Rainy Days, Stormy Nights

Hiya!~^_^~ *wistful sigh* Only two reviews again.... I'm a little upset, but I'm going to take some advice given to me earlier from Mystery-fanficwriter because I love my story and that's all that should really matter! *mumbles* But I would prefer other people to love it too... Oh well, at least SOMEONE likes my story. Review shout out time!

To Sorceress Shingo: I'm glad you like my description! I'll fit in something for your craving, k? I don't know how soon though, so be patient.

To Saelbu: Glad you like it! I'm updating now, sorry for the wait!

Alright, let's get the ball moving, my muses are on vacation today, so I'm working as hard as I can, but I don't think this chapter came out too good. I'm not going to be able to bring the fic back around to Kurama this time, but he's coming back real soon!

Disclaimer: I would say that I own YYH if it weren't for two things: 1) Millions of fan girls who would say the same thing, and 2)Getting my ass kicked, sued and put on the street by the people who actually do own it. So yeah, I own nothing, save Nagisa and Sakura.

Chapter 6: What Girl?

Sakura entered the room only a moment later, pulling in a cart after her, piled high with covered dishes.

"I'm back!" she sang in a melodic voice. "Did you miss me?" she asked sweetly in a playful tone.

Hiei only looked at her with the most confused expression on his features. He had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore. One minute, he was in the park, trying to keep his sanity, the next thing he knows, he's holed up with a psycho, she-demon, fox, vixen, person, illusion, thing.... it and a little girl pops out of nowhere, scares the hell out of him and disappears just in time for the psycho, whatchya-ma-call-it, thing, person to show up again and rip what few shreds of sanity he managed to hold on to.

Noticing this, Sakura returned the look, now allowing his emotions to flood hers to try and understand him. "Hiei? What's wrong?"

"Who was she?" he asked her on a dazed tone, "Who was that girl?"

"Girl?" she asked, now her own confusion adding in with his to make it even more devastating. "Hiei, what girl?" Sakura abandoned the cart, coming to sit next to Hiei. "What girl are you talking about?"

"She... came in while you were gone, out of thin air... I didn't even feel her...she said, 'The uso tenshi has blocked your third eye' and she... disappeared...." He looked down into his lap at his hands, suddenly finding them interesting.

This prevented him from seeing Sakura's reaction. Her eyes went wide and she went stiff as her fur stood on end. She looked at him in disbelief before quickly turning around to face the wall. "This.. girl... what does she look like?" she asked stiffly, holding out all fear from her voice.

"She had dark brown hair, she was really pale and her eyes kept changing colors.... Sakura, who was she?" he asked again. He looked up and noticed she was trembling. "What is it? Do you know who she is?"

"It's... I don't know, Hiei. I really don't. This has never happened before, so I don't know...." Her voice faded out in her confusion. There was an eerie pause as she contemplated his description. "Why don't we eat now and then go outside, I don't know what to make of your girl." she concluded finally, pushing the girl into the back of her mind to be contemplated slowly.

She moved to uncover the trays of fresh rolls, steaming soup and several other dishes without enthusiasm. The scent of the delicious, steaming soup, filled with several vegetables and chicken, mixed with the earthy aroma of the large, buttered rolls was enough to make the satisfied hungry again. Beside the rolls was a tray of random, chilled fruit including grapes, cherries and watermelon. The last plate held two, good sized pieces of strawberry shortcake, drenched in fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

The two ate in silence, too numb from their previous conversation to savor the rich foods. As the food left the trays, both becoming more and more contented and relaxed, the mood began to lighten and Sakura began to hum her tuneless song once again as she finished off the last few bites of her cake.

"Maybe... we'll find out eventually who she is, Hiei, but we can't worry about it when we can't do anything," she said quietly, sipping the last of the warm tea she had brought with the meal.

Hiei only nodded in response as he too finished off his cake and tea.

"Come on, Hiei!" she called to him, standing and pushing the tray towards the door when she saw he had finished. "Just let me clean these up and we can go outside." She offered him an affectionate smile before she walked out of the door, this time leaving it wide open for Hiei.

Hiei followed her to the kitchen and sat on the counter as he watched her clean. Her movements were swift and efficient, seeming more like her body was intended for battle. Finishing off the dishes, Sakura opened the refrigerator and looked inside before pulling out a corked carafe and two green apples and closing it again. On her way out of the kitchen, she opened one of the cabinets, taking two sake cups out as well as a small basket. She tucked everything else inside silently as Hiei continued his watch.

