Rendezvous With Death
Wide violet eyes looked franticly behind in search of her pursuers. Her long and stormy indigo locks snagged on the branches of trees as she passed, a few whipping past her face and leaving behind faint red marks. She caught a path out of the corner of her eye and quickly swerved to the right hoping to throw off the pursuit. She couldn't see them but she knew they were there, taken to the trees to cover more distance. She had hoped with her sharp detour to throw them off her trail, no such luck. Her foot snagged on a raised tree root and she was sent sprawling to the ground. That instant was all it took.
Long clawed fingers wrapped themselves around her tangled tresses and jerked her body into the air, landing her with a thud against a nearby tree. She struggled to keep her footing, fearing the consequences if she were to let her eyes wander from her captors. The hungry gleam in their ravenous eyes warned her of the untold horrors about to befall her and she fought back the urge to vomit. The simple repugnancy of the foul stench around them was enough to make anyone retch.
She flinched as one, she presumed to be the leader, stumbled toward her. She flattened herself up against the tree behind her, trying to distance herself as much as possible from the predatory stare he held her in. One slimy green hand reached out and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, his dark and foreboding eyes gazing at it with an airy fondness. Those same dark eyes turned to leer at her from behind smoky gray bangs.
"Hmm, some of you humans are very pretty to look at…" He let her hair fall from around his finger and his hand turned, flying against her face with such force it snapped her head to the side. She was sure there would be a bruise there the next morning. If she made it see the next morning…
"But your all stupid!" A few jeering laughs were heard from his companions and a slow smirk graced his lips. She turned back to stare at him with hate filled eyes, spitting the blood that had begun to fill her mouth from where she had bitten her cheek on his boots. The smirk fell from his lips and he growled, raising his fist to strike her again. Her violet eyes squeezed shut at the impending attack but she never felt the blow. One of her eyes cracked open to see what had stopped him.
The creature that had been before her but a second earlier was no longer there, replaced by another somehow more imposing form. He was shorter than all the others, maybe an inch or two taller than her, not counting his hair, which was swept up like a flame, seeming to have a faint blue hint to the ebony locks. His back was turned to her so she couldn't see his face but she could see the faces of the other creatures that had been chasing her and they looked less than thrilled that he was there, almost like they recognized him. Her savior was dressed in black from head to toe; save for the white scarf around his neck and in his hand he held a gleaming silver sword. One of the creatures sneered at him.
"Hiei! You worthless excuse for a demon! Protecting this human scum! Leave now and we may forget that this ever happened." The confident stance of the so called demon in front of her never relaxed, he didn't seem in the least bit fazed by the creatures threats.
"You're threatening me? This situation might be laughable if I wasn't already so irritated. I think killing all of you may be just the remedy I need." The demon called Hiei stated and poised to strike. The creature in front of him placed his hands on his hips and smirked at the smaller demon.
"Ah yes, word has traveled fast among the demon ranks of your invitation to the dark tournament. It doesn't matter if you kill us here, Toguro will kill you and all your little friends too." The demon in front of her disappeared from sight and she watched, awestruck as the creature that had insulted him fell to his knees, his head rolling off his body and onto the ground. It rolled down the small hill to her feet and she kicked it away disgustedly. Her eyes hadn't been turned away for a second before she turned them back. She gasped, taking in the sight before her in amazement.
All of her would be attackers had been reduced to piles of bloody body parts, Hiei standing in the middle and cleaning off his sword. His head snapped over in her direction and in the time it would have taken her to blink he was before her, his sword leveled at her throat. Her wide violet eyes stared into his cold crimson orbs with an expression akin to admiration and it halted his hand.
"Don't you flinch?" She held his gaze as he glared down at her; something in his stare told her that she was safe, as safe as she could be with a sword pressed against her throat.
"You just saved my life, what reason do you have to take it from me now?" She saw the muscles in his jaw clench and his glare hardened as the sword drew closer, the pressure of the blade a fine hair under drawing blood.
"What reason do I have to let you live?" She relaxed, tilting her head back and baring her throat.
"None. So I suppose then the decision is left up to you. But if your going to kill me please allow me a last request?" The pressure against her neck didn't subside, but it didn't increase either and she took his silence as a cue to continue.
"Your wounded. Let me help you and after that, I am yours to do with as you wish." He followed her gaze to his side; blood was slowly seeping out of the wound there and running down his leg. He had had it for a few days now and it was dangerously close to infection. He was rather tempted to take the girl up on her offer. He had managed to stitch himself up haphazardly so as to keep the bleeding down but his recent skirmish with those buffoons had caused it to reopen. He hadn't the supplies to fix it himself and he would rather not go to the fox, opting to let himself bleed to death rather that hear another one of his lectures. The girl was right, it was his decision, but what to do about it.
The sword fell away from her throat and she exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She regarded him with an inherent curiosity and held out her hand, palm up toward him.
"I am Emiko Daidouji." He took one fleeting glance at her hand and turned away with a huff, crossing his arms and walking out of the brush. Emiko smiled a warm smile as she gazed after him.
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Hiei, my savior."
