A/N: Hey guys! I know, I know. It has been far too long. I've had a lot going on. Originally I had almost half of this typed out almost a year ago, but then my computer suddenly stopped working and I couldn't get to what I already had typed. Turns out my cat had chewed up the power cord to my laptop -_- So I was going to just type it all over again, but then managed to finally get a new power cord and get what I had written already transferred to a better laptop. I had a lot going on with college and my personal life as well so it took me a lot longer than I wanted it to in order to get this finished. I hope you guys enjoy! I think this is my longest chapter yet!

In case someone needs it:

'Rennie.'

'Devil.'

'Halo.'

Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho is owned by Yoshihiro Togashi. Rennie Raindraver is my very own.

Darkness. Never ending darkness spread out beyond sight. That was all Rennie could see. She was slowly floating in a downward direction. Or was it upward? Her eyes blinked slowly as she registered what was happening. She looked down and found more abyss. "Where am I?" she asked, and listened as it echoed out away from her for a ways until the blackness appeared to swallow it up. "Why's it so dark?" She noticed she was now more or less free-falling rather than floating. Her hair and clothes lifted a bit, trying to hold onto the wind. Eyes glancing around for anything to hold onto found absolutely nothing.

"Hal! Dev!" she called. No reply.

"Halo! Devil!" her voice was a bit more anxious this time. Her heart started to pound in sudden fear. "Where are you…? You never fail to answer me…" She gasped when her feet met solid ground. Her right converse-clad foot slid a timid step forward, finding more solid surface. Relieved, she sighed. "If Hal and Dev aren't here… then what's going on?"

A small, golden light erupted beside her. She could hear the sound of children's laughter resonating from it. She reached out to touch it with her hand, it flashed and enveloped her. The brightness had her covering her eyes with her hands. When it subsided, she unshielded her face and could see she was floating in a clear blue sky. Her body was somewhat transparent, and she briefly wondered if she was a ghost. Those thoughts were interrupted when she looked below and saw a young version of herself surrounded by other kids. They were laughing while the child merely stood there.

"I remember this," she murmured. She flew down along the clouds, running her hands through the white vapor. Rennie's feet touched the grass and she stepped through the group of laughing and pointing kids to her younger form.

The young Rennie Raindraver stood there, in the midst of all the others. She stared them all down, her chin turned up in defiance. A blue skinned demon child who had pointy ears stood at the back of the group of children. His arms were crossed and a smug smirk tugged at his blue lips. Rennie knew he was the leader.

"So, how's our little orphan today?" he asked, a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Why don't you have a mommy or a daddy? Maybe they didn't love you…" said a water demon with turquoise scales and webbed hands and feet. With her words, all the others began their giggling again. The blue demon waved his hand and he and his followers started retreating away back towards their homes.

"I have a dad! And I have a mom!" Rennie called after them. Then she sighed, dropped to the ground in an indian style position, and set her chin in her hand. "I had a mom…" She began picking absently at the grass. "I'm not an orphan…"

'Then why don't you say something?'

'You know they wouldn't listen, Dev…'

'It's not about them listening. It's about Rennie standing up for herself.'

"It wouldn't matter," she mumbled. "They're kids… I'm a kid. Kids don't listen to kids they single out as different." She thought of her mother in that instant and wondered what she would do. Tears pricked at her eyes. She hastily tried to rub them away. 'No, no. I told myself I wouldn't do this. It's all right, I'm all right.' But no matter how hard she rubbed at her eyes, she knew everything wasn't all right, she wasn't okay.

It had been at least four years since Raylen Raindraver had passed away. Rennie had only been four when it happened, and she hadn't known her mother well enough to grieve. She told herself she would express no sorrow. 'But… it's because I never grieved that I am this way now.' Burrowing her face into her knees seemed to trigger more tears. 'I hate it.'

The thud of footsteps sounded in her ears. Rennie looked up, expecting to see the group of kids from before. Instead, standing before her was a boy she'd never met before. He had spiky black hair with red colored tipped bangs that fell into his eyes. He didn't look much older than her, but she could tell he was definitely taller than most of the other boys in the village. He was dressed in rather torn black shorts and a red tank top. He had the brightest ruby red eyes Rennie had ever seen on anyone, and they were looking right at her.

