So! This is my first story so be nice to me please. This is for my friend EminaKotek-nightmare! Its her birthday present, because she's now 17!!!
Warning: THIS IS AN AU FIC!!!! Some of the characters might be alittle OOC because some things about their pasts have changed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or HunterxHunter, or Hana, or Gin, or Emina. The only thing I own is Sin.
Please enjoy and feel free to yell at me in the reviews.
The princess sat in her room, books surrounding her small frame, cluttering the fluffy white mattress of the canopy bed beneath her. She perched on the cushy white covers, leaning against six puffy white pillows, which were so thick she was nearly sitting straight up. The princess's silver hair lay perfectly over the pillows, the ends curled to perfection, and sitting there, reading motionlessly, she could easily be mistaken for a doll. Her small white wings fluttered slightly, as she closed the book she had been reading for fun, and pulled a heavy book of mathematics exercises into her lap. She placed an elegant ink well on the white desk beside her bed, and lifted her quill from her lap. She scowled slightly, but even the dark creasing of her brow did nothing to obscure the porcelain beauty of her face. Her pale, slender fingers delicately cradled the gaudy white quill as she wrote the problems and their answers in perfect flowing script. She peered out the window at the large marble sundial in the garden below her. Heaving a quiet sigh of relief she closed her text book and rose from the bed straightening the frothy petticoats that graced her willowy body. She checked her reflection in the large ornate looking glass, just opposite of the door, and stared into her bright, shining brown eyes. She let her mind wander to the mystery of these eyes.
She was the princess of a clan called the Kuruta's whose eyes, normally brown, would change to red when they felt strong emotions. If these red pupils were gouged out, they could be sold for a fetching price on the black market. After years of being hunted down, a Kuruta revolution finally closed the city off from the world, allowing on Kuruta's in. Her mother was the great grand daughter of the man who led the original revolution, and was now the queen, presiding over the Kuruta's next to her husband, who had been a common boy before she met and married him. As far as the princess knew, no people were allowed into the city without proving their Kuruta origins, by either going through tests to see if their eyes changed color, or presenting the Kuruta jewel, which was a small circular blood red gem, that perfectly matched the color of their eyes. After years of Kurutas settling with non Kuruta's, the children of these unions came out odd. They hair color, originally blonde, started to show all sorts of colors, black, red, orange, or brown, and their eyes sometimes varied in shade. These mixed children were considered Kurutas as long as their eyes had the ability to turn some shade of red. If not, they were shunned, as they had the potential to become greedy, and steal the precious eyes of the clan. These children were forced to leave once they turned sixteen, for that was when they were old enough to live their own life. The young princess was blissfully unaware of these harsh rules, as she lived in sort of a bubble of happiness, far away from the rest of the world, and she was born with the curse of naiiveitivity and ultimate trust. She really believed the world was a good place, and her parents aimed to keep it that way.
A sharp knock on the princess's door brought her back to her senses.
"Yes?" She called softly. Her only reply was a rough grunt and she couldn't help but smile. She opened the door and smiled at the boy standing in front of her. "What is it, Hiei?" He fixed her with a bored look, and spoke briefly,
"The King summons."
The princess nodded and took her tiara from the dresser beside her, and placed it on her head lightly, fixing it in the mirror so it was perfectly nestled within her pale white hair. The tiara was ornately designed of delecate silver patterns, and in the midst of the intertwining silver, were blood red jewels of many sizes, causing a stark contrast from the girl's milky hair and pastel face. She wrapped her scarlet cloak around her shoulders, fastening the pearl broach around her neck, and straightened her petticoats in the mirror before turning to the boy before her. He gave her a silent nod before leading her down the corridor.
"Why has Father summoned me?" The princess asked, her sweet voice echoing down the hall.
