Summary: Hiei is left to keep an eye on Kairi after the events of the tunnel come to a close, and while he's aware that Kairi has difficulty keeping her feeling for him under control when the two are left alone, he doesn't anticipate not being able to control his own attraction towards her.
As usual, Hiei was on the brink of killing these idiot humans.
"Why do I have to stay here?" he asked.
"I have to go to dinner with my mother and my soon-to-be step-father and step-brother, and Kuwabara and Yusuke have to go back home," Kurama said.
Hiei nodded. "I understand this, I just fail to see what it has to do with me."
"Well we can't all just bail on Kairi. She's probably had a shittier day than the rest of us," Kuwabara said.
"Oh, really? Did you miss the part where I died? I think my day was way worse," Yusuke put in.
"It was very easy for you to die, Yusuke, but I'm sure it was infinitely more traumatic for her to see you get murdered by someone who she admired until 48 hours ago," Kurama said. "And she quit being Spirit Detective, and she's worried that she's a terrible person, and then there's Trunks, not to mention Hiei-."
"All right, I'll let it go. I'm just saying—nobody else died," Yusuke said. "Stupid Kairi and her stupid girl feelings and stuff."
Kurama shook his head, something Hiei noticed he'd been doing a lot more since getting dragged in the Spirit Detectives' nonsense.
"The moral of the story, Hiei," Kurama said turning back to him. Hiei knew it had been unlikely that Kurama would have forgotten their original topic. "For the sake of her questionable emotional constitution I'd think she'd feel a lot better if we don't all abandon her while she's in the shower."
"So I have to stay. . . To babysit?" Hiei asked.
"Only until she gets out of the shower so she knows we didn't bail on her," Kuwabara said.
"Yeah, besides, she likes you more than the rest of us," Yusuke said.
"You really think so?" Kuwabara asked as Kurama opened the door.
"Well, I think it's pretty obvious she does," Yusuke said. "I mean, when the last time you made out with Kairi?"
The three boys chuckled, leaving Hiei to stand there and glare at them.
"Anyway, we're her friends, she's having a bad day and since we're all concerned about her," Kurama said pointedly, "we can't abandon her."
Kairi had been becoming more and more of a thorn in his side the more time he spent with her. At first she'd been obnoxious, but then she surprised him. She was still obnoxious, but considerably less obnoxious than the rest of them, but he found her tolerable. She could be a stupid, human girl sometimes being a slave to her weaker emotions, her feelings—she always seemed so overwhelmed by her feelings.
Yet for some reason, Hiei was concerned. For some reason he could not shake the feeling of wanting her to feel better. He found it more irritating than anything, especially with how things had been going as of late.
It'd been a fluke at the tournament. She'd caught him off guard. Admittedly he panicked which is why he didn't push her away, but the second time, Hiei couldn't think up an excuse for it. She'd kissed him, just like the first time, but instead of being caught off guard he'd given into her. He could still remember feeling the soft skin of her cheek beneath his hand, her fingers as they curled into a ball against his shoulder, the warmth of her body pressed against his. . .
So, maybe Hiei had some idea of why he'd given in. Physically, the Detective was attractive. Everything about her was: her lips, her eyes, her long, slender legs, her slightly wild dark hair, and he'd probably agree that her body was amazing even if he hadn't seen her with her clothes of twice.
There was the answer, Hiei thought. Clearly this sudden concern for that had overtaken him was some kind of lust fueled insanity. This infatuation was purely physical. He felt slightly ashamed if the fact that he'd let something like this happen, but it was only natural wasn't it? And if some beautiful woman was throwing herself at him then Hiei was hardly going to complain about it.
That was that. Mystery solved. It was his desire for her body that had caused this confusion and nothing more.
"I'll be back if you decide to stay that long," Kurama said as Yusuke and Kuwabara walked out of the door. "Try to keep your hands to yourself, and away from my cousin if you don't mind."
Hiei rolled his eyes and Kurama walked out, closing the door behind himself. Hiei knew he could easily leave and not be bothered with any of this, but he had a feeling that Kurama might come after him if he did leave.
