Author's Note (17.10.2015): So here is the end. For a story that I had meant to be short and sweet, I sure did take a long time to complete it. Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this little fantasy of mine. And thank you, especially, to those who kept reviewing and messaging for more. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this short story.
Ice and Fire, You and Me Chapter VII: Our Love
"Yukina! Hiei!"
The Spirit Detectives and Botan ran to the twins, relieved expressions on everyone's face. Kazuma moved to embrace Yukina, but Botan beat him to the action. Consequently, all the young man ended up hugging was tall grass and dirt. "Are you all right?" Botan demanded from the smaller woman while ignoring Kazuma's glare.
"We've been worried," Yusuke added.
After assuring everyone that they were perfectly fine, Yukina cheerfully informed the others, "We found the Pool of Foresight."
"You did?"
"More like we landed on top of it, no thanks to the wench," Hiei sneered pointedly at Botan. The spirit guide laughed nervously under the withering look and stepped behind Yusuke and Kurama for safety.
Hoping to distract Hiei's annoyance, Kurama tactfully asked, "Did you find out who the demon was and their intentions?"
"No, but we—"
Before Hiei could finish, a shadow passed through the group, and Yukina disappeared with it. Everyone exclaimed in shock and alarm. Hiei, on the other hand, acted immediately and leapt into the air. In a flash of movement that only Yusuke could clearly follow, Hiei attacked the kidnapper eight times, reclaimed Yukina, and returned his twin safely to the ground.
Turning back, Hiei snarled at the would-be abductor, "Next time, I'll quarter you. What do you want?"
When the Spirit Detectives finally got a good look at the stranger, they gasped collectively in surprise. "Hiei…"
"Hiei, he looks like you!"
"Ah, It couldn't be…" Kurama stepped forward from the group to see if his eyes deceived him. "It's Kuroi."
"Eh?" At the sound of his name, the fire demon faced Kurama and inquired, "And you are?"
The redhead chuckled wryly, "I shouldn't be surprised that you don't recognize me. It's been centuries, and I've a new form. It's me, Youko Kurama."
"Youko Kurama?" Kuroi openly scoffed at the suggestion, all the while keeping the ice maiden in view. "That's a lie. He was killed not too long ago."
"Yes, and I came to Human World and have been here since." Kurama tossed back a crimson lock behind his shoulder. "Honestly, you think I would just naturally concede to a death not on my terms?"
Kuroi smirked at the truth behind Kurama's words and familiar actions. "No…no, you wouldn't. And you're the only one I know who would be able to outsmart Death."
Dropping his guard, Kuroi stepped forward towards Kurama, and the old friends shook hands. "It's good to see you, Kuroi. It's been a couple of centuries since we've last seen each other. If I recall correctly, you had someone with you then: a pretty little thing, she was. What happened to her? And what have you been doing all this time since we last met?"
"I've been looking for that 'pretty little thing,' as you've called her. I heard rumors that an ice maiden had been captured by humans and was being abused for her tear-gems. I've been afraid the rumors were about Hina, so I left my clan to go find her." Kuroi glanced back at Yukina, a hint of frustration in his next words. "I checked the Isle of the Ice Maidens, but there's no trace of her being there at all."
Hiei's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How did you find the Isle?"
"Ah!" Kurama plopped his right fist into his left palm. "You used that old trading station I told you about back then."
"Yeah. When I couldn't find Hina at the Isle, I immediately left to save her and have her stay with me for the rest of our lives. I thought about getting a Jagan to track her down, but I found out that wasn't an option anymore. I also heard at the same time that the Spirit Detectives had rescued the ice maiden and had hidden her away."
"And what brings you here?" Yusuke chimed in.
"The Pool of Foresight: after a Jagan, it's the best option in finding something impossible to find. But to my luck, she was already here. Now, if you don't mind, please return Hina to me," Kuroi commanded, holding out his unwavering hand to Yukina.
Hiei pushed his twin behind him protectively while Kazuma shouted, "Who would hand Yukina over to a stranger like you, bastard? Are you an idiot?!"
