Well here it is and I'm not too thrilled with the outcome. I'm sure it's ok, but I could have done a lot better with this (or so that's how I feel). I hope you all enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha. Only this story and Oni.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

Change of POV, location, and time

Hiei's Journey In The Past

Chapter 23

Normal POV

Sango awoke the next morning with the sun shining on her. As she sat up she winched as a terrible pain shot across her back. Memories of the previous night came back to her and she mentally cursed herself for forgetting about it. It was at this time that she took notice of the fact that Hiei wasn't anywhere in site. She spotted Kilala still sleeping next to the tree and woke her up. The giant demon cat stretched itself before it lightly nudged Sango. She scratched her behind one of her ears and asked her if she could smell Hiei's scent. Sango asked her if she could lead her to where Hiei was, but oddly Kilala shook her head. It confused Sango as to why she wouldn't take her to him.

"She won't take you because I told her not to."

When Sango jumped from surprise she mentally cursed again for not being aware of her surroundings. Turning around she saw Hiei. He stood not too far from her with his hands in his pockets. Sango took note that he had removed some of his bandages, revealing that most of his injuries were mostly healed and that he had covered up his Jagan Eye again. Neither one said anything at first but Sango ended up breaking the silence.

"So where did you go and why didn't you want me or Kilala to follow you?" Sango asked.

"I was searching the area and I also sent out a message to Kurama."

Sango looked at him questioningly. She wondered how he could have done that. As far as she could tell they were in the middle of nowhere. As Hiei looked at her his Jagan Eye light up a few times with light blue color, it in a sense pulsed. He told her that he told Kurama through telepathy. When he told her that her eyes widened in surprise and slight worry. Hiei, unsure of why, told her that he never read her mind. As Sango shifted her position she winched again because of her back. Hiei took note of this. He turned his back to her and said, "Let's go." They needed to hurry up and get her wound properly taken care of. Unlike Hiei, Sango's body was weaker and more likely to get a serious infection. Hiei started to walk away without her and Sango told Kilala that they were leaving. Both quickly caught up with him.

For a while nothing was said and Hiei was glad. Ever since the previous night he felt odd being next to her. He wasn't sure why but it irritated him to no end. During their silent stride Kilala transformed back into her little form and jumped onto Hiei's shoulder. He glared at her and pushed her off, causing her to fall in to Sango's arms.

"She just wanted to be near you," Sango said.

"That fur ball has legs. She can walk."

Kilala hissed at the fur ball comment and instead curled up in her new spot. Once again everything became quiet again. As they walked Sango would glance over at Hiei with her eyes, but say nothing. She kept mentally kicking herself for acting like this.

'What's wrong with me? I feel so nervous around him now.'

A few hours have passed since they started walking. Sango asked if they could take a short break. Hiei didn't say anything and instead walked over to a tree and leaned against it with his arms crossed. When Sango sat down next to him she let out a sigh. For a while after they started walking she started to not feel too good. But because she didn't want to seem weak to him she hadn't said anything. When Hiei glanced down at her he could see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but dismissed it. After a few minutes he pushed himself off the tree and looked down at Sango. When he said it was time to go but got no answer he kneed down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She barely flinched and he frowned.

'The infection must be worse then I thought,' Hiei thought.

Letting out a sigh he reached over and picked Sango up. When she was in his arms she ended up resting her head on his shoulder. Hiei looked over to Kilala, whom was now on the ground, and told her that there was no time to waste. The two started to run in the direction of the village.

Some time later they met up with Kurama and the others. Hiei told them how Sango got her wound and Kagome quickly did what she could to aid Sango. When she was finished Hiei carefully pick Sango back up and they made their way back to the village. By nightfall they reached it and Hiei laid Sango down gently in Kaede's hut. Kaede greeted them all when she walked in. The rest of the night was uneventful. Hiei refused to answer any questions that were thrown his way, not that it surprised anyone. The only thing that Hiei said the entire night was, "Kurama, tomorrow we go back to that hell hole called our home."

