InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Regret and Choices ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: DawnFire_ice1 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.27.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 569 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.27.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 569 | Status: Work In Progress
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho fandom or characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and to Toshihiro Togashi. I do not make any monies or profit from the writing of this story.
My gratitude and thanks to my Beta Darkmousey!
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter as well whether good or bad. Thank you.
Enjoy,
DawnFire_ice
“If, and I do mean if, I stay you will tell me your story.” he stated. It wasn't a question and wasn't meant as one. He wanted answers; dammit, and he was going to get some one way or another. Slowly Kagome looked at the youkai she barely knew and nodded. The well was sealed and the shikon no tama was gone so what harm was there in a story? “It all began on my fifteenth birthday...”
Miko warriors like her were an extinct race, so why was there one in modern day Tokyo? Kurama would probably be very intrigued to know of her existence and he'd wager that the annoying toddler god of the Reikai would probably give a great deal to learn of her. Perhaps it would be worth even his freedom and Kurama's. Maybe even a full pardon since he would be assisting the Reikai of his own free will.
There was just one problem to his plan. If she had turned out to be anything like the evil he had thought she was long ago, he would have no problem seeing her locked away for the remainder of her frail human life or dead. As it was he was being forced to reconsider everything he had thought he'd known about her. There was one other thing that kept him from tossing her over his shoulder and taking her to the Reikai right then and that was that he just couldn't bring himself to betray the woman. Even if he didn't trust her, she had treated him with respect and kindness. That was something he'd never had before. He could never repay her good deeds to him with evil, it just wasn't in him. He held his honor quite tightly and that would definitely tarnish it in his eyes.
Deciding that it was past time to leave Hiei moved silently to the door and slipped out into the night. His thoughts were flooding with the story she'd told and the images he'd picked up from her mind as she'd spoken. It had been strange: one moment he was locked out of her mind completely and the next the barriers fell away like parting silk, leaving him to view her memories as she spoke. That had never happened before, especially since he had been unable to pry further into her mind besides the memories she told.
Absently he reached for the hilt of his katana as it was somewhat of a comfort to him. But his hand met air. Now that he realized that he'd forgotten his katana once again he was already standing in the tree outside of Kurama's apartment. He growled at himself tersely mentally berating himself for being so distracted. If one human onna could make him forget his katana, he was going to end up getting his fool ass killed. What was wrong with him. Hiei clenched his fists angrily as he forced his mind to focus once again.
Not bothering to knock even in the wee hours Hiei slipped in to the bedroom of his team mate through the window. Seeing the red haired avatar's bed empty he sighed. Damn, where was the blasted fox when he needed him?
The feel of a foreign object climbing up his leg made him jump and reach for the weapon that was not on his hip. A low chuckle made him freeze as the plant vines succeeded in tying him up firmly. “Your guard is lacking my friend,” a teasing voice said in his ear in a low rumble. Hiei glared hard over his shoulder at the young man's face. “Untie me this instant Kurama unless you wish me to burn my self free,” he stated with a tone that implied the promise of his words.
Kurama quickly complied, though still slightly surprised at the fact he'd managed to catch the apparition so easily. Hiei seemed shaken and off balance, something that Kurama had never seen before. More shocking was the empty sheathe at his side. Hiei never went anywhere with out the weapon.
Shaking his head Kurama walked past the other man and paused in his bedroom doorway. “Well Hiei, come in. You look like something is on your mind.” He said as he led the way down the stairs from his loft bedroom to his living room. “Make yourself comfortable Hiei. I'll get us a drink.” Kurama stated as he continued in to the kitchen.
Kurama gathered up two sake cups and two ceramic flasks and some his finest sake and began to prepare them. Hiei had never voiced a preference to whether he liked sake warm or cold, or if he liked it at all, but Kurama preferred the cold sake so that was how it was kept in the summer in the winter he preferred it warm.
While he worked setting everything on a tray with a few beers for a choice, he considered what could possibly be bothering his friend enough to leave him as unfocused as he was. It wasn't like Hiei, not at all and it frankly worried the avatar. Something that could affect Hiei like that was troubling indeed. While it was unusual, perhaps Hiei had contracted a strange disease.
*Or perhaps its a female?* Yoko piped up from the back of their shared mind. Yoko paused thinking it over before snorting in amusement. But the question made Kurama pause. It was highly unlikely. However, a female might just shake up the apparition if she was an exceptional being. However if such a female existed in the Makai, then how was it possible they had missed her? Unless it was a human woman...He nearly dropped everything in his hands.
*Easy Red, that stuff is expensive!* Yoko snapped to get Kurama's attention. Kurama shook himself and went back to where the apparition waited with a glare.
“Took long enough,” Hiei snapped as he folded his arms in front of him impatiently. He was in a foul temper and waiting on the avatar had done nothing to improve his mood. Hell, he didn't even know why he had come to Kurama's apartment to begin with. All he knew was that he had met an onna he had lost his composure over and didn't have a clue what to do about it. He frowned. Thoughts like those made him sound like a simpering fool. Maybe he should have killed her...
Kurama set the tray on the table and Hiei grabbed a can of beer. He had never been one for the pomp and circumstance humans had for drinking. Kurama had tried to teach him, he just found it a nuisance when he could just pour and drink, himself. The apparition seemed deep in thought and Kurama knew that sooner or later Hiei would say something that would give him a clue as to his thoughts. Kurama sighed as he sipped the flavorful wine. Silently they drank their chosen beverage and were both lost in thought.
