A/N: Hello everyone! I hope the first chapter was alright, I need to work on a few things because this is my first time writing in the first person like this. Forgive me for any mistakes, I don't have a beta reader for this so if anyone is willing to volunteer…? No? Okay then. I plan to have this story switch between Kasumi's and Hiei's point of views but I will try to make it a per chapter basis, instead of switching back and forth during one chapter. I can't say it won't happen, because a time may come when it will be necessary, but otherwise I will try to make it the least amount of confusing as possible. Mostly, it will be in Kasumi's POV though. If you couldn't tell, Keiko and Kuwabara have been trying to shield Kasumi from demon related business, which is why she has so little information on Yusuke even though she has known both Keiko and Kuwabara for almost 3 years. That's right, she has no clue. Let the fun ensue. Please read and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Yoshihiro Togashi does. I'm making no money by writing this but I do get my rocks off from torturing the YYH boys, so that's something.

Warnings: These are mostly for later chapters, as the beginning should be fairly mild besides the bad language. There will be sexual themes, foul language, and violence, poorly written fight scenes, blood/gore, awkwardness, and all the fun stuff in between. Enjoy!

. . .

My cell phone blared out a loud tune directly next to my ear, causing me to shoot up in bed and look around wildly in confusion. In my state of half wakefulness I reached around clumsily for the phone, having trouble finding it because I wasn't wearing my glasses.

My hand finally nudged the small piece of technology and I grabbed it up, flipping it open quickly so I wouldn't miss the call.

"Moshi, Moshi?" My voice was heavy with sleep, making me sound odd even to my own ears.

"Kasumi, its Keiko."

At the sound of her voice I perked up a bit, becoming a little more alert. "Hey Keiko-chan it's – "I take the phone away from my ear so I can squint at the time on its tiny screen, "pretty early for you to be calling me, isn't it?"

"I know it's only six, but I figured you would be up already and I couldn't wait any longer."

Keiko might have been right on a regular day, but I worked a late shift at the precinct last night. Normally I was an early riser, up before the sun. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with one hand and wandered into my tiny kitchen to make a cup of instant coffee. I had packed my coffee maker some days ago and I'd be damned if I could remember what box it was in.

"Yeah well, I'm awake now. What can I do for you?" There was a stretch of silence that had me suddenly worried that Keiko had hung up on me, but I could still hear her breathing over the line.

But then, "…Kasumi, I have some bad news."

Damn, I had known this was coming. She was going to tell me her parents had refused to let her move out. I had been waiting for this call for days since we settled on our new place of residence. I set my full kettle down on the stove harder than I needed to, making it clang loudly, and then turned the burner up full blast. I would need at least one cup of coffee to make it through this conversation without snapping.

"Oh, come on Keiko, you can't be serious?"

"I am completely serious…you see, as of tomorrow, you are stuck with me indefinitely."

I paused, my sleep addled brain taking a moment to process what I had just heard. "Wait…what?"

Her laughter coming through loud and clear only confused me further until I pushed the last remnants of sleep from my mind and realized she was fucking with me, what a bitch.

"Keiko, that isn't very nice! I thought your parents told you no!"

"If only I could have been there to see your face!"

"Oh ha ha, very funny!"

"I thought it was."

My kettle let out a shrill screech telling me its contents were hot, so I removed it from the stove and poured the steaming liquid into a mug. I grabbed the jar of instant coffee sitting on my counter and a plastic spoon out of the package I had purchased after packing up all my silverware. I dumped two heaping spoonful's into the hot water and stirred until it turned almost black.

"So, they said it was okay then?" I asked.

"Well, they weren't too keen on the idea at first which is why I'm calling you now instead of a couple of days ago. We had to have a family discussion and the only reason they finally agreed was because you're a police officer."

I grinned, of course they would agree for that reason. Sometimes being a cop could really help you out in certain ways – getting people to trust you were one of them. The Yukimura's also knew I had the ability to protect their daughter if the need should ever arise. They had been two of my biggest supporters when I had decided to enter the police academy and it had made me very happy.

"Well I'm glad you didn't have too much trouble convincing them."

"Of course not, I can be very persuasive when I need to be."

I took a sip of my coffee and grimaced, I hated instant. It tasted nothing like a real cup of coffee. I played around with the idea of getting dressed and going to the café, it was sorely tempting, but I still had a little more packing to do. Now that Keiko's parents had agreed to the new arrangement we would be moving in tomorrow. This brought up a few problems though – first of all, we didn't have much in the furniture department. Second problem was how we were going to get all our stuff over there.

"Oi Keiko, do you think Kazuma-kun will help us move?"

"I already asked him and he agreed. He said we could use the truck to get our things back and forth. Yusuke agreed to help too."

This surprised me; last I heard he was still against the idea of Keiko moving. "Oh really, what changed his mind?"

"He hasn't changed his mind but I beat him into submission."

I laughed loudly; I could definitely see Keiko doing that. She had a slap that could rival one of my strongest punches any day.

"If he hasn't changed his mind isn't that going to create problems?"

I heard her sigh over the line, "I love him Kasumi, more than anything, but he can't keep me from living my life either. So either he will join me or he won't."

I frowned, a bit saddened for my friend. I didn't want her to lose the man she loved over something like this. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for us to do this…

"I know what you're thinking Kasumi, so stop it."

And there it was again, that irritating intuitiveness she seemed to possess. No one knew me as well as she did and I guess that's just why I liked her so much, she was the first person I had ever met that was able to read between the lines and figure out who I truly was.

"Yusuke will come around eventually, I promise. For now, you'll get to meet him tomorrow, so try to make a good impression okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" I mumbled.

I wasn't much for first impressions. I am beyond socially awkward and my aura must show it too, as most people seemed to skirt around me whenever possible. Also, my eyes creeped people out, Kazuma had informed me one day. He admitted that he had even thought I was blind when we first met. They were a flat slate grey and in the right light it almost didn't even look like I had a pupil in the center of them. Let's hope appearances wouldn't scare Keiko's boyfriend away and I might be able to convince him to at least trust me, if not like me.

