~Chapter 3~
~Neko's Training School~

A/N: Ok so today Hikina makes her first friend. Thank you Issa Elven Maid for Alairia Whitebolt. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

"Ah! Hiei." Neko grinned a welcome. "I see you have a daughter. What brings you here?"

"She requires training." Hiei replied.

Neko nodded and took out a piece of paper. "Name?" He asked.

"Hikina." The girl replied.

"Named after your father and his sister no doubt." Neko smiled fondly at the girl. "Background? What's your breeding?"

"Shadow, wind, earth, fire, and ice." She replied.

"All five elements!" Neko gasped. He looked at the paper and his eyes narrowed. "Well we shall have an interesting time won't we?" he grinned at the girl.

"How will you be paying?" he asked Hiei.

"How about by letting you keep the castle her mother and I gave you?" Hiei growled.

Neko looked down at his paper once again. "Hikina. What's your mother's name?"

"Corana." Hikina was quite puzzled.

Neko looked in shock from Hikina to Hiei. "You mean?" he trailed off.

Hiei nodded and Neko grinned a large welcoming grin. "Well any child of Corana's is more than welcome here. Hikina, did you know that this school wouldn't exist if not for your mother?"

"I shall leave her with you Neko." Hiei turned and walked away.

"Hiei." Hikina started. She ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Thanks."

"Hn. You seem to have the same affinity for hugging your mother had. Try not to do it in public. Demons will think I've gone soft." He tried to hide his pleased smile.

Hikina giggled and turned back to Neko. Hiei watched them for a moment and walked off.

Neko related her mother's role in obtaining the castle (for details, see my Winds and Shadows) and Hikina listened wide-eyed with disbelief. Her mother was powerful and friendly and just...cool! Why had that changed? Hikina wondered silently. ~It seems I only weighed her down.~ she thought a bit dejectedly and Hiei had been in a hurry to leave her. Hikina couldn't help but feel slightly abandoned at this point.

"Come on. I want you to meet some of the staff." Neko indicated that Hikina should follow him. "Many of us were friends of your mother."

First was a Unicorn/Wolf Demon with sad, kind eyes. "This is Darktydes." Neko introduced. "Darktydes, this is Corana and Hiei's daughter Hikina. Darktydes teaches healing arts to prove to young demons that their powers don't always have to be used for harming others."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hikina. Your mother did me a great service in the past. I'm glad I may serve her by helping her daughter." Darktydes smiled gently.

~Seems like my mother was real great at serving everyone but me.~ Hikina felt a surge of injustice. (A/N: Yes she's acting like a total spoiled brat. But hey, just think, she was the apple of her mother's eye for 14 years and got ALL of the woman's attention. She probably took it a bit for granted and turned into a brat. It happens. She gets over it. I promise.) Hikina responded politely and Neko moved her on.

"This is Arctic Fox. Her mate was a friend of your parents as well." Neko introduced and Ice Fox demoness. "She will help you gain control over your ice powers if any should choose to manifest themselves."

Arctic Fox smiled. "I wasn't aware Corana had a daughter. But then she's been gone for many years now. Kurama will just love to meet you. You must come by our quarters tonight." She insisted.

Hikina just gaped at the woman. "How many people know my mother?" She turned and asked Neko.

"A fair number here anyways." Neko laughed. "Come on. We have a few more to introduce you to. Old friends of your mom."

The next demon was male. "This is Illeio Kinari. He's a lightning, fire, dog demon." Neko introduced. Hikina found herself face to face with a congenial demon who looked a bit, well, gullible. "Yes. He's a bit gullible, but he's a good guy." Neko hissed in her ear.

The demons ears twitched, but he turned a friendly grin to Hikina. "You're Corana's girl?" He smiled. "She's a nice enough lass. Can't wait to start teaching you. What am I teaching her again?" he asked Neko.

"Fire." Neko rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't her father be best suited for that. I mean he's mad strong." Neko asked.