Emiko lead Hiei out of the forest and up a set of wide stone steps. There seemed to be more steps here that at Genkai's temple but they were much bigger so it looked much more spaced out. Every twenty steps there was a flat step approximately twenty by twenty five feet in diameter with two large trees on either side. The land around the steps seemed to stretch for miles and the grass looked to be professionally manicured. As they approached the top there was a line of hedges, perfectly shaped, not a twig out of place. They reached about two and a half feet off the ground and they seemed to serve as a fence for something as he could clearly make out where they curved, forming the shape of a square.
He glanced up at the small girl ahead of him, her soft purple summer dress billowing in the wind. Her hair was the oddest color he had ever seen in either human or demon. It was a soft slate blue, almost indigo in the light of the afternoon sun. Her delicate alabaster skin seemed to glow, offsetting the most striking thing about her, her eyes. They were a captivating shade of violet always holding an expression of extreme confidence and self worth. She carried herself with an air of sophistication, the same one that had always irritated him about the fox and it was clear to see why.
They reached the top of the steps and his eyes widened almost indiscernibly at the veritable castle before him. This girl was obviously wealthy, the kind of wealthy that came with a few perks and he was suddenly very interested in why those demons had been after her. He had assumed they were just after a quick snack as that would be all the tiny girl in front of him would be worth but perhaps it was more. He regarded her cautiously before proceeding to follow her along the path leading through the courtyard.
"You needn't be worried about me Hiei, I don't bite…" She said cryptically as if reading his apprehension and he tensed even more, not sure if it was the wisest thing to do, following her into more familiar ground.
"I told you I only wanted to help you and then you may do as you wish to me, you have my word." Emiko stopped in front of the set of large heavy wooden doors leading to the entrance of the house and turned to face him.
"People like you never add honor to they're list of attributes." Hiei sneered, glaring at her with cautious crimson orbs. Emiko let out a heavy sigh.
"People like me… yes, I do suppose your right. You have absolutely no reason whatsoever to trust me, aside from my word which judging by your statement you don't really hold in high regard. It truly is a shame that our kinds must be so hateful towards each other. Our ancestors have chosen that path for us, though I often wonder, what the point is? Why we must live in fear of each other?" Emiko said, her voice holding in it a sort of inherent bitterness that left him wondering.
"You've already seen it or hadn't you caught on? They were going to eat you, you are nothing but food to them." Hiei scoffed, leaning back against the wall of the entryway. Emiko's vibrant eyes flew to his with an almost pleading expression.
"Is that it? Is that the reason? If it is then I must wonder what a cow must feel like, as they are nothing but food to us. I suppose the food chain does factor in but, I truly do not believe that is the root of the issue." Emiko stated vehemently and Hiei had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. This girl obviously had a very firm grasp on her ideals, however misguided.
"What is it then?" He asked nonchalantly and Emiko fell back against the opposite wall, her hands nestled behind her back.
"Power. They say that there is no limit to the amount of power a human spirit can obtain. Yet, we are the ones who live in fear of you. It isn't without a since of irony I don't think. We human's live in an ideal world, a world free of pollution free of struggle. Everything is simply handed to us on a silver platter, we've never really had to work for any of it, it was all provided for us. I find it almost sickening in a way, how we're all so weak. What made us so special, what gave us the right to push you aside like you were nothing?
"We lived in unity once. I am not so ignorant to believe that we should ever attempt that life style again, after everything that has happened. We lived in peace, as one society for a very long while and do you know what tore that apart? A human. My very own ancestor gave rise to the belief that demons were nothing but worthless pets, the ideal servant. He built an army on that belief and led a campaign to conquer and enslave every last demon on the face of the earth. And he succeeded. The demon's revolted against the human's, the war was devastating. In a desperate act to save their retched souls the humans pleaded with the great King Yama to lock the demons away, and he did. Imprisoning them in the demon realm and locking them away with a barrier.
"We are a retched species. We depend on those stronger than us to save us when things don't go our way. It's disgusting. You demons weren't always evil, we made you that way. We meddle, we tell you what to do what to think, don't run don't walk, we're in your homes and in your heads and we haven't the right… we're meddlesome. That I think is why I offered to help you Hiei, gave my life over to you as some sort of penance for my ancestors sins. It is a meager offering but I owe you at least that much for all we've done to your kind." This girl was very sound in her ideals and he had to admire her hold on them. Nothing he or anyone else said could sway this girls belief system. She was very well educated in the demon and human histories and he found himself becoming rather intrigued by that fact. However some of her interpretations may have been a bit askew and it was safe to say that she was being rather assumptuous.
"You really believe that?" He asked, his tone dripping with incredulity.
"I do." Emiko stated confidently.
"You're willing to die for that belief." It was a statement, not a question.
"I am." Her voice never wavered causing him to shake his head slightly at her foolishness.
"You humans really are a worthless lot." Hiei stated, pushing himself off the wall and heading for the door. For some reason it angered him to hear her talking down about herself like that. He pushed it open and was about to walk inside when he noticed she wasn't following. He turned to shoot a snide remark at her but the words died in his throat. Her violet eyes were shining in the shadows of the entryway with that same quiet admiration he had seen the first time he had looked into them, and she was smiling… at him. It caught him slightly off guard, no one had every really smiled at him like that before, like he was the sole reason there was light in their eyes. It was a bit unnerving to tell the truth. He glared at her in return.
