I don't own anyone you recognize…duh

Never liked the cold

"Mother fucker!" She yelped. The group ran in to save their damsel in distress only to find her standing in the middle of a foggy room her arms clenched around her.

"Raven what's the big deal? You got us all scared for no reason" Kuwabara looked around the room for any signs of danger.

"Got you scared. And that's no great feet, lest I remind you of that oh so frightful mouse on our way here" hiei snorted. "She's just cold you idiot, never did like the cold" his eyes looking over her smugly. She was gritting her teeth both still angry at hiei, and trying to warm her body by forcing it rigid, her shoulders hunched up by her cheeks.

"Hmmm lousy know it all. Oh look at me I'm an oompa loopa with an attitude and I…" Kuwabara's mumbles trailed off. "Heh if I had my jacket id lend it to you but we could hold each other to keep warm' He grinned widely.

"God Kuwabara no wonder you don't have a girlfriend you put the creep in creeper" Yuske laughed.

"Shut up Urameshi I'm just offering some assistance to my good friend and if you've got a problem with that I'll kick your ass till you don't' Kuwabara got Yuske in a head lock, the two of them fighting like drunks.

"This is the third saint beast's layer, Seiryu, the blue dragon" Kurama stated as he looked about the room cautiously.

"Hn. Well when is he going to show up. I don't have all day" Hiei spoke defiantly to the room hoping to catch the attention of the beast, it worked.

"You shouldn't be so hasty to die hiei" Seiryu stepped forward out of the fog. Raven stepped back, she yawned softly to herself, the cold always made her tired, for a fire demon she was fairly cold blooded her energy was in synch with the temperature, which at the moment was quite cold. She leaned against a wall closing her eyes. She was leaving herself open to attack but she just couldn't seem to care at the moment she was just very cold and very tired. Hiei calmly walked forward he looked over at Raven he wouldn't save her if an attack came her way, it would be her own damn fault for being so careless.

"You shouldn't be so hasty in declaring yourself the victor." He began to unsheathe his katana when a sound came from the other side of the door.

"We have an unexpected visitor" Seiryu's disapproving glare went to the door, in traipsed a half dead Byakko.

'You can't even kill right. You're of absolutely no use" hiei hid his surprise by insulting kuwabara.



"Hey shut up you haven't fought at all and that purple eye thing definitely doesn't count" Kuwabara flailed angrily.

"Seiryu please help me. These humans they tricked me I swear and…" Not another word escaped his mouth before he was frozen solid and shattered to pieces. The spirit detective's group watched angrily as seiryu carelessly killed his fellow saint beast, even Raven opened her eyes if just for a moment wrinkling her nose as Seiryu spit on the severed head. She glanced at hiei another yawn building in her. She tilted her head, she hadn't been expecting hiei to take such offense at Seiryu's actions. Hadn't he gotten rid of her when she was of no use to him? Hiei's spirit energy was coursing through him heavily; he tossed his cape over Byakko's head and demanded that this fight be his. Raven closed her eyes again she didn't care to watch him fight.

'Let him die, see if I care' another yawn and she slipped down the wall onto the floor sitting as sleep began to claim her.

The fight began and as Hiei flashed from one end of the room to the other ice began to coat the walls the floor the ceiling and Raven, she hadn't moved an inch as the ice came her way. She wasn't dead like Byyako, or even wounded her fire demon instincts kept her core warm and she just lied there under a thin layer of ice. She could faintly sense the battle was still going on, feeling Hiei zoom by, or the room getting colder at Seiryu's touch. Hiei's leg was grazed by Seiryu's icy fist and he no longer could run. He gritted his teeth preparing to take Seiryu head on but for some reason he glanced back in raven's direction, he couldn't help it, it felt like second nature to want to protect her. There she was frosted over, he knew she wasn't hurt he could see the red glow under the ice but the time he had taken to check on her was all seiryu needed, his fist was headed straight to his back and was planned to go through his heart. Raven didn't feel hiei's energy and she panicked her own energy flared her skin so hot it melted the ice.

