FCL64: Chapter eleven!

Kiyoshi: We only have ownership rights to Ayaka!

FCL64: Here we go!

"Where's my brother?" Ayaka asked Hiei. She had never seen Hiei without her brother, and last time she'd left them, they had shown no signs of parting ways. And the activities they were engaged weren't always safe. They were hardly ever safe. When Hiei didn't answer, and Kurama just stood there, waiting for the issue to resolve itself, she repeated, "Where is my brother, Hiei?"

"I do not know. What do you want, Kurama?"

Kurama looked at him and then at Ayaka before saying, "It can wait. You two need to talk about her brother before you use me as a shield to avoid real conversation. I don't know what went on between you two and Ayaka's brother, but there are obviously some things that need to be worked out."

Hiei shook his head at Kurama. "If you aren't going to tell me why you're here, this conversation is over. If you've forgotten, you came to me, not the other way around."

"Please, Hiei," Ayaka interrupted, "I just want to know what happened to Kaien. He's my twin brother. I need to know."

Hiei had no intention of answering. Kurama, on the other hand, had latched on to one word. "Hiei, it's sounds like she's in a situation you were in only a short time ago. What would you do if Yukina disappeared again? I've heard twins have stronger bonds than other siblings."

Hiei wished looks could kill. "I get your point. Yukina remains unaware, and I will speak with Ayaka."

"Deal. Ayaka, you cannot tell anyone Hiei is Yukina's brother, twin or otherwise."

Ayaka nodded, although she wondered why Hiei refused to tell his sister. Then Hiei said. "I have no idea where Kaien is. We had an argument. I left him bleeding on the ground. Not that I feel bad; he wounded me nearly as bad. Now, Kurama, what the hell do you want?"

"You left him bleeding on the ground? You left your partner of more than two hundred years for dead?" Ayaka screamed, tears streaming from her face.

"Yes. You yourself once said that our partnership was nothing more than business. We no longer agreed on what that business should include. He was trying to kill me just as much as I was trying to tell him. Kurama, last time I ask; what do you want?"

Ayaka didn't interrupt. Kurama looked at her and understood that she had received the answer she sought, even if she didn't like it. So he said, "A bounty hunter is after us. He is the one who killed our partner and—"

"Kuronue?"

Kurama flinched and nodded. "And he's made attempts on both of our lives. Now he has come back. I will not run again. He is going to die. But I don't know if we can take him down without your help."

"That powerful?"

"And intelligent." Kurama affirmed. "There will be fighting."

Hiei knew Kurama was using Hiei's love for swordplay against him. But his desire to fight won out over his desire to spite Kurama's obvious manipulation. "Fine."

Kurama nodded. "Thank you Hiei." He looked at Ayaka. She had fallen to her knees. Her tears had stopped, but somehow that was worse. He looked at her and saw himself just after Kuronue's death. Ayaka had been a close friend of them both, but she had not been as close as they had been to each other. Losing her brother… for her, that was the same as his losing Kuronue.

"Ayaka?" he asked. "Are you ready to go?"

She didn't respond. She was on another planet.

Sorry it's so short and after the wait (actually, I don't know how much of a wait it really was...). But I needed to set it up so you can learn a little bit about Ayaka's past & her brother Kaien next chapter.

Reviews:

animegrlsteph: well here it is! hope you enjoyed her freaking out. but if Kuronue was still alive, nothing about this story would work. at all.

Foxgirl Ray: yep. interesting things happen when I sit down and just let whatever comes out of my pen become the story.