Left in the Shadows

Chapter 5: Shadow of Danger

Danielle: Wow, Hiei, I'm making you be a real ass, huh?

Hiei::glares:

Kuwabara: well, its not like he's NOT like this, right?

Hiei: Shut up, you baka.

Kuwabara: awwww…. Did I hurt da widdle shrimp's feelings?

Danielle: That's enough! I didn't mean for a fight to break out!

Hiei: Hn…fine

Danielle: O.o wow you actually listened… yay! thank you Hiei for not resorting to violence::huggles him:

Yusuke: O.O he's not gonna like that…

Hiei: …get off of me baka onna!

Danielle: why? You're nice to hug!

Yusuke: weren't they just fighting a while ago?

Kurama: … :whispers: look at her pen name, Yusuke. We must never let Hiei see it.

Yusuke: …oh. Heheh… no wonder. Oh well. She's not obsessed like YOUR fans, Kurama.

Kurama::sweatdrop:

Voices::in the distance: OH KURAMA-KUN!

Kurama::totally OOC: …Shit.

(A/N: Hieinokoishi means Hiei's beloved in English lol)

(A/N 2: I am trying to keep your fave fire apparition in character as much as possible but I'm also trying to make him…fall in love(wow that was blunt) too. So if he seems very ooc sometimes, please bear with me as this is my first fic and I'm trying to work out the kinks in it. But if you do come across a part like that, please let me know and If you could, please give me tips for the future NO FLAMES plz thanx! If I do get any…they will be…fed to Gluttony from FMA! Okay… I'll shut up now…)

Chapter 5: Shadow of Danger

All was quiet in the forest by Genkai's temple except for the occasional crunch of leaves as Amanda walked through the forest, unable to believe what she had just heard from the toddler lord, Koenma.

'So, I'm a demon, Mom's a demon, Dad's a demon…and mom's…' she shook her head to dispell her thoughts and looked at the piece of paper in her hand. 'Genkai-san gave this to me but…' she slowly took the letter out of its envelope and read the first few sentences. Hot tears began to form around the corners of her eyes as she slumped down the tree trunk she had just been leaning on. As the tears began to roll down her face, she slowly read the letter.

Dearest Amanda,

If you are reading this, then it means that I am no longer apart of this world. You should have realized by now that your tears are beginning to transform into a jewel. Do not be alarmed, for this is natural to all Ice maidens, or Koorimes, just like in the stories I told you when you were little. Yes, you are not, as hard as it may be to believe, human. You are, in fact, Half demon. Your father was a wind kitsune. You know him as Robert Kazehito but his demonic name was Kazo. As for me, I am where your transforming tears come from. I am a koorime by the name of Rui. You and two other people are the last of this race. I'm sure that Koenma, prince of Reikai will explain all of this a bit more clearly as you know that I'm no good at explaining things. But please baby, do not be afraid of your true heritage. I just wanted to protect you from harm until I though you were of age. Now, I want you to seek out a woman named Genkai, in fact she should be the one who has given you this letter. And please keep in touch with your friends, Yusuke and Kazuma because they know more about spirit world than you do. Please I want you to live with Genkai as we have already made plans for you to stay there when the time comes unless you are already living on your own. Now on a different note, please also seek out Hiei. He's the forbidden child, the very one in the story. I believe that you two have the potential to be very good friends and he can be someone you can relate to as can his sister be. Please, my baby girl, don't be sad. I will be watching you from spirit world for a little bit then in heaven. All I want is for you to be happy. Stick with your friends and never let something keep you down Remember, sweetie, I will always love you with all my heart.

Love,

Mamma

Amanda felt silent sobs escape her as the letter fell from her grasp. But her head quickly snapped up when she felt a presence nearby. She looked around to see nothing. But a familiar voice broke the silence as a figure stepped out from some nearby bushes.

"Hn. I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me." The voice belonged to none other than Hiei. He was wearing his usual mask of indifference although it twitched ever so slightly when he saw the fresh tears on Amanda's face.

"Go away." She snapped before resting her forehead upon her knees.

"I would like to, but I can't. It's my mission to protect you." He replied with not one hint of sympathy in his voice.

"I can take care of myself." She told him hotly. Hiei let out a snort.

"If last night was any indication, then I highly doubt it." He said, walking toward her. She stiffened, remembering the night before. But surprisingly, he held out his hand to help her up.

"We might as well go back to the temple, or else the detective and the idiot are going to worry." He explained. She gave him a slightly confused look and he rolled his eyes. "Yusuke and Kuwabara." He corrected himself. Amanda took his hand but Hiei pulled her only halfway up before he roughly pushed her down again. At that precise moment, an arrow engulfed in a silver flame streaked towards them and landed just above their heads in the tree trunk Amanda had been leaning against.

"What the hell…?" Amanda exclaimed, trying to get up for Hiei was on top of her, protecting her form anything that might come. Hiei placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from rising.

