Chapter 10 … is a Strong Woman

Mîra had been avoiding him for the past few days. Or maybe it was the other way around and Hiei didn't want to admit it. Either way, he had barley seen her and sometimes he ran into her when they passed each other in the same corridor since she had kicked him out of the bedroom. She hadn't said anything to him or left him a pillow or blankets symbolically, the door was just locked. He could have attempted to get in through the window but he didn't think it was worth it. He was okay with the arrangement for now anyway since he was still irked that she had lied to him. That and Hideki and his army was a more pressing matter.

He had decided to deal with Hideki with Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara. He would have to pay higher level demons to help him and if word got out that he was forming a small army, Hiei was sure Hideki wouldn't wait to act. Kurama was working on a poisonous substance to pour in their water source to kill off the clones. Hopefully many of them would drop dead. That left the actual cloning facilities. Hiei figured if he unleashed Koku, she would easily be able to destroy the buildings. While that left him without his trump card, Hiei felt the four of them could deal with Hideki and his other officers easily. With the maps and blue prints, they were able to create a plan of how to enter unnoticed while Kurama worked on the poison.

Unfortunately, they had no idea how long Hideki would wait before attacking or if Mîra's identity had been discovered. When Hiei had sent Shana to try and find Mîra at the tournament, Shana had tracked her to Hideki's hideout. The sensory barrier was still in place and was thorough enough that Shana could not pass through the shadows without being detected. When Mîra emerged from the barrier, she was being chased by guards and Shana had taken her immediately to the shadows and from there to the tournament.

Hiei knew that her lie had saved his position. More importantly than that, an usurp would have thrown the peaceful tournament system off balance and many would rise to struggle for power. She had done the right thing in lying to him. If she told him her plan he would have never let her go. She needed to lie to him but he hated it, even if it was done for him. Still, he couldn't bring himself to apologize to her. He hated outright apologies, he never liked to admit openly that he had ever been wrong. With Kurama, he could apologize with banter and make his intentions known and Kurama would accept. She would not play that game however.

So the days passed with Hiei avoiding her, until two weeks had flown by. Kurama announced that he had completed the poison and enough of it to kill of the clones. He had ensured that it would be quick, painless, and quiet. The silent deaths would buy them more time before being noticed. As soon as the three of them arrived at the fortress, they would head out, there was no time to waste.

When Shana had reported that they had been sighted, he thought about looking for the woman, telling her that he was heading out. He then decided against it, figuring if he did find her she would ignore him. He set out, telling Shana to inform his wife where he was going. After meeting up with his friends, it took them a day and half to reach the western portion of the Makai. Another few hours and they would be at Hideki's doorstep.

"I think we should set up camp here. This is far enough away that we should be safe" Kurama suggested as they passed a small clearing near a stream.

"Speaking of safe, it's been really quiet," Kuwabara said, suspiciously looking into the forest around them.

"Our youki, especially Hiei's is recognizable by many demons. If there were any nearby, they know to stay away," Kurama explained as he and Yusuke began to dig a fire pit.

"Stay away? Won't they know we are here?" Kuwabara asked frowning.

"They don't recognize that it's us, moron. They feel power coming from here and stay away. We aren't at Hideki's barrier so we should be fine," Hiei said as he searched the area with his Jagan. Hiei found a few animals that would serve as a good meal. He quickly left the area and came back with the game. His friends made small talk as they prepared a fire.

"So I told the teacher that fighting is in Ryuji's blood and he can't help it if the other kid pissed him off enough to pull his hair. Keiko kicked me out of the bedroom the whole night for that," Yusuke said smugly and Kuwabara laughed loudly as Kurama chuckled. Hiei found it amusing. He added some of his youki to the fire which would help keep it going longer.

"I went on a date with Yukina the other day. We went and saw a movie and got ice cream. She looked so cute in her red dress!" Kuwabara gushed. Hiei winced, the rise in decibels was always obnoxious. Suddenly, Kuwabara looked dejected and his eyes narrowed. The oaf was thinking about something, for once.

"Hey, whats wrong? You had a good date right?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah… but I don't think she understands what I'm talking about when I tell her I want to be with her. I didn't mind it at first but I don't know what to do to help get my feelings across."

Hiei wished he had an answer for him. He knew Yukina was fond of him but if he answered it could reveal that he was her brother, and he really didn't want that cat out of the bag at the moment. Instead, Kurama offered wisdom as he usually did.

