After the mind-spinning meeting in Koenma's office, Laena wandered the corridors of this Spirit World castle thing. Man it was big.

But not big enough.

She saw Suichi step out of a room, and delivered a death-glare, so menacing, you would have had to be skinless to not feel it.

He flinched. It was kind of funny, because he looked like someone had just cuffed the back of his head. Laena stalked up to him.

"So, what do I call you?" she asked in a cold tone. She was so angry at him for deceiving her. She told him stuff,(stufffff, say it really slow)trusted him with things. And he couldn't tell her any of this? She would have-

ok. Well, maybe not. But she would have come to terms with the whole ordeal anyway!

He just looked at her, obviously hurt by her tone. "My name is Kurama. Suichi is my human name, the one my mother gave me." Laena waited. Patient, but simmering. "I am a kitsune spirit. I used to be known as Youko Kurama. The most feared thief of Demon World. That is, until I was hurt." He looked down, his expression pained. Laena wanted to hold him, and stroke his head, unable to stay mad at a face that sorrowful. But she stood steadfast against it, and waited. "So, where did your mom come in?" She asked, making a point to soften her tone. "When I was hurt, I sealed myself into the human world, and into the womb of a human. And here I am. The same power, and knowledge, but with a gentler heart." He managed a weak smile.

Laena totally broke the moment with a swatted punch on his shoulder. He bared his teeth at her. "So why didn't you tell me any of this?" she said a little harshly, but it was obviously laced with amusement.

"How, exactly, were you to believe me?" he asked, testily. She provoked the regular teenage side of him on occasion, and now, with his nerves strung out, he would let his emotions drive him.

"I don't know!" she controlled her volume to just being loud. "But I would have accepted it in someway." Kurama rolled his eyes, now dancing with laughter. "Yeah, and you would have married the son of Sebastian Bach." Laena stood there, looking as if he'd smacked her.

"That's below the belt." she said in a mocking chastise.

Kurama sobered, and finally asked the question he'd been afraid of. "Do you forgive me?" Laena's face fell into a neutral expression, and she was quiet for a little while. Then she walked over to him, and kissed his cheek as she put her arms around his neck. "Yes. I do forgive you, Kurama." she paused for a moment. "Thank you for saving my life."

She let go, and stepped back, looking away. "Now for Hiei." she said menacingly. Kurama paled.

"Oh, Hi-ei..." came a sing-song croon.

Hiei looked around, not visibly startled, but paying closer attention now. He felt a presence above him, and looked up at the window sill about two feet above.

Low and behold, there was the Onna, standing with a defiant stance, and a murderous expression upon her face. Her lips curved into an incriminating grin. Hiei went still, half expecting her next move.

Something made a noise down the hall, averting his attention. And in that instant, Laena took the chance and the element of surprise to leap from her perch. When Hiei turned back to face her, all he saw was her shoulder and then the ground.

She clobbered him.

She positioned herself so that his legs were straddled, and he couldn't get up easily. Once he was pinned, she went for the throat-literally.

Her hands wrapped around his neck, and she started yelling in a harsh tone "You stupid jackass! Why didn't you tell me you were a demon? Did you think I would have a problem with it? It would have explained a lot about the trees!" she began to shake his head up and down. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Kurama? Why is a it all a big hairy secret? You should have told me! Don't you ever do that again! Ever! Ever! Ever!" On each 'ever', she would almost slam his head tot he floor. Her lips were curled back in a vicious snarl.

In return, Hiei countered with a equally fierce snarl, and lunged forward. Laena never let go of his neck, but she did fall backward. Hiei grabbed her wrists with one hand, and put a clamp-hold on them that made her wince. She squeezed harder, and finally she opened her mouth in breathless pain, and let go. "Onna!" he rasped with enough edge to his voice to make her sit back. "What in the name of hell do you think you were doing!" he looked so irate at this point. Seems her temper gave her a little too much courage.

She almost backed off, but bristled when he gave her a searing look, and mumbled something under his breath.

"Did you think I couldn't handle it, or something?" She scowled at him. Obviously, you can, when you're riled. He thought dryly.

"Do you have another name I should know about?" she crossed her arms, and prayed he wouldn't want payback. However, all he did, with that angered look in his eyes was mumble "Hn." He dusted himself off, and looked back at her. "Do something like that again, and I'll feed you to the vultures."

