* * * * *

Knock Knock! I groaned and curled up into a ball. "Go away," I mumbled. Knock Knock! "I said, GO AWAY!" I exclaimed a little louder. KNOCK KNOCK! Instantly, I jumped out of bed and ran to the door. As I threw it open I yelled: "What the hell do you want?" When I saw Yukina blinking back at me innocently, my anger faded away. "Oh, Yukina, what is it?" I questioned roughly, now embarrassed. "Hiei-san, why haven't you come to see us? We're all very worried about you," My sister stated. By 'all', I assumed she meant the others. "So? My whereabouts are none of their concern," I replied coldly. "But Hiei-san, we miss you. Please come and do something with us. Come to the casino- it's a lot of fun," She persuaded. "No thank you. Ningen games don't interest me," I exclaimed. "But... you played in the chicken fights," She pointed out. "That was different!" I snapped, my face growing hot. Yukina was silent for a moment. "Well... come by later if you have the time," She instructed. I watched her walk down the hall and turn a corner. When she was out of sight, I let out a long sigh. I had reached a new low- I had snapped at my own flesh and blood. Was Kurama right? Would it kill me to have fun? I had tried showing my feelings before, only to be hurt and embarrassed. The thing I hated most was that feeling of helplessness mixed with vulnerability.
Not many people could get close to me because I never showed a weak side, and frankly, I was happy with the way I was... but now, I was starting to hurt the people I had allowed to get close to me.
"Damn you Kurama- I hate it when you're right," I hissed. Reluctantly, I made my way down the hall. When I finally ran into a waiter, I stopped him and asked:
"Where is the casino?"

* * * * *

The whirring of the slot machines could be heard as I entered the extravagant room. In the casino, everything seemed to shine in the chandelier's lights. Different games were being played at every table- things such as black jack, poker, and others. On one side of the casino was a desk where you exchanged chips for money and vice versa. It was also where they would check your age.
Somewhere in the middle of the casino was a restaurant and bar. If people chose to, they could live in the casino- at least for a few days. Among all of the ningens, I tried to catch a glimpse of green hair. Where was Yukina? Maybe she was by the dice games...
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice say: "Way to go Kurama! You're reeling in the cash!" I turned to my right to see Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Keiko, all sitting at a round table. Only Kurama had cards in his hands. He appeared to be playing black jack. I stared in awe at his mountain of chips. They were all silver, which represented 100,000 yen each.
"I think I'll stop now," Kurama said quietly.
"Aww, man- don't stop now! You're on a roll!" Kuwabara urged. Kurama just smiled and shook his head. Handing his cards back to the dealer, he stood and gathered up all of his chips into a small black bag. Him, along with the others all began to walk away, but suddenly, Yukina approached them from another direction. She stopped short, and I wondered why. Suddenly, I remembered the restraining order I had placed on Kuwabara and smiled.
"Hey Yukina! What's up? Did you manage to drag Hiei here?" Yusuke questioned hopefully.
"Ano..." Yukina trailed. Before she could say anything, I walked up behind her.
"Oh, there he is. Hey Hiei," Yusuke greeted.
"Nani?" Yukina asked in surprise. She turned to face me, obviously puzzled, yet pleased. Kuwabara and Kurama didn't say anything, and neither did I.
"Glad to see you emerged from the dark," Yusuke teased.
"Yeah, we were getting worried about you," Keiko commented.
"Hn," Was all I said.
"Well, now that the gang's all here, let's go party!" Yusuke suggested. Without warning, he began to walk in the direction of the casino's bar. We had no choice but to follow. As we walked though, I could feel Kurama staring at me. I remained calm although I was starting to feel more and more awkward. We used to be close, but now I felt a giant gap between us. Deep within me, I knew I could correct that gap. All I had to do was say a few words... but how could I? I never apologized to anyone- I had never needed to. I usually considered myself higher and saw no purpose in it... but Kurama was different. Still, it wouldn't be something I'd do in front of just anyone. Kurama and I would have to be alone...
Before I could think of anything though, we reached the bar. Yusuke took a seat and the rest of us followed suit. When the bartender, a young ningen in his twenties, approached us, Yusuke said:
"Sake all around!"
"Um, Yusuke-san..." Yukina interrupted.
"Oh, and some lemonade for the ladies," Yusuke added with a smile. Immediately the bartender began rummaging through his supplies and filling glasses. Once all the drinks were distributed, Yusuke turned to me.
"So, have you and Kurama made up yet?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Nani?" I hissed as I took a sip of my sake.
"You know- made up? I heard you two had a big fight. It's not often that you see the world's greatest demon pair getting in an argument," Yusuke explained.
"Yeah, what exactly did happen between you two?" Kuwabara wondered curiously. I knew this would happen, yet, I still came. I considered cursing at them and leaving, but before I could reply, Kurama opened his mouth and said:
"It's not something we want to discuss." I was surprised at Kurama's answer, and the shock must have shown on my face, because Kurama looked to me and smiled. Quickly, I averted my gaze, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone else. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked to eachother and shrugged, but did not say anymore. Finally, everyone finished their drinks and rose to their feet. Together, they began making their way towards the slot machines, but I did not follow. Kurama stopped and turned to me, his green eyes questioning. It was now or never. "Kurama, I need to talk to you," I announced. "What is it Hiei?" Kurama questioned softly. "Alone," I added in a whisper. Kurama nodded, and while no one was looking, went with me to the far side of the casino. While we walked, I looked around for a place we could talk in private. Finally, I spotted a men's bathroom. Looking left and right, I motioned for Kurama to follow me as I pushed the door open. When we entered, I was dismayed to find two men talking and laughing. There was no way I could talk to Kurama while they were here. Flexing my right arm, I stepped up to them. "Leave," I snapped, interrupting their conversation. Both of them looked to me in annoyance. "What do you want shrimp? We were here first," One pointed out. "I said, leave," I repeated as I allowed some dark energy to flow out of my arm. Glaring at me, the two began to walk towards the door. One left, but before the other exited, he turned to me and said: "If you wanted some time alone with your boyfriend, all you had to do was say so!" As he closed the door behind him, I felt a vein pop on my forehead. Forgetting about Kurama, I dashed for the door, but before I could make it, something grabbed me. Whirling around, I was surprised to find Kurama clutching my shirt. "Let go! I will kill him for insulting us!" I seethed with rage. "Forget it Hiei," Kurama pleaded. I stared into his bright green eyes and scowled. "Hn." "Thank you," He replied. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked tiredly. At that moment, my whole body seemed to freeze. What could I say? You're my only friend, so you can't leave! No, too commanding. Our fight was stupid, so forget it. No, that wasn't true. I had hurt him- that wasn't stupid. As I struggled to find the words, Kurama waited patiently. Finally, I looked up at him. "You know I'm not the kind to apologize," I stated. Kurama nodded. "So don't take what I said personally. I'm sick of all these ningens Kurama, but that gave me no excuse to snap at you. So, what I'm trying to say is... well, what I mean to say..." I trailed. "You're sorry?" Kurama said gently. "Hai," I confirmed. To my surprise, Kurama's eyes glossed over. "I forgive you Hiei, and I'm sorry too," He said warmly. Immediately, my old feelings returned. No longer did I feel worried or guilty- it was a freedom like no other. Suddenly, Kurama knelt down and hugged me. I turned to stare into his red hair, slightly disturbed. "Kurama..." I began, but before I could say anything, the door swung open to reveal Yusuke and Kuwabara. We locked eyes with them and they stared at us in surprise. Slowly, they backed out of the bathroom and shut the door. My face grew hot when I realized what they were probably thinking. "Kurama," I continued. "Yes Hiei?" "Don't ever hug me again," I ordered. "I understand," Kurama said as he broke away.

