Author's NoteWelcome to Chapter 2 of Aishiteru (I Love You). By now you should be able to tell that the chapter titles are opposites of each other. I don't own the battle hardened members of Yu Yu Hakusho, though I wish I did. Forgive me please if I misuse or misspell any Japanese. Enjoy the reading.

~Rei

"My how you've grown

I remember that phrase from my child hood days

Just wait and see

Remember those words and how they chided me

When patient was the hardest thing to be

Because we can't make up for the time that we've lost

I must let these memories provide

No little girl can stop her world to wait for me

I should have known

At your age in a string of days

The year is gone

But in that space of time

It takes so long."

~ How You've Grown

Chapter 2:  Grown

            Watching over the little Miyuki meant three things.

1.  He had to constantly watch the girl so she couldn't get into any trouble.

2.  He had to be seen with the girl and thus possibly mistaken as her father or brother by idiot Ningens.

            3.  He was trapped in the Ningenkai.

            The last of the three was by far the worst, however.  He was forced to stay in the Ningenkai full of Ningens so Miyuki could be safe.  No more training.  No more fights of his caliber.  No more freedom.

            It had been decided that, for the most part, Hiei and Miyuki would stay at Kurama's home since he lived by himself.  On occasion they would spend the night at Yusuke or Kuwabara's.  Staying with Keiko was out of the question because her parents wouldn't accept it.  Spending the night at the temple where Yukina lived would be all right as long as they didn't stay for more than three days in a row.

            For the first time, however, they would all spend the night at Kurama's.  Partly so the girls could try to coach Hiei on how to handle the child, partly because they hadn't spent time all together outside of their missions.

            When Miyuki followed Hiei into Kurama's home she gapped in awe at the pleasant furnishings.  Immediately she ran to the living room, having only her sleeping gown to wear, and jumped onto the couch.  Hiei was relieved that she had left his side and sat on the floor next to the other boys, watching as the girls sat beside Miyuki and began asking her questions.

            "How old are you?"  Boton asked.

            "This many," Miyuki said and proudly held up seven fingers.

            "Wow!"  Keiko said, smiling.

            "You know I don't think it would have been so bad if she'd have had to spirit link with me," Yusuke said behind his hand.  "Kids always draw women."

            "I heard that Yusuke Uruameshi."  Keiko said.  Yusuke blushed with embarrassment.

            "I was just kidding, Keiko."  He said with a nervous laugh.

            "It couldn't be helped with who she linked with," Ko-Enma said.  "Though I am surprised.  It would seem that your reiki is the closest match to hers ever."

            "Good, then it won't take long for her to change to her older form."  Hiei said moodily.  "At least she won't bother me for long."

            There was a moment of silence, which was immediately filled with a small sniffle.  All eyes turned to Miyuki, who slipped down from the couch and stood holding her hands miserably.  "I'm sorry, Hiei.  I'll go away."  She said in a trembling voice, then turned and ran down one of the halls.  A door could be heard clicking softly shut.

            "What?"  Hiei asked as seven faces with varying forms of disapproval turned toward him.

            "That wasn't very nice of you to say when she was right there, Hiei."  Boton said.

            "She's just a child, remember?  Even if she has an older version, she doesn't understand right now."  Keiko said.

            "What am I supposed to do?"  Hiei asked in exasperation.

            "Go talk to her.  Say you're sorry."  Yukina coached.

            "Hn,"

            "Hiei, if the link is broken, it'll take even longer for her to get enough energy."  Ko-Enma said as a means to motivate him.

            With a sigh the Koorime stood up and followed Miyuki's path, the other's watching him from the living room.  He stopped at the only shut door and looked back, only to have the three girls urge him on.  He growled and opened the door, stepping inside.

            He glanced quickly around the room, but couldn't see Miyuki anywhere.  Then he heard a slight sniffling and walked over to the other side of the bed.  He found Miyuki sitting on the floor, knees hugged to her chest.  She looked up at him when he stopped beside her.  For some reason the expression of fear on her face disturbed him and he sat down next to her.  She watched him with sapphire eyes until he spoke.

