"Yoko had a wife?" Hiei exclaimed,

"Yes, she was quit good, if you know what I mean." Kurama's voice had changed slightly, which meant that Yoko was coming out.

"Then what happened, isn't she still your wife?" Hiei both didn't want and wanted to know the answer at the same time.

"Well I assisted my – our son in something - what it was I wont tell you. He was killed in the process. She fell into a very deep depression. Refusing to speak to anyone. It is hard for a mother to lose her only son; I just didn't know it was this hard." Yoko was all the way out. Now a silver haired kitsune was sitting in front of Hiei. "After a while I became reckless because I was so worried about her. That is when a hunter killed me. I can't help but wonder if she knows that I'm alive and came after me."

"Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't." Hiei spoke thoughtfully. He couldn't help but think there was a different reason she was in the Negekai.

While the two yokai talked they didn't notice the one that had slipped up to listen listening in the tree outside Kurama's window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

"Suuichi!" Kurama turned at the sound of his name. A slow smile crossed his face as Rabekuh ran up to him. "I thought I wouldn't catch you for a second there." She spoke as a soft smile of her own crossing her features

"It's a good thing I heard you I guess." Rabekuh nodded.

Kurama noticed that Rabekuh was going to say something but was stopped by another person yelling his name. "Kurama! Hey Kurama wait up!" They both turned to see Yusuke running towards them. Kurama noticed his eyes sweep over Rabekuh with admiration. "Wow Kurama who's the foxy lady?"

Neither boy noticed as Rabekuh's eyes flashed from a splarkling blue-green to a deep crimson then back again. But Rabekuh saw Kurama's flash gold before settling on the clam green they normally were.

"Yusuke, this is Rabekuh. Rabekuh, this is my friend Yusuke." Kurama introduced them. They shook hands and Yusuke sent Kurama a shocked look. "So, Yusuke, are you skipping school again?"

"Yeah, just don't let Keiko know, she will have my hide for sure this time." Yusuke chuckled while Kurama smiled politely.

Rabekuh's eyebrow shot up questioning Yusuke's words. "Yusuke is always skipping school. Keiko is his girlfriend - "

"She is not my girlfriend; were just friends."

Kurama ignored Yusuke's outburst and continued. "She is the one that keeps him in check. He goes to school simply because he fears her wrath."

Rabekuh chuckled softly. "It's always nice to have someone you fear."

"Who do you fear Rabekuh?" Yusuke questioned as he began to walk with them to their school.

"My mother. Rabekuh shivered. "She is a cold old bat."

Kurama froze at her expression.

"Suuichi are you alright?""

"I'm fine Rabekuh, I just dropped something." It wasn't a complete lie, when she had spoken the second time he had dropped his house key. He bent down for his key only to freeze again. There was a seed from the Makai on the ground, not just any seed either; it was an ice rose, Vilpax's favorite flower. "She is closer than I thought." He mumbled, but Yusuke heard him.

"Who is closer than you thought?" He gave the kitsune a questioning look only to receive a friendly smile.

"Nobody important Yusuke." Yusuke nodded hearing the "It-has-to-do-with- the-Makai-so-I'll-tell-you-later," that Kurama didn't say just nodded. They finished their walk talking about America, and teasing Yusuke.

"Oh, hey Rabekuh"

"Yes, Yusuke?" Rabekuh spoke as she turned to face her newfound friend. Kurama stopped a few steps ahead of her.

"I didn't catch your last name."

"That is because Suuichi never paid attention to it." She replied chuckling. "I also didn't give it. It's Youko." She didn't notice the looks the boys had when she gave them her last name. Or at least they didn't notice her smirk after she passed 'Suuichi' and saw his expression of surprise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

"Suuichi please pay attention." Kurama snapped out of his currant thinking just in time to see a paper land in front of him. 'Suuichi, this is the third time. Are you okay?"

'Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind.' He quickly wrote back then sent to Rabekuh.

'Oh . . . Hey why was Yusuke calling you Kurama?'

'It's just a nickname, he calls me, don't ask me why.'

'Oh, well that is interesting. Why didn't you tell my you had a nickname?' Kurama chuckled lightly as he met Rabekuh by the door.

"You never asked." Kurama spoke as they headed towards their next class. "My mother doesn't know about the nickname. She thinks that people should be called by the names they were given."

"That is an interesting thing to know, and I didn't even have to ask for it!" Rabekuh exclaimed the last part in false wonder.

Kurama chuckled at her "enthusiasm," as they took their seats in their next class. "So why are you taking English?" He glanced out the window to see Hiei perched where he always was for English.

"To correct the teacher?" Kurama smiled at her antics. "To actually graduate," Rabekuh smile as sweetly as Kurama had been, he now was laughing over what normally was polite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Hiei watched Kurama during his English class. He paid attention to the lesson. He had been working all year to lean English. Only Kurama knew about his linguistic interest. Hiei knew three fourths of the languages in the Makai; he had also learned Chinese, Egyptian, Arab, and French. English was his goal now.

Hiei chuckled softly with Kurama when Rabekuh corrected the teacher's pronunciation of 'predicament.' They were in the advance English class. But the teacher wasn't impressive.

Hiei smiled to himself and decided to ask Rabekuh to help him learn English.