"What are you doing, girl?" Hiei asked her, his voice remaining uninterested.

"Packing." she replied simply.

"For what?" Hiei pushed.

"Later." she answered plainly. "Come on, let's go outside now." She picked up the basket and walked over to a large sliding glass door. Opening it with her free hand, she walked right outside and waited for Hiei to follow.

Hiei, of course, hated feeling like he was being ordered around, worse yet, by some strange girl who was just an illusion to begin with. He glared at her, staying put at his position at the entrance of the kitchen. He hated how she acted like she knew more than him, and that he was easily conquered. Who the hell did she think she was? He wasn't a dog that would just obey his master! He was would have already killed her if it weren't for the fact that all of his powers were stolen from him. Yet, despite all of this, the breeze that came through the open glass promised him a sweet taste of freedom in this strange prison. He continued to glare at her as he passed the thresh hold, standing a few feet in front of her.

The scene before him was beautiful, and in a way, reminded him of Makai. The large trees of all types scattered everywhere, along with other plants, most flowering, gave it a wild aura, but that aura was placated by the large open fields that dotted the dense growth. The breeze, now filled with the scent of jasmine, rose and lavender.

[Kurama would have a field day here...] Hiei thought, his attention diverted back to his fox. He could just imagine Kurama manipulating the plants, making them grow beautiful, and some deadly.

"Hiei, you're free to wander wherever you want out here, the water boarders are easy to find and you can't cross them, the barrier starts at the other side." Sakura sounded from behind him, rousing him from his thoughts. "Over there," she pointed to her left, "is a large river for the boarder, the rest of it," she pointed straight through the forest, sweeping her arm to her right, "is a string of waterfalls and pools." She looked back down to Hiei, giving him another smile, which by now was getting on his nerves. "I'll come find you later to come back inside, Angel Baby would kill me if I lost you."

Hiei gave no reply as he flitted in a blur to get as far away from that psycho fox, person, thing. Reaching the river she had told him about, Hiei found a large willow tree and jumped into it. He leaned into the cradle of the tree, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes as he tried to focus on moving his energy. No such luck. [Note to self: kill Sakura and 'Angel Baby' as soon as my powers are back.] he thought bitterly. He bet his purity that they did this to him.

Hiei opened his eyes with a start. He had felt the tree move under him, as if it were trying to adjust to his shape. It moved again, now more boldly. [What the hell?!] His first instinct was to jump from the tree and run like a madman, seeing as how he's pathetically weak at the moment, but The tree's aura was too familiar, strangely like it was of his own blood. It movements continued more subtly, finally stopping when Hiei's shape was copied and memorized. Now the tree felt more like a comfortable chair, but someone had to have manipulated the tree to make it behave that way.

At first he thought it was Kurama, playing another stupid joke on him like last time (which, by the way, Hie still doesn't understand how he found it funny), but he quickly discarded that possibility. Kurama was probably miles from here and clueless as to where he was. Sakura might have done it, but she would have revealed herself by now (like her annoying, pop-out-of-nowhere self), and she may not even be able to manipulate plants like Kurama. It was possible that a soul had absorbed into the tree itself, but wouldn't it have tried to get rid of him? Unless it all of a sudden developed some kind of crush on him and... Hiei shook his head, he was reading too much into this. He settled for the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign that appeared in his mind. He'd figure it out later.

The breeze decided to show up again and gently swayed the branches falling to the ground. The soft rustling of the leaves and low whistle of the wind sung a silent, sorrowful lullaby. It called out to Hiei's soul, quieting his questions and thoughts that should have flashed red. He glanced around, his eyes half lidded, for any sign of danger. Seeing and sensing nothing (which really doesn't count for much today), he let the lullaby take him far away from his body.

ifyouarereadingthisyouobliviouslydonotrealizeitisnotpartofthestorydonotreadthis

It was so dark, nothing could be seen. Hiei tried to feel around him, but again, as it had been lately, this was virtually useless. Everything he saw was blackness, empty, and cold. He took a few steps forward, nothing changed around him, he didn't even hear his footsteps. Fear started to reach out at his mind, taking over and turning it as black and bleak as his surroundings. It seeped into his heart and soul, swallowing him whole. His mind raced with doubts and fears that hadn't crossed his mind in years. Unpleasant memories reared their ugly heads and consumed his consciousness. He moved forward again, first slowly trying to escape, then running as fast as his body would take him. The faster he tried to move, the slower he went, until he eventually ended up on his knees, frozen to the spot.

