To Nite Nite: I agree. Homework. Very evil. TOTALLY EVIL!!!! And I wish Kurama would help me too, but apparently he found out about my plot with DMGFP in the first chapter...

To What2callmyself: Heh heh. Sorry I didn't, but you can't really blame me, can you? I have no idea how to contact you from my end! That, and I'm the most computer illiterate person in the world.

To KitsuneAkai13: Yes. DMGFP is very cool. That's his main purpose, other than to torture you people! Er, I mean, uh, yeah, I have to admit that I WAS bored at the time. (I blame school) That's why I was reading Megatokyo.

To Silothiel: Really? (Sparkly background) I thought you'd all hate me for it 'cause there was practically no story content.

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Ahhhhh. Me feel good from all the great reviews. Me so happy!

To Volpe Di Spirito: I hope that I can update soon too. My fics are a great way to take a break from the skull grinding ways of school.

To Su da 'mazin bannana eater: No offense taken. Don't worry, plenty more do-ey in this chap. If there isn't, I'll eat Hiei! Although, in that case.... AND WHAT'S WITH THE BLANK FACE, HIEI?!!!

Chapter 2: Salt in the Wound

Kurama was sitting in his desk, adopting the ever-so-popular position of leaning his face against one hand and gazing unseeingly at the teacher. Gods, could that droning voice get any more, well, boring? Several times already Kurama had had to resist the overwhelming urge to just drop off and sleep. Trying not to yawn, he looked out the window, and started.

Down in the schoolyard below stood that strange black Youko from the night before, only this time he appeared to be in his late teens instead of his twenties, and was dressed only in a deep blue and silver kimono. Up and down, he tossed a silvery-blue ball into the air, catching it each time only to throw it up again. His dark eyes followed the ball's movements, but stopped to meet Kurama's own emerald ones when the latter glanced out the window and saw him.

'Who are you?' Kurama wondered. He watched the black Youko return to his first preoccupation, tossing the ball up and down again and again. After a short while the Youko walked slowly toward the school gates, still tossing his precious sphere. Upon reaching it he stopped and then turned to lock gazes with Kurama once again. Wordlessly (no surprise), he lifted a hand and pointed toward the distance. When Kurama gave no response, the Youko dropped his hand and glanced back and forth between Kurama and whatever he was seeing in the distance.

At that point Kurama grew angry. Stop it, he wanted to yell. Stop tempting me, stop torturing me. Stop trying to make me lose my resolve and forget why I'm still here in the first place. Stop...stop making me think...that if I left...where, or rather, to whom I would I'd leave. Kurama wasn't sure whether he wanted to cry or to just go into demon mode and start tearing that Youko's blank face to pieces.

"Shuuichi-kun, the bell rang a long time ago."

"Huh? What?"

Kurama blinked. He looked up into the face of a classmate that had transferred to the school just last week, a remarkably pristine-faced boy with long, snowy white hair, a boy named Shigure Fujisaki. Though Shigure was clearly human and a friendly type at that one, Kurama always felt slightly comprehensive around the boy. He felt as if, at any second, Shigure would begin to manipulate his heart for the cruelest of reasons. But Shigure also had red eyes, eyes just as red and fiery in a quiet way as a certain someone's...

"Thinking of someone, Shuuichi-kun?"

"Ah?" Again Shigure snapped Kurama out of his thoughts. Truthfully Kurama admitted, "Yes." "Must be someone special, if you're thinking so hard." Shigure laughed at Kurama's startled look. "You looked like you would die if you didn't see that person really soon!"

That cut too close to the truth. Mumbling a low 'excuse me', Kurama left his seat and hurriedly left the classroom. Hands in his pockets, Shigure gazed in the direction Kurama had gone. Then he turned to the window, through which the black Youko gazed up blankly at him. Suddenly he allowed his forehead to furrow as he frowned slightly while Shigure went on smiling down at him. Abruptly the black Youko glanced over his shoulder, and spotted a tiny black blur in the distance rapidly growing closer. Shigure looked up, and saw it as well. Freeing one hand he blew the Youko a kiss and smirked:

"You can take care of the little shadow, koi. I'll deal with poor little Kurama."

The frown returned and deepened as Shigure vanished from the window, ambling out of the classroom. But as suddenly as it had come the frown vanished and the blank face returned. The black Youko tossed his ball up one more time before disappearing like smoke.