All night Hiei had been unable to sleep. Instead he sat up in a tree and watched the stars. Before morning came around Hiei went back inside the hut. When it was morning Kaede was the first to wake up and prepared breakfast for everyone. Everyone except Sango, who was still sound asleep, and Hiei ate their food. When Shippo saw that Hiei wasn't eating his food he sneaked over and took his. As soon as everyone was finished Hiei was on his feet and out the door. Not wanting to keep the demon waiting everyone followed, except Kohaku. He wished to stay with Sango. Before long they were all at the well and saying their good-byes again.

"Hopefully no one will attack us again," Kagome said with a laugh.

Hiei wasted no time in stepping onto the side of the well. Before he jumped in he turned and looked at the group that had aided him. Kagome took this time to notice that something about Hiei seemed different and decided to ask.

"Hiei, why did you take off your headband?"

Staring blankly at her he said, "… It was irritating me, so I removed it."

Not wasting any more time he nodded to everyone and then jumped into the well, disappearing in a flash of light. Kurama turned to Kagome and said, "Once things have settled down on our side I'll inform you." With that Kurama turned and jumped into the well. When they were both gone Kagome and the others decided to return to the village. The first thing Kagome did when they got back was go to Kaede's to check on Sango. On her way there she saw Kohaku playing with some of the other children. Upon entering she saw Sango sitting up and eating the leftovers from breakfast.

"…They're gone, right? Back to your time?" Sango asked.

Kagome sat next to her and nodded her head.

"Yeah. Kurama told me he would come by my house to let me know when things have been fixed in our time."

"I see. Did Hiei say anything before he left?" Sango asked as she finished her food.

"I'm sorry, but no he didn't."

A small smile crossed Sango's face, surprising Kagome. She thought that it would have made her sad to hear that. But it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Sango saw that she was confused and decided to explain.

"It's just that I expected it is all. If he had said something then I would have been surprise. Besides… he left me something," Sango said as she reached down next to herself. She pulled up her sword and tied around the sheath was Hiei's bandanna. Kagome let a smile cross her lips as well. It didn't seem like much, but it must have meant something to Sango.

One Month Later

Present Time

Kagome let out a sigh as she stepped out the front door to her house. As she walked to school memories of everything that happened recently flashed into her mind. When they had no luck of finding any clues as to Naraku's whereabouts Kagome had decided to return home. A week after that Kurama had stopped by her house and told her that everything was back to normal. Since then he would visit her every now and then. She always enjoyed spending time with him. Today they were planning on seeing each other after school. Kagome was brought out of her thoughts when she heard her friends calling out her name. Turning to look at them she waved.

'I can't wait until then.'

With Yusuke and Kuwabara

The final school bell of the day rang and Yusuke sighed with relief. Keiko had made sure that he attended all of his classes and he was glad it was over. 'Tomorrow I'll have to be sure to avoid her,' Yusuke thought to himself. As he stuffed his books into his bag both Keiko and Kuwabara walked over to his desk. Keiko looked at him with a smile on her face.

"There. Now was that so hard? It wouldn't hurt you to do this more often," Keiko said.

Yusuke grumbled low enough so that Keiko couldn't hear his response. Kuwabara laughed at Yusuke's pathetic behavior and Yusuke glared at him. After he punched him in the back of the head he remembered that they were going to meet Kurama somewhere. Yusuke and Kuwabara waved to Keiko as they left.

With Kurama

Kurama was sitting down on a bench reading one of his books as he patiently waited for the others. As he was reading he felt a familiar presence behind him. "I'm surprised you're here Hiei," Kurama said as he closed his book. Without a word Hiei stepped around the bench and sat down. The two sat in silence and watched as people went by on their daily lives. It was Hiei that was the first to speak.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Kurama asked.

Hiei shut his eyes in annoyance. He knew that Kurama knew what he was talking about.

"Why do you insist on keep talking to that stupid girl!?"

"I keep talking to her because I enjoy her company. There is no harm in that."

"Baka! I don't need her snooping her nose around," Hiei said as he glared at nothing in particular in front of him. Kurama laughed a little and Hiei's glare shifted his way. "There's nothing to worry about Hiei. I'm aware that she may ask questions but do you really think I'd just tell her anything?" Hiei didn't say anything and stood up. He could feel Yusuke and Kuwabara getting close and didn't want to be seen. After a quick glance at Kurama, Hiei left.

