Hiei had been standing back in the bleachers watching Kurama fight. He grinned to himself as he watched Sapphire die.
"It looks like I wasn't even needed here." He kept watching for a moment. "But it looks like maybe it was better that he came first. Heh…" Hiei smiled to himself. "And he was saying it was unbelievable that I took a liking to her."
"So, will she be alright?" Yuske asked. He, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama were standing in Saiko's room. Saiko was laying on her bed, sleeping, her shoulder was bandaged up.
"She should be fine." Kurama replied. "It wasn't serious, just painful."
"So… What happened to her?" Kurama twitched a little. He didn't want to hurt Saiko by telling the others she had ran out, so he thought of an excuse.
"I think that she may have been abducted." Everyone looked at Kurama.
"What? How could that have happened? No one could get in this place without Koenma knowing. Or, that's what I thought." Yuske looks thoughtful for a moment. Kurama relaxed a little in relief.
"Maybe we should leave and let Saiko rest some. This has all been hard on her." They all nodded and left her room, closing the door quietly.
"So, how would anything have gotten in here with out us knowing?" Yuske demanded.
"It was a shadow demon. But not a very strong one, just dumb." Kurama was glad that he knew about shadow demons, otherwise, he would have been in quite a fix.
"A shadow demon? Most of them had been killed years ago. Right?" Hiei asked.
"Well, yes, Hiei, you should know. But anyways, if what it had said was correct, then she too is a shadow demon… Or at least, in part she is."
"What?!" Kuwabara gasped. "You mean Saiko's a demon too?"
"You dimwit." Hiei sneered. "This is only going by what the demon said… you know, the demon that was trying to kill her. Kurama, what do you mean that she may only be part demon?"
"By the time I had found them, the demon was saying how they had the same father, but different mothers. It could be that her mother was really human, or she could have been a different type of demon."
"So, now we know what is following her. But we don't know where to find them." Yuske thought for a moment. "Man! Sometimes this job really blows!" He slammed his fist into a wall. "All we can really do now is just sit and wait for them to come after her again! And there's really nothing we can do to stop them…"
"Actually Yuske, I know who those demons are. They've been around for some years, and I fought with them before. There were five of them, Sapphire, who's dead now, Amethyst, Ruby, the youngest of them, Emerald, and Sardonyx, the eldest."
"Man, they're all named after gemstones." Kuwabara said. "Their parents must have had a thing for rocks." The others all shook their heads.
"You're hopeless, you know that? Kuwabara?" Yuske muttered.
"I'll ask Koenma to try and locate them if he can. With any luck, we might be able to find them before they do anything else." Kurama said. The others nodded.
"Well, we should be leaving. I blew Keiko off again to come here, and she's probably going to have my head. Come on Kuwabara, let's get back to the living world." Kuwabara nodded as he and Yuske left. Hiei stood there looking at Kurama. Kurama noticed and started felling a little uncomfortably.
"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama finally asked. Hiei shook his head.
"You lied to us. But did Saiko a favor." Kurama reeled back in surprise. "It wasn't hard to figure out, even without using my eye. Example: How did you even find out Saiko was gone? Why didn't you tell us that she was when you did find out? The rest of us hadn't been searching long before I located her with my eye, but you were there already. How did you find her? My conclusion is that you knew that she would have left, and she had told you where she was going. What I want to know is, why?" Kurama was silent for a moment.
"Saiko might kill me for telling you, but it looks like you won't let me go without saying." Hiei nodded in agreement. Kurama scratched his head in worry. "Right well, it all has to do with the letter. I was with her when she read it." Hiei's eyebrow raised slightly. "Not like that! So anyway, she read it to me. It must have been written by one of the demons, and it told her to go to the stadium and she would find out who and what she is. Saiko had told me she wouldn't go, but I guess I can't hold it against her that she went. If I had been in her position, I would have wanted to know as well."
"I can't say I blame her either. She should have at least taken one of the swords." Kurama smiled at the remark.
It was several days before Saiko got out of bed. Her shoulder was still bandaged up tightly so she couldn't move it yet. She was sitting in the large room that she and Hiei would spar in. Hiei was going over the moves that Saiko had already taught him
"Don't rush them. You should learn them slowly first, then pick up the speed." She sat and watched Hiei for a few more moments. "Hiei, if you don't move the right sword more, you're likely to strike your hand with your left." She stood up and walked behind him. Saiko grabbed his right wrist and moved it. "Ok, if this is where you start, and you're bringing your left hand over, but you only move like this…" Saiko swung his hand out. "…Either you're left sword will catch your wrist or your it will knock the other sword from your hand. You want to move it wide like this…" Saiko brought Hiei's hand in a wide arch. "Do you understand?"
