Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 8 What She Learned

Team Urameshi waited impatiently at home, the only person who was remotely content was Kuwabara, and that was because he kept himself distracted with baby Higue. Higue was constantly asking for Korien, but he couldn't do anything about it, but he gave the little tyke piggy backs and horsey rides all day.

Yusuke was still rather pissed off at Hiei for knocking him out and he moped on the couch all day. There was this anxiety, something in him that wouldn't let him sit still. He wanted to feel her lips again, and click with her like he had, that desire, it was burning up inside of him. He turned over on the couch again, facing the cushions, no one wanted to sleep, they were all really angry.

Kurama and Hiei weren't any better company either. Kurama had locked himself up in his library reading Julius Caesar, and refused to come out. Hiei was sitting in Korien's bedroom window, but his jagan eye kept watch over the entire house for anyone who trying to leave. Hiei looked at her bedroom, the bed still unmade, the teardrops still sitting on her night stand.

"Am I not part of that destiny? Is not your son or anyone sleeping in that house part of your destiny?" Hiei argued desperately.

"Everyone I love, is part of my destiny, a part of me. If you stay here, and protect my son, that gives me something to come back to. I won't lose, knowing there's someone here waiting for me. Please, protect Higue for me."

"You stupid girl, how am I supposed to protect your son when he has a broken heart?" Hiei asked himself miserably. He remained sitting on the window though as he looked out to the street. He hoped any minute now, on the horizon, she'd be walking back towards them. But the day passed miserably, and there was no sign of her. Around eight o'clock at night Hiei finally walked downstairs into Kurama's "Den" to find the whole team there.

"She isn't back," Yusuke told him angrily

"I know that you moron, but there's nothing we can do" Hiei shot back

"And why the hell not? We have the power to help out, we're not weaklings!" Yusuke shot up from his chair and yelled back

"Because that's not what she wanted! She wants us to take care of her boy so she won't have to worry!" Hiei told him sharply

"Oh so we're supposed to sit here and worry wondering if she's even alive!" Yusuke shouted again

"Indeed that seems to be the objective" Kurama said quietly "Think of it in her light Urameshi, if people where there, and were getting hurt, she'd be more compelled to protect us than defend herself, on top of that, she wouldn't be able to extract the information she's searching for from this Rekan character."

"Why would she want to know anything about him except the slime ball wants to rape her!" Yusuke screamed again furious

"Rekan knows the secret to Korien's powers, and for a lost and confused girl, he might be able to provide the answers she's looking for, especially ones dealing with control" Kurama said, his hands folded across his chest "I just hope she does not become gullible and let him take advantage of that"

"Urameshi can you keep it down! I finally got baby Higue to sleep!" Kuwabara said whispering as he threw his neck around the corner. "I know you're pissed, but let the poor boy sleep!" Kuwabara made his way over to the couch and sat down "That poor guy, it takes him so long to fall asleep he's so afraid"

"I don't blame the poor child, he witnessed his mother almost die right in front of him," Kurama said cooly

"Yeah, the little guy kept mumbling something though, I can't really understand what he wants" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head "It's like he's speaking a whole other language"

"Well I figure in the mind of an infant its hard to relate" Kurama answered

"But a buffoon like him should've had no problems" Hiei added sarcastically

"Hey shut up, I'm taking care of this kid all by myself while you three mope around like she's already dead, I swear, you guys should have more faith in her!" Kuwabara said frustrated "You all need to start believing, she did the unthinkable already, and she has something that is waiting for her, her son, that bond will never be broken, she'll be back" Kuwabara told them sternly rising from his spot "I'm gonna go check on Higue, you three better get a reality check before you're gone for good" He wandered out of the room

"Maybe the buffoon is right..." Hiei said questionably

"Never knew he had that in him" Yusuke said quietly staring at the ceiling

"Indeed, how long do we wait before we go looking for Korien?" Kurama asked no one particular

"Two more days" Hiei answered quietly, he looked back out to the window draping the curtain aside still looking for her "Just two days, then we can go find her"

"You think she can last that long?" Yusuke asked aloud

"I don't know Urameshi, I just don't know..." Kurama answered looking at the ceiling.

