Song choice: I'd Rather Be With Them- Marika Hackman

Chapter Thirty- Five: Fear de Urram (Man of Honor)

Elias pressed the antiseptic to Abhaya's open wounds, ignoring his mother's lack of clothing. She had been sleeping for three hours and had not stirred as he had started to bandage her up. He had bathed her with hot cloths and the scalding water that Hiei had gotten for him. He had even taken note that he would not look at her when Elias was in the room.

Kurama was off making medicine for her burns and her broken ribs while Elias made sure she was clean, bandaged and soon to have clothes on. Yusuke sat outside of Hiei's quarters, waiting for it to be safe to join Elias in the room with Abhaya. A cigarette dangled out from in between his softly clenched teeth as he sat there stoically. "Hey, Elias! You done in there yet?" He ground out, his voice muffled from trying to keep his cigarette from falling into his laps.

Elias was bandaging the wounds on his mother's chest area. He made sure to keep the burns under pressure with gauze. "Soon, Yusuke," He said, peering at the door and looking back down at his wounded mother. "She's not good."

There was a pause and then Yusuke said behind the door, "How bad is she?"

Elias fought back tears, taking in a deep breath and rummaging through his mother's pack for a pair of pants. "Her left three lower ribs are not too bad. They had a clean break so they might heal by themselves. Her burns… are the worst of it. The one where she cauterized the wound is a good second degree burn, the other is a third. I am going to have to give her a skin graft and take skin from somewhere else on her body. As if she needed anymore scars…"

Elias trailed off, his mind running to the worst things that could happen from her being so weak. "We need to get her to Genkai, but I'm afraid to move her."

"She really is a fucking badass," Yusuke said, giving a small halfhearted laugh.

Elias gave a small strained smile. "She's much more."

Tugging her pants onto her, Elias stepped away from his mother. He examined his work, making sure that her breasts were completely covered underneath the thick layers of bandages. He nodded, satisfied with his job and sat down in the chair next to where she slept peacefully. "You can come in now Yusuke."

Hiei kept watch from a distance; he would not… could not enter the room with everyone there with her. He watched as her chest rose and fell, her eyes rolling underneath puffy eyelids. Since he had put her to sleep, he had not entered the room except to get Elias what he needed. Kurama had just come back with medicine, a corked bottle of iridescent blue liquid in one hand and in the other a pestle and mortar of salve.

Hiei watched as Kurama lifted Abhaya and made her drink the blue liquid. Elias rubbed her throat gently so she didn't choke in her sleep. Gently, they peeled the gauzes from her burns and applied a bit of the salve. "I don't think the salve will help much. Those are serious burns," Kurama said grimly with a sigh.

Elias nodded, looking down at his hands in shame. "I wish I could do more now… but even though we have quite a bit of medicine, she needs a skin graft the most."

"Do you know how to perform a graft, Elias?"

"I've never had to do one but in theory I do."

The three fell silent, just staring at Abhaya as she slept soundly. Yusuke gave a small grim smile as he stared. "How are we gonna move her? You said that she needed Genkai. Yukina could help too."

Kurama nodded, "I think it's best if we discuss that somewhere else. First and foremost, she needs rest. But those wounds could easily putrefy exposed to demon world's air. We should leave with in a day."

Elias nodded, his fists clenched with frustration at his own helplessness. "Why would it putrefy?"

"Demon world air is harsh on humans. The weakest of them die within the first five minutes of breathing its air. I think in Abhaya's weakened state it would be best if we left as fast as we can so infection doesn't settle in."

Hiei's eyes narrowed at the very topic that they were on. He ground his teeth together, wishing he could help her more. Deep down he knew that she was too prideful to want or need his help. She had fought him with all of the lasting will that she had hours earlier. He knew that she would continue to fight just despite him. 'What a stubborn fool she is. She wouldn't be in this predicament if she would have just let me help her,' He thought bitterly, but deep down he blamed himself.

