* * *

From his perch on the roof of their Ningenkai home, Hiei observed his lover as the redhead busied himself with the laundry, a slight frown on his face. To the rest of the world, Hiei was simply watching the slender kitsune with calm detachment. Only the merest narrowing of intense ruby eyes gave any indication on his concern, and concerned he was.

The fire demon was well aware that Kurama carried some pretty hefty emotional baggage, and that some of the more unpleasant memories were starting to weigh heavily on his ningen psyche. Hiei snorted to himself; trust his luck to find the one being in the three worlds who understood him - and who also possessed an overabundance of emotion. The damn fox felt more than his calm, cool exterior let on, and his daily performance was starting to suffer for the sleepless nights. Kurama seemed to think that Hiei was unaware of his late night brooding; barring the times he used the Kokuryuuha, no matter how exhausted he might be, a part of the fire demon was always aware of the kitsune's presence.

Hiei nodded decisively to himself, the merest inclination of his head. Getting to his feet, the fire demon spared a final glance at this lover before disappearing in a flicker of black. He needed an honest opinion, and he knew that Yukina would give it to him.



The Koorime maiden was sweeping the steps of Genkai's dwelling when Hiei arrived, her kimono sleeves held back with a length of cord. "Hiei-san!" Yukina greeted, a shy smile lighting her features.

"Yukina." Hiei dropped from his favorite pine, watching his sister approach; Yukina looked well, he noted. He suppressed the pang that briefly stabbed through him; she would never know his terrible secret and have her innocence destroyed.

The ice maiden took in Hiei's inscrutable features, noting the subtle signs of tension; for Hiei to be perturbed enough to show his reactions usually meant that Kurama was involved in some way. The youko was the only one that seemed to garner a noticeable reaction from the fire demon - besides her, of course, but she wasn't about to tell her older brother that she was well aware of their relationship. Yukina was sure that for whatever reason Hiei chose to keep their kinship from her, it was a good one.

Inviting the fire demon in, Yukina poured them both tea and settled down to wait patiently; Hiei would speak when he was ready and not before. The tea let off curling tendrils of steam in the quiet room, marking the passage of time as the dark youkai gathered his thoughts.

"Is it wrong of me to pry?" he asked at last. "He asked me not to, but night after night he's awakened by dreams." Ruby eyes met, and Yukina could see the worry clearly now; obviously, this had gone on for more than just a few days.

"Has Kurama-san said anything about his dreams?" the Koorime maiden asked. "A clue to what they might be about?"

Hiei's expression was neutral, but Yukina could sense the frustration, colored with hurt, beneath the fire demon's bland façade. "No," he admitted, "but he always acts that way. He denies anything's wrong, then broods for the rest of the night." Large almond eyes looked at his twin, silently asking for advice.

Yukina shook her head. "There are two options open to you, Hiei-san. One is to ask Kurama-san straight out what it is that's bothering him. The other is to wait him out and let Kurama-san come to you." She lifted her hands helplessly. "Either way, the final decision is up to you. This has to be worked out between you and Kurama-san." Yukina smiled deprecatingly. "I can only offer suggestions."

Hiei mulled this over, ruby eyes thoughtful. It wasn't the clear-cut answer he had been looking for, but it was a start. He nodded curtly, getting to his feet. Sliding open the door, he met his sister's eyes, conveying his thanks. Moving out into the sunlight, Hiei took his leave, missing the small knowing smile playing on the other youkai's lips. "Ja mata, oniisan…"

Returning home, Hiei paused on the windowsill, head tilted and checking for his lover's youki. He found it in the living room; the kitsune's normally calm green aura was troubled, as it had been since the dreams had started.

Hiei made his way downstairs, stilling in the doorway to watch his fox as he read on the couch. A slender hand moved to place a marker in the book and green eyes lifted and smiled in welcome. Hiei frowned internally; there were dark shadows in and beneath those emerald orbs, and he meant to put a stop to whatever it was that was at the root of his lover's insomnia. His hands in his pockets, Hiei stood over the youko, who blinked. "Kurama, we need to talk."

