Disclaimer: I *still* don't own it. When will you people learn? I own BD
and Amori, though. And I basically own Ahiru, and a whole bunch of other
OC's that you guys don't know about, but that's not the point. They aren't
in this story. O.o
Side note of importance: Uhh, when I said PG13, I meant it. *Contains adult humor* not that bad, though. Heh heh . . . while I'm on the subject . . . I don't own viagra or ANYTHING having to do with it. (Don't worry folks; it's not what you think)
The cliffy was REALLY mean and I'll update and make it LONG this time to make up for it. Ready? GO!
~*~*~*~*~* The Dragon Chapter 12: insert title here ~*~*~*~*~*
"It's about . . . Yukina?" she seemed confused.
Hiei turned away, regretting having said anything. "Just . . . forget it."
'Yukina, Yukina, Yukina. . . damn! Why don't I remember the important people?' BD was thinking. 'Wait! Yukina is Hiei's- I remember now!!' she smiled broadly, proud for having remembered. Hiei cocked a confused brow and stared at her blankly for second.
"What about Yukina?" she prodded.
"I said forget it," he snapped.
"No."
"Will you-!" he started, glaring at her murderously. She jumped back, frightened by his expression. When he stopped, she smirked knowingly.
"Listen, Hiei. It'll be good for you to let it out-"
"Shut up, damnit! I don't want to talk about it!"
Shrinking back quietly, hiding her disappointment, she turned away. "Fine then, hop out the window and go do whatever it is you do."
Pausing, she didn't hear anything. When she turned around, he was gone.
~*~*~*~*~* (Urumeshi Residence, next morning)
Yusuke slid his bedroom door open with a bang, smiling broadly.
"Why so happy today?" Atsuko asked, startling him.
"M-mom? You're up?"
"You sound surprised." She grinned at him and laughed. "You look like one of those 'happy guys' from the viagra commercials!"
Yusuke flushed. "Mom!"
She laughed, "Just kidding. Why so happy, though?"
Yusuke slid a hand into his pocket, an air of nonchalance surrounding his every motion. Carefully he pulled out a dark blue, velvet box and held it out to her.
Atsuko looked as though she might cry. "Y-Yusuke . . . for me?"
Yusuke fell over, anime-style.
"NO! NOT FOR YOU!!! For Keiko! No da!" he shouted.
His mother only smiled at him. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
Yusuke fell down again.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Duh! You've had the cutest crush on her since the second grade! Her parents know too. We watched you two grow up together and wondered how long it would take you," she grinned, full of herself.
"You mean . . . you knew all along?" Yusuke looked confused.
"Yes."
Blinking profusely, he sat there while Atsuko laughed at him. "Go get her, Yusuke!" her eyes shone with pride, as though she'd actually helped in raising the boy.
~*~*~*~*(Reikai)
Koenma laughed his little diapered ass off, while Botan brushed away tears.
"Koenma-sama, isn't it romantic?" she asked dreamily. On Koenma's big- screen deluxe super TV-ma-bobber, Yusuke and his mother shared a quiet cup of coffee before he headed to the Yukimura ramen shop.
"Let's see what else is on," Koenma said, digging through papers to find his remote.
"Aah, Koenma sir!! You can't- those are important, sir!!" George cried.
"Ogre, shut up!" the little prince sweat dropped as he couldn't find it, and the poor oni continued to panic. Botan only giggled.
"FOUND IT!" he cried triumphantly, much to George's relief.
"Oh, goody!" Botan smiled.
All was silent for a moment.
" . . . Goody, Botan?" Koenma asked.
"Y-yes . . ." she said.
Then Deity of Death turned her back and sweat dropped, as Koenma laughed at her.
"Oh, shut up and change the channel!" she snapped grumpily.
"Okay, okay," Koenma replied, still grinning with amusement.
Changing the channel several times, stopping only once to see two humans try to kill each other. The three found it hilarious that they were fighting over a garbage can, which they believed was an incredibly beautiful young woman named 'Cookie,' who had wandered off several minutes before. As the two drunks walked off, Koenma switched the channel one more time. On the screen was Amori, her blonde hair swaying back and forth as she walked down the street. In one hand she held a rose, the other was busily toying with her hair. Headed towards Kuwabara's house.
Botan suddenly burst into fits of laughter, while Koenma and George only stared at her insanity with mild interest.
"Botan . . . what is so funny?" Koenma demanded, after listening to this madness for a few seconds.
"It's so cute! She got romance tips from Kurama! See?" she pointed. "Look there. I know where she is; she's on her way back from Kurama's house. I've been there hundreds of times," she explained.
"Oh, I see," said George.
"Hello? Oh! Konnichiwa, Amori-chan!" Kuwabara grinned broadly, and the three in Reikai turned to watch. Handing him the rose and giving him a warm hug, Amori looked content.
"I missed you at Genkai's," she mumbled, releasing him from the embrace slowly and leaning back to admire him.
"Awwww!" Botan exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly. Koenma made a face and flipped through endless channels of nothingness. George and Botan began to show signs of boredom. Koenma stared straight ahead, unblinking, scanning the billions of channels for familiar faces.
"AHA!" he yelled, scaring George out of a light sleep where he was standing. Botan stood up from where she'd been sitting on the floor, drawing kitties on it with a blue colored pencil.
"What is it now, Koenma-sama?" Botan asked politely. Koenma pointed at the TV triumphantly, as if he'd won a game.
"Hiei! He's hard to get," the toddler boasted proudly.
" . . . Right," George sweat dropped.
Koenma only smiled at the TV. Just as he did so, Hiei vanished from sight in a blur-type fashion.
"DAMNIT!" Koenma shouted, much to Botan's dismay.
"Koenma, sir! Watch your tongue!" she scolded him with a finger, as she would any child.
And all the while, poor George put up with it all. He's so under appreciated.
~*~*~*~*(Genkai's Temple, noon-ish that day)
"Nice to see you're out of your room," Genkai nodded a greeting. "Konnichiwa."
"Mmmm . . . that late already . . ." BD seemed detached from the world, and sleepy.
Genkai nodded. "Yes. Lunch?" she asked, motioning to a large pot of ramen set over a flame in the kitchen to keep it warm.
"Arigatou," BD mumbled sleepily.
"Sleep well?" Genkai asked.
BD nodded, only halfway listening to the conversation. "Did Amori leave already?" she asked.
"Yes," Genkai replied. Pouring herself a small bowl of ramen, BD sighed contentedly and seated herself at Genkai's table. Folding her feet comfortably under herself on the floor, she set down her bowl to ask Genkai a question.
"Genkai . . ." she began. "That guy, Hiei. He's got some issues, doesn't he?"
Genkai inhaled deeply, as though about to tell a story. BD tucked her feet up underneath her, ready to listen. "Yes and no," Genkai began. "He's the quiet type. You have to understand that he doesn't want to talk about himself. Respect his privacy," she advised.