"I'm serious Kasumi, even if he's rude to you, try and watch your mouth okay?"

"I'm not going to if he's going to be an ass."

"Ugh, you're so stubborn. I think you'll find you're very similar."

"What, me and Yusuke? I doubt that."

I could hear the grin she must be wearing just by the tone of her voice, as she trilled out, "You'll see!"

I gulped down the rest of my coffee; rinsing the mug out and setting it back down on the counter to pack later. An idea popped into my head as I wandered back into my now bare living room, "Hey Keiko, want to go furniture shopping today?"

"Well…I would have to ask my parents if I could have the day off from the shop…"

"Okay, you go ask them and I will go take a shower. If you can't come I will just order what you need."

"Oh Kasumi, you don't have to do that."

"Well, I'm going to." I also planned to pay for all of it, not that she needed to know that. I made considerably more than Keiko, but I wasn't the type of person to rub that into someone else's face. I am the type of person who will surprise their friends with random gifts though.

Keiko was protesting again, so I silenced her with a quick "I'll talk to you later!" and then hung up on her. I was just about the only person Keiko couldn't argue with, mostly because I wouldn't even give her the chance.

I received a text two seconds later telling me I was an ass but she would call me after her parents got up. I smiled, before tossing my cell phone onto the kitchen counter so I could go take a shower.

I wandered into my bathroom, stripping off my white tank as I went and dropping it onto the floor. I wore no bra, as I didn't believe in sleeping in the irritating things. I stopped in front of my mirror to see flaming hair in a tangled rats nest, lightly freckled skin across chest and shoulders, dark circles beneath my eyes and my father's necklace hanging between my modest breasts.

I fingered the trinket for a moment, letting my emotions wash over me as I did so. It wasn't exactly pretty, but held its own type of allure. Hitomi had been given one much the same. Our grandfather had presented them to us for our sixteenth birthdays, with a letter from our father stating that he had been holding onto them for us. They were family heirlooms apparently, though I had never met my dad's side of the family in order to prove it. They had all died many years before I was born.

The necklace itself was a thin silver chain, plain and simple; the pendent hanging off the end of it was far more interesting. It was a golden coin, broken in half down the center and unlike any currency I had ever seen. Hitomi had the other half and the writing written on its surface wasn't complete unless you put the two together. I had yet to figure out what language the script was in, but it flowed down the coin in watery cursive.

I had asked my grandfather if he knew what it said, but he didn't have a clue either. It had given me and Hitomi a headache for weeks when we tried to figure it out on our own. We never did, but it was the last and only thing I had left of my parents, so I didn't really care as long as it was always on me. I never take it off, going as far to sleep and shower with it on. I guess I felt like it gave me another connection to Hitomi – keeping us close even though I didn't have the faintest clue if she was even still alive.

I pushed the memories to the back of my mind, slipping the shorts I was wearing over my hips and took a moment to look my body over. I was short, standing at a measly five feet and three inches (the precinct had actually falsified my records and stated I was 5'4" because the police force had I height requirement) and I wasn't exactly skinny, but most of the weight was lean muscle and not fat. I had hips that tapered off into toned legs and ended with dainty feet. My upper body was just as toned as the bottom, from my flat stomach to the hidden muscles in my arms and shoulders.

While I was not big busted what I had was adequate and anymore would have made my numerous martial arts classes a big irritation, so I was thankful for what Kami had given me. I had a small smattering of light brown freckles that started at my collar bone and traveled down to graze the top of my breasts.

I had several white scars that marred my pale skin, a thin one that sliced through the light brown of my left eyebrow, one on the palm of my right hand from a blade sharpening accident, and one large one between my shoulder blades. The eyebrow had been caused by a slash from a katana wielded by an overzealous underclassman in junior high. As for the one on my back… that had been done on purpose. Remember I spoke of a previous relationship that had ended badly? Well, that particular scar was the result of that.

I banished the memory, not wanting to relive the pain that still festered from time to time. I turned slightly in the mirror, spotting a pop of color on my back not natural to my skin.

The only other remarkable thing about my body was the single tattoo I had inked onto my left shoulder blade. I had it gotten several years ago, shortly after Hitomi had gone missing. I ran my fingers over it gently, mapping out the shape of the infinity symbol. It was solid black, except for the script written in English on the bottom of its second curve. The word 'Strength' stood out in a deep red reminder that I would need to become a much stronger person than I am now in order to find my sister.

Not wanting to think about that right now, I started up my shower (which was just a tiny little cubicle barely big enough to even fit my small frame) and climbed in. I didn't pay attention to the fact the water was still cold and just waited for it to heat up, when it finally did I began my normal routine – wash hair, wash body, condition, and then lean underneath the spray for five minutes to loosen my muscles.

I tried not to spend too long in the shower, mostly because my thoughts were known to get carried away if I did. I tried not to think about certain things as much as possible. Besides, I didn't want to miss Keiko's call.

I jumped out of the shower, grabbing my towel off the bar stretched across one of the walls and wrapped myself up in it. I had to fight off a shiver as I shuffled out to my living room, in the process I snatched up a suitcase I had resting against the wall, and threw it down on my futon. I followed it a second later, plopping down next to it and quickly unzipping it.

I had packed a few outfits inside it so they would be easily accessible until I could get my stuff unpacked at the new place. I pulled out a pair of dark wash jeans (made for a woman this time), a dark fitted long sleeved shirt, a pair of socks, and the necessary undergarments.

I rushed to get them all on, because the landlord of my apartment complex had refused to turn the heat on so early in the season and I was freezing. Of course, in my hurry I had ended up putting my shirt on backwards. I rolled my eyes at myself and my own stupidity, before roughly pulling it off and putting it back on the correct way.

By the time I had dressed, put my holster and gun over my shoulders, and popped two slices of bread into my toaster Keiko had called back. Her parents had agreed to give her the day off. Furniture shopping for the day it was.

. . .

After one very long and tiring afternoon Keiko and I had managed to buy everything we might possibly need for our new place. I had never been more thankful for the savings my Grandparents had given me. It wasn't often I took money out of the account but it had really helped today. Especially because I had needed a lot more furniture than Keiko had.