"I don't normally associate myself with the people of this place," he spoke, expressionless, "but I guess today I felt like being nice." He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked out toward the forest surrounding the many homes. "Weak people are boring."

Her eyes widened. 'He's calling me… weak?'

"They have no right to exist if all they're going to do is drag others down with them. Do you understand?" His eyes met hers again. "You're weak. If you let them continue bullying you, your weakness will be your downfall."

His words were cruel and they sent a tremor through her body. He seemed like he was waiting for something, but when she failed to respond and only stared, he shook his head, turned, and proceeded to walk away.

"I'm not…" her voice came out quiet and raspy. "I'm not weak… I'm just…" She forced it to be louder. "I'm not weak! I'm just…" He stopped and turned to face her. "It's just so lonely." Her vision blurred with more tears, but she could make out the fuzzy red and black form of the boy. She felt a pressure on top of her head and then the feeling of her hair being ruffled.

"The first step to becoming stronger is admitting your own feelings and weaknesses." He lifted her up off the ground and held her mid-air for a moment. "If your weakness is loneliness, then I will remove that factor from your life. You're the same as me, a double demon. I'm going to train you." Rennie's feet found the ground and she stared at him with no longer teary eyes. Once again, he turned from her in order to walk away.

"H-hey, wait!" She went to chase after him. "Who are you? I'm Rennie! You could at least tell me who you are!"

"Blaze."

The older Rennie watched the two of them disappear into the trees. She was tempted to follow after in order to see more of Blaze. However, the sudden shadows of a dancing flame had her frozen. Screams and smoke rose to meet each other in the afternoon glow of the sun. Rennie could only relive it all and watch as people were slaughtered. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and covered her ears. "Please, please let it end. Please end, please end, please end!"

The last word was a shout. Any bits of sound coming through her hands stopped altogether. She chanced a look and found that she was back in the dark abyss from before. Though now she was no longer alone; her younger self sat a little ways ahead of her. Only this time, she was bruised and bloody with flame scorched hair and skin. In her lap lay a pale-looking Blaze, his eyes closed and his chest still.

"Blaze…" She reached to touch him, but stopped when the other Rennie glared up at her with hollow, black eyes.

"Where were you? Because you weren't there, now he's cold, now he's gone."

"No, it's not my fault. I was there! I was!"

"No you weren't! You failed!"

The hollowed blackness of the eyes glowed red-orange, like hot coals. From all around Rennie, glowing, coal-like eyes were appearing, covering the dark void. Her child self stood and was speaking the same phrase over and over in a chilling demonic voice. "You weren't there. You weren't there. You weren't there."

Rennie tried to back away from the advancing army of terrifying eyes. Her heel knocked into something invisible, and she fell backwards. A scream ripped its way from her mouth as she fell down, down, down, down…

She was startled awake, sweating profusely, clenching her teeth and the white bed sheets. Her heart was pumping a mile a minute, breath coming in quick succession.

'Rennie?' Hal.

'You all right?' Dev.

'I'm all right. I'm… okay. Just… just give me a minute.' She sat up slowly, attempting to calm her breathing and her heart.

'Was it that nightmare again? That's the fourth time this week. I thought you'd stopped having those. Rennie… Maybe you should tell Koenma…' Halo's tone turned into one filled with worry.

'I'm fine. Really. Koenma doesn't need to know anything of it.'

'Yeah, quit your yapping and frettin', Hal, Ren'll be fine.'

Rennie noticed Devil use the nickname Yusuke had given her and remembered her current place of temporary residence. 'Oh! The boys!'

'That's right, kiddo! You're not out in the wild anymore!' Devil's image flashed a toothy grin.

'I believe everyone is already up and starting their day.'

'Really?' The double demon glanced at the small clock sitting on the bedside table. Twelve in the afternoon flashed in red across the surface. "What! No way!" She tossed the comforter and sheets off and rocketed out of bed. Running over to the dresser, she ripped the drawers open and pulled out a random shirt and jeans. "I can't believe I slept so late!" she wailed, shimmying the jeans up and over her hips. To be perfectly honest, this was the latest she had slept in months. Usually she was up by about eight. Then again, last night was the first night sleeping in an actual bed in a long while. The shirt she pulled on over her head was half black, half white. On the back, there was a feathery angel wing on the black half and a devilish black, leathery wing on the white.

'You know, I never noticed it before, but all your clothes seem to have the same theme.' Dev's voice was thoughtful.

