In Time, Death
By Alesyira
Summary: The trio plays with magic. Sharing is caring, unless it's like this, which probably doesn't count. Or does it?
Author's Note: shoutout to gin who helped me get over a brief holdup I had with how to handle a certain thing.
Secondhand Experience
Hiei sat again and held out his hand for her to take. "Nothing to do about it right now. Let's begin. Barrier?"
Shippo closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips to the floor as he lounged across from them, dropping a subtle barrier around the apartment with a shiver of burning magic. He nodded once everything was ready.
She reached for Hiei, and he sighed as the connection spanned the chasm between them. Each time their powers mingled like this, he felt more and more like never letting go.
Her mind was like the gentle rippling of a wide lake on a windless morning. He floated easily in the quiet warmth, sifting through her flickers of nervousness, the creeping shadows of exhaustion and worry, the weighty burden of pending responsibilities that spanned centuries, the lingering sadness of having a hand in parting the realms… He paused at that one. He'd have to get more details, later.
Hiei nodded slowly. "Everything is as it should be. Shippo, use the smallest touch of your suggestion magic while I monitor."
He couldn't quite hold back a little grin of mischief as he brushed a fingertip across Kagome's open palm and then drew back to watch the show.
The single drop of the kitsune's magic disturbed the still lake of her mind like a sudden storm on a summer afternoon. He watched as the glowing brightness of her magic flung open like a gaping maw, sucking down that brush of energy like an endless black hole. At the same time, everything that made her mind work the way it did shifted into a single purpose. He ripped his hand from hers, his eyes flying open.
Shippo nervously watched as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, fisting her hands at her sides. Her magic flared brightly against the trace of his magic, and she shivered violently before flaring her magic again. She opened her eyes and shuddered with a great gasp of air. "Okay. Okay, I'm back. It helped being able to see it as it happened." She rubbed her hands over her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears of frustration before they fell. ‟Kami, what the heck is that?"
Hiei thought over what he'd witnessed and considered the possibilities. Tilting his head, he rose to his knees and held his hand out for hers. ‟Again." He pulled her up to kneel with him so he could more easily reach her neck. ‟I will try magic of my own."
His ice heritage was usually kept dormant, sleeping and intentionally suppressed beneath his burning fire. It served him very little purpose, mostly a reminder of those who had once considered him too dangerous to be worthy of life. He knew what he was capable of, though, having survived and overcome all odds despite his dual nature.
His teammates had incorrectly assumed he'd used magic like Yukina's to heal Kagome's wounds weeks ago. He'd let them believe it to help disguise the truth of what they were witnessing. And while they'd been wrong, it didn't mean he was incapable of such magic. He had just never used this aspect of his magic on another person. It was far too intimate for casual use and required great care to avoid mistakes. There was a very real danger to cause more damage with the smallest slip in focus.
The only reason he knew it would work at all was because he'd paid close attention as Yukina had used her magic to heal. He'd listened to her thoughts and felt the sweetness of her energy curl against his wounded teammate. It had almost felt like he'd been intruding on a moment not meant to be witnessed by others.
Sweet did not describe his preferred methods. Intimate did not describe his relationships with anyone. He could be careful, though, and as she reached for him, he knew his control would not waver.
He searched deep inside himself for the cool white light and nudged it forward. It blossomed in his chest, rolling from his lungs as a chilly mist that slipped from his lips and curled along the floor. He briefly wondered why Yukina preferred to use her hands to heal when it would be so much easier to simply breathe the magic forth. He eyed Kagome in contemplation. If he did this the easy way, it would put his face within an inch of hers, and if his guess was incorrect, she'd be close enough to make escaping without hurting her very difficult.
He focused and pulled the magic out along his arm, feeling the icy burn slide along his skin to his fingertips. With Shippo's efforts days before, the tiny wounds no longer needed this kind of attention to finish healing, but it gave him something to focus on.
She gasped in surprise at the first brush of his chilled fingers.
His eyes closed as he felt for the tiny broken edges of flesh that seemed reluctant to fully heal. His hand trembled slightly as his magic glowed along his fingers and crept into her skin. Her free hand slid up his arm to wrap loosely around his wrist and she sighed dreamily.
His eyes popped open as he realized he'd forgotten to monitor her mindset and saw that she was still kneeling calmly, a silly smile on her face as she blinked lethargically at him. ‟That was really nice," she murmured.
Shippo hummed in thought. ‟Only half of the problem came up that time," he commented with a sly grin. Hiei glanced at Shippo with a small frown but didn't dare ask him to spell out the very inappropriate thoughts clearly written all over his face.
