A/N: Welcome back! I hope you're enjoying this so far. A little bit more history and background information about Hitokiri and wolf-hunter demons. I do owe the idea for these demons to the friend I started writing this story for back in high school. I cannot take the credit for creating them, although I do put them to much use in my story. Anyhoo, I won't delay you any more. Here's the second chapter of my sequel.
Chapter 2: Hitokiri's Return
Every muscle in her body tightened at his words. "What did you just say?" It simply wasn't possible. She must have heard him wrong.
"Hitokiri is still alive, and he has wolf-hunters," Yuki repeated with the same sense of urgency as before.
Ali and Hiei exchanged skeptical glances. "But how can that be?" she asked. "Hiei killed Hitokiri back when they rescued me from him years ago. And wolf-hunters have been gone for nearly two decades."
"Well let's go back to Koenma and he can explain," Yuki suggested. They stood to walk back with him and trekked in silence. Ali and Yuki were outwardly worried and Hiei was confused as to why. Who were these "wolf-hunters" and why were they so dangerous? He couldn't ask Ali because she had closed her mind to everything, including him. He thought about asking Yuki but figured he would never get a straight answer.
When they returned to Koenma's, Ali marched right over and slammed her hands down on the desk where he was sitting. "What's this about wolf-hunters and Hitokiri? They're all dead!" she shouted.
"Ali, please sit down and I'll explain," he calmly replied. Kurama took her by the arm and sat her gently between himself and Hiei. Konema took a deep breath before he began the second round of his briefing. "As we all know now, Hiei had fought Hitokiri when Ali had been captured by him over five years ago. We'd thought Hiei had killed him, but his spirit never returned here to be sent out to live for eternity elsewhere. Apparently he survived and has spent the last many years in hiding, more than likely plotting his revenge."
His eyes wandered from Ali and Yuki to Hiei. "Of course he'll be wanting you, Hiei. And as for you wolf demons, so long as he has the wolf-hunter demons on his side, you are both in very real danger."
Kuwabara and Yusuke were still relatively new to the dealings of demons and the ways of the Makai. They still did not fully understand everything about it or the creatures that inhabited it. "What are wolf-hunters?" Kuwabara asked sincerely.
"Exactly what they sound like," Koenma replied cooly, refraining from being sarcastic in the serious situation at hand. "They hunt wolves. More specifically, they hunt wolf demons."
"They use us," Ali interjected. "They were the only demons we never stood a chance against. They have the ability to control our minds and bodies. We're utterly powerless against them."
"Well they must have a weakness," Kuwabara replied confidently.
"They do," Yuki said solemnly. "But it's nothing that helps us. While they're controlling us their bodies are completely vulnerable to attack. But they have us under their control so they don't fear being attacked."
Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes. Yusuke and Kuwabara wondered how they could win against demons who were powerful enough to scare Ali. Kurama and Hiei each worried about the two wolves and pondered on all the scenarios that could play out if the enemy were to gain control over Ali. She had so much power that if they controlled her, they could use her to control the worlds. They would be forced to fight against her or die at her hands. None of these things could be allowed to happen.
Suddenly Ali jumped to her feet. "Crap, I've got to go finish studying!" She ran out of the office and back to the university to hit the books again. Meanwhile the Tantei sat with bewildered expressions.
"Did she just say..."
"She needs to study?" Kuwabara finished what Yusuke had started to say.
Yuki buried his face in his hands and began to chuckle. He couldn't bring himself to be shocked at her behavior. "That's just like her," he said as he looked back at Koenma. "Her life is in danger and all she can think about is her physics exam tomorrow." He stood up and stretched. "Well, I need to study too I suppose."
Yusuke stood now as well. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? Aren't you worried at all?"
Yuki shrugged. "Ali's not too worried. Why should I be? She might be a bit cocky, but I trust her." The others nodded in agreement and all stood to head home as well. Hiei offered to walk with Yuki and play bodyguard. Koenma agreed that it was a sensible idea and bid them all goodnight.