"What's that?" Rennie breathed aloud, throwing open the bedroom door and practically diving across the hall into the open bathroom.

'Us.'

Ren checked her appearance in the mirror, making sure she looked presentable. "Huh. I guess I never thought about it before. I just picked them out because they felt comfortable." She walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Looking in on the bedrooms of Keiko and Botan, she found no one. She made her way toward the living room and then the kitchen. Everywhere, so far, was empty. The only place left was the outside. She found the sliding screen set of doors that led to the backyard and stepped through them.

"Well, good morning! Or rather good afternoon I should say!" came a bubbly voice she would've known anywhere.

"Good afternoon." She turned to face Botan. The blue-haired deity was smiling in her direction, hands on her hips.

"I was just about to come wake you up, sleepy head! I've been with the other girls, helping Yukina hang up clothes to dry. She went ahead and washed your clothes from yesterday. I hope you don't mind."

"Uh-huh, no I don't mind at all. Where are the boys?" Rennie asked eagerly.

"The boys… I believe they're sparring over in the training area." She pointed to the nearby forest. "There's a path leading to it over there."

"Thanks, Botan!" Rennie called behind her as she bounded down the steps and off to the trees.

"Hey, wait! You didn't tell me any stories from your journey!" Botan complained.

"Later, I promise!"

The ferry girl shook her head, but she smiled. "That girl," she mumbled, watching her best friend disappear into the woods.

Rennie emerged on the other side not too long after starting the trail. She had run the entire length of it. A decent sized training arena was lain out in a bare portion of field. Kuwabara sat on a bench made of stone nearby. Rennie walked to him, taking note of the fact that Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei were in the ring together, staring each other down.

"Hey, Ren," Kuwabara greeted, patting the spot on the bench beside him. "Have a seat. Urameshi, Kurama, and the shrimp are about to have a little showdown."

"You're not going to join in?" she questioned, sitting down with him.

"Nah, I already got my fill of fighting for the day." He gestured to several bruises and scrapes on his arms and face. "Plus, this is kind of a battle to show off demonic power. Being human and all, it wouldn't do any good for me to be in there."

The brunette reached out for his cheek where a nasty bruise was already turning a deep purple and black. Her hand glowed silver and then the mark was gone. "Even for being a human, you have your own talents you contribute to the group."

He reached up, blinking, and felt his cheek. The pain was gone. "Heh, I guess. I mean, we've had our adventures where my Spirit Sword has come in handy. But right now, they're in the spotlight. Anyway, that's a neat ability ya got yourself there," he complimented as she healed his arms. "Now Botan and my sweet Yukina won't be alone in healing us."

"You really love Yukina, don't you?"

Kuwabara smiled and it reached his eyes. "I do. I'd do anything and everything for her. But I don't think she understands my feelings. With the way she grew up, I doubt she knows what my kind of love means. Knowing that, I still won't give up. I may not be able to replace her brother, but I do wanna be an important man in her life."

Rennie paused in her ministrations and looked up at the orange-haired boy. "She has a brother?"

He nodded, rubbing the back of his head with one freshly healed hand. "Yeah. She has been lookin' for him for a long time. I've been trying to help her, but I feel helpless. I can't really just up and leave for Makai or Rekai to look for him."

Ren tilted her head to the side, releasing his other arm. "Maybe we'll find him while looking for Blaze."

"Ya think so?"

She smiled and noticed Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei were finally about to begin. The kitsune and fire youkai had drawn their weapons of choice, and the Spirit Detective was emanating a mix of blue and red energy. "It looks like things are starting." She and Kuwabara watched the three figures for a moment. Suddenly the arena lit up with a flurry of colors and quick flashes.

"Jeez, they only seem to get faster each time," Kuwabara muttered, a little disappointed. "I'm surprised I can even keep up."

Rennie giggled a bit. "Don't be disappointed. The fact that you can keep up means your skills are still up to par."

"Yeah, Kurama said something like that to me a few years back."

They lapsed into a silence. It wasn't a weird silence but rather it felt natural. The only sound that could be heard was that of the three sparring. Rennie felt comfortable sitting there with the Spirit Sword wielder. She assumed it must have been because he was the first of the boys she'd really met. Even though it stemmed from frightening circumstances, she felt like a bond had formed between them.

