Okay, here is chapter two in completion. Again, I'm sorry for the delay and thanks to every one who was patient and offered me kind advice.

It's been said many times that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This age old adage is one that Hiei not only believed but lived by as well.

Every one was his enemy.

Especially the cocky redhead that was currently inspecting one of the bedrooms.

Hiei watched carefully from his perch on the third floor landing as the young man peered around the large bedroom in which he himself (on the occasion that he felt the need) slept. Shuichi had insisted upon looking over every single room at the orphanage so he could "get a feel for the place." He had started with the rooms downstairs and was systematically working his way up, Hiei skulking along behind him and Joumu the entire duration of the impromptu tour. It didn't seem to matter to Shuichi that all the bedrooms were exactly alike -a fact which Joumu had pointed out early on- the redhead was emphatic in his seeing of every single nook and cranny.

So there sat Hiei, peering through the bars of the creaky wooden rail, watching his newest enemy survey the territory to which he belonged. His brain was working away, processing every movement of the man, storing any information that might be useful for later. It was imperative that he gain as much knowledge of the enemy as possible. He would make his move later to remove this new threat to his existence.

But for now, all he could do was wait and watch.

As he inspected one of the closets, Shuichi smiled to himself. He had long since realized there was a pair of suspicious -albeit curious- red eyes following his every movement. His back was to Hiei, but he could feel those eyes tracking him, watching, analyzing. Although he wasn't quite sure of the purpose for the teen's intense scrutiny, he was amused by the fact that some one who seemed so aloof and unconcerned with the world would take such care to remain hidden as he observed.

No, Shuichi had never been more amused in his life. If all his days at the orphanage would be like this, he was sure it would be more fun than he initially bargained for. How could it not be with that boy playing cat and mouse with him? He took this as a personal challenge.

And Shuichi was one who liked a challenge.

Hiei watched silently as the redhead slid the closet door shut and turned back to Joumu. "You have a very nice facility here." He heard the younger man remark politely, the smile still set in place on his feminine face, to which Joumu nodded proudly.

The tiniest wisp of a smile crossed the spy's face. That had been a lie -a bold faced lie- and Joumu had eaten it up. The stuffy old geezer couldn't tell a lie if it jumped up and bit him in the ass.

And Shuichi, it appeared, was very good at lying.

Hiei's brain filed that information under "crucial" where it could be easily accessed as needed.

The two men were moving towards the second floor stairs. Hiei padded lightly down the steps, careful to tread only where he knew they would not squeak. He could hear them talking, but their backs were to him and they weren't loud enough for him to discern what they were saying.

"You're an intelligent man, aren't you?" Joumu asked Shuichi as they alighted the stairs.

"I've been told as much." Came the humble response. Green eyes blinked softly as they took in the withered face of the elderly man.

"I've been getting numerous phone calls and notes about the progress of some of the children who are in school. The guidance counselor says they don't apply themselves. They skip classes, turn in half-finished class work, never complete any homework. Perhaps you can act as a sort of tutor for them."

"Perhaps." Shuichi's smile tightened for a moment. Normally, one would be more concerned about the educational prowess of the children in one's care and would not pull any old person off the street to help them with their studies. Joumu was cheap. He didn't give a damn about the well being of these children. I wonder when he lost his passion for this job…

Joumu looked at his watch, then glanced back up at the attractive redhead beside him. "It's three-thirty. Perhaps you can begin working with the children right now. Many of them, as you saw, do their homework upon their return from school."

"If that's what you wish I do." The smile relaxed and a sparkle danced through those emerald eyes. Shuichi was always compliant; always one to do exactly as was asked of him.

"Follow me."

Joumu led him along to the airy room they had originally been in. There were children of varying ages sprawled out here and there at tables, on the floor, curled on the couch. All of them had some sort of work which they were busy with. The younger children were mostly clustered together, helping one another, but the older ones were spread out and territorial; taking up as much space with their books and notes as possible. Shuichi watched as a girl who appeared in her early teens glared suspiciously at another girl about her age. The second girl was glancing furtively at the notes of first, probably trying to get a correct answer.

The first girl would have none of that. She suddenly lashed out at the cheater, throwing her pen and slamming her book shut. "God; you're so stupid! Why do you always copy all my work?!" She growled.

