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

"You, my friend, drive like a grandma," I said, leaning forward to give Kuwabara a disapproving look. "We're supposed to get there before Yusuke, Keiko, and Botan, not an hour after them."

"I would appreciate it if you would stop being a backseat driver."

Rolling my eyes, I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. "You could still drive faster."

"I'm already going over the speed limit, Shy."

Frowning, I leaned forward and checked what speed we were going. Damn, he wasn't lying; we already were over the speed limit.

Then why the hell did it feel like we were crawling?

Hiei shifted in his seat, moving so that his leg pressed more firmly against my own. Oh right, that's why this ride felt so freaking long. I swallowed hard, but forced myself not to move even farther toward Kurama. I'd already moved so far toward him that I was practically sitting in his lap, if I budged over any farther it would be painfully obvious that I was trying to keep away from Hiei.

"I can see the restaurant," Yukina said, speaking so softly I almost couldn't hear her over the music.

"Happy now, Shy? Despite me driving like a so-called grandma, we are here way before Urameshi," Kuwabara snapped, pulling into the parking lot. "It would be nice if you would apologize."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I muttered.

"That is not an apology."

"I am so sorry that I hurt your poor little feelings."

"That wasn't very sincere," Kurama observed, opening his door once Kuwabara had parked the car.

"That's too bad, because it's all he is getting." I quickly slid out of the car behind Kurama, glad to finally get away from Hiei. Waiting impatiently for the others, I rocked back and forth on my heels and stared at the restaurant.

Kuwabara walked past me, his arm wrapped around Yukina's shoulders. "Come on, Shy. We have to go inside the place in order to eat, remember?"

"Shut it," I said, grinning as I moved to walk beside him. I heard Hiei and Kurama fall in step behind us and I nudged Kuwabara in the side. "Same rules as always, right?"

"We can do that in this place?" he asked, pushing the door open.

"Keiko won't like it, but heck yeah we can."

"Would you mind if I asked what you two are talking about?" Kurama inquired.

"Hold on, I need to put our name in and then we'll explain." I stepped up to the maitre'd and smiled at the woman.

She returned the smile and picked up her pen. "How many?"

"Eight, please."

"Name?"

"Iraheta."

"Alright," she said, scribbling down the information. "It will be about a fifteen minute wait."

"Okay, thanks." I turned back to my friends, who had taken seats in the waiting area. Sinking into a seat next to Yukina, I looked at Kurama. "So, we were talking about a game we always play at restaurants."

"Yeah," Kuwabara added. "It's like a tradition. We've done it since we were in high school."

"Just what exactly does this game entail?"

"Basically, the goal is to get the most paper balls in Yusuke's drink." Kurama raised an amused eyebrow. Laughing, I continued, "Is it childish? Yeah, pretty much. But is it fun enough to make it worth it? Hell yeah."

"And all you have to do is throw things in Yusuke's drink?" Kurama asked.

"Yup."

"It's easy at first, but hard once Urameshi realizes we're playing and starts to defend his cup," Kuwabara said, grinning eagerly. He glanced at me. "Winner gets the couch?"

"I'll give you the couch anyway, but sure," I answered, reaching out to shake his hand and make the bet official.

"Why would you give me the couch anyway?"

"Because I'd be a horrible hostess if I took the couch. Plus, you and Yukina can sleep on the couch since it pulls out," I answered with a casual shrug. "Not to mention the fact that you practically own the couch anyway. I'm pretty sure you've left a permanent body impression."

"Still, it kind of kills the point of the bet, you know?"

"But it doesn't make annoying Yusuke any less enjoyable."

"True," Kuwabara said, laughing.

The maitre'd looked up from her book, turning her eyes toward our little group. "Iraheta, your table is ready."

I stood up, motioning for the others to do the same, and followed the woman as she headed into the dining area. She led us to a table in the back corner. Actually, I should say two tables. It seemed that they had pushed some tables together in order to create one massive table large enough for the eight of us.

We each took seats, leaving three at the end empty. Somehow I ended up next to Hiei and I cursed silently, preparing myself for a potentially awkward dinner. Kuwabara and I were across from each other and Yukina sat opposite Hiei. Kurama sat at one of the heads of the table and the other was left empty for Yusuke. The final two seats were left for Botan and Keiko.

I grinned at Kuwabara. "This works out nicely. There is one seat between each of us and the victim."

He grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Now all we need are some napkins or straw wrappers."