"…Saiko?" Hiei asked quietly. "How do you feel towards Kurama?" Hiei's question caught her off guard.
"Why, are you jealous or something?" Saiko walked back around him and sat down on the floor looking at him.
"Not at all. Why would I be? I only wanted to know how you felt about him. Never mind. It was dumb and totally off the subject. Forget I said anything." Hiei turned around and held his swords out, ready to start practicing again.
"I like him… I guess." Saiko responded softly. "But I also like you. And Yuske and Kuwabara too. Even Koenma has some good points." She smiled. "I guess I just like everybody." Hiei laughed a little.
"That's a bit evasive. That wasn't what I had meant, and you know it."
"Hiei, come here and sit with me a moment." Saiko gestured to the floor next to her. Hiei lowered his swords and sat by her. "So what's your interest in knowing how I feel about someone?" She looked at him. Hiei just shrugged.
"I guess curiosity isn't just for humans and cats. Maybe I'm just worried about you. I'm not the heartless demon everyone thinks I am, you know." Saiko smiles at him.
"I know you aren't. That's why I like you. And since I like you, I also trust you." Hiei looked at her, utterly confused. "You see, I don't know what to make of things right now. If I like Kurama, is it because I'm so overwhelmed by what has happened lately that I don't really know what I feel? I mean, he saved my life and all, but still… Do you understand? I've been here what, almost a month now? You can't really expect me to say 'yes, I'm in love with him' or 'no, I don't like him' right now." Saiko thought for a moment. "Hiei, when this has all passed, and I'm on vacation, I'd like you to come to the living world for a while. You can stay at my place. I want you to see just how humans work. Ok?" Hiei and Saiko sat there looking at each other for a moment.
"That might be agreeable. You know, I hate it when you stare at me like that. It reminds me of when you…" Hiei stopped.
"Hiei? When I what?"
"That first day you were here. Do you remember? Kurama, Kuwabara and I ended up in your room, without knowing what had happened. You looked at us like that. I was also wondering what you were doing right then." Saiko thought about it for a moment.
"I think I had been singing."
"Singing? Hmmm…"
"Why don't we finish this later Hiei. I'd like some time to think now." Saiko started to stand up. Hiei grabbed her wrist first.
"Wait. Take this." Hiei handed her one of his swords. "This way, if the shadow demons come back, you can at least try to protect yourself. … Rather then being carried off like a sissy." Hiei grinned at her. Saiko took the sword.
"Thanks… You three-eyed freak."
"It looks like I wasn't even needed here." He kept watching for a moment. "But it looks like maybe it was better that he came first. Heh…" Hiei smiled to himself. "And he was saying it was unbelievable that I took a liking to her."
"So, will she be alright?" Yuske asked. He, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama were standing in Saiko's room. Saiko was laying on her bed, sleeping, her shoulder was bandaged up.
"She should be fine." Kurama replied. "It wasn't serious, just painful."
"So… What happened to her?" Kurama twitched a little. He didn't want to hurt Saiko by telling the others she had ran out, so he thought of an excuse.
"I think that she may have been abducted." Everyone looked at Kurama.
"What? How could that have happened? No one could get in this place without Koenma knowing. Or, that's what I thought." Yuske looks thoughtful for a moment. Kurama relaxed a little in relief.
"Maybe we should leave and let Saiko rest some. This has all been hard on her." They all nodded and left her room, closing the door quietly.
"So, how would anything have gotten in here with out us knowing?" Yuske demanded.
"It was a shadow demon. But not a very strong one, just dumb." Kurama was glad that he knew about shadow demons, otherwise, he would have been in quite a fix.
"A shadow demon? Most of them had been killed years ago. Right?" Hiei asked.
"Well, yes, Hiei, you should know. But anyways, if what it had said was correct, then she too is a shadow demon… Or at least, in part she is."
"What?!" Kuwabara gasped. "You mean Saiko's a demon too?"
"You dimwit." Hiei sneered. "This is only going by what the demon said… you know, the demon that was trying to kill her. Kurama, what do you mean that she may only be part demon?"
"By the time I had found them, the demon was saying how they had the same father, but different mothers. It could be that her mother was really human, or she could have been a different type of demon."
"So, now we know what is following her. But we don't know where to find them." Yuske thought for a moment. "Man! Sometimes this job really blows!" He slammed his fist into a wall. "All we can really do now is just sit and wait for them to come after her again! And there's really nothing we can do to stop them…"
"Actually Yuske, I know who those demons are. They've been around for some years, and I fought with them before. There were five of them, Sapphire, who's dead now, Amethyst, Ruby, the youngest of them, Emerald, and Sardonyx, the eldest."
"Man, they're all named after gemstones." Kuwabara said. "Their parents must have had a thing for rocks." The others all shook their heads.
