InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Cruel Hands Of Fate ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )

A homicidal and anguished roar shattered the only semblance of peace that could be found in the Makai - in the late hours of the evening - and masses of birds and nocturnal creatures squawked and trilled and hissed at the abrupt termination of their tranquility.

 

Hiei paid them no mind. No, none at all.

 

In fact, his mind was far, far away from the rest of his being and even as his claws slashed and tore at mindless, low-level youkai that crossed his path he could feel no relief in the blood bath.

 

 

[*~*]

 

 

The hybrid had followed his boss and the newest complication - though she wasn't wholly unpleasant…Stop. That. - in his life for the entirety of their `date'. It had started off all well and good - if a bit boring - and he had been relatively pleased with the calm serenity of the night. As they left the great city of Tokyo, his eyes had narrowed suspiciously and he followed them - even more closely, though he didn't know why - all the way to the countryside.

 

Watching them sitting so companionably, so comfortably caused an abnormal pinch at his heart. Kagome and Koenma were just so…so perfect together and he should have been happy. The woman becoming attached to the demi-god would take her off his hands for the most part, the exception being the points in time where it was inevitable that they come in contact.

 

Why then was he not as relieved as he should have been? Why was that strange twist in his heart back again?

 

It was definitely something to have looked at.

 

In all honesty, he had thought the entire evening had become rather dull, though he could appreciate the more preserved nature outside of the city. Hiei had found a rather nice tree that was far out of sight and had been perched upon a high branch rather comfortably. The soft sounds of the two breathing touched his ears and he knew they were okay.

 

And then Koenma spoke…sort of.

 

And Kagome answered…though he was confused by her response.

 

Scars? She had scars? Where? He couldn't recall seeing any which could only mean she had been hiding them with a concealing spell. The apparition's body unfolded from its languid position and every raw nerve, every tensed sense was waiting because these so-called-scars had to have been horrible to require a concealment spell.

 

Either that or Kagome was far more vain than he had thought.

 

That idea was promptly eradicated by the soft words of the miko, asking if he wanted to see and his attention perked further, crimson eyes glowing in the dark as they focused on the soft silhouette of Kagome. And then she was unzipping her dress and his eyes widened as moon beams danced across scar after silver, shining scar. They were innumerable, so many in fact that he couldn't quite tell where one ended and another began and his head swam with possibilities.

 

As he watched Koenma tenderly caress the damaged skin with his lips, his emotions conflicted harshly in his chest. One side of him wanted to praise the prince for his proving that her scars were only proof of her strength; the other side wanted to tear him away from her and replace Koenma's lips on her skin with his own.

 

Koenma was asking who had hurt her so and his internal rant ended. Regardless of the new emotions that flooded his senses, he had to focus because this was something important. Because his claws twitched and his hand tightened on the hilt of his katana and he wanted to draw blood.

 

Her words were soft, so very soft that they floated easily on the wings of the breeze to settle in his ears. And as she spoke, the Jagan had awakened and pulled for her and he didn't have the desire to fight it. The sentient eye knew something and he was too far gone in everything at the time to even bother arguing.

 

And as he was plunged head first into her mind, the memories that hadn't surfaced in her consciousness swam around him and suddenly, he wished he had fought the damned implant's urge.

 

He had been pulled into her memories and not just as a bystander. He became Kagome and he could smell the dank, musty scent of the dungeon, could feel the harsh, cold metal biting into the tender flesh of her arms. Then there were voices and images of youkai he had never seen and as one with long, inky hair and eyes nearly as red as his own snapped into focus, a name drifted through his lips in terrified certainty.

 

Naraku.

 

Then there was pain; hot, white, blinding pain that licked across the flesh of his back in heart-filled snaps of a whip and pleasure-born slashes of claws and he could feel the warmth of his blood - of her blood - trickling down the backs of his legs. He felt the ruptured flesh of his back and shoulders and legs burn and melt as poisonous miasma filled every crevice.

 

Unlike Kagome, Hiei was awake and aware of everything that she had been forced to endure throughout her captivity and as he watched through her eyes, he felt sick. Although she had been unconscious, her body still felt; and because her body felt, so did he.

 

And oh how he wished he hadn't.

 

On one particularly brutal night, the vile excuse for a hanyou had gotten bored with merely beating and scarring the girl and after a thorough round of torture, she had slipped into unconsciousness. It soon became clear to Hiei that Naraku was one sick and twisted fuck.

 

And - for the first time in his life - he thanked every Kami he could think of that Kagome had remained in her blissful state of unawareness…because he could feel the harsh bite of claws into the tender flesh of his hips and the heat of a body on top of him. Hiei was forced to endure what her body had been through…had been forced to feel that vile filth push himself into the soft, untouched folds of Kagome.

 

Another furious roar, demanding blood, sounded throughout the Makai and he felt positively murderous and he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on that damnable Hell's Spawn and show him what pain was like. The part of Hiei that was still a tiny, fearful child whimpered piteously in the depths of his mind when he saw how Kagome had been left.

 

She had been dropped, broken and bleeding and barely even living outside of a village and she had lain there for far too long before anyone even knew of her presence. And when he had heard Kagome telling Koenma exactly why she had been abducted in the first place, a different hanyou took the top spot on his list of people to slay viciously.

 

 

[*~*]

 

 

How could she have survived? Not only because of her physical injuries but how had she been strong enough to even have the will to awaken and see a new day? How was she able to still fight beside the mutt who had been responsible for the entire ordeal?

 

Hiei didn't know and he was almost scared to find out because that kind of determination - that kind of loyalty - sang to him and forced him to realize that she was so much more than he ever could have imagined. He felt jittery and disjointed suddenly, as if he had been stripped of his skin and plunged back inside, only to find it didn't fit quite the way it used to.

