Back in the Ningenkai

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Disclaimer: Like I said in all my /other/ fics, I don't own so don't sue, and don't even bother, m'kay?

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"blah blah" = speech

~blah blah~ =thoughts

//blah blah// = Chiiri telepathy

////blah blah//// = Hiei telepathy

Hiei balanced himself on a branch, silently watching Yukina tend to her garden. She appeared to be a delicate forest sprite amongst the beautiful and variously colored flowers. ~Always beautiful. I will protect you Yukina, at all costs. I can never be the brother you're searching for; I don't...qualify. For a...monster, for someone as...dark...as me to actually be related to an angel like you; it's ridiculous.~

"You're brooding."

Hiei looked down at Chiiri, who was perfectly blended with the shadows of the trees. "Just reflecting on things I will never be apart of."

"You make it sound as though you don't deserve it after all you've been through. All you've been put through, all you've /had/ to go through. You make it sound as if you don't deserve /her/."

"I don't. And I never will."

"You're 'friends' seem to think otherwise."

"They don't understand; that's all."

"Or so you keep telling me."

Hiei decided to change the subject. "How are they?" He was referring to Naori and Kaori.

Chiiri noted the change, but played along. "Furious and frustrated. They won't speak."

"Hn."

"When will those other people get here? You mentioned something about a mission being the reason we were brought here to begin with."

---

"We're here!" Yuusuke casually strolled up to the tree Hiei had settled himself in.

Kurama looked up at the apparition. ~Beautiful.~ Hiei was lying out across the branch, long-ways. Hiei briefly stretched as a cat would and let an arm and leg hang limply from the branch. Flawless pale skin glistened in the sunlight. A breeze caressed jet-black spikes graced with an ivory starburst in the middle and threw his head sash's ends to the wind. His shades remained on their spiked domain. ~Hiei...I just wish you would open up more. But lately...you've been even more closed off than usual. What are you hiding Hiei?~

Yuusuke grinned at the two dark-clad youkai. "Aw, were you two waiting all this time, just for us?"

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"Don't be so arrogant, boy."

Chiiri regarded the elder woman. "Who are you?"

"I should ask you the same thing, seeing as to /you're/ on /my/ property. I'm surprised that you don't already know who I am."

"Your popularity has had yet to reach me then." Chiiri's tone was dry and sarcastic.

"I feel that I should have recognized you though. Few youkai have the DSE mark."

"Should I be flattered?"

Hiei snorted. "Coming from her? You might want to consider."

The elder woman gave a wry smirk at Hiei. "Jumping into my trees again are you? Maybe you should consider growing you're /own/ garden Hiei. All of them could be trees of different sizes, just so you could jump around or into them."

Hiei pretended to consider this. "Hn."

"Anyway, it would depend on whether you take the DSE mark. Good or bad?"

"It's useful, I suppose. You're a strange old psychic, surviving the way you have all this time."

"You knew after all then. You aren't as clueless as you look."

"No. I could sense it. Vaguely...old woman."

"Heh. You're a dark little wench."

"Hag."

"Slut."

"Bitch."

A long silence and the two simply stared.

---

"Sparks are gonna fly between those two."

Kurama nodded, agreeing with Yuusuke. "Things could get rough here."

---

Chiiri and the psychic gave each other level gazes and looked ready to fight at the slightest movement.

"My name is Genkai."

"Chiiri." They glared at each other.

"You've got something there. You're alright, for a devious DSE youkai."

"Hn. You're sharp, for a cynical old ningen." They shook hands briefly, still studying the other.

Hiei had a disinterested look on his face. "Are you two done playing now?"

Genkai looked up. "Honestly, you grow a couple of inches and now you run the show. Must you always spoil my fun?"

Hiei gave a bored shrug. "I've been told that I need /some/ sort of hobby."

Chiiri arched an eyebrow. "Aside from fighting, I take it?"

"Hn."

