Author's Note: I know I promised things, but life got crazy. Got engaged, entered nursing school... Family stuff happened as well. You all know how life goes, and I'm sorry to leave ya'll in the dark! I've been thinking about this for a long time now, and finally got a chance on Thanksgiving break (just started, woohoo), to sit down and write. I'm sorry it's short, I rather it longer, but I have a whole week ahead of me to get some more chapters in… hopefully.
– xoxo Holding Onto Faith
"No," his voice rang out again in pure agitation, as if slightly elevating his voice would get his point across. Kat scoffed at this, she has dealt with her share of children, and Hiei was acting no different. His eyes were filled with annoyance as he stared into the human's impatient ones. This was her shenanigans, and he was just here to make sure she didn't hurt herself, as per wishes of the detective and spirit world.
Typical ningen, he thought with irritation, his teeth almost grinding together. She had just finished getting her stuff to the baggage claim and they were both in front of their terminal.
Hiei did not fly, nor get in any other form of ningen transportation device, but this ningen was motivated to get this particular demon on it. She knew this from when she moved from her first apartment into her house, which she still didn't get to live in.
Kat was determined to get him on this plane. It was the only way she was going to Germany.
"We're cutting the time really close, we need to find our seats ASAP! Yours and I's tickets are already bought and paid for."
Courtesy of Spirit World. Seriously, they could've offered a portal instead, but they had worried about it becoming intercepted by whatever it was after Katsumi.
The fire apparition stared at her, unamused, with his arms crossed over his chest while the flight attendant at the front of the terminal was checking her watch and raising an eyebrow to the couple. Smart of her to choose not to intervene just yet, Kat thought, and she slung her handbag around her head so the strap lay across her chest.
There was only one thing to do, she would have to use reverse psychology on the demon to get him to board.
As well as a logical, enough reason that even Hiei couldn't deny otherwise. It was worth a shot. Trying to get Hiei to do something he didn't want to do was like getting a child to eat their vegetables.
It was going to have to take some creativity.
It's not like she was already nervous enough, but have to convince this stubborn, hardheaded demon to board the plane with her. It was infuriating.
"Hiei, please. I mean, if you're scared… I can't guarantee that a demon isn't on the plane waiting to kill me, but if you want to take that risk-"
It was honestly perfect, she saw a vein twitch in his forehead, and she didn't even see him approach to her and snatch the boarding ticket from her hand. He shoved the thing at the flight attendant who gasped and eyes widened when he zoomed off.
It was a very difficult flight at first. Katsumi had to manage to keep her face straight from the estranged looks that overcame Hiei's face during takeoff. She watched as his knuckles turned white from clenching tightly to his seat. It was the most uncomfortable she has ever seen him, the least confident he's ever been around her.
Hmph, Kat thought, so he can be vulnerable. Granted, she has seen some of the manliest of men brought to complete vulnerability when they found out something has gone wrong with their child, or themselves for that matter. Therefore, it should not surprise her to see someone with no apparent weaknesses to show some vulnerability.
But it absolutely did.
At that moment, she could feel the heat on her face as Hiei glared at her. I'm pretty sure he can read my thoughts, Kat thought, slowly turning her head to look back at him. She reached into her pocket slowly, rolling the headphones around her phone, popping them into her ears, and hooking her music up. She faintly heard him huff and turn to look out the window. She would figure it out for sure later. The rest of the ride, even the landing, was fairly quiet, and she was alright with just that.
As Hiei followed her to pick up her baggage, the nerves inside her stomach swam. It has been awhile since she has even seen a picture of Michael, and his image completely filled the forefront of her mind.
It has been far too long, in her mind, he was simply breathtaking, and Hiei gave her an estranged look.
Coming to, she smirked at Hiei. "See. I knew you could read minds," most people would think she meant figuratively, but she most certainly meant literally. He scoffed at her before nodding to behind her.
Raindrops splattered down on the windowpane before slowly drizzling downwards. Two arms curled around her in a strong, but comfortable embrace. Both their gazes graced along the green wet scenery wrapped between the warm sheets. Incense burned on the dresser, dragon's blood, and it mixed with the scent of rain that clouded the room. The window was left cracked open, drops filling on the windowsill.
There wasn't a moment she felt safer, secure, or exposed at the same time. It was vulnerability she cradled close to her chest and held tight to, what a way to be completely exposed, but have someone take you as if you were such a marvelous mystery for his or her eyes to discover.
To long for, and collect every drop of rain inside of you, conquer you, and become the captain of your treacherous sea…
Michael Katzinksy bore down into her eyes, it was easy because he was tall and broad, the rest of the airport being irrelevant to him. There was obviously a tension between them, a gravitational pull, and her eyes matched up into his.
It was a hallmark moment, that scenario in a movie where a revelation is made, but unlike those movies or cards, the ending was unknown.
That moment, the wet green, muddy scenery of that morning memory lay in his eyes.
It was Hiei's eyes, aimed at the back of her head, which kept her from drowning in Michael's. He was dressed in a sharp suit, normal for him, and his face carried a rough rugged beard. There was a still wildness in his eyes, as if being lost in the eye of the storm, and his mousy brown hair was as unkempt as his facial hair. He held the same approach that reminded her of her mother. Cold, quick, and silent as the night.
