A/N: Hello again, and if you've been waiting for an update, thanks for being patient with me. My excuse this time is that I'm looking into college registration and CLEP tests, and that's taken a little time. (I know, that's not a very good reason (Laughs).) , This is an important chapter and it took me a while to write, so I really hope everyone enjoys it. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho...
Review Responses:
Lady-Videl: Thank you very much for the compliment! It is kind of sad, isn't it? There are things coming that are even sadder...but hopefully it will turn out all right in the end. (smiles)
Yami no Kokoro: (grins) Thanks, I wasn't sure how the dream would go over. I'm glad you liked it. (laughs) Really glad, because a lot of this story will involve flashbacks. And if everything goes well, the boy's plan will become clearer in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
Chibi Rose-chan: (Laughs) Hopefully I have a better idea of what's going on at this point. Thank you for reviewing; I hope you like this chapter.
SkyFireDragon13: Ha, you THINK you know how it's going to end...probably our IM chat the other day made you rethink that idea...lol, what happened instead was that you found out that even I don't know exactly how it will end...and yes, you'll get more flashbacks. The story hinges on them. OK, so maybe I don't have a solid excuse for not updating sooner; you're sure one to talk about getting things done on time, lol. And you're also right about my last chapter; that's something I'm trying to avoid in this one. And I'll try to write the chorus one. (If anyone's reading this, how do you feel about a humor fic where everyone joins a chorus? I have plenty of real-life humor that's happened with mine(two words: tenor jokes--you chorus guys know what I'm talking about, lol...)) Thank you for the compliment, Yago; coming from you it means a lot. And you're welcome for helping with your story. Thank you for helping me with mine.
RainyDayz/LinkCrew: Happy birthday to you, too! Mine was about a week ago; I turned 18. It's cool having birthdays when there's no school (grins). Thanks for being patient; I'm really trying to make this good. (I hope my writer's block didn't cause any permanent damage to your kitchen, heheh...) My friend SFD (see above, lol) helped me sort through it all and I feel better about the story now. Thanks so much for all your compliments! I know what you mean; I think Hiei and Kurama's friendship is touching, too. It might seem like I don't feel that way because of what's going to happen in the story soon, but I'll spend the rest of the story proving that I do. Thanks again for continuing to review; it makes me really happy! (grins) I am of the opinion that it is impossible to "talk out" reviews...the ones I write to people are always, I'm sure, irritatingly long, lol. Hope you like this!
Cracks in the Mask
Ch. 4--When heaven was falling
The sky was slowly turning from pink to blue as Hiei shifted on the branch of a large tree in Kurama's yard, trying to find a comfortable position. He closed his eyes briefly and stifled a yawn, glad that he had made himself sleep the previous night. He had been inclined to stay awake and keep watch over Shiori, and had had to remind himself that Kurama was in the house at night, that he himself was a light sleeper and would surely wake up if a struggle took place inside, and that if he didn't sleep he would be in no shape to protect anyone the next day if the need arose.
He craned his neck to peer into the open window of Kurama's kitchen, where he could hear someone moving around. Shiori was reaching into cabinets, taking out bowls and pans and putting them onto the countertop. As Hiei watched, she opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk and a box of eggs. She put these, along with other ingredients, into a bowl and began to stir, checking every now and then to see whether the stove had warmed up. When she was satisfied that it had, she placed a pan on one of the burners and sprayed it, then began ladling the thick mixture in the bowl into the pan, where it immediately started to sizzle.
Hiei raised an eyebrow. The woman was cooking breakfast on a Saturday? There was no need for her to trouble herself so early in the morning; neither she nor Kurama had somewhere to be at a certain time. Kurama could just as well have been left to make his own breakfast. Hiei didn't mind the faulty logic. He couldn't explain why, but he found it rather relaxing to watch the ningen woman cook. He was suddenly struck( as Shiori slid a spatula underneath a pancake and flipped it) by how much this woman reminded him of Yukina.
Hiei was startled out of his thoughts by a second set of footsteps inside. He snorted when he saw Kurama ambling tiredly down the staircase, tousle-haired, his eyes half-closed, wrapped in a house robe. The fox peered sleepily into the kitchen. Shiori turned and giggled when she saw her normally impeccably-groomed son. "I was wondering when you'd smell them. Would you get out the orange juice?"
