Well, here's ch. 2 written for your pleasure to the sound of some classical music that I forget the name of by some dead guy that I also forget the name of

Now if only my C.D. player wouldn't skip it so much and I could listen to the entire song before going to the middle of a different one. glare oh well, keeps me on my toes at least. For instance, right now there's some opera on. I can't understand a word of it, but it sounds cool!

Chapter Two

Information, weirdness, and darkness

Hiei perked up. A new mission? Shit. What does that damn toddler want now?

He listened in on the conversation.

"A new mission? THAT'S why we had to be here?" That was Yusuke. So, all three of them were there, eh?

"What does Koenma want this time? Another baddie needing to be taught a lesson? Rescue mission? Retrieval for some weird artifact that no one knows the uses for any more?" The Baka. Hiei rolled his eyes. A lot of help HE'LL be.

"Well...actually...its—ah—well..." Was the fox actually at a LOSS for WORDS? There's a first he thought, raising an eyebrow. This was almost to good to be true. He would have to taunt him about it. Later. For now, might as well take a nap. He closed his eyes and leaned back into a more comfortable position on the tree branch. Who cared about what that pacifier breath wanted anyhow?

Yukina looked at Kurama, wondering why he looked so uncomfortable. He kept on looking at her, then at the boys, as if he wanted to say what it was, but not in front of her. Yukina came to a decision.

"Do any of you want something to eat?" she asked, standing up. Kurama looked relieved. Hmm...

Yusuke and Kuwabara enthusiastically replied, while Kurama declined, saying that he had already had lunch.

Yukina left the room, in the direction of the kitchen, but she didn't go, not yet. Just what does he want to say without me hearing it? Now, she didn't usually eavesdrop, but she had a feeling it had to do with her, and she wanted to know what it was. She knew they were keeping something from her already, and thought her to be naïve, but really now...she positioned herself just outside the room, where she could hear them, even if they whispered, and waited.

A sigh...silence...then...

"So fox boy...what was that you were saying that you didn't want Yukina to hear?" She smiled. Yusuke might appear to be unobservant, but like herself, he was more than what he showed.

"Yeah, I could sense you were holding something back..." oh, that's right, Kazuma has ESP. Good thing he wasn't concentrating on her at the moment, other wise he'd know she was there...

Another sigh, and the sound of fingers tapping on the table..."There's a koorime hunter loose in Ningenkai."

Yukina bit her lip to hold in a gasp. Hard. Vaguely she felt her lip bleed, but...a hunter? Here? She felt herself getting dizzy, and forced herself to breathe, noticing her lip. She moved, slowly and deliberately, towards the kitchen, trying to be calm, her mind a whirlwind. Absently, she healed her lip, moving automatically; not paying attention to what she was doing as she made the boys food. Okay, calm, CALM. Another breath in. Now then, there aren't many koorime hunters, a lot of hunters, but not that many that specialize in the koorime. She thought about it for another minute. In fact...I think the last one died years ago. So...who?

She finished making the food, and steadied herself. Can't show any sign that she had heard. She forced a smile that felt fake enough to sell, and made her way back.

"...Loose in Ningenkai."

Hiei's eyes snapped open, himself nearly falling out of the tree. What the Hell?! Impossible! It can't be...I killed them all as soon as I had the strength to. He fingered his katana, belted to his side, for a moment, nervous. Not good, NOT good...

He realized that the others had been talking while he had zoned out. He eagerly listened. "...actly what he said, Yusuke. We have to warn Genkai. She'll be better able to protect her if she's warned."

"Warned about what?" said a voice. Yukina was back in the room. He hoped she hadn't heard, he didn't want her worrying...or scared. He wanted his sister to be happy, not sad and sick with worry.

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it Yukina." For once Hiei was thankful to the big oaf.

"We were just talking about...uh...."

Thankfulness short lived.

"The party!" what was Yusuke blathering about? "You see, uh, grandma's birthday is gonna be soon, and we, uh, didn't want her to be warned that we were gonna throw her a surprise party, yeah!" good cover up, detective, you might ACTUALLY have a brain in there...somewhere. He thought sarcastically. If it weren't for one...tiny...little...detail.

"Oh, but isn't Genkai's birthday in November?" Yukina asked innocently. Hiei smirked. If it weren't for that little detail, it would have been a good cover up story, seeing as how IT'S THE MIDDLE OF JUNE!! Hiei sighed. He really was surrounded by idiots.

There was an awkward pause in the room. Then the fox spoke up. "Well...you can never start to early..." Hiei could almost see the sweat drop going down his face.

