┼ Heaven S e n t ┼ [ Private For Maria/Mature]

Giggling underneath his hand, the orange-haired youth shook his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend why the Sohma's were so clueless. Were they seriously stupid? Or was Maria's performance that convincing? Lips curling into a grin, Kyo flickered his gaze sideways to see the raven-haired woman winking at him in her secret language. Nodding faintly from behind the curtain, he curved his mouth downwards in understanding. He would play along for now, at least till one of the elder males decided to wake up from their fantasy. Yet, from looking intently at the four older males on the opposite side of the room, Kyo could clearly see their eyes focused upon Maria's sensual figure. Snorting lightly, he mused silently in his mind :: I could draw symbols over their faces now..and I bet they wouldn't even know until much later. :: "Pfft..." The orange-haired youth shook his head again, while moving carefully behind the curtain. He didn't want to accidentally bring the rod down from above nor did he want to make so much noise that the group would turn around to see him. :: I can't screw this up. Though I wonder what else Maria has up her sleeve? :: Swallowing slightly, the young boy moved to the edge of the curtain, peering out to stare at his adopted mother in astonishment. What language was she speaking now? How had she gotten the name Geanviere? Raising a slender eyebrow in question, the zodiac cat tilted his head sideways in a curious gesture, he had never heard French from anyone. Yet, he had to admit the strange sounding accent was a refreshing change to the usual slang Shigure spoke at home. Snickering softly, he smiled in approval at the young woman's theatrical acting. She would no doubt make a great instructor if she decided to ever open up a dance studio, though the youth quickly changed subjects at Maria's question. Eyes widening in shock, the youth almost shouted out his like for Maria's dance moves, but managed to catch himself before his cover was blown. Ducking behind the protective fabric barrier, Kyo Sohma decided it would be in his best interest to hide for he might make a stupid mistake sooner or later.

:: I can't believe my eyes! :: The zodiac dog thought quietly to himself, stony orbs fixated upon the beautiful raven-haired woman standing in front of them. His throat felt to dry to even speak, but after swallowing the lump Shigure managed to speak in a hoarse tone "I can't believe we have an actual French singer from Paris!" He exclaimed happily, clapping both hands in approval. Yet, a few inconsistent facts bothered the young man momentarily, tilting his head sideways to examine the French singer he found himself staring into the face of a very beautiful woman. Those dazzling crimson orbs seemed to draw him in, but his eyes quickly traveled downwards to take in Maria's dangerous curves. Cheeks warming several shades of red, he couldn't help admiring how well this particular woman had been put together. The raven-haired girl would place any super model in shame from his point of view. :: Stop staring at her Shigure! Stop it now! :: His mind screamed out desperately to the frozen body that had disconnected from the world, as a star-struck gaze clouded the raven-haired male's face. Swallowing dryly, he muttered almost incoherently "I'm ready to party! Anytime babe!" Shigure called out excitedly, his cheeks burning bright red as reality struck him in the face. Boy, he must look stupid standing in the middle of the room with a dazed expression etched across his face. But was it his fault? Could he be to blame for being unable to take his eyes of Genaviere? "Madame Gena! I already see many things I like." Shigure teased lightly, only to wince as a fist struck him outside the head. "Ow! What was that for?" He questioned sourly, turning to eye the disgusted doctor from the side. "Really now. Your behavior is of a five year old child." Hatori grumbled, his olive hues burying themselves mercilessly into the dog's eyes. A dark glare seemed to flare briefly in the doctor's cold gaze before vanishing completely from sight. It left Shigure both fearful and plainly annoyed to have his fun spoiled by his reserved cousin "Just because you don't like having fun doesn't mean I have to act like you do." He snapped lowly, ardent words being thrown directly at the zodiac dragon. Snarling softly, the young doctor turned away from the group, but he couldn't get far with Shigure reaching out to grab his sleeve. Grinning slyly, he pushed Hatori towards the stage as the next song began to play "Have fun. Isn't that what life is about anyway?" He snickered, turning his gaze back to see Ayame and Loki scowling at each other. Sweat-dropping in dismay, he suddenly perked up in time to see Maria gesturing for them to join her at the tables. Smiling broadly, he couldn't help running to see if he would be lucky enough to be chosen, sadly it seemed the reluctant dragon had been picked to dance with Maria. "Lucky! Don't waste this chance you foolish doctor!" Shigure called out, as he climbed into the stage to pull his cousin away from Maria "First, he needs a costume change." The zodiac dog whispered to Maria, then hurriedly ushered Hatori into the walk-in closet in the middle of the hallway "Hey, You better not waste this chance to get a kiss from that pretty girl." He muttered enviously at the young man before shutting the door and returning to the living room. :: Out of all of us, why was he chosen? ::

