Evening turned to night as Hiei made his way back into Demon World. The crisp air of the night wafted through his hair as he made his way to Mukuro's fortress. His face was stern, eyes dead set on the trail laid out in front of him. He was on a mission.

Before long Mukuro's ever moving home came into view. Now he pondered how the hell he would ask her out for a date. Hiei had many strong points. An excellent fighter, elemental resistance, incredible speed, and a true swordsman. But Hiei was not a hopeless romantic. In fact, he wasn't sure he even had a clue what romance was. He knew he had strong feelings for Mukuro, but there was no way he would ever write a love poem for her. He'd figured those customs were only customary for human relationships anyway. He'd never really seen other demon couples with the exception of Enki and Kokou, and although the man had won the title of King of Demon World, Hiei wouldn't say his marriage was one to idolize.

Hiei stopped his pace and growled at himself. He was beginning to feel excessively frustrated and considered calling this whole charade quits. He didn't even know how to ask the damn woman! She would probably wave him off anyway knowing her. He couldn't blatantly say 'go on a date with me' after all. That sounded absurd in his head.
Finally, his trainwreck of a thought process came to a halt when realization dawned on him. The reason he had all these thoughts were because he was nervous. Hiei couldn't even remember a single time he'd ever felt nervous. Never had he felt nervous when his life held on by a single string, but here he was, feeling nervous over a damn woman. Unbelievable.

With a huff Hiei forced himself to march on, certain that his anger with himself would eventually cancel out his nervousness. In one swift hop, he made his way on top of the gigantic centipede fortress.

"Hiei."

Fuck.

Her voice struck him through all the noisy buzzing the fortress made on its continual treading along the landscape. He hadn't expected her to be standing outside. Had she been waiting for him? No, of course not. Fuck. He began to lose his composure again. He took a deep breath.

"Yes?"

"You seem off."

Fuck.

"Off?" He questioned as coolly as he could. "I'm just tired." He faked a yawn. Mukuro smiled.
"And the many naps, they're not doing you justice?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "No, I suppose not." He pushed passed her more loutish than he meant to and entered the fortress. He could bang his head against a fucking wall right now. Why was this so hard for him? He felt chagrined by his dramatic display. Mukuro must have been in a good mood, otherwise, she would not tolerate his abrasive behavior, she had proven that to Hiei more than enough times.

After a moment to compose himself once more, Hiei turned on his heels and peered out the doorway leading to the top of the fortress. For a moment he let himself gaze upon her. The way she firmly stood her ground against the vigorous wind, the way it lifted her short orange hair to reveal the undamaged portion of her face, pale as porcelain even against the darkness of the night and free of abrasion. Mukuro kept unrelenting composure even as she relaxed. She kept her shoulders stiff, back straight and fists clenched. Years of abuse and confusion taught her to keep her guard up even as she slept. Hiei could only recall a handful of times he'd caught her composure soften, but for only a moment. Hiei relished in the thought that he had been the only one to see her soften like that. Kurama's words suddenly flashed through his mind and he hoped Mukuro wasn't listening to his thoughts.

"It truly is good to see you with someone who can truly understand you. I am happy you two were able to find each other."

Hiei suddenly felt sickly warm on the inside. Guess that's what butterflies are supposed to feel like. He shook the feeling and stepped back outside onto the deck. Mukuro sensed his presence and turned her head only a little to glance at him. Silence filled the distance between them, something that was not uncommon and not unwelcome by them.

"Go somewhere with me."

"Pardon?" With an eyebrow cocked, Mukuro turned to face Hiei completely. "Where?"

Hiei shrugged. He turned and jumped from the fortress, falling to the ground far below. With a crunch of leaves under his shoes, he didn't bother to give a glance at Mukuro, knowing good and well if his proposal intrigued her she would come, if not, he'd have to try again some other time. Surely enough, Mukuro was quickly at his side. They walked leisurely together, Mukuro tailing close behind to allow Hiei to lead the way. They trekked toward a small opening in the trees that lead to a pathway wide enough to allow easy traffic to and fro. Demons of all backgrounds once used this pathway and many like it for easy passage through the dense forests that covered the majority of what was once Mukuro's land.

Being a former demon king had its perks. Although Mukuro had more time to herself than she knew what to do with, it gave opportunities like this that needed not to be rushed. Gradually as the trees thickened and their trail thinned the two demons came closer together.

A cool breeze blew through, assuring Hiei they were close. With this came the realization he'd not said a single word to her the whole time. Mukuro was a patient woman for the most part, as long as nobody rubbed her the wrong way, and for that Hiei was thankful. He appreciated that Mukuro did not need to talk continuously to know things were okay between them. She didn't need constant attention or to be showered with gifts. He wasn't sure if it was simply because of who she was or maybe it was her age, but her patience was something he would always be endlessly thankful for. In this way, she was like no other woman. He felt sickly warm again.

"Hiei?" Mukuro questioned. Hiei then realized he'd stopped walking. Before he could quickly think up an excuse or brush it off, he felt a cool hand press against his cheek. "Are you feeling alright?"

A simple yes was all Hiei could muster. He'd seen Mukuro smile warmly at him, he's watched her gaze out windows of her fortress for hours on end, he'd seen her distressed at her lowest points in life, and he hadd watched her brutally rip apart men, hell, he'd felt her powerful fists himself, yet he'd never seen her hand like this. Her hand cool to his hot cheek, softer than it's ever felt before. Her eye shined bright even in the dark of night. She looked concern.

Her expression lifted and her hand drifted away. Hiei could have cried from the loss of contact.

"I'm sorry. You're flushed and I wanted to check for a fever, but I suppose you are always warm, aren't you?" She smiled sheepishly. Her shoulders dropped. Hiei realized she'd dropped her guard. She'd relaxed for him.

That warm, sickly feeling suddenly didn't feel so bad after all.