"I see," BD murmured, thinking.
"Why do you want to know?" Genkai mused.
BD startled. "Oh, I um . . . just wondering."
"I see," Genkai replied.
~*~*~*~*~* (Yukimura Ramen Shop)
Yusuke slid open the door to Keiko's parents' ramen shop.
Keiko's mother looked up, "Why Yusuke! What a pleasant surprise!" Her father nodded in agreement.
"Is Keiko . . ." he started.
"I'm here!" Keiko bounced happily out from the back of the shop, where she was helping out with the cooking. Since it was Sunday, no school meant that she got to come here.
Yusuke smiled broadly, holding out his arms for her. She ran towards him, hugging him gently and pulling back to admire him. "You seem happy today," she mused.
Yusuke nodded. "Where would you like to go?" he asked, before turning to her parents behind the counter. "If that's okay with you two, that is," he added politely.
They both nodded, which pleased Keiko very much. "Okay, Yusuke. Let's go!" she held onto his hand and they walked out of the shop together.
Keiko's mother sighed. "Do you think he'll pop the question anytime soon, dear?" she asked.
"I hope so," he replied with a smile.
~*~*~*~* (With Keiko and Yusuke, at the park) "The park, Yusuke? That's so romantic," Keiko sighed dreamily, squeezing his hand lightly.
"Thanks," Yusuke blushed.
Keiko gasped in surprise as a sakura petal spiraled down to the ground in front of her. She picked it up and admired it. Yusuke carefully took it from her and slid it into her hair, behind her ear. Keiko blushed and gave him a hug. "Yusuke, you're so romantic today!" she seemed pleased.
After a few seconds, Yusuke reluctantly pulled out of her embrace. "Keiko, I need to tell you something . . ."
"Hmm?" Keiko looked up at him, then down as he kneeled before her.
"Keiko . . . would you . . . would you marry me?" he blushed a beet red, extending his cupped hands up to her. She took his hands in her own and parted them, revealing the blue velvet box.
Tears swelled in Keiko's pretty brown eyes, and rolled down her cheeks slowly. Yusuke blinked, not wanting to see her cry. His entire body shook with nervousness, worse even than when he was fighting demons for Koenma.
"I will," Keiko finally managed. "Yes, I will."
~*~*~*~*~*~* (Reikai)
"Botan! Calm down!" Koenma ordered, to no avail.
"But sir, it's just so exciting!" she spiraled around the room, dancing excitedly. "We'll have to help plan the wedding!"
"I'm sure he'll call if he needs you. Speaking of which, the dead people need you! Go!" he pointed, and Botan reluctantly hopped on her oar and flew off.
"Koenma, sir," George said quietly.
"What now, ogre?"
"There's a cat on the floor."
"WHAT?!"
"A cat, drawn in blue colored pencil, I think," George mumbled.
Koenma's left eye twitched. "BOTAN!!" ~*~*~*~*~* (Genkai's Temple)
"Okay, see you then," Genkai hung up the phone gently and turned to BD. "Amori and Kuwabara are coming back for dinner. Yukina went out before you woke up, she'll be back soon. She only went to the store to get things for dinner." Genkai explained.
"I see," BD mumbled, not in the mood to put up with Amori right now.
"You can 'chill' here for awhile, or whatever. Just be back for dinner, or Yukina will be disappointed," Genkai warned her.
"All right, I think I'll go for a walk," she said, inspired.
"Ja ne," Genkai watched her walk out the back door and into the forest, vanishing into the thick fauna in an instant.
~*~*~*~* (Forest behind Genkai's Temple)
Walking through the forest, BD admired it for its beauty. The trees were tall and twisting, and she noted several of them that would be good to sit in. As she walked, she thought about her life, and how much it would be different now that she wasn't a head voice. She lifted her right arm slowly and ran a hand across her black dragon tattoo, thinking. This had been Amori's body first, not hers. She wondered if Amori was adjusting to her new body as well.
She let her arm drop to her side, and turned to walk through the forest again. As she got farther and farther from Genkai's, she could feel the aura of the forest surrounding her. It was deathly silent, save for a few birds singing, or a cricket or frog chirping here and there. BD closed her eyes and walked straight ahead, peacefully listening to the forest sounds around her. She soon discovered this to be a bad idea, having walked into a tree, and opened her eyes again.
"What the-" she stopped short. Standing perfectly still, her body tensed. An immense amount of energy was somewhere close. Slowly she reached down to grasp the hilt of her katana, and cursed under her breath, remembering that it had been stolen. Looking around, she couldn't see where the energy was coming from. The sound of her labored breathing covered up even the forest sounds. To listen, she held her breath for several seconds.
Releasing her breath, she looked up. "Hiei?!" she gasped in surprise.
"Hn."
"Damn, Hiei! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded. "What are you doing way out here? I thought I was alone."
"I would be alone, if you hadn't come along," he snorted.
She stepped back a bit, thinking. "You seem upset," she noted. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing."
"Is it still Yukina?" she asked tentatively, looking up. All she could see was the side of his arm and one boot, hanging down from the tree limb. He pulled that up as well, concealing himself from view.
"Just go away."
"But, Hiei . . ."
"I said go away!" he shouted, thoroughly annoyed.
BD huffed, growing impatient. "You're acting like a child. The one thing that can show how strong a person is . . . is how much they admit they are wrong, and how much they need help," she said, after considerable thought to her answer.
Hiei turned to look at her, his eyes cold. "You're saying that not talking about this makes me weak? Feh, you really are a fool."
She only scoffed. "It's true, and you know it," BD was enjoying this mind game.
"Would you just-" Hiei stopped. Thinking about his situation for several minutes, he wondered what was compelling him to do this. Perhaps he realized that he WAS acting like a child.
BD waited patiently for his response, not making a sound as he thought. Her only real reason for wanting to know was her own curiosity. The spiky- haired fellow had her intrigued.
Hiei sighed deeply. "I told you once that Yukina was my sister," he began.
"Yes," she said softly. "Is that the problem?"
"I think you know, that she doesn't know. And I don't want to tell her," he added firmly.
"Yes," she repeated.
"The thing was, I didn't want her to be in love with Kuwabara. She deserves better than that," he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Yes," she said again. "But now she's not."
"Right, but she's upset," he said.
"I see what you mean," she said. "You want her to be happy, but you don't want her with him. And at the same time it seems like the only way she can be happy is with him."
Hiei looked down at her, his eyes wide. "That is exactly what I meant."
She grinned. "Living as somebody else's subconscious does have it's benefits."
He sighed. "Are you happy now?"
She nodded, and began to climb up into the tree. Sitting beside him, she grinned.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Sitting," she replied calmly. "Duh."
He narrowed his eyes. "I told you what you wanted to know, so just leave," he turned away.