"Well are you going to fix this or what?" He stated impatiently, gesturing to the wound on his side. She nodded and pushed herself off the wall.
"Sure, just let me grab my supplies." She sashayed past him through the open door, Hiei following shortly behind. The entry hall was enormous. There was a large marble double staircase branching off to the second level of the house. A giant chandelier hung from the skylight; a large domelike window about fifty feet off the ground. A stocky man in his mid to late sixties met them in the entry hall.
"Mistress Emiko, we were all very worried about you, you didn't come back from your afternoon stroll in the gardens." The man addressed Emiko. She smiled warmly at the old butler.
"I'm sorry to have worried you Honda, I was attacked." Emiko stated nonchalantly. There was a gasp to his left and Hiei turned to see a young woman in a maid's uniform rush over to Emiko.
"Oh my goodness my lady are you alright!" The woman fussed. Emiko raised a hand to quiet her.
"I am perfectly fine. It was a lucky bit of coincidence that Mr. Hiei here was happening by when I was being attacked and he saved me. Unfortunately he was injured in the scuffle and is in need of some medical attention." Emiko said, gesturing to the stagnant form of Hiei behind her. The maid nodded.
"Of course my lady, I'll call Akito at once and-" Emiko interrupted her.
"That won't be necessary Mia, it's just a small scratch and I offered to mend it for him myself as thanks for rescuing me. Please just have some medical supplies brought up to my room while I go wash off." Emiko stated offhandedly and walked off through the great hall, disappearing around the corner. The maid named Mia turned and began climbing the steps of the left staircase. Honda turned to Hiei.
"It's been quite a while since we've had any guest's such as yourself, excluding Mr. Satoshi of coarse. I have to say it's good to see a fresh face around here. Follow me please, Mistress Emiko's room is this way." The old butler stated and turned, making his way over to the right staircase, Hiei following slowly behind, taking in every detail around him, studying every entry way and exit rout mentally. Honda turned to Hiei with an interested stare.
"So eager to leave already? You've only just gotten here. Won't you stay a bit?" Hiei's eyes flashed in the direction of the old man.
"No." he stated simply, crossing his arms in a defiant pose. He didn't want to be here in the first place. He had never really intended to kill the girl, just scare her a bit. Her damned psyche was impenetrable. Oh well, it was of no consequence to him. He would use the girl's services to heal him and then be on his way. He had a tournament to train for, he didn't have time for this stupid female and her servants.
"You're a demon aren't you?" Hiei's eye's narrowed. This man knew more than he was letting on.
"I thought so. She takes after her mother in so many ways. And her mother before that and her mother before that. The lady of the house was always taking in strays such as yourself. Providing them with what they needed at the moment and then sending them on their way. Her great grandmother was just the same. I have been in the Daidouji family for over five hundred years now. She took pity on my old soul, taking me in when no one else would. This was the least I could do to repay her for her generosity. Most of the servants you will see here are demons, guised as humans. We are all here of our own free will, having joined the Daidouji family along the way." Honda explained as they made their way down the hall leading off from the staircase.
They arrived at a set of ornate white double doors and Honda reached out to turn the golden handle of the old doors, sending them flying open into the room. She had a rather large living area, all of the walls painted a deep shade of gold. There was a large black marble fireplace in front of twin black velvet sleigh couches. In the middle rested a large rectangular glass table on top of an ornate black and gold rug. On the table looked to be the medical supplies she had asked for.
Her entire room past the living area was an array of brilliant satins and silks in an assortment of dark colors, dark chocolate browns, lustful crimsons and indigos, sun kissed oranges and sultry golds. Emiko was a slave to comfort. There was a large alcove encased in stained glass where her bed sat atop a set of rounding marble stairs. Her vast bed held no less than twelve pillows and at least three feather down mattresses piled onto each other. She slept in a sea of chiffon and satin, resting on a cloud. It was heaven. A rather large and ornate marble tub sat a few meters away in another alcove surrounded by clear glass to the right of her bed with billowing golden curtains. Down a winding hallway to the left was a large walk in closet, harboring all of Emiko's clothing and precious objects. Honda turned to Hiei.
"Please have a seat. Mistress Emiko should be here shortly." Honda said, bowing and exiting the room, closing the doors behind him. Hiei turned as a small voice broke the silence.
"He's right you know. You should probably sit." Hiei blinked at her but decide against pondering on how she had gotten in the room without him noticing and took a seat on one of the sleigh couches.
"Take off your shirt and lie back on your left side." He did as instructed, removing his cloak first then his shirt and lying back on the couch, his front facing away from her. She picked up a pair of tweezers and began working the torn stitches out of the gash. He had done a fairly decent job of stitching himself up but the area in which the wound was would be very difficult to reach by oneself. She was lucky she had caught it when she did it was dangerously close to infection. She placed the tweezers back down on the table and picked up the bottle of antiseptic. She poured a small amount onto the washcloth. He didn't make a sound as she began cleaning the wound, nor when she was in the process of stitching it closed. It wasn't until she was bandaging him up that he finally spoke.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" His voice drifted up from the couch. Emiko smiled playfully.