He peered beneath his fingers to find both tiny red marks had vanished entirely. With a deep breath, he forced the magic back into submission and felt the heat flooding his limb as he released her. She sat back on the floor with a little sigh of regret once they no longer touched. ‟That's what it was like in the Makai."
‟What?"
‟When Kurama used his magic to help me, after that ambush. It was nice. Not compelling, just…" she sighed. ‟Something I'd like to roll around in. Something to keep and cherish. Something I want more of." She wrapped her arms around her middle. ‟With someone you've just met, that kind of feeling can be scary because it's so unreal. Too good to be true, like the sweetest of lies." She bit her lip and briefly glanced up at Hiei. It went without saying that the feeling meant something a little different when you weren't strangers anymore.
‟If that's the case, then maybe Kurama wasn't trying to encourage you into a half-dead roll in the dirt. I guess he has earned back a few points of my regard," Shippo said, leaning back on his elbows with a thoughtful look.
Hiei cocked an eyebrow but didn't dare give insight to his teammate's mindset when he'd employed such an unorthodox magic against the mysterious girl-in-questionable-need-of-rescue. He discreetly changed the subject away from Kurama's tendencies. ‟Your seal wasn't broken at that time. If it's a similar sensation, then perhaps that idea needs further consideration. Healing magic is like a gift. Something that cannot be used to take or harm. Let's try again with something different that is similar to an attack like kitsune suggestion." Hiei settled down across from her, cross-legged once more.
He held out his hands for one of hers. She reached again, and he tapped into the power that was freely shared.
"I hesitated using this particular ability on you while we were in the Makai because I knew so little about the jewel's capabilities. I believe this will be safe enough, but my third eye is sensitive to your light. Please try to hold your magic back for as long as possible. This should be brief."
Kagome nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax. Without using her magic to guard her mind from the start, she knew she'd probably be waking up somewhere weird.
She could sense Hiei's energy building toward something she'd never sensed before, like a dim, creeping numbness waiting just beyond her fingertips, and then everything went dark.
She was unsure how much time had passed once she became aware again, but it must have been hours. The sun had set, casting the room in a deep twilight, and she felt as though she were emerging from a long sleep. Her eyelids were heavy and she sighed in the darkness, comfortably lounging against something cool and soft.
The tip of a tongue and soft lips drew damp patterns across her bare skin, along an arm and over a shoulder toward her neck. Sharp teeth nibbled and nipped up her jaw as fragrant hair slid across her cheek.
A honey-sweet tongue dipped into her mouth, tracing teeth and lips, tasting and nibbling like one would slowly savor an expensive dessert, with deep appreciation for every nuance of flavor, every sigh and gasp that escaped her lips sipped by the mouth at hers.
She felt a breath shudder from her chest as her eyes slid closed in absolute bliss.
Shippo shifted uncomfortably. "Hiei, what's going on?" His voice sounded very far away, like the ghost of an old dream lingering at the edges of her mind.
Cool lips brushed down her jaw, against her neck, sliding along her collarbone with another hint of sharp fangs. A low growl of anticipation slipped through his lips, rumbling through the narrow spaces between them, shivering into her skin.
Clever fingers chilled a path down her abdomen, tickling and teasing with the flats of fingers and the deadly sharp tips of claws, drawing ever closer to places that ached to be touched and stroked.
She shivered, her fingers threading into soft hair as he moved farther down her body.
She nearly jumped out of her skin at the first touch of that tongue against her, the enveloping mouth, the gentle laps and sucks and tender kisses mixed with teasing bites that dragged sighs and little gasps of pleasure from her throat.
Shippo rolled to his knees, staring in disbelief at what was happening right in front of him. "No, seriously, what are you doing to her?"
Glowing eyes met hers in the darkness, his mouth curved in a wicked smirk as eagerness suffused his actions. He rose above her, tall and lean with luscious soft locks of hair framing his beautiful face as he joined them together.
Her eyes clenched shut against the pleasure of such an unexpected tightness. Her throat seized against the moan threatening to break free.
His hips moved, rotated, withdrew and surged against hers, building a shuddering friction of madness.
Cool lips found hers, sliding wetly as he licked into her mouth. Gasping breaths mingled as they moved together.
Hands clenched hips, motions growing more frantic as the pressure within her grew, climbing higher and higher toward a peak that remained just out of reach.
A twist of hips to hit a different spot and suddenly, yes, right there, just a bit more—
"Shit, Hiei, you need to let go of her, now." Something was unexpectedly jerked out of her hands and her fingers clenched around nothing but air just as she crested that edge, shuddering violently as her entire body seemed to pulse in time with the contractions of her core.
