"Obligation and Duty"
Chapter 9
*****
"No. No. NO! What were you thinking, Botan!?" Rei exclaimed.
"Well, Koenma-sama let him come back. Either he's a really good liar, or he changed after he defiled you," Botan shrugged.
Rei stopped pacing in her room and flinched. "Don't say it that way."
"How else am I supposed to say what happened?"
"I don't know! But all I know is I can't have him here. What if he tries something on me again?"
"Kurama is here. He'll help you."
"But he's on Hiei's side," Rei pouted.
"Not exactly. He did forgive Hiei, but, I think he'd save you from any danger. Come on, just let him stay here. He probably won't even notice you exist."
"No, no, and hell no! Botan, I've made up my mind. Why do you want him to stay here so badly?"
Botan started twiddling her thumbs. "Well... Hiei is really strong and I thought maybe he could team up with Yusuke and Kurama."
Rei laughed, "Whatever, Botan. If he kills me, it's your fault."
Rei opened her bedroom door and walked into the kitchen. Kurama was stirring the potatoes and Hiei was looking around the house. Rei walked over to Kurama and asked, "What's he doing?"
"Looking around, I guess. I think you should give him a chance. I can see there's a difference in him."
Rei rolled her eyes, "What's up with you people? Fine, I'll try."
***
Botan left to go back to Genkai's and Rei and her boaders ate their supper. Rei was sitting right next to Kurama and Hiei was on the far side of the table. After they'd finished Kurama whispered to Rei, "You aren't exactly being friendly sitting all the way away from him."
"Shove it, Kurama. I don't care if I'm being nice or not."
Kurama laughed and walked away, leaving Rei to think alone.
.oO{Whatever. I'll be nice when I FEEL like it.} she thought as she started cleaning the dishes. She heard the front door open and close and Kurama walked into the room.
"Hiei won't be here the rest of the day. He's going to come back later tonight, though," Kurama said, leaning against the counter.
"That's good," Rei muttered as she finished drying the last dish. As she was putting it away, Kurama wrapped his arms around her.
"I know you don't like Hiei, but you're just scary when you're mad."
Rei laughed, "Thanks. That's always nice to hear."
Kurama let her go and walked into the next room. Rei busied herself for the rest of the day and at 11:30p.m. she got a shower.
"Ahh... hot water feels good," Rei sniffled. She pulled on a pair of comfy p.j.'s and walked into the living room.
.oO{Ahh... deja vu. But this time Hiei is here} Rei thought as she sat down on the couch. Kurama walked into the room just as she sat down.
"You don't look so good. Are you sick?"
Rei sniffled, "Maybe."
"Stand up," Kurama commanded and Rei obeyed. He felt her forehead and a concerned look crossed his face.
"I think you're getting a fever," he said just as Hiei entered the room. Rei tried to hide behind Kurama before Hiei saw, but no such luck. He just raised his eyebrow and Rei thought she saw hurt flicker in his red eyes.
Kurama pulled Rei out from behind him and said, "I think you should go get some rest. See you in the morning."
Rei obeyed and hurriedly walked to her room, away from Hiei. .oO{Y'know, if he didn't scare the hell out of me, I could actually like him. I mean, he is REALLY cute...} Rei thought as she hopped under the covers.
"Oh well, I'll think about Hiei tomorrow," she sighed just before she fell asleep.
***
"Dang! Well, this always bites," Rei said when she woke up the next morning. Her nose was stuffed up and her throat was feeling itchy. "I think I'll just lay in bed today..."
After a few minutes of futile attempts at going to sleep, Rei got up and walked into the kitchen.
"Oh my, maybe you should go back to sleep, Rei," Kurama said when he looked up. Hiei coughed and Rei looked over at the table where he was sitting.
"Don't mess with me. I'm not in the mood," she growled. Kurama had gotten some orange juice out of the refridgerator and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks and glared at the table.