"How childish." The zodiac dragon hissed beneath his breath, unable to comprehend how he was related to the two Sohma's. Could it be he was adopted and didn't know about it? Why was he even bothered by the childish display towards the young woman? Was he jealous of the attention they were giving her? :: Jealous? When did I come to display such alien emotions? I remember months ago when I wouldn't care if my cousins flirting with other females. Now, I can't stomach the fact my own family members are acting so immaturely. :: Swallowing back a dozen emotions, the brown-haired Sohma whirled around to stare at the table where the young woman danced so sensually. Gosh, he knew it would have been better to walk away for now Hatori couldn't keep his gaze away from the raven-haired girl singing in front of him. Gulping nervously, olive orbs ran up and down over the girl's body lightly taking in every single detail as she twirled those sexy hips in a circular motion. :: First of all, how did we get a girl from Paris to sing and dance for us? I wonder who was the idiot who invited her to come. Hopefully, the bill isn't going to be in the millions. :: He thought to himself silently, though at the last minute Hatori walked right up to the zodiac dog with an angry expression. He didn't like the fact his cousin was saying obscene words towards the raven-haired woman. Despite how sensually she danced, the young doctor had always held onto the belief that everyone should be respected. Despite being different or doing things that a normal citizen wouldn't do, he wasn't the type of man who would offend anyone without good reason. Snorting disdainfully at Shigure, he growled "Really now. Your behavior is of a five year old child." The zodiac male snapped down at raven-haired male without meaning to. In response his cousin snapped back, but Shigure's fury only lasted a few minutes before the young male found himself being shoved towards the table. "Nani?" Hatori questioned, suddenly finding himself being pulled onto the table. Cheeks burning a bright crimson, he frozen on stage as Maria lightly bumped hips with him "I...I don't know how to do anything." He lied, mostly to get away from the embarrassment this was causing him. Hatori Sohma did not dance in public events nor would he humility himself for a kiss. Yet, as he attempted to come down from the table, Shigure appeared to take him away "Thanks..for saving me." The young man smiled gratefully, but realized he was being thrown into the costume room. :: Thanks for nothing. :: Hatori curled his fist tightly and shook it at the closed door "Dam you!" Turning around to look at the various clothing hanging from the rods, he chose black bell bottom pants, a elegantly starched white-button down shirt with some silver and gold sequins sown in. Undressing from his regular clothing, the young man found himself now in a completely new outfit which brought out his muscular frame. "I feel strange." Hatori whimpered, tossing on some comfortable shoes so he could dance around without fear of falling of the table. As he exited from the closet, the beat of the music changed to a familiar song he loved called Shake Your Groove Thing. Straightening his head arrogantly, he kept a straight face upon stepping right up onto the table. With the music playing loudly in the background, Hatori began to shake his hips in the traditional disco dance, his hands going up to unbutton his white top in the hope of impressing the young woman with his slick moves.