When everyone cleared out of the room, Hiei swiftly settled in by Abhaya's side. He sat awkwardly in the chair beside his bed, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. He pushed his aura out to protect her from demon world's air, watching with satisfaction as breathing seemed to become easier for her. Hiei respected her privacy and made no move to touch her, but nonetheless stayed by her side for hours until he, himself, fell fast into sleep.

It felt like her eyes had been sown shut. Her body was an anvil, sunk deeply into the soft furs wrapped around her body. Pleasantly warm, Abhaya slowly pried her eyes open. Her vision was blurry as she blinked a few times, hoping that it would pass. As soon as it did, she stared numbly at the strange throat looking ceiling. Was she inside of a lizard? Had they fed her to some sort of beast? How was it that she was so cozy and oddly felt safe? She blinked a few times more and slowly turned her head to where the warmth was radiating from.

If Abhaya had the energy to do so, she would have glared. Hiei sat beside her, his chin resting on his knee that was curled into his chest. His chest rose and fell quietly as he slept. Abhaya stared at him for a while, laying on her none injured side. 'He's so much more bearable when he's asleep. Why can't he always be this peaceful? Why can't I sleep like that?' She thought irritably.

Slowly, she snaked a hand out from underneath a small pillow and stretched it out to him. However, stopped herself short of his arm. 'Why am I wasting my energy on him?'

Abhaya closed her eyes and nuzzled her nose into the pillow, trying to be conscious of her wounds. With a few small hisses, she became comfortable and attempted to get more sleep. That was forgotten by both parties however, when there was a loud rumble of yelling heard from nearby.

Hiei's eyes snapped right open with a small growl. He sprang out of the chair, mumbling to himself about three kings. Abhaya watched as he quietly opened the door and peered out into the hall. She pushed herself up onto her elbows watching Hiei curiously, feeling her arms shake under her weight. "Lay back down," Hiei said, not even turning to look at Abhaya.

Abhaya disobeyed, shoving the pelts away from her and gingerly attempting to stand up. Her body screamed at her, begging her to lay back down and sleep for longer. Abhaya would not listen.

When Abhaya looked back up, Hiei's full attention was directed at her. Current eyes narrowed venomously at her, Hiei's lips were pressed into a hard thin line. "Lay. Down," He growled, clutching the door.

Abhaya shook her head, taking a shaky step towards him. Hiei was upon her before she could so much as breath in again. Grabbing her by the wrist, he gave a small tug, attempting to make her sit once more. Despite the pain, Abhaya did not move. "Do you have a death wish?" Hiei hissed into her ear.

Abhaya's eyes narrowed. "You know the answer to that," she said hoarsely.

Hiei wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her off her feet as gently as he could and pushing her down onto the pelts once more. Abhaya resisted the urge to close her eyes and snuggle into the warm, soft fur. Gently, Hiei released her. He never took his eyes off of her as he straightened himself. "Stay there. Your ribs need time to heal, as does your skin."

Abhaya rolled her eyes, her nose scrunching with frustration. "It's nothing that I can't handle, now what the devil is goin' on?"

Abhaya attempted to sit up once more, only for Hiei to gently press her down again. "Nothing that I can't handle," He said snidely.

She glared at him, unamused. "Ain't you feckin' cute. Now let me up."

"No."

Abhaya gave a small snarl, grinding her teeth together in frustration. "Fine. I'll just get up myself then."

Hiei pressed her down again. 'I'll tie you there if I have to, mage.'

"Since when do you care what the bloody hell I do?"

'Since when do you actually listen to anyone?'

"I listen to people who are worthy of my trust."

"Hn."

"Don't you 'hn' me."

Hiei gave another growl. "Stay. Put. Or I'll chain you to that bed."

"You saw what happened to the last person that chained me. It didn't go so well for them."

Hiei didn't answer as he left, he merely shot her a look. 'I dare you,' it said. Of course, Abhaya took the dare.

As soon as the fire demon was out of sight, she gingerly got up from the bed and made her way to the door where she peered out into the hall. Hell had broken loose, she realized as she watched the scene unfold and Hiei stalk into the mess.

