Disclaimer- I don't own anything never will peeps!
Chapter 1 - Accost
"Falling in love consists merrily in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense."
- Helen Rowland.
It was a foggy dreary day, the sky covered in gray clouds threaten to pour at any given moment. A young woman wandered off to the abandoned woods of Tokyo, running away from the plaguing troubles chasing her; she ran from him. He caused her so much pain and suffering it gradually deteriorated her soul more and more, slowly and painfully.
He gave so much misery to others; innocent ones especially. Killed, tortured, and enslaved out of pleasure. The vile being slaughtered her dearly beloved friends one by one in the most horrendous of manners, leaving her alone to mourn them, live desolated to fend for herself.
To make matters worse they never managed to defeat the hanyou, he stole every fragment of the jewel with the exception of the shard piece Kohaku and Kouga maintained embedded in them. Wisely, Kouga handed his shard piece to Kagome before he met his brutal end, Kagome witnessed the horror of each person she knew and cared for die one at a time; Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Kaede, InuYasha, and even Kikyou met her demise within Naraku's hands.
InuYasha kept his word to protect her till his very end, wounded he still achieved to get Kagome to the well tossing her in none too gently. As she fell further and further into the well's darkness a bulky tentacle pierced the hanyou's chest the impact sending a heavy wave of blood splashing Kagome full frontal. His agonizing screams echoed throughout the forest, the haunting wails embedded itself into her mind, the very picture sinking into her mind as she slowly fell deeper and deeper disappearing into the well's light.
Lying stiff at the very pit of the well, the screams externally seemed to have died down meaning she returned back to her time. Alone bathed in the blood of InuYasha the entire shock of disbelief bit by bit dawned upon her, the reoccurring images of the events flooded her thoughts, images of all her friends and loved ones, all the victims killed mercilessly for such a worthless cause attacked her. Hot tears welled up in her stinging, pinkish eyes, sluggishly flowing down her cheek, mingling with the red essence and dirt's grime smudging her face.
"My friends…everyone…t-there all g-gone…there all gone!" Realization cruelly making itself aware she began crying her shattered heart out hysterically, the pain inflicted on her soul was greater than anything she felt in her whole life. Never has she experienced such an inhuman fear or seen something so brutally impacting, it's horrific.
Sobbing her tearing anguish her sore body trembled as she weep, grieving. She lay there unmoving for what seemed for countless hours in the dark. 'InuYasha…'
"…I… I have to …get out of here…"she whispered very raspy, laboring to sit up. Kagome, pushing on her aching elbow and palm difficultly, the effort itself rushing a painful sensation over her system. The rough fall she took into the well paid a heavy toll on her, she was lucky enough not to have broken or fractured (probably, it's uncertain) a limb or hip but despite her fortune the ache existed. Moments afterwards Kagome stood on her swaying feet and wobbling, she climbed the rope ladder under the challenging conditions she was weighted under.
Suffocating in a variety of ways, all she wanted was to be left alone, to be able to forget…
Quickly pacing out through the well house doors Kagome aimed her way home, hoping to throw herself in bed, hide under the covers and never wake up.
Never ever.
Again a dreadful though stuck her; what will Mom, Souta, and Grandpa say?
The sight of her Mother will most certainly begin to question her and interrogate her on the matter. Grandpa will start off with a; "I knew it was a dangerous proposition from the very beginning. This is what was to be expected dealing with demons affairs."
And Mom would, on a reasonable level, eye her with conviction and worry hearing the very story. InuYasha is…and the others…dead-
No. They'll blame her, they wouldn't understand! After all her family been quite fond of InuYasha and saw him as family, and the news about the others --which they heard so much about --- They won't understand.
Visualizing the upcoming expressions on their faces was far too much to bear. In hasty strides Kagome went to the shed and withdrew her bicycle and she rode off peddling top speed on impulse, not thinking at the moment to where her motives were all she wanted was a way out. Outside plain fear she desperately wanted to flee, an escape from this drowning suffocation raking her in deeper and deeper.
Speeding off down the streets roads she narrowly missed crossing pedestrians every now and then, and by a slim portion a car almost collided as she turned a sharp corner. The customary; "Hey watch it!"
"Crazy kids!"
"What's your problem? Slow down!" And the favorite, "Ahhhh!" often reached Kagome's ears when she accelerated.
Pushing more power behind the pedal the highway became more clearer and the city behind her reduced to a dimmed fogged picture. The cities' edifices and recognizable structures grew further and further away the longer she continued on her path. She had to go, go somewhere, anywhere… 'Anywhere but back there.' Incidentally her eyes still irritated and blurring under tears and combining the whipping wind she failed to notice an uneven crack aligned directly in her path…
Gasping in panic Kagome missed her chance to swerve the steer to intercept her path or hit the brake, instead she ended altogether twisting the bikes' direction halfway the opposite track, and to merely land her in an even more complicated situation; the bicycle edged over the cliff teetering further down, inch by heart splitting inch. Releasing a squeak similar to an animals' cry the thread holding her up snapped. The bicycle raced down the Cliffside hill, jerking her off none too pleasantly and she tumbled down the rocky hill messily. Painfully messy.