"No napkin shredding, straw wrappers only, agreed?"

"Sure, whatever you say," Kuwabara said, leaning back in his chair contentedly. "Urameshi's here." I twisted around in my seat to see Yusuke talking to the maitre'd, his eyes scanning the room for us.

I raised my hand and gave him a quick wave. He grinned and waved back, moving away from the maitre'd and coming toward us, the girls behind him. Keiko took a seat beside me and sighed. "Sorry we're late; Botan took forever finding her things."

"Well, I'm sorry you guys don't invite me over more often. If I was around more, I would know your apartment better," Botan defended herself, picking up her menu.

Further debate was prevented by the arrival of our waiter. Keiko and I saw him at the same time and immediately looked at one another.

"Damn," Keiko muttered.

"Hot damn," I replied.

I could have sworn I heard Hiei growl beside me. I glanced at him, but he was looking at Kurama, apparently deep in conversation. Frowning, I turned my attention back to our waiter. It wasn't the same guy as last time. No this guy was far, far more attractive.

"What would you all like to drink?" he asked, smiling easily. Drink orders moved around the table, starting with Keiko and ending with me.

Leaning forward in my seat, I returned his smile. "Just water, thanks." I never drank alcohol, despite being over the legal drinking age. It gave me major headaches and I simply didn't find it worth it.

"Sure thing," he answered, his smile widening. "The names Daisuke and if you need anything, just ask."

"Speaking of anything, could we have some straws," Kuwabara asked.

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure." He tossed half a dozen straws on the table and turned away, heading toward another table.

"Way to make him think we're strange," I said, laughing.

"What's with the straws?" Yusuke asked, suspicion clear in his voice.

"Nothing, Urameshi. Why would you ask that?"

"Shove it with the innocent act," Yusuke snapped. "Mess with my drink and I'm going to beat you good."

Keiko sighed. "Guys, not in this restaurant please. The last thing we need is to be banned."

"Take a breather, mom," I said, grinning at Keiko. "We'll make sure to keep things clean. Everything we throw will end up in Yusuke's drink, where it will be easy to dispose of."

"Not if your accuracy is anything like it was with popcorn," Yusuke growled, glaring at me.

"Careful, Urameshi, your demon is showing."

I snorted and raised a hand to Kuwabara, who slapped me a high five. "Nice, my friend, very nice."

The ride home from dinner was far less awkward than the ride to dinner. Because both cars were leaving at the same time and headed to the same place, we split into two groups of four, which meant that Kurama went in Yusuke's car rather than Kuwabara's. Kurama's absence meant that I didn't need to sit directly beside Hiei and was instead able to ride in the seat previously occupied by Kurama. Needless to say, I could breathe easier without the fire demon's leg pressed against mine.

Dinner itself had been interesting. I won the bet between myself and Kuwabara, which seemed to mean that I was better with paper than popcorn. Keiko insisted all of dinner that our waiter had a thing for me, but I wasn't so sure. Yeah, he smiled at me a lot, but that didn't prove anything.

However more importantly than the waiter that I probably would never see again, was Hiei and the growling I could have sworn I heard every time Daisuke made an appearance. It wasn't loud and I don't think anyone else even noticed it, but it definitely happened and I wasn't entirely sure why.

Kuwabara pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building and took the spot beside my car. While we were getting out of Kuwabara's car, Yusuke parked his own one spot over. I raised an eyebrow when he popped his trunk before shutting the car off. When he opened his door, I asked, "Do you need something from the trunk?"

"Remember last time we slept over?" Keiko asked. "You only had four pillows and Kuwabara ended up using a couch pillow for the night. I thought ahead this time and we grabbed four pillows from the ramen shop so that everyone would have one."

"Good thinking," I said.

Yusuke grinned. "Yeah, we're awesome like that."

I waited while the guys grabbed the pillows and bags, staring at my building excitedly. When everyone was finally ready, I started for the doors, the others following behind me.

I pushed the front door open and headed for the stairs. "Whoa, Shy. We are so not taking the stairs at almost eleven at night," Yusuke said, clapping a hand down on my shoulder and turning me toward the elevator.

I shook my head. "You take the elevator. I haven't taken it since the day I moved my stuff in and I don't plan to start now." Grinning at him, I pulled free of his grip and started toward the stairs. "I'll beat you to my room," I called over my shoulder before opening the door to the stairwell.