"Mukuro, don't hide that monster from us!"

Abhaya's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of a small sea green haired woman at the feet of King Enki. Kokou, his mate growled furiously at Mukuro as she stood unamused by the demoness. "I'm afraid I must agree. If the Slayer has grown into that sort of power it is more of a reason to erase her before she destroys us all," Enki said, his face oddly serious.

Abhaya frowned, leaning against the frame of the door for support on her weak body. She watched as Hiei's body tensed up even more. "She is of no conscience to the demons. She means no harm," Hiei said through his teeth.

Kokou scoffed, her eyes narrowing venomously. "Can you promise that? Do you know how many demons she has killed?"

Hiei snarled, glaring at her furiously. "I am aware of how many demons she has killed. I have seen her past and she is as guilty as any of us. I can promise you she won't kill unless provoked."
"She overpowered Kirin, Mukuro?" Yomi piped in, his face completely devoid of emotion.

Mukuro who had merely been listening and watching the scene unfold. "She did. She fought off all of the men I threw at her and she didn't kill one of them," She gave a small scoff and then added. "She even healed one of them."

Enki gave a small nod, crossing his arms over his chest. "What is her state?"

"She is resting," Hiei said, trying to keep from getting too angry.

Abhaya couldn't take it any longer, she hated that they were speaking for her. Slamming her fist into the door frame, she pushed herself away from the door irritably. "Must you always speak for me? Like I'm some bloody child?" She growled, shoving her fists into her pockets and stalking into the hall.

Abhaya attempted to slouch her back, but her ribs sent ripples of pain through her and made her hiss as she straightened her back. In the light, she looked even worse. Heavy purple bags hung under blood shot blue eyes, bandages were wrapped around her torso and feet, her hair was still a matted mess and even worse, she trembled from weakness as she attempted to strut over to them. Kokou burst out laughing at her, causing the mage to growl. "This is her? You look like a child."

Abhaya rolled her eyes, taking in a deep sigh through her nose and flinching from her broken ribs. She could feel Hiei glare murderously at her, in which she just flipped him off as she passed him. "For you information, I am not a child. I just never grew into what normal mages are supposed to look like."

Hiei scoffed. "You are still a child. Your son is more of an adult than you are."

"Oh shove off, you bloody codger. I'm tired of your fecking yammering. I need a bloody smoke."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "You're an addict, stupid mage."

"Do I look like I care what you think? It'll keep me from lolipoppin' your sorry arse in the throat. That is why I need it. Now where is Elias?"

Hiei growled but complied to her. 'Elias, your mother is demanding her cigar.'

'She's awake?'

'Yes. And already giving me a headache.'

'I'll be there soon.'

"Your son is on his way," Hiei ground out, watching as Abhaya visibly relaxed.

"Thank you," She said with a sigh.

Enki and Yomi examined her, noticing that she was not how the rumors had described her. Mukuro watched her as well, taking a closer look at her. She was small with thick corded muscle underneath marred skin; her hair was thick and unruly, framing a short and rounded childlike face. What gave away her age were two heavy lidded, piercing eyes that seemed to hold years of wisdom in their clutches. Mukuro's eyes traveled down to her hands. They were small and delicate with short fingernails and calloused skin.

Enki took note of her strangeness and examined the scars that lined her body. He also noticed that she was uncomfortable at that moment. Enki stepped toward the mage, making the already small mage look like a dwarf. He peered down at her, his hand on his chin. Abhaya stared back with boredom, wanting nothing more than to smoke and go home. "You're so…small," Enki said.

Abhaya gave a small grunt and blinked slowly. "Indeed."

"You really aren't a child?" He questioned.

Abahay shook her head, giving a weary sigh. "I'm twenty and currently going through hell with hitting my peak."

Enki nodded, smirking slightly. "They describe you differently. You're supposed to be…scarier…"

Abhaya smiled, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Well, I am pleased to hear that you don't find me scary. Most people are just afraid of the name I was given. Though, according to Hiei, that name no longer fits me."

"The idiot mage is better suited for you. You're too brash for your own good."

