AN: So sorry for the delay, duckies. I got super distracted by rl. 3 Rose
"And then Hiei arrived and he left," Maribella finished, looking at each face before her around the table. Kuwabara looked angry that such a thing could happen to his friend. Yusuke seemed annoyed with just about everything. Kurama was thoughtful. Hiei… well, okay so she was choosing to ignore him. She'd almost conjured the illusion again when she'd stepped into the dining room and everyone's attention turned to her. But she'd refused, just to shove it in Hiei's face the pompous ass.
"I suggest reworking the wards; strengthen them. We have 3 demons, a psychic, and a spirit detective among us. Surely we can make them stronger or even add an alarm system of some kind," She suggested.
"Two demons. I think we can all agree you are useless right now." Hiei was intent on being a condescending jerk it appeared.
"Three," she challenged. "I may be physically weak, but my powers can still be utilized. Any wards I make will grow stronger as I do."
"And until then you are the equivalent of a child!" Hiei snorted.
"And you have the mentality of one!" Maribella hissed.
Hiei disappeared, reappearing behind her with a sword at her throat. "Say it again," he dared.
"You have a mentality of a one year old child," She snarled. Before he could move, she did the one thing she could do in her position. Her elbow shot back, connecting with the man's one weakness—the family jewels. Hiei jerked back, eyes widening in pain as he cupped himself. The other three men cringed in sympathetic pain, shifting a bit.
Maribella stood and looked down at Hiei. "Don't you dare threaten me again Hiei. I'm tired of it." The words which at one point would have scared many men were wheezed out as she gripped the back of her chair for support. "I will get better than you. And if you ever touch me, or threaten me again, I will drown you with your own breath and saliva."
"WHAT is going on here?!"
Maribella winced as Lord Koenma's voice came form behind her. Damn it. Turning slowly, she lowered her gaze to the toddler who stood on the table whom she served. "Lord Koenma, I-"
"You need to be resting Maribella! Two attacks in one day, behind Genkai's shields no less, and then you go and pick a fight with Hiei? Did the fire demon burn your brains out as well as your powers?"
"Sir, I-"
"Shut up! You are obviously not in possession of your common sense. I hear one more word from you and I'll have Kurama gag you."
Maribella, chastened but sullen about it, lowered her gaze and sat, looking like an impudent child being punished. Once Koenma was sure he had her under control, he looked at the others. "Tyrus told me what happened. Here is what we are going to do. Hiei, you will be responsible for Maribella's safety. Since you have rooms nearest hers, and you are the fastest-"
"No way in hell!" Hiei started to protest, finally managing to straighten. He had to admit, if anything her elbow was really damn pointed.
"Which is exactly where you and Maribella will go if you can't work together. If you can't, I'll send you both to hell for a century! Kurama, you, Yusuke, and Kuwabara will work on getting the wards that Genkai set up to a higher degree," Koenma ordered.
Maribella thought a century would be a worth while time in hell, if she didn't have to see Hiei ever again. But at the same time, she could just bet Koenma would have their hell involve each other too. Damn the little runt!
"Now, I don't care what else you want, I demand no more fighting, got it?" The glare that the toddler gave them was… well rather fierce, but no near as fierce as the one Hiei shot back. When neither of them replied, Koenma demanded, "Well!?"
Hiei snorted and looked away, "Fine, whatever."
"Maribella?"
She simply raised her gaze to his and smiled, but otherwise, as he'd bidden her earlier, didn't say a word. Koenma narrowed his gaze her before nodding. "Good, any questions?"
Maribella's hand shot up. Koenma looked as if he wanted to slap the hand and the girl but he nodded.
"Hiei has to stay with me at all times?" she asked.
"Except for bathroom breaks and showers at which time he'll need to be close but not within the same room, of course," Koenma said.
"Then can you go sit in a bath until you are feeling 'better'?" Hiei asked snidely. Maribella didn't respot to that barb as a devilish smile crept across her face. It was one which boded ill for anyone who got involved in her latest idea. Even Hiei had to admit it gave him a bad feeling. It didn't help that she'd heightened her mental shields to keep him from seeing what she had planned.
"I'm going to need a map of the area then," she said, mentally constructing a very high mental barrier, something she'd worked on creating years before when she'd gone on a mission against telepaths. She didn't like telepaths getting into her mind. It just made everything harder.
"Why?" Koenma asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm going out tomorrow and I need to know where to go. Oh, or better yet," she pulled out her phone, "I'll just use this, nevermind on the map."
"Where are you going?" Kuwabara asked, concerned for his friend. "I could get my sis to give you a ride."
"Ah, that'd be great Kuwabara! Thanks." Note, she still hadn't said where she was going. "Oh! What if everyone without something to do came along tomorrow? That way you won't have to worry about my safety as much?"
Kurama was the one who asked the growing question as she seemed to be avoiding it on purpose now. "Miss Maribella, I think we would all like to know where you plan to take us tomorrow."
Maribella just smiled and pushed herself up from the table. "Well, there are some things I'm going to need if my stay here is going to be as active as today. I'll need to pick them up, and then meet my cousin since he's supposedly staying somewhere near here..."
"Your cousin?" Koenma asked, suddenly even more suspicious, "Which cousin?"
"Oh, just a little wind demon. You've probably never heard his real name… Or perhaps you have. I think he went to the Dark Tournament… It's been so long since I've talked to him face to face," she said thoughtfully before smiling and waving, "Either way, he's great at keeping air with bad magics in it away. Since I was strangled, I figured having him around might be a good plan. His name's Jin."
