29. Changes

He had a splitting headache.

It was the first thing that Hiei was certain of when he woke up. The room spun dangerously and he closed his eyes, rubbing them to dispel the dizziness. When he was sure it was safe, Hiei opened his eyes to find himself laying in the middle of a room covered in…

Ice?

He rolled over and got to his knees as he scanned the room with wide eyes. He recognized the room as Mukuro's, but he knew that it should not have been covered in a layer of ice. The last thing he could remember was speaking with Mukuro and watching her leave before waking up and he knew that he had passed out, but from what?

"I respected your decision then and will do so now…"

Hiei narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he remembered the last thing that Mukuro had said to him before he had hit the ground. Now, he could not sense any other demon on that floor and he forced himself up from the iced over floor. Getting to his feet, he carefully made his way to the washroom attached to the bed chamber. He threw his shoulder against the iced over door repeatedly until it finally gave way and opened. Hiei stepped in and examined the bathroom with a critical gaze, finding that the only thing affected was the floor which was now coated in a thick, slick sheet of ice. Something inside of his gut propelled him forward and the demon moved, stepping in front of the full length mirror Mukuro had upon the wall, his eyes widening. He stared at his reflection dumb-founded. He knew that it was a reflection, but to Hiei, the person in the mirror was a complete stranger.

His once spiky black hair was now flat against his scalp and a deep, almost black, teal with a white streak in the middle. His skin was still tanned and scarred, but he was standing a good few inches taller than before, and he had…

Wait…

Why was he naked?

And where the fuck did his dragon go?

His right arm, once the home of his dragon, was now bare, empty of the powerful Dragon of the Darkness Flame that wrapped around his arm from shoulder to wrist. He stared down at his arm in disbelief, almost positive that he was wrong, but as he rubbed the spot where the dragon once was, he found it to still be missing and not simply hiding. He was baffled. The dragon was a part of him just like his Jagan, which was wide open and staring into the mirror as he returned his gaze to his reflection, taking note of another change. His eyes. His left eye was no longer a deep crimson, but instead it was now a deep teal like a koorime's and it hit him like a jagged knife stabbing into his stomach as the realization dawned on him. All of this was hidden deep within his entire being; a power he was unable to wield until he reached his hundredth year of life—his maturity. The state of Mukuro's chamber now made sense to him. Sometime during the change, his koorime powers were released, coating the bedroom in ice.

Hiei stared at his reflection, unsure of what to make of his appearance. The Detective would laugh. The Fox would ask him a thousand questions and Yukina—

Yukina would realize who he was…

His stomach twisted. He spent the last five years trying to convince her to stop searching for her twin brother, dodging her questions and going with the 'news' his made-up source had given him. He told her that her brother was dead. Gone. He had not wanted her to know him and his shame, but now there was no hiding it. The moment that she saw him, she would know. Spotting a koorime was simple. Spotting a half breed was easier, especially if they looked like this. He stared at his reflection in horror.

He was part koorime and Yukina would know it.

Would she hate him for lying to her all of this time? For always redirecting the conversation whenever she brought up the subject of her brother and refusing to continue his search for her? Would she be ashamed to have a criminal as a brother? A twin? He shuddered at the thought. What if she was angry with him? She would have every right to be, after all, and she could easily tell him to never see her again. Could she ever forgive him? Could he stand her wrath?

Hiei shook his head as he raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. The great Hiei of the Jagan does not dwell on what-ifs and now was not the time to start. He could just go to the Fox and ask what to do. Kurama was a wise demon beyond Hiei's years and he would know what to do…

"Sometimes, you have to take a chance."

Or…maybe he would tell him the same thing he did yesterday when they were talking about the onna. He growled in annoyance and went to leave the washroom when a splash of color on his back caught his attention. He turned away from the mirror, looking over his shoulder at his reflection with wide eyes and was stunned.

