Crystal: Hello all, and welcome to my first Yu Yu Hakusho fic! Now, I do not own YYH, and I do not own Harry Potter, and anyone who died in either are alive now, I'm not mentioning names. The term 'Jumi' comes from the game 'Legend of Mana' by Squaresoft, so it doesn't belong to me either. The only character in my use is Oracle, who is a Jumi, all others belong to Squaresoft.
Crystal: Anyway, I would like to dedicate this whole story to the author Siora. I used only three ideas from her story, which you fill find under my favorites list. I used the fact that the team was going to 'protect' someone at Hogwarts, and then something that has to do with demons, but I can not say without giving away the whole plot line. And, I used the idea for them to stay at Grimmauld Place. So, here is the next chapter.
~*~*~
"Get ready" Oracle hissed, hiding behind the large shrub with Hiei.
"I can't believe you talked me into coming out here" he muttered.
"You'll like it, trust me. And be quiet, or they'll here us" Oracle whispered, peaking over the top of the shrub. "On three" she said under her breath. "One."
"Two" he said.
"Three" they chorused quietly, before standing up. Pushing her hands forward, a large gust of wind blew by, millions of snowballs floating along in its draft. Hiei placed his hands forward as well, causing a heat shield and dissolving all the oncoming snowballs.
"Down" Oracle said, as they dropped back behind the bush. "Over there" She mouthed, pointing to thick tree. It was short, with thick leaves that could conceal them, but easy enough to pop out of and attack. They ran over to it, not being seen with their speed. They sat in it, tucked together near the center, peering out through the leaves.
"Let's stay low for a while, this is a good place" Hiei said. Oracle nodded, and sat, rubbing her arms. Hiei glanced at her. "Cold?" He asked.
"I'm fine" Oracle smiled. She shivered a bit, and then felt a blanket of heat wash over her. Hiei had brought himself a bit closer to her, and let out a soft glow of his fiery aura, covering her in heat. "Arigato" she said quietly, feeling herself getting tired.
"Want to go back to the castle?" Hiei asked.
"And just leave everyone here?" Oracle asked.
"I'm sure they won't notice" Hiei said.
"What happens when they stop the game and call us out, and we're not here?" Oracle asked.
"They'll go looking for us" Hiei said simply.
"We can't let them do that" Oracle said.
"GAME OVER!" They heard Yusuke call.
"Should we trust them?" Hiei asked.
"Just leave up the heat barrier, and we'll be fine, even if they do ambush us" Oracle said. She took hold of his hand, and they both slipped down from the tree. They were pelted with snowballs, which melted before they reached them.
"Now that's not very nice" Oracle smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Let's go though, I'm hungry and sleepy, and the suns setting too" she said, pointing to the lavender sky. She looked at it quizzically for a moment; her eyes narrowed, but shook it out of her. "Let's go" she said to the others, a shiver going up her spine.
~*~*~
"Can you believe Christmas is tomorrow already?" Keiko asked, as she helped Botan place the ornaments on the tree.
"It makes me smile" Oracle said, "That so much time can pass without any of us knowing" she finished, continuing to mend crystals together to form an angel for the top of the tree.
"Which reminds me, where are all the boys?" Yukina asked, as she lightly frosted the tree.
"Said they had some 'last minute shopping' to do" Sapphire proclaimed, as she helped Diana spread candles throughout the room.
"Seriously, you'd think they would have done it earlier. I mean, all the good stuff is going to be gone by now" Esmeralda said, as she helped Opal decorate everything with strands of tinsel.
"As long as their gifts are better then last year, I'll be able to pull through" Opal said, as she tied strands of tinsel in her hair. "Oh, so pretty" she said, as she twirled.
"Maybe you should be helping me out, Miss Tinsel Town" Esmeralda retorted, as she took the box that Opal was holding and proceeded to decorate the stairs. Opal stuck her tongue out at her friend.
"You suck" she stated, before picking up a box of candy canes, and beginning to hang them on the tree.
"I'm excited for the contest though" Pearl said from her spot on the floor. She was sitting behind a table, putting together a gingerbread house. "With all our pretty dresses" she smiled.