CRASH!
Landing in a sickening pile of heap the bicycle crashed to the ground. Kagome soon enough met the earth too, sloshing herself in fresh mud. "Mrrgh!" her muffled moans bubbled beneath the mud's moist thickness, Kagome jerked back clumps and bits of soil oozed all places. She coughed a couple of times to hack up the dirt she accidentally ingested. Yuck!
"Ew, spit, ew, spit, ew! Cough, ew!" she coughed and spit between disgusted yips, she hoped for what it's worth in the mud hole there wasn't any sort of animal manure. Beyond grotesque is what it is.
Mud immersed Kagome, in slippery grace she slinked her way from the mud hole tracking horrible amounts of dirt behind her. She shuddered acknowledging it. Newly sore again after taking another fall, another agonizing fall, she winced feeling the scalding, heating sensation her open cuts and scrapes provoked and the throbbing bruises pulsed in recognition to her struggling movements. The thought crossed her mind some higher power must be bored and toying around with her fate probably proved entertaining , thus explaining her inexplicable good luck or so it may seem. Three times in a row can't be a fluke now can it? Any regular person by this point would be disabled into a wheelchair.
Sucking in a breath Kagome scanned her surroundings, which was a forest. 'Probably the outskirts of town' she presumed nonchalantly. How far did she skid off to? Definitely this area is alien to her in all aspects, not that it matter much anyways, she hardly cared just as long as she could embrace the opportunity to sulk alone. The prospect she might most likely run into wandering troublesome hobos' or some wild animal barely hit a dent inside the miserable visual the days' earlier events plagued her with.
Seemed so long ago and yet so fresh.
Staggering farther into the unfamiliar woods her defiant legs refusing to commit to orders. Twigs nicked at her arms and legs passing through the wild, jagged bushes leaving behind minor disturbing cuts and scrapes. The time she dragged herself out the bushy shrubbery. She wrenched herself through a cluttered, mangled, trail infested with mud holes. Kagome tripped over on her destination, her foot missing the upraised root from a tree swarmed around thick curling roots. This will due, she thought and crawled towards a gap big enough for her to accommodate to.
She sagged in a corner beside the sturdy tree her mind indulging into a blistering nothingness. The single attempt proving she's semi-aware of her state is the endeavor to keep herself warm. Hugging her knees, shivering, she remained there for what seemed an ageless time.
Leaping tree to tree in almost warp speed, bouncing off sturdy branches, Hiei hotly sprung to the next tree. The rage he harbor the current moment steam virtually puffed out his ears, he was fuming over his recent mishap over at the Reikai. Koenma, too be blunt, wasn't very pleased with his and Kurabara's last mission, the results weren't appreciated at all. The prince -thoroughly infuriated- scolded the two down like a couple of children and the gesture itself wasn't esteemed and if there's one thing Hiei despised passionately is to be bossed around, nonetheless to be rebuke of his skill by some pathetic fool for a ruler. The mere thought shot blood straight to his head.
'Argh! My fault it's definitely not, it's that idiotic moron Kurabara's. His weakness and incompetence ruin my task at hand. Kurabara even puts shame to his kind, Koenma should at least be man enough to take up the blame for his mistakes!' Hiei reflected with quite an ample amount of bitterness. Hostile, he speeded faster only crusted marks of burnt flames remained behind him.
Hiei and Kurabara were sent by Koenma to retrieve a missing item stolen from the Reikai vault -where all the encrypted illegal valuables dwell for safe keeping-, as usual the callous demon went on ahead and downright forgotten about Kurabara entirely for the purpose to finish the mission quicker on his own. Kurabara took Hiei's procedures to heart as an insult (which probably was), hating the unjustified indifference he smothered him with. He wasn't some invisible ghost left to stand over to the side as unreliable, hell no he sure wasn't, the whole thing sickened him to the bone the way his teammates, friends, held little faith in his abilities.
He may not top the best or stand next to the best in a league but he sure knew how to stick by whenever the going gets tough. Having the notion running wild in his thoughts, Kurabara did the complete opposite what Hiei grunted him (" Stay there, wretch") thus angering an aggravated Hiei into a fight. The two members of the ever "faithful and united" Spirit detectives fought and fought some more, careless to the whereabouts of the thieves; Kurabara and Hiei drawn their artillery and exchanged cuts, bruises, scraping blows fighting head on. In the end they never repossessed the stolen artifact, on the contrary, their little horsing around loan a helpful hand allowing the thieves an opportunity to flee.
