Re...reviewers? ::cries:: Oh, I feel so special! Arigatou Gozaimasu! Merci Beaucoup! Thanks a Plenty! Oh, and Kurama was listening to this song called Soldiers by ABBA. Any of you heard it before? Whenever I hear it, I think of Hiei and Kurama.

Something I should mention... I took the idea of Shiori meeting someone else from the series, but I changed both her beau and the younger Shuuichi to make the story make sense. Okay... On with the show!

Disclaimer: Me no own YYH!

Taking it to Heart

-Kurama-

Exactly a week later to the day, Kurama was faced with his first day at his new high school. He was excited, but apprehensive nonetheless. He'd dressed in his uniform: a long-sleeved, collared, button down white shirt, navy blue slacks and a green sweater vest. The school's colors. Though he wasn't particularly fond of the outfit, it was a change from the usual red and white.

He'd packed everything in his book bag, prepared to start off his senior year before the day arrived. Kuwabara promised to walk with him to the school, and, to Kurama's surprise, he was there on time ready to go.

He looked more lax than Kurama did, not having on the vest and having a few buttons undone. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows and he had his book bag on one shoulder. His shiny, orange hair was up in its usual pompadour. Kurama had always liked the style. He thought it very fitting of Kuwabara, sometimes seeming to give him more height. Not to say that he needed it, though. He was easily the tallest of the group.

"You ready?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama nodded to him, reaching for his book bag. He walked to the door, stepped out and locked it.

"You look nice today," he complimented. Kuwabara touched the side of his hair, chuckling as he did so.

"He he he, yeah, he he." Kurama smiled at him. They left the apartment complex and headed for the school. "You know?"

"Yes, Kuwabara?"

"You look new." Kurama looked down at himself, frowning slightly. He thought he looked perfect.

"I do?" he asked. Kuwabara nodded.

"Only the nerds wear the entire uniform."

"Well, I want to make a good impression..." Kurama said, sure of himself.

"On who?" Kuwabara asked, giving him a look through slanted eyes. "Not me or anyone popular." Kurama chuckled lowly, shaking his head at Kuwabara.

"Popularity is not a goal of mine. The only thing I'm set to achieve is a diploma." Kuwabara patted him on the back, but didn't say anything. They continued until they reached the school.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke exclaimed, coming over to them with Keiko at his side. "Hey...Kurama!" He sounded surprised to see Kurama there, though he knew Kurama would be joining them that year.

"Goodness, Urameshi...you're actually here..." Kuwabara teased. Yusuke nudged him in the ribs. Kurama smiled at them both.

"It's nice to see you all again," he said. Keiko gave him a hug.

"That's sweet," she said. "You look sooo nice in your uniform. Now I see what it's supposed to look like."

"Not by the end of the day," Yusuke said, smiling as he unbuttoned the button of his shirt. "We'll make you look cool, Kurama, we've got you covered." Kurama smiled nervously.

"Sounds...interesting," he said.

"Keiko-chan!" a group of girls behind them exclaimed. Keiko's eyes lit up and she turned around.

"Gotta go," she said and bounded off towards her friends.

"Now it's just us guys," Kuwabara said mischievously. Kurama kept his nervous smile.

Truthfully, he was nervous. New school, new faces, new classes. He would like to be at his old school, just because he was familiar with it. But it was too far away and held too many painful memories. At least here, he could start off fresh. And besides, if it was a horrible experience, it would only last a year.

Once the day began to progress, though, Kurama felt more and more at ease. The school, even though it was much larger than his old school, was actually much easier to get around, as it was alphabetically organized. It had four stories and about 4,000 students. The halls were always crowded and that made it difficult for Kurama to get around, but he was good at dodging and squeezing his way around.

The first day of school was always a short one. With eight periods in the day, they were shortened from 45 minutes to 20 minutes. Each student had four minutes to get from class to class, but the first day was a lenient one. Kurama had a full schedule, beginning the day with French III, honors of course, and ending it with Commercial Art.

After spending a very interesting time at lunch with Yusuke and Kuwabara, and thoroughly enjoying two back to back science classes, he headed off to art. He didn't consider himself an artist, but was willing to stick the class through at his best.

Sitting down in his assigned seat, he put his book bag on the floor next to him. The entire day, he continuously heard whispering and giggling behind him. When he turned to see what was going on, the guilty would look away quickly, as if they weren't looking at him. He wondered what on Earth they could be laughing at. He surely found nothing amusing.

"Looks like we're partners again," a familiar voice said. Kurama looked up in time to see his Earth Science lab partner, Yuroshira Teito, sit next to him. He smiled.

"Hello, Teito," he said to him. Teito smiled, also, placing a folder on the table. Kurama looked down at the folder and then back up at Teito. "Did you understand the assignment?"