"Day after Christmas, we'll be busy, so the boys better try and spend as much time with us tomorrow as possible" Oracle said, as she floated into the air, placing the angel on the top, and then sinking down again.
"There, all done" Diana said, as she placed the last candle. "Mana, where's Rubeun when you need him" she sighed.
"For once we want him, and he's not here" Esmeralda smiled, as she finished off the tinsel, and smiled at the sparkling room.
"I know what we're missing" Sapphire said, as she clapped her hands a few times. Small sparkles began blinking inside the tree, and she smiled. "Lights" she sighed dreamily.
"You know what a god thingy to do know would be?" Oracle asked, as she sat on one of the chairs.
"Iie, nani?" Keiko asked, slipping into Japanese.
"Ano…actually, it may not be a good idea. Don't want the boys to walk in" Oracle muttered. Then she brightened. "YATTA, I got it" She crowed. "Everyone meet me in my room" she smiled, as she stood and ran up the stairs.
"That was uneventful" Pearl said.
"And pilgrim spelled backwards is mirglip" Opal said suddenly. Everyone slid away from her.
~*~*~
"We're back!" Yusuke called, as all the boys stepped into the room, carrying bags galore. (A/N KAWAII, who just got the cutest picture of Hiei? ^-^)
"Hello?" Elazul asked as he walked through the room last. The boys looked around at all the decorations, but found the girls nowhere in sight.
"Odd…" Kurama muttered, as he placed his bags down and sat on one of the seats.
"Wonder where they all went?" Rubeun questioned as he sat. They heard a large thud from above, and all of them looked up.
"GOMEN NASAI!" They heard Oracle cry.
"Seems that was figured out" Elazul said in a monotone voice.
"NANI?!" They heard from above, and then a loud crash and a few more thuds.
"What in all the seven hells is going on up there?" Rubeun pondered aloud.
"IIE, IIE, IIE!" The heard one of the girls shout, and then feet pounding and girlish screams. Yukina ran into the room, wearing a pair of short-shorts and a very large shirt. Oracle ran in after her, a needle in one of her hands. She was wearing a pair of short shorts as well, and a tank top.
"Yukina, it's just…" Oracle froze as she caught sight of the boys, and her arms fell limply to her side.
"IIE, IIE, IIE!" Yukina said, but she froze when she noticed that it was terribly quiet. She turned, and froze, her eyes widening. Her lip quivered for a moment, and then she screamed, before running back up the stairs. Oracle screamed to, and ran up behind her, and then they heard a door slam.
"What was that?" Yusuke asked, looking over at the others. Kurama's eyes were a bit wide, his face flushed. Hiei's eyes were the same, a light shade of pink traveling across his face.
"Whatever it was, I have a feeling we're going to be yelled at because of it" Rubeun sighed.
"Maybe they're practicing for the karaoke contest" Kurama said quietly, the blush beginning the fade from his face.
"Bringing up that topic, what songs are you guys singing?" Elazul asked.
"This song called First Date I heard…can't really remember where" Yusuke said scratching his head.
"The song Somewhere, Somehow" Kurama said.
"I've heard that before…isn't it a duet?" Rubeun asked. Kurama nodded.
"But it just fit to well…I'll sing both parts myself" he said with a small smile. A door shut above, and the boys looked up quizzically.
"What about you?" Rubeun asked, turning to look at Hiei. He looked away, closing his eyes, as if not wanting to answer. They heard a door open, and after a few minutes, close.
"What are they doing up there?" Yusuke asked, but then heard foots coming down the stairs and talking, as well as laughing. Another thud, followed by a groan.
"Ok, next person to push me into a wall gets it" they heard Oracle say as she stepped into the room, rubbing the back of her head. Hiei's eyes widened a bit. She was wearing a white dress that wrapped around her neck, and had a white, mesh layer going about two inches down from the bottom of the dress. Her hair was up in ringlets on her head, with pieces of mistletoe hung throughout it.