            "I'm sorry," he said reluctantly.

            Miyuki wiped her tears, "I'm sorry."

            They sat in silence for a while longer.  "Do you want to go back to the living room?"  At Miyuki's hesitant nod they both stood and she took his hand.  He allowed her to hold it, but didn't return the pressure.  Miyuki seemed to be fine with this and they both walked back.

            Hiei shook his hand away from her's when they reached the couch and moved back over to his spot sitting on the floor with the boys.  She sat back down with the girls and allowed Keiko to pull her into her lap only after looking warily at Hiei.

            "Why don't we watch a movie?"  Kurama suggested.

***

            The movie was half over.  Keiko and Yusuke had drifted together along with Kuwabara and Yukina.  Boton sat with Miyuki on the couch along with Ko-Enma and Kurama while Hiei kept his place on the floor.  He was just getting into the story plot when he felt a pressure on his leg.  Miyuki was crawling into his lap.  He glanced over at his sister for what to do.  Yukina just smiled and nodded.

            Miyuki squirmed around for a while, distracting him to the point of anger.  When she finally found a comfortable position, resting her back against his left arm, he had completely missed an important chunk of the movie.  After a while, her head began to nod forward and eventually she fell asleep, resting against his shoulder.

            As she slept, she turned so her body curled into his.  Soon her face and hands were pressed against his shirt, her fingers fisting handfuls of the cloth.  Hiei could feel her chest rise and fall evenly.  By the time the credits were rolling he had nearly forgotten about the small warmth in his lap.  He glanced down uneasily, unsure of how to move her without waking her.

            Yukina made a motion, as if picking something up.  Hiei got the picture, and gathered the little child into his arms, standing.  Kurama pointed down the hall.  "The guest rooms that way, second door down."  He whispered.

            Hiei stepped back into the room that Miyuki had hidden in before and set her down on the bed, covering her up.  He was about to step back out through the door when he heard a soft moan, and then tired words.  "I'm sorry, Hiei."

            He closed the door softly and walked back into the living room.  As he stepped back in everyone grew silent, and he realized they had been talking about him.  He glared around the room, and then sat on the floor once more.

            "She's so adorable."  Keiko said finally.

            "She's a pain."  Hiei growled.  "You're telling me I'm going to have to constantly watch that little brat?  One day was enough."

            "In order to keep the spirit link you must stay close to her."  Ko-Enma said.

            "Come on, Hiei, you can manage a little girl for a couple of months."  Yukina said.

            "She doesn't really like the rest of us, though, dose she?"  Yusuke asked.

            "I've noticed that," Kurama said.

            Ko-Enma shrugged, he seemed to do that a lot in terms of questions about Miyuki.  "There could be any number of reasons.  Our spirit energy is too different from her's, or she just doesn't like us."

            "Please, Hiei, you must do this."  Boton said.  "If she isn't able to transform to her older state it could be very bad.  Right now, the portals are weaker.  You see, her spirit energy keeps them strong."

            "Not to mention, her energy alone keeps the three worlds aligned with one another."  Ko-Enma added.

            "It won't be so bad," Yukina said.  "You just have to be gentle with her until you learn what she likes and doesn't like."

            Hiei crossed his arms and bowed his head.  "Hn,"

            The others smiled at this non-committal sound.  They knew Hiei well enough to understand that it meant he would do it, even if he hated it.

***

            Hiei awoke early the next morning to train only to find Miyuki nestled against him beneath the blankets on the couch.  She must have moved out here during the night.  He scowled as he carefully drew away from the child, why couldn't she just have been happy with the girls?  They had slept in the room with her.

            Since he had slept with his clothing on, refusing the pro-offered pajamas from Kurama, he quickly slipped out the front door.  If he could manage to get away from the annoyingly young Miyuki he could blow off some steam on some big nasty youkai in the Makai instead of wringing her little neck.

            As he summoned a portal to the Makai he noted that it had been harder to do this time.  When he stepped through it wasn't as smooth, either.  He shrugged this off and flitted into the trees, free at last, to do as he wanted.  In the Makai it didn't matter if Miyuki had to be safe, it only mattered that he find as many good fights as possible and defeat them all.

