Yeah, so this is kinda long. Hiei's in there somewhere. =D

Chapter Five: Black Sheep

Five years later, Kurama and I were students of Meiou Private Junior High. I really didn't expect for Shiori to insist so much that I go to Meiou, but she did all the same. I want to say it has something to do with her experiences in life, and how lucky she was that she had a good education, otherwise she would not have been able to provide for herself and her son as well as she had. I'm sure she felt that I should never have to depend on a man for a paycheck, and I know my own mother would have felt the same way. So, in the end, I tried not to think about the expenses, and just went with it.

At age thirteen, Kurama and I were in our second year of junior high, and socially, it was a bit hellish.

The students had taken awhile to accept us as a brother-sister pair, but even so, I think they still half-expected us to end up as a couple. Cleary, we weren't blood-related, and we lived in the same house, and we got along well enough. To some girls, it was just a matter of time before we fell madly in love with one another and ravished each other right in front of the class. (And yes, we did have the same class this year. In our first year we were separated.)

This line of thinking resulted in most of the girls alienating me (not that I really cared to listen to thirteen-year-old girls prattling on about their problems), and throwing themselves (shyly) at Kurama. This led to the boys in our class, except a few that weren't yet interested in girls, to ignore and alienate Kurama. Unlike the girls to Kurama, the boys were not that interested in the gaijin girl, so I didn't have to worry about slews of confessions. Although it kind of made me think I wasn't very attractive for awhile, but I was sure it had more to do with the fact that I wasn't Japanese.

Though, it was a bit odd that this did not apply to Kurama as well. His looks were different, with his crimson hair and forest green eyes, but he was still quite Japanese when you considered his olive skin tone and the almond shape his eyes carried. He was a genetic oddity, yes, but still Japanese. Whereas I may have held a Japanese citizenship, I was clearly of European descent. My curly blonde hair, white skin, and bright blue eyes screamed foreigner, and with my appearance came a wall that I couldn't get past with the other students.

The only girl that made the effort to show me actual kindness was Kitajima Maya. I'm sure that she had a good heart and was a sweet girl, but I really had the feeling that she took interest in me (and Kurama) because we were different. Kitajima was just that kind of oddball. She ate lunch with us most days, and I could tell with every day she sat with us, she fell more and more in love with Kurama. Whenever he looked at her, she turned into a blushing stuttering mess.

It was kind of cute, actually.

Kitajima did try to become my friend, and in a way I wanted to be friends with her, but it was just hard for me because she was nearly half my age. Even though I tried to maintain my thirteen-year-old girl exterior, I found myself turning into an adult around her and occasionally giving her advice. I felt more like her older sister than her friend, more often than not.

Eventually, I began to notice that the other girls in the class ignored Kitajima. Obviously, it was because of the girls' crushes on Kurama. Kitajima hung out with us a lot, and although Kurama treated her no differently than any other girl in the class, because she was by his side so much, it seemed to the other girls that Kitajima was getting special attention. I began to feel a bit sorry for her, but when I brought it up while we were alone, she only waved me off.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "This is what girls do to each other."

I remembered my first years of middle school and dealing with bitchy girls, and had to agree. There is nothing crueler than a teenage girl.

The bell rang for lunch period to be over, and Kitajima wrapped up her bento, but I stopped her before she got up. "Look," I muttered, leaning over the desk, "if it gets any worse for you let me know. Because the next step is for them to corner you in a bathroom, got it?" My tone and words were brash, but I knew she knew that I cared.

She gave me a wan smile. "It won't come to that, Minamino-chan."

I gave her a flat look. "Who are you trying to fool, Kitajima? I'm not stupid, and neither are you, so listen to me when I tell you to be careful, okay?"

My adult is showing.

Kitajima flashed me a grin. "Fine, fine, I'll be careful. You'd better pack up your stuff before you get into trouble with Miyu-sensei. You know how strict she is." Then she bounced to her seat, sending Kurama a grin as she passed him.

