Disclaimer: ;_; YYH is not mine except for the rhyming riddle (hehe I made that up myself)....Merry Christmas! ^.^ (Where'd that come from?)
*Hello readers! This is about Hiei again and his journey after his encounter with the thieves in chapter 1. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I look, there is barely or no information about Kuwabara's past childhood. -.- If I do find some shred of info, I will write and post a chapter about it. Anyway, I started a live journal on livejournal.com! Yay! (Totally irrelevant ^^;) With that done, let's get on with the chapter! I would like to give a special thanks to Godrina-of-the-shadows (thanks for the plushies ^_~) and to Byakugan! I'm glad to hear you enjoy my fic; thanks again! New readers, please review! I luv them, kk enough talk. Enjoy this chapter....(it's a bit sad in my opinion)
*******Chapter 4 - Hiei: Koorime Tears (Hiruseki)*******
'Hn, where is it? That rambling old fool hinted it was somewhere around here....' A dark figure pondered this question before disappearing into a black forest like a shadow.
*~*~*~*~*
'If only I could find it....find them! The Koorime....the answers....' Hiei sat atop a rock near a river (why am I always writing about rivers? ^^;) gazing up at the endless sky. 'Why me? Why out of all the demons did Kami-sama choose me?! Why....?' For days now, Hiei had wandered all over Makai, searching for anything, any shred of hope at all to rediscover his past. And what had turned up? A babbling old demon by the name of Kashikoi.
He had claimed to know of the ice apparition's forbidden island. By the only valuable detail Hiei learned from the demon was a riddle.
"*Iced tears shall fall from the crimson sky~
*when Makai's sun sets into place~
*With crystal raindrops the Koorime cry~
*the island shall arise and show its face....~"
Hiei recited outloud.
"Arghhhhh!" The fire demon growled. "It doesn't make any sense!" He laid down onto the river bank and glanced up at the red sky. 'Will I ever find out...? About my past...? I doubt it...' Hiei heaved a heavy sigh. Suddenly his eyes widened and raised up to the sky. "...from the crimson sky..." A part of the clue echoed in Hiei's head. He sat straight up.
"The crimson sky...?" Hiei was baffled. "What's going on?!" His eyes then caught sight of the topaz sun dipping low in the ruby sky. "...when Makai's sun sets into place..." The demon repeated. He raised his face towards the heavens, closing his eyes...felt drops of wetness landing gently...
"...crystal raindrops the Koorime cry...no..." The young demon corrected himself. "...iced tears shall fall...from the crimson sky...iced tears? Rain...." Hiei whispered.
"W-When Makai's sun sets...into place..." The youkai continued, feeling an odd twinge of unfamiliar nervousness. "W-With crystal raindrops the Koorime cry..." As expected by the young demon, several small pearls cascaded down from beyond the clouds, appearing as tiny twinkling lights. He crept cautiously towards the sparkling pearls and being careful not to touch them, observed the precious round jewels closely.
'Cloudy white color, a tinge of blue...these must be some of those rare stones Nakameji mentioned...' Hiei remembered an encounter with the late thieves leader.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back***-*-*-*-*-*-
"Hehehe! We got ourselves a big haul this time!" Nakameji chuckled grotesquely. (To find out more info about Nakameji and the theives, check out Chapter 1! [^^;] Cheese here will guide you....isn't he cute?!) The other thieves looked greedily at the brown sack the leader clutched in his rough hands.
"Ano (it sounded cute like something little Hiei would say ^-^)....what is that?" Young Hiei asked curiously, pointing at the round beads glowing faintly inside the crude bag. The thieves stiffened all at once and promptly replied the little demon with grunts of "Nothing! Get lost, you twerp..." "This doesn't concern you, little runt!" "Get outta here, ya lil' nosy weakling..."
Nakameji boomed out, "Idiot boy, you better get out of my sight or I'll...." Hiei didn't stick around to hear the rest; he turned and quickly darted away, hearing the fellow thieves jeering and laughing after him. Retreating to his favorite hideout, a lonely forlorn tree, the young demon questioned his existence and destiny once more....