* * *

Yuusuke shuffled along, his frame slouched in the traditional 'bad boy' posture, his thoughts miles away. He kept replaying his fight with Keiko in his mind, an unconscious frown of concentration wrinkling his brow. Why had he overreacted like that? the dark-haired young man wondered, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. The fight had been blown all out of proportion, Yuusuke mused. It wasn't as if he was worried that Keiko would ever sneak around behind his back; she had too much honor and integrity to do a thing like that.

Worrying the toothpick he had in his mouth with his teeth, Yuusuke looked up to get his bearings. Expressive brown eyes widened slightly and the Tantei grinned. Apparently his subconscious was one step ahead of him; he was headed in the direction of the Yukimura's restaurant, and Keiko. He'd just stop by and straighten things out with her.

Eagerly, Yuusuke quickened his pace. He had an…erm…apologytomake, and a bowl of ramen to eat, as his stomach growlingly informed him. Yuusuke never noticed the shadow discreetly following him; his thoughts were centered on a pretty brown-eyed girl.

Yuusuke made to open the door of the Yukimura's restaurant when Keiko's voice stopped him. Unwittingly, he listened to the girl's conversation with her mother.

"That baka! He had no right to treat me that way!" Keiko fumed, stung and hurt from Yuusuke's harsh words and accusations. "Just who does he think he is? He's not the only one who's allowed to have friends, that pompous, arrogant…ooh!" The rest of Keiko's angry words trailed off, and Yuusuke could hear her mother's muffled reply. As Keiko moved further into the ramen shop, her last words reached the young man's ears. "I should see other people just to show him! There are plenty of other fish in the sea!"

The initial feelings of hurt and remorse were swiftly replaced by irrational anger, influenced and nurtured by the dark shadow that was Hokori. Spinning, Yuusuke stormed away from the restaurant's door, resolving never to talk to Keiko again. 'Arrogant? Pompous?!' If she thought of him that way, fine! Yuusuke glared at the pavement beneath him. /Who needed that baka anyway?/



Yuri hovered in the air above Tokyo, Hokori a dark shadow next to her. Her expression was pensive as she watched the leader of the Reikai Tantei stalk away from the Yukimura's shop.

As if sensing her wavering resolve, Hokori drifted closer. /I planted the seeds of doubt in their minds,/ the shade-youkai informed the ferrygirl. /What happened from there was entirely their doing. If they do not work this out, it was not meant to be…as with Koenma and that ferrygirl./ Cold yellow-black eyes bore into Yuri's blue. /Koenma and the Tantei will be too caught up in their own problems to worry about each other. When Koenma and Botan drift away from each other, it will seem natural…and you will be there to pick up the pieces. Botan will be effectively removed./ Hokori's mental voice was smug as it twined itself around Yuri's body in a chilling embrace.

/With things falling down around his ears, Koenma will be very grateful for your indispensable help. Botan's absence will be taken as confirmation of her lack of feelings for him, and he will forget about her soon enough - he will only see you./ Subtly, Hokori bent Yuri's will to it's own, making sure the ferrygirl never noticed.

The shade-youkai laughed to itself. Hokori had it's own personal agenda, and soon it's preparations would bear fruit.

* * *

George glanced at his boss in bewilderment as the oni took note of Botan's subdued exit. Setting down the newest stack of papers, the oni hesitated, debating on whether to speak up or not. The expression on Koenma's face was one that he never liked seeing; cool and closed, bespeaking a deep hurt, it was a far cry from the loud obnoxious persona that the prince usually put forth. Wisely, George decided not to say anything, opting instead to resume his business. His prying would not be welcome at this moment.

Koenma waited until the door had shut behind George before halting his furious pace of stamping. He sighed wearily, the sound sad and hopeless in the sudden silence of his office.