"Perhaps I'm attempting to coax you out of wanting to kill me." She faintly heard him snort indignantly.
"No you're not. You knew the moment you laid eyes on me I wasn't going to kill you. So why?" Emiko sighed, finishing up with his bandages before sitting on the couch at his feet. He sat up and leaned back against the arm of the chair, looking down and inspecting the patch job. Satisfied with the work she had done he inclined his knee and allowed he to settle more comfortably into the couch. He regarded her carefully as she prepared herself to speak.
"That demon, he said you had been invited to the Dark Tournament. I wonder who you angered so to merit such a fate." Emiko glanced at him coyly out of the corner of her eye.
"Perhaps I wanted to go." Hiei shrugged. Emiko's gaze hardened.
"Don't play coy with me. I'm not some stupid human girl so ignorant to your ways. I was practically raised by demons, I know all of you allusions, your etiquette, your elocution. You've been invited on the guest's team, a position whether you wanted to or not, you cannot deny. And judging by your actions earlier I can safely assume your not too happy about it." Hiei glared at her.
"Why do you care?" Emiko sighed and leaned back into the plush back of the couch.
"It just so happens that my uncle is the owner of the past few years' winning team." Hiei couldn't help the snarl that came forth.
"Toguro." Emiko simply nodded.
"I know all the ins and outs of that committee. They will stop at nothing to make sure you do not leave that island alive. I would like to help you, if you'll let me." She offered for the second time that day, causing Hiei a bit of apprehension.
"What's in it for you? You don't seem to be very sympatric to the humans, why would you want to help our team." Emiko looked over at him confused.
"Human's? Your speaking of the spirit detective Yusuke Urameshi. He's become a bit of a boogey man for the apparitions hasn't he." Emiko smiled a knowing smile, seeming to be rather tickled at it for some reason, which only seemed to fuel Hiei's apprehension more.
"Something like that. Toguro wanted a chance to fight with Yusuke again for reasons no one knows. That's why he's been invited to the tournament." Emiko shook her head scornfully.
"And you were volunteered to go along as part of his team. Why does that not surprise me. My uncle has let his winnings go to his head as of late. He has an unwavering faith in Toguro's abilities and I would very much like to see him knocked off of his throne. I believe you have what it takes to accomplish just that." Emiko stood from the couch and walked over to the balcony overlooking her spacious back yard. Hiei followed her onto the balcony, pulling his shirt over his head on the way. Emiko gestured toward the land out toward the forest.
"My family owns these grounds, including the forest surrounding it. It is an excellent breeding ground for demon activity. You are welcome to train here if you like, get in some practice against a real foe, besides that it would give Aigo a break." Hiei looked over at her curiously and before he could stop it he asked a question.
"Whose that?" Emiko smiled and grabbed his hand, racing out the door and down the hall, winding down the staircase and running out the back door, nearly knocking over the servants placing dinner on the table. Hiei vaguely noted that they had set a place for him and smirked. Ha, wishful thinking. Emiko finally let go of his hand and ran out into the middle of the field, shouting at the top of her lungs.
"AIGO!!! I'M HOME!!!" He resisted the urge to cover his ears at her incessant screeching and he turned his eyes to the line of trees making out the entrance to the forest. A giant tan cat demon with swirls of black fur came bounding out of the forest carrying the head of a demon dangling in it's mouth. Flames licked at it's heels and tails as it ran coming to a halt in front of Emiko. It dropped the demon's head at her feet and snuggled it's head against hers. Hiei lightly snorted at the affectionate scene and the cat's slanted red eyes turned to glare at him and he could hear it growl. He mentally berated himself for leaving his sword in the girl's room as he prepared for the demon to attack. The attack never came however as Emiko pulled at the hair under it's chin and the cat slowly began to shrink down into the form of a kitten. It jumped up and cuddled itself into Emiko's arms.
"Sorry about that. You're new and she's rather protective. Hiei this is Aigo, Aigo this is Hiei. He's our guest." Hiei glared at her.
"You're a rather presumptuous woman." Emiko's lips tightened into a thin line and she dropped Aigo to the ground, slamming her fists onto her hips.
"What have you got to loose from staying here? No one knows where you are. You can eat whatever you want, sleep wherever you want. And you get to kill all day and all night. I'm failing to see a problem here?" Hiei fought back the urge to laugh. He was finding it increasingly amusing to annoy this girl. She was so easy to rile up. Emiko's angry stance fell to that of a bit more confidence and she stalked toward him.
"I have one last thing to show you and then you may make your decision." Emiko stated haughtily before walking past him back into the house. Hiei looked after her with a calm reverence. It was almost worth staying here just to see her flustered on a regular basis. She was even more fun to pick on than that orange haired idiot who had gotten it into his head that he had the right to court his sister.
Keeping his thoughts to himself he began to follow after her. She led him down a winding corridor and into a downstairs room. It was set up to resemble that of a training room. There were various odd sets of equipment all around the room and the walls seemed to be padded with some gel like substance. Emiko stood in the middle, a smug smirk on her face.
