Chapter 01 - Found You
Written by: Amber M


It's said that you've forgotten all the painful memories…
In exchange for the new good ones you're trying to create…
Yet, they're still not gone because something is missing…
Because you can't find the thing you need…
What if it was right in front of you…?


"Kurama!" Hiei growled, "How many times must I threaten your girlfriend to stop leaving her things in my room?"

Kurama flushed as Hiei waved the said "things" in front of his face. "Hiei, remember at the time she has just as much right to that room as you and… I-I already told you, she's not my girlfriend…. We're just—"

"Friends? Whatever," Hiei mumbled as he turned away, exiting the red-head's room only after flinging said 'things' into his face.

The blue-haired deity of death had been staying at Kurama's house for a week now at the same time that Hiei happened to need a hideout. She had effectively taken over the guest room, leaving feminine items such as make-up, shopping bags and… other girlish things. Honestly, he could hardly believe how messy the woman was.

There was rotten food.

Rotten food near his sleeping area.

Oh yes, undoubtedly this was indeed Botan Land.

He waded into the pigsty through piles of clothes and such just to reach his one little corner at the windowsill. Giving up disentangling his feet from the fourth ensnare he'd come across, he cursed under his breath and leapt over the junk, curling up against the wide, glass window as he got there. It overlooked Kurama's backyard where his mother spent most of the time gardening these days. Right now, though it was empty, still, quiet… just as Hiei liked it.

"Hiei!" sang Kurama's ningen mother, Shiori. "You have a visitor!"

So much for that…

He darted down the stairs, appearing at the entrance hall in a flash to see Shiori talking animatedly with someone on the porch. When the woman glanced about her self, she found Hiei and smiled.

"Ah, here he is," she said to the visitor who stepped inside at the mention.

Oh, great.

Hiei thought, his brow slightly twitching at the sight of Kurama's annoying little neighbor, a small boy by the name of Hiroshi. The kid beamed at Hiei and hurried to greet him.

"Hi Hiei! Mom said I could come over to show you my new skateboard! Look, look! See!" the kid jumped up and down as he pointed out the fancy rolling plank. "Come on, I have to show you this trick I learned! It's so cool!"

Hiei groaned, receiving one of those signature disapproving looks from Shiori—meaning that he'd have to suffer another afternoon of bothersome idol duty.

The kid rolled back and forth on the rollie plank, falling and laughing. Hiei was so bored that he didn't notice a pair of golden eyes watching him…

Luckily, Hiroshi didn't get to stay out and play that long—apparently had some family reunion to attend in Kyoto—so Hiei's misery was alleviated after an hour. On the bad side, Botan had returned from another shopping spree, robbing Hiei of the alone time he had so wanted. The girl was stowing brand new junk away in the guest room.

The blue-haired deity of death grinned brightly at him as he stood at the doorway. "Oh, hello, Hiei! You know, you really should go shopping with us sometime! You need to get out more!"

Hiei felt a growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

"I know what you're thinking… But you're wrong! Yusuke and Kuwabara come along too! They don't mind spending the afternoon with us girls!"

Hiei doubted that. Those two were merely the women's servants during the shopping sprees, hauling around twenty bags and boxes, only saying what the girls wanted them to say. Utterly pathetic.

The spirit girl went on trying to convince Hiei otherwise. The fire demon could already feel the anger simmering within.


Another bad day…

Hiei had a routine argument with the girly Grim Reaper and stormed out of the house, proclaiming that he wouldn't ever return as long as he had to share a room with that creature. And so, he found the park and his favorite tree, one inconspicuous and rarely visited one as the jaganshi had noted. He got comfortable on his usual branch and glared out on the surroundings through the broken foliage.

There were couples enjoying an early evening stroll; they laughed, cuddling together, holding and swinging their arms so merrily. Humans and their affections. The fire apparition could barely stand to watch it.

He closed his eyes, shutting out the world as a stubborn attempt for the solitude he desired. He needed no one… Alone was the best way to be…

Slumber almost instantly took him.

That girl was there again, the one that whispered incoherently and appeared as a blurry silhouette most often. Here in these dreams, Hiei was always in a pendulum swing mode where his feelings on the situation went from good to bad, calm to agitated, dreary to sober, masochistic to sadistic. He often tried to take interest in the girl, tried to save her from drowning. There was always that decision: save the girl and risk death or save yourself.

Most times the girl would almost drown; Hiei woke up before it went that far. He would nearly drown with her when he tried to swim to the girl in that gloomy, bleak ocean. Never had he finished the dream; it was always paused at that moment just before suffocation and then rewound for the next time. This dream barely seemed to last a blink…

"UHG!" Hiei groaned as a splintering pain shot through his body, emanating from his Jagan eye.

This was new… but gladly, short-lived. The pain seemed to depart just as quickly as it came, leaving Hiei panting and gasping for breath, his skin glistening with sweat. His fingers dug into the grass (apparently he'd fallen right out of the tree). What the hell was that? Before he could try to make sense of the event, a voice called out to him.