In the end I had purchased myself a new western style bed with blue bedding to match my room, a desk, two bedside tables, and a small light blue arm chair to stick in one of the corners of the bedroom. Keiko had a bed and desk she would be bringing with her, but had needed the bedside tables. Together we purchased a kotatsu for the living room, a wooden dining table with six chairs, a couch and two arm chairs to place in the living room (these were a nice deep burgundy and would match the crème colored walls nicely).

From there came other household essentials such as towels, blankets and sheets, kitchen supplies like extra silverware, plates, bowls, pots and pans, as well as cooking utensils. I had some of those things but not enough for the both of us and definitely not enough if we had guests.

At some point Keiko had ended up purchasing a house plant as well as several other décor related items to place around the apartment. I bought a new table to place by our entry way, so I could put my little ceramic poppy bowl where I usually do. We ended up spending an exorbitant amount of money, but the day had been successful and now we had everything a couple of budding college students could ever possibly need for a new place.

We instructed the furniture store on where to deliver the items that were too large for us to take ourselves and they agreed to drop all of it off tomorrow morning around ten. That would give us several hours to get our other stuff situated before they arrived. I shook the proprietor's hand gratefully as we finally left.

To finish the evening Keiko and I stopped at our favorite café for coffee before splitting ways. I stood outside the shop and waved until she was out my line of sight, then I turned, stuffing my hands into my pockets, and walked back to my lonely little hovel. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

It was already dark out, the night dreary and cold. The stars weren't very visible, but I couldn't tell if it was because the sky was overcast or if it was just the city itself. I walked with my face turned to the black above, not paying attention to where I was going.

Of course, being the smart person that I happened to be, I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to walk around without taking stock of your surroundings. I was proved correct a moment later when I rammed face first into something (correction, someone) causing me to lose my balance. My many years of martial arts training prevented me from falling over backwards, as I corrected my descent quickly by hopping nimbly on the balls of my feet. I never even had to remove my hands from my pockets.

A pale hand reached out to grab me by the shoulder, in an attempt to prevent my fall, but the person realized a moment later that it wasn't necessary. It fell away and I took the chance to apologize – it had been my fault after all.

"Ano…I'm really sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going!"

I finally looked up to see who I had accosted and it took a moment of staring at the softly smiling face for me to realize it was a man and not a woman standing in front of me. Realizing I was being extremely rude, I blushed and quickly looked away. The man laughed softly, his voice smooth and pleasant to the ear.

"Please, there is no need to apologize. I was just as distracted with my thoughts as you seemed to be. There was no harm done." He used those same pale hands (such long and dainty fingers!) to adjust his clothing I had mussed up by running head first into his chest.

While he wasn't looking my eyes shot back to assess the man once again. He was pretty, almost too pretty for him to be a man. He had long, slightly wavy bright red hair held back in a low ponytail. His fringe hung attractively over his forehead and I allowed my eyes to travel over what I could see of his face. His skin was pale and practically flawless, an angular face with eyes the color of emeralds embedded into the perfect symmetry.

He was fairly tall, compared to me anyway, and thin. I could tell that there was strength hidden beneath the surface, the fact he hadn't so much as stumbled when I bumped into him being another clue. That little tidbit alone made him ten times more attractive in my eyes.

His attire certainly didn't help dull his attractiveness either. He was handsomely, though simply, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and white dress shirt. Pinned to the pants and pulled over his shoulders were a pair of black suspenders and he held a classy dinner jacket over one of his arms.

The redhead cleared his throat rather loudly, causing me to jump. What he said a second later made my already heated face bloom further, traveling down my chest in hot ruddy patches.

"If you are finished admiring me, I am afraid I must be on my way."

It took me a moment to spew out my next sentence, "O-oh, I'm so sorry!"

He only smiled kindly, shaking his head as he gracefully walked by me. I couldn't help but watch the man walk away – too stunned to even get my brain to start working properly again, let alone make my feet move.

When my brain finally kick started itself back to life it was only so I could curse myself profusely. Seriously, what the hell was that? I had just made a complete fool of myself and in front of such a hot guy too! If Keiko had been there to see that she would have slapped me upside the head!

Angry now, I started stomping my way down the sidewalk. I could only hope I would meet the guy again someday and be able to redeem myself. Better yet, I would like to drag him to bed for a night. The hair alone was a major turn on.

I sighed; Keiko would highly disapprove of that as well. Dragging random men to bed with me had started some years ago, after my one and only serious relationship. I never wanted to be with someone like that again. Sex was one thing – I kept it impersonal and it usually only lasted the one night. The few guys that had tried to crawl back beneath my sheets (metaphorically speaking) were always promptly shut out.

I believed in love, had always sought after it, but it was the least of my worries now. I didn't have time for love or anything that came with it. Not to mention, I was really only interested in men who were stronger than me. If you can't take me down in a fight, then forget it.

Unfortunately for most of them, it was simply impossible. While I didn't know about my dad's parents, my Grandfather on my mother's side (the one who took care of Hitomi and I) had been a master at his own dojo. He had retired some years before he died, but wanted to keep the dojo in the family. Along with their life savings, I had inherited my Grandfather's dojo as well. He had taught me his strange mix of Karate and Kempo from the time I was able to walk, hoping I would become his heir, especially because he had not been gifted with any sons.

Kazuma and Keiko were the only people other than my sister who knew this little tidbit of information. Being the master of a dojo didn't really go over well with the men who taught most of my martial arts classes or the head of the clubs I had attended throughout school, so I kept it to myself. I had been handed down a ku-dan, a 9th rank black belt, essentially making me a master of my Grandfather's art.

I hated it. I honestly often refused to acknowledge it at all. I had not earned that honor; it had been given to me when he died because he wanted me to re-open the dojo. With his personal training and my Judo classes as well as Kendo he had figured I would be the perfect match for the job.

