Chapter One
In a dingy, isolated bar of the Makai, Hiei nursed an almost empty glass of whiskey. The dark-haired demon sighed. These days, booze was one of the few respites left in his life. Sighing he downed the drink and rested his head on the lip of the cool glass.
As Hiei drank, the door to the bar swung open and a slight female form entered. Her figure was draped in a long white cape that swooshed near her booted ankles while she walked. A black, form-fitting tunic clung to her chest, waist and hips; falling gracefully over the top of her black slacks.
The faint click of her small-heeled, black boots attracted the fire demon's attention. He watched as she sat in the stool next to him. Looking away, he thought about what he wanted to order next.
"Barkeep, bring me a Dragon's Blood." Her soft, feminine voice requested the strongest tequila the bar had to offer.
"Make that two," Hiei said, surprised at the female's order. He raised a brow as he looked at her face. Her skin was a pale, milky peach, complimented by her rather short, black-tipped, spiky white hair. Two longer, inky black tresses fell to the middle of her chest. She had delicate features in her slightly childish face. She turned, seeming to sense his perusal, allowing Hiei to see her full, strawberry-pink lips and startling crimson eyes surrounded by thick black lashes. A perfectly-shaped eyebrow rose at his inspection, but she said nothing, instead turning to take her drink from the bartender.
Hiei took his own, popping off the cap and downing a good quarter of its contents. As he looked down, he saw her pour and gulp down three shots in a row. He smirked- his method was more effective.
She was ignoring him, he noted as he studied her. She poured a shot of tequila, and drew a slim metal case from a pocket of her cape. Curious, he watched as she took two purple pills from the case. Placing one of them on the table, she took the first along with her shot then sighed heavily.
As she poured another shot, and prepared to take the pill, Hiei took a sip of his drink and looked ahead.
"What are you doing?" he asked, not looking at her.
She glanced at him, "Nothing that concerns you." She took a sip of the drink and reached for the pill.
He snatched it up, closing it in his fist. "What is in this pill?"
She held out her hand, "Just give it back."
He shook his head, "What's in it?"
Closing her eyes, she took a sip of her drink. "Powdered death tree root." She put down the glass and held out her hand once again, "I answered your question. Now give it back."
Frowning darkly, he snorted, "You want your pill?" Focusing his energy, he heated the pill until nothing but a puff of dust remained. "There is your pill."
She shrugged, "Fine, so it will take me minutes to die instead of seconds." She poured another shot and drank it.
Hiei drank down half of his drink, "Why do you want to die?"
Crossing her arms on the bar, she rested her head on them. "Why live if there's nothing left to live for…" She closed her eyes and sighed gently, her vitals slowly but surely deteriorating.
Growling quietly, Hiei unwrapped the bandages covering his tattooed arm. Sitting her up, he turned her to face him. He called on his dragon, and healed her, clearing her body of the toxins with his glowing white dragon.
"If you want to die, do it in a fight," he said, rebinding his right arm. "There is no glory in little purple pills."
Outraged by the fire demon's actions, the demoness' raised her ki. She hissed slightly, her breath coming out in a cloud of vapor as she lowered the temperature of the bar. "How dare you…"
Glaring at her, Hiei's eyes glowed with a burst of fiery ki, raising the temperature of the bar to a sweltering level. "I do what I please. If it's a fight your looking for, then I will gladly oblige your wish." He finished his drink in one gulp.