A/N: I've been furloughed for a week now and won't go back to work until at least May 1st and it's been a time folks. But this gives me more time for Animal Crossing and writing! It's Camp Nano month (April) so I'm hoping to use some of this time to up date a few stories. I'm working between my busted laptop and my friend's Chromebook so bear with me.


Hiei entered the bar with a glower, the paper detailing the address crumbled in his fist he hid in his pocket. It wasn't fair of Amon to push him into this. She knew how little he wanted to see these idiots but she kept going out of her way to make it impossible to avoid them. He could reluctantly admit to himself that seeing Yusuke's stupid grin had actually felt nice. And Kurama's calming, steady presence offered that historical stability he'd always lent. Even seeing Kuwabara hadn't chaffed him as badly as he thought it might.

Still, despite all of that truth, he didn't want to involve himself with them.

He'd lived the last year with agony of having been seen by them in his moment of profound weakness. He couldn't undo that. Their pity still tore at his pride. Beyond that he wasn't the same man he'd been a year ago. He wasn't their friend. He was a king.

And he still wasn't a very good one.

What if they called him out on this charade? What if they pointed out, rightly, that he was failing to live up the expectation the world had for him? What if they attacked what little confidence he'd accumulated in this role and he was thrust back to where he started, lost and wracked with the certainty that Alaric would be better off in anyone's hands but his own?

Worse, what if they had nothing but assurances to offer? Pats on the back?

What if he sat down with them and didn't want them to leave?

His stomach turned slightly as he caught sight of the three men who had claimed a corner in the back of the bar, several varieties of drinks collected over the surface of the table. And a seat left open. Just one. For him.

Amon had never intended to join them and she had apparently been sure to voice that, he realized. He wondered where she'd gone, after abandoning him this way. It bothered him, her expression before she'd pushed him into the crowd. Her words were softened with that deep sadness of someone who had been worn smooth by pain and grief. He'd rather be in his office asking her to explain herself than here.

But here is where he was and he'd been spotted so it wouldn't make any sense for him to run. It would only make him look cowardly. Instead, he marched to the gathering with purpose, sat down by way of jerking the reserved chair out and throwing himself down into it without decorum, grabbed the closest drink and swallowed the biting liquid before leveling the three of them with a vicious sneer.

"You have half an hour then I'm gone." He informed them hotly. "Half an hour."

"That's more than I thought we'd get." Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck before grinning nervously. "Don't look so pissed, Hiei. It's just a drink with friends."

"For you." Hiei glared. "Not for me."

"You look rather stately." Kurama smiled with a glint to his eye. "That outfit suits you. It's nice seeing you in something other than black."

"I'm leaving." Hiei pushed away from the table and stood only to be jerked back down by Yusuke's hand on one shoulder and Kuwabara's grip on his other arm. He struggled against them both with little intent of actually breaking free.

"Relax, man. You look nice." Kuwabara snorted. "Stop being so sensitive over everything we say."

"Oh, I'm the sensitive one now?" Hiei balked. "That's rich. I just have better things to do than be made fun of."

"I'm not making fun of you." Kurama informed him with that same slick smile. He folded his hands under his chin and tipped his head scantly to the side. "I'm just commenting on your new clothes. They strike me as rather ornate for you. Did you choose them yourself?"

Oh, fuck this guy, Hiei thought with a glare. Kurama knew it was a leading question which meant he also had already figured out the answer.

"Amon had them made for me so I could look as powerful as I feel." Hiei dared the fox to argue with him. "She has an eye for things like this. It's part of what makes her so effective at her job."

"And, what is her job exactly?" Yusuke pried as he fought back another grin. "Other than walking around looking hot and getting yelled at by you?"

Hiei rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"I'm serious. What does she do?" Yusuke continued. "I mean, I get that she's in charge of something because she was pretty direct with that kid who showed us around."

"Benji." Hiei supplied for him. "He's her apprentice."

"Okay, why does she need an apprentice?" Kuwabara wondered.

"She's my personal attendant. Her job is to work for me. His job is to work for her." Hiei waved a hand through the air, grabbing another drink. "She's an essential component to the castle functioning as well as it does."

"Yeah, but what does she do? Like, is she your secretary? Your maid? What's the deal?" Yusuke shoved a handful of food into his mouth as he continued talking. "Seems like everyone listens to her, I dunno."

It did seem that way, didn't it? Even though he told her that the staff were his to manage he didn't really have to. She did it all. She had organized them for this event and it was going smoothly. No complaints. She'd given order to an otherwise chaotic establishment, designating roles, smoothing out lists, curating the best beings for the jobs at hand. Her hiring and firing wasn't arbitrary.

