Hi, everyone. Long time no see, huh? I'm really, really sorry. I've been kind of sick lately, and it's been really hard for me to be able to get this chapter done. Truth be told, I've had it written for awhile, but I haven't been able to type it up. Gah, I've missed SO much school this year…I NEED TO GET BETTER AND STAY BETTER! My girlfriend says I don't sleep enough. I guess that's true, but if I want to keep my readers, I don't have time to sleep; I need to get these chapters up!
In other news, my friend went out and bought me action figures of Harry, Ron, and Draco as a get-well present. THESE THINGS ARE FREAKING AWESOME! Granted, the expression on Draco's face is sort of "O.O", but I'm having SO much fun! I think I'm going to put them in different poses and take pictures with a digital camera, then edit them and put speech bubbles in. Hey, don't look at me like I'm crazy. When you're stuck in bed, it sure passes the time.
Okay, on to the chapter!
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Majikku no Seirei: Chapter 10
Detention and Distractions
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"Where were you?" Harry asked on Monday morning as Kurama sat down at the Gryffindor table. "We haven't seen you since Friday night!"
The redhead smiled at him. "Good morning to you, too, Harry." Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, he continued with a light-hearted "As for where I was, I stayed in Hogsmeade Saturday night and all day yesterday. I didn't get back until late last night, and I didn't want to wake you."
Buttering a piece of toast, Hermione glanced at Harry. "There, you see? Nothing wrong." She looked at Kurama. "Harry and Ron were convinced that you were out partying wildly and having illicit love affairs."
He raised his eyebrows at her over the rim of his glass. "Who said I wasn't out partying wildly and having illicit love affairs?"
Hermione gaped at him, and he laughed. "Don't worry, Hermione, I was joking. I was perfectly well-behaved in Hogsmeade. In fact, I may have even—" he stopped, looking up. "Good morning, Professor."
Lance grinned down at him. "Good morning, Minamino. Did you have a good weekend?" A smirk played at the corners of his mouth, as he knew full well the answer to his question.
"Yes, it was quite enjoyable. It was nice seeing you on Saturday. Tell Miss Slattery that I say hello, when you next see her." He couldn't resist a joking reference to Lance's fictional girlfriend.
Lance caught Kurama's light grin and returned it. "Will do, Minamino. Actually, I came down to ask you when you'd like another study session."
Kurama smiled. "Whenever you have the time, Professor."
"How about tonight at eight, in my classroom?"
Kurama nodded, eyes sparkling in anticipation. "Sounds fine."
Lance laughed. "Always enthusiastic about your studies. That's a good habit." He clapped a hand on Kurama's shoulder. "See you in class, Minamino." He left, continuing to the staff table.
"You met his girlfriend?" Harry asked, when Lance was out of earshot.
"Mm-hm." Kurama picked up a piece of toast. "A very nice young woman—quite pretty, too, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, really pretty." His tone said that he didn't quite believe Kurama. "Professor Renton really seems to like her, don't you think?"
Kurama raised his eyebrows. "Likes her? He's crazy about her." Harry looked thoughtful, and Kurama finally realized why. 'I see now. You think I like him, don't you, Harry?' He nearly laughed. 'You aren't too far from the mark, my friend. Unfortunately, that's not a good thing.' "I think it's good for someone like him to have a girlfriend, though. Teaching can't be an easy job, and I'm sure he needs someone to ease the stress."
Someone dropped a piece of parchment on the table in front of him, and he looked up, startled, to see Professor Snape's retreating back. He picked up the parchment.
Your detention will be served this evening at eight o'clock, in the Potions classroom. Failure to arrive promptly on time will result in an extra week of detention.
Kurama groaned.
Harry looked at him. "What?"
Kurama passed him the parchment, and Harry made a sympathetic noise. "Detention with Snape? That's the pits, mate." He passed the note back. "Good luck with that."
"Gee, thanks." Kurama took the note, slipping it into the pocket of his school robe. "I suppose I'll have to reschedule with Professor Renton." He sighed. "In conveniences, really."
Harry watched him, wondering what Kurama was more disappointed about—the detention, or missing his "date" with Professor Renton.
Before Harry could speak, though, Kurama sighed. "Well, it can't be helped. Harry, could you pass the jelly?"