The two sat down to eat, already talking pleasantly with each other. Hiei was not as interested in their conversation as he was in their actions. Kurama smiled cheerfully at his mother as he took several pancakes from the plate. He's still so happy, Hiei thought. It hasn't really been that long since he thought he might lose her. He watched as they filled each other's glasses, passed each other napkins, and relaxed comfortably with each other. Hiei watched as Kurama reached under the table to squeeze Shiori's hand.
To his horror, Hiei felt his throat tighten. His body was shaking slightly, and he did not have any idea why. He clenched his fists and tried to gain control of himself. He turned quickly away from the window and stared at a bird's nest on the opposite limb from his until he heard sounds of dishes being put into the sink. He saw Kurama walk out of the kitchen, stretching, and quickly ran a hand over his face, trying to tell whether it was convincingly expressionless, in case Kurama came outside. Sure enough, the front door opened a short time later, and Kurama stepped outside and knelt to pick up a newspaper that had been left on the doorstep. His eyes moved upward through the trees, searching. Hiei suddenly leaped up through the limbs of his tree, stopping when he reached the point at which he knew he could not be seen from the ground. He watched Kurama look around once more, looking slightly uncertain, then straighten up and walk back inside. Hiei watched him close the door, an unreadable expression on his face.
=================================
A blast of cold air greeted Kurama as he pulled open a glass door in the "frozen entrees" aisle. After a brief search, he picked out a bag of frozen green peas and placed them in his cart. He closed the door, which sealed itself with a soft whoosh, and crossed off the word "peas," written in his mother's neat handwriting, from the list. He looked around to get his bearings, then made his way toward the meat aisle.
((--kill you slowly, if you prefer--))
Kurama stopped suddenly in the middle of the aisle, not daring to move. Again? In the middle of the day this time?
His head darted from side to side, searching for rust colored hair or a flash of green eyes. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing but normal, everyday shoppers bending over shelves and pushing past each other toward display stands.
--a lot of fun for me, anyway--
Kurama pressed a hand to his forehead, letting his cool fingers penetrate the heat that was rising there. More flashbacks. Now. In the middle of a crowded supermarket. And the boy was nowhere close. He felt the hand on his forehead squeeze, its fingers attempting to form a fist. I can't lose control of myself here.
((--till the sun comes up if I have to--))
Kurama forced his body to straighten, steadied himself, and resumed walking. The people around him faded into meaningless blurs of color and sound as he focused on moving, putting one foot in front of the other. What was he supposed...oh, yes, a roast. Shiori wanted a roast. The overhead lights bounced off the clear plastic shelves and blinded him, made it hard for him to think...
((light bouncing off the blade of a broadsword pulled from the wall, stolen many years earlier from a wealthy pseudo-weapons expert))
((--or a sword if you'd rather. I'll let you choose what comes first--))
Kurama gritted his teeth hard to stifle the cry that welled up inside him. Not here, not here. Everyone would think he was crazy if he screamed...Is that what you want? To publicly drive me insane?
The grocery list was clenched so hard in his hand that his fingernails had torn it. He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them wide to force himself back into reality. Closing his hands tightly on his cart's handlebar, he forced himself to enter the meat section of the supermarket.
The roasts all looked the same. Kurama glanced at each to find the best price. He noticed that meat juice had collected in almost all the packages, and in some cases on the outside.
((--whatever you want, just tell me and I'll make sure I remember--))
$4.25, now is that by the pound or for the entire package? She won't want me to spend too much on this one thing. I should look at--He jerked and bit his lip, not stopping till he felt his teeth draw blood. Who cared? Who cared which piece of dead cow they ended up eating? God, that poor man, he'd--
No. NO. He should care. That was all he needed to care about right now. He was a human boy grocery shopping for his mother, who loved him very much and would cook dinner when he got home. He wasn't in some unholy pit in Makai, lighting a torch and preparing to...That was all.
((The small flame caught on the tip of the wooden stick. He shook out the match and lifted the torch, illuminating his captive's eyes as well as his own.))
((Now tell me...))
That was all. The meat juice from the roast he'd chosen ran pink down his arm.
((What are you afraid of?))
Kurama swayed and fell to his knees, the world swirling into darkness around him.
===================================
((Backed up against a tree trunk shaking and gasping for air, this was it, there was no way he would live through it this time, the man was raising his sword now, he was going to die here and without ever even seeing her...