"She runs the household." Hiei admitted quietly, examining the shining blue liquid in his glass. It smelled faintly of citrus and copper. It wasn't bad. "On top of that she assists me in any way I require. Sets out my clothes. Accompanies me to my meetings and takes notes, overlooks documents for me. She's instilled a sense of respect in my generals and staff toward me. Her entire job revolves around making me look as functional as possible."

"That's a tall order." Kuwabara joked, laughing when Hiei shot him a look. "Does she even get time to sleep?"

Hiei wondered at that, because actually he didn't know much about Amon's routine outside of when it interacted with his own. He did know she spent considerable time with him at night when he awoke. And he pulled her into training sessions at the end of the day numerous times.

"She has to sleep sometime." Hiei muttered to himself. "She wouldn't function otherwise."

"Yikes, you sound like a slave driver." He teased. "Poor lady."

"She's not a slave." Hiei's instant bitterness made Kuwabara pull back. "Don't call her one. And I don't set her schedule, she does that herself. In fact I never even asked her to start in this role. She filled it herself and eventually it just made more sense to officially give it to her."

"So she was a slave at some point." Kurama ventured to suggest. "That's the second time you've gotten so defensive over mentioning it."

"She's not anymore." Hiei told them all firmly. "And she'll never be one again."

"I heard you two were awfully close. I thought it would be something more fun than her working for you. I hoped you two were dating or something." Yusuke huffed, tossing his head back. "That kid said she came out of your room this morning all wet and in her sleep clothes. Anyone else and that'd been juicy."

"Benji told you that?" Hiei frowned. He didn't want the little rabbit to gossip about him or Amon. They'd need to have a talk later.

"Yeah." Kuwabara leaned over to leer suggestively. "He said it wasn't the first time either."

"It wasn't." Hiei stated easily. "She passes out after our training sessions so I bring her to my room to sleep it off."

"So you two were training last night?" Kurama asked before sipping from his drink.

"Not exactly." Hiei's answer came out stilted due to his mounting aggravation. "What's it matter to any of you? It doesn't effect you that she was in my room no matter the reason."

"He's being defensive hmm?" Yusuke elbowed Kurama lightly. "Look at him, I think he's blushing. They were totally doing it."

"Can't see it." Kuwabara shook his head. "She's far too pretty for him."

"None of you have changed at all. It's annoying." Hiei griped. "Stop slandering my Amon and pick another topic or I'm leaving."

Hiei sipped from his drink, eyebrows slowly pulling down as the other three exchanged suggestive glances with one another, each of them unfurling equally pleased grins that made the hair on his nape rise. He set the glass back down and eyed them in turn his glower growing with his face he saw.

"What?" He demanded.

"You said 'my Amon'." Kurama explained with a smirk. "As in yours."

"No I didn't. I said my attendant." Hiei rolled his eyes.

"No, not even close." Kuwabara shook his head. "You definitely said 'my Amon'."

"Then my words got crossed between Amon and my attendant. I have been drinking thanks to you dolts."

"Right. Of course. A mistake." Kurama nodded. "So, how have you been overall, Hiei? You look much better than the last time we were all together."

"And you didn't scream at anyone today." Yusuke pointed out.

"I'm handling my business. The territory isn't on fire yet, no one has tried to kill me. I'm working on redistributing our resources so there's better access for all the citizens. It's taking time though." Hiei shrugged. "My generals hate me, but that's nothing new. They hated me before all of this. I'm not the best thing to ever happen to Alaric but so far I'm not the worst either."

"That's an improved mindset. I have to say, I'm actually impressed. It seems like you're handling this all very well. Honestly, I thought you'd abdicate by now." Kurama finally dropped his devious grin and allowed himself to grow genuine.

Hiei squinted at him and out of spite wanted to say the thought had never crossed his mind. He was determined by nature. If he wanted to rule then that's what he'd do. Kurama had no reason to doubt him. Instead he pursed his lips and reconsidered his answer. "I wanted to. Being king isn't what I hoped to do with my life. The burden is heavy and not all that interesting most of the time. But the people are starting to thrive and I suppose that's worth something."

"Must be worth a lot of if they're throwing this fucking parade or whatever in your honor." Yusuke waved through the air with his hand. "A week long festival is pretty good, neh?"

"The people didn't decide this. Amon did. She just convinced them all to come somehow." Hiei wrinkled his nose.

"She did all of this for you?" Kuwabara asked, impressed. "That's really sweet. And cool."

"For Mukuro and me." Hiei corrected.

"She must believe in you without reservation." Kurama considered as he looked around the bar that was full of patrons from all over the land. "This was not a humble feat to accomplish."

Hiei snorted at that. "Don't tell her that. I don't want her thinking this behavior is acceptable. She's already a handful."