Hiei halted in his tracks when a dark figure appeared in his path. Sword drawn, a startled Hiei took on a defensive stance. Then he blinked, staring disbelievingly at the black Youko, who was tossing his ball up and down in one hand. When the Youko gave no sign of moving, Hiei growled, "Get out of my way." Without response, the Youko just went on toying with his sphere, his eyes fixed on Hiei. Warily but quickly Hiei started moving past the Youko.

A mistake. The Youko moved; with moves so fast that even Hiei couldn't see them, he disarmed Hiei and, after placing a few well-aimed blows on certain points of the neck, knocked him unconscious. Catching Hiei before he fell, the Youko picked him up, along with his katana. The sphere lifted itself from the Youko's hand; a pale blue-and-white flame emitted from it, creating a portal to the Makai, specifically Hiei's room in Mukuro's castle. The black Youko carried Hiei through the portal, placed him safely in his bed with his katana, and vanished just as he had before.

In the boys' bathroom Kurama finally realized that splashing water on his face was going to do absolutely nothing for him whatsoever. Miserably he looked in the mirror, and jumped when he saw Shigure standing behind him. "There's no use loving if you're just going to stand there and feel sorry for yourself, you know," he said.

Angrily Kurama turned on him. "What do you know?" he blurted out. Shigure smiled, "I know enough just from watching you." Kurama stared, shocked. Shigure went on, "You look like those people in TV dramas; good-hearted, in love, but utterly stupid. Tell me, Shuuichi-kun, do you think that, when it comes to the real thing, love is worth sacrificing anything for?" "Explain yourself!" Kurama demanded, impatient and confused.

"You're a hypocrite."

"What?"

Shigure's voice had gone hard. "What's the use of loving someone if they're never going to know about it?" he queried in a dangerously soft voice. "You're still here in this world because of someone and what she has done for you, while in the meantime there's someone out there who's much more important to you than this female. You keep on telling yourself that it's all for her, and so you find yourself justified, but it's a false justification. It's just a sorry excuse to not have to face him and tell him how you really feel, even if there's the possibility that he will return that feeling."

"Enough!"

"Yes. Enough of your self-made illusions. This is something you shouldn't be passing by, Shuuichi-kun. Even demons don't live forever. Eventually they will die, and eventually it will be too late. You will never get a second chance."

Why did it all sound so real? So true? Kurama felt numb. Maybe all this time, he really was just afraid, but of what? Rejection? Probably. And had he been feeling restless because somewhere inside him, he wanted to tell Hiei how he felt about him regardless of the risk? Slowly recovering from the numbness, Kurama focused his thoughts on Shigure.

How did he know?

Owari!!!!!!

Fugen: Well, not REALLY owari, of coursem but y'know. Anywho, say hi to Hiei, Kurama, and DMGFP!

Hiei: ...What are you planning, Fugen?

Fugen: (gasp) Such a harsh tone, Hiei-chan!

Kurama: I think he means, where in the world are you heading with this fic? How does the black Youko and this Shigure come in?

DMGFP: .... ......

Fugen: Kurama! You just hurt his feelings!

Kurama: Huh? What?

DMGFP: ...., ... .......

Hiei: What the hell is THAT supposed to mean? It's just a whole lot of dots!

DMGFP: ..... ..., ...... ........ ...'.. ........ .... ......... .........

Shigure (pops in): Sorry to cut this talk show wanna-be short, Fugen-chan, but I've got to take away DMGFP now.

Fugen: Eh? Why?

DMGFP: .....

Fugen: EH?!! You two?!!

DMGFP: ...., ... ... .... .. . ...... .. ... ....

Fugen: Yeah, but I had no idea you two were really—

Hiei: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

Kurama: So confused...so tortured by Fugen-san...

Shigure: ...Casualties?

DMGFP: .....

Shigure: Poor things.

DMGFP: ... .. ...... .. ..... .....

Fugen: Be nice, you guys.

DMGFP: ... .... .. .... ..?

Fugen: Good point. Anyway, yes, the dots actually DO make sense, if you know how to figure it out!

DMGFP: .... .... ... .... .. .. ..... ....?

Fugen: Never. Now shut up and stop asking me.