Sherkoni - Meh, sorry for the wait, that was entirely my fault. vv;;

Perrararii - walks in Yadihoo!

Sherkoni - suspicious glance Who's that anonymous reviewer that claims to know us?

Perrararii - Eh...she didn't say that...

Sherkoni - shifty eyes How else would she, or he...THEY know about your notebook (which is extremely disorganized and falling apart!) HM?!

Perrararii -

Sherkoni - I will threaten you later. For now, here is the chapter.

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Chapter 5

Finding Fiances ((Part I: Kurama's Fiance))

Minutes passed as Kurama began to realize the extent of Hiei's promise. An inner clock began to tick inside him. Unfortunately, the time bomb ended soon and burst, flaring his anger. In an instant Kurama flew up, glaring at Hiei, the murder apparent in his forestry eyes. Now standing, the fox demon inched dangerously closer to his cousin. "Are you CRAZY?!"

Hiei gulped, trying to get rid of the fear climbing up his throat and began backing away from the enraged warrior. Normally, you wouldn't catch the fire demon dead backing away from an adversary. Yet he still had some instincts of survival and you consider a furious Kurama an entirely different situation than the normal adversary and Hiei really did value his life. "K-Kurama..."

"You wanna know something? That sweet slave you bought me was more than enough for revenge, but this.." Kurama spread long arms out, as if implying some invisible object.

"Well what was I supposed to do?"

Kurama stared at him, incredulous. What was he supposed to - WASN'T IT OBVIOUS?!

"Might I remind you, DEAR cousin," Kurama advanced closer, like a hunter ready to pounce, "since you seem to have forgotten it - we are not engaged!" Hiei backed away, now sympathizing with any quarry that had ever been hunted by his angry cousin. He was safely remaining our of reaching distance until something hard hit his lower back....he'd ran right into the stair rail.

"And we do not have even one fiancee..." Kurama continued on, "or even girlfriends. Or if you'd like to continue on that matter, I can't even seem to think of ANY girl that we're, or at the very least I'm, interested in that would subject to do something like this," he hissed into Hiei's sweating face, stabbing a warning finger into the Prince's ((muscular)) chest, causing Hiei to nervously lean over the rail. "But it appears you have so thoughtfully conjured some up for us. Now we have the pleasure of finding REAL ONES. Thank you Hiei!"

Hiei shifted, he was now almost laying on top of the banister as his angry cousin continued jabbing his chest. "Well you do find some girls attractive right?" he stammered and Kurama stopped the ongoing poking in disgust.

"That's besides the point Hiei! What are we going to do?"

"Just um- consider this a learning experience?" he questioned hopefully.

Kurama growled deep within his throat (wrong answer!) and with one lithe motion, pushed out and shoved the pained demon down the leaning handrail. However Hiei's survival instincts and fast thinking abilities were limited and even those faded in the rush of surprise. So, doing the only logical thing, he lashed out a trembling hand and caught Kurama's leather sleeve at the last moment, yanking the fellow prince down with him.

Balance didn't even appear to be in question as the two warriors slid down rail, bumping and crashing until, with a surprised yelp from each the ground turned and both flew onto the stairs, tumbling the rest of the way down only to collapse into a mangled heap at the bottom.

Kurama groaned and squeezed his eyes together in pain, trying to indicate where, in specific, said pain was coming from.

Everywhere, he decided.

Suddenly he heard a grunt of pain beneath him where he had unceremoniously landed on Hiei. Instantly, he rammed an elbow into Hiei's side, trying (and succeeding) to cause the fire demon even more anguish for everything that had been done to him; the disoriented tumble included.

Hiei yelled in annoyance and hurt before blindly reaching up, giving a fistful of Kurama's hair a strong yank. Growling in frustration Kurama tried fervently to claw out Hiei's eyes in return for the sore head.

"Well it's sure reassuring to know that these are the future leaders of our kingdom," a sweet voice remarked snidely behind them, sarcasm dripping for every word. Kurama leaned his head back and glanced up at the beautiful brunette who was struggling on whether to laugh in amusement or sneer in disgust. The sneer won out.

Humbled (well slightly) and embarrassed, the red head rolled off his slightly squashed cousin, quickly scrambled up and hurriedly brushed off his white dress shirt and tailored leather jacket.

"Oxygen!" Hiei cried out gratefully taking in deep, exaggerated breaths. Kurama's eyes threatened to roll right out of his head and Keiko sniggered in amusement before and his glare turned to her.

"What's so funny?" he snarled.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't be heavy. The poor prince is just lucky you're tall and muscular as it is, not fat," Keiko claimed before slamming a hand over her mouth. That is not what she had meant to say, she may have been thinking about it, but....but that's besides the point. "I mean..." she fumbled for words.

"You think I'm tall and muscular?" Kurama's eyes softened and the he looked at her hopefully, almost boyishly.

"No...um, maybe...well yes, but that's not the point!" Keiko's eyes concentrated on the floor beneath her.

