Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Slight Problem ❯ Clarification ( Chapter 9 )

Okay, here's chapter nine! Thank you for all your reviews so far and please keep them coming!!

 

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho... just Natalie and Lisa.

 

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Natalie's eyes were wide when Kurama finished telling her what he had learned from Hiei.

"WHAT?! THAT'S why he was being such an asshole?! You know, if he wanted to fight with me, he could have just ASKED!!"

Kurama couldn't help but smirk a little. "And would you have revealed any of your magickal techniques had he merely asked you to fight with him? Or would you have used your normal fighting skills and chi techniques?"

She sighed. "Touche. But even when he was being a prick, and goading me into attacking him, I still wasn't planning on using the techniques. Using magick when you're angry or in an otherwise unstable state of emotion is dangerous because your energies are scattered and you're not thinking clearly. In addition to the fact that I've never TRIED to use them in a fight before, it would make it all the more dangerous. As Hiei pointed out to you, until yesterday, I never fought against demons before. I've never used my magick in a fight. I sure as hell wasn't going to do it while I was angry, because it could have caused damage to Koenma's grounds, which I'm sure he would have just freaked over, AND because it could be dangerous to ME, too. Hiei went about it entirely wrong."

Kurama frowned slightly in contemplation. "Apparently Hiei was not aware of that. If you had your magickal knowledge blocked off from his mind, then that information would have been locked away as well."

She sighed, understanding now that it was a misunderstanding on Hiei's part that had brought this on, but still... "I still think it was low how he got a rise outta me..."

The fox demon smiled gently. "He acknowledges that he may have gone overboard with his tactics, if that helps at all."

She frowned quietly for a long moment and then sighed. "Whatever. It's over and done with now, so there's no point in dwelling on it."

Kurama nodded. "I figured you deserved to know Hiei's reasoning, considering the manner in which he treated you. I think I'll return to Lisa, Yusuke and Kuwabara to see how their games of mahjong are coming along."

She nodded absently. "Yeah. Thanks for clearing things up for me, Kurama."

He gave her a gentle smile and inclined his head respectfully. "It was no problem. I will speak with you later. I leave you now to continue with your contemplations. Good night, Natalie."

She nodded. "Yeah. Good night."

When the kitsune left, she sat herself down on her bed with a sigh. She was now over her initial anger over Hiei's stunt, but not over her anger toward Hiei himself. The days events had left her feeling more than a little tired and uptight. She shut off the lights in her room, and climbed into her bed, taking in a deep breath as she tried to get to sleep.

 

*****

 

Lisa yawned as she, Kuwabara, and Yusuke finished off another game of mahjong. Yusuke stretched.

"Yup... I think it's about time for me to turn in..."

The girl nodded in full agreement as Kurama entered the room. "Me, too. It's been a long and stressful day."

The kitsune stepped up to her and gave her a gentle smile. "You're heading off to bed, Lisa? Would you allow me to escort you to your room? It's on the way to my own..."

She nodded before he could even finish talking. "Sure! I think I'd need a guide, anyway. I'm still having problems finding my way around this place."

His smile grew a little. "Yes, it does take a while before you get used to the size of it." He gave Kuwabara and Yusuke a nod of acknowledgement as he turned and started off.

"Good night, Yusuke! Good night, Kuwabara!" Kristi said as she quickly followed, falling in step beside the kitsune. If there was one character she could never get too much of hanging around with, it was him. He was, undoubtedly, her favorite in the series.

He started up a conversation as they made their way through the labyrinth of halls. "I spoke with Natalie. She told me about Dave."

Lisa blinked in surprise. "Wow... she actually told you?" She frowned a little. "How'd you manage to get that info outta her? Usually just mentioning that asshole's name sets her off on a rampage..."

"Which is exactly what Hiei's intentions were. He wanted to fight her to test her abilities himeself... most specifically, her magickal abilities. Apparently she had the information regarding her magickal knowledge locked away securely from Hiei's jagen eye when she opened her mind to him earlier."

"Hmm... well, I guess in a way that DOES sound like Hiei... but I still can't believe he used the methods that he did. I mean... he had to know that even MENTIONING Dave would hurt her. It's not like Hiei to sink so low..."

Kurama nodded, deciding it would be in the best interests of all concerned if he refrained from telling Lisa the specifics of what Hiei had said to set her friend off. "He acknowledges that he went overboard with that aspect of the encounter. But I wanted you to know that he never had any intentions of harming her."

