(August 18, 2005) YAY! 103 reviews on THREE chapters!
...I'm totally braindead right now. I've been reading hColleen's stories for the past two hours... The ones that will not be found on this site... And I'm kind of having a... stupid moment... I just feel like... sitting here and... staring off into space... with a stupid smile on my face, and my head lolling to one side cuz I don't want to use my neck muscles to hold it up... And... I think... I need to wander around the house in utter confusion for a whileuntil my brain returns to its regularly scheduled programming...
Okay... Let's see... So... Yeah... Hopefully you've noticed about this story... Each chapter title is a lesson that Shadow and or Eclipse does not adhere to in that particular chapter...

CHAPTER FOUR
Lesson Four: Loyalty is a Virtue

Kurama was lounging around after lunch, half-watching some TV show and half-reading a book and half not doing either. Hiei had been outside, doing God knows what (he does that a lot lately), but came back in with half a shirt and covered in sweat. The redhead barely spared him a questioning glance when he came into the living room with a bottle of ice water and plopped down heavily onto the couch beside him. There was silence for a few minutes as Hiei chugged the water, then he glanced at Kurama.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Nothing," the fox answered, amused by how childish Hiei had sounded.

"Oh." He sank back into the couch and there was more silence, then he asked, "So, how are you and Eclipse doing, anyways?"

Now he spared his friend a questioning glance. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

Hiei shrugged. "I figured you'd be driven insane by her. She's worse than Shadow, far as I can tell, and you, with all your calmness and intelligence, don't seem the type to have a split-personality psychotic slob of a girlfriend."

"Glad you think so highly of her, Hiei."

"Hey, well-"

"It's true, though. She is psychotic. But not so much that it's intolerable. Believe it or not, she's actually really sweet sometimes."

"Sometimes."

"What about you and Shadow?"

"What about us?"

"How is your relationship progressing?"

"It's progressing," Hiei said, smirking, and by his tone of voice it was obvious he meant sexually, and that he was very happy with it.

"Oh?" Kurama said, chuckling.

"I won't trouble you with details."

"They're not trouble."

"Fine, I'll rephrase it: 'The details are none of your business.'"

Kurama laughed a little.

"But... It is kind of nice to not have her around all the time," Hiei admitted.

"Really? Is she that annoying?"

"No, but... I've lived with her for years now... I've kind of gotten used to never having privacy or peace and quiet around her. But it's nice that now I can. I wish it were under different circumstances, of course. I'm not saying it's a good thing she was kidnapped by a gay vampire wannabe, but not having her appear out of nowhere every time I'm near the door, demanding I tell her where I'm going, what I'm doing, and when I'll be back, is kinda nice."

"I can't imagine living with Eclipse." He groaned. "I'd pull out my hair."

Hiei laughed. "Yeah, I can feel the love, fox."

"I love her, but... Well, part of it is Youko."

"Oh yeah. I forgot all about him."

'Oh, thanks a lot, Hiei... Yeah, he loves me so much, Shuichi, I can tell.'

'Oh, shove it.'

'Yeah. You love me too. Jerk.' He went back to sulking.

"He constantly pesters me when I'm alone with her. You don't even want to know some of the things he tells me to do."

"I can imagine."

"Yes... Then there's her. If I lived with her... She'd have to burn off her psychotic habits elsewhere, because if she was around me 24/7 bouncing off the walls, I'd probably let Youko chain her up and do all kinds of weird things to her, just so I could have some time alone."

Hiei snickered. "God, you psycho."

"What?"

"So is there anything you like about her?"

"Of course there is. I said I love her, didn't I?"

"Yes. So why?"

"She's intelligent. Pretty. Funny. Strong. Outspoken."

"Outspoken," Hiei repeated, snickering. "Damn straight she is."

