I DO NOT OWN YYH, I DO OWN YUKI AND ANYONE/THING THAT IS NOT IN THE ANIME/MANGA! READ ON!

When Fire and Ice Collide

Ch. 8

Yuki cried out as Kokushibyou carried her farther away. She remembered screaming for Hiei and seeing him face her in an odd way and then running after them.

"Let her go!" Hiei ordered as he pounced off the ground and landed onto Kokushibyou's back and wrestled with the demon.

Yuki, however was thrown back and hit a tree, breaking her arm. She cried out in pain as the searing indescribable torture zinged her arm.

Hiei heard the piercing screech but couldn't stop when he was in pursuit to beat the living shit out of this asshole. But with Kokushibyou's strength, he flung Hiei off of him.

Hiei fell to the ground and hopped up quickly, "I'll kill you!" he charged after the demon. There was no way that he would let Kokushibyou ever touch Yuki again. He lost her once and he wasn't about to make that mistake again.

"Only if I don't kill you first…" Kokushibyou said with a sneer and the fight was on. Hiei was attacked by a fist barely missing his ribs as he dodged with his great speed and unsheathed his sword.

"I will not fight with an unarmed man…but you are not a man…and I will not fight if I know I will lose…" Hiei growled.

"Wise words…short life, pity Bastard!" Kokushibyou growled back.

"No…these words are being spoken because they are the last you'll hear…and I will not lose this battle unless you are dead first!" Hiei charged at him, "You will regret ever going after Yuki!"

"Yuki is a pawn in my game of chess boy!" Kokushibyou sneered as he caught the blade with one of his own that he unsheathed seconds before Hiei attacked.

"What are you talking about!" Hiei yelled as he jumped away from his opponent's swinging sword.

Kokushibyou paused, as did Hiei and began to explain. "I never wanted that girl…I wasn't in the mood for someone that rebellious to be around me…"

"So you were going to ruin her dreams?!" Hiei couldn't believe his ears but he didn't put it past Kokushibyou to do such deeds.

"Oh…how petty." Kokushibyou smirked, "Actually I was thinking much larger goals. First, mate with her so she can not have anyone to run to and ask for help and then ruin her dreams until she… 'tragically' killed herself. How sad." he said with a hint of humor.

"You bastard!" Hiei shouted and ran towards him with his eyes searing red.

"Come on!" Kokushibyou launched at him and then stopped in mid-jump. Hiei looked on in surprise.

'What is he trying to pull?' Hiei wondered and then was even more shocked as blood starting flowing from Kokushibyou's mouth.

"Rare ge-" Kokushibyou started and then fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, where Hiei saw an icicle protruding from his back, right at his heart. Hiei checked the pulse and nothing, and then looked over to Yuki.

Hiei saw Yuki on the ground, trembling and grabbing her arm, "I-I didn't mean to…I just wanted to help…I didn't mean to kill-" she was cut off as Hiei knelt beside her and took her in her arms, rocking her some.

"It's not your fault…" he didn't know what else to say so he just rocked her some as she clung to his arms and cried in his shoulder. For a second, he didn't know what to do and then she looked up with streaming tears and smiled.

"Thank you." she whispered and he pushed back some in surprise.

"For what?" he made more of a snarl than a regular voice, typical for him in these situations…

"For trying to make me feel better…and I do. Now that he's gone…hopefully, I feel much better. I don't recall if I've ever felt so great." she smiled more.

Her smile had the oddest effect on him. He couldn't quite bring himself to hurt her, no matter how much she pissed him off with her innocence. She was just like his sister. Naïve but loyal and he didn't want to change that about her.

He stood up and turned, waiting for her to join him. When she didn't, he turned to see a strange confused look upon her face. "Hn." he muttered and held out his hand.

She lifted her brow and then looked at her arm. "It's broken…" she mumbled and then he understood. She hadn't mastered healing herself with her powers.

"Hn…" he grumbled and then knelt down and picked her up as she whimpered. He frowned, he didn't mean to get her hurt but he made a vow that he'd make sure Kokushibyou would never hurt her again.

"Hiei?" she whispered and he looked at her as he continued walking, not breaking his stride.