He walked upstairs to Kairi's room. He could hear her shutting the shower off in the bathroom as he walked into her room. He closed her door and sat down on her bed. He scanned her room. She had clothes lying all over the floor, he even saw her tattered school uniforms from yesterday. Her desk had her closed laptop sitting on it along with a few sheets of paper, pens, empty cups, bottles of lotion and perfume, loose change, and hair ties. The only thing neat about her room at the moment was her bed which was surprisingly made.
Her bedroom door opened and she stepped inside, and jumped startled when she saw him.
"William H. Macy, Hiei!" she exclaimed.
"Did startle you?" he asked.
"No, I just shouted and clutched my hand over my heart like this for no reason," she said. He looked her over. She was wrapped in a towel that just barely came to her knees. Her hair was damp, and hung over her shoulders down to her waists. "Why are you in my room, if I may ask?"
He took his eyes away from her body to look her back in the eye. "I was told not to leave," he said with a frown. "The two idiots went home and your cousin was called away to have dinner with his mother and future family."
"For you all to say that I'm not insane you all sure were quick to leave me with a babysitter," she said pulling clothes from her dresser.
"Can never be too careful," he said. Kairi didn't like having a babysitter any more than he liked babysitting her.
"Now, I have to put on some clothes so if you wouldn't mind averting your eyes or leaving the room," she said.
"Nothing I haven't seen before," he said turning to look out of the window.
"Fine, Hiei, if you're so desperate to see my naked body, then by all means turn around." He knew it would annoy her so he looked over his shoulder at her. She was only clad in underwear and a bra, which allowed him to see her more clearly now than when she had on the towel. He was only able to look her over for a second or two before she flipped him off and he turned away with a chuckle.
"I hate you," she said.
"No you don't," he said. "You know, I once recall you complaining that I didn't care when I saw you naked and now you don't want me to see you. I just think you don't know what you want."
"I want you to stop being a jackass," she said matter-of-factly.
"So does everyone else," he replied. He did find her obnoxious, but he did also find it enjoyable to irritate her.
He took a chance to turn back around to her and saw that she was now wearing a pair of green shorts and a t-shirt—a rather ugly black t-shirt.
"What are you wearing?" he asked.
She looked down at her shirt and seemed surprised that she was even wearing it. "Oh, this is Trunks' old Megallica t-shirt. I need to do laundry."
That's when Hiei had a thought. "Why do you have his shirt?"
"I probably stole it at some point, or he left it here," she said casually, shuffling around the mess on her desk.
"Why would he have left it here?" Hiei asked.
Kairi stopped searching for a moment and turned around to him.
"What are you implying?" she asked. Hiei cocked an eyebrow at me. "I didn't sleep with him if that's what you're thinking." Hiei shrugged and turned to look out the window. He didn't know why the thought had even crossed his mind, but it had.
"That is what you were thinking! Hiei, you don't really think I'm that kind of girl do you?" Kairi asked with a pout.
"I didn't until you nonchalantly explained the origin of that hideous shirt," he said.
"There are plenty of other reason he could've had his shirt off in here," she said defensively.
"There are, but now I'm doubting that any of those reasons are innocent," Hiei said. Kairi opened her mouth as if to say something, but instead she looked away from him, as if she were embarrassed. How ever Kairi had come upon his shirt, the reason wasn't innocent, and for some reason, that bothered him. He shook his. "It's not my business what you do with your body—or anyone else's for that matter."
"Thanks," she said sitting down on her desk, ignoring her chair. "As a change of subject, I just remembered I have something for you."
"What?" he asked curiously. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a video tape. He knew instantly what it was.
"I believe we were having a conversation about this particular piece of contraband weren't we?" she asked. She tossed it to him. "Just promise you'll still like me after you watch it."
Hiei held it in his hands for a moment. He had wanted to own this tape for a long time. Many demons would pay a lot for it, but truthfully, Hiei's interest had changed. What he wanted a year ago, he now didn't want. He took the tape and tossed it up then quickly pulled out his sword and sliced it into pieces.
"My hand slipped," he said, sheathing his sword.
Kairi shook her head, trying to restrain a smile. "Can you be a little more careful with your sword? I don't want you to break anything."
"When have I ever done that unintentionally?" he asked, sitting his sword to rest against her footboard. He clearly wasn't going to be going anywhere for a while, at least not until Kurama returned.
"Just now apparently," she said. She picked the tape and tossed the pieces into the garbage can under her desk, letting out a sigh. "It's been such a long day, Hiei."
