Author: Okay for all of your sake I am going to start this chapter right now while Hilu is busy in the other room and cannot bother us. So enjoy!

"Hiei's telepathy"

"Hiei's thoughts"

"Hiei's Jagan"

Kurama's thoughts

Youko's thoughts

Karein's thoughts

(Authors Note)

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Chapter 7

"Shopping?" Karein asked worried.

"Well yeah, you can't meet Mother Nature without a single kimono. She is really old fashioned. Kieko? Yeah, hey big news the Reikai Tantei has a new member, and we need to take her shopping for kimonos she doesn't have any and she has to meet Mother Nature. So will you go too? …Well, I don't know she is on crutches with a broken leg. …No I don't know… maybe Kurama will. Hey Kurama, why is her leg still broken? You know I can heal it right?" Botan said saying over half of it to whoever was on the phone.

"Well… how long do you think we will be at Mother Nature's?" Kurama asked.

"I don't know, with her you never know," Botan answered.

"Hmmm… go ahead and heal her, I would hate for her to be even more conspicuous than she will be trying on kimonos," he answered.

"Okay, Kieko, do you know where Kurama lives? Good, right away… okay… no I will heal her before you get here… yeah… Koenma's credit card… yeah… ok see you then… Bye!" with that Botan hung up the phone and looked at Karein.

"So you can heal too?" Karein asked.

"Yeah, I can heal too. If you will sit down on the bed here either Hiei or Kurama will get that cast off and then I will heal your leg," Botan said looking up at the boys.

"I will get it with my whip… it is probably safer than Hiei's Katana," Kurama said eyes turning slightly gold.

"Hn, fox I can control my katana better than you can your whip," Hiei retorted.

"I doubt it fire-boy," said Youko.

"Maybe we should wait for Yusuke and Kuwabara to get here one of them can do it," Botan said nervously.

"Do you think I might be able to do it?" Karein asked.

"You know that is a good idea, you have control of plants and animals… why don't you try calling to an animal that could get this off?" Botan said excited.

"What animal would be able to get this off without hurting me?" Karein asked.

"Hmmm… well… maybe a wild cat could?" Botan suggested.

Right after Botan made this suggestion a set of claws ripped at the cast, effectively tearing it off her leg. Karein's eyes were huge. She looked up and saw long wild brown hair, kind brown eyes, fangs, and all kinds of strange markings. With a grin Yusuke changed back to his human form.

"Couldn't let Botan risk you losing a limb to try to get that thing off, and it seemed like Youko and Hiei would be fighting all day. So I figured I would do it for you. Oh and by the way Karein, this is Ukimura Kieko. She is my girlfriend. Kieko meet Karein, the newest Tantei member," Yusuke said.

Quickly Karein lowered her head forgetting she was still in her demonic form and that keeping her eye averted would not make her seem normal. She just didn't want this new girl to think of her like so many others have.

"Wow, your hair is white just like Yusuke's was before he tamed his power," a soft voice said.

How could I forget about that? Great now she will really hate me. They never like a girl that looks weird, and I defiantly qualify now. And I bet she is normal… but then again most of these people are not what one would consider normal. The only one who looked normal was Yusuke before he… changed. Maybe she is just as strange looking as me. Ok deep breath and then I will look up at her. I need to know what she looks like, and it is not like she will believe I am normal now, so… here goes nothing.

Karein looked up and what she saw made her want to cry. Ukimura-san was beautiful. She had dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. Ukimura Kieko was a perfect Japanese woman. Quickly she averted her eyes

She is perfect. She looks truly normal. Why couldn't I look like that? Why couldn't I be beautiful like that? Why don't I look Japanese? What is wrong with me… why am I so… strange… so ugly?

"I will do you a favor and not repeat what you just thought Onna. That would upset many of the delicate minds in this room," Hiei said from the corner.

Karein blushed and tried to hide even more. She had not expected the short man to hear her thoughts. She would just have to get used to this.

Then a hand touched her broken leg and she jumped jarring it. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out in pain, but she hadn't noticed the small fangs and when she bit down she split her lip open. Quickly she pulled her fangs out of her lip and whimpered quietly, sucking on her lip where it was bleeding.

"Oh, Kami… I'm so sorry I thought… here why don't you bite down on this?" Botan said handing her a tee shirt.

Karein nodded and wadded the shirt up and bit down on it. Once again Botan laid her hands on Karein's leg. This time adding pressure, Karein gasped and bit down harder on the tee shirt in her mouth closing her eyes against the pain shooting up her leg to almost overwhelm her. Then a hand was placed into hers. When she looked up it was Yusuke in his demonic form. He had pushed the other two demons out of the way and had sat next to her giving her something to hold onto during the painful healing. Finally with one last sharp pain shooting up her leg it stopped hurting.

"Let me heal your lip and then you should try to walk on that leg," Botan said.

Karein nodded and removed the tee shirt from her mouth realizing that it was ruined from the blood from her lip. Quickly Botan healed her lip and then Karein stood up. She slowly tested her leg and found that it was like it had never been broken. She walked around the room and then sat back down on the bed.

"Well I think it is shopping time. I will fly to get Yukina, she would probably like to go too, Hiei you contact Kuwabara and have him meet us at the mall; it should be open soon. I mean we spent the whole night at Genkai's temple. I will meet you at the mall," Botan said cheerfully.