"Hn?" he asked.

"Are you mad?"

"Yes." he said a bit too fast.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset you." she lowered her head and winced as her arm brushed his chest.

"You didn't." he growled. 'What is she talking about?'

"But you said-"

"I said I was mad but I didn't say at you." he growled as he started walking up the temple steps.

"Why don't you just jump up the steps?" she asked as he gritted his teeth at every single step.

"Because you will be in searing pain. I'm not as graceful as Kurama and neither are my steps."

"But you can make yourself be graceful…I've seen you do it. You are a great fighter, why can't you just do it now? It will save you time." she pointed out.

"Maybe I don't want to save time." he sneered and stopped when he was about half way up the steps and stared at her.

"What do you mean? Everyone wants to save time." she smiled uneasily.

"I want to stop time…just for a moment. But if I do, I'm afraid that you will hate me for it." he said honestly.

"I could never hate you Hiei. You saved my life countless times." she smirked.

"Hn…" he growled and then looked away from her. 'I got to stop this…no matter what she says, she'll hate me. Just like everyone else…'

"What are you afraid of?" she said out of the blue.

"What?" he asked a bit surprised.

"You heard me…what are you afraid of? Or are you the all big and mighty guy that isn't afraid of anything?" she lifted her brow.

"I'm afraid of things I do not discuss." he admitted.

"Ah…or else someone will learn and then use it against you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Not even me? You won't tell me any of them?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know?" he sneered.

She tensed some and he automatically cursed his genius of scaring her. "I just wanted to get to know you better. You know some of my fears, right?" she asked.

"No." he admitted, "I don't pay attention to little details."

"You should." he looked at her with surprise and she continued, "Because sometimes, the little things are a lot more important than the big things…everyone knows of the big things." she said, "But if you remember a little thing, then you may just be the one to help out where everyone else can't."

"I don't care what others think of me…"

"I know. But don't you care about your own self?" she asked.

"No." he said and shrugged, still standing still on the step.

"That's what the problem is then." she grinned and he looked skeptically at her, "You see, how can you care about Yukina or anyone else for that matter if you don't care about yourself?" she asked.

"I just do." he said and growled as he started to walk up the steps again, shooing the previous urge he had to kiss her. 'How can I care about such a talkative girl?' he asked himself.

"Then you are strange. Every single thought for someone else is reflected on how you think about yourself."

"So you're telling me that I care about Yukina that much because I care for myself that much?" he scoffed.

"Well…no…that's not what I meant." she frowned, "You would rather give your life for her to see her safe then to just let her die. That means that you really are good at heart and don't like to see suffering."

"That's not true. If they deserve it, they die." he smirked at her.

She trembled below his gaze and then sighed, "But you make it fast and you will put them out of their misery if you must. You don't like to see others suffer, no matter what they do. It's not like you to be so cold-hearted and blood-thirsty." she said and then looked towards the temple they were nearing.

"I used to be." he growled.

"Not so blood-thirsty that you could not get out. That says a lot Hiei, you just don't realize it." she smiled.

"I am not as bad as many demons but I do know how to kill." he growled and set her down and found Yukina, "She needs to be healed."

"So do you, Hiei." Yukina saw some blood dripping from his coat. "You must stay. You need that taken care of." Yukina pointed to his abdomen.

"I need no help. I'm fine. Go see her." Hiei stormed off and looked out to the forest and heard footsteps. "What do you want, fox?" he growled.

"Did Yuki notice?" Kurama asked as he stood beside his friend.

"No. She was too busy lecturing me about how much 'good' was in me." he growled.

"She cares, Hiei." Kurama nodded towards a bird with her eggs in the nest in a nearby tree. "Being protective doesn't mean it's because they are family. Sometimes, being protective over a friend is just as good." he grinned at Hiei.

"What are you talking about now?" Hiei glared at him.

"Family is there no matter what you do even if you can't stand them. But friends are the family we pick out Hiei."

"And I suppose you will tell me that you consider me family, Kurama?" Hiei said skeptically.

"Yes, I do." Kurama said and smirked at him, "A brother, actually. Which, in some odd way, makes me responsible for Yukina just as you are." he grinned.