Her lip quivered. "But it's such a sad story, I just thought you needed a hug." With that, she flung her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He yelped in surprise and pushed her off, nearly knocking her out of the tree.
"What the hell was that for?!" he spat angrily.
BD shrugged. "You looked like you needed a hug. Feel better?"
"No."
She sighed. "It was worth a try," she mumbled.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"I wanted to make you feel better."
This took him aback. Why would anyone care what he thought or felt? "Why . . .?" he asked warily, unsure of what she was thinking now.
BD blinked at him. "Um, because you were upset?"
"I understand that, but why would you care-"
"I care what you think, Hiei. You're just as important as the rest of them," she informed him. "Duh."
He sat in silence, pondering what she'd just said.
"You okay now?" she asked.
He ignored her question, and thought about why he'd just opened up to her like that. Her, a demon he barely knew . . . of all people. BD before Kurama, even. Maybe it was because she'd seen him cry. He thought about this for a few minutes.
"You okay, Hiei?" she asked again, quieter this time.
"Yes," he mumbled.
"Good," she smiled. "I'm glad. Amori and Kuwabara are joining Yukina, Genkai and I for dinner tonight. I'd be glad if you came."
Again he was stumped. All this hospitality coming out of one person, directed solely at him. He didn't like it.
"I don't think-" he started.
"Onegai?" she asked, quivering her lip and widening her eyes like a sad child. This only confused Hiei more.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
"Begging," she answered. "Duh."
He rolled his eyes. "Ningens," he muttered.
"Hey!" she snapped. "I'm not human. Feh!" she held up her right arm as proof.
Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, I remember. Where did you get that, exactly?"
BD grinned broadly. "When I was still inside Amori, I forced her to learn. She needed self-defense, she was horrible."
"And she mastered it?" he wanted to know.
"No, duh. I said she was awful. We summoned it once, though. I thought it would kill us both. In addition to making one huge mess of Makai, we passed out for four days straight, both of us."
Hiei laughed. "That's what you get for attempting things you can't achieve," he said.
"Hey, shut up. We tried, okay?"
"Hn," he replied.
Sliding down from the tree, she looked back up at him. "Coming?"
"No," he said.
BD facefaulted. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"What part don't you understand?" he taunted.
Sighing heavily, she muttered, "Yukina will be upset to know that you refused."
"Damn you!" he shouted. "You're as bad as that fox!"
Smiling, BD replied, "That mean you're going?"
He slid out of the tree, grumbling, and they walked back to Genkai's temple in tandem. BD chatting nonsense all the way, as Hiei half listened to her random babbles.
As they neared the temple, Hiei stopped short.
"Shut up," he said. BD stopped talking and listened.
"Kurama?" Hiei asked. The redhead walked out from behind a bush, waving lightly in greeting.
"Hiei, BD," he said politely.
"What are you doing here?" BD asked cheerily.
"I felt the-" he started.
"You too?" Hiei asked. "I don't recognize it."
"Neither do I," Kurama said grimly.
BD turned around, suddenly sensing a large amount of power behind her. Releasing a shriek of horror just before a large, black-cloaked figure swung a scythe at her. With a blur, Hiei was fending off the blade with his own, while Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair.
"Run!" they both shouted at the same time.
BD only stood there, staring. "He's from my dream . . ." she mumbled.
"Run, damnit!" Hiei shouted, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike by the huge demon.
"Get Yusuke!" Kurama ordered, slashing at the demon with his whip.
"Uhh, right!!" she turned and ran for Genkai's.
~*~*~*~*~*~* (Reikai)
"Botan! BOTAN!" Koenma shouted, hopping up and down on his desk in a wild excitement.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, just floating in from her ferry girl duties.
"GO GET YUSUKE!" Koenma shouted, pointing to the TV with both hands.
She looked to the screen and gasped, as Kurama and Hiei were viciously attacking a large, cloaked demon with a scythe.
"We'll find out who, or what, he is, you go find Yusuke!" he ordered.
"Yusuke's with Keiko!" Botan protested, whining in distress. She had no clue what to do.
"That'll just have to wait! That thing's loose in Ningenkai, Botan. Need I remind you of what could happen!?"
She sighed. "No, sir. I'm on it!" Leaping onto her oar, she flew off at top speed.
"Ogre, get me a book!" Koenma shouted.
"I'm on it, sir!" George called obediently from the library.
Koenma sucked on his pacifier noisily. "Hurry, Botan," he mumbled to himself, watching the fight on the TV.
~*~*~*~*~* (Park)
Yusuke and Keiko had sat down on a park bench, and were busily planning their wedding date. Botan flew in on her oar, feeling sorry for Keiko.
"Yusuke! Hurry, there's a problem. We need you, NOW!" she snatched Yusuke by the arm and flew off with him.
"BOTAN! Let me go! Can't you see I was busy?!" he shouted, annoyed, as Botan helped him onto the back of her oar.
"I'm sorry Yusuke, I really am, but this is slightly more important than your love live," the look in her eyes showed that she really was sorry, and Yusuke turned to Keiko as they flew off.
"I'll be back! Meet you at the ramen shop as soon as I can! Love you!" he waved sadly as they flew towards Genkai's.
"Awww," Botan commented.
"Shut up. What's the problem?" he demanded, his voice stern.
Botan looked grim. "I'm not sure, he's attacked Kurama and Hiei close to Genkai's. We can't see his face, he's covered up well. He's big, Yusuke. Be careful."
"Gotcha," he said, giving Botan the thumbs up as she dropped him off at Genkai's, landing behind him. Running inside, they found no one to be there.
"They're around back, come on, hurry!" Botan led the way out the back door, and flew through the forest on her oar. They could hear the sound of metal hitting metal, and followed it.
"Hiei? That you?!" Yusuke shouted.
"Yusuke!!" several voices shouted in relief at once.
"Yeah, me. Make way," he said, running towards the scene. Kurama was still slashing at the demon, which was bigger than Yusuke had imagined, while Hiei fended off the scythe in close combat.
BD stood off to the side, biting her lip nervously. Genkai stood beside her, edging back and forth nervously, unsure of how to help.
"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted.
"Hiei, move!" Kurama urged.
Hiei leapt out of the way of the bullet just before it struck the demon. It yelled out in pain, and hissed at Yusuke. Reaching one long, black hand into his clock, he revealed a shiny, golden book.
"That's king Enma's book of the Dead!" Botan shouted.
"Give me a break! You didn't know it was gone?" Yusuke yelled. "No, not that book of the dead!!" she said. "It's something else! It's got immense spirit energy, and it's inanimate! Yusuke, you have to get it back! In the wrong hands, it-"
Yusuke spit. "I get it. The world blows up."
Botan sweat dropped, "well, something like that . . ." she mumbled.
Kurama slashed at the demon violently, as he was about to open the book.
