DMG: Finally, I'm back! Sorry I took so long - I actually had about half of this written, before it got wiped from my disk. V_V Anyway, after that, I kinda lost the thread of this story. so I took a bit of a break. (Besides the fact that the marking period ends, so I gotta bring my grades up quick!)
Review Responses:
Icy: Thank you so much! Your review kicked my muse off her lazy bum and into action! ^_^
MidnightDream51: Actually, I intend to rewrite this story completely once I'm finished. I've noticed a few areas where it's awkward, so I'll try to fix it up. Unfortunately, that won't be for a while yet. Thanks for you're reaaally nice and long review! I'm so happy you care about my writing enough that you'll take all that time for me!
Toxic Tears1: ^______^ I daresay you'll find out in this chapter.
asian princess 61: Sorry it took so long! At least its here now. Thanks!
Rei Akita: ^^ Eh. I guess the update wasn't so soon in coming, ne? But I'll try harder next time! Thank you for reviewing!
Saelbu: Sorry to keep you waiting! *sweatdrop* It seems all my replies start with sorry this time. ^^ Thank you!
Youkai Goddess: ^_________^ Oh yes, I think you'll find out a lot more in this chappie!!!
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"What in the seventh circle of hell is that stuff?" Hiei asked diplomatically of Kai as they sat on the roof of the Kuwabara household.
She gave him a flat-eyed stare as the saccharine sweet stench wafted on the chilly night breeze. "None of your damn business," she retorted. "It's Boton's."
"I might have known. It stinks."
"No shit," she snapped, trying to spare her own nose the experience of smelling the awful perfume.
"Why are you wearing it then?"
"I've got my reasons," she replied evasively.
"I don't suppose
it has anything to do with that neko kid."
"So what if it has?" she
returned, unable to think of a misleading truth and unwilling to lie to the
fire demon.
He shrugged and turned away, moving to sit downwind.
Her eyes closed sadly, a regretful smile playing on her lips.
Hiei watched her with the Jagan; amazed she could be a youkai and show so much emotion.
"You told me everything about you," she said quietly. "Yet I have told you nothing of myself."
"Hn." He didn't like being reminded of the way he'd spilled his guts to her when they first met.
"Maybe it's better that way." she continued wistfully. "I'm not exactly proud."
Hiei silently wondered what she did that she couldn't tell him.
"Or maybe it's not that bad at all."
"YO!!!" Yusuke yelled, shattering the calm that surrounded them. "CHRISTMAS DINNER IS READY AND YOU TWO ARE NOT MISSING THIS!!"
"Well," she said, smiling softly, "I guess we can't get out of this one."
"Kai." Hiei started.
"Yes?" she whispered, leaning closer, the unspoken question shining in her eyes.
"Are you really going to wear that crap inside?"
(My apologies for the corny scene. XD)
She facefaulted. And slid down the mushy melting snow off the roof, coming to land on her butt in the slushy stuff at the bottom.
"What were you expecting me to say?" -_-
She gave him a deadpan look as an answer. "I'm going to take a bath. Tell them to start without me."
"Hn." He really had no intention of going in to eat. Didn't those ningen eat enough during the day? And now they wanted to eat more! It was just ridiculous. Nevertheless, he hopped down and disappeared inside one of the windows.
Kai sank up to her nose in the steaming bath she'd just drawn for herself. Here, alone, she allowed her face to relax and settle into an expression of quiet sadness. She raised the wet tips of her fingers to touch the corners of her mouth and eyes. She'd been smiling so much lately. Most of it was even real.
They were all so nice. even Boton, as annoying as she was. They made her feel welcome. And Hiei. he was something more, something special. He made her happy. That was undeniable.
When she was around him, she was herself. And that was okay. for the first time in her life. And now it was all shattered.
Snatches of loud and cheerful conversation drifted through the walls to Kai's ears. it didn't matter what they were saying. They sounded happy. She had no place among such company.
"So where's she?" Yusuke asked through a mouthful of food.
Hiei narrowly dodged the flying. erm. stuff. "In the bath," he said shortly.
"What'smatter wit 'er?" Yusuke finally swallowed. "She's been acting awfully strange lately."
"It's nothing."
The neko kid, Shasa, sat cross-legged in the corner, observing the goings-on with keen eyes and ears. They were talking about the girl again. The neko youkai who was at Reikai and then was not there at all. It was almost as if she was avoiding the group. Something was funny about her. He was going to figure it out.
Shasa continued his reflections; unaware he was under close examination by a certain red-haired kitsune.
Kurama watched thoughts flit across the young neko's face, so expressive for a youkai. The only other demon he had ever seen with that face, almost innocent in a way, was. Kai.
"Striking, isn't it? The resemblance?" Kurama muttered softly to Hiei.
"Hn," the fire demon responded noncommittally. The kitsune was right, of course.
Overall dinner was a rather subdued affair. Kurama and Hiei sat in the corner, communicating without words. Yusuke and Kuwabara, drunk on eggnog, were engaged in a fistfight, but even that seemed half-hearted. Boton chatted nervously with Keiko. Yukina watched Yusuke and Kuwabara, emitting small gasps every time a punch hit home (which was quite often). Shasa sat in the other corner, still wary of the mismatched group of fighters he found himself in.