Ever since he'd had the dream, Koenma had watched Botan closely, trying to determine if she truly had only been acting out of pity. As a result, the prince's voice had become sharper, unconsciously falling back into habits ingrained over countless centuries of use. Botan, Yuri's warning still fresh in her mind, had withdrawn behind a subdued front. Hurt, confused and bound by their insecurities, the prince and the ferrygirl had taken each other's actions as confirmation of their fears in a tangled web of miscommunication.

Koenma reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a frame. Lightly, he traced the contours of Botan's face as the ferrygirl glowed laughingly at the camera. /So beautiful…/

Regretfully, Koenma stared at the picture of their group before setting it back in its hiding place. Not only had he apparently lost Botan's friendship, he had ruined their working relationship as well. Before George had interrupted, the head ferrygirl had been in the process of suggesting that he find a suitable replacement for her, citing 'personal problems'. Koenma shoved his chair away from his desk. He suddenly felt the need to get out of his office NOW. Anywhere was fine. Just…away from there.



It was all Botan could do to keep up her sedate pace as she made her way down to the banks of the River Styx. There was a tight feeling in her chest that made her feel like her heart was going to…break. Hai, that was the right word, Botan mused sadly. In all her long years of life, she'd never had her heart broken like this. /I guess there's a first time for everything./

Botan paused to look over the River. The muted sounds of the onis' conversations up and down the banks combined with the trickling sounds of water to make the Spirit Guide feel more alone than ever. /Alone in a crowd…/

Koenma had been so cold earlier, acting like he had when they had first started working together. /Maybe Yuri was right,/ she thought miserably. /Maybe I WAS just a distraction./ A rational portion of her mind asked when Koenma had ever been so cruel. No, she had just read him wrong, and had ruined everything. /Botan no baka! Losing your heart to your boss - that's certainly a sure way of getting hurt!/

The oni on the River lapsed into sympathetic silence as Botan passed them. She was well loved, and the sight of the normally sunny features so downcast was enough to dampen the mood on the riverbank.



Yuri knocked on Koenma's door, calling his name softly. "Koenma-sama?" She smoothed the folds of her kimono in anticipation. According to the newest gossip, the prince and Botan had had a falling out. Yuri smiled slyly. She would be only too happy to console Koenma in his grief.

The prince's muffled acknowledgement came through the solid wood doors. Yuri pushed them open; blinking in surprise, she entered Koenma's rooms, taking in the sparse but elegant décor. The suite seemed impersonal; it stood in silent testimony to how little the prince ever saw his personal rooms. The ferrygirl ran a hand over the back of one of the chairs. So…functional. Koenma's office had more of his personality than this place.

"Over here."

Yuri started, turning toward a shadowed corner out of the direct light from the window next to it. Koenma stared pensively out of the glass, his face hidden in darkness. For once, he was without his pacifier, lines of stress and sorrow bracketing his mouth.

Yuri flinched inwardly. Maybe…this was wrong. NO! This was all in his best interests, she reasoned. Over time Koenma would come to realize that Botan wasn't the right one for him. She could never be able to make Koenma happy the way Yuri could - and would. But he looked so sad…

"What is it?" Koenma asked, bronze eyes never straying from their resting point in the distance.

"Ano…the paperwork is piling up, Koenma-sama. Saotome-san is ready to pull his hair out from the backlog. We need you to process the files." Getting no reaction, Yuri ventured, "Sir?"

"Aa." Koenma sighed heavily, face resigned. "I'll get on it." /No rest for the weary,/ he mused tiredly.

"Koenma-sama?" The prince turned to the violet-haired ferrygirl for the first time, catching her worried look, noting absently that she had cornflower eyes. /Of course she's worried. Without me doing my job, the Reikai is stalled,/ Koenma thought, a touch of bitterness coloring his thoughts.

The ferrygirl - Yuri, he recalled - touched his sleeve lightly. "Daijoubu desu ka?"

