*kimpfn is dancing around crazily, singing a very strange tune....*


I just got my YYH manga, I just got my YYH manga, I just got my YYH manga, I just got my YYH manga, and I read it in thirty minutes and I'm gonna read it again, and again, and agains and again, and again, and again.


And I just won a YYH doujinshi off ebay!!! It was, like, one of the only non-yaoi doujinshi there....*shivers* have you ever SEEN some of those pictures from those Yaoi doujinshis they show on that sight....there was one of Kurama licking Hiei's jagan...I'm permanently scarred for life with that image...


*Moans* Oh, the pain...it was just so...NASTY looking....Ewww.....


No offence to anyone who likes that stuff, the pictures just kind of...disturb me...


HELLO!!! It is currently one in the morning here in Texas, and I'm awake and happy, and I have decided to get my lazy butt up and start writing this chapter....


Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, I do own Bronwyn and Aiku blah blah blah blah blah...


IMP. NOTE: The diary entry was actually for the end of this chapter, so don't get confused, because I'm still on the same day as last chapter, okay????


****************************************************************************


"Will you hand me that gray jacket, Hiei?" Bronwyn asked quite politely, the plastic hanger already gripped tightly in her hands, ready for the article of clothing to be hanged upon it.


Grumbling under his breath, Hiei reached into the silver shopping bag and pulled out a thin flannel overcoat, and threw it over to her. Not prepared for the toss, Bronwyn stumbled back a step and managed to grasp it with her one free hand.


"Well, I kind of was expecting you to just hand it to me, but if that's too much work for you...." Bronwyn whispered in a playful tone, smiling slightly as she slid the coat onto the thin sides of the hangar and placing the hook on the rack inside the closet door.


With that done, she moved over to her dresser drawer, and turned her head towards Hiei once more.


"Now, will you get that pair of black pants?"


"I'm not your servant." Hiei informed her coldly, though still obeying her command, grabbing the denim material of the clothing and launching it at her. Bronwyn turned around only to get hit in the face with it, causing her to fall to the floor.


"What was that for? Don't you like being my servant?" She cooed, picking herself up and placing the jeans in the wooden door neatly.


"No." Was his simple answer.


"Well, then you must not know the rituals between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. You see, the boyfriend is expected to do whatever the girlfriend asks him to do, without so much as an argument." She smirked, "and in some situations, the boyfriend waits on the girlfriend's every need."


Hiei frowned. These 'rituals' didn't sound very pleasant for him.


"Will you bring that empty shopping bag over here so you can throw it away?" The red-head gestured him over to the other side of the room, still wearing an evil-looking smile, obviously having enjoyed explaining the rules to him.


Picking up the shopping bag by the thin handle, a disgruntled Hiei made his way over to the trash can, when his foot caught on an misplaced article of clothing that was laying on the floor. Not expecting the sudden roadblock, the snag caused him to fall forwards, but since he had been walking in a diagonal fashion, he ended up on the bed, the shopping bed having been dropped.


"Is that, like, the first time you've ever tripped?" Bronwyn laughed, watching him struggle to sit up as she grabbed the bag from the floor and disposed of it by pushing it down into the trash can.


"Yes."


"Do you ever answer a question with more than one word?"


"Hn."


"I'm going to take that as a 'no'...."


"Fine."


"What is with your vocabulary? It sure doesn't seem like it's very big...."


Hiei chose to stop responding at this point in the conversation. Bronwyn just stared at him for a second, her eyes glowing mischievously, and before he knew what had happened, she had jumped on top of him.


"Well, I guess you won't have to speak any more." She whispered, now sitting on his chest. Leaning down, she let her hair dangle in his face, still smiling happily.


Hiei smirked. "I don't think so."


"Wow, four words! That must be like a record or something, huh???"


She kissed him for a few seconds and then broke away, grinning now. "I should write it down. Hiei actually said FOUR words!!! In the same sentence!!!! Call everybody!! Alert the media!!!" Bronwyn was clearly enjoying making fun of Hiei, though he didn't seem to mind it too much.


