Yukina VII

In the end, Yukina had no control over how the truth came out. She chose neither the time, nor the place, nor who was present. She did not pick the method, and she could not use her carefully rehearsed acceptance speech.

In the end, neither did Hiei, so they were even.

She was explaining the compound's rules to a newcomer, a reptilian demon Hiei had reluctantly introduced, though Yukina was embarrassed to admit she has missed the demon's name.

"Sounds like you have a pretty sweet deal going on here. I think I can remember all that," the stranger nodded at the conclusion of Yukina's speech.

"I am glad you are here," Yukina smiled.

The demon stood and grabbed her bag, addressing Hiei as she passed him, "Geez, man, you should've mentioned this place was run by your sister," she went through the door, "I mean who'd have thought you had such a nice girl for a twin. Seriously, those eyes, man. You two look exactly alike. And an ice demon at that," she chuckled over her shoulder as she walked down the hall, leaving a wide-eyed Hiei stuttering in her wake.

"I- She- I mean, it's not- Uh-."

Yukina stood up and spoke gently.

"It's alright, Hiei." What else could she do?

Hiei closed his mouth.

Yukina could hear both of them breathing in the silence.

"It's… alright," Hiei repeated slowly, "I- you-"

Yukina smiled guiltily.

"You know."

Yukina nodded.

"How long?"

"Since the Dark Tournament."

Hiei looked behind him into the hall and closed the door.

"I'm sorry, I-," Hiei started.

Yukina had imagined the scenario dozens of ways, but in none of them had Hiei been rendered speechless.

"Me too. I thought... I thought I could make you say it and I shouldn't have done that."

Hiei closed his eyes and gave a low, short laugh.

"No. The fault is still mine."

"I heard you got your jagan to look for me?" Yukina asked suddenly.

"… I did."

Yukina's eyes darted around as she tried to process that.

"And for so many years, I still could not find you. It took the assistance of those morons…."

"I can't believe you did that for my sake."

Hiei was silent again.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you immediately," he continued at last.

"I understand, really I do," Yukina insisted, clasping her hands together, "I just thought-"

"It was time."

"Yes."

"I thought, for a long time, you would be ashamed to have a brother like me, but lately you have shown me to be wrong."

"Good," Yukina put her hands on her hips, "I am very proud of you."

"I am still… concerned for your safety. Too many people know. It isn't much of a secret, anymore," Hiei mumbled.

"Oh, I see. I am taking many precautions-"

"I know. But there's always another threat," his voice was strangely soft.

Yukina nodded slowly, "Just like for you."

"I suppose…."

"I won't go around advertising it."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I will be as confidential as possible about it."

"Oh. Very well."

"But?"

"I suppose… I will still worry."

"I worry about you too."

"So, you're saying?"

"I do not think it is something we can stop."

Hiei let out another low laugh.

"You are lecturing me."

"I'm sorry. I am not trying to."

"I know, I mean, I didn't mean it that way."

"It's alright, I mean, me too."

They stared at each other for a moment. Yukina felt she was gazing into her own eyes.

Hiei blinked at her and she laughed.

"What?"

"Just, this, it's all so strange."

"I suppose it is."

"What do we do from here?"

"I think… look out for each other and… be honest with each other," Hiei decided with some authority.

"Honest. Yes. I would like that."

"As would I. I don't… get to be honest much."

"But you have Kurama," Yukina insisted hurriedly.

"He only enjoys laughing at my expense."

"That's not true," Yukina pouted.

"Very well. I will give him more credit than that. Such teasing seems to be what friends do."

Yukina giggled, "Isn't it fun?"

Hiei shook his head, but smiled, "I do care much for it."

"It is just like when you insult people, only nicer."

"Well, I'm glad one of us understands me."

"See? There!"

"Well…."

"Well," Yukina repeated, sitting down once more. Hiei copied her.

"You will keep teaching me?"

"Of course."

"Then we are doing the best we can, to stay safe and to stay close."

Hiei shook his head once more, "Even when I tried to return the tear gem. And Kurama didn't even tell you."

"Do you think you could tell me what you remember about… our mother?"

"Yes, I can do that," Hiei agreed tentatively, "Though it is not a very pleasant story."

Yukina smile understandingly, "I know." She scooted over to him and hugged him from the side, and he hugged her back.