It felt so good to be home that I practically ran up the stairs. Slipping out of the stairwell on the third floor, I paused for a second in the hallway. "Home sweet home," I whispered. "At least for tonight."

Moving toward my door, I fished my keys out of my pocket. Carrying them around all night had been thrilling, exciting because if meant I was going home. I unlocked my door just as I heard the elevator open. My friends piled out in a loud, bickering group and I turned to smile at them.

"What has you guys all riled up?"

"Urameshi claims the couch is his and Keiko's," Kuwabara snapped, shooting a glare at his best friend.

"Sorry, Yusuke," I said. "I already promised the couch to Kuwabara and Yukina."

"Told you, Urameshi," Kuwabara gloated.

I laughed, though it wasn't entirely because of my friends. I was simply happy to be home, happy to have things be normal. Turning my back on the others, I moved into my apartment. "I apologize that it's so small. We probably should have stayed at the ramen shop, there's more room there."

"We'll be fine," Keiko reassured me, joining me in the living room.

"Leave your shoes near the door. Drop your bags wherever, we can move them to my room before we go to bed," I instructed. "For now, I am going to change and savor the fact that I'm finally home."

Yusuke laughed. "You'd think you were homesick," he joked.

I ignored him and headed straight for my room. Pushing my door open, I made a beeline for my bed and threw myself down on it, hugging a pillow to my chest. I lay still for a few seconds, allowing myself to pretend I didn't have to go back to Genkai's in the morning.

Sighing, I finally pushed myself into a sitting position and studied my room, making sure everything was as I remembered it. I stood up and moved to my dresser, quickly fishing out a pair of shorts and a tank top to sleep in. I was just tugging off my shirt when I heard footsteps in the hall outside my room. Jerking my shirt back down, I bolted to the open door and reached out to close it.

I paused, my hand on the door knob, when I saw that the intruder was Hiei. "Yusuke's woman said the bathroom was this way," Hiei said, peering past me into my room.

I shifted self-consciously, trying to block as much of my room from view as possible. "Uh, yeah, it is. It's that door right there," I replied, pointing at the door behind him.

"Hn." He turned his back on me and slipped into the bathroom, tossing his bag down on the floor as he closed the door.

I closed my door harder than I'd meant to, but I couldn't help it, not with the way my heart was pounding. I'd already flashed Hiei once; I didn't need to do it again. I forced myself to take a deep breath and began to undress for the second time, pulling my shirt off and unclipping my bra. I pulled on the tank top and exchanged my skirt for the pair of running shorts I would be wearing to bed.

I opened my door to call to one of my friends in the living room, but ended up coming face to face with Hiei, who had just emerged from the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow at me and I struggled for words. Why did he get to me so damn much? "Um, could you help me bring some stuff to sleep on into the living room?"

He nodded and I turned, heading toward my closet. I pulled open the door and quickly dragged out a few comforters and sheets, tossing them to Hiei who had followed me into my room. "Bring as much as you can out to the living room, okay?"

"Hn."

When I turned back around he was already gone. I yanked the comforter off of my bed, and added it to the pile in the middle of my floor. Hiei returned and grabbed another armful of bedding. I fished two sleeping bags out from under my bed and kicked them out into the hallway, snatching two of my four pillows as I went.

Turning into the hallway, I almost ran into Hiei. "Sorry," I murmured. "If you could take the remaining two pillows and anything that's left on the floor, that would be awesome."

He didn't respond and I moved past him toward the living room, kicking the two sleeping bags as I went. Once I had deposited my load, I returned to my room, passing Hiei again. I checked to make sure nothing was left on the floor and then ducked into the bathroom. Opening the closet door, I tugged another comforter off the top shelf. Finally, I pulled my inflatable mattress off the floor and kicked the closet door closed. I headed back to the living room, barely managing to carry both the comforter and air mattress.

Kuwabara and Yukina were in the process of pulling out the couch and making it into a bed. Yusuke and Keiko had also begun making a bed, thought theirs was on the floor, and it seemed that Kurama and Botan had each laid claim to a sleeping bag.

I swallowed hard when I realized what was left to make beds out of: the air mattress, a comforter, and a few sheets. In other words, one bed for two people. I didn't look at Hiei as I grabbed the inflatable mattress and started yanking it out its bag.

"Want help, woman?" Hiei asked.