"Perhaps," Joumu stated mildly, "You can begin with those two. This is a common occurrence between Hana and Nashi. Nashi is very suspicious of everything and Hana just wants to be her companion."

Shuichi nodded yet again, his green gaze held on the man's withered face, even though he could hear the girls arguing behind him. He was amazed that Joumu didn't seem to care that things were in disarray; didn't seem to care that none of the children seemed well adjusted.

Glancing once more at Joumu, the redhead sauntered across the room to where the two girls sat glaring at one another. He squatted down to be on their level, smiling amiably at the two and ignoring their vindictive glares. "Hello." He greeted them, "I'm Shuichi. What seems to be the trouble?"

Both girls turned their glares to the man peering down at them. The one who had accused the other of copying rolled her eyes; undoubtedly she had seen too many people come and go who pretended to care. The other one shied away slightly, nervously tucking a strand of her deep brown hair behind her ear. "What's it to you?" The first demanded.

He ignored her, turning to the jumpy girl. "I noticed you're working on biology homework. Perhaps you would like some help?"

Hana smiled shyly, giving an almost unperceivable nod.

"May I?" Shuichi gestured towards her text, indicating that he wanted to see what the homework questions were.

The girl gladly slid her book across the floor to him and pointed out the assignment, never uttering a word the entire time. He scanned the questions, then turned to look at her and offer her his services, smiling kindly at her as he spoke gently.

From across the room, a pair of ruby red eyes watched warily. Hiei was holed up in a corner, the same book in his hands as he stared over the top of the pages. The redhead was patiently explaining something to that little drip, Hana, who in turn was nodding slowly.

The boy's eyes rolled. Waste of time. Hana, in his mind, was a moron. She did everything slowly and always needed help with all her work. Joumu had tried to get him to help her at one time and he had scoffed at the idea. Imagine it. Him helping that little idiot. It would be a waste of valuable time.

But if the redhead wanted his brain to rot by trying to help her, that was his problem.

I might as well get some work done. For the first time, Hiei glanced down at the open book in his hands. Never really one for school work, Hiei was actually an intelligent boy. He got the same report from teachers and guidance counselors all the time - "Smart, but doesn't apply himself." But why should he? Why work hard for some unattainable, impractical dream? There would be no higher education for some one like him. No one wanted him, not even the schools for people with his intelligence.

Dull; dull; dull. When he looked back up half an hour later, having been utterly disgusted by the plot-less novel -who ever decided this was a "classic" anyway?- he noted that Shuichi had moved on and was talking to a grade-school age boy. This particular child -one who had been labeled "troubled" and "disruptive" early on- was paying rapt attention to the redhead, his gaze fastened on the man's face, admiration shining in glassy eyes.

Several of the other younger children sat in a semi-circle, listening attentively to whatever he was saying.

A few feet away, Hana was still gazing longingly after Shuichi, her pencil clutched tightly in her fist as she gazed wondrously upon him.

Now Hiei was beginning to get curious.

What was it about this man that he could acquire the respect and admiration of these children so quickly? The vast majority of them were not quick to trust; they had all suffered too many disappointments. Far too many. But Shuichi had gained their reverence and this was unusual in itself.

Hiei shifted uncomfortably as Shuichi glimpsed up and caught him glaring.

Smiled at him.

The routine life he had grudgingly accepted, it seemed, was about to be disrupted.

Shuichi glanced up through the windshield, peering at the traffic light. Still red. He sighed. Why did those things take so long to change? There wasn't even any one going in the other direction. If his bad luck at getting all the lights didn't change, he would be late for rehearsal and that would not sit well with the director. He had taken a risk accepting Shuichi as the lead and would not tolerate tardiness on the young man's behalf. The director was not a forgiving man.

Even with this knowledge, Shuichi's thoughts were far from being late for rehearsal. His mind had wandered accordingly, then settled back on the information -what little he had- about the teen-ager named Hiei. What was it Joumu-san had said? Ah yes; "starved for attention." But giving him the attention he craved had seemed to be a mistake, as the boy had lashed out rather cruelly. How to help some one like that? Was there no one who could save poor, misguided Hiei?