"As I'm sure you have already guessed, this is a training room, of sorts. There are many different types of equipment and weapons here for your personal use, though I doubt you'd be the type to use them. This room has an altogether separate purpose. I must say I'm very excited to finally try this out. I've been working on it for the better part of four years and I have finally completed it." Hiei's curiosity got the better of him.
"Completed what?" That smug smile never left her lips.
"I noticed earlier that you have remarkable agility in terms of speed. So much so it appears too fast for the human eye to follow. It's also my understanding that demon world's gravity is a bit heavier than the human realm's. I am correct in assuming such?" Hiei nodded almost indiscernibly.
"Some parts more than others." He added as an after thought.
"Yes I thought so. I have succeeded in creating a system that uses gravity simulation to increase a fighter's speed to be proportionate to that of his strength. Would you like to try it out." He regarded her incredulously.
"What makes you think I need your help in increasing my speed." Her tone was rather self righteous, he wasn't sure he liked her speaking to him like that.
"Because although I may not be able to follow your movements, I am more than certain that Toguro will be able to track your every step. You want to become stronger. You need to be more powerful while at the same time increasing your speed. Instead of working on them separately why not work them all at once. Working in a higher gravity will serve to better attune your combat skills. Your blows will be harder and faster, less predictable and all that more deadly. What harm would it cause to try it? If your not satisfied with the results then you don't have to use it. But at least give it a test run? You can set the gravity to whatever you like. Dinner will be waiting for you when you finish." Emiko said, exiting the room the same way they had come in.
What had just happened? Had that insufferable woman just trapped him down here in his own curiosity? Inexcusable. Mumbling to himself about manipulative women he stalked over to the wall and threw open the control panel typing in his estimation of what the gravity level was of the Kastka Vallies where he had lived in his early years and multiplied it by two. Seemingly satisfied with the gravity he began his training.
However cunning and manipulative the stupid woman was, she was right. That had been the most fulfilling workout of his life. Thought he would never tell her that. That woman was far to full of herself already. She didn't need anyone stoking that over inflated ego of hers. Her gravity machine intrigued him though. With it's capabilities he would be able to become far stronger in the coming six months than he ever could without it. However much he hated relying on someone else's technology to make him stronger he needed every edge he could get against someone like Toguro. Still musing to himself he wandered up the steps and into the main room of the house. It was dark and silent, perfect for sneaking about. However his proximity alarms began blaring in his head and he turned his head just in time to see Emiko step out of the shadows.
"So, what'd you think?" She asked, that self-righteous tone ebbing at the edges of her voice again.
"I think I need a shower." Emiko smiled and gesture for him to follow her upstairs.
"Come on, I've had a room prepared or you." Hiei glared after her.
"How insightful of you." Emiko didn't show any signs of having heard him as she continued up the steps. They came to a stop at a door just down the hall from her room.
"This is the master suite where you'll be residing for the duration of your stay. Feel free to use any resources at our disposal and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Any one of my staff will be more than willing to fetch anything you might need. I had a small dinner prepared for you and brought up here to your room. Everything is fully stocked so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm just down the hall if you need me, good night." As Emiko turned to leave Hiei's voice stopped her.
"You're being awfully gracious toward me." His tone was suspicious. Emiko sighed and leaned against the wall next to the door.
"You saved my life Hiei, maybe that doesn't mean all that much to you but it means a lot to them. It's their way of saying thank you." Hiei seemed to scoff at that.
"These demons. They follow your every whim. As if it's their life's greatest pleasure to serve you." He spat out, venom lacing every word. Clearly he did not agree with their actions.
"I have never in my life asked them to do anything for me. I don't even want them to wear those stupid uniforms but they still feel obligated. Nobody had ever shown them kindness before, gone out of their way to make sure they had a warm bed and a hot meal. I see what they have had to endure and it just breaks my heart." Her words broke and Hiei almost forgot to breathe he was struck so hard by the depth of her sadness.
"You pity them." Emiko was quick to respond, shaking her head furiously from side to side.
"I don't, I really don't. I could never pity the weak, I mean look at me look at you. Your so much stronger than I could ever hope to be, and I'm not talking about the physical capacity. My whole life I've been treated like some kind of royalty, waited on hand and foot, these hands, have never worked a day in their life. And then I look at you, working so hard. You put everything you have and some things you don't into achieving your goals, whatever they may be. You don't seem to know the meaning of half assed. I admire you, truly admire you. You embody everything I have ever hoped to be, yet never will. And with that I bid you good night Hiei." Emiko stated solemnly and pushed off the wall walking off down the hall to her room. His eyes followed her every movement until the door to her room softly shut. He breathed softly before opening the door to his room and wandering in.
The room he walked into was huge, much to big for just one person. It was decorated in shades of blue, which he assumed to be new to accommodate his style, if he even had a style. He supposed it would do for the time being, he could really care less. Spotting the bathroom he made his way over, walking right past the tray his dinner had been left on he made his way adamantly for the shower. He striped as he walked, leaving his clothes strewn about the room he stepped into the shower and turned the water temperature up full blast, letting the hot spray melt away the stress from his body. Not even bothering to grab a towel he sauntered into his spacious living quarters and promptly collapsed onto the large four-poster in the middle of the room, instantly asleep.