It hissed again, and flung the book open. "You will pay dearly for interrupting my plans," it hissed in a low, scratchy voice. Holding the book out in front of him, his body glowed red with energy. The book also began to glow, though it's aura was golden.
The demon shrieked angrily, as his spirit energy mixed with that of the golden aura given off by the book. The red-gold aura stretched out several meters, blasting everyone in the area.
"Aww, damn! Is everybody okay?!" Yusuke called, getting up and preparing to attack again.
"I'm fine," Kurama assured.
Botan helped Genkai onto her oar and moved her back, farther from the fight. "I can handle it," Genkai protested, but really it was Yusuke's job.
With a sudden gasp of surprise, Botan called, "Where's BD?"
"There's no time!' Yusuke shouted. "Spirit Gun!"
The demon hissed in pain as one of his arms was sliced clear off, flying several meters behind him.
"Ha! Take that!" Yusuke grinned cockily.
"Yusuke, look out!" Hiei warned, as the golden book of the Dead narrowly missed impaling Yusuke in the head.
Kurama caught it, but dropped it immediately, crying out in pain. His hands were burned and covered in blood.
"Are you okay?" Botan asked, worriedly.
"I'm fine, stay back!" he warned, pulling out his Rose Whip again.
The fight went on for some minutes, while the demon tried to get his book back. Kurama stood over it, defending it with his life, while Hiei and Yusuke slashed and shot at their enemy.
The demon cried out in pain as a fatal blow from Hiei's katana sliced through his middle. The top half of his body slowly slid and fell to the ground, oozing dark blue blood. Yusuke grinned. "Thanks, Hiei. Couldn't have done it without you."
"Hn," was Hiei's only reply, as he sheathed his bloodstained blade.
Kurama stared down at the golden book. "Botan," he said, "How do we get it back to Koenma? It'll burn us."
"Don't worry about that. I can handle it!" Botan walked calmly to where the book lay, holding her hands a few inches above it.
"It's still hot," she said.
Kurama looked at his own burned hands. "Yes . . ."
"Come inside, I'll help you," Genkai offered, and he followed her away.
"Keiko . . ." Yusuke mumbled to himself.
"Oh yes, Keiko. I'll drop you off at the ramen shop on my way back," Botan smiled.
Hiei had meanwhile walked over to the golden book to inspect it. Carefully lifting it, he hefted it in his hands. "Heavy," he noted.
Botan stared in disbelief. "How can you touch it?"
He rolled his eyes. "You forget what I am."
Botan and Yusuke sweat dropped. "Right," Yusuke noted.
Botan opened her communication mirror. "Koenma-sama? We've killed the demon."
"Good!" Koenma's voice sounded from the little communicator.
"It's too hot for me to touch," Botan said.
"If you use oven mitts, it'll work." Koenma said.
"Really? Wow," Botan grinned. "Who knew?"
Genkai appeared beside them, holding a pair of oven mitts. They all stared at her.
"What? You said it was hot," she protested.
"Right," Botan smiled, taking the mitts and taking the book from Hiei.
The doorbell sounded. "Ah, that'll be Amori and Kuwabara . . ." Genkai turned to answer it.
Yusuke hopped onto the back of Botan's oar. "I'm off, ja!" he waved back to the group.
As Botan flew off, Kurama walked out, his hands bandaged. "Well, Hiei, are you staying?"
"Yes, BD practically forced-" his eyes widened.
Kurama blinked. "What is it?"
"Where is she?"
~*~*~*~*~* (Back Inside Genkai's)
"So you just . . . lost her?" Yukina sounded worried.
Hiei nodded.
"I think she was lost when the demon sent out that energy blast," Kurama mused.
Worriedly, Yukina bustled about the kitchen. "Well, I made food, but I don't know . . . we should find her."
Amori shrugged. "She'll live."
After a pause, Kuwabara agreed. "Yeah, she'll be okay."
Hiei and Kurama still looked unconvinced. Kurama was thoughtful. "I wonder where she could have gotten?"
As they pondered this, BD stumbled into the room, burned to a crisp. "I'm here . . ." she mumbled weakly.
"BD!" Yukina smiled. "Oh dear, are you all right?" she asked.
"Yes," BD lied. Yukina walked over and held out her hands, offering some healing power. "Thanks," BD smiled, "Much better."
Yukina grinned and served them all dinner. The topic of discussion was the demon, and how he'd gotten hold of the powerful artifact.
"He probably stole it from Reikai, somehow," BD offered.
Kurama nodded. "Seems logical, that's happened before," he grinned.
BD continually looked back and forth from Yukina to Hiei as they ate. For the first time, she saw their resemblance. Both of them were shorter than average, yes, but the main thing was the similarity of their eyes. Both of them had very pretty crimson eyes, almost exactly alike. Hiei caught her staring.
"What?" he asked, snapping her out of her trance.
She blinked. "Nothing," she said. "Just thinking."
Hiei eyed her cautiously, giving her a warning look. As they finished, Kurama stood first to leave. "I should go and change the bandages on my hands," he said. "I'll see you again soon."
"Ja!" Yukina called politely. Hiei smiled warmly, for the first time since who knows when. He could see now that Kurama was right, they were only friends. The clouded, troubled look then returned to his eyes. He wanted to make Yukina happy, but how?
BD tapped Hiei on the shoulder. "Hello? Earth to Hiei!"
"Hn," he retorted, standing. "I'm going."
"Oh . . . where are you going?" BD asked. "Just curious," she added cautiously.
He stared at her. "To the forest, or Makai," he answered truthfully. Even Yukina looked troubled at this.
Genkai saw the two girls looking worried for him, and this amused her. "Hiei, feel free to use one of my extra rooms," she offered.
Hiei blinked. So much hospitality was new to him, but he would be glad to stay closer to his sister for a change.
"Hn," he nodded a 'thank you.'
BD grinned, and looked to Amori. "Where are you going to stay?"
"Here, duh." Amori answered. "Same place I was yesterday."
Kuwabara sighed. "It's getting late, I should be going." He kissed Amori on the cheek gently. "See you tomorrow."
As he turned to leave, Yukina looked away. Hiei stared at her, wanting to hug her, to make her feel better. He understood what BD had meant, when she wanted to hug him. Yukina wiped a tear away from one eye, and quickly returned to helping clean up.
While Yukina and Genkai cleaned up the kitchen, Amori stood to help. BD was about to, when she noticed Hiei's melancholy expression.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she wanted to know.
He looked at her, his eyes returning to their usual cold state. "Yes."
"All right," she nodded, and helped the rest of them with the dishes.
~*~*~*~*~*
Whew! LONG chapter! I'd like to thank Tan-chan for helping me with my writer's block (thanks a bunch!) and orangejujy for forcing me to continue under penalty of death.
No more shoutouts, except I'd like to thank Philly Steak 'n Cheese as my 100th reviewer! GO YOU!