"Look out you idiot" She yelled somewhat panted as her body chilled again, she shot an orb of fire at Seiryu's fist. He would not be so easily defeated he lunged at Hiei again freezing his hand and his other leg. But hiei was still alive, staring between seiryu and Raven.

"Stay out of my fight" He hissed at Raven.

"Then don't get killed. If anyone's going to kill you it's going to be me! You really are some kinda idiot" She yelled her face red her breathing heavy going from cold to hot and back to cold was making her dizzy. She sat down angry closing her eyes tight as her head swirled. "stupid son of a bitch"

"hn. Watch out kuwabara she might get sick you'll have to hold her hair back for her"He turned back to Seiryu. "my patience is running thin, it's time to finish this" He held his sword in hi moveable hand.

"Fine. Now you die" Seiryu raised his arms about to strike. Hiei planted his sword into the floor for leverage and propelled himself at the giant. There were flashes of light and sound hiei now stood on the other end of the beast's layer.



"hn" Hiei sneered. Raven mimicked the sound unbeknownst to him; she was less than surprised hiei won. "If your silly ice trick can't kill her" Hiei tilted his head in Raven's direction. "There's no chance in hell it would hurt me" he made a fist ice shattering off the once frozen arm, same went for his legs.

"Impossible! I'll deliver one final blow-"

"I don't think so" In that moment Seiryu split into several pieces.

'Hey you made French fries out of that guy" Yuske congratulated the group ran over to Hiei's side.

Raven sat there eyes closed thinking warm thoughts. She remembered a night when it was terribly cold she was shaking like a leaf. She was so tired but it was her night to stay up and watch over camp, making sure no one snuck up on the thieves. She just couldn't go to sleep. She was staring at the snow falling to the ground she never even heard him whisk up next to her. "What if I had been an outsider' He stated hoping to cause the girl to jump, she made silly sounds when he started her.

"Then you would've killed me and-"She yawned. "And the sound would've woken you guys up" She yawned again, she hadn't looked up from the snow. Her eyes drooping with each flake.

"Hn. Why so tired idiot? Didn't sleep well last night?" He was staring at her intently looking for something, what, he didn't know. "Not that I care but this half assing it can't be a trend" He snorted.

"It won't be. It's just the cold, it makes me tired, really it does" Yet another yawn. She felt a warmness curl over her. It was Hiei's cape he had pulled her close and wrapped her inside it with him. "Hiei. Now just don't say anything to make me regret this…thanks" She clutched the cloth close to her body.

"Hn" Was his first response. "You can go to sleep. No point in both of us being tired and useless, in your case more useless, when tomorrow comes"

"I won't fall asleep hiei, it's my job to stay awake" she yawned. The warmth hiei had given her had made her eyelids droop even farther. "But I'll close my eyes, just for a second!" Her eyes closed as the words crossed her lips her head lolled forward. Hiei took her face and tilted it towards him letting her head rest on his shoulder. He couldn't help but like this new found closeness, she made him feel warm inside like there was a wild fire in his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair. She was asleep but he wasn't mad he liked the look on her face as she slept. She wouldn't hurt him not like all the others, no she was different she was innocent and caring and-. He ran his fingers through her hair again, And she was his. "I'm not asleep Hiei" she muttered like she was straining to wake from slumber. "You can sleep, really you can. I promise no one will get you while I'm watching over you." Hiei looked down at her, raven's eyes still shut. They could be vulnerable, for just that night, if they were killed in their sleep so be it, it would be worth it. He leaned his head onto hers, hugging her close. His eyes shot open as he felt her hand combing through his starchy hair. "Idiots, we're both fools. Something bad is gonna happen I know it luck's never on my side"



"Luck is for the weak, now shut the hell up or someone will find us and it'll be your fault for not keeping watch. Hn. Surely I'm not the idiot" he pulled her closer still. And with those tender words they fell asleep clinging together.

