"Obligation and Duty"
Chapter 19
.oO{I own Rei and Ishida and this story. No more, no less. Maybe... *thinks for a second* I also own Kokai, still, even though he's dead. ^_~}
#Bit Cloud hops out of Liger# A little forgerful, eh? #Bit smiles#
#Author glares# Bite me, Bit{haha!}. It took me about a week to write chapter 18... Everything is taking so dang long! #Author cries as Bit hugs her# ^o^
*****
They finished eating and Ishida went off to 'his' room that he had claimed from the other two that weren't being used. Rei brought out some blankets and pillows from her closet and made a bed for Keiko to sleep in. Keiko was busy talking on the phone; telling her parents where she was and that she was going to be spending the night at a 'friends' house.
"Hey, Botan, can you help me with this?" Rei asked as she tried to pull the sheet over the couch cushions. Botan stood up and helped her just as Keiko got off the phone.
"Well, they're going to let me stay. And they didn't ask too much about where I was all day."
Botan straightened the cushions, "That's good. I wouldn't know what to tell them, either."
Keiko nodded as she sat down on the chair. "I still don't know what happened."
Botan smiled nervously and Rei exited the room. She didn't want to get pulled in to one of Botan's lying sprees. Keiko was confused enough as it is.
.oO{I think I'll go lie down. It's almost 10 o'clock,} Rei thought, but before she could, Botan called her back into the living room.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Botan asked. Rei sat down next to her on the blankets she had strewn about the floor.
"You explained it that fast?" Rei muttered. Botan gave a slight nod and said, "We can watch Godzilla. What do you guys think?"
Keiko didn't really have an opinion and Rei wasn't planning on watching the whole thing, so they decided on 'Destroy All Monsters.' Botan popped the movie in the VCR and pushed the play button as she sat back. The girls ended up talking almost all the way through the entire movie and Rei could tell why Yusuke was friends with this girl.
She was nice and tried to make everyone happy. She didn't really have an opinion of her own, and she was smart, too. Almost the exact opposite of Yusuke.
.oO{Yusuke,} Rei thought. He felt so close at that moment. Closer than he had for a few days. Hoping it wasn't just a passing feeling, Rei closed her eyes and tried to think. .oO{Yes, he's still close. He must be back from his mission.} she thought with a silent squeal.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Rei said as the end credits started rolling on the movie. Botan and Keiko said goodnight and Rei walked to her room.
.oO{I wonder if I'll have anymore weird dreams?} Rei thought just before she fell asleep.
***
Rei was awoken the next morning by a lot of noise coming from the living room. Hearing Kurama's voice, she figured the guys were back! She got out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans.
.oO{Okay, that is REALLY freaky! I'm already starting to lose my belly.} she thought as she pulled on a shirt. She heard someone walk towards her room and knock on her door.
"Rei, can I talk to you?" she heard Kurama ask from the other side. .oO{Oh no!} she started to panic, .oO{What is he going to do when he sees my tummy? What will YUSUKE do?!?}
"Sure, come on in," she said as she jumped back onto her bed and pulled a pillow over her midsection. Kurama came in less than two seconds later and he turned to her.
"Stand up," he commanded. .oO{No! He saw through me.}
Downcast, Rei stood up, but didn't lift her head to look into Kurama's eyes. She could tell he was looking her over and she caught his glance. They shared a look and Kurama came over and gave her a hug. Rei leaned her head against his shoulder and told herself not to cry. She didn't have anymore tears left. There was no way she could cry. Rei was facing the doorway as Hiei walked by their eyes locked for a moment.
Kurama ended the hug and said, "Don't worry about Yusuke. We kept him safe, but he's at Kuwabara's house at the moment. Hiei thought we should come here first."
Rei nodded and sighed. .oO{I wonder if Hiei knew...}. She leaned against Kurama for support as they walked into the living room. Keiko had already gone home and Botan was sitting next to Ishida. Rei plopped down on the couch and Kurama plopped down next to her. Kurama started talking to Ishida as if they had met before.