And the conversation was over.
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"Come on, Saru-chan. Come on, you can do it. Walk to me, you can do it. Come on."
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Kurama, stop coddling the damn monkey."
Kurama stopped walking backwards to look at Hiei, Saru's tiny paws twined around his forefingers. Startled by the sudden loss of movement, Saru plopped down on the grass, and was quickly scooped into Kurama's arms. "I can coddle him if I want to, Hiei."
The fire demon snorted, but moved over to allow Kurama to sit next to him. "It's not going to learn any survival instincts that way."
"He;" Kurama corrected; "is learning just fine. Hsigos are herbivores by nature, and Saru knows to hide when he sees someone he doesn't know."
Hiei raised his eyebrows. "What about mating?"
"There's something I didn't expect from you." Kurama said with a laugh. "Besides, Professor Hagrid says not to let the Hsigos interact until they're at least twelve weeks old."
Hiei shrugged, a silent surrender to the argument. Kurama smiled slightly in victory, and they sat together in silence, Saru's soft babbling the only sound.
"What happened on Saturday?" Hiei asked suddenly.
Kurama looked at him sharply. "What are you talking about?"
Hiei's eyes were calculating when he looked at Kurama. "You know what I'm talking about. That wasn't just a slip of the mental tongue. I could feel your fear."
The redhead frowned. "You could feel my emotions? Just through telepathy?"
Hiei nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just telling it how it is."
"Interesting." Kurama nibbled absently on his lower lip. Hiei wished he wouldn't, it was distracting. "That should only be able to happen between people with a very close bond." He grinned suddenly. "You know what that means, don't you?"
Hiei frowned. "No, I don't. What does it mean?"
Kurama laughed, reaching out and pulling Hiei into a light hug. "It means you really do like me, even though you say you don't and make fun of me."
Hiei rolled his eyes, but tolerated the contact, even going so far as to gently squeeze Kurama's arm.
"Thank you;" Kurama said quietly, his voice close to Hiei's ear.
"For what?"
"For worrying about me." Kurama gave him another light squeeze and withdrew, allowing Saru to scamper back into his lap.
Curious, childlike hands found there way to Kurama's neck, discovering the slim chain that hung there. Saru gave it a gentle tug and it pulled free of Kurama's shirt, exposing the blood red pendant that hung from it, set in silver. The hsigo pulled at it again, only to have Kurama gently pry it out of his fingers. "I'm sorry, Saru, but you can't play with this. It's special." Saru seemed to understand, letting the prize slip from his hands.
Hiei looked at the pendant Kurama now held, and reached out his hand. "May I?"
Kurama's expression shifted to mild surprise, but he moved his hair aside and unclasped the chain, placing it in Hiei's outstretched hand.
It wasn't nearly as intricate as Hiei had expected. The chain was of simple design, as was the base setting of the red stone. A closer inspection of the stone itself proved Hiei's initial thought—that it was a mere ruby—very wrong. It was a firestone, known more commonly as the "Passion Gem". They were popular in Makai as lover's tokens between nobles, as they were expensive and hard to find, Hiei remembered. 'Naturally, Youko Kurama would have at least one.' He ran his thumb absently over the stone, and was surprised to find it warm—but realized he shouldn't have been. The internal heat of a firestone burned as long as its wearer loved another. Hiei glanced up at Kurama. "This was Kaiki's?"
Kaiki had been the Meikai god Kurama had fought, who had taken Kuronue's form. Kurama's eyes flared at the memory. "No. This is Kuronue's."
Hiei handed it back. "How do you know?"
"First of all, it didn't disappear with the rest of the illusion. Second of all…" Kurama gently put a finger against the firestone. When he spoke, it was in one of the older languages of Makai. "Kuronue, A yulan dek zekar mel karatralon."
Kuronue, may this light guide you for eternity.
The stone pulsed brightly, and even Hiei felt the flare of heat. Saru clapped his hands together excitedly.
Kurama smiled sadly, clasping the necklace around his neck once more. "It was a protection charm I put on it, all those years ago. As long as he wore it, he was safe." He closed his fingers around the gem, and closed his eyes. "I miss him, Hiei." He murmured. "So much."