"I recall," he said.
"I know that Sensui and the tunnel and quitting my job should be the most awful thing that happened today, but fuck. I should never have gone to apologize to Trunks. He hates me. I should've let it go," she said.
Hiei didn't want to ask, but he found the words leaving his mouth before he could stop himself. "What happened?"
"I told him I was sorry I was such a shitty girlfriend and that I should've owned up to being his girlfriend or admitted I liked you sooner," she said. "And then he asked me if I cheated on him."
Kairi had, up until now, been denying that she was Trunks' girlfriend, so he was actually interested to know if she had decided that all of their past interactions qualified as cheating. ". . .And?"
"Well, you should know, you were there both times weren't you?" she asked, again seeming slightly embarrassed.
Hiei couldn't help but be slightly pleased with himself. He knew that Kairi was trying to vent about how upset she was with how things ended with "boyfriend," but knowing that Trunks was probably also upset, and that Hiei had been one of the primary causes of it—Hiei couldn't help but feel good inside.
But he did need to clear something up. "I counted three."
"That time you saved me from Sniper doesn't count because we were already broken up by then," she said. "So only twice."
Hiei nodded. "And I care about this because why?"
"I'm sure you 'don't care', but you're here so I'm venting to you," she said. He could sense that she was getting annoyed, or still annoyed from how things had transpired, and his apparent lack of interest wasn't helping her any. "Besides, I wouldn't even be having this problem if you hadn't just shown up in my life and complicated things."
"So you're blaming me?" he asked. He almost laughed.
"I've blamed myself enough for today. So it's your fault now. If you hadn't shown up with your sword and your three eyes and your stupid attack that's impossible to master that you mastered in a week and a half, none of this would have happened," she said.
Now he was really resisting the urge to laugh. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or not. "I'm sorry you can't handle how attractive I am."
"Stop making fun of me," I said.
"Don't blame me for your problems," he said.
"But you are part of the problem, Hiei," She said. "I don't actually blame you for how I handled breaking up with Trunks. I don't even blame you for the fact that I like you. But you keep sending all of these mixed signals which makes it difficult for me to proceed properly. Why would I waste my time on someone who won't even admit that he likes me when there's already this other really great guy who's never given me trouble about it before?"
"That's a good question," Hiei said. As far as he was concerned, his attraction to her was only physical, so even the notion that he "liked" her was ridiculous and not worth responding to.
"That you didn't answer," she said.
"You actually expected me to?" he asked.
"No. I guess that was the whole point of the question wasn't it?" She sighed. "Trunks was right. I screwed everything between us up over you, and you aren't even worth it."
"Not worth it?" Hiei asked.
"No. You're not. You, like me, are an emotional terrorist," she said. "I wasn't worth it either. That's why I'm not with Trunks now."
It was time to nip this topic of conversation in the bud, before he said something stupid like he had in the forest. "Or maybe it's because you don't want to be."
Kairi stared at him for a moment as if she were having some great epiphany. "You are absolutely right. I don't want to be with Trunks. I just feel bad for being a dick. You shouldn't be a dick to people. Especially your friends. Even still, break ups suck."
"You seem to be taking it fine now," he pointed out.
"That's probably got something to do with the fact that I'm enamored with this asshole I know named Hiei and he makes it difficult to focus on the fact that I should probably be heartbroken right now," she said.
"Sorry about your luck," Hiei said, again feeling slightly proud of the fact that his mere existence seemed to be making her uncomfortable in ways she didn't wish to be.
"I hate you," she said, as she always.
"No you don't," he replied, as he always did.
"Well I wish I did," she said moving from the desk to sit next to him on the bed. "This blows. I haven't even been not Spirit Detective for 24-hours and I already feel myself turning into another useless, run-of-the-mill teenage girl. I can already feel my life becoming unfulfilling as each second passes."
"It's better than continuing to let yourself be used by them," he said, and he meant it. Kairi was obnoxious and was constantly causing him confusion, but she was better than being used by Spirit World. She was talented, she was a warrior, and she was honorable. Finding a new path was what was best for her.
"You're right," she said. "You've always been right about that."
"About what?" he asked.
