The smell of blood hung thick in the air, growing steadily thicker as a small shadow shot through groups of demons, sword flashing and flames burning. Picking off those that had not been cut down were three teenagers, one with a sword, one with a gun, and one with a whip. None of these items, however, looked anything like normal human items. The whip was a green, thorny vine and the sword and gun were made of crackling energy. The small, darting shadow suddenly paused and looked back at the lagging group, wondering if they had always been this slow. Probably.
"Hey Hiei, slow down kid!" Yusuke yelled, panting slightly as he caught up to the small demon. Hiei smiled a little, unable to help but feel a little pride at how fast he was compared to his family and friends. He was small for his age, slender, with dark hair, pale skin, and red eyes. He was also eight years old. Kurama caught up next, and then Kuwabara who nearly collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.
"That's it, I'm dead, I can't hack it," Kuwabara said, wincing as Hiei poked him in the side with his scabbard. Kurama reached over and grabbed the child's wrist, making him stop. "Leave him alone Hiei, he's very tired," He said, making Hiei pull a face.
"It's not my fault the fool's so slow," He mumbled, reluctantly keeping his scabbard to himself. Kuwabara shot the child a glare which was returned with a protruded tongue. Yusuke quickly put himself between the two children, holding up his hands to keep them apart. "Settle down, kids, we're not quite done here yet and I'd hate to have people die just because you can't get along."
Hiei turned away from Kuwabara, arms crossed, and made a sound of disgust. At nearly the same moment he heard a similar sound of disgust. When he looked he saw Kuwabara in the exact same position as he was. Hiei let out a small cry of horror which made the other three turn to look at him. He pointed at Kuwabara, a look of real panic on his face. "I'm turning into you!"
Kuwabara looked confused for a moment, and then seemed to realize what the child was talking about. His face went a strange shade of red and he rose his hands in a clutching motion. "Why you little-!!" Hiei rose his small fists and Kurama pulled him back from Kuwabara. 'They can be so childish,' The fox thought, as Hiei and Kuwabara glared at each other. Kurama smiled and the group began to walk again. Hiei yawned widely, looking steadily more exhausted and making Yusuke wonder how long exactly it would take for him to break down and admit he was tired. After a little while, Kuwabara picked the child up and he allowed himself to be carried without complaint.
Hiei watched things go by with his head resting on Kuwabara's shoulder, struggling against a yawn that kept trying to creep up his throat. He still wasn't used to how every time he got bored he got tired, and now he seemed to get bored very easily. Sure, cutting demons in half and watching the blood spurt from their wounds was fun, but what did he have to do when all the cutting and killing was over? Not a whole lot, except walk and wait for something interesting to happen. Missions could be so boring sometimes, and the fact that they were just trying to get away now with the mission being complete made it worse. Still... he refused to complain. He didn't want to be like that silly human child, Nana, who started complaining as soon as she was bored, or tired, or upset.
"Stupid Nana," he grumbled, making Kuwabara look at him. "What's you say squirt?" He asked, patting the middle of Hiei's back as though he were an infant he was trying to put down for a nap. Hiei didn't answer and continued his silent simmering, remembering how Nana had stolen his sweet snow a few days ago.
He had been sitting there, enjoying the frozen treat, when he'd felt something poke his shoulder. When he turned to look at who had done it, she had taken his sweet snow! That had been almost a week ago, and he still refused to forgive her for it. It had been a nasty trick and he hated her for it. Well, he'd hate her for maybe another week or so. Then there was the festival, and he didn't want to go without her. She was the only other person his age that she knew, after all, and even if she was an enormous pain she could be fun. She liked playing tricks on Kuwabara almost as much as he did.
"Hello boys!" A cheerful voice called, making them all look up. Botan floated down on her oar, smiling at them all. Hiei felt the corners of his mouth twitch and hid his face in Kuwabara's shoulder, refusing to let anyone see how pleased he suddenly was. Botan took him to get sweet snow a lot, so naturally, he liked her. He felt a hand ruffle his hair and he growled, waving an arm around to ward it off. "Hello Hiei," the same cheerful voice chirped. He growled again, but for some reason a growling eight year old is never very threatening. In fact if you were a child it didn't matter how old you were, the only thing growling was, was cute.