"You're dead, understand? You've killed us all, you've killed us all and now I'm gonna kill you, die, you little ba--what th---ahh-ah----aaaaAAAAHHH! AAAAAHH! AAAAAAHHHH!------"))
A sharp thud, a pain in his shoulder, what was going on?--
Hiei's eyes flew open. He realized immediately why his shoulder hurt; he had fallen out of a tree. He sat up, checking himself for other injuries. Where had that come from? He hadn't had that dream in years. Hearing about this strange dream-sickness of Kurama's must have caused him nightmares, too. He picked pieces of grass out of his damp hair and took a deep breath, thinking vaguely that he might ask Kurama if he would wash this outfit so it wouldn't smell like sweat...
Wait. Hiei's breath caught in his throat. He had been asleep! He ran up to Kurama's house, not bothering to hide himself, searching for Shiori. Looking around rather wildly, he caught sight of her on the front porch with a watering can. He sighed with relief; at least she hadn't been hurt because of his blunder. How on earth could he have let that happen? He hadn't even felt tired, last he remembered...
Hiei waited for his heart rate to slow while he watched Shiori water her flowers, pausing before each group and carefully pouring just the right amount, making sure none were missed.
Hiei shook his head, still angry with himself. He wished that he knew how long he had been out. The sun was lowering behind the trees; he might've been asleep all afternoon. He couldn't afford to do that again. Kurama had trusted him with his mother's life; he didn't want to think about how he would feel if she died because he'd been asleep...
Hiei snorted suddenly as he watched Shiori pause before her yellow roses in the corner of her garden. Hiei had figured that Kurama probably gave his own brand of "assistance" to the flowers in his yard, but he had shaken his head in disbelief at the roses. He wasn't a gardener, but he had lived with Youko long enough to be familiar with which kinds of plants did well in which kinds of soil, and he knew for a fact that these yellow roses should have never bloomed in a place like this. He had asked Kurama about it, and the fox had given him a sheepish grin and admitted that they were alive only because of his continued care.
"I asked them if they would mind," he had said, blushing a little. "I said 'please.'...It's just that...she smiles when she sees yellow roses..."
Hiei had rolled his eyes at the sentiment, but thought now that he sort of understood what the fox meant. The woman had a warm, genuine smile; he had seen the way she looked at Kurama, as if he were the light of her life, as if nothing else in the world mattered to her...
((He looked at the ground as he spoke, not wanting to meet Youko's eyes.
"I think...that I'm going to go and find them...find out where the island is, I mean, so I can go see it...you know, ask them why..."
Youko nodded, his expression carefully neutral.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
Hiei clenched his fists loosely, looking up.
"I think that...well, even if...you know, she's not there, maybe there's someone else who might want...I mean, you know how it is, they take care of each other."
Youko searched out the boy's eyes and held them. Then he shrugged indifferently and turned away.
"If it's something you feel like you need to do, who am I to stop you? Go."
Hiei smiled at him uncertainly( he was still uncomfortable with this facial expression).
Youko paused at the entrance to his cave and looked back over his shoulder at Hiei. The younger boy could see something very much like gentleness in the Thief Lord's expression.
"I'll be here if you need me..."))
Hiei gritted his teeth at the unbidden memory. You knew it was bull, he thought at Kurama, the thing I wanted. But you let me do it anyway and find out for myself.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes and leaning backward against his tree.
"You're very loyal to him."
Hiei jerked and sat up straight. There was a person, a boy, right next to him on the tree branch.
"I mean to say, you tend to hold yourself accountable for his responsibilities." The boy nodded toward the house, where Shiori was turning on lamps to make up for the fading sunlight.
The boy seemed, for an instant, to flicker.
Hiei stared at him. How had this boy gotten so close to him without being heard, or at least sensed? Hiei concentrated, and realized that this boy was emitting no spirit energy whatsoever, not even the normal human amount. He knew, very suddenly, who this boy was.
"What do you want?" he snarled. "Why are you threatening Kurama?"
The boy gave a dark little smile. "And there you go again."
Hiei narrowed his eyes. "I am not in the mood. Tell me what you want and who you work for and I might not kill you."
"You watch her so closely. I can tell that you would protect her with your life if you had to. But you're not hers, Koorime. She doesn't know you."
Hiei hesitated. He had absolutely no idea how to react. If he killed the boy, they might lose valuable information about his employer, assuming he had one. Again, if he killed the boy, they might not know if he had one till it was too late.
"So you must be doing this purely as a favor to Kurama, am I right?"
Was there anything he could do? The boy didn't seem to be here for the purpose of harming Shiori...
The boy saw Hiei's eyes flicker toward the house. "She is in no danger. I mean her no harm; I never did. Kurama is the only one I want hurt."