Koenma's temper flew through the roof his 'employees' couldn't finish the task he handed them and such a simple task at that. Learning the reason why the burglars achieved a victorious escape gave way to a terrible migraine. He still couldn't muster the idea the thieves fled on a fluke, his detective's fluke!
He reassigned the mission to Yuusuke and Kurama much to Kurabara and Hiei's displeasure. The prince figured his other half are more competent to finish the job. After an hour involving yelling, and undignified "hn's" hurled back and forth Koenma dismissed them. Kurabara left planning to swing over Genkai's to visit Yukina, he hoped she's in favor to mend his wounds and perhaps have a nice chit-chat. His attraction engrossed mainly on his lady love Yukina. Hiei on the other hand loathed the precise concept the human attempt to woo the koorime insistently. Dating that poor excuse of a detective put all her precious qualities to waste, Kurabara's stupidity is that much an issue.
He allowed Kurabara to live was solely because his sister (a frown twisted his lips) carries sentimental feelings for him (Very perplexing to him indeed, he fails to see it). Also in addition the decree enforced under the amendment 5 of the Reikai's commandment: killing humans is adhere a first degree offense. Despite the little ring guarding the doofus' life he hardly could amount the effort to take a shot at him. Damnit he's softened up.
Zipping to the next tree a distinct spike buzzed through his senses, a strong aura crackling like lighting came close to stunning him off the tree if not a moment too soon he hadn't firmed his footing. Odd enough the jyaki, aura, distinctly resembled Yuusuke's except the comparison differ plainly because this unknown force felt…pure, more enlightened?
To this Hiei was clueless, he failed to recognize this species of power. Very few times he encountered an energy of this sort. Exactly - now when he looked back- once when he recently joined the bandits, who parented him in the art of assassination, that one time long ago during an assignment he neared his demise almost sizzling to a crisp. Thinking about it curiosity hit the hammer right on the nail.
Whatever source of power it hid behind he just had to find; a challenge or source of power prowling around might prove worthy to chance. Attentively searching around the misted wasteland -no use in needing the Jagan…yet- he cleared his mind further so he could even trace a pin drop of a spark.
He detected the reiki easily. Though its faint the source hung there.
'That didn't take long.' Darting forward towards the ki, Hiei fastened his grip over the sword's hilt readying to extract the blade at any given moment. 'If turning in a prize to the Reikai will get that moronic toddler off my back then it's worth capturing. In turn the wretch will think twice the next time he partner's me up with that Neanderthal.' A smug tugged his lips as he quicken the pace. The idea isn't half bad actually as he reviewed it, earning his keep and performing "voluntary" service to Ningenkai should tip the scales in his favor to a shorter debt sentence.
Verifying his hunches the vivid aura flared stronger as he went on, he reached the precise peak where the eerie energy resided in. Sniffing the air, the scent of earthy crisp air and …something assaulted his senses. It was very strange he couldn't really place the aroma. Peculiar? The scent stayed as a nameless fragrance he had a very difficult time placing it. A series of minor coughing and …sobs (what?) drew in the youkai's attention, brows raised this little befuddlement lured his full attentiveness.
From where he sat in the branch Hiei can take in the whole scenery into full view and telling by the barren clearing animals hardly inhibit the area. 'Where is- wait.' Hiei spotted a figure wedged in the far left, huddled among a section of overgrown curling tree roots, someone 'small' can possibly can adjust in.
On a standstill, Hiei took in the person crouched in the hole, various roots encircled around her barely decipherable form. What a despicable picture it is… simply despicable. How low a person can fall. Nose wizened as the dull, almost commiserate fleck flashed across his eyes then evaporated. Pity belongs to what is known as the weak, this creature may deserve this yet sparing sympathy can sometimes overlook flaws. Hiei couldn't chance that. He isn't one to give sympathy.
Hiei leapt discreetly to a neighboring tree branch stationing himself momentarily to observe a decent, safe distance and borrowing limited time to summarize what caused the swirling waves encouraging him, encouraging the Jagan, to act up. This conspiracy teased the hold he held his restraint.
The black dragon inside him spiraled round his soul, in mid point the surroundings arising tested the dragon. The haughty allure circulating him confirmed this wasn't left unsolved. Hiei pushed back and empowered the resilient spirit, what the hell was going on?
'Hmm…its the source, it's that thing doing this.' He didn't necessarily need to tap into deeper clarification of his senses to tell him the person right below there funds the abnormal reiki.
Nothing takes place. Nothing as of yet. He shifted agitated in his location, anxiety tumbled his racked senses. He wasn't nervous in the least, lest, on the hazardous side. The effect that 'thing' a couple of feet ahead influenced worried him.