Upon his back were two dragons with intertwining tails, climbing up his back from his hips to his shoulder blades. On the right was his dragon, the black dragon of the darkness flame, and on the left was the new dragon which was a pale blue. He did not fail to notice the eyes of both dragons. His black dragon's left eye was the same dark teal like his own and the right was the same crimson red it had been before while the blue dragon had a crimson left eye and a teal right one. It was obvious that this second dragon was of ice and snow, something he was not familiar dealing with, and he knew that he had no choice but to go to the Fox and figure out what to do before his sister saw him.

But first, he needed to find some clothes.

o~*~o

The sun was high in the sky that afternoon and as it began its descent for the day, a battle raged in the small training field behind the Tourin castle that Hiei used for her training. Her mind drifted again and again to the fire demon who had disappeared three days ago and her concentration was beginning to—

BAM!

Aria hit the ground. The force of the blow she had taken to the stomach sent her skidding across the field. Dirt flew up around her as her shoulder took the impact, digging into the ground as she sailed across the field, landing in a small crater her body made from the force of her landing.

"And here I thought that you would be a challenge."

Aria forced herself up onto her feet, swaying dangerously as she tried to regain her breath. Her thoughts travelled away once more as she glared at her opponent. The Alaric king's presence made her angry and as Mukuro began to advance, she had to calculate a better defensive strategy.

She leapt away as Mukuro attacked, glaring at the demon king as she landed a few yards away. As Mukuro stood, Aria could not help but to glance at the castle doors, hoping to find Hiei watching her, but the fire demon was still missing. Aria ducked from a swipe of Mukuro's hand, only to get a foot at her jaw, sending her sprawling to the ground. She got on her knees, shaking her head. If she did not pay attention, she would be defeated. A shadow fell over her and she rolled away from the demon king once more and jumped to her feet.

Mukuro observed her opponent as she got up again and frowned. Was this child really willing to continue being beat upon by one of the strongest demons in the Makai? Mukuro scoffed as the girl fell into a defensive stance that she was all too familiar with.

"Are you done?"

Aria shook her head. No, she was not done. She moved a second too late and Mukuro gripped her shoulder and spun, tossing her away. Aria flipped and landed with ease. Training with Hiei, she had plenty of practice regaining her footing from being thrown around and Mukuro's toss was no different. She hopped to the left, causing Mukuro to fly past her and she turned, kicking her foot out and catching Mukuro in the back. She lunged at the Alaric lord, scratching, kicking and punching any place that she could. Her offensive turn around sent Mukuro on the defensive and it was enough time to gain the upper hand for the moment. It was not until Mukuro ducked and lunged at her, that Aria hit the ground again, her head hitting a large rock. Spots popped into her sight and with all the strength she could muster, Aria threw Mukuro off of her. She rubbed at her eyes and stumbled to her feet, trying to ignore the dizziness and pain in the back of her head. Unfortunately, she felt her conscious slipping as she stood to face the demon lord once more.

Mukuro got to her feet and watched the child, surprised that she was able to throw her away so easily. Despite a hard blow to the head, the child still stood up to fight. She did not expect to have this much difficulty with a mere kid, but realized that Hiei must have been serious about teaching her the basics of fighting. He was the same one who trained her own personal soldiers, readying them for combat, should she need to send them out, so she should not have been surprised. Still, she could not believe this girl. She was obviously distracted and her lack of concentration was leaving gaps open in her defenses, but yet she was so determined to fight back that she continued to get back up every time she was knocked down. Mukuro prepared herself for another bout when the child pitched forward suddenly, hitting the ground without resistance. Crimson stained her hair, blood seeping from the wound she had obtained moments ago on the back of her head and with a sigh, Mukuro picked the child up and began to make her way back into the castle, feeling a familiar, yet strange, energy approaching.

Hiei was going to be pissed.

o~*~o

Three days.

He had been out of commission for three whole fucking days! When he left Mukuro's chambers that afternoon after finding some pants, he had gone to the mess hall to retrieve food. A maid informed him of Mukuro's absence and updated him on the three days he had been asleep, locked away in that room while his energies spiked and plummeted, scaring some of the other workers in the castle away.

