Love is but an Illusion...

~Hiei's POV~

Here I am. In this God-forsaken tree. And it's snowing. Ameria must have locked the window again... so I'm stuck here, freezing my ass off.

Hmm. I try the window again, but nothing happens. Maybe it's just frozen shut. I light a black flame on the end of my finger, and hold it up to the hinges and seams of the window. The window falls open, and I try to jump inside. Instead, I proceed to slip and fall off the branch, due to the ice collected on the limb. I fall to the ground, where the fallen snow breaks my fall, while also soaking me to the bone. I curse the ice, not bothering to hold in my anger. Apparently, Ameria heard my loud rant. She pokes her head out the window. "Damn." Stupid ice. Stupid tree. Stupid window.

"Mr. Hiei? Are you okay??" she asks, a worried tone in her voice. "Hn." is my reply as I jump back into my tree. I slip again, but before I fall, she grabs my scarf and yanks me inside.

"Are you okay?" she asks again. "I'm fine." I reply, giving her a half- smile. She smiles, and hands me a blanket. I realize I'm shivering, so I take the blanket quickly.

"My friend, Lina, invited me to her and Gourry's wedding!! I get to be the bridesmaid!! Isn't this exciting?!" she says, bouncing up and down on the spot. Lina. Oh, joy. My memories are all too clear of Lina Inverse.

~*~ Field POV earlier that year, in the summer...~*~

Hiei was talking to Ameria from a tree in her back yard. She was having a pool party, and had invited Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. She was trying to convince Hiei to join them, but the stubborn Jaganshi stayed rooted to the spot.

Lina got out of the pool and walked over to Ameria. "Just leave the freak alone and come on!" this earned her a glare from Hiei. Ignoring the glare the fire demon shot at her, she continued. "I mean really, Ameria, why do you waste your time on freaks like Hiei? I thought it was pretty wierd when you went for Zel, but this tops all!!"

"Miss Lina! That is unjust to call them "Freaks" because of their appearance!!" Said Ameria, starting into one of her trivial justice speeches. She was interrupted when Hiei muttered, "Who are you to judge? Have you looked in the mirror lately? At first glance, I couldn't guess that you were even a female."

"FIREBALL!!!" Lina yelled, throwing an abnormally large one in Hiei's general direction.

"HOLY SHI--!!O.O!" Hiei yelled, frantically trying to dodge the small sun hurtling through the air at an alarming rate. While in the air, Hiei threw one in her direction, and hit his target. Her fire ball had incinerated his favorite tree in Ameria's garden. "My tree!" both said at once, and turned to glare at Lina.

Lina, however, was not paying attention to the two angry persons glaring at her, but was trying to put out her smoldering hair, which had been set on fire by Hiei's fireball. Gourry, being Gourry, said, "Don't worry Lina! I'll save you!!" and pulled her backwards into the pool. ~*~Back to Hiei's POV~*~

"Hiei?" America asks, bringing me out of my musings.

"Hmm?"

"Are you coming, too?"

".No, I wasn't invited."

"Oh.I'm sorry." she says, looking down.

"It's no big deal. I never liked Lina anyway." I say with a half- smile, in an effort to cheer her up. It worked.

"Well, would you wait for me here after I get back?" Of course I would. I have nothing better to do. Mukuro HAD let me off for the day. "OH!! CRAP!!! I NEED TO GET READY!!!" she yells, running to her room. She doesn't close the door completely, but she starts to change immediately. Oh.Shit. Shield your eyes, Hiei.

Why I obeyed that order, I'll never know. Why am I feeling guilty? ....She's nothing more than a friend...nothing more...