"Well, if your hands need a break I'm sure this idiot will take over for you." Yusuke kicked Kuwabara under the table earning a heartfelt curse. "He's been ogling her since he first saw her."

"That's not true!" Kuwabara defended with a huff. "She's pretty and all, but it's not like I even think it would happen."

"You've got a type and it's hot demon girls." Yusuke continued to tease him. "Sheesh dude you're so predictable. First Yukina and now Hiei's girlfriend."

"Not my girlfriend." Hiei muttered only to be ignored. Kurama passed him a knowing smile and for a moment it was just like before, with them bonding over the absurdity of their friends' antics. Then Hiei lowered his voice purposefully. "How is Yukina?"

"She's okay." Kuwabara told him equally quiet and suddenly pensive. "She's doing really good actually. She's happy. Being a mother suits her, you know? And the kid is her spitting image. It's amazing."

"Good." Hiei downed his second drink feeling the heat of the alcohol as it licked at his cheeks and ears. "Good. It's about time she was happy."

"She'd be happier if you showed up to see her." Yusuke told him dully. "She was sort of, what's the word for it Kurama? How she felt about her only brother missing the birth of her first daughter?"

"Pissed, I think." Kurama nodded.

"They're both better off without me around." Hiei explained easily. A rehearsed speech they'd all heard a million times over the years, even after Yukina had admitted to knowing who he was the entire time. He still tried to convince himself she didn't know but it wasn't a fruitful endeavor. "I'm glad she's happy at least. And safe."

"Oh yeah, she's safe alright. A stray demon got within sight of her daughter and she froze it so fast I didn't even see her move." Kuwabara rubbed his neck. "I know things didn't work out between us but I still like to help out as much as a I can. After Genkai passed she's alone in the temple and that doesn't seem right. The kid is adorable to boot. I love spoiling her."

"It's for the best you two parted ways." Hiei picked another random glass and studied the contents thoughtfully for a second. "The world doesn't need anymore me's in in it."

He emptied the glass in one gulp and slammed it back onto the table, the down pillow of alcohol smothering his senses and his memory. He raised his hand, "Another round. Now."


Hiei stumbled through the castle with Yusuke's arm around his neck and Kuwabara laughing loudly behind them at something Yusuke had said. Even Hiei chuckled at the quip, though he couldn't quite recall what it had been. The few awake staff eyed them with confused curiosity as the foursome made their way through the castle. It was late. Far longer than half an hour had passed before Hiei had eventually forced them to leave the bar as a unit.

He parted ways with his friends on the stairs before ascending to his bedroom, the master suite, The King's Room. Just after crossing into the threshold he paused, bleary eyes taking in Amon as she situated a tray on the table. Snacks, tea and water. He made his way to her and then stopped, swaying on his feet slightly. She had her hair down and her clothes were obviously those she regularly slept in. He'd never seen them before, but they were wrinkled and a mess and completely unlike her usual attire.

Her hair had waves in it, adding more texture than usual. He fought the urge to take hold of those scarlet strands. All the night's talk about his favorite servant had done him no favors. All he could think about half the time was Amon and her stupid support and her even worse presence that he had been left craving in her absence. When had he become such a useless fool? He hoped she never came to understand the spell she'd put him under, if she did he might not live through it.

Or worse, she'd be under his too and he'd be forced to deal with that.

"They got me drunk." He declared. "If you had been there with me this wouldn't have happened."

"You're smiling." She informed him softly. "It's worth your ire just to see such a thing."

"That's a stupid thing to say this late at night." He accused. "Did you know there are rumors we're sleeping together?"

"I told you about them." Amon reminded him with subdued humor.

"Oh."

"Drink this." She handed him a cool glass of water, forcing him to take it before pushing her hair over her shoulder. "I'll wake you in the morning sire."

"No." He finished the water and set it down, wrapping his fingers around her forearm as she turned to leave. With gentle force he spun her back to face him. "I'm not your sire, Amon. Or your sir. We're alone."

"It's late." She protested, allowing him to hold her. "I'll say your name in the morning, if you still wish it."

"Why not now?" He asked, not letting her go free as she stepped closer. "What power does the night have over your speech?"

"This time of night only lovers and friends are speaking each other's names." She supplied calmly but her eyes burned him. His fingers tightened on her.

"Amon." He breathed. "I won't sleep until you say it. If I don't sleep you'll have to deal with me, exhausted and irritable."

"What a strange threat."

"These are strange times." He admitted. "Just appease me."

"Go to sleep." She urged him, tugging herself free before guiding him to the bed with a hand on his back. "Fuss at me in the morning. You need rest."

"Amon." He fell back onto the bed listlessly so he could continue to watch her.

"Hiei." Amon smiled at him and then brushed some of his hair from his face. "Sleep."