"Are you staring at anything specific?" She asked Hiei with a small laugh. He blushed slightly, and looked away, shaking his head. "You know you still can't lie to me, right?" She asked, walking over and sitting on the edge of the chair he was in. He scooted away from her, and she leaned towards him, but…fell. So, they ended up with Hiei leaning a bit into the chair, with Oracle's hanging and crossed over one of the arms, her head in his lap.
"Hi you" she said up to him, laughing, her pale face flushed with color. They heard another thud, and Yukina stepped into the room, rubbing her head.
"Opal just loves pushing people into walls, doesn't she?" She asked aloud, pushing wrinkles out of her skirt. She was wearing a light, red dress, which hugged her bodice and then fluttered down from her waist to her knees, the sleeves off shoulder. Her hair was flowing down her shoulders, a piece of it held with an emerald ribbon.
"We're you all dressing up for Christmas, or something?" Yusuke asked.
"Well, we are having a Christmas-Eve-Party-like-thing" Keiko said, as she walked into the room, though not following a thud. Yukina had sat down on the couch, a little close to Kurama, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
Keiko herself was wearing a deep, green dress, with spaghetti straps, and a halter neck. It hugged her body all the way, like Oracle's, but with no mesh at the bottom. Her hair was French braided, and tied with a red ribbon. Yusuke smiled a bit at her.
"Looks like green is both our color" he smirked, as she sat on the floor in front of the chair he was situated in.
"I like blue better" Keiko said with a small smile. There was another thud, as Diana stumbled into the room, dressed up in a dress similar to Yukina's, though in a diamond white, with a sparkling shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was put in two French braids, which were then folded on to her hair and clipped with mistletoe.
"Damn you Opal, shall you burn in hell" Diana mumbled, shaking her fist, as she sat down next to Yukina on the couch, and smoothed out her skirt. Another thud, followed by a line of curses. Opal came walking out, in a deep, crimson dress, that had a halter top, no sleeves, and went down to her ankles, hugging every curve, with a cut up the left side, reaching her thigh.
"What happened?" Oracle asked with a small laugh, as Opal re-did her hair claw.
"Oh, Sapphire thought it would be funny to push me down the stairs, like I did to all of you" Opal said with a sarcastic smile, as her friends and sisters began to laugh.
"You deserved it" Sapphire said, as she walked into the room with Pearl, Botan, and Esmeralda. She, unlike the others, was dressed in a dark, sapphire (A/N Go figure) dress, which hugged her body town to the tips at her mid thigh, with long sleeves, and a square neck. Her hair was tied up in knots, with hair hanging down around her head in every which way.
"I did not" Opal stated, as she sat on one of the couches.
"Did so" Esmeralda said, as she sat down next to her, her green dress that matched hers shimmering with glitter. Her hair fell down her shoulders, and sort of stayed there in elegance. Opal huffed at the statement, crossing her legs on the ground.
"So that's why we heard all the thuds earlier" Rubeun said, with a hint of amusement.
"Yes, Opal found it funny to keep pushing Oracle here into the wall repeatedly" Botan said with a small smile. She was wearing a halter dress that actually touched the ground slightly, in a cream white color, with light red, mesh sleeves. Her hair was tied up in its usual pony-tail, with a silk, red ribbon.
"Yea, yea, yea, you wouldn't find it so funny if it was you being pushed into the wall" Oracle huffed, turning her head in Hiei's lap. Pearl laughed a bit, her light lavender, almost white, dress swishing a bit as she walked over to sit down. It reached her mid calf, hugging to her bodice, with a halter neck, and that same color arm bands. Her curly blonde hair was tied back, and then put into a braid, and then wrapped around her head, some hair still hanging down.
"We should head down to dinner now" she said softly.
"Already time for dinner?" Yusuke asked, looking at the clock which read 6:30. His stomach grumbled. "Guess so" he laughed.
"Oh, but we're going to look so out-dressed next to you all" Rubeun said, as they stood. All of the girls were wearing the same, white, strappy heels, which seemed to match their dress no matter what.
"Don't worry, we just felt like doing this for fun. We can free dress for dinner now, so it's no ones business" Oracle said, as she lifted her head, and Hiei stood. He walked over to the side her feet were dangling over, took her hands, and pulled her up. "Arigato" she smiled.
