Author's Note (25.01.2012): This chapter has now been newly revised. Please enjoy.


Ice and Fire, You and Me
Chapter IV: Companionship


After a wondrous night of romantic dreams and pleasant fantasies, Hina sat drowsily in front of a vanity table, getting ready for another day at the inn. Dressing, washing, working, and keeping out of sight: Hina was a busy girl. She had just woken and had about an hour before morning tasks needed to be done.

An image of a sleeping Kuroi raced across the demoness' mind. Unlike weeks ago when Hina had first met Kuroi, he no longer appeared rough or frightening; his face was now handsome and alluring. He had been stern and sincere as he yelled out his true feelings in his dreams.

"You can't take her from me! Hina belongs with me! I love her!"

I can't believe Kuroi said that, Hina sighed with rosy cheeks, even if it was his dream. Her blush deepened as she continued thinking, It's more unbelievable that I said I loved him back...and I meant it too. With another weary sigh, Hina picked up her brush and started untangling her sea-foam hair and styled it for work. After that was done, she dressed into a fresh kimono and snuck downstairs into the kitchen.

Kuroi must have left early this morning on another errand, the young lady thought sadly. Although used to Kuroi's constant trips and escapades, Hina (sometimes reluctant to admit) missed the fire demon when he was gone. Now knowing how he secretly felt for her, she missed him all the more. Well, he just better return soon.

To Hina's surprise, Kuroi sat in the kitchen and munched happily on some breakfast.

"Kuroi?" She stared at the young man with wide fiery eyes and an open mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not welcome here?" he asked carefully. He was alarmed by the surprise in Hina's voice. She sounded as if she did not want him there.

Is it because she doesn't want me around? Or maybe she wants to be alone with someone? His icy eyes suddenly narrowing, Kuroi growled inwardly, Well, Akito has been getting rather cozy with Hina lately, and he's been telling me all of the things they—Wait! Why should I care? In fact, I don't—Right?

Blushing in embarrassment, Hina excused, "No, no! You're perfectly welcome here. It's just I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you left again for another trip. I didn't know that you were staying." Putting on an apron and taking out some bowls and ingredients, the ice maiden smiled, "I have to work now."

She tried not looking in Kuroi's direction, knowing her face was a deep scarlet. And after what had happened last night, Hina did not know if she could ever face Kuroi without reacting. He had said, even if unconsciously, that he loved her; and she had said, without hesitation or falsehood, that she loved him as well. What would happen if he found out?

"Hina."

The ice maiden jerked in surprise, not realizing how the fire demon now stood behind her. Kuroi noticed her reaction and frowned at it. Why was she scared of him? What had he done now? "Do you need any help?" he offered kindly, hoping to ebb away her fears of him.

"Not like you can cook a thing, even if your life did depend on it," Akiko smirked while walking into the kitchens. Kuroi blushed from the teasing and glared at the woodland spirit coldly. Taking the glare with indifference, Akiko pushed Kuroi out of the way and started the day's work. "You shouldn't hang around here, Kuroi-chan. It gets really busy really fast, so it's best if you just stay out of the way. You can catch Hina-chan during her break."

Kuroi opened his mouth to protest, "But—"

A hot small cake crammed itself into his mouth. "Get out of here!" Akiko commanded, shoving the fire demon out of the kitchens. Finishing his cake outside, Kuroi wandered through the inn's orchard with a heavy heart.

The fire demon spent the rest of his day watching Hina work restlessly. Several times he tried telling the ice maiden to relax and take a break; but every time he did so, she wordlessly ran away back to her work. And when she ran away, Kuroi returned his orchard perch, more depressed than before. Needless to say, Kuroi felt confused by Hina's actions.

Is she mad at me? Again? the Hieiaki thought. He sighed while slumping into his nest of branches. What did I do this time? I can't have possibly done something since last night to make her mad. I haven't seen her long enough to do that.

Grabbing an apple above him, Kuroi wiped it with his cloak and took a bite out of it. As he enjoyed his small snack, he continued wondering about Hina's recent behavior. Eventually his thoughts led him to slumber amongst the branches.

After an hour or so, his cerulean eyes fluttered open as he awoke. "Ne, Hina-chan, grab some fruit from the orchard," he could hear Akiko's voice order as consciousness returned to him. "We'll need some to season dinner. Make sure you pick ones that are overripe and soft."

"All right," a gentle voice replied.