How wrong he had been. I had absolutely no interest in teaching anyone my personal style of martial arts and I intended for it to stay that way. I also had no need for ranking systems; I had never cared for them. All I cared about was learning as many ways to fight as I possibly could.

'Sorry Ojichan, I know I'm a disappointment.'

The only reason I kept track of my ranks at all were because of the questions I always enviably got after someone had seen me fight. I was a 8th Dan black belt in Karate (I suppose it would be close in Kempo as well, thanks to my Grandfather and I don't acknowledge the 9th rank that was handed to me), I started Judo later, when I was 8, but I achieved a go-dan (fifth rank black belt) my senior year of high school. As for Kendo, I started that a little earlier than Judo at 7 years old and it was the only club I planned on joining at the college. Like Judo, I had also achieved a go-dan in Kendo my senior year.

I was saddened by the fact I no longer would have time for Judo now that I had joined the police force, but my classes were more important. So I had limited myself to only joining one club and Kendo was what I still wanted to improve in.

I had reached the entry way to my apartment building by then, so I concentrated on unlocking the door and walking up the single flight of stairs to my rinky-dink apartment. Thank Kami I was getting the hell out of this crap pile tomorrow.

I stepped over a drunk guy who was lying spread eagled in the hall (might have been one of my neighbors, might not have been, who knows) in order to reach my door, pulling out my key and shoving it forcefully into the lock. I had to jiggle it harshly and then twist it swiftly to the side to get the lock to unlatch.

I kicked the door open, throwing my leather messenger bag down next to it and dumping my cell phone, keys, glasses and pocket change into my little bowl. When the change scattered and rolled onto the floor that is when I finally remembered that I had already packed my poppy bowl. In fact, everything had been packed by that point.

The little apartment looked so lonely and cold being that empty. Boxes had been stacked up against the walls and the only bit of me that remained was the futon folded up on the floor.

I busied myself with picking up the fallen yen, trying to avoid thinking about how alone I felt. This is what usually started my horrible habit of one night stands. I would succumb to a bout of loneliness and then go out to a bar or club to find someone willing.

Heck, I could easily recall the last time it had happened even. It had left me sexually and emotionally frustrated after I had been forced to kick the guy out of my bed, completely naked and incensed.

I was a rough lover, I didn't like the tenderness of what people called 'love making.' My body was hardened and strong, even if it might not look that way from the outside, having a guy treat me like I was glass was one of the biggest turn offs I could think of.

Thus why I had been forced to kick the last idiot out of my apartment, he had even asked for me to be gentle with him. What kind of man wants a woman to be gentle with him, for Kami's sake? Sex should be passionate and hungry and sweaty. Not sweet nothings being whispered in my ear while we eat chocolate covered strawberries while lying beneath the sheets. Gross.

I guess I'm kind of making myself sound a little crazy. It's not like I would beat the shit out of a guy in bed or do weird things, but if I dig my nails into your back or bite you I don't expect you to whine like a little girl.

I finished picking up my fallen change, placing it in neat little stacks on the table by the door and then moved on so I could pull the futon out. I spent much longer than I needed to smoothing out the bedding, especially because I was just going to lay in it soon. I was too lost in my thoughts by then to really care.

I wished I had gone after that redhead earlier. What would he have said if I propositioned him right there in the street?

'Who are you kidding Kasumi, he would have thought you were a prostitute you idiot.'

I shook my head at myself, trying to banish this horrible train of thought before I took it too far. I was cold and tired; all I needed was a good night's rest. Tomorrow would be more hard work and I planned on getting an early start.

With that in mind, I stripped off my clothes and climbed under the blankets, curling up into a ball to try and keep my warmth from escaping. I forced my eyes to remain closed and then allowed myself to drift off into a fitful sleep.

. . .

I think I must have been dreaming, because I was standing in the middle of Ojichan's dojo, which I know I had closed up after he died. Light was softly filtering through its rice paper doors and the warmth of summer could be felt on my skin. How come I was here?

I twirled around in a slow circle, feeling my bare feet rub against the well-worn wood and memories of my childhood rushed over me as I took the place in. It was just how I remembered it, the smell of clean wood and years of hard work – sweat, blood and tears from many a student, including myself. The shrine my Grandfather had prayed at every morning before practice in the same place as always, the incense burners, the hand painted scrolls, the array of weapons hanging on display across the walls – it was all exactly the same… except for one tiny detail.

I stopped my turning abruptly, my feet skidding across the floor and sticking to its surface. Standing in a corner of the room was a man, just watching me, his hands neatly folded into the sleeves of his black kimono. Besides the cowl hiding his face from view, the guy looked like he had stepped straight out of an old fashioned Samurai movie.

He had a katana strapped into the Obi of his bright red hakama and a jug of what must be some kind of alcohol hanging from his hip. As I spotted it, he reached down and removed it, bringing the vessel to his lips and taking a long drink. When he had finished, he held the jug out to me – an offering.

Dream or not, I sure as hell wasn't going to drink something being offered to me from some unknown entity. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my Grandfather's dojo?"

A deep, dark, almost scary chuckle left the man's mouth. I still couldn't see his face, the cowl covered it in shadow and I was starting to become frustrated. If he was trying to scare me it wasn't going to work, baka.

I went to move closer to him, perhaps to start an altercation but he spoke before I could even take a single step, "Don't you mean your dojo?"

His voice was so deep it sounded like thunder leaving his throat and I remained completely still. He had knowledge that many shouldn't possess, leaving me to believe that all of this was in fact in my head. I narrowed my eyes, determined not to be intimidated by some weirdo I had created.

"No, what I said is what I meant. This is my Grandfather's dojo. Now, who the hell are you?"

He set his jug down at his feet, stepping away from it and coming towards me. I took a stance, preparing myself for the possibility of having to fight my way out of here. I watched his every move, trying to predict what he was about to do, when he suddenly disappeared as if he'd never even been there in the first place.

I whipped around quickly, trying to figure out where he had gone but the cold steel of a blade being poked into my back halted any movement I wished to make. I straightened my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end and my brain screaming at me that there was something definitely wrong with this situation.

'Who the fuck is this guy!?'

