No excuse for my long post…none! sowwy
As brittle and cold as the demon was on the outside, distant and emotionless, Hiei absolutely hated the snow. It was so fitting that their demon portal would open up to the war torn Makai in the dead of winter. He despised the ivory beads that lay on his coat and between his worn feet, melting into wet liquids as it hit his warm skin. It reminded him of his homeland, and he hated it.
It almost felt he was in another dream, his usual torment of the icy white island, bristling winds, and of course the snow. It was one of the few sights that sent shiver down his spine. And now that he was treading through what would seem to be a living nightmare with Ruri and his teammates, his sour mood almost doubled with each step. His dark red eyes stared up at Ruri who walked a few paces ahead of him with Tavik; he could tell she was just as uncomfortable and out of place as he was.
"So!" Yusuke shouted through the howling wind, "How far until we find this army base?"
Tavik turned around, his dark hair wiggling in the snow breeze, "About another day or so,"
"What!"
"Don't worry," Tavik reassured the now fuming teen, "we should be out of the snow once we cross the Enedra lake we will reach warmer climates."
"Well great, next time someone remind me to pack extra socks when we go off saving the demon world." Yusuke mumbled under his breath only to receive a laugh from Kurama.
"Shall I carry you Yusuke, for your sock's sake?"
"Hah save it fox boy, we all cant magically transform into foxes with fur on their toes like you!"
Ruri let out a laugh while she overheard the conversation only to cough as the cold air hit her lungs. Hunching over her shoulders her hands drew to her mouth to cover her frozen lips. She hated how weak her body was compared to the others around her. Though she was some sort of demon reincarnate, her body was still human, and susceptible to the cold.
"Are you alright?" Tavik asked while his hand drifted over to Ruri's hunched back only to quickly draw away as Hiei snarled from behind. Ruri took a deep breath before she stood upright, turning to smile at her other friends.
"I'm fine. Let's keep going."
Tenderly she wrapped her thick red scarf around her neck before her feet dug back into the snow only to be halted as Hiei grabbed at her sleeve before his fingers wiggled underneath the fabric to her skin.
"Hiei I'm fine! You can let…oh!" Her rant stopped as the touch of his fingers hit her bare skin. Instantly the warmth of fingers trailed up her arm to her body as his demonic heat coursed into her veins. Tenderly she closed her bright blue eyes as she relished in the heat. Turning her head towards her mate she gave a gentle smile before whispering a sweet thank you as she began walking through the snow.
"Hey," Yusuke teased from behind, "Aren't you going to share the warmth you little love birds."
"Hn," Hiei smirked before he turned towards his old nemesis with a strong kick to the earth as a wave of show crashed onto his green snowsuit.
"Gr, you little bastard…It's not funny Kurama!" The dark haired boy growled before he reached into the snow and tossed a white ball into the spirit fox's face. Kurama blinked as he spit a wad of snow from his mouth before his signature smile crossed his face,
"Are you declaring war Yusuke?"
"Demon snow fight!" Ruri interjected as she tossed a large snowball towards Yusuke and the others. The group broke their tight rank in the snow, running across the field, each taking their own positions in the snow before building their fortresses and arming themselves. Tavik stood in the middle of snow toss, his eyes confused at the strangeness of the group.
"What is this?" He asked aloud, "Why are we fighting?!"
Yusuke laughed as he threw a large wad of snow over towards Ruri, "You make a better door than a window Tavik! Go hide in the snow with Hiei!"
"Hn," Came the snarl from the dark eyed demon who was not hiding in the snow, rather out of dodge from the hail of snowballs. Tavik understood nothing, rather he made the perfect live target for Ruri and the others.
After a few moments of child's play the group finally settled back to their single file line trudging through the snow. It was dusk before they made their way to a mountain pass that sat between the lake and the resistance army. Kurama's former life had many resources, including a small hideout cave in the hillside. It resembled much of what Hiei's den in the human world, minus the large pile of golden treasure that the fox simply referred to as 'trinkets'.
"This place can keep us safe for the night." Kurama explained as he walked into the center of the small cave before throwing a pile of seeds on the frozen grounds, "It will keep us safe, and these seeds will provide us some warmth."
With a flair of his energy the seeds dug into the ground before sprouting into a large leafy plant. Stretching from their vine bore round orange fruits, their glow reflecting on Ruri's own curious face.
"So," She asked timidly while her hand reached for the plant, "what does it do?"
"It's a flame fruit bush," the fox explained, "You must eat the fruit to-"
"What?!" Yusuke exclaimed from behind, "Sorry but I'm not eating a fruit that is smoldering!"
