Yukina stared out into the fading sunset with a soft frown, once again realizing that Hiei wouldn't be home for supper. She pushed her soft aqua hair behind her ear, letting out a soft sigh. The ice maiden turned towards the small house she shared with her mother and brother, deciding that waiting for the fire demon would cause dinner to be very late. Hina had already started cooking the meal by the time her daughter slipped inside. Her eyes were tired and restless, it being a long time since she last saw the land of Ice and Snow. Yukina and Hiei, although small for their age, were the equivalent of two ten year old children- and yet they seemed so much older.
"Hiei's still out?"
Yukina nodded softly. "He said he wanted to see what was out there beyond our little home."
"I supposed as much. He has always been oddly withdrawn and curious for a demon. I half expected him to turn into a tyrant." Hina laughed softly, making sure her daughter knew that that was a ridiculous notion. However, Yukina didn't know the truth behind that statement.
"Mother?"
Hina glanced up once again.
"Mother, have you ever been to the human world? It sounds so interesting from the books Hiei brought me. Perhaps he'll take me there one day."
"Hm… Perhaps. No, I have sadly never been there, but I'm sure it's lovely."
The two women glanced up as the door shut with a soft thump. A familiar dark haired fire yokai wandered into the kitchen, drawn by the scent of cooking food. A soft smile played across his lips, letting a hand wander and lovingly muss his sister's hair. She ducked away and grinned, simply glad he was home. However, Hina abruptly looked up as she heard the words from her son's mouth
"I found a trace of a portal to the human world today. It was used recently. The scent of a slime demon was all over it. I ended up running into another demon, yet he seemed to be trapped in a human body. Kurama- that was his name. I never knew that demons actually lived in the Nigenkai."
Hina frowned softly. "You actually went to the human world?"
"Uh-huh. It was a little difficult, considering I had to lower my demonic energy…" Hiei trailed off, glancing at his feet.
"Oh, Hiei!" Yukina grinned widely, wrapping her arms around his left one. "Next time, could I come too?"
Hiei simply stared at her, with a mix of surprise and confusion. "Um, I suppose. It didn't seem dangerous."
Hina smiled and went back to fixing the meal. Her son was growing up.
The red moon shone over the plains of demon world, casting eerie shadows from the brush scattered about like decaying tombstones. Some unfortunate demon howled in pain, proving that one was the stronger. In a rustic cabin by a shimmering lake, two demon children slept peacefully, dreaming about the tale of a young ice maiden their mother just recited to them. Their mother, feeling restless about that very true tale, sat alone in the dimly lit den, trying to will herself to sleep. The chilling wind raked across the lake, causing soft red ripples on the reflective surface. A shadow crept its way across the landscape, only a shimmering reflection of an eight-armed creature as a clue to its identity.
The demon showed its terrible teeth with a gnarly grin, clenching its claws around the small iron doorknob. The wooden door creaked open, showing the silhouette of a young woman from the dimly lit room. She swiftly rose, peering out at the front of the house to see what had opened the door. She braced herself, only to see nothing there. She relaxed her guard turning back to the rocker she had been perched in only moments before. Suddenly, something grabbed her waist and wrapped a hand around her mouth, yanking her towards her unknown foe.
Hina struggled against him the best she could, kicking and bending her icy aura around her attacker. The ice maiden tipped over the rocker, causing a loud enough crash to wake up a rather annoyed fire demon. Yet, by the time he and Yukina had gotten out there, it was too late. The eight-armed demon stood hulking in the hallway, blood around the edge of his mouth and the same type of stains on the carpet. Yukina screamed and started crying, small pearls scattering across the floor. Hiei clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, forcing all his emotions into one: anger.
Hiei launched himself at the beast, causing it to stagger backwards only slightly. Eight-Arms smirked and sent a hard right blow to the boy with two of his muscular arms, causing Hiei to fly backwards into the wall. His sister gasped and raised a hand to her horror struck face.
The larger demon chuckled. "You silly boy. You're weak, just like your mother was!"
Hiei struggled to his feet, the heavy blow overwhelming his young body. He hadn't been through many fights, let alone any nearly as brutal. He ran at Eight-Arms, tiny fists aiming at the demon's stomach. The fire demon's fast speed kept the larger demon from dodging in time, but the blow did little damage. Hiei, desperate to save his sister and avenge his mother's gruesome death, attacked again, swinging his foot against the demon's ribs. Unfortunately, Eight-Arms caught the yokai's foot, sending him flying to the ground. Yukina cried out, unable to assist her brother due to fear freezing her limbs. Hiei's arms shook as he tried to force himself to his feet. Blood ran down his right arm and forehead, the rest of his body littered with small bruises.
The terrible demon laughed again and sent his foot down onto the boy's back, forcing Hiei to let out a muffled yelp. By the time the demon's foot was removed, the fire yokai had his eyes shut and was unmoving.
Yukina tried to hide herself in the dark corner, knowing that the large demon would come for her next. Sure enough, Eight-Arms turned towards the young ice maiden. She let out a shriek and was roughly swung across his back. Yukina struggled with all her strength, just as her mother had done, against the demon. Eight-Arms smirked and knocked out the aqua-haired girl.
"I'll save you for later. Two Ice Maidens at once- it must be my lucky day."
Although Hiei didn't even have enough strength left to open his eyes, he clearly heard what the demon uttered as he thrust himself out the door.
