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

AN: So...how many of you were shocked to find Katrina was an apparition? Not in the same sense as her sister though! Sorry this is getting out slowly, I've kinda lost inspiration and I'm making myself really sick from stressing out about classes. Man, I have two research papers due by next weds in Art Hist, I think I'll do the first on Nike of Samothrace, (BEAUTIFUL statue!), and one on theme due in Comp II, luckily I picked an allegory, Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown", a pretty good one. Alright, this is very short because it's like an in between chap, marking the end of the first half of the story and the beginning of the second half.

Bewitching Ties

Legend

-Thought-

-Telepathy-

Noise

"Ghost speach"

'Ghost thought'

'Ghost Telepathy'

Chapter Fourteen: Calm Before the Storm

"Um, Hiei..." Katrina started. She and Hiei were sitting on the temple's porch. It had been a few hours since the revelation. The news still hadn't truelly hit her. -I bet tomorrow the news will make an impact...- she thought then shook her head and continued as Hiei stared at her. "Um...You ordered me to teach you english all day on weekends yet I haven't taught you any and I don't feel the compulsion," she said.

Hiei though about it. "Actually...I think you talked a little in english to your sister and I could understand some of it. I don't know how."

"That's because the magick involved in the binding spell is making it easier for you to 'learn' english from Katrina," Cassandra said as she materialized next to them. "She was repeating a few words over and over, like 'Sis', after awhile your brain, helped by magick, understood the sound 'Sis' to mean sis to you. In fact, the 'sis' I've been saying in these sentences has been in english. You thought it was in japanese."

Katrina and Hiei were silent, then Katrina spoke up. "So, you mean if I say a word in english several times in sentences, say I substitute the english word 'fool', for the japanese word 'baka', that his brain, aided by magick, will automatically translate 'fool' into 'baka'?"

Hiei looked at her, "So...'fool'," he stuttered over the new word, "Means 'baka'?"

Katrina laughed, "It worked!"

Cassandra shook her head, "No, that time no magick was invovled. You actually told him what 'fool' meant. The magick will help in words that are hard for you to teach him. Sometimes it will also help in the words that you can teach him but don't think to. Like 'Sis'."

Katrina thought about it for awhile then looked down at her watch. "Oh shit! Hiei, we should have been home an hour ago!" she yelped as she got up and ran back into the shrine to say her goodbyes.

Inside Kurama also looked at his watch and nodded his head. "I should head home too," he said, turning to the others, "Something's been on my mind and I think what I need is in my room. So I'll be seeing you." He bowed and left.

"Bye," Katrina said, waving as she walked out of the temple, then she looked back, "Sis? Will you be coming too?"

Cassandra shook her head, "No, I have to stay here, but you can come back any time. I'll be here."

Hiei walked up to Katrina, "Besides, we'll be coming up here often," he said. Katrina nodded and waved one last time before she ran to catch up with Hiei, who had started down the stairs without her.

Yusuke watched them leave. "You know, is it just me or does it seem like Hiei is actually being nice to her? I mean, they seem sorta cozy with each other..." he said, thinking of how the two had seemed to stay close all day.

Cassandra held her mouth shut. She was probably the only one that knew of the budding relationship between her sister and her 'bond-mate'. 'Well, Kurama knows too, and I'm sure Genkai isn't stupid, she has more than likely noticed. I think we can keep it a secret between us.'

Knowing that her sister and Hiei would more than likely want their relationship a secret, Cassandra decided she should derail Yusuke's thinking before he came to the truth and blurted it out. "Hey, shouldn't we focus on finding what came out of this portal or where the portal even leads to?" she asked the group.

Koenma nodded, "Yes, I'll go back to Reikai and try to find any information from the archives, as for you all, well, I don't think you can do much," Koenma said, then he turned to Botan, "Let's go, Botan, I think we can leave Cassandra in Genkai's care."

Botan nodded and turned to Cassandra, "Well, I guess I'll see you sometime later. Now behave, I really don't want to hear my friend causing trouble, like tripping your sister, turning on the sprinkler system at night and flooding the lawn-"

"You knew about that one?" Cassandra interupted as Botan teased.

"Yes, but you get my point," Botan finished, smiling, as she materialized her oar.

Koenma rolled his eyes as he got on. "Let's go Botan, you can chatter when you get back after dropping me off." Botan nodded and off they went.

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Sister I see you

Dancing on the stage

Of Memory

Sister I miss you

Katrina sat on her bed, hugging a small worn teddy bear, listening to "Sister" by the Nixons. Before this day she would never have thought of listening to the song again. Not after watching Cass die. -But now I can listen to it...It doesn't hurt as much any more...- she thought, though tears ran down her face. Even though she knew her sister was there, the image of her bloody lifeless form invaded her thoughts. Katrina shook her head. -She's here now, it isn't a dream! She's here now!- she told herself fiercely, hoping to the gods that she wasn't dreaming.

"Why are you crying?" Hiei asked, looking into her window.

She looked up sharply, surprised. She quickly wiped her eyes, sniffing, "It's just that...It's been so long, seeing her now is a shock. I'm half afraid that I've dreamed this whole day." She took in a shaky breath.

After a few minutes of silence she shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow when I wake up," she said as she went around her room turning off the radio and lights.

When she tucked herself into bed she laid there quietly for awhile, making Hiei think she had fallen asleep. However she surprised him when she asked, "Hiei, did you really mean what you said on the stairs, about wishing I was in your arms?" She ended the question with a yawn.

Hiei was silent for a while, searching his soul for the answer. After awhile he sighed, "Yes." But Katrina had already fallen asleep.

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Meanwhile, Kurama was busy skimming through his large bookshelf, searching. His eyes narrowed in frusturation as he discarded another book. "I know what I'm looking for is in one of these books, but where?" he sighed, combing a hand through his hair. He looked at his collection of books. He had been working at his task for the past three hours and he was still only a sixth of the way through. And the minimum amount of pages in his books was around six hundred. He sighed again. It was going to be a long night.

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That night the air was calm and still, like the calm before a storm. Those without psychic senses dreamed on, oblivious to the rising tension among supernatural forces, while those with psychic abilities turned restlessly, their peaceful dreams invaded by horrifying images of death and destruction. However, when they would wake up in the morning, they would have no recollection of the nightmares. Everything was calm and still.