Notes: Er… we really don't get a feel for Shiori's character in the show (or in as much of the manga that I've read) so I'm taking a few liberties and guesses as to how she would be. Apologies if I'm stretching it, but I don't think I am. Oh, and Yukimura's Noodle House… Don't know what the place is truly called, but go with it.

REJOICE! I figured out how to insert the page breaks! I will now go feel like an idiot because the option is right there on the freakin' QuickEdit thing...

Warnings: Um… none… I think.

Onward!

Chapter 4

The next few days went smoothly. I fell into my normal summer routine, which involved a lot of studying considering how I had neglected that recently. No one came around since our mission had ended. Outside of that, I actually rarely saw Yusuke and Kuwabara. If we trained at Genkai's temple, we saw each other constantly, but it was not as if we went to the entertainment center together. The image of playing DDR with Yusuke and Kuwabara just would not come.

Therefore, when Yusuke called, I was a little surprised. It was four days past the little mishap after Kitagawa's, er… apprehension. Shiori was home from work, as was Hatanaka. Shuichi was off having a life somewhere, which left me alone in my room trying to figure out advanced Calculus. I understood physics just fine. What I did not care much about was the fuss that went behind it. If you throw a youkai off a fifty-meter high cliff, what will be the velocity at which he hits the ground? Enough that he flattens like a pancake and dies. What more do you need to know? Math had never been one of my favorite subjects.

"Shuichi! You have a phone cal!" Shiori called up the stairs shortly after the phone stopped ringing. I was only too happy to set my pencil aside, stretch my back, and pick up the phone. That was one nice thing about Shiori marrying Hatanaka. He had more money than she had, which meant I got a lot more stuff. Call me materialistic. I enjoyed having things. A phone on my desk was one of them.

I was immediately greeted by Yusuke's boisterous, "Yo, Kurama!"

"Hello, Yusuke." I picked up my pencil. Even Calculus was better than the thought of another mission. Not that I did not enjoy a little excitement now and then, but if we had another assignment like the last one, I wanted nothing to do with it. "What can I do for you?"

He laughed, the sound odd and tinny over the phone.

"You should hear yourself, man!" he said. Lifting his voice a few pitches, he mimicked me, "'What can I do for you?' You automatically think I want something!"

Sighing, I set my pencil down again. He had something planned. And when Yusuke planned something, it was never good.

"I don't automatically think you want something, Yusuke," I assured him. "I usually think Koenma wants something. But since you called, what do you want?"

Yusuke laughed again.

"It's a party at the Yukimura Noodle House," he explained. "Celebrate the end of a week and a half of torture. Want to come?"

"You and who else?" I asked warily. Like I said, bad things usually came of Yusuke's planning.

"Kuwabara, Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, and whoever the hell else wants to come!"

That… sounded safe. It sounded normal, like something a group of human teenagers would do socially. I did not typically engage in standard human social activities, so I could not be sure. Well, there was no time like the present to start acting like a human teenage boy.

"When?"

"Tonight," Yusuke said. He had that tone of one who wants to know why I would ask such a stupid question.

"Sounds like fun," I said. That sounded lame even to me. Yusuke noticed immediately.

"Geez, don't force yourself."

"No!" I said quickly. "I want to come. How do I get there?"

He gave me directions, which I wrote down. We said our good-byes, and I considered it. A few days ago I would have said no, but given a few days to simmer my mood had been greatly improved. I was not the type to hold a grudge. If I did that, I would have far more enemies than I already do. Besides, I usually acted quickly. If someone posed a threat, I killed him. Simple, clean, easy. No way to hold a grudge if the guy's dead, right? And not everything that annoyed me deserved death. If that was the case, Hiei would already be six feet under. In fact, so would Yusuke and Kuwabara. And let's not forget Botan and Koenma, or even Shiori. Obviously, it was ridiculous to go through life like that.

So I would go to the party. Even if Yusuke was in on whatever scheme Hiei had, I was no longer mad at him. I would go. I would have a good time. That was how it was supposed to work, right?

Shiori was absurdly pleased when I told her I was going to a party. It was just Yusuke and Kuwabara, I told her, but she would hear none of it. She barged into my room and started digging through my closet. Lucky for me I had better hiding places than my closet. The only things I kept in there were clothes and shoes. And she kept asking things. Irrelevant things. But, she was my mother, and I was obligated to answer.

"Where are you going?" She pulled out a green shirt, looked at me, shook her head, and put it back.

