Random: Hey. I own nothing. Still. SO GET OFF OF MY BACK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kai: Do what the girl says! She's lost it!!

Punkie: LUMBERJACK ROBOTS!!!!!!!!!

Random and Kai: Eh? What was that all about?

Last Time:

"Let go of me!" I could hear myself scream. Two demons have captured Kurama and Hiei, catching them by surprise. This time I know that is up to me to save myself...and to save them.

Chap. 7

The two demons held knives to Kurama's and Hiei's necks, pulling their heads back by the hair. As Mariko moved, they tightened their grip, causing pain to travel up their prisoners' backs.

"Now, little girl," on said menacingly, " You are going to come with us nice and quiet, otherwise pretty boy and shorty are gonna lose their necks literally."

From the demon's view, Mariko was trembling with fear and helplessness. In truth, she was shaking with rage and power.

" You dare threaten me?! You will die, pitiful fool, by my hand and sword!" Mariko screeched hollowly, unsheathing her katana. In one fluid movement, she pulled away and sliced the demon holding her in half. The other two pressed their knives into Kurama and Hiei's throats, drawing a small amount of blood.

Mariko's eyes sparkled with a burning anger as her form began to change. Her hair grew longer into spiked strands and her nails turned into curved claws. With a burst of unnatural speed for a human, Mariko sliced the boys free, not with her katana, but with her claws. They dripped blood as the demons trying to hold Hiei and Kurama captive fell to the ground in several pieces.

" Let's go, " she growled, kicking at the remainder of the bodies. Her hair and nails turned back into their normal forms. Her skin, which had been tinged a musty purple, changed back to its tan, sleek appearance. Then she collapsed.

" Oh, dear," sighed Kurama, " she used up all of her energy."

" Weak, baka onna," mumbled Hiei.

" Silence, Hiei. It was only her first change and it was only a partial change. She did not change into her full demon form."

"Hn."

" Whoa, that was a drainer," mumbled Mariko as she stood up shakily, " What did I just do, anyways?"

" You changed into your partial demon form. It just up a lot of you energy."

" Let's pretend that I do not know what that means."

" It means that, since your demon side has been returned to you, you can transform into a demon, baka ningen onna."

" Ha! 'Ningen?' Obviously, you can no longer call me that since I am a demon! You said it yourself!"

"Hn."

" Fine, be that way!"

They walked with Mariko propped up between them so she would not collapse. Soon after, she was walking on her own because, being as demon, she healed faster than she normally would. She did nee help now and then due to her slice knee. As they approached the hill the portal was going to appear on, Kurama heard shuffling and trampling noises behind them. Turning, he saw a gruesome sight. About 30 demons were running after them, cutting down anything and anybody in their path.

" Run! Get up there now!" he cried out as he burst into a loping run.

Mariko and Kurama shot off, trying to get into the portal that appeared seconds ago. Kurama grabbed Hiei, who was preparing to fight, as he ran by, dragging him along. Hiei struggled to return to fighting.

" Not now, Hiei! If you did that, you would seal Mariko's fate! The portal will close and I doubt Koenma will get yet another one," Kurama panted, still dragging Hiei.

" Mariko! Mariko! Mariko!" the evil demons chanted as they gained on her.

A small demon leapt and attached itself to her back. She fell, terrified, screaming, and burning in pain. As eh fell, she thought, "My dream! Just like my dream! No!"

Hiei broke away from Kurama and threw the demon from her back, pulling her up again. She stumbled forward and pulled through the portal, Hiei close behind. As the portal sucked her through, she braced herself fro a fall to the floor of the house.

She closed her eyes, waiting. She could hear the air whistling around her as she started to fall. No thud came. Instead she felt strong arms encircle her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace. She opened her eyes to see deep crimson orbs staring into them. Hiei pulled her into a deep kiss. She started to pull back in shock, but then she stopped and wrapped her arms around him. He set her feet on the floor, still not breaking from the kiss. The portal whirled once more, making Hiei draw back a little. Mariko tightened her hold, not wanting to stop.