He waited a bit more anticipating roughly anything submerging to be considered 'paranormal', but the waiting as the last hour or so passes proves to be a vain move. Hiei trained his unwavering attention from the assumed object conjuring compulsions he particularly felt awkward to sit around. Waiting in the surroundings for any change. The fox would be much better suited at pinpointing eccentric changes taking place in the environment. Hiei looked around following his instincts to notice any alteration taking place. Nothing either. The forest appeared normal on its own terms. Hiei reverted his concentration to his main asset.
Prolonging the inevitable will not progress his day, Hiei ended the spying requiring to further investigate this matter in person. Cautious, he moved across the clearing in split seconds time halting a couple of feet before reaching her. Slowly he approached the oblivious person beneath the tree.
Kagome sobbed away, her internal battle consuming her whole all the while distancing her away from the real world. She acknowledged nothing outside her shell and the materializing presence of a certain youkai slipped her consciousness. She continued to sulk in her never-ending mourning, closing herself into a blindness.
'Is this it? Is this what generated that power?' Disbelief written across his face, to say he wasn't in the least impressed is an understatement. The alleged clout he stressed about for a long moment of his precious time turned out to be a mere mortal; a human. And to complement the matter this human is a woman. Not a man but a woman. This information tediously surprised expectations, even for him, boggled the unforeseen. 'Figures as much. A human woman…argh…' he swallowed down the news with bitter taste. Disappointment's deadly cruel.
Woman or not he couldn't care less either way. Hiei's patience thinning, fists clenching inside the folds of his pockets. He disliked the brashness she poured into giving off an ignorant vibe and standing in the rain soaking for no damn given reason aided to shred the short-leashed tolerance Hiei was limited on. He loan her a few more minutes to gather herself to proper composure and acknowledge the position she's in to answer his questions. He pitied this dismantled piece of nihilistic work curled by what whim unknown she hurled herself into. He could be patient but there's just so much he could withstand near a human.
She inaudibly asked for this.
What a waste of flesh and bones.
Hiei took in her profile closer, she appeared to be a child like Yuusuke, Kurabara, and Shuuichi once was. A woman child, typical. The bizarre luring smell reinforced the fact they actually belong to her but she also was coated in others scents- so many including tears and…blood? Sweeping his eyes more closer he noted the collection of healable wounds covering the girl's arms and legs. Minor bruises, scrapes, fine-line cuts, and scratches grazed her pale white flesh. Hiei figuring correct, she must had experienced hell and lived to tell it in a physical sense, though her mind remained on the same level of trauma.
Everyone has their own cross to bear, he could care less about the human's wellbeing what incased his interest is the events stirred to conclude her current state; why and how the brawl began and how she managed to flee? There's the real mystery.
Slanting a glare thoroughly annoyed she was spoiling herself with extra time to pick up her human woes or whatever it is mortals moan about. Hiei's voice sliced the distilled air. "You shouldn't stay out in the rain like this. Don't you humans know it's dangerous to be out…alone" he emphasized the last part for effect.
The cold tone lacing around the final word is what startled her. Meekly she peeked up, two droplets dripped down her sore eyes, ceasing to bury her head in her protecting arms she stared at the mysterious youkai in black.
Not much for surprises, the girl's features weren't hard on the eyes to be blunt, she even neared the boarder lines of cute despite the shadow of illness looming there. Beauty or bestial, an individuals' appearance no matter how radiant and magnificent there has yet to be a moment he would be stunned. A face is a face to Hiei, he could if he desired to differentiate between features and appoint a beauty for a one nightstand in order to sate his carnal needs but it did little to nil to sway him.
'Not bad for a human' he hinted the barest of complements, she could probably be put to use for a young human man. 'Too bad' he mentally tsked the fazes the human life cycle lead. Limited youth sapping their looks and strength, let's not forget illness plays a role in maintaining the body's status, thus establishing the fundamentals humans are inferior to his kind. To demons. Taking the woman before him as a example demonstrated appearances were temporary. Sufferance is eating her whole.
She looks so thin and pallid.
Wasting away, deteriorating as we speak. The image flesh dissolving in rotting chunks off skeletal framework came to mind. Hiei's stoic expression twitched a fraction downing the natural notion a girl like her would wither into dust in a few years.
Valiantly Kagome kept steady eye contact, her eyes a hollow void and all the same intense in a eerie sense pouring straight into his. Hiei seen this before in the despondent others he refers to as those forlorn souls who have nothing to go on anymore. She was becoming as lifeless as they are.
The state Kagome is in would have made her embarrassed a long time ago when she cared now it was the farthest from her mind. Whichever way to exchange introductions now with a stranger is most un-gratifying. She couldn't help the inclination to stare into those crimson eyes, crimson eyes she faced on a latter occasion far too many times.
'They look like his…' she distinguished this strangers' to Naraku and Kagura's. The variance between the three is apparent; Kagura's held anger, loathing, sadness and vengeance, Naraku's emitted pure malice and this stranger's showed something above what she usually recognized.