“When do you think the last powerful Miko warriors died out?” Hiei asked randomly, sipping his drink slowly letting the flavor roll over his tongue, before swallowing it and savoring its burn. Hiei enjoyed a good drink, even though the alcohol wouldn't touch him, his body would burn it away first. Still the familiar feeling of the beverage's chill spreading through his body before turning warm seemed to steady him a little and he took another swallow. Kurama tapped his chin thoughtfully listening to an inner dialogue while he poured himself another.
“ According to Yoko, the last of the really powerful line died out after the Shikon no Miko disappeared from history during the war. The others weakened through the centuries. Nowadays those trained in similar ways have very little power and are of no danger to even a low level youkai.” He paused glancing at his friend thoughtfully again. “Why do you ask?”
Hiei ignored the question and took another drink. His lips turned down in a thoughtful frown as something occurred to him. He took another long drink of his beer, polishing off the can, before speaking again. “All Miko are trained to hate and destroy our kind, right?” he asked instead.
Kurama frowned at his question. “As far as we've heard. You know that as well though.” He paused listening again to Yoko. “ All except one. And she, as the legends say loved every being with equal fervor never judging or condemning, even a hanyou.” Kurama set his cup on the table and leaned forward. “But again, Hiei why do you ask? This kind of thing couldn't have something to do with your current state of mind could it?” he asked trying to draw out the answers he was now very curious to hear.
Once again Hiei ignored his question as he took another can opened it and took a long slow drink of the beer. Many thoughts were flooding his mind once again. The Shikon no Miko, Kagome. She was indeed gentle and fearless as the legend stated but she was fragile as well. Something that didn't seem to really fit the tales of the “Unconquerable Warrior Priestess” who defeated Naraku.
Yes, there was no doubt that the young woman he'd met was powerful, but she, beyond everything was just a human woman. However now that he'd met her and heard her story he could see how such stories were born. But stories didn’t change the fact she was human. He disliked the ningens of this world greatly. So why then, did her face hang in his thoughts as though somehow engraved there?
In his mind he could still see her head bowed in sorrow as her tears flowed in seemingly endless trails down her cheeks for his suffering. Still she baffled him. She was a human, a Miko. Surely she had better things to do than follow a strange youki just to see the youkai on the other end, even at the cost of her life. He had thought her to be pitying him then until she had told her story and now... Why had he allowed her to live again?
Kurama was ready to begin pulling his hair out with irritation as Hiei's silence continued. His curiosity had been piqued and there was nothing more that the notorious thief liked better than a puzzle. But at this moment Kurama just wanted answers. Dammit, how often did someone bring up the Miko Warriors, ever? Never! They had become the monsters that youkai mothers threatened would come to take bad little youkai children away if they didn't listen. Miko powerful like them were feared but most likely extinct so why all the questions?
Something clicked in their thoughts, And Kurama nearly jumped as Yoko began cursing in his head. Hiei had met a Miko of power and lived. He didn't smell of human blood and no orders had come for his capture, so it had not been just any Miko. Impossibly he must have met her, The Shikon no Miko. How was she still alive after all this time? Had she mated herself to a youkai to maintain eternal life? That seemed unlikely, since such a thing would have been quite the scandal indeed at the time. Plus if Yoko's memory served, according to legend she had been constantly around an Inu hanyou.
“Tell me Hiei, what is she like?” Kurama asked, observing the apparition intently. His emerald eyes gleamed in anticipation of Hiei's answer. There was no way Hiei was going to sidestep him now.
Hiei frowned. “What makes you think my problem is a woman, Fox?” Hiei snapped, crushing his second empty can in one hand. He reached for another can and ripped it open with a dark scowl.
“Don't play games with me, Hiei. I know you must have met her, The Shikon no Miko? She must have been unlike anyone you've met before, that's why you are so off balance. She made you question everything, didn't she? You can't lie to me Hiei.”
Kurama was not overly surprised, when the crimson eyes of his friend narrowed to mere slits and he gave an annoyed huff, his contained youki reflecting his irritation. Kurama merely smirked in triumph. The apparition had given him an affirmative answer with his reaction and now Kurama had him right where he wanted him, for answers. It would do Hiei no good to deny anything and the glare he was getting let him know that Hiei knew it as well.
Hiei knew when Kurama smirked that he'd asked too much, but it was far too late to take anything back. The damned kitsune must have guessed everything. Caught again in a damned trap, only this time in words and not plants, Hiei had never felt more a fool. Kurama could be trusted in everything, except women. It was almost a guarantee that he had just given the fox the idea for the chase of his life.
Dammit. He hadn't meant to be so obvious. It was the woman. He was certain of it. The onna must have slipped him something to make him careless and lax. At least he wanted to believe it though he'd seen her eat one of the sandwiches too and so that idea was shot to hell. What woman in her right mind would eat her own potion? She would have had to have been waiting for him, to pull a trick like that and he was certain that he'd startled her when she walked in to the room, so again that theory was shot to hell.
Knowing that Kurama was soon to begin asking questions Hiei snatched the last can of beer and glared at the kitsune, till he got up and got a few more cans from the fridge. The alcohol was his fee for the information and the look on Kurama's face showed that he knew that more than his thoughts spoke. Angrily, Hiei opened the Jagan so he could fully converse with the red head telepathically, while he continued to drink his beers.
^What do you want to know? I will answer your questions until these cans are gone and then I will never speak of her to you again,^ Hiei's voice snarled in Kurama's mind.
Kurama knew he spoke the truth so he didn't waste a moment launching in to the many questions he had. Choosing his words carefully he began to question Hiei. Even though Hiei had agreed to speak of her, Kurama knew that should he become offended, the conversation would come to an abrupt end. “I'm dying to know, how did you meet her?” he asked first.