Abhaya shifted her eyes over to Hiei. "So if I'm too brash, does that make you too cheeky for your own good?"

Abhaya chuckled at her joke, flashing him a devious grin. "I still don't buy it. You've murdered hundreds if not thousands of demons, how can you be so couth with them?" Kokou growled, her eyes narrowing venomously at her.

"To be frank, I actually prefer demons to my own kind. Humans don't care for me and neither do mages," Abhaya gave a snort and a cruel smile. "I'm too ugly for the mages anyways. As for demons, there are few who liked me before I got my name and even fewer now."

Silence came between the demons as they let her words settle in. All of the sudden a voice rung out from behind Abhaya. "~ And there she is, on her two feet. How the fucking hell does she do it? Anyone else would have been out for days from the beatin' she took," Yusuke's voice boomed.

Abhaya smiled, "Speaking of the demons who do like me."

Elias, Yusuke and Kurama walked together. Elias glowered at her, a sour pucker twisting on is lips. "You're such an idiot, mum," Elias ground out, wrapping his arms around her.

Abhaya gingerly hugged back and gave a small laugh. "You sound like Hiei. Is he giving you lessons or something?"

"No. Go lay down," Elias said sternly.

Abhaya rolled her eyes. "This is nothing. I've had worse before and you know it."

Elias pulled away from her, growling to himself bitterly. He pulled his mother's pack from his shoulders and dug out her pipe and blue bag of herbs. He handed it to her, watching as she rose and eyebrow at him. "You need to relax," He said sternly once more.

Sighing, Abhaya obeyed, scooping up the herbs into the pipe and lighting them on fire with her magick. She took a deep drag of it, feeling her taught muscles relax and her eyes droop slightly. "Thank you," She murmured, her pipe gently bouncing against her lips.

Elias held his mother's hand, leaning his head against her hard frame. She smiled warmly at him, removing her pipe and nuzzling his hair with her nose. "If you haven't guessed, this is my son and apprentice, Elias Sinclair."

Kokou's eyes widened slightly as Elias gave a bow, still clutching his mother's hand tightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," He said politely.

Enki smiled, looking at the small child. Yomi took interest in him as well. "You adopted a demon and made him your apprentice? Why?" Yomi said.

Abhaya smiled fondly. "It may not make sense but… he gave me purpose. A year after my parents died, I had not spoke or done anything to help myself. I wanted to die, to replace their deaths with my own. However, I saw a demon beating the crap out of a little Hell Hound pup. I saved him from being another demon's dinner. I couldn't abandon him, so I am raising him, just as my father raised me."

Abhaya paused, her brow furrowing. "I want to be a better person for him. So instead of maiming, I protect and heal. Demons, humans; it doesn't matter to me. I even help the Fae who kept me alive in the year I spent neglecting myself. I only kill to protect him. I am only alive for him."

"I will vouch for her, what she speaks is the truth," Kurama said, gently patting her on the shoulder.

"She gave up killing and became a healer? How interesting. To think a monster like her could actually change her ways," Kokou said with a smirk.

"She's not a monster. She is just misunderstood," Yusuke said. "To be honest, she's really cool and she makes some of the most badass swords I've ever seen."

"My father made better," Abhaya said, taking a drag from her pipe. "But thanks."

"You're a forger as well? That trade has nearly died out of your kind," Yomi said.

"Yes, I took over both my mother's and my father's trades. I felt that it would be fitting to know both."

"Hiei, you should show them the sword Abhaya made you," Yusuke said.

"I think that's a marvelous idea, Yusuke," Kurama said slyly.

Hiei growled at the fox, feeling all eyes on him. Abhaya peered at him, her brow furrowing slightly. His will to argue with Kurama evaporated at her gaze. He removed the sword from his belt and pulled it half way out of its sheath.

Mukuro rose an eyebrow at Abhaya as she gazed at the sword. 'Why would she make something like this for him?' She thought, watching as the mage averted her eyes down to the ground. Mukuro noticed that Hiei's eyes had barely left the mage and how he defended her easily. It then clicked in her mind. 'He wishes to mate with her.'