"It won't hurt Yusuke," Kurama assured with a smile, "they will retain your body heat overnight."
Ruri stared at the glowing fruit before her fingers tentatively reached out towards the vine. Hiei had already snatched one for himself, his teeth sinking in to the orange juices.
"What's it taste like?" The dark haired teen asked only to receive a snarl from the fire demon.
"Tch, fruit? What else?"
Taking her mates snarl of approval Ruri plucked the orange fruit and began snacking on it, surprised at how delicious it actually was. Soon she found her freezing skin warm and tingly as the fruit began to warm and absorb into her skin. The chill that had plagued her since their arrival was now replaced with a sense of pleasantness, and heat.
Considering that their first day wasn't met with death or disaster Ruri's earlier hesitations of the demon world was slowly becoming unraveled; after all they were somewhat safe and sound in a cave and soon they would be reunited with Tavik's army. And perhaps they could put an end to Dendera's reign of terror.
"We should get some rest," Kurama advised as he stared at the moonlight from the cracks between the rocks.
"Yes," Tavik agreed only to pause, his words as Hiei shot him a glare.
"You can watch from outside." He commanded; his hand falling on the hilt of his sword giving further emphasis on his words.
"Guys, Tavik is helping us." Ruri mumbled in the demon's defense only to receive another growl from Hiei.
"Its alright," Tavik responded with a weak smile, "I can understand Hiei's reservations. And Besides, I could use the fresh air." Silently he rose to his feet before he made his way out of the cave.
"Damn Hiei, a little harsh don't you think?" Yusuke joked while rolling out his sleeping bag.
"Hn, that demon, is from the same nation as the lunatic we are chasing after." He answered while crossing his arms over his chest.
The teen rolled his eyes, "I think you're just jealous that you lost to her-"
"Can we not talk about that please?" Ruri murmured, her mind reflecting back to the bits and pieces of the memory of being nearly electrocuted alive.
"Ruri's right," Kurama added, "we have bigger things to worry about. Like finding the rebellion army-"
"And not dying in the process!" Yusuke interjected, "Does anyone else get the strange déjà vu feeling of saving the human race for the umpteenth time in a row?"
"The stakes seem much higher this time." The fox nodded with a sly smirk.
Ruri curled her knees to her chest while she gingerly rocked back and forth, "So, does this mean that I'm on an official Spirit Detective journey?"
"Hah, considering Spirit World isn't on my ass about 'doing the right thing' I would say this is more like a pro bono case." Yusuke smirked while he stretched his long arms in the air with a yawn.
"Why isn't Spirit World involved?" Ruri questioned allowed, "You would think that they would want to intervene, or turn time back again, right?"
"Spirit World is more of a mediator between the Human and Demon world," the fox explained, "they don't get involved when it comes to the politics of the Makai. Patrolling the open barrier and sealing off exits to the human world is as far as they will go."
"Hn, demon traitors." Hiei added with a snarl.
"So as usual it's just us, once again saving the world…or worlds I will say." Yusuke spoke while shrugging his shoulders. "Now can we get some sleep, I need my beauty rest before I slay some demons."
The rest of the group nodded while they all settled to their respected areas around the small cave. Kurama and Yusuke stayed across from the glowing plant while Ruri and Hiei found themselves on the opposite side. Ruri rolled her sleeping bag on the floor before she snuggled under the thin layer of plastic that shielded her from cold. Twisting her body around in the sleeping bag she stared at her mate who sat leaned against the rock wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"So," Ruri whispered softly, "…are you….comfortable over there?"
"Hn."
"So you don't want any…blankets?"
"Hn."
"Hmph, hn back to you." Ruri snarled under her breath before she threw the blankets over her head.
"Just cuddle with her already!" Yusuke's muffled voice was heard from underneath the blankets. Ruri shot the detective a look before she growled and further dug herself underneath her blankets before forcing her eyes to close. As to her usual expectations, Hiei did not do the typical chivalrous boyfriend thing and snuggle up to her, rather she could feel Hiei's aloofness distance himself further from the group. Well, what could she have expected anyways? Rather than dwell on the negative and typical Hiei behavior her mind slowly wandered into a dream.
Since her nightmares of Princess Nathifa's life haunted her dreams, Ruri hated closing her eyes to sleep every night. Yet surprisingly once her mind wandered into this particular dream she found herself in her old childhood apartment, yet the once dusty walls were now refurbished as if brand new. She was even decorated in a odd blue and white dress. Ruri decided to ignore this once again and enjoy the dream that laid out in front of her. Her hands touched the soft fabric of the dress before she wandered over to the large black grand piano. Her delicate fingers tapped on the ivory keys while her ears mused to the gentle sounds of the tunes. Though this was a dream, it was beautiful, and lifelike.