* * * * *
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You're positive nothing happened?"
"Yes! What is your problem?"
"You wouldn't lie, would you?"
"Yes! I mean, no! What happened between us is none of your damn business! We were not 'doing' anything! All we did was have a talk!" I fumed. "I don't see why I must explain this to you. I thought you were smarter than Kuwabara," I growled.
"Okay, okay, I won't ask you about it. Still, it looked pretty strange," Yusuke commented as he took a sip of his lemonade. I rolled my eyes and didn't reply. It was a day after Kurama and I had reunited, and everyone was on our case. Right now, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, and I were al in the VIP section of the giant ship. They had built a giant indoor hot spring where Yusuke and I now sat, towels tied firmly around our waists. In the meantime, Kurama and Kuwabara were elsewhere, receiving 'full body' massages. Kurama had invited me to come with him, but I had put it off. Although I didn't want to get into another argument, I didn't want a ningen touching me either. Especially not my whole body.
"If you must know, Kurama is the one who hugged me. I had nothing to do with it," I said as I soaked in the warm water. Yusuke laughed.
"Yeah, I don't see you as a touchy-feely kind of guy," He exclaimed. Once again, I made no comment. For a while, I let the silence hang between us. The stream from the heat mixed with sound of running water was pleasant. Quietly, I swam over to a section of the large spring where a mini waterfall was running over a large boulder. Silently, I went under it, allowing the liquid to wash over me. This, I could get used to. Peace and quiet... without any annoying ningens...
"Eeeeeeee!" I heard someone screech. Both Yusuke and I stood, tense and alert. We listened carefully, but heard nothing else.
"What was that?" Yusuke questioned concerned.
"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully.
"We should probably check it out- it sounded like it was close by," Yusuke decided. With a nod, we both got out of the spring. Grabbing our clothes, we carried them with us into another room- the massaging room. People were laid out on tables with tiny towels covering their sacred areas. Masseuses were busy working on their subjects, but nothing seemed to be wrong. Spotting Kurama and Kuwabara in a far corner, we walked over to them. When one of the masseuses spotted us, they exclaimed:
"You can't come in here without an appointment sir." Ignoring her, I tapped Kurama on the shoulder. Looking over at me, he asked:
"What is it Hiei?" Hearing my name, Kuwabara glanced over at us.
"Did you hear a scream?" I asked calmly. Kurama and Kuwabara exchanged looks.
"A high pitched scream- a few minutes ago," Yusuke explained. Kurama and Kuwabara shook their heads.
"We didn't hear anything," Kurama answered slowly. At this point, both Kuwabara and Kurama's masseuses were glaring at us angrily. I noticed that they were both dressed completely in white from head to toe excluding their arms and slender hands. Slowly, they worked on Kurama and Kuwabara's bodies, graceful as spiders. I shuddered. These women were strange.
"Well, we're going to go and look around. It'd be nice if you could help us," Yusuke stated.
"We have not finished massaging them," One masseuse objected.
"So? They can come back later," Yusuke answered. At this, Kurama sat up, causing his masseuse to frown.
"Forgive us ladies. We will come back," Kurama promised. Following Kurama's lead, Kuwabara also got up and slid off the table. Together, the four of us exited the room, returning to the hot spring.
"Where should we look first?" Kuwabara wondered.
"Well, it sounded close by. Let's look around here," Yusuke suggested.
"Shouldn't we get dressed first? I we do find someone, we don't ant to be wearing small white towels," Kurama pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Yusuke agreed.
Quickly, Kuwabara and Kurama picked up their clothes, which had been lying next to ours. Looking around, we made sure no one was watching us before dropping our towels and beginning to get dressed. We all faced away from eachother, trusting that no one would stare... but suddenly, I got a strange feeling and paused, my leg halfway into my pants. Abruptly, I stopped changing and listened. I could faintly hear a series of clicks... a lot like a...!
"Everyone, get into the water!" I ordered urgently. Without warning, I pushed the three of them in the hot spring as they yelped in protest. Then, I jumped in after them.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Yusuke demanded.
"Someone is here baka- listen!" I hissed. Immediately, the others were silenced, but the clicking had already ceased.
"Are you sure you're not just paranoid?" Kuwabara asked irritably.
"I know what I heard. They must have already left," I said darkly.
Kurama looked to me inquisitively but said nothing. Slowly, we got out and continued to get changed. Even when we split up again, I couldn't help but think someone was watching us...

