My work depends a lot on character development and chapters, like this one, allow us to understand who these personalities really are. Though there is little or no action...things are still happening!


I do not own either IY or YYH



What's Inside a Mind.


"What do you think?" Yusuke questioned vaguely.

"It's going to take a few more days to straighten this out," Koenma sighed. "A time portal...my dad is gonna kill me. Boton, lets go look up any information on this Inuyasha character. We'll be back in the morning."

Kuwabara looked at his watch. "I better get back too or Shizuru is gonna pound me." He looked thoughtful as he pulled the door closed behind him.

Hiei looked at Yusuke expectantly. "Oh, come on. My mom's too drunk to know if I'm home or not." He stacked his hands behind his head and regaurded the fire demon. "Did you sense anything from her with your Jagon?"

"No." Hiei turned to look out the window. They were each lost in their own thoughts. When the clock struck eleven they realized that a good ten minutes at least had passed.

"Wonder what's keeping Kurama..." Yusuke said and stood.

They sauntered over to the door of the bedroom and saw Kurama sitting beside Kagome on the bed.

He looked up at them, a pleading look on his face. "Help?" He lifted his hand and shook it lightly. The girl had twined her fingers tightly into the sleeve of his shirt. "She has a grip of steel."

"Force her to let go, if you don't want to sit there all night." Hiei shrugged. It wasn't his problem.

"I don't want to break her fingers, Hiei."

"Looks like you are stuck, then." He turned and went back into the living room.

Yusuke watched him walk away before he joined Kurama beside the bed. "Hiei's acting funny."

"Indeed." Kurama sighed and tried to gently pry Kagome's fingers off his rumpled shirt.

"Do you think it's cause of her?" he pointed down.

She made a small sound of distress and her grip tightened.

Kurama gave up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he was his normal self yesterday. Today, he was trying to help heal a human."

Kurama felt his insides twist.

"I think he might like her."

The stab of jealousy was unexpected. Kurama needed to think.

"She's probably the only girl to ever have the nerve to stand up to him, like she did. She even slapped him," Yusuke continued.

"Keiko smacks you all the time."

"Exactly!" Yusuke seemed pleased.

Kurama was fighting the urge to yell at him to shut up. It wouldn't be dignified. Did the little Koorime like the girl? It was possible. Yet, Hiei never returned affections to anyone before. Kurama knew, he had tried to draw the guy out of his shell many times.

"Well, you mind if I crash here?"

"I doubt there would be room for the three of us here," Kurama said dryly, looking at Kagome's pale fingers against his blue shirt.

"Funny. I'll be on the couch." Yusuke paused at the door. "You know, you'll have to take the shirt off anyway to wash up."

Kurama looked down at he stained clothing. Her blood...He smiled suddenly and shook his head at his own inability to think of the obvious answer. It wasn't like him. Perhaps I didn't really want to get free?

He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off before retreating to the bathroom.

Hiei liking a girl? Hiei actually liking anyone? It was something to ponder.

Kurama stripped down and layed out a towel and a set of jade pajamas. He usually didn't bother with them, but with the girl in the next room, caution seemed the wisest path to choose.

He stopped in front of the mirror, looked into his own green eyes, and felt the familair stirring in his mind. Youko. Shuuichi. Two separate people forced into one. And they were incredibly different creatures.

Now that he had the ability to change his form, Kurama felt pulled , at times, to change between the two. Shuuichi was gentle, caring, smart, but often too passive. Youko was mischievious, curious, intelligent, and just too damn good at getting in and out of tight situations. The Kurama that his friends on the team knew was the result of the two haves cooperating in sync with each other. Most often they were in agreement with one another and were one person. Other times...

He scowled at his reflection.

It was because he felt divided within himself that he shied away from relationships of any meaning. Especially ones he thought might grow into something stronger then mere friendship. To last, it would have to be something that was special to both the youko and the human...like Hiei. Kurama pictured the fire demon in his mind. There had been times...his smile was gentle.

Shuuichi was adamant in his preference for women. And there were many girls that were more then willing to be in a relationship with him. With Hiei, it was strictly a best friend kind of relationship.