"Hey, Ren, about yesterday… You know, when you showed up and saved me from that dragon? I just wanted to say thanks… For saving my butt and all." He was rubbing the back of his head again.

She shook her head and looked down at the grass beneath her feet. "You don't have to thank me. I did what anyone would have. Besides, if anyone saved someone's life, it was the four of you who saved mine."

His expression turned to one of confusion. "We saved you? But we never met you before yesterday…"

The wind picked up, rustling the trees. Rennie's brown hair was sent whipping about her face. She tucked the strands behind her ears as best she could. "It's true we'd never met, but Koenma would tell me of your missions. The two years I spent on my own were hard, to say the least. I always looked forward to the end of the day when Botan or Koenma would call me on the communicator. They would say, 'You'll never believe what Yusuke did today!' or 'Kuwabara gave us all quite a scare at the Dark Tournament!' Things like those…" She went quiet and Kuwabara regarded her with wide eyes.

"When Koenma told me the group had been disbanded and you were going your separate ways… I was crushed. You all were my role models. Without your accomplishments in my life, I felt weaker… Like I'd lost some really great friends…" She blushed when she realized her admittance. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see Kuwabara smiling. He looked over to his fellow teammates, who were all standing still and breathing heavily with smirks on their faces.

"You must've really wanted to meet us, huh?"

"I hoped I would. The days I would come back to Koenma's office, I would wish for you all to be there. You'd never guess just how disappointed I was when you weren't." She chuckled and another moment of peace fell between them. Her eyes wandered over to the arena. The three demons had discontinued their little spar. Yusuke was sitting on the ground, his head thrown back with a laugh to something Kurama had said. Then her gaze was on Hiei. She wondered if he was angry with her for the night before and resolved to confront him sometime during the day.

'Look at those muscles… I'd like to…'

'Dev!'

Rennie groaned, shaking her head.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just something Devil said."

Kuwabara furrowed his brow. "It must've been somethin' bad then."

"More embarrassing than bad."

"There's something I'm sorta curious about, so can I ask you a question?" She didn't answer and he took it as a silence of approval. "Were you always aware of your demons?"

She thought for a moment, sorting through the memories from her childhood she could remember. "Not always. I didn't actually have them until I was four, but then I didn't notice their presence until another year, at least. I shouldn't even have them now, but my mom died when I was young. The transfer of power between double demons is complicated, you see. However, because I was the only child, they came to me." She paused in order to give a small wave to Yusuke, who was waving both his arms in her direction.

"I think they were wary at first; they were scared because they couldn't remember anything." Ren's hand slowly lowered. "The first time I recall knowing they were a part of me happened one night when I suddenly awoke to the sound of crying. I searched the area around the residence but was confused when I found no one. That's when I realized the crying came from within me. Somehow I found my way into the "soul room" and saw them there. Hal was the one crying. Devil was backed into a corner, unsure of what to do. She doesn't feel like Halo does."

"You comforted them?" Kuwabara asked, folding his hands together.

"Yes. I held Hal and just talked to Dev. She wouldn't let me hold her, still won't. From then on, they were with me always." She grinned heartily at the boy beside her.

"You make them sound like they're the greatest thing in the world." He returned her grin with a cheeky one of his own.

"Well! What are you two over here whispering and giggling about!" Yusuke stood above them, smirking and wiping sweat off of his bare chest.

Rennie looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun. Kurama stood nearby, smiling as usual. Hiei was a little further away, his hands shoved casually into his black pants. His cloak and black tank were thrown haphazardly over his shoulder.

"Nothin', Urameshi." Kuwabara suddenly got a sly look. "Other than how I kicked your butt in today's spar."

"Whaaat? Please, Orange-Top, you were cryin' within 5 minutes."

"Cryin'?! I wasn't cryin'! You were the one begging me to stop hitting you!"

"Man, Kuwabara, you're sure gettin' testy. Tryin' to show off for Ren?" Yusuke winked at her.

"That's it, Urameshi!"

Kuwabara tried to grab him, but the Spirit Detective disappeared and then reappeared some short ways away, sticking his tongue out. Kuwabara started to chase after him. A dust cloud billowed up behind them while they raced around the arena as if they were cartoon characters.

Kurama took Kuwabara's place on the bench next to Rennie. "How did you sleep?"

