A/N: Ok, here is the next chapter. I got three reviews for the last chapter. Amethyst Bubble (who, I believe, has reviewed every single chapter of both this story and its prequel. She is awersome!), Fire Monkey Fanatic, and Cat, who has decided to stop reading my story because the last chapter "sucked". So read this, because it is IMPORTANT. I typically don't care about flames, but, if people don't like this story, I don't have to post it. There are several people who do read this story, and I'll just email to them. SO, no response: story becomes discontinued. No exceptions.
Chapter 6: A Grave Warning
The cemetery was dark and dreary, with a sense of foreboding lurking around the place. The graves were old and unkempt, so it took awhile to find which graves were the Riddles. When they did find the graves, Hiei knew at once that they had reached a dead end.
For a while, the two examined the simple graves, but their search proved futile. It was as they turned to leave that Hiei felt something. An odd ki brushed past his senses. He was suddenly hit with a bolt of inspiration.
"I'm tired, fox."
"Then let's get back to the Order," Kurama replied.
"No. There is a tree on the hill over there. I hate sleeping inside anyways. Maybe there will be new clues in the morning."
"And where am I supposed to sleep?"
"Hn. Stupid fox."
Hiei led the way to the yew tree on the hill overlooking the graveyard. It was an ancient tree with thick, sturdy branches, Hiei picked a limb about ten feet off the ground and sat on it, his back resting against the trunk.
"Are you coming?"
Kurama climbed the tree more cautiously than Hiei had and sat on the branch in front of Hiei, his head resting comfortably against Hiei's chest. Hiei wrapped his arms around the kitsune and drifted off to sleep...
... and true to his prediction, the presence he had sensed before materialized in front of him in the form of a stern and elderly woman.
"And you," he said. "must be Mrs. Riddle."
~*~*~
Kurama woke the next morning when the sun was high. He was grumpy and had a crink in his neck from the odd sleeping position. Turning, he found that Hiei was already awake.
"Hn. I was beginning to wonder if I should wake you. We need to get back to the Order."
"Huh? I thought you wanted to search for more clues."
"Well, I spoke with Janice Riddle last night..."
"NANI!?!?!"*thunk* and with that, Kurama fell from the tree.
~*~*~
Hiei, despite Kurama's non-stop badgering, refused to speak of the nights happenings. The first thing he did upon returning to the Order was to ask when Dumbledore would be coming back. Lupin responded that it would not be for another hour or two.
"In the mean time, you should find some way to occupy yourselves," he said.
"Yeah!" Harry cried cheerfully. " Ron and I are going out back to fly around for a bit. Wanna come?"
"Certainly," Kurama looked excited.
"Yeah! Me too! I wanna see how this kid-itchy game is played," Yusuke laughed.
"Quidditch," Ron and Harry corrected him simultainiously, and then they all left to see if the twins would allow then to borrow their brooms. Lupin left only a few moments later when a loud bang erupted from upstairs, leaving Hiei alone with Kuwabarra.
"Good," Kuwabarra growled. "I wanted to talk to you anyways."
"Hn?"
"Yes, I wanted to ask you something."
"Hn."
"It's real important to me, ok?"
"Hn."
"I want to know....how...how she...how Yukina died."
"..."
"well?"
"...hn."
"Goddamnit, kisama!" Kuwabarra snapped. " Don't you know how to say anything else? I mean, what the hell does Kurama see in you anyways? All you do is say 'hn' and insult people! I pity the fact that Yukina had to die with you around because I doubt you even gave a damn. Heartless bastard, you probably laughed, didn't you? It's not like you even cared-"
Hiei's temper broke and he slammed Kuwabarra into a nearby wall. Damn ningen emotions to the deepest of the seven hells; he was beginning to cry.
"Don't you ever speak to me like that," he hissed at the larger boy. "You have no idea what it's like to have the only part of your family that hasn't turned you-" he froze midsentance realizing what he had just said.
Kuwabarra's eyes widened as the realization hit him harder than the last time Yusuke punched him in the face. "You... no way...you're Yukina's brother??"
Hiei released the front of Kuwabarra's shirt. "I am, but I never... She knows now, of course, but I never...
"After she was kidnapped, I went in search of her. I was careless, and Voldemort's deatheaters caught me. I was brought before the dark lord for judgement just as he was punishing Yukina.I knew it would mean trouble for us both if I spoke out. Then, he raised his wand and she...died. He dismissed me as no threat and told me to bury her body... he didn't know either."
After several minutes of deafining silence, Kuwabarra spoke. "Truce?"
And Hiei responded with one word that said everything and nothing at the same time.
"Hn."
~*~*~
"So what did Mrs. Riddle say?"
Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting of the Order, though Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Reikai Tantei had been asked to attend as well.
"She said that Tom Riddle only moved back to his parents house after he discovered his wife was a witch. He owned a house in Surrey, and that is where he is."
