Author Notes: Okay, before I start this next chapter, I have a small dedication I'd like to make. You ready? Okay, here it goes.

"Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear DC
Happy birthday to you*

That's right, this chapter is an early birthday present to my new favorite reviewer, DC. Happy birthday girl! Now, on with the chapter.

"Kurama, where's Hiei?"

"Huh?" Kurama played dumb, looking everywhere but the ice apparition who stood in front of him, hands on her hips, eyes flashing.
"Knock it off Kurama and tell me where my brother is. I know you know." She glared at him, then seeing his stunned look, continued. "Yes, I am fully aware that Hiei is my brother. He may have tried to hide it from me, but I'm not stupid. I know who he is. Now tell me where he is. He hasn't been around for three weeks. Is he all right? What's going on?"

"Yukina, calm down." Kurama said soothingly. "Hiei's fine. Physically."
"What do you mean he's fine physically?" Yukina asked. Kurama sighed, hoped Hiei wouldn't kill him if he found out, took a deep breath and told Yukina everything. She had a sad look on her face when he finished.
"Oh my! Poor Hiei." She gasped. "Did she really leave town?" She asked. Kurama shook his head.
"No, not yet. I've been watching her. I've been careful, but I think she knows." He laughed. "In fact, I know she knows I'm there, since she flashed me a rather unladylike sign yesterday."

"I can't stand this. I'm going to talk to Hiei. You go talk to Sahano. They deserve to be happy." The tone of her voice left no room for argument as she left him standing there to go find Hiei. Kurama sighed and shook his head.
"How do I get mixed up in these things." He muttered to himself.

Sahano felt him come up behind her as she was locking the door to her apartment.
"What do YOU want?" She snarled, glaring at the fox demon over her shoulder.
"Just talk to him Sahano." Kurama begged.
"I don't think so."
"Come on Sahano." Kurama pleaded. "You need to talk to him."
"I DID talk to him. I poured my heart out to him and all he did was sit there and stare at me like I'd grown a tail." She looked at him. "No offense."
"None taken." Kurama said with a shrug. "Sahano, please. I know how much he means to you, and I know you mean just as much to him. Hiei's an ice demon Sahano, you gotta give him a break when it comes to emotions. He has a lot of problems about expressing them."

Sahano snorted, but Kurama sensed her resolve weakening. "Come on Sahano." He pushed. "Just see him, talk to him damn it!" His momentary lose of his legendary cool came from the fact that his best friend was in love with someone who thought he hated her. Sahano sighed and rubbed at her temples like she had a headache that wouldn't go away.
"All right, all right. You set it up and I'll be there, okay? Now get lost before I slay your ass." She turned her back on him as she walked away, her long leather duster swaying with the movement.
"Yes." Kurama whispered under his breath.

"Yukina, what am I doing here?" Hiei asked his sister. He had been surprised when his sister had showed up on the doorstep to his tiny, rat infested apartment, demanding to see him. But he hadn't been surprised when she told him that Kurama had told her about Sahano. He had seriously considered hunting down the fox demon and skinning him, but had kept the thought to himself. Now he was sitting in the diner, waiting for Kurama to show up because he and Yukina had a 'surprise' for him.

Hiei looked up when the door opened. Kurama stepped in and smiled at his partner. Hiei grunted and looked down at the table's scratched surface. Then he caught a scent of rose oil. His head snapped up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, and stared. Sahano had stepped out from behind Kurama.
"Sahano." He breathed. Then he was on his feet and at her side.

"Hi Hiei." Sahano said, offering him a weak smile.
"Hey." He replied.
"He," she jerked her head in Kurama's direction, "said we needed to talk."
"We do." Hiei assured her. "But not here."
"Where?" Sahano asked.
"Follow me." Hiei walked out the door and Sahano followed him, leaving Kurama and Yukina in the diner.
"We did it." Yukina informed Kurama.
"As much as we could anyway." Kurama agreed. "The rest is up to them"

Sahano and Hiei walked in silence for a long time, until they reached the park. They sat on a bench, and just looked at the woods around them before Hiei spook.
"Why'd you run away?" He asked softly, not looking at her. Sahano let out a short bark of sarcastic laughter.
"Well, gee, Hiei let's see. I just told the guy I'm crazy about that I love him, and he just stares at me like I'm grown a second head. Who wouldn't bolt?"

"I'm sorry Sahano." Hiei said. "You just surprised me that's all. You don't just dump that on a guy you know." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. Sahano shook her head and looked away. "Hey, come on." Hiei touched her shoulder and turned her to face him. Her head was down, but he cupped her chin and forced him to look at him.