I continued to avoid looking at him, but nodded my thanks, extending the bag to him and pulling on the folded up mattress. When it finally came free, I moved toward the wall and unfolded it, spreading the mattress across the floor. "Could you get me the air pump from the bag?" I asked Hiei.

"Hn," he answered. A second later I was forced to look up when he offered me the pump.

"Thanks," I said, attaching it to the mattress and turning it on. Rocking back on my heels, I watched as the mattress began to inflate. "So, uh, do you like sleeping on the left or right?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Left." Alright, so that put him closer to the wall, which was fine with me. I nodded and disconnected the pump.

"Help put a sheet on, please?" I didn't get a response and I frowned, looking up to find him watching me intently. "Hiei? Are you alright?"

"Yes," he said curtly, reaching out to grab a sheet and tossing one end to me. Unsure how to respond, I remained silent and set to work tucking the sheet in on my side. Once we were done, I tossed two pillows on the head of the mattress and spread my comforter across the top of the bed.

I glanced around the room and saw that everyone was done getting their beds ready. "Okay," I said, "now what?"

"You have any movies?" Yusuke asked. "Oh wait, why would I bother asking?" Laughing at his own joke, he jumped up from his seat and headed for my entertainment center. Riffling through the drawers, he finally found my movies. "Action or comedy?"

"Action," Kuwabara and I answered at the same time.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hiei tug his shirt off and slip under the covers of our bed. I tore my eyes away, forcing myself to focus on what everyone else was doing. It shouldn't have surprised me that he would sleep shirtless. The night I had talked to my parents he had been shirtless right before going to bed. I guess I had just thought he would keep his shirt on since we were sharing a bed.

Yusuke scanned the movies and selected one, turning the television on and putting in the movie. "Sit back and enjoy the show," he said, smirking confidently as he dropped back down beside Keiko.

The movie was good, but I was too preoccupied with Hiei's presence to really pay attention. How the hell was I supposed to sleep with him beside me? When the movie ended, Keiko immediately took control, insisting that we should all go to bed before it got any later.

I lay awake long after the others had fallen asleep. I could hear Hiei's steady breathing beside me and the heat radiating off his body was incredibly distracting. At last, I rolled onto my side and took a deep breath, willing myself to fall asleep.

I wasn't completely sure what woke me up, but I wanted it to go away. Groaning, I shifted slightly and then rolled over, cuddling up to the heat beside me.

And then, just like that, I remembered what the source of the warmth was. Trying to keep from waking him, I attempted to move away from Hiei, but realized that something was holding me in place. I froze and, taking a deep breath, opened my eyes to see that Hiei's arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me firmly in place.

I squirmed, giving up on trying to get away without waking him. Struggling against his grip, I reached up and pressed my hands against his chest. Even pushing as hard as I could, I was unable to move away from him.

"Damn it," I muttered. Curling my hands around his shoulders, I shook him slightly. "Hiei, wake up." When he didn't respond at all, I shook him harder. "Hiei!"

He opened one eye, peering down at me. "What? I'm trying to sleep."

I swallowed hard, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks. He was awake? Then why wasn't he letting me go? "Um, Hiei," I stuttered, motioning toward where his arm rested on my side.

He opened his other eye and studied his arm for a few seconds before looking back at me. "Yes? What is your point?"

"I can't move," I managed to say.

His eyes narrowed faintly, but he released me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and pushed myself into a sitting position. "I'm going to go shower before we head back to Genkai's. If the others wake up, tell them they can eat anything they can find."

I scrambled off the mattress and bolted out of the room, eager to get away from Hiei and his confusing behavior. What the hell had just happened?

AN: There was originally going to be a whole lot more to this chapter, but it would have required at least another thousand words and that would have made this chapter way longer than any of the others. So now you guys just get to wait for some more Shy/Hiei action. I hope it's worth the wait.

I've named yet another character after a player on my favorite major league baseball team. Anybody know what team I'm talking about? The names are Hideki Okajima and Daisuke, if that helps.

I'm officially on summer vacation (my school year ended last Friday), but sadly I can't promise faster updates. I'm afraid I'm going to be really busy. I'm voluteering at my high school's track camp two out of the next three weeks and I'm in the process of looking for a job, so yeah... I'll do what I can. As it is, I'm proud I got this chapter out as soon as I did. I gave myself a day off on Friday to celebrate the end of school and I was with my friends all of Saturday at an amusement park. So this chapter was written yesterday, which was Father's Day, and today, when I spent half the day at track camp.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, as always you guys rock!