"Sometimes it's bad... We were walking together once on the street, and there were a few little boys... They came running up from behind us, and one of them ran into her accidentally. He was probably twelve or so, but he was heavy, y'know? So I managed to keep her from killing him, but she screamed obseneties and something like, 'I hope you get hit by a car! But it would probably do more damage to the car, you fat little freak! Respect your god-damned elders!'"

"Shadow's done worse."

"God. Dare I ask?"

"Pull a knife and threaten some innocent bystander for breathing too loud... I think he sneezed or something... She exploded on him and told him how exactly she would like to carve out his brain with that knife, and went into detail of how the brains would look when she'd butchered them and flung them all over the street... How his flesh would look after she'd chopped it up..."

"For sneezing!"

"Yep."

"Wow, that is awful."

"Then there's her list of foreign obseneties, the weasels, the doom..."

"Eclipse teleports..."

"Shadow melted... once..."

"Niiice..."

"She's totally obsessed with sex."

"That's not so bad, is it?"

"Sometimes. Okay, so it's not bad very often. But sometimes it's bad. She tends to be a little disloyal."

"Shadow? My God. How so?"

"She hits on every attractive guy she sees. She touches them, and seduces them if they have something she wants."

"Like what?"

"Money. Clothes. Jewelry. Shiny things. She seduced the crap out of this bouncer at a rave she wanted to get into..."

"She went to a rave?"

"Well she was only going so she could dance like a skank in public. She's underage and wasn't on the guest list, so she had to seduce him.. Once he got over his drooling, he found her and tossed her out on her ass... But she'd got his wallet, so she wasn't totally bummed."

"When was this?"

Hiei shrugged. "It was kind of funny, actually."

They were both quiet for a moment, then Kurama chuckled, shaking his head. Hiei looked at him curiously. "What?"

"I never imagined I'd ever be in this situation."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking to you, Hiei, about our relationships. The fact that you're in a relationship is the first odd thing."

"Thanks, fox."

"Sorry. The fact that we're discussing it, you know, like normal humans might. That's the second odd thing."

"You being in a relationship is weird too," Hiei pointed out, almost accusingly.

"Yes, it is."

"You being in a relationship with Eclipse is insane, not weird."

"I could say the same about you and Shadow. But I think you two are a great couple."

"Why? Neither of us really understands the other-"

"There is no understanding Shadow. Don't blame yourself."

"She acts like she's two years old, and according to her, I act like a 'stuffy old man' sometimes."

"I haven't seen you act like a stuffy old man in months!" Kurama protested.

"You don't live with me."

"...You have a point. Why does she say that?"

Hiei shrugged. "Because I'm not always as energetic as she is. And because I need alone time sometimes."

"Doesn't she ever need to be alone?"

"Yeah... Not very often, though, and it never seems to coincide with the times I want to be alone. And when she wants to be alone, I know about it. Either she just kind of... vanishes... or she explodes on me when I walk into the room."

Kurama chuckled. "But even with all these problems, would you rather live alone than stay here with her?"

"No," Hiei admitted with a sigh. "And she's dead set on going to America with you and Eclipse when you guys leave, so I guess I'm going to America as well."

"I don't know how well that would work, though," Kurama said. "We have an American family to stay with. Eclipse and I have started exchanging emails with the oldest boy... He seems nice. But I doubt the family would want to board you and Shadow. Especially when they met her."

"Then we'll find a hotel or something. She always finds a way to get what she wants, if she tries hard enough."

"I guess you're going to America, then." He smiled. "It's probably a good thing. I would hate to have to leave you behind with only Yusuke and Kuwabara."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be fun," Hiei muttered sarcastically. He sighed, and after a pause said, "I'm hungry."

"You missed lunch," Kurama informed him helpfully.

"Damn. Any leftovers?"

"Yusuke stayed for lunch."

"That's a no. And I don't suppose you'd be so kind as to make me something, would you? I'm awfully tired from training all those hours this morning... If I strain myself too much more on an empty stomach, I might get faint."

