HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all enjoyed a spectacular 2005 and I sincerely wish everyone an even better 2006. So, let's kick off the New Year with a new chapter. I hope you all like it. ON WITH THE FIC!
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She was playing some sort of game. The joystick in her hands was the first thing she was aware of. Looking up she saw a screen stacked with many different colored boxes. Each of these boxes had a number inside of it and there were more and more boxes falling from the top of the screen, stacking up higher and higher.
She had never played this game before, never even seen it before, but somehow she knew she was loosing. She knew something else as well, something that made her hands shake and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. If she lost this game she would die.
The boxes continued to stack up and her fear mounted ever higher with them. Nervously she glanced to her left to see the person she was playing against. She wanted to beg the person to stop. He would not die if he lost and so she intended to plead with him to let her win…let her live. She instantly felt sick when she saw who she was playing against.
Emerald eyes were trained icily on the screen. Somehow she regained her voice but he did not even glance at her as she begged him to stop the game. His words were cold and short, his decision absolute. He would not lose this game. He would win. And he would let her die.
Her heart clenched painfully at his coldness and her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She turned back to the screen in vain, knowing it was far too late to hope for any chance of winning. Too many boxes had stacked up…they were falling too fast…there was no way to win!
She looked back at him in desperation but he still stared resolutely at the screen, determined to ignore her and let her die. Her mortality was becoming painfully evident in her mind and the panic rose even higher within her.
'Stop Tousan!' she cried mentally, completely giving up on the game and closing her eyes. She didn't want to see it happen, to see her death sentence written on the screen. 'Stop! Stop! Please stop!'
"Game over."
An icy darkness stole her breath away at those words. She felt herself falling backwards in slow motion, felt the moment her heart ceased beating. Then she felt nothing.
xxx
A scream made the two in the kitchen jump. Hiei swore and sprang up, abandoning his mate's half-bandaged feet. He tore out of the room and back up the stairs, cursing himself. He had been too preoccupied with the fox's dilemma. In his concern for his mate he had completely forgotten his promise to keep a sharp vigil over Oki, to keep her safe. He swore again as he finally reached the room. In reality he had traveled from the kitchen to the bedroom long before two seconds had passed but it was still too slow for his liking.
The door was flung opened, banging harshly against the wall. His heart sped up when he saw that the bed was empty. A pile of disheveled sheets and emerald teargems were the only occupants of the mattress.
"Oki?" he called quietly, trying to keep himself from panicking. She was just hiding, he knew that. She was scared and so was hiding in a closet somewhere, not even necessarily in this room. He knew this and yet her absence frightened him. "Where are you?"
"She's not here?" a fearful alto made the half-Koorime turn. The fox was standing in the doorway peering anxiously into the room.
"Fox, you shouldn't be walking," Hiei admonished as he glanced at the kitsune's damaged feet. Only one was bandaged though most of the cloth was slipping off now.
"I'm fine," the redhead replied, scanning the room. Hiei knew it was useless to argue and so focused on the Jagan instead. He swept the entire house with his sixth sense. For a second he thought he saw something on the roof but closer inspection revealed nothing. A few seconds more and he had found her small form cowering in the closet in her room.
"Found her," he announced, striding towards the door. Kurama, however, grabbed his arm as he passed. Hiei gave his mate a questioning look and the fox looked away for a moment before locking eyes with the fire demon.
"Let me, Hiei," he said quietly. Hiei hesitated, glancing at the cuts on Kurama's arms and his bandaged hand. Kurama saw this and said a little louder, "She didn't harm me on purpose, she wouldn't. The more I think the situation over the more I know that…and the more I despise myself for ever thinking otherwise." Hiei opened his mouth but Kurama wouldn't let him speak. "Please, Hiei let me go to her now. Let me make it right." The fox's emerald gaze turned pleading and suddenly Hiei couldn't bear to say no. Such was the power that only his fox had over him.
"All right, go," Hiei barely whispered. Kurama smiled and kissed him gently in thanks. Hiei relayed their daughter's hiding place and watched him retreat down the hall, noting the red stains on the carpet that would have to be dealt with in the morning.
(xxx)
Kurama entered the room silently. He had long ago ceased to care about the stinging in his feet as he stepped into the room. Quietly he approached the closet, but stopped before opening the slightly ajar door. Instead he knocked gently on the wooden frame.
"Ember," he whispered the name, hoping not to frighten her. Silence answered him and the ache from the bottom of his feet grew as he remained standing. He sat on the edge of his daughter's small bed, watching the closet door.
Oki pushed herself further back into the small space, watching her Tousan through the small crack she'd left in the door. Her eyes were drawn to his bandaged hand and then to the numerous cuts on his arms. Crimson and amber widened slightly as the reality hit her for the first time. She'd known what she had done, but seeing it made it so much more real.
'I hurt Tousan. I hurt Daddy,' she realized, tears brimming in her eyes. How could she have done that over something as silly as a dream? It wasn't real. Looking at him now she knew he was nothing like that cold person in her dreams. No, Tousan was always gentle and kind with a soft smile ever present on his lips. Her stomach lurched and she sniffed rather loudly. She'd never felt such burning regret as this, such a horrible want to make something undone. Sinking to the floor she curled into a ball as she cried.