After the evening meal, Nakameji and his gang got drunk....like always. One of the wasted drunk thieves slung his arm around the disgusted Hiei, slurring,"H-Hey there, cutie. You've got pretty green hair...lemme touch it..." The young demon shoved his elbow into the drunk's face, rendering him unconscious before stomping away, obviously irritated.
"Wassa matta, Hiei...? Too grown up to be talking with all da big boys....eh? Eh?!" Nakameji taunted the fire demon drunkedly. Hiei's response was to fling a clod of dirt into the leader's face. Naka laughed hysterically, yelling,"Wimpy! Wee wimpy weakling Hiei! Hahaha...."
The young demon chose wisely to ignore the brute and flung himself under a tree, a good distance away from the cruel thieves. His eyes caught a quick glimpse of a sparkle in the bark. Hiei carefully plucked the item out using the tip of his trusted katana. It was the mysterious stone Nakameji had shunned him from before. As he held the delicate treasure in his hands, the young demon marveled at its beauty. Up close, it was even more beautiful; the shiny surface reflected its faint azure glow despite the lack of sunlight and the overall aspect of holding such a rare item seemed ethereal to Hiei.
As he cradled the treasure, the fire demon suddenly heard the loud rumbling of the thieves' footsteps, meaning the gang had finally sobered up. Shoving the pearl back into its hiding place in the tree, Hiei leapt back up into the veil of the dense leaves, awaiting the passing of the gang with baited breath. The thieves, delighted in their find, talked brashly. "Rare jewel, that Hiruseki! Found it, we did, a lucky, lucky find!" "But where did it come from?"
"I heard a rumor ice apparitions cry these stones!" A thief piped up.
"Nahh, no way!" Another argued. "I heard they were worthless, good for nothings just created to take up space!" The entire gang laughed loudly at the rude remark. Hiei felt a flare of rage rise up although he had no clue why; the outburst of anger disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.
As their stomps died away, Hiei returned to the bark, only to discover the jewel was missing. 'Dammit! They must've taken it with them!' Hiei thought angrily, crying unseen, unshed tears. (A/N: The last sentence means that Hiei was extremely disappointed...;_; Poor youkai...)
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back*End***-*-*-*-*-*-
Hiei crawled closer yet to the shiny stones and scooped one up into his hands. He slipped it into the folds of his cloak.
"Hiru...seki...hiruseki...hiruseki..." A quiet voice came from the red sky. It was a whispery feminine tone with a sad lilting melody; it shrouded Hiei in unfamiliar warmth.
"Hiru...seki...?" The young demon stuttered. A column of bright azure light fell to the ground, surrounding Hiei, who winced and closed his eyes from the blinding light. When he opened his eyes, the demon discovered he was near the edge of an island; snow and ice flurried around in the air and on the ground. Hiei peered over the edge, seeing nothing but silent black darkness.
"You...! Who are you?!" A woman cried. The demon, startled by the sudden shout, nearly fell over the edge. He picked himself up, brushed the snow off his black cloak and studied this new arrival. The woman had long blue hair tied back in a neat ponytail and wore a bright blue kimono. Her sapphire eyes were suspicious as she took a step towards Hiei. "Who are you? Identify yourself!" The startled fire demon in return stepped forward.
"Y-Yukina?" He whispered hopefully. The lady's azure eyes went wide as she recognized him. The exiled...the abandoned...
"No....the Forbidden Child..." She said in utter shock.
'Forbidden child...?' Hiei thought. "W-Where is Yukina?! Who are you?! Why! Forbidden Child?!" Hiei suddenly bursted out, his pain, his loneliness tumbling out with these words.
"...I am Rui...quick! Leave this island before the Elders find you!" The woman warned.
"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I GET SOME ANSWERS! Do you know what I've been through, wench?! Searching for the reason of my soul existence ever since I was put on this damned world?!" Hiei shouted angrily, his hand flying to the hilt of his katana. The lady only looked at the floor with a blank expression but Hiei saw the sadness and misery she bore as well. The demon softened.