It's uncertain but Kagome felt positive he did not harbor the ill-wit Naraku held…yet she wasn't too confident in her observation, she had the tendency to overlook things on another perceptive. 'So stoic.' The exterior he fronted reminded her of a certain demon lord she loathed so passionately.
Icy rain steeped her pale face, Kagome brushed the unkempt locks of hair blocking her eyes. She examined him closer, her vacant eyes taking him in. 'He looks so young…' she though as she rested her gaze on his stone face, she wondered if he was a teenager around her age because he looked a lot like a kid. A cute kid. His limited stature, she noted, added to his youthful appearance. This demon is most likely the same height as her. His masculinity really made up for missing attributes.
Regardless the exterior of this demon he manipulated the power of intimidation, a trait the unwanted cower and recoil. She dropped her gaze realizing the amount of time she spent staring. Gaping on a first encounter is unbecoming on her part.
Hiei arched a vague brow uncertain what to make of this human girl. She acted very peculiar around him, one would think she scrutinized a person to… to who knows what? He still hadn't expected the luring source of that power to belong to a mere human, a woman. Piecing the evidence together summed up to unethical in his personal opinion. The single idea sounded ludicrous. The few individuals/humans Hiei was aware existing with ample spiritual power were Yuusuke, Kurabara, the two detectives' small group of friends (what were they called again?) they associates on occasion. The old woman Genkai exceeds many expectations, she's the one human woman capable of crushing opposing foes.
Comparing this specimen of a girl, she did not fit into the following characteristics a fighters' characterized. The girl is in each view point average. Plain and average. Again for the hundredth time he wondered how is it even possible? Indeed a mystery.
"What are you exactly?" asked Hiei bluntly, angry at himself to fall into the option of inquiring. Hiei was clueless to the uniqueness Kagome apparently is.
She didn't answer him right away. His question stumped her too. Where the heck did that come from anyway? Wasn't it obvious she's just a girl?
She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Her voice vanished. Instead a congested cough rumbled her throat, the cold rain affecting her.
His expression hardened, lips tightening. "Playing the fool won't work on me, human. Why do you possess this potency it's …unnatural."
Her breathing paced, nervous how the dark jyaki caressed her piqued senses, the demonic aura increasing. 'He's so strong.' She remained speechless.
"I asked you a question, now answer," he said sternly, his temper rising. The hidden anger overwhelming him. Why does this stubborn bitch insist on her insolence? Does she want him to throttled her?
She flinched against the harsh impact of his draconic tone towards her. This whatever-he-is poked at her escalating temper. The urge to be defiant and place him in his place twitched. Despite the slowly expanding itch the knowledge he might spring into action and do the wicked kept her under restraint. Swallowing the lump clogging her windpipe, Kagome steadily replied as polite and bland as possible. "My name is --cough, cough --- pardon, my name is Kagome Higurashi." She coughed some more before clearing her throat, her voice raspy she continued "And…yours?"
Very direct the manner she navigated this to a polite introduction. This proved to add an extra button on his temper. Hiei refused to consider answering the human's question. Audacious of her to pose this onto him isn't it? What is it to her who he is anyway?
"You're in no right to ask." It's absolutely none of her business or place to demand him of this.
"It's only fair. You don't either you know." Shameless wench. The nerve she ran on exceeds stupidity beyond compare.
And yet, he sighed, the words slipping his tongue. "Hiei" he granted her the privileged with much dismay. Why he bothered to honor her the request lurched him. The disturbance reached the region known as his subconscious, poking him on it.
And her quivering began to irritate him. Hiei could care less in terrorizing women, the hobby most demons indulge in never attached and the coy fearing demure she manifested reminded Hiei of Yukina.
Disgusting.
Why did this girl have to go there? Why did she have to reflect something familiar to him?
This human reminded him the misery Yukina experienced underneath the tub of lard bastard in the tower, sealed in behind the cage of talismans, torturing her for her very tears. He can never be that cruel…to woman kind at least. Female enemies he finish them as quick as possible skipping the process he ordinarily proceeded.
The guilty feeling she stirred within him made him loathe her already.
"I'm right in saying you are a demon?" Now this twirl of events peaked his interest. She knew, she knew about demons, she felt them before… Experience them before. Clever. Appears Hiei's premised speculation confirmed his guesses. Her face showed no sign present to Hiei's query. Her lips moved tracking back to further conclude her statement. Hiei analyzed her. "I--I'm aware you house demonic power…but I'm really not sure what kind."
Kagome was pretty sure she can dodge on the bet he isn't a dog demon, wolf demon, or a kitsune. Nothing in his profile could reinforce her theory. He felt like a demon but nothing abnormal in his persona can separate him from the rest. In the past Kagome ran around by demons of all sorts, giving a wild guess shouldn't be too far fetched. 'Hey, maybe he's an elemental one of some sorts?' Probably. Elemental demons pertain to a certain feel Kagome's always stunned by, the water goddess she encountered a few years earlier provided the fact.