"Hai. I know I won't want to do it at home, so I started on it last period." Kurama nodded, feeling better about Teito. He'd always had lousy lab partners, but now, the fact that Teito was on top of his game seemed to be another significant plus. "So...Shuuichi?"

"Yes, Teito?" Kurama asked.

"You like art?"

"Not particularly...well, I like to look at it more than create it." Kurama looked up at him. "Why?" Teito looked away suddenly, running his hand along his folder.

"I kinda figured. You didn't seem this down in Earth Science."

"Down?" Kurama asked. Teito nodded. He looked up at Kurama quickly and blushed. Kurama looked away, hearing the bell sound. A few students rushed their way into the room. Their teacher closed the door behind them, leaving anyone who hadn't arrived yet to stay outside the room.

Class began and took what seemed like an eternity to end. Kurama ended up with several lists to use as a guide for the essentials of his classes. The one for his art class, a class he had to take in order to graduate, was the longest.

"I can show you where to get the best deals," Teito said, as they left the room. Kurama followed him down the hall, putting his book bag on.

"That would be nice," he said. Teito stopped at his locker, which was on the third floor. Kurama's locker was down the hall, and he was in no hurry. He stood and waited for Teito to tell him.

"I go there all the time," Teito said as he put some things away and took other things out. "You take the train to get there...it's close to downtown. I'm going to go there this weekend." Kurama nodded, watching him as he closed the locker and secured it. Teito then followed Kurama to Kurama's locker. "Maybe you can go with me," he offered. Not familiar with the train system, or with downtown, Kurama agreed. Teito gave him his number. "Don't hesitate to call. I'm home most evenings." Kurama nodded.

"I will see you tomorrow, Teito." Teito nodded. Kuwabara and Yusuke decided to meet at the corner store across the street from the school, but Kurama decided that going home would be better.

He walked down the street after saying goodbye to the guys, heading home in the afternoon sun. After a short while, he felt as if he was being followed. He slowed down, turning to see who was behind him.

"Hey!" the young woman greeted him, walking up next to him. Her hair fell about her shoulders as she pulled a hand through it. "Remember me?" she asked, before he could say hello.

"Yes," he said, continuing to walk. "You're Yumari...from first period."

"Vrai," she said in her best French accent, and then she giggled. "You really know your French. You were blowing us away in there." Kurama smiled politely.

"Merci," he said. She smiled, showing off a set of bright pearly whites. They weren't at all offset by her pale, natural tones. Her hair was jet black, long and shiny with two blue clips that matched her blue uniform skirt. She had gleaming light brown eyes and was about a head shorter than Kurama. She walked next to him holding on to the front straps of her book bag with her hands and looking up at him eagerly.

"De rien," she said. They grew silent. She looked away and then back up at him. "So...where are you headed?"

"Home," Kurama said with a nod, looking at her again and then looking ahead.

"Wanna hang out some time?" she asked. "Maybe grab a bite to eat at lunch? You've got fourth period lunch, right?"

"Yes." He didn't say anything else. She ran her hand through her hair again.

"Is that...a...no?" she asked him unsurely.

"Is what a no?" he asked her, lowering his eyebrows. "Oh! Gomen nasai, to your first question. Sure, I would love to." Her eyes lit up and her mouth hung open. She stopped walking. Kurama stopped, too, turning to look at her in confusion. "Yu...mari?"

"Oh, arigatou!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him. He didn't hug her back, but instead lightly patted her back. She let him go and then flashed him a smile. "Arigatou," she said again and then started walking the other way. "See you tomorrow!" She took off down the block.

"Yes..." Kurama said, but more to himself. He wasn't sure what she was so excited about, but he just shrugged it off and walked home.

Once he arrived, he sat his things down by his desk and went to the kitchen to get something to drink. He then returned to his desk, settling down to begin his assignments. Most were just emergency cards, but he had a few worksheets to do also.

When he finished, he put his hair up in a bun and opened the windows. It was still hot, still late afternoon. He thought about whether or not he should take a shower, but decided not to. As he left the bathroom, he spotted Hiei coming out of his bedroom. He smiled at him.

"What do you want to do for lunch?" Kurama asked him. Hiei shrugged.

"Whatever you decide to do is fine with me." Kurama nodded.

-Hiei-

Hiei watched him go back into the living room and sit down on the couch. He himself went over to the living room window and sat down on the sill. Kurama pulled out a puzzle book and began to work on it.

Ever since Kurama got the apartment, he was always busy reading, writing or working on puzzles, both the kind in the book and the kind in the box. Hiei didn't see the point in it. A part of him felt that it was a waste of time, and wished that Kurama would do something useful, like training. But he also knew that Kurama's biggest strengths were his smarts. Perhaps in doing those things, he was in some way training. Either way, Hiei would never do it.