"She is a demon Kuwabara and she grew up without any concept of male to female relationships. However, she understands your actions, if not your words Kuwabara. It is evident that she cares for you even if she can't understand what you are verbally telling her," Kurama said smiling.

Leave it to the fox to mend everyone's social lives. Kuwabara perked up at his words and the chatter continued. The fire was going now and Hiei and Kurama bled and skinned the animals to prepare them for cooking. After they finished and put the animals over the fire, Yusuke asked,

"Hiei, how are things going for you?"

Hiei ignored his friend and coaxed the fire a little. There was a small silence before Kurama asked,

"You didn't apologize did you?"

"Hn, I don't need to," he replied, though he didn't believe it.

"She might come around," Yusuke said shrugging.

"You cowardly runt! It was your fault and you can't man up and own up to it?" Kuwabara said, his voice deep rumbling. He was glaring at Hiei and he turned his gaze away from Kuwabara.

"It's alright, women are complicated beings. We will never understand them," Yusuke mused. There was a small silence before Kurama spoke.

"Well, I am thinking about introducing Boton to my family," Kurama said changing the subject. As they talked about that Hiei's thoughts drifted back to the elf in his home. Maybe he should have tried to find her, as much as he didn't like the oaf Kuwabara had a point. He wasn't cowardly, he just hated admitting that he wasn't right. He was also still a little put off from her since she lied to him. Hiei tuned into the current conversation, pushing the elf to the back of his mind.

"So, the plan is after the sun sets, Kuwabara and Yusuke will go and put the poison in their water reservoir near the barrier. According to the plans, the water system isn't too complex and has no filters. This means that when they draw water for drinking in the morning, the water will already be contaminated. There was no schedule in the included documents but I am going to assume that the clones will rise early in the morning. As soon as the alarm is raised that is when the dragon will go in," Kurama explained looking at Hiei who nodded.

"The dragon will take out the cloning facilities, barracks, and any other large building including providing a good distraction for us to be able and sneak in and attack Hideki," Kurama continued.

"What will we do when we find him?" Kuwabara asked. The three men turned their heads to Hiei, waiting for an answer.

"Kill him," Hiei said simply. He was an obvious threat and many demons who participated in the war were offended at his comments at the tournament. Overall he had lost a lot of respect among higher class demons for his lack of attendance at the war. No one would complain if he was taken out. Some other S or A class demon would move into his territory and life would resume.

After the sun had set, Kuwabara and Yusuke set off to the reservoir while Hiei monitored their movement with the Jagan and Kurama kept lookout at their camp. The two returned a few hours before dawn. The four of them then slept, gathering their strength for the new day. Settling in his tree with Koku to keep lookout, Hiei's thoughts wandered to her and he wondered if she missed his presence next to her as she slept. Probably not.

00000

The extent to which Hideki had built up his army was incomparable to what Hiei thought. If Hiei had this massive of an army at his side during the war, things would have concluded much sooner, let alone more efficiently. When they arrived at the sensory boundary Hideki created, the poison was already taking effect. Many of the clones were dying but many were also catching on. Koku seemed to provide a good enough distraction however that any remaining troops were sent to try and take down the dragon. He was faithful that she would destroy everything that she needed before any serious threat to her arose. He had told the dragon that if she was seriously threatened then she was supposed to retreat. Hiei wasn't fully sure how well the dragon understood his orders but she seemed to follow them well enough.

So far the group had remained undetected and any few guards they found were quickly and quietly disposed of. Kurama had a map of the building and was leading them down odd paths and passageways to avoid being seen too early. If Hideki figured out they were in the building, he could easily run. Currently, from listening to guards before disposing of them, Hideki seemed to think Hiei had mustered a small army and was waiting for him outside the barrier. The dragon was merely the first shot.

They turned down a hall and found themselves in a much larger hallway leading up to large doors. There was a group of about twelve guards standing in front of the door.

"This must be where Hideki is," Yusuke said quietly. "I'll go in first, open with shotgun." He looked at the others for affirmation and Hiei nodded in agreement.

Yusuke grinned and said, "It's about time we did something anyway. We can't let Hiei have all the credit."

"Hn," Hiei smirked at his friend.

Yusuke jumped out from behind the wall and before the guards had a chance to react, he yelled "SHOTGUN!" The light of his reiki blinded Hiei as he jumped out from behind the wall. Sword drawn, he moved swiftly, cutting down enemies in front of him. With the four of them, the guards went down quickly. The clones themselves had little strength. The sheer numbers must have been what Hideki was counting on.