I will not let it end badly. I can show him -prove to him- that the world is a kind place. After all, in the end, only kindness matters. Shuichi's vocabulary did not include the word "failure." He would help that boy. He would learn what exactly made Hiei be Hiei. And he would show him that the world was not truly as terrible a place as he seemed to think it was.

This decided, Shuichi eased the wheel to the left, pulling into the theater parking lot.

"That guy was so hot! I hope he comes back tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too."

"I love his red hair and his beautiful green eyes…"

Disgusted, Hiei pushed past a cluster of girls in the main hallway of the orphanage, trying to retreat to a safe place. Every where he went, it seemed, Shuichi had left his mark. The girls were all in love; the boys were all in awe of his intelligence and cleverness. He was young, he was talented and he seemed to generally care about the children. What was there to not love?

He was a fake. Hiei was sure of it. No one could be as kind as that man had been. No one could really care so much about Napoleon and long division and cellular mitosis. No one. That's all there was to it. The redhead was putting on a show, trying to get some good press for himself.

In short, Hiei didn't trust him.

He retreated into the sanctuary of the attic's round tower room. Most of the children were afraid to go in the attic; it was dank and dark, not some place the average child would venture willingly. The tower had become Hiei's hideaway; no one could reach him there.

He settled himself on the window seat, tucking his knees up to his chest. It was time to do some serious thinking.

Normally, when some one intruded into the safe -yet bothersome- little world Hiei had crafted for himself, he paid them no mind. It wasn't unusual for people to be coming and going from the orphanage; the place seemed to thrive off volunteers. Hiei usually just chose to ignore the very fact that they existed, a solution which suited them all nicely. They stayed out of his way, he pretended they weren't there.

So why had the arrival of the red-headed Minamino Shuichi ruffled his feathers so badly?

There was something about this man that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He had pegged Shuichi at about twenty-one or twenty-two years of age, but he had some how seemed so much older. As if he had been around for a very long time. That was the feeling the boy had obtained every time the man looked at him. He knew it was silly -no one could transcend time itself- but he just couldn't shake that particular feeling.

And that unnerved him.

Hiei liked being in control. Especially of his own life. But this new presence in his life would make it most difficult. He had felt the control slipping the moment Shuichi had first approached him on the porch; so polite, so quick to apologize. Apology and courtesy were not commonplace in the teen's life and with the arrival of them, he had slipped slightly out of control. His grasp on his life was wavering; falling dangerously close to Shuichi's waiting fingers.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Hiei's glare intensified. If it was possible, he would have shattered the window simply with his blood-red gaze. He will only cause problems if I let him. I am stronger than this. I can deal with this new nuisance as well as I always have.

I'm up for a challenge.

"Minamino, do those lines again! Put more feeling into them."

It was so hard to concentrate.

Shuichi couldn't seem to shake the thoughts of that unfortunate, unloved boy from the orphanage from his mind. He couldn't seem to focus on anything except those red eyes, glaring at him from beneath furrowed brows, that look of utter contempt, trying to hide a certain wistful loneliness. That boy's face floated in front of his mind's eye, taunting, teasing, challenging.

And not going away anytime soon.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll try harder to capture the correct mood." Welcome back to the real world, Shuichi. The redhead glanced down at the script in his hands, trying to discern just what he was supposed to be feeling. He suddenly felt very foolish; his concern for that child would cost him the most important role of his life if he wasn't careful.

And for what? For an impertinent child who didn't even want him around. This much was obvious simply through the cold look in Hiei's eyes when Shuichi had attempted to speak to him. Really now; there was absolutely no point in getting concerned over the churlish young man at the orphanage when there were more important things to worry about.

"You had better try harder." The director snapped, "I took a big chance casting you in this role, a young actor with no prior leads. If you don't get on track, I'll cut you from the production so fast-"

"Can we just get back to work?" The female lead sighed dramatically, dragging a hand across her face, "I'm not getting any younger."

"I'm sorry." Shuichi apologized again, bowing slightly, pushing the thoughts of his afternoon's experience to the back of his mind, "I think I'm ready now."

"You'd better be." The woman groused, "I haven't got all day."

"All right, take it from the top."

"Yes sir."

This by far was not my best work. I beg forgiveness.