Hiei could see tears gathering at the corners of Kurama's eyes, and suddenly wished that he could shield Kurama from this pain, wished that he could protect Kurama from the harshness of the world. At the same time, he recoiled from the thought, repelled by the idea that he felt the same protectiveness for this youko that he did for his sister.
But suddenly Kurama was drying his eyes and smiling again. "I'm sorry. You must be annoyed, listening to me whine like this." He tucked the pendant safely under his robe, and then sighed heartily, turning to Saru as the hsigo tugged on his sleeve. "What is it, Saru-chan? Do you want to play some more?"
Watching them almost lazily, Hiei sighed.
Sometimes, he just didn't understand Kurama.
But he couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to.
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Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to fly by that day, and Kurama was grateful for it. When the bell rang, he hung back from the rush to the door.
Pausing at the threshold, Harry glanced back at him. "Coming?"
Kurama nodded. "I need to talk to Professor Renton, but I'll be there in a few minutes. You go ahead."
Harry looked at him for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll tell Professor Sprout you'll be late."
Kurama smiled at him. "Thank you."
Harry gathered his books and left. Kurama sighed and closed the door behind the dark-haired boy.
Leaning against his desk, Lance raised an eyebrow. "He's suspicious."
Kurama nodded. "I know." When Lance didn't reply, Kurama tilted his head slightly to the side, a silent invitation.
Lance crossed the room in two strides, pinned Kurama against the wall with one hand, and kissed him.
The fire that had taken control of him during the weekend returned, and Kurama surrendered himself to the kiss, tangling his hands in Lance's hair. His other thoughts—Hiei, Kuronue, detention, classes—seemed to fly away, leaving him only with the feeling of Lance's lips on his, Lance's hands moving against his skin. He was beginning to feel light headed.
Lance pulled away, and Kurama swayed slightly. Lance caught his arm. "Woah. You alright?"
"Yes." Kurama shook his head slightly to clear it, then smiled. "But as much as I enjoyed that, I have class."
"Mm, that's true." Lance leaned down, brushing his lips over Kurama's. "You need a pass?"
"I'm not late yet." He pulled Lance back to him when the older man moved away.
Lance grinned, nipping at Kurama's bottom lip in a brief, dominating gesture, and grinned. "But you will be. You should get going. I'll see you at eight tonight, alright?"
"Oh, I forgot…" Kurama turned his head away from Lance's next kiss. "I can't come tonight."
Not discouraged, Lance pressed his lips against the exposed skin of Kurama's neck. "Why?" He murmured against it.
Biting back a moan, Kurama managed to get out "Detention."
Lance moved back and looked up at him, shocked. "Detention? You?"
"Snape."
"Ah." Lance pulled away, sighing. "Well, we can reschedule." He went to his desk and scribbled down a pass. "Study hard, okay?" His eyes were twinkling.
Kurama raised his eyebrows, smiling slightly. "Wouldn't that make it difficult to concentrate?"
Lance rolled his eyes, and grinned. "I'm having a bad influence on you."
Kurama laughed. "You certainly are."
Lance threw the pass at him mockingly. "Go to class, Minamino."
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Hiei was waiting for him when he reached the Potions classroom at five minutes to eight that night.
"You're early." Kurama noted.
Hiei shrugged. "So are you."
"Why the sudden eagerness to follow school rules?" Hiei didn't answer, and Kurama grinned. "Got scared of all the creepy rumors about students who showed up late for Snape's detentions?" Hiei scowled, and Kurama burst out laughing. "You're joking. You were really scared?"
"Shut up."
Kurama hid another laugh behind his hand. "I'm sorry. It's just funny, that's all."
Hiei rolled his eyes. "If we're talking about funny, maybe I should remind you of the time when you—"
"Fighting before a detention will merely earn you extra punishment, gentlemen."
Startled, Kurama jumped, whirling around. "Oh—Professor!"
Snape looked down at him, lip curling. "Trust a Gryffindor not to be paying attention to his surroundings." He smiled rather unpleasantly. "Now, I do believe you two are here for detention." He brushed past them into the classroom.
Following him, Kurama looked down at Hiei. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming?" He muttered under his breath, knowing Hiei would hear him.
