Disclaimer: Don't own YYH or Osa.

Chapter 21

It's a Secret

Hiei noticed Darkfire's arm and mouth move. "Leave," he ordered, waving the crowd away.

"What—?"

"Leave!" He turned a sharp, begging glare upon them. Reluctantly, the group slowly began to obey and the door closed. He waited for them to depart the hall before turning back to Darkfire. "Is there something more, Darkfire?"

Her head twitched awkwardly, trying to say no.

"If you won't tell me, then, I'll just have to ask the demon inside you. So, what's on her mind? What does she have to offer me?"

"She has nothing to offer you…except her—"

"Noooo!" the girl cried, falling to her knees and holding her head. "No! That's my secret, and mine alone!"

"So you haven't forgotten me? Pity. I was about to learn something useful."

"Damn this girl. It wouldn't hurt so much if she would just let go of her heart."

"Darkfire, are you still there? Or have you given up?"

"Fuck…you," she breathed, forcing herself to stand.

"You can try." He rushed her and pressed her against the wall. "Or was it an invitation?"

She tried to push him off, but she was so weak.

"Come now, is this how you fended off Satan?" the demon mocked, moving closer.

"Get off me, Hiei. If I didn't let the Lord of the Underworld, you think I'm gunna let you?" Again she tried to push him away, but her force was even weaker. "What are you doing? I thought you hated this man?"

Hiei paused, letting the girl and her captor argue. She kept twitching beneath him, shaking her head this way and that. Her eyes flared from dull to fierce and back again. And then she became still.

"Well?" he began, staring at her.

"You're right: I do love Lucifer, and I am weak. But I never let him touch me." She looked up at him and their eyes met. For the first time, neither looked away. "And I'll never let you touch me."

He touched her cheek. "Liar."

"You know what I mean." She nestled against his hand, rubbing her face all over his palm. "Why don't you pull away? You always pull away."

"Do you want me to pull away?" he asked, rubbing her neck.

"I want you to be happy." She kissed his hand and rested her head on his muscular chest. "As long as you're happy…you can do no wrong."

"What if it hurts you?"

"You wouldn't do that." She hid a sad smile, knowing that she could easily be wrong. This man was liable to change his mind as swift as the wind can blow.

"What're you thinking?"

"Can't you just read my mind?"

"I can…but I would like if you just told me."

Darkfire straightened and smiled. "It's a secret."

"What're you doing here, half breed?" Osadyro growled, shoving Angel into a room.

"You mean you didn't know? I knew you and Darkfire, both, were here. Why do you think I kept you so close…yet at a distance?" countered Angel, locking the door.

"Just answer the damn question!" She pushed him away and glowered at him.

"I suppose you could say I'm here for revenge…and forgiveness."

"You can't have it both ways."

"I can try. Remember, I have both sides of the coin on my side."

"A tarnished coin."

"What're you saying?"

"True you may have the vote of God and the Devil, but you've taken advantage of that. You stood against God when He was going to banish Darkfire, knowing Satan had your back. You betrayed Darkfire when you heard her asking God for forgiveness, knowing He would convince Satan to throw her away. That coin is fading, half breed, and soon it'll be gone."

"You seem confident. God allowed me to play a cruel trick on Darkfire. Satan allowed me to deceive you. I may be tarnished, Osadyro, but it was you who gave me my nickname."

"I hope you burn in Hell for what you've done. Know that I will do everything within my power to make sure that God sends you from Purgatory forever."

"Then I shouldn't have to worry too much, should I?" He ruffled her hair.

"Damn you!" She launched at him, catching his cheek with her fist. Weaving easily in and out of Angel's blows, she twisted behind him and brought him to his knees.

"This seems familiar," the half angel provoked, rolling away.

"Shut up!" Her elbow came down on his back. He froze, twitched, and then laid still. "Now, just lay there. If you're lucky, someone might find you." Unlocking the door, she fled from the room quietly.

Darkfire looked at the river silently from her balcony. She could see Heaven on the other side, tempting her anger. Tracing the snaking canal, she imagined Hell at the end of the cascading waterfall. Love waited for her there, she knew; probably the only love she would ever know. She stared at the river that led to both parts of her previous lives. But those parts still haunted her in this third stage.

"How depressing," she sighed.

There was a light knock at the door.

"It's open," answered Darkfire, still looking at the river. The door opened and closed.

"Actually, it was shut," someone joked. "Hence the knocking."

"I'm not really in the mood."

"Depressed?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Is that why you let that demon take over?"

"I'm the demon, not her!" Darkfire growled, whipping around. "Don't ever call her a demon."

"It's the truth, Hokage-kun."

She tensed and the hair on her neck rose. "Put yourself in her place, Yuusuke, and then tell me she's a demon."

The man paused, eyes soft on the girl. "I don't know her; I can't possible judge her that way. I only know her as an evil demon that tried to take control of you…make you disappear. That's all I know, Hokage-kun."

"Then don't judge her. I wanted her to take me."

"You wanted to forget us?" Yuusuke inquired, unbelieving.

She turned from him sadly. "I just thought that if I was gone, everyone could be happy. Angel wouldn't have to waste energy trying to be nice. Osa wouldn't have to worry about me. Hiei wouldn't have to hide from me to keep me from prying. Everyone could be happy."

Yuusuke walked up behind Darkfire. He rested his chin on her head and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You're wrong."

"No. Everyone would be happy if I had never existed."

"But you do exist, and I've met you. If you leave now, it'll hurt. Very little happiness will occur if you leave."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Maybe at first. But life will go back to normal and I will be forgotten. I will no longer be a burden to bear."

"Stop being so selfish."

"It's the truth."

"Then why am I so happy just being in the same room as you? How am I happy right now when we're talking about such a depressing topic?" He held her tighter and ruffled her hair with his cheek. "Tell me how."

"Because you're weird. That's why. Or you're crazy…that's always another option."

Yuusuke laughed and lifted Darkfire into the air. He tossed her on the bed and tackled her, stuffed animals flying off the bed. "Now, laugh, damn it," he commanded, tickling her sides.

She tried to hold it back as long as she could. But he persisted and they began to wrestle. He wouldn't cease poking her ribs. Unable to contain it any longer, she burst into laugher. Yuusuke still poked her.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he laughed, sitting on her. "Get rid of those boring thoughts and keep laughing. Laugh all night if you must."

"Yuu-usuke!" Darkfire choked, twisting from his fingers. "I get your point. I'll try to keep the depression to a minimum." He made to lunge once more. "All right, all right! No more depression. Only happiness, ok?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"I can't change your mind, can I?" Kurama questioned sadly.

Hiei pulled from the fox's saddened eyes. "That's right." He stared out his window and tried to remember Heaven and Hell.

"Will you at least try? If not for her, then for Yukina. She's grown terribly attached to our little angel," Kurama continued, following the fire demon's gaze.

"Don't bring her into this."

"Then what am I supposed to do, Hiei? I can't allow one of them to leave. And I won't let you jeopardize this mission."

"I don't care about the mission. I've never cared. So why should I play along now?"

"Because you're just as curious as the rest of us. And don't you try to deny it."

"You're right, I am curious. But I'll learn their secrets through my own methods."

"Don't do this, Hiei. If you push, like I know you will, you'll end up dead."

"I have died…before I even cared about what they really were! Kuwabara died, too, and he doesn't even know he's part of this damn crusade!"

Kurama rubbed his temples and lowered himself to the floor. "When you were alone, what did she tell you?"

Hiei thought for a moment. And then a playful smile flickered across his face. He turned a bit to catch the fox's eye. "'It's a secret.'"