Hiei sheathed the sword once more and looped it back into his belt, his eyes narrowing at his mage. "You've been up enough. Go lay back down," He commanded.

Mukuro watched as Abhaya wrinkled her nose, shifting her eyes over to Hiei. "I'm fine."

Hiei smirked, "Liar."

"I don't lie."

"You only lie when it comes to yourself, everyone knows that," Elias said, piping in.

Abhaya glared down at her son. "Whose side are you on?"

Elias sighed, "Yours, of course, that's why I'm insisting you lie back down. Your body still needs to recover."

"Yes. I will insist as well. Recover Lady Abhaya, I will send someone to retrieve food for you while you rest," Mukuro said, causing Abhaya to stare at her dumbstruck.

Abhaya stood there for a moment, just staring at Mukuro. Finally, she nodded and gave a small bow, hobbling away from the group. Elias kept by her side, helping her into Hiei's bed and sitting her pack by her. Hiei stared at Mukuro, an eyebrow raised in question. 'We will speak later, in private,' she projected to him.

Hiei's eyes narrowed but he left it at that, walking away from the group to find a place to nap. Kurama, Yusuke and Elias were each given rooms as were Enki and Kokou. Yomi left, as he was called back to his domain. However, he expressed his interest about Abhaya and asked Elias to tell her to visit him when she was better. Elias was not sure to tell his mother because he was a little wary of the demon.

Abhaya did not sleep but merely examined Hiei's odd room. Everyone had gone to their own rooms, including Elias who was exhausted, leaving her alone for the first time in a month. Hiei's room was bare, except for a small table by his make shift bed, candles and a small chest, which she hypothesized had extra clothes in it. It was a fairly large room, or at least felt like one because of the lack of furniture. She laid on her good side, staring at the chair Hiei had once been asleep in. Her hand was stretched out to it once more, as if he was still sleeping soundly by her side. 'After everything, I still can't hate him. I'm such a bloody fool.'

"You're not sleeping?"

Abhaya flinched at the sound of Mukuro's voice. Gently, she sat up peering at the woman who was now closing the door silently behind her. "I don't sleep well. I haven't for a long time."

"Why is that?"

Abhaya sighed, watching as Mukuro silently walked toward her and took the seat by the bed. She laid back down, resting her head against the pelts. "Mainly I can't fall asleep and then when I do, I have nightmares."

Mukuro let that settle in, watching the mage silently. "You are not what I expected," Mukuro stated. "Why did you help Hiei?"

Abhaya sighed. "He was dying so Elias and I helped him."

"What if he had killed you?"

Abhaya shrugged. "It would have been justice."

Mukuro gave a scoff. "You really want to die."

"Not before I keep my promises to Elias."

Mukuro stood, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Show me your burns."

Abhaya complied, covering her breasts with her arm as she unwound the bandages from her body. Both burns were an angry red, infection starting to take hold of the worst of the two. Mukuro wrinkled her nose at the smell. "In two hours, I will come back with new skin for you. In the meantime, you will eat something. Your body will not recover without food."

"Why are you helping me?"

Mukuro walked away from her, throwing gently over her shoulder. "You're not as I expected."

Hiei napped on his favorite nook, where the breezes from the outside gently caressed his face and he could be at ease. It was dark where he was, yet there was always one person who could find him. "When are you planning on telling her?"

Hiei pretended not to hear Mukuro, inwardly rolling his eyes. "Hiei. Answer me."

Hiei pinned her with a glare and then turned his gaze back up to the ceiling. "What are you talking about?"

Mukuro smirked slyly. "I was wondering what had taken you so long in human world. I have gotten my answer. Your men will see you as a traitor now that you've started to court her."

Hiei scoffed, his nose wrinkling at her words. "That mage is not worth courting. She's nothing but a stupid woman."

"You and I both know that isn't true Hiei. Don't lie to my face. What is she to you?"

"It matters naught."

