Would you look at that, another chapter out and it hasn't been a year since I posted the last one haha. I just rewatched the whole series of YYH again and started to feel more deeply connected to the characters once more. I'm at a point of transition in my life that is outside of my control. Work stuff.
Adult life is ideal.
Anyway, I am working on Ch27 but I won't make promises for a release date. I've learned from my previous mistakes. I'm writing this, editing my second novel and a whole slew of other things all at once (including me rereading my own stories and finding that I may need to rewrite The Reborn Forgotten to fix some horrid grammar and improve the plot).
As always, thank you so much for reading. I really do appreciate it and I'm very happy people still find the time for my stories. Reviews are always appreciated as well, particularly if you think there's a way for me to strengthen the characters or my writing. 3
Koenma stared at Botan's communicator with her, both of them looking over Kuwabara's face. He looked worn and tense.
"I'm the only human being here." He stated simply when they'd asked if he was alright. "But Ichi has my back. She named me the Human World Adviser. I'm sort of kind of in her cabinet for the moment, which is good. Some of these guys didn't seem too pleased to see me."
"How is she?" Botan asked.
"She's stressed. She looks like a mummy, I guess her castle was attacked before we arrived and she got hurt." He explained. "But Mukuro agreed to stay and fight with us."
"So, she was right then. There is a war?" Koenma pressed and Kazuma nodded.
"Definitely." He nodded. Botan looked worriedly to Koenma.
"Sir, they are headed right for the heart of this." She muttered, reminding him of Yukina and Taro who had crossed the border into Makai.
"I know." He sighed heavily. "How are the others?"
"Busy. Everyone is preparing. Best estimates give us three or four weeks before they arrive here. Ichi seems concerned. She wants to push the fight outside of her lands into the desert." Kuwabara went on. "But this is definitely a problem. She's holed up in the library right now trying to find something. She might know who is responsible. But she's mostly trying to stop the fighting as soon as possible. She doesn't want this coming to Human World."
"I know." Koenma said again, nodding. "I've been trying to get the SDF to understand that she's only in Makai to protect Ningenkai, but it doesn't seem to be working."
"Well, if we fail, I'm sure they'll realize it then, when they're battling back an entire army of demons." Kuwabara flattened his expression. Someone took the communicator from his hands and he protested.
Amon-Shinpi's face filled the screen, her eye covered with the head wrapping, her hair short and red. Botan cried out slightly at her appearance.
"Stop that." Ichi demanded immediately of the ferry girl. "Koenma, is the SDF still out to get me?"
"Of course." He nodded.
"Good. I need them to be. Tell them that I'm coming through the barrier by the temple. I won't tell you when, but it'll be sometime within the next two months." She demanded of him, watching him pale. "Come on now, Koenma. It's your job to report all communications with me to Saito."
"I'm over here busting my ass trying to protect you and you're just going to walk back into their trap?" Koenma tried to keep from raising his voice.
"Do they believe you when you tell them I'm fighting a war on their behalf?" She demanded.
"No." He ground out.
"Then tell them I will be arriving at the temple within the next two months." Ichi repeated herself, her tone curt. He seemed to realize what she was doing then and nodded.
"Right. Well, I hope you come prepared." He warned her. "They won't take it easy on you. After your last display, they may even send all their men to wait."
Botan let her mouth hang open at her leader.
"What a pity that would be." Ichi let herself smirk at him, nodding. "I'll be sure to bring the heat."
"Is that a threat?" He smiled back at her.
"Of course. Don't you know you're dealing with a monstrous warlord?" She bobbed her head once and handed the communicator back to Kuwabara who balked before turning it off.
"What on earth is that woman up to?" Botan demanded, realizing Koenma had pulled something from the conversation she had not.
"She's just being exactly who she is, Botan. She's thinking of contingencies and long term." Koenma explained. He pushed a button to call Saito into his office. The SDF captian waltzed in, already annoyed. "I just had a communication with Amon-Shinpi. She told me she'd be visiting Genkai's temple in the next two months but refused to give a date. She was quite menacing."
Saito smirked. "She just told you this?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Koenma tried to look somber, bothered at selling out his friend.
"Well, I guess we'll have to be there waiting for her." Saito nodded and turned on heel, leaving them. Botan frowned deeply.
"They'll send an army." She protested to Koenma. "They'll send their strongest fighters to stop her."