"Tell me...please! Onegai...who am I?!" Hiei begged, falling to his knees; he was desperate and saw his threat wasn't working. Rui's head snapped up as she grabbed the young demon's arm.
"Please...! No, get up! Get up!" The woman pleaded, wrenching him to his feet and dragging him behind her. She led him to a mountain of rocks where a cave was etched into. Rui crawled through the hole, motioning for Hiei to follow her. Puzzled, the demon trailed her and when they both had gone a considerable distance into the heart of the cave, Rui stopped and began poking the ceiling. A rock fell down, making a hole for light to get through. The woman sat back against the rock wall and gestured for Hiei to move closer.
"Do not shout or scream, the Elders will find you and execute you..." Rui whispered. Hiei nodded early in reply. "Ok then, what do you wish to know?"
"I know my mother had an affair with a fire demon and that is...forbidden...wait. Did you personally know my mother?" Hiei questioned.
"Hina, your mother, was my most trusted childhood companion and friend. In return, I was hers." Rui paused and tucked a loose strand of her long hair behind her ear. "In case you haven't figured out yet, I, your mother, your sister, we are all ice apparitions, maidens of ice, the Koorime in other words. Our female dominant race produce only girls therefore the Elders, a group of the oldest, wisest apparitions, suffixed that into a law. That a Koorime could only and was limited to producing female offspring...."
Hiei listened silently the entire Rui spoke. He interrupted her before she finished the last sentence though. "My mother...she defied that rule, didn't she?" The question was more of a statement.
"Yes, Hina went wandering off the island one day and came across a powerful fire demon named Mahiro. When she returned, Hina was pregnant with twins. You were the first male child to be born on this cursed island."
"...and what about Yukina?" Hiei asked, pulling his dark cloak tighter around him. Truth be told, the cave was freezing and the fire demon was shivering; however Rui did not seem to mind the temperature.
"She being female allowed the Elders to let her stay." Hiei breathed a sigh of relief. "But you...you were dubbed the Forbidden Child and...." Rui hesistated.
"And what?" Hiei demanded, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Rui looked away as she replied,"You were thrown off the island, abandoned and destined to die on Makai...."
"Hn....I see...." His crimson eyes showed what the young demon could not speak. Betrayal, anger, misery, denial.... The two sat in silence. "Then where is my mother now?" Hiei asked, although he had a feeling he knew the answer already.
Rui's grief showed plainly on her face as she responded,"Angry at the world, Hina became miserable when you were abandoned. Before you were dropped, she pleaded to join you. 'Let me stay with my baby...he'll be killed in Makai!' She cried; the Elders paid no heed to her desperate begging. Three years later, everyone thought Hina had gotten over it; but no, she was revisited by the nightmare that had haunted her dreams. In the end, your mother....took an icicle to her heart..." The memory of that tragic day swam up to the surface of Rui's mind.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back***-*-*-*-*-*-
"Hina...? Hina, I'm coming in..." Rui called, just before entering her friend's house.
"Aunt Rui!" Young Yukina squealed, stumbling towards the other apparition.
"Whoa there, Yukina. How are you, sweetheart?" Rui hugged the girl. Hina came out from the nearest room and greeted her friend.
"Rui! How nice to see you." Hina smiled.
"Oh, I just got back and thought I'd drop by?" Rui beamed in return. Yukina looked back and forth from her mother to her friend.
"Take care of Yukina, would you? She's a handful...." Hina turned and walked into the other room.
"No problem. Yukina, want to play with Auntie?" Rui scooped up the joyful girl.
"Yeah, yeah!" Yukina cried in delight, clapping her little hands. "Wheeeee!" She exclaimed. Rui heard noises coming from the other room. 'Hina must be preparing something.' The koorime thought, continuing to babysit the younger girl. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud in the other room.
"Hina? Daijobu?" The concerned koorime called.
"Huh? Yeah, I just felt faint; it's odd, I'm having a brain blitz here. I think I'm going to go lie down for a while..." came the answer. After 10 minutes, Rui's ears prickled upon hearing a detectable crash.