The blade was moved, the man's arm wrapped around my middle so he could hold it in front of my face threateningly. "Kasumi-chan…" He whispered in my ear, so close I could feel his breath on my skin.

I shuddered violently, suddenly feeling ill; a cold sweat broke out over my forehead. Why did I feel this way? No one had ever made me feel such a sense of dread before. Somehow, I knew my life was in imminent danger. This man was going to kill me. I needed to do something, anything other than standing here shaking like a frightened child.

Being wary of the blade I shot my elbow out behind me, hitting him squarely in the stomach. I heard him let loose a whoosh of breath as I knocked the wind out of him. Triumphant, I hopped away from him, avoiding the blade completely.

But when I turned around to confront him again he was already gone. A shadow fell over me, engulfing me, choking me. I scrabbled at my neck, trying to draw in air but the sudden overwhelming fear was too much. I fell to my knees, gasping and looking around wildly for the source of my current discomfort.

He materialized out of thin air, like black smoke, wispy and ephemeral. It solidified into his form, his hand around my neck as cold as the steel of his blade. I pulled at his fingers, trying to remove them before I suffocated but it was to no avail. They remained strong and steady, pressed into the soft flesh of my throat.

All I could do was watch as he leaned in close; a flash of white teeth surrounded by thin pale lips and eyes the color of snow glowing from within his hood. He brushed against my chin and I could feel the smooth skin of his lips and the hint of five o'clock shadow as he practically nuzzled me. Those lips against my ear made me jump, wishing I could crawl out of my own skin.

"Kasumi-chan… I'm coming for you. Just like I came for your parents, your Grandparents, and most importantly of all…

"…Your little sister – Hitomi."

. . .

I awoke with a scream, covered in a cold sweat and shivering. I was forced to rush to my bathroom where I became violently ill; throwing up everything I had eaten the night before.

'What the fuck was that!?"

I had never had a dream so vivid in my life and I certainly had never had one that made me physically ill afterwards. It had felt so damn real that if I hadn't awoken in my apartment I wouldn't have been all that surprised. Shit, I hoped to never have a dream like that ever again.

I gathered myself together, stumbling up from my bathroom floor so I could go over to the sink and brush my teeth. I wanted so badly to call Keiko or even Kazuma, but it was still dark outside and much too early to call either one of them. I wanted to cry at that moment, I really, truly did.

Instead of crying, I did what I usually did when I felt that way – I punched something. The mirror in my bathroom shattered around me, tinkling through the air in sharp little chunks, some of them embedding themselves into my knuckles. The pain made the rest of my worries disappear and I sneered at the blood dripping between my fingers and to the floor.

'I need to become stronger. No matter what, I need to be stronger. I can't ever let something like that make me feel this way again. How would I ever be able to face Hitomi when I am still so weak?'

Anger fueled me, as it always had. It had been Grandfather's reason for training me in the first place and it was the reason I kept going every day. Without that anger, that hurt, I would have given up on finding Hitomi ages ago.

I don't allow myself to cry, or feel sorry for myself, or panic. That isn't how I work. Either I stood up and took it like a man, or I would die trying. I didn't have the time or energy to be fearful of things. A nightmare is a pathetic reason for me to be acting like this.

I left the bathroom, not even bothering with the broken glass. The landlord could take my security deposit for all I gave a shit. I needed to do something to expel this sudden need for destruction, so I dressed casually and then left my apartment.

I planned to go to the park a couple of blocks away and go through my katas and perhaps beat the shit out of an available tree.

I sometimes wondered if other people have a reaction to fear like I do. I certainly had never heard of anyone else. It had saved my ass on more than one occasion though – becoming pissed off when something scares me. No one had the right to do that to me and I mean no one.

In my anger I had forgotten my jacket and it was immediately apparent as I stepped outside. To keep warm I started to run, reaching the park only took me a few minutes. Once there I picked a spot on the grass and stretched, loosening my muscles up and preparing for the work-out my body needed.

After I had loosened up, I took a deep breath, and started the routine my Grandfather had first taught me all those years ago. I went through a simple set of katas first, getting my body used to the motions. Soon enough though I amped up my work out, putting myself into a mindset of kill or be killed. I pretended I was in a real fight, shadow battling my opponent. I used my anger and released it through each strike, each one making me calmer, more under control.

I didn't stop until I could see the sun rising over the horizon. Sweat was dripping down my skin by then, my messy hair sticking to my damp forehead and the disgusting feeling of the back of my shirt being soaked through causing me to itch.

Once the first rays of the sun touched my skin, I decided it was time to stop. I had been out there for hours by then and I really needed a shower before I met up with Kazuma and Keiko. From the position of the sun I guessed I had about an hour at that point to get ready. Kazuma had agreed to stop at Keiko's first, pick her up and then come get me. We were moving Keiko's things over first and then we would come back for mine.

I jogged back to my apartment, feeling invigorated and much calmer than when I had left it. I rushed up the stairs, barreled through my door, and kicked off my sneakers by way of my toes. I stripped my clothes off and left them in a heap outside the bathroom door. I bypassed the pieces of glass littering the floor, pretending it wasn't even there for sanity's sake.

I showered quickly, did my morning routine, and then braided my damp hair into a long plait down my back. I dressed in comfortable, loose black pants and pulled a dark blue V-neck t-shirt over my head. I forewent putting on my shoulder holster and instead tucked my gun into the back of my pants. I didn't plan on carrying it with me today, but I couldn't leave it here either.

By the time I had finished getting ready I could hear a horn blaring loudly from outside. I peeked out the window in my living room to see Kazuma's old black pick-up waiting for me by the curb. The truck's bed was filled to bursting with Keiko's things, a multitude of boxes having been thrown over her mattress and box spring. I was suddenly very excited; I couldn't wait to get into our new place.

I watched as Kazuma hopped out of the driver's side of the vehicle, obviously having become impatient and I knew he planned on marching up here to get me, so I opened the window and stuck my head out.

"Kazuma-kun, I'll be down in a minute! Don't bother with coming up!"

