A/N: I decided that most of this fic, the beginning and middle part anyway, is going to take place in the human world. I don't know why, that's just how it turned out. I'll figure out the time later, when I've seen more of the series.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. (no, really?)

~*~*~*~ Chapter 2 ~*~*~*~

            "You know, it really isn't as bad as you think it is," Kurama said thoughtfully on their way to school.

            "What, being forced to spend my time with you guys or going to school?" Kai asked gloomily as she trudged along the pavement next to Kurama. She had woken up at the crack of dawn, ready to practice with the katana, when she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. The events of the previous day came rushing back to her when Kurama came into her room carrying a school uniform.

            Kurama smiled. Kai noticed that Kurama smiled often, but rarely laughed. He always seemed so happy. "Being a spirit detective. You know, Hiei and I were in the same situation a little while ago. You get used to it after a while, and maybe even start to like it."

            Kai snorted. She was convinced she wouldn't like it at all. Get used to it, maybe. "I have to call you Shuuichi now, right?"

            Kurama nodded.

            "Oh my gosh! Its Shuuichi!" a girl dressed in a uniform squealed.

            "Who's that with him?"

            "It's a girl!"

            "Maybe he has a girlfriend!"

            They all looked horrified at the idea.

            "Let's go see," one of them suggested.

            The whole mob started off at an extremely quick walk, trying not to look angry or suspicious and failing miserably.

            Kurama saw them coming and winced.

            Kai, noticing them also, said, "Got you own fanclub, huh?"

            "Please, no," he whispered.

            Kai understood the situation. "Alright, here's the story. I'm your old friend from out of town that just moved here. I'm shy and I don't like people so I don't talk much and hang around you."

            "Sounds good," Kurama said. Kai didn't know why she was being so nice to Kurama, or why he was being so nice to her. She didn't know that Kurama was usually nice. While she pondered this, Kurama explained to the girls who Kai was. They went away, looking both relieved and disappointed.

            "I think they expected you to ask the whole lot of them out on the spot," she whispered.

            Kurama chose to ignore this last comment, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

            All day in school, Kai stared longingly out the window. The great outdoors had never looked so good to her. Teachers whose names she had not even bothered to remember droned on and on. She looked at Kurama, who was studying diligently, every once in a while, and smiled to herself when she realized almost every girl in the class was staring at him. This amused Kai to no end, and she made a mental note to herself to tease Kurama about it after school.

            When the time for gym class came, Kai wondered what she was going to do. Her demon-like speed and strength would look a little suspicious, so she decided to fake it. This worked surprisingly well, but, obviously, Kurama knew what she was doing. The rest of the day passed this way, and the next day, and the next.

            By Thursday, Kai felt she was going to explode with boredom. Every class was torture, and she didn't listen to any teachers or bother to write homework down. By fifth period after lunch, she knew she couldn't take it anymore. Being a ningen was so boring! Nothing happened, nobody wanted anything to happen.

            "I'm leaving," she whispered to Kurama.

            He looked as if he wanted to stop her, then thought better of it. "Do what you wish," he said. He didn't feel it was necessary to 'watch' her anymore, and human school to a free demon spirit must be grueling, not in the work, but the confines.

            She looked gratefully at him and slipped quietly out the door during period change. She grinned to herself, liking that she was foiling Yusuke and Kuwabara's plans to torture her, and the teachers' attempts to tame her. She stood on the roof for a while, drinking in the daylight that human teenagers are denied while trapped in the prison called school. She was going to have some fun today.

A/N: My school is a prison. It even looks like one!

            Kai leapt lightly from building to building in a very demon-like way, not caring whether or not she was spotted. Her eyes were closed and she was running when she ran straight into a solid object.

"Goddamn it, what was that? That hurt!" she shouted.

            "Then maybe you should watch where you're going," Hiei's voice said from above her.

            "Shut up," she muttered, rubbing her head. She waited for him to help her up, but he made no effort to extend his hand. "Well you're a real gentleman."

            "Hn," he replied. At least he was waiting for her.

            "So what are you doing up here?" she asked, making an attempt at conversation, which was virtually impossible with Hiei.

            He just shrugged.

            "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

            "No," he said.

            Kai decided that silence would be best. They walked around the streets for a while, not really doing anything, each with their own thoughts, which suited both of them just fine. In the early afternoon, they chanced upon a forest on the outskirts of the town.

            "Let's go in here, I'm sick of the city," Kai said.

            Hiei agreed. "You don't like the city," he said.

            "No, I guess I'm a country girl at heart," she replied. "Where I grew up, it was beautiful and open, never too crowded. It took me a while to realize that most of the Makai was dirty and torn by the ravages of war and crime. That was a bit of a shocker. What about you?"

            "I always knew it was like that."

