(8-27-05) Thank you everyone for your reviews! Bothof us appreciate it uber muchly (a lot). So, without further delay (another thing that's not my usual style, I know...), here's chapter two... which I almost totally forgot to post... Oops!

CHAPTER TWO

When Seimigaku woke, he found himself strapped uncomfortably to a chair with a very irritated Jaganshi staring at him. He smiled, feeling the pain of the split lip and black eyes he'd been given. "So, to what do I owe this honor?" he purred.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. He had removed the ward over his jagan, but kept it closed, to talk with this demon. "I want information and you will give it to me, one way or the other."

Seimigaku laughed, "Oh, is that so, Jaganshi?" He attempted to make himself more comfortable in the chair. "I don't think so. At least, not until I get what I want."

"You're not getting Kurama."

"That's not all I want, Jaganshi." His fingers reached for his cloak, where he hid more vials, searching for one that could possibly help him. His eyes flicked to the side as he searched.

Hiei noticed the small movement and brought his katana to Seimigaku's throat. "You'll be lucky to survive if you don't answer my questions," he growled out. Seimigaku actually paled and nodded. "Where is the antidote?"

"There isn't one." The katana pressed more firmly into his throat and he hurried to continue, "It was experimental. All I was sure of was that it'd work only on kitsune. I wasn't sure what it'd do."

"How long does it last?"

"About a day, I think." More pressure at his neck, "I haven't tested it on anyone else before, but the compounds degenerate in 72 hours and I made it 48 hours ago."

"If there are lasting side effects, you will not live long enough to apologize," the koorime promised. Seimigaku swallowed visibly and nodded. "By the way, we cleaned out your cloak and your hair. There are no more vials on you at all." Hiei's smile was as sharp as his blade as he left the room. When the door closed behind him, he could hear the druggist swearing.

With a sigh, the koorime walked into Koenma's office where the others were watching the proceedings on the large monitor. Kurama was pacing the room restlessly, her turns almost, but not quite, balanced, far off his normal grace. Yusuke was pointedly not watching the kitsune, though he tracked her movements out of the corner of his eye. Kuwabara was in the far corner, looking as if he was trying to stay out of Kurama's line of sight. Koenma sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the surface before him.

"He's telling the truth," Hiei announced when he entered the room, replacing the ward over his jagan. He walked over to the desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from and began quickly writing down a complex chemical formula, ignoring the god's protest. "That's what he gave Kurama. Find a cure," he ordered, pushing the paper in Koenma's hands. Hiei stalked over to the detective, "Go home." He looked over to Kuwabara, "You, too." The taller of the two moved quickly, Yusuke taking one last not look at Kurama before following. Koenma left to take the formula to the lab personally. Hiei stood in his friend's path, forcing her to stop her agitated motion.

"Hiei," Kurama began, only to be cut off by the koorime.

"I know a place where we can go and not be disturbed. Call your mother, let her know you're okay."

"But, I'm not, and my voice sounds different."

"Not that different, just a little higher, and she doesn't need to know you're not okay. You will be."

Kurama was ready to protest, until she looked more carefully at the determined set of Hiei's jaw and eyes. Bowing her head and hoping for the best, she sighed, "Thank you, Hiei." Bringing her eyes up, "Why?"

"Hn," was going to be the extent of his answer until he saw the uncertainty in the kitsune's green eyes. "You're my friend, Kurama. You have been for a long time. Is this not what friends do?"

Kurama's face relaxed into a small smile, "Yes, you're right, Hiei. Thank you."

The two walked out of the office and to a portal that led to a park not far from Kurama's house. They were in a secluded portion of the park, surrounded by trees on all sides, almost impenetrable bushes ringing the small clearing. Far off, the voices of laughing children could be heard faintly. It was cool and shaded in the clearing, and secluded. Kurama looked around and she could see the small signs of the koorime's presence in the trees. A few of them held small bundles that, to a normal observer, would look natural, but to her eyes, were supplies and creature comforts. This was Hiei's home in the Ningenkai, Kurama understood. Suddenly feeling shy, she blushed and looked down, "Thank you, Hiei, for bringing me here."

Hiei didn't answer, unused to his long time companion's awkwardness. His eyes traveled the curves that had replaced the graceful lines he'd watched in battle so many times before. Here, before him, was his friend, someone he trusted, he knew so well they could predict each others' moves in battle, forming a seamless team. But, this was also not his friend any more. His Kurama did not loose his temper. His Kurama did not cry. His Kurama did not have ovaries!

