Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or any of it's characters. I do own Katrina, Lisa, Serena, Marissa, and Alex.

AN: I hope you people know what nose bleeds mean in anime. I'm pretty sure the hardcore anime fans know what it means. I can't really tell you with out having to up the rating. ; Though maybe I should up the rating.

WARNING: Skimpily clad females!

Bewitching Ties

Legend

-Thought-

-Telepathy-

Noise

Chapter Eight: The Forest and the Spector

Kurama looked up when the bell on the door rang. His mouth dropped to see how Katrina was dressed, particularly at where her dress ended. Sure, he had seen her legs, but only from the knees down. Now he saw a lot more. "Uh...Hi Katrina," he stuttered out. He quickly put his hand up to his nose. Thankfully it wasn't bleeding yet.

"Hi," She said cheerfully as she practically skipped inside, an irritated fire apparition on her heels. She looked around for a few seconds then pointed to a pastry tray. "Could I have two of those?" she asked.

Shuich nodded and retrieved the two pastries with tongs and placed them in a paper bag. "Will that be all?" he asked politely. Katrina nodded. He quickly rang up the food and told her the amount.

She paid him then handed Hiei the bag. "We'll share," she told him simply, unwittingly using her 'master card'. Hiei smiled, he had noticed.

She looked around and saw that they were the only customers. "Hey, Shuichi, are you about free? If so, would you like to go out on the town?" she asked, eyes sparkling as she flirted.

Shuichi nodded his head, "My shift is almost over, but first I was heading up to Genkai's. Would you like to come?" he asked politely.

Katrina nodded. "Sure, why not?"

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"So, do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?" Katrina asked as they walked to the shrine.

Hiei stumbled as Shuichi smiled shaking his head. "No, no girlfriend and definately no boyfriend, I don't swing that way." -Not at the moment anyways...- Kurama thought, reflecting on his past.

Katrina laughed. "That's a shock, back home everyone of my friends swung. I even swing."

This time Shuichi joined Hiei in stumbling. -I wonder what Kuwabara will say once he meets Katrina?- Kurama thought.

Hiei echoed his thoughts. -The baka will no doubt freak.- He looked at the witchling, slight interest in his eyes. -The onna is just full of surprises.- He wondered what else she had in her closet full of surprises.

Katrina noticed Hiei's look. She smiled evilly inside, as she asked innocently. "So, Hiei, do you have a love interest?"

Before he could even think of clamping his mouth shut he replied, "Yes." He paused, he hadn't even known he had a love interest. Who?

Katrina thought about asking him who was his love interest but she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.

Shuichi glanced at Hiei, interest in his eyes. "Who Hiei?" he asked. Hiei didn't reply. Kurama thought about how Hiei had been so willing to answer Katrina but not willing to answer his best friend. Why not? -Hiei? What was that?- he asked the short man telepathically.

Hiei growled mentally as he replied. -A stupid order.- He then proceeded to inform Kurama of the binding and what it was doing and the most important orders the girl had made, he left out the one about him kissing her.

However, Kurama still learned about it. Katrina looked to Hiei, "Hey, did you like kissing me?" she asked, intent on putting the demon through hell.

Shuichi stopped on the stairs that they were climbing. "What?" he asked, shocked.

Katrina smiled. "He kissed me about a week ago. It was long and thorough too." She loved how the demon was literally squirming. As Shuichi gave the demon the oddest look Katrina repeated her question.

Hiei, no longer able to fight the order of always answering truthfully, replied. "I liked it." The moment the words were out of his mouth he mentally threatened Kurama, -If you so much as peep I will kill you!- He found out a second later that Kurama wasn't the only one that had heard.

"Wow! You mean Short Stack can kiss!" Yusuke said as he came down the stairs. He looked at Katrina, "And he didn't have to stand on a phone book." He came over and clapped the fire apparition on the shoulder and loudly whispered, "Good catch. But if you don't mind me saying so," he plowed on over Hiei's 'I do mind', "But I think she's too good for you man. She's so sweet and innocent." He smiled at the girl, who smiled back at him, though this was a 'you-don't-have-a-clue-about-me' and 'innocent-my-ass' smile. Yusuke sweated at this, as did Hiei and Kurama, who were still shocked to find out that she was bi.

"Yes, well, why don't we head up." Kurama said into the silence.