Review me, I'll update faster. Any ideas are welcomed and appreciated.
Flames and Torches
~BD-chan~
Side note of importance: Uhh, when I said PG13, I meant it. *Contains adult humor* not that bad, though. Heh heh . . . while I'm on the subject . . . I don't own viagra or ANYTHING having to do with it. (Don't worry folks; it's not what you think)
The cliffy was REALLY mean and I'll update and make it LONG this time to make up for it. Ready? GO!
~*~*~*~*~* The Dragon Chapter 12: insert title here ~*~*~*~*~*
"It's about . . . Yukina?" she seemed confused.
Hiei turned away, regretting having said anything. "Just . . . forget it."
'Yukina, Yukina, Yukina. . . damn! Why don't I remember the important people?' BD was thinking. 'Wait! Yukina is Hiei's- I remember now!!' she smiled broadly, proud for having remembered. Hiei cocked a confused brow and stared at her blankly for second.
"What about Yukina?" she prodded.
"I said forget it," he snapped.
"No."
"Will you-!" he started, glaring at her murderously. She jumped back, frightened by his expression. When he stopped, she smirked knowingly.
"Listen, Hiei. It'll be good for you to let it out-"
"Shut up, damnit! I don't want to talk about it!"
Shrinking back quietly, hiding her disappointment, she turned away. "Fine then, hop out the window and go do whatever it is you do."
Pausing, she didn't hear anything. When she turned around, he was gone.
~*~*~*~*~* (Urumeshi Residence, next morning)
Yusuke slid his bedroom door open with a bang, smiling broadly.
"Why so happy today?" Atsuko asked, startling him.
"M-mom? You're up?"
"You sound surprised." She grinned at him and laughed. "You look like one of those 'happy guys' from the viagra commercials!"
Yusuke flushed. "Mom!"
She laughed, "Just kidding. Why so happy, though?"
Yusuke slid a hand into his pocket, an air of nonchalance surrounding his every motion. Carefully he pulled out a dark blue, velvet box and held it out to her.
Atsuko looked as though she might cry. "Y-Yusuke . . . for me?"
Yusuke fell over, anime-style.
"NO! NOT FOR YOU!!! For Keiko! No da!" he shouted.
His mother only smiled at him. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
Yusuke fell down again.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Duh! You've had the cutest crush on her since the second grade! Her parents know too. We watched you two grow up together and wondered how long it would take you," she grinned, full of herself.
"You mean . . . you knew all along?" Yusuke looked confused.
"Yes."
Blinking profusely, he sat there while Atsuko laughed at him. "Go get her, Yusuke!" her eyes shone with pride, as though she'd actually helped in raising the boy.
~*~*~*~*(Reikai)
Koenma laughed his little diapered ass off, while Botan brushed away tears.
"Koenma-sama, isn't it romantic?" she asked dreamily. On Koenma's big- screen deluxe super TV-ma-bobber, Yusuke and his mother shared a quiet cup of coffee before he headed to the Yukimura ramen shop.
"Let's see what else is on," Koenma said, digging through papers to find his remote.
"Aah, Koenma sir!! You can't- those are important, sir!!" George cried.
"Ogre, shut up!" the little prince sweat dropped as he couldn't find it, and the poor oni continued to panic. Botan only giggled.
"FOUND IT!" he cried triumphantly, much to George's relief.
"Oh, goody!" Botan smiled.
All was silent for a moment.
" . . . Goody, Botan?" Koenma asked.
"Y-yes . . ." she said.
Then Deity of Death turned her back and sweat dropped, as Koenma laughed at her.
"Oh, shut up and change the channel!" she snapped grumpily.
"Okay, okay," Koenma replied, still grinning with amusement.
Changing the channel several times, stopping only once to see two humans try to kill each other. The three found it hilarious that they were fighting over a garbage can, which they believed was an incredibly beautiful young woman named 'Cookie,' who had wandered off several minutes before. As the two drunks walked off, Koenma switched the channel one more time. On the screen was Amori, her blonde hair swaying back and forth as she walked down the street. In one hand she held a rose, the other was busily toying with her hair. Headed towards Kuwabara's house.
Botan suddenly burst into fits of laughter, while Koenma and George only stared at her insanity with mild interest.
"Botan . . . what is so funny?" Koenma demanded, after listening to this madness for a few seconds.
"It's so cute! She got romance tips from Kurama! See?" she pointed. "Look there. I know where she is; she's on her way back from Kurama's house. I've been there hundreds of times," she explained.
"Oh, I see," said George.
"Hello? Oh! Konnichiwa, Amori-chan!" Kuwabara grinned broadly, and the three in Reikai turned to watch. Handing him the rose and giving him a warm hug, Amori looked content.
"I missed you at Genkai's," she mumbled, releasing him from the embrace slowly and leaning back to admire him.
"Awwww!" Botan exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly. Koenma made a face and flipped through endless channels of nothingness. George and Botan began to show signs of boredom. Koenma stared straight ahead, unblinking, scanning the billions of channels for familiar faces.
"AHA!" he yelled, scaring George out of a light sleep where he was standing. Botan stood up from where she'd been sitting on the floor, drawing kitties on it with a blue colored pencil.
"What is it now, Koenma-sama?" Botan asked politely. Koenma pointed at the TV triumphantly, as if he'd won a game.
"Hiei! He's hard to get," the toddler boasted proudly.
" . . . Right," George sweat dropped.
Koenma only smiled at the TV. Just as he did so, Hiei vanished from sight in a blur-type fashion.
"DAMNIT!" Koenma shouted, much to Botan's dismay.
"Koenma, sir! Watch your tongue!" she scolded him with a finger, as she would any child.
And all the while, poor George put up with it all. He's so under appreciated.
~*~*~*~*(Genkai's Temple, noon-ish that day)
"Nice to see you're out of your room," Genkai nodded a greeting. "Konnichiwa."
"Mmmm . . . that late already . . ." BD seemed detached from the world, and sleepy.
Genkai nodded. "Yes. Lunch?" she asked, motioning to a large pot of ramen set over a flame in the kitchen to keep it warm.
"Arigatou," BD mumbled sleepily.
"Sleep well?" Genkai asked.
BD nodded, only halfway listening to the conversation. "Did Amori leave already?" she asked.
"Yes," Genkai replied. Pouring herself a small bowl of ramen, BD sighed contentedly and seated herself at Genkai's table. Folding her feet comfortably under herself on the floor, she set down her bowl to ask Genkai a question.
"Genkai . . ." she began. "That guy, Hiei. He's got some issues, doesn't he?"
Genkai inhaled deeply, as though about to tell a story. BD tucked her feet up underneath her, ready to listen. "Yes and no," Genkai began. "He's the quiet type. You have to understand that he doesn't want to talk about himself. Respect his privacy," she advised.
"I see," BD murmured, thinking.
