Asilin: Well, we didn't quite make it...but as a New Year's gift to everyone, here's the next chapter.

Dru: And you had better review this time!

Asilin: Or we'll hunt you down.

Chapter Seven

Dru

The new fallen snow crunched softly under her feet. The basement door was open, and despite the fact that she knew the motorcycle would wake everyone else up, she had to go. She had to leave until she could rid herself of this demon in her body. It had invaded her body and was trying to plunge her into darkness--the same kind of darkness that Andru had been consumed by.
She sighed and looked at the black fiber glass and the chrome as it sparkled in the dim moonlight. With one last thought of hesitation, she put up the kickstand and stradled the seat. She stuck the key in the ignition, and was off.
Kurama's eyes opened lazily as the sun pierced his eyes. He blinked. He sighed sleepily and stood. With a stretch, he peered out the window. The snow had been falling all night, and it was now continuing in a softer kind of flurry. He had to wake Dru and let her see. He hoped dearly that last night was a fluke and that this would help strengthen her. He knew that this was the kind of weather that she thrived in.
He turned softly and glanced at the two sleeping on the couch. Asilin slept soundly in Hiei's arms, and for once, the two looked slightly peaceful. Kurama smiled and entered Dru's room, only to find her bed empty. He crossed and looked into the bathroom, and then again into the bedroom. He looked around and froze.
The balcony door was open. He jogged and looked out, noticing that there were footsteps in the snow. He looked out over the railing and saw single tire tracks in the snow.
The sun had come up. Dru had had to take the backroads, as she didn't want to be caught by the Boss or anyone associated with him. It had been a long trip, but she had finally reached the outskirts of New York. She only had two miles until she reached Jersey, and then from there she could catch a plane to England where an expert shaman priest had made an appointment for her.
Her face felt like it was turning into ice. If she could just supress it a few more hours--
Her body froze. She jerked, and then blacked out. The bike went skidding across the road and crashed into an alley.
A bystander who had watched the accident happen ran to the alley and watched in pure amazement and surprise as Dru came walking out of the accident, seemingly unscathed. She wobbled a bit, but seemed all right.
"Miss, are you all right?" the man asked.
Dru paused and turned slowly to the man. With a jerk, the man fell over, off of Dru's sword. She raised it to her eyes and grinned. She put it to her mouth and the blood from her sword. She watched the blood pouring into the snow.
"I am now," she said quietly.
The Boss slammed down the phone and looked at the three. "And where the hell were you when she took off?" he yelled.
"Asleep," Asilin said, glaring right back.
"Good, great. No one established a watch over her? Of course she's going to slip out. She's kind of good at that you know!"
"Well, excuse us for being exhausted!" Hiei said.
Asilin sighed. "Where would she have gone?"
"For a drive," came a voice.
They all turned and watched as Dru came through the door. "Of course, I wrecked my ride. That really sucked."
Asilin's eyes narrowed a bit. She had never heard Dru say 'sucked' or 'my ride'. Her eyes lingered and she tried to contain herself as she noticed that Dru held her sword, covered in blood.
"Dru," she said. "Were you attacked?"
Dru raised her sword and looked at it. "Sure did." She smirked. "Some poor sap happened to be walking by, and he attacked me with attention. So I did him in."
Everyone jumped at this. "What?" the Boss yelled.
Dru began laughing. "You're all fools. I find it amusing that anyone like her finds it in her heart to care for such idiots." She threw back her head and laughed unnaturally.
"Dru--" Kruama began.
Dru's head snapped to him. "Ah, yes." She raised an eyebrow. "You. You seem to be the little lover."
Kurama didn't know what to do or say to that.
"She's quite fond of you, you know. Too bad that I have to kill you." She turned and walked out.
Asilin jumped forward to grab Dru, but the door slammed shut and Asilins hand smacked against the wood.
"Damn!"
Dru stepped out into the waiting room and stood on the secretary's desk. She raised her arms above her head. "Can I have your attention please!" Business in the room stopped and everyone watched.

