The Name

It had been about three days, since Hiei had seen The Painter. She hadn't entered the woods since that first time, and Hiei still had with him the watercolor painting of the rock pool that she'd left for him. "The Shadow in the Tree", that's how she'd addressed him in the note she left on the back of the paper. And he only knew her as The Painter. Hiei didn't like humans, and he didn't like this one, but he wanted to see her again, if only to watch her paint. It was raining as he thought of this, sitting in a tree closer to the city. It was dry in the thick canopy of the leaves that shielded him from the cold drops of rain that otherwise would have him soaked.

He pulled the painting from his cloak, where he had it carefully folded in an inside pocket. He unfolded the picture and looked at it, losing himself in the memory of the day. The sun warm on his skin, light breeze weaving through his hair and rustling the leaves around him. The sunlight glittering off the pool and moss making everything shimmer gold and green. The picture, though originally a rough sketch, ended as something beautiful and amazing. Hiei wondered how something as foolish and ignorant as a human could make something this beautiful, but then again, he'd already decided that this human wasn't like others. She had snuck up on him when she'd first arrived, and she'd fooled him into believing that she was unaware of his prepense when she'd probably know he was there the entire time.

No, she didn't fool me, Hiei thought, She was un-bothered by my being there. She knew I was there and didn't react at all, she didn't care. For some reason, this occurrence agitated Hiei, it made him think the girl foolish. Why would she not react to someone watching her from the trees? Wouldn't most humans be bothered by it? Be afraid even? That was what Hiei knew of humans. They were frightened, timid creatures. But The Painter was different, not only had she noticed he was there but she hadn't reacted at all, and she had given the picture that she'd spent so long on to him. Why? Hiei had so many questions about her floating around in his mind that he didn't notice the puddle of rainwater collecting in the leaves above him.

He realized too late, that it was going to fall on him. He looked himself over, wet and cold, but then he noticed that the paper was soaked and the paint, watercolor paint, was starting to run and fade. Damn, Hiei thought, trying, but failing to dry it off. The painting was ruined, and all because of his distracted mind. Perhaps this is a good thing, he thought, without the painting I won't have to think about that painter girl again. But the fire demon was disappointed, and even as he sat there, pouting over the ruined picture he didn't understand why. He could see the pool any time he wanted, could look at it all day and night if he wished, he could see the real thing and yet, he wanted the painting, he wanted to see the painting. It's detail, it's precision. The Painter's signature on the front and her message on the back. That's what he liked he most, really. The message.

It's not as though it was special, or said anything of any significance. But for some reason, Hiei was disappointed to know that the painting, along with his message was now soaked and destroyed. After mourning the loss of his picture, he decided to wander elsewhere. Folding the tattered remains of the painting in his coat pocket, he headed to the city hoping that watching the human's misery would distract him from his own. And so, he wandered the rainy streets, letting it soak him. Though when it happened to rain, he sought shelter from it, the rain was comforting to Hiei. It made everything feel new and fresh, at least in the forest. Here in the city it was like pushing dirt around. Getting a filthy car wet, but not wet enough to wash away the all the dirt and grime caked onto it.

As he walked the streets, thinking of how filthy and miserable it was, it just made him think of the soaked painting in his pocket even more. And as he walked the gray and empty streets, he let his mind as well as his feet wander. Until after a while, when he began to pay attention to his surroundings, he wasn't quite sure where he was. The fire demon stopped and looked around, the rain pelting down even harder now, making it hard to see. There was no one around and as the wind blew it sent a shiver down his spine and the rain slammed across his face, blinding him for a moment. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, a bus stop. It was a shack surrounded on all sides but one, by wood with a wooden bench and an outstretched overhang.

Hiei headed over to it, jogging to get out of the rain. He arrived in the shack, letting out a breath and relaxing his shoulders, seeming to shrug off the rain. Now that he was safe from the cold heavy droplets that could still be heard beating against the walls of the small station, he leaned up against the side of the wall, closing his eyes and sighing. Listening to the rain and feeling the coming warmth of the small shack. Though still open, was mostly shielded from the wind and rain, it was warmer there than out in the open. Hiei kept his eyes shut, until he heard a voice very close to him, "Well if it isn't the Shadow in the Tree." Said the voice, female by the sound of it.

His crimson eyes snapped open and he stood up straight, body rigid and tense. Though that hostility turned to surprise when his glare met none other than The Painter Girl. She stood in the rain, soaked to the bone. She wasn't wearing very weather appropriate clothes either. Black leggings that stuck to her legs and a red plaid skirt that hung drenched by her hips. A long sleeved black shirt was the only covering she wore, no jacket or coat and her hair, also soaked, clung to her neck and face, the wind whipping it around whenever it picked up. She looked pathetic, like a drowned kitten. But she still smiled, happy as could be, despite the fact that Hiei could see her struggling not to shake. Human bodies were so frail.