/No!/ Koenma wanted to shout. /I'm not ok! The woman I love doesn't love me and it feels like my heart's been ripped out of my chest and stomped on!/ Giving no hint to his mental ranting, Koenma smiled politely and nodded.

"Well…if there's anything you need, or just…want to talk…" Yuri trailed off, leaving the rest of the offer hanging between them.

Surprise warred with gratitude as Koenma gave Yuri a heartfelt smile, replacing the fake one that had been plastered on his face. "A-arigatou, Yuri-san," he said, and left it at that.

Yuri smiled shyly, bowing low and exiting quietly. The expression tugged at her lips, becoming smug as soon as her back was turned. Oh yes…things were going well.

* * *

Takemi stepped through the Gate and into the yard of the Ningenkai house. Using her key, she entered and paused in the genkan (entryway) to remove her shoes. "Tadaima!" she called, noting both Kurama and Hiei's youki within.

Hearing movement, 'Kemi moved towards the living room, anticipating a relaxing day with her brother and his lover. Pushing her hair back from her face, she walked in. Takemi halted, blinking at the tension in the air, so thick she could undoubtedly cut it with a knife.

Kurama sat on the couch, Hiei standing before him in a deceptively casual pose. Her brother's hands were clenched tightly into fists on his thighs as emerald clashed silently with ruby in a battle of wills. Kurama visibly looked like he was losing his temper, something that Takemi had rarely seen happen.

Puzzled, 'Kemi's brown-gold eyes darted back and forth between the two lovers. What in the three worlds was going on? The youkai remained silent, none about to be the first to volunteer to speak.

After an agonizingly drawn out wait, Hiei finally spoke, his deep voice snapping the tension almost audibly. "You haven't been sleeping well lately kitsune, and we both know it." Ruby eyes narrowed, pinning Kurama in place with the force of the Jaganshi's glare. "It's starting to show. What's wrong?" Hiei leaned forward, taking his hands out of his pockets and following the redhead as he unconsciously moved backwards. The fire demon placed callused hands on Kurama's shoulders, holding him against the back of the couch as if afraid the youkai would bolt.

Kurama's eyes narrowed dangerously, meeting Hiei's glare unfalteringly. "It's not your problem Hiei, so stay out of it," he told the smaller youkai coldly, his body going stiff under the fire demon's hands. "I can handle this myself - I've dealt with this before. I don't need help.:

The brilliant crimson gaze could have blistered paint, the anger in them effectively covering the hurt. Stung by Kurama's words, Hiei snarled. "Then why don't you?" he challenged.

Tightening his grip on the kitsune's shoulders, Hiei growled, "You've been having nightmares. What am I supposed to do, roll over and ignore the fact that you stay awake brooding for the rest of the night? That's not the way I am."

Takemi had slowly backed out of the room during the couple's argument, trying to make her exit as discreet as possible. Hiei's dark tones rolled over her as she slipped into her shoes; as she left, she heard Kurama's muted reply.



Shadows darkened Kurama's forest gaze as he snapped back at his lover. "So now I should bare my soul to you, is that it? Damn you Hiei, I won't let you force me into anything!" Something dark flickered in Kurama's eyes; a memory of things best forgotten.

Surprisingly, the fire in Hiei's eyes gentled, the fire demon raising his bandaged right hand to stroke Kurama's cheek, startling the kitsune with the uncharacteristically tender gesture. "You've never forced *me*," Hiei murmured, holding Kurama's wide-eyed gaze with his own. "I would grant you the same respect."

Kurama's hard emerald eyes softened, and he brought his arms up around Hiei's waist, drawing the youkai to him. He buried his face in his lover's hot chest whispering, "Ai shiteru." He felt the couch give under Hiei's weight as the fire demon settled beside him, wrapping strong arms around his body. The redhead closed his eyes briefly. /I can't lose you Hiei…/

Snuggling closer, the slender youko basked in the heat of his lover's body, fitting his form to Hiei's. "I don't ever want to hurt you," he said quietly, a thread of sound in the hushed stillness of their home. /I'd rather die first./

Hiei tightened his embrace, pulling his fox up so that Kurama's head was comfortably tucked into the crook of his neck. He still wasn't quite sure why the fox refused to tell him what was wrong, but he trusted Kurama. "Then don't hurt yourself." Brushing his lips lightly across the silky red strands conveniently within reach, Hiei held his lover as they drifted off to sleep the fire demon's youki enfolding the pair protectively.

