Qualities of a Friend

By: Cece Williams

(Disclaimer: Other than Andrea, nothing owned, nothing paid to me.)

Cece: Okay, time to answer the "Trial of Halves" lovely reviewers…

(Kurama groans, smacking a hand to his head)

Cece: (raises an eyebrow at Kurama) Okay. IntoTheWakingDawn, yeah, I agree that Jason's creepy, and I hate him too. Don't worry; sooner or later, he'll get his. demoness13, thanks, and I'll keep this going as far as I can. Sonya-White-Angel, I think in chapter 4 I answered your question. And nanana, Kurama almost burning dinner was funny. As for Andrea pressing charges, well, you'll have to read further. Well, that's it.

Kurama: Good! Now can we start this LONG chapter?

Cece: Of course, cutie! (smiles)

Kurama: Why me?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Andrea continued to hold the broomstick in her hand. The last few minutes flashed in her mind: the broomstick, the contact with Jason's head, him tumbling down the stairs… it was starting to scare her all over again.

Kurama walked back into the living room, thankful that the food fiasco /1/ was over. Still, Andrea's wide blue eyes were starting to chill him to the bone. He had to try and snap her out of it. "Andrea?" he asked the girl sitting on the stairs. "They took him."

Andrea blinked at Kurama's voice. She had never, not even before she was a Tantei, attacked a human before. Her heart was starting to beat wildly; she didn't like the idea of going to jail for assault with a deadly weapon, even if it was a broomstick.

"Andrea? Are you all right?"

Andrea blinked back to reality. Something was wrong with her; she never spaced out like this. "Huh?" she asked him.

Kurama took a deep breath as he slowly went up the stairs and sat in front of her. She had been sitting there, in a daze, since after she had knocked Jason down the stairs. "Are you all right?" he repeated, this time his voice normal, although edges of worry creased it.

Andrea looked down at the broom handle she had been holding for the past thirty minutes and flinched at the weapon. She swallowed. She was wondering what orange would look on her. Or was it blue? Hell, she didn't know, and she didn't WANT to know.

Kurama grabbed the broom handle, his calm emerald eyes meeting Andrea's stunned blue orbs. "Let me have it," he calmly told her, and as she let go of the broom, Kurama went to put the broom away.

After Andrea's hand dropped to her side, her mind was swimming, but she felt as if she were drowning in her own inward thoughts. "I don't know what happened."

"You defended yourself!"

"Attacked someone from behind."

"So you're no knight in shining armor. You did the best you could."

"What if I killed him?"

"With a broom?"

"He fell down the stairs, too!"

"3/4 chances he'd make it."

As Andrea looked at her hands, her conscious smacked her back into reality. She grabbed onto the railing and blinked. "So, how long do you think he'll be put away for?" she asked Kurama.

The redhead closed the closet door and looked up at her. "A few days, a week at the most. If there's no charge."

Andrea didn't like the sound of that at all. "No charge?" she echoed.

Kurama nodded. "I'm afraid you'll have to charge him against the crime."

The answer made Andrea's heart beat faster. She had done it once before, but all he served was four months. Just thinking about Jason made her mind race more than the Kentucky Derby. /2/ "I can't keep it from them anymore; I'll have to tell them."

"Whoa! Ho, there! You think that's a good idea?"

"They have to know... especially Kurama."

"I have a bad feeling. Don't do it!"

"Why not?"

"Bad feeling. Very bad feeling."

"Give me a good reason."

"Okay, is 'bad' and 'feeling' not a good enough reason?"

Andrea held a hand to her head, fighting the urge to run down the stairs. "Oi... I'm getting a headache."

"Just don't, okay? Got it?"

Andrea then crab-walked back to the top of the stairs, resting her chin on her knees. Why couldn't she tell him? Kurama was already a target, and, to Andrea, it only made the situation a lot worse. Now she was scared, scared of what Jason would have done if Shiori had gone up the stairs. Sure she was all right, but that didn't mean Andrea was going to get any better. When the doorbell rang suddenly, she flinched. Had Jason come back?

Kurama looked at the door and then at Andrea's slightly paled face. "I'll go check that," he said calmly, knowing Andrea was probably still stunned. "Would you like to sit somewhere more comfortable? Like that couch?"

Andrea shook her head. She mentally smacked herself; no way could he have come back! Or could he? "I'll be fine," she answered.