 

He felt hollow and numb and dead inside and he knew - he knew - without a shadow of a doubt that those feelings were some strange and unsettling cross-breeding of both his and Kagome's emotions. She had been used and broken and betrayed and she was so incredibly lonely despite the friends she had and her heart hurt so poignantly that he couldn't ignore how much the two had in common.

 

Or how badly he wanted to discover if there was even more that they shared.

 

And he wanted to help her, to hold her and whisper to her when she had nightmares. He wanted to replace every bad memory she had of the male gender with nothing but pleasant moments with him. Mentally, he slapped himself. It. Couldn't. Happen.

 

It just couldn't.

 

She needed - deserved - someone tender and gentle and loving.

 

She needed Koenma.

 

Not a quick-to-anger, domineering, vicious, murdering fire apparition.

 

Then there was something itching and tickling at his mind and he steadfastly refused to acknowledge it. Well, he attempted to push it aside but the Jagan had different plans and Hiei found himself wrapped up in the miko's mind while she was falling asleep. He had seen the kiss Kagome and Koenma had shared and he really had no desire to see what sort of dreams her mind could conjure up.

 

But the eye was impatient and insistent and he had no choice but follow its directions. He could hear her voice in his mind and he became vaguely aware that she was talking to herself while drifting off to sleep and surprisingly, the Junior Ruler's name wasn't the one that caressed her lips.

 

“Hiei”, he heard her whisper softly, her voice heavy and thick with the fingers of sleep, “Why…why can't you chase the demons away? Just once…just once…I want to dream…I want to pretend I can be happy.”

 

He couldn't help the small tug at the corners of his lips. She had kissed Koenma but was now wanting him...wanted him to scare away the demons that haunted her soul and cast shadows over the brilliance of her eyes. And he felt a twist in his heart because he wanted to be that person for her…he wanted to make sure no demons ever hurt her again.

 

Hiei wanted to make sure no one ever hurt her again.

 

How he had come to this, he wondered. Why was she able to make him feel so easily without even trying and why did he enjoy it even when he wasn't sure he wanted to? The feelings of comfort, love, home had escaped him for so long and now that there was an opportunity to hold such things in the palm of his hand, he was wary to accept it. Love is what caused Kagome to become so hurt in the first place…

 

…but her love was one-sided. He knew he didn't love her - not yet, his mind supplied - and didn't think she really loved him either but he knew she could. He had witnessed her amazing ability to love people but the thought of having her love anyone else sent a strange jolt down his spine. Did he want to love her? He didn't know but he was beginning to think he did, Kami help him. Did he want her to love him?

 

Yes.

 

Huh. When did that happen? When did the miko take up a place in his heart and where the hell was he? Why did he want to see that look of adoration that glinted in her eyes when she spoke of her fox kit directed at him instead? Too many questions and not nearly enough answers but his body, his Jagan, his dragon all wanted to be near her.

 

Deciding to save the innumerable questions for some other time, he flitted his way through the trees and plains of the Makai and soon crossed the barrier. Taking to the tree and roof tops, Hiei made short work of the distance between him and the miko and was soon perched in the tree outside her window.

 

The window was open as if in silent invitation and he needed no other inspiration. Quietly, he crept through the window to land softly on the floor and inched his way towards the bed. Once there, he looked down at the young miko lying on her side and his eyes softened. She looked so fragile, so innocent…so perfect and he had a brief bout of insanity in thinking that maybe she wouldn't mind terribly if he just stole her away.

 

A soft sigh from the beautiful creature before him drew his attention to her lips, lush and soft and parted with her gentle breathing. He found himself reaching towards her and lifting an inky strand of hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. A gentle smile touched her lips and he felt his heart twitch. Could she really love him? Could he love her?

 

Kagome shifted her weight and rolled onto her back and he froze when her eyelids fluttered open slightly. Half-lidded, soulful cerulean orbs gazed at him and he stood stock still, unsure of her reaction. His crimson eyes widened when she smiled gently at him and whispered, “You came. I was beginning to think you hated me, not that I would blame you.”

 

The fire apparition could only shake his head while replying, “I don't hate you. I just don't like having my life taken out of my hands.”

 

Something flashed across her eyes then and flared bright in his mind. She had her life taken out of her hands at fifteen and had yet to have it given back. Her entire existence was being controlled by someone, something that wasn't her and he suddenly felt very petty. He had been so caught up in his rage over being dragged into the situation that he had missed the fact that she was even more of a toy for the fates then he was.

 

Kagome closed her eyes and smiled softly. She knew where he was coming from and she hated that it was her who had brought something of this magnitude on his head. At least he was here now and hadn't left yet and didn't hate her like she was sure he did.

 

Her family was still away and she would be alone in the house for at least another week and being solitary had never really suited her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she opened her eyes slightly and patted the spot next to her on the bed. “You're welcome to stay.”

 

Then she turned over to face the wall and Hiei was left staring at the back of her raven head completely shocked. Hadn't he just been thinking how badly he wanted to hold her and keep her nightmares at bay - even if only for a night? Without further hesitation, he pulled his cloak from his body and draped it across the chair at her desk and bent to remove his boots. His heavy belts and katana were next and soon he was sliding between the cool sheets of her bed.

 

Kagome flipped over to face him quickly and before he could question her, she had laid her head on his chest and wrapped an arm across his waist. She tightened her grip on him in a half-hug and whispered against his chest, her breath on his naked flesh sending shivers down his spine. “Good night Hiei.”

 

And he slept.