Chiiri and Genkai shook their heads and walked off towards the shrine/temple/whatever. They looked at Hiei and muttered in unison, "Typical."

---

Yuusuke blinked at the whole exchange. "Okay. Did I miss something here?"

Kurama shook his head, smiling. "If you did, then I missed it too." He looked to see that Hiei was still lounging in the tree, /his/ tree, at least when he was watching Yukina in her garden. Hiei looked ready to take a short nap. "Hiei."

Hiei /was/ about to take a nap when he heard his name called by a familiar, smooth voice. He looked down and locked his eyes on bright emerald. "What is it Fox?"

Kurama smiled at the nickname. ~I bet he doesn't even realize that he's given me one.~ Not that Kurama minded. Far from it, he liked the nickname. ~Sometimes, I can almost fool myself into thinking that there's some hidden reason he gives only me a nickname.~ "Come down from there. We're going inside to discuss our latest mission. We need you to come down from there to do that, okay?" Kurama wanted to move, to look away from those sharp crimson orbs, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

~Why does he always speak so softly to me? Like I'll break if his voice is too strong. Strange...hn.~

Yuusuke, ignoring the eye lock between the two, smirked at something he saw in the distance. "Yeah, and besides that, you might want to get Kuwabara away from Yukina...again."

Hiei looked back to the garden where Yukina had been and sure enough, Kuwabara was there, attempting to gain more of Yukina's favor. Hiei put on a blank mask. ~I shouldn't even bother anymore.~ He sighed to himself, depressed. ~I have no right to interfere with her life. Seeing as to how I would only taint her by being in it. That baka that calls himself Kuwabara seems to make her happy enough.~ Hiei closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh. He flitted away. Seconds later, one could see him walking inside the temple.

Yuusuke blinked again. "Is it just me, or did Hiei look a bit depressed right then?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, it appears that something other than Kuwabara's attempts at courting Miss Yukina is bothering him greatly. Do you suppose he'll be focused enough for the mission?" ~He's always been so depressed. I suppose that in his case, with his past as dark and painful as it was-and I don't even know about all of it-it's a given that he would have the right to be depressed.~

Yuusuke scratched under his chin. "Hmm, he should be okay I guess. Hiei's a strong guy. Sometimes he's so strong it scares me, but he'll be alright I think. Maybe somebody should talk to the guy. What do you think Kurama?"

Kurama smiled sadly. "Yes, talking to him /would/ help, if Hiei were the type to get help for his problems. You see, Hiei has this tendency to keep his pain and problems to himself. But you're right; someone should speak with him and clear it up. You'll do just fine Yuusuke." And he started to walk away.

Yuusuke was about to nod before it hit him. "Wait a minute! Me?! Hiei won't talk to /me/! I was thinking that you would do it. Since you've technically known him longer and he always hangs around you."

"That's because he refuses to let Yukina heal him. He comes to my house for recuperation."

"See? He trusts you. So /you/ talk to him!"

"That's the point. Hiei doesn't actually trust me, not truthfully. I don't think he knows /how/ to trust yet. And besides, there will be times when I won't be there to help you guys handle Hiei and talk to him. I may have to be somewhere else and then you guys would be stuck, completely clueless as to what to do with Hiei. But if you start now it won't matter if I'm present or not."

Yuusuke scowled. "I guess you have a point. But why can't Botan or Kuwabara, or hell, even Yukina do this?"

Kurama shook his head. "Hiei would never speak with Kuwabara. He'd be more prone to /hit/ him than sit and converse with him. And I highly doubt that Hiei would tell Botan anything at all. She's just barely able to keep the fact that Hiei is Yukina's older twin brother to herself as it is. If Hiei wasn't a telepath, then I'm sure Botan would have accidentally or maybe even purposely told Yukina or someone that would tell Yukina by now."

"Since when is Hiei a telepath?"

"He's always been a telepath. Though I have yet to see sign of him using his telepathy unless keeping Botan from spilling his secret."