She felt weightless in the water, as cold currents threatened to drag Shirauni down to a watery grave. The white-haired maiden could neither move nor come out of her pain-induced trance, even when Hiei's voice slashed clearly into her mind. :: I can hear him, but why can't I react to him? :: She wondered mentally, while trying to figure out a way in which to reach him without wasting precious energy. Her mind thought of different possibilities, but sadly the sun-goddess couldn't figure out a method to bring herself out of darkness. Yet, the feeling of floating around in semi-gloom came as a relief to Shirauni, suspended within the darkness she couldn't be harmed nor could she harm anyone else with her problems. :: How selfish of me to unload all my problems upon Hiei. He has a million other things to do, then to be worrying about me. :: Distantly, she could feel the warmth of his muscular frame pulling her unconscious body into his arms. The concern in tone broke Shirauni's heart inwardly, but the young maiden did not want to wake up again. Worthless. Selfish. Those were all the words she could hear echoing in her mind, but a vague feeling of comfort seeped in from the way Hiei was calling out to her. It seemed strangely familiar as if they had done the same thing in the distant past. But how? She didn't remember him from her childhood? Even if she did, how would he react? Would he harm her? Or would he get mad? Unknowingly, Shirauni began to shift slightly in Hiei's arms, orbs opening to reveal glazed and lifeless orbs. She clearly wasn't even on earth at least not yet, but a strange behavior overcame the goddess. Clenching plum orbs shut tightly, Shirauni snuggled against Hiei's neck, lips parting lightly to let out indistinguishable mumbles "Why have I grown so fond of Hiei in such a short amount of time? I assume because he is different from anyone else I've met in my life time. I can sense he is special...and that's why I can't stop myself from liking him." The young woman stated softly, her body moving again to swim upright as an embarrassing fact which should have been private escaped her mind "Hiei, looks hot naked." Shirauni whispered, bringing her hands to press them against the fire demon's face. Without warning, the sun-goddess leaned in to kiss Hiei without a string of recognition for what she was doing.

How could this have happened to him? Out of the four males in the living room, he had been chosen to perform for the beautiful Geneviere. But why pick him to dance? Why not pick Shigure, Loki or Ayame? Was he that special? The brown-haired doctor couldn't comprehend what had just happened to him, his reserved nature wouldn't allow him to fall easily into silly games such as these. Yet, why had he accepted to dance in front of the raven-haired woman in the first place? Could it be that he actually wanted to be the center of attention just for her? Did he want to show of to the other males that the zodiac dragon wasn't as reserved as they thought he was? Whatever the reasons could be, the young male faced reality with a brave face, despite having a huge blush covering his face. :: I could have refused Geneviere's invitation to dance on the table, but why was I so compelled to follow through? I'm not supposed to act this way in front of everyone. Now what will the Sohma's think of me? :: Hatori swallowed sourly, knowing instinctively his cousins would rub tonight's events in his face for years to come. But he began to find his dance moves weren't all in vain, for a brief glance over his shoulder assured him of that. Olive orbs rolling backwards, the young man caught a glimpse of Maria eying him intently as he unbutton his starched shirt in front of her, cheeks warming even more now Hatori opened his mouth to answer her compliment. Mouth agape, he found out in dismay that all words which had formed in his throat were now a mass of jumbled syllables in his throat. Why, couldn't he speak? Did the cat get his tongue? Swallowing harshly again, Hatori spoke a few shaky words "T....Thank you for your compliments Ms. Geneviere." He stammered softly, letting his gaze quickly turn away from the black-haired woman. Continuing with his disco dance, the young doctor closed green eyes to calm his rapidly beating heart, but why was he nervous in front of her? Could it be the desire to please the French woman? But what about Maria? Where did she go? Pushing away the anxious questions, Hatori opened his orbs as a vague feeling of being watched came over him. Rolling his head around, the young man found himself caught immediately of guard upon finding the black-haired woman near his side. With her glossy lips dangerously close to his ear, Hatori felt the hairs on his neck inch upright in embarrassment. Lips thinning into a line, he gulped soundlessly as trembles went up and down his muscular frame. Was she actually telling him to take his clothing off? He couldn't do that in public? Especially, with so many men present. "I...I.." Hatori blushed, while trying to speak through the pangs of nervousness slamming into him.

