by Queen Yokozuna
 
 

Part 2: The Invitation
 

Genkai has already excused herself for bed, having enjoyed herself immensely at her "party", but her yet-to-be-tired guests are still enjoying themselves in the parlor. Keiko and Shizuru are having a girl-talk, while Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara are playing a loud round of blackjack.

Hiei had been itching to leave for some time now, but is yet to bid the group goodbye because of Yukina. She had asked him to stay a little longer because, as she said, she wants to talk to him. Which is, at the very least, surprising to Hiei. what in the world would she want to talk to him about?

It's true that Hiei showed up at this gathering to please Genkai, but the more compelling reason that made him come here is to see how his twin sister is doing. He's been busy with his work at the demon world for some months now that he hasn't been able to see how Yukina has been coping up with life here since staying with Genkai. So it didn't actually take him too much of an effort to come here.

But now, although a part of him feels glad about it, another part of him feels quite uneasy about being this physically near to Yukina. Like he's afraid she'd discover the secret he has been painfully keeping from her.

"You're always deep in thought."

Hiei turns to his left, startled a bit by Yukina's statement. "Huh?"

Yukina smiles at him, then looks out the door they're both sitting in front of, isolated from the rest.

"You always seem to have something serious on your mind."

"Uh, it's nothing," Hiei abashedly says.

He looks at her deep red eyes, then quickly looks away as he sees his own image in them, as if repelled.

"So," he broaches, "what did you want to talk to me about?"

Yukina turns to him again. "How're you doing at the demon world?"

"Uh, just fine. You know."

"Aah."

"Why?" Hiei asks, eyeing her.

"Oh, just asking. It's been awhile now since I left it, maybe I'm just missing it."

"You don't like it here?"

"I do. The human world's pretty rough, but it can be fun, too. Still, it's not as homey as where i come from. Where we come from."

"Why don't you go back there, then?"

"Well, Master Genkai kinda needs me here."

"It's not because of Kuwabara, is it?"

"Kazuma? Oh, no. He's nice and all, but, he's not the reason keeping me here."

"Good," whispers Hiei.

"What?" asks Yukina.

"Ah, nothing," Hiei sheepishly says.

"Oh." Yukina turns her eyes to the outside again, as if looking intently at something hidden amid the trees. "And besides, I don't want to go back there until I know for sure that I can still find my brother there."

A heavy feeling suddenly seems to grip Hiei's heart.

"You still haven't found him, have you?" Yukina asks.

Hiei recalls the last time Yukina talked to him, the night just before he left for the demon world. She had asked him then to give her blue pearl to her brother in case he'd find him there.

Looking awy, Hiei tells her, "No, I haven't. Your pearl's still right here with me." Under his cloak, he suddenly seems to feel that same pearl he's since hung from his neck burrowing its way to his heart, as if telling him to stop lying to his sister already.

"I figured it," Yukina sadly says.

At this precise moment, Hiei suddenly feels compelled to tell Yukina the truth, just to offset that sorrow in her eyes that's affecting him so deeply right now. But then, he decides, at the very last split-second, not to. She may get even sadder still if she finds out that he's her brother.

Huh? What's that?

Oh, yeah. Catch-22.

Tough.

"Hiei?"

Yukina's voice shatters his thoughts again. "Uh, yeah," Hiei says.

"Hiei, would you like to go with me to the zoo tomorrow?"

"What?"

"The zoo. It's this place where animals are kept for everyone to look at. It's nice there."

"Why do you want me to go with you?"

"Wh-Why not? Unless you have something else to do..."

"Not really, but... Well..."

"Yukina!" Kuwabara calls, approaching her. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be near him?" He plops himself down beside Yukina, smirking at Hiei.

Hiei darts Kuwabara a menacing look.

"Dangerous?" Yukina clarifies.

"Yeah. He can bite your head off in an instant."

"I'd like to bite your head off," Hiei gruffly tells Kuwabara.

"See what I mean?" Kuwabara tells Yukina.

Yukina giggles. "I'm sure he won't do such a thing to me."

"Well we can't be too sure, you know. Anyway, hey, squirt, could you scram for awhile, I'd like to talk to Yukina alone."

"About what"? Hiei demands.

"That's none of your business!" Kuwabara indignantly tells him. "And, besides, shouldn't you be going your way now?"

"Kazuma, that's not a nice thing to say," Yukina admonishes him.

Kuwabara feels embarrassed all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, Yukina, but he's just too --"

"What is it you want to talk to me about?" Yukina cuts him, as if suddenly impatient.

"Uh..." Kuwabara seems apprehensive to talk, what with Hiei right there listening in on them, but, he finally says, "Can I take you out tomorrow?"

"No," Hiei sternly answers for Yukina.

"Am I talking to you?!" the carrot-top irately reacts.

"Yukina and I're going out tomorrow."

Hearing this, Yukina looks at Hiei, a big smile beginning to outline her mouth.

"What?!" Kuwabara demands.

"Don't you clean your ugly ears?" Hiei asks him.

"I'm sorry, Kazuma," Yukina says, "I'll be with Hiei tomorrow. Maybe some other day."

Kuwabara suddenly looks like he's going to wail.

Hiei crosses his arms and flashes Kuwabara a triumphant leer.

Kuwabara can only grit his teeth there seeing that leer on Hiei's face.
 
 
 

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