"Who knew Makai could be so beautiful?" Keiko sighed, leaning her head out the carriage window. When Yusuke first told her about the party, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go. Been to one party in Makai, been to them all—bloody and excruciatingly boring. A contest meant a fight to the death, and she'd already seen enough of those for her life time. But, Yusuke swore it was different this time. According to Koenma, it would be like medieval Europe in Ningenkai—or something like that--which Keiko figured meant some sort of battle or bloody mess. She figured it was better than one of the never ending fights to the death.
But this? She never expected trees to be so spectacular. Almost every tree was twice the width of the carriage and quadruple the height. Leaves and branches surrounded the pathway, engulfing the carriage in flames of purple and lilac. Even the sky, which normally was darkened and dismal, seemed to light up under the dim Makai sun. It was a dream world, the place all fairy tales were based in, the land far, far, away. To Keiko's amazement, a white carriage picked them up and was now bringing them to a palace. Sure, the carriage was a bit small, and it wasn't drawn by horses, but yellow lizards were good enough.
"Do you come here a lot?" she turned to her cramped friends.
"I've been here a few times," Kurama locked his eyes on the floor. He scratched his runny nose and dug out the scarf from inside his coat pocket. The cold wasn't as bad, but he still felt like he was falling apart. "I used to come with Yomi. He and King Daifuki got along well, but I guess everyone got along well with him."
"Or maybe they were scared," Hiei answered.
"Yes, that too. He has the most powerful army in Makai, but also a lot of respect. He's been around a long time. His basic premise is he doesn't touch others lands if they don't touch his," Kurama pushed his back against the seat, trying to straighten his posture. His body ached, and he gave in and hunched over, coughing slightly.
Hiei eyed the people surrounding him. He'd known them for five years, and he still trusted only half of them. Kuwabara and his sister, his precious sister. It disgusted him that she would choose such an oaf, but his opinion didn't matter much. She still had no idea who he was, and he planned to keep it that way.
"We're here!" Keiko practically jumped out of her seat through the window. "Oh wow."
The castle came into view over the leaves, shinning in the darkened sun like a relic. It's silver bricks glistened, and the windows were larger than life. The wall that surrounded it towered over the tiny homes spread around the palace. Figures of tiny guards on the walls became more prominent as the carriage got closer, along with the line of guests waiting in line to be escorted into the palace.
Hiei had only been to the castle once in his life. Twenty-five years ago, before he met Kurama and the rest of the team, his thievery and murderous rampages were at their peak. It didn't matter who owned the riches or what threat they held against him, Hiei would smuggle everything he could. Anytime he was caught, the demon wouldn't even have the chance to take another breath.
But twenty-five years ago, when Hiei snuck into Kind Daifuki's palace, something changed. He was in the courtyard, clutching the priceless vase that was kept protected at almost all hours. Right before he could make a clean escape, a young girl walked into the courtyard rubbing her eyes. He was ready to kill her, his hand was on his hilt, but she tilted her head and asked him why he came.
The little girl, with her big golden eyes, waited intently for Hiei to make his next move, but he couldn't. He knew he needed to kill her, or flee immediately, but his body wouldn't budge. When she asked his name, he demanded she leave before he killed her. In his criminal peak, he never once threatened someone, they'd be dead already.
"I won't tell," she told him. "I promise. They would think I was crazy anyway."
With that, the strange little girl turned around and dragged her feet through the waiting door. Hiei placed the vase on the ground and fled the palace, trying to shake off the vision of little girl's eyes.
Hiei wondered if she'd be at the castle still as they pulled up near the line of guests. He figured she was a servant's daughter, or someone visiting. She obviously didn't realize he didn't belong in the castle. The carriage stopped and the doors immediately opened, allowing the crowded bunch freedom.
"It feels good to walk!" Kuwabara threw his hands behind his head and chuckled as he strolled around in a circle. "Urameshi was squashing my leg."
"Maybe it's because you're a giant lump!" Yusuke yelled, grabbing his and Keiko's bags off the top of the carriage.
"Nani!?" Kuwabara yanked his own bag off. "I'll show you a giant lump!"
Before he could thump Yusuke on the head, the wall's giant oak door creaked open. The line fell silent and stared as the opening got larger until a small man stumbled to greet the crowd.
He bowed his head, glancing up after a few moments. "Good afternoon, I'm glad to see so many of you have made it early!" he voice echoed across the grounds as he wobbled closer to the crowd. "If you could please form a straight line and present your tickets one by one, it would be much appreciated. Thank you all, again, for coming. King Daifuki, the Queen and their daughter shall greet you inside the castle."
With that, he was gone.
A murmur rolled through the crowd as the line started to get shorter. Yusuke glanced down at his invitation and then at his watch. He hated waiting in lines. He could train for years on end, but he couldn't tolerate waiting on a line for anything.
"Has anyone seen Koenma?" he asked, glancing up at his friends. They shook their heads, but that was all the response he got.
"What's on your mind?" Kurama turned his back from the group, hoping to catch Hiei in a private moment. Ever since they entered the Southlands, Hiei's body had become tense and frigid. Kurama knew when something was bothering Hiei, even before Hiei knew it. He figured that's why they were so close; they knew each other inside and out.
