A/N: Hello everyone! I know it has been like… FOREVER since I've updated, and I'm really sorry. There's been lots of stuff going on in my family lately and school and work and all that fun stuff… Also, I have been working on a new story as well! I think there will only be a few more chapters in this series, and I have to say I got super inspired with another plot. So once I am done with this story, I will probably start posting my new one, which will be s Captain America x OC one. I am pretty excited about it, and I think I have finally figured out basically how I want Mambo to end, so now I just have to get all the ideas out. Anyways, please, PLEASE review with any questions you may still have about the plot, or what you've liked about this story or what you hope the end is going to bring! I love your feedback and look forward to reading it! Anyhoo, here is the much awaited next chapter. I do hope that the content makes it worth the wait!
Hiei awoke to find Mai sitting up in bed, a blanket wrapped loosely around her shoulders as she gazed at the communicator in her hand. She had clearly found it upon getting up. Sensing that he was awake, Mai turned, questions alight in her moss eyes.
"You said we would talk later. Is this a good time?"
"Hn," he nodded. He took the communicator from her, noting that he hadn't even managed to scratch the damned thing. "Their army is vast. Larger than ours. We have a few weeks, a month at the most."
He expected her to react negatively, whether it had been with fear or anger or concern… anything, really. What she really did was nod, accepting his statement.
"Alright," she said simply.
The fire apparition raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you thinking?"
She tucked a lock of her honey hair behind her ear before readjusting the blanket around her. "I'm thinking that I don't care how many of them there are. They aren't going to win."
"You seem very confident."
Mai smiled, though it was twisted by a mirthless laugh. "They raped me and they want to kill you. No fucking way they're winning. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to take them down and keep them from getting to you."
Hiei said nothing, and kept his face emotionless. He didn't like her mentality on the impending battle, but knew it strongly resembled his own. It didn't matter how many opponents he had to go through to ensure her safety – it was not an option to fail her, and as much as he struggled to accept it, failing him was not an option for Mai.
"Do you have to inform Mukuro of the new time frame we are looking at?" Mai asked, pulling his attention back to the conversation at hand.
"I will, yes," he nodded. He closed his natural eyes, and Mai knew he was communicating with her telepathically. It lasted a few minutes, before Hiei opened his eyes again and turned them on his mate. "They will be ready."
"Shall we train, then?"
The fire demon considered it for a moment. "Do we want to risk running on partially exhausted energies should something occur in the midst of a spar?"
Mai frowned and chewed her lip thoughtfully. "One more, since you said they just began planning. Then we will wait it out."
Hiei consented with a nod.
"And later on… maybe we can try experimenting again?" she asked, her voice sounding hopeful.
Again, the fire demon lifted a brow in surprise. "What brought this on?"
The blonde sighed, adjusting the blanket around her idly. "I don't want to go into a battle we are both willing to lose our lives in without trying to get back to where we were. I want things to be as great between us as they were in the time right after our mating… the time we were both happiest."
"We can try again, then," Hiei answered, his mind already reeling at her words.
"Good. Okay, well I am going to go start making breakfast if you want any before we spar."
"Hn," he answered vaguely. Mai didn't mind, simply getting up from the bed and leaving the bedroom.
A battle they were both willing to lose their lives in. That is truly what this was. They could both come out alive. Or one could come out. Or neither of them could survive.
The truth hit him, finally clicking. Their time together could be limited. He knew he would give up his life for Mai – he had set out knowing he would if he had to – but it didn't translate that after everything was over, it was possible that they would not be together because one or both of them could be dead. For some reason, his mind flashed back to a conversation he had had with Kurama not long after the incident which had started it all. He had explained that in the Ningenkai, there are visitation rights granted only to spouses. It was hard, sometimes, for Hiei to think of how the status of a mating weighed differently in each realm. Here, it meant nothing. And although it was unlikely that either would find themselves in some ningen hospital after waging a demon war, it plagued him suddenly that they lived in a world where their mating meant nothing.
"Hiei, are you sure you aren't hungry?" he heard Mai call from the kitchen.
Shaking the negative thoughts back to the far corners of his mind, the fire demon stood, knowing he would revisit these new realizations again soon.
"Shit!"
