Greetings, I won't say much except that this is my first fan-fic so don't be to harsh on it. I believe there is always room for improvement. Constructive criticism is appreciated. I know my chapters are quite short, I aim for around 1000 words per chapter. But I should upload more often.

Have fun!

(Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except the mysterious voice who will be introduced later. Hiei and Kagome belong to their respective owners. If I owned them I wouldn't be writing fan-fiction.)

Hotel of the second best

Chapter One: The Mystery Box

Hiei woke up suddenly. It was dark, too dark. Even with his Jagan eye he couldn't see anything. He reached out in front of him, only to find he was in an enclosed space, no bigger than a coffin. He wouldn't allow himself to panic, he ignored to pull of fear and tried to break out, only to find himself shocked by powerful seals. He growled, than jerked as he heard a voice. The voice seemed to be projected, loud enough to hear even inside his confinement.

"Good morning maggots!" the voice was low and masculine, yet seemed to be filled with glee.

"I've set up a little experiment today, there are twelve people in this vicinity in total. Two people in each room. However, one person in each room isn't bound or confined, while the other is sealed in a coffin." The voice laughed, a laugh that would chill any normal person to the bone. But Hiei wasn't your average human. "The person who is free is given a choice, Free your room-mate, or don't. Remember that your room-mate could be anyone, your enemy, or something much, much worse." It paused, "Good Luck maggots!"

Hiei kept a cool head, he couldn't rely on his 'room-mate', after all, when had he ever relied on others? But he was beginning to realise there was no other way out of this prison. He sighed, this was not a good day. He was surprised to hear a voice, a feminine voice, calling out to him.

"Give me a second, I'll get you out of there."

"Why?" Hiei asked, the voice on the other side was quiet for a moment.

"Isn't it just the right thing to do?" Hiei sighed, 'great, another naïve child'. The edge of the coffin door cracked open, the light was almost blinding. Hiei emerged, rubbing his eyes and looking at his 'saviour'. She was female, with long black hair and blue eyes, she was wearing a school uniform. She looked startled, probably by his appearance. Hiei almost smirked, definitely human. She smiled, and went to introduce herself. "My name is Higurashi Kagome, I… woke up here, and you know the rest. What can I call you?"

Hiei inspected the room, "Hiei. Just Hiei."

"…Hiei…" She murmured. "Do you remember getting here?" Hiei thought for a moment, he had been on a mission with the Renkai Tentai, it was ridiculous, as usual. He had been chasing a demon vigilante, then just blackness. He couldn't remember anything past that point. It angered him. He turned to the girl, this… Kagome.

"No. And I assume you don't either." He replied curtly. The room was furnished like a hotel, with two beds, a cabinet and a window covered by a curtain. Hiei tried to open the door, but it was sealed from the outside. He growled.

Kagome watched him pace the room, inspecting everything before stopping in front of the window. He drew the curtain a bit, then let it fall. The very air seemed to chill around him.

"What's out there?" Kagome asked, walking closer. Hiei waited a moment before answering.

"I doubt this is Ningenkai." He said, his voice low. Kagome was about to ask what he meant when she saw the outside world. They were completely surrounded by an ocean of red. She stumbled back, but remained calm. "That makes no sense, where else could we be?"

Hiei sighed, "Not any of the worlds I know."

"What's that meant to mean?" She was annoyed by the fact that this Hiei person was still absolutely calm. He looked at her, "It doesn't matter. We just have to wait." He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. If Kagome had been closer she may have seen the green light ebbing from behind his headband.

"How are you okay with this?" She asked, frustrated and worrying for her friends, were they in this madhouse too? Hiei just shrugged, ignoring her. She frowned.

After a few minutes she spoke again, "So, where are you from?" she was trying to be nice but this guy just seemed cold. "I wander." He replied curtly, at least he was talking to her.

"Really? So you travel?" She asked, still attempting to break the ice. Even though he didn't let it show, this girl was beginning to annoy him.

"Not really," He said coldly, "I just don't have anywhere to return to."

"You're homeless?" Kagome's face was concerned. A useless emotion to Hiei.

"Mostly by choice." Hiei was determined to stop this conversation. Silence fell again. With no kind of clock or natural light in the room they had no way to tell how much time had passed. She sat on the bed, trying to keep calm. Hiei just waited, eyes closed. After what could have been 30 minutes or 3 hours they heard the voice again.

"Well done maggots!" The voice didn't sound pleased at all, "You all had the same reaction and opened your partners coffin. These will be the pairings for the remainder of your time here. In a minute your doors will open and you will meet one other pairing. What you do is your choice. Have FUN!"