"So... how many more days are you going to stay here with Rei?" Kurama asked.
Ishida looked over at her. "I think I'll leave tomorrow. She's doing a lot better than the doctors had expected."
"What! You can't leave that soon!" Botan whined. "You've only been here about four days."
Ishida shrugged and Rei felt the need to get away. Kurama just about stood up to come with her but she pushed him back down.
"No. I need to go for a walk," she whispered in his ear. Rei walked out the door and stood there for a second.
.oO{School has been going on for a while. I wonder what Yusuke's school is going to do with all their unconscious teachers...} Rei thought as she covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
"What's so funny?" Hiei's voice asked from the roof. Walking off the porch and looking up to see him she answered, "Nothing."
He jumped down and stood next to her, "Then why did you laugh?"
Rei rolled her eyes and turned to the woods. She didn't feel like answering Hiei. She heard him follow, though. She turned around and he walked into her. Out of habit, he wrapped his arms around her waist to make sure she didn't fall. For a split second it looked like Hiei blushed but Rei pushed that thought away. There was no way Hiei could blush. He let her go and he turned back towards the house. Rei watched him walk away, too.
.oO{That was odd,} she thought as she walked the trail to her favorite spot in her woods. Passing her small swimming pond and hot spring, she hopped over some fallen branches. Sitting down on the mossy tree trunk, Rei looked around. It'd been more than half a year since she had moved here. More than half a year since her grandma had died. More than half a year since she had met all the guys. Rei smiled as a warm ray of sun peeked through the wooded canopy. That was probably the best thing that had happened to her; meeting the guys.
Rei heard someone call for her and she looked at her watch. .oO{Time for lunch!} she thought as she ran back towards the house. Botan was standing outside waiting for her and she asked, "Where were you?"
"I was in the woods," Rei answered. Botan nodded and said, "Well, it's time to eat."
They walked inside and Rei dished herself some salad and walked to the living room.
"Oh, is that all you're going to eat?" Kurama asked her. Rei nodded as she munched on a carrot. It didn't look like that was the answer Kurama wanted, but he let it go. Rei finished her salad and listened to everyone talk. Deciding she had heard enough of Botan trying to keep Ishida at Rei's, Rei stood up and walked into the kitchen. Hiei was sitting there all alone at the table eating his lunch so Rei got herself a can of peaches and sat down across from him. The only acknowledgement of Rei's existance was Hiei's usual 'Hn'.
Hiei and Rei ate in silence, with the occasional laugh from the three in the living room. Rei soon became bored, so she stared at Hiei as she ate; never taking her eyes off him. He looked up a few times, only to look back down at his plate.
.oO{Haha. I'm such a jerk,} Rei laughed inside her head.
"Grr... stop staring at me," Hiei growled suddenly. Rei couldn't keep in her laugh as she said, "I'm sorry, I'm just so bored!"
"Take your boredom somewhere else," he mumbled.
"This is my house," Rei stuck out her tongue. Hiei looked at her for a second, and his eyes seemed a bit more like flames than usual. Rei raised her eyebrow as she tried to hide a smile.
.oO{Good, he doesn't totally hate me... I think...} Hiei noticed the smile though, and he looked like he was blushing again. Quickly standing up, he put his dishes in the sink and walked outside.
"I think I'm getting to know him better every day," Rei sighed. Kurama walked in just then and asked, "What?"
"Oh, just I notice little things about Hiei almost every day," she waved the statement away, as if it had no real meaning. Kurama thought it did, though. His eyes seemed to have clouded over as he said, "Oh."
Rei was getting quite confused by everyone's mood changes, so she asked, "Did something happen while you were fighting the Saint Beasts?"
Kurama shook his head as he pulled a cola from the fridge, "No. Hiei has figured out a code of honor, so to speak, for himself. You might notice some differences in him."
Kurama's intonation of the word 'him' sounded almost sarcastic so Rei asked again, "Are you sure nothing happened. You don't seem very happy."