"Do you remember what you called me the first time I met you in person? A flunky. And I was so pissed that you called me a flunky but you were right. I was just a flunky," she said. "I know I always talk about my Saiyan pride, but I don't feel proud of much of anything right now."
"Be proud that you're not Sensui and that you left on your own terms," Hiei said. "And that if you weren't a Saiyan you probably wouldn't be sitting here alive."
Kairi nodded. "You're right again. You're always right. Thanks for always being right. . . Even though it kind of makes you an asshole."
"My pleasure," he said.
Kairi leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He immediately stiffened, surprised by her sudden close proximity.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Invading your personal space because it comforts me," she said.
One of her most annoying traits had to be that every once in a while she was honest to the point of making those around her, usually him, uncomfortable. He made her feel comfortable, and despite the fact that he did not reciprocate her feelings she didn't care.
"I'm not your pillow," he said.
"My head says differently," she said. He was having none of her nonsense. He glared down at her. "Don't look at me like that."
"Don't lean on me," he said.
"I'm sorry. I can't do that," Kairi said. "You see, there's this magnet in my head and evidently there's one in your shoulder too." She sat her head up for a moment and then plopped it back down on his shoulder. "See. Impossible."
Hiei felt this strange sense of irritation and amusement growing inside of himself. "I hate you."
"No you don't," she said. He gave up. She wasn't going to move. "I'm pathetic aren't I?"
"Yes," he said quickly.
"You're not supposed to agree," Kairi said sitting up. "You're supposed to lie in order to comfort me."
"No," he said.
Kairi hit him on the arm. "Rude."
"What's rude is that you keep hitting me," he pointed out.
"It's not my fault you can't dodge," She said. She went in to hit him again, but he wasn't having any of that. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. She went in with her other hand and he grabbed that arm too. No matter how strong Kairi got, it looked like he was always going to stop her.
"Stop," he said.
"Well, I don't really have a choice anymore. You're kind of holding me hostage," Kairi said matter-of-factly.
"If I let you go are you going to hit me again?" he asked.
"Probably, but only because your question has prompted me to do so and I enjoy bothering you," she said. Kairi moved to get away, but he wanted to return the favor for her invading his personal space. "I was joking. Let me go, please."
She tried to move away, but he just pulled her closer. "Why should I let you go?"
"Because, you don't know what I'll do if I'm standing this close to you," Kairi said.
"Maybe I want to find out," he said with a smirk, pulling her closer. "Detective?"
"Don't tempt me," she said letting out a deep breath. His plan had backfired slightly. Having her this close had tempted him. His skin was soft and warm beneath his fingers, there was a flush on her cheeks and her neck, and each breath she took was slow and steady and controlled. For some reason she was having difficulty being this close to him. If Hiei was being truthful, he was having difficulty as well. It was almost as if she wasn't close enough to him.
It was a dangerous road he was venturing down now, but he decided to chance it. Hiei let go of one her arms, ran his fingers through her hair, and had it come to rest on the back of her neck.
"You're intentionally doing this torture me aren't you?" she asked.
"Possibly," he said. Hiei couldn't be sure if he wasn't torturing himself. He wasn't sure what he was doing.
"That's really. . . Really. . ." Kairi stopped to clear her throat, but the rest of her words would not come. Hiei had no idea what she was trying to say.
"What?" Hiei asked.
"I'm sorry. I lost my train of thought. I can't. . . focus with you. . .with you this close. . ." she said. Hiei was slightly astonished that she was genuinely having this much difficulty with her words. "Because now I don't know what you're going to do. Your intentions are very unclear, as usual."
They were unclear because Hiei wasn't sure what his intentions were either. Kurama's last word to him suddenly replayed in his head. But Kairi was here, already beneath his fingertips, barely inches away from him. It was too late to keep his hands to himself.
"I guess I'll just clear that up for you," Hiei said. He gave in and finally pulled her into a kiss. Kairi's reaction wasn't startled or hesitant. She seemed partly relieved that the contact was finally happening, but she also seemed eager for more. At least, Hiei assumed she had more in mind from the way her hand was slowly inching up his body.
And who was Hiei t deny her what she wanted?
As he pushed her back on the bed, twisting his hands through her hair, her hands creeping up his back, he was starting to want her more and more. He realized again that moving further was dangerous, but he found himself justifying it.
What was the worst that could happen?