Silence came between the two, until Mukuro finally spoke once more. "Infection is spreading into her burns. I will operate on her in a few hours. Make sure she eats something."

With that, she turned a heel and left him. Hiei begrudgingly did as he was told, deep down wanting to check on Abhaya. He gathered an armful of fruits from the forest and brought them to her, gently nudging the door open with one hand.

At first, he thought she was sleeping. She laid on her back, her eyes closed and face towards the ceiling. "Leave."

Hiei paused at the sound of her hoarse voice, feeling her attention on him even though her eyes remained closed. He closed the door behind him, watching as she gave a large sigh and attempted to push herself up once more. He was by her side in an instant, setting the fruit on her pack and gently pushing her back down.

Abhaya gave a growl, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared up at the fire demon. "Leave Hiei."

Hiei smirked, keeping his hand pressed against her collar bone. "Make me."

Abhaya tried to flare her energy in warning but failed; the feeling hurt too much. She relaxed then, giving up on trying to fight him. Hiei's smirk widened triumphantly. "That's what I thought."

Abhaya just glared at him, saying nothing as she watched him take the seat by the bed. Silently, they stared at each other; Hiei rose an eyebrow at her as she glared. Finally, she gently turned her back to him. "Take your food and leave. I don't need or want your help."

Hiei's lips twitched as he examined her. "I was instructed to make sure you ate."

"Mukuro sent you?"

"Of course."

Abhaya scoffed, nuzzling her nose into the fur and trying to forget that Hiei was there. "Do me a favor and don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Eat something and I will leave."

"I'm not hungry."

"Then I'm not leaving."

Abhaya threw a furious growl over her shoulder, glaring at him with irritation. She pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the bed and standing so she towered over him. Her whole body shook with protest, her body starting to feel hot from the festering infection.

Hiei rose an eyebrow in question as she bared her teeth at him. Shaking her head, she reached down and grabbed a fruit. Resisting the urge to chuck it at him, she tentatively took a bite instantly regretting it as bitterness coated every orifice. She swallowed it, wanting something, anything, to wash the taste out of her mouth. "That's worse than bloody worm wort!" She spat, sticking out her tongue.

Hiei sneered with satisfaction. He has been secretly hoping that she would eat that one first. "Stop whining and eat it."

Abhaya looked at the fruit with disgust and held it out to him. "I'm not eating that. You can have the rest."

"Don't waste food."

"I'm not. I'm feeding you my scraps."

Hiei growled, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Are you insinuating that I'm a dog?"

Abhaya sneered cruelly. "It's nothing you're not used to."

Before Abhaya could even blink, she was on her back with Hiei pressed against her. "Let's get one thing straight," He spat. "I am nobody's dog. You will not call me that without being reprimanded. Do you understand?"

Abhaya pressed her face closer to Hiei's, catching the fire demon off guard. "I'm not afraid of you. You can't intimidate me, Hiei. I am not some weak little mouse that cowers before you and I will not be treated like one. I have claws and teeth as you do; I will use them if need be."

Hiei grinned, a chuckle rolling menacingly from his chest. He pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes peering deeply into her purple tinted blue eyes. "Show me," He murmured.

Abhaya's eyes softened, her brow creasing slightly. "What?"

"Show me what you have. Fight me off."

"What do you~"

Hiei took a fist full of her hair, tugging it back to expose her jugular to him. He grinned as she gasped, her eyes widening, pupils dilating. Her chest heaved underneath thick bandages as he pressed down her legs with one corded thigh. He breathed her scent in heavily, feeling her tremble beneath him as he bent down with his teeth bared. He acted like he was going to bite down on her jugular and splayed his hand on the small of her back. He reached down, hooking his fingers into the elastic of her pants and started to tug down, when she came up from under her trance. "NO!"

Hiei froze, hearing her start to whimper underneath him. He lifted his head, relaxing his grip on her hair and looked her in the eyes. Cerulean blue eyes were oozing tears, her lips trembling with fear as she met his eyes. "Your claws have been clipped, your teeth ground dull. In this state, many can take advantage of you. Do not forget that you are still weak from battle."