"His Majesty is trying a dangerous criminal. He requests your presence." Hiei replied, and his black feathered wings stretching and flapping, giving away the excitement his voice refused to betray. She felt her heart jump into her throat. Her presence was only requested when they were planning to kill a criminal. Under law, to be tried, a criminal must give their full name, be told of their crime, and be given the chance to defend themselves, and, if they are to be executed, the entire royal family must be there, in case one of them might change the ruling, and offer a lesser punishment. She hated seeing the people brought before her, wracked in poverty, and suffering the weight of the chains and their crimes. She knew she must stay strong, but some of the criminals were young, not much older than herself and Hiei, who they guessed was about four years older than her, and she could not bear to see their lives end so tragically. She saw hot tears swell in her vision and she blinked them away, trying to compose herself before going out.
She watched the boy in front of her, and smiled a bit. He was one of those criminals who was saved. They had presented him to the king as a hostile trespasser, ad the princess had been summoned to his trial. He had washed into the kingdom down a river, where he had fallen into, unconscious somewhere in the mountains. They found him when she was just a little girl. Her father had immediately recognized Hiei's strength, and, knowing trying to execute him would be a problem, allowed him to stay in the castle. He was trained by the royal guards, and because he already a lot of experience, He had moved up in the ranks quickly. He was observed for a year before, because of his unmatched talent, he had been assigned as the princess's body guard. Two of the most experienced and strongest guards had been assigned to her as well, but they were guarding the princess solely from Hiei. After another year, Hiei had gained the King's trust, and one at a time, the other guards had been sent back to their previous posts. Hiei was now her sole protector, and the princess had never felt safer.
She couldn't figure out why the surly boy stayed though. If he decided to leave, no one could stop him, and he always seemed unhappy, and yet, he stayed, guarding the growing girl he had been protecting for twelve years. Her eyes traveled innocently over Hiei's familiar body. She took in the black cloak, hanging off one muscular shoulder, fastened by a silver broach which held a large red jewel, showing he was a high ranking guard. Under the cloak was a gauzy black shirt, sewn purely of fluid silk, and held together by delicate silver buttons. His sleeves reached down to his wrists and they flowed with excess material. His soft leather pants were also black, and a beautifully crafted leather belt with a silver buckle held the material around his waist. His feet, clad in black shoes, that managed to both protect his feet and keep up with his unbelievable speed, padded noiselessly on the marble floor. She glanced at his hair, and a wry smile slid across her face. He was supposed to be wearing a black cap also, as part of his uniform, but no one could figure out how to inflict the laws of physics on his gravity defying hair.
The princess bit her strawberry lips, desiring to break the silence, but she knew it was futile starting a conversation with the silent boy. She watched the walls of the castle pass by instead. They were elegantly crafted by skilled tradesmen, to depict an interesting mix of fairytales and the kingdom's past. The most eerie carvings were those of people without wings. When she was a child, she had thought they were criminals, for only criminals and slaves suffered life without wings, but Hiei told her one day that those creatures were called "Humans" who somehow lived without wings to rely on when you needed them most.
The solid marble walls yawned into grand arched windows looking out onto the garden, whose grounds were almost entirely covered in brilliantly colored flowers that the young princess had picked out herself. She glanced at the lovely tapestry of bright hues and her crimson eyes faded to brown, the color of rich milk chocolate.
Hiei stopped directly in front of her, nodding at the two young boys guarding the large wooden ornate door and they saluted him sharply before placing their spears at their sides, and opening the door. The princess stepped into the court room and began to walk toward her parents. Her father saw her and smiled at her from his throne atop the dais. His dark hair framed his handsome youthful face, and his dark crimson eyes flashed wickedly with hidden mischief, as he rose to greet his beautiful daughter.
"Hello Father." She said sweetly, lightly kissing his cheeks. "You summoned me?"
"Emina, I would like you to sit in on this trial. The criminal is being tried for a serious offence and your mother and I desire your opinion." Emina knew what this really meant. Her father didn't care about her opinion. She needed to be here by law, because her father wanted to execute this criminal.