"That's all I asked for." He muttered, his eyes closing against his will. "Why was that so damn hard?"


Hiei woke with his head pounding and the curtains drawn closed, casting him darkness which made him question what time it was. His curtain was always open. He was thankful though, that it wasn't, just the idea of light made his headache worsen.

"Ah, there he is. My illustrious king in all his glory." Amon's teasing voice made him rise to sitting. She placed a tray next to him on the bed. "You're going to want to drink the small cup first, it'll help with your head."

He grumped and then did as she suggested, downing the bitter liquid in one shot before grimacing. "What the hell did you just feed me?"

"Medicine. I figured if you were in any state close to what your friends are suffering through you'd need it." She moved to his closet to once again sift through his clothing. "It's an easier day for you today, no meetings. Your schedule is effectively empty."

Hiei took a bite out of the breakfast she'd brought him. Today she wore a sleeveless black tunic, matching gloves on both arms coming up to her biceps. A black collar that looked suspiciously like velvet circled her throat. It was the same material and color as the ribbon tying off her long braid, a few artful sections of hair pulled free to frame her face. Her pants were red, mostly hidden between her tunic and the tall black fold over boots she'd donned. Again she wore armlets around her biceps and he suspected they were intended to hold those stupid gloves in place.

The accentuated her muscles though, the tightness of the gloves and the lack of sleeves made it hard to deny that she'd grown stronger. Thicker.

He settled back a little further into the pillows against the headboard so he could more easily watch her go about her work. A belt of violet leather sat low on her waist and to his delight he could see his gift to her in a matching leather harness that circled her thigh and attached to the belt. He took another bite of his breakfast to make up for his silence.

"Why?" He asked eventually, determined to at least pretend to care. "I've always got something inane to do around here."

"You can handle the inane details later. Today you should relax, enjoy yourself. Partake in the festivities."

"Did you say you saw the idiots this morning?" He backtracked to the start of their conversation now that his head was clearing.

"I did. I checked in on them and extended my services. You were in a state last night, but you seemed happy so I hoped you'd patched things up a bit. Also I wanted to see which of you was the worse for wear." She hid a chuckle under her breath. "It was Mr. Kuwabara, by the way. The poor man looked dreadful."

"That's what he gets for trying to keep up with demons." Hiei groused. "What services?"

"I made them breakfast, got them medicine as well, laundered their clothes, drew their baths. Nothing unusual. I have to say, they're all actually quite sweet. They seem to like the accommodations as well, which is nice to learn. I worked hard on trying to make their rooms as comfortable as possible."

"I don't know why you're surprised. You excel at things like that. I attribute it to your overly thoughtful nature." Hiei sipped on the hot tea she'd provided, relaxing against the headboard.

"Thoughtful nature," she hummed to herself quietly, "that's a way to describe it."

"You disagree?"

"I'm afraid if I do you'd be displeased to hear it." Amon told him. "I just think it's best for the people around me to be situated and sated whenever possible. It keeps things pleasant and makes my life easier. Answering to the anger of powerful men has never been a joyful experience for me."

It was the casual nature of how she spoke that made Hiei squint at her. She felt him staring and then realized she'd given him too much to read into. Today wasn't the day for such conversations.

"My schedule today, however, is quite full. I have some errands to run in town, cleaning to do, and some of the staff wanted to speak with me about some concerns." Amon continued speaking to prevent him from questioning her. He opened his mouth with a look of contention and she once again cut him off. "I will, however, of course make time to serve your meals and if you need me available I will drop whatever I happen to be doing and I will rush to do whatever it is you wish me to do."

Hiei stared at her for a second before pursing his lips. He didn't respond and she took that as consent for her to move through her day so she continued to try to pair together an outfit befitting a king, even if the king was in a moment of leisure. It was important to use items he'd seemed comfortable wearing before, she didn't want to push him too far and have him shut down. She also didn't want to let him get too comfortable wearing tattered shirts and cloaks that hadn't been properly batched in years.

What was a servant to do?

Hiei shifted on the bed as he studied the crease forming between her eyebrows while she studied the clothes she'd pulled free from the depths of his wardrobe. Her hands smoothed over a few shirts, her attention lingering on one the same color as her belt. He'd been meaning to ask her about that.

"Why the purple?" Hiei wondered aloud, transfixed by the way Amon traced the embroidery on a vest with her gloved fingertips. "It's a strange color."

"Is it?" She hummed, studying the shirt that had raised the question. "It's a lovely color. One of my favorites. I thought it would do justice to your complexion."

"I want to wear it." He demanded immediately.

A soft chuckle preceded a warm look his way. "You humor me enough, si-Hiei. You aren't impressed with the color and that's alright. I can't win every time."