Now, he was running through the trees on his way to Tourin. He vaguely remembered the fight he had with his ward after the breakfast fiasco they had dealt with and how she looked laying down in bed after her shower. He stopped, landing in a tree and growled. This was not the time for him to be aroused, yet his member rejected all forms of obedience as he pictured her laying there helpless, yet reactive to his touch. Suddenly, he could recall the curvature of her bosom and the way the grey fabric rose up her stomach. The scars that littered her smooth skin were visible and he remembered the sigh she made as she leaned into his hand, nuzzling his palm with her face. He remembered the position of her body so vividly, that his imagination began to race with—

No! This was out of control!

The onna was attractive, he could no longer deny that, but he did not wish to have relations with her. He protected her because it was his job. She was his ward, nothing more, but his erection seemed to think otherwise. He groaned, turning and kicking the trunk of the tree before flitting off towards Tourin. The faster he got back the better. He needed to talk to Kurama about this uncontrollable arousal he felt as he thought about the girl he had left behind three days ago.

Shit. He could not believe he was knocked out that long.

The Tourin castle came into view and Hiei hurried, pushing himself to go faster. He reached out, searching for the correct energy signal when a scent wafted to his nose and he skidded to a stop. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, sniffing the air. The scent was extremely familiar and his eyes snapped open as he turned, running towards the scent he had picked up.

The Fox could wait. The onna was hurt.

He entered the castle easily and darted through the corridors until he reached the room where the scent was strongest. He pushed the doors open and slipped in, following the scent of the onna's blood until he reached a cot surrounded by his companions and Mukuro. He stayed back, catching the three in the middle of an argument.

"Still!" Yusuke raged, pointing a finger at Mukuro, "If you hadn't've started talking shit, she wouldn't have gotten mad! She's barely had a break since Hiei vanished after the shit with Serenade!"

"And what is this 'shit' you speak of, boy?"

"Allow me," Kurama interjected, stepping between the two kings, "You said that Hiei had gone to Alaric and would be staying for a few days, correct?"

Mukuro nodded and Hiei slunk back into the shadows.

"Well at breakfast that morning, Lady Serenade was upset with how Lady Aria was spending time with Hiei over her mother and clan members, and it escalated after Hiei and Lady Aria returned from their training session a bit beat up. Lady Serenade was getting a little out of control and—"

"She told Serenade to fuck off without having to say it." Yusuke scoffed, "Someone had to. She was talking about Hiei like he was a monster or something."

Mukuro glared, "Continue."

"Yes, well, Lady Aria fled the room after Hiei told her she could go. I found out a little bit later that they had returned to training because Lady Aria was upset and it was an easy way to work out what she was feeling. After that, Hiei left. Before you arrived, Lady Aria was searching for Hiei and she ended up being confronted by Serenade again." Kurama said with a sigh. "It was not easy for her. Yukina brought her to Mirajah's room before she could do anything she might regret, but Lady Aria is emotionally unstable because of the constant push and pull she is getting from her mother."

Hiei scowled. The stupid leader went after his ward in his absence? But why was Mukuro being yelled—

"Yeah. The kid's been trying to figure out where Hiei went and then you come in here, tell everyone, but her, where he went and then piss her off, too! What the hell?" Yusuke demanded.

"I wanted to see just how pathetic she was. Hiei mentioned that she was a demon without knowledge of the demon world or her own capabilities and that he would train her to defend herself. I still cannot believe that she's taking up so much of his time." Mukuro replied, "However, I will say that she has learned well. She was half distracted the entire fight and still managed to get quite a few good shots in. I'm curious to know how well she'd do in a fight where she's actually concentrating on the task of staying alive."

Distracted?

"Yes, but was it necessary to speak of Hiei in such a way?"

"Hmph." Mukuro grunted, "You know what I do, if not more, fox boy. I think you can piece it together."

Something only the two of them knew dealing with him? The only thing they shared right now was his maturity and…

That bitch! Did she really go to the onna about his confusion on finding her attractive?!

"Huh?" Yusuke asked, confused, "The hell are you talking about now, Mukuro?"

"What she means is that she was testing Lady Aria."