She looked at him with her soft brown eyes and spoke, "I, uh, got caught in the rain on the way home. Would you mind sharing your bus station with me?" She gave him a small pleading smile, and though he would have refused normally, something told him not to. He simply nodded and she sighed with relief, coming in out of the rain and sitting down on the bench. She pulled her knees up close to her and let out a shuddered breath. She was trying hard to keep her shivering under control but it was still painfully obvious. Hiei knew that she wasn't a threat though and while he was still distracted by her shaking, he leaned up against the wall again and relaxed.

The girl spoke up after a bit, "I saw that you took the picture I left you. You liked it?" She asked nonchalantly. His eyes shifted to her and Hiei noticed she wasn't looking at him, which made him less, what was it? Nervous? Was he nervous? He wasn't sure. He just felt, uneasy, but not really in a bad way, now that he was with her. The demon nodded then remembering she wasn't looking at him simply said, "I did...but..." he added a moment later. She turned to him then, "But what?" She asked. Hiei couldn't answer her. The nervousness or uneasiness or whatever it was came back and kept him from speaking. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded piece of smeared, running paint and handed it to her.

She took it from him and unfolded it. Her brown eyes scrutinizing every bit of the once beautiful scene. Hiei expected her to be angry or upset, but she just laughed. "It got wet in the rain, huh?" She giggled and even though he was confused, he wouldn't let her see him lose it. "Yes, I was caught in the rain and it got ruined." He said. She looked at him and smiled that kind smile again. "Would you like another one?" She asked, and Hiei was taken aback. "You can...do it again?" He questioned, red eyes wide. She smiled, "Sure I ca-" She was cut off by a number of heavy coughs mid sentence and her body shook even harder with their force. She cleared her throat and went on, "Sorry about that," she said hoarsely, "I just got over the flu, or I thought I did, and I guess this sudden rain isn't helping me any." She sighed as if defeated.

The two were silent for a while. "How far are you from home?" Hiei asked suddenly. 'Painter' hadn't been paying attention, trying to keep herself warm, "What?" She said. And he looked at her straight this time, "You said earlier you were caught in the rain on your way home. How far is it?" He continued. The girl looked like she had to think a moment, then, "I live in the apartment complex about a block and a half from here. It's really nice. I'm on ground level, apartment 209." She said cheerfully. Hiei gave her a wavering look, "Should you really be telling a stranger your apartment number?" He said, and she looked at him then looked flustered, "Ah! You're right I don't know you, why did I do that? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She repeated, hitting her head against her knees. "Uh, you don't have to beat yourself up for it, I'm not going to hurt you or rob you." He said, making her stop chanting "stupid" to look at him, "Just, forget I said anything." He told her and she smiled.

It was about two hours later and the rain had only let up a little. 'Painter' had tried to leave earlier but Hiei argued that since she was still sick, walking home in the rain would only make things worse and he insisted she stay until the rain let up. She agreed and now had her head rested on her legs. Her shivering had stopped and the only moving Hiei could see was her slow and quiet breathing. She was starting to dry off, but her clothes and hair were still quite wet. The rain was starting to get lighter though, and Hiei wondered if maybe they should leave now while it was light. He looked over to 'Painter', still and unmoving. Maybe she's asleep? He thought walking over to her and bending over to see her face. She was in fact, asleep.

He thought she still looked pitiful, curled up, wet and asleep under a bus station. He had dried himself off a while back with his fire powers and high body heat. His clothes and hair were as if they'd never been wet. Hiei reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and wake her up, but when he did, his hand snapped back in shock. She was ice cold. Her skin and clothes were freezing and her breath was shallow and faint. He moved his hand to her face and felt she had an extremely high fever. His moving around, stirred her from her nap. "What'r you doin?" she asked, words slurred with exhaustion. "You have a fever, and you're cold as death," He said, pausing for a bit to talk and then, "I think I should take you home."

What the hell am I saying? Since when do I help humans? Since when do I even give a damn? Why are you offering to help her leave her here it's none of your business! He thought frantically. But despite what his mind told him, he couldn't bring himself to just leave her, the mysterious Painter, sick and shivering in the rain. Even for him, though she was a human, it just didn't seem right. Especially since it wouldn't be much trouble to get her home anyway. And if she ended up in the hospital for this, who knew how long it would be until he got his painting. Hiei told himself that's all he wanted, the painting and nothing more and that was the only reason he was helping her. With that one thought in mind, and him pushing any others out he shed his cloak and draped it around 'Painter' who'd started shivering again. He stepped in front of her, instructing the girl not to move and he wrapped it around her to where it covered her head and most of her body. Only her legs below the knees were left uncovered.

"Try not to squirm." Hiei told her firmly and with that, he picked her up, holding her to his chest and walking out into the light drizzle that the rain had died down to. He walked, silent and steady as he carried her in the direction she said her apartment was in. I can NOT believe I'm doing this! He screamed mentally. And it took everything he had not to drop the girl in his arms. It took even more to keep himself from squirming at the odd sensation of being close to another person. If there was one thing Hiei was not used to, it was physical contact, he didn't like touching and he didn't like being touched, he kept his distance from people at all times unless he was fighting.