"Yukina? But she…" Kuroi stared intently at the little ice maiden. Carefully observing her eyes and the details of her face and appearance, he realized his mistake. "You're—you're not Hina. I thought…" Frowning, Kuroi bowed to Yukina, apologizing for his rude behavior. "I'm sorry that I mistook you for someone else, even trying to take you away without your permission. You must have been frightened."
He understands and remembers, Hiei and Yukina marveled together. He remembers her, how she felt during her abduction, everything.
"That…that's all right," Yukina stammered sheepishly, "since…since you're the one my mother loved so much."
Jerking his head upward, Kuroi silently expressed astonishment and confusion. Sympathetic to his situation, Yukina smiled shyly while stepping in front of her protectors. In an effort to build confidence, she reached a pale hand out to the fire demon. "The one you're looking for, Hina, was my mother."
"Was?" Kuroi croaked, gently accepting Yukina's small hand.
"She passed away many years ago."
Yukina winced slightly when Kuroi's hold immediately tightened. "She died? Hina's dead? How? How did this happen?" Kuroi demanded frantically.
"She—"
"Your son ripped the ice maiden apart from the inside out." Everyone turned to Hiei, shocked from the explicitness. But his crimson eyes betrayed nothing but factual indifference. "It's not surprising, since offspring not of the ice maidens tend to do that to their mothers. Especially if you're a fire demon and she was bearing your child: there would be no chance of an ice maiden surviving the birth."
Yukina's eyes narrowed in disapproval. "Hiei-san."
"Is it true?" Kuroi questioned the smaller woman. "Do all ice maidens know this?"
Afraid to inflict any pain, Yukina nodded reluctantly. "This is…this is partially why ice maidens fear men. I—I don't know if our fear originated because we couldn't survive bearing other demons' offspring or if it was our fear that made us this way. It's been a long time since anyone has questioned that. But regardless, every ice maiden knows."
Yukina's heart broke with Kuroi's as pain washed over the fire demon's face. She could feel his raw sorrow as he fell to his knees. His face in his hand, Kuroi shuddered grievously. "Why? Why didn't she say anything?" He punched the ground. "Had I known…If I had known, I never…I never would have…" Kuroi snarled angrily, continuing his attack upon the dirt. The air around him swirled hotly, pockets sizzling and popping as the temperature rose with his temper. "She's dead because of me! I killed her. Why? Why did she let me…?"
"Because she loved you," Yukina smiled, crouching beside him and placing a becalming hand on top of his. She squeezed their still locked hands reassuringly. "She loved you, so more than anything she wanted to bear your child. Okaa-san, she…she would speak to Onii-san and me, before we were born. She would speak about how wonderful you were, how irritated you made her, how she wanted all of us to be a family."
As Yukina's words slowly sank in, the air shifted and moved as a cold draft contended with the suffocating heat wave from Kuroi. The Spirit Detectives and Botan watched in awe as Yukina gently tempered not only Kuroi's woes but also his overwhelming powers. With the sweetest voice, the ice maiden continued assuring her father, "And we can still become that family. Although it's just the two of us right now, we'll find Onii-san, and the three of us can become the family Mother wanted us to be…Otou-san."
"Otou-san…" Kuroi stared into Yukina's familiar eyes with wonder. "You would call me that?"
"You're my father just as much as you're my brother's father. After all, we're twins. And Okaa-san always did call you our father. So I don't know you as anything else but."
Gripping her hand for dear life, Kuroi kissed it and then her forehead. "You're every bit as lovely and wonderful as your mother."
"Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but we should get out of here," Botan suggested. "People aren't meant to stay too long in-between realms. We can talk while heading towards the exit." Everyone followed the ferry girl without argument.
And as Botan suggested, Kuroi continued his conversation with his daughter as they moved. "But wait, you mentioned finding your brother? What happened to him?"
Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan stared at Kuroi with dumbfounded faces. Hiei slapped his hand onto his face and slowly dragged it down. This idiot can't be serious. I guess I inherited a lot more from Okaa-san than I originally thought…
Honestly, it was a wonder at this point that Kazuma and Yukina hadn't figured it out by appearance alone. Afraid of the complications Kuroi would foolishly incur, Hiei hastily established a telepathic connection with his father.
