I'm back! I know you missed me! –laughs- Okay, I'll just let you read.

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Returning home.

Harva was nice enough to take us to Spirit World where Koenma was waiting for us. His head didn't even bother to look up as we entered his office. Botan, of course, was there too. She smiled at me and gave me a wave. Finally, Koenma stamped the last contract on his desk.

"Hello, Varia," He said, "Celosia, Solace, Shiva and Hecate. I assume that Cyrus is dead because they're no longer in your body."

I nodded my head and hoped he wasn't going to ask me how he died. I didn't wanna go over the details. Koenma dismissed Botan and she left the room.

"Well, now, normally I would let spirits go off to wherever they belong, but it's actually their choice on where they want to go," The child-like prince informed us.

"You mean we have a say on where we're ending up?" Celosia asked.

"Exactly." Koenma folded his arms onto the desk.

I glanced at my 'mind invaders'. I wasn't sure what they were thinking about for once. They all held different facial expressions, which told me that they were actually thinking about their decision.

"Can you be more specific when you say that Koenma?" I asked.

"They have a choice of staying here in Spirit World, or they can go back to Human World. If they want to go back, I will be giving them a body for them to live in," He answered. Those words made my mind invaders quickly end their thinking.

"I wish to leave with my daughter. I have to teach her some things still, and would like to spend time with her since I never got the chance," Solace said.

"I've always desired to experience life in a human's point of view," Hecate smiled.

"Very well. I can make some arrangements for that." Koenma nodded. It was down to the last two spirits. Shiva seemed just as confused on what to do as Celosia, but she spoke first.

"Botan and I were talking at the reunion about the Spiritual Aid. I was wondering if I could join that group," Shiva replied. Koenma smirked and approved.

"The Spirit Aid?" My eyebrow rose in question.

"They're a group of healers that are a part of the Guardian Angels' Society. They protect the youth from abuse and guide them to the Right Path," Koenma explained. That made sense. Shiva always wanted to help people. This was probably the best way she could do that.

"I would like to go back with Varia if you don't mind."

Now that surprised me. I thought for sure Celosia wanted to go see Natalie. The pyro turned to face me and smiled shyly.

"I know I haven't been a best friend or maybe not even a good friend, but to me you are my best friend. You were the only person that accepted me for who I am besides Natalie. So, if you don't mind me, I would like to stay with you…"

I softly laughed. "You goof ball. We may have our moments, but we're certainly friends. Of course I don't mind, but how will I explain your existence to my parents?"

"I can always brainwash them into thinking they always had a second daughter," Koenma said out of the blue.

"Okay…" I sweat dropped.

"I have a question Koenma. Once we go back, will any of us still have our powers? I know I said that I wanted to experience life as a human, but I want to keep my abilities," Hecate spoke. The teen prince smiled.

"I know, which is why I'm gonna say that you are in charge with your powers. If you screw it up, as in, causing the chaos that you did when Varia's birthday came around, you're gonna be in big trouble. So be careful with them," Koenma answered.

"All right people! Don't just stand there! I have work to do!" He snapped his fingers. I groaned as I felt myself being teleported to Human World. I ended up in a pile with my mind invaders. We managed to reorganize ourselves somehow and Aponi appeared through a portal. Harva is obviously doing her job. We all looked at each other.

"So this is it?" I asked, "I won't ever see you guys again?"

I felt my heart ache. They were a lot of trouble, but they were my best friends. The first friends that I ever made. Hell, I grew up with them. They've seen me through it all. Probably not by choice, but still. I was going to miss them.

"If you want I'll visit," Solace smiled and embraced me. "You were a great companion."

"Thanks," I managed to say.

Figures that I would only notice now on how close I was to them. We huddled up in a group hug and gave each other a tight friendly squeeze. Solace drifted up into the air while waving us goodbye. She and her child entered the recently opened portal and disappeared. I heard Shiva sniffle.

"I'm gonna miss you all." The Veela started to cry. I hate it when she cries. Actually when anyone cries. Once I see someone cry I start to cry. I hate crying. I had to restrain myself from crying. Shiva gave me another hug.