"You have all been selected to be part of a great and glorious piece of history."
Everyone simply stared.
"You shall all be the first casualties in the Great War!" And with this, the building began to rumble. Panic arose, and Dru floated off of the desk a bit. (OO)
Pieces of the ceiling came crashing down around her, and people began scrambling for the doors.
Dru rose through a new hole in the ceiling and kept rising and rising until she was completely out of sight. She rose into the sky and then settled outside on the ground. People were beginning to wander and watch and scream. People were pulling out cell phones.
Dru turned and merely walked out of the crowd.

Asilin

Asilin gasped as she heard what Dru said. "Shit! We've got to get out of here NOW!" she yelled.

"What's going on with Dru?" Kurama asked worriedly.

"Don't know, but she said something about a war." At that moment, the ceiling began to fall.

The Boss began shoving boxes from a back corner. When he found what he was looking for, he called, "In here." A door was open in the floor.

Asilin nodded and jumped in, no question. Kurama and Hiei frowned, but followed. The Boss was last, closing the door behind them.

"Where are we?" Kuarma murmured in the dark.

"An old passageway," the Boss's voice was unusually hushed. "It'll take us to the surface."

"Were the others in place?" Asilin queried.

"Most were. Hopefully they were able to get everyone out. But we'll find out later."

The four were quiet as they traversed through the dark. When they found the light of day, the Boss was immediately rushed.

"Four passages lost-"

"All of Research is missing-"

"What was she doing-"

"What's to be done-"

"ENOUGH!" roared the Boss. "All section heads here, come with me for reporting. You three," he turned his gaze to Hiei, Kurama, and Asilin. "Find out what's going on with Dru, and do everything you can to stop her, even if it means her death."

"Yes sir," Asilin replied in a subdued tone.

Kurama looked at her incredulously. "But-"

"Not now, Kurama," she snapped. She stalked off.

"What's Asilin thinking?!" Kurama ranted to Hiei. "Dru's her best friend!"

"Hn." Hiei grunted. "I suggest you ask her, not me." He disappeared from Kurama's side.

Kurama narrowed his eyes angrily. "Believe me, I will." He walked off in the direction Asilin had gone.

Meanwhile, Asilin had gone further into the park. Because of the recent activity, the park was empty of most human life. She ripped a pair of daggers out of their sheaths as she went along. She threw one at the nearest tree. It embedded itself deeply into the trunk. With a snarled oath, she ripped it out, taking a huge chunk out of the tree. She continued this process until she reached a large secluded tree where she and Dru had often met before telling each other were they lived. Asilin stared at the oak from a moment. Then she attacked it.

"Damn!" She cut into the tree. "Damn!" She used the other dagger. "Damn!" Back to the first. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" She alternated hands each time she yelled. "Why. Did. You. Do. It. Dru! Why?!!" she screamed before sinking down in exhaustion, her back to the tree and her daggers stabbed into the ground. She pulled her knees up and placed her head on them.

Suddenly, she felt herself being picked up and settled on someone's lap. She struggled to get out of the person's grip. "Hush," Hiei whispered in her ear.

"Let go of me!" she hissed, trying with all her might to break free.

"No."

"Hiei, I suggest you let go," she threatened.

He chuckled. "You're in no position to threaten me," he informed her. She immediately reached for a dagger and came up empty. Same with every other spot. "I'm a thief, remember?"

"Where are they?" she demanded.

"Safe. It's just you and me, onna. No weapons." He pulled her closer. "Now, do you want to tell me why you attacked the tree?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Onna, don't push me."

"I'm not. It's none of your business!" she snapped.

"We can do this one of two ways," he flipped her around to look at him. "Easy or hard."

"You wouldn't," Asilin scoffed.

"I would," he responded in a deadly voice. She just stared at him, refusing to respond. His eyes hardened. "Fine." He undid his bandanna.

Asilin tried desperately to keep Hiei out of her mind. However, he bore down on her and broke through. She screamed as he dug through her thoughts and memories.

When he finished, she pulled away from him violently and backed away. He stood up and approached her, some regret showing in his eyes.

"Don't come near me," Asilin spat. "I don't want you near me ever again!"

He just looked at her. "She didn't betray you. I don't think Dru's herself right now, and neither do you. She hasn't betrayed you." He stopped. "Although I may have," he added in a whisper. Asilin just stared at him stonily.

It was at that moment Kurama decided to show up. "Asilin, I want an explanation! Now."