Kuroi stared around the empty space in surprise. "Where are we?"
"In your mind," Hiei snipped, emerging from the darkness.
"And what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to tell you about your son without the others listening in."
"Why a secret?"
"Because I'm your son, you idiot of a father, and I can't have Yukina finding out." Hiei groaned in frustration. Getting over his irritation, Hiei started telling Kuroi his tale, the images appearing to the father as his son spoke. "I survived from being thrown over the isle's edge and lived several years on my own. After some time, because of the tear-gem Okaa-san had left me, I grew curious about my origins and searched for the Isle of Ice Maidens. I found it after a lot of work and discovered there that I had a twin sister, Yukina, who had left a little earlier in search of me. Desperate to find her, I got this Jagan. The payment for it was to never tell Yukina that I'm her brother." Kuroi then witnessed how Hiei and Yukina had first met and how his son had always secretly and silently protected his daughter since.
"But with Shigure dead, why does it matter—"
"There are…too many things that I've done, especially for her sake. If she knew—and she will find out—I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye. And I'm sure that she couldn't bear the sight of me once she knew."
As the two disconnected from the telepathy, Hiei approached Kuroi and grabbed his hand. When Hiei let go, Kuroi looked into his palm: a tear-gem.
But—
I have one from Yukina. I don't need two. It's better if you held onto the one from Okaa-san.
"So, what's up with you two looking alike?" Kazuma questioned, unaware of anything that had passed between the two fire demons. "Are you related or something?"
"Something like that," Kuroi smirked, ruffling the shorter demon's hair. "Hiei is a member of my clan."
"Oh, then that would explain so much," Yukina clapped happily.
Snorting at the twisted truth, Hiei grunted, "How's the clan?"
"What's the latest you know?"
"Your father was dying and had the entire clan hunting you down to make you take over or the like."
"My father died, thank Enma. I am the Head now. But I wouldn't have thought about taking the seat if those bastards hadn't…"
Hiei's ruby eyes narrowed at Kuroi's dropping tone. "What happened to Hotaru?"
Kuroi's face darkened at the memories. "Hotaru—he and some other cousins were killed by kinsmen that wanted to solidify their claims for the Head seat. I lost it after that. I didn't want anymore internal wars, so I just took it all."
Hiei couldn't help but to smirk. I guess he is my father after all.
As their group left the Pool of Foresight's realm and entered Demon World, Kuroi turned to Yukina and gently held her hand. "I know that we've just met, and there's nothing about me that's fatherly. But I would like to see you again, and often, if you would let me."
"I would be unhappy if you were to suddenly disappear from my life." Grasping Kuroi's hand tightly in her smaller two, Yukina grinned, "I'm staying in the Human World now with my friends. If you need help finding me, please just ask Hiei-san. He always knows where I am. So please, Otou-san, come to see me whenever you can."
"So it's true."
Everyone turned in surprise.
Two fire demons stood in between the Spirit Detectives' group and a large army of demons. They appeared as most would think fire demons ought: hair of blazing gold, orange, and red; eyes lit with amber flecks, flames alit in crimson eyes. They stood in equal height with Kuroi and looked upon him condenscendingly. The air sparked and waved as the demons held very little of their power back. "I've always heard rumors that Kuroi had fathered a bastard. But who would've thought that he actually had an ice maiden?"
"She's not that bad looking either. Too bad she's an ice demon."
"Akamaru, Hikage." Kuroi cautiously pushed Yukina behind him, out of their line of sight. "What are you two doing here?"
Akamaru pouted childishly. "We were just concerned over our precious Head."
"It wouldn't be good if anything unfortunate were to happen to you," Hikage cackled, the sound of wood cracking beneath hot flames.
"Enma only knows how much we wished something would though."
"Who are they?" Botan inquired as she scurried behind Kurama and Yusuke.
"They're my cousins, the ones who killed Hotaru." Kuroi frowned at his clansmen's attempts to catch sight of Yukina. "But I've never been able to prove it. Undoubtedly they've been waiting these last few centuries for the perfect moment to get rid of me."