"Oh, come on now. Knowing our luck we'll run into each other since we're all involved with the Spirit detectives and such." Celosia tried to cheer her up. Shiva gave a stiff nod. I sighed. It was finally over. Shiva released me from her clutches and smiled.

"Bye bye. For now anyways," She said. The child vanished from my eyes. I looked around to find someone else missing.

"Hey, where did Hecate go?" I asked.

"She was never here," Celosia answered.

"Then where is she?"

"Probably at a new place. Koenma gave her a life," Celosia chuckled.

"Come on. We need to go back home," I reminded myself. I'm so frickin' forgetful.

"How long do you think we were gone?" Celosia asked me.

"What do you mean? We were only gone for a week or so." I gave her a questioning stare.

"Well, yea we were, but time doesn't always stay the same when you go to different locations," Celosia replied.

Well, what do ya know? The fire addict does have a brain. Don't tell her I said that. Funny that now I can't call her my mind invader or spirit. This is all too weird.

We headed toward Keiko's place. I'm beginning to wonder if it's safe to go back to my home now. After all, Cyrus is dead. So his shadow thingamabob shouldn't be there either. Someone remind me to ask Koenma that the next time I see him. I knocked on Keiko's door and we waited for someone to answer. A girl with long brown hair opened the door. I had to stare at her. She looked just like Keiko!

"Er.. is Keiko here?" Celosia asked. The girl's eyes went wide. She threw herself at me.

"OH MY GOD IT'S YOU! VARIA WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG! YOU DO REALIZE THAT YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR TWO MONTHS!" She screamed as she shook me. Took me a while to realize that she was Keiko.

"HEY! LET GO OF HER!" Celosia shouted at her in my defense.

"It's okay Celosia. It's Keiko," I told her.

"Oh."

"What do you mean 'oh'! Don't you recognize me?" Keiko looked ready to bite my head off.

"Well, with that hair. No we don't." I could tell Celosia taking up a lot of her energy to keep from blowing up on her. I sighed. Here we go again.

"HEY! KEIKO! WHO'S AT THE DOOR?" A male voice yelled.

"IT'S VARIA AND CELOSIA!" She hollered back. There was a loud thud, which sounded like something fell, and I saw a lot of blurs. The next thing I know I have Hiei's sword at my neck.

"This is some swell welcoming committee," Celosia snorted.

"I have three words for you Hiei," I said. He lowered his sword.

"Don't even try it with me." He glowered.

"Cyrus is dead," I managed to say. They stared at me in silence.

"Congrats Varia," Kurama smiled. As usual, he was the only calm one in the area.

"Are y'all gonna allow us in or what?" Celosia's temper was obviously ticking.

"Sorry, you just kinda surprised us. We missed you," Keiko said and her eyes softened.

"I'm sorry that I took so long. I mean, I was only on Uranus for a week and two days," I apologized.

Keiko yanked my arm and took me inside. Celosia followed. She told me to sit down on the stool. I did as I was told. I didn't want her to get mad at me again. I scanned the house. It was still the same. Everything was in its usual place. So nothing has changed. Kuwabara propped himself on a chair as Yusuke hugged Keiko from behind. Celosia leaned against the kitchen wall. Hiei was next to the door. Figures. After all I've done for him, he's still a prick. I glanced at the window. To my surprise, it was snowing. Have I really been away that long? I heard a clank and looked up.

"So…how is everyone?" Celosia despised awkward silences. Can't blame her. They make me uneasy too. Kuwabara shifted weight to his other side.

"We were worried. You left without saying anything," Yusuke spoke.

"But you guys knew I was leaving. I made that deal with Aithne, remember?" I tried to remind them. Kurama nodded.

"Which is why we didn't go into the panicking mode. We had an idea on where you were," The fox demon said. I sighed.

Why do I always get into trouble even though I'm doing the right thing? We spent the next three hours catching up. Hiei still remained far out of my reach. I'm frowned and got up.

"Where are you going?" Celosia asked me.