^She followed me from town to the trees in the park. She seemed very curious and her thoughts were completely guarded. It was frustrating. ^ he answered honestly having nothing really to hide as long as the avatar didn't ask how to find her.
Kurama thought that bit of information over and tapped his chin. “Did you speak with her and did she seem as the legends say? Gentle and accepting? Was she beautiful?” Kurama asked as he took a sip of his sake.
Hiei frowned, deciding that what he'd experienced was for himself alone and even on pain of death he would never reveal it to another soul. Those tears had been for him alone and he would not share them. Even if he never saw or spoke to her again he would, deep inside where no one would know, treasure them.
He was typically not the type to treasure anything except his sister Yukina. But this had been something different. Though he had been furious at first at her audacity, after hearing her tale he had seen it in a different light. No, he would not reveal her story for it was not his to tell and the words that she'd spoken so full of pain still echoed in the deepest parts of his mind hidden far from the prying Jagan eye. It would not reveal his secrets or hers.
^She was willing to die for a chance to see a youkai again. She said, it had been a year since she has had contact with youkai. I threatened her and left, that is all. As for her attractiveness, I have no eye for human beauty but she was acceptable.^
Kurama did not question him further, though he knew or at least suspected that there was more to the encounter as it would do him no good and only irritate his friend. “I see. It must be very lonely indeed for her having lived five hundred years alone with out the youkai she was so used to.” he said with a sigh. “I wonder how it is she survived for so long? Do you think it is possible that she slept with a youkai or two to gain immortality? It's said there were several at least who tried to pursue her” he wondered quietly to himself.
Forgetting himself in the burst of temper that followed the avatars words Hiei spoke harshly, “She is untouched and she is not immortal. She was a victim of the fates.” His jaw snapped closed as he mentally cursed his stupid tongue and temper. Glaring at the sake on the table in front of the avatar, he heated the small portion in Kurama's cup to just shy of boiling just before the avatar took a drink.
Spluttering at the scorching heat that burned down his throat and burned his tongue, Kurama coughed. He should have known better than to bait the fire youkai, he had a nasty temper and a almost flawed sense of justice. He did not wonder at the reason for his punishment, as it more than likely pertained to the Miko they had been discussing. Apparently, Hiei had taken offense to him implying her to be impure. Interesting. The Hiyoukai had never reacted so violently or suddenly to defend anyone else Kurama could think of aside from Yukina.
Perhaps, just perhaps the tales of the Miko were true and Hiei had fallen victim to her kindness in one meeting, just as he was certain any youkai who gave her a chance would. Yusuke should meet her and himself as well. Though competition was not something Kurama wanted, in this he could afford to be generous. Between a Mazoku who had been dumped by his girlfriend and lost his only family and an emotionally constipated apparition who knew nothing more of love and kindness than he had learned from Yusuke, he, the avatar for the legendary Yoko Kurama, couldn't possibly lose.
Still though he had no clues as to what the Shikon no Miko looked like except for the brief glance he had caught of her while her group had been traveling through his domain when he had been Yoko Kurama. Just before deciding to leave Musashi, now Japan. He hadn't seen them as worthy of interest then and so paid very little attention to the members of the entourage. All he could really recall was hair the color of midnight and a slim frame. He now wished he had at least caught a better view so that he knew whether she was plain or pretty for himself. Acceptable told him nothing.
As Hiei caught Kurama's wayward thoughts, he snarled and slammed the can to the table. disappearing as swiftly as the blink of an eye. But Kurama noted with a groan and a rueful smirk that Hiei had not failed to take the unopened cans with him. It seemed that he always lost more alcohol that way. Perhaps he should stop buying the best and settle for the cheapest...
Hiei was livid. No, not at Kurama but at himself. Why had he thought that the fox, of all people would be the one to ask about the Miko? Now he just felt stupid and worse like he'd placed her in a perverse sort of contest in which he and the Detective were to face off against the kitsune and each other.
Dammit! He didn't want her that way! Even he knew the onna deserved better than all this. After hearing her tale, his respect for her had jumped leaps and bounds. Even he had to admit, at least to himself, that the idea of someone so accepting was tempting and perhaps even one like himself could come to care for the Miko who cried for him. He had lied though, about her looks with as much truth as he could add to the lie so that it wouldn't be detected.
The truth was, Hiei had found her incredibly beautiful. A male would have to be utterly blind not to. Honestly, he had been slightly disappointed that she had changed out of that ill-fitting uniform, but at the same time he was glad she had as well. As a male he found her very unnervingly attractive. She was like a goddess made flesh in his eyes though he'd rather have his tongue cut out than admit to it. The last thing he needed was to be losing control over a ningen onna. Especially that one.
As he was starting to warm up to the idea that having someone to care for him might not be bad, reality crashed down on him like a vice. He was the Forbidden Child. No onna let alone a Miko would ever come to care for anyone like him. If that were not enough he had also mastered the dragon of the darkness flame which was a creature so evil that he was certain that even she would never be able to accept it. Yet it was a part of him and so she would have to were he to allow her close to him. More and more the whole idea seemed ridiculous and foolhardy and he resolved never to see her again so that she would never have the chance to reject him.
Hiei cursed silently as he found himself standing in the very door way of the shrine he'd left not four hours ago. He had been once again lost in his thoughts as he ran. The door was still unlocked so he let himself in. The woman was awake and curled in on herself, weeping as though her world had shattered. On her lap rested his katana, the once pristine mirror-shined blade sprinkled liberally with her tears.