"Hiei?" the kitsune's voice called softly, pulling him from his thoughts. Red met green silently and Kurama continued, "What are you thinking?"

The koorime considered the question and questioner. Kurama's voice was full of….worry…concern…anxiety…things that did not trouble the confident thief. "It doesn't matter," he answered, looking away. How could he tell this…girl that he wanted his friend back?

Kurama wanted to argue, wanted to press the point, but she knew that if she did, she would not be acting like herself. Not that she had been acting like herself since…well…since it happened. She was emotional, irrational. She forced a smile, "When you're ready, tell me, okay?" 'There, that was almost normal,' she thought desperately, fighting the doubt that was threatening to drown her. Sighing, she fell to her knees on the ground, "What if….?"

"Kurama," Hiei broke in, almost wincing when the fox's broken eyes met his, "I told you, you put too much credence in your dreams and we would work this out. Koenma is working on an antidote as we speak. You will be fine."

"But..." She knew it was out of character for her to be so upset and weak, so doubtful. But she had an excuse.

"Try to look on the bright side," Hiei said. Kurama felt amused hearing those words from Hiei of all people. He'd expect to hear something like that from Yusuke.

"What do you know about the bright side? There is no bright side to this," the redhead muttered miserably. Hiei said nothing, then,

"If you keep thinking like that, you'll start crying. You look like you're about to anyways."

"Thanks, Hiei," the girl snapped. But the anger dissipated at the look on Hiei's face. He looked almost upset.

"I don't want to see you cry, Fox."

"Hiei..." She knew she shouldn't, but she flung her arms around her small friend. Hiei stiffened, then slowly relaxed. It wouldn't be a very good show of friendship to shove this girl away. She was still Kurama. Just...different. Besides...he wasn't entirely sure he didn't like it. He hesitantly put on arm gently around the girl's slim waist.

They sat like that for a few minutes, until Kurama started trembling.

"Kurama?" Hiei asked. His shoulder, he abruptly realized, was becoming wet. "Kurama, don't cry."

The redhead sniffled. "I'm scared."

Hiei didn't like hearing those words from his normally calm and collected friend. "Don't be," he muttered. He didn't really know what to do. Considering his disposition, it was a very rare thing that he was required to offer comfort to anyone. The only person he would bother with was Kurama. But, now that he was expected to console his friend, he didn't know how. So he just wrapped his arms around Kurama and held his female body close.

"Thank you Hiei... I-I know this must be awkward... For you, I mean... I don't mean to impose..."

"You're not. Just relax."

The stress of that day was taking its toll on Kurama, and before she could stop himself, she was asleep in Hiei's arms.

Hiei held his friend for about an hour before Kurama woke up. The redhead nuzzled against the warm body, smiling. Then she remembered. Sitting bolt upright, the fox's hands went to her chest as green eyes surveyed the female body. A little sigh escaped her lips.

"It wasn't just a dream this time," she muttered. Hiei said nothing. Kurama looked to the small Koorime. "You're still here."

"...Yes. I'm still here...I live here."

Kurama glanced around and blushed. "Oh yeah. I-I meant...you stayed. You didn't leave me here while I slept."

"Of course not. You can't defend yourself."

Green eyes locked on the grass. "Don't remind me." Hiei quickly reached out and tipped up his friend's chin.

"Look at me, Kurama. Don't start crying again."

"I'm trying Hiei. I really am. But... Well, even you know human females are far more emotional... They can't help it. So... Neither can I..."

"Just don't think about it then."

"How can I not!"

Good point. So Kurama needed a distraction.

Hiei's first few solutions were instantly ruled out. After a few minutes of silence, he stood up. "Let's take a walk."

"A walk? Why?"

"It'll do you good." He bent and grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her to her feet. Green eyes stared at him, still not quite understanding, but a light shrug signaled to Hiei that there were no major objections. Keeping a hold on the delicate wrist, Hiei led the way out of their seclusion.

Kurama seemed to be doing better with balance than before. She wasn't graceful, but at least she wasn't stumbling anymore. As their slow pace took them closer to the more public part of the park, they could hear children laughing and people talking. It occurred to Kurama that the clothes she was wearing were his Chinese-style fighting outfit. And it didn't look half bad on him as a girl.

