Gilded Cage - Rewrite
Chapter 4: Welcome to the Team!
*Kurama's P.o.V*
The smell of blood assaulted my nose after Hiei and Raven had returned. I wasn't surprised to find her wound open and was ready to brush off the smell as having rubbed off onto Hiei during travel. At least until he had taken his dinner from me. With everything that was going on I knew that there was a good chance that Hiei was going to be volatile if I pushed too hard in the wrong direction.
"Can I assume that Raven has re-injured her shoulder during her time outside?" I asked him, testing the waters to see what kind of reaction he would give. With him in the other room, it would grab the attention of others should I leave to speak with him and that would not have been beneficial. Instead telepathy was my only option, though my abilities were far below par and all but non-existent with any who wasn't telepathic.
Hiei took over holding the link, for which I was thankful. "Stupid girl slid out the window. Probably opened it then." He answered. I resisted the urge to frown and played a card from my hand. Hiei was being even more vague than usual.
"Should we expect more escape attempts or has her urge been satisfied?" I asked. I wasn't going to find out the information I really wanted. I wanted to know what happened out there. It took Hiei far longer than I would have expected for him to track her down and return. Obviously, there was something he wasn't ready to tell me.
"She'll be fine for the time being. I can handle her so keep out of my business." With that, the link was cut, and I was left to ponder all the things he wasn't saying.
Later that night, after I was sure that everyone was in bed, I knocked on Hiei's door. I could hear the growl from Hiei on the other side of the door before it was jerked open. "What do you want fox? I thought I told you to stay out of my business with Raven." He hissed at me.
Crossing my arms, I suspected this was going to be a battle to get information out of him, but I didn't realize how much of a battle it would be. Looking him straight in the eyes I challenged him. "We have matters to discuss and I'm sure you would rather we didn't discuss them in the hallway."
He grunted and then stepped away from the door and back to his normal perch. I softly closed the door behind me and was nearly overwhelmed at the scent of blood that permeated the room. I was going to offer up some rose petals to clear the smell of the room but reasoned that Hiei would have opened the window if he wanted the smell gone.
"Speak or get out of my room." Hiei said, looking out the window and all but ignoring my presence. Leaning against the closed door I looked him over before speaking.
"I want to know what really happened in the forest." I knew I was walking a fine edge and even I didn't want to be on the receiving end of Hiei's temper. If for nothing else, then it usually resulted in him leaving for unknown lengths of time without a way of contacting him. "The smell of blood is more obvious in here than the kitchen and not all of it is Raven's."
"Hn." He replied and then glared in my direction. "I hunted Raven down. She was in hibernation mode when I found her. We were jumped on the way back. We destroyed them; they got a few scratches in. We returned. End of story. Now is there anything else?"
I didn't miss how his left hand seemed to clench as he spoke but didn't fully close. Thinking on it, ever since he returned his movements have all been very precise. I wondered if he was downplaying his injuries. "Was it a random attack or should we prepare for more?"
Hiei looked extremely irritated at this point, and I knew if I pressed much more then he would shut everything down. "We'll probably be attacked again. They were after Raven."
"Very well." I turned towards the door and spoke to him over my shoulder. "Let me know if you need help with your wounds. Also…don't forget that we are here and able to help protect Raven and Hawk. You are no longer alone in this."
Silence met my statement, but I knew he heard me. I gave him a chance to respond and when he didn't, I let myself out closing the door behind me.
*Hiei's P.o.V.*
I sighed in relief as the fox left. I was irritated at his interference but knew that he was right, as usual. I had a whole team now that could help protect Raven and I needed to accept that fact. Her training though, that was still my job. Raven's scent was still in my room and forced me to focus on her. I shifted my position on the window seat, too many thoughts going through my mind to truly rest. At most I was hoping for a couple hours of light sleep before I arose at dawn.
The movement brought the feel of warm liquid on my side and the scent of fresh blood. Irritated that the wound didn't want to close just yet, I got up and ripped the first aid kit out from under my dresser. I set the kit on top of the dresser, locked the door and pulled what I needed out. I unwrapped the now bloody bandages, soaked the wound in a stronger antiseptic than what Yukina had left earlier and gritted my teeth as I used the medical needle in the kit to sew the wound shut.
