Five Times Hiei Saves Yukina (and Five Times he Doesn't)
Andixa
A series of 10 drabbles (which I'm proud to say totals exactly 1000 words!) about Yukina, Hiei, coincidence, circumstance, and family. No real plot, just brief moments from their canon histories.
Disclaimer: It's their sandbox; I'm just playing in it.
1: The birth of a second child saves Yukina in a way no one would ever realize. The entire floating city knows about Hina's indiscretion with an outsider – a male, a fire demon – and harsh plans are devised for the offspring upon its birth. But for Hina to give birth to two children… how easy it is to forgive the pink flush to the girl's skin, her wide red eyes, the wickedness of the act that created her, when the child bundled next to her is so obviously tainted, so abhorrently male. When he falls, it means she doesn't have to.
2: On the night of her seventy seventh birthday, where Yukina would turn in her plain white dress for the frosty blue robes of her people, Rui finally broke. At first the girl didn't understand; the traditional words had fallen out of use, and she knew none of loan words from the villages below the glacier. But Rui persisted, and afterward Yukina came to doubt those who would murder her sister-but-not-sister. That thought, and the warm tug on her mind telling her she was not alone, thawed the delicate ice that was taking hold in her heart – and she was free.
3: Nearly a thousand miles away, Hiei still protects her on her first day away from home – the first of many spent searching for her lost brother. Accosted by strange smells and boisterous vendors as soon as she enters the border city, she is both charmed and terrified. She doesn't notice the petty thieves and thugs tailing her, waiting to bruise or rob or worse. Petite, with pale skin and blue hair, no weapons, no protectors, they take her for an easy target … until they hear his name on her lips, Hiei, dark young death, and back away in fear.
4: When they finally meet in person, he's there to save her again – a proper rescue this time, with swords and fists and lots of yelling. It doesn't really count, of course, since the spirit detective is there anyway; Hiei's presence isn't strictly necessary. But for the first time in their lives, it's his choice to save her, not circumstance or coincidence, and certainly not the will of a few frigid ice witches. She doesn't recognize him – no, not until days later when the shock has worn off – but still she looks to him like he's been there her whole life.
5: If ice, demons, backwater Makai, and human corruption haven't killed her, there is no way in hell a hunk of concrete is going to take Yukina out. In less than a second, Hiei is crouched next to her, halting a piece of ceiling inches from her head. She is pressed against his side, close enough to smell his sweat and feel his body heat - it feels like coming home, except her home has always been frigid and dead, and his skin is warm next to hers. To her demon nose, the smell of him is the smell of family.
6: Growing up in the jungle was no easy task – no easier when you're orphaned, alone, under-sized, with delicate features and no spikes or claws to speak of. But Hiei was smart, and fast, and had one extra advantage: a sense of calm, a moment of peace, maybe even a bit of sanity in his insane life. It was a feeling he attributed to the precious gem around his neck – never realizing he had a twin, that her frosty stillness was echoing down their bond, clearing his young and confused mind of the anger that would otherwise have gotten him killed.
7: The floating city, land of the ice maidens, land of his birth. He doesn't belong here. He should burn the thing out of the sky, really, but all he feels is cool indifference. Chill winds snap at him; he wants to leave, to escape the numbness of this place. Cold invades everything, through skin and heart and mind, feeding the black ache in his bones – cold that kept him sane long ago, but now it's overwhelming. He continues, meets Rui. He learns of a sister who is searching for him… and a spark of warmth takes hold in his chest.
8: Now that he knows about her, he can see traces of Yukina's presence all over the Makai, criss-crossing his own path – always one step ahead or behind him. She's bribed merchants, charmed soft-hearted innkeepers, enticed treasure hunters, and run into several petty thugs along the way… the girl really had no idea the greed or terror she could incite, just by being an ice maiden alone in the jungle. She even saved his life a few times, misdirecting his enemies, suggesting that he held sway with the floating city, and spreading several wildly exaggerated stories about his skill in battle.
9: It seems trivial, but one should never dismiss how pig-headed Hiei can be. A kinder turn of phrase would be 'fools rush in…' – and Hiei is certainly a fool, rushing to destroy whatever threatened his sister. This might be the first time he's seen her, but the anger that sears through him is very real, and very dangerous. With a human on the receiving end of that temper, Hiei's writing himself a one-way ticket back to Reikai jail, probably dragging his closest friend along for the ride… until one word from the little ice maiden stops him in his tracks.
10: His glare is positively murderous, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. Yukina is huddled against his side, and strange emotion flushes through him. It's not anger, or irritation, or even unworthiness… for the first time, he feels protective, needed, like he has a special place in someone's life. An unwarranted amount of adrenaline pounds through his veins, air catching in his lungs (and not just from the gravel raining down on their heads). Yukina is fine – and Hiei is terrified. She just might give him a reason to keep living, and that's not something he wants right now.