She fixed her gaze on him. "An explanation for what?"

"Why you're willing to kill Dru!"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because she's on a killing spree! Unless we can stop her another way, we have to take her down permanently. I will not allow my friendship with her obstruct my judgment. One life is better than thousands!"

Kurama flinched at her words. "I thought only demons could be that callous."

"Well, you're wrong. Dru and I both subscribe to the theory that emotions are never to be consulted in these kinds of decisions." She turned and stalked off.

"Where are you going now?" Kurama called.

"Dru's" was her curt reply. Kurama and Hiei followed in silence.

Once there, she immediately began to search the place. Both boys tried to get her to tell them what she was searching for, but Asilin just ignored them both. So they just watched her, Hiei perched on the window sill, and Kurama leaning against a wall.

At last, Asilin found what she was looking for. It was a small leather book that had been stuffed into some obscure corner. She sat down on the couch, flipped the book open to a page, and began to read.

Suddenly, Koenma appeared. "Yo!"

"Hello, Koenma," Kurama said.

"Any news?"

"Not really. What about Yusuke?"

"Well, rumor is that the demon came to the states to find someone but wasn't totally successful in his goal."

"He is now," Asilin stated, standing up.

"What do you mean?" Koenma asked.

"The demon is Dru's father. He was human until he got his wish granted at a past Dark Tournament. Now it seem he wants to rule the world but wants his daughter by his side. Dru believes he's possessed her."

"How do you know this?!" Kurama demanded.

She held the book up. "This is her diary. She left me the whole story, along with how we can begin to help her. However, she also says that we're to kill her if we can't exorcise the demon. She refuses to work for her father."

Koenma snapped his fingers. "I'll get Yusuke and Kuwabara so they can help out. You three start working on the instructions." He disappeared.

Asilin, Kurama, and Hiei began preparing the room as Dru had described. As they did so, Asilin made sure to keep as much space as possible between her and Hiei.

Dru

The darkness receded, dropping her ever so harshly into a world of white light. Upon first opening her eyes, she cursed and threw her hand over them to protect them from the piercing light. She lay there in the cold wet snow, trying to recall what had happened. She remembered quickly her quest and what had happened. She swallowed and forced herself to sit up. She rubbed her throbbing temples and looked around.
She sprang up, not aware of where she was. Nothing was familiar—this was NOT the alley where she had crashed. She turned to her left and saw her sword sitting on the ground, slowly turning the white ice into red. Her eyes widened. "What…?"
"Happened?" came a devious voice. She spun, but there was no one there, only an icy voice echoing all around her in the tiny surrounding of trees.
Dru carefully picked her bloodstained sword off of the ground and felt around for Alucard. She sighed when she pulled the silver gun out of her hidden pocket and saw that no shots had been fired.
"Just the sword," came the slippery voice. "Just you and I, and your two beloved weapons."
"Who are you?" Dru asked, trying to remain calm.
"Hm. Curious? I'm you."
Dru scoffed. "Hardly."
The voice laughed. "Perhaps you're right. And next I suppose you'll be telling me that the blood on your lovely sword doesn't belong to some innocent or another?"
Dru's eyes narrowed. "I've had about enough. You'll either come out now or—"
"What?"
Dru raised the gun to her head. "I'll kill myself."
"Well, the original plan was to drive you insane, but now—"
Dru felt her inner self struggling.
"Now, I suppose I'll have to change the rules if you won't play fair."
Dru's arms dropped as an agonizing fire ripped through her stomach, trying to sink her spirit into oblivion. She fell to her knees and hugged herself, the pain exploding. She gritted her teeth and let out a yell. She fell on her side and breathed in harshly, her body convulsing. She was thrown over.
"You couldn't just cooperate, could you?"
"You know me. Never been a Daddy's Girl," she breathed viciously.
The Voice laughed. "I know, I know. But there's always room for change."
Dru screamed as she fell out of consciousness, the black that had recently faded now appearing and obscuring her vision, throwing her into sleep.

She was silent before she sat slowly and stood at the same speed, chuckling deep in her throat. "Ah, silly girl you are. But no worries. Your father hired me for a reason. I don't lose."