"What's the intense discussion about?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

I frowned, wondering how much to tell him. The room was growing full again with students, so there wasn't much privacy. "Tell you later," I replied. "Can I borrow a pencil? I keep leaving mine at home."

At the end of the day, the bell rang again, and it was time for club activities. Like most Japanese middle schools, Meiou required its students to join at least two clubs a year – an academic club, and a physical club. My academic club was the music club, which had plenty of students, and my physical club was the track club, which also had plenty of students. Kurama chose the science club and the kendo club.

I had track club today, and had Kurama walk with me to the girls' locker rooms so I could tell him my concerns about Kitajima. He didn't seem surprised, and was as concerned as I was.

"There really is no right way to go about it, is there?" he sighed. "If I ignore her, it'll hurt her feelings, and if I tell the other girls off, it'll only make them angrier and more likely to bully her."

"Well," I began, "I am a scary foreigner, so if it comes down to it I'll step in and make sure they think twice about bullying Kitajima again." I frowned at his frown. "I know you don't like it either, but it is the best way. If anyone lays a finger on Kitajima, I'll break their hand. She doesn't deserve to be treated this way."

His expression turned exasperated. "Do you always rush in to protect the defenseless? You don't have any sense of self-preservation at all, do you?"

I scowled at him. "You don't get it, do you, Kurama? I'll always protect the defenseless. Whether it's a cow, a cat, a baby, or a silly teenage girl, I don't care. If I see someone hurt, I'll help them. I don't discriminate." I gave him a careful look. "If you're just worried about me, don't be. Even if I lose the fight, I'll make them think twice about picking one with me or Kitajima again. I don't have any height or weight advantages, but goddamn it, I am fierce."

I turned to go into the locker room, but I was stopped by him grabbing my wrist. I glanced back at him and saw something in his eyes, and it took me a moment to realize it was pride and satisfaction. However, his words were weighted with concern. "Just be careful," he said. And then he let go.

I nodded to him and went inside to change.

The sun was warm outside, and spring was definitely in the air.

It was after my track club activites a week after my conversation with Kurama, and I was running again. There weren't many students around, and I was the only one running the track. A teacher had pissed me off earlier by talking to me like I was stupid, and had I retaliated, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to control my temper. Therefore, I was running it out of my system.

I was broken out of my brooding by a girl calling my name on the other side of the track. I thought she looked a bit familiar, and then realized that she was from the class next door. What does she want with me? I wondered, stopping in front of her. Her eyes were huge and frantic, I suddenly noticed. "What's wrong?" I demanded.

Her mouth worked for a moment before she spat it out. "K-Kitajima, from your class – there are some girls cornering her in the changing room –"

I didn't listen to the rest of it, and shot toward the changing rooms like a bullet. I flung open the door to the girls' room to find five girls surrounding Kitajima. Her eyes were wide and terrified, and when she saw me, she sighed like she was relieved. "Minamino-chan!" she exclaimed.

"What are you all doing?" I spat, ignoring Kitajima.

They turned to face me, scowls marring their faces.

"Look who it is, everyone," said the girl who seemed to be the leader. "It's the Euro-mutt. The poor, sad bitch who plays on Shuichi-kun's kindness, and calls herself his sister. Your mommy and daddy didn't want you at all did they?"

I just cocked an eyebrow at her. I was too old and too smart to be hurt by her stupid childish words. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing with Kitajima?"

They blinked, surprised. They probably expected me to cry or retaliate. The leader frowned. "It's none of your business, Euro-mutt."

I reached out and twisted my fist in her shirt front. "Listen to me very carefully," I said, yanking her close to my face. "I'm making it my business."

"Let – let go of me!" she squealed, trying to twist away from me. "We aren't doing anything to Kitajima!"