"Why do you want to know?" Genkai mused.
BD startled. "Oh, I um . . . just wondering."
"I see," Genkai replied.
~*~*~*~*~* (Yukimura Ramen Shop)
Yusuke slid open the door to Keiko's parents' ramen shop.
Keiko's mother looked up, "Why Yusuke! What a pleasant surprise!" Her father nodded in agreement.
"Is Keiko . . ." he started.
"I'm here!" Keiko bounced happily out from the back of the shop, where she was helping out with the cooking. Since it was Sunday, no school meant that she got to come here.
Yusuke smiled broadly, holding out his arms for her. She ran towards him, hugging him gently and pulling back to admire him. "You seem happy today," she mused.
Yusuke nodded. "Where would you like to go?" he asked, before turning to her parents behind the counter. "If that's okay with you two, that is," he added politely.
They both nodded, which pleased Keiko very much. "Okay, Yusuke. Let's go!" she held onto his hand and they walked out of the shop together.
Keiko's mother sighed. "Do you think he'll pop the question anytime soon, dear?" she asked.
"I hope so," he replied with a smile.
~*~*~*~* (With Keiko and Yusuke, at the park) "The park, Yusuke? That's so romantic," Keiko sighed dreamily, squeezing his hand lightly.
"Thanks," Yusuke blushed.
Keiko gasped in surprise as a sakura petal spiraled down to the ground in front of her. She picked it up and admired it. Yusuke carefully took it from her and slid it into her hair, behind her ear. Keiko blushed and gave him a hug. "Yusuke, you're so romantic today!" she seemed pleased.
After a few seconds, Yusuke reluctantly pulled out of her embrace. "Keiko, I need to tell you something . . ."
"Hmm?" Keiko looked up at him, then down as he kneeled before her.
"Keiko . . . would you . . . would you marry me?" he blushed a beet red, extending his cupped hands up to her. She took his hands in her own and parted them, revealing the blue velvet box.
Tears swelled in Keiko's pretty brown eyes, and rolled down her cheeks slowly. Yusuke blinked, not wanting to see her cry. His entire body shook with nervousness, worse even than when he was fighting demons for Koenma.
"I will," Keiko finally managed. "Yes, I will."
~*~*~*~*~*~* (Reikai)
"Botan! Calm down!" Koenma ordered, to no avail.
"But sir, it's just so exciting!" she spiraled around the room, dancing excitedly. "We'll have to help plan the wedding!"
"I'm sure he'll call if he needs you. Speaking of which, the dead people need you! Go!" he pointed, and Botan reluctantly hopped on her oar and flew off.
"Koenma, sir," George said quietly.
"What now, ogre?"
"There's a cat on the floor."
"WHAT?!"
"A cat, drawn in blue colored pencil, I think," George mumbled.
Koenma's left eye twitched. "BOTAN!!" ~*~*~*~*~* (Genkai's Temple)
"Okay, see you then," Genkai hung up the phone gently and turned to BD. "Amori and Kuwabara are coming back for dinner. Yukina went out before you woke up, she'll be back soon. She only went to the store to get things for dinner." Genkai explained.
"I see," BD mumbled, not in the mood to put up with Amori right now.
"You can 'chill' here for awhile, or whatever. Just be back for dinner, or Yukina will be disappointed," Genkai warned her.
"All right, I think I'll go for a walk," she said, inspired.
"Ja ne," Genkai watched her walk out the back door and into the forest, vanishing into the thick fauna in an instant.
~*~*~*~* (Forest behind Genkai's Temple)
Walking through the forest, BD admired it for its beauty. The trees were tall and twisting, and she noted several of them that would be good to sit in. As she walked, she thought about her life, and how much it would be different now that she wasn't a head voice. She lifted her right arm slowly and ran a hand across her black dragon tattoo, thinking. This had been Amori's body first, not hers. She wondered if Amori was adjusting to her new body as well.
She let her arm drop to her side, and turned to walk through the forest again. As she got farther and farther from Genkai's, she could feel the aura of the forest surrounding her. It was deathly silent, save for a few birds singing, or a cricket or frog chirping here and there. BD closed her eyes and walked straight ahead, peacefully listening to the forest sounds around her. She soon discovered this to be a bad idea, having walked into a tree, and opened her eyes again.
"What the-" she stopped short. Standing perfectly still, her body tensed. An immense amount of energy was somewhere close. Slowly she reached down to grasp the hilt of her katana, and cursed under her breath, remembering that it had been stolen. Looking around, she couldn't see where the energy was coming from. The sound of her labored breathing covered up even the forest sounds. To listen, she held her breath for several seconds.
Releasing her breath, she looked up. "Hiei?!" she gasped in surprise.
"Hn."
"Damn, Hiei! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded. "What are you doing way out here? I thought I was alone."
"I would be alone, if you hadn't come along," he snorted.
She stepped back a bit, thinking. "You seem upset," she noted. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing."
"Is it still Yukina?" she asked tentatively, looking up. All she could see was the side of his arm and one boot, hanging down from the tree limb. He pulled that up as well, concealing himself from view.
"Just go away."
"But, Hiei . . ."
"I said go away!" he shouted, thoroughly annoyed.
BD huffed, growing impatient. "You're acting like a child. The one thing that can show how strong a person is . . . is how much they admit they are wrong, and how much they need help," she said, after considerable thought to her answer.
Hiei turned to look at her, his eyes cold. "You're saying that not talking about this makes me weak? Feh, you really are a fool."
She only scoffed. "It's true, and you know it," BD was enjoying this mind game.
"Would you just-" Hiei stopped. Thinking about his situation for several minutes, he wondered what was compelling him to do this. Perhaps he realized that he WAS acting like a child.
BD waited patiently for his response, not making a sound as he thought. Her only real reason for wanting to know was her own curiosity. The spiky- haired fellow had her intrigued.
Hiei sighed deeply. "I told you once that Yukina was my sister," he began.
"Yes," she said softly. "Is that the problem?"
"I think you know, that she doesn't know. And I don't want to tell her," he added firmly.
"Yes," she repeated.
"The thing was, I didn't want her to be in love with Kuwabara. She deserves better than that," he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Yes," she said again. "But now she's not."
"Right, but she's upset," he said.
"I see what you mean," she said. "You want her to be happy, but you don't want her with him. And at the same time it seems like the only way she can be happy is with him."
Hiei looked down at her, his eyes wide. "That is exactly what I meant."
She grinned. "Living as somebody else's subconscious does have it's benefits."
He sighed. "Are you happy now?"
She nodded, and began to climb up into the tree. Sitting beside him, she grinned.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Sitting," she replied calmly. "Duh."
He narrowed his eyes. "I told you what you wanted to know, so just leave," he turned away.
Her lip quivered. "But it's such a sad story, I just thought you needed a hug." With that, she flung her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He yelped in surprise and pushed her off, nearly knocking her out of the tree.