"You're hopeless, you know that? Kuwabara?" Yuske muttered.
"I'll ask Koenma to try and locate them if he can. With any luck, we might be able to find them before they do anything else." Kurama said. The others nodded.
"Well, we should be leaving. I blew Keiko off again to come here, and she's probably going to have my head. Come on Kuwabara, let's get back to the living world." Kuwabara nodded as he and Yuske left. Hiei stood there looking at Kurama. Kurama noticed and started felling a little uncomfortably.
"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama finally asked. Hiei shook his head.
"You lied to us. But did Saiko a favor." Kurama reeled back in surprise. "It wasn't hard to figure out, even without using my eye. Example: How did you even find out Saiko was gone? Why didn't you tell us that she was when you did find out? The rest of us hadn't been searching long before I located her with my eye, but you were there already. How did you find her? My conclusion is that you knew that she would have left, and she had told you where she was going. What I want to know is, why?" Kurama was silent for a moment.
"Saiko might kill me for telling you, but it looks like you won't let me go without saying." Hiei nodded in agreement. Kurama scratched his head in worry. "Right well, it all has to do with the letter. I was with her when she read it." Hiei's eyebrow raised slightly. "Not like that! So anyway, she read it to me. It must have been written by one of the demons, and it told her to go to the stadium and she would find out who and what she is. Saiko had told me she wouldn't go, but I guess I can't hold it against her that she went. If I had been in her position, I would have wanted to know as well."
"I can't say I blame her either. She should have at least taken one of the swords." Kurama smiled at the remark.
It was several days before Saiko got out of bed. Her shoulder was still bandaged up tightly so she couldn't move it yet. She was sitting in the large room that she and Hiei would spar in. Hiei was going over the moves that Saiko had already taught him
"Don't rush them. You should learn them slowly first, then pick up the speed." She sat and watched Hiei for a few more moments. "Hiei, if you don't move the right sword more, you're likely to strike your hand with your left." She stood up and walked behind him. Saiko grabbed his right wrist and moved it. "Ok, if this is where you start, and you're bringing your left hand over, but you only move like this…" Saiko swung his hand out. "…Either you're left sword will catch your wrist or your it will knock the other sword from your hand. You want to move it wide like this…" Saiko brought Hiei's hand in a wide arch. "Do you understand?"
"…Saiko?" Hiei asked quietly. "How do you feel towards Kurama?" Hiei's question caught her off guard.
"Why, are you jealous or something?" Saiko walked back around him and sat down on the floor looking at him.
"Not at all. Why would I be? I only wanted to know how you felt about him. Never mind. It was dumb and totally off the subject. Forget I said anything." Hiei turned around and held his swords out, ready to start practicing again.
"I like him… I guess." Saiko responded softly. "But I also like you. And Yuske and Kuwabara too. Even Koenma has some good points." She smiled. "I guess I just like everybody." Hiei laughed a little.
"That's a bit evasive. That wasn't what I had meant, and you know it."
"Hiei, come here and sit with me a moment." Saiko gestured to the floor next to her. Hiei lowered his swords and sat by her. "So what's your interest in knowing how I feel about someone?" She looked at him. Hiei just shrugged.
"I guess curiosity isn't just for humans and cats. Maybe I'm just worried about you. I'm not the heartless demon everyone thinks I am, you know." Saiko smiles at him.
"I know you aren't. That's why I like you. And since I like you, I also trust you." Hiei looked at her, utterly confused. "You see, I don't know what to make of things right now. If I like Kurama, is it because I'm so overwhelmed by what has happened lately that I don't really know what I feel? I mean, he saved my life and all, but still… Do you understand? I've been here what, almost a month now? You can't really expect me to say 'yes, I'm in love with him' or 'no, I don't like him' right now." Saiko thought for a moment. "Hiei, when this has all passed, and I'm on vacation, I'd like you to come to the living world for a while. You can stay at my place. I want you to see just how humans work. Ok?" Hiei and Saiko sat there looking at each other for a moment.
"That might be agreeable. You know, I hate it when you stare at me like that. It reminds me of when you…" Hiei stopped.
"Hiei? When I what?"
"That first day you were here. Do you remember? Kurama, Kuwabara and I ended up in your room, without knowing what had happened. You looked at us like that. I was also wondering what you were doing right then." Saiko thought about it for a moment.
"I think I had been singing."
"Singing? Hmmm…"
"Why don't we finish this later Hiei. I'd like some time to think now." Saiko started to stand up. Hiei grabbed her wrist first.
"Wait. Take this." Hiei handed her one of his swords. "This way, if the shadow demons come back, you can at least try to protect yourself. … Rather then being carried off like a sissy." Hiei grinned at her. Saiko took the sword.
"Thanks… You three-eyed freak."