Kurama nodded. He wanted her to cool down a little before she felt like talking. "Okay," he replied, heading to the door.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Kuwabara felt a slight freeze to his head. "Something happened here," he said, mostly to himself.

Yusuke looked at Kuwabara, confusion written on his face. "Say something, Kuwabara?" he asked him.

Hiei simply looked away. "Hn. Just making an idiot of himself again," the fire demon answered.

Kuwabara looked at Hiei. If physics permitted it, there would have been a throbbing vein from Kuwabara's orange head. "Watch it, short-round!"

Hiei looked up at Kuwabara. He hated being called anything around the term of "short," and that was obvious from a small yet fierce glare in his red eyes. "Does a death wish sound like a nice end to you?"

Before Kuwabara could answer, the door opened, revealing a blinking Kurama. "Hey, Kurama," he said to the redhead.

Yusuke looked at his friend also. "Hey buddy," he said while Hiei looked away.

Inside the house, Andrea blinked and straightened out. Now she knew it wasn't Jason; it was the rest of the group. Just the thought made her feel better.

Although in the doorway, Kurama was starting to get confused. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Thought we'd check up on you," Yusuke answered.

Kuwabara rolled his beady eyes. "Couldn't you use a phone, Urameshi?"

"Then what's the point? I don't have three-way."

As Hiei merely glared at the two morons, Kurama sweatdropped. "As much as I like seeing you all again, I'm in a bit of a dilemma at the moment."

Kuwabara's feeling was getting chilly again. "What happened?"

"Normal uptown problems. We had a break in."

"Yep, heard a cop car go by."

"Too darn loud," Hiei said. The sirens, to him, felt like someone screaming in his ear.

"Yes, they do seem to be," Kurama answered in agreement, not noticing someone walking down the stairs and peering over his shoulder.

"Guys?"

Yusuke blinked, not much from surprise. "Andrea's here too?"

Kurama felt like he wanted to crawl under a rock. He knew how Yusuke was about them. Yusuke had wanted Kurama to hurry up and start dating Andrea, but he refused. "Uh, yes," he answered, ushering his friends inside.

Andrea crossed her arms against her chest. "Of course it's me!" she said, somewhat insulted. "Who'd you think I was, Michelle Pfeiffer?" /3/

Hiei didn't know who, or what Andrea was talking about. "Who?"

"Actress in America."

While Hiei shrugged at Andrea's confusion, Kuwabara looked at her. "The one with the blond hair?" he asked her.

"That'd be the one," Andrea said, nodding.

"I liked her," Yusuke said. "Especially in that cat suit…"

Kuwabara looked at Yusuke. "Wonder what Keiko's gonna say about that."

"Nothing if some idiot don't tell her."

Andrea smirked, despite a slight wince in her cheek. "So, the great Urameshi's finally got a girlfriend?"

Yusuke's brown eyes widened almost to the size of coconuts. "She's just a friend!"

Andrea rolled her blue eyes. "Riiiiight," she said sarcastically. "Like that rumor you started about me going out with Kurama…"

"Well, that one's true."

Andrea's answer was a good kick to Yusuke's gut. How DARE Yusuke claim that Kurama was her boyfriend! "He's just my friend, that's all!"

While Kuwabara, Kurama, and even Hiei tried not to laugh, Hiei behind Kurama and Kuwabara, Yusuke looked at Andrea, who looked perturbed. "What was that for?"

"It's only a rumor, nothing more!" Andrea answered. Her voice calmed down a bit. "Unless you want me to call Keiko and set you up on a date..."

Yusuke feared that more than fighting Toguro for the second time, if he were alive, that is. "Please no!"

"Then can it about Kurama and me," Andrea answered, taking a deep breath.

Kuwabara noticed something different with Andrea, as she was a little more defensive than usual. But it wasn't just that; it was more like she was hiding something. And he knew that was unusual for someone like Andrea.

The redhead noticed that Kuwabara was silent. "What is it, Kuwabara?" he asked the carrot-haired detective.

As Kuwabara saw Andrea cover her neck with her hand, Yusuke's brown eyes widened. No wonder she was jittery earlier. "Whoa, that's some bruise!" he said.

Andrea wanted to give Yusuke a long hard stare but now felt like a rabbit in a fox's den. And right now was not a good time to feel sheepish. "You look like you never saw one before," she answered, keeping her voice in control.

"Just not one that big!"

Hiei sat on the top of the couch, crossing his arms like he usually did. Not that he would care how she looked. "Who attacked you?" he asked her.

