Hey, all I've been getting is crap. Then again I guess that means I'm producing crap. Maybe I should discontinue it. What do you think? Eva…

Chapter 4: Secrets

Kurama continued to walk along the path of cleared snow and ice the others lagged behind him. Hiei kept Touya at arms reach and wouldn't let him forget that he was being watched. Yukina walked on Hiei's left, she decided it would be best to listen to her brother.

"Hiei, why don't you join me up here. I'm sure Touya doesn't mean your sister any harm," Kurama suggested.

Hiei looked at the back of the kitsune's head.

"I don't trust him," Hiei replied.

"Very well."

Touya stared at the ground and walked a little further ahead. Yukina watched Hiei's eyes. Hiei really wouldn't let him out of his sight, not for one second. Touya eventually caught up to Kurama and leaned in.

"Sensei, we weren't going to do anything," Touya explained.

"I know but you shouldn't joke like that in front of Hiei. You'll just end up making him angry," Kurama retorted.

"Hiei," Yukina said quietly.

"What?"

"We were just kidding. Nothing would have happened," Yukina tried.

"Next time he might not be joking. Then what will you do? Don't trust him. The kitsune has always been to easy on him. Watch yourself," Hiei advised.

Yukina nodded. She had never though of it like that. She knew that her brother had only her best intrest in mind and he did want to protect her.

By noon they had reached the little ice village and entered Yukina's small home.

"Why don't you go wash up, Yukina?" Kurama asked.

"Okay."

Yukina went into the bathroom and Touya stared after her. Hiei looked at him menacingly.

"Don't get any ideas," Hiei warned.

Touya went outside and looked through the kitchen window at Kurama.

"You're being very childish," Kurama noticed.

"I really think she's nice and I would like to get to know her better but, with Hiei there it's hard. Can't you do something?"

"I can do something but it'll get old."

"What do you mean get old?"

"Well, you can only have so much sex," Kurama insisted.

Touya's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Sensei, you never said anything about that," Touya exclaimed.

"It was never essential that you needed to know."

"So, Hiei's good mood?"

"The result of good sex."

"How do you have sex with someone so much smaller than you."

"You don't need to know that. How about we have a little picnic tomorrow? I'll distract Hiei and you can get to know Yukina better," Kurama recommended.

"That sounds good."

"Come back inside I'll keep Hiei from killing you. I'll make dinner."

"Dinner? It's noon."

"Well, in order to keep Hiei happy you need to make his favorite things so that he's more into the idea of a picnic with the four of us."

"Oh, I see you're buttering him up."

Kurama nodded and Touya came back inside and sat down gingerly next to Hiei. Hiei looked at him and Touya looked back.

"What are you looking at?" Hiei grunted.

"N- nothing."

Kurama began to cook some noodles and Yukina peeked out of the bathroom door.

"Can someone get clothes from my room?" she asked blushing.

Hiei got up and Kurama said, "No, allow me. Why don't you and Touya get to know each other better?"

" I don't think you should go through her draws."

"Hiei you know I wouldn't do that with naughty intentions," Kurama reminded.

Hiei sat back down and Kurama went into Yukina's bedroom.

"So, how long have you known Kurama?" Touya attempted.

"None of your business."

Kurama came back in and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yukina, I have your clothes," he called.

Yukina opened the door just wide enough for the clothes to fit through.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Is it going well?"

"Not really."

Kurama turned around and Yukina shut the door.

Yukina sat in the bathroom putting on her fresh clothes.

"Hiei will never trust him. Will he?"

Yukina walked to the mirror and brushed her long cerulean colored hair. She stared hard at her reflection and sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder if I was meant to be in love. Will Hiei always be standing in my way?"

"You have to confront him," a voice in her head told her.

"I know that," she answered back.

"Then why haven't you yet?" the voice asked.

"Because I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"That Hiei will get mad."

"Don't be afraid. Hiei must love you to be so protective."

"So I should tell him how I feel?"

"Yes, you should tell Hiei exactly what you feel. It's okay, don't be afraid."

Yukina stared at the mirror again and saw her mother's hand on her shoulder. Her mother mouthed something and then faded away.

"Don't go!" Yukina shouted.

The men outside looked up and they made their way to the background.

"What's going on in there?" Hiei asked.

"Are you all right?" came Kurama's voice.

"I'm fine," she replied opening the door. "Hiei, can I talk to you?"

Hiei followed his sister into the bedroom.

"I like Touya a lot. He took good care of me and showed me a lot of new techniques," Yukina began.

"What did I tell you about not trusting that guy?"

"I know but… Hiei, you've always protected me but…"

"What?"

Yukina pictured her mother's smiling face once more and shut her eyes.

"You can't protect me forever. Please, let me get to know Touya. Let me do some things on my own. You won't always be around to save me."

Hiei looked away from his sister and left the room.

"I made him angry," Yukina sighed.

"He needs time to think. Wait a little bit, Yukina," her mother responded.

"I will."

"What happened?" Kurama asked as he set the table.

"Nothing, nothing happened that would concern you."

"If you say so."

Nightfall came and all were sitting around the table with food coating everyone's plates. Silence went on through half of the meal.

"Hiei, what would you say to a little picnic? You know all four of us tomorrow?" Kurama inquired.

"Why?" Hiei grunted.

"So that we can all just get to know each other better. Even if you don't come I'm taking Yukina and Touya with me. That is if Yukina wants to go."

"If it's okay with Hiei I'll go," Yukina stuttered moving slightly closer to Kurama.

"Go if you want. That's none of my concern," Hiei retorted.

Yukina looked down at the table and Kurama patted hand in comfort.

"Will you be coming?" Kurama asked again.

"No."

The rest of the meal was silent and then the men left Yukina's house after cleaning the dishes. Yukina sat on her couch and looked at the wall.

"What have I done, Mother?"

No reply came. Yukina now felt very alone and she felt somewhat empty. She entered her room and crawled into bed. From her bed she stared at the stars and began to cry.

Hiei stood on a tree and watched his little sister cry herself to sleep.

"What's wrong, Hiei? You gave her what she wanted. Why should she be crying?" his mother's voice asked.

"Go away. I don't need you," Hiei snarled as he saw his mother next to his reflection in the lake.

"You'll need me, Hiei. You'll need me sooner than you think."

Touya looked at Yukina's house and thought of her. Touya let himself in and stood over Yukina's bed and watched her sleep. Hiei put his jagan to rest at this and went to bed in Kurama's bedside tree.

Kurama stood on a frozen lake and stared at a mysterious woman just outside Yukina's village.

"So you are back. You're here to cause trouble and you seemed so good too," Kurama said and the woman in her long white kimono and flowing crystal blue hair nodded.

Hey all. Haven't gotten reviews but hey eva. From lack of reviews I feel like this story is pointless. Blah blah blah. So anyway here you go another installment in the YukinaXTouya saga.