38. Little Moments
Aria stepped into the VIP room and was met with cheers. Yusuke was the first one to her and he easily picked her up and spun her around. Laughter echoed in the room as Aria gripped her new father's arms tight as he twirled them around back towards their friends. The mere touch of Yusuke's hands burned her and she pulled away the moment Yusuke put her down. She rubbed at her eyes to hopefully dispel the dizziness, but as she looked around the room, a small smile reached her lips. Serenade rushed over to hug her and Aria suddenly felt shy. She had been hiding from these demons, her family, but they had been here celebrating.
"You did it, kiddo!" Yusuke laughed. Aria's eyes opened wide.
They had been celebrating for her.
Aria nodded as Yukina calmly reached for her. Cool hands brushed against the heated wound and as the ice maiden began to heal her, Aria swiftly felt the pang of regret. How often did Hiei actually reach out to her so tenderly? She bit her bottom lip as she felt the twinge of the burn on her shoulders and she exhaled. She had not meant to be rude, especially not to Hiei, but Takeshi whispering at her when Hiei wanted to comfort her felt absolutely wrong and she feared Hiei's reaction. It's nearly been a year, but she could not pull herself back on her own from the memories yet. She still needed Hiei and even as the various amounts of demons came up to congratulate her, Aria felt that her victory was empty without the hanyou here. She glanced to Yukina as Mira came up and introduced her caravan member, Kage, and she forced a small smile. She did not know if Hiei had followed her in, but a quick glance told her that she may have just upset him, because he was nowhere to be found.
"Let's celebrate!" Yusuke cheered as the voices began to die down.
"I don't suppose you mean here, do you Yusuke?" Mukuro asked.
A wide grin escaped him and Aria silently giggled at her father's childlike attitude. "Nope! We're going to Tourin!"
Aria shook her head. Something told her that it was about to be a very long evening.
The scene before Aria's silver and mint eyes was astonishing. Despite being around these demons for so long, Aria still found some of their antics to be startling. Lords Mukuro and Yomi had joined them on their trip to Tourin, as well as Enki, Koku and their friends, all of whom, as Yusuke told her on the ride over, were close friends of his ancestral father Raizen. The crowd had been boisterous the whole ride, but now with alcohol in their systems, it seemed that the group of demons were limitless in their conversations and actions. Aria had stuck close to Yusuke on the way over, venturing over to her mother when he and another would engage in physical banter, but Hiei never drifted with her. Despite feeling his eyes on her, Hiei never once walked over to hover close to her, and Aria felt as though she had caused him to react that way. A piece of her was upset, another afraid, because she did not want to lose the only demon who seemed to truly understand her. Aria watched from the side of the room as Enki and Koku danced. Chu and her father were bickering with a few punches thrown about. Mira was chatting with Yukina and Kage, the caravan member. Kurama was near Mirajah and Hiei loitered between the fox demon and Mukuro. She sighed at the distance between them. It was enormous and very unusual. Everything in her screamed to go to him, but she was afraid that he would be upset about her pulling away from him like she had done before.
You don't deserve him. A smaller voice whispered at her. She jerked straight up and looked around the room. No one was talking with her, nor to her. Even her mother was enjoying the festivities, but Aria felt as if she knew that voice. You don't remember me?
Her breathing accelerated. She shook her head slightly.
How could you forget me?
Aria dug her teeth into her bottom lip.
You shouldn't have fucking left, whore!
The smaller voice was replaced by the malicious hiss of Takashi's rage. Surrounded by dancing and happy demons, Aria felt anything but safe. Silver and mint eyes scanned the room as the young princess scrambled to her feet. A sharp turn told her that Takashi was not there, but the voice continued. Relentless. Obscenities slithered in her ear and infected her. A venom like no other crawling into her very head and twisting everything she knew. Aria reached up to cover her ears and she noticed her hands trembling.
"Aria?"
The gentle voice startled the princess and she turned. Yukina must have seen her jump up from her seat, because the ice maiden stood behind her with furrowed brows as she examined Aria.
"Are you okay?"
Aria nodded, despite her chest burning. The whispers that lingered nearly drowned out the innocent question, but Yukina hardly noticed. A forced smile sent the ice maiden back towards Mirajah and Kurama's group, the maiden stopping momentarily to speak to another demon and Aria turned away to scan the room once more.
Mine.
Aria rubbed the back of her neck as she looked over her shoulder again. The voice was so clear and loud that she almost felt the atrocious heat of Takashi's breath on her ear as she shivered. The partygoers were occupied, much to Aria's relief, and the princess ducked out of the room as fast as she could. She had to put distance between herself and the others. She was supposed to be celebrating with the rest, but ever since her fight, Takashi would not leave her alone and Aria could not celebrate with him in her ear.