"Hina? What's going on?" Rui shouted. There was no answer; as a friend, the ice apparition got worried. 'Wait a minute...brain blitz?! Oh no, she couldn't have....!' Rui panicked, setting down Yukina and rushing to the room. "Hinaaaa!" Rui screamed, unaware that little confused Yukina was trailing after her. The door was closed; Rui threw it open and ran into the room. Her heart froze.
Hina lay on the floor on her back, motionless. A bloody foot long icicle was poked through where her heart was; Hina's beautiful blue eyes were dull. Rui darted to her friend's side, falling down beside her.
"Hina? Hina! No, Hina! Speak to me, no, Hina!" Rui cried, tears running down her face, hitting the floor as hardened stones. Upon hearing the shrieks, Hina's eyes focused onto the weeping Koorime next to her, wincing as she clutched Rui's hands in her own.
"Ru...i..." Hina whispered painfully.
"Hina! Don't speak...I'll get help!" Rui was about to stand up when Hina stopped her.
"No! I won't make it...just listen...please take care of Yukina for...me..." Despite her severe injury, Hina smiled weakly. "I know you will do a good job. Please...don't cry...you will always b-be my best friend...forever. We promised, didn't we...?" Hina coughed, her supply of oxygen was being cut off. She choked up blood, it ran down her pale chin. "G-Good bye...Rui..." With those last words, Hina fell back, lifeless again.
"Hina! Help!!!" Rui screamed. "Help, help! Somebody, oh Kami-sama, HELP!!!"
"Oi! What's wrong?!" Someone called through.
"Get help! Hina....she's....!" Within a matter of seconds, a crowd of Koorime women were near the doorway, sporting horrified looks upon their flawless faces.
"Auntie...Rui...?" stuttered a voice. In her haste, the ice apparition had forgotten about Yukina. "Is Mommy...okay?" Rui grimaced.
"...yes, dear...your mommy is going to be okay..." She whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"But...she's bleeding..." Yukina tiptoed forward and laid a hand on her mother's cold face. "Mommy...?" Rui turned to the horrified Koorime standing in the doorway.
"Bring Yukina away. Take her away from this place, from this room! Go! Bring her away NOW!!!" Rui shrieked. As soon as the girl left the room, she fell over Hina's dead body, weeping uncontrollably.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back*End***-*-*-*-*-*-
Sudden noise jolted Rui back to the present. "Shhh....someone's coming..." Hiei whispered.
"It's probably the Elders...you have to go...right now!" The two managed to run out of the cave and back to the cliff where they had first met. Before leaving, Hiei had a few more questions.
"Were you the one crying the jewels before?" He demanded. Rui looked taken aback.
"Yes, that was me. I...don't know...they just flowed out..." The apparition bit her lip. "Do you still have it...? Your Hiruseki necklace?"
"...No, it got stolen...how did you know about that?"
"I was the one who bestowed it to you...Hina shed two tears when she was giving birth to you and Yukina. One for you, one for your sister..."
"...who was it? Who was the one who threw me over the island...?" Hiei's fist tightened.
"...I was...the one...I made a pact...to you then. Now that you have your answers, you are free to take revenge upon me for doing such a cruel deed..." Hiei looked at the saddened Koorime with something resembling pity.
"Hn....there are too many deaths already. Yours won't bring me any satisfaction..."
"One more thing before you exit...Yukina left to go look for you not long ago....protect her...make her happy. You are the only family she has now...." Rui had grown fond of the cheerful koorime girl.
"...No...there's still another she can always count on..." Hiei closed his eyes and suddenly jumped off the island, leaving Rui stunned. 'Did he mean...me?' She wondered.
Back on Makai, the young fire demon leapt through the trees, searching. His cloak blew out behind him; Hiei adjusted it and found the Hiruseki stone he had taken before. He clutched it tightly in his fist as he thought of his vow....
*Wooooo! That's the end! Also, Holiday Break has officially started; no school for 2 weeks!!!! I'm expecting to update a lot of my fics these 2 weeks. Anywayz, I hope you guys understood this chapter. Please review! Ok, see you next chapter!