"Hatori is one lucky bastard." The zodiac dog muttered beneath his breath, trying desperately to hide feelings of jealousy. "What is this? I'm envious at dear Tori-San for stealing the spotlight? I should feel proud for him instead of being such a party pooper." The young man shook his head to clear away all the troublesome thoughts from mind, but he was unable to keep his feelings in check. How could he not feel jealousy when his cousin had been chosen instead of him? Hatori Sohma had obviously given clear clues that he didn't want to dance in front of them, yet he still got chosen anyways. Yet, from spending years with his reserved cousin Shigure had come to see different elements in Hatori's attitude that left him both surprised and slightly nervous. He knew his even-tempered cousin could have a quick change in temperament, like he had shown towards Hiei. Shaking his head clear of negative thoughts, the zodiac dog settled down to watch the performance from afar. His facial expression remained blank and clear of all emotions, but he couldn't help raising a lip to snicker at Loki's outburst. Despite the russet-haired male's claims, the young man could easily tell the god of mischief held some envy for the lucky male dancing on the table. "Better, settle down Loki." The raven-haired male warned playfully "Anymore words coming out of your mouth and I'm sure Hatori shall gobble you for dinner." Shigure grinned, only to turn around in shock as the disco music shut of instantly. Blinking in confusion, the young man had no idea what happened..though an instant later the screen doors came tumbling in to reveal a young woman standing in the doorway. Raising an eyebrow in question, Shigure suddenly frowned in anger as realization dawned abruptly on him. His screen doors had gotten damaged, hadn't they? And now they had a strange woman in the house screaming at the top of her lungs? Deep anger swirled into Shigure's grey gaze, but it was unnatural for the zodiac dog to lose his temperament quick.

By nature, Shigure was a laid-backed young man with a high tolerance for anyone annoying. But, his calm attitude only went to far. Anyone who dared to break a personal belonging in the Sohma home would undoubtedly face his wrath sooner or later. Grimacing in panic, the young man ran immediately to inspect his screen doors, though it hit him hard that the delicate Japanese doors had fallen of their hinges. "Grr..." He snarled angrily "My house is going to get ruined at this rate." Shigure whimpered, raising his head to glare at the strange young woman. From what he could see, the auburn-haired girl seemed to know the French woman. But from where? Shaking his head, Shigure's orbs grew wide in sudden astonishment as the knowledge punched him in the stomach. Geneviere was not a famous French singer, she was Maria in disguise? Gulping harshly, the young man shook his head in dismay "She had us fooled." Shigure muttered, as his feelings of being left in the dark were replaced by extreme fury. That woman who broke his screen doors needed to stop asking so many stupid questions. He was getting extreme frustrated with her just coming in like she owned the place. Stepping towards Rouge, Shigure raised an accusing index finger at her "Who the hell do you think you are!? Look at what you've done to my screen doors!?" He yelled loudly, unaware that his tone had changed into an aggressive one "This is not your house, it is mine and therefore you are trespassing on my private property!" He hissed "Get out of here or I'll call the police!" Shigure snapped at Rouge while muttering obscene curses beneath his breath. Hatori on the other hand couldn't believe his ears nor did he interfere for an angry Shigure meant trouble.