She considered. "Well, that's good, I guess... but I still think he went about it totally wrong."

"I think he may have had other motives than what he initially told me. Although I cannot even begin to speculate on what they might be. Hiei is very... complicated in his way of thinking."

Lisa snorted. "You can say that again... and it's not like he voluntarily shares what's on his mind."

"Very true. He does keep to himself." A moment later, they were at Lisa's door. "Well, I suppose this is where I will leave you for the night." He inclined his head to her. "Have a good sleep, Lisa."

She smiled a little. "You too. Good night, Kurama." She entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

 

*****

 

Natalie tossed and turned, her dreams filled with memories of the night Dave had betrayed her trust. The feelings of helplessness and utter heartbreak she had experienced at his sudden actions returned to her, full and sudden. She woke up, sitting bolt upright, a light sheen of perspiration beading her forehead.

She looked at the clock on her bed stand and saw that only a couple of hours had passed wince she had first gone to bed. She sighed, and then scowled in disgust.

"Great," she muttered. "Like I needed THIS on top of everything else. Thanks a lot, Hiei."

"Hn. If I'd known my strategy was going to affect you this deeply, then I would have opted for a different course of action."

Her eyes went wide, hearing the voice and she saw Hiei now, standing right in the doorway that lead out onto her balcony. She snarled and scrambled out of her bed, glaring at him immediately. "What the FUCK are you doing here?!"

He snorted and came the rest of the way into her room. "Relax. I'm not here to attack you or to coax you into attacking me. I was passing by your room when I sensed your discomfort due to your dreams."

She scowled at him. "Yeah, dreams brought on because you decided to be a fucking dick and bring up Dave today!!"

He half sighed, half growled. "Listen, ningen. I'm going to say something to you right now, and if you tell the others what I'm going to say, I WILL kill you!"

"You have no right to..."

"I'm sorry."

"... tell me what I'm..." Natalie's eyes went huge. "You... huh???"

He snorted and crossed his arms, adverting his gaze to an empty corner of her room. "You heard me and I will not repeat it again."

She stared in complete shock. Had HIEI... just... apologized??? To HER??? She blinked a few times, trying to assimilate this, and then frowned a little.

"Okay, what are you up to? I've never heard of you apologizing to ANYONE, much less to a woman that you hardly know!!"

Hiei snorted. "I was inside your head, ningen, so you can't say I don't know you. And besides, after speaking with Kurama, I figured I did go a little overboard with my tactics."

Her frown deepened. "A LITTLE?! From my point of view, the stunt you pulled was the equivalent of an army sending off an A-bomb to kill a single man! And I hate to break it to you, but your strategy wouldn't have worked anyway. I don't use magick when I'm angry, if I can help it at all, because it's dangerous to me and in battle, it could be dangerous to others, too. Not to mention Koenma would have personally killed me himself if I caused damage to his grounds. In other words, you went about it WAY wrong!"

He smirked. "Well, if you hadn't had that information locked away at the time that I used my jagen eye on you, then I wouldn't have made that mistake."

She stared at him for a long moment, and then sighed. "Look... can we PLEASE not have this discussion right now? It's late, I'm tired, and I need some sleep."

He shrugged and nodded. Then he reached up and removed his headband, exposing his third eye. He took a few steps toward her.

Natalie's eyes went wide and she took a few steps back. "What are you doing?!"

"Hn. Relax. I don't intend to hurt you. If I use my jagen eye on you, I can give you a dreamless sleep instantly. Unless you want to keep reliving your experience tonight?"

She rose an eyebrow critically, looking at him. "And why would you care what I'm dreaming about? Why would you do that for me?"

He scowled. "Just consider it compensation, all right? You don't even have to take your ward down for me to do this, since I won't be looking into your thoughts. Now just lay down, ningen, so I can do this and leave!"

She hesitated for a moment, looking at him and contemplating his possible motives. Was it possible that he actually WAS sorry? She snorted mentally. Well, stranger things had happened. And one thing she DID know about Hiei was that she had never seen or heard of him lying. Avoiding or bending the truth, yes. But not lying.

She sighed and headed back to her bed, lying down once more. "What the hell."

Hiei came up to the side of her bed and placed his fingers at her temple. Her eyes were on him, and she was a little apprehensive. She saw Hiei's third eye glow a soft blue, and then the world spun away from around her, and she felt her eyes sliding shut. Before she even knew it herself, Natalie was in a deep and dreamless sleep.

 

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Okay, there's chapter nine!! Please R&R!! I want to know what you think!!