What2callmyself: I felt kind of bad about what happened to Karasu because of the way he hopelessly loved Kurama and all. He was also a fun character to have around to nag Kurama. It's funny though, Kurama is my second favorite character and I just love hurting him. I even killed him in one of my other stories (glances around) poor Hiei…

Moonlit-kitsune: Yeah, I think Karasu is dead and sorry for the confusion. Although now that I think about it, it would be interesting to see him come back… So anyway, he might or he might not return.

Kute Anime Kitty: I have a new addiction to cliff endings (grins).

Niana Kuonji: I like cliffy endings! Well… at least when I'm writing them!

Chapter Ten: Invite

Kurama watched Hiei enter his house, completely dumbfounded. Was that what this whole thing was about?!

Now that he thought about it, things were starting to make more sense…

Hiei distanced himself because he was ashamed of how he felt, not because he hated Kurama. And Karasu kidnapped Hiei because he felt Hiei was a threat to his ultimate goal, not because he was well… Karasu.

So what will you do now…? The voice in Kurama's head asked hesitantly.

"I need some sleep…" Kurama replied with a tired sigh but if the voice in his head had been standing before Kurama they would have definitely fallen over, anime style.

At school the next day (it's Thursday, by the way)…

"Well isn't this strange? Kurama's super late for once." Yusuke noted to himself and kicked a rock on the ground outside.

"He's been acting unusual, lately." Keiko added. "I wonder if something's up."

"Now that you mention it, he has been pretty strange lately. Yesterday he just ran off without finishing his ice cream, what a waste…" Yusuke glanced around to see if anyone was coming their way.

"Did you hear about what happened to Karasu?" Keiko asked innocently. "Last night on the news, it said he burned to death in a warehouse. The flames were so hot that they couldn't even find what might be his body."

"Karasu? Why's that name familiar…?" After a quick glare from Keiko, Yusuke remembered who he was really quickly. "Oh yeah, the stalker dude who never left Kurama alone. Hey, that should make Kurama happy!"

"Maybe…" The brunette girl looked down at the ground, unconvinced.

Kurama came running up the sidewalk, out of breath and very tired.

"Wow, Kurama that must be a new record from the school gates to the front of the building." Yusuke grinned.

"Perhaps…" The redhead panted. "Have you seen Hiei this morning?"

"Can't say I have. The only other person I've seen this morning was Kuwabara and I pounded his face in again."

"Why do you ask?" Keiko looked Kurama up and down curiously.

"No reason." Kurama answered a little too quickly.

From within the school, the three of them could hear the bell ring for class change.

"Ack! What period is it?!" Kurama demanded, because he had accidentally slept in for a while.

"It's now second period… oh!" Keiko rounded on Yusuke. "I got so distracted by our conversation I forgot to tell you that you better get back to class otherwise the vice principle will give you Saturday detentions."

"Man… why do they always send you to track me down when I'm skipping anyway?" Yusuke grumbled and started trekking back into the school.

"They know it takes a sharp tongue like Keiko's to make you act right." Kurama supplied and then went silent when Keiko gave him a warning look.

Keiko made sure the two of them went straight to their second period class before she went to Study Hall. Kurama didn't talk at all and Yusuke didn't really notice because he's a little thickheaded sometimes. But while they were changing into their gym clothes, Kurama noticed Hiei wasn't here either. Wondering if anything was wrong with him, Kurama confronted Touya about it.

"Hey Touya, have you seen Hiei today?" Kurama asked, acting as casual as he could.

"Nope." Touya answered flatly and then looked at Kurama with a mischievous expression. "Why do you ask? Concerned about the little Hiei?"

"No, just wondering." Kurama sweat dropped and Touya's grin got bigger.

"Want me to track him down for you? He might like to hear that he is missed when he's not at school."

"That's not necessary." Kurama reassured and walked away before Touya could ask him any more questions.

It was kind of weird that Mr. Toguro wasn't here today for class. In the few days Kurama had him as a teacher he came across as someone very prompt and would never miss work.

"Well now what?" Yusuke asked no one in particular. "I say we skip class."

"Just what I need… a slacker who skips my class." A raspy voice belonging to an elderly woman caught everyone's attention and she made herself known by coming out of the small office next to the different locker rooms. She was even shorter than Hiei, with graying hair, and stern brown eyes.

Yusuke laughed. "I'm sorry grandma, you have a problem with me skipping?"

"Yes I do. In fact, could you come over here for a minute, there's something I need to tell you." She gestured for him to come and stand next to her.

"Sure, whatever." Yusuke grinned and bent down so he could hear her better.

She pinched a pressure point in the area where Yusuke's neck was attached to his shoulders and this made Yusuke's body go entirely limp and he collapsed onto the floor. "Don't skip my class, you slacker. In here you're going to work your lazy ass off and you are to refer to me as Genkai and not grandma. Do you hear me loud and clear?" Genkai demanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Yusuke whimpered from the floor. "And what the hell was that?! The Vulcan neck pinch?!"

"Yes it was, I enjoy watching Star Trek along with my soaps during the day." Genkai sneered.

Kurama chuckled under his breath. It was a rare sight to see Yusuke in such a situation unless it was Keiko ordering him around.

But Genkai wasn't kidding when she told them she would work their lazy ass off! Everyone had to do twenty full laps around the gymnasium and then over a hundred push-ups and sit-ups each. She barely even cut the girls in the class some slack. But she was the first teacher Kurama knew to be able to keep Yusuke in line.

Everyone was so relieved when the bell rang for the next class that they all staggered out of the gym on their numb legs. Kurama dragged his tired feet to Drama while Yusuke went to Social Studies and they planned on meeting up to go to Science class afterwards. All in all, it was a pretty normal day. Like how things had been before Kurama met Hiei or before Karasu started stalking him…

"Hey, that Karasu guy died last night." Yusuke mentioned during science.

"You don't say. Yusuke, watch how much you put into the mixture." Kurama warned Yusuke.

"So I was thinking, since that dude bothered you so much maybe we should throw a party for his death at my apartment this afternoon. We can invite Kuwabara, Jin, Touya, and maybe even Hiei too. Wouldn't want Keiko to come though, for one thing I was thinking about having some beer at the party." Yusuke rambled while carelessly adding the chemicals for the experiment.

"Sounds fun. Yusuke, you don't want to add anymore of that." Kurama advised.

"What was that, Kurama? Oh hey, I wonder what happens when I do this?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"No! Yusuke don't!" Kurama tried to stop him.

BOOM!

"Yusuke Urameshi!" The Science teacher screeched. "You are banned from doing experiments in here!!!"

"Sweet. Does that mean I can just skip class?" A charcoal black Yusuke asked with a big grin.

"No! You have to do a report on each experiment and it's due before you leave class!" The teacher ranted while putting out the remaining fires.

"Aw damn…" Yusuke groaned and then whispered to Kurama. "I have a feeling I'm going to be spending the rest of the day in detention so why don't you round up anybody who wants to come to the party and head over to my house after school."

"Okay." Kurama nodded.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sorry if the chapter was lame, it was kind of like just an interval from one thing to the next but anyway. Hope you enjoyed it and review on your way out!