The sun-goddess lowered eyelids half-way with the feeling of Hiei's lips pressed awkwardly against her own, but despite the feeling of being locked inside a dark space Shirauni kissed him back with much passion. Dull plum orbs began to shimmer to life again as the trance, the young woman had fallen into faded into oblivion. :: What just happened to me? I feel like I was trapped in a strange world without being able to escape towards the light. :: The white-haired maiden mused, but soon flickered her eyes on Hiei. Stiffening into silence, Shirauni stared at him intently and soon purple hues widened in both surprise and embarrassment. Was he kissing her? Blushing a deep shade of red, the young woman pulled instinctively away from Hiei's embrace, her eyes showing confusion as to what had happened between them. What did she do? Why was she feeling awkwardly embarrassed? And how had she ended up in the water? Raising a slender brow in question, the young woman padded for shore as distinct feelings rose inside her heart. "I don't understand how I ended up in the water. Yet, I also can't comprehend how I ended up in Hiei's arms..and engaged in a kiss with him." Blushing darkly, the young woman wouldn't admit to herself or to anyone else that finding herself within the young demon's arms had been horrible. For, the fact was she felt quite safe with him, then she ever had with anyone else. :: Could one call this fondness? Or am I developing a crush on Hiei? :: Shirauni shook her head clear, as another headache rose to assault her again. Groaning silently, the young woman reached the shoreline and hauled herself out like a beached whale. Her kimono felt extremely heavy on her slender frame, but what made it worse was how soaked she had gotten from falling into the cold lake in the first place. Frowning in brief anger, Shirauni couldn't believe she had lost her balance after a mere stroll to leave Hiei in peace. :: A headache, then nothing. I can't remember anything after that. :: She had absolutely no recollection of what words were spoken, while her body and mind had been in another world. Yet, if the young woman found out exactly what escaped from her mouth perhaps the humiliation would be to much to bare. Hands wringing out the excess water from her curly hair, the goddess glanced down at her soaked clothing. Walking around in wet garments seemed tempting, though a cold breeze would be enough to get her sick if she decided to take such a risk. Blushing furiously, the maiden hid herself behind a large rock while debating whether to stay wet or let her clothing dry in the sun. :: Hmm...I really don't feel like getting sick..though I also don't want to be naked in front of Hiei. :: Burning red in shame, the young woman had no other choice, but to undress quickly for her health mattered more then her pride. Twisting out the excess water from the kimono, Shirauni threw the clothing on top of the stone to dry. Though she had another dilemma presented now, should she stay behind the protective barrier or should she jump in with Hiei. :: I'll be safer with him...but I don't know how he might react. :: Swallowing a lump in her throat, the white-haired girl scrambled into the safety of the water. Swimming towards the fire youkai, Shirauni paused momentarily to gaze at the demon's face in concern. Was he alright? Was he sick? Making her way over to him, Shirauni pressed a warm hand again Hiei's cheek "Are you feeling alright?" She asked, head tilting to the side as warm orbs expressed worry for him "You have a funny look on your face." The young woman pointed out, momentarily forgetting she and the demon were both naked and in the same springs.

Gleaming olive hues flickered back and forth between Shigure and the strange woman called Rogue, watching intently as the tense scene unfolded right in front of him. The young doctor couldn't believe how fast an innocent moment of fun had gone into a sour turn of events. He could see the anger written plainly on Shigure's face, though judging from the Sohma's body language he was beyond acting rational. Swallowing dryly Hatori parted his lips to speak "Gure-San please calm down. There has to be a rational explanation for the young woman's sudden appearance." He pleaded lightly with his cousin, but could see the male wasn't even listening. Frowning in defeat, the young man jumped from the table to the floor below his expression filled with troubled emotions. What to do now? Should he drag Shigure away from the room? Should he ask Ayame for help in restraining his angry cousin? Raising a trembling hand to his neck, Hatori ran his fingers up and down the soft skin nervously. He did not know how the stand off between two angry people would result, but he could hear the anger in the young woman's voice. :: Stop this foolish fighting both of you. Haven't we seen enough stress today? :: His mind whispered mentally, sending some rather disturbing images to Hatori. He grinded his teeth in effort to bury all the mental images from the earlier battle beneath a fresh coat of dirt, yet it was a useless tactic. Vivid images of the confrontation between him and Hiei left the young man nearly out of breath, until he finally spoke to the zodiac dog in an aggressive tone "Enough! Those screen doors can be replaced. We just need to call the repair man tonight, plus I'll pay with my own money." Hatori snapped leaving no room for argument. He wasn't in the mood to fight nor was he in any condition to figure out how Maria had fooled them into thinking she was the famous French singer. :: I just want all of this to end. :: Leaning tiredly against the cold wall, he relaxed slightly upon seeing the raven-haired woman wedge herself between Shigure and Rogue. Yet, the zodiac dragon couldn't help worrying for Maria's safety. What if Shigure lashed out without warning? In his rage the male wouldn't notice Maria blocking him until it was too to stop. Then what would happen? Would the strange young woman try to hurt Shigure if it did turn out bad. Thankfully, the Sohma male backed away from Rouge, his expression softening just a bit to look less threatening. Good. The situation appeared to be diffusing itself now as the raven-haired male turned away from the group. "At least there won't be another fight occurring." Hatori mumbled, his mouth curving downwards in a relieved smile. If only the real world worked that way, then people wouldn't be losing their lives against the blade. Just when the young man thought their problems would settle, he was horrified to hear the news coming straight from Rogue's mouth. "What?! Maria-Chan is leaving?!" The young man suddenly stammered in surprise, all exhaustion drained from his body. How could this be? Why did she have to go so suddenly? Though judging from the way Rogue said the words, he could hear undertones of danger hidden in her voice. The threat was real and who knew how imminent an attack would be. It would only seem rational to move the young woman to safer territory. What about the children? How would they respond to hearing the news? He hoped the children wouldn't take the news so hard, but he wasn't prepared to see Momiji and Yuki dart out of nowhere. Hearing their pleas and watching their movements ripped at Hatori's heart. :: I wish I could do something to ease their pain...but what? :: Decisions had already been made and apparently Rogue's mind could not be changed. "Maria-Chan, hear me well. You have not caused us any problems at all...but I must agree with Rogue on her choice to take you to safety." Hatori whispered, his pained green orbs falling on Kyo's tear stained face.