"Testing her for what?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes at Mukuro, "She was testing Lady Aria's feelings for Hiei. She wanted to know if she is worth Hiei's attention."

Hiei was fuming. The fox and his king were pissing him off. He told them those things in confidence! They should not be divulging that information to the Detective! He went to step forward when the sound of sheets shifting caught his attention. He moved in the shadows, watching the onna as she woke up, rubbing her eyes before cringing and gripping the back of her head. The pain displayed on her face looked as though it were mild discomfort and Hiei felt relief wash through him for a moment as Yusuke pointed a finger at Mukuro again.

"Are you serious?!" he roared, "Do you know what Hiei will do to me if he comes back to find her hurt?!"

"Well, I had hoped that she would have stayed down, but she refused." Mukuro said, watching the girl sit up, rubbing her wrapped up wound tenderly. "Decent to say the least. She took a full kick to the stomach and still got up. Even Hiei was down for a few minutes the first time I kicked him in the stomach."

Hiei's duo colored eyes widened. She actually attacked the onna with every ability she could while the onna was distracted? He found it underhanded even for Mukuro. What was she playing at? First, she was telling him that he needed to act on the feelings the onna made him feel and then she's beating the girl down like she was her enemy. He did not understand her reasoning. He watched the four as the onna sat up and looked around, her eyes falling from the argument to him and her eyes widened. She tilted her head at him and he put a finger to his lips, telling her to be still.

"Must you be so rough on her?" Kurama asked with a sigh.

"Of course."

"I'd like to know what you said that pissed her off." Yusuke admitted. "One sec, I'm walking with Kurama and the next you're hitting the wall in front of me."

"Well, I told her how pitiful she was. A lost puppy searching for her mast—"

Mukuro turned, catching the girl's fist in her hand. She looked the child in the eyes and saw the pain behind them. It was fresh and raw, like an open wound still bleeding and she watched the girl's body shake with emotion. There was something about that statement that riled the child up and she was going to use it to her advantage.

"Lady Aria, please." Kurama said, gripping her shoulder gently, "It's okay."

Hiei stayed in the shadows, but reached out to the onna with his Jagan. Masking his energy to keep from being detected now that the arguing has slowed, he closed his eyes, letting the Jagan seek out the information he wanted to know. He felt himself being pulled in when he was being slammed into a wall.

~x~

Laughter.

Cruel, cold laughter echoed around him as Hiei came up from the murky haze, head swimming with a throbbing in his back. Opening his eyes, he found an elder male standing over him with a crooked smile. Hiei's eyes widened and he quickly scrambled to his feet, moving his gaze from the man to the floor. He dipped his front forward in a deep bow, but he hit the ground again as a hard slap across his face sent him flying down onto the ground. The man gripped at his hair and pulled him up, forcing him to look up at the man who grinned down at him with a wicked smile.

"My son has been too nice to you." The man sneered, "It's about time for you to learn your place."

A right hook slammed into his stomach knocking the air out of him and the force of it knocked him back into the wall. A foot connected with his jaw, snapping his face to the side as the laughter echoed around him again. As Hiei looked up at the man, his elderly face began to morph before his eyes, bleeding and blending into a familiar face. The moment his eyes met with the magenta ones of the bastard, Hiei wanted nothing more than to jump up and rip his throat out, but the body he was in only shook as the boy reached out for him. He gripped Hiei's throat dangerously and lifted him up, slamming his back into the wall as a fist connected with Hiei's temple.

"You're pathetic…"

Hiei looked at his captor, a curse on the tip of his tongue, but his body was not his own. Instead, he squirmed in the brothel lord's hand as the adolescent grinned wickedly.

"Who said that you had permission to sleep, whore?"

He shook his head. No one. No one had given him permission. It was a mistake! He did not mean to fall asleep! He—

The air was sucked from his lungs as the demon Takeshi punched him hard in the stomach once, twice, three times, four; until he was satisfied. He dropped Hiei to the ground, smirking as he attempted to regain his breath.

"That should teach you, you little brat." He said grinning down at Hiei with a twisted grin. "You're a worthless piece of fuck meat. Remember that, whore."