"Yukimura's Noodle House," I said. "It's a restaurant."

"Yes, I've heard of it," she said. "Yusuke's friend… Keiko, right? Doesn't her family own it?"

I stared at her, shocked by this display of knowledge. Even I had not known that. How was it she did? It made me wonder how much she knew about all my friends.

"Um, yes. I believe so."

"So she'll be there?"

"That's what Yusuke said."

"Any other girls?" She pulled out a white shirt, eyed me contemplatively, then set it on my bed. She went back to the closet to dig through my collection of pants.

"Yukina, maybe," I answered. I glanced at the shirt, remembering Hiei saying something about how I looked in white. "Kuwabara's sister, Shizuru. I think."

"She's pretty mature," Shiori stopped digging a moment to frown at me. "Do you think that's proper?"

Considering I had maybe a thousand years on her, I did not really consider Shizuru as too mature. Maybe compared to Yusuke or Kuwabara… I shrugged and shook my head.

"She keeps Kuwabara in line," I offered. "So he doesn't act dumb in front of Yukina."

Shiori smiled again and produced a pair of jeans.

"How about that other boy?" she asked as she handed the pants to me. "The short one with black hair. I haven't heard you talk about him much lately."

"Umm… we had a disagreement the other day," I said vaguely.

"Oh?" She sat on my bed, apparently waiting for an explanation. Oh dear. I did not relish the thought of telling my mother any of that.

"It's nothing," I said instead. "He was just being an idiot. I'm sure it'll pass."

"You think so?" She looked at me skeptically and went back to the closet. That look was not something I liked seeing on her face, and I wanted to know the reason behind it. "You know, you should really get rid of this jacket. That orange looks awful on you."

"Mom," I frowned at her. "You think it won't?"

"Won't what?" she asked. I could have sighed in exasperation, but I managed to suppress that desire.

"Won't pass," I clarified. "With Hiei."

"I guess that depends on the argument," she said with a knowing, motherly look. She did not give me that often, but I was not fond of it when she did. "What did you fight about?"

"Ohhhh…" It was back to that. Sneaky woman. Still, she seemed to have an inkling as to what she was talking about, so it did not hurt to get her advice. If only I could figure out how to put it. "He um… he… insulted… me." Yeesh. There was no way I was having this conversation with her. Yet my mouth opened, and I said more. Shoot. "And said some… stupid things…" I think I could have been more vague. Oh, absolutely. Mother, Hiei said stuff. I said stuff. What do you think? Yes, that would help a lot. "And I…" I had made well certain he would never come back. I held a hand to my forehead, cursing myself for my display of temper. "I told him to get away from me."

Shiori was quiet. That was a bad sign. In fact, it was probably a sure sign I had effectively destroyed my friendship with Hiei. Looking up warily, I saw why she was so quiet. She was looking at me in utter shock. As if she could not believe I had done such a thing.

Crud.

That meant I was in the wrong. Didn't it?

No! Absolutely not! Hiei had no right to behave that way, and it was entirely within my rights to refuse his claim of dominance over me.

"Shuichi, what did he say to you?" she asked finally.

"Nothing!" I blurted. Wow. I don't know how humans do it. How did one go about telling his mother that his best friend was trying to court him? Not only that, but that same friend had tried to assert full control over me. Fffft. What a conundrum. "I mean, it was fine. He was worried, he was… he…" Oh, to hell with it. I looked at Shiori with all the misery I felt. "I think he likes me."

Shiori's mouth fell open. And, off all things, she started to laugh. My own mother was laughing at me! Is that even allowed?

"Oh, Shuichi! You… Hiei's gay?" she giggled, apparently thinking it was the funniest thing she had heard all day. And I was highly offended.

"I don't know! He doesn't seem to notice Yusuke, and he hates Kuwabara. It's not like he's got it written on his coat."

"Calm down, Shuichi," Shiori touched my face. Her hand was cool against my cheek, indicating I was flushed. "It's okay. Does it frighten you? Is that why you chased him off?"

I sighed. That was not at all what bothered me. It was not like I had not experimented. A thousand years is a long time to stick to one path.

"No," I sighed. "I didn't figure that out until after I yelled at him."

"Oh?" She frowned worriedly. "Shuichi, you and Hiei had been friends a long time. I'd hate to see something break you apart now."