The first day passed, coming and going without any movement, it seemed almost as if the whole world was holding its breath waiting for her to come back. Everyone liked to take turns looking out the window in hopes of finding her, and Higue all the time got worse and worse missing his mother, Kuwabara was doing everything possible, but the separation would get to any child, he only cried. He'd wander over to Hiei, and Hiei, unlike himself, was rather sympathetic. Higue would often cling to him, and Hiei was actually carrying him around. Yusuke took this as bait to tease him, but something in Hiei's eyes told everyone to back off.

By the end of the second night everyone was ready to go and find her, preparing themselves with their armor and best attacks and Hiei was starting to worry. He was walking through the house when he heard the sound of the front door click open. Hiei rushed to the door and wasn't sure what surprised him the most. There she stood, with a smaller smile on her face, everything about her battered and bruised, the wounds looking not so severe except for the strange mark carved onto her arm.

"Hey Hiei, I'm home" She said quietly with a grin on her face, she was swaying back and forth, practically a living zombie but Hiei ran up and caught her before she fell

"What happened to you?" but there wasn't an answer from Korien. Hiei quickly brought her into the den, where everyone was, and sat her down on the couch, Kurama was the first to get to her "Heal her Kurama quickly!" Kurama rested his hand on her harm, but automatically a black static shocked Kurama's hand and forced him to remove it

"There's a dark magic here Hiei, I can't seem to be able to touch her" Kurama said cooly "This must be Rekan's work, we'll have to see what happened when she finally wakes up" He shook his head furious

"We should've gone after her" Urameshi said whispering as he clenched his fists "look at her.."

"She could've come out a lot worse" Hiei said quietly tracing the small cuts on her face "it looks like a fist fight, not one where Rekan used his strength at all"

"I'm awake you know morons...." Korien said with a small chuckle as she opened her eyes "I'm just damn tired" She slowly sat up. "I'm sorry...that you all worried...for nothing..." She grinned

"What happened Korien?" Kurama asked her "Please tell us everything"

Korien looked at Yusuke for a second, in his eyes a deep concern and hurt, but he bent down beside her with the rest of them and looked away towards the ground.

I left at night, and slept for a while, he didn't show up until nightfall, it made sense, since the moon was bloody, it was almost its own warning. But the moon didn't need to warn me, I could feel it inside of me, this foreboding feeling of despair and fear. The park reminded me of the first time we had all met, it seems like years ago, and what was it like last week? Running from Hiei like a pansy because I thought he was going to kill Higue. It really does show you how much I didn't care about myself.

No one was in the park, it was too weird for me, there were no birds, no animals, like the whole place had died in an instant like a dying blossom or something. But I could hear his footsteps. The sound of loud clicking shoes, it was like thunder rumbling across the countryside. When he found me, he grinned from ear to ear, what a disgusting smile he had. In some strange and magnificent way you could call him handsome, if a monster so cold-hearted as he could be called that. He had long light blue hair, its wavy and seemed endless like the sky, he had very pale skin too, and stood tall, his eyes were red, filled with the hatred that all demons possess somewhere deep inside of them.

When I first saw him, I couldn't move. I was overcome with fear, I couldn't help it, now I look back and laugh at it. He approached me slowly and smiled, he knew I couldn't move. He reached out to me, I'm not sure what his intentions were, but was stopped by, well me I guess. There was some red static around me, I guess it was my own power protecting me. He seemed rather ticked off at that, but he only started to laugh. "My name is Rekan, and I've been waiting for you princess. It seems I've waited century after century, only getting stronger as I waited for my loves arrival. My whole life I've prepared to meet you, and here I am to present myself to you so we may be conjoin" Korien chuckled

Funny how that would be the thing to get me going, but just like that I turned and took off running. Running from him, but he just followed me, knowing I'd run out of energy soon enough. I didn't run home, I didn't want to, I didn't know where I was going. It started raining too, just my lucky right? So I ran, until I came across this old abandoned church, it was so creepy, I hate old run down places. It reminded me of hell, it was broken, just, oh never mind. I was hiding beside some rubble, and he only floated along behind me laughing as he went, he stopped at this weird bell and he rang it, it made my ears scream out in pain, it was like sticking a knife through one ear and yanking it out the other. "Come out come out my little chickie, there is so much I have to tell you, especially about your lovely powers" I hate it when people call me that.

