Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Never have, never will.

I crept out of my room the next morning, trying to be as quiet as possible in an attempt to not wake up my friends. I left my door open so they would know I was up and headed for the kitchen. On my way, I quickly finger-combed my thick hair back into a high ponytail and slipped on my running watch.

I paused in the kitchen doorway, surprised to see Genkai up so early. "Morning," I murmured.

She glanced up at me from her seat at the kitchen table and then returned her attention to her tea. "Why are you up at the crack of dawn?"

I laughed and replied, "It's not that early."

She shook her head in dissent, but made no move to comment so I continued, "Anyway, I'm up because I wanted to get in a run before the others were awake."

"A run? In these woods? You're insane, girl."

"How so?" I asked, grabbing a bag of bagels off the counter. I fished out a bagel and set to work cutting it in half.

"These woods are filled with demons and apparitions. While they pose no threat to the boys, they will certainly cause you a few problems," she replied, as I popped my bagel in the toaster.

Turning to her, I leaned back against the counter and asked, "What do you suppose I do then?"

"Hiei is up. You could ask him to keep an eye on you, make sure no demons are targeting you as their breakfast," she said, appearing uninterested in the conversation.

The toaster dinged and turned to I retrieve my bagel. After grabbing cream cheese from the fridge, I dropped into the seat across from Genkai and began to prepare my bagel. "Hiei doesn't strike me as the guardian angel type."

"No, he isn't, but I have little doubt that he would be willing to keep an eye out for you. He may do it grudgingly, but he'll do it."

I couldn't help but be more skeptic than Genkai. I doubted that Hiei would jump at the opportunity to protect me. And really, I wasn't so sure I wanted him too. For all I know he'll see it as an invitation to snoop around in my head, which just so happens to be the last thing I want. Using a big bite of my bagel as a reason not to respond to Genkai, I flirted with the idea of outright asking Hiei not to read my mind. It wasn't a half bad idea, considering I had nothing to lose: he'd either keep reading my mind or abide by my request.

"If you insist on running I can tell you a route."

I glanced at the old woman to find her watching me over the rim of her mug of tea. "Oh, uh, sure. I was just going to make it up as I went along but it you have one in mind…"

I listened as she outlined a route and then stood to throw out the napkin I had used as a plate for my bagel. Returning the cream cheese to the fridge, I was surprised when Genkai asked, "Have the boys told you why they think the demon didn't kill you?"

"What?" I asked, startled by her abrupt question. "Do they know why?"

"I don't know," she replied, sipping her tea. "I asked you in hopes of finding out."

Hesitantly, I asked, "Do you have a theory?"

"Of course I do."

Trying to hide my growing annoyance, I inquired, "Would you like to explain?" When she glanced at me sharply, I realized I hadn't masked my frustration as well as I would have like. "Sorry, I just want to know."

She paused, nursing her mug of tea silently, and finally said, "My assumption would be that your attacker was surprised you weren't Keiko and panicked. No doubt his orders were to kill Keiko and get out. When he realized you weren't his target, he probably could not decide on a new course of action and so, rather than potentially disobeying orders, opted to leave you alive."

"So you think I'm alive because he panicked?" I frowned. Her theory didn't really make sense to me. The demon, who ever he was, had seemed in control of himself, confident and not in the least way nervous. To me it seemed more like he didn't feel like wasting his time killing me, as though he felt that I wasn't his intended victim so why bother. He was probably aware that Yusuke would find out about him whether I was alive or dead. He had successfully made his presence know, making my life irrelevant.

"You sound as though you disagree," Genkai observed.

I nodded and quickly explained my point of view. The old psychic remained quiet, seeming to be mulling over my opinion. After a time, she stood and said, "That is why I believe we should talk to the boys. They might be able to shed light on the demon's motives. I assume you still plan on going for a run?" At my nod, she continued, "If I see Hiei, I'll alert him to your activities and have him keep an eye out."

I sighed but didn't argue. I left the kitchen and slipped on my sneakers, which I had left by the front door.

I was looking forward to this run. I needed some time to unwind and I couldn't think of a better way than to go for a nice long jog. The exercise would relax my body and the alone time would allow me to think without interruptions.

Grinning, I slipped out the front door. I leapt over the front steps and immediately set off jogging toward the path that Genkai had described to me.

Emerging from the woods just under an hour later, I was hot, sweaty, and out of breath. Panting, I reached up and used the extra hair elastic I had on my wrist to put my hair in a messy bun.

Standing at the edge of the clearing around the shrine, I felt a surge of annoyance for the shrine's owner. Genkai should have told me that the loop she was sending me on would take so long. I had expected her to set me up with a three mile loop that would have taken under thirty minutes, instead she sent me on loop that must have been at least seven miles. It wasn't that the loop had been too hard, so much as that I wasn't prepared for such a long run.