This statement had an unmistakable ring of truth. Hiei's eyes narrowed further.
"If you want Kurama, what are you doing here? He has not been home all day; surely you would be able to find that out and not risk showing yourself. Unless you are a complete idiot."
The boy didn't appear to take offense. "You watch her for Kurama, but...you watch her for yourself, too, right?"
Hiei blinked, caught totally off guard. "What?" He searched his mind for a possible meaning to this accusation. His face colored slightly. "Are you suggesting--"
This earned a chuckle from the boy. "Of course not. I know you don't feel for the woman in that way. She's not a suitable wife for you. But...she is a mother."
Hiei's lips tightened. "What the devil are you talking about?"
"You're curious," the boy said simply. "She loves her son. You've never felt that before. I think you like to watch it."
Hiei's mouth opened slightly. Didn't this boy know he could kill him?...
"That's why you've been getting upset. And you had a dream just now, right? You were afraid you were going to die before you met your--"
"Don't open your mouth again," Hiei hissed.
"He found a family here...you haven't been able to do that, right? Wherever he goes he seems to find people to take care of him and you've never been--"
Hiei shook his head and there was a sharp metallic sound as he drew his katana. "What. Do. You. Want?"
The boy leaned in closer. "I want you to listen to what I have to say. He deserves to pay for his crimes. I'm going to give him what he deserves."
Hiei shook his head wonderingly. What in the world was he talking--
The boy, breathing hard, caught sight of Hiei's expression. "You don't understand. It's all right; you will. And you'll know I'm right. You'll know he has to be killed. I'll still accept your help when you come to your senses."
Hiei laughed at this, more to cover up his own unsettledness than to show any real mirth. "You're full of it."
The boy nodded. "I'll still accept your help," he repeated, "when you come to understand what he's done to you."
Hiei was distracted by a flare of brightness in the house. He turned his head sharply, but it was only the television set being turned on in the living room. He jerked his head back toward the boy, but all his eyes found were rustling leaves and the darkness of the falling night.
============================================
"So what do you say?"
"Two bucks says you won't do it."
"Hey!"
"Gimmie a break. You'll chicken out."
Kuwabara shoved a thumb toward his chest. "The great Kazuma Kuwabara does not 'chicken out.' Prepare to lose two bucks."
Yusuke, completely unconcerned, took a bite of his taco. "So eat it already."
Kuwabara eyed the red chili pepper apprehensively. "You're sure this isn't gonna give me hives or somethin'?"
"Told you you'd chicken out."
"Hey, I didn't say I wasn't gonna do it, okay? Just tryin' to get in the zone, here. You better be serious about the two bucks."
Yusuke rubbed his mouth with a napkin, then took a drink of Coke. "Somehow I don't think it'll be an issue. Is this my drink?"
"You little--"
"Yusuke!"
Kuwabara jerked in surprise at the new voice and accidentally dropped the hot pepper down his throat. He choked and pounded his chest. Yusuke turned toward the door of the taco place, where Botan stood, looking out of breath and bad-tempered. She started to stomp toward him and Kuwabara, who was now making odd gasping noises and fanning his mouth.
"Uh-oh, I think we're in trouble," Yusuke muttered. "What is it now?"
Botan stopped beside their table and threw a briefcase down onto it, causing Yusuke to back up in alarm and put down his Coke. Kuwabara seized it, ripped off the lid, and started drinking furiously.
"Where on earth have you been; it took me all day to track you down!" Botan said irritably, still panting.
"Um, well, I went to the arcade at around ten, then I had lunch, then me and Kuwabara beat up this gang of--"
Botan waved her hand in the air. "Never mind. We need to go somewhere private. Koenma wants a word with you."
"Ah, man," Yusuke complained as Kuwabara surfaced from underneath the table, gasping for air. "I never get a vacation, is that it?"
Botan threw up her hands. "He's wanted to talk to you all day; for all we know it could be urgent, Yusuke, come on."
"All right, all right," Yusuke said, slightly alarmed. "Let's go to the alley around back; we can talk there."
After a brief argument over whether or not Kuwabara deserved the two bucks( after all, Yusuke reasoned, he hadn't actually meant to eat the pepper), the three of them were positioned around Botan's briefcase in the rapidly darkening back alley of the taco place. Botan opened it and pressed a few buttons on the inside. The inside of the lid flickered to life, and the magnified face of Koenma, prince of Reikai, appeared on the screen.