She thought briefly over the nightmare but forced it away. "Okay. It was strange sleeping in a bed again, but otherwise nice."

'Liar…' Halo sang quietly from within.

'I didn't lie. I told the truth. I slept okay,' Rennie thought stubbornly. She noticed Hiei's eyes shift to her, slightly narrowed.

Kurama felt an invading sensation press unto his mind. 'Hiei?'

'The girl is not being truthful.'

'Are you sure?'

'…Do you even have to ask, Fox?'

Kurama smiled and noticed Rennie watching him, her head tilted to the side. "Rennie, are you sure you slept well?" He stared at her in a scrutinizing fashion.

'How did he…?'

'Didn't I tell you before, you stupid girl?' spoke a familiar, bored tone in her thoughts.

She jumped, causing Kurama's scrutiny to change to concern. Of course! She'd already forgotten Hiei's "special" ability. 'Stupid, stupid girl!' she chastised, mentally smacking herself in the forehead. For a split second, she lost control and Devil's personality clashed with her own, making her send a glare in the fire apparition's direction. He glared back with such an intensity she knew she had lost, and she backed down with a sigh. Her shoulders slumped as she steadily met the waiting kitsune's gaze. "To answer your inquiry, I didn't sleep well because of a nightmare… It's a recurring one, but it's nothing serious. So please don't worry about it."

"I see… Well if you don't find it anything to be alarmed over, I won't mention it again."

"Thank you, Kurama."

"No need for thanks. After all, a nightmare never hurt anyone. Ah, that reminds me. Your cheek is still rather irritated looking." Before she could react, he had placed a purple leaf to her still swollen cheek. Immediately she felt her skin cooling down, and her eyes closed at the relief it provided. "Thanks, again."

"Kuramaaaa!" Kuwabara trailed off into a shout. "I think Urameshi broke somethin'!"

The kitsune looked out across the field to find the two boys looking at Yusuke's leg which was twisted to an odd angle that was obviously not natural. Rennie cringed and Hiei smirked. Kurama sighed with a shake of his head. "Just like children…" he muttered, a hand running through his red hair. Kuwabara called for him again, a bit more frantically this time. "Yes, yes… I'll be right back," he said. Then he started jogging away from Rennie, Hiei, and the stone bench, leaving the double demon and fire demon alone.

Wait, alone?

Blue eyes glanced nervously over to a certain socially awkward and usually scowling apparition. Hiei was looking off into the distance, most likely thinking of retreating into the forest for some peace and quiet.

'What're you waiting for? Say something,' Devil goaded.

Rennie didn't want to think a reply. She was certain Hiei would hear it. It wasn't a matter of figuring out what to say. She already knew, it was just how she would say it. "Hiei…" was how she started. He didn't acknowledge her. "I, uh, wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn't have thought the things I did." She waited for some sort of response. When the silence dragged on, she wondered if he even heard her. 'Is he ignoring me to such a point that he didn't hear me?' Her mouth opened to repeat the apology, but he stopped her with another narrowed glance.

"I heard you, fool. In no way am I deaf. I won't accept your apology. Just know that if you think such things again, I will put you to an early grave." He emphasized his threat by laying his hand on the hilt of his katana. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her for probably the millionth time since the day before.

"Right… I'll keep from giving you the opportunity to do that." She had a sudden thought and found she was too curious to keep from asking. "Say, Hiei? Can you hear Dev and Hal's voices when they're speaking?"

He thought momentarily of not answering her but knew if he didn't she would never stop pestering him. "Hn. Your demons are embedded into the layers of your soul. I can hear your thoughts because they are surface thoughts." He smirked and pointed to the white bandana she knew hid the Jagan. "With my third eye, I could peel back the layers and hear them with ease."

'Someone sure has a giant ego.'

'Hey, Rennie, tell him to use that eye of his right now.'

'Do I even dare to ask why?' There was a pause and the double demon figured Devil was demonstrating. When she blinked, an image of Hal's disgusted face flashed behind her eyelids. 'Gross, Dev!'

'Hey, don't knock it 'til ya try it.'

'…Rennie, I want out of here… Right. Now.'

'Sorry, Hal,' said girl thought, stifling her laughter.

"Hiei! Would you please come over here and help us move Yusuke to the temple?" Kurama pleaded loudly from across the field.