"Stupid old woman," I muttered, grabbing the edge of my shirt and using it to wipe sweat off my forehead. When I dropped my shirt, I found that Hiei was leaning against a tree a few feet away, watching me. I felt a blush color my cheeks and immediately averted my gaze.

"That run took you long enough," he stated dryly, pushing away from the tree and walking towards me. He was watching me intently and I was very aware of the fact that I had practically just flashed him. I knew I really shouldn't have been so embarrassed; it wasn't like I was naked. I was wearing a sports bra after all and both Yusuke and Kuwabara had seen me in one at some point or another. So, why was it that Hiei seeing me was so embarrassing?

My blush darkened further when Hiei asked, "Are you even listening to me?" His voice had a strange quality to it, as though he found something amusing. I had little doubt that my embarrassment was what was entertaining him.

"Yeah, I am. As for why that loop took me so long, well, I'm sorry I'm not a demon and therefore can't run seven miles in five seconds," I snapped.

"Hn."

I resisted the urge to say something nasty, opting instead to ask, "Why were you waiting for me anyway?"

"The 'stupid old women,'" he replied mockingly, "asked me to make sure you would be alright."

And just like that I was reminded of my earlier decision to ask Hiei to stop snooping around in my head. "Look," I said, changing the subject entirely, "Keiko told me about your ability to read minds and I was wondering if you would mind not poking around in my head."

He snorted. "What makes you think I'm interested in reading your mind?"

Suddenly I wasn't so sure Keiko had been right. Maybe he hadn't known what I was thinking that night in her apartment, maybe I had interpreted what he had said incorrectly. If that was the case I certainly wasn't going to admit what I had been thinking now. Telling him that I thought he was really attractive wasn't exactly something I would be comfortable doing.

"I'm not saying that I think you are; I'm just asking that you don't in the future. I like my privacy and in my opinion a person's head should be their sanctuary."

"Sure, if it'll make you happy, I won't read your mind," he said. I could easily sense that he was mocking me and I couldn't help but worry that he wasn't being serious.

"You promise?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he growled, "Are you doubting my word?"

He wanted me to back down and cave, but instead I smiled and replied, "Yeah, I am. Why? Does that bother you?"

He closed the distance between us until he was standing just inches from me and snarled, "Watch yourself, woman. I have no qualms about making your time here hell and if you piss me off, that is exactly what I'll do."

"Have you ever heard of personal space?" I was aware that I was walking a thin line and could easily tick him off, but I quite frankly didn't care. Why should I be embarrassed or nervous around him? It was Keiko's fault, what with her insistence on me dating him. She'd made me uneasy and I'd been acting timid. But enough was enough and I wasn't going to do that anymore. If being me pissed him off, then so be it.

"Hn," he muttered, turning away from me and starting back toward the shrine.

I raised a surprised eyebrow. Had he just backed off?

I was pulled out of my shock when he called over his shoulder, "Will you be going running every day?"

I nodded, realized he couldn't see me, and answered, "Probably, unless it's raining in which case I won't."

He didn't say anything in response and disappeared into the shrine a few seconds later. That was a weird thing to ask me. Did he have some kind of sinister plans for me now? Was he going to hire some of the demons Genkai was worried about to kill me?

I shook my head and headed for the shrine. My destination: a nice long shower. I grabbed what I needed out of my room and slipped across the hall to the bathroom. I took my time in the shower and the next thing I knew Yusuke was knocking on the door, demanding that I hurry up because he really needed to go to the bathroom. When I emerged a good ten minutes later, he was standing outside the door, arms crossed over his chest, his foot tapping on the floor.

"Did you take long enough?"

"There are other bathrooms in this place, you know?"

"Yeah, but this one is closest."

"You are the epitome of lazy."

"The what?" he asked.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Oh, right, I forgot I had to dumb things down for you. Epitome pretty much means that you're the poster child for laziness."

"I'd argue with you but you're right, so whatever," he grinned at me, clearly not offended. "Now if you would get out of my way, I really do have to piss."

"No need to be so vulgar," I said, but the door had already closed in my face.

"He has wonderful manners, doesn't he?" I glanced up to see Kurama leaving his room. He was dressed and appeared to be ready for the day, which meant he'd probably gotten into the bathroom before I had come back from my run.

"Yup, he's just incredibly polite. How he puts up with the rest of us brutes I simply don't understand," I replied sagely.

He chuckled, catching on to my sarcasm, and said, "I talked with Hiei a little while ago. He says that he finds you rather full of yourself."

"Really? I could say the same about him."

"Yes, he said that you seem overconfident, especially considering that you have no way to defend yourself."

"He was trying to push me around and I stood up to him," I replied, running my fingers through my wet hair. Yusuke had kicked me out of the bathroom before I had a chance to dry it and now it hung in a thick, tangled mess down my back.

"Good, he needs someone to stand up to him, to keep him in his place."

"You noticed that too?" I asked sarcastically.

