A/N: We're now down to the last three chapters including this one! Woot! I
am so proud, I've finished it but I still need to check it over and
everything. Please review, review, and of course, enjoy.
Disclaimer: If I really owned YuYu Hakusho, do you really think I'd spend my time writing fanfics?
Chapter Thirteen
They stood alone in the cold, staring each other down. "You cannot continue."
"I don't really think it's up to me." Adreana pointed out, she saw this whole conversation as pointless. "They won't release me, it will only damage them, they'll never do it."
"Then I will... speak to Mizrahi. I will not allow you to be their tool. They will listen and do what I say." He pulled his cloak tighter around his body and she felt the wind pick up, surrounding her with snow and making her braid twist and turn.
'A tool... a weapon... nothing more...' Adreana sighed. 'Is that what I'm destined to be for the rest of my life? No one sees me as a person, not even Hiei.'
"Thank you Hiei, but I must decline." She yanked her braid over her shoulder and crossed her arms.
"There will be no discussion of this. I will take care of it." He said his tone firm and Adreana stifled a groan.
'Why does he feel he must do everything for me? Honestly, I am no weakling.' She stepped closer and felt her shoulders slump. "Hiei, I am not some ditz who's incapable of taking care of things, you don't have to do everything for me."
Hiei frowned. "I don't think of you like that. I just... want to take care of you." He pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight and she felt warmth flood through her even though it was so cold.
And just like that, a memory surfaced, of her in the bitter cold being held tightly against his chest.
"Don't worry Andrea, I will always take care of you, that's a promise..."
Then, just as quickly as it had come; it vanished, leaving her feeling colder than ever. Moving closer in Hiei's arms, she buried her face in his cloak but her body shook nonetheless and he sighed.
"Come on, I'll take you home."
***
Yusuke sat glumly staring at the small creature next to Keiko on which she lavished attention and love. Puu, his spirit beast, practically his other half, got more love then he did. Grumbling to himself he shifted his weight so he sat cross-legged on the floor and continued to glare.
Keiko didn't notice, but Puu did and flew, landing on the top of Yusuke's head. "Puu!" He said happily and Yusuke growled.
Keiko looked up from her homework and smiled. "See Yusuke? I told you he loves you."
"He loves my head Keiko, it's his damn favorite chair. There's a damn difference." He moved his hands and tried to get the small thing off but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit...!"
Keiko laughed and got to her feet. She picked Puu easily off Yusuke's head and cuddled him to her chest.
"How come he does whatever you want?" He demanded and Keiko giggled.
"Well he's supposed to be your other half right? So of course he wants to make me happy." She giggled as Puu rubbed its head against her chest, looking very happy indeed.
"Pah," Yusuke grumbled and continued to glare at the spirit beast. "I bet you like him more than you like me, in fact, I bet if he asked you to marry him you'd say yes."
Keiko turned to him and frowned. "Don't be silly Yusuke, of course I wouldn't. I love him differently than I love you, you know that."
His hand tightened on the small box in his pocket. "Then... would you mind answering a question...?"
***
Kurama sat on the sofa with Botan in the crook of his arm, sipping hot chocolate. "How badly?"
He looked down at her. "How badly what?"
"Do you think he messed it up? Let's face it, Hiei is far from the romantic type." Botan said her cheeriness gone, sad for her friend who'd fallen so fast for someone who didn't show his emotions most of the time, or even at all.
"Hm, I don't know, but still Hiei won't damage this so badly, he cares too much for her." Kurama bit his lip. 'He wasn't anything like Hiei... he was completely reckless... stubborn, and showed how much he cared all the time... but I guess her tastes changed... besides, why would she want a constant reminder of the guy she lost?'
"Kurama... Kurama?"
***
Yukina sniffed, Hiei had put Adreana in his bed and come back to the kitchen. "What is it Yukina?"
"Is she all right...? I mean... Kurama told me she still isn't over his death yet, and then to pile all this on top of it-"
"Death? Whose death?" Hiei said instantly, advancing on Yukina. "Yukina... tell me now."
"Well... I'm not supposed to! Kurama made me promise!" She said holding up her ladle to defend herself.
Hiei sighed. "Yukina, put that thing down... watch over her, I'm going to talk to Kurama." He slipped on his cloak and was out the door before she could protest.
"Oh dear... I really shouldn't have told him at all... brother gets so protective..."
***
"KURAMA!" Hiei bellowed banging on Botan's door to see it opened by a very alarmed Kurama.
"What is it Hiei?! Is she all right?" Kurama asked anxiously, he was dressed in his nightclothes but his hair was perfect.
"She's fine. Who died?" He asked crossing his arms and glaring at him.
"... I do not understand."
"Your a fool if you think you can lie to me. Tell me, now." He snapped with his eyes narrowed.
Kurama sighed heavily before going back in the house for a second to get his coat then looked briefly at his friend for a moment before he started walking.
"Where are you going?" Hiei demanded but walked to catch up.
"Do you want to know or not?" Kurama retorted.