It wasn't the first time a wound was stubborn or that I needed the kit to care for major injuries. I avoided the help of the others as much as possible. Really, if I couldn't manage to keep from getting hurt then the process of caring for the injury would be a good reminder for the next fight. At least Yukina and the old woman kept it stocked for me.
It didn't take long to finish stitching the cut up and re-wrap the wound with fresh bandages. I quickly cleaned up and used my Jagan to get a quick glance at Raven who was asleep in the room I had requested of Yukina. That girl was too pure to have a brother like me…
Satisfied that all would be well for a bit, I found myself sprawled out on my bed. Rolling onto my right side, I found that Raven's scent was still on the pillow she had used. I found her Shade. I will keep my promise to you and Lyra.
Those were my last thoughts before drifting off into sleep.
*Normal P.o.V.*
The following morning, the girls woke up just after the sun rose and the sky was bright with shades of pink, orange and gold. They quickly dressed and readied themselves for the day. Hawk had taken some time the night before to inform Raven of the situation, and the elder sister reluctantly agreed with the decision. At least it meant free passes between the three worlds.
During the night or early morning, they weren't sure which, someone had returned their clothes to them. Raven's clothing was freshly laundered, folded and mended where the hole had been. Happy to have her traditional clothing back, she quickly put it on, brushed her hair free to flow down her back to her hips and shot out of her room to see Hawk was also back in her normal attire. The smell of food drifted down the hall as the girls' eyes met from several doors apart.
Hawk grabbed her sister's arm and Raven said with a grin, "I don't know about you but I'm starving! Smells like someone is cooking an awesome breakfast."
"That would probably be Yukina." Hawk said and did her best to memorize the path through the rooms. "She told me, last night, that she did most of the cooking and cleaning around here since Master Genkai was generous enough to let her stay in the safety of the temple."
"Master Genkai?" Raven asked, she thought that everyone from yesterday were the only ones who lived in the temple. She never once heard the name Genkai associated with the ownership of the place.
"Yeah, she's the old psychic who trained Yusuke and Kuwabara in their powers. She also fought with them in the Dark Tournament. But she isn't here at the moment from what I heard. Don't know when she is coming back either. No one said." Hawk told her sister in a matter-of-fact voice. "I was also informed that most of the household are early risers and that we should plan on not being late for meals or we'll only get the leftovers. Though it does sound like Yukina is a super early riser so you could probably ask her for a wake-up call in the mornings if you feel like getting an early start."
"Hn," Raven replied, pretending to be insulted by her sister's jab. "I can wake myself up thank you very much!"
The girls were nearly to the living room when they heard the voices coming through the house. Hawk's jaw dropped. "Keiko and Shizuru told me that those two boys were lazy bums! What are they doing up so early?" She grabbed Raven's arm and dragged her down the stairs and halfway across the living room. "We better hurry or they'll eat it all! Hopefully, they're slower eaters first thing in the morning than they are at night. The girls had to practically beat them off the leftovers until you and Hiei were able to get back last night."
Raven laughed and let her sister drag her through the building. "Nice to see that someone had taken us into consideration."
They went through the doors to the dining room and found it already in chaos. Yusuke and Kuwabara were shoving food into their faces as fast as they could, already half the meal was gone, despite the towering piles of bacon, eggs, rice and other breakfast items. Hiei was eating as he watched the scene in front of him, Kurama was studiously ignoring the chaos and eating his own meal. Shizuru and Keiko were berating the two boys for being inconsiderate slobs. Raven was amazed at the atmosphere this morning. It took both Yusuke and Kuwabara cocking on food for them to back off of their strange eating battle. Yukina was in the kitchen cleaning and Botan was nowhere to be found.
The girls sat down as far from the two as they could, grabbed their own moderately sized servings and quickly ate before the boys had a chance to steal the food out from under them. Kurama was quickly finished with his meal and waited as the girls ate.
They had just finished, and he was about to fill them in on what was going on when Botan strolled into the room. "Kurama, have you updated them yet? Koenma is being a bit difficult today and has decided to have no patience. He wants to speak to the girls immediately."