"Yes Father." She whispered miserably. Her mother shot her an apologetic look, her long slender fingers brushing her perfectly straight blonde hair away from her voluptuous bosom. Her father sat down next to her, and that hand immediately moved onto his and began to draw invisible lines on his. Emina made a small face. She wished her parents weren't so affectionate. They were constantly all over each other and often the young princess and royal staff would have to run from a room as the lusty couple began to tear at each other's clothing. Her father gently stroked her mother's thigh, ruffling the red satin dress that had so recently been repaired. The white embroidery was the maid's way of cheating, for they would sew elaborate patterns so no one would notice the new stitching.
Her father whispered something into his wife's ear and her ruby lips, which contrasted so sharply with her pale skin, curved into a sensual smile. Her hand moved from his arm, clad in white silk, to his thigh, to trace the stitches of the soft white leather pants. Emina took her seat next to them and cleared her throat, a little pink at their displays of affection. Her father grinned sheepishly and reluctantly took his hands from her beautiful, curvy mother. Emina wished she could have inherited those genes, and the maids assured her she would, but seeing as she was now seventeen and her bust and hips were still average, she disagreed. Her father adjusted his large crown. It was impressive to say the least, if not a little stereotypical. The stiff felt crown swelled above his head much like his over inflated ego. Jewels crusted the crown, and on the very top a small silver orb with beautiful silver wings protruding from the sides sat proudly. Her mother's tiara was also silver, but it was much more feminine and modest. The only jewels were the Kuruta jem, placed in key places atop the crown.
Her fathers white wings fluttered impatiently, before he composed himself and forced them to become still. Both her mother and father had white wings like hers, although theirs were a bit bigger. Her fiancée, Kurapika, sat next to her. He smiled kindly at her, and she smiled back. The golden haired Kuruta next to her had been her friend since they were children. He was smart, sweet, and kind, even though his blood red wings were a little eerie. As a child, she had always imagined spending the rest of her life with him, but the day she found out they were engaged, she wasn't as happy as she would have imagined she'd be. She loved him, she really did, yet… Now that she knew the… acts involved in marriage, well… She wasn't sure she would ever want to share a bed with him. Also, she could never imagine herself being with Kurapika the way her parents were with each other.
And she had been becoming even more uneasy recently. His soft kind eyes had become calculating and dark and they flashed red much too often. She knew he was hiding things from her but she didn't bother him about it, for she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was doing behind her back. The loud trumpets snatched the princess back from her thoughts and she turned her attention to the front of the court room. The doors to the outside opened and the crowd of commoners came in, babbling loudly to each other, preventing any further thought on Emina's part.
Hiei took his place in front of her, on the lowest step of the dais. He watched the crowd with cold eyes, as they shuffled closer to the thrones. He folded his glossy black wings against his back and stood at attention. Twenty seven guards walked through the crowd and took their place around them. Two young boys, one with sandy blonde hair, with spotted brown and white feathered wings, and a red head with beautiful grew wings, lead in the criminal, who's eyes and mouth were covered with filthy strips of cloth, and whose body was weighted down by chains.
Emina recoiled in horror. THIS could not be the criminal her father want to execute! She stared at the young girl in front of her, so light that the two boys carried her in between them without the slightest trouble. Her legs and hands were bound with heavy shackles and chains, and a tight chain wrapped around her chest to keep her wings from appearing. Her dark, filthy, tattered clothes hung off her body. They carried the girl before the King and Queen before dropping her roughly to her knees, causing her chest to jiggle slightly, and Emina felt a small wave of jealously wash over her, but she suppressed it, considering the girl's situation. Her father examined the girl boredly.
"What crime has she committed?"
The red haired guard spoke in a deep voice, "The murder of two families, impersonating a border official and witch craft." The girl scoffed
Emina felt her father stiffen beside her. He had a strong dislike for magic. She knew there was only one way for this to end.
"Take off the blind fold. Let me see this witch's face." The blonde boy violently ripped the girl's blindfold off. She kept her eyes to the ground. "Girl. What's your name?" The red head pulled the gag from her mouth, but the girl stayed silent.
