, and no reports of rebellion or war. Mukuro's borders had been completely clear the last few days now, he would have to send down spies to get a better look at the situation.

"Lord Koenma, *what* are you doing here so late?" a startled voice asked. He looked up to the Ophelia's daffodil eyes. She smiled winningly at him, leaning over the desk, head resting on hand.

"I'm just reading up on some things for my friends," he replied.

"Today?" she asked. "Today of all days you had to work? It's your day off!"

"Yes, but the other six days I need to sign documents." He stood up from his chair. "Besides, it is important."

"Really? What is so important you can't do it tomorrow? There's not that much paperwork, deaths have been down lately. Oh!" She clamped her hand to her mouth as if she had just given away a terrible secret.

"Deaths have been down?" He grabbed her shoulders roughly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, George said you'd be worried. It's just a lull, happens all the time!" she said. "After all there isn't a plague, famine, or war anywhere in either the Ningenkai or the Makai right now. Pretty soon it'll pick back up again, I'm sure."

He relaxed his hold on her. "No wars, are you sure?"

"Positive... uh, what made you ask?"

"Nothing, nothing. Look, Ophelia, I've had a long day. I think I'm ready for a good long fade out, so if you'll excuse me just a moment..."

"Oh Lord Koenma, I almost forgot!" She pushed him playfully back into his chair and sidestepped to give him a better view of the far wall. "Tada!" She declared, pointing excitedly to the space above his T.V. "So, how do you like it?"

Koenma looked appreciatively for a moment at the small bronze clock, "It looks... nice. That's the same clock you wanted to put up earlier? It looks different somehow."

"Oh Lord Koenma," she waved away his statement jokingly. "Of course it's the same. It just looks different now that it's up."

"But, how did you get it up? There are no studs in that wall, you know."

"Oh, uh... just a little trick. Um... Lord Koenma, what do you, uh... how come there are no studs in the walls? They look solid enough to me." The look on her face was that of pure confusion, but there was also interest in her tone so he decided to go into detail on the subject. He felt proud to know such an important thing about his home world.

"Well, the first thing you must know is that there is nothing but Spirit Energy, reiki, holding this place up. In fact, the entire building is not only supported by it, it is built out of it." She glanced around her appreciatively before he continued. "You see, everything here, the walls, the spirit books, the flowers, even the food is made of and thrives on reiki. There's nothing else here." He paused, letting it sink in. "It helps stem the supply of reiki. All remaining reiki, which is a good sum, is carried by the River Styx and poured equally into the other two worlds. As you know, the supply given to Makai is well used, but the supply given to Ningenkai is rarely used because not many Ningens know how to use it. Yusuke and his crew find it easier in Ningenkai to train not only because it's more relaxing than the Makai, but because it's easier to attain the reiki needed in that world than in Makai."

"So is that why Ningenkai is so wanted by demons?" Ophelia asked, clearly confused.

"One of the many, yes. I personally think they're going about it the hard way though, because the Ningenkai keeps expanding and there are much easier planets to at least start out on than Yusuke's."

"But why don't they just take over more land in Makai if the two worlds keep expanding?"

"Because only Ningenkai expands. If it didn't expand, the Ningenkai would have become a living ki ball ages ago from the unused reiki. This way it has a place to go. In the Makai it is used up well enough that the world doesn't need to expand to accommodate. In other words, the land's all used up there. Borders are established already." He broke off and yawned, then blinked a little. He was about to continue when Ophelia stopped him.

"Look at you, you're about to fade out right here! Why don't you go lie down now, I shouldn't have kept you this long, gomen." (gomen - I'm sorry) She bowed a little, then turned away and began walking out of the room. "Remember, you need to get up early tomorrow!" She smiled at him, then turned the corner. He stared at the door for a moment before getting up and following suit, turning the other way down the corridor to his private chambers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

Kurama tapped his pencil thoughtfully on his desk and looked down at the foreboding math problem. Calculus was certainly a difficult subject, but sadly required if he was to become an architect. It was the perfect ningen job for the youko, like building a den except much grander. But the challenging questions on his paper seemed so small compared to his ideas yet so big in his everyday life, that he was beginning to question the worth of them himself. He just couldn't concentrate. 'I wonder what Koenma's going to do about the migrations,' he wondered, then chided himself. He had to think about he math.