"Oh and what is the point then?"

Keiko paused for a moment before a mischievous glint entered her eyes. "I don't go for guys who can be mistaken for girls."

Hiei rolled with laughter and once again Kurama's eyes turned hard and icy.

"I thought I told you to clean my room," he snapped, his brilliant green eyes piercing and deadly.

Keiko fumed. "For your information," she seethed through grit teeth, returning the fatal glare. "I did clean your room you ungrateful son of a black-hearted snake."

Hiei was finally composed enough to stand, as soon as he did he looked at the loathing girl inquisitively. "Where in Makai did you pick up your uncomely insults?"

Keiko looked at the prince with a murderous smile. "They just come to mind actually," she retorted smartly, "with you and your cousin around it seems I'll never run out of material."

Hiei growled, launching himself at the maid. He probably would've strangled her if Kurama had not stepped in his path almost....protectively? Keiko's heart did a flip - until she heard his next comment. "Don't waste your energy on a slave."

What?! How dare he! She'd show him how much energy a slave could take. Oh that little - Ooh!

Kurama winced when his quick knee saved him once again from unmistakable pain as Keiko attempted to kick him for the brutal truth of his comment. He slowly stepped towards her, an acid scowl plastered on his face. "Go to my room and keep there. I'll have to deal with you later. At the moment I have to-"

"Find a wife?"

Kurama stared at her. "How-"

"I've been here since you pushed Prince Hiei down the stairs. Besides I have very good ears," she informed him, her tone smug, ignoring his gradually lowering jaw. "And I would wish you good luck with the rage of your uncle being as you can't possibly find a wife by tonight. However my luck wouldn't do much as it's false and I'd actually be rejoicing your deaths."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Keiko snorted in humorous disbelief. "Use whatever bits of intelligence you possess, your majesty, do you honestly think that a girl would be willing to become your wife-"

"Pretend to be," Hiei informed her.

Keiko ignored him. "-in one night, probably a few hours? NO girl would be stupid enough to do that!"

"Actually I can think of a few who would," Hiei pointed out. Kurama scowled at the two of them. He shouldn't be listening to a meaningless slave, but the more he thought about it the more he began to realize that maybe she was right. Oh sure Hiei was also correct, bu Kurama wanted someone he found attractive. He was picky. So how could he find a girl to willingly consent, that he could stand, within -he glanced at the clock- four hours?

"And even if she did," Keiko decided to add, "do you honestly think she won't blow your cover? She'd have to be a good actress and really know what she was doing."

Kurama's mouth tightened defensively, dropping into a contemplating frown before glancing over at Hiei. Seeing the graveness in his cousin's eyes Kurama guessed Hiei was beginning to consider the same thing he was. Maybe the maid was right. Not many girls would willingly consent - and if they did he doubted he'd want them to anyway. The girls he considered worthy would not consent....not in a few hours. Days, most likely, but hours, no. And precious time was ticking away even as he thought.

Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind. An absolutely ridiculous thought, a thought that would surprise quite a few people. A thought that was insanely ingenious. If he couldn't find a girl that would go willingly perhaps he could use a fitting unwillingly one. What if she had no choice? If, per say, she were a maid and he were a prince?

Kurama frowned again. Unfortunately at the moment there was only one girl that he'd have fun ordering around. Only one girl he found extremely attractive...and she just happened to be a pill. But he could threaten her to ensure she wouldn't blow his cover and she had already proven that she could act beyond her role. He sighed in dismay, he didn't have much of a choice, but then again....she didn't have ANY choice.

"Well then that settles it."

"Settles what?"

"I order you to..." he paused for effect, "pretend to be my fiancee."

Keiko, and Hiei's for that matter, jaw dropped. "What? Ex-excuse me?" she stammered, feeling weak.

"I didn't think I stuttered. Shall I repeat it?" Kurama smirked as Keiko's eyes widened, half in fury and half in fright.

"No!"

"But you practically gift-wrapped the idea for me, what with all this stuff about no willing women," Kurama stated, trying not to laugh at her.

"I said that to discourage you! I was looking forward to your demise!" she exclaimed, trying to get past the shock of how horribly he was twisting her words.

"It's not like you have a choice," Hiei informed her, catching on to the brilliancy of the ingenious plan Kurama's mind had somehow concocted.

"But-"

"By order of the Prince," Kurama reminded her, his voice very matter-of-fact.

Keiko looked frantically from Kurama to his cousin, and back to the red-head again, feeling horror and rage creep into her being.

Kurama thought for a moment before peering at the swaying maid. "By the way...what's your name?"

He wasn't answered, for the slave girl fainted into a heap on the marble tile.

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Perrararii - The end of chapter 5, or uh...partly.

Sherkoni - Don't panic all you HieiBotan lovers, the next chapter Hiei finds a fiancé...muhahahaha...

Perrararii - Please review, it encourages Sherkoni to get off her lazy butt and type the chapters.