AN: Okay, many people commented on Kurama's OOCness. Perhaps I should explain that. He knows that he's in a dream, so he believes he can get away with more things. How many people act differently than they normally would while dreaming? I know that I've done some off the wall things in my dreams, some of which totally defied my normal personality. Kurama feels... freer in his dreams, so he sees nothing wrong with saying something out loud that he's thinking at the moment. C'mon. What kind of consequences are there in dreams? You wake up, and everything's gone. Dreams really don't matter. There's no rules, no boundaries, no nothing. *shrugs* At least that's what I think.
For Love of a "Pet"
Chapter Six
Kaline yawned as she woke up, her eyes instantly going to the fox that had curled up on her stomach.
"Did you find yourself a new pillow?" she asked him with a laugh when he looked at her through half-closed eyes. "You certainly look comfortable." The brunette gently scratched one of his ears, briefly taking note of the fact that his head wound was completely healed.
'Was she this affectionate with the other animals?' Kurama wondered a he rubbed his head against her hand.
"C'mon, Youko. Get off. I want some breakfast," Kaline stated, lightly tapping his nose.
Reluctantly, the kitsune crawled off of her stomach. Then, he watched her climb out of bed. Giving another yawn, the girl glanced out the window, the sunlight warming her face. Suddenly, she gasped, a mild curse escaping her mouth.
"Derek," she growled quietly, her expression one of annoyance. "And I just washed my car last week." The girl gave a soft sight. "This is just great." Her blue-gray eyes wandered to the clock. The glowing numbers read eleven thirty. "Dang... I slept in big time."
Kurama silently laughed. 'I don't know what she's complaining about. I enjoy myself when we sleep, and I'm sure she does too.'
Giving a shrug, Kaline picked up her bedside phone and pressed a few buttons. "Hey, Cassie," she said, voice cheery, whenever her friend picked up.
~Oh, hi, Kaline. How's Youko?~ Cassie inquired in a curious tone.
"Pretty good. His wounds have been healing really quickly. He'll be perfectly healthy in about a week or so," she answered, smiling. She was beyond thrilled that her patient was almost fully healed.
~That's great.~ Cassie sounded pleased. ~That means I can start looking for a place that'll take him.~
"Cool." Kaline paused. "I didn't call you to talk about Youko, though."
~I kinda figured that. Your tone gave it away.~ The girl chuckled.
"Yippee." She sighed. "Well, guess what happened to my car."
~It got egged again, didn't it?~ Cassie sighed. Egging seemed to be a common occurrence with her friend.
"Yeppers," the light brunette answered. "So, would you mind coming over to help me wash it?"
~Not at all. I'll be there at one,~ she answered immediately. ~After all, what are best friends for?~
"Okay. See you then."
~Bye-bye.~ Cassie hung up, and Kaline followed suite.
Yawning once again, the blue-gray eyed girl picked up the silver fox, cradling him in her arms. Humming, she went about her normal morning activities, Kurama watching her every second.
Hiei frowned slightly as he continued to search for Kurama. With his jagan eye, he could faintly sense his friend, but it wasn't much of a trail to follow. He slowly walked through a nearby forest, coming out to a highway.
The fire demon followed the busy road for a while, his mind almost completely focused on the kitsune's mind signature. After some time, he left the highway to follow some side roads.
He came across a small, quaint housing development. Tall trees and well kept lawns seemed to the be the trademark for the area, as well as family-sized houses. Kurama was somewhere in the area.
Hiei continued to follow the trail until he ended up outside a light blue house. His friend was inside, but the only person he could spot through the windows was a girl with long brown hair. She had a silver fox in her arms, which she soon set down.
'That must be Kurama,' the koorme thought, although he wasn't quite sure why he believed the fox to be his friend. It just seemed very likely.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small car pull into the driveway. He ignored it, including the being that climbed out of the vehicle. It was a demon, but not an incredibly strong one, so he didn't worry about it. All he cared about was what was actually in the house--Kurama and the girl.
Kaline was gathering up some car washing supplies, Youko nearby and watching her, when her doorbell rang. A smile breaking out on her face, she went and answered the door.
"Hey!" the blue-gray eyed girl chirped.
Cassie instantly frowned as she walked into the house. 'Kaline is acting too cheery. Something is wrong. Well... something besides the obvious.'
"How are you doing?" the dark brunette asked, worry in her voice.
"I'm doing pretty good, even though I keep sleeping in," she answered, tone cheery.
'Okay, now it's official. Something is most definitely wrong,' she mused. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Kaline shook her head, gathering up the supplies, Youko, and a rope. "No, I don't think so." Giving her friend an innocent smile, she went outside.
Cassie followed, watching with interest as the other girl tied the fox to a tree and told him to behave. Then, the cheery female brought the hose over to her car, sighing when she saw up close just how filthy it was. Her entire vehicle was covered in eggs, and her bumper sticker ("Destroy all puppy mills") had been ripped off.