Andrea's hand fell from her neck to her arm near her elbow and she started rubbing up and down her arm. It was one of her nervous habits, and Andrea was starting to feel the heat. "The person who broke in here was someone I knew," she answered almost in a whisper.

Yusuke and Hiei stared at her. Somehow there was something that Andrea wasn't saying.

"There's something I have to tell you," Andrea continued. "This cannot go beyond this house, unless you happen to get subpoenaed into court." She would have said more if her mind didn't scream at her.

"You aren't!"

"Might as well... they have a right to know."

"No, they don't! It's our affair! It's nothing they have to worry about!"

"Look, Kurama's already involved! You know Hiei's Jagan Eye; he'll know I'm keeping something."

"All right! Why don't we hang a huge billboard sign while we're at it! 'Andrea's Biggest Secret Revealed!' That'll make the front page."

"Oh, can it already," Andrea hissed mentally as she took out her wallet and pulled out a picture

Yusuke blinked as Andrea pulled out the small glossy paper. "What you got?" he asked her.

Andrea showed them the heavily creased picture in her hand; it looked at least a year old and of a guy, who wore a football jersey, was about 6'1" with a medium build, and black hair and dark brown eyes. "His name's Jason Lee Westbrook," she said. "He thought he was named after some karate star." /4/

Yusuke looked at the picture. "That's the guy who broke in?" he asked and Andrea nodded her head.

Kuwabara looked at the picture and shrugged at them. "So? Why don't you head to the cops?"

As Andrea shook her head, Kurama looked at them. "We called the police already," he explained. "They have him in holding."

"Can't you press charges on the guy?" Kuwabara asked, and Andrea shook her head again.

Kurama leaned against the back of the couch. He knew Andrea wanted to, but he couldn't very well coerce her into doing that. "She's too frightened to."

This was hard for Yusuke Urameshi to believe. "What?" he asked. "Andrea 'kick ass' Stone's scared?"

Andrea felt like squeezing herself under the couch; she was feeling the heat from the team again. "It's not that I'm scared of him, Yusuke. It's..."

"She doesn't wish to remember," Kurama answered.

It wasn't that Andrea didn't want to remember; she wanted to get it all out in the open. "I've got to get it out."

"Bad idea! Bad idea!"

"Can it in there! Whose bright idea was it to actually date the guy for three months!"

"That's different!"

"No, it's not! Don't you remember what he tried to do to me?"

"So sue for malpractice! I was wrong! Happy!"

While Andrea was fighting with her mind, Hiei was listening with his Jagan. He knew there was more to the story than what Andrea was letting on, and as he listened more, he knew he was right.

Andrea could feel a headache coming on. "How can you sue your own mind?"

"Whoa, hadn't had that in awhile." After Andrea sat down on the couch, her mind continued. "I still say this is a bad idea."

"Why? Is it a crime to let your friends know what's wrong with you?"

"It's private. You know that."

"It's not anymore."

"Fine, go ahead! But if the place blows up around us, don't blame me!"

"I'll welcome that with open arms."

Kuwabara looked confused about what Andrea meant. Why didn't she want to press charges on the guy? Even more, what did she mean when she told Yusuke "It's not that I'm scared of him?" "What about that guy? He doesn't look so tough," he said, trying to make Andrea lighten up.

Unfortunately, Andrea wasn't in the mood; she needed for them to understand just how dangerous Jason was. She took off her coat and her cardigan, wincing slightly from the pain. Around her left arm was a bluish-purple bruise all around her upper arm.

Yusuke looked at the darkening bruise and was stunned. "Damn!"

Andrea turned her head to face them. "Tell me something. Have you ever tried to get away from something, only to have it come back to haunt you?" she asked them.

"Yeah, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara gave Yusuke a glare. "Hey!"

Andrea rolled her blue eyes. "I'm being serious here," she pressed.

"Well, he keeps coming back for fights," Yusuke answered.

Andrea pulled her coat back on and sighed. "Forget it; you wouldn't understand it if it slapped you in the face," she said, getting up from the couch and walking outside.

Kurama shook his head; Andrea was already under enough stress, and what had just happened didn't make it better for her. "Now look what you've done," he said, giving Yusuke a disdainful look.

Kuwabara walked out after her. "Don't worry about Urameshi; he's a moron, anyway," he said in an effort to cheer her up.

Hiei had walked outside as well. "Obviously," he added.