Perfect, Kuroi grinned. Now was his chance to confront Hina and ask her what was wrong between them. He spotted his prey walking beneath him, searching for suitable fruit for dinner. With his impressive skills, Kuroi silently jumped down from the tree and approached the ice maiden from behind. He tapped Hina on the shoulder, making her spin around in surprise. She seemed panicked, but when she recognized Kuroi, her form relaxed somewhat. "I've been looking for you," he grinned, "I have something to ask you—"

"Ah, I have to go and fix something," Hina muttered, pushing Kuroi aside. She ran past him and returned to the inn. "Sorry I don't have enough time to talk."

Watching Hina hastily retreat, Kuroi thought, Does she really hate me?

He would have chased after her, but his fear of increasing her dislike kept him at bay. He, better than anyone, knew how Hina reacted when pushed. So he had no choice but to have only his eyes follow her, all the while asking himself, What did I do to her?


"Is he an idiot?"

Yukina turned to Hiei with a small smile. "Ne, Hiei-san, you shouldn't be hard on him. It's very hard to know someone's feelings when she keeps running from you. Besides, he doesn't know Okaa-san's feelings like we do."

"Don't tell me," Hiei murmured, "that you actually sympathize for the man."

"Why not?"

"He's a fire demon, isn't he? Not to mention being a man—he wants to reach the Isle of the Ice Maidens. For you, he's three forbidden things rolled into one demon. There's no way you can possibly like him."

There's no way you can accept people like us.

"But can't you see, Hiei-san?" Yukina grinned, motioning towards the vision. "Kuroi-san has a very kind heart."

You don't get it yet, do you? her brother thought with a frown. That man—he's the cause of your sadness.


What am I doing?

Kuroi sighed heavily. He made his way back to the inn after a week traveling in the forest. And throughout the seven days, one thought plagued his mind.

Why am I doing this? Why am I so interested in helping Hina anyway? I get nothing out of helping her…Well, maybe she'll give me another frozen arm, or her friends just might finish me off if they ever catch me. Damn it, that's only if she doesn't finish me off with her cold shoulder! He growled at his unprogressive thoughts.

With Hina avoiding him, Kuroi knew that she could not possibly feel the same way he felt about her. So what was the point? Why should he help someone who did not like him?

Since when did I expect anything from her? The fire demon shook his head at himself. What had he expected from Hina? Had he expected her to fall in love with him, to do whatever he wanted out of her gratefulness to him? I only want to help her because I can—I want to do something helpful for a change.

To do something helpful—Kuroi laughed at his thoughts. If his father, the great leader of the Hieiaki fire demons, knew what his eldest son was up to, Kuroi would have a one-way ticket to Hell. For a Hieiaki to have goodwill for others, the sun might as well rise in the north, set in the south, and bounce three times against the moon. Oh, the shame Kuroi brought upon his clan's name!

Why was he so different from his family, Kuroi wondered. What was it about him that made him so different?

"Oh, you've returned, Kuroi. I wasn't expecting you back for another month at least."

The fire demon blinked twice before realizing he had reflexively made his way to the inn room. Clean, pristine, and beautiful, Hina sat daintily at her vanity with a surprised expression. Kuroi wanted to hold that image in his heart forever. "Ah, well, I've found a way out."

He would never forget how Hina's ruby eyes lit up and how her expression brightened into something of pure joy from his news. "You found a way out?"

"Yeah, Touya and Jin, two friends of mine, helped find an escape route today. Some bounty hunters have cleared out of an area, since they found no clues there. It's a good break for us." Kuroi pulled of his cloak and hung it on the rack. "I don't know how long the opening will stay there, so we better leave tomorrow. I hope you're ready to leave."

"Yes, of course."

"All right, then we'll leave first thing in the morning." Without another word, Kuroi pulled off his boots, changed his clothes, and went to bed.

Did I do something wrong? Hina thought uneasily. Usually after his trips, Kuroi would demand for her company and conversation. Out of gratefulness to him, Hina would have more than gladly given him both—but he had just rejected her now. Why?

Deciding that Kuroi's strange behavior was just her imagination, Hina donned her sleeping kimono and delicately slid herself into the bed. Giving Kuroi his own space, Hina draped the covers over her slender body and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

After lying still for hours, when he was sure Hina was asleep, young fire demon opened his eyes and gazed down at the lovely woman beside him. Because of his own fear, Kuroi began to rise from the bed, only to be stopped by a delicate hand on his arm. Kuroi immediately froze, afraid he had awoken Hina; however, she still slumbered. "Kuroi," she softly whispered in her dreams.