Suddenly, Kurama was dumped on the floor with a surprised, fox-like yelp. Hiei pulled away and bolted across the room. Eh leaned on the wall with his arms crossed and his typical smirk on his face. Kurama sat up, massaging his sore elbow that he had landed on. Mariko collapsed into a chair, her fingers brushing her lips as she whispered, "Wow," repeatedly. A scowl replaced the smirk on Hiei's face.

Kurama stood, glancing at the both of them. Something was amiss. Mariko finally noticed him, removing her fingers from her lips and being silent. She crossed her arms and scowled. Kurama almost laughed at how identical Mariko and Hiei looked. Quickly, he tried to read Mariko's mind and was taken aback to find that there was a barrier wall blocking his way into her mentality. That was impossible! She did not have the skill to block him. Out of desperation and curiosity, he tried again.

" Why can I not get through?" he questioned himself, " this should be simple! Wait… Hiei… he is the only one who can block me. He must be blocking for her!"

Kurama turned to see Hiei glaring at him. He sighed and guiltily slunk from the room. Mariko glanced at Hiei, sending him silent thanks. He blushed a bit and followed Kurama out of the room. Mariko entered the kitchen to find Yusuke and Kuwabara groveling at he three other girls' feet.

" What are you fools doing?"

" They are trying to get us to cook them food. We told them to make it themselves, so now they are groveling," giggled Botan.

The boys turned to her with puppy-dog eyes. Se sighed, giving in to the "look".

"Alrighty then," she said brightly while grabbing an apron, still in a giddy, dazed state from Hiei's kiss. She shooed the boys from the kitchen and the three girls followed. Then she immediately set to work on food. Looking about the kitchen, she managed to find some frozen salmon, steaks, and shrimp. As she was bustling about the kitchen cooing all the food, Hiei came in and sat at the table to watch. Mariko did not notice. She was a flurry of energy as more and more dishes were prepared and whisked off to the dining room table. Yukina, Botan and Keiko stood guard at the table on the dining room while Mariko washed up so the boys would not eat all the food before she could get back.

Mariko went into the kitchen, removing her apron. She turned and rested her hands on the sink. Warm arms encircled her midriff, startling her. She could feel Hiei's soft breath tickle her ear.

" It took you long enough, Mariko," he whispered, " or shall I call you Kalachi now? Which one are you, hm?"

" Mariko, just Mariko, "she whispered, turning to face him. He leaned into her, tightening his arms around her waist. She pulled him in closer to her and buried her face in his neck. Hiei lifted her head and traced her lips with his finger, making her body temperature rise to his level. She licked her lips softly as he pulled his finger away, staring into Hiei's burning red eyes. He took this as a sign of acceptance. He pulled her into a passionate kiss, leaning her into the edge of the sink. Mariko realized her arms were at her sides again and wrapped one around his neck and the other in the back of his spiked hair. Surprised at how soft his hair was, she played with it, making him shiver at her touch. Unfortunately, their bliss did not last long. They did not notice Kurama and Keiko walking into the kitchen to see what was taking Mariko so long.

" Oh, I knew it!" squealed Keiko, clapping her hands together.

" Yes, I must say that it is about time," Kurama agreed, grinning at their surprise.

Hiei and Mariko pulled apart. Both of them turned to the 'intruders' with fire it their eyes. Hiei went after Kurama as Mariko chased after Keiko. The two 'intruders' found themselves pinned against the wall with twin katanas at their necks.

Keiko gave a panicked nod and Kurama rolled his eyes in silent, but mocking, agreement. Mariko immediately backed off ad stalked into the dining room where Yukina and Botan were holding off Yusuke and Kuwabara from the food. Hiei hesitated for a moment, glaring at Kurama and Keiko, and then followed Mariko. Kurama smiled and strolled in after them. Only Keiko was left I n the kitchen. Being more swayed by death threats than Kurama, she was a little skittish around Mariko and Hiei now. After a few moments' thought, she put on a happy face and entered the dining room. Yusuke and Kuwabara were chained to their chairs, practically drooling as they tried desperately to get at the food.

" It was the only way to save the food," chirped Mariko with a fake sweetness and trying hard not to crack up as Keiko looked on with a shocked and amused expression.

"Yes," agreed Kurama, " We should probably take what we want before we let them loose."