They stood in front of the doors and Hiei looked to Yusuke who was staring at the door. Hiei liked it when the four of them were together. Yusuke was the one in charge, regardless of how many years had gone by. The reversion to their former selves was nice. Hiei was allowed to not call all the shots for once, something that he somewhat missed. Life seemed simpler when he wasn't in charge. Then again he did enjoy telling people what to do to an extent… but Yusuke had never seemed interested in the power of the King. At this point in his life, he just enjoyed the fight. Hiei understood that.

Yusuke looked down at Hiei, almost asking him if he wanted to go first. Hiei looked at the door and said, "Are we going to kill him or just stand here?"

"Hah! Hiei you always know just what to say," Yusuke said. Hiei glanced up at his friend to see his eyes alight with fire. Yusuke was revved up and ready for a fight. Seeing him excited pumped adrenaline into Hiei's veins, he was ready.

Yusuke pushed open the doors to reveal a large room with large, wide columns lining the way to a large extravagant throne towards the back. Hideki was sitting on the throne and stood as they walked towards him. When they reached the throne, Hiei could see that Hideki was furious.

"So you knew. I was told someone had snuck in here, I should have known it would have been one of your minions," he spat, gazing furiously at Hiei. He didn't say anything in reply but readied himself.

"You," he snarled, "Will not leave here alive! This realm will be mine!" He summoned a ball of energy and chucked it at Hiei. Hiei easily dodged it and the space that the ball hit seemed broken, not erased. He was still weak from the tournament. Hiei shot a glance to Kurama who caught his eye and nodded.

"Hah! Like that hit will do anything to me! You're barley managing to get by!" Yusuke taunted.

Hideki screamed and orbs began to appear next to him. Hiei regrouped next to Yusuke and the others moved in close as well.

"You will DIE!" Hideki yelled. He raised his arms up to launch the orbs and Hiei prepared to jump when suddenly a loud screech echoed in the halls. The screech wasn't Koku's and it was something so awful and painful he couldn't help but drop his sword and cover his ears to try and block it out. Hiei's head felt like something was crawling in it and was going to rip it apart when it stopped.

"You know, I have to agree with the human. That fool has become quite useless," a cool, female voice said.

Hiei opened his eyes to see a woman with purple skin and short teal hair standing over Hideki's body. She wore leather boots that reached the middle of her calf and red pants were tucked into them. On her chest she wore a tight long sleeved red shirt. On her hip was a brown belt that held a broadsword and Hiei could slightly see a pouch on the other side of her hip.

"Guys, she doesn't feel like a demon or a human," Kuwabara said worriedly.

Hiei frowned, that didn't make sense unless... She was gazing upon them now, her brown eyes staring haughtily at them.

She took a few steps towards them and asked, "So have you figured it out? Do you know where I came from?"

No one from their group responded but Hiei knew they were thinking the same thing he was- elf. Sure enough, Hiei noticed her long slender ears. She may be an elf but Hiei thought she seemed different from Mîrvana. For one thing, her skin color was purple, and she didn't seem to have the same beauty, grace, or elegance that Mîrvana or the rest of her people did. Hiei looked up at Kurama and the two shared a glance, they were thinking the same thing.

"Yusuke, this woman is an elf but she is not from the same race of the elves we fought before," Kurama said quietly.

The elf laughed. "You are a silly bunch. I will be able to hear everything you say. Since you all are going to die soon, I don't mind chatting with you. You all seem smarter that that idiot anyway," she said jerking her thumb at Hideki's corpse.

"I am nothing like those from Alyatavar," she hissed. "I slipped in through the barrier and waited for a fool to come along and one did. So now I've been waiting patiently for a year and creating an army so that when those idiot warrior elves lost, I could take this land for myself."

"I knew that cloning machine wasn't demon origin. It had too many pieces that I didn't recognize from demon or human sources," Kurama said grimly.

"Thanks for telling us now!" Kuwabara screeched.

Hiei could care less about the machine. He was more concerned about the fact that something else other than Mîrvana's people had slipped through the portal without him knowing.

"Your army is destroyed. You have no purpose now. If you return to your home then we will let you go," Yusuke said. Tch, the idiot had gotten soft during his time in the human world.

The elf laughed, "Why would I do that when I can still have this land? I am still undiscovered by the rulers of this world! I do not know who you are but I will make sure you do not return to them alive."

