A/N: I have this terrible habit, you see, of staying up late and never sleeping.

And then, just as I'm about to snuggle under the covers and shut my eyes-

AN IDEA COMES TO ME! :D

Woot woot, way to go sleep-deprived brain of mine. I've been inspired.

I should seriously go to bed now... but I lack the drive to make myself do that.

AND THUS, A NEW CHAPTER WAS BORN!

psst. Btw, the last chapter was the longest yet, and now, I'm pretty sure this one is the shortest yet. Just letting you know; it would seem my laziness varies from chapter to chapter. Gah :P

Chapter 6

Did You Know? Stalkers Enjoy Tea

"Aaahh..."

Hizuru leaned her neck back slowly, the warm water surrounding her and making her muscled uncoil and relax. When was the last time she'd taken a nice bath, anyway? This was sooo nice... no one to disturb her, she could just relax.

Her brow furrowed as she closed her eyes. Especially after yesterday, and all that annoying trouble...

So, it'd taken her a short time to get used to realizing Kurama was just as perverted and dirty-minded as any other boy. Anyway, that wasn't what was bugging her, and the magazine she had found- that was something she'd rather never remember. What was bugging her now, was how her brain was always set on thinking about weird things whenever she saw his bare skin- even just a little bit of it!

"I am an idiot." She sighed, smiling at her own self-analysis. "Though I've known that for a while..."

"AAAAAHHH!"

The screaming of her older sister made her bolt upright in the tub of water. "Satomi?!" She shouted, slipping over the edge of the bathtub and knocking her elbow on the hard floor. "Oooww... tch." She stood up, throwing a towel around her dripping body and hurrying from the bathroom. Maybe someone had broken in? Her and Satomi were home alone again after school... It was getting late, maybe a crook thought it'd be a good idea to sneak in?

Suddenly, as she ran into the living room, she saw him. A shadowy figure, lifting her fainted sister in his arms. And without thinking, she threw the closest thing she could, aiming for his head.

And that closest thing, just so happened to be a metal tea kettle that sat on the nearby counter. And she had hit her mark exactly with it.

Cautiously, she walked across the carpet towards the fallen figure. He had set her sister down on the couch before he'd spotted her and then the kettle had flown into his forehead, so she could worry about Satomi later. For now, she seemed to be resting peacefully, unharmed, and so Hizuru took it apon herself to check out to the intruder.

Carefully, she knelt down, one hand grasping her towel, while the other turned his head over as he groaned, in order to see just what he looked like.

A moment of silence followed. And then.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"

Kurama wasn't quite sure where he was for a moment, but he smelled something at first. It smelled like- tea. He squinted, sitting up, and something fell into his lap. A white rag. It had been compressed to his forehead, he had felt it there before waking up. Suddenly, as he seemed to remember that, the aching in his head came back. Groaning loudly, he laid back against the- pillows.

"Never sneak up on me again."

His eyes snapped open, and there stood Hizuru, pulling her long hair up into a ponytail as she glared at him.

"...I came over to talk to you about something important. Since you won't answer your damned phone." His voice came out hoarse, and he was immediately swiveling around to find the tea he could smell. But it seemed, if wasn't anywhere near him. Because, when he looked back to Hizuru, she was holding the cup of it in her hands.

"My phone?" She took a sip from the tea, thinking to herself. "It's always in my school bag. You should have called the house phone."

"I don't have your number memorized. You house one." He winced. His head hurt... wait, what the hell kind of situation was this anyway? "Why does my head feel like that damned kitsune kicked out my brains? Not that he ever would be able to..." He mumbled off at the end.

"...You know, why don't you tell me that important thing you came over here about?"

His eyes narrowed on her, and he tried to sit up as best he could without making his coming headache worse. "What did you do to me?"

"Don't accuse me of anything! I only threw something at you- nothing new!"

"Then why do you sound so defensive!"

"Maybe that's your imagination. Your head looks like it hurts."

"And again I ask, what did you do to me?!"

"Stop shouting, you'll wake up my sister!"

"You should stop too, it's making my headache worse!"

After that, Hizuru seemed to abruptly quiet down, sipping more tea and shifting her eyes away from him. Her lips were a bit pouty. "Sorry... I... threw a tea kettle at you."

His eyes widened. What the hell? What was wrong with this girl? He wished Nanami were here instead- though she's scold him too, she at least didn't try giving him a concussion, just throwing things at him whenever she pleased! She knew just how important it was for his face to stay unmarred! How important it was for someone like him to stay in top shape, healthy and fresh. He had to protect his youth- his hotness!

Suddenly, Hizuru was walking over to him, and she looked almost... worried. She gently pressed on his shoulder, pushing him back down on the bed, and then placed the rag back on his throbbing forehead. "Just rest awhile, okay?"

And then she turned, and walked out of the room before they could strike up another argument.

When Kurama woke up the second time, he felt a lot better. Maybe it was just the rest he needed- he never did sleep much at home anyway. Too much work. And screaming girls who stalked him. He shuddered.

"Mmm..."

Suddenly he froze. And, looking down in his lap, (how had he not felt it before now?!) he found a small head there, with chocolate hair flipped out across the blanket. She sighed with a long breath out, and he shuddered again. That was... cute.