"Kodak moment" Keiko muttered, causing the two to blush slightly.
"Well-er-let's get going" Oracle said, twirling one of her bangs between her fingers. Everyone stood, taking off coats if they still wore them, and so forth. They were all pretty dressed up, running into almost no one as they walked to the Great Hall. They all split off to their tables, sitting down in clumps at the tables that stood out.
"So, what did you boys buy?" Botan asked, as they began to eat some of the Christmas foods scattered about the table.
"Er" they all said, looking away and not answering.
"Ok, ok, you don't have to tell us" Botan said, as she took a bite of her food.
"Oh, how did you like the Christmas decorations?" Yukina asked. The boys nodded.
"Nice" Yusuke said with a thumbs up.
"Very beautiful" Kurama smiled.
"Hn."
"Glad you all liked them" Oracle said, sending a laughing smile at Hiei. They continued laughing bits and bits, well, with the exception of Hiei, and talked about past Christmas's. Oracle listened with interest, not really ever celebrating Christmas with anyone, except Dumbledore.
"There was this one year, when I went around and threw snowballs at all my neighbors, and they—" Yusuke began, but Keiko whapped him over the head with a spoon before he could continue, sending a few of them into laughter.
"Maybe we should get going now" Oracle suggested, as the sky outside darkened increasingly, and she received another cold shiver up her spine.
"Yes, the faster Christmas comes, the better" Botan said with a smile, as they stood, walking out of the hall before anyone else. A soft snow began to fall lightly outside, making Oracle stop and look out, since it was incredibly beautiful against the night sky.
"Pretty…" she sighed with content, but she shivered again, the same bad feeling.
"Are you cold?" Hiei asked, walking up next to her.
"I'm fine" Oracle said, though the shiver kept repeating itself. Hiei noticed the others had gone ahead, probably not seeing that Oracle had stopped, seeing she had been at the back with him. She continued to shiver. Sighing, and forgetting how he could have used his youkai power, he wrapped his arms around her small frame. She froze, her eyes locked on the snow, but let herself fall back slightly.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Oracle asked, watching each soft, descending snowflake.
"Hai."
~*~*~
"Oracle?" Yukina asked, turning as they stepped onto the fifth floor. She had thought it had gotten awfully quiet, even though Botan was bouncing around happily. But, she didn't expect to find both Oracle and Hiei gone. "Odd…" she muttered.
Kurama turned, noticing that Yukina had stopped walking. Yusuke, Keiko, and Botan stopped as well.
"Everything ok?" Yusuke asked Kurama.
"Yes, everything's fine. You three go on without us" he said, and they nodded, secret smiles on their faces. Kurama turned as they walked around the corner, taking a deep breath, and then walking towards Yukina. "Yukina?" He asked quietly. She turned and smiled slightly at him.
"Gomen for holding you up, I just noticed that Hiei and Oracle had disappeared" she said.
"Surprised you didn't see it earlier, but they're fine. Most likely with each other" he said, and they both smiled. They turned to leave again, when Yukina caught sight of the snow falling outside a large window.
"Yuki" she smiled, running towards the window, and staring in awe at the falling ice crystals. Kurama came up, leaning on the window sill beside her.
"It…reminds me of a song the maidens used to sing to me when I was young" Yukina said quietly, lapsing into thought as if trying to remember it.
Konayuki ga maiorite kita machi de
Toiki ga shiroku sora ni hodokete yuku
Anata no koto omoeba doushite?
Konna ni mune ga atsuku naru
Yukina paused, as if trying to place the rest of the words. Kurama looked out at the snow, remembering hearing the words before, when he saw a flash of his childhood, his mother singing to him…on a snowy night…that song. He remembered the words a bit clearly, though it was a bit fuzzy.
Ki ga tsuku to itsumi hitogomi no naka
Youfuku uriba window nozoku to
Kawanai no ni erandari shite'ru
Anata ni niai sou da nante
Yukina looked over at Kurama as his words faded out. He continued to stare out the window, avoiding her eyes.