"The rulers? What?" Yusuke asked, confused. Hiei was just as confused. This woman had come through the portal but she must have stayed far away from both armies to the point that she didn't even recognize Hiei.

Before they could react, she pulled out a flute and said, "Lira ello Gurth." She began to play and the screeching noise came back. Hiei screamed as he wrapped his arms around his head, trying to push out the unbearable pain and agony searing through his head.

The screeching stopped and Hiei opened his eyes to see that he was on his knees. He was slightly disoriented but he was able to see the others were also crouched over. They had to do something or else they would all be dead.

She laughed and said, "Just because I can, Lira ello Olor." Before they could move, the flute had begun playing again. This time the song was slower and it didn't hurt but Hiei's had felt foggy. He could only understand fragments of what was happening around him. He saw her walking towards him, but why? He needed to stop her, but how? She was looming over him and he felt her kick him. He fell on his back. He had to do something but the world was too incoherent. He blinked, trying to see but he began to feel his breath shorten. Was he dying? Was this what dying felt like? Hiei struggled to breathe when suddenly everything snapped back into focus, the fog from his head lifting.

Hiei sat up, gasping for air, and moved his hand along the ground but it ran into something. He looked down to see an arrow with white feathers. His eyes widened, he recognized that arrow. He looked up to see the elf jump backwards as more arrows flew towards her. Hiei turned around to see Mîrvana walking steadily towards them, shooting arrows at the other elf.

Hiei never though he'd be more glad to see her. She was wearing her usual sparring outfit with a leather belt around her waist and her green cloak, which was covering her shoulders and covering a sword he knew had to be at her side. When she reached Hiei she wordlessly tossed down the bow and took off her quiver. She was going to fight the other elf. She stepped out in front of the group and she sneered,

"Dúrtava."

"Alyatava," the other elf spat.

Mîra moved to the right and the other elf moved with her, circling each other. When Mîra stopped moving, Hiei could easily see her figure from the angle he was at. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Yusuke motioning to him and Hiei quietly moved to where the other three were sitting. Hiei looked back up at his wife whose visage was stone and her eyes cool, just as the way he had seen them before they fought. One of her hands was on her hip and the other was hidden by the cloak and he assumed it was on the hilt of the sword. He didn't know where she had found a long sword, Hiei didn't use them and so there weren't any in the armory. Any members of his guards who used them had their own.

"I knew we had a stowaway when we brought over that final cargo shipment," Mîra said steadily.

"I know you knew. But I also knew you wouldn't be able to track me down, with the war and all," the other elf said. They eyed each other steadily, measuring the other up and down.

"I do have to say, using a demon as a puppet, that's some feat. You must have offered more than your mechanical knowledge in order to secure his trust. Although now that I'm looking at you, he must have been an idiot because you're quite plain looking. Not much to offer," Mîra said haughtily.

"Like you would know, deserter!" the other elf seethed.

Mîra looked genuinely surprised. "Deserter?" she asked.

"Why else would you be here? It's a shame you have connection to those filthy beings," she said pointing at their group, "We might have been able to work together."

Hiei watched Mîra's vacant visage as her lips curled into a snide smile and her eyes narrowed, glinting with excitement. Hiei felt his heart pound as he breathed deeply.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" she asked slowly. The other elf moved a foot back, intimidated. Mîra made no movement towards her and her visage remained unchanged as she slowly reached up for the buckle of her cloak and with a small movement the cloak rippled to the ground.

Hiei sucked in air as an uncontrollable urge swept over him, his heart pounding like it never had before. She was only wearing her usual sparring outfit but there was something different about it. The hem of her skirt was just barely above the ground and as she jutted her hip out with a hand on her hip, and he noticed the light brown leather boots seemed to be formed to the curve of her calf. His eyes traveled up her leg poking out of the slit and the pale flesh looked so smooth. The skirt seemed to cut off the tantalizing skin just before she would have been exposed. Hiei knew she wore some sort of undergarment specifically for fighting under there but he suddenly wanted to see more of what was covered by the skirt.

His eyes traveled up to her waist where he was able to just able see the top outline of her pelvic bones. Her belly was slim and the sides of her body seemed to curve perfectly up toward her breasts, held by her bikini top. As she breathed steadily, they rose and fell slowly and he was enticed. He forced his eyes up more to her face. Her pink lips were still curved in a snide smile and her lavender eyes were full of control and confidence. He knew she was beautiful, but as he studied the contours of her face, she seemed to glow with something he had not seen before.

