Chapter Two- Enslaved

Hiei had sighed and bowed his head. "All right. I will serve you…Mistress."

Mukuro had smiled and waved a hand at Hiei. "I unseal your power."

Hiei had taken human form and followed Mukuro when she had gestured for him to do so. She had sat in the pilot seat and, as she drove, she spoke of her business and Hiei's duties in more detail. "I have ways of knowing who needs my help and how to guide them to me. Then, I reveal how I can help them and lay out the deal. They sign, I give them what they need, and they head off to fulfill their end."

"How many succeed?" Hiei had asked.

"None. Some of those in service to me are sent to wreck their chances of success. They do their best as they had failed so they wouldn't want anyone to succeed." She had given Hiei a grim smile. "You will be my best slave as you can change forms and follow my clients wherever they go."

And Hiei has served me well these last few months, Mukuro thought as she came back to the present. He's helped keep my fail rate at one hundred percent and that all clients fail. Hiei will serve me forever as he doesn't want to lose his ability's power and his life. My next client will be an interesting one and once she has paid and left, I will have Hiei tail her. She stood and headed off to prepare for bed.

Hiei awoke with the sun and went to the kitchen to get breakfast and, when Mukuro sat at the dining room table, Hiei presented her with her breakfast. He sat as she started to eat.

"My next client has eyes for a man who works at the ocean research center at the beach. She wants help in catching his attention and ultimately, his heart."

"What kind of help?"

"A spell to make her irresistible to him and another to give her some knowledge of marine life. You can spy on her easily in a beach scene and an ocean scene."

Hiei nodded. He enjoyed becoming ocean creatures but hated that he had to use it to wreck someone's chance at happiness. "When she fails, what happens to her?"

"I am low on rat spleen so she can donate hers once she's a rat. I trust you'll chase her if she runs?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good. Now, head for the beach and keep an eye on the center. I expect my client will head out there once I've worked my magic."

Hiei nodded as he collected the empty dishes and left them with one of Mukuro's former clients who was a servant for five more years. She gave Hiei a sympathetic looks; she would be free after her sentence but knew that Hiei was a slave forever. After all, he had a gift that Mukuro could exploit.

I can't really complain as I have a roof over my head and enough food that I don't have to scrounge. But, I don't have my freedom. I'm forever in service to a sorceress who had me insure her clients fail in their bargains and pay a heavy price. Hiei headed to the bus stop to catch a ride to the beach. Perhaps he could enjoy a nice swim before the woman showed up; definitely after she failed.

Meanwhile, deep under the sea, a small village of merpeople were waking for the day. A teenage merman with long red hair and bright green eyes searched the sands on the outskirts of the village for pretty shells and trinkets. He kneeled on his emerald green tail as he dug into the sand, a bag sat beside him with a few shells and a couple of gems already in it.

"Hey, Kurama," a voice called and said redhead looked up to see a boy with black hair, brown eyes, and a yellow tail swim over to him.

"Yusuke." Kurama nodded to his friend.

"Why are you digging for stuff?"

"In case I…meet someone special," he said softly, a little embarrassed. "And also as a form of payment," he added to himself.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Kurama, you've got a fan club of mermaids who would love to be your girlfriend."

"I didn't say I want a girlfriend," he protested. "I just said someone special, like a new friend. When I do, I'll present him or her with a choice of gifts." He gestured at the bag.

Yusuke kneeled in the sand. "I guess I could find something for Keiko."

"I'm sure she would appreciate it." The two dug in silence until Yusuke found a gem he knew Keiko would love and swam off to clean it before presenting it to her. Kurama gathered his bag after some time and swam out to open waters to look elsewhere for gems and shells. He didn't want to admit it to Yusuke, but he was looking for someone to love; a merman to be precise. The envy of the mermaids irritated him and he found he preferred males to females.

A shadow passed overhead and he looked up to see a boat pass. He floated there until he boat had moved on. He had nothing against humans as merpeople could trade their tails for legs and move among the humans unnoticed. He preferred to stay in the sea as he required money to buy any food or drink and he had none. Besides, being human seems complicated and hard. I rather be a merman and stay in the sea, despite the dangers. He saw a shark swim past overhead in the direction the boat had gone before going back to his digging.

Hiei swam after the boat, his powerful tail cutting through the water effortlessly. He had spotted the woman earlier and watched her catch the man's attention. He seemed enamored with her. She chatted with him a little before the man spoke. Hiei couldn't hear what they said from where he stood but could see just fine. He saw the man lead her to his private boat and he waded into the water. He planned to follow them and try to figure out how to wreck her attempt to win his affection. If I can get a good look at her, I may be able to figure out what magic Mukuro used. Hiei was familiar with Mukuro's powers even though he lacked the ability to use magic and make potions. Being at her side during some of her dealings has given me an idea of how her spells can be broken and the different ways to do it, too.

He reached deeper water and changed into a strong shark before going after the boat at a leisurely pace, ignoring the other sea life around him. He was focused solely on his mission and target. His powerful tail swished faster as the boat picked up speed and he was soon beside the boat and, through the water, he saw a beautiful woman. His shark eyes focused and he saw a shimmer around the woman's face. Another look showed that she was, actually, far from lovely. He bared a shark's grin. Oh, breaking that illusion spell will be easy. All it takes is for a scream of terror to break it. The man won't want to be around her, even with her marine knowledge. My current form is perfect to wreck her chance to be with this man. He swam harder so he could circle the boat before slowly rising up to expose his dorsal fin.

A loud scream sounded. "Shark!" a voice screamed. Hiei went down and slowed to see the woman's true face, the spell broken. My job's done and I can take the rest of the day off as a reward. He turned and swam back the way he had come, surfacing to change to a dolphin. He loved being a dolphin more than any other sea life. They were sleek and agile. Yes, he had to surface to breathe but it was worth it to be such a cool animal.

Red and green below caught his attention and he wheeled around for another look. His beak parted slightly. Below him was a teen boy with long red hair but instead of legs, he had a green tail! Oh, my, he thought. A…A merman! I always thought merpeople were a myth and yet there's one below me and he's…very handsome.