"My mother used to sing that song to me when I was younger as well…when it was snowing" he said in a very quiet voice.
"Funny…how much we've had in common and never knew it" she said with a small smile, as more snow began to fall.
BAKA mitai da yo ne
Ima wa hayaranai ne
Tomodachi no koibito to
Wakattete suki ni natte
Seeing that they seemed to be going in a sequence, and that the chorus was after the next part, his, which he felt a little bad about singing. It rushed up this feeling in his chest.
Shou ga nai
Warawarete mo ii
Taisetsu na kimochi
Without a moment to wait, they both sang the chorus quietly, enjoying the snow as if danced to their tune, and as they finished off the song in sweat melody.
Pure Snow
Pure Heart
Futari
Deatta hi mo yuki ga futte-ita
Koi yori mo setsunakute
Ai yori mo USO no nai
Unmei wo kanjita no
Their song faded through the window, out into the new fallen snow, the notes being carried into oblivion as they turned, locked between their eyes. Kurama let out a long, misty breath, and Yukina felt her heart in her throat. What was with her…?
"Yukina…" Kurama began, but his sentence was cut off as the castle filled with a scream. They both looked down the hallway alarmed, and ran off.
~*~*~
The scream had, in fact, been heard through the entire school, and Yusuke, Keiko, and Botan didn't waste a second in finding it. The scream had lasted long, and by the time they reached the third floor, it ended. They met up with Yukina and Kurama there, though they seemed to be going in circles.
"Who do you think it could have been?" Yukina asked, as they ran down another hallway.
"And what do you think happened to make them scream like that?" Keiko asked, a little frightened. They turned a corner, and stopped dead. Oracle lay on the ground, her eyes open and white, no color at all. Her hair was pure silver, and her core was clouded over. Hiei was bending over her, trying to shake her out of the state.
It was like she was…dead.
~*~*~
The Great Hall froze as the scream filled the room. Everything went quiet, and Dumbledore stood. The Jumi had frozen, trying to cover up their cores as they began to glow. Finally, they just stood, and ran, the bright light and ringing sound following them through the door, as their eyes began to cloud.
Dumbledore stood once more, seeming to be calm, though his words and eyes held a tenseness that no one in the school had ever seen him experience.
"All students will return to their dormitories immediately, and all teachers will report to the third floor, left hand corridor" Dumbledore instructed. The students began to bustle out into the entrance hall, fleeing towards their common rooms, whispering things between housemates.
"Do you think it's another troll?"
"Maybe it's a vampire, or a werewolf."
"Or maybe something worse…"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped out of the bustling crowds, escaping the eyes of everyone, as they snuck towards the left hand side corridor on the third floor.
"What do you think it was?" Hermione asked, as they stepped onto the eerily quiet floor. It seemed not even the teachers were there. Not even the people in the portraits were visible, and there was no sign of a ghost. They began walking, but their feet made no sound as they walked down a hallway, somehow knowing that it was the right way.
~*~*~
The trio reached the end of the hallway, about to turn a corner, when they heard voices.
"What happened to her?" Cried a distressed voice, and they heard someone fall to the ground.
"We were just standing here, when suddenly, the lights flickered…the next thing I knew, she was shaking all over, pushing all things out of her way, before she, herself fell to the ground. Her eyes turned white, her hair silver, and then her core clouded" said a low voice. It sounded a bit shaky…and Harry knew he had heard it. Ron as well. "It's all my fault" they whispered.
"No it isn't" said a calm voice. The trio peeked around the corner, seeing a rather large group gathered around something on the floor. Hiei was kneeled beside the thing, actually seeming distressed through his usual hard appearance. Yukina was crouching beside him, her hand on his shoulder, looking down at the thing as well. Kurama stood, both his hands on her shoulders, with Yusuke on his right, holding a shaking Keiko in his arms. The rest of the Jumi were on the other side, their eyes clouded and a light blinking from each of their chests.
Their heard voices, coming down from the other side of the hall, and Dumbledore, followed by most of the other teachers, walked into the hall.