"You're so full of shit," I replied. I looked over to Kitajima, whose eyes were huge again. "Did they hurt you, or try to hurt you, Kitajima?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but the girl closest to her shoved her before she could reply. "Shut up!" she snapped as Kitajima hit a row of lockers. She whipped around to face me. "Let go of Yuki, Euro-mutt! And get out! We won't play nice any longer!"

Although I was livid at seeing Kitajima hurt, it came out in a weird, devil-may-care fashion. I found myself raising my eyebrows and laughing at her. "Are you seriously trying to intimidate me?" I laughed. "You're failing miserably, little girl." I dropped my hold on the leader and turned to face the girl properly. I saw Kitajima getting to her feet in the corner of my eye. The girl who shoved her stepped back under my advance, frowning.

It was tense in the room for a moment, and then the leader grabbed my hair and yanked hard. So I elbowed her in the face – or at least I tried to. My elbow ended up in her neck instead, but she dropped to the ground all the same, coughing up a lung. The girl closest to me then darted forward, palm open, to slap me in the face. I caught her arm with my left hand, and punched her in the solar plexus – hard.

It just didn't seem fair. I never fought with slapping and hair-pulling like other girls, not that I had been in many fights before, but I had been smart enough to use my fists at least. Oh well, even if I went easy on them, they should still learn their lesson. Maybe.

The next two attacked me together, aiming to knock me down so they could kick me I guess. I stepped out of the way in time, grabbing one girl and shoving her on top of the coughing leader before she could get back up. The other girl's fist (finally, someone smart!) shot out and caught the side of my cheekbone. She hadn't put much strength behind it, so it didn't put me too off my guard, and I was able to duck under her next swing. I grabbed her ankles, and pulled her feet out from under her. She hit the floor hard and started gasping for air.

And then there was one.

The girl who shoved Kitajima stood with her mouth open in horror and stepped back. Then her mouth screwed up in a scowl and she lunged at me. "Who do you think you are, bitch?" she shouted.

I balled up my right fist and put all of my strength and anger into the punch, and I struck her in the face. She fell back with a howl, holding the side of her face, eyes tearing up. "Yankee-bitch!" she yelled. "Euro-mutt!"

I shook my hand, feeling like I broke my knuckles on her cheekbone. They were red, I noticed, glancing down at them, and possibly cracked. I would have to get Kurama to look at my hand for me. The girl continued to yell profanities at me, so I kicked her in her thigh. "Shut up," I snapped, glowering down at her. She obeyed under my gaze. I glanced at the other girls twisting on the floor trying to breathe. The one I shoved on top of the leader was the one least hurt, but she sat on the floor, wide-eyed and scared. The other girls slowly sat up too, one holding her stomach, the other holding her throat, and the last clutching her head where it cracked on the floor. Their gazes were all the same – fear and anger mixed together.

"I'm not normally a violent person, but you all started it," I said. And then I brightened up. "By the way, Shuichi-kun is going to hear all about this when I get home, if he's not still on campus." I felt my grin grow wider at their horrified expressions. "So, what was the lesson you learned today? Shall I reiterate?" They frowned, chins trembling. They probably thought I might hit them again. I scowled and glowered at them. "Don't fuck with my friends. Got it?"

They nodded. I grabbed Kitajima and the clothes out of my locker, and we left.

"Minamino-chan, are you all right?" she asked when we got outside and back into the sun. "Your cheek is really red." She reached up to touch the spot where I had been punched and I winced. "Sorry," she murmured.

"It's fine. She couldn't punch very well anyway," I replied, rubbing the tender spot lightly. "Are you going home now, Kitajima?"

She nodded. "Er, yeah. I stayed too long today." She looked down for a moment and then took my hand. "Thanks, for helping me out."

"They were harassing you about Shuichi-kun, right?" I asked. "I don't think you'll have to worry about it for awhile now. Or ever. At least from them." I grinned at her. "Think I scared them enough?"