The city leaked with the stench of humans. Even in the body of a mortal, he could smell it through the human's fragile nose. He used her body to examine humans and feel them. He rather liked this one. It was agile enough, strong enough, and no one would suspect. She appeared to be dark, but not so ominously dark—no one would ever expect a human female to bring down the great Demon Head Quarters of the CIA—especially not one who had worked there for years.
The only ones who knew were dead.

The demon laughed. He began searching the human's well-protected mind and found out where she dwelled. With a salacious grin, the demon turned the body towards the apartment building and decided after demolishing that building and leaving the body in the rubble, he would watch and wait and let Dru try to talk her way out of that one.
It took a while and a lot of restraint until he entered Dru's apartment. He sighed and looked around. "Too bad," he mused. "She's quite the dark artist. Her father would love these works of art—they're so painful…I can almost feel it. Ah, no worry. When she is by his side, she will produce as many dark arts as she pleases."
"So, are you going to talk—"
The demon turned to face a black-haired boy.
"Or are you going to fight?"
The demon scanned the boy and smiled. "Ah, the Detective. I knew you were after me. I could smell your pathetic stench a mile away."
"So why weren't you prepared?"
The demon threw back her head and laughed. "Ah, stupid boy." The demon brought out Dru's sword. "You can't have this body—it's mine. And I'm quite fond of it."
"It doesn't belong to you."
"It does now. Or, at least until I get it to her father."
Yusuke smirked. "I believe he gave up his parental rights when he left her family," came another voice. The demon turned to see Asilin.
"Oh, an ambush, how frightening!" the demon said in merriment. "What are you going to do? Kill me? Oh, you can't. You can only kill your little friend." The demon reached into Dru's coat and pulled out the sword, still covered with blood. "I really need to get this clean, but that will have to wait until I've heard that fresh blood comes off easier."
"All right then," Yusuke said. "What are we waiting for?"
Thus the fight began. The demon against Yusuke and Asilin. They didn't want to use weapons against Dru, but seeing as how she had her sword and would most likely use her gun, they had no choice. (Since I'm no good at fight scenes, how about I let you guys imagine it?) But the demon didn't know that they were slowly parrying her into a large, lightly drawn circle in the middle of the room. Yusuke, with what ounce of energy he had left, knocked the sword into the air and grabbed at it, falling back. The demon was stunned for a moment, but only grinned. It reached into Dru's pocket and pulled out the gun. "Sorry boy. This has been fun, but I really must kill you now."
Asilin's eyes widened. "HEY!" she screamed, charging at Dru. Even the demon couldn't react in time, and found himself lying on the floor, Asilin straddling him. Asilin ripped the gun from the demon's hand and slid it across the floor. "No one.uses.Dru's.Gun.But.DRU!" she roared, punching the demon over and over.
"Asilin!" Hiei pulled the girl away and up, and they, Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara all appeared and formed around the circle. Dru's body began convulsing.
"DO IT!" Dru's voice came through as she clutched her stomach.
The five began to chant slowly softly, staring at the form in the circle. They slowly became louder as the floor began to shake a bit, the circle began to glow a bit, brighter and brighter every second that they spoke. The pentagram was steeped with light, and Dru's body was clear in the center. She fell to her side and began writhing, screaming.
Kurama's heart beat faster and his voice began to crack and fail. A soft hand fell on his shoulder and he looked over at Hiei who watched him with the caring expression he rarely, if ever, showed. Kurama, picking back up, turned back to the circle and continued chanting, his voice renewed.
Soon there was an enormous wind emitting from the circle, carrying on it a large source of magical power. It swirled around the five of them, threatening to tear through them and send them to the corners of the room, but they all held fast until finally, the wind calmed and faded, and the light sunk into the floor except for a dim glow of the out circle. It was completely silent save for Dru's ragged breathing.
Kurama closed his eyes so he wouldn't see her tearing soul.
"All right," came a familiar voice. "Who decided to do this in MY apartment?" Dru asked, looking directly at Asilin. Her face softened into a weak smile as she stared around. "Now EVERYONE knows where I live," she said with a small chuckle.
Asilin laughed. "Shut up Dru."
"After you, Kheldarson."
"Dru," Kurama whispered.
Dru's eyes opened, and her soft blue-grey eyes landed on the redhead. She smiled. "Good to see you again, Kurama. I thought for sure you'd be gone by now."
Kurama smiled. "Me? Never."