Kuroi stared down at the ice maiden. "Yes?" he whispered in return, unsure if she could hear him within her dreams.

"Please don't leave me alone," Hina answered, still sleeping. "I want to stay near you. I want you to stay with me, Kuroi." Blushing, the fire demon slid back into bed and rested beside his lady. Putting one arm above her head and another on her hip, Kuroi lied on his side and watched Hina slumber peacefully.

"As you wish," he murmured, gently kissing her brow and then falling asleep.


"I'm going to miss you," Akiko sniffled while hugging Hina close.

"Hey, if you don't let her go, I'm going to have to burn you off," Kuroi snapped as quietly as he could. "We have to get going before the bounty hunters start stirring."

"You take care of Hina-san, you hear, Kuroi?" Akito warned sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, now let go!" He pulled the ice maiden from Akiko's arms and held her bridal style in his own. Then with a nod for goodbye, he sprinted into the depths of the forest. Not wanting to alert anyone, Hina silently waved goodbye to her new friends.

"I'll miss them," she whispered once she could no longer see them in the distance. "I hope someday I'll see them again."

Kuroi said nothing as he continued moving stealthily through the forest.

What could he say? In all likelihood, Hina would never set foot in this forest again; Akiko and Akito would die before they ever saw the ice maiden again; Hina would be lucky to even meet their children. And Kuroi knew that as they neared the Isle of the Ice Maidens, his time with Hina grew ever shorter.

A glint then caught Hina's attention. "Kuroi!" she yelled. "Watch out!"

"What?" Before he could receive an answer from her, the fire demon deftly avoided a shower of arrows.

"Look! He has the ice maiden!"

"Get him!"

Stopping for a moment, Kuroi looked down at his charge and questioned earnestly, "Are you all right?"

Hina nodded, her eyes locked on the many bleeding gashes on his arm. "I'm fine, but—"

Kuroi did not wait for anything else as he darted full speed through the entangled forest branches, outmaneuvering their numerous pursuers. With Hina tucked safely in his arms, Kuroi raced frantically through the woods until they reached the end of it. He slid to a stop, the front of his shoes dangling over a cliff's edge.

The two demons stared down the cliff, a river rushing through the below enormous ravine. The current doesn't look too strong, Kuroi assessed while following the river's path. The water will mask the trail—whatever left will be caught in the wind. But the wind is blowing strong enough to hide scent and sound. This is the best way.

"What are we going to do, Kuroi?" Hina questioned worriedly while staring back into the dark forest. She slid out of the demon's arms and stood by him. "How are we going to escape all of them?"

"Hina," Kuroi muttered, firmly holding the Hina's shoulders, "I'll distract the hunters by going this way, through the forest. You escape now by jumping into the river, and we'll meet up later."

"No!" Hina argued, grabbing onto his forearms. "I can't leave you alone!"

Hearing rustling and shouting from afar, Kuroi stared deeply into Hina's scarlet eyes and assured, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just save yourself!" With good deal of force, he pushed her over the cliff, pulling away the cloak around her and wrapping it around himself. Before she completely parted from his grasp, he threw her his cloak. As the ice maiden fell from the cliff, she saw bounty hunters and their hunting beasts emerge from the woods and chase after the disguised Kuroi.

While she formed a protective bubble of ice around her, Hina clutched Kuroi's cloak to her, clasped her hands together and prayed, Be safe, Kuroi.

When he heard the satisfying splash of water from below, the fire demon quickly moved away from the cliff. Be safe, Hina.

Kuroi jumped from tree to tree, hoping that Hina's scent would be scattered and difficult to follow.


As two shadows leapt through the forest's canopy, blades of wind and daggers made of ice sliced through the leaves and branches. A cheery voice echoed through the woods, mocking its pursuer. "You missed me again," a spirited demon snickered as he nimbly flew between twisted branches.

"Because I don't want to kill you," Touya smirked. He made his point quite clear when the icicles pinned Jin to the branch behind him. "You need to focus more."

"Whatever," the redhead sighed while cutting the cold crystal with a blade of wind. Jin frowned at the holes in his clothing, mentally noting to collect from Touya later. "You know that I only want to do something if it's fun, and—Hey, look! Isn't that—" Jin did not finish his sentence as he and Touya jumped down to the river bank and lifted an unconscious maiden from an ice bed.