Instead, he sat in the window, occasionally turning to look at Kurama, surprised at how hard it was to look away. The bun Kurama put in his hair was loose, letting strands of the silky red mass fall about his head and shoulders. He would often bite his lip and study the puzzle, some taking longer than others to finish, but he finished most very quickly.

What was suddenly so compelling about Kurama? Of course, Hiei did not seriously get bored in the makai, there was no place he'd rather spend his time. Or so he thought.

Once Kurama moved, things changed. He relaxed a little more and enjoyed the silence of the place. He occasionally became angry for one reason or another, most often after talking with his mother. Hiei knew all about Shiori and Otuko and how much pain their relationship caused Kurama. He remembered their wedding, of which he was a guest.

Kurama wanted nothing more but to make his mother happy. He agreed to be the best man in the wedding, a decision he'd regret for as long as he lived. He sat through the wedding, feeling horrible, but trying to keep a happy face. Hiei could see through it. As he stood in the back of the church, he could feel Kurama's 'ki rise and fall.

When it came time for Otuko to kiss Shiori, Hiei thought Kurama was going to explode. Kuwabara felt it too, and so did Yusuke and Botan. There was nothing any of them could do at the time. Hiei wanted to kill Otuko, just to see Kurama in better spirits, but decided against it. He wanted to please Kurama that day, but harming Otuko would be harming Shiori and that would be harming Kurama in turn. That was the last thing Hiei would do.

The weeks that ensued were equally eventful. Kurama changed. He and Shiori moved from their home and into Otuko's mansion. Kurama was miserable. He threw tantrums almost everyday, his 'ki was at its highest all the time, seeming to get stronger and more ominous every day. Hiei, himself, was scared to approach him, but he would sneak into his room sometimes to see him. Hiei had been forbidden to step foot into the house for reasons he didn't either know or care for.

Kurama was always happy to see Hiei, seeming to take a beak from his anger as soon as he sensed him near. Hiei would try to get him to talk to him but, for some reason, Kurama would never vent his frustrations in his presence. If he once decided to, Hiei would try his best to comfort him, without hesitation. Kurama, however, never gave him the chance to. He always acted as if everything was okay. Hiei "wished" that Kurama would show his true feelings in his presence. Maybe then, Hiei would feel better about a load of things that bothered him.

Once Kurama managed to get away, he calmed considerably. Hiei actually managed to receive real smiles then. His migraines subsided, and he seemed to be at peace alone. When he had visitors, he was even happier. But sitting there, working on his puzzles, Kurama seemed content. Just like Hiei liked him.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, setting down his puzzle book. Hiei looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow in response. "Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?" Hiei asked, jumping off the window sill. He put his hand in his pocket.

"You just seem so...preoccupied lately." Hiei shrugged. Kurama smiled. He was gorgeous when he smiled.

"How was school?" Hiei asked, looking down at the floor. He could feel Kurama's surprise. He tried to ignore it.

"It was interesting," Kurama said. Hiei looked back up at him. Kurama moved some of his hair from his eyes to see Hiei better. Hiei turned away quickly, turning red as he did so. Why on Earth did he feel that way?

-Kurama-

Kurama felt it was strange. Why was Hiei acting that way, inquiring about his day like that? As if he...cared? Caring was a new thing for Hiei, for the demon was known to shun most emotion.

"I met a few people. They were very nice."

"Good," Hiei said, going back to the window. Folding his arms, he looked out the window, his back facing Kurama. Kurama's eyebrows went down, but then he relaxed his face.

He sat the book over to the side and went over to Hiei. He stood behind him, looking down at his hair. Hiei turned around, staring up at him. He was red. Kurama kneeled to him, looking up at him, concerned.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're not coming down with something, that I'm sure of, you stubborn demon." Kurama lifted his hand to see how hot Hiei's forehead was. Surprisingly, Hiei let him. He was hot–burning up was more like it.

"I'm fine," Hiei said, looking away. Kurama took his hand away slowly, searching his eyes for answers. He looked...sad. His eyes had softened since he first arrived from the makai. Where had he been spending his time when he wasn't in the apartment, Kurama wondered. Perhaps he was thinking about Yukina. Yes, that must have been it. Kurama smiled at him. Even being the tough fire demon he was, it was nice to know that something softened his heart. Kurama patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll fix lunch," he said.

Kind of an awkward way to end this chapter, ne? Updates are quick because the story's mostly typed out already and I just have to post! I have too! It's so much fun, especially when I get ::ahem:: reviews. Thanks again and chapter four will be up before you know it!

J3