"What happened here?" He asked in a calm voice, though he was throwing distraught looks at the thing on the floor. Yukina moved backwards, making quivering sounds into Kurama's shirt as she clung to it, Hiei telling the story over, his voice becoming softer as he went. And as Yukina moved, Oracle's head came into view of the trio, and they drew in small breaths, though no one heard them in the distraught.
Suddenly, she began shaking, thrashing her arms about, and she screamed again. Her eyes seemed to grow a brighter white, as she opened her mouth and began making gagging noises. The Jumi covered their ears, as if it was a howling shriek, and they fell to the ground as well, their eyes clouding over, but not to white, just a darker shade of their original color.
Oracle began to make weird noises, and the Jumi fell unconscious at this time, as Oracle's words began to make sense. Before her breath died out, and her hair and eyes returned to normal, and she fell unconscious, she breathed out one word.
"Hiei…"
~*~*~
Oracle was carried to the Hospital Wing after that, and she was brought to after a small amount of time. She looked extremely peaceful at first, but as she registered her surroundings, her head shot up, and she looked around in fear, as if she were going to cry.
"Hiei" she said quietly, looking around the pitch black room, repeating his name over and over, before her throat caught, and she just made sobbing noises, not able to shed her tears.
"Oracle…" a voice said from the shadows. She looked up, her eyes shaking, when Hiei stepped from the shadows, shutting the door he had come through. He walked towards her, and she kept his eyes. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and she lunged at him in a hug, clinging to his shirt, and letting out more sobs, words in between.
"I am glad" she kept repeating, and he put his arms around her, hugging her softly. She was no longer shivering, and she was wearing a long, white, flowing gown, which Dumbledore had brought for her. It was a dress that had been one of her possessions that she had left in his office from the year before, because she said if anything of health concerned her, she must be put into this dress. It revealed her core, which had cleared, and was looking like a diamond jade.
"What happened back there?" He asked softly, as she looked up at him.
"He…Voldemort…he broke into my mind…broke through my power connection…couldn't control" she choked out, leaning up towards him. "Gave me images…everyone…badly hurt…you…dead" she said quietly, letting her head drop, and small sobs to escape her lips. Hiei held her closer, as she pressed her forehead to his shoulder, her small whimpers making his brain and heart twist.
It was his fault. He knew, in someway, it was. If he had acted on his instinct earlier, when he had noticed her shiver the first few times, instead of battling with his heart. He should have protected her, and not have been worrying. And once again, he found himself again on the puzzling question that he had grown so used to over the past five months. What was this girl doing to him?
"Hiei" she said quietly, lifting her head up, and looking up with pained, aqua eyes. Her hair was let loosely to her shoulders, glowing in the darkness of the ward. Hiei snapped out of his thoughts, looking at the girl who he had become accustomed to calling his guardian angel. His gaze was questioning, and hers softened into one of comfort in a mere matter of seconds. Lifting herself up a bit, she touched her lips to his, one of her hands placed on his cheek, the other the back of his neck.
He didn't seem as shocked as he had been all the other times, as the kiss continued to deepen and deepen, each going through it hungrily, as if it was the deadly sweet always held out of their reach. But before it could go further, Oracle's lips broke from his, and her head fell to his shoulder once more. He let his head fall onto the top of hers, her breathing tickling the base of his neck.
"It wasn't your fault" she breathed to him, before her eyes fell shut, and she slipped into a peaceful sleep.
~*~*~
The group sat in the common room, debating if they should wait for Hiei to return from his visit with Oracle or just go. But Keiko, Botan, Yukina, and three of the Jumi would always hiss at the others for suggesting such a thing.
But as the clock ticked towards the twelfth hour, they began to get suspicious and not to attached to the idea of waiting. But as they were about to stand, the portrait hole opened. Dumbledore walked in, followed by Hiei, who had Oracle in his arms. She had one hand wrapped tightly around his neck, the other grasping his shirt. Her hair fell in ribbons through the air, her eyes closed, and her skin as pale as the moon in the dim light.
Her sisters and friends stood, walking over, but Dumbledore stopped them, as Hiei sat with Oracle still held tightly in his lap.