Gripping his stomach, Hiei nodded in understanding as he opened his eyes and catching sight of his own body. His tiny palms were burnt and blistered from a recent burn he had seemed to acquire and as he tried to rip his consciousness from the onna's, whose body he was in, he cringed at the pain in his temple after the bastard punched him once more. He heard Takeshi speak but could not make out his demands and he glanced up to try and read the adolescent's lips, only to receive a hard slap across the face before his air supply was cut off once more. Hiei clawed at the bastard's arm as he tried to pull him away to breath, but was easily thwarted as Takeshi pushed his body against his, grabbing one of his blistered palms and digging his nail into it dangerously.

"You love to break the rules, don't you?" he sneered.

Hiei could not breathe! He thrashed about in the young Takeshi's grasp but was unable to free himself. Was this what the onna was seeing right now? Was she seeing Takeshi's face and feeling all the pain he had inflicted upon her? Were Mukuro's words triggering this memory?

"Or…Maybe you like being punished?"

Hiei's stomach churned at the grotesque suggestion and he could not tell if the repulsion was his own or the onna's. He thrashed about again, feeling tears upon his cheeks as a strange fear rolled inside of him. Another slap across the face clouded his vision with spots of color and he stopped struggling as he tried to clear his head.

"You've been bad." The bastard taunted him, digging his nails into Hiei's blistered palms again. "It's about time you learned your place." Takeshi sneered, repeating the older man's words, "As an obedient puppy, hmm?"

He grinned at Hiei maliciously as the world spun for Hiei who barely registered the knife that Takeshi withdrew from his pocket and pressed against his neck with a lick of his lips, "A filthy, fucking mutt."

~x~

Hiei was ripped from the memory. He could hardly stop his thoughts from spinning as a hand gripped his shoulder, shaking him as a familiar voice called out to him through the haze.

"-ei..Hiei! Yo! HIEI!"

He pushed the detective off of him as he growled out a 'hn'.

"Yo, whats with you, man?" Yusuke asked, looking the hanyou over before snickering, "And…what's with the makeover?"

Hiei was silent. They all stared at him waiting for a response, but he pushed past the Detective and ambled to the onna's side. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were glassy with tears. He peeled the Fox from her, giving Kurama a heated glare. He would deal with the king and vulpine later. Aria slammed into him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched him tightly. It had been three long days without him and she found herself unable to hold herself back. Her silent wails rocketed through her as she clung to him and Hiei brought a hand to her head. He examined the bandages, finding the back stained crimson. He glared.

"Hiei. Welcome back." Mukuro said, eyeing the girl within his grasp. "I see that you've taken to your maturity."

Mukuro's eyes widened as Hiei's gaze snapped to her with a furious glare. The sobbing demoness clutched him tightly even as he twisted to give her his best death glare.

"You have tested my patience well enough, Mukuro." He growled. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I was simply testing her." She replied, crossing her arms. "I do not see what the problem is."

"Do not call her such things again, Mukuro." Hiei hissed.

Kurama coughed, trying to break the tension. "That's enough of that. Lady Aria has just awoken. I do not believe fighting is going to help her recover."

At the mention of her name, Aria pulled back and away from Hiei, averting her gaze. With a deep frown, he watched her. Her tear stained cheeks bothered him and he reached over and placed his palm against her forehead.

That's enough. No more crying.

He watched her nod and traced his fingers over the bandage, searching for other injuries to no avail. Mukuro gave him a curious glance as he gently pet the girl's head, careful of her injury. Hiei was not soft, by any means, but the images in his head, the life he lived through this woman's memories, shook him to his core. He knew what it felt like to feel like a punching bag. He knew what it felt like to be lonely. To be abandoned. He had known from the very start that the onna was different and he believed that she was a weak, pathetic whelp that needed to be babysat because she was a dysfunctional mess, but in all truth, the onna was one of the strongest demons he had ever met. Taken from a life of servitude and sexual slavery, she was able to start a life of her own with help from him. From day one, he was handed this responsibility and he had failed it once. That one time brought into perspective the value he put into this woman's life, but the way his heart had accelerated when he reached the castle to smell the scent of her blood, he knew that his feelings towards the onna had undoubtedly changed.