She could, he thought, because he was quickly discovering he was a weak-willed man in these matters. He didn't care about his clothes so the urge to fight her was nonexistent to start. It was easy to trust Amon with dressing him because her dedication demanded he look his best at all times. She would never set him up to look like a fool, even if he felt like one. But that wasn't the point, honestly. It wasn't about her winning or him liking the color.

It was about the fact that Amon said it was one of her favorites and the first display of it was to be on his body and that was not an opportunity he wanted to waste.

"I'm never impressed with clothes." He told her to hide his motivations. "Revolve the outfit around the shirt."

She smiled and shook her head but set about her task.

"How did you even get on without me?" She asked him absently. "Did you just live in those ragamuffin clothes?"

"Yes." He snorted. "There's nothing wrong with them."

"Right." Humor laced the allowance. "I suppose they're the same as my suits. Nothing is wrong with them, but they really just don't get the right point across sometimes."

Hiei raised his eyebrows accepting the pants she extended to him. A brush of her fingers over his confirmed the gloves were definitely velvet. Soft, luxurious and so unlike her usual leather ones.

Tossing the blanket off his legs he stood up to step into the trousers without bothering to announce the movement. Again, her reaction failed to live up to his hopes because she merely avoided looking at him by putting away the items that hadn't met her vision. He wasn't sure what trying to goad her was going to accomplish other than more frustration for him, but the desire wouldn't die. With it being unmet he huffed and walked closer to her.

"Am I trying to make a point?"

"Always." She assured him, her gaze feeling heavy and certain when he met her eyes. "This week it's that you're the most powerful man any of these slithering cowards has ever seen and you know it, they know it, and you carry it in the way you manage to look down on them even when having to look up into their faces. You do most of the work, you naturally take up space, stand wide. Your broad shoulders help. The clothes simply cinch it all together into a beautiful, artfully crafted package that looks intentional and poised."

Hiei glanced at the mirror to scan himself. Were his shoulders actually that broad? Was that a good or a bad thing? She hadn't said it as though it were a fault.

"I admire your confidence." Amon admitted with a slight shrug, also looking at their reflections. "Mine was always situated in fool-hardiness. Yours is in self-assurance. I think that's a wonderful thing."

"If you lack confidence, I feel responsible." He eyed her in a quick, rough study. "I suppose I just assume you know your own strength but that likely isn't fair, all things considered."

"It's not your job to praise me." She reminded him as she handed him the violet shirt he would wear for the day. A simple button down, nothing too much nor too little. "Therefore this cannot be your fault. You have more important things to worry about."

"Not really." He remained impassive when she shot him a look. He walked toward her without bothering to do his buttons and set his hand atop the pile of clothes she was shuffling through so that she was forced to pay attention to him. "What on my list of responsibilities is more important right now, Amon?"

"Running the territory." She deadpanned, proud of herself for not allowing her attention to dip to his bare chest. She'd seen that flesh so many times and yet it always held a certain power over her despite herself. Her fingers itched with the need to pull his shirt closed, buttoning it just to spare herself.

"An impossible task without your guidance." His words brought color to her cheeks in a way that his bare flesh hadn't managed. It made his lips twist up at the corner. He lowered his voice, tipping his chin up so she could see his smirk. "I don't rely on fools, Amon. I rely on a deliberate, powerful woman. Don't believe anything less, unless you doubt me and my judgement. Do you doubt me, Amon?"

"No." She lowered her voice too without meaning to. The way he was looking at her, the sly glimmer in his eyes, the barest hint of a grin gracing his mouth.

"Do you believe me?" He pressed.

"That I'm deliberate? Yes. That I'm powerful?" She pressed her lips together. "That remains to be seen, sir."

"If you call me sir one more time when we're alone I'm going to find a way to punish you." He warned her without anger.

She didn't argue with him because she wasn't sure how serious he was. Instead she nodded and waited for him to be done with this lesson he determined to imprint upon her. What was the king's version of punishment? He didn't raise his hands to her. He wouldn't allow anyone else to bring her arm, she was fairly certain. What then?

"Stop trying to figure it out, Amon. If you guess correctly I'll come up with something else." He smirked and it stopped her lungs for a moment. "This will be a lot easier on us both if you just tell me what I want to hear."

"You don't rely on fools." She repeated his sentiment back to him with forced conviction. "Therefore I'm not a fool because you rely on me."

"Close." He raked his gaze down her then back up with such little reservation that she almost blushed. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, or at, but the searing attention threatened to scald her. Her weight shifted slightly as she considered stepping back to put space between their bodies as he crept a little closer. "I want to hear you say it, Amon, before you rush off to handle your cleaning and your staff issues and your meddling in the market. I want you to tell me you're powerful, otherwise why should I let you go out there? If you think yourself weak, why shouldn't I treat you as such? Do I need to keep you confined to the grounds to keep you safe lest someone take advantage of your lack of strength?"