"Child do you understand the situation you're in? Answer me. "
The girl raised her eyes defiantly and responded, "I don't know Gin-tono. In this situation I think I would rather keep my name to myself." She smirked maliciously. Gin's eyes flashed scarlet, and he flicked his index finger. The blonde boy slapped the young girl across her face, and her head snapped o the side with a loud crack. It wasn't hard enough to wipe the smirk off her face though. She turned her head slowly and Emina gasped. The dirty girl was looking directly at her! She saw Hiei stiffen and heard Kurapika recoil in his seat. Emina's warm brown eyes could not tear themselves away from this girl's. Her eyes were golden red, like the blood red sunsets over the castle, and they shone wickedly with pure, compelling evil. The girl's jet black hair, falling over her coarse face, darkened with dirt and overexposure to the sun, did nothing to suppress the peculiar glowing of her eyes. Her short fell around her face, filthy and matted, sticking up at odd angles and such, barely reaching halfway down her neck, its ends severed unevenly.
Emina felt herself begin to shake. This girl before her seemed to bear the night on her back. Her aura was dark, dangerous, and for the first time since Hiei had been by her side, the princess felt afraid.
The Queen stood and addressed the young girl in front of her. "Child, Give us your name. We cannot begin your trial without it."
The girl did not take her eyes from the princess's as she replied to the queen. "Don't patronize me Hana-sama. You can't execute me until I am tried so I think I'll keep it a secret."
Hana pursed her lips angrily, but took her seat. Emina squirmed a bit in her seat, and Kurapika's eyes flashed red as he glared at the girl making his princess uncomfortable. He placed his hand over Emina's protectively. The girl sneered at the action, and Emina felt her face grow hot with embarrassment, and she snatched her hand away from Kurapika's. He turned to her, his eyes hurt and confused, but she ignored him. Emina cleared her throat quietly and spoke to the girl before her.
"What is your name?" She asked. But it wasn't a question. It was a demand. The girl smiled cruely before lowering her eyes submissively and responding in a quiet voice,
"Sin."
Gin growled. "She asked your name!"
Sin looked at him confused. "But I-" The blonde guard slapped her again, his spotted wings quivering, on another silent order from Gin. Hana watched with silent coldness. "Tell us your name!" Sin simply shook her head and Gin growled louder. "Beat her until she tells us." The two boys turned on the girl between them, and the red head slammed is fist into her face as the blonde boy delivered a sharp kick to her ribs. She flinched but refused to speak. The guards continued to beat her and Emina watched horrified as the carnage continued. The girl coughed up blood, and Hiei tensed at the stench of blood. Sin lost her balance and collapsed onto the floor, and the two guards swooped down on her, and they pummeled her body with violent blows.
"Father…" Emina pleaded, "She has already give-"
"Quiet." He commanded sharply. Her eyes prickled with hot tears as she watched the escalating unnecessary violence silently.
"Stop it…" She whispered. Then she found her voice and commanded, "STOP!" Kurapika and her parents turned to stare at her. The two guards paused for a moment, shocked at hearing the sweet princess cry out so harshly, before glancing at Gin and continuing to beat the small girl. Emina's eyes flashed crimson and she spoke in a dark angry voice that bubbled up from the depths of her soul, a voice she had never used before . "Enough!!!"
She was on her feet, and her face was dark and angry. Hiei was by Sin's side in an instant, pulling the young guards away from her, growling orders in their ears. Sin stared up at Emina, her flaming orange eyes gleaming with some unreadable emotion.
"Father," Emina spoke quietly, her voice shaking with anger, "She had already provided her name. Why did you continue to beat her?"
Gin met her eyes, and realized his daughter was serious. He chose his next words carefully. "What do you propose we do with her then, Princess?"
"I will try her." Gin leaned back in his throne and shrugged.
"Have your way. I will not interfere." Emina walked down from the dais, feeling Kurapika's accusing eyes on her back, but she ignored it.
"What is your full name?" She asked the dirty girl who sat, her legs splayed beneath her, directly in front of the princess. Sin stared up at the princess and rasped,
"My name is Sin. I don't have parents."