Aria closed her eyes and leaned into Hiei's palm as he pet her head. His fingers through her hair felt divine despite her depressed demeanor. A part of her felt ashamed for crying. She knew that he loathed the weak and that crying was a sign of weakness, but she could not help it. The memories she had of her time in captivity, used and abused like an animal, made her stomach churn and her skin crawl. The idea of being referred to like that again created an inferno inside of her that she could not control. A tantrum that she had no way of telling would happen until Mukuro had triggered it.

She shuddered.

"I don't see what the problem is. If she is easily offended by a few words, then she will never survive in the Makai." Mukuro huffed as she crossed her arms.

Hiei glared. "You know nothing of what you speak." He snapped.

The three demons stared at Hiei with wide eyes. Hiei had never raised his voice like that to any of the demon kings before, least of all Mukuro, but the tone was harsh and cold. A threatening promise beneath the words as he watched her with a growl. He looked like a wild animal ready to pounce in order to protect its territory. Kurama cleared his throat.

"I think we all need to calm down." The vulpine stated.

Mukuro stared at Hiei in disbelief. He had changed in more than just his appearances, it seemed, and she disliked it. Whatever spell the wretched child had placed on him was great because Hiei Jaganshi, heir to the Alaric throne, just threatened the Alaric lord without a second thought. It was…remarkable. Hiei only ever showed such a fierce devotion only to Yukina, but it seemed that now the princess had been added to the list. With a scoff, the king turned on her heel and left the infirmary without a word.

Hiei watched Mukuro leave through narrowed eyes. He did not break his glare until she had fully disappeared from sight. He returned his attention to the onna and took a seat on the edge of the bed to examine her dirt covered clothing. It was clear that the scuffle had been one sided by the state of her training clothes, but it really showed in the various amounts of bruising that was faintly beginning to appear on her pale skin. A snarl echoed in his ears, fierce and alarming, as he examined her to find cuts and scrapes that matched the length of her legs or arms, and he almost questioned it. It was not until Yusuke finally broke the silence that Hiei averted his gaze from the onna.

"Geez. I don't know what the hell got into her, but I'm sorry man. I should have been keeping an eye on her for you." The Spirit Detective sighed. "You alright, kiddo?"

Aria, who had turned her face away the moment she had pulled back from Hiei, finally turned to look up at the Tourin king. She gave him a curt, yet polite, nod before turning her face away to wipe at her swollen, tear-filled eyes. She wanted to stop crying. She really, really did. Yet the tears would not dry.

"I'm really sorry about all of this. I'll make sure to talk to the Council and tell them to lay off, too." Yusuke continued, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Hiei grunted as his eyes fell onto the onna once more. Her bandages were well done, probably the work of the Fox, and Hiei was satisfied that she was okay. It wasn't until the onna looked at him and pointed to her own eyes did he realize that he had yet to explain the strange alteration of his physical features.

"I'm surprised with the outcome of your maturity." Kurama stated as if reading the telepath's mind. "I wasn't expecting immense changes."

"Hn. Me either."

Aria tilted her head in confusion. Kurama sensed her need to ask something and he fetched her notebook and pen that she had discarded during the scuffle with Mukuro. The demoness took it with a small smile and swiped open the spiral bound book with ease. She scribbled out her confusion and turned it towards the fire demon.

What is maturity? Why do you look so different?

Kurama gave the girl a small chuckle. "Maturity is when a demon reaches their age of rearing. It's a sign of adulthood."

Aria nodded as she took in the fox demon's words.

"Hn. I was born of two elements." Hiei grunted. "I have only been able to use one all my life."

"Yes," Kurama continued. "Even I thought that Hiei was a full fledge fire demon, but it seems like the koorime inside of him was simply dormant until he reached his hundredth year."

Aria nodded again, but a smile broke out on her lips as she took her book back and scribbled some more. She turned it towards the fire demon and as his eyes scanned the script, he found himself smirking.