He glanced around the table. "Kurama and I will go tomorrow."
'I'm coming Yukina....my sister.....'
A/N: Ahh, there we go! Hope ye liked it. Now REVIEW, gosh darnit.
Chapter 6: A Grave Warning
The cemetery was dark and dreary, with a sense of foreboding lurking around the place. The graves were old and unkempt, so it took awhile to find which graves were the Riddles. When they did find the graves, Hiei knew at once that they had reached a dead end.
For a while, the two examined the simple graves, but their search proved futile. It was as they turned to leave that Hiei felt something. An odd ki brushed past his senses. He was suddenly hit with a bolt of inspiration.
"I'm tired, fox."
"Then let's get back to the Order," Kurama replied.
"No. There is a tree on the hill over there. I hate sleeping inside anyways. Maybe there will be new clues in the morning."
"And where am I supposed to sleep?"
"Hn. Stupid fox."
Hiei led the way to the yew tree on the hill overlooking the graveyard. It was an ancient tree with thick, sturdy branches, Hiei picked a limb about ten feet off the ground and sat on it, his back resting against the trunk.
"Are you coming?"
Kurama climbed the tree more cautiously than Hiei had and sat on the branch in front of Hiei, his head resting comfortably against Hiei's chest. Hiei wrapped his arms around the kitsune and drifted off to sleep...
... and true to his prediction, the presence he had sensed before materialized in front of him in the form of a stern and elderly woman.
"And you," he said. "must be Mrs. Riddle."
~*~*~
Kurama woke the next morning when the sun was high. He was grumpy and had a crink in his neck from the odd sleeping position. Turning, he found that Hiei was already awake.
"Hn. I was beginning to wonder if I should wake you. We need to get back to the Order."
"Huh? I thought you wanted to search for more clues."
"Well, I spoke with Janice Riddle last night..."
"NANI!?!?!"*thunk* and with that, Kurama fell from the tree.
~*~*~
Hiei, despite Kurama's non-stop badgering, refused to speak of the nights happenings. The first thing he did upon returning to the Order was to ask when Dumbledore would be coming back. Lupin responded that it would not be for another hour or two.
"In the mean time, you should find some way to occupy yourselves," he said.
"Yeah!" Harry cried cheerfully. " Ron and I are going out back to fly around for a bit. Wanna come?"
"Certainly," Kurama looked excited.
"Yeah! Me too! I wanna see how this kid-itchy game is played," Yusuke laughed.
"Quidditch," Ron and Harry corrected him simultainiously, and then they all left to see if the twins would allow then to borrow their brooms. Lupin left only a few moments later when a loud bang erupted from upstairs, leaving Hiei alone with Kuwabarra.
"Good," Kuwabarra growled. "I wanted to talk to you anyways."
"Hn?"
"Yes, I wanted to ask you something."
"Hn."
"It's real important to me, ok?"
"Hn."
"I want to know....how...how she...how Yukina died."
"..."
"well?"
"...hn."
"Goddamnit, kisama!" Kuwabarra snapped. " Don't you know how to say anything else? I mean, what the hell does Kurama see in you anyways? All you do is say 'hn' and insult people! I pity the fact that Yukina had to die with you around because I doubt you even gave a damn. Heartless bastard, you probably laughed, didn't you? It's not like you even cared-"
Hiei's temper broke and he slammed Kuwabarra into a nearby wall. Damn ningen emotions to the deepest of the seven hells; he was beginning to cry.
"Don't you ever speak to me like that," he hissed at the larger boy. "You have no idea what it's like to have the only part of your family that hasn't turned you-" he froze midsentance realizing what he had just said.
Kuwabarra's eyes widened as the realization hit him harder than the last time Yusuke punched him in the face. "You... no way...you're Yukina's brother??"
Hiei released the front of Kuwabarra's shirt. "I am, but I never... She knows now, of course, but I never...
"After she was kidnapped, I went in search of her. I was careless, and Voldemort's deatheaters caught me. I was brought before the dark lord for judgement just as he was punishing Yukina.I knew it would mean trouble for us both if I spoke out. Then, he raised his wand and she...died. He dismissed me as no threat and told me to bury her body... he didn't know either."
After several minutes of deafining silence, Kuwabarra spoke. "Truce?"
And Hiei responded with one word that said everything and nothing at the same time.
"Hn."
~*~*~
"So what did Mrs. Riddle say?"
Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting of the Order, though Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Reikai Tantei had been asked to attend as well.
"She said that Tom Riddle only moved back to his parents house after he discovered his wife was a witch. He owned a house in Surrey, and that is where he is."
He glanced around the table. "Kurama and I will go tomorrow."
'I'm coming Yukina....my sister.....'
A/N: Ahh, there we go! Hope ye liked it. Now REVIEW, gosh darnit.