Raven struggled to keep up with the Ferry Girl's excited blathering, the girl was so worked up that her words were nearly running together. Before she could get a grip on what was happening, Botan had an arm from each girl in her hands and was dragging them to the portal. Hiei and Kurama were up and following quickly behind them.
"Hawk, what can you tell me about this Koenma? Didn't you meet with him last night?" Raven asked her sister, wondering what Kurama had been meaning to tell them before Botan had arrived. While Hawk had given her a quick rundown of the agreement last night, it was late and she had promised a more detailed account in the morning as soon as they had some time alone together.
"Well…" Hawk said hesitantly, trying to keep up so her arm wasn't yanked out of its socket. "He's definitely not what I expected. His appearance is a bit different so don't be too shocked by it ok?"
Before Raven could ask her to elaborate on that, the girls were dragged through a door into an office. Hiei moved to sit in the windowsill and Kurama took a place on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall. Standing by the desk was a large blue ogre. Raven thought he might be a slave or servant of some sort due to him only wearing a loincloth instead of regular clothing. Then again, they just came through a whole room full of ogre's rushing about in a sort of organized chaos. "Thank you for coming," said a voice behind the desk. The stack of files so high, it made it hard to see who was speaking. "Jorge! Get these files off my desk! They're blocking me from view!"
"Yes Koenma, sir!" Said the blue ogre as he started moving piles off the desk and onto the floor in an organized manner. Raven stumbled a bit as the, now removed, files revealed a toddler with a pacifier in his mouth and a large hat with Jr. written in the front. Raven noticed that Botan had already left for some reason or another so she couldn't ask the girl if this was some kind of prank. A glance at Hiei and Kurama told me nothing other than they weren't surprised by the sight of Prince Koenma.
"Now," The toddler continued as he climbed onto the desk. "I know my appearance may be a bit of a surprise but please bear with me."
About that time, Yusuke and Kuwabara barged in with Botan. At Koenma's invite, Hawk sat down in one of the two office chairs that were facing the desk. Raven took up the guard position behind her and leaned on the back of the chair. She was still questioning the toddler being acting ruler of Spirit World. Yusuke flopped down into the second chair and Kuwabara sat on the floor next to him. Botan went and pulled herself onto the corner of Koenma's desk, feet dangling over the side.
"This better be good diaper breath!" Yusuke shot out before their host could speak. "We don't actually work for you any more you know."
"Yes Yusuke, I'm well aware of that fact." Said the toddler, speaking around the pacifier in such a way that Raven wondered how he could speak so well around it, or at least keep it from falling out. She figured it must be the same as those people who could talk with a cigarette, but never have it fall out. "In fact, I actually didn't invite you to this meeting."
Yusuke flipped him off and sank into the chair. "Yeah, yeah except for you called the girls and are putting them in our care. I think we should be kept up on what is going on here don't you think?"
"Ahem," Koenma cleared his throat, embarrassed at being called out. Rallying quickly, he continued. "Well, thank you all for coming here. I want to especially thank Raven and Hawk for their assistance the other day. While technically they were breaking the committee's laws in the use of the portal they found, they also assisted us in the success of our mission."
"Wait, what?!" Hawk said, obviously hearing this for the first time.
"And just how did we do that?" Raven asked, curious as to where this conversation was going.
"I had asked Yusuke and the others to look into that particular demon lord for multiple felonies. One of which being the slave trade operation of humans who were unfortunate enough to wander through that particular portal. You two infiltrating their keep at the same time that the boys were there split the demon lord's attention and resources, allowing the boys to have an easier and more effective mission. With a lot less casualties than expected I might add."
Raven glanced over at Yusuke, who shrugged at her unspoken question. Oblivious to the silent conversation, Koenma continued. "Your act also alerted us to a new breach in our defenses. We were able to quickly correct it, and everything is back in order."
"So…what does that have to do with us now?" Hawk asked hesitantly.
Koenma looked at her. "Despite all the good that your break in protocol caused, I cannot let you go free without some sort of sentence. If word got out, then others will try the same thing. Or worse…"
"Worse?" Raven asked, confused as to what could be worse in this situation.
