Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. Sadly.

I can finally go out of the house now! Kurama said that if I wanted, we could go shopping. Botan, Keiko and I all started planning out where we wanted to go. When I watch those two, I don't feel alone. Unlike the girls at school, who taunted me and teased me, Botan and Keiko simply accept that I'm more antisocial than most people. They both understand how sad I am about Kai, and how guilty I feel. Botan spent an hour last night explaining to me just exactly what she did for a living, and what the others did as well. Genkai, strangely enough, is a demon slayer for the Spirit World, and a very good one as well. Yusuke, Keiko's boyfriend, is her successor, a former street punk who saved a kid and sacrificed his own life, only to be brought back to life and hired on as a Spirit Detective. Kuwabara was a strange one, bearing the ability of a strong sixth sense and a powerful spirit sword. He too is a Spirit Detective, though I got the distinct feeling that he was more brute strength than brains. Hiei, the dark little man who I'd seen talking to Kurama the night before, was a demon, and a Spirit Detective. He scared the other girls, but I didn't feel a fear from him.

Kurama, though, was the big shock for me. Botan told me that he actually shared a body with his demon self, and was probably the most powerful of all of them. He was, in essence, basically an earth mage, summoning and controlling all manner of plants. When he came in abruptly for my dressings, he chuckled and pulled a rose from behind his head.

"I am indeed a magician. It's okay, Botan, she needed to know." He said gently when Botan stammered apologies, then left us. I took the rose and smiled. The rose was a deep, pure red, with shimmery satin petals and a long, thornless stem. As he changed the bandage at my side, we talked. "Were you surprised?"

"A little. But only that Genkai was a demon slayer!" He chuckled. "No, everything else falls into place. I just wonder what use I am to you. I mean, the only talent I have is talking to animals."

He was silent at that for a long time, but finally he spoke. "I really can't be sure, but I think you have more that meets the eye. I've noticed that whenever you are around water, you seem like…well…"

"That I'm connected to it?"

"Exactly! It's like me and the earth; we share a bond deeper than can be believed. I have the feeling that you share the same kind of bond, only with the sea. What do you say about going to the ocean sometime, and proving my hypothesis?"

"That would be wonderful." He finished tying the last piece of gauze. "Shall we go down to dinner?" He offered a hand, and I gladly took it. Thankfully, I had borrowed a pair of jeans from Botan, and I had Kurama's shirt, so when we went down, I didn't look like a newlywed freshly woken.

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The morning was bright and cheery as we strolled down Jewel Street to the mall. Reiko looked resplendent in one of my shirts and a skirt from Keiko's wardrobe. Her hair fluttered and waved in the gentle breeze, and we all were astonished at her turnaround. She had gone, in Botan's words, from a sullen, angry anarchist, to a sweet-tempered, laughing young woman with a heart of gold. By showing her that we wouldn't hurt her, and by proving that we wanted be friends, not enemies, we appealed to her softer side. She was among the girls as Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru all gaped at the treasures in each window along the boulevard. Just to see her laugh with joy was enough to set my soul in jitters. As we made our way to the mall, Rei and I got to talking about our favorite flowers.

"In truth, I prefer lilies and orchids. You can try to kill them a hundred times over, and yet they still pop up, beautiful as always." She said, leaning against my shoulder after she had taken hold of my arm. "What about you?" I pondered it aloud.

"I really don't know, but I suppose…roses. They live for so many years, even longer than families in some cases." I replied, nervous.

"In a way, that makes sense, though. You adore plants that are deeply rooted in the earth, while I love those whose existence is based on the flows and tides of water." I laughed, my nervousness fading away, and we wandered on, talking with excitement over the littlest things.

We paused as Shizuru spotted something that she just had to have, and the two of us waited patiently in one of the many courtyards that dotted the market. This particular one had a fountain, as I discovered when Rei's presence had left my side. I turned, and was hit in the face with the equivalent of a snowball, made entirely of water.

"Hahahahaha! That was great!" Reiko giggled as I sputtered in shock. She was holding another of those creations, perfectly formed into a sphere. The ball wiggled a little in her hand as she doubled over in laughter, but otherwise stayed in its shape.

"Rei…, when did you…?"

"Start creating these? Just today." She straightened up and let the remaining ball run off into the fountain. She came over and wiped my face with her sleeve. "You goof, can't even clean yourself up." She chuckled softly, standing on her toe tips to reach.

"Hey, you two! Come on, are we going to the mall or what?" Keiko called, interrupting our moment. I sighed, and Rei smiled.

"Don't worry, Kurama…" She whispered, and we both headed after Keiko. She was busy pointing out the different prices for the same item when I felt two hands clutch my arm.

"Rei, what's wro-"

"He's here." She hissed in my ear. I did not need to ask who. Carefully I let my gaze take in a full circle of people all around us. Her gaze, though, was pointed to directly in front of us, at a group of thugs that were busy making rude comments to everyone who passed. One in particular drew my attention. He was roughly as tall as Yusuke, but with a bigger head and shorter limbs. He was powerfully built, and I was under the impression he could do quite a bit with that said strength.

We had to pass them, one way or the other. Shizuru, Yukina, and Keiko had already passed, leaving Reiko and I alone. She was clinging to my right arm, and the gang was on our left. It should have been easy, just hide Rei in the shadow of my body and we'd be free. And for a minute or two, it seemed that way, for Rei had relaxed a bit, and they had quieted down. Then the most chilling words I've ever heard floated after us.

"Hey, Dai, ain't that the girl you pegged a month ago?"

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My heart stopped when the rough voice questioned: "Hey, Dai, ain't that the girl you pegged a month ago?" Kurama spurred me on with a whispered

"Come on, Rei!", but the other voice I dreaded stopped us both cold.

"Little Reiko, isn't it? Got yourself a man now, baby? Whadya do, promise him a little animal love for protecting you?" Kurama was livid, and I was terrified. I could feel the waves of terror flowing to him from me, and the coils of hatred building within him.

"Kurama, no…" I begged softly, touching his neck. The words were forced out.

"Back away from me, Rei…When I turn, you run as fast as you can to the girls. Don't wait for me." He replied, his voice hard. His eyes surveyed mine, and he nodded. I sped away as he spun, fled from the horrors I knew he would unleash. Shizuru caught me as I dodged an elderly lady, and the look on her face scared me even more. I looked back as we slowed, and Kurama was walking towards us.

My attackers were trapped in thick, undulating tendrils that held them all immobilized for the police. As my Healer stopped before us, he spoke.

"May we go home?" I only nodded, paralyzed that this gentle man controlled such power. We trekked back to Kurama's house alone, for the other girls had insisted that they finish their shopping. They had tried to encourage me, but I felt sick from the running, and from something else. Kurama and I kept to ourselves all the way home, but I couldn't stop the twisting and churning in my stomach. As he strode up the steps to the front door, I staggered over the first step and tried not to hurl. I succeeded, but the noise I made cause Kurama to turn, and before I knew it, I was in his arms and on the way to his bedroom.

What could possibly be wrong? Find out next chapter!

Kd