I apologize for the lack of update. I have had this chapter written for a while, I just haven't had the enthusiasm to type it. Oops. You guys know which characters are mine, and I don't own anyone new this chapter.

This chapter is basically me acquiescing to the inevitable. It's been coming for a while now, without my consent, so I finally decided to help it along.

Now, reviews! Thank you guys!

Kuramasredrose: yep, Kiyoshi's back! I was excited too. And it isn't so much that Yusuke was the only one to notice as he has no tact. And you'll see in this chapter he also has a reason to be interested in it that Kurama and Hiei don't have.

Bhel-Elryss: Yep, no tact. And Kasumi's joy was contagious, I agree with you. And yes, I love cliffhangers!

animegrlsteph: yes… fairly cute… don't really know how the entire story is going to work itself together from here on out though…

Kurama no Miko2003: I liked that bit too. I'm glad you didn't find it unnecessary.

Well, that's everyone! My friend Pirate read this before it was typed, and she loved it. I hope you guys do as well!

"What is there… between us?" asked Kiyoshi, caught off guard by the question.

Yusuke looked at him and said, "I see the way you hold her to you, as if protecting her. I can see in your eyes that you would do anything to keep her out of harm's way. If you don't remember… I had that once… And if you didn't see how happy she was to have you back here, unharmed, I am going to slap you. Now, I'll repeat the question: what is there between you two?"

Kiyoshi stared Yusuke down, finally asking, "Why do you want to know?"

"She's my…" Yusuke paused, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Kurama filled the silence, grinning. "Dare I say it? Yusuke Urameshi feeling paternal instincts? I never thought I'd see the day. Kiyoshi," he added, "to Yusuke, Kasumi is not only a pupil, but a granddaughter as well. You must remember that."

Kiyoshi nodded, understanding Kurama's meaning. Reluctantly he answered Yusuke's question. "Well, Yusuke, I don't really know. I want us to be more than just friends eventually. And I think she wants it too. But right now, wanting to make that transition in the future is as far as it's gone. We are still nothing more than friends." He sighed, rather regretfully.

"Well, keep in mind, kid," Yusuke threatened, "if you break her heart, it won't just be her father you'll have to answer to. You'll have to answer to me as well."

Kasumi yawned and sat up. She had been curled up next to Kiyoshi near the fire Hiei had finally let die. She saw Yusuke still asleep and picked up a rock. Aiming carefully, she threw it at him.

But just before it hit his forehead, his hand whipped up and he caught it. "You'll have to do better than that," he muttered sleepily. He hadn't even opened his eyes.

Suddenly something struck Kasumi. "Yusuke, I thought you had a spirit beast? Where is he? I've never seen him."

Yusuke sighed and sat up. "I did. I do. He stays in the human realm with Genkai."

"I never saw him," Kasumi repeated in amazement.

"You wouldn't, would you, if he wanted to hide?" Yusuke snapped. He then jumped up and stalked off.

Kasumi looked around bewildered and Kurama answered her unspoken question. "Pu is a touchy subject for him. Pu hasn't been one hundred percent ever since Keiko died, and he doesn't like seeing or thinking about that."

"But isn't Pu a reflection of Yusuke's soul?" Kasumi asked.

"Exactly."

Kasumi had been asleep for the conversation between Yusuke and Kiyoshi, so she wasn't aware that she was the reason Kiyoshi couldn't focus on his training. She could see his attention wander but never noticed it was toward her.

And she could only see that much because Kurama had decided, much to Hiei and Akiko's displeasure, that they wouldn't separate today. They spent the first three hours on team training. Then they began moving toward their destination. Whatever that might be.

And, as they moved, Kurama drilled them on tactics. This is where Kiyoshi's lack of concentration became truly evident. He was having trouble working out what should be done. And using logic was Kiyoshi's specialty.

It was obvious Kurama noticed the strange inattentiveness in Kiyoshi. His questions started out normal enough—"You have a castle. It is defended on three sides by a wall and a moat full of acid. The last side is guarded by at least forty watchmen at all times. How do you get in?"—then got progressively stranger as the day wore on. It was obvious, however that they were directed at Kiyoshi, in an attempt to distract him from whatever he was dwelling on. "Your three teammates are captured. They are held in three different rooms. Whom do you rescue first?"

Mostly Kiyoshi just didn't answer. When he did, it was with a distracted look in his eye and he miscalculated several times.