"Hey, Hiei! Is that you?" said the laidback voice of Yusuke Urameshi.

Hiei looked up to see the spirit detective with his girlfriend, Kayko Yukimura, both staring down at him with concern. He slowly stood to his feet, his eyes turned cold and hard to make them think twice before asking. "What are you doing here?" he asked scathingly.

"Well, this is a public park, you know. You can't just scare off everyone so you can have it for yourself," Yusuke added jokingly.

"Are you okay? You look a little…" Kayko began timidly before Yusuke used a subtle nudge of the shoulder to stop her. "Ow! What was that for?"

Yusuke ran a hand through his greasy hair, smiling a big, fake grin. "Um… We're all actually going to the dojo for movie night," he said to Hiei, "Are you gonna come? There'll be some of that pizza you like so much… and you can even add fudge to it like before," he added, barely able to keep a straight face through the remark.

Hiei snorted. "No thanks. The last time I went, I had to endure three hours of your earsplitting squeals. Thanks to that ordeal my hearing has reduced."

Yusuke laughed nervously, scratching his head. "Well… that was monster movie night, you know?" he explained. "So, you're sure you don't… I mean, it's not like we all get to see each other as a group that often any—"

"No," Hiei said sternly and walked away from the two. He faintly overheard the couple beginning to squabble—as they often did—but wasn't in the mood to mock the trivial behavior, opting to escape attention.


Minutes later, he found himself meandering through the darkness, his head lowered. The Jagan eye then glowed strangely as Hiei arrived deep in the forest. The jaganshi halted to a stop, that familiar pain returning to beleaguer his body. The demon clapped his hands to the sides of his head. It felt like his skull was being pounded by Thor's hammers relentlessly from both sides, sending horrible vibes through every nerve.

"What the hell..." he managed to growl as he dropped to his knees. He heard some rustling in the bushes. A strange, reddish, wind came out and swirled around him. It took form of a dragon but it was red with yellow glowing eyes—not something Hiei's Jagan eye could have conjured.

He reached one trembling hand to the hilt of his sword, barely able to feel his fingers curling around the smooth surface. The sword sang out of its sheath, Hiei just able to stand on his feet as he sliced through the red wind to ward it off.

"Don't panic," an icy, female voice said mockingly.

Hiei's free arm held tight to his head, the objects of the area blurring in and out through his broken perception. With an effort, he barked, "What? Who's there?"

There was no response.

"Show yourself!" Hiei demanded, his anger fired up by the pain.

Just as he was about to go tearing through everything in his vicinity, a woman dropped out of the trees like a rock, only she landed softly.

The jaganshi didn't recognize her. She had long, silky, black hair tied back in a yellow bow at her nape. Long bangs hung over the rim of a red headband to frame her emotionless face. A tinge of orange to her golden eyes brought them out like that of a wolf's in the dead of night. She wore a black cat suit with a cropped red t-shirt over it. Twin blades that had silver dragon-head hilts hung at her hips.

Just your every day rose with poisonous thorns.

She remained where she stood, her arms crossed and intimidating gaze watching Hiei expectantly.

The fire demon glared back at her, his chest still heaving from the episode of pain that fortunately withered now. He mumbled raggedly, "Who the hell are you?"

She hesitated, her face an emotionless mask. "Iginaku Tora," she said curtly.

Hiei was slightly surprised to get an immediate answer. He couldn't recall ever seeing her in his lifetime. Perhaps she knew him from a tournament.

Steadying his breathing, he felt that he was teetering between savage rage and a total system collapse. It did not sit well with him.

"I wonder what kind of demon you are?" he inquired sarcastically, referring to the convenient headband. All he could do was try to focus, conceal the miserable condition in case she was looking to fight him.

Here's the chance…

"Hmph. Yes, I am a demon—I have powers beyond those you have seen though."

Don't resist…

Hiei snorted. "I doubt the Jagan eye varies that much demon to demon."

You can fight the darkness… You can find something more.

"I have all I need," Hiei whispered to himself. So shut up…

Tora smiled slightly, not catching Hiei's last statement. "Perhaps." Quietly, she slipped her headband off to reveal a red colored third eye, a blood-seeking eye. "I wonder which Jagan produces a fiercer beast? Though it surely must be mine. From what I heard, you were not born with yours."

Hiei simpered, the pain and voices diminished. "You're challenging me. Is that it?" said he, "I doubt you are worthy. Do you often come out of the blue and invite random demons to battle?" Tora shrugged lazily. "Hn. Fine... I accept. You will regret it," he added confidently, eager to alleviate the anger that'd built in him.

He watched as Tora distanced herself and smiled maliciously with anticipation. It'd be fun putting this witch in her place. His headband floated in the wind toward the ocean after he slipped it off, giving him that deadly 30-30 vision. The red dragon he'd assumed belonged to Tora must have returned to her for it was nowhere in sight.

"You ready?" the female demon called.