"He's a bit busy. Besides, she needs to find her own power. Not just borrow her parents' ideas. That's why she's here. You know that Illeio." Neko shook his head. "I'll show you to your dormitory." Neko offered.

"What do you teach Neko?" Hikina asked as he lead the way to her room.

"Psychic powers really. Although, I don't know if I'll be able to help you at all. I've never worked with a Jagan. I'll have to contact your father on how they operate." He grinned down at her.

Hikina was lead to a room containing two beds. A girl, about her age, although it's hard to tell with demons, was sitting on the windowsill turning things to ice randomly around the room. It was cold so Kina instinctively raised her body temperature and the ice melted. The girl turned around and looked at her.

"Hikina, this will be your roommate Alairia Whitebolt. She's an Ice/Cat Demon. Alairia, this is Hikina. She's a daughter of friends of mine. Play nicely." And with that Neko left.

The girl grinned openly at Hikina. The girl had two ice blue cat ears perched atop her head. Her hair was inky black and fell to her waist, the ends tipped in the same blue as her ears. It was wavy and Hikina could tell it had been braided recently. She had almond shaped eyes that were liquidy blue and pupil less. She was shorter than Hikina by a few inches and was dressed in a dark blue mesh shirt with a light blue toga like top over it (A/N: Think Touya). Covering the bottom half of her body was a light blue skirt with slits up the calves. She was bare foot. A black tail with blue highlights stuck out of her skirt as well and was twitching slightly.

"Well are you just going to sit there and stare or what?" She grinned.

"Hn." Hikina replied and threw her bag on one of the beds. "Is this bed yours?" She asked, belatedly.

"Nah. I like the left side of the room." She grinned. Hikina smiled back and took her few items from the bag and placed them in the dresser against the wall.

"Is that all you brought?" Alairia asked. "You're gonna need more clothes than that with all the training. I rip stuff like crazy."

"You must be slow." Hikina shrugged.

Alairia blinked and then laughed. "I like you Kina. Is it ok that I call you that?"

"That's what my mother called me." Hikina shrugged.

"Good. Then that's what I'll call you. You can call me Lair. Alairia's just too much of a mouthful." The girl draped an arm over Kina's shoulder. "So what's your heritage? Who are your parents?" She asked, then without pausing to wait for an answer, she continued on to tell about her own. "My mother's a cat demon. My dad's a shinobi. He specializes in ice. My mom's name is Arianna Whitebolt. My dad's Touya."

~Touya.~ Hikina knew that name from somewhere. "My mother's name is Corana. She's a wind, shadow, earth demon. My father's name is Hiei ..." There Lair cut her off.

"Wait, THE Hiei. As in Mukuro's heir Hiei?" She gaped.

"It was a long time ago. They aren't even mates." Hikina shrugged. "He's the one who brought me here. I've heard my uncle speak of Touya before." Hikina changed the subject.

"Who's your uncle? Maybe I know him." Lair grinned excitedly.

"Jin." Hikina replied.

"The Wind Master?" Lair asked. Hikina nodded. "Yeah! I know Jin! His son Corijin is like one of my best friends." Lair giggled.

Hikina was liking this girl more and more. She made it very easy to talk. Lair interrupted her thoughts yet again. "Hey, if you're dad is Hiei, then you must know Youko Kurama!" Lair brightened.

"No I'm afraid I don't." Hikina shook her head. "I only met my father a few days ago. I met Arctic downstairs though and she told me I had to come by and meet Kurama tonight." Hikina replied. "Do you know where their chamber are?"

"Of course. But wait until you meet him!" Lair grinned. "I swear, he makes me want to have plant powers." The girl was actually purring. Hikina giggled at her new friend. Lair grinned. "Just wait. You'll see what I mean. He's beautiful. ESPECIALLY in his Demon form."

"He has more than one form?" Hikina was puzzled.

"He has a human form that's just delicious too." Lair grinned. "But come on. It's almost dinner time."

Lair grabbed Hikina's wrist and the two girls went flying through the hallways, Lair getting reprimanded by students and staff alike for her slightly boisterous behavior.