Emina turned to Hiei. "Help her up." Hiei grabbed the chain that attached the girl's wrists and roughly yanked her to her feet. Sin tossed her hair from her face proudly, and fixed Emina with a fearless stare. Emina gulped. She was going to try this girl to spite her father but… She didn't know what to do. Hiei was by her side the second she lifted her hand to beckon him. He murmured, knowing, as was his uncanny talent, what she needed before she asked,
"Ask her how she wishes to plea toher crimes." Emina nodded and stood up straight.
"Sin, How do you wish to plea to your accusations of murder, impersonation, and witchcraft?"
Sin responded evenly, "To murder, guilty. To impersonation, guilty. But I never did any 'witchcraft'." Emina blinked, surprised at the girl's straightforwardness.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen." Emina felt her pink lips form a shocked 'O'. This girl was a mere two years younger than herself, yet she would calmly admit to murder.
"Why did you kill those families?" Emina asked.
"Because it was fun." Sin said. Yet no smile twisted her lips, and her eyes remained clouded and unreadable. Emina bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment. This girl reminded her of how Hiei used to be. Dark, isolated, mistrusting… Maybe she could change this girl too… She turned to the two boys who had beaten her.
"What was the evidence of witchcraft?" she asked.
The boys looked at each other, then the red head stepped forward. "Highness, The way the people were killed… There was no doubt… she must have had a familiar. They were pierced with vines that moved on their own and--"
Sin scoffed. "That's no magic. Those plants move on their own. Just like the weeds in your garden, Princess. The ones that grab your ankles when you walk by? I did nothing to control those plants. They worked all on their own." She looked into Emina's eyes and the truth shone there. The girl wasn't lying. Emina couldn't let this little girl die!!!
"Take off the chains, Hiei." He walked to the girl and began to snap the chains off her with his bear hands. Gin jumped out of his throne and marched toward Emina, his aura flaming with fury.
"What are you doing?! Even if she's not a witch she's still a murderer! She needs to be executed!"
"No! Father, she's younger than me! She doesn't have a family! Let her become my personal maid! I'll look after her! Hiei will protect me if anything goes wrong!!!" Hiei gave Gin a look that clearly supported Emina's argument. Gin opened his mouth to protest, but a slender hand delicately touched his shoulder.
"Let her." Hana whispered in his ear. "Yes, the girl is dangerous, but trust your daughter's intuition. She has not been wrong yet. And if she is wrong, it will be good lesson. She'll become less trusting of everyone she sees this way. And Hiei will not let us down. He will protect Emina with his life. Don't worry." Gin frowned stubbornly and tried to think up arguments, but his wife's wandering hands were more than enough to distract him.
"Fine." He sighed, "Take her to your room and clean her up."
Emina smiled brilliantly, and the room seemed to brighten. She curtsied to Hana and Gin. "Thank you Father, Mother." She turned to Hiei who was currently having a stare down with Sin. She suppressed a giggle. The last chain was wrapped around the girl's large chest to bind her wings. Hiei reached for the chain to break it, but she slapped his hand away, glaring at him. He growled.
"I don't want to touch you, you whore. The princess wants these chains off of you."
Sin growled back, "Fine. Let me take them off." She wrapped her dirty fingers around the chain and squeezed. The chain under her hand shattered and the rest fell away. She kept her wings plastered to her back, much to Emina's disappointment. Hiei stared at Sin, a little surprised, and maybe even impressed. She smirked at him before looking at Emina. "So, Princess, I'm to be your maid?"
Emina nodded. "Come with me." She said, and with that she walked past Sin through the crowd that the guards parted, and out the door. The guards didn't need to do much to keep the crowd back, for they were in awe of their beautiful princess, and found her too sweet to even think of hurting her. She smiled at them as she passed by, and Sin watched as the young princess charmed her people. The dark girl grinned at her prey.
She's too soft. She thought. I'll make sure to toughen her up.
