A/N: This is another little drabble written in Yusuke's POV. Not meant to give away spoilers for the main story, but take from it what you will ;)

The first time I saw Ettie kiss Hiei I thought my blood would boil. I really thought I would be pissed, that I would fly off the handle and demand a goddamn explanation.

But the first time I saw them kiss none of those things happened.

Because Hiei needed it. Had needed the touch, that sense of acceptance, of understanding. His hands were bloodied and his face was near unrecognizable and one of his eyes was swollen shut. And fuck, I wasn't lookin' much better.

If it wasn't for Ettie we'd both be goners. Maybe. No...definitely.

Her defensive skills were something else.

Me and Hiei...we were just a couple of brutes. We used our fists for talkin' and the more bloodshed the better. I didn't know a goddamn thing about defense.

Hiei thought his speed was good enough most of the time.

But sometimes he was just as much an idiot as I was. And this was one of those times.

I was laying in a pool of my own blood. Ettie'd done something to patch me up, healed me enough so I wasn't gonna bleed out. But I couldn't move, not much. I managed to roll onto my side so I could watch the two of them.

Hiei wasn't doing so good. He was exhausted from being desperate enough to use his fuckin' dragon because we'd fucked up and underestimated our opponent. It was a last ditch effort, one that might of worked if they didn't have another guy lying in wait. Wasn't often we ended up royally screwed these days. And it was a huge blow to the old ego.

Hiei was struggling with Ettie, pissed and yelling about some shit I couldn't even understand. Some language I didn't know. Something he'd picked up somewhere in demon world when he was a kid.

He wrapped his bloody hands around her face, smearing red handprints into her tanned skin, screaming at her. But Ettie wasn't afraid of him, never had been.

I was almost positive she kissed him just to shut him the hell up. But the guy melted into it, and I mean fucking melted.

He fell back to the ground, dragged her with him, and I don't think I'd ever seen a kiss as hot as this one.

I was sure if I had any energy left I would have popped a goddamn stiffy, I shit you not.

I knew when he finally passed out cause his hands flopped to the ground like dead weights and Ettie gave him a single soft kiss as if saying goodnight. Then she went about her business, her powers more in tune with his than anyone I'd ever met. She healed him up in no time flat. Faster than even Yukina could have done.

But that was the thing about Ettie, her powers worked in weird ways, and she could use other's powers against them if they coincided with one of her elements and because she could mix them...well, you got the picture.

A force to be reckoned with.

But here she was, using it for good. The exact opposite of most of the demons I'd met over the years, but not all. She wasn't an exception to the rule, just a really awesome one.

And I needed to admit...a lot like how Hiei could have been if he didn't end up so bitter and full of hatred. But he was changing, thanks to her, and it was better late than never.

I supposed I should give myself some credit too. I always knew the little bastard wasn't as much of a menace as he made himself out to be.

I was chuckling to myself by the time Ettie finished up with him, hefting the not so little anymore fire demon onto her back and making her way back towards me. She offered me a hand up and I took it with a grin, letting her throw my arm around her shoulders.

"Thought you two were gonna bang there for a minute," I joked.

"Don't be ridiculous. He wouldn't let me heal him, it was merely to get him to stay quiet."

Just as I'd expected. But I knew there was more to it...and that was pretty okay too.

"Thanks...for saving us," I said.

And Ettie just nodded, hefting Hiei a little higher on her back even though she was so short his toes nearly touched the ground anyway.

"No problem. I love you guys."

My chest tightened and I was quick to blame it on the pain. As family, I reminded myself, just as family. Not how I wanted. She'd been clear about that.

"Yeah...we love you too, Ettie."