Something happened to her, Kuwabara thought. Aloud, he said, "So, how about I beat up Urameshi for you?"

Andrea exhaled through her nose. "No thanks," she said, leaning against a tree.

Yusuke and Kurama were the last to leave the house after Kurama grabbed his coat and pulled it on. Yusuke looked at Andrea, who was watching the cars go by. "Gee, Andrea, gomen," he apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just goofing."

"As usual."

"I really am sorry." And with that, Andrea gave a nod.

"So..." Kuwabara said. "About that jock-loser... what's so special about the guy?"

"Ex-boyfriend," Kurama answered him. "I'm afraid that's all I know."

"And he did all that to her?" Kuwabara asked him.

Andrea finally let her head drop. "And more," she said, knowing her mind was going to lose this fight.

"Easy, girl."

"I'm not telling them everything... especially about the hit-and-run."

"I think Kurama would fill them in about that later."

Andrea brought her hand back to her neck. It was still sore, but right now, she didn't care. "All these bruises happened less than a few days ago," she informed the team.

Yusuke's brown eyes widened, again, to the size of coconuts. "Nani!"

Andrea swallowed; she was starting to feel the pain all over again. "He sent me a letter last night," she said, digging into her pocket.

"Let's see it," Hiei said in his let's-just-get-this-over-with voice.

Andrea pulled out a piece of paper, which turned out to be an envelope. She handed it to Hiei, who in turn handed it to Yusuke, who muttered a curse under this breath after reading the possessive line on the back. "That's after the attack in front of the cafe on Kashiwagi Street," Andrea explained.

"Hey, I know that street," Yusuke said. "Nice coffee deals."

Andrea let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, nice deal on 'hit your ex in front of a crowd' too," she said half-sarcastically.

Hiei held his hand out. "Next?"

Andrea took out the letter that included the threat and handed it to Hiei, who handed it to Yusuke. Yusuke was steamed at what he was reading. "What! A threat against Kurama!" he gritted.

Kuwabara looked stunned, but angry as well. Not only did Jason hurt Andrea, but also now he was threatening to kill Kurama? "Nani!"

"If I don't go with him," Andrea said, her voice turning almost into a whisper. She now hated getting the guys involved, but it was too late.

Yusuke was getting really pissed off about this Jason guy. "That's bogus, man!" he said but then realized that Andrea was still there. "Err, gal, I mean."

"He's not playing around, either."

"Well, we're not either!" Yusuke said to her.

Andrea knew they were behind her, and it made her feel better. Although now things were going to be a LOT worse than before, she looked up at Kurama silently, as if trying to get the words to come out of her mouth. In fact, there were a lot of things she could say if the others weren't around.

Kurama noticed her worried look and smiled at her calmly. "You don't have to worry, Andrea," he said reassuringly. "I can take care of myself."

Andrea took a deep breath and took out a small bottle from her coat pocket. She opened it and took out two small pills.

Yusuke pointed to the bottle. "What's that?" he asked her.

"Something for headaches..." She leaned her head back and popped the two pills down her throat.

"Oh," Yusuke answered while Hiei looked at Andrea unbelievingly.

"Did anyone hear something across the street from the theater?" she asked the group.

"I might have while passing," Hiei answered.

"I thought I heard something, though it could be Urameshi's bad driving," Kuwabara said, only to have Yusuke come back at him with, "Hey!"

Andrea smiled slightly. "I wish it was," she answered them.

"Someone almost ran her over," Kurama explained to the team.

Kuwabara blinked. "You're kidding!" he protested, but Andrea shook her head.

Yusuke shook his too. "Man. Bad day for you," he said.

"You can say that again," Andrea answered.

"Okay. Bad day for you." Yusuke's answer was Andrea's blank stare.

"The point is, this guy's hurting her," Kurama said. Thinking, he added to himself, Though to Andrea, that's an understatement. Aloud, he added, "We have to stop him."

Inwardly, Andrea knew they would see the light. "I knew it!" her mind celebrated.

Kuwabara nodded. "Where's that guy?" he asked.

"Jail at the moment," Kurama answered, and then looked at Andrea. "Andrea, it's your decision."

Andrea's blue eyes lit up almost like a flare. She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it now. When she turned to face them, they could see the fire in her eyes. "Let's go."

Ten minutes went by as the group walked into the police station where the police were holding Jason. A police officer, a man around the age of 50 with graying hair and brown eyes, looked at the group that had just walked in. "May I help you?" he asked.