Turning her head from the piano her eyes set upon another sound her mind had thought would be forgotten, yet when the oh so familiar hum of their fathers voice filled her head she nearly darted across the open living room towards the kitchen, shocked to see her father standing before her.
"Darling," Umoto spoke with a smile.
Ruri was surprised her body still held her up. Her father, her only sort of family and childhood stood before her in complete health. His body wasn't bruised and broken like her old memories, and his smile glistened better than she had expected.
"Dad?" Was all Ruri could mutter from her still shaking lips.
Umoto still smiled while he held out his arms towards his daughter. Ruri remained tense, yet her wall soon broke and she found herself rushing into her father's arms, her body shaking at the touch of his arms around her.
"I missed you," Ruri muttered from inside his closed arms, "why are you back?"
"Ruri," Umoto answered with a smile, "I will always remain this way in your mind. You have never had the courage to bring me to life."
"I'm sorry." She answered, almost laughing while she conversed with her own thoughts. This was a dream, yet it was slowly morphing into a hellish nightmare.
"You can stay." Umoto's voice broke the shared silence between them. Ruri jerked her head from her fathers arms to stare at his dark brown eyes.
"What?"
"Yes," Umoto answered while he continued to hug his daughter, "this can be more than a dream, you can stay in here forever."
Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly began to peel herself away from her father, "But, this is a dream…I'm making this up?"
"Yes and what a marvelous dream!" Umoto laughed while he raised his hands in the air, "You have the power now to lock yourself away in your mind. We can live here, in this world together." His hands circled around her round face, "No more wars, no more scars on your perfect body, nothing but you, and me. Like old times."
It was strange Ruri considered what her…well what seemed to be her father's words. This was a dream that she had always had, yet this was a past memory. Her life, though now chaotic and extremely dangerous, it was her life. She had friends, a blended family, and Hiei. In lieu to her father, was it all worth it?
"Dad," She began with a sullen smile, "I love you…but, I have a, a life outside of this dream. I found someone I care about a lot…and I won't, I won't leave him. Aren't you happy for me?"
"You're speaking irrationally." Umoto chuckled while his hands tightened around her face, "you should go lie down and rest, I'll make you your favorite peppermint tea."
Ruri's jaw caught in her mouth as she clasped her hands on her fathers arms, yanking herself from his grip.
"I hate the smell of peppermint…who, who are you?"
Umoto's glare deepened before his once brown eyes morphed into black orbs. Ruri backed against the kitchen walls as her father morphed from her once loving parent to a dark, green skinned monster. Ruri darted towards the doorway towards the living room only to fall onto the hard wooden floor. Umoto grabbed at his daughters hair before forcing his hands around her neck. The young girl let out a gasp before her hands clasped on top of his in attempt to pry his fingers from her neck.
"Don't you want to go to sleep?" Umoto asked in a twisted chuckle, "I can take care of you like old times!"
"Get off of me!" Ruri growled while she still struggled with the demon claiming to be her father. Her body weakened under the strain of his hands as her fingers slowly began to tingle and fall from her grip. Her eyes rolled towards the ceiling of the apartment only open wide as fresh air filled her lungs. Her body dropped to the floor only to scramble to her feet to stare at the demon's blank face before he too collapsed on the floor. Ruri stared at the body in shook before she looked up to a familiar yet scowling face.
"Hiei," She managed to choke out as a rattle of coughs racked her body.
"Wake up," He spoke to her calmly. "Open your eyes."
His voice seemed to echo, slowly fading from her ears as the once sound apartment seemed to rattle around her as her dream began to crumble around her. As if a gust was pulling her towards the surface her mind went blank only to open revealing herself back in the damp cave and comfort of her sleeping bag. Her body jolted up to a sitting position, almost knocking foreheads with Hiei who hovered over her sleeping form. Turning a panicked head towards the cave she saw Yusuke and the others slumbering peacefully. Was that a dream ,or was it a true reality?
"You are going to fall into cardiac arrest if you don't calm yourself you fo-" The demon couldn't finish his rant before bracing himself as Ruri thrust her body upon him. Her hands clasped around his black cloak while her body sunk into his chest, tears forming around her eyes.
Hiei remained calm and stoic as usual, yet his calloused hand wormed around her body in a soft embrace.
"I thought he was back," Ruri murmured between heavy sniffs, "I thought he came back to me."
"That wasn't your father," Hiei spoke as his chin rested between the locks of her curly hair, "Dendera poisoned your dreams."