The click of the door did not escape his ears. With Mirajah leaning against him, Kurama's emerald gaze watched a sliver of white hair disappear beyond the large door to the corridor and he sighed. Since he and Hiei had spoken, Kurama had made sure to watch Aria for the hanyou and she had been obviously restless. Aria had actively avoided conversations about the fights, and now she was suddenly slipping away from the festivities without so much as a written word to anyone.
"YUKI~!" the ebony haired illusionist sang loud in his ear as she waved at the ice maiden fervently.
With a bright laugh, Yukina strode over to them. Thankful for the opportunity, Kurama gave the teal haired woman a sweet smile. "Yukina, I'm sorry. I tried to tell her to quit the alcohol before she got to this point."
Light laughter erupted from Hiei's twin and she grinned at Kurama brilliantly. "Mira can't be stopped when she starts to drink, Kurama. Not until she's ready. Here, I'll try to get her to drink some water."
"Good luck, Yuki." Kage chimed in, "You've seen how she is. She's a baby when she drinks."
Yukina giggled. "I am nooooot~!" Mirajah whined as she looked up at Yukina. "Tell Kage to stop being a meany-yucky-doo-doo-face, Yukiiii~!"
Kurama blinked at Mira's words as Yukina easily took the inebriated demoness from him. Yukina winked from over her shoulder as she tried to contain her laughter, "I don't know what my brother is doing, but I did see Aria leave the party. I figured that's what you were staring at a second ago. I have Mira. She'll still be here when you get back, Kurama."
Heat rose in his cheeks as Kurama scratched the side of his face. It was a nervous habit he had since he was a child, and Yukina's words sent a wave of embarrassment through him. Yukina giggled at him and she turned away with Mirajah twittering as she hung off of Yukina's arm. The illusionist was rambunctious, he had to admit, but as the ebony haired demon began to sing he found himself reluctant to let her go and leave his side. "Maybe you should follow your own advice, my friend." Yukina whispered over her shoulder at him before dragging Mirajah friend away.
Kurama sighed with the hint of a bashful smile. "Found out."
A soft groan escaped the fox demon, but the dread was short lived as he remembered Aria. Kurama gave the room a quick glance for Hiei, but the hanyou could not be found in the sea of dancing, drunk demons. He did not want to leave the princess alone for too long after what Hiei had said happened in the arena, so Kurama left the room in a hurry. The corridors were much quieter than the room he had just come from, but he could hear the faint tap of feet against the stone floors of the castle. He ventured forward and after a few minutes and a couple of turns, Kurama finally reached the source of the light footsteps. Thankfully, his ears had not failed him. He found Aria standing in the threshold of one of the large castle doors with her back to him. The darkened landscape beyond the door was illuminated by the moonlight, and Kurama watched as the princess' silhouette collapsed. He started forward in concern when the princess turned to lean against the stone doorframe and he came to a complete stop as a gut wrenching crack echoed in the darkened hallway. Kurama's eyes widened as he watched the princess lurch forward and swing her head back to slam against the stone. He cringed, rooted to the spot. What could have caused her to leave the room to perform such a painful act upon herself? A few seconds passed and as Aria leaned forward again, the distinct scent of fresh tears reached him. In the soft glimmer of moonlight, Kurama could make out the glistening of tears on her cheeks as she slammed her fist into the floor over and over. Before he could move, Aria threw her head back once more. The sickening sound of her skull hitting the stone frame elicited another grimace from the vulpine.
Takashi was loud now. Aria could not hear anything outside of his words and sadistic laughter. She felt trapped. Alone. Vulnerable. Everything that Takashi had made her before she even knew what those feelings were or what they meant. Now, after being shown the world outside of her cage, Aria felt like Takashi wanted to strip everything she had learned from Hiei and Yusuke away from her. She felt as if he were trying to take away the warmth that even sweet Keiko had given her and she opened her mouth to scream, but the hall stayed silent. Nothing spoke out against him and she threw her head back as he whispered at her again.
Kurama watched the spectacle, unsure of what to do. Aria was obviously unaware of his presence, but every time he wished to step closer, the princess would fling her head back. It was not until the scent of blood reached him, that Kurama's body finally moved again. He took a step forward, reaching towards the ivory haired demon, when a chill shot down his spine to stop him dead in his tracks. He turned his head, a sharp, worried glance over his shoulder, but standing there was none other than Hiei. The hanyou's duo colored eyes glowed a bright violet as his black energy whipped around him. His Jagan was open, the third eye glowing red and enraged as another crack resonated in the corridor.
