CHAPTER 12

About an hour later Hiei went looking for Kurama. He found the fox in the lounge with Shizuru, playing Go Fish a one of the game tables. The fire demon walked over to them. "Kurama," he said, interrupting their game.

Kurama looked up. When he saw his friend he smiled. "Hey, Hiei," he said. "What's up?"

Hiei growled in reply and his friend noticed his fists were clenched and shaking. "What's wrong?" the fox asked.

"I would like to have a word with you," Hiei said, glancing at Shizuru who had turned to look at him too. "Alone."

"Okay," Kurama said. He turned to his girlfriend and said. "I'll be back." he set his cards face down on the table. "No cheating while I'm gone."

"Like I ever," the bruenette said with a smile.

"Sure you do," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Just please don't do it this time. If you peek we'll have to start over."

She nodded. She didn't want to start over. "Okay."

"Uh hem," Hiei cleared his throat impatiently.

"Oh yeah," Kurama said, turning back to his friend. He followed Hiei out of the room. When they were out in the hall Kurama asked. "What's up?"

Hiei glared at his friend. "I don't appreciate what you're doing."

Kurama was confused. "What am I doing?"

The fire demon folded his arms and leaned his back against the wall. "I know it was you who signed me and Botan's names on the skating competition sign up sheet."

Kurama couldn't see the wrong in that. "So?"

"I don't appreciate the fact that you're trying to hook us up!" Hiei shouted, causing someone further down the hall to turn their head and look in their direction.

Kurama noticed this and lowered his own voice, hoping Hiei would get the hint. "Why not?" he asked. "You're the one who slept with her."

Hiei got the hint and lowered his voice as well. "But I promised only one date!" he reminded his friend. "The freakin party tomarrow night and that was it!"

Kurama frowned. "Are you blushing?" he asked.

That remark ruined Hiei's train of thought. "I... uh... what... That's besides the point!" he shouted, his face flaring.

Kurama just smiled and chuckled softly. "Sorry," he said. "I just figured the competition was a good idea."

"You thought wrong," Hiei grumbled, looking away from his friend.

"Hiei.." Kurama began.

"What?" the koorime asked, turning back to his friend, impatiently.

The fox opened his mouth to say something then changed his mind. "Nothing," he said, looking away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have set you up like that."

"You got that right!" his friend growled.

"It's too late to drop out now," Kurama reminded him. "Now you have to do it and don't think about changing you mind about the friday night party!" he went on before Hiei could say anything. "You promised you'd take her to that and you're going to."

"That was before I found out you set me up!" Hiei growled, through clenched teeth.

"Too bad," Kurama said., folding his arms. 'You still have to do it. A promise is a promise."

Hiei growled in anger and turned away from his friend. "Fine," he said before he stormed away. "But let me warn you now; You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight!"

Kurama smiled nervously as he watched his friend retreeted. By then any threats from Hiei were old hat. He didn't have anything to worry about so he just shrugged it off and headed back into the lounge and to his girlfriend at the card table. The bruenette gave him a searching look when he came in and asked. "What did he want?"

"Oh nothing," Kurama said carelessly. "He's just mad that I signed him and Botan up for the skating competition." he sat down and picked up his cards.

"I told you that wasn't a good iead," Shizuru reminded him, as she watched the fox study his cards. "He must have been pretty mad, huh?"

"About as much as usual," Kurama said, frowning at his cards. "He gave me one of the usual threats." he squinted his eyes at the cards. "hey, did you do something to my cards?"

"Don't try to change the subject," the bruenette scolded him. "So I guess this means he's going to do it anyway?"

"Yeah," he said, setting his cards on ther table. "He doesn't like it but he's going to do it."

Shizuru smiled. "Well that's good. By the way, you lost!"

Botan knew something was up the second she stepped into the suite she shared with the other girls. The first thing she noticed when she came in wad Keiko and Yukina sitting on the sofa with their heads together, whispering and giggling about something. When they heard her close the door they looked up and stared at her like she'd grown a second head. The onna didn't like being stared at and folded her arms as she gave them annoyed looks.

"What?" she asked. "Why are you two staring at me like that?"

Keiko and Yukina looked at each other, giggled, then looked back at her, not about to explain themselves. "Nothing," Keiko finally said, looking at Botan's skates. "We just happened to be outside earlier and noticed you giving Hiei skating lessons."

"So?" Botan asked, feeling irritable. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Yukina answered. "We were just wondering why you were doing that with Hiei-sama. Did he ask you to?"

"No."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because we're entering the skating competition tomarrow, that's why," she replied.

Her friends gasped and stared at her in shock. "You are?" Keiko asked, not sure she'd heard Botan right.

"Yeah," the ferry girl confirmed as she headed toward her bedroom.

"Why?"

Why do they always ask me why? Botan opened her bedroom door then stopped to glance back at her friends. She opened her mouth to reply but the right words never came so she said nothing. She closed her mouth, turned away from them, and went into her room, closing the door behind her.

She leanded against the door as her heart pounded in her chest. Oh my God! she thought. They saw us practicing! What if they find out what happened? Oh why did this have to happen? Well after this competition things can return to normal and me and Hiei will never have ot speak to each other again! She stopped at that thought. Never speak to him again? Why would she want that? It hadn't been his fault this had happened. She was just as much to blame as he was.

I shouldn't be so paranoid about it anyway. The only two people who know are Kurama and Shizuru and I doubt they'd tell. She sighed and took off her coat. She turned to look in the full length mirror on her door. Suddenly she noticed something at the base of her neck. She leaned closer to the glass to get a better look. When she realized what it was her heart began to pound again. Ohmygod! ohmygod! ohmygod!

"HIEI!!!!!!!"

A/N

I'm strange. Yoy can probably guess what that is. If not... you're weird then. As you can see the skating competition hadn't been the real idea at all.