Smiling, he replied, "You do a good job keeping Yusuke in line, I'm sure you could do the same with Hiei. Hiei also said you asked him not to read your mind. That was brave of you. I think you may have even impressed him."

"Really? Are you sure? He didn't seem all that impressed to me. Actually he seemed kind of annoyed."

"Yes, well, understanding Hiei's moods takes time, but, from what I could discern from our conversation earlier, you had him at the very least caught off guard. That's quite the accomplishment I assure you," he explained.

"Wow, I feel special."

Kurama laughed and started down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm off to have breakfast. I'll see you in a little while?"

"Yep, I just have to dry my hair."

"Alright." He disappeared into the living room and I turned my attention to the bathroom door.

Knocking on it obnoxiously, I called, "I thought you were going to the bathroom. Why the hell is it taking so long?"

I was still knocking on the door when it swung open to reveal an annoyed Yusuke. "You were in here for ages; I'm entitled to the same amount of time."

"Bullshit! Let me in." I shoved past him and grabbed my hairdryer off the counter. "There, this was all I needed. Now you can live in here for all I care."

As soon as I was out the door he slammed it shut, causing me to laugh. Kurama was so right about his manners.

"Damn it, Urameshi. You cheated, I swear you did," Kuwabara yelled, tossing his controller to the floor. He and Yusuke were playing video games while the rest of us watched and Kuwabara had yet to win a game.

"I did not cheat. Why the hell would I need to cheat, anyway?" Yusuke retorted, his outrage clear in his voice. "I could kick your ass with my eyes closed."

"Oh, yeah? Well, then let's do it."

Yusuke blanched and said, "You can't be serious. It's a figure of speech."

"No way, Urameshi. You're not getting out of this. You said you could win without looking and now you have to prove it." Kuwabara paused for a second and added casually, "Or you could admit that you were bluffing."

Yusuke frowned and I could tell that he was actually considering his options, but he finally muttered, "I was bluffing."

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I was bluffing," Yusuke snapped, dropping his controller and moving to shut off the game console. He shot Kuwabara a glare and then turned his eyes to me.

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked, shrinking back into my seat.

Kurama answered instead of Yusuke and I turned my attention to him. "Actually, we were wondering if you would be able to identify your assailant."

"You mean like in a picture?"

"Yeah," Yusuke answered. "I had Koenma get pictures of all the upper level demons who have been reported as seen in the Ningenkai, so that you would be able to identify you attacker."

"I could try," I replied, shrugging.

"I'll just go get the file," Kurama said. He stood and disappeared down the hallway that led to all our bedrooms. A minute or so later he returned with a manila folder in his hands. He placed it on the coffee table in front of me and opened it, laying the pictures it contained out in two neat rows. "These are all the A and B class demons seen in the human world within the last two months. Do any of them look like your attacker?"

I leaned forward, studying the pictures. Immediately my eyes were drawn to one of the pictures. The man pictured had golden irises just like the demon who had attacked me. I picked up the photo and examined it closer. "This is him," I said after just a few seconds.

"Are you sure?" Kuwabara asked.

I nodded, "Positive."

"May I see?" I handed the picture to Kurama. He studied it for a few seconds before flipping it over and saying, "According to the information on the back of the picture, his name is Mecca and he is a raion."

"A what?" Keiko and I asked in unison.

"A raion," Hiei said, "is a lion demon."

A momentary silence fell over the group, but it was broken when Kuwabara spoke up, "So, now what?"

"I feel that we need to find out more about Mecca before we decide anything," Kurama said. When the rest of the group responded with noises of assent, he continued, "Yusuke, Hiei, and I will see what we can dig up about him. In the meantime, does anyone have any questions?"

Genkai immediately asked, "Do any of you have any theories on why this Mecca character left Shyle alive?"

Yusuke frowned, "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well done, dimwit," she said, scorn dripping from each word. "It is important to know your opponent's motives. I would have thought you were already aware of that, but apparently not."

"Must you turn everything into a life lesson?" he snapped.

Genkai ignored him and turned her attention to the other guys. Kurama smiled ruefully, "I, like Yusuke, had not given any thought to the matter." Yusuke gave a triumphant 'so there, grandma' in the background, but Kurama continued unfazed, "I do however see your point about its importance. I would have to assume that he left Shy relatively unhurt because she was not Keiko and was therefore not his responsibility."

"Hn, I agree with Kurama. It seems unlikely that he would have been frightened of the woman and consequently would have no reason to panic." Why was I not surprised that Hiei's opinion was based upon the fact that I was weak and unthreatening? On the upside, both Kurama and Hiei had the same theory as me, which meant I was way more awesome then Genkai.

Genkai nodded, seemingly satisfied, and Yusuke clapped his hands together, "Alright, that's enough serious talk for tonight. Who's up for watching me kick Kuwabara's ass again at videogames?"

"Shut up, Urameshi!"

AN: I don't really have anything to say today so I'll leave it at: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love hearing what you have to say!