Putting his hand on her neck, they began to kiss again....


"Whoa!!!"


Bronwyn groaned inwardly. Why does it seem like every damn time we get a moment alone, there always has to be SOMEBODY interrupting???


They both broke away again, and glanced towards the doorway to see Aiku, who was wearing a shocked expression.


"You know, you really should warn people before you do that, because poor, unsuspecting, innocent civilians like me can just wander in here and stumble upon you!!" He informed them coyly.


"Whatever, just leave, Aiku." Bronwyn growled, clearly wanting him out as soon as possible.


"Fine. I guess I'll just stay downstairs for a while, wondering what the hell you're doing up here...."


"GET OUT!!!!!"


He was gone in a matter of seconds, since Bronwyn can sound pretty scary when she feels the need to.


Turning her head from the doorway back to Hiei, she just stared at him for a moment, and then the smile slowly began to return.


"Okay, I'm going to ask you two questions, and you're going to have to be completely truthful about them, okay?" She asked curiously.


Even though a little confused, Hiei nodded.


"Okay, number one, are you a virgin????"


Silence.


"Maybe."


"MAYBE??? That's a no in disguise! How many people????"


"I lost count somewhere around thirty."


"HIEI!!!!"


Hiei smirked. It was fun to mess with her.


"One."


Bronwyn was silent for a second, but then sighed and leaned forward more, placing her elbows gently on his upper torso.


"Was she nicer-looking than me?" She asked airily, though the question seemed to hold a lot of importance to her.


Hiei thought about it for a second....


"No."


Bronwyn smiled. "Good answer."


They were both silent for a few minutes, and then Bronwyn seemed to remember that she had another question to ask...


"Oh yeah, and question two...."


She paused before finishing her sentence, a huge grin spreading across her face.


"Are you ticklish?"


***


I wonder what IS going on up there....


Aiku glanced up the stairway again curiously, as if wanting to venture up there, but he knew that Bronwyn would kick his ass if he did.


She looked pretty pissed-off....I always liked that about her...How she can scare people with that death look she gives....


The loud ringing of the telephone caused the raven-haired male to snap out of his thoughts and glance over towards the kitchen area, where he could see the midnight-black phone jangling on its hook.


Uh....should I...answer it....?


He allowed the phone's annoying clanging to echo through the house for a few seconds more, and then decided that he should at least take a message for Kurama. Jumping up off the couch, he picked up the metal device moments before it came to a halt.


"Uh....Hello??" He said warily, the receiver pushed up delicately against his ear.


"Who is this?" A kind woman's voice asked curiously, obviously not recognizing him.


"Uh, this is Aiku, a friend of Kurama's. Can I take a message for him??"


"Kurama? Such a strange name...I must of dialed the wrong number...well, I'm trying to contact my son, Shuichi..."


"Well, sorry, lady, but there isn't anyone named Shuichi here, so you better try calling somewhere else." Aiku was starting to get a little agitated.


"Well, do you know who my son is, young man?? Is there any way you could tell him that Shiori called???"


"Listen, whoever you are, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE BY THAT NAME!!!! GOODBYE!!" With that said, Aiku slammed the phone back into its cradle angrily.


God, she was annoying....


The front door suddenly opened abruptly, and a gust of fresh wind blew into the house, along with a bright ray of sunlight. As it closed, Aiku could see that it was Kurama, finally home from school, dressed in his uniform, his book bag still clenched in his hand.


"Hello. Had a nice day?" He asked Aiku brightly, seeming to be in a very good mood as he laid the book bag on the white kitchen counter.


"Well, yeah, until some weird woman called. I think she was psycho." He grumbled, laying back down on couch.


"Hmm...." Kurama commented disinterestedly, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and making his way over to the sink faucet. "Did you get their name?"


"Yeah, she was some chick named Shiori."