            Kai sensed there was more to the story, but if Hiei didn't want to tell her, that was his business. Just then she spotted a small lake in the middle of the forest. She pulled off her boots, rolled her breeches up to her knees, and waded in the crystal clear water. Kai splashed around for a while in a most un-cat-like manner before settling on a rock by the water's edge. "Come on, it's only water, it's not going to kill you!" she called to Hiei, who was still standing far away from the lake.

            He shook his head.

            "Suit yourself." She went back to dangling her feet in the water, enjoying the cool sensation.

            "Do you have any siblings?" Hiei asked suddenly.

            Kai paused to consider the odd question. "Of course," she answered. "17 of them."

            Hiei's eyes opened wide. "That many?"

            "Sure," she said. "It's not all that strange for cat demons. In fact, it's average. Why?"

            "Just wondering."

            'Yeah right,' she thought. "Do you?"

            "What?"

            "Have any siblings?"

            He hesitated. "Yes."

            "Well?"

            Something in her eyes made him want to spill the entire story, as he had never wanted to before.

            "If there's anything you want to say, I promise you it won't leave here."
            His crimson eyes looked at her warily.

            "I swear," she said.

            Hiei told Kai about his entire life, being rejected by the ice demons and being raised by thieves, learning the katana, his criminal record, and most of all, searching for his sister Yukina. It was possibly the first and last time he would ever talk like this in his entire life.

            "She abhors killing of all kind. Look at me; I've slain half the Makai. Yukina would be devastated to learn that I was her brother." Hiei looked at the ground, almost afraid of Kai's reaction.

            Kai didn't know what to say. She felt she should say something, as Hiei had just confided in her his greatest secret, but she didn't know what. She didn't understand completely, but words would ruin the moment. She softly stood up and laid her hand gently on Hiei's shoulder. He jumped, startled, then relaxed. Her eyes communicated all she needed to say, sympathy and understanding.

            The rapidly setting sun warned her it was time to go. "I'll see you later," she said before slipping off back through the forest.

            Kai had enough to think about the next day to get her all the way through school the next day. Most of her thoughts were dominated by visions of a short fire demon with blood-red eyes. She was nervous around Hiei, and never knew how to act. She never felt like this with Kurama, but it made her all the more determined to get to know Hiei better.

            Friday night found Kai sitting cross-legged across from Kurama, watching him complete the algebra homework she had not felt like doing. The steady drone of rain on the windowpane drummed upon her ears. She wondered what Hiei was doing in this weather. Kurama told her he liked to sleep outside, but it must be really nasty in the pouring rain.

            "You can go downstairs and get something to eat if you want," Kurama suggested.

            "Okay," she said and bounced down the stairs to raid Kurama's refrigerator. His mother was conveniently out of town, or he would have some serious explaining to do. A strange girl sleeping over is not something most mothers take kindly to.

            Kai rummaged through the cabinets until she found a box of chocolates. She inspected the semi-sweet morsel thoroughly and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm, this is good!" She proceeded to devour the entire box. When that was finished, she was still hungry, so she attacked the freezer. What she found was a ningen thing called ice cream, which looked interesting. Kai dug her spoon in and tasted it. At that moment, Hiei walked into the room, soaking wet from the downpour.

            "Hey, you want some of this?" Kai asked, gallantly offering to share her ice cream with Hiei.

            "No."

            She shrugged. "Suit yourself." She wolfed down the chocolate chip cookie dough so fast she almost didn't taste it.

            "You know, you really shouldn't eat it that fast," Hiei commented.

            "What do you know?"

            He just looked at her in response, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

            Kai's eyes opened wide in surprise as she got a horrible, freezing headache. She gasped and began searching frantically for anything warm.

            "Ningens call it brainfreeze," Hiei said, giving a short laugh.

            "Are you laughing at me?"

            "Yes."

            Without any warning, Kai rushed over and tackled him, knocking him off the couch he was sitting on. She pummeled him, laughing all the time. Hiei flipped her onto her back, and she used her legs to propel him across the room. While they were rolling around on the floor, they didn't hear the doorbell ring or Yusuke, Kuwabara, Boton, Keiko, and Shizuru enter the house.

            "I'm not even going to tell you what that looks like," Shizuru commented.

            "Who's that?" Keiko asked.

            Kai got up and dusted herself off. "Hello, I'm Kai, pleased to meet you," she said sweetly.

            Yusuke and Kuwabara gave her strange looks. This was most unlike the quiet, slightly sarcastic cat demon they had come to know. Maybe she acted differently around girls.

            Hiei was a bit puzzled. He had never fought like that before. Kai had seemed almost playful while she tackled him. Whatever the reason, he could see it wasn't a serious fight, almost like Yusuke and Kuwabara. Very strange.

            Kai could tell Hiei probably hadn't play-fought in his entire life. She gave herself a shake. She felt almost giddy, which had never happened to her before.

            Boton, Keiko, and Shizuru looked around the room at the others, who were all deep in their own thoughts, not paying any attention to anyone else.