Yusuke waved to them, "I guess I'll seeya later, I've got a date with Keiko and I'm late. Seeya!" He started to run down the stairs. Katrina waved to him as the two boys beside her looked at each other, deep in a mental conversation, Hiei mainly threatening to kill all of the ningens purely out of anger for having been stuck with this witchling and how Yusuke had found out and so on and so on. Kurama tried to calm the irrate apparition. After a few seconds Hiei calmed enough to send a telepathic death threat to Yusuke, who merely laughed, used to Hiei's death threats.

After a few minutes they reached the top. Yukina was outside sweeping the porch. She looked up and smiled. "Oh, hello Hiei," she bowed to him. She paused for a second before bowing to Shuichi. "Hello Shuichi, it's been awhile since I've seen either of you. Hello Katrina, it's nice to see you again," she finished, bowing to the girl.

Katrina bowed back. "It's nice to see you too."

Yukina moitoned towards the large doors, saying "Please come in."

As Kurama followed the petite woman inside Hiei stalled Katrina, getting close to her to whisper in her ear. "I order you to order me to do as I will while we're here."

Katrina nodded, her chin brushing against his shoulder. "I order you to do as you will while we're here."

Hiei smiled as he backed away, feeling the order of him to stay with her lighten slightly, indicating that he didn't have to follow her heels for the time being. He knew he couldn't get away with ordering her to let him do as he willed forever, that would conflict too much with her previous orders.

Katrina watched the demon go into the woods. She felt her cheeks and found they had cooled. She was embarrased to find that she had been blushing when he had stood so close to her. She silently cursed herself. -Dammit, Kat! He's a demon for crying out loud! Marissa's right, he's definately a strange love interest!- She quickly caught up with the other two.

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Hiei sat in one of his favorite trees, thinking about what had just happened. He had seen the witchling blush when he had been close, had wondered at how she could blush when it seemed that she hated him, or at least disliked him. Then he thought back to the kiss and how she had forced him to admit how he felt about it. He had liked it and he didn't even know why! Then there was how she forced him to admit that he had a love interest, but thankfully she wasn't the one that had asked for 'who'. He hadn't even realized that he had been thinking about a love interest. -Damn! This girl is infuriating! I'm starting to belive that she is putting me on the spot on purpose! Now she's doing it in front of the others! How can I get out of this mess?- He thought, not for the first time.

After awhile he sighed and decided he might as well enjoy his freedom while it lasted. He jumped out of the tree and ran through the forest to find a clearing to practice in.

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Several hours later Katrina walked through the forest. She had asked the others were Hiei might be and they had said that he haunted the woods, so here she was, looking for the demon.

"Hiei?" she called. No answer. She looked up at the sky and saw threatening dark clouds -I have to find him soon. There were no storms in the forecast today. I can feel that it isn't a normal storm. I have to find him and get home!- She started to walk faster through the dark forest. After fifteen minutes she decided to give up and head home, she was sure that the demon would be forced to follow. She turned around and started to walk back. After a few minutes she realized that she didn't recognize the area. She was lost again.

Katrina started to despair, she was never going to be able to get to safety before the storm hit. At that moment a loud thunderclap boomed around her as a large bolt of lightening ripped through the clouds, releasing the torrent of rain and ice. Katrina screamed at the thunder and lightening, then ducked down under the rain and hail. She frantically looked around her to find cover. There, to her right. Deeper into the forest it became so thick that the trees made a canopy. Without a second thought Katrina dashed further into the dark forest.

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Hiei was caught unawares when the storm hit. He had been practicing so hard, releasing all of his frustrations, well, most of his frustrations, on the various objects around him, trees, rocks, and the occassional weak youkai. He slightly jumped at the thunder and lightening right over his head, close enough to make his hair stand even more on end with the static. He growled. The storm more than likely would drive the witchling home. Well, at least he had been able to let off steam that had been pent up inside since the girl had cast the binding.

He was about to flit to the shrine when he felt a tug on the binding 'line' between him and the girl. Then he heard a high pitched scream. His eyes widened, then he ran in the direction of the scream, cursing the baka witchling for daring to come into the forest, much less during a storm.

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Katrina ducked down as a large white bat-like demon swooped down at her. "Ah yess, a sssnack!" it hissed as it flew around to swoop down on her again. She rolled to the side as its claws ripped through her clothes. It hissed some more as it came back. This time it's claws hooked into the back of her dress and she lifted of the ground. She screamed and twisted around to kick at the beast. He clothes ripped off and she fell to the ground hard, hitting her head on the ground, knocking her unconcious.