But Kurama had known from the beginning what was distracting him so much. And finally he asked, "What do you do if, in a fair fight, your enemy threatens to kill your girlfriend?"

Kiyoshi answered this one, but it wasn't a response of tactics, which revealed to everyone what was on his mind. And he must be serious about it, if Kiyoshi was having this much trouble concealing it. "Not girlfriend," he muttered barely loud enough for the group to hear, "She doesn't even know I like her."

Kasumi flinched at the thought that a girl was causing this, proving Kiyoshi's point to be true. Kurama just snapped at him, "Fine. He threatens to kill the girl you like then."

It seemed Kiyoshi thought he was having this conversation in his own head, because his response was not one he would have given otherwise. "I tell Kasumi I think I'm in love with her and then I kill him… or the other way around… whichever keeps her safe…"

Kasumi, Yusuke, and Takeshi all stopped dead in their tracks, staring in disbelief as Kiyoshi continued walking. Hiei and Akiko both sighed, knowing this would only cause more delays. Kurama, on the other hand, looked to the heavens and muttered, "Well, that took long enough."

Hearing these words seemed to snap Kiyoshi out of the trance he'd been in all afternoon. He spun around and they saw the last bit of color drain from his cheeks. "Did I—did I say that out—out loud?" he stuttered.

Kurama grinned slyly and nodded.

"Just relax, sir. They'll come back whenever they're ready."

"What if they're never ready? What if Kurama turns them against me?"

"Would he really do that to you, sir?"

"Yes."

"Why'd you trick me?" Kiyoshi groaned to Kurama.

"Here's a lesson: you must always be on your toes; physically, mentally, emotionally."

"That's just great. Let's go." He stalked off without so much as a single glance in Kasumi's direction.

She ran up behind him and asked, "Was what you said back there true, Kiyoshi?" He ignored her, the only indication that he'd heard her at all being the slight pink tinge that crept over his cheeks. "Kiyoshi?" she said again, her voice sounding slightly hurt.

"We're being followed," Kiyoshi said suddenly.

Those following them had obviously heard his words for, at that moment, they jumped out and began to fight the seven in front of them. There were six of them and they were all very powerful. They seemed to be evenly matched with Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei even. Then the six of them Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei suddenly stopped fighting. Akiko, Kasumi, Kiyoshi, and Takeshi stopped only out of surprise. Then the people they had been fighting suddenly started laughing, along with Yusuke. It even drew a chuckle from Kurama.

"We heard you were in the neighborhood an' we thought it might be fun t' drop by. Ya know, fer old times' sake," the tallest laughed, staggering a bit and smelling strongly of booze.

"How is it that cha keep gettin' stronger, Yusuke? I would have thought you could only improve so much," another added. He was floating about a foot above the ground.

"Not with Kurama training me, y'all should know that," Yusuke responded. He then turned to the youngest people present and introduced everyone, "Kiyoshi, Kasumi, Akiko, Takeshi. Jin, Toya, Link, Chu, Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru."

"Nice t' meet ya," the drunken one called Chu said. He then turned to Kiyoshi and added, "Now I suggest ya answer this little lady's question."

"Lady? I think not." Takeshi muttered. "Ow!" He had been hit by Kasumi, Yusuke, and Chu all at the same time.

Kiyoshi, however, turned redder than before, partly from embarrassment, partly furious that these strangers had heard the entire conversation. "Well?" Suzuki prompted.

When he still didn't say anything Toya—who was emanating an aura eerily similar to Akiko's—said, "Answer the question, Kiyoshi, or we might have to force-feed you truth serum. I'm sure Kurama could fix us up some, if we were to ask."

It was Kasumi who responded to that. "Don't, you guys. If he doesn't want—" but she was cut off by Kiyoshi.

"It's okay, Kasumi. They're right." He sighed upon admitting he was wrong.

"Of course they're right," Hiei muttered, "They've been alive how much longer than you? With how much more life experience?"

Kiyoshi ignored him and continued, dragging his fingers through his ragged hair. "I've liked you since the first day I met you, Kasumi. I think I started falling in love with you sometime between the day in Mizuko's castle and the day I told you about… my mother. But until I learned to control myself, I couldn't ask you out. I couldn't put you at risk." He was about to say something else, but Kasumi had decided it was her turn to interrupt.

"You idiot."

"Hm?"

"For all your book-smarts and observational and tactical skills you are still—and probably always will be—a complete and total moron."

And, with that, she grabbed his shoulders, pulled him toward her, and kissed him.