Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.

It had been a while since Shizuru's and Hiei's shopping excursion, a month to be exact, and he still hadn't returned. Part of Shizuru missed Hiei, but the other part told her that she was simply curious on what kept him away from Human World for so long. According to Kurama who would visit occasionally (most likely to see if Hiei had been by), Hiei had not been at Genkai's for the same time span. Hiei was completely MIA, and no one could figure out why.

Shizuru had been worried the first few weeks, but then stopped thinking about it. She had her life to live and Hiei did too. At least he knew he could return when he was ready. Having been preparing for him to come and visit, she had stocked up on different foods and ice cream sandwiches. Eventually he'd return and she'd be ready.

She knew something was going to happen today; her senses were never wrong. The things she did didn't escape her notice either. Earlier in the morning she had showered and dressed like she was expecting company. After she had eaten and washed the dishes so that there was some semblance of order, she unlocked and opened the window. Then, instead of going out and about for a walk or to check on the salon, she stayed in and read a book, something she hated doing except through boredom. Her entire day was as laidback and mundane without a thought on her mind other than something was coming her way. By the evening, she had all but given up on her senses and was about to leave the house.

As her hand touched the doorknob, she heard a throat clear and turned to look at the fire demon, who was standing in front of the opened window, sun setting behind him. She took the opportunity to observe him fully and saw that he looked like a wreck.

His clothes were tattered and ripped; his arms held scratches as well as his nearly bare torso. He looked exhausted, like he could drop at any moment, but there he was standing as erect as his body allowed looking as stoic as he normally did.

"Hey," Shizuru greeted. "It's been a while."

"Does your offer to stay here still stand?" he questioned, ignoring her greeting.

The brown-haired woman blinked at him blandly before saying, "You know it does."

"Good," was his only replied before he grimaced and collapsed to the ground. The human woman just stared at his weak, unmoving form before she decided to do something about it.

Hiei would hate this, but he was small enough to be carried by her, the only weight giving her difficulty coming from muscle mass. She ended up bringing her into her room, not wanting to explain to her brother if he came home why Hiei was there. After setting him down on the bed, she meandered into her small master bathroom and grabbed a first aid kit she had stored away.

His injuries seemed minor letting Shizuru know that Hiei collapsing like that was most likely due to him expelling all of his spirit energy. The demon was never one to think the ends of his fights through until he had already expended the energy and then entered hibernation. That was something everyone learned during the Dark Tournament. It seemed Hiei was one not to learn from his mistakes. But then that begged the question, why was Hiei squandering his powers and allowing himself to be vulnerable? Had he fought someone back in Demon World, or something in Human World? Both were questions that would have to be answered when he woke up.

Having cleaned his cuts, Shizuru closed her case and then lied down on the other side of her bed. She had spent the day doing nothing but read a book for hours, and she felt like a small nap. Hiei would rest for a few hours and then most likely wake her up by freaking out about being in her bed. A chuckle sounded before she laid her head down on her fluffy pillow and closed her eyes to take her brief nap.

Hiei was the first of the two to wake up in the middle of the night. He felt a little disoriented considering he managed to make it from Demon to Human World on little energy and then came to the one place he knew he'd be welcomed. He did remember seeing Shizuru before collapsing, and he remembered nothing said between the two of them. Now he was in a bed.

Looking towards the side, he saw Shizuru sleeping peacefully with soft snores filling the room. He had no idea why he was in her bed of why she would have thought to bring him in there, but then he looked at his cuts and realized she must have been tending to his wounds. The thought of it caused his face to become heated and some unknown warmth to fill his chest. She had already offered her home to him, and now she had actually cared for him. He shook his head rapidly to empty it of any thought that the human woman sleeping next to him could have any sort of caring feelings towards him. This had just been out of obligation, he reasoned.

Caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Shizuru's eyes on him. She could see his confusion and smiled. He looked like a wide-eyed child, and she had to force herself not to laugh or say anything that might irritate him or chase him off.

"Hey," she settled for, "you're awake."

Hiei jumped slightly and looked at her. Then he closed his eyes and scoffed. "Hn, and you, like other humans, have a talent in stating the obvious."

"Fair," Shizuru responded. "Here's something not obvious then. Who did you get in a fight with, where, and why?"

Hiei glared at her and turned on his side. He didn't want to discuss what happened over the last few days, and he certainly didn't want to tell her flat out that he would need to stay for a while. Demon World would not be a safe haven for him for a while and it was best he stay away from there anyway. Being Mukuro's heir had its downside. A band of honorless demons attacked him when back was turned to try to get in the demoness's good graces. He snorted at the ridiculous statements they uttered while trying to take his life, and then smirked at the fact that the all met their end by his hand. Unfortunately, though, more would be coming and, with less energy and just simply not wanting to deal with the idiots, he came here for a break. Once he broke the news to Shizuru that he'd be staying for a while, he'd worry about her reactions. For now, he didn't want to discuss what brought him here, especially because he was also an idiot for letting his guard down.

"No one, nowhere, and nothing," he replied.

Shizuru let out a snort making Hiei flash her another glare. "Please, Hiei, that is the biggest crock. You can just say you don't want to talk about it. It's not like I can force you, anyway."

"Damn straight," was Hiei's reply. "I still answered, so you answer me this. Why am I in your bed?"

"Did you really want me to put you in my baby bro's bed?" she asked. He didn't respond, not even with a shrug. "That's what I thought. You can go wherever, but this was easier for me to clean your wounds and I figured you'd be more comfortable in an actual bed. No idea what you sleep in in Demon World."

That warmth rose up in his chest again and he froze at the feeling. "Trees," he stated curtly.

Shizuru continued to watch his stiff form as she sat up. The kid wasn't kidding when he said he didn't have a home if he was living outside in trees. She didn't know what possessed her to touch him, but she placed a hand on his shoulder. He tensed more and then relaxed, turning over to face her. His face remained emotionless, but once again his eyes gave him away.

"You hungry?" she asked him. "I hadn't made dinner yet."

He nodded his head against a pillow continuing to stare at her with this intense stare. "Alright, you can rest still and I'll go cook."

"I'll go," he corrected.

Shizuru stood up from the bed and shrugged. "Whatever you want to do," she replied while stretching a bit. "This is technically your home too, now."

Hiei paused as he got up watching her leave the room. Now there was something stirring in his stomach, but he quickly dismissed it as hunger. At least he'd be fed soon, and for this warmth he was feeling…maybe the woman had more of those ice cream sandwiches.