"Tori-San! I don't want her to go!" The orange-haired youth wailed out towards the stunned doctor, his small head poking through the purple curtains. Crimson orbs gleamed in sadness as he wiped constantly at the flowing tears running down his cheek. How could Maria be leaving them now? Hadn't she promised to stay with them? Had she lied to them all this time? :: No! Maria-Chan would never lie to us! :: His mind chaste weakly, but the young man couldn't help running towards a silent Hatori with a pleading look. "Please! Tori-San stop that strange woman from taking Maria from us!" Kyo begged, his tiny hands grabbing the dragon's shirt. Pulling roughly on him, he paused in shock at the words Hatori spoke "Nani? Why are you driving her away from us?" Kyo questioned desperately, red orbs flickering from face to face. His facial features twisted into an angry glare as both older Sohma's turned away from him. Though for being a small child who didn't know better, it did not take him long to figure out why the adults were behaving strangely. Swallowing back a lump in his throat, the orange-haired youth opened his lips to speak again only to pause in mid-action as the young doctor keeled next to him. "Kyo, her departure isn't just hurting you and the others. It even affects us as adults...but we must think of Maria's safety first. We would be completely selfish to further endanger her life." Hatori explained calmly. Sniffling sadly, the young boy nodded in understand as the severity of the situation hit home. :: I don't want anything bad happening to mommy. :: With a crystalline line of tears running down his face, Kyo ran towards Maria to embrace her "I..I want you to be safe!" He said "Yet, I also want to know if we can come along to the institute!?" Kyo asked, his large orbs glittering underneath the light. Behind him, the raven-haired Sohma took several steps forward as if to pull back the young children from Maria, but his attempts were stopped by one blank-faced doctor. "Let them say their goodbyes." Hatori merely replied, his facial expression looking jaded as Rogue began to explain what the X-Men stood for. He nodded his understand to the brown-haired woman while olive hues looked down at the tear gem around his neck. :: I wonder if turning into animals makes us special. :: "Do what you think is right. After all family has to stay together " The doctor finally answered "I wish you two the best of luck and please stay out of trouble." Hatori muttered in disappointment. Who knew that saying good-bye could be the hardest obstacle to overcome. Then again why wouldn't it be hard? After all the young woman had brought some sunshine into their dull lives even if the happiness had been short-lived.