"I really dislike Derek," Kaline muttered under her breath. "And I know he's the one who did it."
"And how is that?" the dark brunette inquired curiously. 'I can smell him, but how could she know?'
The other girl pointed to a "D" that had been painted on her front windshield. "That is how."
"Ah..." The teal-eyed girl paused, deciding to change the subject. "Something's bothering you, Kaline," she stated softly as her friend filled up two buckets of soapy water. "What is it?" Her voice was laced with concern for the blue-gray eyed girl.
The taller girl sighed, finally giving into her persistent friend. "It's... well..." she drifted off for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "I've been having these dreams for the past week or so. They're not exactly reoccurring ones, but the same guy is always in them."
"Is he cute?" the dark brunette wanted to know, eyes bright with humor.
Kaline giggled. "Kami... he's way beyond cute. He's absolutely gorgeous and unbelievably sexy." She closed her eyes, her mind immediately recalling an image of the man. "Mmmm... dear Kami, is he ever sexy."
"That's what's bothering you?" Cassie frowned, unsure of herself. She didn't believe that something so trivial could upset her best friend. Kaline was usually easy going and calm, a hard person to unnerve even during the worst situations.
The other girl shook her head and began to wash her car. "Not exactly..." She paused, not noticing her sponge that was dripping soapy water all over her bare feet. "I call him koibito. That's sweetheart or beloved in Japanese, a term of endearment you use for someone you're in love with."
The blue-green eyed girl remained silent, knowing that her friend would elaborate if no one spoke. There definitely were advantages to knowing her best friend so well.
"I think that I've fallen in love with the guy from my dreams." Kaline sighed, looking forlorn and incredibly lost. "And it doesn't help that every time I see him he insists that he actually exists... that he lives in the real world. This guy has told me so much about himself. He's in college, studying botany; his mother's name is Shiori. He has a younger brother. Also, he claims that I invade HIS dreams, not the other way around."
She shook her head, trying to clear it of her confusing thoughts.
"I love fantasy as much as the next person, but I'm not stupid. I know that he can't be real, yet... I think that I love him."
"You invade his dreams?" Cassie repeated quietly to herself. "Interesting twist." 'Her powers are emerging even stronger now. She most likely is entering this man's dreams. I don't know how, but it seems logical.' She mentally sighed. 'I don't know how much longer I can keep Kaline's ancestry away from her. If she keeps using her powers like this, then I will have to spill the beans. I know that I promised Mother never to tell, but I can't let Kaline think that she's actually going insane.'
"Yeah," the light-haired girl agreed, voice soft.
"Well... if he's as hot as you claim, would you please ask him if he has any cute friends that can invade my dreams?" She looked at the blue-gray eyed girl, a huge grin on her face. If she couldn't tell her friend the truth, then the least she could do was cheer her up.
"What?!" Kaline exclaimed and began to laugh, her mood lightening almost immediately. "Cassie... thanks. I needed that." She was smiling again, looking like an extremely heavy weight had been partially lifted from her shoulders.
The shorter girl blinked. "I was serious. Ask him." Her tone was one of mock sincerity.
Rolling her eyes, the other female picked up the hose and began to spray down the car again. "You are absolutely horrible, you know that?"
"Of course," Cassie answered non-apologetically. "But still, ask if he has any cute friends." She paused, her eyes going to the tree in the front yard. "Scratch that. I just found a cute guy on my own." 'A cute demon guy. My day is looking up.'
'Kurama, have you been here this entire time?' Hiei mentally asked his friend, who was furry at the moment.
'Yes, I have. I fought against a demon named Loki. I lost, and my power had me assume this form,' he answered.
'Then why don't you change back? This fox form is pathetic.'
Kurama mentally shrugged. 'I have no spirit energy at the moment, so I can't do that.'
'Hn... I'd better get you out of here then.'
'No!' the kitsune mentally shouted as forcefully as he could, surprising both himself and his friend.
Hiei frowned. 'Why?' When Kurama didn't answer, the fire demon decided to take a quick guess. 'It's because of her, isn't it? The girl that was holding you earlier?'
Kurama nodded. 'Yes.'
"Huh?" Kaline released the hose, her eyes drifting over to where her friend was looking. A man stood by the tree, looking down at Youko with red eyes. His spiky black hair with a white star-burst somehow .defied gravity; however, some black locks fell across his forehead, highlighting a white sweatband. He was wearing all black: black boots, black double-belted pants, and a black shirt. A katana was strapped to his back.
"Can I help you?" the blue-green eyed girl asked as she walked up to the male, drawing his attention away from the fox and to her.
The man in black stared at her, his red eyes glowing for a brief moment. "Hn. No." 'She's gorgeous... absolutely gorgeous, and she's even a demon.'