Kurama had to admit, stretching her legs and getting a change of scenery was nice. The people they passed hardly cast them a second glance. He supposed that was normal. To them, it looked like he was just a girl walking with her... little brother? …boyfriend? A smile touched her lips at that.

A whistle caught the attention of both demons. Kurama glanced in the direction it had come from and caught sight of a group of teenage boys heading in their direction.

"Hey, sexy thang," one drawled out. Hiei instantly went rigid, ready to rip out their organs at the slightest hint of trouble. "Why don't you ditch this little speck and come with us?"

The guy's arm snaked around an obviously horrified Kurama's waist. That, in Hiei's mind, was plenty of reason for blood to be spilled. But the guy's friends stepped between him and Kurama before he got the chance to rip out any organs.

"Hiei!" Kurama yelped.

"I don't have time for this," Hiei growled. He took care of the stupid guy's friends with a few quick blows, then grabbed the offender himself and jerked his arm off Kurama's body and slammed it up behind his back, making him scream in pain.

"Hiei..." the redhead whispered, then cringed as said fire demon wrenched the guy's arm up and there was an audible crack.

"This was a bad idea," Hiei stated calmly. Then, quieter to Kurama, "Sorry."

Kurama was aghast. And she didn't understand why she was so. Normally, this wouldn't have affected her. Normally, she reminded herself, this wouldn't have happened. It was too much. Her brain complained at the overload. "Let's just go somewhere, Hiei." Her voice was strained and she could see the flicker of something behind the koorime's eyes. She felt she had to say something, "I'm not mad, but just let's go." With that, she reached out and grabbed Hiei's hand and began walking rapidly away from the fallen group of boys. Walking as quickly as the still awkward body would allow, Kurama's eyes scanned the streets for someplace….she wasn't entirely sure where, only someplace that would get them off the streets. Her eyes saw a small coffee shop and she aimed for that. A mental inventory revealed enough money in the pockets of the pants to allow them both to get a sandwich and a drink. Food would be a good thing, the kitsune's mind allowed.

"Hungry?" Kurama asked as they waited to cross the street. She took the fire demon's grunt as assent and continued to the shop when the light changed. At the door, she suggested, "Why don't you find us a seat and I'll order?"

Hiei moved off into the maze of rooms. The coffee shop had once been a house that had been converted by removing almost all the doors. Tables and well used stuffed chairs were scattered through out the rooms. There were a few other people in the café, some reading, some using their laptops as they sipped on drinks. Hiei selected a table as far away from the rest of the patrons as possible and waited for the kitsune to join him.

His eyes traced his friend's progress across the room, pleased to note that the other patrons, for the most part, ignored the redhead. With a smile, Kurama placed a plain white cup in front of the koorime, "It's a white chocolate mocha. I have the same. I hope you like it."

Hiei sniffed at the drink. He could smell coffee, so he guessed mocha meant coffee of some kind. Slowly, he took a sip, the bitter sweet fluid warming his mouth. The drink was some how more substantial than water or tea, heavier in his mouth, but pleasant. He swallowed and allowed the corners of his mouth to relax slightly as he took another sip. Kurama smiled and began drinking her own mocha.

Silently, they enjoyed each other's company and their drinks until their sandwiches arrived. This brought another round of explanations from the kitsune. "I ordered you a roast beef sandwich. I got a vegetarian. I hope you like it." Kurama felt awkward as Hiei continued to watch her every movement. While they'd been drinking, it hadn't been that big a deal, but now, she felt strangely shy about eating. "Hiei, is it okay?"

"No, it's not okay," Hiei returned, his voice containing a trace of bitterness.

"I'm sorry. I'll get you another sandwich." Kurama began to stand.

"That's not what I meant, Fox." Kurama paused, looking at Hiei. The koorime made no effort to elaborate.

Kurama sat again, "Please, tell me what you mean, Hiei."

Uncharacteristically, the petite fire demon sighed. This caught Kurama's attention even more than the bitterness had. She could see the internal struggle going on behind the red eyes and waited until her friend reached a conclusion. After a long moment, Hiei began, "Tell me how you met Seimigaku and whatever else you know about him."