"Would you like some tea and cookies?"

Hiei gave a shadow of a grin, "That sounds good."

oOoOoOoOoOo

"I'm so happy for you," Keiko sighed from her place next to Yukina at the table up against the wall. The room was full of old friends and new residents, talking and drinking in a party-like atmosphere, though nothing of the sort had been formally planned. Suzuki and Rinku were explaining the rules to the latest pair of arrivals whilst Kazuma and Yusuke were introducing Koenma to some of their first residents and Kurama discussed the human world with yet another group.

"I'm glad you find our reunion heartwarming," Hiei crossed his arms from Yukina's other side.

"Now, Hiei, you know we just want the best for you," Botan shook a finger at him.

"Don't chastise me," Hiei scoffed.

"Don't be so defensive," Shizuru put in, "We all saw it coming."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Absolutely no one was surprised," Shizuru further explained over her unlit cigarette.

Hiei looked over at Keiko, who only smiled innocently.

"How did you know? How did everyone know? Who told?" Hiei's tone took a murderous turn.

"I told a few people," Yukina admitted before things got too serious, "I told Keiko, and I guess… Kazuma?"

"You told the oaf? Why would you do that?" Hiei was incredulous.

"Well, he's my friend, and I need someone to talk to," Yukina did not see the problem.

Hiei huffed.

"I don't know about some of the others, though. I would not have thought Chu would have figured it out on his own," she shrugged, not wanting to place blame on the most likely culprit.

Hiei fidgeted, "What about you?" he asked Shizuru, changing the subject.

"Saw it on the original tape."

Hiei stood abruptly, "I'm going," he looked back at Yukina, "to get something to eat," he walked off towards the food table and Kazuma's group. Touya's hair mysteriously started smoking as Hiei passed.

"Same old Hiei," Botan shook her head as Touya patted out the embers.

"But you wouldn't want him any other way, right?" Keiko grinned.

"Of course not," Yukina agreed whole-heartedly, "He's perfect."

Shizuru broke the silence after a moment, "I'm going out for a smoke."

Botan looked over at Koenma, who was backing up uselessly while being accosted by a demon with no sense of personal space.

"Better go save the boss," Botan quipped, jumping up and flouncing over to his aid.

Keiko shook her head, "This is such a strange life."

"Is it?" Yukina wondered. Did she mean compared to human life?

"You just never know what's going to happen next." Ah, it was a philosophical moment.

"What makes you say that?"

"Before Yusuke died, I never could have imagined anything like these whole other worlds. I could never have comprehending sitting here and looking at all this as normal," she indicated Botan trying to pull the offending demon off of Koenma."

"I wouldn't have either, before I met all of you."

"That's where it all starts. You meet someone or you lose someone."

"Or a little of both," Yukina grinned.

They let the calm go for a minute.

"I suppose I should check on Yusuke," Keiko sighed finally.

Yukina nodded as she left, Kurama seamlessly taking her seat.

"Is this what you intended?" Kurama indicated the merriment.

"I don't know, but it seems right now, people wandering in and out. I am just glad Hiei fits in," Yukina glanced over to where her brother now stood, arms crossed once again, listening to Yusuke and Kazuma joke around.

"To use the term loosely," Kurama qualified.

"I should thank you, for your help. Your advice was invaluable."

"I was happy to assist."

"Drinks for all!" Jin came zooming through, armed with a tray of whiskey glasses. He slid a pair on the table in front of Kurama and Yukina.

"Here ya are," he announced, running off as quickly as he had appeared.

Kurama picked up the glass and swirled the brown liquid questioningly.

"Don't drink that!" Chu ran in, chasing after Jin, "Bludger wouldn't know good liquor if he was takin' a bath in it," he called as he ran passed.

Kurama placed the drink back on the table.

Yukina smiled and shook her head.

"I can't help but wish things had gone a little more according to plan with Hiei. I feel like nothing I did mattered in the end. It was all chance," Yukina sighed.

"It was a bit odd as things turned out," Kurama allowed, "but your efforts succeeded in fostering your relationship with Hiei and making him think. It would have come out. It was only a matter of time."

"You really believe that?"

"I do."

"It is true we are much closer now. I finally feel like I am part of this family."