"She's an Ice Maiden," Touya exclaimed in surprise while gently laying her on the dry shore.

"And she's cute—she has to be Kuroi's girl," Jin smirked. In honor of their absent friend, Touya hit the back of Jin's head.

"Ow!"

Hina's scarlet eyes fluttered open and instantly she pushed herself away from Touya. "Stay away!" She scrambled to her feet in efforts to escape these strangers. Immediately, a chilly aura emitted from her; her defensive powers had been activated.

"Wait! We're Kuroi's friends—we're here to help you," Touya pleaded, hoping he could somehow lower her defenses. If she went all out on them, even with his mastery of ice, reasoning with her would be near impossible. "Please, don't be alarmed. We won't hurt you."

"You know Kuroi?"

"My name is Touya, and this is Jin," he introduced quietly. "We've known Kuroi for a long time now." When the ice maiden's stance relaxed, the two demons felt relieved. She at least trusted their word enough to remain with them.

Jin looked right and left and twitched his ears in anticipation. "Where is he anyway? I wouldn't think that he would leave you alone—ever."

"He went to draw away the bounty hunters chasing after us. Please, help him! I'm afraid that even though Kuroi is really strong, there are too many bounty hunters for him to handle at once."

The two elemental masters looked at each other and instantly knew what they had to do. "Look's like we should help him." With that, Jin lifted the girl into his arms and held her tightly. He and Touya maneuvered through the forest and landed in an empty clearing.

After setting the maiden on her feet, Jin pulled away the coat that Hina tightly held onto. "If you don't mind, we'll need this if we're to help Kuroi out." He tossed it to Touya when Hina surrendered it.

Touya bowed politely to the ice maiden before saying, "I'm sorry, forgive me for my rudeness. I forgot to ask you your name."

She gave him a slight bow in return. "My name is Hina."

"Hina-san, please stay here," Touya instructed while Jin disappeared into the canopy. "These trees are special since they give off their own demonic aura, hiding yours. It'll be difficult for the hunters to find you here as long as you remain in this circle. Jin and I will do our best to keep you hidden and to draw away the bounty hunters chasing after Kuroi. We'll bring him to you." That said, Touya followed after Jin into the treetops.

When they were far enough from Hina, Jin and Touya stood in one of the great trees of the forest. Two trees away from his friend, Jin nodded in approval of Touya's appearance. He could not recognize his shorter friend dressed in Hina's cloak. "Tell me again: why do I have to do this?" Touya glared icily.

"Because you're the only one with ice powers here, thank you very much," Jin winked merrily. "Besides, you have a better figure than I do." The ice master would have killed his partner, but at that moment, a group of bounty hunters spotted the two ninjas.

"There's the ice maiden!" They pointed towards a petite figure dressed in a familiar feminine cloak, the "lady" hiding in the braches.

"Run!" Jin dramatically encouraged Touya, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "We've been spotted! I'll hold them off as long as I can." With bravado, Jin summoned his wind powers and prepared to fight the oncoming bounty hunters. "Run away before they catch you!"

"You're going to pay for this later," Touya growled lowly so that only the redhead could hear. Without another moment's hesitation, the disguised ice demon disappeared in the forest's shadows.

Climbing up the trees, the bounty hunters gave chase. Unfortunately for them, Jin stood in their way with a devilish grin. His ears wiggled with excitement. "Now, now, I can't let you guys scare the lady like that," the element master smirked. "That wouldn't be too polite, now would it?"


Hina bit back a cry when a sharp branch bit her fingers while she pushed her way through the demon trees. Even though Kuroi's friends had told her to remain in the clearing, Hina couldn't bear sitting still while Kuroi faced danger. He had become very precious to her, and she didn't know what she would do without him. So with strong resolution, Hina stepped out of the clearing and searched for Kuroi's distinctive aura on her own.

After searching for a long hour, she came across a small grove and noticed a black mass in its center. Hina gasped as she recognized the bound figure and its familiar aura. "Kuroi…How am I going to get to him?"

Hina looked left and right, scanning the area for any signs of bounty hunters. She stayed frozen in her spot for a long time before deciding the area safe. Slowly and quietly she made her way to Kuroi, keeping her senses alert in case of danger. When she finally reached him, she placed his head in her lap and wiped away the blood trickling from his mouth and head.

"How dare they do this to you," Hina murmured angrily, using a little energy to heal his cuts. However, when she looked at his face, her anger melted away. She could only feel relief and happiness knowing he was by her side. "I'm so happy you're all right," she whispered while kissing his brow.