This wasn't what Kurama was expecting. Frowning a moment to collect her thoughts, she began, "I was looking for a treasure that was rumored to be in the Seiyaku region when I first ran into the Yakubutsuranyou gang. Seimigaku was their leader. He was fascinated by my ability to control plants and asked me to join him. I had only heard a little about the Yakubutsuranyou gang, so I decided to see if they'd be worth my time. That is when I saw some of his experiments and decided firmly against joining him, but he pursued me while I was in the Seiyaku region. He had several midclass demons watching my every move, and every time I took one out, there would be three more to take its place. I finally managed to get away by hiding myself in a seed pod of the Uchoutengai tree. It's a rather large seed pod, as I'm sure you know. I was there almost a month. He would come twice a day and make either a lewd proposition or request that I grow a plant for him." Kurama smiled wryly, "I know I have a reputation, but I didn't sleep with everything within reach. He disgusted me with his demands and his hobbies." The redhead shrugged a shoulder, "If he hadn't been so demanding, then…" A blush crept across her cheeks, "I'm sorry, Hiei."

"What is it to me that you found him attractive?" But, somehow, Hiei felt it was something to him. "What else?"

"That's all. I don't think he ever managed to drug me. I grew my own food while there and wouldn't take anything from him."

"What do you think he wants from you now?"

The kitsune shrugged, "I don't know."

"Maybe we should ask him," a familiar voice spoke up from behind the redhead.

She jumped, turning and reaching for her hair instinctively. "Yusuke!" her voice whined when she identified the speaker. She turned to see Hiei relaxing from a defensive stance, relieved that she wasn't the only one to be caught off guard.

The tantei grinned, "You two can be hard to track down, you know. I was about to give up and send Botan after you, but I figured I'd try one more place and here you are."

Hiei growled, "What do you want?" He didn't like how the detective's eyes seemed to become subject to gravity around his kitsune. 'Wait, what the hell? My kitsune?'

"Hey, don't blame me," the dark haired boy held up his hands in protest. "Koenma sent me. He said he has something important to tell us." He noticed the narrowing of the koorime's eyes and hurried on, "That's all he'd tell us, we asked!"

"Fine, we'll be there when we've finished our lunch, Detective."

"Hiei," Kurama began softly, only to fall silent at the look in the red eyes. There was something else on Hiei's mind and he wanted to discuss it in the relative privacy and anonymity of the café.

Yusuke looked ready to say something and seemed to change his mind, "I'll tell him that. See ya soon." He turned on his heel and left the café quickly, not wanting to push Hiei's patience anymore than he had to. While he'd beaten the fire demon once before, it hadn't been easy and he did not want to repeat the task now that they were…friends.

Kurama watched Hiei as he picked up his sandwich and took a bite of the thick sandwich. The koorime's eyes were averted and troubled. After a moment, he looked over at the kitsune, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"What else did you want to discuss, Hiei?" she asked as she picked up her sandwich and took a delicate bite out of one corner.

Hiei's mind turned, trying to figure out how to phrase his thoughts. He'd always been closer to Kurama than to anyone else he'd associated with and didn't know what to think of the strange feelings the kitsune's vulnerability and reliance on him brought about. It felt…good, almost, to be needed. He did miss his friend's stability and confidence, but this need was appealing to some part of his nature. 'If only he looked like himself and could rely on me….What the hell am I thinking?' Absently, he shook his head to clear his thoughts before talking to the kitsune. "You told me of two other dreams that you've had that have come true. Were they all?"

"Yes, that I can remember."

A frown began to grace the koorime's lips, "I see." He thought a moment more, but could think of no way to ask what he really wanted to know. "Eat," he ordered and turned his attention to his sandwich, eating it mechanically.

Kurama was confused and beginning to feel hurt. He could see so much more going on behind the koorime's eyes. He wished the little demon would just open up and tell him what he was thinking. 'Maybe it's because I'm not myself anymore…' she thought sadly.

"Kurama," Hiei's voice broke into the redhead's thoughts, and green eyes came up to meet red. "It is not because of you." The kitsune gave the koorime a confused look. The corners of Hiei's mouth twitched slightly, "You're forgetting I'm a jaganshi, aren't you, kitsune?"

"No, I just didn't think you'd use it on me," Kurama tried to sound indignant. Her eyes showed surprise and, hidden in the depths, pleasure.

"Hn."

"Are there other secrets you're keeping from me, Hiei?" Curiosity drove the fox to ask.