Hiei looked unfazed so Rei finally gave up and sat down across from him, sipping her juice.
"You look like you've been ran over a few times," Hiei said, speaking for the first time since 'that day'.
Rei looked up and glared, "Go die."
He raised his eyebrow and dared, "Make me."
Kurama hopped in at this time, "Alright you two. Rei, go back to bed and I'll get you something to eat."
Rei finished her juice and went back to her room. After a while Kurama came in with some chicken soup and took her temperature.
"You know, I think you're the sweetest guy I've ever met," Rei said, with the thermometer in her mouth.
"Shh... don't talk, or I won't get a clear reading," Kurama gently reprimanded. In a few minutes, Kurama had the diagnosis.
"108. That's not good. You just lay here and get your rest. You've got a fever."
"Then why do I feel so cold?" Rei asked, the sickness obviously taking over her brain.
"That's usually what happens," Kurama smiled.
Rei nodded then rolled over, "G'night."
Kurama stood up and whispered back, "G'night."
Rei slept for a few hours when she heard voices.
"Hell no, Kurama. I'm not doing it," Hiei exclaimed.
"But you're a fire demon. You're warm," Kurama sighed.
Hiei snorted, "That didn't sound right."
"Come on. She's sick, and she needs warmth. What better than a fire demon?"
"Get her some more blankets then."
All was quiet, and nothing was registering in Rei's brain. .oO{What was that all about? Dang, I'm soooo cold.} Rei started nodding off again when she heard her bedroom door open. She could feel eyes staring at her so she turned over to see Hiei leaning against the doorframe. His eyes became wide for a second, but he quickly recovered.
Rei rolled back over and laid on her side. Hiei walked over to the bed and pulled his shirt off. He lifted the covers a little and wrapped his arm around Rei. She snuggled against his bare chest and whispered, "I've finally found something warm."
"Yeah, but if you get me sick, I'm going to kill you."
Rei giggled and soon fell asleep again. A few hours later she turned over a found Hiei fast asleep by her side.
.oO{I guess he's not that bad. Like I said before, he's super-hot when he's asleep!} she thought with a giggle. The sound made Hiei's eyes flutter open and Rei could swear she saw him blush. She snuggled her face against his chest and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.
"What time is it?" Rei murmured. She felt Hiei's head tilt up as he looked at the clock, "About 5 o'clock."
Rei nodded and snuggled closer to him. The warmth of his body was exactly what she needed for the cold-flashes she got from her fever. Instead of going right back to sleep, she thought about how good it felt to be held.
.oO{Almost as if I was married. Wait, what the heck am I talking about? I've never even had a boyfriend...} Rei thought sadly. .oO{And with me being half-yukai and having all these guys sleep with me, I don't think I'll ever get married.} This realization brought tears to Rei's eyes and soon they were flowing freely.
"Hn? What's wrong?" Hiei asked, a bit confused. Rei just shook her head and kept crying. This time Hiei was the one to snuggle closer and he held Rei to his chest and as she kept crying he smoothed the wet hair from her face. Rei cried for a while and was soon tired enough to go back to sleep. Around 8 o'clock she felt her source of heat leave the bed, and being left cold made Rei wake up.
"Mmmm... where'd he go?" she pouted. Rei reached over to her bedstand and grabbed a few tissues as she pulled the blanket around her. She shuffled into the kitchen, got some bread to munch on then shuffled into the living room. Kurama was sitting on the couch watching a movie and Hiei was laying on the other couch. Kurama looked up when she came in, "Ah... you look better now. How do you feel?"
Rei swallowed, "Well, my throat isn't scratchy, but my nose is still stuffed up," she pouted as she plopped down beside him. She quickly looked over at Hiei then turned her attention to the movie.
"Star Wars, huh?" she asked. Kurama nodded and said, "They're actually pretty good. Have you seen any?"
