By the time the guys came downstairs in the morning I had breakfast made for them. I couldn't get any more sleep last night so I read until five in the morning then decided to start making breakfast. This time I decided by mixing it up between a traditional Japanese breakfast with some western flare. There was steamed rice, miso soup, fresh fruit, fried eggs, and some toast. Since my body felt so exhausted, I decided that I couldn't wait for the guys to help themselves first. I was sitting down with about to take my first bite when they came into the kitchen.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara said. "Another cooked breakfast? That cereal was getting boring." He started to help himself to the food. "It sure is nice having a girl living here."

All I could do was smile between bites. The only thing that made me pause was when Hiei came into the kitchen to help himself to some of the food. I watched him put a little bit of everything on his plate before going to the living room to sit by the window. While I was taking another bite I began to feel like someone was watching me. I looked around to see Kurama's eyes on me. Once we made eye contact I quickly looked away and helped myself to some more fruit. It wasn't until we were done that Kurama approached me.

"Aly-Jay, is everything all right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You just seem really really tired or something"

I looked over at him and forced a giggle. "You know... People often say that as a nice way to say someone looks like crap."

Kurama smiled down at me, but I couldn't help but think it was as forced as my giggle. "I have the feeling that I shouldn't dig myself a deeper hole." That giggle of mine wasn't forced. "Anyways, I think we should have a day off of training today. You've been working very hard so you deserve it."

"Um... Sure." I narrowed my eyes at him but decided to drop the topic. "I guess I'll go find something to do than." I felt Kurama watch me leave the kitchen to go upstairs. I needed to do something about this energy. Since I haven't danced since training started I figured that would be a good place to start. After changing into my dance attire and grabbed my pointe shoes and iPod, I headed off to the training building. I bumped into Genkai on the way. We exchanged good mornings but I couldn't help but notice she gave me the same kind of look as Kurama. I just stood there and watched Genkai enter one of her rooms. I'm not going to lie, I don't think I like the fact that I can't really hide anything from these people.

Just when I was about to enter the training room, I saw a couple of guys walking up to the compound. While I knew some people came to see Genkai, these guys seemed different. I don't know if it's the demon in me or just my womanly instincts, but something seemed off with these guys; something dangerous. They were only a few feet away when they finally noticed me. Both of them froze when they saw me. They looked at each for a few seconds before they turned back at me.

"Hey there." One of them took a step towards me. "We're looking for Master Genkai."

I narrowed my eyes at them before pointing to the room Genkai entered. "She should be in there."

"Thank you." Both of them bowed a little before walking off. I waited until they were out of sight before I went to start my work out. Right before they went into the room where Genkai was, one of them looked over his shoulder and straight at me. A shiver went down my spine so I quickly went inside to start.

I knew I wasn't up to anything fast paced but I was willing to try and do the black swan variation from Swan Lake. This dance mostly called for balance because of the turns and everything, so that's what I mostly focused on. When I was done I took a little walk around in a circle. The dance helped a little but I still felt horrible. I turned back towards the mirror only to see Kurama standing in the door way. How long was he standing there? I could feel myself blush; while I have danced in front of hundreds of people it's much more nerve racking actually seeing the audience watch me.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I heard music coming from here and got curious. You're an amazing dancer." Kurama took a step into the room.

"Um, thanks." I couldn't help but feel like he was going some where with this.

There was a moment of silence before he continued. "I couldn't help but notice that you have really good balance."

Ah, okay, I get it now. "Yeah, you know what they say about ballerinas. Graceful on the dance floor, clumsy everywhere else; like training for example." I honestly have no idea how I can manage my balance during dance but not during my training.

"Hmm. Would you mind doing the dance again?" Kurama asked. I could tell he was thinking about something. Hopefully a helpful solution to my training troubles. "Although, I would also like to get the others for some other opinions."

I rubbed my chest in nervousness. The others? I could feel myself blush at the thought of the guys watching me. "Sure, I don't mind," I heard myself say. Ugh, something tells me I'm going to regret this. While Kurama was gone to get the others, I did a couple of ankle exercises, anything to get my mind off the thought of the guys watching me. I was going to mess up or something, I just knew it.

"I didn't know you danced," I heard Yusuke say from the door. I turned to see them all standing in the door way, even Hiei.

"Yeah," I said, "for as long as I can remember." There was a pause while I just stood there awkwardly. "So... lets get this over with." I went over to my iPod while the guys settled in. This isn't a big deal. It's only one dance, Aly-Jay. Just don't mess up.