The fire demon dropped his fighting stance and his hands hovered awkwardly in front of him for a moment. Mai waved him off, placing the back of her hand beneath her nose to stem the flow of blood from it.
"I didn't…" Hiei trailed off awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it."
The hanyou pulled her hand away and frowned at the amount of scarlet her eyes found. She looked down at her tank top and sighed at the blood spattered on it. Shrugging, she pulled the garment off over her head and balled it up, holding it beneath her still bleeding nose.
"Shit, koi, I-"
"Stop; it's fine, Hiei."
"I didn't want to make you bleed."
She shrugged, blotting her nose again and sitting on the ground. Patting the ground next to her, she invited him to sit as well. He did so, looking guiltily at the scarlet stain slowly expanding across the fabric beneath her nose. Mai laid back on the ground, hoping gravity would help end the nosebleed.
"I can't decide if I should go see my father soon or not."
"Just in case it's your last chance to?" Hiei forced himself to ask.
Mai nodded. "I mean, I don't plan to die in this battle. But it's a possibility, and I don't know if it is great enough to risk him seeing that something is wrong. And I certainly do not want to explain all of this."
Hiei laid down beside her, his arms beneath his head. He turned slightly to the side, looking at her as she gazed up at the leafy treetops swaying and rustling in the breeze.
"It's up to you, Mai."
"You're no help," she sighed. It was clear she wasn't upset, merely frustrated with yet another unfavorable situation in her life.
"You know," Hiei commented, turning his eyes to the treetops as well. "From that time you told me exactly what your involvement with Kazai was, before I knew about exactly what he had put you through and what he had done to your body, before I knew the details of your family situation, before this entire thing, I wanted little more than to help you start living a happier life."
"Well, although it would seem I can't have everything going right in my life for very long, I am much happier with you than I ever was without you. I really thought I would be alone because no one would want to deal with all of my baggage."
Hiei snorted in a mixture of amusement and bitterness. "Baggage? I think I may have some of that."
Mai laughed lightly and nodded her agreement. "It's like I said all those months ago: we're two peas in one fucked up pod."
"Hn, you were right on that one," he allowed.
"I'm right about a lot of things."
"Cocky."
"Says the cockiest person I know," she laughed.
The fire apparition shrugged, unable to deny it.
"I think I'll write my father a letter, just in case. I will leave it with Keiko or Reika. That way, if something happens, my father will have an explanation and some sort of goodbye from me, and if nothing happens, he need never see it."
Hiei didn't reply, knowing she wasn't asking for his approval. His hand found her wrist and he lifted the back of her hand to his lips.
"I love you," she whispered.
The fire demon pulled at her arm gently, shifting her to lay on top of him. His fingers ran through her hair a few times before he moved it to cradle her head in the crook of his neck. He kissed her temple and they laid in silence, each wondering how much longer they had together.
Hiei knew Mai had written the letter to her father as soon as she entered the living room. Her face was drawn and her lower lip was trembling. She padded across the carpet to him and settled herself in his lap. The fire demon wrapped his arms around her and pecked her cheek lightly. The blonde sniffled and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Are you alright, koi?"
"I suppose. Better than if I had not written it."
"Just keep that in mind."
She nodded slightly before tilting her head up to kiss his jaw. "Any news on the clan's whereabouts?"
"They have not started moving out yet." When she did not reply, he asked, "How do you feel about that, exactly?"
"I have mixed feelings. I want this to be over, but I don't want to go through with it because of the chances of it being the end of us together."
"You can still back out and no one will think less of-"
"No, it's not that. I am terrified of losing you, Hiei."
The dark haired male frowned and took a moment to reply, finally admitting, "And I you."
Mai finally was unable to hold in the tears she had been trying to suppress since sitting down to write the letter to her father. "I can't imagine anything worse than losing you, you know. Nothing that has happened to me compares to how I would feel to lose my mate whom I love more than anything."
She turned her moss orbs to his crimson ones which were slowly becoming more and more pained. Still, he said nothing, though Mai wasn't sure he was able to. Indeed, he finally cleared his throat before croaking out, "Come with me. I had an idea the other night."