The brunette watched him disappear and then reappear over with the others. Kuwabara supported Yusuke's upper body, Hiei took care of his legs, and Kurama made sure to keep the injured area from being agitated. The Duo Demon trotted over to them, wondering if there was anything she could do.

"Keiko's gonna kill me." Yusuke whistled, staring down at the bone coming through his skin. The area all around it had been torn open so much so that the muscles and bone could be seen. The leader of the Rekai Tantei wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, but he imagined his girlfriend was going to be livid.

"Maybe she won't be too angry," Rennie tried to assure him. She realized she had spoken too soon when they emerged from the trees. The four other girls behind Team Urameshi spotted them, dropped the laundry they'd been attending, and ran over.

"What happened?!" Botan exclaimed, opening the sliding doors.

"Had a bit of an accident, I'm afraid." Kurama pointed to the dining room table, and Kuwabara and Hiei set the detective down.

Yusuke could see the fury alight in his girlfriend's eyes. "Uhh, Kurama?" He reached out to grab the kitsune's t-shirt and pulled him over to stand in between him and Keiko's line of sight. "Save me."

The red-head motioned to Shizuru. "Please take Keiko outside for some air." The eldest Kuwabara sibling placed her arm around Keiko's shoulders and led her from the room out onto the front steps.

"Is there anything that Yukina and I can do?" Botan asked.

"Yes. I have set bones before so I will handle that. You and Yukina will begin the healing process as soon as I give word, so it will be a quick transition. Hiei, Kuwabara, I want you both to hold him down. And Rennie…"

"Yes!" She was alert.

"I want you to keep a hold on his hand."

"Whaaaat? C'mon, Kurama," Yusuke whined.

"Yusuke, this will be painful. No matter how tough you believe yourself to be, this will prove to be a challenge for you," Kurama warned.

"Yeah, yeah… I can handle it… I've had broken bones," he grumbled. Nevertheless, he lifted his hand and held it out for Rennie.

"It'll be okay. If you're in pain, just squeeze my hand. As hard as you want, okay?" She smiled.

He stared up at the ceiling, grinning. "You'll be the one squeezing my hand for comfort."

Taking his hand, she observed as Kuwabara moved to hold down his upper body and Hiei grabbed the lower half. Botan and Yukina were on standby, waiting for Kurama to give them the signal. The one everyone was waiting on finally stood over Yusuke's leg, putting on some gloves. He looked over to the Spirit Gun master who nodded, indicating he was ready.

The next few seconds seemed to pass by in a weird, slow quiet. Rennie watched Yusuke's expression go from the calm and collected cool she'd grown accustomed to seeing into a widened, unblinking, and blank stare. All of the blood drained out of his face, leaving him ghostly pale.

"Yusuke, breathe," she urged, although she did not hear her own voice. Then she squeezed his hand hard, hoping it would break him out of the shock. His chocolate brown eyes focused, he inhaled sharply, and squeezed her hand in return like it was a lifeline. The slowness that had taken over the room seemed to catch up. Rennie's hearing zoned back in just in time to hear the final snap of the bone being set. Yusuke's dull fingernails dug into her palm, breaking the skin.

Kuwabara leaned across to check up on his best friend. "Uhh… Kurama, you better hurry and get to the healing part of this process. Urameshi ain't lookin' so hot."

"Botan, Yukina, if you will," he signaled, wiping his brow. The two girls nodded and started feeding spirit energy into the still open wound.

Rennie watched the bone start to re-grow in places that had chipped and broken. She could only imagine what the pain of a bone growing back must feel like. "You okay?" she asked Yusuke, looking into his eyes again.

"Peachy," he mumbled, shuddering a bit.

At that moment, Genkai came strolling in through the front screen doors. In her arms was a brown paper bag, but as soon as she spotted Yusuke, she dropped it unceremoniously on the floor. "What the hell happened?" she barked. In a few surprisingly long strides for her stature, she was hovering next to his legs, staring at the halfway mended bone.

Yusuke grinned at her through the pain. "Nice to see you too, grandma."

Her faded pink hair swayed as she shook her head. She stalked out of the dining room, muttering something about "dimwits" and bandages. After a minute or two had passed, she returned with a first aid kit in hand. She set about laying bandages and antibacterial medicine on the table top.

Meanwhile, Yusuke was busy staring down his body at the girls. Their faces were covered in sweat, their eyebrows tense and their eyes focused. "Yo… Kurama, how much longer?"

