Hiei Jaganshi leaned back in his armchair, sipping his glass of wine. The sky outside the window of the sitting room was dark. Hiei had been working late and he was enjoying a small moment of peace before he went to bed.
He looked up as a light knock sounded on the door. "Come in," he said, already knowing who it was.
He was proven correct when the door opened to reveal a short girl with teal coloured hair and red eyes. The eyes were a genetic quirk that both he and his sister shared.
Hiei and his sister Yukina had been placed up for adoption as children and adopted by different families. Hiei's new parents had been wealthy but distant. Yukina's had been the opposite. Hiei had been raised to be self-sufficient and ruthless, particularly in business matters but he had always harboured a desire to reunite with his sister. Two years ago he had found her working at a department store. Now she lived with him and worked in his company as a receptionist.
"Hello, brother." She settled on the other armchair, sitting with her hands folded in her lap. She wore an elegant kimono patterned with waves of water. It had been a gift from Hiei. He liked to shower her with all the lovely things she never had when she was growing up. "I'm glad you've finished your work. It's quite late."
Hiei frowned at her. "Yes, and you should be asleep now."
She smiled at him. "I wanted to spend a little time with you. You've been so busy lately."
Hiei's frown disappeared in the wake of his sister's concern. "I'm sorry," he said, setting his glass aside. "I have some important negotiations coming up and my employees are not capable of having everything organized in time. I'll be able to spend more time with you soon."
It was Yukina's turn to frown. "You mean that you don't trust your employees to do the work," she told him. She had figured Hiei out very quickly after meeting him and it both alarmed and relieved him. It meant that she was much more forgiving of him than others in his life but it was disconcerting to have someone who could read you so well.
Hiei didn't get a chance to respond because just as Yukina finished speaking, the door flew open. Hiei jumped to his feet, moving to put himself between Yukina and the entrance. His bodyguard Yusuke strode in. He half-dragged, half-marched a struggling figure into the room. He let out a yelp of pain as the figure managed to twist around in his grip and bite his arm.
Yukina let out a distressed cry from behind Hiei.
"Stupid bitch!" Yusuke swore, roughly throwing the person onto the rug in the middle of the room.
"What... the... hell?" Hiei demanded, furious at his bodyguard for not having more discretion.
"Found this bitch in your office trying to open the safe," Yusuke growled. "Can't believe she even got that far. Must have disabled the alarm system."
Hiei stared down at the figure huddled on the floor. She was dressed entirely in dark clothes. A dark scarf covered her hair though strands of it had come loose from beneath the material. She was obviously of slim build and likely to be taller than Hiei when she was standing. Then again, most people were taller than Hiei. She looked between Hiei and Yusuke, obviously not sure what to do. Hiei suspected that she wanted to move away from him but she was clearly aware that it would put her closer to Yusuke. She was stuck in between them.
"Weapons?" Hiei asked.
Yusuke shrugged. "I didn't check," he admitted. "She pulled a knife on me but that was all."
Hiei sighed in exasperation. At times it seemed as if Yusuke was more of a thug than a professional bodyguard but he always seemed to handle any situation.
Hiei knelt and yanked the scarf from the woman's head. Long red hair spilled around her face, emerald green eyes blinking up at him. Small, delicate gold earrings shaped like roses dangled from her ears. She looked terrified.
"Who are you working for?" he demanded.
"No one," she whimpered, her voice soft and alto. Hiei would have found it pleasant under any other circumstances. Her looks were also pleasing to Hiei, though she was not his type. Her face was fine-boned and her skin flawless, though she had a bruise forming on her cheek. That had probably occurred when Yusuke was subduing her.
"Don't lie to me," Hiei told her. "What were you looking for?"
She looked down. Hiei grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. Her full lips trembled. Finally she said, "The gems."
Hiei laughed quietly. "I don't even keep them in that safe," he informed her.
The gems she was referring to had belonged to Hiei's adoptive father and had been handed down to him when he inherited his father's company. They were the cornerstone of his family's wealth and priceless.
"Should I call the cops?" Yusuke asked. His lips twisted into a grimace. He didn't like the police as he'd had a rough childhood and had often ran afoul of them.