Dru now sat in the circle in her pants and shirt. Everything else had been taken off and put away to prevent anything dangerous from happening. She sat cross-legged, looking around her apartment a while and then sighed. "And to think," she said. "He was going to destroy all of this."
Asilin paused, watching Dru. "Do you know what else he did through you?"
Dru's eyes darkened. She looked down and nodded. "I do. I thought it was a very real nightmare. I tend to have those sometimes, you know? I could barely…I mean…I could see it, but I couldn't. That sounds very weird, but…"
"I understand," Asilin said.
"Kheldarson?"
"Yes?"
"Is everyone all right?"
"From what we could tell, most of the members made it out all right."
"But…not all?"
"No."
Dru sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "The Boss?"
"Is alive."
"Is he angry with me?"
"I…I don't know Dru."
Dru shivered and pulled her knees to her chest. She gasped. "Get ready," she breathed heavily.
Asilin's eyes widened. "Is he coming through?"
"Yeah." With that, Dru fell back and lay there a moment. Her body twitched a bit. Asilin watched in worry as red eyes opened and glanced about until her eyes rested on Asilin. A cruel smiled played on Dru's lips as she rose. The demon had taken her again. Asilin didn't know for how long…

Asilin covered her ears. The demon had been keening a horrible Underworld song for the past half an hour, and there was nothing Asilin could do about it. She sighed as the banging continued as well. Kuwabara, in all his stupidity had decided that he should hit on the possessed Dru, thus earning him a few free rides between the floor and ceiling. Again, there was nothing she could do. The demon was powerful, and until Hiei came back, no one would be able to suppress the powers floating through the room.
"Come on, Mortal! Sing with me!" the demon laughed as he once again flung Kuwabara against the floor. "Oh, that must have hurt. Let's get that elevated!" BAM! "But then again—" CRASH! "Oh dear, you've broken my couch."
The singing eventually stopped, but the banging and crashing continued. Asilin sighed and walked back out into the den. "Dru, stop it!"
"Oh, come now, Kheldarson! If I have borrowed powers, I may as well use them to right wrongs."
Asilin smiled. "Dru—"
"All right!" Dru said. She held Kuwabara against the ceiling a moment and then let him fall to the floor.
Kuwabara rubbed his head. "What the hell is wrong with you, you crazy—"
"Watch it," Asilin began.
"You know, Kuwabara, if this were a movie or even a story, I think you'd be the most hated character in it," Dru mused.
(Meanwhile, the authors shift and clear their throats)

Asilin

Asilin walked into the den just in time to see Hiei leave. Their eyes met briefly, but both looked away immediately. The door shut with a slam. Asilin winced slightly.

"Want to tell me what's going on with you two?" Dru asked. "Last time I saw you guys, you were getting along quite well."

Asilin flopped into the chair that was positioned to face Dru. It was still warm from Hiei's turn to keep watch. "It's nothing important."

Dru snorted. "Yeah, right. I've been watching you two. You avoid each other like the plague, yet you both glance at each other when the other isn't looking. It's not your best work, Kheldarson."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Asilin growled.

"Of course. That explains why Hiei spends half the night attempting to sharpen his katana but keeps on stopping."

Asilin blinked. That was a surprise. "It's his sword. I've got nothing to do with how he cares for it." She stopped. "But why should you care, Dru? You've got enough issues with Kurama without worrying about nonexistent problems from me."

Dru chuckled. "Actually, he and I have been doing quite a bit of talking. We've come to an understanding. So," she continued, looking right at her friend, "that leaves the difficulties between you and Hiei."

"You don't need to sound so smug about it," Asilin groused. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Kheldarson, just tell me!" Asilin shook her head. "I can't help you kill him if I don't know what he's done."

Asilin chuckled darkly. "Actually, I was thinking of doing it myself."

"And make all my threats worthless? You must be joking."

"And that's supposed to change my mind?"

"Kheldarson!" Dru glared at her.

Asilin sighed. "Fine. It was after your attack, and we had entered the park. I was mad, so I left to vent. Hiei found me and asked me what I was doing. I didn't tell him, so he-" she faltered.