A twig snapped.

Hina's crimson eyes widened in fear as bounty hunters surrounded her. When they had arrived, she didn't know; she hadn't been able to sense their presences at all. She clutched Kuroi closer to her, afraid of what they would do to him.

"Look here," a gruff voice chuckled. "The ice maiden just fell into our hands."

"Great, now we don't have to search this damn forest anymore."

"Finally, we're going to get the payback we've been wanting all these months."

Together they approached her, each one with a menacing, blood-thirsty look in his eye.

Hugging Kuroi tightly, Hina screamed, "Stay away!"

In her panic and fear, she summoned whatever Demon Energy she had. Her defensive mechanism triggered, her energy surrounded her enemies and locked them in place. Feeding off her desperation, a wave of ice enveloped the bounty hunters and the forest. In the blink of an eye, every living thing within ten yards had a solid layer of ice covering it.

Hina did not open her eyes until she only heard absolute silence. Feeling no pain from attack or another living presence, she warily looked up and felt relief crash down on her. She had saved Kuroi and herself—she had saved them.

I protected this percious person.

When Jin and Touya appeared in the clearing, with Jin slipping comically on the frozen ground, Hina felt even greater relief. She and Kuroi would survive now that they were here to protect them.

"What happened here?" Jin whistled in fascination, rubbing his sore behind. He knocked curiously on the grotesque ice statues; he jumped back in surprise when one moved its eyes.

Touya lifted Kuroi off of Hina and helped her to her feet. "What demon froze the forest solid?"

"I'm sorry," Hina whispered shyly in apology. "I didn't know what else to do. This was the best I could do to keep Kuroi alive."

"It's an impressive technique that saved your life, so there is nothing to be sorry about," Touya approved, admiring Hina's handiwork. He barked at Jin to stop messing around and then turned back to the girl with a look of admiration. "You've completely changed the environment within this area to your advantage. My master never developed a technique like this, even with his thousand years of ice mastery—you're quite impressive." Smiling at the ice maiden, Touya gave her an honoring bow, "If you don't mind, Hina-san, please teach me how you did this."

Blushing, Hina replied, "I'll be glad to show you what I know, Touya, as soon as we're safe again."


"I still can't believe that you took out so many bounty hunters with one attack," Kuroi whistled in amazement. "Who knew that this feisty thing had so much power too? I wish I had been conscious to see you have at it."

Days had passed since Kuroi and Hina had left Touya and Jin's company. They had parted ways immediately after Hina had explained to Touya the workings of her attack. While she taught her technique, Kuroi had Jin explain what had happened after his capture and his spell of unconsciousness. When the wind demon had retold the entire story, the Hieiaki could not put into words what he felt towards Hina.

She saved my life. She actually came after me and saved me. Why that amazed him so much, Kuroi wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry that I'm such a burden to you, Kuroi," Hina said quietly. "Because of me, I've put you through so much trouble."

"Heh, I can't call you much of a burden when you're the one saving my life," he chuckled, pushing a branch out of his way. "I just wish I could be a little more dependable."

"But you—you don't have a reason to help me," Hina murmured, "but here you are, risking your own life just to see me safely back home."

"It's something I want to do, so don't worry."

"But—"

"I said don't worry."

Not wanting to argue, Hina quickly changed the subject in hopes of mending their relationship. "Where are we going now? You said earlier that we were meeting a friend of yours?"

"Not so much a friend—he's more of a business partner. He's the greatest center of information I know. But he's also one of the most dangerous people I know." Thinking about his words, Kuroi felt an uneasiness squirm into his heart. "When we meet him, you'll have to be on your guard, Hina. I don't know what he'll do."

She gasped and asked softly, "He wouldn't hurt us, would he?"

"Only if he benefits from it," Kuroi confessed. "But don't worry. If he hurts you in anyway, I'll make sure he regrets if not send him to Hell for it." He turned to her with a tender gaze. "I promise I won't let you get hurt anymore."

Because I care for you so much.

Hina smiled and nodded, shyly taking his hand and obediently following him. While blushing slightly, Kuroi squeezed her hand gently and continued leading her homeward. They said nothing while they walked.

A deep voice snickered. "My, my, aren't you two a handsome pair?"

Kuroi and Hina froze in their steps and looked up into intimidating golden orbs.

"Youko Kurama."