Karein was unsure about the whole shopping trip, she knew she would have to try on the kimonos, and she knew that she hadn't worn one since she was really little. She wasn't sure if she could get one on. Finally they were at the mall. Kuwabara and Botan and Yukina were there too. Karein had changed back to her human form since her demon form had its own kind of clothes, and she did not want to stand out even more than she did in her human form.

"Hi, welcome to traditional kimonos, can I help you find anything today?" a lady asked.

"Actually yes, we are looking for kimonos for Karein here. She doesn't have any, and we are going to go see a very old friend, who is very strict about the clothing the people in her house wear. Do you think you could help us?" Botan asked.

"Yeah, what are you measurement's Karein?" the sales woman asked.

Karein shrugged. She didn't know what her measurements were. She hadn't been measured for a kimono since she was very little. The sales lady then asked how tall she was.

"Five, five," Karein answered quietly.

"Okay, then let me get a tape measurer and we will get the rest of the measurements, my name is Kali, by the way," she said as she walked to the counter.

When Kali got back she took Karein's measurements.

"Wow, 36-24-32, that is a great figure you have Karein. You shouldn't hide it like you do behind the jeans and baggy tee shirts," Kali said.

"That is why we are taking her shopping," Botan said.

"Well, are there any designs that you like?" Kali asked.

"I like that dark blue with the stars and silver obi," Karein said.

"You should really get lots of greens," Botan said. "It will bring out your eyes."

"What color are your eyes, Karein?" Kali asked the girl.

"Green," she whispered keeping her eyes averted to the floor.

"Not just any green but the most beautiful green I have ever seen," Botan replied.

"Perhaps we should start looking at kimonos?" Keiko suggested.

Keiko could feel the tension in Karein. She had a feeling the girl did not appreciate Botan telling Kali that her eyes were green. Keiko had a feeling she would not like the green kimonos as well as she would like some of the others that would not make her eyes stand out quite so much, however according to Botan, natural colors were the only ones Karein should be wearing to meet Mother Nature.

After a few minutes Karein had quite a few kimonos to try on. She hoped she would not have to come out and show everyone what she looked like in them. She knew that doing that would make her even more uncomfortable. Keiko quickly caught up on that and sent Yusuke and the other boys to another store, however Hiei and Kurama would not leave. Karein went into the dressing room and looked at the kimonos. She decided to try on the blue one with stars on it first. She liked it the best.

Okay, how do I put this thing on? I haven't worn one of these since I was about seven or eight… ummm… I would ask for help, but I don't want to seem like an idiot. Okay I think this goes on first… or maybe this does… oh Kami, I don't know!

"Ask the baka ferry onna, she will help you. And if you won't I will."

"B- Botan?" Karein asked.

"Yeah?" Botan said.

"Do- do you think- you could- could h- help me?" she asked quietly.

"Sure!" she answered cheerfully.

Botan went into the dressing room and after a few minutes she came out dragging Karein out in a dark green kimono with a pink obi. The kimono had pink flowers sewn into it.

"Well, what do we think?" Botan asked.

"Well, it would be easier to tell if she would look up," Kali said.

"Look at them Karein," Botan pleaded.

Quickly Karein shook her head. She did not want to look up. She might have if that sales lady was gone. But with her here there was no way in the three worlds she would look up.

I'm not stupid. She will laugh at me. She will say something about me not being as beautiful as Keiko, or herself. Her hair is dark and her eyes are too. I'm just glad she didn't notice me looking at her earlier. That would have been bad. I really don't want to look up. I just want her to go away. Keiko is nice, so I know she won't say anything, but I'm not so sure about her. She doesn't look very nice. Maybe if I just stand here long enough…

Right as she was thinking this a hand was placed under her chin forcing her face upward, soon she was looking into beautiful gold eyes. It was Youko, and he was looking at her. His eyes scanned down her body and finally came back up to her eyes. Finally he grinned.

"You look good babe," he said winking at her.

Suddenly Hiei grabbed him and jerked him away from her. Her eyes widened. This could not be happening. Then her eyes went to search out Botan, but before her eyes could find the ferry girl they found Kali. Kali gasped when she saw the eyes of the girl before her. They had said her eyes were green, but she had never expected this. And those boys. They must both like her.

"Botan! Do something!" Keiko hissed.

"YOUKO! HIEI! Stop it you are embarrassing us," Botan said. "Why don't you go put on another one? Do you remember how to do it?"

Karein nodded and went back into the dressing room. This time she would put on the blue one with the silver stars and obi. When she got it on she stepped out of the dressing room and looked at Botan. She knew the other girl would tell her the truth.

"You have to get this one. It is perfect! Somehow I think it brings out your coloring better than the green one did," Botan said the moment she walked out the door.

After about two hours they finally had enough kimonos and slippers to last Karein a month at the least. She was glad to be leaving. Then Botan led them to an alley and told the group that they would be going to Reikai. Then she created a portal.

"Go on through, Koenma will be there to greet you," Botan said cheerfully.

Cautiously Karein stepped into the portal, once she arrived on the other side she gasped.

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Hilu: Muah ha ha ha ha ha!

Author: That was his ending… don't hurt me!

Hilu: They wouldn't dare…

Author: No they love me… but they might hurt you…

Hilu: runs away

Author: LOL! Well review please. Ja ne!