He woke to the smell of meat and he instantly noticed that something was on top of him. Thought still very naked underneath there was now a thin sheet covering his lower body. He sat up groggily to rub the sleep out of his eyes. It appeared that he had slept through the entire night. Had he really been that exhausted? He was mildly surprised to find that his bandages had been changed. A soft sipping sound turned his attention to the table where the smell was coming from and he was greeted with the smiling face of Emiko. Grimacing slightly he fell back amidst the sea of pillows.
"What are you doing here?" Emiko smirked amusedly and sat her cup down on the tray.
"Mia nearly had a conniption when she came in here this morning to change your towels. You really should be more considerate Hiei. You may have permanently scarred that poor girls fragile psyche. She had to come wake me up from my beautiful sleep to come cover you so that she could continue with her daily chores." Hiei sat up on his elbow's to glare at her through his bent legs.
"What in your puny brain could possibly make you believe that I care." Emiko would have been offended by his tone if he hadn't looked so adorable with those bags under his eyes as he half seriously glared at her with sleep laden eyes. He clearly wasn't a morning person, afternoon person, evening person, night person or an other combination of a time of day and the word person.
"Oh you had better care. Because if we make this a daily occurrence I am going to get very irritated. You don't want to see me irritated. Besides that fact, it appears to me that our little Mai has taken quite a liking to a certain," Emiko glanced down between his bent knees at the valley his legs had created. "… attribute…" Hiei followed her gaze down in between his legs and groaned dejectedly. "Of yours. If you catch my drift. Oh I'd have to say Mother Nature definitely compensated for your lack of height."
"Uh, I don't need this." He growled, collapsing back down onto the bed again.
"Eat your breakfast and then meet me downstairs. I have a few more things I'd like to show you." There was an almost predatory gleam in her eyes as they roamed over his body leaving him with the distinct impression that he had just been violated in some way. Some time later he rolled out of the rather comfortable bed and went in search of his scattered clothes. He found them neatly folded on a chair, mended and cleaned. In fact they looked almost new… he tossed a suspicious glance at the walk in closet to his right and cautiously walked over to open the door. As soon as he stepped inside the room the lights came on. She hadn't been kidding when she said fully stocked.
"What the hell?" Hiei breathed as he took in the sight before him. Every inch of the closet was filled. There were all different types of boots and shoes lining the bottom rows of the closet. The entire right side was filled with his typical style of clothing, loose easy moving clothes that were trainable in. He found fourteen black shirts, fourteen blue shirts, fourteen pairs of identical black pants, fourteen pairs of boots and fourteen cloaks, complete with scarves. Along the left wall was what Kurama had called civilian clothes. Jeans, t-shirt's, jackets, tennis shoes mostly looking to be what Yusuke's wardrobe might have consisted of if he had a wardrobe. The entire back wall was a giant full-length mirror.
On the island in the middle sat a set of laptop computers. He hit a button on the screen facing his normal clothes and up popped a catalogue. It held every piece of clothing in the entire closet, down to the bandana's that had been placed in the top drawer on the island. He was half surprised that she had been so thorough as to include his bandanas but being the control freak he suspected her to be it wasn't all that shocking. Everything even had a number, upon careful examination of one of the bandanas he found a small number thirteen embroidered in the seam. This was approaching ridiculous. Sighing and shaking his head he walked out of the room and threw on the clothes sitting in the chair before grabbing his sword and walking out the door.
Hiei met Emiko in what she had affectionately named the Gravity Room. She was tinkering with some kind of machine but looked up at him upon hearing his approach.
"Oh good you're here." She stated, pushing a button on the machine she had been tinkering with and it zoomed in to the air to float with what looked to be five more just like it.
"What the hell are those things?" He asked, coming to stand next to her. Emiko grabbed one of the Katana's off the wall to her right and unsheathed it.
"Their simulation bots. They teach you how to dodge energy blasts. It's designed to sharpen your intuitive reaction time. Makes it easier to think on your feet and shows you how to act when you don't have time to think." Hiei rolled his eyes.
"I know what it means." Emiko glared at him.
"Then you shouldn't have asked." Hiei glared right back.
"I didn't ask for an explanation woman I just wanted to know what they were. How does it work?" Hiei asked, gesturing to the machines hovering in the air around them.
"Whatever. You don't want an explanation fine, I'll just show you. Begin program." The bots whirled to life and set up a parameter around Hiei and Emiko. Hiei watched interestedly as she raised her hand, palm facing out toward one of the bots. He only had a second to realize that she was gathering her spirit energy into her hand before it shot out in a flash of purple light at the unsuspecting robot. It bounced off the bot and headed back at them, they both dodged just in time to avoid being hit as the blast flew at a waiting bot, bouncing off and heading for Hiei. He caught the small energy ball in his hand and crushed it, sending an array of light flying from his closed fist. He glared at the girl in front of him.
"Why didn't you tell me you've had training?" Emiko raised an eyebrow indignantly and raised her hands to her hips.
