A/N: Sorry, I am too tired to do reviewer responses tonight, but please enjoy the chapter despite the flaw that Yukina somehow got an apartment… Don't ask how or why or anything of the like because I don't know. ;) Review and you'll get responses next time! Sorry I took so long; school and work take up a lot of time…

23. Confession Aftermath and Truth

There was a moment's pause after Shizuru had just told them both that she loved Hiei. The silence was unnerving… Shizuru's face was beet red. What are they thinking? she wondered. Do they think I'm weird? Now they both know! Oh, Shizuru, why did you have to tell?

The silence was broken by a soft chuckling noise. Shizuru and Hiei looked over to see Youko Kurama, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Shizuru's face became, if possible, even redder as Youko began to laugh harder. Hiei's face was getting a little crimson as well, but Shizuru didn't notice. She was transfixed in horror at the loud laughing from the spirit fox.

Youko fell over, holding his stomach and howling with laughter. He couldn't believe it! Shizuru, of all people, was in love with Hiei! How could anyone not laugh?

Shizuru stood up. She'd had enough. She turned around and walked straight out the door, not saying a word to either of them. Once she had slammed the door behind her, she broke into an all-out run and hurried away, wanting to get as far as possible from the house. That stupid fox! she thought angrily, tears of embarrassment, frustration, and anger running down her face. I knew I shouldn't have told them! I should've just left! They obviously are too immature to handle any kind of love confession! She was going to run into the next town and stay there for the night. That was her plan - to run away and not come back for a long time. She didn't think she could handle going back… not so soon, anyway… She didn't know what she'd do if she ever saw Hiei again…

Hiei grew angry as he glared at Youko, still on the floor laughing. His face grew even hotter with all the anger at his fox friend. Youko finally calmed down for a second, and that's when Hiei took the chance to yell at him.

He stood up, walked over to the fox demon, and pulled him up by his shoulders. He growled at Youko, then said, "I can't believe you are so heartless!" Youko looked taken aback. He had expected Hiei to laugh with him, not get angry and yell at him. He stopped laughing.

"I actually liked Shizuru, okay! She was the one human girl I didn't want to destroy!" Hiei shouted, shoving Youko back. "I'll bet that took guts to say that she liked me to my face, and you had to ruin it and laugh! You scared her away, baka kitsune!" Hiei turned away huffily, the color rising in his cheeks again. "I can't believe you…" he growled as he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Damn that Youko," Hiei mumbled as he walked quickly out of his treehouse and looked around for any sign of where Shizuru had gone. He didn't see any trace of her. He sighed. Shizuru probably didn't want to talk to him anyway. I bet she thought I was with Youko on this one and thought she was a freak for liking me… he thought miserably. But that's not true… I love her too…

Hiei looked up at the sky. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and a few birds circled around the sun. He saw the birds, and his mind jumped to Yukina. Yukina… I have to tell her… He set off for Yukina's house.

Hiei knocked lightly on the door of Yukina's apartment. He hoped she was home; he didn't think he could put this off any longer. He had to tell her NOW that he was her brother… He just wondered how she would take it…

Yukina opened the door and smiled when she saw Hiei standing there. "Oh, hi, Hiei!" she exclaimed, ushering him into the apartment. "I was just thinking about you!"

"I'm honored," Hiei said stiffly. He decided he should just get right to the point. "Listen, Yukina, I have something very important to tell you…"

Yukina leaned closer to Hiei, her eyes wide and bright with attention. "I'm listening…"

Hiei took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yukina… we can't continue our… relationship."

Yukina inhaled sharply as her eyes began to fill up with tears. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me," Hiei said firmly. "We can't do this anymore."

"But… why not?"

"Yukina…" Hiei's eyes shifted away from his sister's upset face. "Yukina, I can't love you. Not in this way."

"What are you talking about?" Yukina asked. "It's not… it's not another woman, is it?"

Hiei still avoided Yukina's eyes and hesitated. "Actually…"

Yukina choked on a sob. "But, Hiei…"

"There's another reason," he said, bringing his head back up to look Yukina in the eye. "I can't love you because… I'm your brother."

Yukina froze. The tears suddenly stopped sliding down her cheeks. She blinked a couple times and stepped back. "Excuse me?"

"I'm your brother, Yukina," Hiei repeated.

Yukina felt like a giant piece of lead had dropped in her stomach. Hiei was her brother… her long-lost brother that she had been searching for… It was him all along… And she had fallen in love with him. She didn't know what to think. She turned around and sank onto her bed, putting her face in her hands and sobbed.

Hiei watched her cry for a moment. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. What do you say to a person who loved you and then found out that you were her brother? How do you deal with that kind of situation? Hiei was getting extremely uncomfortable being in the room with her, when she suddenly shouted, "Go! Just go! Leave me alone, Hiei! Go!"

Half relieved and half scared, Hiei left the apartment, closing the door carefully behind him. He could still hear Yukina's sobs through the thin walls. Staring at his shoes and sighing, he said to himself, "That could've gone better…"

NEXT TIME – YOUKO'S PROBLEM AND OPERATION FOX!

--crazykitsune17--