The cup fell from Kurama's hand, clattering onto the tile floor. Aiku glanced towards the kitchen area curiously, wondering why the crimson-haired male had let it drop.


"Did..did you say Shiori??" He asked, the color beginning to drain out out his face, giving himself a pale complexion.


Aiku just watched for a second and then nodded slightly. "Yeah...what do you care???"


Kurama stared into his eyes for a second, dumbfounded, and then practically teleported over to the phone. Ripping it off the handle, he punched the numbers in frantically, while Aiku rose from the chair, now confused by Kurama's strange behavior.


"Kurama, what is it?"


The kitsune didn't answer, instead concentrating on pushing the right buttons. When he had completed the number, he held the receiver up to his ear nervously.


"Hello?"


"Yes, mother?"


"YOU'RE Shuichi???" Aiku gaped, but grew silent when Kurama raised a single finger to his mouth, signaling for him to shut up.


"Dear, who was that who answered the phone before?"


"Um....it was just one of the neighbor kids. He probably snuck into the house while I was at school and decided to play a prank on whoever was calling." Kurama was surprised with how quickly he could think up a lie on such short notice. "You know how they can sometimes be a little annoying..."


"HEY!!!"


The finger went up to Kurama's mouth again, though a little more firmly than before. Wearing a furious expression, Aiku slunk back into the couch.


"So, how did your new job go, mother?" He struggled to move the conversation elsewhere.


Shiori sighed. "Well, dear, I just don't think it's the one for me. And besides, I miss you so much, it's hard for me to concentrate. So, I think I'll be returning home and look for another job around the neighborhood."


"You mean...you're coming back??" Kurama felt himself getting a little weak in the knees. How was he going to explain that the household was now holding an additional two people??


"Yes, dear, today."


"Today?!?!?!"


Shiori sensed the worry in her son's voice straight away. "Is something wrong, Shuichi?"


Kurama took a deep breath before answering, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "No, not at all, mother. I've missed you as well. I'm looking forward to seeing you. What time do you think you'll be here?"


"Oh, in a few hours."


"I'll be waiting."


"Oh, yes, and before I go...."


"Yes, mother?"


"Dear, who is Kurama?"


Kurama took a break from his phone conversation to glance over at Aiku, wearing a look that clearly said 'you IDIOT!'.


"I don't know, mother, but I would suspect that it would just have to be a made-up name."


"Okay, I'll see you soon."


"Oh, yes, one more thing."


"Yes, dear?"


He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I have a few....surprises for you. Two, to be exact."


"That's wonderful, dear. I'll see them when I get home. Good-bye, Shuichi."


"Ja ne."


Kurama placed the the phone back down, oblivious to the fact that his hands were shaking.


"What was that all about?" Aiku growled, glaring at the red-head angrily.


He sighed, making his way into the living room and sinking into an armchair. "Listen, when my mother returns, you must call me Shuichi around her. Nothing else. And NEVER Kurama."


"Why is that?"


"It's...a little difficult to explain. I just need you to, okay?"


Though greatly confused, the black-haired teenager nodded.


Everything was quiet for a few moments. Kurama glanced around a few times, obviously looking for something. Or someone.


"Aiku, where is Bronwyn?"


Aiku raised his arm and pointed a finger at the stairwell. "With Hiei."


"What are they doing?"


He just stared at Kurama for a moment, and then shook his head roughly. "I don't wanna know..."


Kurama glanced from him to the stairway once more, and then sighed, rising from his comfortable seat. " I probably should go ruin their fun, then. If my mother stumbled upon them, I fear that she would have a heart attack."


The auburn-haired teenager then began to climb the stairs, leaving Aiku alone in the living room. On his journey, he heard a happy screech, and then Bronwyn's voice....


"AHA!! I knew you were ticklish!!!"


What ARE they doing??? Pressured by this unanswered question, Kurama quickened his pace until he had reached the top step, and then made his way down the hallway, finally reaching Bronwyn's door.