Kurama tried to suppress laughter, giving Hiei something of a quizzical look, but in the end laughter won out. After a few seconds, he calmed down. "Well we can't have you getting faint from the terrible strain of making yourself lunch, now can we?"

"Definitely not," the smaller demon agreed.

"I think you're taking advantage of my kindness, Hiei," Kurama said, standing up. The fire demon instantly flopped down onto his side on the couch where Kurama had just been laying.

"No way, I'm definitely on the edge of consciousness," he said, yawning. The redhead just snorted.

"If I make you lunch and find you asleep when I get back here, your lunch will be on your face."

Hiei just dismissed him with a wave and a grin.

Shadow and Eclipse, meanwhile, were still chained to the wall in the dungeon of Karasu's freaky castle-lookin' thingy.

"Hey Eclipse..."

"Yes, Whore?"

"Thanks."

There was a pause. "What did you want?"

"... How are you and Kurama doing?"

"Me and Kurama? Fine... Why?"

"Oohhh, no reason, no reason atall!"

Eclipse narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "... Are you going to start interrogating me on my sex life again?"

"Again! When did I ever before?"

"When you were saying I want to suck him off and that I have wild, hot sex fantasies about him!"

"Oh... I don't think I ever said 'wild, hot' ones... Are they hot and wild?"

"They're wild and hot."

"WEH! But you said you didn't even have them!"

Eclipse eyes widened, then narrowed and darted around suspiciously. "I don't."

"Liar."

"What? Fine, if I have wild sex fantasies about Kurama, you have wild sex fantasies about Hiei!" She stuck out her tongue like that was some great victory.

"I actually get to live some of mine, you loser!"

"Ew! And I'm not a loser! I've never lost anything!"

"Your mind, for one!"

"Loser."

"I've never lost anything! Except my mind... and my virginity."

"YOU WHAT!"

"My MOUTH'S virginity! Not my virginity's virginity!"

"Ew, you freak with an impure mouth!"

"I like having an impure mouth, I'll have you know."

"That's gross. I don't want to know about your disgusting cock sucking adventures in the bedroom."

"What about the ones outside the bedroom?"

Eclipse eyes widened. "Ew! I'm never going in your house again! Where the hell do you do that shit!"

"ON THE FUCKIN' DINING ROOM TABLE!"

Eclipse screamed overdramatically and went limp in her shackles. Shadow started dancing.

"I killed her, I killed her, I killed her, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah."

"Shut up and die, you dirty whore!"

"I'm not dirty!"

"Fine, you dumb whore!"

"I'm not--Well..."

"HA! Loser!"

Shadow sighed. "I miss Hiei."

Eclipse sighed. "I miss Kurama."

"I'm gonna get out of here and I'm not gonna let go of him for two weeks."

"I'm gonna get out of here and I'm gonna... take a shower."

Shadow paused. "Ooh. That sounds good..." She grinned sinisterly. Eclipse glared.

"I'm gonna take my shower alone."

"Why?"

"Because... um... Kurama and I aren't to the... nudity part of our relationship."

"Loser."

"We've gone through this. I've never lost anything but my mind!"

"How does Kurama deal with you, anyways!" Shadow asked. "You're such a loser."

"He loves me, that's how! How does Hiei deal with you?"

"What's there to deal with? I'm a great person and we get along like the bestest buds."

"Oh, yeah, you get along just like that. From what I've seen, you're either touching each other in some way or you want nothing to do with each other."

"That's total shit."

"What? You have mood swings like, 'I love you Hiei' to 'GET AWAY AND LEAVE MY HOUSE AND FALL OFF A CLIFF AND DIE!'"

"I do not! I have never told Hiei to die! If he died, I'd die! But not before killing whoever was responsible."

"What if Kurama was responsible?"

"I'd kill him, then you could kill me for killing him and then you'd kill yourself because I kill him cuz he killed Hiei."