***

            Hiei smirked, unleashing his katana from its sheath and holding it at the ready pose.  The youkai in front of him was his tenth, and it seemed to be a worthy opponent.  So far it had managed to land a well-placed claw across his other arm, tearing the cloth and causing blood to seep through the twin wounds.

            He was about to finish it off once and for all when a searing pain ran through his mind and body.  It flared for a moment, and then retreated, leaving the Fire Demon panting for breath.  The youkai took advantage of this moment of weakness and rushed forward.  Hiei had enough time to lift his sword and block the deadly sharp claws that had tried to rake across his face.  Another burst of pain laced through him, longer this time, and he suffered the consequence by means of a nasty gash on his side.

            No more playing, Hiei thought and quickly dispatched of the lesser youkai.  He sheathed his sword and was beaten to the earth by the sudden engulfing pain.  It was like nothing he ever felt before, taking over his mind and body at the same time.  Perhaps he was poisoned?  Kurama might have something to cure it.

            With as much strength as he could muster he summoned a portal back to the Ningenkai and stepped through.  As the cool air hit his sweaty face, he instantly felt better.  He waited for a while for the pain to come back.  After about ten minutes of waiting with no affect what so ever he shrugged off the strange occurrence and headed back to Kurama's house.  When he arrived he let himself in through the front door.

            What greeted him in the living room was alarming.  Miyuki lay on the couch, a cold cloth covering her brow as if to try to lower a fever.  Yukina and Boton sat beside her as Keiko and Kurama moved about the kitchen.  At the sound of the door shutting all eyes turned to Hiei.

            "Where have you been?!"  Boton asked, standing up.

            "If you must know, I went to the Makai."  Hiei said, moving over to the couch and looking down at the fitfully sleeping child.  "What's wrong with her?"

            "We don't know.  This morning when I got up I noticed Miyuki was gone, so I figured she was with you, but when I came out here she had a fever and you were gone."  Boton said.  "Yukina and I tried to use our healing waves but it didn't seem to help any."

            "Only a little while ago did she start to show signs of getting better."  Yukina said.  "At least she's asleep now."

            "Where are Yusuke, Ko-Enma and the dumb elephant?"  Hiei asked.

            "They went out looking for you when they found out you were gone."  Kurama said, standing beside the diminutive youkai.

            "Do you think she'll be all right?"  Keiko asked, kneeling down beside the other girls.

            Kurama pulled Hiei to the side and bent his head low so he could be heard,  "How long ago did you arrive back in the Ningenkai?"

            "About 15 minutes ago, why?"  Hiei asked.

            "Unless I don't remember right, she started to get better around then."  Kurama said.

            "What are you saying, Fox?  That because I was gone she got sick?"

            Kurama shrugged.  "I don't know, Ko-Enma thought it had something to do with the link, that's why he, Yusuke and Kuwabara went out to look for you."

            Hiei remembered the sudden pain he had felt in the Makai.  "How bad did it get?"

            "Very bad," Kurama said grimly.  "Something was hurting her very badly."

            Hiei kept the guilt from appearing on his face until he was positive that his theory worked out.  "How long ago did it turn for the worse?"

            "A while before she started to get better, not too long.  It's a good thing, too.  If that had gone on for much longer I don't know if she could have taken it.  Why?"  Kurama looked suspiciously at the Fire Demon.

            "Because he felt something, too."

            Kurama and Hiei turned their heads to look at Ko-Enma, who had just walked through the front door with Yusuke.

            "There you are!  We've been looking all over for you!"  Yusuke began, but Ko-Enma stopped him before he could rant on.

            "Now that you've pushed all the buttons you can, will you stay here in the Ningenkai?"  Ko-Enma asked, his face remaining calm.  Hiei didn't reply, just stared at the young prince with his liquid fire eyes.  "You cannot do this, Hiei.  You must stay near Miyuki.  You don't feel it, but your reiki is being shared with her right now, each hour a little bit of it traveling to her.  By going into the Makai you stretched the link that was formed to the breaking point."

            "You nearly killed her!"  Yusuke shouted.