Grasping the doorknob, he pushed open the door, only to see Bronwyn running her fingers gently over Hiei's neck, laughing to herself as she tried to get the fire demon to smile.


"C'mon, you know you want to laugh, you're just too damn stubborn..." She urged him. Hiei still wore his emotionless face, but the faintest traces of a smile were beginning to creep up on him.


"Guys..."


"I'm not going to laugh." Hiei explained simply, though he now wore a smirk that was resembling a smile.


"Ooh, five words!!! Going to have to put that one in the record book!!"


"Guys...."


"Maybe I could try your feet, that's where people are most ticklish." Bronwyn suggested, already starting to reach for his leg.


"GUYS!!!!!"


Both glanced towards the door, noticing for the first time that Kurama was even standing there.


"Kurama? When did you get here??" Bronwyn asked in a surprised tone, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.


"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation." He explained simply.


"What are you talking about, fox?" Hiei asked, disgruntled.


"My mother's coming back."


Silence.


"You have a mom?" Bronwyn asked incredulously, jumping off of Hiei, allowing him to sit up.


"Yes, and she knows nothing about you or Aiku, so this is a little bit of a problem." Kurama crossed his arms, wearing an expression of mixed nervousness and worry.


"But...you're...a demon....and...she's like..not...or is she?"


Kurama sighed heavily. "No, she's not."


"Then how..."


"Long story." The kitsune didn't really want to explain about his past life at this particular moment.


"Well, okay, your mom's coming home. What does that have to do with me?" Bronwyn asked, confused by why Kurama had entered her bedroom just to deliver that piece of information.


*****


"Go to hell, Kurama. GO TO HELL."


Her hair tied back into a messy pony-tail, Bronwyn called Kurama a million horrible names under her breath as she scrubbed the kitchen floor sparkling clean with a large yellow sponge as the red-head looked on.


"If you're interested in remaining here, then you're going to help me prepare the home for my mother. Since you've been here, the house has gotten considerably dirty." He firmly informed her, beginning to clear assorted articles of paper and other items off the counter.


"Hey, you prissy fox, don't blame this whole thing on me!!"


"Oh? And why not?" He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Remember the pita pocket incident??"


"Oh, you just had to bring that up, didn't you?"


"Well, since you DID manage to blow it up, and get pepperoni and cheese all over the kitchen, then yes, I would say that I do have to bring it up."


"Hey, I never used a microwave before, how was I supposed to know that if things get too hot, they blow up??? Besides, we managed to clean it all up, didn't we???"


"After almost a week, yes. And we still didn't get all of the cheese off the refrigerator." He gestured over to the white machine.


Not being able to come up with a good reply, Bronwyn decided to just pretend that Kurama had dropped out of existence and concentrated all of her efforts on getting a black marker smudge off the tile.


Kurama noticed her sudden silence and smiled slightly as he grabbed a cloth rag and began to wipe the counter top. She had been upset with him ever since he had kicked Hiei out of the house. Well, more like out the window.


"Okay, I can see why Bronwyn has to clean, since she's living here permanently, but why do I have to????" Aiku whined, plugging the plug from the vacuum into the socket.


Kurama didn't answer, instead glancing at the antique clock that was situated on the coffee table in the center of the living room. The thin, black finger pointed to the four.


"Bronwyn, are you almost finished?? I was wanting to mop the floor."


"Yes, all-powerful master." Bronwyn droned spitefully, rising from her knees to a standing position and tossing the sponge carelessly behind her.


"Not a bad job for someone who's never cleaned for a day in her entire lifetime." She said, observing her work.


Kurama disappeared down the hallway for a split-second, returning almost immediately with a mop and a blue bucket. Filling the bucket up with water from the faucet, he began to clean the floor, as Bronwyn moved out of his way.


Everything was quiet for a moment, expect for the whir of the Aiku's vacuum, until Kurama stopped his movements momentarily and glanced back at Bronwyn.


