Chapter 18: Lexi's return and the fight ensues!

Solaris: I've finally taken a break from schoolwork and working on my comics long enough to write this chapter.

Foxglove: More comic work than schoolwork.

Solaris: SHUT UP, FOXGLOVE! Also, in looking over my Tokyo Show story, I discovered a problem: I never told which foxgirl is which. To clear it up now, I'm the auburn haired one, and the red head is Foxglove. Now that's cleared up, Foxglove, you can do the disclaimer.

Foxglove: Okay, Neither of us own YYH, because if I owned it, I'd put myself in it and be Hiei's girlfriend! MWA-HA-HA-HA!

Solaris: Okay, rabid one, time to stop. Hey, Kurama, can you help me out here?

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Rose sat in the classroom, listening to the lunchtime hum of talk. It was incredibly cold for February, and no one really wanted to sit outside. Her box of Takoyaki and rice sat on the desk and she was absentmindedly toying with the chopsticks, twirling them between her fingers. Suddenly, her cell phone rang quietly, the tone signaling a text message. She pulled it out of her backpack and looked over the screen. The message made her shiver, but she put the cover on her lunch and took it outside. As she walked, she looked over the message again.

Its Kurama, come on outside. I need to talk to you.

She shivered again with the thought of how cold it was, but went outside. "Yeah?" she asked once she saw Kurama.

"We got Koenma to tell us who Lexi got reincarnated as. It's not good, I can tell you. Even Hiei didn't like it." Kurama said a bit sadly.

"Well, who? Don't keep me in suspense!" she said nervously.

"Remember Yuni? The girl that helped us at the kareoke place?" he said.

"Her? She's Lexi? Oh God no…" Rose shuddered. "I know she goes to school here. I saw her in the hall the other day."

"That's right. Meet me in the park tonight. We'll settle this little thing once and for all, my former partner." a chilling voice said from behind Rose. She turned to see Yuni walking away.

"Don't worry, Rose. I'll get the others and we'll go with you." Kurama reassured her.

~~~

Lexi waited in the park, ready to strike. She couldn't stand the thought of Thorne, but she forced herself to recall everything she'd ever done. When she looked back on it, her redheaded former partner was a lot like Youko in terms of attitude. It was scary to notice, but she shook it off and continued to wait. A rustle in the undergrowth caught her attention and she turned to look. "Just a rabbit." she sighed.

"How sweet. You waited for me." she heard from behind her. She turned to see Thorne. "Now explain to me why you're so bound and determined to have me dead for good before I kill you." Thorne replied.

"YOU KILLED KURONOE, THAT'S WHY! You killed the only person I ever trusted enough to fall in love with, then lied about it! And you still persist in the lie! So do me a favor and just DIE, WOULD YOU?" Lexi yelled as she rushed at Thorne.

"No can do. I have to tell you, though, if I had connections to assassins, I would have killed him and perhaps even Youko." Thorne said as she dodged Lexi's wild, rage induced attack.

"You wouldn't have. You liked Youko, hated Kuronoe. You couldn't stand to see me happy. Just because you had depression problems didn't mean I should be all doom, destruction, apocalypse is coming! I'm not you!" she shouted as she tried her attack again. Thorne dodged, gaining only a small cut on her arm.

"Nice line, I think I'll suggest it to my reincarnation. She's been trying to write a new song." Thorne said as she finally attacked, hitting Lexi full on the chest. The force of the blow knocked Lexi back, hitting her into a tree. "And for your info, I did not like Youko! Who could like a self-absorbed jerk like him?"

"You did!" Lexi shot back.

"Uh, ladies, could one of you kill the other so I can get on with my life?" both heard. They looked to see Hiei. Thorne snarled.

"Gladly." she said, using the true and correct form of petals and thorns. (A/n: I messed up on that chapter. She was supposed to pull a rose from her hair and let the petals shoot off that, but I forgot. Oh well.) They served as a wonderful distraction while she summoned a plant whose spores were poison. "Cover your nose and mouth, Hiei!" she warned just loud enough that he could hear. He did, and Lexi received the majority of the spores. She fell. (A/n: I can't write a decent fight scene to save my life. At least that's my opinion of any fight scene I write. I try to get it over with ASAP.) Thorne waited until the spores were gone then crouched by her former partner.

"Thorne, I'm sorry, but I go to the grave still believing that you killed Kuronoe. I have no reason to believe otherwise." she gasped.

"I know. But believe me when I say that I didn't kill him or have him killed. His being near us may not have helped, but I didn't kill him. I'm sorry, Lexi." Thorne wept. Lexi reached up and wiped away a tear.

"You're so weak. I could kill you right now. If I weren't so tired." Lexi laughed. Her breathing was becoming more labored. It wasn't going to be long before she died. "You're lucky that no one's going to look into Yuni's death. She had a weak heart. It'll be seen as too much strain what caused her death," she said as she reverted to her human form. She drew a shaky last breath and murmured "goodbye…"

"No, Lexi, I'm sorry." Thorne sobbed. Just then Youko showed up.

"Sorry I'm late. Couldn't get out of the house until after dinner. So what'd I miss?" he grinned jauntily. Hiei pointed at the crying Thorne and Youko's grin vanished. He went to her and tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry…" he said. She looked at him tearfully, then allowed him to put his arms around her so she could cry on his shoulder. "It'll be all right." Hiei left them. He didn't think there was anything he could do to help.

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Solaris: *all out sobbing* I hated that!

Kurama: It was the turning point to the story. You had to kill her off. Besides, she was evil.

Foxglove: *crying too * It'll be all right. The reader's will understand.

Solaris: But the next chappie will have to be the funeral, and I hate funerals!

Kurama: Set it after the funeral then. *notices that she's crying too hard to listen, and sighs * This is going to take a while. Please review!