(xxx)
"Interesting," the shadow said to himself as he analyzed the situation. The girl was starting to rebel against his influences. Her will was strong indeed, especially for her to still possess the power to fight back so late in his hold. "Who would have thought the child would be harder than the fox?"
"You have ten seconds to tell me what the fuck that means," a growl was heard from behind him. The shadow turned in the predawn light to see an enraged half-Koorime glaring, sword drawn. Hiei had not completely dismissed the unexplained presence on the roof and now he was glad he hadn't.
"Ah, the imiko. And how are you this morning?" the shadow greeted in an oddly conversational manner, as if they were meeting at a dinner party and not on the roof in the aftermath of a storm. Hiei could not make out any of the shadow's features, his hood overshadowed them. But he could make out one thing and that was the pulse of a Jagan Eye from the shadow's forehead.
"You're the one who was controlling Kurama," Hiei observed, his voice quiet but deadly. "Tell me what you did to Oki!" he demanded. His bandaged right arm was beginning to smoke.
"I merely allowed the dear girl a bit of insight," the shadow replied simply.
"Insight to what?" Hiei spat. His entire body shook with rage. He only wanted one thing and that was to reduce this creature to a bloody pile of flesh. But he needed information first. He needed to know what this thing had done to his mate and his child. If he wasn't so driven by fury now he would have wanted to know why as well. In any case, a bloody pile of flesh would not be able to supply those answers.
"Insight to her loving father's true nature. She deserves to know, don't you think?" He couldn't see the shadow's face but Hiei got the distinct impression that the thing was smirking. Hiei growled deeper.
"Kurama knows his old scars well. He does not need you to remind him. If this was all you had done I might consider making your death swift, but you used Oki to do your dirty work and that is unforgivable!" Flames were curling around his bandaged hand and the unholy light accented the malice in the fire demon's ruby stare.
"Burn in hell you bastard!" Hiei rushed forward and the shadow cried out as the flames from Hiei's punch engulfed him. In mere moments only a pile of ashes lay at the fire demon's feet. Hiei glared at them, almost wishing he could bring the bastard back and kill him again. Only once seemed unsatisfying. A breeze picked up, lifting his bangs and carrying away some of the ashes. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, noting that the air was still heavy with the smell of rain. Opening his eyes again he paused for a moment to spit on the remaining ashes before going back inside to see how the fox was doing.
(xxx)
The shadow watched the scene from a nearby tree. The imiko would no doubt guard those two constantly now. The shadow would have to lay low for awhile. Still, he had at least gained one bit of useful information from all of this. The Eye's influences made his astro bodies solid. That would not soon be forgotten.
(xxx)
Hiei stopped just outside his daughter's room, watching. Kurama sat on the bed, silently scrutinizing the closet. Every now and then a stray sniff or a sob would come through the door but Kurama remained where he was. Opening the closet door would be forcing Oki to acknowledge him and that wasn't what Kurama wanted. He wanted her to come to him of her own free will, so he waited. Hiei prayed the fox wouldn't be disappointed.
Oki inched closer to the door but didn't touch it. How could she face him now, after the way she had acted towards him? How could she ever hope to be forgiven? Swallowing hard she forced herself to stop crying.
"Tousan?" her voice was small and uncertain. Kurama sat up straighter, watching the closet door intently. He still didn't move from the bed.
"Ember?" he replied. Hiei noted that the redhead was shaking again.
"I…I…" Oki trailed off. What could she say? There was really only one thing to say but it seemed so insufficient. The tears were welling up again as regret filled her with uncertainty.
Kurama was growing more and more anxious with each passing second of silence. Hiei could tell that his mate was trying desperately to refrain from jumping up and flinging opened the closet door. Both of them were surprised when the latter happened a moment later.
With the speed she had inherited from Hiei the child was beside Kurama on the bed before the redhead even realized what had happened. Her small arms wrapped around him as she sobbed into his side.
"I'm sorry!" her voice was muffled by her sobs and Kurama's shirt. "I'm so sorry, Tousan. I never…I didn't…I'm sorry!" Tears were forming in the fox's own eyes as he gently pried his daughter off of him and set her in his lap.
"Shh, it's alright," he soothed, tears sliding down his cheeks. "My little ember, please don't cry." She sniffed and looked up at him.
"But you're crying, Tousan," she observed, reaching up one small hand to wipe away a tear. Kurama smiled and even laughed a little.
"Yes, but I'm crying because I'm happy," he said, gently taking her small hand in his own. "You were crying because you were sad and I don't want to see you cry for that reason." Oki's gaze fell to the hand holding hers, the bandaged hand. The tears came again and she leaned forward and kissed it. She laid her head against it and nuzzled it gently.
"But I am sad," she replied almost too quiet to be heard. Two tears fell, solidifying in midair. "I hurt you."
"Oki…" Kurama hugged the child tight to him with his free hand, laying numerous kisses to the top of her head. "It's alright. I forgive you." Oki removed her hand from her father's and hugged him, burying her head in his chest as fresh sobs racked her small body. Kurama gently stroked her hair with his now free hand.
"Oki, please don't cry," Kurama repeated quietly. Oki lifted her head slightly and smiled up at him through her tears.
"It's alright, Daddy. I'm crying because I'm happy."