Kurama was the only one who hung back. Something about this whole meeting was bothering him. "Why didn't this come up before, that Hitokiri did not die then?"
Koenma sighed. "I knew someone was going to ask that question." He began shuffling through some papers on his desk. "The fact is, Kurama, that with all the demons you guys killed that day, there was so much chaos here that no one noticed." He finally found the folder he was looking for and he handed it to Kurama. "When our good friend Nikkie came today to inform me that a demon named Hitokiri was causing havoc in Makai, of course I looked into it. You'll find that his name is not in that record, meaning he must still be alive."
Kurama skimmed the list and realized that it was true. "And if he's been alive all this time he must have grown much stronger." Koenma nodded and the redhead frowned. After a few seconds he asked, "You said Nikkie told you all this?"
Again the prince nodded. "Yes, I believe she's on her way to the university now to see Ali and, of course, Yuki," he added with a chuckle. The two of them had grown close over the years and they were together whenever Nikkie was back from Makai. "It's been almost five years since they first met."
"Which means it's been five years since Sai..." Kurama could not finish the sentence, but they both knew what he had been about to say. It was the fifth year since Ali and Sayuri had fought their last major battle in which Sai had lost her life. Everyone had known it would happen, but the memory was still fresh as ever. "I'll check in on Ali later," Kurama said after a few moments of silence. "Good night Koenma, sir."
"Good night Kurama," he replied as he turned back to the pile of paperwork before him.
Meanwhile, as Hiei and Yuki were heading back to the library, the latter was suddenly tackled to the ground. Upon realizing it was no threat as they recognized their mutual dark-haired friend, Nikkie, they relaxed. Yuki embraced his lover and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. "Hello dear."
"Hey guys," she said to the pair as she helped her mate to his feet. "Heading back to the university?" she asked. They nodded affirmation. "Good," she said. "I wanted to drop by and say hi to Ali before I head back to Makai."
Yuki's shoulders slumped and he frowned sadly. "You're not sticking around this time?" he asked, a sense of longing in his voice.
She shook her head. "Uh-uh. I have to finish up a few things there. Special assignment from Koenma," she beamed. Yuki grinned and let it go. She was happy and that was all that mattered to him. They walked arm-in-arm chatting the rest of the way back while Hiei trailed several feet behind.
"Nikkie!" Ali nearly jumped for joy when her best friends came walking into the library. "Look at you! Koenma's right hand partner-in-crime." She smirked. "I'm so proud of you."
Yuki and Hiei exchanged quizzical glances. "What?"
"Oh yeah, I haven't told you," Nikkie said. "I'm Koenma's number one consultant on goings-on in Makai!"
Yuki blinked. "So you're his spy?"
She pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "Well it sounds bad when you say it that way."
Ali giggled and hugged them. "I love you guys. You're so great for each other." The young couple smiled tenderly at each other. Ali released them from her grasp and suggested they go out for the evening. "After all, you've only got the evening till you go back, right?" The dark-haired girl nodded. They parted ways as Ali headed back to her apartment.
When she returned, she changed from her sweatpants to terry-cloth shorts as she curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream to unwind with a book. It wasn't long before she sensed Hiei come in through her bedroom window and awaited his presence in her living room. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her nose still buried in yet another book. "What use do you have for those things anyway?" he grunted.
She smiled as she folded the corner of the page she was on and set the book down as she looked at him. "Sometimes they tell stories and legends and all kinds of crazy things. They create another world to explore and new people to meet and get to know."
He merely grunted again. "If you want another world to explore why not just go to Reikai or Makai for a little vacation? Although I wouldn't necessarily want to meet new people there..." Ali laughed, a sound rich and full of carefree elation. He didn't understand how she could be so cheerful, considering her circumstances. He joined her on the couch. "Aren't you worried about the wolf-hunters?" he asked.