"Which is exactly what she wants." He explained to the ferry woman. "An army of the strongest Spirit World fighters watching over Genkai's temple day and night for the next two months."
"I thought we were going to speak after the meeting." Hiei entered the okami's personal study and found her poured over a stack of books. She was flipping the pages at a dizzying speed, looking for specific details only.
"Something came up." She told him offhandedly. Hiei walked toward her and eyed her face.
"Something has come up every time I've wanted to speak to you since I've been here." He pressed.
"I apologize that you find this war so inconvenient." She lifted her gaze to him finally and he started, realizing her eye was no longer bandaged. Her iris was deep crimson, just like his. Hiei scanned over her and noted the distant feel of a different power. She added the book in her hands to the stack and moved on, pulling one from a shelf of leather bound volumes.
Her family's history, written by them.
The book in her hands belonged to her grandfather. She vaguely remembered details from this when she read it as a child but it wasn't enough. She needed more information.
"Is that your grandfather's doing?" Hiei spoke again, gesturing to her eye. She nodded once.
"It helps me see." She told him carefully. Hiei's energy was hot, wisping, like tendrils of smoke. Her grandfather reacted to it. "I'm getting stronger under the surface too. Soon, it'll be enough."
"Enough for what?" The fire demon asked her.
"Enough for me to survive without him." She sighed and touched the bindings on her warms idly. "The seals are fading away the longer I'm here, Hiei. You were right. I needed to come home."
"Your scent has changed." He pointed out and she just nodded.
"A lot has changed." She didn't look at him and he stiffened at her words. Finally she sunk down into her chair and looked at him over the stack of books. "Hiei, I'm tired."
"Have you been sleeping?" He asked her, walking around the desk to look down into her eyes.
"It's not that kind of tired." She told him. "I have the strangest feeling that I'm not going to make it to the other side of this war."
Her calm voice did nothing to quell the alarm in him. Visions danced through his head in blurs, possible futures, but she was in all of them. He couldn't push himself to imagine her gone again. For real.
"Why are you telling me this?" He demanded.
"Because you deserve to know." She explained lightly, still the picture of collection. "I've moved some things into the archives to prepare for this battle. You're one of the only people who knows how to access those caverns."
"Shinpi." Hiei felt the coiling in his stomach tighten.
"If I die," She started and Hiei growled to stop her, his fists closed. "If I die, Hiei, will you find someone to look after Kin for me? I trust your judgement. You're the only one who would know what I'd want."
Hiei felt his chest constrict.
"If you die, I'll take care of him." He stated simply. "Until he's ready to come here and take over."
"I appreciate the gesture, but you have other obligations." She tapped the desk idly. "But I know you'll find the right person."
"I don't like this." He shook his head. "I don't like hearing you make preparations this way. I told you, I've already lost you once. I'm not going through that again."
She sighed and simply nodded to his words. Hiei didn't like the look in her eyes as she let her mind wander in a train of thought.
"I don't want to die." She swallowed after she spoke, some thick emotion coating her throat. "I finally have so much to live for, but I won't necessarily get to decide."
Her eyes closed as she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the desk as she cradled her head in hands.
You're scared.
No. I'm terrified. What if we fail?
We won't.
A warm hand slid over her shoulders as Hiei walked behind her. He gently trailed his fingers over the back of her exposed neck, then under her jaw to raise her chin. When she lifted her gaze to look up into his eyes, something in her grew stronger.
I can never fail again. She thought, her head turned under Hiei's command. He kissed her and she waited for a moment before kissing him back, trying not to show her earnestness. The fear fell away.
"I'm afraid of you." She whispered the words and Hiei let his hand drop from her. "I'm afraid of the things I feel when I'm around you, Hiei, and I'm afraid of what I'd do to keep you safe."
"I know the feeling." He nodded, smirking at her. "But I can handle myself."
"Yeah, I thought that too." She showed him her bandaged arms and he nodded. "As much as I fear some things, I know one thing for certain. You make me stronger. You give me something to fight for and someone to fight with."
He traced the line of her jaw. "I want to be in your room tonight."
"It'd be rude of me to deny the request of such an illustrious guest." She smirked up at him. He offered his own in return.
"What are you in here looking for?" He asked, looking around the study.
"Proof." She shrugged. "I have a suspicion but I don't want to worry the other leaders until I know for sure."
"Tell me." He sat on the desk and regarded her.