He was able to see himself now, somehow though it was only his body, his was still swallowed in darkness. He felt something wet and thick on his hands and forearms. Bringing them up to his face, his blood froze as he looked at the liquid coating his skin. A shudder ran up and down his spine as he examined the ruby red blood oozing down to his elbows, dripping down to a still unseeable floor. That wasn't what horrified Hiei though. Oh no, he had seen the sight several times before in his lifetime, most of those times being that the victim decided it was better not to be burned to a crisp. What scared him was that the blood belonged to someone he held very close to his heart, someone he was more than willing to die for. Yet instead of dying for them, he had killed them, by his own hand.

"Yukina...? Yukina!?" Hiei begged frantically, praying to Kami it wasn't her. A light shown ahead, only a dark glow, but it still revealed Hiei's worst fear. Yukina's body was sprawled on the floor, her beautiful blood spilling over her lithe body, staining her favorite yukata and drenching her silken pale-blue hair in the dark fluid. Her pearled gem tears were scattered around her face, glinting in the darkness.

Hiei crawled over to her limp form. "Yu-Yukina...?" He lifted her into his arms. She held no breath, her body warmer than it should be for the ice maiden. He clutched her body closer now, shaking his head furiously. "No... NO! This isn't real! It can't be! I refuse to believe this!"

He sobbed into her blood drenched body, letting loose his soul's complete sorrow. His own hardened, black tears cascaded down her body to the floor, landing with a small 'thud' on the floor and scattering to join his sisters.

Hearing a soft rustle in front of him, Hiei quickly looked up, glaring at the direction of the offending noise. Suddenly, he wasn't engulfed in blackness as he had been, but in a clearing of the Makai forests in the night. The sound came again, now closer than before and continued to come closer.

Hiei's rage and anguish began to boil and overwhelmed his logical thoughts. His spirit energy burned and rose high, leaving nothing to be imagined of his power.

The figure came closer, and was now visible. It was... Kurama? Now Hiei was shocked and confused. Where did Kurama come from? His spirit energy dropped back to it's subtle presence as he watched Kurama come closer.

"Hiei, this isn't your fault." Kurama stated calmly, gesturing to Yukina's still form. "It never was and it never will be."

"What stupidity are you spewing, fox?! This IS my fault! She's dead! Are you blind!? Look at her! I was supposed to protect her and then I went and killed her! I promised, Kurama!" Hiei's harsh words had no effect on Kurama as stood patiently, waiting for Hiei to vent.

"But Hiei," Kurama began softly, "How could it be your fault when she isn't even dead?"

Hiei glared at him. "You really are blind if you're not seeing her lifeless body in my arms." Hiei stated coldly, his voice edged with venom.

"That," Kurama kneeled down beside Yukina's body, opposite to Hiei, "is not Yukina. I promised I would help you, and so did she, and now she has repaid you in full." He brushed Yukina's hair away from her peaceful face.

Hiei looked back down to his little sister, only now, it wasn't her face he saw. Sakura had replaced his sister's body, but she held all the same wounds and blood still covered her entirety, above all, she was still dead. All Hiei could think was [What the hell...?!]

Two forms appeared behind Kurama, both identical to the one he held. They both smiled at him sweetly and nodded their heads to agree with Kurama. They held each other's hand tightly, waiting patiently for Hiei to acknowledge them.

Hiei stared at them in awe. He felt as if he were drunk and was seeing double. Yukina appeared between them, alive and perfectly safe.

"Oniichan, why didn't you tell me that you had such loyal friends?" she asked him innocently in her sweet voice. "They protected me, and Kurama helped them too."

"What are you talking about?" It was strange enough Yukina knew he was her brother, but for her to claim he had friends... well that was just ludicrous.

"Hiei, don't you remember?" the more innocent version of Sakura spoke to him, a small frown on her delicate face. She tilted her head to one side like Sakura, but as to where it made her look pet like, it only served this girl to make her look like a child.

[So that's 'Angel Baby'...] Hiei said nothing as the 'live' version of Sakura shrugged.