"I don't want to go to sleep again." She spoke only to cause a soft growl from her mate. Hiei released his arms from around her back to rub against the soft skin of her face.
"Don't let that fool try to frighten you." He warned with a hint of concern in his voice. "She is a coward."
"A smart coward." Ruri countered with another sniff from her nose, "How did you know?"
"Hn, I can sense your energy, and my Jagan can infiltrate your mind and dreams, the perks of being bound to you."
Ruri let out a soft chuckle at her mates horrible sense of humor. She still remained clutched in his touch, her eyes almost drifting off into a day dream before she heard her mates voice once again.
"Did you mean that?"
"What?" Ruri mused, "Me hating peppermint tea?"
"Hn…"
Ruri smiled, perhaps her first real smile since she had awoke from her dream, "I meant every word I said. I wouldn't trade for a perfect dream unless you are in it, the real you."
Hiei paused, absorbing his words before he let out a smirk, "even in your imagination I'm still having to save you."
"Hmph, well maybe if you let me into your mind once in awhile I could save you from…stuff!"
"I don't dream." The demon answered casually.
"Meh, I don't dream," Ruri repeated in her snarky 'hiei voice' as she tried once again tried to snuggle in her blankets. Her body froze once again as Hiei still kept his grip on her body. He shifted his weight towards her, pressing his body against hers while the heat of his skin radiated on her. Taking a deep breath she turned her body to face her mate, sadness still residing in her eyes.
"I don't want to lose anyone else." She whispered softly.
Hiei continued his stoic stare into her eyes, "That is a promise I can't make to you."
Her plush lips turned into a pout while she inhaled her mates scent. She waited, hoping her mate would follow with a snide comment, something comforting to let her know that they would win this battle, and everything and everyone would be okay. But it didn't come.
"Then what can you promise?"
Hiei remained still in her arms before speaking, "Your safety."
Ruri knew he didn't want to answer anymore questions and decided it would be best to enjoy the simplicity of the nights they had together before the final battle. Staring up at her mate she had realized he was suddenly asleep, causing a smile to cross over her face. Well, if Hiei could reach into her mind, they perhaps she could do the same. Closing her own eyes she wandered her sub consciousness until she finally felt Hiei's aura from afar. Suddenly her dark world went white before her mind transported into a large open field. Was this Hiei's dream?
Spreading apart her fingers she felt the warming heat from the sun and gentle waves of the winds around her. She had never seen this earth before, but it felt so familiar. Another blow of wind rushed past her as her eyes darted around towards such a strange sound.
The laughter of children.
Finally she had found the source; the sight almost caused her heart to stop for the second time in her life. She wanted to run, run towards him, but rather she crouched down in the tall grass, almost hiding herself from her mate. She didn't want to disturb this moment in his mind. He probably didn't even know that she had snuck into his dreams.
Near the center of the large field a small child was twirling around in the grasses, laughing at herself while she tried to keep her balance on her left foot. Ruri could still see her hands flailing around in the air. The girl suddenly stopped before a smile crossed over her face. Ruri finally had a good look at her. She knew what she was, and what Hiei's mind wanted her to be. The similarities where uncanny; disturbing in the most beautiful of ways.
She was looking at Hiei's imaginary daughter,
Their daughter.
See you next chapter! Rate and review!
Across the demon plains Dendera sat upon her ivory throne while watching the burning fires and chaos erupt in front of her from the recent battle. Soon she would find the portal big enough to thrust her army into the human world. Or at least she would rip the worlds apart and force her way in.
Staring off into a blue orb her clawed hands bound into a fist, "Stupid girl."
She could see Ruri snuggled up to her mate, as well as the other slumbering peacefully around her. She had spies everywhere. It was cheating, but it made her games so much more fun. She never played by the rules as a child anyways. Of course she would have survived, Dendera didn't know why, but she figured her foolish friends shared their life energy and somehow brought her back. She didn't care anyways, she would just beat her again.
"Guard!" The queen ordered with a snap of her fingers. Her minion rushed to her side with a bow, his face covered by a black skull mask.
"Yes my queen?"
"What have you gathered about our weak little rebellion army?"
"Well your majesty ,Yusuke Urameshi is from the human world, he was the former spirit detective and-"
"Boring!" She shouted into the air, "Who are their loved ones, how can I weaken them?"
The guard paused before speaking, "Yusuke has a wife, and Kurama an estranged lover from the human world."
The orb twisted into a view from the human world with Karen Watanabe and her daughter. Karen seemed to be walking young Sylvia to school. Dendera smiled at this.
"Perfect." She giggled, "Call our informants from the human world. I want her, alive….if you can of course."
"Yes your majesty."