"I think the person orchestrating these uprisings, this war, is a relative of mine." She made a face as he deadpanned. "I know, I know. But hear me out. Until I came back from the dead no one fully understood that a Takani had to be alive and present for this land to prosper."
"You think a distant relative might want to take part in that prosperity?" He suggested.
"I think they might've put it together that the land and us have a different relationship. You've said yourself I'm stronger here. I feel it too. What if someone with Takani blood is out there? What if they feel the pull in their veins too and now they want to come here and take it?" She watched him process the information.
"Your parents and grandparents are all dead." He pointed out. "Your sister is too."
"My grandfather had two sons." She lifted two fingers. "One was chosen to rule, one wasn't. My father got the territory and his brother went somewhere else. There was word he had been killed and he's barely mentioned in the family journals. He may still be out there."
"Did you ever meet this mystery demon?" Hiei asked her, and she shook her head. "So you wouldn't know him if you saw him?"
"No. But I think Hataro would." She gestured to the sword she'd rarely been without over the last several months. Hiei nodded to her. "I'm looking for proof he exists, or existed, as it were. His name, his description, it has to be somewhere."
Hiei nodded and pulled the next installation off the shelf, flipping through it slower than she had. Ichi smiled at him, a lopsided grin. She nodded, accepting his help and they worked together through the afternoon until Kurama came to retrieve them. Hiei had asked her questions to clarify her idea, what he should be looking for.
"I think he might be a fire demon." She shrugged. "There seems to be that sort of complicated duoship in my family. Grandfather was a fire demon. First borns always seem to take after the Takani blood, wind. The others are a mixed bag. Kuya, for instance, was like mother and used light. Perhaps my uncle took after his father."
"Seems your family has a penchant for fire demons." Hiei smirked at her. She let her eyes drift down his form pulling his attention to other things, besides war.
"Must be why we hate being cold." She muttered and looked back to the book she was reading just before Kurama walked in. She pulled a patch on to cover her eye, not willing to let the fox in on her secret yet. Hiei wanted to call her on her comment but thought better of it in front of the kitsune.
"Have you found what you were looking for?" Kurama asked, glancing between the two demons.
"Not yet, but I think I'm close." Ichi smiled at him, a friendly gesture, but the exhaustion showed through. "Hopefully we can get you back to Ningenkai sooner rather than later, the lot of you."
"You won't be returning?" Kurama asked her, serious. Hiei watched her for her answer as well, recounting their recent conversation. She was still taking precautions, worrying.
"I may not be able to, what with Saito out to kill me and all." She explained with an idle wave of her hand. "I'll do my best."
Yomi, Mukuro and Yusuke were talking in the conference hall, spilled over the map Ichi had presented to them. In the back of her mind, she knew they were forming plots and plans, strategies of attack.
The sun sat high in the sky but was falling gradually toward the horizon, it was on the other side of noon. Amon-Shinpi stood on the top of her castle watching the villagers and armies below as the wind twisted her hair. The breeze was clean, refreshing, her eyes closed as she fell onto her other senses.
A familiar scent wafted toward her on the wind, drawing her attention to the back end of her estate. The mountain faded into the oasis, covered with greenery. She scanned the horizon then quickly wrapped her eye.
Hiei looked up to his woman teetering on the edge of castle's roof, her toes over the lip. His red eyes widened. She tensed, staring south of them. Then he called out as she ran and jumped.
The fire demon rounded the building in seconds, surprising more than a handful of men. Shinpi lowered herself to the ground slowly, wind pushing up to meet her. She ignored him for the moment and walked through the barracks to reach the backend of the property. Hiei followed her.
Then he caught it too, the scent of afternoon rain followed by something pure and cold. They stilled as Yukina and Kin Jiro broke through the tree line, looking haggard. Ichi felt her heart still in her chest, her mouth falling open as her blue eye widened. Hiei's fist tightened to the point of straining his knuckles.
Kin Jiro ran forward with a smile and threw himself into his sister's arms, though she didn't react much to the hug. Yukina ran toward them too, stopping short. Her smile faltered as her red eyes moved between Amon-Shinpi and Hiei.
"You're hurt." Were the koorime's first words as she moved to touch Ichi's face. The demoness recoiled, jerking away from the ice maiden. "Ichi, are you okay?"
The response was a blank stare at the green haired woman. Hiei held a similar expression on his face, and then the two demons looked at each other and seemed to connect on a deeper level.