"Sahano, I'm an ice demon. I'm a cold guy by definition. I've never known how to love or be loved. I've always been an outcast. Even with Kurama, I was different. He had a heart, and knew how to use it. But mine was hard and icy. I couldn't even handle the love of my sister. I pushed her away, never let her know who I was." A ghost of a smile drifted over his face. "Not that it did much good. But then, I meet you."

Sahano meet his eyes at that statement, and Hiei could see the tears there.
"You melted the ice around my heart Sahano. When I was with you, it didn't matter that I was 'different', or that I was an outlaw. You didn't care, you didn't ask. And then when you tried to protect me." He smiled and stroked her cheek. "No one ever cared about me enough to do that for me Sahano. It was then I realized how much you meant to me, but I couldn't tell you, not then. But I think I can now."

He leaned in, his hand still caressing her cheek and whispered in her ear.
"I love you." Sahano gasped, and the tears in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks. But they were happy tears, and she ignored them. She threw her arms around Hiei's neck and hugged him tightly.
"I love you too." She whispered. Hiei pulled back to look at her, and they both moved at the same time. Their lips met in an explosive kiss, one that neither one wanted to end, ever.

But it eventually did, and Sahano simply rested her head on his chest. Hiei wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Then he pulled back, stood up and pulled her to her feet.
"Come on. I'll walk you home. You doing your thing tonight?" He asked. Sahano laughed.
"Yeah, I'm doing 'my thing' tonight. You wanna tag along?"

Hiei shrugged. "I've got nothing else to do. Might as well babysit you."
"Your so generous."
"I know I am."
"You're an idiot."
"Bite me."
"Don't say that to me, I'll do it."
"I bite back."
"Yeah, but I'll excite you when I do it."
"In your dreams Sahano."
"More like your wet dreams sweetie."

They left the park, holding hands and bickering playfully.

"Why are we doing this?" Hiei asked, acting as look out as Sahano picked the lock on the door of her apartment. She lived just few blocks from him, in the same bad neighborhood. Normally, he'd worry about her living here by herself. But Sahano was far from helpless, so Hiei just shrugged and decided not to worry about her. "Can't you just get out your key?"
"I need the practice."
"Can't you practice on a padlock like everyone else?" Hiei asked. Sahano scoffed.
"Please. Where's the fun in that? Besides, I don't have a key. I lost it, and I'm too broke to get a new one. This is how I open my door."

The door swung open soundlessly, and Sahano grinned over her shoulder at Hiei. "Here we go. Come on in." She walked into her apartment, and Hiei followed. With a demonic grin, he kicked the door shut and tackled Sahano, sliding across the polished wooden floor. Sahano laughed, but refused to give up without a fight. With a devilish grin of her own, she reversed their positions and pinned Hiei.

Hiei was surprised, but pleased. He considered pinning her in return, but did something else instead. He grinned, used his speed to catch her by surprise for once and soon she was holding his hands instead of his wrists, their fingers laced together. Then he spread his arms so that she fell forward, let go of her hands, wrapped his arms around her, then rolled and pinned her with his body, capturing her lips with his. He knew that Sahano could roll back over and trap him, but she just kissed him back.

Finally, Sahano broke the kiss and flipped him off. "Sorry, but I gotta get dressed for slaying."
"So get dressed." Hiei tripped her up as she tried to walk away, and they rolled over and over as they fought playfully, ending up in a small bedroom. Hiei pinned her and grinned down at her. "I'm not stopping you."

Sahano wrinkled her nose, and flipped him onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.
"Grow up." She told him. She waited for him to get up and start towards the door, then turned toward her closet. Her slayer senses told her that he was still in the room though. She turned back to him and glared, crossing her arms and raised her eyebrow.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Get dressed." Hiei said. In a flash, one of Sahano's knee high leather boots was flying at his head. Hiei dodged it, but knew if Sahano had actually wanted to hit him with it, she would have.

He laughed as he retreated from the bedroom. Sahano slammed the door in his face.
"Can't blame me for trying!" He yelled through the door.
"Yes I can!" Sahano retorted. Hiei snorted and went to sit on the couch.

When she walked out, she was wearing a pair of khakis, a silver spaghetti strap tank top, a leather jacket instead of her duster, combat boots and fingerless leather gloves.
"Come on cutie." She said with a wink. "Let's do this bitch."

AN: Okay, there's chapter three. Whew! Now, before I get any more reviews about this, I know Hiei is OOC. But is he really? Do ANY of us know how he would act if he fell in love? We don't. So he acts the way I imagine he would act. So there!