She had not heard him enter and had not sensed him either. Hiei found that to be troubling as he could have killed her by now in at least fifty ways and she would never had known. Moving like a shadow he took a seat on the chair across from her and watched her cry.
Never in a million years would he have suspected what happened next. One second he was watching her weep and the next she had launched herself into his arms, weeping harder as she clung to him as though her life depended on it, her small hands twisting in the fabric of his cloak. Vaguely Hiei was aware of the sound of his blade dropping to the floor but at the moment his mind had zeroed in on the girl weeping in to his chest and the words she was speaking.
“I was afraid that I'd made you up. I was so afraid that I'd never see you again, Hiei. I was so relieved when I saw your sword was still there. It was the only proof that I had that you are real. But then I worried that something might have happened to you and I had your sword.”
Her words were garbled but Hiei managed to decipher them. And then he froze, all thoughts he'd had before went out of the window as her words sank in. She had missed him, worried for him, she was crying once again for him. It was a strange thought that anyone should miss a mean thing like him but he could see it clearly from the gentle soul still clinging to him.
Awkwardly he patted her back, trying to offer her a measure of something he himself had never received: comfort. He felt rather uncomfortable, but continued to allow the girl to stain his cloak with the same crystalline drops that she had shed earlier, after all in a way her tears belonged to him. She had given them freely and he had accepted, so he allowed each and every drop to be absorbed in to his cloak where he would keep them forever. True, they could never be valued as the tears of his kind but still they were priceless to him and though no one would ever know the truth, he did. No, he would never allow Kurama to have her. Even he knew that such a treasure was not for the kitsune nor the Detective.
Silently he watched her shoulders shake with silent sobs until he could stand no more of the pain that seemed to lash at him in waves. “I am here, onna. There is no need for all this,” he stated gently as he could in his rough manner. His words sounded cutting to his own ears and he winced, waiting for her to react. She must have realized his attempt for she raised her head to look at him. She smiled a little through her tears.
Hiei realized the problem the instant she did so and though every nerve and instinct told him to push her away and quickly he did not, and as such their faces were mere inches apart. Her plump pink lips were parted slightly in a way that made them a delicious temptation for any male, even himself. Had he wanted to, and he did, he could have captured those luscious lips with his own mouth and tasted the sweetness of her. But Hiei being Hiei was not the type to give in to foolish whims even though such a thing made him ache in ways he'd never dreamed of. Slowly for him but too swiftly for her, Hiei pushed her away and moved over to the wall to distance himself from her.
Kagome was confused by his actions, though she comforted herself with the idea that Hiei was just probably unused to physical contact. And so she had probably made him uncomfortable. She was fully aware of the way her heart was pounding and she could still see deep in his lingering gaze the desire that had nearly taken her breath away. Those crimson eyes hid nothing, though he probably thought his expression blank. Hiei most likely had no idea as to what his beautiful eyes were doing to her as they seemed to delve in to her very soul...
In truth at the moment Hiei was having a very difficult time indeed. Not only were her thoughts very open to him as before, but the scent of her reaction to what had nearly happened was definitely making other thoughts known to him if he hadn't been thinking them already. Damn her and damn him. It was all Hiei could do, to not flash over to her and show her exactly what the longing in his eyes meant. He wanted her, like he'd never wanted another. The innocence in her scent stopped him cold. He was not a gentle being by nature and was certain to hurt her should he act on his whims. Not only physically; doing what he wanted would only make her heart suffer more. And for some reason, he couldn't fathom, that thought overpowered his lust.
^I will be around even if you don't see me,^
Hiei said in her mind as he left swiftly yet again this time taking his katana. He could not have said why she always made him feel the need to run and the feeling was rather unnerving. He would keep his word though and be close by, although if he could help it, he would never again get that close to Kagome. No, she was too much of a temptation, to his annoyance. She was human and even that fact didn't deter him. But even as he ran he knew he'd never have the strength of will to be far from her side, no matter what promises he made himself.
Then there were also the thoughts of the kitsune to worry him. Yoko was not known to back down if he found something he wanted, which ironically was the very trait that led Hiei to seek him out for the scheme that landed him as part of the spirit detectives in the first place. He also was very well known for his sexual prowess with both male and female. Although it was not completely known whether the human side of Kurama felt the same way as his demonic soul, it could not be ignored that the differences between the two had been much less since their merging a year ago after the Makai tournament.
Dammit. He couldn't afford to run from his feelings and leave Kagome unguarded because he was not willing to face up to the fact he lusted over a human Miko. She was his even if he never placed an official claim on her. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her to the mercy of a horny kitsune and a misunderstood and heartbroken Mazoku.
Pausing for a moment Hiei sat down on a branch in the large tree in the Shrine grounds. How was the best way to keep her out of harm's way though? Shadowing her was a given. There was also the Jagan, but Yusuke and Kurama would feel it if he used its powers on them. But he could influence other humans and youkai to his bidding... yet it was still risky.
Opening the Jagan he scanned over the house and easily found the Miko. She was in her room and seemed to be winding down to sleep, as the sun crept over the horizon. The night had been long and confusing even for him. With the knowledge the Jagan would keep watch, Hiei made himself comfortable and allowed himself to fall in to a light slumber.
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My gratitude and thanks to my Beta Darkmousey!
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter as well whether good or bad. Thank you.