So of course, I stayed hidden, and of course, he found me, mostly be shooting the overhang above me and hoping it would completely crush me. So I just, jumped out and started fighting him. Of course I wasn't going to win, no duh I knew that too. What I didn't know, was how strong he was going to be. My watch had beeped nine, I only had to keep myself alive for another three hours, how hard could it be right? Well damn it was hard.

For a long time I just threw punch after punch in every way I could, he dodged all of them, or decided to block one or two, throwing me like a cheap rag doll. He loved to torture me, he was just taking his time, flinging me away with nothing but the lightest amount of energy, like a leaf in the wind. Grab me by the hair and throw me miles away to come skidding down against the pavement, just for me to get up and ran off again. Rekan enjoyed this game of chase, because it took no energy for him, and I was just in such fear, he loved the fear, it was like a stench for him, something delectable to follow and pick at. I must've ran for hours, and it did take I guess some effort to keep up with me, but I glowed like a little candle, wasn't that hard to find me, since I can't control these fucking powers. He finally cornered me into this ally, smart, I figured I could use it as a short cut not thinking that it could be a dead end.

Pinned me to the wall and whispered in my ear, whispered the tale of horrible things, on the creatures he killed, all he had in store for me, and I was helpless to move. Just squirming there in his arms as he dragged me away, until finally, I guess, I turned on the fire. You know, or at least Hiei does, when I get really scared, there's like a vortex of fire around me, I'm guessing he didn't like fire that much since he screamed and threw me away like a rag doll again. So there again begins the running, can anyone not see the pattern?

Eleven o'clock, the town's clock booms. He's rather pissed off since he only has an hour left, and I'm pissed cause GOD DAMN THERE'S STILL ANOTHER FUCKING HOUR! I start blasting him with fire balls, just to keep him at a distance as I keep running, and he keeps throwing back at me some weird energy blast, you should see the park, its totally destroyed with all the craters he left. The final half hour was the hardest. I was throwing everything at him. My energy, everything was completely drained out from me, and he finally got me by the neck. He threw me into the fountain, so I'm wet, and even if I had the powers left in me they wouldn't work now. With one of his long ugly fingers, he tears of the top of my shirt, uh his hands they were so nasty, he had a most, pleased look on his face, his finger tracing down my shoulder and arm until he pierced the skin and watched it bleed, that's the mark on my shoulder, he used me like an artist's sketch book, drawing this strange little shape on me. He actually licked off my blood it was so damn gross I was screaming so loud telling him to get off, where the hell were all the people in this city, didn't anyone hear me? But he had wasted so much time umm licking that he didn't realize what time it was and the bell struck midnight. Just like that he's letting me go with a most disgusted look on his face "I'll be back for you later, but I think I'll let my children have some fun with you until you're ready," Then just like that, he's gone.

"If that was yesterday, why are you only back now?" Kuwabara asked curiously

"I kinda, umm fainted in the fountain and they didn't find me until yesterday around lunch-time, and when I did wake up, I had no idea what had happened to me, I figured he had, well done his work and stuff, I couldn't remember most of the last half hour. So, I walked home...." Korien whispered "I know you guys can't heal me, because of his touch, don't worry about it, they're mostly cuts and scrapes, I'll be okay, I just want a nap," She smiled "How's Higue?"

"He's sleeping upstairs" Kuwabara told her softly "Hey Korien, if he didn't achieve his goal last night, what do you think's going to happen?"

"I'm not sure Kuwabara, I figure well, he'll send his children after me, like he said, they're probably demons too, so it looks like I'll be doing a lot of fighting this year on top of school."

"You're still worried about school?" Yusuke screamed in disbelief

"Unlike you, I don't have a family that can..." she coughed a few times "pay for my tuition or even support me at all, I have to go to college, and get a job, so my son can live a better life, Yusuke you're only fifteen, you have time and don't have to worry, but I do. This may be a new part of me, but I can't forget that I'm still a real person, it isn't like the story books kid..." She coughed again covering her mouth and she closed her eyes

Yusuke rested his hand on her head "She has a fever again, I'll go get the medicine" Korien listened to the sound of Yusuke's footsteps

"Yes, and I'll get the blankets" Kurama disappeared next.

