Standard Disclaimer: No I don't own YYH…but if I did…it would be better than ruling the world!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA…..

Chapter Nine:

Just Nostalgia and I

As they sat on the top of a building in the middle of the city, they could see the streetlamps bursting into life with their small and quivering lights, contributing to the rows of burning jewels that were painting the whole landscape into a work of art. The light from the fading sun was transferred to give a ward against the darkness of the oncoming night. There wasn't any wind, just cold—dry, empty cold that just hovered above everything almost foretelling a light misting snow that would coat everything by morning.

"What are you pondering over Kurama?" Hiei kept his distance from his friend who was leaning over the edge of the railing. Instead, he just kept looking out at the birth of more lights below, an unnatural beauty that graced the steel jungles of Ningenkai.

Kurama breathed out a small sigh and he peered out at the unaware people below. They walked about so normally like nothing was amiss, like time had been rewound back to three and a half months ago. It had been three and a half months, yet still life was hell for the Kitsune. Nothing was getting better. There were no missions since they had returned from their seemingly brief excursion to the Fates' domain and thus, only more time to think over so many things.

"Why don't you read my mind and figure it out?"

"Sorry, but I refuse."

Kurama looked up from the little people he was watching so intently to rest his gaze upon Hiei. "Why not?" He asked softly before he broke into a bittersweet grin. "Because it's wrong? Don't tell me you're actually getting a guilty conscience after delving into so many minds."

"Circumstances are different fox, this is not on a need to know basis. If you wanted to tell me you would." Kurama's head tilted into a nod of agreement. Then the Koorime spoke again, "It would be too confusing at this point anyway. I can tell you're thinking too much, reminiscing too much. Everything is all scrambled inside that brain of yours."

"Sometimes thinking can be good Hiei. You of all people should know that."

"Yes, and sometimes thinking can be bad. You're the one that told me that too much of a good thing isn't good at all. Listen to your own advice."

Hiei sat down on the railing, his feet dangling high above the sidewalks where all the ningens roamed. And they sat in silence for a while, still staring as night fell and tiny little stars appeared in the sky, waltzing around the moon, each in their own unique sparkling attire.

Kurama smiled to himself and looked up at Hiei, who looked back down at him in slight annoyance. "Do you remember when we drove down to the beach so we could try and learn how to surf?"

Hiei kept staring rather pitifully at his friend. He wanted to say: 'Stop with the memories because they're all you have now. Soon they might not be enough.' But something stopped him. Kurama was still pining over Botan and it wasn't just her death so to speak, but the fact that there was no real verification of whether or not she was even reincarnated or if she was okay. Hiei looked at Kurama again still seeing that nostalgic 'Do you remember…' line drifting in his eyes and gave in to the growing soft spot that was a breeding house for the compassion that was latching on and growing day by day.

If they help relieve his pain…let him have the memories…

"Yes, I remember. I was driving."

Hiei's reply sent a small ripple of chuckles that trickled from Kurama's throat. "It was quite the interesting ride."

"Well, you were all just arguing over who was going to drive and Keiko was screaming about punctuality I really had no choice. Your indecision was vexing." Hiei stopped talking. He saw Kurama turning the memory over in his mind, almost reliving every moment…

Flashback

"Hey do you hear a car starting up?" Yusuke asked scratching his head. "But who else around here would be up so early in the morning?" Everyone turned around in the direction of the rumbling engine.

"Hiei!" Botan gasped as her hands covered her mouth in disbelief. "We'd better catch up or he's going to leave without us!" She started scrambling over to the vehicle that was slowly rolling away.

Kurama followed right behind her, along with Keiko and Yusuke. They all piled into the moving mini van, which belonged to Kurama's mother, when Yusuke noticed that something was missing.

"I don't know what it is, but everything seems kind of different…sort of…"

"—more quiet?" Botan finished as she received an absent-minded nod from everyone except for a smirking Hiei in the car. They sat still for a moment, wondering over what the missing factor could be when they heard a loud, screeching voice piercing through the steady, pulsing music of the radio and they all turned around to look out of the back window, all of them of course, except for a smirking Hiei.

"Matte! Matte!!" Screamed Kuwabara as he knocked over a defenseless trashcan while turning a corner. His long legs looked rather awkward moving at such a pace. That speed was usually only seen when his destination was related to Yukina, but she had decided to stay home with an ill Shizuru.

The sprinting ningen didn't notice Hiei slowing the car down bit by bit, to a point where it wasn't very noticeable at first. Kuwabara didn't notice it at all and kept running as if being chased by a crazy old woman with an axe. As Kuwabara neared, Hiei slammed on the brakes, right in the middle of an empty street, causing Kuwabara to run smack dab into the back of the car. He bounced off, stunned and stiff, then fell to the ground in a heap.

This time everyone stepped out of the car to examine Kuwabara, who lay on the ground still twitching and trying desperately to rise. They all stared in disbelief at Hiei, half wondering at why he bothered to take the wheel, and half wondering how he learned to drive. Kurama just pursed his lips and crossed his arms.

Hiei allowed a brief, but triumphant smile, tinged with mischief, to cross his face. "Hn, I meant to hit the gas." He then turned away from the scene and got back in the driver's seat.

"We might want to carry Kuwabara into the car because if we don't we just might have a repeat of that little escapade." Laughed Keiko as she tried to drag Kuwabara towards their transportation. Yusuke picked him up and tossed him into the front seat. Kuwabara was snoring as his friend snapped his seatbelt into place.

Yusuke and Keiko sat in the two middle seats together, leaning up against each other as they napped quietly. Kuwabara's somewhat peaceful sounds of sleep seeming like a pretty sweet deal. Kurama and Botan sat in the very back, with Botan next to the window and Kurama right beside her.

The fondest memory Kurama had of that day was not Hiei's maniacal driving, the swerving and articulate changing of lanes, or the scenic sunset that they received as they left their destination at the end of a long day. It was sitting in that mini van next to Botan—even if it was in almost complete silence.

He could still see her staring out the window to imagine the shapes the clouds were trying to form themselves into. He could still feel their legs bumping and brushing into each other from time to time. Neither of them really looked at one another, but each was smiling, taking turns moving their leg in just a little closer or just a bit further away to see if the other would move their leg nearer. It was a childish little game that had a sweet ring to it. It was just a little secret that they were too embarrassed to share with each other through their eyes. So they trusted the clouds and gazed out the window, letting their legs communicate with the gentle triggers of electricity that was created each time one leg bumped into another. That moment seemed more beautiful than the sunset and gave Kurama a bigger rush than Hiei's road rage influenced driving ever could.

End Flashback

Hiei let his glance switch from Kurama to the scenery and he said not a word, allowing Kurama to recall any detail that he could. In the silence he noticed how dark it had suddenly become.

"Everyday I ask myself if this is the day she might come back—if she'll ever come back. It's pathetic, you don't have to say it Hiei." Kurama whispered as his hair fell into his eyes.

"Yes it is, but we all ask ourselves that same question."

Kurama smiled inwardly at Hiei's use of we, at his friend's seemingly odd but effective way of comforting.

Author's Note:

Yes, I know…shame on me for taking such a long time. But I wrote all of this in one sitting. I hope no one is out of character because I feel a bit rusty in the writing category. Finally school is out and I've now ascended from the lowly freshmen to a sophomore (a wise fool). Since summer has finally arrived I'm going to put myself on a writing schedule and force my lazy azz to write. This chapter was a bit fluffy I think, perhaps not an essential but it kinda adds to the story I think. This chapter wasn't planned but it was kind of nice I think. Review and tell me whether or not you think I am losing my touch!

Reika