"Hn," Hiei shifted his eyes away from Kurama. "I don't see you for a year and you're wondering what's on my mind?"
"I know you're not mad at me," Kurama grinned under his scarf.
Hiei's eyes snapped and made contact with Kurama's. He waited for Kurama to move, flinch—do anything. But the red-head stood perfectly still. Even in his sick human body, Kurama still managed to maintain his grace. Stupid fox, he always read him too well for Hiei's comfort.
"Why are you still in that body?" Hiei snapped. "You're a wreck."
Kurama sighed and shook his head. Hiei was stubborn, but he would break eventually. He always did.
The inside of the palace was even more magnificent than the outside. Keiko grasped Yusuke's hand as soon as they set foot inside. The walls seemed to go on forever, but they eventually led to a hanging chandelier that was only there for decoration. Keiko had gone a lot of places with Yusuke, but she had never been in any sort of structure as breathing taking as this.
"Do you know which ones the King?" Yusuke turned to Kurama.
"The older looking man, sitting between the elder woman and the girl—sitting on the throne—in the front of the line--greeting everyone," Kurama nodded towards King Daifuki.
Without a warning, he sneezed, bending over and grasping his face. His body shuttered as he stood up as straight as he could. Whatever pain he's experienced in his life (Being stabbed, nearly blown to pieces, etc.), didn't compare to the Hell of a cold.
"You should really do something about that cold," Yusuke muttered.
Kurama ignored the statement and grazed the scarf off his face. He stuffed it in his coat pocket and glanced down at Hiei, who was intently staring straight.
"Stop looking at me," he snapped without turning his head. Kurama grinned and combed his hair between his fingers. He wasn't planning to participate in the contest, he couldn't anyway, but he was seeing King Daifuki again and meeting his family.
"Kurama! It's good to see you!" a voice chirped from behind. Kurama turned to face the teenage Koenma, who had strangely taken the pacifier from his lips. Botan and the blue ogre, George, were behind him, waving.
Almost immediately, everyone surrounding Hiei broke into enthusiastic hellos. He thanked that he was normally this anti-social, or else he'd have to attempt to be chipper when everything in his body ached. It wasn't a pain; it was a yearning to leave. Something is off, he thought to himself. The place, although he'd only been there once, seemed too familiar, like he'd had dreams about it.
As they got closer to the thrones, Hiei's instincts got louder. He could practically smell the riches engulfing the three standing in a few people in front of him. The King would know him from the Dark Tournament, the reason he was invited, but what if someone recognized him? Panic, an unfamiliar feeling, started to crawl up Hiei's legs. He followed the group and took a few more steps and realized he was standing in front of the three.
"Ah!" King Daifuki boomed. "Team Urameshi! Your fights in the Dark Tournament were some of the best I've ever seen. I'm glad you all could make it. And you brought more guests, too. The more the merrier!"
The King was much less frightening than Hiei pictured him. His leathery skin bounced as he spoke, his grey beard jiggled as he breathed, and his booming voice was hoarse. In fact, there was nothing intimidating about the man at all. Even the two horns that stuck out of his forehead seemed shriveled and harmless. Hiei snickered at the thought of other ruler's being afraid of such an old man.
He addressed everyone individually and introduced himself to the people he'd never met. When he came upon Hiei, his reaction to seeing him was no different than his reaction to anyone else. Although it should've brought Hiei comfort, he could still feel his insides crawling.
"Hiei, I have heard some stories about you!" the King laughed, his smile delightful. "Like how you've come so far from being the most wanted criminal to working closely with Koenma. It's admirable, your courage and strength to change."
"Thank you," Hiei answered flatly.
The King ignored Hiei's rudeness and addressed the group. "Now, I'd like you all to meet my daughter, Princess Itoshi," he held his hand out. She took it and stood up, smiling at the group in front of her.
She was beautiful. Everything about her. Her black hair braided down her back, her skin was dewy, and her golden eyes popped out. There was barely any resemblance of her father, but she bore a striking resemblance to her mother, who was at the King's arm. They both had black ears sticking from the top of their heads and lean figures that seemed to extend forever—although they were both shorter than Hiei.
Her beauty troubled Hiei, but that wasn't the only thing. He knew those eyes, he'd seen them before twenty-five years ago. And if she recognized him, he would be killed on the spot…or thrown out, which he wouldn't have minded at all.
She greeted each member of the group and finally, her eyes landed on Hiei.
"Good afternoon," Princess Itoshi purred.
As her eyes locked his, something struck her memory. Although she couldn't quite pull the pieces together, she knew she'd seen him before. She shook her head and figured it was de ja vous from a dream, because he'd never been to the castle according to her father and she—well, that's obvious. The two bowed toward each other, but neither dropped the eye contact.
There was no doubt in her mind as she stood up straight again. She'd met Hiei before. Although she didn't know when, where or why, she knew she had. Her mother once told her that once you meet someone, you never really forget their face. Even if their name or any other details escape you, their face will always be implanted.
"Good afternoon," Hiei grumbled. She was staring at him, watching him. What did she know? What did she remember?
As the group was guided away from the three by a guard, Hiei stole a look at the Princess, only to see that she had never taken her eyes off him.