"What are you doing??? You need to change. And brush your hair as well, okay??" He said frantically.


Bronwyn was about to object, but Kurama's pleading look stopped her. Grumbling a low 'fine' she stalked upstairs, stomping on every step extra loud.


As she ventured into her closet, she picked out a pair of denim jeans and a white t-shirt. Changing into the other outfit, she moved in front of the full-length mirror to examine her reflection.


Good enough...She thought to herself, completing a rotation so she could examine herself at all angles.


Her mind was beginning to wander elsewhere, though, like to why Kurama never mentioned having a mother before.


I thought he was a demon...then...how can she be a human....this is making my head hurt....


It was just really confusing to Bronwyn. Sighing, she grabbed the brush off the bedside table and began to run it through her crimson hair carefully.


Well, if she is a human, she still must know about the Makai world, and stuff like that, right???


Seeing that her job of cleaning herself up was finished, she carelessly threw her brush onto the bed, and exited the room, running down the stairs and rejoining the two men downstairs.


Kurama still wore the what-seemed-to-be-permanent panicked expression, as he bustled around the living room, making sure everything was in place.


"God, you must really want to impress this woman, huh?" Bronwyn smirked, watching the male with amusement.


He didn't answer, instead straightening a painting of a shimmering lake that was hanging on the wall. Bronwyn just shrugged, and then began to walk towards the kitchen.


"Stop!"


Kurama was now staring at her. "Bronwyn, will you please get some socks on if you're going in there? I just finished mopping."


Grumbling, Bronwyn briefly visited the laundry room just long enough to grab a pair of white cotton socks. Pulling them onto her feet as she made her way back to the kitchen, she practically slipped on the slick surface as she tried to reach the refrigerator.


"Be careful. I also mopped the entrance hallway." Kurama informed her, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.


The sound of a car's engine outside alerted all three to the window. Journeying to over to the glass pane, they all laid eyes on a sleek black car as it came to a halt right outside the home. The driver side door flew open and a dignified-looking woman with midnight-black hair that draped past her shoulders rose from the car, smiling brightly as she glanced at the house.


"Is that her?" Bronwyn whispered, as if her loud voice would catch the woman's attention.


Kurama nodded. "Would you mind grabbing me that glass of water from the kitchen?" He asked politely, a sudden parched sensation in his throat coming over him.


"Sure." She left the two boys at the window, almost losing her balance once again on her way.


Shiori made her way quickly up the concrete stairs leading up to the door, fumbling with the keys to the door.


Sliding them into the golden key-slot, she pushed open the door, only to see Kurama and another boy she didn't recognize standing there, both wearing nervous expressions.


"It's so good to see you again, dear." She said warmly, embracing her son gently. He returned the hug, his worry beginning to drift away. Maybe things would work out fine after all.


As she loosened her hold on his figure, her gaze flitted over to Aiku, who was watching both of them, his hands shoved into his pants pockets.


"And who is this handsome young gentleman?" She asked, smiling at the stranger.


Before the adolescent could answer, a small scream was heard, and then Bronwyn slid out from the kitchen area, struggling to keep her balance, the glass of water clutched in her hand. She turned towards the front door and managed to take a step before on her shaky feet, but instead, the floor slid out from under her, and trying to keep herself upright, she had to run forward.


Now unable to stop her growing speed, and powerless to halt, she let out a warning...


"LOOK OUT!"


Kurama and Aiku both instinctively dodged the sliding girl, and the red-headed male watched with shock as the auburn-haired female crashed straight into Shiori, causing both of them to collapse to the floor...


******************************************************************************


I was going to write more, but I really wanted to get this chapter out now, because it's been a really long time since I've had a chapter up.


I've got a really funny conversation coming up, though, between Shiori and Kurama, Aiku, and Bronwyn. Remember, Bronwyn thinks that Shiori knows all about demons and stuff like that???

Oh, and if you're still confused about where Shiori was, it'll be explained more in the new chapter.


REVIEW PLEASE!!!