"Lots of death. That's nice."

"So, Eclipse... What's your favorite thing about Kurama?"

"My favorite?"

"We all know you don't care about his intelligence..."

"Yes I do! If he was some retard, like Hiei, I wouldn't want anything to do with him!"

"Hiei's not a retard, I totally resent that!"

"Hiei's more retarded than my beautiful Kurama!"

"Hiei's HOW OLD in comparison with your 'beautiful Kurama'? The guy hasn't even got a century in! Of course Kurama's bound to know more, he's got ten!"

"No he doesn't! You make him sound like an old man!"

"He is an old man," Shadow stated dryly. "He's like, a thousand!"

"No he's--Oh wait... Yes, he is." She looked annoyed for a moment, then thrashed angrily towards Shadow. "Well he doesn't LOOK it!"

"Oh, yes, yes, he's a beautiful old geezer, that's for certain."

"Well what about Hiei! He looks like a kid!"

"He does not! He looks like he's around our age! And what does Kurama look like, anyways? He looks like a kid, too!"

"At least he's not a midget!"

"HIEI'S NOT A MIDGET! HE'S THE SAME FREAKIN' HIEGHT AS YOU! Are you calling yourself a midget?"

"I'm a girl. What excuse does Hiei have for his midgety shortness?"

"Poor nutrition as a child. And heredity."

"Heredity!"

"Look at Yukina! She's shorter than him, so it must run in the family! Besides, it's not like it effects his life."

"It makes him midgety short!"

"I don't care. I like his height. And his goofy hair." She giggled. "It's all soft and pretty... Like a puppy. And his eyes... That beautiful shade of red..." A contented sigh escaped her as she gazed at some far-off point that no one else could see. Eclipse eyed her like she was standing there talking about how adorable protists are.

"Uh... yeah, okay... Freak."

Shadow snapped out of her reverie and glared. "What? Like you don't think of Kurama's hair and eyes? They're beautiful!"

"Whose! Hiei's or Kurama's?"

"Both!"

"I'll have you know that if I ever catch you thinking about Kurama's beauty again, I'll knock you out cold! You have a boyfriend, and it's not my Kurama!"

"Well good thing you can't read my mind, cuz let me tell you, I think about him all the freakin' time!"

Eclipse let out an indignant huff.

"Yeah! I secretly fantasize about fucking your boyfriend, Eclipse!" Shadow said angrily. "About running my fingers through his long, soft, silky hair! Gazing into his emerald eyes and seeing them filled with lust for me, me, me! Not you, you, you!"

"Well fine! Then I fantasize about Hiei! And his muscles! I just dream about touching his strong, toned chest! About feeling him push me down on YOUR bed and kiss me!"

Shadow screamed and thrashed dangerously, practically dislocating her arms. "I dream about Youko, and how sexy he is! How he could use those vines to tie me down on the bed and have his way with my body! Whip me so I scream! Oh, Youko, Youko! Gods, yes! Yes! Ahhh!"

Now it was Eclipse's turn to scream and fling herself around. "THAT'S SO SICK!"

"And he'd run his tongue up from my stomach to my mouth, kiss me with all the passion in the world, and drive his hard-"

"I GOT BETTER! I dream of Hiei and Kurama! TOGETHER!"

"You! You have a homosexual fetish, you freak!"

"Yeah! Oh, boy, I just long to see those two writhing together in bed, naked, moaning and--"

"Well I dream about Youko and--"

The door flew open and slammed into the wall. Shadow jumped and swung her head around to look at the door. Smiling, she chirped happily in greeting, "Karasu!"

"What the hell's going on in here? I've heard a lot of screaming!"

"You dream of Youko and KARASU?" Eclipse questioned, horrified.

Shadow, however, had already dismissed and forgotten their entire conversation. Instead, she smiled sweetly at the crow. "Karasu, darling, come here please."

He looked at her suspiciously, then at Kokuei, who could easily reach him if he approached the girl. Shadow noticed.