"You should have stayed behind." Amon-Shinpi was the one to say it, earning confused glances from Kin and Yukina. "You're in danger just being here right now. We're preparing for battle and you two have no business near a war."
"She's right." Hiei seconded. "This is far too dangerous. I thought the barrier was sealed."
"We found a hole." Kin pulled away from his sister and blinked up at her. "You're not happy to see me, Ichi?"
"No." She kept her tone stern, surprising the fire demon. "I have missed you every day for seventy years, Kin, because you sought out trouble. Now here you are again."
"I missed you." He seemed crestfallen. His bottom lip began to tremble as his eyes watered. "I couldn't stand to see you sent away again."
Shinpi felt her resolve crack and she pulled her brother into a hug, her face still stony as she breathed in his youthful scent.
"You're not safe here." She muttered to him. "I can't protect you, the land, these people and myself all at once. I'm only one demon."
Hiei heard the sadness in her voice, the pang of being lost. So that's where her mind had been earlier, he realized. She wasn't sure if she could balance of these things and therefore wanted to prepare for the event of failure.
"Yeah, but you're Amon-Shinpi, the best demon." Kin looked up at her with a wide lopsided smile that made Hiei blink. Ichi sighed, unable to stay upset, and ruffled his hair with more vigor than necessary. He gazed at the barracks behind them with wide eyes and then looked around. "It's not just how I remember it, but it's very close."
"I didn't want anyone to know you were alive." Ichi grimaced as a few soldiers looked their way.
"We'll keep him safe." Hiei told her walking over and putting his own hand on the boy's head. Kin looked at the fire demon with a smile. "You're not alone anymore, Shinpi. You have me."
"And me." Yukina announced. "Kin and I did pretty well coming through the mountains on our own. He has quite the shield."
"A fighter's best weapon is their platform of defense." Amon-Shinpi and Kin Jiro cited together then grinned at each other. A wave of energy pulsed out toward them and Kin ducked behind Hiei, who raised his eyebrows.
Hayato ran up to them, looking distressed.
"Sir, I think I someone may be trying to lure you, I sensed-" Hayato came to a stop as he surveyed the scene. Yukina offer him a smile and a slight wave. He moved his eyes from her to the fire demon.
"Hayato, this may require a bit of explanation." Shinpi stated, starting the conversation. Hiei stared at her then smirked.
So, she hadn't even told her second in command about the boy's resurrection yet, but she had called for him as immediately as the others. For once, Hiei felt certain of his okami's boundaries with her right hand man.
Hayato looked at Hiei's legs and saw the boy hiding there. Blue eyes peeked out at him, uncertain, and dark hair was untamed. His eyes moved to his leader, who stared back with a contented smile.
"I know, I know." She raised her hands, as if to stave off an argument.
"Kin is hiding behind the fire demon." Hayato stated blandly, unsure of how he felt. "Why is Kin hiding behind the fire demon?"
"Because, unlike you, he knows I can protect him." Hiei smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Hai, this is a recent development." Ichi started again. The shaggy haired man turned to watch her. "I only just found out myself before coming here. I didn't have the heart to tell you that I'd left him behind. Things here have been moving so quickly."
"I'm sorry, Hai." Kin walked from behind Hiei hesitantly. "I should've listened to you instead of fighting."
"Yes, you should have." Hayato nodded sharply. "And you shouldn't have fought me."
"I'm sorry." The boy repeated, wincing. "I was scared."
"We both were." The light user sighed, looking wayward. "Milord, are you certain this is him?"
"I checked." Hiei vouched for the child, finding himself a little offended that Hayato was being so dismissive in front of Kin.
"Yes, and we should all just trust you absolutely." Hayato narrowed his eyes. "You would be the demon, actually, to know what Kin looked like. You'd be the one to know how she remembered him, wouldn't you, Jagan wielder?"
The accusation made Hiei growl darkly, moving Kin out of the way to approach the other man.
"How dare you accuse me of such deceit." Hiei snarled. "I would never use Kin's memory against Shinpi."
"I don't believe you." Hayato explained simply. "I don't trust you, fire demon. I don't trust the sway you hold over my leader. First all this nonsense about mating, and then offering you a position here in her cabinet, then offering Mukuro a piece of this place she loves more than almost anything. And now this."
"And now what? Spit it out." Hiei stepped forward another step, his aura crackling with danger. Kin's eyes widened and he looked to his sister for support but she simply shook her head.
"And now you go out of your way to display her weaknesses for all to see." Hayato stepped forward to.