He swallowed, realizing that he wanted her and badly. He felt bewitched by her, that he had fallen under some spell. How could he have not noticed before how magnetizing her body was, how attractive she was? Hiei had never felt anything like this before. What was it that made him hunger for her touch?

"That-that sword!" the other elf cried.

Hiei watched her, enraptured by every movement she made as she pulled out the claymore out of its sheath. She held it in front of her and she let the sword fall gracefully forward. The metal hit the stone and a ring echoed in the hall. Hiei stared at her, holding the sword by the top of the ornamented hilt as it stood proudly unsheathed. She looked… powerful. Beautiful, strong, and powerful. Hiei exhaled a breath he felt he had been holding forever. Hiei had never lusted for a woman this badly before in his whole life. His eyes roamed the captivating curves of her body again as she said,

"Yes, even though I should be angry at you I am rather thankful. You see, realizing Víreserce was here made me miss and important event but on the other hand, I was able to recover my wonderful sword. Things were not the same without her," Mîra sighed, and Hiei's eyes did not miss the rise and fall of her bosom.

Suddenly there was a hand snapping in front of his face.

"Dude, Hiei! Now is NOT the time for a hard on!"

Hiei turned to Yusuke shocked. He closed his eyes and reopened them to see Yusuke looking at him concerned. Past him Kuwabara was trying to cover a laugh and Kurama seemed highly amused. Kami, what the hell had happened? He glanced back at her and feeling a flush in his cheeks and his heart beat increase, he quickly turned away embarrassed.

"That means you were the one who broke in here! You are the one who ruined all my plans!" The other elf cried, pointing a finger accusingly at Mîra.

"I know," she said gleefully, and she flashed a wide grin. Hiei had to keep it together. He could do this. He could watch this unfold and not let his imagination get the best of him. Mîra shifted her weight from one leg to the other and images of her lying on their bed seductively in that outfit raced through his mind. No- not now!

"Shit, "he murmured. Why of all times did he have to feel this way?

The other elf eyed the four of them and her gaze settled on Hiei. "So it seems you are tied that filth there?"

She moved her hand slightly and he thought he saw her lips move inaudibly as her gaze flickered on him. "I prefer to call them barbarians but yes, that one is mine," she said smoothly. Even though she had just insulted him her voice had never sounded more rich and luscious. Clenching his hand in a fist he furiously fought with his instincts. He needed to be collected, not some idiotic, lust driven, hormonal demon in heat.

The other elf brought the flute to her lips and Hiei's eyes widened. The others seemed panicked as well.

"So, you defected and ran off with the enemy. How touching. Why don't we see what happens when he watches you die?" The elf said and she brought the flute to her lips.

Hiei's eyes widened, momentarily snapped out of his desires, as he realized what was about to happen. He began to move towards the other elf but he was suddenly stopped by something blocking his path. Hiei stared at the space in front of him and he reached his hand out to feel something solid but invisible.

"A barrier," Kurama observed, concerned.

"I can see that," Hiei snapped.

The elf began to play the screeching music and Hiei immediately covered his ears. He then frowned. The song wasn't hurting him, it was just loud. He looked at his friends who were looking at each other surprised and Hiei turned back to the barrier in front of him. She was protecting them, but who was protecting her?

Hiei turned his gaze and his eyes widened in shock. Mîra was standing calmly still with her hands on the top of the hilt. Surrounding her was the white light that she used to manipulate the dragon with when they were training. Even more shocking was that she seemed completely unharmed. The screeching became louder and a wind began to pick up billowing her white hair around her but she remained still.

The other elf finally stopped and stared at Mîra angrily. "I don't understand!" she cried. "No one can withstand the song unless-" the elf suddenly stopped and her face paled.

"Unless what?" Mîra purred. She grinned wickedly at the elf, her eyes dancing with a delight that could only stem from an all too familiar arrogance. Hiei felt the urges within him and he found Yusuke snapping in his face again. He scowled at him, trying to ignore the entertained look on his face.

"Unless you're an Angulóce Nyello!" The elf was evidently shocked.

"That's right. I'm an Angulóce Nyello, a Dragonsinger. So tell me, do you know who I am now?" She said saucily.

The other elfs eyes narrowed. "You are the heiress, the one they left behind to end the war. It does not matter, I will kill you all the same!" The elf brought the flute to her lips and said, "Lira ello Sarna."