The woman immediately began to shake. "Please, no," she begged. "I promise I won't come back. Just let me go. Don't call the police." Her voice was panicked.
Yukina put a hand on his arm and Hiei glared at her. "Stay back," he said. "We'll take care of this."
"Brother, do we have to involve the police? She didn't take anything," Yukina protested.
Hiei growled. Things would be so much simpler if Yukina wasn't present.
The woman looked up hopefully at Yukina, her pretty forest green eyes brimming with tears. "Please," she pleaded. "I won't bother you again."
Hiei looked at Yusuke. The man was leaning casually against the door, rubbing his arm where she had bitten him. He seemed unfazed by the injury. He caught Hiei's gaze and shrugged. He obviously wasn't going to weigh in on the dispute.
Hiei released the woman and looked at Yukina after rising to his full height. "Sit down," he told her. She hesitantly did, anxiously arranging her kimono as she did so. The woman remained on the floor, though she moved to her knees. Her eyes followed Hiei as he sat down in the armchair he had previously occupied. He wasn't worried that she would try to escape as Yusuke was blocking the entrance to the hallway.
"I'm not willing to just let this go," Hiei said with a frown. "She's a thief."
"Maybe she just got caught in a bad situation," Yukina protested. "Not everyone has been lucky enough to have your upbringing, brother."
Hiei winced at the reminder of their different pasts.
"Give her a chance," Yukina pressed. "You could give her a job. That way you could keep an eye on her. And she'll have a chance to make an honest living."
The woman looked back and forth between Hiei and Yukina, stunned. "A job?" she asked doubtfully. "What kind of job?" Her tone was suspicious.
Hiei would never admit it out loud but he could never refuse his sister, no matter how ridiculous her ideas were. She might have grown up poor but her parents had always sheltered and protected her. As a result, she could be quite naive and always believed the best of people. Hiei had grown up in the business world and knew how two-faced and cruel people could be.
Hiei thought for a moment. Finally he said, "I suppose I could use a maid."
The woman's eyes widened and Yusuke chuckled. "It's about time you got a new one," he said.
Hiei continued, ignoring Yusuke. "You won't get paid for days off, you'll have to wear a uniform and you'll have to show up on time. Do you think you can manage that?"
"If I agree, you won't call the police?" she asked nervously.
"As long as you do what you're told and don't try to steal from me again," Hiei said. "As my employee, your behaviour reflects back on me so you'd better keep your nose clean."
She nodded, raising a slender hand to brush hair from her face. "I understand," she said.
"Yusuke will escort you off the grounds. I expect you can find your way back here tomorrow morning at eight?" the businessman asked.
"Yes, of course," she said. Yusuke strode over and offered her a hand. After hesitating a moment, she took it and he helped her to her feet.
"What's your name, anyway?" he asked. "I'm Yusuke, the nice girl is Yukina and the arsehole is Hiei."
She hesitated before answering, making Hiei immediately suspicious. "Kurama," she said finally. It didn't escape Hiei that she had not given a last name.
"Sorry about the bruises, Kurama," Yusuke said, a little sheepishly. "No hard feelings, right, since we'll be working together?"
"No, it's fine," she said quietly. She threw a wary look over her shoulder at Hiei before Yusuke escorted her to the door and they departed through it. As soon as they left, Yukina threw herself at Hiei and hugged him.
"Thank you, brother," she told him. "I know this will work out fine. You'll see."
Hiei gave her a skeptical look. "She gets one chance. She'd better not mess it up." He wondered if his sister realized that the woman had lied about her name.
Yukina giggled and kissed his cheek. "Go to bed," she told him. "You have a long day tomorrow."
Lately, every day had been a long day for Hiei. "Take your own advice," he told her.
"I will. Good night, brother," she said. After kissing his cheek again she left him. Hiei was uncomfortable with her displays of affection. He wasn't used to it because he had never grown up with it. It came so easily to his sister, however.
His thoughts wandered to the thief he'd just hired. If she had been male, he would have been attracted to her. It made him wonder why she'd resorted to thievery for income. Surely it would have been easier for her to use her body to earn a living. Thievery was a very risky profession.
He shook his head to clear away the image of her. Despite his cynical view, he hoped Yukina would be proved right and the woman would take the opportunity she'd been offered and make a decent life for herself.