What\'s Protection Got To Do With It?

Hi Everyone! It’s Shiny-chan! I must say that I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get anymore reviews, but I’ll live I



suppose. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to update, but I’ve been a bit busy at work. So, without further ado, however much



I like to blather, I will continue the story. PLEASE REVIEW! I GET LONELY!



XD



Chapter 9: With warm fuzzy puppy kisses!





Down in the dungeons, behind a portrait of Wendlyn the Weird, a meeting was taking place in the Slytherin common room. Severus



Snape paced around the room, scowling at the students he was currently lecturing. Several of them had bored looks on their



faces, as if they had heard it many, many times before. Snape stopped pacing and stood in front of the fire.



“Do you understand that the whole school blames their problems on Slytherin house as a whole? You MUST NOT give them any



reason to target you. I can only do so much; you must take care of yourselves. IS THAT CLEAR?” The bored Slytherins nodded



quickly, and Snape stalked out of the room. Hiei continued to stare into space until a shadow passed in front of him. He



looked up and Draco Malfoy stood there, holding out his hand. Hiei glanced at him and looked away.



“What do you want?” Draco leaned down to him.



“I want to show you around Slytherin House. My name is Draco Malfoy. This place is pretty much the only refuge we Slytherins



have in the castle. I swear, no one likes us. Everyone thinks we are all Death Eaters-in-waiting, but we are just like them,



maybe a bit more cunning and sly.” Hiei rose from the couch he had been sitting on.



“Very well, I understand. You may show me around. My name is Jaganshi Hiei. You may call me Hiei.” Draco nodded and started



down the hall.



“What was that display on the train about, Malfoy?” Draco stopped and looked guilty.



“You saw that? I’m forced to act like that by my father when I’m a completely different person. I’d actually like to be



friends with Potter, but my father would kill me.” Hiei looked at Draco piercingly.



“So you do not ally yourself with the idiot Voldemort?” Draco snorted and shook his head.



“You have got to be kidding me! That psycho berk is the one making Slytherins get the bad rap. I wouldn’t bow to him to save



my life.”



“Then maybe a friendship can be arranged, my friends are in Gryffindor. I will see that you and the Potter boy have a private



audience. The rest is up to you.” Draco looked at him quizzically.



“Why are you doing this for me? We just met.”



“You were nice to me. Even the other Slytherins haven’t talked to me. I’m used to being treated like a serial killer. I



always repay kindness.” Draco smiled and pulled Hiei in front of a door with Draco Malfoy in silver letters, and beneath it,



Hiei Jaganshi in green.



“This is our room, Hiei. Can we be friends?” Hiei looked at him, amused.



“Yeah, whatever. I’ve got to go.”



“Where are you going?”



“I am meeting one of my friends. I will be back shortly.” Draco fell back on his bed bouncing slightly. He nodded at Hiei



and sat up.



“Let me know if they can help me with my issue ok?” Hiei grunted and left for Gryffindor tower.



------------------At Gryffindor Tower------------



Harry had stopped at the portrait hole and nudged to portrait to wake the fat lady, before saying the password. He was walking



past the chairs by the fire when he heard an agitated voice speaking in a stage whisper.



“I just don’t know what to do about this, Mom, He’s completely clueless about his health and how I feel about him!” The voice



sounded completely frustrated. Harry quickly crept up to his room and snuck past a sleeping Yusuke to get his invisibility



cloak. He went back to the common room and sat on the couch next to Shiori. He missed the knowing glance Kurama sent in his



direction.



“So how long have you been in love with Yusuke?” Kurama blushed and looked towards the fire.



“Do you remember when you were ill about two years ago?” She nodded.



“Two days before you got better, Hiei, Gouki and I stole three priceless artifacts from spirit world.” Shiori shrugged.



“You’ve already told me this, honey.”



“No, I told you the censored version. Gouki stole the Orb of Baast, which stole souls so that he could eat them, Hiei stole



the Shadow Sword. That was particularly dangerous because it turns any human it cuts to a low level mindless demon. Finally, I



stole the Forlorn Hope, a mirror that grants the user’s greatest wish in return for their life. I was going to use it to save



your life.” Shiori blanched.



“But you could have died!”



“I almost did too.” He admitted,” but Yusuke saved me. I had brought him to the hospital to see you and explain my reason for



stealing the mirror. I told him he could have it back after I’d used it, and he agreed, not knowing that I would be dead. He



sat and watched me use it until he realized it was taking my life force. He got down and volunteered his life force instead of



mine. I asked him why and this is what he said to me. ‘You may be a demon, but if you really think your mom will be happy



without her son, then you are a complete idiot. A son should never be the one to make his mother have that kind of grief.’ He



was right too. I hadn’t even thought of it that way. The mirror stopped taking our life energy and we collapsed. When I woke



up, the doctor told me your condition had stabilized and you were getting better. Every time I think about his face as he



lectured me that day, I fall a little more in love with him.”



“Why don’t you tell him how you feel?” Kurama sighed.



“Why should I set myself up for heartbreak? I know he loves Keiko, not me.”



“Are you sure of that? He tried to hide and he begged you to make her go away when you used her voice on the train. That



doesn’t sound like he loves her to me.”



“I’ll give it a little more time. I’d rather have his friendship than nothing at all.” Harry tried to sneak away, but his



cloak got snagged on a rose thorn that had somehow found its way into the couch cushion. The cloak slid off of him. Shiori



gasped and looked at him warily.



“How long have you been there, Harry?”



“Umm. Since Suichi commented about how clueless Yusuke is about his feelings for him.” Harry pulled his cloak free of the couch



and turned to Kurama abruptly.



“What are you?”