I took a deep breath as I started the music and went into the starting position. As I danced, I tried my best not to look at any of the guys and instead made sure to look above their heads. When I finally finished I still refused to look at them. Not that it really mattered since the guys started talking as if I wasn't even in the room.

"I can see what you mean, Kurama," Yusuke said. "She has a lot more focus when she dances."

"I don't get it..." Kuwabara mumbled. "She's a good dancer, is there more to it? What were we looking for."

Hiei looked over at Kuwabara as if he were an idiot. Just when he was about to say something Kurama stepped in. "It seems when Aly-Jay starts to dance, she's able to focus a lot better on her balance than when she's training. Perhaps the music helps her find some kind of rhythm. If she can have music to listen to than maybe she can focus a lot better on her balance."

Yusuke thought it over. "I don't really know much about dance, but if she were to follow some kind of beat, wouldn't that make her moves predictable?"

"I think it's something that we should try."

Oooookay, this whole acting-as-if-I'm-not-in-the-room thing is starting to get irritating. I crossed my arms and started to tap one of my feet. "Well I like this whole problem solving thing, I am standing right here..."

All the guys turned to me. Kurama gave a soft smile before saying, "You're right. My apologies. Are you willing to try something like that? I think it's worth a shot."

"I guess," I said. "I'm willing to try anything. Better than nothing right?"

They all seemed to agree. As they left, I went to grab my iPod since my body was only getting worse. I had only taken two steps before my knees gave out. Kurama, having been the last one to leave, came up and knelt beside me.

He placed a hand on my back and asked, "Are you okay? Whats wrong?"
I tried to shake him off. "Nothing, I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

"You didn't get much sleep? After the training you went through yesterday? You seemed so exhausted when you went to bed."

"Aly-Jay needs to drink this." Both Kurama and I looked over at the door to see Genkai standing there. "We can't wait much longer. Either Aly-Jay needs to gain control over her powers or it will eat her alive." She came over to hand me the cup. "This will help you sleep. It's time to move onto working on your demon sides. She's gotten a lot stronger over the past few weeks." She made a point by poking at my arms that now actually had muscle. "You could still use some work but we can't wait any longer. Mixed elemental demons are rare enough as it is but no one has ever inherited both elements. But what I'm most surprised about is how much it's poisoning you. From what I've seen, your fire side is trying to unleash itself. It's almost like it's angry from being bound and wants full control. Either you gain control over your fire side or you'll continue to be poisoned. Now drink."

I took the drink while thinking about what Genkai said. She makes sense but now I began to think "why me?" my mom was the first one born by water and fire, why not her? I started to get back up to get back to my room but that tea worked a lot faster than I expected. Thankfully Kurama was around to catch me when I swayed. I tried to gesture him away but I only stumbled again.

"No... I'm fine," I mumbled, "I can... make..." Next thing I knew everything when black.

When I woke up, I was lying on my bed with a very empty stomach. I looked over at my clock and saw that it was almost dinner time. After changing into some fresh clothes, I headed downstairs to the kitchen to see Kurama cooking dinner. When I got closer I saw he was preparing rice and fish.

"Do you need a hand?" I asked him as I leaned against the island.

Kurama looked over his shoulder at me before answering. "If you want." He nodded towards the fridge. "There should be some fresh vegetables in there."

I went over to check. Sure enough, here were a bunch of them. I grabbed some broccoli, cabbage and some beets. As I set up some kind of cooking station on the island, I began to think about Hiei and last night. It's obvious that he isn't the friendly type, or someone to would open up. But I couldn't help but think that he isn't as bad as I thought he was. I looked over at Kurama and thought maybe I could ask him about Hiei. But would he get the wrong idea? That and it isn't really my place to ask... Curiosity did kill the cat. Oh fuck it, I need to know.

"Hey, Kurama." I paused to gather a bit more courage. "How long have you know Hiei?"

He looked up at the ceiling as he thought it over. "I can't be too sure actually. But has been a long time."

"This is probably going to sound rude, but has he always had this nasty attitude?"

Kurama actually laughed at that. "If you think his attitude is horrible now, you should have seen him a few years ago." He paused to check on the rice. "He hasn't had the greatest childhood. After being cast out from an all-female race, he grew up with a group of thieves. But they to cast him out as well. He doesn't have a great fondness for humans, especially since he was forced to live in human world. But I think Yusuke, and perhaps even Kuwabara, have softened him up a bit. But you can't let him know that I said that." He winked at me. "He may not be that friendly when you first met him, but he does have a strong sense of honour and respect to those he becomes close to."

