A/N: I finally got to see Youko!!! YAY!!! He's really good looking. But Hiei's still my favorite ^_^ And CN spelled Youko wrong *frowns* they spelled it 'Yoko' Now I'm not sure which is right, but I've only seen it spelled 'Youko' before, so that's how I think it is. I'm rambling, aren't I? *slaps head* I forgot the disclaimer! MINION!! And, again, thanks for all the positive reviews. I had no idea pplz liked this. And, yes, I'm going to develop the Hiei/Kai relationship slowly. I somehow can't imagine him falling for anything very quickly. He's just not the 'love at first sight' type.

GM: DMG does not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

DMG: That wasn't creative! I'll have to use my other minions next time. MWA-HA-HA!!

GM: Oh, no!

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            Reluctantly Kurama detangled himself from Lantur's warm embrace. "What did you need help for?" he asked softly.

            Lantur's expression hardened, but remained incredibly beautiful. "A demon," she said. "A kitsune like ourselves. His name…is Mokkan."

            Kurama started. "Mokkan?"

            Lantur nodded. "Yes. He…he took…everything…" Kurama could see that she was fighting off impending tears. Hesitantly, he put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

            "Just a few years ago, I was as happy as any demon could be. I lived with my father, mother, brother, and two sisters. One day, near my 100th birthday, a demon named Mokkan discovered our lair. He demanded that I join him. When I refused, he told me I had one week to change my mind. One week passed, and he returned, again demanding that I join him. Again I refused. Without any warning, he slaughtered my family and burned our home. I fled far away. Now, five years later, he is still pursuing me relentlessly. I had no choice but to seek help. That's why I came to you. I must get revenge upon Mokkan for the death of my family." A determined yet sad look came into Lantur's eyes as she said this, but she shed no tears.

            "Why don't you cry?" asked Kurama.

            "I shed all my tears a long time ago. I have none left to cry," she answered.

            "I will help you," Kurama whispered. 'I think I'm falling in love' he thought.

            "Baka kitsune," Hiei muttered. "It's been three hours!"

            "I agree," said Kai.

            "Where is he?" asked Yusuke.

            "Does it look like any of us know?" Kai snapped. Her temper was threatening to explode.

            "Let's go look for him!" Kuwabara shouted.

            They all stared at this rather obvious solution.

            "Guess it took an idiot to figure that one out," said Hiei.

            "What was that, shrimp?"

            Hiei walked off in the direction where they thought Kurama might be. The others hurried to follow.

            Kuwabara, who was running ahead, nearly ran full speed (which wasn't much) into Kurama, who was walking in the opposite direction on the path. Lantur was with him.

            "Who's that?" Kai asked suspiciously. Hiei looked at her. He had thought she was a fairly open and trusting person, for an antisocial demon at least.

            "Hiei, Kai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Boton, Keiko, this is Lantur," Kurama said, nodding to each of them. "She's a youkai and wants to help us on the mission." He decided not to tell the rest why she wanted to help; if she wanted to tell the others, that was her business.

            Nobody decided to question Kurama's decision on telling Lantur the nature of their mission. As the most intelligent member of the group, they respected all of his decisions. And Kai didn't feel, as the newest member, it was her place to question new arrivals. So she kept her mouth shut.

            "Now that we've got everyone, we should get going now," Keiko suggested.

            "But where's Lantur going to sleep?" Boton asked. "That is, if you're coming with us."

            "If she doesn't mind, she can sleep at my house," Kurama offered. "My mother is still out of town."

            "I would love to," she replied.

            "All this lovey-dovey stuff is going to make me gag," Kai muttered to Hiei. He nodded silently.

            It was a matter of minutes before Kurama, Lantur, Kai, and Hiei stood outside the Minamino apartment. Yusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara had each returned to their homes, and Boton went back to the Reikai.   

            "Er, Kurama, if you don't mind, I think I'll sleep outside tonight," Kai said.

            "Why?" Kurama asked. He looked afraid that it was somehow his fault.

            "It's not you, Kurama," she said with slight emphasis on the 'you.' "I just like the fresh air."

            "Okay. Call if you need anything." Kurama and Lantur walked into the house.

            Kai leapt up into a nearby tree.

            "Hey, that's mine!" called Hiei.

            "Not anymore!" Kai settled comfortably on a broad branch. She didn't sense Hiei following her up. (or, maybe she did, and she just didn't care)

            "And that's my branch."

            Kai nearly fell out of the tree in surprise. "Not anymore," she said grumpily.

            "Hn."  Hiei shoved her over and sat down. She shoved him back. All night, trying to shove each other off the branch, neither got a single wink of sleep. Finally, a few moments before dawn, Kai dropped peacefully off to sleep, her head lolling on Hiei's shoulder. She felt pleasantly warm, and enjoyed a gentle sensation of softly falling through green clouds, until…CRASH!!!!

            "OUCH! You little *bleeeeep*!" She glared up at the trees. "*bleep* you!"

            All down the street, windows opened and neighbors asked in confused voices, "Shuuichi?"

            Kurama, who had leaned out of the window to see what the commotion was, blanched, and drew his head back in. His spotless ningen reputation was now tarnished forever.

            Five minutes later, a disheveled Kai stomped into the kitchen of the Minamino residence, dusting dirt off her pants.

            "What happened?" Kurama asked.

            "Nasty, baka, youkai pushed me out of the tree," Kai muttered.

            "You have a twig in your hair," Lantur pointed out innocently.

            "GRR!!!" Kai yanked it out and proceeded to eat breakfast in furious silence. Inwardly, she was grinning. She wasn't really angry at Hiei; she was just making a point. And it did feel nice, sitting with him, for a while…

            Hiei, still sitting in the tree in question, looked at his shoulder where Kai's head had rested. He wouldn't really have mined, if at that moment he had not experienced a strange feeling that he knew was somehow connected with Kai's feminine qualities. He kept telling himself that it wasn't anything, that she was just like the other fighters, just like Kurama, but somehow, deep down, he knew it wasn't true…

A/N: short chappie, I know, but I have strep and I don't feel like writing more for now… So, I made Hiei have some feelings, but I don't think I'll let it develop into anything more for right now…not for a few more chapters. Sometime, I will respond to reviews, but I am incredibly busy with school right now.   

Tell me what you think about Lantur…I had some evil plans for her…*mwa-ha-ha* *cough* But if you don't want her to go then I suppose I could forgive her…anyway, I think this is poor Kurama's last chance for romance, in this fic anyway.