*****
Adreana looked out the open window. Trudging through the snow was Yukina's boyfriend, Kuwabara. Despite Hiei's grumbling about him she thought he was a decent guy. He looked at the house as if he wanted to come in but thought better of it and walked on.
"He knows Hiei is here... this isn't right." Pulling on her jacket she trotted to the windowsill then swung her leg over and gripping the ledge with both hands, let go.
She hit the ground without a sound and started after Kuwabara.
He was walking with his head down, hands in his pockets. "Kuwabara!" His head snapped to her face and a slow smile formed.
"Hi Adreana. What's up?"
"Mind if I walk with you?" She asked politely and he nodded slowing his pace. "I wanted to talk to you about Hiei."
She watched as his muscles unknowingly tensed. "What about shrimpy?"
Adreana bit her lip. "I'm all for you and Yukina dating. He's just overprotective of her, being his only sister and all. I don't think it's personal."
Kuwabara snorted. "That's where you're wrong Adreana. He didn't like me from the start, and when I found Yukina his hate just escalated."
"Kuwabara, if Hiei really didn't want you dating Yukina, he would have ended it by now. You know that."
He was silent but thoughtful.
"You may be right."
"Of course. Come on, let's go see Yukina."
*****
"When we were younger, Adreana had this friend of hers... they were inseparable. But as they got older they realized they loved one another.
"He was smart, handsome, and strong. What more could a girl want? He openly displayed his unyielding affection for her, never leaving her to doubt. You couldn't find a girl that was happier than her.
"Well one night after they parted he was walking down an alley way... he never saw the blade. It was instant."
It was silent as they walked; even the wind had stopped for Kurama's story. "Some idiots killed him simply because they were waiting and had the time. That's it. For no reason other than they were bored... they murdered him." He sighed. "How could I tell her? That for no reason but he'd taken the alley way, he was dead... it just wasn't fair."
Hiei was silent.
"She loved him so much, it was so hard on her. It changed her like you'll never know. I even considered asking Koenma if there was some way... just to give her a chance to talk to him one more time." The wind blew fiercely, making his hair blow across his face.
"She used every ounce of strength she possessed to hurt everyone who was involved with his slaying... even their families. Once it was all over, the day she had trained so hard for came and went... there was nothing left to do. Her life was over as far as she was concerned.
"But she would not die, much to her grief, she was stuck here. That was almost a year ago. Things have changed once again, as they always do, nothing ever remains the same.
"Are you glad, now that you know?"
The wind was fiercer now, blowing Hiei's cape to the east. "No... I'd have rather not known..."
Disclaimer: If I really owned YuYu Hakusho, do you really think I'd spend my time writing fanfics?
Chapter Thirteen
They stood alone in the cold, staring each other down. "You cannot continue."
"I don't really think it's up to me." Adreana pointed out, she saw this whole conversation as pointless. "They won't release me, it will only damage them, they'll never do it."
"Then I will... speak to Mizrahi. I will not allow you to be their tool. They will listen and do what I say." He pulled his cloak tighter around his body and she felt the wind pick up, surrounding her with snow and making her braid twist and turn.
'A tool... a weapon... nothing more...' Adreana sighed. 'Is that what I'm destined to be for the rest of my life? No one sees me as a person, not even Hiei.'
"Thank you Hiei, but I must decline." She yanked her braid over her shoulder and crossed her arms.
"There will be no discussion of this. I will take care of it." He said his tone firm and Adreana stifled a groan.
'Why does he feel he must do everything for me? Honestly, I am no weakling.' She stepped closer and felt her shoulders slump. "Hiei, I am not some ditz who's incapable of taking care of things, you don't have to do everything for me."
Hiei frowned. "I don't think of you like that. I just... want to take care of you." He pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight and she felt warmth flood through her even though it was so cold.
And just like that, a memory surfaced, of her in the bitter cold being held tightly against his chest.
"Don't worry Andrea, I will always take care of you, that's a promise..."
Then, just as quickly as it had come; it vanished, leaving her feeling colder than ever. Moving closer in Hiei's arms, she buried her face in his cloak but her body shook nonetheless and he sighed.
"Come on, I'll take you home."
***
Yusuke sat glumly staring at the small creature next to Keiko on which she lavished attention and love. Puu, his spirit beast, practically his other half, got more love then he did. Grumbling to himself he shifted his weight so he sat cross-legged on the floor and continued to glare.
Keiko didn't notice, but Puu did and flew, landing on the top of Yusuke's head. "Puu!" He said happily and Yusuke growled.
Keiko looked up from her homework and smiled. "See Yusuke? I told you he loves you."
"He loves my head Keiko, it's his damn favorite chair. There's a damn difference." He moved his hands and tried to get the small thing off but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit...!"
Keiko laughed and got to her feet. She picked Puu easily off Yusuke's head and cuddled him to her chest.
"How come he does whatever you want?" He demanded and Keiko giggled.