"Of course you are."

Yukina watched Hiei slip silently away from the others. As he made his way towards the window, he looked back at her.

She smiled.

He nodded.

With another curt nod to Kurama, he leapt out the window.

"You are alright with this?" Kurama queried.

"Yes. I understand," Yukina explained, "I just asked that he give me some sign."

"Ah. Good for you. Hopefully he will return to normal now, or as normal as he ever gets."

"He said something about having to apologize to Mukuro," Yukina informed him.

"What, you mean voluntarily?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Interesting," Kurama put a hand to his chin.

Yukina's attention was captured by Kazuma, who ambled up and leaned over the table.

"Nice party you have going here," he grinned.

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself," Yukina grinned back.

"Sorry about the guests though," Yusuke ambled up behind him, "some of them are a little ugly around the face," he not-so-subtly indicated Kazuma.

"Hey! At least some of us know out etiquette, mister punch-a-hole in the wall."

"Whatever, I was emotionally distraught!"

"Fancy words, there."

Yusuke grabbed one of the drinks on the table and downed it all at once. Kurama laughed quietly as the two continued to argue.

"Can't you two shut up for one minute?" Shizuru complained, meandering over with Keiko, Botan, and Koenma.

"That's asking a lot, Shizuru," Botan opined.

"It's not so bad," Keiko shrugged, "Reminds me of the old days."

"I try not to think about those," Shizuru bantered.

Yukina smiled the most sincere smile she had aired in a long time as Koenma made a joke about dolling out jail time. She was finally content, and watching the groups of friendly humans and demons gave her a sense of accomplishment. She had her family and she had her work. This was truly home.

"I hear you've become quite the swordswoman," she was distracted by Shishi leaning a hand on the table, "Perhaps you would like to spar sometime?" he flipped his ponytail.

"That would be lovely," Yukina smiled back and became thoroughly engrossed in Shishi's description of his own style of sword fighting.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Yukina slid open the door and breathed in the cool air. There was fresh snow on the ground, a good coat for the first of the year. It was early and the compound was still quiet. She wanted to walk out in the snow, but there was always something that dispirited her from marring the perfect blanket with her footprints.

Yukina shook her head at her own foolishness.

Still, rather than step into the snow, she froze a path of ice and glided to the spot where the garden grew in other seasons. It was the one thing missing in the snow. The evergreens stood tall as always, but the flowers provided by the garden had no counterparts.

Yukina took another deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to relish the dampened silence only snow could produce.

She opened her eyes to the grey sky. Hiei was out the somewhere. He had not stopped by for over a week now.

Yukina began idly creating ice formations over the barren garden, watching her element take snake along the frozen ground. Hiei's long absence did not cause her any great anxiety.

He would come back.

She looked down and began to change the little ice sculptures into flowers. She thought first of roses, but found she enjoyed the task and expanded to irises and poppies. The curves of the stems and petals seemed to flow naturally.

"A very nice garden you have growing here," Yukina looked up to see Touya standing beside her. In addition to sporting no coat, just as she was, he was not wearing shoes.

"Thank you," Yukina smiled.

"I never would have thought of such a use…," he mused, looking around at the variety of her creations.

"It just seemed like fun," Yukina explained.

"Hm," Touya considered, beginning to try it out for himself. Yukina watched patiently as vines began to emerge from the ground.

Yes, Hiei would return in his own time, she had no reservations. She would be stuck waiting, she would miss him, and she would get frustrated, but she would never doubt him. She would do her best to let him be the way he was.

Yukina began forming another flower almost unconsciously. She glanced over at Touya's work, which was looking more like Kurama's Death Plant than any kind of flower.

Yukina smiled to herself. Soon they would have their winter garden.

She would have her life here, and her friends and her work to console her.

In the end, she would put forth her best effort to better her little corner of the worlds. In the end, she could not control much of anything, much less Hiei.

And in the end, that was alright.

~*fin*~

Well, there it is. I had the ending planned before anything else, so hopefully it was not too anticlimactic.

I want to thank all you readers one last time. I have learned so much about writing- and so much about my writing- with this story. It never ceases to amaze me there are people who read what I write. Your follows and favorites have been very flattering and your comments most kind. I hope to continue to see you around the YYH fandom (or elsewhere) in the future.

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