Ok, I'm going to warn you. This is a crazy chapter. I'm high on pretzels and fun music, please don't freak out. It's not a permanent deal. The next chapter I already wrote, so that will be semi-normal. Good luck

Two weeks have passed since the informal meeting of Hiei. The crazy man who lived in trees.

But he was cool. Even though he was very quiet, he listened to what Laena had to say-or she liked to think that anyway. It didn't really bother her.

And she almost rubbed her crazy love of her music into him. Another week, and he'll be begging to go to a Metallica Concert, she was sure of it.

(Oh, man)

This day, however was a Wednesday, and Laena being the little unpredictable child she was decided to show up below the tree after school.

She spotted the spiky-haired man about a mile off, and ducked behind a tree. A grin slowly spread across her face, a malevolent twinkle finding its way into her eyes. She got up and ran, ducking behind trees, quietly humming the Mission Impossible Theme.

1-2- 10! She counted in her head, and got ready for the kill.

"WHOA!!!!!!!!!!" Laena yelled excitedly, as she vaulted into the air and across the remaining feet to drop onto an unsuspecting Spiky-haired individual.

(Ya know in Megas XLR when Coop yells 'whoa'? Like that.)

Hiei looked around for the source of the unfeigned joy, and turned his head upward just in time to see the human coming in for a landing square on his shoulders.

"Hiei!" she chirped as she locked her arms around him and squeezed.

They both went down, this time, Laena was the one to be unfazed. Hiei pushed her off immediately with a huff and a growl.

"Whatcha doin'?" Laena asked happily, knowing she was being pesty.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angrily.

"A greeting." And then she made her eyes big in a challenging stare. Hiei just rolled his eyes and brushed himself off. "So what did you do today?" She asked falling into usual conversation.

As usual as you're going to get with a crazy little man who dwells in trees, mind you.

"Hn." Was all he replied with as he turned his back to her.

Simmering with annoyance, Laena too, got up with narrowed eyes, and began to walk past him. "Ya wanna know what I did?" She stopped walking and turned around, knowing what his response would be. "I hung out with my friend Suichi."

He raised his eyes to her's when she mentioned the name. Her eyebrow rose in intrigue, but she didn't say anything.

"Yeah, he's really cool. Last weekend, we went to the park, and we sword fought with spatchulas, and wearing Viking helmets." All of Hiei's movements ceased upon hearing that.

No way.

"Anyway," she paused for a moment, and then a smile spread across her face. "Hey! Let's go get Java!" Hiei had time to look up at her like she was crazy before she clamped a hand around his wrist, and dragged him to the Dunkin Doughnuts down the street.

Once they got to the doors, Laena pushed him through, and he stumbled to the counter. "Hello. We would like 2 hazel nut coffees, and a blueberry scone!" She tried really hard to keep her voice down, but it was just so exciting that it was scone.

They waited for their order, and then she pushed Hiei over to a table.

"Do that again, Onna, and I'll rip out your throat." hesnarled at her as he reluctantly sat in a chair.

Laena gave him the big-eyed challenging stare again, and shoved his drink over to him. "It might be hot."

The stare delivered to her seemed almost as molten as the drink.

"Would you like some scone?"

"What?" he asked with confused annoyance.

"Food." was all she said as she broke a piece off and stuck it on a napkin in front of him.

All he did was cross his arms. So in response, Laena sat back in her chair, and crossed her arms, staring at him, trying to make him feel uncomfortable.

Didn't really work. He was really good at this game.

So she gave him the Stink Eye, (which is when one eye is either open or bigger than the other.) And sipped her coffee. "You know you want it."

He still didn't do anything. Ok he was REALLY REALLY good at this game.

"Oh, for crap sake's." she muttered. "Do it for me? I'll be your best friend!" she mock-pleaded.

(My friend Katie says that all the time. Hi Katie!)

He narrowed his eyes at her, and leaned forward. "You are exhausting Onna. I've killed for less." Laena leaned forward too, putting her elbow in the center of the table. She opened her mouth as if to say something, and then with the free hand, put the scone up to her mouth and took a bite. And chewed, staring him right in the eye.

"Eat." was all she said and she scooted the coffee closer. He looked down at the drink, and let out an exasperated sigh.

Laena smiled triumphantly as he picked up the drink and took a sip. Her smile grew larger when she saw his eyes light up.

