DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho
A/N: I thought I'd write a little holiday one-shot. Not so surprisingly, it's a little late. But at least I wrote one!
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Summary: He watches over her and she never knows. Or does she? A small, Hiei/Kag V-day-ish one-shot.
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He watched her sleep, every night, her even breathing bringing him a sense of calm he rarely knew. At first he had been opposed to the idea of spending so much time around a human woman, but orders were orders and he had no choice but to follow them. Grudgingly he watched over her during the time she spent at home, and he hung around to wait for her to return from the past.
She didn't know that he was watching her, that was how Koenma had wanted it, which was just the way that arrogant ruler was. So he watched her, and everything she did, for three months. She took care of shrine duties, baby-sat children (she was very good with kids, he observed) and was far too nice for her own good. There were some nights that she would fall asleep at her desk, exhausted from the day. He had orders not to interact with her, but something made him transfer her to her bed.
He didn't notice when he began to care for her, it had to have been a very gradual transition for him not to realize what was happening. But soon he realized just how anxiously he awaited her return from her danger-filled mission in the past, and just how comfortable her presence made him. It was unsettling, but he accepted it. She was a kind person, much like Yukina, and she took on so much and dealt with that loud-mouthed companion of hers with little complaint.
It was so frustrating to listen to that half-demon insult her and to watch her take it with eyes that dimmed with every degrading word, and to not be able to interfere. And to see her return, time and again, from the past covered in injuries, never allowed to tend to her. He had fallen in deeply with the young priestess, though she never knew that he watched her, and somewhere inside he knew that it was best that way. Forbidden as he was, no one as pure as her could ever care for him in any manner.
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He had noticed Kurama's apprehension on his now rare visits to his home, and realized that Valentine's Day was approaching. It had officially been six months that he had been watching his little priestess, and no amount of attempting to distance himself had kept him from falling for her, hard. Knowing the semblance of the upcoming holiday for humans, he decided that he wanted to do something for his priestess. Sure, she did not know that he existed, but that didn't mean he couldn't leave a small gift upon her windowsill, unmarked.
He had pondered over it for days, noting the time flying by, but he could not think of a fitting gift. It was officially Valentine's Day when he decided to borrow a few of Kurama's precious white roses to leave for her. It was when he arrived to deliver them that he realized that she wasn't there. Slightly concerned, he remembered that she had promised her mother that she would be back, on or before, this specific holiday.
He had sat for days, the roses wilting as the time passed, and he was unnerved. Never had she broken a promise, so he was certain that something was wrong. She could be injured or captured or…dead. Not willing to believe such a harsh, possible truth, he willed himself to close his eyes and sleep.
It was on his fourth day of waiting that he felt the refreshing magic of the well and watched as Kagome emerged from the well house with her yellow backpack. She looked a little worse for wear, but at least she was alive. Her mother had greeted her with tears and she had reassured her that everything was fine. After her routine bath and dinner with her family, she was upstairs and in her pajamas.
He watched her rummage through her bag, tossing things everywhere, before a triumphant cry escaped her lips and she pulled out a box. Curious, he watched as she approached the window and opened it wide before peering out into the darkness.
"I'm sorry I was so late, but I employed the services of a rather lazy old man to construct a gift for you. I hope you weren't too worried." She said, looking in his general direction.
To say he was shocked would be the understatement of the century. Was it possible that she had known about him the entire time? It couldn't be. But then, who else would she be talking to? The tree?
She chuckled, "I know that this may come as a surprise, but I felt no reason to bother you before. You have a very soothing aura and I didn't mind having you around. I rather liked having someone around all the time. Well, not all the time, you didn't exactly follow me through the well, though I would have liked that. Anyway, this is for you."
She removed the lid of the box and held it out of the window and he was compelled to see what it was that she had gotten him. While she couldn't see his body, due to his black clothes, she could most definitely see his red eyes glowing in the darkness, but she didn't seem to really react to them. From a reasonable distance he looked inside the slender box to see…a sheath.
It was wonderfully made; smooth and sleek with some crimson trim. And it seemed to be the perfect size for his sword. But how'd she even know that he carried a sword? Had she seen him somehow?
"I didn't know if you'd like it, but I just got a sense that you were a sword kind of demon. Please, say something." She seemed a little uncertain and a little sad, though hopeful as well. Odd.
He wasn't sure why, seeing as she could have heard him from where he was, but he came close enough that she could see him. They looked at each other for a second; one calm, collected and cool and the other nervous and unsure.
"Thank you." His voice was slightly gruff, he hadn't used it for days, but she seemed to light up.
She blushed lightly, a feat he had rarely seen, "You're welcome. Go ahead and take it, I'm –yawn- ready for bed now."
He did take it, with hands that trembled very slightly, before tucking it inside of his cloak. He watched her put the box on her desk before turning the lights out and crawling into bed. He wanted to give her something in return, a gift to show just how wonderful he thought she was. So he did the one thing he never did. He cried.
A single tear rolled down his cheek and crystallized, forming into a precious jewel. He left for a moment to find some string and burned a small hole through the tip of the jewel. After stringing it up nicely, he leapt into her room through her open window and shook her awake.
"Uhnnn…hmm? Oh, it's you." She was still half-asleep, barely registering what was going on.
"This is for you." He said, taking her hand and dropping the necklace into it.
Realization dawned in her eyes and he knew that she understood what he was and how rare her gift was. She smiled and put the necklace on over her head before rising on somewhat unsteady feet and launching into him. It was his first hug.
"Thank you so much!" She whispered before falling asleep as he held her up.
He tucked her back into bed and jumped back into the tree outside, a small, happy smile on his face.