He took this moment to distract himself, and look around the room. It was a small room, a bedroom, and there was barely enough space to fit the tiny bed he was lying in, and the dresser and a lamp that lit up the room from the corner. How someone could live like this, he did not know.

"...Kurama?"

He looked down, seeing that she was just waking up. Wanting to smirk at the fact she'd fallen asleep on him, he was just about to do that, when she shot up from the bed, not longer dazed, and now quite awake and blinking around herself. Her cheeks were rosy and she glanced at him with a questionable look. "Sorry about that. I just got exhausted. Anyway, tell me why you came here."

He sighed. Though his head ache had subsided a lot, actually, he had almost forgotten why he'd come in the first place...

Oh, that's right. The creeper who was forcing him to do stuff he didn't necessarily want to.

"Someone you know is stalking me." He sighed, and eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "You know what I'm talking about?"

She blinked again at him. "Are you accusing me of hiring a stalker to make you teach me how to get rid of my curse?"

He nodded, then smirked. "You seem to know exactly what I'm saying. That's suspicious."

Suddenly, she was sitting on the bed next to him and sighing. "Crap."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Did you actually-"

"No!" She was quick to retort. "But I think I know who's doing it. I sort of have this... well, he's like a... how exactly should I put this... guard dog?"

Kurama blinked. He stared. "A guard dog." He repeated slowly.

"Yop."

"Well, hate to break it to you, but the guy who spoke to me was a man." He shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. Attitude Kurama was back.

"You're an idiot."

"Eh?"

"You know, just call me. I'll answer my phone next time. Anyway, get out of my house, now."

"What's up with you and your mood swings?" The crow asked, offended.

"I just need to be alone, dammit." She sounded a bit... different. Worried, he noted.

"Don't tell me he's stalking you too? You know, you can file a report-"

"No!"

An awkward, stilling silence followed after that. Kurama raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Just- go do something that pop stars do. You must be busy. Next time I'll see you is two days from now, right? I'll come over then so we can try to work out this curse thing again. So, go have fun, you tengu."

"Fallen angel."

"If your wings were out right now, I'd pluck them again."

He smirked defiantly at her. "Then it's a good thing they're tucked safely away. I don't need my image ruined any more by you. I already got this head lump."

"Shut up, I said sorry!"

"What would you say," He taunted, leaning forward and placing his hand in front of him on the bed so he could near her. "If I said sorry wasn't good enough?"

No sooner had the words been said, then he was shoved out of bed, given his shoes, and sent on his way.

It was a little later into the evening now, and Peppi still wasn't home. Satomi was still in the living room, fainted. Hizuru had decided to retake her bath, and then after that, she got restless. She was back in her room now, pacing. Then sitting. Then standing up, and pacing again. The anxiety, only made her curse that much worse. Not that there was anyone around to take offense from her harsh snappy words, but the real problem was, when the powers of her curse heightened, it attracted demons and other threats.

If her 'guard dog' was back, then that would mean... but she could swear, she didn't need that kind of protection anymore! She could handle this, though she couldn't when she was little... She could prove now, that her curse didn't control her life!

...But could she truly handle this?

She sat back down on the bed again, huffing in consent to her thoughts. Could she?

Outside of the house, a young man relaxed against the side of the wall, a tea cup in his hand that glinted white in the passing shadows of the night. Slowly, he raised the cup to his lips, making a menacing snarling sound when a stranger passed by on the sidewalk. The stranger hurried away, afraid of the hidden voice in the dark, of the threat that was evident in the way the man stood, growled, spoke- even in the way he sipped at his cup of tea. It was all threatening, though there was one thing that was the exact opposite of his brooding character.

As he lifted the hat he had placed over his head, that one characteristic showed. The floppy, adorable dog ears that perked at the slightest sound, were kind of hard to miss.

A/N: A more serious chapter (you know, after she hits him with a tea pot and stuff). More of a fill-in-the-blanks chapter, if you will. I just needed to add in that character- and that part of the story line. It's important- essential, really- and as the story progresses you'll see why. Hizuru is more special than you know... oooooohhh aaaaahhh. Curiosity.

The author holds great wisdom, it would seem.

But not really though. My wisdom varies just as much as my laziness does.

Anywhozah, I'll add in that Katsu guy again soon maybe, and then Nanami and her friends, more Tomoe and Hizuru fighting moments \|*0*|/ you know, fun stuff, fun stuff...

There's also this thing I'm planning, where, ya know, Kurama may or may not accidentally see Hizuru naked. It'll be funny, I promise. ;) I yike funnies.

And also, I need to address the whole form of how she'll be repaying him, for, you know, the curse research he's helping her with. Though they haven't really delved into that yet, so I need to make sure they study together more... oooh, I'm like a mom! haha.

Hizuru: I think I'll go take another warm bath, it's been a long day...

Me: Do your homework!

Hizuru: But I just got home

Me: Wash the dishes, clean your room!

Hizuru: *grumbled incoherently*

Kurama: I'll be leaving for my next photo shoot now-

Me: You, her, study, NOW!

Yup... just like a mom. Heehee ^,^

Alright, buh-bye. Review and stuff, kay?

CK :*