Shortly after he left Yusuke and Kuwabara came up from behind. Kurama stood and greeted them. They talked among themselves as they waited for Kagome to arrive. There would be slight bickering between Yusuke and Kuwabara, but aside from that it was a relatively peaceful discussion. As they were talking Kagome spotted them from the other side of the street. She shouted to them and waved when they looked up. Once it was safe to cross she joined up with them.

"Hi guys. You all seem to be doing well. No demons seem to be running amok," Kagome said with a smile.

"Yeah, and hopefully I won't be needed for awhile. I could use a vacation," Yusuke said as he slumped over.

Kagome smiled at his action to express how tired he was. She looked at Kurama and he asked her how things were going for her.

"Well, I'm having some trouble with my studies actually. Going back and forth between time is a little distracting."

"I could help you some time if you want," Kurama offered.

"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm sure you need to focus on your own work," Kagome said.

Kurama reassured her that it wouldn't be a problem and offered to help her today. She thought about it for a minute and agreed to it. They both heard what sounded like grumbling behind them. Studying isn't what Yusuke had in mind for his afternoon. He nudged Kuwabara on his arm and asked him if he wanted to go to the arcade instead. Kuwabara quickly agreed and they left, waving to Kurama and Kagome. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at his behavior.

"I guess he doesn't like to study much," Kagome said.

"I'm afraid not. He really should try to some time."

Truth be told, Kurama had planned on Yusuke and Kuwabara leaving at the mention of studying instead of goofing around. He wanted to talk to Kagome privately about what was going on in the past. But during their walk to Kagome's house he didn't bring it up. When they arrived they were greeted by Kagome's mother. After a quick greeting they went to Kagome's room. When Kagome opened her door she jumped slightly from surprise.

"Oh, hey Inuyasha. What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha was sitting on her bed with his arms and legs crossed. He glared at Kurama when he saw him but ignored him for the moment. Looking to Kagome he replied, "We've gotten some leads as to where Naraku could be. Plus there's the chance that there could be some jewel shards involved before we reach him." Kagome knew what this meant. He wanted her to go back, now. She sighed heavily, knowing that this might be their only chance at finding him for a while and if she refused she would never hear the end of it from him.

"Fine Inuyasha. Just give me some time to get my things ready. I'm sorry Kurama. Maybe next time you could help me, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course, but actually I wanted to ask you about your journey. How are the others in your group doing?" Kurama asked.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at him and simply said that they were fine. 'Not that I expected to get much of an answer from him,' Kurama thought to himself. After going back and forth countless times Kagome was finally ready. Kagome said goodbye to her mom and they all headed for the well. Once there Kurama stood in front of the well to see them off. Before Kagome climbed into the well she turned to look at Kurama.

"I almost forgot! Could you deliver a message for me?"

Kurama nodded his head and waited for Kagome to tell him what it was. "Tell him that she says thank you." He knew who she was talking about. But what was the thank you for? They said there farewells and Kurama shut the doors to the well house.

Later that evening as Kurama walked home he found Hiei waiting outside his bedroom window on a tree branch. When he reached his room he opened the window. Silently Hiei jumped in and rested on the ledge. Kurama walked over to his desk and placed his book in its rightful place. As he shifted through the papers on his desk he spoke without looking back at Hiei.

"I have a message for you. Would you like to know," Kurama asked.

Hiei didn't say anything in response. Not that it was that surprising anyway. Kurama turned to look at him as he told him.

"She says thank you. What is the thanks for?" Kurama asked with a sly smile, even though he knew that he would get no answer in return. As he thought Hiei said nothing and so he turned back to his desk. Hiei continued to stare outside. His gaze eventually led him to the stars. A small scowl crossed his lips.

"Hn."

End

Not a very great ending. It's just that I couldn't stay motivated every time I tried to work on this. But I did want to have a ending for everyone that has read this story. Some time in the future I plan to redo this chapter. I want to thank everyone that has read this story and left me reviews. If not for those I probably would have never got this far with it or even finished it for that matter. Sorry for the disappointment. As a bonus though I do plan to make a sequal to this. I'm going to try and put a lot more effort into that one so hopefully it'll be just as good as this one.