"Yusuke, where on earth have you been all day?" he asked in exasperation.
Yusuke threw up his arms. "So much for pleasant conversation. I have to eat dinner, you know. Sorry if I'm not on call twenty four freakin' hours a day now."
"Well, whatever. I have something I need you to be aware of Yusuke."
"So I gathered," Yusuke said, rubbing his neck.
"The other day, I was informed that a dimensional anomaly had been spotted while monitoring your town.
Yusuke blinked. "A dimensional..."
"It means, in this case, that there is a point in your town at which the dimension wall is unstable." Koenma rubbed his temples. "This could mean a number of things, none of which bode well for us."
Kuwabara shifted nervously. "You mean like someone could be pulling a Sensui?"
Koenma nodded. "That is one possibility, that someone is trying to cut another tunnel to Makai. Or a portal to somewhere else. It's also possible that someone is trying to get into human world from somewhere else. Or who knows, there might even be something wrong with this dimension itself, which" he continued darkly, looking around at them," would probably be worse."
There was an uncomfortable silence in which everyone considered this.
"...Well," Yusuke began, "I guess we won't know anything till we go out and have a look at it ourselves. Where exactly in town is this ano...this weird dimension spot?"
Koenma inhaled slowly. "Well, that's the thing... the vortex spot appears...not to be exactly static."
Botan raised her eyebrows. "You mean it's moving, sir?"
Koenma snorted impatiently. "Yeah, it's moving. Almost constantly. There's no telling what kind of ticking time bomb this thing could be or what might set it off. What's worse, there is no detectable pattern in its movement, no way to tell where it will go next. It's almost as if the blasted thing has free will."
Kuwabara paled. "So...so it could just like explode and cause a black hole or something in the middle of the city, like, anywhere at anytime?"
Koenma crossed his arms. "Well...I guess that's about the size of it, yeah."
"So what the heck are we supposed to do about it??"
"Well, for now, I think all we can do is wait. If one of you runs into it, and that's assuming you realize it if you do, try to collect as much data about it as possible."
"All right," Kuwabara said, looking at Koenma like he was crazy. "I know I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but walking around waiting for it to hit us doesn't seem like it's such a great plan." He turned to Yusuke. "Back me up here, Urameshi."
Yusuke was staring off into the distance, frowning. "Hey, Koenma....this vortex thing...instead of a person causing it, could it actually be a person?"
Koenma looked at him blankly. "Could the vortex be a person?"
"Yeah. I mean, that would explain what you said about it moving around and having free will and stuff, right?"
Koenma shrugged slowly. "Well...it would be unusual, but I suppose a creature of some sort is not outside the realm of possib--hold on." He looked sharply at Yusuke. "Where did you come up with this idea? Have you seen something unusual?"
"Well..." Yusuke hesitated. Somehow he didn't think Kurama would appreciate him telling Koenma about this.
Botan clapped a hand to her forehead. "Of course! Yusuke, you're absolutely right, why didn't I think to mention that?" She turned toward Koenma. "A few days ago, Kurama called us all together and told us that he'd been threatened by a strange boy that had approached him. Kurama had been having nightmares about him!"
Koenma raised his eyebrows. "You're serous? What else did he tell you about the boy?"
Botan thought hard. "Only that he said he wanted to hurt Kurama...and that--" She gasped. "He told us that he couldn't feel spirit energy from the boy! Koenma, sir, wouldn't that fit if the boy were some kind of dimension warp?"
Koenma was nodding excitedly. "That would make sense, yes...but hold on, this...whoever this is wants to hurt Kurama? Why? Did he give a reason?"
"Well, no," Botan said, shrugging. "At least, not according to Kurama."
"Well, I suppose that doesn't mean all that much...there are probably hundreds of demons that would jump at the chance to take revenge on Youko Kurama for one reason or another, and if this one has somehow gained strange powers that allow him to travel to Ningenkai..."
"But this boy was human," Botan pointed out. "And according to Kurama he was young. What could a human want revenge on him for? It would have to have been something done in the last seventeen years."
Kuwabara said, "Maybe we should ask Kurama that."
Koenma waved his hand impatiently. "That goes without saying. We should do it as soon as possible, too. Does anyone know where he is?"
Botan shrugged. "I didn't see him or Hiei at all while I was looking for Yusuke."
"Well, then, we'll try to catch him tomorrow. First thing, all right? We don't know how urgent this situation might be."