He lifted his head to grin and wave at me, "Okay Kasumi, but hurry up! We've got a long day ahead of us!"

I just waved at him dismissively before slamming my window closed and going to put my shoes on. I took one last look at my apartment, making sure I had packed everything. We would be back later, but it would be much easier just to grab the shit and leave instead of scrambling around to make sure I had everything.

Satisfied with what I saw, I left, slamming the door behind me and then running down the hall to the stairs. I took them two at a time and then burst through the door at the bottom of them. Kazuma was there waiting for me, leaning against the bed of his truck with a cocky grin on his face.

Sometimes I forgot how handsome my friend truly was, until he looked at me like that. His red hair was a couple of shades lighter than mine and he always perpetually styled it into a punkish pompadour, though he somehow pulled it off really well. Dark brown, expressive eyes sparkled with mischief from beneath said pompadour, a row of sparkly whites shining through the grin still plastered on his face.

Kazuma was tall, like really tall. I would bet he was over six foot and considering one my responsibilities as a police officer is being be able to identify people I could promise my guess was fairly close. I looked absolutely ridiculous when I was standing next to him, but I never really minded. Many people confused me for his little sister, which he seemed to adore anyway. Kazuma had a real sister, but he had made it quite clear that he didn't much like the older woman's company. I had met her a few times when I went to visit the Kuwabaras' home and while Shizuru was a really nice person to just about everyone else, she was hilariously terrible to her younger brother.

He was dressed casually today, in light blue jeans and a dark grey sweater with a pair of white sneakers to complete the outfit. As my eyes traveled back up his muscular, broad form I took notice of the fact he happened to have two cups of coffee in his hands (with the logo of our favorite place on their sides) and my day considerably brightened.

"Do one of those happen to be for me?" I asked hopefully, shooting him a smile.

"Nah, I thought I would drink them both myself for the extra energy." He joked.

I punched him in the shoulder, making him pout, but he handed me my coffee anyway. "Thank you Kazuma-kun."

He chuckled, "Don't mention it. Really, I'm doing myself a favor anyway. You're mean when you haven't had any caffeine."

"Excuse me?" I squawked indignantly, "I am the nicest person you will ever meet!"

He only laughed raucously at me, obviously not believing a word. He straightened so he could walk back to the driver's side, ruffling my hair as he walked by and making me bat his hands away. I finally took notice of Keiko who was sitting in Kazuma's truck, the window was rolled up, but I could see that the reason she hadn't greeted me already was because she had her cell phone to her ear. Her mouth seemed to be moving quite fast, meaning she was either arguing or yelling at someone.

I could see Kazuma clearly through the truck's side windows, looking past Keiko to see him standing outside the driver's side door. He rolled his eyes at me, miming that he would like to choke himself. I assumed this had been going on since he picked her up, causing his irritation.

I knocked on the window, trying to let Keiko know I needed to get into the vehicle and she held up a finger asking me to wait. A moment later I could hear her yell through the glass, "That's enough!" and then hang up on whomever it was she had been talking to.

She opened the door a moment later, hopping down from the cab so I could climb over the seat and sit in the middle. Being the shortest person almost always did not work in my favor. Kazuma's truck had a stick shift, which meant I would have to sit with my legs as far apart as possible. At first doing this had been awkward, but now it was just something I dealt with. I didn't have much reason to be embarrassed in front of these two anymore.

Keiko climbed back in after me, crossed her arms over her chest, and then glared out the windshield. As Kazuma got in and started the truck up an awkward silence fell over us. Did I even dare ask?

Carefully I began, "So…Keiko-chan, would you like to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"She was fighting with Urameshi."

I turned to Kazuma, who was trying not to look at Keiko by being extra diligent in checking his mirrors to make sure no cars were coming. He pulled out onto the street and began to drive, it should only take about fifteen minutes to get to the building but I really didn't want to sit in this atmosphere for even that length of time.

"Keiko, you might as well tell her about it." He was still studiously watching the road, but I knew he was on the same page as I was.

Keiko looked about ready to explode, her cheeks were red with anger and her eyes had narrowed dangerously. Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to get her to talk about it.

But before I could change my mind she let it all spill out in one go. "Yusuke is such an idiot! I called him to make sure he was still coming and he said he was, but he was waiting for K – uh…Shuichi to come pick him up.

"Which is no big deal, but then he started complaining about having to help at all," She continued. "Then he started arguing with me about moving in the first place, told me that I was abandoning my parents, and then he told me I was abandoning him so I could find some new guy while I'm in college."

She buried her hands into her hair, tugged at the locks and looked ready to scream. I put an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her and she leaned in gratefully but didn't look any less stressed out.

As was per usual for me, a thought popped into my head and I blurted it out without really thinking about Keiko's current crisis. "Hey, who's this Shuichi anyway?"

Kazuma laughed next to me, "Is that all you got from that?"

"Well…no, but I was just curious, is all."

I had succeeded in making Keiko laugh a little bit at least, so even if my sporadic train of thought wasn't exactly considerate she knew me well enough not to feel bad about it.

"You'll meet him later when he shows up with Yusuke, but his name is Minamino Shuichi and he's a good friend of Kazuma's and Yusuke's."

I could see Kazuma's reflection frowning in the windshield as she explained this to me, so I turned to him and raised in eyebrow in question. He caught it out of the corner of his eye, but just removed his hand from the stick shift to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"It's nothing Kasumi…just thought of something is all."

"Would you like to share with the class?" I said and poked him in the side, making him squirm away from me.

"Uh, well…" He trailed off, but a moment later he asked, "Keiko, you don't think Shuichi is gunna bring you know who, do you?"

I had no idea who "you-know-who" was but Kazuma's obvious nervousness was making me start to worry. I sat in the middle, looking between the two of them. Both shared expressions of distaste.

"I hope not, but last I heard he was staying with him."

"Damn, he might come out of boredom then." He sighed, "Oh well an extra set of hands wouldn't hurt."

"We shouldn't talk about him like that, he isn't so bad anymore."

"Yeah, well you try being on the receiving end of his attitude once in a while." He pulled a face as he said this.