Sure enough, the fire demon's frown deepened. "He was right behind you; I assumed that you sensed him."
It was Kurama's turn to frown. "I didn't feel him at all."
"Hn. You weren't paying attention, fox."
Snape cleared his throat. "I don't recall granting permission for you two to talk." They fell silent. "The Gryffindor first years had an incident with their Flammability Potions this afternoon, as you can see from the walls." He gestured, and they followed his eyes. A bright red potion was slowly dripping down the walls of the room, settling into the cracks of the stone. "You two will be spending the evening scrubbing the potion off the walls—without magic."
Kurama grimaced. It was a very large room.
As he turned to his desk, Snape said over his shoulder "By the way, the potion is extremely painful to the touch, and can be quite dangerous. I'd advise you not to stick your hands in it." The two demons didn't move. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He pointed to a cauldron full of rags and soapy water. "Get to work."
Kurama sighed, looked at Hiei, and began rolling up his sleeves.
It was going to be a long night.
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Looking at the two exchange students over the rim of Potions Monthly, Snape frowned.
These two boys were the talk of the entire school. Both the students and teachers were buzzing about them—a Gryffindor and a Slytherin who could fight like trained professionals, squabbled like a married couple, yet were clearly close friends. They tossed House rivalries and protocol aside, completely ignoring the fact that they were supposed to hate each other.
His frown deepening, he studied each of them in turn.
The red-haired Gryffindor, Minamino. Part of the gossip circling him was based purely on his looks—indeed, it was hard to ignore them. It wasn't the mussy orange hair of the Weasleys that this boy had—no, this was a pure, untouched scarlet, the color of (although Snape scowled at the analogy) blood. And those eyes—a sweet emerald one moment that could harden to an icy jade within an instant. Snape had seen the way those eyes could glare, and could have sworn that there had been flecks of gold within them. The boy seemed to put on a warm, caring front, but as far as Snape was concerned, those eyes were a dead giveaway.
And Jaganshi.
Jaganshi Hiei was a dozen mysteries all on his own. He was a Slytherin—so why spend all his free time with a Gryffindor? It was a fair answer to say that the two had known each other before coming to Hogwarts, but to so deliberately overstep House boundaries—it was almost disrespectful. And he wasn't forming friendships with the Slytherins. It wasn't uncommon to see him with his dorm-mates, mainly Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, but he was more commonly found at Minamino's side. Jaganshi had the type of eyes that put Snape immediately on edge. There was just something…far too unnerving in those ruby depths.
He heard a hiss of pain and looked up to see Jaganshi glaring at Minamino, while the redhead tried to get a better look at the hand Jaganshi now clutched to his chest. Sighing in irritation, Snape stood. "Didn't I tell you to be careful of the potion?"
"I wasn't listening." Jaganshi bit out through gritted teeth.
Snape scowled. "That will be another night of detention, Jaganshi."
Jaganshi's own scowl deepened, and Snape suspected that he probably would have retorted had Minamino not laid a hand on his shoulder. The black haired boy tensed, but kept his mouth shut.
His tone carefully respectful, Minamino said "Sir, I'm not completely familiar with the effects of the Flammability Potion, but I think Madam Pomfrey should examine Hiei's hand. If you want this" he motioned towards the wall "finished, I'd be happy to do it alone, but—"
"Take Jaganshi to the hospital wing and go to bed." Snape said irritably. And just to make sure the boy didn't think he was being too lenient, he added a rough "Get going, or it's another week's detention for both of you."
The emerald eyes widened considerably, and Minamino grabbed Jaganshi's un-injured hand, ushering him out of the room.
Snape watched them go, waiting until he heard the heavy door thud shut. He turned to the wall, staring at the smudged potion with distaste.
'Wait.'
Had Jaganshi touched the potion?
'It should have burned his hand off!' Snape realized with a jolt. But how? Jaganshi's hand had barely been burned at all, merely a bit red.
The Potions Master pulled his wand out of his pocket and magicked the potion off the wall with a simple wave, brooding.
No one should have been able to touch a Flammability Potion and come out unscathed. No one.
Scowling, he went back to his desk.
Just who were those students?