Hiei nodded.

Hn. The Dragon of the Darkness Flame should be the appropriate pacifier.

Hiei thought to himself. His power then erupted around him as he kept his eyes on Tora. She hadn't done anything yet. There wasn't a trace of demonic energy around her; perhaps invisible or just incredibly weak. Still, he kept to caution. It wouldn't be fun to obliterate her without even the slightest challenge.

"What's the problem?" he asked with a tentative half smile.

"Nothing—Don't let up on your strength," she warned, having sensed him calming his energy.

He frowned, losing any concern of destroying her too effortlessly—it would be a good lesson for her should she live. You'll pay for being a fool. His energy fired up again and the Dragon of the Darkness Flame was ready to be released. "Farewell!" He yelled to her through the gusts of energy spiraling around him, triggering the dark dragon to come roaring out of the ominous swirls.

Tora's jaw went agape. She seemed surprised that so much power had come from him. Her Jagan glowed and the red dragon made itself visible. What? Her beast had been hiding the whole time? Hiei thought, his mind embracing shock... Impossible. How could he have not sensed it before!

"This is your end!" she shouted.

Hiei felt Tora's full power now that the dragon was visible once again. The Dragon of the Darkness Flame was already heading for Tora but the crimson dragon had moved in swiftly to protect her. The two dragons collided as the Jagan eyes watched. A blazing light ignited at the point of contact, encompassing the blinded demons with a voluminous blast of white.

After a long pause, the pulse of radiance simmered down, leaving two unharmed jaganshis gazing across at each other in astound awe. Neither of their attacks had reached the other, or so it seemed...

Tora closed her eyes as a droplet of blood trickled down her cheek. "Hmph." She paused, a soft smile on her face. "I suppose I shouldn't have underestimated you... It's just strange to see a demon socialize with... ningens." She sighed. "I... I was sent to find you due to recent happenings you've endured. It hasn't been pleasant, has it?"

Hiei stared. "Who sent you?"

"The little guy upstairs," she mumbled as frivolously as her cold voice would allow, obviously not too thrilled about the situation.

The fire demon sweatdropped, his eyes narrowing. "Koenma?" He gritted his teeth, grudgingly pushing aside thoughts of ripping the toddler to shreds and then mumbling, "How much do you know?"

"About your situation?" The jaganshi nodded. Tora closed her eyes, thinking it over. "More than I'd like."

"Hmph, well you obviously didn't come here willingly so why did Spirit World send you?"

"It is a wonder, isn't it?" she muttered longly. "Sending an A-class demon convict in for a benevolent case…"

"You lie."

Her head cocked to one side as she looked at him in question.

The jaganshi glared at the girl. "You're no A-class…" he whispered murderously. If that girl were to insinuate that Hiei's powers were only on par with that level, this forest would have to be her permanent resting place. There's no way a pitiful A-class demon could have nearly mirrored his powers.

"Listen, I don't have time to gab with you all night. To rid yourself of the Oora, you'll have to accompany me to Fukushuugeki, understand?"

"Vaguely. What the hell is an Oora? Or did you mean to say 'aura'?" he asked snidely.

"The name is interchangeable—anyway, you should know something about her. She's in your dreams after all."

"Bitch… Just tell me this—how is it you'll be of any help? You didn't exactly tell me why Koenma sent you. I should be able to handle anything without the help of lower class wretches."

Tora glared. "I honestly could care less for you too. As for why Koenma chose me, I can't exactly say but I agreed to his proposal because I have personal gain from this." She paused, seeing that the fire demon wasn't going to except that answer. Growling, she added, "I've had experience with Aura's in the past. Satisfied? You'll never be able to deal with the situation on your own with so little knowledge on the Oora species."

The jaganshi took his eyes away, digging in his pocket for an extra white headband. He slipped it around his head and then muttered coolly, "Fukushuugeki. The strange name sounds familiar."

"It should; it's located in the Demon Underworld—Makai on the A-class level."

They went silent at the sound of rustling leaves nearby. The two looked off just in time to spot a hint of shiny red flicker behind the bushes. Tora watched intently as Hiei shook his head. He knew well of eavesdroppers.

"As much as I already hate the company, I'll go with you just to suppress this annoying creature. Is there anything I'll get in return?" the fire demon asked, drawing Tora's attention away from the disturbance.

Tora arched a brow, casting a suspicious eye about the area. "You mean, besides peace from the incessant whining?"

"I suppose that's good enough…"

Tora nodded and turned to withdraw from the open area, staring at where the flash of red had been.

"This way," she called over her shoulder.

Before leaving, he had to pause in front of the bush in question. "Don't even think of following me..." he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth and then proceeded to trail the yasha.


Thanks for reading and please REVIEW! I'd like some feedback. Even it's a few words of encouragement because Hiei will punish me for writing crappily about him otherwise…

Hiei: (glares)

Wolf: (yawns) I'm tired… (collapses from exhaustion)

Hiei: (eyes the marker held in Wolf's hand)