Youko, on the other hand, loved beautiful things and beautiful people. Race, sex, species, were small issues for the fox spirit. And Youko Kurama thought Hiei was beautiful, cute, adorable-

Mmmm! He's still here, you know...the fox sent his voice whispering into Kurama's head.

Yeah, well, so is the girl. And she is already in our bed, Shuuichi countered.

Perhaps you would have the nerve to do something about this situation, the fox agreed, She is quite lovely too!

The foxes' excitement was embarrassing.

Sometimes, Kurama felt that the two voices and souls fused together for so long had produced a third creation. Himself as Kurama. As both. More then a vessel for the two separate entities. He was born between them.

You're more right then you know! the fox hinted seductively.

(AN: for any of you Yoai fans...this would be an interesting twist on a relationship...imagine having two people in one body and a very sexually driven spirit fox with no qualms about taking advantage of the young human side...hmmm? Has it been done? I haven't read it if it has! Let me know if you do...)

He could feel the embarrassment of Shuuichi. He remembered Youko's lessons on that side of himself quite well. The fox was an incredibly passionate creature and he also found Shuuichi to be beautiful...Somehow when one half of yourself liked the other, interesting situations ensued.

Youko chuckled, Shuuichi shivered despite his position against such an odd complication to their already close relationship. The youko was convincing at times!

Kurama's expression never changed through out this internal exchange. His inner unrest made him regret that he could never expect one person to accept both sides of himself. And what's more, he could never put himself in that position to begin with.

But, even though he was technically two people, he was lonely. Hiei was his closest friend, but the koorime was very closed off in many ways. Hiei was determined not to get close to anyone.

Kurama closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the cool glass of the mirror.

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Hiei heard the water start from his perch at the window in the living room. Stupid Kitsune. He couldn't help but be pleased with himself for containing his reactions to recent events from the others. He liked to keep his emotions and responses concealed from them. It was the fact that he even had emotional responses to anything that pissed him off. He didn't even have the excuse that he was half human.

With every twinge of feeling, he grew more angry with the world, with himself for allowing that vulnerability to continue. He cared for a mother that threw him away. He cared for a sister that would never know him. He made friends with people who constantly threw themselves into dangerous situations where he might lose them. Like that damn fox.

Hiei knew Kurama had an attraction to him. He alternated between disgust and amusement depending on his own mood. Right now he was jealous. Jealous! He narrowed his red eyes at his reflection. His body temperature rose at the thought. But who was he jealous of? The girl for catching his one true friends attention, or Kurama for being in a better position then himself to get to know the dark-haired beauty?

Both. It was both and neither.

Even if he had the chances and the opportunities to change the course his life was on, he knew he wouldn't do it. Hiei was tired of hurting. Tired of rejection. So he would beat the world to it by rejecting them first.

With these dark thoughts spinning around in his head, Hiei fell in to a half sleep, content to pretend he cared nothing for anyone else.

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Five hundred years ago, a lonely hanyou dog demon almost chose that same path...and came to regret it. It almost caused him to lose a good friend.

"Idiot." Inuyasha pulled himself away from the faded boards that marked the old bone-eaters' well. "Stupid girl." He continued ranting until he reached Kaede's hut.

He snorted a greeting to his other companions, daring them to comment on his inability to convince Kagome to come back early. Miroku and Sango blinked up at him at him but said nothing. And he wanted a fight. He couldn't even pound on Shippo. He crouched on all fours and glared at the fox for going and falling asleep. Shippo snored tauntingly. Inuyasha twitched his ears in irritation. "Keh!" He turned his back on them all.

Let the stupid girl stay in her own time, then! I don't need her. I never did! I can gather these last shards on my own. After all, we already know who has them. She would just get in the way again anyways. Dumb bitch...He leapt into the tall branches of a tree and pouted. It's not like I really care if she comes back anyway....

Unfortunately, he had a hard time swallowing that one himself. I won't care. I won't let my heart be broken a second time. I won't...at least...I won't ever let her know. I won't let her die because of me. Not again...