Ch. 6 – Check

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kagome responds.

"Don't know, don't remember or don't want to remember?"

"I do not have to answer you."

"Then I guess you'll never know my name." He sighs.

"Where's Hiei?" Kagome asks.

"I don't recall Hiei being involved in this conversation my beautiful kitsune. Leave him for now, we're having a nice friendly time together at the moment." He sits down beside her. "You never answered my question last time, you can't see me can you?"

She looks over in his direction, her shaded white eyes searching for him. "No, I'm partially blind."

"I'm sorry –" He reaches out to touch her but he is shoved back and pinned to the tree behind him with a katana being held against his throat. "Why hello Hiei." He states calmly.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her fox."

"But that was yesterday."

"Hiei, tell me his name." Kagome touches his arm, having got up and sensed where he was.

"Hn."

"Please?"

"This stupid fox is unworthy."

"I just want his name!"

"I don't want you near him."

"You were nicer to Yukina! You let her near Kuwabara! And they liked each other! I'm not asking to be with him! I'm asking for a bloody name!"

"Hn."

"Hiei!"

"The fox's name… is Youko." Hiei mutters under his breath.

"Thank you." Kagome walks off.

Youko tries to follow her but Hiei holds him against the tree, tightening his grip on the katana at Youko's throat. "Oh come on Hiei! She's getting away!"

"Hn."

"Let me off this tree right now or I'll have you wrapped up like a mummy in vines."

Hiei releases Youko from the tree and sheaths his katana. "You better watch yourself fox."

"What is your problem Hiei? Why are you so protective of her? Do you really like her enough to take her from me?"

"… She is family." Hiei starts to walk off.

Youko steps in front of him. "Really? How so?"

"She's my runaway sister."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." Hiei rolls up his sleeve to reveal a burn mark of a sword crossed with an arrow.

"Where did that come from? I've never seen that on you before. And neither has Suichi. Why do you have it now?"

"Because she has returned, so has the mark. She gave me mine and I gave her hers before my father chased her off. When he found out about the mark he put a spell on it so that I would only get it back is she returned here on her own free will. As soon as she came into the boundary lines of this place the mark returned and I was able to find her within minutes."

"You're awfully talkative now. What about Yukina?"

"She was born from another mother. Before I was cast out I killed my father to save her from the horror that Kagome and I had to deal with."

"Ok. Anything else?"

"My father erased all of our records so no one could find us and so we couldn't find each other because if we ever found the files they'd be blank."

"How nice of him."

"Hn."

"So you've got nothing else to tell me?"

"No."

"C'mon, why not? You've said more in the last 15 minutes then I've ever heard you say at any given time." Hiei starts to walk away again; Youko stands in his way. "Why can't I go near your sister?"

"Because I said so."

"Give me a better reason."

"You have no idea what she's been through and I just recently found her. I don't want her to leave again."

"She won't. Now let me tell you my story. Sit."

"I've got training to do."

Youko pushes him over. "I insist. Sit."

Hiei grumbles something not short of a threat but Youko ignores him so he sits on the ground. "Hn."

"Now to begin my tale…"

(That afternoon)

"Not again!" Yusuke complains. "No one plays fair around here! I should've won by now!"

"Learn how to get faster if you're having such difficulty keeping up." Kagome states calmly.

"You're shooting too fast! You're arrows aren't supposed to be hitting the target before my shot gun can!"

"If you shot faster they might be at the same pace."

"You're supposed to be blind!"

"So there shouldn't be any problem."

"Then why are you shooting better then me!?"

"I am simply aiming at the target's center."

"How do you even know where the hell the target is!?"

"Because you're shooting at it."

"Huh?"

"I put a little bit of my energy into my arrow and used it to hone in on what your shot gun blasts were shooting at."

"So you are cheating!"

"It's not cheating if you are using the skills at hand and not getting caught. You should know this, you're what, the human boy that everyone fears?"

"No he is not! I am the best fighter!" Kuwabara shows up at the fence. "I am better then Yurameshi!"

"Is that so?"

"It is indeed!"

"Then come stand here and shoot at that target."

"Sure thing! Anything to show a pretty girl how tough I am! Just watch! I'll hit that target!"

"We're waiting and watching, but you're not doing anything!" Yusuke intervenes.

"Turn your spirit sword into a gun and shoot." Kagome instructs.

Kuwabara does this. "I turned it into a gun!"

"Yusuke, please come her." He walks over to her. "Will you let me share your eye sight for a few minutes?"

"Uh… sure?"

"Thanks." She puts a hand on his shoulder and closes her eyes. A few seconds later Yusuke feels a presence in his mind. –It's just me.- He drops his defensive stance.