Cassie frowned slightly, noticing his expression. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Because if you don't need help, then what are you doing in my friend's front yard?" 'If he's here to make trouble, we've got a big problem. He's a powerful fire demon... at least Class A, and he can fight with a sword. I'm not sure how long I'd be able to stand up against him.'
'I can think of a few things that she can help me with,' Hiei thought. An instant later, he mentally smacked himself for that thought. 'That was not right. I should not be thinking things like that. Do I have a fever or something?'
Shrugging, the man's gaze drifted down to the fox. "What is a fox doing tied to a tree?"
'Kaline tied me here,' Kurama explained to his friend.
Kaline walked up to stand beside her friend, her eyes flashing protectively. "Youko is tied to the tree so he can't run off and get himself hurt. He's in my care until MARS can find a place... a zoo or something to put him in." Her look promised pain to anyone who even tried to hurt the fox.
"MARS?" he repeated, bestowing a glare on the light-haired girl. What kind of nonsense was she talking?
"Mistreated Animal Rescue Society, or MARS for short," Cassie answered. "If you have any questions, I can give you the number of our recruiter."
"I'm not interested." He sounded cold and distant, like a person that needed to be avoided. 'I don't know what's going on with what I'm feeling, but I'm not sure if I like it.'
The dark brunette shrugged, unfazed by his attitude. She had seen much worse. "Okay then. Can you tell me your name? Mine's Cassie."
'It can't hurt to tell her. She did tell me hers.' The red-eyed male studied her for a moment. "Hiei."
"Hiei," she repeated, the name sounding strange and somehow right at the same time. "Nice name. Very original." 'I'm in love with him already...'
Kaline, unsure about the newcomer, untied the fox and picked him up, cradling him in her arms. "What were you doing in my yard, Hiei?" she wanted to know, suspicion in her voice. "Did someone send you?"
Kurama mentally laughed. His "protector" didn't trust his best friend. What an interesting twist.
The black-haired man scowled at both the girl and the fox. He had heard his friend's laughter at his expense. "No." 'Baka kitsune.'
She sighed in relief, rubbing the fox's ears. He sounded honest. "Thank goodness. For a moment, I almost thought that Derek had sent you down here."
"The jerk would do something like that," Cassie commented, looking at her friend. "But I don't think that Hiei here is the type to take orders from someone." 'Besides, Derek isn't a strong enough demon to order Hiei around. The jerk is a Class F ice demon--not exactly someone who can boss a Class A demon around.'
Hiei smirked in agreement. He didn't like taking orders, even from Koenma. 'So she isn't all looks. There's a brain in there too. Good.'
"Sorry for suspecting you," Kaline apologized sweetly. "But I've just had my car egged for the third time in the past month, so I'm not exactly in the most trusting of moods."
"This has happened three times?" the fire demon asked. 'Someone must really dislike her.'
The blue-gray eyed girl nodded her head. "In the last month, yeah. Total, I would have to say... about six times."
His red eyes widened in surprise. 'I have a feeling that only one person is doing this to her. When Kurama finds this person, the vandalizer is going to wish that he had never touched anything of hers. Demons are protective over their mates and future mates.'
"Hiei, would you mind sticking around to help us clean up this mess?" the dark brunette inquired politely, pointing at the car. "We could use your assistance."
"I'll stay and help," he replied without even thinking. 'Why did I just say that? I must have spent too much time around the baka.'
"Great," Cassie commented, smiling.
"Thank you so much!" Kaline cheered enthusiastically as she tied Kurama back up, her eyes reflecting her happiness. "I'll go get you a bucket and a sponge." With that said, she went into the house.
"Does she always have this much energy?" Hiei asked, eyes going to the front door as Kaline came back out.
"Yes, usually Kaline does." The teal-eyed girl giggled. "Well, unless you wake her up early in the morning or something. She does not do mornings at all."
'It figures that Kurama would find a cheery, innocent girl to fall in love with,' the fire demon thought with some amusement.
At that moment, Kaline set the bucket and sponge by the car and called to the other two. "Hey! C'mon. Let's get this over with." She immediately grabbed the hose and began to spray the car down.
Cassie just smiled and did as her friend wanted. Hiei wasn't far behind.
The two girls chatted as they washed the car with the dark brunette constantly trying to include the male demon in the conversation. He didn't say much, but every so often he did make a few comments. In addition to that, he did answer every question that Cassie asked him, much to his surprise.
When they were done washing the car, the teal-eyed female took her bucket of soapy water and ceremoniously dumped it on Kaline. Gasping in shock, the light brunette stared at her friend before grabbing her bucket and throwing it at the other. Her aim was good.
A suds-covered Cassie picked up the hose and pulled the handle, spraying Kaline, while Hiei just watched the two girls with amusement. After a few moments of watching them run around, giggling like school girls, he began to laugh.