Enjoy,
DawnFire_ice
Chapter 2
Hiei frowned looking down in to her pleading cobalt eyes that were now lined with red from her sudden fury of tears. Growling a little, he wanted nothing more than to slap her hand away and remove himself from her presence permanently, but his curiosity would not allow it. Why? What made her act like she did? Especially to one like him. Did the foolish onna not realize that he was not her friend? Quite on the contrary he was her would-be assassin, if he so chose. Still he couldn't seem to say no to the eyes that reminded him so of Yukina in that moment.“If, and I do mean if, I stay you will tell me your story.” he stated. It wasn't a question and wasn't meant as one. He wanted answers; dammit, and he was going to get some one way or another. Slowly Kagome looked at the youkai she barely knew and nodded. The well was sealed and the shikon no tama was gone so what harm was there in a story? “It all began on my fifteenth birthday...”
*~*~*~*~*~*
Hiei glanced at the onna sleeping restlessly on couch where she'd fallen asleep after recounting her adventures until very late in to the early morning hours. Some of her story seemed too astounding to believe, but her eyes and scent held no lie. She truly had been the Shikon no Miko he'd seen back then and her story of how she learned about him was nothing short of shocking to a being like him. Why should a Miko care about any forbidden youkai children? Let alone himself?Miko warriors like her were an extinct race, so why was there one in modern day Tokyo? Kurama would probably be very intrigued to know of her existence and he'd wager that the annoying toddler god of the Reikai would probably give a great deal to learn of her. Perhaps it would be worth even his freedom and Kurama's. Maybe even a full pardon since he would be assisting the Reikai of his own free will.
There was just one problem to his plan. If she had turned out to be anything like the evil he had thought she was long ago, he would have no problem seeing her locked away for the remainder of her frail human life or dead. As it was he was being forced to reconsider everything he had thought he'd known about her. There was one other thing that kept him from tossing her over his shoulder and taking her to the Reikai right then and that was that he just couldn't bring himself to betray the woman. Even if he didn't trust her, she had treated him with respect and kindness. That was something he'd never had before. He could never repay her good deeds to him with evil, it just wasn't in him. He held his honor quite tightly and that would definitely tarnish it in his eyes.
Deciding that it was past time to leave Hiei moved silently to the door and slipped out into the night. His thoughts were flooding with the story she'd told and the images he'd picked up from her mind as she'd spoken. It had been strange: one moment he was locked out of her mind completely and the next the barriers fell away like parting silk, leaving him to view her memories as she spoke. That had never happened before, especially since he had been unable to pry further into her mind besides the memories she told.
Absently he reached for the hilt of his katana as it was somewhat of a comfort to him. But his hand met air. Now that he realized that he'd forgotten his katana once again he was already standing in the tree outside of Kurama's apartment. He growled at himself tersely mentally berating himself for being so distracted. If one human onna could make him forget his katana, he was going to end up getting his fool ass killed. What was wrong with him. Hiei clenched his fists angrily as he forced his mind to focus once again.
Not bothering to knock even in the wee hours Hiei slipped in to the bedroom of his team mate through the window. Seeing the red haired avatar's bed empty he sighed. Damn, where was the blasted fox when he needed him?
The feel of a foreign object climbing up his leg made him jump and reach for the weapon that was not on his hip. A low chuckle made him freeze as the plant vines succeeded in tying him up firmly. “Your guard is lacking my friend,” a teasing voice said in his ear in a low rumble. Hiei glared hard over his shoulder at the young man's face. “Untie me this instant Kurama unless you wish me to burn my self free,” he stated with a tone that implied the promise of his words.
Kurama quickly complied, though still slightly surprised at the fact he'd managed to catch the apparition so easily. Hiei seemed shaken and off balance, something that Kurama had never seen before. More shocking was the empty sheathe at his side. Hiei never went anywhere with out the weapon.
Shaking his head Kurama walked past the other man and paused in his bedroom doorway. “Well Hiei, come in. You look like something is on your mind.” He said as he led the way down the stairs from his loft bedroom to his living room. “Make yourself comfortable Hiei. I'll get us a drink.” Kurama stated as he continued in to the kitchen.
Kurama gathered up two sake cups and two ceramic flasks and some his finest sake and began to prepare them. Hiei had never voiced a preference to whether he liked sake warm or cold, or if he liked it at all, but Kurama preferred the cold sake so that was how it was kept in the summer in the winter he preferred it warm.
While he worked setting everything on a tray with a few beers for a choice, he considered what could possibly be bothering his friend enough to leave him as unfocused as he was. It wasn't like Hiei, not at all and it frankly worried the avatar. Something that could affect Hiei like that was troubling indeed. While it was unusual, perhaps Hiei had contracted a strange disease.
*Or perhaps its a female?* Yoko piped up from the back of their shared mind. Yoko paused thinking it over before snorting in amusement. But the question made Kurama pause. It was highly unlikely. However, a female might just shake up the apparition if she was an exceptional being. However if such a female existed in the Makai, then how was it possible they had missed her? Unless it was a human woman...He nearly dropped everything in his hands.
*Easy Red, that stuff is expensive!* Yoko snapped to get Kurama's attention. Kurama shook himself and went back to where the apparition waited with a glare.
“Took long enough,” Hiei snapped as he folded his arms in front of him impatiently. He was in a foul temper and waiting on the avatar had done nothing to improve his mood. Hell, he didn't even know why he had come to Kurama's apartment to begin with. All he knew was that he had met an onna he had lost his composure over and didn't have a clue what to do about it. He frowned. Thoughts like those made him sound like a simpering fool. Maybe he should have killed her...
