Dear Hiei...
Chapter 2, Mysterious friend.
{}=thought [ ]=telepathy ** **= distance(Like through scrying or a
recorder.)
* *=flashback I own only my own characters. If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho, chances are, I'd be punishing Funimation right now. They misspelled Youko! I won't even begin to speak of their other crimes. Hiei- Then don't speak. Shut up and write. CelticLady-^_^ Gee, usually you characters are telling people NOT to write. Hiei- If you're writing, you're not talking, it's the lesser of two evils. CelticLady- ;_; Mean Hiei-*evil grin* Not yet...=: ) Kurama- He's just not willing to admit that you've caught his interest with this story. Hiei- Damn, you had to tell her that? I'll never hear the end of this, you know! ~~~~~~ Oakbridge High school, last class of the day, Studyhall ~~ Kara stared out the window, wondering if her letter had reached Hiei yet. {I wonder what he's really like. I'm sure he isn't really so mean. Lots of people put on a different face to the world, it doesn't mean they're not really nice people. I wonder if he likes music?} She doodled in her notebook, waiting for the bell to ring. When it finally did, she was met by her best friends, Aran and Anni. "What'd you draw today, Kar?" Asked Aran, Kara shook her head and turned to the page of her drawing, "Nothing as good as you two anime-addicted art pros, just a little Chibi Valgaav." Aran rolled his eyes, "Chee-bee. Not Chihb-ee! And it's not so bad, better than that weird picture you drew of that guy with the impossible, pupilless eyes and blue and green hair!" {He was real!! And I'm the only one who knows! I wish I could tell them, but Touya could get into trouble if they knew. It was enough of a risk letting them know that I'm a sorceress. Well, to be fair, they really just guessed!} "So I have an imagination! Sue me! And I'll pronounce 'chibi' the way I want, Mr. Otaku!" Anni narrowed her eyes, "There's something you're not telling. You can at least tell me! I'm a mage, too." "Don't be so paranoid, I'm not keeping any dark secrets from you!" {Well, except Yomi, but he just wanted to be friends, I'm sure Touya exaggerated on the stories he told about him. He's always been nice to me, and little Shura is so adorable!} Aran snapped his fingers, "Yo, Kar, come back to earth." "Huh?" "You zoned out. You're definitely hiding something; you always were a bad liar." "I was.uh.Thinking about my penpal. Hiei.he's.interesting." "Don't let his 'tude get to you. Shuuichi says that he's actually a decent guy." "I figured that. Still disappointed that you didn't get a girl?" "Whatever girl I could've gotten, she's no Lina Inverse." He sighed dreamily, Kara raised an eyebrow, "You need some serious help, Otaku-boy!" "Hey, at least my.um.issues. led to us all learning japanese." "Which only means that you got Mr. Perfect, and I got Mr. Antisocial! Not that I'm complaining, I just.sensed that if I tried the whole penpal thing, I'd meet someone significant to my future. I guess it was the first time my instincts were wrong." "If you don't think he's that 'significant' to you, then why were you thinking about him just now?" "Just wondering where is now, what he's doing. Well, this is my turn, see you tomorrow!"