"Don't move." He snapped quietly, using his free hand to untie his white headband. Amanda's eyes widened slightly when she saw his jagan.

"What the heck is that?" she asked. Hiei didn't reply but merely scanned the nearby trees for the foe. When his search came up empty, he stood up and carefully inspected the arrow. But when he pulled it out of the trunk to check for a poisonous head, the flames reappeared, only this time they were a reddish-black color.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, suddenly recalling an old rumor he once heard. He abandoned the arrow, quickly scooped Amanda up in his arms, and sped out of the clearing. But they only traveled a few feet before there was a small yet powerful explosion, catching the two in it.

"What the…" Yusuke exclaimed. The rest of the Reikai Tantei were waiting for the two's return and they were unusually on edge. Normally they wouldn't be so worried, but there was a powerful demon on the loose and none of them knew how it got through the Kakai barrier. The explosion could easily be heard from where they were. The three boys jumped up and ran to the source as fast as their feet could take them.

Hiei cursed his foolishness while held the large gash on his shoulder where it slammed against a rock. Why hadn't he recalled the story before? He had heard a rumor of a demon's arrow that guaranteed death to its target because even if it only grazed the flesh of the victim, it would detonate and depending on how much energy was used, was how powerful the explosion would be. This time, the target was Amanda and he had failed in fully protecting her.

He rose to his feet, wincing slightly, and looked at the damage done. The sides of nearby trees were scorched and smoke was emanating from where the arrow was thrown on the ground. Hiei heard a barely audible groan form behind him and he turned, his crimson eyes falling on the unconscious form of Amanda. Her black tanktop was ripped in the back and there was a large scrape in its place. He quickly went to her side and examined her injuries. The scrape was not very deep, but it needed to be treated quickly nonetheless. Hiei carefully tried to pick her up but he felt his arm smart and he was forced to set her back down. 'Damn!' he cursed mentally. He wound was a lot deeper than he thought it was. He needed to get Amanda back to the temple; this was no time for his arm to be hurting. ( -.-' again, plz excuse my poor wording…)

He heard the sounds of footsteps crashing through the trees and he turned to see Yusuke with the other two not far behind. "What the hell happened?" he exploded on Hiei, seeing his friend wounded on the ground. Hiei merely scooped Amanda up in his arms, ignoring his arm's complaints as it began throbbing at the sudden weight brought upon it.

"I'll explain later." He replied shortly.

"She needs healing," Kurama noted, catching a glimpse of Amanda's wound. "And so do you, Hiei." He added, looking at the fire koorime's arm. Said demon merely let out his trademark "hn" as he walked on.

"I don't need any healing from that blue-haired, bubble-headed twit." He snapped.

They soon reached the temple to the anxiously awaiting Botan and Yukina. They both looked extremely worried and they let out a soft gasp when they saw the two koorimes.

"Bring her inside." Genkai said briskly from the temple doors. They followed her to the guestroom where she motioned Hiei to lay Amanda down. He placed her in a sitting position, supporting her weight while Botan busied herself with healing the large scrape. Once finished, Hiei laid her down and Botan draped a blanket over her.

"She'll be just fine." She told the others.

"Good." Yusuke said, sighing.

"Now for you, Hiei." Botan told the fire apparition, placing a bowl full of water and a small washcloth beside him.

"No. I don't need it." He responded.

"Please, Hiei-kun. You need to have your wounds treated." Yukina told him. Hiei almost gave in to his sister's plea but his pride wouldn't let him.

"No."

"I have to go guys." Kuwabara spoke up suddenly, breaking off the current conversation.

"Why?" Botan asked, "It's only 3:00."

"Shizuru's gonna take me to the store to get something for her." He replied, nodding towards Amanda. Yusuke gave him a confused look. "Don't tell me ya forgot, Urameshi! It's her birthday tomorrow!" he exclaimed in a semi-quiet voice.

"OH right!…heheh… I did forget." Yusuke said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Kuwabara rolled his eyes.

"Then you're comin' with me." He said in a final sort of way.

"I must leave too; my family is going out to dinner tonight." Kurama spoke up quietly.

"My sis should be here any minute." As if on cue, everybody could here honking form outside.

"Why don't you come with us?" Botan asked Yukina and Genkai. "I'm gonna leave for the night too."

"Sure!" Yukina replied happily.

"There's no need for me to come and I don't feel like going anyway." Genkai responded.

"Aw, come on, you old hag!" Yusuke whined. "Are you afraid of being out in public?"

"Hmph. Fine, dimwit." She snapped before walking out in a huff.

"Are you okay with staying here, Hiei?" Botan asked. He just gave his trademark, "hn" along with an almost invisible nod. "Okay thank you. Also, don't tell Amanda what we're doing when she wakes up!" she said cheerfully. "Oh, yes, Genkai left protective talismans around the temple to ward off danger." She added before walking out, leaving Hiei and Amanda alone in the temple and Hiei alone with his thoughts.

A/N: Well? How was it?