"Oh well, you will soon enough." she spoke nonchalantly, seeming unsurprised by his reaction.

"Anybody feel like telling me what the heck is going on here?" Hiei spoke coldly, his voice underlined with anger. (Boy, isn't he just a bundle of bright thoughts...) He had dropped the body and it laid motionless before him.

Sakura shook her head vigorously, a sly grin on her face. "Nope! It's about time you faced your own music, Hiei, and that's what we intend to have happen."

Hiei growled. "So why did you pretend to kill off my sister?! And you involved Kurama!? This is unforgivable!" His anger welled up again, only to be put out by Yukina herself as she marched up to him, acting as if he had just insulted her best friend.

"Hiei! Quit it! They're only trying to help! Besides, they were showing you how far they'd go to–!" Yukina wasn't allowed to finish. 'Angel Baby' Quickly clapped her hand over the ice maiden's mouth.

She grabbed Yukina's arm with her free hand, efficiently pulling her backwards as darkness crept back into the scene. "Bai bai, Hiei..." She faded out, Yukina in her grasp, as Sakura moved back to join her.

Kurama was the only one left there as the darkness began to fill him again. He came closer to Hiei, until their faces were mere inches apart. "Hiei, don't be afraid to face yourself, you'll always have some one behind you." Kurama's soothing voice filled his ears, calming him somewhat. Kurama quickly pulled him into a chaste kiss, tender and sweet, before releasing him again. "Especially if you know you can ask them for help. Don't forget that, Hiei, because I'll always consider myself your friend." He gave Hiei one last reassuring smile before he too faded out.

Kurama's words and actions had given him a strange new emotion, or at least, one he hadn't felt since he built up his walls so long ago. He tried desperately to name it before it faded like it's giver had. It was warm, like fire, but not so dangerously hot or passionate, more like... a candle. He had seen one at Kurama's house once, when his Ninjin mother was going to have special guests come later. He had lit one for Hiei to see and it was strangely... uplifting. The insignificant little torch was actually slightly uplifting to one of the coldest demons in Makai. This feeling made him feel like he could really survive himself and be better after he won, but what was it?

Hiei's eyes opened suddenly, and he was exactly where he was when he drifted off, in that willow tree that might have a crush on him. Looking around, he realized the tree had shifted back to it's original position, most likely causing Hiei to stir. The sun was higher in the sky, heating the land around him. It didn't cause him any discomfort, though, being a fire demon and actually preferring even higher temperatures.

He let out a heavy sigh, relaxing back into the tree. When he had come outside earlier, it couldn't have been later than about nine in the morning in this silly Ninjin place. It had to be very close to one in the afternoon now.

A soft sound in the distance brought his guard back up. Hiei quickly scanned the area, straining his ears for another sound. It came again. The sound was that of a young girl giggling. Though it was oddly haunting and screamed for his sake to stay away, Hiei flitted to the source.

The girl stood under a particularly large sakura tree, as she appeared earlier, only this time gently bouncing a white ball about three times the size of her balled fist. She giggled insistently as she watched it bounce, as if the ball were the most entertaining thing in the world. When she finally looked up at Hiei, he realized it wasn't the same girl at all. This girl gave him a cruel smile, as if she was plotting his demise in that seemingly young mind of hers.

"Who are you?" Hiei demanded evenly, only to have the girl take flight after catching her toy. She looked back at him, daring him to come try to make her talk as she continued her haunting sound.

Hiei gave way to chase, knowing he could catch her faster than she could blink. But he miscalculated, causing a fatal error. Somehow she managed to stay ahead of him constantly, letting him almost come into reach before bursting ahead. Her giggles gave way to something similar to humming but holding it's eerie tone. He had heard it somewhere before, from the stupid Ninjin children as they played, but he couldn't remember the words... and those silly fools never made it sound so cold and fear baring. It chilled his bones, but his pride was relentless to capture her and demand answers. He gave a burst a speed, almost reaching her again.

~TBC~

(P.S.- Don't blame me for making Hiei ooc - even I noticed it- like I mentioned before, my muses are on vacation.)

Cliffy.... I love doing this to you guys.... please don't kill me? It might take me awhile to update, and I'm begging forgiveness right now because I'm grounded and must admit that I am a procrastinator, but I'm already working on the next chapter, and it will be up as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R!~^_^~