Ichi walked over to the two men as they were about to close the gap between their bodies and she shoved an arm between their chests, pushing them apart. The borrowed aura touched Hiei's and leapt to life fire lapping over the bandages and seals.
"That's enough!" She shouted at both of them, the flames dying as she took a steadying breath. Both men stared at her. "You two cannot be at each other's throats now. We have too much at stake."
"But he's-" They both started to argue.
"I said, enough!" She snapped at them. "Hayato, do not forget yourself. This boy is Kin Jiro and Hiei had nothing to do with this. Hiei, stop antagonizing my second for one damn second. Hayato has a right to be concerned, you were none the better when you found out."
Yukina put a soft hand on Kin's shoulder as his sister tore into the two men verbally, offering her support. He nodded at her without speaking.
"He accused me of fabricating this!" Hiei snapped back at her. "He accused me of manipulating you."
"I am aware of the accusations, Hiei. I was standing right here." She reminded him darkly. "Kin, go inside and use the back way. I do not want you running into the other kings. Yukina, go with him."
"But-" Kin went to say something and was cut off with a steely glare. "Yes, sister."
"I want to slap both of you so hard your teeth loosen." She seethed quietly to them, sure the other two were gone. "None of us have time for this immature nonsense. I expected better from the both of you."
They both stewed in their own anger and she tried to loosen then tension in her shoulders.
"You're taking his side." They both shot at her and she let her expression fall into something darker.
"No. I am taking Kin's side, and mine." She stated for them. "I don't need defending."
"He's not worth your time, and I maintain this is a mistake in judgement." Hayato turned to his commander coldly.
"Jealousy is such a petty emotion." Hiei accused openly, staring at the light user.
"Fine. You know what?" She pulled her throwing knives out and handed one to each man. "Settle this. Whichever one of you manages to survive will be my second in command. I'm done with your squabbling."
They stared at the blades, then each other, then the woman.
"Go on then, kill each other. Break my heart, what do either of you care about it anyway?" She demanded of them. "The fight has started. Attack each other."
Both men remained still, each knowing that if they hoped to ever be anything to the demoness glowering at them, they couldn't attack the other. She continued to wait. Hiei glanced at Hayato, raised his hand and tossed the blade to the man's feet.
"He disrespected you." Hiei stated dryly.
"I'll deal with it." She told him coolly. The fire demon nodded once then turned his back on the other man.
Hours later, Hiei found Ichi by the hot springs. She sat with her legs in the water, her eyes turned skyward to watch the stars come to life as the sun ebbed below the horizon. The trees were thicker in this place now, the grass more lush.
"For the recond, Hayato is going to ask Miki to be his wife." Shinpi offered the information as though it had been a burning question Hiei wanted answered. "I hope they live a long, happy life together once this is over."
The fire youkai came to sit beside her, taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants to dip his feet and calves into the hot water. It was soothing on his muscles. They sat together in silence for a while, staring up at the stars. Hiei noticed a few flickering fireflies and remembered watching them with her the year before. Their lives were different now, far more so than he'd ever expected them to be when the tournament had started.
"How are you coping?" The question earned a curious stare from the fire demon. "With Yukina being here."
"I'm angry she came." Hiei admitted. "But knowing she's here gives me another reason to win this fight and be done with it."
Shinpi nodded her head.
Hiei studied her profile in the darkness. There was no moon, just stars. Her face was lifted toward the sky, her lips parted slightly in her reverie. Even with her freshly cropped hair she seemed feminine to him. He wondered if it was because he knew how soft her skin was under her clothing. The sudden pang of need to touch her body made him swallow. He missed being beside her, missed being able to reach out and touch her when he wanted to. He also desperately missed the faces she'd make when trailed his mouth over her skin.
It occurred to him that given her weakened state, they hadn't been together since before she'd gone missing. It was closer to five months now. Almost half a year he'd been unable to run his fingertips over her flesh, watching her reaction carefully.
"What on earth are you thinking about, Hiei?" His okami turned to raise her eyebrows at him. "You've got this look on your face that I've never seen before."
"I'm just realizing we have never taken full advantage of this hot spring." He offered her a fiery look that made her swallow.
Shinpi bit her lip and then looked down him again. It had been so long. She felt a tightening in her stomach. What was it? Ah, yes, she was nervous. Fighting the feeling, she pulled her shirt over her head and laid it behind her. Hiei watched her, not moving, as she undressed. Then she slipped into the water and smiled at him.