*Hello readers! This is about Hiei again and his journey after his encounter with the thieves in chapter 1. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I look, there is barely or no information about Kuwabara's past childhood. -.- If I do find some shred of info, I will write and post a chapter about it. Anyway, I started a live journal on livejournal.com! Yay! (Totally irrelevant ^^;) With that done, let's get on with the chapter! I would like to give a special thanks to Godrina-of-the-shadows (thanks for the plushies ^_~) and to Byakugan! I'm glad to hear you enjoy my fic; thanks again! New readers, please review! I luv them, kk enough talk. Enjoy this chapter....(it's a bit sad in my opinion)
*******Chapter 4 - Hiei: Koorime Tears (Hiruseki)*******
'Hn, where is it? That rambling old fool hinted it was somewhere around here....' A dark figure pondered this question before disappearing into a black forest like a shadow.
*~*~*~*~*
'If only I could find it....find them! The Koorime....the answers....' Hiei sat atop a rock near a river (why am I always writing about rivers? ^^;) gazing up at the endless sky. 'Why me? Why out of all the demons did Kami-sama choose me?! Why....?' For days now, Hiei had wandered all over Makai, searching for anything, any shred of hope at all to rediscover his past. And what had turned up? A babbling old demon by the name of Kashikoi.
He had claimed to know of the ice apparition's forbidden island. By the only valuable detail Hiei learned from the demon was a riddle.
"*Iced tears shall fall from the crimson sky~
*when Makai's sun sets into place~
*With crystal raindrops the Koorime cry~
*the island shall arise and show its face....~"
Hiei recited outloud.
"Arghhhhh!" The fire demon growled. "It doesn't make any sense!" He laid down onto the river bank and glanced up at the red sky. 'Will I ever find out...? About my past...? I doubt it...' Hiei heaved a heavy sigh. Suddenly his eyes widened and raised up to the sky. "...from the crimson sky..." A part of the clue echoed in Hiei's head. He sat straight up.
"The crimson sky...?" Hiei was baffled. "What's going on?!" His eyes then caught sight of the topaz sun dipping low in the ruby sky. "...when Makai's sun sets into place..." The demon repeated. He raised his face towards the heavens, closing his eyes...felt drops of wetness landing gently...
"...crystal raindrops the Koorime cry...no..." The young demon corrected himself. "...iced tears shall fall...from the crimson sky...iced tears? Rain...." Hiei whispered.
"W-When Makai's sun sets...into place..." The youkai continued, feeling an odd twinge of unfamiliar nervousness. "W-With crystal raindrops the Koorime cry..." As expected by the young demon, several small pearls cascaded down from beyond the clouds, appearing as tiny twinkling lights. He crept cautiously towards the sparkling pearls and being careful not to touch them, observed the precious round jewels closely.
'Cloudy white color, a tinge of blue...these must be some of those rare stones Nakameji mentioned...' Hiei remembered an encounter with the late thieves leader.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back***-*-*-*-*-*-
"Hehehe! We got ourselves a big haul this time!" Nakameji chuckled grotesquely. (To find out more info about Nakameji and the theives, check out Chapter 1! [^^;] Cheese here will guide you....isn't he cute?!) The other thieves looked greedily at the brown sack the leader clutched in his rough hands.
"Ano (it sounded cute like something little Hiei would say ^-^)....what is that?" Young Hiei asked curiously, pointing at the round beads glowing faintly inside the crude bag. The thieves stiffened all at once and promptly replied the little demon with grunts of "Nothing! Get lost, you twerp..." "This doesn't concern you, little runt!" "Get outta here, ya lil' nosy weakling..."
Nakameji boomed out, "Idiot boy, you better get out of my sight or I'll...." Hiei didn't stick around to hear the rest; he turned and quickly darted away, hearing the fellow thieves jeering and laughing after him. Retreating to his favorite hideout, a lonely forlorn tree, the young demon questioned his existence and destiny once more....