She hadn't said a single word since they'd left the bus stop, and even now as he came up on the apartment complex and he made his way towards the numbers where her's would be, she stayed silent. Hiei stopped in front of the door with the number 209 on it. "This is it, right?" He asked her and she nodded. She fumbled around under the cloak with something and her hand, holding a small silver key, poked out from under the cloth. Hiei grabbed the key and unlocked the door, nudging it open with his foot and then walking inside, closing it behind him. He walked to what he assumed was the bedroom and set her down as gently and as quickly as possible. He removed his cloak, and covered her up with the blankets. After that he walked out of the room, her brown eyes following his every move curiously, and headed to the bathroom. He opened the cabinet, the one like where he'd seen Kurama put medicine and pulled out a few.

He brought them back to the room and showed them to 'Painter'. She told him which ones would help, some benadryl and aspirin, she said were all she needed to start feeling better. She asked for a glass of water and he headed to the kitchen to get it. After she downed the pills and lied back down, Hiei stayed in the room with her. He sat at her desk looking around the room at all the different kinds of sketches, drawings, paintings and photos she had on the walls. "I'm sorry" came her cough roughened voice. Hiei didn't look at her, "For what?" He asked. "For you having to do all this for me. You probably just wanted to get a new painting and go on your way, now you're stuck here." She explained. "It's no big deal, I've waited this long, what's a few days longer?" He said, eyes still fixed on the pictures around the room.

"Besides," He went on, "With you like this you can't paint, and even if you weren't sick as a dog, this weather would keep you from painting until it clears." They were both quiet for a moment, "Don't apologize for something that you couldn't control, it's not like anyone can blame you for what's happened." He finished firmly. She smiled lightly and they were quiet for a long while after that. It was dark outside and the clock on the nightstand read 8:45. "Almost 9:00." 'Painter' said. Hiei was reclining in the lazy-boy armchair in the corner of the room when she spoke up, "It's kinda late, and the rain is coming down harder now," She said, catching his attention, "I know it's sudden, and you don't really know me but, you can stay the night, if you want to." She told him.

Hiei pondered the idea for a moment. While he didn't like the idea of spending the night at a human's home, and a girl's home at that, he disliked the idea of leaving her here alone more, and it's not like he had anywhere else to go. He sighed. "Why not." He said and reclined back in the chair. "Get some sleep, you need to rest if you're going to get better to start me a new painting." He said, closing his eyes as he relaxed to get some sleep himself. She didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Hazuki." He heard her say and he slid open one eye to look at her questioningly. "My name," She said. "It's Hazuki." He looked at her a moment longer and then closed his eye again, "Hiei." He said his name quickly hoping she'd catch it, he heard her whisper it to herself once so he knew she did. "Now sleep." He told her and they both drifted off.

For four days it rained, and for four days Hiei stayed at the apartment with Hazuki. Helping her get better, bugging her about the painting and mentally asking himself over and over why he was still hanging around, using the "I'm waiting for the painting" excuse to give himself an explanation to his behavior that even he didn't understand. On day five, Hazuki was at near perfect health and the storm was gone. The sky was clear and the sun was warm and bright. "I can go out and do your painting today, Hiei." She said excitedly. Hiei lifted his head up from being laid out on the couch in the living room, "It's about time." He said annoyed, helping her get her things together.

While he did allow her to go out, Hiei said that he'd wait another day if she didn't wear layers of warm clothes. "If you get fatigued in the middle of the woods and black then I have to carry you back and I may have to wait even longer." He told her. She just smiled and agreed to take it easy, having him carry the bag of art supplies all the way out to the pool in the woods. For a good three hours she sat there, sketching and then painting at the base of the same tree she had before. And Hiei sat up in that same tree as he had that day, watching her paint. When she was done, she held it away from her to look a it. "Whad'do you think?" Hazuki called. Hiei jumped down from the branch to take a closer look, "Same as before. " He said, satisfied. She smiled, "Glad you like it." She said, asking him to hold it for a moment while she got something. He flipped it over and noticed that she'd even re-written the note, and had left the part addressed to him the same, instead of changing it to 'Hiei' now that she knew his name.

He looked at Hazuki and she pulled from her bag two sheets of thin plastic and some clear glue-looking stuff in a bottle. She asked for the painting back and he handed it to her. She placed it on one sheet which was about and inch larger around the painting, and used an old worn paint brush to paint those edges with the clear glue. She then carefully placed the other sheet of plastic on top of it, pressing it together so it would stay. She handed it back to him. "Now you can fold it into your coat and no matter where you are, regardless of the weather, it'll stay protected." She said. After that, she packed up and Hiei walked her back home. "Thank you for all your help." She told him. "Hn." Was his reply and with that, the demon left. But he had the feeling he'd see her again.

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