"Am I right…?" asked Kagome. She rested against the tough trunk with a hint of confidence streaking across her.
The clarity to the obvious was painful. At least she knew the truth about the world surrounding them. "Precisely." 'I wonder…' "a smart aleck like you should be capable to point out which kind I am?" He pushed his personal amusement unbeknownst to her, Hiei schooled his features close to a smug, the urge to taunt her provoked. His curiosity erected at the mere mention what she might imply surrounding her knowledge about the demonic world.
"Alright then. Let me see… um, you're definitely not a canine demon, right?" She tugged the muddy torn shirt that was once her school uniform. To think over on a serious field demonstrated to be a difficult task when her head ached and her body freezing.
"Canine?" What does she know about a species of demon kind narrowly extinct? Doubts in probing her came to breach, Hiei's smug amusement faded, he furrowed his brows speculating the problem he's approaching. Perhaps he could have anticipated this on another level.
"No? Hmm…I don't know, I'm going out on a limb here to place a guess on an elemental one" the girl, Kagome, said far too casually.
What did she just dare say…?
All good-natured play evaporated. There's nothing good about a human knowing the ways of youkai. Almost as if the woman's specialty ensued absorbing information right out the gutter. Private information.
The tension thicken threefold.
The bolt in youki spiked an ominous intensity through her, penetrating right through her senses. Sniffling, Kagome mentally scowled herself for opening her big trap accidentally revealing precise information retaining to the youkai. She had to flap her mouth without thinking thoroughly. Damn it. Curse her damn timing. The nasty glare he exhibit marked another tally on her death board.
Babbling without thinking is another one of Kagome's special talents, calculating when to stop she has yet to master. Damn. Damn. Damn.
This couldn't be happening. No it couldn't and shouldn't! Hiei isn't suppose to fall as the underling compared to the human girl. No. He can't stay in this disposition.
A rough hand reached forward closing around Kagome's neck. He slammed her against the tree trunk, dangling her an inch or two above the ground. Kagome gave a strangled cry, the air circulation thinning. "L-Let…me g-go" she struggled to say, her voice constrained in the stiffen vice grip.
What the hell was he doing? He's strangling her! 'No! Not this way. Somebody help me!' she thrashed effortlessly for freedom.
Hiei disregarded whether his actions were justified or not. He could easily backtrack on the ideal to spare her mercy. Hiei called upon the Jagan, the sensation the third eye opened another door to his senses. He summoned the eye to explore this girl's mind, investigate the odd mind this creature possessed. He will find out the foundation to this looping mystery. For sure Hiei will obtain the needed facts circulating this enigma. 'Let's take a look to see what you are exactly.'
She slackened under his hold. Whimpering hopelessly like a frighten child.
As he tapped into the eye concentrating to penetrate her unwilling wall. The wall the mind erects on its own accord. He shattered through it and for the instant he felt success an upstart fence rose up, the phenomenon bordering around her mind blocked his intrusion. A metal barrier rebound his narrowly successful invasion.
The jarring impact shuddered him. Jaw set, Hiei recovered from the rebuff. 'Sonofabitch… What happened?' The intrusion failed. The Jagan couldn't pick up a trace her mind, the function to read her mind aborted.
He tried again. The streaming affect repeating itself and again, he failed. Hiei repeated the process too stubborn to stop. And as the first time he failed. Why wasn't it working? Hiei stopped moments afterwards feeling the dragon's resistance to cease the probing. The ghastly quench the dragon thrived in whenever immersed in her dismantled restrains on him. Hiei forced it back aware the provocation can cost him a valuable.
Pure scum must not avenge our kind…
Hiei shook his head, the buzzing fuss rumbling his collective thoughts. This must be the aftereffect as a consolation prize for attempting a grab at an impossible. Such a nice keepsake.
Deciding to retract the plan using the Jagan he resorted to question her. The spurning results on his conquest mildly spooked him. He despised the very term to implore her but the mishap couldn't be left unsolved. His intentions to figure the girl increased his curiosity streak.
This could be an everyday situation.
She came close to passing out, every strand of thought misting.
Hiei hurled her to the open ground away from the curling roots surrounding the tree. Kagome yelped landing on her side, sliding painfully against the muddy ground hiding jutting twigs and pebbles. Knocking her back to the cruel reality.
"What the hell are you!" Hiei coldly said. The shadow of disgust shrouded his twisted features. He jerked her aside as if she burned him.
Kagome groaned, coughing up some muddy water she swallowed. That hurt. It hurt a lot. Why did he do that? Muddled, her thoughts disarray Kagome pushed herself onto her bruised knees, her hand massaged her green throat, Hiei's tight grip imprinted around her delicate neck. It hurt so much, he just squeezed the life out of her. "What was that for!" she choked suppressing a sob. "I--" the spearing throb cut her words off.