"My dad will find out." Koenma squeaked in response and seemed to pale. Raven saw horrified looks cross Botan's and Jorge's faces. She figured the punishment must be pretty horrible. Glancing to Yusuke again, he mouthed the word 'spankings' to her. Raven was left very confused. "anyways, as your so-called punishment. I am requiring the two of you to assist Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama in their duties of keeping peace between the three worlds. While Yusuke is correct in that he and the others no longer work for me, I do call upon them for assistance from time-to-time. Though it has come at a price, it is very much worth it."
Raven thought that wasn't too terrible of a punishment. Especially since Hiei was already insisting he was her protector for some odd reason. She still needed to start grilling people about that one…maybe Hawk would know? She seems to have already weaseled a lot of information out of the group in the short time they've been together.
"Furthermore, someone has gathered up a small committee and has commissioned a new tournament with the stakes far less than the Makai tournament. It seems to be some sort of blend between the Dark Tournament and the Makai Tournament. My informants have determined that it is similar to fighting competitions in Ningenkai but for demons. I need your team to determine if this is truly for entertainment and within the contracts between the three worlds and the kingdoms of Makai or if it's the start of another Black Black Club forming. I think the only way to truly determine that is by joining the tournament directly and finding out the inside scoop on the competition."
"How long do we have before this tournament?" Yusuke asked with a hard edge to his voice. He sounded like he was expecting a catch to the whole ordeal.
"You have just under one year to prepare. Botan will fill you in with the details we have." Koenma responded and handed Botan a file. "They seem to be taking great care in preparing for the tournament. If it's successful and given the green light by the three kingdoms, then I don't see why they can't have it on a regular basis. Somewhere in between the Makai Tournaments. Who knows, maybe it'll keep demons so distracted with training for each tournament that they'll cause fewer problems in the long run."
While Raven didn't like the idea of Hawk being involved in the latest demon tournament, she couldn't say it was the worst that could be happening right not. She simply worried about her sister fighting solo, it had always been Raven's job to care for and protect her younger sister and with the tournament, she wouldn't be able to do that. Not that Hawk couldn't hold her own in a fight, but Raven preferred to avoid those situations if at all possible.
"Also," Koenma continued and the hair on the back of Raven's neck rose to attention. "I think you should take advantage of your restrictions and take some college courses with Kurama and Kuwabara. I'm sure they, along with Miss Yukimura would be happy to help you catch up and prepare for the course studies. Of course, tuition will be covered."
As Koenma opened his mouth for more, Raven straightened up and glared at him. "Thanks for the suggestion but Hawk and I have other priorities to focus on."
Koenma glared at her. "I believe you misunderstood me then. The schooling is required. It reduces the need to stretch the boys thin with keeping an eye on you, demons are less likely to attack in such public places and it would do you good to learn something about the human world since you will be here for some time. At minimum, I will require you to obtain a high school equivalency diploma to prove you can survive in this world without causing trouble or raising too much suspicion. While the barrier has been greatly relaxed, that doesn't mean that the human population is fully aware of demons in their midst. To them, demons are still just myths and folklore to scare children with."
Hawk didn't mention any of this the night before but did say she would agree to Koenma's terms, and she would abide by that agreement. Raven knew the girl would stay and do as was asked of her and that put Raven in a bad position. Either she rolled over for Koenma and blindly accept his terms or leave Hawk to suffer through it all alone and make a break for it. There was a third option…
"Shall I tell you what I think?" Raven asked and ran a hand through her hair, letting a bit of it drop over her shoulders. Slowly she walked over to Koenma's desk, stepping just right so her whole body seemed to sway in a seductive manor. She could feel all the male eyes staring at her as she took the few steps towards the desk and leaned forward towards Koenma's ear. The blush across his face was enough to know how effective her actions were. She whispered in the most seductive voice she could manage. "I think you can shove your proposal up your tiny, diapered ass."
With that she stood and strutted quickly towards the door, not even glancing to see the expressions on everyone's faces. It took the door slamming behind her to end the trance she had placed on Koenma, and she could hear him yelling as she walked away, carefully dodging the ogres bustling around. She could just imagine the pink tint on Hawk's face over the embarrassment of watching her sister act that way. That alone would make the whole act worth it.