Meanwhile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oakbridge, Pennsylvania.Airport ~~~~~~~~~
"How'd you get your sword past security?" Hiei grinned, "I said if they take it away, I really WILL hijack the plane." Kurama stared at him, "Do you have to cause chaos EVERYWHERE???" "By the way, Kurama, how did you explain this to Shiori? After the Makai tournament she seemed a bit..overprotective." (A/N Be patient, this is a clue to a surprise!) "I said I was participating in the student exchange program for a short time." "Do you ever get tired of keeping secrets?" "Do you ever get tired of pushing people away? I honestly don't know how that girl puts up with you!" "Did you even LOOK at her letter?" "YOU meant what you said. Aran said that she's too nice to hurt anyone. He used to give her so much trouble, but the worst she did to him was throw back an insult." "Hn. Too bad, I thought she was tough." Koenma frowned, looking at the human clothes he wore, a backward baseball cap hiding the letters on his forehead, "It's strange to dress like this, who picked this out?" His pants looked two sizes too big and his shirt had Mickey mouse in ghetto style giving the middle finger, not to mention the giant hip-hop medallion. Yusuke grinned, "Lighten up, pencil pusher. It's the 'in thang' in America. Glad you finally ditched the Binkie." "Well, Kara'd think it's weird." Botan frowned, "You really shouldn't do this, a girlfriend might soften Hiei up, maybe he'd stop wanting to kill me then." "Let's not expect miracles. Besides, elves don't date Youkai. I happen to be Mandos's grandson. If that Thingol guy could bag Melian, I can get this girl." "You aren't very nice. Tampering with true love!" Her eyes got all misty, Koenma glared, "Botan, did I ever tell you what a ditz you are?" Kuwabara looked around, "Hey Botan, you know about girls; see anything Yukina'd like?" ".." Kurama frowned, "Where's the baggage? We've been waiting for hours." Hiei smirked sarcastically, "No, it just feels like it because of who we're waiting with." "That's not nice." "After how many hours on that flying hunk of metal, having to put up with Yusuke and Kuwabara constantly fighting, Botan harassing me about Kara, Koenma trying to talk me into 'giving it up on her' and those petulant little ningen brats behind me kicking my seat, I'm not in the mood to be nice! And you babbling to that Girl who dumped you wasn't helping." "I can't believe Kelli dumped me!" "I can, she had her eye on that Jock for months." "She said I was hiding things from her, that I was 'too distant.' Why won't she take me back?" "Because you could do better. We'll be going to school for awhile here, just check out the women. You'll find someone." "That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said. Maybe you ARE in love." "Hn. Not likely." "Finally! The bags!" Yusuke ran over, "My HAIR GEL!!!" Botan followed, "My CAMERA!!!" "...Camera?" "Yeah! It's digital, I'm making a digital log of this mission!" Everyone winced, remembering the last digital camera incident. Alas, the poor victim would be forever known as 'Sparky.' "Uh Oh...."..O.O.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3Hours Later Outside the Inn ~~~~~~~~~~
"The Firefly. Nice. So this is Oakbridge, not bad." Hiei looked out the window. Kurama smiled, "Kind of pretty, there's even a garden." A girl with bright hair was trimming the branches, "Hey Hiei, it's Kara!" Hiei looked over nervously, {Wow, she's even prettier in person! What now?} "Well, are you going to say anything?" Demanded Botan, he shook his head, "Then I will! Hey! You with the shears!" The girl turned around, "Oh, are you the new arrivals? The exchange students?" Hiei clamped his hand over Botan's mouth. Kurama raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, that's us." "Oh, well, I own this inn, so I'll probably see you around, I really should get back to taking care of the garden. My name's Kara, by the way, not 'you with the shears!' Meet me on the patio in about an hour, and we can talk." Hiei nodded, repressing the urge to strangle someone\thing. "Alright, guys, when we do go down, be observant. She may or may not be an innocent here, or maybe Yomi's gotten to her already. Watch her behavior most of all." Kuwabara frowned, "I dunno Koenma, she seems on the up and up. She doesn't feel wrong. And if she is, it's not enough to trigger my danger senses." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE HOUR LATER (Dun dun dun dun!) ~~~~~~~~