Andrea nodded. "We're here about Jason Westbrook," she answered, her voice renewed with more courage than Kuwabara with mice.

The officer looked at Andrea and blinked. "You wouldn't happen to be the young lady on the stairs of the Minamino home, would you?" he asked her. After Andrea nodded, he led them to his desk. "So, have you all come to file a charge against him?"

Kurama nodded. "Breaking and Entering," he said.

"Domestic Assault," Yusuke added.

"Attempted Kidnapping."

"Attempted Hit-and-Run," Yusuke said, but what Andrea said made them all look at her.

"Attempted Murder." Andrea shrugged off her coat, wincing again. "And I have proof."

Yusuke looked at Kurama. "Are you sure she didn't take too much of that medicine?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Kurama answered. Though I'm worried if Andrea can back the last charge up, he thought to himself.

The officer looked at Andrea's bruised arm and her neck. "Come with me," he said, standing to his feet. "We'll need pictures as evidence." As Andrea stood up, he walked with her to an interview room. He waved for her to sit down, and she did. He took out a tape recorder and turned it on RECORD. "Please tell me your name."

"Andrea Stone," Andrea answered, taking a deep breath.

"Tell me how long have these bruises been inflicted."

"Yesterday," Andrea answered as calmly as she could.

Meanwhile, Yusuke looked at the clock. "Don't you think they'd finish grilling her by now?" he asked.

"Attempted murder is a serious charge," Kurama answered.

Another officer, this one a young one of 27, asked the boys to follow him. Hiei growled lowly about being called as a boy but followed without incident. Yet, Hiei thought. They arrived outside of the interview room Andrea was in.

Inside the interview room, the interview was nearly over, and the officer took out a camera, which made Andrea shiver slightly. "It's all right," the officer reassured her. "I'm just taking pictures of where you say he hit you."

Andrea nodded, letting the officer go ahead and take the pictures. She blinked a few times as the flash entered her eyes but figured that it would be worth it to have him in jail, where he belonged.

The officer set the camera down on the table. "All right," he said. "We're done."

Andrea stood to her feet and shook the detective's hand. "Please keep me informed," she said as the officer nodded and opened the door for her. "Thank you," she said as she walked out of the room.

The officer followed her out of the room. "I got the evidence against him, and it looks really serious," he started as he closed the door. "We're going to keep him here without bail."

Andrea looked relieved. Maybe it was all over now. "Thank you," she said, smiling one of the brightest smiles she could without wincing.

"Can we leave now?" Yusuke asked impatiently.

The officer looked at them and nodded. "You can leave," he said, hearing Yusuke's sigh of relief.

As they started to leave, though, things weren't over yet. Not by a long shot. A commotion with a prisoner made them turn their heads to it, which turned out to be a mistake.

"I've got a right to punish my woman if I want to!" It was Jason, and it looked like the officer told him about the charges stemming against him.

"Well, according to your 'woman,' she's not your property," the officer answered him.

That was when all hell broke loose… and so did Jason. He broke free from the officer holding him and went after the "woman" in question. Kurama pulled Andrea behind him and felt the obsessed young man's hands around his neck.

Andrea had had enough. She went from behind Kurama's back and jumped onto Jason's back, attempting to put the bigger person in a hold. "Let him go!" she shouted as she was literally bucked around. She felt one officer pull her down and then Jason was cuffed. When the officer let her go, she walked up to the redhead, worry stretching to every corner of her face. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

Thanking Inari for him being a demon, Kurama knew he would heal in a matter of minutes. But looking at Andrea's worried face was enough for the Youko in him to think that there was something going on with them. "I'm just fine," he answered and gave her a smile, which caused Andrea to smile right back.

Hiei looked at them. "Let's just get out of here before he tries to attack her again," he said to them.

The others agreed and left the station. Andrea felt even guiltier than Jason was. She had let Kurama get hurt, and it was her that he was after. Jason was her problem, and now because of her filing charges against him, one of her friends was hurt.

"Well, we gotta split," Yusuke told them. "See you guys around!" With that, he walked off.

Hiei flitted into a tree while Kuwabara waved at them. "See you," he said, heading for home.

That only left Andrea with Kurama. They walked to her apartment and they were totally silent. The only thing the other could hear was their breathing.

Kurama's mind was whirling about. "She's so quiet," he thought to himself.