"Oh...well, here's your food, Kazuma, Yusuke." Yukina seems to have bought it, amazing. He felt his Jagan give off a warning. There was someone coming to the temple...but then why weren't the wards going off? There were, of course, two possible reasons behind this. One, it was the person that had made the wards, which meant it was Genkai. The other reason...Hiei's eyes narrowed to slits...the other reason, would make it being someone...most likely the hunter...using specialized wards of their own, masking their presence, or disabling other wards.

Hiei loosened his katana in it's sheath, noting that Kuwabara was telling the others that he was getting a "bad" feeling. There is only one thing I trust about him, and that's his ESP, he thought grimly, heading off in the direction of whoever was coming to the temple.

Yukina didn't believe a word of it. They really MUST think I'm stupid if they think I believe that, she thought sourly. She gave Kazuma and Yusuke their food, and sat down, her face smiling and not showing a trace of her thoughts.

Suddenly, Kuwabara stiffened, his face looking blankly ahead. Kurama looked at him, the first to notice. "Are you well, Kuwabara?"

"...bad feeling."

Yusuke looked up from gorging himself. "wha- ya mean, 'ad ellin''?" ((AN: his mouth was full of food. He said "what do you mean, 'bad feeling'?))

Kuwabara shuddered as he stood up, food untouched. "Something's coming, and it ain't friendly." He then turned around and left, heading towards whatever it was.

Three pairs of shocked eyes watched him leave. Yukina looked at the two boys still at the table. Are they just going to let him go? By himself??

As if sensing her thoughts, Yusuke stood up. "Well, you heard him. Something's coming, don't you think we should go and greet 'em?" he said, cracking his knuckles and anticipation on his face. Trust Yusuke to be the one that actually wants to fight.

Kurama also stood up, and gracefully said, in his politely silky manner, "Why, yes, Yusuke. I think we should. Yukina," he turned to her, "stay inside, and don't come out until we say to. Find a place to hide, alright?"

"I will, Kurama." She stood up quickly, heading deeper into the temple. She knew just where to go.

After all, just because she had to hide...

She looked back just before turning a corner, to see Yusuke and Kurama head out the door.

...didn't mean, she couldn't watch.

And, she thought, opening the door to the room she wanted, like Ruri always said. If you can see it, you can change it.

Kurama watched Yukina walk away, then turned and followed Yusuke outside. He knew Hiei was around, somewhere. And if he was around, then he had, inevitably, heard the conversation.

Kurama reached out through his and Hiei's link. -Hiei?-

-What is it, Fox?-

Good. He wasn't feeling like ignoring him today.

-Your opinion?- he didn't have to say on what, he already knew.

-...bad.-

Kurama made it outside. Yusuke was already there, to the right and a little behind Kuwabara. They were looking out at the wood surrounding the temple. Kurama flicked a glance back at the trees just off to the side of where they were, knowing that Hiei was in one of them, silent, waiting, for the right moment to strike.

Kurama took a mental inventor of what he had on him. Not good. He hadn't come prepared for a fight; not to say he was defenseless, but it could have been better. He noted, while trying to assess the energies from whatever it was, that Kuwabara had summoned his sword, and Yusuke had his spirit gun ready. He reached into his hair, and pulled out a rose. A flick of the wrist and a little bit of energy later, and his trade mark rose whip was out.

He stood ready, in a stance that would enable to attack or defend, concentrating on the energy from the forest. Suddenly, the energy flickered, and vanished! What the... he had time to think, before the world was reduced to pain and darkness

AN:

-I have no idea when Genkai's Birthday is. If they mention it in the series, I haven't seen it yet (I'm only on the part of The House of Four Dimensions)

-The way I figure it, Hiei isn't all vengeful and crap against the Koorime, so why not? Sides, it adds plot

-I don't know whether it's Ruri or Rui, can someone tell me?

Muahahahahaha!! I am evil, leaving a cliff hanger like that.

Jenna: You call that evil? That's nothing. I'll show you eeevill...thunder and lightning accompanied by evil laughter, courtesy of Jenna

Teran: sweat drop Uh...how about you wait until NEXT chapter to do that?

Jenna: gives 'cutest-thing-since-they-invented-fluffy-bunnies' look Okay!

Ah...ANYWAY...don't you just hate me? I'm changing Yukina's personality (to something I consider more interesting), I'm adding to Hiei's past, and I just knocked Kurama out. All this without even seeing the hunter!! And the end...well, lets just say it'll be different from what you'll expect to happen. I mean, every time something like what I'm thinking of comes up, it's a cliché ending; I HATE cliché endings, don't you?

Well, I'm out, see ya, and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW

Ja ne!

"Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war."
- Shakespeare