Turning to her fully now, Kurama did his best to smile, "I'm fine. Nothing happened. I'm just a little tired, so I think I'll go take a short nap."
"Alright, if you're sure nothing's wrong," Rei sighed. Kurama nodded and walked quickly from the room.
***
Three days later Botan bounded into Rei's room to announce, "I'm going to Kuwabara's with Kurama to see if Yusuke is awake yet. I'm going to meet Keiko there, too."
Rei was still in bed and slightly nodded, "I think I'll stay here."
Botan nodded and warned, "Hiei'll still be here, though."
"Who cares? I'm going back to sleep now. Say 'hi' to Kuwabara for me," Rei mumbled as she rolled over. Rei could tell Botan rolled her eyes, and before she left the room she went over and pushed Rei out of the bed.
"Get up! It's 10:30! You've spent half of the day already!"
Grumbling, Rei stood up and pulled the blankets around herself. But not before Botan saw her receding tummy.
"Ho-ly... You seriously are something else, Rei. It would take any other woman about a year to get all that flab off..."
Rei awoke from her half-sleeping mind and quickly asked, "What'll I tell Yusuke?! He doesn't know yet!"
Botan bit her lip and sighed, "I'll break the news to him a little when I'm over there today. You stay here and do something. Don't worry. I think it'll be alright."
Botan and Kurama left before 11 o'clock and Rei thought it best that she didn't sit in bed and fret over everything. She went to the kitchen and fixed herself some breakfast/lunch when she heard Hiei's door open and him plop down on the couch. Moving to the doorway of the living room, she saw him laying there, almost as if he was dead.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, trying not to think of the day he came back 2 and a half months ago. He looked almost as bad as he did that day and he probably felt like it, too.
"Nothing, I'm just really tired," Hiei sighed. Now Rei was pretty concerned. Hiei doesn't get tired a lot, and he NEVER sighs.
.oO{'Hiei has figured out a code of honor, so to speak, for himself. You might notice some differences in him.'} Kurama's words surfaced in Rei's memory again and she thought, .oO{I guess Kurama was right... But these differences mean sighing!?}
Rei turned back to stir her soup and turned off the heat on the stove as she poured it into a bowl. She left about a bowl's-worth in the pot, just in case Hiei wanted some and walked into the living. Hiei rolled onto his back on the couch and asked, "What is that?"
"Tomato soup. There's some left if you want it," Rei said as she blew off the steam. He nodded but rolled back over. Rei blew on her spoonful again before she stuck it in her mouth just as the doorbell rang. Rei set her bowl on the coffee table and went to answer the door.
"Hey, what's up?" Ishida asked when she opened the door.
"Oh, nothing. I was just eating," Rei answered as she let him in. She was only slightly aware that Hiei had gotten off the couch and was very close by her side. Ishida walked into the living room and sat on the just vacated couch. Rei walked over and sat back in her chair and Hiei stood in the doorway, looking more alert than he had a few minutes ago. Ishida raised his eyebrow at Hiei and Hiei only glared back.
"Well, anyways, I just got back from the hospital and they agreed that you didn't need my help anymore, so I just came back to get a few things of mine."
Rei swallowed another spoonful and said, "You know where your room was, so go right ahead."
Ishida nodded and got off the couch to get his stuff. About five minutes later, Ishida walked back into the room only to have Rei in the kitchen and Hiei glaring at him still.
"What's your problem?" Ishida asked with another raising of the eyebrow.
Hiei didn't answer, though, but only growled. Rei came in before Ishida could spout off a witty rejoinder and Hiei's countenance changed almost instantly.
"Here, don't forget your wallet," Rei smiled as she handed it and a pair of pants to Ishida. "I found it in your pants the other day."
Ishida almost put it into his pocket before he decided to tease Rei a bit. Giving her a skeptical look he opened the wallet to make sure all his money was there. Rei laughed and playfully pushed him, "You don't think I'm that bad, do you?"
Ishida smiled and looked away and Rei laughed again.