"Well that must be convenient. ... Wait a minute! He can't read minds can he?!" ~Oh man...if he can read minds then I'm in deep...~

"I don't know. He's a telepath, but I'm not sure if he's psychic like that. I doubt it though." ~But what if he is...would he-no. He's no psychic. I would have noticed and Koenma would have called upon Hiei to use that power in missions long ago.~

"And Yukina? Why can't /she/ do this? Of all people, surely he'd talk to her."

"Not likely. She would make him nervous and a bit uncomfortable. He avoids her as much as he can without making it obvious as it is. He'd probably run away before she could get a hold of him and talk."

"Say...you know what?"

"What is it Yuusuke?"

"For Hiei and Yukina supposedly being twins, they sure don't look very much alike."

"True. They're only likenesses seem to be their eye color and their tear gems."

"Are you /sure/ Hiei can make tear gems? I mean, he would actually have to /cry/ for him to make any. I've never seen the guy cry before."

"He can. He told me so. Something like, 'It's /possible/ for me to cry tear gems, I simply don't know how to cry anymore.' I believe he was trying to tell me something then, but I don't know what it was."

"Hiei is a mystery if I've ever seen one. That's probably the problem. Maybe Hiei doesn't know how to communicate with other people."

"That is very insightful of you Yuusuke. How surprising."

"Thanks Kurama, I-...Hey!"

Kurama chuckled. "Come on. Hiei is probably getting more irritable by the second."

"Yeah and Chiiri doesn't seem like the most patient of youkai. And Hiei's probably ready to smack Kuwabara."

"He may resort to something more drastic than smacking if we don't hurry."

"He won't /kill/ anyone with Yukina in there."

"Yuusuke..."

"Yeah Kurama?"

"Yukina is still in her garden."

Yuusuke blanched.

---

"Aaaa~h!!!!"

"Get back here you coward!"

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Kuwabara was half-running, half-stumbling down the stairs' pathway. "Help me!!"

Hiei flitted from the top of the pathway and reappeared high in the air, katana in hand.

"Urameshi do something!" Hiei swiped down and Kuwabara just barely ducked. But this move caused him to lose his balance and tumble down the stairs. Kurama stepped lightly to the side, letting Kuwabara continue downwards.

Hiei stopped and watched him roll with a satisfied smirk. "Go ahead and stop him Chiiri."

The Dark Guardian appeared a few steps ahead of Kuwabara's rolling form. A slightly angled foot stopped his tumbling. Kurama laughed from behind his hand, but Yuusuke was laughing openly. Yukina appeared behind Hiei, giggling. And Hiei suddenly froze; it didn't even look like he was breathing. But in an instant Kuwabara was up and beside Yukina, determined not to look like a fool in front of her. Hiei closed his eyes. He flitted upwards, into the air, and flitted a second time, this time appearing in front the temple's entrance and walked inside.

Chiiri had a worried frown on her face. "Hiei...?" ~What is wrong with him?~ The dark-armored warrior disappeared in a flash of blackness.

Kurama bit his lip, worried. ~What happened?~ "Come on. We have a mission to explain and Yuusuke, you still need to ask Genkai about that item or whatever it was that Koenma asked you to ask."

---

"So that's about it." Yuusuke looked at Hiei and Chiiri, gauging their expressions. Which is pretty hard when neither showed any outward expressions. Chiiri said nothing and leaned back, closing her eyes.

Hiei's eyes narrowed momentarily, but he simply shrugged and nodded. "Hn."

Kuwabara was still trying to get Yukina's attention. But currently, her attention was focused on Hiei. This didn't make Kuwabara very happy when he noticed. He smirked as he saw that Hiei was tilting his chair back a little. ~If I could just push it back...heh heh~ He could see Hiei's indignant expression as he looked up from the floor. He reached behind Yukina's chair and...

*CRASH*

Kuwabara blinked confusedly as he looked up at the ceiling. "Huh?" ~How did I get on the floor? Yuusuke was laughing at him again. "What's so funny Urameshi?"