"Hey Botan, are you our ride out of here?" Yusuke asked, looking relieved as Botan nodded. "Yup, mind if I take Hiei? He looks a little tuckered out and I can get him home the fastest." Hiei scowled and dug his fingers into Kuwabara's shirt. It wasn't that he didn't like riding with Botan on the oar, being around a mile off the earth and seeing people look so small was fun! However, he hated being treated like a child! It took both Kuwabara and Botan to pry him off and place him on the oar, where he sat with a slightly sulky look.
A portal opened before them, leading them back to the human world where they all lived. Hiei took one look through the portal and realized why he was so tired, it was night time. He held onto Botan's waist as they sailed through, going higher and higher into the air like he enjoyed it. He looked down and saw Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama all waving, now mere specks on the ground. He grinned and waved back, then he leaned against Botan's back to watch things go by. His anger over being treated as a child began to vanish as they climbed higher and higher into the sky.
"Botan?" Hiei mumbled, watching their toes graze the tops of clouds and stir up the moisture there. "What?" She asked, smiling. She enjoyed having Hiei on these trips back home, and not just because he liked diving towards the earth at breakneck speeds as much as she did. When you were up this high, it got very cold very quickly and Hiei's body automatically made up for the heat loss by growing very warm. It was like having a small space heater attached to her back!
"The festival... I wanted to know if I could bring a friend," He said, keeping his eyes on the ground far below them. Botan chuckled at the little demon. "Well of course you can! There's no reason for you not being able to, is there?" She asked, and feeling Hiei shake his head against her back she smiled. "Then go ahead and invite who you want to, Hiei. It's a festival after all... Ready to go down now?" She asked, dipping slightly downward. This time she felt a vigorous nod and they shot downward like two rockets gone horribly wrong.
Hiei laughed, feeling icy wind nip at his face and then seeing Genkai's temple growing larger and larger and larger. Botan straightened the oar out sharply and they hovered around four feet from the ground. Hiei carefully climbed off, still smiling. His hair was now swept straight back from the descent and Botan giggled, messing with it a little. He shook his head and waved his arms around, looking a little irritated again. Botan giggled again and rose back into the air.
"Sleep tight kiddo!" She called, vanishing into the sky. Hiei waved, grudgingly, back as a good bye and then headed inside. As he traded his shoes for slippers, Yukina appeared, smiling at him. "Welcome home, Hiei. Are you ready for your bath?" She asked, chuckling at Hiei's instantaneous 'heck no' look. He prepared to open his mouth and give a short speech about why he didn't need a bath when he smelled blood. He looked down and noticed that his clothes were covered in dime sized drops of the stuff. He groaned loudly and Yukina herded him into the bathroom, where she had already left a towel and washcloth for him.
Hiei turned on the hot water and began to remove his bloody clothing, smearing red on his hands and body. He dropped the stained clothes into the sink with disgust and then climbed into the tub. The water steamed and the moisture filled his nose, making it a little difficult to breath. Taking a deep breath, he sank down into the water, letting himself float between the surface and the bottom of the tub. After a moment he popped his head out again, gasping for air and hanging onto the side of the tub. The water was already slightly pink, but he didn't mind. He was used to the scent of blood by now and he always washed quickly.
After scrubbing his hair and body he climbed out of the tub, wrapping up in a towel that almost went around him four times. He scampered over to the sink and climbed onto the counter, searching for his tooth brush. Once he found it he began to scrub his teeth, paying particular attention to his two new fangs that he felt so proud of. He could eat anything now without getting them stuck in his teeth and he could easily rip meat with them now. After giving his teeth a good scrub he climbed off of the counter and made his way into the hall, still wrapped up tightly in his towel.
As quickly as he could safely go without tripping on the huge towel, he scurried to his room and dressed in his pajamas. As soon as his memory had returned he had refused to wear his duck or bear covered pajamas. It was just too humiliating to do, even if he was a kid. He now had plain pajamas of single, solid colors: Light blue, white, light green, dark blue, and black. Tonight he opted for white, since it was very humid out and he didn't want to have to peel his clothes off of him once he awoke. His body was still choosing the oddest times to show off its power and he didn't want to create a good situation for it to try to mess with him.
Once he was dressed he climbed into bed, beside the teddy bear he had had since he was a toddler. He pulled it close for a second and stuck his face in its fur, inhaling deeply. It smelled like his room, like floral laundry detergent, and like his friends and family. He had always been slightly worried that someone would make fun of him for keeping it, but no one did. He supposed that Koenma's pacifier did make for better conversation, especially since he still had in even in his teenage form. Still, when he heard his door opening he quickly shoved the bear back into the corner of his bed and squirmed beneath the blankets. Genkai looked in at him.