"Hey, anyways, I got my stuff, so I'll see you again, maybe," Ishida said goodbye as he walked to the door. Rei nodded, "Maybe. Later."
She watched him walk to the shrine steps before she walked back into the living room. Hiei gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and walked to the kitchen. Hiei followed her and poured himself some of the soup she had made. Sticking her hands into the water she had run into the sink, Rei started washing the dishes. By 1 o'clock she had all the dishes done and as she was drying her hands, the phone rang.
Jumping at the sound, Rei almost didn't reach the telephone before Hiei did.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Rei? This is Ms. Tanekai, you know, from your Grandma's nursing home," the female voice answered.
Rei sat down on the chair beside the phone, "Oh, hello. What's up?"
"I need a babysitter. Do you think you can do it?"
Rei's eyes clouded over and said, "I never told you. I can give you back your maternity clothes you let me borrow."
A small gasp came from the other end, "Oh, Rei, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Sure, I can babysit your kid. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Ms. Tanekai laughed, "Girl. She's not that much trouble, but, I can only say that because I'm her mom."
Rei had to smile. Ms. Tanekai was so nice. "Okay, I'll be over in less than a half-hour. I've got someone else here, though. Is that alright?"
"Sure. Is it a boy?"
Rei blushed, "Uhm, yeah."
"Well, as long as there's no messing around, I shouldn't see why there would be a problem," Ms. Tanekai said, her usual motherly tone coming back into her voice.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that with this one," Rei quickly said.
"Alright. Oh, I have another favor. Can you watch her for a few days?"
Rei shrugged, "I guess so. I'm not doing anything."
"Thanks again, Rei. I'll get Sachi ready."
Rei hung up the phone and stared at nothing. Hiei came in and asked her, "What?"
Shaking her head, she said, "I'm babysitting. Come with me."
Rei stood up and grabbed Hiei by the arm. She didn't want to have to do this alone. She didn't know what would happen to her if she held a small child. Grabbing her coat and her bag of maternity clothes, she pulled both Hiei and herself outside.
Chapter 19
.oO{I own Rei and Ishida and this story. No more, no less. Maybe... *thinks for a second* I also own Kokai, still, even though he's dead. ^_~}
#Bit Cloud hops out of Liger# A little forgerful, eh? #Bit smiles#
#Author glares# Bite me, Bit{haha!}. It took me about a week to write chapter 18... Everything is taking so dang long! #Author cries as Bit hugs her# ^o^
*****
They finished eating and Ishida went off to 'his' room that he had claimed from the other two that weren't being used. Rei brought out some blankets and pillows from her closet and made a bed for Keiko to sleep in. Keiko was busy talking on the phone; telling her parents where she was and that she was going to be spending the night at a 'friends' house.
"Hey, Botan, can you help me with this?" Rei asked as she tried to pull the sheet over the couch cushions. Botan stood up and helped her just as Keiko got off the phone.
"Well, they're going to let me stay. And they didn't ask too much about where I was all day."
Botan straightened the cushions, "That's good. I wouldn't know what to tell them, either."
Keiko nodded as she sat down on the chair. "I still don't know what happened."
Botan smiled nervously and Rei exited the room. She didn't want to get pulled in to one of Botan's lying sprees. Keiko was confused enough as it is.
.oO{I think I'll go lie down. It's almost 10 o'clock,} Rei thought, but before she could, Botan called her back into the living room.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Botan asked. Rei sat down next to her on the blankets she had strewn about the floor.
"You explained it that fast?" Rei muttered. Botan gave a slight nod and said, "We can watch Godzilla. What do you guys think?"
Keiko didn't really have an opinion and Rei wasn't planning on watching the whole thing, so they decided on 'Destroy All Monsters.' Botan popped the movie in the VCR and pushed the play button as she sat back. The girls ended up talking almost all the way through the entire movie and Rei could tell why Yusuke was friends with this girl.
She was nice and tried to make everyone happy. She didn't really have an opinion of her own, and she was smart, too. Almost the exact opposite of Yusuke.