Hiei zipped into the dark grove to find the bat dragging the unconcious Katrina into it's nest. Hiei growled, his eyes glowing. In less than a second the youkai was in little bits and Katrina was safe in Hiei's arms. He thought about taking her to the shrine but lightening continued to crash everywhere. Hiei also could tell that it wasn't a normal storm so he decided it would be safer if they stayed in the cover of the trees. He looked at the unconcious girl and blushed bright red. Her dress had been ripped off and now she was in nothing but a lace black bra that hid nothing and a black thong. He quickly laid her down, took off his cloak and wrapped it around the girl. He tried not to look at her, even though she was now decent. Very graphic images kept floating through his head. He might not think he was a 'sex driven teenager' but his body and imagination thought so. If she had been choosing her undergarments to impress and torture the boys that saw them, she was doing one hell of a job on him. Hiei had half a mind to go out into the freezing rain and stay there.

Close to twenty minutes later the brassy blonde still hadn't woken up, or even moved for that matter, and the storm seemed to be getting worse. Hiei became worried, the temperature was dropping fast and the onna's shivering, a body mechanism to stay warm, had yet to start. He leaned over the girl and checked her vital signs. She had a pulse and was breathing, but her skin was clammy cold. He looked around for some wood to start a fire to warm her. He gathered several branches, thankfully dry, and arranged them into a wooden pyramid then he used one of his fire techniques to set the small pyre ablaze. Once the fire was lit he moved the girl close to the fire, but still in a safe distance from the flames.

After several minutes she still hadn't warmed. -What the hell do I do now?- he thought. An idea finally came to him, and he wasn't thrilled about it either but it was the only thing he could think of. Sighing he gently unwrapped the girl and laid next to her, taking her into his arms and holding her close as he wrapped his cloak around them both. He immediately felt heat rush to various parts of his body as his bare chest rubbed against her barely covered breasts. He cursed his body and ordered it to behave for the moment. This was no time for it to get 'ideas'.

After several minutes, and his vigorous rubbing of her back and arms, Katrina began to warm up. Hiei sighed and let out his breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. A confused look came to his eyes as he wondered at why he cared about the witchling's health. He held her for several minutes longer, listening to the storm as it raged on and to her breathing become steady and easy, it had been shallow earlier.

Several more minutes later she stirred, mumbling in her sleep. "...Sister...I see you...dancing on the stage...of memory...Sister...I miss you..." she sung softly. Then her voice changed to a pleading tone, "Cass...don't go...please...don't...go..." Tears started to stream down her face.

Hiei looked at her, shocked. He was positive that she had just sung and spoken in english, but he could understand her. -Sister? Cass?- Honey gold eyes flashed in his mind as he saw the purple and gold energy appear beside them.

The eyes in his mind turned soft as he heard a voice, exactly the same as Katrina's except he knew it wasn't the voice of the girl he was holding. "Please, take care of her, not just because you have to due to the binding, but because you want to. She needs someone, she needs to know that someone is there for her. I can't always be there, not anymore. Without me and the circle, she's now all alone. She has no family now."

Hiei's eyes became confused. -No family? How can that be? I've seen her parents.- he thought.

The voice seemed to know his confusion. "Ask her, just ask her and get to know her. She's a very gentle person, despite the brave act she puts on," the voice said the last bit wryly, the eyes turning humorous. But they quickly changed into sadness. "It hurt her gravely. She lost the will to truely live after it happened. The only things that kept her alive were my wishes and our circle. She needs to learn how to live again. She needs to learn how to do alot of things again. Help her please. Help her..." The voice drifted off and the eyes disappeared as did the energy.

Hiei thought about what the spector had said. -Help her? Help her with what? What did she mean when she said the witchling had lost the will to live after 'it' happened? What happened?- He looked down at the girl in his arms. There was definately alot more to this onna than met the eye. She continued to cry in her sleep and Hiei, feeling an odd sense of compassion for her, held her tighter, 'shh'ing her pains away. He thought inwardly at the odd feelings this girl was awakening in him. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

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AN: Yeah yeah, I usually put these up at the top, but I didn;t want to ruin the 'surprise'. The surprise being that the story is getting more serious, or at least has a serious undertone. So...how do you like it? So, who can guess who the spector is? C'mon, it's sooo easy? Now, what do you think 'it' means. Or what happened? That's another givy.