"Are you going to sleep soon?" The old woman asked, stepping into the room and walking towards Hiei's bed. He nodded as the old woman replaced the ward on his forehead with a new one to stay on while he slept. She nodded her improvement and then reached over and took his bear, slipping it beneath the covers with him. He smiled and she smiled back for a moment. "Your friend, Nana, said she'd be coming by to play tomorrow," she said, noting how Hiei made a face and stuck out his tongue at her name. "She wants to go to the park, I think. You'd better think it over and decide whether or not you want to be sick tomorrow." Hiei nodded and watched the old lady begin to leave. She paused at the door.
"Of course, if you are sick you certainly won't be able to go to the festival, now will you?" Hiei's mouth dropped open and the old woman left, satisfied with his reaction. The boy scowled and turned towards his bear, talking to it quietly. "That's so mean! I've been looking forward to the festival for a whole month! Why do I have to be nice to Nana to go?" He felt the faint stirrings of his demon counterpart and shoved them away, not willing to deal with a 'kill the human' rampage at the moment. Maybe in the morning, but not now. He snuggled down into the blankets and sighed, his body growing steadily warmer until he felt nice and cozy. He buried his head in his bear, and fell asleep.
Nana, dressed in her usual overalls and shirt that she wore when not in her school uniform, ran down the street with her shoes slapping the pavement. Her hands were coated with a thin layer of dust from the gardening she had done with her mother, and her overalls were wet with mud on the knees. Only her face and hair were really clean, and even they had streaks of dust and mud in and on them. With each step her pockets jingled from the rocks, coins, and candy wrappers in her pockets.
She bolted around the corner and jumped onto Genkai's stairs, flying up them as quickly as she was able. About halfway up, she tripped and laid sprawled out on a step. She groaned and rolled onto her back, staring at the sky. "...Owie," she mumbled, sitting up slowly and then proceeding slowly up the stairs. She reached the top and stretched, bones popping and joints cracking loudly. When everything felt like it was in its original place (Or close to it) she headed for the main building, smiling. She saw the old woman, Master Genkai, walking around the building. Nana waved, grinning from ear to ear despite the pain in her knees and chest. Genkai waved back and then continued walking. Nana headed inside.
"Hiei! Hey, where are you?!" Nana yelled, hands cupped around her mouth to amplify the sound. The boy poked his head around the corner, scowling at her. "Shut up, I'm right here," He snapped, walking over and pulling off his slippers. Nana smiled at him, sitting down while she waited for him to tie his shoes. She knew he was still mad about her stealing his ice cream, but she didn't mind much. Not counting the weird, foggy memories from before they had know each other for a few months now. She knew he could hold a grudge if he wanted to, but she also knew how to get him to forgive her again if she wanted him to. Hiei tied both of his shoes and stood up, looking sulky and irritable.
Together, they headed out the door and down the steps in front of the temple. Hiei headed down them much faster then Nana did, making her nearly run down the steps after him. He didn't really notice, since he liked going down the steps quickly. Once they reached the bottom they began heading towards the park, Hiei silent and sulky and Nana cheerful and humming. Hiei looked over at Nana after a few moments, a slightly curious expression on his face. "What are you humming?" He asked, making Nana stop her humming and look at him. She smiled and answered, "I dunno, it's something I heard my aunt singing once and I liked it." She took a deep breath and sang in an slightly off key, wispy voice:
"In the quiet, misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed
When the song bird's ceased its singing
When the sky is clear and red
When the pastures ceased its gleaning
When the corn is past its prime
When adventures lost its meaning
I'll be homeward bound in time."
Hiei tilted his head slightly as Nana sang the last few words, one brow raised. "That's a weird song, where'd she hear that?" He asked as Nana skipped ahead. The girl shrugged a little. "Dunno, but I liked it a lot when she first sang it, so I tried to learn it. Too bad my voice is terrible..." Nana said.
"Yeah it is," Hiei replied without thinking, making Nana smack him in the back of his head. He stumbled and glared at her.
"What was that for?!"
"Meanie!"
By the time they reached the park there was an unsteady truce between the two small children, though Nana was still mad at Hiei and Hiei was still mad at her. They headed to their bench and sat down to rest, both gazing at the ground and swinging their legs. By now Hiei understood that he had insulted her by saying she didn't sing well, but he still didn't appreciate being hit. It wasn't his fault she couldn't carry a tune!