It looks good on you. You look more like you.

The phrase in itself seemed to baffle the Detective and the Fox, but Hiei found the statement reassuring. Surely, this is why children who were born on Koorime Island were tossed away when conceived sexually other than being born male. They would inherit the koorime powers later in life, but their fire was detrimental to their life on the island. It was lethal. He grunted his appreciation with a simple 'hn' and stood up. Immediately, Aria closed her book and got up from the bed with ease to follow him and he smirked again.

"Lady Aria, please," Kurama said with a concerned tone. "You should probably rest. You hit your head pretty hard."

Aria shook her head. Hiei had finally come back and with a childish huff, she refused to let him leave her sight at that moment. She felt at ease with him around and she wanted to have a moment of peace.

"She's fine." Hiei replied as he turned his face away from the onna and their friends to hide the faint traces of a chuckle as he watched her deny the Fox like a child. "I'm going to see Yukina."

Yusuke and Kurama stared at his with wide eyes.

"Whoa, wait. Are you serious?" Yusuke asked.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "You don't seriously think that I can continue to hide it."

Kurama's eyes widened. He had not thought about Yukina realizing just who Hiei was. He gave his fiery friend a smile and nodded.

"Good luck."

Hiei nodded and walked out of the infirmary with Aria on his heels. The sound demoness reached out as they stepped into the corridor and touch the dragons on his back. Hiei stopped, but the cool touch immediately jerked away. He turned towards the onna who stared at him with wide eyes. He quirked a brow.

The moment her hand had touched his back, she felt as if she were touching ice. In all her time knowing Hiei, his temperature was always above average. It was a warmth that she had grown accustomed to and the sting of icy cold skin had shocked her. Hiei frowned at the onna's reaction, but knew that his body temperature must have frightened her. He waited for her to move first and she glanced at him with an apologetic smile before she reached out to him again. He nodded as she wrapped her arms around his right arm and pressed herself against him, feeling the icy cold temperature. A silent sigh escaped her as she let herself adjust to the frigid demon and they were once again on their way to Yukina's room.

The half breed stood outside of his sister's door with an uneasy stomach. Aria watched him. She was curious why he wanted to see Yukina and just what exactly he was hiding. She gripped her notebook tight to her chest as she watched him raise his fist to knock, only to lower it for the tenth time. It looked like Hiei was having a difficult time trying to knock because he was worried. Aria frowned and tried to think of something to help when a crash echoed in the corridor behind her. Aria jumped and turned, ready to defend herself, but she only saw Mirajah standing there staring at the two of them with wide, disbelieving eyes. Behind her, Kurama stood awkwardly watching the illusionist as she began to splutter in shock, ignoring the broken glass at her feet.

"You…you…"

Shock melted into anger as she looked Hiei over and she stomped over to him.

"You bastard!"

The slap echoed in the corridor. Aria was wide eyed and horrified that Mirajah had slapped Hiei, but she was angry at the action requiring no provocation. Aria leapt in front of Hiei with a snarl on her lips as she glared at the illusionist.

The sting on his cheek brought Hiei from his stunned silence. He turned to look at the illusionist, but was more surprised at the onna's reaction. She crouched like a cobra ready to strike its prey as she stood in front of him protectively, her features contorted into a snarl and he was sure that she would have been growling if she had the ability to do so. He rubbed his stinging cheek with a mild glare.

"It was you! All this time! And you lied to her!" Mira hissed. "You knew that she was looking for you, you fucking idiot!"

Kurama moved forward and grabbed the feisty illusionist's arm, reigning her back from hitting the hanyou once more. He was sure that Hiei wouldn't try to defend himself, especially since Mirajah was Yukina's friend, but he was not so sure about Lady Aria. She bared her fangs at the raging demoness and protectively guarded Hiei as if he were…

He smacked himself in the forehead. He knew his answer now. Aria's immediate response was that of a mate and he almost groaned in annoyance, but Mirajah was his concern because he knew that if he didn't stop her, Lady Aria would.

"Mira, calm down." Kurama said, pulling her back a little. "Hiei had his reasons."