Her vision slowly came back into focus to see the strange sight of Shippo half-covering Hiei with his body as they both stared at her from across the room. Her throat felt raw as though she'd been screaming. She was having difficulties catching her breath and her empty hands shook uncontrollably. It took her a moment to realize it was the middle of the day and she was still fully clothed.
Shippo scrambled off the younger male and shot a confused look between them. "Holy fuck, you guys just— what the fuck?"
She licked her lips, staring around herself in bewilderment. "Wh-what just happened?"
Hiei sat up and turned to Shippo, completely calm and collected. "We got caught in a feedback loop. My magic held her immobile, which made her reaction worse, so I had to use more magic. I fed her pieces of information to trick her mind into thinking it was getting what it wanted while I searched for the key, and I might have found it."
"What do you mean might?"
"Well, you knocked me loose right at the end. I suspected that would be where I'd find the answer we were looking for."
"That wasn't…?" she stopped mid-question and stared at both of them. Shippo's hair was too short. Hiei's hair was too anti-gravity. She searched her memory for what she'd seen in the dark, and… "Did I just have sex with Kurama?"
Hiei briefly glanced away from them both, considered his response, then looked at her with resolve. "I did."
Kagome's hand very slowly found her lips in surprise. "Was that—" She paused and looked away from him. She could guess well enough that it had been a very personal, and private, memory. "That was… amazing," she breathed.
Shippo scoffed. "Yeah, and he nearly got dusted for hanging on too long."
Kagome stared at her hands in concern. "Did my magic go haywire at the end? I feel buzzy."
Shippo nodded emphatically as Hiei frowned at him. "I can't get into her head to trick her unless I'm touching her. She's burned the fuck out of me in the past, but with the connection, it heals quickly. You don't really expect that her magic could kill me?"
Kagome shook her head in firm denial. "I don't think it can. I've felt your magic. There's really not enough darkness there to do much. Sorry, Hiei, you just aren't as evil as you want everyone to think."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't want people to think I'm evil, just dangerous."
"Man, whatever's making you turn grey is also making you talkative."
Hiei glared at Shippo.
"I'm not complaining! It's good to know what's on your mind instead of guessing at everything." A loud buzz echoed through the room. ‟Oh, food's here. What timing," he muttered, getting up to answer the intercom.
A strange detail of his memory caught in her thoughts. "Are we all so very cold to you?" she asked.
He tilted his head and glanced briefly at Shippo as he slipped out the front door to collect the packages. "Not everyone. Temperature doesn't concern me, anyways." He looked back at her with a curious expression. ‟Would you like to try that again? Another memory?"
Kagome still felt a little shell-shocked. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened in the memory. It had been strong impressions and feelings, an overload of sensation belonging to a body with parts she didn't have. Weird. Swallowing nervously, she shrugged. ‟I don't know. It's a little unsettling. I understand that what I just experienced didn't happen to me, but during it felt normal enough, and now I feel…" she rubbed her arms and trailed off. The next time she saw Kurama would be really awkward. Hopefully she wouldn't see him for at least another week or two, just long enough to dull the memory of what it felt like to have him-
‟It was a hasty choice to share that memory of him. I didn't know if you'd appreciate a memory with a female, and the other partners I've had were far less appealing."
‟What was that magic?" she asked.
‟A binding curse. I was uncertain how you'd react, and in case you tried to kill me, I'd have enough time to escape. I did say it was not helping to tie you up, and it was true. The longer I held on, the stronger the reaction became, and the more magic I had to use to keep you from lashing out. I'm still uncertain if you would have attempted to kill me had I released you earlier than I did. I resorted to the memory to distract you from fighting back so hard."
‟And you think this is something the jewel is doing?"
‟I think the jewel wants something."
She furrowed her brows. ‟What could a… well…" she trailed off and bit her lip. ‟What could it possibly want?" She stood to help as Shippo nudged the door open with his foot, several paper packages balanced in his arms.
Hiei snorted. ‟What every semi-sentient cursed artifact wants: more."
End Note: Ok I'm not sure if this chapter counts as an MM or MF because ?! But once you've read it and know what it is, I guess you can go back and read it as either way because it's JUST vague enough ;) I wrote most of this chapter on November 30, giggling madly at the whole thing. (funny story, it was originally something very different -and very M/F- that I'd poached from a draft smut chapter written way back in july but didn't seem to fit right, so I replaced pretty much every line and only kept the general idea. original version to be posted in my outtakes later on.)
The mature content in this chapter is about as detailed as it'll get for FFN. Any future smutty chapters that are more explicit will be whittled down to be like this. I'll be sure to note if AO3 has anything more detailed posted at that time. Lemme know what you think!