.oO{Yusuke,} Rei thought. He felt so close at that moment. Closer than he had for a few days. Hoping it wasn't just a passing feeling, Rei closed her eyes and tried to think. .oO{Yes, he's still close. He must be back from his mission.} she thought with a silent squeal.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Rei said as the end credits started rolling on the movie. Botan and Keiko said goodnight and Rei walked to her room.
.oO{I wonder if I'll have anymore weird dreams?} Rei thought just before she fell asleep.
***
Rei was awoken the next morning by a lot of noise coming from the living room. Hearing Kurama's voice, she figured the guys were back! She got out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans.
.oO{Okay, that is REALLY freaky! I'm already starting to lose my belly.} she thought as she pulled on a shirt. She heard someone walk towards her room and knock on her door.
"Rei, can I talk to you?" she heard Kurama ask from the other side. .oO{Oh no!} she started to panic, .oO{What is he going to do when he sees my tummy? What will YUSUKE do?!?}
"Sure, come on in," she said as she jumped back onto her bed and pulled a pillow over her midsection. Kurama came in less than two seconds later and he turned to her.
"Stand up," he commanded. .oO{No! He saw through me.}
Downcast, Rei stood up, but didn't lift her head to look into Kurama's eyes. She could tell he was looking her over and she caught his glance. They shared a look and Kurama came over and gave her a hug. Rei leaned her head against his shoulder and told herself not to cry. She didn't have anymore tears left. There was no way she could cry. Rei was facing the doorway as Hiei walked by their eyes locked for a moment.
Kurama ended the hug and said, "Don't worry about Yusuke. We kept him safe, but he's at Kuwabara's house at the moment. Hiei thought we should come here first."
Rei nodded and sighed. .oO{I wonder if Hiei knew...}. She leaned against Kurama for support as they walked into the living room. Keiko had already gone home and Botan was sitting next to Ishida. Rei plopped down on the couch and Kurama plopped down next to her. Kurama started talking to Ishida as if they had met before.
"So... how many more days are you going to stay here with Rei?" Kurama asked.
Ishida looked over at her. "I think I'll leave tomorrow. She's doing a lot better than the doctors had expected."
"What! You can't leave that soon!" Botan whined. "You've only been here about four days."
Ishida shrugged and Rei felt the need to get away. Kurama just about stood up to come with her but she pushed him back down.
"No. I need to go for a walk," she whispered in his ear. Rei walked out the door and stood there for a second.
.oO{School has been going on for a while. I wonder what Yusuke's school is going to do with all their unconscious teachers...} Rei thought as she covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
"What's so funny?" Hiei's voice asked from the roof. Walking off the porch and looking up to see him she answered, "Nothing."
He jumped down and stood next to her, "Then why did you laugh?"
Rei rolled her eyes and turned to the woods. She didn't feel like answering Hiei. She heard him follow, though. She turned around and he walked into her. Out of habit, he wrapped his arms around her waist to make sure she didn't fall. For a split second it looked like Hiei blushed but Rei pushed that thought away. There was no way Hiei could blush. He let her go and he turned back towards the house. Rei watched him walk away, too.
.oO{That was odd,} she thought as she walked the trail to her favorite spot in her woods. Passing her small swimming pond and hot spring, she hopped over some fallen branches. Sitting down on the mossy tree trunk, Rei looked around. It'd been more than half a year since she had moved here. More than half a year since her grandma had died. More than half a year since she had met all the guys. Rei smiled as a warm ray of sun peeked through the wooded canopy. That was probably the best thing that had happened to her; meeting the guys.
Rei heard someone call for her and she looked at her watch. .oO{Time for lunch!} she thought as she ran back towards the house. Botan was standing outside waiting for her and she asked, "Where were you?"
"I was in the woods," Rei answered. Botan nodded and said, "Well, it's time to eat."
They walked inside and Rei dished herself some salad and walked to the living room.