"He what?"

"He used his Jagan on me," Asilin finished in a whisper, her head bowed.

"He what?!" Dru shouted.

"He used his Jagan."

"What did he find?" Dru asked with a frown. "Did he find why you were mad?"

"Yeah, it was what he was looking for."

"Why were you mad?"

"I thought you had betrayed us." Dru stared at her in shock. "What else was I supposed to think?! You destroyed the building! Nearly killed all of us! True, some things didn't add up right, but there was still that possibility!"

"I can see you point," Dru said. "What did he do after finding this?"

"Does it matter?"

"It might."

Asilin stood up. "He said you hadn't betrayed us; that I knew you weren't yourself." She walked to the window. Dru moved in the circle to maintain eye contact with her. "I think he also tried to apologize, but didn't quite make it."

Dru laughed. "You two are going to kill each other someday. And you won't even mean to." She became serious. "Kheldarson, I think now's the time for a leap of faith, like I mentioned the other day. Your logic tells you not to trust him, but," she smiled slightly, "it's obvious that the rest of you wants to trust him, despite what he's done."

Asilin glared at her friend. "I do not!" Her hand rested lightly on a dagger.

"Sure. You go talk to him and see if you can maintain that belief." Dru shook her head when Asilin turned around to look out the window. 'Well, I've done what I can,' she thought. She then sank into oblivion.

Some time later, Asilin was about ready to kill Dru, just to shut the demon inside of her up. He had been singing several renditions of an underworld song, each one worser than the last. And there was nothing Asilin could do about it.

She was yelling at the demon-possessed Dru, over the horrendous singing, of course, when Kurama walked in. Kurama just observed the activity with one eyebrow raised. Finally, Asilin turned to him in relief. "Thank Kami!" she said as she grabbed her coat, ignoring the singing, which if anything had gotten louder and more raucous than before. "I don't think I can handle anymore!"

Kurama chuckled. "Well, go on then. Dru and I will be fine here." Asilin waved jauntily at the two before heading outside.

It was a warmer day than usual with more people walking on the streets. Asilin allowed herself to be jostled about as she meandered the streets. She didn't really care at the moment. Truth be told, she didn't care where she was going either. She didn't want to go home, but she didn't want to be back at Dru's. So wandering the streets was the next best thing.

Eventually, her feet led her to the place she always ended up at--the all-familiar park. She walked up and down the well trodden paths for a time, attempting to ignore all the cheerful people, before moving on to the lesser known pathways, or, at points abandoning the paths altogether to forge through the brush herself.

In a very secluded spot, deep within the park, was where she found Hiei. He was practicing with his katana. Asilin watched with wonder as he moved through his strokes

In a very secluded spot, deep within the park, was where she found Hiei. He was practicing with his katana. Asilin watched with wonder as he moved through his strokes, his katana flashing and his muscles rippling. After a time, though, she shook her head slightly to break her trance and moved to go.

"Onna," Hiei called.

She stopped, but kept her back turned. "What do you want?"

"Actually, I was going to ask yo the same thing. You could have left as soon as you got here. Why didn't you?"

Blinking, Asilin turned to face him. "I--I don't know."

"Yes, you do," he stated, walking over to her and sheathing his katana.

"What is with everyone today?!" she shouted. Everyone I've talked to so far today keeps on assuming that I do or do not know certain things. Quit it! Only I know what I do or do not know, and that's the way it's supposed to stay!"

He flinched at the not-so-subtle jab. "Asilin, I--" he reached out slightly for her, but allowed his hand to drop.

"You what? You didn't mean it? It was necessary? What?!" she snarled. "You violated my mind and my trust!"

"I'm sorry," he growled lowly.

"What?" she responded in shock.

"I'm not repeating it, onna," he said. "But I only went into your mind because you needed to hear someone else tell you that Dru didn't betray you. You weren't going anywhere with it in your mind."

"And that's supposed to excuse it?!"

"Hn."

"You arrogant bastard! Nobody gave you permission to do that, so just because I was dealing with issues, does not mean you get to search through my mind!"

He slammed her up against a tree. "I was just trying to help! I don't search through people's minds randomly; it's only if there's a purpose!" he hissed.