"She had her power connection broken, didn't she?" Sapphire asked, glancing at her sister, who seemed so peaceful, though she had experienced extreme pain just a few hours before.
"Yes…by Voldemort" Dumbledore said, and the Jumi looked at him with pained eyes. "But he didn't just get to her, but you as well? That is why you all ran out of the hall when you did, why all of you were captured in the spell of the princesses scream" Dumbledore said.
"He set up a barrier, only fit around that area, could have been set up from anywhere" Rubeun said, lapsed into thought. "Oracle had most likely been sensing his power trying to form around her, but always got away from the area quick enough to avoid it. But, in that hallway, she was there to long, and I'm surprised he hadn't killed her already. She must have had a power hard to break through for him not to have made it into her mind" he explained.
The scream carried the effect through the whole castle, so it affected us in some way, not as much, and our cores began to shine and blink rapidly, so we knew she was in trouble. But when we got in the hall, it became stronger, but the whole force was inside her. The thing is, when she opened her mouth, she released a large amount of the power, and we got trapped inside the spell as well, not as bad" Diana explained.
"When she began to make the odd noises, it was in a language that only the Jumi would understand, having to learn it for studies. It was the language of the ancient people of Mana, the ones who knew the powers of the dark, and were sealed away in the deepest depths of the hells when the first Mana Goddess arrives. At least, that's what we know of" Elazul said thoughtfully. Dumbledore nodded, and then turned to look at Hiei.
"She will awake in the morning, since the draught of Dreamless Sleep does not carry to high of a sleeping spell. I bade you all goodnight, and a Happy Christmas" Dumbledore said with a wave of his hand, and then he left the room with a swish of his robes. The room fell quiet at that point, only disrupted by the ticking of the clock.
"Maybe you should bring her to bed" Yukina suggested to Hiei, breaking the thick fog of silence. Hiei nodded, standing, and Oracle adjusted herself in his arms, her head now tucked in the crock of his neck, both arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He blushed slightly, before turning on his heel and bringing her up to bed.
"To think, such a happy set of days could be turned into such a disaster" Botan sighed, finally finding something she was distressed about…no happy interior for Christmas Eve Night.
~*~*~
Emerald.
Crimson.
Emerald.
Crimson.
That was the first flash of things as two people woke the next morning. Oracle laughed again, to find Hiei and her in the predicament they had been in the night of Halloween.
"Maybe it's a holiday thing" Oracle said with a small smile to his ear, and a small smile of his own appeared on his face. "Now come, time for presents" Oracle crowed, as she bounced up…and off the bed.
"Itai" she muttered, rubbing the back of her head from the spot on the floor. Hiei looked over the side of the bed, letting out a small chuckle, as he stood as well; slipping a white shirt that Oracle had said she wanted to keep. ("You never know what might happen.")
Oracle combed through her hair, finding the dress she was in fine enough for opening presents. They left the room, walking down to the common, where a few of the others already sat, opening gifts. Oracle smiled over at Hiei, and he knew that what he had to do, he had to do.
They sat down, looking around as Yukina ate some chocolate that she had gotten from Keiko. Keiko herself, was unwrapping a gift from Botan, and Botan was admiring her watch from Keiko. Yusuke was sitting around with Kurama, watching as the girls went through their presents and such. The other Jumi weren't around, but most likely because they weren't used to this custom yet. When they had Heaven's Day, it was one gift per person, not ten.
The group smiled as the couple sat, and Oracle began to open her gifts. From Keiko she received a beautiful hair clip, in a China style. It had a white and blue flower, with some green, and beautiful turquoise embraced in the petals, contrasting beautifully with her hair. From Botan, she got a lovely shawl of lavender, made of silk, which could be draped over her shoulders, and put over her head like a hood. And from Yukina, she received silver hoop earrings, with emerald teardrops hanging from them.
"Thank you all" she smiled, and then picked up three boxes from the bottom of the tree, and handed one to each of the girls. "Open them" she said, her eyes shining, and the girls pulled the silk ribbons from the boxes, letting out small gasps.