He hid his look of surprise, but she knew it was there. So the two sipped their caffeine in companionable silence for a few minutes before Hiei eyed the lump of confectionary goodness before him.

Laena ate hers quietly, and watched as he tentatively picked up his piece and placed a few crumbs in his mouth. He chewed, and then his eyes met her's.

He immediately straightened in his chair and stopped chewing.

Laena rolled her eyes. "So, why do you live in the woods?" She asked quietly so no one would over-hear.

"That's none of your business." He snapped, finishing his scone. "Whatever." Laena muttered, knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer from him.

"How old are you?" she asked out of the blue. He delivered a stare that should have left her bleeding.

"Fine." she said irritably. She looked out the window, and watched the wind play in the swaying trees. "Hey, ya know what my brother did the other day?"

Hiei looked up at her when she said that.

She noticed that whenever she would mention her brother he would get interested.

"He was visiting from College, so he was home for the weekend, and he took me ice skating. So there we are, these two crazy-looking kids on skates pushing ourselves around the rink, with these on-lookers." She shook her head with a smile across her face. "And he picks me up, and lifts me over his head, and he starts to like, glide across the ice, and I'm freaking out because I think he'll drop me, and all of these people are watching me, and it was just ridiculous. So, when it came time for him to put me down, because there was a rink director yelling at us, Shemus can't quite come to a stop with out toppling us both, and he can't get me down with out stopping.And we almost crash into another kid before I wiggle out of his grasp, and then he trips over his own foot, and both of us end up sailing to the floor, and sliding about 10 feet in two different directions, causing people to jump out of the way, or join us. It was so much fun, and it was just something he would do." she was laughing by now.

Hiei, although showing slight interest had an expression of confused horror. "It was fun." she said defensively.

A phantom of a grin crossed his lips, and he shook his head.

Laena missed it, however. "So, do you have any siblings?" She asked, keeping her eyes on him.

He became rigid at the mention of a sibling, and glared at her. "You do?" she gasped at him. His glare increased.

"Is it a brother or sister? Are they older than you? How many?" she asked excitedly.

Hiei still didn't say anything. Laena narrowed her eyes at him. "Why won't you tell me?" she asked with a trace of a sulking tone.

He sighed, exasperated.

"What do you want to do now, Onna?" he asked tiredly. "Why do you call me that?" she asked, oblivious to the previous subject. He looked at her questioningly. "Onna. What does it mean?" All he did was raise his eyebrow, and get up.

Once they were outside, Laena put a few bills into her wallet.

"Hey, do you want to see what my brother looks like?" she asked, figuring this was the only topic he would be remotely interested in.

She held out a small photo of a boy with swanky, wavy brown hair that curved to about his neck. He had blueish- hazel eyes shadowed by thick, dark eyebrows. He had two rings in his lower lip, and a bit of a shaggy chin. He had the same laughing smile Laena flashed all the time.

Hiei looked down, and said "He looks like you." "Yeah, that's what people tell me." she said as she looked lovingly down at the picture. "I miss him." She was silent for a little while, and then she asked "Do you miss your siblings?"

"More than you can imagine." was all he replied. Laena frowned, hearing his sorrow in the comment, but then that mischievous grin settled over her lips, and she looked at him.

"So you do have a sibling."

Hiei's jaw locked, and he began to grind his teeth. "Fucking Onna." he muttered. Laena just giggled.

Ackie: Mmm, pretzels. I think in the next chapter, or the next ACTION-PACKED chapter I will include a soundtrack list. Mmmm, Music.

And it's great because this weekend on the Rock 106.9, WCCC, they're having a Some Kind Of Monster Week End. Two Metallica songs every hour, baby!

It is, indeed, very exciting!

Kurama: So what have you done this weekend, before Mid-terms?

Ackie: Nothing, except running across highways, shoveling driveways, finishing my art project, going mad with my computer, reading fanfics, and losing my mind because of misspelled words, and reading my book, The Invisible Ring. Oh, and I danced to that Poison song- Talk Dirty To Me. Oh, the 80's...

I must know if Jared is a Warlord or a Warlord Prince. Because Warlord Princes are sexy.(Grin)

Lucivar:(flashes brash smile) Yeah, I know.

Ackie: I love you. Would you like a pretzel?