Kurama set the tray on the table and Hiei grabbed a can of beer. He had never been one for the pomp and circumstance humans had for drinking. Kurama had tried to teach him, he just found it a nuisance when he could just pour and drink, himself. The apparition seemed deep in thought and Kurama knew that sooner or later Hiei would say something that would give him a clue as to his thoughts. Kurama sighed as he sipped the flavorful wine. Silently they drank their chosen beverage and were both lost in thought.
“When do you think the last powerful Miko warriors died out?” Hiei asked randomly, sipping his drink slowly letting the flavor roll over his tongue, before swallowing it and savoring its burn. Hiei enjoyed a good drink, even though the alcohol wouldn't touch him, his body would burn it away first. Still the familiar feeling of the beverage's chill spreading through his body before turning warm seemed to steady him a little and he took another swallow. Kurama tapped his chin thoughtfully listening to an inner dialogue while he poured himself another.
“ According to Yoko, the last of the really powerful line died out after the Shikon no Miko disappeared from history during the war. The others weakened through the centuries. Nowadays those trained in similar ways have very little power and are of no danger to even a low level youkai.” He paused glancing at his friend thoughtfully again. “Why do you ask?”
Hiei ignored the question and took another drink. His lips turned down in a thoughtful frown as something occurred to him. He took another long drink of his beer, polishing off the can, before speaking again. “All Miko are trained to hate and destroy our kind, right?” he asked instead.
Kurama frowned at his question. “As far as we've heard. You know that as well though.” He paused listening again to Yoko. “ All except one. And she, as the legends say loved every being with equal fervor never judging or condemning, even a hanyou.” Kurama set his cup on the table and leaned forward. “But again, Hiei why do you ask? This kind of thing couldn't have something to do with your current state of mind could it?” he asked trying to draw out the answers he was now very curious to hear.
Once again Hiei ignored his question as he took another can opened it and took a long slow drink of the beer. Many thoughts were flooding his mind once again. The Shikon no Miko, Kagome. She was indeed gentle and fearless as the legend stated but she was fragile as well. Something that didn't seem to really fit the tales of the “Unconquerable Warrior Priestess” who defeated Naraku.
Yes, there was no doubt that the young woman he'd met was powerful, but she, beyond everything was just a human woman. However now that he'd met her and heard her story he could see how such stories were born. But stories didn’t change the fact she was human. He disliked the ningens of this world greatly. So why then, did her face hang in his thoughts as though somehow engraved there?
In his mind he could still see her head bowed in sorrow as her tears flowed in seemingly endless trails down her cheeks for his suffering. Still she baffled him. She was a human, a Miko. Surely she had better things to do than follow a strange youki just to see the youkai on the other end, even at the cost of her life. He had thought her to be pitying him then until she had told her story and now... Why had he allowed her to live again?
Kurama was ready to begin pulling his hair out with irritation as Hiei's silence continued. His curiosity had been piqued and there was nothing more that the notorious thief liked better than a puzzle. But at this moment Kurama just wanted answers. Dammit, how often did someone bring up the Miko Warriors, ever? Never! They had become the monsters that youkai mothers threatened would come to take bad little youkai children away if they didn't listen. Miko powerful like them were feared but most likely extinct so why all the questions?
Something clicked in their thoughts, And Kurama nearly jumped as Yoko began cursing in his head. Hiei had met a Miko of power and lived. He didn't smell of human blood and no orders had come for his capture, so it had not been just any Miko. Impossibly he must have met her, The Shikon no Miko. How was she still alive after all this time? Had she mated herself to a youkai to maintain eternal life? That seemed unlikely, since such a thing would have been quite the scandal indeed at the time. Plus if Yoko's memory served, according to legend she had been constantly around an Inu hanyou.
“Tell me Hiei, what is she like?” Kurama asked, observing the apparition intently. His emerald eyes gleamed in anticipation of Hiei's answer. There was no way Hiei was going to sidestep him now.
Hiei frowned. “What makes you think my problem is a woman, Fox?” Hiei snapped, crushing his second empty can in one hand. He reached for another can and ripped it open with a dark scowl.
“Don't play games with me, Hiei. I know you must have met her, The Shikon no Miko? She must have been unlike anyone you've met before, that's why you are so off balance. She made you question everything, didn't she? You can't lie to me Hiei.”
Kurama was not overly surprised, when the crimson eyes of his friend narrowed to mere slits and he gave an annoyed huff, his contained youki reflecting his irritation. Kurama merely smirked in triumph. The apparition had given him an affirmative answer with his reaction and now Kurama had him right where he wanted him, for answers. It would do Hiei no good to deny anything and the glare he was getting let him know that Hiei knew it as well.
Hiei knew when Kurama smirked that he'd asked too much, but it was far too late to take anything back. The damned kitsune must have guessed everything. Caught again in a damned trap, only this time in words and not plants, Hiei had never felt more a fool. Kurama could be trusted in everything, except women. It was almost a guarantee that he had just given the fox the idea for the chase of his life.
Dammit. He hadn't meant to be so obvious. It was the woman. He was certain of it. The onna must have slipped him something to make him careless and lax. At least he wanted to believe it though he'd seen her eat one of the sandwiches too and so that idea was shot to hell. What woman in her right mind would eat her own potion? She would have had to have been waiting for him, to pull a trick like that and he was certain that he'd startled her when she walked in to the room, so again that theory was shot to hell.
Knowing that Kurama was soon to begin asking questions Hiei snatched the last can of beer and glared at the kitsune, till he got up and got a few more cans from the fridge. The alcohol was his fee for the information and the look on Kurama's face showed that he knew that more than his thoughts spoke. Angrily, Hiei opened the Jagan so he could fully converse with the red head telepathically, while he continued to drink his beers.
