A/N: This is definitely OOC for Hiei, but I wrote this because I got a thing for angst. And whatever Hiei Fangirls are reading this will probably go "Awwwww", and that's my purpose here… :shrugs: Originally, this was going to be an all-out wangst session complete with loud sobbing and possible self-inflicted injuries. Thank god it didn't turn out like that… o.o Please read and review; I'm sorry it's so short!

5. Adventure Into Loneliness – The Aching Heart of a Fire Demon

Hiei and Kuwabara had decided to stay at Kuwabara's house, which was, for the most part, unharmed by the earthquake. The two of them sat around in the living room; Hiei on the couch and Kuwabara on the floor.

"So… what do you think we should do?" Kuwabara asked Hiei.

Hiei didn't reply. He just stared out the window behind Kuwabara.

"I mean, seriously, since we're the last two guys on Earth, don't you think we should do something to try and… I dunno… save it or something?"

Again, Hiei said nothing.

"But without any girls, we can't save it! Darn it! Why were we left on Earth?" Kuwabara rambled, pounding the floor with his fist.

Hiei rolled his eyes and looked the other way.

"Hey, punk, why won't you talk to me?" Kuwabara asked angrily, grabbing the front of Hiei's cape and shaking him.

Hiei's eye twitched. "Did it every occur to you that maybe I don't want to talk to an idiot like you?" he growled. "Let me go!"

Kuwabara released his grip on Hiei, who glared at him, then sped off to shut himself into the guest bedroom.

"What is your problem?" Kuwabara shouted after him. "I just wanted to talk!"

Hiei leaned back against the wood paneling of the door and sighed. Baka… Why can't he leave me alone? He stared around the guest bedroom and looked for something to occupy his mind. Finding nothing, he sat down at the desk and stared out the window.

A clear, pale blue sky stared back at him from the window. The sun was shining brightly; no clouds were visible. The view of the neighbors' houses was blocked by a giant tree in the way. Hiei sighed again. The tree reminded him of Kurama and his plants.

Stop it, why are you even thinking about him? he asked himself. I don't care that he's gone! I don't care that Yusuke's gone! I don't care that anyone's gone! I don't care! Though in his heart, he knew that wasn't true. He did care that they were gone, and he missed them. After all they had been through, it was hard not to get attached to the Spirit Detective Team.

He laid his head down on the smooth, cold surface of the desk and frowned. He saw a tiny speck of eraser dust in the corner of it and thought of Kurama again. Stupid bookworm fox… he muttered. Why did you leave? Why did you all leave and get me stuck here with that idiot Kuwabara! He groaned and unstuck his face from the desk. This is stupid… he thought to himself. Why am I letting their absence get to me? I've always been alone, and why should I be… missing… the others?

He looked at himself in the mirror near the desk. You're Jaganshi Hiei, and you don't need anybody, he told himself. But the eyes that stared back at him told him something different. The normally cold, indifferent, scarlet eyes were expressing some emotion formerly unknown to him – loneliness. Perhaps it was being with the person he hated most that made him want to see his other friends more. Hiei tore his eyes away from the mirror and sat laid down on the bed. Staring at the blank, white ceiling, he finally said aloud the thought in the back of his mind—

"I miss them…"

NEXT TIME – THE BANISHED DRAGON'S TALE – ORIGIN OF JIUSENKI'S EVIL PLOT!

Reviewer Responses!

Izandria Johnson: Yep. I have no idea how I thought of putting them in a bird… / I don't even want to remember… :sweatdrop: Well, since this fic is already written (I wrote it at least a year ago), the only thing that needs to be done to it are the spelling/grammar revisions and a few dialogue changes. That's why I update so quickly. :) Thanks for the review!

Animefouryou: Thanks for the review!

Zelia Theb: Actually, I never even thought about Puu at the time I wrote this. They're not really of the same species, but now that you mention it, it sort of makes sense. The bird-thingy (it has a name later on) is like a pufferfish that flies, if that description made any sense at all… o.O; I can't even remember how Koto ends up in this fic; I wrote it so long ago… So I guess it'll be a surprise for me, too, to see what happens to her! Thank you very much for the review!

--crazykitsune17--