Fiery Wind of Darkness

Disclaimer: All right. I don't own YYH or Hiei. I own only my own character, Megan.

CHAPTER ONE: SEEN BUT HIDDEN

Stars sparkled overhead mischieviously, allowing the dark blue blanket they occupied a small flicker of life. A soft breeze rustled through the trees gathered about the clearing. Among one of the mighty oaks on a sturdy branch there lay a figure. A figure that blended so well with the blackest shadows of midnight that even she did not see him. But he saw her.

She looked young, about 17 and human enough. The girl was basked in the moonlight filling the clearing, yet the pale illumination revealed even paler skin on a frail frame. Dull, windswept black hair covered her face, yet the cold grey eyes she possessed glinted as light caught them. Her grey cloak fluttered gently in the barely distinguishable current of air that surrounded her. She looked weak, to a point, but the boy knew there was something else there. Something dark; secret. Yes, the demon could see her well. Now he had but one question; why was she there?

The girl stood as still as possible, listening intently. Her head was bowed, yet she kept her weary eyes searching. She wasn't fooled. There were eyes upon her that didn't need to be. That shouldn't have been. That wouldn't be as soon as she found their owners. But she knew better than to approach the edges of the clearing; that's where people often lost the game of life and death in the mountains she claimed her home. No. She would stay until they moved for her. There was no way she'd fall for their tricks. The girl knew she could wait; would wait. But she didn't have to wait long.

Even though he could sense spirit and demon energy easily, those few humans went by undetected. They slipped out through gaps in the wall of trees, pounding the earth with heavy feet as they charged at the figure standing in the center of the clearing. Each man was armed with a hand gun, bullets, and knives. And they each carried something even more potent for the girl; blind rage. Yes, they were certainly blinded by their hate of the girl just breathing there. They were overwhelmed by it; controlled by it. Yet they had a slight advantage. At least they did for a few moments.

Despite the fact that there were about ten armed men rushing at her, the girl seemed fine. Hell, she seemed more than fine. Elated, one might say. Of course he didn't know the feeling of elated. He only knew pain. Pain and suffering as only those who have seen great pains have suffered.

Right before the men could reach her, the girl dodged to one side. One man tried to block her, and she shifted the other way. She continued for several minutes, twisting one way and then another, confusing the men as they wasted strength attempting to hit her evasive figure. Their shots echoed throughout the forest, sending animal after animal racing for safety; just as the girl was trying to rid herself of ten enraged men. She would have gotten away too, if not for one thing; a bullet to the chest.

He watched as she fell, the stupid human. She sunk to one knee, huddled in pain. Thinking it was the end of the 'show' he prepared to leave. The girl was human, and meant less than nothing to him. He was about to spring into the next tree when he felt it; a blast of strong energy. Then he heard it. Men screaming.

The demon spun around, and silently gaped at the scene before him. Dismembered corpses of 9 of the men littered the clearing's base. The last one standing was shaking before the girl, who had yet to completely fall. His shirt was bloodied and he swayed slightly. The girl regained her footing shakily and took a hardy step forward; the man took three hastened steps back. His face contorted in panic before he screamed.

"You! You aren't human! There's no way a girl could live after that shot! You can't be human!" he exclaimed, backed against a tree with nowhere to go. A faint smile crossed the girl's lips.

"You're right." she whispered, but the wind carried her voice to the demon just the same, "I'm a shape-shifter. Go ahead, scream all you want. No one will hear you. No one will know."

The man gasped for words, but failed to find them. He had to admit it; it was over.

Watching from the trees, the demon witnessed the man's slow slaughter at the hands of the girl. She'd managed to get hold of a slain man's dagger, and she was using it to her liking. The last man wailed as the female cut him, shredded him, and finally stabbed him. The scent of blood drifted strongly on the winds, feeding his own hunger with need. He smelt the blood, oh yes he did. But now he wanted to taste it. Taste the iron and taste the fluid it resided in as it slipped slowly down his throat. To feed off the very substance that fueled another's life. But he couldn't; not just yet. Not with the girl around.

'A shape-shifter, hmm? I wonder of what type. If she lives in these mountains, I suspect I will know soon enough.' he thought, as the said figure slid back into the shadows that she'd come from. He recalled her words, how evil they sounded. Her voice filtered into his mind, low and commanding. He'd have to remember that voice in case they ever crossed paths. Which he had no doubt they would. And to think, he thought he'd be bored in Human World.

Jumping down from the high branch of the tree, the demon made a bee-line straight for the freshly killed fodder before him. Each man was sliced in the abdomen, and a fresh wave of blood pooled around every single body. The dead were still warm, as was their blood, and an intoxicating aroma filled the demon's nose. Edging over to the corpses, he drew his sword from his side. The only hint he was there was the gleam of his blade in the moonlight. Within only two seconds the blade was coated red, and the demon had a chunk of human flesh grasped in his hand.

"Hmph...Koenma said I wasn't allowed to kill the humans. But he never said anything about eating what another has killed." he murmured softly, sending energy to his hand. Flames burst about it, cooking the meat quickly and revealing his face. He wore a white bandanna over his forehead, and his raven-black hair stood spiked. His amber eyes reflected the flickering flames, and he caught the glow in his vision. It was there he could see his entire life replaying like a video, and every detail suddenly made sense. His mind wandered into the past of its own accord, pondering his existence and wondering about his fate that was sure to come at the hands of another demon.

As soon as his meal was hot, he slowed his energy, making the flames disperse. Two thin trails of smoke floated up, disappearing into thin air as the demon ate his inferior's flesh. He felt the rare treat of human meat disappear from his hands to his empty stomach, and was grateful for the opportunity. Eventually the meat he'd cut from the body was gone, and his pangs of hunger vanished. Much as the girl had melted into the shadows. And much as he would soon merge with the shadows as well. Yes, fire was a comfort he had. One of two. His only other sanctuary lie in shadow, and far from other beings.

He found it so ironic. Fire to point out what lay in the dark, and shadow to conceal everything obvious. There was no in between; either he was in the light or cast into darkness. And strangely enough, that was where he was most welcome. He was there, in light, but he wasn't there in darkness. At least not to people. He was both fire and shadow, an odd mix, indeed. But it was how he survived.

Seen, but hidden.

A/N: This will probably be the shortest chapter, mainly because I want to save my plans for next chapter. Also, it's the first chapter of a challenge. It's hard to write without giving something away. I'm not really sure about Hiei's diet, but since demons like human souls, I figured they liked human flesh as well. Till next chapter.