"Oh, is that all you're going to eat?" Kurama asked her. Rei nodded as she munched on a carrot. It didn't look like that was the answer Kurama wanted, but he let it go. Rei finished her salad and listened to everyone talk. Deciding she had heard enough of Botan trying to keep Ishida at Rei's, Rei stood up and walked into the kitchen. Hiei was sitting there all alone at the table eating his lunch so Rei got herself a can of peaches and sat down across from him. The only acknowledgement of Rei's existance was Hiei's usual 'Hn'.
Hiei and Rei ate in silence, with the occasional laugh from the three in the living room. Rei soon became bored, so she stared at Hiei as she ate; never taking her eyes off him. He looked up a few times, only to look back down at his plate.
.oO{Haha. I'm such a jerk,} Rei laughed inside her head.
"Grr... stop staring at me," Hiei growled suddenly. Rei couldn't keep in her laugh as she said, "I'm sorry, I'm just so bored!"
"Take your boredom somewhere else," he mumbled.
"This is my house," Rei stuck out her tongue. Hiei looked at her for a second, and his eyes seemed a bit more like flames than usual. Rei raised her eyebrow as she tried to hide a smile.
.oO{Good, he doesn't totally hate me... I think...} Hiei noticed the smile though, and he looked like he was blushing again. Quickly standing up, he put his dishes in the sink and walked outside.
"I think I'm getting to know him better every day," Rei sighed. Kurama walked in just then and asked, "What?"
"Oh, just I notice little things about Hiei almost every day," she waved the statement away, as if it had no real meaning. Kurama thought it did, though. His eyes seemed to have clouded over as he said, "Oh."
Rei was getting quite confused by everyone's mood changes, so she asked, "Did something happen while you were fighting the Saint Beasts?"
Kurama shook his head as he pulled a cola from the fridge, "No. Hiei has figured out a code of honor, so to speak, for himself. You might notice some differences in him."
Kurama's intonation of the word 'him' sounded almost sarcastic so Rei asked again, "Are you sure nothing happened. You don't seem very happy."
Turning to her fully now, Kurama did his best to smile, "I'm fine. Nothing happened. I'm just a little tired, so I think I'll go take a short nap."
"Alright, if you're sure nothing's wrong," Rei sighed. Kurama nodded and walked quickly from the room.
***
Three days later Botan bounded into Rei's room to announce, "I'm going to Kuwabara's with Kurama to see if Yusuke is awake yet. I'm going to meet Keiko there, too."
Rei was still in bed and slightly nodded, "I think I'll stay here."
Botan nodded and warned, "Hiei'll still be here, though."
"Who cares? I'm going back to sleep now. Say 'hi' to Kuwabara for me," Rei mumbled as she rolled over. Rei could tell Botan rolled her eyes, and before she left the room she went over and pushed Rei out of the bed.
"Get up! It's 10:30! You've spent half of the day already!"
Grumbling, Rei stood up and pulled the blankets around herself. But not before Botan saw her receding tummy.
"Ho-ly... You seriously are something else, Rei. It would take any other woman about a year to get all that flab off..."
Rei awoke from her half-sleeping mind and quickly asked, "What'll I tell Yusuke?! He doesn't know yet!"
Botan bit her lip and sighed, "I'll break the news to him a little when I'm over there today. You stay here and do something. Don't worry. I think it'll be alright."
Botan and Kurama left before 11 o'clock and Rei thought it best that she didn't sit in bed and fret over everything. She went to the kitchen and fixed herself some breakfast/lunch when she heard Hiei's door open and him plop down on the couch. Moving to the doorway of the living room, she saw him laying there, almost as if he was dead.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, trying not to think of the day he came back 2 and a half months ago. He looked almost as bad as he did that day and he probably felt like it, too.
"Nothing, I'm just really tired," Hiei sighed. Now Rei was pretty concerned. Hiei doesn't get tired a lot, and he NEVER sighs.