Kara sat down on her favorite chair, a huge, old, overstuffed blue armchair that as a child, she had know as 'the story chair.' {Why are you nervous, idiot? It's not like they're going to hate you right off! They're new to the town, new to the country, it's winter, and there's ninety-seven degree days in February. In Pennsylvania. Definitely weirdsville. Just be nice, if they're nervous, just talk to them in their language to make them feel more comfortable.} First to come in was a very handsome young man with shiny red hair and bright emerald eyes, next to him was a guy with dark hair and brown eyes. They were dragging a short guy with black spiky hair with a white starburst in the front. He had very unusual eyes, she could not quite tell if they were brownish, or just a dark crimson, whatever the case, he seemed highly annoyed, muttering strange things that were obviously curses, which he obviously thought noone could hear. Kara's first guilty thought was how much he looked like that Vegeta from Anni's favorite show. (A/N, Take a wild guess! ^_^) {He's most likely not a saiyan, but Anni'll probably check for a tail. She has an unhealthy little obsession for that Vegeta character.} Following them was a giggling girl with blue hair and a tall guy with brown hair and amber eyes. His t-shirt featured Mickey Mouse flashing an obscene gesture, and a hip-hop pendant bearing the word 'jr.'. {I'm not even going to ask!} Next was an orange haired guy whose face could, most generously, be termed 'unique.' The tall one raced over, took her hand, and said "Hey, hot stuff, I'm Koenma. And this is your lucky day; I'm single!" The blue haired girl whacked him with an oar that seemed to come from nowhere, "Ignore him, he's an ass. I'm Botan! And I know someone worth your time!" "Oh?" Kara tried to act like this was all normal, though she had some questions on her mind. {Where did she get that? They don't exactly look very japanese, either, do they?} Before Botan could respond, the orange haired one was looming over her, {Holy crap, this is a tall bunch! Why do I have to be short? Five feet isn't nearly tall enough!} "Don't be so pushy, Botan! If he wants her, the shrimp can talk to her himself. I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, most people call me Kuwabara, though. Don't get any ideas, I'm taken." Kara nodded, "I wouldn't dream of it. Really!" {Ideas? About him?!? Not even if my life depended on it!}The dark haired boy laughed, "That tone speaks for itself! Not that I can blame you, of course. I'm Yusuke Urameshi." "That name sounds familiar." Everyone tenses up, for some reason, Kara continues, "Weren't you in the obituaries a few months back?" "Uh.yeah. That was kind of a misprint; I wasn't dead. Not really. Almost, though. Hey! What're you doing lookin' through the obits?" "I volunteer at a nursing home, and, though I hate to admit it, sometimes the residents.die.. The nurses say not to become too attached, but I.." She cannot continue. The handsome redhead smiles, "I understand. It's good of you to be involved with that, though." He holds out his hand, she takes it, suddenly nervous again, {Dangit! Such amazing eyes!} "My name's Shuuichi, Shuuichi Minamino. Aran's told me a lot about you. I'm glad we could finally meet, Kara." She looks into those eyes, emerald green as hers, but deeper, and they almost seemed to be flecked with gold, while the other color in hers were dark silver. She felt lost in those unspeakably lovely eyes, "Likewise..M..my full name is Kariana Eiriu Blaire. It's Celtic, so even though it's spelled 'E I R I U', it's pronounced 'Eerii-oo.' I prefer just being called Kara, though. Kariana's a little much." {Oh, lovely! I meet a handsome guy and I start babbling!} "A lovely name, it suits you, Kara." She blushed, "I hope you don't mind me mentioning this, but Aran said that you know my penpal, Hiei." "I don't mind. If you'd like to meet him, he's right over there." He looked over at Hiei, who seemed to be suppressing _something_ and glared at him. {He's not going to be pleasant tonight!} he thought. Kara smiled at Hiei, then her eyes went to his sword, (A/N Get your mind out of the gutter, I mean his Katana!) "A very interesting blade, Hiei. How sharp is it? Can you use it?" Hiei, surprisingly enough, grinned at her, "Can I use it? Can I use it? Girl, you've got a lot to learn." "Not about blades, I made mine. In metalshop there's an actual forge. I.found my own metals and worked in some Gaelic runes for.reasons of my own. Want to see some of my weapons later? Maybe I'll even let you use one, if you're good enough!" He just stared, not only was she amazing, but she was even lovelier in person, her bright hair woven into a thick braid woven throughout with pale azure Bluestars and delicate white Starflowers, eyes alight with a challenge. How could he do other than to accept? "Maybe I should show you just how good I am. Don't worry, I'll try not to leave any lasting damage!" "Bold words. We'll see if you can back them up!" "Why don't you show me those weapons tonight? About seven?" "It's a date." "If you're lucky." He purred, she seemed impressed, "Not bad, Hiei. I hope your blade is as quick as your wit." {How does she know exactly what to say?