As soon as everyone else had their food, Mariko stood and pulled a key from her pocket. She edged carefully toward Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were now having an insult contest. She pounced on them and quickly undid all the locks holding them down. In a frenzy of movement, the rest of the food on the table disappeared and then reappeared on the boys' plates.

"Oh, would you two eat like civilize human beings!?" snapped Botan and Keiko at the same time.

Afraid of the girls' wrath, Kuwabara and Yusuke settled down at their seats and ate. Soon everyone was chatting away with ease and happiness. Mariko felt that she was watching all of this from a distance. For some reason, there was an uneasy feeling settling about her shoulders. Looking around with a fake smile, she felt unseen eyes were watching her. After a few moments of finding nothing, she lapsed into a spaced-out silence. Deep thoughts tumbled through her mind. Why did she and Hiei want to keep their love a secret? Why could she not face the demon inside her? Why did she feel that something else was amiss? Why did she feel a though an unseen evil was following her?

She snapped back to reality when Kurama repeated her name, trying to get her attention. The entire table was staring at her. Hiei looked at her with slight concern. She blushed and gave an embarrassed smile.

" S-sorry. I was … thinking. What did you say, Kurama?"

"I asked how you managed to cook all this and how you how to cook it"

" Oh. Well, um… I just did. It is a gift, kinda. Also, I had to care for my mum, which included cooking for her so she wouldn't spend all of her paycheck on some random fast food place. Back when she was…slightly less drunk than now, we were having a small dinner party for her boss and his wife. But half an hour before they arrived, she passed out from drinking too much. So I had to clean house, make up an excuse for her, put her to bed, and cook dinner. So I pulled out a cookbook and made a three-course dinner. Even though they believed mom had been struck by a one-day sickness, they stayed for dinner and we talked. In the end, mom was promoted. She, of course, got drunk and quit her job three weeks later. I was only twelve at the time. I enjoyed cooking so much that I pursued it in school, thinking that it could become a career. Well, that was before now, anyhow."

"Wow," said Yusuke, actually pausing from gorging himself to listen, " But we don't have any cookbooks. How'd ya make all this?"

" From memory, but I always add my own special touch."

" That is quite an accomplishment, Mariko," complimented Kurama.

" Yes," agreed Hiei with a fleeting smile, causing everyone to stare at him with big eyes and open mouths.

" Whoa. Did Hiei just compliment Mariko?" teased Yusuke, " And he honored you with a smile, too. You must feel special." Mariko leaned forward with a devil's smile and evil twinkling eyes.

"More than you'll ever know, Yusuke, more than you'll ever know."

After dinner

Somehow all of the girls managed to convince the boys to clear the table. They were trying to hand wash the dishes, but after the first three crashes, Mariko ushered them out and began on dish duty. Hiei hovered for a few minutes, but Mariko whispered some soft words, quickly kissed him on the cheek, and shooed him out to go watch the movie with everyone else.

As she cleaned and dries the tableware, the uneasy feeling intensified. A burning in the back of her skull came and went with sharp memories of pain and longing to run as far away as she could. Finally, she put down her dishcloth and bent down with her wrists resting on the edge of the sink and her forehead resting on the cabinet doors beneath the sink. Images flashed through her mind like mini-movies. Dizziness overtook her and she collapsed to the ground, clutching her head. After a few tormenting moments, the feeling passed and she stood again.

Smiling shakily, she convinced herself that it was just the flu and nothing more. Promising to herself that she would head to bed as soon as she was finished, she sank her hands into the hot, soapy lather. Soon all the dishes were clean and sparkling. Smiling happily at her completed task, she untied her apron and hung it up. As she put it away, she heard a floorboard creak behind her. She smiled as she reached to start to put the dishes into the cabinet.

" Ha!" she thought, giggling to herself, " Hiei is trying to creep up on me, like he did before dinner. Well, I'll just play along…for now!"

Not turning around, she pretended to be completely oblivious. Mariko picked u pa plate and waited. Ice cold, slender fingers rested on her neck. The plate slipped from her grasp and crashed to the ground, breaking into a million different pieces. She stiffened, a chill making its way down her spine. With a horrifying start, she knew that the one behind her was defiantly not Hiei.

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