"You didn't ask. Does it bother you?" Her tone was very condescending and Hiei bit back the urge to wrap his hands around her pretty little throat and squeeze.
"You don't want to taunt me girl. Your way out of your league." He ground out through clenched teeth. Emiko smirked provokingly.
"Am I?" Hiei snorted at the obvious implication behind her words.
"If you couldn't handle those pathetic nothings in the forest what makes you think you can take me on?" Emiko shrugged indifferently.
"Maybe I can, maybe I can't. Only one way to find out." The look on her face told him she was very serious about this and he had to momentarily contain his shock.
"Are you challenging me?" He asked, slightly taken aback by the foolishness of the girl in front of him. Did she actually believe she was any sort of match for him?
"What's the matter? The big bad Hiei can't handle one scrawny little human girl?" Hiei scowled and disappeared. Emiko slid into the splits and laid herself flat on the floor, her empty hand held out in front of her and the one holding the sword laying flat along her back. Sparks could be seen as Hiei's sword connected with Emiko's, gliding along the edge of the blade laying parallel with her spine. Emiko rolled to her left and crouched, one leg held taught and the other tucked underneath her. The sword held at an angle with her outstretched leg and her empty hand held straight above her head. Emiko brought the sword up to block Hiei's next blow and pushed him off. He somersaulted in the air and landed about ten feet from her. Emiko jumped up and charged at him, catching him off guard and managing to nick his shoulder. Hiei brought his hand up and wiped the blood from his cut.
"Hn. Good, but try this." Emiko was knocked off her feet and sent flying into the wall as Hiei channeled a fraction of his energy into a small blast and sent it at Emiko's unguarded midsection. Emiko slammed the sword into the ground and lifted herself off the floor. A split second later she was up against the wall, his sword once again at her throat as his body pressed firmly against hers effectively holding her there. His warm breath tickled her ear and she drew in a sharp breath.
"Your dead." She could practically feel the smirk on his lips as he said it. Wallowing in his victory but at the moment she couldn't have cared less. Having his body in such close proximity to hers was giving her once idle senses a hay day. Her boyfriend Satoshi had been away on business for the past month and a half so she'd had no male companionship. Her mind had immediately gone into overdrive when she had walked into his room that morning half asleep and very cranky. She was in a right mind to just let him have it, that was, until she saw him.
Suddenly becoming aware that she was staring she blinked and shook her head, taking note of the thick blood stain on his bandages. All his extra activity must have reopened the wound. She sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake him as she carefully unwound the bandages. It seemed as though he had only pulled a few stitches, not as bad as she had previously thought. The wound was already partially healed now however so she left it, simply changing his bandages. She chance one last glance at his sculpted body before pulling the sheet up over him and gesturing to Mia that it was safe to enter.
And now to have that body pressed flush against her, to feel his hot breath teasing the soft hairs at the nape of her neck sending her body into a whole other dimension of aroused she had never been in before in her life. And he hadn't even touched her! A deep rumbling sound emanated up from between their bodies, sending delicious vibrations all over her and centering right down to her core. She immediately felt her thighs grow wet with her arousal as she realized that he was purring.
"Emiko? Is that you down there?!" Quite suddenly Emiko was alone, the heat of mortification creeping up her entire body and pooling in her cheeks at the realization of just who it was that had called her name. Cursing to herself she straightened out her clothes and tried to calm her racing nerves.
"I'm here Satoshi!" She called up to her boyfriend. She couldn't count how many times the boy had asked her to marry him yet every time he asked she would always tell him that she needed a little more time. For some reason it just never felt right and thinking back on the events that had just transpired maybe that was why. She had been with Satoshi for a little over two years now and he could never get the kind of reaction out of her that Hiei could by just looking at her.
She smiled her warmest smile as her boyfriend came bounding down the stairs to wrap her up in a giant hug. He was quite a bit taller than her, standing at about five foot nine whereas Emiko herself was only four foot seven. He had a runners build making him very lean and tone but his body wasn't nearly as sculpted as Hiei's. Emiko caught herself in her train of thought and mentally berated herself. She should not be comparing her boyfriend to that arrogant little imp. She glanced up at his clean cut platinum blond hair and found herself missing the wild mane of her new demon companion. Oh and those eyes, she could stare into those smoldering crimson pools for eternity, not like Satoshi's icy blue orbs. Not to mention they both felt completely different. Hiei's body seemed to mold to hers like they were two pieces of the same puzzle, filling in every little space imaginable leaving no room for even the tiniest air molecule to pass through. Satoshi was too tall for her and she had always felt a little uncomfortable with him looking down at her like he did. Emiko mentally slapped herself on the forehead at where her thoughts were leading her. Was she falling for that jerk? Not possible! He was the most egotistical, self-centered, infuriating prick she had ever laid eyes on.
You forgot good looking.
Emiko's eyes widened into giant saucers. 'Oh no.'
Oh yes.
'Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, this isn't happening to me! Not again!' Emiko screamed in the back of her mind. That infernal voice was back. She hadn't heard a peep out of it for the last two years. Not since she had lost her virginity to Satoshi. She had just met him when it had appeared, ebbing in the back of her mind at her, making rather vulgar and indecent suggestions about him and what she should do to him. Satoshi was quite the bad boy back in the day, he was a thief, that was how she had met him.