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When they emerged from the hospital wing ten minutes later, Hiei was wearing a scowl that put Snape's to shame. "I don't see why she fussed like that. It's just a burn."
Kurama sighed. "Hiei, you're lucky you still have your hand. Anyone else's would have been scorched off."
Hiei snorted. "By a few drops of liquid?"
"Yes, by a few drops of liquid." Kurama fiddled with his necklace, then smiled and said brightly "At least we're not in detention anymore."
"Speak for yourself." Hiei muttered.
"Well, you brought it upon yourself. You know you shouldn't talk back to the teachers." He glanced at a grandfather clock on the wall. "It's almost midnight. I think I'm going to turn in."
Hiei raised his eyebrows, surprise evident in his expression. Youko Kurama, with a bedtime? But the redhead did look tired, so he shrugged and said "Fine. Do you want me to walk you back to Gryffindor Tower?"
It was Kurama's turn to look surprised. "What?"
Hiei shrugged. "It's on the way back to the dungeons anyway."
Kurama looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."
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In another part of the school, hidden under his Invisibility Cloak, Harry snuck upstairs to the Astronomy Tower.
Several students were known to go there to finish their Astronomy Homework, or to stargaze with their significant others. It was after hours, and the tower was supposed to be closed.
Harry was going tonight…to be closer to Sirius.
Emerging into the open-roofed tower, he let the October breeze rush over him, and sighed. He pulled off the cloak and sat down, leaning against the safety railing.
Lupin had told him that when they were younger, he and Sirius had often borrowed James's cloak and come up to the tower to be alone.
"Never on the full moon, of course;" Lupin had said with a wry smile. "But the stars…they were so beautiful. When you watch them with someone you love, it's as if the universe has stopped, just for you." He had sighed, then, and changed the subject. But Harry had mentally filed the conversation away in his mind, and had waited until he knew he wouldn't be caught to sneak out of Gryffindor Tower to see the stars.
Apparently, someone else had the same idea. Harry heard the door to the tower open, and before he could throw on the Invisibility Cloak, Draco Malfoy said "Potter?"
Harry turned. The black school robes Harry was used to seeing Draco wearing were gone, replaced by a pair of black drawstring pants, a navy-blue hooded sweatshirt, and sneakers. The customary sneer was gone as well—Draco was blinking at him with something very akin to bewilderment. "What are you doing out here, Potter?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Harry said, frowning.
Draco shrugged. "I came out to see the stars. There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight."
Harry blinked at him. "Really?"
"Yeah." Draco raised his eyebrows. "You didn't know?"
"No. I just wanted to come out and think, and leaning out my window didn't seem like the best idea."
Draco snorted. "At least Gryffindor has windows. Slyrtherin's underground. When the candles are out, it's pitch black."
"Scared of the dark?" Harry teased.
"Sharing a room with a bunch of Death Eaters, who wouldn't be?" He paused. "I'm sure you would be, in any case."
Harry stared at him, unsure whether or not to take offense. But the small smile playing at the corners of Draco's mouth showed that the Slytherini wasn't being cruel, and Harry had to grin. "Guess so."
Draco's smile grew a bit, and he looked out at the sky. "Look, Potter…let's not be pricks to each other tonight. It's too nice out, and I'm sure we both want to enjoy the stars." He turned back to Harry and extended his hand. "Truce?"
Harry looked from the hand, to Draco's face, and back again…then reached out and clasped Draco's hand. "Truce."
A jolt—almost like an electric shock—shot through him at the contact, accompanied by a feeling of warmth and comfort. He let go of Draco's hand abruptly and looked into surprised silver eyes. Judging by the shock on Draco's face, he had felt it, too.
But Draco brushed it off, turning away and leaning against the railing. "The stars really are beautiful, aren't they?"
Harry shrugged the very distinct feeling of butterflies in his stomach off and joined him at the railing. His shoulder brushed Draco's and he felt the light shock again. "Yeah, they are."
But suddenly, he couldn't quite focus on the stars anymore.
Because suddenly they seemed quite dull, compared to the sparkling silver eyes beside him.
And the shooting stars rained down.
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When Harry got back to Gryffindor Tower, he was surprised to find Kurama still awake. The redhead was sitting up in bed, reading. He looked up when Harry entered. "Hello, Harry." He smiled. "Did you enjoy your stargazing?"