"It feels divine." She avoided going under as to keep her bandages as dry as possible. "Are you going to join me?"
Hiei stepped into the water carefully seconds later, making quick work of his clothes. Now he looked at her and studied the new scars on her shoulders and collarbone. He stalked forward until he had her against the natural wall of the spring, one hand on her hip, the other by her head. Here in the water she smelled as she should, like the earth after rain.
The fire demon nipped at her lips lightly, kissing her, then turned his mouth to her neck and throat, following the path down over the scars and skin. Ichi's fingers wound in his hair, making him smirk as she made small, controlled noises.
"Are you feeling strong tonight, my okami?" He breathed the words against her ear and she couldn't help the expectant smile she offered him as she nodded. Then he lifted her in the water, pressing her back against the cool earth that made the natural edge of the spring. Her legs wrapped around his hips and Hiei growled against her throat, unable to contain himself.
Her whimper of pleasure only drove him further into the sensation of her around him, holding him, touching him. Without thinking about it he pressed his mouth to the juncture of her shoulder and neck, biting and suckling the flesh as he did from time to time. He didn't care that Hayato had chosen someone else. It didn't matter. This woman was his.
One of Hiei's hands cupped the back of her thigh as they moved together, his other gripping the earthy wall to keep himself steady. Ichi pulled him to her mouth, kissing him deeply, hungrily. She had missed this just as much as he had. When her fingers trailed down his throat he offered it to her without pause and she hesitated.
Hiei had gone out of his way to leave marks on her neck before but she'd never done the same to him. Swallowing, she ran the tip of her tongue long his pulse then kissed her way back down, nipping at his skin along the way. The fire demon moaned and she found herself waiting again. Then, almost scared of his reaction she bit him. Not enough to break skin, never enough to break skin. It was just a nip to test the flesh and his reaction.
Hiei pressed against her harder and she gasped, her head thrown back as waves of ecstasy rolled through them both. He lowered his head and panted, a thrill still running down his spine. When he opened his crimson eyes, Amon-Shinpi looked away from him, her lip caught in her teeth.
"Stop that." He demanded and used his thump to free her bottom lip.
"I didn't mean to leave a mark." She muttered and eyed the forming impression of her teeth. "A little bite, yes, but I didn't mean to bruise you."
Hiei eyed her. "I leave marks."
"That's because," She went explain the difference and stopped herself. How could she explain that while she belonged to him, he wasn't hers?
"Because what?" He pressed the issue, scouring her face for answers. "Shinpi."
"Because," she sighed, "you're allowed to leave marks, Hiei. I don't assume the same privilege. You know I am yours for as long as you'll have me."
The meaning of her words made him growl at her lightly.
"Onna, leave all the marks you want on me. I don't care if people see them." He stated clearly for her. "Let them see we belong to each other."
She scanned over his face again, her expression open. She was worried about his response and he'd surprised her.
"Mukuro would disapprove. She called this a dalliance." Shinpi told him lightly.
"How do you know that?" He wondered, curious. He'd been alone with Mukuro when they'd been speaking.
"The wolves aren't very good secret keepers." She raised her eyebrows and he smirked. Ah, yes, the young red wolf.
"You use the wolves to spy?" He seemed mildly impressed. She shrugged.
"It's a capability. I try to keep them out of harm's way." She admitted. "I didn't ask her to follow you, if that's what you're wondering."
"I was wondering why you don't use them more." He told her, smirking.
"I said I tried to keep them from harm, not that I didn't use them." She chided him slightly, grinning. "Thank you for this, Hiei. It's been a long time."
"Too long." He agreed. "But you're healing now."
"We should get back to the castle. The others might look for us." She lowered her voice, letting her gaze settle on his eyes.
"They'll find me in your room in the morning." The youkai reminded, kissing her again, before releasing his hold. She grinned at him.
When they made their back to the castle a few people whispered. The matching bruises on their necks told a story their wet clothes only added to. Kurama raised his eyebrows as they headed up to the bedroom but kept his mouth carefully shut. They both looked happy for the moment and he didn't want to interrupt.
Hiei slept in only his pants, pulling his okami as close as possible as they settled into bed. The fact no long strands of hair smothered him in his sleep was subconsciously missed but he liked that he could press his face against the back of her neck. Shinpi slept soundly for the first time in months, wrapped in his arms and swathed in his scent.