Emiko had gone to the jewelry store, looking for a watch for the anniversary of the day Honda had come to stay with them. It was year five hundred and she wanted to get him something very special. She was looking at the Rolex's when Satoshi and his gang invaded the shop, gesturing for everyone to get on the ground. Emiko however was already having a bad day and remained just exactly where she was, glaring at the stupid human who had the gall to point a gun at her. The man holding the gun had stalked over to her and pointed the gun right in her face, growling at her to get down on the ground or he was going to shoot her.
Emiko had then rolled her eyes, grabbed the gun and pushed it down toward the ground, the thief pulled the trigger and shot a bullet right between her legs and into the floor. That was when things got messy. She wrapped her arm around the mans head and pulled, effectively snapping his neck, he fell to the ground in a heap of limbs. The next thief had charged at her, swinging at her face which she easily dodged, grabbing a hold of his arm and kicking her foot up into his face. Someone had grabbed her from behind and she threw her hand back into the man's nut sack, grabbing a hold and crushing them in her hand before she crashed her head back into his nose, breaking his hold. She elbowed him in the gut and backhanded him across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. She turned in a spiral kick and caught her next assailant right in the face and sending him flying into the wall. A bullet whizzed past her head and she tuned on the last one running up at him and shoving her foot into his chest, using the momentum to propel herself backwards, her opposite foot catching him under the jaw and sending him crashing through the plate glass door.
The sound of clapping caught her attention and she turned to the back entrance of the shop. Her breath caught when she looked at him. His bright blond hair was spiked up on top of his head in small sharp looking points. There was a dark line of kohl outlining his vibrant crystalline orbs. The black muscle tee he wore accented his features well giving him that bad boy look that had been what had drawn her too him. He had smirked at her then, lifting up the bag of jewels in his right hand and walking over to her from behind the counter. He bent down and grabbed her face, slipping him name and number into her pocket while lightly kissing her on the cheek before walking out the door. That was when the voice had emerged, while she was looking after him and subconsciously staring at his leather clad behind.
And what a fine piece of ass that was. Though I have to say it wasn't nearly as fine as the one that just walked out that door.
'Shut up!' Emiko yelled, desperately trying to rid herself of that annoying voice. It didn't even sound like her. In school Emiko had had a friend who had lived in a bad neighborhood. She was always so uninhibited and straightforward, the guy's called her easy. She had always admired the girls take no shit attitude and though everyone called her a slut she had never slept with anybody at her school. She just had an air about her that said 'you better get out of my way or you'll be sorry!' and Emiko liked that about her.
Emiko herself had been raised in a conservative household and she had been brought up to be a nice polite traditional girl. But everybody knows behind every good girl is a bad woman. Perhaps that was what this voice was. The subconscious part of her brain that had been repressed as part of her shy little rich girl upbringing. The place that held all of her deepest and darkest desires… Emiko shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked around her. They had somehow managed to make it upstairs to her bedroom and Satoshi was steadily nibbling on her neck. Emiko mentally rolled her eyes. Of course, the moment he gets back he immediately wants to have sex. Oh well, maybe it would help get her mind off of that arrogant little imp who had somehow managed to worm his way into her every thought.
Emiko sighed contentedly as the smoldering water sprayed over her back, working out the stress that had been accumulating since her little rendezvous with death. Not two minuets into their little romp in the hay Satoshi was done. Disgusted, Emiko had pushed him off of her and screamed at him to get out of her house. There was nothing worse than a guy who comes before you and leaves you to suffer on your own. Emiko sighed again. What was wrong with her? She had gone through all the motions but she never really felt any of it, too caught up in her thoughts of a certain crimson-eyed demon.
Emiko sagged against the shower wall, beating her fist against the slick tile as she kicked herself for what she was doing. She had to do something about this. It was a whole two months until the Dark Tournament and if she didn't gather some sort of control over her hormones she was going to end up jumping him and she didn't want to think about the consequences if that were to happen. From what she could tell of fire demon's they were very possessive of potential mates and if he marked her they may very well be bound together for all eternity.
Emiko bit her lip at the thought. Having him in her bed every night, falling asleep in his arms. Would that be so bad? She had to wonder. No! I'm in love with Satoshi!
Keep telling yourself that.
'Oh you shut up! What do you know!'
A lot more than you apparently. Your not in love with Satoshi. You used to be back when he had an edge but now look at him. He's a crème puff. Why waste your time with that loser when you have a nice hunk of demon right down the hall.
'True, but Satoshi loves me! He's so good to me and he's always considerate towards me unlike you know who, who seems to have a mission in life to piss me off.'
Oh you know why he does it. We're cute when we're angry.
'We? No, No, No, there is no we. There is you and there is me. We? Are not the same person. I refuse to believe that I am having an argument with myself!'
Face it honey, you want him. And until you have him, I'm not goin nowhere.
'Well then you better settle in for the long haul babe cuz it's never gonna happen!'
The only reply the voice made was to let out a strain of maniacal laughter.