^What do you want to know? I will answer your questions until these cans are gone and then I will never speak of her to you again,^ Hiei's voice snarled in Kurama's mind.
Kurama knew he spoke the truth so he didn't waste a moment launching in to the many questions he had. Choosing his words carefully he began to question Hiei. Even though Hiei had agreed to speak of her, Kurama knew that should he become offended, the conversation would come to an abrupt end. “I'm dying to know, how did you meet her?” he asked first.
^She followed me from town to the trees in the park. She seemed very curious and her thoughts were completely guarded. It was frustrating. ^ he answered honestly having nothing really to hide as long as the avatar didn't ask how to find her.
Kurama thought that bit of information over and tapped his chin. “Did you speak with her and did she seem as the legends say? Gentle and accepting? Was she beautiful?” Kurama asked as he took a sip of his sake.
Hiei frowned, deciding that what he'd experienced was for himself alone and even on pain of death he would never reveal it to another soul. Those tears had been for him alone and he would not share them. Even if he never saw or spoke to her again he would, deep inside where no one would know, treasure them.
He was typically not the type to treasure anything except his sister Yukina. But this had been something different. Though he had been furious at first at her audacity, after hearing her tale he had seen it in a different light. No, he would not reveal her story for it was not his to tell and the words that she'd spoken so full of pain still echoed in the deepest parts of his mind hidden far from the prying Jagan eye. It would not reveal his secrets or hers.
^She was willing to die for a chance to see a youkai again. She said, it had been a year since she has had contact with youkai. I threatened her and left, that is all. As for her attractiveness, I have no eye for human beauty but she was acceptable.^
Kurama did not question him further, though he knew or at least suspected that there was more to the encounter as it would do him no good and only irritate his friend. “I see. It must be very lonely indeed for her having lived five hundred years alone with out the youkai she was so used to.” he said with a sigh. “I wonder how it is she survived for so long? Do you think it is possible that she slept with a youkai or two to gain immortality? It's said there were several at least who tried to pursue her” he wondered quietly to himself.
Forgetting himself in the burst of temper that followed the avatars words Hiei spoke harshly, “She is untouched and she is not immortal. She was a victim of the fates.” His jaw snapped closed as he mentally cursed his stupid tongue and temper. Glaring at the sake on the table in front of the avatar, he heated the small portion in Kurama's cup to just shy of boiling just before the avatar took a drink.
Spluttering at the scorching heat that burned down his throat and burned his tongue, Kurama coughed. He should have known better than to bait the fire youkai, he had a nasty temper and a almost flawed sense of justice. He did not wonder at the reason for his punishment, as it more than likely pertained to the Miko they had been discussing. Apparently, Hiei had taken offense to him implying her to be impure. Interesting. The Hiyoukai had never reacted so violently or suddenly to defend anyone else Kurama could think of aside from Yukina.
Perhaps, just perhaps the tales of the Miko were true and Hiei had fallen victim to her kindness in one meeting, just as he was certain any youkai who gave her a chance would. Yusuke should meet her and himself as well. Though competition was not something Kurama wanted, in this he could afford to be generous. Between a Mazoku who had been dumped by his girlfriend and lost his only family and an emotionally constipated apparition who knew nothing more of love and kindness than he had learned from Yusuke, he, the avatar for the legendary Yoko Kurama, couldn't possibly lose.
Still though he had no clues as to what the Shikon no Miko looked like except for the brief glance he had caught of her while her group had been traveling through his domain when he had been Yoko Kurama. Just before deciding to leave Musashi, now Japan. He hadn't seen them as worthy of interest then and so paid very little attention to the members of the entourage. All he could really recall was hair the color of midnight and a slim frame. He now wished he had at least caught a better view so that he knew whether she was plain or pretty for himself. Acceptable told him nothing.
As Hiei caught Kurama's wayward thoughts, he snarled and slammed the can to the table. disappearing as swiftly as the blink of an eye. But Kurama noted with a groan and a rueful smirk that Hiei had not failed to take the unopened cans with him. It seemed that he always lost more alcohol that way. Perhaps he should stop buying the best and settle for the cheapest...
Hiei was livid. No, not at Kurama but at himself. Why had he thought that the fox, of all people would be the one to ask about the Miko? Now he just felt stupid and worse like he'd placed her in a perverse sort of contest in which he and the Detective were to face off against the kitsune and each other.
Dammit! He didn't want her that way! Even he knew the onna deserved better than all this. After hearing her tale, his respect for her had jumped leaps and bounds. Even he had to admit, at least to himself, that the idea of someone so accepting was tempting and perhaps even one like himself could come to care for the Miko who cried for him. He had lied though, about her looks with as much truth as he could add to the lie so that it wouldn't be detected.
The truth was, Hiei had found her incredibly beautiful. A male would have to be utterly blind not to. Honestly, he had been slightly disappointed that she had changed out of that ill-fitting uniform, but at the same time he was glad she had as well. As a male he found her very unnervingly attractive. She was like a goddess made flesh in his eyes though he'd rather have his tongue cut out than admit to it. The last thing he needed was to be losing control over a ningen onna. Especially that one.
As he was starting to warm up to the idea that having someone to care for him might not be bad, reality crashed down on him like a vice. He was the Forbidden Child. No onna let alone a Miko would ever come to care for anyone like him. If that were not enough he had also mastered the dragon of the darkness flame which was a creature so evil that he was certain that even she would never be able to accept it. Yet it was a part of him and so she would have to were he to allow her close to him. More and more the whole idea seemed ridiculous and foolhardy and he resolved never to see her again so that she would never have the chance to reject him.