Botan nodded. "Right, sir, I'll find him in the morning. We should all meet at Yusuke's house as soon as we wake up. And I don't mean two o'clock in the afternoon, Yusuke."
"Right, whatever," Yusuke said distractedly. Man, I hope he's not mad at me for telling...even if it was actually Botan that did it.
Koenma nodded at them all. "Keep safe till then. Over and out."
=====================================
Kurama closed his front door behind him and leaned up against it with his eyes closed. He had thought he'd never get home.
"Shuichi?" His mother ran into the hallway. "Shuichi, where have you been all day? Did you go to the grocery store?" She gasped when she saw him more clearly. "Shuichi, are you all right? What happened?" She reached out a hand to brush his hair back from his forehead, Blood was beginning to stain a white bandage that had been placed there.
Kurama winced; he hadn't exactly thought up a cover story. What had actually happened, of course, was that had fainted, falling facedown and striking his head on the sharp metal corner of a meat shelf. When he'd next opened his eyes, he had been blinded by sunlight and had realized that he was on his knees in the parking lot, looking up into the concerned face of an elderly woman who had apparently taken him outside. She'd asked him if he was all right and if he remembered his name. He had assured her, once he had regained his senses, that he was fine and had told her his name and address to prove that his head injury was not serious. She had continued to talk to him, asking if he had a medical condition and if she needed to take him to the hospital. When he had convinced her that he would be all right, she had insisted that he walk with her to her house up the street and let her bandage his forehead. He had tried to refuse, but her insistence and the fact that he was touched by her so obviously genuine concern had won him over and he'd allowed her to walk him home and clean and dress his wound. They had started talking( she had given him some of the cookies she'd made for her visiting grandchildren) and he, exhausted emotionally, had fallen asleep on her couch and had not woken up until nightfall. He'd been quite embarrassed, but she had sent him on his way, laughing, and he'd only just made it home. Now, as Shiori looked at him fearfully, he supposed that he might as well tell the truth.
"I fell down at the supermarket," he admitted. "I hit my head and was knocked out, but a kind woman took care of the cut."
"Goodness, I hope you thanked her," Shiori said, relief filling her eyes. "And I'm glad you're all right; do you want something to drink?"
Kurama accepted gratefully and walked with Shiori into the kitchen.
==============================================
Ten minutes later, Kurama was sitting at the desk in his room with his math homework and a mug of hot chocolate. He had just pulled out his calculator to help with a difficult problem when a noise at his window made him look up. Hiei was perched on the sill, looking uncomfortable.
"Hello," Kurama said, surprised. He had thought Hiei would be asleep by now. "Would you like to...sit down?" he asked awkwardly--he usually didn't have to ask.
Hiei shook his head slowly, still looking distracted. He glanced over at Kurama. "I heard you tell your mother that you fell down and got hurt."
Kurama hesitated, then nodded. He decided that he wouldn't tell Hiei everything that had happened; this boy was waging war on him and he intended to win on his own.
Hiei raised his eyebrows. "You fell down."
Kurama shrugged uncomfortably. "It happens."
Hiei snorted. "Not to you."
Kurama rolled his eyes impatiently. "And did you just come in to make fun of me?"
It was Hiei's turn to hesitate. He knew that he should tell Kurama about his encounter with the boy, but...he would undoubtedly want to know what they had talked about, and some of the things that the boy had said had disturbed him...He felt that he wanted a little time to think about them on his own before he let Kurama examine them. Finally, he said, "Hn...are you all right?"
Kurama shrugged again and nodded. Hiei took this as a sign that Kurama wanted to be left alone. Turning to jump out the window, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "...I'll keep watching her, but...I don't think that Shiori is this boy's target, Kurama."
Kurama nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right about that. Good night."
Hiei nodded and left the room. Kurama closed the window behind him, deep in thought. He had somehow gotten the feeling that Hiei had not told him all of what he had to say. Kurama then realized that he was guilty of the same thing. He sat down on his bed.
Well, he thought as he rested his head on his pillow, I'm sure I'll know about it soon enough, whatever it is.
Somehow, this thought was not comforting.
The lights in the house darkened one by one, and the Minamino family slept, while their protector sat silently in an oak tree, his face half-hidden in the shadows of the night.
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A/N: (Faints from exhaustion) Wow, that went a little longer than I expected...It took me about eight hours to write it...but I think it turned out all right. Now you tell me what you think, and as always I'll give thought to any suggestions you have, even if I don't end up taking them... (smiles) Thank you so much for reading, and I'll update as soon as I can!