Abhaya held back a sob, tears leaving trails over her cheeks. Hiei ran a thumb over them, keeping his gaze on hers. "Don't be afraid. I will not harm you anymore," He said as he lifted himself off of her.

Abhaya gave a small sob, pressing her eyes closed. "Abhaya," Her eyes snapped open. "You are safe. I will make sure no one touches you."

Hiei walked away from her, only to stop in the door way and glace at her. She now sat up, tears staining her cheeks as she pressed a pelt to the front of her body. "Eat. I will be back in a little while."

Hiei didn't want to leave his mage, but he had come to a decision and he planned to go through with it as well. He hunted down Mukuro, who was trying to grow skin in a cell of strange purple liquid. The demoness would have never admitted it, but she was having issues growing the human skin.

"Is she eating?" was the first thing she said when she saw him.

Hiei gave a curt nod, keeping his balled up fists in his pockets. "How much skin does she need?" he asked.

"She shouldn't need too much. Why? Do you have a donor?"

"She can have mine."

Mukuro froze, silence coming over her lab. "Come to terms with your feelings?"

Hiei sat down in a chair and stared at her. "I owe her."

"How so?"

"She saved my life. Equivalent exchange."

"You should make it clear to her your intentions," Mukuro said, watching as Hiei removed his shirt and straddled the chair so she could cut from his back.

"She has no desire to mate. Besides, what am I to do with a scared child?"

Mukuro started to shave some of the skin off of his back with a razor sharp scalpel. "She is hardly a child. Besides, you reek of her, like arousal."

"Hn."

"You know if you don't stake a claim that half your men will attempt to right?"

"They already are interested?"

"Yes, that stunt she pulled seemed to attract even more attention to her."

Mukuro slapped gauze over the two places where she took skin and watched as he put back on his shirt. "Don't tell her about any of this," He said as he left.

Mukuro chuckled to herself as she watched him leave. "You're such a fool."

A/N: Hey guys, I'm getting my groove back! YAY! I had a lot more fun writing this chapter and I'm hoping it was more enjoyable for you guys as well. I'm going to dive into the segment I talked about so please stay tuned. The segment will always be in Italic and I will set it up as I am making fun of myself and all the characters. I hope you guys enjoy.

Fire dances in the television as a lone figure sits in a red velvet plush chair. The figure wears a silk bathrobe, her steel gray hair twirled up into a low bun as she slowly strokes a gray tabby cat in her lap. "Good evening my lovelies. It is I; ElaEnchanted21. Or Ela… or just Em… anyways… You have the pleasure of listening to my shenanigans for~"

All of the sudden the front door slams open and two sweaty figures stumble through with a rumble of laughter. Your writer freezes, her eyes wide as her sister and brother in law stare at her for a few moments in silence. "What are you doing?" Sarah says, looking at her younger sister as though she really has gone bat shit crazy.

Miso, her cat, gets fed up and jumps out of her arms, which the writer then squeals and tries to grab the cat. "No! Soupy! Come back to mommy! I w'oves you sooooo much!"
The cat denies her of any affection for another week. "I bet your doing something for fanfiction aren't you?" Zach says, picking up her cat and walking away with her.

"No, pshh… of course not… what's fanfiction again?"

Zach and Sarah both shoot her a look, in which your writer caves. "Yep."

"What's the get up supposed to be?" Sarah said, flopping down on the couch.

"I was kinda trying to go for a Doctor Evil/ Sherlock Holms look…"

"It's not working. Just put on what you always wear when you write, dipshit."

Your writer sighs and trudges upstairs to fetch her normal attire. She comes back down in sweat pants, glasses, headphones, a tank top and a cup of piping hot tea in her favorite daffodil mug that she got for a dollar at a thrift store. She plops back down into her chair and sighs. "Tis true… I dress like a slob when I write. I also have an addiction to tea and collect herbs. But oh well, let's just start on some questions."