"Oh, she's not gonna hurt you. She actually likes you, in fact."

The dog was actually asleep. Or at least, rather looked like it. Shadow knew she wasn't.

"She likes me!"

"Yes. But that doesn't matter, Karasu." She smiled. "Come here. Please? Unchain me."

He walked over to her, but didn't touch her shackles. "Why should I unchain you?"

"Because..." she purred, keeping her eyes locked with his while her mind raced for some halfway acceptable reason. "I don't need to be chained up, dear. I'll behave myself if you let me out of these wretched shackles."

"How do I know you're not trying to trick me? You tricked Ryosei."

"Karasu! Your lack of trust in me is disheartening... I think I'm going to cry..." She sniffled, closing her eyes and dropping her head. To his surprise, she really did start crying.

"What are you crying about!" he asked, startled.

"You don't trust me! How long have I known you, and you still don't trust me!"

"It's not you... it's the situation! You're bound to try to escape... I mean..."

"I already tried that once! It didn't work! Why would I try again!" She sniffled. "I just want you to trust me... to love me..."

Karasu moved his mouth wordlessly for a few seconds before he sighed and stepped forward, unlocking her shackles and freeing her. She flung her arms around him.

"Thank you! You trust me!"

"I--mmph!" His words were cut off when she kissed him. Eclipse, who had been gaping with saucer-sized eyed the entire time anyways, let out a shriek at this.

"YOU'RE KISSING KARASU!"

Shadow ignored her as she turned and pushed Karasu against the wall, still not parting their lips and tongues.

"I THINK YOU REALLY FANTASIZE ABOUT KARASU, NOT KURAMA!"

Kokuei sat up and blinked placidly at the kissing pair. She let out one sharp bark, and a second later, Shadow slowly pulled back from the crow.

"I need to talk to you," she panted.

"Shall we go to my chambers?"

"Whatever works."

"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE MY SIGHT, SHADOW JAGANSHI! I'LL BE FORCED TO TELL HIEI YOU HAD SEX WITH KARASU IF YOU LEAVE FOR HIS BEDROOM RIGHT AFTER DOING THAT! RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"

Kokuei started barking. Shadow rounded on her friend. "Kokuei has a point! Keep your nose out of my business!"

The dog stopped abruptly. That's not what I said... she thought dejectedly. Shadow flashed her a grin that clearly stated, "I know that, but since Eclipse didn't, think of it as being for the benefit of our cause. What's our cause, you ask? Distracting Karasu from Kurama, of course. So I'm gonna take him upstairs and distract him a bit."

Yes, she said all of that in a grin. She's just that good.

Karasu led her out of the dungeon and back up to his chambers. They sat on the bed and she smiled at him.

"So... What purpose could you possibly have for demanding Kurama comes alone tomorrow night?"

"...I just want to talk to him, like a reasonable adult. But whenever that little rat Hiei is around, he gets all pissed and defensive when I get near Kurama."

"That, my dear crow, is because Hiei doesn't trust you."

"I know. So I have to talk to him... alone..."

Shadow stared. "You kidnapped us just so you could TALK to him!"

"No... I kidnapped you so I would have an advantage for him to consider when I talk to him."

"...Still trying to get him in bed with you, huh?"

He frowned.

"Honestly, Karasu. Go back to Makai for a while. There are beautiful people all over the place there. I've seen all kinds of them."

"But..."

"None as beautiful as Kurama, right? Didn't we already go through this?"

He sighed. "I think so."

"So, when Kurama comes tomorrow night, what are you going to do?"

"Talk to him."

"About?"

"About... How much I love him?"

"No. About how important his happiness is to you."

"His happiness? But I..."

"You want him to be happy, don't you?"

"To a degree, yes, of course I do!"

"To a degree!"

"I want him to be happy with me!"

Shadow sighed and fell back on the bed, flinging her arms out to the sides.