After a little while, Nana headed over to the sweet snow vendor for a snack and Hiei looked away. He had forgotten to bring money with him, something he'd only remembered once they were at the park gates. He knew Nana had money, but he didn't want to ask her for any. Not with how mad he was at her anyway. He heard Nana start to head back and shut his eyes, enjoying the sun and the faint breeze that blew through the air.
After a few moments he felt a sharp pain in his leg and his eyes shot open, ready to fix his attacker with a blood chilling glare. Instead he saw Nana holding two cones of sweet snow, one strawberry and the other vanilla. She thrust the vanilla one at him, waiting for him to take it and he blinked at her. "What are you waiting for? They're gonna melt if we don't eat'em quick!" She said, smiling. Hiei took the sweet snow, feeling oddly humbled, and whispered a quiet thank you. Nana sat down beside him and they began to eat their sweet snow in companionable silence.
"...Hey Nana?" Hiei said, catching a few drips of sweet snow before they could falls onto his hands and make a mess. "Huh?" She said, already having devoured half of her own sweet snow and cone, miraculously without getting a headache. "How'd the rest of the song go?" Hiei asked, not looking at the young girl and instead focusing on his diminishing sweet snow cone. "I don't remember the whole thing, just a few parts," Nana said, glancing over at him curiously. "Why do you want to know?"
Hiei squirmed a little in his seat, looking at his toes and silently arguing with his demon counterpart.
'Stop trying to be nice! She's just a human, who cares if her feelings get hurt?'
'She's my friend, and she was nice to me! I should be nice back, or I should at least try.'
'Stop acting like a human already!'
'Shut up already!'
"C-could you... maybe sing what you remember?" Hiei finally said, wondering if Kurama ever felt this conflicted with his demonic half. Nana looked at him a moment, face stained with sweet snow and dirt, and then wiped off her mouth and looked out at the park. She opened her mouth and began to sing:
"Bind me not
To the pastures
Chain me not
To the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow."
When she was done Nana took another big bite of her cone and chewed for a moment. Hiei sat and thought about the words to the song. They sounded kind of sad, and then not sad at the same time. Weird. Nana finished her cone and then leaned over and stole a lick of his. Hiei shoved her away in disgust as she giggled, the tip of her nose beaded with vanilla. "You already had yours, leave mind alone!" Hiei said, checking the damage to his own cone. There was a smear of pink in the white from Nana's face and he scowled, making the girl laugh more.
"But strawberry and vanilla tastes good!" She said happily, grinning as Hiei licked away the offending streak of pink with a face. He didn't like the taste of strawberry very much, though there were some things with strawberry he would eat. Nana seemed to like strawberry anything, like Botan did, and it somewhat irritated him. It meant he couldn't steal her sweet snow, but she could still steal his. Nana didn't bother him, or his sweet snow, for a few moments which gave Hiei enough to bolt down his treat without hindrance. When he finished, Nana glanced at him.
"Are you going to the festival?" She asked, watching Hiei lick his fingers and palms clean again. He nodded, wiping his palms on the knees of his pants, and looked at her. "Want to come with me?" She asked suddenly, smiling and clasping her hands together in a begging position. He stared at her, suddenly realizing why she had gotten him sweet snow and asked to go to the park, to ask to go to the festival with him. He looked away from her and nodded, crumpling his napkin up and sticking it in his pocket. Nana let out a triumphant cry and hopped off the bench, jumping up and down and talking quickly.
"We can go to the festival, and I can wear my new yukata, and we can play the fish game, and we can watch fireworks, and we can try on masks, and maybe spend the night at each other's houses and-" Hiei lost track of her at about that point, unable to understand anything beyond spending the night at each others houses. Was that like a sleep over he always heard the silly human girls at school talking about? It sounded kind of stupid, and there was no way he was going to let Nana paint his nails. She'd have to drug him first.
They began heading to their homes, Nana still talking a mile a minute and Hiei wondering if the sweet snow had made her start acting so crazy. He'd have to ask Kurama what exactly sleep overs were, just to make sure he didn't agree to anything that he'd soon regret. They parted ways, both waving good bye, and Hiei took off at a run. Kurama should be at the temple soon...
Note: There is a good possibility that I won't be updating this daily soon. I start college in September and then I'll be pretty busy (Volunteer Mascot, whoo!). Just a warning, sorry 'bout that. BTW, I am flyin' by the seat of my pants here, so if something doesn't make sense, ask me about it and we can puzzle over the meaning together :)
Anything anyone would find interesting to see? Throw some suggestions out there and let's see what comes of it.