Rei shook her head, "Nope, never." Kurama nodded and whispered in her ear, "You look confused... Hiei said he couldn't sleep in the same bed because it's too tempting. That's why he's sleeping in here."
"Ahh.. thanks for clearing that up," Rei smiled. She and Kurama watched the rest of Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back when Hiei finally stirred. He ended up waking up to the sight of Rei sleeping on Kurama.
"What?" he asked a little groggily.
"We were watching a movie and she fell asleep," Kurama answered, stretching his legs slightly so that they wouldn't fall asleep but still not wake Rei who was resting her head on his lap.
Hiei took in the scene and asked, "Did she do that on her own or did you volunteer?"
Kurama looked down and smiled, "It just kinda happened, I guess."
Hiei glared at him for a second then said, "Well, I'm going to my room now."
"Okay, Goodnight," Kurama said. "Wait, before you go, could you put in the next movie?"
Hiei stopped and gave him a death look, but Kurama acted like he didn't see it. Hiei put in Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi and walked away. Rei finally woke up when the final battle between everyone was going on.
"Unh..what'd I miss?" Rei asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Quite a bit, actually. We can watch it again tomorrow, but now you need to go back to bed," Kurama said as he picked Rei up. She didn't fight and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently laid her on the bed but she wouldn't loosen her grip.
"C'mon, Rei, you aren't well enough for that," Kurama reprimanded.
"I know, but it's too cold in here."
Kurama sighed and situated himself in the bed so that Rei would be comfortable. He pulled the covers up and tucked Rei in as he pulled off his shirt.
"I have a question...." Rei started while he was in the middle of doing so.
"What?" he asked, the shirt half-way over his head.
"Why do guys take off their shirts before they go to sleep?" she asked as she stretched. Kurama pulled his shirt off totally and answered, "I guess it's just more comfortable that way. I never really thought about it."
"Oh, okay then," Rei sighed. She stretched again and laid her head on Kurama's chest.
"Is it alright if I sleep like this?" she asked.
"You can sleep however you want," Kurama answered as he held her.
Chapter 9
*****
"No. No. NO! What were you thinking, Botan!?" Rei exclaimed.
"Well, Koenma-sama let him come back. Either he's a really good liar, or he changed after he defiled you," Botan shrugged.
Rei stopped pacing in her room and flinched. "Don't say it that way."
"How else am I supposed to say what happened?"
"I don't know! But all I know is I can't have him here. What if he tries something on me again?"
"Kurama is here. He'll help you."
"But he's on Hiei's side," Rei pouted.
"Not exactly. He did forgive Hiei, but, I think he'd save you from any danger. Come on, just let him stay here. He probably won't even notice you exist."
"No, no, and hell no! Botan, I've made up my mind. Why do you want him to stay here so badly?"
Botan started twiddling her thumbs. "Well... Hiei is really strong and I thought maybe he could team up with Yusuke and Kurama."
Rei laughed, "Whatever, Botan. If he kills me, it's your fault."
Rei opened her bedroom door and walked into the kitchen. Kurama was stirring the potatoes and Hiei was looking around the house. Rei walked over to Kurama and asked, "What's he doing?"
"Looking around, I guess. I think you should give him a chance. I can see there's a difference in him."
Rei rolled her eyes, "What's up with you people? Fine, I'll try."
***
Botan left to go back to Genkai's and Rei and her boaders ate their supper. Rei was sitting right next to Kurama and Hiei was on the far side of the table. After they'd finished Kurama whispered to Rei, "You aren't exactly being friendly sitting all the way away from him."
"Shove it, Kurama. I don't care if I'm being nice or not."
Kurama laughed and walked away, leaving Rei to think alone.
.oO{Whatever. I'll be nice when I FEEL like it.} she thought as she started cleaning the dishes. She heard the front door open and close and Kurama walked into the room.
"Hiei won't be here the rest of the day. He's going to come back later tonight, though," Kurama said, leaning against the counter.