The stone around Mîra began to rise and she jumped, avoiding the hole that was created where she stood. As the music played, the stone began to move, snaking for her. She ran for a column and bounced off of it just before the stone hit the column. The stone broke through and turned around towards her. The music changed slightly and a second stone snake arose behind her. She jumped out of the way of the second but was grazed by the first, knocking her sword out of her hand.

"Haha! It's useless, deserted princess!" The elf cried. Mîra had landed on the far side of the room, where she originally started. Her sword however had landed near the other elf. Hiei was relieved to see that Mîra showed no signs of being fatigued or of being seriously hurt. She stood, staring at the other elf, her eyes hard. Hiei knew it would take more to defeat her but he couldn't help but feel anxious, and useless. Nothing bothered him more in a fight than being useless.

"Easy, Hiei. This is her fight. She needs this," Yusuke said calmly. Hiei turned to look at his friend who was staring at the combatants pensively. He then turned to Hiei and grinned, "She's got too much fire in her to let someone like this bring her down."

"Hn." Yusuke was right about her spunk to say the least. The part about this being her fight, how she needed this… was she trying to prove herself to him? To all of them?

The elf brought the flute to her lips again but Mîra moved quickly this time.

"Cemen!" she cried and the ground beneath the other elf began to shoot upwards into spikes. The elf fumbled backwards and fell down. She somehow managed to raise the flute to her lips and began to play the same tune as before. A stone snake appeared behind Mîra again but Hiei could see she was focused on the flute.

"Nar!" She cried and flames burst into a ball into both of her hands. She threw one behind her at the stone but it pushed through it like nothing happened. The other ball she threw at the elf who barley dodged it. Mîra looked behind her to see the stone snake gaining on her. She continued running and ran straight for the other elf. The notes changed and a second snake popped up in front of her and she skidded to a halt so she wouldn't run into it. The second snake charged down towards her just as the first snake came down on her as well.

"Turma!" She shrieked just before the snakes came down on her. Hiei's eyes widened as he felt the barrier around them disappear.

"Don't move, Hiei. We can't let the elf know our protection is gone," Kurama said steadily. Hiei knew he was right but he didn't like it. There was a cloud of dust surrounding the area where the snakes had crashed. Nothing was moving and Hiei felt his stomach drop as the other elf began to laugh. Mîra had to be there, right?

Suddenly a fire blast shot out from the dust, hitting the elf square in the chest, causing her to fall backwards. Hiei was relieved to see Mîra jump out of the wreckage. Her clothes were dirty and she looked a little tired but she was still standing strong.

"I've been underestimating you. However, there's nothing I loathe more than an attack on the crown so I need to dispose of you mercilessly," Mîra said. She closed her eyes and began to sing a song Hiei had never heard before.

"What are you going to do? You aren't a Dragon Keeper!" the elf cried but Mîra kept singing. The white light around her began to turn from white to red. When the light around her was completely red she stopped singing and cried,

"Fealóce, lávnin cín vala!"

The light around her changed into what Hiei could only assume was flames. The other elf began to play a different tune and they began to hear loud creaking around them. Then, just as Mîra threw a ball of fire at the elf, pipes burst through the stone, releasing water into the area. The song moved the water and quenched the fire ball.

"Water? The water is poisoned!" Kuwabara screeched. Mîra's head turned sharply towards Kuwabara as a gush of water raced towards her.

"Mîra!" Hiei yelled and her head snapped back to the fight and dodged the blast of water in time. The water was chasing her now, just as the snake had before but if she happened to consume any of that water by accident… Hiei didn't want to think about her dead. That wasn't an option.

Mîra seemed to have focused her attention primarily on the other elf again, throwing balls of fire at her. After a few balls of fire, she cried "Nar!" The fire around her pulsated and shot out like a wide wave towards the elf, the blast hit her and knocked the flute out of her hand and into the fire. The flute shot up in flames as the other elf cried out.

"Hiei, look!" Kurama said sternly and Hiei turned his head in time to see Mîra getting hit in the back with a blast of water. Hiei started to run towards her but Kurama grabbed his arm. "You can't!" He said roughly. The poisonous water doused the fire surrounding her and knocked her to the ground, drenching her in the process. She stood up wearily and reached behind her back to reveal two throwing knives.

The other elf had landed near a column and stood up. "This is the end for you, that water will kill you and summoning your protectors magic all the way out here must have some toll. You are finished."