In human terms, yes, Hiei and I had been friends for quite a long time. In comparison to my friendship with Yusuke and Kuwabara, it was old. But to me it was relatively new. To someone who is nearly immortal, five years is nothing. Both Hiei and I were still testing each other, not quite certain the friendship was worth keeping. At least, that was what I had thought until just a few days ago.

"What did he say?"

"Hm?" I frowned at the question, deciding how much was worth revealing to her. "Well, he was getting pushy. Telling me what to do. Expecting me to do it merely because he said so. He was getting…" I searched for the word, trying to define his use of 'mine' without scaring Shiori. "Possessive."

She looked at me with a single raised eyebrow.

"Really possessive," I emphasized, and rather lamely at that. But I could not bring myself to add, 'so possessive he all but marked me as his territory.' Of course, if Hiei had tried that, I might just have had to kill him. At least he had enough sense not to force it. And at least I seemed to get the point across. Shiori looked sympathetic, which was not exactly what I was seeking, but it would do. Or, it would if she had any useful advice to offer.

"My poor, independent Shuichi," she murmured. Wait a minute… that did not sound very sympathetic. I squinted at her suspiciously. "It sounds like Hiei has one heck of a crush on you."

…That was it? That was her grand declaration? That was useless.

"He's been acting bizarre, Mom!" Perhaps a little more information would give her better perspective. "He went nuts when I was too close to Kuwabara—Kuwabara!—as if I would start making out with him!" Whoa. Bad mental image. I shook my head to clear that from it. Just… yuck. No offense to Kuwabara, but the day I took a romantic interest in him was the day Hiei declared himself human. "And he was complimenting me on my clothing the other day, and told me to have a good night—he never does that…"

I trailed off, unpleasantly aware of how completely moronic I sounded. Shiori was smiling at me, looking as though it took every shred of willpower she possessed not to laugh. I scowled at the floor and waited for the words I did not want to hear but knew she would say.

"The world must be ending when your best friend is nice to you," she murmured.

"It is when it's Hiei," I muttered. My face felt uncomfortably warm. Damn it all, I was blushing. "I don't like it. He's not nice. Nice isn't Hiei."

"Shuichi, now it sounds like you're seeking out abusive relationships," Shiori said with sudden severity. I rolled my eyes and looked at her, but she was completely serious.

"Sorry," I muttered. Slouching down, I stared at the floor again. This was not really helping. I was still no closer to figuring out how to handle Hiei than I had been three days ago. "It's not like that. He's a good person. He has ways of asking… when he thinks I'm not okay… without ever actually asking." I chanced a peek at Shiori. She looked a little startled, but that was better than the anxious frown of before. Sighing, I concluded, "When he acts like this, it feels wrong. It feels false."

I picked up the clothes Shiori had chosen, tucked them under my arm, and went to straighten my desk. She had not picked out an outfit for me since I was a very small child. By the time I was five or six I had a very definite opinion as to how I would be dressed, and if she picked something I did not like, she would not get me to wear it. School uniforms did not count. I knew I would have to wear those.

It was peculiar, though, that she picked out something Hiei would like. At least, something Hiei said he liked. I did not even know. His compliments had been so forced, so completely unnatural, that I had to wonder if he had just been haphazardly picking something and commenting on it. Maybe he hated white. Maybe he liked only black. Or blue. Or red. Maybe he did not care one way or the other. That seemed the most likely possibility.

"Shuichi…"

"What?" I was a little curt with her. It was uncalled for, since she was only trying to help. But it came before I could stop it, that bitter edge to my tone.

"Do you… like Hiei as well?"

I fumbled with the books on my desk, dropping the jeans and somehow accidentally flinging my pencil across the room. Shocked, I stared at Shiori, but she just watched me. Not smiling or frowning, she waited for an answer. One that I did not have.

Did I like Hiei? As in… like like? Love? I loved Shiori. Of course, it took me years to figure that one out. Years of trying to leave, trying to return to my rightful home, only to realize that I did not want that anymore. At least, I did not want it as much as I wanted to stay. But Hiei? I could live without him. I didn't need him.

Did I?

"I…" She was watching me with that inscrutable expression that I have been told I'm so good at. I do not recall her ever giving me that look before. 'Stern face' I have seen. The laughing, 'my son is so weird' expression was a common one. This one was impossible to read, though. As impossible as the question she had just asked. "I'm going to change now."

Shiori watched me for a minute longer, then just nodded and left the room. I shut the door behind her and stood quiet for awhile, staring at my hand on the doorknob. It was impossible, but somehow, between that morning and this conversation with Shiori, I had turned this situation into something much bigger than it had been.