"Don't ask me what's gotten stuck in her throat."

"She didn't do anything wrong…" Kurama blinked at Andrea, feeling the emotion that plagued her mind at the moment. "It's guilt? For what?"

"Why don't you ask her, Shuichi?"

"I don't want to intrude on her private thoughts, Youko. You know that." Kurama's thoughts were shattered with a small voice next to him, saying, "I'm sorry." Kurama looked around to find the source of the voice and blinked at Andrea, whose head was lowered. "Sorry? Whatever for?" the redhead asked the girl at his side.

Andrea kept her head lowered. She felt so guilty for letting them walk with her to the station, and now Kurama's life was also in jeopardy. She unlocked the door and walked inside, taking off her shoes. "I should have went alone," she said as she set the keys on the coffee table.

Kurama blinked as he stepped inside, took his shoes off as well, and closed the door behind him. What was Andrea talking about? Going alone? "If we hadn't gone with you, he would have made good on his promise to kill you," he said. "Also, it wouldn't be one of the qualities of a friend."

Andrea blinked and turned around. How could she have just said that! Then again, she hadn't had that many friends before she became a Tantei. And she was getting significantly closer to Kurama, maybe a little too close. "Why?" Her question was more of a whisper.

Kurama looked at her, confusion spreading all over his face. "'Why' what?" he asked her.

"Back in the station, when Jason was about to come at me," she answered. She remembered Kurama pulling her behind him. Andrea knew the reason why, but she wanted to hear it from Kurama himself.

"I didn't want him to inflict any more pain on you than you already had endured," Kurama answered. Andrea had already sat down on the couch, so Kurama decided to join her and sat down. "That's one of the qualities of a friend: not letting a person you care about get hurt, no matter what the consequences are."

Andrea looked at Kurama finally. "You mean like how Yusuke is with Keiko?" she asked him curiously.

Kurama blinked. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to tell her. "Exactly," he let the word slip out. But what Kurama didn't expect was being held by the girl he protected. "Nani?"

Andrea let her head lay on his shoulder. Sure it was impulsive, but right now, she didn't know, honestly, what had possessed her to do something like that: literally throwing herself at Kurama like a fangirl. She blinked and then jumped away, feeling rather embarrassed. "Sorry."

Kurama looked at her and blinked. "I didn't mind," he answered, watching Andrea turn her head again to face him. This time as she inched herself towards him, he wrapped his arms around her. "You're going to be just fine," he said. "Surely Jason wouldn't be dense enough to break out of prison."

Andrea sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Maybe Kurama was right; maybe Jason wasn't dumb enough to escape. Just the feeling made her relax. Maybe everything now was finally over.

Kurama had been thinking the same thing, but his emerald green eyes slightly narrowed. What if it wasn't over? What if it was, indeed, only the beginning? I don't care, he thought to himself. I'll protect Andrea until the end, whatever it takes. He felt Andrea's arms tighten slightly around him and blinked. "Andrea? You're about to fall asleep on me… again."

Andrea's blue eyes snapped open. No way was she going to let that happen again. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry about that," she said. She looked out the window and gasped. "Oh, my God! Kurama! Your mother! She's probably worried about you!"

Kurama's eyes widened as well. He looked at the clock by the end table, which read 9:15PM. "Oh, Inari! You're right!" he answered, getting off the couch. "Well, I'll tell her that you're doing a lot better." He went to the door and pulled on his shoes again. "I'll see you later, Andrea. Good night." With that, the redhead walked out and headed for home.

Andrea watched Kurama leave and sighed. Not that she was glad Kurama was gone, but that Jason was behind bars, where he belonged. "Maybe now I can sleep without any strange dreams," she said as she went to her room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Author's Notes:

/1/ In the last chapter, Kurama almost burned dinner. LOL I know, I know. Out of character for Kurama, but it's a first.

/2/ The Kentucky Derby's a horse race, a very good one.

/3/ Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman in "Batman Returns." One of my favorite villainesses of the time.

/4/ Jason Lee's an actor, and Brandon Lee (God rest his soul) was a martial artist and an actor.

Cece: Wow, Kurama. You WERE right. That is a LONG chapter.

Kurama: One of Cece's finer moments. (Cece blushes) What?

Yusuke: Man! I thought they were gonna get jiggy…

Cece: (smacks Yusuke with an iron skillet) Yusuke! I'm not making this rated R!

Kurama: (sweatdrops) Review here, please.