"What?" Karasu asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Karasu. It's just... You have to move past Kurama! I know you think you can't, but you can. Just try."

"Move past him to where!"

"To someone else. Why not Ryosei? He may not be as good as Kurama, but I think he's a very nice kid. He'd be a nice replacement, wouldn't he?"

"Ryosei isn't... He's... Well, I mean..."

"I get it; you can't love him because he's weak, he's probably not a masochist, and he's not Kurama."

"Well... yeah."

"Then just use him for a sex for a while and move on to the next guy! Come on, Karasu, you're above this simpering emotional shit!"

"So what are you saying now? I shouldn't care about Kurama's emotions? I should just take him whether he likes it or not? That's what I would have done before, so why shouldn't I now? You have a point, Shadow."

The girl's eyes widened. "I seem to be giving mixed messages." She sat up and moved onto Karasu's lap. "Look here. I want you to forget all about Kurama. Take him completely out of the equation. Kurama does not exist."

"But..."

"Kurama does not exist. And since he does not exist, you're going to fuck Ryosei to your heart's delight, then go to Makai, find the next elegable beauty, and fuck him to your heart's delight. Or, if you find it more appealing to kill him, then kill him. But the point is, I want Kurama gone from your equations. Never consider him again. He doesn't exist."

"Yeah... But..." His hands slid down her thighs and back up, his eyes locked on some point on the bed off to the side as he thought quietly. She let him think, straddling his lap, her arms around his neck.

She's such an unloyal whore.

"I have a lot to think about... Again," Karasu muttered. He looked at her. "Why are you being so nice?"

"Why? Because you're my friend, aren't you?"

"...I guess... I've never had friends."

Shadow smiled. "Most demons don't. But... Everyone should have friends. Even you." Her gentle smile turned into a big, goofy grin. After all, she can't be serious for more than two seconds. It's a major health hazard for her.

"If you say so." He laid back on the bed. They were quiet for a minute, then he looked up at her. "Shadow...?"

"Yes?"

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"What! You mean sleep with you? Or have sex with you?"

"You've already told me you won't have sex with me. I just want you to sleep with me."

"Um... Well... Er, as uh... tempting as it is... I really don't think I should... I mean... I can only be a disloyal whore to a certain degree... and 180 is past that degree. See what I'm saying?"

"I'm not asking anything more than that you stay with me..."

"I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who actually really dislikes you. And I have to be loyal to him. I love him. It'd just be wrong for me to sleep with you."

"But he won't find out, will he?"

Shadow made incoherent noises then finally managed, "He'd find out, yes. I wouldn't have to tell him, but he would find out."

Karasu looked away, seeming hurt. Shadow laid down on him.

"Don't take offense, Karasu. You're my friend, but Hiei hates you, and for me to sleep with you would really hurt him. I mean, for me to purposefully sleep with you, while I'm currently your hostage, you know? That would make it worse. So, if you want to get mad, get mad, but I can only be nice to you to a certain degree."

"No, I understand," he said. "It's probably better you're not that disloyal. It'd end up getting me killed. I should never have asked."

"Damn straight." She kissed his forehead gently and smiled. "So, are you gonna just dump me back in the dungeon?"

"You want to eat dinner with me?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Uh... sure, why not."

"I'll have Ryosei make something good. Then I'll put you back downstairs, but you won't have to be chained up. How does that sound?"

"Excellent." She smiled.

One more chapter left.

And also, if you hadn't noticed,this story, this chapter in particular, is kind of... I dunno... It's an attempt to establish the relationships between the two happy couples... Y'know? To show that not everything is hunky-dory all the time... Not that you all thought it was...

Just to say... Um... You guys are probably all gonna be po'ed at the end of this story... Then again, you might like it... Or, you might not... We'll see... I'll update again... Let's see, it's Thursday... We'll say Monday or Tuesday, whichever works best for me. :)