Hiei cursed silently as he found himself standing in the very door way of the shrine he'd left not four hours ago. He had been once again lost in his thoughts as he ran. The door was still unlocked so he let himself in. The woman was awake and curled in on herself, weeping as though her world had shattered. On her lap rested his katana, the once pristine mirror-shined blade sprinkled liberally with her tears.
She had not heard him enter and had not sensed him either. Hiei found that to be troubling as he could have killed her by now in at least fifty ways and she would never had known. Moving like a shadow he took a seat on the chair across from her and watched her cry.
Never in a million years would he have suspected what happened next. One second he was watching her weep and the next she had launched herself into his arms, weeping harder as she clung to him as though her life depended on it, her small hands twisting in the fabric of his cloak. Vaguely Hiei was aware of the sound of his blade dropping to the floor but at the moment his mind had zeroed in on the girl weeping in to his chest and the words she was speaking.
“I was afraid that I'd made you up. I was so afraid that I'd never see you again, Hiei. I was so relieved when I saw your sword was still there. It was the only proof that I had that you are real. But then I worried that something might have happened to you and I had your sword.”
Her words were garbled but Hiei managed to decipher them. And then he froze, all thoughts he'd had before went out of the window as her words sank in. She had missed him, worried for him, she was crying once again for him. It was a strange thought that anyone should miss a mean thing like him but he could see it clearly from the gentle soul still clinging to him.
Awkwardly he patted her back, trying to offer her a measure of something he himself had never received: comfort. He felt rather uncomfortable, but continued to allow the girl to stain his cloak with the same crystalline drops that she had shed earlier, after all in a way her tears belonged to him. She had given them freely and he had accepted, so he allowed each and every drop to be absorbed in to his cloak where he would keep them forever. True, they could never be valued as the tears of his kind but still they were priceless to him and though no one would ever know the truth, he did. No, he would never allow Kurama to have her. Even he knew that such a treasure was not for the kitsune nor the Detective.
Silently he watched her shoulders shake with silent sobs until he could stand no more of the pain that seemed to lash at him in waves. “I am here, onna. There is no need for all this,” he stated gently as he could in his rough manner. His words sounded cutting to his own ears and he winced, waiting for her to react. She must have realized his attempt for she raised her head to look at him. She smiled a little through her tears.
Hiei realized the problem the instant she did so and though every nerve and instinct told him to push her away and quickly he did not, and as such their faces were mere inches apart. Her plump pink lips were parted slightly in a way that made them a delicious temptation for any male, even himself. Had he wanted to, and he did, he could have captured those luscious lips with his own mouth and tasted the sweetness of her. But Hiei being Hiei was not the type to give in to foolish whims even though such a thing made him ache in ways he'd never dreamed of. Slowly for him but too swiftly for her, Hiei pushed her away and moved over to the wall to distance himself from her.
Kagome was confused by his actions, though she comforted herself with the idea that Hiei was just probably unused to physical contact. And so she had probably made him uncomfortable. She was fully aware of the way her heart was pounding and she could still see deep in his lingering gaze the desire that had nearly taken her breath away. Those crimson eyes hid nothing, though he probably thought his expression blank. Hiei most likely had no idea as to what his beautiful eyes were doing to her as they seemed to delve in to her very soul...
In truth at the moment Hiei was having a very difficult time indeed. Not only were her thoughts very open to him as before, but the scent of her reaction to what had nearly happened was definitely making other thoughts known to him if he hadn't been thinking them already. Damn her and damn him. It was all Hiei could do, to not flash over to her and show her exactly what the longing in his eyes meant. He wanted her, like he'd never wanted another. The innocence in her scent stopped him cold. He was not a gentle being by nature and was certain to hurt her should he act on his whims. Not only physically; doing what he wanted would only make her heart suffer more. And for some reason, he couldn't fathom, that thought overpowered his lust.
^I will be around even if you don't see me,^
Hiei said in her mind as he left swiftly yet again this time taking his katana. He could not have said why she always made him feel the need to run and the feeling was rather unnerving. He would keep his word though and be close by, although if he could help it, he would never again get that close to Kagome. No, she was too much of a temptation, to his annoyance. She was human and even that fact didn't deter him. But even as he ran he knew he'd never have the strength of will to be far from her side, no matter what promises he made himself.
Then there were also the thoughts of the kitsune to worry him. Yoko was not known to back down if he found something he wanted, which ironically was the very trait that led Hiei to seek him out for the scheme that landed him as part of the spirit detectives in the first place. He also was very well known for his sexual prowess with both male and female. Although it was not completely known whether the human side of Kurama felt the same way as his demonic soul, it could not be ignored that the differences between the two had been much less since their merging a year ago after the Makai tournament.
Dammit. He couldn't afford to run from his feelings and leave Kagome unguarded because he was not willing to face up to the fact he lusted over a human Miko. She was his even if he never placed an official claim on her. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her to the mercy of a horny kitsune and a misunderstood and heartbroken Mazoku.
Pausing for a moment Hiei sat down on a branch in the large tree in the Shrine grounds. How was the best way to keep her out of harm's way though? Shadowing her was a given. There was also the Jagan, but Yusuke and Kurama would feel it if he used its powers on them. But he could influence other humans and youkai to his bidding... yet it was still risky.
Opening the Jagan he scanned over the house and easily found the Miko. She was in her room and seemed to be winding down to sleep, as the sun crept over the horizon. The night had been long and confusing even for him. With the knowledge the Jagan would keep watch, Hiei made himself comfortable and allowed himself to fall in to a light slumber.
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