Do you like Hiei?

What kind of question was that? What kind of mother asks her son if he is attracted to another boy? It was not as if I was gung-ho in the dating department, but surely she had expected me to find a girl, settle down, and pop out a few kids. It's an instinctive thing for humans. They obtain immortality through their descendents. Shiori was always worried about me not having interest in girls. Then again, my instincts were not human. Youkai already have an immortal lifespan, so the desire for siring children is a little different. And god knows what kind of children I would have. I could not imagine settling down with a human woman only to find our children inherited any unique 'gifts' from me. That would be an interesting thing to try to rationalize.

So no human women. Youkai women? No. No, no, no, and no. It was far too difficult to locate a decent woman in the Demon World in an immortal life let alone the few years which made up the prime of my human lifespan. And one which would be willing to live in the Human World for the next few decades… Nope. It was an impossible task. And I did not need female companionship quite that badly.

But Hiei! Of all people…

There was a satisfying thunk when my head hit my doorframe. This was just not my week. Boredom beyond comprehension, followed by an attack that was capable of making a person feel like the most worthless form of life on the planet, and then an ownership claim by the guy who was supposed to be my best friend. All of that topped by a sprinkling of confusing conversation with my mother made the week.

Groaning aloud, I returned to pick up the pants I had dropped. I was really looking forward to a night of the mindless conversation which tended to occur around Yusuke and Kuwabara.

It started out well. Everyone was there already. Actually, Yukina was not, and Kuwabara was heartbroken. He did not understand why she would choose to remain at Genkai's temple rather than spend the evening with her destined true love. That was what Kuwabara said, in so many words (plus some). So it was Yusuke, Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, and Kuwabara… and Keiko's parents. Considering they ran the place, I suppose it made sense. Still, it felt like we had chaperones. Not in the way that the kids would have to be careful about feeling up their girlfriends, but in that uncomfortable way that we had to take caution in our conversation topics. Demons and the Spirit World missions were off limits. Well, that left me without much to talk about. Fortunately, the others more than made up for that.

"Urameshi Yusuke! You mean to tell me you haven't done any of your summer studies!" Two guesses as to who that was.

"Give me a break, Keiko! I was busy!"

"Busy! You didn't do anything! You made Kuwabara and Kurama do all the work!" Lesson one: Excuses never work.

"That's not fair! It wasn't my fault everything happened at night!"

"That's true. We set up the shifts, not Yusuke." That little insert was Botan, trying to be helpful.

"That's no excuse! You should be there for your friends!" Lesson two: Botan was never successful when it came to pacifying Keiko.

"Hello! I was there! In case no one told you, the only reason Kurama's here now is because I was there!"

"Nothing would have happened if you had been there in the first place!" Lesson three: Don't bring me into the picture. That never works either.

It seemed that this was the first time Yusuke had really spoken with Keiko since our confrontation with Kitagawa. Well, Keiko did always worry when we had potentially dangerous missions. And for the record, I would have been able to get out of there had Yusuke not arrived. Truly.

Shizuru promptly startled me by coming up behind me and slapping my back lightly. She smiled and gestured to the counter.

"There's food," she announced.

I glanced over at Yusuke again. He and Keiko were still bickering while Kuwabara stood back and laughed at Yusuke's plight. Botan pranced around, trying to get the pair to stop fighting, and having little success. It was probably safer if I did not involve myself in that, though Keiko had an odd tendency to stutter when I came into the conversation. I think she was embarrassed for some reason. Conclusion: she probably would not appreciate my arrival during this argument.

Shizuru pulled me over to a stool, and we fell into a comfortable silence, content to watch the others bicker. They went on for quite awhile. Eventually, the fighting turned to mild arguing, which slowly converted itself into laughter and goofy conversation. If you can believe it, this process took nearly two hours. Once it had settled down, though, I deemed it safe to join them. Shizuru leaned back against the counter, opting to watch from afar. I have known that she has an innate wisdom that everyone would benefit from hearing. In fact, I should have followed her lead, but no one ever accused me of being wise. Smart, yes. Wise… only compared to some.

When I came upon them and heard the latest topic of conversation, I almost turned around and returned to the counter. Again, that wisdom thing eluded me.