Harry blinked at him. "How did you know I was—"
Kurama pointed out the window. "The meteor shower tonight. You mentioned earlier in the year that you wanted to see the stars some night, so I assumed that that was where you went."
"Oh." Harry put the Invisibility Cloak—now quite grateful that he had taken it off upon entering the common room—safely into his trunk and climbing into bed. "How was detention?"
Kurama shrugged. "Not as bad as I thought it would be. Hiei had an allergic reaction to the stuff we were cleaning, so Snape let us go at around midnight."
"Midnight?" Harry looked at him in awe. "You really did get lucky."
Kurama smiled, setting his book aside. "I suppose so. I was expecting much worse." He sighed, looking regretfully out the window. "I wish I'd been able to see the meteor shower, though. Was it good?"
"Yeah." Harry followed his gaze to the now still sky. "It was amazing."
Kurama raised his eyebrows. Was he imagining it, or was Harry even more spacey than usual? He leaned over to blow out the candle he had been reading by. "Goodnight, Harry."
"Night." Again, the distracted tone of voice.
'Odd.' Kurama thought as he drifted off to sleep; 'he sounds like someone who just fell in love.'
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Reviewer Responses:
Bluespark: Yes, he finally got some action. And I know you're mad. I'm SORRY! There was some HxK in this chapter, at least.
Lady Starlight2: Yes, I live. And now I live again. Sorry for the long wait.
My Bloody Hell: …maybe I'm a perv, but I found the "Hiei has HUGE competition" in a perverted way…Anyway, in answer to your question…Kura-chan has issues. That's all there is to it.
mistressKC: Gee. Wonder if you liked it. And yes, feel free to add it to your C2. As far as I'm concerned, it's just free publicity for me. (grin)
Oya: As far as the canon is concerned, there's no mention that Kurama was ever raped by Karasu. But if you go into the fanbase, a lot of people think he was. I tend to go with that because it makes for a good plot device. So yes, the purple-eyed guy was Karasu. And you think this is long? I haven't even gotten STARTED yet! (rubs hands together and cackles) Oh, the character torture is yet to come!
godssentangel: In order…1) A lot of people don't like him. I forgive you. 2) Yeah, well, has a rule about NC-17-ness: IT'S NOT ALLOWED! That's why it was short. Sometimes I write the full-blown scene and put a link in the story, but I don't like Lance so I didn't. Sorry. 3) Well, he didn't exactly leave it at that, he just waited to corner Kurama about it. He still didn't get a great answer, but hey. As for who he was freaking over, please see the above review response to Oya.
Evene: Yes, he was. I think I should give out gold stars to everyone who guesses that it's Karasu…Yes, yes, we all know Renton sucks. Poor Lance is going to have some serious self-esteem issues by the time you guys are done with him. To answer your questions: yes he did, no I didn't, yes they were, and don't worry about it.
Kami Anya: Wow, Kami, Israel? AWESOME! I want to go there sooo bad. I think I'm going next summer, actually. Hehe. I'm glad you liked the chapter—crossdressing, perversion and all. Wow, someone actually likes Renton! There's a change in pace. Yes, Karasu is evil. Here, gold star. You got the detention in this chapter, and also some Harry/Draco, which I think I recall hearing that you were a fan of. Hope you enjoyed it!
Megaotaku: Hehe. Yeah, very true. Wow, the people who read your reviews are probably thinking "Does she have multiple personalities?" LOL. Glad you liked it. Some H/D in this chap, finally.
Rurouniturtle: (adds another tally mark to the "people who hate Renton" scoreboard) Good luck with your story!
Bloody Cross: (pokes) Just remember that if I die, you don't get any more updates. And yes, Bush sucks. Stupid anti-gay-marriage-monkey…(grumble grumble grumble)
Darksaphire: There was a bit of Kuro in this chapter, but he's going to get more script time soon. Well, not him, but we'll talk about him some more. And I can't tell you THAT, it would ruin the story!
SunStar Kitsune: As much as I like yaoi triangles…no.
crystal: I'm glad you liked it! And here I was worried people were gonna freak out. Whew! You really think everyone's in character? This chapter might change your mind, I'm afraid…And don't worry if your roommates think you're crazy. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, and I'm still having a blast with my voices. Just kidding.