"Upstairs. I'm tired," I answered, "Night everyone."

"Good night," They all said in unison. I chuckled.

"Now that was freaky," Kuwabara muttered. I climbed up the stairs and went to my bedroom. I was about to close the door when I felt a gentle wind breeze by me. I rolled my eyes.

"Hiei, what do you want?"

"Hn." Well, he was still his anti-social self.

"You're doing a lot better right? Because the last time I checked you were sick," I yawned.

"I'm fine."

"God only knows how much of a great talker you are," I teased.

I immediately felt arms around my waist. Warmth spread throughout my body. He nuzzled his head into the curve of my neck. I heard a faint whimper.

"Oi, you okay?" I repeated my question. It then hit me. The little fire hobbit missed me. I am so slow! I sighed.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" He asked. I smiled.

"No. He didn't really have a chance since I turned him inside out. Literally. You can even ask Celosia that. She saw the body. Although, he did scream at me a lot. He called me a cruel demon. I found it funny since I'm human," I told him. I felt him smirk.

"A cruel demon, eh?"

"That's what he said. Which is probably true. I'm not always nice." I sensed his pride.

"I can live with that," He whispered. I blinked. He was still thinking about the mate thing. I turned around to face him. His red eyes bore into mine. I smiled.

"You know. You can take that off now," I said randomly. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I pointed at his headband. I wanted to see his Jagan.

"Why?" He questioned me.

"Because I wanna see it."

He stared at me for a few seconds. Then he finally took it off. The Jagan opened and focused on me. I laid a gentle kiss on it. Hiei winced.

"What? Did that hurt?" I always manage to do something wrong around him.

"No," He responded, "Just… surprised me."

"Hey Hiei…"

"What?"

"Do you accept me as your mate?" I watched him crack a small smile.

"Do you?" He replied.

"I asked you first," I pouted. He did something I didn't think he'd ever do. He was laughing. He was laughing at me! Can you believe that? The little rut's laughing at me!

"What you laughing at you psychotic ninja nun?" I teased.

"Ninja nun?" He asked, "Where the hell did you get that from?"

"What you're wearing is similar to a nun's outfit. You just need the hood… er hat or whatever it's called." My turn to laugh at him. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but at the moment I couldn't help it. I gave him my first kiss. Of course, that made him freeze. I blushed as I parted away.

"So you do accept me." It was more like a statement and a question.

"I think so." He grinned.

"Check it out! You're smiling! Actually smiling. Dude! I just got two scores. I made you laugh and smile!" I laughed. He suddenly picked me up.

"HEY! What are you doing!" I asked. Did I ever tell you that cats like to be on their feet? Which is why they squirm or hiss when you pick them up. At least, the cats that I know of do.

"Taking you somewhere."

"Be more specific," I glared.

"Just trust me."

"Fine, but one thing about me being your 'mate'," I said.

"What?" He looked down.

"You can't… we can't have … that.. until I get older. Like in my twenties or something. I don't wanna lose it young," I declared.

"Fine, but you are mine," He grinned.

"Whatever."

--- After four years---

Wow, four years. It's been a long time. Hiei and I are obviously mates now, but here's the kicker. Celosia and Kurama are dating! Like I didn't see that one coming. Actually I didn't. Whatever. I don't live with Keiko anymore. I'm back in my own home. My parents finally returned. My Dad nearly had a heart attack when he met my boyfriend. That's what I call Hiei when my parents are around.

Hiei has yet to 'bite' me. I think he hasn't done it yet because he knows how much it scares me, but he knows I'm his. He knows I won't be disloyal or anything. So yea, we're good. Though we're mates, we don't spend all of our time together. Hiei is usually working with Mukuro. I go to college. Keiko's married now. It was a lovely wedding. Guess what? I actually convinced Hiei on letting me have a wedding. Of course not now.

After my parents discovered the tiger was gone, they got me a puppy for my birthday. That's right. I'm twenty now. Celosia is twenty-one. I wonder how old Kurama is. I've kept in touch with Solace and the others. Shiva has saved five hundred lives of children, Hecate is some great mechanic, Solace is queen again and I hear that Aponi is dating someone. I heard a soft bark and turned my head to the dog. We were both waiting for Hiei to get back home. I don't think Hiei really likes the dog though.