"What the hell was that for?!" he spat angrily.
BD shrugged. "You looked like you needed a hug. Feel better?"
"No."
She sighed. "It was worth a try," she mumbled.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"I wanted to make you feel better."
This took him aback. Why would anyone care what he thought or felt? "Why . . .?" he asked warily, unsure of what she was thinking now.
BD blinked at him. "Um, because you were upset?"
"I understand that, but why would you care-"
"I care what you think, Hiei. You're just as important as the rest of them," she informed him. "Duh."
He sat in silence, pondering what she'd just said.
"You okay now?" she asked.
He ignored her question, and thought about why he'd just opened up to her like that. Her, a demon he barely knew . . . of all people. BD before Kurama, even. Maybe it was because she'd seen him cry. He thought about this for a few minutes.
"You okay, Hiei?" she asked again, quieter this time.
"Yes," he mumbled.
"Good," she smiled. "I'm glad. Amori and Kuwabara are joining Yukina, Genkai and I for dinner tonight. I'd be glad if you came."
Again he was stumped. All this hospitality coming out of one person, directed solely at him. He didn't like it.
"I don't think-" he started.
"Onegai?" she asked, quivering her lip and widening her eyes like a sad child. This only confused Hiei more.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
"Begging," she answered. "Duh."
He rolled his eyes. "Ningens," he muttered.
"Hey!" she snapped. "I'm not human. Feh!" she held up her right arm as proof.
Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, I remember. Where did you get that, exactly?"
BD grinned broadly. "When I was still inside Amori, I forced her to learn. She needed self-defense, she was horrible."
"And she mastered it?" he wanted to know.
"No, duh. I said she was awful. We summoned it once, though. I thought it would kill us both. In addition to making one huge mess of Makai, we passed out for four days straight, both of us."
Hiei laughed. "That's what you get for attempting things you can't achieve," he said.
"Hey, shut up. We tried, okay?"
"Hn," he replied.
Sliding down from the tree, she looked back up at him. "Coming?"
"No," he said.
BD facefaulted. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"What part don't you understand?" he taunted.
Sighing heavily, she muttered, "Yukina will be upset to know that you refused."
"Damn you!" he shouted. "You're as bad as that fox!"
Smiling, BD replied, "That mean you're going?"
He slid out of the tree, grumbling, and they walked back to Genkai's temple in tandem. BD chatting nonsense all the way, as Hiei half listened to her random babbles.
As they neared the temple, Hiei stopped short.
"Shut up," he said. BD stopped talking and listened.
"Kurama?" Hiei asked. The redhead walked out from behind a bush, waving lightly in greeting.
"Hiei, BD," he said politely.
"What are you doing here?" BD asked cheerily.
"I felt the-" he started.
"You too?" Hiei asked. "I don't recognize it."
"Neither do I," Kurama said grimly.
BD turned around, suddenly sensing a large amount of power behind her. Releasing a shriek of horror just before a large, black-cloaked figure swung a scythe at her. With a blur, Hiei was fending off the blade with his own, while Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair.
"Run!" they both shouted at the same time.
BD only stood there, staring. "He's from my dream . . ." she mumbled.
"Run, damnit!" Hiei shouted, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike by the huge demon.
"Get Yusuke!" Kurama ordered, slashing at the demon with his whip.
"Uhh, right!!" she turned and ran for Genkai's.
~*~*~*~*~*~* (Reikai)
"Botan! BOTAN!" Koenma shouted, hopping up and down on his desk in a wild excitement.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, just floating in from her ferry girl duties.
"GO GET YUSUKE!" Koenma shouted, pointing to the TV with both hands.
She looked to the screen and gasped, as Kurama and Hiei were viciously attacking a large, cloaked demon with a scythe.
"We'll find out who, or what, he is, you go find Yusuke!" he ordered.
"Yusuke's with Keiko!" Botan protested, whining in distress. She had no clue what to do.
"That'll just have to wait! That thing's loose in Ningenkai, Botan. Need I remind you of what could happen!?"
She sighed. "No, sir. I'm on it!" Leaping onto her oar, she flew off at top speed.
"Ogre, get me a book!" Koenma shouted.
"I'm on it, sir!" George called obediently from the library.
Koenma sucked on his pacifier noisily. "Hurry, Botan," he mumbled to himself, watching the fight on the TV.
~*~*~*~*~* (Park)
Yusuke and Keiko had sat down on a park bench, and were busily planning their wedding date. Botan flew in on her oar, feeling sorry for Keiko.
"Yusuke! Hurry, there's a problem. We need you, NOW!" she snatched Yusuke by the arm and flew off with him.
"BOTAN! Let me go! Can't you see I was busy?!" he shouted, annoyed, as Botan helped him onto the back of her oar.
"I'm sorry Yusuke, I really am, but this is slightly more important than your love live," the look in her eyes showed that she really was sorry, and Yusuke turned to Keiko as they flew off.
"I'll be back! Meet you at the ramen shop as soon as I can! Love you!" he waved sadly as they flew towards Genkai's.
"Awww," Botan commented.
"Shut up. What's the problem?" he demanded, his voice stern.
Botan looked grim. "I'm not sure, he's attacked Kurama and Hiei close to Genkai's. We can't see his face, he's covered up well. He's big, Yusuke. Be careful."
"Gotcha," he said, giving Botan the thumbs up as she dropped him off at Genkai's, landing behind him. Running inside, they found no one to be there.
"They're around back, come on, hurry!" Botan led the way out the back door, and flew through the forest on her oar. They could hear the sound of metal hitting metal, and followed it.
"Hiei? That you?!" Yusuke shouted.
"Yusuke!!" several voices shouted in relief at once.
"Yeah, me. Make way," he said, running towards the scene. Kurama was still slashing at the demon, which was bigger than Yusuke had imagined, while Hiei fended off the scythe in close combat.
BD stood off to the side, biting her lip nervously. Genkai stood beside her, edging back and forth nervously, unsure of how to help.
"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted.
"Hiei, move!" Kurama urged.
Hiei leapt out of the way of the bullet just before it struck the demon. It yelled out in pain, and hissed at Yusuke. Reaching one long, black hand into his clock, he revealed a shiny, golden book.
"That's king Enma's book of the Dead!" Botan shouted.
"Give me a break! You didn't know it was gone?" Yusuke yelled. "No, not that book of the dead!!" she said. "It's something else! It's got immense spirit energy, and it's inanimate! Yusuke, you have to get it back! In the wrong hands, it-"
Yusuke spit. "I get it. The world blows up."
Botan sweat dropped, "well, something like that . . ." she mumbled.
Kurama slashed at the demon violently, as he was about to open the book.
It hissed again, and flung the book open. "You will pay dearly for interrupting my plans," it hissed in a low, scratchy voice. Holding the book out in front of him, his body glowed red with energy. The book also began to glow, though it's aura was golden.