"I'd rather you didn't." The words came out soft and she felt herself caught between annoyance and a twinge of fear.

"Give me a reason not to." He demanded.

He was doing that an awful lot lately, wasn't he? Demanding the impossible from her in that unrelenting way of his with his haughty tone and his glowing eyes, his energy a cloak that surrounded them both. How was she supposed to deny him? How was she supposed to stand up to him?

Why did he take such pleasure from making her squirm like this? His endless search for her loose threads was disorienting to her. He pulled and plucked and he didn't seem to know how to stop until she clipped the ends. He was breaking her apart and forcing her to rebuild and sometimes she didn't know what to do.

"I'm powerful." She told him working her voice to be strong. "At least enough to survive this place and a simple market."

"A half-assed sentiment but it'll do for now." Hiei retracted and went back to the mirror to button his shirt as though he hadn't just been toying with her. "Get started on your day Amon, I'll see you at lunch."

"Of course. Thank you, si-" He shot her a look through his reflection, eyebrows raised and he waited for her to correct herself, "Hiei. Enjoy your day."


"Lord Hiei." Hiei stopped mid-sentence to turn to face Marielle, who glanced at Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara in turn before refocusing on the king. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment."

"You make them call you lord?" Yusuke snorted. "That's fucked up, Hiei."

"Amon prefers it, actually. The king never actually cared about the title until his generals started getting openly disrespectful. She put them in their place." Marielle explained evenly. "She's rather skilled at handling unruly men."

Her expression made Yusuke raise an eyebrow.

"What is it, Marielle?" Hiei crossed his arms over his chest.

She once again glanced at the other men, but when Hiei didn't seem to want to step away she focused on him solely. "I'm not sure if you meant it to be known or not, but the staff has been aware that Amon took her meals with you for some time."

"And?"

"Has she been eating with you?" Her question made Hiei drop his arms as he stared at her. "I know it isn't my place to ask, but with her not sleeping at night because of putting this affair together, I just, I'm worried. No one has seen her eat in weeks and the other night she outright refused because she said she didn't have time. She was not alright and I'm worried she's not taking care of herself."

"What do you mean she refused?" Hiei frowned, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"She said she didn't have time." Marielle stepped back as his anger started to show.

"Why would she refuse you? She listens to you. She likes you." Hiei squinted to the side as he parsed the behavior out mentally. "Fine. I'll handle it, Marielle. She'll eat by the end of the day."

"That sounds menacing, when you say it like that man." Kuwabara deadpanned.

"Good. Because it wasn't meant to be friendly. You can go, Marielle." Hiei grumped, running his fingers through his bangs and pressing the heel of his palm between his eyebrows after the woman scampered off. "I swear, if she wasn't so goddamn capable I'd think she was useless."

"Does she frequently do this?" Kurama asked, concerned. "Go without eating and sleeping?"

"Not as frequently as it used to be. She nearly died a few months after I brought her here. Starvation. She doesn't value her life. She doesn't think anyone should." Hiei groused, but he couldn't hide how badly this news bothered him. "This is why I told her to sleep where I could see her. I knew something was off."

"Should you go find her?" Kurama frowned.

"No. She'll come to me." Hiei knew this for a fact. He kept himself as stoic as he could when he spoke. "She's serving me lunch. I'll get her then. The last thing either of us needs is for her to end up in the goddamn med bay again. I might as well dedicate a whole fucking room to her if she's going to keep pulling this bullshit."

"Well, at least you're handling this calmly." Yusuke snorted.

"I don't know how to make this situation comparatively relevant to you, Yusuke." Hiei's drawl sounded bored but they could all see the tension in his jaw. "Not that it matters, this isn't for you to handle, it's my problem."

"It could be ours too. We're for you." Yusuke reminded him.

Hiei rolled his eyes. This would explain why she'd fallen asleep so easily, he realized. She must be exhausting herself beyond measure. If Marielle had summoned the courage to speak with him it must have gotten dire. How Amon managed to keep these issues under his radar was both impressive and concerning. He'd told her before he didn't have the time or patience to micromanage her wellbeing but this alternative wasn't working either.

If getting Amon to take care of herself meant he had to take the reigns then that was just what he'd do. His mind immediately went to work trying to determine exactly what sort of control he was going to have to exert and how to go about it. Despite her seemingly constant need to please, Amon had her pride.

Maybe if he plucked at it just the right way he'd get her to do this without his interference, but he didn't think it would be that easy.

"You're not going to yell at her in front of everyone again, are you?" Kuwabara asked pointedly.