.oO{'Hiei has figured out a code of honor, so to speak, for himself. You might notice some differences in him.'} Kurama's words surfaced in Rei's memory again and she thought, .oO{I guess Kurama was right... But these differences mean sighing!?}
Rei turned back to stir her soup and turned off the heat on the stove as she poured it into a bowl. She left about a bowl's-worth in the pot, just in case Hiei wanted some and walked into the living. Hiei rolled onto his back on the couch and asked, "What is that?"
"Tomato soup. There's some left if you want it," Rei said as she blew off the steam. He nodded but rolled back over. Rei blew on her spoonful again before she stuck it in her mouth just as the doorbell rang. Rei set her bowl on the coffee table and went to answer the door.
"Hey, what's up?" Ishida asked when she opened the door.
"Oh, nothing. I was just eating," Rei answered as she let him in. She was only slightly aware that Hiei had gotten off the couch and was very close by her side. Ishida walked into the living room and sat on the just vacated couch. Rei walked over and sat back in her chair and Hiei stood in the doorway, looking more alert than he had a few minutes ago. Ishida raised his eyebrow at Hiei and Hiei only glared back.
"Well, anyways, I just got back from the hospital and they agreed that you didn't need my help anymore, so I just came back to get a few things of mine."
Rei swallowed another spoonful and said, "You know where your room was, so go right ahead."
Ishida nodded and got off the couch to get his stuff. About five minutes later, Ishida walked back into the room only to have Rei in the kitchen and Hiei glaring at him still.
"What's your problem?" Ishida asked with another raising of the eyebrow.
Hiei didn't answer, though, but only growled. Rei came in before Ishida could spout off a witty rejoinder and Hiei's countenance changed almost instantly.
"Here, don't forget your wallet," Rei smiled as she handed it and a pair of pants to Ishida. "I found it in your pants the other day."
Ishida almost put it into his pocket before he decided to tease Rei a bit. Giving her a skeptical look he opened the wallet to make sure all his money was there. Rei laughed and playfully pushed him, "You don't think I'm that bad, do you?"
Ishida smiled and looked away and Rei laughed again.
"Hey, anyways, I got my stuff, so I'll see you again, maybe," Ishida said goodbye as he walked to the door. Rei nodded, "Maybe. Later."
She watched him walk to the shrine steps before she walked back into the living room. Hiei gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and walked to the kitchen. Hiei followed her and poured himself some of the soup she had made. Sticking her hands into the water she had run into the sink, Rei started washing the dishes. By 1 o'clock she had all the dishes done and as she was drying her hands, the phone rang.
Jumping at the sound, Rei almost didn't reach the telephone before Hiei did.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Rei? This is Ms. Tanekai, you know, from your Grandma's nursing home," the female voice answered.
Rei sat down on the chair beside the phone, "Oh, hello. What's up?"
"I need a babysitter. Do you think you can do it?"
Rei's eyes clouded over and said, "I never told you. I can give you back your maternity clothes you let me borrow."
A small gasp came from the other end, "Oh, Rei, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Sure, I can babysit your kid. Is it a girl or a boy?"
Ms. Tanekai laughed, "Girl. She's not that much trouble, but, I can only say that because I'm her mom."
Rei had to smile. Ms. Tanekai was so nice. "Okay, I'll be over in less than a half-hour. I've got someone else here, though. Is that alright?"
"Sure. Is it a boy?"
Rei blushed, "Uhm, yeah."
"Well, as long as there's no messing around, I shouldn't see why there would be a problem," Ms. Tanekai said, her usual motherly tone coming back into her voice.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that with this one," Rei quickly said.
"Alright. Oh, I have another favor. Can you watch her for a few days?"
Rei shrugged, "I guess so. I'm not doing anything."
"Thanks again, Rei. I'll get Sachi ready."
Rei hung up the phone and stared at nothing. Hiei came in and asked her, "What?"
Shaking her head, she said, "I'm babysitting. Come with me."
Rei stood up and grabbed Hiei by the arm. She didn't want to have to do this alone. She didn't know what would happen to her if she held a small child. Grabbing her coat and her bag of maternity clothes, she pulled both Hiei and herself outside.