She laughed nervously and patted my hand. "You were pretty scary Minamino-chan. Your eyes flashed like a demon's a couple of times!" She let go of my hand as we got to the school gate. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she called, turning on her heel and heading home.

Shiori was still at work when I got home, but I found Kurama in his room. He blinked at me for a second when I flung open the door exuberantly. But then his eyes landed on my bruised cheek, my knuckles, and then back up to my cheerful expression. He got up and rummaged around in a drawer for a moment and pulled out a small jar. Turning back to me, he pointed at the bed. "Sit," he said.

I obeyed, and he sat back on his desk chair, rolling it in front of me. "So," he began, opening the jar, "what happened?"

"Well, it happened like we expected – Kitajima was cornered by these girls in the changing room when I burst in," I frowned. "One of the girls from the other classes tipped me off. Anyway," I said shaking my head, "she was cornered and I fought them off basically."

He dipped his fingers in the jar and gently applied salve to the bruise on my cheek. "How many girls were there?" he asked, green eyes focused on my cheek.

"Five."

His hand froze as his eyes slid over to meet mine. "You took on five girls?" he asked, horror in his tone. "What were you thinking?" His nose was suddenly very close to mine. "They could have really hurt you, Alice! I know Kitajima was in trouble, but you could have gotten a teacher or a prefect instead of fighting them!"

I winced at his words. I knew he noticed I had a tendency to be reckless, but this was the first time he lectured me about it.

Kurama saw me flinch and backed away from me with a frown. "Sorry to yell at you, Alice. I'm only concerned. I'm glad you didn't get hurt too badly." He took my bruised and aching hand in his and examined my knuckles. "I can't tell a lot because of the swelling, but I think you have at least two cracked knuckles. What did the girl do to be on the receiving end of this?" he asked curiously, looking up at me.

"She shoved Kitajima into a wall of lockers," I replied, feeling my expression grow stormy. "It pissed me off."

"Was Kitajima all right?" he asked carefully. "She wasn't scared, was she?"

I looked away. "I think she was pretty scared. I think I might have scared her too."

"You do have quite a temper. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he said, applying the salve to my knuckles. "I'll wrap this for you."

I eyed him suspiciously. My girl senses were tingling about the way he asked about Kitajima. "Kurama, you have a crush on her, don't you?" I accused with a smile. "You totally like Kitajima!"

His eyes widened. "Is it obvious?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I just know you well enough."

He seemed relieved. "Don't tell her anything. I don't intend to act on it."

"That's a shame," I said, frowning, "but I understand." I touched my cheek, noticing that it wasn't as achy. "Is my bruise gone? What's in that salve?"

"Magic," he returned with a slight smile, pulling out a roll of bandages. "Give me your hand again."

The town of Asaka began to take on a certain gloom and heaviness a few weeks later. It took me awhile to notice it, because I hadn't been outside in a few days, but one day while I was on a run, I noticed the air felt a little creepy. I stopped on the street and looked up at the sunny sky for a moment with a frown, and then I looked at all the people, and they seemed normal enough too. I began to wonder if what I was feeling was demonic energy in the air, and decided to try and trace the source of it.

Tracing it wasn't easy, especially since as it got stronger, my gut squirmed and twisted and my instincts screamed at me to runrunrun, but eventually the energy led me out of the populated area and to a more rural industrial area on the outskirts of Asaka. It was strange that it was such a perfect day, and yet the demonic energy was nonetheless oppressing and heavy.

I followed a dirt path through a lightly wooded area and found a charred factory on the other side. It was about five stories tall, and it sprawled across the grounds like a crouching predator. The pinnacle, the nexus, the origin of all the demonic energy hanging over Asaka, came from that old factory.

I didn't go any further. Even I wasn't that reckless.

I closed my eyes and reached my senses out, trying to see anything that my earthly eyes might be missing. And then, I noticed an apparition above me in a tree. He was black, and he was watching me. I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing the demon and had to choke back a gasp.