"Impressive display." Said a voice behind her as she reached the hallway that led to where the portal had been kept. "Sure, you are not an actor?"
Raven whirled around to see Hiei standing behind her, arms crossed and a large smirk on his face. She brushed off the taunt and turned to continue walking. "No, I'm not. And the term would be actress, thank you very much."
"Where are you going?" Hiei asked, keeping pace with her. He was undecided whether her actions amused him or irritated him more. He decided to fall back on being irritated.
"I'm leaving." She said bluntly. "Hawk is safe here. Even if she is willing, I won't be a puppet for anyone's games."
"You do realize that we will just be sent to hunt you down and bring you back, don't you?"
"You can try. I'm pretty good at keeping to the shadows, especially if I don't have another person to brighten them for me."
"Hn. Go then." Hiei smirked at her and stopped walking, causing her to stop and eye him suspiciously. She felt that he was up to something.
"Oh, and why is that?" She crossed her arms and stood, ready to challenge him.
"Because part of our agreement was to train that sister of yours and improve her skills." He stood, matching her posture and stared her directly in the eyes. A small part of his brain found it interesting that they were nearly the same height as he was used to looking up at people to glare at them. "Eventually, I will be called upon to do my part of the training. I plan on showing her no mercy. Are you sure that you wish to leave your sister here, alone, with me as a training partner?"
It felt like someone dropped ice down Raven's spine. She already didn't like the thought of Hawk fighting, though she knew the training was necessary. She actually assumed that they would have her on the team as a support and a healer. Not that she doubted Hawk's ability to defend herself, but she was so soft and innocent and Raven didn't want her to lose that part of herself.
Raven held firm against Hiei. "You will not harm her! I will protect Hawk with my life if necessary. I will join you in the training and the tournament, but I refuse to be Koenma's pet bird and be ordered around for ridiculous things, like going to a human's school and studying while I can be training. If I must, I will stay but I refuse to be under Koenma's control."
"Works fine by me." Hiei grinned as she disappeared from sight in a whirl of shadows. Hiei turned back to go deal with the toddler about Raven's conditions for pardon. He'll find some way of making this work, Raven would not be leaving again until he said so.
Raven was laying on her bed and mulling over what had just happened. It had been a little over an hour since she had returned, and no one had yet come to bother her about the scene she caused. She also couldn't understand why Hiei was so intent on keeping her around or why she felt relaxed with him nearby. It didn't make sense to her. She didn't know anything about him except all the damn gossip that circulated around Makai about strong demons. Who knows how much of that was true and how much were exaggerated? She knew that he must be powerful though to be kept as Mukuro's second and heir. But why would he go so far as to threaten her sister to make her stay?
The frustration of trying to understand this was irritating her. Trying to distract herself, she started going over the details of what she knew of the others. Kurama was really Youko Kurama reincarnated in a human body. That must be the reason his scent is off to me. Don't know why I didn't remember that earlier. He was also Yomi's second and a cunning strategist and thief.
Yusuke was part demon and considered to be the son of Raizen. He was powerful in his own right. There was also a relationship between him and Keiko, but she still didn't have the details on it. Kuwabara was definitely human, as was his sister Shizuru. It amazed her that even though Shizuru didn't show any real reiki abilities, Kuwabara was absolutely afraid of her wrath and completely respected her. He was also seriously interested in Yukina.
That girl was so sweet and innocent that it reminded Raven of Hawk. She didn't know much about the ice maiden either and definitely wanted to get to know the girl better since she suspected Hawk would be spending a lot of time learning from her. Something nagged at Raven's mind though as she thought about her.
Raven shot up into a sitting position. Those eyes! They're the same color as Hiei's but softer. Why is that? Several of their features are similar, like their height. Are they related or from the same village? But that doesn't make sense. I'm pretty sure that Hiei is a fire demon and Yukina is definitely an ice demon. Yet still, they're like two sides of the same coin. The same, yet almost complete opposites of each other.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Irritated with how her day was going, she didn't bother to figure out who was knocking before hollering at them to go away. Thinking that whoever it was would get the hint, she flopped on her side and decided to take a nap. A soft voice from the door threw that idea out the window. "Miss Raven. It's Yukina. May I speak with you for a moment?"