After the evening meal, Nakameji and his gang got drunk....like always. One of the wasted drunk thieves slung his arm around the disgusted Hiei, slurring,"H-Hey there, cutie. You've got pretty green hair...lemme touch it..." The young demon shoved his elbow into the drunk's face, rendering him unconscious before stomping away, obviously irritated.
"Wassa matta, Hiei...? Too grown up to be talking with all da big boys....eh? Eh?!" Nakameji taunted the fire demon drunkedly. Hiei's response was to fling a clod of dirt into the leader's face. Naka laughed hysterically, yelling,"Wimpy! Wee wimpy weakling Hiei! Hahaha...."
The young demon chose wisely to ignore the brute and flung himself under a tree, a good distance away from the cruel thieves. His eyes caught a quick glimpse of a sparkle in the bark. Hiei carefully plucked the item out using the tip of his trusted katana. It was the mysterious stone Nakameji had shunned him from before. As he held the delicate treasure in his hands, the young demon marveled at its beauty. Up close, it was even more beautiful; the shiny surface reflected its faint azure glow despite the lack of sunlight and the overall aspect of holding such a rare item seemed ethereal to Hiei.
As he cradled the treasure, the fire demon suddenly heard the loud rumbling of the thieves' footsteps, meaning the gang had finally sobered up. Shoving the pearl back into its hiding place in the tree, Hiei leapt back up into the veil of the dense leaves, awaiting the passing of the gang with baited breath. The thieves, delighted in their find, talked brashly. "Rare jewel, that Hiruseki! Found it, we did, a lucky, lucky find!" "But where did it come from?"
"I heard a rumor ice apparitions cry these stones!" A thief piped up.
"Nahh, no way!" Another argued. "I heard they were worthless, good for nothings just created to take up space!" The entire gang laughed loudly at the rude remark. Hiei felt a flare of rage rise up although he had no clue why; the outburst of anger disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.
As their stomps died away, Hiei returned to the bark, only to discover the jewel was missing. 'Dammit! They must've taken it with them!' Hiei thought angrily, crying unseen, unshed tears. (A/N: The last sentence means that Hiei was extremely disappointed...;_; Poor youkai...)
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back*End***-*-*-*-*-*-
Hiei crawled closer yet to the shiny stones and scooped one up into his hands. He slipped it into the folds of his cloak.
"Hiru...seki...hiruseki...hiruseki..." A quiet voice came from the red sky. It was a whispery feminine tone with a sad lilting melody; it shrouded Hiei in unfamiliar warmth.
"Hiru...seki...?" The young demon stuttered. A column of bright azure light fell to the ground, surrounding Hiei, who winced and closed his eyes from the blinding light. When he opened his eyes, the demon discovered he was near the edge of an island; snow and ice flurried around in the air and on the ground. Hiei peered over the edge, seeing nothing but silent black darkness.
"You...! Who are you?!" A woman cried. The demon, startled by the sudden shout, nearly fell over the edge. He picked himself up, brushed the snow off his black cloak and studied this new arrival. The woman had long blue hair tied back in a neat ponytail and wore a bright blue kimono. Her sapphire eyes were suspicious as she took a step towards Hiei. "Who are you? Identify yourself!" The startled fire demon in return stepped forward.
"Y-Yukina?" He whispered hopefully. The lady's azure eyes went wide as she recognized him. The exiled...the abandoned...
"No....the Forbidden Child..." She said in utter shock.
'Forbidden child...?' Hiei thought. "W-Where is Yukina?! Who are you?! Why! Forbidden Child?!" Hiei suddenly bursted out, his pain, his loneliness tumbling out with these words.
"...I am Rui...quick! Leave this island before the Elders find you!" The woman warned.
"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I GET SOME ANSWERS! Do you know what I've been through, wench?! Searching for the reason of my soul existence ever since I was put on this damned world?!" Hiei shouted angrily, his hand flying to the hilt of his katana. The lady only looked at the floor with a blank expression but Hiei saw the sadness and misery she bore as well. The demon softened.
"Tell me...please! Onegai...who am I?!" Hiei begged, falling to his knees; he was desperate and saw his threat wasn't working. Rui's head snapped up as she grabbed the young demon's arm.