The demon shrieked angrily, as his spirit energy mixed with that of the golden aura given off by the book. The red-gold aura stretched out several meters, blasting everyone in the area.
"Aww, damn! Is everybody okay?!" Yusuke called, getting up and preparing to attack again.
"I'm fine," Kurama assured.
Botan helped Genkai onto her oar and moved her back, farther from the fight. "I can handle it," Genkai protested, but really it was Yusuke's job.
With a sudden gasp of surprise, Botan called, "Where's BD?"
"There's no time!' Yusuke shouted. "Spirit Gun!"
The demon hissed in pain as one of his arms was sliced clear off, flying several meters behind him.
"Ha! Take that!" Yusuke grinned cockily.
"Yusuke, look out!" Hiei warned, as the golden book of the Dead narrowly missed impaling Yusuke in the head.
Kurama caught it, but dropped it immediately, crying out in pain. His hands were burned and covered in blood.
"Are you okay?" Botan asked, worriedly.
"I'm fine, stay back!" he warned, pulling out his Rose Whip again.
The fight went on for some minutes, while the demon tried to get his book back. Kurama stood over it, defending it with his life, while Hiei and Yusuke slashed and shot at their enemy.
The demon cried out in pain as a fatal blow from Hiei's katana sliced through his middle. The top half of his body slowly slid and fell to the ground, oozing dark blue blood. Yusuke grinned. "Thanks, Hiei. Couldn't have done it without you."
"Hn," was Hiei's only reply, as he sheathed his bloodstained blade.
Kurama stared down at the golden book. "Botan," he said, "How do we get it back to Koenma? It'll burn us."
"Don't worry about that. I can handle it!" Botan walked calmly to where the book lay, holding her hands a few inches above it.
"It's still hot," she said.
Kurama looked at his own burned hands. "Yes . . ."
"Come inside, I'll help you," Genkai offered, and he followed her away.
"Keiko . . ." Yusuke mumbled to himself.
"Oh yes, Keiko. I'll drop you off at the ramen shop on my way back," Botan smiled.
Hiei had meanwhile walked over to the golden book to inspect it. Carefully lifting it, he hefted it in his hands. "Heavy," he noted.
Botan stared in disbelief. "How can you touch it?"
He rolled his eyes. "You forget what I am."
Botan and Yusuke sweat dropped. "Right," Yusuke noted.
Botan opened her communication mirror. "Koenma-sama? We've killed the demon."
"Good!" Koenma's voice sounded from the little communicator.
"It's too hot for me to touch," Botan said.
"If you use oven mitts, it'll work." Koenma said.
"Really? Wow," Botan grinned. "Who knew?"
Genkai appeared beside them, holding a pair of oven mitts. They all stared at her.
"What? You said it was hot," she protested.
"Right," Botan smiled, taking the mitts and taking the book from Hiei.
The doorbell sounded. "Ah, that'll be Amori and Kuwabara . . ." Genkai turned to answer it.
Yusuke hopped onto the back of Botan's oar. "I'm off, ja!" he waved back to the group.
As Botan flew off, Kurama walked out, his hands bandaged. "Well, Hiei, are you staying?"
"Yes, BD practically forced-" his eyes widened.
Kurama blinked. "What is it?"
"Where is she?"
~*~*~*~*~* (Back Inside Genkai's)
"So you just . . . lost her?" Yukina sounded worried.
Hiei nodded.
"I think she was lost when the demon sent out that energy blast," Kurama mused.
Worriedly, Yukina bustled about the kitchen. "Well, I made food, but I don't know . . . we should find her."
Amori shrugged. "She'll live."
After a pause, Kuwabara agreed. "Yeah, she'll be okay."
Hiei and Kurama still looked unconvinced. Kurama was thoughtful. "I wonder where she could have gotten?"
As they pondered this, BD stumbled into the room, burned to a crisp. "I'm here . . ." she mumbled weakly.
"BD!" Yukina smiled. "Oh dear, are you all right?" she asked.
"Yes," BD lied. Yukina walked over and held out her hands, offering some healing power. "Thanks," BD smiled, "Much better."
Yukina grinned and served them all dinner. The topic of discussion was the demon, and how he'd gotten hold of the powerful artifact.
"He probably stole it from Reikai, somehow," BD offered.
Kurama nodded. "Seems logical, that's happened before," he grinned.
BD continually looked back and forth from Yukina to Hiei as they ate. For the first time, she saw their resemblance. Both of them were shorter than average, yes, but the main thing was the similarity of their eyes. Both of them had very pretty crimson eyes, almost exactly alike. Hiei caught her staring.
"What?" he asked, snapping her out of her trance.
She blinked. "Nothing," she said. "Just thinking."
Hiei eyed her cautiously, giving her a warning look. As they finished, Kurama stood first to leave. "I should go and change the bandages on my hands," he said. "I'll see you again soon."
"Ja!" Yukina called politely. Hiei smiled warmly, for the first time since who knows when. He could see now that Kurama was right, they were only friends. The clouded, troubled look then returned to his eyes. He wanted to make Yukina happy, but how?
BD tapped Hiei on the shoulder. "Hello? Earth to Hiei!"
"Hn," he retorted, standing. "I'm going."
"Oh . . . where are you going?" BD asked. "Just curious," she added cautiously.
He stared at her. "To the forest, or Makai," he answered truthfully. Even Yukina looked troubled at this.
Genkai saw the two girls looking worried for him, and this amused her. "Hiei, feel free to use one of my extra rooms," she offered.
Hiei blinked. So much hospitality was new to him, but he would be glad to stay closer to his sister for a change.
"Hn," he nodded a 'thank you.'
BD grinned, and looked to Amori. "Where are you going to stay?"
"Here, duh." Amori answered. "Same place I was yesterday."
Kuwabara sighed. "It's getting late, I should be going." He kissed Amori on the cheek gently. "See you tomorrow."
As he turned to leave, Yukina looked away. Hiei stared at her, wanting to hug her, to make her feel better. He understood what BD had meant, when she wanted to hug him. Yukina wiped a tear away from one eye, and quickly returned to helping clean up.
While Yukina and Genkai cleaned up the kitchen, Amori stood to help. BD was about to, when she noticed Hiei's melancholy expression.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she wanted to know.
He looked at her, his eyes returning to their usual cold state. "Yes."
"All right," she nodded, and helped the rest of them with the dishes.
~*~*~*~*~*
Whew! LONG chapter! I'd like to thank Tan-chan for helping me with my writer's block (thanks a bunch!) and orangejujy for forcing me to continue under penalty of death.
No more shoutouts, except I'd like to thank Philly Steak 'n Cheese as my 100th reviewer! GO YOU!
Review me, I'll update faster. Any ideas are welcomed and appreciated.
Flames and Torches
~BD-chan~