Out of boredom, I pulled at the puppy's paws. The poor pup gave out a yelp of surprise. He playfully bit at my fingers and gnawed on my index finger. I giggled while I gently yanked his ears with my free hand. Behind me, I heard a grunt. I turned my head to face my mate.

"Hiei, you're back," I grinned as I petted the dog's golden fur.

"Hn."

Even after four years, Hiei was still not a social person. He glared at the mutt that I was playing with. I felt my face be licked by a warm tongue and smiled.

"Isn't he so adorable!"

"Step away from the dog," The fire elemental male ordered. I stared at him.

"Why?"

He said nothing, but took out his sword. My eyes went wide.

"Hiei, what are you doing!" I yelled. I picked up the pup.

"Just get away," He ordered.

"Tell me why first."

"You love that thing more than me. Therefore it dies."

"Aww, is Hiei jealous of the dog?" I chaffed and made the canine do a little dance on his feet. "I bet you are because it is so much cuter than you, more playful, more affectionate, and even it talks to me."

Hiei glared at me as I continued to laugh. See? What did I tell you? He doesn't like the dog. I made lovey dovey faces at the dog and kissed the dog's forehead. He snarled with envy. He tackled me down, making me squeal. The dog barked and struggled to get out of the dog pile.

"Oh no! You're harming my beloved mutt!" I taunted. Hiei tickled me.

"Hiei, you're forgetting that I'm not ticklish."

"Drat."

I grinned at him as he pulled me onto his lap. Over the years he had gotten taller than me. Damn growth spurt. Sometimes I threatened him that I would put books on his head to keep him from growing. He nibbled my ears as I tried to squirm away.

"Ah! Shadow! Help me!" I shouted to the dog. The dog barked again. He bit Hiei's sleeve and tugged at it. Hiei growled back at it causing the pup to run away.

"Now look what you did," I scowled at my lover.

"He doesn't make such a good watchdog," Hiei smirked.

"Oh shut up," I laughed as he glared at me.

He frowned as I nipped his cheeks and moved his face away. I kissed his neck, gently moving his skin in between my teeth. I left a trail of soft bites, kisses, and licks down his neck. Hiei bit his lip to keep himself from moaning, but the four years of spending time together had made him weak to my touches. I moved myself toward his sensitive ears and teased his earlobes.

"I've made you soft hearted," I smirked and embraced him. He loved the warmth that radiated from my affection. I know he did because he snuggled within the hug. The dog came back into the room wagging his tail, yapping at us. Hiei raised an eyebrow at the mutt.

"Go get your own woman."

I had to smile. I caressed his back and shoulders with the same massage technique that I used when he was sick. In two minutes, Hiei was fast asleep in my lap.

"I love you, Hiei," I whispered in his ears. He never said those words to me, but I knew he did. Otherwise he never would have chased me around like crazy for four years. I let him sleep.

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Suntiger: And I'm finally finished! I actually ended up making the two chapters into one whole one because they were too short when I typed it up. I'm sorry that I took so long! Please forgive me! I was (and some of you already know) shipped off to visit my grandparents and uncle for three weeks. Actually a month…. My uncle was the only one who had access to a computer and guess what? His pc thingy didn't have a disc holder! I didn't have a place for my disc! So, I couldn't update. Besides, I was also living with three other teenagers (my cousins), who hogged the computer.

I hope you liked it! Oh yea, by the way.. I'm still high school Jade Elf. I'll be a junior. Just thought I should answer that. My summer's good. I tried jet skis (fell off three times), golfing (my first time and I got a hole-in-one), tubing (nearly ripped off my arm), boating, watching movies, got a really bad sun burn, and got harassed by Mexican twenty year olds (all males).

So how's everyone else's summer?

I don't remember if I said anything about this, but I don't own the Yu Yu Hakusho crew! Just the aliens, Varia and mind invaders!