"You are not responsible for her well being!" Hiei growled at him and turned, wanting to go on.

"Nor are you." Kurama cut in, "You do not need to make sure her life is great and wonderful and that she wants for nothing. Hiei, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you should know."

"Know what?" Hiei asked, crossing his arms.

"That just because you are both related, doesn't mean that she is entirely yours to protect. Are you going to mate with her?" Kurama joked.

"You sick asshole!" Hiei went to punch Kurama, who just dodged.

"Calm down." Kurama said as he hopped to a tree, out of distance, "If she is to mate, will you be the one who still protects her…will you try to butt in when you do not need to? She will have a mate that will protect her as well…"

"How are you so sure? Kokushibyou tried to mate with Yuki to make her kill herself because she was too much of a challenge for him." Hiei revealed.

"Well…you can help her pick out her mate since you are here to protect her." Kurama smirked.

"But had Yuki fallen for him, she would be dead. And then I could not have helped her…"

"You would not have known her. Would it have really mattered to you?" Kurama asked.

"No…" Hiei looked off into the forest again, "Not really…"

"But had Yukina found out that her friend, Yuki of course, died, then what would you have done? Nothing…because you can't tell Yukina that you are her brother and you can't comfort her because you are barely a friend in YOUR eyes? Yukina cares for everyone very much, you being her brother should know this." Kurama pointed out.

"Hn."

"Hiei, is that the answer that you have for everything that you cannot answer to?" Kurama caught Hiei's eyes and then continued, "If you don't open up, how will anyone know the real you?"

"Yuki knows."

"You let her."

"Hn."

"Hiei…" Kurama warned.

"I guess…but not with my consent."

"Maybe you did give her consent."

"What are you blabbering about now?" Hiei said, a bit agitated.

"As in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt of the U.S., 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'" he grinned.

"She doesn't make me feel inferior!" Hiei growled.

"Doesn't she?" Kurama asked, knowing that Yuki was walking up behind Hiei, but because he was too ruffled to sense her.

Her arm in a sling, she stepped up behind Hiei to witness what was going on. 'What? I make him feel inferior?' she didn't want to…

"Ok! The blasted ice princess makes me feel inferior, is that what you wanted to hear you damned fox!" he growled and turned to see Yuki, "Hn?" he said a little odd. He lost his cool to be honest and he started to fidget.

"Ice princess? I'm still an ice princess? A cold hearted bitchy girl that doesn't let anyone get close?" she asked, a tear gem fell and then she slapped him and was surprised when he didn't growl. "Listen, fire prince, I'm tired of being told that I'm worthless, naïve, doesn't know how to judge people, I mean, name it!" she growled.

"What?" Kurama hopped down to accompany them. "When did all this happen?" he growled at Hiei who shrugged.

"Everyone calls ice maidens those things! There isn't one being out there that doesn't see us as that! You both, I heard you talk about them…and besides, you even see Yukina as naïve!" she growled at Hiei and stormed away, her spirit beast following.

"Yuki!" Kurama called and then Hiei stopped him.

"I will go…" Hiei said calmly as he ran after her. Nearing the lake in which direction she went, he saw her sitting on the bank.

Every time before this, he wouldn't have really cared but the way the sun shone off her blue hair was enticing and the way that it was all placed, how it was styled just made it better. He walked up and saw her holding the cat looking spirit beast in her arms. She was scratching behind the ears and kissing its head. "It's alright…I know, I was just upset. Don't get scared…"

Hiei saw the spirit beast trembling some and then walked up some more. "Yuki?" he said calmly and she looked up quickly.

"What do you want?" she asked, a bit frightened. "I know I'm no match for you but I won't die without a fight!"

"What?!" Hiei grabbed her by the shoulders, "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Just because I went off and no one has done that before, you're going to kill me…right?" she asked.

"No." he smirked and let go of her shoulders, "I think it was best you said that." she looked at him confused. "You were the first to really do that and I admire your spunk…actually" he closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands as she gasped.

"H-Hiei?" she gasped right before his lips descended on hers.

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Kage1586