Toward Windward

Dane Soar

Rating: K+

Summery: With his face to the wind, Hiei waits for both storms to break

Characters/Pairings: Kurama, Hiei

Comments: This one is set probably right before the Chapter Black case.

Spoilers: Sensui arc, a little

Focus: On a windy rooftop

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The wind brought the smell of the coming storm to Hiei's nose as it swirled around him, driving his hair back and whipping at the hem of his cloak. Far, far below, humans scuttled, so small from this height that they might as well be ants. Hiei watched as they were blown this way and that by the buffeting winds, trying to get inside before the storm broke. And it's going to be a nasty one.

Almost in answer, the wind blew particularly hard and sent the blood dripping from his sword-tip in an arch to splash down on the room. Then it abated briefly.

Thunderclouds rolled across the sky, grey scraps that were heavy with unshed rain. In the distance, thunder boomed. I suppose that's the calm before the storm.

An insect, transparent and bulbous, was blown toward him on the next gust of mischievous wind. With a flick of the wrist, he sliced the Makai insect in half. And another storm is brewing, he thought, not just one made of weather; but the Makai insects are gathering, and that's never a good sign. Again, thunder boomed, and out of the corner of his eye Hiei saw a flash of lightning. It's getting closer, almost here. Both storms in fact, but I wonder which will break first. Below, the sidewalk was clearing at an alarming rate, though one human remained still in the rush.

No, Hiei felt a faint glimmer of youkai, not human. With such distance between the details were almost impossible to make out, (Hiei being against using the Jagan for such medial uses) but the gusting wind blew what was unmistakably red hair around the person's shoulders. That was more than enough to identify him.

"Fool of a fox," Hiei said, though the words were torn from his lips by the wind as soon as he spoke them. "Stay like that and you'll get wet." The person tilted their head back to squint at the rooftop.

I wonder if he feels the storm after this too. I doubt the other two have. Humans, so blind and dumb, they might as well be ants.

A flicker of pain from his arm sent his other hand instinctively over to grasp it. The dragon moved again under his skin. I know, he hissed to it, I feel it as much as you. It subsided slightly but still felt… restless. It's feeling made Hiei's skin prickle. The air felt moist on the next the wind gust, promising rain, momentarily.

When the first drop fell the figure far down below jerked back and then moved busily away. Though Hiei couldn't see his expression, he surmised that it was that of one who had just received a raindrop to the forehead.

"I told you so," Hiei muttered. He shifted his grip and rested his unsheathed blade on his shoulder. The rain was steadily coming down now and lightning illuminated part of the sky, thunder following soon after.

It was time to go. There were warmer and drier places to be. Turning away from windward, Hiei blurred out of sight. And now I just have to wait for the next storm to break. Most likely it will bring much more then rain.

And where he had just stood a lightning bolt struck, splitting the railing in two.

END

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