"I'll go check on Higue" Kuwabara disappeared.

"You still there Hiei?" She asked the room quietly not opening her eyes

"......"

"I know you're there, I can hear you breathing" Korien told him gently "I'm sorry you know"

"......Don't be...." Hiei told her in his usual unemotional voice "But....next time....I'll help you..."

"Thank you, for respecting me Hiei, I know someone with your pride, probably really hated waiting at home, feeling useless"

"....I have to obey the queen...." He told her blandly. Korien opened her eyes and looked at him sadly

"Is that all I am to you Hiei, someone you have to take orders from?"

"I....." Hiei stumbled over his words

"I don't want that sort of deal with you, I'm not your leader, you shouldn't follow orders from someone who can't even control her powers."

"I.....Korien....I...." Hiei was still stumbling on what to say

"Never mind, just leave me alone" Korien turned over on the couch and faced the fabric of the cushions closing her eyes waiting for him to leave. But she could still hear him breathing in the room. Hiei crept over to her and ran his hand over her shoulder, and even flinched feeling the static of the dark energy

"I'm sorry..." Hiei said quietly, and Korien turned over surprised, but he was already gone.

Korien sat up on the couch and looked at her shoulder with the strange mark. She ran her hand over it again and again wishing it was just a tattoo that would go away, but she was forever branded. It was probably a way Rekan to see where she was, a way to keep a tracker on her even if she was to move all the way to Alaska or the center of the earth. She covered her mouth as she started to couch and she rubbed her face with her hands

"Uh god what a week its been" She moaned to herself wishing she was back at home, or back in school, living that somewhat normal life that she used to call her own

"That doesn't sound too good ya know" Yusuke told her coming in with some medicine. "Drink this one" He handed her a small canister of liquid and she drank it, felt like she was drinking acid it burnt her throat and she took a long sip of water before coughing again.

"Tastes like crap" She told him coughing again

"That crap will make you feel better whether it tastes good or not," Yusuke told her laughing. He sat down beside her and pulled out some rubbing alcohol and some bandages

"Oh not that shit, that stuff burns!" Korien covered herself with the blanket

"Come on, Kurama can't heal you with his powers cause of that weird mark thing, we got to make sure you don't get really sick, Botan probably can't touch it either, I doubt normal bandages will be affected, it isn't anything to do with demons and crap" Yusuke told her pulling on her leg.

He started with the cuts on her leg, and even with them her legs were silky and smooth. Korien just winced and closed her eyes biting at her lip, but Yusuke took his time and tried to be as gentle as possible, bandage after bandage around and around. Korien waited and then rolled her eyes and she rolled up her shirt revealing her navel area. He poked her side and she flinched, spazzy girl, and he laughed as he finished wrapping her waist. He wrapped up her arms too but stopped when he got to her umm, little scar.

"I'll do it," Korien told him, taking the bandages from his hands. She wrapped it from her elbow up, and when she did finally cover it, the scar glowed on and off, almost like it had its own heartbeat "Great influence on my kid, mommy got a tattoo and now its going to take over her body" Korien slapped her forehead "I'm probably the worst damn mom in the world"

"Hey don't say that Korien, you've just had, one hell of a weird life, no mom has to go through what you went through and you still make Higue you're number one priority, you're probably one of the best moms in the world" Yusuke caressed the side of her cheek and she smiled "I was really worried about you"

"I know that....it wasn't the smartest idea me going out on my own, in some selfish way, I just, didn't want to have to worry about you guys. I just wanted you guys to be okay, you've already been kinder to me than anyone else I've known" Korien told him gently

"But that made us worry even more. I mean we were checking the window every hour hoping to see you come back, I mean, you did, but you know you could've been killed, you do know that right?" Yusuke asked her

"Of course I know that; what is one life compared to the millions, my life hasn't showed me the greatest amount of opportunity, but I know, even if I die, Higue will still have many opportunities, I dunno, maybe a long time ago, I just stopped caring about my own life. I just focused on Higue's instead" Korien lowered her head, her blond bangs covering her sad emerald eyes.

"You are important...." Yusuke told her softly

"Am I important as normal Korien, or am I only important because I can bring the end of the world?"