"Hiei?"
Kurama's soft, concerned utterance fell on deaf ears for both the hanyou and the princess. Without a word to the vulpine, Hiei took a few steps forward, his eyes losing the glow, but he shook with an overwhelming amount of anger. As he watched the onna, he felt his stomach twist and knot violently. Hiei was not sure how he was unable to access the onna's mind, but the disgustingly familiar energy that lashed back at him caused his anger to intensify. A loud, animalistic snarl left his mouth, his lip curling up as he bared his fangs, and Kurama stepped back in alarm. He had followed the scent of blood, her blood, and as he watched the onna repeat the same, sickening motion, Hiei growled. How could that bastard be stopping him? How?! He was dead! Hiei had watched his execution himself! He watched him die! No matter how Hiei tried to slip into the onna's head, Takashi's energy lashed out at him, stopping him. Another snarl left him. How the fuck was he supposed to help her?! Hiei's whole body shook as he stepped forward. He would put an end to this one way or another, but he would be damned if he was going to let the Fox touch her right now.
The sound of footsteps never reached her. The pain in the back of her skull, coupled with the sensation of a hand around her throat, squeezing tightly, had taken full control over Aria's thoughts as Takashi whispered and laughed in her ear. Every time he hissed obscene ideas into her head, she threw it back against the wall. She was desensitized to the tickle of blood down the back of her neck and numbed to the throbbing ache that followed each toss of her head. As her breathing became quicker and sporadic in her panic, another malicious laugh reached her.
Mine.
Aria furiously wiped at her eyes as more tears escaped her. She could not stay there, she finally realized. What if Hiei saw her? Or her mother? Fear etched itself into her chest. How could she explain any of this to them? Hiei… his name brought her a form of solace, but the backlash of Takashi's anger made her tremble.
MINE! He screamed at her. HOW DARE YOU THINK OF HIM?! YOU ARE MINE!
Aria folded her legs beneath her and pushed herself up onto unsteady legs. She shook as if she were traversing snow absolutely naked, but Takashi's anger drove her to turn from the palace. She had always worked through her memories with Hiei. He had always been the one to soothe her heart, but he was not there. Hiei could not help her. With fear and panic fueling her, Aria stepped out into the night and broke into a sprint. Cool, crisp air slapped her face in the face as she made a sharp turn and followed the palace walls. She tried to keep Hiei in mind as she pushed herself forward, the wind in her ears as she tried to drown out Takashi's anger. She tried to leave the fear and panic behind her in the night as she dashed around a corner of the palace. Her chest ached from the lack of oxygen, but Aria continued to push herself harder every time Takashi spoke to her. She had almost lost the fight in the ring because of him. She had almost let Hiei down because of him. Panic and fear melted into a bout of anger and she pushed herself harder. Takashi almost made her lose that match today and almost forced her to disappoint Hiei. Aria knew, as she rounded another corner of the palace, that despite winning her block, she lost her fight.
And she refused to lose to him again.
.xXx.
Hiei could still sense her.
Despite the onna having run off into the night without even the smallest of glances back, Hiei could sense her energy winding around the palace. Instead of darting out into the night recklessly, the onna was forcing herself to run laps around the fortress. His shaking began to cease when he realized that the onna was pushing all of whatever she was feeling into her feet. A part of him swelled with pride, but another part of him felt empty and lost. He attempted to reach out to her again, but the energy that pushed back at him forced him to cease. Hiei could have over powered it right there, but as he reached out his senses, he felt the onna's own energy spiking. For the first time in over a year, Hiei believed that the onna could fight this battle herself. A sigh escaped him.
"Hiei?" Damn. He had forgotten about the Fox behind him. "Should we go after her?"
Nausea rolled in his belly. Did he want to chase the onna down? Hell yeah, as Yusuke would have said. He wanted to make sure that she was okay and no longer in any sort of pain, but he knew that, as her mentor, he had to let her do it alone. He could not baby her, especially now that they were fighting for Demon King, but the side of him that was pure man yearned for her to come back so he could embrace her. He felt useless. The realization almost knocked him to the ground. Despite everything he had lived through, despite all the times he could easily brush off anything that hindered him in the face of gaining more power, Hiei of the Jagan was absolutely and utterly hopeless when it came to the onna.
"No," he finally said as he turned toward his comrade. His voice betrayed him for it was thick with denial. He wanted to go after her, but this was something he had to let her do on her own. "She has to do it alone."
