A/N: Thunderstorms shouldn't be allowed to sweep up in under five minutes. Because if they weren't, they wouldn't ambush unsuspecting authors deep in their work and wipe out an entire chapter one paragraph away from completion. If you will bear with an extremely long author's note, I feel it appropriate to add a bit of poetry (by Shel Silverstein, not me!) here:

I wrote such a beautiful book for you
'Bout rainbows and sunshine and dreams that come true
But the goat went and ate it
(You knew that he would)
So I wrote you another one fast as I could
Of course, it could never be nearly as great
As that beautiful book that the silly goat ate
So if you don't like this new book I just wrote--
Blame the goat.

In other words, I thought the chapter the thunderstorm ate was better than what I have now, but what can you do. :) Blame the goat.

Chapter Four

"What, you mean this secret isn't like all the other ones where everyone knows but me?" Kazuma asked sulkily.

"No. This is something I've never told to anyone, and you must keep it secret for me."

"Sure thing."

Yukina tried hard to suppress her panic while trying to think of a way out of the situation. It would be horrible of her to listen to Kurama's secret. But now that they weren't yelling she knew that even the least rustle of a leaf would alert the boys to her presence, and she didn't want them to know she had been eavesdropping in the first place. What she was doing was terrible.

"I'm serious Kuwabara. You have to--"

"I'm serious too, Kurama! I promise."

"Alright. I know you take your promises seriously."

Kurama took a deep breath, and so did Yukina. It seemed there would be no way out; she would just have to keep Kurama's secret for him as well.

"Yukina - have you talked to her about marriage?" Kurama began, haltingly.

"Nah, not really. She knows how much I love her and that we're going to be together forever. I'm waiting for a really romantic moment to propose."

"That... may not be such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I seriously doubt Yukina knows what marriage is. The race of demons she comes from doesn't marry. They don't love."

That's not true! Yukina thought, stung. She didn't know what this marry thing was, but she loved many people.

"What do you mean they don't love?"

"I mean they don't take mates, Kuwabara. Listen to me. The reason... the reason Hiei was thrown out from his village at birth is because his mother committed a sin; she took a mate. There are no male koorime; they reproduce asexually, and they never share with one another the intense bond that we consider romantic love. They can't conceive of such an emotion. Kuwabara, I'm sorry no one has told you this before me, but I had hoped - I had hoped I would not have to be the one. Yukina can't love you the way you love her. She doesn't even know what that kind of love is."

Kazuma didn't say anything. Yukina bit her lip. She wanted to run into the clearing and reassure Kazuma that she did love him; but at the same time she wanted to run far, far away from what Kurama was talking about. What Kazuma wanted - it was what her mother had done?

"But... but she loves me. I know she does," Kazuma said raggedly.

"Of course she does. Just as she loves all her friends."

"It can't be! I won't let it be!" Kazuma raged. "She can't possibly not understand that I love her!"

"But Kuwabara, if she can't comprehend that kind of love..."

"But why..." Yukina's breath hitched as two more hiruseki stones fell into her lap. Kazuma-chan was crying.

"It's not a part of her culture. You can try to explain to her, Kuwabara, if you want. But even if she is capable of feeling that kind of love, I doubt she'd choose it. It's torn her family apart."

"Why hasn't anybody told me all this!"

"I don't think very many people understand it that well." Kurama's voice was so quiet Yukina could barely make out his words. "Not Yusuke or Botan, for example. And... and it's been too painful for me to talk about."

There was a short silence. "Why should this be hard for you?" Kazuma finally said. "I'm the one being told that--that the person I love c-can't--"

"It is hard for me to say because I am in the same situation, Kuwabara. The person I love cannot love me."

"Then you do want Yukina!"

"No!" Kurama sounded exasperated, but Yukina felt her breath freeze up in her chest, the way it had a second before it had been said aloud that Hiei was her brother. She knew, before he said it, what Kurama would say. "I want--I want Hiei."

Another stunned silence. Yukina felt briefly sorry for poor Kazuma, having so many revelations piled on him at once.

"Hiei," Kazuma said flatly, as though this last piece of information was one more than he could digest.

"Hiei."

"You and Hiei are... are..."

"Are nothing," Kurama finished quietly.

"Hey... hey, man, don't cry..."

Which wasn't something Kazuma was really in a position to ask, Yukina thought, as he was crying himself. They all were. But when their tears are over they will evaporate; when they finish crying they can leave this clearing and maybe forget everything that was said. But after they go I will have to collect my tears, and hide them in the chest under my bed with all the other tears I have cried for my brother.