-Ok. Sorry if I scared you.-

-That's alright. Ready to see Kuwabara attempt to shoot at the target we've been using?-

-Sure.- He looks over in Kuwabara's direction.

"Begin!" Kagome speaks.

(1/2 an hour later)

Kuwabara is lying on the ground exhausted.

"You have poor aim." Kagome states. "Maybe you should ask Yusuke for help. You're in pain, yes?"

"I can't shoot anymore! I'm out of energy!"

"You're never out of energy. If you were then you'd be dead. You're just tired because your body is not used to using more then a little bit of energy at a time."

"How would you know! You've never been in battle!"

"Thank you Yusuke." Kagome releases him and walks away.

"Look what you did Kuwabara!" Yusuke yells.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You insulted her! You better hope Hiei doesn't kill you!"

"Why would Hiei kill me? That shrimp can't hurt me!"

"He can, and he will! Kagome is his sister you idiot!"

"I didn't know that!" Kuwabara is suddenly filled with more energy because he gets up and starts running. Now even a minute after he got up, he's pinned to the ground with a rather sharp katana near his head. "You upset my sister." Hiei glares down at him.

(Elsewhere)

Kagome is sitting on a tree branch a mile away from the shooting range.

"How'd you get up here?" Youko's voice reaches her ears as she hears him land on the branch above her.

"I climbed." She states. "What do you want Youko?"

"But you said you couldn't see."

"Right now I still cannot. But that doesn't mean that I can't use my other senses to tell where I am."

"When will you be able to see again?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"Well I don't want to tell you."

"Please?"

"Why are you here fox?"

"I do have a name you know."

"Tell me what the hell you want or go away."

Youko reaches down and pulls her up onto his lap and nuzzles her, whispering in her ear gently. "I still want your broken heart."

( Shishio's house)

"I told you no! Now get out of my room!" He storms.

"But Dad! You'll have lots of fun!" Juritsu whines.

"I said NO!" He shoves the kid out of his room and shuts the door, locking it for good measure.

"Hey Shippo!" Juritsu runs downstairs. "My Dad isn't cooperating! Wanna help me get him out of his room!?"

"Sure!" They both run upstairs. Juritsu sits on the floor in front of the door and starts singing while Shippo works on picking the lock. "I'll get him out!"

"And I'll annoy him to death!" Juritsu states before he starts to sing. "La la la, la la, laaa! La la la, la la, laaa! La la la, la la, laaa!"

(Back Genki's)

"… You're the one who helped me when Inuyasha attacked me?"

"Yes. Remember? My name is Youko?"

"It would be easier if I could see you."

"When will you be able to see again?"

"Ask… Hiei…" She yawns.

"A bit sleepy are we?"

"Time for an afternoon nap." She tries to slip out of his arms but he tightens his grip around her, keeping her on his lap.

"You're fine right here. If you're tired then go to sleep. I won't let you fall."

"…" She's asleep in a matter of minutes.

"Well that didn't take long. This is nice." Youko smirks. "I can't wait to see the look on Hiei's face when I tell him that his sister fell asleep on me AND let me hold her."

( Shishio's)

"I got it!" Shippo exclaims. "I got it! I got it! I got – never mind."

"But you said you were done!" Juritsu complains.

"I'm starting to dislike technopaths."

"Why!?!"

"He put electronic locks on the door while we weren't paying attention!"

Shishio's laughing voice can be heard from inside. "There's no way you can get into my room now!"

"If I can get through your door, will you go out with my Momma?"

"Fine. IF and I mean IF you can get through my door, I'll hang out with your Mom tonight,"

"Deal!"

"Good luck with that kid."

"Juritsu, you're gonna want to get farther away from the door."

"But I'm singing!" He whines.

"Please? It's for your own safety."

"Why?"

"You'll see." Juritsu moves and Shippo switches to his demon form. "FOX FIRE!"

The door crashes in and falls to the floor of the room covered in flames. Shishio is sitting at the computer looking at them. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe that Koenma just 'happened' to forget to tell me you were a demon, a kitsune. Is your Mom more then just a mere miko?"

"She's a kitsune too! She created the barrier between the human world and the demon world!"

"… How nice. Koenma conveniently left that out of our conversation then."

"Hey! I won! So you have to go spend time with my Momma! You said you would!"

"I didn't expect you to literally burn down the door." He sighs. "All right, I'm going." He picks up the phone and dials the number for Genki's. "You two have to leave my room."

"Fine." They both walk downstairs.

Someone answers the phone and Shishio answers them. "Hi. Is Kagome there?"