Kurama's eyes widened, "But she—"
Hiei shook his head. He knew that he had to let her do this. Whatever had happened in that ring today had shaken her to the very core. It forced her to jump away from him so readily in the hall. He clenched his fists as he thought about Takashi's energy signal still lingering around and he made a mental note of interrogating the Spirit King about it later, but for now the onna and her wellbeing were his top priority. He turned from his friend.
"I'm going upstairs to watch her."
Before the Fox could argue, Hiei was gone.
His speed had always been a gift. He was agile and quick, able to out run any opponent, but as he darted through the corridors and up the long dregs of stairs, Hiei felt anything but fast. An eternity seemed to pass before he burst through the doors to his and Aria's room. As his feet moved him from the doors to the balcony, Hiei could only imagine the scene he had stumbled upon. He remembered the sickening crack of her head against the stone. Every hit was like a stab in this chest, but he was powerless to help her. He could not have fathomed that Takashi had been the reason for her strange behavior, but it made sense as he considered it. She had been sobbing uncontrollably when he found her. She had run from the care of the medics and even had jerked away from him. His hands shook as he reached out to grip the railing. In the moonlight, he could see her as she barreled around the southern corner. Her snowy locks flew behind her as she sprinted the length of the fortress, right beneath him, and flew around the next angle. He waited for her to make the circle again, his eyes locked onto the southern crook until she sped around it and he followed her form through the darkness. His knuckles became white as he gripped at the railing, but his eyes never left her. He waited for her to come around that bend of the fortress again and again. The only thing he could think of was how he could bring up the subject without sending her into a sort of panic. Even as the onna darted around the southern corner for the fifth time, Hiei found himself unable to retain his anger. Before he flew down there to grab her and demand answers, he turned for the shower. Maybe an ice-cold bath would help him calm down.
Aria trudged into the bedroom completely drained.
The sound of water reached her ears as she closed the large doors behind her. Hiei must have tired of the party and come upstairs. She wondered if he had noticed her departure, or if he assumed that she was still downstairs. Aria sighed. What did it matter? He was probably still upset with her from when she snubbed him earlier. Her shoulders slumped as she considered her predicament and she staggered toward the dresser. Coated in sweat, the clan princess sluggishly pulled out clothes for the evening, but she swayed on her feet as the world around her spun. She had a ringing in her ears from the whipping wind, but she was relieved that Takashi was gone. Aria cringed as her head throbbed again. She reached a hand back and tenderly touched the back of her head. An electric pulse of pain shot through her skull and she collapsed, gripping at the sides of her head as the searing inferno ripped through her. Aria would have whimpered if her throat had let her. It was not until the sensation of cool warmth wrapped itself around her hands, that Aria lifted her head. In front of her, in blurred colors, was Hiei.
He had sensed her enter the room and every fiber of Hiei's being screamed at him to run out of the shower. A deep torrent of yearning slammed into him, but he tempered the emotion as he forced himself to finish his shower. He rinsed off and stepped out, letting the water run for another minute or two before shutting off the faucet. Steam rolled around him as he stepped out of the shower and he glanced up at the fogged mirror. He exhaled and wiped his hand on the mirror, clearing a spot. He stared at himself. His own appearance was still strange to see, but as he stared into his own crimson and teal eyes, he found that he had to give himself the courage to walk out there and face the onna. He had seen something that he knew she had been trying to hide, and now he had figured out just what exactly may have been the cause of her reaction in the ring, but how could he talk to her about it? He deliberated the possible solution when he heard a light thump from the bedroom. Hiei took a few controlled steps to the door, but he opened them to see the onna kneeling on the ground, clutching the sides of her head. His feet moved on their own and Hiei dashed in front of her. Towel around his waist, Hiei knelt down and reached out to touch the onna's hands that were tightly wound around her ivory hair. He met her eye to eye and every bit of anxiety he had up until that point melted away. She looked up at him bewildered, but cringed the moment he reached back to brush his fingers against the bruised spot on the back of her head. He felt blood still and pull his hand back to look at it. The back of her shirt, which should have only been soaked in sweat, was drenched in blood. Hiei knew that head wounds bled the most, but the sight still made him sick to his stomach. The onna covered her mouth with her hands and he pointed to the shower.
"You're covered in blood." He finally said. "Go. Take a shower. I'll bandage your head when you're done."
Aria complied with a gentle nod. As Hiei reached down to help her up, Aria forced a small smile onto her lips. She had hoped ever so desperately that Hiei had not been mad at her after she snubbed him in Gandara, but it seemed that all of her fears were for naught. Unsteady legs lead her into the hot bathroom and she turned on the faucet. Steaming hot water cascaded into the tub and Aria slipped off her clothes. The crimson stain on the back of her shirt went from the neck to the hem and she cringed. Aria slipped into the shower and sat, face upturned, to let the hot water soothe her aching muscles. She washed her hair despite the pain of the laceration, and stepped out into the rolling mist as she wrapped a towel around her. Aria turned and stared at her fogged reflection with a hint of a frown. She had not wanted to let him see her wounded, but the pain at the back of her skull really hurt. She twisted her lips into a perplexed frown as she worked the towel around her, drying off with a lethargic indifference. How could she face him properly?