His concern was not lost on her but she shrugged before relaxing and resting her head on his shoulder. "Not really," she replied calmly. "We can beat them. No one is unbeatable." She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. It always soothed her.
Hiei was not reassured, however. "By that logic, even you aren't unbeatable." He wouldn't lose her to their enemy. The thought of what might happen should they fail in their mission this time actually frightened him a bit. She was the first person to ever wholly accept him for what he was, who did not judge him for the crimes of his past. Never since he was proclaimed the Forbidden Child of the Koorimes did he feel the warmth and happiness of being loved until he had met her. It was still foreign to him, but deep down he liked it and refused to let anyone take that from him.
She never answered him and he realized she'd fallen asleep. He smiled, an action he reserved for her presence alone, as he gazed at her slumbering form. Picking her up in his arms, as he had done countless times before, he carried her to her room and gently laid her in bed. A lock of hair fell into her face as he set her down and he tenderly brushed it away. For someone whose life was in mortal danger she looked so peaceful in her sleep.
He did not want to leave her but Kurama was calling for him and sounded urgent about it. He watched her for a moment longer before exiting out her window the way he'd entered only a short while before. He was curious to what was bothering his red-headed friend and hurried to their meeting place.
When he arrived at the clearing in the woods where they had often met up in the past, the normally calm and collected kitsune stood waiting impatiently. "What took you?" he asked, the annoyance in his tone startling the fire demon somewhat.
Hiei quirked an eyebrow at him. "I had to put Ali in bed," he replied curtly. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Do you really think it's safer for her to stay in Ningenkai?" he asked, apprehension emanating from his entire being. "If they were to attack her here, she wouldn't want to fight back for fear of harming innocent humans. She has compassion for them. I worry that if she continues to live here, our enemy will seek her out here as well."
"We won't let that happen," Hiei snapped back. "It's not exactly safe in Makai either, and she'll never stay put in Reikai with Koenma." Kurama sighed and nodded. The fact that there was no positive clear solution to the situation frustrated him. "Why suddenly so upset about her living conditions anyway?" Hiei asked.
"Koenma wants to send us on a mission," Kurama replied. "A preemptive strike. Get them before they can get her." Hiei didn't respond immediately. He was contemplating the simple fact that this meant leaving her again. He was sure she would be perfectly fine, but it wouldn't keep him from worrying about her.
"Alright," he replied after a moment's silence. "I'll go back and wake her up to let her know." He turned around and headed back to her apartment.
Meanwhile Ali had been sleeping peacefully in her bed since he had placed her there. Yuki had come home some point in the time that Hiei was gone because he was passed out on the couch when the spiky-haired demon returned. Hiei moved stealthily to not waken the sleeping wolf-man on his way to Ali's room. He leaned on the sill of the window, watching her sleep. He debated waking her up or just leaving a note. Surely Koenma would tell her of the mission once she was awake anyway.
After a few minutes she stirred, rolling on to her side, facing him. "You're leaving again, aren't you," she said quietly. He was thankful he could not see her pained expression in the darkness of the room, though he felt it in her tone. He simply nodded, knowing she could sense his motions as he could hers. She didn't say anything more, though she wished to tell him to stay with her. She did not want him leaving her now, but she could not bring herself to plead him to remain. He simply was not one to stay in one place for too long, regardless of the company he kept.
"If you'd like, I'll stay here tonight," he said after a while. A small smile appeared upon her lips and she shifted in her bed for him to come lay with her. Removing his sword and his cloak, he joined her under the covers. Though as she snuggled up against him, she couldn't erase the sense of foreboding that loomed in her future.
A/N: And there you have it, the end of chapter 2! It's been difficult keeping Hiei in character while having a mate and such. It needs to be this way for the purpose of my story, but I do hope that I haven't strayed from his original persona too much! Chapter 3: A Little Surprise will be up for you soon!