Keiko just laughed at his obvious discomfort, before turning to me. I was starting to get fed up with not being included and had been tugging at little pieces of Keiko's hair to get her attention. She batted my hand away and smoothed a hand over her hair to make sure I hadn't messed it up.

"So, who are you talking about now? I'm starting to feel like you guys are just doing this to confuse me."

"It's no one," Kazuma said.

"Just another friend of Yusuke's… he's a little, uh…" Keiko trailed off, words failing her.

Kazuma picked up where she left off, "He's a little bit of an asshole."

"I was trying to think of something nicer than that!"

"What's the point, there's nothing nice about him."

I sighed, "Okay children, that's enough fighting for one day. Seriously though, who is this guy?"

"You'll see if he comes along. His name is Hiei and he'll be easy to spot. I can guaranty he'll be wearing something black."

"Just Hiei?"

"Yeah, that's what he prefers to be called; he doesn't like to give out his surname."

"Uh…okay. Sounds like a weird guy."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Kasumi!"

I fell silent, because this conversation had taken a weird turn. I could definitely tell they weren't exactly telling me the whole truth, their nervous twitches easily giving them away to my trained eye. I just couldn't tell what the issue was though – what was so wrong with this guy that they didn't want to talk about him?

"Keiko, why did Urameshi ask Shuichi to come anyway?"

"Oh, he offered. He came over for a visit last night and when I told Yusuke we would have to come back and pick him up after dropping Kasumi off, Shuichi said he would drive him instead and save you the second trip."

"That was nice of him," Kazuma said honestly.

"He said he would help us carry things up to the apartment too. I figured the extra hands would get it done twice as fast. Maybe we could even start unpacking today."

"So this Shuichi is a good guy then?" I asked.

"Oh yes," she trilled. "He's very kind."

I sat back further in the seat, shifting my legs out of Kazuma's way as he went to shift again. We should be there soon. Especially because Kazuma was driving over the speed limit – the cop in me forced me to give him a dirty look until he slowed down again.

"Sometimes, you're a real buzz kill Kasumi."

"Sorry dude, but I do abide by the law and so should you."

"Oh do you now? What about that party you had after you graduated from the academy? If I remember correctly you got pretty stinkin' drunk."

"So, what's your point?"

"You are several months underage and back then you were even younger. What you did was illegal."

"I technically wasn't a police officer by then, the Tokyo PD didn't hire me until a couple of months later, remember?"

"Excuses, excuses – it doesn't matter if you were or not, you still did something illegal."

"Who's being the buzz kill now?" I stuck my tongue out at him and he shot a hand out, trying to grab it with his forefinger and thumb. He did this every time I stuck my tongue out, saying that if I kept doing it he'd tear it off.

I swiftly pulled my tongue back into the safety of my mouth and he only ended up poking me in the face. I laughed at him, a wide grin spreading across my face in happiness. Hanging out with Kazuma had always been fun for me.

"Are you two done acting like five year olds?"

Kazuma and my laughter only increased at Keiko's words, because what did it matter? Sure, we acted like kids sometimes, but it was nice once in a while. Kazuma was like a brother to me and that was something I had never gotten to experience before – I liked it a lot.

"Yes Keiko, we're done."

"Thank God, you're ridiculous to watch."

"Oh gee, thanks for that!"

She was just picking on me and I knew it, but I made myself seem sad so she would feel guilty. It didn't work; instead she just rolled her eyes and told me to stop being an idiot.

I grew serious once more, "Oi Keiko, you're okay though right?"

"You mean about Yusuke? Yes, he's just being a baby."

"Are you sure? I mean, you two seem to be fighting a lot lately."

Kazuma snorted, "Are you kidding? This is pretty normal actually."

"Huh, really Keiko?"

"Yes, Yusuke and I fight almost daily. He's just so stupid sometimes!" She said exasperatedly, throwing her arms up.

"…Oh, I guess I just didn't know that."

Keiko's face turned solemn, "I'm sorry Kasumi, I know I haven't told you much about him and now here I am just throwing you into the middle of it."

I had always been confused about that. Keiko seemed to keep me separate from that part of her life. I had met her parents, spent time at the restaurant and with her in school, but she had always hidden Yusuke from me. I hadn't even known about him until after he came back, then she told me, 2 years after I had met her.

A lot of the things I knew about him I had heard from Kazuma and he hadn't told me much either. I suspected they had both agreed to keep me in the dark about certain things. I just didn't understand why. What was the point? Who was Yusuke and why did it matter if I knew him or not?

The only reason I was at all interested in finally getting to see him today is because they had kept it from me and I demanded to know the reason why. What was so special about him? If I didn't want Keiko to tell me herself I would have looked him up from the police's database ages ago, but I had always hoped she would. Now was that time and it made me feel only slightly better, because she finally trusted me enough to meet him.

It sort of hurt my heart just a little to know that it had taken my two best friends over 3 years to introduce me to their other friends. It made it even worse that they hadn't even talked about them. Here I was, learning of two more today I had never even heard of. The only thing I was truly sure of was that I am Keiko's best female friend, tried and true, so I wanted desperately to trust her judgment.

"You okay, Kasumi?" Kazuma knocked me out my reverie.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said softly.

"Alright…" He didn't sound convinced but whatever, he'd either figure it out or get over it.

I perked up in my seat as I saw the sign directing us onto the street the apartment rested on. A couple of minutes later Kazuma pulled up to the address I had given him the day before, parked the truck on the curb right out front of the building and killed the engine. He hopped out first and then, like the gentleman he prided himself on being, walked around to open the door for Keiko and me.

She hopped out and I crawled out of the cab, jumping down onto the pavement. As Keiko went to unlock the front door I went to the side of the building and carefully removed a slightly heavy stone from the garden the landlady had. I had noticed it on our first visit and now I planned to borrow the rock to prop the door to the building open.

We would be moving in and out for the next several hours, it would be much easier to keep it open than to have to unlock it every time we needed to get into the building. I walked back around to the front and Keiko had waited for me, she held the door as wide as it would go and I placed the rock in front of it.