} Hiei wondered, Koenma was pretty much glaring painful death at him by now, and 'Shuuichi' was strangely quiet. "You'll probably want the lowdown on the teachers. The art teacher's sort of a hippie, so she'll tell you to call her 'Daisy.' The shop teacher, who is incidentally also the gifted teacher, seems insane at first, but he's nice enough, when you get used to him." "Is anything normal here?" asked Yusuke, "Oakbridge is strange. It has its quirks, but nothing really exciting happens. I thought one that something interesting was going to happen once, but it turned out to be boring. Most people are surprised when they first come, but they get used to it. Not Sunnydale exciting/creepy weirdness so much as just weird. Sort of like Aran!" "What's he like, anyway?" Asked Shuuichi, "Words do not begin to describe the insanity of the most obsessive compulsive Slayers addict. (Not that Valgaav isn't kind of cute, but..That's really not the point.) His little _issues_ are the reason we both learned Japanese!" "Really?" "Yeah, he insisted that the dubbed version wasn't as good as the original." "Duh!" Kuwabara interrupted, "The worst are Funi versions. Funimation Sux." They all agreed on that. (A\N Sorry, I HAD to put that in there somewhere! ^_~) "The guidance counselor wanted to be a psychiatrist, so she calls people in all the time.." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~6:45. Hiei's room. ~~~~~~~~~~ "What are you so worried about?" Kurama asked, Hiei shook his head, "I don't know! She's not like other women. I actually care what she thinks! And she knows how to fight, but she's not shameless or bloodthirsty like most Youkai women! She's.like noone I've ever met before." Kurama sighed, "I know. Believe me, I know." "I might actually regret kicking her ass." "Knowing you, you'd be disappointed if it was that easy!" "What's wrong with that?" "You should ask her to the Sweetheart's Ball. Aran said in his letter that it's coming up soon, on Valentines Day." "Sweetheart's Ball? That sounds slightly profane!" "Don't play dumb, Hiei, it really doesn't suit you!" "Why should I ask her out?" Kurama looked out the window, "Because if you don't, someone else will." "Koenma doesn't stand a chance!" {I wasn't talking about Koenma.} Thought Kurama {But I can't tell Hiei that.} "You're hiding something, Kurama." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Your mind is littered with mental shields. Funny, I would almost think you're interested in Kara. You know that would be a mistake." His expression explained that in more detail. Kurama decided it was best if he just stayed quiet now. ~~~~~~7 o'clock, Living Room. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Hiei looked at the clock. 7, just the time she had said. He barely had time to wonder, though, because he suddenly heard something behind him and wheeled around. It was her! Kara laughed, "Sorry, couldn't resist testing you!" "I didn't even know you were here, until." "Yeah, I tapped my boot softly, just to let you know I was there. It would have been rude to startle you!" "And highly unwise. As I said before, I can use this blade!" "Let's see you fit your actions to your words!" "Name the place!" "That would be pointless; you don't know where anyplace is around here! Besides, I said I'd show you my weapons first, remember?" He seemed disappointed, "Oh, yeah." "Don't sound so down, you'll like this!" "Hn" She raised an eyebrow, "Honestly, that sounded so unintelligent." Blank stare. "." "Ooookayyyy then." As she turned on the lights in the room they had just entered, Hiei was dazzled by the gleam of light on metal. Swords, daggers, spears, knives, throwing stars! An alarming array of weapons adorned the tables, walls and shelves. His personal favorite was a katana the exact shape and size of his, with a fully colored flame climbing the length of the blade. It took all of his control not to drool. "How.?" "Oh, that one? I fooled around with the Katana design and decided on a lighter alloy and worked the element of fire into it. You were actually my inspiration. You gave me the impression of a spirit of flame, burning brave and fiery." ". May I.?" "By all means." He gave it a few practice swings and found that it was, indeed, lighter than his own, though no less powerful. "There are runes, too. What do they say, Kara?" " 'Oh, fire of earth and sky, guard and serve this spirit of flame with the full impact of your power. Then there are some simple enchantments. Most rhyming." "I'm speechless." "So what else is new?" "." "I do like you, Hiei." "Ditto, I guess. You're not like other girls." "Good. I don't plan to be." Hiei gave her one of his rare smiles, she grinned back, "You should smile more often, you've got a great one. Ready to face that challenge?" "What do you think?" ~~~ Patio ~~~

They faced off, two stubborn sword fighters unwilling to back down. "Now!" They charged..

Sorry, Cliffhanger! Who will win? Will Hiei ask Kara out? Will loyalty triumph over love in Kurama's heart? Why is Yusuke so quiet? Does Botan have another reason for wanting Koenma to forget about Kara? Review and MAYBE I'll tell.