Laena, of course, didn't take him seriously, and continued to scowl. No, she thought, frustrated, I think what I know about him is what I'm ever going to get.

Hiei burst into The room Kurama used when he stayed at the Castle. (Or whatever.)

"How do you live with that!" he roared. Kurama, just turned the page of his book with no response.

But then a small smile began to creep across his face. He moved his eyes to look at his aggravated friend...who was shredding something that looked like a pillow on the opposite side of the room. It was amusing, watching him be so frustrated over something Hiei hated so much.

"She's just so belligerent, and mad!" he turned to face the red-haired boy. "Do you know she accosted me in the hall?"

Kurama moved the book closer and higher to cover his widening smile. Hiei eyed him with a murderous look. "Kurama." he seethed. His smile widened. His shoulders were shaking with the effort to keep from laughing out loud.

Hiei narrowed his eyes. "And she was threatening me, shaking me. I don't think I've EVER encountered such a suicidal human!" He stopped, and paused. "She provokes on purpose! All the time! And all of my threats are like she never even hears them; she keeps at it until she gets her way!" he went back to shredding the pillow, with his teeth clenched.

Kurama couldn't do it anymore.

He burst out laughing, flinging the book to the floor. He was in convulsions by the time Hiei turned his wrathful stare on the kitsune. With his hands clenched into fists around the shredded pieces of pillow, and Hiei tore them apart. With a loud growl that rose to a snarl, he stormed out of the room, leaving Kurama gasping for breath on the floor.

Laena explored through the hallways of the Castle thingy. They wouldn't let her go home just yet, because of some health thing, or whatever.

So she entertained herself by wandering the halls, and winding corridors of this Other-worldly Palace.

Course, it probably would have helped to bring a map, and not experience a panic attack half an hour ago. But she got over it and figured she'd bump into someone. Eventually. Hopefully.

If God was merciful.

There were double doors on the right side of the hall. One of them was pushed halfway open, and sunlight poured through, illuminating the hallway more. Laena heard a few smacking noises, and then the clean sound of a blade slicing through the air. Here and there, as she walked closer, she would hear a few snarls, and grunts.

Someone isn't happy. A mischievous smile warped her lips. She sidled up to the doorway, and peeked through the crack. She saw a man dressed in black dash across the courtyard, back and forth, swinging his sword with a furious power.

Then she realized, as she moved to see better, that the man was Hiei. She watched him as he swatted at the wooden target, and then slashed his blade through it. Several times. Then he would run across the yard again, and the next thing Laena knew as she took a step out from behind the door, she was watching a ball of fire careen towards the target.

When the target blew up with a blazing light, and pieces of it flew across the yard, she jumped out from behind the door, with an entertained roar. "Yeah!" She yelled as she clapped her hands together, watching the flaming target.

Hiei snapped his head towards the visitor. She wants to be killed. He thought, desperately trying to leash his temper.

Ah, screw it. She irked him the wrong way today.

Laena, then realizing he noticed her, decided she probably wasn't his favorite person today.

Totally disregarding that fact, she decided, what better way to smolder that anger than to let him beat her around for minute? Or if she smacked him around too, that would be nice. (She's still angry with him for not telling her)

So she calmly walked over to where he stood. Shirtless and sweaty, he kept his usual cold composure with a frustrated expression.

Of course, she noticed the other part. She made a mental note of it. However, as any non-suicidal person would do under the circumstances, she totally ignored his stare. (Sarcasm, dahlings...)

"So, this is what you do to keep your demon powers sharp?" she asked with a tone Hiei couldn't quite identify. "That was pretty cool, what you did to that target thingy." she made a vague gesture with her hands in the direction of the now crispy target. He just looked at her like what she said was so mundane, it was ridiculous. Well, if he wanted to play that game, she could too.

"Why are you pissed off at me?" she asked, finally cutting to the chase. She saw the muscles in his jaw tighten as he tried to control his rage.

His eyes did that slight widening thing, like he was going to strangle her for her mock ignorance.

Oh, she knew perfectly well why he was angry. After all, it's not only a blow to his pride, being clobbered by a human, but she also knew that he didn't know how to handle the situation. He couldn't take care of it like usual, or else she'd be a very flayed, decapitated human. And that would justbe frustrating to anybody.