The illusionist whipped around with a glare at the fox demon. "You knew too! You knew and you didn't tell her! What kind of friends are you?!"

Kurama cringed at the verbal assault. "It wasn't my place to tell her."

"I threatened them with their lives if they ever told her." Hiei finally spoke up. He reached out and placed a hand on Aria's shoulder, pulling her to him. Her back pressed against his chest.

Calm down. Came his voice in her head. She has every right to be mad.

Aria hesitated, but nodded. She stood up straight and leaned against Hiei a bit until she was sure she was calm.

"Why? Why would you keep something like that a secret from her?! She loves you! She's missed her brother all of her life! How could you do that to your own family?!"

Mirajah's eyes blurred as tears clouded her vision. Kurama wanted to hold her, to reach out and hug her, but he had to make sure that a fight would not break out. He was unsure if Mirajah would strike Hiei again, but as the illusionist's glare melted, he was certain that her own loss had a part in propelling her forward to strike him.

"Do you know what it's like to lose the one thing you love the most?" Mira asked. "It's unbearable and…"

Mira hiccupped as she withheld her sobs. She wiped at her eyes and glared at Hiei again.

"You better go in there and tell her!" she growled. "Or so help me, I will tell her myself."

Hiei scoffed and turned back towards the door.

"I don't need your assistance." He said as he raised his fist.

His knuckled rapped against the door three times and he waited. He heard the faint voice of his sister and soon the door cracked open. She glanced at her visitors and gasped before throwing the door open.

"Hiei?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

The hanyou opened his mouth to say his piece, but as he looked his sister over, he found himself in awe. His sister's right eye was no longer that familiar crimson that he was used to, but instead was the deep teal of her people. Her long hair was darker then he remembered, but still a lighter teal than his own and she had a similar white streak in it as well. She had grown a few inches as well, but she was still just a bit shorter than he was and he could swear that the smell of smoke lingered in the air. He and his sister were almost spitting images of one another and he found that his throat was drier than the deserts in the Makai. He could not say the words he wanted to, but Yukina only smiled at his as tears rolled down her face, the clinking of gems touching the floor.

"I knew it…I knew it!" she cried as she leapt at him, hugging him tight.

Hiei braced himself as his sister slammed into him. He hugged her tight, the sound of her tear gems echoing in the corridor. Aria watched the two confused. Did Yukina and Hiei have a relationship?

Yukina looked up at her twin with a smile. "I always thought that it was you, Hiei! You were so angry when you rescued me, but then you willingly went out to search for my brother and kept telling me that he was dead. You followed me around a lot when Kazuma and I went out. You always protected me and...I'm so happy."

Hiei was dumbfounded at the fact that his sister had figured it out, but he embraced her tightly as his mind reeled. All this time he had been trying to avoid her knowing because he felt as if she would be ashamed of him, but as he held her tight, he felt the love she had for him. She pulled back and smiled up at him and even Aria had to admit that the two were almost identical. She turned to Kurama and scribbled in her notebook.

Why do they look alike?

Kurama gave a smile as he held Mirajah who watched the two with a glare at the hanyou. "They're twins, Lady Aria. Siblings born at the same time to the same parent."

Is that why they look alike? Aria scribbled.

"Yes. It seems that upon maturity they become almost identical." Kurama surmised as he smiled. "Hiei feared what his sister would think of him after learning of his past, but it seems that his fears were for naught."

Hiei could not hear the vulpine's whispers to his ward over the tear gems clinking on the ground. Yukina hugged him tight, as if he would vanished from her side, and he held her in return. He knew that the pain she had felt over the lies were now irrelevant to her and he embraced his sister as he had wished to many times.

"You're…not angry at me?" he finally asked in a choked whisper.

Yukina shook her head as she pulled back, smiling up at him. "No. You've protected me all this time. You were always there when I needed you…how could I be mad?"

Hiei felt the love his sister held for him in her words and he gave her a rare smile. "Thank you, Yukina."

The ice maiden wrapped her arms around her brother. "No, thank you for finally telling me, big brother."