"That's good," Rei muttered as she finished drying the last dish. As she was putting it away, Kurama wrapped his arms around her.
"I know you don't like Hiei, but you're just scary when you're mad."
Rei laughed, "Thanks. That's always nice to hear."
Kurama let her go and walked into the next room. Rei busied herself for the rest of the day and at 11:30p.m. she got a shower.
"Ahh... hot water feels good," Rei sniffled. She pulled on a pair of comfy p.j.'s and walked into the living room.
.oO{Ahh... deja vu. But this time Hiei is here} Rei thought as she sat down on the couch. Kurama walked into the room just as she sat down.
"You don't look so good. Are you sick?"
Rei sniffled, "Maybe."
"Stand up," Kurama commanded and Rei obeyed. He felt her forehead and a concerned look crossed his face.
"I think you're getting a fever," he said just as Hiei entered the room. Rei tried to hide behind Kurama before Hiei saw, but no such luck. He just raised his eyebrow and Rei thought she saw hurt flicker in his red eyes.
Kurama pulled Rei out from behind him and said, "I think you should go get some rest. See you in the morning."
Rei obeyed and hurriedly walked to her room, away from Hiei. .oO{Y'know, if he didn't scare the hell out of me, I could actually like him. I mean, he is REALLY cute...} Rei thought as she hopped under the covers.
"Oh well, I'll think about Hiei tomorrow," she sighed just before she fell asleep.
***
"Dang! Well, this always bites," Rei said when she woke up the next morning. Her nose was stuffed up and her throat was feeling itchy. "I think I'll just lay in bed today..."
After a few minutes of futile attempts at going to sleep, Rei got up and walked into the kitchen.
"Oh my, maybe you should go back to sleep, Rei," Kurama said when he looked up. Hiei coughed and Rei looked over at the table where he was sitting.
"Don't mess with me. I'm not in the mood," she growled. Kurama had gotten some orange juice out of the refridgerator and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks and glared at the table.
Hiei looked unfazed so Rei finally gave up and sat down across from him, sipping her juice.
"You look like you've been ran over a few times," Hiei said, speaking for the first time since 'that day'.
Rei looked up and glared, "Go die."
He raised his eyebrow and dared, "Make me."
Kurama hopped in at this time, "Alright you two. Rei, go back to bed and I'll get you something to eat."
Rei finished her juice and went back to her room. After a while Kurama came in with some chicken soup and took her temperature.
"You know, I think you're the sweetest guy I've ever met," Rei said, with the thermometer in her mouth.
"Shh... don't talk, or I won't get a clear reading," Kurama gently reprimanded. In a few minutes, Kurama had the diagnosis.
"108. That's not good. You just lay here and get your rest. You've got a fever."
"Then why do I feel so cold?" Rei asked, the sickness obviously taking over her brain.
"That's usually what happens," Kurama smiled.
Rei nodded then rolled over, "G'night."
Kurama stood up and whispered back, "G'night."
Rei slept for a few hours when she heard voices.
"Hell no, Kurama. I'm not doing it," Hiei exclaimed.
"But you're a fire demon. You're warm," Kurama sighed.
Hiei snorted, "That didn't sound right."
"Come on. She's sick, and she needs warmth. What better than a fire demon?"
"Get her some more blankets then."
All was quiet, and nothing was registering in Rei's brain. .oO{What was that all about? Dang, I'm soooo cold.} Rei started nodding off again when she heard her bedroom door open. She could feel eyes staring at her so she turned over to see Hiei leaning against the doorframe. His eyes became wide for a second, but he quickly recovered.
Rei rolled back over and laid on her side. Hiei walked over to the bed and pulled his shirt off. He lifted the covers a little and wrapped his arm around Rei. She snuggled against his bare chest and whispered, "I've finally found something warm."
"Yeah, but if you get me sick, I'm going to kill you."
Rei giggled and soon fell asleep again. A few hours later she turned over a found Hiei fast asleep by her side.