"…hung out in the bookstore most of the time," Yusuke was saying. He grinned and scooted over on his booth seat to make room for me. Keiko smiled and waved, and I returned the gesture. I did not say anything because Kuwabara was talking, and it was an impossible feat to interrupt him.

"Bookstore?" he blurted. "I can't believe you got Hiei in a bookstore! What'd he do? Skulk through history of wars section?"

I had to laugh at that one. If there was one thing that Hiei was not, it was a scholar. There was no doubting his intelligence, but he never went out of his way to study. Only on extraordinarily difficult jobs did he do any research. He preferred to run in cold and test his abilities. It was kind of a scary way to do things, but he was still alive, so it apparently worked well for him.

"Yeah right!" Yusuke laughed louder than any of us, even Kuwabara. (Kuwabara could be pretty loud.) "He started out just hanging out and watching through the windows. The clerk got mad and told him he had to leave if he was just going to loiter. Thought he was shoplifting but couldn't prove it."

"But Hiei's not a thief!" Keiko protested. I coughed and avoided her subsequently worried stare. "He's a good guy, right?"

"Hiei?" Kuwabara screwed his face into a dubious expression. "Sure. He's good in a… bad kind of way."

"Yeah, I told him he couldn't steal anything," Yusuke grinned at Keiko's startled blink. Botan scowled.

"He can't be stealing from humans!" she said indignantly. "Hiei knows better than that!"

Hiei knew well enough not to get caught. That, of course, I did not say aloud. I was fairly certain Hiei did not have enough interest in anything from the Human World to be bothered with stealing. Unlike some of us, he was not overly concerned with the material aspects of life.

"Yeah, he didn't," Yusuke assured her. "But he did get a book. I had to buy it, but it was worth it. You won't believe what I found him looking at."

Indeed. We were all intrigued.

"This I've got to hear," Kuwabara snorted. "If you say he was reading JD Salinger…"

"Not even close," Yusuke laughed. "It was—"

I did not get to hear the rest of that because Yusuke chose that moment to reach over, flatten his hand against my face, and shove me back. It was not a pleasant experience, to say the least, nor was it very flattering. With an indignant yelp and a bit of struggling, I managed to free myself from his rude pushing. But by that time Yusuke had already told them, and I was left floundering while Kuwabara and Yusuke laughed and Keiko and Botan looked on in shock and shook with a few startled giggles.

"Yusuke!" I glared at him for that indignity. "That was not necessary."

He just offered a cheeky grin and looked back when Kuwabara, Botan, and Keiko started shooting off questions.

"You can't be—you're serious!" Keiko gasped.

"You know it!"

"Hiei?" Botan squeaked. "Our Hiei!"

"One and the same!"

"Man, I always knew he was weird, but that's just—"

"So he's… wow!" Botan blinked several times at Yusuke. "Who?" Yusuke jerked a little, and I looked at him curiously. He caught my stare and grinned again. Botan was still shocked. "No way!"

"Does he know?" Kuwabara asked.

"Don't think so," Yusuke laughed. "He's pretty clueless about that kind of stuff, you know."

I was getting just a little annoyed by this point. Yusuke had deliberately forced me out of this conversation. Then he went on and continued talking as though I was not even there. Being separated from the conversation was not something to which I was unaccustomed, but this felt rather like being openly mocked. And that I did not appreciate.

"What did he get, Yusuke?" I asked finally.

"Oh, geez!" Botan yipped and blushed boldly. She hid her face in her hands and giggled helplessly. I frowned at her. Oh yeah. They were definitely laughing at me.

"What?" I demanded again.

"No kidding, he doesn't know!" Kuwabara was doubled over, laughing so hard it was a miracle he could even find the breath to utter that last statement.

"Hey!" This was ridiculous, and I was growing more agitated by the second. Kuwabara's latest comment implied that Yusuke's 'clueless' remark had been in reference to me. That was unacceptable.

Fortunately for Yusuke's neck, which I was inches away from crushing (he just did not know it yet), Shizuru came over and salvaged the situation. She made her entrance by crushing her latest cigarette out in the ashtray on the table between us.

"Give me your bag, Yusuke," she ordered calmly.

That shut everyone up. Still grinning, Yusuke dug under the table and produced a small satchel. Shizuru opened the bag, pulled out a book—the book?—and put it on the table in front of me. Apparently Yusuke was keeper of the book, and she had already known about this.

"Don't keep him in the dark," she said disgustedly. "You'll make it worse."