"Oh come on. You should have seen it coming!" He continues to laugh.

Hiei stared dispassionately as Kuwabara sat, still confused on the floor. "You know...you shouldn't attempt things you don't have the speed to pull off. And trust me...I would know." He glanced at Yuusuke before closing his eyes and fiddling with one of the sash ends extending from his headband. (A/N: Remember, it's like Sanosuke's headband/sash from Rurouni Kenshin.) "So basically this is just a recover and destroy mission. Recover the items before they're used and kill whoever took them."

Yuusuke blinked. "Ummmm, yeah. Pretty much."

Genkai rose from where she was. "And I suppose you want me to tell you what I can?"

"Well, yes, that would help."

"Alright then. Chiiri and Hiei. You two are free to go. It is apparent to me that the both of you would like to leave and do whatever the hell it is you two do in your spare time."

"My, aren't you observant? Do you wish to go Hiei-sama?"

"Yeah. Isn't it about time anyway? It's around three."

"Oh. I suppose it is. In the forest?"

"In the forest." Hiei flitted away and a flash of black signaled Chiiri's exit.

"K. Question. What was Hiei talking about when he says 'Isn't it about time anyway'? And Genkai why did you tell them to go? Now I'll have to tell them the info all over again."

"No, you won't, you idiot. You won't tell them at all if you plan to have their full cooperation on this."

"Why is that?"

"Because from this info I have, they'll assume too much and isolate themselves from everyone and everything else until it's over. They will most likely try to do this on their own."

"What?! But that's freakin' suicide!" Kuwabara and Yuusuke decided to hold the language while Yukina, who seemed to have no intention of leaving, was there.

"It may be so, but they won't care. Kurama understands this, don't you Kurama?"

Kurama sighed, but nodded. "Yes. If Hiei feels he has a personal hazard in this mission, he'll isolate himself and try to solve the problem/mission himself. And there is no doubt in my mind that Chiiri will follow him to the Seven Hells and back if he asked her."

Yuusuke scratched his head and frowned. "Alright grandma, what's this info you say will drive them off?"

"I have a vague feeling that Hiei and Chiiri are the targets of the thieves."

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled at the same time.

Genkai sat in a chair, closed her eyes, and leaned back comfortably. " No need to yell; you heard me. I think they are the targets for the reincarnation ritual."

Kurama looked down. ~That's horrible. He'll run for sure if he finds out.~ "We can't tell him anything aside from what he already knows then."

"What are you talking about Kurama?"

"If either of them finds out that they could be a target, they'll leave to fix this themselves. And every time there is something Hiei /isn't/ supposed to know, he always finds out somehow. We'll have to prevent that."

"Great. But why would they be targets?"

"Think about it you idiot." Genkai cracked an eye open. "Both of them would be perfect for it. Especially with that DSE mark on them."

"You know what? That's the second time you've mentioned that DSE mark, now what the hell is it?"

"It means Dark Spirit Energy. Ever notice how Hiei's flame energy is black instead of the usual red, orange, or blue?"

"Well now that you mention it..."

"Exactly. And please tell me you remember the fact that Hiei is a dragon-masuta."

"Okay. Fine. He can be used to become this Nymph-jin, because he's a dragon-masuta and has this DSE thing going for him. Why is Chiiri in this?"

"Picture a female version of Hiei."

"Ummmm," Yusuke wanted to say Yukina, but then he recalled his remark on how Hiei and Yukina looked nothing alike. "That's Chiiri I guess. You said she has a DSE mark, but does she use a dragon?" A loud rumbling from outside drew everyone's attention. Lightning and fire cackled in a dark sky around the forest outside of the temple. Two huge dragons sat outside. Neither seemed familiar. They looked tangible, not made of pure energy. "Well that's unexpected. Let's go check it out."

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What's outside? And what was Hiei and Chiiri talking about? Review and read the next chapter to find out!!!!