            Keiko gasped and looked at Ko-Enma.  "Could she really have died?"  At the prince's nod she turned pale brown eyes to Hiei.  "How could you be so uncaring?  Hiei your nothing but - "

            "Leave him alone…"

            All eyes turned to the couch.  Miyuki's clear blue eyes were open and looking at Hiei.  A small half-smile formed on her flushed face.  "I don't care as long as Hiei-kun is here."

            Once more Hiei seemed to be pulled into that strange place in his mind where he could feel Miyuki.  He was alarmed at how weak it seemed, before the colors had been strong and loud, but now they were barely more than a whisper of their former color.  Happiness ghosted across his mind along with relief and contentment.

            He shook out of it when he heard Kuwabara talking, only catching the ending of his words.  "-ing on?"

            "All right."  Ko-Enma said with a nod.  "I'll explain it to you since you've only just arrived."  He sounded slightly exasperated.

            "Let's all go and let Miyuki rest."  Yukina said.

            "I'll stay with her," Keiko said.

            Yusuke put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him.  "Hiei can stay."

            "But…"

            "Don't worry, I'll stay here."  Hiei said.  He wasn't trying to be nice or reassuring to her, though he did want to stay with Miyuki for once.  He didn't want to have to hear the story all over again, and besides…he wanted to ask the girl some questions.

            Keiko stood and followed Yusuke and the others into Kurama's bedroom.  Hiei sat cross-legged on the floor beside the couch, looking at the little girl who in turn gazed back at him.  Her cheeks were still red with fever and Hiei could feel a pang of guilt deep within.  "Are you ok?"

            Miyuki smiled and nodded.  "Hai, now that your back I feel much better."

            Hiei was silent for a while.  He was very aware of faint colors growing stronger in the back of his mind, feelings that weren't his own, thoughts of infinite happiness and peace.

            He decided to test something.  He focused on a single feeling, and made a mental picture of himself looking sorry (something very hard to do).  He felt for the link and sent it along.

            Almost immediately the colors stopped swirling and just one color flooded his mind's eye.  Whitish pink.  Forgiveness.  Then purple washed over it.  Confusion.  How?  He gave a mental shrug and was greeted with dashes of green and blue.  A hazy figure began to form until he could make out Miyuki's silvery white hair and young face, looking confused.

            How?

            I dunno.

            How?

            I said I don't know!

            A deep blue flooded in with black and yellow.

            "I'm sorry."

            Hiei snapped out of the strange link and met Miyuki's sorrowful eyes.  He sighed and shook his head.  "It doesn't matter."  He said.

            "I don't mean to make you mad."  Miyuki said softly.  "I just want to be with you.  Your nice."

            Hiei gave a soft snort.  Him?  Nice?  He had never heard that word describing himself before.  "What's so special about me?"

            "I said you're nice."

            "Right, and that's it."

            Miyuki jumped from the couch and wrapped her little arms quite un-expectantly about Hiei's neck.  "I didn't mean it like that.  I'm sorry!  Don't be mad."

            Despite himself, Hiei wrapped his arms about the child and returned her hug.  He knew she hadn't meant it in any cruel way, but it only brought up ugly feelings within himself.  He was a forbidden child – the forbidden child - and there was nothing good and special about him.  There was only hatred and rejection.  He didn't deserve any sort of love, weather it was his sister's or a child's.

            Hiei was startled when he felt a shift in balance.  Even more startled when the face of a young girl of about 16 – his age – with long silvery white hair and sad blue eyes looked into his face.  A glistening tear marred the milky pale flesh of her cheek as it trickled to her chin.

            "Please, Hiei," her voice was soft and sad.  "Don't think that way."

            Distantly Hiei heard the opening of a door and many footsteps followed closely by gasps.  Then, like a knife through butter, Yusuke broke the silence.

            "What the hell are you doing with a naked girl?!"

AN: The lyrics this time around sort of explain themselves, from the song "My How You've Grown" it talks about growing up, sort of. *shrugs* I thought it was fitting… Stay tuned for the third installment of Aishiteru (I love you), titled Girls.