~Chapter 7~

Cori left the guys at home and went to work. Her boss took one look at her and sighed. "If you insist on looking like that, I'm going to have to keep you in the back working on arrangements and orders."

Cori nodded. "Thank you for not firing me on the spot."

"Not too many people are willing to work here. I have to take what weirdos I can get." He replied. "Clock in."

She got home and, using the food Yusuke and Kuwabara had sent, managed to make a somewhat decent meal for them.

"Any news on the portal thingy?" Cori asked.

"Koenma says he's got a few leads, but nothing concrete." Kurama replied.

"Who's this Koenma guy anyway?" Cori asked. She chuckled when they hesitated. "Come on. It can't be worse than you two can it?"

"He's the rule of the Spirit World." Kurama said evenly.

* blink blink * "Ok..so I was wrong." Cori laughed ruefully.

They finished dinner and were lounging in the living room when Hiei's butt rang. Cori jumped up and grabbed the compact. "I wanna see this guy." She opened it. "Yo!" She answered.

"Where's Hiei?" a toddler blinked up at her.

* blink blink * "About five feet away glaring at me. You Koenma?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm honestly surprised you didn't start laughing at my age. According to my files, you're a bigger punk than Yusuke." He replied.

"I may be a punk, but I can be smart occasionally. Things aren't always what they seem. Take Hiei for example. He pretends to be this callous jerk, but deep, deep, deep, deep down, he's an ok guy." Cori chuckled again as Hiei's glare deepened. She stuck her tongue out at him and returned to Koenma. "So what's the news?"

"Well the portals apparently only last for two months exactly. On the last day, it reverses flow and you can get back through. If you don't do it then, you'll probably never get out." Koenma told her.

"That's a cheery thought." Cori said sarcastically. "You do realize the people here are crazy?"

"That's one of the reasons I sent Hiei and Kurama. I didn't want you to blow things up when your temper got out of control." Koenma said.

"I'm hardly a psychopath." Cori sniffed. "What are the other reasons?"

"What?" Koenma asked.

"You made a small Freudian slip. Said my temper was ONE of the reasons. What are the others?" She grinned.

"What Dad? More Work? Ok! I have to go." He hung up.

"Wait! Damn you Koenma!" Cori yelled into the compact. She was fuming when she handed the compact to Hiei. He was deliberately hiding useful information about her. Obviously something she didn't even know. "Argh!" She growled, frustrated. "Little bastard." And she went off on a verbal tirade that only made her feel angrier until the light in the room exploded.

The three of them stared at the broken light fixture and then Hiei and Kurama stared at her. Cori was still staring at the light. She sat down slowly. Her eyes widened and she started shaking. She shook her head. "No" was all she would say. She got up suddenly. "I have to go for a walk. Alone." She said, turning her back to them and retrieving and oxygen mask.

"Wait. What do you know about this?" Kurama asked.

Cori spun and they say she was crying. "Nothing. If you want answers, ask the toddler. He seems to know more about me than I do." She spat bitterly and slammed the door behind her.

Cori found herself at the entrance to the underground. She stopped a moment. She really didn't want to be with anyone right now. She walked into the dark a few yards and sat against the wall and cried. ~I didn't do it. Mother! I didn't know!~ She started remembering back to when she was 16.

Kurama tried Koenma. He answered.

"Cori just blew up a light fixture. What's going on?" Kurama asked.

"This is the reason I didn't say anything. When her temper gets out of control, she starts to break things. Unintentionally of course. It hasn't happened since she was 16 and she didn't even know she did it back then." Koenma replied.

"Did what? We really need you to be candid right now." Kurama sighed.

"She got in a fight with her mother and unknowingly blew up the poor woman's heart." Koenma replied. "I didn't want to tell her about the power because she'd make the connection to her mother and lose track of the task at hand. One of you had better go find her though. If she's made the connection, she won't be entirely stable."

Hiei stood. "I'll go. I should be able to watch her from a distance. Stalking's my specialty."

Hiei followed her trail. The amount of emotion she was emitting made it easy to find her. He heard sniffling in the entrance of a dark tunnel and decided to wait outside for any sounds of trouble.

Cori's nostrils flared at the smell of smoke and she stopped crying a moment. "Hiei?" She called to the entrance.

His small frame appeared. "How'd you know?"

"You smell like smoke." She smiled weakly when he sniffed at his cloak. "You can come in if you want. I promise I'll try not to blow you up."

He sat down next to her. "Koenma told us about your mother."

"I just made the connection." She sighed. "It really kinda sucks." She tried to keep her voice even, but a sob crept into it. She laid her head on Hiei's shoulder and continued to cry.

"You're too hard on yourself." He tried to soothe her awkwardly. "You didn't know you could do it. You were kept ignorant of your potential and have suffered the consequences."

"Being ignorant doesn't change the fact I did it." She sniffed and took a deep breath to calm herself. "And now I'm still ignorant. I don't know exactly how I do it. I just got mad and the light blew up. I have no control over it."

Hiei smirked. "I can relate."

Cori looked at him quizzically. He undid the bandage on his right arm to reveal the black dragon wrapped around it. "This is an incredibly powerful attack, that if I'm not careful, can completely destroy me." He sighed and wrapped his arm back up. "I've gained more control over it with practice. I can only suggest the same for you." She still looked upset. "Look." He sighed. "It's the only way you'll be able to prevent it from happening again." He felt her shudder at the thought. A few more tears leaked onto his cloak, but she had regained most of her composure. ~She's a fighter only when she has to be.~ he realized. ~She doesn't enjoy destruction and pain, but she recognizes the occasional necessity.~

"We should go home." She said softly.

"Fine." Hiei rose and she rose with him. They walked back to the house. "How many days left before two months is up?" Hiei asked, trying to turn her mind to a different topic.

"Nine days starting tomorrow." She replied after a moment's thought. "I hope I can stay out of trouble until then."