But it was too complicated for right now, with the thought of a mission just days away. His put his finger near a small ivy-like plant on his desk and fed it his ki, then began playing with it, making the vine twist and turn as it grew. 'Why didn't Hiei tell Koenma what he told me? Why didn't he tell anyone else? Why does he only talk to me? Is there something...' A sudden gust of wind distracted him and he turned toward his window just in time to see the black blur enter quietly and land on the end of his bed. He stifled a chuckle before getting up to close it, "Don't get too comfy now, Hiei."

The fire demon gave him a quizzical stare, "What do you mean, fox?"

"Never mind. What brings you here, I thought you were with Yukina?"

"The old lady warded the Ginkou tree."

Another stifled chuckle. "And you couldn't sleep on the roof? Or in a bed?" The fire demon gave him a reproachful look.

"It's not as comfortable. Besides, she said she'd take care of Yukina."

"And you trusted her?"

"Why not? She has skill enough for any demons trying to attack the shrine. Unless Koenma alerts us about one there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm glad you trust her."

"I think you underestimate me, fox. I trust no one but myself. I thought you already knew that."

"Then why..." a look from Hiei silenced his next thought. "Well, it's getting a bit cold for sleeping outside. You can sleep here, if you'd like, but you'd probably like to go to Makai, huh?"

The smaller demon thought carefully about this for a moment. "Why? This close to a mission I could be called back to the Ningenkai tomorrow. Besides, it's safer here and I'm closer to Yukina. And if Mukuro knew I was back she'd put me on a different mission so I might as well stay here."

"Well, if that's the way you fell, then make yourself at home. I have to finish my homework, but you can go to sleep and I'll take the chair."

"Whatever, fox."

"Goodnight Hiei." A muffled 'Hn,' came from under the sheets. The youkai must have been more tired than he had thought. He turned around and stared through the glass at the stars for a moment before retreating back to his desk. Something was odd about Hiei tonight, if only he knew what.

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Yusuke tapped his pencil irritatedly. Why Keiko had to visit her country relatives he would never know, but now he was stuck in a room full of testing people without a word in edgewise. 'Maybe I should have just stayed home.' He thought mournfully to himself. But that would have left him listening to Atsuko whine about aspirin. So he had gone grudgingly to the school and fell asleep in his first class, skipped his second and third, and decided to make a final graceful appearance in fourth before skipping out of it all together. Of course, fourth period just had to have a test. Of course he hadn't studied, he had forgotten about Kurama and Keiko was off in the country somewhere. She wouldn't be back for a week.

The bell rang, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked up to the clock. 'I'll just get my bag from my locker and get out of here.' The thought propelled him swiftly out the door and down the long hallway to the lockers. Other students were there, either taking or leaving books behind before jaunting off to their next cell of the day. 'Ah, freedom is good!' He practically skipped up to his own metal box, but the sight that met his eyes made him stop short.

Jammed into the grills on the locker was a perfectly white piece of paper, decorated with hearts. He could just make out a neatly looping letter or two on the fold of it. Pulling it carefully out of it's metal casing, he gingerly opened the love letter:

*Dearest darling Yusuke!

At first I hadn't believed that you would just leave me at school all alone, but then I realized that the invitation had been a little bit too hurried, and you probably needed to fit something as important as our date into a less crowded time. Sadly, my parents are dragging me off to Hawaii and away from you, but I'll meet you next Tuesday at...*

He broke off reading the note. If this cheerleader thought they were going to win the heart of Urameshi Yusuke, they would have to be pretty sneaky. This girl definitely needed some hard core lessons. Who cared where she was *not* going to meet her next week? Let her learn the hard way. He stuffed the letter quickly into the nearest trashcan before he gathered up his things and left school for that day.

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OMG!!! I'm really sorry that it took soooooooooooooo long to write that chapter, it was filler as you can see. And it's not even as long as the other chaps! Hopefully I'll be able to get these chaps up sooner. Till then, happy halloween!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm gonna be a kitty!) ^_^