Her stalling only lasted for a minute. As she stepped out of the bedroom, Aria's cheeks lit aflame as her eyes fell upon Hiei. The half fire, half ice demon was sitting upon the bed with his back against the headboard. He wore only a pair of black sweats, his feet and chest bare, and something stirred within Aria that caused her to be embarrassed. She hesitated as her silver eyes took in every ounce of the man before her, and soon Aria felt embarrassed for staring. Crimson and teal eyes turned towards her and her heart skipped a beat. Hiei's dark teal hair was untied and damp, hugging his face and a part of her tried to remember what Botan had told her to call someone she found to be attractive.
Handsome.
The word handsome slipped into her mind and her burning cheeks became worse. She gulped down her nervousness as the hanyou eyed her. Aria nearly stopped and darted back into the bathroom when he patted the spot in front of him. Nausea struck her in the form of a flip, but she felt good. She liked the feeling. Aria discarded the clump of sweaty, and bloody, clothes to the side as she ambled to the bed and climbed on. She sat across from him, blushing furiously as he folded his legs beneath him and sat up, brushing the tip of his nose against her own. They stared into one another's eyes, but Hiei broke the stare and leaned back. Aria sat there dazed, but she could see the tinge of red upon his cheeks and she gave him a soft smile. Hiei grunted and gestured for her to turn around. Aria easily turned on the bed and gulped as she felt his cool warmth against her back, and she could almost swear that she could feel him against her despite the thin pale blue fabric of her pajama top. Gentle fingers poked and prodded around in her hair until they reached the bruised flesh at the back of her skull and she cringed.
The sharp intake of breath and wince told Hiei that he had found the source of her pain. He parted her hair as gently as possible in order to see what damage she had committed onto her own head, and scowled at the dark bruise with the three-inch-long laceration. With one hand holding back her hair, Hiei set to work on bandaging her head. Silence reigned between them as he considered his options. How was he supposed to start with a topic like this? He knew, against his own frustration, that he could not just demand an explanation from her. Hiei gulped as he applied the wrap around her head, keeping the bandages in place, as he sighed.
"What's going on?" he asked.
The onna half turned her face towards him. Even in the darkened room, Hiei could make out her form and features. He watched her bite her lower lip and he could hear her breath becoming unsteady. Whatever this energy was doing to her made Hiei angry. She had suffered enough.
Hiei reached out and wrapped his arms around the onna's shoulders and pulled her against him. The onna melted into him and Hiei knew in that very moment that he had it bad for her. She was pressed against him and Hiei never felt something so… right. A part of him was unbelievably vexed with his own inability to assist her, but the other part of him was grateful. The onna was everything he could have wanted in a mate and that was saying a lot since he had never intended on being mated. A swirling sensation in his stomach told him that he had a lot to do, and confess, before he could ever ask such a thing of her.
The first would be talking with Serenade.
Those thoughts aside, Hiei laid his chin on the onna's left shoulder and closed his eyes. He could no longer sense any traces of Takashi's energy and relief flooded through him as Hiei pulled her closer. The onna was wearing a pajama set that he clearly remembered Botan saying they bought. It was a simple, light blue set with a tank top with loose straps and a pair of shorts. Her shoulders were bare and the heat between them felt electrifying to him. The onna did not fight him, but melted into the embrace instead. Hiei nuzzled his face into her neck, his own body beginning to ache, as he inhaled her intoxicating scent. Hiei stayed silent, despite the strong desire to question her. He wanted to savor this moment; the warmth he felt from the onna spurred a deep longing within him and he would take the small bits he could. Hiei held onto the onna until she fell asleep against him, curling up against him and he held her tightly. He pulled the quilt out from beneath him and draped it over the onna. A small, soft smirk graced his lips as he held her tight against him and soon joined her in the world of dreams.
Wow! This behemoth took forever to get out! I'm so sorry about that guys! Next chapter is an interlude! We will see what one of Hiei's trips to the human world for notebook supplies are like!
I do want to apologize! School has taken over my life as well as another medical emergency with my family. My father was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his lungs, so I'm working on his support network and that means I have to devote part of my time to making sure his side of the family is kept up to date as often as possible!
Please make sure to let me know what you think!