"Please...! No, get up! Get up!" The woman pleaded, wrenching him to his feet and dragging him behind her. She led him to a mountain of rocks where a cave was etched into. Rui crawled through the hole, motioning for Hiei to follow her. Puzzled, the demon trailed her and when they both had gone a considerable distance into the heart of the cave, Rui stopped and began poking the ceiling. A rock fell down, making a hole for light to get through. The woman sat back against the rock wall and gestured for Hiei to move closer.
"Do not shout or scream, the Elders will find you and execute you..." Rui whispered. Hiei nodded early in reply. "Ok then, what do you wish to know?"
"I know my mother had an affair with a fire demon and that is...forbidden...wait. Did you personally know my mother?" Hiei questioned.
"Hina, your mother, was my most trusted childhood companion and friend. In return, I was hers." Rui paused and tucked a loose strand of her long hair behind her ear. "In case you haven't figured out yet, I, your mother, your sister, we are all ice apparitions, maidens of ice, the Koorime in other words. Our female dominant race produce only girls therefore the Elders, a group of the oldest, wisest apparitions, suffixed that into a law. That a Koorime could only and was limited to producing female offspring...."
Hiei listened silently the entire Rui spoke. He interrupted her before she finished the last sentence though. "My mother...she defied that rule, didn't she?" The question was more of a statement.
"Yes, Hina went wandering off the island one day and came across a powerful fire demon named Mahiro. When she returned, Hina was pregnant with twins. You were the first male child to be born on this cursed island."
"...and what about Yukina?" Hiei asked, pulling his dark cloak tighter around him. Truth be told, the cave was freezing and the fire demon was shivering; however Rui did not seem to mind the temperature.
"She being female allowed the Elders to let her stay." Hiei breathed a sigh of relief. "But you...you were dubbed the Forbidden Child and...." Rui hesistated.
"And what?" Hiei demanded, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Rui looked away as she replied,"You were thrown off the island, abandoned and destined to die on Makai...."
"Hn....I see...." His crimson eyes showed what the young demon could not speak. Betrayal, anger, misery, denial.... The two sat in silence. "Then where is my mother now?" Hiei asked, although he had a feeling he knew the answer already.
Rui's grief showed plainly on her face as she responded,"Angry at the world, Hina became miserable when you were abandoned. Before you were dropped, she pleaded to join you. 'Let me stay with my baby...he'll be killed in Makai!' She cried; the Elders paid no heed to her desperate begging. Three years later, everyone thought Hina had gotten over it; but no, she was revisited by the nightmare that had haunted her dreams. In the end, your mother....took an icicle to her heart..." The memory of that tragic day swam up to the surface of Rui's mind.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back***-*-*-*-*-*-
"Hina...? Hina, I'm coming in..." Rui called, just before entering her friend's house.
"Aunt Rui!" Young Yukina squealed, stumbling towards the other apparition.
"Whoa there, Yukina. How are you, sweetheart?" Rui hugged the girl. Hina came out from the nearest room and greeted her friend.
"Rui! How nice to see you." Hina smiled.
"Oh, I just got back and thought I'd drop by?" Rui beamed in return. Yukina looked back and forth from her mother to her friend.
"Take care of Yukina, would you? She's a handful...." Hina turned and walked into the other room.
"No problem. Yukina, want to play with Auntie?" Rui scooped up the joyful girl.
"Yeah, yeah!" Yukina cried in delight, clapping her little hands. "Wheeeee!" She exclaimed. Rui heard noises coming from the other room. 'Hina must be preparing something.' The koorime thought, continuing to babysit the younger girl. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud in the other room.
"Hina? Daijobu?" The concerned koorime called.
"Huh? Yeah, I just felt faint; it's odd, I'm having a brain blitz here. I think I'm going to go lie down for a while..." came the answer. After 10 minutes, Rui's ears prickled upon hearing a detectable crash.
