Hiei tracked the girl after leaving the fox, curious as to why she was not training with as usual and what had the fox so morose. She was running through her neighborhood, headphones in her ears, sweating noticeably. She was not running from anything, but rather to exercise. She would be better off training with the fox rather than zigzagging up and down streets. She slowed down, going into her apartment building. Hiei sensed her stretching in her bedroom before going into the bathroom she shared with her cousin and aunt. She was home alone, much to his notice. He slipped into her room unnoticed, waiting patiently for her to return. He looked up at her bookshelf, half filled with books, some tattered. The room was small. It was a wonder she could stretch after a workout in here.
She came back into the room, towel wrapped around her waist. Her hair was brushed and toweled dried, but still damp. She was brushing wet black hair out of her face when she saw him. She gasped, backing up into the door to shut it before turning her back to him in modesty.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a rush, turning her head back to look at him.
He studied her, noticing she tightened the knot of the towel around her chest, hand gripping it. "Where's the fox?" he asked.
She curled her lips at his question. "I'm not training with him today."
"And why not?" he pressed, watching her carefully to see what she would do and say. The sight of her was tempting. He had slept with her before, but only because it gave him a chance to sleep with Youko, the real conquest in that endeavor as he was famed in the Demon World both as a thief and as a demanding lover. Youko had wanted to watch her be bedded by another man, even if the aftermath made him jealous. She was not so bad herself; for a human.
She turned around, looking at him from a downcast face. Her right hand stayed balled up on the knot just under her left shoulder. It was then he noticed the yellowing of claw marks on the outside of her shoulders.
"He lost control," she explained softly, breathing deeply. "Attacked me. He can stay away from me."
Hiei rose up from her bed, walking closer towards her. She tensed up at the sight of him. He could tell she was aroused slightly in his presence. She stood still, letting him come closer to her.
"Minor coming from a demon lover," he explained. "Especially one so famed for being so thorough and voracious," he teased. He ran his finger tips over her upper arm to touch the bruises. Youko must have been far too rough for her liking, even if a demoness would wear the scratches with pride coming from him.
She was half disappointing that she could not handle it a demon lover, even if she was a not as weak as an average human woman. He stood closer to her, feeling tempted by her. The fox seemed to think she was done. She seemed to hint at it as well. He stood close to her, hands coming around her sides to touch the door behind her. She clutched the knot on the towel around her chest. He shook his head, trying to remember he wanted to sort out what was wrong between her and the fox to sate his own curiosity.
He rose up on the balls of his feet, face in close proximity from hers. "You can't handle a demon as a lover?" he goaded her, feeling tempted himself now.
She flushed, looking annoyed with him. She brought her face up closer to his. "One that listens," she griped.
He closed the gap between them, succumbing to temptation. He kissed her mouth. She reared her head back in surprise. She bit her lip like an afterthought. She brought her mouth back down to him shakily, letting him take the lead to initiate another kiss between the two of them. She yielded to his kiss, him feeling the temptation to pull away and walk away at this point. The fox seemed to think they were done... She seemed to think they were done...
He pulled away from her, stepping back. She followed after him for only a step. He looked her over. She was more aroused now, yet he was too now. He raised his eyebrows, debating over what he should do. "If you want this to continue, drop the towel," he offered up her the decision if anything to happen or not. It was not his intention when he came in the room, but now he wanted to.
Her mouth hung open at that, looking like she was deliberating the decision in her mind. She looked down at the ground, drew a steeling breath, and walked towards him. She let the towel go after three steps. She covered her chest shyly, but came up to him and kissed him hesitantly. He brought his hands down to her waist, guiding her to bed. He moved roughly at first, but then she tensed up. When he guided her more slowly, she complied. He laid her down on her back, following after her to kiss her more. Her hands were still on her chest unexpectedly. He brought his hand to her waist, stroking her there and feeling her relax under him. He brought his hand up to her forearm, guiding it away from her chest. He laid down over top of her, feeling her gasp from the weight of him on top of her. He looked down at her, trying to gauge how she was feeling, even taking a second to gauge himself. He glanced down from her face to her chest. His eye caught something. He tugged her right hand down, seeing the bite on her chest, scar clearly forming. He jumped back, losing all interest in touching her after that.
"What? What is it?" she asked, covering her chest back up. She sat up, hand coming to her mouth. "He said he lost control, whatever that meant. Just more toying and less... ugh," she hissed through her teeth. She gathered up the blanket from her bed, covering herself up with it. "He's not like that when he's human. Why's he like that when he's a demon?" she asked, voice somber.
He looked down at her, disliking being here all of a sudden. "Demons are rough with everything by nature. Humans are too soft willed. Strength in ability versus strength in morality."
She brought her hand to her eyes covering them and shaking her head. "I can't. As a human I can, as a demon I can't," she choked out. "Why did he bite me? I know you know why, otherwise you would not have pulled away so fast," she said more resolutely.
He met her gaze, but eyed the window in his peripheral vision. He wondered how easy it would be to just run from her. "He clawed your shoulders first, then bit you?" he asked. "He made you bleed and lost control afterwards?"
She shook her head. He cocked his head, confused at her response. The temptation to read her mind was there, but not to see those images. Too personal, too private. "I bit my lip..." she confessed. "He was being too rough, but I thought I could handle it. It was not until after we finished that he kissed me and tasted the blood on my lips..." she said. She wrapped the blanket more thoroughly around herself. "He clawed my shoulders and bit me after that."
He stared at her, thinking over what she said. "He lost control," he said, dumbfounded.
"That's not an excuse," she snapped, hands wrapped around her chest in the blanket.
"It is for a demon. When a demon loses control like that and their instincts take over, it's rare that they would be able to stop themselves. They would either kill or finish it, not being able to make themselves stop," he explained. "Did he use the word 'mine' at any point?"
She looked at him ruefully. "Yes, but I'm not property."
Hiei rolled his eyes. "It's not like that with demons. It's a term of endearment at the very least with demons." He diffidently would not be wanting to touch her now anymore. "He made only one bite and then stopped? How did he manage that?"
She frowned at him. "I attacked him," she answered. "Like he told me if he drew blood."
This was conversation he wanted to have less and less now. "Go find the fox and get him to tell you what happened," he pressed.
"No," she griped, standing up. "You know what happened, but I don't. You tell me," she demanded. She wrapped the blanket around herself more thoroughly.
He grunted, shaking his head. "It's better coming from the fox," he warned. She set her jaw, looking determined. "Humans marry. Demons mate claim. When a demon mate claims, they bite the neck, chest, and groin. These bites seal the two lovers as mates who cannot be anyone else as long as they both live. Most times they do it intentionally, males usually claim females in opposite sex mate claims. In those cases, the male can maintain control and not adversely wound or kill the female. However, if the male loses control and or starts a claim unintentionally, their instincts can take over and drive them to become violent to subdue the female. Especially if the female fights against it. Accidental deaths do happen. Some are wounded in the process."
She stared at him, frowning. She sat back down on the bed, looking smaller and more fragile. "Sounds like a werewolf when they transform..." she said. He frowned at her, unsure exactly what she was referencing. She shook her head. "He can't do that... we can't do that..." She looked distraught. "I don't want that... I can't want that..." she sighed, shoulders slumping. "How do I tell him...?" She blinked rapidly, making him want to be in the room less and less. She slumped down on the bed, face buried in the flat pillow beneath her. Her shoulders shook in time with her sobs.
He looked towards the window, tempted beyond a doubt to walk away. Out of pity, he stepped towards the bed instead, sitting down by her curled up feet. She whined under her breath, barely aware he was still there.