He's here already? So soon?

He blinked when I looked up at him, obviously surprised that I noticed him, and then gave me a sardonic smirk. "You don't belong here, human." With that, he dropped down on the ground and straightened up in a quick and unnaturally smooth motion.

Whereas Kurama was definitely a bit odd-looking, he could still pass for human. Hiei, on the other hand, could not (not that he would want to). Everything about him was unnatural and inhuman. The most glaringly obvious reason was his eye-color, which was a shocking bright red – like a stoplight. Against his pale skin, his red eyes were even more pronounced, with a lurking threat behind them. His hair did stand up, yes, but that wasn't the style that was odd, it was the color. His hair wasn't a true black. When the sun hit it, undertones of aquamarine became perceivable, revealing his koorime heritage.

"You don't have anything to do with that, right?" I asked, pointing my thumb back at the creepy factory.

Annoyance molded his features into a scowl. "I have better things to do than send demonic energy all over your backwater town, you stupid human."

"No need to get snarky, demon, I'm only curious about what's causing this," I snapped back at him, refusing to give him an inch of my pride.

He looked me over with a borderline scowl, taking in my aura, or appearance, or whatever he was looking at and scowled deeply then. "You're such a weak and pathetic idiot. Why don't you run right in there and see what's going on? Perhaps they'll invite you for tea."

I returned his scowl and spun on my heel, turning back the way I came. "I don't have time to play with children," I said, looking back at him from over my shoulder.

"That's a lot of talk from a teenage girl," he retorted.

I stopped and sent him a somewhat flirtatious smile. "Appearances are deceiving, aren't they?" I said lightly.

I'm not sure if it was my words, or my change in tactics, but he looked taken aback for a moment. I committed his expression to memory, and walked away, snickering to myself. I half-expected him to follow after me to berate me some more, but that'd be a little out of character for him. He probably considered the few moments spent exchanging insults a complete waste of time. As a matter of fact, so did I.

"So you've traced the source of this demonic energy…without me?"

Kurama looked like he wanted to tear out his pretty red hair in exasperation while he paced around the room.

"Um," I began, pulling my knees up to my chest to make myself seem smaller. And meeker. "Yes?"

He stopped pacing in front of his bedroom window and leaned forward, putting his forehead on the glass. His ribs widened and his shoulders rose as he forced himself to take a deep breath so as not to yell at me. "So, what did you find?" he asked, still not looking at me.

"An old factory on the outskirts of town – looks like some of it burned down some years ago. I didn't go in though," I said hopefully, getting to my feet and coming around him to his side. "Do you know anything about it?"

"Sounds like the old doll factory," he replied, straightening up and facing me. I suddenly noticed how much taller he had gotten. The top of my head would only reach his nose if we stood side by side. "It burned down a few years ago and about twenty or so workers died in the fire. The building is condemned, of course. Did you see anyone outside of the factory?"

I hesitated, looking out the window.

"Alice, what did you see?" he asked gently.

"I have a feeling you're trying to lure me into a false sense of security," I replied flatly, scowling and glaring up at him.

He looked offended at that. "I assure you, Alice, I will not harm you," he said, leaning against the windowsill. "I won't even yell at you. Promise."

I considered this. "Fine. I saw a demon. All I did was trade a few insults with him though."

Kurama sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't do dangerous things like this. Searching out the source of a demonic miasma, and then trading insults with the apparitions that caused it. Honestly." He shook his head. "I just don't understand you, Alice."

"I can take care of myself, you know," I retorted, hands curling into fists.

He met my eyes with a sad sincerity that made me freeze. "Not completely, Alice. You may have the power to hurt or kill demons and other entities, but remember that you were killed by a gun. You are human, and you are fragile. And me telling you to be careful is pointless, because you won't be careful. You don't listen to me."

I didn't have anything to say to that.