"If I told you, then they wouldn't be secrets."

Kurama was surprised at this rejoinder. Hiei was playing with her. Could the day get any stranger? "Since when do you play word games?"

"Hn."

'If that's the way it's going to be…' "Oh, so you're limited to one intelligent retort? How long should I wait to hear the next? A day? A week?" A vulpine grin graced the fair lips.

"Eat, Fox, or I'll drag you back to the Reikai without finishing your sandwich."

Kurama's eyebrows went up at this. Was Hiei playing? As much as he'd been teased, it was time the koorime fought back. "Wouldn't want that. Might have me fainting all over from hunger," the redhead responded.

"And then I'd be stuck trying to carry your sorry ass all over."

"Oh, definitely don't want that. I'd end up with a concussion and scrapes on my knees."

"Keep it up, Fox, and you may just get a concussion anyway."

"What, no scrapes on my knees? I'm disappointed." Kurama's face took on an expression of something resembling wounded innocence and carnal desire…a pout.

Hiei growled, fighting his response to the expression, "Eat."

Kurama smiled triumphantly, feeling she'd won this round with the taciturn demon. Her feeling of joy was quickly replaced by anxiety. Had she pushed things too far? Anxiously, she looked over to Hiei. "Just eat, Fox." The koorime's voice was almost gentle, more how he normally spoke. Kurama was relieved and quickly finished her lunch while Hiei waited.

As they exited the café, they saw the boys from the park who'd tried to pick up on Kurama. Apparently, they didn't learn anything from the first encounter. The leader walked up to her again, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Hey, sweetheart, why don't you ditch this shrimp and come see what a real man is like."

Maybe they had learned something, as the guy's friends had grabbed Hiei's arms. Of course, the koorime had allowed this. He was still reading Kurama's mind and could see the fox had a plan.

"A real man, hmmm," the kitsune purred, running one hand up the guy's chest and to his neck, green eyes tracing the path the hand took. Slender fingers traced around the neck and before he knew it, the guy was having serious difficulty breathing. "I know what a real man is like, and trust me, you are nothing resembling a real man. Back off, asshole!" With that, the idiot found his back firmly meeting the wall of the café.

Hiei took this as his cue and drew his hangers-on together viciously, causing their heads to impact with their opposite. They fell down, woozy with concussions.

Kurama walked over to Hiei and looked the leader, who somehow remained conscious, "I know what a real man is, bastard, and you are not one. He is!" With this, Kurama brought her lips to Hiei's and tangled her fingers in the wild hair.

Hiei's eyes went wide in shock. He didn't know what to do. His mind short-circuited and he couldn't respond, couldn't react. After a moment, he finally managed to return some of the pressure on his mouth, feebly returning the kiss as his eyes slowly returned to their normal size. Before they could begin closing, however, the kitsune pulled back. "We have to go, Hiei."

Without a backwards glance, the two demons walked quickly back to the portal. When they were almost there, Kurama muttered softly, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" the word was out before Hiei could stop it.

"I shouldn't have forced anything on you."

The answer was wrong. "That's not what I meant. Why did you do it?"

The two stopped just shy of the portal, turning to face each other. Kurama blushed deeply and avoided looking directly at Hiei. Hiei allowed this, allowed the kitsune to gather her thoughts, to explain. He merely waited.

"I…I guess it's because I wanted to, Hiei." Green eyes continued to avoid red ones. "I wanted to…I wanted to kiss you, and…but…I wasn't sure how you'd react…and…"

Hiei couldn't take anymore stammering. Grasping Kurama's shoulders, he brought the girl's lips down to his and kissed her. It only took the fox a second to get over the surprise before her eyes drifted shut and she returned it.

After a minute, Hiei pulled away reluctantly. "We should go, Fox."

"Go? Oh… Right." She smiled a little and followed Hiei through the portal, feeling considerably better.

A/N: As we said, this is off our normal style. We just wanted to see if we could do it. Please don't yell at us about how we've abandoned our normal flair…Shadow still is writing her O/C's…hColleen is still writing…well…most of what she writes can't be posted here. hColleen was just given a random idea and asked Shadow to help her work on it since humor and action are more difficult for her. Shadow was kind and wonderful enough to agree and this story is the result. It stands alone, apart from the rest of our body of work, as its own little piece, and we hope you enjoy it that way :D