I picked up the book and stared at its cover, not quite registering what it read. I could not say I was overly surprised. In fact, it made perfect sense, in a peculiar, highly improbable way. Still, it was a little bit of a shock to actually have it in my hands.

Same Sex Relationships and How to Make Them Work

There were no words to describe what I felt at that moment. If it had been anyone else, I would have laughed. Because it was funny. This was the kind of book you passed in the store and wondered why anyone would buy it. Kind of like Sex for Dummies. You assumed only perverts bought that because usually by the time you reached the appropriate age, you knew how it worked.

Feeling was not even an option. Instead, I just had a lot of questions, two of which were extremely pressing at the moment.

"Yusuke."

"Uh… yeah?" he sounded nervous. As if he thought I would hurt him for this. Well, I might just yet, but only because he was hiding this from me for so long.

"How long has he had this?"

"Er… since the beginning of last week."

Since we started the mission. Hiei probably stumbled upon it the first or second day he was in the bookstore. I flipped through the first few pages, noting there were a few that had been dog-eared. I skimmed the first one.

…always ask… make your significant other know you care…

"Kurama?" Kuwabara sounded nervous too. Did they all think this would send me over the edge? Who was the clueless one?

"Yusuke," I said again.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have anything to do with Hiei deciding he wanted this?" Because if Yusuke had any part in it—any whatsoever—I really would beat the crud out of him. And I would use a lot of sharp objects in the process.

"I just told him he had to pay for what he got," Yusuke said, snickering softly. "'course, Hiei doesn't have human money. Let's just say he was pretty embarrassed when he showed that to me."

"I see." I did. And I felt a lot better about it. "Can I borrow this for awhile?"

Shizuru was the only one who did not show any shock at my request. Botan, unfortunately, was the first to find her voice.

"No way!" she gasped. "Kurama, I thought you liked girls!"

That did not deserve a response. She cowered down in her seat when I looked at her. Mewling, she waved her napkin about in the manner of a white flag. Yusuke spoke up quickly to save her.

"Hey, it's Hiei's book," he said. Again, that anxious little laugh. "I'm just holding it while he's in the Demon World. He doesn't want to lose it or something."

"Thank you." I paused in my page flipping. Whoa. The book had pictures. I glanced at the chapter heading and felt my insides squirm. Intimacy. I closed the book and stood. "Well, I think this has been an enlightening evening, if nothing else."

"You're leaving?" Keiko asked in a small voice.

"Yes," I smiled pleasantly. "Feel free to continue your mockery of this after I'm gone."

"Ouch," Shizuru murmured.

"And Yusuke," I set a light hand on his shoulder. He flinched. Apparently I was scaring him. He deserved it. "Don't offer Hiei any further romantic advice."

"Eh?" Yusuke looked up, startled by that. "Why not?"

"Because your idea of romance frightens me, Yusuke," I replied frankly. "And when your advice blows up in Hiei's face, he'll take it out on you."

Yusuke paled and nodded hurriedly.

"R-right!" he stammered. With a shaky grin, he waved. "See you later."

Shizuru linked her arm through mine and walked me to the exit. I had to like Shizuru. She always knew how things worked in the world.

"After that, you can bet this night will end quickly," she murmured.

"I can't say I much care," I replied easily. She smiled, then tapped the book I held with the end of her unlit cigarette.

"You think you'll get good advice from that book?"

"No. But I think I'll learn a little."

"About sex?" she teased.

"About Hiei," I countered wryly. "Although I'll let you look through the chapter on same-sex sex if you'd like. There are pictures."

"I think my imagination can provide plenty of images," she said, all the while looking at me slyly. "And then I don't have to look at strangers. I can picture people I know."

"Shizuru!" That was a little too much for me.

"Let's see," she adopted a thoughtful pose. "Who do I know who's drop dead gorgeous and has a thing for another guy who happens to be quite the looker?"

"Good night, Shizuru," I hastily retreated to the sidewalk.

"If you guys make any videos, I want to see them!"

I ran as fast as my feet would carry me. Just when I was getting those warm feelings about her, Shizuru always reminded me just why I found her so intimidating.

TBC…

Notes: So that book. I made it up. Doesn't exist outside of my mind… if anyone was actually thinking of looking for it… yeah. Oh, and an extra side note--this is very slightly AU... in that Yusuke really shouldn't be present for any of this but he is because it just wouldn't be the same without him.

Next Chapter: Isn't it funny how you always see something happening differently in your mind? Why can't life be so predictable?