The kitsune glanced at the wound and gave Botan and Yukina a signal to stop. "I think that it will be fine to stop there, ladies. We can't have you overexerting yourselves. It might be better to let the wound finish healing on its own. Genkai, would you happen to have a needle and thread in your first aid kit? He will need stitches to close up the gash."

The old woman already had the supplies in her hand and was on her way to sterilize the needle. "I'll do the stitches. The dimwit injured himself on my land. I might as well be the one to close him up."

"Hey, grandma, you aren't really gonna be the one to stitch me up right?" Yusuke asked a bit nervously. She didn't reply, but he knew her answer. He sighed and stared up at Rennie, a pleading look on his face.

She smiled apologetically. "If I had experience with stitches, I would sew it up for you." She felt worse when the boy slumped on the table in disappointment, accepting his fate. "I'm sure that Genkai is skilled in this sort of thing," the double demon tried to reassure him.

It took Genkai twenty minutes to close up the gash, mostly because Yusuke kept squirming, but when she was done the lines of thread were neat and firm. They all helped him off of the table so he could test out the bone. He winced after putting pressure on it the first time, but once he'd stood for a few minutes, he seemed okay.

"How does it feel, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked. He was standing next to his best friend, alert just in case he suddenly collapsed.

"It's kinda sore, but it's nothing I can't handle." Yusuke stretched his leg out and rolled his ankle experimentally.

"Yes, well, I believe that is enough strain for it today. The shock has worn off, but I imagine the exhaustion has yet to set in. You should try to lie down for now," Kurama advised.

"Fine. Kuwabara, help me to my room will you?" Yusuke asked lightly. Rennie could see that he was trying to play off the pain he must've really been feeling. She assumed he wanted Kuwabara along as a sort of precaution. Kuwabara grabbed Yusuke under the arm and slung the shorter boy's arm over his own shoulder. They shuffled slowly down the hallway towards Yusuke's bedroom.

In the meantime, Botan was fetching Shizuru and Keiko. Rennie figured that being outside on the porch for almost an hour was stressful for the detective's girlfriend. The minute she passed through the screen doors, she took off down the hallway without a word to the others. Everyone glanced at each other, knowing Yusuke was probably in for a world of hurt. Seconds later, Kuwabara padded back into the dining room.

"Was she angry?" Botan asked tentatively.

"Nah. I think she was more worried than anything." He shrugged. "I decided to leave 'em alone, though."

"That is likely for the best." Kurama nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "She'll keep a close watch on him."

"I guess today is a sit at home kind of day," Kuwabara summed up.

"It was already one of those days, baby bro," Shizuru reminded, heading towards the front doors with a cigarette in hand.

"Well, I suppose we shall just have to find something to do, now won't we, Rennie?" Botan smiled. "Would you like to watch a movie?"

"Sure! Er, how about everyone else? Does a movie sound okay?" Rennie looked at the room's other occupants, hoping they would be up for it.

"I would love to!" Yukina exclaimed, and of course, since she wanted to, Kuwabara nodded his head in enthusiasm. He grabbed her hand gently and pulled her to the love seat where the both of them started discussing which movie genre they wanted.

Genkai shook her head and left for her own bedroom, choosing to let her dimwitted youngsters have some time with one another.

Kurama simply sat down on the couch, letting his actions speak for him. Rather than leaving, Hiei sat on the end of the couch closest to the love seat. Everyone stared at him, wondering whether or not he had finally snapped. Kurama, on the other hand, just smirked mischievously to himself. The fire demon ignored the pointed stares and glared across the room.

"Well… erm, good to have you with us, Hiei," Botan commented a bit awkwardly.

The next few minutes following Hiei's out of character ways were spent deciding on a movie. After a few toss-ups of different titles, a horror movie Yukina was particularly interested in was chosen. Then, instead of allowing her to sit between Botan and Kurama, Rennie was forced by the ferry girl to sit next to Hiei. The couch could sit four people even if it was a tight fit.

Rennie expected him to get up and run the second they were squished together. However, he merely sat there, arms and legs crossed, eyeing the beginnings of the film. It was odd being so close to him, especially after all the death threats and glares. Their legs were pressed together because of the small space. She could feel his body heat seeping into her skin. Shivering slightly from the contact, she rubbed her arms.