Sin hesitated for a moment before stepping into the crowd. Emina turned around to see the small girl behind her on the receiving end of verbal and physical abuse. The crowd roared curses and the guards didn't bother to keep them as far away from the girl as they should be. Soon the commoners were close enough to Sin to pull her hair, and clothes, and hit her viciously. An old man spit in her face, and a middle aged woman slashed at her with her sharp nails. The trickling blood flipped a switch in Sin's mind. Red clouded her vision and her eyes darkened. Her lips started to peel back from her teeth. She turned to the woman fixing her with a wild, violent, animalistic stare, and her muscles tensed to lunge, when a strong body crashed into hers; knocking the air out of her lungs.
Hiei threw her over his shoulder and carried her to the door where Princess Emina stood waiting. Sin blinked the bloodlust away. What was she just about to do? She let her face drop against Hiei's muscular back, and waited for her breathing to even out. He carried her in silence through the corridors for about five minutes before dropping her unexpectedly. Her legs gave way under her, and she fell hard on her butt.
"W-What was that for?!" She demanded, wincing at the sharp pain spreading through her rump. Hiei's crimson eyes glared down at her.
"You can walk on your own." Sin realized this was true. She nodded and stood, following Emina and Hiei past the gardens. Emina glanced back at the strange girl following her. She stared when the girl seemed to recoil from the bright tapestry of flowers spread out only a few floors beneath them. Even the toughest of men could not frown for long while looking at the garden, yet this girl seemed to hate them.
Confused thoughts whirled around Emina's pretty head, but she shook them away when she found herself in front of her room. She turned the diamond doorknob and breezed into her room. Hiei followed her silently, and Sin entered, her hands shoved deep into her pockets. She looked around, her orange eyes taking in every detail of the bright white room. Emina perched on her fluffy white bed, waiting, with bated breath, somehow desireing Sin's approval.
"Its… white. It… suits you." There was a trace of hidden sarcasm in her tone that bothered Emina deeply.
"I-It… It was my parents idea…" She said a bit unsurely. Sin rolled her eyes and stepped over to Emina's dresser, examining the multiple bottles of perfume and tubes and compacts of makeup. Emina shifted uncomfortably on the bed, the mattress feeling hot and lumpy beneath her. An older maid, Frieda, stepped into the room, and looked at the girl pacing around. She took a deep breath as her face grew red before screaming.
"FILTHY CHILD! COME HERE!" Sin jumped and turned to the woman.
"W-what?" She asked, shocked at the noisy entrance of the woman, whose tawny sparrow wings flapped irritatedly.
"You are filthy! Get out of those clothes and GO TAKE A BATH!" Sin stepped away from the angry woman, a bit unsurely. Frieda tapped her foot and tutted before rolling up her sleeves and advancing on the poor, confused girl in front of her. Emina smiled alittle before telling Sin,
"You need to take a bath. Frieda will help you." The maid grabbed Sin's clothes and pulled them off her body with practiced efficiency. Sin turned bright red and squealed.
"Hey!! Don't just--" She turned to Hiei with a flustered glare and he just smirked at her, refusing to look away. Emina pulled on his cloak and spoke to him reproachfully.
"Hiei you shouldn't watch a lady while she undresses."
"She's barely a lady." He retorted. "And I'm sure she'd kill that maid in a second if I looked away." He smirked at Sin's discomfort at being stripped in front of so many people. Emina shrugged, knowing he was at least partially right. The maid glared at Hiei, and pulled the nude filthy girl after her into the bathroom. Hiei leaned against the doorframe and called, "Frieda, the girl would kill you in a second given the chance. I'm not watching her because I want to."
Frieda scoffed as she briskly yanked the taps on the bath tub. She turned her attention to Sin. "I should take you outside and hose you off" She mused to herself. Sin stared at her horrified before glancing helplessly at Emina. "Come here." The maid beckoned. She had a bucket of cold soapy water in her hands now. Sin stepped closer, unsurely. Frieda wasted no time in pouring the entire contents of the bucket over the young girls head, suddenly, without any warning.
Sin's screech was loud enough to be heard back in the throne room. Hana chuckled.
"And so her torture begins"
I hope that wasn't too bad. I think the next chapter will come out soon. It will come out even sooner if I get reviews. Please tell me if you liked it!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMI-CHAN!!! I LOVE YOU! SORRY ITS SO LATE!!!