"Here." she said, taking her coat off. "If you wanna knock me around to let out some steam, go for it." It was a sort of test. She wanted to see how much he tolerated her, and if she could trust him with her life.

Please, God, let me live!

However, once she dropped the coat to the ground, she took a stance familiar in boxing. Spreading her feet, she raised her fists, ready for him. Hiei watched her with a small look of shock under that cold exterior. She is mad. Was all he could think. But of she wanted to fight so bad, and lose a limb, he was plenty pissed (for lack of a better word), or wait, wait, he would be more than happy to oblige her, in severing a limb... to go through with it.

Once he took his stance, she left-hooked him in the jaw. His head snapped to the right, as he took in what just happened.

"C'mon, I dare ya." she taunted. On the inside, however, she screamed at herself as many obscenities as she could think of for provoking him like that.

He turned his head back after a minute, and what she saw in his eyes scared the shit out of her. But she couldn't let him know that.

Finally, he retaliated by mimicking her punch, landing on the jaw as well. She stumbled a bit. He was holding back, but not enough to not leave a bruise. She went back at him.

They squared off a few times, sometimes she'd land a punch in the wrong place because he moved fast enough, but not because he didn't see what was coming. He landed punches almost all the time, but he wouldn't aim for her head, or her stomach, thank God.

Back and forth, She's quick. He thought to himself, watching her move around him. She seemed to have the grace of a person who had known this fighting for a while.

When she missed a block and his fist contacted with her hip, she tripped, and fell a little before Hiei swooped down, and gracefully caught her before she hit the ground. She was panting, clenching her teeth riding out the pain before she got enough gall to insist she could go at it again. She is getting tired. He thought to himself, again, as he watched her. When she tried to take her ground she winced and seemed out of breath. Hiei just supported her, as she caught her breath. "You should stop now." he told her.

She made an inconvenienced face and tried to get up again. This time, she made it, slowly, but surely, and took another fighting stance. "Come on, I'm not done yet. This is the most fun I've had since my dad stopped fighting with me." But something in her voice sounded to him like she didn't believe herself, that she could keep going.

And then he realized he felt a lot calmer now that he could let a little aggression out. She wasn't his target for his anger anymore. (Hiei's just angry at the world.) (la la la!)

"Laena! What are you doing?" that was a tone Kurama had never quite used before. Laena winced at the voice, and dropped her arms. She slowly pivoted towards the red-haired boy standing in the doorway, with his arms crossed, and his emerald green eyes narrowed.

Hiei didn't think he had ever seen him look so... brotherly. And Laena. He didn't think he'd ever seen her revert to a child that knew they were in trouble quite like that.

Trying very hard to conceal the smirkthat wantedto break into view, he watched as Laena skulked over to where Kurama stood, with that very threatening posture.

Once it came time to eat, Hiei found himself at the large table in the dining hall with his fellow detectives.

(Does anyone else feel like Hiei is WAY out of character?)

...And I'll tell ya why. Because Metallica got beaten out by Ozzy Osbourne. Everything is WAY off kilter now. And on top of it, Ozzy got beaten by Tool, which is good, but then they got beaten out by AC/DC! Alice In Chains better beat them or I'm gonna have a conniption fit!

Damnit! grinds teeth

Kurama: Calm down. It's alright. You got to hear that song.

(Ackie turns a hard, narrowed-eye stare on Kurama and he involuntarily takes a step back. )

Ackie: What song?

Lucivar: (yawning)The Hell Have I.

(Ackie pauses and straightens up)

Ackie: oh, right. The fun song! Oh, I feel better... But they still better beat AC/DC, or else there WILL be carnage...

Anyway, Yusuke had taken a seat on one end of the table, and was fidgeting in his chair. Kuwabara was looking Dazed and Confused as usual, (hee, hee.) And Kurama and Laena weren't there yet.

And Hiei didn't know if the Onna would be joining them. He had never seen his friend quite so... angry.

His nostrils flared at the thought.

A few seconds later, the large doors at one end of the room opened, and Laena shuffled over to a seat next to Hiei, and fell into it, shoulders slumped like shehad been pushed too far,and would bite.

Then Kurama followed, but with a cold stare on the girl as he walked to a seat next to her's.

They both looked rigid, like the minutest (mine -oo-test) thing would set them off.

Finally, Botan and Koenma walked in, took their seats at the other head of the table and paused for only a moment when they noticed the strict air around the opposite end of the table. Exchanging glances, they cleared their throats, and made themselves comfortable.