I nodded approvingly when the door didn't so much as budge and then went to help Kazuma unload the boxes from the bed of his truck. Keiko jogged up the stairs so she could go unlock our front door.

Kazuma and I worked in amicable silence, removing box after box to be placed on the sidewalk so they could be easily grabbed. We wanted to at least get Keiko's bed inside before we bothered with anything else.

Because I was so short, I had been forced to climb up the tailgate and directly into the bed of the truck. Eventually I got sick of having to climb in and out, so I just started handing the boxes over to Kazuma. Some of them were surprisingly heavy and I recalled that Keiko practically owned a small library – half of the boxes were probably just books alone.

Once I had cleared the boxes out we were left with just her furniture (Kazuma had somehow managed to get all of it one trip, packing the truck with surprising strategy) and I started off by handing him the wooden pieces for her bed frame. He took them and carefully rested them against the side of the building.

Keiko had reappeared at some point and had begun the process of carrying her boxes up, one at a time. I wished our apartment wasn't on the third floor, because this was going to be a real pain without an elevator.

"Hey Kasumi, you think you can get the mattress down from there?"

Kazuma was standing beside the truck, waiting expectantly so I gave the mattress a good tug so it was standing on its side, and then I pushed it over the bed of the truck. Kazuma was there to grab it before it hit the ground and he pulled it out the rest of the way. I watched in fascination as he carried it all by himself over to where he had left the bed frame.

Sometimes I forgot how strong Kazuma really was, though I had fought with him before. When he learned I was fairly decent at Kendo he had begged me to train him. I had agreed, but under the stipulation that he did it the right way and joined the Kendo club. At the time, I had been the club's leader, not just because I happened to have the highest rank out of all my classmates, but also because for some god forsaken reason they had all wanted me to teach them.

I had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Kazuma was certainly no beginner with Kendo, but he lacked skills in the basics. After a couple years of participating in the club with me he had become significantly better. It was unfortunate that he had chosen not to join now that we were in college.

His reason for not wanting to do Kendo while attending the university was that I wasn't going to be the club's head, so why bother. The only reason he had joined up in the first place was so that I could train with him.

I had only shaken my head at him, disappointed that he thought that way, but unable to change his mind. In the end, I had promised to train with him whenever he wanted. After all, you don't get to hold the ranks like I do unless you put in a lot of effort. If I wasn't working or digging up information pertaining to my sister's case, I was training. It took up a good portion of my time and I was completely fine with that.

He was standing beside the truck again waiting for me, "Alright, now the bookcases."

We made swift work of removing the rest of Keiko's furniture from the truck – her three bookcases, the desk and its accompanying chair, and an old fashioned wooden vanity table with attached mirror. All of this was placed on the curb so Kazuma could start carrying it up. He adamantly refused my assistance, waving me off and informing me that it was a "man's" job to carry the heavy stuff.

Of course I ignored him, because if there was one thing I truly hated it was when people treated me like I was weak. Kazuma knew that too, but it hadn't stopped him from trying to be chivalrous over the years anyway.

As Kazuma lugged the first heavy pieces of furniture up the three flights of stairs, I couldn't help but smile softly behind his back. Even though I had only known these two people a few years, I could no longer see my life without them. Without Hitomi, I had been completely alone, until they had entered my messed up little world.

I prayed to Kami every day asking that I never lose them. No matter what, I would fight to remain at their side: until the day I died.

. . .

This information is important, even though it is long, please read or at least skim it. Thank you!

A/N: This chapter was going to be longer, but I thought it would be good to end it here for now before it turned into some giant monster. I have a terrible habit of just writing and writing and writing, until I finally notice how long it's gotten.

Okay, so few important things. First, a bit about Kasumi and her Grandfather, her Grandfather is a grand master of a dojo. He holds a 9th Dan (Rank) black belt in both Karate and Kempo, having died before he could ever achieve the 10th (Which is nearly impossible anyway and there are very few people in the world who hold that rank. Hell, in Kendo there isn't any single person even alive today that has achieved a 10th rank). A 10th Dan in Karate, Kempo, and Judo is much the same, with varying degrees of time to achieve the ranks. Kendo has a similar ranking system, but the time between each rank is a bit longer because he have to wait a certain amount of years before you are eligible to test for a new rank. Kasumi is a high enough rank to be teaching Kendo, but chooses not to for many reasons. Kasumi's Grandfather does not use Kendo, but he has personally trained Kasumi in both Karate and Kempo, making her the Master of the dojo by the time she was 18. Also, please keep in mind that the time it takes for a person to achieve a rank (besides Kendo) varies from person to person, depending on skill and the amount of time a person dedicates to the discipline of their choice. Kasumi has been learning martial arts since she was old enough to walk, her Grandfather having insisted on it. I used the average time it would take for a normal person, who spent at least a few days a week (besides when in class) training, to calculate how long it would have taken Kasumi to reach each of her ranks.

Let's get one thing clear; she isn't super strong, at least not in the supernatural sense. Is she strong for a human and a girl? Yes. But only because of her own determination and discipline, she trains constantly. So I hope it is at least somewhat believable. I want her to achieve a 10th Dan by the end of the story (a 10th Dan rank is sometimes handed down through families, as well as the 9th, thus why Kasumi was given it after her Grandfather's death, being that she's his heir) and normally, if the rank isn't given to them, a 10th Dan is the rank you will be holding when you die, of old age, because it takes so long to achieve. The only reason I want her to achieve that rank is because she knows so many different styles of martial arts, making her the perfect candidate to create her own personal style and then teach it to the world at large.

Hope this isn't too confusing, anyway, thanks for reading and please read and review!

P.S. Also, I read somewhere that Keiko went to an all-girls high school or something like that, but for the sake of this story (if that little factoid is even true anyway) she attended a co-ed school with Kuwabara. I figured it would make sense, because Yusuke wouldn't have wanted her to be unprotected anyway.

Next Chapter: Hiei finally appears and Kasumi gets to meet the rest of the gang. Move in continues, along with some little tidbits of Kasumi's current job…

Till next time!