            "Koenma told us to meet here for our next assignment," Boton said. "But, the problem is, we haven't received the video yet."

            "Are you sure this is the right day?" Kurama, who had just entered the room, asked.

            "Yes, I'm positive."

            "Well, then we'll just have to wait," Yusuke said.

            They sat on the couches and watched television. Kai grew bored after the third hour, and went outside to get some fresh air. After a while, the others heard a strange, enchanting sound coming from outside. They crowded around the window, to see Kai perched on the deck railing, playing on a small reed pipe. Kurama and Hiei felt the music deeply, and Yusuke felt it also, to some degree. The humans knew that it was pretty, and weird, but nothing else. It scared Kuwabara, who, brilliant person that he is, decided to stop it. He grabbed the nearest solid object, which happened to be somebody's boot, and threw it at Kai, throwing her off her perch. She fell the short distance to earth with a crash.

            Kurama and Hiei slowly began to slink away. The girls and Yusuke followed their good example. Kuwabara was not fortunate enough to be gifted with common sense, and he remained standing where he was.

            "WHO-THREW-THAT?" Kai yelled, panting, as she climbed back up to Kurama's apartment.

            Yusuke silently pointed to Kuwabara. Kai looked to Hiei and Kurama for verification. They nodded, a little apprehensively. Kai leapt at Kuwabara, and began pounding him into the ground. Five minutes later, Kai emerged victorious from an anime scuffle, perfectly calm and happy. The rest of the room just sweatdropped.

            The doorbell rang. "Uhhh," a young nymph said.

            "Is this the residence of Shuuichi Minamino, or Kurama the kitsune?" an elderly fairy corrected her.

            "Great, a trainee," Kai muttered to Hiei, just loud enough so that he could hear it.

            "I…I have a package for him…or…"

            "Another member of the Rekai Tantai."

            This was starting to get really annoying.

            "I'll take it. I am Kurama."

            "Now give him the package, dear."

            Kai snickered. Kurama took the package, presumably containing the video of their next assignment.

            "All right, let's watch it. We've been waiting half the night."

            "Now I know why."

            "Reikai (?) trainees are really a bother."

            "Just watch the video!" Boton exclaimed.

            Koenma came on the screen as usual with a big commotion telling everyone how great he was.

            "Now, for your next assignment," he began, speaking through the pacifier in his mouth.

            "There is a demon living in the human world. His demon name is Mokkan; I do not know what his human name or appearance is. In demon form he is certainly a kitsune of a rare sort, very powerful. Here is a picture."

            The screen showed a good-looking kitsune demon, with inky black hair and amber eyes.

            "I have reason to believe he has ambitions to rule the human world, and possibly the spirit world as well. I want you to go find him, and defeat him any way you can. The problem is; he is not an easy man to find. He keeps company with high-class ningens and poses very well as one of them. We have only one known location and one time where we are certain he will be." Koenma paused for effect.

            "It is at a party, a formal ningen party, where I want you to go and investigate."

            The members of the Urameshi team looked shocked. "You want us to go where?" Yusuke gasped.

            "Look at us," said Kuwabara, "we're not exactly high-class material."

            "Well get a disguise or something," Koenma answered, giving a small wave of his hand. "It's in exactly two weeks. You better get going. And you will be expected to have dates, or at least the girls should go. So you blend in."

            "This is going to be fun," Kai muttered to herself. She didn't really have an opinion on this, only that she really didn't want to dress up, and it was clear she was going to have to. And a date! She shuddered.

            Hiei was most displeased about this assignment. Dressing up and attending ningen parties was really not his thing. Kurama was neutral. Yusuke looked like he was going to murder someone, so Kuwabara stepped out of the way.

            "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Keiko exclaimed.

            "You'll have to go shopping with us, Kai! This is an interesting assignment, for once," Boton agreed.

            'Do I really have a choice?' Kai asked herself. 'Probably not.' "Alright, I'll go," she said resignedly.

~*~*~*~

            "You know what you have to do."

            "Yes," the woman said with a coy smile. "I know exactly what I need to do."

            "Be careful. None of them are stupid."

            "I know. That makes it all the more fun for me."

            "Go now."

            "Right," she said, slipping into the darkness.

A/N: I just had an evil idea, but I need a victim. A victim who's not currently paired up with anyone.

*sad, pitying glance* Kurama, I'm afraid that's you. Please understand that I hold you in the highest regard. *line belongs to Princess Bride* Yes, Mary-Sue-dom for you. But only for a little while. *snicker* My sadistic side is kicking in. Oh wait, I don't have a side that's not sadistic...

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Kurama will be a little OOC in the next few chapters. He is just too smart for his own good, and he is in for a brief lapse in intelligence and reason, as well as taste. Poor Kurama. You may want to feel sick, but I assure you, it's only temporary.