:: The nerve of that arrogant girl! Who does she think to be? The grand queen of England? :: The angry zodiac dog huffed furiously, his muscular frame pushing past Hatori. Stretching out with a shaky hand, Shigure grabbed the phone from the wall. Grey orbs glittering in warning, he began to dial the bold numbers as quickly as he could. Only to be interrupted by the doctor's voice warning him to calm down "What the hell Hatori!? How can I let this go!?" The raven-haired man snarled at his cousin, shutting him up with a defiant glare. No, one was going to stop him from throwing Rogue to the streets. That wench needed to know her place and of that he would be certain. Just as he was about to speak with the operator, from the corner of his eye Shigure caught sight of the raven-haired woman wedging herself between him. Eyebrow raised in question, the young man whirled around in time to see a very angry Rogue staring straight at him. :: Geez, Shigure? Did you ever think about being nice to strangers? :: His mind asked him. Growling soundlessly he scolded himself, before returning glittering orbs upon Rogue. "Who said I was picking a fight? You were the one to just barge in here like you own the damn place!" He yelled, dropping the phone to the floor where it shattered upon impact. Glaring bitterly at the young woman, Shigure snapped his gaze towards the brown-haired male who suggested paying for the broken doors with his own money. "Tori-San..have you gone insane?" Shigure questioned, though he knew from the doctor's sincere words that he was incapable of lying to them. Sighing in dismay, he pressed a palm against his forehead in frustration "I'm calm now!" He yelled, kicking the phone out of his way, but paused as Rogue's words sliced through his mind. Maria had to leave? Why? Didn't she like living with them? Lips thinning in a disapproving line, he tried speak his opinion out loud. Yet, Hatori's voice left him in deaf silence as a stunned expression crossed his face. Did his cousin actually agree with Rogue's words? "Tori-San!" He whined in protest towards his cousin. Seeing the blank expression on Hatori's face irked him deeply, yet he swallowed back his insults for his blood relative. Falling into a silent state, the zodiac dog watched the young children swarm around Maria like bees to a honey hive. :: They really have grown attached to her. :: Shigure averted his gaze to the floor, feeling pangs of shame slam through him. :: Look what I've done. I have driven Maria away from the house with my attitude. :: Returning stony-colored hues to the group, he watched the god of mischief attempt to joke around even if the rest of them were to jaded to listen to Loki's stupid jokes. Snickering softly, Shigure couldn't help giggling a bit as the god fell unconscious to the floor. That is what he deserved for uttering such nonsense words in the first place.

These feelings swirling in her heart? What were they? Why was she feeling bold enough to act strangely in front of Hiei. Could it be his sweet-nature? Or perhaps because he seemed so familiar? :: Everything I do to him feels right. I know I shouldn't hold him or even tell him of my feelings...but why does it seem like we met each other in the past? :: Her mind questioned awkwardly. Swallowing a lump in her throat, the sun-goddess gazed back intently into the youkai's garnet orbs after seeing the amount of redness fading from his cheeks. Secretly she wondered if her presence disgusted him or if perhaps she was making him feel uncomfortable? "You don't look fine to me." Shirauni stated in a worried tone, her hand refusing to move away from his soft cheeks. Plum orbs widened instantly as the words that escaped from Hiei's mouth drove her into a shocked state. Freezing on the spot, the white-haired woman felt a small blush spread across her cheeks at his confession. "Y..you were worried for me?" She asked uncertainly, hoping her ears hadn't played cruel tricks on her. :: I must be hearing things. No one would ever worry for me nor would they care if I died alone. :: The fantasy playing in her mind hurt terribly for Shirauni wanted to cling to that fleet feeling of hope welling in her heart. She wanted to believe that someone could actually care for her. Maybe someone who would love her despite all the scars that had been slashed into her soul. :: Is this true? Or a lie? :: "Don't be sorry..Hiei." She answered him tenderly "I should be the one apologizing for driving you into an awkward position." The maiden stated, admitting to her own faults which was a rare occurrence for the wolf goddess. :: I don't want this to end. Yet, I also want to get away for fear of humiliating myself further. :: No matter how much she tried to swim away an unseen force held her down. Blushing a slightly darker shade of red, Shirauni acted suddenly on impulse and threw both arms around Hiei's shoulders. Pressing her warm frame against his, the young sun goddess locked vivid hues into his red ones as a few crystalline tears ran down her cheek "No matter how much I try to keep my distance, I can't seem to stay away from you." Shirauni confessed "I feel like I've known you from somewhere..perhaps in my dreams or in the past..I don't know exactly. Though I confuse myself as to why I have such a deep trust for you." Leaning in slowly, the white-haired woman buried her hot face against the young demon's neck while fighting back the urge to swim away. :: What are you saying Shirauni? Are you insane!?" Her mind warned loudly, but the sun-goddess was past listening to her body. She decided it was time to tease the shy fire demon once and for all, curving her head upwards the young maiden nipped playfully at Hiei's ear lobe before nuzzling the soft skin of his neck. " I won't lie...I'm really fond of you." Shirauni stated, as she slapped the water with one hand to make the liquid fall playfully against the demon's face. All she wanted to do was to have fun with him and perhaps tease him a bit in the process.

OCC: Gomen! For the late response! Hopefully this post doesn't suck and again I apologize for the delays