"Wake up Raven wake up. This isn't nap time you bitch" Yuske shook raven out of her dream. Hiei sneered at what he called her, though raven barely heard it as she slowly returned from her dream.

"You can sleep really you can I promise" She slurred as the dream left hr all together and she opened her eyes seeing a confused Yuske up close and personal. Hiei grinned; he remembered those words as well as she did. He could feel her body close to his, her hands in his hair. "Sorry. I really am. I'm just holding you guys back" With a final yawn she sat up and stretched. "I'll find a way to help I really will" she stated with determination as she walked past hiei she ran her hand down from the tip of his hair to the nape of his neck sending shivers down his spine. He grabbed at her arm.

"being a distraction is not helping"

"Oh come on hiei I just… never mind you're right" She began to move but hiei's clutch on her wrist remained for a moment or two they just stared. Before moving from the icy layer.

They began to run, just one left to go and they would be done with these stupid saint beasts. They stopped watching as plant people started to swarm from the outer wall of the final tower.

"Nothing can ever be easy' Yuske gritted his teeth. 'We don't have time for this" He growled.

"There's so many of them how are we going to get passed" kuwabara complained as the never ending army of vegetation came closer.

"We don't have to, just Yuske. See that window up there. Yuske if you can get there you won't have to waste any spirit energy on them" Kurama was fast with a plan.

"Great let me just jump all the way up there I don't know what kuwabara told you but I'm not a long jumper on the track team" Yuske snapped.

"That wouldn't help any way. That's length not high" Raven shrugged. Yuske just looked at her, his eyebrow twitching. "not the point, I know" she shrugged.

"Well what if we got you high enough where you could jump to that window. If we got on each other's back our combined height should be enough for you to jump from" Kurama stated coolly the army still advancing. Following the plan they stacked themselves up and yuske climbed and successfully jumped to the window.

"Now what?" Kuwabara asked bluntly.

"Now. We deal with them" Hiei pointed his sword at the plant people. And they did, but as many as they killed three came their way unrelenting mindless creatures.



'Oh at this rate we won't ever get to Urameshi "Kuwabara grunted frustrated.

'Your right we need a new tactic" Kurama wiped some sweat from his brow. The floor grew hot kuwabara gingerly hoped from foot to foot; the soles of his shoes began to melt.

"huh? Raven what's the big idea" Kuwabara whined. Raven had her palms at the floor her body her energy all red and smoldering she sent it coursing through the area, fires building around them. "hey if you're trying to kill hiei leave me out of it, do it later please" an ember got on his pant leg and he blew frantically at it to keep it from burning.

"You fool. She's not trying to kill me and sadly she has no intent on killing you" hiei shrugged in the general direction of the plant people who were burning like the human forest they were.

"Well what are you guys waiting for run god damnit" She grunted as her muscles tightened and the heat grew.

"Ha good thinking Raven thanks" Kuwabara gave a thumbs up and started up the tower.

"Will you be able to hold them off?" Kurama asked at the door of the tower.

"We'll see. I said id be helpful and Im doing my best at it. Now go" Kurama nodded heading up the stairs.

"Raven. Im sorry about stabbing you alright" hiei yelled over the burning flames "cherish those words you'll never hear them again" He huffed.

"Im not dying there's no need to be sappy" Raven was biting her lip as she pushed the flames higher. "remember I still gotta kill you. I cant do that dead. Now what part of run god damnit was vauge" She yelled. Hiei lingered for a moment longer. "hiei. If im passed out when you get back which will most likely be the case' she looked up from the ground at him. "Just don't leave me here?"

"I wont leave you here" 'I wont leave you' he spoke to her mind very close very soft.

'go idiot' she smiled before regaining her concentration.

'damn fool' and with those cross but determined words they parted.

Long uneventfull chapter don't worry I think the story is ending soon so itll get better fast. Comments would be lovely