A playful scowl on her face, Cassie pointed the hose at the fire demon. "Laugh at us, huh? Well, take this!"
Not expecting that maneuver, Hiei didn't have a chance to dodge. Within seconds, he was dripping wet. Growling, he grabbed his bucket and used some of his speed to dump it over the dark brunette's head before she could move.
"There. We're even," he stated with a small smile.
"I don't think so." Cassie once again aimed the water spray at the fire demon, but he was prepared for that move that time. He dodged right as Kaline came up from behind and grabbed the hose from her friend.
"HA!" Giggling, Kaline began to spray her friend down. Once she finished, she turned on Hiei and sprayed him.
The fire demon growled and wrestled the hose away from the girl. The instant he turned it on her, the water stopped flowing. 'What?' He shook the hose, frowning. 'I can still hear the water, so what's going on?' He turned the object so he could look down the open end.
A split second later, the water surged forth, spraying his face. Berating himself for the stupid action, Hiei jerked the hose away. As he shook the water out of his black hair, he heard giggling.
The male koorime spun around to find Cassie holding the hose in her hands, a crease in the rubber material. She had obviously kinked the hose.
Cassie noticed where the male demon was looking and smiled innocently. "What are you looking at me for? I didn't kink the hose. No, not at all." Her falsely sweet tone gave the truth away. "I didn't do anything; I swear. It was Casper the friendly ghost. You're just imagining this hose in my- AH!"
Hiei, tired of hearing her nonsense, had dropped his part of the hose and playfully pounced on her, sending her down to the grass with him on top. Their eyes met, and they both stopped moving. Red and teal orbs exchanged heated looks.
Kaline stared at the two for a moment before picking up the forgotten hose. She had a devious plan. 'Cassie is not going to like this, and neither is he,' she thought. Then, without saying a word, she sprayed them down.
The black-haired man rolled off of Cassie, growling softly. The dark brunette merely blushed as she stood up.
"Kaline... what was that for?" the teal-eyed girl asked her friend, wringing some water out of her hair and clothes.
"Well, what was up with that stuff?" The light brunette pointed to the ground where the two had just been. "I'll answer your question when you answer mine."
'I want to hear this.' Hiei smirked at watched Cassie, waiting for her answer.
"Ummm..." She drifted off. "I'll tell you later."
'Damn.' Right then, he heard laughter in his head. Kurama was laughing and his jagan eye was picking it up. 'Shut up, baka kitsune. At least I'm not acting like a pet.'
'Are you sure?' Kurama's tone was smug. 'I beg to differ.'
Hiei mentally growled back at him. He didn't say anything in response because Kaline walked up and hugged him in a child-like manner. She released him quickly, not even noticing that the gesture had not been welcome.
"Thanks for helping, Hiei. I really appreciate it. You too, Cassie." Smiling, she went over to Kurama, untied the knots in the rope, and then picked him up. "Well, I hate to say this, but I have to get some work done on my painting. I'll see you two later." Giving them a quick wave, she grabbed the buckets and sponges and went inside.
Cassie quickly noticed that she had the perfect opportunity to speak to the fire demon alone. 'Did Kaline plan that?' she silently mused. 'Nah... I highly doubt it. She's not the one to scheme.' Still, she did decide to take advantage of her friend's timely exit. "So, Hiei, what are you doing this Friday?" she asked, sounding curious, her eyes sparkling.
"Hn." He blinked, thinking of a moment. "Nothing."
She smiled. "Well, do you want to go out to eat with me? I know this excellent restaurant downtown. It has the best ice-cream that I've ever tried."
The fire demon considered the offer for a moment, and then he nodded his head. 'I might enjoy it... especially if there is good ice-cream.' "What is the name of the restaurant?"
"Ye Olde San Francisco," the blue-green eyed girl answered simply.
"I'll meet you there at five."
"Great." She smiled happily, thrilled that Hiei had said 'yes.' Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she blushed slightly. "Five sounds perfect."
Hiei nodded his head, acknowledging her response. Then, without another word, he took off.
Cassie was still smiling after he disappeared, pleased with how well things had gone. As she climbed into her car, she recalled his face as she had kissed his cheek.
'He blushed.'
AzureDragoness: Sorry about the lack in kissing. I'll make up for it in later chapters, and I add Spanish because I love the language.
Nadira: Yes, Hiei is yours. *shakes head* Dang, you're silly, RL Cassie.
Rei Akita: I don't know how I can write this stuff. I know that it doesn't make any sense but... *shrugs* I can't explain why.
Tom: OUCH! The flu sucks, but at least it helped you out in the past.
Sam: Yes, yea for updates. I have... only one more chapter to put up before I have to start writing more. Darn it. My muses need to get working again.
AN: HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE/NEW YEARS PEOPLE!