In each box lay a dress, exactly the same as each of the others. It had a long, flowing, silk skirt that pooled at the ankles. The top part was the same as the skirt, with flowing, off the shoulder sleeves, that were long and fell at the middle of the palm. There was an outer bodice around the middle of each dress, with ribbon lace up. Inside the box was also a ribbon chocker, each with a different gem in the center. It also came with earrings with ribbon strings that fell about three inches from the ear, with teardrop gems, the same stone from the chocker hanging.
"Their lovely, thank you Oracle" Botan said, hugging the girl.
"Really, it's just to show my gratitude to all of you, you've been such wonderful friends" she smiled. Keiko held her canary blue dress up to her body, and looking down at the sapphire necklace and earrings.
Botan stroked the sleeve of her baby pink dress, the rosary stone shining brightly from her chocker.
Yukina smiled as she looked over the lavender dress she now possessed, with a beautiful diamond in the chocker, looking delicate with the colors.
"I have one in white" Oracle said, smiling softly. The girls began talking again, when Oracle felt Hiei tap her on the shoulder. She turned, a small, secret smile spreading across her face. She stood, and he led her away towards the window, where they sat down on the plush bench, looking out at the newly fallen, Christmas snow. Oracle looked over at Hiei, with a questioning glance.
He smiled a bit, taking out a box from his over shirt. Oracle stared at him for a moment, then at the box, then her eyes grew wide. Hiei caught her look, and shook his head quickly.
"No, no, not that" he said to her, and her eyes settled a bit. He opened the box, and there was indeed a ring inside. It was made of silver, shaped like a dragon, with the deepest colored ruby Oracle had ever seen inside the dragon's mouth. In the center of the ruby…was a diamond.
"It's…beautiful" Oracle said as she looked down at it.
"It's…what did Kurama call it…oh, a promise ring" Hiei said after muttering to himself a bit. He lifted it out of the box, slipping it onto her index finger.
"So, a promise ring…as in what kind of promise?" Oracle asked, looking down at her ring, her pale cheeks tinted with color. Hiei blushed slightly as well. Oracle looked up, seeming they were both keeping the same thought in mind. A marriage promise. Oracle looked around, seeing everyone else occupied with their own things.
She lifted her head again, and leaned in towards Hiei, catching his lips in a kiss. Hiei seemed a bit startled at first, but after a few seconds, fell in willingly. It was pretty short, for their friends were in the room, but enjoyable, nonetheless.
"It's time" she said to him, stroking his face with her hand, and looking over at Yukina. Hiei nodded, standing, and making his way over to his sister.
~*~*~
Crystal: Another chapter done. Now, as you can see, I've decided this will be a Hiei/Oracle story. They have a lot in common, and Hiei will like her. I mean, she can fight for herself, and she likes to taunt Yusuke (or make his worst dreams…realities.) Yea, that's more like it.
Crystal: Now, my friend *DreamerStarM* said that a Yukina/Kurama coupling would be original, and I like original, so I'm going to lean towards that. Besides, Hiei would trust Yukina more with Kurama then with Kuwabara.
Crystal: So, now that that's all clear, I would just love some reviews and feedback. And the next chapter will be out ASAP, or as fast as I can type. 18 stories now, I got rid of a few that weren't doing to well, but it's still a lot to handle. I updated PO8, aren't the readers of that just so happy?
Crystal: Lots and lots of fluff in the next like two or three chapters, a lot of Kurama/Yukina, Oracle/Hiei, Yusuke/Keiko, and even Botan/??????. It's not gonna be the largest surprise, cause I'm sure most of you will figure out who it is. Anyway, we got our first hint of evil in this chapter, which will lead up to later. And…just to tell all of you…Voldemort does not die at the end of this story. It's not the right year, and I will not be bringing up his defeat. You guys are writers, or have read enough to have a splendid imagination, make it up yourself.
Crystal: We also have some fun new characters coming in after Christmas, and everything heats up with Valentines around the corner…as well as a shock for all of the Jumi. The end is coming near, but remember, I promise a sequel, I just have to finish another story before I can come out with that or the prequel. So, review all of you!
See ya around…