Outside, the rest of the Ningenkai continued, unaware of the two slumbering youkai.



/Inari-sama, *what* is going on?!/ Takemi wondered in frustration. She had gone to the Reikai after walking in on the scene with her brother and Hiei. Here too, things were strange. A dark pall hung in the air, making her feel depressed even as she observed a few oni shuffling past her on various errands.

Tucking several strands of her brown hair behind her ears, Takemi headed for Koenma's office; maybe he would know what was going on. She forced herself not to stop and stare at the Reikai employees' listless movements as they went through the motions of running the afterlife.

Sidling past a group of oni, Takemi glimpsed George wringing his hands in dismay, dithering in front of Koenma's office door. "George," she said, going up to him, "What's wrong with everyone?"

The distraught secretary looked close to a breakdown. "Oh Takemi-san! It was all going so wonderfully, and then one day! Koenma-sama and Botan-chan are avoiding each other as much as possible, and when they do speak to each other, its so - so formal! No one knows what happened between them, but they both look absolutely miserable, and they refuse to talk about it!" George finished in a wail.

"Has everyone in the three worlds gone mad?" Takemi wondered aloud.

"Maybe you can find out what's wrong, Takemi-san. He talks to you." The door suddenly opened, revealing Koenma and a violet-haired ferrygirl.

Takemi hid her surprise, merely raising an eyebrow at the two of them. Behind her, George was making sputtering noises. Coolly, 'Kemi noted the way the ferrygirl leaned toward Koenma, the pose intimate as they talked. "Are we interrupting anything?" she asked, her tone neutral.

Koenma and the ferrygirl pulled away from each other, a guilty expression crossing the prince's face as he did so. The Spirit Guide simply looked annoyed, but recovered swiftly. Collecting a stack of books, the ferrygirl murmured something to Koenma in an undertone, then headed towards Takemi and George.

/Pretty,/ the Reikai troubleshooter noted as the violet-haired woman passed between her and George. She glanced back at Koenma. "It wasn't important. Sorry for bothering you." So saying, she shut the door on the flustered prince.

Turning back to George, she asked, "Ano onna wa?" she nodded at the ferrygirl, who was heading by the looks of things to the Library. Takemi looked thoughtfully after her, searching her memory for why the other looked so familiar.

/Ah./ Takemi nodded to herself. She remembered her now; she was the one with the hurt blue eyes. 'Kemi looked back at the closed doors of the office. It certainly didn't take her long enough to get over her last lover.

George snorted, gaining Takemi's attention. "Her? That's Yuri, a yearmate of Hinageshi's." The secretary wore an indecipherable expression as he watched Yuri disappear into the Library.

Takemi noticed George's tone and cocked her head. "Don't you like her?" she asked curiously.

George flushed. "I can't explain it," he muttered, "but something about Yuri…makes me uneasy. I try to avoid her as much as possible. I know it's rude and unreasonable, but…I can't help it." George gave Takemi a helpless look and held up his hands.

"Saotome-san!" An underling called the secretary and George nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ano…I have to take care of this," he said apologetically to Takemi, who nodded understandingly. "Ja, shitsurei shimasu." George bowed politely and took his leave of the troubleshooter.