Hiei, of course, had his own reasons for indulging in the "stupid" pastime of humans. Originally, he had been about to leave when Kurama made a point to remind him of something important. It made him grit his teeth just thinking of the fox's snarky tone.

'Hiei,' Kurama had started out, his tone suspiciously innocent.

'Fox,' Hiei replied curtly.

'Why don't you stay and watch the movie?'

'I'd rather train than join in on a ridiculous human hobby.' Hiei rolled his eyes.

'Well, if you insist, but I feel I should warn you about the customs that go with this ridiculous human hobby.' The red-head's innocent facial expression morphed into a smirk when Hiei raised an eyebrow. 'Couples generally like to watch movies together.'

'And?'

'Sometimes it isn't just couples. It might be a boy who likes a girl. The boy, say one with orange hair, would sit by the girl. The lights would be dimmed, as is custom in human standards, and the boy and girl would be next to each other in a darkened environment for the next, say, two hours.'

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction. The fox was talking about the oaf and his sister!

So, he had stayed. Kurama had been right. The fool and Yukina were sitting next to each other, on furniture called a love seat of all things. He did have to give the idiot one thing. He would never say it out loud, but he was impressed (as minimal as it was) that the boy had not tried anything. They were about thirty minutes into the movie and yet Kuwabara was simply sitting there, comfortable just being beside Yukina.

'That's so adorable.' The thought was sudden enough to interrupt his own. He realized it was the girl and rolled his eyes. Obviously she had ignored his advice to keep the inner workings of her mind to herself. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her staring not so subtly at his sister and Kuwabara.

'They are cute together. So innocent.' This voice was different, it was lighter and wiser. It didn't take him much to figure out that it was one of her demons. Hiei was confused but only for a moment. How could he hear her demon? He had been the one to explain to her that they were inside the layers of her soul; he would only be able to hear them with his third eye. The only solution he could come to was that their proximity, the fact that they were touching, was giving him access into her soul. The contact was enough that he could hear everything, even without his Jagan.

'Woah! That was awesome!' The third voice was a bit childish, more rash than either Rennie or who he presumed to be the one called Halo. She must have been excited by the horror movie. The antagonist of the film was in the process of torturing and cutting off the limbs of one of the characters. Hiei snorted quietly to himself. The gore effect was positively hilarious. 'The humans that created this have no clue what real torture is,' he thought to himself.

'Bleh. All the blood coming from that guy makes me feel sick.'

'You call yourself a demon, Hal? Jeez. A little blood never hurt.'

'That isn't a little, Dev! The guy is spurting!'

Hiei smirked. The girl's demons were somewhat entertaining, at least. Having to sit next to her on the couch throughout this joke of a movie was proving to be worth it.

'So, Ren,' Devil began, mischievousness present in her tone, 'how does it feel?'

'What do you mean?' Rennie was honestly confused.

'Sitting next to Hiei.'

Rennie choked suddenly, causing Botan to look at her with concern. "Are you all right?" asked the Grim Reaper.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she reassured.

'Sorry,' her darker half snickered. 'Didn't think I would catch you off guard.'

'Dev, you're so mean. Stop messing with her.'

'I have to mess with her! It's my job, Hal.'

'Since when has being mean to me been your job?' Rennie smiled.

'Since you were five.'

They continued on like that with Hiei listening all the while. He couldn't help but feel a slight curiousness. In demon world, he had heard of double demons existing, but this girl was the first he had met. The dynamic between her and her apparitions was an… interesting concept. The fire demon, however, was more interested in how strong the demons were. Halo had already been seen, and she seemed to be a defensive demon rather than offensive. So, it was Devil who he wanted to spar with. He would be the first to test the girl's strength.

'

A/N: There you go! Sorry for any mistakes I missed, it's two in the morning right now and I'm running on fumes. Hopefully it won't take me as long to get Chapter 6 out… It might take me a little bit to get into writing it. I've got some things coming up that will require my attention first. As I was writing this, I found myself revisiting the anime, especially episodes 89-90. They made me realize how much I adore Kuwabara and the relationship between all four of the guys. The emotion in the episodes involving Yusuke's second death just amazes me. So, I wanna know, which episode happens to be your favorite? Or favorites? Let me know in your review, guys! I love you all! Thank you for reading, favoriting and reviewing! Your support keeps me going!