Hiei stepped towards her calmly. His face stony. The wretch didn't deserve mercy, she's lying. A big liar. She wasn't some ordinary human being, an average human wouldn't be able to withstand his advances. No, she's beyond the abnormal.
Two feet the distance between them, Hiei halted.
She froze. Staring up at him below her matted dirty black hair, fear and ire clear as day in her. The heavy force of his crimson gaze unsteadied her, she fidgeted nonstop unable to tell if the anxiety coiling around her foretold something about to start. 'What is he going to do to me now?' she was tempted to ask but the very aware aspect her idiocy plunged to outside pure fright stopped her. She can't provoke him.
The rain showered harder drenching the swamped setting, weighing down on them harder.
Funny how this threatening youkai seem to solace her tangled thoughts, under the mists of danger she unsuccessfully clung to the notion the thing she wanted might very well end at this moment. She selfishly desired death to avoid her problems and yet the offer displayed arouse reservation.
Didn't she want this?
'I don't know anymore…maybe I'm not mature enough to move on…' Kagome, without a response whatsoever, pushed herself to her feet regardless the protest her aching body submitted. She ignored the discomfort renting her and she limped on waddling legs elsewhere, an elsewhere the youkai wasn't there. Her mind's slate gone pitch blank, nothing motivating her to think coherently. She searched for safe distance that's all. Besides, the sword at his waist will hurt a lot if he chose to use it on her.
Hiei did nothing to discourage her actions, in fact, he simply watched her and mused over the theory she can be more thicker than he understood. This struck him as bleak and stupid. Very stupid. Hiei rolled his eyes at her futile efforts, should the desire rise to tease her, Hiei could run circles around her before she reached any farther. "And just where do you think you're going, human?" Her response should prove laughable.
Her staggering figure edged closer to a rotten tree stomp, she leaned on it for support her legs defying her wishes. "Away." Her shallow breaths came in quick huffs, the cold air creating quick puffs each moment she breathed. Her heart drummed against her breast each beat pulsing through her ears.
"You resist to provide an answer to my question. This raises more suspicions."
Again he pressed the same question. She didn't understand exactly what he meant. "Nosy. You keep asking me something I haven't a clue to" she breathed, narrowing her eyes. "Besides prying into a woman's personal business is suspicious or don't you think, Hiei?"
Using first names already? He might have gave it to her though to use it informally insulted his person. Crude as her kind's nature is.
"I'm making it my business and thus is your job to oblige to my inquiry," said Hiei in a tone explaining in itself no room for arguments.
"I'm a human. That's all" she said quietly, were he another he would had strained his hearing.
Hiei snorted. "No you're not. You are something more, don't play with me I don't have the patience."
"If it's the way I am towards demons there's nothing to get all alarmed about." Kagome jumped as a loud crack of lighting streaked across the clouded sky. Her fear of lighting compared to nothing…almost nothing to be correct.
"Hn." Hiei shrugged his shoulders, to think she implied he feared her. Crazy woman giving herself a far advanced credit. Insane the concept she believed he was afraid of her. To act cautious and be afraid are two distinct things she's oblivious to comprehend. "Alarmed? Heh. You are mislead to believe that woman, your power is what has me confused. No ordinary human can conjure this form of vitality."
'What…? Is he referring to me personally? I have power? Wait --' Kagome connected the points together coming up with to the conclusion he probably meant her abilities as a miko. Power though? A mysterious power? The way he went about it didn't fit to Kagome. She, by all means, wasn't 'powerful' as he put it. This Hiei is going around the situation wrong and acting all paranoid for nothing solely based on instinct. She forgotten mikos' and youkai don't get along together.
Kagome approached the matter on another angle for her safety purposes. To blurt out "Hey, demon, alright I'm a miko you guessed right. But hey not a real one, because I'm just a reincarnation of the former one" is plain off the bat suicide. "All I can say is I am nothing but a simple human. Coincidentally I know about demons that's all" Kagome tried to sound innocent as possible.
"Last time I ask, woman, tell me exactly what you are?"
"Human for goodness sake!" She shouted out exasperated. Cripes this youkai annoyed her. Doesn't he understand the answer she gave him? She's starving for air and he continued bothering her over a matter she barely understood the first couple of times.
'Stubborn twit.' Hiei should have known aiming to reason with an inferior species got him nowhere important. His barely existing patience thinned and Hiei took in an ample amount of intolerable contact to last him enough for a lifetime, Hiei shifted to the alternative. Flexing his fingers, between the tips of his forefinger and middle finger a glowing crackling, metallic black, chip size disk of youki hovered. Kagome wasn't in the state to bid her attention, her head hurt and each particle in her being pulsed.