I nodded. "That makes sense." I placed the chopped vegetables in a pot as I thought about what Kurama said. So Hiei isn't as horrible as he lets on. From what Kurama said, I can only assume that he's kind of lonely. I can kind of understand the unpleasant feeling of being lonely. I wonder if I could get past his aloof personality.

When dinner was finished, I went to go get the guys while Kurama set the table. I couldn't find Hiei but Yusuke and Kuwabara were upstairs. However, when I went back downstairs there was Hiei sitting at the window seat. I told him that dinner was ready but he showed no interest in coming to dinner. Baby steps, Aly-jay. Baby steps. When I got back into the kitchen I decided to make a little tray for him. Without a word, or eye contact, I placed it at his feet and went off to eat my own dinner.

"Jeez, Yusuke! If you eat any more, you're going to get fat." Kuwabara said.

"You're one to talk, Kuwabara. How many servings have you had? Five?"

I couldn't help but giggle at their banter. "I think I just realized why I don't feel so homesick." All three looked over at me. "You guys are exactly like my friends back home. So different from another, always bickering, yet we all loved each other."

"Love?" Kuwabara yelled. "What is wrong with you?"

I laughed and punched him in the arm. "You know what I mean."

"So, I'm thinking about opening some kind of shop," Yusuke said between bites. "Maybe sell ramen or something."

"That's a good idea, Yusuke," said Kurama.

"What do you know about opening a shop?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke glare at Kuwabara. "A hell of a lot more than you."

Dinner went on like this. It was actually quite refreshing. I've been training so hard lately that I never had time to actually sit down and eat with these guys. I was a little surprised by how much they reminded me of my friends back home. Always arguing about something but everyone knew we shared a bond that was undeniably strong. It was also refreshing that, for once, I wasn't the one that was the target of teasing. These guys were used to being around short people so there was not reason for them to go after me. Kuwabara, on the other hand, was a much easier target.

When everyone was done dinner, Kurama and I went about gathering the plates while Yusuke and Kuwabara got up to watch TV or something. I looked over at them and cleared my throat.

"And where do you think you guys are going?"

"Uh," was Yusukes reply.

"Kurama and I made dinner, you guys should be the ones to clean up."

"But I hate the dishes." Kuwabara waved his arms around.

I crossed my arms and started to tap one of my feet.

"I've seen that look before," Yusuke said as he headed to the sink. "If you know what's good for you, Kuwabara, I'd start washing."

As the boys started to wash the dishes I went to go grab Hiei's plate. Just as I expected, Hiei was gone, but his plate empty. After giving it to the boys, I went upstairs to shower and blow dry my hair then stretch before bed. Mizu played with one of his toys as I stretched but when it got later in the night I started to notice that Mizu was acting strange. He would either be walking around me in a protective manner or be looking out the window as if waiting for something. Or worse, watching something. I couldn't tell if he was just making me nervous or if this uneasy feeling was actually a warning. It was like something bad was about to happen.

Pushing that thought aside, I crawled into bed and fell asleep. Later that night I got woken up by a hissing sound. I felt some kind of pressure on my chest and when I looked, there was Mizu sitting, hissing at the window. I tried to calm him down by petting him but he wouldn't have it; he only stood up and continued to hiss at the window. When I finally looked, I saw some kind of man crouched staring at me. I thought my next reaction was a rational one, no matter what other people think; I screamed.

Hiei was the first to arrive, probably because his room was right next to mine. But even than, the man in the window was gone by the time he arrived. The others came quickly after. Kurama went straight to my side and placed a hand on my back as if to try and comfort me.

"What happened? What is it?" Yusuke asked.

I pointed to my window. "There was someone there. Watching me."

Hiei quickly went to the window, opened it and went out. I was surprised to see Mizu head out the window as well.

"Are you sure?" Kurama asked.

I nodded. "Without a doubt." I looked down at my hands to see them shaking. "I was woken up, to Mizu hissing at something at the window. When I looked, there was someone there, watching me. It looked like he had a narrow face and blonde hair." Now that I thought about it, he actually kind of looked familiar...

"Creepy," mumbled Kuwabara. I shot a glare his way; you think?

Not too soon after, Hiei came back through the window. "I didn't see anyone. But that filthy smell confirms that a demon was here."

Smell? I couldn't smell anything...

Kurama stood up and looked like he was thinking. "We should go to Genkai."