"No. I had a momentary lapse in judgement. Not even I am immune to those, despite my impeccable self control." Hiei caught their expressions. "I am completely in control of myself, you pack of fools. If I wasn't I wouldn't be able to use this."

He held his arm up to indicate his black dragon, hidden under a layer of bandages.

"That's a contradiction Hiei." Kurama put a hand on his shoulder. "Just speak to her privately."

"I don't need you telling me how to handle Amon. You don't even know her." Hiei shrugged away from the friendly touch.

"We don't need to know her." Yusuke told him easily. "We know you."

"I have a plan. Leave it." Hiei warned him. "If you idiots start to get involved then everything will get far more convoluted than necessary. Amon listens to me. If I need your help I'll come to you for it. Until then don't get in my way."

"Oh! Sir!" Benji bounced over to them and Hiei couldn't hide a slight smile at seeing the boy once again dressed up in whatever Amon had chosen that day because it was obviously not the kid's own doing to look that coifed. "Amon asked me to find you."

"Why?" Hiei raised an eyebrow, arms crossing over his chest.

"Well, what she actually said was 'do a sweep of the castle and let me know if you find the king, if you can't then don't leave to look for him, hopefully he's out and with his friends.'" Benji explained before quickly realizing he'd gotten his orders mixed up. "I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that though."

"Why does she want me out of the castle?" Hiei demanded, humoured.

"Oh, well, she doesn't. I think she just wants you to be occupied. There was an issue with something and it took her some time to handle and that meant she fell behind on cleaning the hall and then another thing came up and she had to calm down a guest and switch staff out for them. That guy is really mean." Benji made a face. "He made Azuki cry and he did not like Amon dismissing her. He was really rude to her."

"Who was this?" Kurama asked curiously.

"Miss Amon wouldn't let me know his name because she said I don't know what information is too much when I talk." Benji's cheeks burned with color as his ears fell. "I did it again."

"I'll make this easy for you then. Tell Amon we are in the castle and that I'm getting hungry. If she can find the space between putting out these fires to arrange for a meal, I'd appreciate it." Hiei reached out to put a hand on Benji's head. "And tell her after lunch I need to speak with her. Again. Tell her it will take a while."

"Right." Benji nodded his head under the warm palm pressing into his curls. Green eyes darted to the others. "Should I tell her you were with your friends?"

"No. Tell her I killed them and left them in a closet for her to clean up later."

"You got it."


"I didn't find your joke particularly funny." Amon's voice remained quiet but not emotionless as she set Hiei's plate on the table before him while the rest of the staff served the few others in the room with them. The king's friends and his generals, no other guests. The generals had invited themselves.

She'd heard through the grapevine that they were nervous at the appearance of Mr. Urameshi, Mr. Kuwabara and Mr. Kurama. Apparently the foursome was not known for being easy to manipulate. She delighted in learning of their unease at the group because it meant she'd been right to invite the men. They made her king stronger and that's all she could ask for.

"Joke?" Hiei pulled his brows down in a mockery of confusion until she shot him a look. "Stop sending Benji to spy on me."

"Ah, you mean how you had him spying on your guests?" She pressed.

"It's different."

"I agree. It's his job to know where to find you, as it's mine."

"Did he relay to you that we need to have a private conversation once this meal is over?" Hiei looked into her eyes allowing her to see just a flash of warning in his gaze. "I had an enlightening conversation earlier. I'd like to get your opinion on the details."

"I'm at your disposal." She nodded.

"I know that already, what I need is for you to be ready to listen." The heated comment made her glance at his face, studying his expression. He looked frustrated, but he was hiding it well. She nodded for him and then put space between them so he could eat.

Amon paced through the room with her chin level with the floor, blue eyes scanning everyone's face, their plates, their movements. Someone knocked on the far door so strode toward them with purpose, moving to quietly open the wooden barrier so as not to disturb the men taking their meals. She was greeted with an empty hallway.

The hair on her nape prickled, raising as a heat entered her blood causing her to inhale deeply. Head turning, her world slipped into that delicate slow motion adrenal injected into reality. The king didn't see the assassins before the knife was glinting through the air. A slash at his arm as he raised it to push one of the servers away from the table. Another across his chest. The generals took their time rising to their feet. The king's friends were all moving to rush to his aid. It was painful watching how they moved, too sluggish to do anything worthwhile.

She was in motion out of instinct and training. Before the king's friends were out of their seats she ran toward the shadow of the table, sliding underneath the long strip of wood.

Once, she was the fastest demon in her kingdom. The strongest. The surest.

It seemed Greyfield hadn't actually killed those traits after all.

Amon erupted from under the table, grabbing the edge to throw herself upwards. Her foot caught one hooded demon under the chin, throwing its head back. Her hand wrapped around the knife by the king's plate, and quickly the blade found itself buried into the soft eye of another assassin. Four of them. She'd faced greater odds. Spinning to the side as an arm flashed down toward her she grabbed the king's chair and shoved it out of the way to the offending knife bit through nothing but air.