"Backoff22: first off, I just wanna say, thank you for commenting so often! I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you for being honest about the last chapter too. It means a lot to me. It's also good to know that the point I was trying to get across when it comes to Hiei's and Abhaya's relationship is getting across. I worry about that sometimes. I laughed at your question too, though, I felt it was a very logical question. So, what does Abhaya do in that situation? Let's ask the doll. Abhaya-san~"

Abhaya plops down next to the tall writer, sitting down on the arm of her chair. "You called, lass?"

Your writer nods happily. "You bet. So, your hair sheds just like anyone. Since you're a mage, what do you do in the shower about that problem?"

"I put a mesh strainer at the bottom of my drain and then add it to the pile of hair and nails that I burn. They make ones that are for drains in Japan. So I use those. I can get them at Daiso for like 100 yen. What's next?"

The writer looks at her list and realizes that was the only question she received. "Um… that's it…"

"Well… that's what you get for not updating in three months."

Your writer hangs her head in shame. "You're not wrong…"

Abhaya sighes, calling over Elias who sits in between the writer's legs in dog form. The writer happily pets him and hugs him. "Elias, come up with some questions for her," Abhaya said, stalking off for a cigar.

Elias thought a moment and said, "Why did you create us?"

The writer sighs and then smiles sadly. "I have a few reasons for creating you guys. Abhaya is everything I am and everything I wish I could be. I have been battling depression for nearly seven years now and so she is an embodiment of that. She is every time I have felt alone, lost, abandoned and alienated. But she represents also my creativity and kindness. She is who I wish I could be because she works hard and tries to be better for others. I think she is a better person than I will ever be. I created her to help people understand what it's like to feel like everyone is against you, to feel utterly alone and unwanted. I created Elias because I wanted someone to see through all of the darkness just as I am lucky to of had. I wanted a character that could empathize with her on all levels just as I have had. I wanted someone who would build her up and guard her. As for Anoushka and Beau, they are loosely based off of Sarah and Zach. More in appearance than in how they act. Anoushka's bitterness and manipulation was more drawn from past bullies and my mother. Sarah is actually my best friend and Zach is my bro."

"Huh, so there was a method to your madness," Elias said.

Your writer nods and sips at her tea. "What's next Elias?"

"Who's targeting us?"

Your writer grins and laughs zanily. "All in good time."

"You're such a bitch."

"Only just a little. I have to have some twists and turns in my stories," Your writer chirps, sipping her tea once more.

Elias sighs, trying to find another question for his creator. "How did you come up with the crazy idea of mages in Yu Yu Hakusho?"

"That's a wonderful question. I was walking around in Barnes and Nobles about two years ago, sipping tea and trying not to worry about exams when I stumbled upon a manga I had never seen before. I was so attracted to its art style that I had to buy the three volumes that were there. I fell in love with it."

"So what manga was this?"

Your writer smiles like a little kid (even though she is twenty-one and is a grandma at heart.) "Why, The Ancient Magnus Bride, of course."

"So that's where you got my name!"

The writer nods happily. "It is. But I got the idea of magick in Yu Yu Hakusho then. Originally, Abhaya was supposed to be super pale with white dreaded hair. She was supposed to have tattoos all over her body that had spells embedded into them. She was too much of a fucking mary-sue though (You won't hear me say that often either.) In the early chapters, you can sort of see how I originally intended for her to be. She was supposed to be far more stoic and cold, but I like the final version of her the most. She is much more fun to write."

"Did I go through change in your mind?" Elias said, nuzzling her leg.

"Not really or rather you haven't gone through it yet…But I won't spoil that."

Elias thought a moment, his ears lying flat over his scalp as he thought. "I don't have any more questions…"

Your writer simply nods and smiles. "That's fine. I need sleep anyways. It's quite late. So, to my readers, did you like this segment? If you did, be sure to send me questions! If I keep getting only one or two, than I will just message you guys individually my answers. To those who took the time to comment on this chapter, you guys are the real MVP's. You all get gold stars and brownies! Please be sure to keep doing so though, because I sometimes lack motivation. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, Ela is signing off. Good night!"