"Hina? What's going on?" Rui shouted. There was no answer; as a friend, the ice apparition got worried. 'Wait a minute...brain blitz?! Oh no, she couldn't have....!' Rui panicked, setting down Yukina and rushing to the room. "Hinaaaa!" Rui screamed, unaware that little confused Yukina was trailing after her. The door was closed; Rui threw it open and ran into the room. Her heart froze.
Hina lay on the floor on her back, motionless. A bloody foot long icicle was poked through where her heart was; Hina's beautiful blue eyes were dull. Rui darted to her friend's side, falling down beside her.
"Hina? Hina! No, Hina! Speak to me, no, Hina!" Rui cried, tears running down her face, hitting the floor as hardened stones. Upon hearing the shrieks, Hina's eyes focused onto the weeping Koorime next to her, wincing as she clutched Rui's hands in her own.
"Ru...i..." Hina whispered painfully.
"Hina! Don't speak...I'll get help!" Rui was about to stand up when Hina stopped her.
"No! I won't make it...just listen...please take care of Yukina for...me..." Despite her severe injury, Hina smiled weakly. "I know you will do a good job. Please...don't cry...you will always b-be my best friend...forever. We promised, didn't we...?" Hina coughed, her supply of oxygen was being cut off. She choked up blood, it ran down her pale chin. "G-Good bye...Rui..." With those last words, Hina fell back, lifeless again.
"Hina! Help!!!" Rui screamed. "Help, help! Somebody, oh Kami-sama, HELP!!!"
"Oi! What's wrong?!" Someone called through.
"Get help! Hina....she's....!" Within a matter of seconds, a crowd of Koorime women were near the doorway, sporting horrified looks upon their flawless faces.
"Auntie...Rui...?" stuttered a voice. In her haste, the ice apparition had forgotten about Yukina. "Is Mommy...okay?" Rui grimaced.
"...yes, dear...your mommy is going to be okay..." She whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"But...she's bleeding..." Yukina tiptoed forward and laid a hand on her mother's cold face. "Mommy...?" Rui turned to the horrified Koorime standing in the doorway.
"Bring Yukina away. Take her away from this place, from this room! Go! Bring her away NOW!!!" Rui shrieked. As soon as the girl left the room, she fell over Hina's dead body, weeping uncontrollably.
-*-*-*-*-*-***Flash*back*End***-*-*-*-*-*-
Sudden noise jolted Rui back to the present. "Shhh....someone's coming..." Hiei whispered.
"It's probably the Elders...you have to go...right now!" The two managed to run out of the cave and back to the cliff where they had first met. Before leaving, Hiei had a few more questions.
"Were you the one crying the jewels before?" He demanded. Rui looked taken aback.
"Yes, that was me. I...don't know...they just flowed out..." The apparition bit her lip. "Do you still have it...? Your Hiruseki necklace?"
"...No, it got stolen...how did you know about that?"
"I was the one who bestowed it to you...Hina shed two tears when she was giving birth to you and Yukina. One for you, one for your sister..."
"...who was it? Who was the one who threw me over the island...?" Hiei's fist tightened.
"...I was...the one...I made a pact...to you then. Now that you have your answers, you are free to take revenge upon me for doing such a cruel deed..." Hiei looked at the saddened Koorime with something resembling pity.
"Hn....there are too many deaths already. Yours won't bring me any satisfaction..."
"One more thing before you exit...Yukina left to go look for you not long ago....protect her...make her happy. You are the only family she has now...." Rui had grown fond of the cheerful koorime girl.
"...No...there's still another she can always count on..." Hiei closed his eyes and suddenly jumped off the island, leaving Rui stunned. 'Did he mean...me?' She wondered.
Back on Makai, the young fire demon leapt through the trees, searching. His cloak blew out behind him; Hiei adjusted it and found the Hiruseki stone he had taken before. He clutched it tightly in his fist as he thought of his vow....
*Wooooo! That's the end! Also, Holiday Break has officially started; no school for 2 weeks!!!! I'm expecting to update a lot of my fics these 2 weeks. Anywayz, I hope you guys understood this chapter. Please review! Ok, see you next chapter!