A flat foot against the chest of her first victim sent the demon flying into the wall with a resounding crack. Her weapon tore through the chest of a second assassin, only stopping when it got caught on a rib and refused to budge. Proving useless she left it to rot in the body that sagged to the floor. Her hand fished for the king's plate and she shoved it into the mouth of a third assassin before yanking the demon toward her and slamming it face down against the tabletop, forcing the plate to rip through it's jaw, severing the tendons. Another bash downwards sent droplets of blood flying through the air. A third meant the assassin would never rise again, their face muddled and gaping open.

The fourth slashed at her face and she snarled in response, twisting away and then moving to shatter bones with a punch. The demon managed to sidestep her strike, grabbing her hair and tossing her against the table. She kicked out, not caring that a handful of her hair was ripped out. Pain had lost its meaning the minute these vultures had attacked her king.

Trading blows turned into a lockup. Amon found herself pinning the last of the assassins to the table as they struggled. Her hands occupied, unable to find a weapon she went with the only accessible in her arsenal.

She sank her teeth into the all too yielding throat of her attacker, flesh giving way to bone, flooding her mouth with the sweet metallic wine that gave life to all things. She felt the throat crunch under the pressure. The hands struggling to free themselves from her ironclad grip twitched as she jerked her head to the side sending a line of crimson through the air. The body shook, the last remnants of life escaping in the movement.

The wet sound of the glob of flesh was the first noise she could actually hear as she spit it onto the ruined corpse she'd created.

Wood clattered against the floor as everyone found their feet, finally. Mr. Kuwabara had the server behind him, pose ready to defend. Mr. Kurama had a rose posed as a threat. Mr. Yusuke remained without a weapon, his eyes on her as though he was only just realizing what she was.

Her shirt had been sliced open across the chest, her arm and face suddenly stung and she knew she had cuts there too. Not that it mattered to her. Inconsequential. Blood staining her mouth, teeth, dripping from her chin down her throat and pooling against her tunic, bathing her exposed skin in slick garnet, she turned to face her king with heaving breast and eyes she knew had to look as vicious and wild as she felt.

She wiped at her mouth with the back of her wrist but the velvet did little more than smear the warm liquid and collect a few drops. Panting she delicately pulled a cloth napkin from the table and gently wiped at the king's face with it, careful not to touch him otherwise. The few droplets of blood she dabbed at came free from his skin with little force.

"I should have thought of that. Next time I won't have them craft shirts with buttons. It's too easy to create an opening in them." She told him with her usual calm demeanor back in place. Her eyes dipped down to the buttons missing on his shirt. "I've made a mess of you, I'm sorry."

"You certainly have." Hiei responded in a breathy way that smoldered against her skin. His eyes were no better, pupils so dark and wide she feared she might fall into them as he focused that sharp attention on her. She was in more danger now that she'd been close to being in with the assassins, she could feel it.

Hiei couldn't take his eyes off of her. Not as she fought, shoving him to the side like he was a defenseless babe making harsh and barbaric work of those who meant him harm and definitely not now with crimson catching the light as it reflected off her painted skin. Canines he'd glimpsed only a handful of times looked like they'd make quick work of his throat and he wanted to test the theory. The woman before him wasn't the same one who had been in his room that morning. He didn't bother hiding the fact he was tracing a drop of blood as it slid down her throat, over her collarbone and between her breasts.

His tongue slid over his lips at the sight of it and there was nothing he could do about his reaction. It controlled him, not the other way around.

She'd proven him a fool for thinking he had self-control.

Maybe he did, when it came to anything else.

But not her.

He wanted to feel what it was like to be pinned down by her brutal hands. Wanted the pleasure of coating his tongue with the liquid dripping from her cuts. Hiei wanted to yank on her hair and force her to yield to him in the way she didn't seem to know how to do when it came to her enemies.

He wanted her to do the same to him.

Desire welled up in him so fiercely he almost demanded everyone leave so he could act on it.

"Now you see!" Takeo yelled, his voice shattering through Hiei's thoughts, his wants. "She's a monster! You see what she's capable of! Unhinged dog!"

"Not a dog." Amon retracted from Hiei to face his generals and the hatred in her eyes was colder than his homeland.

"Oh, then what? A mongrel?" Takeo demanded as the other generals started speaking over one another to have her contained.

"Worse." Amon informed them all, sliding her tongue around her mouth to taste the blood before it grew tacky, drawing her bottom lip in to savor it. She opened her eyes to let them all see what they were really dealing with. The creature even Greyfield hadn't been able to control. "A wolf."