Narrowing her eyes, Takemi debated whether or not she should chew Koenma out for his actions - he was obviously the guilty party here. Years of experience made her refrain from her original impulse however, and the brown-haired youkai decided she would follow Yuri instead. /I know Koenma, and he'd never do anything so low - especially to Botan. Not after all this time spent wishing./ Gold flecks glittered. /Just who is this Yuri anyway?/ Takemi wondered. /And when did she come into the picture?/

As she pushed open the Library doors, 'Kemi was sure that she could sense someone else in the quiet room; the strange presence was gone in a heartbeat, however. Takemi shook her head, briefly entertaining the thought that she was going nuts; maybe all the time she was spending with the Tantei was making her paranoid.

Spying the ferrygirl reshelving her stack of books, Takemi hailed her. Slowly, she approached the Spirit Guide, trying to project an aura of trustworthiness. Yuri met her eyes questioningly as she asked, "May I talk with you?"

"Of course," Yuri agreed. "You're Takemi, ne? A troubleshooter?" She blinked wide yellow eyes.

'Kemi barely suppressed her start of surprise, instead nodding in confirmation. /*Yellow* eyes? Weren't her eyes *blue*?/ Her thoughts whirling, Takemi ushered Yuri over to a chair, seating herself in a neighboring one.

"Hai?" Yuri inquired, her features calm and innocent.

"Ano…" Takemi pretended to hesitate. "Do you know what happened between Koenma and Botan? George doesn't know, and I just got here. Since we both seem to be friends of Koenma, I was wondering if he's told you anything?" she queried hopefully. A confused look passed over her face. "The last time I saw those two, they were inseparable."

Yuri's eyes blazed for a brief moment; this time Takemi was positive she wasn't imagining it. In that instant, the Reikai troubleshooter saw a glimpse of something inexpressibly evil in the ferrygirl's pretty face. It was quickly hidden, but the one look was all Takemi needed.

Yuri smiled sweetly at the other woman. "Iie, Takemi-san. I have no idea why Koenma-sama and Botan-san are avoiding each other. I assume that they had a fight of some sort, though."

Takemi considered this. It sounded feasible, and normally she would simply have accepted this. Normally. "Sou," she nodded thoughtfully. "Demo, about what, I wonder?" she mused.

Yuri shifted slightly in her seat, an almost imperceptible twitch shaking her frame. "I don't know," she said softly, and left it at that.

Pretending to be satisfied with the explanation, Takemi smiled reassuringly at the ferrygirl. "Souka," she murmured, rising from her chair. "Ja, I'm sorry to have bothered you. Shitsurei shimasu." Giving Yuri a slight bow, the brown-haired youkai took her leave of the ferrygirl, her exit silent.

As the door shut firmly behind the troubleshooter, Hokori took its 'form' beside Yuri, still masking it's youki. It observed the violet-tressed ferrygirl, reptilian eyes narrowed and scheming, full of secrets. /That one suspects,/ it told Yuri. /She must be dealt with./

Yuri whirled to face her ally, horrified. "D-demo," she protested. "You can't get rid of Takemi! She's too well known! Someone - Koenma-sama - will get suspicious." The ferrygirl had seen that the female youkai seemed to know Koenma well; the few times she had caught glimpses of the two together, it was obvious that they were on good terms with each other. Yuri shook her head. No, to alienate Takemi at this time wouldn't be prudent. She looked up into Hokori's eyes to voice her opinion, and was paralyzed.

The yellow-black of the shade-youkai's gaze filled Yuri's world, pushing all thoughts out of her mind. Hokori's mental voice echoed, it's tones inescapable. /Don't you want Koenma?/ it asked the frozen Spirit Guide. /Did you not say that you loved him more than anything…that you were willing to do anything to win him?/ The youkai's mental voice was persuasive, smooth. /This 'Takemi' is simply another obstacle to your goal. Like Botan. Like the Reikai Tantei. They steal Koenma's affections away from where they *really* belong; you./

Yuri shrank back as Hokori seemed to swell, its presence overpowering her. Subtle manipulation of her thoughts went undetected, skirting the boundaries defined by the spell Yuri had cast. The ferrygirl's eyes closed; when she reopened them, they were a cold yellow rimmed with black. "Hai," she agreed. "They must all be eliminated."

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