Disclaimer:sadly, I own nothing in this story. Sai and Lexi and the plot for this story were from a story i read a long time ago. Kohaku is from Spring's Fire. I would give proper credit to the people who thought of them, but i can't remember who that was.

A/N: Okay guys, sorry for the long wait, but i had a major writer's blog. It sucks! well anyway, i decided i'm gonna try to do a Harry Potter fic in the future. Anyway, sorry for the long wait and i hope you enjoy.

Chapter Seven: The Core

It was just after sunset and Kurama and Hiei were being dragged down the street to what they thought could quite possibly be the end of their lives.

"Don't be such babies. Lexi goes here all the time and she loves it! Come to think of it, me and Kohaku have to drag her out," Sai said with a laugh, looking to her brother and his best friend.

"Yeah Tousan. Kaasan and Kohaku always pull me out. They make me leave around four in the morning. It's lucky we came earlier, maybe we'll get in easier," Lexi was trying to reassure her father about going.

"You still haven't told us where exactly we are headed. Why should we be afraid of what we don't know?" Yoko said, trying to unnoticingly ask his sister about where they were headed.

"I know exactly what you're up to, Yoko, and it's not going to work on me. Firstly because I am also a kitsune, secondly I am also your twin so I would know when and how you were trying to trick me. Or did you think I just got lucking in making all your tricks backfire when we were kits?" Sai lectured to the by-now blushing kitsune.

They reached the top of a particularly steep hill and you could see for miles in any direction. Yoko and Hiei gasped when they saw where they were going. It looked like a warehouse painted black with day-glo paint thrown onto the walls. A bright red neon sign was flashing the words "Demon Childe." The closer you got to the building, you could hear loud Hardcore music playing. There was a line going around one side of the building.

Lexi screamed and ran down the hill and to the front of the line. She jumped on the back of the man guarding the door. The others followed and soon, they too, were standing next to the man.

"Sai, Kohaku. I'm so glad to see you again! When Lexi jumped on my back, I knew you weren't far behind. Come here and give me a hug ,girls." Sai had a smile on her face as she walked over to him and gave him a hug and was soon followed by Kohaku.

"Um, sorry to break up this little reunion, Sai. But who is this guy?" Hiei asked. Yoko nodded, seeming to second his question.

"Oh! I'm sorry guys. This is my dad. He works here at the Demon Childe as a bouncer and guard. He help me and Sai build our house, too." Kohaku said, giving her father another hug.

"Who are your friends, Honey?" Mr. Yamata asked.

"This is Yoko. He's Sai's twin brother, and this is Hiei. We think he's Lexi's dad and he's Yoko's best friend," Kohaku said, pointing to each in turn.

"Sai! You found your brother. I'm so glad. Where were you hiding all these years, Yoko?" Mr. Yamata asked, turning to Yoko.

"Um. I was hiding in the form of a human. I'm an avatar," he responded with a grimace.

"Wow. Hiding in the form of an avatar for eighteen years. That must have took all of your energy. No wonder no one has found you yet." Mr. Yamata responded in awe. "Well girls. You better get in there. The show starts in five minutes. You don't want to be late now, do you?"

Both Yoko and Hiei looked over to the three girls with a look that plainly said, "What show?" Kohaku looked over at Sai and winked. "Don't worry, Foxxi. I got this one." She said to Sai. Sai blinked at the old nick-name her friend used before giving her her new name. Kohaku turned to look at the bewildered boys.

"Don't worry so much. Loosen up and have some fun. Every week, Sai, Lexi and I come and play at the Demon Child. Now. Let's all go in and have a cherry bomb before we need to get on stage," Kohaku explained to the boys.

Hiei and Sai walked side-by-side. "What did Kohaku mean when she said play? And what the hell is a cherry bomb?" Hiei asked, albeit snappishly.

"You'll see in a few minutes what Kohaku meant, but a cherry bomb is a non-alcoholic beverage that tastes like an explosion of cherries." Sai told him. Kohaku was walking with Yoko and Lexi was off in her own world. Yoko looked curiously over to Kohaku. Hm. I wonder what she meant. Wow she really looks good. Kurama definitely needs to pay more attention to her.

Kohaku was wearing baggy black parachute pants and a tight, ripped and faded pink half-shirt with some American band on it. She had a hat on covering one eye and ear, while the other stood up with a bluish-green tear gem earring in it. Her hair was curly and dyed neon blue and bubble-gum pink. Her tail was wrapped safely around her waist and her eyes were sporting a deep red design sweeping outwards towards her temples. Yoko was so busily thinking he didn't notice Kohaku look over to him and smile.

"What are you thinking about, Yoko?" She asked sweetly. He snapped out of his reverie and blushed a little at being caught staring.

"Just how beautiful you look tonight," Kohaku blushed and looked away, slightly taken aback by his compliment. They walked inside and he could barely register anything. He had never seen anything like it before. It was dark inside and everything was splattered in different color day-glo paint while black lights and flashing lights were the source that could be determined besides the neon sign over the bar. He looked around and noticed the stage was covered the most in day-glo paint. Someone was playing the drums and was getting splattered but didn't seem to mind as he was racing to keep up with the fast paced music of the guitarist and lead vocalist.

"SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PLACE?" Kohaku yelled over the music.

"IT'S REALLY LOUD!" he yelled back. She laughed and he smiled.