* * * * *

"What does that fool Koenma want us to do now?" I demanded as I folded my arms over my chest.
"Now Hiei, that's no way to speak about Koenma," Botan said gently.
"Hn," I retorted. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara looked to Botan expectantly for an answer. She looked at each of us nervously and then sighed.
"Well, it's not really you Koenma is concerned about. Right now the girls are performing in the Dance Club-
"Yukina too?" I interrupted sharply. Botan nodded slowly. I cursed Koenma under my breath, but no one seemed to hear.
'I think he plans on you guys dancing as well, but-
"Botan! Botan, we have a problem!" A man shouted upon running into the office.
"Oh, Ogre, what's wrong?" Botan asked the blue monster from Spirit World. He was most often seen with Koenma, and seeing that he wasn't had to mean a major emergency.
"Somehow these pictures have started to appear all over the ship! People are buying them everywhere!" The Ogre explained frantically. As he said this, I noticed that he was holding a manila folder in his hands.
"What pictures?" Botan asked, just as confused as we were. Gulping, the Ogre tossed the folder onto the table causing the contents to spill out. Curiously, the five of us leaned over the table to inspect them. When I saw what they were though, my bulged and my mouth dropped open. Botan's face became a dark pink as she drew back and averted her eyes to the floor.
"Where did you get these?!" Yusuke thundered as he scooped the pictures back into the folder.
"Just as I said sir- they're all around the ship- people are selling them on corners, but no one knows who took them," The Ogre replied. In unison, the four of us exchanged glances. Without warning, we ran out of the room in single file, a new mission in mind. Suddenly, I recalled the noises I had heard in the hot spring.
"Someone took pictures of us yesterday while we were changing- I heard the clicking of the camera," I exclaimed as we continued to run.
"But why would someone do such a thing?" Kurama asked in exasperation. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye.
"Do you know what some girls would do just to view your body Kurama? You attract girls like a lightning rod," I stated dryly. Kurama blushed.
"Forget it guys- we need to find those pictures and fast! What if Keiko or Yukina see them?" Yusuke pointed out.
"Or my sister!" Kuwabara added. I instantly paled as I considered this. Any girl who saw my body had to die.
"You're right. Let's get to the bottom of this," Kurama agreed as we stopped at the dining room doors. In agreement, we pushed them open. We were surprised to see everyone crowded around the stage. Curiously, we approached it. Squeezing in-between the people, we gaped at what they were staring at- the pictures of us! What made me even angrier were the insane price tags that had been placed on them. Although high, people were lining up to buy them.
"That's it- I'm killing them all!" I growled as I flexed my right arm. Focusing all my energy, I readied myself to summon Kokuryuha.
"Iie Hiei!" Kurama exclaimed as he grabbed my arm.
"Kurama, I will not allow them to demean us in this way!" I hissed. Kurama just shook his head.
"Killing is not the way to solve this!" Kurama protested.
"They've already seen us!" I shot back.
"So you plan to kill Botan too?" Kurama questioned helplessly.
"I did say all didn't I?" I replied darkly. Just then, Yusuke broke in.
"All right everyone! Show's over! Clear the way or we will for you!" He shouted.