Mini-MoonStar: (sweatdrop) Yes, you spelled it right. And I was wondering if someone was going to go into the legalities of the whole mess. Let's just call it artistic license and leave it at that, okay? I'm happy you liked it.
JMJV: Yeah…I'm sure that was what a lot of people were thinking. But that would've been too predictable and, as much as us yaoi fans hate to admit it, OOC for Hiei. Not too much snooping this chapter, but he'll get there.
Chelley Angel: Not quite HxK in this chapter either, but we're getting there!
Cattibrie393: So, so true.
JewelValentine: Yikes. I'm sorry. Really, I am. And tell your cat that I'm sorry, too. Wow…I'm flattered. You pay a pretty compliment. (blush blush) Well, for the sake of the warm fuzzy feelings, here's an update.
Tsurishi Karandengu: Heh heh, yeah, they did. (sigh) "Will Hiei win his heart back?" PLEASE don't make me say it AGAIN…
LaBOBuren: (takes the cookie) You know, since you slapped me, I wasn't going to update, but the cookie made it better. And "Majikku no Seirei" means "Magic of Spirit". Real creative, huh? (sarcasm)
Nikki: (giggle) Thank you very much. Like I said, I try to keep their relationship as canon as possible (excluding the fact that they're screwing each other in my version). Hiei is quite jealous and possessive…the extent of this to be revealed soon enough.
Anonymous: …well, if he didn't, he just figured it out. (grin)
TheLadyG: Glad you like it. Well, I've enrolled Hiei into some classes, and he's learning about this little thing called "self-control". He had to practice very hard before I could finish that last chapter. (grin)
GoldenRat: What? You think Harry isn't nosy in the canon? He's UBER nosy! God, the brat drives me CRAZY! (fumes) Sorry. I'm not a huge fan of Harry Potter as a character. I guess I'm just a Draco fan to the end. As for why he's tired…I'll let you be a hentai and figure it out yourself.
Kurokioku: In order: Believe it, he'll get over it, you and the rest of the world, thank you very much, I'm happy you liked it, and he'll get what's coming to him.
Kitsune: Aww…thank you very much! (blush) Yeah, a LOT of people are pissed. But like I said, the H/K is on it's way! And thank you for reading my other fic. I think I'm going to reformat and repost it so that it's easier to read. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it.
Kurama's Wannabe Girlfriend: First of all, in response to your name: Aren't we all? Yes, the Lance/Kurama is a little out of the ordinary, but we're coping. Well, Lance isn't…he's getting a lot of hate mail. But I'm putting him on antidepressants so he can be back to his normal, obnoxious self by the next chapter. And no, Lance isn't Karasu. But who said he was a bad guy? I mean, in the sense that he's stealing Kurama from Hiei he's bad, but he's not a BAD GUY…
Kuro&Kurama 4ever: …don't get technical. I know that already. And Kurama betrayed Yomi because Yomi wasn't pretty enough and was cramping Kurama's style. Therefore, he had to go. Come on, who likes Yomi anyways, really? Except Shura, I guess.
Aiya-120: Thank you.
Spellhorn: No, you can't. I need him to be a plot device for a while. And for heaven's sake, I'M WORKING ON IT! If you want HxK, go read my other fanfics and be PATIENT with this one!
Anna: Here ya go.
Geb: Hehe. "Holy Ra". Do you happen to watch Yu-Gi-Oh, or do you just like Egyptian stuff? And I will never, ever, EVER write Hiei/Draco. NO CROSSOVER PAIRINGS! EVER! Megaotaku would kill me if I paired Draco with anyone but Harry anyway. And he won't be alone for long.
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Ending Notes: Alright, so there's that out of the way. I hope it was worth the long wait. There was a bit of everything in this chapter: fluff, angst, yaoi, Saru-chan…well, Saru was in it merely as my attempt to soothe the angry HxK fans. (SD) There was some Hiei/Kurama fluff in this one! Don't kill me! Plus, the Harry/Draco-ness is beginning to make an appearance…muahahaha…So, once again, sorry for the wait. See you next time, and don't forget to review!