"Ogre?" Koenma asked quietly, "What is going on?" Jorge stepped up to the table and whispered something into his ear. "Oooohhhhh.." he said. Then he licked his lips, and asked louder "What is for dinner?" Ogre whispered something else, and then scurried off towards the kitchen.

Everyone was looking at the other trying to ask why the normally pleasant kitsune and their new acquaintance were so sullen.

Koenma cleared his throat again, only with his fist to his mouth, and then said loudly enough, "Alright, you two. What's the matter?" Laena looked up at him, and then slanted death in Kurama's direction. "I don't want to talk about it." she muttered, and crossed her arms. Kurama slanted a look in kind to her's, but remained silent. Koenma looked to the ceiling, and sighed. Hiei tried very hard not to show a smile. Yusuke and Kuwabara stared on in interest.

Ya know, the kind of interest one has during a wrestling match, to see which one will beat the crap out of the other, or the kind that keeps you from looking away from a car accident. They knew this girl was something else to not be on speaking terms with a demon like Kurama, and to get that type of reaction from him was unheard of.

Laena glanced up at the boys and narrowed her eyes even more. "What happened?" Yusuke asked slyly. This time he got the death glare from Kurama. "She was fighting with Hiei." he growled. Yusuke's mouth dropped. Kuwabara's face fell.

"I was fine. I don't know why you had such a fit about it." she shot back, looking away from him.

Ok, Hiei was trying really really hard not to smile.

"What are you talking about? You were stressing your body out." Kurama's volume rose a little. "I know how much I can take. I was going to stop." she retorted, finally glaring at him.

"No you weren't! I've seen you. You never give up at anything! You were going to keep on provoking him until he either dismembered you or your body collapsed! In case you're forgetting, you just nearly died. You still need time to recover!" Now his voice was more of a holler. And if his was a holler, then hers was a shout. Laena bristled. "He wasn't going to do anything to me!" Yusuke's eyebrows rose. " I could hold my own, anyways! And what difference does it make if I had a brush with death? It still doesn't make up for being bored out of your mind! How do you stay here for more than an hour? I swear, it's like I'm fighting with Shemus about this!"

"Why are you yelling!"

"I'm not yelling! You're being too serious! I'm not some doll!"

"Then what is that!" he yelled pointing to her bandaged arm, where a gash had reopened when she sparred with the fire demon.

Laena paused long enough to glance at her arm, an then barred her teeth, letting out a very viscous snarl. Her hands shook with the visible effort of keeping them under the table.

In turn, so did the Kitsune's, only his were shaking in frustration, and he growled trying to stop himself from doing anything he might regret.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances, and then realized that they must have been going at it back and forth like that all day.

Yusuke sat back in his chair and studied the two. He was just baffled at how this girl was alive right now to even say these things.

"Lasagna's done!" Ogre loudly, yet happily chirped as he walked into the dining hall, completely oblivious to the argument that should have ended with some blood-shed.

He was rewarded with two terrifying glares as Laena and Kurama's heads snapped up to him. Ogre winced and shrunk a little. "Ummm.." he weakly mumbled.

"It's okay, Ogre," Koenma said soothingly. "Just put the dish down, and walk away."

Good news, Alice In Chains won the Super Bowl Of Rock.

There will be no conniption fit, rest assured.

Terror.

Oh, yes, I reread the last Author's comment on the last chapter. The last sentence, is supposed to say Series, not Serious.

Very sorry.

Yes, so chapter eleven!

Was it...terrifying?

I watched Some Kind Of Monster yesterday.

I must say, it was even better the second time. How I love those guys!

And I'm Queen Of the Castle, because my parents are in Washington.

And to top everything off, I was able to obtain Coffee this morning, and it was bliss.

I gave up Caffeine for lent, Yes, I am Catholic, ha! and soI am dragging because of my lack of such.

Yusuke: So what have you done in your parent's absence? Because you're just such a delinquent kid...(like he would be so articulate)

Ackie: I made Fusilli last night. Ha! bad-ass, right there! Well, I did do a fun skipping thing around the block today, that received quite a few stares from the cars going by. That was some fun stuff.

Man.

I still can't believe Metallica got beaten by Ozzy. Phshaw...

I told you, everything is off-kilter!