Mai nodded and stood, following him to their shared room. Hiei gestured to the bed and Mai sat herself on it. He sat next to her and grasped her hand, his thumb drawing circles on her palm.
"I think this method can solve our problems rekindling things between us," the fire demon said, his voice unwavering though he did not meet her eyes. "Just trust me, and go with it?"
She nodded her head to his request, trying to relax her suddenly tense muscles; she wanted so badly for things to return to normal before they didn't have the chance anymore.
Her green eyes closed as she felt Hiei run a trail of kisses up her neck. He continued over her jaw to her nose and then settled his lips atop hers. They kissed softly for a while, chastely enjoying the contact. The fire demon slowly parted her lips with his tongue, deepening the kiss in a way much different than how things usually went for them. The kiss was slow and soft still, tiny nibbles here and there mixed with the gentle brush of tongues was somehow much more intimate than their kisses normally turned. In the past, they had always been urgent, fast and full of need. Mai moaned lightly in appreciation as he let his tongue swipe over hers once more.
Hiei continued the slow kiss, waiting for her to make the next move. After a while, she placed a hand at the back of his neck and began to lean back onto the pillows. Her hand brought him down with her and he promptly pulled away to situate himself on his side next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion as gentle hands coaxed her to turn onto her side so it would be her back facing him.
"Trust me," he whispered. As she turned onto her side, he set to work on her neck once more.
His hands began a slow exploration of her body, beginning by sliding lightly down her arms. He moved to squeeze her hip lightly before his fingers fanned out over her bottom and quickly swooped up her back. He completed this circuit a few times before lifting the hem of her top up. She pushed herself up off the mattress enough for him to pull the garment off of her and he moved his lips to the nape of her neck.
Mai's eyes had long closed in pleasure. The feeling of her mate's lips carefully working over her skin and the flick of his tongue over the spots he nibbled on were intoxicating, not to mention the slow, deliberate movements of his hands. She felt a stirring in her nether region and squirmed, unused to the once familiar feelings of lust and need. Hiei pressed on, sliding down the sheets to continue his trail of kisses down her spine. The hanyou shivered as the air hit the slightly wet trail his lips left in their wake and also at the intimacy of the action. He moved over the curve of her hip before maneuvering himself to lay a kiss on her lips again.
She shivered again when she felt his hand finally go for the clasp of her bra. Her muscles tensed when he flicked the hooks apart, but he didn't remove the clothing right away. Instead, he pressed another kiss to her back, this time in the spot where the clasp had lain. The blonde relaxed again and her mate carefully pulled the bra from her arms and tossed it to the floor. Another round of kisses to her shoulders came after that, his hand lying innocently on her side for a time. After a while, the hand began to rise and he took her breast in his palm. He kneaded the flesh slowly, tenderly. Mai couldn't help the soft moan that tumbled from her lips; the motion felt so much better than it ever had before. It wasn't the normal desperate groping but was very clearly meant to be soothing for her. His thumb brushed over her nipple which, from the time the bra had been removed, was already pert and hardened. Hiei lightly pinched the peak, circling it gently between his thumb and forefinger before snaking his left hand beneath her side to fondle the neglected breast. His lips once again descended on her neck as his hands continued the gentle kneading of her breasts.
This continued for a time before his right hand fanned over her stomach. Suddenly, his hand darted between her legs, wiggling into place pressed against her womanhood through her cotton leggings. Her body tensed again; the last person to come into contact with that most private part of herself had been…
"It's me, koi," Hiei's whisper broke into Mai's thoughts.
He continued to distract her from the dark thoughts he was sure she was struggling with by slowly rotating his fingers, rubbing her through the fabric of her leggings. She hummed her appreciation after several moments and Hiei took the time to remove some of his own clothes in a rush. Mai was about to turn to face him again in curiosity when Hiei's hand on her hip stilled her. He pulled her leggings and panties off in one motion before tickling his fingers across her thighs. Wasting little time, however, his hand had soon returned to her womanhood.