However, in his eyes, she saw a fire that she could kinder to...
"Shall we be going, Katzinksy?" Wolfgang asked gruffly, the obvious dilemma to come making him uncomfortable. He was a meter back or so, dressed in a familiar style to Katzinksy. His green eyes hidden behind large shades. He was totally rocking the stereotypical bodyguard guise, Kat thought with a smirk, finally managing to break contact with Michael. She was one of the few to address him by his first name, most people who didn't see his name on a check assumed it was Katzinksy. Instantly, Michael himself took her bags from her. He did not say one word to her, she didn't to him, and her stomach twisted in a knot.
Hiei's eyes drooped in the expectation of this being a rather dull, annoying, and uneventful babysitting mission.
As of course, he always was stuck with the job because he never disappointed. Always had the acquired and desired outcome, he could produce that. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was more appeasing to be at the temple and watch the big oaf and detective squabble and fight over kami knows what. Anything was more appealing than this, this and that harsh language they were speaking everywhere. Hiei has been many places, but this was one he most certainly did not like right off the bat.
There was a firm knock on the door, and Kat turned around after setting her suitcase right on the bed. A mirror hung on the wall to her right and she rechecked herself very quickly. It was as good as it was gonna get, she decided, her hair a hot curly mess, pulled into an equally messy bun. Some days, she swore her hair looked black and then other days it looked brown. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her black t-shirt was wrinkled from getting a nap on the plane. Jeans could survive the worse of things, and they hugged her legs perfectly all the way down to her converses.
"Come in!" Kat was surprised she was able to find her own voice, and Michael slid into the room and shut the door behind him. The two eyed each other for a long time, both faces filled with questions but never asked. What seemed to be five minutes passing before his face became hard and brows furrowed. Kat almost flinched back at the harshness, but it sent goose bumps over her, and her arms protectively settled crossed on her chest leaning her weight to one leg.
"So you said you'd explain yourself," she stated, filling the silence between them. He leaned his back against the wall next to the door, his own arms crossing.
"I did, but I have to know before I do..."
"Know what? What could you possibly want to know that you couldn't ask over the phone?" She snapped, not liking feeling this defensive.
"Are you so repulsed by me that you can't stand to even be in the same room with me?" He answered back sharply in a question to match her hostility. This time she did flinch, and a flash of a small regret waved over Michael. He pushed off the wall immediately and came towards her, and Kat couldn't help but feel her shoulders tense in preparation for anything. Hiei was in the next room, he'd surely hear if something went wrong, right?
Before she knew it, she was in his arms, and the beckoned her to relax against him. She almost did, and exhaled deeply into his chest before pulling away.
"I'm not repulsed by you," she began, taking this time to take a seat on the edge of the bed next to her bags. "I just, maybe its you. Maybe you have no idea. I didn't want to take that chance." His hand went to the back of his head as he let out a sigh, and took a seat next to her.
"What you saw was us trying to… to not cause a scene. I was the one who found her, it was nothing I haven't ever seen before. I won't lie to you," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, turning his torso to her. His eyes held regret, pain, and something that made her want to reach out and take it all away from him. "I have done bad things before, I have seen some bad things as well. We all have our pasts, and I can't change this. But this girl, this girl was tortured, and not by something human. Something, someone, is after people like you."
"So... you're not trying to kill me?" She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, she knew it was cowardly, but she could feel him tense beside her as if she had just slapped him.
"I would never, Katya. I'm not behind the strings on this. I wouldn't kill if I had the option not to." An immediate gulp from her, as the words and meaning of them sunk down. It means he had killed, and she, her hands have saved lives. She couldn't imagine doing anything to take life away, it was something not a part of her. There wasn't a malicious bone in her body. Trying to ignore his choice of words, she looked at him.
"You mean people who are spiritually aware?"
"Yes."
"Is that all you know?"
"I'm trying to find out more. From what I can tell, they're trying to feed off of you in some way. Or take that spirit away from you. That girl had put up a fight, did something so she was unsuccessful." A wave of nausea filled over her, and though she was relieved she wasn't the only one, it made her uneasy. She had the former Urameshi team and Spirit World at her back. What about the person that didn't? How were they going to protect the?
"That's all I can come up with. I'm pressing into it, believe me, Katya."
"You can't just go meddling, Michael, you can get hurt." He gave her a surprised look before taking a deep laugh. Kat pulled back from him, her eyebrow raised and scanned him over.
"I may not be the strongest," he continued to laugh, amusement taken over him, "but you have no idea who I really am, Kat. Or what I've been through. You haven't a clue, and it's something... I was hoping I would never have to share with you, but that is for another time. I'm Michael Katzinksy, a successful business man, but as cliché as this is, there is more than meets the eye, my love." His hand came to her cheek, cupped it, and brought her in for a tender kiss. She wasn't quite sure how she felt, pulling him to her body and deepening the kiss with a longing she couldn't understand.
Whether the darkness was pushed behind her out of reach, or if danger embraced and coiled around her… she wasn't quite sure if there was safety in this darkness.