All talking ceased when Kai, dressed in a borrowed pair of shorts and a tee shirt, stepped inside, damp hair still piled on top of her head.
"What?!" she cried. "Is there something WRONG?!" Her flashing eyes dared anyone to argue.
::gulp::
"Just like you to arrive just in time for dessert," Yusuke grinned.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Conversation resumed as normal.
"Something is certainly bothering her," Kurama said.
Hiei didn't answer, not like the fox was expecting him to. Discreetly, he watched Kai's face, her ever-changing expressions, the grin she flashed every few minutes, the strange sheen in her eyes - not an entirely pleasant gleam. It was like a veil, concealing her true feelings. Frequently, her eyes were shaded by her bangs, and Hiei knew she was stealing a glance at Shasa, sitting cross-legged in the corner, curiously observing the proceedings.
Now more than ever he was attuned to the similarities of their faces, the tilt of their eyes, the angle of their faces. He saw in them many of the qualities others commented on with him and Yukina. Their petite stature. The way they smiled. The colors of their eyes and hair.
Him and Yukina. Kai and Shasa. Now he was sure.
"Excuse me?"
"What is your surname." Hiei leaned against the wall of the guest bedroom, where Kai was throwing various items viciously into a pack.
"I haven't got one!" she gritted through clenched teeth. I don't. I don't! She thought fiercely.
Hiei had no intention of probing her mind. But he did intend to find what she was hiding. Without another word, his form disappeared with a flash. The window shades fluttered behind him. Kai tied off the knot to her pack, and slowly crawled under a futon to sleep. If she had been human, she would have cried.
He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Like he wasn't the 'Forbidden Child' of the Koorime. Like he didn't have to worry about Yukina, his precious sister.
His black spiky bangs fell gently into his face, and she longed to brush them away. She knew if she went any closer, he would wake. As it was, her spirit energy was nearly at zero.
Her hand stopped hesitantly over his still form. She didn't want to wake him. She didn't want to interrupt that deep, rhythmic breathing. But that was what she came to do, wasn't it? Perhaps she should have woken the others first. She came here with the purpose to tell him something. But what to tell? It was no use now.
She touched a slim hand to his shoulder. Instantly her other flew to his, where it rested on the hilt of his katana, ready to attack.
They were almost touching, frozen to the spot by some indescribable force. She could feel his breath, and knew he could feel hers. It did not catch in her throat. His blood-red eyes looked especially large in the pre-dawn darkness, she thought with a brief pang of longing.
There was no more blushing at their close contact, he thought with an unfamiliar emotion that might have been regret. He could easily remember a time, not so long ago, when they would sit on a couch comfortably together, when she would sling an arm around him for the hell of it. With a sense of finality, he realized those times were gone to them. Sometime during their brief stay in Ningenkai, a gulf had yawned between them, a chasm that could not be breached.
"It's time to go," she said flatly, no trace of emotion in her normally open jade eyes. After all, what could she say? Nothing that could solve this problem they found themselves in. She straightened and stiffly exited the room, disappearing down the dark hallway, intending to wake the rest of the Rei Tantei. She wanted an early start, the sooner to get this over with.
Naturally, this was all for the best, he reasoned. Emotions were a liability. Friendships were a liability. Relationships were a liability. Love was a liability.
.That last thought didn't belong in there, he thought hastily. Love was NOT a liability, because he did NOT love. Nobody. Love was a human failing.
It was just as well that she was cold. Colder, even, than when they first met, almost a year ago, now. Time flew since then, yet it seemed so long ago. It was so natural for her feline, grinning features to be present. It would be strange having her gone.
He wasn't stupid. He saw what she packed. Everything. And he knew what she would do, without even using the Jagan. She would see the case through. It was not like her to half-ass a job. Then she would ask Koenma for leave, and he would give it. She would go back to her secure den in the mountains, and they would never see each other again. As simple as that.
Kai adjusted the strap to her pack across her shoulder. It was heavier than she was used to, but, being a demon, she was not bothered by the weight. She could feel the others' eyes on her. She shrugged off the feeling. It was time to go.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
DMG: What have I done? Have I joined the ranks of the morbidly depressed? Two breakup chapters, and right near Valentine's Day, too. (Not that I particularly care about that holiday. it's all pink and lacy. I HATE pink and lacy. *shudders*)
Anyway, I'm sad to say I've noticed a general downward spiral in the quality of YYH fics. And I've noticed a fairly new trend: a staggering amount of reader-insert fics. (I seriously hope I'm not offending anybody. If I am don't mind me.) One, once in a while, is no big deal. But now, every other fic is one! It's crazy! Also, a lot of people don't take the time to spell names and words correctly. That's a real pet peeve of mine. I'm not saying my fics are perfect or even that great, but I do spend a lot of time planning and writing. (And I hope my ideas are somewhat original.) Anyway. I hope I don't sound like a hypocrite here, but. nevermind.
Please review! I love to hear your feedback! (And if you wanna recommend any good stories that I've been missing, please tell me!)