Snapping a the wrist, Hiei dispatched the crackling disk. Hissing through the air the energy disk nicked her shoulder evaporating after the sought impact. Kagome dropped on her knee clutching her bleeding upper arm. The youki sphere burning a raw gash in her shoulder. She bit the urge to cry out loud, she glanced over at him in confusion. The dark demon, Hiei, attacked her.
Face composted of pure seriousness, Hiei did not hesitate to conceive another youki disk, he whizzed the second one and a panic flew into Kagome's eyes. He does intend to kill her! No moment spared to ponder on it Kagome drop to the ground missing the blow barely by a hair, the shattering tree stump behind her suffered the strike.
"Stop it!" Kagome cried managing to dodge another series of whizzing disks. Her arm at this point leaked red, the sizzling wound stinging in the rain's touch.
One soared in her direction and the desperation rising up, Kagome screw her eyes shut awaiting the slicing strike. Cornered in, something upon its own accord switched on and she released it. Her crouched frame glowed the familiar pink the slight tingle she experienced before raised a temporary shield, Hiei's piercing dark metallic disk hissed in contact with the barrier, the static crackle of youki energy fighting to penetrate in exploded. The resilient pressure deflected the offending force. Kagome stood unharmed.
In his grasp he crushed the sphere of energy for the next attack. Hiei's eyes widen gathering together the meticulous evidence he witnessed. 'Of course! Why didn't I see it beforehand!'
The entire setting twisted into a turn for the worst. Hiei no longer had control. He ventured out to seek a demons gravest enemy: a holy follower, a Priestess. Unsheathing the katana he positioned himself in the defensive stance. Little doubts his viability against a holy follower crept inside his mind, his hunches were right in believing the girl posed a danger. 'The hell with Koenma, this miko is a danger to demon kind.' There's no other alternative than to destroy her even if it involves chancing a prison sentence in the Makai ward for a good century.
"Leave me alone!" Kagome made to run, her footing terribly unstable and the slippery earth creating a challenge for balance. "I never done anything to deserve this!"
"I am only ridding us of vermin, miko" Hiei's harsh tone promised malice. The youkai's inhuman speed he charged her intending to finish her off in a single clean cut. Raising the sword Hiei swiped at her abdomen. Having the devil's luck, Kagome hurled herself out the blade's way, the sword etching a deep graze at her side, any further her ribs would have been caught in the way. Screaming, she crawled to her feet, rejuvenated adrenaline empowering her fleet.
'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Somebody help me!' her thoughts repeated and repeated this chant. Tears stung her eyes out of sheer fear her life fated to be shish kebab at the end of Hiei's pristine sword. InuYasha sacrificed everything to bring her back home alive, and a portion of her own self told her to avoid dying this way.
She ran towards the hill she veered off a day ago hoping for everything worth saving her the bicycle remained in tact. That it waited for her.
'Please be there, please be there, please be there!'
Behind her Hiei rebounded off the neighboring tree, this was it, the final strike. Interesting how the minx diverted his first counterstrike. Luck wouldn't forever show her graciousness.
The added influence the ruptured lighting enhanced, the clink of the katana veering falling down on her. Kagome turned to look behind her shoulder and in the standstill second that held time in place she contemplated the fierce yet fetching guise covering the youkai's face.
Everything that proceeded played out on empty blueprint, nothing planned: Kagome's frightened eyes blanked over, her filthy bloody palm outstretched and then…then an extraordinary sensation rippled her system. Kagome's entire person blazed cerise. 'What…what's happening to me…?'
The tingling buzz channeled down at her pulsing battered hand, literally she could feel each palpating nerve flowing into the main point, building up to the very pinnacle. The tip of Hiei's razor sharp blade solidified, the opposing forces caught in a suspension.
A vibrating whine shuddered the resisting sword. Hiei tried to pull away though the task was made as an impossible. Hiei's wide eyes registered the shock of a spectator, the single most sacred weapon he entrusted his life in shattered to the hilt. Demolish as broken glass the sword's blade fragments glittered the air around him, henceforward the earsplitting crackle of pure searing cerise plunged head on the stunned demon.
This all happened in unpredicted time, Hiei scarcely summoned enough youki on his own defense to block out the blast incinerating him whole. He initialed an attack launching a raw static fist to encounter the attack, the action aided little to restrain. An echoing shout ripped his throat as the Jagan pulsated reacting on its own accord to save it's master, the blast swallowed him whole. The blinding flash of the explosion engulfed the stilled forest.
The world appeared to end right in that moment.
Hiei slammed a far distance away on the solid rural ground covered in grueling singeing burns. The one standing, Kagome, swayed in her place every ounce of strength holding her on her feet gone. The ability to register contemporary events faded before the world dimmed black. Drained, Kagome collapsed on her spot her laboring breaths a sole signal she had remained with life in her and sickening luck clung to her side.