"Well he's supposed to be your other half right? So of course he wants to make me happy." She giggled as Puu rubbed its head against her chest, looking very happy indeed.
"Pah," Yusuke grumbled and continued to glare at the spirit beast. "I bet you like him more than you like me, in fact, I bet if he asked you to marry him you'd say yes."
Keiko turned to him and frowned. "Don't be silly Yusuke, of course I wouldn't. I love him differently than I love you, you know that."
His hand tightened on the small box in his pocket. "Then... would you mind answering a question...?"
***
Kurama sat on the sofa with Botan in the crook of his arm, sipping hot chocolate. "How badly?"
He looked down at her. "How badly what?"
"Do you think he messed it up? Let's face it, Hiei is far from the romantic type." Botan said her cheeriness gone, sad for her friend who'd fallen so fast for someone who didn't show his emotions most of the time, or even at all.
"Hm, I don't know, but still Hiei won't damage this so badly, he cares too much for her." Kurama bit his lip. 'He wasn't anything like Hiei... he was completely reckless... stubborn, and showed how much he cared all the time... but I guess her tastes changed... besides, why would she want a constant reminder of the guy she lost?'
"Kurama... Kurama?"
***
Yukina sniffed, Hiei had put Adreana in his bed and come back to the kitchen. "What is it Yukina?"
"Is she all right...? I mean... Kurama told me she still isn't over his death yet, and then to pile all this on top of it-"
"Death? Whose death?" Hiei said instantly, advancing on Yukina. "Yukina... tell me now."
"Well... I'm not supposed to! Kurama made me promise!" She said holding up her ladle to defend herself.
Hiei sighed. "Yukina, put that thing down... watch over her, I'm going to talk to Kurama." He slipped on his cloak and was out the door before she could protest.
"Oh dear... I really shouldn't have told him at all... brother gets so protective..."
***
"KURAMA!" Hiei bellowed banging on Botan's door to see it opened by a very alarmed Kurama.
"What is it Hiei?! Is she all right?" Kurama asked anxiously, he was dressed in his nightclothes but his hair was perfect.
"She's fine. Who died?" He asked crossing his arms and glaring at him.
"... I do not understand."
"Your a fool if you think you can lie to me. Tell me, now." He snapped with his eyes narrowed.
Kurama sighed heavily before going back in the house for a second to get his coat then looked briefly at his friend for a moment before he started walking.
"Where are you going?" Hiei demanded but walked to catch up.
"Do you want to know or not?" Kurama retorted.
*****
Adreana looked out the open window. Trudging through the snow was Yukina's boyfriend, Kuwabara. Despite Hiei's grumbling about him she thought he was a decent guy. He looked at the house as if he wanted to come in but thought better of it and walked on.
"He knows Hiei is here... this isn't right." Pulling on her jacket she trotted to the windowsill then swung her leg over and gripping the ledge with both hands, let go.
She hit the ground without a sound and started after Kuwabara.
He was walking with his head down, hands in his pockets. "Kuwabara!" His head snapped to her face and a slow smile formed.
"Hi Adreana. What's up?"
"Mind if I walk with you?" She asked politely and he nodded slowing his pace. "I wanted to talk to you about Hiei."
She watched as his muscles unknowingly tensed. "What about shrimpy?"
Adreana bit her lip. "I'm all for you and Yukina dating. He's just overprotective of her, being his only sister and all. I don't think it's personal."
Kuwabara snorted. "That's where you're wrong Adreana. He didn't like me from the start, and when I found Yukina his hate just escalated."
"Kuwabara, if Hiei really didn't want you dating Yukina, he would have ended it by now. You know that."
He was silent but thoughtful.
"You may be right."
"Of course. Come on, let's go see Yukina."
*****
"When we were younger, Adreana had this friend of hers... they were inseparable. But as they got older they realized they loved one another.
"He was smart, handsome, and strong. What more could a girl want? He openly displayed his unyielding affection for her, never leaving her to doubt. You couldn't find a girl that was happier than her.
"Well one night after they parted he was walking down an alley way... he never saw the blade. It was instant."
It was silent as they walked; even the wind had stopped for Kurama's story. "Some idiots killed him simply because they were waiting and had the time. That's it. For no reason other than they were bored... they murdered him." He sighed. "How could I tell her? That for no reason but he'd taken the alley way, he was dead... it just wasn't fair."
Hiei was silent.
"She loved him so much, it was so hard on her. It changed her like you'll never know. I even considered asking Koenma if there was some way... just to give her a chance to talk to him one more time." The wind blew fiercely, making his hair blow across his face.
"She used every ounce of strength she possessed to hurt everyone who was involved with his slaying... even their families. Once it was all over, the day she had trained so hard for came and went... there was nothing left to do. Her life was over as far as she was concerned.
"But she would not die, much to her grief, she was stuck here. That was almost a year ago. Things have changed once again, as they always do, nothing ever remains the same.
"Are you glad, now that you know?"
The wind was fiercer now, blowing Hiei's cape to the east. "No... I'd have rather not known..."