.oO{I guess he's not that bad. Like I said before, he's super-hot when he's asleep!} she thought with a giggle. The sound made Hiei's eyes flutter open and Rei could swear she saw him blush. She snuggled her face against his chest and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.
"What time is it?" Rei murmured. She felt Hiei's head tilt up as he looked at the clock, "About 5 o'clock."
Rei nodded and snuggled closer to him. The warmth of his body was exactly what she needed for the cold-flashes she got from her fever. Instead of going right back to sleep, she thought about how good it felt to be held.
.oO{Almost as if I was married. Wait, what the heck am I talking about? I've never even had a boyfriend...} Rei thought sadly. .oO{And with me being half-yukai and having all these guys sleep with me, I don't think I'll ever get married.} This realization brought tears to Rei's eyes and soon they were flowing freely.
"Hn? What's wrong?" Hiei asked, a bit confused. Rei just shook her head and kept crying. This time Hiei was the one to snuggle closer and he held Rei to his chest and as she kept crying he smoothed the wet hair from her face. Rei cried for a while and was soon tired enough to go back to sleep. Around 8 o'clock she felt her source of heat leave the bed, and being left cold made Rei wake up.
"Mmmm... where'd he go?" she pouted. Rei reached over to her bedstand and grabbed a few tissues as she pulled the blanket around her. She shuffled into the kitchen, got some bread to munch on then shuffled into the living room. Kurama was sitting on the couch watching a movie and Hiei was laying on the other couch. Kurama looked up when she came in, "Ah... you look better now. How do you feel?"
Rei swallowed, "Well, my throat isn't scratchy, but my nose is still stuffed up," she pouted as she plopped down beside him. She quickly looked over at Hiei then turned her attention to the movie.
"Star Wars, huh?" she asked. Kurama nodded and said, "They're actually pretty good. Have you seen any?"
Rei shook her head, "Nope, never." Kurama nodded and whispered in her ear, "You look confused... Hiei said he couldn't sleep in the same bed because it's too tempting. That's why he's sleeping in here."
"Ahh.. thanks for clearing that up," Rei smiled. She and Kurama watched the rest of Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back when Hiei finally stirred. He ended up waking up to the sight of Rei sleeping on Kurama.
"What?" he asked a little groggily.
"We were watching a movie and she fell asleep," Kurama answered, stretching his legs slightly so that they wouldn't fall asleep but still not wake Rei who was resting her head on his lap.
Hiei took in the scene and asked, "Did she do that on her own or did you volunteer?"
Kurama looked down and smiled, "It just kinda happened, I guess."
Hiei glared at him for a second then said, "Well, I'm going to my room now."
"Okay, Goodnight," Kurama said. "Wait, before you go, could you put in the next movie?"
Hiei stopped and gave him a death look, but Kurama acted like he didn't see it. Hiei put in Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi and walked away. Rei finally woke up when the final battle between everyone was going on.
"Unh..what'd I miss?" Rei asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Quite a bit, actually. We can watch it again tomorrow, but now you need to go back to bed," Kurama said as he picked Rei up. She didn't fight and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently laid her on the bed but she wouldn't loosen her grip.
"C'mon, Rei, you aren't well enough for that," Kurama reprimanded.
"I know, but it's too cold in here."
Kurama sighed and situated himself in the bed so that Rei would be comfortable. He pulled the covers up and tucked Rei in as he pulled off his shirt.
"I have a question...." Rei started while he was in the middle of doing so.
"What?" he asked, the shirt half-way over his head.
"Why do guys take off their shirts before they go to sleep?" she asked as she stretched. Kurama pulled his shirt off totally and answered, "I guess it's just more comfortable that way. I never really thought about it."
"Oh, okay then," Rei sighed. She stretched again and laid her head on Kurama's chest.
"Is it alright if I sleep like this?" she asked.
"You can sleep however you want," Kurama answered as he held her.