"Indeed we have," Hikage agreed.
"And since you're without a male heir, this only makes everything easier," Akamaru sneered.
The Hieiaki leader glowered at the traitors, demanding, "How in the world did you find me?"
"Oh, we have our ways."
A light going off in her head, Botan pointed accusingly at the fire demons. "You're the ones that have been stealing locator charms from the demon lords! It wasn't Kuroi-san but you!"
Akamaru directed a heated glare towards the young woman. "And who's this annoying mouth?"
Undeterred by the rising Demon Energy, Botan continued, "Under the authority of Prince Koenma-sama and Spirit World, you're all under arrest for inter-world breaking-and-entering, theft, and murder! Surrender yourselves peacefully."
"Not before I get what I need out of them," Kuroi hissed.
Botan opened her mouth to argue, but Kurama inserted, "It's best if you allow Spirit World to obtain your justice, Kuroi-san. With what you have at risk now, you can't have any negative records left behind." Turning to the Spirit World representative at hand, Kurama confirmed, "If the criminals resist arrest, do we as Detectives have permission to use lethal force?"
The ferry girl grimaced and sighed after a minute of thought. "Spirit World does not condone the act of revenge. But lethal force cannot be helped when threatened by beings deemed as criminals by Spirit World. I'll be sure to include your defensive actions in the report."
Akamaru and Hikage cackled at the Detectives before them. "You lot think you can stand against all of us? You and what army?"
Kurama, Kazuma, and Botan automatically pointed at Yusuke, who casually stretched his shoulders and legs in preparation. However, Hiei stepped forward, only saying, "I'll handle them."
"You sure?" Yusuke sniffed when glancing at the leaders. "They look a little problematic."
Tipping his head towards the demon army, Hiei muttered, "Just keep the riffraff out of my way."
A devilish smirk graced Yusuke's face. "Heh, deal."
The next five minutes were a blur for everyone. Yusuke, never one for subtlety or patience, immediately shot through the enormous army with a Spirit Bullet the size of an elephant. The bullet was immediately followed with a sinister laugh, Yusuke gleefully throwing himself into an all-out melee.
Kazuma, Kuroi, and Kurama handled any stragglers that escaped Yusuke's clutches and wandered too close to the girls—two or three fortunate enough to flee the S-Class carnage.
Never one for lengthy, drawn-out battles, Hiei made short work of the traitorous Hieiaki clansmen. He had initially approached them cautiously, wary of their skills and power. However, when the two demons made it clear that they only ranked mid B-Class, Hiei avenged his uncle Hotaru swiftly.
"I thought the Hieiaki were supposed to amount to something in Demon World," Hiei muttered as he cleaned his blade on the grassy ground.
"Well, we did," Kuroi sighed as observed his son's thorough handiwork. "But I guess we'll just have to work harder for our reputation." He then grinned at his son. "Hiei, how would like to work with me? You are a member of this clan, and we could use your strength."
That, and this will all be yours someday, being the only rightful heir and all.
Hiei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe we can work something out."
"And I'll keep good on my word to you, Yukina," Kuroi promised. "I might have been too late for Hina, but I'll do what I can for her daughter."
"Your daughter," the ice maiden reminded him kindly.
"My daughter," he agreed, smiling.
"Well, since Hiei apprehended and punished the thieves, there's little work left for the rest of you, except some paperwork," Botan clapped gleefully. "I guess I'll just go to the Gate of Judgment and tell Koenma-sama what happened." Summoning her oar, Botan hopped onto it and took off into the air.
"Wait, Botan!"
"Hm?" Spinning her oar around, she stared down at her friends.
Kurama motioned to himself and the other Human Spirit Detectives. "Would you mind helping the rest of us get back to the Human World?"
"Oh," she laughed sheepishly, "of course."
As Kuroi watched Hiei carry Yukina away, the jet-haired demon clutched Hina's tear-gem and grinned. "I'll protect our love, Hina, until I rejoin your side. So just wait for me a little longer." He turned and made his way back towards his clan's lands. "We'll be together forever then…you and me."
The End