Mai's breath caught in her throat as his fingers went back to work at her clit, this time with nothing separating the sensitive nub from his expert index finger. In their time of near constant intimacy, he had certainly figured out what she liked best, and it was clear that he remembered exactly what worked for her. He nibbled her earlobe as he rotated his index finger clockwise over her bud, occasionally dipping lower. His pace increased slowly until she was breathing heavily and shaking slightly. Her core muscles were trembling, clenching despite the absence of what she began to realize she had sincerely missed. She missed not just the emotional parts of their relationship that were tied to intimacy, but her body had also been missing his.
Her distraction lent Hiei a time to lay his eyes upon the scars she had been so self-conscious of. Indeed, across her hip were four long, thick white scars. Above the bone were four wide circles which dipped down into lines. Hiei knew it was from the long nails of the beast that had attacked her first sinking deeply into the skin then dragging downward, tearing her flesh apart. He felt a new rush of guilt and hurt for his mate's trauma and put all of his concentration into her pleasures at the present.
Perhaps she had missed his body desperately, Mai decided as he withdrew his fingers shortly before an orgasm could hit her. She became aware of his erection pressed against her bottom, his boxers the only thing holding him back. He shed them, but kept his body a few inches from her for a moment, lightly tapping the pad of his finger on her bundle of nerves. He smirked and watched as she jumped slightly with each tap, knowing that despite the lack of pressure he was applying, she was worked up enough that her body had become extra sensitive. Each brief contact made was clearly sending a shot of pleasure through her.
Mai tensed when she felt Hiei's hand lifting her leg up. She unconsciously held her breath as she felt him position his tip at her entrance. He paused and pressed his front into her back. His lips planted a scattering of kisses across her shoulder once more before he muttered huskily against her ear.
"You mean everything to me, Mai; you are my world. No matter what."
The blonde choked on a half sob, but moved her hand behind her to find his face. Her fingers trailed blindly down his cheek, but he interpreted the gesture correctly, pushing into her slowly. His movements were steady for some time, a great feat considering that the fire apparition felt as he had upon having sex with her for the first time. Just as then, as soon as his tip was sheathed within her, he felt like he could burst. He kept up his gentle movements for a while, though she may have felt that he was quivering with the effort of not pounding into her. He wanted desperately to give her some satisfaction and to release her from the fears of her last sexual experience.
With renewed determination, his hand left her thigh, snaking his arm between her legs to continue holding her leg up at the desired angle. His finger found her bundle of nerves once more, and its heightened sensitivity from before had her moaning and panting within minutes. He quickened his pace as her breathing picked up further. His name fell from her lips repeatedly in that breathless way that he had missed terribly. Moving his hand back to her thigh, he pulled back on her leg, causing a change in the angle of her hips so he knew he was hitting her sweet spot with each now hard, fast thrust. It took almost no time at all before she hit her climax, her body shaking against his in ecstasy. And then she did something she had never done before.
She screamed his name.
With that shock, the fire apparition came immediately. He had hoped to continue his movements throughout her orgasm to stretch it out, but that one sound froze his hips and had him releasing himself within her a second later. Still in the throes of pleasure, her inner muscles milked him for all he could give before they both slowly came back down from the high they had been on.
Panting heavily, Mai carefully rolled over, being sure not to allow him to slip from within her. She swung her leg over his hips for good measure, not being nearly ready to feel empty again.
"That was…" she trailed off with a chuckle and a smile. Closing her eyes, she tiredly nuzzled her nose on the spot at the base of his throat.
Hiei wrapped his mate up in his arms and kissed her temple. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she replied. "I feel much better. I missed that much more than I had thought. May I ask something, though?"
"Hn."
"How did you know to do that?"
He shrugged and said, "We failed at trying to do things the way we used to. I figured, perhaps, it was too similar to what happened to you. So I thought a position completely different would work better. Besides, it allowed you to just feel, didn't it? It wasn't so obvious what was happening when you couldn't really see it."
He felt her smile against his skin. "Thank you, Hiei."
She was answered with another kiss to the temple. The fire demon almost thanked her for finally screaming his name for him, something he had deeply wanted for a long while. The feral part of him felt triumphant and his ego was well stroked. He couldn't keep the smile of satisfaction off his face not only at his success in reaching his goal, but also because they had finally returned to how things had once been.
Looking up at him, Mai smiled and a few tears fell from her eyes. He didn't question her, merely hugged her tighter and cradled her against him as they basked in the moment.