Asilin just glared at him. He stared back at her. The minutes passed as impassive crimson clashed with fiery grey. Then, Hiei smirked and swiftly kissed her.

She stiffened in shock. How could he dare to do this after everything he'd done...after everything she'd said? He maintained the kiss, hoping for a response, but she gave none, and, so, he pulled away. He ran a hand quickly through his black hair.

"Fine. I'm through." He began to walk away. "I won't bother you again," he shot over his shoulder before continuing on his way.

Asilin watched him go, part of her elated at her win. Yet, another part of her longed to go after him. A battle raged inside of her between her heart and mind. As it progressed, she turned to go.

However, before she took the first step, she looked back at Hiei, who was almost out of the clearing. She bit her lip. Now was the time the decision had to be made. If she left and let him go, she'd never see him again after all of this was over. He'd make sure of that. But the alternative meant going against her logic.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? She always went with her logic. Why change now? She started to walk away herself. Yet, every step she took, her heart seemed to break even more. 'Stupid emotions,' she growled mentally. 'When I get home, I'll pound them out of me. But--' She looked back again. He was about to leave the clearing, having just picked up his cloak. For some reason, seeing him place his cloak around his shoulders nearly made her cry. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was obvious what she had to do.

Asilin took off across the clearing towards Hiei. "Hiei!" she yelled. "Wait!" He paused at the edge of the clearing.

"Why, onna?" he replied coldly. "Why should I? You don't want me here."

She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. He stiffened slightly as she then buried her head into his chest. "That's not true!" she cried. "I'm so sorry, Hiei."

Hiei was surprised by what happened next. Asilin began to sob quietly. He wrapped his arms around her reflexively. "Hey," he whispered. "It's okay. We both did and said things we didn't mean to at the time." He lifted her head up and smiled gently at her, noting that she was just as beautiful as ever with the unshed tears in her eyes.

Asilin shivered as Hiei gently brushed away the last of her tears. When he finished, she rested her head against his hand and looked up at him. He took this motion as an invitation and kissed her deeply. She responded immediately, kissing him back with as much passion as he was exuding.

After several minutes passed, they both pulled away and looked at each other. Hiei smirked before picking her up bridal style. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Hn." He looked down at her. "I just thought you'd rather continue this back at your apartment." He chuckled wickedly as she blushed. He took off, pressing her close to him.

As they went, Asilin asked, "How come Dru and I have never gotten to see where you guys are staying in the city? Besides our places, I mean."

"We didn't get a place. We were going to stay outside. The weather here isn't as harsh as in the Makai." He set her down at the door of her apartment.
She narrowed her eyes. "You've been holding back!"
"So?" He shrugged. "It's not much of a fight if your opponent can't see you."
She laughed. "Well, that's true." Asilin then unlocked the door and strode into her place. Hiei followed and made sure to shut and lock the door. Then he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So," he whispered huskily in her ear, "shall we continue?"
She just shivered in delight. He moved her in his arms and kissed her again, tilting her head back slightly. Asilin lifted her arms to be around his neck and ran her fingers lightly over the back of his neck. He growled ferally before deepening the kiss. She arched slightly in his arms. Hiei broke off the kiss, causing her to whimper slightly, and looked in her eyes, which were still half-lowered in pleasure.
"So you liked that, huh?" She nodded weakly. He smirked and began to kiss at her exposed neck. The hand that had been at her lower back was moved to her side, where Hiei began stroking her slightly, his thumb brushing the side of her breast when it passed.
Asilin pulled back slightly at this point and gazed at Hiei. She searched his eyes in confusion. Lust and desire were there, but both were covered by love. He pulled her back into his arms. "Hiei, I'm not sure..." she started.
"We won't do anything you don't want to," he promised in a whisper. "I won't hurt you." He began to kiss her again.
"Wait," she murmured. He looked at her quizzically but let her go. She began to discard her daggers one by one and lay them on the table. At her last one she hesitate, but ultimately put it with the others. Hiei, too, discarded his katana and placed it on a chair, covering it with his cloak. Asilin flicked the lights off, making the only light source the moonlight streaming through the windows.
"There. That's better," she said, moving back into Hiei's arms.
"Hn." He kissed her again, effectively ending all conversation for the evening.