Feeling like she just kicked a puppy, Raven mentally beat herself up over not checking who had been knocking and got up to open the door. Why did it have to be her when I'm in such a bad mood? Damn, now I feel bad for yelling.
"Come in Yukina." Raven said as she stood next to the open door. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm not in the best of moods at the moment."
Yukina nodded politely and stepped just inside the doorway as she waited for Raven to close it. "Thank you for taking a moment to speak with me Miss Raven."
"Just Raven please. You don't have to be so formal with me or Hawk." Raven told her and indicated for her to sit down. Yukina sat on the very edge of Raven's bed while Raven pulled the chair from the desk and sat in it. Looking at Yukina, she nearly went into a rage as she saw what appeared to be sadness lingering there. Did someone make her cry? What is going on?
"I heard that you didn't want to join with Yusuke and the others. Is this true? Are you planning on leaving?" Yukina asked bluntly.
Raven flinched, realizing that Yukina was upset over her not wanting to stay trapped here. Under normal circumstances, she'd have been happy to stick around for a while and learn what she could before leaving again. But not if it meant being in an invisible cage. But how to handle this? What to tell her?
"How do you know I'm trustworthy enough to keep around? I could be some cold-hearted hearted demon just biding her time before making off with you in the middle of the night. Maybe I want the infamy that comes from killing some of the toughest demons in Makai, even if it means killing them in their sleep. You just met me. You can't know what kind of demon I am."
Yukina just gave a soft smile to Raven, leaving the girl shocked at the trust this innocent woman had with her. "I've seen evil demons and I've seen good demons. I've seen the same in humans. I have watched your actions, first when Mr. Hiei showed up that day we met and then again with how you care for your sister so fully. It's as if your only purpose in life is to keep her safe and happy. A demon who's only purpose was for fame and power wouldn't do the things you do; it would be considered beneath them. I can also see your aura. It's dark around the edges but in the very center there is light. It reminds me a bit of Mr. Hiei's aura."
Raven damn near fell out of her chair at the assessment. She couldn't believe that this girl had pegged her so completely in just a short time, most of which she had been injured and sleeping. "It would upset everyone if you were to leave us now. Even Mr. Hiei would be upset if you left and would probably go off to find you. Hawk would want to leave if you do as well. There are many good reasons for you to stay. Are the reasons you have for leaving just as good?"
Raven shifted uncomfortably at this point, trying to keep from showing how the girl's words were affecting her. "Not enough to compete with what you are saying. I just refuse to be kept in this cage that Koenma is trying to put me in. Train with the others, fine. Fight in the tournament, sure since I have nothing better to do. Help the demon lord's seconds keep peace in Makai, might be interesting for a while. But go to school and do whatever else that brat can think up in the meantime? No, I refuse to be a toy for him to play with. If I hadn't been told just how much my taking Hawk through the portal actually benefited everyone, I might be more accommodating, but he is asking for too much at this point."
"I see." Yukina said. "Perhaps I can speak with the others and an arrangement could be made to please everyone. Please be patient while I do so, and perhaps take the time to heal. Thank you again for speaking with me."
Raven watched as Yukina stood and left, closing the door quietly behind her. What just happened? And why the hell is Hiei so interested in me staying here?! This just doesn't make any sense! And what does it say about me that my aura is so similar to Hiei's? Am I that ruthless of a person?
Instead of finding herself caught in the endless circle of questions that had gotten bigger after Yukina's visit, she started thinking about the girl herself. Despite how soft, gentle and kind the girl was, Raven could see that there was a strong mind behind those ruby eyes. It made her completely rethink on if the girl was as defenseless as she seemed. Perhaps, like with Hawk, a little training would do the girl good and help her keep herself safe if someone weren't nearby. She'd have to ask someone about that later. At least Hawk had enough training to defend herself, Raven wanted to make sure Yukina did as well.
Finally giving up on trying to figure everything out with too little of information, Raven rolled over on her bed and went to sleep. She had no doubts that Yukina would have her way and make things work so Raven could stay and work off her debt. Raven figured she better get what sleep she can now, no telling how much she would get once the real training began…
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