"Not until you are," Mîra said icily. She threw the two knives at the elf but they grazed her torso on either side and landed on the column behind her.

"Hah! You missed! Now it's my turn," the elf sneered.

"Actually, it's not. Gwédh," Mîra said. The elf suddenly flew back into the column. She struggled to move but it was no use, she was stuck.

"You see," Mîra said, walking over to her sword. She picked up Víreserce off the ground and began walking towards the other elf. "Those are binding knives. All they need is a little blood and they will bind that person to wherever the knives are secured. I know that those of Dúrtavar use their hands to assist in magic and so by binding your entire torso to the column, it makes the muscles in your shoulders immobile which means you cannot use your hands together."

She was standing in front of the other elf now who looked panicked. "P-please don't kill me! The one in green, he was going to let me go as long as I don't come back. We are from the same land, can't we work something out?"

Hiei moved closer to them, ignoring Kurama to get a better look at his wife's face. He was curious to see what she was going to do. She was staring down at the elf, her body soaked in toxic water, and he watched her breathe deeply. She put one hand on her hip and the other rested on the hilt of her sword as she held it upright from the ground.

"Let me tell you something about myself," she began. There was a powerful tone to her voice that Hiei relished, she was far more superior. Hiei felt his blood rush and his hungering desire to feel her under him returned but he tried to ignore it, wanting to enjoy watching his wife's victory.

She suddenly brought the sword up and thrust it into the elf's gut. "I am not them," she said darkly. He watched Mîra as she twisted the sword and the elf screamed. Hiei searched her eyes for an emotion but he only found one, fury. A different emotion swelled inside of him and he recognized it as pride. He was proud that this woman was his wife, that she could stand tall, proud, sometimes arrogant but powerful beside him. Not to mention she was unbelievably attractive while she was fighting. How did Hiei miss that when they first fought?

Mîra pulled the sword out of the elfs gut and she cried out again. Mîra turned to Hiei, her stony lavender eyes baring down on him and he felt his face flush but he held her gaze. She put a hand on her hip and frowned at him.

"Well?" she asked as Hiei desperately tried to focus on keeping his eyes on her face. Kami, since when was this so hard? It was like he was a completely different person. He had always been in control of his emotions but this woman…

"Well, what?" He asked back. She sighed deeply and Hiei's eyes wandered down to her bosom as it rose and fell and just happened to be conveniently at his eyes level...

She began to walk towards him and before he could do or say anything, her fist struck the side of his face. He took a step back to balance himself and he turned to her, furious. He, however, found that the rage in her eyes far surpassed his. She grabbed his collar and jerked his face towards hers.

"One, my eyes are on my face. Two, this is twice I've save your ungrateful ass." She hissed. Any lust for her had evaporated with her words. He was acting like a fool, was being shown he was a fool in front of his friends, and now she was angrier at him than before for being a pervert and a jerk. Great.

She shoved him back as she released his collar and grabbed her sword. She swung it down on the elf and killed her swiftly. She then slid her sword back into the scabbard. Mîra brushed past him as she walked towards the exit.

"Mîrvana, the water!" Kurama called out to her but she kept walking.

"I'm an elf not a demon. Different resistances. I'm fine," she yelled back but she didn't stop to turn around. After she disappeared from view, the three of his friends turned their gazes to him. Hiei frowned, a hand on the bruised cheek.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at them.

"Seriously, you picked the wrong time to decide that you think she's hot," Yusuke said, shaking his head.

"It wasn't my fault," Hiei hissed and Yusuke and Kuwabara burst into laughter while Kurama shook his head.

"I told you to apologize to her. Hell hath no fury like a woman," Kurama mused.

Hiei sent a death glare to his friend who smiled, his eyes amused as always. Hiei was going to find some way to get the three of them back for that, he would make sure of it. The four of them left, leaving the mess of bodies behind them and Hiei hoped that he would be able to face his wife when he got back to their home.

Translation Notes:

Alyatavar: Blessed Wood

Dúrtavar: Dark Wood

Vírserce: Rose Blood, name of the sword

Attacks:

Lire ello Gurth: Song of Death

Lire ello Olor: Song of Dreams

Lira ello Sarna: Song of Stone

Cemen: earth

Nar: fire

Turma: shield

Gwédh: bind

Fealóce, lávnin cín vala!: Fealóce (Fire Dragon), grant me your power!