I thought that was an awesome idea. I quickly grabbed an oversized cardigan and followed Yusuke and Kuwabara out the door. With Kurama and Hiei behind me, I couldn't help but feel like I was being escorted. When we got to Genkai's house I realized that I haven't really seen much of the compound. I need to get out more. Or train less, training less sounds good.

Thankfully, Yusuke was the one brave enough to go wake up Genkai at three in the morning. But I'll admit, I was a little surprised that she was already awake. It didn't take us long to settle down around a table in one of Genkai's rooms, drinking tea.

"And you couldn't find him?" Genkai asked, after she heard the story.

Hiei huffed. "No. He must be very fast. I followed for a few miles but didn't see anything. But I could smell him, he reaked of Demon World."

Genkai looked over at me. The intensity of her stare made me shift a little in discomfort. I could tell that she was thinking the same thing I was; I was just too scared to hear it out loud. I was quiet the during the whole story telling. There's no way that someone could be after me. Okay, yeah, it did make a little sense because I'm "special" or whatever. But it can't actually be happening, can it? It all felt so fake... Never in my life have I expected to be some kind of wanted... demon? Oh my god, okay I need to be thinking about something else.

"I think word has gotten out," Genkai said. "Someone knows that Aly-Jay is the mixed demon."

I said something else, damn it! I looked down at my hands when I felt everyone look at me. While I examined my nails, I noticed that I needed to cut them. I also didn't want to believe that this whole thing is happening, that I am "special" or whatever. If Hiei hadn't thrown that fire ball the other night, I wouldn't have even thought I had the ability to control fire. Okay, lie. It was kind of obvious after what happened when I was five. But still... Okay, I'm rambling, got to stop.

"But how?" Yusuke asked. "It's not like that many people knew. And I don't think any of us told anybody."

"My guess would be that someone sensed her power when we took off her bracelets," Genkai answered. "I'm sure they have been trying to track down the location all this time."

There was a long pause. Okay, I guess I can't ignore this forever, no matter how much I want to.

"So what does this mean, exactly?" I asked. "What happens now?"

"For one thing," Genkai started after taking a sip of tea, "we're going to have to step up your training." Damn. "And we're going to have to be prepared for some unexpected guests."

"Meaning?" I asked.

"We're going to have to keep a better eye on you, Aly-Jay."

"I'm sorry," Hiei said in a sarcastic tone. "But I'm not a babysitter." Without another word, he left.

We all watched Hiei leave. When I turned back to the guys I could tell that no one was excited about being on babysitting duty.

"Look," I started, "I understand the whole 'need to protect me' thing, but I don't want to be of any inconvenience, or anything."

Kurama was the first to hide his discontent. And I'll admit, he did it really well. "It's no problem, at all. I don't think much of us need a lot of sleep either."

I had a hard time believing him. While I wanted to turn down the offer, at the same time, waking up to some stranger in the middle of the night at my window wasn't something I wanted to experience again. With a sigh, I just simply nodded.

Suddenly, all of us heard someone running up to the room. We all turned to the door to see Koenma burst through the door, out of breath. "I got here as soon as I could." He paused to take a few deep breaths. "They know, everyone is Spirit World know that the mixed demon is alive."

All of us just stared at him for a second.

"You're a little late, Koenma," Genkai said. "We just caught, a demon watching Aly-Jay as she slept."

"Demon?" Koenma yelled. "From Demon World?"

She simply nodded.

"This isn't good," he continued. "If people in Demon World, and Spirit World know... Has she gained control over her fire side?" Genkai shook her head. "Why not? She needs to be trained or we're all doomed."

I'm beginning to see why my mom wanted out. No one is acting as if I'm in the room. And I'm not going to lie, it's seriously getting on my nerves. I stood up and said, "Look, I'm okay with the whole 'babysitting' thing, but can we at least act as if I'm in the room. We are talking about me, aren't we?"

"My apologies," Koenma said.

I waved him off. "Whatever. It's fine. I'm going to try and get some more sleep. I'm assuming that my training starts first thing in the morning." On that note, I left to go take a nap.

He was exhausted, sore, and dehydrated but still he ran on. It wasn't long now, he could see the cave in the distance. He paused to take a deep breath before he continued. When he finally arrived at the entrance of the cave, he bit back a groan and walked in.

"You better have brought good news," a deep voice said in the darkness.

The voice caused chills to go down his spine. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were shaking in fear. "We found the mixed demon. We have her exact location."

"But you didn't bring her here?" the voice boomed.

He cowered back. "No, but-"

"Bring her to me!"

Without another word, he turned and ran back out.