"YEAH. I GUESS YOU GET USED TO IT AFTER A WHILE THOUGH." Kohaku yelled, laughing.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Yoko said, gesturing to the stage and the band performing.

"SOMETHING AMERICAN! I THINK THEY'RE DOING AFI! I KNOW THEM THOUGH. THEY'RE SOME OF MY AND SAI FRIENDS! WE TOUR TOGEHTER ALL THE TIME!" Kohaku said, then blushed realizing she'd said too much. Yoko raised an eye brow.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU TOUR WITH THEM? LIKE YOU SING? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE DAD MEANT?" He asked and then laughed at the look Kohaku gave him. They walked over to the bar and Kohaku ordered two cherry bombs and a shot. Sai and Hiei came and sat down next to them. Sai ordered the same thing. Hiei looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"WHO'S THE SHOT FOR?" He asked eyeing her.

"WHO DO YOU THINK, EINSTEIN? IT'S MINE." Hiei snorted in disbelief. Yoko looked over and gave Hiei a helpless look.

"DON'T PUT IT PAST HER, HIEI. SHE COULD OUT-DRINK CHUU IF SHE WANTED TO!" Hiei turned and gave Yoko a disbelieving look and then turned back to Sai. Everyone started laughing at the confused apparition.

"HEY SAI! WHERE'S LEXI AT? I THOUGHT SHE WAS WITH YOU!" Kohaku yelled at her friend.

"YOU KNOW HOW SHE IS. SHE PROBABLY WENT BACKSTAGE TO TALK TO JIN AND CHUU. THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE BACK THERE AND WE NEED TO GO IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES." Sai yelled. Yoko and Hiei looked between the two a look of obvious confusion on they're faces. 'You know Chuu and Jin? How?' Hiei asked.

'You'll see why we know them in a minute. But we met them shortly after the first dark tournament. No more questions, Love. We need to go.' "COME ON KOHAKU! STOP FLIRTING WITH MY BROTHER! IT'S TIME TO GO." She turned to Yoko and Hiei and said, "STAY HERE OR GO UPSTAIRS TO THE TABLES." Kohaku and Sai made their way through the mosh pit leaving behind two very confused men.

Hiei and Yoko watched the two women leave and looked at each other. 'So where do you think they are going?' Yoko asked. Hiei looked up at the stage and then pointed at it. Yoko turned to look and saw Sai, Kohaku, Lexi, Chuu, and Jin walk out onto the stage.

Chuu sat down at the drums, while Jin and Kohaku picked up the guitars. Sai and Lexi walked over to the microphones. The lights went out and started flashing as smoke went everywhere. People started screaming and jumping around them. 'I think we better go upstairs. We can get a better view and they won't kill us for starting a fight.' Hiei stated, still staring at Sai.

'Good idea.' Yoko replied in a daze. They walked upstairs and sat at a table so they could get a good view. Chuu started a slow beat on the drums and was joined with Jin and Kohaku on the guitars. Sai began to sing Haunted by Evanescence. She had her eyes downcast.Then in a low, synister voice she began to sing.

"Long lost words, whisper slowly, to me
Still can't find what keeps me here
And all this time I've been so hollow inside"

'And I know you're still there' The voices of Kohaku and Lexi in the background, singing in low, haunted voices. Sai's gaze came up and she seemed to focus in on Hiei, making him think he was singing to him. The lights blared up in color, reflecting off the smoke and making the girls shimmer in glitter and day-glo paint from the drums.

"Watching me
Wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you
Loving you
I know I'll find you somehow

Hunting you
I can smell you alive
You're heart pounding in my head

Holding me
Killing me
I won't let you hold me down
Saving me
Raping me
Watching me

Kohaku and Lexi came in, adding to the melencholy voice of Sai.

'Watching me
Wanting me
I can feel you hold me down
Fearing you
Loving you
I won't let you hold me down'

Watching me
Wanting me
I can feel you hold me down
Fearing you
Loving you
I won't let you hold me down"

The girls bowed and got off the stage and proceeded upstairs. They were met by a somber looking Hiei and an exstatic Yoko. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could do that?" Yoko asked looking back and forth between the three girls. He then noticed that Hiei and Sai were having a stare-off. Hiei walked past her and grabbed her arm.

"Come with me. We need to talk. Alone," He directed this to the group listening intenly, trying to figure out what was wrong. He let her towards the doors and proceeded to walk to a secluded area. Once they were alone, Hiei asked the question that had been bugging him since she started singing. "What was that about?"

"What are you talking about, Hiei? I was just singing," Sai tried to defend, but Hiei pushed her against the wall.

"You know perfectly well what, onna. You were looking at me, singing about being haunted. Is that what you think?" Hiei asked, taking the pressure off of her.

"No, I wasn't trying to say anything wrong. It's just whenever I sing that song, my mind has always been haunted with things of the past and mostly when I was with you. I never said anythng about it being you haunting me." she explained, rubbing her shoulder where Hiei had been holding her.

"Look, Sai. I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just, i'm not used to so much emotion from people and when you looked at me like that. You're eyes full of pain, I couldn't stand it." Hiei said looking away from her. "I wasn't there to protect you and I lost you. I don't want that to happen again." Sai looked up at his words and knew he wasn't used to sharing his emotions and didn't take what he said lightly. She stood up and put an arm around him.

"I think we better get back inside, Kikan. I'm worried Kohaku may kill Yoko."

well i hope you enjoyed and please review on your way out. i really need some advise for this story and am leaving my options open. r&r